What connector/jack is this?

[Bikonja]

I moved into a new apartment recently and found plates with connectors on the walls, among them some connectors for surround sound (judging from context). I don't have any experience with surround sound, but I do with all three phone jack sizes (2.5mm, 3.5mm and 6.3mm[1/4"]) as well as RCA. Since I moved to a different country I was not able to bring my stuff to try out the various connectors out of the above mentioned, but I can immediately tell that it's definitely not 2.5/3.5mm and I did try RCA and it's not it. It looks like it might be 6.3mm (or 1/4" depending on your region ), but I don't have a jack to test. The look of the connectors on the plates confused me at first because of the outer ring, but now that I think about it it seems like it might have just thrown me off track and is just a regular ol' 6.3mm, but before I go buying every jack there is I wanted to get the skinny from people with experience
From the labels on the plate and the placing on the walls (which is perfect for surround sound) I would definitely say it's meant for surround sound (although I will not, at least for now, be using it for that function, I will rather use it for hacks like plugging headphone in across the room ).

Without further ado, here's the photo - which connector would you say is it?
For some reason I don't see the image if I embed it so here's a link.

 

[ledhead11]

It just a guess since you said you already tried to the normal jacks and RCA. I think it's whats called a banana plug but I'm not positive.

Here's a link for an example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA67038T3166&cm_re=banana_plugs-_-9SIA67038T3166-_-Product

Hope that helps.

 

[anonymousdude]

Most likely banana plug, maybe a mini banana plug if they're really small.

 

[jsmithepa]

Those are banana jacks, but the type seen on a DMM, can take regular banana plugs or those nice, covered types. It's labeled LR so ya, the bet is they are for speakers.

 

[Bikonja]

Thanks everyone, once I get my hands on some banana plugs I'll try it out and report back (and pick the first response as the solution as pretty much all posted solutions say the same thing and I can't mark them all as answers.

 

[hang-the-9]

All those plugs have to go to some central part to connect to an amp/pre-amp, you can't just plug speakers in to them to use them. And you certainly can't connect headphones to them without modifying the connections.

 

[Bikonja]

All those plugs have to go to some central part to connect to an amp/pre-amp, you can't just plug speakers in to them to use them. And you certainly can't connect headphones to them without modifying the connections.

Actually, I sincerely doubt there's any active components in the walls. I'm fairly certain the plugs are just connected to each other and the purpose is to connect that central part to the wall plugs in one part of the room and then connect the other parts to the wall plugs in another part of the room so as to avoid having cables going across the room from area to area, meaning there's no reason not to plug anything in those plugs to connect it across the room (provided that thing doesn't require shielded wires or something like that that this doesn't have [I don't really know what this does and doesn't have, other than just a simple copper wire]).
So connecting the headphones should not be a problem, provided I connect them properly (i.e. connect left channel to one plug, right channel to right plug and then on the other side connect the two back properly).

Did I miss something?

 

[hang-the-9]

All those plugs have to go to some central part to connect to an amp/pre-amp, you can't just plug speakers in to them to use them. And you certainly can't connect headphones to them without modifying the connections.

Actually, I sincerely doubt there's any active components in the walls. I'm fairly certain the plugs are just connected to each other and the purpose is to connect that central part to the wall plugs in one part of the room and then connect the other parts to the wall plugs in another part of the room so as to avoid having cables going across the room from area to area, meaning there's no reason not to plug anything in those plugs to connect it across the room (provided that thing doesn't require shielded wires or something like that that this doesn't have [I don't really know what this does and doesn't have, other than just a simple copper wire]).
So connecting the headphones should not be a problem, provided I connect them properly (i.e. connect left channel to one plug, right channel to right plug and then on the other side connect the two back properly).

Did I miss something?

Try it and see how it works. I have never seen an in-wall speaker jack that was just wired up to every other one in the house or room. They are setup to run from a central amp and source to play music in different areas, not as a point to point connection.

Plug in speakers in one jack, the amp output in another and see if they work.

 

[Bikonja]

Try it and see how it works. I have never seen an in-wall speaker jack that was just wired up to every other one in the house or room. They are setup to run from a central amp and source to play music in different areas, not as a point to point connection.

Plug in speakers in one jack, the amp output in another and see if they work.

I will try, but I don't know when I'll get the chance as there's currently some works undergo in my apartment.
I don't understand, what are you saying is (your expectation) in the wall? I thought it would be a point-to-point connection for specific speakers, aka the plug labelled LR on the panel would connect to the plug on the wall in the left rear area of the "viewing area", the one labelled R would be connected to the one in the front right, etc... Is that not what you think is in the walls? I would be surprised if it wasn't, but then again that's why I'm here, I don't really have experience with these kind of systems so what I expect might not be what actually is.

 

[Mousemonkey]

I would tone out the sockets first just to make sure they go to where you think they go to.

 

[hang-the-9]

Try it and see how it works. I have never seen an in-wall speaker jack that was just wired up to every other one in the house or room. They are setup to run from a central amp and source to play music in different areas, not as a point to point connection.

Plug in speakers in one jack, the amp output in another and see if they work.

I will try, but I don't know when I'll get the chance as there's currently some works undergo in my apartment.
I don't understand, what are you saying is (your expectation) in the wall? I thought it would be a point-to-point connection for specific speakers, aka the plug labelled LR on the panel would connect to the plug on the wall in the left rear area of the "viewing area", the one labelled R would be connected to the one in the front right, etc... Is that not what you think is in the walls? I would be surprised if it wasn't, but then again that's why I'm here, I don't really have experience with these kind of systems so what I expect might not be what actually is.

If they are marked LR, R and so on, then it sounds like that is for specific speakers, but there will be a central hub where those jacks connect to a receiver. So let's say you plug in a headset or speaker to LR, then what? Where are you going to plug in the source? Just to another random jack? If all those were wired together, how would the speakers know to play the right signal? If LR is connected to RR and R and L, and the surround sound receiver sent out a Left Rear signal, how can those speakers know which one of those should play that sound if they are all wired together?

You can always just ask from whoever is renting you the apartment how those plugs are setup.

There should be a plate like this somewhere, and those connections from that plate would go out to the individual speaker locations on the walls. Point to point, not all connected together.

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-2-Gang-Surround-Sound-Distribution/dp/B0087G5C8Y

Then each of those connections on the large wall plate would to to individual plates like this https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-103324-Quality-Binding-Two-Piece/dp/B001TKE25E/ref=pd_sim_23_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3FBN96SBQ27ANB1HYMVG which is what you have correct?

This is how a multi speaker setup is wired, they are not just wall jacks all wired together, that would be crazy, you need to separate the signals.

 

[Bikonja]

I would tone out the sockets first just to make sure they go to where you think they go to.

What does "tone out" mean?
That's a good note, though... I would probably not expect it to not be connected as labeled and if it's actually not connected as labeled would spend a good amount of time and nerves trying to figure out what's wrong.

 

[Bikonja]

If they are marked LR, R and so on, then it sounds like that is for specific speakers, but there will be a central hub where those jacks connect to a receiver. So let's say you plug in a headset or speaker to LR, then what? Where are you going to plug in the source? Just to another random jack? If all those were wired together, how would the speakers know to play the right signal? If LR is connected to RR and R and L, and the surround sound receiver sent out a Left Rear signal, how can those speakers know which one of those should play that sound if they are all wired together?

You can always just ask from whoever is renting you the apartment how those plugs are setup.

I think I understand what you mean now. There's the plugs that I uploaded the picture of, which are where the "source" should be and then there's four sets of the same type of plugs (a black and a red plug) on the four corners (left rear, right rear, front left and front right of the viewing area) of the room. So the speakers would all be connected to their respective plugs and then those plugs are connected to the central plugs that are in the photo and the source would then be connected to those central plugs from the photo. So, while they are all wired to the same central panel at the location of the source, there's multiple plugs/wires so the actual speakers would be, in effect, directly connected to the sources outputs for various channels, as opposed to a single wire coming out of the receiver and connecting to the speakers.

EDIT: Yes, that is correct, there are individual plates at every (anticipated) speaker location.

 

[hang-the-9]

If they are marked LR, R and so on, then it sounds like that is for specific speakers, but there will be a central hub where those jacks connect to a receiver. So let's say you plug in a headset or speaker to LR, then what? Where are you going to plug in the source? Just to another random jack? If all those were wired together, how would the speakers know to play the right signal? If LR is connected to RR and R and L, and the surround sound receiver sent out a Left Rear signal, how can those speakers know which one of those should play that sound if they are all wired together?

You can always just ask from whoever is renting you the apartment how those plugs are setup.

I think I understand what you mean now. There's the plugs that I uploaded the picture of, which are where the "source" should be and then there's four sets of the same type of plugs (a black and a red plug) on the four corners (left rear, right rear, front left and front right of the viewing area) of the room. So the speakers would all be connected to their respective plugs and then those plugs are connected to the central plugs that are in the photo and the source would then be connected to those central plugs from the photo. So, while they are all wired to the same central panel at the location of the source, there's multiple plugs/wires so the actual speakers would be, in effect, directly connected to the sources outputs for various channels, as opposed to a single wire coming out of the receiver and connecting to the speakers.

EDIT: Yes, that is correct, there are individual plates at every (anticipated) speaker location.

Yes, I put in some diagrams so you can see how it would be wired up, you need to connect the source on the first jack that is wired up to the second jack, not just any 2 jacks you want.

 

[Bikonja]

Yes, I put in some diagrams so you can see how it would be wired up, you need to connect the source on the first jack that is wired up to the second jack, not just any 2 jacks you want.

Great, so we were on the same page, just didn't realize it
Thanks!