another cable query: speaker cables this time!

[eknivsnikta]

i've been using the same "speaker" cable for i don't even know how long. got it from a knowledgable guy who actually informed of the difference between "speaker" and "instrument" cables. for some reason last night i looked at it closely and it says "instrument" cable. so tonight a bought a Horizon 12 gauge 3' speaker cable, w/ Neutrik 1/4" plugs. i was amazed at how much more rich low end came out of my speakers. but there was also a loss of high end and harmonics, which could not be brought back to a desirable level using the eq on my amp.

question: anyone know of any speaker cables that provide good warm low end AND good highs and harmonics? i play an L1000 fretless (passive - i read that speaker cables can really alter the tone from a passive pickup) w/ DR roundwound strings, through a trace elliot amp and 4X10 cab.

[Ken Baker]

Originally Posted by eknivsnikta

i've been using the same "speaker" cable for i don't even know how long. got it from a knowledgable guy who actually informed of the difference between "speaker" and "instrument" cables. for some reason last night i looked at it closely and it says "instrument" cable. so tonight a bought a Horizon 12 gauge 3' speaker cable, w/ Neutrik 1/4" plugs. i was amazed at how much more rich low end came out of my speakers. but there was also a loss of high end and harmonics, which could not be brought back to a desirable level using the eq on my amp.

The speaker output from a bass amp can carry quite a bit of current. In fact, so can a reasonably high powered home stereo. The low frequencies need higher current capability to accurately drive the speakers. This is why we run heavy gauge speaker cables. For a bass rig, 12ga is about as big as people go, with 14ga and 16ga more common for the short run from head to cab.

As to the difference in sound... I doubt that the bigger cable took away any of the high end unless it was harmonics produced because of the too-small cable. What you're hearing is the way your rig is supposed to sound, with the low frequencies at a higher level than you're used to. It's all relative. Just EQ accordingly and go from there.

question: anyone know of any speaker cables that provide good warm low end AND good highs and harmonics? i play an L1000 fretless (passive - i read that speaker cables can really alter the tone from a passive pickup) w/ DR roundwound strings, through a trace elliot amp and 4X10 cab.

Call Orange County Speaker. I use their cables for my speakers.

Ken...

[fender3x]

Ken's right. Current is MUCH higher in speaker cables than in instrument cables, which is why guage is important. Resistance increases the longer the cable is, which is why length is important. The only other thing is making a good connection. Good ends, large guage, short runs. That's all there is to a speaker cable. No shielding necessary (as it is with the instrument cable). 14 ga is all you really need if you keep the run short. You can use heavy guage zip chord if you like, with a good speakon or 1/4 end.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by eknivsnikta

passive - i read that speaker cables can really alter the tone from a passive pickup

I don't know where you read that, but it is completely, totally false. The amplifier places at least two, and sometimes dozens, of buffering and isolating stages between your instrument and the speaker jack. There is literally, physically, no way that a speaker cable can have anything to do with whether your instrument is active or passive.

I agree with Ken that if there was a loss of highs with this new cable, what you are actually hearing was the removal of artifacts caused by using the wrong cable. The new cable is presenting the true, correct sound of your amp.

If it was a very long cable, then I would suggest at 12 ga. its capacitance could be too high. But since it's a 3', the gauge should not have any audible impact.

[eknivsnikta]

yes! that makes a lot of sense - artifacts my old cable was creating. the old instrument cable says: 20GA/1C. it is also a 3'.

so if everything else is the same, do you think i would notice much difference, frequency-wise, between 12GA and 14GA speaker cable?

[guitar ed]

20ga is pretty thin stuff.

As for a difference between 12ga & 14ga, it depends on the run length, etc. But a 3ft run, is pretty short. I would not imaging much of an audible difference.

edg

[fender3x]

I am in agreement with the last few posts. Nice to know that people are not falling for speaker cable snake oil.

Agreed that 20 ga is VERY small. It might well be noticeable at high volumes. It might also get hot because you are pumping a lot of current through a small "pipe." Not good!

Originally Posted by bongomania

If it was a very long cable, then I would suggest at 12 ga.

Yup. But you are better off sticking with short cables. Resistance increases with length, even in large gauge cables.

You need a good quality cable from the bass to the amp. The guage is not too important since the wattage is low, but shielding is, and shielded cable is more expensive.

By contrast, there is nothing much to speaker wire. It's just two unsheilded wires. You can make your own cheaply and easily from heavy gauge wire from home depot if you want, and it will sound as good as anything you can buy. If you can solder, I would recommend this particularly if you are using speakons. Speakon cable is ridiculously expenseive, but high quality Neutrik connectors are relatively cheap.

[bongomania]

We even had an EE designer for BBE come on here and say the very best sounding speaker cables he ever heard were ones he made out of 12ga solid core Romex like you'd use in wiring your home.

[Ken Baker]

Originally Posted by bongomania

We even had an EE designer for BBE come on here and say the very best sounding speaker cables he ever heard were ones he made out of 12ga solid core Romex like you'd use in wiring your home.

Lemme guess... Dayv Chavez?

Ken...