speakon or 1/4" (does it matter?)

[rolorockbass]

I just got a new amp and when I was purchasing the salesman was trying to push a speakon cable to go with it. Does this really matter? Gk 700rb into a Ampeg 410hlf is what I am running but did not see any discssions on this......

[BillyIVbass]

Well there is no difference in tone. Connection is more secure....but! It isn't necessary.

When is it necessary? When you are pushing a ton of power. A ton of power to me is 1000+ watts. If you go to a concert, they most likely power their mains with speakon.

[GrowlerBox]

Speakon is safer -- both more secure, and there is no chance of any bare connection showing with a half-plugged in connection. I believe in Europe only Speakon now meets mandated safety standards. I could be wrong here, but if there's an opportunity to regulate, those Europeans'll do it! On the other hand, most people seemed to survive in the days before Speakon.

Some amps/cabs have Speakon only, some have the combination inputs. Use whatever gets the job done (except for instrument cables).

[Bongolation]

The 1/4" phone plug is probably the most defective, trouble-prone electrical connector ever designed.

I don't want to use it in any sort of high-watt output connection.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

This topic has been beaten to near death several times.

There's usually two groups of people arguing about it: the "phone connectors have been used from the beginnings so it is adequate" folks, and the engineering types who recognize the advantages Speakon offers.

The average phone plug/jack combo is good for about 300-500W in a MI/PA application. There's obviously better examples there as well as worse ones.

If given the choice, Speakon is the logical way to transfer power. To me anyway.

Regards
Sam

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Bongolation

The 1/4" phone plug is probably the most defective, trouble-prone electrical connector ever designed.

I don't want to use it in any sort of high-watt output connection.

worse than banana plugs? no way!

anyway, speakons will prevent shock from touching live speaker wires, but there is no shock hazard in amps below 500w. all of my amps have 1/4" jacks but none of them have more than 300w. however, if they had speakons, i would gladly run speakon cables.

[dincz]

A jack plug at the cab end is more of a problem than at the amp end.

[smo]

Jacks can wriggle free as the female jack gets older - meaning you cut out in a live gig.

Had it happen a handful of times - been a speakon user since and never goin back.

[VanillaThundah]

Nothing to lose with them, they seem to be a more efficient way of getting the job done.

...plus, I think they sound better too

[IngerAlb]

One quick question: if the amp (500W@4Ohm) has just 1 speakon and 1 1/4 connections, and the cabinets have also only 1 speakon (and 2 1/4 inputs), how would you daisy chain them? Would you rather use the speakon for the 1st cab and the 1/4 for the second cab, or just speaker cables in the 1/4s for both cabs? Would it be a problem if the cabs are chained through different cables (speakon / jack) or is it better to have both plugged in with the same type of cable? Thanks!

[Sartori]

It's a more secure connection, that's all. No difference in sound, it just stays in better and there's reduced chance of shock.

They're not necessary, I don't currently use them because my amp only has 1/4" jacks, but I would if I had the capability. Even if they cost more, speaker cables are such a rare purchase for me that I'd rather have the more secure connector. I mean, why not?

If you can use them, that's what I'd do, but if your amp doesn't have the jacks for them, it's not a big deal.

No, it doesn't matter if you're daisy-chaining the cabs and between some you use speakon and others you use the phone plugs.

[IngerAlb]

Originally Posted by Sartori

No, it doesn't matter if you're daisy-chaining the cabs and between some you use speakon and others you use the phone plugs.

Ah, good, thanks! I was afraid there's a more significant difference between speakons and 1/4s - something that might damage my cabinets if mixing these 2 types togethers Ok, then it should be ok then

[eastcoasteddie]

I recently modified my old SWR cabs to accept speakons, and I'm glad I did.

Just last week, I was using my SVT though the 4x10 with the 1/4" jack for a good half hour. I then went to add a 2nd cab for testing purposes and found the 1/4 jack to be a bit on the warm side. Not HOT per se, just warmer than I'd like it to be.
Speakons are a more secure and robust connection where the 1/4" jack kind of sucks.

[fdeck]

Many, if not most of the new micro heads, do not have ground-referenced outputs. Instead, both output terminals carry signal, and float above ground by a few tens of Volts or more. As a result, the metal cap on a 1/4" connector is "live" even when there is no audio signal.

No sane engineer would choose 1/4" for speakers today if it wasn't already established as a standard.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by rolorockbass

but did not see any discssions on this......

You could not have looked very hard. I searched 'speakon' and got 996 hits.
If you have the option to use Speakons do so.

the salesman was trying to push a speakon cable to go with it

That's good so long as he wasn't trying to sell you anything costing more than $25 for a six to eight footer. Expensive cables don't work any better, they're just more expensive. G-C and so forth love them, as next to extended warranties they have the highest profit margin of anything they sell.

[scootron]

Originally Posted by eastcoasteddie

I recently modified my old SWR cabs to accept speakons, and I'm glad I did. .

I'd like to switch a couple of my older cabs over. Was it difficult? Any tips you could give would be appreciated. If this is too off-topic, I would be grateful for a PM.

[s_mcsleazy]

Originally Posted by GrowlerBox

Speakon is safer -- both more secure, and there is no chance of any bare connection showing with a half-plugged in connection. I believe in Europe only Speakon now meets mandated safety standards. I could be wrong here, but if there's an opportunity to regulate, those Europeans'll do it! On the other hand, most people seemed to survive in the days before Speakon.

Some amps/cabs have Speakon only, some have the combination inputs. Use whatever gets the job done (except for instrument cables).

i never heard anything about that.

although i do live in glasgow so perhaps the man who said it got stabbed

i have to keep using 1/4 because thats all my amp takes

[gjbassist]

Go with the Speakon cables. You can make them yourself for less than half what they cost retail!

[JB696]

The speakon connection is much more secure. So if someone trips on your cord it won't pull out or break off. It will just pull over your stack. Or send your amp head flying across the stage. Plus, it looks really cool to have a couple of cables the size of automotive jumper cables hanging out the back of your three pound micro amp.

[jvanick]

don't discount the fact that with just a small screw driver, you can very quickly and easily fix broken cables at a gig as well, try that with 1/4" jacks.