Speakon to 1/4 adapters?

Marley's Ghost · #1 03-18-2006, 03:30 PM

My Kustom Groovebass 1200 only cam with one Speakon cable, so I need to get another one. I see that they sell Speakon-1/4 adapters, which would allow me to use one of my 10 guage speaker cables. Any pros/cons of adapter vs native Speakon?

ddnidd1 · #2 03-18-2006, 06:01 PM

Speakon to speakon carries more current. Other than their locking feature this is the reason they exist.

Marley's Ghost · #3 03-18-2006, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddnidd1

Speakon to speakon carries more current. Other than their locking feature this is the reason they exist.

So you are saying that Speakon cables carry more current than Speakon adapters with 1/4 inch speaker cables?

Peter McFerrin · #4 03-18-2006, 06:22 PM

The 1/4" connector has a lower current capacity than the Speakon connector, and even with an adapter will still have the lower capacity. It's a bottleneck. Of course, current capacity isn't really an issue unless you're dealing with very high power levels (>1000 watts), but the locking connector prevents an awful lot of headaches.

If you're good with a soldering iron, you should consider removing the 1/4" connectors from your existing 10-gauge speaker cable and soldering on Speakon connectors instead. There may even be clip-on Speakon connectors out there, for all I know.

fretlessrock · #5 03-18-2006, 08:22 PM

I keep a few speakon-1/4" adapters, and a few speakon couplers, in my gig kit. They work fine and there is no reason why they couldn't be used full time. If you need to have the flexibility of mating your cable to 1/4" and speakon equipped cabs, they make sense. But if it is long term then just convert your cables to Speakon. The male speakon plugs cost a lot less than the adapters, and they are solderless. It is a good idea to tin the wire ends before assembling the cable, but the actual connection is a screw-tensioned pocket terminal.

Shop around for Speakon parts. Some places get insane prices for the connectors and are completely insane when they price the adapters. Give the guys at Redco Audio a try. http://www.redco.com/

Peter McFerrin · #6 03-18-2006, 08:24 PM

Well, I'll be damned. No soldering needed!

The Golden Boy · #7 03-19-2006, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter McFerrin

Well, I'll be damned. No soldering needed!

You beat me to it. I was going to say "if you're good with a screwdriver..."

Munjibunga · #8 03-19-2006, 09:50 AM

Keeaumoku · #9 03-20-2006, 01:57 PM

When you say 'Speakon to 1/4" adapter', I take the word adapter to precisely mean the picture that Munji posted... and that is an adapter...

...I have a pair of speaker cables that have a 'Speakon' connector on one end, and a 1/4" plug on the other. I originally got these when I had my Marshall VBA400. Marshall initially provided heavy-duty speaker cables with 1/4" plugs on both ends. I wanted the extra security of 'Speakon' connectors for use on my NV215 and D410XLT. So, seeing as how the VBA didn't have 'Speakon' capability, I settled for these cables...

...I no longer have the VBA, but I do have a DB750, and it only has 'Speakon' connectors on the back panel. Fortunately enough, my NV215, D410XLT, and my newly acquired NV425 all have 1/4" jacks in addition to their 'Speakon' connectors, so I can still make use of these cables... and they do their job just fine...