• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Speakon vs. 1/4

#3
Do you get a noticable difference in sound quality? Because I've heard Speakons can be kind of a bad thing - say your head slips, and where a 1/4 would just come unplugged, a Speakon is "locked on". I *do* know that I have some JBL SRX715 PA speakers, and they *only* have Speakons, if that says anything.

Skel
 
#4
Speakons have more contact area so you get better signal transfer. In the audiophile world, there use to be an arguement about fuse distortion because all the signal was going through a little fuse wire after passing through railroad rails. If you've ever looked inside a 1/4" plug and jack, you'll see that there is actually very little contact area. I think I saw in an Ampeg manual that the speakon can handle more power, which goes back to the contact area. There probably are some 1/4" that have bumps to increase contact area, but these plugs are rare. I know a set of Planet Waves instrument cables have this.

Speakons lock in place, keeping constant pressure on the connection resulting in a more reliable connection.

The speakons that I've worked with are screwed onto the wire making them easy to install. I'm sure that there are probably some 1/4" plugs with this feature. The new Planet Wave video cables we're selling just fit right on the end of the cut wire with no stripping required.

Speakons are not found on everything. I was surprised that my new Ashdown MAG300 didn't have speakons!

I'll bet that 1/4" cables are cheaper and easier to find.
 
#5
jhfva said:
I'll bet that 1/4" cables are cheaper and easier to find.
Click to expand...

And yet some people are still trying to save a buck. A bassist of my acquaintance has her $3000 + stack connected with literally $5 or $6 worth of cables. The cheapest 1/4" plugs available and 22 gauge lamp cord.

Sigh. :rollno:

BTW: I agree with all the positives that have been listed. Speakons are the way to go.
 
#7
Speakons are only needed for higher powered amps, that may be why some don't have it. They are needed for my bi-amped WT1205 cause I'm pushing 1200 watts. I used them on my 450 watt Ampeg because they are more efficent and won't shake out of the cab at high volume, but 1/4's would have been fine for that. I use good quality cables anyway so the cost difference wasn't that much if any.
I also agree with everything else.
 
#8
Only needed on high power amps from a power handling standpoint. From the mechanical security, indestructability, and lack of exposed conductors, they are an excellent idea on ALL amps. Unless you live on the backside of the moon, speakon cables should be almost as easy to find as 1/4", albeit a little more expensive. If you make your own, though, you can go speakon for less than any store bought 1/4" cable of any quality . . . about $10 for 3-4 foot long, 4 wire, biamp capable . . . . and a buck or so less if you only go 2 wire.

Regarding the sound question, 1/4" sound fine . . . right until they fail, and they they sound like total crap . . . . been there, done that, more than once . . . unfortunately . . . .

- Tim
 
#10
I don't really care about the cables too much. I use both speakon and 1/4 in my rig, and neither has failed. They both work just fine. I have never seen any speaker cable fail because of the type of connector; I have seen both speakons and 1/4 inches fail because the internal wireing comes loose. Unless you are pushing tons of watts (like at least 1600) the connection doesn't matter much. Having the speakon attached is kinda nice. The lack of corrosive surfaces is nice too. But in the end, it really doesn't matter much.
 
#14
The Speakons are nicely engineered connectors.

However, I have never seen a 1/4" connection fail, even when pushing large power amplification through them. In fact my fav cabs don't have Speak-ons, and I had to make hybrid cables to drive them from the power amp, which seems kind of pointless.

So, it is difficult to separate the myth from the reality on this one. Does anyone have links to actual data on breakdown testing with 1/4" connectors?
 
#15
Use speakon!

My dad has made so many of those for my school's sound system.

Speakons = the sex.

and don't worry about your head falling off your cabinet and it being ripped apart or something... just make sure that the cable is long enough to reach the floor. (duh) unless you are throwing your head around while still attached to your cab on a regular basis... you shouldnt need to worry.
 
#16
KeithBMI said:
I did a search but I couldn't find anything.

What are the pros and cons to using a speakon as opposed to a 1/4 input.

Is it sound quality, security, or something else?
Click to expand...

Speakons - More expensive, locks in, not nearly as common as 1/4"

1/4" - Less expensive, does the job fine for most non-stadium touring folks, won't yank pieces of equipment to the ground if folks trip on the cables (ususally), available in different current carrying capacities.

Here is one rated for 15A.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

All that being said, I have nothing against speakon other than having to pay a premium for something I don't necessarily need. Eventually price will come down, or inflation will catch up and they will end up on everything because the are the connector du jour.

We have gotten along many, many years without speakons. Although there have been exceptions (there are always exceptions) 1/4" connectors do the job well.

:D

Joe.
 
#17
I believe the issue with higher power handling is two-fold:

1) More contact surface, so better power transfer. The smaller contact of a 1/4 inch plug has higher resistance just due to physical size, so the more power you're trying to pump through it, the worse the issue becomes.

2) Safety - when you plug/unplug a 1/4 inch jack, it shorts by design - you're sliding the positive contact over the negative. While this isn't an issue if you're properly plugging/unplugging everything while powered down, if someone kicks out your speaker cable while you're playing, you've potentially got a big problem. Of course, if they kick your speakon cable hard enough, they'll pull your head off your cab, and then you have a whole different set of issues. ;)
 
#18
bucephylus said:
The Speakons are nicely engineered connectors.

However, I have never seen a 1/4" connection fail, even when pushing large power amplification through them. In fact my fav cabs don't have Speak-ons, and I had to make hybrid cables to drive them from the power amp, which seems kind of pointless.

So, it is difficult to separate the myth from the reality on this one. Does anyone have links to actual data on breakdown testing with 1/4" connectors?
Click to expand...

I don't know about "actual breakdown testing" but Ihave had several go bad on me personally . . . . typically, it is a loose contact, resulting in either intermittent loss of signal, but once I had one that got "soft" on a subwoofer, and the level dropped to about 30% (and got NASTY) and the connector got real hot . . . . .

It was right after than that all my stuff went to speakon. Never looked back, and never a problem since. And with speakong running around $4 each, I don't think (unless you have a CRAPLOAD of cables) that cost is a valid argument at all.

- Tim
 
#20
mindflow said:
does anyone know a good place to get speakons? i have only seen them in GC and all they had was the really long ones. anyone got any good deals online lately?
Click to expand...

Make 'em yourself, you don't even need to solder. My last 3 footer cost me about 7 bucks.

Failing that, try here: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
or try the vendors in the Commercial section of Talkbass, they get good reviews.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back