I think someone (who shall remain nameless) in a group I'm in is using instrument cables for speaker cables.......that can't be good for the sound of the speakers, but I can't tell by looking at the cables whether they are instrument or speaker. The writing has worn off of them. Is there a way to tell them apart?
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Telling speaker and instrument cables apart at a glance?
- Thread starter nsmar4211
- Start date
These are the cables for a PA system... and actually most of my own speaker cables are 20 footers 
This.
If its a sheilded wire, its instrument.
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If its a conductor pair, its speaker. The conductors will also be quite large and almost always red/black or white/black in 2 conductor speaker cabling.
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Heck even this is better than using an instrument cable:
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There is one exception if the person who made the cables was a complete tool. But this is also NOT speaker cable.
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Speaker cable will almost never be sheilded. Would be a mighty special case if it needed to be sheilded.
Spray pain or grease pencil works for color-coding, once you have it straight. Don't use tape, it gums up.
Our band's percussionist runs his mic into his own mixer and then to his own PA speakers with instrument cables.
Will this cause any deterioration in sound quality or any unsustainable wear on either the speakers or cable?
Right now, we are all trying to do some gear upgrading so after seeing this thread I figured getting cables specifically designed for the speakers may be something we add to the list.
Is this a priority, or is it ok and just not ideal?
-thanks a ton
Will this cause any deterioration in sound quality or any unsustainable wear on either the speakers or cable?
Right now, we are all trying to do some gear upgrading so after seeing this thread I figured getting cables specifically designed for the speakers may be something we add to the list.
Is this a priority, or is it ok and just not ideal?
-thanks a ton
Yes, I would make it very high priority. Although, if the run is very short, it may be ok in a pinch.
I would recemmend the following rules though:
1. Use speaker cable for speaker runs.
2. Use coax shielded signal wire for instrument runs.
3. Use balanced mic cable for mic runs.
4. Label them clearly so in the heat of battle (setup) there is no confusion.
Better yet, there really are standards for the three.
1/4" phone for signal. NL2/4/8 for speaker. XLR for mics. then no confusion. Also the big clear 2 strand type is also a good easy way to tell speaker for guitar/bass amp speaker connections.
Yes, and, no. See the photo that JackANSI posted, the top one? Notice how small the center conductor is. The problem? If you are running enough current through that cable, the center conductor will melt it's insulation and short to the outer conductor. Bad stuff will then sometimes happen, like your amp or powered mixer might blow up.
scottbass
Bass lines like a big, funky giant
He's a drummer - what does he care about sound quality?
Seriously - yeah, he should be using a speaker cable. The problem occurs at higher volume/higher power levels. The relatively small conductors in the instrument cable won't pass very much current before it starts (a) sounding crummy, attenuating certain - or all - frequencies, (b) heating up and turning the amp's output into more and more heat and less and less sound, and (c) melting from the heat and causing an open (best case) or a short (worst case). In that order.
Many people get by at lower power levels, but if he's driving a monitor that needs to be heard above the level of his drum kit, he's probably gonna drive it to the failure modes listed above.
Unless it's the below situation, it's a priority.
One presumption I find myself making in discussions about instrument cables & speaker cables is that I presume the speakers are passive. I believe feeding an active speaker is best with instrument cabling not speaker cabling.
Thanks a ton everybody. I went to musicians friend and looked and found a monster cable:
http://accessories.musiciansfriend....-Standard-S100-14-14-Speaker-Cable?sku=331640
and I figure this will do the job so we're gonna get a couple of 'em. I greatly appreciate all the advice and tips.
much love
http://accessories.musiciansfriend....-Standard-S100-14-14-Speaker-Cable?sku=331640
and I figure this will do the job so we're gonna get a couple of 'em. I greatly appreciate all the advice and tips.
much love
Monster cables are a thing that some people love and some people hate. Myself, I love 'em. But if you're getting speaker cables, GET SPEAKONS! Unless you're using really old gear that won't accept it, there is NO excuse.
Yeah our speakers aren't able to handle speak-ons. it's just got a hole that can take a 1/4" plug. I think were gonna go with the monster's. I appreciate the input.
You likely can find a better deal than Monster. & molded ends are hard to repair.
Keep in mind that 100 feet of 16 gauge speaker pair is about 1 ohm. 14 gauge or even 12 might serve you better, &/or getting shorter lengths.
Use the shortest cable possible. I must be lucky because all my cables have instrument cable and speaker cable printed on the cable. It's right on the outer covering, and helps a slightly confused old man use the right cables for the right purpose.
popgadget
Commercial User
- Sep 4, 2005
- 1,233
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- Authorized Greenboy Designs Builder, Scabbey Road
That would be my suggestion. 1/4" phone plugs are bad speaker connectors for a variety of reasons.
