The speakon connection shouldn't give you any more power. Lots of amps have speakon jacks for speaker out so acoustic probably just put one on the cab to make it compatible with lots of different heads.
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- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,949
- 5
- 220,572
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Something else is wrong then.
- Amp must be in bridged mode
- Banana plus must be connected to the two red (plus) binding posts
- SpeakOn must be wired 1+/1-
This.
If it's still not working, the battery test I suggested should verify wiring is ok. Or open the speakon and make sure the +/-1 conectors go to the bananas.
If everything is wired right you might have a fake Neutric in the cable and/or cab. I looked at the manual from post 8 and noticed they don't even call it a speakon, much less a Neutric. That doesn't mean its not genuine, but it could be a knock off. Fakes are known to cause all sorts of problems.
I have an SM-400 that I use in bridged mono mode. The SM-400 originally shipped with a banna jack/quarter inch cable in the box. That was their recommended cable for bridged mono use. You just want to get a speaker cable with a banana and Speakon connector and you’ll be set to go.
Once you go over 100W you want to use Speakon connectors rather than phono plugs whenever possible. Phono plugs were not designed for high current connections. So while they will work, they’re not the safest way to plug a high wattage amp into a cab.
Once you go over 100W you want to use Speakon connectors rather than phono plugs whenever possible. Phono plugs were not designed for high current connections. So while they will work, they’re not the safest way to plug a high wattage amp into a cab.
That one looks a little dicey from the picture. That’s not a dual banana jack on the end. It looks like two jacks taped together with electrician’s tape. I’d be leery of that one.
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The amps is in bridge mode, the speakon is wired correct and the banna is in the res posts. I got weak volume this morning with the knob at about noon. Could hardly hear it
- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,949
- 5
- 220,572
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
This might be the right move. Why did you buy a new cab? Were you having problems with the original one? Maybe it was the amp. You can try running the new cab off of just left and just right on a 1/4" ble (speaker, not instrument) to see if one side (or both) is having an issue.
- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,949
- 5
- 220,572
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Industry standard wiring for a full range speaker signal on a SpeakOn is 1+/1-. I haven't seen anything else on bass guitar cabinets. This is a little different in pro audio, because in a biamped system it's often 1+/- for the subs and 2+/- for the tops and many cabinets offer a switch or jumper for this configuration.
I went back and looked at my docs for this model, and have a couple of questions...
1. Have you tried the amp in stereo mode, and verified that both amp channels actually work?
2. If your amp version (there were several versions, including one version that was not bridgable) has speaker output fuses, if one is open, bridge mode will not work.
I went back and looked at my docs for this model, and have a couple of questions...
1. Have you tried the amp in stereo mode, and verified that both amp channels actually work?
2. If your amp version (there were several versions, including one version that was not bridgable) has speaker output fuses, if one is open, bridge mode will not work.
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I’d like to add that using a 1/4” phone plug in bridge is not advisable. As @agedhorse mentioned The tip of the plug is +1 and the sleeve is -1. In bridge the +1 is driven by an amplifier channel but the -! is driven by the second channel. Thus both are hot with respect to ground. If the body of the plug (-1) touches a grounded object one channel of the amplifier gets shorted out. That’s not good for the amplifier.
Furthermore if the tip and sleeve get shorted together, happens whenever the Phone plug is inserted or disconnected, the amplifier channels are connected together and the amp could fail.
Furthermore if the tip and sleeve get shorted together, happens whenever the Phone plug is inserted or disconnected, the amplifier channels are connected together and the amp could fail.
I read this as pooped upstairs before. I chuckled way too much at that. Heh.
Actually, this is what came in the box with an SM-400. I’m the original
owner of mine along with the Goliath Junior II cab I got with it. I just pulled it off the back of the amp and took a picture for the OP to reference.
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- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,949
- 5
- 220,572
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
That actually would have been a more versatile choice having it come with a banana to phono cable adapter instead.
Mine’s a little older than yours. My s/n prefix is 231. I don’t remember when I got it. But it was fairly close to when it first came out IIRC. It was considered quite the chichi amp in its day. I was playing an Alembic through it at the time. That was during my “bleeding edge post-wave/progger” phase.
I’ve mellowed out and lightened up a lot about music and gear since then. For the better I think.
That actually would have been a more versatile choice having it come with a banana to phono cable adapter instead.
Mine’s a little older than yours. My s/n prefix is 231. I don’t remember when I got it. But it was fairly close to when it first came out IIRC. It was considered quite the chichi amp in its day. I was playing an Alembic through it at the time. That was during my “bleeding edge post-wave/progger” phase.
I’ve mellowed out and lightened up a lot about music and gear since then. For the better I think.
Just dug out my receipt -- paid $1,130 on 11/11/1989. Had just started my first job out of college, a public schoolteacher's salary of $25K, and NYC 1BR rent of $1,300/mo. Probably took three years to pay off THAT credit card bill!!
Many hundreds of gigs later, the amp still sounds as good and works as well as the day I bought it though. That's fairly impressive.
Paid just north of a grand for mine. I was about five years into my corporate career in finance at that point. Maybe making $28K and feeling like I was on top of the world. Those were fun years despite the out of control inflation and skyrocketing housing prices.
With reference to post #35, all the metal of that in-line Phone socket will be live when in bridge. That is so unsafe that it makes me gasp! If it touches the metal case of the amp it will cause the amp to fail. Anyone using such should at least have it sheathed in heat shrink tubing.
