I understand cable guaging (smaller # = larger guage), but am not sure I know recomended differences between 'guitar' cable and 'speaker' (head to cab) cable ... also, I know what a speakon connector is, but never used them ... benefits over 1/4" ?? ... I would assume a more 'secure connection and larger contact patches?? ... also, please give min rec's on each guages ... thanks!!
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Cable/cord 101 please ??
- Thread starter tjh
- Start date
Generally speaking, guitar cords are single-conductor shielded and speaker cords are two-conductor unshielded. If you use a guitar cord between a power amp and a speaker cabinet, you could blow the amp because the shield isn't designed to carry that kind of current. If you use a speaker cord between a guitar and amp, it'll be noisy because the shield is designed to "shield" the one conductor against hum.
You can always tell the difference by unscrewing the ends on 1/4" jacks. One wire from the middle and one twisted together from the side means it's a guitar cable; two that look alike are speaker cables. Another way is to look at the writing on the cable itself.
These are the basics - I think XLR mic cables are two conductor shielded but it's hard to confuse those with anything else because of the XLR plugs! There are four-conductor speaker cables out there used with Speakons for PA systems sometimes, this way you get two different signals going thru the same cable which can be handy for bi-amped cabinets, etc.
There are two different sizes of Speakon connectors, the two conductor has the grey plastic ring that you pull out and twist to unplug, and then the larger four conductor with the chrome button that you slide and twist to unplug. The end that gets plugged in fits either but make sure the wiring is correct - my SVT4 takes a specially wired cable to use it in bridged mono. Butch at Bayou Audio Cables made these cables (one to use, one spare) for me and they're 4' 12-gauge. This might be bigger than I need but I don't see any reason not to use it. Speakons (aka Neutriks) have a larger contact area and are usually used on high-power amps and cabs.
You can always tell the difference by unscrewing the ends on 1/4" jacks. One wire from the middle and one twisted together from the side means it's a guitar cable; two that look alike are speaker cables. Another way is to look at the writing on the cable itself.
These are the basics - I think XLR mic cables are two conductor shielded but it's hard to confuse those with anything else because of the XLR plugs! There are four-conductor speaker cables out there used with Speakons for PA systems sometimes, this way you get two different signals going thru the same cable which can be handy for bi-amped cabinets, etc.
There are two different sizes of Speakon connectors, the two conductor has the grey plastic ring that you pull out and twist to unplug, and then the larger four conductor with the chrome button that you slide and twist to unplug. The end that gets plugged in fits either but make sure the wiring is correct - my SVT4 takes a specially wired cable to use it in bridged mono. Butch at Bayou Audio Cables made these cables (one to use, one spare) for me and they're 4' 12-gauge. This might be bigger than I need but I don't see any reason not to use it. Speakons (aka Neutriks) have a larger contact area and are usually used on high-power amps and cabs.
billfitzmaurice
Commercial User
- Sep 15, 2004
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- Owner, Bill Fitzmaurice Loudspeaker Design
That mainly depends on what the amp is equipped with. But eventually 1/4" will disappear in that useage, it is far inferior.tjh said:
I have a 700 watt peavey head and a 300 watt SVT, both only have 1/4" jacks, all my cabs (marshall 810, peavey 410, peavey 215) all have just 1/4" jacks
"far inferior", possibly, but, dont fix whats not broken
, the only advantage i see speakons having is how they lock, so if your head falls off your cab it can screw it up more
I think speakons are only really needed for silly high power (1000Watt +) power amps, but, thats what i personally think, never had any problems using a good high quality jack setup
"far inferior", possibly, but, dont fix whats not broken
, the only advantage i see speakons having is how they lock, so if your head falls off your cab it can screw it up more I think speakons are only really needed for silly high power (1000Watt +) power amps, but, thats what i personally think, never had any problems using a good high quality jack setup
The problem with 1/4" for speaker cables is that they don't lock into place. On a crowded stage (or one that contains a clumsy g**tar player) the speaker cables can be accidently yanked out while the amps are cranked, causing damage.
On a bass rig, with the head sitting on top of the cab, this isn't too big an issue...but even my ancient Ampeg B15N had an XLR connector between the head and the cab.
Phone plugs were designed for telephone switchboards, where quick and reliable insertion and removal were needed, and a locking device would have been a definite liability. The insertion/removal helps keep the connectors clean...but if you don't often pull out the plugs, they can oxidize, leaving a faulty connection.
The main advantages are that phone plugs are cheap, easy to solder, and, um, well, they're cheap and easy to solder. Did I mention they were cheap?
On a bass rig, with the head sitting on top of the cab, this isn't too big an issue...but even my ancient Ampeg B15N had an XLR connector between the head and the cab.
Phone plugs were designed for telephone switchboards, where quick and reliable insertion and removal were needed, and a locking device would have been a definite liability. The insertion/removal helps keep the connectors clean...but if you don't often pull out the plugs, they can oxidize, leaving a faulty connection.
The main advantages are that phone plugs are cheap, easy to solder, and, um, well, they're cheap and easy to solder. Did I mention they were cheap?
Phone plugs can leave one or both contacts exposed, creating the possibility of a short circuit. In the case of pulling the plug out of the speaker while it is running, a short circuit is guaranteed. The handle of the plug is floating if the amp is bridged, as is the case with some switching bass heads and many PA power amps.
The contacts on a Speakon are shrouded on both the male and female connectors, and can't touch one another when a plug is inserted or removed. These features are a basic requirement of any modern connector that is not designed around a historical legacy.
Yes, I am still using phone plugs for speakers. The Speakon jacks are sitting on my workbench, waiting for the next time I open the cab for any reason. At least on the head side, being a relatively low powered amp with single-ended output, most of the major hazards are minimal.
In terms of the cable getting yanked, a cable should not be supported by the plug in any event, especially on a busy stage. If pulled at a right angle, a phone plug is as good as locked. Loop the cable around the amp handle, or something like that. Tie it in a knot around the 6550's.
Make sure it is long enough to take up the slack if something bad happens.
The contacts on a Speakon are shrouded on both the male and female connectors, and can't touch one another when a plug is inserted or removed. These features are a basic requirement of any modern connector that is not designed around a historical legacy.
Yes, I am still using phone plugs for speakers. The Speakon jacks are sitting on my workbench, waiting for the next time I open the cab for any reason. At least on the head side, being a relatively low powered amp with single-ended output, most of the major hazards are minimal.
In terms of the cable getting yanked, a cable should not be supported by the plug in any event, especially on a busy stage. If pulled at a right angle, a phone plug is as good as locked. Loop the cable around the amp handle, or something like that. Tie it in a knot around the 6550's.
Make sure it is long enough to take up the slack if something bad happens.billfitzmaurice
Commercial User
- Sep 15, 2004
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- Owner, Bill Fitzmaurice Loudspeaker Design
The only reason they ever found their way into use was that when electric instruments first appeared in the 1930s they were available. They were first used in a logical application, instrument cords, being better than the alternatives that existed. No doubt when Leo Fender came up with the notion of separate heads/cabs he used them for speakers because he already had parts bins full of them, and if there was anything Leo was good at it was using something already on hand rather than adding another inventory item, let alone another expense. If XLRs had existed in the 1940s he might have used them, but only if they didn't cost him more than phones.
Speakons are becoming more and more popular but I don't know that it's really necessary unless you're talking about really high wattage stuff, most everything I have is 1/4" and I've never had a problem with it. You do lose some signal strength in long runs of cable like a PA system with the speakers spread out wide but I don't think it's going to make much difference in the 3ft. from your amp to your cab. Speakons do have more surface area to make contact but if you look at your speaker, the two little wires running from the terminals into the voice coil are the last thing your signal goes through before it comes out as sound, as long as you have that much in the rest of the chain, you should be fine. Just check your cables every now and then to make sure solder connections are still solid and clean the jacks once in a while. If you have a problem with the connections coming loose, take the cover off the amp and bend the metal tab on the jack that the tip of the plug connects to in towards the middle of the plug hole a little bit and the plug will stick in there good. Some newer 1/4" jacks are housed in plastic and mounted to a circuit card, those may break or need replacing if they become loose. If your speaker cable gets hot after playing for a while, then you can think about better connections/thicker cable, etc. I'm speaking from personal experience, the post above this one comes from an engineer.
The little wires from the terminals to the voice coil of the driver are skinny, but they are also only a couple inches long.
The important figure of merit for a speaker cable is its total resistance. The lower the better. It should be no more than a small fraction of the DC resistance of the speaker. The longer a cable is, the thicker it needs to be.
The wire gage table should be bookmarked on every musician's computer. (Well, maybe an oboist doesn't need it).
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
Suppose you have 2-conductor speaker cables, and want to keep them below 0.1 Ohms, then here are the maximum lengths:
8 gage 24 feet
12 gage 9.6 feet
14 gage 6.0 feet
16 gage 3.8 feet
18 gage 2.4 feet
In terms of what is audible, you can actually tolerate much higher resistances. Typical 14 gage speaker cable is probably sufficient for mainstream use.
The important figure of merit for a speaker cable is its total resistance. The lower the better. It should be no more than a small fraction of the DC resistance of the speaker. The longer a cable is, the thicker it needs to be.
The wire gage table should be bookmarked on every musician's computer. (Well, maybe an oboist doesn't need it).
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
Suppose you have 2-conductor speaker cables, and want to keep them below 0.1 Ohms, then here are the maximum lengths:
8 gage 24 feet
12 gage 9.6 feet
14 gage 6.0 feet
16 gage 3.8 feet
18 gage 2.4 feet
In terms of what is audible, you can actually tolerate much higher resistances. Typical 14 gage speaker cable is probably sufficient for mainstream use.
