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Differences between this three cab's backs
- Thread starter 10emmanuel
- Start date
The Ampeg cab only has 1/4 inch speaker inputs, this is an older method. The Hartke cab has both neutrik connectors & 1/4 inch connectors and the Markbass cab has only neutrik connectors. Many older, vintage, amp heads only had 1/4 inch outputs while most newer amp heads have neutrik outputs.
In my experience the MB has green connectors which should be a dual unit that also accepts 1/4'',could be wrong but i had a couple and that's how they worked
Yep, the greens are usually a combo jack.
What I’m surprised by is that none of the cabs have a tweeter attenuation knob, just switches. Idk why but I prefer the knob.
What I’m surprised by is that none of the cabs have a tweeter attenuation knob, just switches. Idk why but I prefer the knob.
The use of 1/4" phone plugs for speaker connections was never a great idea. Avoid 1/4" if at all possible, Neutrik/Speakon is far superior!
I'm not saying Neutrik/Speakon aren't a good idea, but in my 58 years of playing I've never had a problem with 1/4" speaker connections.
If you look closely at the socket on the Markbass cab it states both Speakon and 1/4 inch jack on the moulding.
I've never had a problem with sub 300 watt amps either, but as amplifiers are now more commonly in the range of 500 to 1k watts, Speakon are definitely recommended. Back in the day when a 350 watter was considered the top end, then 1/4 jack just about hung on. Trace Elliot even introduced XLR speaker outputs/inputs on its amp/cabs as it realised the 1/4 jack was reaching its usable limit.
Wattage over 500 watts: and bridge mode Class D 1/4” phono jacks are not a safe (for you or the amp) usage scenario.
In my decades of using 1/4" the first big cab I owned had a jack that didn't clamp tightly on the plug. A "friend" knew this, and yanked the plug briefly while I was performing just to prank me (it was a local talent show, not Carnegie Hall). It was a 100W amp, nothing blew up or was damaged. But I have encountered folks in the music biz that lost equipment to 1/4" failures.
Bottom line is that 1/4" connectors are inefficient for power and as Mephisto said do carry risk, especially with higher-powered amps, while Speakon is efficient, reliable, and nearly idiot-proof.
I have always been told that 1/4" plugs are a problem because the tip can touch on the way in/out and blow things. I think if one makes sure connections are good and power is off while connecting, there should be no problems. However, there is no doubt speakon is superior and safer!
you see? even by asking dumb questions ( my post ) we can learn interesting things about it.
I've never played anything bigger than an 300 watt SVT, never had the need, and that was loud enough! But I can understand there's a need for a different type of connector when you start reaching up into that 1000 watt range I suppose.
There are plenty of other reasons to choose to use NL4s, but if you have an amp that uses BTL (bridged) circuit topology, quarter-phones are a catastrophic accident waiting to happen, no matter the power. I think most modern Class D amps employ this topology.
That's an interesting point that I've never really thought about since I sold my one and only bridgeable Hartke LH1000 head many years ago. It only allowed bridging via a speakon output socket. I thought it was just the extra power that was involved, not because of topological reason? (I've The just remembered that the LH1000 was class AB).
Yeah, this is a Class AB amp. Its actual topology is also much more like a conventional 2-channel amp in that it's two completely independent amps with the ability to internally reroute and invert the input signal to enable operating the two channels together in bridged mode. With amps using BTL, it's completely internal to the power module and not an option. Modern 2-channel Class D amps, like PA amps, still can be operated in this 'external' bridged mode, but the same precautions apply - you have to avoid allowing either speaker output to be grounded.
What I find interesting about the output of that Harke is this: in order for the bridged output to be capable of driving a 4Ω load, each single channel has to be capable of driving 2Ω, despite how it's labeled. Hmmm...
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Another factor is that 1/4 inch connectors have a pretty small contact area on the tip and higher wattage systems benefit from the speakon connectors.
