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Does SpeakOn cable diameter matter?

Ryan J

Ryan J

Apr 26, 2020
29
54
#1
Ok, maybe this is common knowledge...

In looking at various SpeakOn cable options, I see 1.5mm, 2.5mm, 4mm...does cable diameter relate to wattage?

Is there a difference between a loudspeaker cable and a speaker cable that would be used on an amp/cabinet?

Being on this forum and acquiring cabinets that have SpeakOn, I have a lot to learn...as to where before I just got some 1/4" cables and knew instrument cable bad, speaker cable good.

Help...
 
#2
This should describe the conductor square area (BUT some use it to describe diameter of the conductor), and for bass guitar any of those will likely be fine if diameter)

16AWG = 1.3mm dia = 1.3 mm^2
14AWG = 1.6mm dia = 2.1 mm^2
12AWG = 2mm dia = 3.3 mm^2

Therefore I think 4mm is going to be 4 square mm and is the crossectional area.

IMO, anything over 1.4 mm^2 is the point of diminishing returns for a cable that's ~5 feet long. Even for high powered amps.
 
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#3
That's CSA, Cross-Sectional Area, which confused me at first.
1.5 mm^2 CSA would be enough to power some high-Wattage service!

16 AWG can handle 10 Amperes of Current, which in Watts through 4 Ohms would mean you could pump a 1,000 Watt amp into it easily.

If you don't have an amp with more Watts than 1,200, stick with 1.5 mm^2 CSA.
 
Last edited:
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#4
Ryan J said:
In looking at various SpeakOn cable options, I see 1.5mm, 2.5mm, 4mm...does cable diameter relate to wattage?
Click to expand...

The wire inside your cabinet from the speakON jack to the speaker is 16 AWG (1.5mm diameter)
So a 3ft 16AWG from head to cab would be fine.
If you were 100ft away from your cabinet like in FOH situations maybe you want a higher gauge.

Watch this series and see the "lengths" Dave Rat goes to testing this stuff. ;)
 
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#5
Killed_by_Death said:
That's CSA, Cross-Sectional Area, which confused me at first.
1.5 mm CSA would be enough to power some high-Wattage service!

16 AWG can handle 10 Amperes of Current, which in Watts through 4 Ohms would mean you could pump a 1,000 Watt amp into it easily.

If you don't have an amp with more Watts than 1,200, stick with 1.5 mm CSA.
Click to expand...
For audio signals, 16 AWG can handle considerably more than 10 amps safely and legally.

What's important is that it's for audio speaker applications (completely different set of standards are used for audio than GENERAL POWER DISTRIBUTION) and the length of the cable. This determines the performance. 16 gauge 6 feet long is going to be fine to about 18 amps for all intensive audio applications purposes, this is the equivalent of 1300 watts RMS into 4 ohms and 650 watts RMS into 2 ohms.

As the length grows to 25' this power number will decrease, not because of safety but because of performance, damping factor and power loss.

Also, your math is off. If 16 AWG could only handle 10 amps, that would represent 400 watts into 4 ohms and 200 watts into 2 ohms.
 
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#8
Ryan J said:
Ok, maybe this is common knowledge...
Is there a difference between a loudspeaker cable and a speaker cable that would be used on an amp/cabinet? Help...
Click to expand...
Speakon cables are either 1-pair (2 conductors) or 2-pair (4 conductors).
Single pair Speakons are the most common and applicable for bass amplifiers, etc.

2-pair Speakon is what you need if you are going to bi-amp. An example is if you have a Gallien-Krueger RB series or Fusion 550 amplifier and a bi-amp capable G-K cabinet. One pair carries the lows to the woofer while the other pair carries the highs to the tweeter. I believe G-K adopted the format from the sound reinforcement industry, which is better than doing something proprietary.
 
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#10
TBH there's no reason to BUY SpeakON cables, just buy the SJOOW wire 16 AWG x 2 is fine (Home Depot sells by the foot), buy some Neutrik SpeakON connectors & screw them together.
You don't even need to be able to solder, but you should buy a PoziDriv #1 bit for your screwdriver, as it grips better for those SpeakONs, which were designed to be used with a PoziDriv.

SJOOW = Service-Jacket Oil & Water resistant, or summat
It has a thick jacket & is designed for Power Cords for tools.

Kudos to @agedhorse for informing me about the SJOOW wire!
In the past I used wire that was for inside walls, LOL!
 
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#11
Killed_by_Death said:
You told me yourself that the duty-cycle of amps is less than 33%, so I tripled it.
We both know it's not Direct Current.
Click to expand...

Both DC and AC has duty cycle attached. DC duty cycle can be changed via PWM, which is also the basis for class D.

Killed_by_Death said:
TBH there's no reason to BUY SpeakON cables, just buy the SJOOW wire 16 AWG x 2 is fine (Home Depot sells by the foot), buy some Neutrik SpeakON connectors & screw them together.
You don't even need to be able to solder, but you should buy a PoziDriv #1 bit for your screwdriver, as it grips better for those SpeakONs, which were designed to be used with a PoziDriv.

SJOOW = Service-Jacket Oil & Water resistant, or summat
It has a thick jacket & is designed for Power Cords for tools.

Kudos to @agedhorse for informing me about the SJOOW wire!
In the past I used wire that was for inside walls, LOL!
Click to expand...
SJOOW = service cord, junior service (300V), oil resistant jacket and conductor insulation, weather resistant.
 
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#13
All conductors have some loss that is measurable (hysteresis, etc.) but measurable. But the best way to think about it is that the conductor gauge and material properties are more important as power and/or length increase. For Amp to Cabinet lengths this is trivial. For a large PA the distances are greater and the power is greater so it becomes more necessary to use more substantial cables.
 
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#14
Killed_by_Death said:
That's CSA, Cross-Sectional Area, which confused me at first.
1.5 mm CSA would be enough to power some high-Wattage service!

16 AWG can handle 10 Amperes of Current, which in Watts through 4 Ohms would mean you could pump a 1,000 Watt amp into it easily.

If you don't have an amp with more Watts than 1,200, stick with 1.5 mm CSA.
Click to expand...

Area is measured in mm-squared.

Those are wire diameters.
 
#15
This is why it's important to understand the details.

I don't think I have seen speaker wire 4mm in diameter, that's freeking enormous and won't fit into most connectors I am aware of. Even SpeakOn's.
 
#16
The sellers aren't specifying Squared, but they are using "csa" in small-case.
That's the only clue that the number actually means Area.
It's quite misleading IMHO, because most would assume it's the diameter!


Killing Floor said:
All conductors have some loss
Click to expand...

almost, superconductors do exist, Zero Ohms Resistance
I want someone to wind a pickup with some of that!
 
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#20
agedhorse said:
This is why it's important to understand the details.

I don't think I have seen speaker wire 4mm in diameter, that's freeking enormous and won't fit into most connectors I am aware of. Even SpeakOn's.
Click to expand...

Ya, that's like #6. Not quite welding cable, but...
agedhorse said:
Silver is about 7% more conductive than copper, rarely worth the cost or hassle because silver is not as mechanically robust.
Click to expand...

Not for audio. Very helpful plating for various RF applications, as the oxide retains conductivity. Conversely, I've sputtered high power waveguide with titanium to inhibit arcing in a few cases.
 

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