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Neutrik Speakon Rant-on

#21
Fellas, et. al...
Please understand that I'm not interested in a BassBrawl - I am merely continuing our conversation out of my own curiosity and my respect for the advice, opinions and experiences of the participants.
So, I found my oldest Neutrik speaker cord, (DIY, tinned) from easily 20+ years ago, that I still use with my SWR SM 400. It has functioned perfectly on many hundreds of BG gigs. When I opened it up, the 2 screws were still very tight and there was no noticeable "crush down", or slack of any kind.
Here is a photo: note the lack of any Phillips, Torx, or Posidrive! Just good ol' Slotted Head, from the caveguy days. (I must be Older Than I Thought!)
Again, just adding my particular experience to a valuable pool of knowledge.
Please NO Flaming. We're all friends here. IMFO, of course.
Thanks one and all.
IMG_6050.jpeg
 
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#24
Neutrik, the company, pronounces it NOY-trik.



Also, I recall the original NL2 and 4 only accepting 13ga maximum, even though you could buy them with 12ga wire.

I wouldn't call a torx driver or bit a special tool either. They come with every multi-pack 1/4" drive bit pack I've bought in the past 20 years, and as mentioned, I'd rather use that than the old style if I were making a bunch of cables. I get having preferences though - I don't prefer slotted heads either, but I don't mind if you do.
 
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#27
Don Kasper said:
They do???
Yikes.
Click to expand...

Seems like. It's been reported with a number of makers for both the brown and green models.


B

Thread 'Loose connections on mesa subway cabs'

Can anyone help or shed some light, I’ve got 4 mesa subway cabs and the speakon connections are really bad no matter how much I spend on fancy cables, I’ve tried keyed, non keyed all genuine neutrik cables spent a small fortune, but when I plug in the connections are loose so a slight wiggle or movement and the connection is gone to the cab, the amp connection is solid. 😫
 
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#28
Anyone who's heard Don Kasper's stunning version of Gimme Shelter would advise Dr. Neutrik to enter the Witness Protection Program.

No one who is able make the tune that lean and dark should be allowed to wander the streets with a Torx bearing permit.

The authorities are hoping that the Kasper group balances things out by covering It's A Sunshine Day or another gem from the Brady Bunch songbook.
 
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#29
The new FXX speakon connectors can be assembled with bare hands (the two tools Neutrik recommends are eyewateringly expensive if you are a hobbyist). I have made about eight the last half year, sure with the recommended tools it would be easier. For the stranded wire I crimp a suitable ferrule before making the connections. I don’t know how the connections hold up over time though.
 
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#30
Low Main said:
Anyone who's heard Don Kasper's stunning version of Gimme Shelter would advise Dr. Neutrik to enter the Witness Protection Program.

No one who is able make the tune that lean and dark should be allowed to wander the streets with a Torx bearing permit.

The authorities are hoping that the Kasper group balances things out by covering It's A Sunshine Day or another gem from the Brady Bunch songbook.
Click to expand...
I came here to Rant, and now I'm Blushing...
Thx for your kind words.
(Brady Bunch? NO! COWSILLS rule!) :laugh:
 
#31
I'm guessing the old Speakon plugs were the blue ones and the new ones are the brown ones?
I know I assembled two speaker cables with brown connectors a couple of months ago when I set up my home PA system, but I must admit that I did not run into any trouble doing so. In fact, I did prepare one of the cables during some down time in the office at my day job, and all the tools I had on hand were a pocket knife, a set of teeth and one of those cheap generic boxes with several 1/4" bits and a 1/4" bit driver.

I don't get the color, though. I do understand that with SpeakOn and PowerCon looking nearly identical and both being the same kind of blue, you're bound to run into trouble on stage when you got helping hands that lack the proper knowledge to differentiate between those two, but I'm fairly sure SpeakOn is older and there are more SpeakOn plugs out there, so I'd have changed the PowerCon color.
 
#35
two words: amphenol sp-2-f. no tools needed other than wire stripper/cutter and a flat screwdriver.

considering the problems with the new fxx connectors into combo jacks that even makes more sense now.
 
#37
I sincerely hope that the "new" connectors are better than the "old". I heeded all warnings and used all Neutrik-brand Speakons on my bass amp and on our PA system. They have given me fits ! - having had several of the wiring connections come loose. It was so bad that I have gone back to 1/4" connectors for our PA. Not a fan !
 
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#38
I sincerely hope that the "new" connectors are better than the "old". I heeded all warnings and used all Neutrik-brand Speakons on my bass amp and on our PA system. They have given me fits ! - having had several of the wiring connections come loose. It was so bad that I have gone back to 1/4" connectors for our PA. Not a fan !
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Bassdirty
#40
Don Kasper said:
Fellas, et. al...
Please understand that I'm not interested in a BassBrawl - I am merely continuing our conversation out of my own curiosity and my respect for the advice, opinions and experiences of the participants.
So, I found my oldest Neutrik speaker cord, (DIY, tinned) from easily 20+ years ago, that I still use with my SWR SM 400. It has functioned perfectly on many hundreds of BG gigs. When I opened it up, the 2 screws were still very tight and there was no noticeable "crush down", or slack of any kind.
Here is a photo: note the lack of any Phillips, Torx, or Posidrive! Just good ol' Slotted Head, from the caveguy days. (I must be Older Than I Thought!)
Again, just adding my particular experience to a valuable pool of knowledge.
Please NO Flaming. We're all friends here. IMFO, of course.
Thanks one and all.
View attachment 7424586
Click to expand...
Oh, yeah, that’s old! I remember those from 30 years back. And there may be a few cables with those connectors still in use that I made that long ago. At the time, I bought a 100-pack of that tiny hex key as they were easy to lose.

Those had the blue so-called lockring that kinda did. The sliding lock key was a big improvement. Until the key was knocked off by mis-handling by non-observant stagehands.

The Speakons of that day and time served us well. And there have been improvements in the design as years went by.

I’ve never had to buy any special tools to assemble any Speakon connector. And at this point in my pro audio career, I’ve assembled a few thousand Speakon connections easily. Including over a hundred of the new-style green NL4s with the #8 Torx screws in a new JBL VTX rig I assembled last summer. I did buy a few dozen #8 Torx driver bits as they seem to grow tiny legs from time to time.

Of all the failures of the Speakons I’ve seen, every failure has been due to mishandling or careless handling.

I never tin the wires. Several years back, I had to remake a lot of PowerCon connectors on some Asian lighting fixtures because those cables were assembled with tinned wire. They all failed after several months. Now, when new fixtures are bought, we check those PowerCon cables and remake them if necessary.

I wrote all of this to make the point that Speakons are reliable and dependable. It doesn’t take rocket science or tools from, say, NASA to assemble them. I feel like going so far as to say that if a Neanderthal like me can run a PA house with the success rate of Speakons that we have, anyone should be able to assemble and use them with little to no trouble…..😁😁
 
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