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PA set up questions

P

Positively

Aug 8, 2006
55
0
#1
I realize these are very basic questions, and I think that is why I couldn't find anything on them when I searched, so bear with me.

1. When I connect the speakers to the amplifier/head of the PA, I have an input and an output on the speaker, but only one output on the amplifier/head. Also, I only have two speaker cords. Do I just connect the amplifier/head output to the speaker input and not worry about the speaker output? Or does the speaker output have to be connected to something?

2. The speakers have openings on the bottom whereby they can be mounted on top of speaker stands. But the speaker bottom openings are grooved and the top of the speaker stand is smooth. Am I missing some other component that sits on top of the speaker stand and fits into the grooves on the bottom of the speaker?

Thanks for your help.
 
#3
Positively said:
I realize these are very basic questions, and I think that is why I couldn't find anything on them when I searched, so bear with me.

1. When I connect the speakers to the amplifier/head of the PA, I have an input and an output on the speaker, but only one output on the amplifier/head. Also, I only have two speaker cords. Do I just connect the amplifier/head output to the speaker input and not worry about the speaker output? Or does the speaker output have to be connected to something?
Click to expand...

For running in series or bridging. (I think that's the term)

Basically, some setups you'll use one channel on a 2 channel for mains, the other for monitors. In those cases you'd run the out from one speaker to the in of the other. Or you may have the monitors chained off the main, same deal, from the amp to the in of the main, from the out of the main to the in of the monitor wedge.

If you have stereo out on the amp and only 2 speakers, the output can be ignored.

2. The speakers have openings on the bottom whereby they can be mounted on top of speaker stands. But the speaker bottom openings are grooved and the top of the speaker stand is smooth. Am I missing some other component that sits on top of the speaker stand and fits into the grooves on the bottom of the speaker?

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the speaker doesn't match the stand you got. Post up the type of speaker, someone may be able to help you track down an adapter or the proper stand.
 
#4
Thanks, guys. The PA system I purchased is a Kustom KPM8420 PA Package. I will see if I can load some pictures later today or tomorrow, but it just seems like there should be some intermediate mounting between the top of the speaker stand/metal pole and the insert point on the bottom of the speaker.

If I just set the speaker on top of the metal pole as is, it is loose and can slide around. It doesn't seem steady and could potentially fall. So I thought there must be some plastic mount or something to put on top of the metal speaker stand pole that would then fit into the bottom of the speaker. Then it would fit snugly, not pivot and seem loose.
 
#5
The output on your speaker is for daisy-chaining speakers together, if you want to run two speakers from one of the amp's outputs. Whether this puts your speakers in series or parallel depends on the speaker's internal wiring, but it will change the impedance, so know what you're getting before you plug in and power up. If you're just using one speaker per output you don't need to worry, and can plug into whichever of the jacks you like.
 
#6
Some of the other folks have answered question 1 pretty well. It's for daisy-chaining / jumping speakers (not bridging, that's something else entirely). If you'd open it up, I'll bet you'd find those jacks are just jumped to each other.

As for Q2...eh, depends on the looseness. There are two standard cup / pole mount sizes out there, I don't recall the exact measurements. Even if you are using the same sizes, the speaker will usually pivot with very little effort and may even rock a little. It's speakers on a stick, normally not a big deal. If it's WAY off, then you can probably find a pole adapter if you search around. Many stand manufacturers make them.

-Mark
 
#7
Thanks to everyone for the help. This site is really a treasure, and I appreciate it.

And now the update: I eventually measured the speaker mount and the stand pole. As y'all had suspected, one was 1 1/2" and the other was 1 3/8". So I called Musciansfriend and made them aware of the situation, and some adapters should be shipped out to me later this week. Hopefully, someone else with this problem will benefit from this experience.

Thanks again.
 

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