Retrofitting Speakon

[TerenceSharp]

So I am growing ever paranoid about the idea of 1/4" jacks being used to carry high level speaker signals and was thinking of retrofitting a chassis-mount speakon socket to the back of my backline 600.

Has anyone else added a speakon socket to a non-speakon-carrying amp before and want to share their experiences?, Was it Worth it?.

My only practical concern is drilling a Neutrik D-shape hole through 1MM thick steel...

 

[Red Planet]

I would not fool with it. If you want speakons buy an amp that has them.

I could see converting a cab over but not an amp.

 

[RickenBoogie]

I agree with that. Sounds dangerous.

 

[greenboy]

Has anyone else added a speakon socket to a non-speakon-carrying amp before and want to share their experiences?, Was it Worth it?.

It may be worth it if you like doing things like this and if (1) you are capable of doing simple mods safely (2) the chassis and PCB layout does not crowd the area and gives ease of transition.

But since you are not dealing with that much output potential it's not that worthy a candidate anyway.

 

[Eric Moesle]

I've done it twice, its easy. But you need to make sure the crossover circuitry isn't just on the other side of the jack plate, which is sometimes the case.

For drilling the hole, I suggest you get one of the cone-shaped drill bits that makes the hole larger as you drill deeper. They are the easiest things to use when drilling such a large hole through metal.

 

[T-Bird]

Hi.

I've done that with my SWR ST220. I used the auxiliary 120V outlet cutout to mount the socket.

It's relatively easy if You know what you're doing, but unbelievably hard if you don't. I'd say that if You have to ask, it's probably beyond your abilities and tools.

The stepped cone drill bit is far superior to the straight one, but those are only sold in PRO-shops AFAIK.

Regards.
Sam

 

[Rick Auricchio]

Eric, the OP is talking about adding a speakon to the amplifier, not the cabinet.

Another concern is that it's often best to completely disassemble the head, so metal shavings don't get lodged in any of the electronics. Disassembling to the bare chassis also allows you to work more easily with it.

This adds considerable time to the job.

 

[TerenceSharp]

The Electrical side doesn't scare me much, I've done far more complicated modifications, It was the Drilling of such thick metal that had me a bit puzzled (I have the tools, But I am accustommed to wood), and deciding wether it's worth doing.

I will be rackmounting this amplifier so my other option is a plate at the rear of the rack with a Speakon and a powercon on.

I suppose I'll pop the lid and check out the real estate inside, and maybe post the pics for any of you "What does the inside of that amp look like" people.

 

[BassieMike]

Sounds like a lot of work for little benefit....

 

[B-string]

Good idea on the pics. Drilling the chassis would require stepping up from small to larger bits to the final hole size. A chassis punch would be best, two piece, drill a 1/4" pilot hole, assemble the two pieces, thighten to "punch" the hole.

 

[GearHeadBassMan]

i would say that with a backline 600, you won't really see benefit from the work it'll take.

 

[TerenceSharp]

There is one space a Speakon could go, I think I'll have a think on it before I thoughtlessly slice holes into my head.

Some nice pics:

Curiously enough one of the screws' heads was offset a mile off, really weird

If I do this, I will add a mirror for the tuner out on the back too, A neat rack is a friendly rack.

 

[jellymax]

i looked into this for my SVTII. i found that the existing output jacks are soldered
directly to the back PC board. also, the combo speakon jack i wanted to use takes up
more space than the existing jack, means the PC board would have to be trimmed.

i opted to leave it as is...