Speakon cables , Neutrik vs nonbranded

[Old Ozzie Guy]

Hi all, IV recently bought a AG700 and have just started "hearing" weird distortion tones. IV ordered 2 Neutrik cables, , but I had an unbranded speakon to jack which IV been using.
I keep noticing "weird" top end fiz , that comes and goes.and gain seems to vary ??. IV swapped instrument leads, changed 9vpower adaptor for pedals, removed pedals, even started wondering if the P U in my bass is playing up..?? Then I thought I may have heard unbranded speakon leads can b "dicky"?? Can I damage the head using unbranded speakon? Any ideas?
Like I mentioned, I will be receiving 2 new Neutrik cables in 3 or 4 days, should I cease until then? I usually play 1 to 2 hrs daily..

 

[Jazzdogg]

If the culprit turns out to be the non- Neutrik Speakon-style connectors, you can salvage the cables by removing the bad connectors and replacing the with genuine Neutrik connectors.

 

[eniac]

Yes, I would definitely wait. If the problem persists after the cable swap, then connect the effects send and return jacks together and see if the problem goes away.

 

[Old Ozzie Guy]

Next day update . . IV only just purchased the AG, second hand sight unseen/unheard, from a shop in Western Australia. I have a small window to return . I decided I wouldnt use AG, till 2 new Neutrik speakon arrive on Wednesday, so I dropped it off at a tech, to get it all checked out while I'm waiting. 2 B cont....(finger's crossed)

 

[eniac]

Thanks for the update. Sounds like you're doing everything in a logical, rational order.

 

[ShadowGroover]

An interesting and dismaying experience for some of those using cheap non-Neutrik connectors has been that they become stuck in the amp's Neutrik receivers, being impossible to remove without destroying both jacks.

OP may have already dodged a bullet just by unplugging the non-Neutrik from the amp.

 

[Old Ozzie Guy]

Ok, tech has given AG clean bill of health.. it outputs 600 watts into 8ohms ! Way over it's stated, very conservative 350 into 8 ohms. Tech mentioned that US made amps give a rating with amp given 110 v .., in Australia we run 240v , and apparently, that can effect the output RMS. ..
IV received new Neutrik speakon cables, and "all is good".
WARNING TO ALL.. nonbranded speakon leads aren't worth the game, I was using nonbranded for 1 week, 2 hrs daily at home, and 1 X 3 hr show "at volume" .By day 7 , the amp was starting to do Allsorts of "weird" stuff, top end fizz(distortion), volume varying, etc ...
All well that ends well.
Big thanks to those who commented, Talkbass is brilliant!!

 

[Old Ozzie Guy]

I should add, that originally, when I received the AG, and used nonbranded speakon cables, all was fine!! Amp sounded great, loud, ECT.
Only after a week of daily home use, and 3hrs of live, did it all suddenly degrade over a 2 hr period...

 

[Killing Floor]

I heard you can run a car on moonshine. Never tried it. Because it’s a bad idea and for the minuscule chance it could work it’s too risky to ruin my car.

So what were you asking about sketch speaker cables?

 

[Snert]

Tech mentioned that US made amps give a rating with amp given 110 v .., in Australia we run 240v , and apparently, that can effect the output RMS.

Your tech is an idiot as the secondary voltages, which is what the actual amp modules run on, will be the same irrespective of the primary voltage - this is what the mains transformer actually does. Also, very, very few techs have a set up capable of taking many hundreds of watts loaded correctly, and having designed a lot of amps, one suddenly making much more than rated is far more likely to be a measurement error than an actual power output.
I have never seen an amp with a selectable primary voltage make any sort of difference to rated output.

 

[Old Ozzie Guy]

Ok.. please pardon my ignorance, and apparently my tech's .Thanks for explaining your "correction".

 

[Tassieviking]

The tech might have been measuring the power with a purely resistive load that would react different then a speakers inductive load.
We do not know what the tech measured the power with or what the load or resistance was he was using.
The amp is rated for 700 watts at 4 ohm so his test load might be less then 8 ohms.
The main thing is that you're happy with it.
Cheers
Mick