Speakon Question

[SuperTbass]

So I pulled the trigger on a used GK 700rb-ii and a used GK 410SBX from GC. It's almost quite certainly a given that I will not be getting the Speakon cable that would have come with the cab had I bought it new. I do have an old Speakon cable from a Carvin RL-1000 and RL410 that I used to have. I found the old Carvin catalogue that I ordered that amp from and found the model number for that Speakon cable to be SP5.

What I'm wondering is how I might be able to tell whether this is a 2, 4, or 8 pole cable. I couldn't find any specifications online for this particular cable. Is there a way to tell just by looking at it? Would I be able to tell just by using it and determining whether the biamping system is working? If that is the case, what would happen if it is biamped vs not?


I'm hoping this was somewhat clear...

 

[lelandcrooks]

It definitely won't be an 8. 4's are almost a defacto standard. 4's usually have button you pull back to unlock, 2's have a sleeve. A 2 will plug into a 4 socket, a 4 will not plug into a 2 socket. I think, it may be the reverse of that, been long time since I messed with nl2's

 

[Hopkins]

I know the 4 conductor cables I made up for my GK have worked fine on every other amp I used them in.

 

[musicman666]

Is the 410 sbx biamp capable.....if so get a GK speakon cable.

 

[musicman666]

Oh, if the cab is biamp I have two of those cables, I dont use em. PM me if you need em.

 

[SuperTbass]

The cab is definitely bi-amp. I know I need a 4, just not sure if what I have is a 4.

 

[bgavin]

Unscrew the end and take a peek for 4 wires.
A standard Speakon 4-wire cable will work fine.

 

[Munjibunga]

4-pole:

2-pole:

Invalid Link Removed

 

[SuperTbass]

Well this looks like the 4 pole pic:



However, this is the inside:



Sooooo... drats?

 

[lelandcrooks]

That's a 4, just with 2 of the connections used.

 

[wcriley]

You can use the 4 pole/2 conductor cable with the amp and cabinet in "full range".

To take advantage of the G-K biamp feature, you'll need a 4 conductor cable.

 

[Hopkins]

You can go to home depot and pick up some 4 conductor #12 awg SJOW or SOOW cable and make your own 4 conductor cables with the ends you already have.

 

[Munjibunga]

That's a 4, just with 2 of the connections used.

Exactly. If you're just using it for a regular speaker cable, you use 2-conductor wire and connect it to the 1+/1- poles. No muss, no fuss. Usually for bridged mono, you use 1+/2+ at the amp end and 1+/1- at the speaker end. It won't hurt anything if you connect the cable backwards, but you won't get any sound. For bi-amp, you run four-conductor cable 1+/1-/2+/2- the same on both ends.