Verellen Kalaloch (speaker cable) problem (gets hot !!)

That seems to be a quality cable, but have you tried a different cable?

Does your amp and cab have Speakon jacks or only 1/4"?

How hot does your amp get? If your amp gets scalding hot, and the frame is metal, and the jack is metal, maybe it's transferring all that heat to the cable. That's just me reaching for something there though.

 

You problem lies in the fact that you are using a connector that is way over it’s original design specification. A 1/4” Phone plug should not be used much over 200W. You need to use SpeakOns with 16 gauge wire or better to carry the power you are using. If you are running in Bridge mode you must use SpeakOns for your safety and that of your equipment.

If your equipment does not have SpeakOns I suggest you have them fitted.

 

I’m actually amazed that a modern amp of that power rating does not have SpeakOns. In truth it was my understanding that all amplifiers so rated needed to have SpeakOns in order for them to be imported into Europe.

 

I believe the EU law is that all amps that do not have one side of the speaker output connected to the safety ground must have a SpeakOn. Most all the class D modules are bridged so can't use 1/4".

 

Get speakons & 14 gauge wire, big difference. The current generated on peaks is substantial.

 

If the cable or connectors are getting hot, something is going on not related to wire gauge. Even 18 gauge wire will not get hot under these conditions.

I would change cable type because my suspicion is that the amp is oscillating. This can be fatal to amps. There are some "esoteric" cables that present an illegal load to an amp. If the amp is susceptible to instability, oscillation can result. You are not likely to hear it because it will be way above audible frequencies.

 

"V=IR: it's not just a good idea, it's the law!"

 

It's the "reactionary" aspects of the law that will bite you in the ass.

 

I've known quite a few people who have had issues with their kallaoch

 

Two points: first, it shouldn’t cost more than €100 to have Speakon fitted, and that’s cheap protection. Secondly, Agedhorse and others have suggested that something else is wrong with your amp. You need to have a tech look at it.

 

Maybe you were sent guitar cords by mistake...
Have you already unscrewed the ends of those speaker cables to take a look inside?

Speaker cables will have 2 individual wires inside, guitar cord will look similar to this pic:

 

Andy, could you elaborate upon what you mean by "esoteric"? Are we talking a simple two-conductor cable or something else? And "illegal load" -- a dip in impedance?

 

What's your line voltage?
What line voltage is the amp configured for?

Even though the 1/4" connectors may not be the issue here, I think it's poor engineering to have 1/4" instead of Speakons at that power level of head.

IMO, there's simply no good reason for any head or cab designed today not to use Speakon connectors. It's time folks.

 

There are some speaker cables, often marketed as "unique", "high tech", "audiophile", or "special" that have unusual construction elements that add inductance and/or capacitance in large enough amounts as to interact with the amp's stability.

Illegal load is a load that contains some element (reactive or resistive) that fall outside the range of what the amp was designed to drive.

It's also possible that there is an issue with the amp itself, that's why I think it would be a good idea for a (real) tech to investigate this.

 

Who can the OP trust for this?
The manufacturer doesn't believe the amp needs Speakon connectors.
I'm not sure I would value their opinion.

 

While my own belief is that all amps should contain SpeakOn connections, I don't think thisvit the cause of the problems.

 

This. Had a friend with an amp that started running what I considered dangerously hot. When he finally got nervous enough to get it checked out by a pro they found there was some failing component (never heard what the specifics were) that was causing it to oscillate. It wasn’t that expensive to fix. Tech told him that letting it go as long as he did was a really good way to drastically shorten the life expectancy of his amp