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

#21
Well... I'm definitely going to have it checked out by a (really good) tech I know. In the meantime I will use my Ampeg SVT VR.

I have uploaded a pic of the Klotz speaker cable that failed during one of our latest gigs (got burned I guess)... and a picture of the back of my Kalaloch. As you can see it has a switch to select 240 V or 120 V. As you know, here in Europe we have to use 240 V.

I also had contact with Ben Verellen himself (very friendly guy !) and he gave me the advice to use a heavy gauge speaker cable and to check the impedance of my 810 cab (which I will do tomorrow).

28500777_10214880416351313_609433818_o.jpg Verellen Kalaloch back.jpg
 
#24
Ok, with the picture, this is a much easier problem to solve.

If you look closely, you can see that the tip has moved forward as a result of the overheating of the tip connection to the wire. As the connection heated up, it softened the insulating spacers inside the plug.

This has absolutely nothing at all to do with the wire gaige, and everything to do with the quality of the solder joint. A poor quality joint will cause intense local heating which softens the insulating spacers and sleeve.

IMO, the cable is defective and should be replaced under warranty as a defect in materials and workmanship.

That said, there is a remote possibility that the initial cause of the heating was poor contact between the plug's tip and the jack's mating terminal, but this is not very common (except with a few really poor quality Chinese jacks) so for this reason I would want to be sure there's no additional damage to the jack from the heat.

I do not recommend using any wire gauge larger than 14AWG (or the metric equivalent) because the connectors do not support the additional mechanical stress placed upon them from the weight. Also, most connectors are not constructed to allow for good termination of larger wire gauge, resulting in poor connections and potential short circuits. There is ZERO benefit to a larger wire size and plenty of drawbacks.
 
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#26
Thank you Agedhorse... So .... Like I've said I have 2 speakercables like that (Klotz). After that first one ****** up, I'm now using my second one. And it's also that one that got terribly hot during my last rehearsal ! So maybe, for the time being, my problem could be solved by using another speakercable (which one do you suggest?). As I said, I will have my Kalaloch checked out by a tech and let him install speakon's (if possible). I don't want to **** up this amp, I really love it !!
 
#28
Godcreep said:
Thank you Agedhorse... So .... Like I've said I have 2 speakercables like that (Klotz). After that first one ****** up, I'm now using my second one. And it's also that one that got terribly hot during my last rehearsal ! So maybe, for the time being, my problem could be solved by using another speakercable (which one do you suggest?). As I said, I will have my Kalaloch checked out by a tech and let him install speakon's (if possible). I don't want to **** up this amp, I really love it !!
Click to expand...
There's something to be learned here.
 
#29
Godcreep said:
Well... I'm definitely going to have it checked out by a (really good) tech I know. In the meantime I will use my Ampeg SVT VR.

I have uploaded a pic of the Klotz speaker cable that failed during one of our latest gigs (got burned I guess)... and a picture of the back of my Kalaloch. As you can see it has a switch to select 240 V or 120 V. As you know, here in Europe we have to use 240 V.

I also had contact with Ben Verellen himself (very friendly guy !) and he gave me the advice to use a heavy gauge speaker cable and to check the impedance of my 810 cab (which I will do tomorrow).

View attachment 2983868 View attachment 2983878
Click to expand...

Holy hell that 120V/240V-switch looks small and just asking for trouble...especially in Europe when it might get bumped to the 120V position when using it with 240V...
 
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#30
Like Agedhorse said, it's not the cable, it's the connectors. Those might be OK for an instrument cable, but not for speaker cables. You need this:
Invalid Link Removed

or this:
Invalid Link Removed

but preferably this:
Invalid Link Removed

It's really hard to believe that anyone would make an amp today without speakons, especially for the price you paid.
 
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#34
Godcreep said:
Maybe my tech can change that 'toggle switch' too so it's always working on 240V.
Click to expand...
That would be very easy for your tech to do and be much safer, just be sure and label it 220 VAC only. I don't doubt the amp itself is good... just a bit surprised to see a toggle switch there and no speakons at that price point. There's probably room for speakons, and that should also be easy, then you can get a very good cable in place that is not prone to failure. If you do this, be sure to have him use genuine Neutrik and not knock off speakons... those are trouble looking for a victim too.

I hope your amp is OK!
 
#35
Godcreep said:
:) I would never pay 2000 dollars for a Kalaloch... I got it 2nd hand....but it really is a good amp, it replaced my SVT 3 Pro, which I also liked, but that Verellen is something else, really !! Maybe my tech can change that 'toggle switch' too so it's always working on 240V.
Click to expand...
There are proper switches for it. I attached a picture of one, just the switch is 35€ at tube-town though. Still cheaper than new electronics I guess...
 

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#36
dune2k said:
Holy hell that 120V/240V-switch looks small and just asking for trouble...especially in Europe when it might get bumped to the 120V position when using it with 240V...
Click to expand...

I agree - I much prefer the switch on my Genz Shuttle 6.2. You pretty much need a screwdriver to flip it to another current setting. That Verellen one is kinda scary.
 
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#37
RoadRanger said:
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".
Click to expand...
Kalaloch Stereo Hybrid Amplifier
Starting at: $1950

1400 watts (700 per side) of lightweight class D solid state power with a hand-wired tube preamp front end

all tube clean preamp offers headroom and bandwidth making it a great platform for guitar, bass, keys, etc… works great with pedals

each of the two preamps have independent inputs, volume and 3 band eq

can be run in stereo mode where each input is driven separately into it’s own dedicated power amp

can also be run in mono mode where channel 1 preamp feeds both power amps simultaneously for 1400 mono watts (each power amp needs it’s own speaker load to achieve the full 1400 watts available)



Sounds illegal, then.


Edit: I'm fairly certain this can't be the rule, though. There are plenty of guitar amps with bridged power modules that use a 1/4" speaker out. For instance, Kemper Profiler Power Head.
 
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#38
agedhorse said:
Ok, with the picture, this is a much easier problem to solve.

If you look closely, you can see that the tip has moved forward as a result of the overheating of the tip connection to the wire.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's pretty extreme. I'm surprised the OP never noticed that. I would have thrown that cable in the trash as soon as I saw even a bit of separation there...
 
#40
Rick James said:
Like Agedhorse said, it's not the cable, it's the connectors. Those might be OK for an instrument cable, but not for speaker cables. You need this:
Invalid Link Removed

or this:
Invalid Link Removed

but preferably this:
Invalid Link Removed

It's really hard to believe that anyone would make an amp today without speakons, especially for the price you paid.
Click to expand...

Sorry to disagree with you yet again Rick but the NL4 series of plugs and sockets are the defacto standard for SpeakOns on pro-audio equipment. This is for compatibility reasons.
 

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