proper speaker cables?
Mike Tulley
wrote:
>
>I have had this question in my mind for a long time, and I am just now
>getting around to asking it.
>
>What are the proper cables to use for PA speakers? I have seen cables
>with 1/4 inch ends and the cable itself looked like an electric cord,
>
>. I have also seen bands use cables that looked like normal heavy
>duty guitar cables (which is what I am using now). Can someone tell
>me the different kinds of 1/4 inch cables and what they should be used
>for? What do they look like? What are they called? Is a "Patch"
>cable used for speakers, or instruments? I have a banana cable that
>goes from my amp to one speaker in Bridged mono, and then I use a
>thick guitar cable to go from that speaker to the other. I never know
>what to buy for which application when I go to the music store.
>
There are a couple of divverences between a good guitar cable and a
good speaker cable.
1. A guitar cable needs to be shielded; a speaker cable doesn't.
2. A speaker cable needs to have the thickest copper wire that will
fit the connector; a guitar cable does not.
I prefer Speakon connectors to 1/4" for speakers, but if your speaker
cabinets have 1/4" connectors you may not want to change. Look for
speaker cables with 14 ga. or 12 ga. wire (12 is bigger and better,
but hard to fit into the connectors).
Mike T.
David A. Cull
> I have had this question in my mind for a long time, and I am just now
> getting around to asking it.
>
> What are the proper cables to use for PA speakers? I have seen cables
> with 1/4 inch ends and the cable itself looked like an electric cord,
>
> . I have also seen bands use cables that looked like normal heavy
> duty guitar cables (which is what I am using now). Can someone tell
> me the different kinds of 1/4 inch cables and what they should be used
> for? What do they look like? What are they called? Is a "Patch"
> cable used for speakers, or instruments? I have a banana cable that
> goes from my amp to one speaker in Bridged mono, and then I use a
> thick guitar cable to go from that speaker to the other. I never know
> what to buy for which application when I go to the music store.
>
> Thanks for any help
>
The 1/4" connector is just that: a connector. What you're most
interested in is the cable between the plugs. A guitar cable should be
shielded, and usually small in diameter (high gauge number).
What you need is speaker cable, which for most applications is just
2-conductor electrical wire (from 16 AWG down, depending on the
application (i.e.: how much power you're running between your amp and
your speaker)). Go to your local hardware store, and get some 16 or 14
AWG lamp wire. Hook it up to two 1/4" connectors, and voila! This
should suit your needs just fine. Remember, the longer the run, the
heavier the cable (lower the gauge) you should buy.
A standard guitar cable isn't big enough (the conductors aren't heavy
enough) to run a speaker of any substantial wattage properly.
Cheers,
David Cull.
Dale Farmer
"David A. Cull" wrote:
I don't like to use phono connectors for speakers because when you are
plugging or unplugging them you will generally short the two conductors
together for a moment. If this happens while the amp is running, such as
when someone trips over the cable during a gig, bad things generally
happen to the amplifier. I'd rather spend fifty bucks on connectors than
fifty bucks on repairs.
--Dale
David A. Cull
I agree 100%. The question however, was about speaker cables, not
connectors. If the guy is having a difficult time differentiating
between speaker cable and guitar cable, I didn't want to expand the
scope of the topic beyond the cable itself.
Cheers,
Dave~
Tim Padrick
speakers, as the cable capacitance is not good for the amp. Speaker cables
are just two conductors*, either lamp cord or in a round jacket. Get round
jacket, because lamp cord does not coil well at all, making it a real
nuisance.
* In some cases they can be 4, 6, or 8 conductor.
"DonkeyDong" <gui...@home.com> wrote in message
news:4c3m201j60esca0qs...@4ax.com...
>
> I have had this question in my mind for a long time, and I am just now
> getting around to asking it.
>
> What are the proper cables to use for PA speakers? I have seen cables
> with 1/4 inch ends and the cable itself looked like an electric cord,
>
> . I have also seen bands use cables that looked like normal heavy
> duty guitar cables (which is what I am using now). Can someone tell
> me the different kinds of 1/4 inch cables and what they should be used
> for? What do they look like? What are they called? Is a "Patch"
> cable used for speakers, or instruments? I have a banana cable that
> goes from my amp to one speaker in Bridged mono, and then I use a
> thick guitar cable to go from that speaker to the other. I never know
> what to buy for which application when I go to the music store.
>
> Thanks for any help
>
> Jeff