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Topic: External Speaker Connection |
Sonny Jenkins
From:
Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx
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Posted 21 Mar 2018 8:56 am |
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Speaking to one of respected forum member I was told that an external speaker should NOT be connected using a regular shielded guitar cable (especially not the small diameter George L cable that a lot of us use). They should be connected with a regular 2 wire unshielded cable (cord). Would this be like a 2 wire like a lamp cord or ???? I was told that this was recommended to him by an amp manufacturer? Any opinions or comments?
Guess I've always just used a regular guitar cable for this. |
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Dave Meis
From:
Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2018 9:23 am
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I use lamp cord. It's overkill, but, it's readily available!  . Any balanced cord will work, but instrument cable is not balanced, so it can burn out your OT. The speaker cable is carrying AC current, so, no shielding required. |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 21 Mar 2018 11:19 am Re: External Speaker Connection
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| Sonny Jenkins wrote: |
Speaking to one of respected forum member I was told that an external speaker should NOT be connected using a regular shielded guitar cable (especially not the small diameter George L cable that a lot of us use). They should be connected with a regular 2 wire unshielded cable (cord). Would this be like a 2 wire like a lamp cord or ???? I was told that this was recommended to him by an amp manufacturer? Any opinions or comments?
Guess I've always just used a regular guitar cable for this. |
Never use a regular guitar cable for connecting speakers to amps.
It has nothing to do with shielded vs unshielded or balanced vs unbalanced, or AC vs DC (all audio-signals are AC by the way). It has all to do with the thickness of the wires – guitar cables are simply too thin for carrying the energy that goes into driving a speaker.
Apart from running the risk of overheated cable, melted insulation and short-circuiting of the amp, the audio quality suffers greatly from driving a speaker through the much too thin wires in a guitar cable.
It is the dampening effect that suffers most from too thin speaker wires – the amp's ability to control the speaker with any degree of precision. Thin speaker cables can best be compared with pulling the changer-scissors in a PSG via a rubber-band – very low precision, rather than via a metal-rod – very high precision. So, the thicker the speaker cable the higher the precision, resulting in clearer sound.
A lamp cord up to a few feet long, is sort of OK for driving a speaker from a power-amp of up to a couple of hundred Watts. Longer than that and/or for higher power amps/speakers, the speaker-cable should be thicker. The thicker the better … a speaker wire can never be too thick.
To solve the small problem with thick cables going into small connectors, I simply solder a short length (3-4 inches) of lamp cord at both ends of the thick cable to go into the Jacks or whatever connector is used.
As a rule of thumb; I multiply all recommendations regarding thickness of wires in speaker cables by at least four (4), and have no problems in hearing the improvement in audio clarity with the thicker speaker cable. |
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Bill A. Moore
From:
Silver City, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2018 12:04 pm
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I try to use no wire smaller than 16 ga for guitar amp to speaker, regardless of power. All of my PA speaker wires are 12 ga.
Another observation, why are the tinsel wires from the speaker connection to the cone seemingly all the same (small) diameter, whether 25W or 200+W rated? |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 21 Mar 2018 12:30 pm
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Lowes and Home Depot have two wire 16 gauge in any length you want. 1 ft to hundreds of feet !
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2018 12:53 pm
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| You can buy a regular speaker cable. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2018 1:20 pm
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| Quote: |
| Another observation, why are the tinsel wires from the speaker connection to the cone seemingly all the same (small) diameter, whether 25W or 200+W rated? |
It's not "speaker" wire and is a specialty type.
Regarding "speaker wire", for amps and speaker cabinets 16 gage and larger is fine. Lower wattage amps could be OK with smaller-gage (i.e. "higher number" cable but stay with 16 gage and you're OK.
The exceptions are large bass rigs and PA systems. With 800-1000+ watt power amps the standard is generally 14-gage using banana plug or Speakon connectors.
And I don't recommend any of the retail "speaker wire" with clear insulation striped n one side. It's absolute junk that leaches out plasticizers that make it flexible, becoming sticky and dirty.
The best stuff you can buy is "rip cord" - standard "lamp wire - the same thing as used for common extension cords. It's what many "boutique" amp builders use.
In fact, if you need wire just cut the ends off a $3 extension cord - it's often cheaper than buying the stuff in bulk at Home Depot!
But NEVER, ever use a guitar cable. Carry spares, keep cable on hand and never have an emergency situation where you'd be tempted to use one. Some amps are damaged by even a few minutes guitar cable use.
Also be very careful about attaching wires to speakers. In tube amps with one speaker (or series-connected multiple speakers) I think all connections should be soldered - if one "spade" connector got loose you'd have no connection, which could fry the output transformer. Spade connectors can be OK in parallel-connected setup - but not for the first speaker connection as it is the ONLY actual connection to the amp.,
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Sonny Jenkins
From:
Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx
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Posted 21 Mar 2018 5:32 pm
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| Very interesting for a dummy like me,,,,surely there are others here that will benefit from this information,,,thanks all!!!! |
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