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Post new topic Asking for help building a powered speaker cabinet
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Author Topic:  Asking for help building a powered speaker cabinet
robert kramer

 

From:
Nashville TN
Post  Posted 18 Jun 2018 8:06 am    
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I am building a powered speaker cabinet. I just bought a Jay Ganz Straight Ahead power amp which I plan to mount in a 12” cabinet.

I have a question about input jacks and wiring to be installed to the back of the cabinet.

What kind of jacks do I use two get these two options - not simultaneously?

(1) Pre-amp > Pre-Amp Out > Guitar Cable > Input Jack #1 > Input to Power Amp.

(2) Powered Amp Head > Speaker Cable > Input Jack #2 > Speaker

What is the most efficient way to wire this?

Is there a way to use just one input jack in the back of the cabinet using some kind of switcher between the two options?

I would be plugging in cables with both amps / preamp off.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I appreciate all the collective knowledge on SGF.
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Skip Ellis


From:
Bradenton, Fl USA
Post  Posted 18 Jun 2018 12:02 pm    
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I bought a 150 watt class 'd' power amp for $9 from Ebay and paired it with a power supply that I got for $19 from Amazon (you have to figure out the required amperage for the power supply). Mounted them both in a cabinet with an old 12" Peavey Scorpion speaker and use a 6 channel Yamaha mixer as a preamp. It works great as a mini PA that I use for our local steel guitar club when we have the occasional singer. It's a lot easier than toting the the 1000 watt rig that we usually use.
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Tom Dillon


From:
La Mesa, California, USA
Post  Posted 18 Jun 2018 6:20 pm    
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Robert,

I put together a a powered speaker just like what you describe. I also thought about doing a switch or having 2 jacks for inputs from a power amp or preamp. I decided it was simpler and much safer to have one jack, wired to the speaker. That way I won't accidentally plug an external amp into the Straight Ahead input.

I keep a short speaker cable plugged into the Straight Ahead amp all the time and depending on how I need to use the speaker, I plug in an external amp head or the Straight Ahead (with a preamp plugged in to it) into that jack. I never have anything plugged in when I move the speaker to gigs - too easy to smash the plug.

The cabinet I use came from Greg's Pro Audio in Riverside, CA. Easy to mount the Straight Ahead near the top, so I can reach behind and access the power switch and volume pot. This set up works great.

Picture:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UVktCzApriCvmqEm7
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Tom Dillon
- MSA Legend, On-Trak, fiddles, mandos
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robert kramer

 

From:
Nashville TN
Post  Posted 20 Jun 2018 6:23 pm    
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Mr. Dillon - Thanks for the advice. That's the answer - keep it simple. If something goes wrong - it's easy to spot the problem and I don't like the idea of two jacks. Thanks!
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