plankspanker

I've just replaced the xlr speaker socket of my old TE AH350X with a Speakon socket. As mentioned above you need a 24mm (metal) hole cutter also a 3mm drill to make holes for the nuts and bolts that secure the Speakon socket. I fitted a jack socket in parallel at the same time (in the old xlr hole using a spacer plate) as I don't have a spare Speakon cable. I have always made my own cables but had Dave at OBBM (aka bassic-bits) make the Speakon cable and supply the new socket. His reputation is well deserved - prompt delivery and the best of materials and workmanship. With shipping this cost a few quid more than if i just bought the bits and did it myself but so what? Functionally and visually Speakon is definitely a cut above jacks - I won't be going back to them!

[quote name='stevie' post='1189419' date='Apr 5 2011, 06:15 PM']Agreed. XLRs were quite common as a speaker connection before the Speakon gained popularity. It handles more power than a jack. Because the holes are normally identical in size you can usually swap your XLRs for Speakons without too much trouble.[/quote] Exactly - that's why I'm changing mine (AH350X) to Speakon as soon as Dave at bassic-bits ships the necessary. Just to add to the confusion there are varying opinions on the correct pin-out for xlr speaker plugs.

[quote name='dougie' post='1182824' date='Mar 30 2011, 10:39 PM']"and a 2x10 (175W) that was originally 4 ohms but I re-wired the drivers in series so now it's 16" am i misreading this?,shouldnt it be 8 ohms?[/quote] No, it's 16 ohms now. It's just a Peavey 2x10 175W and 4 ohms because the two 8 ohm drivers were wired in parallel. Now, after two minutes with a soldering iron they are in series, 8+8 = 16. The best part is that I bought this cab for only about £40 as it had no output but was cosmetically really good. It turned out to be a faulty crossover - I don't use crossovers or horns anyway - so out they came and voila a really punchy, clean-sounding cab that sounds great on the A channel of the amp or if I put it in the B channel along with the 1x15. Incidentally, I also bought the 1x15 (Ashdown ABM) for a knockdown price (you might've guessed by now I'm a skinflint) coz the original Blueline driver had seized solid. I bought a new Eminence 400W driver (I think about £70) and it is a better cab now than when it was built. Two good cabs for an outlay of only about £160 - can't be bad!

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='1181650' date='Mar 29 2011, 11:20 PM']Not the ones with a clue. Your setup is preferable to having them both 8 ohms, where the 175 watt rating of the 210 would be the weak link in the chain.[/quote] I'm glad you think so, Bill. I often see your posts on TB over the other side of the pond and always read them with interest. If I put my ear 6" from the cabs then clearly one is a fair bit louder than the other but even from just a couple of feet it just appears to be a single sound source. A modest appreciation of the laws of physics sprinkled with a bit of commonsense is the way to go, I think - I try to avoid dogma! OP - you should be fine so long as the single 10 is rated for at least 100W rms.

Making your own cables is easy and cheaper. Good quality cable and Neutrik connectors are easily available online or in stores like Maplin. Another advantage is that you can make them exactly the right length for your particular gear - much neater and safer as you are less likely to trip over them.

I have an 8 ohm 1x15 (400W) and a 2x10 (175W) that was originally 4 ohms but I re-wired the drivers in series so now it's 16. If I use the both together that's nominally 5.3 ohms and two thirds of the power will go through the 15 and one third through the 2x10. I drive them with a Trace AH350X (quite an unusual amp) which has a full range B channel the same as an AH250 pus a separate 150W high-pass (250Hz plus) A channel output. If both cabs are on the B channel, flat out, the 15 gets just over 160W and the 2x10 just over 80W. It sounds damned good! Usually though, I leave the 2x10 on A and the 1x15 on B - sounds really, really excellent. I've been thinking about obtaining a Trace 2x10, converting that to 16 and using the two 2x10's on B and put the 1x15 on A. More stuff to carry though! So long as you stay above the amps minimum load and the power to each driver is proportionate I can't see what the problem is with this but no doubt the purists will throw their hands up in horror.

My advice is to buy a 6u SKB rack that contains an Ashdown RPM1 (valve) preamp and a Peavey CS800S power amp (2x420W@4 ohms, 2x270W@ 8 ohms) and still has 2u spare for tuner, effects and so on. Make sure they are all in A1 condition and have only had two careful owners who used them in small, smoke-free home studios. It's exactly what you want - it really is perfect. Wait a minute! I've just remembered that I have exactly the rack described above. Unbelievably this could be yours for only £300 so plenty of cash left over. Welcome to try first if you like but you'd have to travel to NP23 5BQ. Bass and cabs here but bring your own if you like. an irresistible bargain!

Try Maplins, Farnell or CPC - pretty good online catalogues. Alternatively, if you know of any local mechanical engineering workshops any decent toolmaker would knock up some custom designed ones at the cost of several packets of biscuits. At least the boys in our machine shop would! Even easier, unless you are completely useless with your hands (bass-players shouldn't really admit to this should they?) just get some angle from a hardware emporium and after half an hour with a hacksaw and drill - voila!