Bass Amp To Bass Cab - Instrument Or Speaker Cable?

[basskit_case]

Until OBBM's cable arrives I nipped into town and bought [url="http://www.musiccentre.co.uk/stagg-ssp1-1-5m-speaker-cable.html?___store=default"]this[/url], figure its worth the £5 it cost me if it means I can get the Ashdown LB30 fired up tonight! However I will be swapping in OBBM's as soon as I get them.

[mart]

[quote name='basskit_case' post='1103834' date='Jan 26 2011, 03:23 PM']Until OBBM's cable arrives I nipped into town and bought [url="http://www.musiccentre.co.uk/stagg-ssp1-1-5m-speaker-cable.html?___store=default"]this[/url], figure its worth the £5 it cost me if it means I can get the Ashdown LB30 fired up tonight! However I will be swapping in OBBM's as soon as I get them. [/quote]

Good bet. If it's labelled as a speaker cable it ought to be ok.

And going from my experience with OBBM, you won't be waiting long for his cable.

[derrenleepoole]

This is what will happen to your instrument cable if it were in fact a face and you ran large amounts of current through it:



Nuff said

[bumnote]

[quote name='basskit_case' post='1103834' date='Jan 26 2011, 03:23 PM']Until OBBM's cable arrives I nipped into town and bought [url="http://www.musiccentre.co.uk/stagg-ssp1-1-5m-speaker-cable.html?___store=default"]this[/url], figure its worth the £5 it cost me if it means I can get the Ashdown LB30 fired up tonight! However I will be swapping in OBBM's as soon as I get them. [/quote]

Cmon what does it sound like

[basskit_case]

[quote name='bumnote' post='1103874' date='Jan 26 2011, 03:40 PM']Cmon what does it sound like[/quote]

I get to find at 8o'clock tonight

Damn work.

Edited January 26, 2011 by basskit_case

[bumnote]

[quote name='basskit_case' post='1103924' date='Jan 26 2011, 04:04 PM']I get to find at 8o'clock tonight

Damn work.[/quote]

Be interested in your thoughts

[Hamster]

I think I remember reading that another reason why you should never use instrument cable as speaker cable is that the amp is always trying to balance what is sends to the speaker with what it receives back and therefore the amp will compare what it sends out to the speaker with what it gets back. If there is any difference, the amp works to correct the difference and will try and make sure the output is the same as the input but with a greater amplitude.

In an instrument cable the centre shielded wire is a lot thinner and has a higher resistance than the considerably thicker braided shield, which presents a lower resistance. Hence the amp will get 'false feedback' from the speaker and works extra hard to correct this.......... [i]resulting in an oscillation in the power output which makes a lot of heat which is bad as it makes transistors produce magic smoke [/i].......... (memory fading on that last bit?)

That's why you should always use a cable with 'identical' wires, i.e. twin wire speaker cable.

An expert will be along in a moment..........

[Guest jbarks]

Used a line/instrument cable with an SVT-3 Pro for the longest time when I had to cannibalise some rack equipment—no problems there. Almost every sound engineer I've spoken to (and the guy who recorded my album, who has some pretty high end stuff in his studio) all said it was fine and that no, my amp wouldn't explode.

Edited January 27, 2011 by jbarks

[Dood]

[quote name='mart' post='1103780' date='Jan 26 2011, 03:02 PM']Won't you get a better sound out of the kettle by using a good instrument cable?[/quote]


Hmmm, enough people use 'kettle leads'* to provide power for their amplification! Maybe there's something in that!

It actually bugs me when people call them kettle leads! Yes a kettle lead will fit in to a computer or and amp', but an IEC lead specifically for a computer for example, won't actually fit in to a kettle socket. The kettle socket is a slightly different shape and requires a slotted connector!

Don't believe me? 'av a look!


[edit] ere's the techy bit! [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_connector"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_connector[/url]

[obbm]

[quote name='jbarks' post='1104651' date='Jan 27 2011, 01:09 AM']Used a line/instrument cable with an SVT-3 Pro for the longest time when I had to cannibalise some rack equipment—no problems there. Almost every sound engineer I've spoken to (and the guy who recorded my album, who has some pretty high end stuff in his studio) all said it was fine and that no, my amp wouldn't explode.[/quote]

Just because you/they do it doesn't mean that its correct or advisable.

I asked Klotz about using instrument cable for speakers and their technical guru told me:

"The power loss with conductor cross-section of 0.22 sq mm (centre core of typical instrument cable) is dramatically high and even may result in a cable fire".

"Also the reduced damping factor of the system results in worse properties of sound."

"Furthermore twisted speaker cores have better EMC and lower EMI."

[icastle]

[quote name='dood' post='1104656' date='Jan 27 2011, 01:19 AM']Hmmm, enough people use 'kettle leads'* to provide power for their amplification! Maybe there's something in that!

It actually bugs me when people call them kettle leads! Yes a kettle lead will fit in to a computer or and amp', but an IEC lead specifically for a computer for example, won't actually fit in to a kettle socket. The kettle socket is a slightly different shape and requires a slotted connector![/quote]

Yep.
It's a safety feature.
There are 6A and 13A kettle leads.

The notch on the 13A version stops you from plugging a 6A lead into an appliance that expects to be able to draw more than 6A.

[icastle]

[quote name='jbarks' post='1104651' date='Jan 27 2011, 01:09 AM']Used a line/instrument cable with an SVT-3 Pro for the longest time when I had to cannibalise some rack equipment—no problems there. Almost every sound engineer I've spoken to (and the guy who recorded my album, who has some pretty high end stuff in his studio) all said it was fine and that no, my amp wouldn't explode.[/quote]

It's perfectly OK to slam a hire car into reverse whilst it's still travelling forwards as well...

[markstuk]

THis makes an entertaining read :-)

[url="http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm"]Speaker Cables[/url]

[Cat Burrito]

It amazes me that people spend mega bucks on basses and cool rigs only to skimp on cables. I suspect most on Basschat know better but I certainly see it at the gigs I do. I would only use one in an absolute emergency and I actually carry quality spares so it really would be an emergency!

[mcnach]

[quote name='markstuk' post='1103294' date='Jan 26 2011, 10:40 AM']+111

A friend of mine (really, no not me) managed recently to plug his 4x8 speaker cable into his fx return, the cab went microphonic, fed back through his 1x15 and buggered his amp...

Cheers

Mark[/quote]



eh???

me no comprendo

[icastle]

[quote name='mcnach' post='1105489' date='Jan 27 2011, 07:57 PM']eh???

me no comprendo [/quote]

I think the OP is saying that the 4x8" cab worked like a big microphone (because it was plugged into an input instead of an output) and fed back into the 1x15" cab.

[dan670844]

[quote name='icastle' post='1105082' date='Jan 27 2011, 02:08 PM']It's perfectly OK to slam a hire car into reverse whilst it's still travelling forwards as well...[/quote]


I can tell ou a scary story about a hired transit van way back when, its not a good idea to a) employ you brother to help you move have all your furniture in the back, lucky though no bass gear! c) encourage him to slam it in reverse when you are doing 35-40 c) don't realise that those old tranny's where RWD........... the spin lasted for days ha ha ha we thought it was really funny but then the back tyre bit, and she went over,like a tumble dryer, all my furniture was instantly turned into matchsticks and all the oil was blown out the engine all over the screen, we still thought it was funny! and no i didn't get my deposit back, and for 1 year i slept on the floor ha ha ha

[4-string-thing]

Years and years ago when I was very young, foolish and probably broke, I made myself a couple of "speaker leads" using some tv coax and jack plugs.... I've only just bought some proper speaker leads after using the others for about 30 years! Mainly because I read on here that you should be using proper ones....

In those 30 odd years, I've probably gone through dozens of instrument leads but my homemade speaker leads have never let me down or caught fire....

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='markstuk' post='1105103' date='Jan 27 2011, 02:27 PM']THis makes an entertaining read :-)

[url="http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm"]Speaker Cables[/url][/quote]


Haha you're right, it does!

Ta, i'll have a proper read through that in the morning.

[Rich]

[quote name='mart' post='1103780' date='Jan 26 2011, 03:02 PM']Won't you get a better sound out of the kettle by using a good instrument cable?[/quote]
If you use one of those audiophile £2000 mains leads, it even makes your tea taste better.

[icastle]

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1105632' date='Jan 27 2011, 09:53 PM']I made myself a couple of "speaker leads" using some tv coax and jack plugs.... I've only just bought some proper speaker leads after using the others for about 30 years!
In those 30 odd years, I've probably gone through dozens of instrument leads but my homemade speaker leads have never let me down or caught fire....[/quote]

Yep - that doesn't surprise me at all.

But 'off the reel' TV coax from 30 years ago is a lot different to the coax they use on instrument cables.

The centre core has to be getting on for 4x the thickness and the old solid type insulator is about 10x the thickness.

I wouldn't recommend it, but I reckon I could shove 240V and pull a good 6A through that old stuff without frying anything...

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='icastle' post='1105804' date='Jan 28 2011, 02:26 AM']Yep - that doesn't surprise me at all.

But 'off the reel' TV coax from 30 years ago is a lot different to the coax they use on instrument cables.

The centre core has to be getting on for 4x the thickness and the old solid type insulator is about 10x the thickness.

I wouldn't recommend it, but I reckon I could shove 240V and pull a good 6A through that old stuff without frying anything... [/quote]

Probably helped that my amp was only 125w til recently!

[icastle]

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1106608' date='Jan 28 2011, 07:18 PM']Probably helped that my amp was only 125w til recently![/quote]

Yep

The bit I find most surprising is that you managed to fit that chunky old coax into the jackplug in the first place!

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='icastle' post='1106721' date='Jan 28 2011, 08:58 PM']Yep

The bit I find most surprising is that you managed to fit that chunky old coax into the jackplug in the first place![/quote]

ha ha....a lot easier than when I tried the same thing with 2.5mm flex the other week!

[LITTLEWING]

Just to add my ten pence worth, I was using a cheapo speaker lead from my Ashdown Mag head to my Hartke 2 x 15" cab, and didn't realise until I bought a VERY nice cable from a Basschat guy called OBBM how much difference a quality link made. Don't think twice, if you've got a non-descript floppy old lead, get a proper one today. £13.50 for a very impressive looking 1 metre cable with quality connectors and an even more impressive leap in clarity is money well spent. Honestly, you won't look back.

Edited January 29, 2011 by LITTLEWING