speakon connectors or 1/4 jacks

[artisan]

hi i was looking at an ampeg B410HLF but they don't have speakon's,the SVT410HLF looks promising but its bloody dear but does have speakons.does it make any difference if i use speakon or 1/4 jacks-i actually have a speaker lead with one of each-would i actually notice the difference?.
i really need a 4ohm as i can't fit 2 cabs in the car & would like to unleash the extra power in my amp.

Edited April 7, 2008 by artisan

[neilb]

Perhaps this post should be in the "Wanted" section?

[artisan]

haha it would be if i knew exactly what i wanted

[warwickhunt]

re. Speakon v 1/4

You'd not hear an audible difference (all things being equal otherwise, like nice heavy duty short cable) between the two but TBH the 1/4" jack is just a throw back to telecommunications so if you can, I'd opt for the Speakon. One benefit of the Speakon is that it locks and though I know you can get locking jack sockets, they aren't common on cabs. You're also a lot less likely to get a short with Speakons and that could be vital if you have valve gear! Even XLR connectors are better than 1/4"

[bass_ferret]

I think that you are paying for a lot more than the difference between having a jack and a speakon

Dont forget that speakons are a relatively recent development and before that everyone used jacks. The real big advantage is you cant use a speaker lead for signal and vice versa.

[bremen]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171174' date='Apr 7 2008, 09:53 AM']I think that you are paying for a lot more than the difference between having a jack and a speakon

Dont forget that speakons are a relatively recent development and before that everyone used jacks. The real big advantage is you cant use a speaker lead for signal and vice versa.[/quote]

I wouldn't use a speaker lead for signal, it's not screened! And I wouldn't be confident using a signal lead for a high power speaker (except in a dire emergency).

Speakons are much tougher and more reliable than jacks.

[Tee]

what about 1/4 to speakon. Where does that sit?

[artisan]

thanks guys,i'll probably go for a B410HLF then,which only has 1/4 jacks.the SVT410HLF has both types but its a bit too expensive & too big & heavy.
BTW my amp is an SVT3PRO which i've not even used yet due to my GK speaker being buggered.

[andy67]

dont worry artisan - you'll love the 3pro!

I hooked up to my 2 x svt410 yesterday and man it rocked! I could just as easily part with the remainder of my gear!

Loads of scope for sound and tuning - for me its simply does what it says on the box!

enjoy

andy

[bremen]

[quote name='Tee' post='171186' date='Apr 7 2008, 10:05 AM']what about 1/4 to speakon. Where does that sit?[/quote]

One end bombproof, one end slightly fragile.

[artisan]

[quote name='andy67' post='171196' date='Apr 7 2008, 10:17 AM']dont worry artisan - you'll love the 3pro!

I hooked up to my 2 x svt410 yesterday and man it rocked! I could just as easily part with the remainder of my gear!

Loads of scope for sound and tuning - for me its simply does what it says on the box!

enjoy

andy[/quote]

thanks Andy
can't wait to use it in rehersal

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171174' date='Apr 7 2008, 09:53 AM']Dont forget that speakons are a relatively recent development and before that everyone used jacks. The real big advantage is you cant use a speaker lead for signal and vice versa.[/quote]

Speakon connectors (or Neutrik NL series) have been going for a long time now (about 10 years +?) in the pro audio industry, but the guitar amp world has been slow to catch up.

They actually come in various versions with different keyed plugs (that are only compatible with the correct sockets) and have uses for power as well.

Warwickhunt said the main reason really. If your amp is on with a uncovered jack-lead dangling around the place, it is a lot easier to short the amp out and damage it.

At the end of the day, it is a connector. If you are careful about how you power stuff up and unplug things, it shouldn't make any difference.

At these wattages, a jack connector should be well within its current handling tolerances.

I prefer speakons because if some drunken fool is wandering around the back of your rig in the dark, you've got less chance of the cable being pulled out the back when they trip on something (yes, I know you can also get locking jack sockets, but not used too often).

Speakons are nowadays usually philips head screw terminals (some can be allen key or solder), so they're easier to but back together when the trip-ee(?) pulls the cable out of the plug!

[bass_ferret]

Speakons are better than 1/4 in jacks but to suggest jacks are NFG or fragile is ridiculous. Speakons lock so anyone tripping over a lead is either gonna pull the cable from the plug or pull your amp off the top of your cab so keep your leads short! If you have a rig with speakons and jacks then it makes sense to use speakons cos they is better, but to decide not to buy something cos it only has jacks is dumb.

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171337' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:39 PM']Speakons lock so anyone tripping over a lead is either gonna pull the cable from the plug or pull your amp off the top of your cab so keep your leads short![/quote]

Good point.

[artisan]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171337' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:39 PM']Speakons are better than 1/4 in jacks but to suggest jacks are NFG or fragile is ridiculous. Speakons lock so anyone tripping over a lead is either gonna pull the cable from the plug or pull your amp off the top of your cab so keep your leads short! If you have a rig with speakons and jacks then it makes sense to use speakons cos they is better, but to decide not to buy something cos it only has jacks is dumb.[/quote]

dumb-thats me then

[andy67]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171337' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:39 PM']Speakons are better than 1/4 in jacks but to suggest jacks are NFG or fragile is ridiculous. Speakons lock so anyone tripping over a lead is either gonna pull the cable from the plug or pull your amp off the top of your cab so keep your leads short! If you have a rig with speakons and jacks then it makes sense to use speakons cos they is better, but to decide not to buy something cos it only has jacks is dumb.[/quote]

very true...had this happen to me some time ago, fortunately it wasn't my gear or I would have hit the roof and the drunken bum who did it!

It would be good to find out if there is a sonic difference though?? good quality 'locking' style leads can make such a difference to hifi especially when extracting information from a turntable.

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='andy67' post='171363' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:59 PM']very true...had this happen to me some time ago, fortunately it wasn't my gear or I would have hit the roof and the drunken bum who did it!

It would be good to find out if there is a sonic difference though?? good quality 'locking' style leads can make such a difference to hifi especially when extracting information from a turntable.[/quote]

My initial response to this question said that you'll not hear a difference. It isn't that there is no difference but whether you'd ever be able to hear the difference in a band setting is pretty much a moot point!

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='andy67' post='171363' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:59 PM']It would be good to find out if there is a sonic difference though?? good quality 'locking' style leads can make such a difference to hifi especially when extracting information from a turntable.[/quote]

There shouldn't be. The only sonic difference would be down to a massive difference in quality of components within the cables and connectors, rather than whether they lock or not.

I once had a friend that told me he could hear the difference between 1mm extra thickness in hifi speaker cable.

Sorry, but in my humble opinion, lots of hi-fi sellers have made it rich on the pockets of gullible, impressionable people like him.

I can understand hearing the difference between using shoelaces and gold plated cables, but in 1mm thickness difference? Come on!

Edited April 7, 2008 by Huge Hands

[artisan]

thanks for all the info chaps,i'm picking up my B410HLF tomorrow.

[P-T-P]

Hmmm.

I can think of a downside to the speakon locking system.

Back about a year and a half ago we played at the New Inn, Ton Pentre which is a place we've done a few times but the stage isn't exactly massive and the floor area immediately in fron of it serves both as dancefloor and the shortest route between front door and bar so we can't use stands for the FOH speakers 'cause there's basically no room for them.

No problem, we simply stacked the normally stand mounted tops onto some bass bins. The whole stack was about 8 foot high and pretty solid barring WWIII type impact.

The sginal from our powered mixer goes into one of the tops and then the other (same process for the other channel). Speakon connection out of the mixer and into the cabs. We used a relatively short lead for the stack on the mixer side of the stage (about 15ft).

All sorted until mid first set, slightly worse for wear punter arrives and wanders to the bar, gets accidentally clocked by someone dancing, loses balance and manages to crash into the PA stack, sending both of the (not light at all) tops flying. Because of the speakon cables, the powered desk rapidly followed until the cabs hit the floor and was only saved by my intervention.

By the time it was all over, the speakon socket on both the desk and cab had been ripped loose from their mounting and the subsequent and sudden loss of load caused the power amp on the desk (for that side) to die.

Amazingly, no one was hurt by the flying cabs and eventually the insurance company paid out on the desk, but we were still a bit stuffed for about 6 weeks and had to use some very old and dodgy amp/mixer gear to keep us gigging while we waited for the insurance.

In that particular instance, jack leads would have probably served us better.

[chris_b]

Speakons are supposed to improve conduction of the signal because they have a larger contact area. I do use them, but to be honest I can't hear a difference.

[ahpook]

one reason for using speakons over jacks i've heard is that if you're using a closed cab, it is possible for the pressure to blow a jack plug out of the socket, whereas a speakon locks in place.

whether this is true or not....i dunno !