TomRandles97 Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 Bought a cab over the weekend and I was looking forward to trying out today as the cable I bought to connect it to the amp arrived but no dice. Not getting any output and I'm unsure as to why. The cab has jack inputs but the head I have now (which is for sale) and the amp I plan on buying both have speakon outs. I bought a two pole last time for my old cab (which required speakon to speakon) not really knowing what the difference was, but it worked. I bought a two pole speakon-jack cable for this because I thought it'd work with the head I'm using but not getting any sound out. The cab worked when I tried it out on the weekend and the head worked last time I used it. The Amp seems to be working now because when I plug in, the peak indication light flashes when it's meant to. Sorry this is all very long winded and may not make much sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 1. How old is the amp? i.e what is the year of manufacture? 2. Is the Speakon on your new cable a genuine Neutrik? 3. Does waggling the Speakon and cable up and down make any difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRandles97 Posted October 31, 2017 Author Share Posted October 31, 2017 [quote name='obbm' timestamp='1509475499' post='3399294'] 1. How old is the amp? i.e what is the year of manufacture? 2. Is the Speakon on your new cable a genuine Neutrik? 3. Does waggling the Speakon and cable up and down make any difference? [/quote] It's about 9 Years old. It isn't Neutrik, it's gear4music which is giving me some cause for concern. And no, it doesn't. I have a feeling that they sent me the wrong cable as the pole piece in the centre of the input (I'm sure that's probably not the correct terminology lol) is round, whereas I have another 2 pole neutrik brand speakon that has more of a semicircular pole piece. The one I just bought does fit the connection though so I'm unsure of how to differentiate between them. If it was a 4 pole, would this be the reason it's not working? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 [quote name='TomRandles97' timestamp='1509476590' post='3399303'] If it was a 4 pole, would this be the reason it's not working? [/quote] If it was 4-pole and wired to +2, -2 it probably wouldn't work. Most Speakon's are wired +1, -1. Is the Speakon on your amp a combined Speakon/Jack? If so you can use a Jack to Jack speaker lead to test it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 I recently acquired a pair of lovely TecAmp cabs. Tried them linked directly to my head and they worked fine. Linked them together using my one and only speakon to speakon cable and nothing at all from the second cab. Fortunately the connections on the cabs are speakon/1/4” combos so I could prove that the cabs were ok using a jack to jack cable. Turns out that either my speakon cable was knackered or wired strangely. Bought a new ‘Off the shelf’ cable and it works a treat. Moral of the story, don’t panic - it’s probably just your cable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 [quote name='TomRandles97' timestamp='1509476590' post='3399303'] It's about 9 Years old. It isn't Neutrik, it's gear4music which is giving me some cause for concern. And no, it doesn't. I have a feeling that they sent me the wrong cable as the pole piece in the centre of the input (I'm sure that's probably not the correct terminology lol) is round, whereas I have another 2 pole neutrik brand speakon that has more of a semicircular pole piece. The one I just bought does fit the connection though so I'm unsure of how to differentiate between them. If it was a 4 pole, would this be the reason it's not working? [/quote] There have been a number of instances of problems with Markbass amps fitted with early Speakon combo sockets. I have an LM2 myself which is a bit picky about which Speakons it work with it. For the life of me I've not been able to get to the bottom of it yet. Best to stick with genuine Neutrik 2-pole connectors, because that's what the combo sockets are, and if one doesn't work then try another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 Ive just had exactly the same experience with a couple of cheap Chord branded speakons - i started a thread on here a week or so ago. Failed to work with cabs unless you rotate them back 5mm from the lock position and find a sweet spot. I think theres a bunch of dodgy speakon plugs coming out of China at the moment. The shop i got them from via Amazon was good initially and just sent out a second pair which they had tested instore but they dont work on my cabs. My genuine neutral ones work perfectly on everything. I requested a refund and wanted to send everything back but the shop has just blanked me now..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 (edited) Did you try plugging the cable the other way round? My speakons to my tc450 only work one way round, they are all marked which way is the head end! — Edit- hadn’t read the original that it was a jack, d’oh! Edited November 1, 2017 by Woodinblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted November 1, 2017 Share Posted November 1, 2017 [quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1509491615' post='3399465'] My speakons to my tc450 only work one way round, they are all marked which way is the head end! [/quote] Seeing as a cable is simply copper to copper with no active components I fear this is just another case of [i]Snake Oil.[/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted November 1, 2017 Share Posted November 1, 2017 [quote name='obbm' timestamp='1509520780' post='3399535'] Seeing as a cable is simply copper to copper with no active components I fear this is just another case of [i]Snake Oil.[/i] [/quote] Yep, thats what I thought, but when the second and third cables I bought from different places I bought did it I realised there was something going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRandles97 Posted November 1, 2017 Author Share Posted November 1, 2017 [quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1509477809' post='3399314'] If it was 4-pole and wired to +2, -2 it probably wouldn't work. Most Speakon's are wired +1, -1. Is the Speakon on your amp a combined Speakon/Jack? If so you can use a Jack to Jack speaker lead to test it. [/quote] I’ve tried using the jack end in the Speakon and it fits, so I’m guessing it is a hybrid. However I’m planning on getting a bass terror soon and I’m pretty sure that they aren’t hybrid. I also don’t have a jack to jack speaker lead so I can’t test it unfortunately. Just bought a Neutrik Speakon to jack so hopefully that’s going to work. Thanks😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggybass Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 (edited) There might be wiring instructions for the Speakon on the back of your amp - every single-output channel item I've ever seen with a Speakon output is wired 1+ / 1- and I'd be amazed if your amp head is any different. Simplest way to fix this is to buy a genuine Neutrik Speakon and mono jack plug from Amazon ([url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neutrik-Nl2fx-Speakon-Pole-Plug/dp/B00FN28RU0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1510339021&sr=8-2&keywords=neutrik+speakon"]HERE[/url] and [url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neutrik-NP2X-6-35mm-Jack-Plug/dp/B000KMAQ7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510339313&sr=8-1&keywords=neutrik+jack+plug"]HERE[/url]), plus a length of 2 x 1.5mm speaker lead (from your local disco supplier) and wire it up yourself, it's dead easy - only very modest soldering skills needed. Connect 1+ on the Speakon to the tip of the jack and 1- to the barrel. If that doesn't work I'll eat my metaphorical hat. PS - I"m assuming that the Speakon in the amp is a genuine Neutrik product - if it is then a genuine Neutrik plug will mate with it correctly. There appear to be issues with cheap knock-off versions of the Neutrik original that don't mate and therefore don't pass any current... Edited November 10, 2017 by Wiggybass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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