Mr.Si Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Hey. So I've just been on the Sound on Sound forums, and there has been a topic about wiring of speakons.Some people have been saying that 2+ / 2- is for the tops and 1+ / 1- is for the low end in a 2 way active system. But I thought and have thus wired it for 1+ / 1- for the tops and 2+ / 2- for the bass. I am now confused and am thus wondering what the standard, if there is one, is. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Well, if it helps, I think you're right. I don't have anything to hand in which to check though... Anyone got a Canford book to hand? EDIT Wrong! This PDF shows that LF are on pr1, & HF on pr2....To AES45, which apparently, is a provisional IEC standard. Well you learn something every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james jag Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 I used to do +2 -2 for tops and +1 -1 for bass but then found out that most of the hire companies down my way do it the other way round Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoppaDom Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 My understanding of the lows on 1+/1- and highs on 2+/2- relates to the possibility of damage to the individual speaker components. A HF signal send (from a bi-amped system) ran into a low driver will give u very little output and a weird sound/a full range send to the same driver will not damage it (although it may sound lacking in the top end) BOTH of these however cause little long term damage...HOWEVER....A LF signal being sent into a HF device (or again a full range signal) is likely to damage the HF component within the speaker very very easily. This is based on the assumption (and seeming standard) that most manufacturers if only using 2 pins utilise pins 1+/1- for connection. Thus 1+/1- LF 2+/2- HF --> Lesser chance of damage to drivers if inadvertently misconnected.2+/2- LF 1+/1- HF --> In most miss connection situations HF driver damage occurs! Just how I sees it Poppadom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Using pair 1 for HF you run the risk of toasting your HF units if you accidently plug them into a full range system as that uses pair 1. Running them on pair 2 and the LF on pair 1 makes it safer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Si Posted June 28, 2006 Author Share Posted June 28, 2006 looks like I need to do some rewiring then! Thankfully it's not too serious, as erm well it's just a matter of swapping around the outputs of the amps into my prewired patch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 I'd not bother Simon. Unless you use hired in kit to supplement your own a lot, is it worth the bother? I think I'd just make up some reversers, label them and paint them red. As I mentioned in a vanishing post yesterday, most single circuit pre-made speakon cables come wired 1+/1- so I'm at a loss to work out why people are now advocating full range on circuit 2, which wouldn't work unless people bought 4 core speakon leads? Very strange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 Full range IS on pins 1+&-. The HF goes to pins 2, so that they don't get fried if connected to full range in error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 I'm at a loss to work out why people are now advocating full range on circuit 2, which wouldn't work unless people bought 4 core speakon leads? Very strange. But that's the whole point! You use four core cable & daisy chain the subs & tops. 1+ & 1- feed the sub; 2+ & 2- go on to feed the top. You only need one run of cable, rather than the two that you'd need if you used 2 core for everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 But that's the whole point! You use four core cable & daisy chain the subs & tops. 1+ & 1- feed the sub; 2+ & 2- go on to feed the top. You only need one run of cable, rather than the two that you'd need if you used 2 core for everything. Shez, That's the easy way of doing things! Just two problems though.... 1) you end up having to have all your cables in 4 core (more weight and bulk) or have a mixture or 2 and 4 core (some scope for getting mixed up!) 2) If you sometimes run the tops full range (instead of always biamped), they may have to have a pins 1 to pins 2 adaptor, or (as I did with some small Ohm tops ) wire one Speakon to pins 1 and the other to pins 2, but have them connected internally. Full range then works off a standard 2 or 4 core cable on the pins1 NL4, and when biamping the link from the bass bin plugs into the pins2 wired NL4. Confused? It works for me, but takes 5 minutes to explain to each person who hasn't seen it before! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 Simon, I must confess I'm currently using two cable runs, one for the bin, one for the top. Both speakers were wired as standard to pins1 and I've just not got around to doing it any other way yet. I had thought about it, but as I regularly use the tops on their own, hadn't come up with a particularly neat way of bodging it. My best (theoretical) solution thus far was as per my last post; once I put a patch panel on my amp rack, the tops amp would always be wired to pins2. My cables are all four core as I was trying to plan ahead when I made them. I like your no. 2 solution, but there's still scope for a "helpful" person to hook it up wrong. I'd prefer something as foolproof as possible. Shez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 I like your no. 2 solution, but there's still scope for a "helpful" person to hook it up wrong. I'd prefer something as foolproof as possible. Well in terms of being foolproof, you can't [easily!] put bass into a mid-top with my "No. 2" scheme, but if you want to daisy chain two top boxes, you have to link the pins2 connectors together with 4 core cable.It's served me well for some years, but I'll admit to having to think carefully about wiring them up sometimes! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 my main system is wired up as 4 way stereo.I use NL8 connectors for this. 1 cable per side, then links between the cabs where necessary. Into a sub, out to the next sub (until you run out of subs on that side), then use a special link lead to link to the tops, then link the tops together. The special link needs to go in the right way and is marked sub and top on it. Subs are bi-amp, tops are bi/tri amp switchable. I run them both bi amp to give a 4 way system. All the sub to sub or top to top links are straight NL8'sThe sub to top link links pairs 3 and 4 from the subs parallel out connection to pairs 1 and 2 on the input to the first top. Its not the most straightforward wiring pattern but it makes setup VERY easy, 1 cable run per side, then as many links as necessary. (usually just the 1). Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beware Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 On a slightly OT note, on Friday I blew the crossover in my bass bin (Class-D CD15) by plugging the input into the mid/top output. Since I didn't realise there was even a crossover in it, I thought the 2 speakon sockets were linked. Funny thing was, the bass bin was producing the right noises until it started smelling... Oh how I wish Class D sent at least some sort of manual! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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