Speakon Cables

[Matthew80]

Hi,

I am in charge of the backstage crew and equipment at my school.

We have recently upgraded our old speakers to new ones, but these new ones use a Speakon connection instead of a jack.

I only get a very small budget for school performances, and to keep costs low, was wondering if it would be possibly to make my own speakon cables so that I can control sound and lights from the back of our school hall.

I would need about 40 meters of cable to make it reach.

I have put the links to the ebay shop that I had found the cable at, and the second link is to the speakon connection itself.

What I want to know is, can I solder the speakon connection onto the audio cable that I have put in the firse link?

Thanks,

Matt.

 

1) 40m Cable

2) Speakon Connection

[smalljoshua]

You're planning on using 0.4mm cable for speakers. The usual is to use somewhere between 2.5mm and 4mm as the amount of power being sent down the cables is high and the resistance in the cable compared to that of the speaker will mean the cables dissipate a lot of the power from your amplifier.

 

Can't you just put your amplifier at the stage end, use 2x 40m XLR Cables and just short Speakon Cables? That will be cheaper and there will be less energy wasted in the cable runs.

 

Josh

[IRW]

Or, assuming the existing cable's cross sectional area is adequate, just change the jack connectors to speakon connectors?

[david.elsbury]

Most Speakon connectors are not solder types, they have screw terminals. They use allen key screws, or you can use a flat screwdriver. I'd recommend not soldering the wire and then putting it into the terminal, you will end up with an unreliable joint (solder 'flows' over time and loosens). They are designed for much bigger cable than you have linked to.

 

Hope this helps

David

[Matthew80]

You're planning on using 0.4mm cable for speakers. The usual is to use somewhere between 2.5mm and 4mm as the amount of power being sent down the cables is high and the resistance in the cable compared to that of the speaker will mean the cables dissipate a lot of the power from your amplifier.

 

Can't you just put your amplifier at the stage end, use 2x 40m XLR Cables and just short Speakon Cables? That will be cheaper and there will be less energy wasted in the cable runs.

 

Josh

 

The problem with that is that the amplifier and mixer are both on the same trolley rack. My Drama Teacher has never let me take them apart because she is worried that the equipment might get broken.

I wish she would let me do that as it would be easier for me to set up as well.

I will see if I can persuade her to let me.

Thanks,

Matt.

 

Most Speakon connectors are not solder types, they have screw terminals. They use allen key screws, or you can use a flat screwdriver. I'd recommend not soldering the wire and then putting it into the terminal, you will end up with an unreliable joint (solder 'flows' over time and loosens). They are designed for much bigger cable than you have linked to.

 

Hope this helps

David

 

Oh right, thanks.

I will try to persuade my drama teacher to let me do what Josh said.

Thanks David,

Matt.

 

Or, assuming the existing cable's cross sectional area is adequate, just change the jack connectors to speakon connectors?

 

The old jack cables are only about 5 meters long and the sound and lights had to be controlled separately.

If I can persuade my Drama teacher to buy some new cable, I can do sound and lights from the back of the hall on my own.

[TonyMitchell]

Hi,

I am in charge of the backstage crew and equipment at my school.

 

The problem with that is that the amplifier and mixer are both on the same trolley rack. My Drama Teacher has never let me take them apart because she is worried that the equipment might get broken.

I wish she would let me do that as it would be easier for me to set up as well.

I will see if I can persuade her to let me.

Too much wine perhaps, so perhaps I'm easily confused tonight. Your profile states you are employed as a "School Drama Technical Manager". What exactly does your remit extend to? (as relocating kit peculiarly appears to be above your pay grade).

 

We have recently upgraded our old speakers to new ones, but these new ones use a Speakon connection instead of a jack.

 

The old jack cables are only about 5 meters long and the sound and lights had to be controlled separately.

Leaving aside your desire to operate the upcoming show from the back of the room, how are the new speakers currently connected at the moment?

 

I'd also be inclined to tackle this by getting the signal to the amplifier/s rather than relocating the amp rack and running long speaker cables. Other things to consider - will a mono signal suffice? (potentially less cable to run), does the building have structured cabling that you could patch into at the mix position and out of close® to the amp rack?

 

If you were nearer, I'd lend you a couple of 50m XLR signal cables, maybe a more local BR member may be able to help.

[Electrolytic]

you need that amp side of stage

 

run line level XLR back to stage, not power level. its the same with lx desk and dimmers.

 

speak to your caretaker blokes see if they can make you an amp box to put at the side of stage out of old bits of wood, give them a detailed idea of what you want and some examples. spray black.

[paulears]

If you have enough power, and no real need for mega power, then CPC do 1.5mm 20m long speakons for £14 each, which will work fine (wasting a bit of your power) and will solve the problem with no effort. Your school almost certainly has an account with them too. The difference using more expensive and thicker 2.5mm cable will be just a small prod on the volume control.

[djw1981]

The old jack cables are only about 5 meters long and the sound and lights had to be controlled separately.

If I can persuade my Drama teacher to buy some new cable, I can do sound and lights from the back of the hall on my own.

And you could then train up other, younger, students to do one aspect or the other such that when you move on, there are others who know hoe to work it. After all transfer of knowledge is one function of a school.

[ross1c]

Hi Matt

 

Yes you can make up your own cables - Use VDC Speaker cable or similar and Neutrik connectors so you get the best. You could even use all 4 cores of the NL4 and split them at the other end to save money on cable.

 

Hope that helps

 

Ross

[cedd]

Got to be honest, all of my speaker cable is just plain old domestic 2 core flex. All my newer stuff is H07 rubberised flex, but in the old days I was happily using cheapo 1.5 or 2.5mm flex from CPC.

 

 

 

 

4 core cable is good in terms of neatness and saving on work running it in, but it requires the speakers to be wired correctly so the second channel is moved on the 1st pair of pins upon leaving the first cabinet. That or you need to start making up adapter boxes. This is just what I do - I have a set of the Canford hexagonal boxes with 4 core in and 2 x 2 cores out (actually on 4 pole speakons, but one output is channel 1, the other channel 2). In a school though these boxes will get lost and it's far simpler to be able to say "this is the cable for the left speaker", "this is the cable for the right speaker". If you're buying a drum then it may as well be 100m in which case you'll get 2 out of it easily, with plenty of spare for other jobs.

 

 

 

 

CPC have a 100m drum of 1.5mm 2 core flex for £60. Or they have a 50m drum of 2.5mm (don't appear to do 1.5mm) 4 core flex for £51.58. You'd probably only need one drum if you were sending both channels up it, but remember then there's the added expense of adapter boxes, plus a cable to cross the stage from the first speaker to the second one. I reckon once you consider that, 2 x 2 core cables works out cheaper and is a simpler system for students (and teachers) to get their heads round. The 4 core option of course has the benefit that it's thicker wire.

 

 

 

 

I work in a couple of receiving houses where the installed PA is very high in the roof and must be at least 50m from the amp room. I doubt very strongly if the cabling up to the speakers is any more than 1mm flex. I've never really let it bother me.