Speaker Cable

What do you run from your line out plug on your head to the amp cabinet itself? Is it an ordinary instrument cable or do you need a dedicated chord for this duty? Just curious as I don't have a seperate amp and cabinet yet and may need this info one day...

You have to use speaker wire to connect the main out of the amp to a speaker cabnet. Using an instrument cable can damage your head.

The line out is different than the main out and usually requires an instrument (sheilded) cable of some sort.

On my main amp, I have 3' Monster speaker cable, but I've found that you can get good/cheap speaker cables of all sizes from Carvin. I use those gray Carvin speaker cables for studio monitors, PA system, and general purpose.

Thanks for the responses guys. I've always wondered about that. Why did they make the cables look the same? That's always bugged me quite a bit. Should have made one of the ends female or different at least...


Originally Posted by Gr8ScottThanks for the responses guys. I've always wondered about that. Why did they make the cables look the same? That's always bugged me quite a bit. Should have made one of the ends female or different at least...

This not always the case. I use an old Ernie Ball (?) speaker cable with Switchcraft plugs and unplated brass conductor tips. The actual wire is 18 gauge quot;lamp cordquot;. It looks very different from a regular shielded cord...and is less than 6 feet long.

3' Monster Cable.


Originally Posted by Gearjoneser3' Monster speaker cable
.

Ditto

I get 6' Horizon cables at Music Go Round. IIRC, they're outrageously priced at ~$8

I've made them out of 16 gauge lamp cord... The speaker cable I use with my guitar rig is an old 14 gauge cable with the huge Switchcraft ends- the other one is 16 gauge lamp cord. The cable for my bass rigs are just some old 18 gauge speaker cables that I replaced one of the 1/4quot; ends with banana jacks- as well as some 18 gauge cables with Switchcraft ends- then the 16 or so gauge Speakon cable with Neutrik ends.

I've heard you don't want to use anything less than 18 gauge- I haven't and I've never had a problem. I've also heard you don't want to use anything bigger than 12. You do NOT want to use a shielded instrument cable.

I had no idea there were different cables for this job! (you are taling about the lead going from a head into a speaker cab yeh?) Dont worry, I don't own a stack, so I haven't been ruining anything!

What are the visible differences between the two? What damage does it cause? Is there an audible difference?

Instrument cables are shielded, where as speaker cable is not. I believe consistent use of an instrument cable as a speaker cable will fry your output transformer. Don't know the audible difference, cause you shouldn't be using instrument cable anyway.


Originally Posted by ShredFetusWhat are the visible differences between the two? What damage does it cause? Is there an audible difference?

The visual difference is on the lead. Unscrew the cover from the jack, you'll see the hot lead is the short end and the ground is the long end. Where the ground goes into the insulation, it should be going into a tube of insulation then into the outer insulation. An instrument cable will have the ground turning into a braid that wraps around the inner conductor.

Boy am I glad I decided to ask this question. Might have just saved quite a few output trannies in the process of clearing up my ignorance.

Most companies use cable that specifies 'speaker', if you look at the sides of the cable. Regular guitar cords are usually plain with no lettering.

THE REASON YOU NEED A REAL SPEAKER CABLE......

The current carrying capacity of any shielded cord is limited by the thin center conductor! It matters not whether a shielded cord is a six-lane-wide highway bundle of gold wire. If the center conductor is a few eyelashes in diameter...all that other material matters NOT!

Yikes, that is some big type! Will constrain in the future!

Voodooamps 50/50 speaker cable is the winner in my crews speaker cable tests. We are over the top in the lengths we go for tone and are pretty picky. For what its worth.