Members Robsco Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 Is there any reason I should not run tops and subs through the same cable. I would like to make two 30' lengths of 12/4 sj or so cable with nl4 on one end and two nl2 on other end. This is just to simplify setup and clean up stage. Just checking to make sure it's not a bad idea for some reason i'm unaware of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whataracket Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 It's done all the time. I don't know of any issues as long as the wire is of sufficient gage. I bought a spool of wire and set up my system that way (except I used the through connectors to split rather than having a wire split). However, I quit using the 4 wire system because the wires were bulky and heavy to coil and pack around. I decided I liked using separate 12 gage runs better for mobile work, so I went back to my old wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 If your cabinets have NL4's with passthroughs and are correctly configured with subs on 1 and tops on 2 (most standard) then all you need is a 4 wire NL4 jumper between the tops and subs. That's the pro solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Robsco Posted December 7, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 This does sound like a better solution as I was not sure how to split into two connectors. Would 14 gauge be too small? I'm now concerned about weight and bulk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Miko Man Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 Assuming that your subs and tops have NL4 connectors, using a four conductor cable can make it easier to correctly wire things at a show. With a four wire cable (and correctly wired connectors) you have less chance of sending your low frequency signal to your tops and suffering the painful consequences of that mistake. (Yikes!) Note that there does not appear to be universal agreement as how an NL4 connector should be wired, and you might need to make changes at the speaker connector. I think that this is a "verify with your own eyes" kind of deal.... Mark C. Edit: As usual, AgedHorse said it more concisely, while I was typing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whataracket Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 Originally Posted by Robsco This does sound like a better solution as I was not sure how to split into two connectors. Would 14 gauge be too small? I'm now concerned about weight and bulk 30 foot 4x12 cables won't be too bad. The wire is about the same size as a 10 gage grounded power cord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sibyrnes Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 Originally Posted by Robsco This does sound like a better solution as I was not sure how to split into two connectors. Would 14 gauge be too small? I'm now concerned about weight and bulk 14 Gauge would be fine as long as you don't have real long lengths. I would keep it under 30 feet. Here's a real simplified chart suggesting cable gauges and lengths.http://faq.yamaha.com/us/en/article/..._300/2521/7034 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Robsco Posted December 7, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 Originally Posted by sibyrnes 14 Gauge would be fine as long as you don't have real long lengths. I would keep it under 30 feet. Here's a real simplified chart suggesting cable gauges and lengths.http://faq.yamaha.com/us/en/article/..._300/2521/7034 Thanks for the link. Seems odd that wattage is not considered, also I assume you use the ohm rating of cabinet being supplied by cable and not the ohm load of amplifier its hooked to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Miko Man Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 The Yamaha table is provided with respect to the StagePas 300, according to the link's root. Whether or not it can be applied more generally isn't clear. As a rule, I'd rather err on the side of overkill. YMMV. Mark C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members W. M. Hellinger Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 Originally Posted by Robsco Thanks for the link. Seems odd that wattage is not considered, also I assume you use the ohm rating of cabinet being supplied by cable and not the ohm load of amplifier its hooked to There's quite a few factors to consider if "everything" is to be considered. I suspect Yamaha devised that chart for simplicity sake. i.e.: A "quick answer" to a "quick question". The complete answer is longer.One basic premise is that erring on the side of overkill when it comes to speaker cable gauge is generally a... well... "safer" recommendation. The down-sides to overkill speaker cables is the additional cost, the additional weight to handle and transport, and the increased strain on the connectors when the weight of the cable is bore by the connectors. The down-sides to erring on the side of under sized speaker cable is line loss, due to the higher resistance inherent in small gauge cable, and the potential of exceeding the physical power handling capacity of the cable.How big of a bucket is needed to haul water? A simple answer is that if you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 For an 8 ohm cabinet pair, 14 gauge would be plenty fine at 50' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members W. M. Hellinger Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 Originally Posted by whataracket It's done all the time. Not only with bi-amp cabinets, but I also wire my passive wedge monitors so that half of the monitors are wired on pins #1, and half are wired on pins #2. I do this so I can put two channels of monitors on one NL4 cable and then chain monitors... resulting in less footage of cable strung about the stage to do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fdew Posted December 7, 2012 Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 Here is a calculator put together by Ray Rayburn.http://www.soundfirst.com/LZ_DF_calculator.zip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Robsco Posted December 7, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 7, 2012 Thanks for the help, picked up 70' of 14/4 today. BTW copper has gotten outrageous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members W. M. Hellinger Posted December 8, 2012 Members Share Posted December 8, 2012 Originally Posted by Robsco BTW copper has gotten outrageous! I take it you haven't bought any copper since the housing bubble burst (approx. mid 2009)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted December 8, 2012 Members Share Posted December 8, 2012 Originally Posted by W. M. Hellinger I take it you haven't bought any copper since the housing bubble burst (approx. mid 2009)? Clearly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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