Members Phil051300 Posted February 6, 2007 Members Share Posted February 6, 2007 I have a decent pair of Klipsch home speakers i want to use at home with a powered mixer, to run my behringer V-Amp through. Not for gigging, just for messing around at home. The Klipsch just has two of the bare wire thumbscrew thingies to connet to the speaker, how do i adapt the Neutric Speakon connector from the amp to my speaker? Anybody have any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 6, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 If you've got a Speakon-to-Speakon cable, just remove one connector and use the bare terminals on the speakers. Speakons are easy to remove and reinstall if needed later. Be very, very careful using home stereo speakers with pro audio amps...stereo speakers are rarely rated other than "peak" power, so they handle about 1/4th what the box says. If this is for guitar using effects, be especially careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phil051300 Posted February 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2007 If you've got a Speakon-to-Speakon cable, just remove one connector and use the bare terminals on the speakers. Speakons are easy to remove and reinstall if needed later.Be very, very careful using home stereo speakers with pro audio amps...stereo speakers are rarely rated other than "peak" power, so they handle about 1/4th what the box says. If this is for guitar using effects, be especially careful. Thank you for your help, from the bottom of my noob heart. I will keep the volume down, i am in a small apartment, im just sick of headphones. One question, isnt there 4 wires inside those things? do i need to worry about what goes where? or will it be self explanitory when i take one end off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 6, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Thank you for your help, from the bottom of my noob heart. I will keep the volume down, i am in a small apartment, im just sick of headphones.One question, isnt there 4 wires inside those things? do i need to worry about what goes where? or will it be self explanitory when i take one end off. There could be 4 wires if that's the cable you bought, but it's very likely that even though you might have NL-4 ends, the cable is 2-conductor and only uses one pair (probably 1+-). For 95% of amps, the 1+ will be the "hot", which would correspond with the red terminal on the speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phil051300 Posted February 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2007 There could be 4 wires if that's the cable you bought, but it's very likely that even though you might have NL-4 ends, the cable is 2-conductor and only uses one pair (probably 1+-). For 95% of amps, the 1+ will be the "hot", which would correspond with the red terminal on the speaker. I haven't bought the cables yet, so im good. I'll make sure to get 2 wire ones. Thank you much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boomerweps Posted February 7, 2007 Members Share Posted February 7, 2007 I haven't bought the cables yet, so im good. I'll make sure to get 2 wire ones.Thank you much! Good. DON'T buy any ready made cables. retailers tend to charge an extra premium for speakon equipped cable, far more than they should. Plus you'd be paying for a connector on the speaker end that you wouldn't be using. An NL4 costs about $5. Buy a couple NL4s (assuming a stereo amp) and the cable you desire (round jacketed, TWO wire, whatever length, 12 or 14ga is good). The Speakons have SCREW terminals in them, Piece of cake to assemble. +1 speakon terminal gets the wire color for speaker positive, -1 speakon terminal gets the speaker negative. Bare the wires on the other end of the cable and fit them on your speakers. Boomerweps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 7, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 I just priced a 150' roll of 14/2 at Home Depot today. $46. The per-foot cut charge for short lengths will be higher, but as you can see, it will be very competitive vs buying ready-made at Sam Ash or Guitar Center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boseengineer Posted February 7, 2007 Members Share Posted February 7, 2007 I'm usually not a big fan for DYI for the-not-so-experienced, but this is an easy one. Removing a Speakon connectors is only a little less work than putting one on a bare cable. You'll need one of thesehttp://www.audiopile.net/products/Adaptors_Connectors/Neutrik/NL2_Speakon/NL2FC_cutsheet.aspand a junk of speaker wire and you are in business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gearmike Posted February 8, 2007 Members Share Posted February 8, 2007 Hey, if you really want to save money, get an NL2 connector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boseengineer Posted February 9, 2007 Members Share Posted February 9, 2007 The main advantage of an NL2 is not price, but that it's a lot easier to identify the pins. The speakon have the pin markings (1+,1-,2+,2-) molded into the plastic and it's nearly impossible to see it unless you are in really good lighting conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members W. M. Hellinger Posted February 9, 2007 Members Share Posted February 9, 2007 FWIW/IMO: An NL2FC is more difficult to reliably mount on a cable than an NL4FC or NL4FX. I prefer the NL4FC for ease of assembly. The problem with the NL2FC is the difficulty of inserting and confirming that the conductors are well inserted into the termination sockets without errant filaments. It does help considerably to pry the compression sleeve out of the NL2FC end and slide the compression sleeve up the cable before attempting to insert the conductors into the termination sockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 10, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 I'll vouch for the difficulty in seeing those damned pin markings. I'd gladly pay a buck more per-each to have something easily seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JamminJoe Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 I just bought some EV SX300 speakers with NL4 connectors. My speakers cables all have 1/4" connectors. I was going to buy NL4 connectors and replace the 1/4" connector at the speaker end. Can anyone tell me which leads in the speaker cable (core and the shield) go to which pins (1+-)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Audiopyle Sound Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 If you have a core and a shield its the wrong kind of cable. You need a cable with two insulated wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JamminJoe Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 Wow - thanks for the quick reply. You're right. I just checked now. There are 2 insulated wires - the white one is connected to the tip of the 1/4" and the black is connected to the sleeve. How should I connect these to the 1+- of the NL4? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boomerweps Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 Wow - thanks for the quick reply. You're right. I just checked now. There are 2 insulated wires - the white one is connected to the tip of the 1/4" and the black is connected to the sleeve. How should I connect these to the 1+- of the NL4? Tip is + and Speakon +1 terminal. Sleeve (or shaft) is - and 1- on the speakon. Neutrik makes an NA4LJ (now NA4LJX) adapter that has a 1/4" TS jack in the cable side of an NL4FC (NL4FX). Usually about $8 each and handy to have if you have a mix of cables and older amps/speakers with 1/4" speaker connections. Try www.partsexpress.com or www.markertek.com Boomerweps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kevinnem Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 If you have a core and a shield its the wrong kind of cable. You need a cable with two insulated wires. you mean double jacketed right sorry that was kinda out of line... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DJ Swydez Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 you mean double jacketed right sorry that was kinda out of line... Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JamminJoe Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 boomerweps - thanks for the tip about the adapter. That's exactly what I need. The only adapter I had seen before was a 3 foot cable adapter with both NL4 and 1/4" socket connectors - too pricey at $17 each. These adapters at $7 each are perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 you mean double jacketed right sorry that was kinda out of line... Damn, I was told by "good authority" that it was a TRIPLE jacketed cable... one jacket for each conductor and and an overall jacket. Sheeh, what's the world coming to these days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boseengineer Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 http://www.audiopile.net/products/Adaptors_Connectors/Adaptors/Neutrik_speakon_adaptors/NA4LJ%20adaptor/NA4LJ_speakon_adaptor_cutsheet.asp That's probably the simplest solution. Turns a speakon jackon into 1/4 jack. On the downside, you have to use 1/4 speaker cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boomerweps Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 http://www.audiopile.net/products/Adaptors_Connectors/Adaptors/Neutrik_speakon_adaptors/NA4LJ%20adaptor/NA4LJ_speakon_adaptor_cutsheet.asp That's probably the simplest solution. Turns a speakon jackon into 1/4 jack. On the downside, you have to use 1/4 speaker cables. Gee, an NL4AJ. Just like I mentioned before. Nice link to a picture, though. www.neutrik.com will show all the REAL speakon connectors available. The HOSA solutions are all very expensive for what they do, I avoid them when possible except for 4 into 8 insert snakes. And I already replaced one with an EWI one built far better. Boomerweps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 10, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 Damn, I was told by "good authority" that it was a TRIPLE jacketed cable... one jacket for each conductor and and an overall jacket. Sheeh, what's the world coming to these days? Let me guess...the ''good authority" was Tony Bennett? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 10, 2007 Members Share Posted February 10, 2007 Let me guess...the ''good authority" was Tony Bennett? Yup;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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