James901 Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 (edited) Hi Is it possible to run a GK 4 pin Speakon Cable between a GK Neo Cabinet and a non GK amplifier? The manual for the new amp, an Orange Terror 500, states that a 2 pin Speakon is required where as the Neo cab states that a 4 pin GK Speakon should be used. Help! Thanks : ) Edited November 13, 2014 by jimi_1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rk7 Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I suspect that a 4 pin Speakon plug won't go into a 2 pin socket, but a 2 pin plug fits a 4 pin socket. Or something like that...... RK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 [quote name='rk7' timestamp='1415871475' post='2604606'] I suspect that a 4 pin Speakon plug won't go into a 2 pin socket, but a 2 pin plug fits a 4 pin socket. Or something like that...... RK [/quote] That's correct. 2-pole Speakon plugs are compatible with 4-pole Speakon sockets. 4-pole Speakon plugs are NOT compatible with 2-pole Speakon sockets. Your options are: Change one end of your 4-pole Speakon cable to 2-pole - a straightforward task. Buy a new 2-pole Speakon to 2-pole Speakon cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James901 Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 (edited) Thanks for the advice. Just curious, If the output of the Orange amp only utilises 2 poles, would the other 2 poles of the Speakon not just be ignored? Edited November 13, 2014 by jimi_1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 4-pole Speakons were designed mainly for bi-amp PA cabs. Bass amps produce, in the main, full bandwidth signals and only need 2 terminals. For many years there were only 4-pole panel mounting sockets so these were all that manufacturers could use, but they only ever used 2 of the terminals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James901 Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 (edited) What would be the hazards, if any, of running a 4 pole Speakon between a 2 pole amp socket and a 4 pole cab socket? Could it damage the amp? Edited November 16, 2014 by jimi_1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 (edited) [quote name='jimi_1985' timestamp='1415878275' post='2604716'] Ah, cool. What would be the potential hazards of running a 4 pole Speakon between a 2 pole amp socket and a 4 pole cab socket? Could it damage the amp? [/quote] What do you mean by running a 4-pole Speakon? 4-pole Speakon plugs will not fit the amp. You need to change the plug at the amp end to a 2-pole. Also cable iteslf only needs to have 2 conductors. Edited November 13, 2014 by obbm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James901 Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 (edited) I'm with you now. Thanks for the advice! Edited November 13, 2014 by jimi_1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 It's not unusual to see NL4 connectors used in places where only a two pole connection is needed so you may find it will fit. As I recall, the use of NL4 with the GK amps and cabs is because some of the GK heads have a seperate small power amp just to drive the tweeters in the matching cabs. When a 2 pole cable is used, you may find no signal is sent to the tweeter of your GK cab, unless there's a switch on the back to bring in an internal crossover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Worth noting that a two pole cable end plug will fit and connect into a 4 pole chassis socket, but not the other way round, using 4 pole chassis sockets means a bit more flexibility on what you can plug in. An lot of speker cables have 4 pole connectors, but only use two core cable, and only the first pair of connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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