Speakon cables wrong way around or not?

[chrisanthony1211]

Do speakon cables have a right and wring way around? It may be a strange question but I connected my new amp to its speaker with its supplied speakon cable and was rather worried when there was no sound at all, after a bit of a panic and change of guitar lead I just swapped around the speakon cable so that what had been plugged into the amp was now plugged into the speaker, and visa versa and it all worked fine. I wondered whether I had just not clicked it in properly so swapped it around again, and no sound, I swapped several times and the result was just the same, so my question is whether this is normal, or is the cable faulty? Or a problem with the amp / speaker?

Edited October 24, 2014 by chrisanthony1211

[Thunderpaws]

The little lemmings inside your cables will carry your notes either way.

Sounds like a fault to me. Go through the normal checks.

Is it all on? Are knobs up? Swap the cable for another. Try the head with another cab. Try the cab with another head.

[zero9]

Both ends of a speakon cable are identical. Try another speakon cable.

[Thunderpaws]

The little lemmings inside your cables will carry your notes either way.

Sounds like a fault to me. Go through the normal checks.

Is it all on? Are knobs up? Swap the cable for another. Try the head with another cab. Try the cab with another head.

[Dad3353]

Speakons have the capability of being wired as either 2 or 4 conductors. It sounds like your cable is wired with only 2, and either the amp or the cab is wired to the other pair. One of the connectors is wired to couple the 2 pairs somewhere. Complicated, but that would explain it, I think. What to do..? Check that the cable couples the pairs at both ends ('twill work, but won't be 'normal'...)..? Check the wiring of all speakons..?

[chrisanthony1211]

Mmmm......I've ordered some more speakon cables so I test next week, hopefully it's a cable problem and not a speaker on amp wiring issue!

[chrisanthony1211]

New cable and all works well whichever way round I have it, thanks

[icastle]

Now you have a working one, compare the wiring with the original one - they're only screw terminals and you might end up with a working spare.

[Count Bassy]

Some power amps use a single Speakon for both normal and bridged mode (standard using 1+ to 1-, and bridged using 1+ to 2- (or another variation) If you got hold of a lead wired for that configuration it could explain it - if 1+/2+ and 1-/2/ are wired in parallel at either the amp or the speaker (but not both).
Let us know what you find.

[JPJ]

Yep, speakon's come in two flavours: 2 gang and 4 gang. 'Standard' speakon cables are 2 gang wired +1/+1 -1/-1 but there are variants for bridging power amps and the like. Worth checking that both ends of the speakon lead are wired the same way. Oh and if its a GK amp and a GK cable, its probably a four gang wired differently for their bi-amping setup.

Edited October 25, 2014 by JPJ

[chrisanthony1211]

How curious, took these all apart expecting to see a rather obvious wiring issue, however they appear to be wired up the same, red to 1+ and black to 1- all round :-/

[deepbass5]

Sounds right but do be aware of those + - on speakons and stay away from 4 pole speakons unless they are on a PA or amps as detailed above - or your cones will be sucking instead of pushing