Sumbabba Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Hi! Anyone know where in London I can buy a coaxial speaker cable for my lovely new Warwick Hellborg rig? I've got a gig on Friday and I really want to give it it's first run out. I've tried ringing up bass shops (Bass Cellar, Bass Gallery etc...) and looking online but to no avail Cheers, Sumbabba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 When you say coaxial... aren't they just Speakon connectors? They look like it to me. I'd be surprised if neither the Bass Cellar nor the Bass Gallery had Speakon-Speakon cables! Or have I missed something about the Hellborg rig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Oh, and if it is just Speakon-Speakon you need, obbm's your man. He's a member on here, and [url="http://bassic-bits.co.uk/"]this is his website[/url]. Superb cables, made and delivered like lightning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumbabba Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 Yes it's Speakon-Speakon sorry I'm completely ignorant when it comes to this kind of thing. Thanks for the recommendation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk8 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 OBBM - top notch cables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='Sumbabba' post='717617' date='Jan 19 2010, 11:22 AM']Yes it's Speakon-Speakon sorry I'm completely ignorant when it comes to this kind of thing. Thanks for the recommendation! [/quote] No problem. Just make sure you know how they're wired. Chances are it's +1/-1 to +1/-1, but some amps do strange things... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumbabba Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 For the record Bass Cellar don't do Speakon-Speakon cables either. I really hate that place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumbabba Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='717657' date='Jan 19 2010, 11:43 AM']No problem. Just make sure you know how they're wired. Chances are it's +1/-1 to +1/-1, but some amps do strange things...[/quote] How do I find that out? Why are these things never simple? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='Sumbabba' post='717682' date='Jan 19 2010, 11:55 AM']How do I find that out? Why are these things never simple? [/quote] Instruction manual for the power amp and/or cab(s). If it's not mentioned, it'll just be a straightforward 2-pole Speakon-Speakon cable wired +1/-1 to +1/-1. The Speakon sockets might be labelled "2P" or "2-pole" or something. If they are, it'll be standard. (If they're 4-pole or more, start thinking. ) The fact you're mentioning "coaxial" cables (presumably that's what it says in the manual) suggests to me it's just that. You usually only get different wirings when you're using a stereo power amp in bridged mode (although I'm pretty sure someone like Ashdown did a special head/cab combination that used a 4-pole Speakon-Speakon to deliver a tri-amped signal into the different drivers in the cab). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumbabba Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 Yeah it says coaxial in the manual and doesn't mention anything else. There's no label on the socket so I'll presume it's 2-pole and cross my fingers Thanks a lot for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='Sumbabba' post='717732' date='Jan 19 2010, 12:37 PM']Yeah it says coaxial in the manual and doesn't mention anything else. There's no label on the socket so I'll presume it's 2-pole and cross my fingers Thanks a lot for your help![/quote] No problem. It's not often I get to help anyone on here. The knowledgeable types must be off talking politics or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='Sumbabba' post='717586' date='Jan 19 2010, 05:58 AM']Hi! Anyone know where in London I can buy a coaxial speaker cable for my lovely new Warwick Hellborg rig?[/quote] Speaker cables aren't coaxial, instrument cables are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='717752' date='Jan 19 2010, 12:50 PM']No problem. It's not often I get to help anyone on here. The knowledgeable types must be off talking politics or something...[/quote] [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='717806' date='Jan 19 2010, 01:28 PM']Speaker cables aren't coaxial, instrument cables are.[/quote] And Bill proves my point! Of course you're right, Bill. Speaker cables definitely aren't coaxial. I've just found the [url="http://www.warwick.de/media/manuals/Hellborg/JH-MANUAL.pdf"]Hellborg system's manual[/url], and it describes the Speakon [b]sockets[/b] as coaxial. Surely Speakons aren't coaxial anyway? The connectors don't share the same axis like they do on a BNC or something like that. :wacko: I don't really understand why Warwick didn't use the word "Speakon" in their manual. Would they have to pay Neutrik for the privilege of doing so? Or is it just bad translation from German? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 (edited) [quote name='BottomEndian' post='717821' date='Jan 19 2010, 01:42 PM']I don't really understand why Warwick didn't use the word "Speakon" in their manual. Would they have to pay Neutrik for the privilege of doing so? Or is it just bad translation from German?[/quote] To the uninitiated a Speakon socket's appearance would suggest that it is co-axial. I had a look at the cab schematics and they are all normal Speakon 1+/1-. Edited January 19, 2010 by obbm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='obbm' post='717845' date='Jan 19 2010, 01:59 PM']To the uninitiated a Speakon socket's appearance would suggest that it is co-axial.[/quote] I would [i]sincerely[/i] hope that the person writing the Hellborg manual isn't uninitiated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingdownslow Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Could this speaker cable be referred to as being coaxial? [url="http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/33-250_CANFORD-HPS-CABLE"]http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/33-250_CANFORD-HPS-CABLE[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='goingdownslow' post='717917' date='Jan 19 2010, 02:59 PM']Could this speaker cable be referred to as being coaxial? [url="http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/33-250_CANFORD-HPS-CABLE"]http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/33-250_CANFORD-HPS-CABLE[/url][/quote] Yes, it is but it's unusual for a Speaker Cable to be coax - I guess the insulators are designed to take the higher current? The strands themselves look certainly much heavier than instrument cable. Also confusing that they say that the cable has been designed to fit all XLR connectors. I realise some *old* amps used XLR as a method of connection - but standards would suggest that XLR is reserved for balanced mic or live level signals. Being as this cable certainly isnt 'balanced' capable, nor is it adequately shielded - I really cant see it being helpful if it is plugged in to a mic channel of a PA! Anyone who has used a speaker cable for an instrument lead will know what I mean - especially guitarists of the high gain variety! So confusing people using the 'wrong' connectors with the wrong cable is - well daft in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='goingdownslow' post='717917' date='Jan 19 2010, 09:59 AM']Could this speaker cable be referred to as being coaxial? [url="http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/33-250_CANFORD-HPS-CABLE"]http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/33-250_CANFORD-HPS-CABLE[/url][/quote]It is speaker cable, but IMO not a good choice. Signal loss in speaker cable is through capacitance, and the capacitance of a coax cable is much higher than side by side conductors. The reason for using coax cable is that the shield minimizes noise pickup in instrument cables, speaker cables are immune to this sort of noise pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumbabba Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 Man I wish I'd paid more attention in physics lessons. I've got the feeling I'll have to re-read this thread at least four more times before the information starts seeping into my brain. Anyone else think that "Speakon" is a weird name for a socket? It was strange saying "I'd like a Speakon to Speakon cable please" in the shop earlier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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