Tube amp Cable?

[ecktronic]

Ive been using a normal guitar cable from my guitar tube amp into my speaker cab. I was recently told that this would be damaging my amp since a normal guitar cable is either not shielded or shielded (cant remember which one the guy said). I was told to get a proper jack to jack speaker cable.

Does this sound like good advice?
Anyone have any more knowledge of this?

Thanks all,
Eck

 

[ggunn]

Ive been using a normal guitar cable from my guitar tube amp into my speaker cab. I was recently told that this would be damaging my amp since a normal guitar cable is either not shielded or shielded (cant remember which one the guy said). I was told to get a proper jack to jack speaker cable.

Does this sound like good advice?
Anyone have any more knowledge of this?

Thanks all,
Eck

It's very good advice. It's not the shielding or lack of it; guitar cables (which are shielded, BTW) are designed to handle very low voltages and current (amperage), whereas the voltages and current in a speaker circuit are much higher. If you use a guitar cable (especially a cheap one with molded plastic connectors) to carry a speaker load, it may break down and short out or open circuit the power section of your amplifier with potentially disastrous consequences. Get a speaker cable.

 

[ausrock]

Another option is to make your speaker cable out of standard 2 core (figure 8) electrical cable, this way you can't confuse them with your guitar leads.

 

[ecktronic]

It's very good advice. It's not the shielding or lack of it; guitar cables (which are shielded, BTW) are designed to handle very low voltages and current (amperage), whereas the voltages and current in a speaker circuit are much higher. If you use a guitar cable (especially a cheap one with molded plastic connectors) to carry a speaker load, it may break down and short out or open circuit the power section of your amplifier with potentially disastrous consequences. Get a speaker cable.

Thanks for the advice man.
I was thinking that the only thing it could damage would be my speaker cab since the sound is going from amp to speakers.

Cheers,
Eck

 

[ggunn]

Thanks for the advice man.
I was thinking that the only thing it could damage would be my speaker cab since the sound is going from amp to speakers.

Cheers,
Eck

It won't hurt the speakers. I was called in once to troubleshoot a PA system in a theater. The sound op said he thought one of the speakers was blown, but when I checked it out, they had run a cheap molded ended shielded cable from the amp to that speaker. The connector at the speaker end was a melted blob and that channel of the power amp was dead. The speaker was fine, though.

 

[daav]

A side question on this, i use 18 gauge wire for my amp to speaker cables, and solder connectors on myself. The only 1/4 inch connectors (plugs and jacks) I have been able to find locally are the same that would be normally used for a guitar cable, is it necessary to get some heavy duty connectors for this as well?

 

[ggunn]

A side question on this, i use 18 gauge wire for my amp to speaker cables, and solder connectors on myself. The only 1/4 inch connectors (plugs and jacks) I have been able to find locally are the same that would be normally used for a guitar cable, is it necessary to get some heavy duty connectors for this as well?

No. As long as you have fairly good solder technique and insulate the tip lug from the shell, you'll be fine.

 

[Dani Pace]

I've been making speaker cables using 16 guage lamp cord for years and never had a problem yet. Lamp cord even works fine for longer cables (PA speaker cables for example.) Another advantage is that it comes in a variety of colors so its easy to identify which cable goes to which speaker.

 

[lpdeluxe]

Elderly used to sell 10 ga speaker cables. I have two of them in 6' lengths. The larger the gauge (which is to say,the smaller the number) the better. But 14 ga. is good to about 50'. I use 14 ga zip cord (ordinary two-conductor electrical cord) in my studio, but I prefer to buy commercial speaker cable for gigs, since it has a round jacket and is easier to take around corners.

 

[ecktronic]

Thanks all.
Yous have really helped me out.
Im off to buy a speaker cable now.

Eck

 

[Roguetitan]

Ive been using a normal guitar cable from my guitar tube amp into my speaker cab. I was recently told that this would be damaging my amp since a normal guitar cable is either not shielded or shielded (cant remember which one the guy said). I was told to get a proper jack to jack speaker cable.

Does this sound like good advice?
Anyone have any more knowledge of this?

Thanks all,
Eck

it is not a good idea to use guitar cables for speaker cables
guitar cables carrys a very low voltage signal where amp signal to speaker carrys more of a load.
I would recomend that you use at least 12 AWG velocity cable for AMP to speaker.
you will also get better signal if you make the shortest possible connection...
IOW, if you are setting your Head on the cab don't use a 10 foot cable to make the connection use one long enough to make the connection.

 

[ggunn]

you will also get better signal if you make the shortest possible connection...
IOW, if you are setting your Head on the cab don't use a 10 foot cable to make the connection use one long enough to make the connection.

I wouldn't worry too much about that. The resistance of even a fairly long piece of 14 gauge wire is orders of magnitude less than that of the speakers. I wouldn't use a 50 foot speaker cable to connect a head to a cab, but you'll never hear the diff between a 5 foot and a 10 foot cable.

 

[Zaphod B]

I think it was Ethan Winer (over in one of the recording forums) that put it something like this:

The most important thing about a guitar or instrument cable is that it be shielded, since the signal levels are low and any interference can have an adverse effect on the signal.

The most important thing about speaker cable is that it be low impedance at audio frequencies (this becomes really problematic with for long runs of wire) and of sufficient gauge to handle whatever power is being run through it. Shielding is not so important since the signal level is so high. From Ethan's web site: "Heavy gauge zip cord is ideal for runs of twenty feet or less, and it's readily available in #14 and even thicker gauges."

 

[Lt. Bob]

Elderly used to sell 10 ga speaker cables. I have two of them in 6' lengths. The larger the gauge (which is to say,the smaller the number) the better. But 14 ga. is good to about 50'. I use 14 ga zip cord (ordinary two-conductor electrical cord) in my studio, but I prefer to buy commercial speaker cable for gigs, since it has a round jacket and is easier to take around corners.

I get bright neon green extension cords I buy from Walmart. You can get 120 feet for 10 bucks and cut a buch of lengths and add jacks to them. They're round ...... they wind up well ..... since they're rated for 13 amps you know they're gonna carry power amp voltages just fine and since they're annoyingly bright green you never lose them or get them confused with someone else's.

 

[lpdeluxe]

Yeah, a friend of mine wired up his stereo (nice setup, Klipsch speakers etc) with 12 ga he got from Lowe's.

There's a lot of nonsense about wires affecting the sound...which they can, if grossly misdesigned for the application! Otherwise, wire's wire. Music stores get high margins with boutique cables, so they like to push them.

It's a case where (assuming you can't solder) you SHOULD pay more for shielded cables, since the cheap ones generally have poorly constructed connectors that are not robustly attached.

 

[ggunn]

Yeah, a friend of mine wired up his stereo (nice setup, Klipsch speakers etc) with 12 ga he got from Lowe's.

There's a lot of nonsense about wires affecting the sound...which they can, if grossly misdesigned for the application! Otherwise, wire's wire. Music stores get high margins with boutique cables, so they like to push them.

+1. I read an interesting study report in Stereo Review a few years ago where they set up a double blind experiment to compare several brands of high dollar exotic speaker cable with zipcord bought at a hardware store. They invited several "golden ear" audio reviewers to participate. Not a single one of them could repeatably discern any difference at all between any of the cables.

 

[Roguetitan]

I get bright neon green extension cords I buy from Walmart. You can get 120 feet for 10 bucks and cut a buch of lengths and add jacks to them. They're round ...... they wind up well ..... since they're rated for 13 amps you know they're gonna carry power amp voltages just fine and since they're annoyingly bright green you never lose them or get them confused with someone else's.

Urm...Cough... Is this power cord you speak of shielded?

I think I would be pretty safe to say it is not
which if that be the case it would not make for very good speaker cable.

 

[Roguetitan]

+1. I read an interesting study report in Stereo Review a few years ago where they set up a double blind experiment to compare several brands of high dollar exotic speaker cable with zipcord bought at a hardware store. They invited several "golden ear" audio reviewers to participate. Not a single one of them could repeatably discern any difference at all between any of the cables.

Dude can you dig up that article
If you can I sure would like a link to that article.

there have been several very heated debates at HCBF about that very subject.

 

[Ironklad Audio]

Urm...Cough... Is this power cord you speak of shielded?

I think I would be pretty safe to say it is not
which if that be the case it would not make for very good speaker cable.

speaker cable = not shielded

 

[Big Kenny]

Urm...Cough... Is this power cord you speak of shielded?

I think I would be pretty safe to say it is not
which if that be the case it would not make for very good speaker cable.

I don't follow......