Barrier strip outputs- HELP

R

racer

New member
Hey all! I just picked up this awesome Altec 1612A mic pre / comp that I am very excited to play with, but I'm unsure how to properly use the barrier strip outputs. Is it possible to use a prefab 1/4" TS to spade connector rather than have to make / modify an existing cable? Do I use the 150Ω, 600Ω, or the ground connectors? I'm planning to output it into my Tascam 244 Portastudio. I found the manual as well as some units wired up for reference.

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I suspect either 150 or 600 Ω will work to a high impedance input. You can try both and see if there's a difference.

The cable in the first picture is a speaker cable. You don't want to use that. I'd probably just cut an instrument cable in half and connect bare wire to the terminals. If you want to do it "right," get some bulk instrument cable, a couple of 1/4" jacks and some spade lugs and solder up proper cables. Some red and black shrink tubing would be nice to color code the spade ends.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
I suspect either 150 or 600 Ω will work to a high impedance input. You can try both and see if there's a difference.

The cable in the first picture is a speaker cable. You don't want to use that. I'd probably just cut an instrument cable in half and connect bare wire to the terminals. If you want to do it "right," get some bulk instrument cable, a couple of 1/4" jacks and some spade lugs and solder up proper cables. Some red and black shrink tubing would be nice to color code the spade ends.
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This is just a lovely thing, valve preamp. Floats my boat as an old fart that I am.
Your comment about the unscreened lead got me thinking Boulder.
I have played for over 40 years and know that you use an unscreened lead between an amp and speaker and screened leads for everything else. But I dont really know why ......apart from the earth on the screened lead will cause more resistance load between the amp and cab and potential damage and using an unscreened cable from instrument to amp will create buzz and less protection from an electric shock. Is that right? Genuine query, it has bugged me for a long time now. I have a load of old cables in a box and want to label them up as shielded or unshielded.

Thanks Boulder 👍

Smithers
 
Smithers XKR said:
This is just a lovely thing, valve preamp. Floats my boat as an old fart that I am.

Thanks Boulder 👍

Smithers
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You must be thinking of a different Altec, Smithers, The 1612A is a SS preamp.

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Those are filter cans*. Old Peavey amps had sockets for those so you could set them up with onboard crossover filters etc.

* Or transformers or other component.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Those are filter cans*. Old Peavey amps had sockets for those so you could set them up with onboard crossover filters etc.

* Or transformers or other component.
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So its solid state then? Looked like preamp valves to me and a valve amp with the big voltage transformer and big capacitors in the rig So I do apologise to Tal, big slice of humble pie eaten and accepted. But... it looks so much like a valve unit
Sorry Tal, you were right.
Still cant believe that thing is SS tho
 
Those cans plug into sockets that are like tube sockets, but they're not tubes. Tubes are generally glass, except for metal military tubes. But metal tubes look different from those accessory cans.
 
I need to check my leads for screening. Lot of them in a box. I now have a multimeter. Lot are sealed so I can not open them and no info on the cable. How do I check for screened or unscreened.
Is the only need for unscreened leads is between an amp and cab and everything else with all home recording uses screened leads? Thanks
 
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