Hey Guys,
Wasn't sure where to post this - so mods feel free to move as you see fit.
I'm looking for some advice on making some speaker cables for my PA.
I have a bunch of 1/4" jacks kicking around so thought about buying the cable and making my own - I regularly make my own guitar patch cables and have all the soldering equipment to hand.
I read somewhere that you can use electrical cable for speaker wires - is this true? If so what size/type should i get?
On the advice of members here i made a speaker cable for my amp with lawn mower cable last week, so i thought the same could apply to other type of speakers?
My local electrical factor stocks 1.5mm 2 core flex at a 1/3 the price of proper "speaker cable" would this be ok or could/should i use smaller/bigger?
or do i just buy the real thing?
i know we're not talking £000's and it may seem petty, but we've recently spunked all our band kitty on new/used equipment to replace gear owned by a band member who quit last month (without warning) with a years worth of gigs booked.
If it matters my pa is 400W per side into 4ohms.
thanks if you can help.
Comments
all four speakers are 1/4" in/thru only (oh the joys of owing aged equipment).
i have often thought of upgrading the sockets to neutriks as my pa has speakon connections also, but this will have to wait for the meantime until funds allow.
Cpc.co.uk order code LS00559
Buy the simple 2 pole speakon socket and wire pin 1- to ground pin 1+ to hot (was jack tip)
2-core mains cable is ideal, because it's robust and cheap.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
FWIW I used the orange two core mains flex (the stuff usually used for electrical garden equipment) for our PA speaker leads. It's robust, cheap and quite visible and it works very well.
I can't recall how many watts my PA is but a Flymo is anywhere between 1100 watts and 1800 watts so I think the flex should handle 400 watts
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
Size of the cable determines the current handling and the strength \ thickness of the insulation determines the voltage rating
The reason the mower gets far more power from the same current is because both the voltage and the motor's impedance are much higher.
Power = voltage-squared divided by impedance, or power = current-squared multiplied by impedance.
Nonetheless, for "pub PA" type setups, mower cable is fine for speaker cables… not least because 1/4" jacks and plugs are only rated for 6A anyway. If you're going higher than that, you really need Speakons and heavier-gauge cable.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein