Speaker Cable

smudge_lad · August 2023

I’ve used one of these cables for the past….10 years or so. Last week I left it in my bands rehearsal space and someone has nicked it! Even though apparently there’s been nobody in the room since we left….

Anyway, before I fork out £25 for a new one, is there any other cable that’s maybe better and/or cheaper?

I guess 10 years for £25 is excellent value for money, so I should maybe just stick with what I know works.

Thought it was worth the ask

rze99 · August 2023

I've used Gentek who have been superb and great value. Van Damme cable and Neutrik ends.

I used their cables to swap out the thin apparently poor quality ones that Fender use for stock and other amp makers use.

I use them for longer speaker cables to position cabs where I want / use different cabs and use attenuators.

I haven't used them for many years - because the ones they built me haven't broken!

I just checked and it seems there are no off the shelf speaker cables, but they can be made to order.

https://gentekcustomcables.com/collections/guitar-leads

ICBM · August 2023

A piece of old 2-core mains cable and two Neutrik plugs is better than any cable with moulded plugs like that.

The plugs are the important part. The cable only has to be physically robust and adequate for the maximum current in use.

jasonbone75 · August 2023

^this all my speaker cables are 2 core mains of some kind - and they have decent plugs and top notch soldered joints on them

anything "better quality" than this falls into the snake oil and capacitor domain...

fretmeister · August 2023

Any plug that uses those springloaded sides are awful. They can end up spreading the socket connectors making them loose for normal plugs.

smudge_lad · August 2023

fretmeister said:

Any plug that uses those springloaded sides are awful. They can end up spreading the socket connectors making them loose for normal plugs.

This cable doesn’t have those….I know it looks like it does, but those “button” are just the logo on the cable.

smudge_lad · August 2023

ICBM said:

A piece of old 2-core mains cable and two Neutrik plugs is better than any cable with moulded plugs like that.

The plugs are the important part. The cable only has to be physically robust and adequate for the maximum current in use.

I’ve no way of making anything up myself, so need to buy some

viz · August 2023

If you have a broken lawnmower, use the cable from that. Orange looks nice.

jasonbone75 · August 2023

viz said:

If you have a broken lawnmower, use the cable from that. Orange looks nice.

Really that needs a wiz and a lol - it is technically and aesthetically accurate

Power_Freak · August 2023

For "tone" reasons I don't believe any speaker cable really makes a difference. It's a low impedance signal so any capacitive effects don't make a difference, any speaker cable needs to handle high current so will be thick and so no resistive impact either (maybe if you're running 100ft across a stage or something crazy it might matter). Instrument cable can make a big difference (depending on your rig) but not speaker cable.

Just buy something well made and solid IMO. I've had bad luck with those PW style "moulded" plugs so I'd go for something neutrik equipped, but it's just preference.

ICBM · August 2023

Power_Freak said:

For "tone" reasons I don't believe any speaker cable really makes a difference. It's a low impedance signal so any capacitive effects don't make a difference, any speaker cable needs to handle high current so will be thick and so no resistive impact either (maybe if you're running 100ft across a stage or something crazy it might matter). Instrument cable can make a big difference (depending on your rig) but not speaker cable.

Just buy something well made and solid IMO. I've had bad luck with those PW style "moulded" plugs so I'd go for something neutrik equipped, but it's just preference.

This. The reason Neutriks are the best is that the conductors are machined from single solid pieces - unlike any other type, where they're made from at least two parts rivetted together and which can come loose. (NB, only the straight Neutriks - the right-angle ones are also rivetted.)

Reliability is the most critical factor in a speaker cable, especially for a valve amp - if it fails to an open circuit, even momentarily, it can blow output valves or the transformer if you're really unlucky. If it fails to a short it will most likely just blow valves, but you still don't want that.

If anything, it's these same rivetted connections which *can* affect the tone if they're loose but still passing some current. The cable itself doesn't as you said, as long as it's of at least adequate gauge - which isn't that large at all, for a guitar amp - and not excessively long.

ecc83 · August 2023

Yup, as IC says, 6A 'garden' cable* and Nukes. They have the other great benefit that the tip will never come loose and jam in a jack which in some cases means a tech and new jack. As IC says, the tip and shaft are all one piece of metal. Also NEVER use line jack sockets for speaker extensions unless you use the locking type that Neutrik provide. All the rest can go O/C with disastrous results to valve amps at full chat.

N.B.I do not advocate Nukes for every cable. Where you need a rake of plugs, mixers, patch bays e.g. you can buy perfectly serviceable plugs for a lot less money. They will have inferior cable clamping and strain relief but you can fix that with some creative use of heat shrink!

* B&Q used to sell that in 25mtr cut coils but I haven't been for a couple of years. BOUND to be on Zon.

Dave.

p90fool · August 2023

viz said:

If you have a broken lawnmower, use the cable from that. Orange looks nice.

Yep, with the added benefit that I know that all of the orange jack-to-jack leads in my gig bag are unscreened speaker leads.

Secret_Sam · August 2023

Can I volunteer to be the idiot who asks: how bad is it if you get your speaker cable and guitar cable mixed up?

Jonathangus · August 2023

Secret_Sam said:

Can I volunteer to be the idiot who asks: how bad is it if you get your speaker cable and guitar cable mixed up?

Using a speaker cable as a guitar lead will hum because of the lack of screening.

Using a guitar lead as a speaker cable could potentially blow your amp up as it's not designed to take the current.

ICBM · August 2023

Secret_Sam said:

Can I volunteer to be the idiot who asks: how bad is it if you get your speaker cable and guitar cable mixed up?

If you use a speaker cable for your guitar it will be noisy, but no harm will occur.

If you use a guitar cable for your speaker cab, in probably 95% of cases no harm will occur either, but if it’s a powerful amp and a lower impedance cab, you can overheat the cable. Although it won’t usually burn out, the plastic insulation may melt and short the core to the shield, which will ruin the cable and also possibly blow power valves and/or fuses in the amp. So although not usually bad, definitely not recommended.

I’ve only actually seen that happen once, with a Marshall Super Bass head and a 4-ohm Ampeg cabinet, with a curly guitar cable… the cable was very melted and the amp had blown the HT fuse, but no other damage, luckily. The owner thought the amp had died and melted the cable, he didn’t realise it was the other way round!

Headphones · August 2023

viz said:

If you have a broken lawnmower, use the cable from that. Orange looks nice.

Spent a pleasant hour last weekend doing exactly this.

Sassafras · August 2023

viz said:

If you have a broken lawnmower, use the cable from that. Orange looks nice.

Well I haven't but it'd only take a few taps with a slegehammer to break it and then I could use the orange cable?

Headphones · August 2023

I should probably mention that used cable takes quite a bit of cleaning before it's actually orange...

smudge_lad · August 2023

Just looking on some sites, and I’ve got these choices for conductor size - what’s the best option here?

Power_Freak · August 2023

"Technically" a thicker wire should be "better" - lower resistance and higher power rating... In practice not so much (assuming you're not doing anything strange and it's just a basic short cable run)

Where you might see a difference (never used these cables specifically so don't know if it's applicable here): a thicker cable can be stiffer and a thinner cable more flexible. You'll only really notice when you're rolling it up at the end of the night, or if you have to bend the speaker cable to reach the cab, or whatever.

ICBM · August 2023

Power_Freak said:

"Technically" a thicker wire should be "better" - lower resistance and higher power rating... In practice not so much (assuming you're not doing anything strange and it's just a basic short cable run)

That's true, but you don't need to go very thick before its resistance becomes insignificant compared to the speaker impedance and the output impedance of the amp, which is what matters as to whether it will affect the sound or not.

smudge_lad · August 2023

ICBM said:

Power_Freak said:

"Technically" a thicker wire should be "better" - lower resistance and higher power rating... In practice not so much (assuming you're not doing anything strange and it's just a basic short cable run)

That's true, but you don't need to go very thick before its resistance becomes insignificant compared to the speaker impedance and the output impedance of the amp, which is what matters as to whether it will affect the sound or not.

So then it doesn’t REALLY matter what I go for?

I’ll be using a 30w Bad Cat, JVM410h or SD170 into 8/16ohm cab

ICBM · August 2023

smudge_lad said:

So then it doesn’t REALLY matter what I go for?

I’ll be using a 30w Bad Cat, JVM410h or SD170 into 8/16ohm cab

No, it doesn't really matter - 5A/6A mains cable is fine for anything up to 100W into 4 ohms. Less power and/or higher impedance reduces the requirement.

Bear in mind that the current rating for mains cable is 'worst case' - continuous maximum current draw indefinitely, with the cable trapped under a carpet or something that stops it cooling down via air circulation. A musical instrument signal is not continuous or indefinite, and the cable will be hanging loose in free air behind the cabinet.

Mains cable is physically robust and cheap. You can spend more on higher-spec 'proper speaker cable' if you want, but it won't improve the sound.

SquireJapan · August 2023

viz said:

If you have a broken lawnmower, use the cable from that. Orange looks nice.

A long dead flymow's power cable did exactly the same for me on quite a few cables. Its spirit lives on.

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