Speakons for subs: mixing 2 & 4 pole jacks.

[K2000]

I'm upgrading some banana plugs to Speakons. I just bought some 4 pole Speakon jacks (I didn't know there were two types) and I already have a couple 2 pole Speakon jacks on hand. So now I have both types.

I also have some 2-wire cable, and some 4 wire cable. Mixing the different cables wasn't a problem with banana jacks, before... I just stuck 2 wires into each banana pole. Note: my amp (Crown K2) only has Banana Out, so that must remain.

Do I lose anything by going from a Banana (out) to a 4 wire Speakon (in)? I also assume I cannot mix 2 and 4 pole Speakon adapters on the same daisy chain?

I think I might be hosed on these Speakon adapters, since cramming 4 wires into 2 Speakon poles looks impossible.

Reading this back, it looks dumb. Part of the problem seems to be that some manufacturers sell 'heavy gauge' cable which is really 4 wires doubled up. And some of my cables were leftovers from before. Trying to make everything work, with what I have on hand. I can barely fit one wire into one of the new Speakon's 4 poles (let alone two wires into one pole). It would be great if I can make this work, with the stuff I already have.

[Bruce Weldy]

Ok, let's start over here.....

You are saying jacks (chassis mount connector), but it sounds like you mean plugs (cable mount connectors)...right?

Do NOT use 2 pole jacks as they will only accept the old-style NL2 connector (plug).

As far as plugs, you can use either NL4 or the new NL2FX. It's has the exact same shape as the NL4, only in a 2 lug configuration. I've gone to these as I hate the old NL2 connector. This new one is cheaper, but works just like the NL4 and is great if you are using a 2-wire cable.

Give us a little more info on just what you are trying to do.

And there is nothing wrong with banana plugs on the amp end as long as you have them secured properly.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

And there is nothing wrong with banana plugs on the amp end as long as you have them secured properly.

There is if you don't get the polarity right. That's one of the reasons why they've disappeared, it's too easy to plug them in backwards.

[byacey]

For the binding post connections at the amp, I prefer crimp on forks tightened under the binding posts. I put a short piece of red heat shrink tube to identify the + connection. I use the 4 pole Speakons for everything, however I only use the first pair in each.

Maybe someday I'll go to four conductor cable and send the sub and mid-high in the same jacketed cable., but for now it works fine as is.

[Bruce Weldy]

And there is nothing wrong with banana plugs on the amp end as long as you have them secured properly.

There is if you don't get the polarity right. That's one of the reasons why they've disappeared, it's too easy to plug them in backwards.

True, but I have a rack panel....so, it gets done right, once. Then it's never touched again. If you are plugging and unplugging, then yes, use speakons.

[Bruce Weldy]

I use the 4 pole Speakons for everything, however I only use the first pair in each.

I've always done the same, but these new connectors are just like the NL4 except with only two pole.

http://www.neutrik.com/en/speakon/nl2fx

[SoundInMotionDJ]

There is if you don't get the polarity right. That's one of the reasons why they've disappeared, it's too easy to plug them in backwards.

I specifically made a couple of banana-speakon cables so that I can check polarity....but I haven't used them since I was building.

[byacey]

I use the 4 pole Speakons for everything, however I only use the first pair in each.

I've always done the same, but these new connectors are just like the NL4 except with only two pole.

http://www.neutrik.com/en/speakon/nl2fx

Will they plug into the four pole socket? I can't really see any benefit for me to start using them except perhaps they might be slightly cheaper than the four pole version.

[Bruce Weldy]

I use the 4 pole Speakons for everything, however I only use the first pair in each.

I've always done the same, but these new connectors are just like the NL4 except with only two pole.

http://www.neutrik.com/en/speakon/nl2fx

Will they plug into the four pole socket? I can't really see any benefit for me to start using them except perhaps they might be slightly cheaper than the four pole version.

They are exactly like the NL4, except with only 2 poles. So yep, they fit just the same and are cheaper by almost half.

[K2000]

Ok, let's start over here.....

You are saying jacks (chassis mount connector), but it sounds like you mean plugs (cable mount connectors)...right?

Yes...

I bought my plugs on Ebay, and they're not genuine Neutrik. They do fit my speaker inputs though.

Is there an agreed-on industry protocol for which wire goes into each pole? I have red, light red, white, tan wires. I'm able to see the wire colors leading into the banana poles. If I can get the speakon plug poles consistently correct, I should be fine.

I have a couple of short length two-wire cables... should I retire those, for now? (I assume all cables should be uniform.)

[Bruce Weldy]

I have a couple of short length two-wire cables... should I retire those, for now? (I assume all cables should be uniform.)

Cables should do whatever you need them to do - the majority of the time, you will use only two wires to a cabinet. If you are bi-amping, you might use four. Or, you could be sending power to multiple cabs of one cable, but I don't think that's what you are doing based on your questions.

How about you start from the beginning.

What amp is going to what speaker?
How many speakers total?
How many amps total?

Before you get the cart before the horse, let's get the lay of the land.

Also, don't go cheap on those knock-off connectors.

[escapemcp]

I bought my plugs on Ebay, and they're not genuine Neutrik. They do fit my speaker inputs though.

I just spent quite a bit on genuine Neutrik Speakons & XLRs. They fit so much better into the relevant sockets. I was never planning to do this, but the ease which one of my copy-speakons disintegrated after a few uses made me realise this was the way to go. YMMV

Is there an agreed-on industry protocol for which wire goes into each pole? I have red, light red, white, tan wires. I'm able to see the wire colors leading into the banana poles. If I can get the speakon plug poles consistently correct, I should be fine.

Yes, just keep them all the same and I'll never matter what other people do! Most 4 cores seem to have a different colouration anyway. I recently bought some 4 core and for some unknown reason it had 1 red and 3 black wires - not a major issue, but the black wires were marked 1, 2 & 3.... which makes the red cable 4 (which is 2- ). Or I could use the red cable for one of the positives, but that makes 1, 2 & 3 go into the 2nd (1-), 3rd (2+) & 4th (2-) poles Seemed like a very odd marking on a speaker cable, where you know 2 of the cores will be +ve and 2 -ve. I like your cable with 2 reds and 2 whites. It's obvious which is positive & which is negative (and we all know how important it is not to mess these 2 up!).
With your wires, I'd use the red/white combo on the "1" poles, and the 'offcolour' combo on the "2" poles, as that seems the most logical way to do it. As I said though, as long as you stick to the same both ends, you'll do just fine! Once the cable is all wired up, you shouldn't have to ever open it again anyway

[byacey]

I bought my plugs on Ebay, and they're not genuine Neutrik. They do fit my speaker inputs though.

Is there an agreed-on industry protocol for which wire goes into each pole? I have red, light red, white, tan wires. I'm able to see the wire colors leading into the banana poles. If I can get the speakon plug poles consistently correct, I should be fine.

I have a couple of short length two-wire cables... should I retire those, for now? (I assume all cables should be uniform.)

+1 on the cheap connectors. Long term you save money by purchasing quality connectors.

If you're asking if the wire lengths should be uniform, no. Make them whatever lengths are required to get from point A to point B. My amp rack is usually close to one stack of speakers, so the lengths are considerably shorter than the runs to the far side.

For color coding there isn't really any solid standards. Belden has a color scheme for multipair cable that can be applied to speaker cabling too. What I typically do is use spectrum colors from red through yellow for + and green through violet and black for -.

With the cable you mention, I would use Red for +, light red or pink for the corresponding -, Tan for 2+ and white for 2-. As long as both ends are the same, ultimately it doesn't matter for speaker cable.

[Bruce Weldy]

As long as both ends are the same, ultimately it doesn't matter for speaker cable.

And that's all that really matters.

[BrentEvans]

Is there an agreed-on industry protocol for which wire goes into each pole? I have red, light red, white, tan wires. I'm able to see the wire colors leading into the banana poles. If I can get the speakon plug poles consistently correct, I should be fine.

It would be nice if all wires conformed to a standard, but they don't. I try to follow red/right white/right methodology, so a typical four conductor speaker wire would be red 1+ black 1- white 2+ green 2-. All of my cables are that way, except a couple (like yours) which have oddball colors. In that case, I put a p-touch label on the connector with the wiring scheme, and seal the label over with clear tape. That way, I'm not guessing if I have to field repair.