Soldering a speaker cable vs instrument cable

  • Thread starter Thread starter cyndicate
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cyndicate

cyndicate

Well-known member
I am in need of a few speaker cables and was thinking of just doing it myself instead of buying a premade one. I know how to do instrument cables already but I have never done speaker cables before. Right now all my Speaker cables are either Monster or some generic stuff I picked up at a music store awhile back

Was thinking of going with this:

Canare 4S9

http://www.performanceaudio.com/cgi/pro ... cts_id=534

I was wondering though, can I use the same neutrik ends I used on my instrument cables to solder it, and how the hell do I solder the speaker cable? Which wires? Seems to be 4 wires inside it. Any other suggestions for speaker cable brands to use?

nm: I guess I'll need TRS ends
 
That is great cable. You put two to neg, and two to positive. like this

np
pn

I like to use big connectors like G&H bigfoot, or monsterfoot. Also with these you don't have to solder to the body of the plug which requires a lot of heat.

http://www.ghplugs.com/products.html
 
Definitely not TRS ends. Regular 1/4" ends.

I'm still trying to figure out how to wire these. If the inside wires are (2) red and (2) white, solder both white to ground, both red to hot, or vice versa?
 
RockStarNick":1ck6nes2 said:
Definitely not TRS ends. Regular 1/4" ends.

I'm still trying to figure out how to wire these. If the inside wires are (2) red and (2) white, solder both white to ground, both red to hot, or vice versa?
Click to expand...
It doesn't matter, as long as both ends are the same.
 
Usually Red is positive tip and the white or black is negative. Just solder both red wired together to the tip and both white wires together to the sleeve. I use large outlet Neutrick connectors, that is the only thing to look at is that the cab fits in the barrell of the 1/4in jack.
 
RockStarNick":qm1po3z4 said:
Definitely not TRS ends. Regular 1/4" ends.

I'm still trying to figure out how to wire these. If the inside wires are (2) red and (2) white, solder both white to ground, both red to hot, or vice versa?
Click to expand...

Oh cool, for some reason I thought it had to be TRS ends.
 
Would there be any noticeable difference between going with Canare or picking up some Bulk Evidence Siren II cable? The price is signifcantly different, also does anyone know where to find bulk Evidence Siren II cable? I only found one site and they are asking for $5.90 /ft :(
 
I just went to an electronics store, and bought some monster subwoofer cable that was on sale. I got some 10 awg 10' for $6. If you go with anything bigger then 14 awg you should be good for standard lengths. If you are doing a longer run, or are running a lot of power you might want to go heavier.

I just use whatever I can find on sale.
 
Funny this topic came up, I just bought some wire for making some speaker cables.

$1.99 for 12 feet. Went to Home Depot, bought a cheap 2 conductor extension cord with the brown 'zip cord' that is 16 gauge. If it can handle 13 amps and 125v, it can handle my amp to cab needs. :D

Pete
 
stratotone":19i1au6r said:
Funny this topic came up, I just bought some wire for making some speaker cables.

$1.99 for 12 feet. Went to Home Depot, bought a cheap 2 conductor extension cord with the brown 'zip cord' that is 16 gauge. If it can handle 13 amps and 125v, it can handle my amp to cab needs. :D

Pete
Click to expand...

samer here! been doing the zip cord for years. stuff lasts a long time.
 
Hacksaw":2iq5d84t said:
stratotone":2iq5d84t said:
Funny this topic came up, I just bought some wire for making some speaker cables.

$1.99 for 12 feet. Went to Home Depot, bought a cheap 2 conductor extension cord with the brown 'zip cord' that is 16 gauge. If it can handle 13 amps and 125v, it can handle my amp to cab needs. :D

Pete
Click to expand...

samer here! been doing the zip cord for years. stuff lasts a long time.
Click to expand...
+1, its fine for short runs :thumbsup: They also carry actual spkr wire in bulk rolls that is heavier gauge, and is still a good price
 
Got the Canare cable last night, way too fat for my standard ends so I need to order those fat neutrik plugs now. Or is there a trick to doing it with the Standard ends? The plug on the end barely fits the cable

I stripped it last night and there are 4 wires inside, 2 whitish, and 2 redish ones.

Do I just pair the white and solder them together and the red together and solder them to the tip (white) / sleeve (red)?

Is it that simple?
 
Are you talking about the barrel. You probably need to get jacks with a bigger barrel opening. They are made for extra thick cables.
 
Hmm I'm talking about that part at the very bottom that you screw the barrel onto. I think if I just cut the opening on the bottom a bit it can fit more easily. I asked Mark at Lava Cable and he uses those plugs for his speaker cables, so I'm just doing something wrong :lol: :LOL: I'll fuck around with it tonight.
 
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