cable gauge to build Neutrik Speakon

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cheers!

a quick question. I've got a plug NL4FX and need 1.5-2m of cable to connect my REL Quake to the amp. Is there any point using OFC shielded cable for this purpose? Also what is the minimum gauge to use, will 2x0.25mm2 (AWG23) be enough?
Shielded cable is not needed, and may present problems with speaker cable.
AWG23 is extremely whimpy for sub use (alright for mic cable at 600 ohms) unless you are using 64 ohm speakers, use a minimum of 16/14 AWG at 4 ohms for 2 meters if you care about damping factor.

If you like your subs to go "duhhh duhhh duhh" use any strand of wire you find around :^).

If you have difficulties wiring proper size cable into a small connector, reduce the cable size at the junction point.
 
IIRC the REL speakon input is a high impediance input design to allow a speaker level connection to drive the internal amp circuit of the sub. Very little current will pass through this connection, so the speaker wire you have suggested should be fine and I wouldn't worry about it being shielded.

No, that is XLR; speakon is to deliver current to the drivers. You need the same gauge as you would normaly use for speaker connections.

vac
 
In the US the maximum type of cable that will fit in that connector easily is the 12/4 SJOOW. But if you bore out the strain relief nut a bit and remove the u shaped metal tangs held in by the screws one can fit the 10/4 SJOOW. This is not a fast process bear in mind. The "J"version(sjoow) as opposed to SOOW is rated at 300V as opposed to 600V. Local regulations regarding the different use of such cables varies and often times there is no standard for their "low voltage" use as we intend. To get a little more flex the cable class "SC" or stage cable is quite nice. I believe it has more braids per individual wire. Please note that these are US standards and I have no knowledge if they apply elsewhere but I'm sure a bit of research could yield a corresponding cable in your country.

-Matt
 
it's pretty clear now with the cable! thank you!

Just curious, if I use speaker terminals of my amp, does it mean that REL uses only preamp section?
Also as far as I've understood connecting sub via high level input makes additional load for the amp, isn't it?
 
No, that is XLR; speakon is to deliver current to the drivers. You need the same gauge as you would normaly use for speaker connections.

vac
You may be right, but the Speakon cable connection provided by REL with a new subwoofer would seem to contradict this theory. The cable is 10 meters long - that's almost 35 feet! It has the Neutik Speakon connector on one end, which connects to the sub, and three bare wire connections on the other end. The bare wires connect to the L and R amplifier speaker terminals. The thickness of the individual wires appears to be smaller than 16 gauge (18 maybe?). According to the REL manual using the Speakon connection "is the preferred method of connecting a REL to any system."

REL is considered to be a higher end manufacturer of hifi stuff, and the company's not shy about putting big price tags on the equipment it sells. I'm no sound engineer, but I believe that if there were any meaningful signal degradation associated with the thin-wired, long cable Speakon connection the company wouldn't be selling it, or at least it wouldn't be promoting it as the "preferred method" of connection.

My non-technical newbie comments, for what they're worth.
 
In the US the maximum type of cable that will fit in that connector easily is the 12/4 SJOOW. But if you bore out the strain relief nut a bit and remove the u shaped metal tangs held in by the screws one can fit the 10/4 SJOOW. This is not a fast process bear in mind. The "J"version(sjoow) as opposed to SOOW is rated at 300V as opposed to 600V. Local regulations regarding the different use of such cables varies and often times there is no standard for their "low voltage" use as we intend. To get a little more flex the cable class "SC" or stage cable is quite nice. I believe it has more braids per individual wire. Please note that these are US standards and I have no knowledge if they apply elsewhere but I'm sure a bit of research could yield a corresponding cable in your country.

-Matt
I got 10 gauge to fit without taking the u shaped metal tangs. It was an effort, but I eventually got in.
 
The thickness of the individual wires appears to be smaller than 16 gauge (18 maybe?).

Wire size is all about voltage drop over distance, so an insignificantly low drop at 100 W/100k ohms/35 ft = 16 ga, but 18 ga would still be very low, so a good guess since manufacturers will 'cut corners' cost wise wherever practical. 8 ft [~2 m] = 22-23 ga.

GM
 
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IIRC the REL speakon input is a high impediance input design to allow a speaker level connection to drive the internal amp circuit of the sub. Very little current will pass through this connection, so the speaker wire you have suggested should be fine and I wouldn't worry about it being shielded.

^^^This. The REL input is indeed a high impedance input and as such carries very little current to the sub. It is used as an input source to the amp on the sub. I don't think I would use shielded, due to additional capacitance.

No, that is XLR; speakon is to deliver current to the drivers. You need the same gauge as you would normaly use for speaker connections.

vac

Sorry, but it is indeed a Neutrik Speakon. Completely different from an XLR. It does not need to be similar gauge as a speaker wire.

it's pretty clear now with the cable! thank you!

Just curious, if I use speaker terminals of my amp, does it mean that REL uses only preamp section?
Also as far as I've understood connecting sub via high level input makes additional load for the amp, isn't it?

It will not create any significant change to the load on the amp. One thing to note, though is I have found that it is particularly sensitive to picking up induced signals. Do not leave excess coiled up as the coil will act as an antenna. Keep it away from power cords where possible.

If you do decide to change the cable, it is very simple as the neutrik connector is very easy to take apart and there are simple screw terminals. These connectors are designed to carry line voltage at low frequency and as such are not very fussy. They are used as highly reliable power connectors on a lot of professional gear.

Sorry to come on strong as a first post!!!
 
Subwoofer connector with Neutrik Speakon NL4FX

the cable is ready, I used AWG17 copper, 2m long.

Hi! Could you please share this cable's pinout, i.e. which pin of the Neutrik Speakon NL4FX connector goes to which wire color and speaker pin? I couldn't find this info anywhere including REL's and MJ Acoustics' websites. I assume they use the same schematic for their fancy cables.
 
The electrons don't care which colour the wire jacket is, so you're free to do whatever. Speaker cables are not twisted pairs or anything fancy like that.

Hi Tom! In this case this is not a speaker cable, but a low-current fancy cable with three (not four) wires carrying (tens of) microamps of signal from an amplifier output to a subwoofer high-level input (~100 kOhm). And with REL color does matter because it signifies something other than ground.
 
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