LV Switchcraft vs Neutrik
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Do it Yourself
LV Switchcraft vs Neutrik
LV Switchcraft vs Neutrik LV Switchcraft vs Neutrik
In <7uns9j$l4i$--(at)--ews1.xs4all.nl> "André Huisman" <newlin--(at)--sa.net>
delivered another prime example of the Usenet Pedantic Rant, mercifully
excised:
(flush)
Lord Valve Speaketh:
Yawn...huh? Oh, are you finished? OK...Switchcraft
plugs and jacks are dirt cheap in the US. I sell the
most popular model (#280), which is nickel-plated
solid brass, no plastic on it anywhere, for less
than $2 at *retail*. In hundred-lots, these plugs
can be had for less than 90 cents. The jacks are
cheap, too. Most of the speaker cabinets sold in
the US are of the 2- or 3-way passive crossover
variety, designed for use by bar-bands. Nearly
all of the ones in the lower-priced brackets such
as Peavey, Crate, Yamaha, Audio-Centron, CGM,
SoundTech, etc. use 1/4" connectors. Some of these
(Peavey, for instance) provide access to the individual
transducers (again, via 1/4" jacks with internal switches
for bypassing the crossover) for bi- or tri-amp use.
Many of the more expensive boxes (JBL, Klipsch, EV,
etc.) also use 1/4" connectors. Good-quality cables
featuring Switchcraft 1/4" connectors are by no means
beyond the budget of most bands, although there are
always newbies who buy crummy cables which use Chinese
knock-offs of the Switchcraft designs. Unlike the
cheesy Neutrik stuff, Switchcraft has several models
(#70, #184, etc.) which are designed with large
diameter cables in mind. It is not uncommon to see
10-gauge twin-core used with these plugs. As a pro
bench tech, I see less than a half-dozen failures
per year which are related to insertion or withdrawal
of 1/4" connectors while energized with speaker voltage.
Hardly significant. Since the Neutrik Speakons are
fairly reasonable in cost, they will probably become
the de-facto standard connector for mid- and higher-
priced boxes. QSC amps (remember those?) use Speakons
(in addition to banana plugs, which are better, in
my unhumble opinion) on most of the models. The
Speakon's downfall is poor field serviceability;
preparing and properly terminating a 4-conductor
cable with a Speakon is not something that can be
accomplished gracefully during a 15-minute break
in a darkened nightclub. The termination method
is also suspect; a 1.5mm-size hex wrench is not
the best tool I can think of for producing solid
connections inside a connector subject to constant
vibration. Since the copper sleeves that come
with these are not re-usable, field repairs are
problematic. It is nearly impossible to solder
a (cable-type) Speakon without destroying it, so
that method is not viable either. A few salient
points: WD-40 is not a good solvent for beer-removal.
(Pilsner, either.) As a matter of fact, unless
you have a rusty padlock on your equipment truck,
I have no idea what you'd use it for in an audio
system. I cannot imagine spraying this into an
amplifier. It's greasy, and it smells bad, too.
Beer (or soda) needs to be removed with a water-
based solvent, or with distilled water. (Actually,
seltzer works great for this.) While one certainly
cannot place an amplifier into an ultrasonic tank,
cable ends can be so treated with ease, and those
are *much* more likely to become contaminated
(during setup and teardown) than the chassis-
mounted variety. Amplifiers don't often get
dropped into mud-puddles, but cables certainly do.
Beer- (or Pilsner-) puddles too, for that matter.
As to the contact-resistance of the Z-15J vs
the Speakon after 5000 cycles, who gives a shit?
The difference between .01 ohms and .003 ohms is
only significant to hair-splitters; it's barely
measurable and certainly inaudible. This is a
non-issue; you are welcome to any wanker-points
you think you've earned with it. Lastly, if
you don't enjoy my style, I invite you to place
me into your killfile. By this simple expedient,
you need never deal with my jive-ass attitude
again, junior. Sorry if you feel that I've taken
a piss on you; actually, that was NOT piss.
Over here we don't have much piss. We have wee-wee,
which only looks and smells somewhat similar. Give
it a little time and it'll evaporate just like the
other kind. Close yer eyes, guys, here comes the Big Sig:
Lord Valve
VISIT MY WEBSITE: http://www.freeyellow.com/members2/lord-valve/
Good tube FAQ for newbies. Click the e-mail link and join my
SPAM LIST; just put "SPAM ME" in the header and I'll sign you
up. (If you only want a set of e-mail catalogs, put "CATS ONLY"
in the header.) I specialize in top quality HAND-SELECTED NOS and
current-production vacuum tubes for guitar and bass amps. Good
prices, fast service. TONS of gear and parts in stock...let's DEAL!
NBS Electronics, 230 South Broadway, Denver, CO 80209-1510
Phone orders/tech support after 1:00 PM Denver time at 303-778-1156
NOW ACCEPTING VISA AND MASTERCARD
CHAT WITH LORD VALVE: Log onto any DALnet server and join
channel #CONELRAD. Look for me there most any night after
11:00 PM Denver (Mountain) time. Guitar-amp questions and
what-have-you are welcome.
"I'm not an asshole, but I *play* one on the Internet." - Lord Valve
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