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Basic Concept Principle OF Speaker Wire Connector

Basic Concept Principle OF Speaker Wire Connector

December 21 , 2023 0

Speaker cable connectors are an important component used to connect speakers and audio devices. This paper introduces the basic concept and principle of loudspeaker cable connector. The article first explains the role of cable connectors, that is, to provide electrical signal transmission and connection reliability. Next, common speaker cable connector types are discussed, including the design of plugs and receptacles, such as flat plugs, round plugs, and threaded plugs. The article also covers the working principles of speaker cable connectors, including conductor and ground connections, transmission of electrical signals, and prevention of signal interference. Understanding the basic concepts and principles of speaker cable connectors is essential to ensure good connectivity and sound quality transmission of audio systems.

Basic Principle

digital audio transmission technology (also known as digital snakes and networks) has taken almost the entire professional audio field by storm over the past few years. One driving factor: the proliferation of digital mixers/consoles. In fact, in the past few years, almost all audio equipment manufacturers have introduced solutions to transmit audio data/signals over Cat-5/6 network data cables, coaxial cables, or fiber optics. While digital networks do offer great advantages and flexibility, they have not completely replaced analog transmission

In the foreseeable future, digital network transmission is unlikely to completely replace analog transmission.
One reason is personal preference, while the other is that a complete switch to digital transmission would require a large number of cables to be replaced. There is also a very important factor in the digital audio transmission system, we need to carry out analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion at both ends of the cable (or optical fiber), which will undoubtedly increase the cost of wiring. This is especially deadly for small audio systems that have very few sound channels. As technology continues to improve and prices fall, I believe the use of digital audio transmission will become more common even for very small shows. Of course, cost and technology are only one aspect, and personal preferences are still very important factors.
Let's take a look at the various cables, connectors/connectors, and audio transmission devices used in audio systems.

Transmission Process

In a signal chain, typically the first cable will be the (non-existent) XLR cable. Both ends of the XLR cable use 3-core connectors. Through the XLR cable, we can connect the low-resistance anti-microphone and direct box to the mixer to transmit line level signals to various other devices.

XLR cables use two insulated wires for audio transmission based on the principle of balance. The two wires are wound together and wrapped in a shield, which is then protected by the outer sheath of the cable. Two signal wires carry the same signal, but their polarity is opposite to each other. The device receiving the signal will subtract the two signals, which can not only strengthen the original signal, but also eliminate the noise generated during signal transmission.
From left to right are: XLR (female connector), 1/4 inch TRS, 1/4 inch signal cable, 1/4 inch speaker cable, thickened 1/4 inch speaker reinforcement cable, 4-pin Speakon, 19-pin Socapex male connector, and 19-pin Socapex female connector. You can use colored, heat-shrinkable materials to distinguish cables for quick location of signal transmission cables and speaker cables.

The purpose of winding the wires inside the cable together is to introduce external noise evenly (or as equally as possible) into the two wires, improving the common-mode rejection ratio. Some cables use four internal conductors (each in a group of two), which are better protected against external electromagnetic interference, such as that caused by transformers and fluorescent lamp ballasts.

The shield covering the internal wire can be wound using spiral or braided winding. Braided-wound shields provide greater surface area coverage and better radio-frequency interference (RFI) resistance than spiral-wound shields.

The TRS cable is similar to the XLR cable in that it uses a 3-core 1/4 inch plug at both ends. TRS refers to Tip, Ring, and Sleeve, and they represent the location of the three channels on the connector.

TRS cables are often used as interconnect cables between devices, and TRS interfaces are a popular alternative for devices that cannot drop their XLR connectors due to limited device space.

Many mixers have plug-in interfaces (jacks) that allow external processing to be filled into signal channels or groups. A 1/4 "TRS format jack is usually used, and a special Y-shaped cable called an" input cable "is fitted with a TRS plug at the end of the cable and a 2-core 1/4" plug at each end of the Y's head for the input and output of external processors. Typically, the Tip of TRS is used for sending to external units, the Ring is used for returning, and the Sleeve is used for masking or common.

The commonly used 1/4 inch signal cable looks very similar to the TRS cable, but in fact they are two completely different cables. Signal cables usually have only one wire to transmit data, and this wire is wrapped in a screw-wound or braided shield. Signal cables are used to transmit high-impedance signals, usually guitar and keyboard signals to stage amplifiers or DI. The outer fabric of the signal cable is used both as a conductor and as a shield to help prevent RFI and other noise from reaching the conductors inside the cable.

When a signal cable is used with a guitar or other high-impedance input signal, the capacitance of the cable will be coupled with the high output impedance, resulting in a low-pass filtering effect. This low-pass filtering effect varies depending on the length of the cable. The longer the cable, the higher the low-pass filtering effect will be, so the length of a 1/4 inch signal cable is usually not more than 25 feet.

A 1/4 inch speaker cable looks similar to a TRS cable and a signal cable. Although 1/4 inch connectors are used at both ends of the 1/4 inch speaker cable, it is a completely different kind of cable. Its role is to transfer a large amount of output current from the amplifier to the speaker, while the signal cable usually only needs to transmit the current in the milliampere level. Speaker cables usually consist of two large diameter inner insulated wires, wrapped in a protective layer, and are usually used to connect stage amplifiers to speakers, or to connect small PA speakers to an active mixer.

It is important to remind you that signal cables should not be used as speaker cables, and vice versa. Because signal cables are not designed to handle high currents, speaker cables do not have a shielding layer for external interference.

Scale-up Introduction

The most popular speaker connector in the field of professional audio is the Speakon connector introduced by Neutrik. Speakon connectors are available in 2, 4 and 8 pin sizes to give you a variety of connection options. The diameter (specification) of the speaker cable depends on a number of factors, the most important of which are: the impedance of the load and the length of the cable. Simply put, the longer the length of the cable, the larger the diameter/specification of the conductor should be. The common size specifications in the audio field are 12- and 14-, and some manufacturers also offer 13-core cables.

Some manufacturers have introduced an 18-core cable using a 19-pin connector, known as Socapex, which was first used in the field of lighting and lighting. The cable was originally produced by Amphenol, but companies such as Veam and Kupo have since started producing compatible cable products. Lighting/lighting workers can use this cable to connect six power circuits, but it is different in the audio field, we can use just one cable to connect nine speaker circuits.
The 50-foot long, 6-channel snakes connect cables with a stage box on one end and a multi-port on the other.

When it comes to multi-loop cables, snakes connection wires should be the best solution for signal transmission. One or both ends of the cable are connected to different channels using multiple connectors, or a stage box can be used at one end (usually at the stage end) to access XLR cables from different channels. Snakes can also integrate multi-pin connectors into the connection cable, which makes system connection faster and easier. To reduce the size and weight of the cables, many Snakes wire connections do not use braided or spiral-wound shielding. Instead, foil is used to shield the wires of each pair of channels.

In addition to the common application scenario of connecting the stage to the FOH mixing station, the use of Snakes on smaller stages is a very popular way to wire the stage while keeping it clean and organized. Another use for Snakes to connect cables: to send signals from one side of the stage to the PA system on the other side.

Many Snakes connection cables can transmit signals in both directions. "Send" is used to input the microphone's signal to the mixer, and "return" is used to connect the mixer's output to an amplifier rack or active speaker. For larger audio systems, we can use separate Snakes connection cables as line level outputs to keep crosstalk (interference from adjacent Snakes connection cable channels) to a minimum.

The Splitter snakes connection cable provides multiple outputs on its sending side, so the same input can be transmitted to multiple consoles (that is, separate listening or broadcast consoles can be used separately). But some diverters are passive and simply shape the cable into a "Y" shape.

A better approach is to use an isolation transformer to isolate each console from the potential noise and buzzing caused by the device being connected to different power sources. In a split Snakes system, typically we connect a shunt to the input so that the console can pass phantom power to the microphone and DI.

There is also a version called "power snake," which combines several speaker cables with signal channels and is suitable for small audio systems with short distances between individual devices, usually limited to about 100 feet. A multi-loop version that has recently become popular includes both a signal cable and a power cable in one cable. This version of the cable is ideal for transferring both audio and AC power to active speakers.