What's the longest speaker cable I can use with this?

[jdogric12]

Hi gang. I have an Ampeg PF500 and 2 115 cabs I use with it. They stack, and I have cables that are just long enough to reach when stacked (with a little slack, of course). I'm thinking of placing the 2 cabs about 20 feet apart for an upcoming gig, to really rumble the room. What's the longest cable I should use? In other words, will I lose any signal or power by doing this? I know it's a dumb question. I know very little about amps, surprisingly.

 

[bob-i]

No problem

 

[jdogric12]

really? Cool! Just make sure to use "speaker" cable and not regular instrument 1/4" cable, right?

 

[slave]

really? Cool! Just make sure to use "speaker" cable and not regular instrument 1/4" cable, right?

Yeah don't use instrument cable. If you give one of those leads too much current you'll melt them. Seriously.

I've run a single amp with 20m speaker cable on plenty of occasions when I've had cabs on both sides of the stage, no problems at all.

 

[jdogric12]

Cool, thanks!

 

[walterw]

I'm thinking of placing the 2 cabs about 20 feet apart for an upcoming gig, to really rumble the room.

don't.

splitting bass cabs apart gives you less low end, not more. they start cancelling bass frequencies in between them, to where you get hot spots and dead spots throughout the room.

stack them vertically and they reinforce each other like they're supposed to, with no phase problems.

the vertical stack also makes it easier for you as the player to hear yourself, since the top cab is up closer to your ears.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Walter is right about frequency cancellation, you're better off stacking them of use a different amp/cabs that can provide more, deeper bottom end than the Ampegs do (I assume Ampeg cabinets?).

As to the speaker length issue, so long as you use real speaker cable or other similar type of wire you are good to go; I have wired up theatres with over 100' lengths of speaker cables just fine.

 

[jdogric12]

Thanks guys!

You know, I finally remembered how I dealt with one of the associated problems last time... used a small mixer to run both the bass guitar and bass pedals into the 1-channel amp. Ok, I'll stick with that!

 

[slave]

don't.

splitting bass cabs apart gives you less low end, not more. they start cancelling bass frequencies in between them, to where you get hot spots and dead spots throughout the room.

stack them vertically and they reinforce each other like they're supposed to, with no phase problems.

the vertical stack also makes it easier for you as the player to hear yourself, since the top cab is up closer to your ears.

Whilst you're dead right about phase cancellation, PA's that run bass in the mix will do this whether you like it or not.....

 

[walterw]

Whilst you're dead right about phase cancellation, PA's that run bass in the mix will do this whether you like it or not.....

Sometimes. The better ones in rooms with better layout won't, they'll center-cluster the sub cabs for the exact same reason.

 

[Floyd Eye]

Walter beat me to it. You cluster subs for the same reason. That and the 3dB.

You are far less likely to rumble the room spreading them out. You are more likely to create phase cancellations and power alleys.