Speakon
Speakon (spelling of the developer: speakON ) is a loudspeaker connector developed and manufactured by the Liechtenstein company Neutrik AG , which has established itself as a quasi-standard in professional sound engineering worldwide. The brand and system are protected by patents worldwide .
Executions
Speakon connectors are available as two-pole, four-pole and eight-pole versions, whereby the two-pole plug also fits into the four-pole socket (but not the other way around) and uses the first pair of contacts there . The eight-pole version is mechanically larger than the other two.
The number of available contacts in just one connector makes it possible to supply multi-channel passive systems, satellite subwoofer systems or multi-channel monitor / speaker constellations via a single connector.
The connections are numbered in pairs with the addition of plus and minus, i.e. 1+, 1−, 2+ and 2− for the four-pole system. These designations are printed or embossed on the connector on the assembly side.
properties
Speakon connectors are distinguished compared to the previously used for such connections XLR - or jack plugs with larger contact surfaces (lower contact resistance , higher load capacity) and shock protection from (important for amplifiers with performances in kW range). Mixing up (XLR) microphone cables and (Speakon) speaker cables is also impossible. However, Speakon cables can only be strung together with an additional connector, as they have two identical ends; XLR cables can be simply plugged together.
similar products
On the market there are plagiarisms or parallel developments that are compatible with Speakon, but much cheaper . Since the name Speakon is protected, these are sold under other names such as "Speaker-Twist", " PA plug connector" or just "speaker connector".
The Powercon connector developed for the power supply looks similar to Speakon and works in principle in the same way, but is designed in blue or gray. The arrangement of the guide slots prevents any mix-up mechanically ( right angle for PowerCon, diametrically opposite for Speakon).
literature
- Michael Ebner: manual of PA technology. 1st edition, Elektor-Verlag, Aachen, 2002, ISBN 3-89576-114-1
