Mic'ing a cab in a different room (speaker cable)

[cloy26]

So what is the best way? I want to mic my cab in the room next to me so I can comfortably track through my monitors instead of a cab blowing my face off.

Would it be acceptable to make a 20 foot speaker cable to just throw the cab in another room? Or woudl the degradation be too much? I don't know if the rules still apply to a speaker cable as they do for an instrument cable?

Or would it be best to just get a long mic cable and keep the head and cab together in the same room?

 

[lolzgreg]

My friend,

Do not worry about speaker cable length. If you're approaching 75+ feet you may have to worry a tad about it, but otherwise, no biggie.

IIRC, someone used clothes hanger wire as a speaker cable and no one could tell the difference vs. a monster brand speaker cable. If that doesn't say dont worry, I dunno what does

 

[cloy26]

haha o wow. awesome. I just remember when I was starting to make my instrument cables, everyone warned against going past like 12 feet and did a quick google search if the same rule applied for speaker cable and the consensus is that it did... But the guys at the sneap forum know whats up. lol

I mean, not to be a pain, but what are the physics behind it? I mean, why does degradation rape instrument wire and not speaker cable? Cause the power carried by an instrument cable is so weak compared to that of a 5150?

 

[Wisheraser]

I made a 25 foot speaker cable recently and I don't notice any difference in tone between that and the 3 foot planet wave cable (bought in my more impressionable days) that I was using before.

 

[haffner1]

haha o wow. awesome. I just remember when I was starting to make my instrument cables, everyone warned against going past like 12 feet and did a quick google search if the same rule applied for speaker cable and the consensus is that it did... But the guys at the sneap forum know whats up. lol

I mean, not to be a pain, but what are the physics behind it? I mean, why does degradation rape instrument wire and not speaker cable? Cause the power carried by an instrument cable is so weak compared to that of a 5150?

I'm a noob here, and no engineer, so don't take my word for it- but yes you answered your own question. The power output to the speaker is vastly greater in relation to the inherent resistance and distortion tendencies of the cable. If I am not mistaken, the output of a guitar is measured in microamps, so the resistance of the cable will have a much greater impact. Anyone who has real knowledge on this, feel free to correct any minor inaccuracies of this statement.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

haha o wow. awesome. I just remember when I was starting to make my instrument cables, everyone warned against going past like 12 feet and did a quick google search if the same rule applied for speaker cable and the consensus is that it did... But the guys at the sneap forum know whats up. lol

I mean, not to be a pain, but what are the physics behind it? I mean, why does degradation rape instrument wire and not speaker cable? Cause the power carried by an instrument cable is so weak compared to that of a 5150?

The Input stage on an input of an amp is extremely high (high impedance), and that excessive resistance (usually 1Meg) degrades the signal over very short distances. However the output stage is a very low resistance (16 ohms). So compare 100mV @ 1Meg ohm versus 45V @ 16 ohm.

so the physics behind it is that an instrument input has a lot of resistance for the current to fight to get to its destination, where as a speaker out has very little resistance to allow the current to get to its destination.

I do believe for a 16 ohm load you can have up to a 1000ft. before you begin to notice degradation. The higher the voltage and lower the current, the longer the distance a signal can travel, just like AC power lines which are 10,000V with a low current (120V @ 20 Amps would be slaughtered in transmission)

 

[Wolfeman]

The Input stage on an input of an amp is extremely high (high impedance), and that excessive resistance (usually 1Meg) degrades the signal over very short distances. However the output stage is a very low resistance (16 ohms). So compare 100mV @ 1Meg ohm versus 45V @ 16 ohm.

so the physics behind it is that an instrument input has a lot of resistance for the current to fight to get to its destination, where as a speaker out has very little resistance to allow the current to get to its destination.

I do believe for a 16 ohm load you can have up to a 1000ft. before you begin to notice degradation. The higher the voltage and lower the current, the longer the distance a signal can travel, just like AC power lines which are 10,000V with a low current (120V @ 20 Amps would be slaughtered in transmission)

Sweet you saved me a lot of typing.