Although everyone has found that guitar cords and speaker cables cannot be used interchangeably, they do not know the specific reason. At the same time, because these two audio cables usually share the same audio connector – 1/4″ phone plugs, many novices and eager users often confuse them. This article mainly explains the relevant content of speaker cable vs instrument cable.
By reading this article, you can learn:
What is an instrument cable?
What is a speaker cable?
How to tell the difference?
What happens if you use the wrong cable?
Table of Contents
Understand what speaker cable vs instrument cable is?
What is an instrument cable?
An instrument cable is a type of cable specifically designed to transmit low-power signals from instruments such as guitars. It is mainly used to amplify the weak unamplified signal of a guitar to a usable level through an amplifier. It has the characteristics of low power and high impedance. Since guitar pickups have high impedance themselves, instrument cables are also designed to be high impedance to match the characteristics of the pickups.
The instrument cable is usually composed of a small single-wire conductor (usually 24 gauge) passing through a braided shield conductor that serves as a ground connection, as well as various insulators and jackets to prevent any interference from surrounding power supplies. Since the signal power transmitted by the instrument cable is low and does not need to transmit a large amount of current, its wire diameter is relatively thin, which facilitates flexible movement. This design makes the instrument cable in environments such as stages It can better follow the movements of the performer, while also effectively preventing external noise from interfering with the signal, ensuring the purity of the tone.
What is a speaker cable?
Speaker cable, on the other hand, is primarily about carrying high power signals from the amplifier to the speaker. It’s the exact opposite of instrument cable, high power, low impedance. Because the impedance is so low, more power can be carried, producing more detail in the sound. Speaker cables have two wire conductors, and the diameter gauge of these conductors is much larger than guitar cable, helping to carry more power.
Imagine that the amplifier is like a water pump, constantly delivering “audio energy” to the speaker. The speaker wire is like the pipe connecting the water pump to the faucet. The thicker the water pipe, the smoother the water flow and the less water pressure loss. Similarly, the thicker the speaker wire, the smoother the audio signal transmission, the less energy is lost, and the more musical details can be heard.
Better understand the direct relationship between gauge, impedance, and length.
What happens if you use the wrong cable?
Use an instrument cable as a speaker cable
Speaker cables are capable of carrying higher power, while guitar cables are weaker in this regard. If you use guitar cables as speaker cables at low volume, there may not be any problems. However, once the volume is turned up, the large amount of current passing through the thin wires of the instrument cable will melt the cable, and the guitar cable may not be able to withstand the power delivered, which will cause the amplifier (pre-stage) to increase in internal heat, causing a short circuit and damaging the amplifier.
In extreme cases, this overheating may cause damage to the amplifier (pre-stage) or even melt the cable. At the same time, you may hear distortion and other undesirable effects from the amplifier (pre-stage). Obviously, this will cause serious damage to your tube amplifier and may lead to high repair costs, which is definitely not the result you want to see.
Use a speaker cable as an instrument cable
On the other hand, if you use speaker cables to connect your guitar, the consequences are less severe. Speaker cables are well-suited to handling the output power of your guitar, so there are no issues in this regard. However, as mentioned before, speaker cables are unshielded, which means they are more susceptible to electromagnetic interference from the surroundings, which can cause more noise.
This is because speaker cables are usually used to transmit high-power signals, which can suppress any background noise. For low-level signals, noise is more audible, so ordinary instrument cables are usually shielded.
From stage lights to your own amplifier to your phone, when using speaker cables instead of guitar cables, all of this extraneous noise will be picked up and played back through the amplifier. This is definitely an undesirable effect.
How to tell the difference speaker cable vs instrument cable?
So how do you avoid the critical mistake of using an instrument cable versus a speaker cable? In fact, most quality audio cable manufacturers will mark the relevant information on their products. Therefore, these markings can usually be found by looking carefully at the wire body. Generally speaking, speaker cables are thicker than guitar cables, but this is not always the case because some guitar cables can also be thick.
If your cable doesn’t have any markings, another way to identify it is to take apart the casing of the cable plug and look inside. The plugs of many wires are designed to be rotated and unscrewed to facilitate daily maintenance. After opening the plug, you will find that there are usually two equal-sized conductor cables inside. They are usually made of plastic shells of different colors and soldered to both ends of the plug jack.
Guitar cables consist of just one large conductor cable, surrounded by a braided shield. This braid is the most distinctive feature of guitar cables and is soldered to both ends of the jack plug.
If you have a molded cable (the plug is fully covered and cannot be unscrewed), you can carefully use a sharp tool to cut open the cable and observe the structure inside. Finally, just seal the cut with some electrical tape.
Make a mark to distinguish speaker cable vs instrument cable
Once you know what type of cable you have, make sure to label it, especially if it’s molded. Many guitarists use different colored electrical tape to label their cables. If you own multiple cables, be sure to label them to avoid misusing them in the future.
Most importantly, don’t ever substitute speaker cable for guitar cable, even if you have to. This could damage your guitar amplifier, and it’s more likely to be a mistake than a success. So taking the time to identify the cables you have and labeling them correctly can help avoid this rookie mistake.
Some FAQs
Why can't speaker cable vs instrument cable used interchangeably?
- Impedance mismatch: If you use speaker cables to connect instruments, it may cause serious signal attenuation and affect the sound quality. If you use instrument cables to connect speakers, it may damage the amplifier.
- Signal type mismatch: Instrument cables and speaker cables are designed to accommodate different signal types. If they are mixed, it will affect the normal operation of the equipment.
How to choose the right speaker cable vs instrument cable?
- Consider device impedance: Choose the right cable according to the input and output impedance of the device.
- Consider signal length: The longer the signal length, the greater the resistance of the cable, so you need to choose a cable with a larger cross-sectional area.
- Consider environmental interference: If the environmental electromagnetic interference is serious, you can choose a cable with better shielding performance.
What are some common brands of instrument cables and speaker cables?
Common brands: Monster Cable, Belden, Canare, Mogami, etc. –Top 15 High End Audio Cable Wholesalers
Do instrument cables and speaker cables need to be replaced frequently?
In general, as long as the cable is not damaged, it does not need to be replaced frequently. However, if the sound quality is significantly reduced or the cable shows signs of aging, you need to consider replacing it.
Conclusion
To recap, the primary distinction between instrument cables and speaker cables lies in their impedance and power handling capabilities. Instrument cables, with their high impedance, are well-suited for the weak signals produced by instruments. Speaker cables, with their low impedance, are designed to handle the higher power output of amplifiers. Choosing the correct cable type ensures efficient signal transmission and prevents signal degradation.
