Proper cable for JBLEonG2 to Mackie 1202??

[captain54]

Once again I turn to the good people at Vdrums.com for some words of wisdom....

I have not yet been able to find a clean, quiet connection from my Mackie 1202vlz mixer and my JBL Eon G2..Up until now, I've been using one JBL cabinet for live perfs..
Even one JBL's been kicking ass...

My assumption is the only real option is the Main male xlr outputs on the Mackie to the female xlr in on the JBL....rather than the 1/4" outs and ins....

Is there a Y-Cable out there with two female xlr's on one end and one male xlr on the other?? this would seem to be my best option...I'm talking anywhere between 25' to 50'

If anyone has anything simliar to this setup I would appreciate some info on some of the cabling you are using, and idea as to the cost and where to get it...

thanx all

Peace

[szvook]

Well... technically since you are going from your 1202 to the speakers, you really don’t have to have XLR connections. Your 1202 sends the signal balanced, therefore you can use a ¼ cable to get good results. I use monster cables in this scenario; they are very quiet and insolate the signal quite nicely.

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szvook

[captain54]

Hmmm..

I've been using the main 1/4" outs on the Mackie into the 1/4" ins on the JBL's with crappy results....Guess its been the quality of cable I've been using....I'll try the Monster's....

thanx for the help..
Peace

[szvook]

Are the speakers in good working condition?

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szvook

[captain54]

I bought this cabinet a while back as manufacturers refurb when Musicians Friend had a blowout sale on them...I havent noticed anything peculiar about them at all..except...

At home here I have to keep the volume on about a quarter of the way or else it buzzes like hell...out live in a club or hall I don't notice any buzzing...right now I'm using 1/4" Hosa cables, 25 ft, from the Mackie main outs to input #2 on the JBL with a sort of Y-Cable I dug up here somewhere...

That's why I assumed the xlr connections was the way to go, but now I guess I need to explore the possibities of the Monster Cable option to see if maybe the cheap Hosa's are picking up some kind of interference in my home studio...

[This message has been edited by captain54 (edited October 22, 2001).]

[szvook]

Originally posted by captain54:

I bought this cabinet a while back as manufacturers refurb - Is that short refurbished? If that is the case, your issue could be right there.

I have to keep the volume on about a quarter of the way or else it buzzes like hell...out live in a club or hall I don't notice any buzzing...


Now we are getting somewhere....

If you are getting a buzz at lower levels, it might be your speakers, sorry to say. Maybe the tweeters are in need of replacement. At stronger levels some speakers can sound better then at lower levels, they seem to push past some discrepancies of the signal – some but not all. You should not be getting a buzz at lower levels, that points to a possible problem with your speaker components. Lower volume will always show if the speakers are working properly.




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szvook

[captain54]

OH great....

Well let's say it's a low level hum...

Wouldnt that be normal..?? I don't know I've never had an active speaker system like this before....I've always run outboard amps..

I thought it might be some kind of interference, cause the speaker is next to an AC outlet...

I doesn't break up or anything when I play thru...

DAmn....this sucks....

thanks for your help though

[szvook]

Originally posted by captain54:
cause the speaker is next to an AC outlet...

That could be the source to your issues... so it might not be your speakers after all.

Try the speakers away from the AC outlet to find out if it’s the outlet that is picking up the module signal or the speakers still. At least you will find out if it is the cables only.

Ground you gear if it is the AC outlet and try then. Interference like an AC can and will bleed through many times. Your drums should be isolated as much as possible and grounding them will help. Are you sharing the outlets with your drums and the AC, or anything else?

Some hum is ok, as long it’s not quite noticeable at lower volume. If you are getting a lot of hum at lower volumes away from any source like the AC and your gear is grounded and the cables are ok – then it is your speaker cones or tweeters or connections.


Also,

I’ve also only ran and run now outboard amps with my speakers. I have not used active speakers for my drums and I never liked the idea of using active speakers for drums – I prefer to have better isolation for my amp and speakers (that seems to be the bets way to avoid what you are experiencing right now, I just don’t want to be bashing the active speaker users). But because of the nature of the active speakers, isolation must be upheld for sure.


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szvook

[This message has been edited by szvook (edited October 23, 2001).]

[captain54]

I moved it away from the AC outlet, and it helps a little, I noticed the low level hum seems to come and go...

I have kind of a crappy radio shack looking Y-adapter at the end of my hosa cables going into my JBL Eon cabinet...I noticed when I jiggle this the humming either increases or decreases...another issue to address..

Its a smaller 9x14 room so you hear every little thing, so maybe I'm making too big a deal of this...but thanks for alerting me to the fact that the unit itself might be defective...

[szvook]

Glad to be of assistance. My rule of thumb is to check the connections/cables first and move on the other components to trace the issue(s). Maybe better/newer cables and the y-adapter will help still.

Good luck.

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szvook

[Bruce]

Dear Captain, Svook is 100% right, I have had the same problem with my Mackies and the problem is a ground loop caused by not having all the equipment (mixer and powered speakers and sound module, ect.) plugged into a common AC circuit with a common ground. As soon as you plug everything in one one circuit the problem usually dissapears.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Bruce