What kind of jacks are you using?

B

Bozie

Active Member
Hi all,

I am about to make up the cables for my new rig. I am not keen on solderless systems, I don't think you can do better mechanically than the soldered joint.
I am curious about the jacks everyone is using. I have always gone for expensive hardware but wonder if anyone has used the garden variety found in the local electronics store and could compare audio quality? My thoughts are that the jacks in the EG wont get moved much so hard use isnt an issue like it is with an instrument leads, but audio quality is the primary objective.

So... What do you all think about expensive vs ordinary jack plugs?

Cheers
 
What he said. NP2X, NP2RX for right-angle. The right-angle jacks take up much more space than pancakes, but it's 1000% worth it for their ease of use and ruggedness.
 
Agreed. Neutrik are great and I have quite a few of them in my PA. I have used G&H Plugs on pedalboards and instrument cables for some time now and never audibly 'noticed' them. I have never had one fall to bits either.

At this time a Switchcraft or G&H right angle jack will cost between $10 - $25 each in NZ. Just half the jacks for my new rig would cost a small fortune - thats the reason for the original question.

In a fit of desperation I checked ebay and the same product is $3.89 US. I will get a discount if I buy more than four and it just gets better from there... Including the exchange rate and air freight it is still less than half the price to import than to buy locally.

In short - I dont need to sell a guitar to get quality components now. Cool.
 
I have made tons of custom cables using both the Neutrik NP2X as well as the standard Swutchcraft 280. I find the NP2X more of a challenge when soldering onto the half-cups for the tip and shield versus the nice holes that the Switchcraft has which holds the wire leads nicely while I apply heat and solder. I use a Panavise to hold the connector and I tried using forceps to hold the wire in place but had issues with the approach as the forceps seemed to suck up too much heat away from the connector. I usually have to get someone to blance the wire while I solder the NP2X while I can make cables very quickly by myself with the Switchcraft. Are there any tricks I am missing when soldering the NP2X connectors?
 
get an old effect pedal or small equipment box and mount a jack socket in it and use that to hold the neutrik kack whilst soldering leaves both hands free.
 
Yeah, as long as the jack's secure, iron in one hand, cable and solder in the other. No sweat. Also good practice for eating with chopsticks in your left hand :)
 
Yeah, I do use an empty effects box in a Panavise and insert the plug into a jack on the empty effects box to hold it. My problem is holding the wire in place while I solder. I do tin the wires first, but that is not enough solder to hold them against the flat ground tab of the Neutrik plug after heating. I have one of the junky "helping hands" devices too, but it is junk and just gets in the way. I guess I just need to further develop my technique of one hand doing two things. On the switchcrafts, the there are holes to hold the wire, which makes it 100 times easier. :D Thanks!
 
I use a croocodile clip from an old set of jump leads or a battery charger to grip the cable and hold it in place just screwed it down to the work bench

Had no issues whatsoever and I personally find neitrik jacks easier to solder than switchcraft + the neutrik cable grip is loads better

soldered somewhere in the region of 180 cables all with neutrik plugs and havent had a sinlge failure
 
I agree that the housings and strain relief is much heavier duty and grips the cable far better than the Switchcrafts or any other plugs I have ever used. That's why I like the Neutriks. Once assembled, they are rock solid. On my main rig I have been using the Neutriks for my audio cables and I am using Switchcrafts for control cables which allows me to easily identify what's going on. I use a less expensive control-class cables for non-audio and Evidence Audio Melody with Neutriks for audio patches.
 
As well as tinning the wire, you do tin the connector, right? Fill the tip receptacle and ensure there's a healthy amount on the shield spade, and you won't need to add any extra solder when you attach the wire.

Personally, I hate it when people use the holes when soldering Switchcraft connectors - makes it 10x harder to desolder and repair / reuse the connectors later. I still just tin and solder to the connectors, not feed the wire into the holes.
 
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