6 Major Differences Between Speaker and Guitar Cables

Differentiating between speaker cables and guitar cables is an essential part of music instrument installation. If something goes wrong while installing the speaker cables and guitar cable, you may end up damaging the hardware.

If you are looking for a solution that takes away the stress of differentiating speaker and guitar cables, you can go for custom cable manufacturing. At CLOOM Tech, we serve top-level music companies and musical instrument manufacturers with custom cable assembly services.

We are going to discuss seven significant differences between speaker cables and guitar cables.

Alt-Text: Guitar cable with the guitar and the white background

1.Guitar and Speaker Cables are Not the Same

There are several reasons why you should never use guitar and speaker cables in the wrong instruments. If you consider the structure of both wires, you will notice that both guitar and speaker cables are identical physically. Many things in both cables can help you differentiate one from the other. If you think that both cables are the same, have you noticed that both cables have many different factors? Different use cases

Different types of connectors

Speaker cables and guitar cables are different in terms of material and manufacturing.

Both cables are usable in different devices

You cannot use guitar cable in amp and vice versa

The physical construction may be identical, but internal engineering is different.

While buying these cables, you need to make sure that you are getting a suitable line. If you have bought amp cables for the guitar, never use the wrong cable. After buying the right cables, you still need to ensure that you don’t mix both lines on stage. Managing a lot of threads on stage can create problems for the team.

Alt-text: Black guitar cable

2.Working on guitar and speaker cables

The most significant difference between guitar cable and speaker cables is the working of both cables. Both cables serve different functions, and you should avoid mixing both cables. Custom cables can help to get rid of this confusion once in all.

On the grounds of functionality and working, both cables have some significant differences like:

• Guitar cable carry a weak signal in comparison with the speaker cables
• Guitar cable deliver the audio signal from a guitar or any instrument to the amp
• Speaker cables are responsible for data transmission from speaker to amp
• Guitar cable require thick shielding to stop the external interference
• The signals from the other device can disturb the transmission of the guitar cable
• Signals of speaker cables are already powerful, so the disturbance is already minimal

Alt-text: Connecting a speaker cable to the back of an amplifier

3.Functions of Guitar and Speaker Cables

Most teams face issues while managing cables in bulk. When a team has to organize mega-events, the stage and the setup look overwhelmed with different wires. Each wire has its functions like power cables supply the power, and VGA cables transmit the video data. If you have a custom guitar cable for your project, you don’t need to worry about the management of wires.

Likewise, other cables on the stage, guitar, and speaker cables are also different. If you don’t want to indulge yourself in managing the wires at every event, custom cable assemblies can solve your issue. Both cables have their specific functions in the setup.

• The wrong cable in the unsupported instrument can cause unwanted noise
• Using speaker cable in the guitar will cause constant humming during the operation
• Speaker cables aim to transmit strong signals while guitar cables carry weaker signals
• Both cables are suitable for specific functions and violating the use case can affect performance

4.Shielding of Both Cables

When you need to differentiate between guitar cable and speaker cable, the first step is to look for the physical construction of both wires. The functionality of the cables and the internal working are factors that we cannot examine without going into the details of the cables. For external structure, you can quickly tell the difference between both cables by analyzing the shielding.

Both guitar and speaker cables have different levels of shielding. Speaker cables are less vulnerable to external interferences, while guitar cables are more vulnerable to mobile signals and other devices.

• If the cable has an extra layer of shielding, it’s probably the guitar cable
• Cable with no shielding is the speaker cable
• Cable with the thicker conductor is speaker cable as it is going to carry more current
• If the guitar is making a lot of noise while playing, you are probably using speaker cables in the wrong instrument
• If you push the guitar cables in the speakers too hard, the conductors can melt due to thin conductors
• Focus on the shielding of both guitar and speaker cables to differentiate one from the others

5.Different Connectors for Speaker and Guitar Cable

Connectors in both cables are different from each other. Have you ever seen the connector of AUX cable in your car? The speaker cable is almost the same as the AUX cable, and you can easily distinguish the speaker cable from the guitar cable by analyzing the cable’s connector.

Alt-text: Black Guitar Amplifier with jack plugged in

Both cables are different in many aspects and remember that both lines are not interchangeable. The difference between the connectors of both wires can help you differentiate between the guitar and speaker cables. If you don’t find the clear labeling to determine the lines, go for the connectors

• Unscrew the cable if it has two independent wires, it is speaker cable
• If it is guitar cable, one or two wires will have the shielding
• If one wire has a connection to the tip and one to the sleeve, its speaker cable
• Pairs of red and black wire or white and black wires indicate the speaker cable
• If there is no braided wire, it can be the speaker cable

6.Use of Materials in Both Cables is Different

If there is no proper labeling on the line to clarify the use case, you can check the material of the wires. The material of the guitar and speaker cables can help you to differentiate one line from the other. Most of the guitar and speaker cable manufacturers mostly attach the labels with wires with the details about the material of the wire.

If you don’t get to know more about the material of the wire, you can check the instructions from the guitar and speaker cable manufacturer.

• Copper material is common in the speaker cables
• If there are traces of copper oxides on the connector of the cable, it can be speaker cable
• The use of the material in cables is not limited to copper only
• Some international cable manufacturers use silver and gold guitar and speaker cables

Conclusion

If your team is tired of differentiating guitar cable from speaker cables, it’s time to choose the services of CLOOM Tech for custom guitar cable. We can save your project to further losses that you might face due to using the wrong line. CLOOM Tech team can manufacture custom guitar cables and custom speaker cables as per project specifications.