Cable Guide

 

The ACS 4x4FX, fully connected. Speaker Cables = Red, Instrument Cables = Green.

 

Instrument Cables

  • On the ACS rear panel, all BLACK connectors use standard instrument cables (green connections in the diagrams).

  • Use standard instrument cable with quality 1/4” TS connectors, low capacitance and good shielding.

  • Only use cables with straight connectors. Do not use right-angle connectors (risk of ground loop). Do not use silent plugs.

  • With passive guitar pickups, the most important cable is from the guitar to the ACS input (or pedal board). Keep this cable short (2-4m) to minimize tone loss (capacitive loading) with passive pickups, and use a high-quality guitar cable with good shielding.

  • The cables length from the ACS Amp Input to the amp inputs is actually not that critical. The ACS has a buffered guitar input, so it can drive long cable runs without any tone- or signal loss. Use high-quality instrument cables with good shielding and low capacitance, and keep them at reasonable length (5-20m).


Speaker Cables

  • On the ACS rear panel, all RED / BLUE / WHITE connectors use speaker cables (red connections in the diagrams).

  • Use speaker cables with 1,5mm² or 2,5mm² (not shielded) and with quality 1/4” TS connectors (Neutrik or such).

  • Do not use oversize- or XL connectors (risk of ground loop). The ACS jack spacing is 18,5mm.

  • The use of 1,5mm² or 2,5mm² cable depends: If you have short cable runs (<5m) and don’t use the full amp power, 1,5mm² is usually enough. With longer cable runs or when running the 100W heads at full power, 2,5mm² is recommended. With high amp power, the cable resistance of long cable runs can cause some minimal sound losses. However, these losses are usually completely linear, so it’s just an slight overall volume reduction with no change in the sound (usually 0,8dB or less).

Safety Notes

  • Do not use right-angle plugs. If the plugs touch each other, it will disrupt the ground isolation of the KHE and cause hum or damage to the gear. Use straight connectors only, or isolate them with tape.

  • Do not use XL or oversize plugs. If the plugs touch each other, it will disrupt the ground isolation of the KHE and cause hum or damage to the gear. The ACS jack spacing is 18,5mm. Use normal size connectors only, or isolate them with tape.

  • Make sure to use quality cables and connectors. Cheap or low-quality cables and connectors may cause problems in the long run. It doesn’t have to be high-end / snake-oil cables, but a solid quality is strongly recommended (Neutrik and such). Avoid the very cheap cables at all.

Cable Management & Labels

 
 

  • Add some labels or tags to the cables. This helps with a fast setup and easy troubleshooting. For example, use tape to create amp labels or number tags. Or, use colored isolation tape, such as the Stairville ISO Set 590, and give each amp it’s own color (my preferred method). Or, use color rings, such as Neutrik BPX Red or BPX Blue (I prefer colored tape). Or, use colored cables. In my setup, I use all grey speaker cables, which also greatly helps with identifying cables.

  • Create a cable snake for each amp. Bundle the instrument- and speaker cable together for each amp, using zip ties (preferably the flat types) or simple twisting wire. Mesh cable sleeves would be another option to create the snake, but they are a pain to install (personally, I’d rather use 20 zip ties then one mesh sleeve). If building DIY cables, make the instrument cable 50cm longer than the speaker cable for better routing flexibility on the amp side.

  • Make sure your the cables are long enough. Tight cabling can be a pain to work with, so it's best to give the cables some slack. Avoid excessive pulling force on the cables and jacks. Make sure to add some sort of strain relief or slack to the cables.

  • Always make sure the plugs are pushed fully into the connector for a good connection.

  • In case of dirty or corroded audio jacks, use pure alcohol, Caig DeoxIt or similar to clean the jacks. Do not spray it directly into the jack. Spray it to a cable plug, and insert and rotate the plug a few times.

 

Cable snake loomed together with twisting wire.

 

DIY Cables


If you have the right skills & tools, you can save a lot of money by building the cables by yourself. But it requires good soldering skills, the right tools, some knowledge and experience. Bad soldering on cables can cause all kinds of problems, which can be a real pain to troubleshoot and also can cause damage to the gear.


DIY Instrument Cables

  • It is recommended to use high-quality instrument cable with improved shielding and low capacitance (50-80pF/m), such as the Sommer Cable The Spirit or Spirit LLX or Cordial CGK 175. Cheaper cable types, such as the Cordial CIK 122 or The Sssnake SIK 122 have a higher capacitance (130pF/m or more) and less effective shielding, which can cause noise and tone-loss. Only use them for short cable runs (pedal board).

  • Use quality 1/4” TS connectors (6,3mm), such as the Neutrik NP2X or NP2-BAG. Cheaper plugs, such as the Rean NYS 201 can work too, but provide less mechanical stability.

  • Some cables or plugs have a metal spring relief. If the cables touch each other at the springs, it will disrupt the ground isolation of the KHE and cause hum or damage to the gear. Do not install those springs, or isolate them with tape. Do not use right-angle plugs for the same reason.

  • Tip for soldering Instrument Cables: Most good instrument cables have a black insulation layer between the shield-mesh and the white core insulation. This black layer is slightly conduction (to improve shielding). Always strip it down a bit more, so the white insulation is exposed by at least 5mm. If not exposed, it may shrinks during soldering and can cause the core conductor to touch the black layer. Since this layer is slightly conducting, it would create a low resistance path to ground (maybe 10k - 100k), which will ruin any high-impedance signal path or passive pickups.

 

Make sure to strip-back the black layer more, so the white insulation is exposed

 



DIY Speaker Cables

  • Speaker cables are typically more challenging to build, due to their thick internal wires.

  • Use speaker cables with either 1,5mm² core diameter, such as the Cordial CLS 215 or the the SSSnake SSK 215.

  • Or, use speaker cables with 2,5mm², such as the Cordial CLS 225 or the Sommer Cable SP225P.

  • Use quality 1/4” TS connectors (6,3mm), such as the Neutrik NP2X or the Amphenol ACPM-GN Mono.

  • Do not use XL plugs such as the Rean NYS225L (the KHE jack spacing is 18,5mm).

  • For speaker extension adapters, use the Neutrik NJ3FC6 or similar.

  • Make sure the speaker cable can fit into the connector housing, and add good strain relief.

  • Isolate the solder joints with heat shrink tube or isolation tape to avoid any shortcuts.

  • Don’t go cheap on the parts for speaker cables.

  • 2,5mm² speaker cables can be pretty challenging to build.





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