So my ARt SLA2 power amp arrived today

kmanick

kmanick

Fractal Fanatic
and I need a freaking 1/4 inch to Banana plug converter to even plug in my cab(s)?????
WTF??
I don't like it already and I haven't even turned it on yet :-x
and it looks like the Stereo/Bridge switch is stuck in bridged mode.
really nice.
 
Bummer. I have no idea why they built it that way, but it's no big deal. If you want to try your amp now and don't have a bananna plug on hand, you can snip the 1/4" plug off one end of a speaker cable and screw down the bare wire ends under the binding posts on the SLA2.

Later on you can either mount a 1/4" jack (or a Speakon) in the back of your rack like I did. Or simply get a banana plug and make a speaker cord that has Banana on one end and 1/4" plug on the other.

Can't help with the stuck stereo/bridge switch..

I ran my SLA2 hard for a few years but just recently CH 1 stopped working. I took it as an opportunity to order a Matrix GT1000FX!
 
Yep, I would just sacrifice a speaker cable and snip the end, strip some of the wire and run into the binding posts. Also, I believe you should try and use a pencil tip or something to engage / disengage bridged mode. It might not be stuck, just the button itself is kind of inset so as to not make easy to change or bump by accident.
 
Gasp100 is correct - it doesn't sound like the switch is broken, it's recessed to prevent accidentally changing the mode. The amp has to be wired a little differently in bridged mode, and the switch should only be changed when the amp is off.

As others have suggested, you could use bare wires on the binding posts if you wanted to try things out ASAP. Another alternative would be to pick up a set of banana plugs/adapters/cables at your local Guitar Center, Sam Ash, Daddy's, etc., or wait until the ones I just sent get there :p
 
thanks for sending those Jason :)

OmegaZero said:
Gasp100 is correct - it doesn't sound like the switch is broken, it's recessed to prevent accidentally changing the mode. The amp has to be wired a little differently in bridged mode, and the switch should only be changed when the amp is off.

As others have suggested, you could use bare wires on the binding posts if you wanted to try things out ASAP. Another alternative would be to pick up a set of banana plugs/adapters/cables at your local Guitar Center, Sam Ash, Daddy's, etc., or wait until the ones I just sent get there :p
Click to expand...
 
It's the pros and cons of saving quite a bit of money. Keep in mind that this amp was designed to be a studio power amp to power speakers in the studio not a guitar cab thus the binding post/banana style of hook up. One has to admit for the money it does have a nice bang for the buck.
 
Caveat emptor. I, too, have learned the hard way that it's important to check the types of connectors on a piece of gear before pulling the trigger.
 
aleclee said:
Caveat emptor. I, too, have learned the hard way that it's important to check the types of connectors on a piece of gear before pulling the trigger.
Click to expand...

never even entered my mind , this is the first time I've encountered this in my 30 years of playing.
 
Banana plugs & binding posts have been around for a long time, they're more universal than 1/4" or Speakon. As mentioned you can wire bare wires to the terminals. If running in stereo, make certain that each side has proper polarity ( +/- ) else you'll lose bottom end because they're out of phase. Same if you use banana plugs, it's possible to insert one backwards and it's not always obvious.

Personally I prefer wiring directly to the binding posts when possible. With the rack on top of a cab you don't need much length, I just stuff the cables into the back of the rack.
 
I have an SLA-1 - I converted a speaker cable as mentioned above - only problem is that the banana plugs I used are quite loose in the socket. Otherwise it works fine.
 
So Jason (the guy I bought this from) sent me the banana plug adapters (really quick too , thanks so much :) )
and WOW!! what a difference between this and the Mesa 50/50. Now the amp models actually don't all sound the same anymore and I
had this low "rumble" while using the 50/50 that required me to add a high pass filer before all of my FX loop blocks.
Nope don't need it no more the rumble is gone.
Now I can hardly wait for the next Gen Coaxial passive speakers to be released, I will be in tonal heaven!
 
kmanick said:
never even entered my mind , this is the first time I've encountered this in my 30 years of playing.
Click to expand...
While the interface between guitar-related gear is fairly consistent, the SLA isn't a guitar amp. Have you bought much pro audio equipment? If you don't check the IO specs, you're likely to end up with RCA jacks instead of XLR or something similarly silly.
 
aleclee said:
While the interface between guitar-related gear is fairly consistent, the SLA isn't a guitar amp. Have you bought much pro audio equipment? If you don't check the IO specs, you're likely to end up with RCA jacks instead of XLR or something similarly silly.
Click to expand...

I'm all set I have this hooked up.
I have never bought any "pro audio" equipment before only Guitar specific equipment.
Until now I was not aware that the Art was not specifically designed for the Axe, it was all the rave last year, that I just assumed that
this unit was made to pair up with an Axe FX.

Anyway it sounds very good, I may pick up a matrix at some point but for the price I paid and how I'm currently using it, it's great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom