Side note, the Speakon
plug is rated for
voltage and is used in some high tech no doubt either
strobe or
LED lighting
fixture. While the
adaptor might be otherwise useful for use with this
fixture even if I believe it to be 208v with data signal spikes in it's sine waves, the
adaptor at least to Speakon is not a huge problem - or at least in some cases does conform to the "knowing what one is doing" type of thing. Euro fixtures I think in using such a
plug I do remember. Way too many must have for the tour Euro fixtures in the past to remember which one uses it beyond the pain in the rear of black verses blue Speakons, and the definate need for ferrules in addition to them not being very rugged.
Is it the best idea given and the important
point is the unskilled labor factor universal across the industry requiring even if you know what you are doing, to still dummy down your gear so others can use it? Or if not use it, they won't attempt to help you use it?
The 1/4"
plug on the other
hand is not rated for
voltage and is thus clearly unsafe to have such an
adaptor to
Edison.
Believe in the case of the Speakon
plug from a
fixture, I went directly in
adaptor to ML-3 so as not to confuse. Use of the Speakon
plug no doubt was also an alternate, but there are lots of
plug types that are much better alternatives should you wish to go with
power or signal.
Will have preferred not even to use the sound systm standard
plug but there was no other choice given the equipment. In this case, the people using the gear definately had this equipment on their watch list of things - others don't get to handle. Not the best ideas given a few hundred fixtures say per show and those knowing what they are doing having a lot of other things to be doing than worrying about one detail. All it takes is missing that get the show up and running spirit once and you can very likely get a real problem. That's why you dummy down what even might be safe but is still not simple - stupid.
Beyond this all, in going from 1/4" to
Edison to Speakon for running the
speaker, at least in data cable there is various grades of it. Not doing sound for a living I can't say beyond that I would think that a good signal would require a cable feeding it to have other than just a store bought SJT
power cord's resistance factors about it as
conductor type. Even if the lighting industry and sound industry share the
Socapex style mulit
conductor cable as a standard, I have no doubts that it's grade is much better than a store bought
Edison. This not being the case, it's still even if it works for one in not causing major problems with the signal, not good practice in taking a chance someone will by accident do something that will be expensive.
Some things you just don't do like 208v to
Edison adaptors. Sure others might have switched the moving light internally, but all it takes is once and such as plugged into it are really screwed. Can you say 10 Mini
Mac fixtures physically blown up by someone plugging even a
Socapex type
plug into the wrong
outlet of a
distro I built but miswired in wiring it as normal instad of the alternative that would othewise ensure such a thing could not happen? Even those qualified to use the moving lights might at some
point screw up. Me in mis-wiring the
Distro so the 208v stuff could blow up a 120v
fixture was a huge mistake on my part. Equally shared with the person otherwise qualified to use the gear in plugging into the wrong
outlet. In the case of "I got all this
Edison cable, why not use it also for sound", it's both bad practice and a asking for someone to help you when the cable's in a bundle of it and someone mistakes that extension
cord for a work light type of thing. You in using such a thing would be asking for your
speaker to blow up. Egg on you for knowing better but not knowing better to assume someone will use your gear and make a mistake.
Finally, part of knowing better and being compitent to use the gear also means that you recognize that while it can be done, it is not safe for the masses to have access to. Yes you might know how to say tin your
wire and it would be perfectly fine for you - given you know what you are doing to say screw a
Edison plug in not using one, these bare conductors when inserted into a
socket will work just fine. That is as long as it's me doing so. Same type of thing. How many people have caught one's tinkering grand father in having a drill they just inserted even the bare not tinned wires into an
outlet? Than what did you think of the barbarian?
Much the same taken aback those that are opposed to this I expect also take with those for using
Edison cable for
speaker extensions. Yea you can do it, and yea, you can also just shove wires into the
outlet, much less, why worry about 250v rated plugs for moving lights, why not just standardize your outlets with economy 10pkg
Edison outlets in a 1900 wall
outlet box. No longer need a
twofer and it's really cheap.
No matter what part of the industry you are in, part of being or becoming a pro is in dummying down or making safe for general usage the gear you both make or use. Yea you can do it, and it's a cheap alternative. Beyond cost effectiveness also is something about professionalism in that you would walk from your job before you would produce or use something unsafe. Safe for you is not the intent of what you produce for a production. I have
stagepin sixfers in
stock for my private use for an application I forget the testing of. They do not leave my work area. One screw up and it's your reputation that's not worth the cost effectiveness.
Took months for me to get those that trust me over my mistake on the wiring of the 208v
Socapex outlets that would not cause 120v things to blow up once plugged in. To push the
point further, the re-wiring of the AC
distro was sent to someone else in a slap on the
face about my screw up in something I know better than. As said, this was both expensive and never should have been done by me. It took months before I gained back that respect.
You blow up speakers by someone using what you
build and say is available for use and you might never get back that respect. Remember that your name even if not printed on what you make is still attached to it. Someone mis-uses what you
build and it's not only a them thing, it's also a you thing for making such a thing in the first place.