Mackie M1200/M1400 owner manual Speakons, Figure D: Binding Posts with Bare Wire

other. The unbalanced ground (earth) connec- tion should be wired to the low and the ground connections of the balanced input. If there are ground-loop problems, try connecting the un- balanced ground connection only to the input low connection, and leaving the input ground connection disconnected.

•In some cases, you will have to make up special adapters to interconnect your equip- ment. For example, you may need a balanced XLR female connected to an unbalanced 1⁄4" TS phone plug. The balanced-to-unbalanced connection has been anticipated in the wiring of Mackie jacks. A 1⁄4" TS plug inserted into a 1⁄4" TRS balanced input, for example, auto- matically unbalances the input and makes all the right connections. Conversely, a 1⁄4" TRS plug inserted into a 1⁄4" unbalanced input automatically ties the ring (low or cold) to ground (earth).

SPEAKONS

Speakon® connectors have become popular with many loudspeaker manufacturers be- cause they provide a quick, yet safe and secure method of connecting speaker cables. The M•1400 is outfitted with Speakon connectors (Figure G) instead of the 1/4" TS jacks pro- vided on the M•1200. Speakon connectors have a twist-locking mechanism that prevents them from being pulled out accidentally. Plus, they are capable of handling high currents, and meet IEC 65 and IEC 348 safety requirements. Pin 1+ is positive (+) and Pin 1– is negative (–).

CH	MONO	–	CH
	+ BRIDGE
1			2

++

– –

SPEAKER OUTPUTS

BINDING POSTS

Binding posts provide a number of different methods for connecting speaker wire to the outputs of the amplifier. For fixed installations, you can use bare wire (Figure D), or wire ter- minated with spade lugs (Figure E).

Figure D: Binding Posts with Bare Wire

Figure G: Speakon Connectors

1/4"

Figure E: Binding Posts with Spade Lug

For portable applications, the binding posts accept single or double banana plugs (Figure F). They provide a method of quickly connect- ing and disconnecting speaker cables to and from the amplifier. Double banana plugs have a tab on one side to indicate the ground (GND) side of the connector. This side connects to the black (–) binding post terminals on the amplifier.

G N D

Figure F: Binding Posts with Double Banana Plug

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