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Thursday, March 14, 2013
Balanced and Unbalanced Cables Defined Balanced electrical signals travel along 3 wires: a positive, a negative, and a ground. The positive and negative carry the same signal, just in opposite polarity to one another. Noises that may be picked up in the cable will usually be common to each leg. As long as the destination is balanced, the receiving device will flip the signal, bringing them back into polarity. This eliminates the noise by causing it to be out of phase. This is commonly referred to as Common Mode Rejection and is the primary reason balanced cables are best for long cable runs. TRS and XLR cables are made to send balanced audio from one balanced device to another balanced device. Unbalanced cables are much simpler than balanced. However, they can easily fall victim to noise issues. Unbalanced lines should be used in shorter lengths, ideally 25 foot and under. This will go a long way in reducing any noise that could be carried with the signal into your gear. Instruments, like guitars. and their users vow they can tell a difference in the tone the longer the cable gets.
Cable Connectors There are six primary cable connector types in the world of Pro Audio. XLR and TRS for balanced connections; Speakon, TS, RCA, and Banana Plugs for unbalanced connections. Here is a brief overview of each: XLR An XLR connector has positive, negative, and ground connections. They are primarily used for balanced line-level signals and for microphone signals. These are commonly used for connecting mics to mixers and for hooking up various outputs to powered speakers.
TRS TRS is also referred to as Tip, Ring, Sleeve. It has the same appearance as your standard 1/4″ and 1/8″ plugs. The difference is that it has an extra ring on the plug. TRS cables are two conductor plus a ground. Commonly used to connect balanced equipment and for running left and right mono signals to stereo headphones. These will also be located on Y cables for use in mixer insert jacks when the signal is sent out in one wire and comes back thru another wire.
Speakon Speakon connectors are used to carry amplified signals. They are most commonly used to connect power amplifiers to PA speakers, Monitors, and Subwoofers in studio or on stage. They have a unique locking feature that tend to make them a more attractive option than the 1/4″ TS connection. It should be noted that is recommended to never use an instrument cable to connect an amplifier to a speaker.
TS TS is also referred to as Tip, Sleeve. It is the universal name for specific type of 1/8″ or 1/4″ connector meant for a two conductor unbalanced operation. Only one insulator ring separates the tip and the sleeve. The tip carries the signal and the sleeve is where the ground is connected. These cables are best used as guitar or line level instrument cables.
Banana Plugs Banana plugs are an electrical conductor made to connect audio wires (speaker wires) to the binding posts on the back of power amplifiers, speakers, or simply to a banana jack. These banana jacks are most often found at the end of a binding post receptacle on power amplifiers and some speakers.
RCA RCA is the term most commonly used when referring to phono connectors used to connect consumer stereo gear. You will usually see CD outputs or inputs using these RCA connections. RCA connectors are also used in the digital audio world for connections such as S/PDIF, but are still a staple in the pro audio world.
Monday, December 03, 2012
NEW PRODUCT RELEASE Just wanted to let you guys know and introduce you to several new items we released this week! There is a little bit of everything, so take a look and give us a call with how many you want of each!!! Cable Organization We have been getting requests for zip ties and other cable organization items, so we decided to give them a try! We now offer the SAPT143 – 4 Inch Zip ties, the SAPT144 – 8 Inch Zip Ties, and a 6 Pack of Multi-Color Velcro Cable Ties. If you guys are as messy as we are, these things are invaluable!!!!  SAPT143 – 4 Inch Zip Ties  SAPT144 – 8 Inch Zip Ties  SA-V8LCR6 – 6 Pack of Colored Velcro Straps
Cables, Adapters, and Converters In our endeavor to be your one stop shop for all your Pro Audio needs, we have added several new items to our cable and cable adapter line. We now have the SAPT145 – 1/4″ TRS Female Coupler, the SA-iREQES6i – 6 inch Headphone Extender/Adapter Cable – 1/8″ to 1/4″ TRS Female, the SA-iEMRCAM – 1/8″ Male to Dual RCA Male Adapter Cable. These are available in 6, 10, 15, and 25 foot versions. We also have the SA-iERQM10 – 1/8″ Male to 1/4″ Male Interconnect Cable and the SAXFRM-2×5 – Dual XLR Male to Dual RCA Male 5′ Patch Cable. Finally, we now offer the SA-T2CCon1 – Coaxial to Optical Digital Audio Converter.  SAPT145 – 1/4″ Female TRS Coupler  SA-iREQES6i – 6 Inch Headphone Extender/Adapter Cable  SA-iEMRCAM – Male 1/8″ to Dual Male RCA Patch Cable  SA-iERQM10 – 1/8″ (3.5mm) Stereo Male to 1/4″ Male Patch Cable
 SAXFRM-2×5- Dual XLR Male to Dual RCA Male 5′ Patch Cable  Coaxial to Optical Digital Audio Converter
Rack Mountable Snake Cables Over the years, we have been inundated with requests for Rack Mountable Splitter Snakes. We now have them. We are offering them in a variety of configurations. Choose either 16 Channel, 24 Channel, or 32 Channel. All models are available with either two 15 foot trunks or a 15 foot trunk and a 30 foot trunk. The cable ends on the fantail are all XLR, while the stage box consists of all female XLR and 1/4″ Combo Jacks. These snakes are ideal for cleaning up stage space and keeping things organized! Awesome splitter snakes!  32 Channel XLR TRS Combo Splitter Snake Cable – 15′ and 30′ XLR trunk  SARMSS-32×1530 – Rack Mounted View
Home Audio Speaker Wire Although we have no intention of getting into the Home Audio side of things, we do listen to the demands of our customers. We get the occasional request for home audio speaker wire. We now offer it in 100 foot Spools. It is available in 14 gauge and 16 gauge.  SA-SW100-14 – 100 Ft of 14 Gauge Speaker Wire  SA-SW100-14 – 100 Ft of 16 Gauge Speaker Wire
Powered Mixers Yes, you read that correctly. We are now carrying a line of Powered Mixers, a 12 Channel and an 8 Channel! They will be live on the website soon! Until then, give us a call at 901-363-6030 and we will be happy to discuss all the bells and whistles with you!  Landslide Powered Mixers
We know how difficult it can be to keep up with new product arrivals! Hopefully, we will be putting up a blog post every time we get new products in to keep you guys in the loop and so that you can be the first ones to get your hands on them! As always, visit www.seismicaudiospeakers.com for all of your Pro Audio needs. Rock On!
Friday, November 30, 2012
It is amazing what hard work, patience, and the genuine desire to treat customers the way we want to be treated will result in! Just like the song from the TV show “The Jeffersons” used to say…looks like we are “Movin On Up”!! As you all know, we sell our products on Amazon.com. It helped us to get where we are today. We are in constant contact with our rep from Amazon, giving and receiving feedback and always looking for ways to improve through Amazon Services. We received a call from them yesterday and they gave us a link to go to. What we found on the other end of the link was both humbling and exciting for us at the same time. Amazon decided to feature us as one of their Seller Success Stories. We were floored. We have always strived to grow the business. I guess you are never really prepared for the day you finally get world-wide recognition from Amazon. Here is a link to the story: http://www.amazonservices.com/content/case-studies-seismic-audio.htm?ld=AS Seller Success Story – Seismic Audio Speakers  President/CEO Steve Acree
You guys know we are not the kind to pat ourselves on the back or anything like that. We are just regular guys trying to make good on our business model of providing musicians the most cost effective and high quality Pro Audio products on the market today! We believe that all musicians should sound their best, without breaking the bank to do so! We encourage you to take a look at this article written by Amazon on Seismic Audio Speakers. It is a pretty cool history lesson on the company and the things we have done to grow the business and at the same time stay true to who we are. Till next time, just keep on rocking! Follow us on twitter Follow @seismicaudio
 Just in time for the Holidays, we now offer the SA Gift Card!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
One thing we have always taken a lot of pride in is our dedication to our customers. We have never wanted to be just another corporate entity that treats their customers like a number. If it were not for you guys, we would not be here, period. It doesn’t matter if it means staying on the phone with you to ensure you get exactly what you are looking for, or our guarantee that we will be here to answer any tech questions you have. Many of you know us by name and have built relationships with us over the years. We would like to return that favor by allowing you to get to know us more personally and how we came to be in the pro audio and music industries. We are not all musicians. but if you get us in our cars or in the shower, we are all Rock Stars at heart. Allow us to introduce ourselves…the guys behind Seismic Audio.
Donald Parr, Data Entry, Warehouse Associate Follow @DonaldParrSA I have often been asked about my relationship with music and the speaker industry. My usual response is that it was by chance. I enjoy music, but the other guys around here are the one’s who have all the passion for music. The next question is usually that I must share the passion on some level, otherwise why would I work in an industry that I am not passionate about. Honestly, I am still shocked that I wound up here because I previously worked in the food industry for 16 years. Then, I lost my job. It is funny, you see all the unemployment statistics in the newspaper and news, and you don’t think it is ever going to be you. Suddenly, there I was. Unemployed, wife, and two kids at home. It was scary. Wondering what you are going to do and how big of a step down I would have to take. My friend, Steve called me out of the blue with what I thought was a crazy idea. He offered me a job on a trial basis. He then explained to me the entire history of Seismic Audio and the direction it was going. Details of how much the company had grown and the things he had in mind going forward. I thought it was crazy. The idea of him being willing to bring in someone who knew essentially nothing about Pro Audio. It has been an amazing experience, It has been like a dream. And it came at a time when I desperately needed a dream…so I guess you could say that music saved my life.
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
There has been so much going on here at Seismic Audio! We have been launching new products, promoting our contests, developing new products….too much to list. We are always trying to keep you guys, our fans and friends, in the loop about everything that develops here at Seismic. Unfortunately, we do not always reach as many of you as we would like. Therefore, we plan to start doing a much better job of managing our blog and dubbing it “The Seismic Audio Experience“. We know you guys are busy and don’t have time to search the internet up and down to find the info you are looking for. We will try and create a clear link to it on our homepage to ensure you guys are always in the loop. Since it has been so long since we have posted, let us catch you up on all the exciting things happening at Seismic Audio!  Win a $500 SA Gift Card!
We are kicking off the holiday season early and running a Review Contest for a chance to win a $500 Gift Card from Seismic Audio. Simply, write a product review on our website or Amazon and be entered for a chance to win a $500 Gift card from Seismic Audio. The more reviews you write, the more chances you have to win. Click on the link Review Contest for complete rules and Terms and Conditions!
 The Seismic Audio Gift Certificate
Also, just in time for the holidays, we are rolling out the Seismic Audio Gift Certificate! It is the perfect gift idea for the musician in your life! We know how hard it can be to choose the right speaker, cable, or accessory when buying for someone. It is ideal for Christmas, birthdays, or for one of those just because occasions. You can select the amount you want the card to be good for and present it to your musician to redeem it on the Seismic Audio product of their choosing. Get one today and never have to worry again whether or not you have purchased that item they really want!
NEW PRODUCTS Several new products have been introduced over the last month or so. We have new Guitar Cabs, 150 foot Snake Cables, Snake Cables on a Reel, Colored Mic Screens, several new cables, and an entire line of 1/8″ and mobile type cables. We also have launched several new stands to accomodate iPhones, iPads, and other tablet and mobile devices. These can be found on our website www.seismicaudiospeakers.com. First, we would like to introduce you to a couple of the new items!
 The SA-Rift_46G
If you are looking for big cabinet sound in a small cabinet, look no further! You have found it! This cabinet gives you BIG sound in a small package! The Rift 46G cabinet delivers the sound usually associated with a much larger cabinet, without the weight of a 412 guitar or 410 bass rig. This cabinet is perfect for practicing, small gigs, and recording purposes. Here is the kicker….The Rift 46G can be used as a bass cab as well! That is right! We said it and put it in print! The Rift 46G is awesome for low volume applications as well. It delivers for both! Equipped With four Quake 6” speakers, the SA-Rift_46G can hang with bass cabs much larger while still giving you plenty of full range articulation and attack. At 250 Watts RMS, its smaller profile makes it an excellent cab for the gigging musician who doesn’t have the room for a bigger cab but doesn’t want to sacrifice their sound for the real estate.  SOAR-16x8x100-400 Snake Cables on a Reel are designed to make life a little easier in any venue. This snake is road ready with 22 gauge wires and ready for everyday gigs. Reels make tear down and set up a lot smoother and faster when going from gig to gig or club to club. XLR Connectors on the returns make this snake cable fit right in with professional power amps and mixing consoles without the need for converters or couplers. Performance and convenience all rolled into one! OTHER SEISMIC NEWS There are many new and exciting things happening at SA! We are about ready to launch a new SA Rewards Program. This will essentially allow you to accumulate points for the products you purchase from SA! You will be able to accumulate these points and redeem them for the product of your choosing. We will have more info on this as we get closer to the launch date! Later this month, we will be launching a new line of Guitar Speakers! These will be called the Bedrock Series. We are rather excited and proud of these speakers. We are of the opinion that they sound as good if not better than the World Class speakers that musicians covet. Until next time, remember to visit our website and take advantage of the Coupon Codes we have going right now! Just another opportunity to save even more money! As always, we value your patronage and your feedback! Rock On!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Our Aftershock 18 is a very versatile piece of Pro Audio gear! We take calls everyday from customers wanting to know what is the best way to connect this subwoofer to their existing gear. The Aftershock 18 Powered Subwoofer is unique in its ability to power other passive speakers as well as act alone if you are only wanting to utilize the sub functionality of it. Here is a quick “how to” on how to connect your Aftershock 18: The first thing you are going to need to do is plug it into a power source! Haha! If you are running active or powered tops, such as our PWS series, and only want to use the sub functionality of the Aftershock 18, what you will need to do is come out of your mixer into the powered tops. Using a standard XLR cable, you should then come out of your powered tops into the #4 output on the back of the Aftershock. This will allow you to utitlize only the sub function of the Aftershock and beat the house down with bass! The Aftershock also has a satellite function on it to power other passive speakers. To utilize this satellite function, you should come out of your mixer to the #3 input on the back of the Aftershock. The only thing you have to do from here is connect your passive tops to the satellite output using Speakon cables. Now you are powering your tops from your Aftershock! Tech Note! – You should never exceed 130 on your tone controls, ever! Also, always be aware of your clip light situation. Avoid clipping at all costs by controlling your low pass filter and volume control functions. This is just a quick how to on connecting your Aftershock 18. As always, if you are not sure or have any questions, please give the Seismic Audio Tech Department a call at 901-363-6030. We will be happy to assist you in any way.
Monday, May 07, 2012
Our PWS series PA Speakers are an ideal way to plug and play music from your iPod or other MP3 device. This is a great way to share your favorite playlists with your friends at a party, bar-b-que, or any other gathering of people! There are a few different ways to connect these devices to one another. They are as follows: Option 1 – This one is the best solution in our opinion. You should have access to or purchase a mixer with Left and Right, XLR out connections. These can usually be found for a very reasonable price. Hook the iPod or MP3 to the CD in connections via a 1/8″ to RCA stereo cable. Then, wiring the PWS speakers, one to the left output and the other to the right using standard mic cables. This configuration should provide the best possible sound. This is due to the fact the mixer takes into consideration all of the pertinent technical aspects of such an arrangement, to provide a good sound with a mix of audio classed products. Option 2 – The second solution would be to connect the iPod or MP3 output with a 1/8″ to 1/4″ TS cable. Next, connect the 1/4″ TS cable to each of your PWS speakers. Option 3 – If you have only a single PWS speaker, the connection is very simple. You can simply connect the iPod or MP3 output with a 1/8″ cable to the 1/8″ input on the PWS speaker! Viola! Instantly, your favorite tracks are playing out of the speaker! *NOTE* As always, if you have any questions concerning the setup of your audio equipment, the Seismic Audio Tech Department will be glad to assist you. Give us a call at 901-363-6030.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
The following is a question we received from one of our customers: “A few months ago, I purchased your PWS-15 speakers — and love ‘em — they sound great! This past weekend, I was reminded to shoot you guys an email to inquire about something. I noticed they gets hot around the back control panel (the grill area). Is this normal? ” Occasionally, we get this question. It is usually a novice or beginner in the Pro Audio world. It is a valid question and important to know why this is happening. The most common solution to this issue is as follows: Usually that is an indication that, either the input gain is turned up a little too much, and / or the some of the tone controls are turned up a little too high. Ideally, the input gain should be close to the 12 o’clock position. Also the tone controls should not exceed the 2 o’clock position. In the event that you would like a particular frequency range boosted over another, the same results can be obtained by turning down the tone controls of the unwanted frequencies until the tone you are looking for is achieved. We understand that little issues like this can be frustrating. In any event, we always welcome and encourage you to call the Seismic Audio Tech Department at 901-363-6030 Extension 1. Those guys are experienced in all audio events and will be happy to help you in whatever way you need.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
“What amp do I need to power these speakers?” This is another frequently asked question we receive when customers are buying PA speakers. It can be a complicated answer. The amp must have the correct amount of power and the correct features for your PA system. Here is a guide that may help in your endeavor to find the correct power amp. As a general rule, you should select a power amp that has a power output of 1.5 RMS that of the speaker’s RMS rating. For example, if you have an 8 ohm speaker with an RMS rating of 400 watts, then you would need an amplifier that can produce 600 watts RMS into an 8 ohm load. In the event you have a stereo pair of speakers, you would need an amp that is can produce 600 watts RMS per channel into 8 ohms. Seismic Audio PA Speakers are high quality and can take brief peaks greater than its power rating if the amps can transfer those temporary peaks without distortion. Therefore, we recommend taking advantage of an amp with extra headroom (1.5 X the power rating). This will guarantee that only undistorted power reaches your speakers. Some amps are made to accommodate additional headroom. These particular amps cleanly reproduce those brief outputs that exceed the power rating. If you decide to go with one of these amps, just be sure that it has an output rating, at least 1.5 x the RMS rating of the speaker. Choosing an amp with the correct power rating is essential to high quality sound. You should never run an amp when the power rating is less than the RMS of a speaker as this could cause the amp to start clipping. The speakers in a sound systems can be damaged by running an amp without the proper power rating. It will usually result in constant distortion and can even blow your speakers. We realize that all of this information can be overwhelming. If you have any questions or concerns, you should always call the Seismic Audio Technical Department at 901-363-6030 x1. We will gladly assist you in your decision of which power amp best fits your needs.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Why is my PA Speaker not working? This is one of the most common questions fielded by our Technical guys during the day! Of course there are many possible reasons why, but one of the first avenues of investigation should be to check your speaker to see if you have blown it. We understand that calling in and speaking with someone in tech support can sometimes be a hassle. Therefore, we wanted to publish a quick step by step tutorial of how you can check it yourself and confirm or eliminate this as the problem. 1. These first thing you will need to do is to carefully remove the speaker from the cabinet and inspect the spider to verify that it is connected to the basket contiguously with no separation. (The spider is the suspension between the back of the cone and the basket, right above the magnet). 2. Next, you will need to place a finger and a thumb from each hand around the dust cover in the center of the cone on the front of the speaker. Press down lightly! Allow the voice coil to move down with the pressure, just a quarter of an inch or so, and then rebound with no pressure. This movement should be smooth without any noticeable interference between the moving parts. If you hear any noise other than air movement, then there is reason for concern. 3. The third and final test involves the use of a 9 volt battery. Obtain a 9 volt battery. The terminals on the 9 volt battery line up with the terminals on the back of the speaker. Touch the terminals on the battery to the terminals on the speaker. The speaker should move at least 1/8″ . If it does move without any ‘scrubbing’ noise, the speaker is good. If it does not move or does move accompanied by a ‘scrubbing’ noise, then you have a blown speaker. This is the most effective and quickest way to tell whether or not an audio event has caused your speaker to blow. Again, it is one of the most common questions we take in the Seismic Audio Speakers tech department. We thought maybe you all would find it useful in the event you were having issues with your PA speakers. As always, we welcome you to call us and we will do anything to help you and get you the sound you want. -SA
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