Neutrik Silent Jack

[MondoKen]

Does the Neutrik Silent plug worth with Musicman Basses. I saw something on Neutrik's site about them not working with active basses using TRS plugs.

Thanks,

Ken

[Musicman Nut]

Does the Neutrik Silent plug worth with Musicman Basses. I saw something on Neutrik's site about them not working with active basses using TRS plugs.

Thanks,

Ken

Yes they do, I do use them, But becareful on the right angle ones, They bend really easy and the sleeve will not function correctly which causes them to not work.

[bovinehost]

I thought I had a new nickname for a minute there.

[MondoKen]

Thanks. I should have thought to ask this question before I ordered one. I'm getting a 15' one with a Mogami cable. The silent plug is a right angle one, so I will be careful.

Thanks again,

Ken

[adouglas]

Yes, they work, and yes, if you bend the plug even a teeny tiny bit the sleeve that activates the internal switch will bind...but you can easily bend the plug back, so this is only an issue the first time you experience it.

I have a cable with one of these and it's fine. My only gripe is that the spring they put in the thing is too strong for its own good... the plug sometimes wants to push itself out of the jack (this probably depends on the jack...I'm talking about the barrel jack that is in the Bongo).

If I didn't loop my cord through my strap and have a right-angle plug (thus putting a side load on the plug), it'd pop out of its own accord on occasion.

While I really like Neutrik stuff in general, this last bit does bug me.

There is an alternative silent plug available, from G&H. It's not as sexy as the Neutrik plug, but it might work better. Coincidentally I just ordered a cable with one of these from Butch Ammons at Bayou Audio Cables . If I remember to I'll post impressions when I get it.

[mynan]

I thought I had a new nickname for a minute there.

...something about silence being a new trick for you?

[Frankie5Angels]

I buy all my cables from Butch at Bayou. He has great products and great customer service. I just bought a straight Neutrik Silent. I haven't had a problem with it popping out, but then, I haven't had a whole lot of playing time on it yet.

[adouglas]

Do you notice a difference between the Bongo and your other basses? Different kind of jack....

[Frankie5Angels]

Do you notice a difference between the Bongo and your other basses? Different kind of jack....

Not sure what you mean by "difference." Soundwise? Fit?

The fit is the same as far as I can tell. Soundwise I haven't heard a difference, but then I wasn't really listening for any. I'll have to plug in my basses and pay closer attention to any differences. I'll probably end up doing an A/B with the Silent vs. Non-Silent cords I have.

[adouglas]

[quote=Frankie5Angels;440924]Not sure what you mean by "difference." Soundwise? Fit?

Fit.

Bongos have a barrel jack. AFAIK all other EBMM basses have open jacks.




vs.

[Frankie5Angels]

I just did a quick A/B with a Neutrik Silent vs a Non-Silent cord on my Bongo. As far as fit is concerned, I don't see any difference. However, with the Silent cord, the Bongo seems a bit "brighter." With the non-silent cord, the Bongo sound seems a bit "muddier." Not by much, but there is a subtle difference. But the Silent cord really does work as advertised.

[adouglas]

I've never noticed any difference in sound that I couldn't associate with the placebo effect.

The plug isn't actually loose or wobbly (as in rattling around in the jack) or anything like that...that's not what I mean. What I mean is that it wants to push itself out because of that strong spring.

You know how, when you insert a plug into the jack, it clicks into place because of the metal tabs grabbing the groove around the end of the plug? Usually, when you stick a plug in there it feels nice and secure. The Silent Plug just doesn't, quite.

It's as if the bulbous tip on the end of the Neutrik plug is just a hair smaller than it could be, so it doesn't feel like it's solidly locked in place. It stays plugged in, but it's a bit too easy to dislodge.

If I could get at the innards of that barrel jack I could just bend the metal tab a bit, but it's not accessible.

[Frankie5Angels]

It's true, I could be imagining the sound difference. It seems very subtle and I'm not one of those people who claims they can hear the sound difference between say rosewood and maple. But I didn't feel anything unusual with the plug. As I said, I haven't had a whole lot of playing time on the cord yet so maybe I have a surprise waiting.