| Neutrik Silent Plug [message #166253] |
Wed, 29 November 2006 18:57  |
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One of the awesome handouts at the WedgeFest in September was the Neutrik Silent Plug. That I'm just getting to writing about it now tells you how good I am at time management.
Essentially, it's a 1/4" plug designed for guitars that shorts tip to sleeve when you unplug it, eliminating the loud pop that you might otherwise be subjected to. They accomplish this quite cleverly, with a reed switch built into the body of the plug and a moving magnet that closes and opens it. This way the switching circuitry is all sealed and rated for over 10,000 cycles. This image pretty much sums it up:
I have to admit that I haven't opened mine yet. Have any other LABsters used one, and what did you think? I don't play guitar :/
-- Bennett Prescott
Director of North American Sales
EONA ADRaudio d.o.o.
Cell: (518) 488-7190
An amateur practices until they get it right. A professional practices until they can't get it wrong.
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| Re: Neutrik Silent Plug [message #166537 is a reply to message #166253 ] |
Thu, 30 November 2006 22:05  |
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 Rob Spence
Messages: 1516
Registered: March 2006
Location: Boston Metro West/North |
Has No Life |
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I removed the plug from one end of my "loaner" cable (bright orange/red) and put the Neutrik Silent Plug I got at Wedgefest on instead.
Like all of the Neutrik connectors I have used, it was a pleasure to install.
I have one other cord with another varient of this on it and it has saved me from some serious pops.
I expect to use it on a gig this Saturday so will report back on how it works next week.
Assuming it works as well as I expect it too, I will do the same to my other "guitar" cords.
[Updated on: Thu, 30 November 2006 22:06]
Rob Spence
Lynx Audio Services
E-Mail Rob -at- LynxAudioServices -dot- com
Staying out of trouble
Is easier than
Getting out of trouble
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| Re: Neutrik Silent Plug [message #171172 is a reply to message #166253 ] |
Sun, 17 December 2006 16:25 |
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Mike Butler (media)
Messages: 2393
Registered: October 2005
Location: southern connecticut |
Has No Life |
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| Bennett Prescott wrote on Wed, 29 November 2006 19:57 |
...I have to admit that I haven't opened mine yet. Have any other LABsters used one, and what did you think? I don't play guitar :/
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What, you can't use it on one of your double-barrel harpsichords?
OK, my turn. I took a store-bought guitar cable with the standard plugs and lopped off a 3-foot hunk, on which I went and installed a standard Neutrik nickel-plated plug from my inventory and am now using it as a stomp box patch cable. The remaining 22 feet with a newly bare end would be my test application for the aforementioned sample. My first impression is that it is an aesthetic tour de force, which is not surprising with Neutrik, and unlikely you will mistake it for a Switchcraft (more on that later). As an old advocate of nickel-plated all-metal-barreled plugs, I was a bit skeptical of this crimson-shelled beauty, especially knowing that an instrument cable will spend some time lying on stage where it can be stepped on. So I gave it the boot test, first standing on it wearing Doc Marten-type footwear on a hardwood floor. The plug survived, so it gets the thumbs-up for use by punk-rock bands. Next I tried snakeskin Nocona cowboy boot heels, a more stringent test, and this plug gets the OK for country-western bands as well.  It turns out the red barrel is not molded plastic, but enameled or lacquered bronze of a pretty good wall thickness, so much for judging a book by its cover. I didn't do a test of the wear-resistance of the coating, but did find that it is scratchable.
Gold plated throughout, including the solder points, I knew this plug would be a breeze to solder. Now as for what I said earlier, with a Switchcraft or other brand conventional plug, a common mistake is to solder the leads on without first sliding the barrel on up the cable. (Doh!) With this plug, the reverse is true; you don't put the barrel on until after the wiring is soldered. Think Speakon. The center conductor has a handy solder cup; the shield has nothing but the semi-cylindrical sleeve to solder to (no tab or clamp), but being gold, it attaches readily.
In actual use, it works just as advertised. When unplugged, it does short out the cable, and totally eliminates the pop when plugging and unplugging, plus any hum or buzz that might be picked up when handling the bare plug, or any other stray hum from lying around open-circuited on the floor. I tried it with a solid-body electric and with an EA. One thing crossed my mind is whether this is available in a 90-degree angle plug. The straight configuration is just perfect for Stratocaster-type instruments, but there are some guitars, such as my Ovation EA, whose jack is on the back bowl where a straight plug would stick right out into the guitarist's leg. So I did some snooping and found that the NP2RX-AU-SILENT is available for just another half-buck. Life is good.
I hope these are distributed only to those who are intelligent enough NOT to use them to connect speakers to power amplifiers!   
http://www.mikebutlermedia.com
Mike Butler Media * AV/video production * corporate event production * presentation services * marketing support * creative research * graphic design * photography
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| Re: Neutrik Silent Plug [message #171189 is a reply to message #171172 ] |
Sun, 17 December 2006 18:22 |
Philip Roberts
Messages: 139
Registered: April 2004
Location: SW Michigan |
Has No Life |
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| Mike Butler (media) wrote on Sun, 17 December 2006 17:25 |
One thing crossed my mind is whether this is available in a 90-degree angle plug.
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Yep they do the NP2RX-AU-SILENT, I saw it at AES.
How well does the muting work? Could you hear any popping?
I need to get my self some of these plugs.
Philip Roberts
Director of Audio
Pioneer Memorial Seventh Day Adventist Church
Berrien Springs MI
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| Re: Neutrik Silent Plug [message #171193 is a reply to message #166253 ] |
Sun, 17 December 2006 19:03 |
Jon Smith
Messages: 169
Registered: March 2006
Location: SLC, UT |
Has No Life |
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I have four cables with the neutrik silent plug guitar cords. They work great! They are nice to have when you have a guitar player that loves to pull the "plug" a nano second after their last note. I still try to mute the channel before a disconnect.
I have noticed that there is a very small number of instrument jacks that will not let the neutrik seat completely. Make sure that it is seated completely if you have a problem.
They are great addition to the tool box.
My only real worry is they'll solve the problem just before I release my protest song
If you haven't seen the future, you haven't driven fast enough
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| Re: Neutrik Silent Plug [message #175496 is a reply to message #171189 ] |
Thu, 04 January 2007 10:43 |
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Mike Butler (media)
Messages: 2393
Registered: October 2005
Location: southern connecticut |
Has No Life |
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| Philip Roberts wrote on Sun, 17 December 2006 19:22 |
| Mike Butler (media) wrote on Sun, 17 December 2006 17:25 |
One thing crossed my mind is whether this is available in a 90-degree angle plug.
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Yep they do the NP2RX-AU-SILENT, I saw it at AES.
How well does the muting work? Could you hear any popping?
I need to get my self some of these plugs.
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Works fine, no pops, I found the same angle plug. It's all good.
http://www.mikebutlermedia.com
Mike Butler Media * AV/video production * corporate event production * presentation services * marketing support * creative research * graphic design * photography
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| Re: Neutrik Silent Plug [message #178617 is a reply to message #166253 ] |
Sun, 14 January 2007 09:07 |
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I'm having a hell of a time finding guitar cables with Silent Plugs already on them, does anyone know where I get them for a reasonable price. I'm beginning to think I would be better off buying some cheap guitar cables and making my own.
Philip LaDue
RFL
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| Re: Neutrik Silent Plug [message #178639 is a reply to message #178617 ] |
Sun, 14 January 2007 12:21 |
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John Horvath
Messages: 902
Registered: April 2004
Location: Merrillville, Indiana |
Has No Life |
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| Phil LaDue wrote on Sun, 14 January 2007 09:07 |
I'm beginning to think I would be better off buying some cheap guitar cables and making my own.
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Nah, paying for connectors and labor that you're just going to chop off is silly. Just purchase the raw wire & connectors and start from scratch. Then you can get whatever color wire you want, and apply some heatshrink however you like.
-John
Alan Pro Audio
219-769-3600
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| Re: Neutrik Silent Plug [message #178730 is a reply to message #166253 ] |
Sun, 14 January 2007 18:44 |
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All set now, found the plugs on Markertek and by the foot ProCo cable that Tim suggested on Parts Express.
Philip LaDue
RFL
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