1/8" (3.5mm) to 1/4" adapter issues

[Sonar]

I purchased a new external speaker. It is small in size but sounded great compared to the 30 year old president speaker I was using on my Madison.
I liked it so much I thought I'd purchase another. The other I bought is a bit larger (cobra hg s500) and planed on using it on my sonar. The sonar like most rigs of that time period uses a 1/4" input for an external speaker. I purchased a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter. The plug fits fine in the rigs 1/4" input but the 1/8" speaker male fits lossley into the adapters female 1/8” input. It only works if it's wiggled around. I tried both 1/8" speaker plugs from each of the separate speaker's I bought and both fit the same. I thought using a piece of duct tape to hold it in the spot where the speaker actually works but eventually I had to fool with it as the speaker would work intermittently. I thought it had to be a faulty adapter so I purchased a different brand from another eBay seller. Same problem with the new one. I thought I'd even try the headphones I use with my smartphone and it like both 1/8" speaker plugs fit poorly in the the two different apapters and didn't work. Both adapters cost about $3 each. Do I need to spend $12 for one of those gold plated one's or is there something going on here I'm not familiar with? What's going on here? Thanks 73

 

[Robb]

Adapters can be dicey since most are made in China.

To fix the problem, think I would just wire/solder a 1/4" male plug to the speaker wire and forget about the adapter.

 

[midnight special]

i shrink wrapped my 1/8 onto my 1/4 inch.... if you do make sure that the adapter is a mono one and not a stereo one,,,,,

 

[Sonar]

i shrink wrapped my 1/8 onto my 1/4 inch.... if you do make sure that the adapter is a mono one and not a stereo one,,,,,

I purchased another. I wrote the seller and he stated "they've never had one retuned in over a thousand sold". Unfortunately I didn't read your reply until just now. It is indeed a stereo plug. I guess I know what the outcome will be. At $8 I'll probably just keep it. There is a possibility I will be able to use it in the future. If it doesn't work and the seller does have a mono plug, I will send it back as it will basically be a trade for the new one. Thanks for the information. I'm wondering if the one that I purchased was stereo? The description did not advertise it as being either mono or stereo and I don't know how to tell the difference. It might have been a stereo 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch adapter as as opposed to Mono, and that's what's causing the poor fit and the adapter not sending audio through the wire and to the speaker. Thanks again my friend I do appreciate your time. 73

 

[Sonar]

Adapters can be dicey since most are made in China.

To fix the problem, think I would just wire/solder a 1/4" male plug to the speaker wire and forget about the adapter.

I didn't consider that. It's a good idea. I've purchased another from a different seller. If it doesn't work I might have to do exactly as you've suggested. Another member suggested it not be a stereo plug and that might be the issue. I'll soon find out as the new one I bought is indeed described as being stereo. Thanks for your suggestion. 73

 

[Sonar]

I purchased another 1/8" to 1/4" plug and it works excellent. It's made by PLANET WAVES. Defeneyly a quality adapter / plug If I ever need any adapters or plugs PLANET WAVES is the brand I'll go with. 73

 

[rabbiporkchop]

Why not just desolder the audio cable from the speaker and replace the whole cable along with the plug?

You could cut the cord in half and have two cables or you could just cut the plug off of one end and reattach the wires inside your speaker.