Monster Cable & Yamaha

While in Richmond, Va last week, I saw where Sam Ash is opening in an old Mars store. I went in for a look-see and ended up buying a 6 1/2 foot monster mic wire (a hefty $24.95) to use with a PSR 2000. When it didn't work, I tried plugging it directly into my amp. That worked fine. The only visible difference between the Monster and my older, cheaper wire is that the Monster has a stereo 1/4 plug, my older wire is mono.

I can't understand why the PSR 2000 would not work with a stereo plug...and neither can the folks at Monster. I tried plugging it in just half way...but that doesn't work either.

Monster does not offer a mono wire in their lineup...but they told me to send the stereo wire back and they would make up a mono for me.

Here's hoping.

Eddie

I would imagine that it's wired so that the top and second ring of the stereo jack are the hot lines and the outer sleeve is a sheilded ground. If you plug another style of mic in to the 2000, one that has a standard 1/4-inch male plug, does it work OK?

Gary

Gary...
All I know for sure is that the mono wire I have works fine...so I assume you are correct. I have always heard great things about Monster's products...and to their credit, they are working with me.
Eddie

Hope everything works out OK for you.

Good Luck,

Gary

If the 2000 is anything like the 740 (which it almost certainly is) the tip is live and the sleeve is ground. The ring connection normally shorts the input when no mic is plugged in but becomes an open circuit when it is plugged in. A balanced mic cable uses the tip and ring for the signal, so your cable is open circuit on the ring connection when plugged in. Only way to fix this is to make an adapteror replace the tip/ring/sleeve plug with a mono plug.

Bryan

Eddie, I don't understand why your Mic cable doesn't work. The Mic input on the PSR 2000 is a "Balanced" connection, ie., "Stereo" connection. I use a TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) Stereo Mic Cable that runs out of my Rolls Phantom Power Adapter into my PSR 2000.

This sounds silly but check the obvious things to see if they are set right, eg., "Is the switch on the back of the PSR 2000 set to "Mic"? Is your Mic a Cardioid or Super Cardioid Mic? If it is, you will need Phantom Power to make it work. Is your Mic Muted somehow by one of your Keyboard settings?, eg., "Mute On/Off" within the Mic Settings? Believe me when I tell you, you CAN use a Stereo Mic cable. I have since day one with my PSR 2000 and it works just great. Someday I hope to get a "Stereo" 'Microphone'. They have come down in price considerably to what they were just a few years ago. There are a few Stereo Microphones available that sell for under a $1,000. Within a few more years there should be many that sell for under $500. Then I will finally be able to take full advantage of my PSR 2000 or next Keyboard's Balanced Mic Input connection.

Best regards,
Mike

Mike..
Your suggestion is not silly at all. I have checked all the "usuals". I don't use phantom power and my headworn mic works with every other mic cord I have...which are all mono. So, the only thing I can think of is that the KB mic input will not accept a stereo cable....which seems very strange. And, its not the mic, because it sounds great when jacked directly into the amp.

Pilot...
I didn't get an opportunity to try your adapter idea. I packed up the wire to send back to Monster. But it could very well be something as simple as you suggest.
Eddie

[This message has been edited by btweengigs (edited 06-20-2003).]

Gary's right. I've seen this happen in other situations also. Some gear just won't work with stereo cables.

I too have experienced the same thing.
Terry

------------------
jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Then the logical conclusion imo Eddie is a defective Mic/Line In Jack on your PSR 2000. As I stated earlier I run a "stereo", ie., TRS Monster Studio Link cable into my PSR 2000's Mic IN Jack from my Rolls Phantom Power Adaper and mine works great with my Shure Beta 87A. I think with all of your detective work with still no resolve to the problem, that a defective Mic In Jack on your PSR 2000 seems like the logical conclusion and where all the arrows tend to point to. If your PSR 2000 is still under warranty and you can spare to be without it for 2 to 3 weeks (God forbid, right?), ie., ["Should I send it in? No, I better not. Can I do without it? Let me see, did you say 2 to 3 weeks? No, I guess I'll just live with a defective Mic In Jack and use a Mono cable instead. But it sure would be nice to have everything working right on my PSR 2000, especially when I sell it or trade it in. Well maybe I CAN do without it for awhile. I'll just go to Guitar Center everyday and get my Keyboard fix there. Nah!! Guitar center is too far away! Oh well, I'll just stick to my original plan and let Monster Inc. take a perfectly good Stereo Cable and turn it into an inferior Mono Cable. Decisions decisions!]

Don't mind me Eddie, I guess I just had too much coffee this morning. You do what you want.

Best regards,
Mike

Mike..
I thought I was reading a script from Monk.

Fact is, I have two PSR 2000s and the monster cable did not work with either of them. So...does the incompatibility lie with Monster or Yamaha? Hmmmm.

I sent the stereo cable back to Monster and they are making a mono for me. Which means I will most likely have the most expensive, one of a kind, mono, 6 1/2 ft., XLR>1/4", Monster cable in the world.

Eddie

Mike,

After checking both of my 2000s, the conclusion I came to was the Monter Cable was the likely suspect--not the keyboards. One keyboard with a defective jack--maybe. Two keyboards with defective jacks--NAH! You have a much better chance of being struck by lightning at the North Pole in mid January than two identical keyboards being defective.

To prove a point, just two days ago I had to remove a brand-new, high-priced, heavy-duty instrument cable from a wiring harness I just completed. The cable was defective right out of the package, and becasue they were touted as the best--I never bothered to check them all for continuity. Consequently, I had to remove the entire casing from the custom harness, remove the defective cable, then install a new one, a process that took about two hours to complete. The bottom line is manufacturers no longer inspect their products because the added labor and time increases the cost and reduces their bottom line. This holds true with nearly all products--including computers, software, amps, everything. That's why cars are so often recalled.

Cheers,

Gary

[This message has been edited by travlin'easy (edited 06-22-2003).]