Neutrik has announced availability of its new speakON XX-receptacle (2-pole and 4-pole) series of the company’s iconic connector design. speakON XX is the first Neutrik speakON chassis line to come to market compliant with the new IEC 62368-1 materials safety regulation, requiring any materials used in potential ignition sources to have a V-O vertical burn classification.
Compliance for devices using existing horizontal burn (HB) rated materials in connector components will require enclosure of these, necessitating potentially expensive, time consuming modifications to connectivity components within devices such as amplifiers, mixing consoles and loudspeakers; potentially making them bulkier and less likely to be accommodated within the constraints of existing circuit layouts. Simply using certified receptacle components, using UL 94 V-O materials, enables device certification to be claimed on the basis that all effected connectors are themselves certified; essentially saving time and expenditure in R&D and adjusting manufacturing processes.
Certification is on a going forwards basis from 30 December 2020. Chassis connectors are the specific certifiable components, however, for additional safety, Neutrik is also upgrading its cable connectors to meet the standard. Currently the NL4FC speakON cable connectors are fully compatible with the new XX-receptacle series, with other cable connector in the process of being uprated to meet the specifications of the standard.
Several design modifications have been incorporated in the speakON XX-receptacle series. These include improved electrical performance due to special copper alloy contacts and tarnish resistant plating, an all-black colour scheme and enhanced hi-visibility logo’ing and product ID marking.
The speakON locking cable connectors are the industry-standard connectors for amplifier / loudspeaker connections. The entire family of 2, 4 and 8 pole cable connectors has been designed to operate in high current, inductive load environment of loudspeakers. speakON is a trademarked Neutrik design.
