Leave cables in the mono and stereo jacks on Mesa cabs?

[newfinator]

In stereo mesa cabinets like the Recto or Stiletto cabs can you leave plugs into the mono and stereo jacks at the same time? I know you can't use them both simultaneously but I'm not sure if there is any switching in the jack plates or if it was otherwise an issue in leave cables in the jacks so that you could switch from mono to stereo operation at the amp(s) instead of the back of the cab.

Any thoughts?

 

[MrMarkIII]

"I know you can't use them both simultaneously"...
Then why would you do it anyway?

 

[newfinator]

"I know you can't use them both simultaneously"...
Then why would you do it anyway?

So, as stated, I could switch between stereo and mono at the amp(s) instead of digging behind the cabinets by virtue of what cable(s) were utilized. In my studio it's not easy to get behind the cabs.

 

[MrMarkIII]

But you CAN"T do it, can you?
So isn't it a BAD idea?

 

[newfinator]

Well, as I said, I know I can't run amps through the two 4 Ohm jacks and the 8 Ohm at the same time because that would mean running a double load on the speakers.

The question I intended to pose was: Is it safe to, simply, have cables plugged into all three jacks but only plug either the 8Ohm OR the two 4 Ohm cables into amps at a time. So at any given time some cables from the cab would be plugged into nothing at the other end(or a switching system).

I know some stereo jack plates incorporate a switch that is activated and dependant on the physical insertion of a cable into the stereo jacks. If that were the case for the mesa cabs then, obviously, the steroe jacks would need to void of plugs whether they have a load or not and my question would be answered.

 

[MrMarkIII]

Aha! How about this:
You could plug each "side" of the stereo cab into each of the 4 ohm jacks on a single amp. That way you can leave the cables plugged into the back of the cab, and you get to use all four speakers, in mono.
When you run stereo, just unplug one cable from one of the 4 ohm jacks on the first head, then plug that into the second head.
(I think I'm giving myself a headache).

 

[newfinator]

Actually, that's not too bad an idea as a work around though it would eliminate using the cab as part of a full stack as the 8Ohm jack would be inaccessible.

 

[Octavarius]

Hm. I'm not sure. If there isn't any switching in the jack plates, then as long as there isn't any signal coming into the unused jacks, there shouldn't be a problem. But I have no idea whether there's any switching involved or not.

I'd call Mesa and ask. You'll probably only get speculations in this thread anyway.

 

[scott1]

You could always call Mesa and ask...