[Rapid 17]

Could somebody please tell me the difference between single RCA to RCA cable and subwoofer cable which is also single RCA to RCA ? Also, is anything lost when using a long run subwoofer cable as opposed to a short run subwoofer cable ?

Geoff.

[Chris Frost]

Whenever you put a signal down a cable there's always some loss. Better quality cables (but not necessarily more expensive ones) lose less.

The cheap freebie cables you get with some bits of audio gear are usually pretty rubbish. I always leave them in the box. There's loads of aftermarket cables ranging in price from a few pounds to hundreds and beyond.

The stuff I use at home and in business is a 75 Ohm rated coax cable (coax = centre conductor surrounded by an insulating layer, then two lots of shielding, then outer insulation) and I fit 75 Ohm compression plugs which maintain the shielded insulation right down to the plug end. Many aftermarket cables are rated at 75 Ohms but the plugs aren't which defeats the object of having decent cable

75 Ohms is important for video connections but less so for audio. However, it won't hurt either.

[Rapid 17]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Frost

Whenever you put a signal down a cable there's always some loss. Better quality cables (but not necessarily more expensive ones) lose less.

The cheap freebie cables you get with some bits of audio gear are usually pretty rubbish. I always leave them in the box. There's loads of aftermarket cables ranging in price from a few pounds to hundreds and beyond.

The stuff I use at home and in business is a 75 Ohm rated coax cable (coax = centre conductor surrounded by an insulating layer, then two lots of shielding, then outer insulation) and I fit 75 Ohm compression plugs which maintain the shielded insulation right down to the plug end. Many aftermarket cables are rated at 75 Ohms but the plugs aren't which defeats the object of having decent cable

75 Ohms is important for video connections but less so for audio. However, it won't hurt either.

Thanks for the reply Chris.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Frost

Whenever you put a signal down a cable there's always some loss. Better quality cables (but not necessarily more expensive ones) lose less.

The cheap freebie cables you get with some bits of audio gear are usually pretty rubbish. I always leave them in the box. There's loads of aftermarket cables ranging in price from a few pounds to hundreds and beyond.

The stuff I use at home and in business is a 75 Ohm rated coax cable (coax = centre conductor surrounded by an insulating layer, then two lots of shielding, then outer insulation) and I fit 75 Ohm compression plugs which maintain the shielded insulation right down to the plug end. Many aftermarket cables are rated at 75 Ohms but the plugs aren't which defeats the object of having decent cable

75 Ohms is important for video connections but less so for audio. However, it won't hurt either.

While it probably won't do much harm, it certainly won't do any good - audio connections aren't 75 ohms, they are much higher, and aren't matched in any case - there's no reason for it to be, and it's far more inefficient for it to be matched.

Incidently, pro-audio connections are usually matched and balanced (at 600 ohms), but this is basically for reducing interference rather than anything else. Domestic HiFi (no matter how expensive) is unlikely to be 600 ohm or balanced, there's no point.