Before buying audio cables you should determine whether you
Thursday, December 25th, 2008Before buying audio cables you should determine whether you think sound quality is important to you. There are so many different cables available; you want to be sure to get the most suitable one that meets your specific needs. A certain amount of money, usually between 5 and 7 percent of the overall cost for the sound system, should be spent on good quality cables. If sound quality is not your priority, you might want to stick with the cables that were included with your sound system.
People who want improved sound quality for listening can find something in their price range from cable specialists. Specialized cables provide optimum sound quality and are very sturdy. These are a better alternative to generic speaker cables which offer lower sound quality and aren’t as sturdy. Although the specialized cables may be affordable, the cost still could be several hundred dollars for the speaker cables or analog audio interconnects. Some people may find that the extra money spent is well worth the benefits of better sound and pride in owning the very best in audio equipment.
The four different types of cables are analog audio cables, audio video cables, audio speaker cable and digital cables. Their job is to move a signal from one point to another without unchanged. This is accomplished along with minimizing losses, through control of the amount of Resistance, Inductance and Capacitance at audio frequencies.
For passing analog line-level audio signals between components, RCA connections are used. RCA audio cables are grouped in stereo pairs, with one connection for the left audio channel and one for the right. For line level analog interconnects it’s a good idea to use cables that are low in capacitance and are well shielded to eliminate interference and external noise sources from mitigating into the signal.
Video Cables are possibly the most critical cables since the signals that pass through them are at very high frequencies. The higher it is, the more critical to have a proper impedance, proper shielding and good teminations that audio-video cables should provide. So, a video cable must be well shielded and must keep the proper typical impedances.
Audio speaker cables are usually fairly thick, and have two conductors; they can be tipped with spade lugs, metal pins, banana plugs or just bare wire. One needs to ensure that there is the tightest connection of the cable to amp and loudspeaker to minimize contact resistance. One should always remember to keep the speaker cable runs as short as possible and not to loop excessive cables as this may slightly increase cable inductance.
A special group of cables is digital audio cables. There are two types: optical and coaxial. Optical cables transmit digital audio signals as pulses of light. Coaxial digital cables look like standard analog RCA cables, but instead transfer digital audio signals. They are typically a single cable, whereas analog RCA cables are usually double plugs, for stereo audio.
Investment on cables for audio equipment depends on one’s sound quality requirement, which depends on background music/news etc. For improved/better sound quality sturdy costlier specialized cables are to be bought. The four different cables available in the market are analog audio cables, audio video cables, audio speaker cable and digital cables. They move signals from point to point with minimum signal loss by controlling resistance/Inductance/capacitance. RCA connections used for analog audio signals use low capacitance cables eliminating interference/noise. Video Cables pass high frequency signals that require adequate shielding/solid terminations/proper impedance. Speaker cables are short/thick and require low inductance. Digital cables transmit digital audio signals.