Pelican Parts Forums - Question on Audio Cables for Home Theater

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Quote:

Originally Posted by snbush67 (Post 9004224)

I think we agree and I agree you don't need to go high end but too cheap is bad. You do see where I typed rocket fish was entry level? 44$ for a 24"cable doesn't seem to bad to me.

Yep, I'd agree, but with the additional qualifier of "know what you are really getting for your money". While $44 for a 24' cable is not a bad price per se, it's what you are getting (or not getting) for your $44 that is the unknown in that particular cable.
For example, I have dissected "premium" cables in the past where the shield was so porous that it was basically useless.

So, the Best Buy stuff (Rocketfish) may be OK, but unless you fork over the cash for the cables and some high $$ analysis/measurements and (destructive) testing, how are you or I (or the average consumer) to really know?
Suppose you are looking for a cable with a braided shield, low capacitance, and low shield resistance. Can you tell me if that cable has any of those attributes? Or if it's even shielded at all? ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by snbush67 (Post 9004224)

What would you recommend?

As mentioned above (and in the past) I'd stick with the known quantity/quality of the larger pro cable manufacturers (Belden, Mogami, Canare, etc), whether you buy the OEM versions, pre-assembled offerings, or roll you own.
I trust their research, development, materials sourcing, spec accuracy, and manufacturing process over some no-name and/or re-wrap from who knows where. YMMV of course! ;)

SmileWavy

Blue jeans cables are all made from quality big engineering based company component vendors and assembled in the USA.

It would probably be $100-200 to wire up your whole system with quality bits. We all know you can buy cheaper stuff from amazon an monoprice, but for me Id rather have the higher quality bits. I have plenty of monoprice bits. They are fine and the performance is as good as any other product. I just would rather have something built a bit better and more likely to last.

I sure as hell would ent spend 200$ on a 500$ stereo, but if you have some fancy nice rig, you might as well. Sorta like getting leather seats in a car. It doesnt make it go any faster but they are nice to have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey (Post 9004245)

Yep, you should be fine, but I wouldn't want to go too much longer with unbalanced runs. Just use something with good shielding, and maybe look for something with low capacitance (anything under 20pF/ft. is good).
keep them away from other A/C wiring, light fixtures/switches, junction boxes, etc. as much as possible as well.

Also, I'd amend my previous DIY recommendation to just use your choice of decent 75Ω coax for any unbalanced RCA interconnects (Mogami 2546, Belden 9259, Canare 77S, etc.).
It's typically well shielded with low capacitance, which is well suited for the task. The additional benefit is that you can use it for digital (S/PDIF) runs as well.

Or, if you don't want to go the DIY route, there are plenty of cable "assemblers" that make interconnects using quality cable (Mogami/Belden/Canare). That way you know exactly what cable you are getting, and can reference the specs.
It is a better alternative to the unknown quanity/quality of most "premium" retail offerings IMO.

Here are a couple of reputable vendors with decent pricing. Both will make custom cables as well:

Pro Audio LA
Redco

Or you might check Monoprice as suggested, or some of the large online wholesale type companies like Mouser, Full Compas, Sweetwater, etc.
They might have decent deals on the OEM stuff from the aforementioned cable manufacturers.

SmileWavy

^^^^^^^ Yeah, like he said.

I know the guys at Pro Audio LA. Good people.

Ian

Make sure you keep those speaker cables off the floor - those babies need air and space for peak performance!

Here's a selection of cable isolation, you can choose which one fits your needs and budget best:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1455924505.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1455924520.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1455924533.jpg

made since 2015 such history!