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Do good quality RCA cables make a difference?

Mattwizz3

Mattwizz3

Web-er-web user...
I was just wondering if there was anyone here who has upgraded their RCA cables and heard a noticeable difference. At the moment pretty much my entire system is hooked up with scrap bits Iv'e found in boxes or the cheapest $2 cables. I'm happy with the sound but was wondering if maby I should pay a bit for some decent RCA's to hook up my system. Is it worth the money?
 
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Good quality RCA connections certainly make a difference: a while back, I was astonished at the difference cleaning the crud off the jacks on a preamp made - much more detailed sound. But that's not the same thing as good quality cables, which I suspect are much overrated.
 
Bad ones do. Those that are broken, corroded, or poorly constructed can degrade sound.

The good news is that solid construction doesn't cost a bundle and the point of diminishing returns is a lot lower than the adhype would lead you to believe.
 
You might not notice much on short runs , the longer the run a better cable should be used.

MY$.02's


Barney
 
Yes, they do.

The sound of my system is rather subdued without them. ;)

Seriously though, I think some cables can make a difference. But, IMO, those that do are either broken or intentionally designed to change the sound, and that's not what I want in my system.
 
Markw said:
Bad ones do. Those that are broken, corroded, or poorly constructed can degrade sound.

The good news is that solid construction doesn't cost a bundle and the point of diminishing returns is a lot lower than the adhype would lead you to believe.
Click to expand...
:thmbsp: This is the "real truth" :yes:
 
3' or more and a lower gauge wire . Copper wire and Gold RCA's
Less signal loss and more shielding = better .



Barney
 
Mattwizz3 said:
I was just wondering if there was anyone here who has upgraded their RCA cables and heard a noticeable difference. At the moment pretty much my entire system is hooked up with scrap bits Iv'e found in boxes or the cheapest $2 cables. I'm happy with the sound but was wondering if maby I should pay a bit for some decent RCA's to hook up my system. Is it worth the money?
Click to expand...


Yes :yes:

Happy Listening, :music:
Jonathan
 
So would a connector like this one be considered bad:
Connectors2.jpg


That cable connects to my computer, which is what I'm listening to 90% of the time. This is the rest:
Connectors1.jpg


I've found someone on e-bay that makes their own shielded RCA cables that look pretty decent and they are only $16. Most cables that go for the same price elsewhere are pretty much the same as what I already have.
 
I switched from those kinds of cables to a bunch of free monster cables I was given, and I heard a big difference. I had a couple cables that were picking up noise.. the noise was gone, and I could tell having a better connection made a big difference too...

I have some cheaper cables too, but they are still a better constuction and connector than what you are showing, and they sound just as good as the more expensive monster cables.. and better than the cheap ones like you have.
 
and I could tell having a better connection made a big difference too...
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Amen Simi!

While wire and cable takes a beating(in discussion) from time to time, connectors and termination don't always get the focus they deserve.
 
I might have to go buy some good cables then. I'll probably get them from the guy on e-bay. It will be difficult to find a good quality RCA to 3.5mm headphone jack though, hopefully this guy will do requests too.
 
I agree.. for some reason, connectors seem to be the last part of the cable we always fight over... it's always the wire.... :shrug:
 
I believe that a good quality connection and corrosion-free cable are important. I have heard the difference. If you are looking to get some nice cables for a good price, check out Zebra Cables. I did my entire system for under $400. This included a number of RCA interconnects and a pair of 8' speaker cables with nice banana plugs. Outstanding build quality.
 
whoaru99 said:
Yes, they do.

The sound of my system is rather subdued without them. ;)

Seriously though, I think some cables can make a difference. But, IMO, those that do are either broken or intentionally designed to change the sound, and that's not what I want in my system.
Click to expand...

indeed, the thicker, the more heavily shielded, the better.:music:
 
Inspiribomb said:
I did my entire system for under $400.
Click to expand...

Heh, I'm 20 and at TAFE, I cant afford to even service my car (or hardly run it) so I'm thinking 1 cable at a time for the moment.

This is the cable the guy on e-bay is making. Looks really good to me. $14.50 for a 2 meter cable, $1.50 for every extra meter.
RCA.jpg


What do you think guys?
 
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