If you just listen to background music, new shows, etc., you can use the cheap audio cables that come in the package with your audio components. But only if you are not too concerned about sound quality and what components you are hooking up to the cables. Usually you will invest about 5-7percent of the systems cost in your cables. This is usually adequate. Several types and many brands of audio cables can be found.
The true audiophile believes that only the best will do, and they will commit the dollars to obtain cables that are not only sturdier, but provide optimum performance of their audio system. You can spend hundreds of dollars for audio cables, like toslink audio cables, audio interconnect and gold plated connectors, but to the audio elitist the price is worth it, not only for the sound quality, but also for bragging rights. Still to many of us, it is hard to justify the added expense for the improved sound quality.
Analog audio cables, audio video cables, audio speaker cable and digital cables are the four basic types of cables that can be used to transfer sound. These cables transfer the audio signal from point A to point B unaltered. You control the amount of Resistance, Inductance, and Capacitance thereby minimizing losses at audio frequencies.
To pass analogue line level audio signal between components, RCA connections are employed. RCA audio cables are joined in stereo couples, with a connection for the right channel and one for the right channel of audio. For line level analogue connections it is a good idea to employ cables which have low capacitance and properly shielded to avoid interferences and external noises from getting to mix to the signal.
Video Cables may be the most important cables as the signals that are passed through these cables are at a very high frequency. The higher the frequency, more critical it is to have proper impedance, adequate shielding and solid terminations which audio video cables provide. Thus, a video cable should be well shielded and should maintain the proper characteristic impedance.
Audio speaker cables are generally quite thick, with two conductors, at the tip they may be tipped with metal pins, banana plugs, spade plugs, or even just bare wire. When connecting it is necessary to assure closest and tightest possible connection from cable to amp or loudspeaker in order to minimize contact resistance. It is also important to remember that the speaker cable runs should be kept as short as possible and not to loop excess cable as it can potentially increase cable inductance.
Audio cables come in two different types and are usually a single cable. The first type is an optical cable; it transmits digital audio signals as pulses of light. The second form is coaxial cables look like standard analog cables, but what they do is transfer digital audio signals.
Good quality audio cables generally cost around 7percent of the total audio system cost and can be chosen from several brands. They can be categorized as analog cables, audio video cables, audio speaker cable and digital cables. Analog cable uses RCA connectors that come in stereo pairs for left and right channels. Video cable carries signals at a very high frequency while speaker cables are generally thicker and have two wires. They should connect to speakers and amplifiers with least contact resistance and should be as short as possible. Digital cables can be either optical or coaxial and carry audio signals in digital form.
Tags: audio cables, audio video cables, digital cables, inductance and capacitance, true audiophile, very high frequency