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Post by DavidR on Apr 20, 2020 12:17:49 GMT -5
I decided to separate my Solid State equipment from my Tube equipment. This required me to get a Pre amp with Phono section and left me with the task of getting some decent RCA interconnects. All I have for spares are two Audtek cheapies from Parts Express. Since I don’t want to drop a lot of coin and want a well-made cable; I needed to research what is out there. My SS gear has some CablesToGo SonicWave cables (no longer available) which I find are quite good at a very reasonable price. They have a twisted pair of silver-plated OFC stranded wire, good double shielding and a decent gold plated male connector. I wanted something similar. Here’s what I found:
- C2G Velocity cable: twisted pair of stranded OFC for conductors, decent gold-plated connector. Many reviews had negative feedback on them having poor shielding and were noisey.
- KabelDirekt Pro: single 75-ohm stranded coax 23 AWG wire for the conductor. Look nice, but…
- MediaBridge: 75-ohm conductor wire – copper clad steel. I stopped there.
- AmazonBasics: Have both good and bad reviews. NO info on build is available. On a Steve Hoffman website I found a comment that stated they were copper clad over aluminum wire. I do not know if this is true but it was enough to steer me clear.
- UGreen: Cheap looking connectors. Tinned copper single conductor. The shortest length I could find was 2 meters.
- MonoPrice: I like their balanced interconnects so……... Literature was limited but said 75 ohm/ft. Nothing special.
- SoundPath SVS Pro: Twisted pair of stranded OFC conductors, 5 layers of EMI/RFI shielding, good looking connectors. Pricey but not over the top - $25/cable for 1 meter length; $50 per pair for 1 meter length.
- Better Cables Silver Serpent: A single stranded silver coated OFC conductor in a coaxial design. The shield is copper with 95% coverage. Low capacitance, Eichmann connectors – some like, some don’t. Pricey! $120 per 1 meter pair. For the price I would have expected a twisted pair of conductors. Not a lot of build info available.
What RCA cables do you all like/use ?
Has anyone tried or use the Silver Serpents and/or SoundPath ?
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 20, 2020 12:55:22 GMT -5
I've used "Afford-HiFi" ones with good results.
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Post by Loop 7 on Apr 20, 2020 14:09:48 GMT -5
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Post by DavidR on Apr 20, 2020 14:21:14 GMT -5
I've used "Afford-HiFi" ones with good results. Those look good, Boom. Might just consider trying a pair.
I also like how you can have variable lengths made.
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Post by DavidR on Apr 20, 2020 14:24:26 GMT -5
I know a lot of people like them but for me the website is blah and I don't care for the connectors.
I'm not saying they aren't good; just not for me.
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Post by 405x5 on Apr 20, 2020 14:56:40 GMT -5
I decided to separate my Solid State equipment from my Tube equipment. This required me to get a Pre amp with Phono section and left me with the task of getting some decent RCA interconnects. All I have for spares are two Audtek cheapies from Parts Express. Since I don’t want to drop a lot of coin and want a well-made cable; I needed to research what is out there. My SS gear has some CablesToGo SonicWave cables (no longer available) which I find are quite good at a very reasonable price. They have a twisted pair of silver-plated OFC stranded wire, good double shielding and a decent gold plated male connector. I wanted something similar. Here’s what I found: - C2G Velocity cable: twisted pair of stranded OFC for conductors, decent gold-plated connector. Many reviews had negative feedback on them having poor shielding and were noisey. - KabelDirekt Pro: single 75-ohm stranded coax 23 AWG wire for the conductor. Look nice, but… - MediaBridge: 75-ohm conductor wire – copper clad steel. I stopped there. - AmazonBasics: Have both good and bad reviews. NO info on build is available. On a Steve Hoffman website I found a comment that stated they were copper clad over aluminum wire. I do not know if this is true but it was enough to steer me clear. - UGreen: Cheap looking connectors. Tinned copper single conductor. The shortest length I could find was 2 meters. - MonoPrice: I like their balanced interconnects so……... Literature was limited but said 75 ohm/ft. Nothing special. - SoundPath SVS Pro: Twisted pair of stranded OFC conductors, 5 layers of EMI/RFI shielding, good looking connectors. Pricey but not over the top - $25/cable for 1 meter length; $50 per pair for 1 meter length. - Better Cables Silver Serpent: A single stranded silver coated OFC conductor in a coaxial design. The shield is copper with 95% coverage. Low capacitance, Eichmann connectors – some like, some don’t. Pricey! $120 per 1 meter pair. For the price I would have expected a twisted pair. Not a lot of build info available. What RCA cables do you all like/use ? Has anyone tried or use the Silver Serpents and/or SoundPath ? Used dirt cheap on EBay or Amazon marketplace? (maybe) ....There must be a ton of them out there in the wake of HDMI. Most any good build quality will work just the same. After upgrading to HDMI switching I’ve got enough unused RCA end to end to make it all the way around a football field. Bill |
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Post by Cogito on Apr 20, 2020 15:31:18 GMT -5
I'm a huge fan of KnuKonceptz for RCA and speaker cables. I haven't seen a company out there that can do a better cable for the money. |
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Post by DavidR on Apr 20, 2020 16:15:08 GMT -5
I'm a huge fan of KnuKonceptz for RCA and speaker cables. I haven't seen a company out there that can do a better cable for the money. WOW, GREAT PRICES. 22AWG OFC twisted pair of conductors on the Krystal Kabel.
Hard to beat that price.
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Post by gus4emo on Apr 20, 2020 17:19:12 GMT -5
I decided to separate my Solid State equipment from my Tube equipment. This required me to get a Pre amp with Phono section and left me with the task of getting some decent RCA interconnects. All I have for spares are two Audtek cheapies from Parts Express. Since I don’t want to drop a lot of coin and want a well-made cable; I needed to research what is out there. My SS gear has some CablesToGo SonicWave cables (no longer available) which I find are quite good at a very reasonable price. They have a twisted pair of silver-plated OFC stranded wire, good double shielding and a decent gold plated male connector. I wanted something similar. Here’s what I found: - C2G Velocity cable: twisted pair of stranded OFC for conductors, decent gold-plated connector. Many reviews had negative feedback on them having poor shielding and were noisey. - KabelDirekt Pro: single 75-ohm stranded coax 23 AWG wire for the conductor. Look nice, but… - MediaBridge: 75-ohm conductor wire – copper clad steel. I stopped there. - AmazonBasics: Have both good and bad reviews. NO info on build is available. On a Steve Hoffman website I found a comment that stated they were copper clad over aluminum wire. I do not know if this is true but it was enough to steer me clear. - UGreen: Cheap looking connectors. Tinned copper single conductor. The shortest length I could find was 2 meters. - MonoPrice: I like their balanced interconnects so……... Literature was limited but said 75 ohm/ft. Nothing special. - SoundPath SVS Pro: Twisted pair of stranded OFC conductors, 5 layers of EMI/RFI shielding, good looking connectors. Pricey but not over the top - $25/cable for 1 meter length; $50 per pair for 1 meter length. - Better Cables Silver Serpent: A single stranded silver coated OFC conductor in a coaxial design. The shield is copper with 95% coverage. Low capacitance, Eichmann connectors – some like, some don’t. Pricey! $120 per 1 meter pair. For the price I would have expected a twisted pair of conductors. Not a lot of build info available. What RCA cables do you all like/use ? Has anyone tried or use the Silver Serpents and/or SoundPath ? Take another good look at Mediabridge, I have been very happy with them... |
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Post by Cogito on Apr 20, 2020 17:34:01 GMT -5
I'm a huge fan of KnuKonceptz for RCA and speaker cables. I haven't seen a company out there that can do a better cable for the money. WOW, GREAT PRICES. 22AWG OFC twisted pair of conductors on the Krystal Kabel.
Hard to beat that price.
My system is completely wired in their original Krystal Kable interconnects and their 10 Gauge Kord Ultra Flex for the speakers. |
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cawgijoe
Emo VIPs 
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
Posts: 5,033
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Post by cawgijoe on Apr 20, 2020 18:02:51 GMT -5
I've used "Afford-HiFi" ones with good results. They are great and priced well. |
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Post by DavidR on Apr 20, 2020 18:15:07 GMT -5
I've used "Afford-HiFi" ones with good results. They are great and priced well. Which ones have you guys used?
I'm looking at the Canare Hifi RCA Soldered Cable Stereo Cable. It's actually microphone cable and a good one. However, it has only one layer of braided copper for shielding. Since it will be used on my Bob Latino ST-120 VTA I'm concerned about picking up noise.
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 20, 2020 19:58:48 GMT -5
Don't be. Shielding is shielding.
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Post by DavidR on Apr 20, 2020 20:07:53 GMT -5
its just how my mind works. lol
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cawgijoe
Emo VIPs
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
Posts: 5,033
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Post by cawgijoe on Apr 21, 2020 7:45:51 GMT -5
They are great and priced well. Which ones have you guys used? I'm looking at the Canare Hifi RCA Soldered Cable Stereo Cable. It's actually microphone cable and a good one. However, it has only one layer of braided copper for shielding. Since it will be used on my Bob Latino ST-120 VTA I'm concerned about picking up noise.
No need to worry. As Boom says, shielding is shielding. I've used Canare cable for many years and it's really good , high quality stuff. |
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Post by AudioHTIT on Apr 21, 2020 12:20:05 GMT -5
I went to build some XLR and RCA cables yesterday, and found I'm out of 1/8" Techflex. Parts Express, my favorite supplier, is out of stock at the moment, Amazon can't deliver until mid-May, other sites want three times the price, I even finally found something Fry's doesn't carry. Oh well, time to mow.
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Post by cburbs on Apr 29, 2020 11:31:59 GMT -5
Is there any where to get say 6" or 1' rca cables(interconnects)?
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cawgijoe
Emo VIPs
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
Posts: 5,033
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Post by cawgijoe on Apr 29, 2020 12:12:08 GMT -5
Is there any where to get say 6" or 1' rca cables(interconnects)? Yes...AffordHiFi....I have purchased multiple cables from James....high quality, great prices and custom built. Go to his website. |
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