PROAUDIO CABLES AND INTERCONNECTS
Signal Super Highways
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Cables or interconnects, plays a very important part in the audio chain specialy in the proaudio arena. Unlike a typical home boombox sound system where all systems ( source players/recorders, signal processors, amplifiers and speakers ) are integrated in 1 housing, proaudio systems consist of seperate audio components which are also called ( you guessed it ) “seperates”.
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In order for the audio signal to reach this seperate components, cables and interconnects are needed. Not just any cable, but professional grade audio cables which are normally made from thicker gauge wiring and with more robust and stronger insulators.
Some high grade audio cables and interconnects incorporates radio frequency shielding technology. Most cables and interconnects are 3 feet or more in length ( some in the 100's of feet ) and can act like antennas that picks up radio frequencies. Without rf shielding, the audio signal passing through these cables and interconnets can become contaminated by RF signals which will add unwanted coloration and degrade it's quality. And in worst case scenario, instead of hearing music, you will just hear static noise.
Proaudio Cables and Interconnects are made in different ways.
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1. Unbalanced : Uses 2 wires. 1 for positive and 1 for the negative side of the audio signal. |
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2. Balanced : Uses 3 wires. 1 for positive, 1 for negative side of the audio signal. The additional 3rd wire is used for grounding purpose and is called the ground wire. The ground wire is typically used to connect proaudio components together to one ground source or “single point ground” to eliminate hums and buzzes. |
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3. Digital coaxial : Used in some digital proaudio devices. Digital coaxial cables looks the same as rca audio cables but usually has thicker gauge wires and better RF shielding. Used to carry digital audio signals.
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4. Digital Optical : Does not use wires at all. They are made from fiber optics and carry pulses of lights instead of electronic audio signals. How can light be converted into audio ? It works like an old morse code machine ( transmitting light instead ). Morse code system has designated number and duration of clicks for a certain message. In light transmission, there are designated number and duration of light “blinks” for a certain audio frequency. |
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5. Multipin : Can be digital or analog signal carrier. The only major difference from other proaudio cables is that multipin has “multi-wires” instead of 2 or 3 for convinience and ease of use.
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Shopping for proaudio components or devices can be very exciting and fun. Some always get so excited that when they got home with their new proaudio "toy" , opened that fresh glossy box then that "new proaudio scent" fills the room... ( guess what ), yeah ( how do i... this... to... that... hmmm.... something is missing ). Just remember DO NOT forget the cables and interconnects.
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