[mythtv-users] [OT] coax vs. composite

Steven Adeff adeffs.mythtv at gmail.com
Tue May 16 14:22:15 EDT 2006


On 5/16/06, Jay R. Ashworth <jra at baylink.com> wrote:
> On Tue, May 16, 2006 at 04:15:04PM +0100, Graham Wood wrote:
> > On Tue, May 16, 2006 at 11:10:03AM -0400, Gary Dezern wrote:
> > > Monster "gold plated" optical S/PDIF
> > > cables.
> > Damn I knew I'd forgotten something.
> >
> > Yeah - gold plating digital cables is the peak of brilliance*.
>
> Well, maybe not.
>
> As noted, the issue with gold-plated connectors is that they're more
> likely to resist corrosion -- and lots of home-theatre installs are put
> in and never touched.  So whether the signal is digital or analog isn't
> as important.

This is exactly why connectors are gold plated. Even the low voltage
and current levels of interconnects can cause particle "jump" from one
connector to the other. My dad has some 30+ year old cables he's used
that are uncoated and the effect is readily apparent. Gold offers the
best resistance to this effect when both ends are gold, mixing metal
types for connectors is the biggest offender. Other than that, signal
transfer properties are also slightly better in silver and gold, but
this is just a nice side effect and shouldn't be used as the
determiner. BUT, cables can take advantage of these properties, which
is why you will see a lot of high end cables use silver injected into
the normal copper (or pure silver) as it increases the ability of an
electrical signal to flow through a cable resulting in better signal
transfer through the cable.

There can be a big difference in cables when it comes to speaker wire,
I've experienced it myself. But that doesn't mean cheap cables can't
also be good, its about spending as much money as you find fair for
what you get. There are lots of great "zip cord" cables that have
properties that enhance sound transfer that can be had for under
$1/ft. Mixed strand sizes and layout can make a difference, paying for
them may not be worth it though.

Interconnects are more dependent on the end components as to their
affect. This comes down to test/trial of cables to see which ones
perform the best for the least amount of money on the equipment you
have. I find that for analog video there is no difference in decent to
highend cables for short runs, cable insulation being the biggest
factor in preventing noise influence and reducing signal loss. Digital
signals have much less of an issue with signal loss due to the low SNR
required to get a proper bit read and the high SNR transmitted. Again
though, proper insulation is key in the cable being able to reject
noise and interference from outside sources.  For audio though I've
experienced very noticeable differences in cables though. Again, price
not always being a determining factor in quality. But enough to
warrant experimentation with different cables for those interested.

I'm a big fan of monoprice.com they have very well constructed, good
quality cables for rediculously cheap. If you have some more money
check out Blue Jean Cables or if you have even more, bettercables.com,
and listen/look for yourself as to whether the increase in price
brings an increase in performance that your willing to pay for.
Remeber though, insulation is the biggest factor in noise rejection
and gauge the biggest factor in signal loss. Strand design and size
can also make a difference in the upper end of cables, but your
equipment needs to be up to the job of taking advantage.

Also realize that in general the effect on audio will be more
noticeable than on video , and that ultimately it comes down to the
ability for your equipment and ear to be able to discern the
differences.

That said, generic power cables are crap, worse than the cable running
in your walls, which even the cheap stuff is still better than the
power cable running to your equipment. This can make a huge difference
in audio, but only slight in audio. The big difference comes in proper
power regeneration/filtering equipment, which if you use, should be
coupled with quality power cables or else you lose much of the
regeneration/filtering effect. I agree that people that pay $1200 on a
power cable only to plug it into their 30yo house wiring are morons,
but the smart people spend even more on power filtering/regeneration
equipment. Here's the kicker though, since power is fixed voltage and
frequency, the really smart people make their own cables using bulk
cabling from Belkin and the like. You can get some great cables for
making power cords for very cheap with thick insulation and make a
"$2000" power cable for under $50. There are even a few companies that
make high quality DIY power connectors for such DIY cables that don't
charge an arm and a leg. In fact the same can be said for
interconnects, though with the above mentioned websites it makes as
much sense to just buy them and save the time.

-- 
Steve
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