Proper orientation of male split pin RCA plug

Wondering if someone can help shed some light on the proper orientation of a male RCA plug with a split pin, in regards to how to correctly insert it into a female RCA jack.

I notice that with the split pin cables, that when I'm plugging them in and they rotate slightly, sometimes I can hear and feel what I'm guessing is the metal inside getting stuck on the split of the pin slightly. It makes a little twang sound, like it stuck for a second and then releases.

Looking inside a female RCA jack, there appears to be a horizontal piece of metal. I'm guessing this is what makes contact with the male pin and transfers the signal.

Now, in regards to the split pin, how should this be plugged in to make "proper" contact? If I plug it in so that the split is sitting exactly horizontal, then the horizontal metal inside the jack will actually get inserted inbetween the split tip! I can't imagine that is ideal..??

If anyone has a diagram of what the inside of a female RCA jack looks like, maybe that would help. Or any insights from people who having experience using RCA interconnects with split pins. Thanks.
«13

Comments

  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,477
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    Thanks for your helpful response. Very useful.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    Plug it in...

    BINGO!!!
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    ...Egad, stumbled into 50 Shades of RCA...
    I feel soiled.
    I disabled signatures.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    brusque but cogent responses -- there's no 'sense' (in the sense of orientation) to an "RCA" (unbalanced, two-conductor) plug or jack - other than the pin being, by convention, "hot" and the outer connector being the return.

    If there's weirdness felt with rotation of the jack in the plug -- it may represent a design or construction flaw in the plug, I'd opine.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    Does the cable not seat fully unless it's allowed to rotate?
    What piece of equipment is this?
    What happens with a standard pin? Does it seat?

    Are there RCAs with an additional component designed to detect presence? like a switch? The idea being that a standard pin would push that 'horizontal piece'?

    I just had a look down the inside of a female RCA (consenting), and it's wide open. The only contact points are the inner and outer sleeves on this example. Nothing horizontal in the path.

    I thought the split pin design was essentially a spring to aid in better inner sleeve engagement?
    I disabled signatures.
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,477
    edited April 2018
    msg wrote: »
    I thought the split pin design was essentially a spring to aid in better inner sleeve engagement?
    Exactly right!
    The split pin allows for variances in the pin hole size for a tight connection. Nothing more nothing less.

  • Hermitism
    Hermitism Posts: 4,192
    msg wrote: »
    I just had a look down the inside of a female RCA (consenting), and it's wide open.
    With today's environment, I felt I should point out that there is a fine line between being sober enough and too intoxicated to give consent.

  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    msg wrote: »
    ...
    I just had a look down the inside of a female RCA (consenting) and it's wide open...

    I now have to call 911 because I am in apoplexy. Does anyone remember their number?

    :#

  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    edited April 2018
    The cable will fully seat without requiring rotation. Same with a standard pin.

    The equipment who's RCA jacks I just looked at is an old Sony subwoofer, Sony CDP, Rotel CDP, CAL DAC, and Dayens Ampino Monos.

    The Dayens and CAL DAC visually have the same style female RCAs, they look like this with that hexagonal nut shape behind them:
    1.0x0.jpg

    The inside first has just the plastic insulating ring, and then at the bottom it's a metal concave "cup" area where the end of the pin inserts into and it makes 360 degree contact against.

    The Sony and Rotel gear have a female RCA that looks like these: dual-rca-jacks.jpg

    Again, the inside first just has a plastic insulating ring, but then there's a U-shaped piece of metal with a horizontal orientation. The tip of the male pin inserts into this U shape piece of metal and it makes contact along those points. Not 360 degree coverage, only where this U-shaped piece is touching the pin.

    If I put the split tip in with the split vertical or facing me when looking down from above, and then rotate it so that the split opening then touches this U-shaped metal, it gets stuck on it as the metal gets in between the opening. If you continue to try to rotate it, it starts to force the opening of the split pin to get wider.

    So, that being said, if you try to insert the split tip cable with the same horizontal/90 degree orientation that the U-shaped piece of metal is at inside the jack, it'll actually go inside the opening of the split and rest inside of it. This is the thing I'm guessing that should be avoided.

    So yeah this is the reason I've never really cared for split tip pins before, but I just got a set of cables with them, so I'm revisiting this in hopes that others have experienced similar. But based on the replies so far nobody else has.
    msg wrote: »
    Does the cable not seat fully unless it's allowed to rotate?
    What piece of equipment is this?
    What happens with a standard pin? Does it seat?

    Are there RCAs with an additional component designed to detect presence? like a switch? The idea being that a standard pin would push that 'horizontal piece'?

    I just had a look down the inside of a female RCA (consenting), and it's wide open. The only contact points are the inner and outer sleeves on this example. Nothing horizontal in the path.

    I thought the split pin design was essentially a spring to aid in better inner sleeve engagement?

  • Hermitism
    Hermitism Posts: 4,192
    The problem is obviously your Dayens Ampino Monos. I'll take them off your hands. :smiley:
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    From what I can tell, they have a nicer female RCA jack design for sure, without this smaller U shaped area for the pin to sit in/make contact against.

    The 360 degree coverage they have with their internal "cup" provides way more surface area for contact!
    Hermitism wrote: »
    The problem is obviously your Dayens Ampino Monos. I'll take them off your hands. :smiley:

  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,638
    Clipdat wrote: »
    From what I can tell, they have a nicer female RCA jack design for sure, without this smaller U shaped area for the pin to sit in/make contact against.

    The 360 degree coverage they have with their internal "cup" provides way more surface area for contact!
    Hermitism wrote: »
    The problem is obviously your Dayens Ampino Monos. I'll take them off your hands. :smiley:

    hejbq3o7nxmn.jpg

    Hey, someone had to go there...
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    teqcecbpd2mp.jpg
    I disabled signatures.
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    :s:s:s
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    This is weird. I'm still unclear as to which piece of gear has this horizontal piece that's splitting your pin like a bad Liberty experience in the 'Nam, but this definitely doesn't sound right. Can't quite get a visual of the situation.
    Clipdat wrote: »
    If I put the split tip in with the split vertical or facing me when looking down from above, and then rotate it so that the split opening then touches this U-shaped metal, it gets stuck on it as the metal gets in between the opening. If you continue to try to rotate it, it starts to force the opening of the split pin to get wider.

    So, that being said, if you try to insert the split tip cable with the same horizontal/90 degree orientation that the U-shaped piece of metal is at inside the jack, it'll actually go inside the opening of the split and rest inside of it. This is the thing I'm guessing that should be avoided.
    I disabled signatures.
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    edited April 2018
    So tell me Drew, when you go over to someones house who has pets running around, do you lift the tail to see what's going on back there? :p;):D:D:D


    Your fretting bro ;)
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,308
    Really? It sounds like the connector is snagging on something inside the jack to me, unless I'm misunderstanding something. Is that normal?
    I disabled signatures.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    Rotel, Sony CDP, and my Marantz CDP all have this "cheaper" style U shaped piece of metal inside the jack. The Marantz's is oriented vertically though.

    @nbrowser, if you take an LED flashlight and look inside your CD6004's RCA jacks, you'll see what I mean.
    msg wrote: »
    This is weird. I'm still unclear as to which piece of gear has this horizontal piece that's splitting your pin like a bad Liberty experience in the 'Nam, but this definitely doesn't sound right. Can't quite get a visual of the situation.

    Yes, the split pin has the potential to snag on the thin U shaped piece of metal inside the female RCA jack. It also has the potential to "split" the "split tip" for lack of a better term, and get inserted in between the actual pin of the male connector. This is kinda the whole point of the thread.
    msg wrote: »
    Really? It sounds like the connector is snagging on something inside the jack to me, unless I'm misunderstanding something. Is that normal?

    This works fine for non-split pin RCA cables, but for the split pin cables, it's got potential for "issues".
    nbrowser wrote: »
    Drew...seriously...stop over thinking it. Just ram the plug into the socket...done. :)

    I don't go over to people's houses, I have no friends.
    txcoastal1 wrote: »
    So tell me Drew, when you go over to someones house who has pets running around, do you lift the tail to see what's going on back there? :p;):D:D:D


    Your fretting bro ;)

  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    Clipdat wrote: »

    I don't go over to people's houses, I have no friends.


    For the life of me, I can’t imagine why that would be the case....
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • mlistens03
    mlistens03 Posts: 2,767
    Because he puts the quotes below his comment.
    Clipdat wrote: »

    I don't go over to people's houses, I have no friends.


    For the life of me, I can’t imagine why that would be the case....

    :wink:
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    Exactly. Who could be friends with a monster like that?
    mlistens03 wrote: »
    Because he puts the quotes below his comment.
    For the life of me, I can’t imagine why that would be the case....

    :wink:

  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    Clipdat wrote: »
    The cable will fully seat without requiring rotation. Same with a standard pin.

    The equipment who's RCA jacks I just looked at is an old Sony subwoofer, Sony CDP, Rotel CDP, CAL DAC, and Dayens Ampino Monos.

    The Dayens and CAL DAC visually have the same style female RCAs, they look like this with that hexagonal nut shape behind them:
    1.0x0.jpg

    The inside first has just the plastic insulating ring, and then at the bottom it's a metal concave "cup" area where the end of the pin inserts into and it makes 360 degree contact against.

    The Sony and Rotel gear have a female RCA that looks like these: dual-rca-jacks.jpg

    Again, the inside first just has a plastic insulating ring, but then there's a U-shaped piece of metal with a horizontal orientation. The tip of the male pin inserts into this U shape piece of metal and it makes contact along those points. Not 360 degree coverage, only where this U-shaped piece is touching the pin.

    If I put the split tip in with the split vertical or facing me when looking down from above, and then rotate it so that the split opening then touches this U-shaped metal, it gets stuck on it as the metal gets in between the opening. If you continue to try to rotate it, it starts to force the opening of the split pin to get wider.

    So, that being said, if you try to insert the split tip cable with the same horizontal/90 degree orientation that the U-shaped piece of metal is at inside the jack, it'll actually go inside the opening of the split and rest inside of it. This is the thing I'm guessing that should be avoided.

    So yeah this is the reason I've never really cared for split tip pins before, but I just got a set of cables with them, so I'm revisiting this in hopes that others have experienced similar. But based on the replies so far nobody else has.
    msg wrote: »
    Does the cable not seat fully unless it's allowed to rotate?
    What piece of equipment is this?
    What happens with a standard pin? Does it seat?

    Are there RCAs with an additional component designed to detect presence? like a switch? The idea being that a standard pin would push that 'horizontal piece'?

    I just had a look down the inside of a female RCA (consenting), and it's wide open. The only contact points are the inner and outer sleeves on this example. Nothing horizontal in the path.

    I thought the split pin design was essentially a spring to aid in better inner sleeve engagement?

    Couldnt leave well enough alone, you nroke em all!
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    edited April 2018
    Anyone can replicate what I'm describing and experienceing if you have a piece of gear with the cheaper style RCA jacks and some RCA cables that have split male pins.
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,477
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Anyone can replicate what I'm describing and experienceing if you have a piece of gear with the cheaper style RCA jacks and some RCA cables that have split male pins.

    I think all you're hearing/feeling is the pin chatter as you twist it. Since the pin is split it would have some movement verses a solid pin.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,560
    It's clearly getting physically stuck on the inside of the U-shaped piece of metal. To the point where it can't be rotated anymore and starts to pry open the split tip of the cable, and even left a mark on mine and I had to press the split tips back together.

    Also if you either intentionally or unintentionally insert it so that the split is aligned with the U-shaped piece, that piece will actually get inserted in between the split.

    Sorry if this topic has been difficult to follow. It would be very easy to discuss/describe in person with a demonstration.
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    I think all you're hearing/feeling is the pin chatter as you twist it. Since the pin is split it would have some movement verses a solid pin.

  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,477
    Clipdat wrote: »
    It's clearly getting physically stuck on the inside of the U-shaped piece of metal. To the point where it can't be rotated anymore and starts to pry open the split tip of the cable, and even left a mark on mine and I had to press the split tips back together.

    Also if you either intentionally or unintentionally insert it so that the split is aligned with the U-shaped piece, that piece will actually get inserted in between the split.

    Sorry if this topic has been difficult to follow. It would be very easy to discuss/describe in person with a demonstration.
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    I think all you're hearing/feeling is the pin chatter as you twist it. Since the pin is split it would have some movement verses a solid pin.

    No not difficult. but it is a stamped piece of metal in the cheaper RCA's so there could be one of two things going on. maybe there was a burr on that lot of RCA's in the stamping process or it's a piece that ties something together that happens to touch the plug. Either it was not designed to engage the RCA pin in any way it just happens to touch it.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    edited April 2018
    I guess I am still kind of wondering why one would rotate an RCA plug in a jack?

    I don't think that's standard practice, other than a little judicious wiggling when removing one.