Which type of cable
vonnie123
Posts: 326
From the preamp to the powered subwoofer, I have an Audioquest sub cable. Should a subwoofer cable also be used on the subwoofer output from a SACD multi-channel player to the preamp? Thanks.
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Post edited by vonnie123 on
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Nah - you can use a cable like you use on the rest of your runs.
The main difference between a sub cable and normal one is in the sheilding they use to try and reduce hum in your system.Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms) -
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You don't have to spend the extra $ on a subwoofer cable from the player to the pre. A regular interconnect would do the trickpolkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
polkaudio DSWPro550WI
polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
polkaudio RM6750 5.1
Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good! -
Regular means a decent quality ic I hope like AQ, kimber, etc. I wouldn't use the throwaway/giveaway ones that come with the component.
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Here is a good "regular" cable you could use for your subwoofer out. If you want to match the input cable for your sub I understand that, but it is not necessary.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2682&seq=1&format=2
PS. You don't need some name brand or pricey cable to get decent performance out of your subwoofer; i.e. AQ, Kimber, etc. -
Here is a good "regular" cable you could use for your subwoofer out. If you want to match the input cable for your sub I understand that, but it is not necessary.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2682&seq=1&format=2
PS. You don't need some name brand or pricey cable to get decent performance out of your subwoofer; i.e. AQ, Kimber, etc.
+1. Only high frequency varies on cable quality IMO. -
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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do you want tight bass or sloppy bass?
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In my limited experience, I have tried a few sub cables like monster, signal cable, AQ, outlaw, etc.. and didn't see any difference like changing interconnects so I just want to share my experience. YMMV.
But I like to try AQ silver cable with battery. Might be different story. -
Vonnie, there's actually no specific "type" of cable as a sub cable, although some sellers label one of their cables in that way. This is just the usual coaxial cable with an RCA plug on each end. Any cable that has to carry only audio frequencies has a trivial technological task and one carrying only sub frequencies from about 20-100Hz has the easiest job of all. If your player came with connecting cables, they're fine to use. Otherwise, a low-cost item from MonoPrice or similar does the job just as well as anything else, regardless of price.
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Vonnie, there's actually no specific "type" of cable as a sub cable, although some sellers label one of their cables in that way. This is just the usual coaxial cable with an RCA plug on each end. Any cable that has to carry only audio frequencies has a trivial technological task and one carrying only sub frequencies from about 20-100Hz has the easiest job of all. If your player came with connecting cables, they're fine to use. Otherwise, a low-cost item from MonoPrice or similar does the job just as well as anything else, regardless of price.
Thank you gentlemen - he'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your wait staff....Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms) -
I'll have a Sam Adams,please......................
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Vonnie, there's actually no specific "type" of cable as a sub cable, although some sellers label one of their cables in that way. This is just the usual coaxial cable with an RCA plug on each end. Any cable that has to carry only audio frequencies has a trivial technological task and one carrying only sub frequencies from about 20-100Hz has the easiest job of all. If your player came with connecting cables, they're fine to use. Otherwise, a low-cost item from MonoPrice or similar does the job just as well as anything else, regardless of price.
Cables make a huge difference"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Cables make a huge difference
Yet no one has ever been able to verify it...strange. But all that aside, do you really think there is a difference between 20hz and 80hz on a sub cable? -
I verify it everytime I use a different cable. That's all I need. I encourage EVERYONE to try as many types of cables they can get their hands on and decide for themselves.
My issue with JohnK is he states his opinion like fact and never, ever states if he's ever swapped different cables in and out of his system. I have no issue with someone trying to hear differences between cables but just don't. We all hear differently and expect different things from our listening environment. I'm still pleasantly surprised at the difference cables make.
Just had the opportunity to demo some MIT Terminator 2's and WOW did they sound good. So good I miss them already, as soon as I fired up the system I noticed something was missing.
I'm not here to prove to you or anyone else what I hear, just advising the OP there are differences IMO, and he should absolutely give some different cables at different price points a try.
I've had people buy a Jaguar and then buy a Nissan Altima and he felt there was no difference in the cars................there is and there was, but he just didn't notice it. That's exactly how it is with cables and audio components. Some get it, some don't. There is no right or wrong answer it's the effort put in to determine for yourself. I decided for myself a long time ago that better components and better cables make a huge difference.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Yet no one has ever been able to verify it...strange. But all that aside, do you really think there is a difference between 20hz and 80hz on a sub cable?
Why not? I've heard cables tighten up loose bass. It's not always about the material or build quality of the cable itself..........it's how it reacts with the entire system. There are certainly impedance and capacitance differences between every single cable made and how those values react with the speaker and the amplifier (it's a closed loop system) does have a huge impact on the sound..........even if it's reproducing the EXACT same signal.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...........our ears attached to our brain is more sensitive and process information better than any piece of electrical equipment can. Until one truly believes that then you'll be relying on measured specs or in your case lack of measured specs."Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
It's amazing how people wish such poor hearing can be so into this hobby.
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
It's amazing how people wish such poor hearing can be so into this hobby.
It's amazing that those who claim they can hear things others can't, can never prove it in any way. -
I've told you before, if you were local, I'd be more than willing to invite you over so you could hear some different cables."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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I've told you before, if you were local, I'd be more than willing to invite you over so you could hear some different cables.
The fact is, that no one has ever demonstrated to anyone the ability to differentiate between cables in blind testing. But science has shown us just what expectational bias can lead people to believe.
I'll stick with the facts, you can stick with your religion. -
No religion here(at all actually). Use google, there have been plenty of tests that people were able to identify differences between cable. The few tests I've had here with fellow Polkies also supports that there are differences and the better cable isn't always the most expensive or exotic.The fact is, that no one has ever demonstrated to anyone the ability to differentiate between cables in blind testing. But science has shown us just what expectational bias can lead people to believe.
I'll stick with the facts, you can stick with your religion."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
No religion here(at all actually). Use google, there have been plenty of tests that people were able to identify differences between cable. The few tests I've had here with fellow Polkies also supports that there are differences and the better cable isn't always the most expensive or exotic.
Really? Blind tests? I have googled it, and found absolutely nothing. Maybe you could help me out and provide a link or two?
I appreciate it. -
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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Nice roll of the eyes, but I am the one who should be rolling his eyes. There was no one single link that showed anything but null results. All failures. There were no postive results. Of course I only looked at the first two pages of links.
Wanna try again, and I mean specific links. -
Did you even read the first link on that page?
Regardless, what is posted on a web page shouldn't matter anywhere. I've heard differences and so have others here on various occasions. You should really get out there, if you're using Monoprice analog and speaker cables, you're missing out."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
Did you even read the first link on that page?
Of course I did, did you? Here's a quote from that page:
This wasn't of course an in-depth scientific test, but it did reveal a few curious points. To be scientifically valid, the test should be a double-blind ABX test, conducted in isolation many hundreds of times over, with people who don't even know what they are listening for. However, from our sample of 20 near-individual tests, we got 14 correct answers. That works out at 70 per cent correct; not enough to be statistically significant, but suggesting that there may indeed be variations in cable performance.
Not double blind, and still only 70%. Mere guesswork.
And I don't use monoprice, and I have compared many cables. -
The next paragraph says:
With even our cable doubter in chief, John Fisher, admitting that he detected a 'small' difference during the first two tests, the panel concluded that interconnect cables CAN make a difference.
I'm done with this discussion."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
The next paragraph says:
With even our cable doubter in chief, John Fisher, admitting that he detected a 'small' difference during the first two tests, the panel concluded that interconnect cables CAN make a difference.
I'm done with this discussion.
Of course your done, you have nothing. Yes they claim there are differences, but their own tests, which they admit were not double blind, prove otherwise.
Besides, you are the one who claimed "Use google, there have been plenty of tests that people were able to identify differences between cable.", you would think you could show me one or two more, or better yet "plenty" of links. -
I don't know if you are going to ever get a fully scientific, double blind study with subwoofer cables, or any other audio equipment for that matter. It requires too much time and money; plus benefits too few people. Most of the audio reviews I have read were written from the opinion of a single person, let alone 20 different people listening to and for the same thing, and most people believe those without hesitation. A non-scientific test can still produce results that are accurate and somewhat conclusive. No, the sound of different subwoofer cables has not been scientifically proven, but neither has the sound of a lot of different equipment piece from the HIFI world that audiophiles accept. The audio hobby is a place where incomplete science and opinions meet, and that's going to leave us with no clear resolutions anytime soon.
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John K and William, please refer to H9's sig....."Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not."--Nelson Pass
...and then kindly stifle.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
