• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Recoton RCA Cable Review (Ultra Cheap Cable)

Rate this cable

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 12 4.6%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 13 5.0%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 77 29.5%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 159 60.9%

  • Total voters
    261

Katji

Major Contributor
Joined
Sep 26, 2017
Messages
2,990
Likes
2,273
afaik, the OFC thing is just about oxidation.
And the cryogenic thing is just pure bullshit...like the old copper versus silver thing- copper "sounds warmer" and silver "sounds brighter."
 

Bruce Morgen

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 3, 2019
Messages
864
Likes
1,237
afaik, the OFC thing is just about oxidation.
And the cryogenic thing is just pure bullshit...like the old copper versus silver thing- copper "sounds warmer" and silver "sounds brighter."

Virtually all "C" supplied to the wire and cable industry is more than "OF" enough.

What about “oxygen free” wire?
 
Last edited:

MrBrainwash

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2020
Messages
62
Likes
42
I want to know what's wrong with that review:

Does he is dishonest or incompetent to do a proper test or the cable he used had a problem?

Do you think some cables can degraded sound in this way?
 

solderdude

Grand Contributor
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
15,891
Likes
35,912
Location
The Neitherlands
One can find hundreds of 'reviews' that 'confirm' audible differences even with mains cables.
It must be dramatic and very measurable if it can be shown even using a microphone in a room in YT video sound quality.

You either believe in cable differences or you don't.
You either believe these 'reviewers' or your own 'findings' or you rely on nulling results or measurements like those made by Amir.
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
One can find hundreds of 'reviews' that 'confirm' audible differences even with mains cables.
It must be dramatic and very measurable if it can be shown even using a microphone in a room in YT video sound quality.

You either believe in cable differences or you don't.
You either believe these 'reviewers' or your own 'findings' or you rely on nulling results or measurements like those made by Amir.
I believe that if you pay enough for cables, you can subjectively hear differences that don’t objectively exist.

“Believing is hearing. That’s right, if you believe you will hear a difference, then there’s a good chance that you will.” - Roger Russell
 

MrBrainwash

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2020
Messages
62
Likes
42
One can find hundreds of 'reviews' that 'confirm' audible differences even with mains cables.
It must be dramatic and very measurable if it can be shown even using a microphone in a room in YT video sound quality.

You either believe in cable differences or you don't.
You either believe these 'reviewers' or your own 'findings' or you rely on nulling results or measurements like those made by Amir.

I don't believe in cables. I had the same thought. I just wanted to confirm the "real" possible reason for difference in recording.

Sound changes like this must be measurable but what was cause of it: EQ, distortion from bad assembled cable or something else?
 

pseudoid

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
5,116
Likes
3,416
Location
33.58 -117.88
Is it contrarian to ONLY expect cables to "DO NO HARM" while conducting the signal?
Rather than... I dunno... to expect cables to "IMPROVE" that signal.
Unfortunately, "Straight wire with gain" has never applied to cables, thus far.

But none of the above means that I will be attracted (or convinced) to use "Ultra Cheap Cables" with my not so "Ultra Cheap" audio/video systems.
 

egellings

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 6, 2020
Messages
4,004
Likes
3,244
Agree. Audio cables, speaker & small signal, are a long-ago solved problem. It's easy to get them right.
 

solderdude

Grand Contributor
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
15,891
Likes
35,912
Location
The Neitherlands
I just wanted to confirm the "real" possible reason for difference in recording.

I have no idea. All I know is when I null a crappy and expensive cable of the same length the difference between them is '0' so the exact same signal is passing through both cables. This means there cannot be a difference.

When there is or seems to be the actual 'test' has to be examined. Without that it is all speculation.

I have had some cheap crappy cables in the past that gave the following problems:
Intermittent contact, 'contact' noise (moving/wiggling cures it) mostly with 3.5mm TRS, hum but never a loss of 'sound quality' or 'realism' or 'air' or some other 'qualitative' thing in the music.
 
Last edited:

pseudoid

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
5,116
Likes
3,416
Location
33.58 -117.88
When there is or seems to be the actual 'test' has to be examined. Without that it is all speculation.
Easy to say in the 21st Century but that data was not (as readily) available back when...
Going 'conservative' was the rule-of-the-day and it did not really need 'speculation'.
If I had to loop any cable more than a few times between point-A to point-B, I never saw any point to the contrary to obtain a non-cheap but shorter cable. :oops:
It was just good investment that has served me well for at least four decades. imo
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
Easy to say in the 21st Century but that data was not (as readily) available back when...
Going 'conservative' was the rule-of-the-day and it did not really need 'speculation'.
If I had to loop any cable more than a few times between point-A to point-B, I never saw any point to the contrary to obtain a non-cheap but shorter cable. :oops:
It was just good investment that has served me well for at least four decades. imo
I’d suggest going back to read Roger Russell again. We’ve known a lot for a long time.

The facts about cable’s impact on audio and transmission systems has been known since at least the early 20th Century - over 100 years. That’s because these impacts are due to fundamental electromagnetic physics and engineering.

What has changed in the last 100 years is the evolution of the consumer audio market and marketing itself. Marketing has introduced a lot of obsfucation in order to drive sales and profits. What we experience in the cable market today is not the introduction of more knowledge, it is the unsupported refuting of existing knowledge and research. It’s pitchmen posing as physicists.

No wonder people are confused.
 

mattanderson

Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2019
Messages
20
Likes
16
I want to know what's wrong with that review:

Does he is dishonest or incompetent to do a proper test or the cable he used had a problem?

Do you think some cables can degraded sound in this way?

He's just religious.

I'm tickled that BJC is considered bling 'round these parts. :) I'm running a mix of LC-1 and DIY Belken 1505F + Neutrik.
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
Yeah, I called LC-1 "bling". It's shiny and catches the eye. It feels good in hand. It's visibly different from commodity cables from Amazon and Monoprice. In that way, it's costume jewelry. From an electrical characteristics perspective, I find it to be impeccable. But, in most line-level instances, it probably does not perform better than Recoton.

The one area where LC-1 is really outstanding and it sometimes matters is in its very low capacitance (hence "LC"). That can genuinely matter with some moving magnet phonostages.
 

Speedskater

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 5, 2016
Messages
1,610
Likes
1,333
Location
Cleveland, Ohio USA
But, in most line-level instances, it probably does not perform better than Recoton.
For long interconnnect cbles, the LC-1 cables will have much lower Common Impedance Coupling noise.
The one area where LC-1 is really outstanding and it sometimes matters is in its very low capacitance (hence "LC"). That can genuinely matter with some moving magnet phonostages.
Part of the MM cartridge to pre-amp circuit is the cable. The capacitance of the cable is part of the high frequency tuning of the circuit. The LC-1 doesn't have enough capacitance for this task.
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
For long interconnnect cbles, the LC-1 cables will have much lower Common Impedance Coupling noise.

Part of the MM cartridge to pre-amp circuit is the cable. The capacitance of the cable is part of the high frequency tuning of the circuit. The LC-1 doesn't have enough capacitance for this task.
I have a phonostage which has its own capacitance loading. I want the cable capacitance to be minimal to allow for finer adjustment within the phonostage. Having a cable provide that capacitance can be a problem when switching cartridges that have different characteristics.
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
For long interconnnect cbles, the LC-1 cables will have much lower Common Impedance Coupling noise.
I was taking the Recoton as a 3 ft cable, as tested. But, I agree that for longer interconnects LC-1 could be superior in noise rejection. I do use LC-1 for a 10 ft run of subwoofer cable and I also use a Recoton-like 6 foot RCA cable for a different subwoofer with no issues whatsoever.
 

Speedskater

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 5, 2016
Messages
1,610
Likes
1,333
Location
Cleveland, Ohio USA
I have a phonostage which has its own capacitance loading. I want the cable capacitance to be minimal to allow for finer adjustment within the phonostage. Having a cable provide that capacitance can be a problem when switching cartridges that have different characteristics.
That's a different statement than yours in post #314
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
That's a different statement than yours in post #314
I said "The one area where LC-1 is really outstanding and it sometimes matters is in its very low capacitance (hence "LC"). That can genuinely matter with some moving magnet phonostages."

The specific phonostage I had in mind was my Bryston BP-1.5.
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
What has changed in the last 100 years is the evolution of the consumer audio market and marketing itself. Marketing has introduced a lot of obsfucation in order to drive sales and profits. What we experience in the cable market today is not the introduction of more knowledge, it is the unsupported refuting of existing knowledge and research. It’s pitchmen posing as physicists.
Here is an example I posted in a different thread on ASR:

 
Top Bottom