Battle of RCA Cables: Mogami, Amazon, Monoprice

[Holmz]

I'm constantly forgetting which cable is which when I'm fiddling with the mess of cables... should really put a tag on one to mark it

I used to have the same problem.

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[GeekyBastard]

 

[magicscreen]

If you can't hear the improvement provided by Audioquest cables it is obviously caused by a deficiency in your hearing.

Hearing is an interesting thing.
I was changing RCA cables and I have a tiny feeling somehow one of them was louder.
I recorded the music and compared them.
And yes, my new $20 cable was louder than the old $2 cable.
So I can hear the difference between cables.

 

[Doodski]

Hearing is an interesting thing.
I was changing RCA cables and I have a tiny feeling somehow one of them was louder.
I recorded the music and compared them.
And yes, my new $20 cable was louder than the old $2 cable.
So I can hear the difference between cables.

Can you post a pic of the bad cable? I'm curious about what it is.

 

[solderdude]

There is a polarity if one solders the blue and clear to the different places on the Profi RCA.

Only when connecting such a cable to mono blocks or speakers though.
In most other cases there would be short via the common ground.

And yes, my new $20 cable was louder than the old $2 cable.

It could be possible when you were using it as a regular speaker cable. It would need to have a huge resistance to pull of this trick when used as a regular RCA.

 

[imagidominc]

I just picked up Mogami Gold cables for my system, so this is good timing I guess.

 

[bidn]

I've found that pentastar wiring makes death metal sound the best, but it's not so good for others like Kenny G.

That would better apply to black metal, especially the subcategory with a Satanic theme ...

 

[Blumlein 88]

I just picked up Mogami Gold cables for my system, so this is good timing I guess.

Oh man, you could got some Canare instead......

Just kidding, those Mogami Gold should serve you well.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Hearing is an interesting thing.
I was changing RCA cables and I have a tiny feeling somehow one of them was louder.
I recorded the music and compared them.
And yes, my new $20 cable was louder than the old $2 cable.
So I can hear the difference between cables.

Uh Huh!

 

[Holmz]

Only when connecting such a cable to mono blocks or speakers though.
In most other cases there would be short via the common ground.
…

^good point^

It depends if the shell is tied to ground, or if it goes into a differential input.

The Mogami interconnect I use has a blue and a clear as a twisted pair.
It also has a braided copper shield.

I usually tie the shield at the sending end, and float the shield at the receiving end.
I forgot whether it was the clear or the blue that I solder to the center conductor. Probably the clear.
So if one was to tie the blue to the center at the TX end, and solder that blue to the shell of the RX side, then the RCA would be inverting.

But yeah if both the TX and RX have the RCA shells tied to ground, then you are correct.

Some of my gear is XLR so there I clearly could invert the signal.

 

[DamianW]

What is the output and input impedance of the analyser?

 

[PeteL]

Then buy one of the alternatives mentioned that aren't Amazon basics.

I buy mainly BJC, good construction is important for me. I am aware that I'm probably paying a bit too much but my systems are fairly complex, I change components and configuration quite often. for years bad/cheap cables have been a serious irritant. The number of hours I spent trouble shooting either noise, Intermittent channels, and yes even severely compromised sound quality (frequency response and level) due to a faulty connection is worth for me paying extra.

 

[Freckles.Mcgee]

I had problems with the connectors of the Monoprice, it was always losing connection. The outer sleeve the fits over the rca slot of the device seemed just ever so slightly too big.

# Monoprice 1.5ft Premium 2 RCA Plug/2 RCA Plug M/M 22AWG Cable - Black

 

[PeteL]

^good point^

It depends if the shell is tied to ground, or if it goes into a differential input.

The Mogami interconnect I use has a blue and a clear as a twisted pair.
It also has a braided copper shield.

I usually tie the shield at the sending end, and float the shield at the receiving end.
I forgot whether it was the clear or the blue that I solder to the center conductor. Probably the clear.
So if one was to tie the blue to the center at the TX end, and solder that blue to the shell of the RX side, then the RCA would be inverting.

But yeah if both the TX and RX have the RCA shells tied to ground, then you are correct.

Some of my gear is XLR so there I clearly could invert the signal.

But bottom line, if a RCA cable is not wired properly, it's a faulty cable, not an inverted polarity cable. If after that you use an adapter to convert unbalanced to balance, in some cases it may still produce sound, but no manufacturer would sell RCA with inverted polarity. It means it's broken and have not been tested and if it works it's just luck. On each RCA connector there is signal and ground, it's pretty obvious that you need both ends of the same wire to connect the signal pin and same for ground. After that if repatching that upstream with an adapter still produce sound, is not about polarity, it's just redirecting the two conductors in a way you still get an audio signal

 

[milosz]

I find there are some MECHANICAL differences between cables. And of course the really cheap cables have tin-plated connectors which corrode over time and can cause trouble. Gold plating is much better as it basically does not corrode.

The mechanical differences I find are related to how well the RCA plug grips the RCA socket. There's a few different designs for the RCA plug shield "petals" but basically you can just look at an RCA plug and see if it has cheesy thin "petals" or of they are more substantial and therefore likely to maintain a tight grip. Also some have a kind of spiral split in the "petals" which seems to improve grip. Then, too, I like the center pin to be split, which again is about tightness of the connection.

You have different flexibility levels, and different coverings. Choice there is down to preference. The fabric coverings look nice, and if your cables are visible, this can dress up the look.

Blue Jean Cables sells some low capacitance cables, I think these are good to use between your turntable and your phono stage, no sense adding extra capacitance there via your cables. And low capacitance cables might also be good when using L-Pad based "passive preamps" directly into certain power amps, if the power amp input impedance is low-ish, a low capacitance cable here is not a bad idea.

If RFI is a real problem - like if you live very near a broadcast station or are an amateur radio hobbyist- there are some things you can do which help slightly. You can use ferrite "chokes" around your cables at the end where they are connected to the input of some stage. If you need to you can make a little RF fileter at the input of a stage if you have RFI - wind the signal carrying lead through a ferrite bead a few times, and use a small multilayer ceramic capacitor to ground right at the back of the RCA socket, like a 10 nF cap and keep the leads as short as possible to reduce inductance. This can be especially useful on the input of a phono stage or other high gain stage. A little series inductance and parallel capacitance will give you approx. a 1 MHz filter. certainly won't impact analog audio. Don't use such a thing on a SPDIF input, though!

 

[Doodski]

The outer sleeve the fits over the rca slot of the device seemed just ever so slightly too big.

I was gifted a set of Monster Cable RCAs with the "Turbine" ends. The ends fit too securely and held on so well that upon removal they pulled out the ground from the amp. I was able to adjust the cable RCA ends to loosen the fit a tad but it was a pain in the butt with the amp ground connection damaged. Luckily I was tooled up for repairs at the time and was able to fix it.

 

[Freckles.Mcgee]

@Doodski for all the things holy in audio just give us something in between! I've heard of this happening with "turbine" style connectors.. YOU WILL KEEP THIS CABLE! I ended up crimping the ends a little and it fixed. They are happy in the garage with a set of old speakers.

 

[ad_fletch]

I do wish amazon basics would make shorter cables for stacking amps/DACs as their smallest size is 1.2 meters which is just too big

AliExpress has some nice short cables for the headphone stack crowd. Like this one - lengths from 20cm (!) to 5m.

I know some don't trust it as a source, but I've found some good stuff on there over the years (having sifted out the dross in each search).

 

[Lambda]

But this is not the same as a woven star-quad (or hex) geometry. These are just 7 in a twist or perhaps pairs twisted.

Star Quad is nothing super special and it don't need to be woven. its just slightly twisted

Star quad cable - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

All that matter is the geometric center of the cable Pair (or of the tree cables in hex) is in the center.

 

[pma]

I was gifted a set of Monster Cable RCAs with the "Turbine" ends. The ends fit too securely and held on so well that upon removal they pulled out the ground from the amp. I was able to adjust the cable RCA ends to loosen the fit a tad but it was a pain in the butt with the amp ground connection damaged. Luckily I was tooled up for repairs at the time and was able to fix it.

WBT like locking connectors are best and the only reliable ones if one needs to use RCA connectors. Always better to go balanced.