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cabling lay out help

izeek

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i probably have a few questions actually.
how do i keep my cables from looking like octopii?
can i zip-tie my speaker cables together?
how much interference or noise will i really get if my speaker cables pass over the power cords of amps, preamps, sub cable?
im having to use 6ft cables to connect my amps and preamp. the preamp sits a shelf above one amp and the next amp is on the same level as the first but slightly more than 4ft. unless i can use 1-3ftr and 1-6ftr(my media center for the time being). how do i lay the long cable on the short side.
when i was in the military, we daisy chained excess cables.
will that cause problems in home audio.
thanks in advance.
 

RayDunzl

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Bundle signal and power separately if you must.

Cross signal and power cables at 90 degrees (like X) when you can.

Don't worry about it unless you have audible problems.

I have a rats nest and no audible indications.

I have a background in public telecom where everything had to be tied down juuuuust so and inspected and redone if not "right". It was useful there, not so much here.

Probably part of an old multistory Bell Office here...
 
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pozz

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i probably have a few questions actually.
how do i keep my cables from looking like octopii?
can i zip-tie my speaker cables together?
how much interference or noise will i really get if my speaker cables pass over the power cords of amps, preamps, sub cable?
im having to use 6ft cables to connect my amps and preamp. the preamp sits a shelf above one amp and the next amp is on the same level as the first but slightly more than 4ft. unless i can use 1-3ftr and 1-6ftr(my media center for the time being). how do i lay the long cable on the short side.
when i was in the military, we daisy chained excess cables.
will that cause problems in home audio.
thanks in advance.
I used to spend a lot of time making cables look neat by using velcro and so forth. After moving house, the new setup has no clearance between the stand and wall and I stopped doing it, but I'll probably pick up the habit again if circumstances change. It's fun, and keeping things organized is nice, especially if you're trying stuff out in more complicated setups and the like and need to switch things around and keep the channels straight.

Performance-wise, a rat's nest is fine. If you go too deep into this you'll find extremely detailed instructions about situations where it's better to bundle cables and others where it is not. These are mostly relevant for a recording context, not for home listening, where the former has to deal with hundreds of connections and cables, sometimes over long distances. Home setups are much simpler.

I wouldn't zip tie cables together. Something softer like a velcro tie is better. If you want to use ties to reduce lengths, just don't force the cable to bend more than it has to. This is to reduce the chances of damage.

Use lengths that are practical for your setups. Excess length doesn't hurt. There are no performance benefits when you are comparing a few feet here and there. About daisy chaining: I don't see how that would work in home audio, where your excess is mostly a few feet or a few inches. It's only relevant for long extension cords and such.
 
OP
izeek

izeek

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I used to spend a lot of time making cables look neat by using velcro and so forth. After moving house, the new setup has no clearance between the stand and wall and I stopped doing it, but I'll probably pick up the habit again if circumstances change. It's fun, and keeping things organized is nice, especially if you're trying stuff out in more complicated setups and the like and need to switch things around and keep the channels straight.

Performance-wise, a rat's nest is fine. If you go too deep into this you'll find extremely detailed instructions about situations where it's better to bundle cables and others where it is not. These are mostly relevant for a recording context, not for home listening, where the former has to deal with hundreds of connections and cables, sometimes over long distances. Home setups are much simpler.

I wouldn't zip tie cables together. Something softer like a velcro tie is better. If you want to use ties to reduce lengths, just don't force the cable to bend more than it has to. This is to reduce the chances of damage.

Use lengths that are practical for your setups. Excess length doesn't hurt. There are no performance benefits when you are comparing a few feet here and there. About daisy chaining: I don't see how that would work in home audio, where your excess is mostly a few feet or a few inches. It's only relevant for long extension cords and such.
sounds good. how about uneven interconnects.
 

Chrispy

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sounds good. how about uneven interconnects.

You mean different lengths? No worries. Speed of electricity is quite high...more than 50% of the speed of light. Takes a very long distance before that matters, longer than anything you'll do in the home....
 

Speedskater

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Bundle signal and power separately if you must.
Cross signal and power cables at 90 degrees (like X) when you can.
Don't worry about it unless you have audible problems.
"Ray" still worries way too much.
with 3 inches of separation between power and signal, the cables can be in parallel.
 
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izeek

izeek

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You mean different lengths? No worries. Speed of electricity is quite high...more than 50% of the speed of light. Takes a very long distance before that matters, longer than anything you'll do in the home....
thanks. i didnt think a foot or so was going to matter.
 

Katji

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I wouldn't zip tie cables together. Something softer like a velcro tie is better.
People tend to overtighten them, pull too hard. Also with capacitors on crossovers.
 

Chrispy

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Zip ties are fine for things you're not likely to change out for a while....but I use the velcro ties for stuff that's more likely to be moved/changed....
 
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