(UK) Quality Digital Coaxial Right->Left cable?

[FiftyTifty]

One thing I've noticed with my MA-15D's is that the left speaker doesn't quite have the oomph of the right speaker (the heavy one that has all the tuning stuff). Did a bit of googling, and a common reason is that the supplied cable needed to be replaced.

Saw mentions of things like shielding, ground wires, 1 wire vs 2 wires, some brands sabotaging their lower end cables, and other stuff. So what's a good brand for this type of cable?

And just to make sure I've got the right cable, I've got a picture of it, as the manual doesn't explicitly say what type of port it is on the speaker. Any input would be appreciated!

Spoiler

 

[SSS]

One thing I've noticed with my MA-15D's is that the left speaker doesn't quite have the oomph of the right speaker (the heavy one that has all the tuning stuff). Did a bit of googling, and a common reason is that the supplied cable needed to be replaced.

Saw mentions of things like shielding, ground wires, 1 wire vs 2 wires, some brands sabotaging their lower end cables, and other stuff. So what's a good brand for this type of cable?

And just to make sure I've got the right cable, I've got a picture of it, as the manual doesn't explicitly say what type of port it is on the speaker. Any input would be appreciated!

Spoiler

View attachment 305289

In general the cable in the picture is OK for analog L and R input. If the digital input is used then the cable is also OK when it is a video cable with 75 Ohm wave resistance. For short connection an audio cable will also work to my experience. The picture does not tell what type of cable it is. If the cable was used for the left channel loudspeaker and if this one is passive then a normal RCA (Cinch) audio cable may be not sufficient. It should be one with wider wire square for low resistance.

 

[FiftyTifty]

The speakers have an odd set up. The source input is an optical SPDIF into the right speaker, then you use this digital cable that takes the output of the right and put it into the left speaker (only has one input and just for that cable). I'll take a pic of the port real quick.

Spoiler

 

[BDWoody]

The speakers have an odd set up. The source input is an optical SPDIF into the right speaker, then you use this digital cable that takes the output of the right and put it into the left speaker (only has one input and just for that cable). I'll take a pic of the port real quick.

Spoiler

View attachment 305290

You probably realize that's not a digital input, just an analog RCA connection. Have you tried any other RCA cables you have around?

 

[Joachim Herbert]

Actually it is (should be) a speaker cable with RCA termination.

 

[FiftyTifty]

You probably realize that's not a digital input, just an analog RCA connection. Have you tried any other RCA cables you have around?

Don't have any others. And it's an RCA Phono, though it says digital on it?

Actually it is (should be) a speaker cable with RCA termination.

I actually only just found the exact info in the brochure, wasn't in the manual: L Channel Output Jack (RCA phono type)

So I need a quality one of these. I know there's gotcha brands out there that do equivalent stuff to gold-plated USB connectors

 

[BDWoody]

Don't have any others. And it's an RCA Phono, though it says digital on it?

The right speaker has a digital input from your source, and an analog output to your left speaker.

I actually only just found the exact info in the brochure, wasn't in the manual: L Channel Output Jack (RCA phono type)

So I need a quality one of these. I know there's gotcha brands out there that do equivalent stuff to gold-plated USB connectors

Really any RCA cable should work fine. If you have or get an attached pair, you could peel them apart like zipcord to just use the one cable.

Amazon.com

 

[Joachim Herbert]

The cable cross section of those rca cables is much smaller than that of speaker cables. Smaller diameter means higher resistance, higher power loss, lower damping factor.

Not sure how much (if any) improvement can be expected with this design.

 

[Zek]

Don't have any others. And it's an RCA Phono, though it says digital on it?

Maybe that cable is a digital RCA coax to the coax input on the right speaker.
To connect the left speaker you need a regular RCA connection cable (there should be one in the package for those speakers).

 

[somebodyelse]

From the pictures in the manual https://static.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/MA-15D_egfis5.pdf it's clear the cable is connected to the amp output in the powered speaker, and the other speaker is passive as the RCA is the only connector on it. This isn't a 'normal' use for RCA which is probably why they recommend using the included cable. If you can solder your best bet is probably making your own with some speaker cable, assuming you really need a replacement.

 

[Frank2]

If your left speaker does not have an AC in connection, it will not contain a DAC nor an amplifier. In that case, the wire acts as a normal speaker wire. Maybe you can try one of these if you don't like soldering:

 

[DVDdoug]

My guess is that the cable isn't the problem. It is just a "speaker cable" with a somewhat uncommon connection so the only critical thing is wire gauge (thickness*). It doesn't need to be shielded.

Wire/cable has a certain resistance (Ohms) per-foot (or per-meter, etc.). If the speakers are 50 feet apart and you have a regular "audio cable" you may get some loss. With short runs I wouldn't expect a difference.

A couple of other possibilities - Sometimes volume control pots don't "track" equally and that creates a mis-match between left & right. If you are connected to a computer (or something with it's own volume control) turn-down that volume and check with the speaker volume control turned all the way up.

If you're using an analog input, swap the left & right connections to make sure the problem is not from the sound source.

Or if your room or speaker placement is not symmetrical, that can make a difference. i.e. Putting a speaker in a corner makes it louder and especially boosts the bass. You can try swapping the speakers around to check that.



* Wire gauge has an inverse relationship with thickness... 16 AWG wire is fatter than 22 AWG wire, etc., and lower gauge has less resistance... Heavier gauge, lower resistance, speaker cable is better (to a point).

 

[Jimbob54]

How far apart are your speakers? (or how long does the cable need to be?) I do wonder how much the max voltage the R amped unit is pushing to the L passive unit (question to the group).

 

[JayGilb]

A rca interconnect should have never been used to connect the speaker, a simple din plug would have been a better choice.
Poor engineering decision.

 

[r042wal]

Try reversing the cables to rule the cable out

 

[FiftyTifty]

Maybe that cable is a digital RCA coax to the coax input on the right speaker.
To connect the left speaker you need a regular RCA connection cable (there should be one in the package for those speakers).

Yep, that's the one I'm using. But I don't have another, which is the thing. And I'm not a brainiac with audio equipment, so I was hoping for a recommendation on a good brand to get.

From the pictures in the manual https://static.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/MA-15D_egfis5.pdf it's clear the cable is connected to the amp output in the powered speaker, and the other speaker is passive as the RCA is the only connector on it. This isn't a 'normal' use for RCA which is probably why they recommend using the included cable. If you can solder your best bet is probably making your own with some speaker cable, assuming you really need a replacement.

Don't have the gear, don't have the knowhow, and don't have the hands. Also I'm a bit spaced out from my meds, and holding a burning hot iron is a bad idea. If I already had the gear and a garage to work in, I'd give it a shot at least. But don't fancy risking setting fire to my flat and splurging on gear.

My guess is that the cable isn't the problem. It is just a "speaker cable" with a somewhat uncommon connection so the only critical thing is wire gauge (thickness*). It doesn't need to be shielded.

Wire/cable has a certain resistance (Ohms) per-foot (or per-meter, etc.). If the speakers are 50 feet apart and you have a regular "audio cable" you may get some loss. With short runs I wouldn't expect a difference.

A couple of other possibilities - Sometimes volume control pots don't "track" equally and that creates a mis-match between left & right. If you are connected to a computer (or something with it's own volume control) turn-down that volume and check with the speaker volume control turned all the way up.

If you're using an analog input, swap the left & right connections to make sure the problem is not from the sound source.

Or if your room or speaker placement is not symmetrical, that can make a difference. i.e. Putting a speaker in a corner makes it louder and especially boosts the bass. You can try swapping the speakers around to check that.



* Wire gauge has an inverse relationship with thickness... 16 AWG wire is fatter than 22 AWG wire, etc., and lower gauge has less resistance... Heavier gauge, lower resistance, speaker cable is better (to a point).

The cable is pretty short. Barely gets around my 32" computer monitor, with the speakers about an inch away from its side. So about 35"? There's also no left/right output control, only input volume control (i.e, source input from my pc)

How far apart are your speakers? (or how long does the cable need to be?) I do wonder how much the max voltage the R amped unit is pushing to the L passive unit (question to the group).

I'll get a picture actually. They're not far, and use up the entire length of the cable.

Spoiler

Try reversing the cables to rule the cable out

I'll do that when I have a moment to test, and will report back!