Speaker Wire
- Thread starter hulk311
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I buy my speakers from best buy(discount). As far as speaker wire, same thing. And for the question about cheaper cables working as well. I listened to a very in depth podcast on speaker wire and whether or not spending alot more on monster cable was really worth it or not. To sum it up, the answer is no. There was a sound quality difference between the cheaper cables and the pricier ones, however, the human ear can rarely distinguish this. So go wild at wally world.
Bigrupp
New member
As far as speakers go- figure out what you want and get em where you can get a good price.
As for the cables- broncosi was right about the audible difference between cheapo's and monster cables really isn't much. One thing you want to be sure of though is that they are decently shielded. Some of the real cheap ones don't have jack for shielding. However, you can still get some that will be sufficiently shielded for cheap. Just something to look out for that will make a definite difference.
As for the cables- broncosi was right about the audible difference between cheapo's and monster cables really isn't much. One thing you want to be sure of though is that they are decently shielded. Some of the real cheap ones don't have jack for shielding. However, you can still get some that will be sufficiently shielded for cheap. Just something to look out for that will make a definite difference.
tarheeltp17
New member
I find this kind of amusing... you want 12 gauge wire but then ask about cheap RCAs. 12 gauge is capable of handling a pretty good amount of wattage for speakers so you aren't planning on skimping by on just some 16 or even the factory wire. But yet you ask about cheap RCAs... ha sorry just the car audio side of me.
But yes there is a pretty significant difference in cheap and good RCAs. You don't have to go top notch by no means; a $20 set of RCA's from Stinger, JL, etc... will do just fine. And that's $20 retail. Stinger has the HPM series and JL's Clear series are great cables for little money. What you get out of these cables is the ability to carry high volt signals to the amp. Say for instance your head unit has a 4 volt pre-out... if you use a cheap set of RCA's you'll be lucky to have half the signal by the time it makes it to the amp. Less signal = less volume and more work your amp has to do. I used to have a line driver (increases RCA output voltage) that I could hook into a cigarette lighter plug and quickly connect it in with systems to show the importance of a high volt output and the difference it makes.
If you were to cut open a pair of cheap RCAs you'll find MAYBE 4 strands of wire and 4 strands of shield. You're better of going for the middle of the road RCA's so you won't have any problems down the road.
But yes there is a pretty significant difference in cheap and good RCAs. You don't have to go top notch by no means; a $20 set of RCA's from Stinger, JL, etc... will do just fine. And that's $20 retail. Stinger has the HPM series and JL's Clear series are great cables for little money. What you get out of these cables is the ability to carry high volt signals to the amp. Say for instance your head unit has a 4 volt pre-out... if you use a cheap set of RCA's you'll be lucky to have half the signal by the time it makes it to the amp. Less signal = less volume and more work your amp has to do. I used to have a line driver (increases RCA output voltage) that I could hook into a cigarette lighter plug and quickly connect it in with systems to show the importance of a high volt output and the difference it makes.
If you were to cut open a pair of cheap RCAs you'll find MAYBE 4 strands of wire and 4 strands of shield. You're better of going for the middle of the road RCA's so you won't have any problems down the road.
juiceboxer
New member
Did you adjust the gain after boosting the line voltage? If not there would be an obvious increase in volume due to the extra power...
Decent RCA cables are a good Idea, Like tarheel said, lower quality cables will have a higher resistance and less shielding.
As for speaker wire It is mostly the gauge of the wire, not the brand. I like to use monoprice for my speaker wire, it is cheap and good quality.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239
tarheeltp17
New member
No... i never messed with amplifier settings. My entire setup was to show the importance of signal to the amplifier. I simply plugged the line driver power into an outlet, unhooked the RCAs going into the amp and connected them to the input of the line driver, then plugged in RCAs from the output of the line driver into the amplifier.
juiceboxer
New member
I think that would cause an increase in volume, but not necessarily a boost in quality. Im sure you know this but amplifier gains are used to match the input voltage of the amplifier to the output voltage of the head unit. If you plugged in a "pre amp" of sorts you would be boosting the voltage. If the gains were set to the previous voltage, say 2.0V, and you boosted it to 4.0V, the gains would have to be adjusted to reflect this change in voltage. You will hear an increase in volume at the previous settings for the 2.0V signal but I would be willing to bet that if you turned the head unit up to near max volume you would notice significant clipping introduced. Due to the fact that the gains are now incorrectly set and the amp is being overdriven, introducing clipping.
I understand what you mean about low quality cables dropping the pre out voltage, and you are definitely correct, I just feel that your use of a "Pre Amp" doesn't illustrate an increase in sound quality. The Pre out voltage doesn't change the quality of the sound, It does however protect from interference. A higher line voltage will allow less interference into the source signal, but will not change the quality of the source.
Also if you feel that I am incorrect please let me know, I don't want to come off as bashing you. I am just trying to make sure correct information is given, as well as preventing speaker damage due to an overdriven signal.
I understand what you mean about low quality cables dropping the pre out voltage, and you are definitely correct, I just feel that your use of a "Pre Amp" doesn't illustrate an increase in sound quality. The Pre out voltage doesn't change the quality of the sound, It does however protect from interference. A higher line voltage will allow less interference into the source signal, but will not change the quality of the source.
Also if you feel that I am incorrect please let me know, I don't want to come off as bashing you. I am just trying to make sure correct information is given, as well as preventing speaker damage due to an overdriven signal.
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tarheeltp17
New member
You are correct by all means. I didn't do a great job of explaining the use of a line driver - I was merely trying to show how a high signal is important at the amplifier. A line driver won't really boost quality but what it does do is decrease the amount of work your amplifier has to do. Gains on the amplifier essentially compensate for lack of signal. Good signal = less gain = less work your amp has to do to get your desired sound. Which is why you want a good set of RCA's to make sure the signal from your headunit makes it to the amplifier without any induced noise.
juiceboxer
New member
Couldn't have explained it better myself!:thumb3:
riceandpho
Elite Member
Knukonceptz , I use there krystal RCA cables pretty cheap price but the quality is better or same as monster, jl, kicker, rockfordfosgate, stinger.
I use the karma ss 12 guage for sub wire and 14 guage stinger pro speaker wire to the doors. Also knukonceptz Kolossus power wires 4 guage. Knukonceptz make some good stuff, and the price is way affordable.
I use the karma ss 12 guage for sub wire and 14 guage stinger pro speaker wire to the doors. Also knukonceptz Kolossus power wires 4 guage. Knukonceptz make some good stuff, and the price is way affordable.