[Steve Carlo]

My computer's speakers have a sub and two mini speakers, no shileding on the cable. Then I see BBuy selling subwoofer cable which appears to be nothing more than co-ax (75 ohm I assume, overkill for a TV signal unless you are going over 30 feet) with a couple of RCA connectors on it.

I can solder, know how to wire an RCA connector...is there any benefit from buying ready-made and is the shielding really necessary? After all we don't shield our speaker wires!

Thanks

[Bob McElfresh]

You dont shield the speaker wires in a HT system because they carry WATTS of power. This tends to swamp any RFI/Noise.

Yes, for line-level signals, you typically use coaxial cable.

Your PC speakers are ... a bit of a hybred.

They dont carry lots of power like a HT system would, but the signals DO carry more wattage than ordinary line-level signals.

In truth, you dont need shielded wires going from the subwoofer box to the speakers.

But from the sound card to the subwoofer (which I assume has a built-in amp), you would LIKE this cable to be shielded. This is the PC version of a line-level signal, and the cluster of connectors right behind the computer is a very noisy environment.

But space is at a premium for full-sized RCA plugs on the back of a PC, and many PC speaker systems have a small crossover to ignore any noise above 24 Khz (and there is a LOT of higher-frequency noise in the back).

So this is why many PC speaker systems get away with the 1/8 inch stereo plug.

[Steve Carlo]

Thanks Bob. I guess I'll put together my own cable then, no point in buying something I can make for 1/4 the price!