Can good-quality RCA cables substitute for component cables? (1 Viewer)

[John_V]

I'm a budget-minded guy (I know, HT is not the right hobby for that), and I don't want to spend $70 for a 2-meter component cable.
Do you know if you can substitute an RCA composite video cable w/ left & right audio for a component cable? The nicer composite cables probably have the same shielding on the audio as on the video, or at least it seems so.
For example, could you substutite this composite cable:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...47872-6412016/
For this more expensive component cable?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg.../-/B00003CWE6/

 

[Alf S]

If you're a budget kinda guy like me, why not try these out?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...onics&n=464418

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Do you know if you can substitute an RCA composite video cable w/ left & right audio

The answer is: it depends.
Video cables need to be made with something called 75 ohm coax. This keeps the signals from reflecting inside the cable when it hits the TV input jacks. Hopefully, the RCA plug is also close to 75 ohms.
Audio cables can be made with any of the popular impedences: 50, 75, 110, 300 ohm. And the RCA plug can be any impedence as well, including one different from the coax.
(No, the coax is often not marked and they all tend to look alike.)
There WERE some L/R/Video cable sets a few years ago that were all made with 75 ohm coax & connectors. They just had different colors on the plugs.
But someone recently bought a set of these from Radio Shack and cut them open and found the audio cables were made with different coax.
So will the current Monster L/R/Video work for component cables? It's un-known.
But at least you now know the reason why.
Note: you CAN use 3 identical composite video cables as a component cable set.
And a lot of people like the AR Pro brand of cables from places like Best Buy. Search Amazon for "Acoustic Research" and you will find 6 ft cables for $35.
Good Luck.

 

[Neil Joseph]

An A/V cable will work but I would not use it on my system. As Bob mentioned, their are differences in the audio cables when compared to video cables (impedance). That is for normal DVD viewing but when you start going to Hdef sources that rewuire higher cable bandwidth, I would tend to think that any anomolies in the cable will introduce more noticeable problems.

 

[John_V]

I've learned some new things, thanks. I won't use the A/V cable for component.