Can I coil excess sub cable? (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Beacom]

I have an SVS on the way and I'm looking at a 5M cable so it can wander around the room to find the best spot.
What I don't know is what I should do with excess cable. If I end up with some can I coil it or am I safer to snake it.
What does everyone else do with their excess sub cable? Surely some of you out there have run into this before?
TIA.

 

[Saurav]

From what I've read, at least for speaker cable, it's better to snake it. I don't know if this applies to interconnects. Coiling a speaker cable apparently turns it into a weak radio antenna. I've read stories of people picking up radio stations on their speakers without a radio actually being turned on. I'm not sure if these accounts were serious or not. I guess if you were in an area with really bad RFI problems (for instance, pretty close to a transmission tower) then something like this is possible.

 

[Gene Severn]

Unlike speaker cables, inter-connect cables are shielded, so there should be no problem coiling them up.

 

[Buzz Goddard]

I avoid coiling the cables as a coil of wire has the potential to become a type of filter. If you open up your speaker and look at the crossover you will find little coils of wire used to filter the signal.
This is a good time not to be anal-compulsive and just make a small pile of cable....

On re-reading this, I realize this is likely a sub only line level signal, therefore, this won't have much effect. I was thinking about speaker level signals and higher amounts of current. Still, go wild, be un-tidy!
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Buzz Goddard
TAG McLaren Audio
[Edited last by Buzz Goddard on August 17, 2001 at 09:11 AM]

 

[Chris White]

Unlike speaker cables, inter-connect cables are shielded
Actually, most interconnects are not shielded.
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[Westly T]

Chris White said:
"Actually, most interconnects are not shielded"
What do you mean most are not shielded, I have yet to see one that wasn't shielded. Even the $1.00 type ones are shielded. The ones you use in the DIY are, Monster, AR, etc. are shielded. Some of the twisted pair type don't have much shielding, but still have some. Please explain how you came up with this???? I know you have some knowledge on this issue, so please, educate me.
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- Wes
My Home Theater
The MMG were replaced with 1.6QR's and added Marantz MA-700's. SVS is here. Ok, allot more then that has changed, I'll update my page some day...

 

[Andrew Beacom]

>>This is a good time not to be anal-compulsive and just make a small pile of cable....

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Uhhhh... Chris: I thought that by definition, every coax cable included a shield. Are you talking about an extra shield?
Andrew: For playing arround with the sub position do this:
Go to Radio Shack and get some CATV coax and "F-to-RCA" adaptors. I made a long 25' sub cable for less than $12. (I bought the 25' roll with F connectors already installed).
This allowed me to play with positions until I found the right spot.
Once the perminent home was found, I switched to an ordinary 6' audio cable because that would reach.
Rather than coil the excess, you can cut it to fit closer, or run it around the edges of the room (which is what I did with the long cable).
Good Luck.

 

[Selden Ball]

One of the easier ways to find the best Sub position is to put the speaker in the prmary listening location and then go around the room, finding the place where it sounds best. The speaker then gets put in that location. That way the speaker only has to be moved twice.
If you coil cables in a figure-8 and then fold it over the center, then for a given magnetic field direction, the induced noise currents in one half of the coil oppose the currents induced in the other half of the coil, minimizing the total. In most home situations, however, the induced noise is low enough that you don't have to worry about it, as has already been mentioned.
I hope this helps a little.
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Selden

 

[Chris White]

Westly, most of the low-end interconnects I've ever dissected did not have any shielding. I am referring to interconnects that uses twisted pair wire. Actually, I've even seen some relatively expensive twisted pair interconnects with no shielding.
Bob - you're right. I was referring to twisted pair.