Component cable discussion (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Pratt]

I came across this discussion that I thought was interesting. Thoughts?
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/...eoCables_3.php

 

[Bob McElfresh]

So far, I like this article. Some things they point out are:
- RCA plugs cannot be 75 ohms (Chu is grinning right now as he pounded this one into my head). Yes, BNC (British Navel Connectors) are a superior connector, but you only find these on more industrial gear. While RCA plugs cannot exactly match 75 ohms, they can be constructed to minimize reflections.
- Packaging: While I love to critize Monster, they DO a great job by coiling their cables in a loop inside the package. Other companies do tight-bends to fit in a smaller box, but this does screw up the impedence on the cable wherever there is a tight bend.
Here is some mis-information:

It turns out that the RCA connector on the left has the correct diameter ratios to create a 75-ohm connection, where as the one on the right is adequate for a 50-ohm connection such as that found in audio signals.

Well he's got a good point. He's comparing a RCA plug from a video cable and a audio cable and telling you to notice the thickness of the dielectric. But the "one on the right" looks like it has a small washer inside to limit shoving the plug onto the coax. The dielectric in both cases could be identical. I'm not sure the little washer means the plug on the right could not be used for video. I cannot contridict the theory, but I'm just not sure this is a good picture to illustrate it.
His sources are good, but there is no link to www.belden.com or www.canare.com . Belden is one of the largest suppliers of coax in the country. Canare is a smaller upstart company that only makes a few cables - but they are very good cables and the Canare RCA plugs have become popular with videophiles/cable-builders/engineers.
Overall I really like the pages and I love his "Persuing the Truth" paragraphs. These are great "myth-busters". This link is one to keep IMHO.

 

[Chu Gai]

i've seen that article and what i found rather interesting was the picture on the right (better cables). now i've no idea if that's how they normally do their cables, and myself, i'd have purchased another cable and examined it, followed by a phone call to the better cables people asking them to comment.

 

[Mark Rich]

I'd not recomend removing the heat shrink covering and opening the connectors on any cable to inspect the solder joint. I may be wrong but I'd guess that doing this is likely to void any warranty.

A lot of custom cable makers use the heat shrink as additional strain relief so thats not an indication of hiding anything.

To the best of my knowledge bettercables does not use the Bullet plugs for component video cables. Bullet plugs are a great performing connector though a pain to use with coax cable. I will not comment on the Bettercables quality control but I'd not worry about it. They have a great return policy if anything did prove defective.

For my cables all I care about is they work as advertised are well made (durable)and the manufacturer stands by their work if there is a problem down the road. Having a jewel like solder joint is pretty low on my list of priorities.

 

[Walt Park]

My recent bettercables experience:
I ordered the silver serpent analog interconnects with bullets. One was 3/8" longer than the other. I called them about it and they sent out an immediate replacement.

On mine, the shrink wrap makes the plugs too close together and the red shrinkwrap rubs off on the white since you have to push one against the other to get it to fit a standard gapped pair of females from a source. (Ie, it seems like Eichman intended them to be used without shrinkwrap.) Also the cable is pushed to one side of the connector (I assume by the screw clamp and the shrinkwrap makes it look even more warped. I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep them. If I do, I'm pretty sure I'll remove the shrinkwrap, just because the rubbing irritates me. (They are already REALLY tight)

On the otherhand, they sound decent, and their customer service is very good. I had to call them about the replacement, and UPS lost the replacement in transit, so they took care of everything and sent out another pair.

After seeing that pic though, I am tempted to open it and look. :|

 

[MarkWC]

I just ordered Blue Jeans component cables. Does anyone if they pass the referenced tests for true video cables?

 

[Andrew W]

Blue Jean appears to use the appropriate Belden cable and Canare connectors. Properly assembled, it should yield a good video cable.

I bought a set of similar cables from Rhinocables and was pleased with the picture improvement over a generic cable bought at the time I purchased my RPTV. I got better saturation and sharpness. This was over a 4m length.