Could someone plz explain to me the differences between Rhino Cables product lines? (1 Viewer)

[Daniel Swartz]

Rhino sells three types of component cables: standard, performance, and premium. The most notable difference is that standard uses Belden 1694a cable while performance and premium use Belden 1695a cable. All three lines use Canare 75 ohm connectors.
My use for the cable will be HDTV and progressive DVD capabilities. As far as I can tell, all three are overkill in terms of sheer bandwidth. So, what makes performance better than standard and what makes premium better than both standard and performance lines?
I'm cross-posting this over at AVS... Thanks guys.
Standard Specs
Performance Specs
Premium Specs

 

[Chu Gai]

Well that's a real good question and I can't think of a rational reason why there should be a difference between standard and premium. While the premium does spec out better in that there's a bit less loss that would only be a factor in certain applications and those would have to involve enormous lengths far exceeding those at home by orders of magnitude. Now while the cables themselves are sweep tested out to 3 GHz, and this does sound impressive doesn't it, they must still be terminated and most of us will use RCAs. This is what Canare has informed me about their 'true 75 ohm RCA's'

Subject: 75 ohm RCA
since the impedence is dependent upon the diameter of the center conductor and the spacing between the ring, just how close to 75 ohms are the RCA's?

well for starters what this should tell anyone is that the RCA from Canare is not 75 ohms. their calling it a true 75 is a marketing decision and is based upon an arbitray, self-defined, methodology. so in essence, the overall capabilities of the cable will become limited by the connector used. another interesting point to discern from Canare's reply is that the RCA is sweep tested using a 75 ohm cable. not this cable or that cable...any 75 ohm cable. this further implies that ANY 75 ohm cable connected to their RCA (and the means of connection were not specified by Canare) will suffice. In other words even a technically crappy cable will allow the RCA to meet its specs. Myself I'd just choose a cable with a solid copper conductor and not sweat the rest. However if you desire a technically superior cable between the limiting RCA's then knock yourself out.
now wouldn't it be interesting if less expensive brands such as Radio Shack, AR, possibly even the ones that may've shipped with your own unit also spe'd out to 200 mHz? But that's pure speculation on my part for they may only spec out to 150 mHz?

 

[Mark Rich]

The standard uses belden 1694a (PE insulated).
The performance uses the more expensive Belden 1695a which is Teflon isulated.
The premium cable uses Belden 1695a (Teflon)with an additional external braided shield connected at one end only. I havnt tried it but its supposed to further reduce EMI/RFI.
They all use Canare connectors.

I started with the regular cable and upgraded to the perfromance. I noticed a slight improvement across the board (sharpness, colour saturation etc..)

To balance out Chu comments you should probably stop by the Belden website and read their comments on Bandwidth and return loss. They have a wealth of info available. These are broadcast cables and are designed to carry a high bandwidth signal over long distances.

Overkill? Probably but its nice to know they have the performance in reserve to handle future high bandwidth sources.

 

[Chu Gai]

I can appreciate where you're coming from Mark, but wouldn't you think the RCA and I guess distance be the limiting factor(s)? also i find it kind of interesting that the link that was provided made no mention of a 75ohm bnc. those are a little hard to come by but i'm pretty sure those can be had in a legit 75 ohm.

 

[Mark Rich]

Chu,

Not sure which link you are referring to when you mention the 75 ohm BNC? Belden's or Rhino website?
I know that Rhino and most other custom cable makers offer the Canare BNC connectors. I dont have a display that uses BNC so I can only comment on the Canare RCA connectors and they are great for video use (as far as RCA's go). Probably better than most because of the crimp design, rugged construction and great strain relief(75lb). In the past I've used them on numerous DIY cable projects.

 

[Daniel Swartz]

I know that in terms of bandwidth, all of these cables will handle progressive DVDs and HDTV signal without a problem. However, assuming that these cables were compatible with HD-DVD and DTHEATRE (an unlikely possibility, I know .. Firewire and DVI more likely...), could they handle those bandwidth requirements too? Thanks again.

 

[Chu Gai]

Daniel, any would appear to have the specs to handle what you're looking for. its not the cables that don't have the specs or are the limiting factor, it's the connector itself. I'd have to say if your equipment has RCA's then these cables, or even cables that spec out worse, should have no issues.