Long sub cable = bad?? (1 Viewer)

[Don Morrison]

I have a Denon 2802 and have just bought a JBL nsp1 system and the PB12. My question is what kind of cables should I use to connect this. I have been told a standard "Shack" cable will be fine with a Y adapted for the dual LFE inputs. And my other question, is how long of a cable should I buy. I am not really sure where the sub will sit yet, but it probably be within 12 ft or so I figure. Is buying a longer cable just in case a bad idea? Does a longer cable create some problems??

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[Jeff James]

A long cable shouldn't matter one bit in my opinion...some sound experts may disagree but I doubt it. Also, you do not need a Y adapter to hookup your subwoofer if you have a standard sub output on the back of your receiver. The LFE signal is a mono signal so there is no need for a Right and Left...you can use either the right or left plug for input and the left port only should be labelled by JBL to say "LFE" which means that is where you wanna plug that sucker in....I didn't realize this until recently and had a Y adapter on my last subwoofer. I have the same subwoofer as you.

-J

 

[Chu Gai]

No problems, however you may wish to experiment with sub placement to get the most out your setup. So that might mean a 6' cable or it just might mean a 25' cable. If you've got a friend who can loan you a long one, then the two of you can work a bit on that. Perhaps of all the cables, the sub cable is the least demanding given that it carries frequencies in the range of 20-120Hz give or take. Perhaps the best thing about Radio Shack is that they're everywhere although it seems, and mind you this is but a rather hazy opinion, that quality seems to be a bit variable. This is based nothing more than listening/reading to people's experiences and impressions along the lines of some variability in areas such as construction quality and variability of plug tightnesses. Mind you this is a rather hazy impression that I'm getting. Not at all like the clear ones that John Edwards gets when he's snagged a fish! Shack's return policy is good though.

 

[Jeff_Sm]

As long as you use a quality cable, anything up to 25ft. shouldn't degrade the sound. I am not familiar with your jbl sub, but with my subs, I have always noticed a small but noticable gain in output with a Y connector. If radio shack is willing to let you return the Y adaptor, it wouldn't hurt to try it out for yourself. That's what this hobby is all about.