Subwoofer cable suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[Phil_DC]

I was looking at Monster Cable's ZBass Subwoofer cable, on paper it looks like pretty good cable.
http://www.monstercable.com/product...in=911&mixtype=
Anyone here use this cable?
Whats the best?
Thanks

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Phil: the higher the frequency, the more sensitive the signals are to the cable.

But subwoofer signals are the lowest of the low. These are the LEAST sensitive signals in your system. And your human hearing is best at about 10 Khz - so YOU are also very insensitve to subwoofer sounds.

And your receiver LFE port: these often have 4-6% THD. But they have gotten away with it for years because nobody noticed.

Do you really want to spend lots of money for the least-sensitive signals/most distorted signals in your system?

Now the Monster cables DO have one advantage: a very snug-fitting RCA plug. They are sometimes critized for this, but often when people claim a sub cable sounds different, it's because of the plug and not the coax.


My advice would be to get a good, but inexpensive cable like the AR brand, or a cable from one of the custom web-sites for your sub. Then find a local dealer for that Monster cable with a 30 day return policy and do your own A/B testing. Invite some friends over and make a party out of it (and gives you second/third opinions).

My Sub? I'm currently using a Monster 6 ft video cable. It fit the distance to my sub and was sitting in my spare-cable box. So while I appear to be a hypocrite, I did not go out and buy Monster for my sub. It was just left over and was the right length.

Good luck.

 

[Newell]

Check out Link Removed Doug is the owner. Nice guy. Their sub cable is killer and only about $35 for the first meter and another %4 to $5 for each additional meter.
He also has an awesome coax digital interconnect cable.

 

[Phil_DC]

Bob,

Sub signals maybe the LEAST sensitive signals but it sure seems their the most susceptible to hum related problems.

I have a new M&K speaker system on order and getting an additional SVS sub to go with it. I was looking for the best cables possible to avoid any cable related problems.

However I do have two old Polks and they work fine with the cheap stuff so maybe the best is indeed overkill.

Thanks for the info


Newell,

Their sub cable looks real good specially since it's less than half the price of the ZBass cable

Thanks

 

[mark rush]

you might not notice any improvement on the high dollar cables, I use either Monster or Tributaries, they cost more, but you spent big money on your system, why not spend a little on some quality cables, if nothing else they will last a long time!

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Sub signals maybe the LEAST sensitive signals but it sure seems their the most susceptible to hum related problems

True. But it's not the cable that causes the problem.
Without a powerered sub, you have 1 amplifier.
Just to refresh: the amp's job is to look at a pure zero volt source plus a signal and amplify any difference.
When you add a self-powered sub, you add another amp in the system.
Guess What? The sub cable carries the signal, but the sub's own amp has a path to electrical ground through some extra wire.
This can make the 2 amps see causes a slight voltage difference in their grounds. And a signal is nothing more than a slight voltage difference.
This creates the famous Ground Loop Humm.
You can solve this in one of 2 ways:
- Break the sub amp's view of electrical ground with a "cheater" plug on the power cord.
- Break the connection of the signal ground between the receiver and sub amp by using a subwoofer cable that DOES NOT connect the shield at both ends.
So it's not a "high-quality" sub cable that solves the problem, it's a different construction.
Most sub cable packaging does not tell you that the cable is disconnected at one end. The only clue is that sometimes there are little arrows that point in the direction of the signal flow.
So you ARE correct that a dedicated sub cable can solve this problem. But you should:
- First determine that you have a ground-loop problem
- Then make sure to buy a dedicated cable with the little arrows/packaging that states one end is not connected.
Hope this helps.

 

[mark rush]

you might not notice any improvement on the high dollar cables, I use either Monster or Tributaries, they cost more, but you spent big money on your system, why not spend a little on some quality cables, if nothing else they will last a long time! buying the cheap stuff is like having a Ferrari with cheap tires on it

 

[Bill Kane]

Bob,

uh-oh...

- Break the connection of the signal ground between the receiver and sub amp by using a subwoofer cable that DOES NOT connect the shield at both ends.

What does this say to the suggestion oft made just to use a length of RG-6 terminated with F-connectors and adding F-to-RCA adapters?

It works for me w/o a ground loop. Am I just fortunate? The SVS internal amp sub is using the same circuit, different outlet, as the main body of my A/V system.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

buying the cheap stuff is like having a Ferrari with cheap tires on it

(cant resist...)
buying the expensive stuff is like putting speed-rated, 220 mph tires on your Yugo. Sure it's better, but the car wont be able to take advantage of the performance.
This is why I like the 10% rule: budget 10% of the equipment cost for the cable. This helps keep the wires in perspective with the accuracy/performance of the system.
Phil: I read the marketing hype on the Monster page, and noticed that the subwoofer cable has a label showing the little arrows. This means the shield is not-connected at the destination end.
The marketing hype claims one thing, but in reality it's the broken-shield build that prevents the humm.
My advice is:
- Use an ordinary, cheap RCA cable to connect your sub near it's final resting place. Determine if you have a ground-loop humm.
- Go to one of the custom cable sites below and order your real cable. If you have a ground-loop issue, make sure to ask them to build the cable to solve it. (They should back up my claim about the broken-shield construction).
www.bettercables.com
Link Removed
www.wickedcables.com
www.bluejeanscable.com
Link Removed
www.heartlandcables.com
www.ebay.com (search for "Canare" to find CableSolutions)
www.rhinocables.com
A lot of these sites are owned by people with production studio background that built cables for the professional production studios or broadcast industry. They started small side jobs selling high-quality cables and some have blossomed into full-time jobs.
IMHO: these custom sites will sell you an outstanding quality cable for much less than the Monster offering.
And many of these sites are owned by HTF members who are very sensitive to their reputations. This means they give great service to start, and outstanding service in the rare event of a problem.
Hope this helps.