RCA wire question

Hey all -

I was wondering if there was a difference between cables meant for audio and ones meant for video. I was thinking about getting two 3 cable (two audio and one video together) cables to bring the signals to my new amp. Will there be signal interference from or to the extra wire? I was thinking something like this (https://www.ikesound.com/product-product_id/2379).

Thanks!

~ D

why would you want 3 rcas in the first place? 2 for the L and R, what would the 3rd one be for?

why would you want 3 rcas in the first placeProbably for two channels plus a sub. The third cable shouldn't be any problem. The video cable in most bundles is the same cable, just a yellow connector. Use a medium to high quality cable and you'll be fine.

not related but,
Curtis, your a mod now...sweet.

oh, BTW you can also solder and braid your own cables. its cheaper than buying high end cables if all you have to buy is the conectors because you have lots of extra wire laying around.

I don't have lots of extra cable laying around, and the purpose of the 3 pair vid cable would be to reduce wirage going through my car. I'll check out some places locally, but I think online will be the cheapest.

Thanks!

Probably for two channels plus a sub. The third cable shouldn't be any problem. The video cable in most bundles is the same cable, just a yellow connector. Use a medium to high quality cable and you'll be fine.

But even the sub will use a pair of rcas, then they're simply summed together inside the amp. Only feeding it one rca would make the signal half as strong and the gain would need to be twice as high. Unless he split the sub rca when it got to the amp, but that would be a waste of time and money to get a 3ch rca, plug it into the L and R front rca outputs, plug the 3rd into one of the sub outputs, and then split the sub rca when it gets to the amp. It would look ugly, cost more, and sound worse than simply using a 4ch rca.

I still don't see what you want a 3rd rca for

Hey all -

I was wondering if there was a difference between cables meant for audio and ones meant for video. I was thinking about getting two 3 cable (two audio and one video together) cables to bring the signals to my new amp. Will there be signal interference from or to the extra wire? I was thinking something like this (https://www.ikesound.com/product-product_id/2379).

Thanks!

~ D

I'm getting a 5 channel amp. I need 3 pairs of RCA cables. I'd do front and half the sub in one wire and rear and the other half in the other. Sorry if I assummed you all would figure it out from the note at the bottom of my sig. :redface: You answered my original question though, whether the vid cable was different than the audio ones.

Thanks!

ahhhhh, I'm retarded and don't know how to read apparently

yeah it should work fine, sometimes they're designed/constructed differently, but if anything they should be better than the audio ones

no no, SR... I made another assumption, my fault. I've gotta stop doing that. :p

I just hope I can find some audio/video cables 20 feet long for cheap.

thats a good idea to cut down on the amount of wires running through you car.

Eh...mine's so loaded up with wires...doesn't matter any more...Good thing I have a spaceous dash...and room under floor trim.

NG

Well, remember what I said about Hondas... there is no space for anything, anywhere. I've got bulges in my rug on both sides thanks to the 4 gauge wire and single RCA wire. I'm planning to get some of that stretchy sticky backed roofing insulator to deaden my doors and trunk, and I'll rewire at the same time. Gonna be an all day project for me, as soon as I get my new amp in. I'll be sure to take pics :)

But even the sub will use a pair of rcas, then they're simply summed together inside the amp. Only feeding it one rca would make the signal half as strong and the gain would need to be twice as high
Not entirely true, I had a mono amp and could only run one rca to it for some reason i can't rember why though. What i do know is that i didn't have to turn the gain donw on the amp whjen i eventually got the second one. It didn't sound any different it really didn't do any thing but just cost me a little bit more money. I clould be wrong though or i just had crappy audio equipment.:confused:

Not entirely true, I had a mono amp and could only run one rca to it for some reason i can't rember why though. What i do know is that i didn't have to turn the gain donw on the amp whjen i eventually got the second one. It didn't sound any different it really didn't do any thing but just cost me a little bit more money. I clould be wrong though or i just had crappy audio equipment.:confused:

Some mono amps take their signal from the left rca input and the right one is just there for show, but most of them sum them together. The easiest way to see is to shift the balance all the way to the L and all the way to the R, if the amp sums its inputs together then with the balance at center it will be the loudest, and when at the extremes (either R or L) the sub will be 6dB quieter. If the amp only takes one of the inputs and ignores the other, then when you shift to say the L there will be no change, and when you shift to the R it will go silent, or vice versa.

Well i guess i had a wierd amp cause it was the same both sides i acctually put it on both rca's idk i guess its not important.

i use high level inputs. :)

High level usually mean the sound is going through the HU amp, most head units, even mid line after market units, add un needed distortion when compared to low line level inputs. but if you are using your stock HU it is the only option...

i use high level inputs. :)

That sucks...

NG

OK, related question... Before I was talking about cables that had 2 wires (red and white) meant for audio and 1 wire (yellow) meant for video. Are the wires that carry component video (red, blue and green) any different from audio RCA wires? I noticed the center prong seemed a bit longer than the usual RCA connector.

Thanks!

no, they are just more expensive

OK.... I'll see what I can find today, and for how much. It's annoying that I need such long cables. Hey, are there any wireless RCA transmitters? ;) j/k!

Thanks Paul!

OK, I went to best buy, walmart, compusa, radio shack, and tweeters, and the best price I found for 2 shielded cables was 40 bucks, plus tax (20 bucks each). More than I want to spend.

I did find online however some decent looking cables here: TriangleCables.com (http://www.trianglecables.com/12-foot-component-video-cable.html).

Do you think these would work in a car environment? They look decently shielded, though I don't know what that 75 ohm standard thing is.

Thanks!

~ D

edit... here's what it looks like:

http://store1.yimg.com/I/trianglecables-site_1841_933673

Not much to look at, but if it does what is needed well for $9.00, who am I to complain?

Sorry to bump this, but I'm about to order them, and I'd like to make sure it works before I do.

Thanks!

oh, another question... what's more important in a car environment: shielding or twisting them? What's the proper way to twist them? Or do they have to be twisted when they're being made? I'd like to get the cleanest signal possible.

a wire is a wire ....... twisted pair is recommended for audio applications. You can make your own if you want, just get some 25 ft spools of 22 Ga wire - you will need two different colors for each signal unless you wanna ohm out each wire as you solder it. Unroll all six spools and clamp one end ofeach wire to a table or bench, put the other ends into a drill. Turn the the drill on at a slow speed and it will twist the wires together for you - the tighter the twist, the shoter your end product will be. when you are thru, solder RCA connectors on the ends. If you are slick, you can add an 18 Ga wire for your auto turn-on into the twist to.

Thanks for the tutorial Paul... I just ordered some twisted pair wire from Knukoncepts. $28 shipped for two 4 meter sets. Just about what I'm willing to pay.

Thanks!

If you want to do all 4 of the wires together (+/- for L and R) then you can litz braid them together, much better than an ordinary twist but it takes a lot longer too.