No matter what type of audio system you use, cables are necessary to connect the components. Recording studios, live-sound rigs, guitar racks, DJ setups—without cables, none of these systems is much more than a stack of silent boxes. Cables are the highways that audio signals travel on; without them, no sound gets through.

Clearly, cables are essential, critical pieces of “gear” in any audio system. But because they are not as fun and sexy as microphones, preamps, and processors, nor as engaging and multifaceted as samplers, sequencers, and recording devices, cables often get overlooked or ignored. Consequently, cables remain something of a mystery for many people, even those who have invested thousands of dollars in them and rely on them daily.

Quality Counts
It is common knowledge that good-quality cables are essential for trouble-free system performance and that worn out or damaged cables can result in hums, crackles, and intermittent signals. But what some people might not realize is that an inferior cable—even if it’s fully functional—can also have an adverse effect on the sound quality of a system. Poor-quality cables can filter signals, introduce noise, and cause distortion; in addition, they’re more prone to crap out just when you need them most. Worse still, the problem is a cumulative one. A single inferior cable might contribute only the slightest sonic compromise, but the tiny degradations introduced by several such cables can add up to a substantial loss of sonic quality. For this reason, it is vitally important to spend ample time and money selecting appropriate, high-quality cables for your system. (Some manufacturers provide inexpensive molded cables with their audio gear just to help you get up and running; but it’s usually advisable to replace these with better-quality cables.) Not only do high-quality cables make a difference sonically, but their greater reliability increases your system’s longevity as well.

Of course, sonic quality is a balancing act between all the components in a system. Poorly made cables can compromise your audio, but a poor-quality system might be incapable of registering the enhancements offered by premium cables. Don’t be surprised if those $1,000 speaker cables don’t improve the sound of your $300 studio monitors!

Anatomy of a Cable

FIG. 1: A single-conductor cable with braided shield and filler (to help reduce handling noise).

There are three main types of analog audio cables: microphone, line/guitar, and speaker. (To understand the distinction between analog and digital audio cables, see the pop-up “Appearances Can Be Deceiving.”) Fig. 1 shows the basic parts of a line cable. The main component is the central conductor, which carries the audio signal. The conductor is covered by a nonconductive insulating material that is typically made of plastic or rubber.

A conductive shield encases the conductor and insulator core, protecting it from outside interference and also providing an electrical ground, which is necessary to transmit a signal. A nonconductive jacket surrounds all of this, providing structure and durability.

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Reprinted with permission from Magazine, January, 2001
© 2001, Intertec Publishing, A Primedia Company All Rights Reserved