upgrading the rca patch cords - Honda Prelude Forum

DeadFish · 03-15-2005, 07:40 AM

I want to replace my current rca patch cords to my amps....any features I should look for, companies to avoid?

Daemione · 03-15-2005, 08:21 AM

Just don't spend a ton on "premium" cables, you really won't hear any difference at all.

I love Knukonceptz stuff. Good looking, high quality, and great prices.

mciampag · 03-15-2005, 09:44 AM

Different people will tell you different things. Some say KnuKonceptz stuff is terrible and to be avoided at all costs (and those people usually suggest the super high dollar stuff), while others say your standard radio shack brand cables are good enough.

I use KnuKonceptz wires cause they're cheap, seemed more durable then the RadioShack brand, and looked nicer too. I don't buy into the 'the cable makes a difference' hype. I'll bet you need really high-end equipment to notice a difference between high-end and low-end cables. If you're talking about the difference between a $10 cable and a $20 cable... I'm not sure you'll hear one.

DumbSickLude · 03-15-2005, 10:05 AM

The cable DOES make a difference. Unfortunately if you are not willing to spend the money, upgrading is not worth it. Most cables are about the same quality. A $10 generic cable is not any different in most cases than a $40 or $50 brand name cable. However if you are an extreme audiophile and want the best....there is a solution for you. Unfortunately you will be paying upwards of $100 per 2-channel cable. Please be aware upgrading your cable for a simple subwoofer amplifier is not worth it. If you have a high power 4-channel, or 2-channel amplifier powering interior speakers, this is the reccomended application. Moster Cable M-series Car are extremely high quality. Most of the major brands such as Rockford, Tsunami, Metra have a line of RCA cables that are set apart from their base line of products, and you will notice a huge price gap. These are the cables to go with. I cant say that one brand is better than any other, but i do reccomend twisted pair cables. I personally use the high end Tsunami cables (about $130 a piece). Another thing to think about is the quality of your speakers ,amplifier and head unit. If all of these compoenets are not top notch then top notch cables arent worth the investment. If you think what i have said is BS, you probably dont have good enough equipment to hear the difference a good cable makes.
For the best in sound quality, Use the Pioneer ODR equipment. No RCA's required.

Daemione · 03-15-2005, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daemione

on 99.9999% of car audio applications, you really won't hear any difference at all.

Okay, fixed.

ExodusFX · 03-15-2005, 04:36 PM

^^^ LOL

spin_r_g · 03-15-2005, 05:14 PM

i get noise with the cheapo rca's from radio shack or even cheap cheap monster cables.
i got the micro xlns from monster cable and the noise was drastically reduced

it does matter but if your getting cheap one brand vs cheap other brand it probally wont

mciampag · 03-15-2005, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DumbSickLude

I cant say that one brand is better than any other, but i do reccomend twisted pair cables. I personally use the high end Tsunami cables (about $130 a piece).

Here's another can of worms. Once you get past the "are they worth it?" argument, you get into the "twisted pair, or untwisted pair (UTP) argument". I could point you towards research that shows UTP to be the best cables to buy, but if you're paying $130/cable I sure hope you've already read it. If I remember right, the high-end Monster Cable XLN-Pros are UTP. Personally, I haven't used anything that expensive, so I can't comment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DumbSickLude

Another thing to think about is the quality of your speakers ,amplifier and head unit. If all of these compoenets are not top notch then top notch cables arent worth the investment.

I'll agree here. Just out of curiosity, what does the rest of your system include?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DumbSickLude

For the best in sound quality, Use the Pioneer ODR equipment. No RCA's required.

Eclipse still uses balanced cables on their high-end stuff right? There's another option to avoid cables and ensure a no-noise system.

DumbSickLude · 03-15-2005, 06:02 PM

currently i have a kenwood z-910dvd HU, and kenwood excelon amps. Far from top notch i know. The system i was referring to consisted of a pioneer dehp-860mp, and kickersx 900.4 amp, in conjunction with 3-way MB quart premium components. Cables definitely made a difference with that setup. As for what i have now, i only used the good cables because i had them from my previous system. BTW the kicker sx amp is not all it was made out to be. As far as that twisted pair vs. untwisted. I am no physicist, but i know i get noise more often with untwisted than twisted. But thats just experience, not fact, so i guess it can be argued either way. Yeah and eclipse is the best thing out there right now for SQ.

CIT_lude · 03-17-2005, 12:36 AM

Just adding my experience: I've got a RF 450s amp powering CDT 6.1 components and was using some RCAs that I got free with a wiring kit to transmit signal. Major alternator whine. I then switched to Monster cabling and I've lost the whine entirely.
Maybe this isn't entirely fair though, as the cheapo stuff was too long and mostly coiled up behind the HU (amp is under passenger seat), and the Monster cabling only has a couple feet of extra play which I distributed under the seat.
Aside from the whine though, I couldn't tell a difference in SQ. Then again, I'm not a huge audiophile either...

DeadFish · 03-17-2005, 06:41 PM

Thanks all... but who can answer this new little problem: After moving my Sirius unit to the trunk.. since I ghetto rigged it under my seat because it was soo damn cold in NJ to install.. so I cleaned up all the wires.

I pop the rear seats out and check out my RCA's and in two sections the outter plastic casing was melted to the silver tar padding stuff under the seat

How the hell can a RCA get that hot? one set does have a trigger wire running down the middle of it. but damn.

I'll post pics later of what I saw it made two distinct melt marks.

aneurysm · 03-18-2005, 02:15 PM

I recommend Monster Cable RCAs. Their MicroXLN series is not terribly expensive, and is a very good cable. If you don't mind spending a little more, I recommend the Monster Cable XLN401 series (what I use in my ride).

Ive been doing car audio for about 8 years now, and I'd have to disagree with some of the folks that said cables make no difference. While you might not notice much difference between a $25 and a $80 set of RCAs on your subwoofer amp, it does improve sound quality drastically on a 4-channel amp (mids/highs).

Brad