So, you’ve fattened up your piggy bank and are ready to build your first hi-fi audio setup, congratulations fellow music addict! You’ll finally get to treat yourself to an amazing music experience and hear the exact way your favourite tunes are supposed to sound – complete with every nuance in tone and pitch.
But before you can blast your favourite album on repeat, you need to make sure that all the parts of your expensive audio system function properly and work together perfectly as a whole. While this includes fun steps like shopping for amplifiers, speakers and other high-grade equipment, it also means dealing with the less-impressive parts like cables.
Every audio system has three main elements: source, amplifier and speakers. And all of these elements need to be connected together via the right cables to get the best performance out of them. Many make the mistake of investing all their money into the main components and going cheap on the cables. And once they end up with a horrible listening experience, they blame the components themselves, failing to realise that it was bad cables that ruined the whole setup.
To save you from making the same mistake, here’s everything you need to know to ensure you end up with the best cables for your system.
The Type of Cables You Choose Will Depend on the Type of Devices You Connect
Before you shop for hi-fi cables, you’ll need to know which elements you will connect with them. Will it be a turntable with a speaker, a subwoofer or perhaps you will simply go with a PC as the most convenient option? Depending on the source, you can choose one of these categories of hi-fi cables:
- signal cables
- power cables
- speaker cables
Signal Cables
Signal cables are the most common ones, being used with most of your equipment. This is why they are also further divided into analog signal cables and digital signal cables to make choosing easier.
Some of the first questions a beginner audiophile will ask is: “How do analog and digital cables differ?”. And the short answer is: Analog cables send the signal through electricity while digital ones transmit it in binary code.
That said, some examples of analogue hifi cables are:
- RCA – these are used to carry signals in stereo mode with an RCA connection;
- XLR – used to connect two electronics with an XLR input and output;
- Jack 3.5 – used to send signals between stereophonic hi-fi gear that have 3.5 and 6.3 mm Jack connections;
- Monophonic cables – have the ability to boost the low-frequency reproduction of subwoofers;
- Phono – these are essential for turntables and vinyl playback.
On the other hand, you can find four main types of digital cables:
- USB cables – these support the most popular connections and are preferred by liquid music users;
- Optical cables – these are decreasing in popularity as they are largely replaced by coaxials;
- Coaxial cables – these cables transform the digital audio signal into analogue and then amplify it;
- AES/EBU – these are used for a 110 Ohm connection with an XLR connection which is very powerful but rare.
Power Cables
These cables don’t have a glamorous use like some of the aforementioned ones. In fact, they only have the humble role of connecting the different Hi-Fi equipment to the power outlet. But that doesn’t mean they are any less important. In fact, they optimise the sound restitution of your whole system, and as a result, are the final piece of the puzzle for a professional listening experience.
Make sure to invest good money into your power cables as that can ensure that they let the cleanest possible current (50 Hz or 60 Hz) and eliminate any high frequency. All of this prevents the appearance of distortion, any noise and harmonics that can affect the quality of the sound.
Speaker Cables
Speaker cables or also known as speaker wires hook up the speakers with the amplifier. Speaker cables simply carry electrical current, similar to the wires that power your lamp or television. So, what’s the difference between speaker cables and the plain old traditional cables used for everyday electrical appliances? Well, to be honest, there’s not as much difference really.
Truth be told, you can use any electrical wire that passes current from A to B for this purpose – even the same cable your lamp uses. You may even hear some people claiming that you need to get the best audiophile speaker cables or none at all. And while some do just that, many don’t, and still end up with an impressive system.
Since the power cables aren’t as crucial to the sound quality as the other two types mentioned above, a solid word of advice is to start with some basic ones and see whether you’re comfortable with them. If not, you can buy new cables and use the old ones with other appliances around the house.
What to Look for in Hi-Fi Audio Cables?
The most crucial feature a high fidelity cable can have is a core with low resistance. Low resistance enables more signals to get from the source to the receiving end. For this reason, the first choice for the core conductor has always been copper.
But as the price of copper reaches record highs, some cables today use copper-clad aluminium (CCA) as they are cheaper to make. However, CCA cables have a different resistance than copper cables, which is why you should invest in thicker ones to get the best effect.
In some audiophile circles, you’ll find silver cables to be hailed as must-have components. While silver boasts better conductivity than copper, in reality, these cables are silver-plated copper instead of 100% solid silver. So, you basically get the same effect but for a more expensive price.
Apart from low resistance, you should look for cables with a core protected by flexible and durable insulation. The more flexible the cables the easier it would be to move the devices from one area to another without having to unplug them. Also, flexible cables can be easily installed in tight spaces.
On the other hand, the insulation helps to avert electrical interference and reduce the oxidation of the core. This is important to prevent the contamination of the core over time.
