![]() Typically, every cable includes a core conductor, often made with an oxygen-free copper (OFC) or its more conductive alternative, solid silver. There are various conductive materials and layers used in a variety of thicknesses inside your cables and each is customized to the intended use and signal capacity you’ll need. What Differentiates Audio Cables?Įach type of audio cable is made with different components beneath the rubberized outer coating that is visible. Interconnects are the most affordable way to connect your source components. While your instrument and speaker cables could be used as interconnect cables, this is typically not advisable for cost effectiveness. This means you would introduce a lot of noise interference and could potentially damage your equipment (especially speakers). Interconnect cables are not a good option for instruments, microphones, and speakers, as they are not adequately shielded and do not have large enough conductors. Interconnect cablesmay come in different connector types, including RCA and XLR varieties. Most digital and analog equipment will transmit line-level signal between one another. What Do Interconnect Cables Do?Īn interconnect cable is used to connect devices that use line-level signal, such as connecting an audio interface to studio monitors. However, if the speaker needs to be driven by a power amp, then you need a designated speaker cable. If a speaker is self-powered like nearly all studio monitors, then you don’t need a dedicated speaker cable and an interconnect works perfectly. However, speaker cables need a much larger conductor because it must be able to handle transferring audio as well as power. Speakers operate at the highest signal level, and since the signal is already amplified, speaker cables do not need much shielding. However, for the purposes of connecting your guitar to your amp, for example, these cables are just what you want. This means that you’ll want to keep your instrument cables under 25 feet in length, as they may be susceptible to low level interference. They are also unbalanced, which means there are two conductors at the core of the cable rather than three and contain a signal wire and a ground wire. Like your microphone cables, instrument and guitar cables require adequate shielding and conductivity quality to preserve sound. In this way, your microphone cable plays a fundamental role in maintaining sound integrity. For this reason, microphone cables are made with large copper conductors in their core and increased cable shielding (typically braided shielding) around that core to block noise interference and maintain a clear signal. Sound from your microphone gets amplified by your preamp, which means that any little sound interference or poor sound integrity also gets amplified. For this reason, it’s crucial to keep your cables clearly labeled and use them only for their intended connective purposes. Knowing the difference and using your cables appropriately will prevent sound issues and possible damage to your equipment. Cables that connect to your microphone, guitar, and speakers all have slightly different properties due to the type of signal they are expected to carry and shielding required to reduce interference. If you’ve set up for band practice or built a home audio studio, you’re familiar with the process of hooking up your audio equipment. If you’ve ever been left wondering what the technical differences are between a guitar cable and a speaker cable, today is your lucky day!įind specialty cables of all types in our Hosa-approved collection of audio cables. While cables are a seemingly low-order issue, using the correct cable for your intended purposes can help you avoid poor sound quality and potentially costly mistakes. The quality and type of cable you use for various instruments and connective purposes can make an enormous difference in your sound quality and the basic function of your audio gear. Audio cables come in many varieties, including interconnect cables, as well as cables for microphones, speakers, and instruments (the “big three”).
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