RCA Cables.... watcha using?

[chatterx]

I have been dying to upgrade my RCA cables in my trailblazer. The ones that I have now seemed great at first but now I question them. I have to have the ones for the fronts a certain way or my right side starts to sound like the speakers are blown. This is obviously due to something not properly connected or insulated. Makes me wonder the true build of the cable.

Right now I got two 20' 2 channel RCA cables same brand. The two channel for the 4 channel amp is spit with a y splitter at the amp. I want to upgrade that cable to a 4 channel one and then fully utilize the kenwoods front and rear channels. Might as well do the sub RCA cable too. I am torn between two brands. There is a considerable difference in price too.

First is the Knukonceptz smoke twisted cables KnuKonceptz Twisted Pair 4 Channel Smoke RCA Cable 20ft | eBay. I was looking at the matching two channel set too. So that would be 50.00 bucks for this route.

I have really been eyeballing these stinger 8000 series cables. They are quite a bit more Stinger SI8417 8000 Series 4 Channel RCA Interconnect 17 Feet Foot Stereo Audio | eBay. 60 bucks just for the 4 channel one at 17 foot which is still long enough to go from the head unit to the back with about 2 foot to spare. The two channel set is 38. So thats a total of 98 bucks. Nearly double.

I wonder... is it really worth it? I do understand that there is differences in cables and a cheap ole set from the local radio shack would transfer a signal.... but how well compared to a higher end set. You can only insulate something so much till the extra becomes dead weight I would assume.

I am going to try the knukonceptz brand and see hows those work out. I have ordered their wiring before for my sub wire and my power wires and was very pleased. Just was a little leery when I seen a couple of bad reviews. cant please everyone lol

 

[Blckshdw]

I'm running 2 sets of Monster and 1 set of KnuKonceptz RCAs to my 5 channel amp. When I first installed my amp, I used the Monster cables on the front and rear channels, and the Knu cables on the sub channel. I had some weird issues where sometimes I would lose audio on all channels. With some tinkering, it ended up being an issue with the Knu cables. When left unplugged for a couple of commutes, the problem went away, and returned when plugged back in. I ended up switching the connections, and use the Knu cables on the rear channel, and everything has been fine for the past year and a half.

A lot of people say Monster stuff is overrated and overpriced, which may or may not be true, but I had those RCA cables for many years for some home audio stuff I had run in the past, and they were in my spare parts drawer.

 

[kickass audio]

I run a 6 channel Monster Cable RCA from front to back in my truck. It goes from the headunit to the sound processor. It is decent but the thing is not insulated so I have alt whine in my system because of it.

This is someone elses f/s thread but it is exactly what RCA I have: FS: MONSTER CABLE RCA 6 CHANNEL 6C-6M - Car Audio | DiyMobileAudio.com | Car Stereo Forum

From the sound processor to the amp I am using Rockford Fosgate RFI series RCA cables. They are very nice. I only had one pair die on me but that is my own fault as I forgot to unhook the RCA and pulled the amp out and it was torn for the wire going into it. Other than that it is a great quality entry level cable. I like it.

If you want real good quality check out D'Amore Engineering they are pricey but they are so worth the money. I am getting their RCA when I put my carputer in my truck and ditch the headunit.

Knu RCA's have been well known for failure at the solder joints within the connection. They break off and will give intermittent signals because of it. You could always take the end off and solder them yourself but they are real heavy and usually the solder joint or wire snap off the end on them. Thats their big problem with their wire. Stinger is okay but they are not good imo, they are full of themselves with their products and they do not do half of what they say for noise cancellation and other stuff like that.

 

[jimmyjam]

Knu RCA's have been well known for failure at the solder joints within the connection. They break off and will give intermittent signals because of it. You could always take the end off and solder them yourself but they are real heavy and usually the solder joint or wire snap off the end on them. Thats their big problem with their wire.

funny you should mention that, I had a set of knu rcas and had yanked the wire out of the connector. Think it had a lot to do with the insulation not being bonded to the connector at all, putting all the tugging pressure on the wire itself

 

[MAY03LT]

I'm running stinger for front/rear/sub in the trailblazer. I got them 6 years or so ago. The most comparable that they have now is the Stinger SI4217 (2ch - 17'). They also have a matching 4 ch version which is the Stinger SI4417 (also 17').

In my pickup I have old school RF rcas for the mids/highs amp and Monster for the sub amp.

 

[Hypnotoad]

Back in the day when knukoncepts first started, I ordered an amp hookup kit. I ordered it basically for the fuseblock and power cable. The signal cables were a throwaway. Power cables and fuseblock were decent, especially for the price. Judging from the pictures, their RCAs have come a long way in the last 10+ years.

Knu RCA's have been well known for failure at the solder joints within the connection. They break off and will give intermittent signals because of it. You could always take the end off and solder them yourself but they are real heavy and usually the solder joint or wire snap off the end on them. Thats their big problem with their wire. Stinger is okay but they are not good imo, they are full of themselves with their products and they do not do half of what they say for noise cancellation and other stuff like that.

Any signal cable that holds real strong to inputs and outputs, like they're supposed to, is going have this problem. I've seen this happen with just about every brand when some idiot tries to pull the cable off by it's cord, except the cheap brands that don't hold strong.

 

[kickass audio]

Any signal cable that holds real strong to inputs and outputs, like they're supposed to, is going have this problem. I've seen this happen with just about every brand when some idiot tries to pull the cable off by it's cord, except the cheap brands that don't hold strong.

I disagree with that. I can see where you are coming from but these are falling apart without removal. They break off if they are just sitting there. Not a fan on their signal wires. I love their speaker and power wire though Sky High Car Audio is my preferred choice for wires.

 

[Hypnotoad]

I disagree with that. I can see where you are coming from but these are falling apart without removal. They break off if they are just sitting there. Not a fan on their signal wires. I love their speaker and power wire though Sky High Car Audio is my preferred choice for wires.

It sounds to me like you do agree. I never said there wasn't anything wrong with them. I even said I don't have any first hand experience, except a cheap pair I got about 10 years ago.

 

[chatterx]

I have not ordered the knu ones yet. I am still looking around. I have till june when I gut the inside and sound deaden it. I do know those ones you posted kickass are out of my price range. About 100 bucks is all I want to spend on them. I would love to get a 6 channel set and just do one run but my rca ends on my amps face away from each other and the rca doesnt split nearly enough.

If I could just make a custom set

 

[kickass audio]

It sounds to me like you do agree. I never said there wasn't anything wrong with them. I even said I don't have any first hand experience, except a cheap pair I got about 10 years ago.

I am only agreeing on idiots who yank the RCA's out by the wire and not grabbing the head of the RCA to remove it. That is not the main reason why the KNU ones fail but is one reason.

I have not ordered the knu ones yet. I am still looking around. I have till june when I gut the inside and sound deaden it. I do know those ones you posted kickass are out of my price range. About 100 bucks is all I want to spend on them. I would love to get a 6 channel set and just do one run but my rca ends on my amps face away from each other and the rca doesnt split nearly enough.

If I could just make a custom set

You can make custom RCA's if you wanted but the thing with it is noise cancellation and resistance in the connection.

SonicElectronix has 2 sets of RF RCA's at 20 feet for 12.99. Rockford Fosgate RFI-20 (rfi20) 20' (6 meters) 2-Channel Twisted

They also have the same RCA but at 16 feet for 10.99: Rockford Fosgate RFI-16 (rfi16) 16.4' (5 meters) 2-Channel RCA

 

[DJones]

I build some of my own RCA cables. Some of them with quad shielded coax cable are rated for up to 3GHz. Bought the cable for satellite and the leftovers with a $6 package of compression connectors... perfect cables for component video. For audio I'll usually use RG-58 coax.

 

[Juicy K]

I have (what I assume is a lowend) Fosgate 4ch RCA cable running to the amp for my front stage, they seem to be doing just fine. While doing Mom's Bosectomy she ended up ordering one too many RCA cables so she gave me the spare set, its a 17.5ft Xscorpion twisted set off of ebay, they were flexible enough to be easy to install and a lot less noisy than my 13 year old fosgate RCA I had running to the sub amp. Yesterday I ordered three of the 6.5ft Knu Bassik RCA's for the MX-5 (LMAO yes 6.5ft) I have read mixed reviews on them, but at $2.99 a peice I wont complain, and I have no reason to keep pulling the RCA cables out of the HU or AMP.
Ill let you all know how they work out.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

What is the benefit to RCA upgrading when you only have subs on an amp? Is there any? My set has been with me for better than a decade and was likely cheap, but never had any reason to even consider changing it. If I can gain something, maybe I will.

 

[Juicy K]

Kyle, if they still work for ya keep them. Until somebody shows scientific reasoning why a more expensive cable would be worth the cost I'll use half decent cables. Lol As long as I don't get noise through the RCA cables I am happy.

 

[kickass audio]

Heres the info you want about the RCA's and quality:

[video=youtube_share;QOagVDZLQnA]http://youtu.be/QOagVDZLQnA[/video]

And a test the same guy did on RCA's:

[video=youtube_share;Skep2DmjB3c]http://youtu.be/Skep2DmjB3c[/video]

 

[DJones]

The terminology is a little unusual... Do all car audio guys talk about it being single ended and differential?

I normally use professional or broadcast equipment where it is balanced (XLR) or unbalanced (coaxial RCA/BNC).

 

[kickass audio]

Honestly most people don't even know such a difference exists. Most people who are "into car audio" are the ones running the junk you find at walmart and have no idea the whole concept of clipping and different aspects of their system to make it better. Most amps and devices on the market are only single ended as the outer connector of the RCA is just the 12v ground and not the actual signal wire. It is easy to tell if your amp and headunit are differential or single ended in you taking a DMM and testing the outer rca jacket with the ground of your battery in ohms. If they are 0 then you have single ended connections but if they are different then they are differential. A better way to know 100% would be to get an o-scope and hook one lead to the outer part of the RCA and the other to your ground. Play a test tone and if it shows the sine wave then you have a differential connection.

 

[IllogicTC]

the junk you find at walmart

You mean Scosche isn't the premier brand of audio connection hardware? But their packaging said otherwise so it must be true! It even said "America's #1 Brand," and God Bless America so I even bought shares in their company. (in case the point was missed, this was sarcasm)

 

[kickass audio]

Dude I have a friend who runs kicker and he blew out his windshield from it and gets 170db on the meter. He is the loudest car in the world. I love hearing stories about that. If it has the word "premium" anywhere on the packaging then it is total shit. I swear everything these days has that on the product or "new and improved". Hahaha its the same shit you sold before but you changed the color from red to orange. oooooo high quality...

 

[IllogicTC]

Dude I have a friend who runs kicker and he blew out his windshield from it and gets 170db on the meter. He is the loudest car in the world. I love hearing stories about that. If it has the word "premium" anywhere on the packaging then it is total shit. I swear everything these days has that on the product or "new and improved". Hahaha its the same shit you sold before but you changed the color from red to orange. oooooo high quality...

Or "America's Best-Selling." This can be a trap, people assume it sells best because it's super-high-quality, instead of because it's hosted it thousands of WalMart stores (you know, like the biggest store of its kind of all time?) and seems cheap so of course more people would end up buying that brand. The Internet makes it very easy to get an idea on what the people say vs. the company.

 

[kickass audio]

So true, really helps you if you go to a "professional install shop" and they shove their brand they sell down your throat and the brand is really complete trash along with their install quality. Everytime I hear someone talk about breaking the windshield I always say "I broke my windshield, in fact I am on my third one but it didn't blow out like some videos online, it was where the mirror attaches that it kept breaking the bond between the metal tab to the glass and taking a chunk of glass out more and more until it was finally about to break all the way through and I gave up with using the mirror." I will admit that I used the mainstream stuff like kicker. I still have an old 10" kicker cvr that works perfect but I have no use for and nobody else does either. I ran the kicker solox before they discontinued it and that thing they changed the 10/12" models to saying they handle 2500w rms to something like 1800w rms I believe. They dropped it down quite a bit. I will admit I made my coil blacker than black from clipping it to all hell but that quality when I did get it tuned right before it quit on me was poor and too expensive.

If you want some lulz watch this: New Family Member: An asshole moves in! - YouTube

That guy is pretty awesome for his system.

 

[MAY03LT]

Most people who are "into car audio" are the ones running the junk you find at walmart and have no idea the whole concept of clipping and different aspects of their system to make it better.

You mean I'm not supposed to max the gain and play at volume 6 out of 50?

The Internet makes it very easy to get an idea on what the people say vs. the company.

The internet also brought out the fanboys who say if you aren't running brand X, your system sucks. Nowadays with audio manufacturers becoming car audio site sponsors it's even worse because any posts that aren't in their favor get deleted. If a company sells more recones then woofers......

 

[kickass audio]

Just give me the woofer with some magic SPL dust that I can apply directly to the coil gap and get an 100db increase on the meter. Shattering windows outside the country ftw! :wootwoot: lol!

I am so with you on the brand nutthugging. Don't get me wrong. I run RF, XS Power, Mechman, DC Audio, Ascendant Audio & Sundown Audio and love them. I always share my experience with them so others know what to expect. I may mention XS Power, Mechman and other companies a lot to others but more as a "I have this and have encountered this and have had this" not like "I run this you MUST buy it. Buy it now or I will ban you" lol.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

I don't see any reason for someone like me to upgrade.

 

[06_GATOR_VOY]

i run audio technx(now ct sounds) rca's along with their 0ga etc.....


:wootwoot:

 

[chatterx]

Don't forget to add stickers and decals to your ride!!!!! Not only does it make it faster it also makes it louder!

Kickass - Nice and very informative video. Having a background in electronics it makes sense lol. I am wondering though is all these twisted pair RCA's you see on eBay like this? Or is it just the brand he is promoting? None of these auctions say if its single or differential.

I have no idea what I'm using now but I'm 95% sure its single. Like I originally stated I just want to replace these cause my 4 channel set is cutting out on me unless I have it in a certain position and well.... with bass that's hard to do lol. I have zero noise interference now so what I am using is correct.... just faulty ends.

I'm sure I will make a decision on some cables before I plan on gutting the interior in june.

 

[kickass audio]

A good chunk of RCA's are just single ended. The RF ones are differential. The twisted pair ones you see on ebay are usually ones with higher impedance than the ones he is promoting. The last pair he tested are the RCA's that he makes. They are not cheap but they are damn good quality. He really isn't trying to promote his but more of educate people on the differences not just shove his product down your throat and be like "mine is better buy mine" without backing up his word. He has a whole educational series too on things with car audio and electronics, really good stuff to learn.

 

[MAY03LT]

He has a whole educational series too on things with car audio and electronics, really good stuff to learn.

Those videos are great!

I hadn't seen anyone talk about sine/cosine since I was in high school.

 

[chatterx]

ok so let me ask you. If you had 75 to 100 to spend on some new RCA cables. Which ones would you get? 17 footers, one two channel and a four channel. Preferrably a matching set.

Edit: Here is my current rca cable. As you can see it is twisted

View attachment 33743

 

[kickass audio]

I can't quite answer your purchase question as I don't know how many hookups you have between your amp(s) and headunit. I myself have to have 6 which is why I have a 6 channel RCA that runs from the headunit to my sound processor before it branches out to the 2 amps.

Something like the entry level Rockford Fosgate RCA wires will be perfect for most. They are not bad quality. In the video where he shows the resistance and the one cable changes when he wiggles it around, that is an Rockford Fosgate RCA cable. I have one that did the exact same thing but it was because I had the cable up against the back of the rear seat so it was vibrating and eventually broke from the tension. Nothing to blame but myself. Other than that one stupid move my RF wires have been perfect for me. Now they don't quite have a hard bite like even higher end cables would but they have decent quality for a cheaper cable.

I myself prefer to run several 2 channel rca's than 1 rca that has all the connections in it. If you should encounter what I did where one wire gets broken off or something then your whole RCA is basically trashed. You could easily just remove that RCA from the set and get a single RCA to replace it but then it looks gawdy in that you have an RCA floating around and another one that does not match the set if you are picky like that. Plus if you get a different one you may encounter an issue where one has different resistance like in that one video I linked or one that has alt whine on it where another does not. If it wasn't for me getting the single 6 channel Monster cable RCA from my friend I would have just went with 3 pairs of RCA's to go from the headunit to my sound processor.

As I discussed in an earlier post, you need to figure out if your headunit AND amp are capable of differential or just single ended RCA connections. If they are capable of differential then getting a twisted wire setup like you currently have will be better as that helps best with noise rejection. If they are not capable of differential then you are just wasting your money on differential RCA's and you can save your money by getting cheaper single ended RCA's like this crap: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_35359_StreetWires-ZN1250.html.

To know if you have differential or single terminated RCA's a damn good amount of manufacturers will show off the design. Like with the one in your car and in the video you can see the 2 leads for each RCA are twisted around each other. Some other manufacturers, RF being a good example along with the ones in your truck now, they take those 2 wires being twisted around eachother and then wrap that in a PVC jacket to protect it. Sometimes they also step it up further and wrap it with foil and then the outer jacket to protect it from abrasion and the foil for noise rejection. If you have an RCA like I linked up a little ways that looks like the kind you use in your home theater system for your woofer then it is single ended 100%.

edit: off topic but why is your rear seat latch where you pull it up to move the upper seat down covered with leather? Did you get a seat cover or something? That is not how mine are.

 

[chatterx]

LOL I posted about that in the interior thread