Subwoofer cable

Hi, I have 2 PDR12 and just want to ask if there would be a difference if I'll use
different cables for the subwoofers?
let's say I'll use Monsterbass 400 on one sub and monster Zbass100 on the other sub....
or I'll use impact acoustics sonicwave wubwoofer cable on one sub and monster Zbass100 on the other sub...
Does different cable manufacturer or cable model affects the performance of the sub?
thank you guys, GOD Bless you all.

There is not much to discern in regards to better sound quality from one cable to the next.They more or less carry the same signal (75 Ohm) the rest is a sales and marketing pitch. Around here it's called," SNAKE OIL"!!

The top of the line Monster products are OK. For sub cable I've tried Monster but now use Best Deal Cable: http://www.bestdealcables.com/.
Sub cables are often long, and since pickup of interference, resistance, and reactance are 'per foot', it makes sense to use good quality well shielded cable. If your cable runs only a few feet long it doesn't matter as much.

Sub (and listener) positioning and EQ if possible are the big steps to better bass. Spend your time and money on these things before cable.

thanks for the advice guys,.. appreciate it...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023602&p_id=2681&seq=1&format=2&style=

you could buy 8 of these for the price of one from bestdealcables.

Kirby,

that is one homely baby.

Cables are not built alike and there are cable designs specific to subwoofers.

"Hum can come from ground loops or often, from EMI (electro-magnetic interference). High-energy, low-frequency noise, like the 60-cycle hum from nearby power cords, fluorescent lights, and other miscellaneous sources, is the hardest type of interference to shield against, and the best defense here is a dense and highly-conductive braid shield. Our recommended subwoofer interconnect cables have not one, but two, dense braid shields, and in our testing we've found these coaxes to outperform conventional single-braid, braid-and-foil, and unbalanced twisted-pair cables when it comes to hum rejection."

from Blue Jean Cables

an isolation tranformer may be necessary if hum still persists.

Canare connectors are usually the interconnect of choice, as well. They maintain their geometry all the way to the end of the pin, are gold plated internally where it counts, and use spring tabs for better seating between the connectors.

rollinrocker said:

Kirby,

that is one homely baby.

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hi rocker! I think there are different meaning of the word homely,...
which one's which?

1.) unpleasant, not attractive, not good looking, lacking of elegance....
2.) having the feeling of home, cozy and comfortable...
3.) .... hmmm.... what else???

thanks dude! GOD bless...

Kirbyevie (and anyone else reading this) -- cables do NOT sound the same!
Billy P, Riceaterslc -- if you cannot hear the difference between cables in your systems, that's fine. If you want to warn folks who just bought their first Home Theater in a Box at Walmart that $100+ @ meter cables are not a wise upgrade for them that's fine too.
For those who are curious about how cables can affect sound, read some user comments about TMC Yellows at AudioReview:
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/cables/speaker-cables/tmc/PRD_124797_1584crx.aspx

thanks ggun, thanks for the information. but my question is,...
I have 2 PDR12 subwoofer and want to connect different cables on each sub, does different cables / manufacturer affect the performance of each sub? (one bad cable can affect the other sub?) thank you and GOD bless.

No "real world" difference.You should be fine.

"Hum can come from ground loops or often, from EMI (electro-magnetic interference). High-energy, low-frequency noise, like the 60-cycle hum from nearby power cords, fluorescent lights, and other miscellaneous sources, is the hardest type of interference to shield against, and the best defense here is a dense and highly-conductive braid shield. Our recommended subwoofer interconnect cables have not one, but two, dense braid shields, and in our testing we've found these coaxes to outperform conventional single-braid, braid-and-foil, and unbalanced twisted-pair cables when it comes to hum rejection."

from Blue Jean Cables
Nothing more than an obvious sales pitch.

if you are willing to drop 50+ dollars on a cable, what do you have to lose to try a $5 one first? i'm not saying other companies don't make quality products, but there are other cost effective alternatives out there. its pretty well known that the monster stuff is extremely overpriced for the performance you get.

how often do you hear hum from your subwoofer? if you are getting that kind of interference into your system, i think you have more problems than just a "crappy" subwoofer cable.

No, Kirby -- the differences between cables such as you have used on subs should be in the 'barely audible if at all' category. When you say "bad" cable I am assuming you mean relative sound quality -- obviously a short circuit in a cable could cause problems for your preamp output driver stage.

The only time cable selection can cause malfunction that I am aware of combines certain amps and certain 'difficult load' speakers, when the reactance of the cables can cause amp oscillation. This does not apply here.

Perhaps you could give us a little more info about your setup. What piece of equipment are you cnnecting your sub cables to? Are you Y-connecting the cables to one RCA out? About how long are the cable runs?
Have you had any problems with your subs that you think may be cable related? Switching cables and seeing if any discernable sonic qualities follow the cables would be a place to start.

ggunnell said:

Kirbyevie (and anyone else reading this) -- cables do NOT sound the same!

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ggunnell said:

This is based in evidence? Or, just testimonials? I bet the latter.

Billy P, Riceaterslc -- if you cannot hear the difference between cables in your systems, that's fine.

Those who claim to are imagining things. That is fine too, but is not reality.


For those who are curious about how cables can affect sound, read some user comments about TMC Yellows at AudioReview:
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/cables/speaker-cables/tmc/PRD_124797_1584crx.aspx

Worthless testimonials, nothing more. But thanks anyhow.

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kirbyevie said:

I have 2 PDR12 subwoofer and want to connect different cables on each sub, does different cables / manufacturer affect the performance of each sub? (one bad cable can affect the other sub?) thank you and GOD bless.

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No, absolutely not. There are very few bad cables, especially for subs, the easiest speaker to satisfy. I am still looking for that bad cable.

ggunnell said:

No, Kirby -- the differences between cables such as you have used on subs should be in the 'barely audible if at all' category. When you say "bad" cable I am assuming you mean relative sound quality -- obviously a short circuit in a cable could cause problems for your preamp output driver stage.

The only time cable selection can cause malfunction that I am aware of combines certain amps and certain 'difficult load' speakers, when the reactance of the cables can cause amp oscillation. This does not apply here.

Perhaps you could give us a little more info about your setup. What piece of equipment are you cnnecting your sub cables to? Are you Y-connecting the cables to one RCA out? About how long are the cable runs?
Have you had any problems with your subs that you think may be cable related? Switching cables and seeing if any discernable sonic qualities follow the cables would be a place to start.

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Hi ggunn,.. thanks for the reply. I'm using yamaha rx-v2500 and JBL E100 for mains. EC35 for center..... Yes, I'm using a Y-connector to connect my 2 PDR12 subs, the distance between the reciever and 2 subs are about 6 feet. currently, I'm using a normal coax cable which I made myself. I'm planning to buy Zbass100 from monster cable on one sub (cause they have only 1 left in stock) and another brand of cable on the other sub. I want to buy at least 10 ft of cable for future use (just in case I'll need more length). my question is, does different sub cable manufacturers/type affect the performance of either one of the subs? Is there a difference? I'm in dubai, the market for HT here is limited... got a hard time looking for my toys! thanks in advance and GOD Bless...

I picked up a sub cable from Axiom and its great no hum and its asthetically pleasing...also the build quality is top notch. They are somewhat pricey but much less than high end monster stuff and just as good if not better. I was using a Monster sub cable before and I was not particullarly impressed with the build quality on it. If I were to compare the Monster to the Axiom on build quality alone I would give the monster a C- and the Axiom an A. The monster seemed to have flimsy connecters, the first cable i had one of the fins broke off when i was trying to insert the cable onto the input of the sub. I'm not really impressed with any of the monster cables I have used over the past few years, just from a build quality standpoint they dont seem as robust but cost more than competitors I think you pay a lot for the name .

Kirby, you won't need any special cable -- and you don't need to spend the money on the Zbass cable unless you want to.

The posts by Brendy have it right: Until you get to some very expensive equipment, the basics for sub cable are low resistance and good (usually double layer) shielding. Since you have only 6 foot sub cable runs, it is very probable that you will not hear any improvement using the zbass cable over the coax cable you have. If you want us to give you a better judgement, do you have any specs on the coax you are using that you could post?

Kirby, you didn't mention what CD or DVD player you have, or how you connect (RCA, digital coax, or optical) it to the 2500. This is the one connection you might consider upgrading -- ask on the cable forums at Home Theater Spot or Audio Asylum and they can advise you further.

ggunnell said:

or Audio Asylum and they can advise you further.

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AA is in lalal land. Might as well seek the input from a witchdoctor or voodoo peddler

kirbyevie said:

Hi, I have 2 PDR12 and just want to ask if there would be a difference if I'll use
different cables for the subwoofers?
let's say I'll use Monsterbass 400 on one sub and monster Zbass100 on the other sub....
or I'll use impact acoustics sonicwave wubwoofer cable on one sub and monster Zbass100 on the other sub...
Does different cable manufacturer or cable model affects the performance of the sub?
thank you guys, GOD Bless you all.

Click to expand...

As others have said here, cables of reasonable quality will sound identical and it doesn't take many $/foot to get a very good quality cable. Noise from power cords may be a problem for subs so it's a good idea to be careful not to run power cords and sub cables side-by-side for any distance unless the cable is well shielded - having said that, research doesn't seem to indicate that we're very good at picking up distortion in the lower frequencies anyway.

If your runs are just a few feet you'll probably be ok running on coat hanger wire unless you're environment really does have an awful amount of noise.

But then there are aesthetics and longevity to consider; these will cost more per foot than what you’ll need just to send an audio signal from A to B.