Need advice on subwoofer cables

[Robert Inocencio]

Hi there! This is my first post. Very happy to be here! Can someone please help with a question. I need to run two subwoofer cables behind the walls and over the ceiling. The length of each cable would need to be about 50+ feet. Is there anything to consider when running long cables like that? Would coax be a better choice (with coax to rca adapters on either end) or would long subwoofer cables do the job without any problems? Thanks!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I've used rg6 for many sub applications. Works great And usually pretty cheap.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Hi there! This is my first post. Very happy to be here! Can someone please help with a question. I need to run two subwoofer cables behind the walls and over the ceiling. The length of each cable would need to be about 50+ feet. Is there anything to consider when running long cables like that? Would coax be a better choice (with coax to rca adapters on either end) or would long subwoofer cables do the job without any problems? Thanks!

Yes, You must use a coax cable for low level signal at 50ft.

I've used rg6 for many sub applications. Works great And usually pretty cheap.

at 50ft the loss of signal even with cheaper RG59 cable is practically non-existent, especially with very low bass signal frequencies 1-200 Hz
http://www.radio-ware.com/products/techinfo/coaxloss.htm

Monoprice is one's I'd get for myself (and I do)

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Yes, You must use a coax cable for low level signal at 50ft.

at 50ft the loss of signal even with cheaper RG59 cable is practically non-existent, especially with very low bass signal frequencies 1-200 Hz
http://www.radio-ware.com/products/techinfo/coaxloss.htm

Monoprice is one's I'd get for myself (and I do)

Agreed!

 

[Robert Inocencio]

Thanks so much for the info. This site rocks!

 

[mtrycrafts]

Welcome.

We are assuming your sub is powered?

 

[Speedskater]

For long RCA unbalanced interconnect runs, you need a coax with a heavy braided shield. RG6 Type is nonspecific, while a few have a heavy braided shield, most have a light shield. They are optimized for cable TV signals not low audio frequencies.
The Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 is optimized for sub-woofers. BJC also lists other brands of good cables.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/subwoofer/index.htm

 

[Robert Inocencio]

Welcome.

We are assuming your sub is powered?

Yes, they are SVS SB-2000 powered subwoofers.

 

[Robert Inocencio]

For long RCA unbalanced interconnect runs, you need a coax with a heavy braided shield. RG6 Type is nonspecific, while a few have a heavy braided shield, most have a light shield. They are optimized for cable TV signals not low audio frequencies.
The Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 is optimized for sub-woofers. BJC also lists other brands of good cables.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/subwoofer/index.htm

I will check out the BJC web site. Thank you all for your help!

 

[highfigh]

Hi there! This is my first post. Very happy to be here! Can someone please help with a question. I need to run two subwoofer cables behind the walls and over the ceiling. The length of each cable would need to be about 50+ feet. Is there anything to consider when running long cables like that? Would coax be a better choice (with coax to rca adapters on either end) or would long subwoofer cables do the job without any problems? Thanks!

I would bet that millions of installations have RG59 or RG6- don't buy into the hype.

 

[jinjuku]

I would bet that millions of installations have RG59 or RG6- don't buy into the hype.

What hype? He's asking if he should use RG59/6 or 'other'.

 

[lovinthehd]

Then again a good standard subwoofer cable is a form of shielded coax.....

 

[Speedskater]

There are dozens of RG59 Type and RG6 Type cables. Each optimized for different situations, so an RG number doesn't narrow the field. You definitely don't want an RG cable that's optimized for TV channel frequencies. You want a cable with a heavy braided shield. There are a few RG cables with heavy braided shields.

 

[highfigh]

There are dozens of RG59 Type and RG6 Type cables. Each optimized for different situations, so an RG number doesn't narrow the field. You definitely don't want an RG cable that's optimized for TV channel frequencies. You want a cable with a heavy braided shield. There are a few RG cables with heavy braided shields.

There is no RG cable that was ever designed for audio frequencies. They're ALL designed for RF, but they work fine for AF. The heavy shield (preferably foil AND braid) on RG6Q is only needed in an environment where RFI/EMI fields are strong. In most applications, intrusion from outside forces is negligible. Any hum is usually because the sub and the rest of the system are at different potential or the cable feed's ground connection is bad or was never established.

 

[highfigh]

What hype? He's asking if he should use RG59/6 or 'other'.

ANYONE who has looked into audio cabling in the last 30 years has seen hype before they found the facts, unless they went directly to the cable manufacturer (NOT the seller). Since the vast majority of cables aren't sold by the manufacturer, most people would never know who to contact for the data instead of getting the marketing department's creative writing assignment.

I was just trying to save the guy some money.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

In my humble experience any 75ohm coax cable would work just fine. RG cable rating is simply same thing as awg for speaker cable, but it's not a direct conversion.
BJC makes nice cables, but ones from Monoprice would work just as well.
https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=2982
https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=2684
https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=21684

No performance difference (not for 50ft runs), but RG6/U is thicker and harder to bend and twist.

 

[Speedskater]

There can be 20 dB difference in background noise between a well chosen and a poorly chosen RG6 Type cable.

Belden 1695A would be a well chosen cable.
Belden 8228 would be a very poor choice.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

There can be 20 dB difference in background noise between a well chosen and a poorly chosen RG6 Type cable.

Belden 1695A would be a well chosen cable.

Going to call BS police on this first statement. Belden does in-deed makes good quality cables, but they not necessary required.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Going to call BS police on this first statement. Belden does in-deed makes good quality cables, but they not necessary required.

I agree. I'd like to see that 20db measurement.

 

[Speedskater]

Bill Whitlock writes about common impedance coupling noise:

Leakage Current Effect - A Calculated Example
•A 25-foot cable (foil shield, #26 AWG drain wire) has an end-to-end shield resistance of 1Ω
•Measured leakage current between the ungrounded devices is 316μA (well under the UL limit of 750 μA)
•From Ohm’s law, noise voltage E = I x R = 316 μA x 1Ω= 316 μV
•Consumer−10 dBV reference level = 316 mV
•Signal to Noise ratio = 20 x log (316 mV⁄316 μV) =60 dB
•This is 35 dB worse than an audio CD!
•Same length of Belden #8241F cable, with its shield resistance of only 0.065Ω,
makes S⁄N 84 dB, an improvement of 24 dB!