Trigger Wire Help Needed

[Nitro295]

Hi, I’m building my 1st home theater and am currently running wire in perpetration for drywall. I want to run trigger wire to all the areas where I may put a sub. My gear is in another room, which means some of my wire runs are long. The longest run I need is almost 50’. From my research, trigger wires are a mono cable with a TR 3.5mm end. Most 3.55mm cables however seem to be TRS stereo, with the added ring between the tip and sleeve. I’ve been searching Amazon and the internet for 50’ TR mono cables and seem to only find short ones, mostly less than 10’. I did find one that was 25’.
Has anyone else had this issue? Any ideas on sources for longer TR mono cables? I’d appreciate anyone’s experience here, as I’d like to finish this stage and start installing drywall. Thanks!

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

The stereo TRS cable would probably work. You could buy a short one and test it beforehand.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[highfigh]

What sub are you using? I don't remember seeing a trigger input on a sub, ever. They usually sense the signal for turning on. This requires that the sub out from the AVR is set high enough to prevent the sub turning off because the voltage isn't high enough.

You can use any kind of cable- it doesn't need to be shielded, but it wouldn't hurt if it is. TS plugs are cheap and all you need to do is search online for '3.5mm TS plug'.

This is the kind of cable I would use in a rough-in for turn on, but call Parts Express, to make sure it's in-wall rated. Connect the shield and one of the other wires before soldering it to the plugs. Parts Express also has the plugs.

Talent MB100 22 AWG Microphone Balanced Audio Cable 100 ft.

Talent MB100 22 AWG Microphone Balanced Audio Cable 100 ft.Talent microphone / balanced signal cable starts with two 22 AWG stranded bare copper wrapped encased in 1.4 mm red / clear insulation. A bare copper spiral shield provides excellent protection from electronic interference. Fiber filler...

www.parts-express.com

 

[lovinthehd]

I've not noticed a sub with a trigger port either (or are these rack amps you'll be using?), the auto on feature with signal is more popular (but can be a point of failure, too). Like highfigh says for the cabling....

 

[ryanosaur]

I’ve seen many references previously to mono cables being required and not always optional. Each manufacturer will have their own take on this.
If one end requires a mono cable, no stereo or trs cable will work.
You might need to make your own cables.

Also, confirm how many triggers can be operated from your master device. There are limits and exceeding them can be damaging.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

As an expert cable maker, I can tell you that a standard 3.5 mm plug is probably the most tedious to solder, because typically they’re very small. For starters, the connector barrel won’t accept a standard-sized mic cable like linked above.

The only exception, and the only 3.5 worth buying if making your own cable, is the Canare F11 (TS) and F12 (TRS), both of which have barrels the same size as a standard ¼” plug. Canare had the good sense to figure out that just because the business (plug) end is tiny, that doesn’t mean the barrel has to be, too.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[lovinthehd]

Searching "subwoofer trigger on" I got an article from Axiom and one of their subs pictured did have a trigger port (as well as an output for daisy chaining I assume). Wonder who else has one, tho....and whether I'd prewire for such.

 

[ryanosaur]

Music Sense or Auto On is a better option. Especially for Subs.

Outlaw Audio and a few others I've seen mention limiting Triggers to no more than 3 devices in a chain. Again, the source of that Trigger may have other things to say... How many devices will an AVR actually support? Outlaw was more circumspect by trying to curtail any potential blowback on themselves.