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Short RCA vs longer RCA
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solderdude
Grand Contributor
Most likely many people tested this.
The real question is what they tested and how they did that and using what equipment.
There are way to many variables in your question.
In practice, with the same type of cable there will be measurable differences with a 100% certainty.
I can show this even with a cheap LCR meter and or a craze expensive TDR.
Will these differences have any consequences for an audio signal ?
I say NO, others will say yes.
Not with the lengths you mentioned though.
When you need less than 50cm of cable use the short one ... or the longer one which may be handy later on.
The real question is what they tested and how they did that and using what equipment.
There are way to many variables in your question.
In practice, with the same type of cable there will be measurable differences with a 100% certainty.
I can show this even with a cheap LCR meter and or a craze expensive TDR.
Will these differences have any consequences for an audio signal ?
I say NO, others will say yes.
Not with the lengths you mentioned though.
When you need less than 50cm of cable use the short one ... or the longer one which may be handy later on.
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It won't sound different. If it were unshielded and if it were poorly made and if it were in a high noise environment one may pick up less noise. The answer would be to get a better made cable. Which need not be expensive. Any differences in frequency response at those lengths would be into the hundreds of thousands of hertz or higher.
One exception would be if you were using it to connect a passive volume control or an odd device with very high output impedance. Then the shorter the better.
One exception would be if you were using it to connect a passive volume control or an odd device with very high output impedance. Then the shorter the better.
solderdude
Grand Contributor
Unless the longer one is lower in capacitance due to a different cable construction..
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Many. The conclusion is that there is no degradation in the signal if the interconnect is short. Short, in this context, means less than a few hundred meters. ASR hasn't done them, if that's what you're asking, because it's a somewhat silly test once you understand the engineering end of things.
Philip Giddings—Audio Systems Design and Installation (1990 [2013]). This is a very technical book, but if you read the section on cable construction specifically all your questions will be answered. No easy path to knowledge unfortunately.
Like solderdude said, select a cable based on how long you need it to be, maybe allowing for it to be a bit longer if you might change things later on.
GrimSurfer
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The biggest problem with interconnect length is, IME, the degree to which unshielded cable lies beside/over/under power cords. If the interconnects are short, the potential for this to occur is minimal.
Interconnects arranged like the photo below indicate a lazy approach to audio. The issue here is 10% length and 90% disorganization.
If in doubt, buy some good quality cable and interconnects from the companies @pozz mentioned above and build your own. It's not rocket science unless you're the sort of person who relies on the Geek Squad to install your latest toys.
Interconnects arranged like the photo below indicate a lazy approach to audio. The issue here is 10% length and 90% disorganization.
If in doubt, buy some good quality cable and interconnects from the companies @pozz mentioned above and build your own. It's not rocket science unless you're the sort of person who relies on the Geek Squad to install your latest toys.
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So there is a difference between a .5 kilometer vs a 1.5 kilometer cable.
Hugo9000
Addicted to Fun and Learning
OMG, at those lengths, even a "cheap" cable would break the bank!
If you are in the EU, Thomann has great cables: the sssnake, Pro Snake and Cordial for example.
Using different cable lengths will definitely (and measurably) change the frequency response when you use them to connect an MM cartridge to the phono preamp input, due to the change in capacity (too much capacitive load leads to a resonance in the highs followed by a steep low pass filter, too little capacitive load leads to a slight reduction in the highs). But I totally agree that this is the only situation where it will be audible.
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Yes, and it is a complete riddle for me why the industry did not incorporate the RIAA preamp into the turntables. That would also make it easy to go balanced from the cartridge to the preamp's input, and the famous ground screw could have been avoided completely. External cable type and length would no longer matter. Now it's too late, I will not waste my time to mod my two Duals anymore...
solderdude
Grand Contributor
Maybe it is because audiophiles, just like they want to choose which cartridge they use, like to be in control of which phono pre-amp they would like to use.
Built-in pre-amps would also have to be selectable between MC and MM and one would have to be able to switch in different load capacitances.
Some cheaper decks have built-in RIAA amps these days as often integrated amps don't have RIAA pre-amps anymore.
True, my kids deck have both included RIAA amp and ADC to USB. The SONY PS-LX300USB. Not a great one but good enough for my modest record collection.
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That is and was a minority. I think a whole decade long a complete industry missed a point and an opportunity to produce unique and superior turntables.
Well, I was talking of the old times. My Duals are from 1980. Direct drives, still working. The reason newer turntables have that now is recording via USB. Not that somebody had understood the physical and technical advantage of having the preamp inside, it's just USB that forced them to do that. But enough of that, don't want to hijack this thread.
Speedskater
Major Contributor
For most practical purposes those two lengths are the same. But there can be differences between a 1 meter and a 10 meter RCA cable. This is one of Bill Whitlock's pet peeves.
Linn offers the Ulrika phono stage for putting into the LP12 (I wouldn't pay the price though), and AFAIR long ago Naim did the same (for the LP12).
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