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Long extension cables causing distortion?

post #1 of 6
12/23/12 at 2:39pm
Thread Starter 

I have a 15 foot long headphone extension cable. I cant remember where I bought it but it was from a reputable dealer not a cheapie cable. It has a female 1/4" jack on one end and of course a male 1/4" plug on the other. It seems here lately that I hear distortion like ragged bass and other such fuzziness. I plugged my phones directly into the preamp w/o the cable and its much better. Can a cable "go bad" and start sounding like poo? Maybe the jacks are not connecting well or getting worn or something? Has anyone else experienced this?

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post #2 of 6
12/24/12 at 7:08am

Dirty and damaged contacts & connections are always a problem with headphone cables.
 

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post #3 of 6
12/27/12 at 4:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fido2 View Post

I have a 15 foot long headphone extension cable. I cant remember where I bought it but it was from a reputable dealer not a cheapie cable. It has a female 1/4" jack on one end and of course a male 1/4" plug on the other. It seems here lately that I hear distortion like ragged bass and other such fuzziness. I plugged my phones directly into the preamp w/o the cable and its much better. Can a cable "go bad" and start sounding like poo? Maybe the jacks are not connecting well or getting worn or something? Has anyone else experienced this?

Started sounding like poo?

Hey, this is a PG website! Watch the language......LOL!
Sorry, could not resist the cheap joke!biggrin.gif

What speedskater said makes sense.
Edited by Chris J - 12/27/12 at 4:55am
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post #4 of 6
12/31/12 at 12:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Speedskater View Post

Dirty and damaged contacts & connections are always a problem with headphone cables.
 


It's a problem for all audio cables.

 

Yes length of the cables matters. Shorter the better for audio / video cables.  Power cord is a whole different matter. The longer the better.

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post #5 of 6
12/31/12 at 2:05pm

If you need an extension, get the DiMarzio Big Red.  It's very well made, and it sounds great to these old ears!

 

http://www.headphone.com/accessories/dimarzio-big-red-headphone-extension-15ft.php

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post #6 of 6
1/25/13 at 4:54pm

Cleaning the connectors, especially the female should help. Cables do have a flex life, too many flex cycles and the copper fails mechanically which severely degrades conductivity through the cable. I made myself a nice 15' extension out of Canare star quad and Neutrik jacks, wouldn't know if it was in use or not. Even has a nice woven nylon fabric sleeve.

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