[widds2v]

Would a cable this length plus low build quality make a an amplifier sound like crap? I bought it because I couldnt wait to get cables made and I wanted to hear it, but it sounds awful. Now before I go investing $100+ in cables, was it the radio shack cable making the amp sound like crap? Or the amp? (its a pocket reference max v2 coming out of a sony ne10 pcdp).

 

[gethomas]

Do you have a shorter cable (of any quality) to try ?

This will let you know if the cable length is the problem.

Glenn

 

[grawk]

There are lots of things that can go wrong with cable runs that long. You're better off at that distance either going digital or balanced. At the very least, you'll want to run a starquad configuration or very shielded cables.

 

[Wodgy]

Running 50ft of any unbalanced interconnect is going to degrade the sound. 30ft is pushing the limits of what you can do cleanly with most unbalanced interconnects, even when the cable is being driven by a source with a low output impedance.

If you truly need to run this much cable, your best bet is to get an interconnect made from cable designed for microphone use, like Canare Star Quad. Even that is a compromise, since microphone cables are often higher in capacitance (Star Quad is) and their highs will start to roll off with a 50ft run.

 

[widds2v]

I dont need it that length, thats just all the store here had. Was just wondering if that length could be the primary reason why the amp sounds bad, because I dont want to go invest in RCA to mini cables (which this is the only amp I have that uses) if the sound isnt going to improve. So far it sounds as if the length is a problem.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by widds2v Was just wondering if that length could be the primary reason why the amp sounds bad, because I dont want to go invest in RCA to mini cables (which this is the only amp I have that uses) if the sound isnt going to improve. So far it sounds as if the length is a problem.

Absolutely, this could be the main reason the amp sounds bad.

 

[RnB180]

please use a better cable. Yes you are bottlenecking your system.
I wouldnt be surprised if you were hitting the amp with a lot of resistance also.