[ablaze]

http://www.qed.co.uk/cables/av/qunex_esv.html
argh. its an "s-video" cable. I didn't realise till the cable shop I got it from was half-way thru the soldering

dammit. against my protest, the guy insisted it was FINE for a mini-to-RCA cable! 75ohm doesn't sound good (or right) to me

I know less about cables than I do about headphones. but what I've got here is ONE 40cm length of cable terminated on one end into a mini-plug, and the other end "split" into 2 RCA connectors.

ok. tell me how I just wasted all my money. give it to me.

 

[Budgie]

Give it a try. The impedance (75 ohm) will not be a factor using the cable to go from a source to amp.

 

[ablaze]

what kind of cables are normally used for such interconnects? normal speaker cables? and if so, aren't speaker cables with a close-to-zero impedence?

 

[ablaze]

^

 

[Mr.PD]

C'mon guys I would like to see the answer to this question my self.

What does the ohm rating of a cable mean anyway? I considered some odd ball combo's but I thought that 75ohm cable would hurt the sound. The cable that ablaze had modified appears to be a pretty good design. It's just that nobody even mentions an ohm rating when talking about interconnects (rca to rca/rca to mini). So what do we look for in the ohm deparatment?

 

[gdahl]

Cable impedance specifications don't have much significance at audio frequencies. They mainly relate to how the cable behaves in the MHz range. In the transmission of high frequency signals (such as video and digital), maintaining a constant AC impedance through the cable (and what it connects to at each end) is of great importance. Interruptions in impedance result in signal reflections, causing noise or errors. The characteristic impedance of a cable is mostly determined by its geometry, and is a function of the cable's inductance, capacitance, resistance, and the frequency at which the impedance is measured.

At audio frequencies, the cable's inductance and capacitance measurements are significant. Generally speaking, you don't want too much of either. Capacitance is a function of the surface area of two adjacent conductors, their distance, and the dielectric constant of whatever is between them. Increasing surface area and decreasing the spacing increase capacitance. As you move the conductors further apart, inductance increases. As you decrease the amount of metal, resistance increases. Good cable design involves juggling these parameters (as well as others).

For a headphone, I would tend to steer away from shielded cable because of its extra capacitance; the shield is unneccessary anyway. An S-video cable basically consists of two small coaxial cables in one jacket. Go ahead and try it...if the top end doesn't sound rolled-off, you're probably just fine. Some amps will have an easier time than others driving the capacitance.

One good candidate for a headphone cable, or interconnect between your source and amp, is Kimber PBJ (three strand braid). I used PBJ for the interconnect in my portable system.

Anyway, don't worry about the 50-ohm or 75-ohm ratings of coaxial cables. If you measured their DC resistance with a multimeter, they would measure about zero ohms DC resistance, just like a speaker wire or any other interconnect. The confusion is common, because DC resistance is measured in ohms, and so is AC impedance. The two are related, but not at all the same!

Hope this helps some.

 

[Dreamslacker]

Ok.. Just had a listen on the cables (ablaze's and mine). I guess I'll post a little review on them. Bear with me if you think I'm wrong but I'm just a newbie at this stuff. I'm, by no means, a trained audiophile. Hence, I'll just post what I think of the cables based on some of my favourite tracks.

Details:
Ablaze's:
Generic 3.5mm stereo plug (gold plated; possibly 16K gold)
QED Qunex ESV S-video 75ohm imp. cable
Canare F-10 RCA plugs
Build is good with proper use of heatshrink and sleeves.
Cable is thick. 0.40m in length.

My cable:
Generic 3.5mm stereo plug (identical to ablaze's)
Canare L-4E5C microphone cable
Generic gold plated RCA plugs; Possibly 16K gold
Sloppy work by me. Thin cable (small outer diameter). 0.50m in length

Setup:
Panasonic SL-CT430 PCDP (using line-out; The only option as my NAD CDP doesn't have stereo jacks)
Sennheiser HD-570 headphones (Canare L-4E5C cable with Neutrik ¼" plug for cable)
Proto42 head-amp (Single EL2001CN's per channel; OPA637BP opamps; No signal caps)

Singer/ Band, Album - Track:
blur, the best of - Girls & boys (live at Wembley Arena; 1999)
blur, the best of - Tender (live at Wembley Arena; 1999)
coldplay, parachutes - Shiver
coldplay, parachutes - Yellow
Enya, a day without rain - Wild Child
SENS, Future - Forbidden Love
Eagles, HFO - Hotel California

- Girls & Boys -
The QED cable offered more impactful bass from the bass drum. However, the low range seemed to be more muddied..
The Canare cable offered what I consider more "timbre?" There was a roll-off (doppler effect) when then hi-hats and cymbals were struck. OTOH, the QED seemed to show that the cymbals and hi-hats merely freezed once the drumsticks left them.
The Canare was a little more bright compared to the QED. I do not know if 'bright' is the correct term here but.. It gave the shrill 'ss' sound whenever Damon Albarn pronounced the 's'. The QED seemed to tame the sound a little.
Soundstage wise, the QED compressed things a little compared to the Canare.


- Tender -
At the start of the song, the acoustic guitar sounded more like a bass guitar on the QED cable. At least, the guitar seemed sharper on the Canare cable.
Vocals... Damon was definitely more alive on the Canare cable. That's not to say he sounded dead on the QED.. Just less emotional.
The Canare cable emphasized the shrill 's' sound from Damon once again.

- Shiver -
The electric guitar sounded more rich on the QED. Largely due to the notes seemingly stretched to last a tad longer. OTOH, the Canare seemed to be more analytical on the guitar. Somewhat more cold although more accurately displayed.
Vocals on the singer was a little restricted in emotions. I don't feel the mood of the singer.
The drums sound hollow??? on the QED cable. Odd..

- Yellow -
The Canare is more detailed than the QED here. The guitar sounds like in Shiver. With the lie told by the QED being more favourable. Vocals favour the Canare. I can almost hear the finger scratch the ridges on the strings in the guitar with the Canare.. Interesting....

- Wild Child -
Vocals and the piano favour the Canare. They sound more alive. On the Canare, the feeling that the pianist is striking the keys with great concentration and strength is there. It's simply not there with the QED.

- Forbidden Love -
The Canare sounds brighter on this. The feelings of the pianist are conveyed well. The last few notes are better on the QED because of how it seems to stretch the notes.. As if to trail off sadly.... The Canare sounds more "thin" in this aspect.

- Hotel California -
The guitar seemed to have less "twang" in the QED but the bass was better. Vocals are similar on both cables.

That's all I've tested on the cable. Listening to music on my PCDP was more or less a torture.. Heh.... I'll stick to my NAD 521i anyday.
I conclude:
The QED doesn't sing (pun intended) well. S-video cables might just have to remain as that.