I have been seeing these high dollar twisted pair audio cables, are they any better or worse than, regular sheilded cable?

Because of the voltage output of today head units +5 volts is shielding not needed anymore?

 

The sheilding works to also keep signals out as well. You can make your own or buy them premade. I install plastic tubing like the one on Bass speaker cables for added protection.

 

Get twisted rca cables! I used all stinger products when I upgraded my stereo system.

 

The better the cable the less signal noice but some one on a budget doesnt need 50 Rca cables either. It depends how much you are into the system and the budget. Stinger makes great cables. I personally use monster cable.

 

I was planning on using JL audio for everything except the head unit.

 

I would say get the good cable. JL makes some of the best audio equipment. Its pricey though. I have a JL slash series 500/1 amp and that thing is under rated like hell. It more close to 900 watts. There amps are very flexible you can run them at any impedance from 4 ohms to 1.5 ohm and it will put out the same out put. Good luck with you system sounds like its going to be nice!!

 

DON'T get twisted pair cables for a car audio installation! Or even MOST home installations!

Why? Simple. Twisted pair cables work almost perfectly in the system they are designed in. And that system involves using a balanced pair of drivers that are 180 degrees out of phase. Here is how it works:
1) At the "sender" end, the signal is split into an a and b signal.
2)The a signal is then inverted 180 degrees out of phase and both a and b (along with a ground) are sent out through a twisted pair cable to the receiver.
3) The "receiver" then inverts the b signal and then sums a and b together.
4) The result? Well, all the noise that entered the cable while in transmission would be IN phase in the cable. When you then invert ONE of the signals and sum them up you cancel out the noise! E.G.: -1 + 1 = 0. Because the signal was inverted at the sender for one line, when you invert one signal then sum them, a and b are back in phase and sum normally with no cancelling.

Now, why do you use twisted pair instead of sheilded cable? Simple. You want to make sure that BOTH signal wire receive the EXACT same noise! It will be canceled out most perfectly if both signal wires are equally exposed to the noise. This won't happen with shielded cable even though the total noise in the system is LOWER than with the twisted pair cable by far.

So, if you DON'T have a balance driver, then note using a shielded cable is crazy. You are picking up as much noise as possible. It is the latest craze, but it IS CRAZY. The physics and real world tests prove it is a crock.

 

These statements are contradictory. Typo maybe? Otherwise, good info.

 

kontai69,

Those statements are not contridictory in any way, shape, or form. The first says don't use twisted pair in car installations. The second simply says that twisted pair works perfectly IN THERE DESIGNED ENVIRONMENT. Guess what? Not one single car head unit or car amp is designed to use twisted pair cables because NONE of them use balanced drivers. You need to read the rest of the post understand HOW they work in there designed environment using two signals with one of them 180 degrees out of phase. Which also explains why they are absolute crap if you DON'T use balanced drivers.

 

I notice no difference in a $6 pair of RCA cables and $20-30 pair of twisted shielded wires. I myself have Rockford Fosgate RCA's, but friends with those $6 pair of wires seem to have no problems, and no noise in their sound.

 

My wires are from Wired, haha I don't know where they came from, but they work good .

 

You are right. I stand corrected. After rereading your original post (several times, admittedly), it started to make sense to me. It's nice to learn something new.

FWIW, I'm using Streetwires ZN2 interconnects, which are an unshielded twisted pair design. If there is any extraneous noise entering my car audio system, it is inaudible to me. IMO, my system is relatively high-resolution: Alpine 9835 HU, MTX amps, JL Audio XR comps, Dynamat Xtreme sound damping.

 

I wish I had money to do all of this. Get Orion amps and whatnot, JL Audio, memphis, and MMatt..

 

Pffft, JL? Although good sound quality, it is very pricey. Not the best bang for the buck. If you're buying amps in that price range, go for USAmps....Now THERE's some good stuff.

 

Exactly. Most people will not hear a difference between $50 cables, and a $5 pair from Wal Mart. Its one area that makes no sense to spend so much to get so little. As long as the wires are new or in good condition, it makes no difference.