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How long are your interconnects?


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Been making my own ICs recently to suit my needs as I only really need to go from a Bel Canto to the Rega DAC sitting right next to it, so even 30cm would suffice but I went 50cm for a bit of extra flexibility in the future.

 

When I'm shopping around at premade ICs they are all in the 1,2,3m lengths which for me begs the question, What are you folks doing that require such long IC lengths?? Do you just keep the extra coiled up? Shouldn't the ICs be of a minimal length to reduce losses, and reduce interference?

 

IMG_20190717_201834.thumb.jpg.f66903903da6365d2323f51c277aaaa9.jpg

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IMG_20190717_125008.thumb.jpg.3b49a3c6d39670e3eb4488ebee01688b.jpg

 

It's a long way from the DSP processor to the DAC, the DAC to the preamp, and the preamp to (one of) the power amps. Hence I need 2m interconnects if I don't want them taught or hanging in the air.

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I don't like the excess cable lengths either - it serves no purpose and can only create issues. Some slack helps when rearranging the gear without having to disconnect, but that's about it.

When buying off-the-shelf cables, the options are somewhat limited as itis not practical to manufacture variety of cables in say 10 cm increments. But some vendors offer custom lenghts when ordering.

I also tend to make the interconnects myself.

 

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I like to keep mine as short as possible.   I have most of my equipment stacked vertically, which makes around 60 to 70cm is ideal for me.

 

Many manufacturers will make ICs to order, eg Aurealis.

 

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Goodaye all

 

l custom make my own keeping them as short as possible.

The longest l have is 12m, between DAC and Amp.

 

Dragged a DAC out one day and used a 60mm cable, preferered the 12m one.

Wasnt the same DAC so was  a  little unfair.

 

regards Bruce

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Seems like custom lengths to suit your system is definitely the way to go. 

 

However I wonder if there is any functional difference between a cable that is 1m vs 2m. I probably can't pick out the difference in sound anyway. 

Edited by spamnoj
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14 minutes ago, spamnoj said:

Seems like custom lengths to suit your system is definitely the way to go. 

 

However I wonder if there is any functional difference between a cable that is 1m vs 2m. I probably can't pick out the difference in sound anyway. 

No discernible difference at all. 

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2 hours ago, spamnoj said:

Seems like custom lengths to suit your system is definitely the way to go. 

 

However I wonder if there is any functional difference between a cable that is 1m vs 2m. I probably can't pick out the difference in sound anyway. 

As the signal is travelling at 80-90% of the speed of light along the wire no-one can hear a difference in timing or phase of the difference of a few meters. 

The functional difference is when you want to sell them.  Especially if they are of different lengths. 

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7 hours ago, sloper said:

Goodaye all

 

l custom make my own keeping them as short as possible.

The longest l have is 12m, between DAC and Amp.

 

Dragged a DAC out one day and used a 60mm cable, preferered the 12m one.

Wasnt the same DAC so was  a  little unfair.

 

regards Bruce

World's shortest interconnect!  ... and it still didn't work. 

 

(Sorry - couldn't resist.)

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16 hours ago, sloper said:

Dragged a DAC out one day and used a 60mm cable, preferered the 12m one.

Wasnt the same DAC so was  a  little unfair.

Sorry, but this should be struck from the records. 

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I make my own too, mostly so they’re the correct length.

I find it interesting that there is so much emphasis is placed on capacitance and so little on length when it comes to ICs. It’s a p/m measurement, so if you use a 2m cable where a 1m would have sufficed, you’ve unnecessarily doubled your capacitance (which could be an issue if you’ve just paid 4 times more for an IC based solely on its capacitance rating)

Worth noting here that I don’t believe capacitance is the final word when it comes to ICs, there are many other factors which contribute to the way a cable sounds, it is however one of the few we can measure

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On 19/07/2019 at 4:06 PM, sloper said:

Goodaye all

 

l custom make my own keeping them as short as possible.

The longest l have is 12m, between DAC and Amp.

 

Dragged a DAC out one day and used a 60mm cable, preferered the 12m one.

Wasnt the same DAC so was  a  little unfair.

 

regards Bruce

At 60mm you could probably find rca connectors long enough to do away with the cable altogether. 

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I’ve just ordered some 17cm RCAs off eBay from ghentaudio to go between an JDS Atom and a Topping D50 desktop stack, here’s a link to some longers ones

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/A01-30cm-1ft-Pair-2pcs-Canare-L-4E6S-Star-Quad-HIFI-RCA-Audio-Cables/321404305674?hash=item4ad530810a:g:o3kAAOSwuHFbGPGR

I’m not sure if the quality but I’ll let you know once I receive them.

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Guest Misterioso
Just now, GregWormald said:

From the pre to the back of the far active speaker is 6 metres. 

 

While only two manufacturers were willing to make a mismatched (length) pair, none of them recommended it.

Many XLR interconnects are sold in single units (not as a pair). Problem solved.

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12 minutes ago, GregWormald said:

From the pre to the back of the far active speaker is 6 metres. 

 

While only two manufacturers were willing to make a mismatched (length) pair, none of them recommended it.

These are sold singularly and are quite good. Varying lengths and a really great business. 

 

https://djcity.com.au/shop/?s=Mogami+xlr&post_type=product

 

 

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20 minutes ago, lemarquis said:

Most are 1m, have a 2m digital and a 3m USB which occasionally struggles :S

You need to get a better usb cable. The spec is good for 5 metres. And by better, I don't mean some overpriced audiophile brand, just a certified USB cable from say officeworks.

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5 minutes ago, Ittaku said:

You need to get a better usb cable. The spec is good for 5 metres. And by better, I don't mean some overpriced audiophile brand, just a certified USB cable from say officeworks.

It's a Chord cable.. when I say struggles, there is sometimes a slight glitch (split second) which, come to think of it, hasn't happened for some time now. Otherwise it sounds fine. My cpu is a little challenged also ;) 

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