Question regarding DIY RCA Cable using 2 conductor shielded cable

[quyda]

Hi,

Im building my own RCA Interconnect cable using Canare L-2T2S Two-Conductor Shielded Cable.

I'm getting mixed information on:
1. Solder shield to Sleeve, Twist the 2 conductors and solder to Tip.
2. Twist 1 conductor with shield and solder to Sleeve, solder the remaining conductor to Tip

Which way is correct and why?

Thanks,
Quy

 

[Andersonix]

There's a third way:
3. Do as in (2.) but leave the shield not connected at one end. Label the directionality of this cable.

Hopefully someone can explain why....

 

[scottjoplin]

Hi, if you are making a single ended connection then coax is almost certainly the correct cable to use. However, if you want to see just about every option under the sun then this thread may amuse you Cable shield as a Faraday cage

 

[Bigman80]

Hi,



Im building my own RCA Interconnect cable using Canare L-2T2S Two-Conductor Shielded Cable.



I'm getting mixed information on:

1. Solder shield to Sleeve, Twist the 2 conductors and solder to Tip.

2. Twist 1 conductor with shield and solder to Sleeve, solder the remaining conductor to Tip



Which way is correct and why?



Thanks,

Quy

I use method 2 because its always sounded best to my ears.

Make sure you only connect the shield at one end and use that end at the source.

 

[Zung]

A simple reasoning: to connect a source with its destination, you need 2 wires; theses wires should be made of the same material. A shield is what its name says it is, and should be connected at one end only.

 

[scottjoplin]

If only it were that simple

 

[Zung]

Of course, the molecular structure of both the conductors and the insulation make a huge diff, not to mention the exact height of the standoff that raises the wires from the floor.

Edit: not really joking, actually...

 

[Speedskater]

Hi, if you are making a single ended connection then coax is almost certainly the correct cable to use. ...................

Exactly! for an unbalanced, single ended RCA analog interconnect cable, a coax is by far the best choice.
But if you are stuck with a Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) then:
a] attach one wire tip to tip
b] attach the shield shell to shell
c] the second wire may be connected shell to shell

the most important thing about this type of interconnect is low end-to-end resistance of the shield.
* * * * * * * *
and of course shielding

 

[H713]

I'd go with option 1.

Yes a coax is best for RCA, but you can use starquad or the two-conductor shielded cable and it will work just fine. Most RCA cables I make use starquad cable because I have a lot of it on hand.

This isn't UHF, most of us have cable runs under 10 meters, and most equipment has a fairly reasonable output impedance so a little extra capacitance shouldn't be the end of the world.

Just remember, the wavelength at 20kHz is something like 15 km. If this were a microwave communication system we'd be having a different conversation.