Does length of interconnects matter?

[Timster 7]

Basic reasoning tells me that the shorter the length of any cable the better the signal. But- is it relative??? For example, how much difference if any will there be on a 3ft "quality" set of Audio RCA's in relation to 6ft or 12ft length?

The reason I am asking is that I found a good deal on a 6ft Audio interconnect but I really only need 1meter (3 feet) or less. So the question comes in - should a spend a little more for less wire??? Hmmmm.... - Any ideas or opinions would be appreciated. Also If anyone could direct me to where I could get some scientific info on this subject, that would be great.

Tim

[Pat D]

Basic reasoning tells me that the shorter the length of any cable the better the signal. But- is it relative??? For example, how much difference if any will there be on a 3ft "quality" set of Audio RCA's in relation to 6ft or 12ft length?

The reason I am asking is that I found a good deal on a 6ft Audio interconnect but I really only need 1meter (3 feet) or less. So the question comes in - should a spend a little more for less wire??? Hmmmm.... - Any ideas or opinions would be appreciated. Also If anyone could direct me to where I could get some scientific info on this subject, that would be great.

Tim

For those lengths, I don't think there will be any problem except the clutter of wires, which can be a royal pain.

What sort of a "good deal" are you talking about? How much do these things cost? You can get interconnects that are more than good enough quite cheaply from mass market stores like Walmart, Target, Radio Shack and so on.

[noddin0ff]

Just a thought...depending on how much you're about to spend. It might make sense and also be informative if you went to Walmart, Target, or Radio Shack etc and bought CHEAP cables of varied length. If length made ANY notable difference, you might think cheap cables would reveal any length effects more than premium cables? Then you'd know. You would also have some cables around which you could compare to your 'quality' cables so you could ask yourself if it was really worth it.

noddin0ff

[kexodusc]

Put it this way...tilting your head 1 inch either way out of the sweet spot will have a greater difference in sound than the differences between 3, 6, or 12 ft.
I almost always buy 6 ft, just for flexibility...though it really can be a pain the a$$ with the cable mess...I've learned over the years thought that components often get shuffled, or moved to other systems, and it's cheaper to buy 6ft in one shot, than 3ft cable lenghts twice.
If you don't anticipate moving anything though, 3ft is definitely cleaner than 6 or 12 ft lenghts.

[Timster 7]

Thanks for the input. I am still up in the air about how much difference cables make in the sound. But I do think there is a difference between $1.50 cables from walmart and quality built cables from my personal experience. FYI - The "Good Deal" is AR Master Series connects for $10.00 (retail was about 80.00). Now I personally think that is a pretty good deal. I know for you 'Super High-End Cable' people out there, that is not much money, but my budget was $50 and I found these for $10. If anyone wants to know my source, send me an email and I will let you know.

[texlle]

At the speed the electrons are moving through your interconnects, the sound difference between 3 foot long and 6 foot long interconnects would be too miniscule to notice.

[noddin0ff]

At the speed the electrons are moving through your interconnects, the sound difference between 3 foot long and 6 foot long interconnects would be too miniscule to notice.

Is this a joke?

I don't think the quality of interconnects makes much of a difference, personally. But if they did, the speed of electrons would have nothing to do with it whatsoever.

noddin0ff

[FLZapped]

Thanks for the input. I am still up in the air about how much difference cables make in the sound. But I do think there is a difference between $1.50 cables from walmart and quality built cables from my personal experience. FYI - The "Good Deal" is AR Master Series connects for $10.00 (retail was about 80.00). Now I personally think that is a pretty good deal. I know for you 'Super High-End Cable' people out there, that is not much money, but my budget was $50 and I found these for $10. If anyone wants to know my source, send me an email and I will let you know.

Generally, stereo equipment has a fairly high input impedance. (10 to 50,000 ohms.) This makes it easy to drive, so series resistance and inductance of the cable is not a factor in normal length cables. This leaves shunt capacitance. Most stereo equpment has a fairly low output impedance(50-100 ohms), so shunt capacitance in the lengths you are talking about is a non factor as well.

I measured 25 feet of several types of cable simulating the typical stereo set-up. The worst one(greatest shunt capacitance) was still ruler flat out beyond 100kHz and presented only a 4 degree phase shift at 20kHz.

-Bruce

[texlle]

Is this a joke?

I don't think the quality of interconnects makes much of a difference, personally. But if they did, the speed of electrons would have nothing to do with it whatsoever.

noddin0ff

That made absolutely no sense. Nicely done.

[Geoffcin]

Thanks for the input. I am still up in the air about how much difference cables make in the sound. But I do think there is a difference between $1.50 cables from walmart and quality built cables from my personal experience. FYI - The "Good Deal" is AR Master Series connects for $10.00 (retail was about 80.00). Now I personally think that is a pretty good deal. I know for you 'Super High-End Cable' people out there, that is not much money, but my budget was $50 and I found these for $10. If anyone wants to know my source, send me an email and I will let you know.

For that price your not going to beat them. 6ft is a good lenght.

I for one use many types and brands of cables. For my subwoofers I go with cheaper monsters, but for the connection between my CD player and preamp I use expensive silver cables. Those are as short as I could get, only 1/2 meter.