“Alternator
Noise Pickup is the Only Thing that Matters with RCA Cables”
Alternator noise pickup was the original sound quality issue with
RCA cables that was the most obvious. As car audio enthusiasts drove
down the road, their stereos would whine at the frequency of their
engine rpm’s. People latched onto this obvious problem, and
the industry began to shape its marketing efforts around alternator
whine. In fact, this is just one of the issues that can exist with
car audio RCA cables, and it is no longer the most critical. Improved
filtering on amplifier designs in recent years has significantly
reduced the chances of encountering alternator whine, regardless
of the cable used. In addition, just because a cable deals with
alternator noise, does not mean that it is designed to sound good.
Today, while alternator noise pickup must still be dealt with, it
is not the number one issue with RCA cables. Fundamental cable sound
quality will have a more pronounced impact on a system.
Car Audio Cable Myth #3:
“The Only Thing to Worry About with Speaker Cables
is the Amount of Copper”
Speaker cables will affect the sound quality of a system just as
much as interconnects (RCA cables). It is important to have a large
enough gauge speaker cable in order to put power into your speakers
instead of your wires, but the amount of copper does not control
the sound quality. Speaker cable materials, and geometry will have
the biggest impact on a cable’s accuracy.
Car Audio Cable Myth #4:
“Cables Might Matter in a Home System, But You Can’t
Hear the Difference in a Car”
Wrong! Car stereos have come a long way in the last 20 years. The
sound quality of aftermarket car audio installations frequently
rivals the quality of high-end home audio systems. Today’s
car audio enthusiast demands good sound quality, and often their
vehicle is their primary listening system. The differences that
cables make can be easily heard inside a vehicle.
Car Audio Cable Myth #5:
“You Need to Be an Audiophile to Hear the Differences
that Car Audio Cables Make”
Again, not true. Anyone can appreciate the differences that cables
make. A casual music listener may not be able to describe why a
poor quality sound system doesn’t sound good, but they know
that it doesn’t sound anything like live music. Improve the
quality of the cables and the same listener may not know why the
sound is better, but they know it is better. If you listen to music,
you can benefit from the improvements in accuracy that accurate
cables will enable.
Download the pdf Version
of "Top 5 Car Audio Cable Myths"
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