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Balanced vs. Unbalanced Interconnects

This article is a primer for discussing the differences and applications for balanced vs unbalanced cables. When using unbalanced interconnections between audio equipment the primary noise-coupling mechanism is due to common-impedance coupling. We discuss noise methods of eliminating this as well as common causes of such phenomenon.

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Do I Need 120 Hertz HDMI Cables?

One of the most common sorts of questions from our customers these days is some variant on this: "Do I really need a 120Hz HDMI Cable?" In consumer electronics stores across the country, consumers are being told that their new 120 Hertz displays will not work properly, or will not work optimally, without a cable designed for 120 Hertz. We'll address this question two different ways, beginning with the short answer and following with the long answer/explanation.

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Recent Cables & Interconnects Articles

Tech Article: Crimping & Soldering - Keys to Connection Performance and Longevity
by Thomas Steves — last modified March 09, 2009 18:42
Crimping & Soldering - Keys to Connection Performance and Longevity
Audio and Video Cables are not just dependent on the wire or cable used, or the connectors used. The quality of the connection between the wire or cable and connector is just as important, if not more so. The biggest problem with the audio/video cable market is that marketing departments choose fads and fallacies, non-applicable specifications and pseudo science over real world objective measurements and tried and true methods of creating wire and cable assemblies that will last for many years with high quality results. Today we're going to look at those unsung heroes of our A/V world, the ones that hold it all together - the crimp and the solder joints.

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Tech Article: What Do HDMI Spec Versions (1.2, 1.3, 1.3a, etc) Mean For Cable Choice?
by Kurt Denke — last modified March 05, 2009 06:02
What Do HDMI Spec Versions (1.2, 1.3, 1.3a, etc) Mean For Cable Choice?
Many people are worried, when buying HDMI cable, about the spec version of the cable in question. Is it the latest spec version? Will it support all the features of the devices it's hooked to? Most of the fears and doubts associated with this question are unfounded, but there are some interesting issues with regard to HDMI spec version, and we'll sort those out in this article.

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Tech Article: Do I Need 120 Hertz HDMI Cables?
by Kurt Denke — last modified December 31, 2008 04:39
Do I Need 120 Hertz HDMI Cables?
One of the most common sorts of questions from our customers these days is some variant on this: "Do I really need a 120Hz HDMI Cable?" In consumer electronics stores across the country, consumers are being told that their new 120 Hertz displays will not work properly, or will not work optimally, without a cable designed for 120 Hertz. We'll address this question two different ways, beginning with the short answer and following with the long answer/explanation.

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Tech Article: Myth vs Reality – Putting Cat5E-Based A/V Structured Wiring In Its Place
by Joseph D. Cornwall — last modified October 06, 2008 08:46
Myth vs Reality – Putting Cat5E-Based A/V Structured Wiring In Its Place
Sending audio, video and control signals over twisted pair cables have become common practice in the contemporary marketplace. There is a good reason for this. Twisted pair cables are cheap, ubiquitous and comfortably familiar to anyone with any level of installation exposure to data networking and telephony. UTP-based A/V installations are appealing for their perceived low cost and performance advantages. Widely accepted as a panacea that banished the need for task-specific cables to the equipment closet of history, those who universally advocate the use of balun-based infrastructure would do well to remember the words of Plutarch; “To find a fault is easy; to do better may be difficult.”

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Tech Article: Wireless HDMI Takes Flight
by Tom Andry — last modified September 05, 2008 11:41
Wireless HDMI Takes Flight
Wireless HDMI seems to be coming to a living room near you. While everyone pretty much agrees that HDMI is the most bitter-sweet invention to hit the consumer AV electronics industry in some time, there's no denying that most are trying to make end runs around the format. In some cases that is through the use of cable conversion, while others are looking to send HDMI through the ether.

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Tech Article: Long HDMI Cable Bench Tests - Monster Cable Shootout
by Clint DeBoer — last modified July 08, 2008 06:50
Long HDMI Cable Bench Tests - Monster Cable Shootout
I decided to write this article the first time I saw another writer say "HDMI is digital - it either works or it doesn't." Then I saw that statement get repeated over and over. The problem is that HDMI isn't like a digital coax audio cable - it can degrade partially and produce sparkles and snow. We'll illustrate some of this below. It took nearly 6 months to research and prepare for this experiment. I intended to acquire as many HDMI cables as possible and focus on empirical testing of mostly longer lengths to show the differences that abound when you exceed 5 meters. The exercise, I believed, would save many consumers from losing lots of money and time - on a number of levels.

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Tech Article: Pear Cable Redux: How to Combat Scam with Science
by David Waratuke — last modified May 13, 2008 08:43
Pear Cable Redux: How to Combat Scam with Science
A Case Study in Applying an Audioholics A/V Education to Identify Marketing Drivel. In this follow-up to our initial article, we will look at Pear Cable as a case study in evaluating exaggerated marketing claims about the audio performance improvements attributed to cables. We will use known science, established engineering principles, and the educated opinions of well known audio engineering practitioners to look for contradictory statements, mistakes and misuse of engineering knowledge, and exaggeration of the audible significance to certain aspects of audio performance.

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Tech Article: Speaker Cable Gauge (AWG) Guidelines & Recommendations
by Gene DellaSala — last modified January 21, 2008 11:15
Speaker Cable Gauge (AWG) Guidelines & Recommendations
Lately we’ve been getting hit with the common question “what speaker wire gauge should I use”? More often than not, we’ve seen Audiophiles choose a higher gauge esoteric wire over a lower gauge generic zip cord cable simply because they were sold some marketing nonsense that these magic cables would improve your systems mojo. This guide cuts through the nonsense and gives some solid recommendations on selecting speaker wire gauge based on cable length and impedance of your loudspeakers.

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Tech Article: HDMI 1.3 and Cables Part 1: It's All in the Bitrate
by Clint DeBoer — last modified March 11, 2009 18:56
HDMI 1.3 and Cables Part 1: It's All in the Bitrate
With the advent of HDMI v1.3 and 1.3a, consumers are starting to really get confused about cables and what they need to worry about when selecting a product that's going to be compatible with the new specifications. We interviewed Steven Barlow from DVIGear to get a handle on why this is a more complex issue for some, and a non-issue for others. He allowed us to assimilate much of what we discussed into this article you are reading now.

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Editorial: What's the Matter with HDMI?
by Kurt Demke — last modified May 18, 2007 19:04
What's the Matter with HDMI?
HDMI, as we've pointed out elsewhere, is a format which was designed primarily to serve the interests of the content-provider industries, not to serve the interests of the consumer. The result is a mess, and in particular, the signal is quite hard to route and switch, cable assemblies are unnecessarily complicated, and distance runs are chancy. Why is this, and what did the designers of the standard do wrong? And what can we do about it? Check out this informative article from our friends at Bluejeans Cable.

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Tech Article: Bi-wiring Part 2: The Cable Conundrum — by Jim Lesurf — last modified March 28, 2007 20:00
Tech Article: Bi-Wiring From Amplifier To Loudspeaker — by Jim Lesurf — last modified March 20, 2007 16:03
Tech Article: Thinking in Isolation – A Primer on Ground Loops — by Joseph D. Cornwall — last modified December 05, 2007 05:44
Editorial: Un-Sound Advice About Cables — by Gene DellaSala — last modified January 03, 2007 06:51
Tech Article: Selecting the Right HDMI Solution for Your Custom Installation — by Joseph D. Cornwall — last modified March 22, 2007 12:08
Tech Article: Dielectric Absorption in Cables Debunked — by Gene DellaSala — last modified March 04, 2007 06:55
Tech Article: A Practical HDMI Cable Solution & Installation — by Mark Johnson — last modified March 21, 2006 19:00
Tech Article: HDMI Fiber Optics & Copper Cable Considerations — by Minsoo Park — last modified December 03, 2005 19:00
Tech Article: Impact Acoustics Interview on the RapidRun Cabling System — by Gene DellaSala — last modified November 29, 2005 19:00
Tech Article: APC Interview on Power Conditioner Devices — by Gene DellaSala — last modified April 17, 2007 05:43
Tech Article: Debunking the Myth of Speaker Cable Resonance — by Gene DellaSala — last modified September 23, 2005 20:00
Tech Article: Balanced vs. Unbalanced Interconnects — by Dr. Henry Ott — last modified March 05, 2009 06:10
Tech Article: Video Cables from the Inside Out — by Gene DellaSala — last modified January 23, 2005 19:00
Tech Article: Understanding In-wall Speaker, Video and Audio Cable Ratings — by Gene DellaSala — last modified January 17, 2005 19:00
Tech Article: Understanding Digital Interconnects — by Joseph D. Cornwall — last modified December 31, 2004 19:00
Tech Article: Speaker Cable Length Differences: Do They Matter? — by Gene DellaSala — last modified November 29, 2007 06:48
Tech Article: Video Cable Shielding — by Gene DellaSala — last modified December 01, 2004 19:00
Tech Article: The Truth About Interconnects and Cables — by Rod Elliott — last modified November 15, 2004 19:00
Tech Article: Audio & Video Connections Guide — by Joseph D. Cornwall — last modified November 10, 2004 19:00
Tech Article: Signal and Connector Types — by Gene DellaSala — last modified November 09, 2004 19:00

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