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Planet Waves DIY Custom Cable Making Kits

Planet Waves had introduced kits that not only provide you with the cable and the connectors, but with a solder-less “screw” solution! Basically all you need to do is cut the cable, twist on the connector, and fasten the set screw. Wow, that sounds easy right? Too easy. You’ll end up with a bunch of cables that won’t work and you’ll have no way of knowing which right? Wrong again. With each of the new Planet Waves kits you’ll be provided with a tester so that you’ll know before you ever plug anything in that the cable works.

Impact Acoustics Digital RapidRun Cable Review

Thought you couldn't terminate HDMI and DVI in the field? Guess again. Impact Acoustics' Digital RapidRun cabling system solves a huge problem for the DIY home owner or CE installer.

Recent Cables & Interconnects Articles

Tech Article: Speaker Cable Gauge (AWG) Guidelines & Recommendations
by Gene DellaSala — last modified January 21, 2008 11:15

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 February 12, 2008 00:37

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

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

One of the arguments presented in the web forum thread I’ve already examined on a previous article is that there is a difference between a bi-wired speaker system and conventional wiring due to a difference in their cable power dissipation behaviours. So let’s examine the systems described in the thread and see what difference there may be between them in practice.

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Tech Article: Bi-Wiring From Amplifier To Loudspeaker
by Jim Lesurf — last modified March 20, 2007 16:03

“Bi-wiring” is a controversial topic. Some people are quite certain it makes an audible difference. Some others are convinced that it can’t actually make any difference at all. The purpose of this analysis is to try and decide whether it is at least theoretically feasible that bi-wiring can make any difference. This is a tech article meant for propeller heads and not a general overview.

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Tech Article: Thinking in Isolation – A Primer on Ground Loops
by Joseph D. Cornwall — last modified December 05, 2007 05:44

There is a humming sound coming from the speakers. A faint dark bar rolls from the bottom of the image to the top, changing colors and distorting the picture as it goes. What’s this? How is this possible? All this equipment is new and your home is only a few years old. Welcome to the nefarious neighborhood of the ground loop! This article details how to resolve a ground loop to help you achieve noise free connection of your equipment.

Editorial: Un-Sound Advice About Cables
by Gene DellaSala — last modified January 03, 2007 06:51

Over the holiday break, I decided to peruse my local A/V retail shop for a new Plasma for my master bedroom system. While I was walking the floor, I couldn’t help but listen in on a salesman espousing cable nonsense to a customer in attempt to land a sale. This article editorializes this experience.

Tech Article: Selecting the Right HDMI Solution for Your Custom Installation
by Joseph D. Cornwall — last modified March 22, 2007 12:08

Digital is everywhere in today's home theater environment. But, despite this proliferation of digital technologies and content, most digital devices still rely on analogue interfaces. The use of analog in this digital environment is the weak link in the chain affecting the ultimate quality of the content.

Tech Article: Dielectric Absorption in Cables Debunked
by Gene DellaSala — last modified March 04, 2007 06:55

Before we debate the relevancy of Dielectric Absorption relating to speaker cables, and commonly perpetuated by many exotic cable vendors and cable cult hobbyists, let us first define the roll of a dielectric.

Tech Article: A Practical HDMI Cable Solution & Installation
by Mark Johnson — last modified March 21, 2006 19:00

Every house I've ever purchased, built and lived in all had one thing in common. A room built for Home Theater. Regretfully I had to sacrifice that in this house and after a long debate with my wonderful wife, I had her agree to allow me to have a Home Theater System in our one and only living room. But there was a huge contingency attached to this contract. She did not want to see any wires. We'll, everyone knows the impossibility of this monumental task.

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 14, 2007 16:57

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

Tech Article: Exotic Materials and Cable Construction — by Gene DellaSala — last modified November 01, 2004 19:00

Tech Article: Silver Saboteurs - Are Silver Audio Cables Better? — by Clint DeBoer — last modified October 12, 2004 20:00

Tech Article: DVI and HDMI Video Connections — by Thomas Steves — last modified September 23, 2004 20:00

Tech Article: TOSLINK Interconnect History & Basics — by Joseph D. Cornwall — last modified September 20, 2004 20:00

Tech Article: Thiel Audio Interview on Cables — by Gene DellaSala — last modified September 11, 2004 20:00

Tech Article: Preparing Your Own DIY Speaker Cables — by Dan Banquer — last modified September 02, 2004 20:00

Tech Article: Connection Tips 101 - Cabling Your System — by Ray Adkins — last modified September 02, 2004 20:00

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Planet Waves DIY Custom Cable Making Kits

Impact Acoustics Digital RapidRun Cable Review

Recent Cables & Interconnects Articles

Cables and Interconnects