Do right angle rca and plug connecters degrade sound

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by bajaed, Jul 26, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. empirelvr

    empirelvr "That's *just* the way it IS!" - Paul Anka

    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    I agree, and I say this as a recording engineer/technician of over 20 years experience.

    But, as with most things even slightly ground related, there is an (maddening) element of black magic involved. So while connecting the drain side to the source end is the proper textbook way to do it, if it's easy to get at your components and cables, try it both ways and if you can hear a difference go with the orientation that sounds best to you.
     
  2. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    It works best to have the ground potential of the grounded component (true ground) to be used as a shield for all sources. ala star ground, IME. If you don't know what is grounded or have to guess, then choosing the lower impedance end would be a safer bet, but in my system, I know what is grounded. I am not talking about telecom systems, just your hi-fi rig. Having the amp or preamp if it is a preamp/amp system grounded and then having all shields connected to that component has the effect of creating a faraday cage around all signal wires up to their connection point with the source components. We have a common component in the preamp but variable ground potentials on the various source components, many of which may be different brands and have different ground schemes. A star ground is ideal, but keeping everything connected to the common ground of the amp input results in lower noise IME. It works for guitar to amp also as the amp is the only thing with a true ground reference.
    -Bill
     
    The FRiNgE and showtaper like this.
  3. Bubbamike

    Bubbamike Forum Resident

    Oy Vey! What a tsimmis over bubkis.
     
    Rolltide and Madness like this.
  4. empirelvr

    empirelvr "That's *just* the way it IS!" - Paul Anka

    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    Hey, it's the tchotchke's in life that make it interesting. :p
     
  5. bajaed

    bajaed Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I have a Rogue Cronus Magnum if that helps to determine if it is grounded or not
     
  6. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    It is.
    -Bill
     
  7. dougotte

    dougotte Petty, Annoying Dilettante

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I was thinking the electrons would bump into the bend and get twisted. Then, when they reached reach the other end of the cable, they'll come out sounding squishy.;)
     
    Laservampire and Madness like this.
  8. bajaed

    bajaed Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Maybe, but the Mazda/Cifte 12au7 I'm using really does a great job helping squishy shimmer and sparkle. Especially on cowbell solos.
     
    Madness likes this.
  9. Laservampire

    Laservampire Down with this sort of thing

    It does really terrible things if you have one angled connector and one straight, there's a time delay between the speakers :angel:
     
    basie-fan likes this.
  10. RiCat

    RiCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT, USA
    The real issue is that it skews everything to the right. Just look around and you can see the results of moving things to far to the right. To solve this imbalance either use centered connectors or an equal number of lefty ones. A balance of right and left can be had.
     
    timind likes this.
  11. Cockroach

    Cockroach Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Visalia, CA
    Whichever connector you choose, make sure your wiring runs downward, so that the electrons don't have to fight gravity leaving your source. :uhhuh:
     
  12. The FRiNgE

    The FRiNgE Forum Resident

    That right turn is too much for the electrons to go around. They fly out of the wire and end up causing hum in your neighbor's sound system.
    :goodie:
     
  13. GroovyGuy

    GroovyGuy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Halifax, NS Canada
    Interesting questions and great responses! I've always believed cables / interconnects can impact sound quality. That said, I've never been sure if - in any given situation - the difference in sound would be noticable to me or not. I've tried some things that I've been able to hear audible differences from and I've tried things that I'm sure have impacted sound quality but the impact is so small my ear can't detect a difference.

    I guess where I'm going with this is that I 100% believe that these factors can degrade sound but the more imporant thing to me is if I can notice the impact of the degradation or not. Often, if the option in question isn't too expensive and/or I know I can get out of the gear with a minimal loss I'll spin the wheel and see what happens. That's part of the fun of the hobby for me :)
     
    The FRiNgE likes this.
  14. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    If you use these connections your system will be "all right" :)


    Seriously, it will depend on how good your system is at displaying differences. Some believe that expensive esoteric metal connectors make a quality difference in sound, but these differences will not be noticeable on lesser quality systems.
     
  15. GaryProtein

    GaryProtein New Member

    Location:
    New York
    I recall calculating how far the electrons actually have to travel and it isn't very far. There is about a coulomb of electrons in a grain of sand which is smaller than a period on this page.

    Star grounding of every component to ONE ground is ideal and is easily and inexpensively implemented. EVERYONE should be doing this.
     
  16. bajaed

    bajaed Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Got my answer. Bought some Radio Shack right angle adapters and they do degrade the sound. More veiled. Thicker.

    I moved my amp to the far left of the rack so I didn't have to use them on the phono pre ic's. Have to use them for the ic's from the Oppo tho. Will be looking for some better ones that hopefully don't have a negative impact.
     
  17. acdc7369

    acdc7369 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Yes, the quality of right angle adapters you use has an enormous effect on sound quality. Almost as much as the speakers do, but not quite.

    In all seriousness though, if they do degrade the sound, you'll never be able to hear the difference.
     
  18. bajaed

    bajaed Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Actually I could hear a difference. Pm me an address and I'll throw a pair in an envelope. I'd be interested to see if soneone else heard a change.
     
  19. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    use a drill / hole saw and carefully cut holes in the backing on the rack. do it all the time for deeper components for interconnects and power cables.
     
  20. Manimal

    Manimal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern US
    I rock 90s and all is well:)
     
  21. Apesbrain

    Apesbrain Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Coast, USA
    Same here:

    [​IMG]
     
    POE_UK and Manimal like this.
  22. bajaed

    bajaed Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Those look like they are much better quality than what I have. Where can I find those?

    Avanti, it has a heavy metal mesh I cant drill. It does have 4 holes for cable routing but they dont line up for the rca's.

    ny9424 - Google Search :
     
  23. POE_UK

    POE_UK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Somerset
    God no lol, how many right angled traces are in the amp?
     
    Cockroach, Manimal, Rolltide and 2 others like this.
  24. POE_UK

    POE_UK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Somerset
    Correct its electricity not water, they will make no difference to sound.
     
  25. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    That's apparently a Cardas part, but I don't see where they can be had with a female RCA vs. a DIY termination solution.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine