Cables

[MacLeod]

I was using Monster Standard Juniors in my system for years - http://monstercable.com/productPage.asp?pin=149 - and have NEVER had a single noise issue. No whine, no headlight hum, no brake light pop, nothing. Well when I was trying to install that Altomobile EQ one of the RCA's got hung behind the dash and I had to rip it out which ruined it. So I figured Id run down to Pep Boys and get some Lightning Audio RCA's. 16' for $15. Twisted AND shielded. I figured if Monster's bottom of the line work flawlessly, surely Lightning Audio, who is a car audio specific manufacturer, will work just as well.

Well, I now have a brake light pop AND head light hum! Unf***ing believable!!!

So now I have to scrape together more money to replace the RCA's...again.

The only other thing it could be is the ground that I left hooked up for the EQ in case I ever get another. Maybe somehow its messed up. Ill pull it out and see if that helps but I kinda doubt it.

[exalted512]

i have some spare streetwires 5.0 series laying around the house, I was going to ebay them but if you need some I'll give em to you for what youd pay for new ones, $15/cable or whatever. Only thing is i think theyre all 16.4 ft long...ill have to check. Id rather give them to someone whos going to use them for competition anyway. Only thing is i dont know if you want ones that are that long. They were used in my truck going from the radio all the way to the back wall. I have a couple that are brand new, still in the packaging, i think those might be 12'. Just say the word
-Cody

[PolkThug]

I'm running all Stinger Helix with no problems. The RCA connectors are short so the fit nicely under Polk amp covers.

http://search.ebay.com/Stinger-Helix_W0QQfromZR40

[MacLeod]

What just kills me is that I was running bone stock basic Monster cables and never heard a peep! Now I get the fancy super master twisted and shielded cables and get all kinds of noise!

Another fun thing is my dome light dims off after a few seconds and that comes thru as a nice BBBBBbbbbbbuuuuuuuzzzzzzz....

I just ran some 6 footers I had straight from the HU to the amp and its quiet as a mouse so I know its the cables and am thankful its not the amp!

Cody - PM sent

[Greg Peters]

So I figured Id run down to Pep Boys and get some Lightning Audio RCA's. 16' for $15. Twisted AND shielded. I figured if Monster's bottom of the line work flawlessly, surely Lightning Audio, who is a car audio specific manufacturer, will work just as well.

Well, I now have a brake light pop AND head light hum! Unf***ing believable!!!


I'm not a fan of anything from Lightning Audio- not even because of the Walmart stigma.

I usually spring for middle of the road RCA cables at least, and usually have not been dissappointed.

The last set I bought (three runs) were Scosche EFX.
http://www.infinitecaraudio.com/cgi-bin/icastore.cgi?user_action=list&category=Scosche;RCA%20Interconnects

I was kind of expecting some sort of noise in the system, but absolutely nothing...pleasant surprise. I've had to hunt around for noise on a few previous systems, and it seems some cars generate more unwelcome noises into the audio system than others.

There's an automotive surplus place I've been into from time to time about 45 minutes away from home (Princess Auto). The last time I was in, I was surprised to see Monster RCAs there (and marked right down). I was tempted to pick some up (and still might next time). I'll check what series they were from against the link and see if they're the same- I seem to remember them as being dark reddish-brown colored, whatever series that is.

[MacLeod]

Im sold on Monster Cables. Yeah they suck for suing Disney and Discover Channel and all that but apparantly they make a great cable.

Wal Mart carries Scoshe cables. I might run down there and see what theyve got.

[exalted512]

PM sent back
-Cody

[exalted512]

heres a picture
http://www.shopcartusa.com/Product/15339/Electronics~Car_Audio_&_Radar_Detectors~Car_Audio_Access./Streetwires_StreetWires_Zero_Noise_5.0___1.5-ft._Stereo_RCA_Pat/

these are NOT cheap cables
-Cody

[audiobliss]

Im sold on Monster Cables. Yeah they suck for suing Disney and Discover Channel and all that but apparantly they make a great cable.
Whao. Stop right there just a cotton-pickin' minute. Just because Lightning Audio makes crappy RCA's doesn not mean Monster makes 'great' cables.

Go for Cody's cables! You've got a nice SQ system! You deserve some nice cables, too!

[MacLeod]

Whao. Stop right there just a cotton-pickin' minute. Just because Lightning Audio makes crappy RCA's doesn not mean Monster makes 'great' cables.

Go for Cody's cables! You've got a nice SQ system! You deserve some nice cables, too!


Well, for 4 years those lowly, bottom of the barrell Monsters have performed flawlessly! Have not had a single noise issue at all in the entire time.

[audiobliss]

I wouldn't say that being able to reject noise interference makes a cable 'great'. All cables should do that. That's a bare minimum requirement. If they can't do that, they shouldn't make it into a consumer's hands.

imo, of course....I use that way too seldom...thought I might should throw it in there....:p

[1996blackmax]

Streetwires makes nice cables, if Mac does not pick those up let me know Cody.

[VR3]

Oh please...

Audiobliss what cables have you even used???

[cam5860]

Streetwires are decent but I will take tsunami rca cables over streetwires anyday of the week. Best rca's ive ever owned.

[1996blackmax]

Here we go.......

[MacLeod]

I wouldn't say that being able to reject noise interference makes a cable 'great'. All cables should do that. That's a bare minimum requirement. If they can't do that, they shouldn't make it into a consumer's hands.

imo, of course....I use that way too seldom...thought I might should throw it in there....:p


But in a car there are different levels of noise. My $14 Monsters blocked everybit of it but my $20 Lightning Audio shielded and twisted dont. But you read their reviews on Sounddomain and they all love em. So if Monster can make a cable for $14 that can block all the noise Ive got, theyre great cables.

[VR3]

Audiobliss hasnt even tried Monster's cables before...

Im using some of their best pro cables at the moment...

Awesome cables...

[1996blackmax]

I really like my Monster Micro-XLN's, no noise issues with these guys. They came in very handy when I was using my Kicker ZR and ZX amps as those guys did not have alot of room under the wiring covers.

[MacLeod]

I could get some more of the same Monsters I had but honestly Im wanting to go with something different just to have something different.

My wife is letting me spend $100, so Ill hit my local shops tomorrow and see what I can come up with.

I really like the JL cables, but damn, theyre expensive.........shut up Cody!

[1996blackmax]

Check out Ebay as well Mac. You could find good deals on cables there.

[MacLeod]

Im going to hit my shops tomorrow. Ill try Tweeter first and see if they can hook me up with some JL cables for under $100. If not, Ill try some of the others.

[1996blackmax]

How many cables do you need?

[exalted512]

3, at least 14'
-Cody

[Greg Peters]

Im sold on Monster Cables. Yeah they suck for suing Disney and Discover Channel and all that but apparantly they make a great cable.

Wal Mart carries Scoshe cables. I might run down there and see what theyve got.

Not that I would suggest these for competition purposes. I just got lucky.

The ones I've seen in Walmart in the US are not the EFX line, just plain (non-twisted pair) RCAs, smaller gauge too.

[cam5860]

Hell I use the Scoshe power wire from walmart you get 40 foot of 8 gauge power wire and 8 foot of ground wire for 19.99. Can beat that **** and it's as good as any of the rest ive used good and flexiable and strained copper wire. Ive used there rca's before there kinda built cheap but hell they work never had a problem with them.

[audiobliss]

I really like the JL cables, but damn, theyre expensive.........shut up Cody!
Haha! Go ahead and get Cody taken care of before he even chimes in. LOL! :p

[MacLeod]

Just stopped by Tweeter on my lunch break and grabbed some JL's. They werent nearly as pricey as I thought they would be. 4 channel, 18' for $40 and 2 channel 18' for $25. Thats the same price as Streetwires, Stinger and Tsunami.

Havent hooked em up yet cause Im in my work truck but will as soon as I get off. They look to be excellent quality.

[1996blackmax]

Still over priced for that brand :D.....

[MacLeod]

Worked like a charm. All noise is gone and Ive got a nice strong signal. BEst thing is, after all these years of praising JL Audio, Im actually using some of their stuff! ;)

Let that be a lesson boys and girls, stay FAR AWAY from Lightning Audio cables.

[1996blackmax]

I thought that was already pretty evident, the staying away from anything Lightning Audio ;).

Glad it worked out for you :).

[MacLeod]

Well I got suckered into them because those Monster Cables were cheaper and didnt have all the fancy "noise rejection techonolgy" yet they were 100% noise free. I just figured the LA's wouldve been too.

No matter, I really dig these JL cables and will stick with them from now on. Excellent construction and a pretty good price.

[audiobliss]

Awesome. Glad you got 'em. I think they look great, too, for whatever that's worth.

[exalted512]

even my g/f just said, "Usually people praise stuff after they use em instead of before they buy em"

:D
-Cody

[Greg Peters]

Well I got suckered into them because those Monster Cables were cheaper and didnt have all the fancy "noise rejection techonolgy" yet they were 100% noise free. I just figured the LA's wouldve been too.

No matter, I really dig these JL cables and will stick with them from now on. Excellent construction and a pretty good price.

You mean the salesman never tried to explain to you the cables will only work on a 300/4 and a 500/1??? ;)

[MacLeod]

even my g/f just said, "Usually people praise stuff after they use em instead of before they buy em"

:D
-Cody

Tell her to get back in the kitchen!


You mean the salesman never tried to explain to you the cables will only work on a 300/4 and a 500/1???

I do a ton of business with Tweeter so theyre getting to know me there. I buy most of my stuff from them and often go in there just to listen to the RTi speakers and dream. They dont mess with me much cause they know I know as much as they do about this stuff (most of the time more...which aint saying much) and theyre not going to sucker me into anything....I can do that on my own!

[exalted512]

Tell her to get back in the kitchen!


after you tell your wife that!

[MacLeod]

after you tell your wife that!

I aint skeered of my wife! You saw how I handled her the other day. I needed $60 so I went in there and told her how it was going to be. Hmmph.

Boy these cables are so great! How great are they?! Well the MECA CD has a slight hiss to it that is really hard to pick up. Ive never been able to, but now all of a sudden, I can. I suppose the JL's have less resistance to them and its allowing for a stronger signal. Enough so that the hiss is coming thru.

I dunno. Maybe I just never noticed it before.

[exalted512]

so what youre saying is cables do make a difference in SQ?

Maybe JL burns in their cables before they send em out;)
-Cody

[MacLeod]

LOL!!!

No, what Im saying is what Ive always said. Cables make a difference in so far as noise rejection and signal strength.

Tonally, these sound EXACTLY like my Monsters and Lightnings did. The ONLY difference are noise (or a lack thereof) and an apparant stronger signal (which still couldve been my lack of attention to the hiss before).

One thing I thought Id pass on especially to you, Cody, but it may not be news to you.

Before, I always ran the RCA's down from behind the head unit, down behind the dash and drop them out just to the right of the cupholder flipout thingy. Well this is a huge bitch because its EXTREMELY tight in there and it is a pain and its very possible to get one hung which is what happened to me and started all this cable mess. Well, the 4 channel cables wouldnt fit that way so I looked for another way in.

The glovebox on 02 and up Rams pops out very easily and behind it is a huge hole that you can stick your hand into. All you have to do is run the cable up by the kick panel, reach down thru the hole and pull them thru. Then you reach thru another hole right below the AC vent immediately to the right of the HU and pull it thru and then reach down from behind the HU and pull it the rest of the way up. It used to take me 15-30 minutes to run one pair of cables. This way, I did all 3 in 15 minutes.

Just thought Id pass that on to everybody in case you ever have to install in a 02 Ram. ;)

[1996blackmax]

I hope my next car is as easy to take apart as my Maxima :). I've changed out things a couple of times when I've had a friend over. They are pretty surprised how quickly I can do it. I just tell them it's not me, it's just that it's so easy to take apart my car.

[Greg Peters]

I do a ton of business with Tweeter so theyre getting to know me there. I buy most of my stuff from them and often go in there just to listen to the RTi speakers and dream. They dont mess with me much cause they know I know as much as they do about this stuff (most of the time more...which aint saying much) and theyre not going to sucker me into anything....I can do that on my own!

That wasn't meant to be a jab at you, just a wink at the "typical" JL salesdude mentality.

I actually met a salesman in a store that sells a lot of JL product who "told it like it is". While he had a bunch of JL in his personal car, he never badmouthed good products from other manufacturers in a bid to get you to buy all JL equipment, was very well-informed (and would give pretty good pricing to regular customers too). He's gone now. Management must have objected to his style. His replacements are much more brainwashed.

[exalted512]

or you could do it the opposite way and go down below the instrument cluster, thats the way i do it in those trucks
-Cody

[MacLeod]

or you could do it the opposite way and go down below the instrument cluster, thats the way i do it in those trucks
-Cody

Yeah but I run my power wire down that side and I like to keep my cables far away from my power wires, plus it shortens the distance which means not having to pay for longer cables. ;)

[exalted512]

car audio is full of myths :D
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Yeah, I know thats supposed to be one but then again, I did pick up a headlight hum, brake light pop AND an alternator whine simply by using certain cables and then got rid of all that with another type of cable. Obviously, induced noise does exist.

[exalted512]

but not from power wire;)
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Better safe than sorry.

[exalted512]

yup, so you better put on your foil helmet so the aliens cant read your mind too:D
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Way ahead of ya!

[1996blackmax]

I always wondered about you.......

[HiPerf360]

JL and buying from Walmart????

What wrong Mac???

[1996blackmax]

He is just getting older. Hey Mac, Happy Belated Birthday :)! I was going to post earlier in the thread, but had to tend to my 5 year old.

[MacLeod]

I didnt buy from Walmart, I was just thinking about it. And Ive always loved JL.

[exalted512]

And Ive always loved JL.
misguided as that may be;)
-Cody

[MacLeod]

And how many first place SQ trophies do you have? And how many SQ classes are you currently leading in points? :p :D

[1996blackmax]

Just because some people do not compete does not mean that their systems are not up to par ;).

[MacLeod]

Yes it does.

My system is better than yours. Neener neener neener! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/aetsch/cheeky-smiley-022.gif

[1996blackmax]

Don't think so :D. Heck even my system from the late 90's was better ;). You just barely came around to the T.A. thing. Something I was using even back then.


Neenenener neeeeener x infinity....


:D

[MacLeod]

I still think TA is cheating. But ya know what they say; if ya cant beat em, join em. ;)

[exalted512]

And how many first place SQ trophies do you have? And how many SQ classes are you currently leading in points? :p :D
and how many do you have using JL equipment?
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Touche.

Well I did manage to tie that dude yesterday with the $10,000 install, 20,000 band EQ and 4 world champs tuning his system for him! I was pretty happy about that......and it was the JL cables that made the difference! :p

Nah, its these SR's that make the difference. You wouldnt believe how LITTLE EQ'ing mine have. Virtually everything is barely a notch or two above flat.

I still need that 31 band EQ to bring out the finer points tho...and a bigger amp to bring out the bass more. That MM2104 just has a hard time hitting below 40 Hz in that box. I figure if I move up to a Crossfire 402 (extra 125 watts) that should help make up for the smallish box.