Cable dressing

Posted by: graeme w on 20 August 2003

I've read some threads on this subject, and am interested to know how important this is, why, and how on earth do I get the cables to not touch each other or anything else.

My power and signal cables are kept apart, but beyond this they're a mess. The power cables are all intertwined and bunched up in a corner by the power outlet, and the signal cables drape over the back of the rack, touch the walls, cross over each other, and lie on the floor. Oh, and the speaker cables run under any cables on the floor, notably the power cables.

This is not a wind-up, they really are that much of a mess. What difference will I hear if I manage to sort them out, and again, how do I achieve the recommendations I've read?

Helpful advice gratefully recieved.

Graeme

Posted on: 20 August 2003 by domfjbrown

I don't know, but my cables sound almost as bad as yours...

I kept ketting a trip on the circuit breaker that the hifi was on - for some reason the DIMEBAR builders had half the lounge sockets off of the same main breaker as the kitchen sockets, central heating, fridge/freezer and washing machine (built in), and it's tripped a few times for NO reason - the last time was when I turned the hoover off!

So I wired ALL my AV stuff off the same twin socket - so I now have to run a 3 metre 1-gang socket to the power block (a Black Rhodium) for the NAIT, Planar 3, Sony MD and, ahem, something else (I can't remember - but might well wire the tuner in here instead) all my other hifi bits are still on the dodgy sockets). Anyway, with the 3 metre 1 gang, the right speaker's NACA5, and the 4 metre stereo interconnects from the AV processor running parallel (and literally on top of each other) for a 2 metre section, and with the 1 gang/plug right behind the left speaker, where the left NACA5 is neatly coiled (fig 8 style, not in a hoop!), the sound is waaaaay better than it was before - perhaps the parallel runs and the AV/TV junk polluting the other socket is less than all the crud the kitchen gear/dicky breaker produces??

Turntable cables DO have to be routed carefully though, I've found...

When the music's over turn out the lights

Posted on: 22 August 2003 by Philip Pang

Cable Dressing

Graeme, it couldn't be more important. Big difference when all is optimised. I wrote on this before; you might like to see my previous posts on this, if they're still there. Or run a search on "cable dressing" to view the info from these threads.

Bottom line : separate every cable (SNAICs, Naca 5s, power cords) in your system so that they don't physically touch each other as far possible, no parallel runs (takes some sweating and grunting) but the gains are anything but subtle, done right.

You get what you sweat for.

Usually.

Good listening; the music's groovin' frightfully more.

Rgds

Philip

naimniac for life