CAT5e Speaker cable

Trune · 16-12-2008, 5:57 PM

hi chaps.

can i make a sub cable out of cat5e shielded cable? i cant see why not really, ive searched and cant really see anyone answering it. ive seem people suggest coax cable, but i was hoping i could use cat5.

if so, can i just use one run, with 2 lots of 4 pairs soldered to phono cables? or should i just use cat5 pairs for centre pin and shield for outter?

k13 wjd · 16-12-2008, 6:44 PM

yes you can.

But it will more than likely sound awfull....depending on your speakers.

Trune · 16-12-2008, 8:33 PM

and why would it sound awful?

i only asked about a sub, not the speakers.
its normal phono low frequency feed out of the amp.

MitsiTurbo · 16-12-2008, 10:42 PM

You could do, but im not sure why you would want to? Coax would be alot better and easier

Trune · 16-12-2008, 11:07 PM

just got the stuff coming out of my ears really... only reason.

Mr Incredible · 17-12-2008, 1:13 AM

All you need to know about Cat5 cabling for speakers.

CABLES FAQ/RESOURCES. Got a question? Check here first.

Coax is usually used for "line voltage" signals, and would be very bulky to get the same cross sectional area as Cat5.

Cat5 properly constructed utilising the covered twisted pairs (doesn't need to be shielded) is a superb cable. You won't be disappointed. Ignore any comments about it sounding awful..... they sound superb!

MitsiTurbo · 17-12-2008, 8:13 AM

Mr Inc, the OP is talking about a sub cable rather than speaker cables dude. Good info otherwise though!

Trune, you could make a decent one out of coax for a tenner. If youve got loads of Cat5 then I suppose theres no harm in trying it. Just make sure that you dont let the core and screen touch! Also just bare in mind the amount of copper that you will have in the Cat5 cable compared to the nice thick solid copper core of something like FT100 Coax

Mr Incredible · 17-12-2008, 8:53 AM

Must get to bed early!

Sorry OP and those I disparaged about it sounding awful.

I used some microphone cable for a sub lead, but MitsiTurbo is correct, Coax would do the job. The Canare lv-77s is recognised as a good option for sub cable because it is more flexible than the Belden 1649a cable which normally gets used on interconnects!

Back to bed now!

EDIT: Just as a note of reference to the OP. Cat5e shielded cable is designed to optimally reject/protect from those frequencies which could interfere with the signal frequency of the data packets. The shielding would do a very poor job at rejecting frequencies which are dominant in a sub interconnect; namely ~150Hz and below.

k13 wjd · 17-12-2008, 11:08 AM

my bad....i also read " cat5e for speaker cable"

Sorry op.

Mr Incredible · 17-12-2008, 11:45 AM

But your comment about being "awful" has more relevance for interconnects than it does for "speaker" cable!

k13 wjd · 17-12-2008, 2:35 PM

i just got thrown off with the topic title..."CAT5e Speaker cable"

Trune · 17-12-2008, 4:35 PM

i just noticed that, im sure i didnt give it that subject? lol.it was meant to read subwoofer. Maybe too much searching on the forums made me type wrong thing.

ive checked out the thread listed a few times in the past as i was interested in it anyway but cant find if its suitable for sub woofers. For some reason i thought Cat5e would have more copper in it than a coax, as i had a look at coax and doesnt seem to have that much copper core / shield in it.

i do have some microphone cable. so maybe i'll try that instead.

Mr Incredible · 17-12-2008, 5:55 PM

Are you talking about a passive subwoofer or an active subwoofer? Passive (driven by external amp) will work nicely with Cat5e "speaker" cable, or "high level" connection.
Active subwoofer (internal amp driven by a low voltage signal) will need a "low level" connection and Cat5e is not suitable. Coax is.

And just to confuse it even more, an Active Sub can also be connected by "high level" connections run off the speaker output from the amplifier. This is usually the case when driving a sub from a "normal" stereo amplifier.

Trune · 17-12-2008, 6:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Incredible

Are you talking about a passive subwoofer or an active subwoofer? Passive (driven by external amp) will work nicely with Cat5e "speaker" cable, or "high level" connection.
Active subwoofer (internal amp driven by a low voltage signal) will need a "low level" connection and Cat5e is not suitable. Coax is.

its an active sub.

I have some microphone cable also, but i may just buy a cable now, but i still like to learn.

my mic cable has two sets of centre wires, red and blue, and then a sheild.

If i was to make my own sub cable, would you connect both the red and blue cable to the centre pin on the rca, and the shield to the outer pin. Or red of centre, blue to outer, and leave the shield untouched?

Mr Incredible · 17-12-2008, 6:29 PM

I wound both red and blue together and used the shield for the earth (outer pin).

Trune · 17-12-2008, 7:52 PM

thanks, i got impatient and did that too. all working, seems good to me

nickymarshall · 17-12-2008, 7:53 PM

I'd just 'kin buy one!

Mr Incredible · 17-12-2008, 8:03 PM

Some people just love tinkering even if they can afford to buy one! I'm the same, particulalry given my current lack of ~~regular~~ income!

Trune · 17-12-2008, 8:31 PM

i could afford one, but it wouldnt be exactly the right length... and i wouldnt have learnt anything

JohnWH · 17-12-2008, 9:57 PM

Hmm, actually if you use cat6a you get a screened cable, the "data packets" can actually contain frequencies all the way down to DC so the screen is just as good at LF as it is at HF. The only real down sides are its relative inflexibility and the difficulty in connecting the screen as its typically ali foil so can't (easily) be soldered.

John.

Mr Incredible · 17-12-2008, 10:03 PM

Thanks for that John. You learn something all the time in here.

k13 wjd · 17-12-2008, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Incredible

Some people just love tinkering even if they can afford to buy one! I'm the same, particulalry given my current lack of ~~regular~~ income!

I agree....seeing as im currently planning out a 2x100W Amp, and a custom speaker "CUBE"......all hand built from scratch ( bar the drivers)......i COULD buy one....but i'd LOVE to build it....even if it doesnt sound quite as good !

CJROSS · 18-12-2008, 11:26 AM

FWIW you could easily use CAT5 cable as a sub high level lead, simply use 1 CAT5 cable and split the cores into 4 pairs colour coded, these will then hook into the high level connections on your sub (springclips or binding posts) then feed into your amps 4 binding posts, colour co-oridnated as per the sub connections). This only applies to stereo amps BTW. I have done this with a couple of amps that don’t have low level pre-outs. Sounded as good as CAT5 speaker cables, ie excellent. For Low level RCA leads, use simple Sat TV 75 ohm rated screened coaxial cable.