Can I connect RCA to speaker cable?

Soundless

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When I was refurbishing my spark ran in a two pair cable from the Amp location to where I wanted the sub. It is 2 x 0.75 mm2 BS6500 cable.

I understand I need to install RCA connectors to connect to the sub and Amp. Will I be able to put an RCA connector onto this cable?

I haven't terminated the speaker cables on faceplates - they are what I would describe as "flying ends" i.e. hole drilled in faceplate and cable poking through!!

Thanks

sl
 
A sub cable is a screened cable due to the very low power running down it. Speaker cable is not screened.
Electrically it would work but far from ideal.
 
Thanks Andy

The cable run is in an awkward place. I take it there is nothing I can do to enhance the cable run apart from rerunning a screened cable?
 
Soundless,

The other Andy is right, the lead will work just fine from a signal transmission perspective, but may be open to interference. Mains (50 Hz) is well within sub response, so if your sparky has run it close to a mains cable you might pick up hum.

My advice would be to try it. If it works without hum then great, if not you could try balancing the link.

Balancing is very common in pro setups as it allows long leads to be run at line level without picking up interference. Ideally your lead should be twisted, but even without you may get away with it. You would need to put a balun at either end of the cable like this:

CyberSelect | MuxLab analogue audio baluns

No idea if these are any good, but this is the type of product you should look for. One caveat, these are transformers, and transformers run out of puff at low frequencies - not what you want for a sub. You would either need a balun designed for audio LF, or compensate for the rolloff by boosting the sub. This wont be perfect however.

Good luck.
 
When I was refurbishing my spark ran in a two pair cable from the Amp location to where I wanted the sub. It is 2 x 0.75 mm2 BS6500 cable.

I understand I need to install RCA connectors to connect to the sub and Amp. Will I be able to put an RCA connector onto this cable?

sl

You got to be careful there. Speaker cables are used for powered devices, e.g. a passive subwoofer would take in speaker cable terminals, which supplies power as well as audio signal (information). Amps which drive active subwoofers would use RCA connection instead, which the format carries a low power information signal only. RCA cables are NOT rated for the high current requirement of any active connections.

if your Amp has RCA connector, then you can in theory use a speaker cable to interface it, but if your subwoofer is not active, or the speaker is meant for you to put a high power signal into the speaker wire ports, you won't hear a thing. Some subwoofers have both inputs.
 

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