| For years it has been well understood in home | | | | systems. Two typical sources of noise in |
| audio that cables can have a tremendous | | | | cables are Electro-Magnetic Interference |
| impact on a sound system, both good and bad. | | | | (EMI) and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). |
| Choose the right cables and you can expect a | | | | In vehicles, the entire chassis is |
| system to come to life. Choose poorly | | | | frequently used as the ground return path. |
| designed cables, and you may forever be | | | | This allows noise from car components such as |
| wondering why you can't get your system to | | | | the alternator to be inducted into the audio |
| come to life. | | | | cables via EMI. In terms of RFI, unless |
| | | | proper shielding is used, the longer cables |
| Car audio however, has been a different | | | | in cars will act as antennas and pull in more |
| story. While many companies still offer | | | | noise. A third source of noise in a vehicle |
| coaxial interconnect cables, most have come | | | | is vibration. This is of course far worse in |
| to realize that the basic twisted pair design | | | | a vehicle than in a home system. Pear Cable |
| offers far better noise rejection in a | | | | is the first company to bring out a car audio |
| vehicle. And then... Nothing. That's it. | | | | cable that virtually eliminates the noise |
| Innovation seems to have hit a brick wall at | | | | caused by cable vibration. The |
| the shielded twisted pair interconnect in car | | | | TRIBODeadÔ technology present in the |
| audio. This begs the question; Should Cars | | | | Comice Silver Interconnect is an electrically |
| Have High End Audio Cables? | | | | conductive plastic layer that prevents static |
| | | | electrical charges, caused by vibration, from |
| To begin with, let's briefly go back to home | | | | building up in the cable. |
| audio. After many years of fighting an | | | | |
| uphill battle, the idea that cables make a | | | | - Is Quality Sound Just for Home Audio or |
| difference has become a mainstream ideology | | | | does it have a Place in Car Audio Too? |
| amongst audiophiles. But it isn't just | | | | |
| audiophiles who can hear the difference. In | | | | Some people feel that a car audio sound |
| fact, in our own testing, the differences can | | | | system will never be as good as a home audio |
| be heard by just about anybody, even on very | | | | system, and therefore high fidelity cables |
| modest audio systems. It just takes a | | | | are a waste of money in a car. This is a |
| willingness to discard any preconceived | | | | faulty conclusion. The experience of |
| notions and actually listen to some music. | | | | listening to music in your vehicle while |
| | | | driving down the highway is unique and cannot |
| So, if cables make a difference in home | | | | be replicated in the home audio environment. |
| audio, is there a reason why it shouldn't | | | | The bottom line here is that many people |
| matter in car audio? The quick answer is no. | | | | spend more time listening to their car audio |
| The following outlines some of the reasons | | | | system than their home system, and they want |
| why cables matter just as much, if not more, | | | | it to be the best that it can be. The |
| in car audio. | | | | characteristics of bad audio cables |
| | | | (listening fatigue, poor realism, overly |
| - Cable Length - Longer Cables Generally Do | | | | bright treble, or general noise) will all |
| More Sonic Damage | | | | still be audible in a car audio system. Just |
| | | | like home audio, the wrong cables in your |
| Many people are under the impression that car | | | | vehicle will kill the listening experience. |
| audio uses shorter cables than home audio, | | | | |
| and therefore does not need to bother with | | | | At the end of the day, many people want |
| high fidelity cables. This is completely | | | | quality sound in their vehicles. If you are |
| incorrect. While the typical interconnect | | | | installing an aftermarket system in your |
| length in a home audio system is about 1 | | | | vehicle and you care about sound quality, you |
| meter, vehicles will frequently use 5 or 6 | | | | need to care about cables. If you are only |
| meter interconnects to put amplifiers in the | | | | interested in having the loudest car, without |
| trunk. In terms of speaker cables, car audio | | | | regards to accuracy, then high fidelity audio |
| almost always uses cables longer than the 6-8 | | | | cables probably aren't for you. Otherwise, |
| feet used in most home audio setups. | | | | it simply doesn't make sense to shell out |
| | | | good money on amplifiers and speakers, only |
| - Environment - Cables Are Affected By Their | | | | to hook it all up with mediocre wire. Car |
| Environment | | | | audio enthusiasts are every bit as serious as |
| | | | home audio enthusiasts, and now there is |
| Vehicles represent a far more challenging | | | | finally a cable company that is serious about |
| environment for cables than home audio | | | | serving their needs. |