Should Cars Have High End Audio Cables?

For years it has been well understood in home audioInterference (EMI) and Radio Frequency Interference
that cables can have a tremendous impact on a sound(RFI). In vehicles, the entire chassis is frequently used
system, both good and bad. Choose the right cablesas the ground return path. This allows noise from car
and you can expect a system to come to life. Choosecomponents such as the alternator to be inducted into
poorly designed cables, and you may forever bethe audio cables via EMI. In terms of RFI, unless proper
wondering why you can't get your system to come toshielding is used, the longer cables in cars will act as
life.antennas and pull in more noise. A third source of noise
Car audio however, has been a different story. Whilein a vehicle is vibration. This is of course far worse in a
many companies still offer coaxial interconnect cables,vehicle than in a home system. Pear Cable is the first
most have come to realize that the basic twisted paircompany to bring out a car audio cable that virtually
design offers far better noise rejection in a vehicle.eliminates the noise caused by cable vibration. The
And then... Nothing. That's it. Innovation seems to haveTRIBODeadÔ technology present in the Comice
hit a brick wall at the shielded twisted pair interconnectSilver Interconnect is an electrically conductive plastic
in car audio. This begs the question; Should Cars Havelayer that prevents static electrical charges, caused by
High End Audio Cables?vibration, from building up in the cable.
To begin with, let's briefly go back to home audio.- Is Quality Sound Just for Home Audio or does it have
After many years of fighting an uphill battle, the ideaa Place in Car Audio Too?
that cables make a difference has become aSome people feel that a car audio sound system will
mainstream ideology amongst audiophiles. But it isn'tnever be as good as a home audio system, and
just audiophiles who can hear the difference. In fact, intherefore high fidelity cables are a waste of money in
our own testing, the differences can be heard by justa car. This is a faulty conclusion. The experience of
about anybody, even on very modest audio systems.listening to music in your vehicle while driving down the
It just takes a willingness to discard any preconceivedhighway is unique and cannot be replicated in the
notions and actually listen to some music.home audio environment. The bottom line here is that
So, if cables make a difference in home audio, is theremany people spend more time listening to their car
a reason why it shouldn't matter in car audio? Theaudio system than their home system, and they want
quick answer is no. The following outlines some of theit to be the best that it can be. The characteristics of
reasons why cables matter just as much, if not more,bad audio cables (listening fatigue, poor realism, overly
in car audio.bright treble, or general noise) will all still be audible in a
- Cable Length - Longer Cables Generally Do Morecar audio system. Just like home audio, the wrong
Sonic Damagecables in your vehicle will kill the listening experience.
Many people are under the impression that car audioAt the end of the day, many people want quality
uses shorter cables than home audio, and thereforesound in their vehicles. If you are installing an
does not need to bother with high fidelity cables. This isaftermarket system in your vehicle and you care
completely incorrect. While the typical interconnectabout sound quality, you need to care about cables. If
length in a home audio system is about 1 meter,you are only interested in having the loudest car,
vehicles will frequently use 5 or 6 meter interconnectswithout regards to accuracy, then high fidelity audio
to put amplifiers in the trunk. In terms of speakercables probably aren't for you. Otherwise, it simply
cables, car audio almost always uses cables longerdoesn't make sense to shell out good money on
than the 6-8 feet used in most home audio setups.amplifiers and speakers, only to hook it all up with
- Environment - Cables Are Affected By Theirmediocre wire. Car audio enthusiasts are every bit as
Environmentserious as home audio enthusiasts, and now there is
Vehicles represent a far more challenging environmentfinally a cable company that is serious about serving
for cables than home audio systems. Two typicaltheir needs.
sources of noise in cables are Electro-Magnetic