Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Cables

Thanks for the reply Ajax and JohnK.

JohnK, the cable that you linked to has two connectors on each end. I am under the impression that to connect an amp and pre-amp for 5.1 that you would need 5 single ended cables. Am I right here or off?
Also, just to show my total ignorance, are the connections between the amp and pre-amp usually just the regular type? Sorry I don't know what they are actually called, but just the regular ones in either mine or JohnK's link.

Thanks for all the help!

Huffer,

Think about it. 5.1 = 6 cables. (1)Left front; (2)right front; (3)center; (4)left surround; (5)right surround; (.1)subwoofer. 3 cables like the ones John linked, which are just two cables stuck together, 3x2 = 6 cables. 3 of any regular analog audio cables will work just fine.

If you'll look at your pre-amp and amp you'll see the multi-channel inputs and outputs are probably color coded (left=white; right=red) These cables typically have a red and a white connector, or a red and a black connector at each end (Red for right channel, white or black for left channel).

Most pre-amps and amps have the left front input/output(white) and right front input/output (red) beside each other; the left surround input/output (white) and right surround input/output (red) right next to each other; and the center and sub inputs/outputs (both probably black) right next to each other. So, 3 of those cords will work beautifully.

Ajax,
Thanks for the reply. I know I'm an idiot.
I was thinking that the subwoofer cable was different. And that if you had 6 cables (3X2) that you would have one too many. But I'm guessing that it wouldn't make a difference if you hooked up the 6th anyway but didn't use it because you were using a separate subwoofer cable.
I just want to order the cables so that I would have them when my gear arrives.
Thanks again for your help!

Huffer,

You're not an idiot, and I hope you didn't think I meant to imply that you were. I'm still learning, too. Glad to be of service.

Huff, Jack covered it pretty well; the main point is though you'd need 5 cables with the right connectors(they're called RCA plugs)plus probably a longer one for the sub, that doesn't mean that you necessarily would have to buy 5 separate cables. For example, you could buy 3 double cables and use 5 of the 6.

Incidentally, if you should decide to send for those Dayton cables the cost effective way isn't to order 5 singles, but rather a set of 3 plus a set of two, which costs significantly less.

Nobody told you you'd need a degree in math to figure this stuff out, did they?

Thanks for the help JohnK and Ajax.

I wouldn't have probably noticed the cost effective way to buy the cables so thank you for that JohnK.

Huffer,

John Brought up a point where I let you down. You DO need six cables, but the subwoofer cable which comes out of your pre-amp, assuming you have a powered subwoofer, goes directly to the the subwoofer and NOT to the amplifier. So, that 3rd double cord would only have one side of it used from the pre-amp's center channel output, to the amplifier's center channel input. Assuming your amp is not located on top of the sub, the other side of the cable would just not be plugged into anything, and you'd need a separate cord (like this) to reach your sub.

By the way, some of these "double" cords can be separated if you gently pull the ends apart, thus ending up with two single cords. My Dayton cords do this.

Huffer,
another dirt-cheap place to buy cables is Princess Auto. I'm not sure whether you are familiar with PA or not, but they do have stores in Winnipeg. For any other Canadian, it might be worth checking out. They have mostly mechanical goods, but do have a decent electrical section. They had good quality 18" RCA interconnects (perfect for pre-amp to amp connections) for $1 for a pair. The interconnects were made by Rocoton who I believe was the parent company of Acoustic Research before they went broke (please correct me if I'm wrong). I picked up a few pair because you can never have too many RCAs. I also picked up a couple of pairs of more expensive ones for $8/18"pair. They were yellow and looked "cooler" so I'm using them for interconnects right now. All the RCAs were solid/good build quality. Princess Auto also has numerous cell accessories and computer cables on the cheap. Can you say "bargain bin"???

ie : a car charger for Nokia 51xx/61xx phones for $2.99

Bren R.