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Adding shielding to existing cables

So I have some interconnects that are picking up all sorts of RFi. I know this for two reasons, one, as I move them around the noisy/buzz sound changes, and two, when I switch them out for shielded interconnects the noise goes away.

so, I bought some tinned copper shielding and some new RCA plugs. I’m going to cut the existing RCA plugs off the existing cable and install the new shielding and new plugs. The thing is the new plugs have a plastic body so there is nowhere to easily connect the shielding to ground.

I was thinking of running a pigtail from the shielding and attachIng an eyelet to ground it to my preamp since there is a grounding lug. Would this work or is there a better way given what I intend to use?


last_lemming

Showing 3 responses by millercarbon

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
millercarbon:
""Pro tip", good one. Tell 'em, pro, about your DIY cable skills. How about the "pro tip" where you discover your "pro cables" you built aren't even within 2dB of each other? "


heaudio123:
- Source resistance 500-10K ohms. Load impedance 20K-100K ohms. Cable resistance <<1 ohm. I am curious to how you think an interconnect is going to generate a 2db difference between 2 cables of similar construction?


And I am curious how you got any of that from what I said?

The fact of the matter is it was Eric Squires himself who told us all he had built these DIY interconnects, that they didn’t sound right, and that he then measured and found they were 2dB off. So don’t ask me. Ask Mr "Pro Tip" himself.

Reading comprehension. It is one thing to be able to sound out the words. Quite another to comprehend their meaning. As you so beautifully illustrate.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
"Pro tip", good one. Tell 'em, pro, about your DIY cable skills. How about the "pro tip" where you discover your "pro cables" you built aren't even within 2dB of each other. 

DYODD OP. Read a few posts from this "pro" who is anything but. Draw your own conclusions.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
I was thinking of running a pigtail from the shielding and attachIng an eyelet to ground it to my preamp since there is a grounding lug. Would this work?

Yes and it is just the kind of low-risk proof of concept test I would try before cutting anything.

or is there a better way given what I intend to use?

Its hard to say what will be better without seeing exactly. Even then... it appears logical to assume shielding the whole length is what’s working. But then sometimes it turns out its the last millimeter of unshielded wire the noise comes in. Sometimes it even turns out its not the shielding at all. The shielded cable is quiet, the non-shielded isn’t, its the obvious conclusion. Only later it turns out it had nothing to do with that, it was just a poor connection at the RCA. Or a bad solder connection within the RCA. (I have had both.) So these things are not always as easy as they seem.

Which is why its best to go the low-risk route. Maybe you get lucky and solve it. Maybe you don’t. Either way you learn something you never even would have had the chance to learn had you jumped straight to cut and solder.

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