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Is an unshielded, unbalanced cable useful for anything in hifi? Where?


    Is shielding needed? If it is, shouldn't we all be using balanced cables wherever possible?  And yet, we hear that balanced connectors are only necessary, or usually even advisable, for long runs; that the added complexity may actually be inferior to an unbalanced cable in a typical 1 meter run, or run afoul of the particular implementation. 
     Is a cable "shielded" if it is coax, but the shield is used as the negative/ground (that is, connected/soldered to the plug at both ends?)  
   if a shield is tied to the negative wire at one end, isn't its capacitance "added" to the negative/ground wire, with potential deleterious effects?
   Yes, I know someone will invariably respond with, "rely on your ears," or "use the Cable Company", but random trials at significant expense seems like a poor approach. 
   not trolling the great cable debate, just seeking some guidance on what to look for in cable design, if any is to be had.      

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Showing 1 response by erik_squires

erik_squires
15,861 posts
 
Well, short runs away from radio stations you don't really need shielding, and the extra capacitance may soften the top end in some cases.

Truthfully, you can get away with unbalanced and unshielded at 20', but it's kind of a crap shoot in regards to radio noise pickup.

Actual shields are only connected at the source, but the ground wire at both.  Same for shielded power cords.
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