Ribbon cable inside amplifiers


I have been looking inside amplifiers on google images, newbie here…wondering if ribbon cable inside the amplifiers is a cheap way for them to build…I was looking at Pass Labs seem to have a lot of ribbon cables…

silverfoxvtx1800

I should add, Nelson Pass has been building large Class-A amplifiers for a very long time and I've never heard anyone complain about their reliability. 

If you feel the need to start poking inside of an amp and making judgements about the parts maybe what you are feeling is a need to build one yourself?  Look up FirstWatt kits.

Maybe this is what you were looking at. Look at all the red and blue wires, and those great big metal plates on the capacitors. All the high currents are handled well by very tidy and short wiring.

As others have commented, the ribbon is probably there for power on/power off signals (not current), and perhaps some turn on sequencing. None of it appears to be in the way of the audio signal, though I could be mistaken and even then, if properly selected, would be fine.  So for instance, there might  be a push button on the front panel, or meters, or even source selectors.  All just fine for ribbons that are not carrying significant current or audio signals. 

A good amplifier circuit is usually supported by some sort of relays to ensure the amplifier has stabilized before the speakers are connected, external turn on/turn off jacks, etc.

 

 

Maybe building a DIY would be a good way to understand what’s going on in there..a First Watt is a great idea…thanks

I had an AGI 511 preamp for years. It used a ribbon cable that went from the board to another board of the rca connectors. A popular upgrade for this was to remove the ribbon cable and use good quality shielded cable to each connector. A very large increase in dynamic range and overall better sq. Photos can be seen on line of the internals of this ribbon cable. A poor design when used within the audio signal path, ime. Many other upgrades were available as well, as mine was an all out assault. Thinking about it, I should have kept it, but I was offered a nice amount of $ for it, so it went.