Let's build a subwoofer interconnect

If you accept the idea that any cable can do the job, why spend $25? You can get shielded subwoofer cables from http://accessories4less.com for 7 bucks. Why pay someone $20 to put techflex over Canare/Belden?

Funny thing, I just went through this same excercise. I opted for Blue jeans cables and I used the subwoofer interconnect they recommend. After doing the math, I came to the same conclusion they did.

I do agree with the comment above about the subwoofer cable only passing frequencies below your subwoofer crossover point. Since no one is, or should be, using a brick wall filter you can expect another couple or three octaves of information above the crossover point to pass along with the lower frequencies. Once the signal is more than 20 to 25 dB down below the crossover point you can ignore the remainder.

Keep in mind the shielding has to do more than just shield 60Hz hum. It also has to keep out EMI and other non audio band nasties. A good low impedance shield will do a very good job of this, even if it isn't a foil shield. Hum is an irrating but leaves the music untouched. RFI will absolutely destroy music in all of the octaves. The real rub comes in from the fact if you have hum leaking in through your interconnects you also have RFI leaking in as well.

A lot of folks believe that a distortions in cables are due to unexplained mysterious things happening within the conduction of the wire or loss in the dielectric. Although this is true to some extent, all of these losses are very small in comparison to the biggies of RFI, inductance, and capacitance.

In the past few months, I am begining to understand that most of what audiophiles hear as "improvements" from cables are really improvements in RFI suspectability.

Comments invited,

Spatialking,

While I mostly agree, I find it hard to separate the negative audible effects that shielding has when in proximity to signal carrying conductors from any positive audible effects gained from a reduction in RFI/EMI.