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length of interconnects for passive preamp

I understand that when using a passive preamp short interconnects are recommended. I have two questions before I purchase them: Does that short length requirement apply to both the ic between the source and passive as well as the passive and the amp? And regarding the length itself, is the shortest always best? I see that some companies offer a 1 foot or even 6" length - which I could use, although it would require some serious rearranging of my equipment; but will those very short lengths provide a noticeable improvement over a 1.5 meter or 2 foot ic? Not sure if there is a rule of thumb. Many thanks!
majorc
erik_squires
16,037 posts
 

It applies after the passive.  The source to passive is actively driven so that's going to be less sensitive. It's the R that the passive puts in after that that makes the signal more susceptible to cable performance. 

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,496 posts
 

Just as a rule, 1 meter cables are very versatile if you have your gear in a tight rack. 6 icnh or 1 foot cables are single use only. Move your gear and those are scrap. Buy a cable that has room to grow if your stack changes.

maplegrovemusic's avatar
maplegrovemusic
1,113 posts
 

I have been running 25' of Mogami Gold balanced cables from my dac to a passive volume pot. Another 25' of Mogami to my amp for years without problem. Had a Lightspeed Attenuator at one time and longer runs I couldn't get hi volume from that though . Must be system dependent.

rocray's avatar
rocray
1,448 posts
 

 I am running 6 meter from a Prometheus TVC to my amp with no ill effects. 

drbond
418 posts
 

I think it largely depends on if you're connectors are single ended (RCA), or balanced (XLR).  If you're running RCA IC, then you probably want to keep them at 1M or 2M.  For XLR, the length becomes more irrelevant.  

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