Subwoofer RCA Cable


Is a subwoofer RCA cable any different than a regular RCA cable of good quality?

koestner

It will depend on who you ask, but most people who believe in investing in quality cables including me will say yes. I say it like this because any cable thread is bound to go south on this forum. 

Sub cables typically have differences in both the conductor and/or dielectric (shielding) to prioritize the current delivery of lower frequencies and needed speed without worrying about the tone of the higher frequencies. Grounding quality is also highly paid attention to as many sub cable runs are longer and use RCA, whereas typical RCA interconnects should be 2M or less as to keep noise at a minimum.

There is no need for a special cable for subs. If anything, they are less demanding than full-range components. Current delivery is not an issue if you are talking about an active (amplified) sub whose input is a line-level signal. They are driven by voltage and have relatively high input impedance, so they draw almost no current.

In summary, any decent-quality RCA cable (shielded, please!) will do.

I always try to buy a relatively inexpensive subwoofer cable from a well known company. Although, I have not heard a difference… I have not done a real study of differences. For me, it is “just in case”.  Most people don’t notice… I think a few can.