Audio Cables

You may have a fancy surround sound setup for your TV room, or maybe you are setting up speakers for your turntable. Whatever it may be, you need audio cables. These cables allow you to transfer audio data from a source to your speaker. And without one, that fancy stereo setup won’t work! There are various types of these cables, and knowing which one is best for your setup can be daunting. Luckily, this article will help you through the challenge of buying the right product. Here we will look at different types of cables, what they are for, and some tips for buying the best one for you.

An audio cable is used to transfer analogue or digital audio signals from a source to an amplifier. This audio source could be your TV, stereo system, turntable, CD player or more. Depending on its use, you will need a different audio cable. There are two main types of audio cables. The first one is a digital audio cable, and the second is an analogue audio cable. Among these, cables’ subcategories include an aux cable, RCA cable, optical audio cable, speaker cable, and more. Knowing which one suits you best may seem difficult, but this article will help you out. First, we will take a look at the difference between these cables.

Everything you need to know about audio cables

Knowing the difference between a digital and analogue cable is key to finding which one works best for your needs. Both have completely different functions and work differently. An analogue cable transmits audio through waves of electricity. On the other hand, a digital cable sends audio through packets of data that a computer comprehends. In other words, digital cables transmit 1’s and 0’s called binary code. Both analogue and digital cables have their pros and cons, depending on their use. Analogue cables may work better for your TV since it uses less bandwidth. On the other hand, digital cables may be better for setting up your stereo system or listening to music through a headset. However, the exact type of cable depends on numerous factors which we will talk about. 

More types of audio cables 

Some common audio cable types are aux cables and optical audio cables. An aux cable is the most common type of audio cable out there. This the cable that your headphone uses to connect to your phone. Maybe you have an aux port in your car so you can plug in your phone and play music. Whatever it may be, an aux cable can be used with anything that has a compatible auxiliary jack. Aux cables tend to be the cheapest cable, but the audio quality tends to suffer. Optical cables are digital cables that transmit sound through flashes of light in an optical fibre. Your computer or speaker picks up these flashes and converts them into sound. An optical cable can be more expensive but has better audio quality than an aux cable. This makes it great for stereo systems or the home theatre. 

Types of outdoor speaker wire 

Outdoor speaker wires are very different from indoor cables. This is because they need to be able to withstand temperature, weather, wind and more. You wouldn’t want to go outside one morning and find your speaker wire completely ruined! In general, there are 2 main types of outdoor speaker wire. The first is a 16 gauge wire. If your wire only needs to be 80ft or less, this might be the best choice. A 16 gauge wire is great for something like an outdoor stage setup. The second type is a 14 gauge wire. This goes for anything up to 200ft. If you need a really long cable, a 12 gauge wire can run even longer than 200ft. However, the lower the gauge, the less durable the outdoor speaker wire will be. If you are using a 12 gauge wire, it may be best to leave it out when necessary. 

When to use a Toslink splitter 

One good reason to use optical cables is how easy it is to split the output. What does that mean? It is actually quite simple. Let’s say you have two headsets and want to play music on both of them. This is where a Toslink splitter or optical audio splitter comes into play. You plug in one cable, and it will split the transmitted audio into two outputs. A Toslink splitter has many uses. Most commonly, an optical audio splitter is used for television setups. If you want audio to play from your TV and your stereo simultaneously, a splitter will come in handy. In general, a Toslink splitter is quite easy to set up. They are also quite small so that they won’t take up too much space. An alternative to a Toslink splitter when setting up tv is a DisplayPort audio cable.