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Post by robbiegong on Nov 16, 2022 11:02:03 GMT
One of those old topics that comes up from time to time I know, but like most if not all things in hifi, important  What are you using in terms of keeping your power cords, speaker cable etc separated apart from touching as best as pos ? reccies, ideas? |
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Post by bencat on Nov 16, 2022 13:23:37 GMT
In my active system that I am listening to now I freely admit to doing nothing at all and the mess on the floor is like a rats nest . So far never had any issues and I am not bitten with the tidy bug so it does not bother me . Might be something I should consider but as i am the only one that uses this room like now for surfing would have to be convinced of a good reason to bother.
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Post by jandl100 on Nov 16, 2022 13:41:40 GMT
Oh dear, me too.
Mine's just a random tangle as well.
I recall, decades ago, "sorting it all out" one rainy afternoon. Took a lot of time, and a fair bit of swearing, but I got it all separated out and mostly power cables crossing at right angles to signal cables and all that.
Despite hopeful expectations I couldn't hear any difference at all. I have to confess that I was a bit miffed.
I've never bothered since then.
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Post by firebottle on Nov 16, 2022 13:43:34 GMT
Hadn't used to bother with all the cables just down the back of the rack.
The rack is in a corner so when I rearranged it I put all the mains cables down the hidden side with signal cables at the back.
Didn't notice any difference.
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Post by pete on Nov 16, 2022 14:18:27 GMT
Even if there is little or no sound difference I like to keep it tidy and organised so that it is easier for me it unplug and plug in new equipment. I had problems with a connector once that was under strain from cables pulling against it, which resulted in no sound on one channel. If only all fixes were that easy!!
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dt79
Junior Member
Posts: 343
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Post by dt79 on Nov 16, 2022 16:09:48 GMT
I find the single best thing you can do to keep everything tidy and organised and have a chance of keeping power away from signal cables etc. is to have them custom made (or make them up yourself) in exactly the right length you need in each instance.
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Post by electronumpty on Nov 16, 2022 16:51:05 GMT
Mines a rat nest but I like how things sound so I leave well alone 😁
I don't want to upset the subtle dynamics rhythm and soundstage of the music by removing the magic "stardust " sprinkled liberally on my cables now do I ? 😉
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Post by rexton on Nov 16, 2022 17:05:18 GMT
Mine are tidy but that’s more for getting kit in and out of the system
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Post by macca on Nov 16, 2022 18:54:59 GMT
I always dress my cables, don't use anything to separate them just route signal as far as possible from power - although I only have four components drawing power so not too hard.
I did have a fairly hectic time where I was comparing a lot of kit and I got sloppy. Had real bad issues with the sound, no top end, sounded like the tweeters had gone although they hadn't. Spent about two grand on more kit, could not solve it. Alan Firebottle came round first thing he said was 'Have your tweeters blown?'.
We swapped in his Neurochrome power amp and pre-amp and still same problem.
Weeks later when I went behind the rack to do yet another swap I saw that in addition to the cables being all over there were a fair few unused interconnects and power cables piled on the floor and on the mains block. Cleared the whole lot out, dressed the cables in use and when I switched back on problem was gone.
Can't be sure that it was the cable mess causing the issue but nothing else was changed to my knowledge. I wonder if enough spare wire was there and sufficiently coiled/arranged that it was creating an effective aerial and picking up massive amounts of RFI.
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Post by sq225917 on Nov 17, 2022 0:47:01 GMT
The only cable that has been specifically placed in my hifi is the tonearm lead. Everything else just sits where it landed.
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Post by mayebaza on Nov 21, 2022 11:27:34 GMT
I find over the years on the upgrade path, cables I use are better shielded, so it's just not an issue I have ever had.
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Post by brucew268 on Nov 21, 2022 15:22:14 GMT
I try to arrange cables as rec'd above: power away from signal, careful attention to digital, cross at right angles if too close. But I confess it always feels like I could do better. I have noted a difference when I failed to arrange them so and found a mains cable up along a signal cable for couple inches or a DC cable along side an ethernet, etc.: less transparent, less open sounding, less space around instruments and their shapes.
I've considered using a pair of hook&loop strips or zipties crossed to hold cables stably at right angles if I could not re-dress them to be away from each other, or use a rubber eraser between parallel cables to keep them apart and secured lightly with velcro. But I usually found a dressing solution before resorting to those tactics.
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Post by rexton on Nov 21, 2022 18:16:51 GMT
I must admit being a bit of a lazy git and insist on anything vaguely cable based has to be heavily shielded, life's too short to worry about EMI/RFI and any other "I" which might be out there.
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