7 Reasons to Use Video Cable to Carry Audio

Mr. Lampen, first let me say that this is a great article. We use your products all the time. Namely your 1505A and 1855 cable with Holland crimp-on ends (they really work better than most others). But we only use it in very high-density situations where pre-terminated Transparent or Straightwire cables would just be too cumbersome to deal with.

While I agree that some obstacles cannot be overcome, like price, plenum ratings and being cut and terminated to an exact length quickly and easily, I think it should be said that there is a very noticeable sound quality difference between the Belden cables I mentioned above and a dedicated high-performance audio cable.

We have done extensive testing here on several levels and it is very easy to hear the improvements a good audio cable can make when compared to coaxial cable of the same length in the same system.

While coaxial cable definitely has its place as an audio conductor, like anything else, it is important to make the right decisions for your customer and understand the situation and use the right product instead of just the easy one.

I agree that different cables work better or worse than others in certain situations.  However, this article is so full of internal contradictions that I am not sure what Mr. Lampen is actually advocating!

Is lower resistance a big deal, or not?  Reason #2, Lower Resistance, states “... resistance is not that big of a deal, especially when you’re only going a few feet. There are other factors (capacitance, for instance) that will limit the effective distance more than resistance.”

Solid or Stranded?  The article states, “Solid copper features lower resistance than stranded, and most professional video cables have a solid center.”  It also states, “Flexibility and flex-life are often more important than resistance. To address these issues, stranded cables can be the answer. Stranded cables are still video cable (and still over-kill for audio), but more flexible.”

Digital Potenial?  The article states, “In the ... (S/PDIF) two channels of digital audio are carried on a single coax cable. So, there’s only one RCA jack for stereo audio (usually a yellow jack). Video cable is often strongly recommended for this connection.”  The explanation of “why” talks about bandwidth and impedence.  The reason “digital” is so much better than “analog” is because digital interfaces are so much more immune to the “analog” effects of cables!

Please explain the advantage of copper over steel or aluminum.  Yes, copper is lower resistance (which we have already established does not matter), but what else?

This article is full of internal contradictions and mis-information.  Shame on CEPro for publishing such a poorly written article.  Shame on Belden for not ensuring articles for publication, written by Belden’s employees, are accurate and clearly written.  Shame on Steve Lampen, Multimedia Technology Manager for Belden Cable, for writing such an article.

I must concur with hnoyes. This is a very poorly written article full of contradictions, and in some areas, downright erroneous.

Any student of electronics will tell you that multiple parallel connections (such as stranded wires) reduce resistance. Also, because of the nature of electrons, the physical behavior of current flow starts at the skin of the conductor and then gradually permeates through the cross section of the conductor as the current increases, until conductor saturation levels occur and additional current rapidly increases the temperature of the wiring. Copper is not the “ultimate” conductor; silver or gold are better but not generally used due to cost constraints. However, gold plated wiring takes advantage of the surface conduction effect mentioned heretofore.

For the most part the article is just “Technospeak”: full of technical sounding commentary or jargon, but not technically correct or accurate. Shame of CEPro. Shame on Belden, who has folks who know better. And shame on both for not having a peer review of this article by qualified technical reviewers prior to release for publication.

I think the point of the article is to examine the possibilities of using video cables when it won’t compromise performance.
Lampen makes these suggestions to help installers understand that they may be able to help save their clients some money when applicable while still making some money on the cabling portion of the install.
These are only suggestions and because of its nature of the story it open to be second guessed.

S/PDIF is usually orange, composite video is yellow.