Help me choose a monitor connecting cable?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jeffree
  • Start date Start date
J

jeffree

New member
To those wiser than me,

Just curious--can you recommend what type of cable would be best to connect active monitors to my Yamaha aw16g DAW?
I can use 1/4" connectors with unbalanced cable, but would a *speaker* cable work any better than an *instrument* cable?

If I were connecting passive speakers, I'd use speaker cable. But I'm not sure when I consider that I'm now connecting a pre-amp out (on the recorder) to a pre-amp in (on the monitors).

I'd appreciate any advice--thanks.

J. (typically confused in santa barbara)
 
don't use speaker cable to carry a line-level signal. it's unshielded, and likely to pick up noise.
 
jeffree said:
To those wiser than me,

Just curious--can you recommend what type of cable would be best to connect active monitors to my Yamaha aw16g DAW?
I can use 1/4" connectors with unbalanced cable, but would a *speaker* cable work any better than an *instrument* cable?
Click to expand...

For a line level signal, you typically use line cable.

Instrument cable should work fine, because instrument cable is typically high quality than line level cable, since they are designed to connect more impedance-sensitive stuff like microphones, but all in all, the same cable you use to connect other peaces of line-level equipment should work fine (assuming they work fine where you use it in the first place).
 
jeffree said:
To those wiser than me,

Just curious--can you recommend what type of cable would be best to connect active monitors to my Yamaha aw16g DAW?
I can use 1/4" connectors with unbalanced cable, but would a *speaker* cable work any better than an *instrument* cable?

If I were connecting passive speakers, I'd use speaker cable. But I'm not sure when I consider that I'm now connecting a pre-amp out (on the recorder) to a pre-amp in (on the monitors).

I'd appreciate any advice--thanks.

J. (typically confused in santa barbara)
Click to expand...

I don't know about the outs on that yamaha, if they are balanced, and if the ins on you active monitors are balanced, then spring for good balanced TRS 1/4" to 1/4" cables.

If not, line or instrument cable should work ok too.

You would only use Speaker cable when connecting passives to a power amp.
 
I took too long to post that! Didn't see Regebro there!
 
Thanks much, guys. The Yamaha's monitor outs are listed as *unbalanced* and the monitor ins will accept *either* balanced or unbalanced, so I'll go the unbalanced route.

By the way, I assume that TRS cables (tip, ring, and ?) can be either balanced or unbalanced, right? In other words, are all
1/4" cables used in music (instruments, speakers, line) basically TRS cables, or am I still sleeping?

Best,

J.
 
you're sleeping.

TRS = tip, ring, sleeve

TS = tip, sleeve


your instrument cable is a TS cable, not a TRS. a TRS looks like a 1/4" stereo headphone plug.
 
YO Jeffree:

Get Mogami cables: good price, good quality.

Check with a techie if you need to but I think the "techies" have spoken to you.

Green Hornet :D :D :p :cool:
 
Thanks, again--all I had to do was ask, and I received. I've learned that I can use a shielded, unbalanced TS (not TRS, he says with a seasoned grin, feeling sorry for those dummies who don't know the difference between TS and TRS, jeez), so I'm all set now. Sounds darned good, too.

I owe you all one. And happy 4th.

J.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top