Analogue Cable Questions
14 questions · Updated regularly by our specialist team
RCA cables carry unbalanced signals, while XLR cables carry balanced signals that reject noise and interference. XLR is preferred for longer runs and professional-grade audio systems.
Yes. Longer cables can pick up interference and cause signal loss. Thicker conductors and proper shielding help maintain clarity over longer runs.
Yes. Well-designed interconnects with quality materials and shielding can improve clarity, reduce noise, and deliver more natural sound reproduction.
Shielding protects the signal from electromagnetic and radio frequency interference, ensuring your audio remains clean and free from hum or buzz.
Yes. Build quality, conductor material, shielding, and connector quality can influence noise levels, clarity, and overall tonal balance, especially in resolving systems.
Use the shortest practical length to minimise signal loss and interference. Longer runs benefit from better shielding and low‑capacitance designs.
Yes, but turntables require low‑capacitance phono cables designed for moving‑magnet or moving‑coil cartridges. Standard line‑level RCA cables are not always suitable.
All XLR cables are terminated with FEMALE (source end) to MALE (receiver end) connectors.
We see the AudioLab 9000Q (preamp) has the normal male output sockets, and the AudioLab 9000P has the normal female input sockets. If this is the case, you therefore have the correct cables.
If you have further doubts, please contact the seller.
Check the connector at the headphone end, because manufacturers do not share a standard. Two pin, MMCX, mini XLR and proprietary locking connectors are all in use, and a cable for one brand will not fit another. Tell us the exact model and we will confirm which cable you need.
Only if your amplifier or player has a balanced output, usually a 4.4mm Pentaconn or 2.5mm socket. Where it does, a balanced connection gives more available power and often a quieter background. Plugged into a standard 3.5mm or 6.35mm output, a balanced cable does nothing at all.
If the cable detaches, almost certainly yes, and a replacement is usually quicker and cheaper than a repair. Intermittent sound in one channel is far more often the cable or its connector than the driver. Where the cable is fixed to the headphones, it needs a repair rather than a replacement.
Almost always an earth loop rather than a faulty cable. It happens when two components find more than one path to earth, and it often appears once a television or streaming box joins the system. Unplug other sources one at a time to find the cause, and check the subwoofer cable is not running alongside a mains lead.
Place the subwoofer where it sounds best in the room, then buy a cable long enough to reach it. Bass placement makes a far bigger difference than cable length does, and a well shielded cable will run several metres without any trouble.
Check the manual. Some subwoofers sum both inputs and gain a little output when both are fed, while others expect a single LFE connection only. A Y splitter feeds both from one output where the manufacturer recommends it.