Coax is a common abbreviation that refers to coaxial cable. As the coaxial cable is good at transferring video and audio data, it gets widely used in telecommunication and internet companies.
Other transmission technologies get replaced by coaxial cable because of its shielded design, reliability and accuracy.
Although fiberoptics has surpassed coax in speed, reliability and flexibility, you will still be happy to know that you can use this as a coaxial speaker cable at your home.
In this article, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of coaxial cables and demonstrate how to use coaxial cables as speaker cables. Let’s get straight to the information.
What is A Coaxial Speaker Cable?
A coaxial speaker cable is a kind of electrical cable that transfers radio frequency (RF) signals from the source destination devices. Due to their consistent sound quality, these cables are quickly being used by professional home audio systems. The range of radio frequencies is from 20 kilohertz to 300 gigahertz.
The major difference between coaxial speaker cables and RCA audio cables is that coaxial cables transport digital impulses while RCA cables carry analog ones. Otherwise, coaxial speaker wires look and function similarly to RCA audio cables.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Coaxial Speaker Cable?
Advantages
- Highly durable.
- Consistence performance even in short transmission.
- Good quality and affordable price.
- Decrease the signal loss issue.
- Tolerate more interference or noise compared to twisted pair cables
- Flexible and easy to install.
- The cables support wide bandwidth signal transmission.
- Outstanding sound quality which is compatible for professional usage.
Disadvantages
- Set up is bulky.
- In the case of long-distance transmission, you will experience signal loss.
- A signal leakage problem occurs.
- It takes time to conceal the cable and run it.
- If it gets used heavily, the speed can fluctuate.
- For longer distances, it will be costly to install.
- More capacitance causes instabilities, especially with longer wires.
Can I Use Coaxial Cable as Speaker Wire?
Coaxial cable can be used as speaker wire. However, in order to get the desired result, you need to modify the setup by replacing the “Standard F-connectors” with an RCA. you can get the best result with a coax cable if you run a powered subwoofer with it.
You may not get the desired quality when you use a coaxial speaker cable to connect to your speaker or soundbar. This is because coax puts a lot of impedance load on the amplifier which results in a setup having more resistance.
Using coax, you can definitely get sound; however, it will come with associated risks of blowing everything out. You can lessen the potential for damage by positioning your equipment (within the kHz range) as close to the coaxial cable as possible.
How Can You Use Coaxial Cable as Speaker Cable?
Almost everyone knows that a coaxial cable can be used to connect the satellite feed or cable to your TV set to watch movies, shows, and sports.
A coax output is present in some systems that create a home theater system by going through other audio-video tool setups.
Although video applications are more popular, a coaxial cable is undoubtedly versatile. You just need to follow some steps to conquer its lack of flexibility and complete thickness and you can use it as your speaker cable.
The following steps will lead you through that procedure. Make sure to remove the coax from any power outlet before moving forward.
Step 1: Cut Off the Connectors
Coaxial cables come with dual connections that transmit video signals from the wall to your device, such as television, set-top box, etc. To establish a secure connection, you simply have to run the unit over the threading. When using the coax as your speaker wire, you must cut off the connectors beforehand. To do that, you can use a sharp utility knife to remove the connectors.
Step 2: Measure the Length
You need to measure how much cable is necessary to set up the connection to generate sound from your speakers. You can use a string and run that string from the amp/receiver to each location. You should measure twice to be sure of the length. Generally, coaxial cables come in six-feet length, so you need to trim or add cable based on your requirements.
Step 3: Strip the Outer Insulation
Almost every coaxial cables have two layers of shielded material: an insulation coating and a translucent insulator coating. You can easily remove the insulation coating or the outer insulation to expose the copper cable.
Simply use a ringing tool or a sharp knife to strip off the outer insulation or the jacket part of the cable to get to the wire beneath it. All you need is to open the tool’s jaw, put the coaxial cable in the notch. Leave the jaws and spin the ringing unit a few times and after that, you’ll be able to pull the jacket off.
Step 4: Carefully Unbraid the Shields
Once you are done with the jacket, it’s time to remove the braided shield that protects the main wire beneath it. Start unbraiding the shields slowly until you get to the long copper stand.
Step 5: Remove the Translucent Insulation
After removing the shield on the coaxial cable, you’ll find the translucent insulation layer that covers the main signal conductor.
You need to use a wire stripper in order to remove this transparent insulation from both ends.
Step 6: Set Up the Connection
Now, connect the stripped core wire to the red connector. Take the other end and connect it to the same color at the back of the receiver. Connect the braided strand to the black connectors on the speaker and the back of the receiver.
Bottom Lines
When it comes to digital audio, coaxial speaker cables are the way to go for seamless transmission. In addition to this benefit, they also transmit high-quality sound that is powerful enough to run even the most state-of-the-art audio and video gear.