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Anatomy of a cable

There are three main parts of a cable which affect signal quality: the conductor, the shielding, and the connector. The conductor is the part of the cable through which the signal actually passes. Since the conductor is basically a wire which can act as an antenna to receive radio frequency interference (RFI) and electromagnetic interference (EMI), a good cable also includes some kind of shielding, to filter out these potential sources of noise. The connector is the part of the cable that actually comes into contact with your gear; types of connectors include RCA, S-video, and F-type.
Audio interconnects

Most good audio cables contain an oxygen-free copper (OFC) conductor, which passes signals accurately with minimal signal loss. Many cables also include two separate shields — one made of braided copper, to guard against RFI, and one made of foil, to guard against EMI — so that no annoying buzzes or "pops" are introduced into the signal.

In many cables, the shield is grounded only on the end that connects to the audio or video source, so that interference will drain away from the destination end of the cable. Cables of this type often have directional arrows printed on their jackets, and should be hooked up with the arrow pointing away from the source.

Connectors are extremely important to cable quality. Good RCA connectors provide constant, high-pressure contact with your components' jacks, and are usually gold-plated to prevent corrosion. This results in high-quality signal transfer that won't cut out intermittently or degrade over time.

Some manufacturers offer several different levels of cable quality; how do you pick the level that's right for your system? If you've noticed lots of interference in your picture or sound, or if you're running cable over a relatively long distance, look for the best shielding you can afford. (However, if you find you need an audio interconnect longer than 30 feet, you'll get better results by running longer speaker cable instead, and moving your components closer to one another.)

able connection tips

Follow these general rules of thumb to get the best results from your cables:

    * Avoid long cable runs if possible — the shorter the cable, the better.
    * That said, make sure your cables are long enough, especially if your components are shelved in such a way that the rear panels are difficult to access. There should be enough slack to let you pull the component forward and reach the rear panel.
    * Because they can introduce interference into the signal, try to keep power cords away from signal cords. If this isn't possible, at least try to minimize contact between the two.
    * If an interconnect has arrows printed on its jacket, hook it up so that the arrow is pointing away from the signal source, and toward the destination.
    * Avoid kinking or bending cable. Don't try to make a short cable reach — it can put stress on the connector and potentially cause damage. Buy a longer cable, if necessary. (This is especially important for optical interconnects.)
    * Don't keep excess cable lying in loops. Arrange it in an "S" shape or a figure-eight instead; this can help minimize electromagnetic interference.