Maximum run length of RCA Audio?

**Globe** · 19-06-09, 11:20 AM

I want to rip some vinyl and cassettes to the computer which is in a different room, what is the max length I can have RCA audio without too much loss?

**mtv** · 19-06-09, 05:21 PM

It largely depends on the quality of the cabling and the levels used.

20 - 30 metres should be ok with a good quality, well-shielded cable.

You won't be able to use a cable directly from a turntable over distance though. It would need to be converted to line level first.

Apart from loss, there may be frequency roll-off and hum introduced, as it's an unbalanced format.

Once again, the quality of the cable will play a big part in keeping signal in and interference out.

Rule of thumb, especially with unbalanced cables.... keep them as short as possible.

**Globe** · 19-06-09, 09:39 PM

Thanks mtv, I was considering buying good quality (read gold) cables for this very purpose, I reckon I would need maybe 5 meters at the most, but it may be worthwhile just picking up the turntable and pre-amp and bringing them into the computer room, and just using my existing cables, which are gold shielded anyway, just shorter.

**BCNZ** · 20-06-09, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by Globe

Thanks mtv, I was considering buying good quality (read gold) cables for this very purpose, I reckon I would need maybe 5 meters at the most, but it may be worthwhile just picking up the turntable and pre-amp and bringing them into the computer room, and just using my existing cables, which are gold shielded anyway, just shorter.

Don't waste your money on those fancy "gold plated oxygen free hyperbarium treated alto-doodah extendo-response" cables - they've been shown to really be no better than a good quality ordinary copper cable with decent connectors. The snazzy ones might look cool, but looks are not what you are wanting here.

I don't want to start a debate in this thread about "this cable is better than that one" but I've read the reports and you pay a lot of extra money for no real improvement in quality.

As MTV says, pick a reasonable cable and keep the run as short as possible (ie don't use a 20 m cable if 10 m is sufficient).

Because your gear is operating from different power points in the different rooms, you might run into earth loop hum issues, but you will only know once you set it all up.

**Globe** · 20-06-09, 09:36 AM

Yeah easier and cheaper to keep it all together I guess, I've run into hum issues before, but a ground to the computer chassis sorted that out.

I also considered spending a few hundred on one of those fancy usb turntables, but I've already got the gear so why buy more eh?

**BCNZ** · 21-06-09, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by Globe

I also considered spending a few hundred on one of those fancy usb turntables, but I've already got the gear so why buy more eh?

Precisely! If you have a decent "old school" [I HATE using that term but few people, especially young ones, understand "vintage" any more!] and an amp with a phono input and a line level (Tape) output, then you are set.

This is what I use, and I've done many albums and 45s to CD over the years.

I suspect the A-D converter in those USB turntables isn't that flash. I'd much prefer to rely on my soundcard which I at least know has quality engineering.

**Globe** · 21-06-09, 09:02 AM

I'm using my on-board sound card, my vinyl is standard 80's music, in pretty sweet condition, and the CDs are for use in the car, not home, so I haven't bothered with a decent sound card as yet, I may look a an ebay sourced one later.

I set it all up last night, and so far results have been pretty good, 3 albums down, 200 or so to go. lol.

**mate** · 21-06-09, 09:15 PM

download the entire Albums as torrents. They are all there.

**Globe** · 21-06-09, 11:15 PM

Not all of them, and those that are are 128kb.

**BCNZ** · 22-06-09, 05:20 PM

I have been hunting the torrents recently for some tracks I can't get locally.

The majority of them are mp3, but I have been finding more and more that are ripped to FLAC.
Hence my question in the other thread about quality of FLAC files.

So far they seem pretty good. I don't know how it works, but once decoded, the FLAC files come back out to the full size waves they were converted from.

I do agree that not all music or albums are available as torrents - there are some I can't even find as low bitrate mp3. I guess it comes down to how popular it is.