Don’T Forget the Cables: Audio Video Quality for Your HiFi or Home Cinema

Cables are one of the most important elements of a HiFi or home cinema system, and yet are often forgotten about. It’s important to remember cables have a dramatic effect on audio and video quality. Buying the best quality cables and looking after them can pay dividends.
If you’re putting together a HiFi or home cinema system, cables may not be your main concern. After all, your HDTV, games console, CD player, iPod dock and speakers are the things you actually want to use - how you link them up is irrelevant. Right? Actually, it is very important indeed, both for the look of your room, and the quality of audio and video you get.
Quality
Although the quality of your TV and HiFi equipment has a big impact on the sound and picture, you need cables to transfer signals between your various pieces of kit. If the cables aren’t up to the task, the signals will be weaker and prone to interference. Gold plated connectors are useful as gold is unreactive and will give a good connection every time. The best quality cables also have oxygen-free copper cores for conductivity and are shielded against interference.
With digital cables, the situation is a little different. A digital signal is made up of ones and zeroes, so it’s either there or it isn’t. There aren’t the shades of grey you get with an analogue signal. Because of this, digital cables give a more faithful transfer of information. HDMI cables are now the standard for connecting TVs, set top boxes and games consoles, and their digital signal means better quality.
Aesthetics
The look of your cables is another important factor and keeping them tidy is a must. Branded cables often have more snazzy designs than cheaper versions, but whichever you choose, having the right length is essential; too short and they won’t reach your equipment, too long and you’ll end up with a tangled mess. Speaker leads can be cut to length, but with phono, jack and HDMI cables, it’s important to measure before you buy.
A wall plate can be an even better way of tidying up. A plate with connectors is mounted on the wall and cables plug into it, allowing most of the wires to be hidden. This stops them affecting the look of your home, gathering dust and becoming a trip hazard. If you have a wall mounted HDTV, you certainly don’t want to see the cables.
Long lasting
Good quality cables are likely to last longer, as well. Exposed leads often get twisted and pulled, which can cause cable fracture in lower quality products. The best cables have a flexible outer jacket so they can cope with this kind of stress.
Wall plates make damage to audio video cables much less likely as they are hidden out of sight. Whereas exposed cables can be crushed, cut and tripped on, those in the walls are protected from harm.
Whether you need phono and speaker leads for your HiFi, or HDMI for your home cinema, good quality cables are your best bet.