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How many people have gone out and purchased incredibly cutting-edge electronics equipment (say, for their home theater system) at a very significant price, only to get home and have absolutely no clue as to which cables go where, what kinds of cables are needed, and how everything gets properly hooked up? Audio/video (AV) cables are one of the most common sources of consternation among the non-technologically savvy demographic of the population, which is a clear and overwhelming majority of people in the country, and throughout the world.

When dealing with AV cables, most people don’t have the slightest clue as to what the different colors mean, what the words on the back panels of the equipment stand for, and what the different jacks (both male and female; another area of confusion) are all about. The first and most important thing that anyone can do when trying to set up audio/video equipment is to READ THE MANUAL BEFOREHAND—there is no surer way to have a clue than to do so, period. Nonetheless, this article will seek to appease those obstinate souls that simply refuse to even break the plastic cover of the user’s manual, as well as supplement the knowledge of those that tried reading it, but could not absorb its super condensed and techie-sounding jargon.

The most common AV cable combination comes in the form of one single cable with three male jacks on either end—male jacks are the ones on a cable itself; female jacks are the ones on the back panel of the equipment, into which the male jack is inserted—each of which has a distinct color from the rest. The yellow jack is the video jack, and it carries video images alone. The white jack is the left audio (stereo audio systems are composed of two channels, left and right, unlike the single channel of mono audio systems) connection, and the red jack is the right audio connection. The two ends of such an AV cable (in reality three cables, two for audio and one for video, but that have been placed inside the same plastic insulation, effectively making them one for our purposes) are absolutely the same, and when connecting two separate devices (like a camcorder and a television) it does not matter which end of the cable you hook up to either apparatus. As long as you use one end for each device, and have placed the audio jacks where they belong and the video jack where it belongs (with no crossing over at all in this regard), then there is absolutely no difference in using one end or the other of the cable.

To fill out the color coding generally used for analog AV equipment, it is important to keep in mind that green represents the center audio channel, blue represents the left surround channel, gray represents the right surround channel, brown represents the left back surround channel, tan represents the right back surround channel, and purple represents the subwoofer channel.

The preceding descriptions are all applicable to analog audio and video cables; things get a little different when we’re talking about digital audio and video. Of course, digital technologies are booming and more homes and professionals are switching from analog to digital for their music, television, etc. Consequently, knowing which AV cables to use for your digital equipment is important. Color coding is used for digital jacks as well. With your digital audio cables, orange is used for the S/PDIF channel.

Digital video cables can come in a few different varieties, such as HDMI. You will want to use a high-quality digital video cable if you are connecting high-quality equipment like an HD TV to your high-def cable box or satellite decoder, but not to connect an old VCR to an old tube TV. You will only need high-quality AV cables if the content you are trying to play is also high-quality, and under no other circumstances. To try to capture this point with an allegory: if you bought yourself a $100,000 dollar top of the line sports car, would you want to outfit it with the cheapest possible tires? No, you wouldn’t!

Basically, you need to think of the fact that a good home audio/video system can’t be built using poor AV connections—and that’s what the cables are, they connect things. Poor quality cables can allow for serious issues with noise and interference in the signal coming from your source components, a situation which will have a significant and unpleasant effect on the quality of your viewing and listening experience. Cheap cables can often break or wear and tear easily in addition to providing a weak signal.

It is always important to measure the distances you need your cables to be and buy extensions of a similar if not exact distance; you can go down to an electronics store and the employees will be able to cut you an exact length of cable and add the jacks afterwards. If you are going to do an in-wall installation of your cables, then you will really want to make sure that the cables are of a higher quality. Though it is not demanded by law, it is a very good idea to only put UL-rated cables into your walls, as these have been tested and have proven to meet certain safety standards, which means you won’t need to be worrying about your home! Try going for nothing less than CL2 or CL3 cables for in-wall installation.

To recap, know that if you are working with cutting edge home electronics equipment, you need to make sure that your AV cables are high-quality; otherwise you will be failing to take advantage of the inherent benefits of your superior home entertainment technology. Always make sure that you have inserted the cables into the correct jacks and that you are obeying the color coding of these, when applicable (which will not necessarily always be the case). Remember that for the best final results, every link in your audio/video chain needs to be as good as possible!

Vinyl endures

From vinyl to cassette to CD to digital, music formatting has come a long way.  Each advance has certainly changed the way we use and listen to music, and each has contributed something to the medium, but it doesn’t mean that each advance has necessarily been an improvement, or that older forms have been rendered irrelevant.  Although they seem like ancient relics compared to new technologies, vinyl records have not lost any of their cool.  Just like a 1960 Cadillac is never out of style, vinyl still has a firm claim on cool, even now in the 21^st century.  What is it that makes this dated technology so timeless?

First and foremost among reasons that vinyl has remained so magnificent is the sound quality.  The sound of a vinyl record cannot be matched by any newer technology.  The jumps and crackles lend such a pure authenticity to music, especially as compared to over-produced studio music that sounds listless and lifeless.  A flawless recording has no spirit, but vinyl is raw and real.  It is interesting to note that some digital music players have an option to add those rough vinyl sounds to digital music.  Of course, these digital attempts do not produce the same quality as the real deal, but it does go to show that raw sound quality is something lacking in CDs and mp3s, and that this has not gone unnoticed by music producers.

If you are not convinced on the grounds of sound quality alone, don’t forget about the physical aspect.  A vinyl collection is a tangible treasure hoard.  Each record is lovingly tucked into its sleeve, carefully organized amongst its fellow records.  You know each disc, its grooves, and the weight of it between your finger tips.  There is something visceral about vinyl, a connection that doesn’t exist with a shiny CD or an intangible mp3.  Having a physical attachment to a favorite album is nothing to scoff at.  It is the same as the difference between your beloved, beat up old copy of Charlotte’s Web, and reading the same text on an impersonal, glaring white computer screen.

The physical aspect is not just about emotion, it is also about the appearance and presentation of an album.  Those big, square covers have lots of room for great artwork, which you come to associate with the music itself.  And there are the gimmicks. – do you remember the Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers album?  Designed by Andy Warhol, the cover features a picture of a man’s crotch in tight jeans, and had a real, metal zipper that could be pulled down to reveal cotton briefs.  That sort of thing is simply not possible in other forms of music.  The Sticky Fingers CD was released with the same image, but the zipper is reduced to part of the photograph, and the whole physical appeal is absent.

One further aspect related to the physical is the actual act of shopping for records.  When shopping for records you tend to find yourself among like-minded people who also grasp the coolness of vinyl.  You might head out to used stores, flea markets, or garage sales, and there you browse through piles of records, looking for the one that will brighten your day.  Sometimes you find unexpected gems forgotten in these dusty bins, other times you buy something on a whim and end up discovering a great band or album that you didn’t know before.  When you buy music online, you go straight to what you were searching for, pay money for something you can’t see, and don’t have the opportunity to make those leisurely meanderings that result in so many great finds in record stores.  There is something deeply satisfying about the search and discovery process of shopping for vinyl.

There is another subtle feature of vinyl that makes it so classic and cool in the face of digital music.  It is the fact that a vinyl record is a complete album, recorded just as a band planned.  The tracks are presented in an intentional order, and the album as a whole represents a significant period in that band’s career.  Much of this is lost with modern music formatting.  People tend to know hit singles and download just these individual songs.  Listeners are less familiar with entire albums, and thus their understanding of the evolution and growth of any band is limited.  The shuffle feature on iPod is the epitome of this loss – one song follows another with absolutely no relation, no plan.  Artists, eras, genres are a chaotic mess of random play.  In contrast, an album is premeditated; there is harmony and purpose in the flow, and vinyl records perfectly capture this intention.

We are not here to say that vinyl doesn’t have its drawbacks.  The players are not portable, so you can’t listen just anywhere.  The discs are fragile, prone to scratches and easy to break.  They take up way more space than cassettes or CDs, and obviously more than non-physical digital music.  Yet it is these qualities that add to the timeless charm and appeal of records.  The fact that they aren’t portable means that listening to records is more of an event, a personal moment in your home.  The fragility is also what gives vinyl its powerful, raw sound.  And the fact that they are physical and take up space is what allows us to become attached to them, to know and love each one like a dear friend.

Music is too important to take for granted.  When you sit down and listen to vinyl, you are experiencing the music, rather than being an accidental eavesdropper.  You have a connection to the music, both emotional and corporeal, and you listen to an album from start to finish.  Technology marches on and we will never go back to just vinyl records, but the march of progress will has not stamped out the enduring popularity of vinyl.  In fact, the contrasts just go to show why vinyl is and always will be so cool.

Please visit our speaker stands page to find all of our products that compliment vinyl.