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Best RCA interconnects for a Denon 4311 AVR to an Emotiva XPA-5 amplifier?

post #1 of 33
11/29/12 at 10:36am
Thread Starter 
Hello folks. I need (5) individual RCA interconnects from the pre-out of the receiver to the unbalanced input of the amp. What are the best for the money? Please advise. Thank you.
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post #2 of 33
11/29/12 at 11:31am
http://www.monoprice.com/

most cable stuff are good from there, their banana plug is crap tho.
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post #3 of 33
11/29/12 at 11:48am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwong View Post

http://www.monoprice.com/
most cable stuff are good from there, their banana plug is crap tho.

Thanks. Which ones would I need? Not sure about model or anything. This is what I was told by the installer regarding what I need.
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post #4 of 33
11/29/12 at 12:07pm
5 of this:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2681&seq=1&format=2


first item when seach for "RCA"
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post #5 of 33
11/29/12 at 12:56pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwong View Post

5 of this:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2681&seq=1&format=2
first item when seach for "RCA"

Thank you sir. So are these like speaker wires, in which the majority claim that it is not worth the cost to invest in brands like Audioquest, Tributaries, and Ultralink, as examples? As they all will work and sound the same, as many claim here on the Forums? The reason that I ask, is because these are cheap in comparison to the afformenioned brands, which start at around $40 - $60.00 per each RCA interconnect.
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post #6 of 33
11/29/12 at 1:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by addictaudio View Post

Thank you sir. So are these like speaker wires, in which the majority claim that it is not worth the cost to invest in brands like Audioquest, Tributaries, and Ultralink, as examples? As they all will work and sound the same, as many claim here on the Forums? The reason that I ask, is because these are cheap in comparison to the afformenioned brands, which start at around $40 - $60.00 per each RCA interconnect.

these work perfectly, do not buy into the hype crap that is out there. you will not have any issues with these. 40-60.00-that's because theres a mark-up of 1000%
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post #7 of 33
11/29/12 at 1:16pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by airgas1998 View Post

these work perfectly, do not buy into the hype crap that is out there. you will not have any issues with these. 40-60.00-that's because theres a mark-up of 1000%

It appears like I learned this a little too late, as for the rest of the system, I bought Audioquest Type 2 speaker cables and Cinnamon HDMI interconnects, LOL:) Live and learn I guess. I new that Monster was all hype, but was told that the other brands made superior quality products.
Edited by addictaudio - 11/29/12 at 1:26pm
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post #8 of 33
11/29/12 at 1:40pm
There are nothing wrong with Monster cable, I got some when on clr for 80-90% off msrp.
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post #9 of 33
11/29/12 at 1:45pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwong View Post

There are nothing wrong with Monster cable, I got some when on clr for 80-90% off msrp.


Wow, now that is a deal:) What is CLR?
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post #10 of 33
11/29/12 at 1:53pm
sorry, clearance price.
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post #11 of 33
11/29/12 at 2:08pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwong View Post

sorry, clearance price.

No problem. I was under the impression that it was a store:) I assume that this is over, correct?
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post #12 of 33
11/30/12 at 10:30am
Thread Starter 
Any other competitors other than the ones from Monoprice that retail for around the same price, or are these truly the best for the money?
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post #13 of 33
11/30/12 at 10:38am
Value is in the eye of the beholder. Those cables will be fine, but if you want more bling and more of a brand approach without breaking the bank (which is relative too), then you could look at Blue Jeans Cables. Probably would be $100, give or take, for a five or six channel setup.

The thing on some cables is the "death grip" phono plugs they use. Those on the BJC cables aren't affected with that sort of issue.
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post #14 of 33
11/30/12 at 10:43am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whoaru99 View Post

Value is in the eye of the beholder. Those cables will be fine, but if you want more bling and more of a brand approach without breaking the bank (which is relative too), then you could look at Blue Jeans Cables. Probably would be $100, give or take, for a five or six channel setup.

Still not bad at all. Can you please post a link to the exact model that you are referencing? Thanks. I need five of them.
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post #15 of 33
11/30/12 at 11:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whoaru99 View Post

Value is in the eye of the beholder. Those cables will be fine, but if you want more bling and more of a brand approach without breaking the bank (which is relative too), then you could look at Blue Jeans Cables. Probably would be $100, give or take, for a five or six channel setup.
The thing on some cables is the "death grip" phono plugs they use. Those on the BJC cables aren't affected with that sort of issue.

I searched the Blue Jeans website, and could not find any? What do you mean by "death grip"? Is this the easiness of connecting/disconnecting them from the receiver/amplifier?
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post #16 of 33
11/30/12 at 2:21pm
Yes, the "death grip" generally refers to being very hard to disconnect the plug from the jack, sometimes to the point of actually damaging the jack.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/6channel/index.htm
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post #17 of 33
11/30/12 at 2:50pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whoaru99 View Post

Yes, the "death grip" generally refers to being very hard to disconnect the plug from the jack, sometimes to the point of actually damaging the jack.
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/6channel/index.htm

Thank you for the clarification, and pardon the ignorance, but which ones out of the three on that page are the ones that I need or are the best ones?
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post #18 of 33
11/30/12 at 3:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by addictaudio View Post

Thank you for the clarification, and pardon the ignorance, but which ones out of the three on that page are the ones that I need or are the best ones?

PS: I was told that I need five of them. This will connect an Emotiva XPA-5 to a Denon 4311 to run two towers, one center, and two side surrounds. I also have a SVS subwoffer, but I believe that these RCA interconnects do not connect to the subwoofer, since it is powered by it's own internal amplifier, correct? These will most likely need to be around 1 meter/3-feet in length.
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post #19 of 33
11/30/12 at 5:23pm
I have some from the 1694A. It's too stiff for general interconnect purposes, IMO. Particularly if you have some fairly tight bend radius.
I have some from the 1505F. It's a nice, very flexible, relatively small diameter cable.

Have not tried the LC-1, but it is their "flagship" cable and I think it's also the least expensive of the three. If you're not going to have them bundled then I'd probably go with the LC-1.

You'll need five cables from the receiver to the amp, then usually you'll need one from the receiver to the sub as well to send it the LFE and or subwoofer signal.

So, if you're going to go with BJC then you'd specify the length and order the 5.0 option for the receiver to amp connections in that previous link, then specify length and order the longer single cable for the sub here http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/subwoofer/index.htm Looks like the best price and their recommendation is for the LC-1 on the sub as well.
Edited by whoaru99 - 11/30/12 at 5:32pm
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post #20 of 33
12/1/12 at 2:11am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whoaru99 View Post

I have some from the 1694A. It's too stiff for general interconnect purposes, IMO. Particularly if you have some fairly tight bend radius.
I have some from the 1505F. It's a nice, very flexible, relatively small diameter cable.
Have not tried the LC-1, but it is their "flagship" cable and I think it's also the least expensive of the three. If you're not going to have them bundled then I'd probably go with the LC-1.
You'll need five cables from the receiver to the amp, then usually you'll need one from the receiver to the sub as well to send it the LFE and or subwoofer signal.
So, if you're going to go with BJC then you'd specify the length and order the 5.0 option for the receiver to amp connections in that previous link, then specify length and order the longer single cable for the sub here http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/subwoofer/index.htm Looks like the best price and their recommendation is for the LC-1 on the sub as well.

Thanks. I already have the subwoofer cable that comes from the receiver. So now will the speaker wires connect to the receiver or amplifier? I know that these RCA interconnects are unbalanced, but when does one need to use balanced ones? I ordered an Emotiva XPA-5 yesterday, and while browsing their site today, I stumbled upon these. What are your thoughts?
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post #21 of 33
12/3/12 at 11:04am
Your receiver does not have balanced connections so they're not really an object of consideration. In the bigger picture though balanced connections are generally used where there are longer runs and or where the possibility of electrical noise is higher.

As far as the X-series RCA Emotiva cables I'm sure they're fine and they'll do everything you need them to do. However, if it were me, I'd still get the BJCs because it looks like the price is basically the same but I prefer the connector BJC uses.

RCAs will connect from the receiver to the amp, speaker cables will connect from the amp to the speakers.
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post #22 of 33
12/3/12 at 12:29pm
Thread Starter 
^^^^ Thanks a bunch for the help and answering my questions. The Emo's now are on sale for $15.19 each for the 3-feet. I know that you sent me the link for the Blue Jeans, and I saw three models below with or without techflex. Which one would I select, and with or without techflex? Regarding the bundling, do they bundle it or does the consumer? And what is the purpose of bundling?

BJC LC-1 Multi-Channel Audio Cables
Belden 1505F Multi-Channel Audio Cables
Belden 1694A Multi-Channel Audio Cables
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post #23 of 33
12/3/12 at 1:38pm
addict,

don't want to derail your thread but can you comment on this improving the perceived sound quality over the internal amps by using the XPA-5? I was thinking of doing something similar with Denon 3312 but just did not think it improve sound quality. However, I am have never been that impressed with the Denon Amps and my perception is they are a bit dull or much less open than a previous Rotel setup I had. I got away from separates because of the ease but could tell an immediate difference however this was a few years ago and thought maybe receiver amps had closed the gap on separates.
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post #24 of 33
12/3/12 at 1:44pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LVS View Post

addict,
don't want to derail your thread but can you comment on this improving the perceived sound quality over the internal amps by using the XPA-5? I was thinking of doing something similar with Denon 3312 but just did not think it improve sound quality. However, I am have never been that impressed with the Denon Amps and my perception is they are a bit dull or much less open than a previous Rotel setup I had. I got away from separates because of the ease but could tell an immediate difference however this was a few years ago and thought maybe receiver amps had closed the gap on separates.

Hi, the main reason for getting the amplifier, is because I am ordering speakers as well, which have a 4-ohm impeadance. According to my communication with Denon, they do NOT recommend driving the 4311 with five or seven channels driven with 4-ohm speakers, due to possible damage to the amplifier. Below was their reply:

"The 4311 is rated for 4 ohms at a 2 channel driven spec only. If all 5 or 7 speakers are 4 ohm rated, then I wouldn't recommend it as you could damage the output transformer, capacitors, or transistors in the amp."

I have NOT heard the 4311 alone with the speakers, as I am about to order them as well, but got the amplifier for peace of mind and of course for the added power output, clarity, etc... Not to mention, that you cannot beat getting an Emotiva XPA-5 now on sale for $769.00 shipped with no tax outside of their state, so it was almost a no brainer after much debate:)
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post #25 of 33
12/3/12 at 1:48pm
The Emotiva amps are indeed a good value. I have three of them and they drive my four ohm speakers with ease. I find them transparent as all amplifiers should be.
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post #26 of 33
12/3/12 at 1:58pm
Thanks addict & Theresa. Good wording what I was searching for is transparency. I don't feel the Denon amps are as transparent and nearly as open as I have experienced with my separates but could related to a number of things, power output, preamp may not be as clean as I have used before etc, thanks for your comments. addict what speakers will you be driving?
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post #27 of 33
12/3/12 at 2:01pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LVS View Post

Thanks addict & Theresa. Good wording what I was searching for is transparency. I don't feel the Denon amps are as transparent and nearly as open as I have experienced with my separates but could related to a number of things, power output, preamp may not be as clean as I have used before etc, thanks for your comments. addict what speakers will you be driving?

Most likely the Legacy Signature SE towers, Silverscreen center, and Deco side surrounds:)
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post #28 of 33
12/3/12 at 2:09pm
Nice... let us know how it sounds!
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post #29 of 33
12/3/12 at 3:17pm
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Originally Posted by LVS View Post

Nice... let us know how it sounds!

Will do, but most likely in January, as they are custom built to order.
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post #30 of 33
12/3/12 at 3:28pm
I have Marantz SR5007 connected to a Bryston driving Magnepan 1.6s. Tried my Monoprice and Blujeans, could not hear a difference. I will go with Monoprice - good service and price.
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