Yup.
It's unlikely that only half of a good-quality cable will be sufficiently shielded. So as long as you get a good-quality cable you shouldn't have any issues using only one side of it.
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Use one channel of a two-channel RCA cable?
Hey all.
I'm in the process of setting up my second subwoofer and it's on the opposite side of the room from the rest of my equipment. Therefore, I'm running a long RCA cable to power my sub and since I want a hidden install, the cable is a real PITA to run.
I'm about to buy a cheap 35 foot RCA cable (think, Amazon basics quality - the days of spending a pay cheque on an interconnect are decades behind me now) and it occurs to me...on the off-chance that the cable has a defect or just dies for no reason sometime in the future, I'd rather not go through the work of running another cable.
Since a two-channel cable isn't really any more money, is it ok to run a two-channel cable and only use one side? I'd cap the free ends of the second channel that I won't be using, just to ensure the contacts can't, well, contact anything!
This way, I've got a built-in, ready-to-roll spare cable, if the one side ever dies.
Does this sound reasonable, or will the unused side act like an antenna and pick up noise, and if it does, would it likely get picked-up by the side that I am using?
I'm in the process of setting up my second subwoofer and it's on the opposite side of the room from the rest of my equipment. Therefore, I'm running a long RCA cable to power my sub and since I want a hidden install, the cable is a real PITA to run.
I'm about to buy a cheap 35 foot RCA cable (think, Amazon basics quality - the days of spending a pay cheque on an interconnect are decades behind me now) and it occurs to me...on the off-chance that the cable has a defect or just dies for no reason sometime in the future, I'd rather not go through the work of running another cable.
Since a two-channel cable isn't really any more money, is it ok to run a two-channel cable and only use one side? I'd cap the free ends of the second channel that I won't be using, just to ensure the contacts can't, well, contact anything!
This way, I've got a built-in, ready-to-roll spare cable, if the one side ever dies.
Does this sound reasonable, or will the unused side act like an antenna and pick up noise, and if it does, would it likely get picked-up by the side that I am using?
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Get a good cable. Mediabridge are a step up from amazon basic and not much more.
If one side of the wire was ruined, odds are pretty good that the other side would be ruined, as well. As already mentioned, get a reasonably good single CL-2 rated RCA cable and be done with it. Blue Jeans is good stuff and not outrageously priced.Hey all.
I'm in the process of setting up my second subwoofer and it's on the opposite side of the room from the rest of my equipment. Therefore, I'm running a long RCA cable to power my sub and since I want a hidden install, the cable is a real PITA to run.
I'm about to buy a cheap 35 foot RCA cable (think, Amazon basics quality - the days of spending a pay cheque on an interconnect are decades behind me now) and it occurs to me...on the off-chance that the cable has a defect or just dies for no reason sometime in the future, I'd rather not go through the work of running another cable.
Since a two-channel cable isn't really any more money, is it ok to run a two-channel cable and only use one side? I'd cap the free ends of the second channel that I won't be using, just to ensure the contacts can't, well, contact anything!
This way, I've got a built-in, ready-to-roll spare cable, if the one side ever dies.
Does this sound reasonable, or will the unused side act like an antenna and pick up noise, and if it does, would it likely get picked-up by the side that I am using?
Or run bulk RG-6 coax, cut to length, and terminate yourself. If you are worried about the cable going bad, run a second and leave it unterminated unless/until you need it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There's no reason in the world why you can't use just half a stereo cable, though the chances of an RCA cable just up and dying are minuscule, if that's your only reason for doing it. You also have to be careful not to confuse yourself into thinking the signal is on one channel when it's really on the other. That would be my chief concern. I often experience brain fog while troubleshooting. I know you said you plan on capping the unused lane, but if you thought you had a problem and switched one end, then got distracted and forgot (e.g. you found out the real problem was the SW power got unplugged), well, it's something I might do!Hey all.
I'm in the process of setting up my second subwoofer and it's on the opposite side of the room from the rest of my equipment. Therefore, I'm running a long RCA cable to power my sub and since I want a hidden install, the cable is a real PITA to run.
I'm about to buy a cheap 35 foot RCA cable (think, Amazon basics quality - the days of spending a pay cheque on an interconnect are decades behind me now) and it occurs to me...on the off-chance that the cable has a defect or just dies for no reason sometime in the future, I'd rather not go through the work of running another cable.
Since a two-channel cable isn't really any more money, is it ok to run a two-channel cable and only use one side? I'd cap the free ends of the second channel that I won't be using, just to ensure the contacts can't, well, contact anything!
This way, I've got a built-in, ready-to-roll spare cable, if the one side ever dies.
Does this sound reasonable, or will the unused side act like an antenna and pick up noise, and if it does, would it likely get picked-up by the side that I am using?
If the cable did, against all odds, develop a problem, and you only had a single run cable, you might be able to use it to pull another one in.
Thanks for the replies everyone.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
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