In Wall Analogue Audio Cable

[Arnold Cunningham]

What's an easily available cable for analogue audio signals? I need to run a stereo signal from one end my my kitchen to the other, but can't get a clear answer on what's suitable. Bog standard, unbalanced, with RCA female connectors on wall sockets at each end.
I could use a sonos network audio streamer, but was thinking just hardwiring instead.

My best option so far seems to be a pair of 75 ohm coaxial cables - is this OK to use?
Thank You

[OutInTheShed]

What you can get away with will depend on a few things like how big interfering EM fields are. A long cable can lose some treble and a long coax can look like a capacitive load to the thing driving it.
There is potential (pun noted) for earth loop problems.

I've done similar with no problems at all, but that's no guarantee.
If it didn't work I was going to use digital coaxial and a DAC at the other end.
You can get ADC's with Toslink coax and optical outputs for under a tenner, and DACs similar, I never needed to buy the ADC end.

I did make some effort to route the cable away from mains stuff.

I've heard of people using CAT5 ethernet cable for audio, it's small and cheap.

[Arnold Cunningham]

Cool, thanks. I'll give it a go with some RG59 coax then and see how we get on.

[Mr Pointy]

Use something like this & cut the connectors off:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DRUT-Splitter-Headphone-A...

There's several types on Amazon.

[Lucid_AV]

Arnold Cunningham said:

What's an easily available cable for analogue audio signals? I need to run a stereo signal from one end my my kitchen to the other, but can't get a clear answer on what's suitable. Bog standard, unbalanced, with RCA female connectors on wall sockets at each end.
I could use a sonos network audio streamer, but was thinking just hardwiring instead.

My best option so far seems to be a pair of 75 ohm coaxial cables - is this OK to use?
Thank You

In this situation, shielding is your friend. But it has to be the right type, and enough of it.

Types of cable shielding do different jobs. TV/Sat RG6-sized coax has two shields. The braided shield works for lower frequency interference. This also covers audio frequency ranges. It also acts as the return path for the electrical connection. The foil shield is effective at gigahertz frequencies used for satellite signals. It's not much good for audio frequency shielding.

RG59-sized cable can come with a single braid shield, or with the same braid/foil combo shield as RG6.

Both RG6 and RG59 are easily available, relatively cheap, and reasonably effective. If you want to nail this though, there's a high-density-braid double-shielded coax that's tiny by comparison. It's also low smoke, zero halogen (LSZH / LS0H) which means it's one better than most of the twin & earth mains and lighting cable buried in your walls. If you want to be sure of zero interference, and avoid the cost of ripping out cable you installed because it buzzes, then this one is definitely worth a look. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233923936822

[Mr Pointy]

Screens/sheilds only work if they are grounded. You can't be sure the 0v side of an unbalanced audio signal is grounded; it might be, but it might not.

[Griffith4ever]

Mr Pointy said:

Use something like this & cut the connectors off:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DRUT-Splitter-Headphone-A...

There's several types on Amazon.

This is going to be more than sufficient in 99.9% of cases. Don't over think it OP.

[Arnold Cunningham]

Griffith4ever said:

This is going to be more than sufficient in 99.9% of cases. Don't over think it OP.

Thank you all. I looked at the spec of that one and it's also a 75 ohm cable. Electricians are here today and they're going to use RG59 coax into the MK RCA faceplates. If I've messed up and it doesn't work, I'll have to revert to a sonos stream or something.

[dan98]

Griffith4ever said:

This is going to be more than sufficient in 99.9% of cases. Don't over think it OP.

Agreed with this - if the analogue signal is at normal line level it's very unlikely to be an issue unless pushed up right against some other interfering sources. Phono or mic sources would be a different matter.