How do rca audio cables work

Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors.

Gretchen Siegchrist. Gretchen Siegchrist is a professional videographer who enjoys helping amateurs master the basics of desktop video. Updated on June 04, Michael Barton Heine Jr. Lifewire Technology Review Board Member. Article reviewed on Nov 06, Tweet Share Email.

Was this page helpful? This is one of the most common causes of loud engine noise and it is VERY common. If you are so inclined, there is at least one thing that will help make your cables more reliable.

In the diagram below, you will see the RCA cable and connector. You will also see how the strands of the shield are gathered up and soldered to the outer conductor of the connector. You should also notice that they have no slack in them they are pulled tight. You will also see the center conductor is NOT pulled tight. It is very important that all of the stress remains on the outer braided shield. If the cable is pulled accidentally or otherwise the outer shield wires will likely survive the stress.

If the center conductor is shorter than the shield wires, all of the stress would be on the tiny center conductor wire which would likely break.

The following is approximately what your made-up connections should look like. There are a couple of things that can make this cable more reliable.

The retention at the back of the connector is weak because this is thin cable. To make it a bit more durable, apply a bit of Goop or E to the cable at that point. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Prev NEXT. How-to Tech. How do I know which cables to use? Analog RCA cables use these connectors -- red for the right stereo channel and white or black for the left.

Cite This! Cinch: Cinch or RCA plugs are also a widely used type of connector for audio cables. In contrast to jack plugs, analogue signals are transmitted via two cinch cables or a Y-cinch cable with two plug connections.

The plug for the right channel is red, the one for the left channel white or black. Cinch plugs can also transmit digital signals. Both analogue and digital cinch connectors are used in conjunction with coaxial cables. Coaxial cable: RCA connectors are used to connect cables with coaxial architecture in the audio sector.