I have a electrical engineer (EE) friend that works for a local broadcast studio here in Washington, DC. He has built his own A/V cable interconnects for special purposes to accommodate unique needs for his studio environments, and for home theater clients. I showed him SH's DIY cable primer, and he was very complementary.

He emphasized that for each A/V purpose, he considers the cable (including the type of termination) specifications for:
impedance
inductance
capacitance
velocity of propagation
shield construction and characteristics (including unavoidable proximity to sources of interference)
and the physical length, diameter, weight, flexibility and jacket (or wrap)

For those who do not build their own interconnects, or lack the expertise to select the right cable or terminations for their purpose, he suggested the source for much of the cable in his environment; AFAB Enterprises, Inc. (www.AVCable.com). This company sells specialty A/V cable to the broadcast industry for a small fraction of what equivalent (or often lesser) quality "boutique cable" sells for.

While I use Outlaw PCA interconnects between my 950 and 770 amp, I have used this cable for both component video, S-video, analog and digital audio interconnects, without complaint. They offer tremendous flexibility in cable and connector types. Custom cables can be ordered at only small incremental cost. They select cable from different manufacturers such as Belden and Gepco, and use RCA connectors by Canare.

I am interested to know what the gunslingers know about this company and/or its products. I may just have been lucky so far, but my experience has been very good. My EE friend believes that the product is of both excellent and consistent quality.

Also, the use of coax cable for analog audio (as opposed to twisted pair) has me curious. Do the Gunslingers have a preference for coax based on the specifications of the cable, or is it based on the something else, such as the ease of producing a quality DIY termination? Because "A/V Cable" also make a variety of balanced analog audio interconnects, they chose to use twisted pair cable for their unbalanced interconnects also. This seems like a topic that many of you might have strong opinions about.

I am NOT an electrical engineer, and I have not made my own interconnects. It seams clear to me, however, that cables built to their specific purpose, that optimize the characteristics for accurate signal transfer are both desirable, and can be purchased (or DIY built) for significantly less than the "Snake-Oil Industry" would want us to believe.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this most valuable, and money saving thread...

[This message has been edited by AGAssarsson (edited June 08, 2003).]