Hypothetical question for the electron geeks among us...

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 23 Jul 2024 7:23 am

Would using two six-foot cords fabricated from the same brand of cable and plugs, and connected by a Switchcraft 361A (or a comparable substitute)...

...add enough extra capacitance that the two cable combo would sound differently than a single twelve-foot cord fabricated from the same plugs and cable?

Would any differences be:

a) Detectable on a multimeter?
b) Audible to the human ear?

Raybob Bowman · Post by **Raybob Bowman** » 23 Jul 2024 10:00 am

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 23 Jul 2024 10:08 am

No expert here, but should be fine for a signal cable. I would not recommend this for a speaker cable because when I did this it and blew a power amp circuit in my Stereo Steel amp.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 23 Jul 2024 10:47 am

Fine for mic/guitar/line-level signal. I don't think the additional resistance/capacitance is an issue. And at least it's safe to use in this situation.

I echo Jerry's concern for use to tie speaker cables together. It may be OK for low-power if it's new and you stress test it to make sure you're getting good contact with the plugs you're using. I would not trust something like this for high power use - I have not seen resistance or power ratings for any type of coupler like this. Additionally, one cannot inspect the electrical contacts, and I would be concerned about firm contact and/or oxidation over time. I have had issues with female-to-female couplers in this regard.

Maybe not a total showstopper for emergency use with a typical solid-state amp, where an open circuit simply brings you down until you deal with it. But for a tube amp, an open or high-resistance circuit could kill the amp.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 23 Jul 2024 12:56 pm

I use these couplers quite happily with speakers but I'm using a solid state amp and I wouldn't risk them with tubes

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 23 Jul 2024 2:05 pm

Thanks for your answers, guys. I should have originally stated my intent to use the 361As for guitar cables only, not for loudspeakers. I wouldn't even consider using coaxial cables to connect a tube amp to a speaker cab.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 23 Jul 2024 2:47 pm

Ian Rae wrote:I use these couplers quite happily with speakers but I'm using a solid state amp and I wouldn't risk them with tubes

The amp that I blew the circuit in is a solid state amp. Lesson learned for me. Never again. No splices. If I need longer speaker cables, I'll build or buy some. YMMV.

Not an issue for Jack in this application.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 23 Jul 2024 3:37 pm

Just a note to Jack that I'm not using coax - my speaker cables are twin conductor as supplied with my Telonics rack with twin cabs. I extend them if the stage is large.

Jerry's bad experience must have been due to a short, I'm guessing.

Bill A. Moore · Post by **Bill A. Moore** » 24 Jul 2024 6:03 am

To the original question, I'm sure the capacitance will change, whether it can be heard.......?
A "curley" cable will sound different than a straight one of the same length to some, (I can't hear it!)

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 24 Jul 2024 7:24 am

Several decades ago I was playing next to a lead player when his Supro amp speaker cord caught fire. It was the short factory chord from the combo amp to speaker. It actually melted the cord and caught on fire. I don't know why the amp circuit breaker didn't trip? Maybe someone bypassed the fuse or breaker. It was determined that the wire shorted out. I don't remember if the amp was fried?