what are the best rca jacks to buy for audio/video hookups?

Answer 1

Generally speaking RCA cables are at the bottom of the rung for connecting AV or AUDIO ONLY signals. Personally I doubt most people would be able to recognize difference in RCA cable quality between a cheap brand and some Ultra pricey brand.

If you only connection option is RCA's then buy both (cheap / expensive) and see which performs better. (make sure you can return opened package before you leave the store) try and determine for yourself if the more expensive brands work for you.

If you are connecting video signal and S-VIDEO is available it is your next step up. But you still need to carry audio on RCA most likely

DVI / Component cables are your next step and a vast improvement. Only down side is they also do not carry sound but if you have them you likely have a Optical or coaxial digital audio out (use it instead of analog RCA)

HDMI is the best overall carries video and sound. One cable does it all. Mostly on newer HDTV set-ups.

Answer 2

Think I'm gonna scream.

Ok, there is a big difference, you are talking Analog, which is still just fine if reproduced correctly, and it comes down to wire resistance and impedance.

I won't go into the physics, but, buy good quality, yes, Gold connections. Gold has better conductivity then just cheap metal. Plus, Gold will not corrode which deteriorates the connection.

Monster is a placebo. Monster cable is 80% marketing. Is it good cable? Absolutely. Can your human ears hear the difference between $100 wire and $500 wire? No, they cannot. I don't care who you are. Is this fraud? No. A piece of extremely sensitive piece of equipment called an Oscilliscope "saw" the difference in quality. So, even if your ears didn't hear the difference, this is how it remains legal and not fraud to sell this "higher quality" wire.

That said, you can buy wire that you can plainly see and hear poor quality. The classic black wire found in Radio Shack. Small guage wire has higher resistance, thus will impede signal flow.

So, long story boring, stay middle of the road. Right around $25-$40 for a set of Gold plated RCA Audio/Video wires is quite sufficient, and you will notice if you go cheaper, and will not notice if you go more expensive. Make sure you run true Video wire for the Video runs as Video impedance is important.

As for comparing RCA jacks to DVI, HDMI, etc., it is irrevelent as these are in the digital realm and your question was in the Analog realm.

If you want to talk Digital, watch everything go to HDMI.

But, for that, you will need another quarter.

Answer 3

If you've done any research on cabling and connectors, you will no doubt find quite a few (to say the least) arguments as to whether it makes a difference to upgrade or not. I happen to believe that it does, and I've done many non-scientific comparisons in the last 2 decades to confirm my beliefs. Hearing is believing, where price may have little or nothing to do with it.

Bottom line, it's a question of matter: if it matters (if you have ever heard a noticeable difference between cables and/or connectors) to you, it matters, but if it doesn't matter to you, then it doesn't matter.

If you know how to and plan to connect the RCAs to your cables yourself, I can recommend the mid-priced Neutrik Pro-Fi RCA connectors that I have found to do better than most, and even some ultra expensive cable manufacturers and professionals use them on their their best cables. WBT is widely known in the high-end world as a top connector as well, but the price is substantially more.

If you are just looking for some high-performance cables above that what you would find at your local consumer electronics store, then shop around on AudiogoN. That's the best marketplace I know of where high-end audio gear is the norm.

Answer 4

You can spend a whole lot o fmoney on fancy-schmansy RCA jacks from big name companies, or you can go to RadioShack, and get a pair of their Gold Series jacks. They work great and are reasonably priced.

Answer 5

RCA conections are LEAST perferred. That's like "What is the quickest 4 cylinder car out there?" If you are able to, use Component cables, or HDMI or DVI cables. If you must go with RCA's, your best bet is Monster brand.

Answer 6

well the better cable brands' cables are well put together for a better performance....

analog video component is the best cable type. digital video/audio HDMI is the best.

Manufactures, acoustic research and monster cables. everything else is kinda ok.....

Answer 7

Anything that's gold-plated.