|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
174.17.31.101
What do you guys use to manage your cables. I bought a new rack that is open on all sides that shows the cables in plain sight.. Truing to figure this out....help please
Follow Ups:
An oxymoron, in my book. I used to try, but now I just try to keep them out of each other's way. They have an infernal tendency to get crossed, tangled, and the like. Keeping them short and of different stiffness factors helps.
I've used EggCrate panels (used for fluorescent ceiling lighting) to keep cables a reasonable distance apart from others at the back of a rack. You can cut them into bigger squares or rectangles if you need a bigger "hole" to pass a cable through. They look fine if they are visible from the front or side. Maybe $5 a panel, Home Depot or similar source, you might need two.
Edits: 10/26/16
I specifically shopped for and purchased audio racks that have a backboard with large openings for cables. The components sitting on the shelves mask the openings and no wires are visible. Below is a link to one such example I found via a search.Alternatively, consider adding a partial-width or full-width backboard to your current rack, made of poster board or, for example, a $5 sheet of 1/8" x 2' x 4' hardboard from Home Depot. A link:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hardboard-Tempered-Common-1-8-in-x-2-ft-x-4-ft-Actual-0-125-in-x-23-75-in-x-47-75-in-7005015/202088786
You could spray-paint it flat black and affix it with velcro, fishing line, a bit of duct tape, or whatever.
One of my audio racks has separate backboard sections for each shelf. That might be easier to create and attach.
Edits: 10/22/16
That is am excellent idea. I will try it thanks...
I found out the hard way. Well, maybe not so hard because I was able to correct it easily.
I rewired my planar-array speakers with a single wire for positive and a single wire for negative, then used the same wire to go all the way to my amps. My system sounded terrific.
Then, aesthetically offended by the wayward wires, I put them together into a carbon-fiber mesh sheath. In 30 seconds of listening it was clear that the magic was gone. Was it because of the parallel proximity or the sheath? No idea. But guess what I did next?
I have lived happily ever after.
Carbon Fibre is conductive.
Hi, AudioSoul,
For me the aesthetics of cables behind the stereo rack isn't a concern. I follow the adage that "form follows function" and let the cables lie as they will. genungo 's advice is about as technically basic as it gets. But if you need to consider aesthetics, then I've used cloth panels/screens behind the rack shelves to hide the cables. Much easier to just learn to love the sight of speaker wires, interconnects, and power cords, though easier said than done if you're not an audiophile. '-)
Regards,
Tom
Main area behind TT uses Sonex panels to hide wire. Other spots are barely noticeable and - where wires fall below they are a bit of a jumble and only crossing in more or less perpendicular fashion.
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
Let 'em lay where they wanna.
Dusting is optional.
"I can't compete with the dead" (Buck W. 2010)
"$45 gets them out the door tomorrow. $50 gets them out the door yesterday" (Byrd 2016)
.., as much as possible.
If cable must cross paths, cross at right angles, as much as possible.
No joining, twisting, or running cables in parallel, as much as possible.
I use foam pipe insulation cut into small sections to wrap around one or the other of the IC/powercord crossing.. to keep them a little apart.
For myself I bought a rack with a rear central vertical section with some screen area. It is perfect for sticking the powercords to the back of it. Attach with zip ties.. I let the IC hang free on the inside of the back.
Unless your rack is sitting in the middle of the room.. I do not think a few cables stray around the back side matter... aesthetically
Good advice- genungo.
Cable management organizers tend to gather various cables into a bundle, which may be fine for non-audio applications, but audio cables should be kept away from each other rather than allowing intimate contact with one another, especially signal cables placed in close proximity with power cords. That said, there are a number of options available from wirecare.com to choose from if a cable management device is a must-do.
https://www.wirecare.com/category/braided-sleeving/split-tube-wraps
https://www.wirecare.com/category/cable-organization
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: