Dumb Question about cables


Many cable manufacturers use heroic methods to shield from noise, EMI/RFI. The cables are large with all kinds of exotic insulation. But then they have long leads (from body of cable to the termination) with a thin layer of insulation. So what's the point of having the body of the cable so well insulated, but not the leads?
nyctc7

Showing 1 response by lesslossliudasm

Insulation (usually plastic) is for keeping electrical shorts from happening. It does not primarily serve as a shield from EMI and RFI (both of which are just terms for the same thing because radio waves are electromagnetic waves). Insulation does not shield. A shield shields. A shield is made out of a conductive material. An insulation is made out of a non-conducting material.

If you are referring to speaker cables, where the cable is huge and the endings are thinner, this is mainly just for flexibility and ease of use. It is a "necessary" compromise because you have to hook up the cable somehow, and each speaker manufacturer has different widths between their input terminals.

Louis Motek