RE: Audio signal distribution.

["Keith Doxey" <ukha@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Nigel,

In a word... No.

CAT5 cant carry the high currents demanded by a speaker. The wire is much
too thin and the first effect that becomes noticable is a sloppyness in the
sound. This is technically known as the "Damping Factor" and
indicates how
well the amplifier controls the cone of the speaker.

Breifly....as you apply a positive voltage to a speaker the cone will move
forward, negative it will move backwards. With no voltage applied the cone
should come to rest. When you remove the voltage the cone tries to return
to
its home position but inertia causes it to overshoot and it will eventually
come to rest. These unwanted movements move air, which is what a speaker is
basically supposed to do. Therefore these unwanted movements also produce
sound, this affects the accuracy of the reproduced signal. The higher the
damping factor of the amplifier, the better it clamps these unwanted
oscillations of the cone thereby improving the accuracy of reproduction.

Using too thin a cable dramatically reduces the damping factor.

The second more noticable effect is that if like Phil
"Earthshaker" Harris
you are running at power levels more suited to demolition then the Cat5
cable would probable melt. If you were lucky you would end up with silence.
If you were unlucky it would short out and blow the amp. If you were very
unlucky it would burn :-(

CAT5 is fine for line level signals because it is a communications (ie
signal) cable. For high power speakers where high currents are carried you
need a POWER cable. eg 2.5mm copper. for flexible use use 79/0.2 figure 8
(no need to buy the expensive branded stuff...just thick copper). For
installation you can use 2.5mm T&E mains cable. Personally I use 79/0.2
at
less than £30 for 100m

If you are just putting a tiny speaker in the hallway (5 watt or less) to
play announcements through then you would be OK but please dont try it for
serious loudspeaker connections.

As I have said before.....CAT5 can carry ALMOST anything....but not high
currents. It is rated at 250mA maximum.

Keith



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Garwood [mailto:themanse@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 26 May 2001 12:15
> To: 'ukha_d@xxxxxxx'
> Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Audio signal distribution.
>
>
> Hi
> If you want to distribute High level audio, e.g. speaker outputs,
> can this,
> with the right adapters, be pushed straight down CAT5 ?
>
> Nigel
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Keith Doxey [SMTP:ukha@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Keith Doxey
> Sent:	26 May 2001 09:49
> To:	ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject:	RE: [ukha_d] Audio signal distribution.
>
> Because thats exactly what it was designed for  :-)
>
> Keith
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	Kenneth Watt [mailto:kennethwatt@xxxxxxx]
> Sent:	26 May 2001 00:21
> To:	ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject:	RE: [ukha_d] Audio signal distribution.
>
> Keith,
>
> How did I know you would say that? ;o)
>
> K.
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	Keith Doxey [mailto:ukha.diyha@xxxxxxx]  On
> Behalf Of Keith
> Doxey
> Sent:	25 May 2001 21:06
> To:	ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject:	RE: [ukha_d] Audio signal distribution.
>
> KAT5
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	Kenneth Watt [mailto:kennethwatt@xxxxxxx]  On
> Behalf Of Kenneth
> Watt
> Sent:	25 May 2001 18:21
> To:	UKHA
> Subject:	[ukha_d] Audio signal distribution.
>
> Just on a DDAR note, anyone got any suggestions about the easiest way
to
> distribute line-level audio signals about the gaff. I have used just
> point-to-point cabling in the past, but that was just two rooms, now I
am
> expanding my horizons a little to encompass four or five rooms. Each
has
> it's own dedicated system for CD/Radio etc so all I really need to do
is
> get the signal from point-to-point - or so I think unless one of you
guys
> tells me different :o)
>
> K.
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>
>
>




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