View Full Version : Proper cable management behind your rack....
Couple of big improvements in my system soon, so looking to maximise the rest of the gear while I'm at it.
One area for sorting is the snakes orgy of cables behind my rack.
Honestly, it's a nightmare, but hey.... out of site out of mind right? :rolleyes:
Needs sorted though, so emptying the rack, pulling it away from the wall and sorting it out properly.
One of those jobs I've kept putting off, nows the time to fix it.
Usual mix of mains cables and interconnects, has anyone spent some time sorting out the mess of cables in their own system and can pass on some useful info?
Initially thinking the obvious, seperate mains cables from interconnects...but what's the best way?
Anything you can buy to make it easier...anything else I shoukd be looking at?
Couple of questions too. :)
Bunching mains leads together, bad idea? All mains leads are properly shielded.
What about interconnects...any issue bunching a load of those together?
Any thoughts, suggestions, experience or otherwise much appreciated.
Thanks.
Wakefield Turntables
26-03-2015, 12:23
I like to measure the distance betweem my seperates and then make / order specific cables to size. This not only keeps the cost down but also minimises clutter which additionally makes it easy to box swap. ;)
when i was an orginised person i had my cables in those snake things that zip up and open the same way. forgot what they are called now or even if they still make them. made for a tidy job though
icehockeyboy
26-03-2015, 12:41
I always start out with the cables as tidy as I can possibly make them, but then the cable Devils get behind the storage system and plays at knitting with them, and it ends up as bad as ever.
The Barbarian
26-03-2015, 12:42
Bunching mains leads together, bad idea? All mains leads are properly shielded.
I honestly do not see any issues that would arise running properly shielded mains leads by the side of each other!
Me neither Andre, just wondered if there was anything I wasn't aware of (which is a lot!)
What about interconnects?
Thinking Grants idea of flexible plastic tube (IKEA does 'em I think?) is a good one.
www.amazon.co.uk/Maclean-MC-525-Quality-Organiser-Elastic-Silver/dp/B00LISG4G2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1427383914&sr=8-6&keywords=cable+tidy+grey
this is the sort of thing i used. this one is an inch diameter
The Barbarian
26-03-2015, 16:02
Me neither Andre, just wondered if there was anything I wasn't aware of (which is a lot!
Not be long now before some puddin head will say the contrary..
Same with Interconnects. The sensible thing to do is just keep mains cables away from interconnects.. I make all my own cables which allows me to tailor the sizes i require for neatness so nothing is longer than required hence it don't look like spaghetti junction.
Audio Advent
26-03-2015, 16:19
If you run mains cables next to each other you might well induce a 50Hz signal on top of the mains!! Imagine what havock that might cause to your pure AC line.
(thats a little joke of course..)
I think the mains cables are fine doing whatever personally, it's keeping them away from interconnects and speaker cables which is the real issue. Many people like braided cables with no shielding and even then shielding is about higher fequencies and not so great for low frequency, 50Hz hum prevention. Even then though, you have to have them running along side for it to be obvious. I use unshielded speaker cables with no problems whatsoever and some of it drapes down on the floor next to power cables.
Go the whole hog, find some kind of grid (plastic? or wire fencing?) and tie cables along the grid at right angles to each other.
The Barbarian
26-03-2015, 16:33
I personally think that using un-shielded Mains & Interconnect cables is mad & asking for trouble imho..
If you took in every aspect of cable design & execution doo's & do not's you will quickly come to the conclusion that no way is the right way. Un blinkered Common sense is the way imho.
Shame not all manufacturers put the power lead on the same side it would make separation of power and signal much easier
Thanks guys, looking into this next week.
We use Expandable Braid Cable Tidy Sock at work . You can buy it in different sizes and it hides a multitude of sins. Top tip: Use a lighter to melt the ends when you cut it to stop it unravelling
The Barbarian
26-03-2015, 21:14
It's all ok but it covers wires up. Audio guys need the world to see how expensive their cables are :D
It's all ok but it covers wires up. Audio guys need the world to see how expensive their cables are :D
...or in my case, use them to cover up how cheap they are:eyebrows:
I also make up my own cables with lengths to suit.
I don't agree that all interconnects should be shielded. I recently made an I shielded cable and it sounds good in my system. Success will depend on how "noisy" your environment is though.
The Barbarian
26-03-2015, 21:28
...or in my case, use them to cover up how cheap they are:eyebrows:
I purposely erase the Brand name & model from the wire i use to make cables up...you free from peeps that judge your wire see
walpurgis
26-03-2015, 21:32
I purposely erase the Brand name & model from the wire i use to make cables up...you free from peeps that judge your wire see
Ha. So do I usually. Keeps the 'noseys' at bay.
walpurgis
26-03-2015, 21:38
We use Expandable Braid Cable Tidy Sock at work . You can buy it in different sizes and it hides a multitude of sins. Top tip: Use a lighter to melt the ends when you cut it to stop it unravelling
I use expandable braid on some cables. Another way to stop unravelling is to use a smear of contact adhesive. After you have it stretched into place over what's to be covered obviously. The contact adhesive also helps prevent it from working loose and pulling away at the ends. Hold it in place with a bit of heat shrink at the plug.
awkwardbydesign
26-03-2015, 22:18
I always start out with the cables as tidy as I can possibly make them, but then the cable Devils get behind the storage system and plays at knitting with them, and it ends up as bad as ever.
It's a relief to realise the Cable Devils are to blame.
We use Expandable Braid Cable Tidy Sock at work . You can buy it in different sizes and it hides a multitude of sins. Top tip: Use a lighter to melt the ends when you cut it to stop it unravelling
I cut it with a hot knife. Leaves nice tidy ends.
Reckon the expandable sleeve braid, one for mains other for interconnects is a good starting point.
Only cable loose will be he interconnect for my turntable, suspended deck and all that.
Don't want any tension on that cable.
Will be re terminating IEC's, so will cut cables specific length needed.
No cable lift bollocks mind...tidying and separating thems enough!
Good stuff, thanks.
Hi Gaz,
You've received good advice so far, so go with it. I'm sure it will definitely help :)
The best advice I would give for anyone setting their system up from scratch, is to buy a tall rack (or racks) to sit your kit on - tall enough to ensure that all cables, mains and signal related, are kept up off of the floor, and can thus 'hang' in their own free space behind the system.
That makes it much easier to keep things tidy (and arrange cables neatly) than when short racks are used, and all the cables are strewn together across the floor, and touching it and the walls, which sonically isn't the best idea. Furthermore, it also makes it a damn sight easier to reach stuff, especially a turntable, if all your kit is at waist or chest height, than having to scrabble down on the floor to change a record or CD, when short racks are used.
Those who are 'getting on a bit', with ageing limbs, should take note!
Essentially, you want to keep all cables well away from the walls and floor, as I said hanging in their own free space, but without signal cables touching mains cables. Ideally, what you want is to create as much space between those as possible, in order to distance the signal cables from the effect of any stray magnetic fields, which in the worst case scenario can cause hum, especially with items such as tonearm interconnects.
Also, when you're setting things up from scratch, or perhaps reassembling your system after redecorating a room, leave enough space behind your racks to allow easy access to connect and disconnect your cables. So many folk don't do that (for some reason the automatic thing seems to be to push everything up against the back wall), thus making it a total ball-ache to make any adjustments to the back your system, when swapping components.
All it takes is to pull the rack (or racks) out from the wall a bit, instead of being a daftee and having everything squashed in! ;) Unless you have OCD or a BWFH, nipping your ear, how it looks should always be secondary to how it sounds!!
The other thing you should consider is correct placement of equipment on your racks. Yes, having the right boxes (music signal-related and PSU) on top of, on the next shelf, or beside each other can also make a difference, as can plugging equipment into your mains block in the right order (starting from the incoming mains inlet, and working forward from there)....
If you haven't done this type of 'infrastructure treatment' before, and take your time to do it properly, you'll be surprised at just how much better it'll make your system sound :trust:
Marco.
I've got a nice mess behind the rack and now I've added a mains conditioner for the Stax, I've created a bigger mess. Too bad.
Mines a disaster area yet funnily it sounds great in spite of it
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/27/3724fa87c1022cca8b335a8b265f5cd8.jpg
walpurgis
27-03-2015, 15:56
Mines a disaster area yet funnily it sounds great in spite of it
You've obviously had lessons at the same place as me. :)
The Barbarian
27-03-2015, 15:58
Ah a rats nest :D
Mines a disaster area yet funnily it sounds great in spite of it
Trust me, it would sound even better if you sorted it! ;)
It's always puzzles and amazes me (in equal measure) how audio enthusiasts who quite happily spend their 'hard earned' on all sorts of fancy boxes and cables, yet when it comes to sitting down and arranging/installing them correctly, to ensure that they get the ABSOLUTE MOST from their investment, show about as much enthusiasm for doing that as they would for examining the contents of their last turd..... :hmm:
Everything just seems to be 'plonked down together' with minimal effort, in the hope that such an arrangement will be good enough, when in fact quite the opposite is true.
Why is that, I wonder: a combination of laziness and apathy??
Marco.
is there an order you should place items in a hifi rack? obviously turntable at the top but what about amp,cd player etc? does it matter?
I have an excuse. I cant get down to do it:eyebrows: itll have to do for now.
Good info Marco, be taking that into consideration.
Snakes Orgy...
http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq61/gazjamster/Kit%20pics/20150327_162610.jpg (http://s434.photobucket.com/user/gazjamster/media/Kit%20pics/20150327_162610.jpg.html)
could do with a tidy? :eyebrows:
My rats nests are mainly because of overlong mains cables that I don't want to cut... Seriously, the only item that will suffer badly is the phono stage, if its susceptible to hum fields from nearby transformers (My Phono 2 is worse because the case is Perspex, but a little tidying up cleared the hum, even at full volume :))
What I've always tried to do is to keep the mains and signal cables as far apart as I can and if they do cross paths, to keep them an inch or two away from each other if possible. As for cables touching wall and floor, Enid Lumley (a yesteryear Ab Sounds magazine 'reviewer') has a LOT to answer for...
walpurgis
27-03-2015, 16:34
is there an order you should place items in a hifi rack? obviously turntable at the top but what about amp,cd player etc? does it matter?
I'm not sure about a particular order, but I keep amplifiers and in particular any big power amps away from sources, in particular turntables, as far as is possible. Amps can have big hum fields emanating from their transformers.
walpurgis
27-03-2015, 16:36
Ha. I see Dave said more or less the same at near enough the same time!:D
Hi Jamie,
is there an order you should place items in a hifi rack? obviously turntable at the top but what about amp,cd player etc? does it matter?
In short, yes. Obviously, it's not a case of 'make or break', but if you want to create the best 'environment', which allows your kit to shine, then a little thought about where things are placed, and subsequent execution of that, will pay dividends!
Essentially, you should always keep the 'brain' and 'brawn' components in your system [sources and preamps = 'brain', PSUs and power amps = 'brawn'] as far apart from each other, either as their partnering mains leads will allow, or as practical limitations will facilitate.
Therefore, on a single rack, the sources should go on top, followed by the preamp, and preferably (if your rack is big enough), leave a 'spacer shelf' between those and the PSUs or power amps underneath, to allow maximum separation for the preamp [or whatever 'brain' component is nearest] from any stray magnetic fields generated by the 'brawn' components below.
Obviously, if you don't have separate PSUs for any of your kit, or pre and power amplifiers, just leave the same space between your sources and the integrated amp.
Ideally, if you have the room space and enough kit to fill them, then two (or more) separate racks is best, in order for you to house the 'brains' and "brawn' components on dedicated racks. The 'cardinal sin', as it were, is to sit any source component directly on top of something that contains large toroid transformers! Or to house ANYTHING turntable-related near the latter.
Also, if your hi-fi system is mainly used for music purposes, keep it separate from any AV equipment, TVs, etc, as that stuff is a bugger for chucking all sorts of unwanted noise (heard as signal distortion) into the system, which mains blocks sharing TVs and SKY boxes, etc, along with your hi-fi equipment, act as a conduit for. That includes interconnect cables, from the former, connected into a preamp that is used for both music and movie duties.
If you want to do it properly, a separate mains block should be used for both AV and audio-only equipment, either powered from the same ring-main, or if you can, keep all the AV kit on the house ring-main and install a separate mains spur (or spurs) for the hi-fi kit, then connect a separate mains block to both, in order to supply power to the relevant kit.
The key here is to understand that most AV gear, especially TVs, is not very 'hi-fi friendly' because of their use of cheap and noisy switch-mode PSUs, and when you bring the coaxial cable from a TV aerial anywhere near your hi-fi system, you're encouraging the cables, used for your hi-fi, to pick up RFI from it.
Experience has taught me that this stuff makes a significant difference in allowing the equipment to perform at its maximum capability, and in turn allow the listener to hear his or her favourite choons at their best - and best of all, the sonic improvements gained by applying a little effort here are FREE!!
:cool:
Marco.
cheers nicely explained :)
Seriously, the only item that will suffer badly is the phono stage, if its susceptible to hum fields from nearby transformers...
Badly, yes, but IME other components are also affected to a degree, so there are significant sonic gains to be had by following the rest of what I've outlined.
Trust me, Dave, I've walked into too many rooms over the years belonging to hi-fi enthusiasts, where their system set-up, shall we say, left a lot to be desired, and virtually transformed the sound of the system, for FREE, to the absolute delight of the owner, for this stuff not to work!! ;)
Such attention to detail, in terms of system set-up, is also one of the primary reasons why the AoS systems others and I have demonstrated at Scalford have received praise in many quarters for the quality of sound we achieved.
Marco.
Good info Marco, be taking that into consideration.
Snakes Orgy...
http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq61/gazjamster/Kit%20pics/20150327_162610.jpg (http://s434.photobucket.com/user/gazjamster/media/Kit%20pics/20150327_162610.jpg.html)
could do with a tidy? :eyebrows:
OH FFS!!!!!! I'm having palpitations just looking at that!!! :eek: :eek: :stalks: :stalks:
I must pay you a little visit next time I'm up in Glasgow ;)
Marco.
Told you it needed fixed.... ;)
Will post an "after" shot once I've fixed it.
(sorry 'bout the palpitations... )
As I say mate, taking the opportunity to "do it once and do it right" and fix the cable mess before the system upgrades go in.
Good info Marco, be taking that into consideration.
Snakes Orgy...
http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq61/gazjamster/Kit%20pics/20150327_162610.jpg (http://s434.photobucket.com/user/gazjamster/media/Kit%20pics/20150327_162610.jpg.html)
could do with a tidy? :eyebrows:
absolutely shocking old boy. Even mine is not as bad as that.;)
Heh.
That's how *no* cable management looks... :)
Told you it needed fixed.... ;)
Will post an "after" shot once I've fixed it.
(sorry 'bout the palpitations... )
As I say mate, taking the opportunity to "do it once and do it right" and fix the cable mess before the system upgrades go in.
Hehehehe... Cool! My guess is that more than half of that isn't actually being used, and is simply 'excess' sitting just there - perhaps representing 'abandoned experiments'?
If so, STRIP OUT EVERYTHING NOT BEING USED and only use what's needed! Also, try and keep those big fat boys from touching the wall. Can you bend them into an appropriate shape to allow for that? :)
Marco.
Funny thing is..
It's ALL being used...all of it.
Maybe a stray ethernet cable in there mind...
Lots of boxes, but box count will be shrinking soon.
Honestly, BIG tidy up coming soon.
Been aware I've been ignoring the mess of cables for a while, nows the time to sort it.
I use expandable braid on some cables. Another way to stop unravelling is to use a smear of contact adhesive. After you have it stretched into place over what's to be covered obviously. The contact adhesive also helps prevent it from working loose and pulling away at the ends. Hold it in place with a bit of heat shrink at the plug.
We fold the end of the brand over and use a small tie-wrap to secure it. Although if you have bought interconnects which cost hundreds of pounds, it might effect the flow of electrons...........
Funny thing is..
It's ALL being used...all of it.
Jeezuz - what the hell are all the boxes for then?
My advice would be to simplify things as much as possible, as it always sounds better that way. You should try and separate your AV kit from your audio-only kit, and have it on separate racks and separate power feeds. That would help a lot!
:exactly:
Marco.
Cool Marco, thanks.
Only AV kit I have is my Oppo Bluray player and the Tivo, the rest is hifi.
Emptying the rack, pulling it all out and rewiring and rejigging the whole lot, so all good advice.
And next time your "oop North" Marco gimme a shout mate. :)
Nice one, dude. Will do. I'll defo be up in early May to visit Snapper :)
Looking forward to seeing pics of the new arrangement, and I'll give you my marks out of 10!
;)
Marco.
Anthony K
28-03-2015, 10:26
Gary,What are the 2 thick white cables?
Oh dear. I have my amp sitting directly on top of my CD player.
Am thinking of maybe switching to Cyrus stuff, and could then put amp and cdp next to each other, but that would introduce complication and expense of needing a phono stage... And where would I put that?
Heh.
That's how *no* cable management looks... :)
Yep, looks like mine, am well overdue resetting everything, but doing the Mana racks are an afternoon job!
You're all missing a very simple and effective trick.
Keep ALL your cables from touching each other, walls and shelves by using plastic hair claws, about £1 for 5. Different sizes for different cables. You can even keep your speaker cables form touching the floor. Go to the small hair accessory places, not Accessorise cos they are expensive.
Unseparated cables, the sound is 'sat on', with this little bad boys keeping everything away from each other, happiness.
Can take a while to put them on wherever there is a contact, but well worth it. If you don't think there is any benefit, take them off. Only a few quid to try.
:eyebrows:
A Viz top tip, I like it!
Will try that out Dave, thanks.
You're all missing a very simple and effective trick.
Keep ALL your cables from touching each other, walls and shelves by using plastic hair claws, about £1 for 5. Different sizes for different cables. You can even keep your speaker cables form touching the floor. Go to the small hair accessory places, not Accessorise cos they are expensive.
Unseparated cables, the sound is 'sat on', with this little bad boys keeping everything away from each other, happiness.
Can take a while to put them on wherever there is a contact, but well worth it. If you don't think there is any benefit, take them off. Only a few quid to try.
:eyebrows:
Definitely a Viz Top Tip.
I think you'll be so pleased it will be like the yabba dabbas.
:lol:
Audio Advent
29-03-2015, 23:52
Snakes Orgy...
http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq61/gazjamster/Kit%20pics/20150327_162610.jpg (http://s434.photobucket.com/user/gazjamster/media/Kit%20pics/20150327_162610.jpg.html)
could do with a tidy? :eyebrows:
Haha! They're even coming out of the wall! Reminds me of a scene in Indiana Jones.
Those shape racks don't help, angling all the cables into a tighter space. Then I guess also the arrangement of the gear is part of it and must help keeping the cable hungry stuff low down (like the server) and also thinking as if arranging star eathing with all the interconnects meeting at the pre-amp in the middle somewhere.
That's the point of using the hair claws. Sometimes it's just not feasible to tidy your cables, but with these bad boys you can at least keep them from touching each other. Makes a difference.
Unfortunately the bigger the mess the more claws you need, but £20 should get you at least 100 claws. Different size claws for different diameter cables. Do mains leads as well as interconnects.
;)
That's the point of using the hair claws. Sometimes it's just not feasible to tidy your cables, but with these bad boys you can at least keep them from touching each other. Makes a difference.
Unfortunately the bigger the mess the more claws you need, but £20 should get you at least 100 claws. Different size claws for different diameter cables. Do mains leads as well as interconnects.
;)
Surely worthy of the Hall of Fame somewhere?
TOP tip. (Still not done it yet...shame on me! :rolleyes:)
Get to it Gazjam.
Join the Claws Club.
:trust::dance:
Get to it Gazjam.
Join the Claws Club.
:trust::dance:
You betcha.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.