All electronic products have something in common - electricity. They are either powered or communicate via connections that transmit electrical signals. Encoded in these signals may be sound, images, data, and more. An awareness of the importance of connectivity is vital toward helping you get the most performance and value from the electronic devices you choose.

When searching for electronic products, cables and connectors are usually overlooked. Virtually all devices use cables to work with other devices. Most electronic products have ports that allow connection of different types of devices. A portable CD player has a port for a headphone so you can listen to music. A component audio or video system uses cable to connect all the components and speakers. Most computers use cables to communicate with a monitor, printer, scanner, and more. Digital Cameras and Camcorders use a cable to connect with a computer for transferring images back and forth.

Making sure you use the best connection possible is extremely important. Consider how much research went into your purchase. You chose the right products for your needs and spent your hard-earned money to achieve top performance and pleasure.

Cables are responsible for carrying electronic signals (data) from one place to another. You want to be certain that the signal maintains its integrity and reliability. In most cases, the cable that came with your product isn't the best cable for optimal performance.

Thicker cables provide a more stable environment for signals to travel. Certain metals, particularly Copper, Gold, Silver, and Rhodium, allow signals to remain consistent and travel with virtually no loss of frequencies and bandwidth. Thick shielding surrounds metal filaments to assure that all signals travel exactly where they should. Without shielding, signals from one wire may be transmitted to another wire, which would harm the separation of the signal. This is particularly important when you consider multichannel surround sound and high-definition video. You want sound and images that are as pure an as 'real' as possible. That's the significance of spending extra time to choose the best cables for your needs.

RCA Plugs

The RCA Composite port and cable is the most popular connection found among audio and video components. That's because it is one of the oldest, as well. Though it can be used for connecting DVD players and Plasma TVs to home-theater systems, it is not the most favored choice among professionals. This port was originally designed for transmitting analog signals. Digital signals are compromised using this method of connectivity.

S-Video

The S-Video port was developed to offer better quality transfer of video signals. Though this port was introduced with the development of S-VHS and Super Beta videocassette recorders, the 'S' means that video signals are improved because they're separated. S-video connections transmit the chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) portions of a video signal along different paths, allowing them to be processed separately An S-Video connector uses a small circular plug with four pins and a small plastic lug inside. Video images are sharper than those made with Composite video connections and these ports are found on most TV sets, VCRs, Camcorders, and DVD players. For even better image quality, see Component Video Port.

Component Video

Though the cables and ports appear similar to Composite, the Component Video port delivers even better video signal integrity because it separates the signal into 3 parts and uses 3 cables that are joined together. Here color and brightness are separated into 3 separate channels following Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) signals found on digital computer components. In the process of translating these signals, they are converted to Y, B-Y, and R-Y or Y Pb Pr channels. The Component Video connection is designed for use with the wider bandwidth that high definition TV (HDTV) and digital video devices require. To enable HD Progressive-Scan, a component video connection is a necessity.

Digital Audio

Almost resembling an RCA Composite connector, Coaxial Digital Audio ports are found as digital audio inputs and/or outputs on A/V components such as receivers, CD players, DVD players, TVs and more. They are engineered to carry more audio information than composite cables. While Composite was initially developed for one- or 2-channel (stereo) sound, Coaxial (or CoAx) is designed to handle 5 or more channels of home-theater surround sound. In stereo, it also has a wider bandwidth to handle the extended frequencies that digital audio carries. Coaxial digital jacks are also sometimes found on higher-end PC soundcards for digital audio input and output.

Optical Toslink

Another digital audio connector is Optical Digital Audio. There are two versions. The image at left is a Mini Optical Digital Audio port and it's found on many portable digital audio devices such as MiniDisc and DVD devices. The image on the right is often featured as digital audio inputs and outputs on home A/V components such as receivers, CD players, full-sized MD recording decks, DVD players, and more. Sometimes referred as Toslink, this terminology is more common among computer users.

Again, this connector is designed to handle the higher bandwidth capacities found in stereo and surround sound signal transfers.

USB Firewire

The USB and Firewire ports were developed for use by computers because they allow information signals to be transferred at amazingly fast speeds. You'll find these ports also on digital camcorders and digital cameras.

Virtually all digital cameras and camcorders come with one or both of these ports. It permits images and video to be directly transferred to a computer for editing and enhancement.

MiniPlug

Want to connect a headphone? These are the plugs. The MiniPlug (3.5mm or about 1/8" diameter) is found on most portable devices. The Standard Plug (about 1/3" diameter) is more commonly found on audio components. Some microphones also make use of these connecting ports.

Speaker Wire

If you own an audio component system, you're aware that speakers generally do not come with connecting wire included. Speaker wire is essential for connecting them to your stereo or home-theater receiver.

It appears somewhat like electric wire. Speaker wire consists of two leads, typically encased and bundled in plastic insulation - one for the positive signal, and one for the negative. Most speaker wire might use silver strands and golden strands. Speaker connection terminals on most receivers have (+) and (-) indicators. In a basic installation you might designate the 'silver' as positive and the 'golden' as negative. You'd then strip the wire and connect them appropriately. Do not cross the wires! It may not work correctly and could, in rare cases, damage your equipment.

To facilitate better and easier connections, speaker wire can be purchased with terminating connectors already installed. Many receivers have speaker-binding posts that are compatible with, at least, two types of connectors - Pin and Spade.

There are 4 main kinds of speaker wire connectors:

1. Pins
Pin connectors may either by straight or angled. They work with spring clip speaker terminals, as well as with binding posts.

2. Spades
Spade connectors feature a forked piece of metal, designed to hug the collar of a 5-way binding post terminal. The spade is then secured by tightening the binding post's cap. Spade connectors give you very secure contact.

3. Banana Plugs
If you have binding post terminals on your speakers and/or receiver, banana plugs are a great choice. The flexible metal collar of a banana plug is slightly wider than the center hole of a binding post. It compresses to fit when you plug it in, resulting in a very solid connection. Banana plugs are extremely quick and easy to hook up.

4. Double-Banana Plugs
The same as banana plugs, except the positive and negative banana connectors are both fixed in a molded housing that spaces them 3/4" apart. (These are even quicker and easier to connect than regular, single banana plugs - as long as the terminals on your speakers and/or receiver are true 5-way binding posts with the proper spacing.)

In choosing speaker wire, several factors need consideration:

1. Wire Thickness
   Measured as 'gauge', the lower number means thicker wire. Thicker wire conducts signals more efficiently. Though 16 and 18 gauge wire is commonly used, most audiophiles prefer 12 and 14 gauge wire.
2. Strand Composition
   Some metals conduct signals more effectively than others. This is especially important in home-theater connections of 5 speakers or more. Poor conductivity may result in loss of signal integrity, especially when using long lengths of wire.
3. Insulation
   The material (usually a form of plastic) that houses and separates the wires should offer excellent protection and uniform separation. If the housing isn't completely consistent throughout the length, you may experience signal loss or drift of separation.
4. Terminal Composition
   The actual connectors that transfer the signal from your receiver to the speaker are very important. Look for terminals that are gold or gold plated.

Parallel

Although it seems to be almost obsolete, the Parallel connection port is among the oldest connectors found on computers. Virtually all Windows PC models have an available Parallel port but Macintosh computers do not. It had been prominently used for connecting printers but has since been replaced by the faster USB port. Though most devices hardly use this connector, Printers designed for PC use may still include a 25-pin Parallel connector.