Mini cable?

[otterhere]

Okay, I gave myself a headache standing in the electronics aisle of WalMart trying to figure out how to play my old Sony Walkman cassette player via that MP3 auxillary jack. EVERYTHING was for "iPhone"... Finally ended up with a 6' 3.5mm Audio Cable; "DRIVEPLAYLISTEN" which says it's for iPod (Belkin); before I open the package, is there something else I should buy?
:confused:

[dvlnblkdrs]

all you really need is a double male ended cord.. i got a long one from best buy a while ago.. radio shak and other electronic places have them just as well.. if u spent more than $5 on that cord, u spent too much

[MadMax]

Try Target, they have the double-ended cable that retracts. It is really nifty to use and costs under ten bucks...

Cheers! M2

[otterhere]

Specifics... I need to know EXACTLY what to look/ask for; the clerk was just as confused as I was... Tell me EXACTLY what to get, please! Thanks. Yes; $9...

[dvlnblkdrs]

male to male cord/connector. ask exactly for that, you will be fine. it should have what looks like a headphone jack on each end. usually found in stereo or tv section.

[firebob]

You’re looking for a 3 channel 2.5 mm or 1/4” double ended cord. When they look at you like your high or something tell them it looks like a head phone jack, some cord, and a head phone jack.

You don’t need the gold ends or anything like that.

[Altitude]

Just be sure you get the right size for each end. Walkmans should be 1/8" stereo (three contacts on the plug) and I think the Yaris input is 1/8" as well.

Something like this:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9721012&findingMethod=rr

or this:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3526366

[otterhere]

So is this 3.5mm audio cable the correct size? Math-challenged here.

[supmet]

2.5 mm or 1/4”

which one?

2.5 millimeters = 0.0984251969 inches

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS274US274&q=2.5+mm+to+inches&btnG=Search


@otter

http://www.radioshack.com/storeLocator3/index.jsp?clickid=rsk_header_storeLocator

the internet isn't always the easiest way to find the answer you are looking for. Radioshack is always my goto guys when clerks at other stores feed me misinformation.. Don't get me started on wally-mart

[firebob]

I thought they were 2.5 mm or 1/4”. But now that I think about it there is no way I’m right.

I did think about it and the ear phone cable is 1/8” not 1/4”.

[otterhere]

Um, I guess I'll just try it; there was nothing called "mini-cable" where I looked. Six feet long, though; that's ridiculous!

[CTScott]

Um, I guess I'll just try it; there was nothing called "mini-cable" where I looked. Six feet long, though; that's ridiculous!

It won't necessarily be called that. For example here's a radioshack one for $7.49, which is called a "6-Ft. Shielded Cable, 1/8" Stereo Plug to 1/8" Stereo Plug".

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102949

This is what the ends will look like:

http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2265285w345.jpg

And, if you want a shorter one; Here's a 3ft pink one:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3433875

http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-5575549w345.jpg

[Altitude]

Yes 3.5mm would be the equivalent of 1/8".

The 2.5mm are usually reserved for cell phones and other newer/smaller electronics, in which case you'd need a 2.5mm to 3.5mm male to male 3 conductor. Since you are using it with a walkman then 3.5 is the way to go.

Don't let the iPhone/iPod branding fool you - it's just marketing.

[firebob]

Well this just lets me know i don't know anything on this subject...

[Altitude]

Well this just lets me know i don't know anything on this subject...

No worries - at least you tried to help! Just an FYI - 1/4" are reserved for Guitars, audio patch cables and larger headphones.

[AlexNet0]

how about I just mail you mine, I have a spare, so you dont have to buy something and wonder/return/buy another. 10 bucks shipped, PM me

[YarisSedan]

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-5-mm-3-5mm-AUX-AUXILIARY-iPOD-BLACK-RETRACTABLE-CABLE_W0QQitemZ370118796038QQcmdZViewItemQQptZOthe r_MP3_Player_Accessories?hash=item370118796038&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A570%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C2 40%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

[2006fronty]

i get lots of my cables from www.monoprice.com, here's the cable you're looking for http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021802&p_id=4152&seq=1&format=2

[Altitude]

i get lots of my cables from www.monoprice.com, here's the cable you're looking for http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021802&p_id=4152&seq=1&format=2

That's a steal!!

[MadMax]

That's a steal!!

Yeah, no kidding, I paid a lot more than that for mine; and I have the same exact thing!

By the way, the retracting ones like the one posted work much better than the straight cable.

Cheers! M2

[33OH]

I bought a 6" one from Radioshack for $7.00.

[IllusionX]

monoprice have the best price for AV cables out there...

4$ for a 6ft HDMI cable!! if you can wait couple days for it to arrive... it's really worth it.

[Spades]

whats the quality of the cables though? most of the time on cables you are paying for the name and the engineering that was behind it. as far as speaker wires and non digital cables, usually brandx is often just as good as namebrand, because they often use the same materials and similar construction, you just are paying for the name half the time.

I used to sell electronics years ago, and we carried a basic brand that was half the price of monster cables, but, was the same basic construction and materials. I tested both sets of cables, and never found a noticable differance.

however, digital cables such as HDMI's are far more sensitive to cable quality and design than a speaker wire or even a 3.5mm extension cord. the untrained eye may not see a differance, and the untrained ear might not hear a differance, but there are alot of people who could. a $4 HDMI cable will not hang with a $100 HDMI cable. if it did I would be shocked. in reality, the materials for the $100 cable are prolly only a few bucks, but, they are trying to turn a profit, and if they have a product that will support the price, they will run the high price.

example. joe shmoe goes to buy a $6,000 plasma TV. is he going to pay $4 for a cheap cable, or get a better quality cable, the best he can get, for a fraction of what he just spent on the TV?

supply and demand. the moral of the long post? you can often get away with cheap cables, but for a pre amp or digital signal, a poor cable can hurt sound or video quality. its all about what you want out of your system. if you can live with poor quality to save 15 bucks or more, go for it. just remember, not only do you often get what you pay for, you NEVER get what you DONT pay for.

[otterhere]

i get lots of my cables from www.monoprice.com, here's the cable you're looking for http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021802&p_id=4152&seq=1&format=2

85 cents? Dang, the price is right!!!

:eek:

[otterhere]

I bought a 6" one from Radioshack for $7.00.

By the way, Ryank, I've about decided that what my car really needs is some decals on the side... Why does your Yaris look so much sharper than mine???

[33OH]

By the way, Ryank, I've about decided that what my car really needs is some decals on the side... Why does your Yaris look so much sharper than mine???

I could make you some. Just let me know. :tongue:

[50MPGDream]

whats the quality of the cables though? most of the time on cables you are paying for the name and the engineering that was behind it. as far as speaker wires and non digital cables, usually brandx is often just as good as namebrand, because they often use the same materials and similar construction, you just are paying for the name half the time.

I used to sell electronics years ago, and we carried a basic brand that was half the price of monster cables, but, was the same basic construction and materials. I tested both sets of cables, and never found a noticable differance.

however, digital cables such as HDMI's are far more sensitive to cable quality and design than a speaker wire or even a 3.5mm extension cord. the untrained eye may not see a differance, and the untrained ear might not hear a differance, but there are alot of people who could. a $4 HDMI cable will not hang with a $100 HDMI cable. if it did I would be shocked. in reality, the materials for the $100 cable are prolly only a few bucks, but, they are trying to turn a profit, and if they have a product that will support the price, they will run the high price.

example. joe shmoe goes to buy a $6,000 plasma TV. is he going to pay $4 for a cheap cable, or get a better quality cable, the best he can get, for a fraction of what he just spent on the TV?

supply and demand. the moral of the long post? you can often get away with cheap cables, but for a pre amp or digital signal, a poor cable can hurt sound or video quality. its all about what you want out of your system. if you can live with poor quality to save 15 bucks or more, go for it. just remember, not only do you often get what you pay for, you NEVER get what you DONT pay for.
I've used 6 monoprice HDMI cables, (3 at my house, 2 at a friend's place, 1 at my parent's house) we hooked up my parent's blu ray player with the $80 cable they got at best buy, then with the monoprice cable, we certainly couldn't tell a difference

[devinlamothe]

whats the quality of the cables though? most of the time on cables you are paying for the name and the engineering that was behind it. as far as speaker wires and non digital cables, usually brandx is often just as good as namebrand, because they often use the same materials and similar construction, you just are paying for the name half the time.

I used to sell electronics years ago, and we carried a basic brand that was half the price of monster cables, but, was the same basic construction and materials. I tested both sets of cables, and never found a noticable differance.

however, digital cables such as HDMI's are far more sensitive to cable quality and design than a speaker wire or even a 3.5mm extension cord. the untrained eye may not see a differance, and the untrained ear might not hear a differance, but there are alot of people who could. a $4 HDMI cable will not hang with a $100 HDMI cable. if it did I would be shocked. in reality, the materials for the $100 cable are prolly only a few bucks, but, they are trying to turn a profit, and if they have a product that will support the price, they will run the high price.

example. joe shmoe goes to buy a $6,000 plasma TV. is he going to pay $4 for a cheap cable, or get a better quality cable, the best he can get, for a fraction of what he just spent on the TV?

supply and demand. the moral of the long post? you can often get away with cheap cables, but for a pre amp or digital signal, a poor cable can hurt sound or video quality. its all about what you want out of your system. if you can live with poor quality to save 15 bucks or more, go for it. just remember, not only do you often get what you pay for, you NEVER get what you DONT pay for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDw2ZSDzlMw

[Spades]

heh, it says that video is not available in my country...either way, I expect people to argue with me on this point, but, unless things have changed to a severe degree in the last 5 years, I doubt you could convince me on the quality HDMI cables for under $20 thing.

[otterhere]

:eyebulge::laughabove::bellyroll:

Yeah; it went great with my old Suzuki Swift hatchback. I'm going to generously assume you're very young, but just let me ask if you paid cash for your car. No? That's probably because you're a total consumer slave and have to have the latest iGadet. Not only did I pay cash for my car, but I paid cash for my house and have enough in the bank to buy another one...

That's what happens when you hang onto old, but still perfectly good, stuff.

:thumbsup:

[devinlamothe]

heh, it says that video is not available in my country...either way, I expect people to argue with me on this point, but, unless things have changed to a severe degree in the last 5 years, I doubt you could convince me on the quality HDMI cables for under $20 thing.

Damn. Well, the video basically has one of the top video technologists for the CBC (which is like the BBC in the UK) analyse with professional equipment three HDMI cables: monster, rocketfish (best buy) and a cheapo $12 one.

Well, with the equipment that measures how accurate the signal is that comes out of the cable, all three performed exactly the same. In other words, the signal that was coming from the source, was exactly the same when it hits the TV.

And to that - I have been using cheapo HDMI cables since I got HDTV and decided to compare it against a monster cable just for fun, did not notice any difference at all. :iono:

[Spades]

well, then i spose the technology has come a ways then, because a few years ago, you could tell the differance in digital signals...technology is always getting better and cheaper as time marches on, but back in the day, digital and fiber optic cables were very sensative to quality...kind of like the differance between a non shielded zip cable you get when you buy a cheap DVD player and a heavily shielded, twisted and high strand RCA cable for pre amps or old video.

meh. I still say you get what you pay for, and to some extent a quality cable will always be a bit more money and a bit better quality than the cheap stuff.

for example, i have a pair of tang band subs in my car. i also have a pair of MTX subs in my car. they both have quality magnet structures that are vented, rubber surrounds, and both have quality sound and hit hard.

the tang band subs have cheap rubber on the surrounds, flimsy casing, and are a coated paper cone. the mtx's are a plastic composite cone with spun titanium plating and high quality rubber surrounds. the tang bands are a fraction of the price however, and they hit HARD for a 5" sub...i have now doubt if they were 12" like the MTX's that they could deliver the same punch and quality...for a fraction of the cost. however, the mtx's are built with better materials, so, they should in theory last longer, at least the cones can avoid getting damaged.

so yeah, even if the quality and design is good, its only as good as the materials. so, if you can get a $12 cable with the same materials and engineering, grats, but, often times, when a audio or video technology first comes out, you will always pay more for high grade cables.

P.S. but in regards to the thread starter, I bet you would find a differance between a high grade 1/8 patch cable and those retractable cables...they dont have much shielding on them, and i bet you could easily have measurable quality loss on the pre amp signal.

[devinlamothe]

well, then i spose the technology has come a ways then, because a few years ago, you could tell the differance in digital signals...technology is always getting better and cheaper as time marches on, but back in the day, digital and fiber optic cables were very sensative to quality...kind of like the differance between a non shielded zip cable you get when you buy a cheap DVD player and a heavily shielded, twisted and high strand RCA cable for pre amps or old video.

meh. I still say you get what you pay for, and to some extent a quality cable will always be a bit more money and a bit better quality than the cheap stuff.

for example, i have a pair of tang band subs in my car. i also have a pair of MTX subs in my car. they both have quality magnet structures that are vented, rubber surrounds, and both have quality sound and hit hard.

the tang band subs have cheap rubber on the surrounds, flimsy casing, and are a coated paper cone. the mtx's are a plastic composite cone with spun titanium plating and high quality rubber surrounds. the tang bands are a fraction of the price however, and they hit HARD for a 5" sub...i have now doubt if they were 12" like the MTX's that they could deliver the same punch and quality...for a fraction of the cost. however, the mtx's are built with better materials, so, they should in theory last longer, at least the cones can avoid getting damaged.

so yeah, even if the quality and design is good, its only as good as the materials. so, if you can get a $12 cable with the same materials and engineering, grats, but, often times, when a audio or video technology first comes out, you will always pay more for high grade cables.

P.S. but in regards to the thread starter, I bet you would find a differance between a high grade 1/8 patch cable and those retractable cables...they dont have much shielding on them, and i bet you could easily have measurable quality loss on the pre amp signal.

I do agree however that sometimes it IS better to purchase a brand name - at least with Monster you get a lifetime warranty on the cable. Having that is always a good incentive. I just don't like their price. :tongue:

[Spades]

oh, i agree that high end cables are rediculous in price, the only point i was trying to make, was that even if a audio or video cables was only so slightly better you would only notice the gains on a super expensive audio or video set up, to someone that dumped 10k into their home or car entertainment system prolly would have no problem spending 100 bucks on A/V cables that give only a slight gain.

in the end, often the expensive cables outperform the cheapo stuff, to what extent and if it is worth it is another story.

as far as a preamp 1/8 cable, i would rather spend 10 bucks on a well shielded gold plated 1/8 cable than a couple bucks on a retractable cable the size of a headphone cord...the gain might be slight, but 7 bucks for a gain on a system i spent hundreds on, meh, its worth it to me.