A common complaint about new headphones supplied with MP3 players and even with headphones bought of the shelf, is the length of the cable. Most manufacturers only provide short cables are 1.5 meters long. This is just too short if you want to plug the headphones into a television or other device that's not immediately next to you. You can of course extend the audio lead by using a headphone extension cable. This is a cable that is placed in between your audio device and your headphones. They are available in many lengths and more importantly, they come with different jack plug sizes, this means you must buy the correct cable or it will not fit.
Most portable MP3 type devices use a standard 3.5mm jack. This is often referred to as a mini jack. When purchasing an extension it's a good idea to opt for one that offers gold-plated contacts. The improve audio quality as gold is a better conductor for audio signals. Another benefit of using gold-plated audio cables is oxidization. Gold prevents rusting, this can be a problem in doors due to the moisture in the air that we breathe. When this moisture lands on none gold-plated contacts it begins oxidizing.
With traditional wire audio leads it's important to keep the cable as short as possible. Cables will suffer with signal loss and electrical magnetic interference. The longer the cable the more noticeable this will be. You can take a few measures to reduce these effects, most noticeably you can use a shielded cable, this adds a layer of foil around the cable to prevent interference. You can also opt for a headphone extension cable that has ferrite cores, these are small cylinder type barrels placed on either end of the cable. Headphone extension cables can be bought in lengths up to 20 meters, though with analogue signals it's wise to stick below 10 meters long.
Headphone extension cables are relatively inexpensive. You can buy a good quality shielded 10 meter long extension cable with gold-plated contacts for as little as fifteen pounds sterling or around 24 dollars. A shorter 3 meter cable with similar spec can be bought for around eight pounds or 13 dollars. What ever length you choose it's a good idea to buy online. Online retailers have fewer overheads and in turn tend to offer more competitive prices over their high street counterparts.
Most portable MP3 type devices use a standard 3.5mm jack. This is often referred to as a mini jack. When purchasing an extension it's a good idea to opt for one that offers gold-plated contacts. The improve audio quality as gold is a better conductor for audio signals. Another benefit of using gold-plated audio cables is oxidization. Gold prevents rusting, this can be a problem in doors due to the moisture in the air that we breathe. When this moisture lands on none gold-plated contacts it begins oxidizing.
With traditional wire audio leads it's important to keep the cable as short as possible. Cables will suffer with signal loss and electrical magnetic interference. The longer the cable the more noticeable this will be. You can take a few measures to reduce these effects, most noticeably you can use a shielded cable, this adds a layer of foil around the cable to prevent interference. You can also opt for a headphone extension cable that has ferrite cores, these are small cylinder type barrels placed on either end of the cable. Headphone extension cables can be bought in lengths up to 20 meters, though with analogue signals it's wise to stick below 10 meters long.
Headphone extension cables are relatively inexpensive. You can buy a good quality shielded 10 meter long extension cable with gold-plated contacts for as little as fifteen pounds sterling or around 24 dollars. A shorter 3 meter cable with similar spec can be bought for around eight pounds or 13 dollars. What ever length you choose it's a good idea to buy online. Online retailers have fewer overheads and in turn tend to offer more competitive prices over their high street counterparts.
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