RCA cables are the most common way to link up audio and audiovisual equipment. Sometimes referred to as 'cinch' or 'tulip' plugs - simply because they 'cinch' into the socket and have a similar shape to a tulip - the male version of an RCA plug is a round with a central pin that sticks out a little bit, while the female version has a hole in the middle. The name 'RCA' stands for the Radio Corporation of America, who first developed this kind of audio cable back in 1940.
A Tulip, RCA or Cinch?
Tulip plugs are exactly the same as RCA plugs, and luckily, cinch plugs are also exactly the same as RCA plugs. Basically, they are three different names for the same thing. In general, RCA/tulip/cinch cables will come fitted with two plugs at both ends, and since they're designed to transfer a stereo audio signal, the plugs are colour-coded in red and white or red and black, where the red plug always carries the right-side of the stereo image, while the white or black plug carries the left-side. This neat colour-coding makes it much easier to connect an RCA cable to any audio gear - all you need to remember is 'red equals right'! Also, since RCA plugs include an inner shielding for the central pin, they always need to be pushed in fairly firmly to make sure they're securely connected to the socket.
What Do You Need RCA Cables For?
RCA cables are used for linking audio and audiovisual equipment, whether setting up a stereo system at home, or professional gear in a recording studio or on a stage. Televisions, amplifiers and receivers often come fitted with red and white RCA ports. Back in the day, you could even find RCA audio ports in old cars. RCA cables are also used to hook up a lot of DJ gear, including DJ monitors, multimedia-players, DJ controllers and external sound cards.
Help! I Need to Hook an RCA Port up to a Jack Port!
If you have one piece of equipment fitted with RCA ports, and another piece of equipment without RCA ports, and you need to connect the two, then you can just use the correct adapter or adapter cable. These adapters or cables comes fitted with one or two RCA plugs at one end and one or more XLR or jack plugs on the other end, so you can pick out the right cable to link your gear. A really common adapter cable is an RCA to 3.5mm mini-jack cable, which can be used to hook a laptop, tablet or phone up to an amplifier or set of speakers.
Frequently Asked Questions About RCA Cables
What's a cinch cable?
A cinch cable is exactly the same as an RCA or tulip cable, it's simply a different name for the same thing: a round plug with a central pin. RCA cables usually have two plugs fitted per side, so have four plugs in total. Since the cable is designed to carry stereo audio signals, the plugs are colour-coded red and white, or red and black so you can match the correct plug to the correct socket of the stereo output or input. RCA cables can be used to link audio and audiovisual equipment, like stereo amplifiers, receivers, or DJ gear.
What's an RCA plug?
An RCA plug has a round shape with a pin in the centre (if the plug is male) or a hole in the centre (if the plug is female) . An RCA cable is used to connect audio and audiovisual equipment and the fitted RCA plugs are usually red and white colour-coded so the correct plug can be matched with the correct left and right colour-coded RCA ports.
How long can an RCA cable be?
RCA cables are available in various different lengths, and if you do happen to need to add a couple of metres, you can always use an RCA to RCA adapter to chain a second cable. Most of these little adapter plugs have one or two female RCA plugs on one or both ends so you can easily extend the cable.
How do you plug in an RCA cable?
Most RCA cables are fitted with two plugs at both ends, and usually, the plugs will be red and white colour-coded. The white plug is always plugged into the white, or left RCA socket of your equipment, while the red plug is always plugged into the red socket on the right. Since RCA cables are designed to carry the left and right channel of stereo audio, getting them the wrong way around will have a negative effect on the sound. Since RCA plugs connect quite firmly, always pull on the plug housing itself when disconnecting, since pulling on the cable may damage the core of the cable and reduce audio quality.
