When installing my gear on my new to me modified Lovan stand, I ended up with a real rats nest of untidy cables behind the stand.  It is a double width stand, in three spiked sections, and is so heavy I had to leave it in situ while connecting everything up.  Not an easy task working in limited spaces!

that was June 2020.  A couple of weeks ago had a brainwave.

I dismantled everything, then built up the stand one shelf at a time, installing components on each shelf and dressing the cables as I went.  Made a huge difference to how things look, but did the sound change?  No, not really.  I can’t discern any difference, just feel better about having the cables dressed neatly!

Where's the proof? Pics please.

I fear that if I started to do what you've just done I wouldn't know how to reconnect everything, and would also find quite a few loose ends.

My rats nest 😚

Aug 14, 2021 17:43:28 GMT 12 Citroen said:

I fear that if I started to do what you've just done I wouldn't know how to reconnect everything, and would also find quite a few loose ends.

After swapping in and out a couple of AV amps and receivers, I finally twigged that the solution is to label every cable as input/output/device.

If you ever start from scratch again, I suggest you do this. Label every cable, in pairs, R-L is already obvious, you just need source and end, tape record & replay etc.

I used sticky paper labels cut to size, enough to roll around the cable near the plug - CD in, CD out, etc. - and wrapped with clear transparent tape, because sticky paper can unroll...

Either write on them once in place, or once you've figured out the size and how they will roll and overlap, even write on them beforehand.

It can't be as bad as this, can it?

From (which I've just found now, years after twigging to label my own!)

www.soundandvision.com/content/cleanup-aisle-av

How apt and topical

Aug 14, 2021 20:29:01 GMT 12 RdM said:

Aug 14, 2021 17:43:28 GMT 12 Citroen said:

I fear that if I started to do what you've just done I wouldn't know how to reconnect everything, and would also find quite a few loose ends.

After swapping in and out a couple of AV amps and receivers, I finally twigged that the solution is to label every cable as input/output/device.

If you ever start from scratch again, I suggest you do this. Label every cable, in pairs, R-L is already obvious, you just need source and end, tape record & replay etc.

I used sticky paper labels cut to size, enough to roll around the cable near the plug - CD in, CD out, etc. - and wrapped with clear transparent tape, because sticky paper can unroll...

Either write on them once in place, or once you've figured out the size and how they will roll and overlap, even write on them beforehand.

For example - my first try, with just sticky paper tape, April 2010 in the old place, without unpacking the shelves of equipment below, just stringing/taping the cables up on the wall.

(ultimately unsuccessful - the paper tape unrolled and fell off, poor adhesive.)

Then, fully populated,

The brown signal cables are van de Hull silver plated MC D300 MkII, made up with generic plugs from a length I got in the 90's from a closing down sale of a store in Newmarket, Absolute Sound?

The story was that it had been a trade in, the previous owner had used that bi-amped for treble, tweeters, and the thick flat QED cable for bass. So I cut up the VdH for interconnects. The rest are generic.

At the time, but not now, I had a center speaker connected. Rears then were Richard Allan CG12 hung up by the ceiling in a large lounge. All long gone now. I used mains cable for those. Plenty of copper.

Then, later, I had to re-do it all again, the paper labels had fallen off, and this time I used stickier yellow paper and wrapped them with clear tape.

And, like sub, I took everything apart, out from the shelves, started over, labelled every cable, worked from the bottom up replacing everything.

This is the current set-up, peeking down the red velvet curtain. (The phonos at far right are unlabeled;- I know where they go - to a switch box between alternate turntables.)  Well, a work in progress.

I've no doubt that when I change amps again, finding the connecting cables will be much easier, now that they're all labelled.

Hope that helps! ;=})