RCA caps (dust caps or noise blockers) - hifi jewelry reviewed. Shiny! 

You and me both, you and me both :D

Where can I find caps for HDMI? IS RJ45 CAPS available on Ali? I bought AQ 1 set , but they are just TOO EXPENSIVE

@@ZEN_X999 Yes AQs are very very expensive for what they are. The only ones I saw for hdmi and usb ver just regular plastic dust caps

They change the sound if you have shorting plugs with centre pin shorted to ground like on your counterpoint pre amp, usually it's the phono input that's shorted to eliminate noise but I shorted all the unused inputs on my pre amp as I only use the phono stage, it sounded different maybe blacker silences but sounded more constrained and the sound collapsed back into the speaker enclosures. I started with one input then kept adding them and noticed with each added it increased the effect. So by all means short an unused phono input but leave it at that, or experiment it's cheap enough

Input terminals that is. Do not short the output ones :)

@@k4syx Should have put that. : )

They are physically shielding input pole. These are made from metal so they are working as a shield for electromagnetic interference. Physics, that's why we're making metal enclosures for electronics. The effect is miniscule and I've been able to hear anything only with my AVR which has sh*load of unused inputs and outputs.

@@k4syx very interested you are hearing a change without shorting centre pin to outside ground. The ones in the video appear to be just a cover that slips over the ground. As I understand from your reply is each input terminal is acting like an ariel and EMI AND RFI are being picked up and covering it is like shielding a cable?

@@staceymangham yes exactly. The cover closes the shielding around the input. Effect is miniscule, but with many, many inputs and outputs shielded like that I can hear it. Though I wouldn't recommend getting them if you have only a handful of inputs. That is unless you want cheap shiny dust caps ;)

Hi! I'm not using any network devices (not a big fan of streaming). I've tested some gigabit Ethernet to fibre optic converters with my R26 DAC but that was just out of curiosity (there's video on that)

@@k4syx Well yes that's for the long distances and I think to be avoided. But how can you be not a 'fan' of streaming? In 2024? Perhaps your internet in the UK? is not that good? But even than, you can never beat the content of streaming anymore today. Another topic? 🙂

@@onnonugteren2935 I'm old fashioned as I like to own the things I've paid for. Streaming gives me access to great music library, that's a plus, but at the same time I am dependant on the streaming company success: they fail, my music collection, my playlists are gone. I also have a problem with hardware streamers: any change in codec and you're left with expensive paper weight. Look at all these bd players that boasted Picassa and RU-vid support. It's been ten years and I can just laugh at nice icons in the menu of my 752BD. If you're lucky your device will be supported and upgraded for 3 to maybe 5 years and that's it. On the other hand I completely understand the need to grow, the need for new, better streaming standards and protocols, I wouldn't like to be stuck with 90's 128kbps MP3s. So all in all, lossless FLAC or DSD, local copies. Streaming - cool, when I'm on the move, to discover new music. But then I will buy a file version of my discoveries :)

@@onnonugteren2935 (I have 500mbit down and 250mbit up land line and 5G mobile connections so that's not the case. More like on general principle that I've explained above)

@@k4syx Yes I fully agree on that you have to trust the streaming industry. But I hope and foresee the near future that it is crystallized now and to my experience to a very high level now. I did trust recently Lumin streamers and their dedication towards high end streaming and it is not made in China! China I would unfortunately never trust and at all I find your topics about fakes very much lets say 'two sided'. These fakes are an economic warfare too towards expensive American and European brands. So I would never really invest to much into the Chinese economy if it comes to high tech.

"Why can you"?

Plastic one would be a dust cap only. Metal one works as a shielding for center pin which carries audio signal when used and can work as EMI antenna when there's nothing connected. Also, do not underestimate power of shininess! ;)

@@k4syx pure snake oil lol

@@MasterofPlay7 cheap though. So doesn't exactly fit the bill in my book: snake oil should be expensive like in EXPENSIVE :)

Yes I've linked to them in the description. You can also probably get them via eBay

They don't really short anything unless you have some bare wires hanging in the back of your amp AND some bad luck. All in all - cheap jewelry that kinda works en masse - like skeletons in Heroes ;)

They're not shorting caps - there is no centre contact. I use shorting caps on my inputs and dust caps on outputs.

@@k4syx I thought they were shorting caps. Shorting caps MAY have a good effect on unused inputs depending on the topology of the device. The may work well on unused phono stage inputs.

@@razisn yes, exactly. That's why I think it works on my AVR which has tons of open inputs

Nah I didn't touch anything else, to lazy to take it out just to plug some caps ;) It's not about noise like in hiss you can hear with bad, bad amps when idle. It's more about that subtle feeling of black, clean background if you know what I mean. With quieter background small, delicate details of f.e. string instruments sound more vibrant, there's more microdetail. It's easy to hear with my electrostats but also AMT/ribbon tweeter speakers are good for this. Obviously this works only for well recorded music, for most pop, rock, fast & loud, compressed music it doesn't really matter. In this particular case effect was miniscule and I could hear it only with my AVR which has tons of unused inputs (I think I've counted 30. Or was it 50? It's in the video). It made _no_ difference with my main rig, but there was 3 RCAs not used in total (1 in DAC - coax input - and two line inputs, one for each of my power amps)

@@k4syx I do know what you mean ... but the problem is there are a couple of dozen, more likely, reasons why you got that sense of depty all of a sudden. And none of them have anything to do with little gold caps on your rca connectors. Knowing how paranoid some audiophiles can be about "noise " and "RFI" one of the more likely explanations is that you suddenly weren't as concerned about it. But, hey, If you're happy that's what counts.