Cables...?

[black sugar]

Generally speaking, how important is having high qualilty vs. mid or low quality cabling?

For example, does a 3' Mogami patch cable offer a noticeable improvement over a 3' Hosa patch cable? What about XLR's and snakes?

Any personal experiences you guys have would be great. I'm mainly concerned with the signal path from the mic to the computer, and from the computer to the monitors. Where do you reach the point of diminished returns?

I've always gone for the mid to high end ProCo stuff for cost reasons, but sometimes in a pinch I'll have to bust out the Hosa (the Cubase EQ of cables).

I'm willing to make my own cables (Mogami, Canare, etc.), but only if it can really make an appreciable difference.

 

[Daunt]

I have a link for you:

Cables, Interconnects & Other Stuff - The Truth

"Interconnects might sound different, but only if they use odd construction techniques. Generally speaking, all properly (sensibly) designed and well made interconnects will sound the same - excluding noise pickup which is common with unshielded designs."

 

[evildonkeymaster]

I know these are "audiophile" and not "pro-audio" cables but at a bargain price like this it is worth buying and fitting xlr jacks to it. Hell buy several pairs. I run these all the time...

http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=AAQEV8

 

[black sugar]

Cool. Thanks for the links, gents!

 

[Kazrog]

In my studio out of paranoia I don't fuck around anymore. All 24k Gold tipped Monster and Planet Waves cables. I have noticed a difference with unbalanced cables, not so much with XLRs though.

 

[A Gruesome Discovery]

I don't hear a huge difference in quality between cheap and fancy cables, but in my experience, the super-cheap ones (Hosa, et al) tend to fail much more often. I pretty much use Mogami exclusively now, because I've never had one even begin to crap out on me, and nothing's worse than trying to troubleshoot which one of your cheap-ass cables is causing that intermittent cut-out or static. I consider the extra $$ well spent if I can avoid another night of crawling into the dusty wasteland behind my patch bay with a cable tester.
On the subject of cables, specifically instrument cables, this article officially blew my mind: http://www.thestompbox.net/Home/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=1. Ok, maybe not, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[Skyweaver]

Planet Wave - expensive but the difference is noticeable.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

In my studio out of paranoia I don't fuck around anymore. All 24k Gold tipped Monster and Planet Waves cables. I have noticed a difference with unbalanced cables, not so much with XLRs though.

You bring up an interesting point: Wealthy people will spend $2000 on a dressy designer outfit when they could purchase a similar one without the fancy label for 1/10 the price. No one would be able to tell the difference unless they look up close at the material. But realistically you never really see the material that closely.

The same might be said about recording sound waves. You're going to spend a shitload on some super-duper compressor to give your splash that extra sizzle, but really who the hell is going to notice?

A-Ha!!! But wait!! Look back to the designer suit example: if I know that I'm wearing a $2000 designer suit, I might act a little bit more confident just because I know that I have top of the line shit. "Yeah, that's right, this is Versace, bitch!"...So perhaps just having the best cables could help in some indirect way, even if they really don't make such a big sonic difference. If nothing else, just having gold plated cables is one less thing to worry about in your signal chain.

 

[egan.]

I just build my own neurtrik/mogami 2549 mic cables. You can buy that cable for like $.65 a foot and it's great. Most cables use Neutrik connectors anyway and you can get those for $2-4 each (depending on the style and metal). IMHO Monster stuff is ok but overpriced for what you get.
Does the better cable make a difference? I think so but YMMV.

 

[Matt Crooks]

I just build my own neurtrik/mogami 2549 mic cables. You can buy that cable for like $.65 a foot and it's great. Most cables use Neutrik connectors anyway and you can get those for $2-4 each (depending on the style and metal). IMHO Monster stuff is ok but overpriced for what you get.
Does the better cable make a difference? I think so but YMMV.

I agree 100%. I bought a bumch of Monster cables when I first started the studio. Now I roll my own. I can't tell the difference between the two, except when I look at the bank account.

 

[egan.]

I have a link for you:

Cables, Interconnects & Other Stuff - The Truth

"Interconnects might sound different, but only if they use odd construction techniques. Generally speaking, all properly (sensibly) designed and well made interconnects will sound the same - excluding noise pickup which is common with unshielded designs."

Here is a slightly contradictory quote from the same article:
"In exactly the same way as the claims that there were "huge differences" were mainly false, so too are claims that there are none."

I understand the basics of his arguement but mostly he is addressing the claims made by esoteric audiophile manufacturers. I don't think anyone can deny the basic concept that better made, more consistant (in terms of gauge, metal purity, capacitance, etc.) cable generally result in a better conductor....
My point being that paying for high quality connectors and cable held to stricter QC standards is logical. The cables will generally sound better and last longer. It's also very different from argueing over whether teflon or PVC jackets sound better.

 

[SickBoy]

Planet Wave - expensive but the difference is noticeable.

Damn, I'm really out of luck...
I recently purchased one of Planet Waves' "circuit breaker" series cables and imagine what happened to me: the jack with the switch lost the tightening ring and now tends to open up by itself and loses contact! The first decent brand name cable and look what happens...

The packaging says "lifetime warranty" and there is some kind of form on their website to fill up for RMAing. Still, do I have to send it directly to them or should I return it to the store where I got it?

 

[Razorjack]

Damn, I'm really out of luck...
I recently purchased one of Planet Waves' "circuit breaker" series cables and imagine what happened to me: the jack with the switch lost the tightening ring and now tends to open up by itself and loses contact! The first decent brand name cable and look what happens...

The packaging says "lifetime warranty" and there is some kind of form on their website to fill up for RMAing. Still, do I have to send it directly to them or should I return it to the store where I got it?

I've got a planet waves cable that is very tempremenntal, they seem to be one of the worst of the 'name' brands out there.

 

[SickBoy]

I've got a planet waves cable that is very tempremenntal, they seem to be one of the worst of the 'name' brands out there.

Dammit, and I had to get their!
Well, there's no school like your own experience, I guess...

 

[kelch]

IMO the best bang for the buck is in Gold Connectors...

Cable plays a very small role in short runs, but every connection is a potential problem.

If you can roll your own with Gold Connectors, life will be good

Kelch-

 

[Lord Lurion]

I know these are "audiophile" and not "pro-audio" cables but at a bargain price like this it is worth buying and fitting xlr jacks to it. Hell buy several pairs. I run these all the time...

http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=AAQEV8

Ok, I now realise that you are joking LOL. Man, when I said "let's see these cables" and saw the 11700$ price tag i thought you were completely out of your mind!! But if they are for sale it means that there ARE people put there who buy these things. God I hate audiophiles with more money than brains.

 

[black sugar]

Haha. Yeah, I didn't check that link until this morning. I hear those cables sound better if you run them north-south. The east-west version is an extra $2000, so keep that in mind when planning your audiophile experience.

 

[Kazrog]

I've got a planet waves cable that is very tempremenntal, they seem to be one of the worst of the 'name' brands out there.

Weird, I've had a great experience with all of my Planet Waves cables. I'm also very skeptical about the article, because it contradicts my personal experience.

I have a friend who makes custom cables though, and he happens to be the singer/bassist of the band I just mastered, so he's going to pay me for the mastering in custom cables. Musicians in town have been raving about his cables, saying they are better than Monster or Planet Waves, so I'm excited about this, needless to say! I'll report back here with my findings, and if any of you are interested at that point, I'm sure he'd appreciate the business.