Premium XLR Cable for LD Condenser Mic?

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Queue

Active member
There's a thread over in Guitars and Basses semi-debunking premium instrument cables. I've seen a few threads here mention that a good cable WILL make a difference for microphones. So, the questions are:

Is it worth the premium price?

What's a good choice for premium XLR cable?

What's it going to cost me?

Which premium cables are premium BS?

Will it make a difference for a guy who is recording directly into his PC using a {insert favorite brand of Chinese LD mic here} jacked straight into {insert PC breakout box here}?

(In my case, a C1 and an Aardvark DirectPro 24/96)

Queue
 
A while ago, I read that one big difference between good and bad wire is that good wire keeps its functionality and good sound longer. In other words, although there's a difference in the sound, it's not the only difference, and maybe not the main difference. Apparently, because of the (expensive) chemical composition, some cable resists oxidation longer than cheap cable.

As for difference in sound, I think it might depend on your system. On my system, I can't hear much difference between Monster 100 and Monster 500, for instance, so I'm not gonna upgrade to Monster 1000, or any other premium wire.
 
Gidge,
You know I actually DID search first. Didn't find that thread or Ed's. Thanks.

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I remember that thread like it was yesterday...i racked my brains wondering what could be different in those clips....after all, at that point, i believed that "quality cables" were BS.......now I know that every step in the signal chain is important, and for cheapskates like me, making them is the way to go to get both quality and low price.....
 
I make my own cables using Canare cable and Neutrik connectors. It's a hassle doing the soldering, but I get high quality cables cheap.
 
Now I gotta go learn how to sodder properly... :(

But I'd much rather do that than spend a bazillion dollars on "Super Hyper Cable".

Queue
 
A lot of cable lore is pure horse manure, but I was relieved to find as a newbie to professional audio that an "expensive" microphone cable is ridiculously cheap compared to even the rock-bottom cheapest interconnects and speaker cables being hyped in the audiophile world.

Heck, the $50 B.L.U.E. Kiwi mic cables sound great to me and are good enough for some good-sized recording studios, but in the world of high-end audio equipment, cables aren't even considered "adequate" until you get into the over-$500 range. You guys are LUCKY that you're still talking about $50 versus $16.

A friend of mine didn't like the way his $6300 speakers sounded with his new $1200 French cables. He thought perhaps he should upgrade his $3800 preamp. I dragged an Adcom amp and a set of half-way decent Monster Cable hoses over to his house, and his speakers sounded just great. Really pissed him off, especially since I had bought the Monster Cables used from him about two years earlier. :-))

Mark H.
 
IMHO there is no greater example of Emperor's New Clothes in audio than in the area of cables.BTW,I just snagged a brand new Blue KIWI cable for $32 out the door,which is less than what Monster 100 (which I already have at home) would have cost me. It's all the cable I'll ever need.
 
Learning to "roll yer own" cables is a great money saver. I am amazed at the number of people who don't know how to use a soldering iron. As a matter of fact, I was in Home Depot today, looking for a new soldering tip. When I asked one of the sales people where they kept the soldering irons, he gave me a blank stare and took me to talk to a floor manager.

The floor manager asked me; "A what?"

When I explained to them what a soldering iron was used for, they were surprised. It was inconceivable that you could actually melt metal and use it to hold wires together.

Well eventually, my wife, who was browsing while I was being entertained by the staff, found the soldering tools and I bought a new tip.

I am beginning to believe that soldering is becoming a lost art.
 
Wow, Ray, where did you find it for $32? Was this a one-shot deal, or is it someone I could contact to get another? That's a GREAT price on the Kiwi.

Mark H.
 
Good point, Sonic. I'm not afraid to try my hand at soldering, I just don't want to screw up some perfectly decent Canare or Mogami cable while I'm learning.

Mark H.
 
Mark H.,
So you screw up....

Get out the wirecutters, and make that 20' mic cord a 19' mic cord. :D

I spoze it'd be prudent to get some sort of multimeter and check your work...

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You can get Canare Quadstar for like fifty cents a foot last time I checked. Mogami Quad mic cable was somewhere in the 60-70 cents a foot range. The only thing you need to worry about "screwing up" are your connectors. SWITCHCRAFT SWITCHCRAFT SWITCHCRAFT. Nice. Industry standard. $7 for a male and $5 for a female (XLR of course), but you can usually do a lot better than that if you look or haggle.

Slackmaster 2000
 
OK, I'm sold.

I'm interested in making my own mic cables using the cable connectors you're talking about, but I don't have much experience with a soldering iron. Is this something I can do or do I need a tutorial first? Can I just get some Canare Quad 4-conductor wire and 3-pin cable-end Switchcraft connectors and wire 'em up, heat up the connectors and apply the solder? Can I ruin the connectors with too much heat?

Also, looks like Markertek.com has the Canare Quad for about $.34/foot, and the Switchcraft connectors at around $2.40 each. Are these right parts? Do I need anything else (I've got a soldering iron).

Any guidance is appreciated!

-Niels
 
Niels,
You took the words out of my ...hands?

I'm fairly certain that you CAN ruin the connectors with too much heat.

Hopefully someone will point us to the "Making your own XLR Cables" tutorial. If it doesn't exist, maybe someone will make one. Hell, I'll make one as I go along, once I learn a few things.

For starters:

1. What type solder, and iron should I use?
2. Hmm, 4 conductor wire, 3 pin connector.... What to do with the 4th wire?
3. A related question. Is there a standard convention to follow? (Like black is always pin 1, and white is always pin 2...)
4. Soldering techniques... gotta go link hunting...

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All good questions. I was wondering about #3 specifically myself.

I did a quick Google search and figured I'd find tons of stuff, but no joy... I didn't look super hard since I'm at work and have other things to do this AM.
 
Duh! I should practice on the box full of cables I'm already not using -- sorry, guys, I wasn't thinking very clearly.
 
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