XLR and speaker cables: argh?

[nessli]

so many questions... where to begin?

hi, names Elliot, and im really impressed with this site/forum. looks real informative and friendly (so far.)

i need some answers, please, oh gurus

I have a nice mic, a neumann U87ai, and id like to get the best sound outta
it. What XLR cable should i get? Ideally, id like to see a list of brands and the reasons why, if you please. Seriously: why, and what?

aaaand i need to get some new cables for my monitors. i just learned about impedance (light bulb, evolution of monkey to man) and am now paranoid about my cables sucking. They're long, (oops) and i think they're guitar cables. (speaker cables come in 1/4 inch, right?) What's a good brand, and why? i know speaker cable carries a greater amount of signal, but does it look different than a guitar cable? does it come in 1/4 inch? what should i look for on the damn label that says: "yes, im a good cable, no, the best!" ?

AAAAAAAAAND: I'd like to get a new compressor. I'm looking at the Avalon 2044. Am i being completely foolhardy and irresponsible with my $? Can someone suggest more bang for buck, or perhaps have some useful criticism on the Avalon 2044?

I try so hard to fight the urge to have the best gear; its a fault of mine.

But thanks kindly!!

Elliot the Broke

[Stealthtech]

I tend to stick with the Monster Cable Prolink series.
They are expensive but are very reliable and well built.
Both XLR and 1/4 to 1/4 are available.

[nessli]

Hi and thanks. I always hear monster this and that,
but do you have any hard data that can verify a
cable's strength? and what about speaker
cables?

(i know that my monster guitar cables, while promoted
and hailed as some of the best, are actually quite
impeded. Something like a George L cable transmits
much more audio, brighter crisper sounds, at a quarter
of the price. I was wondering if the same deal was
with XLRs.)

Let me know if you know,

e

[Jeyan]

I use a neumann U87ai too and when you use that kind of quality microphone dont look for a bargain cable, stick on to monster. I've been using monster SP1000M30 for more than 2 years now and I am extremely staisfied with its performance. People say you can get the same quality in some other cables for less, I totally agree, but it is hard to find and trust most of the other companies.

[TexRoadkill]

With speaker cable there is no real difference in quality. Just get a heavy guage non sheilded copper wire. DO NOT use guitar cable because it is sheilded and will eventually damage your amp.

The differences in mic cable is highly debated. I usually go with a mid level cable like Horizon or ProCo. I find Monster to be horribly overpriced.

[tkingen]

Just last night I conducted a performance test with three types of mic cables...B.L.U.E. Blueberry, Monster 500, and a Rapco. The mics that were used were a TLM103, KSM44, KSM32, SM57, SM58, and an EV757. I found that all three cables sound different.

The Blueberry was very bright - almost like the hf peaks that you hear in some mics. Maybe they were trying to brighten up the Baby Bottle with it?
The Monster was very natural sounding. I felt that it was a true sounding cable. All the frequencies were present, I could hear space and it was pleasant.
The Rapco was so-so, but not crisp and more lo-fi sounding. Kind of a two dimensional sound if the Monster is considered three dimensional. Reminded me of going back to cassette 4-track recording.

Now, some people say that the Monster advertising machine is a bunch of hogwash and that you cannot tell a difference. I am saying that if you have a signal chain that can pick up the nuances, the Monster 500 is a better sounding cable.
As far as Mogami, Canare, and others? Haven't had a chance to try them.

Terry

[97reb]

Monster is a brand of cable and I was told I had a lifetime guarantee with mine. I really do like the quality. They are more money than most, but in the long run QUALITY is your best bet!

[nessli]

Now i know that twisted cable, instead of non-twisted, is the way to go. Also:
I have it on a very good recommendation that Star Quad is a very good cable because its a four conductor cable, as opposed to the usual 2 conductor balanced cables. anyone tried one of these?

i guess unless someone can tell me otherwise, Monster is a definite high ranking cable. For xlr maybe.

thanks for the list, dude!

[nessli]

After exhaustive research and testimony, I have the TRUTH on cables. Are you ready?

Heres the obvious:
Balanced cables are better than unbalanced because they cancel out EMI and other unwanted interference. They come with two conductors, one set out of phase from the other. EMI collects on the two conductors equally because they are twisted together. At the input of the connected device, (it must be a balanced input), a circuit cancels out the like (EMI on both conductors collect equally) and add together the difference (the out of phase audio signals).

in theory, the circuit rids the cable of all emi. unfortuately, that is not true. therefore, a cable is judged "better" on how much emi it can cancel.

NOW:
using this knowledge, cables that come with more conductors set out of phase do two things: 1) carry more signal, which get added together, and
2) eliminate more emi! There are cables out there with four or more conductors! Check out STAR QUAD, not a brand name really, but a kind of cable that can eliminate more than 10 dB of noise than a regular balanced cable like MONSTER.

So: use a stad quad kind of cable for your guitar connections, and especially your mic connection. And remember: shorter lengths of cables, even balanced systems, have less interference.

BTW:
ALL PRO STUDIOS use this star quad kinds of connections.

THATS THE SKINNY!! Just spreading the wealth, boys. Unless someone can refute this info.

Elliot