Question regarding cables (which to use?)

[MrTangent]

In your experience what's the best cables to chose from in terms of
build quality and most importantly sound quality (and that are
reasonably priced)?

I'm setting up a decent home studio (Macintosh+Digi 001/Pro
Tools+various synthesizers+etc.) and I'm doing some research on what
cables to use. The cables will be hooked up from various synthesizers
to the Digi 001 or Mackie mixer, for the most part, with the
occasional cable strewn between the Digi 001 and Korg Oasys and other
outboard gear.

So far I've read a little about Hosa, Pro. Co and Monster Cables.
Monster Cables seem to be the best as far as impedance, overall
distortion and that sort of thing but are obviously very expensive. I
was considering buying their 500 line of 1/4" cables.

I've used various really cheap (Radioshack) cables in the past and I'm
tired of the cables cutting out due to cheap connectors and so on.
I'm not going to be recording the highest fidelity sound (it IS a home
studio after all) but I do care about the overall sound quality and
lack of distortion.

Your opinion, plus names of cables, reviews, links to reviews or
places to buy from are very appreciated.

Is there a place that reviews cables? I'd like to find a place, if
so.

I'll probably be buying mostly 1/4" cables but I will need a good XLR
cable, an optical cable and maybe a SPDIF and RCA cable or two. I'm
not interesting in making my own, although I have experience in
soldering and doing that sort of thing.

Thanks in advance!

[Ethan Winer]

Tangent,

> Monster Cables seem to be the best as far as impedance, overall distortion ... I've used various really cheap (Radioshack) cables in the past and I'm tired of the cables cutting out due to cheap connectors and so on. <

Yes, cheap cables are no good, but expensive cables like those from Monster are a waste of money. Cables do not add distortion, and cable capacitance is a factor only if they are very long. Any standard-length cable that costs more than $20-30 is a rook in my opinion.

--Ethan

[TexRoadkill]

ProCo and Horizon do the job for me. Avoid cables with molded ends as they are hard to repair. Look for lifetime warranties so you can exchange them if they go bad.

I'll second Monster being way overpriced.

[MrTangent]

Thanks Ethan/Tex. I think I'm going to go with Pro Co's Excalibur series. They seem to be decent enough and look pretty sharp (sadly, the aesthetic man in me cares about looks to an extent).

[littledog]

If you're in this for the long haul, you should seriously consider starting to "roll your own". You get better quality cable at a far cheaper price when you buy bulk Mogami, Canare, or Belden wire with Switchcraft or Neutrik connectors. And if you are talking about wiring up a whole studio, the savings start to get really significant. Plus you can make the cables exactly to your specifications (length, connector type, etc.)

So go pick up that Weller soldering station (with variable temp control) and start practising!

[lyonhard]

Lil' Dog is right, rolling your own has it's advantages but you have to be REALLY serious about this because you have to know how to solder and avoid "cold solder" joints, and stuff like floating Grounds, but once you've mastered that the savings grow exponentionally with each cable.

Monster is good because if you return with just a section of cable with the "Monster" Logo on it they will replace the whole cable. (I've always wondered what you could do to a cable that would leave only a 2" section ) But it's like cable insurance in case of catastorphe.

I've had some luck with the radio shack gold line but I do have a problem with paying so much for a RS product.

RS = "Really Sucks"

Lyon