$13 Cable Really Any Better Than $3 one?

  • Thread starter Thread starter guitar-dave
  • Start date Start date
ive used expensive cables and cheap ones. and found a lot of it is marketing imho. it really depends on the cable. the only way to know is to try them.
as long as you dont use ratty cables....you should be fine.
frankly i often make my own patch chords.
 
There is a bigger difference between $3 and $20 cables than there is between $20 and $100 cables.
 
Thanks guys,

Ive been wanting to make my own cables for a while, but I cant find any good sources of components in the UK who sell cable via the metre, I currently can't afford £60 for a 100m reel of cable.
Can anyone link me to an FAQ about cable uses, and impedance. I know guitar cables are different to mic cables, but are all the following the same?

Mic Cables
Insert Cables
Patch Cables (preamp - PC)
Speaker Cables (the ones with jack plugs not banana plugs)

Cheers,
Dave
 
cables are different

Check out this link: http://www.rane.com/digi-dic.html

Mic cables are "balanced" which in simple terms means that they have 2 conductors and a shield: +, -, and ground (earth in the UK). Often they have three-pin XLR connectors, and sometimes TRS (tip-ring-shaft) 1/4" ends that look like "stereo" phone plugs as used on headphones.

Insert cables are typically cords configured in a "Y" with a TRS at the single end and a standard ("TS") at each end of the legs. The tip of the TRS is a "send" and the ring is a "return" while the shaft is ground/earth. These are used only in gear that requires insert cables, typically mixer channels.

Patch cables can be anything that allows you to connect one piece of gear to another so that signal flows: for analog equipment, the term generally means single conductor w/shield cable, terminated in TS or RCA plugs. I have seen the term used for RJ45 connections, Toslink optical, and so on, so the context determines what is actually being referred to.

Speaker cables are the same, whether terminated with phone plugs or banana plugs: they are 2 conductor wires of a large size without a separate shield or ground/earth.

Read what's on the Rane site: it'll make everything a lot clearer.

And, oh yeah: to answer the original question, the rule of thumb is that more expensive cables have better and more durable plugs on the ends that are more robustly attached to the cable. This is the reason people say, "Buy cheap, buy a lot; buy dear, buy once."
 
Cool, thanks for that.

I am used to using all those cable types, and know their uses/ connections. The problem I am having is making my own cables, I dont know what cable to use.

I have always been told not to use instrument cables as mic or send/return cables and vice versa. This is because instument cables (such as guitar cables) are different inside. With guitar cables it is more important to have a low capacitance cable than a low resistance, but mic cables need to be low resistance. So, internally, are mic cables, balanced cables, headphone cables etc all the same?

If I bought a reel of Beldin? or Van Damme cable, could I use it to make mic cables, inserts, headphone extenders, phono interconnects etc?

Cheers,
Dave
 
guitar-dave said:
If I bought a reel of Beldin? or Van Damme cable, could I use it to make mic cables, inserts, headphone extenders, phono interconnects etc?

Cheers,
Dave
Click to expand...

I doubt if you could hear any diff. between Belden and Van Damme. I prefer Van Damme because it is very flexible but you have to pay a bit of a price premium.

IMHO the whole issue of cables reminds me of the old childrens tale "The Emperors Clothes".

Tony
 
Would Belden cable be suitable for all of these uses though (obviously with thr correct connectors):

Inserts,
Mic Cables,
Interconnects,
Headphone Extenders,
Balanced Connections.

Cheers,
Dave
 
Farview said:
There is a bigger difference between $3 and $20 cables than there is between $20 and $100 cables.
Click to expand...
Yes, about $80 difference.

Ed
 
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