DO quality cables really matter?

[Herr Joachim]

Don't know if it's the best link, but headfi.com has as detailed guide on how to make your own interconnects. Here
Quality cable and plugs are very affordable. Canare starquad, belden 8412/8413 are some cables that are considered very good quality,
and also neutrik and canare plugs. The site has links to stores that carry the materials. Hope this helps.

 

[hilarypaprocki]

Funny you should mention this

Funny you should mention this. I'd defaulted to Mogami for many years but just the other day tried this stupid blue mic cable that was a store giveaway, and it cured the dullness and unpleasant boomy bass in a mic I was using.

I guess my position is that you do have to try a few different cables. You can say it doesn't make a difference but what do you say when it does?

 

[Dr ZEE]

You can say it doesn't make a difference but what do you say when it does?

You say: "It makes a difference."

 

[Dr ZEE]

I stumble on this thread, don't post here much but i'm interested in making my own cables. I have alot of experience doing wiring on cars so i figure making cables would be pretty simple compared to soldering under dash boards and whatnot. I tried to search but so many people seem to make their own cables that I didn't find much in the way of actual information. Maybe i just don't know where to search. What cable do you recommend and what brand connectors. Right now i'm using alot of hosa cables among some other brands because they are readily available when i need them. I can defineatly vouch for them crapping out on you, even in a home studio environment where they don't move much. I've had some that have lasted forever and some that only last accouple of months. They are cheap enough to replace but as my equipment has expanded, it's become more of a pain to get to. I'm not looking for top quality cables and connectors, just something that is high quality and a good bang for the buck. My equipment doesn't really justify breaking the bank on cables, i even have a few :gasp: behringer pieces . I like the idea of being able to have custom length cable also because that will clean things up. I need mostly trs connectors so my first batch will probably just be trs cables and then go from there. Any recommedatons would be great. Sorry for the long winded post, and i know it's come up before, i just couldn't find much.

Not as 'advice' ('cos I don't have any comparing experience with many different brands), but to share my personal experience. I once purchaced couple rolls of Pro Co cables and bunch of Pro Co 1/4 plugs, some rca(s) couple others... but mostly to make 1/4"-to-1/4" cables of custom length. I bought it in local music inst/equipment store. Well, ProCo(s) worked and working great for me. But then again... I'm the guy who's pretty happy with HOSA(s) as well ...and my Main mixin' console is Behringer mx8000 ... (actually it's the only Behringer gear in my cave, but it's a big one ) ... so, you know, my expectations maybe not so high.
If you are OK with soldering gun, then making cables would not be so hard for you. You can simply open up some existing cables and see how they are made... and just try yourself ... no big deal. But cable making does take time and I've found it to be painfully boring, especially if you have to make allots of them... pain in tha'neck really.
Herr Joachim's link! .... some nice photos there Speaking of which... funny, I tell you, no matter how I try, but when making bunch of cables I have ended up in such situation a few times ..lol, with the difference that I actually soldered it ...and I don't drink when playing with the gun

 

[Herr Joachim]

If the response was addressed to my post, i must say i'm not certain what sort of comment to make.
Perhaps the giveaway was simply a good cable. Perhaps there was some sort of impedance issue or other defect with the Mogami cable?
I did not intend to advocate expensive cables by posting in the thread. My personal experiences tell me that cables yield different sound.
When people are willing to spend lots of money on preamps, soundcards, converters etc., shouldn't they make sure that the entire
signal chain is somewhat balanced, and locate the problem instead of laying down large sums for a preamp to make up for a
poor sounding room or loss of quality through cable runs?
Let's take SonicAlbert's example with the bass guitar.
If they were to make a recording that day using the bad cable, tracking through (high $ preamp) instead of a dmp3 most
likely wouldn't refine the sound more than sticking with the dmp3 using the good cable. Of course the faulty cable could be just right for the song.
I think gear needs to be exceptionally low quality if more or less properly functioning to ruin a great performance.
I immensly enjoy lofi recordings by people like Neutral Milk Hotel, Microphones, Loren Connors, Guided By Voices and many others.
If they were to be recorded with a slick boyband production it'd not support the spirit of their works, and raise a question of authenticity.
The role of music and art in general is not sensual pleasure. Then a bottle of perfume or dish of food could be considered art.
On the other hand providing people physical pain doesn't have any place in art, so a limiter/compressor or some other factor that prevents tinnitus-inducing
sounds is needed either way. About time to apologize for rambling off-topic..
About the cables. Copper has the highest conductivity, 2nd silver, then gold, if i remember correctly.
Copper should give the most accurate reproduction of a signal, while gold and silver might often sound better by dint of the way they
colour the signal like equipment can. Also, i mentioned those cables and plugs since boutique cables are often way overpriced and some manufacturers
deliberately degrade the quality of some of their cables by adding resistance to have different grade products. Bottom line: Do what Hilary said, try some
different cables if you're not satisfied with the sound.

 

[Herr Joachim]

You say: "It makes a difference."

Nice one, Zee.

 

[SonicAlbert]

My main objection to the HOSA cables is the molded ends, or any cable with plastic molded ends for that matter. They tend to break more easily and are not fixable.

Regarding buying a great cable for your Texas Lady (which I assume is a guitar or bass or something, not an actual human), I think the key would be to get the sortest cable that is practical. My bass player friend felt that the better tone came from using a shorter cable as well as a better cable. That said, he only uses that Monster cable on his bass now.

 

[Dr ZEE]

Regarding buying a great cable for your Texas Lady (which I assume is a guitar or bass or something, not an actual human....

She's THE Guitar ... and She's an actual human

...I think the key would be to get the sortest cable that is practical. My bass player friend felt that the better tone came from using a shorter cable as well as a better cable. That said, he only uses that Monster cable on his bass now.

hmmm, I'd say the shortest 'practical' for me would be 10' or so... sometimes I have to step away from the cones a bit.
The cable I was using since I remember for both Strat and J-bass is Fender 10 foot (it came with the Strat)... never thought before about "tone improvement via cable" ... I may try that monster gold 'monster rock' some day.
thanX for suggestion

 

[easychair]

Herr Joachim-

Silver, copper, gold is the correct order for those three.

Silver is the best conductor of heat and electricity, but expensive and scarce.
Copper is second. Cheap, widely available, almost as good as silver.
Gold is third, is expensive, but does not tarnish easily. That is really the reason gold is used.

Silver, gold, and copper are the Noble metals. They all are excellent conductors of heat and electricity. They are also very malleable and ductile.

Conductivity (relative to silver)

Silver 1.00
Copper .95
Gold .65

As far as the effect each has on sound, I will leave that to those who think they hear a difference.

Cable resistance has a minimal effect on sound, if the circuit impedance is correct, and you aren't talking about a power circuit. After all, the resistor, with the capacitor, are two of the most basic components in electronics. If resistance had a bad effect on audio, we'd be sunk.

Capacitance has the most affect on cable performance, coupled with the impedance characteristics of the circuit. And it is not changed on purpose to provide different grades of cable, but rather cable with lower capacitance can be more expensive to make. Other design factors also add to cost. Shield construction, jacket material, connector quality, etc.

I agree with your bottom line, though. Try a bunch of stuff until you are happy.

 

[Dr ZEE]

As far as the effect each has on sound, I will leave that to those who think they hear a difference. .

Hearing a difference may be predetermined or simply triggered (initiated) by feeling the difference. So even thou one may feel no difference at all during some time, but there will be no way to escape starting feeling the difference upon arrival of the next credit card bill. And THEN! - then, in order to keep yourself from going completely insane, you BETTER start hearing something

I know, I'm being an a*s

/respects

 

[talontsiawd]

If you are OK with soldering gun, then making cables would not be so hard for you. You can simply open up some existing cables and see how they are made... and just try yourself ... no big deal. But cable making does take time and I've found it to be painfully boring, especially if you have to make allots of them... pain in tha'neck really.

Oh, i'd say i pull out a soldering iron every weekend for some misc project whether it be a car stereo install or just messing with some device in my car. I've done way more tedious things than what i assume making cables will be. I spend probably 20 hours switching all my stock dash lighting to led's which is defineatly a bitch to do. I've also had to replace a ribbon cable on an lcd moniter and had to solder 6 wires within .5mm of eachother without them touching. Took me about 2 days to get it right so a cable will probably be nothing. I'm sure it won't be exciting though.

Thanks for the advice you guys on connectors and cable. I'm a big do it your self type of person. I never take my car to the shop, never pay for any installation of anything unless it's way over my head, etc. To me it's the same thing for me as an oil change. Sure i can take it somewhere and get it done in relitively the same time as doing it myself. It's not even the money, it's the time but being cheaper is always good. It would be cool to do the same with cables, just start making them instead of driving out somewhere and wasting my time and gas driving when i could just pull out a soldering iron.

 

[dgatwood]

My main objection to the HOSA cables is the molded ends, or any cable with plastic molded ends for that matter. They tend to break more easily and are not fixable.

I don't know about those cables, but I've seen an awful lot of connectors that look ike molded plastic ends but aren't. I recently bought some XLR plugs designed specifically for some ultra-thin mic cable. You slide a black plastic back over the cable, solder the wires to the jack, then screw the black plastic onto the metal piece.

The plastic back contains a center piece with teeth that grip teeth on the metal part, thus twisting an inner tube, which constricts as it twists. Thus, the act of screwing it together ends up tightening down a strain relief that isn't obvious from casual observation. The result is something that looks almost indistinguishable from a molded plastic back until you try to unscrew it.

No idea if that's what the HOSA cables use, but I just noticed I have a cheap MF cable that has the same kind of end on a full-size cable. You might find that what appears to be one-piece molded back is actually a screw-on back.

BTW, any end is fixable. In the worst case, it involves a pocket knife and a replacement end.