How important is cable quality?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Obstacle1
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Obstacle1

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Just wondering how important cable quality is. I'm trying to figure out what my signal chain weakness is thats all.

Secondly, can anyone tell me why the 'master out' on a mixer is a better output that and RCA Tape Out?

Thanks
 
Cable quality can make a difference, as can cable length in some cases. I think the cable issue is also cumulative. In other words, if you don't have a lot of cables you can get away with lower quality. But if you have a big studio with tons and tons of cables, then using high quality cables can make a difference.

The master out and tape out should sound identical.
 
The master out and tape out should sound the same, but the master out will probably be balanced and maybe +4. The RCA will be unbalanced and -10.
 
My DAT machines connect to my Yamaha console through Hosa snakes, which I think are decent quality, as do the preamps to the DAT machines. However, I don't use high quality mic cable to connect mics to the pre's, and Ive always gotten what I think is a good sound. Of course, I haven't tried really nice mic cables... perhaps I should invest and see the difference.

I have good cable running from the XLR main outs of the mixing console to my monitors though - maybe I'll swap em to do a test recording and listen for a difference. Let ya know later tonight!
 
Obstacle1 said:
Just wondering how important cable quality is. I'm trying to figure out what my signal chain weakness is thats all.
Click to expand...

Even without knowing you or anything about your setup, I can tell you the weakest link: Your loudspeakers and room. Work on those before you worry about cables. :D

Seriously, even really expensive speakers are doing well if they're flat within 5 dB from 40 Hz to 20 KHz. Most rooms are even worse varying by 30 dB or more just in the bass range. Now compare that to the cheapest POS cable you can buy at Radio Shack. Kinda puts it all in perspective, yes?

--Ethan
 
the only problem i have with cheap POS cables is that they break.

they break and you are sitting there going FUCK! WHY WONT IT WORK! infront of like 5 dudes that wanna rock out and make a recording, which then results in you looking like you dont know what you are doing (well, i had them for a lil while anyway :) )

thats why i make my own cables, and it honestly doesnt cost me much more than the cheap ones do, but i have to put several hours in once and a while to make em up :) a long, drawn out and tedious task that is...

like ethan said, your room and monitoring setup is probably much more of a fault than your cables.
 
Importance in Sound on a scale of 1-10:

10 - Room

09 - Interface

08 - Microphone

07 - Pre-amps

0.5 - Cable Quality

;-)
 
I recently read that there is a lot of mythological hype about expensive cables (low oxygen, etc). The article pointed out that cable manufacturers say their cables have better frequency response, etc. Until you get into the RF bandwidth, far beyond audio frequencies, copper is copper. The real difference in quality will be the shielding and connectors. If you aren't going to be doing a lot of reconfiguring connections or moving them around, or stepping on them, etc, inexpensive cables will probably get you by. On the other hand, for live work, or if you make constant changes in your setup, you may want to invest in high quality cables. Just beware, many name brands are overpriced and overhyped.

Digital cables do need to be good quality..again due to the high frequency digital signal they carry.
 
Some people tend to overstate the importance of better cables, while others underrate them. The truth in my opinion is that the differences are there, but the primary difference is in longevity and shielding like a couple of people above mention. If you are interested, you can send me a PM for a price quote. I sell quality cables at a fair price. I no longer make my own once a found a way to buy cables for only 25% more than the cost of the parts. My time is worth more than the cost difference to me, and I do not solder as well as the cables I get are so it was a bit of a no brainer to me.
 
in my experience cables don't matter too much, but an adapter can f things up quite a bit.

not sure why.
 
Soundmind?? said:
Digital cables do need to be good quality..again due to the high frequency digital signal they carry.
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Digital is 0 and 1, the cable just needs to be good enough to pass the signal such that a 0 is not interpreted as a 1, or vice versa. You'd need one hell of a lot of noise/degradation to corrupt digital audio signals. Data protocols like USB and Firewire are more susceptable, but any cable that carries the USB or Firewire Logo have been independently qualified to the minimum standards, so a $5 cable will be the same as a $50 monster cable.

As far as analog cables. A good guitar cord will sound noticebly better than a cheap one because it's a high impedance, unbalanced signal. Which makes it more susceptable to noise and distortion, especially with longer cables. A mic cable/signal will be much more robust due to balancing and low impedance sources. You would need a hell of a long cable run to hear much difference. The advangtage of premium cables here is that they are more mechanically rugged and last a lot longer. Debugging your signal chain for an occasional cracking sound from a cheap cable with a cold solder joint is one of the most frustrating things ever. Same thing goes for line level cables, since they too are balanced and even more so because the signal levels are much bigger (higher signal to noise ratio).
 
reshp1 said:
Digital is 0 and 1, the cable just needs to be good enough to pass the signal such that a 0 is not interpreted as a 1, or vice versa. You'd need one hell of a lot of noise/degradation to corrupt digital audio signals.
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This is true, but you have to remember that the data is sent at frequencies in the Mhz range. If cable capacitance can affect stuff in the audible range (kHz), it will sure screw up the strength of a MHz signal.
 
reshp1 said:
Digital is 0 and 1, the cable just needs to be good enough to pass the signal such that a 0 is not interpreted as a 1, or vice versa. You'd need one hell of a lot of noise/degradation to corrupt digital audio signals. Data protocols like USB and Firewire are more susceptable, but any cable that carries the USB or Firewire Logo have been independently qualified to the minimum standards, so a $5 cable will be the same as a $50 monster cable. .
Click to expand...

I mostly agree, except to say I don't think there is a difference between digital audio signals and any other kind of digital signal. It's all 1s and 0s.
 
I know for a fact that the only real difference in cables is the connectors. Like was said before, until you get up into the Rf band, copper is copper. The only thing I would caution anybody about is to use the right cable for the right application.
 
TimOBrien said:
Importance in Sound on a scale of 1-10:

10 - Room

09 - Interface

08 - Microphone

07 - Pre-amps

0.5 - Cable Quality

;-)
Click to expand...

I mostly agree, except that IMHO ignoring SoundBlaster POS hardware, interfaces should fall somewhere around 3, and #9 should be "placement", and everything should be shifted down by one because "source" should be at the very top of the list.

The order, IMHO, is something more like this:

*source
*all aspects of the room (treatment, electrical grounding, EM noise level, etc.)
*microphone placement
*microphone selection
*preamp
*interface
*ambient temperature and humidity
*phase of the moon
*number of virgins sacrificed by your producer
*color of the lava lamp in the corner
*number of buttons on your shirt
*number of illegals on the payroll
*number of homeless people living under the steps outside
*odor level in the fridge
*number of species of mold and bacteria producing said odor
*cable quality.
 
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