Microphone cables

  • Thread starter Thread starter Beathoven
  • Start date Start date
PT Barnum is still alive and well, and I do believe he works for an audio cable manufacturer.
Click to expand...

LOL...if not a cable manufacturer, he's in the music/recording industry SOMEwhere...that's for DAMN sure!

Excellent and informative post, Skippy. It's nice to hear from people who are not afraid to admit they can't hear some things. I can't say I've tried a comparison with studio cables and such but I DID go through the tedious, pocket book killer of searching for the magic guitar cable once and ended up not hearing a bit of difference 10 cable later.:rolleyes:

I'm very interested in this subject, though, because very soon I will be rolling some of my own and I'm trying to figure out the best bang/buck in cables, myself.



heylow
Rock Jedi/Indie Snob
www.heylowsoundsystem.net
 
Beathoven,

I use their Topaz x 2 "Hyperlitz." An excellent cable, plus it's one of their cheaper cable, but don't let price fool you. Audioquest does not sell junk. Some of their higher end cables can go for as much as $1500 per foot. A lot of their stuff is used in super high end home theater. The Topaz line is affordable! If there is one thing that can create havoc in audio, or for that matter, video, its bad cabling and ends. Monster cable is junk (wow...I catch a lot of flack for this one), but its true. I've never seen any Monster cable in 1/2 million dollar home theaters and there's a reason for it. The metal they use is not the purest, therefore the signal path is not the greatest...its as simple as that!

Lavoz
 
Yeah, I guess when I put in my 1/2 million dollar home theater I will be using the $1500.00 a foot cables!
 
Which one?

OK, I think I will go with AudioQuest.

I have narrowed my choice to 2 cables: The Copperhead (Perfect Suface Copper) and Sidewinder (Long Grain Copper).

Which one is the best?

Thanks in advance,
Beathoven

(P.S.: Is this the type of cable I need or I need the Speaker Cables?! Goddamn, too hard to understand for me... This is your job guys! :D )
 
Beathoven,

I'd go with Cooperhead. I currently use Topaz...an absolute great cable for the price...free! What you have to watch out for is the size of the otuer case...they have a tendency to be thicker then your normal audio cable. If your looking for ends, they have those too. Good luck!

Hey A1,

Try a higher quality cable on your home system...I'll bet you'll hear the difference. Heck, get hold of the Audioquest 18/4 "low end" speaker cable...your system will thank you for it...so will your ears.

lavoz
 
Beathoven,

I'd go with Cooperhead. I currently use Topaz...an absolute great cable for the price...free! What you have to watch out for is the size of the otuer case...they have a tendency to be thicker then your normal audio cable. If your looking for ends, they have those too. Good luck!

Hey A1,

Try a higher quality cable on your home system...I'll bet you'll hear the difference. Heck, get hold of the Audioquest 18/4 "low end" speaker cable...your system will thank you for it...so will your ears.

lavoz
 
Double blind test?

I'm one of those poor souls that can't hear the difference in cables (other than horizon or radio shack). I'm curious. In these cable tests, did everyone use the double blind method? Most people can hear a difference in cable with good vs. bad capacitance specs. But, once you get past a $1.00 a foot, it's hype.
IMHO.
Stan
 
"Monster cable is junk (wow...I catch a lot of flack for this one), but its true. I've never seen any Monster cable in 1/2 million dollar home theaters and there's a reason for it."

Monster's junk - yeah, yeah. It's like you never read Sonusman's or Skippy's posts above. I use Monster and it's not junk.

The fact that you've never seen Monster used in expensive home theatres proves nothing. Maybe the 1/2 million dollar home theatres you saw were put together by people with different opinions. It doesn't mean Monster's crap. Engage your brain.

Consider yourself flakked. Happy now?
 
make u'r own

heylow said:
Can you solder?

It's actually cheaper to make your own and you get your cables in custom lengths that way, too!
Click to expand...

Really... where do I get the cable and connectors at a decent price?
 
dobro,

I knew I should never of said Monster was junk...what I should have said; it wasn't a very good choice when considering price-points, performance and things like that. Heck, if you like Monster, great! More power to you, but there is a big difference between say an interconnect made with Monster, as compared to a Kimble and Audioquest interconnect. The fact is, Monster produces a lot of cable as compared to Audioquest, with that said I don't think they (Monster) are as concerned with the purity of their metals as is Audioquest. Ask them if they source their cooper here in the U.S., or outside. Them ask about the purity levels of the material...then compare those to a Kimble or Audioquest and see what you get. As far as "high end" home theatre...many of those folks are very keen to technology and will pay the extra $$ for quality...besides they also have lots money, but they don't piss it away. I've worked in radio & TV for more than 2-decades, I can't tell you how times an engineer would head down to the nearest Radio Shack for Something! Their arguement; what guy flying down the road at 65 will hear the difference if its a mic cable from Radio Shack, Horizon, or what have you! That's a discussion not worth getting into.

lavoz
 
I'm no cable expert, but here's something I got off the old Ask3d messageboard. I think I posted it before, but here it is anyway. Interesting, to say the least....

"In Reply to: Somebody tell me I'm not crazy . . . posted by John Wheeler on November 30, 19100 at 12:00:10:

At the risk of making a statement that is un-professional, I will do this anonymously. I feel the need to let you guys in on some info, as Monster makes my stomach turn knowing how bad they rip-off consumers.

I happen to have some inside information about Monster, since I am in the industry. First of all, they do not manufacture their own cable. They are only a brand name. Their cable is often manufactured by Belden or some overseas plant. These plants use basically the same materials they use on any other product.

The copper and plastic materials used by any manufacture comes from the same 5 or so chemical companies that manufacture the plastic material, with a few having internal capabilities. The copper also only comes from a handful of refineries. The difference between one brand and another is the choices of materials, design, manufacturing process and control.

Monster does not have some magic fairy dust dielectric or copper that lets you hear God at the other end. Although some of their cables are decent cables, they are not anywhere as magical as they make them out to be. In fact many years ago they had tried to convince someone that their cable had more high-end detail. When the cable was actually put under test, it was found that the cable had a greater amount of inductance. This rolled off the low end, causing an apparent boost of high end.

I also happen to know how much it actually costs to make these types of cables, and I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing they can do that can make their cable cost 3 times to 6 times as much as other brands.

Please do not waste your money. There are plenty of good designs out there that are as good or better than Monster. Look to true pro-audio brands like Belden, Mogami, Gepco, or Canare. Stay away from the Kimber Kables and Monsters of the world. They only exist to take advantage of what people do not know."

Gulp.
 
What about blue mic cables?

Eric

P.S. - I just wanted to mess around with the color feature.
 
Camus - yeah, I read that post when it hit 3daudio too, and I don't remember anybody taking serious issue with it in any convincing way. I think that, taken with a grain of salt, it's probably more or less true. And if it's true, it means that Monster's overpriced. It doesn't mean, however, that their cable's crap.
 
>Look to true pro-audio brands like Belden,

:eek:

I've seen plenty of crap from Belden. And some decent stuff.

I don't think I overpaid for my monster cables. I bought Monster 100 and I've carried it around with me on location. It's good cable. Sure- If I were buying a heap of mic cables, I'd probably go with a roll of Mogami and some Neutrik ends and do it myself, but I don't believe the results would be better than Monster 100, only cheaper.

Now monster speaker cable? I'm not sold at all on that.
 
Cables

Well I think most of you here know MY opinion on cable... I just thought I'd open my mouth this time to say: "Can you send my cables back, Ed?":D
 
1 quick question...

I ordered my 200 ft of cable and neutrik connectors... but i have one (important) question to ask before it all arrives... How is it supposed to be connected? Will any lead work or do i need a special, hi-fi sottering lead (sp?) Anyone know these answers or a site that has them? Thanks
 
Guys, unless you have RF issues, you can often dispense with quad for home/studio use. Cheaper to use 2 conductor, and often it sounds a bit clearer, if you can hear the diff. Compare respectable two conductor stuff (Mogami, Canare) to Monster and even if there is a difference, I doubt it will justify the cost to do your entire rig. If you do hear a diff and it matters to you, maybe just get a few key cables for your essentials before the first preamp gain stage. I think there's better ways to spend your money than expensive cable, but it's your money and not mine.

Bear
 
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