CABLES & WIRE IMPROVING SOUND

[JOHN]

Hi People

1. Do better and more expensive wire and cables improve sound when used with recording equipment?
2. Do the leads need to be burnt in?
3. What type of cable would you recommend?

Cheers

[orange]

yawn....asked (and answered) many times

do a search.

[GYang]

Originally Posted by JOHN

Hi People

1. Do better and more expensive wire and cables improve sound when used with recording equipment?
2. Do the leads need to be burnt in?
3. What type of cable would you recommend?

Cheers

Well, let me summarize for you:

1. Yes, but not proportionally. Means you can get very good results with mid priced cables (as Mogami) if you buy bulk and do some soldering works by yourself. Next step could be Zaolla (I am really very satisfied with them and slowly replace Mogami on critical interconnections).

2. No idea, even don't know what does it exactly mean.

3. Mogami for analogue and Canare for digital. Both high-end quality on almost consumer price. Zaolla for DB25 snakes and summing, mixing, mastering interconnects.

There are many exotic, expensive cables, but in my room on ADAM and PMC monitors in quite well treated space I couldn't hear any improvement, so don't see any real reason to support opinions about 'higher resolution' or 'more analogue sound' of esoteric brands (except Zaolla that is not cheap, but still not too expensive).

[Bat Head Sound]

I'm a big fan of the Zaollas myself. I find that they clear up the upper-midrange and their build quality is top notch (the connectors are incredible).

[Bat Head Sound]

Originally Posted by JOHN

1. Do better and more expensive wire and cables improve sound when used with recording equipment?


Cheers

I have to agree with GYang on this one. The quality of the cables that you use does make a difference, but only to a point. For example, a Monster guitar cable does make your guitar rig sound better than it would if you were using generic "Brand A" GC cable, as does using Mogami or Zaolla compared to Hosa. However, there does reach a point when cables become stupidly expensive compared to the change (if any) in sound quality, take the Alessandro Instrument Pro guitar cable (20 feet for $2,000).

[jdunn]

Monster can be great for cancelling noise on a guitar amp, but that's all I use it for.

You might consider using some high quality cables at your most critical points, such as between converter and mixdown machine, etc... I like the Nordost for AES/EBU, it's not cheap.

Or if you're overdubbing, it can't hurt to invest in one or two really good mic cables, and really good line cables for that whole signal path.

Actually stay away from Monster for your mic cables and balanced line runs. They do some weird stuff that affects the impedence at different frequencies. I don't like that.

[dirk]

People with a professional attitude don't use AB tests but use ABX tests.

I could never hear the difference between the 2000,- euro/meter stuff and the 2,- euro/meter stuff in a ABX test.

[tubehead]

Entire "Major" studios have been wired with Mogami; remember A&M studios?

[Bat Head Sound]

I just brought up "Monster" to make a point, not to say that someone should use it, just to say that it is better than some other cable brands. Personally, I use Zaolla and Mogami cables and have been extremely happy with their performance.

[Boby Stoica]

..any link for this Zaola thing, guyz?

[transfiguration]

Zaolla

[jomo1234]

Definitely look into the Gotham Audio cabling. They make a wonderful product and if you're handy with a soldering iron you can save an enormous amount of money by assembling the cables yourself.

[fuzzface777]

mulderaudio.com

[SiliconAudioLab]

Originally Posted by tubehead

Entire "Major" studios have been wired with Mogami; remember A&M studios?

Like mine.

[pvanscherpe]

I have pulled all the Mogami XLR mic cables from my system due to the microphonics that they were creating and have replaced them with Belden 1192A Brilliance cables that I assembled. The cables have not been making any noise and I have been very happy with them. I recently took apart a Monster XLR cable and was very disappointed that the cable was not of a twisted pair construction and give it to the local community theatre.

[SiliconAudioLab]

Hmmm...which Mogami number?

[Falken]

where do you all buy your xlr, TRS, and 1/4" connectors? what should one be looking to spend in order to retain say 9/10 quality?

[pvanscherpe]

I buy my bulk cable from ******//www.westlake-electronic.com and my connectors from ******//mouser.com/. I use Neutrix xlr connectors and everything else is Switchcraft. Though I did just order the new design of Switchcraft XLR connectors from Sweetwater for a very good price. You might be able to find better pricing than Mouser but the quality of the Neutrix and Switchcraft products are not in doubt.

[oceantracks]

Go here:

******//www.theaudiocritic.com/cwo/Sample_Articles/

Click on "The Ten Biggest Lies In Audio"

Read about cables


TH

[dbbubba]

You can get A3Ms and A3Fs for $1.99 each from Markertek if you ask.

All of the bitchin' ass discreet consoles from the late '70s and earlier had hundreds of if not thousands of feet of cable in them and it wasn't Mogami or Monster or any boutique (sp?) brand. It was Belden most often (I'm not sure what is in a Neve though.)

Belden is fine.

The way I see it...
You have to have a LOT of other stuff in order before worrying about cables.
Unless you are using crap.

To me quality and durability is most important.
I use Switchcraft almost exclusively.
Nuetrik XLRs come apart easily in the field, but I have seen countless numbers of their XLR connectors fall apart due to the plastic aging and becoming brittle.
I have Switchcraft XLRs that I have used and re-used for THIRTY YEARS and they still work!

Danny Brown

[Falken]

Originally Posted by oceantracks

Go here:

******//www.theaudiocritic.com/cwo/Sample_Articles/

Click on "The Ten Biggest Lies In Audio"

Read about cables


TH

did you write that?

[oceantracks]

Originally Posted by Falken

did you write that?

No, just a long time fan of the Audio Critic...

I think when people are selling 3 meter lengths of cable for a couple thousand dollars (not a typo) the world needs articles like this

TH

[SiliconAudioLab]

I LOVE this part: "The digital O's & 1's (in digital recording) are inherently incapable of being distorted in the signal path"

Sooooo...umm digital eq/compression/reverb etc...does nothing? ALL converters are the same?

[dirk]

Originally Posted by SiliconAudioLab

I LOVE this part: "The digital O's & 1's (in digital recording) are in herently incapable of being distorted in the signal path"

Sooooo...umm digital eq/compression/reverb etc...does nothing? ALL converters are the same?

Did you have a brainfart Silicon?

[SiliconAudioLab]

No dirk but Peter Aczel, (the writer of the line I quoted) apparently did.

Only someone with a full-blown aneurism would think he’s right.

[dirk]

Digital works with 2 voltages: 0 and 1

It does not go higher than 1 and lower than 0.

We are not talking about signal prosessing, but inputs and outputs.

[SiliconAudioLab]

Yes I know we're not talking about signal proc. My point was that when running digital signals through problematic cables or converters, those & 1's & 0's become extremely susceptible to distortions/jitter/phase time freq. drift-delay.

In addition when we REALLY want to manipulate those 1’s & 0’s they’re quite malleable (as in DSP or converters etc...).

1's & 0's can't change who they are, but WHEN they arrive? Quite another story.

Take your cheapest 200' cable - run a digital AES signal through it with them 1 & 0's. If you think it sounds cool then....

[dirk]

Originally Posted by SiliconAudioLab

Take your cheapest 200' cable run a digital AES signal them 1 & 0's through it and if you the sound, cool.

So you need 200" of cheap cable for the digital signal to go corrupt?

[Matt Syson]

Originally Posted by SiliconAudioLab

Yes I know we're not talking about signal proc. My point was that when running digital signals through problematic cables or converters, those & 1's & 0's become extremely susceptible to distortions/jitter/phase time freq. drift-delay.

1's & 0's can't change who they are, but WHEN they arrive? Quite another story.

Take your cheapest 200' cable run a digital AES signal them 1 & 0's through it and if you the sound, cool.

RG58 or whatever video coax can be pretty cheap but if correctly terminated can be excellent.

The important aspect of digital interconnects is to minimise reflections so the cable must be impedance matched and correctly terminated to get the highest quality. Think 'video cables' (for SP/DIF) or correct 110 ohm twisted pair for AES/EBU. This impedance level was chosen for a reason, in that it is a realisable specification for real cables in a 'typical' installation. If you use 50 cent interconnects with 'phono' plugs from your Hi Fi shop you will get disappointed when the going gets tough.

In the good old days mixer manufacturers used cable that was small, easily worked and cheap when bought in quantity.
Matt S

[SiliconAudioLab]

Originally Posted by dirk

So you need 200" of cheap cable for the digital signal to go corrupt?

No, dirk 1' & 0's are totally incorruptible - remember? So use them coat-hangers w/ shaved ends. It's all good.