Word Clock Cables: the straight poop, please!

[Caldo71]

Okay, so I see this huge price differential in the cost of word clock cables: you can pay $5 for a Hosa word clock cable that is several feet long (several feet TOO long), or you can pay $50 for a 1.5 foot long cable from somebody like Apogee, Monster, et-al. There is no in-between. SO here's the questions I have:

1.) Is any word clock cable simply two male BNC connectors soldered to a piece of coaxial cable and the difference in cost is merely a reflection of the QUALITY of the components & workmanship, OR...

2.) Are the pricey cables actually some kind of totally different technology that merely LOOK like coax but have different "guts" altogether which are built to deal with digital transmissions of that type?

I EXPECT that #1 is the correct answer, plus some obnoxious name-brand markup. But the difference in price is so radical I had to ask just to make sure I wasn't doing something terribly wrong before I went ahead and built my own cables from Redco parts for next-to-nothing...

Cheers,
Adam

[kooz]

here:
Wire, Cable, and Fiber Optics - SBE Ennes Workshop

[quincyg]

#1

i think a high quality shielded piece of wire will run about $2 a ft and the connectors about $3 each.

check redco.com i'm sure they can make you some nice ones for $15 or so.

[chrisredco]

As long as you are using a piece of 75ohm coaxial cable and a 75ohm BNC connector on each side, your clock will work. We typicall y use Mogami W2694 fo rthese cables, which is realtively inexpensive coax that is very flexible. Others like Canare, Gotham, etc make comparable cables for this as well.

Don't overpay for these cables. This kind of voodoo is rampant. If you buy a premade cable and are not sure of the components used, you may not get a reliable cable, but sticking with the brands above will ensure a reliable, solid cable without a hefty price tag.

Chris Stubbs
Redco Audio

[Caldo71]

Originally Posted by chrisredco

As long as you are using a piece of 75ohm coaxial cable and a 75ohm BNC connector on each side, your clock will work. We typicall y use Mogami W2694 fo rthese cables, which is realtively inexpensive coax that is very flexible. Others like Canare, Gotham, etc make comparable cables for this as well.

Don't overpay for these cables. This kind of voodoo is rampant. If you buy a premade cable and are not sure of the components used, you may not get a reliable cable, but sticking with the brands above will ensure a reliable, solid cable without a hefty price tag.

Chris Stubbs
Redco Audio

It's funny: it was because I was perousing the components available on the Redco site that lead me to publish this thread in the first place...I suspected I was right about the huge bullshit factor involved.

Chris I'll call Redco later today and put an order together. Thanks for your straight reply.

[Neutrikconnector]

I was in a pinch one night and needed a fiber optic cable. My two options were Radio Shak, and Bust Buy. (yeah I did that on purpose)

Went to Best Buy- 6 ft fiber optic cable was $26. (Monster). Then they had a 6 Ft Home Theater Monster Cable for $79. i asked why this cable was $80. Something about better shielding and increased rejection of RFI.

Ummm. It's fiber optic. Not metal. Therefore not likely to become an antenna.

Gees.

Went to Radio Shack and found a clearance cable for $5.

[Caldo71]

Originally Posted by Neutrikconnector

I was in a pinch one night and needed a fiber optic cable. My two options were Radio Shak, and Bust Buy. (yeah I did that on purpose)

Went to Best Buy- 6 ft fiber optic cable was $26. (Monster). Then they had a 6 Ft Home Theater Monster Cable for $79. i asked why this cable was $80. Something about better shielding and increased rejection of RFI.

Ummm. It's fiber optic. Not metal. Therefore not likely to become an antenna.

Gees.

Went to Radio Shack and found a clearance cable for $5.

Yeah ever since Monster has reached that level of distribution where they have this line of cables that are readily available at Radioshack et-al, it's just become a case of blatant highway robbery based on name alone with little more offered in the way of cable heft. I realize they have their product lines that really are carrying a lot of copper, but I've cut into enough of those retail chain-echelon Monster cables to know that the only difference between them and the generic brands is the quadruple price tag.

[Bill Hambone]

Black Lion Audio makes high quality BNC cables for about $20. www.blacklionaudio.com.

[sonicdefault]

My best advice is to get the best WC cables you can find/afford. Of all the cable problems I've encountered, WC has been the worst. They can give off noise too. It's also good to try to achieve a workflow that minimizes the need for slaved devices, and overall length of your chain.


-SD