Good XLR cables

[Doozer]

Where is a good place online to buy 3' to 5' XLR cables. I would like a quality cable for going from preamp to recording deck. I don't want the cables to be the weak link but they also don't need to be the most expensive available.
Thanks, Rick

[audioisgood]

I like redco.com You can custom build all kinds of cables and snakes.

[bassnote]

I would always say to make your own cables - you order the conectors therfore you know that they are what you want, you order the cable therefor you know what type it is! And at the end of the day - when the cable goes wrong there is only one person to blame, and thats yourself...

[Remoteness]

I agree, making your own cables keeps you in the loop on what kind of quality you're dealing with.

[cooker]

Is it possible to make an xlr cable from something like these?

http://www.cableresearchlab.com/imag...slvrspkrlg.jpg

If yes, since I have to order 2 cables and divide one of them(for ground?), when the xlr cable is ready, what should I use to cover the extra cable to avoid noise?

[roonsbane]

Those look like speaker cables, so the answer would be no. You are looking for either 3 conductor or 4 (quad) conductor cable and you need to have either a foil wrapped or mesh wrapped shield around the 3 or four conductors. Quad cable should be wired so that two conductors are wired + and two wires - . In mogami terms they would be two whites and two blue. Shielded cable would make a terrible speaker cable (it could even start a fire) and the opposite would be true. Using speaker cable for mics would provide no shielding for RF. Look into purchasing a roll of Gotham, Mogami, or Belden Microphone cable and wire them yourself. Keep in mind, though quad cable does have some advantages, Jensen and I suppose other transformer companies DO NOT recommend using them with splitter transformers.

Cameron.

[themaidsroom]

Originally Posted by bassnote

I would always say to make your own cables - you order the conectors therfore you know that they are what you want, you order the cable therefor you know what type it is! And at the end of the day - when the cable goes wrong there is only one person to blame, and thats yourself...

i agree
it is a form of meditation
i have known great peace
while soldering




be well


- jack

[roonsbane]

I need to make some long (Roughly 100') 5 pin to 5 pin XLR cables using Quad cable. I use these for stereo mic setups with breakout 5 pin to two 3 Pin XLR Y cables on each end. Shield is shared between the two mics but this has never been an issue yet. MPR has several of these for running stereo mic setups and it works great! Better than the stereo Mogami cable that I have which is just too stiff and doesn't lay as nicely. This will be wired like the cable supplied with my stereo Royer SF24. I have gotten very used using this cable, so much so that I was going to make some to keep with my remote rig. Here is the question: I was going to try the Gotham cable that is so highly recommended. I cant tell which would be better for this. GAC-4/1 or DGS-4/1. The guy at Redco said that DGS-4/1 cable is snake cable but that doesn't agree with what the Gotham web site says. Any opinions? Anyone know the best place to buy Gotham cable in the states?

Thanks
Cameron

[Bob Olhsson]

America's Broadcast | Pro-Audio | New Media Supply House

[roonsbane]

Hi bob,

I had already looked on Markertek's web site According to their brand search, they do not carry gotham cable. Any other ideas. Are you saying they do carry them?

Thanks!

Cameron

[Omicron_9]

Greetings.

I make my own, using parts sourced from redco.com. Mogami and Neutrik, usually. Learn to solder and make your own! Usually will be the best quality cables you'll have.

Regards,
-0.9

[ghellquist]

Originally Posted by roonsbane

GAC-4/1 or DGS-4/1. The guy at Redco said that DGS-4/1 cable is snake cable but that doesn't agree with what the Gotham web site says. Cameron

I use the GAC 4/1. It has a double shield and is intended for mic cable use.
GAC-4/1

The DGS has single shield and is labled as installation cable.
Installation cable

Gunnar

[tsvisser]

when luke skywalker went to go beat down pops, he didn't buy his light sabre premade online... he made it himself.

are you a jedi or are you an ewok?

(the light sabre wasn't wired with speaker cable either, i'm sure it was some ninja triaxial foil over braid stuff)

[Bob Olhsson]

No they don't that I know of although its worth a phone call to ask because they build custom cables for lots of the top facilities.

I always bought Gotham cables from Leo's Pro Audio in Oakland CA.

[roonsbane]

Yea! I have made all of my own cables. Even the dsubs for my ATI. I have always made them using mogami in the past. That's why I need to know where to buy the Gotham bulk cable which I would like to try. I will call Leo's Pro Audio in Oakland CA. Thanks for the info. Anywhere else?

Cameron

[Barnabas]

Originally Posted by roonsbane

Shielded cable would make a terrible speaker cable (it could even start a fire) and the opposite would be true. Using speaker cable for mics would provide no shielding for RF.

Just because a cable is shielded does not make it a bad speaker cable. It's because most shielded cables are smaller wire gauge (thinner) than typical speaker cable that they should not be used. Running an amplified signal through a small wire can indeed cause the wire to overheat and melt the insulation. Shielded speaker cables should be fine if you have the correct wire gauge.

[roonsbane]

Barnabas,

I respectfully think this is bad advice to be giving.

As a rule of thumb. And this should be a fairly hard and fast rule. Musicians who play any instrument that needs to be plugged in need to here this: DO NOT USE STANDARD SHIELDED GUITAR CABLE ON SPEAKERS. There may be exceptions to this rule, but this is a very dangerous game to be be playing. I have seen for myself, speaker cables very warm to the touch, on many gigs as both a player and engineer. Back in the early nineties I used to work in a rental house and I witnessed many problems caused by buttheads doing this. Before that, I remember one of my audio electronics teachers pointing out the similarities between the heating coil in your toaster as compared to a shielded speaker cable with that much current going through it. It's a pretty easy rule to teach people to unscrew connectors to see if the cable is shielded. If it is, don't use it to connect speakers. On the other hand I cannot recall ever tracing RF in an audio system to a lack of a shielded speaker cable. Instead, it should be recommended that people use the heaviest gauge untwisted cable that you can get. It won't help with RF but it will keep your signal loss to a minimum.

Cameron

[Barnabas]

I agree with all of your points.

Guitar cables or other shielded instrument cables should never be used as speaker cable. I saw the insulation drip off one when it got too hot.

I've seen people use unshielded speaker cable that's smaller gauge than my mic cable. When it comes to speaker cables it's size that matters not the presence of a shield.

I agree that all musicians should be trained to identify their cables. Shielded cable connects to the instrument and unshielded cable connects to the speaker. Most musicians are not dealing with unusual cabling situations, so this message should suffice.

Most people do not realize that more and more power cables that feed our gear are shielded. Take the time to read the fine print on the cable.

I think that we are going to see more and more shielded cables in the future, so teaching wire gauge will become more important.

[AnAverageJoe]

Why is it that Pro Studios use XLR Cables that are different colors? Where do you get the cables?

[DCtoDaylight]

Originally Posted by AnAverageJoe

Why is it that Pro Studios use XLR Cables that are different colors? Where do you get the cables?

Mogami and Canare make cable in different colors, and you can either order it from their distributors or specify color when you have a place like RedCo make your cables for you.

Color-coding can be handy in lots of situations. Short vs. long; mic-level vs. line-level; sends vs. returns; mic #1, #2, #3; preamp #1, #2, #3, synth #1, #2, #3, etc. Helps with quick identification of plugs, and also with troubleshooting when something starts acting wonky. Or it can just look cool!

[AnAverageJoe]

Originally Posted by DCtoDaylight

Mogami and Canare make cable in different colors, and you can either order it from their distributors or specify color when you have a place like RedCo make your cables for you.

Color-coding can be handy in lots of situations. Short vs. long; mic-level vs. line-level; sends vs. returns; mic #1, #2, #3; preamp #1, #2, #3, synth #1, #2, #3, etc. Helps with quick identification of plugs, and also with troubleshooting when something starts acting wonky. Or it can just look cool!

ok I understand. Thanks for the help!