Structured Wiring Between Rooms (Permanent Snake?)

[Suntower]

Hi,

I dunno if this is the right forum, but basically, I'm looking to make some 'snakes' that I want to use in my home. Like most middle-aged musicians and serial killers, I live alone. I pretty much record in every room. So what I end up doing is dragging long XLR cables all over the place.

I've already wired most of the rooms in a 'structured' way for Cat-5 (under the house in a crawl space), so I have wall plates in each room. I'd like to expand on this and do what they have in 'real studios'... ie. have XLR wall connectors and run balanced cable in the same channels with the twisted pair. One room will need 4 channels, most will need 2.

I'd like to start with 3 rooms. The runs would be, respectively:
-60' (2 channels)
-75' (2 channels)
-20' (4 channels)

And IF POSSIBLE, though this is NOT a deal-breaker, I'd like to have a stereo headphone connector in each room so I can have a monitor mix.

And IF I WERE ASKING FOR THE MOON, I'd also want one unbalanced (1/4") jack for plugging in a geetar, rather than having to drag around a DI box... But I have no idea how that would be possible without $$$$$.

Now, I can go on-line and get 3 Hosa snakes for these respective rooms for prox. $260 and do it ugly... ie. simply run them under the house, then have the breakout end sticking out of the wall.

Then there is the 2nd problem: 'multing' them all together to a single A/D converter box. Are there 'patch bays'? Can I simply 'y' channels together? (with the 100% assumption that I would -never- have two of the same channel connected in different rooms at the same time---I live alone, remember.)

So... I'm sure a zillion people have already done this for fancy 'home theatre' stuff, but I need to do this on a starving artist budget. I can solder. So...
1. I need a design.
2. I need sources for parts.

Ideas?

TIA,

---JC

[jhbrandt]

JC,

You can 'Y' them together as long as you never use them at the same time.. otherwise you should run all of them to a patch-bay.

If you run any cables under the house, you should place all the wiring in a sealed conduit. -- Story: Way back in my Nashville days, I was called by one of my old clients in Berry Hill to look at the mic lines that had 'gone dead' or sounding 'funny'.... long story short - We found that mice and other rodents had been eating the cables that were strung hither and thither in the attic above the studio rooms.

Get some 8 channel snakes and conduit & DU IT.

Cheers,
John

[Suntower]

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, I ran into that with the Cat-5. I had an exterminator tell me that there is something about 'EMF' (his expression) that rats just -love-. Dunno if that's true or not, but I already have conduit I can fish through.

I have an 8 input A/D box and perhaps the simplest thing would be to run 4 ins from the drum room, 2 from another room and 2 from the 3rd.

I guess what I'm interested in is...

1. Where does one get wall plates which are fitted for XLR connectors? I know where to get the -connectors- for 19" racks, but are there wall-plates for XLR like there are for RCA jacks used in home theatre?

2. Is it better to just get some cheap snakes and cut off one end and solder the terminals to connectors or should I buy bulk cable and do separate runs?

But then... how do I get a headphone mix out to each room? Is there some low-dollar way to send a MIC amp signal to all 3 rooms? My understanding is that headphone outs are hi-z and thus limited to prox 20ft, right? How do 'the pros' handle this?

---JC

Originally Posted by jhbrandt

JC,

You can 'Y' them together as long as you never use them at the same time.. otherwise you should run all of them to a patch-bay.

If you run any cables under the house, you should place all the wiring in a sealed conduit. -- Story: Way back in my Nashville days, I was called by one of my old clients in Berry Hill to look at the mic lines that had 'gone dead' or sounding 'funny'.... long story short - We found that mice and other rodents had been eating the cables that were strung hither and thither in the attic above the studio rooms.

Get some 8 channel snakes and conduit & DU IT.

Cheers,
John

[Ironbird Studios]

Originally Posted by Suntower

1. Where does one get wall plates which are fitted for XLR connectors?

Let me google that for you

[Suntower]

First of all, it's worth the apparent shame to say...

1. That site is one of the silliest... and yet most strangely compelling things I've ever seen on the web. Thanks!

2. I went to a couple of music sites and searched for just those words and it didn't come up. I didn't think to just 'google' those words.

Weird.

Cheers!

---JC

Originally Posted by gee_lo

Let me google that for you

[grindx]

If you are going to put in conduit, don't use snakes. The outer jacket makes the cable larger and costs more. Run individual shielded pairs.

See here
Single Pair Shielded Audio Wire Analog AES/EBU Digital-Welcome to Clark Wire & Cable

Pre-punched XLR wall plates.
WallPlates

[Suntower]

EXACTLY what I think I'm lookin' for. THANKS!

FWIW: I got a number of private msgs which were both -very- helpful... and also somewhat dismissive of my searching skills. :D Sorry if I have tunnel vision. But once I knew what to look for, I found a TON of true 'pro' dealers who could help. Thanks to -everyone- who has responded.

Now... The last piece of the puzzle:

How to handle a long stereo headphone amp run to 3 rooms?

Anyone? Go ahead show me how easy it is to find this! I can take it. :D

---JC

Originally Posted by grindx

If you are going to put in conduit, don't use snakes. The outer jacket makes the cable larger and costs more. Run individual shielded pairs.

See here
Single Pair Shielded Audio Wire Analog AES/EBU Digital-Welcome to Clark Wire & Cable

Pre-punched XLR wall plates.
WallPlates

[Rick Sutton]

Originally Posted by Suntower

Now... The last piece of the puzzle:

How to handle a long stereo headphone amp run to 3 rooms?

If you are using a real power amp to power your phones an effective and very cheap cable is 12/3 or 14/3 AC extension cord. My main runs use them and then I distribute out to lighter cabling from there. Got them at Home Depot on sale for little $.

[Suntower]

Interesting. I woulda thought AC wire would induce a certain amount of noise over that distance.

OK, so next stupid/noob question. When you write "If you are using a real power amp", what qualifies as 'real'? I assume you don't mean those little Behringer or ART gizmos, right? Is it a certain wattage RMS I'm looking for? If so, what will it take to drive a set of Beyer Dynamic 880's 75feet? Do I run the risk of using too -much- power and blowing the cans?

TIA,

---JC

Originally Posted by Rick Sutton

If you are using a real power amp to power your phones an effective and very cheap cable is 12/3 or 14/3 AC extension cord. My main runs use them and then I distribute out to lighter cabling from there. Got them at Home Depot on sale for little $.

[Rick Sutton]

Originally Posted by Suntower

Interesting. I woulda thought AC wire would induce a certain amount of noise over that distance.

OK, so next stupid/noob question. When you write "If you are using a real power amp", what qualifies as 'real'? I assume you don't mean those little Behringer or ART gizmos, right? Is it a certain wattage RMS I'm looking for? If so, what will it take to drive a set of Beyer Dynamic 880's 75feet? Do I run the risk of using too -much- power and blowing the cans?

TIA,

---JC

Using a 14/3 extension is way over the top for extending a headphone feed from a power amp so noise is not an issue. I'm talking a real amp here not a "Beh" solution imitation amp.
I don't know your phones specifically but I can tell you about my situation. I use 600 ohm AKG K240M phones driven by 3 Crown amps. 2 of the amps are approx. 150 watts per side and the 3rd amp is a d75 at 35 watts per side. I use the bigger amps for the main feeds, including power for the drummer and bass and the smaller amp is used for fill in for singers, acoustic players etc. I've blown as many phones on small amps as I have on large amps so the power available isn't as big a factor as you might think. Do some searching here and you'll find that the clipping of smaller amps is probably more damaging than the clean output of a larger amp....but I'm kinda neutral on the subject when it comes to phones. The D75 can thump the phones pretty good.
My experience at other studios with the small "headphone amps" with just a couple of watts has been awful and i really don't understand why anyone would consider them acceptable, unless you are using 8 ohm phones with the inherent limitation of the of number of cans on the line and you really don't care how much the kick drum clips the drummer's cans. If you ONLY need one set of phones on the feed the situation is different.

[Suntower]

Now, we're gettin' somewhere... (I think?)

OK, so I -do- have an old 75W/side power amp with a single pair of stereo outs to drive stage monitors. Now... Again... NOOB question...

Do I wire the multiple headphone outputs in -serial- or -parallel-?

IOW... Do I daisychain the headphone outs from one room to the next like christmas lights...

OR do I make separate runs all from the same 'master' connector @ the power amp output?

THANKS!

---JC

Originally Posted by Rick Sutton

Using a 14/3 extension is way over the top for extending a headphone feed from a power amp so noise is not an issue. I'm talking a real amp here not a "Beh" solution imitation amp.
I don't know your phones specifically but I can tell you about my situation. I use 600 ohm AKG K240M phones driven by 3 Crown amps. 2 of the amps are approx. 150 watts per side and the 3rd amp is a d75 at 35 watts per side. I use the bigger amps for the main feeds, including power for the drummer and bass and the smaller amp is used for fill in for singers, acoustic players etc. I've blown as many phones on small amps as I have on large amps so the power available isn't as big a factor as you might think. Do some searching here and you'll find that the clipping of smaller amps is probably more damaging than the clean output of a larger amp....but I'm kinda neutral on the subject when it comes to phones. The D75 can thump the phones pretty good.
My experience at other studios with the small "headphone amps" with just a couple of watts has been awful and i really don't understand why anyone would consider them acceptable, unless you are using 8 ohm phones with the inherent limitation of the of number of cans on the line and you really don't care how much the kick drum clips the drummer's cans. If you ONLY need one set of phones on the feed the situation is different.

[Rick Sutton]

Originally Posted by Suntower

Now, we're gettin' somewhere... (I think?)

OK, so I -do- have an old 75W/side power amp with a single pair of stereo outs to drive stage monitors. Now... Again... NOOB question...

Do I wire the multiple headphone outputs in -serial- or -parallel-?

IOW... Do I daisychain the headphone outs from one room to the next like christmas lights...

OR do I make separate runs all from the same 'master' connector @ the power amp output?

THANKS!

---JC

All parallel connections. No need for separate runs from the power amp, just use solid connections that continue from room to room. Using wire that is several guages larger than necessary minimizes any signal loss issues over long lengths. I use junction boxes in each room with terminal strips inside to daisy chain the different runs so I can add new legs to the system easily. The junction boxes also have a pair of phone outputs on them that allow access for individual phones or a drop box.

[Muser]

I have just been through a bunch of research but I'm in the UK.
however the links might be of some use.

These are just examples of what you could find.
maybe this entry won't last, so copy it while it's here.
I can't remove references from the links, so...

I'm opting for using 25way D-sub connectors on 8 way multicores.
you could use 2 D-types on a 16 way. This is using 24 pins in the Tascam T-Diff configuration wiring scheme.. I've included sommers wiring diagram.

my reason is that, it's far easier to disconnect a D-sub and just attach a rewired box than it is to have to deal with connections that have been hard soldered.
if I wasn't going to use D-type I'd have gone for terminal connectors wired to the XLRs in the wall boxes and just tinn the ends of the multicore and then screw them into the terminals connected to the XLRs in the wall box.

these links have all the relevant data. might be good to print it all out.. I did.

you could also use PVC semi flexible piping to hold your underfloor multicore, so it's protected from rodent attacks.. should help when running the multicore through too I guess.

might also be a good idea to run a good ground cable from a central point.
that can help eliminate ground loops while keeping the system protected.
hit up that ground with any remote amps or equipment that might be trying to find ground via it's mains cable and the other ground through the multicore.

LIST

XLR to D Sub Break out BoxSolution Boxes - BB-D8
XLR to D Sub Break out BoxSolution Boxes - BB-D8 - Proleads
Sommer Wiring diagrams - RECTANGULAR AUDIO CONNECTOR SYSTEMS 25-PIN (D-Sub / D-Type)
Wiring diagrams
Pro Leads
Audio Solution Boxes - Proleads - Professional Leads & Cables


Clever and simple - Features screw terminal eliminating the need for soldering.
http://www.proleads.co.uk/shop/image...al%20block.gif
3-way PCB mount terminal block. 16A rated. = 10 for 15 pence each
Connectors and Cables
Also see the cheap D-connectors just below the terminal pins if you want to go 25 way D-connectors.

SPACE SAVING MIC/WALL BOX 8/16 way This "Toblerone" Wall Box takes up far less space
"Studiospares" Wall Box 16Way at Studiospares
Budget Jacketed 8 Pair Multicore Cable = £1.80 per meter
"Studiospares" Studiospares Budget Jacketed 8 Pair Multicore Cable at Studiospares
or 16WAY for £2.90 .. all pre vat UK prices
"Studiospares" Budget Jckt 16 Pair at Studiospares

Precision XLR Fe Chassis Black - XLR connectors themselves can be found cheaply too.
"Studiospares" Precision XLR Fe Chassis Black at Studiospares


Also, good mains cable is often ok for a feed from a power Amp to a speaker.
if you have a 110volt power cable in the US then a 2 amp 110volt rated mains cable would be equivalent to 2 X 110.. 220 watt.
13 amp would handle a killowatt ok

[jhbrandt]

Originally Posted by Suntower

.... Do I daisychain the headphone outs from one room to the next like christmas lights... OR do I make separate runs all from the same 'master' connector @ the power amp output?

JC,

Rick was describing a professional studio headphone system - as used in LA, Nashville, & New York... and elsewhere.

*The headphone amps are usually racked with the power amps to the main speakers, alts, and studio speakers.
*The output of the headphone amp is first routed through two, 50-100 watt, 10 ohm resistors. This provides short circuit protection for the amp.
*After the protection resistors, the line is daisy chained through the facility.
*The connectors used in the studio panels are male XLRs.
*The headphone boxes have both male and female XLRs parallel so that the boxes can be chained from one panel connection.

The passive boxes are wired according to the attached drawing.

Cheers,
John

[Suntower]

Thanks! I'm -really- liking the 'modularity' (if that's a word) of this concept.

I've now got a sense of how to do this fairly cheaply---but in a way that I won't have to redo.

I know it might seem overkill to some, but the key thing for -me- is speed... ie. I want to be able to pick up a guitar and -record-. If I have to take 10-15 minutes to schlep cables around..well, that may be 10 minutes too long... and the idea is gone. Also, this is my -house- so I don't want to constantly be worried about tripping over stuff.

Cheers!

---JC

Originally Posted by jhbrandt

JC,

Rick was describing a professional studio headphone system - as used in LA, Nashville, & New York... and elsewhere.

*The headphone amps are usually racked with the power amps to the main speakers, alts, and studio speakers.
*The output of the headphone amp is first routed through two, 50-100 watt, 10 ohm resistors. This provides short circuit protection for the amp.
*After the protection resistors, the line is daisy chained through the facility.
*The connectors used in the studio panels are male XLRs.
*The headphone boxes have both male and female XLRs parallel so that the boxes can be chained from one panel connection.

The passive boxes are wired according to the attached drawing.

Cheers,
John

[Suntower]

Nice. This is definitely worth researching. I like the idea of having a single D-sub wall plate on each wall---rather than separate XLR patch panels---in each room. I think I could deal with moving a single breakout box between rooms---that wouldn't be onerous at all. And then later building others as the need arises.

The only thing that would make it -totally- sweet would be if that multi-core cable could support headphone strength signals (so I could run just a single cable for -everything-.) But maybe that's asking too much?

THANKS!

---JC

Originally Posted by Muser

I have just been through a bunch of research but I'm in the UK.
however the links might be of some use.

These are just examples of what you could find.
maybe this entry won't last, so copy it while it's here.
I can't remove references from the links, so...

I'm opting for using 25way D-sub connectors on 8 way multicores.
you could use 2 D-types on a 16 way. This is using 24 pins in the Tascam T-Diff configuration wiring scheme.. I've included sommers wiring diagram.

my reason is that, it's far easier to disconnect a D-sub and just attach a rewired box than it is to have to deal with connections that have been hard soldered.
if I wasn't going to use D-type I'd have gone for terminal connectors wired to the XLRs in the wall boxes and just tinn the ends of the multicore and then screw them into the terminals connected to the XLRs in the wall box.

these links have all the relevant data. might be good to print it all out.. I did.

you could also use PVC semi flexible piping to hold your underfloor multicore, so it's protected from rodent attacks.. should help when running the multicore through too I guess.

might also be a good idea to run a good ground cable from a central point.
that can help eliminate ground loops while keeping the system protected.
hit up that ground with any remote amps or equipment that might be trying to find ground via it's mains cable and the other ground through the multicore.

LIST

XLR to D Sub Break out BoxSolution Boxes - BB-D8
XLR to D Sub Break out BoxSolution Boxes - BB-D8 - Proleads
Sommer Wiring diagrams - RECTANGULAR AUDIO CONNECTOR SYSTEMS 25-PIN (D-Sub / D-Type)
Wiring diagrams
Pro Leads
Audio Solution Boxes - Proleads - Professional Leads & Cables


Clever and simple - Features screw terminal eliminating the need for soldering.
http://www.proleads.co.uk/shop/image...al%20block.gif
3-way PCB mount terminal block. 16A rated. = 10 for 15 pence each
Connectors and Cables
Also see the cheap D-connectors just below the terminal pins if you want to go 25 way D-connectors.

SPACE SAVING MIC/WALL BOX 8/16 way This "Toblerone" Wall Box takes up far less space
"Studiospares" Wall Box 16Way at Studiospares
Budget Jacketed 8 Pair Multicore Cable = £1.80 per meter
"Studiospares" Studiospares Budget Jacketed 8 Pair Multicore Cable at Studiospares
or 16WAY for £2.90 .. all pre vat UK prices
"Studiospares" Budget Jckt 16 Pair at Studiospares

Precision XLR Fe Chassis Black - XLR connectors themselves can be found cheaply too.
"Studiospares" Precision XLR Fe Chassis Black at Studiospares


Also, good mains cable is often ok for a feed from a power Amp to a speaker.
if you have a 110volt power cable in the US then a 2 amp 110volt rated mains cable would be equivalent to 2 X 110.. 220 watt.
13 amp would handle a killowatt ok

[Muser]

Originally Posted by Suntower

Nice. This is definitely worth researching. I like the idea of having a single D-sub wall plate on each wall---rather than separate XLR patch panels---in each room. I think I could deal with moving a single breakout box between rooms---that wouldn't be onerous at all. And then later building others as the need arises.

The only thing that would make it -totally- sweet would be if that multi-core cable could support headphone strength signals (so I could run just a single cable for -everything-.) But maybe that's asking too much?

THANKS!

---JC

if you use PVC piping as an underfloor protector then I guess depending on the width of the piping, you could tie other cables to the main multicore using string or even masking tape, before you feed it through.

I've done something similar but used cable braid because mine is for an on floor movable computer table which is on a wheeled gas lift office chair base. so I need something a little less permanent for the multicore.

but I have strapped a 5 meter Firewire and a 5 meter USB and a 5 meter optical cable in there for good measure.. then cloathed it in a braided cover. I even put a mains cable in there.. but depending on how that performs I can just leave it uncoupled.

USB Version one has a 3 meter limit btw.. USB2 has a 5 meter limit.. then you have to use repeaters to extend them. you could plum in a small DC power cable if the underfloor distance was longer than 5 meters and then tap those into USB / or firewire repeaters. I've not looked into that though. so it's better to use USB 2 cables in any case. for Firewire I get Belkin but Belkin is good for all sorts. including optical and digital. you can only get cables which have the ends already connected as far as I know. or as far as I've so far discovered. CAT5 is also an emerging standard.

you should also think about 2 or 4 Midi runs.. the thing about USB is that it has a twisted pair for the data and then the two power leads, so I think Multicore Balanced cable might not be appropriate for use for USB twisted pair data lines. I guess the repeaters might be able to self power from those power lines in the actual USB and Firewire cables themselves. not sure if Midi needs to be twisted pairs or not. not sure about Firewire either. Midi only needs 3 connectors btw.

in any case, if you get some small lengths of PVC piping you will be able to test the PVC pipe feed through concept by just bunching cables together and seeing how they fit through the various diameters of PVC pipe.. that should give you a good idea about what diameter pipe you should or could use. I suppose you could even strap pairs of PVC pie together and keep power and other types of lines separate. even put in a spare one for later. PVC piping isn't really expensive but a good balance between flexibility and rigidity in the pipe might make implementing the idea a whole lot easier.

I haven't built my system up yet, but the parts are on route.

[Suntower]

I think I finally have a clever little plan ('for marching up and down the square' ) but now I need to get a little greedy... I figure since I'm gonna do this, I should do -everything- I will ever wanna do... because I won't wanna do this too often!

I have ALWAYS wanted to have a direct feed to my old school JVC home stereo receiver off in the living room. What I currently do is burn a CD every time I wanna audition a mix for portability.

The living room is 75' from the DAW outs. As I said before, I already have a conduit there and a wall jack... I just need to know what I need to do to drive the line level out of the DAW (-10 or +4) to the RCA input 'aux' signal on the JVC receiver @ the other end.

If I can get -that- matched, I can start fishing cable!

THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!

---JC

Originally Posted by Rick Sutton

Using a 14/3 extension is way over the top for extending a headphone feed from a power amp so noise is not an issue. I'm talking a real amp here not a "Beh" solution imitation amp.
I don't know your phones specifically but I can tell you about my situation. I use 600 ohm AKG K240M phones driven by 3 Crown amps. 2 of the amps are approx. 150 watts per side and the 3rd amp is a d75 at 35 watts per side. I use the bigger amps for the main feeds, including power for the drummer and bass and the smaller amp is used for fill in for singers, acoustic players etc. I've blown as many phones on small amps as I have on large amps so the power available isn't as big a factor as you might think. Do some searching here and you'll find that the clipping of smaller amps is probably more damaging than the clean output of a larger amp....but I'm kinda neutral on the subject when it comes to phones. The D75 can thump the phones pretty good.
My experience at other studios with the small "headphone amps" with just a couple of watts has been awful and i really don't understand why anyone would consider them acceptable, unless you are using 8 ohm phones with the inherent limitation of the of number of cans on the line and you really don't care how much the kick drum clips the drummer's cans. If you ONLY need one set of phones on the feed the situation is different.

[Ironbird Studios]

I found this source for wall plates:
One Visit Media Wall Plates

I personally wire my plates with all XLR connections on them. They are easy to solder, and you can always plug in an adapter cable if you need to convert to a connector to 1/4" or RCA.

[Suntower]

Thanks for the tip... and the source!

---Now... anyone tell me how to take the +4 or -10db output of my D/A and drive a stereo receiver input 75' away? That's it and I'm done!

TIA,


---JC

Originally Posted by gee_lo

I found this source for wall plates:
One Visit Media Wall Plates

I personally wire my plates with all XLR connections on them. They are easy to solder, and you can always plug in an adapter cable if you need to convert to a connector to 1/4" or RCA.

[jhbrandt]

Originally Posted by Suntower

---Now... anyone tell me how to take the +4 or -10db output of my D/A and drive a stereo receiver input 75' away?

I would recommend a Jensen Transformer - or a good line driver or both.

What D/A do you use & will it's outputs drive a proper line?

- John

[Suntower]

Originally Posted by jhbrandt

I would recommend a Jensen Transformer - or a good line driver or both.

What D/A do you use & will it's outputs drive a proper line?

- John

I have a Frontier Designs Tango 24. The specs for the D/A section listed are:

Connector differentially balanced ¼" TRS phone jack
Reference Level +4dBu or -10dBV, selectable per channel
Headroom 15dB (maximum level 5dBV at -10dBV reference level.

It doesn't give an output impedance. Does this help answer the question?

---JC

[jhbrandt]

yeah.. I'm used to headroom of +28dbu

you will need a balanced line driver and receiver - something powered by +/- 15V.

I'm sure you can probably just 'plug it in' as is, but it will probably exhibit high distortion levels and introduce interference back into your D/A A/D system and degrade performance. - Not the answer you were looking for, i know...

- John

[Suntower]

---OK. So specifically what is such a gizmo? I'm not against spending the money... I just have no idea what to get...

you will need a balanced line driver and receiver - something powered by +/- 15V.

TIA,

---JC

Originally Posted by jhbrandt

yeah.. I'm used to headroom of +28dbu

you will need a balanced line driver and receiver - something powered by +/- 15V.

I'm sure you can probably just 'plug it in' as is, but it will probably exhibit high distortion levels and introduce interference back into your D/A A/D system and degrade performance. - Not the answer you were looking for, i know...

- John

[jhbrandt]

JC,

try this --
TSoundPro duet BREAKOUT Balanced Adapter and more Audio Interfaces at GuitarCenter.com.
If you can not get this, get something similar.

Is the receiver on the other end balanced?? - if not you will need two of them.

Cheers,
John

[Suntower]

Hi I'm back and ready to run some cable. But then it dawned on me that I better check that I get some decent wires, rather than just grabbing rolls of the usual Radio Shack gray stuff.

I checked here: Professional Studio Equipment for Audio Broadcast and Recording | BSWUSA.com

...and the price variance is massive. So... what's are decent budget cable? I was gonna get 328ft. but I then noticed they sell bundles as well (basically a snake without the connectors?) and I was wondering if there might be some advantage to getting a short run for 1 room---where I only need 2 channels and then a bundle for the other rooms where I might want to record up to 6 tracks at once.

Are there huge audio differences between one brand and another (recognising that I am on a budget and I philosophically don't buy a lot of the high price cable theories even if I had the dough).

Finally, are there other recommended dealers for this stuff that have decent pricing or are they all about the same? I'm in Seattle but of course, on-line works.

Thoughts?

--JC

Originally Posted by grindx

If you are going to put in conduit, don't use snakes. The outer jacket makes the cable larger and costs more. Run individual shielded pairs.

See here
Single Pair Shielded Audio Wire Analog AES/EBU Digital-Welcome to Clark Wire & Cable

Pre-punched XLR wall plates.
WallPlates

[Suntower]

Bump. No one?

I've been wondering if this cable would do for my needs:

Redco Audio - Custom Audio Cables - Recording Studio Supplies - Custom A/V Panels - Canare L-2B2AT Install Cable

TIA,

---JC