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View Poll Results: Which cable do you prefer?
Cable A 6 46.15%
Cable B 7 53.85%
Voters: 13. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 04-04-2011, 05:47 AM   #1
lawrs
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Default Listen to these different cable tones

So I decided to buy a fairly overpriced guitar cable. True enough, there is actually a difference in tone amongst different cable makes. But what I can't decide is, which sounds better, the cheaper or expensive. So I'm asking everyone's opinion here.

Samples were recorded using Fender Telecaster > Award Matchbox M810 DI box > Mbox 2 Pro. No EQ or any processing done.

Here's a clip from the different cables I tested.

Cable A : http://soundcloud.com/lawrs/a-p

Cable B : http://soundcloud.com/lawrs/b-s

Which do you prefer?

I will announce the cable names once there's enough votes.
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Old 04-04-2011, 05:52 AM   #2
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Come on, are you serious? B is def darker... I like darker sounds so, I like B better And using an ampsim, killing some high end is good before it hits the sim. May help with noise.

What a difference though!

Are they the same length?
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Old 04-04-2011, 05:56 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by junioreq View Post
Come on, are you serious? B is def darker... I like darker sounds so, I like B better And using an ampsim, killing some high end is good before it hits the sim. May help with noise.

What a difference though!

Are they the same length?
Cable B wins by 100% ! Place your votes people!
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Old 04-04-2011, 06:25 AM   #4
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Hmm... Haven't listened yet but if one is darker is likely that its rolling off higher frequencies due to it acting as a passive crossover. IE: Cables contain all the elements of a low pass filter (capacitance and resistance). The longer the cable the lower the cutoff frequency.

With that said, and if that's the case, I prefer the cable the doesn't roll off frequencies so I can retain as much of the original signal as possible going in. It also depends on the material. Some material demands bright, clean guitars with lots of chimey high-end such as certain funk, R&B etc. All guitar tracks don't go through a distorted Marshall and even if they did there is some value to the amp receiving those frequencies.

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Old 04-04-2011, 08:59 AM   #5
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A sounds much clearer.
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Old 04-04-2011, 09:27 AM   #6
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No one sounds better but both sound good. I prefer the cable A
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Old 04-04-2011, 03:42 PM   #7
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What about things like handling noise and noise reception from outside sources? Also, durability.

That's really what you pay for in a better cable.
If you use long runs of cable then the higher capacitance of a cheap cable will cause some high frequency loss.

I'd rather have a cable that preserves the guitar's sound and roll off the highs myself if I want that.
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Old 04-04-2011, 03:53 PM   #8
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To me the difference sounds like it has more to do with a slight change in strumming position or something other than the cable.

There is a tiny bit of rolloff going on, but there's not enough of a difference to worry about at all IMO.

Everything else you could possibly imagine will probably be a bigger factor, including the weather.
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Old 04-04-2011, 04:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arbiter View Post

There is a tiny bit of rolloff going on, but there's not enough of a difference to worry about at all IMO.

.
One thing to add.... If this is the guitar straight into the amp or DI, that's the best it will ever be. My divorce from cheap instrument & patch cables was due to such. A single short (10 foot or less) not so great cable will get you by going straight to the amp and sound like it will do fine. Outfit your entire rig and everything you do in your studio with them and it adds up very quickly into "suck tone" you can never pin down; it's cumulative. Save yourself the headaches and stay out of the crapola category. It doesn't have to be over the top, just good pro quality.

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Last edited by karbomusic; 04-04-2011 at 04:12 PM.
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Old 04-04-2011, 04:47 PM   #10
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Man, I'm ashamed, but I use the cheapest cables that come with like a beginner guitar. You know, like zero shielding etc lol, but I really dont have the $$. And I do run outboard gear so, I mean thats a run of about 4 feet to the effect, and 4 feet back. I should look into this a bit more. Even if it didn't make a difference really, at least you can sleep at night, and feel good about what you have. I would never discourage anyone from buying the "overpriced" cables. If it makes you feel better, well do it.. Thats what this stuff is about, feeling good and having fun.

But, this is very interesting....
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Old 04-04-2011, 04:59 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by junioreq View Post
Man, I'm ashamed, but I use the cheapest cables that come with like a beginner guitar. You know, like zero shielding etc lol, but I really dont have the $$. And I do run outboard gear so, I mean thats a run of about 4 feet to the effect, and 4 feet back. I should look into this a bit more. Even if it didn't make a difference really, at least you can sleep at night, and feel good about what you have. I would never discourage anyone from buying the "overpriced" cables. If it makes you feel better, well do it.. Thats what this stuff is about, feeling good and having fun.

But, this is very interesting....
Now I feel bad... The majority of my years I used the cheapest of cables, I had no choice and I was going to play dammit! I won't knock them too bad, make music regardless; I certainly did because that is more important. I also never want to come off sounding like an audiophile type. Just sharing that my life got a bit easier once I was finally able to save and replace the cables I had begged, borrowed and stole over the years. I can definitively say though that when I replaced them all at once with decent quality cables, consitency in my tone was much better from that day forward.

It wasn't just A vs B sound quality, it was the whole package. Less troubleshooting questionable connections, more consitent results, less handling noise, less interference, breakage, additive degradiation, less where the hell did my highs go? the whole bit. Its not a panacea, just good to know.


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Old 04-04-2011, 05:17 PM   #12
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You can get a decent 10-15' cable for $5-10.

Eventually, at the higher price levels, you are largely buying B.S..
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Old 04-04-2011, 05:21 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PAPT View Post
You can get a decent 10-15' cable for $5-10.

Eventually, at the higher price levels, you are largely buying B.S..
Had my share of $5-10 cables, 25 years worth. No thanks. You definately hit the BS mark somewhere but it aint when you go over $10. Worthwhile, durable connectors alone cost close to that.

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Old 04-04-2011, 05:24 PM   #14
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In just got a 12' Mogami Silver for $15.
It looks to have good connectors and it's pliable and quiet.

I know that's more than $5-10, but I still think that some of the $10 cables look fine.

The cables that come with inexpensive guitar packages should just be thrown away, unless we are talking about an absolute beginner.
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Old 04-04-2011, 05:25 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PAPT View Post
In just got a 12' Mogami Silver for $15.
It looks to have good connectors and it's pliable and quiet.
Fair enough, I'm sold. Had no idea you could get one at that price these days.

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Old 04-04-2011, 05:40 PM   #16
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The reason I chose B actually too is.. I grew up with dolby noise reduction on tape, so every time i hear something darker, I say YES!!! no noise! haha bad habit...
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Old 04-04-2011, 05:59 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by junioreq View Post
The reason I chose B actually too is.. I grew up with dolby noise reduction on tape, so every time i hear something darker, I say YES!!! no noise! haha bad habit...
This is OT, but you may be misunderstanding Dolby.

When a Dolby noise reduction is being encoded they raise the volume of the high frequencies in the encoding process. The quieter the passage, the more they raise them.

When you play it back the decoder lowers the volume of the high frequencies by the same amount that they were raised during encoding. In this process the tape noise, which is high frequency noise, is also lowered. So, the music goes back to where it original was, but the noise is now at a lower level.

So, if you listen to a Dolby encoded tape with the Dolby turned off you will be listening to the encoded sound which has the highs boosted.
When you turn the Dolby on you are hearing the highs the way they were recorded before the Dolby processing.

Dolby doesn't reduce the highs in order to reduce the noise.
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Old 04-04-2011, 06:00 PM   #18
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I know all about the dolby tricks Wasn't talking about that. Was talking about the DBX or whatever noise reduction button on 4-24 track home machines... Totally tore out all the high end.. Might not even have been dolby, i forget now.. but it was "hiss reduction"...

EDIT: yeah it was DBX: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dbx_(noise_reduction) Hmmm I thought DBX was a part of dolby.. hmm

~Rob.
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Old 04-04-2011, 10:26 PM   #19
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lawrs, you can check the impedance of the cables with a multimeter. If you prefer the sound of one over the other, use cables of that impedance.
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Old 04-05-2011, 11:27 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PAPT View Post
I'd rather have a cable that preserves the guitar's sound and roll off the highs myself if I want that.
this.
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Old 04-05-2011, 12:57 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lawrs View Post
So I decided to buy a fairly overpriced guitar cable. True enough, there is actually a difference in tone amongst different cable makes. But what I can't decide is, which sounds better, the cheaper or expensive. So I'm asking everyone's opinion here.

Samples were recorded using Fender Telecaster > Award Matchbox M810 DI box > Mbox 2 Pro. No EQ or any processing done.

Here's a clip from the different cables I tested.

Cable A : http://soundcloud.com/lawrs/a-p

Cable B : http://soundcloud.com/lawrs/b-s

Which do you prefer?

I will announce the cable names once there's enough votes.
How about playing twice through the same cable and putting up those samples. I'd be curious to hear if they're any less different than these two.

While you're at it, you might try getting your level matching a little closer, since the human ear is much more sensitive to slight variations in volume than to slight variations in frequency response.

Fran
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Old 04-06-2011, 08:52 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fran Guidry View Post
How about playing twice through the same cable and putting up those samples. I'd be curious to hear if they're any less different than these two.
I really don't think that's necessary since it's pretty obvious from these samples that they do sound different. The difference heard in the samples are more frequency response rather than dynamics of performance.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Fran Guidry View Post
While you're at it, you might try getting your level matching a little closer, since the human ear is much more sensitive to slight variations in volume than to slight variations in frequency response.
Fran
Hmm, interesting that you brought that up, as I mentioned in my first post that I didn't do any level adjustment to these samples, only difference is the performance, which I did try my best to keep similar. If there is any noticeable volume difference, it's because of the cable (and partly my sloppy fingaz)
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Old 04-07-2011, 03:33 AM   #23
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I find Monsters nice and bright but bump up noises, Mogami Platinum seem darker but less noise. I use gates and everything, and have learned to dial my way back to the tones I liked on the Monster for the most part but the harmonics and glassiness of the Monster is cool for leads so I keep it nearby but rely on the Mogami 99% of the time.
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Old 04-07-2011, 02:16 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lawrs View Post
I really don't think that's necessary since it's pretty obvious from these samples that they do sound different. The difference heard in the samples are more frequency response rather than dynamics of performance.




Hmm, interesting that you brought that up, as I mentioned in my first post that I didn't do any level adjustment to these samples, only difference is the performance, which I did try my best to keep similar. If there is any noticeable volume difference, it's because of the cable (and partly my sloppy fingaz)
Well in this post you claim both that your playing is more consistent than two pieces of copper _and_ that you have "sloppy fingaz." If your sloppy fingaz can generate a noticeable volume difference why can't they generate a frequency response difference. I know I can change the sound of my guitar substantially with a minute difference in the way I pick.

The thing is, it doesn't cost anything but a few minutes to try out my suggestion and it represents actual data that can increase your knowledge. Comparing audio seems very easy but doing a comparison that gives a meaningful result is actually pretty tricky.

Fran
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:28 AM   #25
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Here are brand names of the cables :

Cable A - Proel $15 for 3meters
Cable B - Sommer Grindycop Beast $80

Here's the link for Sommer Cable :
http://www.sommercable.com/2__produk..._300_0159.html

I think Proel is an Italian company, but products are made in China (unsure, cable bought years ago)
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:35 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fran Guidry View Post
Comparing audio seems very easy but doing a comparison that gives a meaningful result is actually pretty tricky
Sometimes simply listening is enough to get the best answer.

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Old 04-11-2011, 08:39 AM   #27
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I'll never pay more than $25USD for an 1/4" instrument cable of the 3 meter variety.

snake oil, that stuff. Granted, there IS something to be said to hit above the quality threshold of the junk.
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:51 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenneth R. View Post
I'll never pay more than $25USD for an 1/4" instrument cable of the 3 meter variety.

snake oil, that stuff. Granted, there IS something to be said to hit above the quality threshold of the junk.
Have you heard the clips?
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:53 AM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karbomusic View Post
Sometimes simply listening is enough to get the best answer.

Karbo
Exactly my sentiments. Thanks for summing it up nicely.
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Old 04-11-2011, 09:28 AM   #30
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I've been burned so many times buying cheap cables for mics. The difference between noise and the rest is substantial.

Usually I end up paying $35. $25 more than a cheapo cable get me a lot more sonic gravy than the $250 one might blow on a plugin like VCC.

For $25 its not even worth the time to make the round trip to GC when suddenly my mic is spitting out Mexican radio in the middle of a session... Not that I don't like Mexican radio.

'Hi, my names Kyle senior associate sales representative of key boards and pro audio would you like to try Mc Donalds new Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait (without granola)...EAT ITTTTT!!!"
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Old 04-11-2011, 09:36 AM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lawrs View Post
Have you heard the clips?
I have, and yes there is a difference, but as others have pointed out, the test is invalidated by the method of presentation.
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Old 04-11-2011, 10:35 AM   #32
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Figures that I would like A, the cheap one.....
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Old 04-11-2011, 01:39 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lawrs View Post
So I decided to buy a fairly overpriced guitar cable. True enough, there is actually a difference in tone amongst different cable makes. But what I can't decide is, which sounds better, the cheaper or expensive. So I'm asking everyone's opinion here.

Samples were recorded using Fender Telecaster > Award Matchbox M810 DI box > Mbox 2 Pro. No EQ or any processing done.

Here's a clip from the different cables I tested.

Cable A : http://soundcloud.com/lawrs/a-p

Cable B : http://soundcloud.com/lawrs/b-s

Which do you prefer?

I will announce the cable names once there's enough votes.

Thanks for posting this! I've followed threads like this for a while - always something new to learn. Cable - B sounds fuller to me!

Have any of you shopped at http://www.redco.com/default.asp for custom cables? Some folks on the web have some good things to say about the Mogami/switchcraft custom cables they offer. After reading this post, and checking the budget, I may give them a try.


DM
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Old 04-11-2011, 02:48 PM   #34
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I'll Vote for cable A
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Old 04-11-2011, 03:03 PM   #35
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Cable B is definitely superior. Sound is fuller and have rich tone on a wide spectrum. The sound coming from cable A is thin.
I admit that I could not imagine a cable could make so much difference...
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