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Old 06-06-2012, 03:31 AM   #1
mikeroephonics
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Default What cable manufacturer makes cables which don't suck donkey nuts?

I already removed Radio Shack from the list. Any other suggestions?
I'm looking for the kind which actually works.

Thanks,
Mike
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Old 06-06-2012, 05:25 AM   #2
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I make my own.... guess that doesn't help you.

Usually they fail at the connector so anything that I re-solder & strain relief myself is much more reliable than something a machine or asian factory kid does.

Much cheaper this way too. I don't buy into the the oxygen-free-copper magic voodoo. Yes, the argument is a valid one, but cost vs benefit doesn't pan out.
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Old 06-06-2012, 05:48 AM   #3
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I order mine from monoprice.com. They make some inexpensive, high-quality cables.
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Old 06-06-2012, 08:11 AM   #4
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Look for anything that has Neutrik, Whirlwind or switchcraft connectors on the ends. The ones where the whole chassis twist apart (like the Whirlwind and Neutik) tend to have better strain relief than the ones with the little grub screw in the side to disassemble them (the Switchcrafts are made this way but still are pretty solid).
Ultimately the key is keeping them in good condition. The big trick to making cables last (aside from not running them over with a piano) is to keep them coiled properly. Here is a good video on how to do it right. The "Over-Under" method is what all of the touring sound techs I've worked with use (I've seen people kicked off of the crew for doing it wrong), because it puts the least strain on the cable. With an XLR the conductors are so fine, and flexible that wrapping it wrong (like this) can cause the conductors to twist inside the jacket and create kinks that will ultimately become shorts. Also invest in some cable ties, because if you tie the cable around its self like the guy in the second video you will eventually snap the conductors.
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Old 06-06-2012, 08:16 AM   #5
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http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-De...ews/B000I1X6PM
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Old 06-06-2012, 08:54 AM   #6
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I love that thread, Mark - had forgotten all about it!

Got a fresh set of giggles out of reading a few more comments/reviews.

Its all snake oil, after all.
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Old 06-06-2012, 11:14 AM   #7
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great stuff here

haveinc.com

www.audiopile.net/
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Old 06-06-2012, 01:38 PM   #8
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Everybody needs a pair of these...

AudioQuest K2 teminated speaker cables.

WoW!!!!



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Old 06-06-2012, 04:36 PM   #9
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Funnily enough I have a set of banana plug connectors that were supplied ith my 1979 Quad 405 amp. They are the ONLY banana plugs I have ever found that do give a good re;liable contact for high current speaker applications, well high in terms of m running my fairly inefficient Tannoys at 100wpc max.

And somehow I doubt they were quite that expensive to produce.

You should see my brother's Audio snakeoil site - I will try and find the url and post it... he has some doozies!
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Old 06-06-2012, 04:44 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluzkat View Post
Everybody needs a pair of these...

AudioQuest K2 teminated speaker cables.

WoW!!!!




HA!!!!!!!!!!

The second review,,,lololololo
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Old 06-11-2012, 06:20 AM   #11
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lol, some great stuff there.

Quote:
We live underground. We speak with our hands. We wear the earplugs all our lives.

PLEASE! You must listen! We cannot maintain the link for long... I will type as fast as I can.

DO NOT USE THE CABLES!

We were fools, fools to develop such a thing! Sound was never meant to be this clear, this pure, this... accurate. For a few short days, we marveled. Then the... whispers... began.

Were they Aramaic? Hyperborean? Some even more ancient tongue, first spoken by elder races under the red light of dying suns far from here? We do not know, but somehow, slowly... we began to UNDERSTAND.

No, no, please! I don't want to remember! YOU WILL NOT MAKE ME REMEMBER! I saw brave men claw their own eyes out... oh, god, the screaming... the mobs of feral children feasting on corpses, the shadows MOVING, the fires burning in the air! The CHANTING!

WHY CAN'T I FORGET THE WORDS???

We live underground. We speak with our hands. We wear the earplugs all our lives.

Do not use the cables!
Now that is some fucking impressive cable.
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Old 06-11-2012, 07:49 AM   #12
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all of those reviews have me chuckling. amazing
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Old 06-11-2012, 08:32 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by monolith View Post
I order mine from monoprice.com. They make some inexpensive, high-quality cables.
I just put in an order to Monoprice this morning. I've been happy with everything from them so far but I've heard their unbalanced cables are not great.

http://guitarfetish.com has pretty cheap instrument cables. I got a nice speaker cable from them last week.
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Old 06-11-2012, 09:07 AM   #14
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Dare I mention...



















...the "M" word?
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Old 06-11-2012, 09:16 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aste View Post
Dare I mention...
...the "M" word?
Do you use that crap? Or are you trying to start some shit?


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Old 06-11-2012, 10:20 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluzkat View Post
Do you use that crap? Or are you trying to start some shit?


I roll my own and if I were trying to start shit, I would've just mentioned them as an option. No, it was just a bit of a tease, because I know everyone here just absolutely adores that company.
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Old 06-11-2012, 02:09 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aste View Post
because I know everyone here just absolutely adores that company.
*abhors
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Old 06-11-2012, 03:53 PM   #18
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I bought a bunch of Peavey XLR cables with lifetime warranty around 12 years ago. Great cables.
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Old 06-11-2012, 04:34 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Schmidty View Post
Look for anything that has Neutrik, Whirlwind or switchcraft connectors on the ends. The ones where the whole chassis twist apart (like the Whirlwind and Neutik) tend to have better strain relief than the ones with the little grub screw in the side to disassemble them (the Switchcrafts are made this way but still are pretty solid).
I've got a few cords around with Neutrik and they're good. I've never bought Whirlwind connectors but I do have a 100ft 34-pair snake that has them and they seem to be pretty good.

I've always been a Switchcraft guy myself and used a lot of belden cable for regular mic cables. I've always bought everything in bulk, 100 packs of 1/4" and XLR plugs along with 100ft roles of cable. I can't remember the last time I had a cable with Switchcraft plugs go bad. I do use cascaded shrinkwrap though on all the plugs and that helps.
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Old 06-12-2012, 02:05 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aste View Post
Dare I mention...




...the "M" word?
Hey! Nothing wrong with Mogami (still overpriced IMO, but Monoprice practically gives theirs away).


Redco is another place to get cables, custom but not crazy expensive.
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Old 06-13-2012, 10:13 AM   #21
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These kind of threads are funny. Just buy cables that cost over 10 €/$ and they will work just fine...

One thing comes to mind thou. 2 years ago I bought really expensive Elixir guitar cable that has much more brighter sound than normal guitar cable. Cord is thick as a brick. It is a good cable, but I don´t really use it, because my electric guitars sound better with trational cables! I like mud and that cable is so thick that it is not very practical...

- Peter -
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Old 06-13-2012, 11:28 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by monolith View Post
I order mine from monoprice.com. They make some inexpensive, high-quality cables.

+1 to that!
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Old 06-13-2012, 11:46 AM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Sadul View Post
These kind of threads are funny. Just buy cables that cost over 10 €/$ and they will work just fine...

One thing comes to mind thou. 2 years ago I bought really expensive Elixir guitar cable that has much more brighter sound than normal guitar cable. Cord is thick as a brick. It is a good cable, but I don´t really use it, because my electric guitars sound better with trational cables! I like mud and that cable is so thick that it is not very practical...

- Peter -
On guitar cables, capacitance and the resulting frequency vs impedance curve do interfere with the signal. A conductor with a larger section helps a lot. Shielding and construction rigidity is also of great help, if the shielding can move in relation to the conductor, its easy to turn the cable into a microphone that will make low frequency noise uppon impact with solid surfaces, (im sure almost all guitarrists now this effect) not good.


On other kinds of cables, with sources of lower impedances than guitar pickups, there is no need for such concerns. Decent is more than enough.
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Old 06-13-2012, 04:00 PM   #24
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Monoprice
Redco
Mogami
Monster
are my favorites.
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Old 07-03-2012, 06:12 PM   #25
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cables for what?
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Old 07-04-2012, 02:57 PM   #26
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not sure why Radio Shack would've been on the list in the first place..

I use Mogami and Neutrik connectors. I always make my own.
My racks and patchbays are Mogami. I use Canare for Digital and guitar cables.
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