Members boosh Posted May 12, 2008 Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 Okay,... I have 2 mics I use to record. 1/ a beat up Shure sm582/ a crappy Behringer C3 Right now I'm using standard not too expensive cables on those two mics. Would it help me if I started using some more expensive cables?To my idea not because I don't have any crackles or pops and the ordinairy cables do what they do and they do it well. So what would be the benefit?Or do better cables only work if your Mics are better quality? Booshy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted May 12, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted May 12, 2008 I don't even have to read your post to answer: NO But I read it and the answer is still "no." And it would have been the same if you had more expensive mics. However, some day when you have a really fine mic and preamp, give it a try. You'll probably find that cables DO make a difference, and it might even be worth while (if only for your personal satisfaction) on occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boosh Posted May 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 Okay thanks! That's what I figured. So what's the story about these shops overhere trying to sell $100 cables to people who only use them for their homestereo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted May 12, 2008 Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 It's a good idea to buy good mic and other signal cables. But the job of a wire is probably the easiest one in our whole rigs. Add to that that most "specialty" cable stock comes from the same handful of manufacturers. (There are certainly different grades from any maker. I ain't saying that.) Packagers may order their cables assembled from factories (ie, with connectors) or they may assemble the cables in their own facility. And quality counts -- for sure. A good solder joint is crucial, obviously. But a good solder joint is the province of $12 an hour line workers, not rocket scientists. Buying good cables is smart. But folks looking to improve their signal should likely look at other, harder-to-do-right elements in their signal chain like mics, preamps, compressors, perhaps converters -- and, let's not forget, if you can't hear it, you can't mix it... so a good monitoring environment is also a very good investment. I say put one's money where it counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted May 12, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted May 12, 2008 Okay thanks! That's what I figured. So what's the story about these shops overhere trying to sell $100 cables to people who only use them for their homestereo? It's all about making money. You CAN prove all their claims (except that it will sound better) with science, and some people with expensive home stereo systems are easily blinded by science. Sure, a large diameter cable with a big spade lug on the end conducts electricity better than a piece of lamp cord wrapped around a terminal board screw.So perhaps it puts a few more milliwatts into your speaker instead of heating up the cable insulation. But does it really sound better? Mostly, in their mind. There's a valid argument for low capacitance cables for small signal use (mic, instrument, phono cartridge . . .) but there are plenty of good quality sufficiently low capacitance cables at non-boutique prices. And a nice, tight, even twist in a cable designed for balanced connections does a better job supporting common mode rejection than a loose and sloppy twist. It's hard to beat Belden 1800F for mic cable at about 85 cents per foot, and it's fine for AES/EBU digital audio as well when you outgrow that old analog stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ethan Winer Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 You CAN prove all their claims (except that it will sound better) with science Also, some expensive audiophoole speaker wires are actually much worse than plain old lamp cord. Especially wires that are flat, with both conductors parallel. A reviewer friend of mine was sent some wire like that, which cost about $500 for a few feet, and the capacitance was so high it made the lame audiophile power amplifier he was also reviewing oscillate. And then there are the ultra-thin speaker wires. The rage these days is to use 30 AWG wire for speakers. I kid you not. Of course, this is speaker wire, not microphone wire, but still... --Ethan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members joel Oporto Posted May 14, 2008 Members Share Posted May 14, 2008 the critical points are the connectors, the wires perform exactly as good whether it be your standard "correct" size belkin wire or any of those $$$$ special wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boosh Posted May 14, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 14, 2008 Okay I get the points made,...I've never fallen for the - more expensive is better - crap anyway. I always managed to do okay with the Cheap Stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted May 16, 2008 Members Share Posted May 16, 2008 Ask Bruce this question! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boosh Posted May 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 17, 2008 Ask Bruce this question! And you thought I never did? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 17, 2008 Members Share Posted May 17, 2008 I've been using things like Belden and Canare and I forget what else. I don't know if this is considered "expensive", especially since I've gone and purchased many of my mic cables used, but these seem to work quite well. I also have some things that I believe are Whirlwind and one other brand that I forget, and they seem to work perfectly fine as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitzilla Posted May 17, 2008 Members Share Posted May 17, 2008 When I buy cables, I'm looking for rugged well built cables. I have a Spectraflex that I bought in the late eighties, early nineties that is still my main guitar cable. The only negative thing about it is that the braided jacket is pink and purple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 17, 2008 Members Share Posted May 17, 2008 Now, if we're talking guitar cables...well, I must move around too much because I manage to tangle ALL cables to the point of where they get gnarled, even when I keep winding them up properly as I do my mic cables. Mic cables and keyboard cables last me forever; guitar cables rarely last more than a year or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members techristian Posted May 18, 2008 Members Share Posted May 18, 2008 Make sure that you use the cables that were made for those microphones. They are MATCHED to the microphones. You will need to replace them if they have been twisted, kinked or tripped over too many times. Replace with the same cables. You may also be able to switch from unbalanced to balanced with the internal microphone plug on certain models. This can make a difference. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MarkGifford-1 Posted May 20, 2008 Moderators Share Posted May 20, 2008 Make sure that you use the cables that were made for those microphones. They are MATCHED to the microphones. You will need to replace them if they have been twisted, kinked or tripped over too many times. Replace with the same cables. You may also be able to switch from unbalanced to balanced with the internal microphone plug on certain models. This can make a difference.Dan This is a joke, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thrashy Posted May 20, 2008 Members Share Posted May 20, 2008 Of course they have to match, that is why most mics and most mic cables are Black. so they match . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Han Posted May 20, 2008 Members Share Posted May 20, 2008 As a moderator of a hi fi audiophiles forum I can assure you that Ethan is right. There's a Dutch company that sells speakercable for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members techristian Posted May 22, 2008 Members Share Posted May 22, 2008 Of course they have to match, that is why most mics and most mic cables are Black. so they match . What I meant was this. After years of playing and having many different microphones the cables all look the same, but some are real cheap with very very thin wire and even thinner shielding. These will hum horribly. The original cable for the sm 58 is decent (when not frayed at the connections). Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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