Members gusfinley Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 Hi, Does anyone have any experience with the Hosa Lil' Bro 6x2 mini snake. I've been looking for a snake for a while and this one actually matches the capabilities of my current mixer. I was thinking about getting it when they had the 30 foot one, but now they've added a 50' foot snake at around $100!! I've found one online review, but it was not very positive. I would love to hear some reviews from people who have used this product. For those who are not familiar with it, you can find some info Here Thanks for any help you can provide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted April 28, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted April 28, 2008 Seen it, never used it. I'm not a fan of the flat stage box design...makes it too tempting to be stepped on. The strain relief is nearly useless...metal Kellem cage types are much better, but cost about 33% of the price of this snake. It's also missing any strain relief hanger on the fanout end. Compare with the EWI snake for slightly more cost: http://www.audiopile.net/products/Stagelink_snakes/PSPX-8-4/PSPX-8-4_cutsheet.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boomerweps Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 I've seen the exact same unit as a HOSA and as a generic snake on eBay. You can save $ by avoiding the HOSA name. I'd have bought one but the 30' version wasn't available in the generic version. Plus I found a good deal on a used mini-6 ;>) I LIKE the small flat design on stage but I always put those types (a custom 4/30 & a mini-6/25) in a semi-protected spot near the drums. As a sub-snake I like the design. As a main snake, not so much. The strain "relief" area of the cable will likely need to be babied a bit. Boomerweps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alan Roberts Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 Maybe I'm just unlucky when it comes to using HOSA cables, but I've had almost nothing but bad experiences. I haven't bought any of their products in years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gusfinley Posted April 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 Hmmm.. Those EWI snakes look pretty good and at a good price... Unfortunately, they are a little over the budget. Obviously, I am leaning toward this snake because of its low price. I would probably use it less than 5 times a year. I mostly use my PA gear for family parties (we have at least one party with family performances once a year.) I'm gonna need this for my grandparents 60th anniversary party, they have requested the family to perform again at it. It sure would be nice to have an extra 50 feet so I can sit back and enjoy it with the rest of my family. I probably can't justify the extra $50 for the EWI at the moment... Perhaps in the future.. Sometimes my theory is that if you buy something cheap and use it enough that it dies on you then you can justify buying something high quality the next time. Better than buying something costly and never using it!And if the HOSA ends up being a piece, at least its got a lifetime warranty! I was thinking about getting the EWI 8 channel XLR to XLR snake and modifiying it. It would be sweet to put some of those Neutrik 1/4" and XLR combo jacks in there, but that still that puts me over budget. Any other opinions about the Hosa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 If it doesn't work reliably, it's not a good value no matter what the price. Maybe you should reconsider your budget? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gusfinley Posted April 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 If it doesn't work reliably, it's not a good value no matter what the price. Maybe you should reconsider your budget? So far it has only been assumed that it will not work reliably, I'm still hoping to get responses from those who have used the product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Telestrastic Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 Maybe I'm just unlucky when it comes to using HOSA cables, but I've had almost nothing but bad experiences. I haven't bought any of their products in years. I have had this experience as well. Anythin HOSA I've purchases had failed prematurely. Buy Once-Cry Once! Why buy twice, spend more and end up with the same product in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soul-x Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 So far it has only been assumed that it will not work reliably, I'm still hoping to get responses from those who have used the product. That's cool. The thing is, most of us may not have experience with this specific product, but we know this type of cabling pretty well at the component level. As an example, I am quite certain that kind of strain relief is not quite up to snuff for real-world usage. Similarly, I've seen plenty of Switchcraft-knockoff XLRs, and can't say much good about them, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 I have serviced systems using this type of cable specifically, and unfortunately there were failures in every one I looked at. Not a very good value if reliability is important to you. If price is the only thing that's important, then I'm sure you could get a great price on a non-working model of just about anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LowandLoudx97 Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 They seem to work ok , but ive had two completly fall apart on me, The guts get pulled out of the box really easily... I'd steer clear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gadget Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 There is also a nugget of wisdom in the fact that no one on here has admitted to using, nor plans on using this product. Don't take it personally, no one is attacking you for proposing this company's product. Many of those that have commented on this thread have excellent professional reputations and I don't think any of them are esoteric, Mon$$$$ter cable snobs. They just have better things to do than spending money on a product whose repair costs are not worth their time. My personal rule is never buy cheap stuff for retail. Yard sale or ebay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceNorman Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 I use two of them - one for front line connections, one for backline connections - in my rig (which is set up as a "mix from stage" system). The rig has been getting used 2-3 nights per month for the past couple of years - and so far I haven't had any problems with them. The only issue I had was the large plastic nut (through which the cable passes as it comes in the box) loosening up - which a pair of slip jaw pliers and about 10 seconds fixed. The fan end of the snakes are all pre-cabled in my rack so they're pretty much "permanent" in my setup (I leave the stage box end along with the cable coiled in the bottom of the rack) The price was right - and they've performed fine for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DenverDave Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 Carvin has a 50' 8 channel/4 return snake for about $130.00. Very solid construction on the Carvin snakes too. I've used two different ones for bands and business PA setups and have had very few issues at all. Plus they have braided steel strain reliefs on both ends of the snake... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members W. M. Hellinger Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 this one actually matches the capabilities of my current mixer. I'm curious: What make and model is your mixer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 They seem to work ok , but ive had two completly fall apart on me, The guts get pulled out of the box really easily... I'd steer clear! I can't quite figure this out... how does a product completely fall apart yet still work ok? Seems to be mutually exclusive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted April 29, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted April 29, 2008 I can't quite figure this out... how does a product completely fall apart yet still work ok? Seems to be mutually exclusive. Definition of diplomacy? When my oldest daughter was about 6, her mom asked her what she thought of a dress she'd bought; "Well, it's really ugly, but it's a little bit pretty". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LowandLoudx97 Posted April 29, 2008 Members Share Posted April 29, 2008 Sorry, Meaning, they function fine but the actual strain relief Thread shaft that goes into the stage box has fallen apart (seperated from the box) on 2 of the same product. To the point where it is not repairable or able to be tightened. They still function and pass signal fine but are definatly made like crap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gusfinley Posted April 29, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 29, 2008 I'm curious: What make and model is your mixer? It's a Behringer 1222FXPRO Pro. Maybe that will let you know the current stage of my audio gear. Do I really want to spend more ca$h on a snake than I did on the Mixer! ($150 - discontinued item.) Bought it two months ago and I've used it twice so far... If I had the cash I'd use a 16 channel Allen and Heath. That mixer is great! Used it at my live sound job. I fried my own trusty original Behringer MX802 a few months ago (my own fault) and needed a replacement. Eventually, I'm going to build up my PA gear to some nice stuff. Until then, It'll be mostly Behringer gear, I'm Afraid! (Holds up to years of sparse use!) I'll probably get the Hosa based on the positive comments, and may try to upgrade it based on the negative comments. It seems to meet my current needs best. I'll try to remember to post any improvements that I make. I really appreciate the other suggestions! I'll keep them in mind when I need something that will be used and abused more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members W. M. Hellinger Posted April 29, 2008 Members Share Posted April 29, 2008 It's a Behringer 1222FXPRO Pro. Maybe that will let you know the current stage of my audio gear. Do I really want to spend more ca$h on a snake than I did on the Mixer! ($150 - discontinued item.) Bought it two months ago and I've used it twice so far... If I had the cash I'd use a 16 channel Allen and Heath. That mixer is great! Used it at my live sound job. I fried my own trusty original Behringer MX802 a few months ago (my own fault) and needed a replacement. Eventually, I'm going to build up my PA gear to some nice stuff. Until then, It'll be mostly Behringer gear, I'm Afraid! (Holds up to years of sparse use!)I'll probably get the Hosa based on the positive comments, and may try to upgrade it based on the negative comments. It seems to meet my current needs best. I'll try to remember to post any improvements that I make. I really appreciate the other suggestions! I'll keep them in mind when I need something that will be used and abused more! The reason I asked is because I sell snakes for a living and the fact that a person is considering a 6 x 2 snake (or similar small format) with 1/4" returns ("cause it matches my mixer") spells powered mixer to me (more than 50% of the time). It was a red flag for me and I just wanted to caution you against using the returns for speaker signals if that seemed to be your intent. My intent is to do what I can to steer you in the right direction for what's the proper cable type for the job. Matching up the relative quality needed to do the job is, of-course, the customer's call. I just didn't want to see you fixing to try and shove a few hundred watts down a 20-some-odd gauge wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gusfinley Posted April 29, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 29, 2008 The reason I asked is because I sell snakes for a living and the fact that a person is considering a 6 x 2 snake (or similar small format) with 1/4" returns ('cause it matches my mixer) spells powered mixer to me (more than 50% of the time). It was a red flag for me and I just wanted to caution you against using the returns for speaker signals if that seemed to be your intent. My intent is to do what I can to steer you in the right direction for what's the proper cable type for the job. Matching up the relative quality needed to do the job is, of-course, the customer's call. I just didn't want to see you fixing to try and shove a few hundred watts down a 20-some-odd gauge wire. I appreciate you looking out for me there. I've never been a fan of powered mixers. Is it even possibly to use it as just a mixer for recording without having any speaker connected? Doesn't seem like a good idea to me! I got used to using powered speaker cabinets at my live sonud job. They take up the same amount of space and the bi-amplified models sound better since they don't run 600W into their tweeters! Some people wonder why you'd want an amp in your speaker. Well, you've gotta power it anyway, right? Some people say that if your powered speaker fails that you're screwed, but if your amp or your speaker fails in a conventional setup, you also screwed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted April 29, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted April 29, 2008 50 bucks difference between a 'maybe' and a 'definitely'. Think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stvcmty Posted April 29, 2008 Members Share Posted April 29, 2008 So far it has only been assumed that it will not work reliably, I'm still hoping to get responses from those who have used the product. I have a 20' Little Bro' snake. I used twice every week for 2 years with no show stoping problems. It got used to run between where the worship band would setup in a student center ball room and where I was running sound from. Other people would Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted April 29, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted April 29, 2008 The problem it has presented is the Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gusfinley Posted April 29, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 29, 2008 Once again, after conisdering the comments here and reviewing the options, the Hosa Lil Bro should work fine for the applications it will see. My mixer does have XLR outputs for the mains, but I have a box to convert them to Mono XLR or TRS outputs (so I can use the L-R channels as subs.) One application is home use. I like the fact that I can record my wife playing the piano in the living room and give her a send so she can listen to what she's recorded and have a talk-back so we don't have to run back and forth between the rooms The next snake I will buy will definately be one of the others suggested here. I'll also keep my eyes open for a higher quality used snake but I need to buy one pretty soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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