Wish I could provide some leads to good 'middle-of-the-road' cables. I make my own cables using Canare cable and Neutrik connectors.
CCJR
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#14034
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Re: Quality Cables? 17 Years, 11 Months ago
Allerian wrote: Yea, I hear ya on spending $400 on cables. I've been on a year-long cable replacement strategy, buying just a couple a month, searching for deals. The Planetwaves stuff is pretty nice, been using it on my guitar rig for about a year now. The connectors fit very firmly and don't move around or crackle - cable looks top notch.
How much of this is theory vs practice ? I've had some issues with connectors crackling over the years but never thought that cabling made a huge difference due to most synths having an output a zillion times stronger than any potential interference.
If you've ever opened up an Elektron machine (or just about any other synth) and seen the crappy little wires that patch it all together you'd immediately stop worrying about buying boutique cables.
As long as your cables are making a clean electrical connection and the connectors aren't causing crackles and you're not picking up radio interference your cables are doing all they can for you.
Anybody trying to tell you different cables have a different tone or sound is trying to scam you.
Good cabling is a 'best practice' in audio applications. It is not always necessary, and its benefits vary from situation to situation, but it is generally a good idea. Dirty power, long cable runs, and so forth greatly benefit from good cables. Of course, the law of diminishing returns is in full effect here in terms of top 'o' the line cables, so there is no need to get crazy with the cash expenditure.
All cables are not equal, but I have some that cost less but I like them more, and if I see a pile of cables I would pick them out because I prefer them. That comes down to the way the feel, how easily they wind up when I've finished with them, what the connectors look like in the machine etc. etc.
Planetwaves feel nice and the roll up well, in the UK Soundcontrol do a Control Cable Range which is half the price, Neutrik connectors have a good reputation, so I use them on the homemade stuff.