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Thread high priced cables

3 replies
4 participants
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dawoops

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First post

1 Posted on 12/10/2015 at 13:23:19

Hello all, first post. I did a search on this topic and did not come up with anything so here goes....are the high priced cables worth the expense? I have heard the opinion that what you use to connect a speaker to the equipment could be a coat hanger for all it matters while more and more specialty companies are marketing these super expensive cables that supposedly sound better. What gives?

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angelie

AFfluent Poster

2 Posted on 12/11/2015 at 13:15:52

Hi,

Are we talking about low level audio cables or speaker cables?
It is a though topic there are people who even use twisted pair ethernet cable between there amps and speakers. Imo it is realy not nessesary to buy highly priced cables especially if you use very short signal paths.

With speakers it is important to buy cables which are thick enough to handle to power.
Don't try to force 1500 watts over a very thin cable. The cable runs hot, cable resistant changes and with that the nessesary damping factor of the amp.

Twisted cables to prevent noise pickup on speaker cables is bullsxxx. The voltage is way to high to suffer noise by another amp,lights of what ever.

With low level or digital it is important to chech the cable resistant. Digital audio often require a 50 / 75 ohm cable. If you use a normal cinch ( rca) connector you run into problems.

However some audio cable cost more and have a thicker shell to protect the copper inside. These are good if your on the road much or use them in a studio where they are laying on the floor and people may step on them.

Ok at last i like to add that this is not realy my division and i may have lied here or there.
If so, please correct me :-D

- Angelie

It's not about what you got to use .... but how you use what you got...

[ Post last edited on 12/11/2015 at 13:20:44 ]

Mike Levine

Author

3 Posted on 12/13/2015 at 06:24:02

Quote:

However some audio cable cost more and have a thicker shell to protect the copper inside. These are good if your on the road much or use them in a studio where they are laying on the floor and people may step on them.

I agree with Angelie. The thing that I've noticed about high-priced audio cables is not necessarily that they sound better (if they do, the differences are extremely subtle), but that they last a lot longer because they're constructed with superior components. I have several high-end guitar cables that are still going strong after six or seven years and a lot of gigs. Contrast that with "budget" cables, which all seem to go bad after a year or two (or less) of use.

CaliMoose

AFfinity Poster

4 Posted on 12/14/2015 at 03:18:16

Quote from dawoops:

Hello all, first post. I did a search on this topic and did not come up with anything so here goes....are the high priced cables worth the expense? I have heard the opinion that what you use to connect a speaker to the equipment could be a coat hanger for all it matters while more and more specialty companies are marketing these super expensive cables that supposedly sound better. What gives?

Mike & Angelie are both right. Now, I can't say much regarding high-end cables to connect monitors to your interface, for example. But especially on guitar and guitar pedals, the pedal thickness and length all have a great effect on quality of sound and whether or not any 'noise' is added, while the quality of its components go a long way in ensuring durability and consistent quality with every gig.

If you plan on recording and playing live, at the very least, consider going slightly above entry-level cables (I got some Planet Waves cables for my guitar that have done far better than the entry-level Fender cables or no-name brands, for example). It's a worthy investment, even if it's not as "sexy" as new audio gear or instruments!

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