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Best cables?

#41
moonbass said:
I think i definitely hear a difference between the high end cables and the normal to cheap variety. The better ones improve the tone. Or am i kidding myself?
Click to expand...

Well, what difference do you hear?

If it's a cheap cable and it had high capacitance (which can wreak havoc when in series with the pickups), then you would probably hear an audible difference. The distributed capacitance of the cable creates a low-pass filter with the inductance in the pickup.

Any claims about certain shapes or materials letting "more of your tone come through" are misstatements and should be treated suspiciously.

Just find a good shielded single conductor cable with quality connectors and you'll be in good business. There have been plenty of good suggestions here. Brands like Canare, Mogami, and Neutrik are well known and respected because they are quality parts, not because they use secret ingredients.
 
#43
ehque said:
Yeah, which is why all those MHz and GHz antennas are connected to their amplifiers by oval conductors :eyebrow:
Click to expand...

+ 1000

There is not enough current to make any difference at all, Same for conductors that are plated, etc. The so called "skin effect" of high frequencies only occurs at RF frequencies!

There are 3 possible effects of a cheap cable -
1. Poor Shielding - RFI and EMI noise gets in.
2. Microphonics - The cable makes noise when you move it.
3. High Capacitance - rolls off the high frequencies from hi-Z passive pickups.

This is why we wired most recording and broadcast studios with Canare, Belden or Mogami. While we used mostly Switchcraft connectors historically, I would now use Neutrik for the better strain relief and the serviceability.

One new player on the cable market with the LOWEST capacitance per foot of any commercially available cable is Elixir. This cable is as good as very expensive instrumentation and test cables, and if you really want to hear all the "air" and clarity in your tone, you will try these.
 
#44
Gio S said:
+ 1000

There is not enough current to make any difference at all, Same for conductors that are plated, etc. The so called "skin effect" of high frequencies only occurs at RF frequencies!

There are 3 possible effects of a cheap cable -
1. Poor Shielding - RFI and EMI noise gets in.
2. Microphonics - The cable makes noise when you move it.
3. High Capacitance - rolls off the high frequencies from hi-Z passive pickups.

This is why we wired most recording and broadcast studios with Canare, Belden or Mogami. While we used mostly Switchcraft connectors historically, I would now use Neutrik for the better strain relief and the serviceability.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Gio. The more we get competent replies to these questions, the better informed people will be (if, of course, they read this thread).

Gio S said:
One new player on the cable market with the LOWEST capacitance per foot of any commercially available cable is Elixir. This cable is as good as very expensive instrumentation and test cables, and if you really want to hear all the "air" and clarity in your tone, you will try these.
Click to expand...

Link on the Elixir? How did you come across them? Any ideas into how this was tested?
 
#46
MentalBass said:
If you are looking for the hands-down, cost-is-no-object best instrument cables, check out Analysis Plus (http://www.analysis-plus.com/). Their Bass Oval is out of this world in regards to durability and clarity. The conductor has an oval cross-section, which allows a more even current distribution across the frequency spectrum, whereas round conductors tend to attenuate higher frequencies. The website has detailed information on the physics and electromagnetics that went into designing them, but suffice it to say, I A/B'd the Bass Oval against my Monster with gold-plated connectors, and the difference was astonishing. It was like removing a blanket that was covering your cabinets.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I have to second this sentiment. I was an absolute skeptic when it came to cables making any appreciable difference in a live bass sound. I thought it was all snake-oil and placebo effect. Then, last month I read something about Analysis Plus cables and saw names of some of the endorsers. Hmmm...Jack Casady and Richard Bona are endorsing a cable? I had the bread, so I went for the shorty (10 ft.), just to check it out.

When It came, a week or so later, I unplugged my red Bayou cable, and plugged the Bass Oval in, not expecting a dramatic change. I was astonished by what I heard. I was playing a Lakland hollowbody with TI jazz flats through an Iamp 800 into an M-line wizzy cab. Suddenly, there was a texture to the notes that hadn't been there previously. It seemed that the sound was clearer and more three dimensional. It made the bass feel different; more responsive. It also made me want to raise the action on the bass to get rid of some buzzing that I'd never noticed before.

I then tried it with my upright: same improvements. In fact, on my next gig, the pianist asked me what was different about my sound that night; he used the words "richer" and "more detailed". Only difference that night was the new cable.

Just to be clear: I am in no way associated with the Analysis Plus Company and up to this experience, didn't believe any of the various cable claims. But now, having heard it with my own ears, I have to say that the Bass Oval cable is the best piece of equipment I've purchased in the pass five years.
 
#47
MLysh said:
blah... Bass Oval... blah
Click to expand...

I'm not trusting any company that sells a bass-specific version of their instrument cables. Since their science doesn't make sense, i don't have any reason to believe their hype either.

EDIT: You can use a 10 foot cable with a capacitance-per-foot 10 times less than mine. Yet, comparing your 10 foot run from pickup to your first gain stage in your amp, compared to an active bass, where the run is, oh, about 4 inches, you still come out with 3 times more capacitance than me.

Then again, if you're using these expensive cables on active basses, you're clearly misinformed.
 
#48
ehque,

Thanks for quoting me "warmly and accurately." I was merely interested in sharing a rather unique experience with regard to something, that in the past, I too had been totally skeptical about. Thanks for the science; I'll trust my ears.
 
#49
Hearing is extremely subjective; just knowing it's the expensive cable you got plugged in can convince you that you're hearing something that isn't there. Only a blind test can really tell if there's any difference (ideally double-blind).
 
#52
MLysh said:
ehque,

Thanks for quoting me "warmly and accurately." I was merely interested in sharing a rather unique experience with regard to something, that in the past, I too had been totally skeptical about. Thanks for the science; I'll trust my ears.
Click to expand...
You paid $100 for a 10 ft. cable?

I sometimes wish I was born without a conscience so I could go into sales!!!! :p
 
#53
MLysh said:
I have to second this sentiment. I was an absolute skeptic when it came to cables making any appreciable difference in a live bass sound. I thought it was all snake-oil and placebo effect. Then, last month I read something about Analysis Plus cables and saw names of some of the endorsers. Hmmm...Jack Casady and Richard Bona are endorsing a cable? I had the bread, so I went for the shorty (10 ft.), just to check it out.

When It came, a week or so later, I unplugged my red Bayou cable, and plugged the Bass Oval in, not expecting a dramatic change. I was astonished by what I heard. I was playing a Lakland hollowbody with TI jazz flats through an Iamp 800 into an M-line wizzy cab. Suddenly, there was a texture to the notes that hadn't been there previously. It seemed that the sound was clearer and more three dimensional. It made the bass feel different; more responsive. It also made me want to raise the action on the bass to get rid of some buzzing that I'd never noticed before.

I then tried it with my upright: same improvements. In fact, on my next gig, the pianist asked me what was different about my sound that night; he used the words "richer" and "more detailed". Only difference that night was the new cable.

Just to be clear: I am in no way associated with the Analysis Plus Company and up to this experience, didn't believe any of the various cable claims. But now, having heard it with my own ears, I have to say that the Bass Oval cable is the best piece of equipment I've purchased in the pass five years.
Click to expand...

Funny you had that experience. I am a tone nut. After reading a post about the Analysis Bass Oval, I found the Bass Player magazine review and read it. I ordered one and it came in yesterday. I too have been using the The Bayou cable (Canare), and decided to A/B them last night. I immediately noticed that the one became richer, more detailed. I went back and forth, trying to question whether I just wanted to hear the difference because I had just spent over $100 on a cable. Well, there is an audible difference. I asked my wife to listen to the tone of my bass as I switched between cables. I only asked her which sounded better. By the way, she is not a musician. She repeatedly selected the Bass Oval. There is an audible difference. I have not used it on a gig. That will come in a few days, and I will report back. Will a cable revolutionize your tone; no. Will your bass sound better; yes. Will a bunch of drunks in a club know the difference; no. But if you are listening critically, or are recording, there will be a noticeable difference. Is it worth $100; it's up to the individual to decided. The Analysis Bass Oval will be my main cable from now on, followed by my Fender Platinum, and Canare. I am not an endorcer of this or any cable, just a consumer like the rest of you guys. By the way, I was playing through a Epifani UL 902 C, into UL410 S2. I also played through a Markbass LM II into a Epifani UL 310 SI. I played a Yamaha Nathan East Signature 5 and an MTD 535. By the way, no one sold me on this product, I was just curious, and if I saw no difference I would have returned it. I am not trying to convince anybody to buy or try these or any other cables, just reflecting on MY experience. Just as most things, you can disregard everything I have written, and use a clothes hanger if that's your thing, this is just my experience that I am sharing with the family.
 

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