CTS pots are basically the standard of quality when it comes to potentiometers.
What would you say would be the quality "standard" for cables?
What would you say would be the quality "standard" for cables?
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What makes a quality cable?
- Thread starter KingRazor
- Start date
It's OK to say 'Monster' - they make good cables. Question always comes down to cost and what you get for your money.
For me, I like a supple cable that does not tangle, and I like rock-solid connectors. That's about all I'm after.
I have a couple Monsters that I got on clearance, but my main cables are the Planet Waves with the circuit-breaker plugs.
For me, I like a supple cable that does not tangle, and I like rock-solid connectors. That's about all I'm after.
I have a couple Monsters that I got on clearance, but my main cables are the Planet Waves with the circuit-breaker plugs.
As far as sound quality goes, I have a 10ft. instrument cable I bought for $1.50 at GC that sounds as good as my waste of money monster cable.
But I have to be honest, I've stepped on, smashed and basically abused the monster cable and its always held together. It IS built better.......just doesn't sound any better.
But I have to be honest, I've stepped on, smashed and basically abused the monster cable and its always held together. It IS built better.......just doesn't sound any better.
Yeah I don't figure the sound quality will vary much. Although I've listened a bass played with my cable and one played with a slightly higher end cable and there was a (very subtle) difference.
The circuit breaker planet waves cables look pretty neat. Dunno if that feature is necessarily worth the extra cost, but it's very nifty.
If there was ANY sound difference whatsoever, then one of the cables or plugs was defective (or not an instrument cable).
As for the breaker, up to your needs. I find it very handy when changing basses.
Good luck!
Maybe mine is defective
Yeah as much as I think of that as a cool feature I doubt I'd have much use for it.
I like the idea of a breaker button, nice touch...
...do you need to keep the button pressed while changing basses, or is it automatic until plugged into another bass?
For that matter, I patch into a pedal board first, so I just hit my tuner pedal and it mutes the entire signal chain.
As for the OP's question, I think that it does matter what materials and manufacturing techniques go into the production of a decent instrument cable.
Shorter is better. Shorter is better, because if you use anything over 18' you will start to lose your high frequencies. Thinner gauge wire also pinches the high frequencies because of higher impedance.
Non-oxidizing ring & tip (gold plating vs. nickel) is better for the conductors. Now, you'll also consider that these will only be as effective as the gear you're patching together. The female conductors probably won't be gold plated. So, don't go crazy trying get the most expensive gold-plated cables when your old Ampeg has oxidized nickel-plated conductors.
Many companies are offering oxygen-free coaxial cables. The idea is great...keep out oxygen and you increase the lifespan of your cable. The theory is sound (pun intended) since electrons travel on the outside of a piece of copper wire instead of through the inside of the metal...even braided copper wire. Braided wire increases the surface area so that more electrons can travel down the length...whereas a solid core wire has a lesser surface area for what seems to be the same gauge. So, over time, copper oxidizes and this impedes the free travel of electrons down the outside of the wire. But, if the wire is sealed...oxygen-free, then the electrons scurry to their destination unhindered.
I'm a fan of these oxygen-free coaxial cables...to me it means greater cable lifespan. I've not noticed an audible difference between traditional cables and these newer oxygen-free cables...but I'm sure there is one. This becomes quite apparent with video production and high-quality audio recording.
I like Mogami and Monster for instrument cables...but I'm sure I'm paying too much and I could find something cheaper which would do the same job.
For patch cables connecting your pedals, the George L effects cable kit is the best imo.
For some gigs, I completely bypass the instrument cable and use a 24bit digital wireless unit. Since the signal is digital, the receiver gets an exact reproduction of what was encoded & sent from the transmitter...no signal loss whatsoever.
There's no getting around this point though...the quality of your signal is as good as your weakest piece of gear. You might get the world's finest instrument cables, but if the conductors on your old vintage bass are oxidized & dirty, you'll be disappointed...that is until you clean them or upgrade with gold-plated conductors!
EDIT: A few days ago, my city was making repairs on power lines originally buried in the 1920's. A tradesman I know personally inspected a small section of it. The cable was wrapped in several oxygen-free layers filled with oil. The copper looked sparkling clean and brand new! Even though today's materials are slightly different, the concept is not new.
there is no such thing as a 100% oxy free cable....but almost all quality cables are 99.98% oxy free. Now cables have properties such as capacitance, inductance and resistance.....what has these properties? crossovers....so cables with different properties will have different effects on frequencies...make sense?? I have worked for a major cable mfg for over 10 years and got to A-B maaaany different cables....there is big differences in sound qualities....good or bad....its all a personal pref.
Based on this work I don't think there's a real audible difference in cables:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=684857&highlight=bongomania+cable+comparison
Personally, I use a moderately priced cable that any major music store will replace free of charge if it breaks or stops working correctly.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=684857&highlight=bongomania+cable+comparison
Personally, I use a moderately priced cable that any major music store will replace free of charge if it breaks or stops working correctly.
Please site any study detailing measurable differences in sound between any two non-defective same-purpose cables.
Any differences at all.
Not what someone thinks they hear.
Sound is measurable, so if there are any differences at all, there should be a study that one can reference.
Saw it already - these threads just don't end. I've been around long enough for these and other magic cable discussions that come and go over the years.
Note that I was asking another poster to site a study that DID show such measurable differences. And a study by a reputable firm.
Oxygen free copper of at least 20 gauage, qaulity plugs and qaulity shielding plus good outer wrap/cable houseing wether rubber or whatever.
I'm unsure how a reputable firm's testing is going to convince you more than Basic Electronics will.
If you can determine your instrument's output impedance, your amp's input impedance, & your cable's 'pF/foot' rating, (or even source 'typical' values) I'm sure someone fresher at their Theory than I can quickly calculate the -3 dB frequency point of the circuit. Given the fairly high impedances for passive ciccuits, it'll be below 20kHz.
Instrument cable has capacitance that interacts with a pickup's inductance, and without that inductance, you can't make a graph showing how responses differ. The color the cable imparts will vary with inductance. I tend to like low capacitance cables so I can add in coloration through capacitors at the bass, but many are pretty happy getting substantial coloration from the cable and wouldn't want to have additional extension anyways. What is important is that the cable has sufficient shielding and doesn't develop handling noise
