Battle of RCA Cables: Mogami, Amazon, Monoprice

[Xyrium]

Glad you found your way! Mogami and Canare are both excellent choices, they have configurations for almost any situation, and they use good materials. I have no idea about their specs, but I've always used them due to prevalence and convenience for cutting stuff to size.

 

[Doodski]

Years back in early 2000 I was going through system changes and not knowing better got pulled into this cable drama. Good thing one of my buddies owned a "High End" audio shop. One day he showed me a power cable and some interconnects that were really expensive. The Power cable was a new one that had just come out from PS Audio, that thing was really big and I got a chance to see the raw cable that was used in that power cable which the model # escapes me at the moment. The Raw cable had extra layers of shielding 2-3 if I'm correct. The interconnects were MIT's and were expensive too.

My buddy would let me try out anything in the shop for home audition. That's when I started to question certain gear and cost of gear. I never liked the MIT or Transparent Audio interconnects. Just didn't sound right in my system and kind of dull. I then tried out some NEW at the time Harmonic Technoloy cables that were not too expensive and sound way better. But when I would turn up the system they would sound like they were holding back the system. What I mean is for example, like a car that is going up a hill and you are putting your pedal down to increase the speed but is being held back for some reason. That is the only way I can explain it.

I then tried more cables at different price point but were all expensive in the $300 on up range for a meter. I couldn't justify the cost and what was being said at that time by some sources that you needed to spend 20% of what your entire system cost on cables. That was the last straw and I went on a DIY interconnect Power cable info search. I finally for a website that had some info on a cable design from the Navy and I tried the design out and to my surprise worked really well in my system but the drawback was as you increased in length of the interconnect so did the capacitance of the cable which could cause issues with certain preamps if they used designs in them that couldn't drive higher capacitance loads. Another draw back was if there was any strong EMI or RFI the cables would pick up the noise.

So I came across a post in one of the audio forums about a cable that is used in the Recording Studios and Pro Audio, the cable was Mogami. So I took the chance and bought one pair of RCA's and Balanced interconnects. I was surprised at how good these cables were built and sound for so little cost. I have been using them ever since and now I have discovered the "Worlds Best Cable" company and have tried their Cables with Mogami 2534 cable and Eminence connectors. These were really nicely built for very little cost and are now my go to connector. I will be trying out there Instrument cables for my basses and amps.

I'm glad my buddy let me barrow all kinds of cables and gear to save me from the wasted time and money going through the "High End" Merry Go Round. I have even convinced some of my audio buddies to try these Mogami cables and all have been very happy with the results.

Mogami is great value. Good to see you got off that cables/AC power cords merry go round. I was into cables with a tri-amp'd system that I ran and I found that a basic quality cable was sufficient for a good termination and then I wasn't scared of connecting my amps directly to the drivers with no crossovers.

 

[Cougar]

Mogami is great value. Good to see you got off that cables/AC power cords merry go round. I was into cables with a tri-amp'd system that I ran and I found that a basic quality cable was sufficient for a good termination and then I wasn't scared of connecting my amps directly to the drivers with no crossovers.

Speaking of "Termination" if I'm correct, I saw in a post on another forum that I think Ralph of Atma-Sphere audio confirmed with measured tests that it was the connection/s between AC cords, IEC inputs, and Recepticles would have an effect on the sound quality of audio gear. Now I'm speaking of how they "Grip" to each other, Tighter the grip the better. I'm trying to find that link now.

 

[Doodski]

Speaking of "Termination" if I'm correct, I saw in a post on another forum that I think Ralph of Atma-Sphere audio confirmed with measured tests that it was the connection/s between AC cords, IEC inputs, and Recepticles would have an effect on the sound quality of audio gear. Now I'm speaking of how they "Grip" to each other, Tighter the grip the better. I'm trying to find that link now.

Bad connections and intermittent connections abound when servicing electronics. Some of those terminations are so difficult to see the fault that a magnifier or a meter must be used to determine the connection actually has the issue one is searching for. Because good techs determine the fault, then diagnose the issue and then confirm the fault has been fixed terminations are everything. Once a certain point in the conductor integrity and termination integrity (grip) has been reached then it's a solved issue.

 

[Ricardus]

I use Mogami 2528 siamese signal wire (it's like 2 smaller OD guitar cables in a parallel zip format) with Neutrik RCA's for my stereo interconnects, and I customize length. And this is literally overkill.

 

[Shazb0t]

Considering buying some new RCA interconnect cables to replace some old Monoprice Premium cables which have stiffness issues and sometimes disconnect from time to time due to the orientation of my desktop gear.

I see a lot of people recommend star-quad wire indiscriminately, be it Canare, Mogami, Belden or any other brand, for unbalanced RCA interconnects. I've also read that this is overkill for the application as it was designed for balanced signals and the extra capacitance of the star-quad wire may actually make it a worse choice for unbalanced RCA interconnects. I'm not concerned about the minor cost difference for the shorter lengths and number of cables I need between the two, so this leads to my questions:

Should I choose a pliable name brand twisted pair or star-quad wire for RCA interconnects? Is there a definitively better choice for the application?

 

[Abe_W]

Not sure why Amir bought Mogami for $105.90 to do this review!

Here's some Mogami 2964 for 28 bucks and it is well made (sends that Monoprice junk back to the junk pile).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GNXO67K?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[Cougar]

Not sure why Amir bought Mogami for $105.90 to do this review!

Here's some Mogami 2964 for 28 bucks and it is well made (sends that Monoprice junk back to the junk pile).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GNXO67K?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Isn't the Mogami 2964 cable a Coaxial cable? The Mogami 2534 is used in their Gold series RCA cables.

 

[Cougar]

Bad connections and intermittent connections abound when servicing electronics. Some of those terminations are so difficult to see the fault that a magnifier or a meter must be used to determine the connection actually has the issue one is searching for. Because good techs determine the fault, then diagnose the issue and then confirm the fault has been fixed terminations are everything. Once a certain point in the conductor integrity and termination integrity (grip) has been reached then it's a solved issue.

A MilliOhm meter should see the differences to confirm the bad or weak connections. Correct?

 

[Doodski]

A MilliOhm meter should see the differences to confirm the bad or weak connections. Correct?

Yes, in most applications that is sufficient but I have seen some very intermittent joints that measured/metered fine and looked great but still had bad connections. Those are the sneaky faults that require a scope and patience.

 

[Abe_W]

Isn't the Mogami 2964 cable a Coaxial cable? The Mogami 2534 is used in their Gold series RCA cables.

They seem to have a whole assortment of various Mogami, Canare, etc in their storefront at that link. Get what fits your needs.

 

[Cougar]

Yes, in most applications that is sufficient but I have seen some very intermittent joints that measured/metered fine and looked great but still had bad connections. Those are the sneaky faults that require a scope and patience.

yes, I totally agree with the intermittent connections.

 

[Cougar]

They seem to have a whole assortment of various Mogami, Canare, etc in their storefront at that link. Get what fits your needs.

Yes, I was seeing all the various types. I agree get what fits your needs.

 

[deniall83]

Apologies if this is not the right place but I'm hoping some of the turntable guys can suggest a good, cheap, low capacitance, phono cable option to go between my turntable and phono stage. I have 3 generic cables at home and all of them hum when hooked up to the turntable. I have used Blue Jeans LC-1 previously but unfortunately it'll cost me $100 AUD for a single 3 foot length. I'd be happy to spend about $50.

Worlds Best Cables on Amazon look good and use Mogami wire but I have no experience with them.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Apologies if this is not the right place but I'm hoping some of the turntable guys can suggest a good, cheap, low capacitance, phono cable option to go between my turntable and phono stage. I have 3 generic cables at home and all of them hum when hooked up to the turntable. I have used Blue Jeans LC-1 previously but unfortunately it'll cost me $100 AUD for a single 3 foot length. I'd be happy to spend about $50.

Worlds Best Cables on Amazon look good and use Mogami wire but I have no experience with them.

A coax type cable is probably best for this. Think composite video or RCA digital cables. They'll have braided and foil shielding.
So any such cable available locally should do the trick.

This should work.

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice102743-Digital-Coaxial-Audio-Video/dp/B003NMVG64/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1P7PKEPHJW5A2&keywords=rca%2Bvideo%2Bcable&qid=1649990987&sprefix=rca%2Bvideo%2Bcable%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-5&th=1

as should this. This one claims to be very flexible which is a plus.

https://www.amazon.com/C2G-29115-Velocity-Digital-Meters/dp/B0002J2B8I/ref=psdc_3236443011_t2_B0002GX0ZE

This one is a little fancier looking if you care about that.

https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Ultra-Digital-Audio-Coaxial/dp/B00FMZX5RI/ref=psdc_3236443011_t3_B0002GX0ZE?th=1

 

[Holmz]

Apologies if this is not the right place but I'm hoping some of the turntable guys can suggest a good, cheap, low capacitance, phono cable option to go between my turntable and phono stage. I have 3 generic cables at home and all of them hum when hooked up to the turntable. I have used Blue Jeans LC-1 previously but unfortunately it'll cost me $100 AUD for a single 3 foot length. I'd be happy to spend about $50.

Worlds Best Cables on Amazon look good and use Mogami wire but I have no experience with them.

Mogami is good, so I’d give them a shot.

I just installed a home made set between the TT and the phonostage, about 20” long.

 

[Cougar]

Mogami is good, so I’d give them a shot.

I just installed a home made set between the TT and the phonostage, about 20” long.

Mogami with the Eminence connectors from amazon. Don't get the Mogami 2534 type cause this will have too much capacitances. Do a search and see which type is best for your app and then see what Amazon has in that type of cable.

Make sure there is no ground loop or open ground that is cause the hum. Also can you give more info on what type or cartridge and phono preamp you are using?

 

[Holmz]

Mogami with the Eminence connectors from amazon. Don't get the Mogami 2534 type cause this will have too much capacitances. Do a search and see which type is best for your app and then see what Amazon has in that type of cable.
…

20” (1/2 meter) is pretty short.
I am using the Mogami Neglex 2549 with Nuetrik Profi RCAs.
The spec says: Capacitance @1khz 23pf/ft.
So maybe it is ~40 pf total ?

Maybe I would be better off with different ICs, but it sounds o’roight to me.
And I am a bit cheap when it comes to ICs and speaker cables.
They are easy to solder up to the Neutrik Profi RCAs, and the wire cutter allows any length to happen.

…
Make sure there is no ground loop or open ground that is cause the hum…
,,,

There is a ground point on TT and on the phono stage.
There is a little hiss and low hum when the linestage is at 3 o’clock.
(No hiss on other inputs, only on the phono stage.)

I usually listen at <= 12 o’clock setting which is ~90 dB(A) with an ipad NIOSH SPL meter.
12:30 to 1 o’clock has the SPL meter showing 95-100 dB(A).
So I cannot hear the hum until the preamp gets to the 2:00 o’clock position… and my head is against the speaker.

…
Also can you give more info on what type or cartridge and phono preamp you are using?

@Cougar me? or @deniall83 ?

I had an old ARC PH2 and some handmade RCA to balanced cables ~4 feet long.
A new TT belt and a Garrott bros p77i were chucked on to the TT.

New (which is an old/used) phono stage is as the photo shows below the TT.
The line stage is directly below it out of frame.

... I have used Blue Jeans LC-1 previously but unfortunately it'll cost me $100 AUD for a single 3 foot length. I'd be happy to spend about $50.
…

Where in Oz are you?
(I got 50’ 50meters of the mogami in a month or three ago.)

 

[Cougar]

20” (1/2 meter) is pretty short.
I am using the Mogami Neglex 2549 with Nuetrik Profi RCAs.
The spec says: Capacitance @1khz 23pf/ft.
So maybe it is ~40 pf total ?

Maybe I would be better off with different ICs, but it sounds o’roight to me.
And I am a bit cheap when it comes to ICs and speaker cables.
They are easy to solder up to the Neutrik Profi RCAs, and the wire cutter allows any length to happen.




There is a ground point on TT and on the phono stage.
There is a little hiss and low hum when the linestage is at 3 o’clock.
(No hiss on other inputs, only on the phono stage.)

I usually listen at <= 12 o’clock setting which is ~90 dB(A) with an ipad NIOSH SPL meter.
12:30 to 1 o’clock has the SPL meter showing 95-100 dB(A).
So I cannot hear the hum until the preamp gets to the 2:00 o’clock position… and my head is against the speaker.




@Cougar me? or @deniall83 ?

I had an old ARC PH2 and some handmade RCA to balanced cables ~4 feet long.
A new TT belt and a Garrott bros p77i were chucked on to the TT.

New (which is an old/used) phono stage is as the photo shows below the TT.
The line stage is directly below it out of frame.
View attachment 200162



Where in Oz are you?
(I got 50’ 50meters of the mogami in a month or three ago.)

@Holmz- Sorry about that. It was meant for @deniall83.

 

[Cougar]

Has anyone here tried the Allen Wright Cable Cookbook DIY recipes?