Mogami Gold Studio XLR cable vs Worlds Best Cable

[ribonucleic]

As best I can tell, they both use Mogami W2549 wire and Neutrik NC3 plugs. Is there any physical difference that would justify the former costing more than twice as much as the latter?

I gather the former is assembled in Japan while the latter is assembled in Sri Lanka. (Presumably why the former has a lifetime warranty and the latter only 10 years.) But unless the Japanese are soldering on a whole other level, that wouldn’t count as a physical difference.

Or ought the objectivist say to hell with both of them and go with Monoprice, which is less than half the cost of WBC?

 

[fpitas]

As best I can tell, they both use Mogami W2549 wire and Neutrik NC3 plugs. Is there any physical difference that would justify the former costing more than twice as much as the latter?

I gather the former is assembled in Japan while the latter is assembled in Sri Lanka. (Presumably why the former has a lifetime warranty and the latter only 10 years.) But unless the Japanese are soldering on a whole other level, that wouldn’t count as a physical difference.

Or ought the objectivist say to hell with both of them and go with Monoprice, which is less than half the cost of WBC?

If you are outfitting a recording studio, you may find one cable has better RFI rejection, or is tougher to mechanical abuse. Neither of those concerns is a big deal in a domestic setting.

 

[sejarzo]

If you are outfitting a recording studio, you may find one cable has better RFI rejection, or is tougher to mechanical abuse. Neither of those concerns is a big deal in a domestic setting.

If they both use the same raw Mogami cable and the same Neutrik connectors, I'd think it hard to find any difference at all. If there was any difference at all, it would be due to substandard construction.

I see that Amazon sells WBC XLR cables made from Mogami W2549 (two conductor, served shield) or Canare L-4E6S (quad conductor, braided shield). In theory, the Canare has better rejection characteristics but at the expense of added capacitance...but again, highly unlikely to be a meaningful difference in a domestic setting.

I'd buy the Monoprice. Sure, Neutrik connectors are "better" but in a studio or live sound environment, the advantage comes from being better able to withstand repeated connections/disconnects, and the cable is constantly being laid out and rolled up. Not a concern in a home system.

 

[fpitas]

If they both use the same raw Mogami cable and the same Neutrik connectors, I'd think it hard to find any difference at all. If there was any difference at all, it would be due to substandard construction.

I see that Amazon sells WBC XLR cables made from Mogami W2549 (two conductor, served shield) or Canare L-4E6S (quad conductor, braided shield). In theory, the Canare has better rejection characteristics but at the expense of added capacitance...but again, highly unlikely to be a meaningful difference in a domestic setting.

I'd buy the Monoprice.

I tend to agree; but the cable termination can make a difference, especially to mechanical challenges. But hopefully in your house you won't treat the cables like a studio does.

 

[DVDdoug]

In a pro studio you'd have spares so it's a quick fix, once you track-down the problem. (Hopefully you have spares in a live situation too.)

I have a Monoprice mic cable, and spare which might not be from Monoprice. But, I don't use a microphone or XLR cables often enough to comment on the ruggedness/reliability. So far they both "work fine".

 

[fpitas]

In a pro studio you'd have spares so it's a quick fix, once you track-down the problem. (Hopefully you have spares in a live situation too.)

I have a Monoprice mic cable, and spare which might not be from Monoprice. But, I don't use a microphone or XLR cables often enough to comment on the ruggedness/reliability. So far they both "work fine".

Sure, but it's a time-waster. And they can get flaky, which is a big problem if it ruins a session.

 

[VintageFlanker]

As best I can tell, they both use Mogami W2549 wire

No, Mogami Gold uses 2534.

Or ought the objectivist say to hell with both of them and go with Monoprice, which is less than half the cost of WBC?

Battle Of Budget XLR Cables

Battle Of Budget XLR Cables Hey folks, I planned to post this for a while, but been a bit busy elsewhere these last few weeks... Here is a quick comparison between entry-level XLR cables, along with basic measurements to find out if some of them may bring any influence in the audible (or at...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[fpitas]

Full disclosure: some of mine are Amazon basics. Although a few longer ones are Blue Jeans.

 

[ribonucleic]

Mogami Gold uses 2534.

Ah, my bad. The Gold Studio does indeed use the 2534. It's the Gold Stage that uses the 2791.

MOGAMI® - Gold Stage (20, 30 or 50 ft)

Detailed information and applications for Mogami Cable sku Mogami Gold Stage (20, 30 or 50 ft).

mogamicable.com

 

[Speedskater]

When using XLR Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables from a good bulk cable manufacture like Belden, Canare or Mogami, interference is seldom a problem. But interference is sometimes a problem in theaters with older stage lights and smoke machines. Also a problem in venues with live sports, entertainment or news events with many wireless audio, video and data transmissions.

 

[anmpr1]

Full disclosure: some of mine are Amazon basics. Although a few longer ones are Blue Jeans.

In my experience, Amazon are decent value. However, I bought a set of their 6" cables to connect a Topping DAC to headphone amp, and they were too inflexible to use; also the RCA connectors were too loose. YMMV

I have a handful of 'generic' Mogamis I bought in the '80s, RCA to RCA, that are still going strong. Love 'em.

Benchmark XLRs are good value for interconnections. I found their SpeakOn cables to be too thick to hide in a domestic setting, so I swapped those out for generic 'monster-type' speaker runs.

For guitar to pedal to amp work, I tend to order the cheapest thing Sweetwater is selling. Usually comes in a 'three pack' or something.

The idea that cables are 'a thing' makes me unhappy.

 

[CDMC]

I have bought multiple sets of WBC and they have all had good assembly quality. I would not hesitate to buy from them again.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I use some WBC and they are fine. No reason to pay more. I also use quite a bit of Monoprice with no problems. Monoprice is thicker and less supple. So for short pieces I use WBC. For longer runs with no sharp bends I use Monoprice. I'm referring to the Monoprice premium. Have not had hands on the thinner Monoprice SR series.

 

[Old Guitar Player]

In my little office studio and when playing live, I use either a "real" Mogami or a "clone" (A Mogami cable with Neutrik ends) assembled by Event Horizon - Mogami (a company in Los Angeles that supplies many of the pro studios). There is also Castline Custom Cables in Ohio, who will custom build the Mogami cable of your choice, utilizing the end of your choice, for about 1/3rd the price of a Japanese Mogami. I primarily use Castline Golds with Switchcraft hardware for semi-permanent connections that are seldom accessed. Before this, I spent about 30 years getting by with cheap generic cables. I finally decided i was done dealing with the grief about 5 years ago. So far, It's well worth the extra investment, at least to me. PS I still keep plenty of spares on hand, just in case bad things happen at the wrong time... loll....

 

[kemmler3D]

But hopefully in your house you won't treat the cables like a studio does.

I used to put on shows in college... one night on a stage is more abuse than a home-use cable will ever get, in most cases. Even so we rarely, if ever had any problems with the Hosa / Whirlwind XLRs we used.

 

[Old Guitar Player]

I used to put on shows in college... one night on a stage is more abuse than a home-use cable will ever get, in most cases. Even so we rarely, if ever had any problems with the Hosa / Whirlwind XLRs we used.

We used Whirlwind snakes in the 1990's on the road, without any major issues for years! They do require a little TLC when laying them out and later when packing them back-up, but it all pays off in the end.

 

[JimBean]

I use some WBC and they are fine. No reason to pay more. I also use quite a bit of Monoprice with no problems. Monoprice is thicker and less supple. So for short pieces I use WBC. For longer runs with no sharp bends I use Monoprice. I'm referring to the Monoprice premium. Have not had hands on the thinner Monoprice SR series.

I use the Monoprice SR (Stage Right, which is their pro audio/instrument audio line, I believe) XLR cables in my system and they work fine, seem to be pretty well constructed and fairly pliable. Also very affordable, which was the main reason for purchasing. Plus I think I had a monoprice discount code at the time, which helped sway my decision.

 

[Old Guitar Player]

If they both use the same raw Mogami cable and the same Neutrik connectors, I'd think it hard to find any difference at all. If there was any difference at all, it would be due to substandard construction.

I see that Amazon sells WBC XLR cables made from Mogami W2549 (two conductor, served shield) or Canare L-4E6S (quad conductor, braided shield). In theory, the Canare has better rejection characteristics but at the expense of added capacitance...but again, highly unlikely to be a meaningful difference in a domestic setting.

I'd buy the Monoprice. Sure, Neutrik connectors are "better" but in a studio or live sound environment, the advantage comes from being better able to withstand repeated connections/disconnects, and the cable is constantly being laid out and rolled up. Not a concern in a home system.

The MONOPRICE looks like a great cable, especially for the money. But, there is a considerable difference in the amount of noise it allows compared to a vendor using mogami or canare cable. World's Greatest offers top notch cables, which are well soldered, with high quality ends, at a very reasonable price. Well worth the difference, in my humble opinion.

 

[amirm]

I have both Mogami Gold XLR and this WBC: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074XSDCG6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Mogami definitely feels better built. Performance though is identical.

Both are far superior than a lower cost set I picked up from a no-name brand. In short order, the wires broke inside and had to solder it properly myself. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PT3GY8P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wanted color coded cables and all I found was that cheap set.

 

[Old Guitar Player]

I have both Mogami Gold XLR and this WBC: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074XSDCG6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Mogami definitely feels better built. Performance though is identical.

Both are far superior than a lower cost set I picked up from a no-name brand. In short order, the wires broke inside and had to solder it properly myself. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PT3GY8P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wanted color coded cables and all I found was that cheap set.

Bummer...

It's going to be almost impossible to find a high-quality "set" of color-coded pre-made cables.
Maybe it would be better to consider color tape (or tag) on the ends of some moderately better cables?

I just purchased 8 of these relatively affordable CableMatters 3' cables (below) for my studio patch bay, from Amazon:

Amazon.com

Sure, CableMatters would cost double (gasp!) what you paid for your set (around $80 total for 10), but they use a considerably thicker PVC jacket, oxygen free OFC conductors and far better cable ends, which makes them considerably better at rejecting noise, and holding up over time. (i.e., they should last a LOT longer than the set you purchased from EBXYA). I've used a selection of CableMatters cables for years without any issues.

If you get into WorldsBestCables you'll pay (around $160 for 10), and if you want to go with "real" factory Mogami's you'll pay (over $300 for 10).

But since they are only 3' long, the difference in noise resistance/rejection of 3' CableMatters versus 3' Mogami "factory" cables should be negligible. Also, as long as you aren't using them to connect the "front of house" board to the snake on the next "KISS" world tour, they are a relatively more affordable and dependable option, which should last you a long time in home/studio/personal use.

Personally, when I invest in cables I try to consider the long-term cost, and I think about the fact that I'm planning to use them for a long time and (to me) it's worth a little extra investment. Of course it's ultimately up to you. Have a Great Day!