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XLR Cable Suggestion

RayDunzl

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Will not buy Hosa again.

I have a Hosa headphone extension. Bad/loose connector. Can't unscrew it to repair/enhance.
 

Panelhead

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I am a cable maven. Build my own. Use Canare, Gotham, and Sommer. All three are excellent.
For XLR I like Quad, just not wired like Star Quad with paralleled conductors. Use two as conductors, one for neutral, and the last connected to shield.
If using 1/4” connectors use microphone cable. Current fave is Sommer Club - Red Zilk. It sure is pretty. With T series Amphenol TRS and the other end Amphenol Twinaxial BNC. These will fit holes for RCA jacks for retrofitting and are works of art. The glow from the silver patina on these Mil Spec connectors puts a smile on my face.
I have it bad.
 

SIY

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Does anyone have the Amazon Basics cables? How are the connectors? I

I do, use them for microphone-to-Audio Precision and for DAC to powered speakers. The connectors are nothing special but have given me no trouble.
 

DonH56

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I do, use them for microphone-to-Audio Precision and for DAC to powered speakers. The connectors are nothing special but have given me no trouble.

Thanks, it's hard to tell from the pix except I see no Amphenol, Neutrik, or Switchcraft markings...
 

SIY

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Yeah, the quality is not at Neutrik level, but with no failures after a LOT of use (I've measured and reviewed a lot of microphones), I can't complain.
 

Blumlein 88

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You could go monoprice, I hear their quality is pretty good these days

I've used some of their Premuim for mike cable quite a bit. Works just great.

There is one situation to be aware of with miking however. The Monoprice Premium has very high tribo-electric effect. If you had a singer hand holding the mic and moving it around or god forbid step on it you can get a brief bit of scrunchy noise. Still low in level, but other brands I've had don't do this.
 

rebbiputzmaker

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Panelhead

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I do not care about price. I care only about quality. Can you please give me a recommendation of the very best XLR cable money can buy to go with my Nuemann KH120 speakers?

Right now, I am looking at these:
https://www.amazon.com/Mogami-GOLD-STUDIO-15-Microphone-XLR-Female/dp/B0002E1P2Q?th=1


Back to the original question,


1. Sommer Albedo - extremely clear, very neutral
2. Sommer Carbokab - very good also, just large and stiff.
3. Sommer Club - Red and Black Zilk.

The three are available. Premade in 2 meters with Neutrik connectors. Price is higher than Mogami, but not much.
I have quit using the Carbokab due to my issues with terminating. It requires special connectors due to size. It is definitely a no go with the current connectors.
I think Sommer is pushing the envelope with using conductive plastics to reduce noise and control reflections. It makes the sound smoother.
 

SIY

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Conductive plastics can be one way to reduce tribo noise. "Smoother sound"? I sorta doubt that.
 

Panelhead

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You will not know until you make some and give them a try. They sound more neutral and smoother to my ears. Doubt it is triboelectric effect. This is a 20 inch run from dac to amplifier.
The bulk Albedo is around 10.00 a meter. The Club Zilk cables are around 3.00/meter. Also German retailers sell them terminated.
Whether better than Amazon Basics or Monoprice I do not know. My comparisons have been to Canare, Gotham, and other Sommer cables.
 

SIY

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If you haven't done a double-blind comparison, then the assertion of "more neutral and smoother" is, frankly, worthless. It's an extraordinary claim and it needs extraordinary evidence to support it. That's the "science" part.
 
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