Which Cable?

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cpsmusic

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2013
Messages
292
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Hi,

I'd like to make some leads for my little demo studio. What I need are:

2 balanced mic leads
Some (10. 20,?) balanced patch leads for use with my Neutrik patchbay.

I'm in Australia so I was looking at getting the cable from here:

http://www.swamp.net.au/audio-cable-per-meter-bulk-rolls/

Just wondering about the differences between the cables? Which would be suitable?

Cheers,

Chris
 
cpsmusic said:
Hi,

I'd like to make some leads for my little demo studio. What I need are:

2 balanced mic leads
Some (10. 20,?) balanced patch leads for use with my Neutrik patchbay.

I'm in Australia so I was looking at getting the cable from here:

http://www.swamp.net.au/audio-cable-per-meter-bulk-rolls/

Just wondering about the differences between the cables? Which would be suitable?

Cheers,

Chris
Assuming electrical specs are correct, the differences are essentially in the mechanical department. An important factor is the "coilability", and it's impossible to tell from a picture.
SMC202 has spiral shield, so is easier to solder and likely more flexible than SMC203 (braided shield). However, spiral shield often result in less good long-term coilability. It is often assumed that braided shield is better electrically than spiral shield; that is true for single-spiral, but double-spiral is actually better than braided, but may not be as durable.
I can vouch for the quality of Canare cable. L2T2s is a standard. You won't be disappointed.
L4E6S is designed for optimum RFI rejection, but more difficult to solder (4 conductors). It also has higher capacitance, which may be an issue in some cases.
For patch cables, you want a very flexible cable, often with smaller-gauge conductors and smaller overall diameter. None of the cables here fit that description.
 
I can vouch for the quality of Canare cable. L2T2s is a standard. You won't be disappointed.

I will second that - I think the Canare is as good as anything you can buy. An additional plus is that it solders well and the insulation is not too 'melty'.

I made up 16 5 meter XLR cables for our studio from Canare and Neutrik plugs back around the year 2000. They are all still working with no failures (although a couple have been stolen!).

Follow the Canare instructions for soldering the screen, which is very thick. So it is better to cut the screen back, wrap some thin wire round and solder that, rather than trying to un-braid the screen.

:)


 
zebra50 said:
Follow the Canare instructions for soldering the screen, which is very thick. So it is better to cut the screen back, wrap some thin wire round and solder that, rather than trying to un-braid the screen.

:)

That makes a lot more sense.  Canare is super rugged but I never liked dealing with the braided shield. I use Mogami 2549 for balanced line signals,  in part because the spiral shield made assembly a lot faster.
 
abbey road d enfer said:
Assuming electrical specs are correct, the differences are essentially in the mechanical department. An important factor is the "coilability", and it's impossible to tell from a picture.
SMC202 has spiral shield, so is easier to solder and likely more flexible than SMC203 (braided shield). However, spiral shield often result in less good long-term coilability. It is often assumed that braided shield is better electrically than spiral shield; that is true for single-spiral, but double-spiral is actually better than braided, but may not be as durable.
I can vouch for the quality of Canare cable. L2T2s is a standard. You won't be disappointed.
L4E6S is designed for optimum RFI rejection, but more difficult to solder (4 conductors). It also has higher capacitance, which may be an issue in some cases.
For patch cables, you want a very flexible cable, often with smaller-gauge conductors and smaller overall diameter. None of the cables here fit that description.

I was having a look around and there's a recommendation on GS for Belden 8192 LAN cable:

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/90076-cables-resistance-capacitance.html

Just wondering what people think about this?

Also, what's recommended for patch cable?
 
cpsmusic said:
I was having a look around and there's a recommendation on GS for Belden 8192 LAN cable:
It's a very low capacitance cable; typically you can use for lengths up to about 200m without significant HF loss. With the most common Belden cable, the 8412, that would be 50m. However, the aluminium/polyester shield is a no-go, because of the poor coilability, and the fact that it tends to show material fatigue after some time.


Also, what's recommended for patch cable?
Typically, a smaller-gauge cable, with spiral shield, such as belden 1812 A
 
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