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Post by Casey Leedom on Nov 25, 2020 22:31:04 GMT -5
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Lsc
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Post by Lsc on Nov 26, 2020 0:54:52 GMT -5
amazon has lots of good choices.
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Post by stephen on Nov 26, 2020 3:31:43 GMT -5
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LCSeminole
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Post by LCSeminole on Nov 26, 2020 12:15:52 GMT -5
So how do you like their build quality? |
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Post by Percussionista on Nov 26, 2020 12:26:10 GMT -5
Very interesting article! I'm a bit on the fence... I'd like to get really good ones from both the audio and construction viewpoints; buy once, keep "forever". I wonder how the really affordable Emo cables compare, spec-wise, to some of the "higher-end" models, like ProCo and Mogami, with Neutrik connectors, better shielding, etc. Elsewhere I have some braided Emo XLR's in use (DC-1 to Stealth 8's), and RCA cables too, e.g., but have no comparison to anything else. As this is for the theater room, with an XMC-2 to be, I'm aiming for really good stuff for quality construction, clarity and low low noise, but don't want to get raped on price (Mogami!!)
Your Kopul purchase looks pretty spiffy spec-wise, and are $22.99 for 1.8 meters, nicely priced (though again about double Emo's price at 2 meters).
ProCo Excellines from Sweetwater are $19.99 for 5 feet, ProCo Ameriquad are 36.99 for 5 feet.
Blue Jeans cables - 5 feet of Belden 1800F is $31.75, 5 feet of Canare star-quad are $34.50, and you can get different color jackets.
Mogami Gold Studio at 6 feet are a whopping $49.95 from Sweetwater.
I'd prefer a known "name brand" that would stand behind them, and with a history of use and reviews (the latter of course not scientific  )
What to do, what to do...
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Post by Casey Leedom on Nov 26, 2020 16:19:37 GMT -5
I actually thought that the Koul 5000 R cables I bought from B & H Photo were very reasonably priced. Certainly they weren't in the weird, esoteric, snake-oil "audiophile" stratosphere ...
Casey
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Lsc
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Post by Lsc on Nov 26, 2020 17:09:22 GMT -5
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LCSeminole
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Post by LCSeminole on Nov 26, 2020 17:46:41 GMT -5
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Post by Percussionista on Nov 26, 2020 21:59:36 GMT -5
Ooh, interesting, and more "affordable" custom sizes. Looks like I would go with Mogami 2549 cable and Neutrik XX connectors. 5 foot is $25.70. Perhaps the main competitor against this would be the Kopul cables mentioned by Casey, also using Neutrik XX connectors, but not clear about the actual cable itself, and 5 foot would be $21.99. BUT ProAudioLA has a 1 to 2 week shipping wait time, bad timing for me, whereas BHPhoto claims their Kopul cables will ship in a few business days.
So... no shout outs for Emo's 2-meter XLR's at $11.99? I'm sure they're very good, I'm just trying to squeeze out what extra bit of clarity, neutrality, etc. that I can reasonably afford.
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Post by Boomzilla on Nov 27, 2020 7:26:16 GMT -5
Just remember, value is not the same as cheap. Buy a cheap cable and reliability will be the first that suffers. I had an XLR cable fail in the course of my work day working from home where the XLR connection broke and the solder joint separated. Mogami Cable is what I replaced with. Never had any problems with Emotiva XLR cables for record. Cheap garbage cables are just that. Garbage. Get a good cable once, rather than a cheap cable 2 or 3 times later. Notice I didn't say expensive. Um... The ONLY XLR cable I've ever had fail was a very expensive Audioquest. Connections became intermittent. My "cheap" Guitar Center XLRs still work perfectly after more than a decade. So "good" is NOT correlated to price. Postscriptum - The above statement is wrong. I remember one other XLR pair that became intermittent - an Emotiva. |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Nov 27, 2020 9:18:32 GMT -5
Just remember, value is not the same as cheap. Buy a cheap cable and reliability will be the first that suffers. I had an XLR cable fail in the course of my work day working from home where the XLR connection broke and the solder joint separated. Mogami Cable is what I replaced with. Never had any problems with Emotiva XLR cables for record. Cheap garbage cables are just that. Garbage. Get a good cable once, rather than a cheap cable 2 or 3 times later. Notice I didn't say expensive. Um... The ONLY XLR cable I've ever had fail was a very expensive Audioquest. Connections became intermittent. My "cheap" Guitar Center XLRs still work perfectly after more than a decade. So "good" is NOT correlated to price. Postscriptum - The above statement is wrong. I remember one other XLR pair that became intermittent - an Emotiva. It’s all about build quality. I’ve only had one Audioquest cable fail back in the 80’s and a friend of mine repaired the loose solder joint. Sorry, I had an optical cable fail from Monoprice.....connector broke. |
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Post by donh50 on Nov 27, 2020 16:25:22 GMT -5
I've had issues with Monoprice cables but understand they've improved in the past few years (it was near 10 years ago I last bought Monoprice).
I've had a number of Hosa cables fail.
I've used ProCo for the past 20 years or so so have just stuck with them for good quality and reasonable price.
My experience spans mostly consumer and live sound work. A cable good enough for live recording and sound systems is plenty good enough for home use and does not cost any more (and often far less) than a decent "audiophile" cable.
Lots of good choices -- and many poor ones. I tend to look for Neutrik connectors on a decent cable and most of the time that's enough. Amphenol and Switchcraft are also good, I just like Neutrik better. One of them (Amphenol or Switchcraft, sorry don't remember which) seemed a little more trouble-prone and/or harder to wire but they all do the job. A lot of cheap cables use cheap connectors that do not hold up and some would not fit properly to begin with, plus some of them had plastic housings and poor build quality that ruined electrical and mechanical integrity.
Quad cables offer better common-mode noise rejection but are overkill for most home systems IME. Not worth the extra cost and less flexible.
FWIWFM - Don
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Post by Percussionista on Nov 30, 2020 16:43:57 GMT -5
So... I need to fall off the fence, fish or cut bait, do - there is no try...
No one so far willing to put the stamp of approval on Emo's 2-meter XLR's at $11.99, though (of course) their phone support gives them the thumbs up for Emo gear connections. Yet, I'm starting to lean back to these though.
Otherwise, I've narrowed down my other choice to ProAudioLA's custom cables, with Mogami 2549 wire, and Neutrik XX connectors. They come in four colors for the jackets, a small but useful plus. 5-feet are $25.70, 4-feet are $24.65. I'm actually thinking 4-feet would be plenty, loose. (Thanks LCSeminole for that reco).
If I order from ProAudioLA now, as I was just told on the phone, my order would ship say around Dec. 19 as they have a big backlog, so that's a bit of lead time. If I order Emo cables with the XMC-2 I'll get them about the same time, so I can get fully testing right away. Will I kick myself for not waiting, don't know. I can always order say 3 Emo cables to start, to test L/C/R, while waiting for ProAudioLA, and then see if I can tell the difference in the cables.
Why can't I decide? 
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Nov 30, 2020 16:54:50 GMT -5
Have you checked out AffordHifi? I've purchased several cables including XLR and they are beautifully made and the price is right. Neutrik connectors and your choice of Canare or Belden or Mogami cable I believe and they can be custom made to length.
James@affordhifi.com
He moved awhile ago, so his website says they are getting back up to speed....take a look, but best to send James a note.
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LCSeminole
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Post by LCSeminole on Nov 30, 2020 19:33:04 GMT -5
So... I need to fall off the fence, fish or cut bait, do - there is no try... No one so far willing to put the stamp of approval on Emo's 2-meter XLR's at $11.99, though (of course) their phone support gives them the thumbs up for Emo gear connections. Yet, I'm starting to lean back to these though. Otherwise, I've narrowed down my other choice to ProAudioLA's custom cables, with Mogami 2549 wire, and Neutrik XX connectors. They come in four colors for the jackets, a small but useful plus. 5-feet are $25.70, 4-feet are $24.65. I'm actually thinking 4-feet would be plenty, loose. (Thanks LCSeminole for that reco). If I order from ProAudioLA now, as I was just told on the phone, my order would ship say around Dec. 19 as they have a big backlog, so that's a bit of lead time. If I order Emo cables with the XMC-2 I'll get them about the same time, so I can get fully testing right away. Will I kick myself for not waiting, don't know. I can always order say 3 Emo cables to start, to test L/C/R, while waiting for ProAudioLA, and then see if I can tell the difference in the cables. Why can't I decide? I've not used the current Emotiva XLR's, I use a combination of their last two XLR models and they are both well constructed so I doubt these new XLR cables are any different in that aspect. Personally I'd bet you wouldn't hear any difference between the Emotiva XLR's and the ProAudioLA XLR(but these are prettier ). |
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Post by jdmusante on Dec 1, 2020 0:24:35 GMT -5
If I order from ProAudioLA now, as I was just told on the phone, my order would ship say around Dec. 19 as they have a big backlog, so that's a bit of lead time. If I order Emo cables with the XMC-2 I'll get them about the same time, so I can get fully testing right away. Will I kick myself for not waiting, don't know. I can always order say 3 Emo cables to start, to test L/C/R, while waiting for ProAudioLA, and then see if I can tell the difference in the cables.
Why can't I decide? +1 for ProAudioLA. Great guys and awesome product. They are in my backyard and have had them make me XLR cables and speaker cables (onsite while I've waited for them ) |
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Post by Percussionista on Dec 11, 2020 13:01:07 GMT -5
Orders on the way. XMC-2 should arrive shortly; custom XLR cables from ProAudioLA won't arrive until beginning of January. So, ordered and already received (and tested) an inexpensive but otherwise reviewed-well set of "cheapies" on Amazon (a 6-cable color-coded bundle from DISINO) to get me started. Thanks all for your suggestions! |
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