Are Expensive Audio Cables Worth It?

Well...are they? Here's my rational opinion. For the record Whirlwind brand microphone cable was used in the making of this video.

[RealHomeRecording]

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[ytjhhh]

IS it just me Dude you look like LESTER from GTA 5...LOL Just add glasses

[RichLunaMusic]

I had a hunch that the price tag affected the quality but wasn’t too sure.
This video has saved my life.
Thanks for making it!

[AdamJMyers]

100% agree with you man. Well said.
I've been through some cheap ass cables that have caused me nothing but despair on stage. Switched to some high quality made stuff... not one problem since.

[CircumferencePI]

Thanks for making this video. One disagreement, patch cables on line level signals (studio equipment) does matter. I used mid level patch cables and compared them to Mogami gold, and instantly it took away an unwanted hiss at 18k, had zero handling noise, and the reduction of hiss in the 18k-20k range, actually provided more headroom and a bit more sheen on the highs. Worth it for studio patch cables too!

[PharaohLawLess]

I'm not gonna front on the Mogami cables. My set up had a little hum until I got the Mogami Gold cables. I fought buying those cables for years and finally broke down and bought them and they really make a difference

[DeadKoby]

Bravo sir... think you put things in good perspective. I'm a guitar cable maker. Because there is such a small amount of signal output by an average guitar, that's it's very easy to degrade it with a lame-o cable. THAT SAID... in the guitar cable market, there is a point when it goes from good to insanity on pricing.

[jdkerrmusic]

Thanks for posting this - I'm trying to determine whether or not I should get the Gold or CorePlus - your video helped me decide. Cheers! JDK

[glytch]

I was never a believer in guitar cable making any real noticeable difference in tone. I tried some George L's cable just for fun and BAM! Gained some high end. Not to mention I love the solderless thing that George L has, and how small and customizable they are. Because of your videos, I entered the realm of good guitar cable!

[somebodyelseuk]

Ah, good old Whirlwind cables - still using mine after 20 years.
+1 on - you get what you pay for re; durability. The guitar lead thing is to do with capacitance effect of cable length - they act like a tone control the longer they are, which doesn't happen in a balanced cable. An old trick if you needed a long cable (over 18 feet) in a studio or stage situation was to link two passive DI boxes together with a long mic cable and plug the guitar in one and the other to the amp with shorter cables and let the mic cable 'do the work', to avoid losing the highend - a friend of mine actually converted his bass to use an XLR cable for this reason.

[RealHomeRecording]

I use that mic cable all the time because I know it'll work. If you know how to make your own then you can save money by purchasing a roll and some Neutrik connectors.

I'm lazy/don't own a soldering iron so I get all my cables pre-fabricated. It gives me peace of mind knowing that it will probably not give me any problems and if it does I can mail it to Mogami and they'll fix it at no charge other than shipping.

It has also kept its shape and is the easiest cable to coil in my collection.

[tomldickinson]

Thanks Adam, great video, really useful.

[TheOlavarria]

I'm going to make another video on cable shut out, I just wanted to know on this video how many people will click on it. See you later...

[etherelement]

This guy know what he is on about ... basically unbalanced long cables will be different but balanced cables generally the technology figures out any interference problems.

[RalphstokesBlueleaf]

Mic cables are balanced so noise is cancelled (as long as your mic preamps are good). Thats why they don't have to be as high quality as instrument cables.

[Daddynixterdrums]

Great info, sir! Certainly appreciate the advice! :)

[gellnumbernine]

I would suggest the main reason for mic cable to be of a higher standard is they are usually longer than interconnects or patch etc. so with longer cable, better quality will always be preferred to maintain a signal. Would you agree?

[ShootoutguitarcablesUK]

'Dynamic range' for a guitar cable... now I have heard everything LOL. It is the capacitance that affects passive guitar pickup tone by shift of the resonant frequency.
OFC copper was not designed for superior electrical conductance, it was designed for use in scientific situations where the oxygen was an issue. 'OFC' copper is another well known Hi Fi marketing  myth that has crossed over into the guitar universe. One particular type of OFC will be more ductile due to purity, but the resistance is not an issue.
What's important with guitar cables is capacitance, shielding (one for external interference, one for handling static aka triboelectric microphincs), handling, connector quality, good soldering and strain relief.

[JohnSmith-ryrg]

And listen online, there are some excellent sound comparisons and Mogami have been audibly bettered.
Try Canare star quad cable L-E64S. If you bu t by the foot and solder your own XLR's you can get a superior cable for a third pf the price. Also the big difference is actually in the shielding when it comes to high end cables. The copper purity is pretty much the same across the board.

[RealHomeRecording]

Agreed on S-video/analog video cable quality mattering. Most people wouldn't notice but if you are archiving things then it's best to spend the cash.

Woohoo for digital cables though because it either works or it doesn't!