Pro Quality Microphone Cables

What’s the deal with these cables? Why would I buy these?

I’m glad you asked!

Microphone cables have always been a source of debate and lots of unanswered questions. Let me try to shed some light. A mic cable consists of two connectors with a length of cable between them. Simple? It should be. Then what makes a cable inferior?

• Low quality cable with high capacitance. This means that the longer the cable, the more loss of high frequencies there will be. Most medium quality, moderately priced cables have a pretty low capacitance and a sound signal will flow through them without any noticeable loss in a single signal running through a single cable. However, when using 16, 20, 24 or however many “OK” quality cables to record a drum kit or full band, the cumulative effect of using low quality cables can be noticeable.

• Sound aside, low quality cable is less durable and more likely to cause shorts inside the cable. You may not even be able to see it, yet the cable doesn’t work or is very noisy when the cable is torn or cut on the inside.

• Low quality connectors. Simple physics and common sense here. Cheap plastic breaks over time, non-plated nickel pins will corrode, etc.

• Bad soldering. Either a bad job, or inferior quality solder. The single most common thing to happen to a cable is for a solder joint to break loose and the cable shorting inside a connector.

So what’s better about my cables?

• I use industry standard Mogami 2549 cable. Virtually every big commercial studio has an in-house technician or tech department where they make their own cables. And virtually every one of those uses Mogami 2549. Why?

  • Mogami cable has an ultra-low capacitance. No loss of any frequencies, even over long runs.

  • Most cable has fabric/twine/rope filler. This is used to give the cable strength, keep it round and keep the conductors inside from twisting around each other. Mogami uses hard nylon/plastic filler instead. What does this do? When you accidentally put a chair leg on top of a cable, or roll a road case over one, the filler strands will take the weight and the conductors are not being squashed. This makes Mogami cable more resistant to internal breaks and shorts. Mogami cable is also more rigid, yet plenty flexible for everyday use. You can instantly feel the quality when you touch or hold Mogami cable.

  • The insulation jackets around the conductors of Mogami cable have a much higher melting point than other cables. This means connectors can be soldered at higher (proper) temperatures, ensuring a more reliable and durable solder joint.

• I use Neutrik XX Gold connectors. These are by far the most durable and robust connectors on the market. Gold-plated pins will not corrode. Additionally, solder “adheres” to gold plated contacts easier, more reliably and more durably than nickel connectors.

• I solder better! Really. Not trying to toot my own horn here, but… Open up the connectors on your current mic cables and look at the solder jobs. I think it’s safe to say that 90% of solder joints on mass-produced mic cables are dreadful. Too much of the conductors’ jackets stripped, shielding frayed all over the place and ready to cause a short, dull looking cold solder joints that can crumble at any time… My solder joints are clean, solid and will not break. I make sure everything inside the connector is insulated so no shorts are ever possible. I use a high-end soldering iron, set to the right temperature, as well as high-quality solder.

Mic cables will always remain a bit of a mystery and it’s hard to tell if a cable on a display rack at a store is going to be a quality cable. In general, stores try to create the assumption of quality by offering very expensive cables next to more affordable ones. These cables are often not actually high quality, which makes it all the more confusing. My cables are truthfully, objectively, the very best you could possibly buy. If you know anything about me, you’ll know that I’m a nerd when it comes to researching gear. That’s how I ended up making my own cables (I have been since the 1990’s!). I also wanted to make sure these cables would be as affordable as possible. The parts are not cheap, but I am keeping my cost down by buying parts in bulk. I’m not making much money off these cables at all. I just want the best quality cables to be accessible to my friends, and anyone visiting my site.

One last question I get asked a lot: “What about Mogami Gold cables you can buy in stores and online?”.

Mogami Gold cables are definitely quality cables. Quality connectors, quality cable and generally very solid solder work. However, they are made with quad cable. Without going down the rabbit hole too deep… Quad cable is basically two cables inside one. Of the two cables you connect both hot conductors to each other, as well as both cold conductors, at the connectors. “Splitting” the signal like this between connectors effectively shields the cable/signal from RF interference. Cool. Definitely something you could consider on a festival stage. In a studio? Absolute nonsense (on a stage too if you ask me). The biggest thing about quad cable… Capacitance. Quad cable has a much higher capacitance than regular (Mogami) cable. Again, you’re not going to hear that at all in a single cable. But if you’re using a ton of them to record a drum kit or band, the cumulative effect can be noticeable. But all that aside, these cables are really expensive. Almost double of what I’m selling my cables for. It’s your choice, but I know what I would choose :-)

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