Audio Cables: Are More Expensive Cables Better?
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- Опубліковано 8 сер 2024
- Expensive audio cables vs cheap audio cables! Are more expensive cables better? Does it matter what audio cables you're using in your recording studio? I am going to find out. I will compare a number of XLR cables connecting them to my audio interfaces and checking for noise, interference and differences when I flip phase. I will also talk about paramters such as copper quality, cable resistance, cable capacity and shielding.
The lower the resistance of the cable wires and shielding, the better, because it means a smaller signal loss and better interference suppression. Cable capacitance affects how the cable stores and discharges electricity, which can affect the fidelity of audio signals, especially at higher frequencies. Good shielding improves signal integrity, reduces noise and effectively blocks radio and electromagnetic interference. Such interference may introduce unwanted noise and interference that reduces the quality of the audio transmission.
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PATREON: / polotremolo
By the way, I am using SSQ cables (Polish Brand): soundstation.pl/en/ssq
00:00 Introduction
00:19 Cables and plugs quality
02:01 Noise test
02:55 Listening test
04:14 Cancelling / Null test
07:39 Interference test
10:24 TEST RESULTS and final thoughts
I’m guilty of using more expensive for my studio gear. The cheap ones I use when traveling. I see you’re also an Antelope Audio guy 👌🏿
You can’t go wrong with good cables:) I love Antelope Audio converters!
Decent experiment, thanks for doing that! I think it should be specifically pointed out that those differences aren't audible without a null comparison. That noise is so far below the actual signal level that is will be entirely masked by our ears in a real world scenario. The most important think to consider with cables is first construction quality, and what they'll be used for. Gentle treatment in a studio is different than being tossed in and out of a cable box on tour. Second most important thing to consider is proper care! Learn to wrap your store cables properly folks!
I totally agree! 👍
and what about shielding some poeple say double-endend grounding the shield is good enough but others say if its a analog signal its better to have single-ended grounding.
The difference in audio quality is negligible, the important thing is how easily you can get at the solder pads to repair the cable. 99% of the time when XLR cables break, it's at a solder point where the wire attaches to the connector. It's a pretty easy thing to repair all you need is a soldering kit and maybe half an hour of instruction. So avoid the cables where the connector is covered in molded plastic and can't be easily accessed, but once you have a reasonably high quality connector one XLR is pretty much as good as another.
The noice on the first test u did, is not the cables it`s your Preamp that makes hiss noice
Yes. I just wanted to check if some cables will produce more noise or hum, but with short connections there was no difference;;)
There's really shit expensive cables, there's really 'value for money' cheap cables. I don't base anything on price (which is why part of my rig is homebrew cables made up of some local company's microphone cable that just happens to work really well). Honestly, it's quite simple; You can listen, and either you hear the difference or you don't. If you do, you can decide if it's worth the cable price, if you don't, you keep your current cables. I still don't see why we need scientific proof to figure that out :D.
Exactly, there are some decent cheap cables, but what I was able to confrim, that more expensive one have better shielding are less sensitive to electrical interferences - but when using single cables for connecting mic and studio monitors most will do the job just fine
Better preamp less noice when boost the signal