Which XLR cable should you buy? (Budget/Live Wire/Mogami) (AT4040/Shure Sm7B/AT2020/PD-70) Part 2
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- Part 2 is here! I continue my lesson on XLR cables with some high end cables compared to your standard cables.
Segments:
00:00 - Intro
00:52 - What cables am I covering?
02:06 - Build Comparison/Breakdown
08:03 - Interference Shielding Test/Comparison
08:58 - Audio Quality Test
16:00 - Outro
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My Gear:
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Lens: Canon 35mm 2.8f/Samyang 14mm 2.8f/Sigma 14-24mm 2.8f
Mic: Oktava MK 012/AT4040/Shure SM7B/AT2020/PD-70
Audio recorder: Zoom F6
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Tags
#XLR #XLRcable #Audioequipment #RebelTech #Audio #Tech #Gear #Microphones #MicrophoneReviews #Techtalk #education #educational
This is one of the greatest audio videos I have EVER watched, this video gave me the right idea on what XLR cable I should purchase, thanks rebel tech!
Thank you for checking out the video! I don't know if it's one of the greatest but I am glad it helped!
Bought a bunch of cheap colored XLR cable for podcasting, so very careful use, no violent stage production. They all frigging broke. Something decent lasts for years, a bad cable lasts a few months and adds mental strain. At least for audio where it is so non-binary and confusing, adding a bit of extra just makes sense. If you got a static setup and rarely unplugs the cables I guess the strain release/ connectors etc matters less, but if you regularly unplug XLR’s get something decent, the basic stuff is not worth it. That’s my take. If you don’t want to learn the connectors etc you can ask in a music shop what they’d recommend. If it’s good enough for stage work it’s good enough for most usages :)
Thanks for this comment, I was about to order some of these colored short patch cables for prime day. Sounds like my money is best spent elsewhere
Thank you for this review 😊 It was very helpful!
Thanks for your review!
You're welcome! Thanks for checking out the video!
I been using Hosa cables for a couple years. Definitely an upgrade from the Amazon cables! Lol! Yeah, I can't justify the cost of Mogami cables but I'd really like to.
I've heard good things about Hosa. To be honest, if it wasn't for client work, I wouldn't have gotten a Mogami. I did it because I didn't want any issues. The Live Wire may have been enough but I had some points left over on Musicians Friend and didn't want to lose them. At least that's what I tell myself lol
Good video.. just ordered a Mogami
Sweet! Thanks for checking out the video! Let me know how the cable works out for you!
Thank you for the good snd helpful information. I have an F6, H6, a TLM103 and several other field mics. Since you mentioned the Fethead, I am also wondering if use of the Fethead on a Sennheiser e945 would see more, or see less of a difference, especially with an H6? Thanks again
For the most part the db boosters, like the Fethead, just take the pressure off of the Pre amp. The best way to find out if you need it is to plug in your mic to the pre amp you are planning to use and get it to the proper level. Then listen to the tone of the preamp/mic without talking. Then it's up to you if you feel the noise is too much and it's putting strain on your preamp with a hiss/noise. All the Fethead will do is provide gain before the preamp which will reduce the hiss/noise from the preamp that you may have heard with the previous test. Also remember you need phantom power to use a Fethead, with an H6 you're good.
Hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks for checking out the video!
Thank you. Shopping around and trying to absorb information, as I am a noobie. Thanks!
Thanks for checking out the video!
@TriAmpHiFi Appreciate the information! It's been a year and have already bought cables for my Shure microphones. They work great. Haven't really started the podcast yet. Maybe soon. Thank you bro! 🙏
You’re welcome!
Crazy you can really hear the difference
To be honest, I notice little things when I boost it up. Mainly the amount of noise they create. As far as quality of the tone, much less noticeable.
Thanks for checking out the video!
What is your recommendation for XLR cables to a condenser microphone?
I would go with the Live Wire. It’s a affordable version of the Mogami. Also I have found the Live wire to be more user friendly. Much easier to cool and maintain. Granted this could end up having kinks in the cable if I’m not careful.
Hope this helps, thanks for checking out the video!
hello , i have questions about this cable it's good cable XLR : mogami gold studio-15 xlr microphone cable for Shure SM7B
It’s a great cable. It is a bit expensive though. I feel the livewire gives you plenty of good quality at a cheaper price.
Hope this helps. Thanks for checking out the video!
What about the Kopul Premier Quad pro 5000 series ? I am about to buy , would like to know your honest opinion 😀 Thank you
It seems like a nice cable. It has the lock that I prefer and the shielding look pretty good. That's all I can say without actually holding it and testing it. I can almost guarantee it's better than the budget option that I covered. But I don't know how it matches up to the Live Wire and Mogami.
Let me know how it is when you get it. Thanks for checking out the video!
@@RebelTech1990 sure will let you know once i get, i selected this cause i found heavy reviews on b&h
I just bought a Focusrite scarlet interface and and at2020 mic and idk what xlr cable I’m supposed to get
I think the Live Wire is the best value
Having issues with my shure sm7b on an elgato wave XLR interface. Every now and then get random pops and crackles through the mic during normal speech. Not sure the cause, I've messed with buffer size of the interface, drivers, checked all my connections to make sure they're good, tried turning off vocal effects, moved it around, etc etc... it's still crackling. I'm using an amazon basics cable, I'm thinking it must be that? Got a mogami cable coming on the way.
Also, let me know if you'd have any clue what could be causing this. It's like every 30 seconds it'll crackle for a split second. It's really odd.
That could be a wide variety of things. I never used the Elgato Wave XLR so I can’t give first hand insight. What I can do is give some general trouble shooting. Some of these you may have already done.
1) check xlr cable
2) check software
3) check power/connection cable to the interface
4) make sure the mic is good by plugging into another source
5) make sure there’s no interference (ex.phone, wireless signals)
6) see if it’s through the input signal and not just hearing it through the headphone Jack.
7) make sure your levels are healthy. (Not too high or low.
8) possibly need a mic activator if the gain is too high
That’s all I can think of right now. Try those out and if they don’t work you should contact elgato or Shure. Depends on where the issue may be. Hope this helps.
@@RebelTech1990 Others online have told me they hear it too when talking to me on discord and stuff. I've tried everything besides trying it on a new computer
Does it happen with any other mics?
Are you in a pc or a Mac?
@@RebelTech1990 PC
Are you using the Livewire Essentials or the Livewire Advantage?
I am using Live Wire Elite Quad xlr cables
I think this was an informative review/comparison, but I think in addition to voice(which wasn't perfectly consistent(no fault to you)) you should have used a consistent sound source for comparison and only changed out the cables.
I thought of using a white noise or something like a tone, but I feel that won't show the real world impact on them. Most people will be using these with spoken word, singing or instruments. I do want to do more tests with these so maybe i'll throw in the tone or white noise in for just a quick test. Thanks for checking out the video!
Wait, the Focusrite Scarlett is a starter device? I see a lot of people running their expensive mics through the Scarlett.
The Solo is for sure. The provided gain isn't that high and the IO isn't great. They have higher end stuff like the 18i6, 18i20 and many more. I don't see many, serious, musicians using a scarlet solo.
@@RebelTech1990 Thanks for the quick reply! I'm planning to get the Scarlett 18i8. Are there better audio interfaces I should consider that aren't double the cost?
What kind of stuff are you gonna make? Also for what platform (ex UA-cam, Twitch, Spotify)
@@RebelTech1990 ASMR Videos for UA-cam mostly.
This is a good interface but the thing that may be overkill is the amount of inputs. If you are gonna use the 4 inputs then I'd go for it. If not then you can save some cash by getting one with less inputs. The thing is with ASMR content you want a very clean signal so the quality of the preamps is where you need to focus.
No mention of ProCo cables? Have you ever tried them? How would you rate them?
I don’t have this one but I wanna do a follow up video with some higher quality cables
@@RebelTech1990 That would be nice! The video was great. I'll double check to make sure I'm subscribed for next time.
ProCo has really good cables. They are just like Livewire. I only use ProCo, Livewire, and Mogami after wasting money on cheaper cables for years.
Which Mogami would you recommend? There are a few diffrent types
I have the Mogami Gold, it’s a solid cable. The Live wire is also very good and cheaper. So it’s up to you
@@RebelTech1990 I just bought a Mogami gold quad
Sweet! Let me know how it works for you
I don't know why but my shure sm7b is very quiet and when I try to raise the gain it makes so much noise
What interface are you using? Also is this something that just started or has the hiss always been there?
@@RebelTech1990 The hiss and these electronic cable noises were always there. Im using the focusrite scarlett solo. Could the cause be the cables?
It’s definitely possible, it’s either that or one of the ports. On the mic or in the interface
i need a budget one just for game chat and streaming? which should I buy?
How much do you want to spend?
@@RebelTech1990 most $40.00. I see the 10 foot Rode is $35.00.
That’s good, or you can try the elgato one. I think it’s $20. I haven’t used it but I’ve heard good things. Just watch videos about them before you get it to make sure
@@RebelTech1990 ok thank you for the replies.
Where can I get the livewire cables? Amazon?
I’ve seen the on musicians friend and Guitar Center.
@@RebelTech1990 thx
I have a pair of industry famous Neutrik NC3MXX-B and NC3FXX-B XLR connectors with Van Damme Starquad XKE cable. UPOFC wire. Starquad cabling
The pair of these can be purchased for around £40.
I could not detect any difference compared to RCA cables that cost me £160.
The connection is between a DAC and active speakers.
The key is to buy from a Pro Audio supplier. Avoid hyped up 'audiophile' brands coated with snake oil and fairy dust.
I love hearing this perspective. I’m totally into building anything to make it my own and fit my purposes. I just to dive in and give it a shot. I’m not the best at soldering but with practice I think I can get it done.
Thanks for checking out the video!
In my opinion based on the audio samples I heard in the video, the PD-70 with the Live Wire XLR cable (14:40) was probably the best sounding setup for someone on a budget of $200 or less (at least for the mic and the cables). The sound was relatively clear without getting many peaks or bits of static muffling the sound of the voice, and for someone just wanting to do a podcast, UA-cam videos, or let's plays it sounds like it would be a good option. And as you said, a cable with higher build quality and a better connection into the mic just feels a lot more satisfying and like you don't have to worry about the quality of the cable when connecting or disconnecting it.
With the budget cables for all the options, you can definitely tell there's a bit more staticy reverb noise in the sound quality of someone's voice, and while the voice is still clearly audible and it sounds okay I imagine that it would be less tolerable with the reverb type sound when someone is having spontaneous reactions during something like a let's play or a podcast where they sound louder than usual (like when laughing, expressing shock, etc.).
So for me, if I were recommending something for someone starting out and not wanting to break the bank before deciding if they want to make videos longterm, I'd recommend a good quality cable like the Live Wire one or similar with a decent quality broadcast mic like the PD-70. A good quality cable is going to improve the sound quality of whatever mic you use, so if you later decide you'd like to try a different mic you won't have to buy different cables for that if you already have nice quality cables. The difference in sound on the microphones I think is more worth the price to have a better quality cable than to spend $100-$200 more on a better quality microphone.
The Live Wire is definitely the best bang for your buck. When I get more cables, in the future, I think they will be the brand I stick with.
Thanks for checking out the video!
@@RebelTech1990 No problem at all, I enjoy watching your content after finding you on here (I found you through the related videos after watching a podcastage video, when looking for getting an XLR mic working with my computer).
I ordered some Mogami XLR cables and I ordered some Pig Hog XLR cables as a backup to have a bit of comparison between two good quality and different priced cables, and just in case either of the two sets of cables are faulty or end up getting damaged then I have a backup set to use. I bookmarked plenty of cables and gear on Amazon into different lists in case I ever wanted to switch to some different equipment thanks to videos and tests I've found of different gear (including this vid).
Previously I had only ever used an AKG Perception 120 USB mic back in my amateur voice acting days. Which wasn't bad honestly, but I didn't have the know how back then that I do now that I'm older and notice the differences. Now I'm going to be going with a Rode NT1 mic to see how that works out for doing my Let's Play videos or other things I may upload on my channel. Thankfully I got a used Rode NT1 at a good price so it was much more affordable than the usual $270 price, hopefully I don't have to do too much cleaning on it when it comes in. I've liked the sound tests from it so far from the several videos I've seen feature it. I also like that it's manufactured where the company is based over in Australia, and not in China or with labor that would likely result in a lesser build quality (which is a reason I decided on a Rode NT1 over the PD-70 for now).
@@RebelTech1990 If you were ever interested in doing some video game stuff together with someone I'm always up for making more gaming friends by the way. I can't ever seem to find people to game with so figured I would offer after hearing you talk about old let's plays in your video.
The Rode NT1 is becoming one of my favorite mics. I don’t know if it will over take the AT4040 for my favorite Large diaphragm condenser but it’s definitely up there.
My personal favorite XLR cable is Pig Hog brand.
I've heard of those but never used them. How's the durability on them?
@@RebelTech1990 I’d say they are even more durable than Mogami and less expensive. You can feel the quality the moment you touch the cable.
I just picked up a few from Amazon. Definitely feel like quality, on par with Hosa I'd say. Haven't used them much yet.
The only thing now is I’m really love if the smoother locking mechanism. That’s probably he most appealing feature for the more expensive ones. Granted there are some cheaper options with similar locks.
Mogami with Neutrik all the way
I'd rather not risk cheaper cables, even on a feed from a cheap microphone. A production-killing cable fault is just as damaging and disruptive on a Behringer as on a Neumann. If you can, without sacrificing other priorities, buy it once and buy it right.
. I might add, try & match outlets with plugs. Neutrik outlets? Get Neutrik plugs for best fit. Then pick a cable manufacturer of choice.