ehomerecordingstudio.com/microphone-cables/
But add up the price of their cables, and they’ll most likely cost
more than your entire studio.
And many can’t tell you, because they don’t really know.
The Basics
Before learning the finer details of mic cables, it helps a lot to start with a basic knowledge of studio cables in
general.
1/6
The Ultimate Guide to Audio Cables for Home Recording
While everyone has a slightly different answer to this question, standard advice states:
1. Avoid the cheapest ones (like the Chinese ones on Ebay). They break within weeks, if they work at
all, and they’re a huge hassle to return.
2. Unless you have boat-loads of cash, avoid the most-expensive ones as well. They’re great, but for
most people…the minor jumps in performance aren’t worth the major jumps in cost.
For most studios, I recommend cables between $25-$50, because at that price, you get an excellent combination of
quality, and affordability. Chances are though, you’ve heard that advice before…
So let’s cover that now, starting with a review of their basic structure…
Now that you know the parts, let’s see how they vary in quality…
And that’s mostly because the full explanation is long, boring…and hard-to-understand. So instead, here’s the
simple version:
The 6 KEY factors that contribute to the cost and performance of high-end mic cables are:
1. Strand Count
2. The Lay
3. Shielding
4. Impact Absorption
5. Connector Conductivity
6. Star Quad Cabling
1. Strand Count
When you take apart a mic cable, you’ll see that each copper conductor is actually made of many fine strands,
rather than just a single wire.
By adding higher strand counts, manufacturers can increase both the flexibility and durability of their cables.
Which is especially useful with cables that see heavy abuse, such as those for hand-held mics.
2. The Lay
When you look at the twisting of the two copper conductors, you’ll notice that expensive cables often have
more twists than cheaper ones.
Cable manufacturers refer to this as the lay, which is simply a measurement of the distance between each twist.
The more twists…the shorter the lay.
By shortening the lay on high-end cables, it improves BOTH noise cancellation and flexibility. But it also means
using more wire, with more manufacturing time, ultimately leading to higher costs.
3. Shielding
Another thing you’ll notice when dissecting mic cables is that the shielding will vary, depending on the cost of the
cable. The 3 most common types of shielding are:
3/6
1. braided shielding – which uses strands of braided copper for superior strength and durability. Due to
its high conductivity, it also has excellent hi-frequency and RFI shielding.
2. serve shielding – which uses flat copper strands wrapped in a single direction. While it’s somewhat less-
effective at shielding, it offers even greater flexibility than braided shields.
3. foil shielding – which uses a combination of a foil wrapping and a copper drain wire. It’s less-effective as a
shield, and far less-durable, but it’s the standard option for permanent installations and snakes.
With high-end cables, braided shields are typically used, and are the most expensive. Serve shields are the
standard with mid-range cables. And foil shields are most common with budget cables.
4. Impact Absorption
When a cable hits the stage or gets stepped on, it momentarily compresses, causing a distinct slapping sound,
known as the triboelectric effect…which is big concern with cables that see lots of handling.
To solve this problem, high-end stage cables use special material for the insulation, filler, and outer jacket to
improve impact absorption.
Studio cables on the other hand, which see far less abuse, can work just fine with less-expensive casing.
5. Connector Conductivity
To maximize electrical conductivity, manufacturers may coat their connectors with a number of different
metals…silver and gold being the most preferred.
Some people say silver is better, because it has a higher conductivity than gold ( when clean). However, silver also
tarnishes faster than gold, and must be cleaned often to maintain performance…
Which is why most people prefer gold, despite the fact that it’s more expensive.
6. Star-Quad Cabling
The relatively-new technology known as “star-quad” or “quad” cabling is getting more and more attention these
days, as engineers begin to see its advantages.
Quad cabling minimizes the “loop area”, and cuts electromagnetic interference by an impressive 20db as a result.
This makes quad cables especially useful in environments with heavy interference from surrounding equipment.
Also, due to technical factors such as lower “phase shift” and reduced “intermodulation distortion“, quad-cabling also
offers a better overall sound quality as well.
And while average musicians may not hear the difference, many top audio professionals can confirm that the
difference is there.
Up next…
4/6
If the ultimate goal is to get the maximum number of cables for the minimum price…
However, while these cables will get the job done…I highly suggest choosing from this next group if possible:
And finally, if you really want the best of the best, check these out…
There’s no doubt that premium cables have real benefits that some people will gladly pay for.
Up next…
But at some point, when your pile of unused cables grows large enough…it feels like a waste of money to buy more.
And it is.
Because simply buy taking the time to learn how to cut and solder your old cables, they can be re-purposed over-
and-over-again to meet the ever-changing needs of your studio.
5/6
switch out XLR, TRS and other connectors as needed
see first-hand what premium cables have that cheap ones don’t
With as little as a few hours practice, you can save yourself hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars over the next
few years.
6/6