Good cables are critical to good sound. The cables are responsible for transporting the sound energy from one device to another, often over fairly long distances.
Be sure to use a cable that’s appropriate for the task. I don’t mean that you should buy cables that make exaggerated claims about their superiority due to the amount of “pixie dust per cubic centimeter”.
Most any well-made cable will deliver professional-quality audio. The differences are mostly in the mechanical construction of the cable:
– A cable that will be dragged across the floor, or be stepped on frequently, should have a rugged outer surface and strong connectors to survive the abuse. See ProCo’s EXM and Hosa’s CMK series.
– A cable that will simply be connected to a desktop mixer, and may not be touched again for many months, does not need to be overly elaborate. SMM and CSS are popular examples.
– Long microphone cables may pick up electrical noise along their length. A cable with “quad” wiring is more immune to electrical noise. The AQ “Ameriquad” line is excellent.
– Cables for lapel mics, or headworn mics, should be as small, flexible, and durable as possible. Mogami makes several lines of bulk cable for this purpose. (Mogami bulk cables are not shown on our website, but are available… just ask.)
Don’t buy pixie dust. Buy good engineering.
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