croyalroyarkmusic.com Posted May 31, 2000 Share Posted May 31, 2000 Craig, I recently locked myself in a room and auditioned several mic cables- Monster 1000, 500, Whirlwind Accu-whatever and Canare Starquad. Everything was recorded into a Neuman TLM103 then through a Peavy VMP-2 mic pre feeding the 24 bit converters in a Tascam DA-45HR. They all sounded very similar on playback through my Event 20/20 bas monitors BUT sounded noticebly different through a set of Sony digital headphones. In order of preference 1.Monster 1000- fullest sound 2.Canare Starquad- noticebly thinner sound 3.Monster 500- still thinner yet but ok 4.Whirlwind- ok but dissapointing after hearing the others. BUT the strangest part was doing a similar test (JV-1080 demo) with unbalanced 1/4" cable: 1. Monster 500- just sounds right 2. Whirlwind- not as full but passable (bright) 3. Monster 1000- to me a bit duller sound 4. Canare - clear sound but thin comparatively. I didn't know there was not only a huge difference in these cables' performance but a huge potential overkill factor. Some folks have money to outfil the entire studio with the Monster 1000 cable- but it desn't seem the right chice for all uses. This most expensive cable seems to work best for analog source material but does poorly on digital sources. Any insight into this? It kind of makes one want to side-step the hype and say X cable for mics, Y cable for samplers, and Z cable for monitor runs. Please share your observations and experiences. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. G Posted June 1, 2000 Share Posted June 1, 2000 You might want to check out the cable comparisons article I did for the April '99 issue of Keyboard magazine. We looked at the durability, noise rejection, and sound quality of a wide range of cables using blind tests with a panel of listeners in Keyboard's studio. ------------------ Mitch Gallagher Editor EQ magazine the poster formerly known as MitchG formerly known as EQ_Editor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted June 1, 2000 Share Posted June 1, 2000 My take on cables is that they really matter for some applications -- guitars and mics, for example -- and less with others. Also the input impedance of the stage you're feeding makes a big difference. The VMP-2, like most tube gear, has a high input impedance that magnifies the effect of cable capacitance. I would be interested how your tests with the JV-1080, which I assume has a low output impedance, would have turned out if you had been feeding a 10k or under impedance input. Also, were the levels for each test matched within 1/10th of a dB or so? Level-matching is crucial to proper test results. I think one reason there is so much controversy about cables is because someone tries a cable with a stock guitar pickup running into a tube amp, and notices a huge difference. Then someone else uses the same cable with a guitar that has active pickups into a mixer input, and doesn't hear the same difference...instant controversy. Also there are tradeoffs (Mitch's article gives some more insights into these), such as construction vs. cable capacitance. Bottom line: I'm not sure there is any "one-size-fits-all" answer for cables because people's setups are so different, and it's difficult to create a consistent, switchable setup for A-Bing cable types. Maybe after Lynn Fuston finishes he next round of preamp tests, he can do the same thing with cables!! Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3D Audio Posted June 2, 2000 Share Posted June 2, 2000 Craig wrote: Maybe after Lynn Fuston finishes he next round of preamp tests, he can do the same thing with cables!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yikes!!! I've still my got my hands full trying to get Volume 2 of the Pre CD edited and out the door. And I'm already planning the 2nd Annual Preamp Party. And I just started working on a mic comparison listening party as well. So maybe, just maybe, there's a slot in 2005 when it would fit right in. ;-) ------------------ Lynn Fuston 3D Audio Inc Music Mixing and Mastering on a scenic hilltop overlooking historic Franklin, TN http://www.3daudioinc.com email: go3daudio@aol.com Lynn Fuston 3D Audio Inc Home of 3dB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
croyalroyarkmusic.com Posted June 2, 2000 Author Share Posted June 2, 2000 Craig- I also did tests with the JV-1080 feed the unbal inputs on a Yamaha O3D. Similar results were logged. I considerd tit to be a difference if the level changed significantly with a cable changes- so i didn't try to equal gain between tests. The Monster 500 (labled for "samplers, synths" etc) outperformed the other cables even on these tests. Besides isn't it a good sign if just changing cables gives you more gain and overall fullness? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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