VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[anthonyVO]

Found this article very interesting (don't know enough to agree nor debunk it, but interesting nonetheless):

http://www.teamrocs.com/technical/pages/interconnect_myths.htm

-Anthony

[nick reed]

I decided to edit this. There are so many things that I have to say about it, I knew that I would leave something out... well, a whole lot actually, but I don't want to bore everyone.

Cable capacitance is one of the most important aspects of the sound of a cable. High capacitance rolls off the high frequencies of the audio material and it is very noticeable. I have measured the difference in capcitance between various audio cables. The highest capcitance in my lot were some of those $3 interconnects that you get when you buy a CD player or such. These cheap interconnects have other problems too; poor connectors, poor shielding and thin wire that's more subject to breakage. The end result is that a cheap cable will put a haze over everything. Substitute a higher quality cable and you will hear new clarity and definition. I always use the example of cleaning the window on your car and only then realizing how dirty is was before. You thought that you were seeing clearly but now you know that you were not. However, this does not require spending $90 to achieve the effect. [Actually, $90 is pretty cheap in audiophile terms. Many people spend $300 and up, for 3' interconnects.]

I have clearly heard the difference in 3' interconnects and BTW, it's not always due to capcitance. There is also a difference between solid core wire and stranded wire. However, this requires a relatively high-resolution system to hear the difference. For example, you would need a stereo system that is at least several thousand dollars in order to hear the difference. You would not hear the difference on a $1000 rack system (speakers included).

This subject is too deep to go into great detail but a simple guideline is that your investment in cables should be in proportion to the other gear in the setup. If you have a $50 mic and a $30 mixer, then the $3 interconnects that came with your CD player will be fine. OTOH, if you have a $1000 mic and a $1000 processor, you don't want to use $3 interconnects or patch cables in your setup. The least that I would recommend is the low-end Monster Cable "Standard" InterLink 100 or similar in another brand. Actually Radio Shack's Gold interconnects are an awesome value. The only thing that I don't like about them is that their connectors are too tight. One could actually damage an RCA jack, if not careful.

If you have invested $10k or $20k in your VO setup, as I know some on this forum have, then no doubt you don't need my advice. You know cables make a difference and you will buy accordingly.

Nick

[Frank F]

True enough, Nick. Buying Mogami Cables for your VO setup is nice, but if you're porting into a $50 mixer, even a $300.00 mixer, what's the use. Now on the other hand, if you have a $3,000.00 mixer... I wouldn't suggest anything but Mogami.

Some good middle of the road cables can be had for fairly inexpensive, if you look. Watch for gold plated connectors (with real gold), and gold wire, if possible.

Remember, GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) still works in the low end, budget conscious studio.

Frank F