Comments on: Repairing a Patch Cord

By: Stephen Blum

Stephen Blum — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 04:03:35 +0000

This is an old thread, but I thought you might be interested in this well done comparison of budget microphone cables.

http://www.danielcash.com/xlr

By: Henry Law

Henry Law — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:46:46 +0000

I’m in with the pack on this one. It’s always baffled me; men on the moon, open heart surgery on the newborn … but we seem incapable of making a patch cord or a guitar lead that lasts more than a few months.

By: Richard D. Bartlett

Richard D. Bartlett — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:03:46 +0000

+1 for making your own.

In my experience with audio cables of all kinds, you can either buy cheap junk or over-priced quality. I prefer to buy decent jacks in bulk and make cables up as I need them. This works out marginally cheaper, but the main advantage is that I know who to be upset with when the cable fails! Also you can optimise your setup, mix and match colours, lengths, right-angles, Y-splitters, inline preamps…

If you’re going to a comparison of manufacturers’ build quality, get out the callipers too and see how the worst ones save on material cost by making the jacks fractionally too small and narrow. It’s outrageous!

By: Dale Nunns

Dale Nunns — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:18:44 +0000

My brother plays electric guitar and had a large selection of similar cables that he would use between the guitar, amp, pedals and various other gear. He had everything from high-ends brands to low end cheap Chinese stuff and none of it really lasted.

I quickly found that it was cheaper to buy a pack of nice gold plated (or similar quality) screw on housing connectors and replace the standard connectors as they broke.

They still break eventually but tend to last much longer and have the advantage that when they do break its often possible to unscrew and re-solder the connector.

By: andres

andres — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:05:04 +0000

I spent years as a quality engineer at an audio company (i’m now a mechanical designer at the same place) i can tell you that most audio cables out there are pretty sad things.

complete commodity and and they make them by the mile. I’ve tested supplier submissions just to see terrible workmanship and horrible material consistency and control.

best quality i’d have to say is mogami stuff, but unfortunately i think it is priced accordingly. also, i heard that it is owned and run by one old japanese guy, and once he kicks the bucket, who knows what will happen.

if you need patch cables in any sort of quantity, i’d recommend buying some cable in bulk, and getting some decent quality connectors (with screw on housings, like amphenol, switchcraft, etc.) and make them to custom lengths. it will also make your eventual repairs (no cable will last forever) much easier.

never costed it out, but you would likely save money in the long run.

By: Keith Neufeld

Keith Neufeld — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:56:13 +0000

… and that’s the manufacturer’s chosen production mechanism, so I’m now leery of their quality.

… and they don’t electrical test before shipping.

By: I'm gonna guess

I'm gonna guess — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:38:17 +0000

Chinese people made it, by hand, so the quality varies from one to the next.