Cables from preamp to fx processor to power amp??

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Turumbar82

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What kind of cables are you guys using? As of right now I'm just using some cheap patch cables but I'm going to get some new cables this weekend because the patch cables I have are about 10 years old.

Should I be picky about balance and unbalance cables?

Thanks in advance for the help
 
Unless your existing patch cables are shot, use them. There's no need to get newer cables if they work fine.
 
Only use balanced cables if your devices have balanced inputs and outputs. Using balanced cables with regular mono jacks is a total waste of money. I doubt you will really gain anything from using a balanced 6 inch patch cable over a non-balanced one. Now for longer cable runs like 10 feet or more, balanced equipment will reduce tone loss and interference substantially, but that's only if the connected devices have balanced inputs and outputs. There's A LOT of hype and misinformation out there about cables, so don't buy into everything you see on product packages and in magazine ads. Don't get the super cheap crap, and don't get the over-hyped, over-priced "top of the line" cables either. I personally make all of my cables from high quality bulk cable and I use G&H, Neutrik, and Switchcraft plugs and jacks.
 
Thanks for the help mr_fender. My G-major actually does have balance inputs and outputs. All balanced patch cables I see are TRS though.
 
Balanced = XLR or TRS

Unbalanced = TS

If the ins/outs are unbalanced, use regular instrument cable. Some boxes are set up to run balanced or unbalanced out of the same 1/4" jack. Some only run balanced. Be aware on anything that gives an option, running unbalanced usually drops the levels by 4dB over a balanced connection. With some FX, this won't matter much, but this is usually the culprit for volume loss in FX loops. It can be made up with loop level controls though, but still some clarity is lost from the excess gain.

Steve
 
Turumbar82 said:
Thanks for the help mr_fender. My G-major actually does have balance inputs and outputs. All balanced patch cables I see are TRS though.
Click to expand...

Yes, the G-Major does, but none of Boogie's preamps and power amps have balanced I/O's. All have regular unballanced inputs and outputs, so using balanced cables with any of Boogie's amps or rack gear will have absolutely no benefit over regular mono instrument cables.
 
mr_fender said:
Turumbar82 said:
Thanks for the help mr_fender. My G-major actually does have balance inputs and outputs. All balanced patch cables I see are TRS though.
Click to expand...

Yes, the G-Major does, but none of Boogie's preamps and power amps have balanced I/O's. All have regular unballanced inputs and outputs, so using balanced cables with any of Boogie's amps or rack gear will have absolutely no benefit over regular mono instrument cables.
Click to expand...


Are you sure about that, I'm pretty sure the Recto Recording Pre has balanced outputs.....

Rectifier Recording Preamp Specifications
Inputs (2) unbalanced ¼" TS, high impedance; (2) balanced ¼" TRS (effects returns)
Outputs (2) balanced ¼" TRS (Record Outs); (2) balanced ¼" TRS (Live Outs); (1) balanced ¼" TRS (effects send)
Switch Inputs (1) ¼" TRS; (3) ¼" TS
Power Supply internal; IEC connector
Dimensions 2U × 12" (D)
Weight 16 lb
Click to expand...

http://emusician.com/signalprocessors/emusic_mesaboogie_rectifier_recording/
 
Oh yeah, I forgot about the Recto Pre. I haven't seen a schematic for that one, but the manual only mentions the Recording outputs as being balanced since those are designed to go directly to a recording console. All of their power amps appear to have unbalanced inputs.
 
thanks for the help guys. This clears things up for me. I've been using Mogami silver series cables because they aren't the expensive and they are good cables so I just got some shorter ones of those.
 
Turumbar82 said:
thanks for the help guys. This clears things up for me. I've been using Mogami silver series cables because they aren't the expensive and they are good cables so I just got some shorter ones of those.
Click to expand...

Mogami is a joke. If you're going to pay that much for cable you better be getting real high end stuff like canare or van den hul. Mogami is mass produced and nothing spectacular. If you're not buying the highest end Mogami then why are you bothering with the lower end stuff when you can get Monster Cable? I use studio link 500's and they're awesome. Don't get sucked into the Mogami bs that guitar center or other places spew. Check out lavacables for information.
 
mikeymike said:
Don't get sucked into the Mogami bs that guitar center or other places spew.
Click to expand...

The exact same thing can be said for Monster Cables as well. Marketing hype is a powerful adversary. I've even seen "studio grade" IEC power cords that were advertised to improve your equipment's sound. Now that's some pure snake oil there. Buyer Beware!
 
mr_fender said:
mikeymike said:
Don't get sucked into the Mogami bs that guitar center or other places spew.
Click to expand...

The exact same thing can be said for Monster Cables as well. Marketing hype is a powerful adversary. I've even seen "studio grade" IEC power cords that were advertised to improve your equipment's sound. Now that's some pure snake oil there. Buyer Beware!
Click to expand...

They will try to sell you Mogami over Monster any day at Guitar Center bro. I never said Monster wasn't full of hype and BS. I just simply stated my Studio Link 500's work great. I tried using guitar cable and it was a bad idea because they hummed terribly (spectraflex), once I changed to the Monster Cable Studio Link 500's the hum was gone. Are they overpriced? Maybe. Hype? Probably. Hum gone and cable is high quality compared to using guitar cable? Unabridgedly without a doubt definitely. So if my SL500's can do it for cheaper than Mogami.... why buy Mogami? If you're not going to buy all out van den hul or canare or whoever.... just go with the cheapest that works best. Buying middle grade anything is a mistake in almost all walks of life. Don't you agree?
 
Yeah, the industry is full of BS. Monster Cable cracks me up with all of their buzz-words like MultiTwist™ impedance-balanced construction, MicroFiber® dielectric-wrapped wire networks, 3-way Bandwidth Balanced® construction, and Time Correct® multiple gauge high, mid and low frequency wire networks. That's quite a mouthful for what amounts to a bit of copper, polyester, and ABS. It sure sounds fancy, but it means jack squat. Notice that they post absolutely no technical specs about their cables at all. Mogomi is overhyped too, but they at least do post electrical specs that are concrete, and repeatable measurements. Both are good quality cables with good plugs on them, but neither is worth the price they command in stores. If I didn't make my own cables, I'd find a good quality cable (good shielding, low capacitance, etc.)that has a good strong yet flexible jacket, high quality plugs, and a lifetime warranty. You almost always get what you pay for, but you do have to be careful that you are not paying extra just for the name.
 
mr_fender said:
Yeah, the industry is full of BS. Monster Cable cracks me up with all of their buzz-words like MultiTwist™ impedance-balanced construction, MicroFiber® dielectric-wrapped wire networks, 3-way Bandwidth Balanced® construction, and Time Correct® multiple gauge high, mid and low frequency wire networks. That's quite a mouthful for what amounts to a bit of copper, polyester, and ABS. It sure sounds fancy, but it means jack squat. Notice that they post absolutely no technical specs about their cables at all. Mogomi is overhyped too, but they at least do post electrical specs that are concrete, and repeatable measurements. Both are good quality cables with good plugs on them, but neither is worth the price they command in stores. If I didn't make my own cables, I'd find a good quality cable (good shielding, low capacitance, etc.)that has a good strong yet flexible jacket, high quality plugs, and a lifetime warranty. You almost always get what you pay for, but you do have to be careful that you are not paying extra just for the name.
Click to expand...

Well said. I agree.
 
I get my cables custom made by guitar-cable.com. They're not cheap - but they are not priced like Monster and some of these rip-off brands. I can get any length and whatever connectors (TS / TRS, straight, right angle, XLR, RCA etc.) I need. They'll even do custom snakes.

Just my $.02

jbw
 
+1 on guitar-cable.com

I buy my bulk cable from them too. Their prices are quite good for the quality of cable they have. I think I paid 33 cents a foot on my last order. Their prices on plugs are pretty good too. Their pre-made cables are probably great, but I build them myself to get the price down even more. They have a great site and give all the specs for the cables too.
 

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