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Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
07/24/2004 7:17 pm
Originally Posted by: Dr_simon... Have you checked out the Monster 500 guitar and bass cables. I treated my self to one of each (how decadent). They may not do everything but they feel and sound really solid !
hmm... Monster Performer 500 Rock cable...

[font=trebuchet ms]21 ft. = US$49.99 (1 cent under budget, + shipping).

I run an EMI/RFI test lab, remember? Most of that schpiel looks like darkest BS to me.

95% shielding is considered 'good', not wonderful, in my world. Note that copper does not block magnetic emissions, like transformer noise. And unless it's plated with something like nickel, or preferably silver, it soon corodes, losing it's effectiveness.

EMI stands for ElectroMagnetic Interference. RFI stands for Radio Frequency Interference. They aren't nearly as separate as the Product Overview seems to imply.

Carbon infusion is a process that creates a path for draining off static electricity by making the insulation between the centre conductor and the shield slightly conductive. Which means it's less of an insulator. If it's done right, it may work OK, but I would expect to see some roll-off at high frequencies.

Iso-Tec?? 'Sounds like VooDoo Tec to me.

Duralex outer jacket - this could be good. After using a cable, you can see how much dust and grit gets ground into the jacket.
You do wipe them off after each use, don't you?

Gold plating on contacts is a cosmetic thing. Microwave RF cables that cost thousands of dollars use silver plating, because the tarnish that forms (silver oxide) is just as conductive as the original silver. Such cables can perform well for twenty years without special attention. But gold looks sexier.

A collet is a tapered fitting that squeezes the cable evenly all the way around to anchor firmly. This is a good way to ensure that the cable will resist attempts to pull it out of the connector. But it doesn't protect against the stresses that occur when a cable is pulled at a sharp angle to the connector body. A common remedy for this kind of abuse is a heavy spring that extends back from the connector body around the cable. The spring provides some resistance to these off-axis stresses, and also prevents kinking at the connector, by imposing a smooth radius on the cable bend.

Multiple Time Correct Windings. Here's an example of the kind of BS that corrupts the high-end audio business. You can measure this stuff with some sophisticated test gear, but there's no way for human beings to actually hear these effects! A similar point is the Hi-Fi buzz about getting extremely accurate response at frequencies above 20 kHz. A 10 kHz sinusoidal waveform (pure tone) looks very different from a 10 kHz square wave on an oscilloscope screen, but no-one can hear the difference. A square wave has a lot of odd-order harmonic content (3rd, 5th, 7th, etc,) which distorts the original pure sinewave to the point that it becomes square. The kicker is that these harmonics start with the 3rd, at 30 kHz, well beyond human hearing. Your cat might hear the difference, but you can't.

Micro fibre inner dielectric. This would be the dielectric that has the carbon infusion for pop reduction, yes? There is no non-metalic material that effectively shields against magnetic fields. There are only two other defenses - cancellation and separation. Cancellation is achieved by twisting a pair of wires so that the field created by the current flowing in one direction along the hot wire cancels the field created by the current flowing in the opposite direction on the return wire. Another technique is to run one wire through the centre of the other conductor. This positions both fields on the same axis (co-axial) but in opposite directions. Separation is achieved by physically locating the wires as far from each other as possible. Any material can do this for you.

I used to make my own cables with coaxial RF cable and Switchcraft connectors. The cable itself was never meant to handle the kind of abuse it gets in the music world, and I haven't yet found a strain relief system that will withstand a 300 lb bassist in full-on trip mode! :eek:

Bottom line? I use Yorkville GC-20C90 cables. The connectors are pretty good (though not gold). The rubber collar they use for relief of bending stress is only about 1/2 inch long, but it's much better than nothing at all. The rubber jacket on the cable picks up lots of dust and grit, but it wipes off. I have no idea what kind of cable is inside, and I don't care. It sounds good, I don't get handling noises, and I can't hear any phase-funnies that need 'time-correct' remedies. Any cable will die eventually. That's where the lifetime warranty comes in, although I've never used it. Cables seem to slink off into some nebulous other dimension, and I've replaced a lot of missing cables, but I've never replaced a worn-out one. Price for a 20-foot cable? I wait till they're on sale for $30 Canadian (about US$22). And I buy locally - no shipping cost or delay.[/font]
Lordathestrings
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