Leads/cables

[jonunders]

Hi,

I play a G&L 2500 through an LM III and a Barefaced ST12T. With a TC Electronics Polytune between amp and bass.
My question is does a cable make much difference to the sound your hearing, Is it worth spending that little bit extra.
How long should a cable be, in otherwords does length make a difference.
There are so many on the market which do you use.?

Jonathan

[Musky]

Length always makes a difference! I thought I'd get that one in before anyone else does...

Cables do make a difference to your sound, but how much of a difference will depend on the quality of your cables to start with and your tonal preferences. The real difference in using decent cables is their longevity though. I've always used the shortest cables I can get away with, so I have a few different length ones - no point in having a 30ft cable lying around getting stamped all over when you can't move further than 3ft from your amp on a tiny stage.

[Ziphoblat]

Cables don't make a difference to your sound. Magic pebbles. There's an article somewhere on the web (don't care to find it right now) which debunks the whole thing. If there [i]is[/i] a difference, then it's extremely subtle and negligible because there have been countless blind tests where nobody could tell a difference between gold plated voodoo and bargain bin Stagg cables. A poorly made cable might start to fall apart or introduce noise flaw which consequently has negative impacts upon the sound, but a functional cable is not going to gain any benefit from being plated in gold or whatever else it is they try and sell. My suggestion would be to simply to choose based upon price and build quality. Having excessive lengths of cable can have a theoretical negative impact, but it's very small, and you'd need lots of it to accumulate any discernible difference. That's not to say that having reams of unnecessary cable all over the floor isn't a royal pain in the backside though.

EDIT: Talking about instrument cables here, that is.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Ziphoblat

[discreet]

You don't need to spend any more than this on instrument cables: [url="http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/"]http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/[/url]

And I would say that quality speaker cables [i]do [/i]make a big difference to your sound.
Instrument cables less so.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='jonunders' timestamp='1368054036' post='2072735']
Hi,

I play a G&L 2500 through an LM III and a Barefaced ST12T. With a TC Electronics Polytune between amp and bass.
My question is does a cable make much difference to the sound your hearing, Is it worth spending that little bit extra.
How long should a cable be, in otherwords does length make a difference.
There are so many on the market which do you use.?

Jonathan
[/quote]

Yup, they make a difference. My teacher always said a cheap lead is like drinking coke through a dirty straw. The length matters because resistance is relative to length of the cable, so a longer cable will give you greater loss of voltage. Although the quality of the materials in lead itself will dictate the resistance of it. Overall, I reckon it's better to spend a bit extra on a good lead than a cheap one. Here's a little review of the Planet Waves Circuit Breaker -
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiMp11WTgww[/media]

Edited May 9, 2013 by MiltyG565

[Lozz196]

OBBM, as Discreet stated.

At band volume I don`t think I would be able to tell the difference, but at home practice levels, the difference between my OBBM leads and Planet Waves leads can be heard. It`s almost as if you`ve suddenly put new strings on when swapping to the OBBM ones, or upped bass/treble and dropped mids a bit.

And they`re not expensive either.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1368081428' post='2072835']
OBBM, as Discreet stated.

At band volume I don`t think I would be able to tell the difference, but at home practice levels, the difference between my OBBM leads and Planet Waves leads can be heard. It`s almost as if you`ve suddenly put new strings on when swapping to the OBBM ones, or upped bass/treble and dropped mids a bit.

And they`re not expensive either.
[/quote]

Really!? I'll need to get one and try it out. Maybe I'll review it Any ideas on price?

[Musky]

I've got to admit my previous post was based on a clear difference in sound when using decent speaker cables, and I just extrapolated to instrument cables from there. It's been a while since I've used cheap leads so I've never A/B'd them, but there's most definitely a difference in longevity of the cables.

[Telebass]

[quote name='Ziphoblat' timestamp='1368058427' post='2072773']
Cables don't make a difference to your sound. Magic pebbles. There's an article somewhere on the web (don't care to find it right now) which debunks the whole thing. If there [i]is[/i] a difference, then it's extremely subtle and negligible because there have been countless blind tests where nobody could tell a difference between gold plated voodoo and bargain bin Stagg cables. A poorly made cable might start to fall apart or introduce noise flaw which consequently has negative impacts upon the sound, but a functional cable is not going to gain any benefit from being plated in gold or whatever else it is they try and sell. My suggestion would be to simply to choose based upon price and build quality. Having excessive lengths of cable can have a theoretical negative impact, but it's very small, and you'd need lots of it to accumulate any discernible difference. That's not to say that having reams of unnecessary cable all over the floor isn't a royal pain in the backside though.

EDIT: Talking about instrument cables here, that is.
[/quote]
This. In any case, bin the link and go wireless.

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='Telebass' timestamp='1368083933' post='2072870']
This. In any case, bin the link and go wireless.
[/quote]

what ? and lose all my subtle analogue nuances!!

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1368084159' post='2072872']
what ? and lose all my subtle analogue nuances!!
[/quote]

I reckon in my case, that would be a good thing

[louisthebass]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1368058948' post='2072774']
You don't need to spend any more than this on instrument cables: [url="http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/"]http://www.rock-wire.uk.com/[/url]
[/quote]

+1 .

[Zenitram]

You can spend considerably less for fantastic quality at http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/ (but no one ever seems to).

[Bolo]

If you own a soldering iron you can just make your own cables. It's good practice if you're starting out in fiddling with electronics and very cheap to buy a bunch of neutrik jacks (2 or 3 bucks retail?) And a lenght of good cable (I used Klotz). All my pedalboard connects are handcrafted in this way at the exact lenght they need to be.

[chris_b]

People argue that cables make no difference and people argue that they do.

I think the quality of stuff can make a difference in every aspect of your life, so why not cables? If your ears are good enough to hear a difference and if that difference is important to you, then your choice of cables might improve your sound.

I have an email from Phil Taylor, one of Dave Gilmore's sound guys, and he talks about the audible differences to be found in cables. I'd believe his ears more than anyone else’s here.

So, if you're running good gear, be safe and get the best cables you can for sensible money. I use OBBM's cables, because they are good quality and they won’t break the bank. I have met Dave a few times and he's a good guy, he's a member on BC and, again, his cables sound good to me.

[Roland Rock]

Slightly OT, but another factor worth considering is the flexibility of the cable. I had always loved the Van Damme leads that OBBM provided, great quality, and I love the way they are very 'plastic' or floppy, ie you bend them and they stay that way, and they naturally lie flat on the floor.

The next one I got (also from OBBM) was Klotz, which was much less bendy, and more elastic and stiff. It just feels wrong and wouldn't lie flat on the ground. It annoyed me to the extent that I only use it as a spare now :-(

[charic]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1368088163' post='2072935']
People argue that cables make no difference and people argue that they do.

I think the quality of stuff can make a difference in every aspect of your life, so why not cables? If your ears are good enough to hear a difference and if that difference is important to you, then your choice of cables might improve your sound.

I have an email from Phil Taylor, one of Dave Gilmore's sound guys, and he talks about the audible differences to be found in cables. I'd believe his ears more than anyone else’s here.

So, if you're running good gear, be safe and get the best cables you can for sensible money. I use OBBM's cables, because they are good quality and they won’t break the bank. I have met Dave a few times and he's a good guy, he's a member on BC and, again, his cables sound good to me.
[/quote]

You forgot that they're built to last

[chris_b]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1368088827' post='2072940']
....and wouldn't lie flat on the ground....
[/quote]

I'd suggest that if a cable doesn't lie flat it's not being wound and unwound correctly, and it's twisted inside the outer casing.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1368055652' post='2072759']
The real difference in using decent cables is their longevity though. I've always used the shortest cables I can get away with, so I have a few different length ones - no point in having a 30ft cable lying around getting stamped all over when you can't move further than 3ft from your amp on a tiny stage.
[/quote]

Yep, always worth paying a bit more for better [u]made[/u] cables with quality connectors. Expect the extra money to be converted into longevity and reliability rather than a 'better' sound.

[Paul S]

Another endorsement for OBMM. Great product, price and service.

Like Bolo said above - I went through a phase of making my own using Neutrik and good cable, purely for the soldering practice and to tailor the exact lengths, but they aren't as good as OBMM and probably not a lot cheaper. I won't bother next time!

[chris_b]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1368089308' post='2072951']
....Expect the extra money to be converted into longevity and reliability....
[/quote]

I always treat my cables with "kid gloves" and have never had one fail. I buy good cables, treat them well and expect them to last forever. So far they have.

I carry spares but have never used them.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1368084893' post='2072885']
You can spend considerably less for fantastic quality at [url="http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/"]http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/[/url] (but no one ever seems to).
[/quote]

Possibly because they have price on application on the website, which makes it sound expensive rather than cheap.

[Zenitram]

Yes probably. They're ace and cheap and really nice though.

[Dave Vader]

But you have to know what you want, and I like to see options, and then hit go. Given every possible lead in existence, I gibber a bit and then try and think how long I want it and what type of connectors I want, and then put it off.
They could get a lot more business if they chucked up a couple of common lead types, with a price, and the custom option underneath.

[Zenitram]

Yes probably. They're ace and cheap and really nice though.