Van Damme silver coated cable

[Boodang]

 

I was going to do a review on this but in reality there's not a lot to say except that it's a quality cable.

Got it from Design-a-cable, it's the silver coated ofc low capacity series. Can't say I noticed any difference to my normal, non sliver coated, cables with live playing but then I'm going through a pedal board. And it's not really a stage cable, too thick and inflexible for that. Will be interesting to use in the studio though.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Boodang

[rmorris]

Do you happen to know the type of screening ? Eg braid / lapped etc. 

[Boodang]

Just reading their web blurb, these cables are designed for the recording studio not live work, hence flexibility is not a priority. I can definitely say this cable is not flexible! It's like a stiff thick rope.

A shout out for Design-a-cable though, as efficient as ever in communications and getting the cable out quickly.

[rmorris]

Thanks. Yes the braided shield will be stiffer than the 'usual' helical wound lapped / double lapped construction but, all else being equal, offers superior screening if not flexed too much / often. And the polyethylene insulation and largish diameter allows for lower capacitance. Do like you say excellent for static studio situations but not for long stage leads. Enjoy.

[Boodang]

Thinking about it, other than the odd dep for a band, my gigs are jazz oriented with an EUB or if it's a bass guitar I do the gig sitting on a bar stool as I've given up leaping about the stage! Consequently it's quite a static arrangement so under those circumstances I might just use this cable as in terms of abuse it's not too different an environment that the studio. 

[rmorris]

1 hour ago, Boodang said:

Thinking about it, other than the odd dep for a band, my gigs are jazz oriented with an EUB or if it's a bass guitar I do the gig sitting on a bar stool as I've given up leaping about the stage! Consequently it's quite a static arrangement so under those circumstances I might just use this cable as in terms of abuse it's not too different an environment that the studio. 

 True. But I'd still not want to be coiling it up and throwing it into a bag on a regular basis. Flexing will tend to open up the braid.

[Boodang]

8 minutes ago, rmorris said:

 True. But I'd still not want to be coiling it up and throwing it into a bag on a regular basis. Flexing will tend to open up the braid.

Good point!

[GremlinAndy]

Trivia I remember from my metallurgy days at the Assay Office.

As I recall Silver is the best electrically conductive metal there is.   (I’m not talking about more exotic materials, superconductors etc.)

Its better than Gold (and Copper), …yet you see many high end HiFi plugs and sockets using Gold plating.  
Why?

Well the reason is that Silver (like Copper) quite quickly becomes oxidised by comparison to Gold, (which doesn’t oxidise at all).

Silver oxide isn’t a great conductor of electricity, so Gold is the better option.

 

At last that’s as I understand it.

[Boodang]

It's only the conductors in the cable that are silver and copper so there shouldn't be any oxidizing going on.

Interestingly I can't hear any difference between this cable and my normal ofc cables. 

[lee650]

I used to have one of those Zaolla cables which had a silver core, one of the best cables I've had, it sounded deeper and clearer than the Evidence Audio and monster cables I was using prior. Sold it when I was skint, been happily using OBBM/designercable for years.

[itu]

I am always amazed to see people talking about sound quality enhancement after buying a hi end cable. It might be feasible to look inside the bass, and get amazed of how tiny wires are delivering the signal to those £100 cables.

 

A good quality (silicone) cable is thick and robust because it can withstand the abuse in rehearsals and gigs. Learn to coil it well, and you have a friend for decades.

[Boodang]

52 minutes ago, itu said:

I am always amazed to see people talking about sound quality enhancement after buying a hi end cable. It might be feasible to look inside the bass, and get amazed of how tiny wires are delivering the signal to those £100 cables.

 

A good quality (silicone) cable is thick and robust because it can withstand the abuse in rehearsals and gigs. Learn to coil it well, and you have a friend for decades.

Well, as I said in my initial post, I can't hear any difference between this quite expensive silver coated cable and my cheap Fender festival cables. However that won't stop me buying a Zaolla solid silver core cable to compliment it now that @lee650has reminded me I've always wanted one. Don't ask me why, I think it's just a 'I've got a fancy bass, so why not have a fancy cable' syndrome!

Having said that, I do think it adds a bit of professional bluff when you go in the studio, get out your U5 di and connect up with a cable like this. Of course you have to back it up with your playing which is when it all falls apart!

[GremlinAndy]

I hear ya buddy!    I’ve bought expensive cables to compliment an expensive bass.    But my hearing is pretty shot now and I’m not sure I could tell the difference if it was a skipping rope.    However, it makes me feel snuggly inside knowing I have a reassuringly expensive cable plugged in, so that everyone else can enjoy basking in the wonderfully clear tones.  …*especially* on those infrequent occasions where I’m playing the right notes!

 

[Dan Dare]

Silver is a marginally better conductor than copper, although I can't hear the difference. It may be noticeable in a quiet studio environment, but not in a live situation. Silver isn't nearly as good at coping with flexing/bending and general abuse, however. That makes it a bit fragile for use as a stage cable, being trodden on, coiled and uncoiled constantly, etc. 

[rmorris]

43 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

Silver is a marginally better conductor than copper, although I can't hear the difference. It may be noticeable in a quiet studio environment, but not in a live situation. Silver isn't nearly as good at coping with flexing/bending and general abuse, however. That makes it a bit fragile for use as a stage cable, being trodden on, coiled and uncoiled constantly, etc. 

 

There is no real advantage in having a signal conductor that has slightly better conductivity than copper. The electrical characteristics that matter are capacitance and screening. Mechanical integrity is also key. The advantage of having a decent sized conductor guage is to avoid it breaking. 

[Boodang]

As these cables are low capacitance and as my main gigs are more jazz orientated where I'm sitting down, I'm going to use them live as well as the studio as it's not exactly a harsh environment (although I'll use my normal cables for the Sex Pistols tribute band gigs I think!). The biggest damage will probably be to the braiding from the coiling/uncoiling but I'm sure they are not that delicate. 

After all the only way to really preserve them would be to not use them.

[itu]

No problem, the coating is so thin, that it bends easily. It will not break.

 

Silver will oxidize after time. I have seen silver getting tarnished under a thick clear plastic. It just took longer, but as plastics are not hermetic in the long run - years - the oxide got through. I suppose that whitish metal can get spotted over the years. To clarify things: It does not affect performance.

[Dan Dare]

8 hours ago, rmorris said:

The advantage of having a decent sized conductor guage is to avoid it breaking. 

 

Not necessarily. Cable made from many finer strands will be more flexible and less likely to fatigue from constant flexing than that made from fewer strands of a thicker gauge. That's why solid core cable is intended for fixed/static use.

[rmorris]

4 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

Not necessarily. Cable made from many finer strands will be more flexible and less likely to fatigue from constant flexing than that made from fewer strands of a thicker gauge. That's why solid core cable is intended for fixed/static use.

 

True. I was assuming a signal conductor made from multiple fine strands. Although the most critical point of failure is where it is terminated to the connector and there should be minimal flexing at that point. 

 

[rmorris]

10 hours ago, Boodang said:

As these cables are low capacitance and as my main gigs are more jazz orientated where I'm sitting down, I'm going to use them live as well as the studio as it's not exactly a harsh environment (although I'll use my normal cables for the Sex Pistols tribute band gigs I think!). The biggest damage will probably be to the braiding from the coiling/uncoiling but I'm sure they are not that delicate. 

After all the only way to really preserve them would be to not use them.

 

Wrt braiding / shielding. The 'delicacy' really depends on the construction. There are all sorts of tradeoffs with construction vs frequency vs flexing.

But basically braided if static. Spiral (preferably Double Reussen) if flexed.

 

Apart from that. Best thoughts to anyone reading this in these worrying times.

[GremlinAndy]

15 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

Silver is a marginally better conductor than copper, although I can't hear the difference. It may be noticeable in a quiet studio environment, but not in a live situation. Silver isn't nearly as good at coping with flexing/bending and general abuse, however. That makes it a bit fragile for use as a stage cable, being trodden on, coiled and uncoiled constantly, etc. 

Not entirely true.

Silver is more malleable (and ductile) than copper.    However pure copper is way less expensive, and due to its price pure silver is unlikely to be used.    The metals used in a silver alloy to make it affordable will bring down its conductivity and its malleability.  …Which as you suggest will probably make it less effective and more ‘brittle’ than pure copper.
😬

Edited February 28, 2022 by GremlinAndy

[Chienmortbb]

I have made hundreds (maybe thousands) of cables over the years and in most situations, the standard quality cables from Sommer* and Klotz** are my choice. There are a number of reasons but the main ones are:

 

• Better bend radius. The cables like the one under discussion gave a bigger bend radius than the ones with a 6-6.5mm diameter cables. trying to coil a fatter cable is tedious.
• Connectors. Many connectors, including the Neutrik ones I use do not like thicker cables. Those connectors look like the standard NP2RX from Neutrik and those are designed for up  to 7mm cable. So either the chuck has been modified or omitted completely meaning that the rubber exit shroud IS the cable retention.
• The advantages of the thicker cables only really show up for full range signals, for bass, even slapped bass, a good quality 6-6.5mm cable is more than enough over stage distances.

Of course there are other quality cables around and many swear by Van Damme or Mogami. I have had bad experiences with Van Damme cables over the years and Mogami are hard to get in the UK. There is also no real benefit in either brand over the easily available Sommer and Klotz.

 

Finally if you really need to go a long way from an unbalanced source like a bass, use a DI box or buffer.

 

If you have a pedal board, these larger cables may be useful to take the output to the amp/mixer especially if you use true bypass pedals. In this application they don move and that may be a blessing for elf and safety.

 

Or you could go wireless, but remember a cable is always your best backup. They don´t need batteries or charging.

 

*Tricone 2, Tricone XXL or SC Clasique Braided.

 

**AC110

 

 

 

 

 

[rmorris]

12 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

I have made hundreds (maybe thousands) of cables over the years and in most situations, the standard quality cables from Sommer* and Klotz** are my choice. There are a number of reasons but the main ones are:

 

• Better bend radius. The cables...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting sensible advice on this topic.

 

And to be clear about the conductivity (or resistance) of copper vs silver:

It's not an issue. It doesn't matter. (because it's insignificant in the context of your output and input impedances).

Mechanical integrity is key  - basically your connector joints and cable relief. And cable capacitance makes a difference.

Minimise unbalanced / Hi-Z cable runs.

[Boodang]

Latest cable purchase... Sommer SC 'the Spirit'. Definitely more manageable than the Van Damme silver.

PS Design-a-cable do have Mogami cable in stock.

[Chienmortbb]

6 hours ago, rmorris said:

 

Thanks for posting sensible advice on this topic.

 

And to be clear about the conductivity (or resistance) of copper vs silver:

It's not an issue. It doesn't matter. (because it's insignificant in the context of your output and input impedances).

Mechanical integrity is key  - basically your connector joints and cable relief. And cable capacitance makes a difference.

Minimise unbalanced / Hi-Z cable runs.

Yes my issue with Van Damme was that the cable broke just past the strain relief.  It may be better now but once bitten (actually it was more than once).