Audio
April 14, 2024
In this episode we find out if more expensive audio cables are actually better than cheaper ones. Important points to consider when choosing a cable regardless of price include the actual cabling quality as well as connector build and cable management strategy. Let’s see how it’s done!
Find SoundSpeed's channel and cable-wrapping tutorial here: @SoundSpeeds
If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX. See https://school.learnlightandsound.com for more info!
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Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:
- Full selection of Canare XLR cables at B&H — https://geni.us/8y4B
- Full selection of Mogami XLR cables at B&H — https://geni.us/awnBq2I
Some of my other studio gear:
- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/iYb065
- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/O8e0
- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/8a8tt
- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/EreRQa
- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H https://geni.us/AVHU1p
- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — https://geni.us/uGkDX
- Amaran Spotlight SE — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/4DuyTz
- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H https://geni.us/GWKt
- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H https://geni.us/ABYB
- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/qwsEs
- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/InspOl
- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/gr47
The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://geni.us/G7by
Copyright 2024, Curtis Judd
Do more expensive XLR cables sound better than cheap ones? Basically no — more expensive cables are generally better shielded against electromagnetic/RF interference, but otherwise sound essentially the same, with no measurable difference found in noise floor across the cables tested here (extremely cheap cables might be an exception, but none tested showed a difference).
Testing for RF interference near a wireless transmitter found no interference generated by any cable; one notable finding was that a specific microphone (JZ Microphones Vintage 11, which isn't RF-shielded) picked up interference on its own, unrelated to the cable used. Self-noise testing with a dummy XLR/150-ohm resistor load across all cables tested showed no audibly detectable difference between them.
Cables are really two things: the cable itself and its connectors. For cable, better shielding matters for rejecting interference — Mogami and Canare (both using "star quad" style shielding) are solid recommendations; Canare tends to cost less while performing just as well in practice. A very common troubleshooting scenario: someone buys a $950 Sound Devices MixPre and a $400 Shure SM7B, then pairs it with a $13 generic cable run behind a desk next to AC power adapters, and gets a buzzing noise — the cable (and its proximity to power cables) is almost always the culprit. Keep cables away from AC power adapters, cross power cables at 90 degrees rather than running parallel to them, and never bundle audio and power cables together.
For connectors, Neutrik is the recommended brand — better strain relief at solder joints (where cables most often fail) and tighter manufacturing tolerances, meaning they rarely get stuck in gear, unlike some no-name connectors that are notorious for jamming in recorder/camera/preamp ports. Overall recommendation: Canare cable with Neutrik connectors is the best combination; Mogami is also excellent but pricier these days. Also learn to coil/wrap cables properly to avoid straining them over time — the YouTube channel Sound Speeds has a good tutorial on this. Get out there, make some great sound, and we will talk to you again soon.
