Over the past 12 months I've been going through my speaker, microphone and internal PA Rack wiring to ensure that all connections are made via XLR where possible, and using Neutrix or Switchcraft XLR hardware because the cheaper pattern stuff just isn't as good. I would use Speakon's for the speaker wire except the Bose 802's we use for tops use XLRs and I didn't want to have to carry two types of speaker cable. Our other cabs are homebrew so fitting XLR connectors wasn't a problem.

Jack connections are a bigger problem in that the all the jack I've met are imherently unreliable no matter how much you pay. The budget stuff is effectively riveted together with a single rivet that goes down the middle into the "inside" end of the tip. Once the rivet loses tension and the bits start to move you will get intermittent connections. The expensive jacks are bolted together but still ultimately vibrate loose! My local electrical shop can sell a 3m Jack-Jack cable with overmoulded jacks for less money that a pair of budget jacks, and the cables last 2-3 years at a time, so all I do now is buy a couple of these wires a month and I've always got spares.


[This message has been edited by MacAllcock (edited 02-03-2005).]