Bad cables?

Does anybody have advice on how to keep cables working or how to fix them? I never had a problem with XLR but the others just keep failing the whole time.
Any ideas?

Zalmi

My best advise is not to COIL them into small bundles. Bending the cables will, over time, cause the insulation inside to crack and then all hell breaks loose. I loop them in large circles and then use either cable ties or clamps to keep them during transit. Other than that, I don't fix them, I chuck them in the garbage and get new ones. Don't want to chance static on a 3000.00 keyboard with a 16.00 cable!

Good advice. Buy good cables from the start, or be prepared to throw out a bunch as you go along. I use some cables that are 20 years old still. Loop them gently, pack them neatly, and don't step on them !

I wholeheartedly agree with the above statements. Additionally, most manufactured cables use extremely light wire, even the high-end cables that cost $20 to $30 for a 15 footer. If you have the electronic skills, I urge you to make your own. Use heavy-guage, sheilded wire, solder all the connections and slip a length of heat-shrink tubing over the back end of the plug and wire to prevent chafing and they'll last a lifetime. I have some that I made nearly 20 years ago and they're finally showing signs of wear because the insulation is beginning to dry rot.

Good Luck,

Gary

Yep, buy a good cable and then treat it witht he respect it deserves.

Gary,

You are the second person who has recommended to me in the past two days to make my own cables. I think it's a great idea!! Where do you get your cable supplies? Do you buy in semi-bulk?

Al

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).]

I should add that my cable "wrapping for storage" technique is quite brutal. I fold each wire repeatedly in half until it is short enough to tie it into a loose knot. Despite this violence, all cable failures over the past 10 years have been cause by jack failures, not internal cable faults.

All good advices.
About buying GOOD cables.
Not only do they last much longer but there's much better signal coming tru!
(As I did not believe my ears I messured the difference with a multy meter and there was a difference of 20%)

I used to make my own as well, but a couple of years back I bought spectraflex cables (are simular as the monster cables) and never had a problem since.
And I am not carefull at all with cables.
I also use these for guitar and stand on them quite a lot.

It's worth the investment!

Fred

Yep Buy good cables,,I bought Rapco cables 25 years ago,,use to tie my kids up with them..and they still work.....I can still use them to tie em up..

I buy the wire in bulk from a local electronics store, mainly 500 foot rolls and I usually use 18 gauge wire. I've had a couple really expensive cables fail, and in both instances, they broke outside the connector. One actually developed a break three feet up the wire and it was a factory defect. The inner cable was actually broken in half and barely touching within the break, therefore, initially it worked just fine.

Gary

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Can anyone recommend a specific brand/s of cables, and how much would I expect to pay for highest quality jack cables in UK? I always try to use xlr, but Tyros only has jack outputs.

Thanks,
Zalmi