Pro Cables vs. Audio Cables....Are We Being Duped?


Like probably most of you audiophiles out there, I have a few friends who are musicians. I told one of these friends that I was looking for a long (25+ ft.) pair of balanced interconnect cables. He suggested that I consider looking into some nice studio/mike cables, as all studio cables are of balanced design.

He further stated that most audio interconnects are a ripoff when compared to similar studio cables. To illustrate his point, we looked at comprable lengths of balanced cables from Monster Cable and the Studio versions were a couple of hundred dollars less. While it was hard to tell if the cables were truly apples vs. apples; the construction and description of each cable appeared to be extraordinarly similar.

While the thought of using "mike cables" in my home audio system makes me shudder, I certainly would not be opposed to saving a few hundred bucks either.

Do any of you have any experience comparing studio vs. balanced audio cables? Is there anything in the construction or design of home cables that makes them superior to studio cables in a home system (and therefore worth paying more for)? If any of you can shed some light on this, I would truly appreciate it.
daddyo

Showing 1 response by avideo

Well maybe I should offer my two cents worth - as I have
owned and operated a video editing and media duplication
company for the past twelve years.
First and foremost it should be understood that there
is a wide range of "professional" audio and video cables
out there. Some cables are manufactured and sold to pro-
fessional audio dealers. More often than not, most of these
items are available only in certain lengths; and are
typically of lesser quality.
Other cables - usually the decent stuff - is custom
built using the higher end connectors (such as Neutrik or
Canare) and high end wire from companies such as Belden
and Mogami.
Also, cost figures into all of this. It's one thing to
put together a higher end audio system with possibly four
or five sets of interconnects and a set of speaker cables.
It's an entirely different matter when say you are wiring
up five or six sets of balanced audio cables in each of
several rooms. Not to mention running a couple dozen sets
of RCA cables to duplication machines.
In my own operation, I tend to use lower end RCA cables
from XLO and MIT to our duplication equipment. THERE IS A
DIFFERENCE vs. some of the lower end "pro grade" stuff. I
can hear the difference! And keep in mind I do this five
or six days every week!
In my own set up at home, I use the Transparent Musicwave
interconnects and love it vs. some of the "pro" stuff I've
used in the past. My Thiel speakers tell me I'm getting
much better dynamics with the Transparents; so I'm happy
with what I'm using.