Why am I testing microphone cables?
The decision to make my own microphone cables means that I now have a choice between using Canare and Mogami cable, which as a practical matter I have not had in the past.
Readers who have a good surround sound or stereo system know that
Mogami makes excellent audio cable, and that its cable is widely used in music recording studios. However, in the U.S. and Canada people who record sound for film and television use
Canare microphone cable almost exclusively. Indeed, it's the only brand offered by the specialist sound houses that supply audio equipment for film production. When I ask my favourite New York sound house to make a microphone cable, it's a very brief exchange. I tell it the length. The cable will be black, with standard Neutrik XLR connectors, unless I say that I want a different colour and/or a specific Neutrik XLR. The cable will be made from
Canare Star-Quad L-4E6S as a matter of course.
Why is Canare so dominant? The film and television world thinks that Canare’s method of shielding microphone cable - braided copper - is more likely to stand up to the rough and tumble of film set and field recording than Mogami’s spiral-wrapped copper. This is not an issue in a music recording studio, where Mogami is widely used. I think that a lot of people who record sound for film also believe that the significantly higher price of Mogami cable (see the prices below) doesn’t translate into better sound. It's not like there's a problem with the sound quality of Hollywood feature films.
I don't have any complaints about Canare cable, but I've decided to test both brands to find out whether there's anything that I'm missing. I'll be considering how each cable handles (thickness, weight, flexibility) and behaves when soldered. By all accounts, Mogami is easier to prepare for soldering because of its wrapped rather than braided shielding. The latter requires the use a thin awl or similar tool to unravel the braid. I'll also decide whether to use heat shrink. Custom cables almost invariably have heat-shrinked terminals, but I may choose not to use it.
I ordered the cables from
Redco Audio in Connecticut on Thursday. They should be shipped tomorrow (Monday), and I hope to receive them by Wednesday. The prices below are Redco's prices, which are quite competitive, by the foot.
I'll be testing the following cables:
1. Canare Star-Quad L-4E6S (first photo)
21AWG/0.410mm²
$0.55/ft
If you've seen a film or television programme shot in the U.S. or Canada in recent years, it's almost a certainty that the dialogue was recorded with this cable. Used for all of my current microphone cables.
2. Canare Star-Quad L-4E5C (first photo)
23AWG/0.258mm²
$0.48/ft
This is a thinner, lighter version of the above. Some people may be using it for boom poles. For a boom operator, small weight savings make a difference over a long shooting day. The question is whether this cable is rugged enough for general location/field recording.
3. Mogami Star-Quad W2534 (second photo)
24AWG/0.226mm²
$1.12/ft
I'll be comparing this to Canare's L-4E6S.
4. Mogami Star-Quad W2893 (second photo)
26AWG/0.129mm²
$0.82/ft
I'll be comparing this to Canare L-4E5C.
5. Mogami Balanced Cable W2791 (third photo)
24AWG/0.206mm²
$1.11/ft
Mogami markets this as a balanced cable for use in location sound recording, including for broadcasting. Note that it is not a Star-Quad cable, which is seen as a requirement by most people who record audio for film and television. Star-Quad is insurance against electrical noise, which is a real issue on film sets, and increasingly in urban areas generally. Nevertheless, I'm interested in having a look at this cable.
Canare Star-Quad:
Mogami Star-Quad:
Mogami Balanced: