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Hello i am planning on making my own microphone cables and i have come across a couple of drums of cable very cheap, can anybody tell me if this is quality cable, here is the spec

2 core individual lap screened microphone cable
conductors 2x20/0.1mm
screen 2x51/0.1mm
CSA 2x0.16mm2
Diameter 6.5mm

on a scale of 1/10 is this anygood

Thanks in advance for your advice :D

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Boswell Thu, 04/20/2006 - 03:07

On a scale of 1 - 10 this scores 0, if I read the spec correctly. You say the cores are individually screened? This would defeat the noise rejection properties of a balanced microphone system. The two conductors must be inside the same screen.

Can you give a manufacturer's reference for the cable or a link to a data sheet?

anonymous Thu, 04/20/2006 - 05:34

Hello, as i say i know nothing about cable but i am hoping to learn something from this?. The spec i have given is off the drum itself although there is no manufature name on the drum.

I picked up a few connectors with the drum and they are from skytronics, so i looked on there website for the cable and i have found something similar only my cable has the two core plus the earth wire here is the link to there site.

http://www.cybermarket.co.uk/ishop/923/shopscr125.html

The spec i have posted is exactly what it says on the label though i have no idea what it means, i was hoping somebody could let me know if it is quality microphone cable :)

Thanks :roll:

Boswell Thu, 04/20/2006 - 06:14

OK, the site you link to shows a good range of screened cables. What you need for balanced microphone use is 2-core overall screened cable. Compare the details shown for one of those types with the details of your cable (2-core individual screened).

Your cable would be fine for stereo unbalanced use, such as a -10dBV pair to a minidisc recorder or from a CD player, but I wouldn't use it for balanced signals.

anonymous Tue, 04/25/2006 - 13:12

Hi, Yes the cable is from skytronics. The type of cable i have "individual screened" can be used for balanced audio at line level rather than mic level,
but as boswell says this cable is normally used for unbalanced audio signal.
Its been a lesson for me and at least i havent wasted my XLR connectors on cable that is not suitable for microphone level.

Thanks

Boswell Thu, 04/27/2006 - 04:19

Don't read too much into the "line level" vs. "microphone" usage, as your individual-screened cable could be used for either. The issue is not the signal level but whether the signals are balanced or unbalanced. If you had, for example, a single-point stereo microphone (e.g. Sony ECM-MS957) whose output was an L-R unbalanced pair, your original cable would be suitable for that. For mono dynamic or capacitor microphones (especially phantom-powered ones) equipped with XLR connectors, use a 2-conductor cable that has an overall screen.