Opinions on Mogami Cable?


I wanted to get some opinion on Mogami Cable. I am considering building Biwire cable with Mogami 3104, RCA interconnects with 2524 and some Video cable with their 75 Ohm cables. I come from the world of pro sound and Mogami has been around for a long time but I don't see to many posts about it. It seems that when I check out most major cable manufacturers you get a lot of marketing blah blah blah without a ton of wire specs. On the Mogami site there are specs without any marketing hype. So am I on the right track here. Will Mogami ring true for me? Same thing sort of applies to Canare wire. Opinions please?
henrykjr
@Magfan, you found them at guitar center because they are marketed as a high end microphone cable for studio recording and live performance. At the price the quality of the cable is amazing. At higher prices the quality is still amazing, which is why so many recording studio's use Mogami to wire their systems. On the audiophile scene, this is actually the first time I've seen their cables brought up as a possible option. I use Mogami cables through-out my home recording studio (mostly with Neglex Quad wiring) with excellent results. I hadn't thought about them as an interconnect option outside the studio though. I split the two hobbies apart for some reason. glad to hear they are another great option!
I just ordered a pair of 2534's from Redco. $45 shipped. Will compare to the 2549's and report any interesting findings.
The 2534s sound much more transparant than the 2549s wired as SEs.

The thing is I've never had interference problems with any cables... So I can't really say but in theory, the quad should be the best for noise.

02-01-11: Jazzgene
@Tholt

How did you come to the conclusion that 2534 has more shielding than a 2549?

I remember reading about this issue in various places on the web, though now I can't recall where exactly. Perhaps what I meant was that, as you stated, the 2534 is a quad cable while the 2549 is a twisted pair. The thing that stuck with me was that 2534 should be used in areas of high interference. If this situation doesn't exist, use the 2549.

Anyway, here is a response I found on the Gearslutz forum by a Mogami rep to an inquiry about the differences between 2534 and 2549: "I do recommend 2534 anytime noise is the most important issue while being as transparent as possible. That is what we use in our Gold Studio cables. As I mentioned noise intrusion is often more noticeable when recording that last decibel above human hearing. If noise is not a big problem our 2549 is actually world class for a twisted pair noise rejection, and the golden ears among us can hear the difference in fidelity compared to the slightly softened transients of a quad. But we are definitely comparing subtleties here."

There is more info on the Mogami website for these 2 cables.

I have never heard 2534, either in balanced or SE, so can't comment on the differences from a personal experience.
I use Mogami balanced between source (CDP) and amp.
Bought 'em at Guitar Center, of all places. They had the 'Studio Gold' and I bought the 6' length.
Good cable and I'd get 'em again over most others.
@Tholt

How did you come to the conclusion that 2534 has more shielding than a 2549? They look the same braided shield to me. the 2534 is a quad and 2549, 2 conductor with shield. Anyway, to my ears, the 2534 sounded better than the 2549 in balanced configuration. The 2549 makes really great SE cables though.
I know of at least one high end company that marks the Mogami cables up by a factor of 10...
Update after about 80 hours (+ previous break in from the last time I used them) -- I'm pretty impressed with the Mogami in my system. It is at the critical point between source (CDP) and preamp.

First, I've never heard such precise imaging ever from my stereo. Vocals are reach-out-and-touch in front of me, as are other instruments/cues. Soundstaging also is very dimensional. Bass and mids have filled out nicely. And they have tamed some glary nasties I've been dealing with, one of the most appreciated improvements. All of the above equates to a much more musically involving experience. So for right now at least, they are staying put and I'm really enjoying them!
01-29-11: Jazzgene
Mogami 2534s for balanced xlr and 2549s for SE. Great for the price.
Jazzgene (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

My understanding is the 2534 has much more shielding than the 2549, so use it in areas of high RFI and the like. Otherwise, 2549 for balanced is fine, and is what I use. FWIW I bought a pair of 2549 XLR's for around $40. I ran them for a couple weeks but they sounded thin to me. I've had them in a box ever since, but recently took them out and put them back in the system. The current system is completely different than the one I had then.

My immediate impression was one of neutrality over the other cables I was using, one being a pair of AZ Wow!! xlr's, the other a DIY braided silver design. Those cables both seem to sound a little bloated and glary in the mid-bass and bass. The Mogami's neither highlight nor obscure anything. Details in abundance, but also a natural tone. And again, neutral. Surprising to say the least. I've noticed as I've been playing them now for around 36 hours that the mids and bass are opening up as well.

As with all things cables, and certainly in my case, system synergy is key. I think the Mogami's cleanness and apparent lack of midrange highlighting (coupled with surprising amounts of natural sounding detail) complement my system quite well. I didn't realize that the other cables, by comparison, were too much of a good thing -- warmer, but also thicker and with some midrange glare (I can't stand glare). The Mogami's lightness and nimbleness seem to be the ticket for me. The things I perceive as negatives with them are a slightly shrunken soundstage and a perceived bit of grain. Still, very enjoyable.
I use 25', single ended mogami cables to feed the QVC amp for my bass horns. (I have a lot of pro gear in my system.) They have low capacitance which makes them great for longer runs.

My Doshi preamp and phonostage are wired internally with Canare cable.

Do a search on Mogami or Canare and see how many folks are using these products.
Just got some Mogami 3104 and Canare 4S11 to compare the two as speaker cables

RIght off the bat - the Mogami copper is much deeper in color. Closer to a reddish copper while the Canare is more yellowish copper.

The Canare does not claim to be OFC so this may be the reason for the color differences.

Compared to the Canare 4S11 the Mogami has more conductors and each bundle of copper is composed of 7 bundles of smaller strands.

Wednesday will be the night to listen to the Mogami and will report back.

Running these two channel to biwire Aerial 10Ts
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I used a Mogami XLR as an interconnect between preamp and amp for a short period. While it worked, it sounded more than a little thin and metallic to me. As soon as I replaced it with a Harmonic Technology Truthlink Silver, it was obvious that it was MUCH better than the Mogami. As always, your mileage may vary, but for my money, I think it's smarter to purchase used cables elsewhere. I like Zu for about the same price as the Mogami, or for a little more Harmonic, Tara Labs or Acoustic Zen.

Good luck.
Check out Take Five Audio, they sell all 3, cryogenic treated. I've used the 2542 for ICs and speaker cable. I've used the 3104 biwire cable for power cords (star quad w/ reverse spirol ground). Cheap prices and good sound. With cryoed Neutrik RCAs($5.pr), and 2542, you've got pretty good cables for under $20.pr! TFA also sells Canare connectors, i'm not sure about their cable. I've also had good luck with Neotech 22g, single crystal copper w/ teflon, cryoed of course.
Try building some, you'll get hooked!
Alan