Mogami Neglex W2549

@devinplombier 

Thanks — glad it was helpful :)

For RCA, I’ve landed pretty firmly on the Canare F-series (mostly F-09). The design is excellent, tolerances are tight, strain relief is built in, and they almost refuse to let you make a bad cable. They were originally designed for broadcast use, but they’ve ended up in a ton of studios and adopted by audiophiles for good reason. Extraordinarily elegant immaculately finished.. they stand out for me.

For XLR, I stick with Neutrik. Reliable, well-engineered, easy to work with, and rock solid once terminated. I’ve never felt the need to go beyond them.

I’ve tried a lot of connectors over time, including Amphenol, Rean, and Switchcraft. I tend to value good engineering, consistency, and repeatability over anything exotic. What about you?

@chuckaronson 

Excellent, thank you! When I look at the back of my preamp, I can't help thinking it deserves better than the ragtag mess that's plugged in there right now.

How bad is the bend memory with Gotham GAC-1 Ultra Pro? Also, which cable do you prefer for XLR interconnects?

It looks like Redco carries all that good stuff; who is your go-to supplier?

Thanks again!

Glad it was helpful.

GAC-1 Ultra Pro does have bend memory — the Reussen shield gives it a natural curve — but once you route it intentionally and dress it, it behaves and stays put. I’ve only built XLRs a few times, but when I have I’ve used Neutrik connectors with Mogami 2549 and Canare L-4E6S, I liked them both and they worked out fine for the application. They both sound great.  Canare is like an armored car.. Mogami is supple .. so for home use XLR you can’t go wrong with 2549. Low capacitance and great to work with. 

Redco is a solid source and carries pretty much everything I discussed, though I do buy from a few different vendors depending on the project.
 

Hopefully this helps clean up that ragtag mess behind your preamp, I’m sure many of us can relate lol.

Should you go ahead I’d love to know what you think.

@chuckaronson - I am curious if you have tried the other Gotham star quad cables, specifically GAC-4/1 Ultra Pro. Gotham seems to market that as the best they make -- though "best" of course has many dimensions.

@mike_in_nc 

no.. I haven’t used it yet — as most of my work is unbalanced interconnects. That said, the next time I build an XLR I plan to try it; the Ultra Pro shielding has been exceptionally quiet in my experience, so I’m definitely curious. No need atm but soon hopefully. If you use it lmk what you think.