As a professional classical and flamenco guitarist with over 21 years of experience, I’ve tried TONS of cables for performance and recording. Here are my 4 favorite microphone, instrument, and speaker/PA connection cables for 2024.
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Best Microphone Cable
Mogami Gold STUDIO-15 XLR ($73)
REVIEW
By far, the cleanest and most durable cable I’ve ever used. If you are playing with a good microphone in a concert or recording setting, you really should invest in a high-quality cable that gives you the cleanest sound possible. I’ve had to play and record in places that have had noise/RF interference from bad wiring or grounding issues and this Mogami Cable always saved the day! I take two of them with me to every gig just in case!
KEY SPECS
- Lifetime guarantee
- 15-foot
- Neglex Quad Cable
- Double conductor cables (noise cancellation)
- Conductor insulation is XLPE ( Cross-Linked Polyethylene) which has excellent electrical characteristics and prevents shrink-back during soldering.
- Served (spiral) Bare Copper Shield is superior to foil or braided shields for sound quality and simplifies termination.
Best Guitar Cable
Mogami Platinum GUITAR-06R Instrument Cable ($80)
REVIEW
When I need to plug-in, this is my cable of choice. Like all Mogami cables, this one is tough and produces a super clean sound. Never any buzzing and never any noise from grounding issues or interference! Yes, I know…it’s just a cable. But using cheaper cables in the past has gotten me in trouble a few times. And yes, I know it’s expensive, but it’s really worth the investment if you want a really good chance of preventing a bad sound at your next gig from wiring issues. I have 2 in my gig bag all the time!
KEY SPECS
- Lifetime guarantee
- 6-foot
- Copper core break-proof plugs by G&H
- High Density 100% coverage Copper Spiral Shield
- Precision Cellular Polyethylene Insulation
- Conductive PVC eliminates handling noise
Best XLR to XLR Speaker Connection Cable
World’s Best Cables Quad Balanced 30-foot Microphone Cable ($69
REVIEW
I’ve had many occassions where I’ve needed to daisy-chain 2 speakers on stage and these WBC cables have never let me down. These cables are solid and clean sounding. The reason for that is that they use Mogami 2534 wire construction and Neutrik connectors. There are certaily cheaper cables out there that are much longer, but I’ve found that 30FT is more than enough 99% of the time. Whenever I’ve needed a slightly longer cables, it’s been in a theater or recording studio setting that has a whole set of high-end, long cables available. If you want top-quality XLR speaker cables, WBC are worth the investment!
KEY SPECS
- Canare L-4E6S Wire
- Neutrik NC3MXX XLR Connectors
- 30 feet each
Best XLR to 1/4″ Cable
Mogami Gold TRS-XLRM-25 Balanced Audio Adapter Cable ($99
REVIEW
Once again, Mogami is my choice for the highest-quality, clean, and reliabile sound. As always, Mogami’s construction is solid and they have a life-time guarantee. If you’re a gigging musician, it’s inevitable that at some point you’ll need an XLR to 1/4″ connection to connect your plug-in guitar to far-away speakers or a mixing board. I alwyas keep one of these in my gig bag just in case and have had to use it many times in my gigging career.
KEY SPECS
- Lifetime guarantee
- 25 feet
- XLR Male to 1/4″
- Neglex Quad Cable
- Double conductor cables (noise cancellation)
- Conductor insulation is XLPE ( Cross-Linked Polyethylene) which has excellent electrical characteristics and prevents shrink-back during soldering.
- Served (spiral) Bare Copper Shield is superior to foil or braided shields for sound quality and simplifies termination.
- Copper core break-proof plugs by G&H
- High Density 100% coverage Copper Spiral Shield
- Precision Cellular Polyethylene Insulation
- Conductive PVC eliminates handling noise
The Links above are affilaite links. Although I have personally tried and recommend all of the items above, I also earn a very small commission from each of them. Commissions support my free YouTube channel and free educational blog. Please consider buying with the links above. Thank you for your support!
© 2024 Diego Alonso
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