I know Mogami makes decent cables, and I have some short Mogami XLR to hook up my NAD preamp to a M700 amps. Is there a cable that would really provide an improvement in sound over them without cost such a big price tag? Or would you say that the Mogami cables are just fine.
I am also considering this Kimber Kables as well which cost $150 more for a pair. It is 19 AWG vs the Mogami 24 AWG.
Try these as they have a 45 day return policy. Call Cap on the phone and talk to him about his design. I have been using them for over a year and they beat far pricier cables.
I make my own cables and they are the best I’ve ever heard. Very neutral. Presently 100% of all my audiophile friends threw their cables away and asked be to make them sets for speaker and interconnect.
Using only Mogami wire with Neutrik XLR and Cardas plugs. Very low capacitance with excellent quality copper. Can’t rate them high enough. The peer reviews also speak loudly,
Mogami makes brilliant cables for very reasonable prices.
Sometimes I’ll use a fancy bradded sleeve and sometimes not.
A pair of 3 foot XLR interconnects runs about $35.
What kind of Mogami cable do you use for your interconnects? Thanks in advance…
The Belden BAV line is very good for the money and a nice step up from Mogami.
They are on the bottom of this page.
A fully accurate answer to your question depends on the rest of your system. You don’t mention your source or your speakers. A system’s ultimate potential is the sum of its parts and weak (or lesser resolving) components, speakers, and cables can obscure the potential for improvement elsewhere in the chain. I’ve found the often repeated maxim that XLR cables display less audible differences than single ended connections to be false, I hear just as many differences among XLR cables as RCA. That said, lots of good listeners like Mogami cable. Price isn’t always an indicator of quality. However, just because Mogami is inexpensive that doesn’t mean you can get away with inexpensive connectors if you want to extract the best from it. For instance: http://soundoctor.com/cables.htm
Just starting a Mogami speaker cable upgrade in the HT. My only experiences with the brand is on subs 3 & 4…seem well built, and that’s good ‘nuf for my HT. Also, second Audio Envy quality.
2nd. Own these and quite pleased.
Mogami per foot from redco.com:
W2549 for Balanced interconnects ~$0.80 per/ft 23 pf/ft capacitance
W2497 for RCA/SE interconnects ~$3.65 per/ft 20 pf/ft capacitance
W2921 for Bi-wire speaker cable ~$4.25 per/ft.
So far batting 1.000 for other hifi nuts coming over and buying after listening. If you can DIY or know someone who can solder well, the value is tremendous. I learned to solder in college working on big science programs for NASA while working on my degree in physics. I can solder.
Cardas flux core solder works great for my projects and not too expensive. I was able to spend an hour with Nelson Pass and Mogami is one of two brands he uses. Forgot the other as it was unobtainium for me.
As a general rule he said use purest copper with low capacitance and make sure it carries a current. :7) That always stuck with me.
There’s an old “how to” article here that suggests Mogami W2534: How To Make a $50 Pair Of High End XLR Cables – PS Audio
I’ve made a few cables based on the article and, for the money, they are quite good. They’re not much competition for my Iconolclasts, though.
I’m less of a fan of the W2534 and prefer W2549. W2534 has an additional 5pf/ft of capacitance. A quality solder joint makes a difference as well.
After putting in $1400 of professional room treatments, things like cables matter but they matter much less. I’ve auditioned mega buck cables and can hear a difference. I just hear more of a difference if I swallow hard and clear and fluids in my head.
Material matters even more. Software is the biggest variable. 90% of my listening is analog recordings from the 60’s/70’s/80’s.
Recording & catering engineers will plainly tell us were luck if we are listening to a full 16 bits, and they laugh at audiophile who think it’s anywhere near 24 bits. Sample rate matters and compression.
I LOVE listening to Neil Young or CSN&Y in 24/192 Flac. Jethro Tull Aqualung album remixed by Steve Wilson… amazing. Sounds the best we will ever hear thous old recordings. Actual REAL recorded 24/192 is in another class.
Cables matter and they matter a lot. There is point of diminishing returns where money is better put into a room treatment or better recorded material.
Just my $.02
Hi NordicDave , do you still make xlr cables?
What were the XLR DESIGNED to do? What was the cable trying to “fix”?
There is a big difference in the electrical. Here are some things to consider - https://www.iconoclastcable.com/story/rcaxlr.pdf
The attributes, although adjusted differently, impact all cable designs.
Best,
Galen
