Recently bought an open box SC5000 pair but no rca cables included. They are going to be used with my new Mastersounds Radius 2 Valve mixer. Does it matter the type of rca cables? Any recommendations on brand?
Brand recommendations, not as such (although there are some brands I prefer over others). Typically it is, at least in part, dependent on where you are in the world. I have seen great cables in places I visited and never been able to source them locally.
That said, I CAN give you a few tips on what to look for in good RCA cables (imho of course).
First thing to do, is to forget about the flimsy, all plastic, cables like the ones that come with your home stereo set. Like this one:
Second thing to do, is to also forget about the high end, audiophile cables (like the Monster brand). There is no need for wrist-thick cables and gold(-plated) connectors in DJ land (and for the rest it’s up for debate, but that is a different discussion). So never mind something like this:
Now, I can hear you say, what does that leave. What SHOULD I buy? Good question.
Things to look for, are:
- quality of the connector. Metal is nice, but by no means necessary. Removable is nice, if you are the kind of guy that can solder and repair his own cables should anything happen to it. Personally I think that the “fixed” connectors in general have a better mechanical strength when it comes to breaking, but once they do, you can basically throw out the cable.
- quality of the cable. Both thickness counts here, thicker IS generally better. Both more copper to transfer the signal (core thickness) and better shielding and mantle (the outside). The latter in cheap cable usually a bit plasticky. Better cables feel more rubbery.
- The length of the cable. A good rule of thumb is to keep length less than about 6ft. Anything over that raises the possibility of outside interference (again strongly dependent on environment). By the same token, shorter is better. Not in the least from a practical & aesthetic point of view. If you have your players next to your mixer, buy a pair of cables that is a nice fit with a bit of wiggle room. So if 2 ft is enough, don’t try to fit 6ft of cable behind your players.
Here is a cable I would use without hesitation (and have btw):
Here’s another, in the metal connector category:
Hope that helps some.
My three cents as usual.
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Like DJ_Vintage, I would go “middle of the road” also.
Brands like ProCab or Cordial would do nicely.
Someone once told me that my audio cables should cost about 2% of what I’m connected ting to my system. So if I buy a €1000 player, use a €20 connecting lead.
For short runs, especially if running digital - it doesn’t need crazy high prices for cables.
Procab, a Belgium company, is a perfect example of a brand that isn’t (I believe) available all over the world (although strong in - parts of - Europe). I like Procab as they have almost all their cables in three different quality levels, from basic to reference.
True, but it was an example of the kind of cable if Googled.
However, they seem to think bigger than Belgium, but not USA yet:
Oh yeah … ambitious bunch. I have been using their cables since forever. Especially the range with Neutrik connectors (not a worry for RCA cables, folks!).