79 Patch Cables Test

Yes gear nerds, it’s what you’ve been waiting for! Someone who hasn’t got anything better to do has collected together 79 patch cables, devised a mix of (probably) legit and somewhat questionable tests (I particularly admire the ‘hit the cables with a fan blade’ test :grinning:) and stuck all the results in a spreadsheet.
Pure geeky joy.
Seriously, while not brilliantly scientific, you can see that often paying more for cables isn’t always best. I thought the interference tests were very bad for some cables.
Anyway if you want to nerd out for a while here it is

There is a link under the video in YouTube for a PDF of all the results.

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Ok, I will bite. I feel like nerving out for a little while. Probably won’t get all the way thru the video, but I will check the PDF

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I was going to but realized it wouldn’t change my behavior any - I will still just buy the cheapest shielded cables I can find and replace them when they fail.

It’s the same algorithm as with replacing expensive cables when they inevitably fail, just cheaper :slight_smile:

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Yeah, I was going just to geek out for a few minutes, but it won’t change my cable ordering process either, which is similar if not same

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The video is too long for my taste but the PDF I think is very interesting and informative.

In contrast to the others who already posted here it might even change my purchase process as in I might want to try out some specific cable models listed in there.

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This is where I just sigh and wish we weren’t trapped in the legacy of these cables. The whole concept is prone to noise and grounding issues. It’s entirely obsolete for active instruments and is only necessary for a passive pickup until it hits a buffered pedal or preamp and then it could be all balanced line level with more reliable connectors from there. Wasted whining.

His Stone noise test at 13:27 is interesting. Different cables have wildly different results, but I’m not sure how to explain that. They shouldn’t be that different.

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