Lesson learned from cheap audio cable

So I got a 1/8" stereo cable a long time ago at some audio shop for like $3 to interface my mic/recorder into my camera for run and gun shooting. It never really fit snug in my camera. One side was slightly loose. That should have been a good hint that this thing was going to fail somehow. It lasted several shoots. But then...!

Today I shot an interview and I came home to find that it only recorded in the left channel. I was in a hurry as the subject had another appointment after a performance. I tested another cable which was fine, concluding that this cable really did fail.

You guys are probably aware of certain brands that charge insane prices for BS gold plated cables that perform like most others. but there's also just plain crap. So the bottom line is, how do you really judge quality?

Solid build quality and quality connectors are important, you can go too cheap even on a cable.

dmonk wrote in post #15774262
So the bottom line is, how do you really judge quality?

By knowing how and who built it and the best way to that goal is to learn how to solder, which is a task so simple a caveman could do it and roll your own cables from components supplied by reputable manufacturers.

In the cabling world names such as Belden, Canare and West Penn Wire are not going to burn you and as for connectors look toward Switchcraft and Neutrik.

By rolling your own cables you not only control the quality, you can build a cable that matches your needs without compromise.

Wayne

^^^^^ Yep.

And also, no matter what the device is, test it BEFORE you use it. Make sure everything is charged up and working properly the night before or whenever you can before the event. Its just good practice.

If you're not handy with a soldering iron as Wayne suggested checkout Monoprice for affordable cables that are built well.

As Ben mentioned, always test your gear prior to a shoot - that's what a soundcheck is for, especially since the cameras don't support real-time monitoring (at least not without Magic Lantern).

Also another thing to consider is to have some sort of strain relief since the connector is not a locking design. When I tether the camera with USB I use a cable-tie attached to a tripod-mount plate to help ensure my fat fingers don't pull out the cable accidentally.