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which 1/4 neutrik plugs for canare star quads?

post #1 of 26
2/28/04 at 1:14am
Thread Starter 
i plan on getting these canare cables, 1/4 neutrik plugs,and a switchcraft plug

This will be used for my art dio -> cmoy amp.

Which neutrik plugs do i get from markertek?

And does this look like a good setup?

thanks!
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post #2 of 26
2/28/04 at 4:21am
The NP3C is a popular 1/4" three-pole plug. Very beefy (See a picture of one here).

As for the cable... I haven't used Canare 4S8 speaker wire for this sort of interconnect before. Most folks (me included) tend to use Canare L4E6S Star Quad (a microphone cable). It has braided copper shielding, comes in more colours, is more flexible, and is cheaper than the speaker wire.

D.
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post #3 of 26
2/28/04 at 10:13pm
You know you can get star quad cable at markertek too. That way you can save on shipping costs. Also i believe its about $0.30 a foot there as opposed to the $0.54 at pacific radio.

Dan
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post #4 of 26
2/29/04 at 8:02am
Yeah, the 4E6S Star Quad is $0.36 at Markertek, compared to $0.44 at Pacific Radio. However, I'm wary of shopping at Markertek because they have a $25 minimum order and they tack a $4.95 "handling charge" on all orders. PacRad doesn't have a minimum and has no handling fees.

Also, the Neutrik NP3C is available at PacRad. See this page, along with the Canare and Switchcraft 1/4" plugs that are also popular among Head-Fiers.

D.
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post #5 of 26
2/29/04 at 4:00pm
Oh, well I learned something new! Thanks, you just saved me some money!!

Dan
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post #6 of 26
3/1/04 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally posted by Dan the audioman
Oh, well I learned something new! Thanks, you just saved me some money!!

Dan
No problem, Dan!

I also had been wary of Pacific Radio because of the seemingly higher prices, but someone pointed out the absence of handling fees and such, and then it suddenly dawned on me that PacRad might actually be cheaper in the long run.

So, now I feel it's my duty to pass along that little money-saving tip.

And, by the way, I can't say enough good things about the service at PacRad. The folks there are super helpful, and will go out of their way to get you items that aren't listed online. I'd pay more to get that kind of service (but I don't have to ).

D.
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post #7 of 26
3/1/04 at 11:41am
Quote:
Originally posted by Demolition
And, by the way, I can't say enough good things about the service at PacRad. The folks there are super helpful, and will go out of their way to get you items that aren't listed online. I'd pay more to get that kind of service (but I don't have to ).
I purchase from Markertek and Pacific Radio all of the time. I like both but I do know what you mean. The Markertek people are friendly but they seem rushed and very serious srtictly professional. The Pacific Radio people seem to be extra friendly and laid back. They will have conversations with you like they are on a lunch break. Unfortunately most of the items I order end up coming from Markertek to save a little money. However I still enjoy dealing with Pacific Radio with about a third of my orders.
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post #8 of 26
3/1/04 at 7:41pm
Quote:
will go out of their way to get you items that aren't listed online
Does this mean they might be able to get me some switchcraft right-angle mini connectors? I looked on their site and couldnt find any.
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post #9 of 26
3/2/04 at 4:22am
Yup. There's a blurb somewhere on their site that says to call them if you can't find an item listed online. Okay, here it is... From this page:
Quote:
NOTE: Pacific Radio Electronics has a huge inventory of cable, connectors, patchbays and other supplies for the broadcast/post production professional. Only a sampling of them are offered here.

If you do not find what you are looking for please do not hesitate to give us a call, toll free, at (800) 634-9476.
D.
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post #10 of 26
3/2/04 at 4:24am
yeah, DO NOT buy the 4s8 for interconnects. heck, you won't even be able to fit the dang cable into your plug!

l4e6s or l4e6at is the one you want. s = braided shield. at = foil shield. foil shield offers better coverage, and is MUCH easier to assemble, and is cheaper!--but it's not as durable and might have more induced noise when the cable's moved around.... but doesn't matter for interconnects... it's not like you use your interconnects for jump ropes.

so, use l4e6s for headphone extensions and mic cables... you know, cables that you actually move around.

for interconnects, use l4e6at. you'll save yourself a lot of time, from unbraiding those braided shields--pain in the butt!
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post #11 of 26
3/2/04 at 1:29pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Orpheus
for interconnects, use l4e6at. you'll save yourself a lot of time, from unbraiding those braided shields--pain in the butt!
I just built a cable with the L4E6S. To cut the braided shield without cutting through the signal carriers I just used a sharp razor blade with light pressure and it worked very well.
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post #12 of 26
3/2/04 at 1:49pm
well, yes, for one end you can cut them completely away. for the other end you should try to preserve 1/2 of the shield to be soldered... so, you'll need to take a pick (or at least that's what i use)... and sit there and unravel the whole dang thing. pain in the butt.

what tool do you use?--i always wondered how the big companies unravel that kind of shield.
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post #13 of 26
3/2/04 at 5:11pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Orpheus
what tool do you use?--i always wondered how the big companies unravel that kind of shield.
My tools are pretty simple for stripping the shield, conductor leads, fillers, and jacket.

I cut the braided shield, fillers, and jacket with small miniature wire cutters. This way is really slow going but I want interconnects to end up flawless as possible.

For stripping leads I use a Stanley knife. I score the entire conductor with the blade a few times to cut a full circle around the conductor. I then grip at the incision with the same small miniature wire cutters and proceed pull each one off. This is VERY VERY time consuming, but I don't loose a single strand of precious copper.

This is why I don’t trust the big companies like Markertek to make interconnects. I am sure that they are still very good and they probably sound excellent. Nevertheless, what kind of solder are they using and how much time their bosses allow them to carefully put each one together. I imagine that the big companies construct at least ten interconnects in the time that I invest into constructing one of mine.
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post #14 of 26
3/2/04 at 5:24pm
i think we're misunderstanding each other. i use wire strippers too... but they don't unbraid.

for semi-balanced cables (that's their term... they aren't really balanced)... on one side the shield is dosconnected, thus you can cut it away as you have described. but on the other end, it has to be grounded with the return signal. thus, you need to UNBRAID the braid. you can't simply cut it in half, as this would cut across all the strands, leaving a mess. so you actually have to pry the braid open.

so.... how do you usually do that? i use a pick.
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post #15 of 26
3/2/04 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Orpheus
i think we're misunderstanding each other. i use wire strippers too... but they don't unbraid.

for semi-balanced cables
-snip-
thus, you need to UNBRAID the braid.
-snip-
so.... how do you usually do that? i use a pick.
Oh, semi-balanced. I never make interconnects semi-balanced since they would end up directional interconnects.

When I do make (rarely) a fully balanced interconnect I just do it by hand with one point of my small miniature wire cutter. Very time consuming again but it works. I imagine that a pick would work more efficiently.
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