[proneax]

I've found a couple of quality 3.5mm plugs from neutrik, canare etc but I can't seem to find a quality stereo inline jack to match. Does anyone know a good source of these? I've done a good amount of searching on the web and in these forums but I can't come up with anything.

I called a local shop and they said they had a switchcraft plug but I couldn't find any info on it anywhere even switchcraft's website.

If it helps I'm terminating some star quad for a headphone extension.

edit/ email-notification.

 

[tangent]

There was a thread on this here or at Headwize, probably within the last year. Do a search.

 

[proneax]

ok, I found the thread you refer to from about a year ago but a conclusion was never really reached and the only concrete reference was to the tecnec connectors which didn't look that great. However, I did some more digging browsing through a bunch of parts sites and found a mystery (as in unkown brand) connector that looks pretty heavy-duty, but for some reason is $6.87!!!

http://www.thebroadcastshop.com/sale...partno=C4408LK

There's the link. I think I'll go to the local shop tomorrow and see if they actually have an inline jack from switchcraft.

On another note... how does the canare 3.5mm stereo PLUG compare to the neutrick?? I'm thinking it will be easier to handle b/c the housing is larger in diameter than the neutrik or any other really, plus it has a metal coiled strain releif.

 

[Demolition]

proneax,

If you thought the TecNec 3.5 mm inline jack was cheap, take a look at this one. Makes the TecNec jack look not too bad now, eh?

By the way, Switchcraft 3.5 mm plugs are here. I couldn't find a 3.5 mm inline jack on their site either, but am wondering if this might be the culprit here. As you can see for yourself, it's pretty frickin' expensive.

As for the mystery-brand inline jack in the link that you provided, I believe that it's a Calrad product. See this page (item 30-297). Calrad's distributors sell it for about $3.50-4.00.

D.

 

[proneax]

Thanks Demolition, useful information.

I've seen that Switchcraft jack and a few others like it, but they're mono jacks.

It's good to know the brand of that Calrad jack, I'll look for some places that have it at a reasonable price.

 

[proneax]

Did some more digging on that Calrad Jack, and found they make a better version, the 30-319-F, and also a plug version, the 30-319. Both look very solid, come with strain releif (yay!) and are relatively big which is good for DIY soldering and larger cables. Looking at the pictures I think I've actually used their mono plug, and it was very good, solid cable clamp and quality construction.

I ordered a set jack/plug from Santa Cruz electronics for like 2.60 a piece. And they only charge the actual shipping cost for your package - no handling or generic charge... nice.

BTW I found them in a pdf here

 

[Demolition]

Quote:

Originally posted by proneax Did some more digging on that Calrad Jack, and found they make a better version, the 30-319-F, and also a plug version, the 30-319.

That plug and jack combo looks pretty good. They look to be a lot sturdier than some of the ones we've already looked at.

Thanks for looking them up.

D.

 

[solid]

How do you guys define a 'quality' jack plug, other then the more expensive the better? And, is anything known about the actual difference a so called 'better' jack makes ?

Because I ordered al my parts from RS-components, and these are the only ones available:
http://www.rs-components.nl/cgi-bin/...stockNo=476328
But they don't look very HQ to me. Will it matter a lot, in an about-to-be-made pimeta ?

 

[tangent]

High quality makes more difference in 1/8" jacks than in 1/4" ones, because the 1/8" design is so weak already. Even a cheap 1/4" jack will make good contact all the time, but with a 1/8" jack, small movements will cause cheaper jacks to completely lose connection. Also, the small parts in an 1/8" jack are inherently less durable than the same parts in a 1/4" jack, so you need them to be high quality if you want them to last as long.

As for price, that's a good indicator, but the final arbiter must be its performance over time. A jack that works beautifully on day 1 may be completely shot within a year.

 

[JML]

I just got three sets of cables from Markertek, and two came with a connector that almost matches the Canare plug perfectly. It doesn't have the Canare name on it, the knurling is a little bit different, and the spring strain relief is bright and not matte, but the thing looks like it was made by Canare.

 

[proneax]

Does it look like this?:

 

[JML]

That's the Canare 3.5 mm plug (male), of course. What I was describing is a 3.5 mm jack (female).

 

[proneax]

Quote:

Originally posted by JML It doesn't have the Canare name on it, the knurling is a little bit different, and the spring strain relief is bright and not matte, but the thing looks like it was made by Canare.

The one I pictured is a Calrad Plug AFAIK, and judging by what you've said I'd guess your jack is a Calrad as well. They're very similar.

Once I get mine In I'll post a pic so we can be sure.

 

[JML]

I see the difference, now! Almost, but not quite identical.

The Canare male 3.5 mm plug has, closest to the tip, a recessed area that has the Canare name engraved on it, followed by three thin rings of ribbed rectangular knurlings near the tip, and then a wider ridded area near the back. I have about eight of these on various cables.

Your picture is not identical to the Canare, but it fooled me at first glance. The body design on that male plug does matche the female jacks that I have.

The female 3.5 mm jack on my cables, which you say is a Calrad, has no name engraving at all. The first three knurled ribs are the same width as the Canare, but instead of being flat rectanges, the ribbing is triangular. Then it has an other thin area of ribbing, followed by yet another (these last two together are as wide as the single wide ribbing section on the Canare).

I tried to find "your" male and "my" female on the Calrad website, but couldn't. Do you have part #s?

As I said, 2 out of 3 Markertek Canare StarQuad cables I ordered last month had this new female connector; the third had a Switchcraft (which looked so bad that I sent it back asking for it to be replaced with what I thought was the Canare).

I would love to find a 1/4" female jack that matches the Canare 1/4" plug this well.

 

[proneax]

The plug is the 30-319 and the Jack is the 30-319-F, found on pages 5 and 2 in the PDF (labeled on the catalog as 37 and 34).

I didn't find a good 1/4 jack, but Neutrik makes very good jacks.

http://www.neutrik.com/content/Produ...2id=204_281451