Radio Shack Gold Plugs??
Jun 3, 2007 at 4:44 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 22
wgr73

wgr73

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Why do people say these are so bad?? Can you hear an audible difference in the radio shack plug, and a Neutrik plug?
 
Jun 3, 2007 at 5:03 AM Post #2 of 22
I dont know about SQ, but they feel cramped inside. I did an IC with a pair of those last week and i had to skip the heatshrink inside the plug because the thread kept chewing through it.

Other than that, they're just plain overpriced
 
Jun 3, 2007 at 5:06 AM Post #3 of 22
Lol. Ok.
 
Jun 3, 2007 at 6:35 AM Post #4 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by wgr73 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Why do people say these are so bad?? Can you hear an audible difference in the radio shack plug, and a Neutrik plug?


No.
 
Jun 3, 2007 at 3:42 PM Post #6 of 22
I hear the difference when i pull on the cable and the lugs flex and short against eachother.

They're crappy plugs, gold or no gold.
 
Jun 3, 2007 at 6:38 PM Post #7 of 22
Ok, thanks for the responses. So what I get from this is that they are harder to work with, they have no audible difference, and the build quality may be lacking due to them being able to flex and short against each other (though I have never experienced this). Thanks.
 
Jun 4, 2007 at 12:11 PM Post #8 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by wgr73 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Ok, thanks for the responses. So what I get from this is that they are harder to work with, they have no audible difference, and the build quality may be lacking due to them being able to flex and short against each other (though I have never experienced this). Thanks.


I just want to chime in on the hard-to-work-with point. I've bought quite a few of these (gold male stereo miniplug) over the years to replace failed plugs on phone cables. I have never heard a degradation in SQ, but I have always bought at least two plugs with the goal of ending up with a single completed fix. The tolerances are pretty cramped, and it's easy to screw up by bending the internals so that you end up with a short when you get everything closed up.

On the other hand, my soldering skills (how should I put this?)...um...suck.

I can't be too hard on RS, though, because basic stuff like this is available in almost all of their two or three billion stores, and almost always in stock. And their components do get the job done. There's something to be said for that.
 
Jun 4, 2007 at 3:08 PM Post #10 of 22
I finished a DIY IC a month ago with rat shack RCAs and IMHO they are good. A bit overpriced though.
 
Jun 5, 2007 at 12:29 AM Post #13 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorander /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What do they look like? I've used a 'standard' gold plug from our local Jaycar store and it was great to work with. I can't hear any so-called difference or degradation in quality either. I've only had it for a month now and I'll see if it rusts in a few months time (I doubt it!).


It's probably the same as the Jaycar ones, as I bought a couple from there, and they were identical to the DSE ones, who are the same as Tandy, who are the same as Radio Shack in the US
biggrin.gif


They do the job, but if you ever try and de-solder them, the plastic inside melts and the connectors go all loose. And yeah the plating looks pretty thin on them. But they are really the only option, I can't find anywhere in Aus that sells Neutrik or Switchcraft or similar quality plugs.
 
Jun 5, 2007 at 12:40 AM Post #14 of 22
Great! Thanks for the information. I'll consider these again then.
 
Jun 5, 2007 at 12:13 PM Post #15 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I finished a DIY IC a month ago with rat shack RCAs and IMHO they are good. A bit overpriced though.



What did you use for cable? Would you say that the results compare to mid-priced interconnects from a decent maker?
 
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