OT: Rising costs of buying "Boutique"

[Tim Miskimon]

It won,t do you much good to have a $3000 mic and be monitoring on a cheap set of speakers...
Steve L.
Audio-Video Electronics
Mountain View Recording

It also doesn't make any sense putting a $3000 mic through a cheap preamp.
You'd be better off the other way around.
A Shure sm 57 can sound great on snare and a guitar amp through a good Neve, API preamp.
On the other hand a Neuman does not sound great through a Mackie or some other cheap preamp.

[mako]

It also doesn't make any sense putting a $3000 mic through a cheap preamp.
You'd be better off the other way around.
A Shure sm 57 can sound great on snare and a guitar amp through a good Neve, API preamp.
On the other hand a Neuman does not sound great through a Mackie or some other cheap preamp.

Exactly. Great preamps pull the best out of any mic.

[IraSeigel]

I just worked with a guy who uses fairly inexpensive mics and other gear, but he's all about cables. He spends a fortune on oxygen-free cable. Liquid crystal something or other copper.

[jmh]

I'm sort of in agreement on the cables. No so much on the audiophile properties but the longevity and good quality jacks make a huge difference down the road. Who hasn't spent time tracking down crackle and hum?

Also as a guitar player, you develop respect for a cable that tosses out and coils up nicely or doesn't crunch when stepped on - or is it dislike for cables that have those problems?

That said, I don't think I have ever treated myself to the superlative quality cables where (hopefully) those things are a given - I think it is time to change that...

[UpTilDawn]

...
Also as a guitar player, you develop respect for a cable that tosses out and coils up nicely or doesn't crunch when stepped on - or is it dislike for cables that have those problems?

That said, I don't think I have ever treated myself to the superlative quality cables where (hopefully) those things are a given - I think it is time to change that...

For instrument cables that get moved about and tossed around, as they tend to do when plugged into a guitar/bass on stage, be sure to consider the weight of a high-end cable. They can get pretty heavy as they get higher in fidelity (in so many words) and that can mean that even the best plugs can become disconnected from their cable when stressed, where lighter, more standard cables for guitar/bass will stand up longer.

[Tim Miskimon]

I'm sort of in agreement on the cables. No so much on the audiophile properties but the longevity and good quality jacks make a huge difference down the road. Who hasn't spent time tracking down crackle and hum?

Also as a guitar player, you develop respect for a cable that tosses out and coils up nicely or doesn't crunch when stepped on - or is it dislike for cables that have those problems?

That said, I don't think I have ever treated myself to the superlative quality cables where (hopefully) those things are a given - I think it is time to change that...

I use George L cables for guitar in the studio.
To my ears they sound better than any other cable I've ever used.
I can't get use to using them live because they are too stiff and I find myself tripping over them and they get tangled easy.
When I pick out a cable for live I make sure I use a single coil guitar (Telly, Strat, etc.) and pay close attention to the high end which gets butchered by a lot of cables out there these days.
Last year I bought a $25 cable from Guitar Center without trying it out first.
I got it home and I couldn't believe how it destroyed the high end of the guitar.
To make sure that I didn't pick it up by mistake I cut the Switchcraft ends off of it and tossed the wire in the garbage.

[Dave Labrecque]

I use George L cables for guitar in the studio.
To my ears they sound better than any other cable I've ever used.
I can't get use to using them live because they are too stiff and I find myself tripping over them and they get tangled easy.
When I pick out a cable for live I make sure I use a single coil guitar (Telly, Strat, etc.) and pay close attention to the high end which gets butchered by a lot of cables out there these days.
Last year I bought a $25 cable from Guitar Center without trying it out first.
I got it home and I couldn't believe how it destroyed the high end of the guitar.
To make sure that I didn't pick it up by mistake I cut the Switchcraft ends off of it and tossed the wire in the garbage.

Why didn't you return it, Tim?

[Tim Miskimon]

Why didn't you return it, Tim?

It wasn't worth the time or the bother of sitting in beltway traffic.
At least I got 2 new Switchcraft ends out of the deal so I only lost about $15 dollars...