[Frank Stearns]

I need to add a few 4 and 8 channel snakes to the kit. At least for the 4 channel,
had been planning on using Gepco X-band/Gepflex, but according to not one but two
Gepco reps, their new parent company has really done some screwy things -- such as
25,000' minimum orders and no more direct ordering. The distributors don't really
stock much of the pro audio stuff. All they do is pass-through an order to the main
office -- hitting those minimums. Sigh.

The Xband/Gepflex stuff is amazing (and there's no stock, it seems): 17.5 pf/ft,
super-duper supple, and relatively rugged.

Talked with Steve from Belden; he likes the idea of an 1800F multicore (I thought
they already had that but apparently not). Even if he gets it approved as a new
product, they'd be at least a year out for manufacturing.

While the application is analog (for now), I do want something at or darn close to
AES/EBU performance. Sounds better. I can easily tell in those instances where I've
had to use venue or PA company cabling rather than my own. (I've been using 1805 for
the 8 channel snakes, but that stuff really is more for permanent installation. It's
a pain to deploy, especially now that it's a decade+ old and the foil is bunching.)

Don't have a huge amount of time to do a bunch of sampling -- any suggestions for a
low C, rugged, and supple snake cable?

Canare? Mogomi? Gotham? (And no doubt we're talking spendy.) And, should be
something I can source in the USA.

Thanks in advance

Frank
Mobile Audio
--

[Scott Dorsey]

Frank Stearns wrote:

The Xband/Gepflex stuff is amazing (and there's no stock, it seems): 17.5 pf/ft,
super-duper supple, and relatively rugged.

Talked with Steve from Belden; he likes the idea of an 1800F multicore (I thought
they already had that but apparently not). Even if he gets it approved as a new
product, they'd be at least a year out for manufacturing.

Okay... first question.... do you want the super low capacitance or do you want
better noise rejection? You can get one or the other but you can't get both.

I use the 1904A cable from Belden, it's 26 pF/ft between conductors, 47 pF
from conductor to shield, braid shielded, and it is good.

I also use the L4E3-P cable from Canare. It's got a more solid braid shield
than the Belden, it's got a star-quad configuration for better magnetic noise
rejection, and it's about 36 pF/F between conductors and 41 pF/F from conductor
to shield.

The Canare has better noise rejection and I swear I think their braid is
stronger, but it also has more attenuation from all that shunt capacitance.


While the application is analog (for now), I do want something at or darn close to
AES/EBU performance. Sounds better. I can easily tell in those instances where I've
had to use venue or PA company cabling rather than my own. (I've been using 1805 for
the 8 channel snakes, but that stuff really is more for permanent installation. It's
a pain to deploy, especially now that it's a decade+ old and the foil is bunching.)


AES/EBU will work reliably over just about any 24 ga twisted pair... that
was the whole point of the original AES/EBU standard, that you could use
your existing cable plant, patchbays and and switches. The closer it is
to a proper 110 ohm line, the better, but the things you need to do in order
to make the cable more constant impedance make it stiffer and more delicate.

Don't have a huge amount of time to do a bunch of sampling -- any suggestions for a
low C, rugged, and supple snake cable?

Canare? Mogomi? Gotham? (And no doubt we're talking spendy.) And, should be
something I can source in the USA.

I have a Mogami snake and I don't like it.... the braid feels very flimsy to
me and the jacket tears too easily. I haven't used any of the Gotham snakes.
I haven't used anything from Sommer Cable either.

If you're using condenser mikes with low output Z, I would not worry about
capacitance and I would be more worried about the noise rejection. If you
are using ribbon microphones I would be terrified about capacitance and do
anything to bring it down.

I mostly have a weird mix of snakes that I have purchased surplus or somehow
inherited over the years. They are all a little different.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."