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(More customer reviews)For the longest time, I have been looking into investing some money into getting some nice long XLR cables. I do mainly field recording, and I never really know how a setup is going to look or where I am going to be allowed to go and establish my 'base camp.' Being so, length is important to me, and I have just been barely getting by on the short stuff. My pushing point was when I was asked to record a local DCA Drum and Bugle Corps, and a college fraternity's spring music recital. So I set out to find a good deal with some good quality.
Long story short, I set off to Amazon to compare different brands and price ranges. Eventually, I came across these cables offered by GLS audio. Needless to say, I had never heard of them, but they did offer a few things that caught my eye: 1) the price, 2) cable connector end style, 3) the length I needed, and 4) option of colors. The only thing they were lacking was a bunch of consumer reviews to increase their credibility (hopefully solve that today =) ). I consulted Google on the matter, and couldn't find anything negative about them. I also found their website, and although not the fanciest thing on the net, seemed credible.
So, I took the risk (I'm not one for buying things without a ton of reviews) and made my order for the colored, 100' six pack of XLR cables. A few days later, I got them in a well packaged box, and set about my evaluation.
First impressions were great! I was pleased to see that each cable came with 2 Velcro straps holding it together that I could reuse in the future. As I picked the cable up and began to feel its insulated shielding for texture and flexibility, I was pleased to recall feelings of more expensive cables I have bought in the past which still serve me well to this day. They weren't stiff at all, and had a nice supple feel.
Next I looked at the cable ends. Cable ends are nothing to take for granted, they make a huge difference. The last thing I wanted was some cheap-o end that would shift in the XLR port and caused a sporadic scratchy connection, or pins that would oxidize up in my equipment. I was pleased to see that these were no such connections. In fact, they resembled almost to a 'T' Neutrik XLR ends (which are the best kind of XLR ends in my opinion). Really, its not worth getting XLR cables without them. They make a world of difference in connection stability. They have a nice tight connection and a little rubber grommet that keeps them from shifting even the tiniest bit when hooked up. Having owned Neutrik XLR ends, I can say that though these are an imitation of that brand, they are nearly identical. The only difference that I can see that may make a difference over time is that the internal pins appear to be a (ever so) slightly different metal. Will an oxidation factor come into play here? Too soon to tell, but I'm gonna go with no because they still look pretty darn good. And though time has not yet become a factor on this, the ends do look pretty solid on the cables themselves.
So with all this, that leaves line noise as the next big question. Would they suck? Would they hiss? Would they rumble? Well, like the words printed on the cable sides, I have so far found them to be "Noise-Free." I have recorded with them twice now and haven't any problems yet. And the last time, I mistakenly set my mic levels quite low and had to boost the signal in software. Even then, the sound remained clear to me (and remind you I'm using 100' plus per mic). I really had to abuse the software gain to get any sort of extra sound, but by that time, I am positive I had approached my own mic's self noise threshold. So yeah, as for line noise, I don't think there is any problem at all. Feel confident that your signal will reach strongly.
A little note on wrapping them up: They come all nice and pretty wrapped up in nice tight (not like kink tight, but organized tight) loops. When you unwrap them first time, they will hold some of the loops in the line a bit. You can stretch them out no problem in a hurry. I'm not sure how you like wrapping cables, but I like hand wrapping them into large flexible wire loops as to not force kinks and weird bends. Yeah, you will want to do that before your first gig less you be stuck an unseen amount of time untwisting them as you wrap them up at the end of the day. lol. Once I did that to all of them, its been pretty awesome since. =)
Also, I will say I have only used these indoors so far. I do plan on using them outdoors soon though. I'll try to remember to update this on how they handle being out in the sun over time.
So, I think that pretty much covers everything. I would definitely buy these again, and more cable products from this company.
Positives:
- Good Price
- Good feel to cable insulation
- Good XLR Connection Ends
- Can't find any line noise yet
Cons:
- Wrapping 6 rolls of 100' XLR cable by yourself at the end of the day. lol =)
Hope that's helpful!
Click Here to see more reviews about: GLS Audio 100ft Mic Cable Cords - XLR Male to XLR Female Colored Cables - 100' Balanced Mike Cord - 6 PACK
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