Do expensive XLR cables make a difference? The truth about mic cables

A common question among musicians and producers is this: ‘do expensive XLR cables make a difference?’

It makes sense that people should ask. After all, you can spend anything from a few pounds to a few hundred pounds on a mic cable. But in reality, can you actually hear a difference?

In my experience, the answer is no. If you’re buying cables for a normal home studio setup, even if some of your gear is really high-end, it’s very unlikely that you’re going to be able to hear any difference at all.

This is something that you can hear for yourself. Take the XLR cables that you already own, I’m assuming that they probably didn’t cost you a ton of money. Do they sound bad? Do they give you a poor quality audio signal? If the answer is no, then you don’t need to buy a more expensive one.

Do expensive XLR cables make a difference?

Now, if you happen to be working with monitors, mics, preamps and convertors which each cost several thousand pounds, then you might be at a point where you can hear a subtle difference with a higher-end cable. But until that point, it just isn’t worth worrying about.

Do expensive XLR cables make a difference? A consideration for build quality:

Personally, the only reason that I would look at upgrading a cable to a more expensive one is if I was looking for something which was more reliable or had a higher build quality. It stands to reason that cheaper cables might have a poorer build quality and this would likely result in a cable which doesn’t last as long as a pricier one. But if you look after your equipment and treat it with care, then you shouldn’t really run into any problems even with inexpensive cables.

What XLR cables do you use? Would you recommend them? Leave your recommendations in the comments section below.