Lava Cable VS Mogami

[Blackburn]

Just did a comparison of my newly made Mogami cable, sold by TD, and my standard Lava Cable Blue Demon. Been using the LC for years now and am very used to it. I got the Mogami made up and tried it out through my rebuilt Champion 600. Immediately, I notice it seems to be lacking definition and clarity, compared to what I'm used to. I decided then to put them up against each other. It's not a black and white difference, but even I was surprised just how noticeable it was. To me, you really need to go back and forth playing certain things again and again to get a real comparison, and with this one, it was quite noticeable and probably would be to someone who doesn't have anything to do with amps/guitars. The Mogami has more bass response, which was quite evident from the boominess it produced, whereas the LC does nothing of the sort. It's in the midrange and high end where the LC does what I have come to love so much, in that the middle position of my LP displays chime and almost a chirp that is perfectly balanced. The Mogami has too much bass response and gets muddy. It's not immensely darker in the treble response, just somewhat. The mids and lows are where things get murky.

I know which one I personally prefer, and I guess I'm a little disappointed with the outcome. I was hoping the Mogami would turn out just as good or better with regard to clarity, compared to the LC. I want to try out George Ls now, and put one up against the LC.

Any other cork sniffers done any comparisons with any of the "High End" cables?

David

[Blackburn]

Gave it another go right after my OP, but this time through an amp I just finished today. Kind of a Champ circuit with a couple of changes and a ceramic 8" Weber. Even more dramatic of a difference with this amp. I found the Mogami to be even darker than I thought, muddying up everything across the spectrum and an excessive bottom end that actually gives it a perceivable louder and fuller quality, with a horrible lack of clarity. The LC seems to have just the right amount of bottom for my LP and is a brighter cable in the high end.

[Gaz]

The cables are the same length, right? I don't really get into the minutia of cables myself, but is there any way you could do a short clip to show us what you're hearing? I'm super skeptical of this stuff.

[Cantplay]

Do you have a capacitance meter to compare them with?

John

[Blackburn]

The cables are the same length, right? I don't really get into the minutia of cables myself, but is there any way you could do a short clip to show us what you're hearing? I'm super skeptical of this stuff.

Both cables are 20 feet long. I know exactly what you mean about this kind of stuff. I'll see if my buddy is going to be around this week and maybe we can get something down. He's the one with the fancy mics and the studio. I'd love to showcase the differences and prove that I'm not just another nut.

Do you have a capacitance meter to compare them with?

John

Unfortunately, I don't. I tried to get a reading with my Fluke115, but it wouldn't read. I'd like to measure them with one.

[Meat&Beer]

Wow guys, you really don't hear a difference in different cables?

The first time I used a Monster cable, I was immediately very pleased in the updated overall sound/clarity.. (I don't see Monster referenced around these parts much, do I sense phpphhttt sounds?)

I have a shootout recorded somewhere of a lava, monster, and a quantum I had lying around just for fun. (Lava was on loan) I'll try to find the session later tonight after work if I can think to look.

If I remember right, I liked the lava very much for, like mentioned, very pleasing mids and upper mids. They were all 20's, I didn't check their capacitances either... I didn't (still don't) have a fancy enough meter.

Yeah, cables have different sonic characteristics, no lore there.

[LeftyStrat]

The Mogami probably suits a Strat. I use Canare which is darker to me than the George-L stuff, but that's a good thing for a Strat.

For humbuckers I'd certainly go with the lowest capacitance.

[Tillydog]

No surprise:

Lava ELC cable 28pF / foot : http://www.lavacable.com/index.php?id=43

Mogami W2524/ W2319 40-47pF / foot : http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/guitar/

It's the physics that get you every time...

[Reeltarded]

I use 50' Whirwind cables like 20 years old. Rock it.

[MGW]

I've been using this stuff http://www.gotham.ch/en/index.php?secti ... ils&id=251 It's about 22pf/ft.

[Structo]

Certainly a lower capacitance cable is going to allow higher frequencies to pass.
Not always good with a bright amp and bright guitar.

Just another tool we can use to tailor our sound.

[Reeltarded]

Schaffer-Vega (Cetec) wireless rig and you'll never cork sniff copper again.

Companding and hey, you're a radio channel. Churn out the hits, yo.

[Structo]

Production stopped in 1981?

[Reeltarded]

Became Cetec-Vega. Best sounding wireless rig I ever heard.

[Blackburn]

Thanks for the input, guys. I took a look at Tilly's link and the Blue Demon model lists at 23pf/ft, as opposed to their standard model, the ELC. Pretty cool. Their list price is also not as high as I remember and, in my opinion, is a good one that doesn't gouge the consumer. Thinking I might buy a couple more.

I'm currently reading about the George Ls and how they stacked up to others over at EL34 World.

Check this out.

http://www.el34world.com/charts/cable_reviews.htm

It states that the Ls had a total impedance of 418pf for a 20' cable. That works out to 20.9pf per foot. Not too shabby! Now I really want one!