Moog Music Forum

Im fully aware of how the quality of your cables can really make a difference in how your hardware sounds. What about for CV? Since its just pure voltage, does the quality of cable make a difference?

Yes, cable has a parameter that is important for CV. It is resistance per foot. If it is too high for long cables, you will degrade the CV.

Don't buy into the snake-oil about cables (I'm talking about YOU Monster Cable!) particularly the ones with directional holographic enhancing air-filled cellulose dielectric insulators coupled with brimstone fired heat-treated mumetal conductor alloys that freely permits wider frequency ranges to travel unhampered from output to input, and don't forget the nylon impregnated connectors anodized with low impedance oxidation-resistant kryptonite extracted from rare meteors specially collected from NASA missions. After all, it has been proven that audiophiles can't tell the difference between Monster Cables and a coathanger http://consumerist.com/2008/03/do-coat- ... ables.html

I've been using HOSA cables for years with my modular system to good effect. I've considered buying NEUTRIK cables but that would run me a tidy sum considering how many cables I would need.

Keeping it "Cheap & Cheerful",

dml

I bought some scrap three and four conductor cable at my local electronics junk shop for a few cents per yard, some cheap 1/4 inch plugs, and for a little more than $2 per cable, have some suitable cables for CV. They even work with audio, though there is a bit of noise in the longer lengths greater than 6 feet. You don't need to spend a bundle on CV cables.

I have had great success with

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=TS

david wrote:I've been using HOSA cables for years with my modular system to good effect.

seconding this. I got 2 packs of rainbow colors so figuring out whats going where aint nearly so hard anymore

moremagic wrote:seconding this. I got 2 packs of rainbow colors so figuring out whats going where aint nearly so hard anymore

While we're on the subject - just a little trick that Wendy Carlos used (I think it was Bob Moog who suggested it) for when you haven't got cables of different colours: wind some coloured insulating tape around the cable at the points where you're going to be patching, for easy identification.

I make my own cables and I've been using different colored heat shrink tubing for years. Tape loses its adhesive and falls off. You can cut the tubing into short strips and with enough color combinations you will never have a repeating pattern.

Watch those HOSA cables. I bought a rainbow set of 1/4 cables for CV when I got my VX and CP. Within a few weeks of very occasional use one of them got stuck in my brand new VX. I put a little more pressure on the cable to get it out and the tip popped right off and is now stuck in the jack rendering it useless. Also another jack where the cables were starting to stick might have something bent in it because now I can't get any cable to go in all the way. I might have gotten a bunk set though. From what I can tell, the problem with the HOSA tips is that they are shaped sort of like a mushroom head - flattened on the bottom. Higher quality cables have tips that are rounded on the top and bottom and more than just a tiny piece of plastic holding them on.

metron wrote:Watch those HOSA cables. I bought a rainbow set of 1/4 cables for CV when I got my VX and CP. Within a few weeks of very occasional use one of them got stuck in my brand new VX. I put a little more pressure on the cable to get it out and the tip popped right off and is now stuck in the jack rendering it useless. Also another jack where the cables were starting to stick might have something bent in it because now I can't get any cable to go in all the way. I might have gotten a bunk set though. From what I can tell, the problem with the HOSA tips is that they are shaped sort of like a mushroom head - flattened on the bottom. Higher quality cables have tips that are rounded on the top and bottom and more than just a tiny piece of plastic holding them on.

I've never had a problem...then again, I've never had to extract a tip...an easy fix if you have the proper tools. IE a pair of needle nose pliers. Quite the easy fix. Then again, if you're not handy, some more expensive cables are the ticket.

Voltor07 wrote:

metron wrote:Watch those HOSA cables. I bought a rainbow set of 1/4 cables for CV when I got my VX and CP. Within a few weeks of very occasional use one of them got stuck in my brand new VX. I put a little more pressure on the cable to get it out and the tip popped right off and is now stuck in the jack rendering it useless. Also another jack where the cables were starting to stick might have something bent in it because now I can't get any cable to go in all the way. I might have gotten a bunk set though. From what I can tell, the problem with the HOSA tips is that they are shaped sort of like a mushroom head - flattened on the bottom. Higher quality cables have tips that are rounded on the top and bottom and more than just a tiny piece of plastic holding them on.

I've never had a problem...then again, I've never had to extract a tip...an easy fix if you have the proper tools. IE a pair of needle nose pliers. Quite the easy fix. Then again, if you're not handy, some more expensive cables are the ticket.

No I hear you. Should be an easy fix but the tip is stuck at the bottom. Its weird. I haven't used pliers on it for fear of damaging the jack. Seems like the jacks are a sealed barrel type.

metron wrote:

Voltor07 wrote:

metron wrote:Watch those HOSA cables. I bought a rainbow set of 1/4 cables for CV when I got my VX and CP. Within a few weeks of very occasional use one of them got stuck in my brand new VX. I put a little more pressure on the cable to get it out and the tip popped right off and is now stuck in the jack rendering it useless. Also another jack where the cables were starting to stick might have something bent in it because now I can't get any cable to go in all the way. I might have gotten a bunk set though. From what I can tell, the problem with the HOSA tips is that they are shaped sort of like a mushroom head - flattened on the bottom. Higher quality cables have tips that are rounded on the top and bottom and more than just a tiny piece of plastic holding them on.

I've never had a problem...then again, I've never had to extract a tip...an easy fix if you have the proper tools. IE a pair of needle nose pliers. Quite the easy fix. Then again, if you're not handy, some more expensive cables are the ticket.

No I hear you. Should be an easy fix but the tip is stuck at the bottom. Its weird. I haven't used pliers on it for fear of damaging the jack. Seems like the jacks are a sealed barrel type.

Still, it seems that you would be able to push the tip out through the jack from the back without doing any damage.

Voltor07 wrote:

metron wrote:

Voltor07 wrote:

metron wrote:Watch those HOSA cables. I bought a rainbow set of 1/4 cables for CV when I got my VX and CP. Within a few weeks of very occasional use one of them got stuck in my brand new VX. I put a little more pressure on the cable to get it out and the tip popped right off and is now stuck in the jack rendering it useless. Also another jack where the cables were starting to stick might have something bent in it because now I can't get any cable to go in all the way. I might have gotten a bunk set though. From what I can tell, the problem with the HOSA tips is that they are shaped sort of like a mushroom head - flattened on the bottom. Higher quality cables have tips that are rounded on the top and bottom and more than just a tiny piece of plastic holding them on.

I've never had a problem...then again, I've never had to extract a tip...an easy fix if you have the proper tools. IE a pair of needle nose pliers. Quite the easy fix. Then again, if you're not handy, some more expensive cables are the ticket.

No I hear you. Should be an easy fix but the tip is stuck at the bottom. Its weird. I haven't used pliers on it for fear of damaging the jack. Seems like the jacks are a sealed barrel type.

Still, it seems that you would be able to push the tip out through the jack from the back without doing any damage.

Right now the jack is useless, if you break it it's still useless so nothing lost. If you fix it then you get your jack back so you're up a jack. If you do break it call moog and they will probably send you a replacement jack that any tech could install in ten minuets or less.

Yeah I should be able to solder some new jacks in myself without too much trouble. I did finally have a chance to get inside the box and they are a sealed barrel type mounted to the circuit board so no pushing anything through the bottom.