Advances in Microphone Cable Technology

Presenter:
Steve Lampen, Belden - San Francisco, CA, USA

This presentation outlines two new analog microphone cables from Belden. 

Belden has been making cable for over 115 years. In that time, we’ve learned a thing or two about making cable. However, when it comes to audio cables, few significant advances have been made in more than a decade. It was felt that analog audio recording and reproduction has now reached a level of perfection that requires a new look at cable. Much of this surrounds the test and measurement of audio cables, and the results of our work will be shown compared to existing “standard” cables. Among the many tests made are those for resistance, capacitance, inductance all trackable as impedance. Tests will include the usual suspects, attenuation, frequency response (slope, tilt), distortion and shield effectiveness. Also shown will be common-mode rejection, group-delay (at audio frequencies) and other time effects, phase coherence (and other cancellation effects) of these new designs compared to existing “standard” designs. We will also delve into “listening tests” and similar controversial territory. This work has resulted in the first advanced analog cable. The cable itself will be shown and how best-ever performance was achieved. 

The second analog audio microphone cable, Belden 8412P, is surprising mostly because nobody has produced anything like it before, as far as we know. It has two features which make it unique. First, to the best of our knowledge, it is the stiffest, LEAST flexible microphone cable made. It is also the first plenum-rated microphone cable. These two factors make this cable the perfect choice to solve some long-standing cable problems. These problems, and our solutions, will be discussed.