Best Microphone Cables for Home Studio

 This forum has always provided good advise. So...for my meager home studio, which is listed below, I need some cables. We are purchasing a bunch of new mics which include SM57s, e906, AKG Perception 420, Shure Drum Mics, etc. So, I would like to get cables that are up to the task. I don't need high end over the top, as none of my other equipment is of that caliber. But, I would like appropriate cables for my application. I did order a cable from the online retailer and my opinion of this cable for the price, was not good. So, should I be going to places like Redco and configuring Mogami Cable with Neutrik connectors, etc. Please let me know what you think and don't be afraid to be specific. Here is a link of what I configured as an example. http://www.redco.com/Custom-Cable.html basically it is Mogami W2549 and Neutrik NC3FX-Bag. Let me know, thanks.

 Very interesting reply and good information. I would not have thought that Switchcraft would have been better than Neutrik, shows what I know. Also I thought I read somewhere that quad was not the way to go, but maybe I misunderstood. I will definitely check this out, thanks.

 Thanks Mike. I actually appreciate the information and specificity of the content, thanks. It is always a good idea to reduce stress by planning for future problems and going quad may be one of those plans.

 I too, love switchcraft...I just thought Neutrik was supposed to be the new big thing. I am old school and back in the day switchcraft was the deal...period. I guess it still is. Cool!

Last point that Bit eluded to. He has connectors still going from the late 70s. You might not think that "high-end" cables buy you anything with your current setup, but you don't want to be forced into buying cables again when you upgrade mics, right? Get the best cable you can afford at this point in time. You'll have them for a long time, and you will ask them to serve you over and over regardless of what is plugged into them..

 Has anyone taken a look at Redco's cable offering. They have three, and the heavy duty one looks great. I mean if you are installing permanently in a studio and don't move them or wind and unwind a lot, then, regular is fine, but, if you roll up put away, and then unroll and set up on a weekly basis, then heavy duty seems like the right fit. Sometimes I think you are paying for green paint on John Deer and the name for Mogami, etc. Don't get me wrong, I built all of my cables for my guitar rig and used Mogami for all of it, but I did not give any other cable manufacturers a chance. So what do you all think of Redco's cable offering for use with Neutrik or Switchcraft ends? Just wondering.

I have no Redco complaints here.

Rocky

...it's not gold its something that will corrode when you spill beer on it.

 
All my surviving cables have had to pass the spilled-beer test at some time or another.
Back in college we used to play regularly for keggers, and after the gig all those sticky cords and cables had to be wiped down before rolling them up. We kept beer rags in the cord box for that purpose.

Nowadays my cables enjoy a safer, much less corrosive existence. The biggest danger now is me tripping over them.

Canadian beer is more corrosive than American, and the stuff in the UK can melt the cable cover too! 

I use pretty much nothing but Monster and have been fine for me. What is it you don't like about them? Just curious.

Their Monstrous business ethics? 

I've never bought one so cannot advice first hand, But I have read zillions of reviews and posts by people I trust their opinions. It would seem that this company "Monster" is held in low esteem by audio professionals. 
  I don't purchase cables that have  so called "gold" plating. I don't believe there's much real gold in there so I stick with whatever it is Switchcraft uses. I believe it's a nickle alloy. 
I have also come across Monster cables in places like Radio Shack so that tells me they are mass consumer oriented. They seem overpriced for the quality. So it would seem that the company is " Marketing" based and not at all about building what audio professionals ask for. 

For location work, I will use standard canare star-quad or redco snake cable.  Neutrik connectors are better for gripping the cable and are more durable by far over switchcraft, which fall apart easily with rough handling.  The one exception is the thin cables on snakes, where the neutrik chuck will not grip, and could cause the pins to pull out.  A little shrink wrap or electrical tape at the chuck can fix that.  I have noticed however, switchcraft connectors seem to be less prone to ground problems and possible hum introduced by microphone handling and poor grounding schemes. So it is nice to have a combination of both for different situations.  

For studio I would recommend the thin cables from Canare, Mogami, or Gepco for installed connections and standard cable for microphones.  The heavier cables are only necessary for areas where extra damage protection is needed.  It does nothing for the sound. 

Quad cables have higher capacitance than standard cables, but even at 1000 feet, the frequency drop is only about .1db at 20kHz.  So nothing to worry about.   I have never had problems with phantom power driving microphones at over 200ft of cable.  

So as I posted earlier, I ordered from Redco, using the MIC-5 cable. It turns out that Redco did not have any of this cable in stock to complete my order. After a brief conversation with a representative from Redco named Mark, Redco has decided to substitute the Canare L-4E6S for the out of stock MIC-5 in an effort to complete and ship my order for an estimated arrival on Thursday of this week...same price. I spoke with Mark on Monday or Tuesday of this week. Redco's commitment to customer service is great and I am so happy with how they handled my order. If the cables are as good (and I am confident they will be) as their business model/customer service, then I believe I will be doing business with them from now on. I intend to build a studio space and will need to install permanent cables and wall plates and Redco will be supplier. Thank you Redco and thanks to all who led me in that direction. As a side note. I took the opportunity to look closer at the other offerings at Redco and wish I had done so before I placed my order with another company earlier. It turns out that Redco offers a lot of stuff and I did not know this when I placed my order for two Onstage SB9600. There pricing is very good. Now, in fairness to the other company, they have free shipping and a some other pluses, but Redco's price savings on one stand alone was $35.00. So don't just go to Redco for microphone cable...they have a lot more to offer. Oh, by the way...some of you know me from other forums and posts...and can attest to the fact that I don't work for Redco. I am just a guy starting out in an effort to record my own band and believe me if I was to get these cables and they were crap, I would report my finding to you immediately, but I am confident this will not be the case. I should be using these this weekend and will let you know my hands on opinions, thanks again.