I've not often wanted a snake. I mostly record small groups of people with microphones. When I record live, usually there is a snake there or the band has one.
 
So, all this is to say that I'm looking for a snake for the first time. I've re-arranged my room and I no longer have easy access to the back of the rack.
 
I want something useful but not too heavy. My gear already weighs a lot. Cables+Mics+6uRack =3 trips with heavy boxes and that's before I move any mic stands.
 
So...
 
1.
All in 1 like this...
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM0804FBQ50--pro-co-sma-series-8x4-snake-trs-returns-50-foot
This looks heavy and the length isn't easily altered.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM0800FBM25--pro-co-sma-series-8-ch-snake-25-foot
 This would be lighter, but might be a pain to double it.
 
2.
I also considered getting XLR to DSUB then break back to XLR with a separate DSUB. Doing this, I could insert and length of DSUB in the middle at any time.
https://www.sweetwater.co...xlrm-digisnake-12-foot
run to this...
https://www.redco.com/REDCO-8CH-XLR-INPUT-BOX-DB25.html
 
3.
But then here is something that really caught my attention...
https://www.redco.com/Redco-EA-4F-and-EA-4M-Set.html
2 of these boxes with some light cat-6 or cat-5 and I'm all set.
 
I love the idea of number 3. Does anyone use a solution like this? Pluses and minuses? It says it'll carry phantom.

One advantage of number 3 is the cable would be thinner than a conventional snake multicore, especially if 8 or more connections are needed - and it’s scalable, if more connections are needed just add more units.

Also light - I’ve a 32 way balanced snake that’s 120 feet long, and the cable plus drum alone weighs a lot and takes up a lot of room.

Right! My room is small. I've always had a mess of cables through the middle of three room. I like the idea of being able to run them behind the chairs.

I can currently plug in six mics and two trs without a snake. It is kinda overkill.

But 4 more would be nice. I might give it a try. I wish i knew someone with one. It is kinda expensive for a test run.

Beware, the -109dB crosstalk numbers may be without the cable. Check on that if you can. Also, the main difference between cat 5e and 6 is cat6 has better crosstalk, so get that. Cat 7 has better shielding between the twisted pairs, so that's even better.

Thanks fret man.

It depends on what you need, but in my studio I just needed 8 channels of sends, no returns.  So I picked up one of these:  http://a.co/d/ay3GXj8  I also got the 50' version for my live setup.  Great little snake.  The only negative is that since the jacks are on the side, you can't insert plugs with one hand.  Other than that, it's a perfect snake for small spaces.  Good quality unit.

 

Thanks. Turns out cheapness won. I ran Mic cables around the room in a cluster instead. I bought nothing. Saving my pennies.

gswitz
Thanks. Turns out cheapness won. I ran Mic cables around the room in a cluster instead. I bought nothing. Saving my pennies.

Nothing wrong with that.  Glad you got it sorted out.   :)

Zip ties are dirt cheap (can buy them in bulk even), so once a run is laid out to your liking you can set it with ties and adjust as needed. I bought a tool for tightening/snipping them years ago that cuts the tab clean so it doesn't scratch you.

When using individual cables ties can be your friend so you don't end up with a mess of spaghetti later on.

I have a sack of velcro cable-ties