AES Cables for Audio

[smash]

Hey Guys,

Nearly all of my "Audio" XLR cables have disappeared from one of our (film) studios, but we have a heap of our "AES" XLR audio cables that are spare.

Are AES cables (110 ohm) fine for use with analogue audio sources, or should I buy some replacements.

Cheers,

Smash.

__________________
Simon "Smash" Ashby

[rick]

depends what your plugging into what
as a general idea in the general world you will be fine

in my place i would buy more

[Alastair Reynolds]

As Rick says, You can use them, but they're not ideal. The different characteristic impedance of the cable will affect the matching of the source and load. e.g. like using and RG58 coax (50 ohm) instead of an RG59 Coax (75 Ohm) It will work, but will compromise the signal.
The best solution ...DIY of course, Buy a roll of Belden, Mogami or your favorite flavour of cable and some XLRs and heat up the soldering iron . If you don't have time , give one of the techs in the Tech List section of the forum a call and get some made to order with a quality cable and Neutrik or Switchcraft connectors

[tonymite]

http://www.gearslutz.com/board /high-end/335783-best-xlr-mic-cables-studio-recording-2.html

I THINK Jim Williams & Bob Katz swear by it.

[tonymite]

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/masterin ... gital.html

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/high-end ... ing-2.html

[DarkSky]

FWIW, a number of manufacturers explicitly recommend the use of their AES 110 ohm cable for analog audio applications.

In general, the specifications of 110 ohm cable are higher than those for regular analog audio requirements, so while it's *not* a good idea to use analog cables for digital connections, the reverse is not a problem. In my experience, if anything, you'll find a slight improvement in HF response with AES digital cables over stock analog equivalents.