[chickenwire]

Soup and other electro-heads...

I'm sick of buying buck-2-49 cheap a$$ 3mm aux cables that fail after a dozen or so uses. I use them occasionally on the factory monsoon with my Walkman. We use them frequently on a Bose on the patio or while camping. I've edumacated my better half on not bending or twisting and that helps, but the conductors are hair thin in these damn things.

Are there good brands out there? Sources - on line or otherwise? We don't have any high-end stereo shops around here anymore, the big chains have put them out of business.

I'm ready to make my own out of friggin' 12-3 but that would be a bit unsightly, not to mention the challenge of whittling down solid conductor to a point where I could solder it onto the connector.

As always, any and all suggestions are welcome.

 

[blackbirdracing]

What's a Walkman?

 

[Sly Bob]

These are cheap but are pretty beefy.

3ft Premium 3.5mm Stereo Male to 3.5mm Stereo Male 22AWG Cable (Gold Plated) - Black - Monoprice.com

 

[chickenwire]

What's a Walkman?

lol - I KNEW I'd get a little blowback about that! No, it's not a personal cassette player from 1981! I got tired of sending money to Apple for a high capacity Ipod whose drive died on me (twice in 5 years). Sony has a 32 GB "Walkman" which I'm pretty happy with, about 4 weeks into ownership.

Now excuse me whilst I put some vinyl on the old victrola here and check out that link from Sly...:lol:

 

[rob the elder]

Interesting. I have a dozen and never had one fail.

I get them from Amazon

 

[chickenwire]

Sly - those are "affordable" but do you have experience with them? I'd have to check on the gauge of wire (as that's not my forte'). I know that many cable makers will blow up the thickness with the over-extrusion of PVC to make things look beefy (jumper cables are a good example) but the conductor is still the same.

Not to say that more insulation couldn't help the reliability, but I'm thinking it's marginal.

Have you used these?

(And thanks for the insight.)

 

[TomatoSoup]

Well, I can't offer too much help, I tend to get cheapies and replace if necessary

However, SlyBob's Monoprice idea may well be pretty good. I've bought many, many, items from them over the years and never been disappointed.

 

[LiquidPT]

I like monoprice. Buy all my cables there. Generally good quality at a decent price.

 

[Sly Bob]

The cables that I linked to are 22 guage. I too have bought from them and had good luck although I haven't bought those particular cables. They have lots of other 3.5mm cables.

 

[rob the elder]

I have also had good luck with sfcable.com.

 

[chickenwire]

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like C-dub's going shopping on line tonight.

 

[TX08manualGXP]

My son had a similar problem with the aux cable on his xbox remote. Bought a $20 monster and it's lasted for over a year and still static free. His was a 9ft so here's one for about half that: Amazon.com: Monster iCable 800 MP3 Player to Auxiliary Input Cord (3 Feet): MP3 Players & Accessories

gaurantee this will fix your problem.

 

[idkfa]

I've used a cheapo right-angle 3.5mm cord for years without an issue. I only use my phone for audio input so I've plugged it in every day for both commutes. Over the weekend I picked up a very well priced A2DP bluetooth module off Amazon that will never be unplugged. Kinivo BTC450 for ~$40

Excellent audio.

 

[Mehran333]

*Apologies if the following is irrelevant*

I have found a good reliability in Monster and Rocketfish for my own experiences.

The Monster, I bought for my previous car (a 93' Lexus LS400 which did not have a auxiliary plug), is still in good condition and have used it for over a year.

My Monster Pic 1: https://www.dropbox.com/sc/0hi4ums26ebiwsc/x4vTgZHQAW
My Monster Pic 2: https://www.dropbox.com/sc/p3fu4wxant55dax/doL9MhQDik
Store Monster: Monster iCarPlay Cassette Adapter for Apple iPod and iPhone 129342-00 - Best Buy

The Rocketfish, I currently use it for my Solstice, has provided me with great quality music as well as the Monster and I believe it is because of the steel tips providing exceptional conduction.

My Rocketfish: https://www.dropbox.com/sc/9v02r4hxxkrhrf3/heEyPeiQUf
Store Rocketfish: Rocketfish Mobile 6' Auxiliary Stereo Cable RF-LW32 - Best Buy

Of course the specifications alter (as the Rocketfish Cable is 3.5mm online) but surely you can go to a store and they will have 3mm and other specifications for your needs. Also I have bought from BestBuy as it is common in Texas and provides me with highly reliable products for a little higher charge than Walmart/etc.

*Apologies if my post has nothing to do with your problem Chicken, but I'm sure some of my information is worth noting* :thumbs:

 

[chickenwire]

For some reason I don't believe I've ever seen the right-angle connector ends idk mentioned. That makes a helluva lot of sense as it would spin the connector rather than bend the cable.

 

[Mehran333]

For some reason I don't believe I've ever seen the right-angle connector ends idk mentioned. That makes a helluva lot of sense as it would spin the connector rather than bend the cable.

I would think this would get in the way and still be able to bend.. Hm.. Unless the outer-end of the cables are wrapped in highly rigid material. I still propose buying something with steel tips.

 

[ChopTop]

Crutchfield: Car Stereo, Speakers, Home Theater, LED LCD TV, Cameras
Crutchfield been around forever and has an excellent customer service reputation.

 

[TomatoSoup]

For some reason I don't believe I've ever seen the right-angle connector ends idk mentioned. That makes a helluva lot of sense as it would spin the connector rather than bend the cable.

Plus the 'user' is more likely to pull the connector out, rather than just yank on the cable!

Plenty on eBay: 3.5 stereo cable right-angle | eBay

 

[LiquidPT]

My son had a similar problem with the aux cable on his xbox remote. Bought a $20 monster and it's lasted for over a year and still static free. His was a 9ft so here's one for about half that: Amazon.com: Monster iCable 800 MP3 Player to Auxiliary Input Cord (3 Feet): MP3 Players & Accessories

gaurantee this will fix your problem.

In general, Monster is WAY overpriced for what it is. I've found the Monoprice stuff to be equally good, if not better.

 

[LiquidPT]

For some reason I don't believe I've ever seen the right-angle connector ends idk mentioned. That makes a helluva lot of sense as it would spin the connector rather than bend the cable.

I use one of these on my wife's stereo (has the front panel jack) and on my stock stereo when I had it. Makes a LOT of sense...