Had an instructive experience with cables lately that might have some relevance. You decide.

Not an XLR mic cable but a bass guitar cord. I was using the no name generic 20 foot cable that happened to come in the bass case when I bought it. It seemed to be as good as any of my other instrument cables of mine but a handy length for usage in church as I stroll about a bit when playing.

It started to crackle, then intermittently fail. Okay, I thought, its probably at the end of its service life, I'll get something the same length but a bit better for all round use, home recording, and my covers band.

I ended up buying the most expensive cable I've ever spent money on. A 20 foot Planet Waves item. Gold plated phone jack terminals with a dinky switch at the instrument end for noiseless instrument changes, very sturdy construction that is absoloutely noiseless even when trodden on, built in cable tie, but what really sold me was the audible improvement in the instruments sound. Like putting a better cartridge in your record player, if you ever did that. More informative, as we used to say in hi fi discussions years ago. Not a night and day difference but an audible improvement in dynamic range. $65 Australian, say $58 USD. Lifetime guarantee no questions asked, provided you have your receipt. They make XLR cables too, hence my post. Just something I didn't expect to learn after all these years but there you go.

Cheers,

John