Just got a Lava van Den Hul cable. Holy shit, impressed.

  • Thread starter Thread starter GJgo
  • Start date Start date
GJgo

GJgo

Well-known member
So who has tried these? I just A/B/C tested this Lava Van Den Hul cable against the other, decent instrument cables I had around & my mind is blown! Just like in anything high end, getting that last 10% is going to cost you a lot more $$- and I think this is it.

http://lavacable.com/index.php?id=8

I've been playing Planet Waves American Stage series cables lately, which I think are pretty decent, right? Well picture this. Sound wise, the first thing I noticed with the Lava is that I had to back my treble / presence off. There was all the sudden a whole new high frequency present that simply didn't exist before, and I was jacking up the highs on the amp to make up for it. It's as though I was looking at a rainbow that was red, orange, yellow, green & blue- and purple was just missing. Plug in this VDH and all the sudden bam- there's purple.

Then there's my favorite part about it. I'm playing through some Mesa amps, pretty decent stuff. The touch sensitivity of this Lava BLOWS AWAY my mid-pack cables I've been using. It's like going from a Mark IIB to a IIC+ by changing cables. That's a real hidden gem that may or may not come through to the listener, but to the player really feels like you just jumped into a 3D scene.

Anyway I'm thoroughly impressed. The price tag is steep but now that I've played it it'll be real hard to not. No way I would record with the standard stuff. Maybe keep the old cables for outdoor gigs. :P I'm going to pick one up for my speaker cable ASAP.
 
How the heck can a cable be touch sensitive? There's no electrical parameter of the cable that's related to that, like there are others (capacitance is high freq, shielding is noise, resistance is signal attenuation).
 
I had a van den hul speaker cable and holy shit was the low end uncontrollable. Maybe if you have a Marshall and want more modern low end its possible it'd help but my Diezel almost became unusable from the bloat. It was a very clear sound though I'll admit but cluttered up the mixes low end very bad. Just my opinion any way. I like my Evidence audio cable when I need to plug straight into the amp. Otherwise I'm usually wireless for shows and 4 foot of cable to the head from the receiver isn't really going to matter all that much as long as it's not complete poo.
 
Orionsbelt456":3udj7wvx said:
Do cables really make that much difference?
Click to expand...
Yes. To an extent low capacitance cables can makes you tone more open sounding. Cables with good shielding pick up less RF noise.
 
Orionsbelt456":1rpnct6m said:
Do cables really make that much difference?
Click to expand...

Yes. A/B a bunch of different cables of varying prices/construction/materials straight into an amp and you will hear subtle differences between them.

I've A/B'd Spectraflex, Monster, Planet Waves, Conquest (Belden and Switchcraft), Mogami, Dimarzio, and cheapo no name GC cables and all of them brought or took something away from the tone. That being said, the most expensive cable may not be the best one for your rig and to your ears. For me, the Mogami won out.
 
Damn, you guys have some phenomenal ears...

I've had my entire rig connected with them and I heard absolutely zero difference from far cheaper cables, which made me feel REALLY silly for spending all that cash on them... They look super pretty though... :D

Steve
 
Good or bad I can hear some difference in the highs with some cables. Touch sensitivity...No. Like a new amp....nope.
 
I use Vandenhul cables and I hear a big difference over other cables.
 
I just cannot see myself spending $150 on a cable. That is crazy to me.

This thread is making me want to try some better cables but maybe something a bit cheaper :)
 
maddnotez":6gtzoxyx said:
I just cannot see myself spending $150 on a cable. That is crazy to me.

This thread is making me want to try some better cables but maybe something a bit cheaper :)
Click to expand...

I can understand your position, but I bet you have a top quality amp and guitar, top notch pedals, etc. Why cut quality on cables?
 
I really want to try a Den Hul. I can totally attest to cables, instrument & speaker, making a big difference.
 
psychodave":236j7s4p said:
maddnotez":236j7s4p said:
I just cannot see myself spending $150 on a cable. That is crazy to me.

This thread is making me want to try some better cables but maybe something a bit cheaper :)
Click to expand...

I can understand your position, but I bet you have a top quality amp and guitar, top notch pedals, etc. Why cut quality on cables?
Click to expand...

Because I still want a Koko boost :lol: :LOL:

Koko boost or guitar cable? :confused:

I get what you are saying though and maybe I should idk. I think I may get a good cable but it will not be $150 good. Not yet anyway. I guess it would be a need to see it believe it type of thing.
 
Capacitance is real.
Shielding is real.
Good construction is real.

Magical mojo sauce cables are not real.
Cables that claim to be directional are not real.
Cables that tout touch sensitivity are not real.

Guys, it's just copper wire. There's nothing mystical about it. Get a cable that specs out with low capacitance and you'll have more high-end make it to your amp. Get a cable with good shielding and you'll have less noise make it to your amp. When it comes to speaker cable, this crap just doesn't matter. The signal coming out of your amp is beefy and not as susceptible to noise/EMI/RFI and the capacitance issues isn't really an issue at all. And as far as using super thick wire, the wire inside your amp at the output jack is small. The wire inside your speaker going from the terminals is small. I just rewired a Bogner cab and the super thick wire is just a pain to deal with. But I guess people like to over-do things for peace of mind haha.

The biggest thing to understand is that super expensive, low-cap instrument cable might not actually be what sounds the best for your rig. I know a lot of good amp builders actually prefer cheap cable with long runs to cut down on some high-end.
 
When you're dropping real cash on high end guitars & amps, using cheap cables doesn't make sense if you're after tone. I've never tried a Mogami so I can't comment on how it compares there, but this is a clear tone opener over all my mid pack cables in the bag. The price tag on the Lava was a shocker at first but now I ready to buy one or two more for my speaker & patch. It's kind of like buying a Corvette then not wanting to spring for premium gas & synthetic oil...

The thing about me saying it opens up the top end, or hey_bert talking about it opening up the low end, to me it is letting through frequencies that the cheaper cables have a "band pass" on. You're going to have to re-eq because of this, but the end result is much more pleasing because there's just more there. I think this also has a lot to do with my touch sensitivity comment. My other cables feel in comparison like there's a blanket on the top end (no purple), and when that opens up I get more of that 3D feel / feedback from what my fingers are doing.

To me everything can make a difference to tone. Strings obviously, and even picks. I much prefer my tone & attack with Ultex sharp picks than with regular Tortex (or anything else). Very true that it's all about finding the best combination for your ear.
 
GJgo":3fg20zea said:
When you're dropping real cash on high end guitars & amps, using cheap cables doesn't make sense if you're after tone. I've never tried a Mogami so I can't comment on how it compares there, but this is a clear tone opener over all my mid pack cables in the bag. The price tag on the Lava was a shocker at first but now I ready to buy one or two more for my speaker & patch. It's kind of like buying a Corvette then not wanting to spring for premium gas & synthetic oil...

The thing about me saying it opens up the top end, or hey_bert talking about it opening up the low end, to me it is letting through frequencies that the cheaper cables have a "band pass" on. You're going to have to re-eq because of this, but the end result is much more pleasing because there's just more there. I think this also has a lot to do with my touch sensitivity comment. My other cables feel in comparison like there's a blanket on the top end (no purple), and when that opens up I get more of that 3D feel / feedback from what my fingers are doing.

To me everything can make a difference to tone. Strings obviously, and even picks. I much prefer my tone & attack with Ultex sharp picks than with regular Tortex (or anything else). Very true that it's all about finding the best combination for your ear.
Click to expand...

Can't really argue with this. Maybe I need to save up enough money and courage to give it a shot.
 
If you have cheap wiring inside your cab, what good is the cable going from your guitar to you amp. Seems to me you'd want to make sure the signal is going through your high end cable till it hits the speaker. Also need that high-end power cable running through your Furman voltage regulator/power conditioner.

I say this facetiously (excepting the Furman ;) ). I once got into the high-end cable thing. Any difference I could hear was nominal - or psychological. I can't tell much difference between a decent quality Planet Waves or the Evidence Audio's I spent a lot of $ on. I hear better improvement with quality speakers and pick-ups than any cable will give me.
 
I still make my own cables using quality components. I notice a difference in tone over the cheap cables from stores, and I notice a difference in my wallet over name brand "good" cables.
 
I agree that the effects are real. Whether they make your rig sound better to you is a whole nuther aminal. Some people like long curly cables because they cut high end. As for the money, I like to think of it in pro-rated terms. If you take care of it that cable should last you at least 20 years and probably more if you outlive it. So that extra $100 or whatever you spent was only $5 per year...max. But all I use are George L's so I don't have much room to talk about spending money on high-end cables.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top