Sockets

[Robert Schrum]

My experiences on the road for 12+ years, FWIW...

Radio Shack blister packs:  The "affordable" ones made by various mystery
manufacturers are worthless.  The sockets lose their grip with every insertion
and the plugs self-destruct.  They do sell "gold" connectors but they are IMO
too expensive for something that you don't even know who made it.  The ones that
don't fall apart have their plastic innards crack with  one drop to a concrete
floor, causing them to become microphonic (the conductors move loosely becoming
tiny condenser microphones that make noise when you move them)

Switchcraft: I've used them for years.  Downside--the plugs have no built-in
strain relief--ya gotta do it yourself with at least 3/8-1/4 inch
heatshrink--add a 1/2inch overall for roadworthiness.  They tend to be
expensive, particularly at industrial electronic supply--but they could be found
at prices close to the Radio Trash if you shop around at pro audio companies
that buy them by the thousands.  Problem is, they tend to not buy panel-mount
sockets in like quantities.  I didn't get much of a break when using them to
build a patchbay a while ago.   Lately, bargain Switchcrafts are hard to find
even at pro shops
because nearly every one of them is going to...

Neutrik: Wider price variations than Switchcraft, but easier to assemble, plugs
have built-in strain relief, great material and they look cool.  I used to make
new Switchcraft cables for my rig every other year.  I've been using the same
Neutrik-equipped cables for four and still going strong.   Shop around--make
friends in the pro audio business.   The cool thing I notice is that Neutrik has
a panel-mount locking 1/4" jack that would be cool for modular panels where you
want to eliminate inadvertant removal of plugs.  It's not cheap though and I
can't tell if they are switching or not for you normalized signal path fans.
WARNING! I've heard that Neutrik purchased an Asian factory and I've seen
Switchcraft-looking stuff coming out under the Neutrik name at a much lower
price.  I can't say from experience, but I'd personally be wary of buying into
this too much without trying a few out for a while.

Re'an:  Never used them, but here's a real possibility for inexpensive
panel-mounts.  They have PCB mount sockets that have nickel-silver contacts and
do switching.  They're less than a buck apiece in Mouser's catalog!  The only
reason I mention this is that I noticed that it's this type of socket that I've
seen in more than one piece of high-end pro audio gear (of course the first
thing I do is take off the cover to see what's inside--doesn't everbody?) This
includes a pair of Klark-Technik DI boxes that have been plugged, unplugged and
thrown around a stage and trailer for years and still sound great!

DGS/Deltron: The pro stuff looks great, but too rich for my blood.  Their
low-end looks like  Radio Shack's blister packs.  Never used either.


-----Original Message-----
From: tomg <vco at mindspring.com> at hcinternet-server
Sent: Monday, October 19, 1998 5:03 PM
To: Tony Allgood <oakley at enterprise.net> at HCINTERNET-SERVER
Cc: synth-diy at mailhost.bpa.nl at HCINTERNET-SERVER
Subject: RE: Sockets


On 19-Oct-98, Tony Allgood wrote:
>Hi all,

>I have reached the end of my tether with my semi-modular. Every time I move
>the leads, I lose contact and have to spend a minute or so twiddling the
>jack in and out to get a good connection. This can lead to odd tuning
>problems with CVs and noisy audio.

Tony try cleaning your connectors with DeoxIT. Works for me.
I've reserrected guitar cables from the bottom of the foot
locker covered with 10 years of dried sweat and crap.

-Tom