I got the 5, 10 and 25 foot cables for my rehearsal/rec. studio. I have invested so much cash on the studio board, monitors etc.. when I got to the cables my budget was tight. What I didnt want to do was go with cheap quality cabling because it does make a difference. I had bought one of these Core X2 cable kits last year and it was fantastic so I thought I would try the speaker and Mic cables. When they arrived they are serious cables the connectors are metal not plastic and the connections where really solid. I fired up some audio tests with my "Blue" mics and the response was pin drop clear. I have some that I am using on the board to record drums etc. I am using the phantom power as well and they all worked awesome. the bottom line is that I feel I could have spent more but I didnt have to the Core X2 product is great. The reason I decided to write this review is because I actually called the company to ask about ordering some more loose cable for my effects rig - what really blew me away is I actually got a person on the phone and he actually was a musician and answered my questions. Turns out they are a local company in los angeles and are all musicians and are where very helpful. With so many options out there sometimes it is better to go with the more "boutique" companies as they can help you out when you need it.

I ordered two to try them out. The first thing I noticed was how stiff the cables are, partly due to the cheap plastic jacket. They flex about as much as cable tv coax. At first I used them from my POD X3 to my mixer. I take my POD to church, but leave the cables at home. I was afraid I was going to riun the POD because of the tension on the XLR connector. Even twisting them 45 degrees to line them up is too much twist for them. This prompted me to buy other cables for the POD. I then used them from my Simmons stereo drum amp to the mixer, as this is never moved and I wouldn't have to touch them for a while. The friends I jam with in my studio recorded two songs one night. When I went to mix them down tonight, one of the drum channels seemed like it was clipping, but was no where near too loud. I trouble shot the problem down to one of these cables. It was intermittently shorting out with the kick drum. I unscrewed the defective end and was appalled at the soldering, and the insulation was melted off some of the leads. I flexed one of the wires a few times trying to get it off the other contact and it broke. That's when I noticed the wires are solid not braided. If you use these cables do not every move them! No wonder they are so stiff. I'm sure that most of the cables do not short out like the one I had, but I don't appreciate the poor workmanship. I would not recommend these outside the studio.

I just bought this XLR cable, and straight out of the package, it has a very distinct high pitched hissing. It seems that it is built durably, however it didn't even work when I opened it. I would definately not recommend this cable.

I previously indicated, in an earlier review, that "the cable was not as described." The problem was an isolated incident that the company, once contacted, corrected in a timely manner, with courtesy and professionalism.

I apologize for jumping to conclusions about Core Cables. Our previous inability to communicate was probably due to some screwy internet anomoly and not disregard on their part.

I find their products to be of great value and a quality product.

See their website: WWW.COREONEPRODUCTS.COM for other fine items that you can buy thru musicians friend.

I just opened my Core X2's and am happy to report that mine are gold plated as advertised. They are impressively built, very heavy duty. I would agree that for a live singer they would not be good due to the fact they are not flexible( the cables that is, not the singers) Great for studio use though. I hope they hold up well because I plan to order more.