Best Snake Cable Review & Buyer’s Guide [2024]

Audio cables are some of the most essential parts for any recording engineer or musician. Snake cables are some of the most versatile audio cables by serving as an audio multicore cable.

However, because of their wide range of versatility, determining what snake cable is best for you may seem like a daunting task. In this article, we’re going to look at the best snake cables and which is best for you.

Going over our own specific review of each snake cable, a buyer’s guide, and common questions surrounding the issue.

Best Snake Cable Comparison Chart

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Best Snake Cable Review (2024)

As noted, down below is a positive opinion-based review of five different snake cables.

They vary in functionality, price, length, and much more. All of these are great cables and serve a great purpose.

After each review, there will be a small list of pros and minor cons for every single cable.

Seismic Audio SACB-8×25 8-Channel Low Profile XLR Send Sub Snake Cable, 25-Feet

This snake cable is a great starter kit for live shows and studio use. The package the contents come in is very solid and built up to standard.

Despite the affordability of the cable, the overall sound quality is very good. Meaning it doesn’t lack any sound quality despite the affordable rate.

In simple terms, this cable does exactly what it’s meant to do. It saves people from having to deal with a lot of the difficult characteristics of a mixer.

There are a lot of things you can accomplish with this cable. For example, you can use it for a set and live practices as a way to get a few DI and microphone signals from the far side of the room. Allowing you to comfortably accomplish what you need to get done.

Another interesting component of the cable is how the neutrik connects to the end very easily. Allowing the cable to be very easy to maintain.

The cable is also great for easy musical settings like churches or bar gigs. It’s a very light-duty cable which allows it to be easily transported and set up.

In conclusion, the cable is great for simplifying cable management and the amount of time required for set-up. Meaning that gigs, recording, and any musical endeavor for that matter are a lot easier with this type of cable.

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Seismic Audio SACB-12x4x50 12-Channel XLR Low Profile Circuit Board Snake Cable, 50-Feet

This snake cable is very affordable and extremely easy to use. The overall construction of this cable is very good. Meaning that the overall durability of the cable will last for a long time.

It’s a great cable for bands, musicians, and recording engineers that are on a budget. It’s also great for home studios and rehearsal spaces. Allowing for an affordable and easy-to-use snake cable for all types of tasks.

The length of the cable is great as well. Meaning that if you need a cable for your mixer in a live setting, the length should be more than sufficient enough to reach the mixer. Allowing people to avoid a mishap of tripping over the cable since it’s only one cable instead of a mirage of messy cables.

If you treat the cable with passion, it’ll last you a long time. For example, if you need a snake cable for an outdoor musical event, this is your cable.

The functionality of this snake cable is a time saver. It’ll allow you to accomplish tasks that you’d normally need a ton of cables for. Allowing you to fully accomplish what you need to get done.

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Monoprice 12-Channel Snake & 8 XLR x 4 TRS Stage Box – 50 feet With Metal Body Connectors And Rubber Strain Relief Boots

This snake cable is made with very high quality. It’s an excellent piece of equipment that creates a clear and great sound.

The cable is as advertised. It creates a clean, noise-free connection. Allowing the multi-functionality of the cable to be better for being able to accomplish everything you need to accomplish.

For example, if you need a snake cable for a 24-channel board, this is the perfect cable for that task. Especially if the ¼” is used for stereo keyboard inputs directly into the board. Making the cable work perfectly well.

The ¼” tip, ring, and sleeve are great for headphone feeds and line seeds. Furthering how the cable can work perfectly for all situations.

In simple terms, this is a very affordable and competitive cable that works better than other brands. Furthering the notion of how great of a product it is.

Another interesting factor is how the ¼” connectors can be used for either an up or downlink.

In conclusion, this is a fantastic cable for the price. Furthering the example of how you can accomplish a wide range of tasks you need to get done with a snake cable.

It’s a great cable for what it does and the price. It’s as simple as that.

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Seismic Audio – SAJT-12x4x50 – 12 Channel 50′ XLR Snake Cable with 1/4″ Returns

This cable is great for what it does. The connections are tight, the colored groupings work perfectly, and the price-to-value works great.

The wire gauge is bigger than you might realize. Furthering the notion of how great of a cable it is.

For example, if you need cable for a church service or live setting, this is definitely the cable for you. The length alone is great enough to use in any of these settings. Allowing you to reach your mixer properly if need be.

The construction of the cable is great. It’s very easy to identify wires and is very easy to use.

If you need a snake cable for a board or powered speaker, this should work perfectly. The A to D channels are only ¼” or XLR, but it works perfectly well.

The cable comes with nylon carrying bags that protect and organize the components. The soldering and connectors work great. Demonstrating how the proper mechanical aspect of the cable is great.

The cable can do everything you need it to do. It should work to the point that you encounter no issues.

In conclusion, it’s a fantastic snake cable that is very affordable and easy to use. If you need a multicore cable, this is a great cable for you.

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Seismic Audio SACB-16x4x100 16-Channel XLR Low Profile Circuit Board Snake Cable, 100-Feet

This a fantastic snake cable. It’s versatile, affordable, and easy to use. Demonstrating how a multicore cable is great to use for a plethora of reasons.

Everything about this cable works great and sounds good. The build quality is up to standard. At first, you might be a little hesitant about the build quality because of the price, but don’t fear.

The channels work very clearly and have no interference. Demonstrating how you can use it in a variety of settings.

For example, if you need a snake cable for a church setting, this is definitely the cable for you. If you need to permanently install it from a stage to a booth, it works great.

Besides church settings, it can work great for other live settings as well. The length works perfectly well. Being at 100 feet is more than enough cable to work with. If you need a snake cable for a largely live setting, this is definitely the cable for you.

In simple terms, it works great out of the box. There aren’t any major issues with the cable.

In conclusion, this cable can work for any scenario. Need something for rehearsal? This is the cable for you. Need something for a live setting? This is the cable for you. Need something for church? This is the cable for you.

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Snake Cable Buyer’s Guide

As noted, snake cables are great for the multi-function purpose they can serve. Down below is a buyer’s guide to help you understand the different characteristics of snake cables.

In simple terms, a snake cable is an audio highway. Allowing you to fully encompass a multi-functionality cable that’ll save the use of multiple cables.

We’re going to be going over unbalanced Cables, balanced cables, the common types of snake cables, solutions, and other information.

Unbalanced Cables

An unbalanced cable has two connectors with two conductors each. While having two wires inside, a signal wire, and a ground wire.

Unbalanced cables have a few advantages over balanced cables. For shorter runs, unbalanced cables are technically better since they won’t have electronic balancing amps in their signal path. Basically eliminating something that isn’t necessarily needed.

People tend to utilize these cables for that reason. Most studios will use these for connections throughout their rooms since most of them only run a few feet.

The negative part of unbalanced cables is that the chance of them picking up a stray field is huge. The noise tends to shoot higher on longer runs.

It’s generally thought of as well that you lose a little bit of gain when you switch from balanced to unbalanced.

However, the only real advantage an unbalanced cable has over a balanced cable is the price. Unbalanced cables are generally thought to be a lot more affordable in comparison.

Keep all of this in mind if you’re considering an unbalanced snake cable.

Balanced Cables

The complete opposite of unbalanced cables is balanced cables. A balanced cable has three conductors in the connector and a total of three wires in the cable itself. Two signal wires, as well as a separate ground wire.

It’s generally thought that balanced cables have a huge advantage over unbalanced cables. They have better noise elimination, lower impedance signals, and hardly any external noise. Furthering the notion that people should look into balanced cables over unbalanced cables.

The differences between balanced and unbalanced cables might not seem noticeable at first, but you’ll realize the advantage of balanced cables in time.

However, with the advantage, comes a higher price. Definitely keep this in mind when you’re looking at balanced and unbalanced cables.

Common Types of Snake Cables

For advanced purposes, you should use a custom-designated snake for at least one split to a system. Encompassing how isolation transformers and ground lift switches are needed if you want to use an older snake.

Besides that, you can buy a complete concert system snake so that you customize it to the exact style you want. Allowing you to edit and maintain it for a church, live, studio, or rehearsal setting.

For novice or intermediate purposes, a hardwire standard fan-to-box snake is great for configuring a mixer’s inputs and outputs. Since most mixers have around 12 to 24 mic inputs with a four return to the stage, you should get a 12 by 4 snake. While keeping in mind the length of the snake.

The type of snake is important to what you want to accomplish with your snake cable. The role and price range are important to note on what kind of snake cable you want.

Solutions

In order to have a proper snake cable work for you, there are a few solutions that should be followed. For example, the end of the snake must be the same as the panel connectors.

If you don’t do this, there are ways around it, but you should definitely avoid it in the first place.

For mixer and snake cable solutions, a general secret about the functionality of a snake cable is to have your power amplifiers close to your speakers. This will allow less strain on the overall sound of everything. Allowing the functionality of it all to be a lot better.

Other Information

In general, there is a ton of information about snake cables. A lot of which is too difficult to fully discuss in exact detail.

For example, the price range of snake cables is a big one. The more expensive the cable, the better it’ll be. This is sort of self-explanatory, but people might be hesitant about buying a cable that’s several hundred dollars.

The best way to learn more about snake cables is to discuss them with your local music shop or recording engineer. They may be able to share information about snake cables that you might not be able to find online.

If you don’t find a ton of information locally, you can always find a lot of it online. Use your resources. Especially in regard to something as expensive and useful as snake cables.

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“Q & A’s”

Since snake cables have so much information behind them, there are a ton of questions surrounding the subject. Down below are a few general questions about the subject with answers below them.

“What is a digital snake system?”

Although they vary in name, an analog snake and a digital snake accomplish the same task. The main point of them is to move audio from one area to another. Such as your stage input to the console.

While a digital snake delivers several channels of audio on one cable.

In simple terms, a digital snake system is used to improve an audio system. They are very common among professional-level studios, musicians, and engineers.

The main advantage a digital snake system offers is the way it can handle an audio signal. They’re great to use in that regard and have been known to be superior to analog snakes.

“What does a stage box do?”

A stage box is used as a way to connect microphones and other equipment to a multicore cable; such as a snake cable.

They’re usually made out of a metal enclosure. It usually has XLR connectors on the front whose signals are then routed to a snake cable.

Older methods have demonstrated how a stage box is for analog methods. However, today modern stage boxes are made for analog and digital purposes.

Basically, they’ve adapted time to more modern variations of technology.

For live settings, microphones and instruments connect to a stage box which makes everything connect to the main console through a single cable. Furthering the notion of the importance of a snake cable.

“What is a wire snake?”

A wire snake is sometimes another name for a snake cable. In simple terms, a basic wire snake is essentially a bundle of cords that are bonded together to keep them along with each other.

They’re used with the general notion that just about everyone can utilize a cleanup of cable management. Too many cables can lead to a mess, complications, and an uncertain way to gain control of things.

“How much should I spend on a snake cable?”

The price you spend on a snake cable varies on what you need it for. If you’re threatened by the amount of money a snake cable might cost, realize the more money you spend, the better the product.

If you need a basic snake cable for a simple live setting like a church, then you don’t need to bust out a ton of money for a snake cable. Just make sure you spend enough money that the cable can get the job done well enough. Otherwise, you’ll be dealt with something that was a waste of money.

If you’re in a more professional setting, then you’ll need a snake cable that is more expensive. Something that’ll last for a while, and doesn’t have sound issues behind it.

Always make sure you read the reviews behind the specific snake cable to make sure it’s perfect for you.

You’ll more than likely be able to find something that works perfectly for the scenario you need. There are a ton of examples online that will be close to the example you need it for.

Read up on them and it’ll help you determine what is best for you.

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Final Thoughts

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Hopefully, it gave you more general information on snake cables and the knowledge surrounding them.

We went over five of our favorite snake cables and our own review of each one. Discussing what they did well and the pros behind each cable.

After that, we created a snake cable buyer’s guide. To fully encompass the information behind the subject.

We went overbalanced and imbalanced cables. The advantages behind the two of them and how a balanced cable is superior. Also discussing the price of each one and the factors behind deciding them.

After that, we went over the common types of snake cables. Such as the reasoning behind each snake cable and which one is best for you.

After that, we discussed solutions for issues that may arise from snake cables. Going over certain aspects in detail.

After that, we went over other information surrounding snake cables. Shortly after we discussed general questions surrounding this subject. Such as digital snake systems, stage boxes, wire snakes, and how much the price is on a snake cable is.

By now, you should have a more knowledgeable experience with snake cables. You should understand which snake cable is best for you and why you can utilize it to your advantage.