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REVIEW: K-Tek Mighty Boom Cable + Squid Universal Mount


Zoe Brock

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K-Tek Mighty Boom Cable Review:

 

I was fortunate enough to test the Mighty Boom Cable this week. Created by K-Tek, this new, heavy duty, coiled XLR is advertised to make "off-the-shelf cables obsolete" with its extra strong and double-wired design. 

 

The Mighty Boom Cable is made with Neutrik XLR connectors and fits snugly into the XLR port of a boom pole. Straight out of the bag, it feels very durable and made to last, though a little stiff. The coiled section is less than half the total length of the cable. The long, straight cable ends were designed with the purpose of easily going into a Boombox or stand, but I found another reason to love this design. In my experience, most XLR boom cables are coiled from end to end, or may have an inch or two of straight cable before the connectors. With these cables, I've found that quick movements can cause them to slap against the mixer bag or tangle with my headphone cable. Because the Mighty Boom Cable has a shorter coiled portion, I found that I don't have these same issues, but I still get the stretch and movement I need with little to no handling noise.  

 

The most exciting aspect of the Mighty Boom Cable's design is on the inside. As someone who constantly repairs intermittent XLR cables, I really appreciated the craftsmanship. There are 6 large gauge internal wires. Each pin of the XLR connector has 2 soldered wires for a double connection and to help protect against unexpected signal loss. Each double-wiring is then wrapped in shrink-tubing.

 

 KMBC1

 

I thought the best test would be to actually break the connection and see if the signal is affected. I unsoldered one wire from a pin, wrapping it in electric tape so it didn't touch anything else. And despite the broken connection, the cable still worked perfectly and sounded great!

 

KMBC2

 

I've only had it for a short time now, but I'm curious to see when, if ever, I need to repair The Mighty Boom Cable. It costs about $100 new, which may seem a little pricey when "off-the-shelf" coiled cables cost between $40-$60. But the Mighty Boom Cable is almost like 2-in-1, because of it's 6 internal wires and double connection. It's very well made and I think it's definitely worth the price!

 

K-Tek Squid Universal Mount Review:

 

I also got the chance to test out K-Tek's Squid Universal Mount, a high-quality silicone product designed to hold a monitor, phone, or mini Transmitter to a boom pole or tripod. Compared to a bongo tie, which is the mounting method I previously used, the Squid Mount is a much more secure and snug fit when used to mount a Zaxcom ZMT transmitter to a boom pole. The transmitter control buttons and screen are easily accessible and it's super easy to mount the vertical or horizontal.

 

Bongo_ZMT vs  KSUM_ZMT

 

It took me a minute to figure out the best way to use the Squid Mount. There are instructions on the packaging, but I found them a little unclear and did a Google Search as well. Initially, I attached the mount incorrectly and the transmitter wiggled around more than it would have if I had used a bongo tie. The trick is to continue wrapping the ends around the front of the mount and have the transmitter rest on the flat logo section of the Squid Mount.

 

KSUM_Wrong

Incorrect. The above photo shows a loose, floppy, mount.

 

KSUM_ZMT_Correct

Correct. The above photo shows a snug fit.

 

The silicone also feels soft and stretches beyond what I initially thought was possible. The packaging claims it can fit a smart phone, but I was surprised when it was able to stretch around my Galaxy S6 and case. It was a very tight fit, and I'd be wary of stretching it much farther, but it held my phone securely the to boom pole. 

 

 

  KSUM_SmartPhone_Front   KSUM_SmartPhone_Side

 

The Squid Universal Mount costs $19 new, which seems a little expensive to me. Bongo ties, though not nearly as secure, cost under $10. However, I would definitely prefer using the Squid Universal Mount over a bongo tie just for the peace of mind that the transmitter is not going to fall off or dangle from the boom pole. It feels like a high quality product and I'm curious to see how it wears over time. 

 
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