boom mic cable - light/thinner

[humbuk]

Hi, I'm trying to lighten my bag for an ENG shoot and want to make a lighter boom mic cable. Do you have a recommendation for a suitable type of cable please? I found the CANARE L-2E5, which seems to fit well. Sommer Cable offers a bunch of cables, but the thinner ones are said to be suitable for fixed installations, so I'm worried they won't be very stiff cables. Thank you for the recommendation.

[Rick Reineke]

Canare also has the L-4E5C Mini-Star-Quad which is similar in size  and weight to the two conductor mini L-2E5 . I use the L-2E5 for line level interconnections in my ENG bag and have an internally wired K-Tek carbon fiber 10' boom pole.

[The Immoral Mr Teas]

Also Mogami 2893 if it's easy enough for you to source.

 

J

[Nico P]

I use the Sommer Cable Cicada SO-D14, which is very thin (2.8mm) and flexible. You have to handle it with a bit of care though, it is not a "stage grade" cable.

[Fred Salles]

Hi. Like Rick I use the Canare L-4E5C starquad mic cable.  very good specs with only 4.8mm overall diameter. The Mogami 2839 cited by M.Teas is also great. Same diameter.  I found that it tends to curl after some time as the ground is not breaded but it is easier to solder than the Canare. Both are good choice. Anything thinner will be damaged too soon on set and will be a hell to untangle if more than 2m. And definitly stick to starquad to be safe from mains power and lights electro magnetic interferences. 

[Derek H]

Is this for a jumper from mixer to boom pole? If so, I always prefer stretchy coiled jumpers for that though they are a pain in the ass and you definitely want to buy two because they  seem to go bad sooner or later. 
 

Not sure how beneficial Starquad is for a short jumper like that but couldn’t hurt.  I would go with the mini-starquad or the other Canare you mentioned. 
 

My main criteria would be a french braided shield. 

[DanieldH]

Currently, I use Mogami W3031 in my internally cabled boom. It is slightly more flexible and has a smoother surface than the Belden 1804A I have used before. I need a thin cable for the retractor, not necessarily a light one, but that may boil down to the same. For a generic cable outside the boom to bag situation, I would want a soft flexible jacket to reduce cable noise on the boom and maintain twist tolerance more than low weight/diameter. In order to be soft yet durable, the jacket would have to be thicker than the Mogami mini or the Belden miniquad. Sommercables Stage 22 highflex has these properties, but that is not particularly light or thin.

On 6/25/2024 at 9:20 PM, Derek H said:

My main criteria would be a french braided shield. 

Hey Derek, may I ask why?

[Derek H]

Because supposedly it holds up better to repeated bending and handling whereas a spiral wrap shield can spread apart more when it’s bent.

[Richtrohr]

On 6/23/2024 at 8:34 PM, Nico P said:

I use the Sommer Cable Cicada SO-D14, which is very thin (2.8mm) and flexible. You have to handle it with a bit of care though, it is not a "stage grade" cable.

Here are the Cicada SO-D14 and Sommer’s thin star quad SC-CICADA 4 side by side. The quad is only 3.4 mm in diameter and weighs 20 g/m vs. 13 g/m for the SO-D14.