Community: Message List - VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:52:27 GMT

I have noticed the Best-Tronics cable I purchased seems get filthy pretty quickly.

It cleans up just fine, but does seem to pickup dirt easily. Maybe the stage was just dirtier than normal...

I dont remember stepping on it much, it just slides around on stage, and picks up ever little bit of dirt it comes into contact with...

Other than that, I have no complaints.

And that hardly sounds like a valid complaint (I throw something on the floor, drag it back and forth, and step on it, and it gets dirty)

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:49:37 GMT

Alright, I have both cables on hand now: the 15' DuraCAT-based cable from eBay and the 25' Belden 1305A-based cable from Best-Tronics. They both seem well contstructed and work just fine. They're both about the same thickness (which is funny, because I could've sworn the spec on DuraCAT suggested it should be thinner) and feel like they could take a fair beating. The Best-Tronics cable seems just a little bit more flexible than the DuraCAT one. I wouldn't say you could go wrong with either, but I might give a slight edge to the Best-Tronics for the little bit of extra flexibility.

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:20:42 GMT

Very cool. I've got the DuraCAT-based from eBay arriving sometime this week, and I've got the Best-tronics to pick up at a cross-border box this Saturday. I figured it couldn't hurt to have a couple of them anyway. I'll have to post a comparison of them once I have them both in hand.

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 21:23:51 GMT

I received my Best-Tronics cable today.
It seems pretty nice. It is heavier than a microphone cable or really cheap instrument cable, but much more flexable than my monster acoustic 1/4" cable. More like a speaker cable as far as flexability.

I think it will be perfect for my needs.

The jacketing reads:

CatSnake (R) by belden-M Brillance(R) 1305A upjacketed tactical UTP cat5e patch cable 4PR24.

The ends are Neutrik brand.

Apparently Best-Tronics and guitar-cable.com are the same company, because the sticker on the cable and included velcro strap are branded guitar-cable.com

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:05:43 GMT

My Best-Tronics cable shipped out today.
I'll hop on here and give my opinion once it comes in.

I'm hoping this cable is more like a microphone cable, than the "acoustic" 1/4" monster cable I have been using for several years now. http://www.zzounds.com/item--MONMACST It always feels like I am dragging a piece of thick rubber hose behind me.

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 05:33:41 GMT

Yeah, sorry, I meant to jump on here and say that. I exchanged e-mails with one of the techs at Best-tronics, and it turns out that the Variax cable and the Ethercon-7 are the exact same thing; they just haven't got around to fixing the catalog and working out the new pricing. But as things currently stand, by ordering the Variax cable you're getting their top-grade Ethercon for about 25% less.

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 02:11:28 GMT

The Best-tronics cable I received is built with Belden 1305A wire and Neutrik RJ-45 connectors.

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:43:09 GMT

Best-tronics put the cable together themselves from bulk cable + neutrik connectors. While the Variax SKU doesn't explicitly say what type of cable is used, looking at their other Ethercon offerings and the offerings of others, search for suppliers of the following:

Belden 1304A/1305A - Reliable name in digital cabling. The 1305A is the slightly more rugged of the two.

CA-0449/CA-0386 - Not sure of the manufacturer, possibly BTs own brand. Again, CA-0386 is the more rugged.

DuraCAT - another rugged Ethernet standard. Kelsey in the UK carries it (though I don't know if they sell assembled cables). There's a pretty good chance this is what BTs Variax cable is made from.

Basically you want to search for the terms "tactical ethernet"

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:10:03 GMT

Is there a UK or European supplier that offers a version of the Bestronics cable?

Thanks.

Re: VDI cable out of stock everywhere?

support@line6.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:01:31 GMT

To be entirely fair, the cable supplied with the Variax is intended ONLY for firmware updates and the occasional interface to Workbench. It's not suitable for live performance unless you like living dangerously.