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Alternative To Line 6 Link Cable


katiekerry
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About 6 months ago I ordered the dream rig system through Sweetwater.  I didn't care at all for the DT25 amp so I returned it and the Line 6 link cable.  But Now I wanna order the L2M monitor and connect with the Short Line 6 Link cable but I cannot order it only can find the 20 foot long ones.  Does anyone know of a 6 foot alternative to that cable I can order.

Thanks for any help.  Also is anyone here running the L2m system and how do they like it..

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This looks like it would fit the bill: http://www.amazon.com/Your-Cable-Store-Microphone-feet/dp/B001JI2KHS/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1367769073&sr=1-3&keywords=XLR+Microphone+Cable

 

By the way. I am very surprised that you didn't like the DT25, as I absolutely love mine. Perhaps it is due to the style of music that you play?

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Hey thanks for the answers,  And wow the alternatives are allot less expensive.  They wanted like 80 bucks for the 20 foot Line 6 link cable at sweetwater.  But as for the DT25 goes I just don't think you can mix digital with (tube or analog all that well).  I have had best luck with all tube amps (ala 5150), or FRFR with modeling technology..  Not mixing them together, Also I didn't feel you were able to use the full capabilities of the dream rig system without going FRFR (for acoustics).  So I felt it was pointless having to change my presets for FRFR and using the DT25..  Some people love it, its just a matter of preference I guess...  I think I just want it to be easier to deal with.  Kinda like old LP's sound better to my ears but MP3s are just easier to deal with..

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I noticed when I searched for those type of cables some claim to be digital and the cheaper ones do not.  Do I need the Digital ones or are the cheaper analog ones ok they look the same to me but who knows.

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I purchased a Mogami 3080-based cable over eBay from Rainwater Sound. It was 20' for about $25, and I'm pretty sure they had shorter length ones as well (I just checked; they have a 6' for $15.75). Works great for L6 Link on my DT25.

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I noticed when I searched for those type of cables some claim to be digital and the cheaper ones do not.  Do I need the Digital ones or are the cheaper analog ones ok they look the same to me but who knows.

You will get more reliable performance with the digital AES/EBU cable. Standard analog XLR cables have been known to work OK, but some have reported problems. Line 6 recommends the AES/EBU.

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I noticed when I searched for those type of cables some claim to be digital and the cheaper ones do not.  Do I need the Digital ones or are the cheaper analog ones ok they look the same to me but who knows.

 

+1 to what Silverhead said above. There's not really such a thing as a digital or analog cable. What's digital or analog is the information that gets passed over the cable. The difference between the three cable types that use XLR connectors (lo-z mix cables, DMX, & AES/EBU) is the construction and shielding of the cable itself. All three cables are using copper conductors, but each is a different impedance. Mic cable is rated at 80 ohms. DMX is 110 ohms. AES/EBU is 120 ohms. So I would have to think that because the difference between the impedance of AES/EBU and DMX is relatively small there would be less risk chance of having problems with it than with regular mic cable.

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You will get more reliable performance with the digital AES/EBU cable. Standard analog XLR cables have been known to work OK, but some have reported problems. Line 6 recommends the AES/EBU.

 

Actually Line 6 recommends a standard XLR: http://line6.com/l6link/    :)

 

"What kind of cable does L6 LINK use?

L6 LINK works with a standard XLR cable. Because the quality and manufacturing processes of XLR cables vary widely, we can’t guarantee the performance of any particular XLR cable. However, if you are looking for a cable to use with L6 LINK, we recommend the Classic Series Microphone Cable (25 ft.) from Planet Waves, which was among the best we tested."

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Actually Line 6 recommends a standard XLR

 

People have gone around and around on this. There's nothing wrong with using a standard mic cable. It's just that the information being sent over the cable is digital, and the Line 6 branded cable is actually an AES/EBU cable.

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People have gone around and around on this. There's nothing wrong with using a standard mic cable. It's just that the information being sent over the cable is digital, and the Line 6 branded cable is actually an AES/EBU cable.

 

I am sure people have argued this ad nauseum. However the official Line 6 web page about the Line 6 Link recommends a standard XLR. That was what I was pointing out.

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It's designed to work with an XLR cable for ease of access, so that you can pick up a standard mic cable rather than a proprietary cable anywhere at anytime.

I used a regular mic cable with no issues... i went with the DMX cable because i wanted a shorter cable and i wanted to see if there was much of a difference...

really wasnt much in my case.... but that experience can depend alot on the qualities of your original mic cable as phil points out.

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It's designed to work with an XLR cable for ease of access, so that you can pick up a standard mic cable rather than a proprietary cable anywhere at anytime.

I used a regular mic cable with no issues... i went with the DMX cable because i wanted a shorter cable and i wanted to see if there was much of a difference...

really wasnt much in my case.... but that experience can depend alot on the qualities of your original mic cable as phil points out.

 

Thanks! I am relatively new, but I have been running my HD500 into a DT25 Combo at fairly high volumes and it sounds great using the Planet Waves standard XLR. So either it works fine for me, or I just don't know what I am missing sound wise (if anything).

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I'm sure that would be a fine cable.

 

 

If I were to try a AES/EBU cable, what does anyone think about these. They are affordable, but perhaps "you get what you pay for?" Any thoughts?

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EBU025/

 

I've used some cables that were less than great... tend to get some hum out of them.. a little noise maybe... 

all gets buried at volume.... but the cable is carrying data, so it just works in most cases.

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I picked up one of those Hosa cables and haven't had issues with it yet. The termination they use use is the reason it's relatively cheap. It seems they fail much more often than a Neutrik connector. But I got mine mainly for use at home, so it's works OK. If I start gigging out more with the DT-25, I'll probably get a better cable.

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I picked up one of those Hosa cables and haven't had issues with it yet. The termination they use use is the reason it's relatively cheap. It seems they fail much more often than a Neutrik connector. But I got mine mainly for use at home, so it's works OK. If I start gigging out more with the DT-25, I'll probably get a better cable.

 

Thanks Phill & Zap. I might give it a try. I can always switch to the XLR I have been using if it were to cheese out on me.

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Wow thanks for all the info ( I think I might have opened a can of worms on that)  I have added one of those hosa cables to my wish list.  along with the L2m they have 24 months interest free right now its kinda hard to resist ordering it.  Even though I haven't earned it..

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  • 6 years later...
On 5/6/2013 at 9:38 AM, withrowsp said:

 

Actually Line 6 recommends a standard XLR: http://line6.com/l6link/    :)

 

"What kind of cable does L6 LINK use?

L6 LINK works with a standard XLR cable. Because the quality and manufacturing processes of XLR cables vary widely, we can’t guarantee the performance of any particular XLR cable. However, if you are looking for a cable to use with L6 LINK, we recommend the Classic Series Microphone Cable (25 ft.) from Planet Waves, which was among the best we tested."


And another page lost to the internet memory hole.

The ability to use mic cables was built in, and public, for L6 connectivity, then hidden from view?

 

As someone who's fully integrated into the Line 6 ecosystem - multiple Variaxes & Powercab Pluses + Helix - I'd probably have bought an L6 cable if it weren't price gouged.  Mic cables are already high margin items - Yamaha could easily be selling their own regular cables here at a tidy, middle-man-free markup, but instead the insanely expensive L6 cable is being touted as the 'optimal' solution when in fact a standard M/F XLR would've done just fine. 

That's disingenuous, Line 6. The people who want L6 Link are your existing, repeat customers - they already have at least 2 of your larger ticket items when they are looking at the product! And so you reward them by charging 2x what an equally capable mic cable can do. And that's not "if you figure out it, you can use a mic cable" - it's a solution that was just as good by Line 6's own public admission!

 

Not cool Line 6. Not cool at all.

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25 minutes ago, DannyMcO said:


And another page lost to the internet memory hole.

The ability to use mic cables was built in, and public, for L6 connectivity, then hidden from view?

 

As someone who's fully integrated into the Line 6 ecosystem - multiple Variaxes & Powercab Pluses + Helix - I'd probably have bought an L6 cable if it weren't price gouged.  Mic cables are already high margin items - Yamaha could easily be selling their own regular cables here at a tidy, middle-man-free markup, but instead the insanely expensive L6 cable is being touted as the 'optimal' solution when in fact a standard M/F XLR would've done just fine. 

That's disingenuous, Line 6. The people who want L6 Link are your existing, repeat customers - they already have at least 2 of your larger ticket items when they are looking at the product! And so you reward them by charging 2x what an equally capable mic cable can do. And that's not "if you figure out it, you can use a mic cable" - it's a solution that was just as good by Line 6's own public admission!

 

Not cool Line 6. Not cool at all.

 

Calm down, man... The L6 Link cable is just an AES/EBU cable, and there's nothing proprietary about it. Those are available from a lot of different sellers. You can get a 20ft one from Monoprice.com for less than $10. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=601606

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I'm not so willing to ignore that a company I established loyalty with would want to gauge me on completely unnecessary products.

You upset with something like Helix 2.80? That takes a ton of people and user reports to debug. It's understandable they're going to miss something. And they're pretty good about addressing those concerns - 2.81 came out in a hurry. That's the kind of thing, though big, that's understandable when it comes to them appearing to have dropped the ball (because it's really a matter of additional data being needed).


But BSing your customers about what's needed to connect via L6, touting a stupidly overmarked cable that, by your own admission, is no better than the cheapest no frills mic cable you can find? That's just dumb. You had the information out there, then you took it down, and now you're suggesting that a cable that in all likelihood is simply someone else's XLR or maybe AES cable is the best solution? That's not marketing BS. That's a lie.

The only person who cares about L6 Link is the person who owns multiple Line 6 products. That's the person you want to lie to? Really?

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30 minutes ago, DannyMcO said:

I'm not so willing to ignore that a company I established loyalty with would want to gauge me on completely unnecessary products.

You upset with something like Helix 2.80? That takes a ton of people and user reports to debug. It's understandable they're going to miss something. And they're pretty good about addressing those concerns - 2.81 came out in a hurry. That's the kind of thing, though big, that's understandable when it comes to them appearing to have dropped the ball (because it's really a matter of additional data being needed).


But BSing your customers about what's needed to connect via L6, touting a stupidly overmarked cable that, by your own admission, is no better than the cheapest no frills mic cable you can find? That's just dumb. You had the information out there, then you took it down, and now you're suggesting that a cable that in all likelihood is simply someone else's XLR or maybe AES cable is the best solution? That's not marketing BS. That's a lie.

The only person who cares about L6 Link is the person who owns multiple Line 6 products. That's the person you want to lie to? Really?

 

I'm not so sure what Line 6 did to you that you're assuming the worst intentions on their part, but I can assure you that no one I've met from Line 6 is like that, starting from the top down. Most likely the link above got removed during a website redesign - this thread is originally from 2013, after all. The Monoprice cable I recommended above is a recommendation I'm passing on from Eric Klein, the Chief Product Architect for Line 6 (Digital Igloo here). They aren't trying to rip anyone off. I imagine it's just they don't sell a lot of these cables, so it's just a lot more expensive for them to buy and keep them in stock than a retailer who sells hundreds of cables a day.

 

As far as the L6 Link connection, a standard mic cable will work in most cases. For longer runs and for runs with multiple devices daisy-chained together, an AES/EBU is better. It could just be that Line 6 found they were getting complaints with people using other cables and decided to change their recommendation - it happens. You're assuming the worst as far as their motives go and it's uncalled for.

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On 9/5/2019 at 3:22 PM, phil_m said:

I'm not so sure what Line 6 did to you that you're assuming the worst intentions on their part

 

Maybe I wasn't clear. Line 6 didn't "do" something to me personally. Unless you count trying to gouge multiple-product-owners for a completely unnecessary product - but that isn't something "Line 6 did to [me]". 

 

It's 11 times more expensive on average to get new customers than it is to keep loyal ones. Doing stuff like pushing your loyal customers into products that are both unnecessary and overly marked isn't just short-sighted - it's bad business.

 

Line 6 hasn't lost me as a customer - I'm still fully in the Line 6 ecosystem (Variax, Helix, Powercab). But as someone who's prior career was entirely built on maintaining customer loyalty, I can say with certainty that it's little, preventable things like this that bug clients enough to get them to switch to competitors eventually. And when that happens, you don't get them back, ever.

Sure, Line 6 and Yamaha should try to get new products sold. But marketing the cable as anything other than a high-quality premium alternative to an off-the-shelf XLR is simply ill-advised.
 

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On 9/13/2019 at 12:45 AM, Kilrahi said:

As someone who bought the official cable (admittedly with a coupon) I can at least verify it's high quality.

1

 

Good to know.

 

On 9/13/2019 at 12:45 AM, Kilrahi said:

I've kicked the living lollipop out of that thing. 

 

Consider this phrase stolen. Or maybe it's just my cover version. But I'm totally heisting it.

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I am not sure where I have seen Line 6 touting that the link will only work with their cables. It can work with a standard mic cable, but that is only for fairly short distances. They tell you what kind of cable to get. Line 6 providing a proper cable is a convenience IMO, and one usually pays a premium for that.

 

  • AES/EBU, L6 Link

    L6 LINK provides easy digital audio connectivity between Helix and Line 6 StageSource monitors and/or DT-Series amplifiers. Alternatively, digitally connect Helix to your studio equipment via an AES/EBU (110-ohm XLR) cable.

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