Audio snakes - anybody using the ethernet cable versions?

uncledick

I do the sound in our band and find I am constantly arguing with various cables as the venues around here are pretty small. I've been looking at  various audio snakes to tidy things up.  We have three vocalists and on the same front-line we have one monitor, one sub and 2 tops (all powered).  
Although it's a 16 channel mixer, I'd never need anything more than 4 ins and 4 outs at the front of the stage.  I can easily buy an 8x4 snake from Stagg/Subzero etc. but feel quite tempted by the lack of bulk offered by the various options that use a sturdy Cat6 cable to go between the stage and mixer.  SSSnake / Soundtools look pretty compact and I could easily set up a 4 in / 4 out arrangement.
Anyone care to share any experience / wisdom?  FWIW, I'm probably looking at a 10m cable at most.  Another advantage of this setup is the option to just get a 5m and 10m Ethernet cable to cover different venues.
TIA

Danny1969

I use cat 5 but you need a compatible digital stage box that works with your mixer …there are different standards between different mixing desk manufacturers. The AR2412 for example is a popular digital stage box for Allen & Heath mixers. 

Before ethernet we had a 24/8 audio  snake So  the cat 5 was a massive improvement upon that

uncledick

Danny1969 said:

I use cat 5 but you need a compatible digital stage box that works with your mixer …there are different standards between different mixing desk manufacturers. The AR2412 for example is a popular digital stage box for Allen & Heath mixers. 

Before ethernet we had a 24/8 audio  snake So  the cat 5 was a massive improvement upon that

The systems I'm looking at are purely analogue - just using the more compact cable format..  I've looked at the digital options but the issues are a) the physical size and b) the cost. I use a QU16 and the cheapest D-Snake from A&H is about £800 s/h.  

Danny1969

Ah I see. 
For install work I've run audio over CAT 5, and it's OK because mic signals are differential balanced like ethernet, but you will run out of pairs pretty quickly and the normal cables not really designed for mobile use and reeling up etc. 

rich75

In my band we use the sssnake Cat Snake series and they work really well. We run 11 or 12 inputs to the mixer, so we use three separate Cat Snakes from different parts of the stage and it definitely makes things quicker and tidier. We've probably been using them for a couple of years now never had any problems with them. For how we use them they just work without any dramas. I think we use 10m cables.

If you're just running four inputs from the front of the stage then one of the Cat Snakes should do the job, and having a couple of different length cables sounds like a good plan.

If you've got any specific questions about how we use ours feel free to ask. 

shufflebeat

I’ve liked the idea of the analogue over Cat5 since I first saw Dave Rat’s early vids on the topic.

However, it should also be considered that an off-cut of good quality multicore cable can be got for peanuts that could take care of all your ins and outs with no problem.

I have a little 6/2 unit made from a double back box, the type used to house wall sockets and a suitable sized cable gland for strain relief.

Very effective, not too shabby looking and takes up less space than a pair of Cat5 boxes.

I do also have some Cat5/XLR tails for emergencies that work great and have simplified a few potential issues.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/XMSJSIY-Extender-Receiver-Recording-Studio-2PCS/dp/B0CHVBLP7Z/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=314Z5S383MXCR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.A8bvrrVSBrqp4RagrVpCYdesFDe6LmQxV1QSETTaLcYxXqjNMuQ5Zs7N3H5YuCHgsBzOS4MxOkq2KVKFdBEs96yWlnfsJtMDguHUlH6NHj1bjDEdgOTHH9LHR2SUNvEwauHGSzS3yvAB92Lw1CoJCffyrBoYo6POkFb8bHGMI1dht68CR7vUS9CTmJ90iqGeM6F5DZWdLBmBFr0GpfSrjw.DWUfQaInYmf1q0FkUTxUZ-jCijzQaJfJy_1MdGG0pls&dib_tag=se&keywords=cat5+xlr&qid=1713382893&sprefix=cat5+xlr%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-4

maltingsaudio

From what I can see of these it’s an expensive option for 4 mic channels compared to a copper solution especially over short distances 10 m or so. 

mike257

I've used these on some touring shows - including across two Academy-sized tours running four lines of audio from a DJ rig on stage to audio-world at stage left. They're a neat solution in the right context. 

Things to note:

Important to choose the right kind of cable. You have to use shielded Cat5/Cat6 - the four pairs are used for the + and - of each balanced line, and the screen is commoned to the shield of the cable. Unshielded Cat cable means no screen and also no phantom power passing down the lines.

Most decent music/pro audio retailers sell "proper" Ethercon cables built for stage use, in flexible sheathing that coils nicely and lays flat. The Ethercon connectors are much more robust and provide a proper locking connection. 

Not all manufacturers use the same pin allocations in analogue-over-Cat products. There's no standard for this, so if you bought (for example) one from Rat and one from Custom Lynx, they might not be directly compatible as the pins may be wired differently inside. 

I've got a couple of bits of the Thomann stuff and it's been solidly reliable in live use for me so far.