Description
We bought a 10ft length of Best-Tronics CA-0441 to see how it stacked up against the CA-0446 we were already using. This is that cable, built up and terminated. There is one of it, and we are not ordering the stock again.
The CA-0446 won the comparison. It offers colour options, and at 20 pF/ft it holds onto more top end over a long run than the CA-0441 at 33.3 pF/ft. That said, 33.3 pF/ft still sits below a Canare GS-6 (49 pF/ft) or a Mogami 2524 (39.7 pF/ft), so if one of those is what you are playing through now, this is a step in the right direction.
Where the CA-0441 is genuinely strong is durability. The 18AWG conductor is heavier than almost anything else we build with, the PVC jacket is thick and tough, and there is a semi-conductive PVC layer under the 95% copper braid to keep handling noise down. If you are hard on cables — if they get stood on, rolled over, and thrown in a bag wet — this is built for that.
One honest note on looks, because we would rather you know now than be surprised: the black jacket reads a little dull and ashy in person, more matte grey than deep black. It feels good in the hand — the texture is nice — but the finish was part of why we passed on it. If that does not bother you, none of it affects how the cable works.
Terminated with G&H nickel plugs in nickel housings, soldered by hand with lead-free, RoHS compliant silver solder, and tested before it ships. Fixed at 10ft — this one is already built, so there is nothing to configure. It carries the same lifetime warranty as everything else that leaves the bench.
Being straight about it: we are not carrying the CA-0446 in the regular line either. What is left of it is on the clearance page alongside this one, and we may bring it back at some point. If you want the cable we preferred, that is where to look — same Best-Tronics build, made in the USA, at 20 pF/ft.
