A three-meter mono jack lead: one ring on the plug, unbalanced, which is exactly what an electric instrument sends to an amplifier. It is not the cable a monitor speaker wants.
KabelDirekt 6.3 mm Instrument Cable 3 m
A three-meter mono jack lead: one ring on the plug, unbalanced, which is exactly what an electric instrument sends to an amplifier. It is not the cable a monitor speaker wants.
Connector
6.3 mm (0.25 in) mono jack (TS)
Length
3 m (10 ft)
Signal
Unbalanced
Use
Instrument to amplifier or interface instrument input
Amazon reference
B07PG8ZTTL (identical on 6 markets)
EAN
4260414846007
Three meters is enough to stand up and move without being enough to pick up hum
Mono TS is the correct type for a guitar or bass, and the listing says so
Unbalanced: not the cable for a studio monitor or a long line run
Best for: Guitar or bass into an amplifier, or into the instrument input of an interface.
Instrument to amplifier or interface instrument input
Amazon reference
B07PG8ZTTL (identical on 6 markets)
EAN
4260414846007
This is the cable that should have been in the box, and often is not.
A 6.3 mm (0.25 in) mono jack — TS, one ring on the plug — carries an unbalanced signal from an electric instrument to an amplifier. That is what a guitar, a bass and the instrument input of an interface expect, and it is the most common cable in this niche.
What it is not is a monitor cable. Studio monitors take balanced TRS or XLR, and a TS lead plugged into a balanced input will work while being more vulnerable to hum and interference. The two plugs are nearly identical to look at, which is the source of a great deal of confusion.
Three meters is the sensible length. It allows movement without being long enough to act as an aerial, which is what causes the buzz that appears only when the guitar is plugged in.
The questions players ask
TS or TRS — how do I tell?
Count the black rings on the plug. One ring is TS, mono and unbalanced: instruments. Two rings is TRS, balanced or stereo: monitors, line signals and some headphone connections. They fit the same socket and behave differently, which is why a monitor on a TS cable can hum.
Does a longer cable sound worse?
On an unbalanced instrument cable, yes, eventually: the longer the run, the more interference it picks up and the more high end it loses. Three to six meters is the usual practical range; beyond that a balanced connection or an active box is the fix.
MIDI in and out on one end, USB-C on the other, over six and a half feet — the only MIDI cable here that publishes its length, with lights that say which color means what.
Connection
5-pin MIDI in and out to USB-C, with a built-in driver for direct connection (maker’s bullet)
Length
6.5 ft — the only MIDI cable on this shelf that publishes a length (from the title)
Channels
Up to 16 input and 16 output channels (maker’s bullet)
Indicators
Red for power, blue for signal transfer and connection — the only listing on this shelf that says which color means what (maker’s bullet)
Conductor
Soft bare copper, with stated resistance to electromagnetic interference (maker’s bullet)
Driver
None required — stated plug and play on Windows 7, 8, 10 and macOS (maker’s bullet)
Published caution
In the maker’s own words: some older or vintage synthesizers may require specific driver settings or proprietary interfaces, and may not be recognized. The only MIDI listing on this shelf to publish a limit of its own (maker’s bullet)
Stated devices
Electronic keyboards, digital pianos, synthesizers and drum pads, to Mac, Windows PC or iPad (maker’s bullet)
Manufacturer reference
LUM-03
Weight
100 g (3.5 oz) in the product record
Amazon reference
B09KZ3X59K
EAN
0793811894240
USB-C at the computer end, which is the only socket on a good many current laptops
The only MIDI cable here with a published length, and 6.5 ft reaches a stand across a desk
Twice the price of the USB-A MIDI cable on this shelf for the same 16 channels
Best for: A current laptop with USB-C sockets and a keyboard whose only MIDI connection is 5-pin DIN.
A 1/4-inch plug with a 3.5 mm (0.14 in) socket in the end of it, in one piece of metal, at the lowest published price on this shelf. What it does not say is whether it carries stereo.
Direction
6.35 mm (0.25 in) male to 3.5 mm (0.14 in) female — it goes into a 1/4-inch socket and takes a 3.5 mm (0.14 in) plug (from the title)
Contacts
MOBOREST puts nothing in writing on this. The listing never says TS or TRS, so whether the adapter passes stereo or sums it is unpublished — and that distinction is the subject of another page on this shelf
Housing
One-piece metal, stated durable enough to be tossed in pockets, bags and travel cases (maker’s bullet)
Conductor
Solid pure copper with 24K gold-plated connectors (maker’s bullet)
Grip
360-degree grip treads, stated to make plugging and unplugging easy and secure (maker’s bullet)
Pack
One piece — 1P in the title (from the title)
Finish
Black (maker’s bullet)
Price
$5.99 — the lowest published price on this shelf
Manufacturer reference
MOBOREST puts nothing in writing on this. No maker’s reference appears in the listing at all, only the Amazon one below
Weight
18 g (0.6 oz) in the product record
Amazon reference
B088DV177F
EAN
0633337843011
At $5.99 the least expensive item on this shelf, and often the part that was actually missing
One piece of metal: there is no molded join to work loose, which is where cheap adapters fail
The listing never states TS or TRS, so whether it carries a stereo signal is unpublished
Best for: Plugging 3.5 mm (0.14 in) headphones into the 1/4-inch socket of an amplifier, a digital piano or a keyboard.
A spring-coiled lead that extends from 6.6 to 9.8 feet and pulls back out of the way, with a bend count in the listing that nothing else on this shelf publishes.
Connection
6.35 mm (0.25 in) to 3.5 mm (0.14 in), stated for amplifiers, electronic keyboards, mixers and guitars (maker’s bullet)
Length
6.6 to 9.8 ft — a range, because the cable is coiled and stretches (from the title)
Construction
Spring-loaded coil, described as tangle-free and stretchable. The only coiled cable on this shelf (maker’s bullet)
Durability
Stated tested to withstand 15,000+ bends. No other listing on this shelf publishes a bend count (maker’s bullet)
OneOdio Pro10, Pro30 and Pro50 headphones, named in the title alongside amplifiers, keyboards and mixers
Color
Red (from the title)
Contacts
Described as a stereo adapter cable. The listing does not use the words TS or TRS (maker’s bullet)
Manufacturer reference
43222-9282
Weight
499 g (17.6 oz) in the product record, which is 1.1 lb almost exactly — a shipping figure rather than a weighed cable. Nothing on this page is ranked on it
Amazon reference
B06XBLQJRV
EAN
0709466429478
A coil takes up the slack itself: the length is there when you step back and gone when you do not
The only listing on this shelf that publishes a durability figure at all — 15,000 bends and over
A coil pulls: on a light headphone or a desk stand it drags the plug sideways
Best for: A player who moves between a seat and an amplifier, where a straight lead would lie on the floor.
A heavy-duty Z-frame rated at 250 lb that publishes how it adjusts rather than just that it does: height in 1.25-inch steps, width in 2-inch steps, with two anchoring straps and a headphone hook in the box.
Load rating
250 lb stated, for the heaviest instruments. Four of the twelve stands on this shelf publish this figure; one publishes 100 lb; seven publish none (maker’s bullet)
Height
22.5 to 33.5 in, in 1.25 in increments — the finest published step on this shelf (maker’s bullet)
Width
22.5 to 33.5 in, in 2 in increments (maker’s bullet)
Retention
Two anchoring straps that attach the keyboard to the stand, plus four adjustable feet and anti-skid foam pads (maker’s bullet)
Included
A headphone hook. Four of the twelve items on this shelf have one, and all four are from this maker (maker’s bullet)
Stated fit
54 to 88 keys, and stated for DJ mixers, turntables, synths and MIDI keyboards as well (from the title and maker’s bullet)
Frame
Z-style, stated less likely to tip than an X-style stand — which is the argument another page on this shelf makes in its own words (maker’s bullet)
Setup
Stated under a minute to set up or break down, packing flat for transport (maker’s bullet)
Wheels
None. The same maker sells this stand with wheels as MS1080, two dollars dearer — and that listing publishes a 1.5 in height step rather than 1.25 in
Manufacturer reference
MS1078
Weight
7,000 g (246.9 oz) in the product record, which is 7.0 kg (15.4 lb) exactly — a shipping figure. Nothing here is ranked on it
Amazon reference
B07574VQPQ
EAN
0703610714892
A published 250 lb rating, which answers the question the X-frame page on this shelf has to leave open
The finest published height step here at 1.25 in, so the right setting is reachable
Two dollars buys the same stand with wheels from the same maker
Best for: A heavy weighted 88-key piano that needs a stand with a number on it.
The MS1078 on wheels, at two dollars more: the same 250 lb rating, the same straps and headphone hook, the same width steps — and a height step of 1.5 inches rather than 1.25.
Wheels
Yes. Three of the twelve stands on this shelf have wheels, at $44.99, $79.99 and $159.99 (from the title)
Load rating
250 lb stated — the only wheeled stand on this shelf that publishes a capacity (maker’s bullet)
Height
22.5 to 33.5 in, in 1.5 in increments. The same maker’s MS1078, two dollars cheaper and without wheels, publishes 1.25 in (maker’s bullet)
Width
22.5 to 33.5 in, in 2 in increments — identical to the MS1078 (maker’s bullet)
Retention
Two anchoring straps, four adjustable feet and anti-skid foam pads (maker’s bullet)
Included
A headphone hook (maker’s bullet)
Stated fit
54 to 88 keys, and stated for DJ mixers, turntables, synths and MIDI keyboards (from the title and maker’s bullet)
Wheel locks
Liquid Stands puts nothing in writing on this. The cheapest wheeled stand on this shelf states locking wheels explicitly
Manufacturer reference
MS1080
Weight
7,310 g (257.9 oz) in the product record, against 7,000 g (246.9 oz) for the same stand without wheels
Amazon reference
B079YWMH91
EAN
0070361071537
The only wheeled stand on this shelf that publishes a load rating, and it is 250 lb
Two dollars over the fixed version, which is less than the castors would cost separately
The height step is 1.5 in, coarser than the 1.25 in of the same maker’s cheaper stand
Best for: A heavy 88-key piano that has to cross a hard floor and then stand still under weight.
The MS1078 stand with a stainless-steel padded bench: both pieces rated to 250 lb, the bench adjusting in one-inch steps from 17.5 to 22 inches and weighing a stated nine pounds.
Contents
MS1078 Z-frame stand and MS1083 bench — the reference is published as the pair, KIT-MS1078-MS1083
Stand rating
250 lb stated, with height and width both 22.5 to 33.5 in, in 1.5 in and 2 in increments (maker’s bullet)
Bench rating
250 lb stated. The only bench on this shelf that publishes a capacity (maker’s bullet)
Bench height
17.5 to 22 in, in 1 in increments — the only bench height figures published on this shelf. The other bench here states four positions and no inches (maker’s bullet)
Bench size
17 in wide, 12 in deep, with a plush padded seat on a stainless steel frame (maker’s bullet)
Bench weight
9 lb stated by the maker. The only published weight of any item on this shelf (maker’s bullet)
Retention
Two anchoring straps, four adjustable feet, anti-skid foam pads and a headphone hook on the stand (maker’s bullet)
Stated fit
54 to 88 keys (from the title)
Manufacturer reference
KIT-MS1078-MS1083
Weight
4,082 g (144 oz) in the product record — 9 lb exactly, which is precisely the weight the maker publishes for the bench alone. The record carries one package of a two-package set, so it is not the weight of what arrives, and nothing here is ranked on it
Amazon reference
B0B5LZNWGM
EAN
0850029514350
Both pieces publish a 250 lb rating, which no other stand-and-bench pairing here does
The bench adjusts in one-inch steps from 17.5 to 22 in, which is fine enough to actually find the right seat
At $159.99 it is twice the stand on its own, and the same price as the second-tier kit here
Best for: A player setting up an 88-key piano properly in one go, where seat height matters as much as key height.
