Recently I wrote a review for stompbox patch cables by EBS. I went to check prices on buying more and found these Maka cables, so I bought some to test.
They’re half the price of the EBS but are they as good? Lets compare them.
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You can read my review of the EBS cables for back story about stompbox patch cables. In this review I’m going to focus on the comparison between the Maka and the EBS models since their marketing is similar and their physical shapes are also very similar.
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PRICE - A big difference between the EBS and the Maka patch cables is the price. The EBS is about $8 each and the Maka cost $4 each.
LENGTH - The Maka are long enough but they’re quite a bit shorter than the EBS. The Maka are advertised as 4” and the EBS are advertised as 3.9”. Here they are side by side, you decide.
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PLUG SHAPE - Maka seems to have the shape of the male connector figured out, they’re equal to the excellent EBS plugs. I tested both brands in multiple pedals by Boss, Boogie, Earthquaker Devices, JHS, EHX, Fulltone, Caline, Bogner, Joyo, J Rocket, and even Amazon Basics. The electrical connections worked flawlessly across all these pedals (unlike some other off brand cables I’m not talking about ;-).
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PERFORMANCE - The Maka patch cables are long enough to connect pedals together and short enough to keep excess wire out of the way. The flat wire on the Maka cables seems to be at least equal to the EBS in electrical performance. I had no problems with feedback or high frequency loss using either brand. The flat wire allows pedals to snug up close together with little effort.
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MOLDED PLUGS - EBS and Maka use molded plugs on the ends of these patch cables. They both seem to be well done and after experimenting for months with the EBS and a few weeks with the Maka, I have no complaints about the molded connectors by either brand. Chances are you have no way to repair or solder flat wire in a reliable manner so an openable connector would be of little use while increasing cost. I’ve had zero failures or problems so far with the molded plugs.
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CLEAN THE PLUGS - I’m finding the plugs to be filthy on ALL new cables I’ve purchased in the last year. It does not matter the brand or country of origin. I use DeoxIT D5 to clean the plugs on ALL new cables and it makes an amazing difference in audio performance. Try it, you’ll like it.
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TRAIN THEM TO STAY TIGHT - EBS ships their cables with a little label around them which trains the wire to stay in a nice tight U-shape. The advantage of this is that the wire does not try to push pedals apart. You can train the Maka cables to do the same thing. With reuseable cable ties I made little circles and left the cables in these when not in use. It worked, they now stay in the U-shape and help pull the pedals closer together.
MAKA PATCH CABLES - LIKES
Low price per cable
Long enough to connect most side-jack pedals
Short enough to keep wire out of the way
DISLIKES
Not long enough for side to top mount connections
Very dirty connectors on electrical connections
EPILOGUE
The Maka stompbox patch cables offer a reliable way to connect pedals together. They are best suited for pedals with side mounted jacks due to their short length.
The Maka patch cables offer an attractive tool for joining pedals together without straining the jacks of your effects.
Good Music To You!
©February, 2022 by Mark King for High on Technology. It is not ok to quote or copy without written permission. Thanks for reading High on Technology.
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