GLS Audio 1/4 inch Plugs for Patch Cables, Balanced Cables, Snakes - TRS Male Stereo 1/4 Inch Phono 6.3mm Phone Plug Bulk - Pack of 20

First, I've been doing Radio/Electronics as both a hobby and a profession for over 60 years. In that time I've made more than my share of cables, audio, RF, you name it. (Wish I had a dollar in my pocket for every cable I've made or repaired in the past 60+ years).I recently added a Behringer 12 Chan iaudio mixer to my Ham Radio and Shortwave receiver setup. Intent, route the audio from ALL my radios AND the computer to the Fender Passport Pro 150 Stereo PA system that serves as the radio/music room audio system. "Stock" cables wouldn't do as my transmitters would get into the sound system when I'm talking (NOTHING like 120Watts of audio feedback between the speakers and the radio microphone in a 14x20 foot radio room).***********************************************************Since RF filtered audio cables aren't the 'norm' I had to make my own with double shielded cable, and since I had to buy the 1/4" TRS plugs anyway, chose the GLS plugs for the task. I've used these before (bought at the local music store at a higher price) for my guitar & piano cords so I was aware of their quality (cheap plugs often have connection problems between the solder lug and the body or tip of the plug, makes for erratic operation.NOT SO with these plugs, they're the good stuff, and there was enough room in the body to install two small 1/8 Watt resistors and a capacitor for the RF filters. The results were nice "RF Quiet" connections between the radio, mixer & amplifier.I still have a few left but I WILL be buying some more as I'm always making/repairing cables for the church and other musicians.

I've done recording studio wiring for many years including owning/wiring my own studio. I no longer do studio work as a job but more so as personal hobby work. In the past I've used Neutrik and Switchcraft connectors which have are widely used due to their reliability and durability. I have recently been wiring a few studio racks which included patch bays that use a 1/4in balanced TRS connector. I decided to give these GLS connectors a try due to them being more budget friendly than the bigger name brands I have used in the past. I found them to be just as good as the Switchcraft and Neutrik connectors I've used. The only con I could find with these connectors as compared to the others is with the end clamp that crimps onto the cable and is intended for a strain relief. The GLS connector strain relief clamps comes semi pre-closed where you would need to slide the cable through the crimp end. I prefer for the crimp to be fully open so you can lay the cable into the connector and then crimp the strain relief down after the mic cable is soldered. It's just a minor inconvenience where I just used a pair of needle nose pliers to fully open the wire crimps so I could lay the wire into the connector, perform my solders and then re-bend the crimps back down for the strain relief onto the mic cable. The quality and durability is definitely on par with the bigger name brands.

These are great plugs, and a good value compared to Switchcraft - and the cable clamp is much better with longer prongs. The biggest problem is that the holes in the tip and ring terminals are TINY and you'll have trouble shoving higher gauge wire into those terminals. Sometimes I just solder onto the side of the terminal rather than try and put the wire through. The holes on switch craft plugs are bigger so that is a head-scratcher.

I had a need to make some 1/4" Patch Cables for out PA System at my church. I tossed the idea of just buying ready-made jumpers, or make them myself. I do KNOW how I solder and the quality of cables I strive to make. I purchased these 1/4" TRS plugs for my purpose. They are very well made and soldered easily. The cable clamp was actually heavier gauge metal than I suspected it was. Again, it was quality.I would definitely recommend these to anyone wishing to use TRS connectors on their projects. No, they are not gold-plated, but then again... some of the plated ones I have used in the past did not strike me as a good quality plug in construction. I have actually had connection problems with a couple of gold plated ones I purchased a few years ago. NOT purchased from this vendor!Another thing I noticed with these plugs is the Fiberglass insulator in the construction. I've had many over the years that use plastic.... low temperature style and have had them melt while soldering them. Also they tend to get loose between the conductors after a few years.Visit the GLS Site as well!

In the pic, left one is GLS and the other is Switchcraft. As you can see, the original Switchcraft(Made in USA & S. Korea OEM) has a larger/thicker tip and thinner shim for ring and sleeve isolation. It's not much of a difference and GLS plugs make contacts well with nice fit, but I wish they make their products more like original Switchraft. But again, for the money, this is a good deal.

These plugs are well made both internally and externally. Other plug I have used have very thin tabs to solder the wires to. These are also fairly thin but are thick enough that they will do their job for many years to come. The tabs on some others I have used are so thin and brittle that they have broken when bending them around to solder the wires to them. These didn't have that problem at all.I really only have two minor complaints. First is that they are only available 20 at a time. I really didnt need that many but it was a good enough deal that I went for it. Packs of 4 or 10 would be nice. The second is that the hole in the back of the shell is pretty small, limiting the wire size you can use. Different cable types have different jacket thickness so you will have to choose either smaller conductors or a cable with a compact jacket. The 3rd option is to drill the exit of the shell larger.Overall these should do the trick for any cable with a #16 or smaller conductor or possibly #14 with careful cable selection.