Pro Co audio products are found "On Stage with the Best" performers. Whether you're using your MIDI devices for live performances or in your garage or basement, Pro Co Excellines MIDI cables can handle any signal you send through them. They're made from high-quality materials with excellent shielding, and they provide error-free data transfer between any and all MIDI-enabled devices. All sorts of musicians, from amateur to professional, depend on Pro Co cables to deliver problem-free performance in the studio and on stage.
These MIDI cables have nearly every feature we looked for in the MIDI interface cables we reviewed, which is why they are our pick for the TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award. In addition to having the best materials and superior design, they come in a range of lengths to accommodate all sorts of audio equipment setups, from simple to complex. To learn why they are among the best MIDI cables available, let's discuss their features, durability, options and Pro Co's help and support in detail.
Pro Co's 5-pin MIDI cables have excellent features and rate highly in this category. Their ultra high-quality cable construction and design provide years of pristine signal transfer during even the most rugged use on the road, where they are rolled and unrolled, plugged in and unplugged, tangled and untangled, stepped on and dropped on a daily basis. Despite the rough treatment they may have to endure, these MIDI cables are up to the challenge.
Pro Co Excellines MIDI connectors use high-purity copper wire that is not oxygen-free – they don't believe that OFC wire is necessary or even possible, since copper requires some oxygen to maintain its proper molecular structure – but is superb for signal transfer nevertheless. They are made from Pro Co's 424F cable, and the MIDI wire consists of four copper center conductors that are discretely wired to the DIN connector pins, with one pin maintaining a ground. The conductors are encased in an aluminum foil shield that provides 100 percent coverage to block out any and all interference for maximum performance quality, and the black PVC jacket protects the cable from wear and tear.
Excellines Series MIDI cords use 5-pin male-to-male Neutrik connectors that are silver-plated for immaculate data transfer. The connectors are joined to the cable with solid shell molding and rubber stress collars to protect the joints from wear and tear and tensile strain. The DIN connectors are designed to fit tightly into MIDI inputs to prevent them from being pulled loose during a performance or recording, so you will need to push hard to ensure that they connect fully with the input jack.
Pro Co MIDI cables are very durable and built to last. The musicians who use them generally recommend them highly due to their quality construction and long life. While you may not notice a huge difference between brands when using short MIDI cables, differences in quality become apparent when you use cables that are upwards of 15 or 20 feet in length. So when you use long cables or many MIDI cords, the quality becomes more important since more cables means more chances for error or data log jam, which occurs when too much MIDI information is sent to a device all at once, faster than it can be processed and played. The superior design and quality materials in Pro Co MIDI interface cables help prevent data log jam – as much as is physically possible.
Pro Co MIDI cables only come in a black PVC jacket with gleaming metal connectors, but they do come in a variety of lengths. You can choose between 3-, 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, 25- and 50-foot cables depending on the type of setup you use. Unfortunately, they do not come with color-coded rings or any other means of differentiation, so you'll probably want to use colored tape or labels, especially if you are setting up and taking down your equipment regularly. They also sell cable snakes, which are a number of individual cables encased in a thick PVC jacket that can connect multiple devices to multiple inputs on a mixing board without a mess of wires. You can also purchase Pro Co audio wire in bulk if you wish to make your own instrument or MIDI cables of custom lengths by adding your own connectors.
Pro Co's website has a phone number and email address to contact customer support, but they aren't good about responding in a timely manner. You may want to visit the Marshall Electronics website – Pro Co's parent company – to obtain support or further information since the Pro Co site has very little information regarding their MIDI cables. Pro Co's five-year warranty for their MIDI connectors is obviously not as attractive as the lifetime warranty that most other MIDI cable manufacturers offer, which is why they score lower in this category.
While there are some areas where Pro Co could improve – namely customer support and an extended warranty – the quality of their MIDI cables makes them a desirable option for musicians of all genres and skill levels. We are confident in the quality of the Pro Co Excellines Series MIDI cables, which is why we rate them so highly in spite of the limited warranty and lackluster support. Overall, we're satisfied with the quality of their MIDI connectors and know that you will be as well.
