[Kevin Haskins]

Canare plugs are pretty!  It's just those stock plastic boots that are chintzy looking, (though perfectly functional I am sure). With just shrink tube or plain they look fine.  And don't be discouraged by low prices, you can still end up spending a lot with the Canare cables and plugs.  For instance, just get yourself the crimp tool and dies plus the wire stripper for it.  That'll set ya back! I'd suggest that there are extra audiophile merit badges to be earned if not necessarily for spending thousands on your cables, but rather custom cutting each one to exact length - you know, so it sounds better!   I did that for my surround cabling and felt suitable dork pride.  It beats scrapbooking.

I don't advise using the Canare crimping tools.   Besides the expense you need a new tool for every cable/RCA/BNC combination.   I have the tools and I still solder them using Cardas RCAs which are not really any more expensive.    For digital or video cables I still use the Canare crimper & suitable terminations but for signal level cables I solder and use the Cardas parts.

[nathanm]

Well, after soldering conventional RCA jacks and then using the Canare system I was totally sold.  I'm like, "Now THAT'S full-ass."  It's like the people who designed it actually thought about having to use it themselves.  I only wish their phone jacks were crimpable too, cause I'd like to make some new guitar cable.  I do also have a soft spot for screw-tight RCAs however.  It's nice to not be at the mercy of metal tension alone.