Are you always buying into high-quality Neutrik connectors where possible, or are you buying cheaper products and replace them more often?
ASKED BY · Andre DeLay · BERLIN · 23 OCT 2026 · ▶ 00:53:15
Alexander prefers Neutrik connectors for their build quality and strain relief, noting cheaper ones have poor strain relief and problematic set screws that require tools.
Alexander highlighted that Neutrik's rigid boot on cheap connectors' flexible rubber boot makes a difference when cables are stepped on, preventing breaks.
Chris buys Neutrik D-subs for panel mount, sometimes cheaper power connectors depending on use case, and cheap XLR connectors since cables get repurposed frequently.
Courtney noted bulk Neutrik purchases approach cheap connector prices, and praised Neutrik's tool-free disassembly advantage over Switchcraft, plus better strain relief design.
Summarised by AI from what the panel said. Watch the moment for the full answer.
From the transcript.
Machine-transcribed, so it may contain errors. Every timestamp opens the episode at that second.
52:57I needed to dump to something because the AI lost the plot? Twice in an hour. If that, for you, is better than just a still shot and doesn't constitute your event as a failure, then give it a shot. But don't expect that this is going to replace a PTZ operator. Next question. This question is coming in from Andre DeLay in Berlin. Are you always buying into high-quality Neutrik connectors where possible, or are you buying cheaper products and replace them more often?
53:27Chris Sabato. No. No. So anytime I'm buying panel mount stuff, things that are like the D-subs, those are always Nutri-Connectors. All the time, any D-subs I'm buying, I'm buying the Nutri-Connectors. Power-Con stuff, I kind of go back and forth depending on my use case. If I just need a Power-Con connector, it's just for security and I don't need it super weather sealed or anything like that.
53:57a lot of times I'll use the knockoff power con connectors I'll also use cheap XLR connectors because like most of my XLRs and my ethernets for that matter my cables start out long until I need a short cable and so then I just cut it and put a new end on it and then my XLR ends get taken off lot and and so it i don't i don't mind having cheap ones there and they've the ones i've used
54:29have been fine um and it for me i think it's worth the savings on xlr stuff but um like i said for the panamount stuff i'm and anything that's really hard to replace i i want the the good stuff Alexander? Yeah, I don't like cheap connectors personally. I always buy the Neutrik stuff. I mean, I get a deal because I'm a Neutrik dealer, so there's that advantage too.
55:00But I've seen so many. I've used cables with cheaper connectors on them. I especially hate the generic ones that have a little set screw where you can't actually open it up without tools, which that to me is already no thanks. Thanks. And the other thing is the problem with a lot of the cheaper stuff is the strain relief is not very good.
55:23So the Neutrik stuff tends to bite down on the cable better so that it has, it's going to last longer, especially if things get pulled on the end of the wire like that. So there's a reason why I prefer those. And there's a reason why Neutrik is the standard in the industry. They're not that much more, you know, if you're going to be building your own cables,
55:44I would suggest you go, you know, spend a couple extra dollars, get the Neutrik. Courtney? Yeah, and if you buy them in bulk, they're about the same price. And I agree. The main reason I buy Neutrik over the old Switchcraft is you can see it here is the set screws required on the – both the strain relief and to get the center plug out to solder them on, you know, requires a little screwdriver.
56:13if you don't have one, you can't take that apart. The Neutrics, you can disassemble them by hand. You just unscrew the back, and it pops out, and the connector part comes out the back, which makes it easier so that you don't have to remember to put the shell on before you solder the wires to it. So, you know, it makes it a lot easier to assemble and disassemble.
56:35So the Neutric is better in that respect, and the fact that you can, the strain relief, if you can tighten it down or loosen it up by just adjusting that little screw on the by rotating the collar on the back as opposed to taking a screwdriver and attaching two set screws which will one day poke through that rubber and go right into your kit alexander okay so the other thing
56:57corny can you pull up that comparison shot between those two connectors that's another thing i wanted to actually mention here if we go back to courtney's shot because uh the other thing the other big thing that there's a reason why you pay for those Neutrik connectors is the those cheaper connectors like the that switch graph one that Courtney was showing you'll notice that those the and