the sssnake MC164

So, an unbeatable price and the usual prompt and efficient Thomann service, but I did have a few issues with the product.

The first is with the labeling and I mention this because even though this is a very keenly priced product, it really wouldn't have cost any more to do this better. The lesser issue is the numbering of the XLRs at he 'tail end' - it would have been nice to underline the '6' and the '9' to differentiate between them, but the bigger and more annoying issue is the labeling on the stage box; very small, very dark grey numbers on a black background! I'm guessing that whoever made that decision has never had to re-plug on a dark stage.

The cable that arrived sadly also had a fault; the pin 1 connection was open circuit on one of the cores. Rather than go to the trouble of returning the item, I fixed this myself which entailed opening up the connector and stage box. This revealed a couple of things. Although the fault was not at the tail end, the soldering in the connector was quite poor (quite a lot of exposed copper in there), so I will have to open those up and check them all. However the I traced the fault to the stage box. The connectors in there are mounted on two PCBs with the cables soldered onto those and the missing screen connection had never been connected and was simply floating around. An easy fix, but, I think, indicative of lax quality control. Again the general internal wiring was quite 'messy' and all of the pin 1 (screen) connections are 'commoned'.

So my conclusions; OK for the price, but carry a soldering iron, test it carefully and treat it gently.

Having purchased the sssnake over a year ago, my primary concern regarding a product like this (multiple channels that I can rely on every time I use it!) has been satisfied. Although not used on a daily basis (once or twice times a month perhaps), it has really taken a beating so far! The quality of the product is not (at least) below what is to be expected for the price. The outer shielding of the cable could perhaps be a little thicker in my opinion. I have not yet had to inspect the internals but the multicore box entry point seems strong and sealed well by the screwing top. One slight issue did occur with this however, as the outer shielding came loose after a particular show and had to be re-inserted with the screw cap loose. Aside from this small issue the multi has held up well against shows where only tape protected the cable from pedestrian traffic, prams, wheelchairs etc. Minus the fact the shielding could be thicker, the core tends to "squash" well under pressure, meaning it would take either something OVER approx. 100-150kg or very sharp to damage the internal cabling. (Have witnessed similar bulk cable types "crush" under pressure as the core is too tight, breaking the internal wiring). So far, so good. Highly recommended if required within a budget.

A great multicore for the price -
the tail ends are well marked, making it easy to cable up in limited light and the connections clip easily home on every console i have used, not too tight, meaning you don't have to wrestle the connections in and out.
the tail cable covers are usually thick making them more sturdy and less vulnerable than average multicores. the different colour coding for sends and returns also makes cabling up easier.
I would caution that these are not nuetrik/rean ends - not bad for bduget but more than once i have had to unscrew the cap to the connector and re-screw.
the numbers on the stage box aren't as good - grey/green on black making them hard to identify at a distance.
the velcro bag to contain tails is also a nice touch - though its starting to show signs of wear after a year;s use.
all in all good for the price but remember it's a budget multicore

SSSnake cables have always been reliable and of a high enough quality for me and bands i've recorded sage managed have never noticed when I've swapped one in for a planet waves so i bought this with confidence and i was rewarded. First impressions were it has a good weight, its heavy and the cable is really thick will survive most things in its life, the connectors fit well and the wire into connector jon feels nice and solid. That actual stage box again is well made and the connectors are really stiff so should last a while. The inputs could be better marked but its not rocket science to count to 16.
Sounds are nice and clear no real loss that I noticed or crackles. Best of all both the stage box and the loose connector ends come with nice protector bags which was a very nice surprise.
Great buy Highly recommended.