***UPDATE*** This cable unexpectedly failed after 3 years of very light indoor studio use. I compared it to Pyle and it still works. I don't know if that's because it's used more or not, but given my low usage I've decided to take the star off - mostly because all the other XLR cables I have still work and they do are cheap too. Without trying to be too harsh on the little guy, I know I can't expect much for $5, but hey, if your competitors are doing better than you, it means you have room to grow. It was a bit of a surprise, I actually thought it was my mic or deck so I was delighted to find out it was just an XLR cable that had failed. There was no warning, and it didn't seem to matter how many times I rotated to get rid of static or whatever. That was with a phantom powered mic, so maybe with a passive mic I would get some hiss or something. ***END*** I received this XLR cable along with a second one for the same price. I didn't know which one to take, I needed 2 and decided to take the opportunity to find out which one was better. The other cable I received was a Pyle PPFMXLR15 15ft XLR Male to XLR Female Microphone Cable. This cable is longer and the cable and connectors feel stronger and more durable. I've also noticed that it holds up better than the Pyle line. Overall, this cable is better in every way, but it's still a budget XLR cable. The ends don't look usable if they are short/breaking and the cable isn't as thick or as flat as my expensive cables. Although this was to be expected. It works exceptionally well for the Boom, which is why I got it.