Evidence Audio SIS Plug Review

Evidence Audio cables are the best available with the Lyric, Forte, Siren and Reveal growing in popularity and being used by many artists and professional musicians. These cables are expensive but well worth investing in for anyone who cares about their tone, signal strength and reliability.

When making Evidence patch cables we have always offered Monorail with soldered Neutrik plugs. The problem is they required a significant amount of time and therefore money to make a custom pedal board. We often looked to other brands who made cables that were solderless to reduce the labour. Although this worked, it didn’t compare with the quality of Evidence Audio.

SIS Plugs

Most other solderless cables use coaxial type where a pin is pushed into the middle of the cable to create the ‘tip’ connection. This means they must use a gripping mechanism to keep the cable connected. This is often achieve by pinching or driving a screw in to the side of the cable. Although this works it can cause problems if the cable has to be detached and reconnected, it causes cable damage if pulled around which can affect the grounding and therefore reliability.

Evidence developed the SIS plug to provide maximum strength, connection, ease of use and reliability. The design of the SIS plug is revolutionary as it self taps on to the award winning Monorail core, providing exceptional strength and connection. The very pure solid IGL copper conductor of the Monorail cable is softer than the brass SIS plug.

Before threading in to SIS Plug

After - You can see the thread in the soft copper core

The inside of the tip of the SIS plug is carefully machined to have “threads” of a precise size and pitch. These threads cut and re-shape the soft conductor of the Monorail when turned around it several times. When you push the prepared cable into the SIS plug, the soft copper will find the hole. When you turn the plug 1 or 2 times the harder brass core of the plug will catch and cut into the copper conductor. When you feel this happen you put the cap in place and screw the SIS plug into the cap. This action: – Turns the soft copper deeper into the SIS core – Mashes the ground up against the SIS body to make ground contact (air tight as the copper is deformed inside pushing air from the connection – Seals the red jacket at the exit tightly so that the cable will not come loose from the plug and the cap will not come loose from the plug body. When finished the tip/core connection with the Monorail is also air-tight and in many ways better than a soldered connection. If you unscrew the SIS plug and remove the Monorail cable you can see the soft copper has been shaped to meet with the SIS core.

Really Easy To Make

I have seen some really complex descriptions of how to make up an SIS Patch Cable. With exact measurements and people even asking which wire stripper settings to use.. It is actually so simple, all you need is a craft knife. I have put together the video below to show you how we make them up. There is no precise measuring and the cable is ultra reliable because of the simplicity.

Other Instructions - How To Make

 

The patch cables only take a few minutes to make, below is a guide using Evidence Audio's recommendation.

1. We use a craft knife to make the cables by stripping away the red rubber sleeve and a set of wire strippers for the core wire.

Note – Ensure the black rubber conductor has been stripped. When we made our first cables we did not remove it. We later found out from Evidence that this black rubber material is conductive and can cause shorts if it touches the core.

Evidence give specific measurements but once you’ve made a few you can do it by eye quite easily.

2. Once stripped, fold and twist the shield back, this will connect with the SIS plugs chassis (ground).

Thread the SIS plug on to the core with a couple of turns. If it isn’t threading correctly check to ensure the core wire is perfectly straight.

3. Bend the cable 90 degrees, place the cap on and continue to turn the plug until closed.

Summary

 

The SIS is the best patch cable available and is very well priced given it’s heritage and quality. The plugs are available at £5.99 each and the Monorail is £1.99 per foot. This makes a typical 6" cable less than £13.

SIS plugs take up very little room and can allow pedals to be placed very close together. With custom length and reversible right angles, pedal boards can be made tidy and reliable while maintaining exceptional signal transparency.

 

Evidence Audio SIS Plugs Product Page.. – Full product range including pre-made sizes at no extra charge.