Welcome to nickspicks, a page for sport taping enthusiasts where you can read reviews on gear used in field recording and the enjoyment of Hi-Fidelity sound reproduction (stereo geek).  



Hydra-Audio silver clad OFHC copper cables  
Stereo microphone cables
 http://www.hydra-audio.com

I love it when a clever innovation comes along.  This one is long overdue, or so one would think.  Hydra's claim to fame is that they market a two channel snake that features very high quality NOS military stock cable run through a single sheath of techflex.  The Y at each end is setup for recording in stereo with two microphones on one side, and then male XLRs on the other end w/a smaller split between channels.  Fit and finish is pretty solid, for a "out of the basement" type company. 

Custom products like this are always interesting.  Along with the nicely booted little "Y" ends, custom machined XLRs are also offered.  These reduce the footprint of the connector when in a tight gear bag or array of inputs.  They are cut down, epoxied and then rubber coated.  Pretty cool.

Good?  Some of it is.  The good part is its tight fit and form factor.  a 15' pair coils right up (and very easy to manipulate, deal with...I might add) and could almost fit in your back pocket.  They also sound amazingly clear.  I believe they have offered some sort of sonic upgrade to every application I've put them to use on.  ICs, speaker cables, power cables, everything you could want; Hydra makes.   I'm not going to get into the whole cable debate, but I feel as though I can tell the difference with silver-plated cables.  Its a perceived clarity I guess.   Another good point is that the cables come w/a lifetime warrantee.   Should they die for any reason, send them back and get them fixed or replaced for the cost of shipping only. 

Bad?  the cable is stiff, and as a result it conducts noise from contact.  Is this a problem ?  Depends on where you are.  The cables (mic cables any way) sell with velcroe straps, and if you apply them to the mic stand or whatever you are running on, then this isn't really an issue.  In a studio, same thing.  The environment is under control so don't touch them ! 

overall I think its a bargain.  With some manufactures asking hundreds for pretty much the same type of wire I can't see how $150 is too much of a risky investment.  I believe they offer a trail system on some of their products.