the sssnake PFP2050

Headphone extensions have caused my hours of problems in my studio over the years, cheap cables just aren't worth the money, if they're not cutting out its a loose connection and headphones are taped into the socket, noise or any number of other complaints. It was thoroughly refreshing to find these well priced extensions that actually met criteria. They have handy little latches to stop artists/musicians wandering off and pulling cans out of the socket, they are made well (none have broken as of yet) and best yet, if they do break, you can simply unscrew the end and repair it yourself in seconds, none of this moulded nonsense. The sound is clean and noise free, would and will buy again.

Extensions for headphones are a must-have in studio work and some times even on stage. There are many ways to go about solving the playback problem from cheap 3,5mm cables to using mixers next to the artist. My experience has been that these sssnake cables are everywhere and for good reason.

So far I have seen one brake from the female end. I repeat - 1. To put this into perspective - I personally have 5 of these on the wall in daily use right now. In two separate studio/rehearsal spaces we have some on the wall at all times and each band member has their own. I have also installed these permanently in the room, connecting multiple of them to reach from the source to rehearsal space/live room (I know it's frowned upon, but hey - if it works...). I can't be the only one doing it.

They are sturdy, but not pretty. That heavy duty feature comes with a cost. They are a bit bulky, but still fit in your pocket when connected to something like in-ear monitors.

I gave 4 stars because of the bulkiness and for not having longer cable options available. The last point is probably the most annoying part. I know that longer cables tend to pick up interference and what not, but a little noise in your in-ears while a metal band is playing in the same room goes unnoticed. Also this has no effect on the recording as it is just playback, many time just click.

In any case - if you have similar issues just buy more of them. But be warned - they have a tendency to magically disappear. That's the main reason I have to restock from time to time. To all those wandering cables out there - I know you are still alive and well, helping someone with their creative ventures. I hope you and your new owners are happy.

I don't know when people started labelling these 1/4" jacks as 'headphone jacks', but I must have missed the memo. Great cable, but not what I wanted.

You are FAR better to have a mini-jack or 3.5mm jack headphone extension cable, so that it will fit most headphone outputs. You can safely just use an adapter to step-it-up, if you come across a 1/4" socket.

But the opposite is not true - 1/4" to mini-jack step-down adapters can easily break. So this cable is pretty worthless unless you know you will only ever want to plug it into a 1/4" headphone socket.

So personally I would never have labelled this 1/4" jack as a 'headphone extension'. In fact, I don't think I've ever used a pair of headphones that have been fitted with a 1/4" jack.

Anyway, good cable, but ensure it is what you're looking for.

Comes a time when you're building your home studio when you find yourself (and your teammates) struggling against distances and trying to do your best even though your neck is twisting in a not so comfortable way, comes a time when you realize the short lenght of your headphone cable forces you to look like Stephen Hawking. This is the time of the Headphone Extension Cable! Now, that is something sooner or later everybody has to get. And most of us doesn't require a stellar quality extension cable, the majority of the people just needs something which works fine and doesn't break. And, most of all, something which allows your neck to be straight vertical anytime you want. And that's it! 5 meters are enough for me, I use it while tracking relatively close to my audio interface. There is no signal issue, nothing like noise etc. The connectors are solid and the cable in general gives me the idea it will last long. Feels sturdy and reliable. It's good, a safe buy for sure.

The cable is not collecting noise or hum by itself. It just works.

The problem is with jack socket. You see, right after I applied a little force to check how secure the locking mechanism is, the metal-ish chassis slid down the cable. There is absolutely nothing holding the chassis and plastic parts together as of right now. Apparently in my case the screw that is supposed to do that is a little bit too short.

The locking mechanism works though, can not say a bad word against it. The socket can be easily fixed, too, but it's a shame it's not done properly right out of the box.