Introducing the Clarity range and new colour options by Loaded For Bear Audio!

Loaded for Bear Audio cables have found themselves right at home here since introducing them as a new member of the Home of Tone family back in February. I've since enjoyed stocking a selection of the range that is all handmade by Jon in the picturesque setting of Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire. The aesthetic fits in so so well with my personal tastes, and importantly, the cables are wonderfully made with great specs available. Which is why I'm writing this article today, as those great specs have just grown further with the introduction of a new cable range (as well as a couple of beautiful new colours across the entire range too!).



New cable
Introducing the 'Clarity Instrument Cable', a further upgrade, high quality cable for musicians wanting to achieve the very best for their rigs. These cables are made using Sommer SC-Spirit LLX 'Low-loss' cable, which is a very low capacitance cable at 52pF/m. In cable capacitance terms the lower the pico farads per meter (pF/m), the better the cable will perform, providing you with the best possible signal. So this particular Sommer cable can certainly be considered a premium choice that achieves an incredibly low capacitance. It's a chunky feeling, twist proof cable helping prevent any potential damage but still remains nice and flexible for easy handling and convenient use.

So how does this compare to the existing Loaded For Bear Audio range? The Standard range, if we can call it that, still features a significant upgrade over budget instrument cables on the market, and uses Van Damme Pro Grade Classic XKE Instrument cable. This cable provides a quality, reliable upgrade over many cables on the market, whilst staying respectfully wallet friendly considering it's quality. The Van Damme Pro Grade XKE is 90pF/m seeing as we're getting geeky on this post. Below I've photographed the new Clarity series cable on the left, next to the Van Damme equipped existing range on the right showing what you can expect the difference to be visually. Ultimately which you choose will be down to your budget in mind, or perhaps usage too. Both Loaded for Bear & myself proudly consider them to be professional grade instrument cables, with the Van Damme Pro Grade equipped cable offering a quality cable at an affordable price point, and the Sommer SC-Spirit LLX equipped cable offering a further upgrade to those perhaps taking their gear to the next level and a budget to allow that. 



New plugs
But it doesn't stop at the cable itself, as this new range also features a rather special plug at either end too. These feature the brilliant USA G&H plugs, with the notable feature for the user being the OFC copper core which goes straight through to the plug tip for maximum conductivity. Other than a potential 'sonic' benefit to the copper core, there is also a practical, reliability benefit in that should an accident occur at a gig for example and the plug is bent, the copper will stretch and not break. You can straighten it, play on and replace it later when you're not so pushed for time!



Internally, these are a little more 'maker' friendly. The hot solder tab is press fit and riveted for double reliability. The ground is staked to the plug sleeve so that it can never loosen and cause crackling and finally, the terminals, insulator and housing are interlocked to prevent turning and loosening. I think this is a great further upgrade option to offer, and they're available with right-angle or straight configuration depending on your preference. I have added a photo below of a side-by-side comparison of the G&H(right) & Switchcraft(left) straight configuration plugs for you to see also.



New Colours
We're also seeing a couple of new colours being introduced to the full Loaded for Bear range, but it felt fitting to coincide their release with these new premium cable options! The lovely neutral grey is named 'Ghill' and is joining the TERRA colour range, and the vibrant yet pastel shade Turquoise is named 'Ola' and is joining the LUMA colour range. These can be chosen across the Loaded For Bear range (and I hope to be stocking them across a selection of the range like I do for the other colour choices too!).



New patch cables!
Why not indulge a little more too, Loaded for Bear have been super busy developing the range, building on the customer feedback and user requirements, and earlier this month also introduced another Patch Cable option for their popular patch cable range too which I thought I'd spotlight here! Introducing the new Sommer cable & SP500 Squareplug option.



These are really low profile plugs, with neat square sides which makes using them in tighter spaces, perhaps something like a switcher unit on a pedalboard for example, much easier! With their Ultra–low–profile connector, they measure up at only 8.3mm (0.326") Deep x 17mm (0.67") Wide x 28mm (1.10") Tall, which is one of, if not the smallest 1/4" soldered connector on the market. These use Sommer cable too and will sit alongside the existing range of patch cable connections in the Loaded for Bear range, and I'm sure will be a popular choice for those musicians looking for a compact connector on busy pedalboards or studios.



I now also have a selection of the new range of cables available, in stock and ready to ship! You can view the Loaded For Bear Audio collection here on my website by clicking HERE

Thanks for reading!
James