10 Best Cables For Studio Monitors (Budget to Top Quality)

When looking for the best cables for your studio monitors, you’ll find a lot of articles that over-explain the technical aspects, so I wrote this to tell you just the information you need.

The best cables for studio monitors depend on if your speakers require a balanced or unbalanced cable. To find this simply check the product page or manual for your speakers.

To make things as simple as possible for you, I’ve looked up the best cables for some of the more popular speakers and studio monitors out there, as well as found the best cables at a variety of different price points.

Here is a no-fluff look at the best cables for a bunch of different applications. For a more detailed look at each, simply read on, my friend. 🙂

Best Overall Cables for Studio Monitors

When it comes to picking the best overall speaker cables, it really depends on the type of input your particular speaker has. Generally, your speakers will need either what is called unbalanced or balanced cables.

Balanced cables are of higher quality. They have higher signal-to-noise ratios and are less prone to hums, buzzes, crackles, and other annoying electrical interference.

Unbalanced cables are usually cheaper. They also may be the only option your speakers have.

Other than the type of cable, your speakers may take a different style of connection. These are either RCA-style, XLR-style, and standard jack-style. You can even find cables that convert between the different styles.

I’ve identified the best overall cables for all of these situations below:

Best Balanced Cables for Studio Monitors

The best balanced cables for studio monitors are the Hosa HSS-010 REAN 1/4″.

Here is why:

• They have high-quality nickel-plated plugs
• They are available in a variety of different lengths
• They have an insane amount of positive reviews
• They are very reasonably priced

Check the price on Amazon.
Read the reviews on Amazon.

Best Unbalanced Cables for Studio Monitors

The best unbalanced cables for studio monitors are the Hosa HPR-010X2 Dual REAN.

Here is why:

• They have “OFC spiral shields” for a higher signal-to-noise ratio and sound quality that is closer to balanced cables
• You get two cables for the price
• They are available in a variety of different lengths

Check the price on Amazon.
Read the reviews on Amazon.

Best Overall Based on Connection Type

Because the speakers you own may have very specific connection types on the back, I’ve identified the absolute best cables you can buy for all the different connection types.

Best XLR Cables For Studio Monitors

The best XLR cables for studio monitors are the Monoprice Premier Series.

Check the price on Amazon.
Read the reviews on Amazon.

Best TRS Cables For Studio Monitors

The best TRS cables for studio monitors are the Hosa HSS-010 REAN 1/4″.

Check the price on Amazon.
Read the reviews on Amazon.

Best RCA Cables For Studio Monitors

The best RCA cables for studio monitors are the Monoprice Premium RCA Cables.

Check the price on Amazon.
Read the reviews on Amazon.

Best XLR to TRS Cables For Studio Monitors

The best TRS cables for studio monitors are the Monoprice Premier Series.

Check the price on Amazon.
Read the reviews on Amazon.

Best RCA to TRS Cables For Studio Monitors

The best TRS cables for studio monitors are the Hosa HPR-010X2 Dual REAN.

Check the price on Amazon.
Read the reviews on Amazon.

Best Budget Cables for Studio Monitors

If you are trying to save as much money as possible on the cables for your studio monitors, I’ve found the best cables that still deliver on quality while being extremely affordable.

It’s all about balance (I hope you get the pun haha).

• Best budget XLR-type cables: AmazonBasics XLR
• Best budget TRS-type cables: Hosa Dual TRS
• Best budget RCA-type cables: Ugreen 2RCA
• Best budget RCA to TRS cables: Hosa Dual RCA to TRS
• Best budget XLR to TRS cables: Cable Matters TRS to XLR

Click the links on any of the above products to check the price and reviews on Amazon. Just about all of these products are under $10 and some even include 2 cables for that price.

Best High End Cables for Studio Monitors

When it comes to the best high-end cables for your studio monitors, definitely check out Mogami Cables.

These cables are top of the line and will deliver absolutely pristine quality. However, I don’t think they are the best overall due to the price point.

In fact, I noticed that most articles on speaker cables almost always recommend them and it is probably because they are trying to get a high Amazon affiliate commission off of you.

Check these out if you want the best of the best, however, I would not say that the Mogami cables provide the best value for the price and are therefore not the best overall cables in my books!

Best Cables For KRK Rokit

Most studio monitors in the KRK Rokit series are versatile in the way that they can use RCA, TRS, or XLR cables. So which option is best?

The best cables for KRK Rokits are the Monoprice Premier Series XLR cables if your audio interface has XLR outputs and the Monoprice Premier Series TRS to XLR cables if your audio interface has TRS outputs.

Avoid using the unbalanced RCA connection on the KRK Rokits when possible to minimize any electrical interference like hum, buzz, or crackle.

Best Speaker Cables For Focusrite Interfaces

If you are using a Focusrite audio interface like any in the Scarlett line of products, the main audio output connection type is TRS.

For this reason, I would recommend using the Monoprice Premier Series TRS to XLR cables if your speakers have an XLR input or the Hosa HSS-010 REAN 1/4″ cables if your speakers have TRS inputs.

Although it would be possible to use a TRS to RCA cable, like the Hosa HPR-010X2 Dual REAN, this isn’t recommended as you may experience electrical interference like crackles, pops, buzz, and hum.

Best Cables For Presonus Eris

The best speaker cables for the Presonus Eris studio monitors are the Hosa HSS-010 REAN 1/4″ cables.

These studio monitors are unique in the way that they also have connections for RCA and traditional speaker wire. However, using either of these options is not recommended due to unwanted electrical interference (and who uses those old-fashioned speaker wires lol).

Best Cables For JBL Professional 305P

The best speaker cables for JBL Professional 305P studio monitors are the Monoprice Premier Series XLR cables if your audio interface has XLR outputs and the Monoprice Premier Series TRS to XLR cables if your audio interface has TRS outputs.

These studio monitors from JBL do not even have an unbalanced input. This means that you should not run into any annoying electrical interference issues as long as you don’t use a weird conversion cable (like unbalanced RCA to TRS or XLR).

Best Cables for Mackie CR3-X

The best speaker cables for the Mackie CR3-X studio monitors are the Hosa HSS-010 REAN 1/4″ cables.

Although these speakers do come with a set of a variety of speaker cables. These are mostly unbalanced or can really only be used for a sound source like a phone or MP3 player.

For the best results for music production using an audio interface, I would consider upgrading to balanced cables.

Best Cables For Edifier R1010BT

The best speaker cables for Edifier R1010BT studio monitors are the Hosa HPR-010X2 Dual REAN cables.

These Edifier speakers only have RCA and old-fashioned speaker wire inputs. What this means is that you may experience annoying electrical interference in the form of crackles, pops, hums, and buzz.

If you encounter any unusual (and irritating) noises with these speakers, you could try to introduce a DI box to your setup. A DI box can be used to turn an unbalanced signal into a balanced signal. However, your mileage may vary here.