Monoprice
Monoprice 124436 3.5mm TRS Audio Cable - 1ft Black Onyx
★★★★★
A bend-tested, gold-plated 3.5mm TRS patch that holds a clean stereo signal through 5,000 flex cycles — built for the short, high-traffic runs where cheap cables fail first.
View price on Amazon
Affiliate Disclosure: Studio Supplies may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you. This helps support our editorial team.
Notice a mistake? Let Us Know
Overview
Key Features
Buy with Confidence: With Monoprice's Lifetime Warranty on all Cables, you can rest assured we stand behind our products and our customers.
Durable: We bend tested this cable over 5,000 times with no damage to the cable or change in performance. The premium aluminum connectors provide an extra measure of durability.
Gold Plated: Gold plated plugs ensure smooth, corrosion-free connections every time.
TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) plugs provide three conductors for the ground/return and for transmitting left and right channel audio data. Lengths: 3, 6, and 10 feet.
Slim Design: Our beveled step-down design creates a secure connection, while the connector heads are thin enough to plug into a smartphone with a protective case installed.
Specifications
Connector Type
3.5mm TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) both ends
Length
1 Foot
Connector Material
Aluminum barrel, Gold-plated contacts
Conductors
3 (Left/Hot, Right/Cold, Ground/Sleeve)
Bend Test Cycles
5,000+ with no performance change
Connector Design
Slim beveled step-down
Color
Black
Warranty
Monoprice Lifetime Warranty
Pros & Cons
👍 Pros
- Gold-plated contact surfaces prevent oxidation and maintain low-resistance electrical continuity across repeated connection cycles without degradation over time
- 5,000-cycle bend test certification provides published confidence in connector-entry durability — the first mechanical failure point on lesser cables
- Premium aluminum connector barrels provide structural rigidity at the plug housing, resisting the cracking and separation common in plastic-barreled patch cables under lateral stress
- Slim beveled step-down connector design passes through protective smartphone cases, enabling direct connection without removing the case during mobile recording or monitoring use
- One-foot length provides a clean, low-slack patch run between adjacent desktop gear, portable recorders, or tabletop mixers without cable looping or strain
👎 Cons
- At 1 foot, this cable is too short for any run between non-adjacent devices or across a desktop where components are spaced more than 12 inches apart
- 3.5mm TRS is not a locking connector — under vibration or cable tension, the plug can work partially free of the socket, degrading contact and introducing noise or channel loss
- No additional shielding construction details (foil vs. braid) are specified beyond basic build description; interference susceptibility over this short length should be minimal but is unverified
- PVC jacket, while functional, is less flexible under cold conditions and less abrasion-resistant than silicone or braided alternatives in tight repeated-bend applications
- Lifetime warranty requires contacting Monoprice for a replacement — it is not a field-swappable solution if a cable fails during a session away from your desk
Frequently Asked Questions
What does TRS mean and when do I need it versus a TS cable?
TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) carries three conductors — left channel, right channel, and ground — required for stereo headphone output, balanced mono signals, and insert sends/returns. TS (tip-sleeve) carries only two conductors for unbalanced mono instrument signals. For any stereo connection or balanced mono run, TRS is the correct choice.
Is this cable appropriate for connecting a laptop headphone output to an audio interface?
Yes — the 3.5mm TRS plug on both ends suits connections between a laptop or phone headphone output and a 3.5mm TRS input on a portable recorder, interface, or mixer. Whether the signal is balanced or stereo depends on the equipment at both ends, not the cable.
Will the slim connector head actually fit through a smartphone protective case?
Yes — the beveled step-down connector design is specifically engineered to pass through the restricted port opening of most standard smartphone cases, where full-diameter barrel connectors are blocked. This is a genuine daily-use advantage confirmed in the product design brief.
How many bend cycles has this cable been tested to survive?
Monoprice specifies 5,000 bend cycles at the connector entry point with no measurable damage or performance change — a published durability qualification for a cable used in high-flex patch applications.
Does this cable transmit balanced audio?
The TRS wiring supports either stereo unbalanced (left/right/ground) or balanced mono (hot/cold/ground) — which mode applies is determined entirely by the source and destination equipment, not the cable itself.
Related Products
