It can’t be just me who’s spent hours tracking down an issue with a broken module, trying to find where the problem lies (Cold solder joint? Bad capacitor? Bad ground?) and firing off numerous emails to the manufacturer decrying their sad state of QC, letting them know how deeply disappointed I am in their shoddy company, only to finally discover that it’s not the module after all, just a busted patch cable. The truth is that patch cables are one of those things that I don’t normally pay attention to, other than trying to color coordinate them with their function to an unhealthy degree. That is, until something goes wrong.
While I have a lot of cables from a lot of different manufacturers, the original Tendrils right angle cables, which we reviewed in Waveform, Issue #1, have never failed me or caused any issues. I use them all the time and on top of their durability, the colors always stand out from a crowded patch and are easy to follow in the cable jungle.
Tendrils new Stakkas stackable cables are more of the same well-built cables as the originals and the stackable aspect of the design is licensed from Tiptop Audio. I like it when companies work together like this, it makes me feel like our little piece of the sphere is in a good spot, there is collaboration and love. The specs for Stakkas are that they come in various sizes and colors, have a flexible strain relief and a pretty low profile. They use 26 AWG copper wire and are spirally shielded for premium sound. I’ve used a few different brands of stackable cables, and as much as I hate to admit it, they’ve all failed on me, and usually in a pretty short period of time. I definitely don’t have any five-year-old stackable cables lying around, and I can’t say I’m particularly abusive to cables or anything, so I’m always a bit surprised when I suddenly have to wiggle/bend/contort a cable to make a connection. Since I’ve only had the Stakkas for a short period, time will tell if years down the road I’ll still be contorting them as well, but there’s something about their makeup that tells me that I probably won’t have that issue, that they’ll be problem free. They feel super solid and I really like their build quality and design.
On top of their already mentioned attributes is that they work really well with Tendrils regular right angle cables as the height of the Stakkas clears the regular’s base when patched—a bit of a genius touch—so that you can use them side by side without interfering with each other, for the most part.
Tendrils also sent over some of their Mutants, right angle 3.5mm to right angle ¼” cables, and those too have worked flawlessly when patching from my modular to various pedals. It’s just so nice to not have to use an adapter and know that you’ll make a reliable connection. If you’re in the market for any right angle Eurorack cable, whether it be the Stakkas stackable type, the Mutants 3.5mm to ¼” type, or just a regular ol’ right angle cable, Tendrils are what you’re looking for.

Price: Multiple options
tendrilscables.com