Based in Switzerland, Gotham AG manufactures a premium line of cables designed for minimal noise and maximal fidelity. Though initially only available in Europe, Gotham cables have been available on the U.S. market since the mid-1970s. Gothams have grown in popularity among U.S. engineers and now ship standard with Neumann microphones -- which may give a hint to their quality. Though Gotham built their reputation on a patented double-shielded cable design, the company also offers a line of more affordable single-shielded cables that may fit the budget of a smaller studio or home recording enthusiast better.
Based in Nogano, Japan, Mogami often makes lists of the most popular cables for professional studio usage. Mogami's Neglex Quad XLR cables offer heavy-duty spiral shielding that make them particularly suited to older studios that may have grounding issues, or any studio that relies more on hardware effects units and must deal with the corresponding increase in EMI noise.
Known primarily for their high-end studio microphones, California's Blue Microphones has also entered the cable manufacturing market. Though Blue's Kiwi XLR markets itself as a cable designed specifically for the company's Kiwi, Bottle and Cactus microphone models, this quad-conductor cable is in fact a solid cable that will work with any microphone.
Monster has a reputation for making durable, prosumer-quality XLR cables both in the pro audio and home recording communities. Monster's Performer series combines braided shielding and Neutrik connectors and Duraflex jackets. Like all of their cables, the Performer XLR microphone cables come with a lifetime warranty.
Some engineers swear that no commercially available cable can beat a homemade cable -- particularly in terms of price. Of course, in this case, "homemade" actually means "home-assembled" from high-quality component parts. When the time comes to replace old XLR cables, consider buying a spool of two-conductor, shielded audio wire from your favorite manufacturer and bulk-order both male and female XLR connectors from Neutrik or Switchcraft. To assemble the cables, you will need to have a firm grasp of soldering.