D I Y Audio Cables

[babadono]

54 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Just started out with a razor... `cause I got some ten gauge a half hour ago.

My wire cutters couldn't handle it!

Good thing the tin snips were in the tool tray I have with me!

 

Connectors have dual offset screws so I think I'll make good contact. But don't kick me out @MicroMara they're gonna be ugly and it's my first attempt, didn't get any boots or sleeves to go over the thick part to the connector either. Probably do that later and if I lose four inches no problem. Getting the wire like this is way cheaper!

 

Curious JohnJ as time passes let me know if the 10ga "clouds up" on you. Mine was beautiful when new then got so ugly with time I replaced it where it can be seen in my room with their 12ga which curiously has not gotten ugly.

[JohnJ]

I looked through the thread earlier. What I have will do for today. Came from the same company the cables did, said gold plated  yea probably gold paint.. we'll see, got a blade out I will check and see what it's made of. Ferrules? Do not think there is any more room in the plugs I have, the tinned copper is thickk!

 

* With the humidity here I bumped the dehumidifier up to 55 % a couple weeks ago it was running almost non-stop! There is something between the inner coverings and outer casing, thought I felt something but the casing was hard to pull off without twisting and there wasn't residue on my fingers so not sure. Came from KnuKonceptz out your way @babadono!

If they cloud up I'll sleeve them and put the beryllium plugs on then!

Need my stuff, I've got an extra set of 25' AudioQuest type 4 that equates to 11 AWG but has solid copper inside a quad geometry cable. 

[MicroMara]

7 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

I looked through the thread earlier. What I have will do for today. Came from the same company the cables did, said gold plated  yea probably gold paint.. we'll see, got a blade out I will check and see what it's made of. Ferrules? do not think there is any more room in the plugs I have the tinned copper is thickk!

you need a cripming pliers for the ferulles , than they´ll fit into the banana housing , you have to make sure that the copper can´t oxidze , otherwise it sound nice from the beginning and will deteriorate sonically because the cable ends will oxidize, that happend obviously to @babadono with his DIY Cables

[JohnJ]

It's tinned. I'll get more pics up, it fits kinda tight inside the plugs. The screws are hard to get aligned to re-screw once out!

[babadono]

8 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Came from KnuKonceptz out your way

Roger KnuKonceptz. Its pretty when it starts out. Upon contacting them they said yes that happens sometimes. I said not all the time? they claimed no so i said then replace it, to which i never heard back either way Just more dishonest dickheads.

[JohnJ]

Blue Jean Tens cost more than I wanted to spend. And these will do until I get to my AQ cables if ever! I've been camping out for a year now with 6% of my stuff with me. Just replaced some of what I don't have with me & will have a yard sale whenever/if ever I get my own place again.

[JohnJ]

Hey @MicroMara, know sleeves (ferrules) would make much better contact, will do that if/when I re-do these.

Connections are good, there is a noticeable improvement with the perceptible "dead" background in studio music. Richness, resonance, scratchiness where applicable with bass, vocals, percussion, guitar in music I've listened to in the last 24 hours is more evident. Fantastic how a drumbeat in a dramatically engineered environment can have nuances of several musical notes. With electronic type music the improvement is easy to hear just like in acoustic, haven't listened to any brass and strings yet.

 

So there is room in there for the sleeves, to improve the percentage of contact I will do that in the future. My shrink wrap from sleeving other cables must not be with me now. 

Nothing scratched off with the razor blade so it's not paint, but it isn't German Engineered either!

This 10 gauge is a good bit larger that the 14 awg I've had for years. It's almost comical looking.

 

 

 

[Schu]

[the real Duke Spinner]

As I have posted before

No need for fancy Wire/Cable

I use 12g THHN

[Schu]

explain 'Need'?

 

[jimjimbo]

LOL

[babadono]

20 hours ago, MicroMara said:

that happend obviously to @babadono with his DIY Cables

Nope. No oxidation. Just the outer jacket that was clear as a bell that allowed you to see the beautiful silver and smoke gray conductors of the KnuKoncept speaker wire clouded up and became ugly. Only the 10ga. not the 12ga. So I replaced the 10 with 12 in the places where it can be seen by people in the listening room. All my amplifiers are remotely located in a utility room and the 10ga. that got ugly in there I do not care about. Some of my speaker runs are kinda long. That's why 10 ga in the first place.

[babadono]

@JohnJ you hear a difference going from 14 to 10? How long are your cables?

[JohnJ]

52 minutes ago, babadono said:

@JohnJ you hear a difference going from 14 to 10? How long are your cables?

Yes did you read that last post of mine this morning?  30 ft cut in half, I'm set up on a 12' wall.

Repeated my listening from yesterday on the Phoenix Gold 14 awg. Last night I had a new cable on the right and an old one on the left speaker and it was strange wondering if it was just the difference in the stereo channel!

No volume or SPL increase, don't think a cable could do that... maybe an 8 AWG could!

 

Another monkey wrench will be my russian Voskhod Rocket tubes that are supposed to get here today!

My amps are weird and use a 6J1 tube. Rolled to some GEs a couple weeks after I got them and have enjoyed them better than the stock ones. I Just got curious and trying to make my youtube/cd box as good as it will get!

[babadono]

Were you listening in mono? With the levels matched? No matter, if you hear a diff. and it sounds better to you its all good.

[MicroMara]

3 hours ago, JohnJ said:

Hey @MicroMara, know sleeves (ferrules) would make much better contact, will do that if/when I re-do these.

Connections are good, there is a noticeable improvement with the perceptible "dead" background in studio music. Richness, resonance, scratchiness where applicable with bass, vocals, percussion, guitar in music I've listened to in the last 24 hours is more evident. Fantastic how a drumbeat in a dramatically engineered environment can have nuances of several musical notes. With electronic type music the improvement is easy to hear just like in acoustic, haven't listened to any brass and strings yet.

 

So there is room in there for the sleeves, to improve the percentage of contact I will do that in the future. My shrink wrap from sleeving other cables must not be with me now. 

Nothing scratched off with the razor blade so it's not paint, but it isn't German Engineered either!

This 10 gauge is a good bit larger that the 14 awg I've had for years. It's almost comical looking.

 

 

 

looks quiet good for the first DIY Experience

[JohnJ]

4 minutes ago, MicroMara said:

looks quiet good for the first DIY Experience

You're too kind Mr. George!

 

9 minutes ago, babadono said:

Were you listening in mono? With the levels matched? No matter, if you hear a diff. and it sounds better to you its all good.

 Nope, you've made me laugh out loud!

One mono does the right one does the left, can't change that with the connections to the DAC I have. It was 14 on one side 10 on the other  for a while and there was a difference besides the differences in R to L channels. That richness of sound with the dead background was the difference... or is it just the electrical impedance?

[MicroMara]

@JohnJ  Your first DIY Cables are better than my first DIY Cables 😂 many many years ago, but I didn´t had a  DIY Audio Cable thread that supported the way to do it right .  It was along way to bring them onto the level of pureness an accurcy like they are today, to find the right materials and how to combine them . A cable is perfect when it has absolutely no effect on the sound of the electronics. After all, you want to hear the components and no discoloration that can be generated by cables.

 

What I liked very much was your ability to describe the audible differences . Well done 👍 

[JohnJ]

I consider that HUGE to come from you seeing your work here. I don't even have the right tools with me, used my box cutter for most of the stripping. My snippers were too dull.

whooaaa Lightning. Might have to shut down the heat has brought a thunderstorm!

[JohnA]

I made my own speaker cables from braided CAT 5E plenum rated (teflon insulation) cable.  I twisted 3 pair and braided those 3.   Finished with sore fingers.  They are about equal to 11 gauge wire.  And they do look cool!  

 

 

I'm sure they measure impeccably.  I could hear a difference in my KLF-C7, probably because of the lower midrange impedance.