D I Y Audio Cables

[the real Duke Spinner]

I use 14 gauge Romex

Ja !!  🙂

[MicroMara]

As you allready know, this thread is showing it´s options for anykind of DIY Audiocables. It´s NOT about the sense or nonsens of cables ,nor to open up another boring cable discussion. So, please take notice about what was said from me.

 

I made an experiment with a new cable design. Using 16 x AWG 18 isolated stranded copper wire class 6. Each phase is twistet by 8 x AWG 18 Wires. ...in an german article of the speaker cables purely physically considered it is about the skin effect ...

 

Quote " Yes, the skin effect exists and also acts clearly at audio frequencies. At 20 kHz, the conductive layer thickness of the current in the conductor, as seen from the outer edge, is 0.47 mm. At 200 Hz, the conductive layer thickness is 4.7 mm. This is much more than is needed. Here the current is also much greater than at 20 kHz.The thicker the conductor, the more copper cross-section becomes ineffective. With a conductor cross-section of 4 mm², the conductive layer still has a cross-section of about 2.7 mm² at 20 kHz. Despite increasing losses, the effective cross-section becomes larger and larger as the total cross-section increases. With decreasing total cross section, however, the loss cross section becomes proportionally smaller and smaller, so that there can be no harmful effect in the range of audio frequencies.

 

Cross sections of 0.75 mm² and 1.0 mm² are optimal, since here the conductive layer extends to about the middle of the conductor. In case of high current demand, several conductors of this small cross-section insulated from each other must be connected in parallel.

 

Optimal is the use of control cables 8 × 0.75 mm² or 12 × 0.75 mm² or 16 × 0.75 mm². A suitable number of strands must be connected in parallel. Strands of the outgoing and return current should alternate next to each other. Strands lying directly next to each other should therefore not be connected in parallel. Thinner stranded wire also has thinner copper cores, so that the cable is more supple. The skin effect practically does not come into effect and besides, the inductance decreases. "

 

I was curiouse to start working on this project ...

 

The twistet raw copper cables  left and right phase with 8 x isolated AWG 18 each

 

 

Finished with gold plated copper ferulles

 

 

The ferulles were covered with 3 layers shrink tubes

 

 

 

Same works for end of the the pvc PVC Cable Coating

[MicroMara]

These´re the finished desingned speaker cables , delivered to some of my german hi fi friends for test purposes 

 

Wann know their opinion

 

 

 

 

[the real Duke Spinner]

Nice job. 🙂

[MicroMara]

...and here I´m showing you my own cable set up , consists out of 4 sets  , using the for my bi amping ss ouputstage

 

 

they´re conected into the inputs from my external x-overs,the input plugs are made of  beryllium copper 

 

 

The output plugs are made of pure ofc

 

 

the four cables ´re conected into the aluminium bi wire terminals

 

 

 

Low mass plugs from the german  company WBT

 

 

Low mass beryllium copper plugs from east europe

 

 

[the real Duke Spinner]

Neat design. 🙂

[The Dude]

How tight do those banana plugs hold?  Mine seem to be lose and I would like to replace them with something that holds better. 

[CWOReilly]

31 minutes ago, The Dude said:

How tight do those banana plugs hold?  Mine seem to be loose and I would like to replace them with something that holds better. 

You may be able to spread them open slightly with a precision screwdriver. Just a thought. I’ve had issue with binding posts being irregular. ymmv. 

[MicroMara]

1 hour ago, The Dude said:

How tight do those banana plugs hold? 

very good in anykind of binding posts , both the WBT 20 mm as they have a lock screw 

 

 

https://www.wbt.de/fileadmin/media/data/0610_Cu_E_2009_01_09.pdf

 

https://www.wbt.de/fileadmin/content/products/Beipackzettel_2019/E_WBT-0610.pdf

 

 

the beryllium copper bananas can be soldered as well 

 

https://www.ebay.de/itm/295097916501?epid=14021069760&hash=item44b534dc55:g:kVIAAMXQ01tRUKwW&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA8HYBFzu7SJdNPuStSgi3MqPiXIpLjhs7TrGFqqNsdQB89U8Gk%2FKXdHHQt%2FU0jsDYw7cWtxGSVXaSPtifDf55NnFxmowvAVBQbZPVoA5%2F6wA2JJXRUjfwv01SzFVmyYcP4mAH0wHlm6KrwogoTDUFlxFLLIJBTcORrf5TpEDFdJ6Oh96F%2BSCU2y%2BjpfXLpzEi%2B5CjLRljrKN7M18JZsGnXQ3Nk8feZAMjy3d6rGps2EoH1P51IjtUjIc4wP11IzqyN6G0j2GGCtpKV8NQKcK36fUTx1tq2sm9phDZyt%2FEfKgtu9Q%2BtVHpkjOmjx56zgiOlw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBMjNTG_plh

 

These´re the one I use

 

 

https://www.ebay.de/itm/203158171648?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D243354%26meid%3Dd1d71c25dbf74c2fb4c6702de4bb8107%26pid%3D101224%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D202772882506%26itm%3D203158171648%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DDefaultOrganicWeb%26brand%3DMarkenlos&_trksid=p2047675.c101224.m-1

 

 

[OO1]

3 hours ago, The Dude said:

How tight do those banana plugs hold?   I would like to replace them with something that holds better. 

  Furutech 

 

[babadono]

Holds better? how about locking bananas?

https://www.parts-express.com/Expanding-Banana-Plug-with-Dual-Set-Screws-and-Poly-Carbonat-091-3604?quantity=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=18127373971&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6rb1suPZ-wIV1AF9Ch1tygfLEAQYASABEgJfDPD_BwE

[The Dude]

12 hours ago, babadono said:

Holds better? how about locking bananas?

https://www.parts-express.com/Expanding-Banana-Plug-with-Dual-Set-Screws-and-Poly-Carbonat-091-3604?quantity=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=18127373971&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6rb1suPZ-wIV1AF9Ch1tygfLEAQYASABEgJfDPD_BwE

I like those and the way they attach to the speaker wire. 

[The Dude]

14 hours ago, CWOReilly said:

You may be able to spread them open slightly with a precision screwdriver. Just a thought. I’ve had issue with binding posts being irregular. ymmv. 

Not a bad thought to try. 

[babadono]

Yea that's why it is called a banana plug because you can spread the tongs like the peel of a banana.

[amped]

I made these with: Belden 5T00P 10awg (from BlueJeans Cable), the BFA's from Compass Audio (MicroMara linked), gold plated copper spades from HiFi Collective. I wanted soldered connections w/ gold over copper. Most are over brass. The blue heat shrink is so I know my left from my right behind the amp.

 

BTW, these BFA terminals were super tight so that's not a worry...

 

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by amped
Banana feedback

[the real Duke Spinner]

22 hours ago, The Dude said:

How tight do those banana plugs hold?  Mine seem to be lose and I would like to replace them with something that holds better. 

I changed mine out to screw posts

I do not want to blow up my amp

tube amps must have a load

 

[the real Duke Spinner]

On 12/2/2022 at 12:31 PM, babadono said:

Yea that's why it is called a banana plug because you can spread the tongs like the peel of a banana.

Never thought of that. 🙃

[pcbiz]

On 12/1/2022 at 3:01 PM, MicroMara said:

These´re the finished desingned speaker cables , delivered to some of my german hi fi friends for test purposes 

 

Wann know their opinion

 

 

 

 

Very nice design! What did your friends think of them? Better yet, what did you think of them?

[KT88]

I find this thread very valuable and also very motivating to buy or build the best or personal most suitable cable for yourself. Here is a lot about what I can learn. The following post is only about contacts not about the need of good wiring.
I also understand that you really need sensible contacts on the loudspeaker terminals and amplifier terminals. I just sometimes wonder that there is obviously an inner life and an outer life of speakers (and possibly some amplifiers). On the outside, some speaker manufacturers praise their beryllium, copper, gold and whatever terminals. Inside, it sometimes looks quite different. Below is a picture of a very reputable manufacturer who also builds high quality drivers. The Danish brand Dynaudio. How are the connections inside? There are cable lugs on the chassis just like the ones in my car to connect the horn and the same cable lugs are in my dishwasher to supply the sewage pump with electricity. It's exactly the same in my Tannoy Canterbury, also in my Stirling Broadcast...all connected with cable lugs made of normal sheet metal. I am not concerned with fraud or deception - and if anything, where would the deception be...outside or inside the speaker? I don't mean that in a negative way, obviously these kinds of inside connections are very reliable over many years and also very satisfying in terms of sound. Look at the picture below...outside Iridium something terminals and inside at the chassis the washing machine cable lugs. I didn't want a discussion about good or bad, much or little, high quality or simple. I just wanted to show how it is. Of course, I realise that the external connections to the driver are exposed to greater stresses because they are plugged in and unplugged more frequently. Banana plugs, for example, are certainly more suitable than spade lugs for this purpose, but the photo shows sober industrial standard on the inside vs. emotional hi-fi standard on the outside. This photo was published by the manufacturer Dynaudio itself.

 

 

 

[MicroMara]

23 hours ago, pcbiz said:

Very nice design! What did your friends think of them? Better yet, what did you think of them?

It was an experiment without expectation, just for fun to hear if these cables sound different with the same cross-sections. The old version had 72 strands the new 192 strands. The old version consisted of 4 cores, the new one of 16 cores. Well, some friends don´t hear any differences to the " old " version, but the majority said they are better and told me the differences in their auditions.

 

I tested them over four weeks with my own gear and must confess that my RF7 EvoTec´s have a better hight detail resolution , a better stage staggering in the depth , wide and front , the bass is punchier , deeper and dryer now.