Quote Originally Posted by Greg View Post



http://www.iplacoustics.co.uk/ipl_cables.htm

I use this for all my main interconnects which when reasonable I hard wire into the component such as the Pre amp, thus reducing the need for an additional connector. Wire it pseudo balanced being source and ground wired at both ends but the shield only connected at the source end to ground. IE, shield and ground connected together at the CD player end but the shieldd braid not connected and floating at the amp end. In a pseudo-balanced arrangement, the shield should be connected to the signal return at the point of lowest potential. This means the point electrically closest to the mains earth, i.e. the metal case work. If the source (such as the CD player in your example) is double insulated, that is, uses a two-core mains lead, then the shield return junction will not be at the lowest electrical potential and the lead will have to be reversed. IMHO pseudo-balanced wiring confers no advantage over conventional unbalanced coaxial interconnects, nor is it as good as fully balanced arrangements.

Don't get hung up on plugs and connectors. Most any commercial plated ones will do. If you want to be pedantic, silver connectors are best because even silver oxide conducts better than gold or copper. No it doesn't - the most likely tarnish on silver will be silver sulphide Ag2S, also a very poor conductor, but both silver oxide and silver sulphide are soft, so the action of mating connectors easily scrapes through the tarnish layer to make contact with the silver.



Solder or crimping is a matter for you. Personally I prefer solder because good quality solder is an excellent conductor and ensures a strong physical bond between the components being connected.

From my personal perspective, I am a total sceptic regarding almost any commercially made connection cable. IMHO It is the biggest rip off area within the Hi-Fi industry. I'll never buy a commercially produced cable again. Home made, using the right products is cheaper and considerably far better in performance per se. Thoroughly agree with you here, though there are a few cable manufacturers who are not "rip off" artists.
Personally I think Eichmann plugs are the worse thing ever to have happened to the, already lousy, RCA 'phono' plug.