Qwin
17-04-2015, 14:00
http://www.jkwynn.co.uk/Pics/VD_Silver_v_NVA.jpg
Here we have a couple of Interconnects I knocked up for comparison.
They are made into pairs 1m long, all parts purchased off the Bay.
The lower one is similar construction to the NVA Sound Cord leads that RichB loaned me after our recent 2 man bake off and the other uses Van Damme Session Grade Guitar lead.
The top lead uses Van Damme Silver Series Session Grade Instrument Cable
Version: Lo-Cap 55 (55pf/m)
Inner conductor: Multi strand Silver plated Copper
Insulation: Foamed Polyethylene
Screen: Silver Plated Copper Braid
Jacket: Clear PVC 8.5mm O.D.
Price: £15 for 2m delivered.
Connectors: Good Quality Locking type similar to WBT
Price: £12.28 for set of 4 delivered – 2 marked Red 2 marked Silver.
Total for 1m pair of leads: £27.28
The bottom lead is similar to the NVA Sound Cord and uses RG316/U Coax, used for RF/Data transfer and built to military spec.
Inner conductor: Multi strand Steel - Copper then Silver plated
Insulation: PTFE
Screen: Silver Plated Copper Braid
Jacket: Brown Tinted FEP 2.5mm O.D.
Price: £4.58 for 2m delivered.
Connectors: Neutrik Rean NYS373
Price: £7.14 for set of 4 delivered – 2 marked Red 2 marked White.
Total for 1m pair of leads: £11.72
I added some adhesive lined heat shrink on the ends of the 2.5mm diameter cable, I already had this heat shrink, this type is quite thick and increased the cable diameter to 4.8mm which was a lot better for the chuck type cable clamp in the Neutrik plugs to grip. I suppose the cost of 150mm of heat shrink should be added to the price total, but it would still be under £15.
SOUND:
As always results are equipment and taste dependant.
System used: Croft Micro25 Pre/Phono – Proton Power Amp – Yamaha NS1000M
Speaker Cable: Van Damme LCOFC HiFi.
The RG316/U cable that RichB loaned me had impressed in our bake off and was better than either my DIY Cat5 cable or a set of Cambridge “Arctic” cables I had. When used between my DacMagic and Pre it just opened things up, giving a clearer window into the music with a wider sound stage.
My cable was certainly matching this in every aspect, this is a cracking budget cable and would compete with shop bought cables costing several times the price of the parts I used. If you don’t want the hassle of making your own leads just buy the NVA cable which is very reasonably priced on the Bay. The area were this cable starts to lose its grip is with the high frequency content and female vocals like Rumer, where there is a rough leading edge, but overall damn good for the price.
The Van Damme cable raises the bar considerably, I put them between the Pre and Power and compared them in this position against the RG316/U cable. Wow, greater detail, better bass texture, more transparent, a warmth and level of detail in the midrange that was missing with any of the other cables I’ve tried and that I had originally attributed to a weakness in the VD speaker cable being used. It’s no real surprise that there is a synergy when used with the VD speaker cable. There is so much more going on in the lower mids now, its added real weight to the presentation. To give some perspective, in my set up, these leads kick the butt of my Atlas Equator II that cost close to £60. I will be making some more of these for my other connections. :)
Here we have a couple of Interconnects I knocked up for comparison.
They are made into pairs 1m long, all parts purchased off the Bay.
The lower one is similar construction to the NVA Sound Cord leads that RichB loaned me after our recent 2 man bake off and the other uses Van Damme Session Grade Guitar lead.
The top lead uses Van Damme Silver Series Session Grade Instrument Cable
Version: Lo-Cap 55 (55pf/m)
Inner conductor: Multi strand Silver plated Copper
Insulation: Foamed Polyethylene
Screen: Silver Plated Copper Braid
Jacket: Clear PVC 8.5mm O.D.
Price: £15 for 2m delivered.
Connectors: Good Quality Locking type similar to WBT
Price: £12.28 for set of 4 delivered – 2 marked Red 2 marked Silver.
Total for 1m pair of leads: £27.28
The bottom lead is similar to the NVA Sound Cord and uses RG316/U Coax, used for RF/Data transfer and built to military spec.
Inner conductor: Multi strand Steel - Copper then Silver plated
Insulation: PTFE
Screen: Silver Plated Copper Braid
Jacket: Brown Tinted FEP 2.5mm O.D.
Price: £4.58 for 2m delivered.
Connectors: Neutrik Rean NYS373
Price: £7.14 for set of 4 delivered – 2 marked Red 2 marked White.
Total for 1m pair of leads: £11.72
I added some adhesive lined heat shrink on the ends of the 2.5mm diameter cable, I already had this heat shrink, this type is quite thick and increased the cable diameter to 4.8mm which was a lot better for the chuck type cable clamp in the Neutrik plugs to grip. I suppose the cost of 150mm of heat shrink should be added to the price total, but it would still be under £15.
SOUND:
As always results are equipment and taste dependant.
System used: Croft Micro25 Pre/Phono – Proton Power Amp – Yamaha NS1000M
Speaker Cable: Van Damme LCOFC HiFi.
The RG316/U cable that RichB loaned me had impressed in our bake off and was better than either my DIY Cat5 cable or a set of Cambridge “Arctic” cables I had. When used between my DacMagic and Pre it just opened things up, giving a clearer window into the music with a wider sound stage.
My cable was certainly matching this in every aspect, this is a cracking budget cable and would compete with shop bought cables costing several times the price of the parts I used. If you don’t want the hassle of making your own leads just buy the NVA cable which is very reasonably priced on the Bay. The area were this cable starts to lose its grip is with the high frequency content and female vocals like Rumer, where there is a rough leading edge, but overall damn good for the price.
The Van Damme cable raises the bar considerably, I put them between the Pre and Power and compared them in this position against the RG316/U cable. Wow, greater detail, better bass texture, more transparent, a warmth and level of detail in the midrange that was missing with any of the other cables I’ve tried and that I had originally attributed to a weakness in the VD speaker cable being used. It’s no real surprise that there is a synergy when used with the VD speaker cable. There is so much more going on in the lower mids now, its added real weight to the presentation. To give some perspective, in my set up, these leads kick the butt of my Atlas Equator II that cost close to £60. I will be making some more of these for my other connections. :)