DIY Interconnects

[WOStantonCS100]

I'm probably going to get hammered for this post.

After initially using standard cheap interconnects, I stepped up to more expensive cheap interconnects and outfitted my system with Acoustic Research IC's (the blue ones with the molded plugs). I've had more than one issue with the plugs they use. Anyway... they did allow "more sound to get through" than the cheap ones.

Then, since I can, I decided to make a set of IC's a la Kimber Kable's braided cable. I had enough Rat Shack intercom, yes intercom, wire to make two sets. I believe it is AWG 24. Of course, the insulation is most likely PVC or something rather than PTFE/Teflon (a big no-no). However, the difference between these IC's and the original cheapies was/is even more profound than going to the Acoustic Research. (Fortunately, I didn't and do not now live in an area with a lot of penetrating (the house) EMF/RFI. Unfortunately, in my current setup, they are not quite long enough to connect gear from one rack to the neighboring rack. :doh: Maybe the magic ingredient is the wire itself. The intercom wire has a solid copper core. It is less flexible. Still, when I remove these cables from the system it is a let down every time. Anyone else have a favorite (cable) recipe?

(I did not feel they were well-suited to go between my tonearm and phono pre or between my preamp and power amp. Elsewhere, I am quite pleased at the improvement.)

I am now investigating making cables the same way but with a solid core silver wire/PTFE insulation as the hot wire and copper as ground and semi-ground.

I know...all cables sound the same. It's all in my mind. :)

[Firebottle]

Cables definitely do not give the same sound.
I'm against saying a cable has a 'sound' of its own, it's all about how it affects or fits into the system you are using.

Excellent result for little outlay :thumbsup:

[Puffin]

I found this article whilst Googling for Capacitance and Inductance as related to audio interconnects and although a fairly long read seems ot explain in simple terms how a cable "works" and what can make cables sound different.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/whatwiredoes.htm

[rusty bearing]

I was once in the camp that felt there wasn't much gain in buying fancy cables, preferrring to make my own out of Klotz AC110 and neutrik plugs. However finding a spare few bob down the sofa and out of curiosity I bought a couple of sets of Audioquests Golden Gate cables and some of the Rocket 22 speaker cable, I was quite surprised to hear a distinct improvement with the sound hving more clarity and space than before, they are all relativley cheap in cable terms so I was quite chuffed.
The enjoyable part about making your own though is the fun of experimenting with differnt things and well, just making stuff :)........

.....now where's that book on tube amps and those speaker plans....................

[AJSki2fly]

I'm probably going to get hammered for this post.


I know...all cables sound the same. It's all in my mind. :)

They definitely do not sound the same and it is not all in your or my mind for that matter. Over the years I and a audioholic friend have experiment with a variety of cables, interconnects, speaker and tonearm and digital. Every different cable even from the same manufacturers impacts the sound and causes has differences to how it is presented IMHO. In some cases the changes are substantial and others not so.

One think I have determined is that spending lots of dosh on cables does not necessarilly get you a better sound or result, sometimes there are hidden gems at a ship of the cost of 'high-End" cables, another aspect is that certain types of cable will work better with some kit than other, this is especially true with amps and speakers.

As for DIY cables there are lots of possibilities out there, Kimber speaker cables are highly regarded but are pretty costly IMO, however if you hunt a bit on the web there are kits available from a chap in the US which use the same cable from the manufacturer and are about 1/4 the cost. A friend recently upgraded his amp(quite high-end) and was persuaded to try out several speaker cables, unfortunately for him he found that the most expensive worked best with his speakers, that was until I suggested he tried some EWA LS-80 cables from Colin Wonder which saved him quite a bit.

[WOStantonCS100]

I found this article whilst Googling for Capacitance and Inductance as related to audio interconnects and although a fairly long read seems ot explain in simple terms how a cable "works" and what can make cables sound different.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/whatwiredoes.htm

Reading.

[WOStantonCS100]

Cables definitely do not give the same sound.
I'm against saying a cable has a 'sound' of its own, it's all about how it affects or fits into the system you are using.

Excellent result for little outlay :thumbsup:


I was once in the camp that felt there wasn't much gain in buying fancy cables, preferrring to make my own out of Klotz AC110 and neutrik plugs. However finding a spare few bob down the sofa and out of curiosity I bought a couple of sets of Audioquests Golden Gate cables and some of the Rocket 22 speaker cable, I was quite surprised to hear a distinct improvement with the sound hving more clarity and space than before, they are all relativley cheap in cable terms so I was quite chuffed.
The enjoyable part about making your own though is the fun of experimenting with differnt things and well, just making stuff :)........

.....now where's that book on tube amps and those speaker plans....................


They definitely do not sound the same and it is not all in your or my mind for that matter. Over the years I and a audioholic friend have experiment with a variety of cables, interconnects, speaker and tonearm and digital. Every different cable even from the same manufacturers impacts the sound and causes has differences to how it is presented IMHO. In some cases the changes are substantial and others not so.

One think I have determined is that spending lots of dosh on cables does not necessarilly get you a better sound or result, sometimes there are hidden gems at a ship of the cost of 'high-End" cables, another aspect is that certain types of cable will work better with some kit than other, this is especially true with amps and speakers.

As for DIY cables there are lots of possibilities out there, Kimber speaker cables are highly regarded but are pretty costly IMO, however if you hunt a bit on the web there are kits available from a chap in the US which use the same cable from the manufacturer and are about 1/4 the cost. A friend recently upgraded his amp(quite high-end) and was persuaded to try out several speaker cables, unfortunately for him he found that the most expensive worked best with his speakers, that was until I suggested he tried some EWA LS-80 cables from Colin Wonder which saved him quite a bit.

That's the big fear. "Hearing" a cable that does it for me, checks all the boxes... ...and it costs three times as much as any of my gear. I don't think I could justify the expense and would have to walk away, sobbing.

:lol:

[sailor]

OK, here ya go: http://www.venhaus1.com/diysilverinterconnects.html

He uses what he calls AirLock insulation which is superior to Teflon.

the dielectric constant for Teflon is 2.1
for perfect vacuum 1.0
his AirLock 1.45

Sells OCC 24AWG pure silver single solid core wire for $10.99/ft

He has lots of great stuff on his site and is competitively priced. Also stocks the outstanding KLE RCA connectors and so does Parts Connexion who often have them on special.

I have tried lots of connectors including Furutech but the KLE plugs, even the cheapest are IMO better. They are low mass and interfere less with the signal. I feel the connectors are as or more important than the cable.

[AJSki2fly]

OK, here ya go: http://www.venhaus1.com/diysilverinterconnects.html

He uses what he calls AirLock insulation which is superior to Teflon.

the dielectric constant for Teflon is 2.1
for perfect vacuum 1.0
his AirLock 1.45

Sells OCC 24AWG pure silver single solid core wire for $10.99/ft

He has lots of great stuff on his site and is competitively priced. Also stocks the outstanding KLE RCA connectors and so does Parts Connexion who often have them on special.

I have tried lots of connectors including Furutech but the KLE plugs, even the cheapest are IMO better. They are low mass and interfere less with the signal. I feel the connectors are as or more important than the cable.

Mmm, generally good materials and construction but when someone starts talking about skin n effect then it’s all getting a bit esoteric and unproven physically IMO


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[Pharos]

My view is that generally if equipment is adequately designed, cables make little difference, but with less than adequate designs, they can be used to ameliorate oddities in sound, and produce a more appealing result.

[sailor]

A 3 ft. pair of these could be made using the 24AWG OCC solid core Cu. wire @ $2.82/ft and the KLE Copper Harmony connectors @ $59.99 Set/4 for about 70 GBP. This wire is excellent for internal hook-up in amplifiers. The same connectors from Partsconnexion are $4 cheaper but then you would pay postage twice.

They would be a way to test the waters in quality cables for about the cost of a dinner and drinks for two at a good restaurant.

You don't get much for 70 bucks and what you do is probably stranded OFC with oversized gold over nickel over brass which is the kind of cable that leaves you a little underwhelmed. :rolleyes:

[zanash]

The ArgentOr mk3.2

A Silver Gold twisted pair rca interconnect with silver ground return ……..

What does it sound like ….
clean fast open but with a full rich mid that’s missing from a silver twisted pair. This will give any ic at any price a run for there money imo !

An approx. build cost for this 0.75m stereo pair cable is currently [2005] about £40 depending on the cost and type of rca plugs chosen.
[I've not priced this up recently]
You can of course substitute any bare metal wire ..even a “wire coat hanger” if you want,

but alternatives could include copper, silver, iron , aluminium[bugger to solder], Platinum, etc.

Parts required
4x 0.75m 1mm id ptfe sleeve
2x 0.8m AuAg signal wire
[0.3mm 4n [fine]silver and 0.3mm 9crt gold twisted together]
2x 0.8m 1mm 4n [fine]silver in ptfe ground return
2x 0.75m damping tube rubber or silicone of 4mm id
2x to fit 0.75m techflex style braid
4x 5cm heat shrink
silver solder [4%]
4x RCA plugs neutrik sy series or plug with an id that corresponds to the outer dia of the cable you made.

Twist the two cores of ag in ptfe and the ag/au in ptfe to get about 5 turn per cm
Thread both into the silicon tube…..
Sleeve the tube with techflex braid and secure with heat shrink ….don’t melt it with the heat gun !

Fit Rca plugs …..

[brian2957]

Try this site for 99.9% silver wire and PTFE tubing. I've used shoe laces as a covering in the past :)

https://www.wires.co.uk/acatalog/ag9999_bare.html

[I.D.S.]

Nice to read a thread without the usual (experts ?) claiming it's all SO :clap::interesting:

[sailor]

Brian, I like your shoe laces idea particularly if they're cotton. I used to cover my DIY cables with some nice looking techflex but it's mostly synthetic so I don't anymore.

[brian2957]

I tried everything and anything years ago Charles. I used Teflon tubing a lot but the price went through the roof. Apparently it's used in 3D printers or something.

[Barry]

Nice to read a thread without the usual (experts ?) claiming it's all SO :clap::interesting:

What is "SO"?

[Pigmy Pony]

What is "SO"?

"Snake Oil" would be my guess. But my interpretation of this term is a product which offers dubious improvement for silly money, and exists only to line the seller's pocket. I don't think the above posts qualify.

[walpurgis]

I'd like to know who "the usual (experts ?)" are.

[zanash]

oh ...yes suppliers !

cookson's for the 4n silver and 9crt gold wire [https://www.cooksongold.com/] or any other precious metals !

Why 9crt gold, as its mostly silver [...about 66%]? It just came to me after trying silver / copper, copper / aluminum etc.
Higher % Au is like over egging your pudding making fat bloated rich mid. I found 9crt to give the best balance with increased body. Adding more strands of silver will knock the effect back.

RS electronics for most of the rest... for me with a business account it made sense to get it all in one lot.

As others have commented, you can use anything as insulation and any metal as conductors ...

An interesting effect can be had by adding series neodymium ring magnets over the two conductors ....5 set NS NS NS NS NS "a la" High Fidelity Cables Ideas.

Lastly An oversized tube say 8mm ID slipped over the twisted conductors and sealed at one end with a drop of silicone. The annulus is then filled with kiln dried sharp sand and similarly sealed. This does more than mass damp the cable [ adding about 1/3 of kilo to the weight if memory serves] the quartz in the sand has number of strange properties amongst which are, when its squashed or vibrated, creates a piezoelectric charge and also triboluminecence [emits light under stress]. I discovered this by accident when using solid core copper.....adding the mass of sand elevated the performance to near that of silver at 1/8th the cost. Using other inert non-conducting powders or fillers only had a slight effect. So I concluded it was not just the added mass ! but one or more of the quartz's other properties. But you only find this out by experimentation.