Speaker cables and IC's from Aliexpress

[Steve Winter]

I needed something to distract me from the impending collapse of our eco-system - Tharbamar just happened to show up in a Youtube search for 'how to make your own audio cables'. Not very well-reasoned, I know

[Nada]

Well DIY and using commercial cable and connectors  from reputable manufacturers all seem like very good choices.

 

I do wonder if any new cables will make any  apprciable difference when you've already have quality cables?

[Steve Winter]

That's exactly what I'm about to find out

[muon*]

2 hours ago, Steve Winter said:

As I said earlier, I would like a little more detail and openness without being too aggressive.

Then choose your silver carefully, not all is the same.

 

Duelund 26awg silver in cotton is very nice, not bright nor aggressive, open detailed and natural as silver can be. You could use a run of that combined with Duelunds 20awg solid copper in cotton.

https://www.partsconnexion.com/DUELUND-81388.html

https://www.partsconnexion.com/DUELUND-81389.html

[Steve Winter]

Thanks Ian! When you say 'combined with', do you mean twisted together? What about shielding? Do you have any construction tips?

Any recommendations for cable for DIY IC's, and non-DIY USB cables?

Edited September 24, 2022 by Steve Winter

[muon*]

1 hour ago, Steve Winter said:

Thanks Ian! When you say 'combined with', do you mean twisted together? What about shielding? Do you have any construction tips?

Any recommendations for cable for DIY IC's, and non-DIY USB cables?

I tend not to use shielding with signal cables, I just keep signal and power can;e well away from each other, and feel It's better to use shielded power cable and leave signal cables un-shelded.

This works with line level and speaker cables.

 

A light twist, basically the smaller gauge silver in cotton lightly around the copper in cotton, with the twists about 5 or 6 inches in length, then these inserted into a cotton sheath (I use a cotton rope from stacks where it has a gray cotton core that I remove that leaves the rope as a cotton tube, then each of these (one for positive and one for return) lightly twisted and a cotton/nylon dress sheath over them with your choice of rca plugs, I used the star line low mass types.

 

I got the cotton dress sheath from Aliexpress.

 

I use double wall adhesive shrink over the ends.

 

Pictured are some I did using different wires paired the same way.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by muon*

[muon*]

My system doesn't include digital cables, as I have a cd player as a sole source for media.

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by muon*

[Nada]

11 hours ago, muon* said:

Duelunds 20awg solid copper in cotton.

 

Thats good looking wire. Do they come with oil on them? Whats the oil for?

 

Duelund (DCA CC0.8) 20awg Copper & Cotton/Oil

[muon*]

14 minutes ago, Nada said:

 

Thats good looking wire. Do they come with oil on them? Whats the oil for?

 

Duelund (DCA CC0.8) 20awg Copper & Cotton/Oil

Oli impregnated cotton.

 

To strip the ends of the cotton I find it easiest to heat with a lighter flame then it is easily stripped with index finger and thumb nail.

So no risk of scoring the wire surface with tools or blades.

Edited September 25, 2022 by muon*

[Steve Winter]

Cheers Ian - your advice is always greatly appreciated

[Steve Winter]

I see you have the same construction method for your equipment rack

 

Do you use the same cable combo for speaker cables AND IC's?

[Nada]

13 minutes ago, muon* said:

Oil impregnated cotton

 

Is the oil necessary? What does oil do?

[muon*]

7 minutes ago, Nada said:

 

Is the oil necessary? What does oil do?

I think Duelunds reason is to damp vibrations, I feel it may also inhibit oxidization.

[andyr]

4 minutes ago, Nada said:

Is the oil necessary? What does oil do?

 

AIUI ... the oil which has impregnated the cotton making up the braided tube will stop oxygen in the air from getting to the copper inside the tube (and therefore oxidising it).  But as the braid does not have a 100% coverage over the copper wire - in contrast to, say, when the wire is coated with teflon - I can't see how oxidisation is completely prevented.

 

[muon*]

15 minutes ago, Steve Winter said:

I see you have the same construction method for your equipment rack

 

Do you use the same cable combo for speaker cables AND IC's?

Yeah the good old flexy design, but I forgo the rubber washers in the original designs so it is more rigid.

 

My speaker cables are original Lenehan RibbonTek.

[muon*]

6 minutes ago, andyr said:

But as the braid does not have a 100% coverage over the copper wire

Doesn't it, Andy?

 

Looks ok to me in person up close, I think It's OK as the oil would smear the surface completely during the application of process.

 

Edit: I highly doubt the cotton is treated before being applied to the wire, and it would be treated after.

Edited September 25, 2022 by muon*

[andyr]

1 minute ago, muon* said:

Doesn't it, Andy?

 

Looks ok to me in person up close, I think It's OK as the oil would smear the surface completely during the application of process.

 

You may well be correct, Ian.

 

I haven't seen the wire - so I can't be certain.

 

[muon*]

2 hours ago, andyr said:

 

You may well be correct, Ian.

 

I haven't seen the wire - so I can't be certain.

 

Anyway, what's a few dots of oxidisation between friends

 

Edit: jokes aside I think it offers good protection from oxidisation.

Edited September 25, 2022 by muon*

[Nada]

On 20/09/2022 at 4:09 PM, Steve Winter said:

I'm interested in recommendations for Aliexpress

 

Surprisingly there is one bit of kit from Aliexpress for $5 that is highly recommended:

 

[muon*]

Hell no

 

Edit: I object to the mass of them, likely brass too!

Edited September 25, 2022 by muon*

[Nada]

Why would that matter? Id be surprised if a few cm of adaptor is actually audible. More importantly  both cables are equally affected which is all that matters in a blind trial. However there are lighter options:

[audiofeline]

36 minutes ago, Nada said:

Surprisingly there is one bit of kit from Aliexpress for $5 that is highly recommended:

These (and other adapters) look exactly the same as similar adapters that have a brand name screen-printed on them.  They all probably come out of the same factory. 

[audiofeline]

Duelund cable was designed to reproduce - as close as possible - 1950's Western Electric cable that was made for non-audio use but audiophiles found to have exceptional audio properties.  Back then most cable had fibre-based insulation because plastic insulation hadn't developed enough to be viable.  Audiophiles hypothesise that the oiled cotton contributes to part of the audio magic in these cables.  The WE wires were also tinned - not for audio enhancement - but as an anti-oxidisation coating, that may also contribute to the audio properties. 

[muon*]

33 minutes ago, audiofeline said:

Duelund cable was designed to reproduce - as close as possible - 1950's Western Electric cable that was made for non-audio use but audiophiles found to have exceptional audio properties.  Back then most cable had fibre-based insulation because plastic insulation hadn't developed enough to be viable.  Audiophiles hypothesise that the oiled cotton contributes to part of the audio magic in these cables.  The WE wires were also tinned - not for audio enhancement - but as an anti-oxidisation coating, that may also contribute to the audio properties. 

That's only the tin plated copper stuff,  which is slightly better than the original WE stuff.

 

With the WE tin plated copper stuff that is sort after for It's tone and by virtue got the nick name "tone wire" the cotton was not over the conductors, the conductors were in a tube then a cloth covering was over that.

 

https://jeffsplace.positive-feedback.com/the-vintage-beat-western-electric-we16ga-speaker-cable/

Edited September 25, 2022 by muon*

[audiofeline]

24 minutes ago, Nada said:

Why would that matter [if the RCA splitter was brass and not copper]? Id be surprised if a few cm of adaptor is actually audible. More importantly  both cables are equally affected which is all that matters in a blind trial...

I would expect that it would have minimal effect.  However, I have read that people with very resolving systems report that it can degrade the sound.  My house is worth more than my hifi, which might explain why I haven't noticed a difference when I've used them, but my splitter use hasn't been for critical applications either.