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Wire selection for first projects

post #1 of 22
11/6/09 at 4:41am
Thread Starter 
Hi, I know there is probably an answer for this, but I searched and could not find it. I am looking for wire to do my first two projects, a cmoy amp, and replacing the stock cable on my PK3's. I know navships is a good source would this work. I will twist and braid it for the headphone recable. Will this work, or what are the other inexpensive options.
Thanks,
Geoff
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post #2 of 22
11/6/09 at 5:03am
That would work nicely, the price also seems reasonable. You could go cheaper, but I really like working with Teflon.
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post #3 of 22
11/6/09 at 7:24am
You may want to choose another wire that does not have Kapton insulation, this is stiffer than the normal Teflon insulation wire and may not be suitable for a Headphone cable.
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post #4 of 22
11/6/09 at 7:28am
please dont use SPC, stick with either copper or go full out silver. From my experience, SPC leads to what people have unfortunately associated with "silver sound" and that is a bright and thin sound. True silver is not harsh at all. Just say no to SPC
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post #5 of 22
11/6/09 at 4:23pm
and solid core for amp internals and stranded for ics and headphone recables
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post #6 of 22
11/6/09 at 7:54pm
To the OP: don't worry about it being SPC versus solid silver. Worry about the source, amp, and headphones (big changes that make a real difference) before you worry about those 1% changes in sound like the metal a wire is made of.

22-24 stranded is good for carrying signal, 18-20 solid-core for power.
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post #7 of 22
11/7/09 at 12:41am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the help! I just ordered the SPC wire without the Kapton insulation. Eventually I will use silver wire, but once I know I am capable of finishing these projects I will look into some more intense ones.
-Geoff
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post #8 of 22
11/8/09 at 2:56pm
I just did a recable with Navships 24awg Teflon SPC, and I didn't really enjoy working with it very much. Very stiff with memory (stays kind of bent), and I had the damnedest time stripping with my (admittedly) crappy tools. I couldn't grip the wire secure (duh, teflon), and when I used pliers, I damaged the teflon.

Can't say anything about the sound since they were really crappy phones to begin with (practice surgery), but they were stiffer than I wanted with microphonics out the wazzoo. I could put cotton or nylon multifilament, but that stuff is more expensive than the wire itself.

Still looking for a cheap way to recable lots of stuff. Nucleotide from Double Helix seems like the cheapest "nice" copper cable, while HGA has the most reasonable "nice" silver. Still want cheaper, though
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post #9 of 22
11/8/09 at 7:08pm
Use individual conductors from CAT5/CAT6 cable. Free or close to it - works perfectly.
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post #10 of 22
11/8/09 at 7:19pm
I found CAT5 wire to be stiffer than anything I've bought for audio use, but that could have just been my cable.
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post #11 of 22
11/8/09 at 9:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Juaquin View Post
I found CAT5 wire to be stiffer than anything I've bought for audio use, but that could have just been my cable.
I agree. The cat5 I just took apart had 8 24awg solid copper wires. I just tried my hand at some braiding, and while I got the hang of it after a while, it looks like buttocks because the wire is so stiff and keeps the bends instead of relaxing.

I am starting to think that the more expensive stuff is worth it simply because of how supple it is. If you aren't going to do anything beyond a 3 or 4 wire braid and use it for longer interconnects, then anything should work. I am trying to do headphone cables and short interconnects, and so far cat5, and navship SPC has not been ideal.
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post #12 of 22
11/9/09 at 12:55am
I had no problem with navships for interconnects, but the 22awg stuff I got wasn't great for headphone cable. Probably go 24 or higher next time.
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post #13 of 22
11/10/09 at 3:07pm
Can someone please recommend me what solid core uninsulated cable to buy for building a p2p wired Firstwatt amp? Should I go for something like this? Or should I just simply buy some UTP cat6 cable, remove the insulation and use the wire inside (the simplest option by far, but I don't know if good enough for a Firstwatt driving a pair of K1000)? I kind of fear a bad quality wire would adversely affect the sound quality of the amp without me even knowing it. I'm a diy beginner, so please help!
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post #14 of 22
11/10/09 at 3:15pm
have you tried mogami? you could always strip it down and braid it yourself or just use it as is. in my experience, it is very easy to use - flexible and easy to strip the wire too. also cheap at about $0.60/ft

Quote:
Originally Posted by FraGGleR View Post
I agree. The cat5 I just took apart had 8 24awg solid copper wires. I just tried my hand at some braiding, and while I got the hang of it after a while, it looks like buttocks because the wire is so stiff and keeps the bends instead of relaxing.

I am starting to think that the more expensive stuff is worth it simply because of how supple it is. If you aren't going to do anything beyond a 3 or 4 wire braid and use it for longer interconnects, then anything should work. I am trying to do headphone cables and short interconnects, and so far cat5, and navship SPC has not been ideal.
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post #15 of 22
11/10/09 at 6:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bik2101 View Post
have you tried mogami? you could always strip it down and braid it yourself or just use it as is. in my experience, it is very easy to use - flexible and easy to strip the wire too. also cheap at about $0.60/ft
The very first interconnects I made (well, the only ones so far) were using Mogami 2893. I like the cable a lot and have another 20 feet coming. I did not try stripping it all the way down to braid (I just discovered the joys of braiding a couple days ago). I liked the jacket and flexibility and plan to use it for my K81DJ recable.

The Navships cable isn't terrible, and in fact I just did a very nice looking 6 wire Jena style weave with it. I just don't like how stiff it is at all (and I still have a hard time stripping the teflon). For interconnects that aren't moved alot, perfectly nice. But almost everything I make and want to make require flexibility.
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