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Need help picking the best DIY interconnect cable for less than $50

post #1 of 21
12/29/10 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 

Okay, I already bought 4 switchcraft RCA connectors.  Now, I am looking for 2 ft of cable length.  1 ft for each interconnect. I'm currently considering using the Silver Dragon V3 headphone cable as an interconnect.  Anybody know alternative options of equal or better SQ?  It's going to connect my DAC to the Amp.  Thanks!


Edited by flargosa - 12/29/10 at 9:24am
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post #2 of 21
12/29/10 at 9:29am

Belden 1505F (specs.)


Edited by limpidglitch - 12/29/10 at 9:34am
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post #3 of 21
12/29/10 at 9:53am
Thread Starter 

any good cables with silver?

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post #4 of 21
12/29/10 at 10:01am

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a cable matching the specs of the Belden, using a silver conductor. I mean, what would be the point?

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post #5 of 21
12/29/10 at 10:05am
Thread Starter 

I like the sound of the Silver Dragon cables and the ALO silver copper combo cable.  Just wanted to know if there are alternatives with a similar sound signature, since I will be making the cable myself. 

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post #6 of 21
12/29/10 at 3:51pm

What do you mean by 'sound signature'?

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post #7 of 21
12/29/10 at 5:35pm
Thread Starter 

The bass sounds cleaner and highs are sharper, compared to my pure cooper cable. I very much prefer the sound of my silver interconnects. The difference is subtle but audiable enough. Much like MP3 vs CD, small but audiable.


Edited by flargosa - 12/29/10 at 5:38pm
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post #8 of 21
12/30/10 at 9:08am

Can you explain what phenomena brings out these differences?

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post #9 of 21
12/30/10 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 

I wish I could, but I cannot, not a scientist or engineer.  All I know is that different materials have different electrical conductivity and silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any element, that is a good thing I assume.  

 

It seems that no one is putting in their 2 cents. This probably means that this is an over discuss topic, or a controversial one? :)


Edited by flargosa - 12/30/10 at 1:29pm
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post #10 of 21
12/30/10 at 2:26pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by flargosa View Post

I wish I could, but I cannot, not a scientist or engineer.  All I know is that different materials have different electrical conductivity and silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any element, that is a good thing I assume.  

 

It seems that no one is putting in their 2 cents. This probably means that this is an over discuss topic, or a controversial one? :)


 

There are definitely audible differences between conductors - copper vs. silver vs. SPC, etc.  I can hear it consistently, and the science is not exactly "settled."  Scientists continue to study electricity and conductivity in great depth, today in 2010/2011.  If we had all the information we needed to definitively conclude that conductors do not affect audio signals, then scientists would not still be avidly studying these things.  This is a very controversial subject, which to be fair you did not really broach, flargosa.  You've asked a perfectly reasonable question - "recommend me a cable" - which limpidglitch's deceptively wan remark has turned into a science vs. magic debate.  These kinds of debates are not limited to the audio world, and by their very nature, will probably never be settled. The very thing that the scientists think makes them objective (a reliance on quantitative data) actually makes their perceptions hopelessly skewed - it's over before it starts, for them.  And for those who think cables matter, the other side will always place a burden of proof on them that nobody can provide, regardless of whether they're actually right or not.  The debate isn't really fair to either side but it rages on, and on.

 

But for now, I think the only useful way to look at it is as preference.  If you hear a difference, great, do your thing.  If you don't, then just use your lamp cord and leave the others alone.

 

As far as your question ;) I would suggest perusing partsconnexion.com or takefiveaudio.com and getting some wire (I like the Jupiter silver wire) and sleeving to make your own cable.  At that length, you can make something nice for easily less than $50.  While I'm sure that silver sounds different from copper, I do NOT believe that a $300 cable is likely to be any better than a $50 one, providing they're both silver.  You can probably max out the potential of an analog cable at $20 per foot or so, if that.


Edited by slowpogo - 12/30/10 at 2:51pm
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post #11 of 21
12/30/10 at 4:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by flargosa View Post

I wish I could, but I cannot, not a scientist or engineer.  All I know is that different materials have different electrical conductivity and silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any element, that is a good thing I assume.  

 

It seems that no one is putting in their 2 cents. This probably means that this is an over discuss topic, or a controversial one? :)



But a copper conductor and a silver conductor, with the copper conductor having a 10% larger cross-section, will have the same conductivity. Then what?


Edited by limpidglitch - 12/30/10 at 5:34pm
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post #12 of 21
12/30/10 at 5:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowpogo View Post

There are definitely audible differences between conductors - copper vs. silver vs. SPC, etc.  I can hear it consistently, Ever tried it blindfolded, un-aware of what conductors are being used?

 and the science is not exactly "settled." Yes, on the matter of audio signal traveling through a conductor, it pretty much is.

 Scientists continue to study electricity and conductivity in great depth, today in 2010/2011. If we had all the information we needed to definitively conclude that conductors do not affect audio signals, then scientists would not still be avidly studying these things. Care to cite any relevant papers?

 This is a very controversial subject, which to be fair you did not really broach, flargosa. 

 You've asked a perfectly reasonable question - "recommend me a cable" - which limpidglitch's deceptively wan remark has turned into a science vs. magic debate. No, he did it all by himself. And I'm so glad you chose to use that term, 'magic' smile.gif

 These kinds of debates are not limited to the audio world, and by their very nature, will probably never be settled.

 The very thing that the scientists think makes them objective (a reliance on quantitative data) actually makes their perceptions hopelessly skewed - it's over before it starts, for them. Care to elaborate on this? How does a reliance upon objective data make one biased?

And for those who think cables matter, the other side will always place a burden of proof on them that nobody can provide, regardless of whether they're actually right or not. The burden is not laid on the believers without reason. We can again and again demonstrate that one certain conductor under certain circumstances do not make an audible differences from a certain other conductor under the same controlled circumstances, but we can not generalize this and make it relevant to all conductors under all circumstances. You, on the other side, can with documenting just once that an audible difference exists disprove our stance claiming the opposite. Do you see the problem?

 The debate isn't really fair to either side but it rages on, and on. And as long as there are money to be be made, it will continue to do so.

 

 

But for now, I think the only useful way to look at it is as preference.  If you hear a difference, great, do your thing.  If you don't, then just use your lamp cord and leave the others alone.

 

As far as your question ;) I would suggest perusing partsconnexion.com or takefiveaudio.com and getting some wire (I like the Jupiter silver wire) and sleeving to make your own cable.  At that length, you can make something nice for easily less than $50.  While I'm sure that silver sounds different from copper, I do NOT believe that a $300 cable is likely to be any better than a $50 one, providing they're both silver.  You can probably max out the potential of an analog cable at $20 per foot or so, if that. The Belden I linked to is $0.65 a foot, is nice and flexible, have excellent EMI rejection characteristics and very low capacitance. Now beat that wink.gif


 


Edited by limpidglitch - 12/30/10 at 5:35pm
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post #13 of 21
12/30/10 at 5:51pm

You can buy some Mundorf's 24AWG Silver/Gold hookup wires $8.54@pcX

 

And check this thread http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508252/the-best-interconnects-i-have-ever-heard-photos downsize's best IC design!

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post #14 of 21
12/30/10 at 6:55pm

Im sorry to say that it simply isnt this easy. 

 

"I like silver cables" How do you know that you are not making up for a deeper fault in your upstream (or downstream) components? Considering the difficulties most scientists have measuring the differences in cables VS the relative ease that they have measuring the differences in active components Id almost guarantee it. 

 

Upgrade your active gear, use the cheapest cables that dont hum. The belden linked to above is pretty pimp.

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post #15 of 21
12/30/10 at 7:16pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by limpidglitch View Post



Quote:
Originally Posted by slowpogo View Post

There are definitely audible differences between conductors - copper vs. silver vs. SPC, etc.  I can hear it consistently, Ever tried it blindfolded, un-aware of what conductors are being used?

 and the science is not exactly "settled." Yes, on the matter of audio signal traveling through a conductor, it pretty much is.

 Scientists continue to study electricity and conductivity in great depth, today in 2010/2011. If we had all the information we needed to definitively conclude that conductors do not affect audio signals, then scientists would not still be avidly studying these things. Care to cite any relevant papers?

 This is a very controversial subject, which to be fair you did not really broach, flargosa. 

 You've asked a perfectly reasonable question - "recommend me a cable" - which limpidglitch's deceptively wan remark has turned into a science vs. magic debate. No, he did it all by himself. And I'm so glad you chose to use that term, 'magic' smile.gif

 These kinds of debates are not limited to the audio world, and by their very nature, will probably never be settled.

 The very thing that the scientists think makes them objective (a reliance on quantitative data) actually makes their perceptions hopelessly skewed - it's over before it starts, for them. Care to elaborate on this? How does a reliance upon objective data make one biased?

And for those who think cables matter, the other side will always place a burden of proof on them that nobody can provide, regardless of whether they're actually right or not. The burden is not laid on the believers without reason. We can again and again demonstrate that one certain conductor under certain circumstances do not make an audible differences from a certain other conductor under the same controlled circumstances, but we can not generalize this and make it relevant to all conductors under all circumstances. You, on the other side, can with documenting just once that an audible difference exists disprove our stance claiming the opposite. Do you see the problem?

 The debate isn't really fair to either side but it rages on, and on. And as long as there are money to be be made, it will continue to do so.

 

 

But for now, I think the only useful way to look at it is as preference.  If you hear a difference, great, do your thing.  If you don't, then just use your lamp cord and leave the others alone.

 

As far as your question ;) I would suggest perusing partsconnexion.com or takefiveaudio.com and getting some wire (I like the Jupiter silver wire) and sleeving to make your own cable.  At that length, you can make something nice for easily less than $50.  While I'm sure that silver sounds different from copper, I do NOT believe that a $300 cable is likely to be any better than a $50 one, providing they're both silver.  You can probably max out the potential of an analog cable at $20 per foot or so, if that. The Belden I linked to is $0.65 a foot, is nice and flexible, have excellent EMI rejection characteristics and very low capacitance. Now beat that wink.gif


 



*yawn*

 

I shouldn't have even posted anything. All I will comment on, is the part about "objective data" making one biased.

 

It gives you a preexisting expectation. You've got "data" that tells you beforehand what you should expect to hear - namely, nothing, no difference. So why would you hear anything, even if it were there? You possess a conviction, even passion, from analyzing your "objective data," and passion and conviction are not neutral or unbiased.

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