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DIY pure silver IC's..... Where to start?

post #1 of 23
3/4/04 at 1:22am
Thread Starter 
Ok, I've seen the cables at www.johnsonaudio.com and I want something similar to those. Upon doing some more searching I have found www.homegrownaudio.com that sells pure silver wire that would be used. Considering I've found the rca ends I will be using what else will I need? What about shielding? I would like to have it wrapped in teflon so the silver wire can be seen, if that's possible. I don't fully understand, yet, that's why I'm asking for suggestions. The Diva cables at homegrownaduio look good, but of course that is too much money for me. So I was thinking over their cheaper cables, the silver spirit braid, super spirit braid, or the diva braid. I see they are already insulated, but they are not shielded correct? What is my best way to achieve what I'm after?
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post #2 of 23
3/4/04 at 1:55am
jbroad,

you know, you and i have been gettin into this about the same time and all, and obviously you're way ahead of me on this, tho i'm tryin to keep up
but what i'm sayin is this. i'd get some solid diy cables that look tight but don't cost more than $50 a cable, and let it settle in and see how it sounds. tha's what i'm doin.
just a suggestion.
of course, if you've got money to burn, or money to allocate to this, then by all means, BUY the good stuff and let me know what yah think!
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post #3 of 23
3/4/04 at 1:57am
Hello there,

Head-Fi'ers and DIY'ers in general seem to use the teflon-insulated wire from A-M Systems. That would be an easy albeit expensive way to get teflon-coated silver wire. For shielding your only option, if you want the silver wire to be visible, is to braid the cables and hope the braiding creates enough of a shield. Otherwise you will have to put a tin coated copper mesh over the wire and solder it to the source end. This will make the cables directional and can alter the sound. You also need a soldering iron and solder if you don't have any. I recommend cardas solder as it's very easy to work with. If you can't find any at a good price feel free to PM me as I have some bought in bulk and can get you a good deal on a small amount. Also, if the price of silver wire is too expensive I may be able to help you with that too.
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post #4 of 23
3/4/04 at 2:04am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by sleepkyng
jbroad,

you know, you and i have been gettin into this about the same time and all, and obviously you're way ahead of me on this, tho i'm tryin to keep up
but what i'm sayin is this. i'd get some solid diy cables that look tight but don't cost more than $50 a cable, and let it settle in and see how it sounds. tha's what i'm doin.
just a suggestion.
of course, if you've got money to burn, or money to allocate to this, then by all means, BUY the good stuff and let me know what yah think!

To tell you the truth this is the last accessory I need to buy to make my system complete. I don't, after buying everything else, have $100 to spend on the interconnects, but I never imagined I would have $1500 to spend on headphone equipment. As I typed that my heart rate just went up, I kind of want to cry, ............ Yea well, too late now
For my IC's all I want is good looks, with performance to match. I want them to look good since they will be seen, and IMO those silver cables are just beautiful and very classy and pro looking with the performance to match. I also was considering the Copperheads from www.redcobracables.com, they would look nice, but not sure on their reputation. If the Johnsonaudio cable's were shielded I would probably pick those up. I just want to go out with a bang, but with a boom in my last little bit of pocket change.
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post #5 of 23
3/4/04 at 2:24am
I'm pretty sure both of the Johnson cables have teflon shielding.

EDIT::: I just noticed JohnsonAudio has plans for making a headphone cable!!! w00t!
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post #6 of 23
3/4/04 at 2:55am
Quote:
Originally posted by Jbroad572
I also was considering the Copperheads from www.redcobracables.com, they would look nice, but not sure on their reputation. If the Johnsonaudio cable's were shielded I would probably pick those up. I just want to go out with a bang, but with a boom in my last little bit of pocket change.
The Belden 89259 cable that they use is really good stuff. I made a DIY cable with cheap Switchcraft RCA connectors and the Belden 89259 myself, and I'm really happy. It would probably cost more to buy the materials and those Eichmann plugs to build a DIY cable from scratch, than it would to buy the Copperheads IC's.
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post #7 of 23
3/4/04 at 3:50am
those copperheads are supposed to be the bomb!

those guys are serious about their cables!
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post #8 of 23
3/4/04 at 4:20am
Thread Starter 
The Copperheads from him or the Copperheads from www.audioquest.com Are they any good?
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post #9 of 23
3/5/04 at 12:24am
Thread Starter 
Anybody?
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post #10 of 23
3/5/04 at 2:17am
Have you considered trying the Headphile Cables. They are quite cheap for the value they offer.
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post #11 of 23
3/5/04 at 10:37pm
Quote:
Originally posted by kartik
Have you considered trying the Headphile Cables. They are quite cheap for the value they offer.
Yes there are a lot of fans of the base silver IC, which I believe is $45. I've been reading a lot on silver interconnects lately and after a lot of research I ended up ordering the Bogdan Silver Princess, which can be had on Audiogon for $89, solid core silver, uninsulated, bare wire with PTFE Teflon tube and Eichmann bullets. If you wanted to make it yourself:

Eichmann Bullets $24
3 runs of 3.3 foot silver (@ $4 ft. ) = ~ $40
Shrink Tubing etc. = $3
-------------------------------------------------------------
~ $67
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post #12 of 23
3/5/04 at 11:15pm
Quote:
Originally posted by highflyin9

3 runs of 3.3 foot silver (@ $4 ft. ) = ~ $40
Shrink Tubing etc. = $3
-------------------------------------------------------------
~ $67
Please do not pay that much. $40 for 9.9' of silver is insane.
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post #13 of 23
3/6/04 at 12:39am
Quote:
Originally posted by Hajime
Please do not pay that much. $40 for 9.9' of silver is insane.
Thats the price for 22 gauge from A-M systems you posted earlier. Silver is very expensive right now so it doesn't really help matters. Is anyone aware of a retailer that sells Silver Teflon on the cheap?
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post #14 of 23
3/6/04 at 1:53am
Use a design that does not require teflon tubing and your problem is solved. You can get silver wire at a very inexpensive price compared to $40 for 9.9'. I wouldn't pay more than $5 for 9.9' of wire.
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post #15 of 23
3/6/04 at 10:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by Hajime
Use a design that does not require teflon tubing and your problem is solved. You can get silver wire at a very inexpensive price compared to $40 for 9.9'. I wouldn't pay more than $5 for 9.9' of wire.
And what kind of design would that be? I just want some nice cables that look unique with good sound quality for $85 or less.
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