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Where to buy budget wire for headphone recable in Canada?

post #1 of 10
11/20/12 at 5:38pm
Thread Starter 

My KSC75's recently started to cut out, and I want to recable them. I already have a few cheap ebay plugs but I don't have any cable. Cat5 was an option, but I want to consider other options first. I was wondering where I could buy some budget wire online for my budget headphones :) 

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post #2 of 10
11/20/12 at 6:40pm

Here is a place to start

 

http://www.redco.com/shopDisplayCategories.asp?id=242&cat=Bulk+Cable

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post #3 of 10
11/20/12 at 7:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HiVoltSplicer View Post

Here is a place to start

 

http://www.redco.com/shopDisplayCategories.asp?id=242&cat=Bulk+Cable

 

That's exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

 

I have another question about the cables though, what is the difference between  Canare L-4E5C Mini Quad and Canare L-4E5AT Mini Quad?

 

http://www.redco.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?search=yes&bc=no&CatalogId=536

http://www.redco.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?search=yes&bc=no&CatalogId=538

 

I will be taking out the wires so if I'm paying double for the shielding and such, I would rather get the cheaper one. 

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post #4 of 10
11/20/12 at 7:58pm

partsconnexion, maybe?

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post #5 of 10
11/20/12 at 8:28pm

eBay is always a good place to start. There's a large selection of high quality wire on there. You just have to know what to look for, and use the right keywords. Searching the descriptions also helps to find the right wire. Many DIYer in here actually buy their wires from eBay sellers. The price is often reasonable too. You just have to keep in mind that Canada Post charges 8.50$ as import duties on orders over 20$. I just make sure my orders never go over 20$.

 

Parts Connexion are great to make business with. Don't hesitate to send them an email if you need information. They reply quickly and have an amazing service. This month they offer 20% off "almost everything", which makes it a nice time to buy wire from them. When they send you the invoice, just make sure they applied the discounts properly. ;)

 

http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_hookup_main.html

 

They have a small selection though.

 

Edit:

Quote:
Originally Posted by cgg123321 View Post

 

That's exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

 

I have another question about the cables though, what is the difference between  Canare L-4E5C Mini Quad and Canare L-4E5AT Mini Quad?

 

http://www.redco.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?search=yes&bc=no&CatalogId=536

http://www.redco.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?search=yes&bc=no&CatalogId=538

 

I will be taking out the wires so if I'm paying double for the shielding and such, I would rather get the cheaper one. 

 

From Canare's page description:

Quote:
L-4E6S
The premier Star Quad cable for all handheld microphone applications. Flexible, satin smooth to the touch and extra strong, this standard diameter, 21 AWG cable fits perfectly in all XLR-type audio connectors. Forty separate strands in each conductor eliminate breakage due to flexing. Available in 10 beautiful matte finish color jackets.
L-4E5C
A narrow profile version of L-4E6S. Specifically designed to save space and reduce weight during remote field expeditions or confining installations.
 
L-4E6AT
A 20 AWG Star Quad cable specifically designed for point to point wiring in fixed installations. Aluminum Foil Shielding provides 100% coverage. Slick, easy to pull PVC Jacket with internal Dupont Kevlar 29 cable filler, stronger than steel, can resist stretching or kinking of wires when pulled through conduit bends. Foil shield & drain wire strips easily for quick assembly work (1/3 the assembly time of braided shields). Irradiated PE conductor insulation resists solder iron meltdown.
L-4E5AT
A 22 AWG narrow profile Star Quad audio cable with the same shield, drain wire and Kevlar construction style as L-4E6AT.

 

The L-4E5AT is not flexible, and not recommended for headphones. The L-4E5C is a small, flexible cable which is often used and recommended for headphones. Both are shielded.

 

Their individual wires are not the same. The 6AT is a 22 AWG (larger) with 16 conductors. The 5C is 23 AWG (smaller) with 30 conductors. This alone makes the 5C much more flexible. Then there's insulation thickness, which I believe is thinner on the 5C. This too would make the 5C more flexible.


Edited by KimLaroux - 11/20/12 at 8:50pm
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post #6 of 10
11/21/12 at 12:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote (Click to show)

 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by KimLaroux View Post

eBay is always a good place to start. There's a large selection of high quality wire on there. You just have to know what to look for, and use the right keywords. Searching the descriptions also helps to find the right wire. Many DIYer in here actually buy their wires from eBay sellers. The price is often reasonable too. You just have to keep in mind that Canada Post charges 8.50$ as import duties on orders over 20$. I just make sure my orders never go over 20$.

 

Parts Connexion are great to make business with. Don't hesitate to send them an email if you need information. They reply quickly and have an amazing service. This month they offer 20% off "almost everything", which makes it a nice time to buy wire from them. When they send you the invoice, just make sure they applied the discounts properly. ;)

 

http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_hookup_main.html

 

They have a small selection though.

 

Edit:

 

From Canare's page description:

 

The L-4E5AT is not flexible, and not recommended for headphones. The L-4E5C is a small, flexible cable which is often used and recommended for headphones. Both are shielded.

 

Their individual wires are not the same. The 6AT is a 22 AWG (larger) with 16 conductors. The 5C is 23 AWG (smaller) with 30 conductors. This alone makes the 5C much more flexible. Then there's insulation thickness, which I believe is thinner on the 5C. This too would make the 5C more flexible.

 

 

Thanks so much for the help! Could you give me a few of the keywords I would use on ebay for wires suitable for headphones?

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post #7 of 10
11/21/12 at 10:55am

"Stranded occ"

"Stranded spc"

"Stranded copper wire"

 

You can refine your search by isolation material, but I don't know which material is preferred for headphone cables.

 

You can also look at the listing of these stores, to give you an idea of the keywords:

http://myworld.ebay.ca/btg-audio/

http://stores.ebay.ca/Toxic-Cables

 

Though this stuff is probably not as "budget" as Canare star quad. For a pair of Koss 75, I'd recommend you simply get the Canare. If I had to order it, I'd order like 20 or 40 feet of it, just so that I have some in stock. I'd buy as much as I can while keeping the total cost bellow 20$ haha. It makes more sens to pay for shipping once for a bulk order than many times for small orders. I'm sure you'll be happy to have some in stock in the future. This stuff is really handy.

 

The star quad mini is really good for the money, many people use it to recable headphones.

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post #8 of 10
11/21/12 at 12:26pm

I'm surprised no one mentioned Take Five Audio yet...

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post #9 of 10
11/21/12 at 5:44pm

Oh nice, I did not know this retailer. Thanks for the tip.

 

They have Mogami mini quad, which is essentially the same as the Canare mini quad: http://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=1212

 

They have a nice collection of phono jaks, I'll check them out next time I need to make cables.

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post #10 of 10
11/21/12 at 6:09pm

I got them to get in the mini quad as previously they had no cable that fit in the rean jacks they sold...

 

They answer their email promptly and shipping is reasonable.

Also check out their clearance center. The product changes regularly...

one time they had a bunch of tubes at cheap prices...

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