[drp]

I have a section of Kimber PBJ and want to build a mini-to-RCA. If you have one of these and don't mind confirming its construction….

Three strands exiting the mini, and then two strands entering each of the RCAs. For this to happen, I suspect an additional ground lead is spliced in at the "Y", and then each signal and ground twisted as it enters the RCA connector. Does it appear to be constructed in this manner?

I guess I could do two complete strands, have ground lines every which way, but this would mean six leads into an 1/8" plug. Might be kind of tight....

Dave

P.S. This is not an infringement issue, right?

 

[drp]

Hmmm… Guess I'll write to Kimber Tech Support…. 8~)

I am happy with PBJ for mini-to-mini; I recently built a short (6") mini-to-mini for pcdp to amp. Cool stuff to work with and seems fairly transparent (IMHO). Give it a try if you run across some.

 

[drp]

The Kimber Tech Support dude wasn't aware of the specific wiring; back to the drawing board. Not wanting to invest in high-dollar connectors for testing, I dropped by RS and grabbed the Gold Series 1/8" mini and RCA connectors.

The idea of having a single strand of PBJ exiting the mini seemed fine till I got to the RCA split. Soldering an additional ground line at the Y just seemed too flimsy, as did two small wires exiting the large RCAs. In the end, I chose to use the two-full-strands method. The most interesting part was indeed getting six wires to merge into a mini connector. I had to file a bit from the inside rear of the barrel to get all six lines to fit.

The choices for hook up were either two lines for each signal and one for ground, or visa versa. For this pass, I chose to use two lines for each signal. It might have been better to have one signal and two grounds; don't know. I'd be interested in feedback/opinions from any Kimber fans (wondering if there are any...).

Having made a short story long . . . I now have a one-foot mini to RCA that is beefy as hell and looks really, really cool. Sonically, It is more open than my Straightwire, but this from a short, 20 minute listen. Letting it burn in for a while….. I'll soon be paring a Sony D-25 and a XP-7, so imagine I'll end up ordering better quality connectors and an M-80 or similar to compare against.

If you run across some PBJ, there are worse materials to use for interconnects. If you want/need a cable that holds its shape when bent around corners, this is the one for you.

Dave