[goorackerelite]

Hey everyone,

I need to reterminate my Equinox cable from balanced to S.E. What do you think the best phono plug is? I've auditioned the Cardas phono plug and the Neutrik NP3X-B.

Does anyone know the stock one that comes on the Equinox?

 

[SleepyOne]

Maybe also consider Furutech's phono

 

[compuryan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SleepyOne /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe also consider Furutech's phono

+1 for the furutech. Has a good metal construction too, really nice plug.

 

[goorackerelite]

well I emailed James and here is what he said.

Scratch the re-termination idea, it's not cheap nor does it make any economical sense.

Thank you for your email and questions.

My apologies, I did not realize you were interested in converting the balanced cable to full specifications. The conversion process is critical for this and it would require us to do the re-termination.

The cost for re-termination from balanced to SE is $115.00 (plus $6.00 return shipping charge) which includes a 3-stage conditioning process of the new 1/4" connector and re-treatment of the entire cable after soldering (this is necessary due to the heat from the soldering process which destroys the prior treatment on a section of the cable. Also the TechFlex cover and label are replaced because the existing cover is not long enough for the 1/4" design.


Kind regards,

James S Serdechny
Owner/Designer
Stefan AudioArt Welcome

 

[csommers]

Daaaaamn
Might as well get a new cable for that price, you're half way there.
+1 on the Furutech tho

 

[SleepyOne]

Maybe it is just me but that reply sounds a little odd, no?...........maybe easier to say "hand me your money or else..."

 

[Duggeh]

Build yourself an XLR to TRS adapter is my advice. Sending it back to have the termination changed and then being billed hundreds to have and inch and a half of the cable re-cryo treated because of soldering iron heat exposure (which will undo the cryo effects, he wasn't lying about that, its the reason why cryo treated tubes are a nonsense), is a daft proposition. I wouldn't send back a cable to have the termination changed, it's just about the most simple DIY job in headphonedom unless the manufacturer has made things deliberately difficult (by filling the inside of an XLR plug up with glue for example).

 

[compuryan]

Jeez thats ridiculous. As duggeh said, a balanced > 1/4" adapter might be the easiest solution. If you don't want to deal with an adapter, I'd advise you to sell the cable and use the money to buy a 1/4" terminated cable. You might lose some money overall, but probably not anything close to $115!

 

[goorackerelite]

I really lucked here, the headfi'er I purchased the cable from did not ship out the item yet and was kind enough to give me a refund. Given the circumstances of the cabling logistics, I'm not gonna ignore a man who spent years fine tuning his vision, only to neuter it with an amateur soldering job. But I guess it's a fair price considering it might take an hour or two for him to do the job, plus he prolly has bills bills bills to pay. haha
I would like to hear more opinions on the treatment of cables. It seems that more and more DIY's are offering custom cable jobs, but is there more involved than one realizes?

 

[boomy3555]

Cables are one of the easiest DIY things you can do. It's fun researching different bulk cables and connectors. Neutriks vs Pailiics, vs Switchcraft, and then the pirsuit of diiferent connectors like XLR, Mini XLR, Din. although I must say, It really tasks your soldering skills. I've already melted three 3.5mm Threaded Qables plugs trying to make an OFC cable for my Ultrasones. and if you use Silver solder, (Which you must, Of Course) then the heat requirements are even higher for the soldering.
Give it a try. at worst you'll blow a few buck on cables and connectors.
as far as Cryo goes, IMHO that's when we start getting into "Scary Cable Land" athough I do prefer cyo for time travel. I hate to wake up the wrong age when I get there