[Geist]

So, I'm about to venture into the frightening world of DIY and make myself a couple power cables for my headamp and cdp. What guage wire should I be using? I have absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to be looking for.

Thanks.

 

[markl]

I would say don't over-do it, 12 or 14-guage are fine for sources/headamps. Thicker if you want to power big speaker amps/HT receivers.

 

[Geist]

Perfect! Greatly appreciate the advice.

BTW when I started searching around about power cords I came across your mega-review. Nice work.

If my DIY experiment turns out to be an abysmal failure I'll be using your reviews as a guide.

 

[grandenigma1]

I would go with a 16awg shileded cable for the cdp and something in the 12-14awg region for a headamp.

 

[Geist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandenigma1 I would go with a 16awg shileded cable for the cdp and something in the 12-14awg region for a headamp.

Any particular reason for the size differences?

Oh, my cdp is the Minimax and the headamp is the GS-1, in case this helps.

Also, I'm trying to find a store that sells the wire and the plugs in BC, Canada...The Source (our version of Radio Shack) seems to have the wire but no plugs. I guess I'm looking for hospital grade stuff? Meh, maybe I should just buy some Quails instead.

 

[grandenigma1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geist Any particular reason for the size differences? Oh, my cdp is the Minimax and the headamp is the GS-1, in case this helps. Also, I'm trying to find a store that sells the wire and the plugs in BC, Canada...The Source (our version of Radio Shack) seems to have the wire but no plugs. I guess I'm looking for hospital grade stuff? Meh, maybe I should just buy some Quails instead.

digital gear such as a cdp does not draw near the same amount of power as an amp would and they are much more efficient. A larger gauge in the case of digital gear can actually induce interference and in turn result in poorer performace.

TakeFiveAudio.com ... based out of Canada would be an excellent source for almost anything you could want/need.

 

[RnB180]

12 awg and 10 awg have always worked well for me respectively depending on what application its used for.
Though Ive never given power cables more interest other then just building them when the need arises for my gear.
I have not listened critically to power cords.

I swap out my power cords just to get rid of those cheap plastic molded ones that come stock.

but from what Ive read people seem to recommend the smaller awg for digital sources and larger awg for power hungry amps, that seems to be the rule of thumb

 

[kontai69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geist Oh, my cdp is the Minimax and the headamp is the GS-1, in case this helps. Also, I'm trying to find a store that sells the wire and the plugs in BC, Canada...The Source (our version of Radio Shack) seems to have the wire but no plugs. I guess I'm looking for hospital grade stuff?

I'm using a DIY power cord for my GS-1 and am pretty happy with the results. I used 14 gauge Carol wire and hospital grade Marinco IEC and wall plugs. It's the IEC plugs that are hard to obtain.