DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread

[buke9]

Couple of years ago, i used to be on here all the time, every other day. I learned a lot on these threads and still do. Things have just been so busy the last few years, i just don't get the time i would like to post was much n the threads.

Between making cables and and replying to messages, i don't have much of a life 

If you need anything, please drop me a PM and i will reply as soon as i possibly can.

I'm glad things are busy for you. Will definitely be ordering some wire as soon as I get back from vacation sorry holiday to you.

 

[uncola]

my parts connexion Connex bl-ag arrived and my ms audio star rca connectors arrived.. maybe I'm overthinking it but anyone recognize what kind of set screw this is?  it's hard to see in the hole.. is it flathead or torx?  the connectors are pretty cool
here's the real question.. when I put the wire into the connector.. there's a lot of wiggle.. not sure the set screw will be enough to hold down the wire.. is adding two layers of heatshrink to make the cable thicker a good strategy to help the set screw reach the cable?  or is there a better way?
 

 

 

 

[chrismini]

Thank you.

 

[buke9]

my parts connexion Connex bl-ag arrived and my ms audio star rca connectors arrived.. maybe I'm overthinking it but anyone recognize what kind of set screw this is?  it's hard to see in the hole.. is it flathead or torx?  the connectors are pretty cool
here's the real question.. when I put the wire into the connector.. there's a lot of wiggle.. not sure the set screw will be enough to hold down the wire.. is adding two layers of heatshrink to make the cable thicker a good strategy to help the set screw reach the cable?  or is there a better way?

Just get this and you'll have just about everything you need. https://www.amazon.com/Boxer-Tools-BX-100-Tamper-Security/dp/B000AYVJDI

 

[chrismini]

Transparent Audio make the best cables in the world. Also the most expensive. Their MM Opus speakers cost $40,000.

 

[uncola]

huzzah a tiny flathead for eyeglass repair works on this set screw

 

[Paladin79]

Depending on the cable opening size in the back of the RCA connector I generally use rubber grommets that have about an 8 or 9 mm outside diameter and reduce down as low as about 2 mm for the cable. I buy them with lesser expensive RCA connectors. Wire opening sizes of 2,4 and 6 mm I believe. I can post pics Monday. Silicone tape also works well since you can add exactly the amount you need. Tommy Tape from MarkerTek.

 

[buke9]

huzzah a tiny flathead for eyeglass repair works on this set screw

Wiha makes some really great small screwdrivers and the Phillips heads for Macs.

 

[uncola]

thanks paladin I'd love to see those grommets..  I've only used the cheap neutrik rean rca connectors before this with that plastic boot that clamps on the cable as you screw on the bottom of the connector.. that's a great way to secure the cable..  weird that this more expensive connector is worse.. maybe I should have ordered a fatter cable since this connector opening goes up to 9mm cable

 

[uncola]

I finally picked up the Teflon plumbers tape at home depot and they also had self fusing stretchy silicon tape so now I'm set to make my cable the pro way

 

[Sko0byDoo]

 
here's the real question.. when I put the wire into the connector.. there's a lot of wiggle.. not sure the set screw will be enough to hold down the wire.. is adding two layers of heatshrink to make the cable thicker a good strategy to help the set screw reach the cable?  or is there a better way?
 

 
Connexion BL-Ag is pretty good, I made several interconnects from them before.  My solution to increase the wire outer diameter is to cover them with TechFlex Nylon Multifilament shealth. Heatshrinks with adhesive (or cheaper version = regular shrink with hot glue) at ends to keep the sheath taut.  My balanced interconnects using TechFlex nylon multifilament:
 
 
     

 

[uncola]

Just finished making and immediately started using my new interconnects between preamp and monoblock speaker amps!  these are my first solid core and my first pure silver(not just plated) interconnects.. also the connectors use the eichmann bullet principles and are silver plated tellurium copper..   I floated the shield on the source end and added arrows on the heatshrink pointing to the amp side..  if this isn't a nice upgrade from bluejeans cable lc-1.. then all the audiophile myths are really myths and not an example of how like.. people used willow bark tea for fever centuries before scientists realized there was aspirin in it  which is how I like to think of some of the audiophile shared ideas 

 

[Paladin79]

I am not sure I totally follow what you are saying Uncola about myths and science but you may well have made a better product than you had before. It should be better from a science standpoint.
Silver is one of the best conductors and if you can get a very pure silver, so much the better. By doing it yourself you saved the labor involved with buying it from a company who builds such cables. It is generally best to compare apples to apples, Blue Jeans sells a very good product at a reasonable price point that is considerably better than some cables you can buy. Many of the sponsors here started out doing similar things to what you are doing by building and experimenting and putting out a product they feel is a good one and one for which there is a demand. 
 
 
Build one of the four wire cables with paracord as a DIY person and you realize why companies can charge what they do. Now as a professional, the first time I put wire in paracord and inched it along it may have taken an hour to do that one step. YIKES!  Since it was new to me, I listened to Allanmarcus when he told me about teflon tape. Cool, I might get the process down to a half hour. As a businessman with a background in science I want that process to take no more than a minute, so I figured out how to do it in one minute. I need to be able to do that but most DIY's do not. Part of what you are doing has to do with the sense of satisfaction you get from building it yourself as well as the beauty and great sound of the finished product. Try to make a living at it and you cannot spend an hour feeding wire through paracord. Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

[uncola]

Heh well I meant the whole silver gives more treble detail etc thing.  I mean.. I paid $7 a foot for this solid core silver when there are many papers on why there won't be an audible difference from 50 cent a foot stranded copper based cables.  I think hardcore audiophile tweak users like to think audio folklore(cable sound, isolation footers) is stuff future science will explain, in the way that past folklore like willow bark tea helping fevers was eventually explained(discovery of aspirin) but was basically magic for centuries.  But I'm not really hearing a night and day difference with my new cables so I might be coming to the end of my cable experimentation journey.  I really appreciate all the help you guys in this thread gave over the last couple years

 

[uncola]

   

Hey sko0byD00 when I was googling connex-ag I saw your post about hum.. did you ever solve it?  or did you have to go to more heavily shielded cables?  I'm switching from super shielded bjc lc-1 to this and haven't had any so far.. I also didn't connect the shield at the amp end, only source end in the cable