[Paladin79]

Are there any kits or similar that include all one would need to mod a single side cable to L/R cables? I ask because I'd love to mod my DT880s, but with as little soldering as possible.

I ended up sending out a kit after all and enough OFC wire in two colors to braid a six foot, four wire balanced headphone cable. I just hope you are hooking into a balanced setup at some point. Taking four wires down to a TRS connector is not much different than what you would start with on single entry headphones.

 

[kingkikapu]

Hey you Kumihimo disc users: what size of bobbins makes the most sense for an 8 wire cable about 7 feet long?

 

[Allanmarcus]

Hey you Kumihimo disc users: what size of bobbins makes the most sense for an 8 wire cable about 7 feet long?

small.

 

[Paladin79]

Those discs do not seem expensive. Do they come with instructions or do you end up watching online videos to learn their operation? I have also seen weights for them so hopefully that keeps your braiding pretty consistent.

 

[kingkikapu]

I’ve watched a few YouTube vids. They often discuss weighting or holding tricks to ensure consistent tension while braiding.

I’ll probably practice a bit on some paracord before working on the silver/gold alloy Neotech litz wire I bought. It’s a good thing I’m building this myself because it cost an arm and a leg in materials alone.

 

[Paladin79]

I would love to see the results when you get it done.

I am at a point in my career where money is not a factor but I constantly get good deals on parts and equipment so I tend to kick myself when I pay retail for electronic materials. It is also another reason I want to get some unbiased test results on some wire.

 

[kingkikapu]

Will do Tom. I’m going to try and recreate the Norne Draug braid. As far as I can tell it’s four twisted pairs braided into a four way round or square braid.

 

[Paladin79]

Sounds interesting.

I can control length, wire gauge, and equipment but I will have to work on getting equal twists and patterns in my testing. I first thought of exceeding two meters per cable but in retrospect, under two meters makes more sense technically. Soon I will have to do the math.

So far my test setup should run under $300.

Listening to Down By the River by Neil Young, going from total tube amp and pre-amp to balanced solid state, a very good test track.

 

[Allanmarcus]

When I did my 16 strands with the disk, I used some plastic spools with flaps. See them on my site at
https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/my-stuff/16-strand-cables?authuser=0

These are the bobbins I got: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DV919T8/
I'm not sure I would recommend them. I think amazon has some smaller ones that would be better.

 

[kingkikapu]

ok 2.5" was too big? I see some 1-7/8" bobbins on amazon as well. Is that more in line?

The bigger issue I see is how do I consistently create the twisted pairs. Maybe drill method with a fixed length that I start with pre-twist and another fixed length that all pairs need to be post-twist. Solder the ends together so they don't untwist (Take Five Audio has a DIY recipe that uses such an approach here: https://www.takefiveaudio.com/contents/53-tfasb).

 

[Paladin79]

I just located the perfect switch box for switching between four types of headphone cable wire, I should have it by April 9th. So the kumihimo sounds good for making accurate four wire braids, I may have to lay my hands on a set. Anyone have a quick list of what I need for this application?
A simple choice for what I am doing would be to just make two twisted pairs, encase them in heat shrink tubing, and run one to each channel on the four channel input. This will not be completed headphone cables by any means. So far I have maybe a dozen types of wire to test.

 

[Allanmarcus]

The only reason to use Kumihimo is for 8 or more wires. 4 wires are easy to braid, and then twist after the Y.

I don't think it would be easy, or possible, to use Kumihimo for really thick wires that are already twisted pairs. I'm not sure what that would even get you. Twisted pairs makes sense for things like ethernet cable and power, but not for headphone cables.

 

[Paladin79]

The only reason to use Kumihimo is for 8 or more wires. 4 wires are easy to braid, and then twist after the Y.

I don't think it would be easy, or possible, to use Kumihimo for really thick wires that are already twisted pairs. I'm not sure what that would even get you. Twisted pairs makes sense for things like ethernet cable and power, but not for headphone cables.

Sorry I was probably not clear but I am talking about testing wire.

"This will not be completed headphone cables by any means." I stated this.

I was talking to Kingkikapu about my test setup, I am merely trying to keep four types of wire, under test, as equal as I possibly can. I was talking about a switchbox setup and switching between various wires, not using that device (Kumihino) on twisted pairs. I merely stated for my application, if that device is not helpful for accurate braiding for my application, two twisted pairs would work fine, one for each channel.

If you take time to read what I wrote Allan, I merely mentioned making accurate braids, then I realized if nothing else, two sets of twisted pair would suffice. Those were two separate sentences. I certainly know about braiding then twisting to each channel lol. My tests involve swapping in various wires and having some local folks giving me feed back on what they prefer. This does involve the wire used in headphone cables but I am not talking about specific builds. If the Kumihimo is not a good tool for four wires I appreciate the feedback, but I am trying to keep all things the same, thus four wires only, 24 awg, and a specific length which I mentioned before.

"Twisted pairs makes sense for things like ethernet cable and power, but not for headphone cables"

I will leave this sentence alone at this time since it does not pertain to anything I said, but it does leave plenty of room for rational argument.

 

[kingkikapu]

I'm doing a 8 braid of twisted pairs as that's what the norne draug uses (I think. From the photo below it seem to indicate that's the method being used).

I'm doing the draug braid mostly because it looks cool. A straight 8 round braid would yield the best eddy current reduction, but cool is cool amiright?

 

[Paladin79]

LoL I love it !!! Just be careful you do not crack your sternum with that triangular thingy and you will be fine.