[nbriles2000]

This is exactly why I posted here before buying! What indication do you have that it'll be think? Should I look for something similar in a 26awg?

 

[nbriles2000]

Sorry for the double post but disregard all those ebay links. After digging through this thread awhile long I stumbled upon BTG Audio who has 26awg black and clear at .80 a foot. Thats pretty much exactly what I'm looking for and it seems like its tried and true!

 

[Kamakahah]

   
Personally I think you'll be able to use that top wire as a headphone stand once you have it all braided up.
Both of your choices actually look really stiff, but others will correct me if I am wrong.

 
They are generally pretty stiff, microphonic, and feel terrible against the skin. 
 
The Valeb post actually states that they use it inside projects. Their wire and Navships are both well made, but aren't great for headphone cables for the reasons above unless you sleeve them. So you're right. 
 

  Sorry for the double post but disregard all those ebay links. After digging through this thread awhile long I stumbled upon BTG Audio who has 26awg black and clear at .80 a foot. Thats pretty much exactly what I'm looking for and it seems like its tried and true!

 
Brian's wire (BTG Audio) works great. It's a good price per foot for OFC copper in transparent/black insulation. Just remember that it is Mogami. The $0.80/ft is for a single wire. If you bought quad microphone cable from Mogami like the W2534, (http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2534.html), each foot is 1.12 but comes with 4 wires per foot so effectively $0.28/foot. Two of the cables are transparent and two are blue colored insulation. So even assuming that you only use the transparent wires, that's essentially $0.56 per foot of the same wire as BTG-audio. 
 
The trade off is your time. You'll have to strip the Mogami W2534 in order to free the wire. It is easy enough with a razor blade, but your first few times might be frustrating and time consuming. Edit: Another reason is the option for the black insulation.  
 
I still personally buy both depending on the project I'm doing. If you want to make your first build as easy as possible, then buy the BTG-audio cable and avoid the extra time/frustration. If you really want to keep the cost as low as possible and don't mind the extra trade off in time, then get the bulk cable and learn how to strip it. 
 
I still do recommend the Navship style wire when sleeved or braided with cable like the Mogami, BTG, or more expensive cable as a ground to save money. 
 
Obviously YMMV..blahblahblah. 

 

[FallenAngel]

  hi guys im looking to replace the long cable on my hd650 with a shorter one for using with my x3 dap. can anyone point me in the right direction? i just want a small 3.5 plug and obviously i know about the special sennheiser connections. its just the darn cable! i have searched but still confused. whats a reasonable budget for cable around 40 dollars? thanks guys.

 
You might be able to fit in around $40, but it'll be tight. Those Sennheiser connectors are $16, a 3.5mm is anywhere from $2-$6 depending on what you get, plus the wire and shipping (hopefully you can find a single supplier for all 3 but that's not guaranteed).
 
emo72 / nbriles2000 : I actually just got a spool of nice 26awg SPC. If you want, I can send you enough for your cable.
 
Kamakahah is right though, SPC (and most wires covered in Teflon) tends to be a little stiff and microphonic compared to some of the other polyurethane coatings.

 

[Kamakahah]

 
Kamakahah is right though, SPC (and most wires covered in Teflon) tends to be a little stiff and microphonic compared to some of the other polyurethane coatings.

 
I forgot to mention the reason, thank you. Teflon is the reason.
 
The teflon insulation is harder and causes the stiffness. It is also better for protecting the wire: More durable, more heat resistant, etc. While (edit) other polyurethane insulations tend to be softer and are more appealing for use as a headphone cable, the trade off is durability. Most of us making headphone cables won't be affected by the softness of polyurethane coatings, but it's something to consider depending on how you want to use the cable. They also tend to melt faster so be careful when soldering to be quick and efficient as always. Using a low melting temperature solder is what I always recommend. 

 

[nbriles2000]

@FallenAngel Thanks a lot for the offer, I'm too damn impatient and I already set in the order for that BTG wire. I bought 10 feet of black and 10 feet of clear silver so it came up to around $20 shipped. I dont feel like a broke the bank considering most of the prebuilt cables I see are in the hundreds xD
 
@Kamak I went for the BTG because I didn't wanna bother stripping the Mogami and I wanted the black insulation for purely aesthetic reasons. Before you posted that last image I was just going to get pure Mogami and braid whatever colors it came with and use paracord, but now I'm going to cover the braid with clear techflex and make it purdy!

 

[Kamakahah]

 
@Kamak I went for the BTG because I didn't wanna bother stripping the Mogami and I wanted the black insulation for purely aesthetic reasons. Before you posted that last image I was just going to get pure Mogami and braid whatever colors it came with and use paracord, but now I'm going to cover the braid with clear techflex and make it purdy!

 
Good choice. I buy BTG for the same reasons you did. You won't likely be disappointed. Make sure you practice braiding/soldering with some cheap wire first - Especially the soldering. 
 
I feel that the real benefits of custom cables are functionality, aesthetics, and quality control rather than anything sonically. Being able to make the cable the way you want, with the colors and style you prefer, length desires and to your standards of quality where it's at. Sonic benefits/drawbacks will vary widely based on setup, preferences, bias, other factors and really can't be predicted accurately. 

 

[emo72]

   
You might be able to fit in around $40, but it'll be tight. Those Sennheiser connectors are $16, a 3.5mm is anywhere from $2-$6 depending on what you get, plus the wire and shipping (hopefully you can find a single supplier for all 3 but that's not guaranteed).
 
emo72 / nbriles2000 : I actually just got a spool of nice 26awg SPC. If you want, I can send you enough for your cable.
 
Kamakahah is right though, SPC (and most wires covered in Teflon) tends to be a little stiff and microphonic compared to some of the other polyurethane coatings.

thanks for the kind offer. im in ireland so i dont want to put you to any trouble. incidentally i was in toronto last month and called into the headphone shop. always worth a visit when im over there. i meant 40 dollars, give or take, for the wire only. it would be nice if it was an improvement on the original cable. cheers mate.

 

[JacobLee89]

   
I forgot to mention the reason, thank you. Teflon is the reason.
 
The teflon insulation is harder and causes the stiffness. It is also better for protecting the wire: More durable, more heat resistant, etc. While the PTFE and other polyurethane insulations tend to be softer and are more appealing for use as a headphone cable, the trade off is durability. Most of us making headphone cables won't be affected by the softness of polyurethane coatings, but it's something to consider depending on how you want to use the cable. They also tend to melt faster so be careful when soldering to be quick and efficient as always. Using a low melting temperature solder is what I always recommend. 

 

PTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene, is the polymer under the trade name of Teflon.  PVC is also a commonly used jacket material, though they can be stripped by finger nails. PTFE (Teflon) may be sturdier, but is stiff, tricky to braid, and will require a pair of pliers to hold the wire when stripping.
 
On hindsight I would have chosen a differently jacketed wire for my HD650 cables, but since they are indoor headphones the issues of microphonics and "unwanted thundery noises" are negated by sitting on the same spot.

 

[Kamakahah]

Sorry was mixing up abbreviations in my minf while writing. Edited. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[JacobLee89]

Sorry was mixing up abbreviations in my minf while writing. Edited. Thanks for the heads up.

It gets very confusing indeed 

. Especially when everything starts to end on TFE!
 
I also thought about the annoyances of Teflon coated wires, and experimented by braiding in some parcel string alongside it. This was done by placing the parcel string on the outside of the bundle, and braiding using the tutorial shown here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA2mG2neGIc
 

 
Behold, a very annoying (but quite attractive) 6 stranded braid experiment (you can see the learning process in action going on from left to right). I would like to think that the string would dampen the mircophonics to a degree, but I'd also wonder whether it would affect the sound/shielding in any way as it's no longer *quite* in the litz formation.

 

[Kamakahah]

 
Behold, a very annoying (but quite attractive) 6 stranded braid experiment (you can see the learning process in action going on from left to right). I would like to think that the string would dampen the mircophonics to a degree, but I'd also wonder whether it would affect the sound/shielding in any way as it's no longer *quite* in the litz formation.

 
I do something similar with a number of different wires but use crafting string/yarn and other supplies. Still experimenting to find what gives the best flexibility/style/feel. 

 

[65535]

For HD650's I would recommend buying a second cable for $20 or so, and putting a new 3.5mm connector on it after cutting the cable to length. It's an excellent cable. Perfect mix of flexibility and noise resistance thanks to a PVC jacket.

 

[Kinclad]

Hi I hope someone can help me with the following...
 
My mobile set up us a pair of JH pro16 customs and a FiiO x3. With regards to cable, my stock JH went quite some time ago.
 
Since then I have purchased custom cables from DoubleHelix, I love these cables but on a few occasions (totally my fault) I have accidentally either pulled the cable from the plug or the iem connector end. Each time I have to send it back to the states for repair (I'm in the UK), which is a pain for them and me.
 
So my question is...would this be something that I should be able to repair myself? I haven't tackled anything like this before but I like to think I could pick something like this up.
 
It would be really helpful if someone could point me in the right direction in terms of what basic kit I would require to do this and I guess I would need a little guidance on how to tackle it.
 
Hope someone may have some ideas.
 
Cheers,
 
Mark.

 

[NubCake]

Hello, 
does anybody know the polarity of MMCX connectors used in IEMs with detachable cables (Shure, UE, etc..) ?
I would like to know if the outter or the inner part is connected to the ground of the TRS connector.
 
One of my IEMs has a side not working anymore, I'm almost sure that the problem is the cable and I'd like to try to mod them by adding an MMCX connector and making a custom cable.
 
Thanks in advance
 
Edit: Found it in the Wiki page
http://www.head-fi.org/a/diy-cable-info-and-resources#wires
 

MMCX connector

Shure SE535 Shure SE425 Shure SE315

Shell: Ground Pin: Signal

Illustrated in this exploded diagram of the Shure SE215