[Paladin79]

I was thinking something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Stripper-Cutter-Parts-Express/dp/B0002KR95W

That is a bit of a knock off of the quality strippers. I would be amazed if it handled that range of wire gauges well. That being said, something like that to me is like is generally ok for the occasional user just like a cheap socket set can get you by for a while if you are a shade tree mechanic. I was afraid you meant something like this:
 

 
 
 
 
Better ones are like this:

 
This model is much better and will accurately strip anything and cause little damage. You can even lay four wires in it and strip them all at once. (My workers came up with that one, and this is the tool you want if you are doing a thousand cables. Also it looks like the one shown has a crude adjustment, this needs little adjustment if any.
 
This is another type that you could use for a long time with few issues. Obviously not automatic but they are handy if you are working with wire of an unknown gauge.
 
http://www.markertek.com/product/pal-1117/greenlee-pa1117-22-10-awg-stripper?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&gclid=CjwKEAjwtbPGBRDhoLaqn6HknWsSJABR-o5sW0ShQKK0gcIFwJEpbwgpdTR0zNdT6DIlFd_y69wCNRoC4VHw_wcB
 
for $5.00 this is another good method of telling wire gauge and getting your measurements right:

 
 
Go to Digikey, the part number is PCB-Ruler-ND, they had a few hundred in stock a couple weeks ago but sold out fast, I bought a half dozen myself.

 

[Arty McGhee]

 
Quote:

@arty, first of all, you listen to grados, so everything is suspect
Ok, might be senngrados with custom drivers

Can the litz wire from the eBay store be used without paracord or other insulation? Could I braid it directly?


Also, broader question. Automatic wire stripper gun? Worth it?

i was listening to my vintage rs2 grados as i was writing 

 
not trying to discourage you, that braid is beautiful so definitely
 
give it a shot, just trying to relate my experiences, its cool stuff
 
everyone should try it... putting my grados back on and going back to my
 
happy place... this is my happy place..doh

 

[i luvmusic 2]

I have one like  this since the 90's during the time i was learning how to play with HIGH VOLTAGE only mine looks older but still really sharp and it's somewhere in my shed collecting dust.

 

[Paladin79]

  i was listening to my vintage rs2 grados as i was writing 

 
not trying to discourage you, that braid is beautiful so definitely
 
give it a shot, just trying to relate my experiences, its cool stuff
 
everyone should try it... putting my grados back on and going back to my
 
happy place... this is my happy place..doh

Personally I was just taking a break from building Idc ribbon cables. I did watch some great videos today on Binaural plus sound (which I own a lot of) and why 24/192 works so well. I think I owned a Grado phonograph cartridge back in the seventies but I am glad to hear the company is still in existence. 

 

[Paladin79]

  I have one like  this since the 90's during the time i was learning how to play with HIGH VOLTAGE only mine looks older but still really sharp and it's somewhere in my shed collecting dust.

 
Those are great for larger wire, my people did a bunch of power cables for LED lighting for indoor tennis stadiums and those helped a lot. They are fine for speaker wire as well.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

No it is not ideal for smaller gauge wires.

 

[Paladin79]

  No it is not ideal for smaller gauge wires.

I keep a set with my electrical tools for things like installing ceiling fans or replacing outlets on rental house or home projects. Kits like this are great for electronics, I got my son a set when he was pretty young and being in a case like that he has never lost any.
 

 
He just bought a house and has few of those tools but he is set if he needs to tear down a computer. He also fixed his own plasma tv with me sending him a few parts. That was a serious DIY project.

 

[neddoge]

  The cable is Belden 1694A. Suitable for HD/SDI, spdif, It is an RG 6, the RG 59 version is 1505A, if you want more flexible go with 1505F. There is a miniature version 1855A. Belden sells worldwide as far as I know.
 
fingernails huh lol I am guessing you are in Australia or New Zealand or I would offer to send you some tools unless you prefer to MacGyver the cables. I am never without a pocket knife (unless on a commercial flight) and I can make the majority of cuts on cables with little else in a pinch, just a thought.

​I used a Kershaw that I keep on my person to score it initially but I was being a bit overly cautious to be frank. 
 
I live just shy of DC (traffic central.com) and think I'm mostly good with equipment (thank you for the offer!), I'm just half assing it for the time being hah.  I have a needle nose and tweezers for any fine detail stuff, a generic stripper/crimper, a garbage iron (for the time being), and a tabletop vice (like yours) to act as a third hand.  I just need to practice, and a lot!  This thread and your help has been great so far. 

 

[Paladin79]

 
​I used a Kershaw that I keep on my person to score it initially but I was being a bit overly cautious to be frank. 
 
I live just shy of DC (traffic central.com) and think I'm mostly good with equipment (thank you for the offer!), I'm just half assing it for the time being hah.  I have a needle nose and tweezers for any fine detail stuff, a generic stripper/crimper, a garbage iron (for the time being), and a tabletop vice (like yours) to act as a third hand.  I just need to practice, and a lot!  This thread and your help has been great so far. 

It takes a while to develop the touch to use a pocket knife much on cables. I was also taught to strip wires with side cutters and can do that in a pinch but not often. Doing production we stop using some tools if they get the least bit dull so we replace things pretty quickly and I end up with a lot of older tools that still might do some good. I am in DC a couple times a year, my son lives across the Potomac in Virginia near Wolf Trap. I started teaching him electronics, chess and computers at age four and some of it worked I guess. lol
 
That particular cable I showed you, the Belden 1694A we use for longer runs on audio and video cables so if you ever need any short pieces, 25 feet and under. We have a lot of scrap. I would rather see it used than have it melted down for copper value. (40 cents a pound)
 
In the DC area is MicroZotl, http://www.lineartubeaudio.com/microzotl/
 
I hope to make it there one day to tour the factory but DC has so much to offer it is tough to always do what one wants. 

 

[sharktopus]

So earlier when you guys were talking about litz wire, does that refer to how a single wire's strands are braided?  I've mostly seen litz referring to how to braid your own cable from someone else's wire.

 

[Arty McGhee]

no litz braiding and litz wire are 2 different things
 
this is a litz braid (sort of)
 

 
litz wire (the type i sometimes use) is made for radio antennas and inductive heating coils
and has very little if any effect in audio use other than extreme flexibility (that oughta get 'em goin)
 
this explains it pretty good
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litz_wire

 

[audiofreakie]

I'm using this flat braids for 8 strand OTG micro usb type C to USB type B.

 

[Paladin79]

  no litz braiding and litz wire are 2 different things
 
this is a litz braid (sort of)
 

 
litz wire (the type i sometimes use) is made for radio antennas and inductive heating coils
and has very little if any effect in audio use other than extreme flexibility (that oughta get 'em goin)
 
this explains it pretty good
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litz_wire

Arty, well said.
 
    I read what I could about Litz wire at one point and came to the conclusion it had more to do with the wire strands themselves and how they were interwoven. I got the impression that that design morphed over to the braiding of the individual conductors but that was done more by DIY folks since the general application of Litz wire has little to do with analog audio. I have used it. I could not hear much difference between it and good quality OFC but I could measure some slight differences.
    Every chance I get, I get folks under 40 to listen to various headphone cables I have made and trust me, I have access to many types of wire. I have found one person in fifty who can consistently pick a litz wire from occ or ofc with everything else being equal. All of us would like to believe we can hear at that level, I am not one of them. Were I to sell Litz wire, I would say "here it is, here is what I know about the strand count and outside diameter, if you love it, more power to you."  If you build a headphone cable, you put your time and energy and love for aesthetics into it. When you are finished, you are hoping to love the end result. The paracord might be stretching away from a connector, or your braid may not be as perfect as you would like, but it is your cable and you took the time to hunt for the paracord and wire and connectors, so it is unique.
 
Litz has some advantages in that it was manufactured for a certain purpose so there is a lot of it out there. Try to find 26 awg stranded ofc sometime, or 24 awg with a high strand count. I buy wire on a regular basis and those are tough things to find unless you want to deconstruct some star quad cables or the like. Another problem is finding wire that you can count on being consistent. If I buy Belden, Mogami, Canare etc. I know I can count on the quality and I can pull up the specs, and believe them.

 

[neddoge]

  It takes a while to develop the touch to use a pocket knife much on cables. I was also taught to strip wires with side cutters and can do that in a pinch but not often. Doing production we stop using some tools if they get the least bit dull so we replace things pretty quickly and I end up with a lot of older tools that still might do some good. I am in DC a couple times a year, my son lives across the Potomac in Virginia near Wolf Trap. I started teaching him electronics, chess and computers at age four and some of it worked I guess. lol
 
That particular cable I showed you, the Belden 1694A we use for longer runs on audio and video cables so if you ever need any short pieces, 25 feet and under. We have a lot of scrap. I would rather see it used than have it melted down for copper value. (40 cents a pound)
 
In the DC area is MicroZotl, http://www.lineartubeaudio.com/microzotl/
 
I hope to make it there one day to tour the factory but DC has so much to offer it is tough to always do what one wants. 

​How did you find this company?  I love that there's somebody just up the road, ish, to meet up with and get some tips from.  I sent them an email just to see how their team is.  I wonder how many other companies are local, being the huge melting pot this area is.
 
My dad passed down some half-assed car amping instructions without much information/explanation as to why things were the way they were so I'm trying to pick up the accurate pieces of his info and relearning the correct manner with some things. 
 
I'm not far from Wolf Trap, nice!  And absolutely, I'd love some extra wire to practice on if you have some on hand.  I can send some change via PayPal for the postage/packaging.  Which RCA tips are you using?  I don't think my Reans would house that wire, lol.

 

[Paladin79]

 
​How did you find this company?  I love that there's somebody just up the road, ish, to meet up with and get some tips from.  I sent them an email just to see how their team is.  I wonder how many other companies are local, being the huge melting pot this area is.
 
My dad passed down some half-assed car amping instructions without much information/explanation as to why things were the way they were so I'm trying to pick up the accurate pieces of his info and relearning the correct manner with some things. 
 
I'm not far from Wolf Trap, nice!  And absolutely, I'd love some extra wire to practice on if you have some on hand.  I can send some change via PayPal for the postage/packaging.  Which RCA tips are you using?  I don't think my Reans would house that wire, lol.

I found talk of those amps on here, there were originally done by David Berning. The more I read the more I became impressed. I emailed David directly as well as the company that is carrying on his designs and both were most kind in their responses. I own a Valhalla 2 and will be building a Crack soon so tube type amps have always been an interest for me. 
 
The wire will fit some Reans, we generally use Canare RCA, BNC, and F connectors that are made especially for that cable by Canare. I do not recommend them for your use since the tools can run $300.  I have some extra RCA connectors we do not use much that I could send along. I personally use a high end Belden or Mogami Neglex microphone cable for my aux cables. I want the flexibility and shielding and I generally build what are considered directional aux cables. I use Amphenol RCA's mostly but some Reans are quite good as well. 
 
Just keep in mind the 1694A is coaxial cable with a solid copper center conductor at 18 awg as I recall. I have many friends in the engineering department at a local university that use little else but then most of this is made in northern Indiana and so they are buying local.  I will look around though and send you a few small miscellaneous pieces of cable, it will have brand name and part numbers on the side. I will try to PM you tomorrow with some info. Postal shipping is not expensive but we will talk about that. I have done a few aux cables for friends on here, particularly if they have Schiit equipment and they do not want the tension of a coaxial cable lifting one piece of equipment off the top of another.