[Paladin79]

That was a very well thought out response, I am impressed. I do like the Neutrik four pin mini xlrs because they are well marked and I have never had one fail. I use them for a lot of pig tails so that I can have one cable going to headphones and plug into multiple devices by changing out connectors trading balanced for unbalanced as needed. I also like Amphenol and Switchcraft but I am more into long term usage and reliability than looks.

I have seen braiding described at litz braiding and it does probably qualify for that term since each wire goes to the outside of the braid an equal number of times if done properly so I understand the theory.

Sometimes the paracord sleeve is more for looks but I do think it helps protect the wires and makes the braided wires easier to hold a pattern.

You mentioned some good wire that can probably be located in other countries, I have several types I like but I am centrally located in the states and Belden is not far from me (they also make excellent cable and wire).

Tom

 

[keberwein]

That was a very well thought out response, I am impressed. I do like the Neutrik four pin mini xlrs because they are well marked and I have never had one fail. I use them for a lot of pig tails so that I can have one cable going to headphones and plug into multiple devices by changing out connectors trading balanced for unbalanced as needed. I also like Amphenol and Switchcraft but I am more into long term usage and reliability than looks.

I have seen braiding described at litz braiding and it does probably qualify for that term since each wire goes to the outside of the braid an equal number of times if done properly so I understand the theory.

Sometimes the paracord sleeve is more for looks but I do think it helps protect the wires and makes the braided wires easier to hold a pattern.

You mentioned some good wire that can probably be located in other countries, I have several types I like but I am centrally located in the states and Belden is not far from me (they also make excellent cable and wire).

Tom

I totally forgot about the Switchcraft mini-xlr. Actually, I like those better because they don't have the super-long boot that hangs off the end. They're pricey though, but I guess we're talking about an Audeze cable here

 

[Paladin79]

Amphenol makes a model that is nearly identical but it allows for larger cable to be used. I just ran into this on a 600 cable build.

That is always a factor, what size cable will you be working with and what does the connector allow? I just used 24 awg four strand inside the neutriks with little problem. I left out the shield ring that was inside because there was no shield to attach anyway and it made for an easier build.

I just made some RCA interconnect cables using the Mogami 2534 but I used shield and all, (shield attached to ground on one end only), they are above the five foot threshold that you mentioned and I try not to take chances with my home equipment. I am running out of space for amps so I needed to extend some cabling.

 

[Letmebefrank]

Tom, this cable is just fantastic. There seems to be a bit more detail in the low-mids than with the stock Sennheiser cable but its very subtle and I'm not sure I could A/B the two. I'll keep you updated if this opinion changes. If your people start offering replacement headphone cables with this stuff I cant see anyone being disappointed with the quality or the sound. It is a bit microphonic though so if you move around while listening to quiet music it might bug some people, but I sit pretty still while using headphones so its a non-issue to me. Perhaps a sleeve on the main body of the wire would remove the microphonics but it could kill the look of the cable.

 

[Allanmarcus]

I’d personally go with Redco...

Check out Markertek too. Once you add in the shipping at Redco, Markertek might be cheaper.

 

[Paladin79]

Tom, this cable is just fantastic. There seems to be a bit more detail in the low-mids than with the stock Sennheiser cable but its very subtle and I'm not sure I could A/B the two. I'll keep you updated if this opinion changes. If your people start offering replacement headphone cables with this stuff I cant see anyone being disappointed with the quality or the sound. It is a bit microphonic though so if you move around while listening to quiet music it might bug some people, but I sit pretty still while using headphones so its a non-issue to me. Perhaps a sleeve on the main body of the wire would remove the microphonics but it could kill the look of the cable.

I was going for the copper look of the cable myself to match an amp and headphones but I will experiment with some cotton and nylon sleeve I have. That occ copper retails for about $16 a foot but it is nice and compact and should accommodate 550 paracord.

I could build an A/B test setup for those with little trouble but I have been involved in other testing lately and I have people coming in this weekend so I need to get ready to show off some of my builds and get their impressions of amps, headphones, and cables.

 

[CarlosUnchained]

@keberwein thanks a lot for the answer!

2) So the LCD uses standard female 4-pin mini XLR? Good to know.

4) If I choose sleeved, It'd go over the shielding, right? I saw different versions and I think this is what's going on inside (correct me if I'm wrong):

- Single thick sleeve over shielded wire.
- 4 thin sleeved wires in braid (I guess unshielded then sleeved individually?) like in the pic.

I like this second approach better than fully naked wire. How's the procedure with the wiring in this case?

 

[Paladin79]

There are plenty of posts in here on four wire braids, just do a search and I bet you get the answer.

 

[CarlosUnchained]

Is the "search in the thread" feature back? It's a pretty long thread to find something that specific.

The question is simple:

Do I need to remove the shielding to later sleeve each wire and do the braid?

 

[Paladin79]

You would need to remove the outside jacket on star quad cable if you are talking about removing the individual wires and then braiding them. I was answering a later question on "how's the procedure with this wiring", I thought you were asking about four wire braiding.

The search feature on here is indeed working.

 

[CarlosUnchained]

Sorry for the misunderstanding, the braiding procedure it's solved in the first page of the thread, 4 strand round braiding I guess.

Thanks for the answer @Paladin79

Since the parts are fairly cheap I'm not afraid to fail. I'll buy in excess just in case.

 

[Paladin79]

My fault on the misunderstanding, anyway if you get some small paracord and use the four wires from Canare or Mogami star quad you can pretty much build the cable in the photo. I would suggest using two colors of paracord if you have not braided before, it will make the first one go a lot easier. When using the copper OCC wire I used different heat shrink tubing colors to keep the wires straight, even with shrinkage they slid off the ends of the wires when I was done.

Tom

 

[keberwein]

Sorry for the misunderstanding, the braiding procedure it's solved in the first page of the thread, 4 strand round braiding I guess.

Thanks for the answer @Paladin79

Since the parts are fairly cheap I'm not afraid to fail. I'll buy in excess just in case.

The cost of materials is very small compared to the price of a cable of similar quality . Make two!

 

[keberwein]

@CarlosUnchained If you do paracord. I just learned a great new method for running the wires through. A small dot of hot glue on the end of the wire allows it to slide right through without getting caught on the paracord. I did all four wires of a five-footer the other night in 30 minutes. Amazing trick!

 

[Paladin79]

Good sounding trick and trust me I have tried several methods. Depending on the paracord you can use a small piece of wire, double it over so it does not have a sharp point and then solder your wire carefully in between those two (solid wire works better), when you get it through just unsolder and use it for the next piece of paracord. and wire. The smaller the gauge wire, the smaller the tunnel it can traverse.

I am also working on a device that lets you slit the outside jacket of cable like star quad for fast removal of the inner wires. I have some projects where we have to lay open a couple feet of wire quickly to get to the wires inside and I have an adjustable method in mind.