DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread

[JamieMcC]

lol that brings back some memories a few years back (20 odd) I took a tour round the Cohiba cigar factory in Havana, on the way round I couldn't resist buying some and picked up 40 cigars for a $20 note from one of the rollers who had a desk jammed full of them. They were mostly labelled Esplendidos all tied up in bunches (not boxed up). I don't smoke myself and didn't know what I was buying at the time only that these suckers were huge.

I did try a couple myself the rest were given away to friends.

 

[kingkikapu]

Had a Cohiba while backcountry skiing on New Years Day in the remote north. Canada has its perks. Good times.

Oban14 is always good. I like it better than a lot of 15/18years. I was drinking the distillers edition last night while browsing this thread.

As for 4pins, I’ve got a black furutech and the standard neutriks. For the price, the neutrik is hard to beat. Just wish there were some different xlr connectors on the market.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

I have a friend going to Cuba soon so if it is legal now I will have her grab a couple extra and send you one gratis HiFlyin.

Sounds good to me Paladin

That box is calling out for electronics inside, haha. Pete Millett made a nice cigar box preamp recently. I have a nice one from Montecristo I'm holding onto for that purpose... or maybe a cigar box guitar.

As for 4pins, I’ve got a black furutech and the standard neutriks. For the price, the neutrik is hard to beat. Just wish there were some different xlr connectors on the market.

Check out the Switchcraft AAA XLRs. Very solid 2 piece design. They're 90% of the Furutech for 20% of the price. Trouble is finding retailers with stock.

....Eidolic makes a nice one too. Tellurium copper pins.

 

[Paladin79]

lol that brings back some memories a few years back (20 odd) I took a tour round the Cohiba cigar factory in Havana, on the way round I couldn't resist buying some and picked up 40 cigars for a $20 note from one of the rollers who had a desk jammed full of them. They were mostly labelled Esplendidos all tied up in bunches (not boxed up). I don't smoke myself and didn't know what I was buying at the time only that these suckers were huge.

I did try a couple myself the rest were given away to friends.

I always share them with my son but I rarely take him scotch, his is arranged by regions of Scotland and put my poor offerings to shame. A couple people on here live close to that area of Virginia across the Potomac from DC.

Anyway I have two such boxes and they are available on Ebay I saw, my other one has a glass top so maybe I can do an amp/preamp combo.

I will have to look for the Switchcraft XLR's, I have to use some of their mini four pins on some projects as well as Amphenols and Neutriks.

Oh yeah I just got some colored mesh that is a high percentage of cotton yet it has a good amount of flex and stretch so there is a bit of other material in there as well. This was Mil spec and quite nicely made but it will be a while before I get a chance to try it out. No strands on the inside, this is not your normal paracord.

 

[JamieMcC]

Looking forward to all my bits arriving for the HD800 cable I ordered a second set of connectors and the plan has grown into making up a premium cable (brand undecided) and a budget cable using some Canare L-4E starquad which arrived a couple of days ago. Had to get my glasses out to be able to make out the individual wires, going to need my magnifying glass for sure on the plus side at least its not as small as the Cardas 4x33 tonearm wire that was a mission and a half.

I enjoy a wee dram also (half Scottish) and treat myself to one bottle of a nice single malt every year on the premise it has to be savoured and last me the year. The last few years I have been working my way round distilleries from the Sottish Islands, Arran, Jurra, Skye, Mull etc This years tipple is still to be decided. A crystal tumbler I was given adds to the enjoyment.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Next month I'll be purchasing the Campfire Audio Cascade; are the connectors the same as the ones found on the Sennheiser HD800? If so are they interchangeable and does anyone know of a good place to get a balanced 2.5mm. Thanks in advance.

It was confirmed on another site that the cascade uses the same connectors as the HD 800.

“Those are HD800 connectors, too. Throw on any HD800 cable.”
“Oh right, yes 100% compatible with the HD800.”
Ken (owner of campfire audio)

 

[K1030]

It was confirmed on another site that the cascade uses the same connectors as the HD 800.

“Those are HD800 connectors, too. Throw on any HD800 cable.”
“Oh right, yes 100% compatible with the HD800.”
Ken (owner of campfire audio)

Thanks, I appreciate it.

 

[CoiL]

Sounds good to me Paladin

That box is calling out for electronics inside, haha. Pete Millett made a nice cigar box preamp recently. I have a nice one from Montecristo I'm holding onto for that purpose... or maybe a cigar box guitar.


Check out the Switchcraft AAA XLRs. Very solid 2 piece design. They're 90% of the Furutech for 20% of the price. Trouble is finding retailers with stock.

....Eidolic makes a nice one too. Tellurium copper pins.

I also use Rean mXLR:

Imo, good & cheap

 

[Paladin79]

Looking forward to all my bits arriving for the HD800 cable I ordered a second set of connectors and the plan has grown into making up a premium cable (brand undecided) and a budget cable using some Canare L-4E starquad which arrived a couple of days ago. Had to get my glasses out to be able to make out the individual wires, going to need my magnifying glass for sure on the plus side at least its not as small as the Cardas 4x33 tonearm wire that was a mission and a half.

I enjoy a wee dram also (half Scottish) and treat myself to one bottle of a nice single malt every year on the premise it has to be savoured and last me the year. The last few years I have been working my way round distilleries from the Sottish Islands, Arran, Jurra, Skye, Mull etc This years tipple is still to be decided. A crystal tumbler I was given adds to the enjoyment.

Just remember crystal is a porous substance and will pick up flavors so never wash it with detergents, plain water and a white cloth I believe is the preferred method. When adding ice, my son goes as far as forming perfectly round ice cubes, you do not want little chips of ice diluting the scotch. He and I also use little marble stones you keep in the freezer, you chill the scotch without any water. Jamie, I would be glad to hear your recommendations, my son is not an easy person to buy for and if you like something around the 20 year old mark please let me know. This year I am getting him Camus XO cognac, not the $1200 version but one in a less fancy bottle.

I love those Rean four pin mini xlrs because of the arrow markings. Rean is Neutrik or a division thereof so you can be assured they are good. I use the Rean connectors with pig tails to quickly add different connectors to a given four strand cable. Balanced to TRS in a matter of seconds without constantly plugging the headphone connectors in and out. I have noticed a small size difference on some of the cheaper connectors for Sennheisers and I feel safer not plugging those in and out as I change the cable usage. Little pins with tight tolerances are not always reproduced well IMHO.

 

[Paladin79]

I do have some 100% cotton tubing on the way, it comes in white but I am going to find out how well it takes dye. I have in mind a balanced litz cable down to a four pin mini xlr for Sennheiser HD 650's. Shooting for orange and navy blue.

I want to find some silver or light grey metal Y beads that have a smooth, cylindrical shape and add a bit of color to them with some equipment I have laying around for arrow cresting. Black does not allow the navy blue to show up so a light color is best and the blue and orange should really pop if done well. I may experiment with doing the same on some connectors.
Here is also a cotton/poly blend I will use with star quad or similar sized wire. I love the looks and feel of this material. It is also lacking the microphonic qualities of nylon and plastic. It is loose on this yellow star quad but tightens down nicely. In a flat measurement, it goes from about 9mm to 20mm as it is stretched and expanded so it will accommodate cable diameters down to 6 mm. (6 is in the photo.)

 

[CoiL]

Guys, I need some advice with my re-sleeved van damme XKE pro patch cable sleeve with paracord long time ago - it has gone littlebit "worn" like little tiny fabric "balls" have formed on the sleeve.
How to avoid this? Special quality sleeve? Paracords all go "bad" like this?
Just doubting I will sleeve my new braided cable this time.
This is the cable I`m taling about:

 

[kn0ppers]

You could try MDPC-X Sleeving (not as soft, but durable, PET sleeve) or Viablue small which also should last for a while. I have no experience with paracord..

 

[Paladin79]

I do not like to use 100% pet sleeving but I have found lots of cotton with PET reinforcement that holds up very well and is less susceptible to microphonics. I have used this type of sleeving for two years without issues but then I own a lot of cables.

https://www.moddiy.com/categories/Cable-Sleeving/PET-PP-Cotton-Braided-Sleeving/

This company ships worldwide and has quite a large selection of colors and sizes. Those are obviously Neutrik/Rean connectors on the cable shown and the fact the cable fit inside the grommet on the right angle connector gives me a good indication of the size of that cable. Here is four mm cotton/pet sleeving fitting on 3.5 and 6 mm diameter cable respectively. The cotton is raised more than the PET , cotton is silver, pet is black in this case.

 

[Terry Newton]

I'm looking for Canadian suppliers that sell 2.5mm 4pole TRRS Balanced 16 Core OCC Silver Mixed Headphone Cable For Sennheiser HD800 HD800s as found here.
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5842

Or is there a Canadian list here that I have missed?

 

[JamieMcC]

Interesting idea dying the cotton sleeve .that sort of thinking appeals to me.

Maybe psychedelic tie dye style or even some kind of swirled marbling ink has the potential to create some interesting patterns. I messed about a bit with swirling paint but found it hard to get consistent results that I was happy with.

You haven't succumbed to curly vane mania?

The mail man surprised me today with a package from china my hd800 connectors damn that was quick they are nicely made but an extremely tight fit to tight imho I have a second pair on the way as well which are of a slightly different design maybe they will fit a bit better.