[Alwayswantmore]

Anticable is regarded by many to be a great sounding, yet very inexpensive speaker wire. Anticable's design is solid copper with a very thin layer of insulation to greatly reduce the dielectric effect. Link to TAS review.

It can be bought pre-terminated for $10 / stereo pair foot (i.e. 8-foot pair runs $80). The wire can also be bought in bulk for 50% less money.

My DIY cable is about 4 feet long, using some design tips from Anticable’s website. Total cost was about $20, plus shipping (assumes you use your existing Neutric DIN plug).

The sound is a definite upgrade from the stock pigtail.

NOTE: Be aware that Anticable is stiff (think coat hanger), so it will not snake like a normal cable.

For my next move, I’m contemplating cutting off a couple feet of the stock black wire + doing a direct solder of AKG to Anticable -- eliminating the DIN and one layer of solder connections.

 

[flecom]

the connector is an XLR not a DIN

and i doubt it would be an audible difference, you need to replace your headphone cable first

 

[utep10]

Nice idea but as you said, that anti-cable is really unyielding.

I can't tell from the pics, but it looks like you have bare wire
termination into your amp. For anyone that has the spades
on your anti-cables, I strongly recommend cutting those off and
using bare wire for your connection. The SQ change was well
worth the small effort it took.

 

[Jon L]

Yup, you may try some continuous-cast copper magnet wire from Percy later on. I've been using my K1000 adapter using this stuff, and it is way, WAY better than the stock cable. No comparison whatsoever.

http://www.audiocircle.com/gallery/d...bum=349&pos=22

 

[Alwayswantmore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flecom /img/forum/go_quote.gif the connector is an XLR not a DIN and i doubt it would be an audible difference, you need to replace your headphone cable first

My bad on the DIN vs XLR. Not sure why you would doubt that there's an audible difference (Good source; very fast IC; great amp; and now the addition of an improved pigtail -- it all adds up). BTW: Stephan Audio Arts get hundreds for their replacement pigtail.

Quote:

Originally Posted by utep10 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nice idea but as you said, that anti-cable is really unyielding.

Clearly this solution will not work everyone. In my case, my listening chair is directly adjacent to the rack, so I only need a few feet of flexibility in my cable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by utep10 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can't tell from the pics, but it looks like you have bare wire termination into your amp. For anyone that has the spades on your anti-cables, I strongly recommend cutting those off and using bare wire for your connection. The SQ change was well worth the small effort it took.

Yes, DIY bare wire -- which BTW -- is a time consuming process to strip off the red outer coating.

I'm also in the market for some good bananas plugs, so I can manually switch between K1000s and a set of Omega Hemps currently in transit

Someday I may still bite the bullet an get the SAA hardwire. But I would love to hear it prior to making the investment. In the meanwhile, this was a very inexpensive, yet noticeable upgrade for my rig.

 

[Alwayswantmore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon L /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yup, you may try some continuous-cast copper magnet wire from Percy later on. I've been using my K1000 adapter using this stuff, and it is way, WAY better than the stock cable. No comparison whatsoever. http://www.audiocircle.com/gallery/d...bum=349&pos=22

Interesting. Is it flexible? Does it have insulation?

 

[intlplby]

what's so special about the Stefan Audio Arts cable that makes it preferrable to a DIY solution?