[FredA]

Coming up on 1 yr. anniversary with the R2R 7 (now R7). One heck of a year in audio! Several firmware releases, new DAC hardware, cables, DDCs... Better sound every few months. Hard to sort it all out but it has been a pleasure.

The DA7 V2s are playing great. The R7 is disappearing (again) after Accusilicon XO change. Sounds good with any I2S source. Using the internal Singxer F1 currently and sounds great. Singxer SU-6 and Gustard U16 may be more enjoyable but the R7 sounds great with anything. Been a very productive year in audio!

Lots happening indeed. Kingwa has not been resting nor anyone with this modding going on.

I know what better XOs and improved converters can do. Basically, make everything more real. Can't wait to hear the result and the fact that my setup already sounds great as it is makes the upcoming upgrade almost like adding more icing on a cake that has plenty of it already.

Love the effect of my new silver cable on sound. I contacted my ms-audio ebay seller to ask if possible to buy an unterminated silver litz cable. I would use as acss of course. Maybe i would install those expensive furutech 4-pin xlrs.

 

[chadnick]

Anyone try these ACSS interconnect silver cables?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/153458075629?ViewItem=&item=153458075629

 

[FredA]

Anyone try these out?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/153458075629?ViewItem=&item=153458075629

Nop.

Nice find though. It should be a very decent cable. The gauge is about 27awg considering 2 cores per line, little thin but not bad at all. For the money, can go wrong. If you are good with diy, you could consider making your own. With mini xlrs, it is hard using greater than awg26, some use 24awg still. My own diy cable uses 26awg but 7n upocc copper rather than silver. Still an excellent cable.

It is all about how good the wire is IMHO.

 

[Chopin75]

Lots happening indeed. Kingwa has not been resting nor anyone with this modding going on.

I know what better XOs and improved converters can do. Basically, make everything more real. Can't wait to hear the result and the fact that my setup already sounds great as it is makes the upcoming upgrade almost like adding more icing on a cake that has plenty of it already.

Love the effect of my new silver cable on sound. I contacted my ms-audio ebay seller to ask if possible to buy an unterminated silver litz cable. I would use as acss of course. Maybe i would install those expensive furutech 4-pin xlrs.

If you are into DIY silver cables, should try these:

http://www.tempoelectric.com/cables_DIY.htm

They are soft silver wires. good pricing., using just plastic tubing for insulation but you can ask for shielding that they provide

I made a pair of the XLR cables, - very revealing, liquid smooth, but unforgiving. I am still burning mine in a bit and is warming up more now as initially they are kind of cool and thin.I also use their speaker cables, ready made by them with bare wire, really nice! They are not over bright but would likely not work in cool system or bad sources (like dirty PC, cheap CD player). But I think your system can handle well.

 

[FredA]

If you are into DIY silver cables, should try these:

http://www.tempoelectric.com/cables_DIY.htm

They are soft silver wires. good pricing., using just plastic tubing for insulation but you can ask for shielding that they provide

I made a pair of the XLR cables, - very revealing, liquid smooth, but unforgiving. I am still burning mine in a bit and is warming up more now as initially they are kind of cool and thin.I also use their speaker cables, ready made by them with bare wire, really nice! They are not over bright but would likely not work in cool system or bad sources (like dirty PC, cheap CD player). But I think your system can handle well.

Interesting.

The best thing is to go with thin wire, 28Awg or smaller and use 2-3 per line at least, your basic litz design. Like i did with my latest cable.

Also I prefer unshielded cables, they are easier to make and to make sound well. I tried many brands, not one sounds the same. The latest i got from ebay sounded fine from hour 1 and is improving very slowly. Splendid with cymbals.

 

[chadnick]

I have made a set of copper ACSS interconnects. Now I'm interested in trying out a silver pair. Below are some of the silver options I have been thinking about using.

When wiring a XLR connector, pin 1 is ground. If the cable is not shielded, do you just leave pin 1 empty or do you run a cable anyway?

• Silver plated copper + Shielding interconnect cable: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Bre...653090.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.63c73c008yq1MZ

• Silver Litz interconnect cable: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Aud...lgo_pvid=3310b271-9349-4e60-899f-0973e271cfb7

• 26.5AWG 4N Litz Silver + Gold wire: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/PAP...lgo_pvid=c934c932-9413-43d8-9fb9-53a04b7aecc9

• 26.5AWG 4N Litz Silver wire: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/PAP...lgo_pvid=c934c932-9413-43d8-9fb9-53a04b7aecc9

• 26AWG 5N Litz Silver wire: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/lit...lgo_pvid=c934c932-9413-43d8-9fb9-53a04b7aecc9

 

[FredA]

A

I have made a set of copper ACSS interconnects. Now I'm interested in trying out a silver pair. Below are some of the silver options I have been thinking about using.

When wiring a XLR connector, pin 1 is ground. If the cable is not shielded, do you just leave pin 1 empty or do you run a cable anyway?

• Silver plated copper + Shielding interconnect cable: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Bre...653090.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.63c73c008yq1MZ

• Silver Litz interconnect cable: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Aud...lgo_pvid=3310b271-9349-4e60-899f-0973e271cfb7

• 26.5AWG 4N Litz Silver + Gold (7cores) wire: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/PAP...lgo_pvid=c934c932-9413-43d8-9fb9-53a04b7aecc9

• 26.5AWG 4N Litz Silver (16cores) wire: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/PAP...lgo_pvid=c934c932-9413-43d8-9fb9-53a04b7aecc9

• 26AWG 5N Litz Silver (20cores) wire: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/lit...lgo_pvid=c934c932-9413-43d8-9fb9-53a04b7aecc9

Yes, you should. I even read it's a good thing to double the awg for ground. This is in fact what happens wiring a 4-pin xlr acss using an 8-core cable, assigning 2 cores per pin. Two pins are in fact assigned to ground. This acts as a shield to a certain extent by collecting some emi. In any case, shielding is not such a concern for balanced transmission (acss is balanced out of a balanced dac or pre). But the ground connection is needed.

 

[FredA]

Mini xlr are tougher to work with. I am tempted to give this Invictus you linked a try, it seems nicely made. On paper, it is very good.

 

[chadnick]

Mini xlr are tougher to work with. I am tempted to give this Invictus you linked a try, it seems nicely made. On paper, it is very good.

I reached out the seller last night. I didn’t see it in the listing, but he confirmed that the price is for 2 cables. So it seems like a pretty good deal.

 

[DACLadder]

The Ebay ACSS cables look really interesting. 6N purity silver, rhodium plated connector pins, and they are already built! Mini-XLRs are a real-life pain to solder.

@FredA. Does your M3 have mini or regular XLR connectors for ACSS? AGD pictures has regular sized XLRs.

 

[Chopin75]

Interesting.

The best thing is to go with thin wire, 28Awg or smaller and use 2-3 per line at least, your basic litz design. Like i did with my latest cable.

Also I prefer unshielded cables, they are easier to make and to make sound well. I tried many brands, not one sounds the same. The latest i got from ebay sounded fine from hour 1 and is improving very slowly. Splendid with cymbals.

Hmm, yah forgot about Litz. The Tempo electric site mainly recommends straight single wire in the tubing, they are very soft silver but I suppose one can twist into litz config with the tubing for each wire and then finally all the 3-4 wires meet again to terminate at the end. I have seen a boutique company from UK "Yannis cable" that does something like this:

https://www.shop.back-promo.co.uk/SILVERCORD_PLUS_Connect_XLR/p4417238_19783727.aspx

I have tried their RCA version before for tone arm and interconnects.

 

[Tango Sierra]

@FredA , If you peek inside the ACSS socket on the back you will see that it is a 3 pin connector, not 4. I had also assumed it was a 4 pin until discussing having a set of cables made by Audio Sensibility and the proprietor pointed out to me it was 3 pin.

 

[FredA]

The Ebay ACSS cables look really interesting. 6N purity silver, rhodium plated connector pins, and they are already built! Mini-XLRs are a real-life pain to solder.

@FredA. Does your M3 have mini or regular XLR connectors for ACSS? AGD pictures has regular sized XLRs.

It's a 4-pin xlr or 3-pin mini depending.

Audio-gd uses the 4-pin xlr connector/socket between the master pres and amps. This is nothing new. Between the dacs and pres, a 3-pin mini xlr is used. With the 3-pin connector, assigning twice the awg to the ground pin is a good practice.

 

[FredA]

It's a 4-pin xlr.

Hmm, yah forgot about Litz. The Tempo electric site mainly recommends straight single wire in the tubing, they are very soft silver but I suppose one can twist into litz config with the tubing for each wire and then finally all the 3-4 wires meet again to terminate at the end. I have seen a boutique company from UK "Yannis cable" that does something like this:

https://www.shop.back-promo.co.uk/SILVERCORD_PLUS_Connect_XLR/p4417238_19783727.aspx

I have tried their RCA version before for tone arm and interconnects.

Once should use small gauge wires to avoid skin effect. Ideally air or teflon as dielectric, and use a geometry that minimize vibrations, inductance and capacitance. Use multiple wires to minimize resistance. And pure occ if possible. That is pretty much all there is to it IMO and wire that do all this will sound better than good. Silver will produce better treble but can sound bright if not properly implemented.

 

[DACLadder]

When wiring a XLR connector, pin 1 is ground. If the cable is not shielded, do you just leave pin 1 empty or do you run a cable anyway?

Yes, just leave pin 1 empty if no ground or "drain" wire - especially with short cables and modern 3-prong grounded AC systems. ACSS is such low input impedance that I doubt much if any noise coupling would happen with short cables. Plus common mode rejection with balanced, twisted pair of wires. But in certain cases adding a ground wire and even shielding may provide quieter performance in noisy environments. Or just connecting cable ground only on one side of the cable to minimize a ground loop (AC hum).