[music_man]

i have recently made headphone cables and ic's out of the following. 2x28g solid copper enamled magnet wire,1x20g braided copper bare ground. .9999 copper. 1x tyvec dielectric/shield. .9999 silver solder. pvc jacket. no techflex. on the ic's i use a eichman bullet. on the headphone cables i use a plastic housing neutrik 1/8". i think this might be similar to what comes stock on some good headphones! there is no crostalk from the bare ground that i can tell.

to me they sound great. i guess this is like why cat-5 cable sounds good. i mean on the one hand i could explain why these sound good. on the other, given all the thick cables out there they shouldn't.

these cables actually are not cheap because you have to buy 50' of the .999 copper.

has anyone else ever used cables like this? what do you think about the sound? what about using .997 silver?

thanks,
music_man

 

[Happy Camper]

I've read that transformer winding wire sounds good. Pics?

 

[Punnisher]

I think Nikongod made some with a single strand that's nearly the thickness of a human hair. Pretty crazy.

Signal cables for line level signals don't have to be large at all. I'd make mine at least 28awg for durability, but you can use about anything.

 

[sachu]

music_man..can you post a link to a source where we can procure this wire..i would like to give them a try..or if you are willing to part with some..PM me please.

Thanks,
Sachu

 

[music_man]

i originally made the headphone cables because heavy cables with techflex are cumbersome and full of microphonics. i wanted a straight cable where i had a coiled one. i used mogami cable and it ruined the sound. unless i missoldered or something. this thin wire which is basicly what is in a stock headphone cable i think sounds fine.

then i tried it for ic's and it does not sound any different than thicker much more expensive cables.

i guess this has been discussed a million times. i am just happy it works. there must not be much resistance in 3'. besides the voice coild wires would be the bottleneck if one were to argue super thick cables. the voice coil cable wires extend a few inches to the posts on most headphones.

speakers i am sure are a different story. you cannot put 400 watts through a 28g cable.

music_man

 

[music_man]

sachu, they should have it at a electronics supply. not radioshack. it is called "magnet wire" or "bell wire". on the other hand i think if you wanted silver you would have to buy off the net.

edit: i hope you understood you have to assemble the actual cable of the three wires,dielectric into the jacket. i did not use heatshrink because i did not want it stiff. i just used a pvc tube. it is very time consuming to fish the wires through. i guess that is why cable manufacturers charge a lot.

music_man

 

[JadeEast]

I've used magnet wire for speaker cables, interconnects and I did use them for an attempt at a headphone cable on one pair of headphones but found them a bit too stiff and microphonic in that application. I also used some very thin silver wire for a pair of interconnects as well as thin copper tape used for stained glass both with thin piece of packing tape for a cover. They all "worked".

 

[Happy Camper]

Vintage Plain Enamel Wire Differences

 

[music_man]

the store where i got it is known to have many items up to over 100 years old. mine does not have a date on it. it smells like magic marker. is that good or bad? btw, 28g is not stiff or microphonic at all! that is exactly why i used it. it does more than "work" it sounds fine.

i like it much better than a thick cable even if a thick cable might sound better(which is questionable to me anyhow). it "drapes" very easily. to give you an idea the whole assembly is the size of wires on iems. i am happy with it.

music_man

 

[Happy Camper]

How about a sample one meter pair? We could float them around and give impressions compared to what we are currently using. I'm using some Nordost Red Dawns (silver plated copper ribbon) and would love to hear how soundstage and dynamics sound with this size wire.

I'd pay shipping.

 

[Steve Eddy]

If you want to kick it up a few notches (as well as gain even better flexibility and reliability), try 100 strands of 46 gauge wire (i.e. litz).

Only drawback is that you really need to use it with a solder pot and some flux.

k

 

[music_man]

that sounds good. i'd like to do it. can't you buy litz in rolls?
edit: i meant litz that is already braided. i am afraid i would burn myself making it. i know how to do it but i am impatient.

btw, i was wondering what configuration valhalla is? i have it on my reference loudspeaker system and also have some that is damaged that i have used in various projects. i honestly don't know if it sounds better than anything else but i suppose it must.

music_man

 

[Steve Eddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif that sounds good. i'd like to do it. can't you buy litz in rolls? edit: i meant litz that is already braided. i am afraid i would burn myself making it. i know how to do it but i am impatient.

You can buy 100/46 for 25 cents a foot from 1N34A.

Quote:

btw, i was wondering what configuration valhalla is? i have it on my reference loudspeaker system and also have some that is damaged that i have used in various projects. i honestly don't know if it sounds better than anything else but i suppose it must.

The Valhalla speaker cables are just a number of solid core conductors arranged in parallel.

k

 

[music_man]

thanks for the info. i am going to replace the solid wires with litz. actually i think you can buy braided three conductor cables at the same place i got the solid magnet wire. i want the entire cable to be no thicker than an iem cable.

music_man

 

[Steve Eddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for the info. i am going to replace the solid wires with litz. actually i think you can buy braided three conductor cables at the same place i got the solid magnet wire. i want the entire cable to be no thicker than an iem cable.

Do you have a solder pot and flux? As I said, I wouldn't recommend using litz wire without them. Although the insulation is technically "solderable," it really pays to tin the ends with a solder pot before soldering the wires to whatever connectors you're using.

And if you want the entire cable to be no thicker than an IEM cable, then go for the 40/44 or even the 20/44.

k