[jandara]

What is the ultimate DIY RCA interconnect in terms of sound quality?
If cost was not an issue how would you build it?

 

[RnB180]

to broad of an answer, synergy and taste play a major role.

 

[fr4c]

maybe silver braid and eichmann bullets?

like RnB180 said, its too broad.

 

[aerius]

Put the components back to back and connect them with male RCA to RCA plugs. No wire, just a plug, a nice direct connection.

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Or remove the rca's altogether on both compenents and replace the wires from both components going to the rca's with a short length quality wire going from one to the other.

Biggie.

 

[dura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fr4c maybe silver braid and eichmann bullets?

I'm still very happy with the ones I described here: http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=114741

 

[braillediver]

http://home.att.net/~chimeraone/audiolitzwirebraid.html


Mitch

 

[jandara]

Wow lots of different options!!! Could someone explain to me in a nutshell, the difference between silver and copper wires in terms of audio quality?

 

[braillediver]

In my humble opinion: Don't eat yellow snow.


Oh- silver tends to be brighter. Depending on the system, cable configuration etc.

It won't fix a dull system but can bring out some detail. I wouldn't use cables to address fundamental flaws in a system but they can be used to complement a systems sonic signature.

I'm really impressed with AudioTruth Lapis X3 cables- pure silver.


Mitch

 

[eric343]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotoriousBIG_PJ Or remove the rca's altogether on both compenents and replace the wires from both components going to the rca's with a short length quality wire going from one to the other. Biggie.

But then moving the system becomes very difficult. Much better to replace the RCA connectors with N connectors, and almost as good.

 

[tennisets]

Eric, how do those work? Since I'm building my own preamp and amplifier, I have the option of using whatever connectors I want to between them. If those N connectors work much better than a standard RCA, I may try using them.

 

[braillediver]

Type N connectors are very large compared to RCA’s. Bigger around than a quarter.

A BNC Connector is an alternative and easier to come by.

There are BNC to RCA adapters also so you could continue to use RCA Cables.

BNC has bayonet lugs on the sides then there’s TNC which is threaded.

These are moving into RF connectors. For the price, ease of use and resale value you could build very nice standard RCA cables instead.


Mitch

 

[tennisets]

Thanks, I guess I'll just stick with RCAs. I'm sure the differences are minimal, and it's not worth the hassle.

 

[eric343]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisets Eric, how do those work? Since I'm building my own preamp and amplifier, I have the option of using whatever connectors I want to between them. If those N connectors work much better than a standard RCA, I may try using them.

They're large and solid, have a flat 50 ohm impedance, and make a very very good connection -- certainly better than RCA. (Unlike RCA connectors, N, BNC, and the rest also connect ground before signal, too -- something that's always nice.)

I've never used them in an audio system, largely for the reasons Braillediver mentioned. However, they do open up some interesting possibilities. If you find a small 50-ohm coax, and use 50-ohm interconnects, you can construct a flat-impedance signal path from the output pins of the source to the input of the load.

In general, though, connectors do make a very significant difference. They can almost completely change the voicing of a cable -- so choose them wisely.