[SleepingLion]

Hi, I know there is probably an answer for this, but I searched and could not find it. I am looking for wire to do my first two projects, a cmoy amp, and replacing the stock cable on my PK3's. I know navships is a good source would this work. I will twist and braid it for the headphone recable. Will this work, or what are the other inexpensive options.
Thanks,
Geoff

 

[johnwmclean]

That would work nicely, the price also seems reasonable. You could go cheaper, but I really like working with Teflon.

 

[Forte]

You may want to choose another wire that does not have Kapton insulation, this is stiffer than the normal Teflon insulation wire and may not be suitable for a Headphone cable.

 

[pdupiano]

please dont use SPC, stick with either copper or go full out silver. From my experience, SPC leads to what people have unfortunately associated with "silver sound" and that is a bright and thin sound. True silver is not harsh at all. Just say no to SPC

 

[aloksatoor]

and solid core for amp internals and stranded for ics and headphone recables

 

[Juaquin]

To the OP: don't worry about it being SPC versus solid silver. Worry about the source, amp, and headphones (big changes that make a real difference) before you worry about those 1% changes in sound like the metal a wire is made of.

22-24 stranded is good for carrying signal, 18-20 solid-core for power.

 

[SleepingLion]

Thanks for the help! I just ordered the SPC wire without the Kapton insulation. Eventually I will use silver wire, but once I know I am capable of finishing these projects I will look into some more intense ones.
-Geoff

 

[FraGGleR]

I just did a recable with Navships 24awg Teflon SPC, and I didn't really enjoy working with it very much. Very stiff with memory (stays kind of bent), and I had the damnedest time stripping with my (admittedly) crappy tools. I couldn't grip the wire secure (duh, teflon), and when I used pliers, I damaged the teflon.

Can't say anything about the sound since they were really crappy phones to begin with (practice surgery), but they were stiffer than I wanted with microphonics out the wazzoo. I could put cotton or nylon multifilament, but that stuff is more expensive than the wire itself.

Still looking for a cheap way to recable lots of stuff. Nucleotide from Double Helix seems like the cheapest "nice" copper cable, while HGA has the most reasonable "nice" silver. Still want cheaper, though

 

[macm75]

Use individual conductors from CAT5/CAT6 cable. Free or close to it - works perfectly.

 

[Juaquin]

I found CAT5 wire to be stiffer than anything I've bought for audio use, but that could have just been my cable.

 

[FraGGleR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juaquin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I found CAT5 wire to be stiffer than anything I've bought for audio use, but that could have just been my cable.

I agree. The cat5 I just took apart had 8 24awg solid copper wires. I just tried my hand at some braiding, and while I got the hang of it after a while, it looks like buttocks because the wire is so stiff and keeps the bends instead of relaxing.

I am starting to think that the more expensive stuff is worth it simply because of how supple it is. If you aren't going to do anything beyond a 3 or 4 wire braid and use it for longer interconnects, then anything should work. I am trying to do headphone cables and short interconnects, and so far cat5, and navship SPC has not been ideal.

 

[Juaquin]

I had no problem with navships for interconnects, but the 22awg stuff I got wasn't great for headphone cable. Probably go 24 or higher next time.

 

[Don Quichotte]

Can someone please recommend me what solid core uninsulated cable to buy for building a p2p wired Firstwatt amp? Should I go for something like this? Or should I just simply buy some UTP cat6 cable, remove the insulation and use the wire inside (the simplest option by far, but I don't know if good enough for a Firstwatt driving a pair of K1000)? I kind of fear a bad quality wire would adversely affect the sound quality of the amp without me even knowing it. I'm a diy beginner, so please help!

 

[bik2101]

have you tried mogami? you could always strip it down and braid it yourself or just use it as is. in my experience, it is very easy to use - flexible and easy to strip the wire too. also cheap at about $0.60/ft

Quote:

Originally Posted by FraGGleR /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree. The cat5 I just took apart had 8 24awg solid copper wires. I just tried my hand at some braiding, and while I got the hang of it after a while, it looks like buttocks because the wire is so stiff and keeps the bends instead of relaxing. I am starting to think that the more expensive stuff is worth it simply because of how supple it is. If you aren't going to do anything beyond a 3 or 4 wire braid and use it for longer interconnects, then anything should work. I am trying to do headphone cables and short interconnects, and so far cat5, and navship SPC has not been ideal.

 

[FraGGleR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bik2101 /img/forum/go_quote.gif have you tried mogami? you could always strip it down and braid it yourself or just use it as is. in my experience, it is very easy to use - flexible and easy to strip the wire too. also cheap at about $0.60/ft

The very first interconnects I made (well, the only ones so far) were using Mogami 2893. I like the cable a lot and have another 20 feet coming. I did not try stripping it all the way down to braid (I just discovered the joys of braiding a couple days ago). I liked the jacket and flexibility and plan to use it for my K81DJ recable.

The Navships cable isn't terrible, and in fact I just did a very nice looking 6 wire Jena style weave with it. I just don't like how stiff it is at all (and I still have a hard time stripping the teflon). For interconnects that aren't moved alot, perfectly nice. But almost everything I make and want to make require flexibility.