[PanpandaChan]

So I found a 100ft spool of 28AWG SPC wire-wrapping wire on ebay for $10 after shipping... (so $0.10 per foot...)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Wire-Wrapping-Wire-Silver-Plated-copper-wire-RoHS-100Ft-28AWG-10-color-Taiwan-/140612122298?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20bd22b6ba
 
What the heck is the difference between this and other SPC wire that literally costs at least 100x more?
 
I'm shopping around for some wires to make new headphone interconnects from.
Wanted to do a 3 strand braid with blue-clear-blue. but these cheap as hell wires dont come in clear (only white).
Tempted to just do blue-white-blue and save a ton of money.
 
Opinions?

 

[holland]

If it is used for wire-wrap, it is solid core.  It is not as flexible as stranded, not ideal for braiding or twisting pairs.  It is for PCB construction, using the wire-wrap methods.  Use as you would any solid core wire, applicable to some internal wires.  Not really useful for external wiring.  The insulation may not be as good as others.  It's good for 300VDC, according to the link.  It's fine for solid state.
 
I tend to use solid core for prototyping.  I use bare wire on PC boards, soldering down to create a trace.  I use solid core wires for jumping points, DC level, without needing to tie down.  I don't use solid core for signal usually, but you can if it's shielded.
 
It's not useful as headphone cable.  It would be too stiff, and if bent it would stay bent.  If braided, it might snap.

 

[PanpandaChan]

Hmm thats what confuses me about silver cables in general.
 
So to get things straight:
- Solid cable, whether copper or silver or SPC, thin or thick, is a bad idea for mobility.
- This stuff is indeed same as SPC, with possibly lower quality insulation. (The link i provided seems to use good insulation, rather than the typical PVC insulation on tin plated copper wire wrap)
 
So here's my next question.. where the heck do you find good stranded silver wire?
Searching gave me vt4c.com but I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is actually stranded silver... The site confuses me.
Theres some on ebay, but I'm not sure if the prices are good.
 
Thanks for the help!

 

[nikongod]

Silver plated copper can be found from dozens of places that sell bulk wire. I mostly scour Ebay for partially used spools on the cheap. 
 
Stranded silver is much much harder to find, and mostly made for audiofool applications. 

 

[PanpandaChan]

Hah, you are correct... I was still searching for pure-silver stranded wire.
 
A quick google of stranded SPC gave me something like this:
http://www.moddiy.com/products/FEP-Teflon-Silver-Plated-Copper-Wire-%28Cu%7B47%7DAg-16AWG%29.html?gclid=CKWzxoTx6bkCFYWd4Aod7BMAzg
 
That is insanely cheap. Is there anything wrong with that??
And is 16AWG too thick? it looks fine in the pictures, but I'm not sure if the pictures actually show 16AWG.
I'll probably be going with 28 or 24 for headphone cables...

 

[nikongod]

For headphone cables NEVER EVER use larger than than 22ga. Cables get way too heavy and bulky beyond that for no real benefit. Fat cables do look cool though. 
 
28ga actually acceptable for the VAST majority of headphones from a purely electrical POV, but it is not as durable as 26 or 24ga which plays a big part in headphone cables... I would use it myself and just accept the durability issues, but if you ever plan to sell the headphones or if you accept the fact that you dont plan to sell them now but may want to some time down the line forget 28ga. 
 
IMO, 24 or 26ga are the ideal sizes for headphone cables. 

 

[PanpandaChan]

Thanks for the tips.
 
I might end up making two cables then. A heavy one (18AWG, since that site only has colored teflon insulated SPC in that size) for at home use, and a 24AWG for on-the-go.
 
That ModDIY site i just found actually has some pretty nice stuff... sleeving in all kinds of colors and sizes that look more durable than paracord.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

 
IMO, 24 or 26ga are the ideal sizes for headphone cables. 

Agreed! 24 gauge is my go-to for standard headphone cables with good durability and excellent flexibility. I have dropped down to 19 gauge in rare cases, however for the vast majority of situations, stick with 22-26.