Cable Building

Discussion in 'DIY' started by Skyline, Sep 30, 2015.

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  1. George Mhmmm

    George Mhmmm Acquaintance

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    I used this guide as a starting point: http://headphone.guru/a-diy-journey-project-1-that-first-cable/
    And used this for XLR-4 pinouts: https://robrobinette.com/BalancedCable.htm#Make_a_Four_Wire_Balanced_Line_Headphone_Cable_

    I order my cables/connectors from redco.com, and paracord/leather string from my local Michael's Arts and Craft store. The stupid HD-800 connectors themselves I found for $50 shipped, which was more than 50% of the total cable cost :( For my build I wanted a short everyday cable, and a longer extension cable. This was my parts list:
    Short Headphone Cable
    I separated the dual twisted pair cable (they came connected side to side), and pulled out the inner strings from the paracord. I like the GAC-2 wires since each channel will have a twisted pair with individual shielding, as opposed to one big quad twisted cable where both channels share a shielding. I fitted the paracord over the GAC-2 wires.

    Then I used the leather strings to keep the two cables together until they needed to separate when going into each ear cup. I used a cobra knot pattern to keep the wires together and a double overhand knot to tie off the ends. If you don't want to deal with this, electric tape works just as well to keep the wires together, but I like the added style and strength the knots add to the wiring.

    Lastly I terminated the cable with the appropriate connectors. A multimeter is useful for this step so you can verify your connections.

    Extension Cable
    Nothing fancy here, I couldn't find paracord large enough for this cable so I just terminated it with the male and female XLR-4 connectors.

    And finally here is a picture of the results:
    [​IMG]
     
  2. Xen

    Xen Friend

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    Pretty interesting design with the leather strings.
     
  3. joch

    joch Friend

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    (Hope not too late) advice from my own experience:

    Invest in a good soldering station, or at least a decent solder iron (e.g., a Hakko).

    A DMM (digital multi-meter)--a cheap one will be adequate, but a decent one will last you for decades (e.g., Fluke). It will save a lot of time from guessing which end goes where after you do your fancy braiding. You can also use it to see if your headphones have mismatched driver resistance.
     
  4. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    I would really like to have a nice set of headphone cables, but I cannot make them, and to buy them pre-made -they are outrageously expensive.
     
  5. Riotvan

    Riotvan Snoofer in the Woofer

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    I posted this on CS but be careful with the Furutech HD800 connectors. Maybe it's because my HD800 was relatively new but i seriously had to drill out the casing on the connectors to make it fit.

    They also have a built in strain relief but that wasn't too good either, it can damage the wires if you make it tight enough to function like a strain relief should. I ended up hacking up a tiny metal plate to spread out the pressure on the wires. After that i reinforced with some heatshrink with glue lining.

    Doesn't look pretty but it has been solid for over a year.
     
  6. Priidik

    Priidik MOT: Estelon

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    Just compared HD800 stock cable to Cardas something worth of 800 bucks to DIY-d Cat5.
    Cat5 won in sonics. I was sceptical that I'd hear any differences at all, but there you go.
    Stock was consistently the worst sounding though. Easily 2-3% difference in sound between these.
     
  7. uncola

    uncola Friend

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    Just completed my first XLR cables! used neutrik nc3fxx-bag and nc3mxx-bag connectors, ordered the optional colored rings from redco. ordered 6' of bulk dh labs bl-1 cable from audiophileanswers on ebay and just soldered it up. either my diy cable skills are increasing or xlr connectors are super easy but I feel like I did a great job on these. multimeter continuity test passed. now I just have to wait for my vi dac infinity to get here so I can connect it to my emerald physics ep100.2se amp with xlr. I don't have any other xlr stuff

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  8. firev1

    firev1 Friend

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    Yeah I love XLR, easiest connectors to solder, nice huge holes and lugs compared to the TRRS junk. I hardly build my own unless I want something boutique, lucky to have a local shop that solders bulk cables up at pretty much cost price.
     
  9. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    We sure are a funny lot, I mean audiophiles, chasing that next level of goodness or plankton.......MASSIVE 2-3% difference for only $800 and it sounded worse? ;)Lot of the time the most $ does not win
     
  10. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    So it took me forever to do the TRRS to XLR adapter for the GO V2 and I ruined some TRRS plugs in the process (the plug is too damn small to stuff all the wires in there).

    When I was visiting Marv, he gave me a TRRS pigtail he paid $2 for. It was a "damn, why didn't I think of that" moment for me. I'll be using this for my balanced UERM cable.
     
  11. aufmerksam

    aufmerksam Friend

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    Yeah, when I finally get around to making the UERM balanced cable, I am going to use something like this. I figure cut it in half, use the TRRS plug end as a pigtail to the UERM, and then use the TRRS jack as a pigtail to a normal 3.5mm jack for easy adaption to unbalanced sources.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Xen

    Xen Friend

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    Made a set of balanced cables for my HE560 today. Here are some lessons I learned:

    Paracord is evil. Lessons about paracord:
    1. Paracord is like those "Chinese handcuffs"; you can only get the wire to move when the paracord is compressed. Easily spent 25% of the time doing the "inchworm."
    2. Teflon tape is a necessity with paracord. Simple teflon tape from the plumbing section of any hardware store is a godsend when sheathing paracord. Tape up the ends to keep the wire from snagging when doing the "inchworm". KEEP the teflon ON until you are ready to solder. I had to do emergency surgery on the cable because I forget something (heat shrink, connector part, y-split part, misc parts.). Paracord crept up and snagged.
    3. Also, if you don't like bumps from braids showing, you need a much longer length of paracord than your cable, close to 50% more for me. I did 2x26AWG twist into #275 and did like 40% longer and still have some bumps. A 70cm stretch of 4x26 AWG in a 4-strand braid needs more than 1.0 m of paracord.
    4. A lighter to melt the ends of the paracord to keep it from fraying.
    HiFiMan SMC connectors are for masochist. Lessons about being a masochist:
    1. Spent 4 hours discovering how to solder these things. Digital Multimeter was needed because the first "success" ended up having a short (one probe on ground pin of the XLR4. Hmm... both the ground and the hot on the connector show 0.1 ohms?! SCHIIIIIIIIT!).
    2. You have to make sure the hot wire is insulated going through the body of the connector. Either use 1/32" heat shrink (had 1/16" and it was too big) or only expose like 3 mm of wire. I wish I had 1/32" heat shrink.
    3. Ground is actually a pain in the @ss too. It has to be pretty flat or the sheath won't fit. Soldering flat on a textured surface: masochistic!
    4. Buy a 10pk of these connectors off Ebay for <$7: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-SMC-Fem...372944?hash=item3a80678c50:g:sRYAAOxy69JTA5JZ , You might ruin 1 or 2 before you learn...
    5. Tin the wire then cut it down to size rather than trying to tin 3mm of exposed wire.
    Things I used extensively
    1. Aoyue 469 soldering station. Decent for $29.99. Bought a Hakko 1.6 mm flat tip ($8) and a bronze tip cleaner ($7). Seriously, just buy the Hakko FX888D for <$100. You still have to buy a 1.6mm flat tip though. Conical tip is no joy. The Hakko has much better heat reservoirs and comes with the bronze tip cleaner.
    2. Bronze tip cleaner actually works and can scrape off burnt rosin unlike the wet sponge which always seems to move the solder around the tip. Always hated the Spongebob and now I know why. Get a bronze tip cleaner.
    3. Kester 44 Rosin Core 63/37 Lead/Tin 0.020. Melts quickly and sets all at once. I used way more than I thought I would. Too bad you can get either not enough (small tube, 0.75oz at $10) or too much (1 spool, 1 lb at $40). I got a spool, enough solder for my lifetime. I definitely used more than the small tube.
    4. Rosin flux made the solder stick where I wanted it to. A little bit goes a long ways.
    5. Small gauge wire strippers - simple one like this $10 Hakko one: http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-CSP-30-...37&sr=1-3&keywords=wire+stripping+tool+30+awg . Perfect for working with wires. Never had to use the side-cutters at all.
    6. Helping hands with magnifier + Block of Wood. Yes, a block of wood. The helping hands can't really handing much force. A block of wood placed underneath allows you to press down on the thing you are soldering. Wires, twisting, force going the wrong way.
    7. Heat gun. A simple one from Harbor Freight is good enough.
    8. I mostly used 2:1 heat shrink because I could find it. 3:1 would have been better, but they only seem to sell them with adhesives when they are in variety packs. Now I know what sizes to buy.
    9. 3/32" x 1/2" is good for 26AWG wire onto Neutrik XLR cups. Covers the cup and any exposed wire.
    10. 1/4" x 1/2" is good for sealing the wires from Neutrik XLR to the #550 paracord with 4x26AWG 4-strand braid. Stays inside the connector.
    11. 5/32" is good for sealing 2x26AWG in #275 paracord
    12. Rubber bands to keep the hands from scratching the connectors. Surprised they withstood the heat, though.
    13. X-acto knife, for when you mess up.
    I am sure I forgot something, just like every time I finished soldering a connector...
     
  13. uncola

    uncola Friend

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    heh that's why I ended up ordering my balanced cable for hifiman from a cheapish aliexpress seller. I knew those tiny smc connectors would frustrate me
     
  14. Xen

    Xen Friend

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    Heh. In terms of sunk costs, $100 for a cable is reasonable. I wish I could find a good supplier for those wires that don't cost an arm and a leg, though. They are so nice there is no need for paracording.

    I am not really happy with how these came out so I plan on trying again.
     
  15. uncola

    uncola Friend

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    Just changed to beryllium copper gold plated soldered low mass banana plugs. Bass seems more prominent but it's probably from moving my speakers a little when plugging the new cables in :D OR it could be the fruits of my incredible skill and wise choice of upgraded banana plugs :p

    [​IMG]
     
  16. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    What bananas are those? Been looking for reasonably priced low mass ones.
     
  17. uncola

    uncola Friend

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  18. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Great, thanks! Those spades look nice, too.
     
  19. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Did some surgery on my 1M LHLabs Lightspeed Jr cable to turn it into an "audiophile" extension cable.
     

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  20. logscool

    logscool Friend

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    Has anyone here found any good 2.5mm TRS connectors all the ones I've used have been pretty crappy. It would be a plus if they had a fairly slim body to them so I could fit them into newer hifiman headphones.
     

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