Cable Building

That's almost cheating, using pre-braided cable

Assuming "each core contains 19 strands x 0.12mm [diameter] wires", I calculate a total cross-sectional area per core of 0.2047 mm2 = 24 AWG.

The braid looks slightly on the tight side, how does it handle? And more importantly, how does it sound?

 

And who Doesn't like sex in a canoe?

 

Just made a couple of quick 3 pin XLR interconnects for Gungnir Multibit->Rag2 using Canare L-4E6S and Neutrik XX series connectors. I almost didn't curse at the inanimate objects once. The connectors were amazingly easy to solder and assemble, didn't even require heat shrink, I <3 them.

Then @yotacowboy and @gixxerwimp forced me to buy mystery silver wire I don't need from ebay.

 

I put together a 1m version of the cable with 3.5mm and Senn 6XX connectors together about a week ago that's got more hours on it and although the differences are slight compared to stock HD650 cable, the silver (of dubious quality) does seem to do the typical "good" silver thing, i.e, a cleaner, more relaxed presentation. I'll need more hours with the Aeolus/Australis + silver to both burn in and compare to some Forza copper cables, and the other DIY silver recipe based on the deconstructed solid silver Connex BL-Ag.

 

I take no responsibility for any self inflicted hardship.

 

I don't have anything as pretty as some of the things posted here, but I recently build a couple of long balanced cables for my Sennheiser and Focal headphones. I used Canare L-4E6S 4-wire microphone cable as the base, with paracord sheath above the split. And just heat shrink for the splitter and terminations, not too expertly applied. These are about 12 feet long, so I can listen from a comfortable position. The microphone cable is quite flexible with minimal memory, a vast improvement over the stock Focal cable for comfort.

Sennheiser HD650 cable. Neutrik XLR jack, Cardas HD650 connectors. Soldering the Cardas Sennheiser connectors was awful, and I'm not proud of what it looks like under the heat shrink (nor am I proud of what it looks like with the heat shrink, if we're fair). Seems solid electrically though.


Focal Elegia and HifiMan HE-400i cable. This would theoretically also work on my Meze 99 Noirs, but they have a very small recessed 3.5mm port and the connectors are too large. Neutrik XLR jack, REAN 3.5 mm TRS plugs. The headphones really take TS jacks, so the ring and sleeve are connected internally. The soldering job on this one is actually good.


And to use these long cables with my single ended amps, an XLR to 1/4" adapter. Neutrik jacks on both ends, same cable but I removed the stock jacket and used paracord sheath over it. The difficulty of doing that well is one of the reasons I kept the stock cable jacket on the headphone cables.

 

So I finished up the silver cum hybrid cable that I started here. Before beginning braiding, I tried out pure Ag (8x Duelund 26 AWG), adding 2x Norne Cu DIY 22 AWG, then two more strands of Cu. For Stellia, I preferred the 4+8 configuration. Looked up a 12 strand braid but said, f**k that. So I did a standard square 8-strand with the Ag pairs doubled up. It ended up being a lot easier than I imagined, with the solid-core wires helping to keep the braid in place, whereas multi-strand would have loosened up if constant tension wasn't applied. The heatshrink I'd put on the pairs of Ag wire for the prototype phase helped to keep them at the right "twist" by sliding them along as I progressed through the braid.

When new, the Duelund was quite oily and smelly, and I thought I'd have to sleeve it. But it got better after a while and with a few wipes of 75% iso on a cloth you can only smell it if you put your nose right up to the cable. This might have diminished the dielectric properties of the cotton & oil, but oh well ...

I already posted a couple of these in my Free w/ $15 donation to SBAF: AEC 4.4mm Pentaconn plug post (no takers?), but here they are again. You can also see the butcher job I made of soldering up the Pentacuntal over there.





The brown insulator of the Norne Cu makes for a nice accent with Stellia.



The end result is a lot less stiff than a pure solid-core cable would be, with the multistrand wires helping to keep it reasonably supple. It handles way better than the stock Focal cable. I should probably have gone a bit looser on the Techflex multifilament above the split, as quite a bit of sound is still carried to the cups. I might try some hot glue in the connectors, as @fraggler has previously mentioned.

As for cable/headphone synergy, the 8-wire Norne Cu cable that @fraggler made for me goes best with Clear by filling out the bass and smoothing the highs. This hybrid cable tightens up the Stellia's slight midbass bump/bloat and subtly enhances what the Stellia does well with detail, etc. It's kind of like pure Cu is an LFF Slant and the hybrid is a Paradox (though I haven't heard the latter, so I'm going by impressions that I've read).

So after having gone to all the trouble of terminating it with a 4.4mm so I could try Stellia from ZX300, I've hardly used it that way and will most likely end up putting an XLR on it for use with my (hopefully) incoming LC v1.

 

Looks like Amazon has some bit of the AECO catalog:

https://www.amazon.com/aeco-tw/b/re...499022011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=aeco.tw

 

Sorry, couldn't resist it

 

Takes me to the Amazocrap home page. Searched for AECO and found this switch with a link to Brand: AECO, which takes me back to the home page.
https://www.amazon.com/AECO/b/ref=b...=10069177011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=AECO

 

Weird. Don’t know why the brand won’t load:
aeco Banana Plug ABP-1111R, 4pcs/1set, Rhodium Plating, Vacuum Bag https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KUX0L3M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YJiCFbSS06K33

 

I searched within site for aeco.tw and got this.

https://www.amazon.com/Electronics-...022011&rh=n:172282,p_4:aeco.tw&qid=1601221022

Spoiler: copy/pasta

RESULTS

aeco Banana Plug ABP-1111S, 4pcs/1set, Silver Plating, Vacuum Bag
5.0 out of 5 stars 1
$70.00$70.00
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aeco Banana Plug ABP-1111R, 4pcs/1set, Rhodium Plating, Vacuum Bag
$80.00$80.00
Get it as soon as Wed, Sep 30
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aeco RCA Plug ARP-4045S, 4pcs/1set, Silver Plating, Vacuum Bag
4.5 out of 5 stars 9
$50.00$50.00
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aeco RCA Plug ARP-4045R, 4pcs/1set, Rhodium Plating, Vacuum Bag
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aeco XLR AMI-1060S, 2Pcs/1Set, Vacuum Bag
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aeco XLR AMI-1060G, 2Pcs/1Set, Vacuum Bag
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aeco XLR 4Pole Male AX4-1611S, 1pcs/1set, Silver Plating, Vacuum Bag
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aeco XLR 4 Pole Male AX4-1611G, 1pcs/1set, Gold Plating, Vacuum Bag
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aeco XLR 4 Pole Male AX4-1611R, 1pcs/1set, Rhodium Plating, Vacuum Bag
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aeco RCA Plug ARP-4045, 4pcs/1set, Gold Plating, Vacuum bag
4.6 out of 5 stars 4
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aeco RCA Plug ARP-4055, 4pcs/1set, Pure Silver, Vacuum Bag
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aeco BNC Plug ABC-1471, 2pcs/1set, 75ohm, Gold Plating, Vacuum Bag
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aeco RCA Jack ARJ-4045S, 2pcs/1set, Silver Plating, Vacuum Bag
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aeco Binding Post ABI-0611R, 2pcs/1set, Rhodium Plating, Vacuum Bag
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Couple more on the next page. Maybe they're having trouble setting up their Amazon store site.

 

I'm thinking of making a female 4.4mm to male XLR adapter.

How would one solder to these tabs on a female 4.4mm jack? Looks like even worse of a nightmare than the male plug. And the strain relief? Hot glue, then screw the barrel on?



https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32896692798.html

 

Separate tabs? A dream compared to concentric maze madness. But yeah, make sure you get a great joint on each tab then lock it all down with glue. If there is enough room, could heatshrink as much as you can outside of the glue as well on the inside piece. I am a little curious as to how the cheap adapter cables on Amazon and Aliexpress are secured.

 

At least there seems to be more surface area on the rings of madness than these teeny weeny tabs. I suppose I'll have to order one to find out.

I wonder how the thread the boot onto the connector for one of these without twisting the female connector part right off?



https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4000718669820.html

 

I'm assuming epoxy or hot gluing everything securely, then twisting it on. Or a lot of slack in the wires.

 

hi guys, would kinda need some recommendations about my situation. I have no experience fixing or building cable so thought Id ask you guys..
Basically, the heimdall 2 cable for my focal utopia either was already damaged when i received it and my use of it broke it officially, either they heimdall 2 is very fragile, whatever. As you can see, the wire sleeves have split on the Right side. I'm trying to figure out the best solution to "fix" it. I dont care much about the look, just as long as its durable and comfortable.

what would be the best solution here. can I hot glue the two splitted part, then cover the section with a heat shrink sleeve?

 

Hmm ... doesn't look like they used very robust material for the sleeving (the red stuff).

I'm the novice here, so others will probably have better solutions. If you get a high ratio heat shrink, you might be able to get it over the connector at the headphone end and have it shrink down enough to grip tightly on the existing sleeving. If the heat shrink has an adhesive lining, then you wouldn't need anything to hold the "split part" together, just make sure it's flush when you heat the tubing.

6:1 seems to be the highest ratio available. This stuff has an adhesive lining.
https://www.electriduct.com/6-to-1-High-Ratio-Heat-Shrink-Tubing.html

A lot of heat shrink comes in red, but maybe the super high ratio stuff doesn't. You'll have to measure to see how much shrink ratio you actually need.

Good luck!

Edit: www.mcmaster.com has up to 8:1, but if I select red, the highest ratio that comes up is 3:1. I don't think that will be enough shrinkage to get over the connector and wrap tightly on the existing sheathing.
https://www.mcmaster.com/heat-shrink-tubing/color~red/

 

a good friend sent me a roll of Gotham DGS-1 to try out and I made a 10ft pair tonight with my favorite Switchcraft connectors. DGS-1 is a coaxial interconnect and now discontinued by Gotham so any supply remaining is NOS.

https://gothamcables.com/en/gothamcables/unbalancedcable/60001dgs1

typically Gotham wire has a modern and airy sound, a bit more complex construction with double shielding on most of their cables. but I was intrigued by the simple construction of the DGS-1 and its single shield

I inserted the pair between my DAC and amplifier in my speaker system. in short, very impressive! the wire has a darker hue to it compared to the normal treble-lit high-resolution Gotham cables but it is very emotive in the midrange and does subtle timing stuff well. I put on a Ryo Fukui piece just to test I assembled them correctly and could not stand to turn it off.

this wire is only $0.45/ft from Gotham USA so very affordable, I will make up some more pairs so I don't have to use dollar store ICs ever again when testing equipment.

next up I will try GAC-1 S/PDIF and GAC-2111



recordings used for testing:

 

I recently tested out some Gotham GAC-4/1 interconnects, and my impressions coincide with yours. The upper mids and treble sound pretty and pristine. To my ear, it's very reminiscent of Mogami 2534, which isn't a huge surprise considering the similarities in construction. My takeaway was that Gotham was aiming for, and achieved in my mind, an improved version of the Mogami house sound. My beef with both Gotham and Mogami is that the low mids and bass have a sort of ethereal quality to them, an airiness in the low end, if that makes sense. To my ear this makes the overall presentation lack body and density. For piano music, they can fail to convey the "woodiness" or resonant character of the instrument. I can see how people would enjoy this "studio clarity" sound, but it's not my thing.

Thanks for this. This is exactly what I felt the GAC-4/1 was missing. Even though Belden 1192A is more cumbersome to work with (due to the braided shield), I chose it over the Gotham precisely because I felt it offered improvements in these areas (even though the treble isn't quite as pretty). Good to read independent impressions to confirm I'm not 100% insane ;-)