DIY Speaker Cable
kevhed72
Posts: 5,059
Well, I officially have been in this hobby too long 
if I am considering making my own speaker cables for HT.
I thought of going the Signal Cable route, but I am too cheap and that would be no fun.
So, question is, where do you all buy your PVC sleeve and heat-shrink tubing? And, what "shrink-to" size of heat-shrink tubing have you found to work the best? ie 'shrinks to 1/3 of size', or 'shrinks to 1/2 of size', etc. the options are many....
if I am considering making my own speaker cables for HT.I thought of going the Signal Cable route, but I am too cheap and that would be no fun.
So, question is, where do you all buy your PVC sleeve and heat-shrink tubing? And, what "shrink-to" size of heat-shrink tubing have you found to work the best? ie 'shrinks to 1/3 of size', or 'shrinks to 1/2 of size', etc. the options are many....
Post edited by kevhed72 on
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I use TechFlex available from WireCare. Personally I like the 3:1 ratio heatshrink.If you can't hear a difference, don't waste your money.
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Ditto on the 3:1. Just snugs up better IMHO.
I get my TechFlex from Parts Express and eBay."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
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I have some very good cheap sources for the "pretty" stuff if you want to pm me, I will hook ya up.
Now to the main ingredients: What ya using for speaker wire/connectors?Testing
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I am all about the "adhesive lined heatshrink" but will warn you, it is ALOT harder to work with, until you have used it a few times.
It is 3:1 also, but will last a lifetime.
I have had regular HS "wrinkle" and "roll" after it has shrunk (over time and after usage).
Not to mention when the Techflex "stretches" over time.
Adhesive won't do that and will not allow the "stretch" if that is of interest to you.
You "Have To" have a heat gun for adhesive lined though.Testing
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good to know stuff, thanks guys.Main Family Room: Sony 46 LCD, Sony Blue Ray, Sony DVD/VCR combo,Onkyo TXNR 708, Parasound 5250,
Polk SDS-SRS with mods, CSI 5 center + Klipsch SC2, Polk RT2000P rears, Klipsch KG 1.5's sides, Polk Micro Pro 1000, Polk Micro Pro 2000, Polk SW505, Belkin PF60, Signal Cable Classics,Monster IC's, 2 15 amp circuits & 1 20 amp circuit.
Living Room: Belkin PF60, Parasound HCA2200, MIT ProlineEXP balanced IC's,Emotiva XDA-1 DAC/Pre,Emotiva ERC2 transport,MIT AVT2, Polk LSI 9's. -
Example A (these are my own personal cables).
See how short the Heat Shrink is behind the rca plug?
You would NEVER get away with that with normal heatshink.
Just make sure to clean the speaker cable good with denatured alcohol, then the adhesive will stick.
Prolly hand those speaker cables down to your grandkids!:biggrin:
Using "Adhesive Lined" not a problem.:cheesygrin:
Attachment not found.Testing
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Pepster, they look great.
I use a hot air gun (Harbor Freight). -
My initial thought was use Star Quad - 14 or 16 awg - and my fronts would be single-wired (I only use sub) and center would be bi-wired. The spades and bananas (non-locking) on Blue Jeans site look pretty decent. The idea would be to tech-flex the main run of each cable, shrink-tube each end, and then run another length of shrink tub over each positive and negative wire and termination. I got the idea from Signal cable's pics online - Frank does a pretty awesome job from what it looks like.
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This page has a size chart for various components (heatshrink, sleeving, cable pants) depending on your cable gauge.
http://www.diyspeakercables.org/#!diy-speaker-cable-walkthrough/vstc3=page-2/vstc2=step-by-step-walkthrough
