1.618wr speaker cables DIY

sk88

I recently spent two weekends and made a pair of this speaker cable.
http://diyaudioprojects.com/Power/Low-Inductance-DIY-Speaker-Cables/
This low-inductance cable, according to the website, has RLC numbers comparable to some expensive ones such as Kimber Kable.

The instructions are pretty easy to follow. However, IT IS a hard work. I can't figure out how using a electric drill can help with the process, so I finished it all by hand. If there is a second person to help, it can reduce the effort and time by two thirds (so first try selling the idea to a second person is a good strategy ).

You want to know how does it sound? I can say I can't hear a difference with my gears to my ears between my original Belden 5T00UP and this new cable. I must say it may sound different to your environment but I don't really know.

One thing I read about cables is that the mechanical contact may be more important than the cable itself. So, I chose to use this following banana plugs and I used all three possible ways to secure the physical contacts:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=091-354
1. compress (screw)
2. crimp
3. solder
and I used 3 layers of shrink wrap to protect the joints.

I chose black and brown colors to match my speakers. Four 100ft spool of wires can make roughly a 22ft pair, but it depends on how tight you twist the wires and how much you will waste if you can't twist the two wires evenly.

I have 2 black 100ft and 2 brown 100ft spools that I over bought unused and will sell for $10 each plus actual shipping cost. If interested please PM.

EndersShadow

The drill is to help you wind the cables together. You secure the ends in the drill and then turn it on and it twists the cables for you. Would have saved you a ton of time and effort in making the twists tight.

sk88

I thought so too and I tried the drill but all it did was to twist the near end not the far end. To reach the far end I had to pull the wires very tight and as a result would give the cable too much twist than I wanted. I think it may work for wires less than 10ft long but since I wasn't very sure about how long I am going to get, and how much I am going to waste, I started with 100ft the full length without cutting it shorter which made it much harder.

edit:
I am thinking now that it may work better if I don't hold the drill but hold the two loose wires instead so that I can control how the twist goes. But this would need a 2nd person to hold the drill. The wire works in a way that it "remembers" the shape once it's twisted, so you'd have to straighten it out somewhat if you over twisted it.
A link to the wire I used (same as in the instructions):
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=100-072&AID=1457483&PID=2558074

Systems

sk88 wrote: »

I thought so too and I tried the drill but all it did was to twist the near end not the far end. To reach the far end I had to pull the wires very tight and as a result would give the cable too much twist than I wanted. I think it may work for wires less than 10ft long but since I wasn't very sure about how long I am going to get, and how much I am going to waste, I started with 100ft the full length without cutting it shorter which made it much harder.

edit:
I am thinking now that it may work better if I don't hold the drill but hold the two loose wires instead so that I can control how the twist goes. But this would need a 2nd person to hold the drill. The wire works in a way that it "remembers" the shape once it's twisted, so you'd have to straighten it out somewhat if you over twisted it.
A link to the wire I used (same as in the instructions):
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=100-072&AID=1457483&PID=2558074

Yep, you have to clamp 1 end in a clamp or similar.
Then use the drill on the other side.

Looks like you did a good job none the less.:cheesygrin:
Very nice!

Dabutcher

Thanks for looking out. I am going to try this myself. I always admire your projects. This is one at my skill level.. Thanks. Darryl

Systems

Dabutcher wrote: »

Thanks for looking out. I am going to try this myself. I always admire your projects. This is one at my skill level.. Thanks. Darryl

Are you withholding some other projects you have done sk88?:redface:

Lets see em!:cheesygrin:

sk88

pepster wrote: »

Are you withholding some other projects you have done sk88?:redface:

Lets see em!:cheesygrin:

dabutcher & pepster, I am flatter by your comments. I am just a DIY newbie. I did finally completed the XO upgrade on my Lsi 9 which started more than 3 months ago. All compliments goes to Vr3, I only did the physical work. The result is very positive as we have heard from many others.

zingo

Nice looking cables, and those banana plugs work great. Have fun!

pitdogg2

Nice job

I would of not soldered just the compression screw and the crimp(which is overkill). I use those bananas and once i have tightened both screws as tight as i could they have NEVER given me any problems.

once again nice job.