DIY Cable project

Whadyasay
Whadyasay Posts: 300
edited March 2005 in Basic Hookup/Wiring Questions
Hey All,

I decided to build some speaker cables to bi-wire my LSi9s and LSiC. I was using some 4-conductor 12GA Carol power/stage cable, which worked pretty well, but wanted to start from scratch with some better wire. Figured it would be fun.

I started out with Liberty Cable UltraCap THX in-wall...4-cond. 12GA/ea. The wires have a high strand count (much higher than the Carol) and the conductors are twisted more tightly and at a higer rate. Bought about 30 feet. Used TechFlex 3/8" covering in Carbon color, to give the overall cable a sort of metallic braid look.

In terms of sound, the bass was about the same as the older cables, but the highs are definitely cleaner and more extended, noticed particularly on the Norah Jones SACD, as well as a lot of jazz horns on both SACD and CD...probably nothing to do with the construction but rather the wire itself. Overall, a fun project that didn't take very long, and cost a total of about $80.00 in materials/wire.
Polk LSi9 Mains, Polk LSIC Center, Polk RT25i Surrounds, Polk M3II Rear Surround, SVS PB10-ISD Sub, Denon AVR 2809 (as digital pre/pro only), Sony BDP-S350, Oppo DV-981HD, Cambridge Audio Azur 540C (CD), Marantz MM9000 5-ch amp, Outlaw ICBM, Panasonic th-42PX85u HDTV, Behringer BFD Pro, Monster Power HTS 2600 Conditioner
Post edited by Whadyasay on
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  • Whadyasay
    Whadyasay Posts: 300
    edited March 2005
    Here are closeups of the two ends:
    Polk LSi9 Mains, Polk LSIC Center, Polk RT25i Surrounds, Polk M3II Rear Surround, SVS PB10-ISD Sub, Denon AVR 2809 (as digital pre/pro only), Sony BDP-S350, Oppo DV-981HD, Cambridge Audio Azur 540C (CD), Marantz MM9000 5-ch amp, Outlaw ICBM, Panasonic th-42PX85u HDTV, Behringer BFD Pro, Monster Power HTS 2600 Conditioner
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited March 2005
    Nice work ;)

    Speakers
    Carver Amazing Fronts
    CS400i Center
    RT800i's Rears
    Sub Paradigm Servo 15

    Electronics
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
    Parasound Halo A23
    Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
    Pioneer 79Avi DVD
    Sony CX400 CD changer
    Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
    WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR


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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited March 2005
    Agreed. Very nice work and a professional touch on top of that.

    DIY can be very rewarding and practical.

    Paul
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  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited March 2005
    Very Cool and I would not worry too much about strand interaction:D

    1/4twin
    ***WAREMTAE***
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited March 2005
    what type of ends did you use ?
    are they twist , crimp ,or solder type?

    I was looking at some type 2 AQ wire in bulk..
    is this stuff any good ?

    any thoughts on any AQ bulk wire ?

    AA always has some kind of deal going, and with all the DYI`ers around here , I thought it looked like fun to try....
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited March 2005
    Cool.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • Whadyasay
    Whadyasay Posts: 300
    edited March 2005
    The amp end banannas are M*n$t#r twist-on's that I've had for years. The speaker ends are twist/crimp types that I bought in a package of 28 from some guy on ebay. I haven't tried AQ wire.
    Polk LSi9 Mains, Polk LSIC Center, Polk RT25i Surrounds, Polk M3II Rear Surround, SVS PB10-ISD Sub, Denon AVR 2809 (as digital pre/pro only), Sony BDP-S350, Oppo DV-981HD, Cambridge Audio Azur 540C (CD), Marantz MM9000 5-ch amp, Outlaw ICBM, Panasonic th-42PX85u HDTV, Behringer BFD Pro, Monster Power HTS 2600 Conditioner
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited March 2005
    thanks ...

    I have only used twist ons...

    wasn`t sure about crimp type as I `m not sure how good of a connection it will make....

    I was going to try silver solder on my next speaker testing pair
    that I make...

    still looking for some decent bulk wire to try...
    probably use them in the garage or office rig
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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