DIY Interconnects

polkatese
polkatese Posts: 6,767
edited March 2003 in Basic Hookup/Wiring Questions
Guys,
I found a link to DIY Interconnects, I thought it's interesting and if anyone interested in trying this. I haven't try this, but looks pretty good. Have fun!

DIY Interconnects
I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
Post edited by polkatese on
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  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited March 2003
    Interesting...

    I've been thinking about making some interconnects. Has anyone created their own?

    I was thinking of making some interconnects with Kimber Speaker wire at $4/foot and seeing what happens. Any ideas?

    Derick.
    SDA-2a, Anthem Pre-2L, Anthem Amp 1, MF A324 DAC, Rotel RCD1070

    Senn HD650 Cardas, Mapletree Audio Ear+ HD2, Kimber KS1030, Bel Canto DAC2, M-Audio Transit, Laptop.
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited March 2003
    Derick,
    That should be a good project, at $4/foot, I am sure it will sound great!
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited March 2003
    What about the ends? Should I go out a buy some too? I have some ends that aren't too expensive but I wonder if the ends make a huge difference.

    Derick.
    SDA-2a, Anthem Pre-2L, Anthem Amp 1, MF A324 DAC, Rotel RCD1070

    Senn HD650 Cardas, Mapletree Audio Ear+ HD2, Kimber KS1030, Bel Canto DAC2, M-Audio Transit, Laptop.
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited March 2003
    http://www.venhaus1.com/diysilverinterconnects.html

    http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/diyce.html
    http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/diyce2.html
    http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/piano6_1_e.html

    Here's a few more ideas. I haven't tried any yet but maybe someday.
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited March 2003
    Has anyone ever heard or tried this?

    Silver Signal Tape

    Seems pretty interesting.

    Derick.
    SDA-2a, Anthem Pre-2L, Anthem Amp 1, MF A324 DAC, Rotel RCD1070

    Senn HD650 Cardas, Mapletree Audio Ear+ HD2, Kimber KS1030, Bel Canto DAC2, M-Audio Transit, Laptop.
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  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited March 2003
    BTW, I made some interconnects with the Kimber Speaker wire. At first they sounded harsh, I figured I burn them in and see what happens. I've given them a couple days of play and they're warming up. I also have a set of Audioquest Diamondbacks on loan for testing and my DIY Kimbers are coming really close to matching up not bad for a 1/4 of the price.

    I think my next project will be the Silver Signal Tape.

    Derick.
    SDA-2a, Anthem Pre-2L, Anthem Amp 1, MF A324 DAC, Rotel RCD1070

    Senn HD650 Cardas, Mapletree Audio Ear+ HD2, Kimber KS1030, Bel Canto DAC2, M-Audio Transit, Laptop.
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited March 2003
    Derick,
    that's great...so your Kimber I/C hold its own against AQ Diamondbacks, what did you notice the most? low, mid, high? thanks,
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited March 2003
    They don't image as well as the Diamondbacks. The High's on the DIY are a little clearer but not much, Bass is deep but the DIY lack a little in the mid to low range. I'm still shopping for some interconnects so these will serve me ok while I find the right ones.

    I'm curious about Silver Signal Tape, might give that a try soon. Even experiment with the Kimber some more.

    Derick.
    SDA-2a, Anthem Pre-2L, Anthem Amp 1, MF A324 DAC, Rotel RCD1070

    Senn HD650 Cardas, Mapletree Audio Ear+ HD2, Kimber KS1030, Bel Canto DAC2, M-Audio Transit, Laptop.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited March 2003
    Hey you guys, let me know who's making what, I'll take a pair sight-un-heard to support the cause.

    Cheers,
    Rooster
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited March 2003
    I am still studying, reading, learning what those guys on hirez were doing around diy, specifically the one based on belden 89259 and canare. Here is the link to the legendary Risch:

    http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/index2.htm
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,200
    edited March 2003
    intresting,
    The mention of Kimber puts a smile on my face.
    dcarlson,
    what KimberKables do you own?what wire was it?Reason I'm asking is that I'm digging into Kimber deeply.I 'm weighing out ALL my wire options before I make the kill.
    Kimber is high on my list.If you could give a small review on what you think abou Kimber,I would be into it
    Dan
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited March 2003
    Derick: Great link. I've gotta try those. I've heard of people using them, but never saw the actual construction. After seeing the CopperCats I was thinking of using Cat5e strands and still may, but this will be first.

    RuSs: You're gonna be getting some unterminated Cat5e speaker wire (ala TNT TTT) relatively soon. I'm about 2/3rd the way done with the first (my) pair.
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited March 2003
    Great! (It's about effin time). I'll return the favor with some homegrown cables from this end. Gotta see em' to believe em, I'll leave it at that.

    Ps, the isolators are working GREAT. I've got em under EVERYTHING.

    Cheers,
    Rooster
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited March 2003
    I snagged a pair of RS 40-1197s too, but I'll be damned if you can have both. Consider one to be included.
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited March 2003
    Keep em, if I can't have a pair, one does me NO good. Besides, I'm a virtual FR driver distribution center here, plenty of drivers, not enough monkey coffins.....

    Cheers,
    Rooster
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited March 2003
    Then gimme some Lowthers and we can be done.
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited March 2003
    Dan,

    So far, all I have is Kimber 4vs speaker wire. That's what I used to create the interconnects. $24Can for 6'. I'm going to try unbraiding them and using single strands to see if it images better.

    I didn't get the Hero yet. I'm waiting for PBJ interconnects that are on order from my local store. Once they're in, I'm gonna compare them to the Hero.

    Personally, the Kimber Hero has been the best interconnects I've tried, pricy though. Although I've only tested Kimber, Chord and Audioquest. The PBJs should come in the next couple of days.

    Derick.
    SDA-2a, Anthem Pre-2L, Anthem Amp 1, MF A324 DAC, Rotel RCD1070

    Senn HD650 Cardas, Mapletree Audio Ear+ HD2, Kimber KS1030, Bel Canto DAC2, M-Audio Transit, Laptop.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited March 2003
    Interesting stuff... some options to the SignalCable interconnect plunge I'm posed to take.

    Russ, you're a SignalCable user, right?

    Anywho, filled my Fav's Audio References folder with a few tasty new links here. Thanks all...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited March 2003
    You need to hear em' to believe em'.

    Analog Two is AMAZING. Analog one is impressive also. Ask Ron about the money back guarantee, they didn't blow his skirt up, full refund.

    All I can say, is TRY them. I've had more people absolutely THRILLED with them, then not.

    Cheers,
    Rooster
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited March 2003
    Russ, you're a SignalCable user, right?
    Analog Two is AMAZING. Analog one is impressive also. Ask Ron about the money back guarantee, they didn't blow his skirt up, full refund.

    Hold on a second, stop the bus... Russ, what you are you using for interconnects?
    All I can say, is TRY them. I've had more people absolutely THRILLED with them, then not.

    These types of comments peak my curiosity.

    Derick.
    SDA-2a, Anthem Pre-2L, Anthem Amp 1, MF A324 DAC, Rotel RCD1070

    Senn HD650 Cardas, Mapletree Audio Ear+ HD2, Kimber KS1030, Bel Canto DAC2, M-Audio Transit, Laptop.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited March 2003
    What bus?

    I have Signal Cable Analog 1 & 2, a small selection of Audioquest, Tributaries, and Straight Wire as far as interconns go.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,200
    edited March 2003
    Originally posted by RuSsMaN
    What bus?

    I have Signal Cable Analog 1 & 2, a small selection of Audioquest, Tributaries, and Straight Wire as far as interconns go.

    Cheers,
    Russ

    the bus you rolled in here on man:lol:

    you got my mans attention.Pull over to the side and chat for awhile.Give a brother some love.........;)
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited March 2003
    Well, since last posting I've done 2 styles of DIY interconnects and am working on a 3rd. I haven't actually listened to them yet, but my expectations are pretty high. I hope to do a shoot-out soon using my CDR/RW deck as it has 2 sets of outs. Great for A/B'ing.
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited March 2003
    Cool, are you trying the DIY Silvers from the link you posted? Are you adding the Silver Signal Tape link I added? What's the 3rd DIY?

    I'm interested in hearing how they work out.

    Derick.
    SDA-2a, Anthem Pre-2L, Anthem Amp 1, MF A324 DAC, Rotel RCD1070

    Senn HD650 Cardas, Mapletree Audio Ear+ HD2, Kimber KS1030, Bel Canto DAC2, M-Audio Transit, Laptop.
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited March 2003
    Tonight I did a quick demo between 2 DIY interconnects. The 3rd didn't pan out. I couldn't remove the center conductor from some extra coax' I had laying around. I did the "Silver tape" version that Derick posted, but I did the first version using the copper magnet wire. I also did my own idea using a twisted pair of copper cables extracted from CAT5e cable. The CAT5e version has separate left and right wires. I had some of this wire and figured WTF. I was going to braid 3 stands (ala CopperCats), but this was easier and much faster.

    I used my Phillips CDR/RW with one drawer/output on one set and the other drawer/output on the other set. My wife didn't know which drawer had which wire. We listened to segments of: Pink Floyd-Welcome to the Machine, Jars of Clay-Flood, & Rossini-Willaim Tell Overture (Telarc label).

    In all aspects, the CAT5e won every time. I had pre-conceived notions going in while the wife had none. For all she knew I copied both or imagined both designs. But we agreed that there was a big difference. The magnet tape had a much more compressed sound. No life to it. Neither one was bright or had muddy bass, but the CAT5e had much more detail and seemed louder.

    They also compared favorably against my Sony CD player with Monster (?-cheapest). Maybe I'll compare these 2 next.

    I'm looking forward to giving each set a good burn-in and possibly redoing the magnet tapes as I wasn't able to get each wire parallel using his method. Maybe this was it. I'm also going to double check the manuals for my CDR/RW and receiver to see if there may have been unequal input/output impedences but I doubt it. I also used different connectors on each. One is Gold/crimp, while the other is standard/solder. Both were very cheap RS.

    Silver:
    If the magnet tapes burn-in nicely I may do a silver version as I've found an on-line supplier that I can it at <$1.00/ft. If not I may still do some silver ICs, but on different designs like the VanHaus or others. Maybe even come up with my own.

    I just got done comparing a pair of CAT5e braided speaker wires (ala TNT TTT) to a pair of 13 AWG silver coated/teflon wrapped/quad-helix design. While I like the mids and highs of the silver, the bass dropped off quite a bit. It's very tight, but not as rich and full, and seems to drop off compared to good copper.

    I may try bi-wiring with the silver on top nad copper on bottom, but my silver coateds are 8ft and my copper is 9ft. Time smear issue.

    When and if I ever get an outboard crossover, I'll probaly use silver ICs for the high and copper for the lows.
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited March 2003
    Come on guys, I'm shallow! At least I did it!
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • dcarlson
    dcarlson Posts: 1,740
    edited March 2003
    Right on,

    I've put the DIY interconnects on hold for a little bit. I'm interested to hear how they sound after burn in though.

    You'll have to keep us up to date on that.

    Derick.
    SDA-2a, Anthem Pre-2L, Anthem Amp 1, MF A324 DAC, Rotel RCD1070

    Senn HD650 Cardas, Mapletree Audio Ear+ HD2, Kimber KS1030, Bel Canto DAC2, M-Audio Transit, Laptop.
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