DIY cable recomendation

[abril]

Perhaps a sticky thread with a tutorial would come in useful.

There's one or two useful tutorials on Youtube.

Don't use plumbers flux,use old style Pb/Sn solder which has flux in it,avoid Lead free solder it an utter pain in the b--t to use and use a soldering iron that is powerful enough - for plugs I use a bog standard cheapo 30W iron and get perfectly good results - oh and keep the tip clean.

[Dimal]

Hi Guys...

I wouldn't use Plumber's Soldering Flux on anything electrical. It usually contains acidic compounds that will ultimately result in corrosion problems, where ever it is used.

You should either use specific "Resin" based flux for electrical/electronic work or simply use Resin-Cored Solder that is specifically designed for this. Nothing worse than building in future corrosion problems....

Mal.

LOL.... What "abril" said above. Didn't see this post 'over the page'.....

[colver]

Here's what it should look like.

[Dunbar]

After scouring the net i couldnt find anything at realistic prices, infact many mainstream cables such as Chord, QED etc dont give the cap information.
So after checking out some off the reel unterminated cables i eventually came across Van Damme pro grade classic XKE instrument cable with pure silver plated core and rated capacitance of 110pF. This stuff costs a pathetic £1.35 a metre. Four metres were ordered along with 4 Neutrik plugs at £1.25 each. A spool of 4% silver solder at 99p and a huge bag of mixed quarter metre heat shrink at £3.00. You can easily make up a pair of 1m cables for well under 10 quid and 45 minutes work!
The sound? Well i cant believe it! Unbelievable. Seriously its like firing up a different system, these cables just seem to let every ounce of sound through. They dramatically improved after about 20 hours run in time, (many folk say that burn in is a myth, trust me it aint!) Crap recordings wont miraculously become good ones but the cables will help to extract the best that the bad discs can offer. For all it cost you just have to try them.
If you need anymore information dont hesitate to ask. Colin.

Well done! A very nice approach and good suggestion for those who intend to buy the same exactly cable finished by some company and sold for £100+ with a different name. Why not ask the cable sellers who use bulk cables and re-brand them, which is the actual cable used? and see if it does worth the buy. It's all a big secret well hidden under words like "special", "hi-end" or "pure silver-copper cocktail" (often used to describe the silver plated wires of a decent performing and low cost Van Damme cable).

Also one can check the Canare mic cables (specs available at their website). They are my favourity low cost cables for turntable to amp connection.

[watercourse]

Hi Guys...

I wouldn't use Plumber's Soldering Flux on anything electrical. It usually contains acidic compounds that will ultimately result in corrosion problems, where ever it is used.

You should either use specific "Resin" based flux for electrical/electronic work or simply use Resin-Cored Solder that is specifically designed for this. Nothing worse than building in future corrosion problems....

Mal.

LOL.... What "abril" said above. Didn't see this post 'over the page'.....

Agree 100% DO NOT use plumbing flux - it's not made for electrical work. Rosin core solder or electrical flux is what you want.

[bpbutler]

Rosin flux is acidic as well (just not so much as plumbing flux). Flux is acidic by design, as that's how it works. So you should always clean off the excess flux with a brush and alcohol when finished.

[Dimal]

Yes, true....

But resin based fluxes function quite differently than those based on highly reactive acids such as Hydrochloric Acid, as used in plumbers' flux compounds. Clearing resin flux from electrical connections has more to do with subsequent connection quality than ongoing corrosion issues since when cooled, resin has insulating properties.

An excerpt from a Wikipedia entry...

Rosin has good flux properties; it is a mixture of organic acids (resin acids, predominantly abietic acid, with pimaric acid, isopimaric acid, neoabietic acid, dihydroabietic acid, and dehydroabietic acid) which is a glassy solid, virtually nonreactive and noncorrosive at normal temperature but liquid, ionic and mildly reactive to metal oxides at molten state. Rosin tends to soften between 60-70 °C and is fully fluid at around 120 °C; molten rosin is weakly acidic and is able to dissolve thinner layers of surface oxides from copper without further additives. For heavier surface contamination or improved process speed, additional activators can be added.

Mal.

[Budd]

Nice thread guys!

I remember paying a visit to a chap (can't mention a name)to have my phono-stage tweaked.

He is very well know and respected in the industry.

He said it was appalling the exploitation of relatively cheap cable.He then showed me a silver cable "un-branded" from his suppliers that cost £25 which was being sold for several hundred pounds "branded"..

[awkwardbydesign]

Nice thread guys!

I remember paying a visit to a chap (can't mention a name)to have my phono-stage tweaked.

He is very well know and respected in the industry.

He said it was appalling the exploitation of relatively cheap cable.He then showed me a silver cable "un-branded" from his suppliers that cost £25 which was being sold for several hundred pounds "branded"..

I wonder if it is any good. Good and overpriced is one thing, but rubbish and overpriced........

[vincitsemper]

Hello,

Threads like this save some of us from spending silly money on cables we don't really understand.

Manufacturers claims are usually backed by technical data that never fails to confuse me, I usually give up half way through.

I still think a sticky thread with instructions on soldering, and perhaps a few suggestions on cable choices,would be of great.

Regards,

Victor.

[abril]

Manufacturers claims are usually backed by technical data that never fails to confuse me, I usually give up half way through.

That's because that's what they're meant to do

[colver]

The whole thing started off when i fitted a pair of of phono sockets to my Thorens 125. The thing sounded very dull and lifeless due to the cables i used being high capacitance, i didnt work it out myself, somebody on this forum suggested using lower capacitance cables. I changed them and it transformed my Thorens straight away.
When i recently purchased a Musical Fidelity phono amp for my Rega i also had to get my hands on a cable to link it to the amp. The Rega uses Klotz cable with Neutrik plugs but a matching cable is £100, no thank you! Thats why i chose the Van Damme cable, its very similar to the Klotz but at a fraction of the price. I could have bought an entry level QED or Chord 25 to 30 quid but i recon that would cause the same problems that i experienced with the Thorens. As long as its below 110 capacitance then it should be fine, but still you dont want to be spending 200 quid when you can make your own for less than a tenner!

[Dunbar]

The Rega uses Klotz cable with Neutrik plugs but a matching cable is £100, no thank you! Thats why i chose the Van Damme cable, its very similar to the Klotz but at a fraction of the price.

The Van Damme is a good choice anyway. But if you wanted to stick to Klotz it wouldn't have to cost you £100. You just need to buy the Klotz cable and plugs separately and do a bit of soldering.
i.e.
http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=31509

[mark thomas]

Gents,
I read with great interest in all your posts relating to interconnects and will be making some 1m leads based on your recommendations. Many thnks for sharing this knowledge which gives me the confidence to make my own.
One thing I'm not sure about is whether these would be suitble for use in connecting a tonearm (SME series II Imp) back to my amp ?
I would include earthing cables and have noted some useful suggestions as to best ways of effecting earths.
Has anyone gone to the trouble of encasing the interconnects & earth wires in any type of outer sheath (as some proprietary makers do) ? And if so, is this similarly available from suppliers ?
Hope you don't mind all the questions.