Home made interconnect

[timbloke]

Made two pairs of RG-6 75ohm cables and one pair of phono leads from HSS-M2 this weekend. I used Canare L-5CFB (RG-6) for the line level- sounds great so far even though I suppose they're still burning in. Haven't had a change to test the phono leads as my tonearm is currently in pieces pending repairs.

My Van Den Huls are going on ebay

[LPfan]

Note that the screen should be connected on the source side for best noise rejection: this is the one case in which an interconnect has a preferred direction.

So the screen should be connected at the the tt or CD player end? Just want to reconfirm before I try this.

Regards,

LPfan

[cafe latte]

AFAIK there is only one RG6 standard, and it has a solid core (RG6 is not a model, it is a standard that can be made by many manufacturers as long as they strictly follow its rules). Not that it makes any real difference: the stranded core is supposed to make the cable a little less stiff, but since RG6 is foil-screened it will be very stiff anyway. Also, make sure that your connectors can accomodate the 6.7 mm outer diameter before you buy RG6: it is really wide compared to ordinary audio cables.

Would RG6 75 ohm cable work well for connecting a tape deck (in & out) to a preamp?

No problem for any unbalanced audio use, as long as its stiffness does not bother you.

I'm wondering whether to stick decent plugs on them or chuck the whole lot and start again.

Both solutions work well, so make your own choice

For phono level I would not use Gotham or Canare due to their high capacitance (real pity, they are great under all other respects), and Belden doesn't make any unbalanced cable. If you can have access to Canford, their HSS-M2 type seems to be just what you want, and inexpensive too. The shielding is good (single helix, which is better than braid) and the capacitance is low, 58 pF/m. But IIRC they have a minimum order. OTOH it is a good all-around cable made by a reputable company, so you might consider ordering a reel and making all your cables with it, if you need that much length.

I have not been able to find any data re. Soundlink cables, so I can't really comment. I can only say as a general comment that the mention of "directional" on a cable is a priori a bad sign, as it has no rational justification and is usually associated to unreasonable cost, more a marketing tool aimed at the audiophile market where "rational" and "reasonable price" are dirty words Again, this is just a general comment, not aimed at Soundlink since I don't know them at all. OTOH the arrow is sometimes just intended as a reminder of the direction of the signal, which is not a bad idea. CL, do you have a link to Soundlink, or a data sheet? I'm curious about these cables.

Hmm curious as the only links I can find are from sellers . Here is one such link: http://www.wagner.net.au/catalogue/13_Cable.pdf
Mine seems to similar, but pink and 8mm, but the discription otherwise seems to match and it is very low capacitance, and it is cheap to me at least as a friend sells it. . Next time I am in Cairns I must ask him if he has any info on it as you have me curious now.
Regards
CL

[timbloke]

Regarding the directional, ground at one end cables- I noticed on the blurb for my Van Den Hul D102 interconnects 'they feel that' the end marked with a paper sticker saying 'ground' is best at the source end but it's not essential and the listener should 'experiment'. That's longwinded waffle for 'it doesn't make any difference'.

[cafe latte]

Regarding the directional, ground at one end cables- I noticed on the blurb for my Van Den Hul D102 interconnects 'they feel that' the end marked with a paper sticker saying 'ground' is best at the source end but it's not essential and the listener should 'experiment'. That's longwinded waffle for 'it doesn't make any difference'.

If it did make a difference I would be worried
Regards
CL

[youngdand]

I Remember being at college studying sound engineering, and my tutors at the time were the cheif engineer for the BBC, an engineer at abbey road, and some guy whos name escapes me that used to write for sound on sound in the late 90's, and we had this debate (albeit regarding speaker cables) at least once a term, and the over riding outcome everytime is that mains flex was more than adequate for most audio use, and was a tenth of the price of supposedly pro stuff canford audio was trying to peddle. This may have changed slightly in this time with all the wireless comms that are used nowadays, but good shielding, or using balanced cables should be enough.

Having said that I have about 800 meters of military /aerospace spec silver plate over silver alloy 30awg polyester coated cable that i will be advertising soon. the insulation is thin, but the cable is too rigid for tonearems, but fine for point to point wiring as is wrappable, and also good for litz brading for cables.

[timbloke]

the over riding outcome everytime is that mains flex was more than adequate for most audio use

I remember hearing that solid core mains flex made for great speaker cable. Might give it try someday.

[hoolio]

For your interest this is from the Pro Audio quarter:

http://www.rane.com/note110.html

[jlbruyelle]

Regarding the directional, ground at one end cables- I noticed on the blurb for my Van Den Hul D102 interconnects 'they feel that' the end marked with a paper sticker saying 'ground' is best at the source end but it's not essential and the listener should 'experiment'. That's longwinded waffle for 'it doesn't make any difference'.

If it did make a difference I would be worried
Regards
CL

Actually it can make a difference, or not, depending on how the whole system is grounded. It is usually hard to tell in advance, and in any case it is safe to experiment, so the advice on the sticker makes perfect sense. It is my own experience that the hum difference between configurations can vary all the way from zero to drastic, according to the setup. This is also a reason why the pros use balanced interconnects, even for short runs: it virtually eliminates the risk of humming in the first place, without the need to experiment.

[satanfriendly]

On the matter of DIY interconnectes there used to be a chap here on VE (TNTTNT) who made his own and after trialling a set I changed all of mine for his DIY jobs. Cost buttons and superbly put together with Neutrik phono plugs.

Quiet, neutral and just super performers. No bull, just good common sense.

Pity he's gone AWOL as I could certinly do with some more at the moment. Mind you I've been buying Atlas Equator's at silly low prices so I'm happy, but otherwise come back Ray the cable world needs you.

[youngdand]

believe he set his own site for cable making

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/diycables.html

[timbloke]

Mind you I've been buying Atlas Equator's at silly low prices so I'm happy

So you've made your own cables, thought they were great but then went back to shop bought ones at £35 a pair. Interesting.

[satanfriendly]

£15 a pair actually. I never said I paid £35 only 'a silly price' which £15 is.

The DIY cables as I said were curtesy of a past VE member and I needed two more pairs recently, although I must try the DIY approach when time allows. Too busy getting a Logic set-up and running, rebuilding a Lenco for someone and being back home with the family after 6 weeks away at sea.

[youngdand]

Braiding sure does take some patience.

I have made a braided mains flex for my ariston RD11s using the silver cable i have put up in the for sale section. bu i didn't make it as an upgrade, just needed a longer flex. I use a bt mains conditioner for running the trurntable and preamp, so i doubt very much any cable after that is going to make much of a difference.

these conditioners are a bargin for anyone interested, they turn up on ebay for about £30 and they kick out a rock solid 240v AC. they are used to prevent mains spikes on isdn equipment.

I made a set of the CAT5 speaker cables on TNT's site, and they were pretty good to be honest.