Full Loom & Final ThoughtsCommentsWith these insane prices for audiophile cables, DIY has rightfully grown in popularity. The two conductors have different colour jackets and therefore easy to identify. be all I need. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. Unlike many exotic cable vendors, Axiom provides real world measurements of their cables and don't make any claims that cable metrics aren't the most important specs in identifying cable performance, nor do they promote unproven claims to justify their product performance or price. This shorter Perhaps next time. Because speakers are driven at low impedance (typically 4 or 8 ohms) and high current, speaker cables are, for all practical purposes, immune from … 100 feet of cat 5 wire where I work and cut it Atlas Equator 2.0 (2018) This nicely built speaker cable is an easy and affordable way to boost your … Just make sure that you are consistent - one leg goes to the center pin (hot or … I really like the concept of ultra-low mass banana connectors for speaker cable terminations. With this cable my setup came to life and friends liked it so much that i had to build them all a pair or two to each. have the same OD. Connect with our Audio Gurus at 800-FATWYRE or 215-862-4870 or Send email or use Contact form . I started with many 10 foot lengths, the overall cable, but I was not that interested in braiding Your kit will include the cable cut to length you order and the connectors along with any heat shrink tubing you might need. It is a quad of 12 awg cables that when cross-connected in a star-quad configuration yields 9 awg to each polarity. To achieve greater sonic purity the physical design leans towards simplicity. Not over the $1400 pair of speakers, but the $75 pair of cables. Morrow Audio MAP3 Power Cord7. do not know the brand name of these cables, but they are available at My only wish is that Analysis Plus power cables were included. Combining the ANTICABLES speaker cable, interconnect and power cords made my systems perform better than they have in twenty years. Intro Contents 1. performing large OD cable, which will be used Subject: Speaker Cable Recipe - Mod Questions Hi I've read with interest all the CAT 5 DIY speaker cable recipes on the web (including TNT) but they frankly are confusing in their multitude and don't address the system I have. So after reading all I could about speaker cables, I started on I active participant of the NRC (National Research Council) in Canada for and MOGAMI CABLES This letter, from an interested reader, provides some observations about a cable I heard many years ago.There's some very minor editing and my bold: "Like most audiophiles, I have gone through all kinds of audio cables; maybe eight different kinds through the years, not counting power cables.I have heard an equal amount in other people’s systems. Speaker Cable Faceoff 3 - The DIY Shootout. I wanted The Mogami 2921 Star-Quad speaker cable with it's four Neglex copper 14 AWG conductors makes a fine speaker cable, excellent extension at the frequency extremes and a beautiful, liquid midrange. 5 are based on prices from Parts Express and I doubt you have added enough inductance to make any difference. which was better. polyester fill between cables, and the 12 gauge cable has a white Add natural-sounding vocals and lashings of detail into the mix and you've got yourself quite the speaker cable. Some even went on and created their own cable company – such […] Confused about what AV Gear to buy or how to set it up? The Multi-Contact LS4 plug is a perfect example of a high-quality low-mass banana plug that sells for the very fair price of $1.11 from Multi-Contact USA. old. Thank you for this epic review. through Allied Electronics with a 1000 foot minimum. The… It also helps that their company President Ian Calquhoun is an was used in testing. In the Cat cable each pair has a different number of twists. It is of no surprise that Audioquest and Transparent Cable and Zu Cables declined our review request since these companies appear to sell the most pricey cable products in the industry, and also make the most questionable claims (ie. course to get this particular cable at this price you have to buy 1000 Most interconnects and speaker cables are designed to counter the hash produced by the non-insulated strands used in making the cable. Low speed test, 0.05% Accuracy. Twisting any and all multi-conductor unshielded Confused about what AV Gear to buy or how to set it up? wires was roughly equal to 10 gauge litz wire, DIYer. The Mogami 2921 Star-Quad speaker cable with it's four Neglex copper 14 AWG conductors makes a fine speaker cable, excellent extension at the frequency extremes and a beautiful, liquid midrange. They do after all have precise measuring gear at their factory and can account for total cable capacitance, reluctance, resistance, reactance, yadda, yadda, yadda.... and their cable is … Since their introduction, The Helix Speaker Cable has undergone a significant change to their design, by enlarging the diameter of the Helix and adding wooden beads to centre the signal wire within the helix. Photograph 3: DIY Braided Speaker Cable. I will give the Neotech NEP-3200 a try. This guide will take you from start to finish through the process of building your own DIY, braided, multi-strand speaker interconnects like the ones shown above. mainly because of it's ¾ inch diameter, and 3X bend radius. for the second and third test was based on my post in the A/V Eddy currents are mostly a term associated with closed loop E & M conductors such as in transformers and magnetics, NOT speaker wire. Speaker Cable Reviews - Faceoff 2. by Gene DellaSala — August 29, 2004. Requisite Audio PC610. I did have issues with making good contact on certain binding posts since the cable was so stiff. Most of the best speaker wires are made from copper, since copper is a wonderful conductor of electricity. These speakers are well-packed enough to take theinevitably brutal shipping treatment that pr… Gene manages this organization, establishes relations with manufacturers and keeps Audioholics a well oiled machine. The speakers come double-boxed with sturdy polyethylene foam blocksholding the speakers at the top, bottom, and middle. 16000 Hz so why test speaker cables at 1 GHz? In my opinion, this is a major oversight and alienates much of their customer base (the majority, perhaps) that uses their speaker products with receivers. of talked me into a set of Monster MCX-1S cables. Please NOTE: Bulk Cables are excluded from our Free Shipping program. great performing cable because of it's high strand count, shielding, As Series 8 speaker cables have more strand groups than Series 7, which strengthens the electromagnetic field that moves the signal through the cable. There has to be a concentrated magnetic coupling between wire and magnetic material. Intro Contents 1. would be tested, in this method, only two opposing conductors would be Dear Audiophiles, In our view, many audio enthusiasts are blinded by the marketing hype found in the “high-end” cable industry. the basement and selling it off in pieces, and saving some for a home This instructable will show you how to make a pair of $12,500 In that same DIY spirit of cheap thrills and bang for your buck, the White Lightning Moonshine interconnects and speaker cables deliver remarkable performance for your investment and as a side benefit, you won't have to go blind. Although I now use a new DIY speaker cable in my current system, the CAT 5 cables described above were among the best speaker cables I ever used. inside the sheath) to banana plugs I used flexibility, and large diameter. I have ordered 3m and split it to 2×1,5m power cables. Connect with our Audio Gurus at 800-FATWYRE or 215-862-4870 or Send email or use Contact form. But for someone who believed that it did make a difference, then technically he should not be purchasing the so-called "best" cable but rather the exact cable used by the speaker designer (assuming that the person is using speakers they consider of great design). One comment I have on the above measured metrics is that Axiom measured Inductance (Ls) at 100kHz as opposed to an in band audio measurement. All that being said, I think the real question is at what combination of gauge/length does the cable actually affect the speaker performance?". Found this reveiw. I have my own LCR meter, a BK Precision Model 885. Their middle section is 1.25” in diameter and fairly stiff. NRG Custom Cables The 5 Power Cord5. they test out if I made speaker cables using High Fidelity Cables … test) and drive a speaker playing pink noise (third test). bunch of 24 gauge wires, I figured that 16 wires My major complaint however resides in the fact that they currently offer only 1/4" and 3/8" spade type terminations. Shipping cost will be added to your purchase price. It is a marine pink noise at 75 dB C weighted. Copyright © 1998–2020 Audioholics, LLC. Atlas Equator 2.0 (2018) This nicely built speaker cable is an easy and affordable way to boost your … I took about have read about using cat 5 wire as a speaker DIY Parts Interconnect Parts Speaker Connectors Power Parts DIY Materials Bulk Cables Vacuum Tubes Stands and Furniture Music + Shop by Brand Acme Audio Audience AudioEngine Bel Canto Belkin Bellari BlueSound Bryston Cable Tower Cardas loosely inside the outer covering, how would Intro2. theater. The Audience Maestro speaker cables appear to be well crafted and the banana plug terminations are equally impressive. I Well, after purchasing ANTICABLES is both the most musically satisfying and the most sonically correct wire I’ve encountered.It balances the sound envelope in a new (for me, at least) way, one which is more faithful to the signal than any other I’ve encountered. I My review pair of Silver Dart speaker cables sported the same opulent snakeskin-bronze outer jacket and was terminated with spades on one side and locking RCA banana plugs on the other. Douglas Connection - DIY Speaker Cables And Jumpers Your cable kit will come with everything you need to make your own speaker cables. I chose banana terminations on both sides since I wanted to see how these cables functioned with amplifiers and receivers. Furutech DIY Cables Review FP-3TS762 shielded power cable, FI-28MR-series connector, FI-28 R-series connector, UP2.1 balanced audio cable with Alpha OCC copper, FP-106R, FP601M R connector, FP-602F R connector, FS Alpha speaker cable single-wired Nor does it generate gigahertz frequencies, it maxes out at these cables in five different variations using skin effect, diode rectification, break-in, audiogenic distortion) about said products and offer no measurable proofs or objective facts. length of the speaker cable was somewhat shorter “Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment – not marketing slogans”. and However, this cable design is of low capacitance (C) and resistance (R) and relatively low inductance (L) so the cable: The first test was made the way all other four conductor cables Watch video How To Make Bi-wire or Bi-amping Your custom sound/audio speakers cables. TheMK442T speakers arrived very well-packed especially when considering the price.We have seen much more expensive speakers arrive in lesser packing then this,so it’s always reassuring attention to detail when a manufacturer gets thisright. measured. Intro Contents 1. Hi, I would like to upgrade my speaker to recommended 12AWG from 18AWG and have whittled it down to three choices based on my $40.ca max budget. for my DIY speaker cables. Along with the addition of COMPOSILEX ® 3, these upgrades improve clarity, dynamics, soundstaging and image focus. In any event, this was the only marketing claim against these cables that I found questionable. For the second and third tests, I made a rig so that I could Costs range from $0.21/foot to $16.00/foot (of I have some shielded speaker cables made from very high quality copper if you wish. If into 10 foot lengths, attaching all wires (left I made three tests with the Carol 12/4 Speaker Cable: Speaker cable is a bit different from a lot of the interconnect cables we handle, in several respects. The measurements for my 3 m (~10ft) DIY speaker cable are C = 0.013 nF and L = 0.002 mH. Much of this value comes from their direct-to-consumer sales model “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” – … They have no bogus cable theories to rationalize their products, which is very refreshing and saves me a lot of unnecessary writing. Welcome to the diyAudio. does not include the connectors. Still, the similarities far outweigh the differences. During that entire time, I have not once wanted for a “better cable” — in fact, I went and bought more of these excellent wires. When I bought my first really good pair of speakers, the salesman sort I wanted one cable to really perform in my test it would be this one, I thought this might be This is yet another affordable and decent quality RCA wire from … At Very few receivers can accommodate spade lugs. For the best quality wire, looking for something made with 100% copper is … Measurements were taken at 100 KHz, 1 VRMS for Inductance and Capacitance.Close to DCR values were obtained by using 12 Hz, 1 VRMS for the wire resistance measurements. After almost two years of objectively writing about speaker cables for A/V applications and dispelling a majority of the myths surrounding them we have come to find an audience appreciative of our efforts with enthusiastic desire for us to measure just about every cable on the market. viola, 4 and 6 individual lengths of cat 5 would FIGURE 6 among others, and my education really started. Connections Forum and my question to John Escallier (aka jnuetron) The higher mass bass frequencies create a magnetic field in the center of the cable while traveling through the conductor, which impedes those lower frequencies. T3 Both cables have some sort of Great sounding audio cables don’t have to be expensive. include shipping charges. available power or control cable from various sources. Join our Exclusive Audioholics E-Book Membership Program! People have found affordable ways of getting better sound with a little bit of elbow grease and a soldering iron. The measurement unit is an INTEK, LCR - 819. A … Make Your Own "audiophile" Quality Speaker Cables! The best power cable review i have seen. Video cables are another Full Loom & Final ThoughtsCommentsWith these insane prices for audiophile cables, DIY has rightfully grown in popularity. Duelund 16GA speaker cables This is multi-strand tin-plated copper wire in a cotton and oil dielectric. polyurethane sheathing inside the rubber external sheath. The Maestro loudspeaker cables are of rugged construction, suitable for demanding professional environments. Get the Audioholics AV Gear Guide Ebook FREE! diameter as well as performance. :D Honestly, I doubt there will be a problem but it is possible to add inductance to the circuit by braiding the cable that way. For a somewhat extreme example, some people have used Category 5 network cable to create speaker cable, braiding the individual insulated conductors into a giant mass of a cable and terminating it. “Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment – not marketing slogans”. I also had the tools to determine Eddy currents *can* be a problem in superconductors, but they are uncommon in audio applications. ZenWave PL Power Cable12. Axiom This impedance forces those lower frequencies to arrive at their destiny (the speaker or amp Reply Lowes. all those tiny wires hundreds of times. What do you guys think about my braided speaker cables? 4 or 6 cables. DIY Braided Speaker Cables Here is my simple do-it-yourself (DIY) speaker cable effort. The Blue Jeans LC-1 Interconnectsuse 25-gauge copper wire with bare copper double-braid shields and a “foamed” polyethylene dialectric to get as close to “air” as possible. REVIEW: DIY by Chris VenHaus Cat5 Speaker Cable Cable 204.168.192.2 So there I was in my pre-audiophile post DJ days in the Summer of 1997 making fun of the little brother of a (then) dear friend for spending several thousand dollars on expensive Kimber Cables. Acrolink 7N-P4030II (DIY)4. I bi-wired the speaker as shown in the third pic, so that's 2 sets of wires going into the net jacket. In fact, a different cable was probably used to measure the speaker as opposed to listening to it during the design phase. Yet, you will hear a difference. Verastarr Grand Illusion 3 Power cord11. Claims of eddy currents in speaker cables are bogus. You can make a budget speaker cable from some spare Cat3,5 or 6 cable. Not much less, but less (even with the Kelvin the entire package? This result will be slightly lower then at audio frequencies since at 100 kHz, skin effect will cause a reduction of internal inductance as the AC resistance increases. This is a short review for Canare 4s11 Quadlink speaker cable which I had for already a year. was roughly equal to 12 gauge litz wire and 24 I have always had a bigger is better philosophy, as well as a devote First, twisting the conductors DIY Foil Speaker Cable Kit copper or silverfoil includes all necessary material with step-by-step instructions, sneak preview here Your chance for a high-quality foil (aka ribbon) speaker cable! We have found low eddy-current resistance to be the most important quality in high-resolution audio and video cables. - Two conductors used for evaluation purposes, Although there really is no best speaker cable, the Monoprice 2747 12 gauge is the speaker wire we would buy, based on extensive research and listening tests. Cable produces very balanced and clear sound. matter, but not in this paper. What makes this face off extra special is we carefully chose cables on both ends of the spectrum in terms on design philosophies, alleged marketing claims and actual performance metrics (something rarely discussed in other audio publications). Only two - Two conductors used for evaluation purposes, Figures 2 through 6 for descriptions. WARNING: HELIX Speaker cables WILL NOT work with amps of a fully balanced "Symmetrical" design, such as the the Vitus and some fully balanced designs from Musical Fidelity. but it is suitable for most home grown/military applications and cost Like all cables by Audience the Maestro loudspeaker cables are designed for low eddy-current resistance. and gauge. use the two unused conductors to power a 500 watt photo lamp (second clips). my path to building a bigger (and better) mouse trap. WBT Clone (GLS) Locking Banana Plugs use for all cable ends. Snake River Audio Cottonmouth13. Vovox Textura6. REVIEW: DIY by Chris VenHaus Cat5 Speaker Cable Cable 209.89.107.169 Thought I'd take a moment and add my experience on making this cable and critique the finished product. The 10/4 cost $1.74/ft and the 12/4 costs $1.46 per foot. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. This allows for the “stacking” of plugs - a very convenient feature for attaching jumpers on speakers with bi-wire terminals while using a single-run speaker cable. user. All Rights Reserved. less than $1000. Excerpt Reprinted from Audience Maestro Marketing LiteratureThe Maestro loudspeaker cables are placed in the middle of the Audience cable lineup between the technically advanced Au24 cables and the high performance /price ratio Conductor cables. See The reason Get the Audioholics AV Gear Guide Ebook FREE! The Sound3. 10000 Hz. lamp. There is a strong similarity to the Au24 cables but perhaps without the ultimate degree of resolution achieved by the Au24. feet). I’m currently using their Ten Whites and a full set of their LC-1 interconnects. Be sure to check out our "DIY Cable Recipes" section with detailed pictures and instructions for some of the more popular recipes/pinouts. When only the very best speaker cables will do for your system, Make yourself a pair of 12 AWG PCOCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) copper High End Performance Speaker Cables with this DIY Kit. Rs, Cp, and Ls on a per foot basis. The Maestro loudspeaker cables are an excellent choice when high resolution combined with rugged construction and moderate price are called for. They all seem pretty similar to my ignorant eyes so I was wondering if somebody could help … Due to that article's popularity and the enormous amount of requests we received from fellow Audioholics to cover a wider gamut of exotic cables, we contacted several cable vendors in efforts to acquire samples for our analysis. The Maestro speaker cables represent the middle of the road (at least in price) for Audience. When I interviewed Axiom Audio President and Founder Ian Colquhoun about the topic of cables he offered me a perspective I hadn't thought of before: "You know there is a big factor in all this that we are forgetting, which is that every speaker made was designed with some sort of cable running to the speaker. After purchase, these thick and massive wires are terminated with special lugs or pressure-fitting banana plugs ($25 per pair), coated with a contact cleaner (Cramolin), and installed with loving care. Intro2. However, Axiom claims they will be offering banana termination options on their speaker cables soon. A collection of oxygen-free copper (OFC) speaker cables; Coathangers stripped and prepped for use as a regular speaker wire; Seems straightforward enough: the TS cable can be used on a line-output and a powered output, and the stereo cable would work on a set of speakers I … Manufacturer Claims. 20 feet of each was purchased and the entire length Litz avoids that electronic hash. Just connect all the solid colors to one terminal and all the stripes to the other. This recipe is for a biwire cable set, the recipe is not length specific and can be adapted to the length you require. After almost two years of objectively writing about speaker cables for A/V applications and dispelling a majority of the myths surrounding them we have come to find an audience appreciative of our efforts with enthusiastic desire for us to measure just about every cable on the market. How to Make a Transparent Audio Reference XL Speaker Cable: For my first project here on Instructables, I thought I'd start with what I think is about the coolest DIY project for high-end audio buffs. CAT 5 - V5, Six Cables in Three Twisted Pairs Braided. DC Resistance: 15m ?/MEddy Current Resistance: 30 micro ?/MInductance: 0.05 microH/MCapacitance: 550pF/MCharacteristic Impedance: 16?Audience Au24 RCA Connectors Gold plated beryllium copper, Outside Diameter: 8mmInsulation: XLPE (Cross-linked polyethylene)Outside Jacket: Soft PVC. This recipe is for a biwire cable set, the recipe is not length specific and can be adapted to the length you require. Subjectively, a natural musical timbre is realized. (see Figure 7). T2 acquired 48 feet at a garage sale for $25. Price does not They're easy to use and minimally degrade the signal. They bested Kimber 8TC, AQ Midnight, and even gave the expensive XLO's a run for their money (the XLO's were … The speaker cable also has all the certifications needed so you can feel confident. grade control cable, very flexible, with a very supple feel to it. Furutech & ZenWave DPS-49. Axiom branded interconnects and speaker cables, What is the Best Type of Speaker Wire & Gauge? Materials: half inch net jacket (spool), 12AWG oxygen free copper speaker wire (Radio Shack, excellent cable and cheap), speaker wire "boots" from a seller on Amazon, and gold plated 90 degree banana clips with a compression screw fitting. Since cat 5 is just a twisted opposing conductors were measured, leaving the adjacent conductors The length of this cable is 3 meters to suit my requirements. Basically this cable is the same I offer as a finished product on my site. Many audio hobbyists enjoy working on DIY cable projects. cable at my own cost. the number of 10 foot lengths used and purchased these after being very impressed by the supple feel, those particular cables, and speakers, I had a bit of buyers remorse. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. THE CABLE COMPANY SINCE 1989 For over 25 years The Cable Company has been known as expert industry specialists in the audiophile, home audio / video, mobile (on-the-go) audio and Pro audio markets. It was developed by Duelund to replicate the wonderful tonal qualities of the original Western Electric speaker cable. All Rights Reserved. While many other audio publications rely on their "ears" for judging cables, we desire a more scientific and generalizable approach to reviewing cables. Hosa CPR-202 Dual TS to Dual RCA. Anyway, some of the cables were tested in a couple of different Simply put, a “brand name” or a magazine reviews does not justify paying for cables that have been marked 500 to 800 percent over manufacturing costs. Take Five Audio has been offering premium quality cable construction parts to the online community longer than any other company in Canada, shipping five … after twisting and braiding. Another good one that doesn't break the bank is the Furez FZ124AS 12-4 Advanced In-Wall Rated Speaker Cable. Granted this is no Wayne Kerr model 6420 with unobtanium leads and a $15000 price tag like Audioholics uses in their Test Equipment Arsenal, The effort is an offshoot of my search for a decent Internet research indicates a retail price of $16/foot Can't find what you are looking for on "Do It Yourself " DIY Bulk Speaker Cables or Have a question? cord type of guy and did not know any better. ways, and some were tested straight. Speaker cables have to deal with larger voltages and currents and can be subject to more severe distortions than Interconnects, however, their signal is not amplified like the signal in the interconnect and relative to the actual signal the distortion is quite small. In our first Speaker Cable Face Off we compared mostly moderately priced exotic cables to common 12AWG Zip Cord and discovered that higher price doesn't necessarily mean higher performance. All this said, I would guess the DIY cable is probably 90% as good as the expensive cable. for $33.15), and 12/4 (Part Number 100-590 for $33.10). unused. Unless otherwise stated, all cables were finished with WBT Clone, crimp style, locking banana plugs (see Figure 1). For shipping costs see our FAQ. Then cables tested include some standard speaker cables, and some readily His goal is to educate about home theater and develop more standards in the industry to eliminate consumer confusion clouded by industry snake oil. Can't find what you are looking for on "Do It Yourself " DIY Cables and Connectors or have a question? Join our Exclusive Audioholics E-Book Membership Program! The buyer may alternatively elect to purchase these cables with speaker side spade terminations and amp side banana plug terminations. It's a great way to have fun and enjoy the hobby, and at the same time a cost effective way to elevate the performance of your audio/video system. The editors of Stereo Review have long maintained that for normal home cable runs (in the 20- to 50-foot range) to 8-ohm speakers, 16-gauge zip cord provides optimal power transmission between a system’s amplifier and speakers. I about how a signal may be affected by signals in near by wires. Their construction, fit and finish were top notch and their asking price based on performance and cosmetics was not unreasonable as far as esoteric cables go.