Best DIY power cable. Why not make?

@leezmaze - the rhodium plated plugs are the most "affordable" I could find on eBay

I actually prefer the Sonarquest or Vanguard silver plated copper because silver plated copper has the best conductivity rating

Pure copper (not plated) have a tendency to oxidize - whereas the silver sulfide on the silver plated plugs can easily be cleaned. Having said that I am yet to clean the Sonarquest plugs I have after 3-4 years of use.

Vanguard silver plated copper are a little more affordable, but are not as well made, but I still have a set of them that are 3-4 years old and have yet to see signs of tarnish as well.

The Sonaquest IEC connectors are better because they clamp like a vice

I listed that plug because you were looking for a $10-30 power cable, so I posted the more affordable plugs. I have used plugs like these also, but they are not as good as Vanguard or Sonarquest.

There is not a lot to choose between Gold plated or Rhodium plated copper from a performance perspective - they simply do not perform as well as Silver plated copper.

Beware - some silver plated or rhodium plated plugs are brass under that plating, they pale in comparison to the silver plated copper .

In the end it all comes down to what you are prepared to spend - just giving you some options :-)

I use Sonarquest on all my power cables these days

Hope that helps - Steve

For hot and neutral use solid core silver (the larger the better) in cotton sleeve with shrink tubing on outside. Use solid core copper (one or two sizes larger than silver). Silver coated plugs from wattgate. I was a skeptic as well until I tried this recipe. After that I upgraded all my power cords, umbilical power cords and even some internal power wiring. I am not smart enough to explain what causes the equipment's sound to be impacted by that short piece of wire, but silver is the best conductor and cotton is one of the best dielectrics. I am skipping  detailed descriptions about the improvements these cables made in my system so all the naysayers don't have to feel obligated to comment. If your system is good enough and you have tweaked interconnects and speaker cables as much as possible - upgrading power cables will make you shake your head in disbelief!

I use Sonarquest on all my power cables these days

As does Cullen Cables.

I am building a new stereo system with tube amplifier (most likely quicksilver mid monos) and LSI 15 polk towers (capable of bi-amping) .

Wanted to see if I can make my own speaker wires to save money and get better quality. My alternative was AQ 4. Really not willing to spend any more. Need about 5-6 feet for each cable. Never have done this before, but did some reading on the subject.

After reading multiple forums, decided to focus on Dueland tin plated copper wire, which has excellent reviews for the price.

My thoughts:
1. Buy 12, 16, 20, and 26 awg wires of equal length (26 solid core, others are stranded).
2. Braid all 4 wires together. Strip all 4 wires on both ends from insulation.
3. On the amp end, connect all 4 wires to the binding posts (bare wire or through connectors, undecided yet). Amp is not capable of by-amping.
4. On the speaker side, connect 26, 20, and 16 awg wires to the upper post (high frequencies), and connect 12 awg wire to the lower post (low frequencies).

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions? Good or bad idea? Can I really screw this up and burn the amp?

If I use terminations, what brand is good? Low mass? Not looking for something very expensive as am I doing this to try to avoid paying $$$$ for brand name cables but still get better sound than my current 12 awg monoprice wire.

My primary goal, since I am not an engineer or electrician, is to not damage the expensive new equipment.

Thanks very much.

@sophie999, I not sure that you are going to accomplish a better sound using the various gauges of Duelund wire, I suppose one never knows for sure unless they experiment.
With that said here is what I'm currently using: Duelund tinned - copper in cotton oil impregnated wire. 16 gauge going to my top speaker terminals and 12 gauge going to my lower speaker terminals. Terminated with the KLE Bananas, and I used WBT with 4% silver solder.
Twist every two inches and every foot, hold in place with a small piece of heat shrink. Color code the + and - ends with red and black heat shrink. If you want, use a carbon fiber jacket on the outside of the speaker cables to further reject interference.
I've been told that the New OYAIDE TUNAMI NIGO V2 wire sounds better than the Duelund wire and I have some on order however I have not received it yet, probably another two week wait or longer.