Diy interconnects RCA connectors.

I finally built some I'cs using the KLEI Copper Harmony plugs. I got mixed results. The sound was a bit more open and clear. That's a good thing. For those who like classical,opera,strictly vocals,or jazz,I could recommend them. But from my experience with all wires and connectors that use silver,the bass becomes impotent. And that's not a good thing for me. The last rca plugs I tried and am happy with the results,are the Neotech dg201's. They seem as open as the Furutech FP126g with
a bit more impactful bass. And they're modestly priced. They also have a bigger opening so you can use more,or larger guage wires. So far,my best design is using 1 upocc Neotech 22 awg solid round wire,1 Neotech 24awg solid round, 2 Jupiter pure silver 28awg solid wires,and 1 Jupiter 26 awg solid wire. I used a 14awg and 18 awg Neotech stranded in pvc,for the ground wire.

I burned them in for over 300 hours and the results were fantastic.
I also got some new speakers,which are a bit more revealing than the Energy RC-70's. I now have the SVS Ultra Towers. I like them. More accurate and deeper 3d soundsatge. The bass is unreal. Fast,very deep,and you don't need a subwoofer. I can't figure out why more people haven't discovered them. And the build quality is great. The Energy RC-70's have a rich midrange. Much better than most all speakers I have heard in their price range. The Vienna Acoustics Mozart might be slightly better,but to my ears it's a tossup. The SVS Ultra Tower comes very close.Not quite as rich,but pretty close. But the inner detail on the SVS is umatched. And the smooth upper highs as well as the Energy's are somewhat dull. But for bass? I've never heard any speakers in this price range that makes such a deep,low,and full bass,without being thumpy.

@dayemo - the copper harmony are better than most other brands, but for the very best results the Silver, Pure and Absolute Harmony plugs really performs.

Since you appear to be into DIY please see the following link
http://image99.net/blog/files/category-002ahelix-interconnect-cable.html

These are my own DIY IC's. They provide very fast dynamics, large image, extended bass with superb bass control and extremely good clarity.

I recommend using 4% WBT silver solder for best results

Regards - Steve

I stumbled over a tv-coax years ago that has shown to be totally inaudible as an ic when used one lenght for + & -. It is the Vivanco KX-710. Tryed it up against a lot of top-ic`s, nothing comes really Close. A bit tricky to terminate, I prefer to use wbt- type rca`s and solder the minus through(!) the rear screw-hole in the plug.

This coax has also shown to be the ultimate digital coax. Wonder if Vivanco weill ever realise what they have done here.

I have seen a grown divorced* audiophile cry after hearing his system play through these wires. 

*real audiophiles are divorced or just single

williewonka,
Steve,thanks for the info. Although the KLEI silver rca plugs may be more open in the mids and highs,my experience with silver is that it doesn't produce bass. I know people say the bass just goes lower and faster but that's not my experience. The midbass has little impact. And the slam between 65 and 50 becomes lethargic. A lot of audiophiles seem to like this. I don't. I listen to a lot of classic rock. And some hard rock/metal. Pure silver interconnects seem the worst for these genres of music. I bought silver fuses for my system a few years back. The same thing happened. Oh,the clarity improved significantly,but there was no bass impact at all. And the sound was not natural sounding at all. Nothing like the recording engineers were shooting for.

The problem I have with many audiophiles is that they talk about systems and how good one thing is compared to another based upon what they want to hear. That's ok. But when people say this is more natural sounding etc... and I know some of these guys aren't musicians or have spent time in a studio,I don't think they know what they're talking about.
I've been in audio stores listening to guys talk like this. They didn't know the difference between a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Strat sound. Or what amp was being used. If they couldn't differentiate between these two electric guitars with signature sounds,how could they possible know what speakers sounded more natural I asked. I've been listening to music for over forty years now. I played both acoustic and electric guitar. My ex wife was a musician as well. She played clarinet and flute. I can hear the difference between a cheap Armstrong vs a much more expensive one.
The same goes for different brands of acoustic guitars.

I'm trying not to be offensive here. But truthfully,I don't know of many guys in this hobby that really know what they're talking about. They may know what they like to hear,and that's ok. And when it comes to listening to live bands. They don't realize that a lot of the equipment,especially the loud monitors,are cheap and are designed for one main purpose. Volume. And durability,because they are taken on the road and have to be packed up nightly. (I also have a little experience being a roadie.) Now, being in a studio and recording is very different. Helping in the mix and giving feedback gives you experience. And I have a little of that.

So I want my interconnects to sound natural and real,as well has have good depth and imaging. Too much silver negates this. Most engineers do not use silver wired or terminated cables. They use copper. From the mic cords to the monitor cables. And they engineer the mix of the recording with copper cables in mind. But everyone has their preferences and I respect that. I think this is a dying hobby as most young people don't listen to stereo systems anymore. They listen to music on their phones with crappy earbuds. Or in cars. And much of the pop music today isn't very good either,in my opinion. I'm done experimenting with making Ic's for now. I've spent way too many hours on them. My wife thinks I'm crazy,lol. That goes for power cords,and speaker cables as well. I'm just going to enjoy what I've accomplished now,and listen to music.

@dayemo - I really do now what you mean :-)

Personally - I have played in a band for a few years and I definitely know the difference between the sounds of a Strat, Tele and a Les Paul - among st many others.

I also know what punch and body percussion instruments are supposed to have. All to often you get the crack of a side drum, but little in the way of actual "tone" of the skin vibrating. Same applies even more so for the bass drum.

As for the silver in my Helix IC’s - well the nice thing is - you get to choose what kind of metal you want. Plugs as well. Using a quality copper wire such as Duelund will probably serve up the dynamics and depth more suited to your taste.

WRT the KLE Innovations RCA’s - the entire range of RCA’s consists of layers of silver on copper (basically). The amount of silver in the layers differentiates one model from the next - the Copper Harmony is the thinnest, being more like Silver plate.

The "design" (or geometry) of a cable is what makes the Helix cables so good.

The dynamic performance is exceptional and the depth of the bass depends on whether you use the Copper Harmony plug or the Absolute Harmony plug. The "piece de resistance " of the helix cables is their outstanding clarity and imaging.

One band whose music is fairly "Dynamic" in nature is The Police.The Helix cables reproduce their music with stunning clarity with lots of bass depth and control. But the bass has no bloating - it is very precise.

One of my favorite test tracks is a piece of Pipe Organ music. It contains very low frequencies and incredible dynamics along with amazing and very complex highs. Pipe Organ is one of the most demanding instrument to reproduce, but the Helix cables are able to achieve crystal clear highs, along with the deepest lows in stunning clarity and detail that leaves tingles going up the spine.

I’ve been told by others that have tried them that they are the most natural sounding cables they have heard, without adding any coloration to the sound.

Your comment on

Most engineers do not use silver wired or terminated cables. They use copper. From the mic cords to the monitor cables. And they engineer the mix of the recording with copper cables in mind.

Once the music goes through a mixing desk the content becomes very compressed, so it is even more important that the very best cables are used.
As proof of this I tried the following...

• If you take a guitar and plug it into a "stereo" it will distort like crazy because the signal is far too dynamic for the amp/speakers to process without clipping and distorting.

• Play guitar through a mixer connected to the "stereo" and it will sound much better.
  
• My point being - the cables used for live music and mixing need to be very different from the cables required in hi-fi systems.

Often people use Mogami wire for audio leads because it is what professional musicians use. It is very good at what it is designed for. Long cable runs on stage or in the studio with lots of other wires cris-crossing and lots of interference from electronic equipment. It handles that scenario with distinction.

When it comes to high end audio systems, the cables have to be more specialized. IC's have to transfer much smaller signals without loosing any information. and without adding any "tonal coloration"

This is where the Helix cables really shine But they would probably make a pretty mediocre guitar lead.

Anyhow - just thought I’d follow up on a few comments you made in your post.

If you are happy with your cables then that’s great - I respect your judgement and opinion.

Regards - Steve :-)