I know only the basics of WE wire manufacture.
High purity copper was DRAWN from a copper rod which results in very long crystal lengths.
The strands were dipped in a molten plating bath. The plating alloy was proprietary and a trade secret. Sort of like the Colonel's herbs and spices (I believe some of the ingredients are a bit different).
There is something about the plating that makes it both non-oxidizing yet conducts almost identical to copper.
The act of dipping in a molten plating bath annealed the copper. Annealing relaxes the crystalline tensions within the copper.
The strands of plated copper were twisted into different gauge bundles.
The bundles were coated with a proprietary polymer insulation. Just because you know the polymer don't believe you know the insulation. An example of this is Polyurethane. The same polymer that is used to protect furniture is used to make Spandex. Hard and clear vs. elastic and white. Both polyurethane.
For added flame retardance and abrasion resistance a cloth cover was put over the polymer insulation.
The result is the best sounding AC wire I have heard short of the custom copper ribbon wire I'm using in my new top-of-the-line power cord.
I've tried EVERY pure copper and plated copper wire I could get my hands on over the past 10+ years and have not found a better sounding copper wire for AC conduction.
Personally I compared it to power cords by companies like Sunyata, Nordost, Kimber, Straight Wire, Transparent, etc. that sold for over $1K. A simple power cord made from this wire and Wattgate basic copper connectors beat all of them by a huge margin.
When I began selling basic power cords on eBay for $100 I knew they would sound better than anything for under $1K.
I had no idea that audiophiles with $30K+ systems would be buying them to put up against $2K5+ power cords.
All my profits went into R&D. We learned that modest Chinese made pure copper plug sets sounded better than not only the Wattage we were using but the most expensive of Furutech, Oyaide, and Kimber plugs.
BTW, I am an OEM Furutech distributor.
We also learned that certain gauges of wire as well as shielding and twisting schema sounded better.
When I say "we" I refer to about half a dozen beta testers with high end systems that sold their $2K-$3K power cords and replaced them with my NOS cords.
I was disabled in 2006 as the result of a car accident. My small power cord business was supposed to be a hobby. A year later I just hired two employees to keep up with the overwhelming demand.
In my formal career I was a product development engineer, a technical consultant, and owned my own computerized embroidery company. Over the years I specialized in computer numerically controlled robotic machinery.
My hobby for over 30 years was DIY audio. I love acoustic music. I found that most "audiophile" products are "pumped up" and distort the music's flow along with the organic tones and timbers. I got into making my own cords and cables because that was the only way I could hear the music I loved.
Apparently there are many others of you out there that feel the same way about the time, tune, organic timbers, and musical flow being more important than EQ, imaging, or the other "attractive distortions" that most audiophile cable/cord companies are selling.
I would just like to close by saying I am no genius and I do nothing original. Apparently I have a good ear and I've simply combined existing technology and components that other companies manufactured to make a more musical product.
The geniuses at WE made this AC wire decades ago as well as developed most of the circuits that audio manufacturers are using to this day. We are all "standing on the shoulders of giants" as they say.
The only real advancements since then were in digital and microchips. Basic electronics hasn't changed all that much.
By all means, if you enjoy DIY, experiment like I did. You will certainly have fun and save $$$.
On the other hand if you want to benefit from my 30+ years of experience then purchase my products. You will certainly save a lot of time and $$$ as well as space in your basement where you keep your "failed experiments."
One last word of caution about NOS wire. Don't fall for the more modern A.I.W. version of the Western Electric AC and speaker wire. This is NOT the stuff that I am using. Now that the word is out, people are pulling this stuff out of the back of their warehouse and selling it all over eBay for 5X what it sold for only a few years ago.
I'm not saying this is a bad sounding AC wire, only that the REAL stuff sells for MUCH more and I haven't found more than 30' of it on eBay in a given month. The guys that have it know what it is and they sell it for much more than $1-$2 per foot like the A.I.W. wire.
Good luck with your DIY projects!
