Anybody here terminate DH Labs BL-1 cable?

I think I will try the KLE connectors though. I'm curious how much better than the standard cardas silver plated copper they are.

Todd - regarding the Harmony connectors...

I have tried all of the connectors on both analogue and digital versions of my Helix cables and here are my observations/opinions...

For digital SPDIF interconnects...
--- I found the Silver Harmony were more than adequate and provided better SQ than the Copper Harmony
--- using either the Pure Harmony or Absolute harmony did not improve SQ in my system
--- having said that - my highest digital resolution is 24/192

For analogue interconnects...
--- I would not bother buying the Copper Harmony because the Silver Harmony are so much better and well worth the additional expense
--- I would also not bother with the Pure Harmony because for the additional expense of the Absolute Harmony they provide much better SQ

I have also tried them all on my TT’s once piece loom and stand by my findings for Analogue IC’s above

Having said that - we all have a budget that constrains us, so pick the very best RCA you can afford for the application it is to address.

When soldering the Harmony RCA’s - plug them into an unused component (if you have one) or get an RCA socket - it helps dissipate the heat so as not to melt the plastic housing and also makes for a much better joint

FYI - the Harmony RCA's take time to settle and burn in also - so give them lots time.
- 1-2 days to settle after connecting OR re-connecting them
- upwards of 100 hours to burn-in - 200 hours yields their best performance

Regarding Speaker cables...

My only stab at DIY was using CS-122 and D-352 bulk cable from Van den Hul, which performed very well and were in my system for a very long time

I did try a couple of models of Kimber Kable, but found the Van den Hul performed better in my system

But just as an FYI...

I later had the opportunity to try KLE Innovations gZero 2, gZero 6 and an older version of one of their newer ZPURITY cable.
- the gZero2 bested my DIY cables significantly
- the gZero6 provided faster dynamics, deeper bass and better image than the gZero2
- The zPurity provided marginal improvements over the gZero 6 in my system - but not enough to warrant my buying them
- I had all of the above cables in my system for 2-3 weeks, which allowed a certain amount of settling and burn-in time

At first glance, I found the KLE Innovations cables skinny, compared to my 10 gauge D352's, which left me wondering how they would compare - it only took one track to hear the vast improvement.

I currently use the gZero 2 on my AV system and gZero 6 on my Audio system and have stopped looking.

I have also tried some other pretty expensive big name brands, but have not found anything that outperform the KLE Innovations products - yet :-)

I have not tried a DIY solution along the lines of the Helix geometry for speaker cables - mainly because making long cables in the Helix style becomes very difficult.

But I’m still pondering a solution :-)

Regards...

Dude, thanks or that list! A great starting point for me. 


I could conceivably do helix speaker cables since I only need 5 ft cables.. Though might length differences in the + & - adversely affect the sound? I understand why they won't in the power circuit, but I don't know enough about the speaker output circuit to know if length differences matter. Do you?
 
Again, thanks for the knowledge.

Todd - The extended length of the neutral conductor will not impact SQ at all - in the grand scheme of things, when you are travelling at close to the speed of light - a few  extra feet is nothing.

What's more important in the helix design is the low capacitance and inductance and their ability to reject EMI/RFI.

You will notice that for the power cable and the IC's, the neutral conductor is thicker than the signal/live conductor - so adhere to that design point.

For Speaker cables I would try a high quality solid copper conductor of 14 gauge  and for the neutral I would use two 14 gauge stranded standard quality conductors  (equivalent to 11 gauge)

Keep me posted as to how you get on

Cheers

Any of you guys using DH Labs cabling w/ Thiel loudspeakers?