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Help me build speaker cables please!

Howdy!
I’m looking for input on some home brewed speaker cables. I’m currently using cables I made from braiding 8 lengths of CAT 5 plenum cable together. They’re terminated in silver plated BFA bananas and set up as a biwire configuration at the speaker end. I love their sound, but think I’m ready to try something made from higher grade metal. I’ve been doing a lot with silver in my system and have loved the change in sound almost every time I’ve gone from Cu to Ag. The only place I like Cu better is in the PCs for my amps. That said, I’m leaning heavily towards making a set of solid silver speaker cables, using .999 silver wire from Rio grande. I’ll insulated them with teflon spaghetti tubing and possibly terminate them with silver plated BFAs.

Where I’d love some input is here: do I do one run of 10awg, or biwire 12awg to the woofers, 14awg to the tweeters and mids? I’m using a dared tube preamp and monoblock Ghent audio class D amps (500w into 4 ohm) which drive floor standing RBH 1266 SE/R speakers. They are 4 ohm and have side firing 12" speakers. They like a lot of juice and sound their best when given what they want, hence my desire for large diameter cables.

Cost wise, it’s only $50 more expensive to biwire. I liked the change in sound when I first biwired, but I also went from blue jeans twisted pair 12 awg to my braided CAT 5, which has a combined 9 awg. So I’m not sure if it was the biwiring or all the other differences that improved the sound.

Also, any other ideas for superb sounding DIY SCs are welcome.

Danke!
128x128toddverrone
dragon_vibe
430 posts
 
I have tried Silver Cables, Both from clear day cables and then building my own from Neotech Silver. Overall i found the sound transparent but fatigue would creep on session that lasted over an hour.

Neotech Hook up Copper Solid may work but their is a seller on Ebay selling Neotech cables for cheap.
williewonka
3,072 posts
 
Todd - I know exactly where you are coming from - I was that way too - up until quite recently :-) 

I used to have 10 gauge Van den Hul D352 silver plated copper that I thought were terrific.Never found anything to better them. I started with VDH 14 gauge, then 12 and finally the 10 gauge D352 - each time the bass got better

Here's what changed mt mind
http://image99.net/blog/files/fac35e44c003d559714cdd73d86febf9-51.html

Here's what cemeted my new found beliefs
http://image99.net/blog/files/228f7609149d575dd8dd8d956511e7c2-57.html.

Short Story - I no longer make pre-listening judgement s based on cable girth - like I had done in the past.

Try this...
- make a set of neutral conductors from the wire you will finally use
- BUT...
>> make 2 sets of signal wires
------one set from an 16 or 18 gauge extension cord (home depot)
------ a second set from a 12 gauge extension cord (home depot)

Basically,
- the copper will be of a similar quality
- so any difference in sound will be down to the gauge of the conductor and the geometry of the finished cable

I've taken this approach with my helix cables and it is an affordable way of proving a theory - it is time consuming, but rewarding

Hope that helps - Steve





toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone OP
840 posts
 
@dragon_vibe that's what I'd be worried about. If I bought silver speaker cables and didn't like them, I could at least sell them. DIY silver cables would be way cheaper but nigh on impossible to sell.. out of curiosity, what equipment were you using? Were there other silver cables in the mix?
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone OP
840 posts
 
Good idea, Steve. Still trying to decide on wire. Do the gZero 6 have larger conductors than the 3, or just a different architecture?
williewonka
3,072 posts
 
Todd - I have not "dismantled" either gzero2 or 6 cables, but the visible part of the gZero6 leads has two conductors twisted tightly together for the neutral - the signal conductors looked identical. The individual neutral conductors may have bee a slightly large gauge also

Very early on I purchased Stager Silver solids, which were a tightly twisted pair. From what I have read, twisting conductors tightly disrupts the effectiveness of RFI/EMI - hence a screen is not necessary.

I have never made my own speaker cables simply because tightly twisting a 10 ft conductors would prove extremely difficult.

However, I did find this wire the other day - it might be useful for a neutral conductor
https://www.takefiveaudio.com/products/1683-belden-9497-cryo-treated/

The two 16 gauge conductors used as a single wire would be 13 gauge - Using two of them would give you a 10 gauge - used with a 12 gauge signal/live would probably work well

I think the fact they are "tinned" would be OK for the neutral, but I would not use them for the signal 

If I did construct some speaker cables I'd probably try this cable together with the MilSpec 18 or 16 gauge running through this teflon tube

https://www.takefiveaudio.com/categories/118-convoluted-teflon-tubing-flexes-without-kinking (from above)

Sorry I could not provide better info.

Regards - Steve


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