Help me build speaker cables please!

@toddverrone  - Ouch! - how did incorrect wiring  an IC kill your amp?

That's interesting - did it short the input to the amp ? most amps can handle that. Unless you shorted the pre-amp output?

Also, doesn't sound as though you were using a Harmony RCA - because it's almost impossible to create an accidental short condition with those (one of the things I really like).

Hmmm - what did you do?

Finally, I have a Blusound Powernode 2 amplifying my TV, so I gave it the speaker cable upgrade...

- These cables really do show just how good the new amplifier designs really are
- The Powernode 2 is 50 watt per channel into 8 ohms, class D
- into a pair of Tannoy Mecury F4 -  91dB 8 ohms 34Hz - 20kHz

Since the Power Node 2 only has an Ethernet cable (for music) and an optical cable for input for from the TV, the only copper cables in the audio pipeline are my DIY speaker cables.

Immediately, the dynamics, deep bass performance and bass control improvements were very noticeable. 

Perhaps the biggest and most noticeable improvement is the clarity.

The diminutive Powernode 2 now exerts complete control over the Tannoys with lots of power to spare and the TV sounds the best it's ever sounded, except there are no rear speakers anymore - a choice I made when downsizing the A/V system to fit the new house.

Even the shortest Helix speaker cables I have made is on my mini system (around 15" each channel) ,also yields significant improvements. 

So it does not seem to matter how long you make them - the appear to work very well.

Regards...

Steve - my amp has risen from the dead! And the new ICs sound great!

Full story - I was making the helix ICs at 1 am and accidentally soldered the ground to the signal and the signal to the ground. It wasn’t an accidental short in terms of a stay wire touching something it shouldn’t. I just plain screwed up. Upon installation, my system just started making a clicking noise. I pulled the ICs and tested them for continuity, realizing I miswired them. I fixed my mistake and upon reinstalling found that the amp the mistake was plugged into kept dropping out and distorting. There next day it would barely put out any sound. I was ready to buy new monos and thought I’d double check that it was the amp. I put the amp back in the system and it all works fine.

I did disconnect everything from the ICEpower board and reinstall it all. I don’t that was what helped, but I don’t care, it works!

I’m still listening to them, but initial findings on the helix ICs are incredibly positive. More of the helix magic: less noise, greater clarity, better separation of sound sources. Good stuff!

@toddverrone - that’s very interesting - sounds as though pushing the signal onto the neutral rail of the amp caused some issue - normally it only causes an out of phase condition - i.e. bad image and poor bass.

Anyhow, glad to hear nothing in the system was damaged and it’s up and running and sounding good.

Remember, burn-in takes a while - +200 hours to get the smoothness these cables can offer.

Right now I’m finding with the speaker cables on my Powernode 2 (the A/V system) - the system is sounding very bright - almost to the pint of appearing "brittle". But my two channel system is telling me this too will pass - it is very smooth (+250 hours of playing)

Did you finalize the wire you are using on the speaker cables?

Keep me posted on the conductors you settle on and how it sounds once you have some hours playing.

BTW - I just looked at your system (nice photos and very nice components) I think I spotted a digital cable?
- The Helix IC’s with the Harmony plugs can also be used as a digital SPDIF cable
- they do not suffer from the digital glare as some normal digital cables do
- it’s all to do with the impedance of the Harmony RCA’s eliminating "internal electron congestion/reflections"
- That’s why on 70 ohm Coax has to have a 70 ohm RCA

I tried several RCA/Signal conductor combinations and found ...
- you do not have to use solid silver for the signal - good small gauge copper will do.
- you can use Silver Harmony RCA’s
- the more expensive RCA’s were no more effective.
- I still used the same quality neutral conductor.

This was testing with 24/192 digital signals - higher than that might require better RCA’s and conductor - but I’m not going there.

I started out building the Helix with CAT5 + Absolute Harmony RCA’s to prove the theory...
- I found it surpassed my store bought digital cable
- using better conductors + Absolute Harmony sealed the deal.
- I then stepped back from the Absolute Harmony RCA’s to Pure Harmony and finally Silver Harmony.
- The Silver Harmony work flawlessly!
- I did not try the Copper Harmony because I found them to be much less effective on the analogue IC’s

Hope that helps

WRT...

I’m still listening to them, but initial findings on the helix ICs are incredibly positive. More of the helix magic: less noise, greater clarity, better separation of sound sources. Good stuff!

Good Stuff indeed! :-)

Regards...

Interesting indeed. My industrial electronics buddy thinks reversing the wires loaded a capacitor in the reverse direction, causing the amp to go a bit crazy until it discharged.. the problems I had sound like extreme versions of what you were describing: the bass dropped out and the highs were a distorted mess..

As for digital cables, i have nothing yet. I have an old AA Dac in a box, but that’s optical in and RCA out. Though I probably will rebuild those cables as helix. However, I do have an AA DTI, kind of like a reclocker, that needs a new power supply. Once I have that, I’ll need a digital cable, as the DTI only has a digital out. So I’ll keep that in mind.

With regards to the speaker cables, I tried Romex, but it was such a pain in my butt that I decided to not even bother. After some thought, I just ordered some of the silver plated copper from take 5. It’s enroute as of now. If I find the sound to be too brittle, as we say, even after prolonged burn in, I’ll then have to decide if I want to go solid silver or back to copper, but higher quality than cat 5. Though I still think cat 5 has some nice copper in it.

We’re leaving to Europe for a month at the end of July, so I want to get these done before I go.

I decided to go with a biwire design, 2x12awg and 2x14awg for the neutrals and a 12awg and 14awg for the signal. I’ll twist the signals together. The neutrals should pretty much cover the whole signal cable!

@toddverrone - re...

I’ll twist the signals together

I am assuming you are twisting the two bi-wire signal conductors - one 12 gauge (for LF) and one 14 gauge (for HF) and then wrapping two sets of neutral conductors around the twisted signals?

Personally - i would not do that. I would  make two separate cables - its easier

Why you ask?
 - even though the signal being applied to the two signal conductors is the same - the current being drawn down each conductor is vastly different - you may get emi/ri polution across the two, making matters a whole lot worse
- same goes for the neutrals and you would have to keep them evenly spaced to prevent EMI/RFI
  
However - It might be more successful if you...
- Wind the signal conductors in opposite directions and then straighten them out - leaving slight kinks in the conductors and put each one in a piece of expandable sleeve.
- this would prevent the conductors from becoming "alligned" and prevent EMI/RFI pollution
- For the neutrals you could wind each neutral in opposite directions around both signal conductors - this would prevent EMI/RFI between the neutrals
- make sure you use the EXACT same formula for L/R cables
- i.e. the LF neutral is the outter winding and the HF is the inner winding 

Its a little more tricky, but I think that would at least minimize RFI/EMI pollution across conductors and produce a single bi-wire speaker cable

The "Kinky Conductors" has been in the back of my mind to try for the signal in the IC's for some time, but never had the opportunity.

I hope that I interpreted your thoughts correctly?

Regards...