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Adding shielding to existing cables

So I have some interconnects that are picking up all sorts of RFi. I know this for two reasons, one, as I move them around the noisy/buzz sound changes, and two, when I switch them out for shielded interconnects the noise goes away.

so, I bought some tinned copper shielding and some new RCA plugs. I’m going to cut the existing RCA plugs off the existing cable and install the new shielding and new plugs. The thing is the new plugs have a plastic body so there is nowhere to easily connect the shielding to ground.

I was thinking of running a pigtail from the shielding and attachIng an eyelet to ground it to my preamp since there is a grounding lug. Would this work or is there a better way given what I intend to use?


last_lemming
dgarretson
2,603 posts
 
I use a tinned copper braid shield for DIY ICs, PCs, & speaker cables.  Solder a short round wire to the braid and sneak it through the RCA barrel to ground at the source end only. Cover the braid with tekflex, and seal the tekflex to the RCA barrel with heat shrink tube-- just like many commercial cable manufacturers do it.
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bigkidz
3,404 posts
 
So your cable is picking up noise. I would suggest trying different ways to shield and ground the existing cable without hacking it up. I would then suggest going to your local audio store and trying out different cables first to see if they make any difference.

Happy Listening.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
millercarbon:
""Pro tip", good one. Tell 'em, pro, about your DIY cable skills. How about the "pro tip" where you discover your "pro cables" you built aren't even within 2dB of each other? "


heaudio123:
- Source resistance 500-10K ohms. Load impedance 20K-100K ohms. Cable resistance <<1 ohm. I am curious to how you think an interconnect is going to generate a 2db difference between 2 cables of similar construction?


And I am curious how you got any of that from what I said?

The fact of the matter is it was Eric Squires himself who told us all he had built these DIY interconnects, that they didn’t sound right, and that he then measured and found they were 2dB off. So don’t ask me. Ask Mr "Pro Tip" himself.

Reading comprehension. It is one thing to be able to sound out the words. Quite another to comprehend their meaning. As you so beautifully illustrate.
erik_squires
16,383 posts
 
@millercarbon is not only a creepy online stalker but he is my biographer.

He’s referring to a learning experience I had with DIY cables. Yes, I broke something using single stranded pure silver interconnects. I shared the experience with others about what to be careful of.

In this particular thread, Miller failed in any meaningful way to address my suggestion, but instead has to go way back to remember something I said he can use against me.

The suggestion I made is a good one. I know this because I made my own cables and did the research. I also made a mistake here and there. That’s proof of experience.

Best,
E
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