QUICK UPDATE: I’ve just replaced the live conductor in my 11 ft Helix Geometry extension cable, with a 12 gauge solid copper wire from Neotech
- the wire replaced was 12 gauge Duelund tinned copper with polycast insulation
I purchased the wire from HiFi collective...
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/soct-neotech-solid-core-copper-wire.html "Neotech`s SOCT type wire is 99.999% high purity UP-OCC copper solid core wire, sheathed in red, heat resistant Teflon. Can be used for speaker wire, mains cable and general hook up wire"
I removed the Teflon insulation and inserted the bare wire into a cotton sleeve to reduce the Dielectric Constant to around 1.3 - down from 2.1 of teflon
The wire is quite stiff, i.e. compared to 4 strands of the 18 gauge Solid copper from VH Audio that I have used in other power cables, but since the description states it is suitable for power cables I assume it is pliable enough to take some reasonable amount of flexing without breaking
The immediate results were quite noticeable
- improved clarity and dynamics
- improved control and a little deeper bottom end.
Now I’m not about to replace the live conductors in my heavier duty cables, but if anyone is constructing new power cables, this wire works out to be a little more affordable and I believe it would perform a little better than the wire from VH Audio, due to it being a single conductor.
My reasoning:
- The wire from VH Audo is 18 gauge, so it requires 4 strands to make a 12 gauge live conductor.
From this link:
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wire-gauges-d_419.html - 12 gauge single core current carrying capacity = 34 amps
- 12 gauge 4-6 core current carrying capacity = 16 amps
So there should be improvements in the handling of transient peaks.
Initially, I only used stranded wires, for improved flexibility, but it is quite evident that solid wire is superior, i.e. provided you take reasonable care when flexing (no tight 90 degree bends)
Regards - Steve.