Sakura Systems OTA Cable Kit

Dekay and Caterham, thank you for your reasoned replies to my rather provocative comment. As I rather enjoy experimenting with cables, I will try your suggestion Dekay.

Gray: You are welcome. Perhaps you can take take the magnet wire further than I have @ this point as I never got around to trying a reverse wrap (tacky side out) of Teflon plumbers tape on it. You could also follow up with a second wrap with the tacky side in. I will not have the bedroom system (where I like to play around with things like this) up and running for another month myself and will probably start by experimenting with a vintage tube amp that I just picked up instead of fooling with cables. In any regard, I look forward to your findings. What I did find about this wire is that it sounded better to me a single runs (instead of twisted pairs).

I just discovered that the "Teflon" tape that I tried on the XLO wire is not Teflon (per the local hardware store). I went there to get another roll and discovered this. The Teflon tape that I just purchased has no adhesive (which is better for our needs) and it was very inexpensive ($1.50 a roll). I will just fasten it @ the ends with a small piece of adhesive tape when I try wrapping the wire again.

Haven't looked at this thread in while and forgive me if Trelja in his usual thoroughness addressed this, but- be careful when you use these solvents. Most of them are easily absorbed thru the skin, and the vapors I believe are also dangerous (in terms of toxicity and flammability). Working outdoors for all of you California types may be an answer, but the really low boiling point products evaporate so quickly that you have to be careful. Probably not a big problem if you are dipping them into a gallon can, but be very careful about ventilation, open flames (including pilot lights for you basement experimenters) etc. I apologize if this has all been gone over before, or if my chemistry is too hazy (too much recreational chemistry along with my organic chem when I was in college, I'm ashamed to admit), but I do remember problems with paint stripper and other furniture refinishers which are mostly organic solvents like MEK and acetone, toluene, and the like. Your speakers won't sound to good if either they or your brain are (is?) fried. Have fun.

Please help. I got the Stratos kit about three weeks ago and immediately set up the speaker wires. My observations were pretty close to everyone here (boy, do horns sound good now), and I have made firm believers out of a few cable doubters (including, to a certain degree, myself). I must, however, be the biggest idiot in the world as I can't seem to get the interconnects together. I have assembled a pair (actually a pair and a half) and with a little 'wiggling' of the plugs can get one channel to fire. When I try to hook up the other channel, I can't get any sound at all despite all the 'wiggling' and repositioning that I try. Now it's not simply the run of interconnect or the terminals as I can switch the cables or switch the channels and can almost always get one channel to work. I've already broken one of the machined white pieces and have about two feet in scrap on the floor and I'm at my wits end. At this point, I really wish there was an option for the mechanically idiotic to have the interconnects pre-assembled.