Are DIY Cables Worth It?

This is an intersting thread.

As I mentioned above, I use a 6 gauge electrical wire from Home Depot that has 19 copper strands thats twisted. They are as Springowl said...I clearly here a difference. It was like a blanket was taken off the speakers.

I would be confident to put this or Springowls cables up agaist anything out there. It may or may not out perform them all but it will be comparable. And at $25 for an 8 foot pair it seems wise. Especially if you used 220 feet to wire a complete home theater. Do that math!

Theres a thread on misc. talk that slams tweaks like the clock, but what about these cable companys overcharging for cables that we can build for $25 and they charge $1500 for comparable sound. That seems like snake oil.

What I really like to know is the % of OFC contained in DIY wires such as your 12/2 or 14/2 home wires, zip cords, etc versus the name brand wires advertised by Cable Company that claims 99.997% OFC or whatever. Does that .9 percent really makes that big of a difference, I wonder? I have cut open old home electrical wires that are +35 years old, and the copper looks as shiny as the new ones without any oxidation at all. Heck, in 35 years our audio system may have changed three or four times already.

I think springowl that the ofc pertains to any copper that is exposed to air opposed to being protected in the wrap. I could be so wrong.

Sprigowl wrote:"I ran down to Home depot just this Monday to get 14/2 solid core copper wire, and some cheapo metal spades. I stripped the PVC covering, removed the ground wire, crimped the black/white wire with the cheap spades and connected to my SS amp, MF pre-amp, and my Proac. Crank the system up without even burning in the wires, and WOW! was my first reaction. I can clearly hear the difference, and what a difference."

I have some 12/2 BX from HD that I had cryo treated which I used for my dedicated line. Plenty left for speaker cables! Would be funny if they bettered my Van Den Hul Magnum Hybrid/CS-122Hybrid bi-wires, or would it? Hmm I think I'll continue tube rolling before starting a speaker cable shootout. Great thread! Enjoy!

Back in 1969 I used solid 14 gauge copper Romex for speaker cable, and it was a HUGE improvement over the 18 gauge zip cord everyone was selling for speaker wire.

Just like then, a "walk on the water" bargain for the buck.

If you guys are going into this, I can tell you It actually sounds better if two pair are assembled into a "quad" of conductors with two wires making up opposite sides of the pair, across the "square" of conductors.

In fact, it was not until 10 years after this experimentation, when Fulton, Peterson Engineering and Audioquest introduced their hot designs (about 1979) that I abandoned my home made stuff.

As with all things audio, the biggest bang for the buck is at the low end of the scale. That's true regardless if the discussion is comparing a Lenco turntable against a Rockport, an Oppo CD player against an EMM Labs or Romex cable against Audioquest, Cardas, Purist and Nordost.

If I had not done my experiments, I would have never appreciated the work that goes into truly great cable design. There's no doubt DIY cable can provide great sound, and no doubt is has no competition when dollars are added up.

I think this applies to most things in life, from cars to homes and even computers. Most of us have budget limits and must make financial decisions about what toys we can go crazy on.