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I recently completed a pair of speaker cables made from 18ga OCC Copper/teflon hookup wire from VH Audio. These cables connect my monoblock amps to the input of my outboard Xovers. They are part of a biwire system, carrying only the mid/high frequencies. They consist of three wires for each leg of the signal, six total per channel in a flat braid. The amp end is terminated with Eichmann banana plugs; the Xover end is terminated with Vampire heavy duty lugs. There is no covering or shield, other than a bit of heat shrink tubing on each leg at each end where the braid separates and the wires enter the connectors.These cables replaced a set of expensive silver wire "jumpers" from a very respectable and recognizable high-end wire manufacturer. The coppers are better in every respect, with more detail yet less brightness than the silver. There is definitely more depth and body to the sound, as well, with beautiful tonality and imaging. There is no hint of glare or sharpness, but transients are clearly presented, and the trailing edges of percussion fade with a warm glow.
I believe that the wire itself is primarily responsible for the improvement, as the geometry is nothing special. Yes, the connectors are first class, but there's lots more wire than connector.
This OCC copper wire is worth investigating. It's not cheap, but it is a good value. This pair cost less than $100 and took about three hours to make.
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I didn't know anything about braids before I started. A search will provide a few websites that feature instructions. The one I found most useful is http://www.saroftreve.com/wwl/braiding/6round.shtml. The important thing is practicing with cheap wire before you try using the good stuff.I used two different colors of wire, then spray painted two of the three strands of each color so I had one green (or red) wire, one green/red wire with white spray paint, and one green/red wire with gray paint. The paint doesn't stick to teflon, but just enough of it remains during the braiding process to enable identification of each strand, which is crucial. I suppose you could use other identifiers such as numbered tags or tape.
Trust me: this is well worth the trouble. In fact, once you've tried it, you'll be eager to make more.
Nice and thanks for the great tip!
The only similarity is the OCC copper material. From what I see on their website, the Anti's are a single piece of 12 ga wire. The ones I made are three parallel runs of 18ga for each signal leg (3 for + 3 for -), woven into a single flat braid.
Yep, I use the same cables in my set up, but I don't bi-wire. So I just twisted mine, and used a bare wire connection. They really sound great.
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