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In Reply to: RE: More DIY silver foil speaker cables posted by Dave Garretson on January 18, 2015 at 09:27:14
I understand the comments by another poster regarding buying used silver cables from “the Pros” but I also am appreciative of the bold DIY’er who takes the chance and puts out the expense to explore. So… thanks for sharing.
Having said that- here’s some critical comments/observations.
I never liked foil for superficial reasons. Always thought they looked gimmicky and unnatural. But, I have never heard them, so take this for what it’s worth. If I AB”D them in my system and heard better sound I would use them. Your justification for using is more valid than my reasons for not liking them.
Allen Wright is probably as good of a cable sherpa as anyone, and the cost/ gauge advantages are legit. I follow various “pro’s” and enthusiast as well . A few of the companies I look to, especially when it comes to silver, is Audio Note Kondo (along w AN UK) and Neotech. And I don’t see any foil in their repertoire.
I read the Tempo Electric site w great interest and think it is the best diy cable site dealing w silver cabling I’ve read. One nugget I took from the reading is from the GE engineer who stated that there were adverse “sonic anomalies caused by the interface of dissimilar metals.” If that’s true with the connectors on the speaker cable (or interconnect), then why wouldn’t be true with the binding post and the hook up wire connected to those post. Going back to Audio Note, the upgrade path for their speakers and amps are a lot about more and more silver. So, I would suggest to keep going with the silver. It’s not an expensive experiment as the runs are short and Chinese CMC post are relatively inexpensive. Upon good results, you could upgrade to higher performing connectors although I’m not sure what choices are out there for all silver post, etc…
Maybe expand on your solution
I mentioned this in another post, so sorry for the redundancy. Robert at http://www.liveacoustics.com.sg/upocc.htm in Singapore has a lot of experience w Silver DIY cable recipes and has recommended that higher gauge always sounds better (in the form of speed). High gauge silver gets very expensive but his method for mitigating that expense is to use copper for the return run. He also told me that sometimes the silver on the return sounds better, but you just have to experiment w it in your system and decide.
Follow Ups:
Thanks for commenting and for the link to the silver binding posts. Silver posts are worth a try. I'm more inclined to test them on the Merlins than on my Pass monoblocks. These come stock with fancy ratcheting Furutech posts.
FWIW the finished aesthetic of a stack of narrow 1/4" foils is identical to a conventional round cable of modest 3/8" diameter-- no wide ribbons to step on or ruin décor.
I don't know everything about cable design, but I do know that the mark up for commercial cables(excepting Tempo) is generally much greater than for electronics and speakers-- at least 10x COGs. That translates this little project to at least $7K if offered commercially-- more if terminated with bona fide Oyaide or WBT silver spades. Most cable manufacturers simply can't find a market for a cable that costs 25 oz. of silver. Absent price no object, heavy gauge silver will by definition remain the province of DIYers.
Next step is cryo treatment.
“I'm more inclined to test them on the Merlins than on my Pass monoblocks. These come stock with fancy ratcheting Furutech posts.”
Understandable. Messing w high dollar electronics is a little scary especially if warranties are involved.
“FWIW the finished aesthetic of a stack of narrow 1/4" foils is identical to a conventional round cable of modest 3/8" diameter-- no wide ribbons to step on or ruin décor.”
Yes I see that upon looking closer.
I wonder about the actual silver you’re using as compared to Neotech 7N UPOCC Silver wire. I also like the air dialectic strategy used by tempo electric and the possibility of a braid. But, as you stated, cost/gauge is probably in favor of the foil which might trump everything.
“I don't know everything about cable design, but I do know that the mark up for commercial cables(excepting Tempo) is generally much greater than for electronics and speakers-- at least 10x COGs. That translates this little project to at least $7K if offered commercially-- more if terminated with bona fide Oyaide or WBT silver spades. Most cable manufacturers simply can't find a market for a cable that costs 25 oz. of silver. Absent price no object, heavy gauge silver will by definition remain the province of DIYers.”
I couldn’t agree more. Just wish it was easier to experiment. Trading commercial wires in and out of the system is sooo easy. Maybe we need a silver wire society to try out each other DIY projects. Til then- keep posting!
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