Audio Asylum Thread Printer

Get a view of an entire thread on one page

FAQ / News / Events

Tweakers' Asylum

A quick "fix" for a missing "locking barrel" on an Interconnect cable

98.221.76.71

I decided that I really didn't care for the sound I was getting from
an expensive set of ICs I was using from my DAC to my Headphone amp. I'd been using them for well over 2yrs & while they may be the most holographic
sounding cables I've tried tonally they are too etched for me. Out they
came as I decided to put a set of Kimber cables on instead ! Crap, one of
locking barrels was missing "What to do ?" I thought !

I noticed a ballpoint pen on my laptop table with a rubber sleeve on it &
for some reason I had some very small "O rings" also. I Sil-Clear wiped all the connectors & slipped the sleeve from the pen down over the RCA that was missing the barrel & pushed 2 O rings over the already tight sleeve.

It doesn't "look pretty" but it's working pretty well ! The Kimber Interconnects are sounding pretty good . Hopefully, I can get a good tradein value for the "Expensive" set from the Cable Co. (They're probably
a different animal with a Tube amp,which I don't care for with my Hex DAC).

What's that saying about "Necessity being the mother of invention" ?, It's true I guess !

Follow Ups:

RE: A quick "fix" for a missing "locking barrel" on an Interconnect cable - Duster 14:17:07 05/25/15 (1)
A clever DIY solution on your part. It might not be an obviously audible issue to address, but you might want to experiment by building an identical DIY barrel that matches what you already built, and try it on the other cable being used for the other stereo channel. Position each DIY barrel at the same end of each of the two cables (both at source end of the two cables, or both at the load end of the two cables). Barrels can impart a particular sonic signature, so a set of identical right and left cables might be better sonically matched, even if ever-so-slightly to your ear.
- RE: A quick "fix" for a missing "locking barrel" on an Interconnect cable - Old SteveA 07:28:53 05/26/15 (0)
  In a nutshell,I attached the 2 unaltered RCA connectors with an even amount of tightening to the DAC end & then attempted to adjust the other
  2 connections "accordingly"(to what I thought the input jacks on the amp side would be seeing). I first tightened the RCA with the barrel & then backed it off to were I believed it was just lightly holding the sheild to
  the jack & then placed 2 slightly smaller then the RCA shield O rings over the sleeve that was replacing the barrel. I crossed my fingers I'd guessed right & proceeded with various source material listening.
  I listened for about 2hrs before deciding that whatever differences there
  may have been they were exceptionally slight .... & then I came across the
  missing barrel ! I'm sure you can guess what I did next !
  Thanks for your comment & observation though !
  steve
  
  Edits: 05/26/15

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: