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RE: Paging Mr. Cowen....

Posted by Duster on January 2, 2017 at 15:06:59:
You could use the 20 AWG Neotech solid core OCC copper with *solid* FEP Teflon wire for a DIY DC umbilical project, but I'm very pleased with VH Audio's UniCrystal OCC Copper Hookup Wire with *foamed/cellular* AirLok Insulation. I've built a number of short 0.5 meter AES/EBU digital cables and DC umbilicals with 21 AWG VH Audio UniCrystal OCC Copper Hookup Wire with *foamed/cellular* AirLok Insulation, 22 AWG Neotech solid core OCC copper with *solid* FEP Teflon wire, and 22 AWG Neotech solid core pure silver with *solid* FEP Teflon and find that the *solid* FEP dielectric vs. the superior *foamed/cellular* FEP Teflon AirLok dielectric involves two issues:
The VH Audio Airlock dielectric is comparatively thin walled and the low-mass insulation adds very little material to "get in the way" of the solid core wire twist ratio, while the solid insulation does not allow as tight of a twist ratio for optimized noise cancellation, and IME the solid insulation imparts a subtle "Teflon sonic signature" that the Airlock dielectric does not, so the Airlock insulation is quite transparent sounding, to my ear. It's also rather easy to achieve a somewhat precision twist ratio that is considerably consistent (but not perfect) from end to end, along the entire length of the cable, with only a couple of inches at each end that need to be snipped-off as waste caused by the twisting process and the securing of the ends during the wire twisting process.
The wire twisting process is simple but effective in order to build a short-length cable, with only two factors to consider:
1. An unmovable object like a table vice or a chair back to tie one end of the wires to.
2. A simple stick, pen/pencil, or other handy device to use as a twisting rod secured at the other end of the wires.
Twisting:
Starting out with the two wires pulled straight in parallel, begin turning the twisting rod in a clockwise direction while observing how the wire behaves when the two wires begin to twist together, since the twists may form at arbitrary places along the length of the wires. With one hand turning the rod, use the other hand to run fingers along the length of the wires to help spread-out the twists so the wires don't bunch too much together in one spot. You may notice that the more you twist, the more the wires will start to follow a pattern that needs to be guided by the fingers so the twists are evenly spread-out along the entire length of the wires. The more the wires are twisted together, the more you will need to stop the twisting process from time to time and be more assertive to help spread the twists more evenly rather than allowing the wires to severely bunch together. As the wires begin to form a consistently tight twist ratio, you may notice a point where the wires seem as tightly twisted as they can be, but after the wires are allowed to rest awhile, you may find they can be twisted even tighter, but don't be too severe. As the wires are twisted to a nominal maximum ratio, you may notice that at each end of the wires, the twists will be come very severe which is a sign that the wire twisting process is completed. The severely twisted ends should be snipped-off before the next step begins.
PTFE Teflon tape wrap:
Once the wires are twisted and removed from the table vice or other object, and the twisting rod removed, a layer of PTFE Teflon plumber's tape wrap should be used to build a cable jacket to help keep the wires twisted tightly together, and provide a level of of cable resonance control. I recommend heavy duty gray colored PTFE tape, since only one layer is required vs. the very thin white PTFE Tape that is very inefficient to work with. Simply wrap the wires like you would a baseball bat or golf club grip, keeping the tape snug while wrapping the wires. This wrapping process is the most tedious aspect even for a short 0.5 meter DIY cable build, and can result in tired fingers due to keeping the tape consistently snug along the entire length of the cable during the wrapping process.
Cheers, Duster