Cable Asylum

Posted by jeffreybehr (A) on July 28, 2006 at 09:41:47

In Reply to: DIY Speaker cable posted by Dezzy on July 28, 2006 at 01:39:54:

PLEASE show me where.

Dezzy, there's a recent thread on the net gage of speaker wire. Many believe that not only should one start with small-gage solid conductors but one should STOP there too. I believe in the traditional hi-gage approach*, so probably I'd go with something like cheap-Jack's recommendation. But if I were to do it all myself, I'd use Audioquest's Spread-Spectrum approach and use different-gage conductors, for instance an 18 and 20 and 22 (= net 15.0g.). If you want to go larger, add a 16 for net of about 12-1/2.

Will you be single- or biwiring? If the latter, treble-only on the top or MR and treble?

I'd use Teflon 'airtubes' for the insulators. That is simply Teflon tubing sugnificantly larger in internal-diameter 'gage' than the conductor that's inside it. That way the conductor touches the plastic tubing very little and the chief insulator is air. Michael Percy sells it from 22- thru FOUR-gage!

But rather than do ANY of the above, I would again use Home Grown Audio's SC-16 raw speaker cable...

http://www.homegrownaudio.com/silver_braid.htm

...and terminate and cover it myself. SC-16 uses 8 pairs of 22g., 4-nines-pure, solid-silver conductors insulated with Teflon. Net gage is 13.0. I use Audioquest's direct-silver-over-LG-copper spades and some heatshrink. Here's a pic of one of my uglier efforts...

...and here's a pic of AQ's 5/16" spades.

* but I'm no GEA, so maybe what I build or buy doesn't sound as good as I think!

http://community.webshots.com/user/jeffreybehr

• http://www.percyaudio.com/Catalog.pdf   (Open in New Window)