|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
207.200.116.196
In Reply to: Cat5e speaker cable ?? about recipe posted by bebo on March 8, 2007 at 12:30:40:
I never did the whole CVH unjacketed set, which is quite a construction job indeed! I only did the TNT version years ago with the jacket on and a triple set, not sextuple set. So you could say I took the quick way and instead of spending a whole weekend in fingernumbing work, I spent an hour and a half total. These worked great in my system for years and the recipe worked for friends as well.However, if you listen to Jon Risch you're going to get the best results. If you're determined to do it once and do it right, then follow his and Chris Ven Haus' advice and take the jacket OFF!
Also, whatever you do, you need to get the Cat 5e that is Plenum with all Teflon jackets (some plenum is no longer all Teflon). That's just as critical to the recipe's quality.
Follow Ups:
I do not have the patience to braid like the CVH version. I am planning on twisting quad set like the audioholic version. I have ordered some plenum wire that the site says is teflon insulated but they do not say if the jacket is teflon as well. So at this time I am undecided whether to remove the jacket or not.Jon if the outer jacket is teflon as well then would there be a signifcant difference if I do not remove it?
Aside from all the issues concerning the braiding, and the twisting, etc., and just looking at the jacket dielectric aspect, if the jacket were teflon, it would not be very much of a sonic penalty to leave it on.HOWEVER, it is VERY unlikely that you have ordered a CAT5 cable with a teflon jacket, almost invariably if they say the cable is "teflon" they mean the twisted pair insulation and NOT the jacket.
If you have found a source of the rare and mythical teflon jacked CAT5, please share this source with everyone.
You can still just braid the 4 pairs per cable jacket set as one leg of the braid, in fact, if the jacket is PVC, it should be possible to braid the jackets, and remove the jackets after they have been braided, and them pull the wires tight after the jackets have been removed. You would have to kind of peel the jacket away from each section as it weaves in and out of the braid pattern, but it could be done, and it would keep the 4 pairs together so you wouldn't have to handle the 4 pairs loose while atempting to braid them as a set.
If you do it this way, then I would recommend a secondary wrap after removing the jackets, of some teflon gas line tape, while the czble is being stretched taut, so the twisted pairs are not too loose with espect to one another.
Jon Risch
Hi Jon,I thought this was Belden 1585lc?
Regards,
...but not quite:
Paired- DataTwist® Category 5e
Suitable Applications: Premise Horizontal Cable, Gigabit Ethernet, 100BaseTX, 100BaseVG ANYLAN, 155ATM, 622ATM, NTSC/PAL Component or Composite Video, AES/EBU, Digital Video, RS-422, 200MHz Category 5e, Vertical Tray Rated
Number of Pairs: 4
Total Number of Conductors: 8
AWG: 24
Stranding: Solid
Conductor Material: BC - Bare Copper
Insulation Material: PO - Polyolefin
Outer Shield Material: Unshielded Outer Jacket Material Trade Name: Haloarrest®
Outer Jacket Material: LSNH - Low Smoke Non-Halogen Plenum
Plenum Number: 1585A, 1585LC
Applications: Category Cables, Category 5e
John and others thanks everyone for the ideas. I tested the jacket of the cables I received - they burn with a cigarette lighter so not teflon. The insulation however just melts no burning - similar melting properties as teflon pipe thread.It will take me a few weeks before I have time to play with this. Will post my observations after auditioning carefully.
It will also produce a less thick carpet python so it will be easier to handle.
Electrically it will also keep the capacitance more even.
I have tried both jacket on and off i prefer the jacket off.
I hope this helps Chris
I haven't found other than one manufacturer in the US that does a Teflon jacket, and as Jon said, you have to buy that stuff in 1000' rolls! Also, it's not cheap at all.So if you're going for the sound and you're going through the trouble, you may want to go unjacketed, as Jon strongly suggests.
You're not going to get shit sound if you keep the jackets on, at least that's been my experience. But if you are going to do this only once, then you might as well do it the best way you can.
Once you unjacket them and have to deal with twisting or braiding or both, and especially if you're thinking of bi-wiring, then you may want to do some serious research here in the Cables archives. Try a thread called "longcat" as I recall, or "gomer cable". Different methods to determine best geometry and some construction details too.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: