PFM DIYers cables?
- Thread starter Ant
- Start date
andrewsutton
pfm Member
18 ga 99.99% solid silver wire in teflon tubes plaited together. Did the whole system for about £70. Interconnects, clearly.
I still use naca5 for speaker cable. I will progress onto something else when I have decided which way to go. Probably single core copper. Maybe mains T&E with the E removed.
Andy.
I still use naca5 for speaker cable. I will progress onto something else when I have decided which way to go. Probably single core copper. Maybe mains T&E with the E removed.
Andy.
Robert
Tapehead
Coloured 79 strand on the loudspeakers - red for right and blue for left.
Interconnects tend to be whatever comes to hand but usually the Rega Couple clone as seen in the Reference section. The Klotz instrument cable used is well screened, tough and low capacitance. Costs about £2 pm. I like Neutrik Profi plugs because of the *sprung ground connection but they cost a bit more than the otherwise sonically as good standard plugs. Saves those accidental bangs and buzzes
* Ground connection is always made before signal.
Interconnects tend to be whatever comes to hand but usually the Rega Couple clone as seen in the Reference section. The Klotz instrument cable used is well screened, tough and low capacitance. Costs about £2 pm. I like Neutrik Profi plugs because of the *sprung ground connection but they cost a bit more than the otherwise sonically as good standard plugs. Saves those accidental bangs and buzzes
* Ground connection is always made before signal.
martin clark
pinko bodger
I have cables, a bucketful - how many might one like?
What I actually use is quite simple. Deltec Black Slink for pre-power amps and Deltec 500 for speaker cable (came with the amp, I need 4-core anyhow); and Gotham GAC-1 for the RCA:RCA tuner to pre ( which is at least as good as Linn Silver; all with Eichman Bullets)
- And either a re-terminated Naim interconnect or a diy homebrew jobbie based on skinny Suhner 50-ohm silver/teflon instrument coax, for DIN-RCA for the modded CD2, depending only on the length to preamp required. [size=-2]There's nothing between the two on sound and only about 10pF on measurement.[/size]
What I actually use is quite simple. Deltec Black Slink for pre-power amps and Deltec 500 for speaker cable (came with the amp, I need 4-core anyhow); and Gotham GAC-1 for the RCA:RCA tuner to pre ( which is at least as good as Linn Silver; all with Eichman Bullets)
- And either a re-terminated Naim interconnect or a diy homebrew jobbie based on skinny Suhner 50-ohm silver/teflon instrument coax, for DIN-RCA for the modded CD2, depending only on the length to preamp required. [size=-2]There's nothing between the two on sound and only about 10pF on measurement.[/size]
Interconnects are Mogami 2549 with Neutrik XLR connectors.
S/PDIF is Belden 1694A with Canare BNC connectors.
Speaker cables are Mogami 3102 for heavy duty 2-core stuff (amp -> passive XO), Mogami 3104 for the 4-core stuff (passive XO -> speakers), and Mogami 3082 coax for midrange/tweeters on an upcoming active build. All speaker cables are bare wire into copper hand-tightened binding posts at the amp, and Neutrik Speakon at the speakers.
Power cables are some thick 3-core mains cables from Home Depot with Neutrik Powercons instead of IECs.
Internal preamp signal wiring is mostly TonyL's silver/ptfe cable available right here at pfm.
Internal preamp power wiring is 18AWG copper from Home Depot. Internal poweramp power wiring is 12AWG copper from Home Depot, but I'd probably just use 16AWG in future - 12AWG is just too unwieldy.
S/PDIF is Belden 1694A with Canare BNC connectors.
Speaker cables are Mogami 3102 for heavy duty 2-core stuff (amp -> passive XO), Mogami 3104 for the 4-core stuff (passive XO -> speakers), and Mogami 3082 coax for midrange/tweeters on an upcoming active build. All speaker cables are bare wire into copper hand-tightened binding posts at the amp, and Neutrik Speakon at the speakers.
Power cables are some thick 3-core mains cables from Home Depot with Neutrik Powercons instead of IECs.
Internal preamp signal wiring is mostly TonyL's silver/ptfe cable available right here at pfm.
Internal preamp power wiring is 18AWG copper from Home Depot. Internal poweramp power wiring is 12AWG copper from Home Depot, but I'd probably just use 16AWG in future - 12AWG is just too unwieldy.
Tony L
Administrator
I quite enjoy terminating my own:
I taught myself how to solder-up jack leads back in the 80s when in a band and I've made them ever since, though I have to admit I've also got a lot of ready-made Gotham GAK stuff from eBay as it's so cheap and well made it's hardly worth the effort DIYing, especially for anything that ends in a DIN plug (which I really hate soldering), e.g. the pre-power link to my old 303.
I taught myself how to solder-up jack leads back in the 80s when in a band and I've made them ever since, though I have to admit I've also got a lot of ready-made Gotham GAK stuff from eBay as it's so cheap and well made it's hardly worth the effort DIYing, especially for anything that ends in a DIN plug (which I really hate soldering), e.g. the pre-power link to my old 303.
TheDecameron
Unicorns fart glitter.
I use cat5 both with the +\- platter and because I was warned off the capacitance this produces by a manufacturer on here, as single runs for + and - separately.
I'd welcome the opinions of others on here.
I'd welcome the opinions of others on here.
Barrymagrec
pfm Member
Mains and signal - what came with the kit (including Quadlink)
Speakers - 50 / .25 (2.5mm) equipment wire - no banana plugs because amp and speakers have good solid screw terminals.
Speakers - 50 / .25 (2.5mm) equipment wire - no banana plugs because amp and speakers have good solid screw terminals.
I use DIY clones of the silver litz interconnects (1m) with bullet plugs and speaker cables (5m) as shown on hificollective. All cables home made apart from the missing link sme lead, and a couple of pairs of zanash silver/gold leads I play with occasionally. Mains cables are just standard stuff (3m long) from RS wired up to one of these, bought from Maplins years ago.
flashgo
DIY Practitioner
I hate cables. I don't like to think that they matter, but deep down, I grudgingly admit that sometimes they do matter. Convenience is a big factor for me. Flexibility should be appropriate to the job. Connections should be secure but easy to make and break. SQ is a can of worms.
RCA ICs = Cardas 300B that I scored decades ago. Cardas won't let the stuff out unterminated these days. Needs a hot iron. I don't know if I'm fooling myself, but they are very neutral and open, and I like them. Hacker's Mogami stuff is excellent VFM, but still inhibited relative to Cardas.
DIN ICs = Mogami, much better than stock Naim cables. I haven't put much effort into these because I want to rid my system of DIN connectors eventually.
Plugs = Neutriks or CMC locking (eBay from Taiwan). I haven't noticed any differences in plugs, although I'm curious to try the bullet plugs. Hard to imagine that it really matters, but if Martin likes them, I'll give them a go.
PCs = Pangea or PS Audio. Fatter cables on power amps do make a difference, although I haven't detected brand differences in SQ. I prefer the PS Audio even though they're more expensive because the plugs make a more secure fit, and they're reasonably flexible. Shorter cables to keep things tidy.
RCA ICs = Cardas 300B that I scored decades ago. Cardas won't let the stuff out unterminated these days. Needs a hot iron. I don't know if I'm fooling myself, but they are very neutral and open, and I like them. Hacker's Mogami stuff is excellent VFM, but still inhibited relative to Cardas.
DIN ICs = Mogami, much better than stock Naim cables. I haven't put much effort into these because I want to rid my system of DIN connectors eventually.
Plugs = Neutriks or CMC locking (eBay from Taiwan). I haven't noticed any differences in plugs, although I'm curious to try the bullet plugs. Hard to imagine that it really matters, but if Martin likes them, I'll give them a go.
PCs = Pangea or PS Audio. Fatter cables on power amps do make a difference, although I haven't detected brand differences in SQ. I prefer the PS Audio even though they're more expensive because the plugs make a more secure fit, and they're reasonably flexible. Shorter cables to keep things tidy.
Budah_1970
pfm Member
why is it, when people make their own cables , they 9 times out of ten swear they sound better than anything else.
LOL
LOL
sam_cat
C'est Crounchifique!
Because for not much ££ you can try a lot of different things against your current cables.. And settle for the ones that sound best to you in your system.. Its all about synergy!
Would be happy to make a set of twisted interconnects for posting around for people to try. Very simple and cheap to make for yourself and would be interesting to hear other peoples thoughts on them..
Sam
flashgo
DIY Practitioner
What a great idea! I'll work on putting an IC together for posting to interested PFMers in the US. Sharing will make it easy to do comparisons, and we can collect some perspective on synergy between ICs and systems.