This is not just another gainclone

[protos]

Originally posted by mikelm
You just need to source some enamelled copper wire, about 12 gauge,
cut to length, scrape off some insulation each end, connect plugs if u like plugs and that's about it.

I am busy with other DIY stuff so I opted to buy these leads.

cheers

mike

I like enamelled copper too.I am using .7mm as the best compromise between treble and bass response.
I still have the 1500usd MIT shogun speaker cables they replaced.
However.....
using it in free air is ok but will usually get tangled up with itself.The cheapest solution is to get a small/medium sized spiral type cable protector you see in offices etc and wrap the enamelled wire on the outside around it one length clockwise the other anti clockwise starting/clamping from the middle.A more expensive solution would be teflon tubing of course .
I prefer to terminate in spades because 1) the copper oxidizes quickly and 2)it is very fragile and will break after you tighten it in the speaker terminals a couple of times.
The whole thing may cost something like 15-20 USD depending mainly on the cost of the spades.
Cheaper than the cheapest ratshack speaker wire probably.

[justblair]

The spiral is a good idea... I might just have some of that in a cupboard somewhere...

Thanks

Blair

[Zigis]

Can someone explain, how convert gauge to mm? I now CAT5 is 0.1 mm. How much mm is 12 gauge, for example ? Eny formula ?
Zigis.

[mikelm]

cat 5 cable is 4 twisted pairs - each strand is 0.5mm of copper ( + insulation )

for American wire gauges see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge


UK wire gauges are slightly different - but not much

You will have to find out which system you use in Latvia

cheers

mike

[Zigis]

Thanks, mike, for a link.
This table is what I am looking for.

Yes, my mistake, cat 5 is 0.5 mm.

We here use mm diameter and sometimes area mm>2.

Zigis

[kp93300]

Originally posted by Szabcsi
Hi Peter and all Gainclone builders,

I would like to share with you my experience concerning the Gainclone I have built.

I have been using a nice SET amplifier (home grown) for about 7 years, the sound of which was pretty nice to me. Not very long ago I even had the chance to A/B test it with a quite expensive although not triode amp (Audio Note P2SE, approx. 3000 USD retail I believe). After a week of listening I definitely felt that there is quite a difference, the advantage in most areas (dynamics and especially information content) being on my amp's side. Nevertheless, I heard so much about the Gaincard so I went to a local dealer and listened to it. It was quite impressive, although I was listening to horns this time. (At home I use large Audio Note speakers which sound beautiful for me). So I decided I would buy a kit (premium) from Peter and build it, maybe just for fun.
KI finished building the kit about a month ago. When I tried it first I was actually shocked. It turned out that the SET amp is "using" a pretty thick "curtain" between me and the speakers. I could hear significantly more from the music than before. It was amazing. However, there was something I did not like perfectly. There was some sharp edge of the sound, which made it tiring to listen to for longer periods, especially at louder (I would call normal for acoustic instruments) levels. After a few weeks of experimentation, last night I found the solution. Until yesterday, I was using the (pretty expensive ) Audio Note cable I used with the triode monster. Yesterday I thought: what if I change those cables with something similar to what 47Lab suggest. I had at home some Cat5e UTP cable so I took it apart and installed single wires of the 24 AWG cable. Guess what: I was shocked again. Last night was the first occasion that I could actually hear acoustic instruments and players making music in space. I had the feeling I was not listening to an electronic music reproduction device but I could actually forget about it.

The last thing I would like to add is that for more that 13 years this was what I have been searching for. In 1992 I was at a HighEnd show and listened to a full Audio Note chain, including the famous Ongaku and other extremely expensive stuff. Then I absolutely felt that there was no device at all, only music. However, because the total price of that suff was well over 100 000 USD, I thought I would never be able to come close to that. It seems that this tiny little amp helped a lot in that.

Sorry for the long post. I know it is not usual to write so long but I had to tell you what I experienced.

Szabolcs

PS. Thanks Peter for the kit!

Hi ,
I share your experiences after listening to Peter premium kit for 1 month. It is still getting better by the day and is very sensitive to cable changes.
I also wished to thank Peter for helpng with the built process and solving the turn on thumb.
keep up the good work and for introducing me to the world of DIY audio.
KP

[ashok]

Has anyone tried air cored coaxial cables used in large cable TV networks ? There is a spacer every few cm but it's mostly air and the center core is generally designed for RF use with some being copper coated iron but you do have copper cores also . If the copper core is available then it's worth trying. You may need two lengths to carry the signal and just use the shields as a shield and not carry signal.

[BWRX]

Originally posted by ashok
air cored coaxial cables

a.k.a. a type of semi-rigid coax = $$$

[AndrewT]

The cellular insulator in a coax is an attempt to approach some of the advantages of air core and the lack of significant dielectric mass between the core and shield.

[ashok]

Hi Andrew, I wasn't talking about cellular ( foamed) insulation, I was talking about real air core. They have spacers to keep the core at the center . Between spacers the core is free standing.
I'll try to find a picture of that . It's been there for a long time.
It's available here in the local market. It needs a large bending radius to keep the section from collapsing.

Edit : Here is one of them. The spacer runs linearly all through. I thought I saw one cable with spaced discs at intervals. I could be wrong. If I find that I'll post another picture. But this one is pretty much 'mostly' air spaced.