Homebuilt speaker cables - 5th generation

[Speedskater]

Does anybody need 500 yards (meters) of lacing cord?

Alpha Wire Co. LC136 WH088 Hardware, tape. Nylon and dacron flat braided tape. Military MIL-T-43435 lacing cord, tensile strength: 50 lb. Color: white. Package of 500 yards. Rohs compliant. New (un-used) $24.00

[new2tubes]

Originally Posted by tvrgeek

The blue is a tad garish. You can get similar mesh in black. How about just heavy black cotton thread?

I picked blue because I just finished a pair of blue bookshelf speakers. They are done in a flat speckled black cabinet sides and back with metallic blue fronts. I kind of like the look of the metallic blue with the black speakers mounted in them- makes a nice contrast. But yes, I have to admit, probably a lot garish !! I am working on new design using a very light birdseye maple with metallic purple. Not your typical look for speakers but that's what I am aiming for.

Thanks all for the other ideas so far. I will check out the lacing and such.

[tvrgeek]

My last pair were a bronze metallic. Anything but piano black. I remember when Tanburg Facets came in bright orange.

I think just black thread is all you need. Otherwise we are going to have to explain the difference in double loop lacing mil-spec and NASA lacing.

[new2tubes]

Why I picked blue wrap. To match the speakers

[808///M3]

Re: keeping the separate cables together w/out using the blue sheath. Have you tried simply twisting them together? As long as the 2 ends are terminated rigidly (soldered, etc.), natural tension should keep the entire cable nicely together, without externally binding them, and showing off the factory black fabric. Sounds like you have enough to at least experiment with it: terminate one end fully - connector and all (as long as individual cables are "locked" together and cannot rotate independently). You'll need to cut the cables to desired length because the loose ends will need to be able to twist freely. Hang the finished end securely (resistant to rotation) from something tall enough so the cable length won't touch ground. Starting immediately from the finished end, twist the individual cables together, allowing them rotate naturally as you progress downward. You'll feel the individual cables naturally twist slightly as they wind together. When you reach the other end, solder and terminate without releasing the tension that's present. This tension should keep the whole cable nicely formed even when coiled up. If it's not to your liking, try again except add the slightest bit of additional twist in the same direction the individual cables are trying to twist. I haven't worked with your particular cable, but I've seen this work with both smaller and larger gauge cables than 14 (though not for speaker cables).

[Thatch_Ear]

Wait to try cables with capacitance when you finish your tube amp. I forget why but too much cap in your speaker cables and SS amps do not get along. Tubes love it, but I have heard that SS can go through a melt down that can cost a lot to fix.
I braided 16 strands of old solid copper insulated in what looks like cloth but is an old synthetic called Celonese. Different dialectics will create different fields, but the act of crossing the wires in a braid cancels the inductance created by twisting lots of strands like big zip cord that has hundreds of small wires in the pos and neg of standard cable.
Losing the inductance and adding some capacitance will create enough of a field that shielding for RF probably would be a waste of time and money. The inductance of standard cable won't hurt tubes but braids instead of twists makes for a much quieter soundstage, especially for low wattage SE triodes.
I braid interconnects too, but the only insulation is the stuff magnet wire is coated with and 2V from a CD player can't create much cap. I have never tried to measure them or the cables.
I know a cable designer/builder and my stuff can't stand up to his, but my ICs cost only about $150/pr to build, the cables are from a spool of wire I bought at a HAMfest for $5 but the wire goes for a good $2/ft on Epay. Just look for WE celonese copper wire.
Thatch

[Doubtingthomas51]

We are big on home-made power cords,interconnects, and speaker cables.
That's nice cable. Really nice cable!
I was taught and experience has seemed to confirm that speaker cable gauge is best determined by amplifier power.
I use a just under 14 gauge speaker cable for the McIntosh powered AR3a's and just over 16 gauge with my son's hand built tube amp powered Cornwalls.
You've got your banana's are color coded and while tech flex is available in a wide array of colors I like the blue(degustibus non es disputandem).
If you haven't already you might add some rf shielding either with inexpensive blocks on each end or with copper tape or even aluminum foil under the tech flex.
Be fearless tho-my skepticism about the cables came to a screeching stop when my son built a high end power cord for the aforementioned tube amp. The results were simply indisputable! Repeated A/b tests with similarly skeptical friends yielded uniformly positive results. We have found at least with the Sony and Denon gear we have worked with the power cables are easily accessible inside and the low grade factory power cord easily replaced.
N.b. look for hospital grade wall plugs etc, we have found them more than satisfactory and far less expensive than similar "audiophile" plugs.
Likewise interconnects good quality gold connectors seem indistinguishable(at our level at least) from C and other elite brands. I am not knocking absolutely top shelf components it's just their price point frequently is way beyond ours.
Then go after your turntable connects, ground, and power cable.
At this point every wire in my system from the wall outlet to where the plugs go into the 3A's is DIY.
Lastly my monniker here expresses the most profound aspect of my personality-nearly pathologic skepticism- I only did this wire work because every time my son improved the cables in his system the sound improved, sometimes almost shockingly. Oh well even a seasoned skeptic has to give way to overwhelming evidence.
Hot tip: wire can be easliy wound with slow use of an electric drill-a real sanity saver.

[Doubtingthomas51]

Regarding keeping them together without wrapping: we have gotten some nice sounding/looking results using zip ties at intervals.

[WntrMute2]

How about short sections of heat shrink tubing? I used 1to inch sections of adhesive lined for my Tempo interconnects.