Hello all. I am looking for a good source for cotton outer sleeving for DIY cables including power, ICs, USB etc... I want some nice color and pattern options....not just white or off white. Can’t seem to find any? Thanks ahead of time for your help.
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Source for cotton sleeving
You might try looking for cotton shoe laces. Not sure if the diameter/length will meet your needs, though.
You might try looking for cotton shoe laces. Not sure if the diameter/length will meet your needs, though.
If you already found suitable white sleeves, dying them in any colour you wish is *easy*.
I always dye my own T-Shirts, socks, tennis shoes, sweaters, undies, and even custom speaker grill cloth.
Like with anything else, practice makes perfect 🙂
I always dye my own T-Shirts, socks, tennis shoes, sweaters, undies, and even custom speaker grill cloth.
Like with anything else, practice makes perfect 🙂
The electronics industry moved away from cotton for cables when better insulators/dielectrics were invented. Quite apart from electrical issues, cotton gets dirty; can you put a cotton-covered cable in a washing machine?
Sure that’s your opinion and that is fine. I prefer the sound of unshielded ICs and other cables and cotton is a must to cover these. Essentially an air dialectic which to my ears is superior to synthetic coverings based on my extensive listening tests and my ears. Just my preference as well as others.
Not planning to use them outdoors and would like a black colored cotton. I assume you don’t know of a source as that was my question and topic here?
Many fine sounding cable brands using cotton today including Duelund, Jupiter, Sablon, Ocellia, Kondo as well as many others.
Not planning to use them outdoors and would like a black colored cotton. I assume you don’t know of a source as that was my question and topic here?
Many fine sounding cable brands using cotton today including Duelund, Jupiter, Sablon, Ocellia, Kondo as well as many others.
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Agree, there are no shortage of companies with any options you want, extolled as wonder cures. And they are quite willing to take large amounts of your money for the privilege. Again the old saying that "a fool and his money are soon parted" is just too true today.
Of course real double blind testing would prove all these magical claims, but for some reason these manufacturers and followers never get around to doing this.
Of course real double blind testing would prove all these magical claims, but for some reason these manufacturers and followers never get around to doing this.
If you cannot help why are you forcing a topic that is off issue and one you are ill informed about? If you cannot add any value, why so negative and argumentative? Why do you even assume all of this cloth wire is so expensive and snake oil? Why even post it on my quite neutral and simple question? Hope you feel better now that you have shared your opinion on something that was not asked for.
Why. Because this is a forum where peoples opinions can be expressed. Not just the ones you approve of. If you can't take others opinions stay off public forums.
You are free to post whatever you want this is true. You are not being helpful if that matters to you. The point is to be helpful on this simple question. Flame on sir if it makes you feel more secure.
For any single wire most of the surrounding dielectric is air, so the insulator cannot have any significant effect at audio frequencies.
For a pair and other close arrangements the quality of the dielectric could matter, if driven from a high impedance source (poor engineering). Cotton is a poor dielectric. For a start it varies with humidity, as water has a high dielectric constant. Fortunately in a well-engineered system with a low source impedance this won't matter.
Use cotton if you like the look of it, but don't kid yourself that it improves the sound.
DIY power cables may invalidate your home insurance.
For a pair and other close arrangements the quality of the dielectric could matter, if driven from a high impedance source (poor engineering). Cotton is a poor dielectric. For a start it varies with humidity, as water has a high dielectric constant. Fortunately in a well-engineered system with a low source impedance this won't matter.
Use cotton if you like the look of it, but don't kid yourself that it improves the sound.
DIY power cables may invalidate your home insurance.
Cotton Tubing | Hifi Collective
Or search EBay for the term “cotton tubing” and limit the results to those in the Consumer Electronics category.
Martin
Or search EBay for the term “cotton tubing” and limit the results to those in the Consumer Electronics category.
Martin
Grannyring,
you have my sympathy. Spent 4 years working from 'accepted wisdom' that turned out to be mostly b/s and ended up with i/connects that were way better than the commercial stuff. All my comments only refer to analogue, I've yet to work with digital so have zero experience, ergo zero opinion on these.
Those who like to make out they are stating scientific fact are like the religious true believers who then project belief syndrome onto those who oppose their views. They always refer to 'exotic' or expensive' i/cs, when most diy have a moderate price even using high purity conductor material and I'm not referring to 6/9 stuff.
Funnily enough I'm about to try a last experiment using cotton dialectric over solid core high purity copper. I've bought enough to make 2 pairs of i/cs and a headphone cable. Whether it will improve on air core dialectric - nominal ID 1.43mm/wall 0.15 FEP / conductor 26AWG solid core - I don't know - all theory should come from practice.
Try HIGHEND CITY - Not Found meter/.
Techflex did use to make an 'audioflex' that was soft, I have enough left to make the experimental cable.
PM me, so we can discuss our mutual efforts positively, we may surprise each other.
you have my sympathy. Spent 4 years working from 'accepted wisdom' that turned out to be mostly b/s and ended up with i/connects that were way better than the commercial stuff. All my comments only refer to analogue, I've yet to work with digital so have zero experience, ergo zero opinion on these.
Those who like to make out they are stating scientific fact are like the religious true believers who then project belief syndrome onto those who oppose their views. They always refer to 'exotic' or expensive' i/cs, when most diy have a moderate price even using high purity conductor material and I'm not referring to 6/9 stuff.
Funnily enough I'm about to try a last experiment using cotton dialectric over solid core high purity copper. I've bought enough to make 2 pairs of i/cs and a headphone cable. Whether it will improve on air core dialectric - nominal ID 1.43mm/wall 0.15 FEP / conductor 26AWG solid core - I don't know - all theory should come from practice.
Try HIGHEND CITY - Not Found meter/.
Techflex did use to make an 'audioflex' that was soft, I have enough left to make the experimental cable.
PM me, so we can discuss our mutual efforts positively, we may surprise each other.
All true theory must come from practice. Then it should be used to direct future practice. A few centuries of experimentation have given us Maxwell's equations, from which you can derive circuit theory. Circuit theory tells us that the insulation and conductors of an audio interconnect merely have to be reasonably good insulators/conductors in order to correctly convey an analogue audio signal; no need for expensive or unusual materials. The geometric arrangement should be coax for unbalanced and twisted pair (or possibly quad) for balanced; any different arrangements, such as those favoured by some DIYers, are inferior and might damage the sound (e.g. due to RF pickup). Fortunately the signal is fairly robust so daft cables probably still work and don't do too much damage. No cable can be "way better" than an ordinary commercial cable; any genuine change in sound is likely to be a degradation, but might not be perceived as such.Black Stuart said:
Please note that I have not insulted or criticised those who believe in cables; I have merely said that they are mistaken. This is how public forums work.
I hope you find your cotton, and enjoy your music.
Which particular aspect of Heaviside's work bears on this issue? I have used some of his mathematical ideas in my own research and don't recall seeing anything which might contradict Maxwell.
Seems to me that there are a few that have nothing better to do with their time.
I suggest this subject belongs under Snake Oil.
I suggest this subject belongs under Snake Oil.
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