turntable interconnect diy - gauge too small?

[MaccAu]

Hi All

I made up some really nice 32awg silver plated Alpha headshell links with gold plated BeCopper connectors. I plan to do the tone arm in the 32awg spc also.



However, I am thinking if i use 30awg silver? or 30awg spc, and keep the whole set up silver plated copper? The 30awg silver is used, and the 30awg spc is brand new, both wires are solid core, the 32awg spc is multistrand.



I assume the 32 spc would be too small for an interconnect?



Thank you

Sam

 

[jplesset]

There is so little current coming out of a cart that 32 or even 40 awg wouldn't be a problem, other than the extreme fragility.... I doubt you'd be able to hear any diff from copper to silver.

 

[fortitudine]

You are asking the wrong question, in my opinion. Tonearm wire differentiates around flexibility and high-frequency extension. Litz wire is the typical high-end answer for many reasons. I found a nice link for you that explains the ins and outs.

https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/superflex.htm

 

[SY]

Tonearm wire differentiates around flexibility

Yes.

and high-frequency extension.

No.

The KAB wire is silicone insulated, which is good for several reasons, mostly flexibility. The Litz thing for this application is sales-driven nonsense.

 

[Hiten]

Would it be good to have a wire which has proper awg thickness. is both insulated and enameled, is supple. So that we can strip off the insulation (around 10 mm) exactly at the point where wires bend in tonearm ? that way we make more free movement of the tonearm. How about return wire of one channel is the metal tube of tonearm ? we can discard 4th wire so more flexibility and less weight.
Regards.

 

[picowallspeaker]

Just keep them out of the arm/tube ....

 

[AndrewT]

You could use the metal tube of the tone arm as a screen/shield to attenuate interference onto the 4 cores carrying the signal.

Do not use the tube as any part of the signal route.

Do not use enameled very fine copper. It is nearly impossible to clean off the enamel for good soldering.

The thinnest strand one would normally use is 0.1mm ~ 38awg and has 2160ohms/km
7 strands of this is roughly equivalent to 30awg and might be suitable for wiring a tonearm.
7strands of 40awg is roughly equivalent to 32awg. If you are careful you could use this for tone arm wiring.

One can get finner wire, but 7x0.1mm is already pretty fragile.

30awg is 0.255mm diam and that is very chunky. There are many thicknesses from 0.1mm to 0.255 that get used in speaker cable and multimeter probe leads.

 

[MaccAu]

Thanks for the reply Jplesset, so 32 would be fine for an interconnect?

Thanks for the link Fortitudine

Thanks for the reply Picospeaker

Thanks Hiten for the reply and advice with the wiring and sheilding, i am guessing 32awg is a bit large for the tonearm

Thanks Andrew for the reply, so 32awg is a bit too large for tone arm wiring it is in teflon and appears flexible, especially over the kynar 30awg silve copper and teflon silver which is fragile?

Maybe 32awg is good for the Technics V9 pcb to the rca, and maybe interdconnect? and less for the tonearm, i know cardas sells 34awg, which must be close to 32?
I have 6 strands to make the 32awg

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

 

[jplesset]

I would be far less concerned about the wire gauge than the flexibility. I hear folks using wire out of a computer mouse, because is is very flexible.

There is so little current flowing in the wire, gauge really doesn't make any different. Input impedance of your pre-amp is high, and so wire resistance isn't really something to worry about.

 

[MaccAu]

Thanks Jplesset, the Technics SU-V9 has a powerful phonostage. I was thinking instead of 30awg from the input pcb to the rca i will use tghe 32awg as it is more flexible.

As for tonearm, maybe larger gauage than the original which is very flexible, 32awg is sold on ebay as tonearm wire. It is not as flexible as the old cable but i can make an S shape with it no problem.

5 Colour Silver Plated 7 Strand Tone ARM Tonearm Wire Heat Shrink Sleeving | eBay

 

[MaccAu]

If i left the tonearm and used
32awg spc headshell leads (diy) - old copper in tonearm - interconnect 32awg ? btw the old copper appears to be in good shape, no oxidisation, when i stripped it back. Its Technics SL-D202 - bulit 1982, my newest turntable deck.

The 2840/7 BL005 is a 100ft 32AWG 250V blue Hook-up Wire with stranded silver plated copper conductor and PTFE insulation. This MIL-DTL-16878/6 type ET wire has the ability to withstand wear and abrasion, electrical properties and resistance to oil, solvents and chemicals. It provides excellent uniformity for easy handling, stripping and termination.

0.53lbs Maximum pull tension
0.15mm Insulation thickness
REACH regulation (EC 1907/2006)

Applications
Automation & Process Control; Microwave; Aerospace, Defence, Military; Industrial

 

[MaccAu]

*** moderators sorry about the tripple post***

I found some silver wire i can use? 35awg
https://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/p/ACS-SW-D15/Silver+Wire+0.15mm

I could then use my used 30awg silver wire Neotech UPOCC for the interconnect, and for the amp pcb to rca socket

 

[Bare]

you could save some sleepless nights by Finding an Old Microsoft Mouse And salvaging it's wires for tonearm use.
Yes De Classe but actually pretty damned good wire for that purpose .. regardless.

 

[Eric]

I found some silver wire i can use? 35awg
https://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/p/ACS-SW-D15/Silver+Wire+0.15mm

That is a VERY high price for four 9s silver wire. Contact Myron Tobac in New Your City. I have no relation with them other than being a customer. Years ago, I purchased 30ga round uninsulated silver (not sterling!) wire from them - I think I got 200+ feet for about $25. That was when silver was $4/oz, so perhaps you're looking at 3x this price now - but still a bargain by comparison. The go to McMaster and order some 28g PTFE spagetting tubing.

 

[AuroraB]

Sorry - I just don't understand this silvermania. It all breaks down to good old RLC, and the difference in R is negligible compared to the rest....

 

[Eric]

I was merely pointing out a lower-priced alternative to what was posted above. I'm not interested in advocating for one over another...

 

[DF96]

Isn't silver less flexible than the same size copper wire?

 

[MaccAu]

Thanks Eric for the link , and the 8$ 50cm silver wire I looked at another place in Germany for much less of the same product. The link looks good, i am not sure with US shipping and the dollar how it would work out for me.

Could my 32awg silver plated copper be okay? or too large

Thanks Aurora, so you used just copper

 

[MaccAu]

Isn't silver less flexible than the same size copper wire?

Actually yes its more brittle than copper, not sure about flexible, i have 30awg silver in teflon that has broken sometimes when i made interconnects. So maybe so

 

[DF96]

No electrical advantage with silver, and a possible mechanical disadvantage. Why choose silver when copper is better?