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Can't make up my mind on my Interconnect/Cable situation, opinions?

Hoodcom

Hoodcom

Well-Known Member
I've been using either what ever cheapies I got with equipment (thin cables), MonoPrice premium RCA / RCA to XLR (visa versa) interconnects, and some pair I bought at walmart years ago... and I kinda want to try something a little different...

I've bought monoprice's cables for the price, but currently I really am lacking some decent cables.

So what I am wondering what I should do is...

1.) Just buy more Monoprice cables, be done with it.

2.) DIY Interconnects, sounds like fun, I'm very willing to give this a try if it can prove nicer quality over monoprice cables. Plus lengths can be made perfectly (or close to it)

3.) Try cable companies like Blue Jeans or one of the AK Sponsor's on the lower part of the site.

Currently, I'm using monoprice cables for my Behringer DEQ 2496, to go from my computer's digital out to my receiver's aux in, and whatever cables that are thin, that I could find laying around for my ADC Equalizer I run for my receiver.

I'd like to improve of that especially, but it will require me to either buy or make new cables, which is why I am asking this. :scratch2:

So many decisions, oh, and I prefer to not have to spend over $100 per pair of short cables. I'm not ready for that yet. :tears:
 
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I think you need to do a little research and then DIY. I bet they'll be the best cables you've ever heard.
 
Search Google for DIY Cat5 interconnects and see what you come up with. I built a pair of 3 meter Cat5 IC's with some ultra cheap Radioshack solder-type RCA ends and they sound fantastic.

If you're in the DIY game to up your speaker wiring as well, I'd look on the forum at the White Lightning Moonshine speaker cable thread and try those out. I just did and boy what a surprise I got. Instantly surpassed any cable I've tried; including silver coated copper, fiber optic infused stranded copper, solid core copper, high strand count copper, lamp cord, foil shielded PVC, and more. Seriously great performers for only a couple bucks at your local wally world.

Cheers,
Steven
 
Monoprice is cheap and have death grip connectors. :no:

Blue Jean Cable is moderately priced and is a good product. I use their belden speaker cable.

Avanti Audio is a AK sponsor and builds quality cables.

Just my two cents . . .
 
dosmalo said:
I think you need to do a little research and then DIY. I bet they'll be the best cables you've ever heard.
Click to expand...

I would really love to give this guide a try here.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=61442

StevenZ said:
Search Google for DIY Cat5 interconnects and see what you come up with. I built a pair of 3 meter Cat5 IC's with some ultra cheap Radioshack solder-type RCA ends and they sound fantastic.

If you're in the DIY game to up your speaker wiring as well, I'd look on the forum at the White Lightning Moonshine speaker cable thread and try those out. I just did and boy what a surprise I got. Instantly surpassed any cable I've tried; including silver coated copper, fiber optic infused stranded copper, solid core copper, high strand count copper, lamp cord, foil shielded PVC, and more. Seriously great performers for only a couple bucks at your local wally world.

Cheers,
Steven
Click to expand...

Thank you for the recommendation, we DO have some Cat 5 / Cat 6 in the garage waiting to be used for something, so it could be worth a nice try.

As well as the White Lightning Moonshine cables, for the cost, why not? Be great for experimenting. :yes:

gearhound said:
I like Blue Jean Cable myself.
Good products at good pricing, with fast shipping too.

Steve
Click to expand...

I've been considering giving them a try, especially for their HDMI cables, could use this as an excuse to give one of their stereo interconnects a try too.

Cactus Bob said:
Monoprice is cheap and have death grip connectors. :no:

Blue Jean Cable is moderately priced and is a good product. I use their belden speaker cable.

Avanti Audio is a AK sponsor and builds quality cables.

Just my two cents . . .
Click to expand...

I'll definitely give them a check! :thmbsp:


Thank you guys!

Now, also, back to the subject of DIY, I thought I've seen a thread about using coaxial cable for interconnects as well, but I don't remember where for sure. Any body know of this? :scratch2:
 
DIY is definitely a good path to go down with cables, IMO. You can start with something simple and inexpensive, and then maybe some day try something a little fancier - or not.

There are lots of design possibilities. I personally prefer to use un-shielded interconnects everywhere but between turntable and phono preamp, and I now mostly stick with some kind of braiding with multiple, individually insulated, conductors (wires).
 
Mr. Lin said:
DIY is definitely a good path to go down with cables, IMO. You can start with something simple and inexpensive, and then maybe some day try something a little fancier - or not.

There are lots of design possibilities. I personally prefer to use un-shielded interconnects everywhere but between turntable and phono preamp, and I now mostly stick with some kind of braiding with multiple, individually insulated, conductors (wires).
Click to expand...

Yeah, makes deciding so tough, because of so many possibilities. Well, I guess I best start with something. :D

StevenZ said:
Regarding the link you posted for interconnects, it's generally preferred to use the thinnest wire possible. High purity solid core copper or silver is preferred.

Try these out instead for silver IC's. http://www.laventure.net/tourist/cables.htm & http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/esantane/movies/ics.html

For copper just use CAT5 twisted pairs and your choice of terminations.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Are you talking about something like these cables here?

http://www.solozaudio.com/Products/Interconnects/BoldSeries/tabid/1076/Default.aspx
 
I am really thinking on the DIY route right now, I can EASILY start with the Cat5 interconnects... first, I like to ask...

We have Cat5.E in the garage... can I use that stuff?:scratch2:
 
Absolutely. Just cut the outside jacket, find the cotton string, and use it as a rip cord to 'de-jacket' the entire length you need. If you need a 3' pair, rip 6' total. I use the orange/white twisted pair as they have the tightest twists. This is good for shielding. Now just cut your 6' length in half and you have two 3' pieces; a left and a right. Solder them up and give'em a whirl. It's that easy.

You can snaz them up with techflex and shrink tube if you want though doing this will have no affect on the sound quality. It's just purely aesthetic.

Now you should have a couple lengths of twisted pairs left, you can make more if you please. Just remember to use the same color combination for L&R and you'll be fine.

Have fun!
 
StevenZ said:
Regarding the link you posted for interconnects, it's generally preferred to use the thinnest wire possible. High purity solid core copper or silver is preferred.

Try these out instead for silver IC's. http://www.laventure.net/tourist/cables.htm & http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/esantane/movies/ics.html

For copper just use CAT5 twisted pairs and your choice of terminations.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Here is what I use. It is a Belden cable that has eight small coax cables in it. it has a teflon core and the wire is a very pure copper that is silver plated. It is used in telco central offices to route the fiber signal once it has been converted to analog. I found miles of it thrown in a dumpster as scraps up to 15" long.

I threw two of these together using some cheap RCA connectors. The cost was $.01 for solder They sound as good as my very expensive AudioQuest interconnects. I even did a blind comparison at a friends house who uses SHUNYATA - BLACK MAMBA interconnects at about $700. He could not tell the difference and leaned towards the DIY cable.

I can dress these cables up, use a better RCA connector, and tell everybody I paid $1000 for them and they will "love" the sound.

I do think that speaker cables can make a difference in the sound of a system. I used 14 gauge speaker wire until I got some AudioQuest 10" speaker cables. I heard an improvement in my system far beyond what my expectations were. The system was a C712 McIntosh pre, MC150 amp, and Klipsch Chorus II speakers. I must say I disagree with the old McIntosh philosophy that zip cord is as good as it gets.

I wanted to add this site for DIY silver interconnects. Oe of these days I am going to build up a pair. http://www.venhaus1.com/diysilverinterconnects.html
 

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Hoodcom said:
Now, also, back to the subject of DIY, I thought I've seen a thread about using coaxial cable for interconnects as well, but I don't remember where for sure. Any body know of this? :scratch2:
Click to expand...

Coaxial cable is pretty common for audio interconnects. I'd venture to say that most interconnects out there that are not DIY or boutique cables are coaxial in nature.

Almost certainly the Monoprice ones and the el-cheapies you have are coaxial, as will be the Blue Jeans Cable interconnects. They (BJC) recommend coaxial cable for single-ended/unbalanced connections, leaving the twisted pair stuff to balanced connections.
 
If I needed cables, which I don't, I'd just get some Bluejeans and that's it. :>)

Or buy some special pair off of eBay, and that would really be it.

Or find some super rare pair off of eBay, which I'm looking for right now but will never find. As in never ever. But I keep looking.

And cables really do make a difference!!

As far as I'm concerned, cables are a 'componet' in the system and just as important as the rest of the componets in the system. But Bluejeans would probably do the job really nice.
 
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I have been a fan of Zu Audio Cables and they are regularly sold below cost on E-Bay. Other cables I have liked for the price are DH Labs. You can also search Audiogon for some used cables, and if you find you do not like them you can sometimes turn around and resell them for what you paid for them.

There are so many companies out there that make cables it will make your head spin. And IMO, cables are a personal thing for liking their sound character or not.

The Cable Company has a try before you buy program but they require a down payment or fee - not sure what it is, so check their site.
 
Cables

I recommend "Anti-Cables"........At $10.00 a foot, they are the single best improvement I have made to my systems.......Google and read the reviews and there are many testamonials on AudioGon.....
 
dtb300 said:
The Cable Company has a try before you buy program but they require a down payment or fee - not sure what it is, so check their site.
Click to expand...

Last time I checked I think it was something like 10% of the cables you're auditioning, and that's not refundable. If you end up not getting those, the money you put down is then credit towards anything else they sell - which, in fairness, is a hell of a lot. I happen to live less than 10 minutes from them by car, incidentally, I've been meaning to go check it out.

skeetdaddy said:
I recommend "Anti-Cables"........At $10.00 a foot, they are the single best improvement I have made to my systems.......Google and read the reviews and there are many testamonials on AudioGon.....
Click to expand...

Anti-Cable is good, although unlike many people I personally was less enamored with their interconnects than I was with their speaker wire (all of it is just magnet wire).

And that's the thing, you have to find something that works for you. So it might be wise to take baby steps at first.
 
I just buy Mogami Neglex 2534 and Neutrik interconnects, preferably old style with springs, and make them. 5 minute job, and high quality.
 
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