Cables ...

sounddog

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I'm needing some decent quality cables of various lengths and have been considering building my own.

I've looked at Maplins and seen their Van Damme range ... and was wondering if anyone has any experience of those cables. The "Instrument / Guitar" cable looks to be suitable for interconnects.

Also need a couple of Co-ax digital interconnects - am I correct that these need to be 75ohm? If so, will standard RG59 cable work as well as anything else I could get?


Thanks
Victoria
 
I use IBM network cable....... it works very nicely though may not be quite as attractive as other cables. I have a big reel of it, so if you fancy, pm me your addy and i'll post you over a few meters so you can try it.

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Van Damme and other stuff is also available from www.vdctrading.co.uk

Cheaper than Maplin, although you will need to pay for delivery.

I have used them before, and found them very efficient.

Regards
 
Originally posted by buns
I use IBM network cable....... it works very nicely though may not be quite as attractive as other cables. I have a big reel of it, so if you fancy, pm me your addy and i'll post you over a few meters so you can try it.

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What type of Network cable.

Are you talking about UTP/STP, Co-ax or Twin-ax?

Thanks
Victoria
 
Victoria,

Link to the cable

It is dead easy to make and i personally changed VDH thunderline interconnects for it.

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Ive tried a couple of the speaker cables since they were easier...... but the only interconnect ive done is the piano..... i used the type 6, its hard enough to get reasonable phons big enough for it, the type 1 cable is quite a monster!

My biggest difficulty doing any of the cables was the silly cable clamps, on most of the plugs they are pitiful and require alot of care..... I saw one of the bullet phons which looked good, but they were rather costly.

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i havent seen it sold by the meter. Only on a big 100 m reel. I'll send you a couple of meters if you want

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Hiya,

Buns - A nice offer indeed and one i'd quite like to take up....However there is still a slight problem, if this stuff works and is good....how would i get say 9-11m more (or would you then sell me this sort of quantity), as i'll need that sort of number to make ineterconects (3-5 x amp pre outs to equaliser & 3-5 amp inputs from equaliser and then 6 x SACD analogue)

Ta,
Lee
 
Lee, I think I have that amount about without a problem! I could sell you something like that if you decided you liked it. Drop me a pm with your addy and i'll try and get a few moments to dig some out.

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I'm currently making up some analogue interconnects using Van Damme Instrument cable from maplin. The plugs i use are the shark audio one's from maplin. I haven't tested them yet but the cable seems high quality and is very flexible although the diameter is 6mm.

To clamp the cable I joined the clamp in a 6mm loop with solder before threading the cable trough. After soldering the connections I crimped the loop with a BNC crimping tool for RG58/59 or 6.48 mm to form a hexagon crimp that is really strong:cool:

To finish i used some coloured heatshrink to distinguish left from right and to increase the diameter to make a perfect fit with the backshell of the plug.
 
hi buns,

I'm just in the process of upgrading my system to something approaching my idea of high end and I'm intruiged by the thought of making my own interconnects, especially as all the hifi mags waffle on about spending 10% of your system cost on cables! This can obviously have quite a big impact on your bank balance.

However, surely a large proportion of the cost of a 'professional' interconnect is accounted for by the connectors themselves? Assuming I can get some cheap IBM cable, what type of connectors would you recommend and where would supply them reasonably cheaply? Surely there's no point having great cable if the connectors themselves are not quality also?

Also, how did you find TNT's speaker cables for sound quality? Did you do any comparison with manufactured stuff?

Cheers!
 
I used the shark connectors too, but dont have a crimper..... i think i'll get one because other than that, those seemed quite nice.

Danzig:
Im far from an authority on this, ive only made a few cables. You should join up to the tnt forum, there is a wealth of info on this kind of thing. I would agree that you should spend some on the connector, but a couple of pounds a piece seems reasonable to me. I wouldnt be willing to pay out £10 a shot for the bullet plug jobbies..... that suddently turns your diy budget cable, into quite an expense!

Speaker cables, I made a cable similar to the ffrc, but it had an additional braiding at the end. The cable was better and worse..... just dont go there with a naim amp..... it so wont work! :D They did sound different to a run of the mill figure of 8 type cable (like the old cable talk stuff), how exactly is tricky to describe..... maybe they sounded a bit fuller and a bit warmer, but only a bit! I have had a quick go at a ubyte, never finished the pair, so i can only say that i think the improvement that one speaker showed was..... less background noise.... betond that i cant say! Again, try the tnt forum and there will almost certainly be a post to steer you the right way.

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I wouldn't spend much more than £2 per plug as you are just wasting money. I have some Neutrik Profi plugs at £5 a piece to see what they are like but i still prefer the shark audio ones.

The main thing to look out for is teflon insulation, which resists heat quite well while soldering, and is a very good insulator.
 
Thanks for the opinions guys! I like the look of the Shark connectors actually - pretty cool (well, as far as a bit of metal can be!). Trying to find IBM cable sold per metre is a nightmare though. I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the Van Damme stuff Kearney. Do you have a Piano interconnect to compare against?
 
Do you have a Piano interconnect to compare against?

No i don't i'm afraid. I don't really have a system to test it with either as i haven't bought it yet so i am kind of doing things in the wrong order as usual :rolleyes:
 

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