# DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread



## wje

*I thought this might work a bit better.  Sadly, the DIY Cable Gallery thread is becoming less of a gallery thread and sadly, more of a Q&A thread*
   
   
*Let's use this thread for the Questions and Answers thread for information regarding DIY cables, connectors, using an ohm meter, paracord, etc. and all those types of questions and comments.*
   
*Meanwhile, the following thread  will hopefully head back in the direction it was intended for -- to be a gallery for members to show their fine crafting of DIY cables that provide many of us with great inspiration for this fine hobby.*
   
*http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery*
   
   
*Thanks !!*
   
   
*Links and Information for Cable and Connectors:*
   
*Wiring and Connector Supplies - Redco*: *http://www.redco.com/*
   
*Wiring and Connector Supplies - Digikey: http://www.digikey.com*
   
*Wiring and Connector Supplies - Have Inc.: http://store.haveinc.com/*
   
*Connector Supplies - Mouser Electronics: http://www.mouser.com*
   
*Wiring and Connector Supplies - Parts Express: http://www.parts-express.com*
   
*Wiring and Connector Supplies - Parts Connexion: http://www.partsconnexion.com *
   
*HifiMan SMC Connectors - Ebay: http://www.ebay.com* (Search for "SMC Connectors"  You will see a vendor from Hong Kong selling the connectors for $1.50, each.  Shipping is $1.80.  Remember to purchase 2 to get a pair.  You can buy in quantity and the shipping rate doesn't change.  Prices as of August 11, 2013.
   
*Senneheiser Cable Connectors (to ear cups): http://www.lunashops.com* (Search for "Acrolink Sennheiser"  These are about $9.00 a pair and usually arrive in the U.S. in approximately 3 weeks, or slightly less time.
   
   
*Links for Paracord Suppliers:*
   
*Paracord Supplier - Supply Captain:* *http://www.supplycaptain.com*
   
   
*Instructions / How-To Guides:*
   
*Braiding Tips: http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos.htm*


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## funch

Sub'd.


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## Kamakahah

Sounds like a plan. I'll make sure to direct questions here, including my own. 

I'll start this off with one. 

I've made quite a few cables and interconnects now. I'm making a few new ones for some other members. One wants an interconnect with clear or transparent tubing. I've been thinking over what would be the better option. 

The only things I could think of were clear heatshrink tubing but not shrinking it or finding some tubing like teflon or what is used in fish tanks. It just has to be flexible enough. 

Any ideas?


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## Zashoomin

Well I do have an idea but its not a cheap one.  So I know that sites like partsconnexion sells clear teflon tubing for bare wire.  If you can get a high enough gauge of that than that would work.  Otherwise I think you might be able to find some clear techflex.  Not sure if that exists though.


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## wje

Below, you'll find a diagram that I created over a year ago for building a balanced connector, as well as speaker taps for the HifiMan headphone.  The speaker taps are designed if one plans to use the headphone cable with a speaker amp.


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## wje

*Reserved. * Will provide pictures and a guide using a good method for attaching the SMC connectors when building a HifiMan cable
   
I should have this information posted within the next 48 hours.
   
*[size=small]Images added.  I will type information or a narrative for each picture describing the step and the process.[/size]*


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## audiofreakie

I got an amp from some one, doobooloo portable balanced amp, it used 2 trs 1/4".
Can some one help me how to wiring headphone cable for TRS without XLR?


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## wje

Quote: 





audiofreakie said:


> I got an amp from some one, doobooloo portable balanced amp, it used 2 trs 1/4".
> Can some one help me how to wiring headphone cable for TRS without XLR?


 
   
  Hi.  Are you sure the 1/4" plugs required are of the TRS flavor?  Possibly, the 1/4" plugs, since they are used in a balanced configuration could be just Tip / Ring variety with 2 conductors.  Or, if one really has to use 3 conductor plugs (TRS), then all one would really need to do is wire the Tip for (+) and the Ring and Sleeve - Both for (-).  I can't see any reason why the output on the amp would send a signal to 3 conductors for each channel.
   
  If you open the amp up, look at the wires that go to the 1/4" female plugs.  Check to see if it's either two or three wires that run to the plug.  That will give us here more information and provide a response on how to proceed.  Also, if I could ask, what manufacturer and model is the amp?


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## dBel84

I recall this amp from a few years ago - it used dual 1/4" plugs for the balanced output. 
   
  each TRS would represent one channel 
   
  tip - + signal 
  ring - -ve signal
  sleeve - ground connection. 
  ( as noted above by WJE )
   
  Amp was based on dual TPA6120 (??) chips , one per channel providing balanced operation in a fairly small form factor. 
   
  ..dB


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## dBel84

Not sure if anyone has a list / link to providers of reasonably priced but good quality components for building cables - this might be a useful addition for the opening post ?
   
  for example - REDCO stocks some great wire and connectors , VT4C offers a few more esoterics .....
   
  there are plenty more but a list with specific relevance to cables would be quite cool. 
   
  ..dB


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## wje

Quote: 





dbel84 said:


> _*Not sure if anyone has a list / link to providers of reasonably priced but good quality components for building cables - this might be a useful addition for the opening post ?*_
> 
> for example - REDCO stocks some great wire and connectors , VT4C offers a few more esoterics .....
> 
> ...


 
   
  Noted and a list has been started in the first post.  Thank you !!!
   
*If others have vendors that they've worked with in the past and have had good experiences, please feel free to PM me that information.  I'll ensure it gets added to the first post.  Thanks !!*


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## PXSS

sub'd


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## audiofreakie

@wje, yups, its used TRS, because this amp can used as unbalanced. This amp is DIY project, as @dBel84 explain. I just confuse which one is a signal tips or ring.
But now problem solved.
Thankyou for the explanation @wje & @dBel84.
BTW this thread is very helpfull.


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## ben_r_

Awesome! Bout time someone started this thread! Here is another little pic people might find helpful:


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## wje

Quote: 





ben_r_ said:


> Awesome! Bout time someone started this thread! Here is another little pic people might find helpful:
> .


 
   
  Regarding the Sennheiser plugs, very good!  Also, when I usually build such a cable with those connectors, I use a small toothpick and apply a small drop of paint on the shrinkwrap on the "inside" side.  This allows for one to easily determine which direction the plugs should be inserted for the L and the R.


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## ben_r_

Quote: 





wje said:


> Regarding the Sennheiser plugs, very good!  Also, when I usually build such a cable with those connectors, I use a small toothpick and apply a small drop of paint on the shrinkwrap on the "inside" side.  This allows for one to easily determine which direction the plugs should be inserted for the L and the R.


 

 Dont they only go in one way? Isnt that why one pin in each is larger than the other?


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## Armaegis

Quote: 





dbel84 said:


> I recall this amp from a few years ago - it used dual 1/4" plugs for the balanced output.
> 
> each TRS would represent one channel
> 
> ...


 
   
   
  Was it doobooloo's amp?
   
  edit: quick google search...
http://www.head-fi.org/t/183584/doobooloos-tpa6120-based-balanced-headphone-amp
http://www.headfonia.com/doobooloos-portable-balanced-amp/


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## Zashoomin

Well I think I will help some people out as well.  If you are making Audeze cables here is a diagram of everything that you need to know.  

 And short the mini xlr's as so:

  
 To connect to a 1/4" or 3.5mm or 2, 3pin xlr's refer to the first diagram. 
  
 To connect to a 4 pin xlr assume:
 Left ground as L-
 Left signal as L+
 Right ground as R-
 Right signal as R+
  
 and connect to this diagram

 Pin 1: L+ 
 Pin 2: L-
 Pin 3: R+
 Pin 4: R-


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## Zashoomin

Here is some more help if you want to make an RCA to RCA or RCA to 1/4" or 3.5mm. 
   
  here is a diagram of an RCA to 3.5mm or 1/4" jack: 

   
  So for RCA to RCA, ring is signal so either left or right and the sleeve will always be ground.


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## wje

Quote: 





ben_r_ said:


> Dont they only go in one way? Isnt that why one pin in each is larger than the other?


 
   
  Yes.  They only go in one way.  However, with a small dot of paint, the person installing the cable ends will quickly be able to determine which side of the cable goes towards the inside as opposed to trying to plug it in one way, then having to flip it so the pins properly line up.


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## dBel84

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> and connect to this diagram
> 
> Pin 1: R+
> Pin 2: R-
> ...


 
   
  You have this wrong 
   
  1 - L+
  2 - L-
  3 - R+
  4 - R-
   
  your way will be out of phase and the opposite stereo image ( but no stereo image because not in phase ) 
  EDIT - unless you wired your own amp to match   - but this is not industry standard
   
  ..dB


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## wje

Quote: 





dbel84 said:


> You have this wrong
> 
> 1 - L+
> 2 - L-
> ...


 
   
  Correct.  The diagram I posted is pinned exactly as you've described.  http://www.head-fi.org/t/676402/diy-cable-questions-and-comments-thread#post_9697472


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## Zashoomin

Sorry sorry ya you guys are right it has been corrected


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## dBel84

Nope still wrong


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## audiofreakie

@ben_r_, don't forget about Fitear, they used HPSC too but in reverse. Large Pin = Signal, Small Pin = Ground


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## glunteer

now, in topic correct 
   
   
  The Canare L-4E5AT is a good cable? I will make an RCA> 3.5mm
   
  foet you can take pictures inside the plug? to have a vision as you do.


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## wje

Quote: 





glunteer said:


> now, in topic correct
> 
> 
> The Canare L-4E5AT is a good cable? I will make an RCA> 3.5mm
> ...


 
   
  I'll have to check which Canare cable I have an am currently using.  I just put my camera away for the evening.  I'll see if I can get some shots posted tomorrow evening for you if someone doesn't beat me to it.


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## glunteer

Quote: 





wje said:


> I'll have to check which Canare cable I have an am currently using.  I just put my camera away for the evening.  I'll see if I can get some shots posted tomorrow evening for you if someone doesn't beat me to it.


 

 OK


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## Kamakahah

So no ideas for flexibility clear tubing that could be used around braided cable for an interconnect? 

Guess it's time to experiment myself


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## wje

You might find some clear tubing at an auto parts store.  They should have some various diameters of tubing that is clear.  Some of the tubing might be a bit thick but you'll have to see what is available at the store.  Also, consider how you'll transition from the tubing to the connectors - shrink tube?


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## Kamakahah

Quote: 





wje said:


> You might find some clear tubing at an auto parts store.  They should have some various diameters of tubing that is clear.  Some of the tubing might be a bit thick but you'll have to see what is available at the store.  *Also, consider how you'll transition from the tubing to the connectors - shrink tube*?


 
   
  It'll depend on the connectors we end up using. Since he wants two straight mini to mini connectors, it allows me more breathing room at the transition point. I have adhesive heatshrink that is very easy to work with and would offer a good result. I'll likely try and find tubing with a diameter that fits into the tubing so I can heatshrink it to the actual connector inside as well as outside. 
   
  One Head-fier asked if I could make him an interconnect. We talked about the style he wants. While I've never done one in the style he's asking, I'm always down to try and find a solution. Think I'm going to check out some vinyl tubing. Hit up Home Depot and maybe the pet store aquarium section for different tubing options. 
  My only real concern is flexibility. I just thought I'd ask here first. Maybe someone could save me the few hours of searching, trial and error.


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## gambit300

Okay, I see guidance so that I don't pull all of my hair out..
   
  I am using Mogami 2534. I have it stripped down to the 4 wires. I am trying to sleeve each individual wire with type 1 paracord. What is the easiest way to do this? I accomplished sleeving one wire by inching the bare wire through. It took me about 2 hours to do 10 feet. Am I supposed to cover the end with tape? Heatshrink? Do I tie the wire to the white core of the paracord and just pull it through? Please enlighten me on the easiest way to finish this project.
   
  Thanks


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## Zashoomin

Ok first of all  NOW ITS CORRECT...i think.
  Quote: 





gambit300 said:


> Okay, I see guidance so that I don't pull all of my hair out..
> 
> I am using Mogami 2534. I have it stripped down to the 4 wires. I am trying to sleeve each individual wire with type 1 paracord. What is the easiest way to do this? I accomplished sleeving one wire by inching the bare wire through. It took me about 2 hours to do 10 feet. Am I supposed to cover the end with tape? Heatshrink? Do I tie the wire to the white core of the paracord and just pull it through? Please enlighten me on the easiest way to finish this project.
> 
> Thanks


 
   
   
  Anyway to answer this,  I tape a small paper clip to one end and for me it makes it a million times easier to push through.  Otherwise just got to take your time with it.


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## wje

Quote: 





gambit300 said:


> Okay, I see guidance so that I don't pull all of my hair out..
> 
> I am using Mogami 2534. I have it stripped down to the 4 wires. I am trying to sleeve each individual wire with type 1 paracord. What is the easiest way to do this? I accomplished sleeving one wire by inching the bare wire through. It took me about 2 hours to do 10 feet. Am I supposed to cover the end with tape? Heatshrink? Do I tie the wire to the white core of the paracord and just pull it through? Please enlighten me on the easiest way to finish this project.
> 
> Thanks


 
   
  Another member posted the suggestion a few months back to use the white Teflon thread seal tape. Wrap a few layers around the end of your wires and it should not hang up because the loose wires keep catching on the paracord.
   
  Though, I do like the paper clip option / idea.  I'll have to give that a try, too, and see how it compares to my other way for threading the cable.


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## Kamakahah

I usually just put a little bit of electric tape on the end or heatshrink works. Just try and make it as thin as possible so it goes in easier. After you get the rhythm it isn't so bad, but I'll have to try out those others as well. Try watching a movie while you do it. 
   
  The "tying and pulling through" method I also thought about but haven't got around to trying it. I just see it getting stuck and sliding off at some point. Even if you tried to hold it on with tape or heatshrink. You never know.


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## gambit300

I really like the paper clip idea. I'll have to give it a try. It seems like heat shrinking the paper clip and tieing it to the core and pulling it has potential... or may fail horribly. If that doesn't work, I'll just try one of the yall ideas and put on netflix.

Thanks


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## liquidzoo

To go along with the XLR diagrams, AKG seems to be really fond of doing non-standard wiring for their cans.  Their mini-XLRs are wired:
   
  Pin 1 - Ground
  Pin 2 - Ring/Right
  Pin 3 - Tip/Left
   
  http://www.head-fi.org/t/55290/wiring-help-for-diy-akg-k271-headphone-cable#post_630685
   
  Based on searches I've done, "standard" wiring for a 3-pin XLR would be:
   
  Pin 1 - Ground
  Pin 2 - Tip/Left
  Pin 3 - Ring/Right
   
  That bit of info might help someone out when making a cable for an AKG headphone.
   
  Now that that's out of the way:
   
  How are people getting the custom headphone splits to stay put on the cables?  I'm talking about the y-splits using wood beads or housings for other connectors specifically.


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## PXSS

Quote: 





kamakahah said:


> It'll depend on the connectors we end up using. Since he wants two straight mini to mini connectors, it allows me more breathing room at the transition point. I have adhesive heatshrink that is very easy to work with and would offer a good result. I'll likely try and find tubing with a diameter that fits into the tubing so I can heatshrink it to the actual connector inside as well as outside.
> 
> One Head-fier asked if I could make him an interconnect. We talked about the style he wants. While I've never done one in the style he's asking, I'm always down to try and find a solution. Think I'm going to check out some vinyl tubing. Hit up Home Depot and maybe the pet store aquarium section for different tubing options.
> My only real concern is flexibility. I just thought I'd ask here first. Maybe someone could save me the few hours of searching, trial and error.


 
  You do know there's clear techflex right? 
  Wirecare has all types of techflex sleeving and tubing.
http://www.wirecare.com/
   
  Another great place for sleeving and heatshrink is partsconnexion.
  I'm sure you can find what you're looking for at either place.
http://www.partsconnexion.com/
   
  I've worked with both clear Teflon and PET and they're both great depending on which look you like best, Teflon is clear tubing while PET is clear braiding
   
  This guy made a beautiful cable a few years ago with clear techflex, check it out:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/7065#post_7654175


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## PeterMac

I have a question about Neutrik NJ3FC6 plug, maybe someone know is it possible to easy remove very uncomfortable Secure Lock from it, I hate it, always when I want to change replug my headphones almost always I have nail pain.


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## Kamakahah

Quote: 





pxss said:


> You do know there's clear techflex right?
> Wirecare has all types of techflex sleeving and tubing.
> http://www.wirecare.com/
> 
> ...


 
   
  Thanks for the ideas. I order from both places regularly. I'm not a super fan of Techflex, but I'll use it occasionally. I've mostly been looking at Teflon tubing as I've used it once before for a different purpose. The problem is that the guy I'm making it for is thinking in terms of thickness for appearance while I'm thinking in terms of flexibility for functionality.
   
  I'll probably try them both just to see how it comes out. Thanks again.
   
  That cable you linked to was interesting. It's the exact opposite of my cabling making "style" and dogma in terms of choice of materials; Except for the Viablue t6s 3.5mm he chose. 
  It's pretty cool to see what others put out.


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## wje

PeterMac,
   
  Consider the following as a substitute if you don't want a locking female TRS connector for a headphone cable.  It is also made by Rean / Neutrik and doesn't have the locking option.


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## liquidzoo

There's also this one, though it's twice the cost:
   
  http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/1-4in-Phone-Connectors/Switchcraft-Corporation/121.xhtml
   
  (you'll want the 131 for 3 conductor)


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## PeterMac

Wow, thank you very much wje for fasy answer, It's almost perfect that's what I want, I will try only find it in black, maybe you know is will be compatible with Mogami 2534 cable ?


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## ben_r_

Quote: 





wje said:


> PeterMac,
> 
> Consider the following as a substitute if you don't want a locking female TRS connector for a headphone cable.  It is also made by Rean / Neutrik and doesn't have the locking option.


 

 But does it come in black?!


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## liquidzoo

Quote: 





petermac said:


> Wow, thank you very much wje for fasy answer, It's almost perfect that's what I want, I will try only find it in black, maybe you know is will be compatible with Mogami 2534 cable ?


 
  Undoubtedly.
   
  There's also this one that's cheap:
   
  http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=090-323
   
  It's the same basic one that you can find at Radio Shack, though.  Not the best looking.
   
  Or
   
  http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=090-313
   
  Silver only (probably)


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## PeterMac

Prize not matter  I want possible the best quality one, which one you will recomended, this Neutrik Rean nys2203p looks very good, but will not match with black 6,3 male Neutrik connector on other side of cable.
   
  Thank you everyone for information.


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## wje

Quote: 





ben_r_ said:


> But does it come in black?!


 
   
  2 possible solutions:
   
  1) Black spray paint, or
   
  2) Black duct tape.
   





   
  Or, a 3rd solution:
   
  Actually, Radio Shack sells them in black.  They have a 2-pack for about $4.49.  I've purchased them a few times.  The black outer shell is made of black plastic.  It just screws on once you've soldered your cable connection.  It should easily work with the noted Mogami cable for PeterMac's needs.
   
  Here is the one, with the part number:


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## liquidzoo

4th option (though the least practical by far):
   
  Take it to a body/specialized metal shop (or possibly trade school) and have it anodized or powder coated.
   
  Would definitely retain the black color, but would likely be very costly (unless you get lucky enough that they're running a job of the right color that you can get your parts in on as well).
   
  I know people have done this with computer case parts, but I have no idea what the cost or process is.


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## PeterMac

Can be silver chrome also, maybe will no fit to black male plug, but this plug is behind PC pluged into the music card Xonar ST so it's not visible, more important and pros for me in this Neutrik Rean NYS2203P over NJ3FC6-BAG is size, is a lot of smaller and lighter. I hope in sound quality I do not notice any differences 
  Thanks again all.
   
  By the way it's little wired, they have black male 6.3 jack http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/1-4in-Phone-Connectors/REAN-a-Brand-of-Neutrik-AG/NYS228BG.xhtml
  So should be also female plug in black to match together.
  In Poland I can't find it anywhere in shops so I have to buy from eBay .


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## TrollDragon

Great job starting this thread wje!
There is going to be some great info here!


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## PeterMac

This is how will be look  http://www.slygoosecables.com/Mogami-14-Stereo-Extension.html
  my cable Mogami 2534 is 6.0mm diameter but as I see this plug NYS2203P fit it from description here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neutrik-REAN-NYS2203P-3-pole-inline/dp/B0039E5N60


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## wje

Quote: 





petermac said:


> This is how will be look  http://www.slygoosecables.com/Mogami-14-Stereo-Extension.html
> my cable Mogami 2534 is 6.0mm diameter but as I see this plug NYS2203P fit it from description here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neutrik-REAN-NYS2203P-3-pole-inline/dp/B0039E5N60


 
   
  In order to keep the silver connector mostly black, you could also apply some shrink tube to the exterior and get out the heat gun.  That way, minimal chrome - or bling, would be showing.


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## dBel84

Quote: 





petermac said:


> I have a question about Neutrik NJ3FC6 plug, maybe someone know is it possible to easy remove very uncomfortable Secure Lock from it, I hate it, always when I want to change replug my headphones almost always I have nail pain.


 
   
  this is quite simple to do - remove the back screw lock, remove the screw on the side and the whole assembly slides out - merely remove the parts of the locking mechanism and put it back together.  I like these connectors too but always remove the locking tab. 
   
  ( not merely for convenience, but there are too many stories of amps being shorted using them. ) 
   
  ..dB


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## ben_r_

Here I went ahead and did it real quick for you since it was bugging me too:
   
  Unscrew the strain relief and remove the outer shell locking screw from the side of the plug.
   

   
   
  Gentle push the locking slide in and pull towards you and the slide and small spring that is behind it will pop out.
   

   
   
  Us a small screwdriver or your fingernail to pry/remove the locking bar from the barrel of the connector. You can take the little piece of foam padding out as well.
   

   
   
  With it all removed it should look like this. You can put the red locking slide and the small spring back in for looks if you like. I did. But it is not needed.
   

   
  Once its reassembled you have a normal non-locking, high quality, black, female 1/4" plug


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## Kamakahah

Nice guide with great pictures. I think I might do this to mine as well. The locking has never bugged me, but I could do without it.


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## wolfetan44

Subbed. I will definately be using this thread sometime


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## PeterMac

Removed 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 my fingers and nails saved he he, thank you again ben_r for this quide.


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## wolfetan44

For putting 4 wires into a sleeving, specifically Techflex, 1/4" or 1/2"? Also, what type do you guys recommend?


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## Zashoomin

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> For putting 4 wires into a sleeving, specifically Techflex, 1/4" or 1/2"? Also, what type do you guys recommend?


 
  1/4", 1/2" is pretty large.  Plus techflex can always get larger but I have yet to see it shrink.  So smaller is safer.


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## wolfetan44

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Thanks! Any of the series they have that you recommend?


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## Zashoomin

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Thanks! Any of the series they have that you recommend?


 
  I buy my techflex on ebay personally from this guy.  He has every size, length and color known to man kind and its good quality.  
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_osacat=0&_armrs=1&_ssn=furryletters&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR9.TRC1.A0.Xtechflex&_nkw=techflex&_sacat=0&_from=R40


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## wolfetan44

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Thanks, Zash!! I got the 1/4 rattlesnake


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## crazyg0od33

I'm so glad this is here.  Ok, so I had posted this on the Cable Gallery thread before knowing about this thread:
   
   


> what cable would you suggest if I were going for a braided look?  I mean like where you can see through to the wire.
> 
> I want to make my first braided cable but I'm not sure what type of wire I would need or how much.
> 
> I want a 5ft braid to be used on a male-male 3.5mm connector, so i dont know if I need a 4 wire braid or not.


 
   
  Well, I ended up going with doublehelix cable (http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=114) because it was cheap and the guy has been kind enough to braid the cable for me (I want to learn but dont want to mess up this time).  He's doing a 4-strand braid, so I assume for a regular male-male 3.5mm jack, I would just wrap 2 strands together as the ground, and then use the other 2 for the left and right?
   
  I'm looking to go with a connector to fit my Beyer Custom One Pro's - though I may need to shave off that little plastic bit inside the can:
http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/uploads/pics/Custom_One_Anschluss_1.jpg
   
  Now I just need some idea for a nice TRS jack to use, because I want this to be a pretty nice looking cable.  I was thinking of the viablue t6s small connectors, but sweet jesus those things are a fortune.
   
  I'd appreciate any ideas


----------



## CrocsRock

Quote: 





crazyg0od33 said:


> I'm so glad this is here.  Ok, so I had posted this on the Cable Gallery thread before knowing about this thread:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
   
  Hm, you may try the Vintage Audio Labs 3.5mm plug. I have some of their banana plugs and XLR plugs, and they are seriously nice pieces of hardware, excellent fit and finish. Think they can be had for about $10 shipped worldwide.


----------



## crazyg0od33

I was also looking at this, already made, but I'm not sure on the quality of it.  Also, something about doing it (mostly) myself is so cool.  But this may just be way easier...and the 3.5mm jacks are very similar to the viablue
   
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221265800402?var=520161867048&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


----------



## wolfetan44

I got one of those Vintage Lab plugs, as I really, really liked them. Anyways, I took the grado cable off the drivers, but I melted a bit of the plastic ring around the driver, is this a problem? Also, I have a free grado cable up for grabs! All you have to do is pay shipping


----------



## crazyg0od33

is it just the cable and no connectors?


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





crazyg0od33 said:


> is it just the cable and no connectors?


 
  Cable + the 3.5 mm at the end.


----------



## Kamakahah

crazyg0od33 said:


> I was also looking at this, already made, but I'm not sure on the quality of it.  Also, something about doing it (mostly) myself is so cool.  But this may just be way easier...and the 3.5mm jacks are very similar to the viablue
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/221265800402?var=520161867048&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649




Just know that it's going to be pretty stiff since they used clear heatshrink tubing around the whole cable.


----------



## crazyg0od33

mmm didnt see that.  I actually think I'm going to hold off.  as much as I want a nice cable, I dont think atm I can really justify 50+ on a cable when there's nothing wrong with the one it comes with...


----------



## Kamakahah

I'm making cables for some other guys. Shoot me a PM sometime and we can discuss options.


----------



## crazyg0od33

will do!


----------



## FrozenPanda

I'm looking to build a data/charging cable to charge my android phone. Does anybody know where to buy USB A and micro-USB B connectors? Would these work?

microUSB-B
   
USB A
   
  Also.. How many wires are needed? is quad cable sufficient? I see that the A connector has 4 points while the micro has 5.. do I need an extra wire for data or something?


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> For putting 4 wires into a sleeving, specifically Techflex, 1/4" or 1/2"? Also, what type do you guys recommend?


 
   
  Will you be using Techflex for a headphone cable?  If so, have you considered paracord?  I've done techflex before and there can be microphonics issues, as well as the Techflex feeling like there's a snake resting on your chest when you listen to headphones.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





wje said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  I didn't like paracord at all.


----------



## ben_r_

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> I didn't like paracord at all.


 

 You dont?! How come?


----------



## wolfetan44

Extremely hard to put wire into.





ben_r_ said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > I didn't like paracord at all.
> ...


----------



## ben_r_

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Extremely hard to put wire into.


 

 Youve tried the teflon tape around the end trick? Tons of people do it and some do it quite often. Maybe you just havent learned the right trick?


----------



## liquidzoo

Also depends on the gauge of the wire you're attempting to put in.  I've found that Mogami 2534 is much harder to thread into Type I Paracord than Mogami 2893 is.


----------



## Zashoomin

The trick I have found with paracord is trying to make the ends of the wire as smooth as possible. What makes it a pain is the wires catching on the material as you try to thread it through.  So making a cone with the tape and taping all the wires at once works.  Bending the wires over helps.  Taping them to something a bit more smooth and pushing that through works (like a paper clip).   If the wire is bare, you have more than about 2 strands and you try to push it through you are going to have a bad time.  Techflex is easy you just push the wire through no problems.  Also I like the look of it more than paracord sometimes too.


----------



## stothy

Hey guys, I am completely new to DIY cables but I want to make a replacement for my AKG K450s as I don't want to pay extortionate amounts on ebay etc for a cheap thing that will break after 2 uses. 
   
  Could anyone point me in the direction of a guide and tell me what parts I need? 
   
  If I wanted to add inline controls/mic what would I need to do?
   
  Thanks in advance!


----------



## wolfetan44

I didn't try the tape at the end.


----------



## Kamakahah

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> I didn't try the tape at the end.


 
   
  Even a little electrical tape. A LITTLE, stretched and pulled one and a half times around the tip provides a nice thin,slick coating for the tip  of the cables to get through pretty easy. Then you just have to do the push/pull worm trick. 
   
  Once you get it down you can just stick back and watch some TV or listen to some music and worm away until you're done.


----------



## glunteer

What size of paracord to use the 22 AWG (Canare L-4E5AT) ?


----------



## kwonic

My AKG K240 sextett's need a new cable and I have decided to add a Y split instead of keeping the original one side cable configuration. I have been reading over the DIY posts for recabling and I have assembled a list for the things that I will need. Hopefully I can get suggestions on the parts I chose so I can get stuff ordered. As of right now the only thing I have is the cable which is 10ft of Canare L-4E6S. For the plug I chose a NEUTRIK NP3X-B 1/4". At the Y split I am going to heat shrink the split, then twist a pair of wires to each driver. I am going to heat shrink each pair with 3/32" 2:1 wrap and then cover them with 3/16" nylon multifilament. From the Y-split down, I am going to use paracord. Do I have to cut the outer layer from the Canare cable for the paracord sleeving to fit? All my options seem like a pretty basic set up from what I have been reading but just wanted other people's opinions about what I have chosen to do and use. Also I was wondering if instead of going straight to the 1/4" plug, could I add a mini XLR female and then make a XLR male to 1/4" plug cable. So it's sort of like an Xbox cable where it can disconnect. Just for aesthetics really but if it will damper the sound quality then I won't do it. The plugs for the XLR set up would be Neutrik NC3FX-B and Neutrik NC3MX-B. For the Y split, should I split off the main cable and shrink wrap like I wanted above or would cutting 2 12" pieces from my 10ft cable be better so that the cable is the same thickness from the plug to the cans. What do you guys think?



*Plug* : Neutrik NP3X-B 1/4" or Switchcraft 35HDNN/Canare F-12 for a 3.5mm

*Cable* : Canare L-4E6S.

*Y split* : 3/32" heat shrink after the Y-split then heat shrink the center Y-split with 1/2" heat shrink.

*Above the Y split* : should I twist two cables and heat shrink then nylon multifilament over or use the 2 12" pieces of the Canare L-4E6S instead and connect them together.

*Cable wrap* : No more techflex, looking at paracord 550 now. Do I need to strip the cover from my Canare L-4E6S. and slip the paracord sleeve over?

*Possible mini-XLR* : Neutrik NC3FX-B and Neutrik NC3MX-B. (Male/Female)

Hopefully I made sense on what I want. I am not too sure on the shrink wrap sizes but yea. Let me know guys. Thanks!


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





frozenpanda said:


> I'm looking to build a data/charging cable to charge my android phone. Does anybody know where to buy USB A and micro-USB B connectors? Would these work?
> 
> microUSB-B
> 
> ...


 
  Anybody?


----------



## PXSS

T





frozenpanda said:


> Anybody?



Those would be just fine and a quad cable is enough. The data sheet for that micro b you posted only has 4 contacts


----------



## mvrk10256

What is the best source for clear low impedance copper wire. I bought some cheap 24G cable  on ebay and my 10ft cable has an impedance of almost 8 ohms..... :O
   
  I want something like OCC copper cable that doesnt cost $2/ft. Cause for 3 channels I need like 30ft....


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





mvrk10256 said:


> What is the best source for clear low impedance copper wire. I bought some cheap 24G cable  on ebay and my 10ft cable has an impedance of almost 8 ohms..... :O
> 
> I want something like OCC copper cable that doesnt cost $2/ft. Cause for 3 channels I need like 30ft....


 
  Are you sure?? 24AWG copper wire should have a resistance of .257 ohms. Makes me think that I should start checking my own cables...
  Ummm, I would suggest buying Mogami W2534 and stripping out the 2 clear conductors for a cheaper alternative. I know there's a site that already sells just the clear conductors but for the life of me I can't remember what it was.


----------



## mvrk10256

Quote: 





pxss said:


> Are you sure?? 24AWG copper wire should have a resistance of .257 ohms. Makes me think that I should start checking my own cables...
> Ummm, I would suggest buying Mogami W2534 and stripping out the 2 clear conductors for a cheaper alternative. I know there's a site that already sells just the clear conductors but for the life of me I can't remember what it was.


 
  Ya. I measured other cables and they were all around 1 ohm. Which makes sense due to my crappy HF multimeter. But all 3 channels rang in around 8 ohms. Stripping Mogami would be an option but it seems like a pain in the ass.


----------



## liquidzoo

Quote: 





mvrk10256 said:


> Ya. I measured other cables and they were all around 1 ohm. Which makes sense due to my crappy HF multimeter. But all 3 channels rang in around 8 ohms. Stripping Mogami would be an option but it seems like a pain in the ass.


 
  It's not too hard.
   
  Get a box cutter with an adjustable blade (I use one of those snap off blade cutters) and set it to a minimal depth, just enough to cut the rubber, then just run it along the cable.  If you do it right you will cut just the outer sheathing off.  After that, you can just strip the copper and paper coatings off.  Takes about 5 minutes to do ~5ft once you get the hang of it.


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> It's not too hard.
> 
> Get a box cutter with an adjustable blade (I use one of those snap off blade cutters) and set it to a minimal depth, just enough to cut the rubber, then just run it along the cable.  If you do it right you will cut just the outer sheathing off.  After that, you can just strip the copper and paper coatings off.  Takes about 5 minutes to do ~5ft once you get the hang of it.


 
  Another way is to cut about 6 inches off the outer sheath and just pull the conductors out. So far it's worked with up to 4ft. Takes 30 secs. lol


----------



## mvrk10256

I can do it, I was just wondering if anyone sells just the copper clear wire....


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





mvrk10256 said:


> I can do it, I was just wondering if anyone sells just the copper clear wire....


 
  Same I live in Malaysia and I can't seem to find anyone that sells these kinds raw cables like SPC or OFC or OCC. I'm currently thinking of buying OFC clear copper from BTG audio 0.80$ a foot. If someone knows a better place to find good quality copper cables let me know, at least 26AWG I guess.


----------



## crazyg0od33

Doublehelixcables.com, plussoundaudio.com were a couple of places. I know double helix is 24awg though


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





crazyg0od33 said:


> Doublehelixcables.com, plussoundaudio.com were a couple of places. I know double helix is 24awg though


 
  Ya DHC has 24awg and plussound has 26 and 28 awg.  You can also check ebay.  Artemis Cables has some nice stuff.  Also you can message toxic cables on headfi.  He has a bunch of different things as well.


----------



## siles1991

atm BTG seems to have the most affordable option, any ebay sellers you can recommend?


----------



## Zashoomin

If you want silver plated copper Navships has a lot of different options but his cables are a bit stiff because they are coated in teflon.  Also it isn't high purity but its very good stuff.  Another seller is artemis cables.  Very high purity stuff and very very nice and flexible but a bit on the expensive side.


----------



## danpong

need help to my first complex iem cable project.  What I try to do is make a semi universal iem cable that will enable me to use it with more than one iem.  Also, I like the idea of detachable cable at around the chest area(like Shure SE530).  So far I have been studying on parts needed to achieve this goal.  However, I still couldn't find the JH/westone style plug that will fit the JH16A(the one with JH-3A system)  I need exact jack type that they have with the stock cable as it needs to be plugged in side by side of another jack. 
   
  This is what I need help of:
   
  1. I still couldn't find the pin out diagram for the termination for JH16A with 8-pin mini-XLR.(termination of the first cable that connect to JH16A
  2. the pin out for bottom part where the 8-pin mini-XLR to 3.5mm adapter cable.
   
  Once I know this the pin out for 8-pin mini-XLR on the TG334 should be very simple as I can just separate it from 2 wire left and 2 wire right to match with the JH16A pin out.
   

   
  Also, do you think this cable will work out ok? or will it degraded the signal quality since there are a few connectors and jacks?
   
  Hope to hear from you guys
   
  Thank you very much
   
  Dan


----------



## UnknownAX

I bought some shielded cable for my amp (internal wiring) but I'm not sure how to connect it. Should I run ground on the shielding conductor or should I use one conductor/signal and the other conductor for ground. In that case I'd obviously have to ground the shielding on the source end. 
Thanks a lot for your help!


----------



## siles1991

Hey guys instead of paracord i found something called Colortrail sleeve good thing its available in my country is about 9USD for 10 meters. Apparently PC case modders use it for sleeving PSU cables and has a diameter of 3mm. Im guessing this should fit most cables right?


----------



## wje

Quote: 





unknownax said:


> I bought some shielded cable for my amp (internal wiring) but I'm not sure how to connect it. Should I run ground on the shielding conductor or should I use one conductor/signal and the other conductor for ground. In that case I'd obviously have to ground the shielding on the source end.
> Thanks a lot for your help!


 
   
  Some years back, I made some speaker cables from outdoor large extension cords.  The audiophile forums were going nuts when $8.00 worth of cord sounded just as good as $1,500 speaker cables.  Anywho, I ended up using both shielded wires for the (+) and the unshielded copper strand for the ground (-).  I'm not sure of all the details, but seem to recall in that situation it was recommended to wire as such.  Again, awhile back, but that's what I seem to remember.


----------



## ben_r_

Quote: 





danpong said:


> need help to my first complex iem cable project.  What I try to do is make a semi universal iem cable that will enable me to use it with more than one iem.  Also, I like the idea of detachable cable at around the chest area(like Shure SE530).  So far I have been studying on parts needed to achieve this goal.  However, I still couldn't find the JH/westone style plug that will fit the JH16A(the one with JH-3A system)  I need exact jack type that they have with the stock cable as it needs to be plugged in side by side of another jack.
> 
> This is what I need help of:
> 
> ...


 
  There are 8-pin XLR connectors?!


----------



## wolfetan44

Hey, can someone help me with a 4 wire braid? Any guides?


----------



## funch

Quote: 





unknownax said:


> I bought some shielded cable for my amp (internal wiring) but I'm not sure how to connect it. Should I run ground on the shielding conductor or should I use one conductor/signal and the other conductor for ground. In that case I'd obviously have to ground the shielding on the source end.
> Thanks a lot for your help!


 
   
  The usual practice with interconnects, whether ex- or internal, is to connect the shield at the input end, but not at the output end.


----------



## UnknownAX

wolfetan44 said:


> Hey, can someone help me with a 4 wire braid? Any guides?



The wires are numbered 1-4 from left to the right. (number 1 will ALWAYS be the leftmost wire, no matter what. 2 will always be the 2nd leftmost wire, and so on...)

Take 1 and cross it OVER 2 and 3
Take 4 and cross it OVER 3
Take 1 and cross it UNDER 2 and 3
Take 4 and cross it UNDER 3
Repeat the steps.

The result will be a 4 wire round braid. If you mess up, try to go a few steps back until you can see what step is next.

@funch: Thanks a lot! That means, that the shields of the input cables aren't connected to the amp/each other at all?


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Hey, can someone help me with a 4 wire braid? Any guides?


 
   
  Here's another guide with quite a few braiding tips and instructions:
   
http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos.htm


----------



## Kamakahah

wje said:


> Here's another guide with quite a few braiding tips and instructions:
> 
> http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos.htm




+1. Has some good instructions and tips.


----------



## wolfetan44

Oh wow, that helped a lot! Thanks.





kamakahah said:


> wje said:
> 
> 
> > Here's another guide with quite a few braiding tips and instructions:
> ...


----------



## danpong

yes there is.  This is what they use for JH-3A cable. 
   
  female
http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?wt.z_cid=ref_hearst_0211_buynow&mpart=TA8FSH&v=137&cur=USD
   
  male
http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?wt.z_cid=ref_hearst_0211_buynow&mpart=TA8MSHF&v=137&cur=USD
   
  any idea on the signal degradation?


----------



## ben_r_

Or if you guys want the ultimate book in braiding and fancy knots, check this out: LINK


----------



## wolfetan44

I just ordered heatshrink from heatshrink.com, and looking at all the options they have, I hope its very high quality. Have you seen everything!!? I will report back when I receive it.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> I just ordered heatshrink from heatshrink.com, and looking at all the options they have, I hope its very high quality. Have you seen everything!!? I will report back when I receive it.


 
   
  What shrink ratio of heatshrink did you get?  2:1 or 3:1?  Did you get the heatshrink with adhesive, or not?  I think the general consensus is that most prefer the heatshrink without the adhesive.  The adhesive-based heatshink seems like it can be irritating if you have to take a cable apart.  Plus, the adhesive-based product seems to cost at least 2x more.


----------



## wolfetan44

3:1 1/4 inch not adhesive. Violet color


wje said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > I just ordered heatshrink from heatshrink.com, and looking at all the options they have, I hope its very high quality. Have you seen everything!!? I will report back when I receive it.
> ...


----------



## Kamakahah

Big fan of 3:1. I like the adhesive only for the final piece on the connector to a sleeving if I decide to add one there at all. It does a good job adhering to the connector and sleeving so I feel confident it's quite solid. Still use non-adhesive for the inside. 

I agree that using it for the full build could be irritating and costly in comparison.


----------



## Hal Rockwell

Sub'd


----------



## siles1991

Guy's I have some SPC cable but its 7 strands is that good or bad? What can I do with it?


----------



## Kamakahah

siles1991 said:


> Guy's I have some SPC cable but its 7 strands is that good or bad? What can I do with it?




More strands can help add additional flexibility and help to avoid breaking. 7 is generally the lowest average strand count. 

You can use it for interconnects just fine. 
Might be a too stiff for a headphone cable though, but that's all preference.


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





kamakahah said:


> More strands can help add additional flexibility and help to avoid breaking. 7 is generally the lowest average strand count.
> 
> You can use it for interconnects just fine.
> Might be a too stiff for a headphone cable though, but that's all preference.


 
   
  On the flip side though if there are too many strands its very very easy to accidentally cut a strand or two when stripping the wire.


----------



## DMinor

Need recommendation on recabling wires for my D2000. Budget is around $100.


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





dminor said:


> Need recommendation on recabling wires for my D2000. Budget is around $100.


 
  Well I think I can help a little...maybe we will see. Ok so the basics for connectors I suggest neutrik also depends on what termination you want but as far as I can tell they have for the price the most solid connectors.  You can buy them here: http://www.redco.com/.
  Ok cable.  So for $100 I am not sure how long you are looking to make the cable but there are a million and a half different options.  For the recable you will need a total of 4 wires, two for each side.  Also take into account error and shrinkage when you braid it. Also for the wire you will probably 24awg or 26awg.  Since silver is really expensive and a bit out of your price range I would go with silver plated copper or copper wire.  You can find a couple different options here:  http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html,  http://btg-audio.webs.com/webstore.htm#ecwid:category=2620180&mode=category&offset=0&sort=normal, http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4
  out of those three btg is the best priced but the lowest purity copper, plussound has high purity but 26awg and all I can say about DHC is I have worked with their wire and it is fantastic.  Out of the three I think that DHC is the highest quality but that being said it is also the most expensive.  
  On top of that if you need heat shrink or techflex you can find them here and here: http://stores.ebay.com/FURRYLETTERS http://stores.ebay.com/tubingexpress (I suggest not adhessive lined 3:1 heat shrink)  both have every size, length and color you will ever need. 
  Also if you want nice solder you can find that here but any generic solder will work.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/CARDAS-Quad-Eutectic-Solder-10-ft-length-/200879856591?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec55f5bcf
   
  Hope this helps.


----------



## DMinor

Zashoomin, thanks a lot for the info and will check them out.
   
  Now a noob question. When I solder the 4 wires to the connector (plug), two of those wires are soldered to the same sleeve (ground). Is this correct?


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





dminor said:


> Zashoomin, thanks a lot for the info and will check them out.
> 
> Now a noob question. When I solder the 4 wires to the connector (plug), two of those wires are soldered to the same sleeve (ground). Is this correct?


 
  Ya no problem and to answer your question yes. You will have R+, R-, L+, L-.  R+ and L+ will be your signals and R- and L- will be your ground.


----------



## siles1991

usually paracord 550 are used to sleeve 4 wires or 2 wires? Or can be for both? approx 26awg


----------



## audiofreakie

Wolfetan44, www.head-fi.org/t/294279/4-wire-litz-braid-round

Post #2 is flat braid
Post #7 is round/chain braids


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> usually paracord 550 are used to sleeve 4 wires or 2 wires? Or can be for both? approx 26awg


 
  The paracord I have used can house up to about 4 and than it starts to get a bit tight but it is a mesh so like techflex it will stretch quite a bit.


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> The paracord I have used can house up to about 4 and than it starts to get a bit tight but it is a mesh so like techflex it will stretch quite a bit.


 
  would you recommend paracord for 2 wires or get something thinner?


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> would you recommend paracord for 2 wires or get something thinner?


 
  Ya two wires fits very nicely you have nothing to worry about.  I have no idea what the look your going for but two wires in the paracord will fit fine.


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Ya two wires fits very nicely you have nothing to worry about.  I have no idea what the look your going for but two wires in the paracord will fit fine.


 
  haha was planning to recable a few things so was wondering if 2-4 wires can fit into the paracord so i dont have to buy extra sleeves


----------



## danpong

just quick question.  As for the wires use for DIY iem cable.  Can I use a cheap copper wire for ground? and use the more expensive silver wire on the signal?  Will this cause any degrade on sound quality?  (by theory it shouldn't right???)  I'm new for this DIY cable so any suggestion is welcome.  Thanks


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





danpong said:


> just quick question.  As for the wires use for DIY iem cable.  Can I use a cheap copper wire for ground? and use the more expensive silver wire on the signal?  Will this cause any degrade on sound quality?  (by theory it shouldn't right???)  I'm new for this DIY cable so any suggestion is welcome.  Thanks


 
  Yes you can with almost any cable.  To keep the cost down a lot of people do this.  For IEM cables I would suggest 26 or 28awg and also the only thing I would suggest when doing this is to make sure that all the  wires are the same awg and also the insolation is the same so that when braiding it will be a bit more consistant.


----------



## AgentXXL

Hi all,
   
  For now I'm taking the inexpensive way out to recable my HD800s. I want to cleanly remove the stock Sennheiser 1/4" plug and re-terminate with a Switchcraft 4 pin male mini-XLR. I'll then build various adapters to use my HD800s with Switchcraft 4 pin female mini-XLRs going to 1/4" single ended, 4 pin full size male XLR, dual 3 pin male XLR, etc.
   
  My first problem is removing the stock Sennheiser 1/4" plug - I've tried all sort of methods to try and 'unscrew' the housing from the plug so I can desolder the wires. Alas it seems that the stock 1/4" plug is pressed together and can't be easily disassembled, if at all. Am I correct or is there a magic method to disassemble this plug?
   
  Worst case scenario I'll just cut the stock 1/4" plug off and then use another 1/4" plug from my inventory to build a single ended adaptor, discarding the Sennheiser plug. Any thoughts or help with this would be appreciated - pic below of the stock Sennheiser connector.
   
   

   
  Dale


----------



## Anthony1

Anybody seen a mini coaxial output connector?


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





anthony1 said:


> Anybody seen a mini coaxial output connector?


 
  Yup its a mono 3.5mm connector.  most 3.5mm are stereo


----------



## Anthony1

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Yup its a mono 3.5mm connector.  most 3.5mm are stereo


 
  Really? which makes sense as thats whats on the DX100.
   
  Thanks as I need to make a mini coax to coax cable


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





anthony1 said:


> Really? which makes sense as thats whats on the DX100.
> 
> Thanks as I need to make a mini coax to coax cable


 
  could be wrong but pretty sure.  The other type is just an rca connector but the iBasso looks like its a mono 3.5.  Just remember for coax you also have to solder the sheild for ground.


----------



## glunteer

you have bought good quality cable from china? there shipping is always cheaper ... I wanted to buy some good cables with free shipping


----------



## gambit300

I... can't seem to overcome the paracord... I keep attempting it every night and just can't seem to sleeve the wire. I tried electrical tape and teflon tape. It just sleeves for a little bit, and then doesn't move in any further. I can pull out the wire and see that the tape is still in place, so wires aren't snagging.... So annoyed.


----------



## DMinor

Have your guys dealt with Whiplash Audio? I ordered a few items from them a few days ago. So far no info about shipping or replying my emails. Poor customer service.


----------



## Anthony1

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> could be wrong but pretty sure.  The other type is just an rca connector but the iBasso looks like its a mono 3.5.  Just remember for coax you also have to solder the sheild for ground.


 
  Thanks


----------



## Anthony1

Quote: 





gambit300 said:


> I... can't seem to overcome the paracord... I keep attempting it every night and just can't seem to sleeve the wire. I tried electrical tape and teflon tape. It just sleeves for a little bit, and then doesn't move in any further. I can pull out the wire and see that the tape is still in place, so wires aren't snagging.... So annoyed.


 
  Ok so just to be sure you are kind of "worm bunching" the paracord on to the wire arent you? I mean you just arent trying to push the whole length into the cord without any massaging/bunching? So you push the cord onto the wire and bunch it up and then grab the front section of the bunched cord and pull it on over the wire (if this makes sense)


----------



## Anthony1

Need to make a mini-coaxial to coaxial connector.
   
  Does anybody have a diagram or sketch on how to solder this?
   
  I believe its a 3.5 connector to an RCA connector


----------



## glunteer

Quote: 





anthony1 said:


> Need to make a mini-coaxial to coaxial connector.
> 
> Does anybody have a diagram or sketch on how to solder this?
> 
> I believe its a 3.5 connector to an RCA connector


 

 how do you do RCA to 3.5mm?

 you use two RCA connectors for each? and divides the covers in the middle?


----------



## AgentXXL

glunteer said:


> how do you do RCA to 3.5mm?
> 
> you use two RCA connectors for each? and divides the covers in the middle?




You only need two wires for a coaxial SPDIF cable - wire the tip of the 3.5mm mono plug to the tip of the RCA plug with one wire, and then sleeve of the 3.5mm mono plug to the sleeve of the RCA plug with the other wire. When I've built my own, I've used Belden 8216, one brand of a 50 ohm 1/8" coaxial cable. The generic cable type is RG174A if you can't find the Belden brand. The tip is wired with the inner conductor and the sleeve is wired with the shield.

https://www.tessco.com/products/displayProductInfo.do?sku=98180&eventPage=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable


----------



## glunteer

Quote: 





agentxxl said:


> You only need two wires for a coaxial SPDIF cable - wire the tip of the 3.5mm mono plug to the tip of the RCA plug with one wire, and then sleeve of the 3.5mm mono plug to the sleeve of the RCA plug with the other wire. When I've built my own, I've used Belden 8216, one brand of a 50 ohm 1/8" coaxial cable. The generic cable type is RG174A if you can't find the Belden brand. The tip is wired with the inner conductor and the sleeve is wired with the shield.
> 
> https://www.tessco.com/products/displayProductInfo.do?sku=98180&eventPage=1
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable


 

 I did not understand ... I want to make a cable like this: 2 RCA to 3.5mm (stereo)


----------



## liquidzoo

Quote: 





glunteer said:


> I did not understand ... I want to make a cable like this: 2 RCA to 3.5mm (stereo)


 
  Easy enough:
   
  3.5mm stereo wired as normal:  Tip = Left, Ring = Right, Sleeve = Ground (x2)
   
  Then on the RCA end, Left signal and 1 of the grounds to one, Right signal and the other ground to the other.


----------



## AgentXXL

glunteer said:


> I did not understand ... I want to make a cable like this: 2 RCA to 3.5mm (stereo)




Sorry, I misunderstood and thought you wanted to build a SPDIF coaxial to mini-coaxial cable. The description from liquidzoo is correct for a 3.5mm stereo plug to dual RCA.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Amazon in all of its amazingless just recommended this seller to me: Paracord Plannet
   
  Does anybody buy their paracord from here? It has a decent selection at good price. Specifically the Combo Crafting Kits.
   
  The only noted difference is "[size=small]Type III Commercial Grade parachute cord (almost identical to the Mil-Spec without the higher prices)."[/size]
  [size=small]What does this mean exactly, they are both 550lb.. Does one fray more easily?[/size]
   
  [size=small]Mixed reviews on amazon though.[/size]


----------



## liquidzoo

I buy all of mine from SupplyCaptain, mostly due to the fact that I normally buy Type 1 cord for sleeving wires.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> I buy all of mine from SupplyCaptain, mostly due to the fact that I normally buy Type 1 cord for sleeving wires.


 
  I have bought mine from EBay-All Outdoor and More. It is relatively the same price other than the kits.
   
  According to reviews, people didn't get quite the kit they were expecting. The reviews for this item were more solid.
   
  I bought Type 1 from Michaels but still can't figure out how to thread it properly. tried using a paperclip but couldn't keep the wire on with tape. A guide with pictures would be much appreciated xD.


----------



## liquidzoo

Quote: 





frozenpanda said:


> I have bought mine from EBay-All Outdoor and More. It is relatively the same price other than the kits.
> 
> According to reviews, people didn't get quite the kit they were expecting. The reviews for this item were more solid.
> 
> I bought Type 1 from Michaels but still can't figure out how to thread it properly. tried using a paperclip but couldn't keep the wire on with tape. A guide with pictures would be much appreciated xD.


 
  Never seen Type 1 at Michaels.  I'll have to look the next time my wife sends me there.


----------



## glunteer

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> Easy enough:
> 
> 3.5mm stereo wired as normal:  Tip = Left, Ring = Right, Sleeve = Ground (x2)
> 
> Then on the RCA end, Left signal and 1 of the grounds to one, Right signal and the other ground to the other.


 

 thx liquidzoo


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





anthony1 said:


> Need to make a mini-coaxial to coaxial connector.
> 
> Does anybody have a diagram or sketch on how to solder this?
> 
> I believe its a 3.5 connector to an RCA connector


 
  Its more simple than you think.  Because you are using a mono 3.5mm there is the tip and shield and I am sure that you know that there is a tip and shield on the RCA as well.  When you buy coax cable there is a center wire and there is usually an insulation and then a conductive shield and finally the outer insulation.  The center wire is the tip for both the RCA and mini-coax and the conductive shield is the ground for both.  If you need a diagram I can find you one but if you understand after this than we are good to go.


----------



## Anthony1

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Its more simple than you think.  Because you are using a mono 3.5mm there is the tip and shield and I am sure that you know that there is a tip and shield on the RCA as well.  When you buy coax cable there is a center wire and there is usually an insulation and then a conductive shield and finally the outer insulation.  The center wire is the tip for both the RCA and mini-coax and the conductive shield is the ground for both.  If you need a diagram I can find you one but if you understand after this than we are good to go.


 
  Thanks - makes sense. Just need to get my hands on a decent mono 3.5 right angle and decent right angled RCA.
   
  Will skip the COAX and do something like Spud has done here


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> Never seen Type 1 at Michaels.  I'll have to look the next time my wife sends me there.


 
  why choose type 1 over type 3? which would be better for sleeving


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> why choose type 1 over type 3? which would be better for sleeving


 
   
   
  Type 1 is thinner. Its also known as 325lb paracord. Instead of just stripping a cable and taking the wires and threading it through paracord, you take each wire and thread it through. 
   
  I can't do it myself but... Here is a post by Fraggler in the Gallery which has nice implementation of this: http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/10200#post_8706279
   
  Here is my implementation of the same technique done with type 3.. it works but its different: http://i.imgur.com/wZnIyFQh.jpg


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





frozenpanda said:


> Type 1 is thinner. Its also known as 325lb paracord. Instead of just stripping a cable and taking the wires and threading it through paracord, you take each wire and thread it through.
> 
> I can't do it myself but... Here is a post by Fraggler in the Gallery which has nice implementation of this: http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/10200#post_8706279
> 
> Here is my implementation of the same technique done with type 3.. it works but its different: http://i.imgur.com/wZnIyFQh.jpg


 
  Ah icic that's actually something i've been looking for thanks so much!!! Whats a cheap place to get some?


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> Ah icic that's actually something i've been looking for thanks so much!!! Whats a cheap place to get some?


 
   
  It's on the first page and the previous page..
   
  liquidzoo gets his from supply captain... I think this would be the link? (correct me if i'm wrong please)
   
  I got mine from Michaels (mine wasn't very high quality).. just started fraying... best to get from your local Michaels/arts/craft store.. it will be near the jewlery/accessory section. you'll also find buckles and beads.


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





frozenpanda said:


> It's on the first page and the previous page..
> 
> liquidzoo gets his from supply captain... I think this would be the link? (correct me if i'm wrong please)
> 
> I got mine from Michaels (mine wasn't very high quality).. just started fraying... best to get from your local Michaels/arts/craft store.. it will be near the jewlery/accessory section. you'll also find buckles and beads.


 
  I live in Malaysia so no Michael's for me i guess i'll try supply captain. Didnt see that they had Type 1 as well im getting my type 3 from them.


----------



## liquidzoo

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> I live in Malaysia so no Michael's for me i guess i'll try supply captain. Didnt see that they had Type 1 as well im getting my type 3 from them.


 
  Type 1 is also known as accessory cord or vest cord.  It's just the right size for a single wire (no larger than 24AWG).


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> Type 1 is also known as accessory cord or vest cord.  It's just the right size for a single wire (no larger than 24AWG).


 
   
  Just don't buy micro cord... that is NOT what you want If it is what you want though... I have 400 ft of it


----------



## siles1991

Now im looking for color combinations. Either im thinking of type 3 for 4 wires than split into type 1 2 wires. Or just go type 1 all the way.


----------



## siles1991

stupid question. how do you hold the cables in place while braiding. I tried taping one end of the cables to a surface and tried braiding but it was really annoying and I couldnt braid properly.


----------



## TrollDragon

I use a mini vise...


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> stupid question. how do you hold the cables in place while braiding. I tried taping one end of the cables to a surface and tried braiding but it was really annoying and I couldnt braid properly.


 
  Helping hands are for more than just soldering


----------



## Armaegis

A little (or big) table vice works well. Sometimes if I'm braiding a long cable I'll clamp down the one end and thread the rest through the railings of a staircase. That gives me plenty of room to hang the cables down and gravity helps keep everything in check.


----------



## liquidzoo

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> I use a mini vise...


 
  That wire looks familiar...


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





frozenpanda said:


> Helping hands are for more than just soldering


 
  my helping hands are really light...


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Yeah, a pair of helping hands is essential when dealing with this kind of work.
  and at 6 bucks and free shipping on ebay, there's really no reason why anyone shouldn't have some


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> That wire looks familiar...


 

 That is indeed very fine liquidzoo wire, I finally got around to stripping it and checking out the flexibility of the two. I like the Mogami a lot more than the Canare. The jacket on the wires of the 2534 is quite soft and flexible.
   
  Thanks again liquidzoo, I just braided them up and threw a few ends on to see what the wire was like, I could use both in a build very easily for sure.
   
  So what do Y'all do with the shield after you strip it? I can see a big ball of it gaining weight very quickly, do you sell it for scrap when you have a bunch or just reuse it in other projects?


----------



## daflippymaster

Would you guys advise against soldering the wires to the connector and then braiding? 
 Generally, i'll put some heatshrink around the tip of the connector and stick it in a vice-grip and then tie that to something to help keep constant tension, seeing as I don't have a dedicated vice.


----------



## liquidzoo

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> That is indeed very fine liquidzoo wire, I finally got around to stripping it and checking out the flexibility of the two. I like the Mogami a lot more than the Canare. The jacket on the wires of the 2534 is quite soft and flexible.
> 
> Thanks again liquidzoo, I just braided them up and threw a few ends on to see what the wire was like, I could use both in a build very easily for sure.
> 
> So what do Y'all do with the shield after you strip it? I can see a big ball of it gaining weight very quickly, do you sell it for scrap when you have a bunch or just reuse it in other projects?


 
   
  I've just thrown it away in the past... Hadn't thought about selling it for the Copper...
  Quote: 





daflippymaster said:


> Would you guys advise against soldering the wires to the connector and then braiding?
> Generally, i'll put some heatshrink around the tip of the connector and stick it in a vice-grip and then tie that to something to help keep constant tension, seeing as I don't have a dedicated vice.


 
   
  I do that.  Solder one side, then braid, then solder the other side.


----------



## killerfrenzi

I'm thinking about making a 5' cable for my hd650s. my list to get is 
   
  24' of 28awg UP-OCC from here http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html (I need 4 wires worth right?)
  cheap connects http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pair-Headphone-headset-DIY-Upgraded-adapter-for-Sennheiser-HD580-HD600-HD650-/321152113003?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac628596b
  Whatever terminal (probably Neutrik)
  1/4 and 1/8 techflex for sleeving the 4 wires and 2 wire splits
  some shrink wrap from amazon
   
  not sure if I'm missing any supplies. I know I need some rosin too, should I get 60/40 or some sort of 60/38/2
   
  am I missing anything?


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





killerfrenzi said:


> I'm thinking about making a 5' cable for my hd650s. my list to get is
> 
> 24' of 28awg UP-OCC from here http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html (I need 4 wires worth right?)
> cheap connects http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pair-Headphone-headset-DIY-Upgraded-adapter-for-Sennheiser-HD580-HD600-HD650-/321152113003?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac628596b
> ...


 
  Possibly heatshrink? Not sure if that's what you mean by shrink wrap.
   
  Also, techflex is notoriously microphonic (you'll hear lots of noise when the cable rubs against itself or something else). If your cable is 5 ft. I'd imagine it would be taught and thus if you were to move your head, the cable would move. I would recommend paracord or just leaving it bare but at the same time there's nothing from stopping you from using techflex.. realizing you don't like it and just taking it off and replacing it with paracord later. Just my 2 cents. Good luck on the cable.
   
  On a sidenote: Jumping straight to UP-OCC wires is pretty gutsy. I started with Canare and Mogami Quad Cables because they were cheap and I didn't have to braid. I should get around to trying UP-OCC wires soon.


----------



## killerfrenzi

Quote: 





frozenpanda said:


> Possibly heatshrink? Not sure if that's what you mean by shrink wrap.
> 
> Also, techflex is notoriously microphonic (you'll hear lots of noise when the cable rubs against itself or something else). If your cable is 5 ft. I'd imagine it would be taught and thus if you were to move your head, the cable would move. I would recommend paracord or just leaving it bare but at the same time there's nothing from stopping you from using techflex.. realizing you don't like it and just taking it off and replacing it with paracord later. Just my 2 cents. Good luck on the cable.
> 
> On a sidenote: Jumping straight to UP-OCC wires is pretty gutsy. I started with Canare and Mogami Quad Cables because they were cheap and I didn't have to braid. I should get around to trying UP-OCC wires soon.


 
   
  Oh, I didn't know techflex has bad microphonic, in that case I'd probably order paracord instead.


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





killerfrenzi said:


> I'm thinking about making a 5' cable for my hd650s. my list to get is
> 
> 24' of 28awg UP-OCC from here http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html (I need 4 wires worth right?)
> cheap connects http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pair-Headphone-headset-DIY-Upgraded-adapter-for-Sennheiser-HD580-HD600-HD650-/321152113003?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac628596b
> ...


 
  I would stick with 26awg or 24awg.  28 is so very thin.  Also if you want good solder I recommend cardas stuff its a combination of copper, tin, lead, and silver.  Also shink wrap is cheaper on ebay.  Check out the seller flexrllc.


----------



## killerfrenzi

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> I would stick with 26awg or 24awg.  28 is so very thin.  Also if you want good solder I recommend cardas stuff its a combination of copper, tin, lead, and silver.  Also shink wrap is cheaper on ebay.  Check out the seller flexrllc.


 
  what size am I looking, 1/2"?


----------



## glunteer

For mogami w2893 the paracord type III is good ?


----------



## wolfetan44

I don't get it.. My techflex isn't microphoic at all.


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> I don't get it.. My techflex isn't microphoic at all.


 
  Um I don't see how techflex would be...I mean mine isn't either.  
   
  Quote: 





killerfrenzi said:


> what size am I looking, 1/2"?


 
  I would get 3:1 1/4" or 3/8" , 1/2" is huge. I personally got 1/4" and it is perfect for most applications.  It won't fit over a lot of connectors though so if you want that go with 3/8".  But with 3/8" it might not shrink completely over the cables especially if they are 26awg instead of 24.  So up to you.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  FP said this,"Also, techflex is notoriously microphonic".


----------



## Kamakahah

Quote: 





glunteer said:


> For mogami w2893 the paracord type III is good ?


 
  The type doesn't necessarily tell you the actual size, simply it's strength. You should read closely to find the correct diameter that will fit the cable. 
  The 2893 is nice if you strip it down just passed the copper shielding. You're left with the wires tightly bundled in paper similar to a tootsie pop stick and inside are cotton lengths. It slides nicely into paracord. Just make sure to put a little electrical tape on the end before going in. 
   
  Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Um I don't see how techflex would be...I mean mine isn't either.
> 
> I would get 3:1 1/4" or 3/8" , 1/2" is huge. I personally got 1/4" and it is perfect for most applications.  It won't fit over a lot of connectors though so if you want that go with 3/8".  But with 3/8" it might not shrink completely over the cables especially if they are 26awg instead of 24.  So up to you.


 
   
  +1. Always 3:1 ratio for me. 3/8" works great on a lot of Neutrik connectors. Fits like a glove and reaches down snug to the sleeving or cable as long as you get 3:1 ratio. I do recommend some random size 2:1 though for little stuff like inside the connector for separate wires or holding down the sleeving a little better. They sell some mix mini boxes of 6" lengths for real cheap in 2:1 that will meet that need.


----------



## AgentXXL

Quote: 





agentxxl said:


> Hi all,
> 
> For now I'm taking the inexpensive way out to recable my HD800s. I want to cleanly remove the stock Sennheiser 1/4" plug and re-terminate with a Switchcraft 4 pin male mini-XLR. I'll then build various adapters to use my HD800s with Switchcraft 4 pin female mini-XLRs going to 1/4" single ended, 4 pin full size male XLR, dual 3 pin male XLR, etc.
> 
> ...


 
   
  I'm replying to my own post just to let others know what I ended up doing... something so obvious, I feel dumb for not even considering it at first. My stock HD800 cable is now re-terminated as a modular cable and I've built my 1st adapter for it  - to use my new RSA Intruder balanced portable amp.
   
  http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/12705#post_9738641
   
  What did I do with the stock 1/4" Sennheiser connector? I chopped it and about 6" of the stock cable off, to later be re-terminated with a Switchcraft TA4FX to make it into a 1/4" modular adapter for my cable. It's such an obvious option so don't ask me why I was so frenzied about trying to disassemble the connector so I could cleanly desolder the wires and re-use it. I still get to re-use it this way, and one end of the soldering job is already done. The only minor disadvantage is that my HD800 cable is now 6" shorter than it previously was. That I can live with. 
   
  And just for others looking to do the same thing - be sure to check your HD800 cable with an ohmmeter to determine which color is right or left. In my cable, red was right and green was left. This is contrary to some of the information posted elsewhere on Head-Fi and the web. Always best to check things like this anyhow.


----------



## DownhomeUpstate

Sub'd, y'all.
   
  DHC is selling their Nucleotide 24 ga. OCC copper/clear teflon for $1.99. I'm thinking about braiding that stuff nekid. What's the rule of thumb for estimating how much extra length you need when you do a four wire braid? I'm shooting for a 10' finished length.
   
  Thx


----------



## Kamakahah

downhomeupstate said:


> Sub'd, y'all.
> 
> DHC is selling their Nucleotide 24 ga. OCC copper/clear teflon for $1.99. I'm thinking about braiding that stuff nekid. What's the rule of thumb for estimating how much extra length you need when you do a four wire braid? I'm shooting for a 10' finished length.
> 
> Thx




Depends on the AWG and how tight/loose you braid. I tend to leave myself about 6 inches for every 5 feet to compensate for the braiding and mistakes. Though that is always more than I need. 

I do a "natural" feeling braid. I Try to go with how it feels while doing my best to avoid tightening or loosening too much. Usually you can feel when it is doing one or another followed by seeing it after a couple of passes. 

So for 10 feet I would recommend between 6 inches and a foot depending on how confident you feel. . Should be plenty.

Edit: I should give a specific example. Just did a 5 foot cable with 26awg. Lost about 1.5inches off the length. But again, YMMV.


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





downhomeupstate said:


> Sub'd, y'all.
> 
> DHC is selling their Nucleotide 24 ga. OCC copper/clear teflon for $1.99. I'm thinking about braiding that stuff nekid. What's the rule of thumb for estimating how much extra length you need when you do a four wire braid? I'm shooting for a 10' finished length.
> 
> Thx


 
  I would go for an extra ft per strand so a total of 44ft of wire.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





downhomeupstate said:


> Sub'd, y'all.
> 
> DHC is selling their Nucleotide 24 ga. OCC copper/clear teflon for $1.99. I'm thinking about braiding that stuff nekid. What's the rule of thumb for estimating how much extra length you need when you do a four wire braid? I'm shooting for a 10' finished length.
> 
> Thx


 
   
  By some miracle, I've actually ran out of cable to use... I think I might pick up more mogami 2893... But what is this link to this? I think this might be a good time to try some better wire when theres a good deal on it.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> FP said this,"Also, techflex is notoriously microphonic".


 
   
  I would tend to agree with FP.  After all, if I loved Techflex / PET, I wouldn't have 50 ft. of it just sitting on a shelf.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  Though, I do think it does work pretty well when building a pair of RCA interconnects.


----------



## DownhomeUpstate

Quote: 





frozenpanda said:


> By some miracle, I've actually ran out of cable to use... I think I might pick up more mogami 2893... But what is this link to this? I think this might be a good time to try some better wire when theres a good deal on it.


 
  Thanks, Kamakaha, Zashoomin & Frozen Panda!  And Panda, here's the link:
   
  http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=114&zenid=i44t0oohpitt2me5dg0tchtt01


----------



## PXSS

downhomeupstate said:


> Sub'd, y'all.
> 
> DHC is selling their Nucleotide 24 ga. OCC copper/clear teflon for $1.99. I'm thinking about braiding that stuff nekid. What's the rule of thumb for estimating how much extra length you need when you do a four wire braid? I'm shooting for a 10' finished length.
> 
> Thx



Neat! I've been meaning to get some more nucleotide but $2.75 per foot was not in my budget. Thanks for the heads up!

Btw, has anyone used MDPC-X sleeving on their cables? It looks sweet in the pictures but I'm not so sure about feel and microphonics. Any input would be appreciated!


----------



## DownhomeUpstate

No idea about sleeving yet- how about this stuff for $1/ft :
[size=1.4em] Soft black multifilament sleeve for DIY[/size]  http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=28
   
  I've been looking for quality right-angle plugs for a BH Crack kit that's on the way (it comes with a top-mounted Neutrik 1/4" jack), but nothing in the 1/4" variety looks good to me. I found Switchcraft and Oyaide 1/8"/3.5 mm right-angle plugs, tho', and the Switchcraft unit looks really well made for not a lot of money:
   
  http://www.switchcraft.com/productsummary.aspx?Parent=992 
  (Markertek caries it for $7.99.)
   
  Anyone have experience with good quality mini panel mount jacks? I found the Switchcraft panel-mount mini jack:
   
  http://www.switchcraft.com/Drawings/EH35MM%20SERIES_CD.pdf
  (Also at Markertek, for $8.29)
   
  It looks like the contacts are a nickel-silver-alloy, but I can't tell for sure. Anybody have experience with this?


----------



## DownhomeUpstate

Rats. According to Wikipedia, "nickel silver" is anything but silver:
   
*Nickel silver*, also known as *German silver*,[1] *Argentan*,[1] *new silver*,[1] *nickel brass*,[2] *albata*,[3] *alpacca*,[4] or *electrum*,[5] is a copper alloy with nickel and oftenzinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc.[6] Nickel silver is named for its silvery appearance, but it contains no elemental silver unless plated. The name "German silver" refers to its development by 19th-century German metalworkers in imitation of the Chinese alloy known as *paktong*(cupronickel)[7][8] All modern, commercially important nickel silvers (such as those standardized under ASTM B122) contain significant amounts of zinc, and are sometimes considered a subset of brass.[9
]


----------



## wolfetan44

Where should I buy some high quality XLRs from?


----------



## wolfetan44

What awg cable is inside the HD650?


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





downhomeupstate said:


> No idea about sleeving yet- how about this stuff for $1/ft :
> [size=1.4em] Soft black multifilament sleeve for DIY[/size]  http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=28


 
  I am going for a different look, I want to know how a MDPC-X sleeve would compare against paracord in feel and microphonics mainly, as it looks plasticky in some pictures.
  I wish you could order less than 30 feet... That much will last me forever hahaha
   
   


wolfetan44 said:


> Where should I buy some high quality XLRs from?


 

  Partsconnexion has a large selection of XLRs. From Neutrik to the more expensive Xhadow and NeoTech.
  AVOutlet can get you Viablue XLRs too if you contact them directly.
  I like using VALabs from ebay due to their looks and reasonable price.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Where should I buy some high quality XLRs from?


 
   
  What size?  Number of Pins?  XLR plugs come in regular and mini.  Pins can be 3, 4, etc.  Specific color? Neutrik offers nickel / black and a all black option.  Lots of choices, but not all are available from all vendors.  That is, unless,  you look at someone big like Markertek.
   
  Here's one such search from Markertek for Neutrik XLR connectors: http://audio-video-supply.markertek.com/search#w=neutrik%20xlr
   
  Also, consider the shipping costs, too.  If you're just looking for a pair of XLRs and shipping could be about $10.  Ideally, combining several items in an order (with most companies) is when the savings can be realized.  In these situations, you might be better off using Ebay and find a vendor who has free shipping for the item.  The cost could be a little higher to purchase, but you wouldn't  have to pay a shipping amount equal to the price of 3 connectors either.


----------



## wolfetan44

I got 2 Neutrik 4 pins for $12 including shipping. Anyways, does anyone know what awg cable is in the HD650 and Fostex T50RP? Also, is MCPD-X sleeving or whatever its called good? Thanks.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> I got 2 Neutrik 4 pins for $12 including shipping. Anyways, does anyone know what awg cable is in the HD650 and_* Fostex T50RP?*_ Also, is MCPD-X sleeving or whatever its called good? Thanks.


 
   
  In the cable for the Fostex T50RP, it's actually something closer to 30ga.  Each of the 3 individual wires in the cable are not within their own insulation.  The 3 wires are embedded within the black rubber jacket of the cable.  
   
  I opened one up before and posted some pictures in the Fostex thread.  As to the wire inside the headphone, that runs from one cup to the other, seems like 28ga, or so.  However, if you're doing a re-cable job on the inside of the Fostex T50RP, be very, very careful. The solder pads of the drivers are aluminum, as is the solder.  If your iron is too hot, you'll dissipate the whole connection quickly and melt the soldering pad.  Plus, when comes to resoldering fresh wire to the drivers, you have to ensure you have a solder similar to the manufacturer.  For me, it was awfully hard to find a solder that had a very low melting point. But, I did find some, at a cost.
   
  I think when doing a recable job on the Fostex (if redoing the inside wiring), the risk is much higher than the reward.


----------



## wolfetan44

I'm just recabling the plug with a 4 pin XLR, is that possible? And its 30 awg?





wje said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > I got 2 Neutrik 4 pins for $12 including shipping. Anyways, does anyone know what awg cable is in the HD650 and _*Fostex T50RP?*_ Also, is MCPD-X sleeving or whatever its called good? Thanks.
> ...


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> I'm just recabling the plug with a 4 pin XLR, is that possible? And its 30 awg?


 
  If you're just reterminating, you don't really need any information on the awg of the wires...


----------



## wolfetan44

To strip it??





pxss said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm just recabling the plug with a 4 pin XLR, is that possible? And its 30 awg?
> ...


----------



## wolfetan44

http://en.mdpc-x.com/
Is this stuff high quality? Also, what is it made out of?


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> http://en.mdpc-x.com/
> Is this stuff high quality? Also, what is it made out of?


 
  That stuff would be great for Power Supplies and PC cables... RCA Interconnects would be good with it too, I would not use it on headphone cables as it looks to be some seriously stiff ***** nylon.


----------



## wolfetan44

Ohh, thanks. What about that soft filament from DHC? The black sleeving?





trolldragon said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > http://en.mdpc-x.com/
> ...


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> That stuff would be great for Power Supplies and PC cables... RCA Interconnects would be good with it too, I would not use it on headphone cables as it looks to be some seriously stiff ***** nylon.


 
  Have you actually used it yourself? I have seen several headphone cables sleeved with it. That's why I'm looking for someone with first hand experience with it.


----------



## crazyg0od33

Mdpc is by far the most high quality sleeving I've ever seen. However it is very stiff so I would also suggest not using it for headphones


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> What awg cable is inside the HD650?


 
  Not sure but get some 26 or 24 awg for that.  
   
  Quote: 





downhomeupstate said:


> No idea about sleeving yet- how about this stuff for $1/ft :
> [size=1.4em] Soft black multifilament sleeve for DIY[/size]  http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=28
> 
> I've been looking for quality right-angle plugs for a BH Crack kit that's on the way (it comes with a top-mounted Neutrik 1/4" jack), but nothing in the 1/4" variety looks good to me. I found Switchcraft and Oyaide 1/8"/3.5 mm right-angle plugs, tho', and the Switchcraft unit looks really well made for not a lot of money:


 
  Honestly the microfillament that DHC sells is the more expensive version of paracord.  I mean it is a bit nicer looking but if you want to save some money buy paracord it looks almost identical.  Also it is a bit smaller if you get type I instead of type III.  
   
  I would go Neutrik.  Switchcraft stuff isn't even close in quality in my opinion.  In that price range honestly Neutrik trumps all in build quality and how solid the connector is.  (that is an opinion so don't bite my head off.)
   
  Quote: 





pxss said:


> Partsconnexion has a large selection of XLRs. From Neutrik to the more expensive Xhadow and NeoTech.
> AVOutlet can get you Viablue XLRs too if you contact them directly.
> I like using VALabs from ebay due to their looks and reasonable price.


 
  If you want Neutrik I would go with Redco...better prices.  But otherwise +1.


----------



## wolfetan44

I don't have the money to do a full recable, I'm just going to contact sennheiser.


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> I don't have the money to do a full recable, I'm just going to contact sennheiser.


 
  Just go bigger with the strippers 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 (Pun totally intended)
  You could use calipers to measure the diameter of the wires and figure out which stripping hole to use (hahaha)
  I usually just wing it and as long as you're careful, you shouldn't have any problem stripping without knowing the actual awg of the wires.
   
  Cheers


----------



## wolfetan44

Gotcha. I'll probably start with 24 awg and move down from there. Do you guys recommend DHC wire?





pxss said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > I don't have the money to do a full recable, I'm just going to contact sennheiser.
> ...


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Gotcha. I'll probably start with 24 awg and move down from there. Do you guys recommend DHC wire?


 
  That's what I use on my personal cables. I have only used the Polyethylene insulated Nucleotide though.
  I highly recommend it and prefer it over Mogami/Canare. But that's just my personal preference


----------



## wolfetan44

Worth the asking price?





pxss said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Gotcha. I'll probably start with 24 awg and move down from there. Do you guys recommend DHC wire?
> ...


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Worth the asking price?


 
  IMHO, totally. Keep in mind that I have spent hundreds on some of my cables.
  But as someone else once told me...
   
   


drez said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## wolfetan44

Hm, improve my soldering or purchase a Gungir later in the year..


----------



## TrollDragon

wolfetan44 said:


> Hm, improve my soldering or purchase a Gungir later in the year..


Terrible things First World problems are... Such a dilemma...


----------



## wolfetan44

What do you think I should do?





trolldragon said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Hm, improve my soldering or purchase a Gungir later in the year..
> ...


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> What do you think I should do?


 
  I have worked with the DHC stuff and honestly it is so far the easiest and best looking wire I have ever worked with.  It looked fantastic and soldered like a dream.


----------



## wolfetan44

No, like save up for Gungir or get wire and supplies?





zashoomin said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > What do you think I should do?
> ...


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> No, like save up for Gungir or get wire and supplies?


 
  If you believe in wires they will make the smallest difference in your chain.  If you don't than they won't make any difference in your chain so either way I would go with the Gungir.


----------



## wolfetan44

Ok, cool, thanks. I'm still debating it, as I get a lot of experience if I purchase DIY stuff, and that's what I want.





zashoomin said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > No, like save up for Gungir or get wire and supplies?
> ...


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Ok, cool, thanks. I'm still debating it, as I get a lot of experience if I purchase DIY stuff, and that's what I want.


 
  If you want some good expirience build a DIY amp.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Crack?


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Crack?


 
  Depends on the headphones but crack or sex.  For anything lower than 100ohms sex for anything higher than 100ohms crack.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Cool, thanks for the help, Zash. I'll see what I want to do, I may be getting some wire today, or saving up!


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> What do you think I should do?


 
  It's all up to you young sir, I learned my soldering skills a long long time ago and they are a great skills to have.
   
  The Gungnir looks like a nice DAC, well beyond my purchasing ability but if you are able to do so then go for it. Be warned though you will need a pair of LCD's as well to go with your new Mjolnir I remember right. 
   
  Building kits is another great way to learn to solder, which I would do before you jump right into a recable job on a nice set of headphones as you want the cable to look great.
  For me wire is wire, there are others that claim they can hear the difference between OFC 4N and 7N but I cannot. 
   
  I don't know what you have for a soldering iron but I would look into one of the Hakko FX888's if you don't have a decent one.
   
  Good Luck with your choice!


----------



## PETEREK

I just found these 3.5mm connectors with Sennheiser branding on them on eBay! Thought I would share with my fellow DIYers
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-PCs-High-quality-Gold-Plated-3-5mm-Plug-DIY-Connector-For-Headphones-DIY-US-/221269253924?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item3384acdf24


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  MrSpeakers recommended me the Weller WESD51 Digital Soldering Station I have a Weller WLC-100, its alright, the temperature control is awful.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





peterek said:


> I just found these 3.5mm connectors with Sennheiser branding on them on eBay! Thought I would share with my fellow DIYers
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-PCs-High-quality-Gold-Plated-3-5mm-Plug-DIY-Connector-For-Headphones-DIY-US-/221269253924?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item3384acdf24


 
  Ooo, those look nice! Not the biggest fan of the internal part though, I much prefer the internal on this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281067754423?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648
  Its much easier to solder using this design.


----------



## PETEREK

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Ooo, those look nice! Not the biggest fan of the internal part though, I much prefer the internal on this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281067754423?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648
> Its much easier to solder using this design.


 
  Yeah, I normally don't like that design at all. I actually just used a Pailiccs last night for the first time for a cable to use with my bathroom stereo, it was very tedious work because the soldering points are so small. I used some expanding gorilla glue inside the barrel to give it more strength so the solders aren't just pulled right off during it's use.


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> MrSpeakers recommended me the Weller WESD51 Digital Soldering Station I have a Weller WLC-100, its alright, the temperature control is awful.


 
  Both great choices, I have an old WTCPL from the 70's which is quite the museum piece but it still runs and tips are still available. When it does finally die it will be replaced by a Hakko as I have tried that station out at a friends place and I like the weight and feel of it.


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





peterek said:


> Yeah, I normally don't like that design at all. I actually just used a Pailiccs last night for the first time for a cable to use with my bathroom stereo, it was very tedious work because the soldering points are so small. I used some expanding gorilla glue inside the barrel to give it more strength so the solders aren't just pulled right off during it's use.


 
  Thats where good soldering skills come into play, anyone can wrap a wire through a hole in a tang and throw some solder on it... Well most can, I've seen some bad attempts in my time.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> I'm just recabling the plug with a 4 pin XLR, is that possible? And its 30 awg?


 
   
  I'll get back a bit later and post the picture of the Fostex cable that I opened up.  I also seem to recall that each conductor was coated with a thin protector of insulation just like Sennheiser uses.  One would have to heat the wire ends to melt the goo off before using some flux and tinning the leads.


----------



## PETEREK

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> Thats where good soldering skills come into play, anyone can wrap a wire through a hole in a tang and throw some solder on it... Well most can, I've seen some bad attempts in my time.


 
  I can solder, I just don't have a station with clamps and all that. I really need one, it would make this hobby much easier to do.


----------



## wolfetan44

dQuote: 





trolldragon said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Still an easier layout
   
  Quote: 





wje said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Ah, so i will need a solder pot, might as well get it now then. Which do you guys recommend, nothing too expensive please. And what solder bars?


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> wje said:
> 
> 
> > wolfetan44 said:
> ...


 
  0.o
  Good solder pots aren't cheap... Unless you're planning to get into doing tons of cables, there's no reason to spend your money on one.
  A good lighter should do the trick. A butane lighter is what I would use.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> MrSpeakers recommended me the Weller WESD51 Digital Soldering Station I have a Weller WLC-100, its alright, the temperature control is awful.


 
   
  Actually, if you have a pretty good iron with a ceramic element, then one can often go with the "ghetto method" of heat control for a very low cost!  Yes, it can be done.  In my case, it was only $10.00.  At a hardware store, I found an extension cord with a built-in sliding dimmer switch.  I plug my 25W ceramic iron into the cable and slide it to the necessary level based on the soldering I'd prefer to do.  Oh, how do I know which temperature it is?  I have an infra-red instant read thermometer to do the task.   It isn't worth it to buy the instant read thermometer if you don't have another purpose for it.
   
  Also, I found the image of the original Fostex cable that I had opened up so you can see how the conductors appear.


----------



## wolfetan44

PXSS: Damn. How long do I hold the lighter there? Thanks.
   
  Wje: I might try that, most likely not
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 and cool, ill have to figure out the awg though..


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> PXSS: Damn. How long do I hold the lighter there? Thanks.
> 
> _*Wje: I might try that, most likely not
> 
> ...


 
   
  Oh, also there were a few of us in the thread who torched the soldering pads on the drivers.  We had to buy a $10.00 rear window defroster kit from an auto parts store.  The small bottle of brown paint, is actually a conductor.  If you build up about 3 layers of the paint, you can essentially rebuild the solder tab, and also embed the cable lead into the paint drop as it dries.  The repair rate using this method is close to 100%.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





wje said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  I'm not opening up the headphones, just balancing the end to a 4 pin XLR.


----------



## TrollDragon

wolfetan44 said:


> PXSS: Damn. How long do I hold the lighter there? Thanks.
> 
> Wje: I might try that, most likely not
> 
> ...


For that thin little litz wire I usually get a big blob of solder on the tip of the iron and run the end of the wire back and forth through the blob. The heat will clean off the enamel and tin in the process.

I have a 1/4" screwdriver shaped 700 degree tip in the iron when I do this.


----------



## wolfetan44

Well, I've changed my course of action. I'm going to do a female 1/4 to a 4 pin XLR, anybody recommend a certain female 1/4?


----------



## wje

Quote: 





peterek said:


> I just found these 3.5mm connectors with Sennheiser branding on them on eBay! Thought I would share with my fellow DIYers
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-PCs-High-quality-Gold-Plated-3-5mm-Plug-DIY-Connector-For-Headphones-DIY-US-/221269253924?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item3384acdf24


 
   
  Those are pretty nice!  I purchased 8 Rean 3.5mm plugs from an Ebay vendor in Colorado well over a week ago.  The estimated shipping date for arrival should have been last Tuesday for me.  However, it looks like maybe tomorrow?  Yes, 6 days late.  It should have only been about $2.00 for USPS 1st class mail.  I'll be that vendor is using the 3rd class book / media rate some option like that.  If that's the case, that's just plan foul. The vendor was *usbargainsound* that I utilized. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





    I think that's the slowest processing and shipping job that I've ever experienced from Ebay.  Next time, I'll just go through Lunashops or Alibaba and wait the extra week for it to arrive from China.


----------



## PETEREK

Quote: 





wje said:


> Those are pretty nice!  I purchased 8 Rean 3.5mm plugs from an Ebay vendor in Colorado well over a week ago.  The estimated shipping date for arrival should have been last Tuesday for me.  However, it looks like maybe tomorrow?  Yes, 6 days late.  It should have only been about $2.00 for USPS 1st class mail.  I'll be that vendor is using the 3rd class book / media rate some option like that.  If that's the case, that's just plan foul. The vendor was *usbargainsound* that I utilized.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  I use that same vendor. I normally dont have a problem with their shipping. That sucks that yours are so late though :/


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Well, I've changed my course of action. I'm going to do a female 1/4 to a 4 pin XLR, anybody recommend a certain female 1/4?


 
  You do know that that won't work the same. The point of re-terminating to 4-pin XLR is to get balanced signal. Plugging any single ended headphone to a balanced source is a really bad idea... That's why balanced amps usually have an unbalanced output. I'm not exactly sure of what happens but I do know its a big no-no.
   
  I really feel like you should do some research before going ahead with the re-termination. I don't want you blowing anything up.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





pxss said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  I learned that about 2 seconds after I posted that post, and was too lazy to go back and change it.


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





peterek said:


> I can solder, I just don't have a station with clamps and all that. I really need one, it would make this hobby much easier to do.


 

 Sorry, I forgot to hit the MultiQuote.
   
  I wasn't saying you can't solder, it was a reference for wolftan44 about having good soldering skills so when you do come across those sweet Pailiccs connectors it is no problem putting the iron to them.


----------



## PETEREK

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> Sorry, I forgot to hit the MultiQuote.
> 
> I wasn't saying you can't solder, it was a reference for wolftan44 about having good soldering skills so when you do come across those sweet Pailiccs connectors it is no problem putting the iron to them.


 
  I didn't take it that way. haha I was just stating that it was only my lack of good equipment that keeps me from soldering those connectors easily.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Hey! I put it on just fine lol.


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





peterek said:


> I didn't take it that way. haha I was just stating that it was only my lack of good equipment that keeps me from soldering those connectors easily.


 

 All is good then! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



   
  I have one of these which I use for just about everything.
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/VISES-TABLE-TOP-VACUUM-BASE-VISE-BALL-JOINT-ROATES-360-2-3-4-RUBBER-LINED-JAWS/190726662188
   
  I find it better than the roach clips they put on the Helping Hands.


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> All is good then!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Ooooohhhhhh must get.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.   Definately more helpful for some applications.


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Hey! I put it on just fine lol.


 

 Excellent!


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Anyways, have you tried the kind that I like? I find it works a lot better, I feel the wire stays on a lot better.


----------



## PETEREK

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> All is good then!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  That would be perfect for my needs. It's fairly priced as well! Thanks!


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Anyways, have you tried the kind that I like? I find it works a lot better, I feel the wire stays on a lot better.


 
  Yes I have, those are great and easy to solder, they also allow you to put shrink tube over the solder connection for a finished look. 
   
  I just recabled my little mini to mini tonight with new wire as I managed to get the old wire pinched under the chair wheel when it fell on the floor.
  The ends are Neutrik right angles which are nice to solder as well.
  http://www.neutrik.com/en/audio/plugs-and-jacks/35-mm-right-angle-stereo-plug


----------



## PETEREK

Finally got these in the mail. It took like 3 weeks for them to ship from China. ha I thought this is what I was waiting on before I made my mogami w2893 cable for my HD580s, but then I came across those Sennheiser branded 3.5mm connectors.. Hopefully I can start on this by the end of the week!


----------



## mvrk10256

Quote: 





peterek said:


> Finally got these in the mail. It took like 3 weeks for them to ship from China. ha I thought this is what I was waiting on before I made my mogami w2893 cable for my HD580s, but then I came across those Sennheiser branded 3.5mm connectors.. Hopefully I can start on this by the end of the week!


 
  Werd. I am still waiting on mine.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





peterek said:


> Finally got these in the mail. It took like 3 weeks for them to ship from China. ha I thought this is what I was waiting on before I made my mogami w2893 cable for my HD580s, but then I came across those Sennheiser branded 3.5mm connectors.. Hopefully I can start on this by the end of the week!


 
   
  Did you just order a single pair?  Since it does take between 2 and 3 weeks to get them, that is why one should order about 6 pair at a time.  You never know when you'll need more.  Also, when it comes to Acrolink, the FP-640 was an older variant, which has been phased out - according to my understanding.  The FP-650 is of the newer design and features gold-plated pins as your picture indicates.  Also, they make a FP-650(R) model, too. That model has the Rhodium plated pins just like the Cardas Sennheiser plugs do.  Depending on where you buy them, will determine which variant of the FP-650 that you'll get.
   
  For the regular (gold plated) FP-650, I've found that these are readily available on LunaShops.  Also, there are a few vendors on Ebay who sell this model, too.  Again, shipped out of China.
   
  To get the (Rhodium) variant, one would most likely have to go through Alibaba.
   
  Now, this is where it all gets tricky.  LunaShops will have their price stated and you can purchase the product right at that time via the order you place.  You'll know the purchase price and if there's any shipping, etc.  Going through Alibaba, you provide the information on what you're looking for, the quantity, etc.  Within a few hours, you'll be contacted by someone who will provide the pins for you and the cost.  The odd part is that the shipping will be around $20.  On my first inquiry, I requested a quote for 5 pair of pins and had a total quote of $50.00.  I then changed my requested number to 8 pair, and the quote went to $70.  So, you can get the pins for $6 to $7 a pair, and the shipping will run about $20.  To get the FP-650 - as suggested from Lunashops, the price will work out to essentially be the same - or, about $10.00 per pair of pins.  If you want the Rhodium pins, you'll have to pay slightly more if you don't need a larger quantity.  In that case, you might then just consider locating the Cardas pins.  Normally, they are priced in the $15.00 range.  I've seen them as low as $12.00 at Parts Conexion on a sale, though.
   
  Enjoy!


----------



## PETEREK

Thanks! I don't know if I'm ever going to be making another HD580/600/650 cable again, so I didnt order more. I just dont like spending that kind of money on something that I know costs like 10 cents to make. I only got this set to make a cable and sell it off. Thank you for all the info though! I may change my mind, but right now I'm contemplating putting my modded HD580's up for trade for a pair of good IEMs.


----------



## tvolpe1600

Speaking of making a HD650 cable, ts there an optimal wire gauge for the cables? I usually see 21AWG or 24AWG. I found a source for reasonably priced OCC Cu wire offered at 24, 21, or 18 AWG. I was thinking of going all out and doing the 18 AWG for a balanced HD650 because I have a powerful HeadAmp GS-X mk2 incoming. Thoughts?


----------



## liquidzoo

Smaller is usually better and I usually recommend 24 or 26 AWG for headphones.
   
  Reason being is that the larger the gauge the bigger they will be which will mean more weight and potentially issues getting the wires to fit inside the connectors.
   
  I personally wouldn't make a headphone cord out of anything bigger than 24AWG wire.


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> Smaller is usually better and I usually recommend 24 or 26 AWG for headphones.
> 
> Reason being is that the larger the gauge the bigger they will be which will mean more weight and potentially issues getting the wires to fit inside the connectors.
> 
> I personally wouldn't make a headphone cord out of anything bigger than 24AWG wire.


 
  +1 I use 26 beacuse its cheaper


----------



## TrollDragon

And 18 if you need a prop for your head while listening... 

Look BOBO the cable works as a stand too!


----------



## ostewart

Some cheap low profile jacks that work with phone cases: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251212036568
I had to dremel out the entry as they are very small but great for thin wires or a low profile mini-mini like this (3 wire, 26awg toxic spc) sheathed in nylon:


----------



## wje

Quote: 





tvolpe1600 said:


> Speaking of making a HD650 cable, ts there an optimal wire gauge for the cables? I usually see 21AWG or 24AWG. I found a source for reasonably priced OCC Cu wire offered at 24, 21, or 18 AWG. I was thinking of going all out and doing the 18 AWG for a balanced HD650 because_* I have a powerful HeadAmp GS-X mk2 incoming*_. Thoughts?


 
   
  Please allow me to confirm.  You are getting a HeadAmp GS-X MK2 heading your way and you want to build your own cables?   J/K  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



   
  On the other hand, if you use 18ga materials, there might be a bit more weight to the cable than you'd like.  I'd suggest that you potentially make a mock-up of the cable using a cheaper 18ga wire to see how it feels to you - weight, etc.


----------



## tvolpe1600

Quote: 





wje said:


> Please allow me to confirm.  You are getting a HeadAmp GS-X MK2 heading your way and you want to build your own cables?   J/K


 
   
  Ha! Yes, but one of the things waiting for the GS-X makes you do is consider every permutation possible. At one point I had this crazy idea to make this behemoth cable out of two quarter inch think interconnects (one cable for each channel like Cadras Clear) ... just stupid insanity. There are a few usual suspects that make great HP cables, and I have a few custom quotes out. But just wanted to ping opinion on gauge size since I've not seen anything below 21 AWG. I do like the 8 and 16 braid designs by numerous companies and here in the DIY forums that bring together 2 or 4 strands of 24AWG wire per channel. I will most likely go with an 8 braid 24AWG design ... Thanks for the advice!


----------



## cubiboy90

Quote: 





wje said:


> Please allow me to confirm.  You are getting a HeadAmp GS-X MK2 heading your way and you want to build your own cables?   J/K
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Can you help me choose the most suitable cable for recable HD650 ? I'm needing the <5$/feet cable.


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





cubiboy90 said:


> Can you help me choose the most suitable cable for recable HD650 ? I'm needing the <5$/feet cable.


 
  Alright so you will need a total of 4 wires, 2 for each side when making a cable for the HD650 so we are looking at less than $1.25 a foot.  If you want my suggestion go with the copper or silver plated copper from BTG Audio Link.  Otherwise go with something way cheaper like some mogami or canare.  After that all you need are the connectors. 
   
  If you actually already know its 4 wires and bla bla and actually mean $5/ft for each wire in the cable than I would go with the teflon coated copper from DHC.  Man is that stuff good.


----------



## Zashoomin

Not sure I'm making sense but I'll clarify if I am not sorry about the bad english.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Not sure I'm making sense but I'll clarify if I am not sorry about the bad english.


 
   
  Nope.  You seemed perfectly clear to me.  $5.00 a foot, can really mean a lot of things as you've pointed out.  Some people might even choose to run double conductors instead.  This would make an 8-wire braid needed for the cable ... and a somewhat costly cable, too.
   
  To say you want cable advice for a cable that is less than $5.00 per foot can be quite generic.  It would be kind of like me going out to buy a car and just saying I'd like a blue car for under $10,000.  That really leaves a lot of options open.  I think for $10,000 one can even buy a blue Jaguar that has been totaled out in a major accident.  However, one would have their blue Jaguar ... and for under $10,000 too.


----------



## jdogw

anyone know where i can find a USB A plug and a dock plug for iphone 4s by themselves? I wanna make a charge cable.


----------



## liquidzoo

Quote: 





jdogw said:


> anyone know where i can find a USB A plug and a dock plug for iphone 4s by themselves? I wanna make a charge cable.


 
  Not sure about the USB plug, but you can find the dock connectors here:
   
http://www.qables.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=76_81


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> Not sure about the USB plug, but you can find the dock connectors here:
> 
> http://www.qables.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=76_81


 
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Keystone-Electronics/925/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMulM8LPOQ%252byk9aeq4jnF0IWDhlfyLgdY1o%3d
   
  Here is the USB Connector I used for my cable.


----------



## jdogw

I chose this http://www.qables.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=746&zenid=9396ec90a9973c8fb672398988de3d11 but I have no idea how to solder it


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





jdogw said:


> I chose this http://www.qables.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=746&zenid=9396ec90a9973c8fb672398988de3d11 but I have no idea how to solder it


 
   
  Guide: http://www.head-fi.org/t/212740/how-i-built-an-ipod-connector


----------



## Keopele19

what is a good source for relatively inexpensive IEM cables.  I've heard many references to 'navships' on ebay but his store seems to be shut down.  also i've seen references to a silicon housing distributor 'coonerwire.com' but their stuff is special order and like $5-6/foot.
   
  so where are people getting around 28awg copper, as many strands as possible, with a flexible housing?
   
  and while i'm at it, point me in the right direction for a straight 3.5mm plug on the small side to accommodate said 4 braid litz wire.


----------



## liquidzoo

If you want cheap wire, use stripped down Mogami W2893.  26AWG, very flexible.  The only down side is if you want only 1 or 2 colors in your wires without sleeving them you will have to buy 2-4x as much wire since each of the 4 conductors are coated in a different color.
   
  You could also look at some wire like this:
   
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/index1/Litz-Wire-Supplier.html
   
  Scroll down to [size=large]Part # 220/44-Litz-10 --- 220/44 Litz Wire Silk Served Per 10 ft. Price $5.25 ​[/size]
   
  Never used it, but I've seen it recommended.
   
  For the plugs, I've had good results with Rean (Neutrik) and Amphenol plugs.


----------



## Keopele19

Great! thanks for the recommendation, it's just what I was looking for. I'll strip down some 2893 I have and try that first since I'm a function over form type. Really interested in that part #220 too. Looks like it'll come out to around 28awg as a stranded wire. I'm wondering about its tensile strength with that many fine strands.


----------



## mvrk10256

Another thought, I am gearing up to recable my HD650s and Redco seems to sell canare, mogami, and their own house brand. At 40 cents per foot for what seems very similar to $.85 mogami. Might get a 15ft stretch just to check it out.


----------



## Kamakahah

mvrk10256 said:


> Another thought, I am gearing up to recable my HD650s and Redco seems to sell canare, mogami, and their own house brand. At 40 cents per foot for what seems very similar to $.85 mogami. Might get a 15ft stretch just to check it out.




I like both. 

One of the differences in price comes from the shielding. Mogami uses a more expensive copper weave. Since you're stripping it off, there won't be much of a difference.


----------



## cubiboy90

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Alright so you will need a total of 4 wires, 2 for each side when making a cable for the HD650 so we are looking at less than $1.25 a foot.  If you want my suggestion go with the copper or silver plated copper from BTG Audio Link.  Otherwise go with something way cheaper like some mogami or canare.  After that all you need are the connectors.
> 
> If you actually already know its 4 wires and bla bla and actually mean $5/ft for each wire in the cable than I would go with the teflon coated copper from DHC.  Man is that stuff good.


 
  Yes, that's more than my expect. And i didn't  think  that silver plated copper, mogami or canare is cheap like that, at my country people said "this is awesome at USA blah blah" and they always cost >5$/feet (hmm... salty), i think i'll order frm BTG audio and pay the shipping cost ... still cheaper than my nearby sellers ,haha. Thanks for your help.
  BTW, i have received my HD650 connectors and i have problem with soldering  
  This picture made me so confused (actually the pin from connectors)when i want to make the 4 pin XLR cable   and   2 3pin XLR  cable, don't know which pin go with which wire.


----------



## cubiboy90

Oop, duplicated post, please delete this.


----------



## siles1991

im sure this has been answered a few times, but im wondering how many meters should i prepare for a 1.2m cable if im braiding?


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





cubiboy90 said:


> Yes, that's more than my expect. And i didn't  think  that silver plated copper, mogami or canare is cheap like that, at my country people said "this is awesome at USA blah blah" and they always cost >5$/feet (hmm... salty), i think i'll order frm BTG audio and pay the shipping cost ... still cheaper than my nearby sellers ,haha. Thanks for your help.
> BTW, i have the problem with soldering HD650 connectors
> This picture made me so confused (actually the pin from connectors)when i want to make the 4 pin XLR cable   and   2 3pin XLR  cable.


 
  Well I am glad I could help.  So to answer your question treat signal as the + and ground as - so you will have L+, L-, R+, R-.  the 4 pin XLR will have 4 pins total so its going to be
   
  Pin1: L+
  Pin2: L-
  Pin3: R-
  Pin4: R+
   
  For the 3 pin XLR's 
   

  If it remember correctly
  Pin1: Ground
  Pin2: L+, R +
  Pin3: L-, R-
   
  Pin 1 is not connected to anything.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Well I am glad I could help.  So to answer your question treat signal as the + and ground as - so you will have L+, L-, R+, R-.  the 4 pin XLR will have 4 pins total so its going to be
> 
> Pin1: L+
> Pin2: L-
> ...


 
  Today I learned that theres a convention to XLR... it didn't seem so apparent since I don't have any equipment that uses XLR jacks.
   
  Side note though (not that it's recommended) is that if you're using XLR solely as a adapter kind of interface and you are making all of your adapters, it doesn't actually matter which pins are labeled which as long as they all have the same convention since they will just be a connection. ie. I made my male connectors Pin 1 is left because its left when you are looking at it (Pin 2 is right same reason) and I will be making more cables with male XLR plugs than female since the cable from my headphones have the female plug. However, you should probably do it correctly anyways.


----------



## jdogw

frozenpanda said:


> Guide: http://www.head-fi.org/t/212740/how-i-built-an-ipod-connector




I wanted to make a charge and data cable not an LOD. But thanks.


----------



## cubiboy90

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Well I am glad I could help.  So to answer your question treat signal as the + and ground as - so you will have L+, L-, R+, R-.  the 4 pin XLR will have 4 pins total so its going to be
> 
> Pin1: L+
> Pin2: L-
> ...


 
  I am clearly understood the 4pin now. And about the 3pin XLR i'm using male type and, if i base on your 3pin front view picture, so i'll solder my wire (+) to small pin conncetor & pin 2 --- wire (-) to large pin conncetor & pin 3, do that with both black&red connector,   *and the pin1 is not used*, is it right ?


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





jdogw said:


> I wanted to make a charge and data cable not an LOD. But thanks.


 
   
  Oh interesting... I see what apple has done.. No wonder they have so many pins on those things.
   
  I wonder how Android LOD's work?
   
  Apple doesn't have a data sheet on their 30-pin connectors?


----------



## cubiboy90

Quote: 





frozenpanda said:


> Today I learned that theres a convention to XLR... it didn't seem so apparent since I don't have any equipment that uses XLR jacks.
> 
> Side note though (not that it's recommended) is that if you're using XLR solely as a adapter kind of interface and you are making all of your adapters, it doesn't actually matter which pins are labeled which as long as they all have the same convention since they will just be a connection. ie. I made my male connectors Pin 1 is left because its left when you are looking at it (Pin 2 is right same reason) and I will be making more cables with male XLR plugs than female since the cable from my headphones have the female plug. However, you should probably do it correctly anyways.


 
  Not really, it'd work as you say if you make your whole XLR system by yourself. For example, if you buy a Headamp has 4 pin XLR female connector (of course the production will follow the convention), then you must follow the soldering convention on your male connector. Otherwise, the pin could be opposite with the others.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





cubiboy90 said:


> Not really, it'd work as you say if you make your whole XLR system by yourself. For example, if you buy a Headamp has 4 pin XLR female connector (of course the production will follow the convention), then you must follow the soldering convention on your male connector. Otherwise, the pin could be opposite with the others.


 
  Right. Thats why the sentence before specifies that it only applies if XLR is an adapter interface for you... But you're right, what I said isn't correct; its just an advantage of DIY where you can actually go with your own convention with everything you make and they will still work as a set.


----------



## FraGGleR

Quote: 





jdogw said:


> I wanted to make a charge and data cable not an LOD. But thanks.


 
  A quick google of "apple 30pin pinout" brings up some mighty useful info about what each pin is for.  
   
  For more explicit hand-holding:  http://www.doublehelixcables.com/diyguide.html
   
  And for everyone out there just getting into DIY:  the more research you do yourself, the better off you are in the long run.  Come here for confirmation or help in actually building something.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Quote: 





fraggler said:


> And for everyone out there just getting into DIY:  the more research you do yourself, the better off you are in the long run.  Come here for confirmation or help in actually building something.


 
  Learn it yourself AND Do it yourself. I like it.


----------



## Kamakahah

What watt 68ķ ohm resistor do most use for LODs?


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





kamakahah said:


> What watt 68ķ ohm resistor do most use for LODs?


 

 I use 1/8 Watt as they are small enough to fit in the shell, SMT would be much better but too hard to work with unless your connector has a board attached.


----------



## siles1991

im sure this has been answered a few times, but im wondering how many meters should i prepare for a 1.2m cable if im braiding?


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> im sure this has been answered a few times, but im wondering how many meters should i prepare for a 1.2m cable if im braiding?


 
  3-4 inches.


----------



## PETEREK

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> im sure this has been answered a few times, but im wondering how many meters should i prepare for a 1.2m cable if im braiding?


 
  It really depends on what kind of braid, how many wires, and if you want the braid tight or loose. For a cable that short, it isn't going to stray too far from what Wolfetan44 said; 3-4 inches. But if the cable would be in the 3 meter range in a tight braid, you would be surprised how much that braid will eat up in length.


----------



## siles1991

alright thanks guys


----------



## cubiboy90

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> im sure this has been answered a few times, but im wondering how many meters should i prepare for a 1.2m cable if im braiding?


 
  1.2m = 3.9 feet, so you will need 5 feet for sure, and depend on your cables are thick or not.


----------



## liquidzoo

Normally I'm pretty confident in my soldering, but I've come across something I've never seen before in a plug.
   

   
  What is that black strip?  I've never seen it before in a plug (though I haven't put together a 1/4" plug before).  I'm not sure if I should solder the ground underneath it or to the point where the strain relief is.  Should I cut it out, or bend the connector down a little?
   
  Also, I swear that I put that picture the right way on my PC...


----------



## wje

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> Normally I'm pretty confident in my soldering, but I've come across something I've never seen before in a plug.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
   
  It appears to be a shield.  This is so that the Tip or the Ring connection doesn't touch the Sleeve (or ground) connection.


----------



## liquidzoo

Fair enough, and a decent idea; just makes soldering the ground a little tricky.


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





liquidzoo said:


> Fair enough, and a decent idea; just makes soldering the ground a little tricky.


 
  Then shrink tube the T & R connections.
   
  The strip is an insulating material called Fish Paper very heat resistant, nice stuff to have around in sheets as sharp component legs will not poke through it.
   
  Do I spy some Hakko gear?


----------



## liquidzoo

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> Then shrink tube the T & R connections.
> 
> The strip is an insulating material called Fish Paper very heat resistant, nice stuff to have around in sheets as sharp component legs will not poke through it.
> 
> Do I spy some Hakko gear?


 
  Just the tip cleaner.  I have a basic Weller soldering iron.
   
  I'm hesitant to bend down the sleeve connector.  I'll figure out a way, though.


----------



## PETEREK

Got my 3.5mm connectors in the mail today  
  Bout to start on my HD580/600/650 Mogami w2893 cable >

   
  Edit: Sorry the picture quality is terrible. (iPhone 5)


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Well I am glad I could help.  So to answer your question treat signal as the + and ground as - so you will have L+, L-, R+, R-.  the 4 pin XLR will have 4 pins total so its going to be
> 
> Pin1: L+
> Pin2: L-
> ...


 
  Just a correction.  for pin 1 you don't connect it.


----------



## DMinor

Still thinking about what wires for recabling my D2000. I am inclined to use the pure silver, but wondering whether I need to use the pure silver for the two grounds. Does that make much difference if I use pure silver for the audio channels and pure copper for the grounds?


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





dminor said:


> Still thinking about what wires for recabling my D2000. I am inclined to use the pure silver, but wondering whether I need to use the pure silver for the two grounds. Does that make much difference if I use pure silver for the audio channels and pure copper for the grounds?


 
  No it won't make much of a difference if any.  A lot of people opt to do that just to keep costs down and it also creates a cool effect.  Another option if you want to keep the silver look is to use silver plated copper for the ground and than everything will look more uniform.  Up to you.


----------



## DMinor

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> No it won't make much of a difference if any.  A lot of people opt to do that just to keep costs down and it also creates a cool effect.  Another option if you want to keep the silver look is to use silver plated copper for the ground and than everything will look more uniform.  Up to you.


 

 Thanks for the info. I think I am gonna get pure silver for the signals and pure copper for the grounds. Tempo Electric seems a good place to get the silver wires.


----------



## FraGGleR

S





dminor said:


> Thanks for the info. I think I am gonna get pure silver for the signals and pure copper for the grounds. Tempo Electric seems a good place to get the silver wires.




Strongly advise against solid core wire for headphones. Much stiffer and prone to breakage.


----------



## DMinor

Quote: 





fraggler said:


> S
> Strongly advise against solid core wire for headphones. Much stiffer and prone to breakage.


 

 Yeah very good point. I actually have experienced some breakage of solid wires for my lod and diymod of my ipod. Not enough ductility.
   
  Where do you order silver wires made of multi strands?


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





dminor said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Plus Sound Audio or ALO Audio. I think Toxic Cables sells DIY too. Beware, Silver is expensive!


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Plus Sound Audio or ALO Audio. I think Toxic Cables sells DIY too. Beware, Silver is expensive!


 
  for toxic cables just PM him on head-fi.  Also you can check out artemis cables on ebay as well as asking if DHC will sell you some bulk cables as well.  I get a lot of my cables from Plussound audio.  Very good prices but they only sell 26awg silver cables.  If you want 24 than I would go with toxic cables.


----------



## DMinor

Thanks guys for the info and help. Much appreciated. Definitely will go with the silver for both channels and copper for the ground.


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





dminor said:


> Thanks guys for the info and help. Much appreciated. Definitely will go with the silver for both channels and copper for the ground.


 
  When getting both copper and silver I suggest you get the same awg an insulation. It is a lot easier to work with that way. That usually mean buying from the same company.


----------



## Kamakahah

zashoomin said:


> When getting both copper and silver I suggest you get the same awg an insulation. It is a lot easier to work with that way. That usually mean buying from the same company.




I half agree with this. Definitely get the same AWG, but I find that different insulations and conductor material can have surprisingly good results that otherwise couldn't be achieved. Obviously it YMMV and does require some experimentation.

I recently made a few cables using a stiffer teflon coated conductor with a flexible PE coated conductor. The result was a great combination of structure and flexibility.


----------



## dBel84

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


>


 
   
  Just pointing this out again in case someone actually uses your quoted image as a guide , we did fix this on page 2 
   
  you still have the pin numbering wrong
   
  
 1 - L+
 2 - L-
 3 - R+
 4 - R-


----------



## DMinor

I read the jacketing affects the sound due to dielectric properties. The best is no jacketing (of course not possible) then cotton, then over-sized jacketing leaving some air space in between the metal and jacket.


----------



## TrollDragon

I can guarantee that if you take some bare copper wires for a headphone cable and wrap one in hamster tape (Electrical), one in masking tape and one is scotch tape you will not hear a difference.


----------



## PETEREK

Waiting on this answer, what do you think about those vs. duct tape?


----------



## TrollDragon

For that matter you could take 6' of Barbed wire, Mig welding wire and Zip cord and not tell the difference providing they were all properly cleaned and tinned.


----------



## TrollDragon

Duct tape gets too sticky to clean up, leaves an ugly residue.


----------



## PETEREK

Looks like I'm going to have a cable that will be strictly used for listening to metal, be back with impressions shortly.


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> Looks like I'm going to have a cable that will be strictly used for listening to metal, be back with impressions shortly.


Concertina Wire, the razors edge!


----------



## DMinor

So have you guys tried any cables with cotton or over-sized jacketing?


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





kamakahah said:


> I half agree with this. Definitely get the same AWG, but I find that different insulations and conductor material can have surprisingly good results that otherwise couldn't be achieved. Obviously it YMMV and does require some experimentation.
> 
> I recently made a few cables using a stiffer teflon coated conductor with a flexible PE coated conductor. The result was a great combination of structure and flexibility.


 
  Ya I have worked with different awg's before and that was a no go but Ill have to try to different insulation's.  So far it has been meh but I will try to your stiff and flexible combination.


----------



## DMinor

Got a question. My ipod Video is automatically turned on when I plug in some of my LOD's, but not all of them.
   
  In fact it's turned on only by those I previously bought not by my diy LOD's. I didn't put in any resistor in my diy lod's and am wondering if this is the reason.


----------



## TrollDragon

Yes, that would be the reason.


----------



## noob101

I want to make a new wire for my ue tri fi 10s and want to use a good wire thinking about using a silver copper plated 28 AWG or 29 AWG 999 silver i found on ebay for cheap
  
 only problem is if i use the silver i will have to insulate it with maybe latex paint? and then heat shrink tubing 
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/251326836212
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/380700810260
  
 is 999 silver a good idea or not?
 any suggestions?


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





noob101 said:


> I want to make a new wire for my ue tri fi 10s and want to use a good wire thinking about using a silver copper plated 28 AWG or 29 AWG 999 silver i found on ebay for cheap
> 
> only problem is if i use the silver i will have to insulate it with maybe latex paint? and then heat shrink tubing
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/251326836212
> ...


 
  $6 for 20ft is really cheap, I would proceed with caution.


----------



## TrollDragon

The first one is solid core jewelry making wire not stranded audio wire.


----------



## Kamakahah

Quote: 





noob101 said:


> I want to make a new wire for my ue tri fi 10s and want to use a good wire thinking about using a silver copper plated 28 AWG or 29 AWG 999 silver i found on ebay for cheap
> 
> only problem is if i use the silver i will have to insulate it with maybe latex paint? and then heat shrink tubing
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/251326836212
> ...


 
   
  You do not want to use that first jewelry silver link. It's solid cord. You want to avoid solid cord for headphone cables. Occasionally I'd recommend it for an interconnect if it won't be moved...ever. You're always better off going with a stranded silver as it will hold up much better. 
   
  The Navships is just fine to use, however, I suggest you find his 19 STRAND in teflon. AVOID THE KAPTON as it is significantly stiffer. 
  Sadly, I think I purchased the last of his 28 AWG 19 strand in regular Teflon. He does still have a variety in 26 AWG. 
   
  Navships is not without its own downsides. It hold memory, it is stiff compared to other companies DIY audio wire, the feeling of the Teflon is not comfortable at all. I recabled a pair of monoprice 9927's with it just to try it out as an IEM cable. The sound was great, no complaint, but the comfort left a lot to be desired. The stiffness was a double edge sword. It made sure that the cable doesn't tangle but it doesn't flow very well with movement. If you end up using it to recable, I highly suggest that you sleeve it in something like paracord to overcome the comfort and microphonics to a reasonable degree. 
   
  That all being said, you really can't find a better price for SPC when you're going cheap.


----------



## noob101

thats what I wanted to know
  thanks


----------



## Kamakahah

Quote: 





noob101 said:


> thats what I wanted to know
> thanks


 
  No problem. I've used it a lot in many different experimental projects because it's so cheap. 
   
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
*QUESTION:* I'll likely be making a cable for another member's Sennheiser Momentums. The connector that enters the Headphone on the stock cable is a slimmer design. I have about 3 in mind that i'm about 90% sure would work but I thought I'd ask you all first for your preferences.
   
  Has anyone made a cable for the Momentums or can anyone recommend a 3.5mm plug that would 100% for sure fit? 
   
  Thanks in advance!


----------



## noob101

what do you think of this wire  and this guy sells bunch of DIY audio supplies
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230993677598?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648


----------



## Kamakahah

Quote: 





noob101 said:


> what do you think of this wire  and this guy sells bunch of DIY audio supplies
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/230993677598?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648


 
   
  I've thought about buying some from there since they have it in yellow/red/blue just to play around with. My main three issues are as follows:
   
  1. It's 7 strand. It work, but not as flexible or strong as a 19 strand would be/last. 
   
  2. It's from Hong Kong. I've ordered quite a few things from overseas. I trust Hong Kong A LOT more than mainland China, but you still cannot verify the quality of the product you're receiving. 
   
  3. The Navships will likely be of the same quality or better. That and Navships offers a much better price/quality ratio. 
   
  If you do try it out, let me know. I'm always curious about different materials.


----------



## FraGGleR

There really should be a sticky or something on the first post that solid core and wires with few strands should be avoided for headphone cables.  You are just going to end up with a cable that is unpleasant to use.  
   
  Also if you are going to cheap out, you should stick to some stripped Mogami or Canare.  Audiophile wire isn't cheap.  Silver is definitely not cheap.  If you find something online for really cheap.  It isn't real.  Doesn't mean it won't work, just don't think you are getting some sort of steal.
   
  @Kamakahah I'd help you out, but I removed the jack entirely on mine to do a hardwire.  You could just use a thin 3.5mm like the "Sennheiser" plugs that have been popping up and use some glueshrink or heatshrink as the body of the connector.  The Ramelectronics 3.5mm is a slim connector that might also work as well.


----------



## noob101

what about hdmi cables


----------



## mvrk10256

I saw on redco they have their own brand of wire. I ordered some Mogami and some of the Redco  (cheaper) to see fi they are similar. Should be damn near identical based on specs.


----------



## wolfetan44

Looks like a very nice y-split: http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=118


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Looks like a very nice y-split: http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=118


 

 And free in the cart too! Unit $0.00
  But then you hit the shipping Estimator... Zone Rates (Shipping to CA (1 x 3.00lb(s))) $40.00 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  Shopping Cart is just a little "Broken"


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Haha. May be a little problem as to that its not available yet. Anyways, I've ordered from them before and shipping was like $5. Strange..


----------



## noob101

It's $0.00 for me too
Strange


----------



## Darknet

Well... I'm a complete noob when it comes to diy cables so I was hoping someone could help me out here. So I want to recable my q701 probably with a silver plated copper cable. I know that I need a mini xlr ( i think its a ta3f or something like that) for the part the connects to the headphones and a 3.5mm mini on the input side. So here are the questions:

1. Is there a certain awg wire and brand would you guys would recommend?  also do I need to braid the cable if there are multiple cables? (well honestly I have no idea how this works so....)

2. How large of a difference do the different connectors make in terms of sound quality?

Anyways, if anyone could help me with these I would be really happy lol. Thanks for your time!

Edit removed q3 since it didnt really make sense.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





noob101 said:


> It's $0.00 for me too
> Strange


 
  Thats because its not available yet, he said sometime October and hopefully sooner.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





darknet said:


> Well... I'm a complete noob when it comes to diy cables so I was hoping someone could help me out here. So I want to recable my q701 probably with a silver plated copper cable. I know that I need a mini xlr ( i think its a ta3f or something like that) for the part the connects to the headphones and a 3.5mm mini on the input side. So here are the questions:
> 
> 1. Is there a certain awg wire and brand would you guys would recommend?  also do I need to braid the cable if there are multiple cables? (well honestly I have no idea how this works so....)
> 
> ...


 
  1. I like 24 or 26 awg either from BTG Audio or DHC(haven't used their copper wire, but its beautiful and people LOVE it.)
  2. None. This is a debatable question though.
  3. Individual strands? What does that mean? You would insulate it yourself? Anyways, DHC looks great, and Peter from DHC is very, very nice


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





noob101 said:


> It's $0.00 for me too
> Strange


 

 But when one actually reads the description under the picture, of which I also didn't do... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  Quote: 





> Coming soon!  Add to your order *(free)* to indicate your interest and we will bill you later for them, no commitment required


 
   
  It is a nice looking splitter for sure!


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  It goes perfectly with this too: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281067754423?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648
  I am eagerly awaiting its arrival to me. It was ordered long ago, but hasn't arrived..


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> It goes perfectly with this too: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281067754423?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648
> I am eagerly awaiting its arrival to me. It was ordered long ago, but hasn't arrived..


 

 Or this one as well.
  http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=2136


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  That writing on it is not very nice.. I don't like that part..


----------



## wje

Quote: 





trolldragon said:


> And free in the cart too! Unit $0.00
> But then you hit the shipping Estimator... Zone Rates (Shipping to CA (1 x 3.00lb(s))) $40.00
> 
> 
> ...


 
   
  Actually, about 6 months ago, Double Helix Cables didn't even offer USPS Priority Mail shipping.  I think their lowest cost option was something like UPS 2-day delivery.  I wanted to buy some HifiMan SMC connectors at the time for about $12.00, but couldn't believe that the shipping was going to be more than the connectors.  At that time, I sent them an e-mail asking for more shipping (and less costly) shipping options.  They said they would add some alternatives to their site.  I'm assuming this may have been done, but I haven't been back there to order anything since.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Looks like a very nice y-split: http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=118


 
   
  You know about these too, right?  http://www.parts-express.com/cat/cable-pants/565


----------



## wolfetan44

wje said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks like a very nice y-split:
> ...


----------



## mvrk10256

nvm


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





darknet said:


> Well... I'm a complete noob when it comes to diy cables so I was hoping someone could help me out here. So I want to recable my q701 probably with a silver plated copper cable. I know that I need a mini xlr ( i think its a ta3f or something like that) for the part the connects to the headphones and a 3.5mm mini on the input side. So here are the questions:
> 
> 1. Is there a certain awg wire and brand would you guys would recommend?  also do I need to braid the cable if there are multiple cables? (well honestly I have no idea how this works so....)
> 
> ...


 
  1.  24 or 26 awg.  Brand depends on how much you want to spend.  Brand also determines purity and also material used to make the wire.
  2.  If you believe in cables very little if you don't none. 
  3.  I have no idea what that means but I think what you are trying to say is that DHC sells already braided cable.  If that is what you mean than I think you should braid your own cable.


----------



## Darknet

zashoomin said:


> 1.  24 or 26 awg.  Brand depends on how much you want to spend.  Brand also determines purity and also material used to make the wire.
> 2.  If you believe in cables very little if you don't none.
> 3.  I have no idea what that means but I think what you are trying to say is that DHC sells already braided cable.  If that is what you mean than I think you should braid your own cable.







wolfetan44 said:


> 1. I like 24 or 26 awg either from BTG Audio or DHC(haven't used their copper wire, but its beautiful and people LOVE it.)
> 2. None. This is a debatable question though.
> 3. Individual strands? What does that mean? You would insulate it yourself? Anyways, DHC looks great, and Peter from DHC is very, very nice




Thanks for your responses. I agree question 3 is a bit weird its really not even important, but badly worded.

Hmm being a first experimental try, I think I'll just get some inexpensive stuff off ebay. If i don't screw something over I'll consider higher end stuff in the future.


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





darknet said:


> Thanks for your responses. I agree question 3 is a bit weird its really not even important, but badly worded.
> 
> Hmm being a first experimental try, I think I'll just get some inexpensive stuff off ebay. If i don't screw something over I'll consider higher end stuff in the future.


 
  BTG audio has one of the most affordable cables I know, other than navships. In affordability ranking I would say Mogami W2893(iirc)/Canare L4E6S > BTG Audio > Plus Sound Audio/ DHC > Toxic Cables
   
  If i;m wrong feel free to correct me.


----------



## Darknet

Thanks for the heads up. Haha i didnt really so much research on the cable brands so this is pretty helpful. The btg stuff seems nice and $.80-1.00/ft isn't too bad. 

Might take a while before i can start getting an even braid though lol... I mean really not many opportunities to learn to braid xD.


----------



## Kamakahah

Quote: 





darknet said:


> Thanks for the heads up. Haha i didnt really so much research on the cable brands so this is pretty helpful. The btg stuff seems nice and $.80-1.00/ft isn't too bad.
> 
> Might take a while before i can start getting an even braid though lol... I mean really not many opportunities to learn to braid xD.


 
   
  That's one good reason to pick up some Canare or Navships. You can practice braiding with similar wire on the cheap.


----------



## PETEREK

So Plussound is coming out with a copper and silver hybrid wire. This is exciting news for the DIY community! I saw this in my facebook feed and decided to spread the word. They claim that the earlier you order, the higher your discount will be. Right now it's listed as $6.50 per foot with a regular price of $7.00 per foot.​


----------



## PETEREK

It might just be me, but $7 per foot of 26awg wire is a bit steep. I know they're probably going to have a monopoly over that wire for a little while, but you could just buy copper and silver wire and run one of each to each signal. I would think that would be a similar effect.


----------



## TrollDragon

Quote: 





peterek said:


> It might just be me, but $7 per foot of 26awg wire is a bit steep. I know they're probably going to have a monopoly over that wire for a little while, but you could just buy copper and silver wire and run one of each to each signal. I would think that would be a similar effect.


 
  Boutique stuff is all relative, there are people here who buy $300 USB cables and $750 power cords, so $7 a foot for wire is not really that much when you play in the land of Diminishing Returns.


----------



## FraGGleR

peterek said:


> So Plussound is coming out with a copper and silver hybrid wire. This is exciting news for the DIY community! I saw this in my facebook feed and decided to spread the word. They claim that the earlier you order, the higher your discount will be. Right now it's listed as $6.50 per foot with a regular price of $7.00 per foot.​




Looks awfully similar to what Doublehelixcables launched a little bit ago.


----------



## wolfetan44

Isn't it 6 wires or no? Is that just the picture?


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





fraggler said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Link?


----------



## FraGGleR

siles1991 said:


> BTG audio has one of the most affordable cables I know, other than navships. In affordability ranking I would say Mogami W2893(iirc)/Canare L4E6S > BTG Audio > Plus Sound Audio/ DHC > Toxic Cables
> 
> If i;m wrong feel free to correct me.




BTG audio is Mogami wire. Saves you the time of stripping, etc.


----------



## FraGGleR

wolfetan44 said:


> Isn't it 6 wires or no? Is that just the picture?




Look up type 2 litz for better descriptions, but real litz designs are bundles of bundles in different geometries. Reduces skin effect.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





fraggler said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Really? Also, how do they strip the outer insulation? Doesn't that take them forever? Because you have to go inch by inch, atleast i did when I made a cable out of Mogami.


----------



## FraGGleR

He gets the base wire directly from Mogami. It wasn't part of other cables first.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





fraggler said:


> He gets the base wire directly from Mogami. It wasn't part of other cables first.


 
  Ahhh. Got it. Do we know where DHC gets their wire?


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





fraggler said:


> He gets the base wire directly from Mogami. It wasn't part of other cables first.


 
  I know he gets his wires from mogami but I don't think you can find that type of cables inside regular mogami cables like the w2839(i think im wrong on the code but what the hell i cant remember **** like this) as in like he gets it form mogami special order so its not the same as getting a cable directly with mogami brand name on it.


----------



## FraGGleR

Neotech, one of the original and best OCC wire manufacturers.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





fraggler said:


> Neotech, one of the original and best OCC wire manufacturers.


 
  Cool, just shot them an email.


----------



## Makiah S

Not the best way to do this but I'm looking at having a [size=large]HR10A-7P-6P to Female 4-Pin XLR Interconnect  [/size] built. I know that iBasso Sells, them yet the shipping is too long, as I need a cable quickly. 
  Made a post here in the FS thread as well but  figured I'd ask the DIY Cable guys directly too!


----------



## FraGGleR

siles1991 said:


> I know he gets his wires from mogami but I don't think you can find that type of cables inside regular mogami cables like the w2839(i think im wrong on the code but what the hell i cant remember **** like this) as in like he gets it form mogami special order so its not the same as getting a cable directly with mogami brand name on it.


 

Looks like the same wire from w2893. Same strand count, dialectric and diameter. He special orders it because Mogami doesnt normally sell just the base wire.

It's a great wire, and he was really smart to fill the niche that he did.


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





fraggler said:


> Looks like the same wire from w2893. Same strand count, dialectric and diameter. He special orders it because Mogami doesnt normally sell just the base wire.
> 
> It's a great wire, and he was really smart to fill the niche that he did.


 
  hmm how about his SPC cables? Next time I might get my copper from DHC if I knew it was from mogami earlier haha


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  EIther place is good. I hear DHC is better though, resulting in the higher priced wire.


----------



## siles1991

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> EIther place is good. I hear DHC is better though, resulting in the higher priced wire.


 
  oh well i guess when i get my next paycheck i'll be getting the copper from DHC, should we maybe update 1st page saying BTG audio copper is W2893? Though I emailed just for confirmation with brian.
   
  edit: Brian just gave me confirmation that it is most definitely the W2893 just without the insulation so the wires wont be crooked.


----------



## siles1991

Anyone knows whats a good budget setup for an IEC Power cable?


----------



## ben_r_

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> Anyone knows whats a good budget setup for an IEC Power cable?


 

LINK


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





siles1991 said:


> Anyone knows whats a good budget setup for an IEC Power cable?


 
  Ya so 18awg cable is minimum I use 16, 14, 12 or even 10 awg.  10 is a bit overkill and stiff though.  Also Wattgate has some very good connectors but they are soo very expensive.  If you want some nice cheap connectors ebay is the way to go.  Also if you don't want to spend a fortune on wire than Navships has some nice wire or you can get some chinese stuff on ebay as well.  If you have some wire laying around though combining 2 wires of the same awg results in about 3 awg lower so 2 20awg will get you about 17.  And then combining 4 20awg will get you about 14 awg.  So one other option is to buy cheaper thinner wire and start to bundle them.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





zashoomin said:


> Ya so 18awg cable is minimum I use 16, 14, 12 or even 10 awg.  10 is a bit overkill and stiff though.  Also Wattgate has some very good connectors but they are soo very expensive.  If you want some nice cheap connectors ebay is the way to go.  Also if you don't want to spend a fortune on wire than Navships has some nice wire or you can get some chinese stuff on ebay as well.  If you have some wire laying around though combining 2 wires of the same awg results in about 3 awg lower so 2 20awg will get you about 17.  And then combining 4 20awg will get you about 14 awg.  So one other option is to buy cheaper thinner wire and start to bundle them.


 
   
  Also, they shouldn't forget the wall outlet either.  I think going with a $100 outlet might be overkill.  However, the orange "hospital grade" outlets can be picked up for around $15.00.  They are way better than the $.59 specials that most builders use for wall outlets.


----------



## noob101

Quote: 





wolfetan44 said:


> Looks like a very nice y-split: http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=118


 
  have you seen these?
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=cable+pants&rt=nc
   
  these look little bigger
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-pcs-Carbon-fiber-Speaker-Cable-Audio-Cable-Wire-Pants-Boot-Y-splitter-1-to-2-/330906739954?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item4d0b9424f2


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





noob101 said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  Those are alright.


----------



## wje

Quote: 





noob101 said:


> have you seen these?
> http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=cable+pants&rt=nc


 
   
   
  Thanks for the link.  I scrolled down a bit to see the offerings that were present from your search.  I've found out I like these the best out of all them.


----------



## Makiah S

Quote: 





wje said:


> Thanks for the link.  I scrolled down a bit to see the offerings that were present from your search.  I've found out I like these the best out of all them.


 
  I agree, although I prefer a lighter tone to the skin under them pants ;3 *insert funny cable joke here*


----------



## DMinor

Quote: 





wje said:


> Thanks for the link.  I scrolled down a bit to see the offerings that were present from your search.  I've found out I like these the best out of all them.


 
   
  I don't like putting heat shrinks on a splitter.


----------



## noob101

Quote: 





wje said:


> Thanks for the link.  I scrolled down a bit to see the offerings that were present from your search.  I've found out I like these the best out of all them.


 
  lol I'm happy to help


----------



## PXSS

Quote: 





dminor said:


> I don't like putting heat shrinks on a splitter.


 
  I like my splitters nekkid


----------



## noob101

I use my old ue triple fi 10s and i had trouble with the cord weight on my ears after a long period of time and have a solution did try it out but pricey if anyone knows somewhere to get cheaper let me know
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EARHOOKS-EAR-HOOKS-LOOPS-STABILISERS-SHURE-E2C-SE530-SE535-HEADPHONES-/161080999537?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item25812cfe71
  they are good the seller said he bought them at a tradeshow and they are compatible with most earphones


----------



## Darknet

Hmm so before I order some stuff.... does nickel plating vs gold plating in a 3.5mm mini actually make a large difference? I know the gold is more for corrosive resistance than anything else, but has anyone had issues with their nickel stuff corroding and having a detrimental effect on sound quality?


----------



## Kamakahah

darknet said:


> Hmm so before I order some stuff.... does nickel plating vs gold plating in a 3.5mm mini actually make a large difference? I know the gold is more for corrosive resistance than anything else, but has anyone had issues with their nickel stuff corroding and having a detrimental effect on sound quality?




My personal experience hasnt found a difference between them. No issues with corrosion or SQ loss. 

Usually it's mostly a style preference unless it will be in an at-risk environment.


----------



## noob101

Quote: 





darknet said:


> Hmm so before I order some stuff.... does nickel plating vs gold plating in a 3.5mm mini actually make a large difference? I know the gold is more for corrosive resistance than anything else, but has anyone had issues with their nickel stuff corroding and having a detrimental effect on sound quality?


 
   
  I wouldn't use nickel mostly because its cheap and don't see that often. I'd stick with Gold or Rhodium plated jacks to be safe.


----------



## FraGGleR

Quote: 





noob101 said:


> I wouldn't use nickel mostly because its cheap and don't see that often. I'd stick with Gold or Rhodium plated jacks to be safe.


 
  Nickel is most common in pro audio since it is more durable than gold.  Most of you will probably stop using whatever cable you are building far sooner than any of the connectors coatings will go out.  And none will have a noticeable impact on sound.  Go with the plug that matches the ergonomics and aesthetics that you want.  
   
  PS Nickel and rhodium are difficult to tell from one another and many of the rhodium plated connectors on ebay are probably just nickel.


----------



## Darknet

Alright well I'll just go with the nickel since it goes with the theme better. Thanks for all the feedback.
  I don't think I should be too concerned with aesthetics for a first project but whatever lol, never really hurts either I guess.


----------



## Kamakahah

darknet said:


> Alright well I'll just go with the nickel since it goes with the theme better. Thanks for all the feedback.
> I don't think I should be too concerned with aesthetics for a first project but whatever lol, never really hurts either I guess.




You'll be surprised what you are capable of once you start, and you'll be glad that you made a nice looking cable in the end.


----------



## wolfetan44

Quote: 





kamakahah said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  This.


----------



## DMinor

If I use the 26AWG toxic stranded silver for channels and 26AWG toxic stranded copper for grounds for recabling my headphone, what are the recommended braided sleeves (material and diameter)?


----------



## Zashoomin

Quote: 





dminor said:


> If I use the 26AWG toxic stranded silver for channels and 26AWG toxic stranded copper for grounds for recabling my headphone, what are the recommended braided sleeves (material and diameter)?


 
  Techflex or paracord but if you are getting such nice looking cable I would leave it bare honestly.  But if you do than I would get type I or type III paracord or 1/8" techflex.


----------



## FraGGleR

Quote: 





kamakahah said:


> You'll be surprised what you are capable of once you start, and you'll be glad that you made a nice looking cable in the end.


 
  Absolutely!  Be adventurous!  Be creative!  A couple pros got a lot of their inspiration from the cable gallery, even offering up microparacord sleeved cables after interest swelled here on the DIY forum.  You never know if trying something new yourself might inspire others.  In fact, it would be kind of fun to go back through this gallery and see when microparacord was first used.  I have a pretty old picture from several years ago, but it was just a small interconnect.  My Ron Burgundy seemed to get a lot of DIY people rolling, but Q-Audio had already popularized the look.


----------



## DMinor

zashoomin said:


> Techflex or paracord but if you are getting such nice looking cable I would leave it bare honestly.  But if you do than I would get type I or type III paracord or 1/8" techflex.


 
 Thanks for the tip and I might just keep it bare if I can learn how to braid the 4 wires nicely.
  
 Another question on recabling my D2000. The main issue is the stock cable is too long. As a practice, can I just cut the wires, shorten it and then reccable with the existing wires from the stock cable?


----------



## FrozenPanda

dminor said:


> zashoomin said:
> 
> 
> > Techflex or paracord but if you are getting such nice looking cable I would leave it bare honestly.  But if you do than I would get type I or type III paracord or 1/8" techflex.
> ...




Why would you do that when you could just buy cheap wire from like radioshack? You could reterminate the stock cable so that it's a nice length as well if that's the only problem.. Would be a cheaper alternative if the cable isn't entirely dead. 

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk 4


----------



## siles1991

fraggler said:


> Absolutely!  Be adventurous!  Be creative!  A couple pros got a lot of their inspiration from the cable gallery, even offering up microparacord sleeved cables after interest swelled here on the DIY forum.  You never know if trying something new yourself might inspire others.  In fact, it would be kind of fun to go back through this gallery and see when microparacord was first used.  I have a pretty old picture from several years ago, but it was just a small interconnect.  My Ron Burgundy seemed to get a lot of DIY people rolling, but Q-Audio had already popularized the look.


 
 I was inspired by your Ron Burgundy it looked so good that I went out at got myself Burgundy and Carribean from supplycaptain! I loved how you blended the color really well with the wood.
  
 Thanks also to Frozen Panda for showing me and telling me about type 1 para.


----------



## Zashoomin

dminor said:


> Thanks for the tip and I might just keep it bare if I can learn how to braid the 4 wires nicely.
> 
> Another question on recabling my D2000. The main issue is the stock cable is too long. As a practice, can I just cut the wires, shorten it and then reccable with the existing wires from the stock cable?


 
 Ya you can.  Make sure you can check the continuity otherwise you might not reconize the colors in the wire.  But ya practice your soldering and whatnot with the old cable if you don't need it.


----------



## yxpoh

Hi, I would like to know if using the more standard 60/40 solder is okay for audio cables..
  
 I was reading through when I saw some people not recommending 60/40.. I am most likely DIYing some cables myself but still gathering facts around.
  
 Still a noob here.
  
 Thanks.


----------



## FrozenPanda

siles1991 said:


> fraggler said:
> 
> 
> > Absolutely!  Be adventurous!  Be creative!  A couple pros got a lot of their inspiration from the cable gallery, even offering up microparacord sleeved cables after interest swelled here on the DIY forum.  You never know if trying something new yourself might inspire others.  In fact, it would be kind of fun to go back through this gallery and see when microparacord was first used.  I have a pretty old picture from several years ago, but it was just a small interconnect.  My Ron Burgundy seemed to get a lot of DIY people rolling, but Q-Audio had already popularized the look.
> ...




Well that's ironic.. I don't even know how to use type 1 paracord myself lol, thank the forum for teaching me so much.. 

I really have to hunker down and get a cable with type 1 paracord done though. 

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk 4


----------



## syobwoc

i've been thinking about making some cables for myself, I kinda poked around this thread but what are some good places to get some cable? I've used some star quad before but i'd like to go for a stranded wire look.   thanks!


----------



## liquidzoo

syobwoc said:


> i've been thinking about making some cables for myself, I kinda poked around this thread but what are some good places to get some cable? I've used some star quad before but i'd like to go for a stranded wire look.   thanks!


 
 You can use star quad like Canare or Mogami and just strip off the outer sheathing and copper shield to use the individual strands inside.  That's all I've done in the past (and with my current unfinished projects).


----------



## Keopele19

syobwoc said:


> i've been thinking about making some cables for myself, I kinda poked around this thread but what are some good places to get some cable? I've used some star quad before but i'd like to go for a stranded wire look.   thanks!


 
  
  
 You could also look at some wire like this:
  
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/index1/Litz-Wire-Supplier.html
  
 Scroll down to Part # 220/44-Litz-10 --- 220/44 Litz Wire Silk Served Per 10 ft. Price $5.25 ​  
 Never used it, but I've seen it recommended.
  
 Anybody ever used anything like this?


----------



## wolfetan44

You'd need a solder pot for that.


----------



## wje

I've recently located 550 paracord at the following locations in the U.S.
  
 - Walmart
  
 - Lowe's 
  
 However, the color selection is minimal.  Black is the most common as that's all Lowe's has.  50 feet is about $7.00.  Walmart had black and another variant with a reflective stripe through it -- not really necessary unless you wear your custom headphones to run.  But, it's good to know there are some local sources if you're in a pinch to get a cable finished.


----------



## syobwoc

thanks guys for the recommendations!  i'll check them out and see what I can find


----------



## Steve Eddy

wolfetan44 said:


> You'd need a solder pot for that.




Yup. And some liquid flux.

se


----------



## liquidzoo

wje said:


> I've recently located 550 paracord at the following locations in the U.S.
> 
> - Walmart
> 
> ...


 
 The craft stores Hobby Lobby (550) and Michael's (Type 1, apparently though I have not confirmed this myself) also carry it.


----------



## DownhomeUpstate

Just got in some Nucleotide wire from DHC, and some of their 3/8" and 1/8" black sleeving. The wire is very nice looking, and I'm thinking about leaving it bare. If I do, what's the best way to treat the 4-to-2 split about a foot before the ear cups?


----------



## FraGGleR

downhomeupstate said:


> Just got in some Nucleotide wire from DHC, and some of their 3/8" and 1/8" black sleeving. The wire is very nice looking, and I'm thinking about leaving it bare. If I do, what's the best way to treat the 4-to-2 split about a foot before the ear cups?


 
 Naked DHC is definitely nice.  Just a small piece of heatshrink will keep it discreet and stable.  You could also use an extra connector barrel if you have one that fits for some structure.


----------



## FraGGleR

steve eddy said:


> Yup. And some liquid flux.
> 
> se


 
 And possibly first aid if you forget how long they stay hot after turning them off.  
  
 I did this yesterday reaching over my pot for my tweezers:


----------



## DownhomeUpstate

Thanks. Maybe I can find some clear heatshrink at Radio Shack. I have several sizes of 3:1 polyolefin, but its all black.


----------



## siles1991

Wait...you need special tools to use a type of wire? why?


----------



## DownhomeUpstate

fraggler said:


> And possibly first aid if you forget how long they stay hot after turning them off.
> 
> I did this yesterday reaching over my pot for my tweezers:


 
  
 I didn't see this until after I posted. Nasty burn. What do you use the flux pot for, prepping Cardas litz wire?


----------



## Steve Eddy

fraggler said:


> And possibly first aid if you forget how long they stay hot after turning them off.
> 
> I did this yesterday reaching over my pot for my tweezers:




OUCH!

I've come close to doing that a time or two, which is why I no longer keep anything back behind the pot. Everything's either in front of it or to the side.

se


----------



## Steve Eddy

siles1991 said:


> Wait...you need special tools to use a type of wire? why?




Because litz wire has the individual strands insulated with a thin film of (usually) polyurethane enamel. To use it, you should first tin it in a solder pot to remove the insulation from the individual strands.

se


----------



## FraGGleR

downhomeupstate said:


> I didn't see this until after I posted. Nasty burn. What do you use the flux pot for, prepping Cardas litz wire?


 
 The pot is for any kind of wire that has enamel on it, especially true litz wires that have each strand enameled.


----------



## FraGGleR

steve eddy said:


> OUCH!
> 
> I've come close to doing that a time or two, which is why I no longer keep anything back behind the pot. Everything's either in front of it or to the side.
> 
> se


 
 I used to have it pretty isolated since it has only two settings: off or hell's furnace.  Unfortunately, my DIY space is significantly smaller and cramped after I moved to the city.


----------



## syobwoc

steve eddy said:


> Because litz wire has the individual strands insulated with a thin film of (usually) polyurethane enamel. To use it, you should first tin it in a solder pot to remove the insulation from the individual strands.
> 
> se


 
 Is there any other way to remove the enamel without using a solder pot?  I've usually work with just regular wire, but litz wire has caught my eye of recent.


----------



## Steve Eddy

syobwoc said:


> Is there any other way to remove the enamel without using a solder pot?  I've usually work with just regular wire, but litz wire has caught my eye of recent.




It can be stripped chemically, but that's some nasty business. And there are mechanical strippers, but they won't work well for very fine wires, plus a mechanical stripped will cost a hell of a lot more than a solder pot.

I think anyone who is working with wire, even just regular stranded wire should invest in a solder pot and some liquid flux and tin all wire ends before soldering. 

se


----------



## Zashoomin

steve eddy said:


> It can be stripped chemically, but that's some nasty business. And there are mechanical strippers, but they won't work well for very fine wires, plus a mechanical stripped will cost a hell of a lot more than a solder pot.
> 
> I think anyone who is working with wire, even just regular stranded wire should invest in a solder pot and some liquid flux and tin all wire ends before soldering.
> 
> se


 
 I mean couldn't you also do it with a soldering iron?  It just takes a bit longer and isn't as easy.


----------



## funch

That's how I do it. I strip off the length of insulation, fan the wire strands out, lay it flat and scrape it with an Xacto knife, turn it over, and scrape the other side.
 Then I twist the stands back together, put a dap of flux on it, tin the iron, and hold it to the wire until it bubbles the coating off. The soldering iron (station) has
 to be quite hot to do this, and thank heavens that the coating is teflon so it doesn't melt back too much since I have to hold the iron to the wire for several
 seconds to get all the coating off. I use Cardas wire BTW. I forgot to mention that I use a pretty good blob of solder when tinning the irons tip.


----------



## Steve Eddy

zashoomin said:


> I mean couldn't you also do it with a soldering iron?  It just takes a bit longer and isn't as easy.




Yeah, you can make a big mess with a soldering iron. But I'd recommend sticking to regular wire instead of that. The advantage of a solder pot is that as you dip the wire in, you can keep it moving so that all the residue from the flux and insulation is left in a trail behind the wire so the wire comes up nice and clean.

se


----------



## Steve Eddy

funch said:


> That's how I do it. I strip off the length of insulation, fan the wire strands out, lay it flat and scrape it with an Xacto knife, turn it over, and scrape the other side.
> Then I twist the stands back together, put a dap of flux on it, tin the iron, and hold it to the wire until it bubbles the coating off. The soldering iron (station) has
> to be quite hot to do this, and thank heavens that the coating is teflon so it doesn't melt back too much since I have to hold the iron to the wire for several
> seconds to get all the coating off. I use Cardas wire BTW. I forgot to mention that I use a pretty good blob of solder when tinning the irons tip.




Now try that with wire that's made up of 44 gauge strands. 



se


----------



## funch

For that, I would need to put on my kid gloves.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Another thing I forgot to mention is that, if I need a short piece, I've learned to prep one end from a longer wire first, then cut it to length. If I cut it to length
 first, when I start to scrape off the coating, it can pull all of the strands out of the insulation, because the teflon is so slick.


----------



## wje

Not trying to take this off-topic too far, but ...
  
 Every now and then, I'll see someone who needs some assistance with soldering cables, etc.  I've offered my services for free, as long as the person covers the shipping.  However, I ran into a situation with offering as to what seemed like about a 45 minute time-frame for work, so I bit.  Getting into the project via discussions revealed
  
 - Person needed a few special ends soldered onto some cable.
 - The request list started to grow.
 - I discussed some ways to make a pretty good cable based on the parts.
 - Things were still going in a great direction.
 - Then I realized the requester indicated that the cable would be used for an item that was soon to be sold.  Ugh!  What?
 - Then, the request again started to grow more.
 - Originally, the person was going to get a special connector and send it to me.
 - Then, I received a message suggesting that I go ahead and purchase the plug.
 - The list started to grow further.
 - Before any of the cable items were discussed for finality so I could start planning, a request was made for me to recable other headphones.
 - Then, a request to preserve certain features on headphone plug that was unique.  Etc., Etc.
  
 Finally, I just had to say "No".  What started off simple, turned into a whole project.  Time is precious.  I work lots of hours.  Volunteer for 3 outside gigs.  Have a daughter in college.  A larger home to care for, etc.
  
 There comes a time when a hobby just turns sour.  Now, I'm back to just do my own thing and content again.


----------



## Kamakahah

It happens. I'm very particular about accepting requests or offering. Some people are sketchy in their constantly changing requests. I had one person who spoke in past tense about purchases that hadn't been made yet. 

So it's good you are sharing that. I add my own warning to DIYers that offer to help - Be cautious who you choose to help.


----------



## Mangudai

Whats the easier way to repair a break at a 3.5mm termination?
   
 


  
 I'm merely using these headphones as an example. Circled in red is the area where its broken. Only difference being on my phones its a 90 degree male 3.5mm termination. At first if I moved it downward I'd get sound out of the right ear. I have no experience with things like this so I was wondering what would be the easiest route?


----------



## wje

mangudai said:


> Whats the easier way to repair a break at a 3.5mm termination?
> 
> I'm merely using these headphones as an example. Circled in red is the area where its broken. Only difference being on my phones its a 90 degree male 3.5mm termination. At first if I moved it downward I'd get sound out of the right ear. I have no experience with things like this so I was wondering what would be the easiest route?


 
  
 The easiest way may not be the best way.  But, I'd recommend that you cut off the 3.5mm and replace it with a new one.  When you cut off the plug, leave about 2" of cable length connected to the plug.  Then, strip back the insulation from that 2" section of cable.  Get out the multimeter and check for conductivity on the TRS (Tip, Ring and Sleeve) and note the wire colors and how the correspond to each terminal for the plug.  Then, cut back about 1" of the insulation on the good section of the cable.  Tin the ends of the wires.  Then solder to a new 3.5mm connection.
  
 Realizing that you posted a generic picture, but also note that most factory cables can tend to have a horrible built-in strain relief such as the one in the picture.  Quite often, one will experience a cable failure in the area described.


----------



## audiofreakie

@Wolfetan44, There are 3 categories of solid core silver, 1. Dead Soft, 2. Half Hard, 3. Full Hard.
Make sure you use dead soft silver solid core.

For insulate you can use cotton/nyilon sleeving, after braided use thin clear heatshrink.


----------



## DMinor

Hey guys this may be a silly question. What's the best screw driver for working on the ViaBlue T6s 3.5mm straight mini plug? It seems you may need special screw driver to take out or install those screws.


----------



## Zashoomin

dminor said:


> Hey guys this may be a silly question. What's the best screw driver for working on the ViaBlue T6s 3.5mm straight mini plug? It seems you may need special screw driver to take out or install those screws.


 
  
 its not a screw driver its an allen wrench.  also known as a hex wrench.  you need a 1.5mm hex/allen wrench though.


----------



## DMinor

zashoomin said:


> its not a screw driver its an allen wrench.  also known as a hex wrench.  you need a 1.5mm hex/allen wrench though.


 
 LOL I didn't even realize that. Thanks.


----------



## Kamakahah

If you happen to have a hakko 888, they usually come with a 1.5mm hex wrench.


----------



## DMinor

kamakahah said:


> If you happen to have a hakko 888, they usually come with a 1.5mm hex wrench.


 
  
 Yeah I do have the Hakko and remember seeing that wrench when I first opened the package. Anyways I found one from my tool box. Thanks for the tip.


----------



## DMinor

I want to DIY a LOD with the Twag v2 or v3 stranded wires. Sadly they don't sell it in bulk. Anyone got some extra? I would like to buy it.


----------



## cubiboy90

I've just received my Hifiman HE400 and read 1st page, but this image isn't clearly so i can't solder correctly.
 Here are some questions before i start my job, so please help me :
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 1. Where to buy these connectors ? At first page Wje said they on ebay by searching "SMC connectors", but the result i found is there no Hongkong seller and the connector is not look like in the picture or stock Hifiman's connectors (10$). And where i can't find them with cheapest price ?
  
  2. There is many type of SMC connectors on the market just like this : 
     http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMC-female-jack-to-SMA-female-jack-RF-coaxial-adapter-connector-/320847635663?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab40264cf
     http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=1557
    Do these type work although they have some differences ?
  
  3. The inside of connectors is (+) or (-) ? And where is the point to solder them ?
  
  4. Which is the most suitable cable for HE400 (26 awg, 24awg ...etc) ?
  
  5. The hifiman product replied to me my question about silver & OFC, OCC cable *"It may have slight influence on the headphone. But it's difficult to say"*. I guess the silver cable will make the high treble, mid  while the OFC cable will give more bass, am i right ? About the OCC cable ... i don't know about this luxury item


----------



## wolfetan44

cubiboy90 said:


> Spoiler: Stuff
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=57

 I've never used it, but it says easy to solder design, and custom made for DHC. And Peter is a nice and honest guy, so I trust what he says.


----------



## DMinor

I am gonna try diy a LOD using Homegrown Audio's silver wire with cotton dielectric. Has anyone tried one?


----------



## Zashoomin

cubiboy90 said:


> I've just received my Hifiman HE400 and read 1st page, but this image isn't clearly so i can't solder correctly.
> Here are some questions before i start my job, so please help me :
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 1. I know a couple places sell hifiman connectors.  Just look around. 
 2. Coax adaptors are not the same as hifiman connectors.
 3. Inside there is a pin solder a wire to that and that will be your signal or + and the shield will be your other solder point and that will be ground or -
 4. I would go for 24 or 26 awg.
 5. If you believe in cables yes it will make a difference but it will be very slight.  If you don't than it won't make any difference.  The reason the hifiman was very very vague is because if you don't hear a difference they dont' want to be at fault because a lot of people don't think there will be any difference if you just plug in a hanger vs 7N UP-OCC silver with 1% gold or whatever.


----------



## DMinor

Any recommended brand for fast-setting epoxy so I don't have to use hot glues?


----------



## cubiboy90

zashoomin said:


> 1. I know a couple places sell hifiman connectors.  Just look around.
> 2. Coax adaptors are not the same as hifiman connectors.
> 3. Inside there is a pin solder a wire to that and that will be your signal or + and the shield will be your other solder point and that will be ground or -
> 4. I would go for 24 or 26 awg.
> 5. If you believe in cables yes it will make a difference but it will be very slight.  If you don't than it won't make any difference.  The reason the hifiman was very very vague is because if you don't hear a difference they dont' want to be at fault because a lot of people don't think there will be any difference if you just plug in a hanger vs 7N UP-OCC silver with 1% gold or whatever.


 
 Really ? I just simply think that i should make some cables with different material and connectors (balanced) so i could find out the different sound when i feel boring with HE400's nature sound.


----------



## Zashoomin

cubiboy90 said:


> Really ? I just simply think that i should make some cables with different material and connectors (balanced) so i could find out the different sound when i feel boring with HE400's nature sound.


 
  
 I mean weather there is a sound difference is up to you to decide.  But even if there is, don't expect it to be night and day.  But making cables is fun.  Go expirament and then come back and tell us the findings.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.  For balanced though unless you have a truey balanced system it won't make a difference. But don't let what I am saying keep you from playing around with materials and whatnot.  That is was audio is all about: finding those small differences to make your system sound as good as it can.  This is especially true for higher end rigs.


----------



## wes1099

What kind of cable would be good for recabling/making cables, that costs no more than $0.65  USD per foot? I found this and this, but i was wondering if anyone had any better recommendations. I also wanted to know what connectors to get. I know i want 1/8 inch connector, and i don't want to spend more than $1.29 each. By the way, this is going to be my first attempt at making cables, but i have soldering experience from other electronics projects.


----------



## Kamakahah

Just get neutrik 1/8 plugs and either Canare or Mogami cable.


----------



## cubiboy90

I found this interconnect coaxial cable http://www.cs1.net/products/canare/LV-77S_digital_audio.htm . They said this cable was made without soldering by a special tool, anyone know how to DIY this cable ?


----------



## mvrk10256

cubiboy90 said:


> I found this interconnect coaxial cable http://www.cs1.net/products/canare/LV-77S_digital_audio.htm . They said this cable was made without soldering by a special tool, anyone know how to DIY this cable ?


 
  
 As an electrical engineer, I am going to go and say this is crap. Its not that hard to design 75ohm transmission lines. Instead of solder, they are crimping. They are doing it quickly and with a considerable amount of force. Probably a specialized hydraulic crimp. I would have to look up pressure tables, but you could build a jig with a hydraulic press and crimp at 10 tons or something and get a very tight seal.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

i would like to recable my DT770 Pro 250 Ohms but i don't know what type of wire/cable and what gauge i need to use?
 i'm thinking to do 4 conductors TRS so in the future i can switch it to XLR.
 thanks....


----------



## cubiboy90

mvrk10256 said:


> As an electrical engineer, I am going to go and say this is crap. Its not that hard to design 75ohm transmission lines. Instead of solder, they are crimping. They are doing it quickly and with a considerable amount of force. Probably a specialized hydraulic crimp. I would have to look up pressure tables, but you could build a jig with a hydraulic press and crimp at 10 tons or something and get a very tight seal.


 
  
 Now i know how it made, impossible for homemade 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





. Well, i'll back to tradtional way.


----------



## TrollDragon

mvrk10256 said:


> As an electrical engineer, I am going to go and say this is crap. Its not that hard to design 75ohm transmission lines. Instead of solder, they are crimping. They are doing it quickly and with a considerable amount of force. Probably a specialized hydraulic crimp. I would have to look up pressure tables, but you could build a jig with a hydraulic press and crimp at 10 tons or something and get a very tight seal.


 
 Seriously... A 10 ton hydraulic crimp press, possibly at the factory in china where they schiit them out by the 1000's... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  


cubiboy90 said:


> Now i know how it made, impossible for homemade
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Not Impossible at all I use these things everyday, the only thing they have is customized ends and boots to make theirs look nice... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Here is the tool used to crimp the ends on:
 http://www.westsidewholesale.com/paladin-pa1555.html?mr:referralID=6c1b61e1-18ee-11e3-a88a-001b2166becc
  
 The RCA's:
 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EYV5TG/ref=asc_df_B001EYV5TG2691124
  
 The BNC's:
 http://www.amazon.com/Paladin-Tools-9715-Compression-Connectors/dp/B001C4FFBM/ref=pd_sim_hi_2
  
 And these are *Water Tight Fittings* that do not require any special skill or gear besides the crimper to assemble, well maybe a little coax.


----------



## wolfetan44

Is there a difference between crimping and soldering? Which is prefferred?


----------



## TrollDragon

wolfetan44 said:


> Is there a difference between crimping and soldering? Which is prefferred?


 
 Crimping is mostly used for coaxial cable and 25/50 pair bundles as it is less time consuming than soldering.
  
 Soldering will give you the best connection if done properly.


----------



## wolfetan44

trolldragon said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Is there a difference between crimping and soldering? Which is prefferred?
> ...


 
  
 Cool, thanks.


----------



## cubiboy90

trolldragon said:


> Seriously... A 10 ton hydraulic crimp press, possibly at the factory in china where they schiit them out by the 1000's...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 I can imagine the script :  cut off the jacket, pull back all braided wire, put cable in the connectors and put in the tool and "click" 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




. I wonder how Water tight Fittings work ? 
 Oh, 1 more thing, how to make them look nice


----------



## TrollDragon

cubiboy90 said:


> I can imagine the script :  cut off the jacket, pull back all braided wire, put cable in the connectors and put in the tool and "click"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Nope you trim 3/8" off the end down to the center conductor, then back another 3/8" off the jacket to expose the braid, slide it into the fitting all the way and then crimp.
 30 seconds to make. 
  
 They have a rubber seal that gets compressed around the wire when it's crimped.
  
 How to make them look nice...
 Buy the ones from the link you posted earlier.


----------



## wolfetan44

I ordered a foot of Plussoundaudio's new wire thats coming out, I'll let you guys know how it is and post some pictures of it.


----------



## siles1991

usually type 1 paracord can fit up to how many AWG? Cant decide to get either plus sound UP-OCC copper or DHC Nucleotide...both same price but plus = 26AWG while DHC = 24AWG


----------



## DMinor

wolfetan44 said:


> I ordered a foot of Plussoundaudio's new wire thats coming out, I'll let you guys know how it is and post some pictures of it.


 
 What new wire? Silver or copper? According to its web site, the pure silver is on pre order and the silver/gold is sold out.


----------



## FraGGleR

siles1991 said:


> usually type 1 paracord can fit up to how many AWG? Cant decide to get either plus sound UP-OCC copper or DHC Nucleotide...both same price but plus = 26AWG while DHC = 24AWG


 
  
 It can take a max of 2mm outer diameter, although practically, I wouldn't go over 1.7mm as it gets even tougher and tedious to sleeve.  The 24awg DHC goes in well and is the wire I started with.


----------



## wolfetan44

dminor said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > I ordered a foot of Plussoundaudio's new wire thats coming out, I'll let you guys know how it is and post some pictures of it.
> ...


 
  
 "
*26 AWG 7N Pure UP-OCC Cryo Stranded Silver + Copper Type 2 Litz Custom Wire" *


----------



## Armaegis

trolldragon said:


> Crimping is mostly used for coaxial cable and 25/50 pair bundles as it is less time consuming than soldering.
> 
> Soldering will give you the best connection if done properly.


 
  
 Well... "technically" if you crimp hard enough you'll create a metallurgical bond that is better than soldering. That's well beyond the realm of what can be done by the human hand however.


----------



## Keopele19

I recently recabled some ue600vi's and had the idea to use shrink tubing for the ear loop.  anybody had experience reshaping the 'memory' of shrink tubing - or am i better off cutting it and replacing it with something else (or nothing)? thanks,


----------



## PETEREK

keopele19 said:


> I recently recabled some ue600vi's and had the idea to use shrink tubing for the ear loop.  anybody had experience reshaping the 'memory' of shrink tubing - or am i better off cutting it and replacing it with something else (or nothing)? thanks,


 
  
 I'd say try heating it up and letting it cool back down in the position you want it in.


----------



## DMinor

Can you guys recommend any fast-setting epoxy in lieu of hot glues?


----------



## TrollDragon

dminor said:


> Can you guys recommend any fast-setting epoxy in lieu of hot glues?


JB Weld Kwik, 1 minute of mixing and you have 5 minutes to work with it. Thick liquid consistency and hardens rock solid, what ever you put it on does not ever come apart again. You can file it or drill it after it hardens, I repaired an aluminum cooling manifold with some, 3 years ago.


----------



## TrollDragon

armaegis said:


> Well... "technically" if you crimp hard enough you'll create a metallurgical bond that is better than soldering. That's well beyond the realm of what can be done by the human hand however. :rolleyes:


This is true, but beyond the scope of DIY audio cables.


----------



## Armaegis

trolldragon said:


> This is true, but beyond the scope of DIY audio cables.


 
  
 As an engineer, I feel like I should accept this challenge somehow...


----------



## Chris_Himself

peterek said:


> I'd say try heating it up and letting it cool back down in the position you want it in.


 
  
 Just as a note, you'll want to heat it up as you're shaping not just heat everything up and kinda bend it all in place and hope it sticks. Think about straightening hair for example LOL
  


dminor said:


> Can you guys recommend any fast-setting epoxy in lieu of hot glues?


 
  
 Epoxy dries hard, I'd prefer hot glue if you must absolutely need it because it has a little bit of flexibility


----------



## siles1991

Guys how many watts would you recommend for a solder pot?


----------



## brunk

siles1991 said:


> Guys how many watts would you recommend for a solder pot?


 
  
 This one will be more than enough and the price is right. I don't trust those ebay things...
  
 150W Solder Pot: http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/TENMA-21-3511-/21-3511
  
 1lb. Solder Bar: http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/72-6309&cid=prodCrossSell


----------



## wolfetan44

brunk said:


> siles1991 said:
> 
> 
> > Guys how many watts would you recommend for a solder pot?
> ...


 
  
 Thats the one I ordered, Peter from DHC recommended it.


----------



## younglee200

http://www.parts-express.com/cat/cable-pants/565
  
 Out of these, which one is the most fitting for Canare star-quad & Gotham GAC cable?  I'm looking at the 6mm or 7mm, I'm not quite sure how much the diameter of the Y splitter should be.  Do these also need to be covered with heat-shrink on top?


----------



## brunk

wolfetan44 said:


> Thats the one I ordered, Peter from DHC recommended it.


 
  
 Yep, I have it myself


----------



## liquidzoo

younglee200 said:


> http://www.parts-express.com/cat/cable-pants/565
> 
> Out of these, which one is the most fitting for Canare star-quad & Gotham GAC cable?  I'm looking at the 6mm or 7mm, I'm not quite sure how much the diameter of the Y splitter should be.  Do these also need to be covered with heat-shrink on top?


 
  
 If you're just looking for a good y-splitter, I would go with something like an empty shell from a 3.5mm plug or something as simple as a wood bead with a bit of hot glue inside to hold it all together.


----------



## cubiboy90

liquidzoo said:


> If you're just looking for a good y-splitter, I would go with something like an empty shell from a 3.5mm plug or something as simple as a wood bead with a bit of hot glue inside to hold it all together.



I'm finding a beautiful Y splitter too like viablue splitter. But i don't know how to call it both in english and my language ... So they called y splitter and cable pants ? Ha. 
Do you have any suggestions of Y splitter. I really love stunning things.


----------



## noob101

hey can any one help me with this first time making diy cable with pins (for iem)....  before i completely destroy these pins
 using http://www.ebay.com/itm/230999368940?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648
  
 the pins heat the plastic up while trying to solder them to wire resulting in the pins moving(melted inside around pins) ... can't get the solder to stick to the pins am i doing something wrong? 
  
 please let me know


----------



## liquidzoo

cubiboy90 said:


> I'm finding a beautiful Y splitter too like viablue splitter. But i don't know how to call it both in english and my language ... So they called y splitter and cable pants ? Ha.
> Do you have any suggestions of Y splitter. I really love stunning things.


 
  
 Toxic Cables has one, though I can't seem to find it in their online shop.
  
 There are others that are well made, but really for the simplest way to do it I would do like I said.  Take an empty barrel from a 3.5mm connector or a wood bead and slip it over your cable where you want the split to be and put a dab of hot glue inside it.


----------



## siles1991

liquidzoo said:


> Toxic Cables has one, though I can't seem to find it in their online shop.
> 
> There are others that are well made, but really for the simplest way to do it I would do like I said.  Take an empty barrel from a 3.5mm connector or a wood bead and slip it over your cable where you want the split to be and put a dab of hot glue inside it.


 
  
 was thinking of finding a place which sells thin aluminium pipes than could try cutting it into pieces which can be used in the place of a connector barrel


----------



## noob101

http://toxic-cables.co.uk/


----------



## DMinor

noob101 said:


> http://toxic-cables.co.uk/


 
  
 I have some concerns about dealing with this company. Recently I ordered a short piece of wire, and it took me 4 emails in 4 days to just get a response. To me it's not acceptable.


----------



## Zashoomin

dminor said:


> I have some concerns about dealing with this company. Recently I ordered a short piece of wire, and it took me 4 emails in 4 days to just get a response. To me it's not acceptable.


 
  
 Toxic cables make amazing cables first of all but because it is so popular and it is just one person doing everything it sometimes takes a while to get a response.  Also the wait time for a cable I think is like 16weeks or something like that right now because he has so many orders.


----------



## wolfetan44

brunk said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Thats the one I ordered, Peter from DHC recommended it.
> ...


 
  
 Like it?


----------



## cubiboy90

zashoomin said:


> Toxic cables make amazing cables first of all but because it is so popular and it is just one person doing everything it sometimes takes a while to get a response.  Also the wait time for a cable I think is like 16weeks or something like that right now because he has so many orders.



An popular store with 1 person and 16weeks ? This man must be superman


----------



## Zashoomin

cubiboy90 said:


> An popular store with 1 person and 16weeks ? This man must be superman


 
  
 Ya we keep making jokes that he doesn't sleep but I really don't think he does.


----------



## brunk

wolfetan44 said:


> Like it?


 
  
 Yeah, no complaints here. Do get the solder bar from them, other places might be cheaper but they're junk.


----------



## wolfetan44

brunk said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Like it?
> ...


 
  
 Cool!


----------



## noob101

anyone have the plastic one there pins melt while soldering
 please let me know how you solder it with out letting plastic melt
 thx


----------



## brunk

noob101 said:


> anyone have the plastic one there pins melt while soldering
> please let me know how you solder it with out letting plastic melt
> thx


 
 Tin your wire beforehand, use a low melting point solder, and only keep the iron on the connector for a few seconds. Be sure not to squeeze the plastic when you're done as it will be soft, allow it to cool down before handling.


----------



## noob101

someone should start a youtube channel dedicated to making diy iem cables


----------



## Kamakahah

noob101 said:


> someone should start a youtube channel dedicated to making diy iem cables


 
  
 There are some decent videos out there, but I agree. I've considered making videos of all the cables and interconnect I do but it's time consuming. Wanted to do some tutorials, maybe a Q&A. 
  
 I feel like i know about 1% of what some of the members on the forums, but enough to helps others get started with the basics.


----------



## MS1605

Hey guys, I have a question on some cables for outside of the headphone realm. I have some KRK rokit 8s that I use for DJ monitors in my house. I have them hooked up with 1/4 jacks to my sound card. I was looking to make another cable for using these on my laptop. I was going to do a 3.5mm jack on one end to go into my laptop and split it off into 2 RCAs for each of the rockits. What kind of wire would work best for this? I just ordered some switchcraft 90* RCAs and 3.5mm jacks. Just need an idea on the wire.
  
 Thanks in advance!


----------



## mvrk10256

ms1605 said:


> Hey guys, I have a question on some cables for outside of the headphone realm. I have some KRK rokit 8s that I use for DJ monitors in my house. I have them hooked up with 1/4 jacks to my sound card. I was looking to make another cable for using these on my laptop. I was going to do a 3.5mm jack on one end to go into my laptop and split it off into 2 RCAs for each of the rockits. What kind of wire would work best for this? I just ordered some switchcraft 90* RCAs and 3.5mm jacks. Just need an idea on the wire.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


 
  
 You are probably going to want some basic quad star cable on the 3.5mm end. Then you could jump it into standard speaker wire if you want it to look neat. 
  
 This wire is a good quality cheap star quad and then make a y split into some of this running to each speaker. Allow you to be sheilded start to finish. 
  
 Or you could just buy a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter and call it good.


----------



## Armaegis

For the Rokits I would say just make a short 1/8" to RCA-female adapter, then make standalone single male-to-male RCA cables for each side.


----------



## Darknet

Hmm... Anyone know how to get a plug that will fit into the headphone side of the senn momentums? I think it has a proprietary locking mechanism so might be a bit of an issue... I guess hard wiring could always work.


----------



## PETEREK

FraGGleR Hard wired his pair. Here's a link to his http://www.head-fi.org/t/665153/sennheiser-momentum-balanced-mod


----------



## Chris_Himself

noob101 said:


> anyone have the plastic one there pins melt while soldering
> please let me know how you solder it with out letting plastic melt
> thx


 
  
 You can use a colder melting solder, but what I found works is using a heatsink.
http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/elenco/soldering/solder_equipment/st23.htm?ref=gbase&gclid=CIGv7tCVw7kCFWuCQgodP1EAfA
  
 Before I had a solder pot I would use one while tinning my ends. Solder pots are the shizzle.


----------



## MS1605

Thanks mvrk.


----------



## FraGGleR

darknet said:


> Hmm... Anyone know how to get a plug that will fit into the headphone side of the senn momentums? I think it has a proprietary locking mechanism so might be a bit of an issue... I guess hard wiring could always work.


 
  
 A 2.5mm jack harvested from a monoprice wire will fit, but won't have the locking machanism.  I started with this and used a couple layers of heatshrink to create more friction in the jack so that it didn't come out easily.  It isn't as elegant as a replacement locking plug, but they don't exist as far as I know (and I looked quite a bit).  As Casper also pointed out, I decided just to hardwire the cable in the end and it was quite easy.


----------



## Barry S

Any suggestions for good quality rca plugs for some interconnects?  I'm not looking for any boutique plugs, but something solid and well-designed--something on the order of Neutrik XLRs.  Thanks.


----------



## FraGGleR

barry s said:


> Any suggestions for good quality rca plugs for some interconnects?  I'm not looking for any boutique plugs, but something solid and well-designed--something on the order of Neutrik XLRs.  Thanks.


 
  
 Switchcraft are very solid options.  I like them better than Neutrik's RCA options.  Vintage Audio Lab on ebay has the most approachable boutique RCAs bar none if you decide to step up.


----------



## liquidzoo

barry s said:


> Any suggestions for good quality rca plugs for some interconnects?  I'm not looking for any boutique plugs, but something solid and well-designed--something on the order of Neutrik XLRs.  Thanks.


 
Parts-Express has a good selection of nice _looking_ RCAs that are decently priced (as well as some really expensive ones); but I'm not sure on the construction of some of them.
  
 I can say that these are pretty solid.


----------



## Barry S

Thanks!  I'll probably order a few different ones to find something I like.


----------



## siles1991

In the near future planning to bulk some good cables over to my country prolly like 100ft or so. Was thinking like 50ft Nucleotide for headphones and 50ft plus sound mix of 25ft copper and 25ft silver plated. Hoping to try to start a recable service here  any advice anyone?


----------



## Armaegis

Yeah... order more wire. You make one 8-strand braid and *poof* that 50 ft spool is gone.


----------



## Kamakahah

armaegis said:


> Yeah... order more wire. You make one 8-strand braid and *poof* that 50 ft spool is gone.:rolleyes:




^^this. You're going to need a lot more cable if you plan on seriously starting something.


----------



## siles1991

kamakahah said:


> ^^this. You're going to need a lot more cable if you plan on seriously starting something.


 
  
 I don't have much money to start with since i cant find stuff like OFC or UP-OCC or Mogami 2893 or SPC, in my country only thing I could find is Canare L4E6S which I guess will be like my budget recabling it's about 3$ a meter where im at also for sleeving using paracord will cost me approx 1.7$ for each headphone with average length of 1.5m. So around 7.7$ per headphone(1.5m) before buying connectors. Than the question is, how much should I charge for the service xD
  
 Would most probably order some spools of ^above(UP-OCC etc...) cables to provide as a more or less premium recabling.


----------



## brunk

siles1991 said:


> I don't have much money to start with since i cant find stuff like OFC or UP-OCC or Mogami 2893 or SPC, in my country only thing I could find is Canare L4E6S which I guess will be like my budget recabling it's about 3$ a meter where im at also for sleeving using paracord will cost me approx 1.7$ for each headphone with average length of 1.5m. So around 7.7$ per headphone(1.5m) before buying connectors. Than the question is, how much should I charge for the service xD
> 
> Would most probably order some spools of ^above(UP-OCC etc...) cables to provide as a more or less premium recabling.


 
  
 I'm not sure what country you live in, but these guys ship worldwide and their prices are very reasonable for high end wire, just need some teflon tubing.
  
90ft 6N OCC Solid core Silver
100ft 6N OCC Copper + 24k Gold plating
  
 Good luck!


----------



## noob101

Any one have any experiances with http://www.takefiveaudio.com ?


----------



## FraGGleR

brunk said:


> I'm not sure what country you live in, but these guys ship worldwide and their prices are very reasonable for high end wire, just need some teflon tubing.
> 
> 90ft 6N OCC Solid core Silver
> 100ft 6N OCC Copper + 24k Gold plating
> ...


 
  
 Hope that is only for interconnects.  Solid core is a no go for headphone cables or anything else that needs to flex alot.


----------



## FraGGleR

noob101 said:


> Any one have any experiances with http://www.takefiveaudio.com ?


 
  
 I have bought wire from them before.  Good experience.  Pretty quick shipping from Canada to me in the US.


----------



## wolfetan44

brunk said:


> siles1991 said:
> 
> 
> > I don't have much money to start with since i cant find stuff like OFC or UP-OCC or Mogami 2893 or SPC, in my country only thing I could find is Canare L4E6S which I guess will be like my budget recabling it's about 3$ a meter where im at also for sleeving using paracord will cost me approx 1.7$ for each headphone with average length of 1.5m. So around 7.7$ per headphone(1.5m) before buying connectors. Than the question is, how much should I charge for the service xD
> ...


 
  
 I bought some of that 100 ft. OCC Copper


----------



## brunk

wolfetan44 said:


> I bought some of that 100 ft. OCC Copper


 
  
 Sweet! Looking forward to your results 
  
 Keep in mind it's enameled so you'll have to use a solder pot, or a razor blade to shave it off on the ends.


----------



## Kamakahah

brunk said:


> Sweet! Looking forward to your results
> 
> *Keep in mind *it's enameled so you'll have to use a solder pot, or a razor blade to shave it off on the ends.


 
  
 Also keep in mind that it's solid core. Not sure what your plans are with it, but I can't think of a single scenario where I would want 100 ft of solid core. Let us know how it works out.


----------



## wolfetan44

kamakahah said:


> brunk said:
> 
> 
> > Sweet! Looking forward to your results
> ...


 
 I got this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLAIRVOYANT-CABLES-GOLD-OCC-BULK-WIRE-100FT-28AWG-SPECIAL-1-WEEK-PROMO-SALE-/121146661900?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item1c34e75c0c  Almost positive its stranded.


brunk said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > I bought some of that 100 ft. OCC Copper
> ...


 
  
 Yep, its coming in a matter of days


----------



## mvrk10256

How do you shield that stuff? It is conductive so you cant braid it like normal.


----------



## brunk

wolfetan44 said:


> I got this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLAIRVOYANT-CABLES-GOLD-OCC-BULK-WIRE-100FT-28AWG-SPECIAL-1-WEEK-PROMO-SALE-/121146661900?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item1c34e75c0c  Almost positive its stranded.
> 
> Yep, its coming in a matter of days


 
  
 No, it is solid core, the certificate states so. I hope you weren't thinking it was stranded


----------



## Kamakahah

wolfetan44 said:


> I got this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLAIRVOYANT-CABLES-GOLD-OCC-BULK-WIRE-100FT-28AWG-SPECIAL-1-WEEK-PROMO-SALE-/121146661900?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item1c34e75c0c  *Almost positive its stranded.*
> 
> Yep, its coming in a matter of days


 
  
 Click on the picture of the certificate. I'll quote it, "*Solid Core* 6N 99.9999% Pure OCC Copper"
  
 Sorry man, it's solid core.


----------



## Kamakahah

mvrk10256 said:


> How do you shield that stuff? It is conductive so you cant braid it like normal.


 
  
 You can buy teflon insulation and sleeve it yourself. It's just a huge PITA.


----------



## brunk

mvrk10256 said:


> How do you shield that stuff? It is conductive so you cant braid it like normal.


 
  
 Teflon tubing, followed by whatever optional stuff you want like copper shielding, mylar etc.


----------



## wolfetan44

Haha. Fun for me! Anyways, I'll cancel the order, wish they said it in the description, but I'm in the wrong here!


----------



## brunk

wolfetan44 said:


> Haha. Fun for me! Anyways, I'll cancel the order, wish they said it in the description, but I'm in the wrong here!


 
  
 Here's some very affordable Silver-plated copper wire thats stranded.
http://stores.ebay.com/Johns-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Shop


----------



## wolfetan44

brunk said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Haha. Fun for me! Anyways, I'll cancel the order, wish they said it in the description, but I'm in the wrong here!
> ...


 
  
 I'm actually not in much need of wire at the moment. Got 35 feet of some wire(secret!) and it was a good chunk of money.


----------



## Zashoomin

brunk said:


> Here's some very affordable Silver-plated copper wire thats stranded.
> http://stores.ebay.com/Johns-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Shop


 
  
 Its very affordable but the insulation is very stiff so it can be a bit hard to work with.  Also the purity isn't that high if that kind of stuff matters to you.


----------



## Kamakahah

zashoomin said:


> Its very affordable but the insulation is very stiff so it can be a bit hard to work with.  Also the purity isn't that high if that kind of stuff matters to you.


 
  
 Yeah, Navships is nice to practice with. In all honesty, I've had some good sonic results with it as well. The combination of stiffness and teflon coating can be quite uncomfortable unless it is sleeved. It actually works great for a budget ground cable.
  
 Sadly, I bought him out of the kind I use most.


----------



## Zashoomin

kamakahah said:


> Yeah, Navships is nice to practice with. In all honesty, I've had some good sonic results with it as well. The combination of stiffness and teflon coating can be quite uncomfortable unless it is sleeved. It actually works great for a budget ground cable.
> 
> Sadly, I bought him out of the kind I use most.


 
  
 Ya I got a lot of cable from him as well to practice with and whatnot. Slowly replacing the cables with better ones.  His 24awg SPC is pretty good.


----------



## siles1991

Any cable recommendations for starting a recabling service?


----------



## Chris_Himself

wolfetan44 said:


> Haha. Fun for me! Anyways, I'll cancel the order, wish they said it in the description, but I'm in the wrong here!


 
  
 Hey I may have been laggy in responding to some PM's you had in the past, if you ever have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM/e-mail bud. I couldn't make it to the latest head-fi meet either..
  
 I wouldn't recommend the Clairvoyant stuff, it sounded way too warm in the past on almost any headphone I've used it with.


----------



## FraGGleR

siles1991 said:


> Any cable recommendations for starting a recabling service?


 
  
 Talk to the existing guys.  No one will have better insight into what it takes to run a cable business.  If you are really serious about it and plan to have good turnaround times and service, be prepared to invest some pretty serious money into building up supplies.  I have had private conversations with a number of guys and they have all been friendly and helpful when I had questions in the past.  Just keep in mind that they are all super busy and be patient for responses.


----------



## liquidzoo

siles1991 said:


> Any cable recommendations for starting a recabling service?


 
  
 Depends on what you want to spend.  Canare or Mogami cable is good to start out with.


----------



## Kamakahah

siles1991 said:


> Any cable recommendations for starting a recabling service?


 
  
 You might want to look into possible companies within your own area or country. You'll probably end up getting a better price overall when you do go to buy in bulk from them. 
  
 But I agree with Fraggler's recommendation. 
  
 It really is a lot of work. It will require a significant investment. Once you start, either see it through until the end or take a hit on your initial investment. It's not something I would recommend without considerable research into your country's market, your supply options, and a business model to see if it will be feasible and profitable. 
  
 Not something I would recommend if you can't survive the possible risks.


----------



## siles1991

kamakahah said:


> You might want to look into possible companies within your own area or country. You'll probably end up getting a better price overall when you do go to buy in bulk from them.
> 
> But I agree with Fraggler's recommendation.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I'm still searching for suppliers in my country for cables but even the internet is not helping much. In my country there are very very very few people who provide recabling services. Some don't even openly say they would do it and comes more of a don't ask don't tell thing. I want to start something where people will know who to go for to recable their headphones and know that they're getting something good. Of course I will make sure my recabling jobs are good. 
  
 Any advice on how to find cable suppliers?


----------



## liquidzoo

But is it a service that people will want?
  
 That's the question you need to answer before you dive into a business that possibly can't sustain itself.  Headphone recabling is probably considered more of a niche market, honestly.  The average person isn't going to even know such a thing can be done, much less how to search out the services (or do it themselves).
  
 On the other side of things, I know someone who recently stopped offering repair and recabling services because it was becoming difficult to source parts, and he was tired of seeing the same cheap headphones come through all the time.
  
 If you think you can do it, and have a product that will appeal to the wider market then by all means go for it.  If, on the other hand, you will be competing with even a few people for a relatively small business market then you will need to consider if it is going to be worth the investment and the risk.  It could be very expensive buying bulk cable, depending on the type, and you risk losing all of that money in one shot.
  
 Not trying to discourage you, just trying to point out the other side.
  
 You haven't mentioned what country you're in, which is also a large part of the reason that people are mentioning items that are readily available in the US, Canada and UK.


----------



## siles1991

liquidzoo said:


> But is it a service that people will want?
> 
> That's the question you need to answer before you dive into a business that possibly can't sustain itself.  Headphone recabling is probably considered more of a niche market, honestly.  The average person isn't going to even know such a thing can be done, much less how to search out the services (or do it themselves).
> 
> ...


 
  
 I am from Malaysia. I'm planning to just start something small at first to gauge the market than will advance on it if it works out fine.


----------



## FraGGleR

siles1991 said:


> I'm still searching for suppliers in my country for cables but even the internet is not helping much. In my country there are very very very few people who provide recabling services. Some don't even openly say they would do it and comes more of a don't ask don't tell thing. I want to start something where people will know who to go for to recable their headphones and know that they're getting something good. Of course I will make sure my recabling jobs are good.
> 
> Any advice on how to find cable suppliers?


 
  
 Well, if you really are committed, going directly to manufacturers is the best way to get highest quality at the lowest price.   However, you will have to buy in bulk and that could mean thousands of dollars up front.  Brian at BTG-Audio got his wire directly from Mogami.  I know a couple companies using OCC wire get it from Neotech.  This is if you want to use single strands braided.  If you don't want to go that deep up front, try to contact Mogami or Neotech, or even one of the pro cable makers to see if they have representatives you can talk to and become a retailer yourself.


----------



## FraGGleR

siles1991 said:


> I am from Malaysia. I'm planning to just start something small at first to gauge the market than will advance on it if it works out fine.


 
  
 Maybe start with a 100M spool of Nucleotide from Doublehelixcables.  Great wire, and one of the only pros selling a full spool at a slight discount.  I think he will ship to Malaysia.  Or go with a full spool of Mogami 2893 from a place like Markertek if you want to offer up more of a budget service.


----------



## siles1991

fraggler said:


> Maybe start with a 100M spool of Nucleotide from Doublehelixcables.  Great wire, and one of the only pros selling a full spool at a slight discount.  I think he will ship to Malaysia.  Or go with a full spool of Mogami 2893 from a place like Markertek if you want to offer up more of a budget service.


 
  
 Currently am deciding between Plus sound audio and DHC as well. Am prolly going to get 100ft from DHC first than if alls good than i'll use the income from the work to bring in more amounts of cables.


----------



## Chris_Himself

siles1991 said:


> Currently am deciding between Plus sound audio and DHC as well. Am prolly going to get 100ft from DHC first than if alls good than i'll use the income from the work to bring in more amounts of cables.


 
  
 If you want to start building cables for people, Head-Fi rules require that you establish yourself as an MOT which means you can't share pics of your work anymore here.. it was a bit tricky for me once I went official. I started doing DIY for people here at cost to get my skills up back in the day.
  
 The DHC Nucleotide is a great way to ensure you are operating with the best cable material possible. Lots of effort went into making sure that was a perfect wire, and Peter provides a lot of backend support for building cables, even if you are doing them as a business. He helped me get off the ground for example, and he's a really nice guy to talk to.
  
 When working with stranded wire, a solder pot makes life infinitely easier, less melted insulation that way.


----------



## noob101

to bad DHC doesn't sell all their wires in bulk only the occ copper in 100'


----------



## noob101

hey anyone think the future will have fiber optic cables for iems or headphones


----------



## yxpoh

noob101 said:


> hey anyone think the future will have fiber optic cables for iems or headphones


 
  
 Personally, I don't think so as fiber optic would be too fragile for such mobile and flexible equipments...
 But I might be wrong, as still noobish in terms of electronics.


----------



## PETEREK

noob101 said:


> hey anyone think the future will have fiber optic cables for iems or headphones


 
  
 I honestly think it's going to be hard for portable audio to get away from the 3.5mm output. As soon as a company decides to do something different everyone is going to freak out because they wont be able to use their favorite headphones on the device without using some kind of adapter. Everyone here saw how pissed people were about the iPhone 5 having the new Lightning connector for charging instead of the old 30 pin connector, just imagine that but like 1,000 times worse. That's my opinion on that.


----------



## TrollDragon

noob101 said:


> hey anyone think the future will have fiber optic cables for iems or headphones


 
  
 Just what we need batteries in the headphones or IEM's... wait those are called Hearing Aid's.


----------



## noob101

lets hope we never have to get those 





  
 though i'm planing to see an audiologist to get a ear mold for either ue18 pro or HEIR 8.A


----------



## Darknet

Oh crap... thanks for everyone that's responded to my questions about the momentum re-cabling. I've been pretty busy lately so not much time for head-fi. Anyways, this is kind of an odd idea but if you drilled the hole in the momentums and replaced the 2.5mm connector with a 3.5mm connector.... wouldn't that keep the detachable cable functionality while allowing an easier change in cables? Haha just a random idea that popped up.... I somehow feel that the final product is no where near how much effort is involved, and the risks also for that matter.


----------



## PETEREK

darknet said:


> Oh crap... thanks for everyone that's responded to my questions about the momentum re-cabling. I've been pretty busy lately so not much time for head-fi. Anyways, this is kind of an odd idea but if you drilled the hole in the momentums and replaced the 2.5mm connector with a 3.5mm connector.... wouldn't that keep the detachable cable functionality while allowing an easier change in cables? Haha just a random idea that popped up.... I somehow feel that the final product is no where near how much effort is involved, and the risks also for that matter.




I don't think there would be a lot of risk involved, honestly. As long as the hole around the 2.5mm jack is smaller than the 3.5mm jack you want to use, you shouldn't have any problems. The pictures of the solder points I saw on FraGGler's look easy to work with.


----------



## siles1991

what would you guys use to seal holes that were drilled for previous jack. want to hard wire to my drivers but its closed headphone so need a good seal.


----------



## Armaegis

blutack/plasticine
 electrical/gorilla tape
 hot glue
 epoxy
 sugru
 etc


----------



## Darknet

peterek said:


> I don't think there would be a lot of risk involved, honestly. As long as the hole around the 2.5mm jack is smaller than the 3.5mm jack you want to use, you shouldn't have any problems. The pictures of the solder points I saw on FraGGler's look easy to work with.



Thanks for the response. Thats actually an interesting g point, didnt think of that. Hmm i'll do more research when time allows i guess, but ugh proprietary cables annoy me a bit haha


----------



## siles1991

armaegis said:


> blutack/plasticine
> electrical/gorilla tape
> hot glue
> epoxy
> ...


how about clay?


----------



## PETEREK

siles1991 said:


> what would you guys use to seal holes that were drilled for previous jack. want to hard wire to my drivers but its closed headphone so need a good seal.




I would use hot glue. It will fill in any holes on its own and you can still remove it if you need to.


----------



## DMinor

Ordered a couple of these 3.5mm plugs and they really look nice to me.


----------



## PETEREK

dminor said:


> Ordered a couple of these 3.5mm plugs and they really look nice to me.


 
  
 I ordered one of those too  from Luna, so it's gonna be a few weeks until I get them in the mail.


----------



## DMinor

peterek said:


> I ordered one of those too  from Luna, so it's gonna be a few weeks until I get them in the mail.


 
 Who is Luna? I bought from eBay here.


----------



## PETEREK

dminor said:


> Who is Luna? I bought from eBay here.


 
  
 Hahahaha http://www.lunashops.com/
 And holy cow! I paid $15 for mine and probably have to wait equally long for shipping! Dang.


----------



## DMinor

peterek said:


> Hahahaha http://www.lunashops.com/
> And holy cow! I paid $15 for mine and probably have to wait equally long for shipping! Dang.


 
 Thanks for the link.
  
 But it says $10 including shipping tho. http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=2136
  
 Is Luna located in the US?


----------



## PETEREK

dminor said:


> Thanks for the link.
> 
> But it says $10 including shipping tho. http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=2136
> 
> Is Luna located in the US?


 
 Oh yep, it was $10, and I bought 2 sets of these DIY iem connectors http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3002 for my new Westone 4s modded to 4r.
 No, not in the us. They're located in Hong kong.


----------



## DMinor

peterek said:


> Oh yep, it was $10, and I bought 2 sets of these DIY iem connectors http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3002 for my new Westone 4s modded to 4r.
> No, not in the us. They're located in Hong kong.


 
  
 Look nice. I am gonna give a shot at recabling my EX1000's when the stock cable runs out of life. It has a special type of housing (screw on). The cable doesn't sound bad but it looks boring.


----------



## PETEREK

dminor said:


> Look nice. I am gonna give a shot at recabling my EX1000's when the stock cable runs out of life. It has a special type of housing (screw on). The cable doesn't sound bad but it looks boring.


 
  
 Why wait for the stock cable to give out?


----------



## DMinor

peterek said:


> Why wait for the stock cable to give out?


 
  
 Yeah I know I know. Need to get a spare stock cable to work on it.


----------



## FraGGleR

armaegis said:


> blutack/plasticine
> electrical/gorilla tape
> hot glue
> epoxy
> ...







siles1991 said:


> how about clay?




For filling in holes, epoxy works best, as it hardens the strongest and can be sanded down flush with the cups. As much as I adore Sugru, it gives too much and can't be sanded down as flush.

Air dry clay will fill the hole but tends to be much more brittle.


----------



## wolfetan44

The Valab connector is fantastic! I have it right here with me, I am just waiting to use it..


----------



## FraGGleR

darknet said:


> Oh crap... thanks for everyone that's responded to my questions about the momentum re-cabling. I've been pretty busy lately so not much time for head-fi. Anyways, this is kind of an odd idea but if you drilled the hole in the momentums and replaced the 2.5mm connector with a 3.5mm connector.... wouldn't that keep the detachable cable functionality while allowing an easier change in cables? Haha just a random idea that popped up.... I somehow feel that the final product is no where near how much effort is involved, and the risks also for that matter.


 
  
 I'd hate to see you drill into the momentums since they are so pretty.  The 2.5mm jack is PCB mounted.  Moving to a 3.5mm jack will most likely mean air wiring instead of PCB, which make things much harder to manage.  You can take yours apart to do dry fits of 3.5mm jacks.  Don't forget that you have to secure the new jack in there well.  Also, are you planning on moving the jack to the bottom of the cup (not recessed)?  If not, you will have to find an insanely narrow 3.5mm plug or use it without the shell.  Might as well just go with a 2.5mm plug at this point.
  
 I think your ideas of allowing an easier change of cables is negated by how much work (that might not work or be ideal) would be needed to make it happen.  You could always hardwire a pigtail with a 3.5mm jack, allowing you to swap cables without all the surgery required to have it in the cup.
  
 Unfortunately, this isn't as simple as with larger headphones with a lot of space and plastic.


----------



## Kamakahah

There really aren't a lot of options out there for 2.5mm plugs, especially nice looking ones. 

Markertek, parts-express and the other usual suspects carry one metal shelled one similar to Ratshack and a black plastic variant. 

If anyone knows of any other more sexy options, I'd like to see them.


----------



## DMinor

wolfetan44 said:


> The Valab connector is fantastic! I have it right here with me, I am just waiting to use it..


 
  
 I am going to use the same plug for a new LOD using the Tempo Electric silver wires. The Tempo Electric silver wires feel more flexible than other silver wires of the same AWG's I bought. Not sure if just because of the jacket.
  
 BTW, why is the Oyaide Rhodium plug is more expensive and what's good about it?


----------



## Shazb0t

New to this, which company sells the best bang for your buck Litz wire for diy headphone cables?


----------



## brunk

shazb0t said:


> New to this, which company sells the best bang for your buck Litz wire for diy headphone cables?


 
  
 That would probably be magnet wire and you doing the twisting...


----------



## Shazb0t

brunk said:


> That would probably be magnet wire and you doing the twisting...



Any how to posted somewhere? Where do you purchase the magnet wire?


----------



## wje

peterek said:


> Oh yep, it was $10, and I bought 2 sets of these DIY iem connectors http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3002 for my new Westone 4s modded to 4r.
> No, not in the us. They're located in Hong kong.


 
  
 Also, if you think you need to order more items in quantity,  you can submit your request through: http://www.alibaba.com
  
 Within 24 hours or so, one of the vendors will get in contact with you (usually from China).  They will provide you with a quote including shipping for the items of inquiry.  I had sent a request in for the Sennheiser connectors (Acrolink FP-650) and the shipping rate was going to be $20.00.  This rate seemed to be basic regardless of quantity.  The connectors were down to about $6.00 per pair when I received a quote for 8 pair.  But, if you have to just get a single pair, Ebay or Lunashops will still be your best bet.


----------



## younglee200

Got a question about recabling headphones...
  
 How do you recable headphones single terminated?  As an example, I'm trying to recable an Ultrasone HFI headphone.  I know that each driver cups have a ground and side to terminate into (left & right).
  
 But if I were to want these single-ended, how do i do so?


----------



## Zashoomin

younglee200 said:


> Got a question about recabling headphones...
> 
> How do you recable headphones single terminated?  As an example, I'm trying to recable an Ultrasone HFI headphone.  I know that each driver cups have a ground and side to terminate into (left & right).
> 
> But if I were to want these single-ended, how do i do so?


 
  
 Ok so there will be a L+, L- and a R+ and R-.  The + will be your signal and your - will be your ground.  So you will have two wires going to ground and one wire for each signal.


----------



## Chris_Himself

younglee200 said:


> Got a question about recabling headphones...
> 
> How do you recable headphones single terminated?  As an example, I'm trying to recable an Ultrasone HFI headphone.  I know that each driver cups have a ground and side to terminate into (left & right).
> 
> But if I were to want these single-ended, how do i do so?


 
  
 If it doesn't have a removable single ended cable, you can punch a hole and go dual entry. The original configuration is that one end is longer than the other and it's routed through the headband.
  
 In the case of removable cable, K702 for example, it terminates into strands and two stands go through the headband assembly.


----------



## younglee200

Oh okay, I see - that's very very helpful.
  
 What is the simplest way I could punch a whole through the headphone?  I don't supposed I could try to use a single hole puncher, could I


----------



## younglee200

a HOLE***, I can't type this morning.


----------



## Chris_Himself

younglee200 said:


> Oh okay, I see - that's very very helpful.
> 
> What is the simplest way I could punch a whole through the headphone?  I don't supposed I could try to use a single hole puncher, could I


 
  
 Dremel rotary tool or it's chinese clones will be your best friend.


----------



## PETEREK

You could just use a drill bit to get the hole started with a drill and then use this> http://www.lowes.com/pd_94729-353-952_0__?productId=1114247&Ntt=dremel in the drill to make the hole wider and smooth. That's what I did before I got my Dremel.


----------



## TrollDragon

These are a great item for enlarging holes as well, it is a must have.

  
  
http://www.lowes.com/pd_20973-281-10231_0__?Ntt=irwin+%231+step+drill&UserSearch=irwin+%231+step+drill&productId=3070245&rpp=32#1+step+drill


----------



## gweg

I've found some answers but would like some feedback before I go any further. I've got a pair of Koss Porta Pro's and the cabling is becoming more tough and uncomfortable as well as fraying in the middle. Since they're so easy to take apart, I was thinking it'd be a nice first step into the magical world of cables. I've found a lot of information spread across the Head-fi cosmos but just need some specific answers.
  
 To cover what I already know: I am familiar with most musical and basic electronics terminology. I have not done projects that involve soldering before because I've got shaky hands but that is no longer an issue. Aaaannd My warranty is already _voidified _





  
  
 What materials will I need for re cabling? Specific recommendations would be most helpful; basically looking for a build list. 
  
 What type of cable wire should I go for and from where? For a first time out should I braid or go a different route?
  
 Any soldering tips for tiny joints?
  
  
 Just looking to get my foot in the door.
  
 Thanks any and all


----------



## Kamakahah

gweg said:


> I've found some answers but would like some feedback before I go any further. I've got a pair of Koss Porta Pro's and the cabling is becoming more tough and uncomfortable as well as fraying in the middle. Since they're so easy to take apart, I was thinking it'd be a nice first step into the magical world of cables. I've found a lot of information spread across the Head-fi cosmos but just need some specific answers.
> 
> To cover what I already know: I am familiar with most musical and basic electronics terminology. I have not done projects that involve soldering before because I've got shaky hands but that is no longer an issue. Aaaannd My warranty is already _voidified _
> 
> ...


 
  
 So most of it comes down to your style preferences. I'll give you a list of some cheaper options. You'll probably want to go cheaper since it's your first build.
   



Spoiler: My suggestions. 



*Length:* Depends on you. most people go 4-6 feet depending if you use them as portable. 
  
*Conductor wire:* Canare. http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E6S.html   It's cheap and effective. This particular one has white and blue color jackets for insulation on the individual wires so that could be great for matching your PortaPros if you don't want to sleeve them. At $0.50/foot you can't go wrong. You'll only need $2-3 worth. 
  
*Connector plug:* Neutrik. Again, cheap and effective. Probably the most commonly used brand for most DIYers. Here
                         There are plenty of other options, but they get more and more expensive. 
  
*Y-Split: *Buy an extra neutrik plug and use the shell. Cover it in heatshrink. You can see multiple examples of this in the past month on the DIY cable gallery thread. 
  
*Heatshrink: *Get 3:1 ratio. The most common you find is 2:1 or "50%" meaning it shrinks to half it's size. I do recommend having one of the cheap assorted packs of 2:1 as it comes in quite handy. The 3:1 I usually get 3/8" as it is perfect to slide over Neutrik connectors and still wrap snuggly around the cable coming out. If you can find an assorted pack of that, go for it. 
  
*Sleeving*: Most use paracord, techflex, nylon multifilament. Paracord is cheap, feels nice and comes in a variety of colors and patterns. All of them have their uses. http://www.supplycaptain.com/ or even off Amazon are good places to pick up paracord. 
  
*Solder:* Everyone has their type that they like more or believe makes a difference. I believe that a nice shiny, clean joint is much better than all the silver +gold +diamonds +platinum mixed solder in the world. I like Kester 44 Rosin Core Solder 63/37 .031" or CARDAS Quad Eutectic Solder. They are easy to find on Amazon or in smaller quantities on Ebay. Hell, even go to Radioshack and you'll be fine. Since you'll be soldering directly to the contacts, I do recommend a solder that melts at lower temp so you won't be holding the heat to the driver for long. The Cardas seems to work great for me. Just make sure you clean after. 
  
 Shipping from most companies can increase your overall cost by a decent amount. I try to find most of what I need from one company if possible. Redco.com, Markertek.com, Parts-express.com, and other places are great options that usually have most of the necessities. I like to buy in larger quantities for future builds so I don't end up paying shipping multiple times. 
  
 Take your time and practice first. You buy some extra feet of Canare since it's so cheap and practice stripping the wire, braiding it, and soldering it to something else. Practice really helps technique. 
  
*Soldering:* Find the proper temperature for your solder and what you'll be doing. Make sure to tin the wire ends before soldering. Don't overheat the drivers by holding too long. If it takes more than a few seconds, you might have to check and readjust your temperature. Some people might suggest doing the tac method where you put some solder on your tip and simply drop that onto the wire/solder point. I don't personally suggest that, you can get a cold joint if you're not careful.  
  
 You can also place something metal near the driver contact point to use as a heatsink while soldering. Just make sure you don't end up soldering it to the driver =). 
  
 You'll find that it's easier than you imagined. 
  
****Side note:* These are just my suggestions. There are many, MANY different ways to do things and different materials that people use. My choices might not be right for you or others, but they work for me. So find what works for you through practice.


----------



## Shazb0t

keopele19 said:


> You could also look at some wire like this:
> 
> http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/index1/Litz-Wire-Supplier.html
> 
> ...


 
  


shazb0t said:


> New to this, which company sells the best bang for your buck Litz wire for diy headphone cables?


  




brunk said:


> That would probably be magnet wire and you doing the twisting...


 
  
 Is this link that *Keopele19 *posted the type of magnet Litz wire you're talking about?  Is there a specific reason to use the 220/44 Litz?  My understanding is that would be equivalent to ~18awg wire.


----------



## Mad Max

I can't seem to find any place online where I can buy two feet of Canare D403-AT cable.


----------



## liquidzoo

mad max said:


> I can't seem to find any place online where I can buy two feet of Canare D403-AT cable.


 
  
 Any particular reason you're wanting that exact cable?


----------



## DMinor

For the LOD cable, theoretically is there any audio benefit by having two ground wires instead of a single one?
  
 Now if I use two ground wires, does it matter if I leave pins 1 & 2 separate or join them together?
  
 Gee, one time my LOD ground wire broke off and it sounded like sh** and I thought something wrong with my iem's or amp.


----------



## funch

I have found that using double ground wires (or one larger gauge) does improve the sound ever so slightly.


----------



## DMinor

funch said:


> I have found that using double ground wires (or one larger gauge) does improve the sound ever so slightly.


 
  
 Do you leave ground pins 1 and 2 separate or soldered together?


----------



## younglee200

I twist the two and solder them together - but too each their own.


----------



## DMinor

Yeah it seems my ears agree. I been listening to this LOD today with a pair of ground lines, and to my ears it has a fuller sounding with smoother treble.


----------



## TrollDragon

Shoot me now... 
The 2" piece or wire actually changed the sound... 
Must have made more room for the sound to get through, should have put 3 or 4 grounds in place... Would have given it a THX sound stage... XD


----------



## DMinor

trolldragon said:


> Shoot me now...
> The 2" piece or wire actually changed the sound...
> Must have made more room for the sound to get through, should have put 3 or 4 grounds in place... Would have given it a THX sound stage... XD


 
  
 Have you tried one LOD yourself with two ground wires?


----------



## TrollDragon

dminor said:


> Have you tried one LOD yourself with two ground wires?


 
  
 Since I only use the Colorfly C3 these days as it is head and tails sonically over the iDevices...
  
 This 6 wire mini connects the C3 to my Amp.


----------



## TrollDragon

And I use this one here when I want to leave it to chance...


----------



## DMinor

trolldragon said:


> Since I only use the Colorfly C3 these days as it is head and tails sonically over the iDevices...
> 
> This 6 wire mini connects the C3 to my Amp.


 
  
 Is that a LOD? I was talking about LOD.


----------



## TrollDragon

dminor said:


> Is that a LOD? I was talking about LOD.


 
 On the iDevice the standard 30 pin LOD connects to a line out Left + and Right + with a common Ground on the circuit board for both channels. This, in turn, goes to a 3.5mm TRS jack that has a Left +, a Right + and a common ground for both channels...
  
 The mini to mini that i posted is exactly the same configuration except one end has another TRS jack instead of an Apple 30 Pin Connector... You still only use 2 signal lines and a ground any way you look at it.
  
 Edit:
 Also pins 1 & 2 are connected together on the iDevice board...


----------



## audiofreakie

trolldragon said:


> And I use this one here when I want to leave it to chance...


 
  
 Hahahaha, I remember this picture, its so cool dude...


----------



## cubiboy90

I want to make a power cable for my yulong D18, anyone give me advices about cable and connectors
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 ? Should i use 18 or 16 ,14awg ?


----------



## Mad Max

liquidzoo said:


> Any particular reason you're wanting that exact cable?


 
  
 To build a data cable with it.  I've got two Neutrik 5-pin DIN plugs to go with it.  markertek sells assembled versions, but where's the fun in that?  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 
 markertek doesn't sell bulk D403, though, not even in gigantic reels.


----------



## Kamakahah

I'm going to agree with troll on the extra ground. It doesn't matter. I've done 8-strand braids and despite the clear logic that it should have shat double rainbows of musical fairy dust bliss into my ears, it was the same. 

Now, if you're getting that much change in SQ I suggest you look into other variations in the build. Maybe one had a less than perfect joint or it could simply be expectation bias.


----------



## PanpandaChan

Quick question, does any one know good suppliers of pre-insulated solid silver wire?
  
 I found homegrownaudio.com, they sell 22AWG pure solid silver wire in FEP (teflon) for $8/foot.
 Doesnt seem too bad to me, but I have no idea what this should cost and I've never purchased from them before.
 Also, the RCA plugs they carry are too expensive for my use... Probably gonna grab some gold plated silver Neutriks from Redco for that.
  
 I'm just looking to make some short RCA interconnects for the Schiit Modi/Magni stack I plan on getting.


----------



## liquidzoo

mad max said:


> To build a data cable with it.  I've got two Neutrik 5-pin DIN plugs to go with it.  markertek sells assembled versions, but where's the fun in that?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Good point, just didn't know why you wanted that specific MIDI cable over, for example, this one.
  
 Best bet might be to call Canare, honestly.
  
http://www.canare.com/TopicListWithDetails.aspx?topicCategoryCode=Distributor


----------



## liquidzoo

panpandachan said:


> Quick question, does any one know good suppliers of pre-insulated solid silver wire?
> 
> I found homegrownaudio.com, they sell 22AWG pure solid silver wire in FEP (teflon) for $8/foot.
> Doesnt seem too bad to me, but I have no idea what this should cost and I've never purchased from them before.
> ...


 
  
Qables?
  
 Probably more expensive when you consider the shipping costs, but it's another option.


----------



## PanpandaChan

That is actually MUCH cheaper for me... especially since they sell their wire by the meter.
  
 Excluding VAT its $5.88 per METER of insulated 24AWG solid core silver.
 Compared to the other site which is $7.50 per FOOT. That is awesome.
  
 And this site has the neutrik plugs too.
  
 So this costs me around $18 for the wire + plugs + shipping. (With an extra foot of wire compared to other site)
 Compared to $25 the other way.
  
 Ooh now I can affordably make a triple braid silver cable...
 Its better to have two on the + conductor and one wire on ground rather than other way around right?


----------



## DMinor

OK guys maybe I am asking a silly question, but I am just curious.
  
 Let's say I use an external amp for ipod. Can I recable my earphone with two plugs - one goes to the amp's headphone jack and the other goes to ipod's headphone jack, both at the same time?


----------



## Zashoomin

dminor said:


> OK guys maybe I am asking a silly question, but I am just curious.
> 
> Let's say I use an external amp for ipod. Can I recable my earphone with two plugs - one goes to the amp's headphone jack and the other goes to ipod's headphone jack, both at the same time?


 
  
 I mean I guess.  But why? you could potentially do one cup per source as in one cup into the ipod and the other into the amp...but again why?  I am trying to figure out how this would work in my head and I don't know how you would get music to the amp and through the headphone jack at the same time on your ipod.  I am not sure but doesn't plugging in an LOD mute the headphone jack?


----------



## DMinor

zashoomin said:


> I mean I guess.  But why? you could potentially do one cup per source as in one cup into the ipod and the other into the amp...but again why?  I am trying to figure out how this would work in my head and I don't know how you would get music to the amp and through the headphone jack at the same time on your ipod. * I am not sure but doesn't plugging in an LOD mute the headphone jack?*


 
  
 As I said I am just curious. Call it DIY curiosity. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Not on my diymod ipod. The ipod's headphone jack still sends out music even when LOD cable is plugged in.
  
 Edit: I just checked the stock ipod as well. Both headphone jack and LOD send out music at the same time.


----------



## Zashoomin

dminor said:


> As I said I am just curious. Call it DIY curiosity.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Hmm than I guess its possible.  Do it and tell me what happened...lol


----------



## brunk

I have a question about RCA interconnects. Would there be an objection if i used 2x 24awg solid core silver wire and twisted them together, so long as it's 1m or less? Or would shielding/larger gauge wire be recommended? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Zashoomin

brunk said:


> I have a question about RCA interconnects. Would there be an objection if i used 2x 24awg solid core silver wire and twisted them together, so long as it's 1m or less? Or would shielding/larger gauge wire be recommended? Thanks in advance.


 
  
 I am a bit confused by what you are saying here.  RCA need a total of 4 wires: 2 ground (one for each side) and 2 signal (L, R).  Also I am not saying that you can't use solid core but I wouldn't recommend it.  It is prone to breaking if you move it too much and is very stiff.  Even with a short interconnect I highly suggest you work with shielded stranded wire.  Also 24awg is plenty large for interconnects you can even use 26 if you are so inclined.


----------



## DMinor

zashoomin said:


> Hmm than I guess its possible.  Do it and tell me what happened...lol


 
  
 I think this Y cable splitter will make it easier to experiment. Any possibility harming my iem's?


----------



## Kamakahah

brunk said:


> I have a question about RCA interconnects. Would there be an objection if i used 2x 24awg solid core silver wire and twisted them together, so long as it's 1m or less? Or would shielding/larger gauge wire be recommended? Thanks in advance.


 
  
 What are the interconnects being used on? An average desktop amp/dac interconnect wouldn't require anymore than the 24 gauge. You can twist them in pairs and use them that way if it makes you feel more comfortable knowing you have a higher potential capacity, it will work just fine that way but isn't necessary. 


zashoomin said:


> I am a bit confused by what you are saying here.  *RCA need a total of 4 wires*: 2 ground (one for each side) and 2 signal (L, R).  Also I am not saying that you can't use solid core but I wouldn't recommend it.  It is prone to breaking if you move it too much and is very stiff.  Even with a short interconnect* I highly suggest you work with shielded stranded wire.*  Also 24awg is plenty large for interconnects you can even use 26 if you are so inclined.


 
  
 What? Perhaps you're mixing up TRS with RCA? 
 RCA interconnects each generally have 2 wires per cable: 1 for signal and one for ground. You make 2 cables: one for the left channel and one for the right channel. 
  
 I agree with the stranded wire. Unless you plan on making a short interconnect that won't be moved/removed much, stranded is a much better choice for longevity of the cable.


----------



## brunk

kamakahah said:


> What are the interconnects being used on? An average desktop amp/dac interconnect wouldn't require anymore than the 24 gauge. You can twist them in pairs and use them that way if it makes you feel more comfortable knowing you have a higher potential capacity, it will work just fine that way but isn't necessary.
> 
> 
> I agree with the stranded wire. Unless you plan on making a short interconnect that won't be moved/removed much, stranded is a much better choice for longevity of the cable.


 
 The interconnects will be used from a 2vrms DAC to a passive pre, then to an amp. Both sets of cables would be interchanged frequently between different sources and amps. The solid core silver will be sheathed in teflon tubing. I think twisting will also help against breakage, but would applying heatshrink over the twisted pair offer some stress relief? Thanks.


----------



## TrollDragon

The problem with solid core is it will break at the solder connection or at the strain relief. Doesn't make a difference how much sheathing / shrinktube you use, there is no flexibility to it. Like others have said for a cable that does not move it's fine. On one that moves it will break long before stranded will.


----------



## Zashoomin

dminor said:


> I think this Y cable splitter will make it easier to experiment. Any possibility harming my iem's?


 
  
 If you have two different signals coming into the same jack I don't think that you will be hearing two songs at once from both cups. That or the signals will overlap and you will get a lot of distortion but either way if you want to do what you are doing separate cable for each cup or shell or whatever I think will work a lot better.  This is meant to be used the other way around as in one source split to two not two to one.


----------



## Zashoomin

trolldragon said:


> The problem with solid core is it will break at the solder connection or at the strain relief. Doesn't make a difference how much sheathing / shrinktube you use, there is no flexibility to it. Like others have said for a cable that does not move it's fine. On one that moves it will break long before stranded will.


 
  
 I agree with this since you said you will be moving it around I would definately go for stranded.


----------



## brunk

zashoomin said:


> I agree with this since you said you will be moving it around I would definately go for stranded.


 
  
 Maybe I'm not seeing the forest through the trees here, but why is there so many comments against solid core? It's not like I would be bending it in 90° angles constantly. It would be a gentle slope, plus there would be strain relief inside the plug, followed by a couple in. of heatshrink over the plug and wires.
  




  
 EDIT: Maybe a proper question here would be, has anyone actually made a solid core RCA interconnect that has broken on them from normal usage?


----------



## TrollDragon

brunk said:


> Maybe I'm not seeing the forest through the trees here, but why is there so many comments against solid core? It's not like I would be bending it in 90° angles constantly. It would be a gentle slope, plus there would be strain relief inside the plug, followed by a couple in. of heatshrink over the plug and wires.


Sometimes the best experience is the hands on experience. I recommend you build the cable with solid core, if it meets the purpose you built it for then excellent! It might last you longer than I have experienced them lasting. It's all about the enjoyment of the project build.


----------



## brunk

trolldragon said:


> Sometimes the best experience is the hands on experience. I recommend you build the cable with solid core, if it meets the purpose you built it for then excellent! It might last you longer than I have experienced them lasting. It's all about the enjoyment of the project build.


 
  
 Yeah I think I'm going to take the plunge and do it, I just can't see it snapping easily, it's not a "dead soft" silver wire either which i could see snapping.


----------



## DMinor

Well for all my five diy LOD cables I have used all solid cored silver wires (except for one of the LOD's I used the stranded copper wire for ground) of 24awg or 26 awg. For this purpose I won't bend the cables back and forth other than plugging or unplugging them from time to time. So I see no problem with the solid cored wires for this type of application. The key is to have solid soldered joints.


----------



## brunk

dminor said:


> Well for all my five diy LOD cables I have used all solid cored silver wires (except for one of the LOD's I used the stranded copper wire for ground) of 24awg or 26 awg. For this purpose I won't bend the cables back and forth other than plugging or unplugging them from time to time. So I see no problem with the solid cored wires for this type of application. The key is to have solid soldered joints.


 
  
 Thanks for the feedback of your experience, i appreciate it.


----------



## DMinor

brunk said:


> Thanks for the feedback of your experience, i appreciate it.


 
  
 NP. Just give you an idea how stiff the wires are. Once they are bent they will remain in that shape unless you intentionally straighten them or bend them to another shape.


----------



## brunk

dminor said:


> NP. Just give you an idea how stiff the wires are. Once they are bent they will remain in that shape unless you intentionally straighten them or bend them to another shape.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


 
 Perfect. Thanks. Awesome cables by the way!


----------



## i luvmusic 2

My first diy rca jack is made with cheap jacks  and cheap speaker wires.I did not think that a cheap 18awg speaker wire will sound this good the base and sound stage is nice.
 (DOLLAR STORE STUFF TO BE EXACT)


----------



## i luvmusic 2

trolldragon said:


> I use a mini vise...


 
  
 I like that tiny xlr male socket that you put on your DT880.
 Can you please tell me the product/part number of that socket and where did you get it?
 THANKS.


----------



## TrollDragon

i luvmusic 2 said:


> I like that tiny xlr male socket that you put on your DT880.
> Can you please tell me the product/part number of that socket and where did you get it?
> THANKS.


 
 Thanks!
  
 That is a REAN TINY xlr's and these are the ones I used:
http://www.rean-connectors.com/en/products/tiny-xlr-chassis-connectors/rt3mp
  
 There is NOT very much room inside, so you can not put the locking nut on, you have to use epoxy on the jack to hold it in place.
  
 Next time I think I a going to use these ones as the nut is on the outside, doesn't look as nice but would be easier to install I think.
http://www.rean-connectors.com/en/products/rt3mpr
  
 Also be *VERY careful* of the drivers in the DTXXX series as the tangs that the headphone cable is soldered to is also connected to the voice coil wires. Those tangs are just pressed into the plastic an will pull out breaking the voice coil wire in the process. Both liquidzoo and myself have to do a resolder of the voice coil wire on one of our drivers. We were lucky.
  
 If you do use the TINY xlr's you have to make sure that the hole for it is below the little shelf that the driver rests on, easy to do as the cup plastic is very soft and workable.
  
 I had a local Industrial Electronics supplier bring them in for me, RAE was who I used.
  
 Since your in Canada, electrosonic also carries them if there is an office local to you.
 http://www.e-sonic.com/acc/products.aspx?partID=RT3MP&partIDExt=319&command=detail
  
 The one with the nut on the outside would probably have to be ordered in for you from REAN through your supplier.





 
  
 Edit: I also have a pair of the Switchcraft Tini Q-G's that I paid twice as much for and I don't like them compared to the REAN's.
 TB4M http://www.switchcraft.com/productsummary.aspx?Parent=808


----------



## squallkiercosa

Just curiosity: How does plasticine works inside a cup? what's the desired effect? I presume to dampen but the word dampening is wildly used and I'm having troubles understanding it: reduce vibration, improve bass response, reduce a particular wavelength? Thanks


----------



## Mad Max

squallkiercosa said:


> Just curiosity: How does plasticine works inside a cup? what's the desired effect? I presume to dampen but the word dampening is wildly used and I'm having troubles understanding it: reduce vibration, improve bass response, reduce a particular wavelength? Thanks


 
  
 To reduce vibrations mainly.  Or more generally, to absorb energy in general.  This energy can be from soundwaves and or vibrations.  Dampening material can positively or negatively affect the sound in some aspect(s).  It varies.
 To me, "improving bass response" =/= dampening, but dampening can affect bass response, and it will vary whether the effect is positive or negative depending on the headphone design.
 I think that you also meant "frequencies" not "wavelength".
  
 You're welcome.


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> Next time I think I a going to use these ones as the nut is on the outside, doesn't look as nice but would be easier to install I think.
> http://www.rean-connectors.com/en/products/rt3mpr


 

 Mine's a 3.5mm chassis, and I can't seem to find the link I used in the US


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> Mine's a 3.5mm chassis, and I can't seem to find the link I used in the US


 
  
 That is a nice jack!
  
 Just found these ones that could be amazing to use, they are a snap in with no hardware needed. Just a .375" hole and pop it in.
  

 http://www.kvconnection.com/product-p/t-30-711.htm


----------



## i luvmusic 2

trolldragon said:


> Thanks!
> 
> That is a REAN TINY xlr's and these are the ones I used:
> http://www.rean-connectors.com/en/products/tiny-xlr-chassis-connectors/rt3mp
> ...


 
  
 Thanks a lot! again THANK you...


----------



## TrollDragon

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Thanks a lot! again THANK you...


You are Most Welcome!
If you have any questions just ask here and we will help if we can.


----------



## siles1991

When I sleeve with paracord do I remove the inner strand?


----------



## Kamakahah

siles1991 said:


> When I sleeve with paracord do I remove the inner strand?




What are you sleeving exactly?


----------



## siles1991

kamakahah said:


> What are you sleeving exactly?


 
 26awg wire


----------



## Kamakahah

I ment from who? Is it single wires or prewrapped canare or Mogami. If single, are they bare or insulated? Are you braiding it first?


----------



## PETEREK

siles1991 said:


> When I sleeve with paracord do I remove the inner strand?


 
  
 I think you're talking about the white strings, if so, yes.


----------



## siles1991

peterek said:


> I think you're talking about the white strings, if so, yes.


 
  
 alright thanks


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I found this RCA Cable made by  MONSTER Cable at  a local surplus store for $5 /16.5 feet  it has 4 conductors plus one bare wire  it says the inner core are DOUBLEHELIX not sure if its really a DH cable.
 I'm thinking of spliting it open to get the inner core to make some shorter RCA /inter connect.The core are very thin i'm wondering if its good for making RCA cable.
 To make a RCA cable can i double up the wires per terminal/connection and do i need to twist the wires together or i can just sleeve them?
 Any suggestion are welcome THANKS!


----------



## Mad Max

DOUBLEHELIX as far as Monster goes means _standard twisted pair_.
 You can always double up on conductors to make the cable a little more robust.
 Quad braid or dual twisted pair per channel, you were thinking?  That will do.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

mad max said:


> DOUBLEHELIX as far as Monster goes means _standard twisted pair_.
> You can always double up on conductors to make the cable a little more robust.
> Quad braid or dual twisted pair per channel, you were thinking?  That will do.


 
 Good to know THANKS!


----------



## DMinor

Received the Valab Rhodium Plated 3.5mm Connector. It looks really nice and well built. But it has a quite large housing diameter. Looks cool.


----------



## OmegaRed1723

This post is about home audio speaker cable, rather than RCA interconnects or headphone cable, but hopefully you guys might still be able to help me out.
  
 Recently I helped a relative clean out his garage and basement.  Amidst the junk one accumulates over 30 years living in one place was ~100ft of audio cable.  I was told that I could have the wire if I wanted it, and so I took it off his hands.  The cable itself is MIT Terminator with 4 conductors.  A Google search informed me that this should be decent stuff, but I'm a little confused as to how I should use the cable.
  
 Originally I thought all four wires were the same gauge so my plan was to create bi-amp cable to use with an old set of PSB speakers and a Denon AVR-X2000 receiver (the front channels are bi-ampable).  A quick inspection, however, showed that two of the wires look to be around 14 gauge and the other two are 16 or 18 gauge. Seeing as the gauges are different, utilizing this cable for bi-amping probably isn't the best idea, right?  Assuming bi-amping is a no-go, how should I configure these cables?  Could I bi-wire the cables, or would that still be problematic with different gauge sizes?  Or should I simply combine the individual wires to make one larger wire at the termination point?  I've included a couple of quick iPhone shots of the cable for reference.  I appreciate the help -- thanks in advance!


----------



## Zashoomin

omegared1723 said:


> This post is about home audio speaker cable, rather than RCA interconnects or headphone cable, but hopefully you guys might still be able to help me out.
> 
> Recently I helped a relative clean out his garage and basement.  Amidst the junk one accumulates over 30 years living in one place was ~100ft of audio cable.  I was told that I could have the wire if I wanted it, and so I took it off his hands.  The cable itself is MIT Terminator with 4 conductors.  A Google search informed me that this should be decent stuff, but I'm a little confused as to how I should use the cable.
> 
> ...


 
 So It looks like each color has two different sizes so use one color or the positive lead and the other two negative.  Just twist them together and stick them in a banana or spade and you should be good.  So you will need two sets of those but should work wonderfully.


----------



## stino

> To connect to a 4 pin xlr assume:
> Left ground as L-
> Left signal as L+
> Right ground as R+
> ...


 
  
  
 "Right ground as R+" is this correct??
  
 Can someone please confirm the correct pin-out there are several version in this thread?
  
 Cheers,


----------



## brunk

stino said:


> "Right ground as R+" is this correct??
> 
> Can someone please confirm the correct pin-out there are several version in this thread?
> 
> Cheers,


 
  
 Pin 1: Left positive (+)
 Pin 2: Left negative (-)
 Pin 3: Right positive (+)
 Pin 4: Right negative (-)
  
  
 Edit: No, Right ground is "-" i think he made a typo


----------



## Zashoomin

stino said:


> "Right ground as R+" is this correct??
> 
> Can someone please confirm the correct pin-out there are several version in this thread?
> 
> Cheers,


 
 Ya sorry that was a typo.  It is supposed to be R-


----------



## Zashoomin

Does anyone know where I can find a really nice 4 pin xlr connector?


----------



## nk77

Redco?


----------



## wormsdriver

hey guys, I got my Er4p yesterday, but the jack is shorting out. Has anybody reterminated their Er4's?
  
 There's a red, white, black cable plus the shielding was also soldered to the plug. I have a straight 1/8" Rean jack that I will use to replace the original. I don't have a multimeter (or know how to use one anyway) so I don't know which cable goes where?
  
 Any help would be much appreciated!


----------



## Mad Max

Red = right channel for sure.


----------



## stino

"Nice" is a stretchable term, but I like the Neutrik NC4MXX-B (= male)


----------



## stino

Any suggestions for a cheap cable source for a +/- AWG24 OCC flexible high tread count cable for DIY cable assembly? (With a cheap shipping rate to Europe?)


----------



## stino

wormsdriver said:


> hey guys, I got my Er4p yesterday, but the jack is shorting out. Has anybody reterminated their Er4's?
> 
> There's a red, white, black cable plus the shielding was also soldered to the plug. I have a straight 1/8" Rean jack that I will use to replace the original. I don't have a multimeter (or know how to use one anyway) so I don't know which cable goes where?
> 
> Any help would be much appreciated!


 
 I would suggest to get a multimeter and figure out how to use it, to start with. Otherwise checking you cable essembly is going to be very diffecult.


----------



## brunk

stino said:


> "Nice" is a stretchable term, but I like the Neutrik NC4MXX-B (= male)


 
 +1 I like this Neutrik model too.


----------



## Kamakahah

stino said:


> "Nice" is a stretchable term, but I like the Neutrik NC4MXX-B (= male)


 
  
 I agree. These are nice and are readily available. Easy to get them off ebay for about $7 which includes shipping. 
  
 You can get the same but with crystals, ohhhhh-ahhhhh-ohhh crystals.
Neutrik NC3MXX-B-CRYSTAL


----------



## brunk

kamakahah said:


> I agree. These are nice and are readily available. Easy to get them off ebay for about $7 which includes shipping.
> 
> You can get the same but with crystals, ohhhhh-ahhhhh-ohhh crystals.
> Neutrik NC3MXX-B-CRYSTAL


 
 Lol at the crystals, but that's a 3-pin anyways, not the 4-pin he was requesting.


----------



## Kamakahah

brunk said:


> Lol at the crystals, but that's a 3-pin anyways, not the 4-pin he was requesting.


 
 True story. They don't make a 4-pin one. I just couldn't help myself with the crystals.


----------



## howlingmadtz

hello i was wondering on how to create this cable,  Y 3.5 jack for sol republic. that Y cord has 3.5 jack like this


 http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j431/kopiko3in1/prolink-3-5-mm-aux-cable-2-m-now-with-slim-jack-400x400-imadd6kkbhh5dagz_zpsa1bdcbd1.jpg

 tnx in advance


----------



## Zashoomin

kamakahah said:


> True story. They don't make a 4-pin one. I just couldn't help myself with the crystals.


 
 its ok i can get a regular one and bejewel it


----------



## OmegaRed1723

zashoomin said:


> So It looks like each color has two different sizes so use one color or the positive lead and the other two negative.  Just twist them together and stick them in a banana or spade and you should be good.  So you will need two sets of those but should work wonderfully.


 
  
 This is exactly what I ended up doing.  I dressed the wire up a bit with some braided sleeving, and I'm pretty pleased with the end result.


----------



## Zashoomin

omegared1723 said:


> This is exactly what I ended up doing.  I dressed the wire up a bit with some braided sleeving, and I'm pretty pleased with the end result.


 
 looks awesome.


----------



## brunk

zashoomin said:


> looks awesome.


 
 +1 Well done on the heatshrinking.


----------



## jdogw

hey so i got this 1.18mm micro cord and i cant use it to sleeve my wires, is there any sort of way to weave it to hide them?


----------



## liquidzoo

You can't sleeve them individually with the cord?  That's the way most people using cord that small, as far as I know.


----------



## wolfetan44

Do you guys want a picture of the new Plus sound audio wire? The copper and silver hybrid wire.


----------



## Zashoomin

wolfetan44 said:


> Do you guys want a picture of the new Plus sound audio wire? The copper and silver hybrid wire.


----------



## wolfetan44

zashoomin said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Do you guys want a picture of the new Plus sound audio wire? The copper and silver hybrid wire.


 
 HEY! Hehe, Anyways, I got 1 foot just to test out to see if I like it, I'll most likely make an interconnect


----------



## brunk

wolfetan44 said:


> HEY! Hehe, Anyways, I got 1 foot just to test out to see if I like it, I'll most likely make an interconnect


 
 Just thought you may enjoy this article about learning the various characteristics of different types and geometries of wire for interconnects. It's one of the best I have come across. It's called, The Naked Truth About Interconnects. It's all explained in quite simple terms with some good explanations for each type, and some funny humor. There also one about speaker cables, which may or may not apply to headphone cables. Enjoy, I know I sure did!


----------



## wolfetan44

brunk said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > HEY! Hehe, Anyways, I got 1 foot just to test out to see if I like it, I'll most likely make an interconnect
> ...


 
 Thanks! I didn't really understand it, but it was a nice read


----------



## brunk

wolfetan44 said:


> Thanks! I didn't really understand it, but it was a nice read


 
 Hehe that's ok. The main standard principles to understand is L, C, and R. They stand for inductance (L), capacitance (C), and resistance (R). There are LCR meters that are made to test for these parameters.


----------



## wolfetan44

brunk said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks! I didn't really understand it, but it was a nice read
> ...


 
 Gotcha


----------



## deeplove

What's a good starter cable and connector to try out the DIY cabling?
  
 I want to make a cable that goes from my PC's soundcard to my M-Audio AV40s. 
  
 I believe it's a 3.5 to RCA.


----------



## brunk

deeplove said:


> What's a good starter cable and connector to try out the DIY cabling?
> 
> I want to make a cable that goes from my PC's soundcard to my M-Audio AV40s.
> 
> I believe it's a 3.5 to RCA.


 
 Some cheap 16-24 AWG stranded copper cable is a good place to start. This will allow you to experiment without breaking the bank. Something like this will give you a substantial amount to experiment with. You can of course get a smaller amount through them if you wish.
  
http://www.ebay.com/itm/200-FT-18-AWG-GAUGE-8-COLORS-25FT-EA-PRIMARY-REMOTE-HOOK-UP-LEAD-WIRE-COPPER-/230761755070?pt=US_Car_Audio_Power_Speaker_Wire&hash=item35ba78f1be


----------



## deeplove

silly question but when you strip that kind of wire, does it have strands or is it one piece of solid copper?


----------



## wolfetan44

deeplove said:


> silly question but when you strip that kind of wire, does it have strands or is it one piece of solid copper?


 
 Two different types of wire. One is stranded copper/silver and one is solid core copper/silver.


----------



## deeplove

Gotcha. Now I get it.
  
 Cool. Now I just have to order the wire and connector and give it a shot. Sweet. Thanks.


----------



## Levictus

Hi guys

New to the forum, new to headphones, but no stranger to high end audio/cables or soldering. I just got my first pair of decent headphones, Audio Technica ATH-M-50s which I am doing the detachable cable mod to. Inspired by this thread and the cable gallery, I am wanting to make two cables but wanted to check here as I read through all the pages but am not 100% on my choices and methods.

1st cable is a 12' run from my chair to processor, 3.5mm to 6.35mm. Want to use Mogami 2534 sheathed in 550 paracord. Can I sheath right over the whole cable or do I remove outer jacket or copper insulation, paper, or all of it? I want to preserve some of the cords thickness here.
Thinking about using Amphenol ACPS-GN-AU and Amphenol KS3P-AU or... Neutrik NP3X-B and it's 3.5mm equivalent. Will either of these have figment issues with the cable I chose? Any other suggestions?

2nd cable is 4-6' portable cable 3.5mm to 3.5mm. I was going to strip out the core wires in the Mogami 2534 and sheath individually with micro paracord 1 and braid together (how much extra needed for braiding to maintain 6ft?). Wanted to use Amphenol KS3PB-AU on both ends. Again, any figment issues here or other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for the help, and sorry if some if this is repetitive but I want to be sure...


----------



## Zashoomin

levictus said:


> Hi guys
> 
> New to the forum, new to headphones, but no stranger to high end audio/cables or soldering. I just got my first pair of decent headphones, Audio Technica ATH-M-50s which I am doing the detachable cable mod to. Inspired by this thread and the cable gallery, I am wanting to make two cables but wanted to check here as I read through all the pages but am not 100% on my choices and methods.
> 
> ...


 
 So for the first cable you don't have to strip anything and can just put sheath right over everything.  I personally like neutrik a lot better than amphenol just because the build quality of neutrik is just so good and so solid.  Every connector that they make are very robust and very easy to work with.  
  
 I would start with 7ft of cable just to stay safe.  With error and the braid you might have a little extra but that can easily but cut off but you can never add any to the length.  Again I would use neutrik but then again I am a huge neutrik fan.  Redco Audio has some really good prices on the connectors so you might want to check them out.


----------



## Kamakahah

levictus said:


> Hi guys
> 
> New to the forum, new to headphones, but no stranger to high end audio/cables or soldering. I just got my first pair of decent headphones, Audio Technica ATH-M-50s which I am doing the detachable cable mod to. Inspired by this thread and the cable gallery, I am wanting to make two cables but wanted to check here as I read through all the pages but am not 100% on my choices and methods.
> 
> ...


 
  
 The diameter of the W2534 is (0.236") so about a quarter inch. The 550 is a reference to the minimum strength of the cord. Type III paracord is typically 550lb minimum strength and has a diameter of 0.0157", so it wouldn't be big enough to sleeve the cable as-is.
  
 Make sure when you buy paracord that you look at the diameter. If you can't find it, try to email the supplier to be sure.
 If you can't find one you like, you could instead get a 1/4" nylon multifilament Techflex NMN0.25BK in varying lengths off of eBay for a good price. 
  
 The second cable you'll want to strip down the wires until you get to the paper-like wrapping just under the shielding. I like to leave that on as it keeps the wires well bound and with the cotton or nylon strands inside to help reduce microphonics. It also helps when you go to sleeving it into the paracord. Just make sure to put a small piece of tape on the end to avoid fraying and to make it slide smoother: I like electrical tape as a personal preference. 
  
 As for the extra cable needed, I agree with having at least an extra 6 inches to 1 foot in case of mistakes and other unforeseen circumstances. You'll probably only lose a few inches, but it's better to have extra than not enough.


----------



## brunk

kamakahah said:


> The diameter of the W2534 is (0.236") so about a quarter inch. The 550 is a reference to the minimum strength of the cord. Type III paracord is typically 550lb minimum strength and has a diameter of 0.0157", so it wouldn't be big enough to sleeve the cable as-is.
> 
> Make sure when you buy paracord that you look at the diameter. If you can't find it, try to email the supplier to be sure.
> If you can't find one you like, you could instead get a 1/4" nylon multifilament Techflex NMN0.25BK in varying lengths off of eBay for a good price.
> ...


 
 +1 well said. Words of experience right here.


----------



## Levictus

Thanks for the info Kamakahah and Zashoomin...very helpful indeed. Will get to ordering!


----------



## Kamakahah

I prefer paracord because I like how it feels over techflex. Also, the flexibility is better. 

However, the techflex I find to be more durable and less prone to fraying like the paracord if it scrapes along something. Easy enough to fix with a quick pass of the lighter, but it's still something to consider.


----------



## DMinor

Lately I have been experimenting LOD's made of all kinds of different wires. I am really surprised that this short piece cable could make a such a difference. Tho I have not experimented any cables for iem's, I am wondering if the impact on SQ from this short piece of cable has anything to do with the fact it is critically bridging the ipod and the amp. Could it be possible that this short cable LOD has more impact on SQ than the long cables of the iem's?


----------



## stoondje

Well this is the first time i want to make  a good headphone cable, So ordered a good cable + Viablue T6S.
  
 But i dont know how to solding them... I want to make a 8 wire cable but is does not seems to fit in the viablue any tips or this is just not going to work.


----------



## Zashoomin

stoondje said:


> Well this is the first time i want to make  a good headphone cable, So ordered a good cable + Viablue T6S.
> 
> But i dont know how to solding them... I want to make a 8 wire cable but is does not seems to fit in the viablue any tips or this is just not going to work.


 
 So the solder points on viablue plugs are already small so it might end up being a huge pain in your rear end but it is definately doable.  I don't even know why viablue puts holes where you are supposed to solder because they are sooooo small so I just ignore them and solder my wires onto the tab.  Fitting two onto each signal should not end up being an issue.   I would say that trying to fit 4 onto ground will be your bigger problem.  Just take your time and be careful nothing shorts and you should be golden.  also if the connections look really close use some heat shrink to isolate each connection.   Good luck.


----------



## Kamakahah

It's going to be frustrating and difficult to make look clean without saintly patience and decent skills. 

You can do it. I recommend a second set of hands to help. 

Unless you absolutely need 8 conductors or just like a challenge, consider using less.


----------



## Stealer

Hi All,
  
 I am trying to DIY a phono cables for a friend..
 It a RCA to RCA connector type with the grounding wires on both ends..
  
 PS - I don't own a turn-tables so no experience with this... just helping a friend
  
 my questions
  
 > anyone has a recommendation for the type or brand of cables to DIY..
 > also the additional grounding wires, are they connected to the shielding of the cables..
       or just a separated grounding wire and  shrinkwrap along the cables.
       if you have a schematic, pls PM to me
  
 thanks in advance
  
 not looking for exotic cables but a one which is enjoyable to listen to with huge soundstage and smooth high and good taut bass.


----------



## brunk

stealer said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I am trying to DIY a phono cables for a friend..
> It a RCA to RCA connector type with the grounding wires on both ends..
> ...


 
 There's really nothing special to them, it's just regular RCAs, with an isolated grounding wire that goes from the TT to the phono pre. Notice the separate grounding wire in the pic below. I do recommend 28-24awg 5-7N solid core silver for the signal wires. Nothing fancy needed for the ground wire, just copper and some spades is all.


----------



## Stealer

thanks brunk,


----------



## glunteer

Hey Guys !
  
 I bought a HD600 and I'm hoping to get ...

 I'll make a cable to it, just do not know what yet ...

 I thought I'd use this:
  

  
*http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=1853*
  
  

*http://www.redco.com/Amphenol-KS3P-AU.html*
  
  

*http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893.html*
  
  
  
 Thanks


----------



## FrozenPanda

glunteer said:


> Hey Guys !
> 
> I bought a HD600 and I'm hoping to get ...
> 
> ...




I've never tried the senn plugs from lunashop but there are only so many options.. But yes try the Aphenol plugs they are perfection.. So slim so sturdy.. And Mogami W2893 will give you a nice flexible cable if you sleeve with paracord. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


----------



## glunteer

frozenpanda said:


> I've never tried the senn plugs from lunashop but there are only so many options.. But yes try the Aphenol plugs they are perfection.. So slim so sturdy.. And Mogami W2893 will give you a nice flexible cable if you sleeve with paracord.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


 
 is difficult to find a shop to send to Brazil sennheiser plugs ...

 if you have other cables to recommend, I am grateful
  
 thanks for help


----------



## PETEREK

frozenpanda said:


> I've never tried the senn plugs from lunashop but there are only so many options.. But yes try the Aphenol plugs they are perfection.. So slim so sturdy.. And Mogami W2893 will give you a nice flexible cable if you sleeve with paracord.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


 
  
 Mogami 2893 cable with the Luna connectors.


----------



## glunteer

peterek said:


> Mogami 2893 cable with the Luna connectors.


 

 Great cable !
  
 what did you think about the stock cable? 
     


 improved something?
  
 Thanks


----------



## siles1991

Anyone know where I can find good USB connectors of all types? And any good recommendations of cables to go with them?


----------



## Levictus

Finished my first cable today, but I'm too noob on the forum to post pics...uggh. Will post them when I can...


----------



## PETEREK

glunteer said:


> Great cable !
> 
> what did you think about the stock cable?
> 
> ...


 
 It seemed to make them a bit warmer than the stock cable (The HD580 stock cable) but sounded similar to the HD650 cable, but still warmer. That's what my custom-cable-diluted brain told me anyways.


----------



## glunteer

peterek said:


> It seemed to make them a bit warmer than the stock cable (The HD580 stock cable) but sounded similar to the HD650 cable, but still warmer. That's what my custom-cable-diluted brain told me anyways.


 
 thanks for the help.

 I will make the cable with mogami 2893


----------



## i luvmusic 2

looking forward to make my first DIY cable for the weekend as long as all the materials that i ordered will arrive on time for the weekend.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I need some help how to connect MOGAMI 2893 to 3 pin MINI XLR to 1/4 TRS.it's for my DT770 and Dt880.thanks....


----------



## Mad Max

xlr pin1 = left (tip on the TRS)
 xlr pin2 = right (ring between sleeve and tip)
 xlr pin3 = ground (sleeve on the TRS)
  
 If I remember correctly.


----------



## TrollDragon

mad max said:


> xlr pin1 = left (tip on the TRS)
> xlr pin2 = right (ring between sleeve and tip)
> xlr pin3 = ground (sleeve on the TRS)
> 
> If I remember correctly.


 
 Is there a standard for 3 Pin Tiny xlr?
 My 4 Pin is wired up the same as the LCD cables are.


----------



## liquidzoo

trolldragon said:


> Is there a standard for 3 Pin Tiny xlr?
> My 4 Pin is wired up the same as the LCD cables are.


 
 Standard (based on my own searching I did at the time) would be:
  
 Pin 3 - Right
 Pin 2 - Left
 Pin 1 - Ground
  
 For AKG headphones (and seemingly for my own DT770s, and for the web search I just did...) pins 3 and 2 are reversed.
  
 Don't know if this is standard or not, but it lists both methods.
  
http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/wiring-xlr-trs-connectors-reversing-polarity-for-pin-3/


----------



## siles1991

im having a hard time finding the connectors that shure uses. for their SE215 anyone can help? I need good quality ones that are durable and are affordable. No need for gold plated mumbo jumbo.


----------



## TrollDragon

liquidzoo said:


> Standard (based on my own searching I did at the time) would be:
> 
> Pin 3 - Right
> Pin 2 - Left
> ...


 
 Nice find! Thanks!


----------



## liquidzoo

trolldragon said:


> Nice find! Thanks!


 
 Sure thing.  It's a bit of a bummer that I put my XLR together off-standard, but at least I figured it out now before I started working on another cable for them...


----------



## i luvmusic 2

liquidzoo said:


> Standard (based on my own searching I did at the time) would be:
> 
> Pin 3 - Right
> Pin 2 - Left
> ...


 
 for MOGAMI 2893 it have 2 pairs + shield.so can i do it like pin 3 right 1st pair, pin 2 left 2nd pair and shield is for pin 1 ground or 1st pair pin 1 ground ,2nd pair one is for pin 2 left and one is for pin 3 right and shield not connected or shield and pair1 is for pin 1 ground and pair 2 one is for pin 2 left and one is for pin 3 right i will be using this for DT770/DT880. sorry for the newbie questions.thanks


----------



## liquidzoo

I strip off the rubberized outer coating and copper wire shielding on the Mogami that I work with, so I put 2 wires to Ground and 1 each to the L/R signal.  Your way would work, but it's much easier to sleeve and to fit into the connector housings if you strip off the shielding.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

THANKS.


----------



## PXSS

Why are you guys doing unbalanced xlr cables? If you're planning on doing a detachable mod, why don't you use a 4 pin xlr in case you ever decide to go balanced.
Now, if you're building a cable for an akg heaphone (they are the only ones that come to mind when thinking about unbalanced xlr connections) just follow whatever standard they have.

In any case, remember that your shield should only connect at the source end of your cable, whether that is the 3-pin xlr or TRS plug.

What I would do for either case is:
1 wire to right side.
1 wire to left side.
2 wires to ground.
Shield to ground on source side.


----------



## TrollDragon

My DT880 is wired the same as the LCD's cable and terminates to TRS as I don't have a balanced amp right now. If I ever do get an amp its just a matter of unsoldering the TRS and connecting a 4 pin XLR.


----------



## PXSS

trolldragon said:


> My DT880 is wired the same as the LCD's cable and terminates to TRS as I don't have a balanced amp right now. If I ever do get an amp its just a matter of unsoldering the TRS and connecting a 4 pin XLR.


 
 Yeah, that's the same way I would do it if I were to do a detachable mod with mini XLRs. I think liquidzoo and i luvmusic 2 were talking about a TRS to 3 pin XLR cable which only makes sense for AKG headphones.
  
 I do all my personal detachable mods with Lemo plugs because of the extremely small profile (I would never even think about drilling my headphones) and I can use the same cable on all of my headphones (D2000, DT770 and HE-400)


siles1991 said:


> im having a hard time finding the connectors that shure uses. for their SE215 anyone can help? I need good quality ones that are durable and are affordable. No need for gold plated mumbo jumbo.


 
 MMCX connectors, you can get them cheap on ebay and other online retailers.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

pxss said:


> Yeah, that's the same way I would do it if I were to do a detachable mod with mini XLRs. I think liquidzoo and i luvmusic 2 were talking about a TRS to 3 pin XLR cable which only makes sense for AKG headphones.
> 
> I do all my personal detachable mods with Lemo plugs because of the extremely small profile (I would never even think about drilling my headphones) and I can use the same cable on all of my headphones (D2000, DT770 and HE-400)
> MMCX connectors, you can get them cheap on ebay and other online retailers.


 
 hi you said you used  detachable mods with Lemo plugs could you please tell me what are the model number for both plug and socket and if you can upload the picture of your moded headphone so i can have an idea what they look like when installed.thank you.
 one more thing the mini xlr mod that i did with DT770 it's not that easy to do there is few things you need to watchout for. size of hole for the xlr socket,how much space you have inside the cup for height and lenght of the socket you can't pass the height of that existing hole on the cup if you pass that the driver will not seat properly and the lenght of the socket it will hit the side of the driver.i still have the DT880 that i would like to mod so please if you can provide me with more info regarding headphone mod please do so again thank you.


----------



## PXSS

i luvmusic 2 said:


> pxss said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah, that's the same way I would do it if I were to do a detachable mod with mini XLRs. I think liquidzoo and i luvmusic 2 were talking about a TRS to 3 pin XLR cable which only makes sense for AKG headphones.
> ...


 
 I PM'd you with the info.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

pxss said:


> I PM'd you with the info.


 
 Thanks


----------



## i luvmusic 2

For now i am done soldering on DT drivers i just screwup mine.


----------



## AgentXXL

i luvmusic 2 said:


> For now i am done soldering on DT drivers i just screwup mine.


 
  
 Sorry to hear that... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 It's always wisest to start your modding journey on a pair (or two, or three) of inexpensive headphones, so you get your skills honed up to the task. Replacement drivers are usually available but you'll have to decide if it's worth purchasing them and doing any further mods yourself, or perhaps hiring out a local electronics tech to assist you with the task.
  
 If you do seek the assistance of another hobbyist or electronics tech, I highly recommend looking for someone local and trying to get references before you deal with them. I'm lucky enough to have been working in the electronics industry for over 30 years, so I've never needed help for my personal stuff. I totally sympathize with you and others who have a mod go bad, but it's even worse if you then turn to others for help and they turn out to be just as bad. Thankfully those 'horror stories' are few and far between.
  
 Good luck whichever way you go...
  
 Dale


----------



## brunk

i luvmusic 2 said:


> For now i am done soldering on DT drivers i just screwup mine.


 
 Ouch


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

i luvmusic 2 said:


> For now i am done soldering on DT drivers i just screwup mine.


 
 Beyerdynamic USA offers replacement drivers for relatively reasonable prices (~$60-70 each). You can even drop in other "more fun" variants like the 600ohm variety, so you could think of it as an opportunity


----------



## stino

I just wanted to thank you guys for inspiring me with this thread to make up some DIY cables form y LCD-2’s. The information you’ve provided enabled me to make these. 
 I've posted some pictures in the *DIY Cable Gallery*


----------



## PETEREK

Has anyone ever used this cable? I just stumbled across it on google and it looks pretty sweet. I can't find it on any US sites though. And it's too bad there's only 3 conductors.
http://www.van-damme.com/14.html


----------



## i luvmusic 2

THANKS GUYS for all the input.
 luckily i went back in forth in this thead and found some info on what to look for under the driver so i manage to resolder it and it took me a long  loooooooooong time to figure out how to do it and after working on it my brother inlaw came over and tried it he endup buying it from me so did not think twice just sold it to him now i have $165 to do balance cabling for my DT880.oh and yes it will not be me doing that job.


----------



## brunk

i luvmusic 2 said:


> THANKS GUYS for all the input.
> luckily i went back in forth in this thead and found some info on what to look for under the driver so i manage to resolder it and it took me a long  loooooooooong time to figure out how to do it and after working on it my brother inlaw came over and tried it he endup buying it from me so did not think twice just sold it to him now i have $165 to do balance cabling for my DT880.oh and yes it will not be me doing that job.


 
 well i guess you can consider yourself fortunate that you came out with some cash in hand instead of a repair bill!


----------



## PXSS

i luvmusic 2 said:


> THANKS GUYS for all the input.
> luckily i went back in forth in this thead and found some info on what to look for under the driver so i manage to resolder it and it took me a long  loooooooooong time to figure out how to do it and after working on it my brother inlaw came over and tried it he endup buying it from me so did not think twice just sold it to him now i have $165 to do balance cabling for my DT880.oh and yes it will not be me doing that job.


Good to know you sorted it out bud! Those damn posts sure are flimsy


----------



## kskwerl

Noob questions incoming!

 So I am literally just getting into DIY audio and I am really excited about this, I figured as I would start with making some interconnects so I recently bought five feet of this
  
 http://www.markertek.com/Cables/Bulk-Wire-Cable/Bulk-Audio-Cable/Mogami-Wire-Cable-Corp/W2893-00-E.xhtml
  
 please tell me I bought the right cable lol
  
 So i have some neutrik connectors coming and some I just wanted to make some mini to mini's for now. I'm not sure where even to start though. I see the Mogami 2893 has like rubber tubing around the wires. I'm assuming you strip that off and thats where I start to get lost. I see four wires in there, but the neutriks connectors have 1 for right channel and 1 for left channel and then the ground but where does the fourth wire go? Then there's the question of using how exactly do I strip the over layer and then apply paracord to it. Then I'm thinking what the heck size paracord do I buy, like how would I know if its too big or small. Then it's like what about the heatshrink, how do I know what heatshrink to by and what size to use. 
  
  
 Sorry for this questions but I really have been wanting to get into DIY audio for so many years and it just seemed overwhelming and I know this can be annoying with all my questions and I want you all to know that your help is very very much appreciated. I wish there was a video walkthrough of how to make a mini to mini detailing all the steps and the reasons for each step etc.

 Thanks to anyone with the patience to follow up with me


----------



## Zashoomin

kskwerl said:


> Noob questions incoming!
> 
> So I am literally just getting into DIY audio and I am really excited about this, I figured as I would start with making some interconnects so I recently bought five feet of this
> 
> ...


 
 alright so yes you bought the right stuff.  So to make a mini to mini cable with 4 wires you will need 2 to ground, 1 to left and 1 to right.  Or you can strip the outer rubber layer off and just use 3 wires (1 to ground, left and right) that is up to you.  
  
 Next thing you said was also correct you strip off the outer rubber coating and then there will be some foil and paper.  Get rid of all of that as well.  Next each individual wire will have a sheild.  Strip that as well and you can solder the bare copper to the connectors.
  
 So when stripping the outer layer only strip however much copper you will need unless you are going to only use 3 wires, then strip the entire length of it.  Either way though slide the paracord on over the outer rubber shell or over all three of the sheilded copper wires at once.   
  
 I hope this helps and hopefully you will understand my english.  If not then tell me and I will try to elaborate more.


----------



## kskwerl

zashoomin said:


> alright so yes you bought the right stuff.  So to make a mini to mini cable with 4 wires you will need 2 to ground, 1 to left and 1 to right.  Or you can strip the outer rubber layer off and just use 3 wires (1 to ground, left and right) that is up to you.
> 
> Next thing you said was also correct you strip off the outer rubber coating and then there will be some foil and paper.  Get rid of all of that as well.  Next each individual wire will have a sheild.  Strip that as well and you can solder the bare copper to the connectors.
> 
> ...




so it doesn't matter which of the four cables you solder to the each point as long as it is the same on the other end right? like each wire isn't specific to left or right or ground? example: I strip the rubber off and now I have four wires, are they all the same or does each one need to go in a certain position


----------



## Zashoomin

kskwerl said:


> so it doesn't matter which of the four cables you solder to the each point as long as it is the same on the other end right? like each wire isn't specific to left or right or ground? example: I strip the rubber off and now I have four wires, are they all the same or does each one need to go in a certain position


 
 Nope doesn't matter as long as you use the same wire on the other side.


----------



## kskwerl

zashoomin said:


> Nope doesn't matter as long as you use the same wire on the other side.




thanks! I think I'm complicating this more than I should even though it is complicated at the same time if you get what I'm saying


----------



## Johnsonr520

What is a generally accepted wire for sleeving into pararcord I plan on running four wires through paracord to recable my hd 558's. All the cable ive used before was too stiff and i had to re-sleeve it. Not in the mood to do that again. Anything on the cheaper side is a plus as well. This isnt a hi-fi application, just for my gaming headphones.


----------



## brunk

johnsonr520 said:


> What is a generally accepted wire for sleeving into pararcord I plan on running four wires through paracord to recable my hd 558's. All the cable ive used before was too stiff and i had to re-sleeve it. Not in the mood to do that again. Anything on the cheaper side is a plus as well. This isnt a hi-fi application, just for my gaming headphones.


 
 for four wires through your standard paracord, don't go any thicker than 24 AWG.


----------



## Johnsonr520

Everything ive tried before was 22 AWG, but the teflon it was covered in was just way too stiff.


----------



## Kamakahah

kskwerl said:


> Noob questions incoming!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 That cable will do perfectly. Everyone has different methods. I posted mine using that exact same cable a few weeks ago, here it is again.
 I use a razor, xacto knife or other sharp blade to cut off the outer black PVC insulation. Then you find the copper shielding. Loosen the ends by pushing them in and out a bit, then you can just put it to slide it off. You'll be left with the twisted wires covered in a paper-like wrapping with little cloth strands inside. I prefer to leave it on. 
  
 I then take a small piece of electrical tape and put it over each end to hold the paper wrapping in place. I try to make it a small piece that goes around only once, and I stretch it while I do. That way it doesn't add much to the overall diameter of the cable for when I go to sleeve it. 
  
http://www.supplycaptain.com/index.cfm?category=6  is a good source of paracord. You can also get it off normal sites like Amazon (usually from sellers like the supply captain) and also at hobby shops like hobby lobby. The 550 at supplycaptain is just the right diameter to fit over the cabling. Measure out enough to cover plus about 1 foot extra. Make sure to flame the ends so they don't fray. A lighter or small torch is handy. I like the small torch for precision personally but it isn't important. 
  
 Now it's time to sleeve. Begin by sliding one end into the paracord. You'll probably be able to push it in 4 inches before it stops. Then you'll use the "worm" method to inches it along. This involves holding both sides, then using your thumb and index finger to push the cable a little deeper into the paracord. Then you pull the cable side of the paracord tight on the cable. You keep doing that over and over. With a little practice it'll become very easy. Turn on a show/anime/movie whatever and start sleeving. I like to stop and pull the already sleeved part a tight by running my fingers along it.Takes about 30 minutes for about 6ft. I don't fully tightening the paracord to the cable because I want a little slack, just a little. Cut off the access paracord remember to flame to avoid fray.. I try to cut so that I only have about 1 inch of unsleeved cable on each end. 
  
 Hard part is done, now it's just about paying attention and proper labeling. 
  
 There are 4 wires. Label 2 wires for ground and two for your signal. Since they are all a different color, just make sure to write it down on a post-it and you won't have to label. 
 1 wire for left signal, 1 for right signal, and two for ground. 
 Use your wirestrippers to take about 4mm or 1/8th inch off the end of each wire depends on the connector you plan on using. The connectors usually have good instructions for what works best for them. I usually start working on one side before the other. Tin the tips of the stripped wires with a little bit of solder. That will make it easier to solder to the connector when the time comes as it will heat faster. Go ahead and solder the wires in their proper places, making note of what wires went where. I then like to clean my connector by removing any flux residue. Look at your solder to see what is best. Some are water-soluble while others require something like rubbing alcohol. Sometimes scraping a little with the razor can help remove excess flux left-over. Remember to let it fully try before closing/using. If you are using Neutrik-style connectors, I like to put the paracord in the clamp and place a piece of heatshrink over it to make sure it holds. Slide the connector shell over from the back and screw it in. If you want heatshrink over the connector, go ahead. You're done with that side. 
  
****Now before starting the opposite side, make you put on the cable whatever needs to be there before soldering. This means you need to place the connector shell on there, a piece of heatshrink, and anything else that won't be able to be put on once soldered. *No matter how many cables we make, this happens occasionally. 
  
 Repeat the same steps of tinning the wire, soldering, cleaning. ****Before placing the heatshrink or connector shell, take a multimeter and make sure the connections are correct and working.* You can also plug it in and listen to an left/right channel audio check to make sure everything is correct. Once everything is dry and done, close it up. 
  
 You're done. Enjoy the cable and the experience you've gained. 
  
 Again, this is just how I do it. There are many other ways and methods. Find what works for you.  Surely I've left out some minor details in my rush to write this so please forgive me and feel free to correct/add. 
  


kskwerl said:


> so it doesn't matter which of the four cables you solder to the each point as long as it is the same on the other end right? like each wire isn't specific to left or right or ground? example: I strip the rubber off and now I have four wires, are they all the same or does each one need to go in a certain position


 
  
 As I just explained, the wires are just colored for easy identification. You can use any of them for anything. Some people just like to use certain colors to stick to a standard so others can easily recognize what wires are going where.


----------



## kskwerl

kamakahah said:


> That cable will do perfectly. Everyone has different methods. I posted mine using that exact same cable a few weeks ago, here it is again.
> I use a razor, xacto knife or other sharp blade to cut off the outer black PVC insulation. Then you find the copper shielding. Loosen the ends by pushing them in and out a bit, then you can just put it to slide it off. You'll be left with the twisted wires covered in a paper-like wrapping with little cloth strands inside. I prefer to leave it on.
> 
> I then take a small piece of electrical tape and put it over each end to hold the paper wrapping in place. I try to make it a small piece that goes around only once, and I stretch it while I do. That way it doesn't add much to the overall diameter of the cable for when I go to sleeve it.
> ...


 
 This is exactly what I was looking for, I really appreciate your time and effort in helping me. I'm sure I'll have questions along the way tho


----------



## Kamakahah

kskwerl said:


> This is exactly what I was looking for, I really appreciate your time and effort in helping me. I'm sure I'll have questions along the way tho




You're welcome. Hopefully we can help with your future questions. Good luck with the build.


----------



## kskwerl

kamakahah said:


> You're welcome. Hopefully we can help with your future questions. Good luck with the build.




thanks I'm sure I'll be posting here a lot


----------



## kskwerl

ok so here's a question, I got my Mogami 2893 and my neutrik 3.5 right angle/straight & some paracord 550. So how do I know what size heatshrink to get?


----------



## Johnsonr520

kskwerl said:


> ok so here's a question, I got my Mogami 2893 and my neutrik 3.5 right angle/straight & some paracord 550. So how do I know what size heatshrink to get?




I would buy an assortment. It's a lot cheaper that way, and once you get into this hobby, god knows you'll need them


----------



## Kamakahah

kskwerl said:


> ok so here's a question, I got my Mogami 2893 and my neutrik 3.5 right angle/straight & some paracord 550. So how do I know what size heatshrink to get?




That's an important question. Here are my suggestions. 

Most common is 2:1 ratio, sometimes called 50%. This means it was stretched twice as big as it's starting size. Or in other words, it will shrink down to half its current size. 

I prefer 3:1 as it has a wide variety of uses like shrinking over the Neutrik plug down to the cable for a tight fit. 2:1 will sit loose on the cable in the same scenario. 

However, I like to have a cheaper variety pack of 2:1 for unplanned scenarios. Having a few colors in that variety pack is also nice for labeling wires or channels. 

The sizes that I use the most are 3/8" and 1/4". The first fits perfectly over the shell of a neutrik connector and if 3:1 will sit snuggly on the cable. The 1/4 is good for being on the sleeved cable and over the soldered connection area.

I usually keep a little 3/8" adhesive 3:1 on hand for when I really want a solid hold between connector and cable. Most don't like adhesive and I can see why. It takes a little practice and is more permanent than the non-adhesive. 

So if you can find a 3:1 variety pack, that's a solid choice to see what works for you best. I've seen them online at multiple places.


----------



## kskwerl

kamakahah said:


> That's an important question. Here are my suggestions.
> 
> Most common is 2:1 ratio, sometimes called 50%. This means it was stretched twice as big as it's starting size. Or in other words, it will shrink down to half its current size.
> 
> ...





where have you been my whole life? thank you again for a very helpful and detailed answer. now I used to get heatshrink for my computer needs from performancepc.com. Do you have any recommendations where to shop?


----------



## Zashoomin

I personally only really use 3:1 because I have found for 99% of applications when it comes to cabling 2:1 just won't cut it.  also I am not a fan of adhesive stuff but that just might be me.  anyway I have found the best place to get heat shrink is ebay.  The seller Flexrllc is very good.  He has every color size and length you will ever need for a good price.  also he has adhesive and non as well as 2:1 and 3:1.  For sizes I suggest you get both 1/4" and 3/8"


----------



## kskwerl

Can you guys point me or link me to the heatshrink, I guess the 3:1


----------



## Zashoomin

The seller frexrllc on ebay


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

peterek said:


> Has anyone ever used this cable? I just stumbled across it on google and it looks pretty sweet. I can't find it on any US sites though. And it's too bad there's only 3 conductors.
> http://www.van-damme.com/14.html


 
 Looks like decent specs, silver plated copper with PE dielectric, not very expensive at less than $1 a foot. There are people on ebay shipping it to the U.S.


----------



## kskwerl

zashoomin said:


> The seller frexrllc on ebay


 
 says can't find seller when i search for him on ebay


----------



## FraGGleR

kskwerl said:


> says can't find seller when i search for him on ebay


 
 you can also buy high quality heatshrink by the foot from av-outlet.com.  some of the best prices I have have seen for by the foot purchases.


----------



## kskwerl

kskwerl said:


> says can't find seller when i search for him on ebay


 
 nvm found him


----------



## Johnsonr520

Regarding the individual wires after desleeving, which are more flexible, canare l-e46s or mogami w-2534? I'm wondering if it's worth double the price. And these will be used sleeved through 550 cord


----------



## Kamakahah

johnsonr520 said:


> Regarding the individual wires after desleeving, which are more flexible, canare l-e46s or mogami w-2534? I'm wondering if it's worth double the price. And these will be used sleeved through 550 cord




I have both at home. When I get home in a few hours I'll compare to refresh my memory and I'll post again.


----------



## Kamakahah

johnsonr520 said:


> Regarding the individual wires after desleeving, which are more flexible, canare l-e46s or mogami w-2534? I'm wondering if it's worth double the price. And these will be used sleeved through 550 cord


 


kamakahah said:


> I have both at home. When I get home in a few hours I'll compare to refresh my memory and I'll post again.


 
  
 Ok so I stripped a length of both. By "Canare l-e46s" I'm assuming you mean the l-4e6s. 
  
 You'll notice right off the bat that the mogami is thicker because the inner conductor wires are 24 awg instead while the canare seems to be a smaller 26 awg thought I cannot confirm it from the spec sheet. 
  
 Anyway, Both sets of conductors supposedly use the cross-linked PE insulation so that should be the same. However, when touching and bending them, it is clear that the mogami is softer and more pliable than the canare. Just as a secondary source I asked my wife to touch and bend both sets of conductors. Afterwards I took them away and asked which was more flexible; She said the Mogami. I let her feel again and she confirmed her initial answer. 
  
 I won't try and speculate why this is the case, but it's what I found.
  
 The reason the Mogami cost more is likely due to it being a thicker cable (more material) and also the copper shielding instead of the the aluminium? shielding in the canare S version. 
  
 Now, that is simply a comparison between the two. In general, I find both to be fairly stiff and memory prone. 
  
 I've always been really impressed with some of the offerings from PlusSound. Specifically the regular 7N silver-plated copper that runs $1.50/ft very much surprised me with its flexibility and overall softness of the insulation. I picked up enough for a CIEM cable after feeling it. It uses PE as well, but for some reason feels quite a bit softer and much less memory prone and stiff. 
  
 They also have a copper version that boasts 75 strands. I really liked the flexibility it offered. 
  
 But both of those are quite a bit more expensive.
  
 Personally I like to use the Canare L-4E5C mini version for most things. I think it fits well within the sleeving and the conductors appear to be 28 awg. They are thinner, and in turn more flexible than the larger version. It's $0.48/ft from Redco you don't lose much trying it.
 Alternatively, I really like using the Mogami counterpart which is the W2893. It's $0.83/ft, quite a step up but still very reasonable. Like it's bigger brother, I find it a little bit more flexible and soft compared to the Canare counterpart. However, when the two are sleeved, you won't notice much of a difference if any. 
  
 I recommend that whatever you order to add on a few feet of the others to see for yourself. That's the reason I have these on hand. I prefer the mini cables, but those that you asked about are also very useful depending on your preference.


----------



## Johnsonr520

Thank you! I guess ill order a decent amount of both of the mini ones and see which works best for me


----------



## Kamakahah

Definitely order a foot or two of the larger ones in the same order. You might find that you disagree and want those for future orders. If that is possible from the vendor you choose, otherwise think about it for another order.


----------



## Marleybob217

So I want to make a braided cable for the K702 (65th anniversary). Obtaining the plugs locally will not be a problem, but I can't find the right wiring. 
 I'm either looking at some nice OFC wiring or silver wiring, but I need the store to be Europe based! Does anyone know a good european ebay seller, or store where they sell such wiring?


----------



## nihilill

I feel like i'm not likely to get the answer I want here but I have to ask anyway. Does anyone produce 26awg quad conductor silicone jacketed cable?


----------



## PETEREK

nihilill said:


> I feel like i'm not likely to get the answer I want here but I have to ask anyway. Does anyone produce 26awg quad conductor silicone jacketed cable?


 
  
http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893.html $0.82 a foot. Why would you not find the answer here? Haha


----------



## kskwerl

peterek said:


> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893.html $0.82 a foot. Why would you not find the answer here? Haha




literally just bought this the other day


----------



## nihilill

peterek said:


> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893.html $0.82 a foot. Why would you not find the answer here? Haha


 


> Jacket Material Flexible PVC(from mogami website)


 
 I'm looking for silicone jacket, or am I missing something? Why would I not find the answer here? Because this type of cable seems to be somewhat specialized to industrial hi temp applications.


----------



## PETEREK

Oh dang I guess that insulation probably isn't silicone. Here's the best I can do, it's 22awg. I couldn't find 26 on the site. It's rated up to 200 Celcius, and it's only $0.30 a foot. http://www.buddyrc.com/black-22awg-silicone-wire.html


----------



## nihilill

peterek said:


> Oh dang I guess that insulation probably isn't silicone. Here's the best I can do, it's 22awg. I couldn't find 26 on the site. It's rated up to 200 Celcius, and it's only $0.30 a foot. http://www.buddyrc.com/black-22awg-silicone-wire.html


 

 I see, thanks anyway. While i'm here I share where I buy single conductor silicone wire: www.aliexpress.com it's very cheap.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

johnsonr520 said:


> I would buy an assortment. It's a lot cheaper that way, and once you get into this hobby, god knows you'll need them


 
 Good advise, it goes way faster than you might think. Tons of different boutique parts carriers offer heatshrink too, so you can easily add it to your order. Kimber, Partsconnexion, Percy Audio, Soniccraft, etc. I generally get most of mine from Wirecare.com as the prices are quite competitive. 
  
 Also, in a pinch, Home Depot caries some assorted packs.


----------



## Darknet

Can someone explain to me why people use 4 wires in applications like 3.5mm to 3.5mm cables? Since there's the right, left, and ground, where does that 4th wire come into play and how does it help?


----------



## kskwerl

darknet said:


> Can someone explain to me why people use 4 wires in applications like 3.5mm to 3.5mm cables? Since there's the right, left, and ground, where does that 4th wire come into play and how does it help?




I am also very curious about this


----------



## Kamakahah

darknet said:


> Can someone explain to me why people use 4 wires in applications like 3.5mm to 3.5mm cables? Since there's the right, left, and ground, where does that 4th wire come into play and how does it help?







kskwerl said:


> I am also very curious about this




It does nothing sonically. It is a preference based on style. Some people like how a 4-strand round braid looks compared to three.


----------



## Darknet

kamakahah said:


> It does nothing sonically. It is a preference based on style. Some people like how a 4-strand round braid looks compared to three.




Cool, thanks for clearing that up. I was considering doing another cable but given that adding another wire would add around $8ish to the cost, I think I'll just stick with 3 wire braids


----------



## liquidzoo

marleybob217 said:


> So I want to make a braided cable for the K702 (65th anniversary). Obtaining the plugs locally will not be a problem, but I can't find the right wiring.
> I'm either looking at some nice OFC wiring or silver wiring, but I need the store to be Europe based! Does anyone know a good european ebay seller, or store where they sell such wiring?


 
 Toxic Cables is based in the UK and does sell on ebay.  Might be a good bet.


----------



## Kamakahah

darknet said:


> Cool, thanks for clearing that up. I was considering doing another cable but given that adding another wire would add around $8ish to the cost, I think I'll just stick with 3 wire braids


 
  
 You're welcome. Save the money. When you are planning on using expensive cabling it's a no brainer.
  


elija said:


> What special to Toxic Cables ? What better to common cables ? I search some for my 701


 
  
 That is a question without a concrete answer. It's a question that probably belongs in the sound science area. 
  
 I would say it's more about personal preference and availability. Toxic cables also has a good reputation in this community so that probably plays a role in people wanting to buy from a trustworthy source. Also, there are people who believe that expensive cables offer benefits over others and choose accordingly. Again, that discussion is better suited for the sound science section. 
  
 All that being said, I think the best person to answer that question is Frank. He owns and runs Toxic cables. No person would be better suited to explaining the cables that he offers than him. After that, you can decide for yourself. GL


----------



## Marleybob217

liquidzoo said:


> Toxic Cables is based in the UK and does sell on ebay.  Might be a good bet.


 
 Thanks for the suggestion!
  
 Unfortunately they only seem to sell plugs in their DIY collection. They are really pretty though...


----------



## liquidzoo

marleybob217 said:


> Thanks for the suggestion!
> 
> Unfortunately they only seem to sell plugs in their DIY collection. They are really pretty though...


 
 Check his eBay listings.  There are many people who have gotten lengths of wire from him, and I know he sells them.


----------



## brunk

Could someone point me to an excellent source of OCC copper and silver, both solid and stranded at competitive prices? Thanks!


----------



## Toxic Cables

liquidzoo said:


> Check his eBay listings.  There are many people who have gotten lengths of wire from him, and I know he sells them.


 
 I am currently not listing on eBay, i stopped a few months ago, so i could concentrate on making cables.
  
 My site currently does not have any DIY gear listed. If no one minds, i can make up a list sometime this week, with some of the things i offer, along with prices and post it here. Hopefully when the site is updated, i will get all the DIY items listed.
  
 Anyone interested in anything, can PM me with their requirements. I am extremely busy at present, so please allow some time for replies to PM's.


----------



## Kamakahah

toxic cables said:


> I am currently not listing on eBay, i stopped a few months ago, so i could concentrate on making cables.
> 
> My site currently does not have any DIY gear listed.* If no one minds, i can make up a list sometime this week, with some of the things i offer, along with prices and post it here.* Hopefully when the site is updated, i will get all the DIY items listed.
> 
> Anyone interested in anything, can PM me with their requirements. I am extremely busy at present, so please allow some time for replies to PM's.


 
  
  
 That would be great. Please do post it here. I'm sure there are a lot of members that would appreciate a current list. Good luck with the backlog.


----------



## Toxic Cables

kamakahah said:


> That would be great. Please do post it here. I'm sure there are a lot of members that would appreciate a current list. Good luck with the backlog.


 
 Thanks, i will do.


----------



## glunteer

guys ... balanced cable make much difference? would use with O2 + HD600
 would be a bad idea to use with 3.5mm plug?
  
 thanks so much !


----------



## Darknet

glunteer said:


> guys ... balanced cable make much difference? would use with O2 + HD600
> would be a bad idea to use with 3.5mm plug?
> 
> thanks so much !


 
  
 I don't think balanced cables do much without a balanced amplifier.
  
  
 Anyways, has anyone tried the btg audio copper cable? I used their spc a while back. I'm debating between a 3 wire braid of plussound up-occ copper and a 4 wire braid of the btg stuff since its a lot cheaper.
 -I guess this is more of a question of how it looks and feels. I'm not sure how large the impact on sound would be or whether its worth that much more in terms of cost.


----------



## Darknet

glunteer said:


> guys ... balanced cable make much difference? would use with O2 + HD600
> would be a bad idea to use with 3.5mm plug?
> 
> thanks so much !


 
  
 I don't think balanced cables do much without a balanced amplifier.
  
  
 Anyways, has anyone tried the btg audio copper cable? I used their spc a while back. I'm debating between a 3 wire braid of plussound up-occ copper and a 4 wire braid of the btg stuff since its a lot cheaper.
 -I guess this is more of a question of how it looks and feels. I'm not sure how large the impact on sound would be or whether its worth that much more in terms of cost.


----------



## glunteer

darknet said:


> I don't think balanced cables do much without a balanced amplifier.
> 
> 
> Anyways, has anyone tried the btg audio copper cable? I used their spc a while back. I'm debating between a 3 wire braid of plussound up-occ copper and a 4 wire braid of the btg stuff since its a lot cheaper.
> -I guess this is more of a question of how it looks and feels. I'm not sure how large the impact on sound would be or whether its worth that much more in terms of cost.


 
 thanks ... I will not buy so ... is very expensive to import to Brazil, only buy if greatly improve the sound


----------



## Zashoomin

darknet said:


> I don't think balanced cables do much without a balanced amplifier.
> 
> 
> Anyways, has anyone tried the btg audio copper cable? I used their spc a while back. I'm debating between a 3 wire braid of plussound up-occ copper and a 4 wire braid of the btg stuff since its a lot cheaper.
> -I guess this is more of a question of how it looks and feels. I'm not sure how large the impact on sound would be or whether its worth that much more in terms of cost.


 
 I think that the wire looks significantly better than btg's stuff but that is the difference in price.  Weather it sounds better or not is very very debatable.  If you are going to put paracord or techflex over it though you won't be able to see the wires anyway so looks of the cables won't matter.  What I also found is that plussound's cables are easier to work with than BTG's.  
  
 What you are going to do next is up to you.  either way post pictures


----------



## Kamakahah

darknet said:


> I don't think balanced cables do much without a balanced amplifier.
> 
> 
> Anyways, has anyone tried the btg audio copper cable? I used their spc a while back. I'm debating between a 3 wire braid of plussound up-occ copper and a 4 wire braid of the btg stuff since its a lot cheaper.
> -I guess this is more of a question of how it looks and feels. I'm not sure how large the impact on sound would be or whether its worth that much more in terms of cost.


 
  
 So they are pretty different in terms of stats.
 Plussound is 28 awg, OCC, 10 strands.
 BTG  ------- is 26 awg, OFC, 30 strands.
  
 Most people won't notice a difference at all. Keep in mind that the BTG cable is simply custom ordered Mogami cable. I don't see that as a bad thing though. I use Mogami for 80% of the cables/interconnects I make. With Brian's, you get the benefit of having black/copper sleeving and no kinks in the wire if you plan on separating the individual conductors. 
  
 I've used different cables from both companies. I think I've tried almost all of their different DIY offerings except for the silver+gold from PlusSound. I've found that I like all off their cables for different types of projects.
  
 In your case, I would suggest simply ordering some Canare/Mogami and stripping it/sleeivng it. You could save a lot of money and still get all of the benefits. However, if you prefer the look(color) of the sleeving from Plussound or BTG, or want un-kinked wire for braiding, then try the BTG as it will offer more strands for your $. Less chance of the cable breaking/failing. 
  
 If you want to compare OCC against some of your current OFC cables/interconnects to decide if you can hear/like one more than the other, then get some Plussound and see if those 7Ns are you cup of tea.


----------



## audiofreakie

_________________edited_________________


----------



## Darknet

Thanks guys for all the help! I'm most likely going to be doing a 2 clear and 2 black cable using the btg stuff given how much cheaper it is. Since this isn't going to be sheathed I'm not going to directly get mogami/canare stuff. There may be a day when I try a sheathed cable but it is not this day! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





(5 points to anyone that gets this reference lol)


----------



## kskwerl

darknet said:


> Thanks guys for all the help! I'm most likely going to be doing a 2 clear and 2 black cable using the btg stuff given how much cheaper it is. Since this isn't going to be sheathed I'm not going to directly get mogami/canare stuff. There may be a day when I try a sheathed cable but it is not this day!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Do you have a link to the cable you'll be using?


----------



## Zashoomin

kskwerl said:


> Do you have a link to the cable you'll be using?


 
http://btg-audio.webs.com/webstore.htm#ecwid:category=2620180&mode=category&offset=0&sort=normal


----------



## Zashoomin

Also does anyone know a place where I can buy micro paracord?


----------



## wolfetan44

zashoomin said:


> Also does anyone know a place where I can buy micro paracord?


 
 Supply captain.


----------



## Zashoomin

they have micro paracord?


----------



## wolfetan44

zashoomin said:


> they have micro paracord?


 
 How small is micro paracord exactly?


----------



## Zashoomin

Small enough to just fit one wire.


----------



## wolfetan44

zashoomin said:


> Small enough to just fit one wire.


 
 Not sure then. Take a look at Supply Captain..


----------



## Kamakahah

http://www.paracordplanet.com/Micro-Cord.html
  
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micro-Paracord-SOLID-COLORS-2-Type-I-USA-5Star-Cord-2mm-CONTINUOUS-LENGTHS-/200841672410


----------



## liquidzoo

zashoomin said:


> Also does anyone know a place where I can buy micro paracord?


 
  
  


wolfetan44 said:


> Supply captain.


 
  
 Supply Captain for sure.  I've bought from them a few times.  Look at the Type I/Accessory/Vest Cord.
  
http://www.supplycaptain.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=21


----------



## bebop7

Hi,
  
 Does any one have any advice about how to attach ciem cable connectors that go into ciem ?


----------



## alvis99

I'm looking to recable my Grado 225i with Mogami 2893 and some paracord.
  
 Does anyone know what type of paracord is needed for this job? (diameter)
  
 I'm kinda new to the DIY scene, would appreciate some help.
  
 Open to suggestions.


----------



## PETEREK

alvis99 said:


> I'm looking to recable my Grado 225i with Mogami 2893 and some paracord.
> 
> Does anyone know what type of paracord is needed for this job? (diameter)
> 
> ...


 
 Are you wanting to sleeve each wire individually or all of them together? If individually, you could use micro-paracord that was mentioned in the last page (quoted below), or you could use 550 paracord to sleeve them all together. There might be a size smaller than 550 the would fit all 4 wires into it, and I'm sure there is. In my experience, 550 would work just fine for the 4x26awg wires.
  
 550: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.Xparacor&_nkw=paracord&_sacat=0&_from=R40
  
 Quote:


kamakahah said:


> http://www.paracordplanet.com/Micro-Cord.html
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micro-Paracord-SOLID-COLORS-2-Type-I-USA-5Star-Cord-2mm-CONTINUOUS-LENGTHS-/200841672410


----------



## alvis99

I was planning to sheath the W2893 in paracord up until the y-split, then strip the insulation and twist the 4 conductors into two pairs and sheath each of them in paracord. I was wondering if 550 paracord would be suitable up until the y-split and then use micro paracord for the L & R channels.


----------



## PETEREK

I have some Mogami 2893 and some 550 paracord here and it looks like it will fit, but it'll be tight which is ok.


----------



## PETEREK

Does anyone know where I can find the Male connector for Hifiman headphones? I want to use them to recable my Denon D2000 shortly after it arrives (yeah I haven't received it yet, and am already planning this). I've always liked the way they look, and having a locking connectors sounds nice.


----------



## PXSS

peterek said:


> Does anyone know where I can find the Male connector for Hifiman headphones? I want to use them to recable my Denon D2000 shortly after it arrives (yeah I haven't received it yet, and am already planning this). I've always liked the way they look, and having a locking connectors sounds nice.


 
 The connectors will not fit the D2000, you would have to drill out the 8mm hole on the bottom and probably shave off a plastic ledge on the driver that would otherwise not allow it to sit properly inside the housing.
  
 Been there, done that.
  
  
 -----
 Here's what Martin from Martin Custom Audio said when I contacted him about the idea, a couple of years back.


> It requires removing some of the plastic baffle that the drivers are mounted in.  If, you've ever opened a set of Denon's, you'd see what I mean.  Doesn't really have a noticeable affect on sound quality as far as I could tell.


 
 -----





 an image I found of some stock D2000, The edge of the plastic mount lies right in line with the cable entry hole which leaves you with very little workable space. Martin and others trim it whenever they do a detachable mod. I chose to go with a tiny lemo connector which did not require trimming of the plastic.


----------



## PETEREK

Man that really sucks. Yeah I can see that there really isnt any room. I might just cut the baffle a little bit to fit it in. Thanks for the response.
 So, I still need those Hifiman male connectors. Haha


----------



## TrollDragon

Are not the HiFiMan connectors just reverse SMC RF jack's? ie Router antenna connectors.


----------



## PETEREK

I think they're a little longer and slimmer than those.


----------



## PXSS

I'm pretty sure they're just regular smc connectors. Do you have any pics of the inside of the cups to see the other end of the connectors?
 Check this out: http://www.amphenolconnex.com/media/downloads/5655/smb_smc.pdf


----------



## Toxic Cables

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SMC-Crimp-Jack-bulkhead-straight-50ohm-connector-for-RG174-RG178-RG316-LMR100-/290983953379?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item43bffec3e3


----------



## PETEREK

Thanks to both of you! I'll use that eBay link if I can find the same thing here in the US. I'm pretty anxious to get started on that mod. I have a silver plated copper cable already braided and terminated with a 3.5 Acrolink connector just waiting for a purpose. Haha


----------



## bebop7

Does anyone know if there are any guides to replacing ciem connector pins on a ciem cable ?


----------



## PETEREK

bebop7 said:


> Does anyone know if there are any guides to replacing ciem connector pins on a ciem cable ?


 
  
 Note which wire goes to the big pin (ground) on the connector and which goes to the smaller one (signal), cut the wires, splice the insulation, tin the wires with solder, and then solder each wire onto the correct pins on the new connectors. If you can't tell which wire is which after cutting, use a multimeter to test the signals and ground.
  
 This will be useful when testing each wire for continuity.

  
  
 This is all dependent on knowing how to solder. If you don't know how to do that, there are instructional videos you can watch on YouTube. Take that information and apply it to what I have written out above.


----------



## bebop7

What I mean is how to connect these (below) connector's to cable.


----------



## PETEREK

This isn't a CIEM connector being soldered in this video, but this is the process you would have to follow to replace the connectors on your cable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIBgOeyRqGU


----------



## PETEREK

I know most of the people in this thread are probably subscribed to the DIY Cable Gallery, where I have already posted pics of this cable, but I'm going to post them here anyway. I finally used some of the 12"x12" 3M carbon Fiber Vinyl on some connectors and wanted to show off how it turned out. This was a budget job just to throw up in the FS forums for someone that might need something like this. I don't. 
  
  

  

  
 I used some of the wrap to style and protect the top of my Fiio E12 too


----------



## OneSec

I thinking of re-cabling HD328 with Gotham-GAC-2or Gotham-GAC-4, as I'm not able to audit these cables I will be doing a blind purchase. Would be great if anyone would confirm if they will work.
  
http://www.redco.com/Gotham-GAC-2prflt.html
  
http://www.redco.com/Gotham-GAC-4.html




  
 The original design only have a cable inserted through the left casing. I plan to drill a hole on the right casing and have these cables solder directly to these drivers on both ends, rather than having to pass through the headband.
  
 Any advice would be great. I hope these cables aren't too thick for this application.


----------



## JamieMcC

peterek said:


> I know most of the people in this thread are probably subscribed to the DIY Cable Gallery, where I have already posted pics of this cable, but I'm going to post them here anyway. I finally used some of the 12"x12" 3M carbon Fiber Vinyl on some connectors and wanted to show off how it turned out. This was a budget job just to throw up in the FS forums for someone that might need something like this. I don't.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 As a follow on from your carbon wrap on the cable a trip to the local hunting shop should offer a good choice of real carbon fibre tubes of different sizes  (arrow shafts)  which could be cut down to size  for a similar effect there are also plenty coloured varieties of carbon and chart size to get a close match.
  



  
 Camo
  





 Carbon wood effect


----------



## PETEREK

Oh very cool. That would be a pretty neat thing to use for a cable haha. How big and how expensive are they?


----------



## PXSS

Hobby Town sells carbon fiber tubes of various diameters at roughly $5 per 2ft lengths


----------



## PETEREK

That's much cheaper than buying vinyl or buying the Acrolink carbon fiber connectors.


----------



## PXSS

peterek said:


> That's much cheaper than buying vinyl or buying the Acrolink carbon fiber connectors.


 
 Yeah, acrolink's expensive!
 I use Valabs carbon fiber connectors, they're cheaper but still have that nice bling bling to them hahaha


----------



## OneSec

zashoomin said:


> Well I think I can help a little...maybe we will see. Ok so the basics for connectors I suggest neutrik also depends on what termination you want but as far as I can tell they have for the price the most solid connectors.  You can buy them here: http://www.redco.com/.
> Ok cable.  So for $100 I am not sure how long you are looking to make the cable but there are a million and a half different options.  For the recable you will need a total of 4 wires, two for each side.  Also take into account error and shrinkage when you braid it. Also for the wire you will probably 24awg or 26awg.  Since silver is really expensive and a bit out of your price range I would go with silver plated copper or copper wire.  You can find a couple different options here:  http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html,  http://btg-audio.webs.com/webstore.htm#ecwid:category=2620180&mode=category&offset=0&sort=normal, http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4
> out of those three btg is the best priced but the lowest purity copper, plussound has high purity but 26awg and all I can say about DHC is I have worked with their wire and it is fantastic.  Out of the three I think that DHC is the highest quality but that being said it is also the most expensive.
> On top of that if you need heat shrink or techflex you can find them here and here: http://stores.ebay.com/FURRYLETTERS http://stores.ebay.com/tubingexpress (I suggest not adhessive lined 3:1 heat shrink)  both have every size, length and color you will ever need.
> ...


 
 Just want to say thank you for this information. I have spent and hour browsing this thread and finally found what I want hahaha.
  
 If anyone has other options for OCC-stranded cable please to add to this.
  
 Thanks.


----------



## Gignac

Time to finally subscribe to this.  I've been checking in often lately to gather ideas on suppliers, etc.  Looking to get into the cabling scene early in the new year.
  
 Thanks to all who have contributed thus far!


----------



## PETEREK

gignac said:


> Time to finally subscribe to this.  I've been checking in often lately to gather ideas on suppliers, etc.  Looking to get into the cabling scene early in the new year.
> 
> Thanks to all who have contributed thus far!


 
 Welcome!
  I'm sure you will enjoy making your own cables. It's fun and it's much cheaper than paying someone else to do it for you.


----------



## Gignac

peterek said:


> Welcome!
> I'm sure you will enjoy making your own cables. It's fun and it's much cheaper than paying someone else to do it for you.


 
 Thanks Casper!
  
 It's been quite a while since I've done much of the DIY thing, but I am being hooked up with a nice soldering station soon.  Even so, I probably wouldn't have considered it until I stumbled on this thread about a month ago - lots of good reading here!
  
 I'll be sure to share any interesting experiences and insights with the lot of you!
  
 Cheers.


----------



## Zashoomin

onesec said:


> Just want to say thank you for this information. I have spent and hour browsing this thread and finally found what I want hahaha.
> 
> If anyone has other options for OCC-stranded cable please to add to this.
> 
> Thanks.


 
 Toxic Cables has a bunch of options as well.  I personally think that for copper DHC is better but for everything else including silver Toxic is the best.  It does ship from Britain so it sometimes takes a while to get here.  If you want to order from Toxic just PM him on Head-fi.  Good luck with your cable making.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask.


----------



## PETEREK

I can not find any RCA Male? Female? Whatever the gender of this (below) is with a barrel that is DIY, anywhere. They must exist, right? I think instead of the Hifiman connectors on my Denons I'm going to use RCA's that extend from the cans by a silver cable. There are so many awesome RCA connectors that I would love to use on a cable. Does anyone think they will pull off too easily? Most RCA's I've used go together pretty tightly, so I think it will be do-able. Let me know if you think otherwise, please. 
  

  
 Btw, all RCA's are hermaphrodites, I decided.


----------



## FraGGleR

peterek said:


> I can not find any RCA Male? Female? Whatever the gender of this (below) is with a barrel that is DIY, anywhere. They must exist, right? I think instead of the Hifiman connectors on my Denons I'm going to use RCA's that extend from the cans by a silver cable. There are so many awesome RCA connectors that I would love to use on a cable. Does anyone think they will pull off too easily? Most RCA's I've used go together pretty tightly, so I think it will be do-able. Let me know if you think otherwise, please.
> 
> 
> 
> Btw, all RCA's are hermaphrodites, I decided.


 
 Google in line rca jack, and you should be able to find some.  Not a whole lot of them and most look really cheap, kind of killing your idea of using a cool looking RCA.  Here is one of the few ok looking ones: http://www.parts-express.com/gold-rca-in-line-jack-connector-with-strain-relief-pair--091-1110  
  
 The weight of a boutique RCA is something you might want to consider as well.  Mini XLRs make the most sense to me if you are going to go with pigtails.


----------



## PXSS

fraggler said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > I can not find any RCA Male? Female? Whatever the gender of this (below) is with a barrel that is DIY, anywhere. They must exist, right? I think instead of the Hifiman connectors on my Denons I'm going to use RCA's that extend from the cans by a silver cable. There are so many awesome RCA connectors that I would love to use on a cable. Does anyone think they will pull off too easily? Most RCA's I've used go together pretty tightly, so I think it will be do-able. Let me know if you think otherwise, please.
> ...


Agreed, if youre gonna do pigtails, might as well make it mini xlrs, rean tiny xlr look good, and are small and cheap.


----------



## cute

Any helpful tips on how to solder mini XLR with solder cups.....something I haven't done......yet!


----------



## onefatsurfer

So, I'm finally going to do a dual entry mod on my T50RP's.  Figured I might as well get into making my own cables while I'm at it.  Gonna use Mogami W2893 and an Amphenol 1/8" Plug.  Would have preferred to use some kind of jack and plug to make the cable replaceable at the headphone end, but I don't really know which connector to use, or if it's even worth using a connector.  I figure reducing the # of joints in the line and having the wire take up the least amount of space inside the cups possible will provide the best sound anyway, so whatever.  I'm also going to make a 1/8" interconnect from my DAC to the amp.  Thanks for the info in here, everyone.  I'll post pics when I'm done


----------



## Gignac

onefatsurfer said:


> So, I'm finally going to do a dual entry mod on my T50RP's.  Figured I might as well get into making my own cables while I'm at it.  Gonna use Mogami W2893 and an Amphenol 1/8" Plug.  Would have preferred to use some kind of jack and plug to make the cable replaceable at the headphone end, but I don't really know which connector to use, or if it's even worth using a connector.  I figure reducing the # of joints in the line and having the wire take up the least amount of space inside the cups possible will provide the best sound anyway, so whatever.  I'm also going to make a 1/8" interconnect from my DAC to the amp.  Thanks for the info in here, everyone.  I'll post pics when I'm done


 
  
 Sounds like a good project! 
  
 Looking at some photos of the inside of the cups it looks like you would probably have enough space to place some jacks in there if you wanted another challenge later.  Not having owned (let alone modded) these headphones before though I couldn't make any specific recommendations.  Good luck with it!


----------



## FraGGleR

gignac said:


> Sounds like a good project!
> 
> Looking at some photos of the inside of the cups it looks like you would probably have enough space to place some jacks in there if you wanted another challenge later.  Not having owned (let alone modded) these headphones before though I couldn't make any specific recommendations.  Good luck with it!


 
 Mini XLRs fit quite nicely.  I added them to my own pair.


----------



## Gignac

fraggler said:


> Mini XLRs fit quite nicely.  I added them to my own pair.


 
  
 Wow, really nice job on those!  Good clean join on the mini xlr jacks!  How are those secured internally, if you don't mind me asking?


----------



## FraGGleR

gignac said:


> Wow, really nice job on those!  Good clean join on the mini xlr jacks!  How are those secured internally, if you don't mind me asking?


 
 Thanks, though they aren't perfectly flush on one edge since I wanted them angled.  They are an intentionally tight fit into the housing and then secured with hot glue.  Somewhere in my profile I have a gallery of the process (including a mistake I made )


----------



## nihilill

Does anyone know where I can buy a decent 3.5mm jack that is a bit narrower(maybe 2mm diameter less) than a rean/neutrik 231, I'm trying to fit a phone case.
  
 I also need cable to re-make a usb interconnect, I feel like mogami 2893 might work but i'm concerned about the bend I need. Pic of existing cable where it needs to go:
  
  

 I guess if I'm soldering my own micro usb jack I can mold a right angle onto it which would make it easier on the wire.


----------



## PETEREK

Quote:


nihilill said:


> Does anyone know where I can buy a decent 3.5mm jack that is a bit narrower(maybe 2mm diameter less) than a rean/neutrik 231, I'm trying to fit a phone case.
> 
> I also need cable to re-make a usb interconnect, I feel like mogami 2893 might work but i'm concerned about the bend I need. Pic of existing cable where it needs to go:
> 
> ...


 
 Here's a pic of an interconnect I made using Mogami 2893. If you make the interconnect, apply heat to where you would be bending it until it's easy to manipulate, and then take it away from the heat and hold it in the position you will need it to be in. 
  

 No pressure on the cable..

  
  
 This is what I used to make a cable for my girlfriends AUX input in her car. She needed a connector that would fit through her iPhone case, and this worked great. 
  
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-3-5mm-3-Pole-Male-Repair-Earphones-Jack-Plug-Connector-Audio-Soldering-/291015335397?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43c1dd9de5


----------



## cheapfi

What if any disadvantages/advantages are there to using solderless RCA connectors?
  
 I know the primary advantage is not having to get out the soldering iron.  I have one but I am definitely not an expert with it.  
  
 I was looking at some nakamichi connectors for a cable and wanted to ask some experts.


----------



## PETEREK

I think you can definitely make it work, I just think soldering makes a MUCH more reliable connection.


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> I think you can definitely make it work, I just think soldering makes a MUCH more reliable connection.


I said that once as well...
Annnd in 1 2 3...


----------



## onefatsurfer

Watch the Michael Hobson expert level soldering videos on YouTube. You'll learn enough to be better at soldering than most amateurs


----------



## cheapfi

I can solder, not particularly prettily when it comes to circuit boards, but serviceable. I had to repair the solder joints in my dash so I know the pointy end goes into the other man. 
  
 I had originally thought that the connectors I had seen required soldering and when I saw the term non solder my curiosity was struck.  I am just lazy enough not to want to go digging through the garage to find my soldering iron and the price was close for the locking RCA plug.
  
 You are basically all saying that a soldered connection is much more durable with a better connection than a crimped or clamped connection?
  
 TrollDragon, I don't know what your comment means exactly.


----------



## PETEREK

After about an hour of searching for mini xlr connectors with gold pins, I came across these.
  
http://www.performanceaudio.com/item/neutrik-rt3fc-b/36518/
 and these
http://www.performanceaudio.com/item/neutrik-rt3mc-b/36519/
  
 They're the cheapest I could find. They bend you over on shipping though.


----------



## Kamakahah

nihilill said:


> Does anyone know where I can buy a decent 3.5mm jack that is a bit narrower(maybe 2mm diameter less) than a rean/neutrik 231, I'm trying to fit a phone case.
> 
> I also need cable to re-make a usb interconnect, I feel like mogami 2893 might work but i'm concerned about the bend I need.
> 
> I guess if I'm soldering my own micro usb jack I can mold a right angle onto it which would make it easier on the wire.




Take the Mogami, strip off the black PVC insulation as well as the copper shielding and sleeve the remaining bundled wires in Paracord. It will be more than flexible enough to make that turn.


----------



## TrollDragon

> TrollDragon, I don't know what your comment means exactly.


 
  
 Just a little humor with another member in this thread, when solder vs crimp was mentioned before... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



 All is good!


----------



## nihilill

Thanks for the ideas guys. I decided to try using a piece of pretty usb cable I liberated from an old game controller to make the cable I was asking about, it didn't end well(for the third time). So I give up, I'll buy a right angle micro cable and an otg adapter and join the wires at the phone end.


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> Just a little humor with another member in this thread, when solder vs crimp was mentioned before...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## liquidzoo

peterek said:


> After about an hour of searching for mini xlr connectors with gold pins, I came across these.
> 
> http://www.performanceaudio.com/item/neutrik-rt3fc-b/36518/
> and these
> ...


 
 http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/XLR-Connectors/REAN-a-Brand-of-Neutrik-AG/RT3FC-B.xhtml
  
 Cheaper by a few cents.  Not sure on shipping, though.
  
 Don't see a 3 pole male that isn't panel mount, though.


----------



## FraGGleR

If you go with 4pin min XLRs anything you make will be compatible with Audeze headphones, making them a little easier to sell if you get bored of them.  
  
 Redco has some that are Switchcraft style in black, with reasonable shipping.  Another option is Partsexpress which carries some Amphenol clones of Switchcraft.  Look like better quality than ebay ones that I have used in the past.  I don't like the Neutrik strain relief as much as the Switchcraft as it limits cable size more.


----------



## cute

fraggler said:


> If you go with 4pin min XLRs anything you make will be compatible with Audeze headphones, making them a little easier to sell if you get bored of them.
> 
> Redco has some that are Switchcraft style in black, with reasonable shipping.  Another option is Partsexpress which carries some Amphenol clones of Switchcraft.  Look like better quality than ebay ones that I have used in the past.  I don't like the Neutrik strain relief as much as the Switchcraft as it limits cable size more.


 
  
 Peter at DHC recommends the Amphenol, but Parts-Express is out until December 14, he says excellent quality....who's to argue with the man.  I am in the process of converting all of my headphones and cables to mini xlr modular, via these connectors.  This is the way to go for compatibility, I tried a couple of the female Sennheiser connectors from Frank at Toxic Cables, they work well, but they come loose too easily, plus they are way more expensive.  I have pile of at least ten different cables, most of what DHC offers, and it is nice to swap and compare between headphones.....most of which now are 8 wire, no regrets on that!


----------



## onefatsurfer

I ordered mini xlr parts for the T50rp. Gonna do dual entry with them if they fit alright in there. Otherwise, I'll keep them for a future amp build


----------



## PXSS

It would be great if manufacturers standardized something for detachables so we don't have to!

I guess the only problem I have with mini xlrs is their size (yeah, I know...). They were too large for my liking. I went through like 12 different connectors before I found one that was just right for my detach mod. Although they are great for light cables. My iems are all terminated to rean 4-pin mini-xlrs

I get my rean connectors from onlinecomponents.com


----------



## PETEREK

fraggler said:


> If you go with 4pin min XLRs anything you make will be compatible with Audeze headphones, making them a little easier to sell if you get bored of them.
> 
> Redco has some that are Switchcraft style in black, with reasonable shipping.  Another option is Partsexpress which carries some Amphenol clones of Switchcraft.  Look like better quality than ebay ones that I have used in the past.  I don't like the Neutrik strain relief as much as the Switchcraft as it limits cable size more.


 
 Man I wish I would have though about that before I ordered my 3 pin minis. I guess if I want to sell them later, I could swap them out to sell. 
 Thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## PXSS

Is Yew Audio still around?
 I went to their webpage and it said no more headphone repairs. =(
 I am in dire need of some boo-tiful y-splits!


----------



## FraGGleR

Doesn't seem like it. Too bad. He did great work for a reasonable price. You could see if Martin at Martin Custom Audio can help you out. He is a real artist, though he is in high demand.


----------



## onefatsurfer

Made my first 6 inch cable. The shielding on these completely silences the signal background, it's pretty awesome comparing it to my old unshielded computer audio cable


----------



## liquidzoo

pxss said:


> Is Yew Audio still around?
> I went to their webpage and it said no more headphone repairs. =(
> I am in dire need of some boo-tiful y-splits!


 
 Email him.
  
 I emailed him and he's still around, but he stopped doing headphone repair.  According to the message I got back, he got tired of people asking him to repair Beats headphones.
  
 Also, check eBay.  He may still be selling there.


----------



## Gignac

liquidzoo said:


> According to the message I got back, he got tired of people asking him to repair Beats headphones.


 
 Heh, that's hilarious.  I guess they'd be a pretty good market though - I can't imagine too many Beats owners repairing / modding / cabling their own headphones.  Somebody here should help those poor folks out...and make piles of money rain from the sky!


----------



## liquidzoo

From his email (and I hope he's ok with this, because I find it funny):
  



> Most everyone has some sort of Monster product that needs fixing, and frankly I don't want to do it anymore.  Its not really worth the time and energy to find parts and fix these pieces of garbage.   Its to bad everyone wastes their money on these things.


----------



## Gignac

liquidzoo said:


> From his email (and I hope he's ok with this, because I find it funny):


 
 Well that's understandable; I really doubt I could tolerate it for very long either, and he seems like a very patient fellow.
  
 Maybe he should just post a disclaimer: 'Your headphones must be worth my time...please, please do not send me your garbage cans, I cannot turn horsesh*t into gold.'


----------



## Flowwwie

Hi ,
 I'm just wondering why IEM cabling is twisted like so :
:
  
  
 I am just about to attempt my first custom wiring, and im just curious as i have seen cable braiding pop up, but haven't been able to find an answer as to why they are braided ? Specifically the two going to each individual ear ?
  
 Thanks in advance,
 Flowwwie


----------



## Toxic Cables

To keep both wires attached together and also gives it a nice look, instead of having 2 loose wires


----------



## Flowwwie

Thanks  Do they just hold together by twisting ? Or is some light heat eg a hairdryer required ?


----------



## Toxic Cables

They will eventually come undone if you just twist. Best to hold both wires, then rotate each around the other, little hard to explain.  If done properly, there is no need to use heat, i never do.


----------



## Flowwwie

Ok , thankyou very much 
 Also another question : Im 99% sure the cable is defective on my in-ears, but it COULD be the driver, any way to tell which ?
 Ive taken them apart and disconnected the cables in prep for a cable swap, and have accepted if its the drivers I will buy new in-ears, however im pretty sure it's the cable. But to know for sure would be great,
 Thanks in advance


----------



## Gignac

flowwwie said:


> Ok , thankyou very much
> Also another question : Im 99% sure the cable is defective on my in-ears, but it COULD be the driver, any way to tell which ?
> Ive taken them apart and disconnected the cables in prep for a cable swap, and have accepted if its the drivers I will buy new in-ears, however im pretty sure it's the cable. But to know for sure would be great,
> Thanks in advance


 
 If you have a basic little voltmeter, you could do a continuity test on the cable.  If there's a break in the line, you'll be able to find it that way.
  
 In order to test the drivers, I think you'd just have to re-cable them and see what happens.


----------



## Flowwwie

gignac said:


> If you have a basic little voltmeter, you could do a continuity test on the cable.  If there's a break in the line, you'll be able to find it that way.
> 
> In order to test the drivers, I think you'd just have to re-cable them and see what happens.


 
  
 Well school have multi-meters.. ill take the cables in and see 
 The issue was one ear was drastically quieter and softer then the other ear (2x-3x)
 I assume this was an issue with the cable as they are solid headphones, but get alot of throwing around in my pockets, and have have 2 different pairs previously fail at the connector joint before.
 I think ill go ahead and recable with Mogami 2893 and see what the results are. Thanks !


----------



## Gignac

flowwwie said:


> Well school have multi-meters.. ill take the cables in and see
> The issue was one ear was drastically quieter and softer then the other ear (2x-3x)
> I assume this was an issue with the cable as they are solid headphones, but get alot of throwing around in my pockets, and have have 2 different pairs previously fail at the connector joint before.
> I think ill go ahead and recable with Mogami 2893 and see what the results are. Thanks !


 
 That should definitely do the trick!  Good luck with the recable.  Have you built any cables before?
  
 I haven't started building cables yet, but hope to very soon (getting some new equipment so I can return the borrowed supplies from my electrician friend.)  I started out fixing cables on IEMs where they've snapped - this sounds like what's happened to you...and...all I can say is...it's very fun...and addictive.
  
 Thanks to all the contributors here!  You've encouraged me to take the next leap forward!


----------



## Flowwwie

gignac said:


> flowwwie said:
> 
> 
> > Well school have multi-meters.. ill take the cables in and see
> ...




Thanks! Nope its my first 
And I'm sure, something about infinite possibilities and building something to your personal spec is very satisfying

Sent from my LG-P880 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## onefatsurfer

What do you guys use to clean up the look of the y split? I am thinking of getting a Viablue y connector, but they're pretty expensive. Anyone have any other suggestions?


----------



## PETEREK

I normally use a barrel from a connector that I didn't use, and then put heat shrink over it.


----------



## Zashoomin

onefatsurfer said:


> What do you guys use to clean up the look of the y split? I am thinking of getting a Viablue y connector, but they're pretty expensive. Anyone have any other suggestions?


 
 That or you can just use plain heat shrink.  That is what I do most of the time.  also Viablue y splitters are huge so you will need a fairly thick cable for it to be viable.


----------



## Macmuffin

Ok, I have a question for anyone that can answer.
  
 I'm trying to shorten an HD650 cable, And would really appreciate if someone could help me out with a few things. First, I am not sure how you tell the positive from ground wires once you cut the end off. The only idea i had for that was using a multimeter set to continuity. One of the previous post on this thread showed that the large pin is ground and the small pin is positive. The second thing is soldering the wires to the new plug. Where do the wires get soldered to in the new plug? If i am correct there should be 4 wires left/right channel positive and left/right ground. I have never done this before and would really like to learn how to accomplish this. 
  
 Also what 1/4 plug brand is best to use.
  
 I looked around, And i could not find other information on this. If there is other information, I am sorry to ask again.
  
 Thanks


----------



## wolfetan44

There are 1 left wire, 1 left ground, 1 right wire, and 1 right ground. So, I shortened mine, and small pin is for the signal, and large one is for ground; use multimeter. Also, you most likely won't be able to solder it due to it being covered in enamel ****, so you will need to burn that off with a solder pot. I like 1/4 plugs from Ampenol.
  
 Hope this helps


----------



## Zashoomin

macmuffin said:


> Ok, I have a question for anyone that can answer.
> 
> I'm trying to shorten an HD650 cable, And would really appreciate if someone could help me out with a few things. First, I am not sure how you tell the positive from ground wires once you cut the end off. The only idea i had for that was using a multimeter set to continuity. One of the previous post on this thread showed that the large pin is ground and the small pin is positive. The second thing is soldering the wires to the new plug. Where do the wires get soldered to in the new plug? If i am correct there should be 4 wires left/right channel positive and left/right ground. I have never done this before and would really like to learn how to accomplish this.
> 
> ...


 
 You are correct that small is signal and large is from ground and yes check continuity with your multimeter.   On the 1/4 connector tip is left, the center sleeve is right and the bottom sleeve is ground  you will have 1 wire for each signal and 2 wires going to ground.   I would use a neutrik plug.  Redco.com has a bunch of different options.


----------



## Macmuffin

zashoomin said:


> You are correct that small is signal and large is from ground and yes check continuity with your multimeter.   On the 1/4 connector tip is left, the center sleeve is right and the bottom sleeve is ground  you will have 1 wire for each signal and 2 wires going to ground.   I would use a neutrik plug.  Redco.com has a bunch of different options.


 
  
 OK, I think i figured it out!   I went with a Neutrik NP3X by the way
  
 Thanks a lot!!!


----------



## Jay_WJ

I'd appreciate someone answering this question.
  
 Most DIY headphone cable builds I see here at Head-fi use 4 conductors, i.e., two separate wires for L/R channel grounds although the headphone jack from an amp has common ground. I understand it might lower the crosstalk, but as long as conductor resistance is sufficiently low, using a single conductor for ground should not increase crosstalk significantly. Then, why not use a balanced, 2 conductor, shielded mic cable for this purpose, i.e., 2 conductors for L/R + and shielding for common -? Any good reason not to recommend this?


----------



## PXSS

You still need 2 wires per driver (+ and -). 
You could technically do a 3 wire cable for single entry headphones but this wouldnt work for dual entry unless you do something wierd at the y split


----------



## Jay_WJ

pxss said:


> You still need 2 wires per driver (+ and -).
> You could technically do a 3 wire cable for single entry headphones but this wouldnt work for dual entry unless you do something wierd at the y split


 
  
 I meant the case for single entry headphones.


----------



## Jay_WJ

jay_wj said:


> I'd appreciate someone answering this question.
> 
> Most DIY headphone cable builds I see here at Head-fi use 4 conductors, i.e., two separate wires for L/R channel grounds although the headphone jack from an amp has common ground. I understand it might lower the crosstalk, but as long as conductor resistance is sufficiently low, using a single conductor for ground should not increase crosstalk significantly. Then, why not use a balanced, 2 conductor, shielded mic cable for this purpose, i.e., 2 conductors for L/R + and shielding for common -? Any good reason not to recommend this?


 


pxss said:


> You still need 2 wires per driver (+ and -).
> You could technically do a 3 wire cable for single entry headphones but this wouldnt work for dual entry unless you do something wierd at the y split


  
 So, in the case of single entry headphones, there aren't any issues with using a 3-conductor (one from a shield) cable. Right? I mean as long as the resistance of the shield for grounding is very low to prevent crosstalk.


----------



## FraGGleR

jay_wj said:


>


 
 It certainly isn't the norm or commonly recommended and you certainly would get more crosstalk by doing so.  Whether or not it would be audible or what the threshold you should be looking for is basically unknown.  I don't think you will find many people who own the equipment to properly measure their DIY cable.
  
 Any reason you want to go with that geometry instead of more commonly used and recommended ones?


----------



## Jay_WJ

Thanks for the reply. The reason is that I want to make a replacement cable for my Sony MDR-MA900 and it is not easy to find a thin (< 4.0mm dia) star quad cable. I do not want to use paracord, either----I want it simple. The only four conductor cable that I found meets my criteria is Mogami W2929, but I would rather try the following 3 conductor cable:
  
http://www.gepco.com//products/proav_cable/analog_audio/singdual_xband_F.htm
  
 This has very low shield resistance. Although not much relevant for low impedance application like headphone cabling, its capacitance is very low, too, for this type of cable. I do not think crosstalk due to common grounding will be any issue with this cable. Plus, the cable seems very flexible, which is a BIG advantage for a headphone cable.


----------



## cerealkillr

I've been wanting to make my own cable for a while and just need some info before I start buying materials. First off, I want a cable that is flexible and sort of "soft" feeling. I've looked at Mogami and Canare cables but still haven't found out which is more flexible for their thin starquad  mic cable. 
  
 I'm also going to be getting Switchcraft connectors and need to know the diameters of the cable for the Mogami w2893 and the Canare equivalent, if anyone could help me with that.
  
 And any links to good, relatively inexpensive soldering irons?
  
 Thanks in advance.


----------



## Gignac

cerealkillr said:


> I've been wanting to make my own cable for a while and just need some info before I start buying materials. First off, I want a cable that is flexible and sort of "soft" feeling. I've looked at Mogami and Canare cables but still haven't found out which is more flexible for their thin starquad  mic cable.
> 
> I'm also going to be getting Switchcraft connectors and need to know the diameters of the cable for the Mogami w2893 and the Canare equivalent, if anyone could help me with that.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Can't really say much about those cables as I haven't used either, but as sourcing a soldering iron, this link should certainly provide you with enough to chew on:
  
 http://electronics.mcmelectronics.com/search?p=Q&lbc=mcmelectronics&uid=252327883&ts=custom&w=soldering%20iron&isort=score&method=and&view=list&af=cat2%3asoldering_solderingironspencils%20cat1%3asoldering
  
 Note: it may be good to look into a soldering station as it will give you more heat control should you ever need to use low melting temperature solder.
  
 Best of luck on your projects!


----------



## Jay_WJ

cerealkillr said:


> I've been wanting to make my own cable for a while and just need some info before I start buying materials. First off, I want a cable that is flexible and sort of "soft" feeling. I've looked at Mogami and Canare cables but still haven't found out which is more flexible for their thin starquad  mic cable.
> 
> I'm also going to be getting Switchcraft connectors and need to know the diameters of the cable for the Mogami w2893 and the Canare equivalent, if anyone could help me with that.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I'm in the same situation. Both Mogami W2893 and Canare L-4E5C are 4.8 mm (.189 in) thick, which is still too thick to my taste. I am not sure, but the Mogami is likely more flexible. Do your headphones have a single entry or dual?
  
 As for the soldering iron/station, here's a website I am looking at:
  
http://www.mpja.com/Solder-Stations/products/480/
  
 I used to have a few cheap irons, but those did not last long. So, this time I want to buy higher quality ones.


----------



## AgentXXL

jay_wj said:


> cerealkillr said:
> 
> 
> > I've been wanting to make my own cable for a while and just need some info before I start buying materials. First off, I want a cable that is flexible and sort of "soft" feeling. I've looked at Mogami and Canare cables but still haven't found out which is more flexible for their thin starquad  mic cable.
> ...


 
  
 I've gone through a number of soldering stations over the years, but my absolute favorite is my Hakko 936. Simple but always does the job. Alas it's been discontinued and the new model has gone digital - the FX888D is the replacement for the 936 and can be bought online for around $100 when on sale.
  
 Get a decent brand like Weller or Hakko and you won't regret it.
  
 Dale


----------



## cerealkillr

My headphones are single-entry.


----------



## cerealkillr

jay_wj said:


> I'm in the same situation. Both Mogami W2893 and Canare L-4E5C are 4.8 mm (.189 in) thick, which is still too thick to my taste. I am not sure, but the Mogami is likely more flexible. Do your headphones have a single entry or dual?
> 
> As for the soldering iron/station, here's a website I am looking at:
> 
> ...


 
 They're single-entry.


----------



## ZokharaFi

Is there any way to upgrade cables for headphones that do not have detachable cables?


----------



## wolfetan44

zokharafi said:


> Is there any way to upgrade cables for headphones that do not have detachable cables?


 
 Open 'em up.


----------



## ZokharaFi

So you can do it. How do you open them up without breaking the cans? (Sorry, but i'm a total noob to headphone mods, but i'm REALLY interested).
 Maybe you can give me some recommendations for mods. I just got a pair of Audio Technica ATH-A900x's and am wondering what I can do with them mod-wise.


----------



## OneSec

zokharafi said:


> So you can do it. How do you open them up without breaking the cans? (Sorry, but i'm a total noob to headphone mods, but i'm REALLY interested).
> Maybe you can give me some recommendations for mods. I just got a pair of Audio Technica ATH-A900x's and am wondering what I can do with them mod-wise.


 

 Before you start you have to understand that this is very high risk - soldering cables directly to the coil is very risky, and any mod will void the warranty.
  
 The construction of each headphone is different, but generally opening up the headphone involves removing the pad (turning clock/anti clock, PULL!!), and unscrew any screws you find outside, and may involve opening it up by twisting, pulling etc, and in some cases, by force 
  
 Test with a cheap headphone first...


----------



## PETEREK

It's only risky if you don't know what you're doing with a soldering iron. Search the forums for mods on the A900, I'm sure there's something. At the beginning, it's always good to follow someone else's guide just to get your feet wet.


----------



## Jay_WJ

cerealkillr said:


> They're single-entry.


 
  
 Then, 3 conductor cable will give you more options. After a long search, I found the following cable, which I just received in the mail:
  
http://www.redco.com/Gepco-XB401.html
  
 Only 3.7 mm (0.145 in) thick (i.e., not too thin and not too thick), soft and flexible. It has very low shield conductor resistance, which means shared grounding for L/R channels shouldn't be an issue. More information on this cable:
  
http://www.gepco.com/products/proav_cable/analog_audio/singdual_xband_F.htm


----------



## ZokharaFi

peterek said:


> It's only risky if you don't know what you're doing with a soldering iron. Search the forums for mods on the A900, I'm sure there's something. At the beginning, it's always good to follow someone else's guide just to get your feet wet.


 
 I have never done any mods before, and haven't ever used a soldering iron but I have a good one to practice with first and am an avid welder so shouldn't be too hard for me. I already tried looking up A900x mods... looks like no one has done anything with them yet (or atleast posted about it) which is why i'm asking here.


----------



## cerealkillr

jay_wj said:


> Then, 3 conductor cable will give you more options. After a long search, I found the following cable, which I just received in the mail:
> 
> http://www.redco.com/Gepco-XB401.html
> 
> ...


 
 I think this is what I'm going to get. Thanks a lot, I didn't even think about needing only 3 conductors.


----------



## Darknet

Sorry if this has been asked a million times but for mogami w2893 what type of paracord works best just directly fitting over it?
 I saw earlier that 550 paracord worked so I just wanted to confirm.
  
 Also, for an RCA cable would you guys recommend something that's shielded? I usually just do braided cables, but I haven't done RCA cables. So would it be better to leave the w2893 in its shielding/insulation rather than strip the outer layer?
  
 Thanks


----------



## Kamakahah

The 550 that most places like supplycaptain sell will fit over the Mogami once the outside black PVC insulation layer is removed along with the shielding. You can leave the conductors twisted in the rice paper-like wrapping. Put a small piece of tape on the end to hold it on and cover the conductors to slide easier into the paracord. 

You can get larger diameter paracord to go over the whole complete cable, but it will be harder to come by. You're better off picking up some nylon Multifilament for that. 

Once my finals are over I'm going to make videos. I figure it will save a lot of time posting and will be easier to follow.


----------



## Whippler

I wonder if something like this could work?
 And would a 3 button(apple) or 1 button inline remote work trough this?
  
                                    lead for mic bypasses amp
                  /-------------------------------\
 phone - 4pin(male)                                4pin (female) -- headphones with mic
                  \--3pin(male)  AMP  3pin(male)--/


----------



## 65535

It would have to be before the amp, the amp would block the signal from the remote to the device.
  
 Also unless the ground is common from input to output the mic won't work without a solid ground.


----------



## Fingerling

Hello everybody,
  
 For the first time I am going to make a headphone cable and I am noob in electronic stuffs.
  
 I would know if an asymetric headphone cable:

must be *shielded*;
must have* three conductors* linked to the connector or *two conductors + a ground cable*;
can be made by *different metals* (copper to the cold spot, silver to the hot spot)?
  
 Cordially


----------



## Kamakahah

fingerling said:


> Hello everybody,
> 
> For the first time I am going to make a headphone cable and I am noob in electronic stuffs.
> 
> ...




Not sure why you want an asymmetrical cable like a 'J' cable but it doesn't have to be shielded unless you know you'll be using it in an environment that would benefit from shielding. 

You'll need one conductor for the left and right channels and one for the ground for a total of 3 wires minimum for a TRS setup. 

You can use different materials. (E.g.) silver for the right and left channels and copper for the ground to save money. 

Hopefully I understood your questions correctly.


----------



## PXSS

Noooooooooo! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  
 Cups are much redder in real life just FYI. lol


----------



## DingoSmuggler

whippler said:


> I wonder if something like this could work?
> And would a 3 button(apple) or 1 button inline remote work trough this?
> 
> lead for mic bypasses amp
> ...
 
 1 button type will still work only if the amp uses a real ground, not a virtual ground or 3-channel type.
 This is because a 1-button shorts between mic and ground.
 3 button cannot possibly work through an amp.


----------



## PETEREK

pxss said:


> Noooooooooo!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 What have you done?!


----------



## Fingerling

> Originally Posted by *Kamakahah*
> 
> Not sure why you want an asymmetrical cable like a 'J' cable but it doesn't have to be shielded unless you know you'll be using it in an environment that would benefit from shielding.
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks for your reply.
  
 I am going to make a Bowers&Wilkins P5 cable, so it must be asymetrical.
  
 Why "three wires minimum"? That can be more?
  
 Choice for ground metal have an effect on sound?


----------



## FraGGleR

fingerling said:


> Thanks for your reply.
> 
> I am going to make a Bowers&Wilkins P5 cable, so it must be asymetrical.
> 
> ...


 
 The P5 has a single entry, so I think some terms are being used differently than normal.  A J cable is typically for a headphone that is dual entry, but one side of the Y split is shorter than the other, most often used in  IEM cables.  I am assuming you are using asymmetrical to indicate that it isn't balanced.
  
 The P5 has a ridiculously thin exit from the headphone driver.  You are not going to fit a shielded cable into it.  In all likely hood, 3 thin wires twisted together is the best you will be able to do.  Probably 26awg max.  The only way you have a shield is if you end it prior to entering the cup.

 This was 28awg silver plated copper in teflon and it barely fit.
  
 For the P5s, different metals for the channels are highly, highly unlikely to make an audible difference.


----------



## chiman

Hi guys, anyone ordered from lunashops.com before? Thanks.


----------



## FraGGleR

chiman said:


> Hi guys, anyone ordered from lunashops.com before? Thanks.


 
 Yes.  Good selection.  Reasonable quality.  Slow shipping.


----------



## Kamakahah

chiman said:


> Hi guys, anyone ordered from lunashops.com before? Thanks.




Yup.



fraggler said:


> Yes.  Good selection.  Reasonable quality.  Slow shipping.




^ This. While shipping was slow, it arrived quite a bit faster than the estimate but YMMV.


----------



## PXSS

peterek said:


> pxss said:
> 
> 
> > Noooooooooo!
> ...



I was taking them off my head when I felt the small cap pop. It didnt seem like it broke but as I set them down, it all came undone. I still have a replacement screw from the first time this happened a couple of years ago. I'm tempted to go with the long screw mod and save the good screws in case I ever want sell them...


----------



## chiman

fraggler said:


> Yes.  Good selection.  Reasonable quality.  Slow shipping.







kamakahah said:


> Yup.
> ^ This. While shipping was slow, it arrived quite a bit faster than the estimate but YMMV.




Thanks. Do you know of any where else that ships worldwide?
If not I'll just order from lunashop.


----------



## Kamakahah

chiman said:


> Thanks. Do you know of any where else that ships worldwide?
> If not I'll just order from lunashop.


 
  
 Sorry if I missed the post, but what are you looking to order? 
  
 That could better help me or others (probably others) answer your question.


----------



## chiman

Looking for some jacks and rca plugs. Also a good place for wire.


----------



## Toxic Cables

chiman said:


> Looking for some jacks and rca plugs. Also a good place for wire.


 
 We do stock most DIY parts, although not most of the cheaper items you can get at Lunashops.  We are in the UK.


----------



## Tomtortoise

I am making a 3.5mm interlink for my portable amp. I have neutrik jacks already but I need some suggestions for what wire to use and if I should put techflex over it as I see people trying to avoid it by using rope and shoe laces.


----------



## Fingerling

OK, thanks again.
  
 So, for this connector: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTQ3OFgxNTAw/$%28KGrHqIOKpMFHkYlOtd0BR7OSTBbD!~~60_57.JPG, where the three wires are solder? (I know that it is also a video connector, but it is the only one thin 2.5mm Jack connector that I have found).
  
 For 5-10$, which wires do you recommends to me?
  
 I want to make a *flexible non-tangle cable*.
  
 Cordially
  
P-S: if someone sales a good P5 cable for 20-30€ shipping include (I am in France), I am interested.


----------



## PETEREK

tomtortoise said:


> I am making a 3.5mm interlink for my portable amp. I have neutrik jacks already but I need some suggestions for what wire to use and if I should put techflex over it as I see people trying to avoid it by using rope and shoe laces.




Those people aren't using shoelaces or rope, that is paracord. It's a hollow shoe lace looking cord that's more flexible than tech flex. Search on Google for paracord. You can get 550 paracord at Hobby Lobby if you want to see it before you buy.


----------



## Tomtortoise

I know about using paracord, with duct tape and WD-40 you have everything. The thing is I have seen posts where people specifically say to use shoelace or rope for covering wires, I really have no idea why when there are many more better options.


----------



## PETEREK

They must use some sort of wizardry I have never heard of to get a wire inside of either of those things.


----------



## FraGGleR

tomtortoise said:


> I know about using paracord, with duct tape and WD-40 you have everything. The thing is I have seen posts where people specifically say to use shoelace or rope for covering wires, I really have no idea why when there are many more better options.


 
 The main reason is that there just aren't a lot of options for soft sleeving.  Techflex and all the other industrial sleevings were meant for durability and easy of identification.  Very few were made with aesthetics and ergonomics in mind.  I have gone ghetto and tried nearly everything that had a removeable core to see if I could get a nice looking AND nice feeling cable.  I hated the way Techflex felt.
  
 For the most part if you want something nice and soft and are ok with only black, nylon multifilament is great since you can get it in any size you need.  Otherwise you can try your luck with paracord (I haven't found any that fits over a whole braid), or microparacord.  I discovered craft cord many years ago (which led to me finding and using microparacord), but craft cord doesn't seem to exist any more (too bad, as it was softer than microparacord).
  
 Experimentation is what makes this hobby great.  There is a lot of me too going on, even with the pros, but it is those brave souls who try new, sometimes ghetto things that drive us all forward.


----------



## nikongod

pxss said:


> I was taking them off my head when I felt the small cap pop. It didnt seem like it broke but as I set them down, it all came undone. I still have a replacement screw from the first time this happened a couple of years ago. I'm tempted to go with the long screw mod and save the good screws in case I ever want sell them...


 
  
 Locktite>> the ugly screw mod.


----------



## FraGGleR

nikongod said:


> Locktite>> the ugly screw mod.


 
 I say own it and if you can find some that are the right size, go with something like these:


----------



## Gignac

fraggler said:


> For the most part if you want something nice and soft and are ok with only black, nylon multifilament is great since you can get it in any size you need.  Otherwise you can try your luck with paracord (I haven't found any that fits over a whole braid), or microparacord.  I discovered craft cord many years ago (which led to me finding and using microparacord), but craft cord doesn't seem to exist any more (too bad, as it was softer than microparacord).


 
 I'm interested in sheathing individual wires (22 - 26 awg) and braiding those - would you recommend microparacord for this process?
  
 I'm very unsure about sizes - and am just getting started with some interconnects made this way so I'd love any input you could provide.  For example, would a 1/16" microparacord be alright for sheathing a 24 awg wire?


----------



## liquidzoo

gignac said:


> I'm interested in sheathing individual wires (22 - 26 awg) and braiding those - would you recommend microparacord for this process?
> 
> I'm very unsure about sizes - and am just getting started with some interconnects made this way so I'd love any input you could provide.  For example, would a 1/16" microparacord be alright for sheathing a 24 awg wire?


 
Type 1 Paracord works great for sleeving individual wires.  Not sure about 22 AWG, but 24-26 work very well.  IMO, 26 AWG is the easiest to get into the paracord, but I've used 24 AWG (stripped Mogami 2534) with not a lot of trouble.


----------



## Gignac

liquidzoo said:


> Type 1 Paracord works great for sleeving individual wires.  Not sure about 22 AWG, but 24-26 work very well.  IMO, 26 AWG is the easiest to get into the paracord, but I've used 24 AWG (stripped Mogami 2534) with not a lot of trouble.


 
 Brilliant,
  
 I'll definitely give that a shot - much obliged!
  
 I'm doubting I'll be working with 22 awg all that often to begin with.  Looking forward to getting started on some of this - I've got a number of recabling & interconnect projects to dive into in the new year.  I'll be sure to post up some photos & words once I get a bit of experience under my belt!


----------



## chanwhk

Looking to make my first cable, been looking around trying to gather all info I need. But recommendations seems hard to find, so I'm just gonna ask
 I want to make a silver cable for my HD650. They use to be around more a few years back but now they seems harder to find. 
 Which silver wires do you guys like and where to get them? 
 I've found some silver wires in Homegrown audio, VHaudio and Moon audio. Some claim to have their cable DIY made with toxin cable wires or other cable fenders but I don't see them selling their wires on their sites.
  
 Given the price of price of of silver wire are like $8-9 / feet, how long do you guys make your headphone cable? I'm thinking 5", but thats still quite expensive.
  
 Any good price/quality ratio RCA connectors you recommend?
  
 Other than Mouser and the one's in first post, any other site you like to buy from?
  
  
 Lots of questions here. So many options if you DIY. I wish theres a list of popular parts so newbies like me won't be so lost


----------



## Toxic Cables

chanwhk said:


> Looking to make my first cable, been looking around trying to gather all info I need. But recommendations seems hard to find, so I'm just gonna ask
> I want to make a silver cable for my HD650. They use to be around more a few years back but now they seems harder to find.
> Which silver wires do you guys like and where to get them?
> I've found some silver wires in Homegrown audio, VHaudio and Moon audio.* Some claim to have their cable DIY made with toxin cable wires* or other cable fenders but I don't see them selling their wires on their sites.
> ...


 
 Unfortunately, i don't list any DIY materials on the site yet, you can PM me with any requirments, i have everything.
  
 I was meaning to post a list here but not had a chance.
  
I will run a xMas offer this weekend for a new stranded, sleeved and shielded silver 5N OCC/Cryo wire i now stock. Price will be £xxx per feet, limited to 30ft per person. I don't have much, so i will only be selling 300ft of this wire for now, as this was a sample batch.
  
This cable has a 4 wire core, much like the Mogami/Canare, with a braided copper shield, cotton dampening and PVC outer sleeve.
  
If interested, send me a PM with subject stating "Wire purchase", please allow some time for a reply, as i am extremely busy. SOLD


----------



## Chris_Himself

chanwhk said:


> Looking to make my first cable, been looking around trying to gather all info I need. But recommendations seems hard to find, so I'm just gonna ask
> I want to make a silver cable for my HD650. They use to be around more a few years back but now they seems harder to find.
> Which silver wires do you guys like and where to get them?
> I've found some silver wires in Homegrown audio, VHaudio and Moon audio. Some claim to have their cable DIY made with toxin cable wires or other cable fenders but I don't see them selling their wires on their sites.
> ...


 
  
  
 Valab from Ebay are great, uhh prettty much the most exotic plug for the money in terms of form and materials, and from the couple dozen pairs I've used, the quality is there.


----------



## PXSS

fraggler said:


> nikongod said:
> 
> 
> > Locktite>> the ugly screw mod.
> ...


Now were talking!


----------



## PETEREK

I can't see myself parting with my AH-D2000's ever, so using those screws would be pretty awesome.


----------



## sikwidit

Hey guys so I am going to go ahead and make my own detachable cable mod soon for my headphones. I just have a couple questions before I start.
  
 I am looking through and see alot of people use Mogami.
  
 Do people do that because it already comes sheathed(convenience) or are they just buying it to actually cut out the individual four wires on the inside?
 I ask because I have plenty of 26awg hook up wire around. 
 Here is a pic http://www.frys.com/product/1616178?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG.
 Is there a reason why I should not use the wire I have? Maybe if I double up on the wire for each contact, so 8 instead of 4
  
 I plan to put each wire(or pair of wires) in a Type 1 paracord sleeve, so I will have 4 paracord sleeves to work with for braiding. Because I have each wire in a single paracord sleeve and am braiding it, does that make the wire I decide to use no longer relevant?
  
 Also for jacks and plugs, are people using oyaide and other popular names for a really big reason or is it just aesthetics?
  
 Thank you guys for your time and any help you can give me.


----------



## PETEREK

The name of the cable you were looking for is Mogami. A lot of people use 8 wires, 4 per channel, I don't think it's necessary though.


----------



## sikwidit

peterek said:


> The name of the cable you were looking for is Mogami. A lot of people use 8 wires, 4 per channel, I don't think it's necessary though.


 
 Thank you, I edited the post now but do you know why people use the mogami? Do they use it for the convenience because it isnt too stiff or do they cut it open to get to the 4 individual wires inside. I am just curious is if that wire is much better than the wire I plan on using and why.


----------



## PETEREK

sikwidit said:


> Thank you, I edited the post now but do you know why people use the mogami? Do they use it for the convenience because it isnt too stiff or do they cut it open to get to the 4 individual wires inside. I am just curious is if that wire is much better than the wire I plan on using and why.


 
 It's decent wire, and it's cheap. So, all of the above.


----------



## VortexBlast

I just ordered this OCC cable made by WM-Audio: http://www.audiophonics.fr/wmaudio-ac02-cable-modulation-paires-symetrique-occ-%C3%83%CB%9C78mm-p-4413.html
 and I was wondering if it will fit inside the HifiMan SMC connectors?
 It says that the Hifiman connectors accepts 22 AWG or smaller conductors but that cable that I just bought has an area size of 0.35mm^2 for each conductor which, according to Wikipedia, is inbetween 22 AWG and 21 AWG.


----------



## PETEREK

It says it's .35mm per pair if I'm understanding that correctly. You're using this site to try to figure out the gauge of the wire, right?
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/awg-wire-gauge-d_731.html
  
 I think the 21awg you're figuring is for 2 wires together (pair). I'm not totally sure though. I don't know why they wouldn't post what gauge the individual wires are, that's something that a buyer would want to know. I can see that a lot of people have used this stuff to make cables before. A couple I just saw while browsing dont make the wires look very thick at all. There isn't really much to reference in the pictures, but it looks similar to Mogami w2893 which is 26awg I believe.

  
 That's just my input. I don't know anything about this wire and I can't read the language on the page you linked.


----------



## haode

I have a custom UE TF 10 cable. There are a total of 4 pins and 8 wire within the cable. How do I solder them to standard stereo plug accordingly?
  


> *Left Front Pin:* Channel +
> *Left Rear Pin:* Channel -
> *Right Front Pin:* Channel -
> *Right Rear Pin:* Channel +


 
  
 Thank you in advance.


----------



## VortexBlast

peterek said:


> It says it's .35mm per pair if I'm understanding that correctly. You're using this site to try to figure out the gauge of the wire, right?
> http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/awg-wire-gauge-d_731.html
> 
> I think the 21awg you're figuring is for 2 wires together (pair). I'm not totally sure though. I don't know why they wouldn't post what gauge the individual wires are, that's something that a buyer would want to know. I can see that a lot of people have used this stuff to make cables before. A couple I just saw while browsing dont make the wires look very thick at all. There isn't really much to reference in the pictures, but it looks similar to Mogami w2893 which is 26awg I believe.
> ...


 
 It says that the cross sectional area is .35mm^2 for one conductor which according to the chart is a tiny bit larger than 22 AWG. But I really don't know. I guess I need to wait to find out.


----------



## PETEREK

haode said:


> I have a custom UE TF 10 cable. There are a total of 4 pins and 8 wire within the cable. How do I solder them to standard stereo plug accordingly?
> 
> 
> Thank you in advance.


 
 There are 4 wires per channel
  
 2 L-
 2 L+
 2 R-
 2 R+
  
 connect all four negatives to the sleeve, then the 2 L+ wires to the left channel (tip), and the 2 R+ to the right channel (Ring).


----------



## haode

peterek said:


> There are 4 wires per channel
> 
> 2 L-
> 2 L+
> ...


 
  
 Thank you for your input. Will try when I get my hands on the soldering kit.


----------



## aspenx

I have a few noob questions.

I want to recable some of gear (Sony MDR-CD900ST and Audio-Technica CK90ProMkII) and am not too sure where to start. So far I have done modifications to amps and changing plugs of headphones myself but this will be my first time doing a whole cable transplant.

1. Is braiding absolutely necessary?
2. Can I just get away with a twisted pair?
4. Will this be too stiff? (http://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/10-feet-24-AWG-Shielded-Silver-Plated-Wire-4-Twisted-Kynar-/380647912209?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item58a0623311)
5. Any common sources for info on how to open the above mentioned headphones and earphones?

Edit: Did a bit more search and found that for my CD900ST, I will need a 4 core cable like a Gotham Audio GAC-4/1 mini (http://www.gizmo-music.com/?pid=51242397) so that I can separate the 2 grounds of both channels as documented @ http://umbrella-company.jp/contents/sony-mdr-cd900st-modify-201/ .


----------



## Toxic Cables

For those interested in making HD800 cables, we are having a sale on our custom made HD800 connectors that we designed and had made over a year ago.
  
 Price per pair will be just £20. This is nearly half the price of what you can expect to pay elsewhere.
  
 This is the larger HD800 connector that we had made for our 18AWG cables. Picture below shows them next to some of the other HD800 connectors.


----------



## Zashoomin

toxic cables said:


> For those interested in making HD800 cables, we are having a sale on our custom made HD800 connectors that we designed and had made over a year ago.
> 
> Price per pair will be just £20. This is nearly half the price of what you can expect to pay elsewhere.
> 
> This is the larger HD800 connector that we had made for our 18AWG cables. Picture below shows them next to some of the other HD800 connectors.


 
 I wish I had an HD800 now


----------



## chiman

Has any one tried plugs like this?
 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Right-Angle-Jack-Plug-Connector-3-5mm-Stereo-/290906028668?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item43bb59ba7c


----------



## brunk

chiman said:


> Has any one tried plugs like this?
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Right-Angle-Jack-Plug-Connector-3-5mm-Stereo-/290906028668?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item43bb59ba7c


 
 I have tried similar before. They are OK, but you need to put some thought into your strain relief situation. Does that angle create an excessive bend in your usage scenario? Will it be getting tugged from the cable? Answer those to yourself before purchasing


----------



## Toxic Cables

chiman said:


> Has any one tried plugs like this?
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Right-Angle-Jack-Plug-Connector-3-5mm-Stereo-/290906028668?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item43bb59ba7c


 
 Go for these instead, only £2.80 and free shipping,
  
http://cpc.farnell.com/neutrik/ntp3rc/3-5mm-right-angle-stereo-jack-plug/dp/AV11138?in_merch=Products%20From%20This%20Range&MER=e-bb45-00001003
  
 or you can get the gold plated version.


----------



## chiman

Thanks guys, Toxic I'll pm you when I figure how much wire I need tomorrow.


----------



## vincent215

toxic cables said:


> For those interested in making HD800 cables, we are having a sale on our custom made HD800 connectors that we designed and had made over a year ago.
> 
> Price per pair will be just £20. This is nearly half the price of what you can expect to pay elsewhere.
> 
> This is the larger HD800 connector that we had made for our 18AWG cables. Picture below shows them next to some of the other HD800 connectors.


 
 How many set of these are available?
 Thank you Toxic.


----------



## Toxic Cables

vincent215 said:


> How many set of these are available?
> Thank you Toxic.


 
 As many as you want.
  
http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/11445#post_9202321
  
 We had a large batch custom made for us over a year ago, on agreement it would not be sold to anyone else, but as this no longer seems to be the case, we are selling these off and having new one's made elsewhere.


----------



## scootermafia

Looks cool!


----------



## Chris_Himself

Those look great


----------



## FrozenPanda

Does anybody have any alternative suppliers for good type I paracord? Supplycaptain is running short on colors.


----------



## VortexBlast

I've got a problem guys, I bought this Hicon jack but it seems to be wired differently internally and I don't know where the contact for the tip and for the ring is.
 For reference:

 I know where to solder the negative wires but I'm having trouble with where to solder the left+ and right+ conductors.


----------



## nikongod

vortexblast said:


> I've got a problem guys, I bought this Hicon jack but it seems to be wired differently internally and I don't know where the contact for the tip and for the ring is.
> For reference:
> 
> I know where to solder the negative wires but I'm having trouble with where to solder the left+ and right+ conductors.


 
  
 You could always measure it with a multimeter. 
  
 I would guess that the right positive goes to the crimpy clip, Left positive goes to the thingy around that pin in the middle, and the negative (ground) goes to the pin in the middle. 
 I may have guessed wrong on purpose to encourage you to measure it for yourself.


----------



## VortexBlast

nikongod said:


> You could always measure it with a multimeter.
> 
> I would guess that the right positive goes to the crimpy clip, Left positive goes to the thingy around that pin in the middle, and the negative (ground) goes to the pin in the middle.
> I may have guessed wrong on purpose to encourage you to measure it for yourself.


 
  
 Problem is that I don't have a multimeter at hand now but I found this picture.

 It's obviously different but the internal is roughly the same. Should I trust it?


----------



## Kamakahah

vortexblast said:


> I've got a problem guys, I bought this Hicon jack but it seems to be wired differently internally and I don't know where the contact for the tip and for the ring is.
> 
> I know where to solder the negative wires but I'm having trouble with where to solder the left+ and right+ conductors.


 
  
 I agree that you should use a multimeter. Since all you need is the $5 special, there is really no reason not to have one on hand.
  

  
 These aren't too different from the Viablue style plugs. Blue arrow is to ground. The black spacer between the red and white arrow indicates that those are going to be your left and right channels. I can't remember right off hand (sorry I have "taking finals brain") but I think the white arrow is to the tip (left channel) and red arrow  to the ring (right channel).
  
 But you should always double-check with the multimeter to be sure. If you don't have one, just run down to walmart or harbour freight, or your other local store and pick up their cheap $3-5 model just for checking this.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Please Recommend me a  4 PCS.10mm RCA Plug(male) for not more than $20.00.THANKS!


----------



## Zashoomin

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Please Recommend me a  4 PCS.10mm RCA Plug(male) for not more than $20.00.THANKS!


 
 Neutrik plugs.  You can find them at Redco.com


----------



## wavid

Any difference between Canare starquad and Van Damme Starquad?
 I live in the UK and dont want to buy Mogami from Redco...
 Van Damme starquad is easier for me to get than Canare and if its just as good id prefer to just get Van Damme.
 Im going to be recabling Grado sr60s and Fostex T20RPs and maybe some interconnects


----------



## DVass13

Anyone here have any experience with Clairvoyant Cables (http://clairvoyantcables.com/id81.html)?
  
 I'm looking into some of their gold-plated OCC copper cables for some custom headphone, RCA, etc. cables. I'm still somewhat new to this (I'm 1 for 1 with custom cables so far) so any help would be appreciated.
  
 I'm thinking 28 AWG gold-plated cable from Clairvoyant Cables and some connectors from Lunashops with some paracord to make a cable for my HD700 and some RCA connectors for my potential Modi/Vali.


----------



## 65535

It's solid core, and 28 gauge is tiny, which means your cable will be stiff, fragile, and have a pretty high resistance. 
  
 Why do you want such expensive cable with so many downsides and no upsides? You'd be much better suited with 20-24 gauge stranded wire with a PVC jacket, then throw that in some paracord and you've got yourself a nice cable. If you're worried about oxidation (not a problem with a good wire) then you can find tinned wire which usually has a lead free solder tinning. 
  
 I highly recommend Cooner wire, but their prices are usually pretty high and require a large order to be economical. Pulling wire out of Canare or Mogami audio cables is a good way to go, though PE insulation is going to be a bit stiffer, workable though.


----------



## luisdent

Does anyone know where to find affordable 26-28 gauge clear and/or black cable, or any color really as I can't find any?  When I say affordable I mean less than $.30 a foot.  I can buy some 4-conductor cable (I can split into individual cables) at home depot for $.33 a foot, but it's not very flexible (think ethernet cable strands).
  
 I am currently using some excellent monster cable speaker wire (usually so overpriced) that I got at a local hardware store.  It was a 50ft roll for less than $7.  That's $.14 per foot!  And it's very good for audio cables, but it's 24-gauge.  I have some things that I'd like smaller gauge for.  Any ideas?  I don't mind if it's not named
 "for audio", as long as it's basic stranded type flexible cable.


----------



## DVass13

65535 said:


> It's solid core, and 28 gauge is tiny, which means your cable will be stiff, fragile, and have a pretty high resistance.
> 
> Why do you want such expensive cable with so many downsides and no upsides? You'd be much better suited with 20-24 gauge stranded wire with a PVC jacket, then throw that in some paracord and you've got yourself a nice cable. If you're worried about oxidation (not a problem with a good wire) then you can find tinned wire which usually has a lead free solder tinning.
> 
> I highly recommend Cooner wire, but their prices are usually pretty high and require a large order to be economical. Pulling wire out of Canare or Mogami audio cables is a good way to go, though PE insulation is going to be a bit stiffer, workable though.


 
  
  
 I'm considering it mainly because I can get it for only $25 for 100 feet. So at 25 cents a foot it seems reasonable... and a bit less tedious than splitting a Mogami cable.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

zashoomin said:


> Neutrik plugs.  You can find them at Redco.com


 
 Thanks but i found away to hack the REAN RCA jack that i bought from my local supplier to fit my MOGANI with nylon sleeve.


----------



## brunk

luisdent said:


> Does anyone know where to find affordable 26-28 gauge clear and/or black cable, or any color really as I can't find any?  When I say affordable I mean less than $.30 a foot.  I can buy some 4-conductor cable (I can split into individual cables) at home depot for $.33 a foot, but it's not very flexible (think ethernet cable strands).
> 
> I am currently using some excellent monster cable speaker wire (usually so overpriced) that I got at a local hardware store.  It was a 50ft roll for less than $7.  That's $.14 per foot!  And it's very good for audio cables, but it's 24-gauge.  I have some things that I'd like smaller gauge for.  Any ideas?  I don't mind if it's not named
> "for audio", as long as it's basic stranded type flexible cable.


 
 Your standard bulk CAT5 cable can be found in 26awg.
  
 EDIT: Whoops, you're looking for black and clear. Maybe try Markertek.


----------



## luisdent

Ye





brunk said:


> luisdent said:
> 
> 
> > Does anyone know where to find affordable 26-28 gauge clear and/or black cable, or any color really as I can't find any?  When I say affordable I mean less than $.30 a foot.  I can buy some 4-conductor cable (I can split into individual cables) at home depot for $.33 a foot, but it's not very flexible (think ethernet cable strands).
> ...


s, but cat 5 isn't flexible


----------



## SkyBleu

Hey guys, I was thinking about butchering one of my cables to use the PCOCC-A wire for a DIY interconnect, and this is what I plan to use.
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/content/type/61/id/978961/width/1000/height/5000/flags/LL
  
 But one thing has been worrying me...all I see is two cables, so which one is L/R/ground?


----------



## Kamakahah

skybleu said:


> Hey guys, I was thinking about butchering one of my cables to use the PCOCC-A wire for a DIY interconnect, and this is what I plan to use.
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/content/type/61/id/978961/width/1000/height/5000/flags/LL
> 
> But one thing has been worrying me...all I see is two cables, so which one is L/R/ground?


 
  
 If you take off both plugs, then you can make them whatever you'd like. 
  
 In this case, the shielding layer was used as a ground and the two wire conductors as L/R channels. So you could potentially cut the ends, stripped a portion of the outer black PVC and reuse it with your desired plugs or whatever. 
  
 Still, there are plenty of cheap options like Canare or even Navships with some paracord that would likely be easier to work with and possibly be better overall (IMO).


----------



## SkyBleu

kamakahah said:


> If you take off both plugs, then you can make them whatever you'd like.
> 
> In this case, the shielding layer was used as a ground and the two wire conductors as L/R channels. So you could potentially cut the ends, stripped a portion of the outer black PVC and reuse it with your desired plugs or whatever.
> 
> Still, there are plenty of cheap options like Canare or even Navships with some paracord that would likely be easier to work with and possibly be better overall (IMO).



Oh, I see. I never knew that ground could be used via insulators!

Yeah, the cable was free for me, and barely used, so I guess it doesn't hurt to butcher and experiment it.


----------



## sikwidit

Are some headphones sealed with anything other than glue? Even for headphones sealed with glue are there some that are just not able to be opened? I have these XB400s sitting here and I really want to open them up and mod them but I dont want to kill them as they seem to be sealed extremely well and tight.


----------



## ben_r_

Anyone tried an LOD with one of these yet? LINK


----------



## -DMD-

Hey guys! Been reading a few topics about these DIY cables and it is simply amazing what you can do!!
 There's just something I don't seem to get, does the connector's/cable's brand matter sound wise?
 Won't my headphones sound better/worse with different connectors(the 3.5mm)?
 I guess what I'm actually asking is, can I just buy the simplest cool looking 3.5mm connector on eBay,
 cover the cable with a cool looking paracord and solder the connector to it without decreasing my headphone's sound quality?
 Thanks a lot!! =]


----------



## 65535

As long as the cable has large enough conductors and flexible enough too be comfortable you really shouldn't worry about it. Just be sure to get decent quality connectors that won't fall apart or make poor contact. I recently read about some Via-Blue connectors that made such a bad connection with 3.5mm jacks they ruined the headphones performance. 
  
 Keep in mind sleeving and heavy cables can cause mechanical noise to transfer to the headphones and can be really annoying.


----------



## -DMD-

Thanks a lot, but will shortening my cable hurt the audio quality? I have one of those 2.5 meter cables and I use the headphones on the run.
 Ah and I didn't actually understand your answer regarding connectors, I see many guys here buy expansiveness and good looking ones, will simpler ones hurt hinder the quality?


----------



## luisdent

If your connections are solid and wire not too small you should hear no major differences with shorter lengths


----------



## FraGGleR

-dmd- said:


> Thanks a lot, but will shortening my cable hurt the audio quality? I have one of those 2.5 meter cables and I use the headphones on the run.
> Ah and I didn't actually understand your answer regarding connectors, I see many guys here buy expansiveness and good looking ones, will simpler ones hurt hinder the quality?


 
 If you do a good job with your soldering, shortening your cable will not hurt.
  
 Just about every headphone connector is made from brass with a gold, nickel, or rhodium plating so the signal quality will be the same for all intents and purposes.  Now build quality can make a difference in how long it lasts and how easy it is to work with.  But in general, it shouldn't really matter which one you pick.


----------



## -DMD-

Wow those are great news!! Just have to order a few stuff and gonna have a blast. =]
 Thanks guys.


----------



## DMinor

Does anyone hear sound difference between using different 3.5mm plugs? I have used various plugs for my LOD cables but so far I have not heard any difference in sound.
  
 Just curious if you guys have the same experience.


----------



## AnakChan

dminor said:


> Does anyone hear sound difference between using different 3.5mm plugs? I have used various plugs for my LOD cables but so far I have not heard any difference in sound.
> 
> Just curious if you guys have the same experience.


This isn't a DIY but I had access to two Tralucent Uber cable for the 1Plus2 at one stage. One had the ATL rhodium coated plug whilst the other a standard Oyaide gold plated. At that point I didn't think plugs would make such a big diff so when I heard the difference in sound, I complained to Gavin his Uber cable was inconsistent. He was quite insistent that they are the same (batch?? Roll??) and the only difference we could conclude was the plug differences. My sincere apologies for accusing him for inconsistency in his cables.

Since then I've stuck to Rhodium plated/coated plugs. However they see. To wear out quicker than gold plated.


----------



## DMinor

anakchan said:


> This isn't a DIY but I had access to two Tralucent Uber cable for the 1Plus2 at one stage. One had the ATL rhodium coated plug whilst the other a standard Oyaide gold plated. At that point I didn't think plugs would make such a big diff so when I heard the difference in sound, I complained to Gavin his Uber cable was inconsistent. He was quite insistent that they are the same (batch?? Roll??) and the only difference we could conclude was the plug differences. My sincere apologies for accusing him for inconsistency in his cables.
> 
> Since then I've stuck to Rhodium plated/coated plugs. However they see. To wear out quicker than gold plated.


 

 I have been wondering why those Rhodium plated/coated plugs cost more, so I guess they must be better. Will probably try one to examine myself.
  
 Thanks for sharing this info.


----------



## Kamakahah

anakchan said:


> Since then I've stuck to Rhodium plated/coated plugs. However they see. To wear out quicker than gold plated.




That's odd. Rhodium is significantly harder than gold which is pretty soft. The rhodium should last longer unless the coat too thin or not actually rhodium.


----------



## Zashoomin

kamakahah said:


> That's odd. Rhodium is significantly harder than gold which is pretty soft. The rhodium should last longer unless the coat too thin or not actually rhodium.


 
 Rhodium is also more conductive than gold and copper but not quite as conductive as silver.  The reason its so popular and expensive is because it is so durable yet conductive.


----------



## DMinor

zashoomin said:


> Rhodium is also more conductive than gold and copper but not quite as conductive as silver.  The reason its so popular and expensive is because it is so durable yet conductive.


 
  
 Can you recommend a reputable 3.5mm plug plated with Rhodium? I think I bought one from Taiwan off eBay seller but that one is too big.
  
 How about this one?
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oyaide-P-3-5-G-3-5mm-Stereo-Mini-Plug-90-degree-Straight-Jack-Plug-F-S-JAPAN-/121221630651?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c395f4abb


----------



## AnakChan

dminor said:


> Can you recommend a reputable 3.5mm plug plated with Rhodium? I think I bought one from Taiwan off eBay seller but that one is too big.
> 
> How about this one?
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oyaide-P-3-5-G-3-5mm-Stereo-Mini-Plug-90-degree-Straight-Jack-Plug-F-S-JAPAN-/121221630651?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c395f4abb


 
  
 Wrong link maybe?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oyaide-P-3-5-Straight-Rhodium-Plated-Mini-Jack-Plug-/231111136840?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35cf4c1648
  
 After trying the ATL and as much as I like its looks, I have to admit it's not very durable. I was told that Oyaide is less durable but I should try it for myself. But I do have a Furutech FT-735 which hasn't been soldered up yet :-

http://www.vhaudio.com/images/furutech-ft-735.jpg


----------



## DMinor

anakchan said:


> Wrong link maybe?
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oyaide-P-3-5-Straight-Rhodium-Plated-Mini-Jack-Plug-/231111136840?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35cf4c1648
> 
> ...


 
  
 Yeah that was the wrong link.
  
 Where did you buy the Furutech FT-735 from? Some other Furutech stuff sold at eBay seem pricey.


----------



## AnakChan

dminor said:


> Yeah that was the wrong link.
> 
> Where did you buy the Furutech FT-735 from? Some other Furutech stuff sold at eBay seem pricey.


 
  
 Lucky for me but unlucky for you, I live in Tokyo so I just take a train or drive to Akihabara and pick it up there. Rather interestingly I picked these up from the Oyaide shop itself. Maybe Oyaide & Furutech have a closer relationship than competitors.


----------



## DMinor

anakchan said:


> Lucky for me but unlucky for you, I live in Tokyo so I just take a train or drive to Akihabara and pick it up there. Rather interestingly I picked these up from the Oyaide shop itself. Maybe Oyaide & Furutech have a closer relationship than competitors.


 
  
 It's sold here.
 http://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=1426
  
 Not sure if it will make a difference for a LOD cable. I do have an excellent sounding DIY LOD, but I always think about improving it if possible and without breaking my bank. I know there are high-end 3.5mm plugs sold for a couple of bucks each, it makes me wondering .....  
  
 Here is the one I bought off eBay seller. It's too big, and I guess it's fake or low quality then.
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rhodium-Plated-3-5mm-1-8-Stereo-Audio-Connector-1-pcs-/251351656113?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3a85b9e6b1


----------



## PXSS

I, as well as many others have been using VALabs rhodium plugs and although they seem a bit fishy. I can attest that their products are good quality. I have not tried the Furutech plugs as in my experience they have always cost more than the competitions in these parts of the world.

If someone can get theor hands on the furutech rhodium plugs, it would be nice to see a comparison with the Valabs plugs


----------



## DMinor

I actually bought a pair of the Valab Rhodium's. Tried one for my LOD cable but didn't notice any difference in sound from using other plugs. Because the Valab Rhodium is big, so I desoldered and transferred the wires to another smaller plug.
  
 I may give it another try to compare with my current LOD. The Valab Rhodium actually looks in good quality tho.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

dminor said:


> Does anyone hear sound difference between using different 3.5mm plugs? I have used various plugs for my LOD cables but so far I have not heard any difference in sound.
> 
> Just curious if you guys have the same experience.


 
 Nope cable does...


----------



## Gignac

I could use a little help from my fellow Canadians here.
  
 I've been looking for a supplier for lead-free bar solder.  US distributors typically wont ship even lead free solder across the border, and frankly I would prefer to not have to deal with any customs work/fees trying to get it across.
  
 Has anyone here had any luck finding a supplier?
  
 There are a few companies I've found, but some of them require large bulk purchases:
 http://www.futureelectronics.com/en/technologies/production-products/solder/bar-solder/Pages/7668759-04-7068-0000.aspx?IM=0
  
 Just wondering if there's been any positive experiences with a supplier.  I have a solder pot sitting without use.  All of the wire solder I have has a flux core which I've been warned can burst into flames if used in a solder pot...so...don't really want to risk that.
  
 Thanks!


----------



## TrollDragon

Electrosonic is the choice in Canada... 

www.e-sonic.com/whatsnew/Kester-solder-flux-sale.htm


----------



## Gignac

trolldragon said:


> Electrosonic is the choice in Canada...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks for that,
  
 I've visited their site before, but it confused the hell out of me - I never got to product listings like that - just one giant page of text with product numbers.
  
 Anyhow, this should do the trick, thanks TrollDragon!!!


----------



## SkyBleu

So, I want to DIY a cable like the one that came with the DX50, except with right angled plugs.



So, I found the right angled RCA plug, but I'm having a hard time finding a quality right angled mono plug.


Any ideas? And what cable would I need to use to make this happen? Cheers.


----------



## TrollDragon

skybleu said:


> So, I want to DIY a cable like the one that came with the DX50, except with right angled plugs.
> 
> Any ideas? And what cable would I need to use to make this happen? Cheers.


 
 And I went right along and posted the reply in the gallery thread as well... You A BAD Influence... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Here is the only Right Angle Mono 3.5 I can find, it would require a little RCA to RCA IC or possibly might be able to be modified... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



http://www.ba-electronics.com/asccustompages/products.asp?ProductID=537
  
 Single conductor with a ground shield... Like some nice thin RF wire?
 www.ebay.com/itm/10-feet-24-AWG-Black-Shielded-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Coax-/380765814149


----------



## SkyBleu

trolldragon said:


> *And I went right along and posted the reply in the gallery thread as well... You A BAD Influence...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 I saw! Naughty, naughty! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 That thing looks complicated, seeing that it is just an adapter, and I'm a novice modder (if I could even call myself a modder 
  
 Thanks anyways!


----------



## 65535

I doubt you'd run into much issue at short runs, but I would recommend a true 75Ohm Coaxial cable.
  
 Canare makes a range of 75Ohm Coax in different diameters. Pick the largest you feel comfortable with (generally larger is stiffer) (Note insulation OD that's the size of the diameter of the cable)
  
 http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=77
  
 There shouldn't be a problem with using a TRS connector and binding the Ring and Sleeve together.


----------



## SkyBleu

65535 said:


> I doubt you'd run into much issue at short runs, but I would recommend a true 75Ohm Coaxial cable.
> 
> Canare makes a range of 75Ohm Coax in different diameters. Pick the largest you feel comfortable with (generally larger is stiffer) (Note insulation OD that's the size of the diameter of the cable)
> 
> ...




How would one bind the Ring and Sleeve together? Sorry, I'm very new to this, and if it gets too complicated I'll pay a cable maker to do it eventually.


----------



## skalkman

skybleu said:


> So, I want to DIY a cable like the one that came with the DX50, except with right angled plugs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 The closets thing i could find that looked semi-decent are these http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/982181374/right_angle_3_5_mono_plug.html
  
 Alternatively you could probably use an regular stereo connector and just connect one of the terminals.
  
 As for the cable. You will "need" a 75Ω cable for the digital connection. You could get a ready-made short coaxial cable (like a meter or so) that looks nice with good shielding and just snip the connectors of and just use the cable. Or if you can find a well shielded 75Ω cable on its own then that would be optimal.


----------



## SkyBleu

@*Skalkman* Yeah, they're not too bad. Not a fan of the plastic, but what can I do, haha.

Why is it that the 75 ohm cable is a necessity?


----------



## skalkman

skybleu said:


> @*Skalkman* Yeah, they're not too bad. Not a fan of the plastic, but what can I do, haha.
> 
> Why is it that the 75 ohm cable is a necessity?


 
 The guys at Blue Jeans have an article on it somewhere i believe. 
  
 (EDIT: Found it here "http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/impedance.htm")


----------



## Kamakahah

skybleu said:


> So, I want to DIY a cable like the one that came with the DX50, except with right angled plugs.
> 
> 
> So, I found the right angled RCA plug, but I'm having a hard time finding a quality right angled mono plug.
> ...


 
  
*EDIT: someone beat me to it. *
  
 Wasn't able to find much but these repeats of the same product from different shops. 
  
http://www.vetco.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=11365
  
http://www.elliottelectronicsupply.com/right-angle-3-5mm-mono-plug.html
  
http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/3-5-2-5mm-Mini-Connectors/Calrad-Electronics/30-376.xhtml


----------



## 65535

To bind the Ring and sleeve you just connect them together with a short piece of wire or solder them together. If you can identify which part of the TRS plug makes contact with the device then you can just connect your wire to the tip and appropriate pin on the connector.
  
 75Ohm is necessary because S/PDIF transmits data at high frequency in the RF band rather than low frequency like analog signals, in order to prevent the signal from attenuating in the cable a coaxial cable is used. 75Ohm is the standard for S/PDIF.


----------



## Heliosonic

Hello there!
  
 Going to do my first re-cable and trying it on a Sennheiser HD 419 (came with a terribly thin cable that broke easily), already ordered some cool paracord to cover it, got a neutrik 3.5mm plug but now I need an actual cable and I can't make up my mind what to pick. I looked all over the place in multiple threads but info is so scattered that I'm asking it here.
 Lots of links on here are to brands like Mogami which I can not find on the sites of Dutch/EU retailers and I'm new to this...anyway got some questions;
  
 1) Good retailer in EU for bulk cable?
 2) Should I buy ready-made quad cable and strip that or braid a cable myself?

 What are some legitimate donor cable options? I see things about ethernet cables being used....does that work?
  
 Thanks in advance.


----------



## 65535

Mogami Mini_mini quad makes a pretty good headphone cable.


----------



## DMinor

I am thinking about recabling a headphone using 28 AWG solid core wires. Will these wires be practically flexible enough?
  
 Happy New Year everyone!


----------



## luisdent

dminor said:


> I am thinking about recabling a headphone using 28 AWG solid core wires. Will these wires be practically flexible enough?
> 
> Happy New Year everyone!



I wouldn't use it personally.


----------



## DMinor

luisdent said:


> I wouldn't use it personally.


 
  
 Because not flexible enough for daily handling (say 4' length)?


----------



## PETEREK

dminor said:


> I am thinking about recabling a headphone using 28 AWG solid core wires. Will these wires be practically flexible enough?
> 
> Happy New Year everyone!


 
 28awg is pretty thin. The thinnest I've used it 26awg and I feel like that is almost too thin. I would recommend 24 or 26awg wire for a cable if you're going for flexibility.


----------



## DMinor

peterek said:


> 28awg is pretty thin. The thinnest I've used it 26awg and I feel like that is almost too thin. I would recommend 24 or 26awg wire for a cable if you're going for flexibility.


 

 Are you talking about solid-core or stranded?


----------



## Zashoomin

dminor said:


> Are you talking about solid-core or stranded?


 
 Stranded.  Highly recommend not going solid core.  Solid core is not very flexible and also has a tendency to break if you move it around too much.  I would have to agree with the others.  I would go 24 or 26 awg stranded wire.


----------



## PETEREK

dminor said:


> Are you talking about solid-core or stranded?


 
 Agreed Zashoomin, do NOT use solid core for something you're going to be moving around often.


----------



## DMinor

Thanks guys, but I really like solid core for sonic reasons. I guess you gain you lose.


----------



## TrollDragon

Here is a cat5 8 strand braid I made up for Schiit's & Giggles...

 Solid core works great as a poseable device stand to...


----------



## luisdent

dminor said:


> Thanks guys, but I really like solid core for sonic reasons. I guess you gain you lose.



It will only sound good until it breaks.


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> Here is a cat5 8 strand braid I made up for Schiit's & Giggles...
> 
> Solid core works great as a poseable device stand to...


 
 Hey this is a DIY cable questions and comments thread! Take your crazy 8 stranded braid pictures here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery !!!!!!!!!!!!!
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
  
 But seriously, that looks insane. How long did it take? It looks super tight too! Very nice.


----------



## SkyBleu

Is making a 10cm 3.5mm (female) to 6.3mm (male) an okay idea? And is there any custom made ones on this thread? Or the other thread? Couldn't find any..


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> Hey this is a DIY cable questions and comments thread! Take your crazy 8 stranded braid pictures here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery !!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Pictures in the question thread and Questions in the picture thread... I'll have to be minding my P's & Q's. 




  
 Thanks!
 It was fun to build and was a "wonder if I can braid 8 wires" type thing. I have since repurposed the ends onto other cables, my LOD for the car took one of them...
 It took a few hours to braid up, was my first 8 conductor and all I had lying around was a chunk of cat5. The solid core is real easy to work with since it basically stays where you put it and requires no tension to keep it in place. You also have to pay attention with this many wires as it can get botched up quickly. I had it about 3 inches long and had to leave it for a bit, when i came back I could not remember the next sequence and had to rip it out and start again. With practice it wouldn't be an issue but I would do the whole braid in one sitting without interruption for the first one.


----------



## DMinor

trolldragon said:


> Here is a cat5 8 strand braid I made up for Schiit's & Giggles...
> 
> Solid core works great as a poseable device stand to...


 
  
 That's beautiful cable. Nice work.
  


luisdent said:


> It will only sound good until it breaks.


 
  
 I have enough solder to deal with the breaks. LOL.
  
 Yeah that's the trade off. Perhaps some extra soft/more ductile solid cores will do it.


----------



## luisdent

dminor said:


> luisdent said:
> 
> 
> > I wouldn't use it personally.
> ...



Yes. It wouldn't be very "useable" due to the inflexibility. And bending solid core wire over and over "can" lead to breakage. Depends on the cable and use though. I would go stranded for the flexibility and solid would be o.k. if it was staying in place....


----------



## Kamakahah

With a short 4 foot cable on a desktop rig you can avoid most issues as long as you remain aware, but that isn't always easy to do.

I agree with stranded for a long-term solution. If the cost of the solid core is significant to you, then do stranded instead. 

If the cost means nothing and it's no biggie if it breaks, then go for it.

I recommend weaving in strands of other soft cord into the braid to give it greater flexibility and strength. So 4 conductors and 4 strands of supporting cotton or nylon. 

I've been experimenting with it, and it's been pretty successful so far.


----------



## Zashoomin

dminor said:


> I have enough solder to deal with the breaks. LOL.
> 
> Yeah that's the trade off. Perhaps some extra soft/more ductile solid cores will do it.


 
 Doesn't matter how soft it is.  It will eventually probably break.  Especially if it is a headphone cable because those tend to move around a lot.  I don't know if solder will be a fix for it though if it is in the middle of the cable soldering it together again will be a bit of a chore.  I mean there are probably cables out that that sound as good as the solid core you are talking about. If you are set on solid though go for it but don't say I didn't warn you.  


skybleu said:


> Is making a 10cm 3.5mm (female) to 6.3mm (male) an okay idea? And is there any custom made ones on this thread? Or the other thread? Couldn't find any..


 
 Its a fine idea but the only reason you don't see people do it is because it is usually simply fixed with a 3.5mm to 1.4" converter.  I would love to see one made though.  If you need to convert and also extend than it sounds like it will be a wonderful idea.


----------



## luisdent

If it's the gauge that matters, get a thicker stranded cable... Unless the gauge is too small, the sound should'nt be affected. Especially over shorter runs. Is there a specific type of solid cable you're looking at using?


----------



## SkyBleu

zashoomin said:


> Its a fine idea but the only reason you don't see people do it is because it is usually simply fixed with a 3.5mm to 1.4" converter.  I would love to see one made though.  If you need to convert and also extend than it sounds like it will be a wonderful idea.


 
 Ah, yes that is a fair point. I'll just stick with the converter for now, but if I ever have an itchy wallet, I'll go play around with a silver adapter for the thrill of being an audiophile.


----------



## DMinor

luisdent said:


> If it's the gauge that matters, get a thicker stranded cable... Unless the gauge is too small, the sound should be affected. Especially over shorter runs. Is there a specific type of solid cable you're looking at using?


 
  
 No specific type of solid wire yet. I just love solid wires from my DIY LOD experience. I actually guess that the phone cables probably make the least difference in sound. But I am very impressed by the difference made by the IC cables tho. I always believe the audio path immediately before amp is the most important and has the biggest potentials for improvement.


----------



## 65535

A difference between solid and stranded wires leads me to believe there is a more serious underlying issue. There shouldn't be a difference if the gauge is the same.
 The best bet for headphone cables is 20-24 AWG stranded in a high strand count something around 32-104 strand. For interconnections 22-26 AWG is good. IEM cables can get away with 24-28 AWG just fine. All of these would be best made using stranded conductors. 
  
 The only application I could possibly see using solid wire is for in-wall and internal wiring. There's not good reason to use it for any temporary connections.


----------



## ostewart

skybleu said:


> Is making a 10cm 3.5mm (female) to 6.3mm (male) an okay idea? And is there any custom made ones on this thread? Or the other thread? Couldn't find any..




Do you mean like this?
Not my finest cable unfortunately


----------



## ostewart

dminor said:


> No specific type of solid wire yet. I just love solid wires from my DIY LOD experience. I actually guess that the phone cables probably make the least difference in sound. But I am very impressed by the difference made by the IC cables tho. I always believe the audio path immediately before amp is the most important and has the biggest potentials for improvement.




My solid core silver LOD has been going for over a year with no problems. It doesn't get flexed a lot but I love it. To be honest I would probably use stranded just because of durability next time. All the cables I now make use stranded because of flexibility and durability.


----------



## DMinor

ostewart said:


> My solid core silver LOD has been going for over a year with no problems. It doesn't get flexed a lot but I love it. To be honest I would probably use stranded just because of durability next time. All the cables I now make use stranded because of flexibility and durability.


 
  
 The silver solid wires sold by Tempo Electric are actually very soft. I still have some 30awg bought from them. I may just do a fatigue test to find out how many cycles it can take before breaking. From what I feel, it's very ductile with the  PTFE Teflon Jacket and looks really doable for phone cables.


----------



## ostewart

I personally would use stranded for phone cables. Solid is ok for IC's.

The solid core I had, I did a quick stress test, bending backwards and forwards and it didn't break... So they can handle quite a bit of bending.

I have a borrowed pair of DT990's that have been recabled with solid core, I dont like it, it's too stiff.


----------



## DMinor

Now here is my question. Have you heard much more difference in sound from IC cables than from phone cables? tho I have not done any phone cables, I intend to believe the IC cables make much more difference. I could be wrong.
  
 Has anyone tried this wire and jacketing?


----------



## 65535

Make the cable with stranded conductors of an adequate gauge and you will get optimal results. For the best results in multi conductor cable use a pre-manufactured cable with known electrical characteristics.


----------



## SkyBleu

ostewart said:


> Do you mean like this?
> Not my finest cable unfortunately


 
 Close, but the other way around
  
 So instead of the 3.5mm jack, it's a 6.3mm jack (male), and the female is the 3.5mm.


----------



## 65535

You could, but in that configuration a nice inline adapter works very well.


----------



## DMinor

Happy New Year! We just entered 2014 a couple of minutes ago. The iem's are doing great job as the fireworks are being played heavily outside.


----------



## PETEREK

So you must live....in Hawaii? lol or Alaska, or somewhere in west Canada? I had my New Years kiss about 5 1/2 hours ago haha (Michigan)


----------



## DMinor

peterek said:


> So you must live....in Hawaii? lol or Alaska, or somewhere in west Canada? I had my New Years kiss about 5 1/2 hours ago haha (Michigan)


 
  
 I am in the middle of ocean, and this is all I know from my GPS:
 21º 18' N, 157º 51' W


----------



## PETEREK

dminor said:


> I am in the middle of ocean, and this is all I know from my GPS:
> 21º 18' N, 157º 51' W


 
 Well if it's Hawaii, I applaud you for not boasting. Haha


----------



## ostewart

IC cables do make some difference, but IEM or headphone cables make more IMO.

I just like having all silver IC's just so Thats not the bottleneck in my system. Then match the headphone cable to the headphone.


----------



## PETEREK

ostewart said:


> IC cables do make some difference, but IEM or headphone cables make more IMO.
> 
> I just like having all silver IC's just so Thats not the bottleneck in my system. Then match the headphone cable to the headphone.


 
 Agreed. If you have a high end headphone cable and a not-so high end interconnect, you probably aren't hearing as much of a difference performance wise.


----------



## DMinor

From my experience, the short piece of IC cable could be severely overlooked or not fully understood. Audio travel path is simply amazing behavior, for which I have no knowledge but I have auditioned the difference made even by individual jacketing and the overall jacketing.
  
 In my opinion, anything before amp including the IC cable pretty much decide the audio quality, if you have a neutral amp and phones. Often times the amp and phones are not neutral and they add some color to the sound, which may be preferred by others but not me.


----------



## squallkiercosa

Can silver plated cable be soldered with regular 60/40?


----------



## Zashoomin

squallkiercosa said:


> Can silver plated cable be soldered with regular 60/40?


 
 Ya it can.


----------



## Kamakahah

squallkiercosa said:


> Can silver plated cable be soldered with regular 60/40?


 
  
 Yes. "Silver solder" generally has 1-4% silver, otherwise there is really nothing special about it. 60/40 works just fine. Whatever solder requires you to use lower/less heat to get a solid joint is going to be miles better than a specialty solder that you have trouble getting a good joint with.


----------



## DMinor

The Paliccs are my favorite plugs. Quality looks very good to me, and I really love that sexy look and nice finish. Very inexpensive.
  
 I prefer the Paliccs over all other plugs I have tried.


----------



## ostewart

Same, I love pailiccs, I started using others too but I now want to go back to pailiccs. My next cables will be with pailiccs. I like viablue but they are too expensive, neutrik are too boring.


----------



## DMinor

ostewart said:


> Same, I love pailiccs, I started using others too but I now want to go back to pailiccs. My next cables will be with pailiccs. I like viablue but they are too expensive, neutrik are too boring.


 
  
 Yeah those Viablue's are not worth that money (to me). Its normal size is too big, maybe I should try one of those smaller size. The other plugs don't even come close to the Pailiccs regardless of the price, of course this is my personal preference. The Switchcraft's built is really solid, but it is boring too.
  
 Anyways, here is the LOD I made recently using the Pailiccs. I love this cable.
  
 http://cdn.head-fi.org/2/27/278e421d_IMG_7087newLODsmall.jpeg


----------



## ostewart

Yeah the pailiccs look sweet.

The viablue small are nice, but even worse to solder than the pailiccs (I find them easy with a bit of flux)


----------



## AnakChan

Thought I'd share this here as I just completed making my WM-port LOD for my NW-ZX1.
  
 The WM-port kit can be purchased from e-earphone. The cable used the Oyaide +PT PTFE & plug is a Furutech FT-735  Rhodium coated. Although I've dabbled in soldering before (diyMod), this was the first LOD I had built and the d@mn Oyaide cable broke on me twice during the build.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Where do you buy your Paliccs?


----------



## TrollDragon

frozenpanda said:


> Where do you buy your Paliccs?


 
Lunashops carries Pailiccs but it takes 4 weeks to get them.


----------



## DMinor

> Originally Posted by *TrollDragon* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Yeah those shipped by Lunashops take long time, but Lunashops' services are excellent.
  
 I also ordered a few from a eBay seller in the US. It may cost one or two bucks more. 
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-Plated-3-5mm-Plug-DIY-Connector-For-Headphones-DIY-/160530018206?hash=item256055af9e


----------



## DMinor

anakchan said:


> Thought I'd share this here as I just completed making my WM-port LOD for my NW-ZX1.
> 
> The WM-port kit can be purchased from e-earphone. The cable used the Oyaide +PT PTFE & plug is a Furutech FT-735  Rhodium coated. Although I've dabbled in soldering before (diyMod), this was the first LOD I had built and the d@mn Oyaide cable broke on me twice during the build.


 
  
 Congrats on your first DIY LOD. It looks great. Need to try that plug at one point.
  
 BTW, What is the sleeve you used for the cable??


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> Lunashops carries Pailiccs but it takes 4 weeks to get them.


 
 4 weeks if you're lucky. I ordered some Sennheiser connectors from them and ended up selling my HD600 over a month later, then the connectors came in the mail. I had totally forgot about ordering them. Haha


----------



## Gignac

peterek said:


> 4 weeks if you're lucky. I ordered some Sennheiser connectors from them and ended up selling my HD600 over a month later, then the connectors came in the mail. I had totally forgot about ordering them. Haha


 
 Ebay it is then.  I've come across these connectors before and have reused some, but never purchased any...the ones I had didn't actually have a brand name on it (could have rubbed off), so it's nice to know where to get more - I enjoyed working with them.
  
 Thanks all!
  
 Edit: By 'connectors', I meant the Pailiccs.
  
 Also, has anyone picked up their RCA connectors, they look nice as well (if maybe a little large):
 http://www.ebay.ca/itm/150881257986


----------



## AnakChan

dminor said:


> Congrats on your first DIY LOD. It looks great. Need to try that plug at one point.
> 
> BTW, What is the sleeve you used for the cable??


 
  
 Cheers!
  
 I must say I don't know what sleeve I used. It was some generic shinkwrap thing? I didn't use anything special.


----------



## JoeDoe

Finished my first DIY cable this evening. Canare mini quad inside black paracord with 1/4" Amphenol plug. Certainly was a learning experience, but very gratifying. It's crazy to think that cable-makers charge upwards of $75 for a 5 foot copper cable, and I just made my own for less than $5...


----------



## 65535

How long did it take you?


----------



## DMinor

I start thinking that audio may respond differently to stressed and unstressed wires. Also I am going to try using solid-core wires of the highest gauge possible for a LOD. Just Curious.
  
 Are DH Lab wires are quality wires?


----------



## 65535

Stressed and unstressed? You mean tensioning the wires? Other than risking breaking mechanical joints and damaging insulation it won't have an affect.


----------



## DMinor

65535 said:


> Stressed and unstressed? You mean tensioning the wires? Other than risking breaking mechanical joints and damaging insulation it won't have an affect.


 

 Not necessarily direct/axial tension. I am more talking about the bending stresses when the wires are bent. That bending stress depends on the wire/cable jacketing and bend radius.


----------



## luisdent

dminor said:


> 65535 said:
> 
> 
> > Stressed and unstressed? You mean tensioning the wires? Other than risking breaking mechanical joints and damaging insulation it won't have an affect.
> ...



This would have zero effect on the sound.


----------



## TrollDragon

Now if you were to somehow cut the cord off of a fortress phone you could put any solid wire you wanted in that and it would not break.

German Maestro has a BX type (fortress phone) cable that they put on their GMP 8.35's for public Kiosk use, they might sell that cable separately...


----------



## larken

I have a question I was hoping that the experts could help with. When using a cable like mogami 2534 for a cable with 3 pin mini xlr on one end and 3.5mm on the other, should I be using the shield wire (meaning the copper wires wrapped around the 4 conductors) as a ground and give both left and right channels 2 conductors each? Or should I just leave the shield unused and go with 1 conductor each for left and right signals and 2 conductors for the ground?


----------



## ostewart

All those combinations will work.
Personally I use 1 for each channel, then if its a 4 core cable use 2 for ground.

Some people like to make mini-mini and lods with 4 cables, personally I dont see the point as 1 for ground is sufficient. But I understand some use 4 for looks.

I make cables with single wires, not premade mogami though.


----------



## Gignac

larken said:


> I have a question I was hoping that the experts could help with. When using a cable like mogami 2534 for a cable with 3 pin mini xlr on one end and 3.5mm on the other, should I be using the shield wire (meaning the copper wires wrapped around the 4 conductors) as a ground and give both left and right channels 2 conductors each? Or should I just leave the shield unused and go with 1 conductor each for left and right signals and 2 conductors for the ground?


 
 You'll undoubtedly find it a lot easier to ignore the shield and use the 2 wire ground approach.
  
 I've heard someone here mention once about connecting the shield to ground at the source as well, but I've never done this, and am not sure exactly what benefit that would provide.


----------



## nikongod

gignac said:


> I've heard someone here mention once about connecting the shield to ground at the source as well, but I've never done this, and am not sure exactly what benefit that would provide.


 
  
 Grounding the shield at the source end provides some RF blocking, at the expense of increased cable capacitance. 
  
 It is somewhat hit or miss, although I am biased towards doing it.
  
 The "hit" is: Why bother with RF when "all" we care about is the audio-band? Simple - your amp may care about RF. If your amp is using all of its energy to amplify RF, what does it have left for audio? 
  
 The "miss" is: the increased parallel capacitance may muck up the stability of some amps.


----------



## Gignac

nikongod said:


> Grounding the shield at the source end provides some RF blocking, at the expense of increased cable capacitance.
> 
> It is somewhat hit or miss, although I am biased towards doing it.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Interesting.  I knew RF factored in here, but didn't really know the 'plus / minus' side of things, nor that the amp itself made a difference in terms of deciding to terminate the shielding at the source.
  
 I'm not quite sure what you mean by the statement " If your amp is using all of its energy to amplify RF, what does it have left for audio? "
  
 Thanks for the info, I'll have to look into all of this further!


----------



## nikongod

gignac said:


> I'm not quite sure what you mean by the statement " If your amp is using all of its energy to amplify RF, what does it have left for audio? "


 
  
 RF can get into the amp through the outputs. 
 When you look at the feedback loop, with a nice cap across the feedback resistor, there is a path from the output of the amp straight to the input - at RF anyways. At that point the RF gets amplified by the open loop gain of the amp. 
  
 Without this cap the amp may not run stable at all! So your kind of in a bind. 
  
 Alternate solutions are to put a ferrite bead on the cable, or add some output resistance outside of the feedback loop, but people freak out like what when you do that.


----------



## Gignac

That definitely makes sense, just never really thought about the possibility of the amplifier actually amplifying RF leaking in from the output.
  
 Thanks once again - always something new to think about here


----------



## brunk

Would one of you cable gurus mind telling me the pinout for the Audeze connector? Thanks in advance


----------



## TrollDragon

This is the way my cable is wired...
http://wiki.faust3d.com/wiki/index.php?title=Image:Audeze-lcd2-wiring-scheme.png


----------



## Zashoomin

Brunk look on page 2.  I have a post on how its supposed to be wired and how you can wire it to single ended or balanced connectors.


----------



## Toxic Cables

You will also find that some don't jump the pins, as you can use pin 1 for + and 3 for ground and it will work fine.


----------



## brunk

Thanks for the info fellas! This cable is going to an 8-wire going to banana plugs 
  
 Quote:


trolldragon said:


> This is the way my cable is wired...
> http://wiki.faust3d.com/wiki/index.php?title=Image:Audeze-lcd2-wiring-scheme.png


 
  
  


zashoomin said:


> Brunk look on page 2.  I have a post on how its supposed to be wired and how you can wire it to single ended or balanced connectors.


 
  
  


toxic cables said:


> You will also find that some don't jump the pins, as you can use pin 1 for + and 3 for ground and it will work fine.


----------



## larken

ostewart said:


> All those combinations will work.
> Personally I use 1 for each channel, then if its a 4 core cable use 2 for ground.
> 
> Some people like to make mini-mini and lods with 4 cables, personally I dont see the point as 1 for ground is sufficient. But I understand some use 4 for looks.
> ...


 
  
  


gignac said:


> You'll undoubtedly find it a lot easier to ignore the shield and use the 2 wire ground approach.
> 
> I've heard someone here mention once about connecting the shield to ground at the source as well, but I've never done this, and am not sure exactly what benefit that would provide.


 
  
  


nikongod said:


> Grounding the shield at the source end provides some RF blocking, at the expense of increased cable capacitance.
> 
> It is somewhat hit or miss, although I am biased towards doing it.
> 
> ...


 
  
  


gignac said:


> Interesting.  I knew RF factored in here, but didn't really know the 'plus / minus' side of things, nor that the amp itself made a difference in terms of deciding to terminate the shielding at the source.
> 
> I'm not quite sure what you mean by the statement " If your amp is using all of its energy to amplify RF, what does it have left for audio? "
> 
> Thanks for the info, I'll have to look into all of this further!


 
  
  


nikongod said:


> RF can get into the amp through the outputs.
> When you look at the feedback loop, with a nice cap across the feedback resistor, there is a path from the output of the amp straight to the input - at RF anyways. At that point the RF gets amplified by the open loop gain of the amp.
> 
> Without this cap the amp may not run stable at all! So your kind of in a bind.
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for all the replies. Very informative. I wasn't quite sure as to how to handle the shielding wire as I had only been making cables for my iems using individual wires so far, and only just started working with premade mogami. Had no idea how the shield was going to affect things, but now I have a clearer picture.


----------



## Zashoomin

toxic cables said:


> You will also find that some don't jump the pins, as you can use pin 1 for + and 3 for ground and it will work fine.


 
 +1.  It is shorted already inside the headphone.


----------



## DMinor

Has anyone used the DHC Elite mini plug?


----------



## FrozenPanda

dminor said:


> Has anyone used the DHC Elite mini plug?




No but they look very slim.. Source/datasheet? 

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk


----------



## DMinor

frozenpanda said:


> No but they look very slim.. Source/datasheet?
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk


 
  
 http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=136


----------



## FrozenPanda

Wow... i wish someone posted this before I cut the hole in my spigen case. It does look pretty awesome.


----------



## wolfetan44

I can't wait to get my hands on one 
  
 EDIT: Just ordered one, will post pictures and feedback when I get it


----------



## Gignac

Quick question for anyone who knows heir audio's UIEMs:
  
 I just made a cable for myself for my set of 4.Ais, and was just wondering about polarity - Which hole is signal, and which is ground?
  
 Not entirely understanding phase, I guess it's just good that I just treat both the left and right channels the same?
  
 Basically I could use any of your suggestions here.
  
 Thanks!


----------



## DMinor

wolfetan44 said:


> I can't wait to get my hands on one
> 
> EDIT: Just ordered one, will post pictures and feedback when I get it


 
  
 Which one did you order, the gold or rhodium?


----------



## luisdent

dminor said:


> frozenpanda said:
> 
> 
> > No but they look very slim.. Source/datasheet?
> ...


those are really sexy


----------



## DMinor

luisdent said:


> those are really sexy


 
  
 haha, it is. I like spinners. 
  
 So far as for looks, this particular Pailiccs is my favorite.


----------



## wolfetan44

dminor said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > I can't wait to get my hands on one
> ...


 2 golds & 1 rhodium


----------



## Gignac

dminor said:


> haha, it is. I like spinners.
> 
> So far as for looks, this particular Pailiccs is my favorite.


 
  
 I've used these before also - nice size with a wide enough opening to accommodate lots of experimentation.


----------



## luisdent

dminor said:


> luisdent said:
> 
> 
> > those are really sexy
> ...



Those look great too. I've always liked straight housings though. They make me think of a certain type of modern look that is almost high tech futuristic.


----------



## DMinor

luisdent said:


> Those look great too. I've always liked straight housings though. They make me think of a certain type of modern look that is almost high tech futuristic.


----------



## MrMateoHead

I am having a B**** of a time finding some SMC connectors to possibly re-do my canare cable. Does anyone know a REAL site that works? The links here aren't getting me anywhere, and ebay is not really a preferred option. I can't find any on there anyway. 
  
 Also, anyone know the specs of the proper SMCs for the headphones? I can't imagine '50 ohm' impedance is desireable!


----------



## Kamakahah

Why is ebay not preferred? Just curious.


----------



## TrollDragon

mrmateohead said:


> I am having a B**** of a time finding some SMC connectors to possibly re-do my canare cable. Does anyone know a REAL site that works? The links here aren't getting me anywhere, and ebay is not really a preferred option. I can't find any on there anyway.
> 
> Also, anyone know the specs of the proper SMCs for the headphones? I can't imagine '50 ohm' impedance is desireable!


 
 Quick eBay search provides...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMC-RF-DIY-Connectors-for-HiFiMan-Headphones-DIY-/331102717210
  
 This place sells nothing but RF connectors.
http://www.rfconnector.com/smc-connectors.php
  
 The connectors don't have any impedance, the coax does.


----------



## luisdent

Does anyone know where to get affordable 3:1 heatshrink?


----------



## funch

luisdent said:


> Does anyone know where to get affordable 3:1 heatshrink?


 
  
 http://www.hndme.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=29


----------



## luisdent

funch said:


> luisdent said:
> 
> 
> > Does anyone know where to get affordable 3:1 heatshrink?
> ...


 
  
 Wow. That's cheap, but I'd prefer a more well known store if possible.  I can't even find it on bbb.org.  :-/
  
 p.s. damn that camaro is sexy.


----------



## DMinor

Just ordered the Furutech FT-735(R) Rhodium plated phone plug from Take Five. Let's find out what is special about this plug. 

  ​


----------



## Kamakahah

dminor said:


> Just ordered the Furutech FT-735(R) Rhodium plated phone plug from Take Five. Let's find out what is special about this plug.
> 
> ​


 
  
 They seem well built and are probably my favorite looking plug ever, but $25 (before shipping) is a large pill to swallow for a single plug. 
  
 Excited to see your final product.


----------



## DMinor

kamakahah said:


> They seem well built and are probably my favorite looking plug ever, but $25 (before shipping) is a large pill to swallow for a single plug.
> 
> Excited to see your final product.


 
  
 Well I am with you but this hobby slowly drains my wallet. 
  
 I need a different color (for my LOD) from all these plugs I have, so I decided to go with a quality one.


----------



## glunteer

Hello guys !
  
 you find it necessary to make a custom power cable for Asgard 1?

 I thought of using this cable: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3146
  
 was wondering if someone switched the cable and heard a difference


----------



## Zashoomin

glunteer said:


> Hello guys !
> 
> you find it necessary to make a custom power cable for Asgard 1?
> 
> ...


 
 You may or may not hear a difference but you will never know until you try.  Some people think it does while others don't.  I can say that is a nice experience to have to make a cable for yourself and also very rewarding.


----------



## Zashoomin

dminor said:


> Just ordered the Furutech FT-735(R) Rhodium plated phone plug from Take Five. Let's find out what is special about this plug.
> 
> ​


 
 I have a couple of 4 pin mini xlr's of that line for my audeze's and I have to say they are by far the easiest plug I have worked with.  That includes switchcraft and neutrik plugs as well.  Very solid build quality and very very nice looking.


----------



## DMinor

zashoomin said:


> I have a couple of 4 pin mini xlr's of that line for my audeze's and I have to say they are by far the easiest plug I have worked with.  That includes switchcraft and neutrik plugs as well.  Very solid build quality and very very nice looking.


 
  
 Yeah that's what I am expecting from this plug - a nice looking and good quality. 
  
 I bought a little bit toxic silver wires a few months ago, so I am going to use this plug and those wires to make a LOD. Then I will be really done with the LOD's. Too many LOD's already. So far my favorite LOD's are the ones made of HGA pure silver with cotton jacketing and also the Mundorf Silver/Gold wires.


----------



## glunteer

zashoomin said:


> You may or may not hear a difference but you will never know until you try.  Some people think it does while others don't.  I can say that is a nice experience to have to make a cable for yourself and also very rewarding.


 
     


  

    
 would be my first power cable ... I do not know if I save to get an in-ear or expense to the cable


----------



## TrollDragon

glunteer said:


> would be my first power cable ... I do not know if I save to get an in-ear or expense to the cable


On the list of improving your sound quality, Power Cables are at the extreme bottom of that list.

Get the IEM's and forget about Power Cable foolishness unless you have money to burn...


----------



## Toxic Cables

A quick shot of the Furutech plugs,


----------



## Kamakahah

Wow, thank you for the picture. 

Why do I like those so much? I can already tell that I'm going to cave and eventually try them.


----------



## glunteer

trolldragon said:


> On the list of improving your sound quality, Power Cables are at the extreme bottom of that list.
> 
> Get the IEM's and forget about Power Cable foolishness unless you have money to burn...


 

 ok, thanks for help TrollDragon


----------



## jhao19

Hi, I was just starting to dive into making my own cable, and I have a fairly simple question
  
 I am looking at navships (I heard of him from you guys) shop online for wire, and see 22 AWG wire and 24 AWG wire.
  
 22 AWG:
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/231134914950?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fm.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_armrs%3D1%26_ssn%3Dnavships%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D231134914950%26_rdc%3D1
  
 24 AWG:
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-feet-24-AWG-Black-Shielded-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Coax-/231128224906?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35d050d48a
  
 The 24 AWG has shielding though.
  
 Will this make a big difference?  Will it not matter?  Which wire is better, or is there an even better wire that I'm not seeing?
  
 Thank you guys for your time and knowledge!


----------



## 65535

What's the cable for? Either one of those wires is going to be quite stiff, the coax being very stiff. Make decent hookup wire maybe interconnect wire.


----------



## Kamakahah

Navships is generally is going to be stiff, more so with some offerings. It's made for military use rather than audio. 

I still think it can work great depending on what you use it for and mix it with. Some of their opinions are great for ground wires to save money. 

As mentioned above, those two have limited use.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

MY DIY Cable.


----------



## TrollDragon

Very Nice work!


----------



## SkyBleu

*@ I luvmusic 2* is the last cable a 3.5mm to 6.3mm extension cable? Or is it 6.3mm to 6.3mm?

Nice work btw!


----------



## i luvmusic 2

skybleu said:


> *@ I luvmusic 2* is the last cable a 3.5mm to 6.3mm extension cable? Or is it 6.3mm to 6.3mm?
> 
> Nice work btw!


 
 It's 6.3mm to 6.3mm Thanks.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

THANK YOU!


----------



## jhao19

*accidental repost*


----------



## jhao19

65535 said:


> What's the cable for? Either one of those wires is going to be quite stiff, the coax being very stiff. Make decent hookup wire maybe interconnect wire.


 
 The cable was going to be for the cable that connects the headphone to my amp.  Not sure what the official name for that cable is called.  What wire would you recommend that would be less stiff?


----------



## Amako360

Hey guys I want to make a 2 metre cable extension for my computer. Will there be a big difference in sound if I use a 6-wire braid instead of a 3-wire braid? I plan to use a Canare F12 plug and Canare L-4E6S. Your expertise is much appreciated =)


----------



## Kamakahah

amako360 said:


> Hey guys I want to make a 2 metre cable extension for my computer. Will there be a big difference in sound if I use a 6-wire braid instead of a 3-wire braid? I plan to use a Canare F12 plug and Canare L-4E6S. Your expertise is much appreciated =)


 
  
 You won't notice as difference between 3 and 6. It's just for looks/feel. Less = lighter. Weight and feel are important, IMO. 
  
 The Canare L-4E6S has 4 pre-twisted wires inside. You can easily strip off the outside black PVC with a razor/knife. Then slide off the shielding surrounding the wire. There will also be a layer of paper with strands of cotton inside. I personally like to leave the paper/cotton on the twisted wire by putting a little bit of tape at each end and then sleeving in paracord. 
  
 You'll end up with a flexible, light, and capable cable. You'll have 4 wires: one for L & R and two for ground. 
  
 If you want an even lighter cable and don't care about the cotton reducing microphonics factor, then you can pull off a single strand while keeping the others pre-twisted then sleeve. 
  
 I find that sleeving in paracord adds a nice feel to your cable. If it brushes on your shoulder/arm/hand, it won't feel like cable does. It also adds a layer of protection and pattern/color options based on your style preference. 
  
 To circle back to your initial question, again, the number of conductors won't affect sound.


----------



## Kamakahah

jhao19 said:


> The cable was going to be for the cable that connects the headphone to my amp.  Not sure what the official name for that cable is called.  What wire would you recommend that would be less stiff?


 
  
 That's just a headphone cable. If you are set on Navships, then go with anything 24-28 awg, 19 strands, regular teflon coating. Avoid the kapton as it makes the cable more riggid and you have no need for its benefits. 
  
 The 19 strands will provide additional flexibility and help to avoid breakage overtime. Either way, his cables will be stiff with a hard feeling teflon coating. I understand the desire to use the wire as it is dirt-freakin-cheap. I find nothing wrong with it, but highly suggest sleeving it. 
  
 Some other members wouldn't suggest 28 awg as they might think it to be too thin and prone to breaking, I disagree. Or rather, it depends on how you plan on using the cable. For most scenarios, there is no difference. 
  
 Now, I'd recommend you get something like http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E5C.html or http://www.redco.com/Redco-TGS-QD.html or a version of it. It's cheap and quality. You can keep it as is or strip it down as I've explained above. 
  
 These suggestions are based on the assumption that you're looking for bang-for-your-buck options. 
  
 If you want to step it up to the next level, there are plenty of options mentioned in the past few pages. Frank of Toxic Cables is active in this thread and I'm sure he could point you in the right direction if you shoot him a PM or email. 
  
 Others: BTG-Audio, Qables, Plussound audio, Artemis cables, Double Helix Cables, etc. All offer different options depending on your needs. All of them have been helpful in answering questions for me.


----------



## PETEREK

kamakahah said:


> You won't notice as difference between 3 and 6. It's just for looks/feel. Less = lighter. Weight and feel are important, IMO.
> 
> The Canare L-4E6S has 4 pre-twisted wires inside. You can easily strip off the outside black PVC with a razor/knife. Then slide off the shielding surrounding the wire. There will also be a layer of paper with strands of cotton inside. I personally like to leave the paper/cotton on the twisted wire by putting a little bit of tape at each end and then sleeving in paracord.
> 
> ...


 
 EXACTLY like this:

  This is part of a cable I made for someone here that will be used for their Bower and Wilkins P5. It was a super annoying cable to make because of that L curve crap the cable needs to do inside the cup. Stupid design. And I didn't have the headphones in front of me, so that made it worse.


----------



## ninjapirate9901

Hey there, I'm looking to take my first plunge into trying to make my own cable (probably for the Alpha Dog) and was just wondering about sourcing some items in the UK.
  
 I quite like the look of the Viablue range of connectors so I was thinking of using them (just on aesthetics alone) and I'm not sure where to source them within the UK. I had a look on eBay but most of them were shipping from overseas. Likewise I had a look on Lunashop but it seems like those items will also ship from overseas. If there aren't any local suppliers then I guess I'll just import them in (I'll probably have to do that anyway for the Alpha Dog connectors).
  
 Also does anyone have recommendations for a UK paracord supplier? There seems to be a bunch of them out there and I'm mainly just concerned about the quality of the paracord supplied.


----------



## cute

I'm building a headphone extension cable using Mogami 2534. 
  
 Does the copper shield get soldered to the plug at the source end only, or should it be connected at both ends?
  
 Thanks for the help!


----------



## PXSS

cute said:


> I'm building a headphone extension cable using Mogami 2534.
> 
> Does the copper shield get soldered to the plug at the source end only, or should it be connected at both ends?
> 
> Thanks for the help!


For an extension cable, I do not think the shield matters. After all your cable isn't shielded anywhere after the extension. I would personally connect it only to the source just in case, but I have never done a headphone cable with a shield...


----------



## luisdent

cute said:


> I'm building a headphone extension cable using Mogami 2534.
> 
> Does the copper shield get soldered to the plug at the source end only, or should it be connected at both ends?
> 
> Thanks for the help!


 
  
 I recently made this and notice no interference at all from it not having a shield...  The longer you go the more it matters, but for a general extension you should be o.k. with no shield.


----------



## Toxic Cables

ninjapirate9901 said:


> Hey there, I'm looking to take my first plunge into trying to make my own cable (probably for the Alpha Dog) and was just wondering about sourcing some items in the UK.
> 
> I quite like the look of the Viablue range of connectors so I was thinking of using them (just on aesthetics alone) and I'm not sure where to source them within the UK. I had a look on eBay but most of them were shipping from overseas. Likewise I had a look on Lunashop but it seems like those items will also ship from overseas. If there aren't any local suppliers then I guess I'll just import them in (I'll probably have to do that anyway for the Alpha Dog connectors).
> 
> Also does anyone have recommendations for a UK paracord supplier? There seems to be a bunch of them out there and I'm mainly just concerned about the quality of the paracord supplied.


 
 You can PM me, i stock the entire Viablue range, can also supply the connectors for the Alpha Dog.
  
 I am extremely busy, so sometime a reply can take a day or two, so please bare with me.
  
 Would there be any interest in black cotton sleeved OCC Copper litz, removes the need for having to sleeve wires yourself? I am placing a new order today, so if there was enough interest, i could get in a couple thousand extra meters and offer some great prices on it.


----------



## Gignac

toxic cables said:


> You can PM me, i stock the entire Viablue range, can also supply the connectors for the Alpha Dog.
> 
> I am extremely busy, so sometime a reply can take a day or two, so please bare with me.
> 
> Would there be any interest in black cotton sleeved OCC Copper litz, removes the need for having to sleeve wires yourself? I am placing a new order today, so if there was enough interest, i could get in a couple thousand extra meters and offer some great prices on it.


 
  
 I've yet to become a customer of yours, but I'd probably be interested in this.  I've been using some silk sleeved litz a bit recently with some success.  I've considered purchasing some cotton sheathing, so this might be a good solution for me.
  
 I'll keep an eye on this thread in case you happen to go forward with this.


----------



## compoopers

Hi guys, this is an xpost from the diary thread.


A few minutes ago, I stood up and pulled my headphone cable with my leg. It pulled my laptop almost off the table. The result was that my Sony MDR Z1000 headphone connector, the part that plugs into my laptop, got bent at a 45 degree angle, pointing in a completely off direction. I was mortified but my first instinct was to bend it back and it bent back easily. I plugged it in and it seems to be sounding ok, I don't notice anything bad, but the sound cuts out of the right or left channel randomly if I move the cable around and also, I can't get over the placebo effect making me think that the sound feels quieter / less enveloping (is this possible even?)

What should I do to fix this? As you can see in the picture below, the cable can be removed entirely from the headphones themselves. The headphones arent being produced or sold anymore, btw.


----------



## Toxic Cables

Likely broke a joint on the jack, so replacing the jack will fix this.


----------



## ninjapirate9901

toxic cables said:


> You can PM me, i stock the entire Viablue range, can also supply the connectors for the Alpha Dog.
> 
> I am extremely busy, so sometime a reply can take a day or two, so please bare with me.
> 
> Would there be any interest in black cotton sleeved OCC Copper litz, removes the need for having to sleeve wires yourself? I am placing a new order today, so if there was enough interest, i could get in a couple thousand extra meters and offer some great prices on it.


 
  
 Ah awesome, thanks for the heads up. I'll get in touch with you this week.
  
 Also I'd be down for some sleeved cable.


----------



## DMinor

gignac said:


> toxic cables said:
> 
> 
> > You can PM me, i stock the entire Viablue range, can also supply the connectors for the Alpha Dog.
> ...


 
  
 Interestingly my LOD cable using the HGA pure silver wires with cotton jacketing sounds the best to my ears.


----------



## MoonSung

I'm about to recable my audio technicas ath m50s.  The current cable has a jack that is 1/4" but can be twisted off to become a 1/8" jack.  I was wondering where I could find such a plug to use in a new cable? Preferably in Canada of course. Or could i salvage the existing connector?


----------



## ostewart

EBay has some, so does Luna shops. They come with a screw on adapter.


----------



## VortexBlast

I just finished making a cable for my T50RPs

 I used a Neutrik NTP3RC-B for the headphone end and a ViaBlue T6s Small. Cable is a Mogami Neglex 2534 quad balanced cable.
 Now I've got a question, I did this cable without soldering the copper ground shielding to the sleeve but rather I soldered the remaining two cables to the sleeve. Will that provide enough RFI shielding or should I have soldered the ground shielding or is it not necessary?


----------



## chinti

hi guys, i wan to make a custom cable for my akg k240 mkii. anyone got any suggestion? im totally noob in this.


----------



## jhao19

How do you guys coil the two wires without it uncoiling?  It looks like you just spun them around each other.


----------



## ninjapirate9901

jhao19 said:


> How do you guys coil the two wires without it uncoiling?  It looks like you just spun them around each other.


 
 I imagine that after they're soldered at either end, the braid doesn't unwind. Twist two lengths of cord together and hold them at each end, does that unwind?


----------



## ostewart

If I have time, I'll post a quick video later of how to twist the together.

But basically, instead of twisting them together, what you do is have one piece of cable in each hand, and cross them over each other, every time you cross it over pull it reasonably tight. Then it stays together.


----------



## jhao19

ostewart said:


> If I have time, I'll post a quick video later of how to twist the together.
> 
> But basically, instead of twisting them together, what you do is have one piece of cable in each hand, and cross them over each other, every time you cross it over pull it reasonably tight. Then it stays together.


 
 A video would be amazing!  Thank you so much!


----------



## PETEREK

Yeah it's a hard thing to try to explain how to do it in words, if ostewart makes that video we can just link the next 1000 people who ask that question to it. Haha


----------



## ardilla

Anybody have an idea to fix this? Ths incoming cable (with the white tape) was loose. The white tape part used to be inside the wooden Y-split case. The wooden Y split was glued together, with only friction holdingthe cable in place. 
  
I really do not need to use the wooden splitter - so if there are better alternatives that can be refitted I a open for suggestions


----------



## PETEREK

ardilla said:


> Anybody have an idea to fix this? Ths incoming cable (with the white tape) was loose. The white tape part used to be inside the wooden Y-split case. The wooden Y split was glued together, with only friction holdingthe cable in place.
> 
> I really do not need to use the wooden splitter - so if there are better alternatives that can be refitted I a open for suggestions


 
 Why don't you just glue it back together? I don't know why they used the white tape in the first place, they should have glued it right then.


----------



## ardilla

peterek said:


> *Why don't you just glue it back together?* I don't know why they used the white tape in the first place, they should have glued it right then.


 
  
 That was my first thought - but then the same thing might happen again and depending  on the glue I have a problem. 
  
 I was looking at the Viablue splitters tinking they could be refitted, but it seems I then have to remove the connectors.


----------



## PETEREK

I would just use super glue. That bond should never break, and it wont expand a noticeable amount. And you can keep that sweet wooden splitter. Easy, cheap, effective; super glue.
  
 EDIT: Don't use a lot though, if it oozes out of the edges of the connector it could get pretty ugly.


----------



## ardilla

peterek said:


> I would just use super glue. That bond should never break, and it wont expand a noticeable amount. And you can keep that sweet wooden splitter. Easy, cheap, effective; super glue.
> 
> EDIT: Don't use a lot though, if it oozes out of the edges of the connector it could get pretty ugly.


 
  
 My wory is that the cable falls out again and I cannot open up the case since I glued it too well... Have to make sure the cables sit tight forever in the case.. 
  
BTW - the case is gorgeous, but the angles are wrong - to much of a split to the Y.


----------



## ostewart

hot glue would work too. Then you can get it apart (pretty hard) if you need to


----------



## ardilla

ostewart said:


> hot glue would work too. Then you can get it apart (pretty hard) if you need to


 
  
 Hmm - you might be onto something - Maybe hot glue would be better holding the cable in the splitter.


----------



## DVass13

ardilla said:


>


 
  
  
 Anybody know where I could find an attractive splitter such as this one? I'm looking to re-cable a few pairs of headphones and want something a little more attractive than this: 
  
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3814


----------



## ardilla

^ mine is from Whiplash, but I doubt they sell splittrees separately.


----------



## ostewart

Video, hope it's clear enough.


----------



## Androb

What is the best 4 pin xlr connector and the best cable for making my own cables? I am gonna go balanced with my hd650 and my incoming LCD-3


----------



## ostewart

I used a neutrik 4 pin XLR, nice to work with and also not too expensive


----------



## Androb

Cheers


----------



## Zashoomin

androb said:


> What is the best 4 pin xlr connector and the best cable for making my own cables? I am gonna go balanced with my hd650 and my incoming LCD-3


 
 As for 4 pin xlr's only neutrik makes one worth considering in my opinion so you don't have many options.  As for cables that is a very good question.   What kind of cable are you looking for?  Copper, silver, SPC?  Or how much do you want to spend per ft?


----------



## jhao19

ostewart said:


> Video, hope it's clear enough.




 First of all, thank you so much for making this video!  Definitely helped clear up a lot of question I had!
  
 Second of all is another question.  Would you have to wrap it?  It looked like it stuck together very nicely at the end of the video there, even without any heatshrink or anything


----------



## Androb

zashoomin said:


> As for 4 pin xlr's only neutrik makes one worth considering in my opinion so you don't have many options.  As for cables that is a very good question.   What kind of cable are you looking for?  Copper, silver, SPC?  Or how much do you want to spend per ft?



Well I dont know what difference the different types of cables do. I want the best possible and dont know what I should get. 
Also a nice place where I could order from would be nice to know


----------



## jhao19

androb said:


> Well I dont know what difference the different types of cables do. I want the best possible and dont know what I should get.
> Also a nice place where I could order from would be nice to know


 
 I'm kind of in the same boat as you, and have been looking at BTG audio and Double Helix Cables.  DHC is a bit more expensive, though


----------



## ostewart

jhao19 said:


> First of all, thank you so much for making this video!  Definitely helped clear up a lot of question I had!
> 
> Second of all is another question.  Would you have to wrap it?  It looked like it stuck together very nicely at the end of the video there, even without any heatshrink or anything




You don't have to shrink wrap it, it holds as is when twisted as indicated.


Have made a few IEM cables and they dont come untwisted either


----------



## MoonSung

When making a round braided cable for full sized headphones is 24 awg or 28 awg preferred?  Are there any advantages for the above two?


----------



## luisdent

moonsung said:


> When making a round braided cable for full sized headphones is 24 awg or 28 awg preferred?  Are there any advantages for the above two?


I prefer the added feel of durability from 24awg personally. 26 would be the smallest i would go


----------



## Kamakahah

I prefer the look of 24awg with an open braid, but like the weight and minimal bulk of the 28 awg. 

There shouldn't be any sonic benefits if that is on your mind.

As long as they have good strand count you shouldn't have any major durability issues. 

Is the cable for portable use or home/office? 
At the desk, your main issue will be the computer chair trying to devour the cable.


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!











I personally prefer short, light cables. The less I notice them the better.


----------



## larken

moonsung said:


> When making a round braided cable for full sized headphones is 24 awg or 28 awg preferred?  Are there any advantages for the above two?


 
 If making a 4 strand round braid, I'd go with 24 awg for the added durability.
  
 Personally, my favorite for a full sized headphone would be a 8 strand round braid using 26 awg wires. Durable, light, and I like the aesthetics of the 8 strand over 4.
  
 28 awg would work as well, with a smaller diameter.


----------



## Zashoomin

androb said:


> Well I dont know what difference the different types of cables do. I want the best possible and dont know what I should get.
> Also a nice place where I could order from would be nice to know


 
 Well there are a million different kinds of cables but for headphones the main ones are silver, copper and silver plated copper.  If you believe that cables make a difference in sound than it depends on exactly what you want, but if you don't than copper should be fine.  If you want to start making cables I suggest you start on something easy and cheap.  If you want something a bit more challanging than I suggest you braid your own cable.
  
 You can find 4pin xlr's at Redco.com
  
 You can find cables at almost every single cable maker.  A couple places are:  Toxic Cables,  Double Helix Cables, Plussound Audio, Artemis Cables, BTG Audio, Moon Audio.
  
 If you give me a little more details on what exactly you want than I can help you with specifics more.  PM me if you would like.  
  
 Hope this helps.


----------



## Zashoomin

moonsung said:


> When making a round braided cable for full sized headphones is 24 awg or 28 awg preferred?  Are there any advantages for the above two?


 
 I would either go 24 or 26.  28 is a bit thin and will be hard to work with.  Between 24 and 26 though, 24 is heavier but easier to work with and stronger but also tends to be more expensive.  The choice is yours but again I would not go 28


----------



## Androb

Cheers! I'll throw a pm your way


----------



## MoonSung

Guess I'll use some 24 awg from navships (its for home use)


----------



## Technics

i use 24awg and 28awg for the DIY cables.
  
 Neotech silver wire with Eichmans for my most expensive, i use normal heatshrink and twist the wires
  
 I discovered not long ago that Element14 ( Newark in the US, Farnell UK) sold 100ft(30metre) kynar wrap wire. Its silver plated copper, i love Ok Industries wire, very nice covering of silver. Switchcraft rcas are nice an cheap at Element14 also, i always ask for a quote, amazing how low the can go. Free post over 45$ in Australia.


----------



## Makiah S

Question
  
 I've got a D2k that has a 4pin XLR retermination. When I connect that 4pin XLR to my balanced Amp... I get Mono in my headphones
  
 now when I connect the 4pin XLR to my 4pin XLR to SE Adapter, then connect the HEadphone +the SE adapter to the SE out put on my Balanced Amp I get Stero sound
  
 is my 4pin XLR pinned in correctly? Why do I only get mono with balanced connections, I also have a 4pin XLR to 6pin HiRose balanced adapter that has the same issue, balanced output into my D2k is mono, if I swtich to SE and run the D2k out of the SE outputs of both amps it's stero
  
  
 and the issue here is both my Balanced amps sound BETTER through their balanced out puts, these two amps, my Pb1 and Audio GD Nfb 10ES2 have better sound quality through their balanced output than their SE. So for me I need a working balanced Pin out
  
 that said, what do you guys think is wrong with the 4pin XLR pin out on my D2k? Why do I need a 4pin to SE adapter to get stero sound
  
 additioanlly, the adapter was made by... Company B, the D2k Recabled by COmpany A, I'm asking all of this because quite frankly I'm asking Company A for a refund... asap. If Company A has indeed incorrectly wired the headphone and termination for balanced use... for the second time [the first time the pin out was wrong and I had... a sucked out sound] then I'm going to go to another company for a recable 
  
 So there it is, my D2k Terminated with 4pin XLR... when used in conjection with a 4pin XLR or any Balanced output via both my amps... gets mono sound
  
 The D2k terminated  with a 4pin XLR used in Conjection with a 4pin XLR to SE Adapter, and then used with the SE out put of both my amps... gets stero sound 
  
 what is the issue here


----------



## ostewart

This is the standard AKG 4 pin XLR pinout, which i have used to make a balanced to SE adaptor
  
 1 - left channel +
 2 - left channel -
 3 - right channel +
 4 - right channel -
  
 If it still comes out mono being wired like that, then ask the amp companies what pinout they use.


----------



## Makiah S

ostewart said:


> This is the standard AKG 4 pin XLR pinout, which i have used to make a balanced to SE adaptor
> 
> 1 - left channel +
> 2 - left channel -
> ...


 
 Yea that was mentioned, I have an adapter made by Zombie X, he did the recable on my Dt 880 and it works wonderfully with my DT 880 
  
 apprently both my pb1 and Audio GD use the same pin out


----------



## ostewart

Well some have the wrong pin out, most likely the D2K, but does the DT880 work with the amp?


----------



## Makiah S

ostewart said:


> Well some have the wrong pin out, most likely the D2K, but does the DT880 work with the amp?


 
 Yeap the Dt 880 works with Both amps just fine
  
 the D2k how ever does not


----------



## ostewart

Its odd how the adapter works with the DT880 and the D2K but D2K doesn't work with the amps...

Find out what pin out the amps use from the company and let the guy that cabled your headphones know which it uses.


----------



## Makiah S

This is the Guide KingWa [the maker of the Audio GD amp I have] posted on his web site on terminating a 4pin XLR 
  
 I would assume it coresponds to the pint out on the amp, 
  
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/Phoenix/ModifyEN.htm
  
 that said... this is very strange...


----------



## ostewart

Yep, so forward that to the cable maker and make sure he has wired them up correctly.

Or check yourself by opening the XLR housing and checking the wires see if they match the guide.


----------



## Makiah S

ostewart said:


> Yep, so forward that to the cable maker and make sure he has wired them up correctly.
> 
> Or check yourself by opening the XLR housing and checking the wires see if they match the guide.


 
 I'm not ready to open the housing my self... I'll send it back to him along with KingWa's guide for the third time... I might see if he can install some Alpha Pads on my D2k as well [so he can finally make some money off this dmn thing, it's been mostly at cost up till now] 
  
 but I forwarded that link


----------



## PETEREK

Can anyone link me to a 3.5mm connector that comes with a screw 1/4th adapter? I used to have one bookmarked but I guess I dont anymore.


----------



## DVass13

peterek said:


> Can anyone link me to a 3.5mm connector that comes with a screw 1/4th adapter? I used to have one bookmarked but I guess I dont anymore.


 
  
 Hope this helps:
  
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3573


----------



## PETEREK

dvass13 said:


> Hope this helps:
> 
> http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3573


 
 That's exactly what I need, but if I order from Luna it will take over 3 weeks to get it in the mail. Thanks though.
  
 Anything US based?


----------



## ostewart

peterek said:


> That's exactly what I need, but if I order from Luna it will take over 3 weeks to get it in the mail. Thanks though.
> 
> Anything US based?


 
 not US but faster than Lunashops as i've bought these before from ebay
  
 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-35mm-Male-to-3-5mm-3-Pole-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Solder-/310637049553?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item48536936d1


----------



## MoonSung

ostewart said:


> not US but faster than Lunashops as i've bought these before from ebay
> 
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-35mm-Male-to-3-5mm-3-Pole-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Solder-/310637049553?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item48536936d1


 
 Thanks, just ordered one


----------



## wolfetan44

Sorry bout the delay on the pictures of the DHC Elite plugs, been busy, will try to post asap.


----------



## PXSS

mshenay said:


> This is the Guide KingWa [the maker of the Audio GD amp I have] posted on his web site on terminating a 4pin XLR
> 
> I would assume it coresponds to the pint out on the amp,
> 
> ...


Get a refund. I've been following your journey for quite a while and it is unacceptable that he got the cabling wrong twice...

It is really a simple check that you can do yourself, dont be afraid. Buy yourself a $5 multimeter, open the housing up and check the pinout. It will honestly take you less time and you will spend less money than sending them off for a third time.

If you're really that uncomfortable with it, I'm sure there are plenty of DIYers here willing to help out including myself.

Hope your D2Ks get the treatment they deserve!


----------



## SkyBleu

*FOR AUSTRALIANS:* Do we have any pro cablers in Australia? I may have a recabling job for you, if you're out there!
  
 Found Qusp!


----------



## SkyBleu

One more question guys...For headphones with one-sided entry (AKG's), is it worth getting a custom cable for them? All I think about is that one side will sound different (the one with the custom cable going in) to the other.


----------



## MoonSung

does anyone know if the audio technicas ath m50's plug can be opened up and reused?


----------



## PETEREK

moonsung said:


> does anyone know if the audio technicas ath m50's plug can be opened up and reused?


 
 I've tried but with no luck.


----------



## MoonSung

That's unfortunate, I really like that plug


----------



## PETEREK

Yeah it looks really nice, and durable. That's why I tried before but I couldn't get it apart. It looks like it was screwed together, but they must use some kind of adhesive to keep it from being opened again. Bummer.


----------



## 65535

After replacing 3 different peoples ATH-M50 jacks I don't thing they're all that great.
  
 Amphenol, Neutrik, Switchcraft all make excellent 1/8" connectors.
  
 I personally try to use 1/4" as much as possible because they are so much better.


----------



## Makiah S

pxss said:


> Get a refund. I've been following your journey for quite a while and it is unacceptable that he got the cabling wrong twice...
> 
> It is really a simple check that you can do yourself, dont be afraid. Buy yourself a $5 multimeter, open the housing up and check the pinout. It will honestly take you less time and you will spend less money than sending them off for a third time.
> 
> ...


 
 yea... I'm just going to get Brian at BTG to build me an entirely new cable... and re do the pin out him self, KingWa although sent me this


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Dear Makiah,
Pin1 L+
Pin 2, L-
Pin 3 , R+
Pin 4, R-.
*The issue most like the L and R have confuse*.
Kingwa


 Check what's in bold, but yea... twice now and I'm not doing it a Third time. It works 100% wonderfully in SE mode, so that said. Seeing as I wanted to ditch the Stock D7k cable anyways, might as well do everything at once rather than spread it out at this point


----------



## ostewart

Yeah your better off getting a whole new cable.


----------



## Makiah S

ostewart said:


> Yeah your better off getting a whole new cable.


 
 That's what I'm going to do, get the whole dang thing recabled at least this time I have kingwa's amp PIn out to send to my reCable'r


----------



## ostewart

Yep  heard very good things about BTG
  
 Later today, make myself a 3.5mm - 3.5mm in silver for my X3+C5D rig


----------



## Makiah S

ostewart said:


> Yep  heard very good things about BTG
> 
> Later today, make myself a 3.5mm - 3.5mm in silver for my X3+C5D rig


 
 indeed, plus... his attitude struck me nicely.
  
 waiting to hear back from him,


----------



## Kamakahah

Brian's always been very helpful. He does good work at a reasonable price. If you can't make your own, he's for sure one of the best options.


----------



## Makiah S

kamakahah said:


> Brian's always been very helpful. He does good work at a reasonable price. If you can't make your own, he's for sure one of the best options.


 
 I agree, I spoke with him already and again good attitude and great pricing! 
  
 Waiting for an email back from him on this newest reCable


----------



## luisdent

Yeah, he's awesome and communicates well via email. Very helpful


----------



## PXSS

VALabs store seems to be gone! =(
 Does anyone have an extra set of their mini plugs that I could buy from you?
 Want a set for my personal cables! =D


----------



## wolfetan44

This plug is beautiful guys, it feels extremely high quality, and will be my go-to plug for soldering(when I need a 3.5mm). The only caveat I could find is the opening is a tad small(it is 6.3mm, which is the Oyaide opening size, so take taht as you will), but not too much. Also, I weighed this plug and a pencil, the pencil was 4 grams, and this plug was 5 grams.. Astounding. By the way: http://www.doublehelixcables.com/pub/dimensions.jpg .


----------



## frozst

Hi! Does anyone know where to buy those flex plastic earhooks to DIY in earphones?
  

  
  
 Thanks


----------



## luisdent

wolfetan44 said:


> This plug is beautiful guys, it feels extremely high quality, and will be my go-to plug for soldering(when I need a 3.5mm). The only caveat I could find is the opening is a tad small(it is 6.3mm, which is the Oyaide opening size, so take taht as you will), but not too much. Also, I weighed this plug and a pencil, the pencil was 4 grams, and this plug was 5 grams.. Astounding. By the way: http://www.doublehelixcables.com/pub/dimensions.jpg .


 
  
 I prefer rean neutriks for the price, but those do look very nice.


----------



## ostewart

I must be the only one that doesn't like Neutrik/Rean 3.5mm jacks, love their 6.3mm jacks, not the 3.5mm though. I much prefer Pailiccs, or even the cheap Sennheiser branded ones like this:


----------



## TrollDragon

But there are no reasonable Right Angled 3.5's that are small enough other than Neutrik's.


----------



## luisdent

ostewart said:


> I must be the only one that doesn't like Neutrik/Rean 3.5mm jacks, love their 6.3mm jacks, not the 3.5mm though. I much prefer Pailiccs, or even the cheap Sennheiser branded ones like this:


 
  
 What don't you like about them?  Just curious.  I personally find them smaller than most with decent solder lugs and the threads and build seem very good.  I could see someone not liking to solder something so small, but that's the only way to get the jacks that small really...  Those senns look decent.  How are they better though?


----------



## MoonSung

does anyone have experience with 24 AWG teflon insulated neotech cables?  In particular the one from takefiveaudio : http://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=844 .  How stiff is it for headphone cables?


----------



## cute

moonsung said:


> does anyone have experience with 24 AWG teflon insulated neotech cables?  In particular the one from takefiveaudio : http://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=844 .  How stiff is it for headphone cables?


 
  
 I got some of that wire, but wouldn't consider using it for headphones.  Low strand count, and a little too stiff once braided.  It's OCC, good wire though!


----------



## luisdent

I'm still trying to find decent 24awg wire under $1.00 a foot.  BTG sells it at $0.80, but that adds up real fast when a cable is using 4 strands braided, and it's smaller than 24awg so not ideal for me...  But his is the cheapest high quality so far I've found...


----------



## PXSS

Brian uses the same wire that's inside mogami quad cables.
 Redco has the W2534 available for $1.12 a foot.
 Doesn't get much more affordable than that.


----------



## luisdent

pxss said:


> Brian uses the same wire that's inside mogami quad cables.
> Redco has the W2534 available for $1.12 a foot.
> Doesn't get much more affordable than that.


 
  
 What gauge are those inner wires?  Also, one thing I like about Brian's is that they are clear.  He says he gets them custom from japan though... 
  
 Another issue is that if I want the basic wires I'd have to cut the cable and pull it all apart every time, right?  
  
 UPDATE:  Wait, is that two clear wires and two blue wires all together?  So four total wires?


----------



## PXSS

luisdent said:


> pxss said:
> 
> 
> > Brian uses the same wire that's inside mogami quad cables.
> ...


 
 Yes, there are a total of four wires inside the cable.
 Each wire is 24awg, and yes you have to cut through the outer jacket and remove the shield, paper and cotton strands to get the bare wires.
 It has been confirmed by Brian before that he uses the same wire as Mogami.
  
 Here are the specs for the W2534 from Mogami's website:
 http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/microphone/quad/


----------



## luisdent

pxss said:


> luisdent said:
> 
> 
> > pxss said:
> ...


 
  
 That's awesome.  Can you say how hard it would be to get the individual wires out?  Is it just a matter of pulling them out?  Or would you need to cut and split the jacket, cut the shield, untwist all the wires, etc. etc.?  In other words, is it worth trying to buy that with the hopes of making cables using the individual strands?


----------



## PXSS

luisdent said:


> pxss said:
> 
> 
> > luisdent said:
> ...


I've done so myself in the past. I used a blade to run along the length of the jacket. It took me about half an hour to strip a 4 foot length, after that it's just unwinding the shield and removing the paper layer and cotton strands.


----------



## luisdent

pxss said:


> luisdent said:
> 
> 
> > pxss said:
> ...


 
  
 That's what I was afraid of.  I'd only use the two clear cables.  So that's $0.56 per foot basically.  If I didn't have to prep the cable, I could make two cables in one hour instead of one cable in one hour.  If I made $15 per cable.  Prepping a cable would make that $15 per hour. (30min per cable/30min prep)  Not prepping would be $30 per hour.
  
 If I bought the wire from Brian already individual strands, I'd be spending $.80/foot which would be $.24 more than the mogami.  If my cable used Brian's wire I'd need let's say four strands four feet long, so 16 feet.  16 feet of mogami would be $8.96, whereas 16 feet from Brian would be $12.80. That's $3.84 difference.  Now by my previous calculations, using mogami would get me $15 in one hour.  Using Brian's wire would get me $26.16 ($30-$3.84=$26.16).  In other words, it isn't worth the time and effort ripping apart the mogami, as my time would be worth more in the end.
  
 Even if i prepped the cable fast or used all four strands, it still would break even at best and probably not even that.  Blargh.  Is .80 really the cheapest wire like this around that is already single strands?  I feel like .80 is a lot since I can get pretty good wire for .12/foot.  However, it just isn't as flexible or nice looking to sell.  Works perfectly though.  .80+ seems like a lot.  In all fairness though, brian has the cheapest price I've seen.  :-/


----------



## PXSS

luisdent said:


> pxss said:
> 
> 
> > luisdent said:
> ...


We are in the DIY forums right?
Cause it sounds like you want to make a business out of it in which case you're in the wrong place bud


----------



## Makiah S

pxss said:


> We are in the DIY forums right?
> Cause it sounds like you want to make a business out of it in which case you're in the wrong place bud


 
 YUP
  
 also nice to hear about Brians imported Japanese OCC Copper! Send my D2k out in less than a week for a recable :3
  
 a 4 footer!


----------



## PXSS

mshenay said:


> pxss said:
> 
> 
> > We are in the DIY forums right?
> ...


Brian is a great craftsman! Hopefully you'll have your D2K's back soon!
Mogami is OFC copper though, and brian uses the 26awg version which is slightly smaller but more flexible. I've worked with both types, you should be happy with the outcome!


----------



## luisdent

pxss said:


> We are in the DIY forums right?
> Cause it sounds like you want to make a business out of it in which case you're in the wrong place bud


 
  
 First, bud isn't my name bud. 
  
 Second, where exactly would you have me ask these questions?  I'm currently buying parts and making my own cables.  Isn't that a DIY cable?  Yes, I'm looking to possibly sell some in the future.  Whether I sell them or not, my time is valuable.  So I want an affordable outcome.  Again, where would you have me ask these questions?  A link or recommendation would be more useful...


----------



## FallenAngel

Really not sure why you would want to butcher Mogami 2534, it's pretty great as is, but a little too thick for headphones.  Consider Mogami 2893 if you want to stick with Mogami.


----------



## PXSS

luisdent said:


> pxss said:
> 
> 
> > We are in the DIY forums right?
> ...


Wow ok. Someone is a little defensive... No need to get your panties in a bunch. I'll stay out of your way then


----------



## luisdent

fallenangel said:


> Really not sure why you would want to butcher Mogami 2534, it's pretty great as is, but a little too thick for headphones.  Consider Mogami 2893 if you want to stick with Mogami.


 
  
 Yes, it's fine, but it doesn't work for every type of cable.  I like the braided look and you can split a braided cable half way through into two separate cables.  You can't really do that with a single cable jacket.


----------



## luisdent

pxss said:


> luisdent said:
> 
> 
> > pxss said:
> ...


 
  
 Not really defensive.  But you weren't exactly being helpful in that last post.   Just want to be pointed to some cable that fits my needs or the appropriate thread I should be asking in.  That's all.


----------



## FallenAngel

If you're planning to braid the wires yourself (as I pretty much always do), just pick a decent wire that works. I'm generally a huge fan of good quality mil-spec SPC from navships on eBay. Stay away from the Kapton wire as the shielding is quite thin and not as flexible (as well as microphonic), but the Teflon coated cables are great. Usually I go with 24-26 awg, 19 strand wire.


----------



## luisdent

I'll check that out.


----------



## MemoryLeak

fallenangel said:


> If you're planning to braid the wires yourself (as I pretty much always do), just pick a decent wire that works. I'm generally a huge fan of good quality mil-spec SPC from navships on eBay. Stay away from the Kapton wire as the shielding is quite thin and not as flexible (as well as microphonic), but the Teflon coated cables are great. Usually I go with 24-26 awg, 19 strand wire.


 
 Could you pm me a link to that ebay user? Can't seem to find them.


----------



## FallenAngel

Glad you like it. He's a great asset to the DIY community. I use his shop nearly exclusively for small projects. If you plan to build a lot of cables (yeah... it happens when the hobby takes over), consider searching ebay for 1000' spools, you'll save a bunch of money on one of these as they sometimes come up as military surplus at about $100-$200 for a spool


----------



## FallenAngel

http://stores.ebay.ca/johnssilverteflonwireshop/


----------



## MemoryLeak

fallenangel said:


> http://stores.ebay.ca/johnssilverteflonwireshop/


 
 Sweet! How flexible is this stuff? I am looking for something that will have little to no memory.


----------



## FallenAngel

The Teflon wire is very flexible, but it really depends on stranded vs solid-core, as well as strand count. 26awg 19 strand for headphones is very good.


----------



## MemoryLeak

fallenangel said:


> The Teflon wire is very flexible, but it really depends on stranded vs solid-core, as well as strand count. 26awg 19 strand for headphones is very good.


 
 Awesome, thanks again.


----------



## MoonSung

fallenangel said:


> Glad you like it. He's a great asset to the DIY community. I use his shop nearly exclusively for small projects. If you plan to build a lot of cables (yeah... it happens when the hobby takes over), consider searching ebay for 1000' spools, you'll save a bunch of money on one of these as they sometimes come up as military surplus at about $100-$200 for a spool



You get those 1000' spools from navships? Or other sellers


----------



## Kamakahah

The mil spec wire from Navships and similar eBay stores isn't exactly the 'flexible' that you get from other wire available. It's actually pretty stiff. I agree that you should avoid the kapton and pick the 19 strand. I use it from time to time. Works great for ground wires to save on the total cost of a cable. 
 It also tends to be memory prone. That can be useful or annoying depending on what it's used for. But you simply can't beat the value it offers. Great for practice. 
  
 Going back a page, 30 minutes to strip 4 feet of mogami/canare? Well, you'll get better with practice.
 Sit down at a table with your favorite razor. Push in until you feel the shielding and run the blade across it as far as you can. I can usually do about 8-10 inches per run. It can help if you tape it down. You can simply slide the shielding off. Loosen both ends by pushing them in to expand them. You can easily slide it off after that with very little effort. 
 The process shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes for a six foot length once you get your technique down. 
  
 Brian does special order his wire from Mogami. You might wonder why buy his for more then? $0.80 per foot vs ~$0.12-0.30 per foot. Well, it was stated that his wire comes in both clear and black colors of insulation. If you're going for a specific braided look, that can be beneficial. Another reason is that it doesn't come with the kinks. Freeing mogami/canare from it's twisted form leaves kinks in the wire. That can make it more difficult to braid evenly. The final reason I haven't actually confirmed, but I assume that his SPC is also Mogami. Not sure if anywhere else offers SPC mogami. 
  
 All of those have their uses. I still feel that it's hard to beat the price/performance ratio of Canare L-4E5C at $0.48/foot or effectively $0.12/foot. You could get the S model for a few cents more if you want larger awg. I just like the way the mini quad easily sleeves.


----------



## frozst

frozst said:


> Hi! Does anyone know where to buy those flex plastic earhooks to DIY in earphones?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Does anyone know what's the name of that tube? I've seen pictures and it seems just a tube, no memory wire inside... So I'm looking for buying the same for my own cable.

Thanks!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


----------



## ostewart

I dislike Neutrik as they look boring, feel quite clunky and I generally just dont like them. The neutrik Right angle jacks are not too bad, but for myself I always use straight jacks.


----------



## PXSS

kamakahah said:


> Going back a page, 30 minutes to strip 4 feet of mogami/canare? Well, you'll get better with practice.
> Sit down at a table with your favorite razor. Push in until you feel the shielding and run the blade across it as far as you can. I can usually do about 8-10 inches per run. It can help if you tape it down. You can simply slide the shielding off. Loosen both ends by pushing them in to expand them. You can easily slide it off after that with very little effort.
> The process shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes for a six foot length once you get your technique down.
> 
> All of those have their uses. I still feel that it's hard to beat the price/performance ratio of Canare L-4E5C at $0.48/foot or effectively $0.12/foot. You could get the S model for a few cents more if you want larger awg. I just like the way the mini quad easily sleeves.


Right on! I've only taken out the inner wires out once and was scared to puncture or cut any of the inner wires, you can definitely do it much faster with practice. I wasn't aware that the canare was so cheap!


----------



## Makiah S

pxss said:


> Brian is a great craftsman! Hopefully you'll have your D2K's back soon!
> Mogami is OFC copper though, and brian uses the 26awg version which is slightly smaller but more flexible. I've worked with both types, you should be happy with the outcome!


 
 Ah OFC good stuff either way


----------



## Kamakahah

pxss said:


> Right on! I've only taken out the inner wires out once and was scared to puncture or cut any of the inner wires, you can definitely do it much faster with practice. I wasn't aware that the canare was so cheap!


 
  
 I was the same way on my first cable. Was afraid of cutting through to the inner cables. That shielding does a great job of protecting and is actually perfect for cutting away the PVC. The blade can run right along it as a guide to make the process smooth. You'll actually find that with after a cable or two, there won't even be any damage to the shielding either. 
  
 I just use a cheap $0.99 break away hand razor that you find usually at the counter of hardware stores and it works great. Soon as it gets too dull for my liking, I simply break away to the next one. 
  
 The hardest part has always been keeping the cable from rolling while cutting. Find what works to solve that for your specific setup and you're solid. I actually sit in front of the TV with one of those folding dinner trays when I do it so I can watch stuff while stripping/sleeving. Lazy much? Yeah 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





.


----------



## Roy2001

I bought a HD598, looking to DIY cable. Can you guys recommend parts? especially 3.5mm plug. Thanks.


----------



## PXSS

roy2001 said:


> I bought a HD598, looking to DIY cable. Can you guys recommend parts? especially 3.5mm plug. Thanks.


My favorite site for DIY materials has got to be Double Helix Cables, top notch parts from their cables to their mini plugs.

If you want something cheaper Redco has Canare and Mogami cables and a good variety of plugs. I prefer the Neutrik Rean from their offerings.


----------



## MoonSung

Yeah neutrik connectors are great on a budget, usually cheaper than the other big names


----------



## funch

Personally, the only Neutrik connectors I don't like are the straight mini plugs. Bang for the buck, it's very hard to beat Neutrik connectors.
 They are extremely well built and easy to work with.
  
 IMHO, the uber expensive 'high-end' connectors are a waste of money. Lots of bling, but I would challenge anyone to actually hear any
 differences with the high dollar stuff.


----------



## Roy2001

pxss said:


> My favorite site for DIY materials has got to be Double Helix Cables, top notch parts from their cables to their mini plugs.
> 
> If you want something cheaper Redco has Canare and Mogami cables and a good variety of plugs. I prefer the Neutrik Rean from their offerings.


 
 Do you know where I can find a good 2.5mm connector for HD598? Thanks.


----------



## Toxic Cables

The Neutrik are as good as any other connector. The only reason to buy something else is for the looks, ease of use or preference. As long as the connector is built well, they will all sound the same IMO.
  
 I exclusively use Viablue and Oyaide as standard in all my cables, they look awesome.


----------



## larken

roy2001 said:


> Do you know where I can find a good 2.5mm connector for HD598? Thanks.


 
 afaik, most of the 2.5mm connectors available wouldn't fit the 598 and have the twist lock notches (it's proprietary).
  
 You'd have to harvest the part from the stock cable.
  
 an alternative would be to order a cable from http://www.ebay.com/itm/261255113290 and swap out the wires with your own. However, I'm not certain if those plugs are openable, so purchase at your own risk.


----------



## Kamakahah

roy2001 said:


> Do you know where I can find a good 2.5mm connector for HD598? Thanks.


 
  
  


larken said:


> afaik, most of the 2.5mm connectors available wouldn't fit the 598 and have the twist lock notches (it's proprietary).
> 
> You'd have to harvest the part from the stock cable.
> 
> an alternative would be to order a cable from http://www.ebay.com/itm/261255113290 and swap out the wires with your own. However, I'm not certain if those plugs are openable, so purchase at your own risk.


 
  
 Little bit pricey, but http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3574 is an option. You'll also have to wait quite a bit for it to arrive.


----------



## luisdent

toxic cables said:


> The Neutrik are as good as any other connector. The only reason to buy something else is for the looks, ease of use or preference. As long as the connector is built well, they will all sound the same IMO.
> 
> I exclusively use Viablue and Oyaide as standard in all my cables, they look awesome.


 
  
 I agree.  And there's nothing wrong with preferring one over another for looks.  I'm happy with the neutriks myself, but they're are some sexy connectors out there.  But sound-wise as long as the connectors are good there will be no difference.  Soldering is easier on some, and the stress relief and clamping mechanisms may be different, but that is more for ease of making the cable.  I find the neutriks easy to use thought personally.


----------



## wolfetan44

Hey, soldered a cable with the DHC Rhodium Elite plug yesterday, it is definately up there with the easiest miniplug to solder with.


----------



## 65535

I have some coming in to make Element Case friendly cables really only 1 for my car, but I think I'll make a Mini-Mini too just to have around.
  
 If they're as easy to work with as Canare and Amphenol 1/8" TRS then they'll be just fine to work with.


----------



## DMinor

Can you guys recommend a smallest 3.5mm female plug to be used in a diymod? Basically I want diy a line out from the DAC using this female plug.
  
  
 Also has anyone compared the sonic difference between the Toxic silver and the Plussound silver/gold?


----------



## SkyBleu

Anyone tried the Neotech wires before? If so, would you recommend it?


----------



## ben_r_

vortexblast said:


> I just finished making a cable for my T50RPs
> 
> 
> I used a Neutrik NTP3RC-B for the headphone end and a ViaBlue T6s Small. Cable is a Mogami Neglex 2534 quad balanced cable.
> Now I've got a question, I did this cable without soldering the copper ground shielding to the sleeve but rather I soldered the remaining two cables to the sleeve. Will that provide enough RFI shielding or should I have soldered the ground shielding or is it not necessary?



Had the same question, can anyone knows answer this.


----------



## luisdent

ben_r_ said:


> vortexblast said:
> 
> 
> > I just finished making a cable for my T50RPs
> ...


 
  
 That's fine at that length.  No problem at all.


----------



## luisdent

A 3.5 TRS to 1/4" TS Y-adapter I made for a friend:
  

  
 Paracord for the sleeve, neutrik nys series connectors and a bit of heatshrink for the split...  Very flexible. 
  
 UPDATE:  oops.  meant to put this in the gallery thread.  moved it there.  sorry.


----------



## srslee

Hi, my extension cable for my IEMs ripped and I wanted to repair it and hopefully shorten the extension cable a few inches. Here's a picture of it:
  
 http://imgur.com/i03sVSA
  
 Would it still be possible to use the female connector in the picture or would I have to replace that entirely? I've never done this before, but I can solder. Guidance on how best to proceed would be much appreciated, thanks ^^


----------



## MoonSung

Can one sleeve uninsulated cables with paracord to make a braided cable? Or will the cables short?


----------



## ben_r_

vortexblast said:


> Now I've got a question, I did this cable without soldering the copper ground shielding to the sleeve but rather I soldered the remaining two cables to the sleeve. Will that provide enough RFI shielding or should I have soldered the ground shielding or is it not necessary?



Sorry, meat the question regarding what to do with the shielding in the Star Quad cable. Should it be soldered to the sleeve or cut off.


----------



## TrollDragon

ben_r_ said:


> Sorry, meat the question regarding what to do with the shielding in the Star Quad cable. Should it be soldered to the sleeve or cut off.


Your choice, either way will have no effect on the headphone cable.


----------



## PETEREK

ben_r_ said:


> Sorry, meat the question regarding what to do with the shielding in the Star Quad cable. Should it be soldered to the sleeve or cut off.


 
 I never use the sleeve, ever.


----------



## 65535

I always use it. I like the added strength of the joint between the cable and the connector, though I almost exclusively use Neutrik connectors with chuck strain relief. In a 3 conductor cable like balanced or headphones I use starquad and wire it as indicated by the wire mfg. 2 wire to hot 2 wires to cold shield to ground. Headphones or stereo signal is 2 left 2 right and shield ground. Unless it's a dual entry then I just connect shield at the connector for strength.


----------



## cerealkillr

I made a cable out of GEPCO wire based on a recommendation from someone and I don't quite like how it feels. It's almost flexible enough and it's soft, but it's tight around the wires and I can feel them through the casing and I dislike that. 
  
 I was wondering if anyone knew how canare and mogami cables felt in terms of how soft the casing is, how flexible it is, and if you can easily feel the wires inside by touching the casing lightly.


----------



## PETEREK

Canare L-4E6s is thicker than the Mogami w2893. Mogami is much more flexible than the Canare, but the Canare isn't too stiff for a cable. I made a cable with the Mogami w2893 the other day and stripped the insulation and the paper wrapped around the wire, and left the white strings to help with microphonics. That cable is about as flexible as a shoelace, it's awesome.
  

  

  

  
 I wasn't ever really a fan of leaving the wires visible with the Mogami, but I think it looks good on my cable. I was about to put paracord over it, and then just ended up using clear heat shrink. I like the way it turned out. I guess I just think it looks cheap when someone does it on a hard-wired cable. Idk that's just me.


----------



## 65535

Depends on what you're doing.
  
 Mogami and Canare both make two sizes of starquad (which is the common wire most people use for cables)
  
 Mogami W2534 is a full size 6.0mm OD cable with served shielding and 24awg conductors.
 Mogami W2893 is a compact 4.8mm OD cable with served shielding and 26awg conductors.
  
 Canare L-4E6S is a full size 6.0mm OD cable with braided shielding and 24awg conductors.
 Canare L-4E5C is a compact 4.8mm OD cable with braided sheilding and 26awg conductors.
  
 Both companies use very similar PVC jackets with nearly identical texture and suppleness. Mogami's served shielding can cause some twisting issues so be sure to straighten out the cable before working with it, the shielding can cause a permanent twist in the cable which requires retermination to straighten the shield wires out. 
  
 If made up some 4' Mogami cables and had to redo them because the served shield was not straight and the cable will never fully straighten until I reterminate it and straighten the shield.
  
 Other than that Mogami's served shield is easier to work with as you don't have to unbraid the shield to work with it just untwist.
  
 They all feel round and you can not feel the internals as they use thick jackets, even shields and filler between the conductors. They are the best audio cables for transmission of analog audio.
  
 Watch out for plenum rated and console cable, often it's thin jacketed with harder jacket for professional in-wall permanent installation and not portable use.


----------



## MoonSung

How do you guys get paracord sleeved cables through a tight connector? I can always get the cable through but the paracord always gets snagged n pulls off the cable as I try to thread it through


----------



## ben_r_

moonsung said:


> How do you guys get paracord sleeved cables through a tight connector? I can always get the cable through but the paracord always gets snagged n pulls off the cable as I try to thread it through


 

 Little bit of white plumbers tape on the end of the wire before feeding?


----------



## Kamakahah

A little tape as mentioned above, or leave the paracord a little long so it'll go past the end of the cable. You can then put the connector over pretty easily. Cut off the access paracord after.


----------



## srslee

srslee said:


> Hi, my extension cable for my IEMs ripped and I wanted to repair it and hopefully shorten the extension cable a few inches. Here's a picture of it:
> 
> http://imgur.com/i03sVSA
> 
> Would it still be possible to use the female connector in the picture or would I have to replace that entirely? I've never done this before, but I can solder. Guidance on how best to proceed would be much appreciated, thanks ^^


 
 Please respond


----------



## Kamakahah

Lots of missing information to answer your question. 

Can you open the connector? 
Are the inside solder contacts in place or damaged? 
Do you own a multimeter?


----------



## 65535

Enameled and fiber reinforced wire, a plug that is molded on. Do yourself a favor, replace it and don't break the new one.


----------



## Kamakahah

65535 said:


> Enameled and fiber reinforced wire, a plug that is molded on. Do yourself a favor, replace it and don't break the new one.


 
  
 Now that I'm looking at the picture on the computer and not my phone, I totally agree with this ^^^. 
  
 Save yourself the frustration and time by simply buying new parts. It'll turn out better with far less work.


----------



## srslee

kamakahah said:


> Now that I'm looking at the picture on the computer and not my phone, I totally agree with this ^^^.
> 
> Save yourself the frustration and time by simply buying new parts. It'll turn out better with far less work.


 
  
 Sounds good, the only thing is I've bought a couple replacements and cables are bulky/heavy, making it a bit uncomfortable to wear the IEMs. Any suggestions on where I could buy a 1.5 to 2 inch extension cable that's thin/light for a reasonable price? Having a difficult time finding a light cable that's around that length. Thanks guys.


----------



## 65535

What IEMs do you have and what length from connector to connector do you want the cable to be? Does it need 3 button remote inline, or other features?


----------



## srslee

Audio-Technica CKM500. Length needs to be any around 1.5 to 2 inches long and doesn't need any other features ^^


----------



## lljayll

Hey Guys, I just have a quick question about the drain wire. It is only connected on one end when making an RCA jack and not on the other? I tried a search but couldn't find this info. I'm even seeing conflicting things online.


----------



## 65535

It's more preference, I do both sides for more mechanical strength than anything. You can do it to just one though.


----------



## PXSS

Not really.
From the Van Den Hul Wiring Guide:


> Using shielded twin core cable is recommended:
> In this situation the audio signal ground is carried by a dedicated line, which signal current, being separated from the shield, can not easily be interfered with by the shield’s noise currents caused by external interference. This advantage especially counts when low (e.g. microphone) signal levels are being transferred and/or long cable lengths are used. (With shielded single core cable on the other hand, the noise signal built up across the shield effectively is in series with (i.e. adds up to) the audio signal).
> Furthermore, in connecting the shield to ground only at one side of the cable and lifting it at the other side it functions as a true screen: It does not carry any audio signal; It screens the inner conductors and drains away unwanted noise to one location




If you do not have a twin core cable then connect the shield on both ends


----------



## 65535

pxss said:


> Not really.
> From the Van Den Hul Wiring Guide:
> If you do not have a twin core cable then connect the shield on both ends


 
  
 I don't think it would be considered a drain wire on a single conductor cable. Generally I've only seen drain wire indicated on multi-conductor cable such as balanced or control cable.


----------



## PXSS

65535 said:


> pxss said:
> 
> 
> > Not really.
> ...


The drain wire simply serves as an easier soldering point to the shield. Whether its single core or multi core, the drain is still the shield and thus you would connect it as the shield on the source side or both depending on the number of core wires.


----------



## lljayll

Thanks for the replies guys.
  
 Quote:


pxss said:


> The drain wire simply serves as an easier soldering point to the shield. Whether its single core or multi core, the drain is still the shield and thus you would connect it as the shield on the source side or both depending on the number of core wires.


 
  
 What I'm planning to do is use a wire with four inner wires and a shielding mesh. I want to use two of the wires as a positive and two as the ground. So do I connect the shield wire on one side or both sides? I'm suspecting only on one side.


----------



## PXSS

lljayll said:


> What I'm planning to do is use a wire with four inner wires and a shielding mesh. I want to use two of the wires as a positive and two as the ground. So do I connect the shield wire on one side or both sides? I'm suspecting only on one side.



You should only connect it on the source side.


----------



## lljayll

pxss said:


> You should only connect it on the source side.


 
 Thanks so much PXSS.


----------



## 65535

One side is appropriate.


----------



## fenderf4i

Where would I find some kind of "connecting block", or whatever that may be called, to keep two interconnect cables together in a pair, like in this picture. Is there anywhere that sells something like that?


----------



## ben_r_

fenderf4i said:


> Where would I find some kind of "connecting block", or whatever that may be called, to keep two interconnect cables together in a pair, like in this picture. Is there anywhere that sells something like that?


 

 Why wouldnt you just use velco cable ties, sprial wire wrap, twist ties, or anything else out there more common?!


----------



## fenderf4i

ben_r_ said:


> Why wouldnt you just use velco cable ties, sprial wire wrap, twist ties, or anything else out there more common?!





So that they have a high end, quality look to them...


----------



## ben_r_

fenderf4i said:


> So that they have a high end, quality look to them...


 

 lol that block of wood awkwardly placed in between those cables looks "high end" to you?


----------



## fenderf4i

ben_r_ said:


> lol that block of wood awkwardly placed in between those cables looks "high end" to you?





Sure. I'll take your suggestion and use twist ties. That would just be amazing!


----------



## ben_r_

fenderf4i said:


> Sure. I'll take your suggestion and use twist ties. That would just be amazing!


 

 Hey, wooden blocks are hot too! Enjoy


----------



## PXSS

I like the look to be honest. Don't know where they're sold but I don't think they would be too hard to make. DIY FTW!


----------



## fenderf4i

pxss said:


> I like the look to be honest. Don't know where they're sold but I don't think they would be too hard to make. DIY FTW!




I would prefer a metal one, I really just want to know if there are any nice options available for something similar to that.


----------



## PXSS

Nothing you cant do with a drill, a good saw and sanding tools!


----------



## lljayll

fenderf4i said:


> Where would I find some kind of "connecting block", or whatever that may be called, to keep two interconnect cables together in a pair, like in this picture. Is there anywhere that sells something like that?


 
 I'm interested in this too. I'm particularly looking for a y splitter similar to the viablue one. Has anyone seen where I can get one? I know double helix cables is getting one in but it isn't available yet.


----------



## wolfetan44

I love the look of that wood block.


----------



## DingoSmuggler

pxss said:


> Nothing you cant do with a drill, a good saw and sanding tools!


 
 Precisely!!!
 This is a thread in the *DIY* section after all.
 If you take the *I* & the *Y* away, all you're left with is the *D*.


----------



## SkyBleu

dingosmuggler said:


> Precisely!!!
> This is a thread in the *DIY* section after all.
> If you take the *I* & the *Y* away, all you're left with is the *D*.




Are you only pointing that out because you want the D?


----------



## elafrican

Good day guys.
 I own a pair of Harman Kardon's NC.
 I would like to make DIY balanced cable for them. I guess the improvement for these headphones won't be tremendous, but at I'm building a DIY amp also, even if I have a dedicated one, but I want to learn stuff, hence the cables.
 My main issues with these headphones are:
 - The headphone has only 1 cable: 2.5 mm(3/32 in) jack at headphone input and 3.5 mm(1/8 in) jack at source output. This means that I need only twisted cable, with 2 signal cables and 1 ground, right?
 - Is there a 2.5 mm TRS connector? I found sth on Wiki, but it's a little vague. Or should I get a 3.5 mm TRS connector and a 3.5 to 2.5 adapter?
 - My main source is 1/8 in output, but my amp is 1/4 in. Also I've read that some amps have XLR output. Having that in mind, do you think it's best to have the other end of the cable XLR with 1/8 and 1/4 adapters for different equipment? I realize it's gonna be bulky, but then again, people look at me weird when I have the simple NCs, a little big XLR connection won't bring extra attention.
  
 Thank you for your help.
 Kind regards.


----------



## FrozenPanda

elafrican said:


> Good day guys.
> I own a pair of Harman Kardon's NC.
> I would like to make DIY balanced cable for them. I guess the improvement for these headphones won't be tremendous, but at I'm building a DIY amp also, even if I have a dedicated one, but I want to learn stuff, hence the cables.
> My main issues with these headphones are:
> ...




Try mini xlr. And then have an adapter for eighth quarter and xlr plugs. 

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk


----------



## elafrican

frozenpanda said:


> Try mini xlr. And then have an adapter for eighth quarter and xlr plugs.
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk


 

 Ok, sounds good. But what to do with the 2.5 mm that goes into the headphone? I found a 3.5 to 2.5 adapter, but it says the headphone microphone won't work with it, which kinda sucks, though if I buy a dedicated source, it won't be a problem, but you never know when I'll use my phone. 
 I guess it's a trade in, trading voice for higher audio quality.
 I'll keep looking for a TRS 2.5 mm jack, see if there is one out there, if not, I'll prolly put a 3.5 or mini xlr and buy a good adapter to 2.5mm.
 Sigh...
  
 edit:
 Nvm this, I've found on Mouser 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm TRS jacks. Yey!


> Does anyone know if the microphone will work with these new jacks? Or I should get a 4 pin jack to connect the microphone wire also? I've never sliced such a cable to see what's under it.


 
 After editing for 10 times and searching the web for 2 hours for a damn jack, I've realized that if I get a new cable it will not have microphone in it!!! I am dumb sometimes. But my question still stands, for the future, if I'll ever need this info.
  
 edit2:
 So after some research I've ended up understanding that 26 AWG is @0.25 sq mm. Can I use speaker cable for braiding? I found a website that offers either speaker cable from AWG 11 to AWG 26 or I can choose single core cable with AWG30/26/24. Which works best?
  
  



 According to the image and my knowledge the 3.5 mm is TRRS. Does this mean my cable is balanced already? Or youc an have an unbalanced cable with TRS connectors?


----------



## RubberDuk

I ordered some 26 AWG Mogami wire. Does Type I/micro paracord for individual 26 AWG and Type III/550 for 4*26 AWG braid seem right? I'd like to make two cables for starters: one with each wire sleeved and one where I just remove the shielding and use one sleeve up to the y-splitter. Also what would be the appropriate heat shrink size for 2*26 and 4*26 AWG respectively?


----------



## Zashoomin

elafrican said:


> According to the image and my knowledge the 3.5 mm is TRRS. Does this mean my cable is balanced already? Or youc an have an unbalanced cable with TRS connectors?


 
 That 4th sleeve you see on the TRRS is for the remote and mike.  3.5mm / 2.5mm / 1/4" connectors are only unbalanced and unless you recable your headphone you can only get an unbalanced connection.


----------



## MemoryLeak

Thinking of trying MMCX on my next mod. Does anyone know where to get MMCX female panel mount/bulkheads as well as male connections? Not having much luck on ebay.


----------



## 65535

Digikey is great. We use them for as many of our components as possible at work. They've done well by us.
  
 https://www.digikey.com/product-highlights/us/en/molex-mmcx-microminiature-rf-connectors/2545
  
 Here's a bulkhead MMCX(f)
  
 http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?pv69=527&FV=fff40016%2Cfff8051a&k=MMCX&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25


----------



## MemoryLeak

65535 said:


> Digikey is great. We use them for as many of our components as possible at work. They've done well by us.
> 
> https://www.digikey.com/product-highlights/us/en/molex-mmcx-microminiature-rf-connectors/2545
> 
> ...


 
 Awesome thanks. I was actually looking at this one, is the one you linked similar (no image).
  
 http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/262120/ACX2005-ND/3088390
  
What is the turn around time for digikey? They seem to have everything needed.
  
 Ordered, stoked, can't wait.


----------



## 65535

The one I linked was a panel mount with the nut on the backside so you only see a socket on the face of the panel and the thread and nut is behind. It also has a solid mounted center pin with a solder point on the back.


----------



## Androb

Not the best material but it's still good sounding!


----------



## TrollDragon

Nice MK VI+, what tubes?


----------



## Androb

It is the ones supplied with the amp  But I got some new tubes coming my way, russian tubes


----------



## fenderf4i

That's a Little Dot??? That looks fantastic. Absolutely beautiful.


----------



## TrollDragon

androb said:


> It is the ones supplied with the amp  But I got some new tubes coming my way, russian tubes


I do love me some Soviet tubes! CCCP FTW.


----------



## robert123wr

How can I make a TF10 cable?


----------



## Brendanz

Does anyone know where to buy para cord sleeve for 26awg 4 core cables ?


----------



## MoonSung

brendanz said:


> Does anyone know where to buy para cord sleeve for 26awg 4 core cables ?



I believe 750 paracord should fit that. You should be able to find it on eBay or from a quick Google.


----------



## Brendanz

moonsung said:


> I believe 750 paracord should fit that. You should be able to find it on eBay or from a quick Google.




Ok thanks. This 750 paracord is core-less for the wire right ?


----------



## PETEREK

brendanz said:


> Ok thanks. This 750 paracord is core-less for the wire right ?


 
 There is nothing inside of paracord except the white string that you're supposed to remove, so yes.


----------



## Brendanz

peterek said:


> There is nothing inside of paracord except the white string that you're supposed to remove, so yes.


 
 Noted. Thank you .


----------



## elafrican

Hey guys. 
I've asked this already, but nobody answered me, so I'll ask again so I know what to do. 



I know 4 rings means TRRS, but if a cable has TRS or TRRS connectors, does that make it balanced? 
I already have my headphone cable with TRRS 3.5 mm and TRS 2.5 mm, so if it's balanced already, I'll switch to recabling some other ICs or in ear hp. 

Also, how can one measure the benefit of a newly built cable or compare two different cables? Spectrum analyzer? Oscilloscope? Recording my voice with an external microphone THROUGH that cable and create a matlab function that measures SNR and other stuff?


Thanks for the help. 
Regards.


----------



## ben_r_

elafrican said:


> Hey guys.
> I've asked this already, but nobody answered me, so I'll ask again so I know what to do.
> 
> 
> ...


 

 Your questions are way too board and require quite a bit of in depth information to properly answer. Thats probably why no one has taken the time to answer. Spend some time googling, learn what "balanced" actually means and whether or not cables actually make a difference at all.


----------



## elafrican

ben_r_ said:


> Your questions are way too board and require quite a bit of in depth information to properly answer. Thats probably why no one has taken the time to answer. Spend some time googling, learn what "balanced" actually means and whether or not cables actually make a difference at all.




I did research balanced audio before asking questions. My common sense states that if a cable has 3/4 pin connectors they should be balanced, as I it useless to use those connectors and only 1 signal cable.
I'll try to remake the questions to be more spot on, if not, I'll drop the subject. 

Did anyone experienced a cable with 3/4 pin connectors and only one signal cable?
What is your preferred method of determining the improvement of a new cable over an old one or a benchmark? 

Some say it is an improvement, I guess the prices on cables for high end equipment(I do not own such equip and I might not feel any difference, but you don't know until you try it, plus I find it exciting to try it) reflect the improvements and some say there is no difference. In my electronics experience, diminishing noise using whatever methods is a good thing, it only remains to see if the user feels any difference, technology related there is one.

Kind regards.

Edit: I guess I can try and use a cable with 2 pin connectors on my headphones to see if there is any difference(provided my stock cables are balanced).


----------



## 65535

A headphone has 2 signals going to it. It requires 4 wires and 4 pins on the connector to be balanced. All that means is that their is a separate ground for the left and right drivers. I don't know how your headphones are wired internally, if the TRRS jack in the headphones has 2 wires going to each driver then you can make a balanced cable fairly easily. If the stock cable has 4 wires in it and two are connected to the ground in the TRS then you can just replace it with a 4 pin or dual 3 pin connectors and connect it to a balanced amp. Now you'll need to use an adapter to use it with a standard amp.
  
 Balanced interconnections are not the same as balanced headphone cables. The former uses a hot, cold, and a ground reference while the latter jus indicates a headphone with separate grounds.
  
 Unless you have a damaged cable or seriously undersized (the latter is common on cheaper headphones and some nice ones) don't expect a difference in the cable. Worry about aesthetics and feel. Dynamic drivers don't need more than 26awg generally 24awg being a little more durable. Orthos that require a lot of power benefit from 22-20awg wire.
  
 Obviously I don't believe in the "value" of things like silver cables and über expensive plugs without proper cable clamps.


----------



## elafrican

65535 said:


> A headphone has 2 signals going to it. It requires 4 wires and 4 pins on the connector to be balanced. All that means is that their is a separate ground for the left and right drivers. I don't know how your headphones are wired internally, if the TRRS jack in the headphones has 2 wires going to each driver then you can make a balanced cable fairly easily. If the stock cable has 4 wires in it and two are connected to the ground in the TRS then you can just replace it with a 4 pin or dual 3 pin connectors and connect it to a balanced amp. Now you'll need to use an adapter to use it with a standard amp.
> 
> Balanced interconnections are not the same as balanced headphone cables. The former uses a hot, cold, and a ground reference while the latter jus indicates a headphone with separate grounds.
> 
> ...


 

 Thank you for your response. Kind of understood it all. My headphone uses a single source-hp cable and there is another cable going under the headband that connects the 2 drivers. Considering the cable has built in microphone, it can be, 1 ground, 1 microphone and 2 signal wires.


----------



## MoonSung

elafrican said:


> Thank you for your response. Kind of understood it all. My headphone uses a single source-hp cable and there is another cable going under the headband that connects the 2 drivers. Considering the cable has built in microphone, it can be, 1 ground, 1 microphone and 2 signal wires.




That is most likely the case, I think the only balanced 3.5mm TRRS is some obscure hifiman one.


----------



## jhao19

Hi, I recently made my own cable. However, after finishing and testing it, I found that due to both ground cables being attached to the same ground pin in the 3.5mm jack, it transfers a bit of each channel into the other (only about 20% volume). I figured I could attach some diodes to the ground wire so that it'll prevent sound from coming up it, but it just distorted the sound, and I don't know what else to try.  Any help is appreciated!


----------



## FallenAngel

jhao19 said:


> Hi, I recently made my own cable. However, after finishing and testing it, I found that due to both ground cables being attached to the same ground pin in the 3.5mm jack, it transfers a bit of each channel into the other (only about 20% volume). I figured I could attach some diodes to the ground wire so that it'll prevent sound from coming up it, but it just distorted the sound, and I don't know what else to try.  Any help is appreciated!


 
  
 It doesn't really work that way... just consider that the ground is attached at the connector of all headphone cables and inside all unbalanced audio equipment.


----------



## jhao19

fallenangel said:


> It doesn't really work that way... just consider that the ground is attached at the connector of all headphone cables and inside all unbalanced audio equipment.


 
  
 Hmm, true.  Then how should I stop the audio from leaking from one driver into the other?


----------



## FallenAngel

The short answer is it doesn't.


----------



## jhao19

fallenangel said:


> The short answer is it doesn't.


 
 It's actually happening in my earbuds in the cables I made right now =\


----------



## 65535

That sounds like a much more serious problem. Maybe a single strand of a wire shorted across the signal pins in the connector.
  
 There's definitely something wrong with the cable.


----------



## ben_r_

jhao19 said:


> It's actually happening in my earbuds in the cables I made right now =\


 

 Youve got some other problem there. You have a short somewhere, either in the connectors or somewhere else in the cable, like a break or something. Audio can not just "leak" in these type of low current applications. Its something you or someone else did incorrectly or poorly in the construction of the cable.


----------



## FallenAngel

Yep, sounds like you somehow connected the Left & Right channels together.


----------



## jhao19

ben_r_ said:


> Youve got some other problem there. You have a short somewhere, either in the connectors or somewhere else in the cable, like a break or something. Audio can not just "leak" in these type of low current applications. Its something you or someone else did incorrectly or poorly in the construction of the cable.


 
 But I've even tried connecting everything to only 4 separate wires, and made sure there were no shorts there.  Could it somehow be the plug?  It can't be the headphone connectors, as those are connected in no way except to the respective side's + and - wires.


----------



## MoonSung

jhao19 said:


> But I've even tried connecting everything to only 4 separate wires, and made sure there were no shorts there.  Could it somehow be the plug?  It can't be the headphone connectors, as those are connected in no way except to the respective side's + and - wires.




Use a multimeter to test for continuity?


----------



## n00dles0up

Can someone please link me to all the parts I require to make my own headphone cable from UK stores. I have a pair of Grado SR325i and sound no longer works. I have no idea about specific sizes and types of cable needed, I just want something equal or better than stock since my no longer works. I know they are soldered on and have a soldering iron ready.


----------



## ben_r_

n00dles0up said:


> Can someone please link me to all the parts I require to make my own headphone cable from UK stores. I have a pair of Grado SR325i and sound no longer works. I have no idea about specific sizes and types of cable needed, I just want something equal or better than stock since my no longer works. I know they are soldered on and have a soldering iron ready.


 

 Read through the thread. All the links and more are here.


----------



## halfinfinity

I'm interested in recabling a pair of IEM's. Where can I get a wire and housing for the wire? If it helps at all I'm planning to mod the TCM-125's which are not an expensive IEM, so I'm trying to keep the budget down on equipment. I also need a new soldering iron, if anyone has any suggestions. Thanks.


----------



## drez

The OP has a wealth of information on wire, soldering equipment and connectors.


----------



## fenderf4i

Why do the many WBT style RCA connectors have threading where the wires come out? Is there some kind of insert you can get that screws in there or something?


----------



## ferday

fenderf4i said:


> Why do the many WBT style RCA connectors have threading where the wires come out? Is there some kind of insert you can get that screws in there or something?


 
  
 threaded cable strain relievers


----------



## DMinor

Has anyone tried the JUPITER solid silver hook-up wires for IC's?  Would like to know how they perform.
  
 Also how about these Stage III wires?


----------



## TrollDragon

The best reply from the Steve Hoffman forums...
  


> I personally prefer oxidized copper stripped out of 1950s vintage lamp cord, the kind where the rubber coating has hardened. Gives a less "digital" sound.


 
  
 I'd like to have some of their caps though...

  
 Or better yet, some Duelund cast cap's...


----------



## 65535

Note to self buy capacitor, attach larger leads, pot with polyester resin, print information in gold foil. Sell for insane prices.
  
 Also that silver wire looks ridiculous, you bend it it's out of shape and will probably break. Silver is not known for it's ductility, that's pretty thick looking. 
  
 You'd have to pay me to use that since stranded copper wire exists as a better alternative.


----------



## fenderf4i

That silver hookup wire is meant for internal use, where it will get bent once when installed, then never touched again.


----------



## 65535

Seems like an unnecessary pita, also how do you mount it to through hole PCB components?


----------



## TrollDragon

65535 said:


> Note to self buy capacitor, attach larger leads, pot with polyester resin, print information in gold foil. Sell for insane prices.


Shhhhh! Your giving away trade secrets...


----------



## Kamakahah

trolldragon said:


> Shhhhh! Your giving away trade secrets...




Step 1: Make wildly impossible claims about sonic benefits.

Step 2: Make items, including packaging, look expensive. Price absurdly for common materials. 

Step 3: Never EVER...I repeat never link to an actually peer-reviewed study with any scientific proof of any kind to substantiate claims.

Step 4: $$$$

Sorry, I couldn't keep the magic tricks secret anymore.


----------



## TrollDragon

It would be nice to have that kind of insane disposable income to play in all the "Boutique" foolishness...


----------



## ben_r_

kamakahah said:


> Step 1: Make wildly impossible claims about sonic benefits.
> 
> Step 2: Make items, including packaging, look expensive. Price absurdly for common materials.
> 
> ...


 

 Think you nailed it for every manufacturer in this game.


----------



## luisdent

ben_r_ said:


> kamakahah said:
> 
> 
> > Step 1: Make wildly impossible claims about sonic benefits.
> ...


 
  
 +1


----------



## nbriles2000

Where on earth do you find a decent 1/4 jack that unscrews to 1/8th?!


----------



## FallenAngel

nbriles2000 said:


> Where on earth do you find a decent 1/4 jack that unscrews to 1/8th?!


 
  
 You don't usually. I usually just put a 1/4" plug on my home headphones and 3.5mm on portables. If required, just use a simple adapter.


----------



## DVass13

nbriles2000 said:


> Where on earth do you find a decent 1/4 jack that unscrews to 1/8th?!


 
  
 If you don't mind the month or so it will take to ship, then you might like this:
  
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3573


----------



## nbriles2000

Perfect! I've got the time since I don't even have the headphones yet. Thanks


----------



## lljayll

Hey guys. I've been working on some Hifiman and HD800 cables for personal use lately. I've noticed that the neutrik 4 pin XLRs don't come with any sort of strain relief that clamps the cables down. I'm concerned that pulling the cables over time will result in a solder joint weakening and eventually disconnecting. Do any of you have a solution for this?


----------



## funch

This is the strain relief.


----------



## 65535

Neutrik XLR connectors have the best cable clamps in the audio industry, they nearly eliminate damaging from pulling and twisting. 
  
 Is it possible it's not a genuine Neutrik connector? Knockoffs are heard of, some companies don't have very good strain relief at all, the cheap Switchcraft connectors just use a screw clamp like ViaBlue which is a terrible way to prevent cable damage.
  
 Quote:


lljayll said:


> Hey guys. I've been working on some Hifiman and HD800 cables for personal use lately. I've noticed that the neutrik 4 pin XLRs don't come with any sort of strain relief that clamps the cables down. I'm concerned that pulling the cables over time will result in a solder joint weakening and eventually disconnecting. Do any of you have a solution for this?


 
  
  


funch said:


> This is the strain relief.


----------



## lljayll

It did come with that part. I didn't think it was sufficient since I'm used to seeing metal clamps like the ones from RCA jacks. I guess it should be enough. Thanks for your help guys.


----------



## 65535

The metal clamps common in RCA jacks are actually pretty terrible, the chuck Neutrik uses will clamp down evenly on the cable very tightly and ensure it doesn't budge.
  
 There's a reason Neutrik is the choice for professional audio and video, they're tough and rarely fail, unless you run them over with a lift or something, that usually ruins stuff.


----------



## luisdent

65535 said:


> The metal clamps common in RCA jacks are actually pretty terrible, the chuck Neutrik uses will clamp down evenly on the cable very tightly and ensure it doesn't budge.
> 
> There's a reason Neutrik is the choice for professional audio and video, they're tough and rarely fail, unless you run them over with a lift or something, that usually ruins stuff.


Price doesn't always matter. I bought the $0.89 neutrik connectors and my cables are tough and sound perfect. I'm a musician myself and recording engineer of sorts. I wouldn't use anything that would sacrifice quality, and the neutriks of all kinds are great,,,


----------



## 65535

Well it wouldn't affect the sound unless you did damage the cables. From a live sound technicians standpoint I appreciate the durable cable clamp in Neutrik (not to be confused with their subsidiary Rean) connectors. Most cables fail at or near the connector, Neutrik cable clamps genuinely reduce damage to cables. They also provide strain relief from the joint, much stronger than a band of metal crimped on the cable jacket. 
  
 For most use you'll never have an issue with that style, for me I see no reason to shy away from the Neutrik connectors with clamps.


----------



## ben_r_

Neutrik is what EVERY professional uses. Their quality is so tried and true it should never be questioned.


----------



## Kamakahah

So this is a picture of plussound cable. I'm sure many of you will recognize it. They are both 8-strand braids, but I was curious if anyone is familiar with the bottom braid that is silver/black? I rather like the look and wouldn't mind doing that one my next cable.


----------



## ben_r_

kamakahah said:


> So this is a picture of plussound cable. I'm sure many of you will recognize it. They are both 8-strand braids, but I was curious if anyone is familiar with the bottom braid that is silver/black? I rather like the look and wouldn't mind doing that one my next cable.


 
 Yea I like that bottom look a lot too. I imagine its just understanding how the 8-wire braid works and then fitting in the two different colors in that pattern to get the look.
  


seriouslistener said:


> What benefit is this geometry ?


 
 Nothing. People might say itll help with noise rejection, but I doubt anyone could tell a difference. Its just for looks.


----------



## nbriles2000

The amount of cable options is just overwhelming! There needs to be a section that lists like the top 10 budget cables for DIY. 
 I'm only really looking at Mogami and Canare on Redco. Should I be looking at quad microphone cable or snake cable?


----------



## ben_r_

nbriles2000 said:


> The amount of cable options is just overwhelming! There needs to be a section that lists like the top 10 budget cables for DIY.
> I'm only really looking at Mogami and Canare on Redco. Should I be looking at quad microphone cable or snake cable?


 

 There are really only four that people commonly use. Depending on what youre doing its just Canare or Mogami Star Quad or their two conductor cable.


----------



## nbriles2000

ben_r_ said:


> There are really only four that people commonly use. Depending on what youre doing its just Canare or Mogami Star Quad or their two conductor cable.


 
 Ok thats really helpful! I'm building some grado woodies and I have never made a cable before. My girlfriend and I braided 8 strands of CAT5 together the other night, so at least I've got that part down!
  
 I also just stumbled upon this
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/28-AWG-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Assortment-50-feet-7-strand-/380828029190?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item58ab1e9106
 Is it more advantageous to do something like that or should I just go for the star quad?


----------



## emo72

nbriles2000 said:


> The amount of cable options is just overwhelming! There needs to be a section that lists like the top 10 budget cables for DIY.
> I'm only really looking at Mogami and Canare on Redco. Should I be looking at quad microphone cable or snake cable?


 
 yeah, its bewildering. even a top 3 for headphones under 10 dollars a foot/20 dollars a foot
  
 top 3 for rca cables and so on.


----------



## nbriles2000

OK I think I'm going to go with...
 this
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Valab-24-AWG-7-x-0-23mm-Teflon-Silver-Plated-Copper-Wire-10-Meter-/301095818546?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item461ab59532
  
 to braid a 5f cable together and terminate with
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3573
  
 Anybody think that'll work well?
  
 EDIT: realized the black wire I linked was shielded and had a standard white wire inside...
 So I'll probably go with these and separate the two
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-feet-24-AWG-Shielded-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Twisted-Pair-/231147478200?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35d1769cb8


----------



## FallenAngel

24awg coax cable for headphones? That'll be quite thick and not very flexible.


----------



## TrollDragon

nbriles2000 said:


> OK I think I'm going to go with...
> this
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-feet-24-AWG-Black-Shielded-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Coax-/380765814149?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item58a7693d85
> 
> ...


 
  
 Personally I think you'll be able to use that top wire as a headphone stand once you have it all braided up.
 Both of your choices actually look really stiff, but others will correct me if I am wrong.


----------



## emo72

hi guys im looking to replace the long cable on my hd650 with a shorter one for using with my x3 dap. can anyone point me in the right direction? i just want a small 3.5 plug and obviously i know about the special sennheiser connections. its just the darn cable! i have searched but still confused. whats a reasonable budget for cable around 40 dollars? thanks guys.


----------



## nbriles2000

This is exactly why I posted here before buying! What indication do you have that it'll be think? Should I look for something similar in a 26awg?


----------



## nbriles2000

Sorry for the double post but disregard all those ebay links. After digging through this thread awhile long I stumbled upon BTG Audio who has 26awg black and clear at .80 a foot. Thats pretty much exactly what I'm looking for and it seems like its tried and true!


----------



## Kamakahah

trolldragon said:


> Personally I think you'll be able to use that top wire as a headphone stand once you have it all braided up.
> Both of your choices actually look really stiff, but others will correct me if I am wrong.


 
  
 They are generally pretty stiff, microphonic, and feel terrible against the skin. 
  
 The Valeb post actually states that they use it inside projects. Their wire and Navships are both well made, but aren't great for headphone cables for the reasons above unless you sleeve them. So you're right. 
  


nbriles2000 said:


> Sorry for the double post but disregard all those ebay links. After digging through this thread awhile long I stumbled upon BTG Audio who has 26awg black and clear at .80 a foot. Thats pretty much exactly what I'm looking for and it seems like its tried and true!


 
  
 Brian's wire (BTG Audio) works great. It's a good price per foot for OFC copper in transparent/black insulation. Just remember that it is Mogami. The $0.80/ft is for a single wire. If you bought quad microphone cable from Mogami like the W2534, (http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2534.html), each foot is 1.12 but comes with 4 wires per foot so effectively $0.28/foot. Two of the cables are transparent and two are blue colored insulation. So even assuming that you only use the transparent wires, that's essentially $0.56 per foot of the same wire as BTG-audio. 
  
 The trade off is your time. You'll have to strip the Mogami W2534 in order to free the wire. It is easy enough with a razor blade, but your first few times might be frustrating and time consuming. *Edit: Another reason is the option for the black insulation*.  
  
 I still personally buy both depending on the project I'm doing. If you want to make your first build as easy as possible, then buy the BTG-audio cable and avoid the extra time/frustration. If you really want to keep the cost as low as possible and don't mind the extra trade off in time, then get the bulk cable and learn how to strip it. 
  
 I still do recommend the Navship style wire when sleeved or braided with cable like the Mogami, BTG, or more expensive cable as a ground to save money. 
  
 Obviously YMMV..blahblahblah.


----------



## FallenAngel

emo72 said:


> hi guys im looking to replace the long cable on my hd650 with a shorter one for using with my x3 dap. can anyone point me in the right direction? i just want a small 3.5 plug and obviously i know about the special sennheiser connections. its just the darn cable! i have searched but still confused. whats a reasonable budget for cable around 40 dollars? thanks guys.


 
  
 You might be able to fit in around $40, but it'll be tight. Those Sennheiser connectors are $16, a 3.5mm is anywhere from $2-$6 depending on what you get, plus the wire and shipping (hopefully you can find a single supplier for all 3 but that's not guaranteed).
  
 emo72 / nbriles2000 : I actually just got a spool of nice 26awg SPC. If you want, I can send you enough for your cable.
  
 Kamakahah is right though, SPC (and most wires covered in Teflon) tends to be a little stiff and microphonic compared to some of the other polyurethane coatings.


----------



## Kamakahah

fallenangel said:


> Kamakahah is right though, SPC (and most wires covered in Teflon) tends to be a little stiff and microphonic compared to some of the other polyurethane coatings.


 
  
 I forgot to mention the reason, thank you. Teflon is the reason.
  
 The teflon insulation is harder and causes the stiffness. It is also better for protecting the wire: More durable, more heat resistant, etc. While (edit) other polyurethane insulations tend to be softer and are more appealing for use as a headphone cable, the trade off is durability. Most of us making headphone cables won't be affected by the softness of polyurethane coatings, but it's something to consider depending on how you want to use the cable. They also tend to melt faster so be careful when soldering to be quick and efficient as always. Using a low melting temperature solder is what I always recommend.


----------



## nbriles2000

@FallenAngel Thanks a lot for the offer, I'm too damn impatient and I already set in the order for that BTG wire. I bought 10 feet of black and 10 feet of clear silver so it came up to around $20 shipped. I dont feel like a broke the bank considering most of the prebuilt cables I see are in the hundreds xD
  
 @Kamak I went for the BTG because I didn't wanna bother stripping the Mogami and I wanted the black insulation for purely aesthetic reasons. Before you posted that last image I was just going to get pure Mogami and braid whatever colors it came with and use paracord, but now I'm going to cover the braid with clear techflex and make it purdy!


----------



## Kamakahah

nbriles2000 said:


> @Kamak I went for the BTG because I didn't wanna bother stripping the Mogami and I wanted the black insulation for purely aesthetic reasons. Before you posted that last image I was just going to get pure Mogami and braid whatever colors it came with and use paracord, but now I'm going to cover the braid with clear techflex and make it purdy!


 
  
 Good choice. I buy BTG for the same reasons you did. You won't likely be disappointed. Make sure you practice braiding/soldering with some cheap wire first - Especially the soldering. 
  
 I feel that the real benefits of custom cables are functionality, aesthetics, and quality control rather than anything sonically. Being able to make the cable the way you want, with the colors and style you prefer, length desires and to your standards of quality where it's at. Sonic benefits/drawbacks will vary widely based on setup, preferences, bias, other factors and really can't be predicted accurately.


----------



## emo72

fallenangel said:


> You might be able to fit in around $40, but it'll be tight. Those Sennheiser connectors are $16, a 3.5mm is anywhere from $2-$6 depending on what you get, plus the wire and shipping (hopefully you can find a single supplier for all 3 but that's not guaranteed).
> 
> emo72 / nbriles2000 : I actually just got a spool of nice 26awg SPC. If you want, I can send you enough for your cable.
> 
> Kamakahah is right though, SPC (and most wires covered in Teflon) tends to be a little stiff and microphonic compared to some of the other polyurethane coatings.


 
 thanks for the kind offer. im in ireland so i dont want to put you to any trouble. incidentally i was in toronto last month and called into the headphone shop. always worth a visit when im over there. i meant 40 dollars, give or take, for the wire only. it would be nice if it was an improvement on the original cable. cheers mate.


----------



## JacobLee89

kamakahah said:


> I forgot to mention the reason, thank you. Teflon is the reason.
> 
> The teflon insulation is harder and causes the stiffness. It is also better for protecting the wire: More durable, more heat resistant, etc. While the PTFE and other polyurethane insulations tend to be softer and are more appealing for use as a headphone cable, the trade off is durability. Most of us making headphone cables won't be affected by the softness of polyurethane coatings, but it's something to consider depending on how you want to use the cable. They also tend to melt faster so be careful when soldering to be quick and efficient as always. Using a low melting temperature solder is what I always recommend.


 
  

 PTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene, is the polymer under the trade name of Teflon.  PVC is also a commonly used jacket material, though they can be stripped by finger nails. PTFE (Teflon) may be sturdier, but is stiff, tricky to braid, and will require a pair of pliers to hold the wire when stripping.
  
 On hindsight I would have chosen a differently jacketed wire for my HD650 cables, but since they are indoor headphones the issues of microphonics and "unwanted thundery noises" are negated by sitting on the same spot.


----------



## Kamakahah

Sorry was mixing up abbreviations in my minf while writing. Edited. Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## JacobLee89

kamakahah said:


> Sorry was mixing up abbreviations in my minf while writing. Edited. Thanks for the heads up.


 
 It gets very confusing indeed 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





. Especially when everything starts to end on TFE!
  
 I also thought about the annoyances of Teflon coated wires, and experimented by braiding in some parcel string alongside it. This was done by placing the parcel string on the outside of the bundle, and braiding using the tutorial shown here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA2mG2neGIc
  

  
 Behold, a very annoying (but quite attractive) 6 stranded braid experiment (_you can see the learning process in action going on from left to right_). I would like to think that the string would dampen the mircophonics to a degree, but I'd also wonder whether it would affect the sound/shielding in any way as it's no longer *quite* in the litz formation.


----------



## Kamakahah

jacoblee89 said:


> Behold, a very annoying (but quite attractive) 6 stranded braid experiment (_you can see the learning process in action going on from left to right_). I would like to think that the string would dampen the mircophonics to a degree, but I'd also wonder whether it would affect the sound/shielding in any way as it's no longer *quite* in the litz formation.


 
  
 I do something similar with a number of different wires but use crafting string/yarn and other supplies. Still experimenting to find what gives the best flexibility/style/feel.


----------



## 65535

For HD650's I would recommend buying a second cable for $20 or so, and putting a new 3.5mm connector on it after cutting the cable to length. It's an excellent cable. Perfect mix of flexibility and noise resistance thanks to a PVC jacket.


----------



## Kinclad

Hi I hope someone can help me with the following...
  
 My mobile set up us a pair of JH pro16 customs and a FiiO x3. With regards to cable, my stock JH went quite some time ago.
  
 Since then I have purchased custom cables from DoubleHelix, I love these cables but on a few occasions (totally my fault) I have accidentally either pulled the cable from the plug or the iem connector end. Each time I have to send it back to the states for repair (I'm in the UK), which is a pain for them and me.
  
 So my question is...would this be something that I should be able to repair myself? I haven't tackled anything like this before but I like to think I could pick something like this up.
  
 It would be really helpful if someone could point me in the right direction in terms of what basic kit I would require to do this and I guess I would need a little guidance on how to tackle it.
  
 Hope someone may have some ideas.
  
 Cheers,
  
 Mark.


----------



## NubCake

Hello, 
 does anybody know the polarity of MMCX connectors used in IEMs with detachable cables (Shure, UE, etc..) ?
 I would like to know if the outter or the inner part is connected to the ground of the TRS connector.
  
 One of my IEMs has a side not working anymore, I'm almost sure that the problem is the cable and I'd like to try to mod them by adding an MMCX connector and making a custom cable.
  
 Thanks in advance
  
*Edit*: Found it in the Wiki page
http://www.head-fi.org/a/diy-cable-info-and-resources#wires
  

MMCX connector Shure SE535
 Shure SE425
 Shure SE315
 *Shell:* Ground
*Pin:* Signal
Illustrated in this *exploded diagram of the Shure SE215*


----------



## nbriles2000

Anybody ever use a small bullet casing for a Y split?


----------



## nikongod

nbriles2000 said:


> Anybody ever use a small bullet casing for a Y split?


 
  
 Not that I know of (not that my knowledge of such things is extensive) but it sounds cool.


----------



## nbriles2000

I'm having a friend send me a couple to try out... Seems like it could be cool! I figured I would split them with heat shrink like everybody else then put the case on and use hot glue to secure


----------



## nikongod

I think the hard part will be getting the cable to go through it, while still leaving enough "stuff" (primer and text) behind to identify it as the casing from a bullet. 
  
 But things worth doing are seldom easy.
  
 Even if it doesn't work, you will probably have fun anyways.


----------



## nikongod

Just had a great idea! 
  


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Instead of drilling into the "back" of the casing, drill into the sides. This way you do not damage the primer cap/writing at all. 


  
 Click if you get stuck...


----------



## nbriles2000

That's not a bad idea actually. I'm probably gonna get a handful of different calibur shells so I'll try some different things to see what I like best. I'm thinking I'm just gonna drill out the primer and see if it'll fit like that


----------



## Zashoomin

To all those that care.  I just found a 4 pin xlr that isn't made by neutrik.  I don't know about anyone else but I personally was not happy with the fact that 4 pin xlr's where only made by neutrik.  Anyway, I just found that DHC sells one as well in cunjunction with valabs.  http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=143  It looks fantastic by the way, even if its a bit expensive.


----------



## meme

I have some made by Monacor (model NC-504/P) from Audiophonics, cost around €5.


----------



## PXSS

zashoomin said:


> To all those that care.  I just found a 4 pin xlr that isn't made by neutrik.  I don't know about anyone else but I personally was not happy with the fact that 4 pin xlr's where only made by neutrik.  Anyway, I just found that DHC sells one as well in cunjunction with valabs.  http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=143  It looks fantastic by the way, even if its a bit expensive.


I have Neutrik, Switchcraft and the DHC Valabs 4 pin XLR. Will post pics later for comparison. The only downside to the 4 pin Valab is that there is no female for it. I had to mod a switchcraft female insert to make myself an extension plus the Valab's shell is quite heavy in comparison to the others


----------



## Toxic Cables

These are just Valab plugs that have the inserts replaced with an insert from another. You just need to find one that perfectly fits. Valab do not offer or make a 4Pin version of the male or female.


----------



## DMinor

Hi guys what's the best tool to cut this Neutrik plug along the colored line?


----------



## DingoSmuggler

As for 4-pin XLRs I have a Deltron and an Amphenol connector at home, so defintely a whole lot more than just Neutrik out there.


----------



## nikongod

dminor said:


> Hi guys what's the best tool to cut this Neutrik plug along the colored line?


 
  
  
 A lathe. 
  
 The strain relief probably wont work after you cut that part though.


----------



## DMinor

nikongod said:


> A lathe.
> 
> The strain relief wont work after you cut that part though.


 
  
 Yeah I know. Where can I get a simple lathe which gets the job done? Any link for the tool? Thanks


----------



## PXSS

dminor said:


> nikongod said:
> 
> 
> > A lathe.
> ...


 
 Lathes are pretty expensive. Don't think it's worth spending 200+ to trim a plug case.
 You could use a dremel tool with a metal cut-off wheel.


----------



## DMinor

pxss said:


> Lathes are pretty expensive. Don't think it's worth spending 200+ to trim a plug case.
> You could use a dremel tool with a metal cut-off wheel.


 
  
 Thanks for the suggestion, I guess something like this:
  
 http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-EZ406-Cut-Off-Mandrel-Cutting/dp/B000FBLRVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392608463&sr=8-1&keywords=dremel+tool+with+a+metal+cut-off+wheel


----------



## PXSS

That's it.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

dminor said:


> Hi guys what's the best tool to cut this Neutrik plug along the colored line?


 
 A DREMEL with a cut-off wheel or you clamp it with say a vise then used a hacksaw then put a masking/painters tape(perfectly straight) all around the barrel.Put edge of tape where you want to cut then cut just under the edge of the tape then Grind off the rest.The tape is to protect the barrel from scratches and to aligned your cut.What would you do with the strain releif it might not fit?I hope these helped Have fun and GOOD LUCK!


----------



## JacobLee89

i luvmusic 2 said:


> A DREMEL with a cut-off wheel or you clamp it with say a vise then used a hacksaw then put a masking/painters tape(perfectly straight) all around the barrel.Put edge of tape where you want to cut then cut just under the edge of the tape then Grind off the rest.The tape is to protect the barrel from scratches and to aligned your cut.What would you do with the strain releif it might not fit?I hope these helped Have fun and GOOD LUCK!


 
  
 Strain relief? You mean heat shrink tubing!


----------



## i luvmusic 2

jacoblee89 said:


> Strain relief? You mean heat shrink tubing!


 
 No the white plastic.


----------



## JacobLee89

i luvmusic 2 said:


> No the white plastic.


 
  
 Shrink tubing will fix it!


----------



## Kamakahah

Or just do what everyone else does: save the barrel for a y-split. Place the black end strain relief on by itself and use some glue to on the rest of the jack. Works great.

If you're set on cutting it, then they hacksaw method above is the most cost efficient. With any of the methods above you might have have to fix the cut end of the threading inside so it'll go on smooth. Not too hard to do though.


----------



## MrEleventy

Does anyone know of a cellphone case friendly mini plug? The only thing I can find is a pailiccs trrs. I don't want a trrs plug as it messes with some of my amp/sources where I have to partially pull out the plug for it to work correctly. I was thinking maybe wiring it up like so :

T - Left
R --- Right
R -- Ground
S _/ 

Anything that might go wrong with that kind of wiring? I think if it plug it into a cellphone it might have undesirable effects due to grounding the mic. Suggestions? Maybe just DIY a slim pack with headshrink & sugru...


----------



## ostewart

mreleventy said:


> Does anyone know of a cellphone case friendly mini plug? The only thing I can find is a pailiccs trrs. I don't want a trrs plug as it messes with some of my amp/sources where I have to partially pull out the plug for it to work correctly. I was thinking maybe wiring it up like so :
> 
> T - Left
> R --- Right
> ...


 
 You mean these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-5mm-3-Pole-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Soldering-Back-cover-/251212036568?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7d6779d8


----------



## MrEleventy

That would work. I forgot that I defaulted to hide listings on eBay not in the US. That'll definitely limit my options. Thanks.


----------



## 65535

jacoblee89 said:


> Strain relief? You mean heat shrink tubing!


 
 Maybe strain relief against flexing but it won't do anything for tensile strength which is where the cable clamp comes in to play.
  
 Those are a very well design connector unmodified.


----------



## JacobLee89

65535 said:


> Maybe strain relief against flexing but it won't do anything for tensile strength which is where the cable clamp comes in to play.
> 
> Those are a very well design connector unmodified.


 
  
 I guess the next best thing to do would be to hot glue + layered heat shrinking, but I can imagine that doing so will result in more effort and money spent than required.
  
 Would duct tape be a better solution? Can't go wrong with defaulting to primitive DIY 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





.


----------



## ostewart

Without the barrel the white plastic still fits, you might have to trim the end off but most of it fits fine.


----------



## DMinor

i luvmusic 2 said:


> A DREMEL with a cut-off wheel or you clamp it with say a vise then used a hacksaw then put a masking/painters tape(perfectly straight) all around the barrel.Put edge of tape where you want to cut then cut just under the edge of the tape then Grind off the rest.The tape is to protect the barrel from scratches and to aligned your cut.What would you do with the strain releif it might not fit?I hope these helped Have fun and GOOD LUCK!


 
  
 Thanks for the suggestions.
  


kamakahah said:


> Or just do what everyone else does: save the barrel for a y-split. Place the black end strain relief on by itself and use some glue to on the rest of the jack. Works great.


 
  
 Yeah that's a good alternative. I will also wrap both ends with dual-wall heat shrinks for clamping.


----------



## Kamakahah

dminor said:


> Yeah that's a good alternative. I will also wrap both ends with dual-wall heat shrinks for clamping.


 
  

  
 This is of what I was saying. It's what most do. Just took the barrel off and placed the strain relief over the threading. The white strain relief inside still fits but you need to cut a little of the length off. Some krazy glue to keep the two sides of the casing together and you're set. I've done my own "stress testing" on it just to make sure, and it's solid. I really only used a very small amount of glue that I could still just heat up and separate if I needed.


----------



## TrollDragon

Me Too...


----------



## DMinor

Thanks guys for the suggestion.
  
 I may even clamp it with a heat shrink as mentioned (sorry Kamakahah had to borrow your pic without asking your permission).


----------



## Kamakahah

dminor said:


> Thanks guys for the suggestion.
> 
> I may even clamp it with a heat shrink as mentioned (sorry Kamakahah had to borrow your pic without asking your permission.




That's a good idea. If you don't end up liking it, you can always cut it off. 

Feel free to use any pictures I post for instructional purposes.


----------



## DMinor

@Kamakahah, thanks.
  
  
 Hey guys I bought a Furutech FT-735(R) phone plug from Take Five a while ago, and here is a shot showing this plug in comparison size to other plugs. Sorry for the bad pic.


----------



## Kamakahah

Such an awesome plug. I wish it didn't cost a fortune. I'll probably give in eventually. 

Looking forward to your finished product.


----------



## DMinor

kamakahah said:


> Such an awesome plug. I wish it didn't cost a fortune. I'll probably give in eventually.
> 
> Looking forward to your finished product.


 
  
 It looks like a quality plug with fine finish.
  
 I will probably use this plug for DIY recabling for my iem's. Have a feeling the stock cable will break in the near future and I am trying to get things prepared.


----------



## nbriles2000

Just finished doing a 4 strand round braid from Brians cables this morning and got my connector in, too. Was wondering if anybody has ever used clear techflex, and if so how clear is it? Anybody have pics. 1/8th, not 1/4 right?
 The braid looks pretty damn sweet and I would certainly like to show off!
 Second question is, is 3-1 heat shink the best to use or is the adhesive stuff better? For the termination I was going to solder, put a dab of hot glue, heat shink then twist the other half of the connecter on. That sound about right?


----------



## Kamakahah

3:1 pretty much 99% of the time. I don't both buying 2:1 anymore except one big cheap variety pack for random things. 

Most people dislike adhesive. I like it for very specific purposes like Y-splitters or when I want to a tight seal to prevent corrosion. It's significantly thicker and can get messy if overheated.

Your plan seems good.


----------



## ostewart

I use adhesive on the plugs when they have no strain relief as it strengthens it. and y-split's. For the rest i use normal 2:1, adhesive is usually 3:1


----------



## Cagin

dminor said:


> @Kamakahah, thanks.
> 
> 
> Hey guys I bought a Furutech FT-735(R) phone plug from Take Five a while ago, and here is a shot showing this plug in comparison size to other plugs. Sorry for the bad pic.


 
 hmm on Furutech's website on this plug here: http://www.furutech.com/2013/03/18/6100    they mention specs, but I don't understand it, trying to figure out if the plug casing diameter would fit into my Martin Logan Mikros 90 connector socket (6mm wide for the stock plug on my Mikros 90) :
 •Specified for core insulation diameters up to 5.0mm
•Dimensions: Housing: 9.0ψx 23.0mm overall length
　Total overall length: 41.3 mm approx.
  
 From the picture it looks thinner than the Neutrik one but I'm not sure it's thin enough for my Mikros 90, and by looking at the hole socket of it, I can't put a wider plug than 6mm.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/martin-logan-mikros-70-enclosure-logo-zoom.jpg


----------



## TrollDragon

Right there in the spec it states the housing diameter is 9mm, so I would say it will not fit.


----------



## fenderf4i

I ordered some of the silver plated copper wire from HPL Audio. I braided it, covered it in MDPC sleeving, and attached Valab RCA's. I'm extremely happy with the results. The wire was really easy to work with and braid. I will definitely be ordering more from HPL Audio soon.


----------



## DMinor

cagin said:


> hmm on Furutech's website on this plug here: http://www.furutech.com/2013/03/18/6100    they mention specs, but I don't understand it, trying to figure out if the plug casing diameter would fit into my Martin Logan Mikros 90 connector socket (6mm wide for the stock plug on my Mikros 90) :
> •Specified for core insulation diameters up to 5.0mm
> •Dimensions: Housing: 9.0ψx 23.0mm overall length
> Total overall length: 41.3 mm approx.
> ...


 
  
 See if this pic helps.


----------



## TrollDragon

dminor said:


> See if this pic helps.


 

 Nice, really hard to tell if the barrel is 6mm ⌀ or not...
  
 More like this Pailiccs bowling pin shell which has an 11.9mm ⌀


 Unfortunately I don't have any of the Furutech connectors to measure for you.
  
 Anyone looking for a cheap caliper, Harbor Freight in the US has them for $9.99 or Princess Auto in Canada for $19.99 but they go on sale quite often for $9.99, a great thing to have in your tool box.


----------



## DMinor

trolldragon said:


> Nice, really hard to tell if the barrel is 6mm ⌀ or not...
> 
> More like this Pailiccs bowling pin shell which has an 11.9mm ⌀
> 
> ...


 
  
 The 11.9mm is the OD correct? I thought we were talking about the ID.
  
 Thanks for the info on caliper and agree it's nice to have one in the tool box. I may go with this one from ebay with free shipping.


----------



## ben_r_

Guys is there a general rule for gauging how long of wire you need to yield a certain length cable after a 3 wire or 4 wire braid? How long of wire should I start with if I would like an approximately 4FT long cable in a 3 wire braid and then if its in a 4 wire braid?


----------



## skalkman

ben_r_ said:


> Guys is there a general rule for gauging how long of wire you need to yield a certain length cable after a 3 wire or 4 wire braid? How long of wire should I start with if I would like an approximately 4FT long cable in a 3 wire braid and then if its in a 4 wire braid?


 
 Usually it's something like 1,4x desired length of cable.


----------



## ben_r_

skalkman said:


> Usually it's something like 1,4x desired length of cable.


 

 Awesome, exactly what I was hoping someone would know. So its the same for 3 and 4 wire braids?


----------



## skalkman

ben_r_ said:


> Awesome, exactly what I was hoping someone would know. So its the same for 3 and 4 wire braids?


 
 More or less. Kinda depends on how tight you braid it but 1,4x the desired length usually works just fine.
  
 For a 4Ft cable you would need 4 pieces of 4Ft*1,4 (5,6Ft) so the total amount of cable needed would be 4*5,6FT which is 22,4Ft.
 Or if you wanted to make a 3 piece cable it would be 16,8Ft (3*5,6Ft).


----------



## ben_r_

skalkman said:


> More or less. Kinda depends on how tight you braid it but 1,4x the desired length usually works just fine.
> 
> For a 4Ft cable you would need 4 pieces of 4Ft*1,4 (5,6Ft) so the total amount of cable needed would be 4*5,6FT which is 22,4Ft.
> Or if you wanted to make a 3 piece cable it would be 16,8Ft (3*5,6Ft).


 

 Thanks man, very helpful!


----------



## cerealkillr

My main concern for a cable I'm planning to make is flexibility in a stripped cable. What is a relatively cheap (-$.75/foot) quad conductor cable that's really flexible and good quality?


----------



## ben_r_

cerealkillr said:


> My main concern for a cable I'm planning to make is flexibility in a stripped cable. What is a relatively cheap (-$.75/foot) quad conductor cable that's really flexible and good quality?


 

 The ever famous and popular Canare L-4E5C. LINK
  
 Can easily be found for around 0.50/foot


----------



## cerealkillr

ben_r_ said:


> The ever famous and popular Canare L-4E5C. LINK
> 
> Can easily be found for around 0.50/foot


 
 I'm planning to terminate it with *this* Neutrik plug and HiFiMan connectors. If I stripped the L4E6S and sleeved each strand in type I (accessory) paracord then did a litz braid, would it be too big to fit the plug?


----------



## ben_r_

cerealkillr said:


> I'm planning to terminate it with *this* Neutrik plug and HiFiMan connectors. If I stripped the L4E6S and sleeved each strand in type I (accessory) paracord then did a litz braid, would it be too big to fit the plug?


 

 Nope, should fit just fine. Maybe a little tight, but thatll just mean its more secure


----------



## Toxic Cables

ben_r_ said:


> Guys is there a general rule for gauging how long of wire you need to yield a certain length cable after a 3 wire or 4 wire braid? How long of wire should I start with if I would like an approximately 4FT long cable in a 3 wire braid and then if its in a 4 wire braid?


 
 For 4 wire braids on all my cables, i usually cut an extra inch for every feet of wire on each strand, so for a 4ft cable, i would do 54", the extra 2" being for the wire that's inside the connectors. If you will be sleeving each strand, then go for 1.5" extra per feet of wire.
  
  
 The barrel of the mini Furutech is 9mm, the hole is 5mm.


----------



## ben_r_

toxic cables said:


> For 4 wire braids on all my cables, i usually cut an extra inch for every feet of wire on each strand, so for a 4ft cable, i would do 54", the extra 2" being for the wire that's inside the connectors. If you will be sleeving each strand, then go for 1.5" extra per feet of wire.
> 
> 
> The barrel of the mini Furutech is 9mm, the hole is 5mm.


 

 Awesome. Thanks TC!


----------



## fenderf4i

With the interconnects I just made with a 4 wire braid, I cut the wire to 26" , and ended up with 24.5" by the time I was finished the braid.


----------



## DMinor

I didn't braid the 4 wires when I recently recabled my D2000 and I just put them in the sleeve. I should have braided them.
  
 Well, next time if I have to work on the same cable again I will braid them.


----------



## 65535

If you twist them properly and secure the ends in a small piece of heatshrink or wire wrap it will be more flexible than braided and give you better noise rejection.


----------



## Kamakahah

65535 said:


> If you twist them properly and secure the ends in a small piece of heatshrink or wire wrap it will be more flexible than braided and give you better noise rejection.




I agree that it can be more flexible. Also, it'll take less time than braiding and sleeves faster (depending on paracord size) - At least in my experience. 

Can't comment on noise rejection since it's never been a problem for me on any build, yet.


----------



## DMinor

I didn't twist them (as my sleeve is pretty tight) but I did have dual-wall adhesive heat shrinks placed at both ends. I do like the flexibility but the cable intends to tangle more easily (not necessarily in a bad way).


----------



## KimLaroux

I was made aware of an after market cable for SHURE headphones:
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/458545/shure-srh440-impression/285#post_10292252
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/310790201288
  
 The cable looks great, but the listing is low on details and at this price I doubt its quality. I would not be surprised if it was actually worse than the stock cable.
  
 But what's surprising is they use a locking connector just like the stock one, so you don't have to hack your cans. And they have matching connectors that look great. I searched around for the connectors alone but can't find them. I fear they may be making them in house.
  
 So as a last effort before I buy the cable, anyone here knows where I can get these connectors?


----------



## Heliosonic

Hello there!
 Still got some questions.....
 Looking for a good 2 (or 4?) conductor cable that fits in paracord 550. (about 3mm/4mm diameter) I'd like to use that for sleeving but I can't get the current cable I have through it.
 I see lots of people use paracord for sleeving so I was wondering which cable fits. Would be nice if it's something available worldwide or at least in EU.
  
 Thanks!


----------



## FraGGleR

kimlaroux said:


> I was made aware of an after market cable for SHURE headphones:
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/458545/shure-srh440-impression/285#post_10292252
> 
> ...


 
 I contacted the seller and they wouldn't sell them separately or give me any hints on where I could get them.  A friend of mine actually bought one and it was nicely built and surprisingly flexible.  No telling how good the wire actually was inside because I couldn't undo the connector housing without risk of damaging it.  Didn't have a stock cable around to compare to, unfortunately.
  
 It might still be worth it to order one and really go at it to take it apart.  If I still had some Shures, then I would definitely do it.


----------



## funch

heliosonic said:


> Hello there!
> Still got some questions.....
> Looking for a good 2 (or 4?) conductor cable that fits in paracord 550. (about 3mm/4mm diameter) I'd like to use that for sleeving but I can't get the current cable I have through it.
> I see lots of people use paracord for sleeving so I was wondering which cable fits. Would be nice if it's something available worldwide or at least in EU.
> ...


 
  
 Start with this http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2534.html, and strip off the outer sleeve and shielding. The remaining bunldle should fit through 550.


----------



## Heliosonic

Yeah Mogami is basically what I had already got to, just doesn't make much sense to me to start stripping shielding etc. Might as well get a cheaper cable then without shielding?


----------



## Darknet

So I've seem some people use these types of 3.5mm connectors. Could anyone comment on the outside diameter of the connector? Also going to do a mikros 90 cable so hopefully these are thin enough.
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-Copper-Gold-Plated-3-5mm-Male-Stereo-Mini-Jack-Plug-soldering-connector-/151217245852?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2335400e9c


----------



## FraGGleR

darknet said:


> So I've seem some people use these types of 3.5mm connectors. Could anyone comment on the outside diameter of the connector? Also going to do a mikros 90 cable so hopefully these are thin enough.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-Copper-Gold-Plated-3-5mm-Male-Stereo-Mini-Jack-Plug-soldering-connector-/151217245852?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2335400e9c


 
 7.38mm by my calipers.  
  
 I don't think anything with a shell will work.  You could try this: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3840 and use glue and heatshrink to make a cover and reinforce the solder joints.


----------



## FraGGleR

And since I have less and less time to DIY, I am clearing out my drawers.  I have one ad up, but will be putting up more with a bunch of connectors and other supplies.  Great chance for those in this thread to get some good stuff at a very strong discount.


----------



## Darknet

fraggler said:


> 7.38mm by my calipers.
> 
> I don't think anything with a shell will work.  You could try this: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3840 and use glue and heatshrink to make a cover and reinforce the solder joints.




Thanks a lot! I guess I'm going to be giving the heat shrink option a shot then lol


----------



## Occy

I'm 5 hours into a 12 hour night shift and the boss just went home. Time to get busy!


----------



## Occy

Still need to finish the heat shrinking (my heat gun crapped out on me at work) but it was a rather productive shift for a change


----------



## FallenAngel

Love those Yarbo connectors


----------



## Feynman

I thought that I'd start a small project, make a balanced cable for my upcoming Audeze LCD 2. I haven't made a cable myself before and from reading a bit this is what I need as far as I know; 
  
 2 mini XLR's for the headphone 
 1 y-split, either shrink or similar or a physical y-split piece 
 1 male XLR at the end 
 Cable: Either a quad-cable, or is it possible with silver wire as well (four of them?) 
 Cable cover and shrink
  
 Then you braid the cable, litz pattern? After this you basically solder the connectors and you are done? Is this it? 
  
 Gladly accepts any help!


----------



## fenderf4i

I'm interested in this as well.


----------



## Cagin

darknet said:


> Thanks a lot! I guess I'm going to be giving the heat shrink option a shot then lol


 
 Replied to you in Mikros thread about this, but wanted to add this: found something that fits our bill:  Connectronics  35-4CON-LP  plug, Markertek sells em too. I'll pm you if I find other good stuff as I'm still diggin through.   
http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/7770


----------



## GrindingThud

So, does L-4E6S make an ok headphone cable? Looking at building up something for LCD-2.


----------



## FraGGleR

feynman said:


> I thought that I'd start a small project, make a balanced cable for my upcoming Audeze LCD 2. I haven't made a cable myself before and from reading a bit this is what I need as far as I know;
> 
> 2 mini XLR's for the headphone
> 1 y-split, either shrink or similar or a physical y-split piece
> ...


 
 Basically.  Make sure you get 4-pin mini XLRs.  Switchcraft is the original, Amphenol makes one that is as nice if not better for half the price, Neutrik makes them, but not a fan of the strain relief, and of course you can get cheap ones off of ebay that on occasion can have fit issues.
  
 If you go silver, I would avoid solid core as much as possible.  Very stiff, prone to kinking, and  can even break if flexed too much.  I had a silver wire break mid cable and was practically impossible to fix.
  
 Make sure to mark your wires or have a multimeter on hand to keep track of what goes where.  And remember to put the the pieces of the connector onto the cable before soldering 
  
 Have fun!


----------



## Feynman

fraggler said:


> Basically.  Make sure you get 4-pin mini XLRs.  Switchcraft is the original, Amphenol makes one that is as nice if not better for half the price, Neutrik makes them, but not a fan of the strain relief, and of course you can get cheap ones off of ebay that on occasion can have fit issues.
> 
> If you go silver, I would avoid solid core as much as possible.  Very stiff, prone to kinking, and  can even break if flexed too much.  I had a silver wire break mid cable and was practically impossible to fix.
> 
> ...


 
 Okay I'll keep that in mind! 
  
 if not solid core silver cable, what silver cable do you recommend? And if you buy a quad cable with four conductors in the same cable, do you strip away the outer shielding to be able to make the split?


----------



## fenderf4i

feynman said:


> Okay I'll keep that in mind!
> 
> if not solid core silver cable, what silver cable do you recommend? And if you buy a quad cable with four conductors in the same cable, do you strip away the outer shielding to be able to make the split?


 
  
  
 Chris at HPLAudio has a great stranded OCC silver cable. I just used some of his product for interconnects, it turned out awesome. He also has the y-splitter and mini-XLR connectors needed as well.


----------



## FraGGleR

feynman said:


> Okay I'll keep that in mind!
> 
> if not solid core silver cable, what silver cable do you recommend? And if you buy a quad cable with four conductors in the same cable, do you strip away the outer shielding to be able to make the split?


 
 You could also try Toxic Cables, Plussounds, Ted at Headphonelounge, or ebay roulette


----------



## TrollDragon

Damn Pailiccs plugs... Over half of them have no cable clamp. 

Anyhoo I want to shorten up the 85' cable that comes on the GMP 8.300 D's, the cable is 4.8mm and the hole in the shell of the Pailiccs bowling pin type jack is 5mm so that is good. There is normal wire in the stock cable as opposed to the enameled litz stuff.

The question is any ideas on how to secure the cable in the jack, I am not to worried of it pulling out as I can put a few layers of heat shrink on the cable so it won't come back through the hole. I just don't want it to twist and break the solder or wires.

Will hot glue hold in this situation or should the JB Weld be applied for a more permanent attachment?

Thanks guys!


----------



## FraGGleR

trolldragon said:


> Damn Pailiccs plugs... Over half of them have no cable clamp.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Hot glue works great for that application.  Effectively permanent for normal use, but still removeable if needed.  I know at least one major pro builder who does the same.


----------



## TrollDragon

fraggler said:


> Hot glue works great for that application.  Effectively permanent for normal use, but still removeable if needed.  I know at least one major pro builder who does the same.


Thank you good sir, the hot glue it is!


----------



## DMinor

trolldragon said:


> Damn Pailiccs plugs... Over half of them have no cable clamp.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Not sure if this will help. I used a dual-wall heat shrink (with adhesive) shown in the pic. I actually like the look too.


----------



## TrollDragon

dminor said:


> Not sure if this will help. I used a dual-wall heat shrink (with adhesive) shown in the pic. I actually like the look too.


 
 Thanks for the suggestion, much appreciated, but I personally detest heat shrink on the outside of a connector, I don't even like it peeking out the hole.


----------



## DMinor

trolldragon said:


> Thanks for the suggestion, much appreciated, but I personally detest heat shrink on the outside of a connector, I don't even like it peeking out the hole.


 
  
 I see. I am the opposite and like to see it made rough & husky.


----------



## Kamakahah

trolldragon said:


> Thanks for the suggestion, much appreciated, but I personally detest heat shrink on the outside of a connector, I don't even like it peeking out the hole.


 
  
 A man after my own tastes.


----------



## 65535

kamakahah said:


> A man after my own tastes.


 
 It's easy and lazy to slap heat shrink over a connector because the cable isn't secured properly internally. I like a clean look, heat shrink is to be avoided in areas that are seen.


----------



## ostewart

I also hate heatshrink over the connector. Having a bit poking out for strain relief is fine, and clear looks best if you're going bare wire.


----------



## JacobLee89

65535 said:


> It's easy and lazy to slap heat shrink over a connector because the cable isn't secured properly internally. I like a clean look, heat shrink is to be avoided in areas that are seen.


 
 What's not stopping people from cutting heat shrink cleanly? Many after-market interconnects have heat shrinks slapped over a connector. Done properly, and with coloured heat shrink, it can look pretty nice. I'll wager it's the less creative use of heat shrink that has given it a bad reputation for aesthetics.


----------



## Toxic Cables

I love the look of heatshrink, when done properly, it can look really good. 
  
 Few cables i done couple days ago and to me, they look much better with the heatshrink, then they would without.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

toxic cables said:


> I love the look of heatshrink, when done properly, it can look really good.
> 
> Few cables i done couple days ago and to me, they look much better with the heatshrink, then they would without.


 
 Now that's how you used Heatshrink....


----------



## Androb

toxic cables said:


> I love the look of heatshrink, when done properly, it can look really good.
> 
> Few cables i done couple days ago and to me, they look much better with the heatshrink, then they would without.
> 
> ...


 
 Those look awesome!


----------



## Cagin

Hello DIYers,
  
 I've got my eyes on this plug Connectronics 35-4CON-LP, 3.5mm  0.15inch/3.81mm ID,  6.3mm OD.   As it's the only plug I could find  that would fit the Martin Logan Mikros 90 headphone side recessed jack (7mm).
  
http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/3-5-2-5mm-Mini-Connectors/Connectronics/35-4CON-LP.xhtml
  
 My question is:  I want to make a 6x flat braid, no sleeving, just bare naked wires with their insulator jackets. Could I fit 6 wires into such a plug? Say 26 or 28awg UPOCC silver.  Visual exemple: the Plussound Audio Exo series photo on their Facebook site.
  
 This would be my first DIY project, I'd have to invest in a MM+soldering station.
  
 I checked some plug makers but so far my only other options would be:
 -Qables 3.5mm naked plugs + heatshrink (though not sure the brass ring behind the threads are <7mm)
 -cannibalising an Auvio cable plug
 -Ted @HPL seems to been able to use a Viablue T6 mini (#30539) by removing the outer casing so it fits the Mikros 90.
  
 edit: I really can't find the official specs on the Connectronics 3.5mm TRRS plug, neither could I find photos of its guts.


----------



## kconnor72

Has anyone tried stripping down a lightning connector and using it for a direct integration? If yes, any pointers?


----------



## FraGGleR

cagin said:


> Hello DIYers,
> 
> I've got my eyes on this plug Connectronics 35-4CON-LP, 3.5mm  0.15inch/3.81mm ID,  6.3mm OD.   As it's the only plug I could find  that would fit the Martin Logan Mikros 90 headphone side recessed jack (7mm).
> 
> ...


 
 Probably not.  You are going to have less than 4mm at the exit.  You will need to take a look at the diameter of the wire that you are using and see if you can fit about three across.  I don't know what the rear of the barrel looks like, but you might be able to drill out the back a little to give your self a little more space.  I'd suggest just going with heatshrink around the plug without the shell.  If you do it right, it should look fine coming out of the hole.  Plus it will likely be more robust than if you just used the shell.


----------



## FraGGleR

kconnor72 said:


> Has anyone tried stripping down a lightning connector and using it for a direct integration? If yes, any pointers?


 
 Google lightning connector tear down or something similar.  Peter at Doublehelixcables was the first to tear one apart and it was a doozy.  You might have better luck with a different MFI cable like from Monoprice or Amazon.  Their are also connectors available from Lunashops, but no word yet on whether or not they work properly.


----------



## Toxic Cables

kconnor72 said:


> Has anyone tried stripping down a lightning connector and using it for a direct integration? If yes, any pointers?


 
 Depends on what you want to put on the other end, they only work with USB currently. You can get DIY lightning connectors from Lunashop which work just fine.


----------



## kconnor72

toxic cables said:


> Depends on what you want to put on the other end, they only work with USB currently. You can get DIY lightning connectors from Lunashop which work just fine.


 
  
 Forgive the simplistic nature of this question, but what makes them only usable with a USB at this time? Is additional circuitry needed to make them work with something like a 3.5mm connector? 
  
 Thanks for the tip on Lunashop by the way.


----------



## FraGGleR

seriouslistener said:


>


 
 Toxic Cables is a professional builder and sponsor here.  Not quite DIY


----------



## Anthony1

n00b question alert:
  
 balanced line out from my DX50 to RX3B is it a mono or a stereo 3.5m jack


----------



## audiofreakie

anthony1 said:


> n00b question alert:
> 
> balanced line out from my DX50 to RX3B is it a mono or a stereo 3.5m jack


 
 AFAIK, and as ex DX50 user, DX50 dont support balanced line out. Its only support coaxial output and 3.5 line out unbalanced.


----------



## Anthony1

Thanks freakie so will go single ended but again do you or anybody else know whether its stereo or mono 3.5 jack?


----------



## Toxic Cables

Stereo.


----------



## Toxic Cables

kconnor72 said:


> Forgive the simplistic nature of this question, but what makes them only usable with a USB at this time? Is additional circuitry needed to make them work with something like a 3.5mm connector?
> 
> Thanks for the tip on Lunashop by the way.


 
 I don't wish to speculate as to why it does not work at present, it might be available in future.


----------



## Anthony1

toxic cables said:


> Stereo.


 
 Thanks


----------



## kconnor72

My guess after doing some reading today would be something to do with the fact of it being a digital output, but that is only speculation. Too bad really.


----------



## Drsparis

First Cable. I'm very proud  
 Thank you FraGGleR for your inspiration 
 And thank you Double Helix Cables for the material and the support


----------



## Toxic Cables

androb said:


> Those look awesome!


 
  


i luvmusic 2 said:


> Now that's how you used Heatshrink....


 
  
 Thanks lads.


----------



## soundbear

I broke my sony 7550 cable at the earpiece and there are 5 copper wires coming out, the other two are fabric.   I think the long copper is soldered to the center of the screw in piece, but can't
 figure it out.    Thanks in advance!


----------



## audiofreakie

soundbear said:


> I broke my sony 7550 cable at the earpiece and there are 5 copper wires coming out, the other two are fabric.   I think the long copper is soldered to the center of the screw in piece, but can't
> figure it out.    Thanks in advance!




First remove detachable connector from the Right earphone then use multimeter to know which one cable is ground and signal.


----------



## FraGGleR

drsparis said:


> First Cable. I'm very proud
> Thank you FraGGleR for your inspiration
> And thank you Double Helix Cables for the material and the support


 
 Well done!


----------



## soundbear

audiofreakie said:


> First remove detachable connector from the Right earphone then use multimeter to know which one cable is ground and signal.


 
 the wire in the pic was stripped by me, the good wire for the rt speaker only has the connecter, not any wires.   I actually tried putting the red tip of the multimeter in the ear out of my player to just get a reading and put the black tip on the neg terminal of a 12 v portable battery but can't get a reading, my fluke 113 was set at the second position v chek, the next  position is ohm, so guess I don't know how to get a reading.   I tried placing the pos tip to the bare wires but no reading.   I actually ordered a replacement cable from Japan this afternoon for $40 plus whatever shipping costs, but I would like to know how to check the cable with my multimeter, what did I do wrong??


----------



## audiofreakie

soundbear said:


> the wire in the pic was stripped by me, the good wire for the rt speaker only has the connecter, not any wires.   I actually tried putting the red tip of the multimeter in the ear out of my player to just get a reading and put the black tip on the neg terminal of a 12 v portable battery but can't get a reading, my fluke 113 was set at the second position v chek, the next  position is ohm, so guess I don't know how to get a reading.   I tried placing the pos tip to the bare wires but no reading.   I actually ordered a replacement cable from Japan this afternoon for $40 plus whatever shipping costs, but I would like to know how to check the cable with my multimeter, what did I do wrong??


 
 do you already remove the iem from its pin connector? (the normal one/the good one) (so booth iem is detach from its cable)


----------



## DMinor

soundbear said:


> I broke my sony 7550 cable at the earpiece and there are 5 copper wires coming out, the other two are fabric.   I think the long copper is soldered to the center of the screw in piece, but can't
> figure it out.    Thanks in advance!


 
  
 Hmm ...  why are there 5 wires? Isn't that all you need are two wires - one for audio channel and one for ground?


----------



## audiofreakie

dminor said:


> Hmm ...  why are there 5 wires? Isn't that all you need are two wires - one for audio channel and one for ground?


 
 I guess just one for signal and the other are ground


----------



## soundbear

audiofreakie said:


> I guess just one for signal and the other are ground


 
 Here's another pic.   I think the long wire is positive, but again, I can't get a reading.    I have used the Fluke before for readings, but perhaps I'm not setting it up correctly for the current from my source.   Thanks for offering assistance audiofreakie, sorry I'm not more technical minded.


----------



## cyph3r

Iam looking for advice on two items

1) on cable type / quality for audio signal for connecting circuit boards in my DAC project
2) on a quality 3.5mm plug

Can someone advise what and where to buy?


Thanks!


----------



## audiofreakie

@Sounfbear, try to sand the edge of each wire, then use multimeter at that area. I think your multimeter can't read it because the cable is litz wire (covered by transparent resin) check out about litz wire at wikipedia.


----------



## ostewart

Put your multimeter on Ohm
  
 One tip on the tip of the 3.5mm jack (as that is left) the other end on the main centre cable. Should read 0 or near.
  
 Next put the tip on the sleeve of the 3.5mm jack, the other tip on the bare wire that should be ground.


----------



## semaj8james

Sorry if this question has been posed before, but I'm looking to make a DIY HE-500, 4 pin XLR cable. I already have 5 pairs of SMC connectors, a Valab/DHC CF 4 pin-XLR, and heatshrink. I'm now trying to find acceptable OCC cable for a decent price. Anyone know where I can find it at ~$1,00 /ft. or less? I'm thinking I'll need around 25 feet or so for a 4.5 - 5 ft. braid. If anyone is interested, we can do a bulk buy from DHC or other good suppliers for OCC at a reduced rate ($500 for a 330ft. spool).

But yeah, does anyone know of a good site to find nice, OCC cable?
Thanks!


----------



## FraGGleR

semaj8james said:


> Sorry if this question has been posed before, but I'm looking to make a DIY HE-500, 4 pin XLR cable. I already have 5 pairs of SMC connectors, a Valab/DHC CF 4 pin-XLR, and heatshrink. I'm now trying to find acceptable OCC cable for a decent price. Anyone know where I can find it at ~$1,00 /ft. or less? I'm thinking I'll need around 25 feet or so for a 4.5 - 5 ft. braid. If anyone is interested, we can do a bulk buy from DHC or other good suppliers for OCC at a reduced rate ($500 for a 330ft. spool).
> 
> But yeah, does anyone know of a good site to find nice, OCC cable?
> Thanks!


 
 Only way to get prices that low is to buy in bulk from the manufacturer unless you have a personal in with one of the pro cable makers.  If you find OCC wire too much cheaper than $2 a foot, it probably isn't real.


----------



## semaj8james

Is there a significant, audible difference between TPC, OFC, uOFC and OCC? I never got a chance to listen to balanced, non OCC powered HE-500s, so I would like a second opinion.

Edit: I re-soldered the broken wire on the left HE-500 cable, but it looks a but ugly as I only could use heat shrink. Does anyone know what plastic sleeve is used on the normal cable endings?


----------



## FraGGleR

semaj8james said:


> Is there a significant, audible difference between TPC, OFC, uOFC and OCC? I never got a chance to listen to balanced, non OCC powered HE-500s, so I would like a second opinion.
> 
> Edit: I re-soldered the broken wire on the left HE-500 cable, but it looks a but ugly as I only could use heat shrink. Does anyone know what plastic sleeve is used on the normal cable endings?


 
 Significant?  No.  Anything audible will be very subtle.  I have used just about every material available to a DIYer and the only differences I have heard, I can't be sure that I didn't imagine.  Others believe or hear differently.


----------



## Zashoomin

fraggler said:


> Significant?  No.  Anything audible will be very subtle.  I have used just about every material available to a DIYer and the only differences I have heard, I can't be sure that I didn't imagine.  Others believe or hear differently.


 
 +1.  Whether you agree or disagree that cables, connectors etc make a difference is up to you but I think generally it is a concensus that if there is a difference is a very minor one.


----------



## 65535

The difference is either a connector works properly or it doesn't. I've heard of connectors such as Viablue making such poor contact with mating connectors that they are detrimental to the sound. Aside from those kinds of cases, the only practical difference in connectors is physical dimensions and durability.


----------



## soundbear

I tried it and lightly sanded the wire, but still no reading.   I have tomorrow off, so I will see if I can find someone in town that can check it for me.   Thanks for the help, I'll report what happens.


----------



## audiofreakie

semaj8james said:


> Is there a significant, audible difference between TPC, OFC, uOFC and OCC? I never got a chance to listen to balanced, non OCC powered HE-500s, so I would like a second opinion.
> 
> Edit: I re-soldered the broken wire on the left HE-500 cable, but it looks a but ugly as I only could use heat shrink. Does anyone know what plastic sleeve is used on the normal cable endings?


 
  
 maybe this one:

  
  
  


soundbear said:


> I tried it and lightly sanded the wire, but still no reading.   I have tomorrow off, so I will see if I can find someone in town that can check it for me.   Thanks for the help, I'll report what happens.


 
  
 maybe your cable broken.


----------



## semaj8james

audiofreakie said:


> maybe this one:


 
 What is the name of these oh so magical sleeves?


----------



## ostewart

RCA sleeves will be too big for the hifiman connectors.
  
 Look for gromets or whatever at a hobby/electronics store.


----------



## audiofreakie

If too big, maybe this fit :


----------



## 65535

Those are mold on covers, they require an injection molding machine and a mold. 
  
 Your best bet is if you can find a version of the connector you have that has a sleeve strain relief and buy that. Probably replace both connectors.


----------



## ThurstonX

Quick question from a noob:
  
 I'm making a custom cable for my HE-500s using Mogami W2799.  I made a 6-footer, left the outer sheath in place and fed it through some paracord for the section below the Y split.  Now I'm planning to make a longer one and will discard the outer sheath and copper shield.  I've got a nice custom cable I had made (soon for sale!  that seems to have braided wires inside the sleeve (below the split).  I love the weight and suppleness, thus my plan.
  
 My question is, what are the benefits, if any, of braiding the four wires vs. leaving them nicely twisted, as they are?  I've sacrificed a couple feet in order to practice braiding and check the fit into the paracord, and that gave rise to the question.  The only benefit that comes to mind is that the braid won't come unraveled as the twist might, but does that matter.
  
 Thanks for any replies, and in general for all the great lessons I've learned from this thread.


----------



## ben_r_

thurstonx said:


> Quick question from a noob:
> 
> I'm making a custom cable for my HE-500s using Mogami W2799.  I made a 6-footer, left the outer sheath in place and fed it through some paracord for the section below the Y split.  Now I'm planning to make a longer one and will discard the outer sheath and copper shield.  I've got a nice custom cable I had made (soon for sale!  that seems to have braided wires inside the sleeve (below the split).  I love the weight and suppleness, thus my plan.
> 
> ...


 

 None other than aesthetics.


----------



## ThurstonX

ben_r_ said:


> None other than aesthetics.


 
  


thurstonx said:


> Quick question from a noob:
> 
> My question is, what are the benefits, if any, of braiding the four wires vs. leaving them nicely twisted, as they are?


 
  
 Thanks.  It also occurred to me that once the wires are soldered, they won't unravel.  Time to employ the K.I.S.S. principle.


----------



## 65535

Twisted wire will be more supple and take up less room say inside a sleeve.


----------



## ThurstonX

65535 said:


> Twisted wire will be more supple and take up less room say inside a sleeve.


 
  
 Thanks.
 Fitting the braid into type III paracord was a concern.  I know the twist will fit.  That settled it.


----------



## ben_r_

Okay, so I bought some Paracord Type I, got it home and cut an end off and tried to shove a toothpick into the end to get it started but the only thing that happened was it unraveling completely. So, having never worked with Paracord for sleeving before, did I buy the wrong kind or something? I had read that with Paracord Type III there is a white cord inside of it that gets pulled out freeing up the room for a wire to run. Is it not the same for Type I? There was certainly no white cord or anything else in the Type I I bought.


----------



## GrindingThud

Type 1 has one internal strand in the core, type 3 has seven. Really cheap cord has no core. Use a hot knife (special tool) or a razor blade heated by a lighter to cut it. The melted edge will keep it from unraveling. http://www.edc-blog.com/2013/07/review-type-i-paracord.html


----------



## ThurstonX

ben_r_ said:


> Okay, so I bought some Paracord Type I, got it home and cut an end off and tried to shove a toothpick into the end to get it started but the only thing that happened was it unraveling completely. So, having never worked with Paracord for sleeving before, did I buy the wrong kind or something? I had read that with Paracord Type III there is a white cord inside of it that gets pulled out freeing up the room for a wire to run. Is it not the same for Type I? There was certainly no white cord or anything else in the Type I I bought.


 
  
 I got a spool of type I and there was a "core" (just a couple threads, I think).  It was a pain to get out.  I quickly melted the ends.  May have done so even before removing the core.  After that I simply could not force a twisted pair from Mogami W2799 through it.  modulor did manage to do so, but said it was tough.  Seems type I is best suited for single wires, which can then be twisted.  Guess that's for going above the Y split, or for braiding four (or more) sleeved wires.
  
 HTH.


----------



## GrindingThud

http://youtu.be/oxyrkD7HaV4


----------



## ben_r_

grindingthud said:


> Type 1 has one internal strand in the core, type 3 has seven. Really cheap cord has no core. Use a hot knife (special tool) or a razor blade heated by a lighter to cut it. The melted edge will keep it from unraveling. http://www.edc-blog.com/2013/07/review-type-i-paracord.html


 
  
  


thurstonx said:


> I got a spool of type I and there was a "core" (just a couple threads, I think).  It was a pain to get out.  I quickly melted the ends.  May have done so even before removing the core.  After that I simply could not force a twisted pair from Mogami W2799 through it.  modulor did manage to do so, but said it was tough.  Seems type I is best suited for single wires, which can then be twisted.  Guess that's for going above the Y split, or for braiding four (or more) sleeved wires.
> 
> HTH.


 

 Dang. Okay, thanks guys. Apparently I bought cheap stuff. Lame. And yea I was going to use it wrap individual strands of some Canare Star Quad wire.
  
 So where can I get "good" Type I Paracord that has the strands in it? I need white and black.


----------



## GrindingThud

These guys shipped quick....and was cheep. Nice cord. 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321220566520?var=510164241279&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Paracord-50-Solid-Colors-100-50-25-Feet-High-Quality-Made-USA-Cord-/321126098528?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item76c55b4fa5


----------



## ThurstonX

This is what I got:
  
 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IGCP978
  
 Their type III is great (and an insane number of colors and patterns).


----------



## DMinor

grindingthud said:


> These guys shipped quick....and was cheep. Nice cord.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 How about this one?


----------



## GrindingThud

I don't have direct experience with them....but looks like nice mil spec type iii. 


dminor said:


> How about this one?


----------



## FraGGleR

supplycaptain.com they call it accessory cord.


----------



## ben_r_

grindingthud said:


> These guys shipped quick....and was cheep. Nice cord.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 That looks good for Type III but I really need some Type I in white and black too. Any recommendations there?


thurstonx said:


> This is what I got:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IGCP978
> 
> Their type III is great (and an insane number of colors and patterns).


 
 And that stuff has the internal strands?


----------



## ThurstonX

Paracord Planet is what I got for both, and here's a link where you can surf colors and patterns until your eyes are spinning:
  
 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Z1QUR4


----------



## GrindingThud

If what you have is hollow, it may work fine for single strands of wire... Put a coat hangar in it and then melt the end. I do a lot of splicing of larger double braid for sailing...this small stuff is frustrating but can be made to comply. 



ben_r_ said:


> Dang. Okay, thanks guys. Apparently I bought cheap stuff. Lame. And yea I was going to use it wrap individual strands of some Canare Star Quad wire.
> 
> So where can I get "good" Type I Paracord that has the strands in it? I need white and black.


----------



## ThurstonX

ben_r_ said:


> And that stuff has the internal strands?


 
  
 Yep.  I'll check again the count...
  
 Yep, one strand.  Comes out looking gray, but when you're looking at the end, you can definitely differentiate from the black.  Might be tougher with white, assuming the same color as what I just pulled out.
  
 I started threading one wire through it after melting the end with a lighter.  Tight fit, but it was going, so I reckon with patience it can be done.
  
 I didn't look for white type I.
  
 Good luck


----------



## PETEREK

Well I haven't done any DIY cables in a while and kind of want to make a cable for my DT770 Premium 600 ohm with dual Mini XLRs. I ordered a 3.5mm SwitchCraft connector, 2 SwitchCraft Mini XLR female plugs, 24 feet of BTG's 26 AWG Clear XLPE wire, and for the first time, some micro paracord. I'm pretty excited to build it!


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> Well I haven't done any DIY cables in a while and kind of want to make a cable for my DT770 Premium 600 ohm with dual Mini XLRs. I ordered a 3.5mm SwitchCraft connector, 2 SwitchCraft Mini XLR female plugs, 24 feet of BTG's 26 AWG Clear XLPE wire, and for the first time, some micro paracord. I'm pretty excited to build it!


Going to be a sweet build!
I didn't like the Switchcraft socket as I have Rean connectors and they didn't mate well. The Switchcraft plugs will probably fit much better.


----------



## lin0003

First time braiding. I think it's not too bad eh?
  



 I am looking to sleeve it. Any suggestions on what to get in Australia? Just looking for plain colours. Also, are there sizes?


----------



## PETEREK

lin0003 said:


> First time braiding. I think it's not too bad eh?
> 
> 
> 
> I am looking to sleeve it. Any suggestions on what to get in Australia? Just looking for plain colours. Also, are there sizes?


 
 Very nice. Looks like you understood the 2 wire twist as well, looks nice and tight. What is the cable going to be used for?


----------



## fenderf4i

I used the MDPC sleeving on my braid. Check my post a few pages back to see photos.


----------



## Drsparis

lin0003 said:


> First time braiding. I think it's not too bad eh?
> 
> 
> I am looking to sleeve it. Any suggestions on what to get in Australia? Just looking for plain colours. Also, are there sizes?


 
 Good job 
  
 I just ordered from https://fivestarcord.com/ and its silky smoooothe, seem easy to work with as it stretches more than another one I bought off amazon. 

 Micro paracord for single cord sleeving and 550 paracord for most projects should work great.


----------



## lin0003

Thanks guys. It's going to be made into an RCA to 3.5mm cable.


----------



## kugino

For balanced interconnects, do I have to connect something to pin 1? If so, and I don't have the shielding to use, what should be connected? Can another strand of wire connect the two pin 1s?


----------



## zeppu08

Hi!
  
 Is it safe to use a mini female to balance interconnects to convert my headphone line to balance? Like an adapter...?
  
 IPOD > 30 pin to mini > AMP > balance to female mini > Headphone 
  
 THANKS!


----------



## PXSS

zeppu08 said:


> Hi!
> 
> Is it safe to use a mini female to balance interconnects to convert my headphone line to balance? Like an adapter...?
> 
> ...


 
 That would not work. The purpose of having a balanced headphone cable is to have independent negative leads to each driver. By going to a female mini, you're not only not getting any benefits you would get by going balanced but you are also risking your amp by shorting the two independent leads


----------



## zeppu08

pxss said:


> That would not work. The purpose of having a balanced headphone cable is to have independent negative leads to each driver. By going to a female mini, you're not only not getting any benefits you would get by going balanced but you are also risking your amp by shorting the two independent leads




Hmmm i was thinking about it and thats why I asked whether it will be safe .. Btw is there any way to go balance? 

Thanks for the feedback man!


----------



## Kamakahah

zeppu08 said:


> Hmmm i was thinking about it and thats why I asked whether it will be safe .. Btw is there any way to go balance?
> 
> Thanks for the feedback man!


 
  
 What headphone do you have?
  
 You can recable the headphone so that you have L+, L-, R+, R- , (two wires from each driver), and run them to a balanced connector. Then you can make an adapter if you'd like that goes balanced to mini. 
  
 This won't always be possible, or really feasible with many headphone models.


----------



## zeppu08

kamakahah said:


> What headphone do you have?
> 
> You can recable the headphone so that you have L+, L-, R+, R- , (two wires from each driver), and run them to a balanced connector. Then you can make an adapter if you'd like that goes balanced to mini.
> 
> This won't always be possible, or really feasible with many headphone models.




And i guess thats the only way too.. I use an m100 headphones but l really dont know too if it will work on them.. Nah.. Maybe will just stick on them.. 

Lastly can you make a solo original + duet to do full balance set up using special interconnects??


----------



## MrEleventy

Not really a question but, soldered a mini xlr 4 pin for the first time tonight. I don't want to do that eveeer again. But I have to. lol Installed a jack into a pair of 770s pro, going to make the cable tomorrow. x(


----------



## kugino

mreleventy said:


> Not really a question but, soldered a mini xlr 4 pin for the first time tonight. I don't want to do that eveeer again. But I have to. lol Installed a jack into a pair of 770s pro, going to make the cable tomorrow. x(


 
 haha...yeah, those mini connectors suck. i made a cable for the Alpha Dogs last week and the mini connectors on those are terrible to work with, too...it'll be worth it, though. good luck and be sure to post pics in the picture thread.


----------



## PETEREK

mreleventy said:


> Not really a question but, soldered a mini xlr 4 pin for the first time tonight. I don't want to do that eveeer again. But I have to. lol Installed a jack into a pair of 770s pro, going to make the cable tomorrow. x(


 
 I have to install my 2 3-pin xlr chassis into my DT770 Premium. Im not excited to drill a hole in the right ear cup.


----------



## morph2k4

I'm looking to do a removable cable on my t5p,  Apparently a mini XLR socket is ever so slightly too large to mount in the cups.  Are there any reasonable alternatives?
  
 I was hoping I could make HD600/650 connectors work, since the hole in the t5p cups is already a rectangle.  However, I can't seem to find female connectors for these anywhere.  Are female 600/650 connectors something that exists?
  
 I seem to recall the alpha dogs having a small profile connector.  Are those something freely available?


----------



## elmoe

morph2k4 said:


> I'm looking to do a removable cable on my t5p,  Apparently a mini XLR socket is ever so slightly too large to mount in the cups.  Are there any reasonable alternatives?
> 
> I was hoping I could make HD600/650 connectors work, since the hole in the t5p cups is already a rectangle.  However, I can't seem to find female connectors for these anywhere.  Are female 600/650 connectors something that exists?
> 
> I seem to recall the alpha dogs having a small profile connector.  Are those something freely available?


 
 http://www.moon-audio.com/diy-audio-parts.html?cat=17&p=1
  
 Try emailing them for the sennies female connectors, they might be able to help you out, otherwise there's plenty of other choices in the link above.


----------



## audiofreakie

@morph2k4, there no exist female HPSC. I'm on process of build female HPSC, not finish yet, hehehehe...


----------



## PXSS

kugino said:


> mreleventy said:
> 
> 
> > Not really a question but, soldered a mini xlr 4 pin for the first time tonight. I don't want to do that eveeer again. But I have to. lol Installed a jack into a pair of 770s pro, going to make the cable tomorrow. x(
> ...


You obviously haven't worked with Lemo connectors, the mini-xlrs are a godsend in comparison.


----------



## PETEREK

morph2k4 said:


> I'm looking to do a removable cable on my t5p,  Apparently a mini XLR socket is ever so slightly too large to mount in the cups.  Are there any reasonable alternatives?
> 
> I was hoping I could make HD600/650 connectors work, since the hole in the t5p cups is already a rectangle.  However, I can't seem to find female connectors for these anywhere.  Are female 600/650 connectors something that exists?
> 
> I seem to recall the alpha dogs having a small profile connector.  Are those something freely available?


 
 Are the T5p cups the same size as the DTxx0 cups? I have some mini xlr sockets that are going to fit on my DT770s just fine. Maybe you just need to look at a different brand.
  
  
 Also, the Sennheiser female part is part of the driver assembly, so emailing them about it isn't going to help you at all.


----------



## morph2k4

elmoe said:


> http://www.moon-audio.com/diy-audio-parts.html?cat=17&p=1
> 
> Try emailing them for the sennies female connectors, they might be able to help you out, otherwise there's plenty of other choices in the link above.


 
 The only thing I see that has any chance of being smaller than the mini XLR are the hifi man connectors here:
  
 http://www.moon-audio.com/hifiman-diy-headphone-connectors.html#
  
 It's not clear to me if that kit includes the male and female ends though.  Does anyone know how they compare in size to mini XLR?


----------



## morph2k4

peterek said:


> Are the T5p cups the same size as the DTxx0 cups? I have some mini xlr sockets that are going to fit on my DT770s just fine. Maybe you just need to look at a different brand.
> 
> 
> Also, the Sennheiser female part is part of the driver assembly, so emailing them about it isn't going to help you at all.


 
  
 The cups are the same size, but the plate with the driver is much larger.  You can get a mini XLR jack in between the back wall of the cup and the driver plate, but the fit is so tight that you can't put the locking nut on the inside.  Someone showed me a pic of their build, and they literally had to glue the connector in place which I would rather avoid.


----------



## wolfetan44

I hate 3.5mm plugs, I find mini 4 pins to be 10x easier. Odd one out I guess


----------



## PETEREK

morph2k4 said:


> The cups are the same size, but the plate with the driver is much larger.  You can get a mini XLR jack in between the back wall of the cup and the driver plate, but the fit is so tight that you can't put the locking nut on the inside.  Someone showed me a pic of their build, and they literally had to glue the connector in place which I would rather avoid.


 
 Hot glue is removable. That wouldn't be a bad option.


----------



## Drsparis

mreleventy said:


> Not really a question but, soldered a mini xlr 4 pin for the first time tonight. I don't want to do that eveeer again. But I have to. lol Installed a jack into a pair of 770s pro, going to make the cable tomorrow. x(




Hd800's were scary lol didn't think I would be able to do it lol.


----------



## FraGGleR

Not cheap, but the Sennheiser HD800 connectors are smaller and available for purchase from a couple places.


----------



## morph2k4

fraggler said:


> Not cheap, but the Sennheiser HD800 connectors are smaller and available for purchase from a couple places.


 
  
 These, right?
  
 http://www.aloaudio.com/hd800-female-socket-panel-mount-connector-sold-in-pairs 
  
 They look to be about the same diameter as the mini XLR's.  Do you have reason to believe they are actually smaller?


----------



## FraGGleR

morph2k4 said:


> These, right?
> 
> http://www.aloaudio.com/hd800-female-socket-panel-mount-connector-sold-in-pairs
> 
> They look to be about the same diameter as the mini XLR's.  Do you have reason to believe they are actually smaller?


 
  
 Yes.


----------



## TrollDragon

fraggler said:


> Yes.


 
*BOOM!*
 Haha too fine!


----------



## morph2k4

Awesome, those look perfect!  It's a shame they are 100 bucks for a full set, but I don't think I have any other options.  Is there anything that holds the connectors in other than friction?


----------



## PXSS

morph2k4 said:


> Awesome, those look perfect!  It's a shame they are 100 bucks for a full set, but I don't think I have any other options.  Is there anything that holds the connectors in other than friction?


 
 a 7mm nut on the back end.


----------



## 65535

They have a pair of positive locking tabs perpendicular to the indexing tab.
  
 Lemo connectors are some of the best in the world. They're expensive because of the quality. I don't know that I trust an audio vendor for genuine connectors.
  
 If you're willing to take the time to go on Lemo's website and figure out the model number you want you can order them through a dealer or search on e-bay. Might find them cheaper.


----------



## audiofreakie

Or you can use female casing mounting RCA (binding post RCA) at booth side your headphone cups. Cheaper, easier, and easy to find.


----------



## elmoe

lol at a hundred bucks for these...


----------



## PXSS

Lemo's are what I use for all of my detachable mods. A pain to work with but the best looking detach mod ever.


----------



## PXSS

Pretty pictures. I don't have them on me right now but I can get some more pics later.


----------



## kugino

pxss said:


> Pretty pictures. I don't have them on me right now but I can get some more pics later.





>





> nice! those are the d7000s, right? did you have to make the hole larger to fit the Lemo connector?


----------



## PXSS

Mark Lawton Modded D2000 and yes, I had to drill through them, original hole diameter is roughly 5.5mm so there is no chance you will fit anything in there without drilling. I have access to a drill press and a vise, so it was done in a very precise manner. The only other modder that I've seen do something similar is Martin at Martin Custom Audio, I would like to say about a year ago, and he used 1/8 inch mono jacks as the connector, a much more cost efficient approach but not as nice looking in my opinion, and I also have something against mono plugs and shorting your drivers when plugging the connector in and being able to be unplugged when tugged. With the Lemo, I don't ever have to worry about either of those. It was a miserable process but well worth it. I have also done the same mod on my HE400s so I can use all of my cables on either headphone.
  
 Edit: Martin's D2K Detach link
 http://www.martincustomaudio.com/2013/02/cocobolo-denon-d2000-cups-with-18-jacks.html


----------



## kugino

pxss said:


> Mark Lawton Modded D2000 and yes, I had to drill through them, original hole diameter is roughly 5.5mm so there is no chance you will fit anything in there without drilling. I have access to a drill press and a vise, so it was done in a very precise manner. The only other modder that I've seen do something similar is Martin at Martin Custom Audio, I would like to say about a year ago, and he used 1/8 inch mono jacks as the connector, a much more cost efficient approach but not as nice looking in my opinion, and I also have something against mono plugs and shorting your drivers when plugging the connector in and being able to be unplugged when tugged. With the Lemo, I don't ever have to worry about either of those. It was a miserable process but well worth it. I have also done the same mod on my HE400s so I can use all of my cables on either headphone.
> 
> Edit: Martin's D2K Detach link
> http://www.martincustomaudio.com/2013/02/cocobolo-denon-d2000-cups-with-18-jacks.html


 
 that's a very nice mod. i've been thinking about putting in some hardware on my d7000...the Lemo connectors look like what i want. i have access to a drill press, too, so maybe i can convince my friend to do the drilling for me. i like the idea of having the same connectors on multiple headphones and just have a couple of different cables. i wish the Alpha Dogs used the same connectors. but they're much more expensive so i understand dan's choice for the ADs. thanks for the info...


----------



## PXSS

kugino said:


> pxss said:
> 
> 
> > Mark Lawton Modded D2000 and yes, I had to drill through them, original hole diameter is roughly 5.5mm so there is no chance you will fit anything in there without drilling. I have access to a drill press and a vise, so it was done in a very precise manner. The only other modder that I've seen do something similar is Martin at Martin Custom Audio, I would like to say about a year ago, and he used 1/8 inch mono jacks as the connector, a much more cost efficient approach but not as nice looking in my opinion, and I also have something against mono plugs and shorting your drivers when plugging the connector in and being able to be unplugged when tugged. With the Lemo, I don't ever have to worry about either of those. It was a miserable process but well worth it. I have also done the same mod on my HE400s so I can use all of my cables on either headphone.
> ...


 The drilling isn't nearly as bad as the soldering, the pins are tiny and VERY close to each other. It took me a couple of tries to get them not to short. A multimeter will be very handy if you decide to go the Lemo route. Cheers


----------



## FraGGleR

morph2k4 said:


>


 
 You can get a full set cheaper from Lunashops.com  They might not match 100% the original quality of the Sennheiser connectors, but should likely be just fine.  Most people selling them probably got a batch when getting their HD800 connectors.  I got a single one as a sample when I was trying to convince an Alibaba vendor to sell me some HD800 connectors in really low volumes.  I wanted 6 and their minimum was 300   ALO should be fine as well.  
  
 I still prefer mini XLR when they fit, but would probably go this route if space was really at a premium or I felt like punishing myself.


----------



## fenderf4i

pxss said:


>


 
  
  
 Which Y-splitter is that?


----------



## FraGGleR

fenderf4i said:


> Which Y-splitter is that?


 
 Looks like the Doublehelixcables Capsid: http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=118  There are few samples out in the wild.


----------



## FraGGleR

double post


----------



## fenderf4i

Awesome, thanks!


----------



## daigo

I'm looking to build a headphone cable with mini 4 pin xlr connectors at each headphone cup.  Any suggestions for decent looking male 4 pin mini xlr connectors that doesn't cost more than say $30 for a pair?


----------



## FraGGleR

daigo said:


> I'm looking to build a headphone cable with mini 4 pin xlr connectors at each headphone cup.  Any suggestions for decent looking male 4 pin mini xlr connectors that doesn't cost more than say $30 for a pair?


 
 Well, your options are actually quite limited.  The only deluxe 4-pin mini XLRS are by Furutech and they are well over $30 for a pair.  Beyond that you have standard Switchcraft, Rean (Neutrik), Amphenol, and the stuff you can get off of ebay or Aliexpress.
  
 I will say that the Amphenols have been my favorite and are of higher quality than even the Switchcraft that they are clones of for half the price.  Standard looking, but have a great feel and tight tolerances.  I have used some off of ebay/Aliexpress that have been ok, and can be found with cooler shells, but the tolerances aren't as tight and sometimes they can get stuck.  I have used these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/mini-xlr-4P-4-pin-female-Audio-Mic-connector-TA4F-0A-/351017765950?pt=US_Computer_Microphones&hash=item51ba4a0c3e and they were fine.  You could always take the shells from the cheaper ones and use the guts of the Amphenols for a focus on quality and looks.  Would still come in under the cost of even normal Switchcrafts.


----------



## MrEleventy

I went cheap on my first outing with the mini XLR, kinda wish I didn't. The female mini that I got from Redco is really cheap feeling. I'm thinking about postponing finishing the cable until I get a more solid feeling jack.  

Did a 4 strand round braid and it looks pretty nice. Went from 6 ft to about 5.5 ft. Not too bad. Thinking about sleeving it now....


----------



## daigo

fraggler said:


> Well, your options are actually quite limited.  The only deluxe 4-pin mini XLRS are by Furutech and they are well over $30 for a pair.  Beyond that you have standard Switchcraft, Rean (Neutrik), Amphenol, and the stuff you can get off of ebay or Aliexpress.
> 
> I will say that the Amphenols have been my favorite and are of higher quality than even the Switchcraft that they are clones of for half the price.  Standard looking, but have a great feel and tight tolerances.  I have used some off of ebay/Aliexpress that have been ok, and can be found with cooler shells, but the tolerances aren't as tight and sometimes they can get stuck.  I have used these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/mini-xlr-4P-4-pin-female-Audio-Mic-connector-TA4F-0A-/351017765950?pt=US_Computer_Microphones&hash=item51ba4a0c3e and they were fine.  You could always take the shells from the cheaper ones and use the guts of the Amphenols for a focus on quality and looks.  Would still come in under the cost of even normal Switchcrafts.


 
  
 Thanks for the suggestion.  I was actually looking at that seller's 4 pin male mini XLR plugs (http://www.ebay.com/itm/mini-xlr-minixlr-4-pin-male-Audio-Microphone-mic-connector-TA4M-0A-/390790720245?pt=US_Cables_Snakes_Interconnects&hash=item5afcf12af5) but was unsure of the build quality.  However, at that price, I guess I can putz around with them and see if the innards are decent enough.  The Furutechs are definitely the best looking ones that I've been able to find, but are so pricey.


----------



## PETEREK

I'm doing a 4 wire braid with 26awg copper and want to sleeve each strand individually with paracord. The micro paracord I ordered is too thin, or I don't have the patience to mess with it anymore, pick one. What size should I be using? I don't want it to be baggy. Thanks ahead of time.


----------



## 65535

http://www.supplycaptain.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=74
  
 That should be adequate for 26 awg.


----------



## PETEREK

65535 said:


> http://www.supplycaptain.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=74
> 
> That should be adequate for 26 awg.


 
 Thanks man


----------



## cerealkillr

65535 said:


> http://www.supplycaptain.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=74
> 
> That should be adequate for 26 awg.


 
 I'm finishing a cable using the burgundy color of this and it fits the strands in Canare L-4E6S perfectly.


----------



## PETEREK

Awesome that's perfect then, the Canare is 26awg. I can't imagine being able to use this "microcord" for wire, it starts coming apart as soon as I attempt to route anything through it.


----------



## Drsparis

peterek said:


> I'm doing a 4 wire braid with 26awg copper and want to sleeve each strand individually with paracord. The micro paracord I ordered is too thin, or I don't have the patience to mess with it anymore, pick one. What size should I be using? I don't want it to be baggy. Thanks ahead of time.


 
 what was linked to you was type 1 paracord. also known as micro paracord. The thing with paracord is that the only standard is the resistance (110 lbs if I recall correctly). What i mean by this is that the inner diameter can and will change depending on the actual material used. I ordered some on amazon and it took me sooooooooooooo long to feed my 24 feet. Then I ordered some from five star cord (http://fivestarcord.com/) and it is not only silky smooth ( part of me wants to redo the wire lol) and also stretches a lot more making it a lot easier with 24awg wire.


----------



## FraGGleR

peterek said:


> Awesome that's perfect then, the Canare is 26awg. I can't imagine being able to use this "microcord" for wire, it starts coming apart as soon as I attempt to route anything through it.


 
 When you get a clean cut, take a lighter and carefully melt the ends.  This will keep it from coming apart.  Also, make sure to have a clean cut of your wire with no strands poking out.  This can catch on the inside and cause ugly snags.


----------



## ThurstonX

fraggler said:


> When you get a clean cut, take a lighter and carefully melt the ends.  This will keep it from coming apart.  Also, make sure to have a clean cut of your wire with no strands poking out.  This can catch on the inside and cause ugly snags.


 
  
 A trick I use is to wrap a small piece of painter's or masking tape around the end, with just a small amount beyond the end of the wire(s), twisted up tightly; takes very little tape, of course, as you don't want it too thick.  I've yet to have a snag that way.
  
 Really appreciate the links to type I paracord/microcord.
  
 Quick question re: soldering a 3.5mm TRS.  I assume it's pretty much like using a 1/4" TRS, only tighter quarters?  I did all right with HFM SMC connectors and a mini XLR, so I'm hoping it won't be too big a PITA with the 3.5mm.  I'm using Mogami W2799 sans sheath and shield (so, four wires).
  
 TIA.


----------



## Drsparis

Another trick i used for my borderline too small paracord was pull on the wire tubing to stretch it out past the wire then melt the tip and carefully mold it with my fingers (after a second or so). I tried tape but it was too thick... anyways I was using 24awg, 26 should be fine


----------



## PETEREK

I haven't gotten all the the parts for the cable I'm making for these, but I got them ready by installing the 2 mini xlr chassis in them. I was s***ing my pants when I was soldering the wires onto the drivers more than when I was drilling holes in the cups. The Beyer drivers voice coil wires come off those tabs very easily, I worked up a sweat soldering them. Haha I'm extremely satisfied with the mod, and they're still in pristine condition.
  
 My HTC One's camera lens does this blue tiger stripe crap, it's pretty annoying.
  

  

  

  

  

  


morph2k4 said:


> I'm looking to do a removable cable on my t5p,  Apparently a mini XLR socket is ever so slightly too large to mount in the cups.  Are there any reasonable alternatives?





  
 They fit with a little bit of modification to the baffle. I had to cut into it a little bit, and I knew I would have to but it was easy and I can't hear a difference in the sound with it being cut.


----------



## TrollDragon

Excellent work!


----------



## Androb

That mod looks sweet!


----------



## MrEleventy

peterek said:


> I haven't gotten all the the parts for the cable I'm making for these, but I got them ready by installing the 2 mini xlr chassis in them. I was s***ing my pants when I was soldering the wires onto the drivers more than when I was drilling holes in the cups. *The Beyer drivers voice coil wires come off those tabs very easily, I worked up a sweat soldering them.* Haha I'm extremely satisfied with the mod, and they're still in pristine condition.


I know how you feel. lol I was feeling the same way last weekend when I was doing the same but to the 770Pros.  I just got a pair of 770Prems as well, thinking about doing the same to them but single entry.


----------



## GrindingThud

Some photos of my build. Canare l-4e6s, purple type III paracord with reflective tracer, and Rean connectors. This is for my LCD-2.....I did not like the flat cord. This feels much more comfortable. I used a straightened coat hanger as a fid to thread the paracord after stripping the cover. Also soldered little bridges across the pins on the mini XLR connectors to make cable attachment easier.


----------



## cerealkillr

drsparis said:


> what was linked to you was type 1 paracord. also known as micro paracord. The thing with paracord is that the only standard is the resistance (110 lbs if I recall correctly). What i mean by this is that the inner diameter can and will change depending on the actual material used. I ordered some on amazon and it took me sooooooooooooo long to feed my 24 feet. Then I ordered some from five star cord (http://fivestarcord.com/) and it is not only silky smooth ( part of me wants to redo the wire lol) and also stretches a lot more making it a lot easier with 24awg wire.


 
 Oh my god. Thank you so much for that website. A good product at a reasonable price and flat-rate shipping of $3. Perfect.
  
 How do you guys deal with the wires being curly from being twisted in the casing? Are there any wires that don't need straightening out after you strip them?


----------



## 65535

Probably not, I'm lucky that we stock 26awg PVC coated wire which is super supple as well as 6x26 shielded PVC jacketed cable which is also super supple.


----------



## Drsparis

My pleasure  Buy individual strands lol... Costs more so maybe not worth it lol not to say I didn't splurge on nucleotide DHC cable... :-\


----------



## Kamakahah

BTG comes kink free and is still within reason. At $.80/ft for OFC or $1/ft for SPC with $5 shipping. Not the dame value, but a good alternative.


----------



## kugino

kamakahah said:


> BTG comes kink free and is still within reason. At $.80/ft for OFC or $1/ft for SPC with $5 shipping. Not the dame value, but a good alternative.


 
 i ordered the black BTC OFC cable to make my Alpha Dog cable and it worked out really well. i didn't wrap it with paracord, but i did do a 4-strand weave that turned out pretty well. i'm thinking about buying the silver BTG at $1/foot to make a cable for my D7000. probably will wrap individual strands in mini-paracord. i think BTG's wire is a budget-friendly way to go for a pretty nice cable.


----------



## 65535

I've seen Lemo connectors come up occasionally on here, especially since the HD800 connector is a custom Lemo.
  
 One of my favorite features is the push to connect pull to disconnect with positive locking. On the male connector there are two fingers that latch onto slots inside the female connector. No worries this connection will come undone accidentally without destroying the cable. I happen to think they look quite cool too.
  
 I figured since I am quite fond of the connectors and they are fairly small I would post up some pictures and briefly detail them. This may dissuade some people from trying to use them in a mod and that's not a bad thing, they are expensive and have very small solder cups.
  
 Here goes:
  

  
 For anyone not familiar that is a female panel mount Lemo (EGG 0B 4 LV pin) mated to a male cable mount (FGG 0B 4LV pin).  You can see the red reference dots on the connectors to make sure you line up the registering pin correctly, like XLR connectors these are not rotatable unlike TRS connectors.
  
 I chose some 6x26awg spiral shielded cable to make the 3m headphone cord. On the other end I terminated the cable in a 1/4" TRS Neutrik connector.
  
  

  
  
  
  
 Here you can see both ends of the cable, the Lemo is quite small, they do make smaller connectors but this was a size I had readily available and it's appropriate for the application.
  
 You can also see the quad twisted wires coming off the panel mount connector which will connect to the left and right drivers once I finish the project.
  

  
  
  
 Since I had 6 conductor wire I decided to go with it and double up on every conductor, honestly this makes the job harder and doesn't have any benefit other than being more consistent with the doubled up wires in the main cable. Here I soldered a total of 8 26awg wires paired on each of the 4 pins, they fit up to about 22 awg happily, 2x 26awg is a little big.
  
  

  
 Some heat shrink to prevent any shorting but mostly for aesthetics. 
  

  
 Here's the doubled up wires from the cable, I soldered one pair for the ground to pin 3 and the shield to pin 4 then bridged them with some solder, this makes sure both channels have nearly identical impedance in the cable. Nit picky but I didn't see any reason not to. I could in the future use this for a balanced cable since I do have 4 pins connect in pairs to the drivers. However this is strictly a standard cable with TRS on one end.
  
 You can see how small those solder cups are, that's 26awg wire, I made my life harder by doubling them up but it wasn't too bad. You can also see the cable clamp chuck which provides excellent strain relief from pulling out at the solder cups. Again these are definitely high quality connectors.
  
  
 So that's Lemo connectors at a glance, they're very nice and quite small. This sizes I believe is available up to a 7 pin version but the pins get even smaller. They also come in 2 pin and 3 pin for dual entry and single ended single entry.
  
 I also want to recommend the GRS third hand clips that you see in the pictures, they make working with this smaller stuff a lot easier. They position well and have good holding power.
  
 For reference, all the soldering was done with 63/37 rosin core .015" solder and a ETA tip on a Weller WESD51 soldering station set to 581F.
  
 Tip:


----------



## kugino

65535 said:


> I've seen Lemo connectors come up occasionally on here, especially since the HD800 connector is a custom Lemo.
> 
> One of my favorite features is the push to connect pull to disconnect with positive locking. On the male connector there are two fingers that latch onto slots inside the female connector. No worries this connection will come undone accidentally without destroying the cable. I happen to think they look quite cool too.
> 
> ...


 
 thanks for the info! those are some great tips and some nice work there, much better than my plebian work. the AD lemo connectors were indeed a PITA. those pins are tiny! good thing the BTG wires are thin as well.


----------



## DMinor

Where can I buy these DIY female plugs shown in the pic below? Thanks


----------



## 65535

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/35PM1/SC1455-ND/1288859
  
 Is one option, female 1/8" (3.5mm) mono jack (TS) is what you're looking for.


----------



## DMinor

65535 said:


> http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/35PM1/SC1455-ND/1288859
> 
> Is one option, female 1/8" (3.5mm) mono jack (TS) is what you're looking for.


 
  
 Thanks, but I am looking for 1/4" plugs.  No one sells the 1/4"?


----------



## GrindingThud

There are tons of 1/4 jacks.... Check here: http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?Keyword=1%2f4+mono+jack
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/REAN-Neutrik/NYS229-U/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMvlX3nhDDO4AAAyPhn63iJuQetyn93%252bGLk%3d

Are you sure you want 1/4? They are huge and will most likely not fit inside the cups.....



dminor said:


> Thanks, but I am looking for 1/4" plugs.  No one sells the 1/4"?


----------



## 65535

dminor said:


> Thanks, but I am looking for 1/4" plugs.  No one sells the 1/4"?


 
 You linked a picture of 1/8" jacks and no 1/4" plugs, Neutrik makes great TRS plugs, and a few jacks even.


----------



## DMinor

Oh my bad, thanks guys.


----------



## PETEREK

I got my type 1 paracord in the mail yesterday, but it's going to be hard to thread the wire through now that I broke my finger at work during the night! Ugh
  
 Is is weird that building that cable was one of the first things I was worried about not being able to do? Haha


----------



## TrollDragon

Nope perfectly normal, one has to have ones priorities in order.


----------



## PXSS

thats what girlfriends are for!


----------



## PETEREK

I still ended up making the cable today. Pics are up in the DIY Cable Gallery.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Does anybody use Digikey? Their collection seems to be huge but I can't navigate it.. 
  
 Specifically: Heatshrink... what am I looking at? Is there anything here thats similar to what Heatshrink.com sells?

 http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/cables-wires-management/heat-shrink-tubing/1704112


----------



## FraGGleR

frozenpanda said:


> Does anybody use Digikey? Their collection seems to be huge but I can't navigate it..
> 
> Specifically: Heatshrink... what am I looking at? Is there anything here thats similar to what Heatshrink.com sells?
> 
> http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/cables-wires-management/heat-shrink-tubing/1704112


 
 I don't like using Digikey either.  For heatshrink, I highly recommend avoutlet.com.  Cheapest place I have found Techflex heatshrink by the foot.  High quality with no hideous writing.


----------



## funch

I usually use these guys: http://www.redco.com/


----------



## FrozenPanda

funch said:


> I usually use these guys: http://www.redco.com/


 
 I do too, love these guys to death but they don't have USB Connectors, Digikey does and id like my order to be all from the same place if possible.. Also, they don't have 3:1 heatshrink... 
  


fraggler said:


> I don't like using Digikey either.  For heatshrink, I highly recommend avoutlet.com.  Cheapest place I have found Techflex heatshrink by the foot.  High quality with no hideous writing.


 
 Now this is an interesting website... Do you also get other supplies from here? I see viablues... I might want some viablues... ._.


----------



## 65535

DigiKey is a great supplier, if you can't navigate menus and contextual searches you will have a bad time. We buy about 90% of our components at work through them.


----------



## fenderf4i

I just ordered a bunch of Viablue stuff from AVOutlet last week. They shipped it out quick, and the shipping is inexpensive and fast to Canada!


----------



## TrollDragon

fenderf4i said:


> I just ordered a bunch of Viablue stuff from AVOutlet last week. They shipped it out quick, and the shipping is inexpensive and fast to Canada!


That is good to know! I can see some Viablues in my future!


----------



## fenderf4i

trolldragon said:


> That is good to know! I can see some Viablues in my future!


 
  
  
 They have the Viablue SC2 splitters, which was what I was mainly looking for to build my LCD-2 cable.


----------



## Zashoomin

frozenpanda said:


> Does anybody use Digikey? Their collection seems to be huge but I can't navigate it..
> 
> Specifically: Heatshrink... what am I looking at? Is there anything here thats similar to what Heatshrink.com sells?
> 
> http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/cables-wires-management/heat-shrink-tubing/1704112


 
 I get all of my heat shrink on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/usr/flexrllc?_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2754 This guy has every size, color, length and ratio you would ever need/want.  


trolldragon said:


> That is good to know! I can see some Viablues in my future!


 
 Ya Viablue connectors look good but they are by far the biggest pain in the butt when it comes to connectors.  Especially the small ones.  They do look good though,


----------



## semaj8james

I know this isn't DIY, but I recieved a custom cable from HPL audio for me HE-500s, and was wondering if this is an appropriate place to post.


----------



## FraGGleR

semaj8james said:


> I know this isn't DIY, but I recieved a custom cable from HPL audio for me HE-500s, and was wondering if this is an appropriate place to post.




Nope this wouldn't be the place. The HPL appreciation thread would be the perfect place for that.


----------



## TrollDragon

semaj8james said:


> I know this isn't DIY, but I recieved a custom cable from HPL audio for me HE-500s, and was wondering if this is an appropriate place to post.


 

 FraGGler is just too fast...


----------



## fenderf4i

fraggler said:


> Nope this wouldn't be the place. The HPL appreciation thread would be the perfect place for that.


 
  
  
 I can't find such a thread through search?


----------



## FraGGleR

fenderf4i said:


> I can't find such a thread through search?




http://www.head-fi.org/t/695297/the-new-headphone-lounge-thread

First result for Headphone lounge. 



trolldragon said:


> FraGGler is just too fast...




Hah. Lucky timing.


----------



## fenderf4i

Oh I see, there's HPL audio and then headphone lounge, they're separate now. I've purchased from HPL, but wouldn't post it in the headphone lounge thread.


----------



## AONihilist

I don't know whether people have asked this before, but I have a question as to how I can make an upgrade cable for my CIEM with a balanced connector (IRIS/RSA).
  
 I know Moon Audio can do so with the Silver and Black Dragon cables, but when I try with the instructions on Ray Samuel's website (http://raysamuelsaudio.com/products/sr-71b), what I get is distorted sound. The mids seem to be the only one that are okay, but the highs and bass are distorted beyond tolerable limits. Everything is wired perfectly. 

 I just have this particular cable that I really like and want to use it with a balanced connector. Can anyone help?


----------



## FraGGleR

aonihilist said:


> I don't know whether people have asked this before, but I have a question as to how I can make an upgrade cable for my CIEM with a balanced connector (IRIS/RSA).
> 
> I know Moon Audio can do so with the Silver and Black Dragon cables, but when I try with the instructions on Ray Samuel's website (http://raysamuelsaudio.com/products/sr-71b), what I get is distorted sound. The mids seem to be the only one that are okay, but the highs and bass are distorted beyond tolerable limits. Everything is wired perfectly.
> 
> ...




What cable is it? Have you re-flowed your joints and checked with a multimeter to make sure you don't have a short somewhere?


----------



## AONihilist

fraggler said:


> What cable is it? Have you re-flowed your joints and checked with a multimeter to make sure you don't have a short somewhere?


 
 The cable is done perfectly. No shorts, no issues. Everything is, in essence, perfect. That's why I'm asking this. Is there anything I'm missing out?

 What I did was to connect the Left to pin 1 and 3, and right to pin 2 and 4, as shown here: www.head-fi.org/t/671311/designing-balance-cable-for-ray-samuels-rsa-sr-71b-latest-version#post_9748119
  
 Then, I took the L wires and soldered them to the L Westone pins and the same to the R. Everything done in twisted pairs too.


----------



## FraGGleR

aonihilist said:


> The cable is done perfectly. No shorts, no issues. Everything is, in essence, perfect. That's why I'm asking this. Is there anything I'm missing out?
> 
> What I did was to connect the Left to pin 1 and 3, and right to pin 2 and 4, as shown here: www.head-fi.org/t/671311/designing-balance-cable-for-ray-samuels-rsa-sr-71b-latest-version#post_9748119
> 
> Then, I took the L wires and soldered them to the L Westone pins and the same to the R. Everything done in twisted pairs too.


 
 That is the correct pinout for the RSA connector, the only thing I can recommend is checking the polarity of your Westone connectors, especially in relation to each other.  I can't remember for sure, but I feel like I ran into this before when I had some W4Rs.  Here is the post that helped me out:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/9015#post_8289474


----------



## AONihilist

fraggler said:


> That is the correct pinout for the RSA connector, the only thing I can recommend is checking the polarity of your Westone connectors, especially in relation to each other.  I can't remember for sure, but I feel like I ran into this before when I had some W4Rs.  Here is the post that helped me out:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/9015#post_8289474


 
 I just noticed that there are two pinout diagrams. One on the top (the big one) and the other on the bottom (the one for the auto-IRIS of the camera). Which one? I did the one on top the first time and that's the one with the distortion.

 I don't own a balanced amp, so I cannot try this right now, but I tried it with a demo amp in a store that I trust wouldn't have defective material (I actually tried it with three different amps with the same result).

 As for pin polarity, I can't make an error, considering that I am using the twisted pair configuration and a multimeter...


----------



## FraGGleR

aonihilist said:


> I just noticed that there are two pinout diagrams. One on the top (the big one) and the other on the bottom (the one for the auto-IRIS of the camera). Which one? I did the one on top the first time and that's the one with the distortion.
> 
> I don't own a balanced amp, so I cannot try this right now, but I tried it with a demo amp in a store that I trust wouldn't have defective material (I actually tried it with three different amps with the same result).
> 
> As for pin polarity, I can't make an error, considering that I am using the twisted pair configuration and a multimeter...


 
 The connectors themselves should have the numbers by the pins on the solder side.  The configuration you first quoted is correct 1,3 L+, L- and 2,4 R+, R-.  
  
 A multimeter can't tell you if you have misinterpreted a diagram or pinout.  Your ears are telling you that either you have, or the equipment on either side of the cable has a problem with it.  By polarity, I mean are you connecting to the right pins at the Westone end and do you have them in the correct orientation?  Westone, JH, UE, etc. all use the same connectors, but use a slightly different pinout (like the post that I shared with you).  Do you have the female socket for the RSA connector?  If so, you can make a balanced to single ended adapter and test on your own equipment.


----------



## AONihilist

fraggler said:


> The connectors themselves should have the numbers by the pins on the solder side.  The configuration you first quoted is correct 1,3 L+, L- and 2,4 R+, R-.
> 
> A multimeter can't tell you if you have misinterpreted a diagram or pinout.  Your ears are telling you that either you have, or the equipment on either side of the cable has a problem with it.  By polarity, I mean are you connecting to the right pins at the Westone end and do you have them in the correct orientation?  Westone, JH, UE, etc. all use the same connectors, but use a slightly different pinout (like the post that I shared with you).  Do you have the female socket for the RSA connector?  If so, you can make a balanced to single ended adapter and test on your own equipment.


 
 First, I don't have numbers on my connector, sadly.  Second, by multimeter, I meant the continuity tester that is in-built. Third, I do happen to have an RSA connector. By single-ended, you mean TRS, correct?


----------



## AONihilist

fraggler said:


> The connectors themselves should have the numbers by the pins on the solder side.  The configuration you first quoted is correct 1,3 L+, L- and 2,4 R+, R-.
> 
> A multimeter can't tell you if you have misinterpreted a diagram or pinout.  Your ears are telling you that either you have, or the equipment on either side of the cable has a problem with it.  By polarity, I mean are you connecting to the right pins at the Westone end and do you have them in the correct orientation?  Westone, JH, UE, etc. all use the same connectors, but use a slightly different pinout (like the post that I shared with you).  Do you have the female socket for the RSA connector?  If so, you can make a balanced to single ended adapter and test on your own equipment.


 
 Okay. Followed your advise and made a single ended-RSA converter and figured out an issue. It was due to me misreading the post. It was the view from inside the amp out, not from the jack. I've fixed it, though I cannot try this out until tomorrow (relative to me). Thanks for the advise.
  
 EDIT: It turns out that the larger diagram is slightly wrong. Because I am so used to reading how I should align my stuff (experience from my old circuit-board days), I read the diagram too literally, and took that protrusion at the top as the same protrusion of the female jack in the amp. Turns out the diagram at the bottom is actually the correct one. The diagram on top is very misleading. I recommend ignoring it entirely.


----------



## DMinor

Guys can you suggest where to buy 1/4" (6.3mm) diameter Techflex Nylon Multifilament sleeve in *silver* color? Thanks


----------



## FraGGleR

dminor said:


> Guys can you suggest where to buy 1/4" (6.3mm) diameter Techflex Nylon Multifilament sleeve in *silver* color? Thanks


 
 Only place I have seen silver was Furryletters on ebay.  If he doesn't have 1/4", not sure where you will get it.  Wirecare, Techflex's own webstore, doesn't even have it.


----------



## Zashoomin

fraggler said:


> Only place I have seen silver was Furryletters on ebay.  If he doesn't have 1/4", not sure where you will get it.  Wirecare, Techflex's own webstore, doesn't even have it.


 
 If you email him he might have it even though he doesn't have it listed on ebay.


----------



## graphidz

Cable noob here needing help on recabling.
Searching for the right cable in this 800 pages thread is a daunting task. So i could hope for a straightforward answer (and maybe be updated in the front page too, for easier future reference)
I need recommendation on recabling my T50RP. I'm planning to do dual sided mini xlr configuration and terminated with a 3.5mm connector.

Here are my questions :
1. Where to get a threaded 3.5mm connector? I found one at Qables website, but they are from the UK and I just don't have the time to wait for them to ship. Plus they only sell the jack and not the jacket.
2. Which cables to use? The choices are strictly from Redco though as I don't have the luxury to pay for shipping fees from other online store.
3. I'm going to use Techflex Flexo PET as the sleeve. Are the measurements given the maximum diameter before elongating the sleeve? How much elongation is when the diameter is minimum, after elongating the sleeve?
4. What are the points on choosing the right shrink tubes?

Do note that I'm only buying from Redco due to time and money constraint. Except for the threaded 3.5mm jack

Thanks for your advice!


----------



## FrozenPanda

graphidz said:


> 1. Where to get a threaded 3.5mm connector? I found one at Qables website, but they are from the UK and I just don't have the time to wait for them to ship. Plus they only sell the jack and not the jacket.
> 2. Which cables to use? The choices are strictly from Redco though as I don't have the luxury to pay for shipping fees from other online store.
> 3. I'm going to use Techflex Flexo PET as the sleeve. Are the measurements given the maximum diameter before elongating the sleeve? How much elongation is when the diameter is minimum, after elongating the sleeve?
> 4. What are the points on choosing the right shrink tubes?


 
 Here are my suggestions to your questions.
  
 1. This, i'm not too sure, sorry. These are rare, checkout the 3.5mm plug collection thread. I wish I could link but I seem to have lost it.. I swear its somewhere though xD.
 2. Mogami is probably the best choice from Redco.
 3. Maximum Diameter would be the largest it gets so you need to choose one that has a maximum diameter larger than the outer diameter of your cable. The closer the maximum diameter of the techflex is to the outer diamter of the cable the more transparent its going to look.
 4. Same idea as the techflex except in this case you want the heat shrink to be able to fit over your connector. (3/8ths inch just fits over a rean/aphenol 3.55mm plug, mini-xlr are about the same size) and then you'd want the shrink ratio to bring it down to a diameter lower than your cable outer diameter. (3/8ths inch 2:1 shrink ratio shrinks to 3/16ths which is a loose fit on mogami 2823. As for adhesive... its up to you.. I think its just complicated, if it shrinks tightly enough, it should stay with just friction.
  
 This is if you're really picky. Crap even I don't think of half of this when I order my supplies.. I just go off of experience, if I had sat down to think about this after the first time I made a cable I would have saved so much money. Thank you for this lol.
 The dimensions of the cable and connector should be on their datasheets.
  
 Hope that helps.


----------



## Zashoomin

graphidz said:


> Cable noob here needing help on recabling.
> Searching for the right cable in this 800 pages thread is a daunting task. So i could hope for a straightforward answer (and maybe be updated in the front page too, for easier future reference)
> I need recommendation on recabling my T50RP. I'm planning to do dual sided mini xlr configuration and terminated with a 3.5mm connector.
> 
> ...


 
 Um I will try to answer your questions as best I can.  
  
 1.  I have no idea haha sorry.
 2.  I would go mogami as well.
 3.  The thing about techflex is that it will stretch a lot so I wouldn't worry about the max diameter.  Just get the 1/4" and you will never have a problem with something being too big.  
 4.  So I personally like 3/8" 3:1 non-adhesive heat shrink but that is just me. For most applications 3/8" seems to be the ideal diameter heat shrink, in some cases 1/4" and 1/2" will apply but I just carry 3/8" and it seems to ever give me problems.  Redco only has 2:1 but I still suggest 3/8".
  
 Hope this helps.  Good luck with your project.


----------



## graphidz

frozenpanda said:


> Here are my suggestions to your questions.
> 
> 1. This, i'm not too sure, sorry. These are rare, checkout the 3.5mm plug collection thread. I wish I could link but I seem to have lost it.. I swear its somewhere though xD.
> 2. Mogami is probably the best choice from Redco.
> ...


 
  
  


zashoomin said:


> Um I will try to answer your questions as best I can.
> 
> 1.  I have no idea haha sorry.
> 2.  I would go mogami as well.
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for your replies!
 Well, I did found one from ebay, but it seems like the description below doesn't indicate that it's threaded. So i'm not sure here. I could ask when I get my parts then.
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-35mm-Male-3-5mm-3-Pole-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Solder-/310637049553?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item48536936d1
  
 Another method was also considered. A bit pricy if the only objective was to only get the connector, but the extra box is a huge plus.
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Takstar-HI-FI-headphone-Pro-80-earphone-DJ-Professional-Monitoring-Headphones-/271241380015?pt=US_DJ_Monitoring_Headphones&hash=item3f273f00af
  
 I think my doubts about the techflex and the shrink tubes are gone now. Thanks again.
  
 About the Mogami cable, which one do you recommend? If there isn't, I think I'll just go with the quad configuration or the Mogami W3106 which has 2 separate balanced cable.
  
 And again, thanks for the advice!


----------



## DVass13

graphidz said:


> Thanks for your replies!
> Well, I did found one from ebay, but it seems like the description below doesn't indicate that it's threaded. So i'm not sure here. I could ask when I get my parts then.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-35mm-Male-3-5mm-3-Pole-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Solder-/310637049553?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item48536936d1
> 
> ...


 
  
  
 If you don't mind the long wait, you can always go with this:
  
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3573
  
 Lunashops has a ton of DIY stuff for decent prices. You can even get some of the harder to find connectors. The only problem is that it takes a while for them to ship.
  
 As for the Mogami cable, this is what I've used in the past:
  
 http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2534.html


----------



## MrEleventy

graphidz said:


> Thanks for your replies!
> Well, I did found one from ebay, but it seems like the description below doesn't indicate that it's threaded. So i'm not sure here. I could ask when I get my parts then.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-35mm-Male-3-5mm-3-Pole-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Solder-/310637049553?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item48536936d1
> 
> ...


At least the Pro80 is a good hp to boot if you do go that route. Mod the Pro80s with mini xlrs as well and get two cans.


----------



## mrscotchguy

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I can't quite seem to find an answer.

Is Swifttech and Neutrik the only makers of 4-Pin XLR termination for making a balanced headphone cable?


----------



## MrEleventy

Amphenol does as well. They're priced inbetween the Neutrik and the Switchcraft stuff it seems.


----------



## FraGGleR

mrscotchguy said:


> Sorry if this has been asked before, but I can't quite seem to find an answer.
> 
> Is Swifttech and Neutrik the only makers of 4-Pin XLR termination for making a balanced headphone cable?




Amphenol makes the as well. You can also find generics which are of comparable quality. There are some nice 3 pins that you can swap pins for. The Vintage Audio Labs are a rough equivalent to Switch craft. Doublehelixcables sells them one off with a compatible insert as well.


----------



## mrscotchguy

mreleventy said:


> Amphenol does as well. They're priced inbetween the Neutrik and the Switchcraft stuff it seems.







fraggler said:


> Amphenol makes the as well. You can also find generics which are of comparable quality. There are some nice 3 pins that you can swap pins for. The Vintage Audio Labs are a rough equivalent to Switch craft. Doublehelixcables sells them one off with a compatible insert as well.




Thanks for the quick reply guys, I figured as much. I hate to sound too vain, but I was hoping for a "purdy" option. Maybe I will email Viablue and see if their pins are swappable. Do you know where to find rhodium plated pins, by chance?


----------



## graphidz

dvass13 said:


> If you don't mind the long wait, you can always go with this:
> 
> http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3573
> 
> ...


 
  
 Very nice find! No wonder I never found it. there isn't the usual "threaded" keyword lol.
 But it's too long for me though. Guess I'll skip this then
  
 Hmm, I'll try and read on that cable then and see as long as there's not so much negative reviews on it. Thanks.
  


mreleventy said:


> At least the Pro80 is a good hp to boot if you do go that route. Mod the Pro80s with mini xlrs as well and get two cans.


 
  
 Well, I could also transplant T50RP drivers in it just for kicks. If it fits that is.
 I can also salvage some other stuff from it too. So it's a mighty investment I guess. Will try and consider though


----------



## fenderf4i

I want to put paracord on my 2-24AWG twisted headphone wire. Which type of paracord do I want? Will type III be too large and loose?


----------



## Zashoomin

fenderf4i said:


> I want to put paracord on my 2-24AWG twisted headphone wire. Which type of paracord do I want? Will type III be too large and loose?


 
 That sounds like a job for mini paracord or vest cord http://www.supplycaptain.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=74&ParentCat=21


----------



## wolfetan44

mrscotchguy said:


> mreleventy said:
> 
> 
> > Amphenol does as well. They're priced inbetween the Neutrik and the Switchcraft stuff it seems.
> ...


 
 http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=143 
 Carbon Fiber.


----------



## H20Fidelity

Hey guys,

 I was wondering if anyone knows anyone that does cable re-terminated in Australia?

 I'm looking to have the jack on my Shure SHR940 coiled cable and hoping someone in Australia can help.

 If you know anyone or can do this please PM me.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Hey guys,
  
 The audio jacks on my computer case are starting to become loose or something. The sound disconnects if the plug shifts a little and its not the plug/cable's fault. I was wondering if it was possible to install a new jack into the front of the case. There is a PCB inside this means I need a PCB mounted jack right? Is there a standard for pin positions for PCB Mounted Jacks or do I have to track down the exact plug that is used in my Cooler Master HAF 922?


----------



## wakibaki

Chances are that the jack has worked its way loose on the PCB due to repeated insertions.
  
 You have to get into the item and examine it at close range to see what exactly is going on. You may be able to simply resolder the jack into the PCB, or you may have to find a replacement if it's a question of the spring contacts having gone soft. They come in numerous shapes and sizes, so identifying one may be a problem. You can even wire in a panel-mount type on extension wires and let it dangle outside the box, if it's what it takes to get the functionality back.
  
 w


----------



## PETEREK

Does anyone else absolutely hate how hard it is to thread Rean 3.5mm connectors sometimes?


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> Does anyone else absolutely hate how hard it is to thread Rean 3.5mm connectors sometimes?




It would be nice if they would' increase the hole diameters just a little. 

Most of the time it depends on how well I twist and tin my wires.

Still...I agree. Had those momenta of frustration more than a few times threading.


----------



## PETEREK

I was just making a mini-mini interconnect to match my last cable and could not get the second connector's barrel to thread on. I was so pissed that I just cut off both connectors and ordered some more SwitchCrafts.


----------



## TrollDragon

I had a silver wire interconnect that I beat to death with a hammer once... That PoS was so stiff it would lift the DAP off the Amp, it was wrapped in some sort of Teflon and the ends were epoxied on threads and all.


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> I had a silver wire interconnect that I beat to death with a hammer once... That PoS was so stiff it would lift the DAP off the Amp, it was wrapped in some sort of Teflon and the ends were epoxied on threads and all.


 
 It deserved every bit of it.


----------



## 65535

Word of advice to anyone that's doing work internal to their cans, don't break the magnet wire leads from the driver, they are not easy to solder back in place, especially since there wasn't much slack before they are broken. Ask me how I know.
  
 Luckily the job got done, pics up in the Gallery thread soon.


----------



## TrollDragon

Been there, done that with a DT 880 driver.


----------



## 65535

Luckily I had just enough leftovers, as frustrated as I am with Beyer I'd hate to have nonfunctioning T70s laying around.


----------



## MrEleventy

Beyers, hp modders' worst nightmare.


----------



## 65535

Pictures are up in the gallery, tell me what you think!


----------



## TrollDragon

Excellent Job!
  
 I like the milling on the cup to get the socket flush, I'll have to seek out a few of those connectors they look great.


----------



## 65535

PM me your address and I'll drop a couple of connectors salvaged from old parts. Can't guarantee perfect cosmetics and they'll have solder on them but they'll be okay to familiarize you with. I should have a few 5 pin pairs I can send off. Let me know.


----------



## DMinor

Anyone had experience recabling the EX1000? If you do, I would like to hear any suggestions you may have. I will get the recabling project going pretty soon.
  
 My D2K looks & sounds so much better after the diy recabling.


----------



## TrollDragon

65535 said:


> PM me your address and I'll drop a couple of connectors salvaged from old parts. Can't guarantee perfect cosmetics and they'll have solder on them but they'll be okay to familiarize you with. I should have a few 5 pin pairs I can send off. Let me know.


 

 Much appreciated!
 PM Sent.


----------



## audiofreakie

dminor said:


> Anyone had experience recabling the EX1000? If you do, I would like to hear any suggestions you may have. I will get the recabling project going pretty soon.
> 
> My D2K looks & sounds so much better after the diy recabling.




My friend recable his eX1000 with whiplast twag as a signal and moon audio silverdragon v1 as ground. I cant post some pics


----------



## DMinor

I am actually thinking about using solid core silver wires with cotton dielectric for recabling my EX1000. I know it won't be as flexible as the conventional wires, but my curiosity at this point overrules the concern over cable flexibility.


----------



## 65535

Solid wire is a terrible choice for any portable cables. Works fine in chassis or in wall, but has no buisiness being moved around. 
  
 Would be a shame to spend money on a silver cable. It would be just plain sad if that silver cable broke because it was solid and developed fatigue until failure.
  
 A high impedance air gap is a terrible thing to have in your audio system, real day ruiner.


----------



## DMinor

I fully understand those very valid concerns except I am not convinced of the air gap being a day ruiner (until I hear with my ears).   I will use the cable mainly in my office so it's not intended to be portable.
  
 Tempo Electric sells the silver wire (bare wire no jacket) at very reasonable price. I will use stranded copper wires for ground. The stranded ground wires will also improve the flexibility.
  
 Hey this is about hobby and I can always recable it again. 
  
 BTW, have you done recabling with solid core silver wires? I am curious if your "day ruiner" conclusion has been drawn from your own experience.


----------



## 65535

Sorry, bad entertainment technician joke. 
  
 I first heard the term high impedance air gap in response to why something wasn't working, What it means is something isn't plugged in, however in this sense I meant it to mean that the wire if broken would no longer make a connection internally. If it was broken that would be a bit of a day ruiner in my book.


----------



## DMinor

Haha, definitely agree with you on that.


----------



## TrollDragon

Every RJ45 connector my boss crimps on has air gaps... Hard on the network connections too. So I spend my day choping and recrimping all his work.


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> Every RJ45 connector my boss crimps on has air gaps... Hard on the network connections too. So I spend my day choping and recrimping all his work.


 
  
 http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=105&cp_id=10524&cs_id=1052401
  
 Works like a charm.  Maybe he needs an early birthday present 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
 Also, "high impedance air gap" is a phrase I'm going to try to use more often


----------



## TrollDragon

We have Testers and a Fox & Hound set, he calls me while I am onsite other places with a "Lights 2 & 6 don't light up, is there something wrong with this tester?"... Monoprice doesn't sell what he needs.


----------



## 65535

I'm not even sure how you screw up an RJ crimp.


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> We have Testers and a Fox & Hound set, he calls me while I am onsite other places with a "Lights 2 & 6 don't light up, is there something wrong with this tester?"... Monoprice doesn't sell what he needs.


 
  
 LMAO.  Yeah, for bosses like that there's only one solution.  Sadly, there's no such thing as the perfect crime 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 re: the question: crappy crimper...?  Like the tester linked to above, I've gotten a bad crimp or two with the budget crimper from Monoprice.  No excuse for a business to be buying that cheap, though.  For home projects, they do nicely.  It's like my $5 mulitmeter.  Works great for me.


----------



## TrollDragon

thurstonx said:


> LMAO.  Yeah, for bosses like that there's only one solution.  Sadly, there's no such thing as the perfect crime
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 No its a decent crimper with good dies.


 It's just him... and possibly the RJ45 ends he found for $1/100, "Just as good as those expensive Amp ones..."


----------



## audiofreakie

dminor said:


> I fully understand those very valid concerns except I am not convinced of the air gap being a day ruiner (until I hear with my ears).   I will use the cable mainly in my office so it's not intended to be portable.
> 
> Tempo Electric sells the silver wire (bare wire no jacket) at very reasonable price. I will use stranded copper wires for ground. The stranded ground wires will also improve the flexibility.
> 
> ...




I do, pure silver solid core has very good sound, I used it for my TF10 and my Fitear 111. 
good choice to use it with cotton sleeving, its more flexible and stronger than use heatshrink.
the issue maybe just a little rigid and microphonic.
I used it recently at home or office.


----------



## FraGGleR

dminor said:


> I am actually thinking about using solid core silver wires with cotton dielectric for recabling my EX1000. I know it won't be as flexible as the conventional wires, but my curiosity at this point overrules the concern over cable flexibility.


 
 If you are committed, then go for it and see for yourself the positives and negatives.  I will simply reiterate that solid core isn't meant to flex repeatedly and while it might work fine in the short term, you are almost certain to get a break at some point.  I have had solid silver break mid-cable inside of its teflon sleeve which made it so big a pain to fix that I didn't bother.  It was used in a desktop environment with full-sized headphones.  Also had a wire break on a short mini to mini, though it was easier to fix.


----------



## Kamakahah

I was going to make a desktop cable for the Alpha Dogs and was considering venturing into the Tempo Electric's solid cord with over-sized Teflon. I was going to order different Teflon that would still be over-sized but smaller ID/OD - Something like ID:2mm OD: 4mm. To make it cheaper, I did plan on using copper grounds. Doing unbalanced to begin with. I'm assuming the dielectric of the ground wouldn't really matter, yeah? Cause I thought it would look cool to spiral some color of Mogami or Canare grounds around the outside of the Teflon and finished it all off with some Techflex. 
  
 Would it be better to keep the ground further separated rather than my intended plan? I had considered placing a sleeving around the Teflon and then running the ground around that. 
  
 Not that worried about it breaking as this is an experiment. Whatever the results are, so be it. That said, I'd like to implement the design of the cable for maximum theoretical benefits, and then make adjustments from there. Thoughts?
  
 One final question pertaining to the design of Tempo Electric's cable/interconnect style. They quote studies about air dielectric and it's benefits and how over-sized Teflon mimics those benefits (for the most part). Then they use heat shrink at each end for obvious reasons. That comes in contact with the wire, albeit for only a short length of the wire, but still is a constant on the wire during operation. Isn't that almost purpose defeating? (Not sure, that's why I'm asking).


----------



## DMinor

Good question about defeating the air-dielectric purpose from using heat shrinks, but for practical reason there have to be some sacrifices by using the heat shrinks to secure the cable. From my own experience trying lod cables using different wires (including some of the quality wires frequently mentioned at HF) for my diymods, the one made of solid-core pure silver with cotton sleeve just wins my ears. This is the reason I want to try similar wires for recabling my iem's.
  
 I used the Tempo Electric silver wires (30 awg) before for my diymod project, and those wires are softer and more flexible than other types of wires of the same gauge. As long as you don't bend the solid core sharply back and forth, I believe it should have sufficient ductility to last long enough with care. The breaking is not my major concern since I don't intend to put it in my pocket everyday as I do with my EX1000 stock cable. Using stranded ground wires will help to improve the flexibility.
  
 Now my question: For 24 awg solid core, what size of cotton sleeves I should get and where to get them?


----------



## skalkman

dminor said:


> Good question about defeating the air-dielectric purpose from using heat shrinks, but for practical reason there have to be some sacrifices by using the heat shrinks to secure the cable. From my own experience trying lod cables using different wires (including some of the quality wires frequently mentioned at HF) for my diymods, the one made of solid-core pure silver with cotton sleeve just wins my ears. This is the reason I want to try similar wires for recabling my iem's.
> 
> I used the Tempo Electric silver wires (30 awg) before for my diymod project, and those wires are softer and more flexible than other types of wires of the same gauge. As long as you don't bend the solid core sharply back and forth, I believe it should have sufficient ductility to last long enough with care. The breaking is not my major concern since I don't intend to put it in my pocket everyday as I do with my EX1000 stock cable. Using stranded ground wires will help to improve the flexibility.
> 
> Now my question: For 24 awg solid core, what size of cotton sleeves I should get and where to get them?


 
 I use 1,3mm sleeves for 24 awg (for interconnects at least). You could probably go a little tighter and go for 1mm or something like that.


----------



## DMinor

skalkman said:


> I use 1,3mm sleeves for 24 awg (for interconnects at least). You could probably go a little tighter and go for 1mm or something like that.


 
  
 Maybe this one?
  
 http://www.partsconnexion.com/product7523.html


----------



## skalkman

dminor said:


> Maybe this one?
> 
> http://www.partsconnexion.com/product7523.html


 
 That would work though it's almost 2 mm thicker than the wire. There's gonna be a lot of loose fabric if you use that with a 24 awg wire. I would still recommend that you get something closer to 1mm (~0.04 inches).


----------



## DMinor

skalkman said:


> That would work though it's almost 2 mm thicker than the wire. There's gonna be a lot of loose fabric if you use that with a 24 awg wire. I would still recommend that you get something closer to 1mm (~0.04 inches).


 
  
 The 1mm is ID, correct? That link shows an OD of 2.54mm so I thought it may fit.
  
 BTW, do you know where to order other than that link? Thanks


----------



## FraGGleR

dminor said:


> Good question about defeating the air-dielectric purpose from using heat shrinks, but for practical reason there have to be some sacrifices by using the heat shrinks to secure the cable. From my own experience trying lod cables using different wires (including some of the quality wires frequently mentioned at HF) for my diymods, the one made of solid-core pure silver with cotton sleeve just wins my ears. This is the reason I want to try similar wires for recabling my iem's.
> 
> I used the Tempo Electric silver wires (30 awg) before for my diymod project, and those wires are softer and more flexible than other types of wires of the same gauge. As long as you don't bend the solid core sharply back and forth, I believe it should have sufficient ductility to last long enough with care. The breaking is not my major concern since I don't intend to put it in my pocket everyday as I do with my EX1000 stock cable. Using stranded ground wires will help to improve the flexibility.
> 
> Now my question: For 24 awg solid core, what size of cotton sleeves I should get and where to get them?


 
 I have bought cotton from VT4C before that is pretty nice:  http://www.vt4c.com/shop/program/main.php?cat_id=22&group_id=3&hit_cat=
  
 They have many sizes as well as silk tubing for a good price.  Shipping from HK is pretty reasonable.  The stuff I have is a fairly loose weave which allows it to handle multiple wires, but it can also be stretched a bit, shrinking the ID to a comfortable size for a single wire.  I don't think you need too tight a fit, especially if you are going for the whole air dialectric thing that Tempo is a fan of.
  
 Depending on where you are, I could send you a bunch of what I have for a couple bux to cover shipping.  PM me if interested.


----------



## DMinor

@FraGGleR, thanks for the offer and really appreciated.
  
 Let me figure out first what I need for the sleeve thing. OK first I need to put cotton sleeve for each wire individually, and then I will need to put a pair of cotton-sleeved wires and a pair of stranded wires in a single sleeve. I am wondering how I can do that since the cotton sleeves are slippery unless it's very tight.  Also what size of the sleeves I need for 1) one pair of cotton sleeved wires and one pair of stranded wires, and 2) one cotton sleeved wire and one stranded wire (after the split)
  
 I bought the cotton-sleeved wires from Homegrown Audio before and those wires are wrapped very tight with the cotton.


----------



## T.B.N.

I'm trying to make a shielded stereo 3.5mm mini to dual RCA cable, but I'm having trouble finding two shielded cables thin enough to both fit in the 3.5 mm jack.
  
 I don't want to use a single cable and split it, because I'd like a shield the whole way through, to each RCA. There are some cables, like this dual channel mogami[http://www.markertek.com/Cables/Bulk-Wire-Cable/Bulk-Audio-Cable/Mogami-Wire-Cable-Corp/W2528-328.xhtml?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&cvsfa=3786&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=57323532382d333238&gclid=CLjLhcPDuL0CFQ2hOgod5xIAzw] that would work too, but that one is too thick to fit the mini plug. Any ideas?


----------



## FraGGleR

t.b.n. said:


> I'm trying to make a shielded stereo 3.5mm mini to dual RCA cable, but I'm having trouble finding two shielded cables thin enough to both fit in the 3.5 mm jack.
> 
> I don't want to use a single cable and split it, because I'd like a shield the whole way through, to each RCA. There are some cables, like this dual channel mogami[http://www.markertek.com/Cables/Bulk-Wire-Cable/Bulk-Audio-Cable/Mogami-Wire-Cable-Corp/W2528-328.xhtml?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&cvsfa=3786&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=57323532382d333238&gclid=CLjLhcPDuL0CFQ2hOgod5xIAzw] that would work too, but that one is too thick to fit the mini plug. Any ideas?


 
 Which 3.5mm are you using?  I have tested that Mogami cable as a temporary headphone cable before and it fits into a couple 3.5mm plugs that I know of.  In fact, I have the cable available with a Doublehelixcables 3.5mm already attached with bare ends after the split that I could let go of for a few dollars.  PM me if interested.


----------



## T.B.N.

fraggler said:


> Which 3.5mm are you using?  I have tested that Mogami cable as a temporary headphone cable before and it fits into a couple 3.5mm plugs that I know of.  In fact, I have the cable available with a Doublehelixcables 3.5mm already attached with bare ends after the split that I could let go of for a few dollars.  PM me if interested.


 
 It's a switchcraft 3.5 mm plug, .290" opening for cable. I was looking at this ( http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/microphone/stereo/ ) data sheet and it seems to say that the width of the double cable is 4.8mm X 2, which I guess wouldn't fit the switch craft. Maybe your connector is wider? I wouldn't mind using two separate shielded cables if they were thin enough to go through the opening of the mini plug together.


----------



## FraGGleR

t.b.n. said:


> It's a switchcraft 3.5 mm plug, .290" opening for cable. I was looking at this ( http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/microphone/stereo/ ) data sheet and it seems to say that the width of the double cable is 4.8mm X 2, which I guess wouldn't fit the switch craft. Maybe your connector is wider? I wouldn't mind using two separate shielded cables if they were thin enough to go through the opening of the mini plug together.


 
 The Doublehelixcables mini is indeed wider.  Stripping off the insulation prior to the plug is an option to get things to fit, but it won't be as clean looking.  Take a look at the Mogami install cables.  They tend to have less filler and thinner but tougher jackets.  I'm fairly certain you can find something that will work.  You could also drill out the back of the Switchcraft to make it larger.


----------



## Alexd3

Hey everyone, trying to make replacement cable for my Se535. Any help would be great


----------



## FraGGleR

alexd3 said:


> Hey everyone, trying to make replacement cable for my Se535. Any help would be great


 
 Have you gotten any further than that?  What do you need help with?


----------



## Alexd3

I'm having issues with the mmcx connector. How is it soldered and what are the channel configurations. I'm newbie Btw.


----------



## 65535

As for the 3.5mm Switchcraft, you can try squeezing Mogami W2930 into it. It's about 5 thou over the target diameter. If you can fit it maybe just shave a little off the cable opening.


----------



## FraGGleR

alexd3 said:


> I'm having issues with the mmcx connector. How is it soldered and what are the channel configurations. I'm newbie Btw.


 
 The center pin is the signal, and any part of the body or shell around the pin is the ground.  Which connectors did you get?  You will need to mark your wires or use a multimeter to determine left and right.  Or just plug them in and use a left - right sound file or video to test which is which.


----------



## Alexd3

I bought a pair of connectors from luna shop and want to use four cables from the oyaide 3.5 to the two male mmcx connectors


----------



## FrozenPanda

I know that 550 paracord is nice for sleeving whole cables and that 325 paracord is nice for sleeving wires but has anybody ever tried using 425 paracord? It seems more standard than 325 paracord almost. 

 http://www.paracordplanet.com/425-Paracord-3-Strand-100-ft_p_1366.html
  
 I imagine that it might be able to sleeve 2 or 3 wires.


----------



## Kamakahah

The numbers only are nicknames given to the types, e.g. 550 is type III. 550 simply refers to the minimum breaking strength.

My point, inner and outer diameters of the paracord, although similar by type, do vary by manufacturer. 

I have about 12 bundles on hand from 4 different manufacturers. All type III -550 paracord, and they have varying diameters.


----------



## DMinor

Can this cotton cord be used as sleeve for wires?
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/MULTI-21-COLORS-1mm-Waxed-Cotton-Cord-Wax-Macrame-Jewelry-Beading-String-20YD-/150923021321?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item2323b68c09


----------



## Alexd3

fraggler said:


> The center pin is the signal, and any part of the body or shell around the pin is the ground.  Which connectors did you get?  You will need to mark your wires or use a multimeter to determine left and right.  Or just plug them in and use a left - right sound file or video to test which is which.




So the pin is the left or right channel


----------



## FraGGleR

alexd3 said:


> So the pin is the left or right channel


 
 Yes.  And the body/tab will be the left or right ground.


----------



## FraGGleR

dminor said:


> Can this cotton cord be used as sleeve for wires?
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/MULTI-21-COLORS-1mm-Waxed-Cotton-Cord-Wax-Macrame-Jewelry-Beading-String-20YD-/150923021321?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item2323b68c09


 
 Only if you can confirm it has a tube construction you can feed a wire through.  In all likelihood, you will need a larger size to make sure the inner diameter is big enough for your wire.  You need some wiggle room just to feed it through, otherwise friction may prevent you from completing the feed or will cause you to kink the wire as you feed it.


----------



## 65535

I would not use waxed cord. Great for tying knots. Not for anything else.


----------



## Toxic Cables

Had some new wire made for DIY sales only.
  
 What would you guys like to see the following stranded cables sold for. Realistically, not £2 for stranded silver 
  
 26AWG OCC 4N Cryo Silver
  
 26AWG OCC 7N Cryo Copper
  
 26AWG OCC 7N Cryo Litz Copper
  
 26AWG OCC 7N Cryo Litz Silver plated Copper
  
 24AWG OCC 7N Cryo Litz black cotton sleeved Copper


----------



## Zashoomin

toxic cables said:


> Had some new wire made for DIY sales only.
> 
> What would you guys like to see the following stranded cables sold for. Realistically, not £2 for stranded silver
> 
> ...


 
 Oh wow I would love to get my hands on some of these.  
 What I think should be the prices on these...maybe a bit low.  Forgive me if they are dollars as honestly I have no idea what the conversion rate is. (its like 1.8:1 right?)
  
 26 Silver $6
 26 Copper $1
 26 Litz Copper $1.50
 26 Litz SPC $3
 24 Litz Copper $2


----------



## Alexd3

Every cable will suffice


----------



## Jason36

Wondering if anyone can give me a bit of advice, as I'm a complete newbie to this DIY cable lark.

I'm looking at buying a second hand IEM cable which currently has JH style pins and a 3.5mm connector....now I have two options I would like to look at for this.

1). Leave the pins in place for use with my AUD-8x customs and re terminate the connector to a 4 pin XLR for use with my M8

2). Re terminate both ends for my HD600 again using a 4pin XLR at the amp end.

I've never done anything with cables before and wondered how easy this would be to do for a complete newbie? Do you think it would be possible to undertake without having to unravel all the braiding? 

I would probably do the XLR first and then if this went OK look at doing the headphone / IEM bit....however I already have a balanced cable for my HD600.

Any advice / help or pointers would be welcomed.

Jason


----------



## Toxic Cables

zashoomin said:


> Oh wow I would love to get my hands on some of these.
> What I think should be the prices on these...maybe a bit low.  Forgive me if they are dollars as honestly I have no idea what the conversion rate is. (its like 1.8:1 right?)
> 
> 26 Silver $6
> ...


 
 Was thinking cheaper for the silver


----------



## cls

finally the paracord sleeving arrived..
 Still Sommer Cable, some CAT5 cable, and shrinking tubing is yet to arrive
  
 I have to recable EVERYTHING in my house  chaning all stuff to DIY


----------



## Makiah S

WOOOT
  
 How are you guys , I'm aware this isn't the best way to do this BUT GUESS WHAT
  
 the iBasso CB11 cable SUCKS  after about 3 months of contiuns use mine died... what a shame
  
 SO that said, any one interested in building me one? I actually had a custom one with my pb1, it was pretty nice and I sold it with my pb1 
  
 Non the less, I need another one... like fast as I currently have no portable set up and that is for me pretty painful
  
 That said, please feel free to pm me guyz :3 I have a budget in mind of about $50, and well I'm kinda URGENTLY NEEDING ONE, since the one I have is DEAD q.q


----------



## fenderf4i

Is there any way to easily remove the white writing that is on the outside of Canare L4E6S cable?


----------



## cute

fenderf4i said:


> Is there any way to easily remove the white writing that is on the outside of Canare L4E6S cable?


 
  
 Acetone!


----------



## fenderf4i

cute said:


> Acetone!


 
  
  
 Or nail polish remover then, I assume?


----------



## Jason36

ANYBODY.?????



jason36 said:


> Wondering if anyone can give me a bit of advice, as I'm a complete newbie to this DIY cable lark.
> 
> I'm looking at buying a second hand IEM cable which currently has JH style pins and a 3.5mm connector....now I have two options I would like to look at for this.
> 
> ...


----------



## FraGGleR

jason36 said:


> ANYBODY.?????


 
 Nothing is easy your first time, but nothing you are considering is overly complicated or difficult.  If you have never soldered anything before, then it is going to be a challenge to get it right on the first try and you might want to buy practice materials before you tackle an expensive aftermarket cable.  Once you decide what to do and get started, we can help with specifics.  If you are looking for a hand hold from start to finish, I'm not sure you will get that, as DIY is about DIY and the empowerment that comes from doing research and executing the project yourself.


----------



## DMinor

Hi guys any idea on how to separate the arrowed parts from the metal? Hopefully I can save the parts too and reuse them.
  
 I am preparing the recabling for my EX1000.


----------



## audiofreakie

just pull it gently from the border of metal and rubber


----------



## DMinor

audiofreakie said:


> just pull it gently from the border of metal and rubber


 
  
 Just hold the metal and rubber with each hand and pull them in the opposite direction?


----------



## nixternal

*TL;DR* - built a new cable for my AKG K240 Studio headphones using Canare L-4E6S cable sleeved in 550 paracord (type 3). Fat fingers & lack of patience can break little parts. Read the whole thing for paracord sleeving suggestions.
  
 I just started my first DIY project tonight, creating custom cable for my AKG K240 Studio headphones. I picked up some Canare L-4E6S cable, Switchcraft TA3FX 3-pin female mini-XLR, and a Switchcraft 35HDRANN right-angle nickle coated 3.5mm plug. My fat fingers broke off a post on the mini-xlr so I had order a couple of more, be here Friday. Anyways, what I wanted to do was use paracord as paracord crafting is a hobby of mine. Just wanted to post a few things a newbie, me, learned tonight getting what I wanted:
  
*Paracord:* Using paracord that you can pick up at Michaels or Joann Fabrics, even though it is the same manufacturer here in the US, they are not always the same diameter I found out tonight. It seems the solid colors are slight smaller in diameter (especially internally) than the multi-color/camo cords. I fished on some camo cord in a matter of minutes. Solid color was a no go for me. One thing about paracord is that if it is made in the US, it is pretty much made at the same facility, just repackaged by whoever. Chinese made paracord is not nearly as nice and workable as the US made stuff (not tooting horns here, just the solid truth, after working with paracord for 20+ years now).
  
*Cable:* Canare L-4E6S, definitely has to be stripped for 550 paracord (type 3). 750 paracord might fit, but I doubt it. Anyways, back to stripping. I just used a razor blade and ran the cable across my desk. Use a kitchen table, counter, whatever so you can run the blade down the length of the cable in longer runs. This stops the cable from turning on you and just gets annoying. I went in just a little. You know when you are getting to deep when you feel like speed bumps. That is the blade hitting the braided shielding. Don't press down so hard   No worries, you didn't break anything. Once you get the cut all the way down, use your fingernail and pry open the rubber jacket. From there you can just peel it away from the cable. You shouldn't have to pull to hard. If you have to use a little force, no worries, this cable is crazy strong.
  
 When *fishing the paracord onto the cable*, you want to "push" the paracord onto the cable. Once you work out fishing it a few inches to a foot, you will get the hang of it and it should go quick at this point. I make a light fish with my hand that is on the paracord, and kind of push the cable towards my fist. You will feel the paracord bunch up, quite a few inches at a time. Then I squeeze my pinky finger as to not let the paracord slip backwards. Once I squeeze my pinky, I release the fist a little and the paracord would go right up the cable with little to no effort at all. In about 3 minutes I did 10 feet of cable. 15 minutes if you include the stripping.
  
*Must have tools* for DIY cabling for you first timers: Good wire/side cutters, good wire stripper, decent soldering iron, decent solder, decent solder wick (remove any extra solder you might get everywhere your first time soldering), MAGIC HANDS (I have the original Radio Shack magnified ones from the 80s or 90s), razor blade/sharp knife. My favorite soldering iron for doing small stuff is the ANTEX G/3U (mines quite old). I like it because I can easily slide on/off different tips as needed, and it doesn't get dangerously hot as to start melting stuff you are working around.
  
 This project, to do my headphone cable only cost me $25 shipped. I am in Chicago, IL, USA so I used Full Compass. They are outside of Madison, WI, USA and ground shipping is the same as overnight for me. They have a lot of decent stuff at pretty good prices. I just found a dealer for Furutech who lives a mile from me. Already talking to him about getting me some really nice looking Furutech connectors. Sorry for the book.


----------



## DMinor

Is it possible to use the paracord 550 Type III for sleeving the following?
  
 (2) 24 awg solid core (to be cotton sleeved)
 (2) 28 awg stranded wires


----------



## PB-11

Can anyone recommend a good quality replacement wire & connectors for Steelseries Siberia V2. It's right side had stopped working, checked with multimeter, the connection seems to be broken for the right side. So, I have decided to replace the entire cable (since the default one is very short ~3 feet for the cross platform version). But, at the moment I'm not sure which wire will be compatible with the headset?


----------



## FraGGleR

dminor said:


> Is it possible to use the paracord 550 Type III for sleeving the following?
> 
> (2) 24 awg solid core (to be cotton sleeved)
> (2) 28 awg stranded wires


 
 I dont think you are going to be able to put another sleeve of any kind outside of a very large teflon tube over the cotton.  Way too much friction.  Not sure about a braid of 28awg wire.


----------



## DMinor

fraggler said:


> I dont think you are going to be able to put another sleeve of any kind outside of a very large teflon tube over the cotton.  Way too much friction.  Not sure about a braid of 28awg wire.


 
  
 Yeah no way that will fit 4 wires. Just bought this paracord 550 from a local store next to where I had my lunch. Will use this for the pair of wires after the Y split.


----------



## nixternal

I used the Desert Camo version of that same exact paracord (it is the stuff you usually find at Michael's, Joann Fabrics, Walmart and such). I was able to wrap my Canare L-4E6S only after removing the rubber jacket. The odd thing is with a solid color it is darn near impossible. I have a cool gun metal color, and there is no way it will fit. I was able to fish blue up to a certain point. The problem was if I used a small piece of tape on the tip of the cable to prevent the jacket from snagging, it wouldn't even begin to go in the solid color 550, but it went through the camo colors just fine. The L-4E6S is rated at 21AWG. Take a small piece of your cable, strip the rubber jacket off and see if you can fish on the paracord.


----------



## pragu

I need some clarification on something - I have an extra stock HiFiMan silver cable, but after selling my HE-500's I have no use for it. I upgraded to LCD-2's, with their comparatively awful stock cable. 
  
 My question is: can I just hack off the HiFiMan terminators can replace them with mini xlr plugs to use them with my LCD-2's?


----------



## DMinor

I have not finalized my wires yet, but the rest are ready. The new cable will look something like this with the shiny Furutech plug. Look better than the stock cable on the left?


----------



## TrollDragon

pragu said:


> I need some clarification on something - I have an extra stock HiFiMan silver cable, but after selling my HE-500's I have no use for it. I upgraded to LCD-2's, with their comparatively awful stock cable.
> 
> My question is: can I just hack off the HiFiMan terminators can replace them with mini xlr plugs to use them with my LCD-2's?


You sure can!


----------



## DMinor

If I want to use the paracord 550 sleeved cable over the ear, what soft tubing should I get to cover the paracord (for over the ear portion) so it won't get dirty from frequently contacting the ear skins?


----------



## TrollDragon

Paracord 550 over ear?... :eek:

1/4" beverage or gas line would probably do the trick.

And this is mien "Ear Hawser".


----------



## 65535

Clear heatshrink, thin wall vinyl tubing, clear thin silicone.


----------



## DMinor

Thanks guys for the suggestions.


----------



## nacious

Hello, new to the forum and i am thinking of making my own cable. I have a couple question that maybe someone can answer.
 The cable is for a modded fostex t50rp with duel mini xlr.
  
 First i see some companies make their cables with 8 strands, so do they just solder 2 cables to each pin?
 Second can you use two types of wire in a cable, one silver the other copper?


----------



## Zashoomin

nacious said:


> Hello, new to the forum and i am thinking of making my own cable. I have a couple question that maybe someone can answer.
> The cable is for a modded fostex t50rp with duel mini xlr.
> 
> First i see some companies make their cables with 8 strands, so do they just solder 2 cables to each pin?
> Second can you use two types of wire in a cable, one silver the other copper?


 
 So if it is 8 strands total, than it would be soldering 1 wire per pin as each side I assume would have 4 pins.  If it is 8 wires per side than yes it is 2 wires per pin.  Technically though you only need 4 cables total, meaning 2 per side.  Secondly yes you can use copper and silver but I suggest you use the same kind of wire for signal or positive (both L and R)  and if you want you can use a different wire for ground or negative (again both L and R should be the same as well).


----------



## Kamakahah

dminor said:


> If I want to use the paracord 550 sleeved cable over the ear, what soft tubing should I get to cover the paracord (for over the ear portion) so it won't get dirty from frequently contacting the ear skins?


 

Heat shrink would be easiest. I also suggeste adding a length of paperclip or similar flexible metal inside. That will allow you to mold it, as desired, to your ear.


----------



## DMinor

kamakahah said:


> Heat shrink would be easiest. I also suggeste adding a length of paperclip or similar flexible metal inside. That will allow you to mold it, as desired, to your ear.


 
  
 For this experiment I will use solid core (22 awg) for the channels and the stranded for the ground. So the 22 awg solid core will be good to mold it to my ears.
  
 I can see down the road I'll likely make another cable for portable use using all stranded wires. I love the looks of the paracord sleeved cable and it feels good too.


----------



## 65535

Solid core 22 awg for IEMs? You probably will find that 22 awg is too large to be comfortable and solid core will make it extremely stiff.


----------



## DMinor

65535 said:


> Solid core 22 awg for IEMs? You probably will find that 22 awg is too large to be comfortable and solid core will make it extremely stiff.


 
  
 I sampled the 22 awg solid core (left from my previous project) with the 28 awg stranded shown in the pic below. It feels pretty good to me when I put it over the ear. I am still debating whether I should get the 22 awg or the 26 awg soild core (only two available options), thinking the 22 awg may be less prone to failure from bending fatigue. Not 100% positive.


----------



## 65535

Solid core wire really isn't intended for portable use, it's fine for hookup wire and permanent installation. Using it for anything that moves is asking for failure. Stranded wire was designed just for applications that require repeated movement.


----------



## Kamakahah

I'm actually going to experiment with solid core/hybrid for a cable as soon as I get a little free time. I find that mixing stiffer cable with various flexible materials has a positive outcome. Hopefully that holds true for solid core.


----------



## TrollDragon

Oh no the infection is spreading...

Its the Head-Fi solid core Cat5e movement...

Now if we can just find some nice RJ45 jacks with lights to put in the headphone cups.


----------



## Jason36

Following an earlier post, wondered if somebody could answer a couple of questions and provide some direction for me please for a first time cable modder.
  
 I have an IEM cable which is currently terminated with a 3.5mm Viablue connector, I am looking at swapping this and changing it to a 4 pin XLR connector for use with my M8. I understand that in theory this should be fairly easy to do?
  
 I believe that the wire will be soldered onto the Viablue connector as follows: Tip - Left Signal +, Ring - Right Signal +, Sleeve - Ground (so I assume this will have two wires soldered onto it for left and right)?
  
 I believe the configuration for the XLR will be: Pin 1 - Left Positive, Pin 2 - Left Negative, Pin 3 - Right Positive, Pin 4 - Right Negative.
  
 It should therefore be fairly easy to identify the Left and Right Positive (Signal) wires. How would I Differentiate the left and right negative wires?
  
 Cheers
 Jason


----------



## PETEREK

Get a multimeter and test the continuity of the ground wires.


----------



## Jason36

peterek said:


> Get a multimeter and test the continuity of the ground wires.



Will the left and right negative give different readings then?

Would I be right in thinking that to test which is left and right negative I would touch the bare cable at the connector end with one lead of the multimeter and then the pins at the IEM connector with the other to locate which is left and right negative?


----------



## PETEREK

You would connect the multimeter to the ground pin for your left IEM and the test which wire from the viable connector makes a connection through the multimeter.


----------



## Jason36

peterek said:


> You would connect the multimeter to the ground pin for your left IEM and the test which wire from the viable connector makes a connection through the multimeter.




Thanks for the help with this....I now have an IEM cable re terminated with a 4 pin XLR connector 

BEFORE:


AFTER:



At the moment it's only a cheap XLR connector, but plan on changing it for a Nuetrik connector in due course


----------



## DMinor

trolldragon said:


> Oh no the infection is spreading...
> 
> Its the Head-Fi solid core Cat5e movement...
> 
> Now if we can just find some nice RJ45 jacks with lights to put in the headphone cups.


 
  
 Yeah that's the home court advantage of DIY.


----------



## Taowolf51

Does anyone know of any good suppliers of "cable nuts"? (And by cable nuts, I mean the piece that hides and protects the area where the two strands connect into one, I don't know the proper term for it).
  
 Also, is the paracord good to go as soon as you buy it, or do you need to empty the interior? Are there any guides or videos on how to do this? Are there paracords thin enough for individual cable sleeving (braid post sleeve)?


----------



## Drsparis

Paracord has multiple strands and microparacord has 1 strand on the inside. Removing it is as simple as you would think, pulling on it lol. 

Little trick I do when feeding wire through microparacord is pulling on the wire sleeve enough to stretch the sleeve à couple mm over the wire. Then burn that part and seal it by "pinching" it with your fingers (Warning!! It's hot lol so wait a second or 2 before pinching. This closes the tip off and makes it a lot easier to feed. Some people put tape on the tip, I tried and it was too big to fit in the microparacord. 

Cheers


----------



## Taowolf51

I don't see any microparacord on the website in the OP, where do you get your microparacord?
  
 Thanks for the tip for feeding! Will this work better than just getting a clean cut on the wire/sleeve?


----------



## Drsparis

http://fivestarcord.com/
That's where I got mine, it's silky smooth :-D. Clean cut caused me problems as the microparacord was very tight and after 30 minutes of feeding the sleeve had actually compressed by a 1/4 inch and bare wire was out and about and catching in the paracord. I actually had to remove it and start over since I could not feed it any more.


----------



## Taowolf51

What cord were you using? What was its thickness? I want to make sure the cord I'm looking at isn't thicker.


----------



## Drsparis

I was using 24 gauge nucleotide from double helix cables!


----------



## Jason36

Can anybody advise me on some details for a speaker cable......

I want to have a go at making a cable for my Sennheiser HD600 and wondered if anybody could suggest a good potential choice of cable and also how do I calculate how much I need? Would I be right in saying that if I wanted a 5 foot cable then I would need 4x5 plus a bit extra for wastage so 20 foot + a bit extra.

Does anybody know if Frank at Toxic Cables sells just the wire for DIY jobs?


----------



## Taowolf51

drsparis said:


> I was using 24 gauge nucleotide from double helix cables!


  

  
 Hm, very fancy looking. Should be thicker than what I'm looking at (BTG 26 awg XLPE) and thinner than my other option (22 awg norne).
  
 Anyone have experience with the BTG wire?


----------



## MrEleventy

jason36 said:


> Can anybody advise me on some details for a speaker cable......
> 
> I want to have a go at making a cable for my Sennheiser HD600 and wondered if anybody could suggest a good potential choice of cable and also how do I calculate how much I need? Would I be right in saying that if I wanted a 5 foot cable then I would need 4x5 plus a bit extra for wastage so 20 foot + a bit extra.
> 
> Does anybody know if Frank at Toxic Cables sells just the wire for DIY jobs?


Depending on who you ask... LINK. Frank chimes in here.. Do keep in mind that Frank is an expert cable-smith so ymmv depending on your skill set. I myself used [desired length] x 1.2 x number of cables.
For my cable, I did 5ft x 1.2 x 4ft. I measured out 6ft and after braiding + mistakes, I got a little over 5ft, which was what I was aiming for.


----------



## Jason36

mreleventy said:


> Depending on who you ask... LINK. Frank chimes in here.. Do keep in mind that Frank is an expert cable-smith so ymmv depending on your skill set. I myself used [desired length] x 1.2 x number of cables.
> For my cable, I did 5ft x 1.2 x 4ft. I measured out 6ft and after braiding + mistakes, I got a little over 5ft, which was what I was aiming for.




Thanks for that, gives me a good idea of how to go about working out lengths


----------



## Jason36

Can anybody comment on the suitability of the following cables for making a 4 braid cable for my HD600. 

DHC Nucleotide Cryo Stranded OCC Copper Wire in transparent black insulation 

BTG Audio 26 AWG Silver plated Oxygen free copper (SPC) in a clear LLDPE insulation

26 AWG Oxygen free copper in a BLACK insulation

Would all of these be potentially suitable for use with the HD600? I plan on keeping it naked rather than putting a sheath on it and will be planning on using a DHC "Capsid" Carbon Fiber Micro Y-Split Cover and DHC/VALAB Carbon Fibre 4 pin XLR.


----------



## PETEREK

I really like the 26 AWG Oxygen free copper from BTG. Super flexible.


----------



## DMinor

Thanks for mentioning the 26 AWG Oxygen free copper from BTG. Just ordered some and also the SPC for my future projects. I also ordered 26 awg silver (cotton dielectric) from Homegrown.
  
 Very excited about the coming recabling for my iem's.


----------



## Dean N.

Hi everyone,
  
 I'm planning a recable of my Bang & Olufsen Form 2 headphones with Canare L-2B2AT (pic below).  This cable has 2 conductors, and a ground/drain wire, and a foil shield.  I'll use 2 full runs of wire, one per speaker.  Before I get started, I want to know exactly what I should do with the grounds and the foil.  On the (Neutrik NTP3RC 3.5mm) plug, one conductor will be soldered to L, one to R, and two (one from each cable) will combine to the plug ground.  This leaves 2 ground/drain wires (again, one from each cable) and the shielding.  Should I combine and solder both shields to ground on the plug side only and not attach it to anything on the speaker sides?  And what about the "extra" ground/drain wires in the cable?  Snip 'em and don't use for anything?  Would there be an advantage to soldering these wires to either the plug or to the speakers?  What do you guys think?  Thanks!


----------



## Toxic Cables

jason36 said:


> Can anybody advise me on some details for a speaker cable......
> 
> I want to have a go at making a cable for my Sennheiser HD600 and wondered if anybody could suggest a good potential choice of cable and also how do I calculate how much I need? Would I be right in saying that if I wanted a 5 foot cable then I would need 4x5 plus a bit extra for wastage so 20 foot + a bit extra.
> 
> *Does anybody know if Frank at Toxic Cables sells just the wire for DIY jobs?*


 
 Yes we do, i have just quickly listed some wires on the site, not had a chance for pictures or anything else yet, but will give you an idea of my pricing. Have a look at the non Toxic brand wire, these are wires i had made to just supply the DIY community, not used in my own cables.
  
 Will get pictures and a lot more up over the next couple weeks, untill i find the time to sort out a new site.


----------



## nelson515

Hi Guys
 I am a newbie for diy cables
 Currently, I am planning to diy a cable for my Denon AH D600 headphones.
 But I can't find any 3.5 mm jack like the original one with only the tip and sleeve.
http://i.imgur.com/GxvUgQh.jpg
 Above is a photo of the 3.5mm jack that connect to the right channel of my headphones. ( sorry for the poor quality) As shown there is only a tip and a sleeve but without the ring.
 Anyone knows where I can buy something like this?
 Or, is that I can use a normal 3.5 mm jack and connect the wires to the tip of the 3.5mm jack for both left and right channels respectively?
  
 Additionally, I have some questions about the materials for making cables. 
 If we have got enough budget, is that high purity occ copper/silver will be the best option for making a decent quality cable?
 Are there any more advanced materials for making headphone cables?
  
 I would be grateful if anyone can help me with these.
 Thank you guys. CHEERS!
  
 Forgive my poor english


----------



## PETEREK

Can anyone tell me what kind of paracord is used in the picture below?


----------



## FraGGleR

peterek said:


> Can anyone tell me what kind of paracord is used in the picture below?




That's most likely nylon multifilament. Paracord doesn't come that big. Those SAA cables are really fat and need a big sleeve.


----------



## Kamakahah

I've been excited to pick up some of the DIY wire from Toxic cables. Unfortunately, shipping to the US is flat-rate $20. Killed all the savings for me. It's too bad, the prices are otherwise really good.


----------



## DMinor

kamakahah said:


> I've been excited to pick up some of the DIY wire from Toxic cables. Unfortunately, shipping to the US is flat-rate $20. Killed all the savings for me. It's too bad, the prices are otherwise really good.


 
  
 Yeah $20 shipping for some wires appears aggressive.
  
 I have tried the Toxic silver poison for my LOD cable. Very good wires but sound stage seems reduced to my ears. The cotton-dielectric silver from Homegrown wins my ears.


----------



## nelson515

anyone can advise me?


----------



## nelson515

nelson515 said:


> Hi Guys
> I am a newbie for diy cables
> Currently, I am planning to diy a cable for my Denon AH D600 headphones.
> But I can't find any 3.5 mm jack like the original one with only the tip and sleeve.
> ...


----------



## Kamakahah

nelson515 said:


> anyone can advise me?




Sorry, didn't see your post. Those 3.5 connectors are "mono" not "stereo". Just do a quick search for "3.5 mm mono plug" and you'll get various options. You can also search Lunashops.com, Markertek.com, Parts-express.com, eBay, etc.

I recommend some inexpensive wire for your first job. You can learn from your mistakes as you practice.


----------



## nelson515

kamakahah said:


> Sorry, didn't see your post. Those 3.5 connectors are "mono" not "stereo". Just do a quick search for "3.5 mm mono plug" and you'll get various options. You can also search Lunashops.com, Markertek.com, Parts-express.com, eBay, etc.
> 
> I recommend some inexpensive wire for your first job. You can learn from your mistakes as you practice.


 
 Thank you for your reply mate
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



 Actually I have made a few cables already. Just want to know whether I can use other materials that might be better than occ copper wire.
 btw I found that it is quite difficult to find some occ pure silver wires (stranded). Do you have any ideas where to find it? I searched it in DHC plussound forza and etc  but none of them are selling any occ silver.
  
 thank you again for your recommendations


----------



## Toxic Cables

kamakahah said:


> I've been excited to pick up some of the DIY wire from Toxic cables. Unfortunately, shipping to the US is flat-rate $20. Killed all the savings for me. It's too bad, the prices are otherwise really good.


 
 Unfortunately that's the problem with international shipping, it's expensive. All my packages are sent fully tracked and insured, so the price reflects that.
  
 We also make sure there are no further import charges to pay on your end, so what you pay me, is all you pay.


----------



## Toxic Cables

nelson515 said:


> Thank you for your reply mate
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 We have 2 listed on the site, one 26AWG 5N OCC Silver which is £3 a feet and the other with 1% gold, which is £5.05. http://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=68


----------



## Kamakahah

nelson515 said:


> Thank you for your reply mate
> Actually I have made a few cables already. Just want to know whether I can use other materials that might be better than occ copper wire.
> btw I found that it is quite difficult to find some occ pure silver wires (stranded). Do you have any ideas where to find it? I searched it in DHC plussound forza and etc  but none of them are selling any occ silver.
> 
> thank you again for your recommendations




I just saw your cables in the gallery. Whether other materials will be better is entirely subjective. Only you can say it is or is not. Unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure until you try. 

OCC silver can be had from our very own Frank at Toxic Cables. Just recently posted a number of DIY options for us. 

Otherwise try contacting Artemis cables. He'll probably be able to help.




toxic cables said:


> Unfortunately that's the problem with international shipping, it's expensive. All my packages are sent fully tracked and insured, so the price reflects that.
> 
> We also take care of any import duties on this end, so the price you pay, is all you pay.




I understand. Thanks for offering them. I love to support those that are open to the DIY community. Maybe i'll find some others that'll do a bulk order to split shipping.


----------



## Jason36

So I think I'm about ready to pull the trigger on my components for my first DIY headphone cable. This is what I have on the list so far:

25 foot Toxic Cable 26AWG Viper Silver Plated Copper Cable.
HD600 Connectors
Neutrik 4 Pin XLR Connector
Y-Splitter (probably the toxic cable aluminium one)

Do you think I have everything covered there?

I have a soldering iron / solder (lead free silver) and multimeter. Would I need heat shrink for anything at all (the HD600 connectors?) if so what sort of size what you advise? I believe the XLR has built in strain relief but may add some heat shrink where the cable exits the connector.


----------



## PETEREK

jason36 said:


> So I think I'm about ready to pull the trigger on my components for my first DIY headphone cable. This is what I have on the list so far:
> 
> 25 foot Toxic Cable 26AWG Viper Silver Plated Copper Cable.
> HD600 Connectors
> ...


 
 You're definitely going to need heat shrink for the HD600 connectors so you can cover the soldered area of the pins. I don't know for sure what size you're going to need, but I'm going to guess 3/8", anyone is welcome to correct me if you think I'm wrong. The heat shrink is going to have to fit around the largest area of the HD600 connector, like in the picture below.
  

  
  The XLR does have built in strain relief, so you shouldn't need it there.


----------



## Jason36

peterek said:


> You're definitely going to need heat shrink for the HD600 connectors so you can cover the soldered area of the pins. I don't know for sure what size you're going to need, but I'm going to guess 3/8", anyone is welcome to correct me if you think I'm wrong. The heat shrink is going to have to fit around the largest area of the HD600 connector, like in the picture below.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Would you advise just standard heat shrink or the glue lined stuff? I assume I just. Shrink this with a standard heat gun?

Anybody else confirm what diameter is required for HD600 connectors?


----------



## nelson515

kamakahah said:


> I just saw your cables in the gallery. Whether other materials will be better is entirely subjective. Only you can say it is or is not. Unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure until you try.
> 
> OCC silver can be had from our very own Frank at Toxic Cables. Just recently posted a number of DIY options for us.
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks a lot for your help


----------



## Toxic Cables

jason36 said:


> Would you advise just standard heat shrink or the glue lined stuff? I assume I just. Shrink this with a standard heat gun?
> 
> Anybody else confirm what diameter is required for HD600 connectors?


 
 Non glue lined will be fine and will look cleaner and the standard heat gun should be fine, just be carefull not to apply too much heat.
  
 I will include the perfect sized 4:1 black heatshrink to fit the connectors for you.


----------



## nelson515

Hi guys
 I have questions about choosing the size of paracord.
 Um can a 6-braided 26 awg cable fit into the 550 paracord? And, is a micro paracord suitable for sleeving a 3-braided 26 awg cable?
  
 thank you


----------



## 65535

Highly unlikely on both counts. More like 1x 26awg in micro and 4x twisted 3x braided in 550.


----------



## Drsparis

Micro paracord was the perfect size for 1 stand of nucleotide DHC 24 gauge for me. I'm fairly certain it will be too small for a 3 wire bundle of 26 gauge.


----------



## nelson515

nelson515 said:


> Hi guys
> I have questions about choosing the size of paracord.
> Um can a 6-braided 26 awg cable fit into the 550 paracord? And, is a micro paracord suitable for sleeving a 3-braided 26 awg cable?
> 
> thank you


 
  
  


65535 said:


> Highly unlikely on both counts. More like 1x 26awg in micro and 4x twisted 3x braided in 550.


 
  
  


drsparis said:


> Micro paracord was the perfect size for 1 stand of nucleotide DHC 24 gauge for me. I'm fairly certain it will be too small for a 3 wire bundle of 26 gauge.


 
 Thank you guys.
 Um so what other options can I choose?


----------



## Darner

Very nice thread here.
  
 I have a question or two about doing a cable. I have some Canare L-4E6S that I find too thick and unweildy for using as a headphone cable (iPod with and without amp > Sony 7520s). The 7520s take a single 3.5mm stereo input, are very easy to drive and don't need an amp at all, but I like the way they sound with one.
  
 My question is, can I open the starquad cable up, remove all but three of the blue and white wires inside, and do a 3-braid, with say a blue and a white and another blue for ground? As it is, the cable's soldered two blues to one terminal (L) on the connector, two whites to another (R), and the copper sheilding to the ground. So would I lose anything soundwise doing just one on each connector, and switching the ground from being the sheilding to being one of the other two blue or white wires? I guess the issue is whether the ground needs to be sheild that encompasses the signal, and, since these headphones don't need much power, if having two wires for each L and R terminal is necessary.
  
 Ah, I hope that makes sense.


----------



## PETEREK

It's just whatever your preference is. I would use one wire for ground, and one for each signal. I never use the shielding as the ground connection.


----------



## nelson515

nelson515 said:


> Hi guys
> I have questions about choosing the size of paracord.
> Um can a 6-braided 26 awg cable fit into the 550 paracord? And, is a micro paracord suitable for sleeving a 3-braided 26 awg cable?
> 
> thank you


 
 anyone can suggest what to use for sleeving?
 thank you


----------



## FrozenPanda

Does anybody have any comparisons between 2799 and 2893 Mogami Cable? Markertek lists them both as having the same conductors in them. Mogami 2799 is cheaper on Redco and i'm planning on ordering a lot of cable but I usually like 2893 because I like how much the conductors are very easy to sleeve with micro paracord. Are there any differences in the conductors in 2799?


----------



## FrozenPanda

nelson515 said:


> anyone can suggest what to use for sleeving?
> thank you


 
 I think you're going to have a very hard time fitting those conductors in a single 550 paracord.. might want to look around the gallery to see if anyone has ever done it before.
  
 What I would suggest is:
 A. use 650 Paracord (http://paracordgalaxy.com/mobile.php?main_page=index&cPath=176_177) This should fit all 6 conductors. Note I actually have never tried this kind of paracord..
 B. use 550 Paracord with 2 conductors in each and do 3 strand braid.
 C. use 325 Paracord with 1 conductor in each and do 6 strand braid.


----------



## 65535

If you plan on using the cable as a cable then use 2893, if you are going to strip it use whatever is cheaper. 2893 is a miniature portable cable, 2799 is a console cable for installation work. The only difference is the outer jacket. Hard smooth PVC on the 2799 and soft satin PVC on the 2893.


----------



## nelson515

frozenpanda said:


> I think you're going to have a very hard time fitting those conductors in a single 550 paracord.. might want to look around the gallery to see if anyone has ever done it before.
> 
> What I would suggest is:
> A. use 650 Paracord (http://paracordgalaxy.com/mobile.php?main_page=index&cPath=176_177) This should fit all 6 conductors. Note I actually have never tried this kind of paracord..
> ...



thanks you bro
good suggestions
i am thinking of using nylon multifilament as well. Is it good? 
but I dont even know which size should i use if i want to sleeve the whole 6braid


----------



## FrozenPanda

65535 said:


> If you plan on using the cable as a cable then use 2893, if you are going to strip it use whatever is cheaper. 2893 is a miniature portable cable, 2799 is a console cable for installation work. The only difference is the outer jacket. Hard smooth PVC on the 2799 and soft satin PVC on the 2893.


 
 As I thought. Thanks!


----------



## DMinor

What's the most practical magnifier used to help soldering a wire to a very tiny pad?


----------



## Drsparis

Helping hands?


----------



## DMinor

Yeah have that one, but not very easy to work with.


----------



## 65535

In my experience most people that do small scale work use magnifying visors. At work I have a bench mounted, light/magnifier but with the exception of SMD devices I rarely use it.


----------



## TrollDragon

I use a Donegan OptiVisor with the 3.5X lens. Old eyes... 

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0068OSIIS


----------



## Jason36

Can anybody offer any guidance or information on the best way to braid a headphone cable? I plan on using 26 AWG SPC from Toxic Cables.


----------



## PETEREK

How many strands of wire are you using? There are different ways to braid based on how many strands you're using. You can also search on YouTube for how to videos. Just search "4 strand braid" or "3 strand braid", you'll probably get a video of the paracordist or girls braiding hair. Either way, it's the same process.


----------



## Jason36

peterek said:


> How many strands of wire are you using? There are different ways to braid based on how many strands you're using. You can also search on YouTube for how to videos. Just search "4 strand braid" or "3 strand braid", you'll probably get a video of the paracordist or girls braiding hair. Either way, it's the same process.




Thanks for that I'll have a look. It will be a 4 wire cable at the bottom and of course 2 at the top into the HD600 connectors.


----------



## PETEREK

I ordered some 4 pin mini xlrs from markertek and one came damaged. The locking mechanism was broken, as you can see in the picture. I emailed customer service and they emailed me back about it and said they were sending me a new one withing like 20 minutes. Awesome customer service.


----------



## DMinor

trolldragon said:


> I use a Donegan OptiVisor with the 3.5X lens. Old eyes...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 I think that's what I need. Thanks for the info.
  


jason36 said:


> Thanks for that I'll have a look. It will be a 4 wire cable at the bottom and of course 2 at the top into the HD600 connectors.


 
  
 This is what I did for recabling my D2K using 28awg Plussound SPC. Actually I like it. I didn't braid the 4 wires in the sleeve. I was lazy and just threw them in and called it a day.
  
 For my coming iem recabling, I will use a pair of Paracord 550 for 4 wires.


----------



## younglee200

Had some questions regarding making a balanced cable for the Audezes (2x female mini-XLR => 4 pin male XLR)
  
 The male XLR side seems easy enough, you just gotta solder the correct wire into the correct channel.
  
 I'm a little confused on soldering the the mini-XLRs.  They have pins 1-4, where 1 and 4 are Positive, and 2 and 3 are Negative.  However, I will only have 2 wires connecting to 4 channels.  
  
 Would I have to bridge the two Positive (1 and 4) and Negative channels (2 and 3) with a separate piece of wire, and then just solder my + wire into the 1&4 and the - wire into the 2 and 3?
  
 I saw this picture and figured that's what I had to do, but wasn't too sure.
  
 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pCOKWNvCC_A/TtZjuQtqZsI/AAAAAAAAAfY/EsGOw50u2_I/s1600/Mini-XLR-shorted-pins.jpg
  
 Thanks!


----------



## PETEREK

younglee200 said:


> Would I have to bridge the two Positive (1 and 4) and Negative channels (2 and 3) with a separate piece of wire, and then just solder my + wire into the 1&4 and the - wire into the 2 and 3?


 
 Yeah that's what you'll have to do.


----------



## Chris_Himself

peterek said:


> I ordered some 4 pin mini xlrs from markertek and one came damaged. The locking mechanism was broken, as you can see in the picture. I emailed customer service and they emailed me back about it and said they were sending me a new one withing like 20 minutes. Awesome customer service.


 
  
 Switchcraft?
  
 I had a few broken ones too.. had to switch to Amphenol full time. Not saying Switchcraft isn't good but I've found these to be more reliable. Had one jammed in my LCD-2 just from function testing the other day.. 
  
  
  
http://www.parts-express.com/amphenol-ag4f-4-pin-mini-xlr-female-cable-connector--092-3562


----------



## PETEREK

chris_himself said:


> Switchcraft?
> 
> I had a few broken ones too.. had to switch to Amphenol full time. Not saying Switchcraft isn't good but I've found these to be more reliable. Had one jammed in my LCD-2 just from function testing the other day..
> 
> ...


 
 Yeah SwitchCraft. If I was using them as often as you probably do, I'd switch too. I haven't tried Amphenol, but I probably will the next time I need some connectors. I plan on staying in this hobby for a while, so I need to figure out what brands I like the most.


----------



## PETEREK

Over in the Gallery people are talking about Y-Splits so I figured I would share here that Plussound is now selling their own Y-Splits in their DIY parts section. 
$9.99 

http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


----------



## GrindingThud

Do we know the diameter of all the holes?


peterek said:


> Over in the Gallery people are talking about Y-Splits so I figured I would share here that Plussound is now selling their own Y-Splits in their DIY parts section.
> $9.99
> 
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


----------



## Zashoomin

peterek said:


> Over in the Gallery people are talking about Y-Splits so I figured I would share here that Plussound is now selling their own Y-Splits in their DIY parts section.
> $9.99
> 
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


 
 Oh...those look really nice.  I might pick my a couple of each color for myself. 


grindingthud said:


> Do we know the diameter of all the holes?


 
 Knowing plussound, I would assume that they are pretty small.  All their cables that they make are pretty miniature.  (not in a bad way)


----------



## PETEREK

Interesting, at work I just got a workorder with the description "amphenol antenna". Maybe they use the plastic that my company makes for things. That's kind of cool I guess.


----------



## 65535

I crimped 70x 50Ω BCN connectors onto RG-316. Let me tell you I don't want to do that again. The other end was soldered to a HD15 connector. FEP insulated cable is not much fun to use a tri-level coax stripper on either.


----------



## TrollDragon

65535 said:


> I crimped 70x 50Ω BCN connectors onto RG-316. Let me tell you I don't want to do that again. The other end was soldered to a HD15 connector. FEP insulated cable is not much fun to use a tri-level coax stripper on either.


Yes that is not fun, one of our customers has 5 restaurants / bars in a one block radius. They have 96 cameras to 6 DVR's, and I thought crimping that mess of coax was bad even with the waterproof compression BNC's. Let alone those side crimp BNC's you used, the fun we have.

I'll take PoE cameras anyday.


----------



## TrollDragon

Received a very generous gift in the mail today, Lemo plugs and PCB sockets.
 These are incredible! There is absolutely NO Chinese manufacturing here.
  
 The 6.5mm TRS adapter is just there for a size reference.

 I'll have to check the size and see if it one of the sockets will fit in my Ultrasone's.
  
 Much appreciation and thanks!


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> Received a very generous gift in the mail today, Lemo plugs and PCB sockets.
> These are incredible! There is absolutely NO Chinese manufacturing here.
> 
> The 6.5mm TRS adapter is just there for a size reference.
> ...


 
 Those are beautiful!


----------



## 65535

If you like those, you might like this.


----------



## Toxic Cables

Have some Litz Silver wire in stock for sale now, £5.95ft. Please note, this is not my own Silver Widow wire.
  
 Free Viablue splitter on orders over £50.


----------



## wolfetan44

Yes! Ordered a Dremel and a 4 pin mini XLR to mod a AT M50 back to working condition, as its wire isn't working.


----------



## PETEREK

wolfetan44 said:


> Yes! Ordered a Dremel and a 4 pin mini XLR to mod a AT M50 back to working condition, as its wire isn't working.




Sweet. I hope you can get the mini XLR to fit, it's a pretty small amount of space to work with without change the sound in that ear cup.


----------



## wolfetan44

peterek said:


> wolfetan44 said:
> 
> 
> > Yes! Ordered a Dremel and a 4 pin mini XLR to mod a AT M50 back to working condition, as its wire isn't working.
> ...


 Really?


----------



## CombatCupcake

So this is my 1st ever post! Totally inspired to make my own cable for my UE TF10s, since the stock cable broke (it actually lasted a long time).
 Also going to make a small IC to match whatever I do.
 I have a few questions that have been hard to find the answers to, even with browsing through this and the gallery thread.
  
*1)* IEM connector:
 these are the 2 best options I've come across, are there any better ones with good suppliers?
 http://www.audiocrast.com/product_disp.php?p_id=1352&weblan=e
 http://www.audiocrast.com/High-Performance-Upadte-DIY-Earphone-Pin-Parts-For-Ultimate-UE-TF10-TF15-SF3-SF5-UHP336-Angle.html
 (side question... any experiences with Audicrast.com? They have a lot of good stuff at great prices. Was trying to stay away from Lunashops)
  
*2) *Plugs:
 Most likely going with Double Helix ones since they will fit my phone case.  Case (not my photo): http://blog.joeydaly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/20131123_105347.jpeg
 http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=136:015db36eb5e3a4a7a0aec33bfdaead75
  
 This is my other option, but I'm not sure about fit: https://www.hndme.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=2613&idcategory=242
 I like the Pailiccs the best, but doesn't seem they fit anything with cases. ViaBlue small is nice, but expensive.
 Sounds good dealing with a case right?
  
*3) BIG *question.... WIRE:
 Whats best size for TF10s? 24, 26, 28 AWG?  I'll be doing 4 wire braid. Looking for nicely flexible, but durable.
 And which seems to be the best bang for the buck? (using 25' to compare with navships' bulk).....
  
 navships on ebay. 
 24/26 AWG  decision is just which size/color. ~$8.25 for 25' shipped
  
 Plussound: 
 28 AWG 7N Pure UP-OCC Stranded Silver Plated Copper Custom Wire  - $1.50/ft   - $ 37.50/25' +$5 s&h
 26 AWG 7N Pure UP-OCC Stranded Copper Custom Wire - $2/ft  -  $ 50.00/25' +$5 s&h
  
 doublehelixcables:
 24 AWG  Black Nucleotide Cryo stranded OCC Copper wire $2.75/ft   - $68.75/25'
  
 26 AWG Mogami W2893 @ Redco.com  $.82/4wires/ft   - $26.79/25' shipped
  
 Mogami is definitely the best deal since it also has the option of keeping it together and fully sleeved.  DHC is the best looking if I decide to keep unsleeved.
 Are the DHC or PlusSound really worth all that much more over Mogami? I'm not looking for the best sound ever, just good quality for good price.
 Will most likely be going with a mix of Mogami and navships for unsleeved color options.
  
*4)* And last question... paracord:
 I really like the paracord look, but I haven't figured out how it works for IEMs. Does it make the cable too heavy/bulky, especially after the split?
 Since I'll most likely be going Mogami, which is 26AWG, I'm deciding on 2 options:
 A)  Sleeve each wire individually.
 B)  Or 4cord braid & big sleeve before split, 2cord twist & smaller sleeve after split.
  
 If I go A, I know Type I paracord. But does that work with a twist after the split? And if so, is that too much bulk for IEM? I see most of you guys don't usually sleeve after the split for IEMs.
  
 And if I go B, What size works best? Theres also Type II, 425, & 275. Which I haven't seen mentioned here.
  
 And just in case I decide to go with the 24AWG DHC wire, does that change the paracord size?
  
  
 Thanks!! Will post pics when I finish it.


----------



## PETEREK

Definitely 26awg for IEMs man. Anything thicker than that is going to be too heavy IMO. If I were in your shoes and wasn't on a strict budget I would go with PlusSound or DoubleHelix 26awg (silver plated or no, depending on your preference) because it's probably going to be more flexible than the mogami (I can vouch for the PlusSound being more flexible than the Mogami, but I don't know what the DH is like). Pick whatever IEM connectors you want, but when it comes to paracord I would do a 4 wire braid and then sleeve it up to the y-split if you absolutely wanted to use it, but just braiding the wire looks nice and it wont add any extra bulk.


----------



## Kamakahah

I agree with Casper. Either 26 or 28 awg. You'll be happy you went smaller/lightweight.

Navships is a good price but has terrible ergonomics...terrible. It was made for other purposes. It'll be durable but feel awful - stiff and inflexible. 

Mogami will be a step-up for flexibility but it's insulation still feels a bit harsh against the skin.

I personally love the feel of the PlusSound SPC insulation compared to some others. It's very flexible. The DHC cable is also a good option but go with the 26awg.

There are a lot of good options, but nothing as cheap as Canare or Mogami. Budget is important; However, it's worth getting what will best meet your needs right away over going through multiple tries of cheaper options that end up being just as expensive. 

I'm a little confused by your calculations for the Mogami. How long of a cable do you plan on making. If you plan on using all of its wires, you'd only need 5 feet of Mogami for a 5 foot cable. That would run you ~$10 shipped. You could pick up extra. For $25 shipped you'd have quite a bit extra. 

Individually sleeving in microparacord works but will add a noticeable amount of weight.


----------



## CombatCupcake

kamakahah said:


> I personally love the feel of the PlusSound SPC insulation compared to some others. It's very flexible. The DHC cable is also a good option but go with the 26awg.


 
  
 Thanks.
 Far as I can see, the Nucleotide wire on DHC only comes as 24 AWG. So theres no 26 option. I guess that would be good unsleeved, though.
 SoI'll look into the PlusSound SPC. But I'll get a bunch of Mogami anyway since its so cheap, and see how it works.
  
 What about for the 4strand braid, which size paracord?


----------



## PETEREK

kamakahah said:


> Navships is a good price but has terrible ergonomics...terrible. It was made for other purposes. It'll be durable but feel awful - stiff and inflexible.


 
 I meant to mention that in my reply. Navships wire is way too rigid to use for a cable, but it could be nice to use for an interconnect because it holds it's shape. 
  


combatcupcake said:


> Thanks.
> Far as I can see, the Nucleotide wire on DHC only comes as 24 AWG. So theres no 26 option. I guess that would be good unsleeved, though.
> SoI'll look into the PlusSound SPC. But I'll get a bunch of Mogami anyway since its so cheap, and see how it works.
> 
> What about for the 4strand braid, which size paracord?


 
 If you're sleeving them all together, go with 550 paracord. You can find it all over eBay or in a local Hobby Lobby. 
  
 If you want to do them individually, use this: https://www.survival-pax.com/EL-Wood-Type-I-Paracord.html


----------



## Kamakahah

combatcupcake said:


> Thanks.
> Far as I can see, the Nucleotide wire on DHC only comes as 24 AWG. So theres no 26 option. I guess that would be good unsleeved, though.
> SoI'll look into the PlusSound SPC. But I'll get a bunch of Mogami anyway since its so cheap, and see how it works.
> 
> What about for the 4strand braid, which size paracord?


 
  
 If you leave the Mogami twisted (as it comes), it'll fit smoothly into most 550 paracord. You can even use the same 550 for the two strand branches at the Y. Here is an example of a quick recable I did just for the lawlz:
  


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



I used the same 550 paracord that I got from supplycaptain for the 4-strand and 2-strand areas. Feels great. I'll admit that it's not nearly as light as doing a bare braid. It might be something to consider if you wear yours down rather than over the ear. The weight might constantly try to pull them from your ear. 


  
  
  
 I have 550 from 4-5 different suppliers and it has always fit. Supplycaptain.com, Fivestarcord.com, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, etc.
 Fivestarcord is good for microparacord since you can purchase it by the foot, ($0.07/foot for most), and flat-rate shipping in the USA is $2.99. You can pick up 25 feet of a few different types for $10. Hard to go wrong there. Talking about it and I just bought 6 new colors...dangit Head-fi addiction. 
  
 You're right about the DHC, I thought he had some 26 awg offered. You could still try out the 24 awg. As long as your neck isn't made of paper, I think you'll be able to handle a little extra weight. 
  


peterek said:


> I meant to mention that in my reply. Navships wire is way too rigid to use for a cable, but it could be nice to use for an interconnect because it holds it's shape.
> 
> If you're sleeving them all together, go with 550 paracord. You can find it all over eBay or in a local Hobby Lobby.
> 
> If you want to do them individually, use this: https://www.survival-pax.com/EL-Wood-Type-I-Paracord.html


 
  
 Despite my warning, I do still use Navships. It does serve well for interconnects or even as ground wires when mixed with other more flexible cable. I've done some interesting experiments with it on interconnects doing 8 or 12 strand braids mixed with various other materials. It's a great practice wire.


----------



## Lohb

I want to remove my balanced 4-XLR M-F plugs and put something smaller that can also lock together.
 Can anyone suggest a smaller quality interconnect so I can switch between speaker tap cables and single-end terminations.
 XLR's are built like a tank but they are so flipping heavy and it is impractical  when plugged into a DAP especially !
@65535 is this cable below a balanced one ?
 Could you please give me a lead on it as it looks great quality and so small !!


----------



## Lohb

combatcupcake said:


> Thanks.
> Far as I can see, the Nucleotide wire on DHC only comes as 24 AWG. So theres no 26 option. I guess that would be good unsleeved, though.
> SoI'll look into the PlusSound SPC. But I'll get a bunch of Mogami anyway since its so cheap, and see how it works.
> 
> What about for the 4strand braid, which size paracord?


 

 I have bought from plusound and bought mogami mic cables. _I can tell you it takes quite a bit of time to take the various layers off if you are stripping the wires out a mic cable_ ! I think plussound have great pricing on their DIY stuff....


----------



## Kamakahah

lohb said:


> I have bought from plusound and bought mogami mic cables. *I can tell you it takes quite a bit of time to take the various layers off if you are stripping the wires out a mic cable ! *I think plussound have great pricing on their DIY stuff....


 
  
 It did take a while my first time around. After you know what to do, you'll be stripping 10 foot lengths in under 5 minutes with little effort. 
 It is especially easy if you plan on keep the strands wrapped together until the Y. 
 Here are the generalized steps:


Spoiler: The Steps



1. Find a long, flat surface that you don't mind accidentally scratching. (I admit to using a folding dinner try when I'm lazy)
  
 2. Use a razor, exacto knife, or box cutter to remove outer PVC. (I use a $0.99 break away razor from a hardware store). Make a small cut at one end down to the shielding. Use a piece of masking tape a foot or two away to hold the cable still if needed.
  
 3. Slide blade smooth and careful at an even pace along the starting incision. Very little pressure needed. Try doing 6 inch to a foot lengths at a time before repositioning. (As you get more comfortable, you'll do longer length in a single swipe).
  
 4. After each swipe, pull PVC insulation off of the shielding up to the end point. Repeat step 3 until you reach the end.
  
 5. Loosen one end of the shielding by pushing it inward with your fingers. Once it expands, place a small piece of tape over inner paper-wrapped cable. Now cause the shielding to expand again and keep pulling it down and expanding while holding onto the inner cable at the taped end. You'll be able to slide the whole thing off with ease towards the untaped end. 
  
 6. Finally, tape the opposite end. I use a small piece of electrical tape that I stretch to be even thinner. You can simply sleeve it as is using the "worm" method (It reminds me of peristalsis, for those Bio majors out there). Alternatively, you can strip off the paper wrapping and cotton strands. I leave them for reduced microphonics.
  
 7. For a Y-split, simply strip down the desired length of one end and place a small piece of tape where it stops. The wires are twisted together, simply untwist in the reverse direction and re-pair in groups of two. They will re-pair readily without much work at all. 


  
 I really need to make a video demonstrating this. The whole process, usually takes me less than 5 minutes for 4 foot lengths. 10 foot lengths less than 10 minutes.


----------



## ThurstonX

+1 for Mogami and 550 paracord.
  
 I used Mogami W2799 from Redco (cheapest per foot I could find), stripped the sheath (just run an Exacto knife or whatever down the length; the copper shield will protect the wires, unless you go at it like Conan 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





), untwisted the copper shield (bit of a PITA, but not at all difficult)... et voila!  four twisted wires.  Paracord Planet cord (free shipping via Amazon... Outdoor Bunker? I think) fit fine and they have an insane selection.
  
 The nice thing about 550 paracord for the two wires above the Y split is that it's loose enough to not be microphonic.  Never heard a peep with my HE-500s cables.  I made a cable for my Q701s (so, no Y split), and the fit is tight enough to be slightly microphonic.  It's not a problem when the music's playing, but you can hear it rubbing when it's dead quiet.  But for IEMs it should be fine.
  
 Super cheap solution, and Redco has a decent selection of connectors.


----------



## 65535

lohb said:


> I want to remove my balanced 4-XLR M-F plugs and put something smaller that can also lock together.
> Can anyone suggest a smaller quality interconnect so I can switch between speaker tap cables and single-end terminations.
> XLR's are built like a tank but they are so flipping heavy and it is impractical  when plugged into a DAP especially !
> @65535 is this cable below a balanced one ?
> Could you please give me a lead on it as it looks great quality and so small !!


 
 That's a Lemo connector - FGG.0B.304.CLAD52Z the mating side for inline use would be the PHG.0B.304.CL****. The pair will run you around $60 so keep that in mind. Otherwise they're a fantastic connector push-pull and locking.


----------



## paijo

Btw, does anybody have try mixed wire (silver and copper based)?? for example, silver as signal and copper as ground or vice versa??
  
 does it gives different tone??which one do you like?? please share....


----------



## PETEREK

paijo said:


> Btw, does anybody have try mixed wire (silver and copper based)?? for example, silver as signal and copper as ground or vice versa??
> 
> does it gives different tone??which one do you like?? please share....


 
 People call that a hybrid cable. Having silver as a signal wire supposedly makes the headphones sound a little brighter i.e. sharper, more pronounced treble and middle-highs. I say supposedly because it's all about what the person thinks they hear before and after.


----------



## paijo

peterek said:


> People call that a hybrid cable. Having silver as a signal wire supposedly makes the headphones sound a little brighter i.e. sharper, more pronounced treble and middle-highs. I say supposedly because it's all about what the person thinks they hear before and after.


 
 Yup... i also call it as hybrid cable too...
 anyway, i have same mindset as you said, but some people here (at my local group), tell me that they prefer copper as signal and silver as ground, they told me that the sounds became much neater then silver as signal and copper as ground. (*.as info, i never use full silver on my experiment, it's always silver coated copper,because pure silver is to expensive to my range  ).
 How about you? have you try it and which one you like better?


----------



## 65535

Make a cable that is durable, and has appropriate sized conductors. If silver wire is out of your price range you're certainly not doing yourself a disservice by not having it.


----------



## PETEREK

Can anyone tell me what kind of connectors these are? I bought an AntLion ModMic 3.0 and would like to get rid of the cable that I have running up the audio cable for my Q701. I want to see if I can mount a male connector onto the headphone somewhere and then convert the Q701 to a 4-pin xlr and have a TRRS connector on the other end of the cable, then just screw the mic directly onto the headphone. I don't like how messy this looks right now.
  

  

  
 YUCKKKKK


----------



## Lohb

paijo said:


> Yup... i also call it as hybrid cable too...
> anyway, i have same mindset as you said, but some people here (at my local group), tell me that they prefer copper as signal and silver as ground, they told me that the sounds became much neater then silver as signal and copper as ground. (*.as info, i never use full silver on my experiment, it's always silver coated copper,because pure silver is to expensive to my range  ).
> How about you? have you try it and which one you like better?


 

 Ha! the very question I was going to ask....was looking at SPC and copper for 4-strand balanced....


----------



## paijo

65535 said:


> Make a cable that is durable, and has appropriate sized conductors. If silver wire is out of your price range you're certainly not doing yourself a disservice by not having it.


 
 Yup, i like doing experiment on recabling and mix and match some kind of cable of any spec and any brand,with some mini jack. but in my opinion, pure silver is way too expensive to be sacrificed .
  


lohb said:


> Ha! the very question I was going to ask....was looking at SPC and copper for 4-strand balanced....


 
 hahaha.. i taught , i am the only person here that curious about this topic... 
  
 if that so, i will try making 2 hybrid m2m with same spec , in a different combination of signal and ground. and i'll post it here.


----------



## MrEleventy

peterek said:


> Can anyone tell me what kind of connectors these are? I bought an AntLion ModMic 3.0 and would like to get rid of the cable that I have running up the audio cable for my Q701. I want to see if I can mount a male connector onto the headphone somewhere and then convert the Q701 to a 4-pin xlr and have a TRRS connector on the other end of the cable, then just screw the mic directly onto the headphone. I don't like how messy this looks right now.


Looks like a MMXC type of connector? They're big on IEMs like the Westones and the new Fostex TE-05.


----------



## PETEREK

mreleventy said:


> Looks like a MMXC type of connector? They're big on IEMs like the Westones and the new Fostex TE-05.


 
 Are the MMXC's screw on type? It seems like some kind of coaxial. I emailed them and someone responded saying that they would find out for me, so I'll come back and let you know if you're right.


----------



## 65535

It's a snap on, it has a split ring on the female (I think) connector which snaps into a groove on the male connector holding them together. Works well enough for most applications, be careful about how often you cycle them, they may wear out faster than more common connectors.


----------



## PETEREK

paijo said:


> Yup... i also call it as hybrid cable too...
> anyway, i have same mindset as you said, but some people here (at my local group), tell me that they prefer copper as signal and silver as ground, they told me that the sounds became much neater then silver as signal and copper as ground. (*.as info, i never use full silver on my experiment, it's always silver coated copper,because pure silver is to expensive to my range  ).
> How about you? have you try it and which one you like better?


 
 I made a couple hybrid cables, but I prefer just copper for the sound and price. I might have to use a silver plated copper whenever I make a cable for my T50RP mod, unless I can brighten them up somehow without using silver. We'll see. They're just so dark sounding stock.


----------



## Lohb

I'm trying to replace my XLR Neutrik plugs with something smaller and budget level which will also work with an RSA portable amp later and speaker taps short cable/3.5" S.E. short cable.
 Have any of you adapted the RSA/ALO Kobiconn female panel mount onto a headphone cable?
 I know the male connection can be substituted for my clunky XLR plugs on the headphone cable easily, but until I get hands on with the panel mount I'm just not sure it can be covered in shrink to act as the port/female side of switching between taps cable/3.5" single end cable...
  


 Female panel mount below adapted to a headphone cable (?)... I have just not found a female connector that is not panel mount style with the Kobiconn on the female side of things.....


----------



## 65535

Switchcraft Mini-XLR Shielded connectors are very nice looking and pack some impressive ratings. I don't know what you consider budget, they are about $8-9 a piece which isn't too bad.
  
 Personally I think those camera iris connectors are awful.


----------



## Lohb

65535 said:


> Switchcraft Mini-XLR Shielded connectors are very nice looking and pack some impressive ratings. I don't know what you consider budget, they are about $8-9 a piece which isn't too bad.
> 
> Personally I think those camera iris connectors are awful.


 

 awful quality or style ?


----------



## skalkman

lohb said:


> I'm trying to replace my XLR Neutrik plugs with something smaller and budget level which will also work with an RSA portable amp later and speaker taps short cable/3.5" S.E. short cable.
> Have any of you adapted the RSA/ALO Kobiconn female panel mount onto a headphone cable?
> I know the male connection can be substituted for my clunky XLR plugs on the headphone cable easily, but until I get hands on with the panel mount I'm just not sure it can be covered in shrink to act as the port/female side of switching between taps cable/3.5" single end cable...
> 
> ...


 
 I would recommend getting a set of mini 4pin XLR connectors and make a bum-load of pigtails.


lohb said:


> awful quality or style ?


 
 I think that they're rather sexy looking but they are very "plasticy" and do not feel remotely as nice as a metal housed mini XLR or maybe a hirose plug.


----------



## PETEREK

I'm sure it wouldn't be to hard to retrofit the balanced male end of the Kobiconn connector into a 3.5mm angles connector's barrel.


----------



## Lohb

Mouser charge a flat $40 for international shipping....terrible ! $2 plugs $40 shipping.


----------



## fenderf4i

lohb said:


> Mouser charge a flat $40 for international shipping....terrible ! $2 plugs $40 shipping.




See if Digikey has what you need. They've cheaper shipping to Canada than Mouser.


----------



## rnadell

Can anyone direct me to a photo of wire connection to the hifiman connector?
 Thanks


----------



## squallkiercosa

Do you guys use heatshrink as strain relief or does it serve against pulling forces? I'm asking because I just used it to cover a broken cable which I didn't solder.


----------



## 65535

Heatshrink is good insulation for exposed conductor and half decent bend relief, even adhesive lined heatshrink provides mediocre tension relief standard single wall, forget about it.


----------



## 65535

lohb said:


> awful quality or style ?


 
 Both, they're only available in right angle in line or panel mount. The only thing keeping them in one piece is plastic prongs, they're also pretty large for the size of the pins. 
  
 I've been spoiled by Lemo connectors 0B size at work and high quality audio connectors like Mini-XLR already exist. 
  
 Connectors are on of the places you'll never see me cheap out on. $2 vs. $8 is not enough of a difference for me to pick the cheaper one just because it's cheap.


----------



## Lohb

65535 said:


> Both, they're only available in right angle in line or panel mount. The only thing keeping them in one piece is plastic prongs, they're also pretty large for the size of the pins.
> 
> I've been spoiled by Lemo connectors 0B size at work and high quality audio connectors like Mini-XLR already exist.
> 
> Connectors are on of the places you'll never see me cheap out on. $2 vs. $8 is not enough of a difference for me to pick the cheaper one just because it's cheap.


 

 Yep, those Lemo connectors are about the best ones I've ever seen so far for sure but in the OP I was thinking I may get an RSA amp later, so it was more about being able to switch between taps and the Kobiconn connector as long as I could get the panel mount type female one shrunk and secure it will do. Thanks.


----------



## luisdent

Can anyone tell me what this braid is called and maybe a link to a tutorial?
  
 http://images.ecwid.com/images/1139068/41622793.jpg


----------



## lemort795

Can anyone identify these RCA connectors from the DIY cable gallery (last two pictures)?  I suspect that they're not branded; I found many similar ones on eBay, but I'm asking in case anyone happens to have a specific source.
  
 I would PM the guy, but it looks like he hasn't been active since December.


----------



## FallenAngel

luisdent - simply twist the wire
 lemort795 - looks like non-branded RCAs from eBay (I grabbed some myself and am not overly impressed with the quality, but they're super cheap)


----------



## PinkFloydQ

w2944 vs w2799? 

what are the difference in these two mogami cables?


----------



## 65535

http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/console/
  
 A lot.


----------



## PinkFloydQ

65535 said:


> http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/console/
> 
> A lot.





Being that im a noob

i could use the w2944 red and clear conductors for left+right and the drain wire for ground right?


----------



## 65535

Technically yes, console cable is a type of cable designed for fixed installations. The outer jacket is stiffer and slicker than a portable cable such as a mic cable. You want a nice cable for a headphone or interconnect then head over to their bulk mic cable section and find the outer diameter you're looking for. I like something around .080-.180" diameter.


----------



## ThurstonX

Mogami W2799 for $0.64/foot from Redco.  That's four wires.  Strip the insulation and copper shield and you've got four conductors that make for a nice, light cable.  Easily sleeved with 550 paracord.
  
 NB: all four wires in one sleeve (e.g., for an AKG mini XLR style) can be a tad microphonic.  Two wires in 550 paracord are great for split cables.
  
 With my HE-500s, I can't hear a difference between my DIY cables and the expensive plusSounds cryo'd type 2 litz cable I bought, which makes that Mogami wire a great deal.


----------



## PinkFloydQ

ThurstonX" url="/t/676402/diy-cable-questions-and-comments-thread/1860_30#post_10488846 said:
			
		

> Mogami W2799 for $0.64/foot from Redco.  That's four wires.  Strip the insulation and copper shield and you've got four conductors that make for a nice, light cable.  Easily sleeved with 550 paracord.
> 
> NB: all four wires in one sleeve (e.g., for an AKG mini XLR style) can be a tad microphonic.  Two wires in 550 paracord are great for split cables.
> 
> With my HE-500s, I can't hear a difference between my DIY cables and the expensive plusSounds cryo'd type 2 litz cable I bought, which makes that Mogami wire a great deal.




I only need 2 conductors and a ground, would the w2944 be a match for my application? Is there any disadvantages if I use the w2944. The reason I'm leaning towards this cable is the ¢29 price per foot. 

also what type of sleeve would you recommend for the w2944 and where can i buy it by the foot?


----------



## ThurstonX

pinkfloydq said:


> I only need 2 conductors and a ground, would the w2944 be a match for my application? Is there any disadvantages if I use the w2944. The reason I'm leaning towards this cable is the ¢29 price per foot.
> 
> also what type of sleeve would you recommend for the w2944 and where can i buy it by the foot?


 
  
 If you only need two conductors, then you should save the money, of course.  No idea about what sleeving would work with it, as I've never used it.  I'm sure someone else will chime in.


----------



## DutchGFX

pinkfloydq said:


> I only need 2 conductors and a ground, would the w2944 be a match for my application? Is there any disadvantages if I use the w2944. The reason I'm leaning towards this cable is the ¢29 price per foot.
> 
> also what type of sleeve would you recommend for the w2944 and where can i buy it by the foot?




I can't get a for sure reading on the cable size, because it says ~ .1" which seams small. If it is that size, 1/8" nylon multifilament would be a loose but nice fit. I like my nylon to fit a bit loose, it makes it easier to sleeve. If you google 1/8" nylon multifilament I'm sure you will find some. I got mine on eBay. 

I'm not 100% sure on sizing though! since that seams tiny. You could try 1/10" multifilament but not sure if you can find that.


----------



## nelson515

Hi
 Has anyone tried to combine a silver wire and a copper wire for connecting to the signal?
 How is it? Will it deliver the signature of both copper and silver wires?
 One more question, will the ground wire affects the sound quality at all? I think it won't have any difference between using copper or other things else for the ground, right?
  
 thank you


----------



## DutchGFX

You should use the same wire for each symmetrical length. For example, all of your headphone cable wires should be the same material. 

I use a combo of the 2, I use Silver Plated Copper wire, which isn't expensive, but still I think is quite nice. 

I am pretty sure that you would be best to use the same wire for ground, just for the sake of having the same wire. If you mix wires , like have 2 different brands for each channel, you might encounter variations in your signal.


----------



## TrollDragon

Let's not get into the "I used silver wire for Ground and now all the Bass is gone" foolishness.

There is a Sound Science Fiction forum for that stuff...


----------



## DutchGFX

That's not what I meant haha, I just use SPC because it makes me not feel like I'm using junk wire. I don't have any idea whether it sounds better.


----------



## TrollDragon

It's all good, I'm just yanking your chain.


----------



## nelson515

dutchgfx said:


> You should use the same wire for each symmetrical length. For example, all of your headphone cable wires should be the same material.
> 
> I use a combo of the 2, I use Silver Plated Copper wire, which isn't expensive, but still I think is quite nice.
> 
> I am pretty sure that you would be best to use the same wire for ground, just for the sake of having the same wire. If you mix wires , like have 2 different brands for each channel, you might encounter variations in your signal.


 
  
  


trolldragon said:


> Let's not get into the "I used silver wire for Ground and now all the Bass is gone" foolishness.
> 
> There is a Sound Science Fiction forum for that stuff...


 
  
 So, it is not a good idea for using copper and silver together for both left and right signal?
 But why do plussound has a wire which is silver + copper as well if this idea is not good?http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html
 thank you guys


----------



## DutchGFX

nelson515 said:


> So, it is not a good idea for using copper and silver together for both left and right signal?
> But why do plussound has a wire which is silver + copper as well if this idea is not good?http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html
> thank you guys




That's different than combining 2 different wires; that's SPC, Silver Plated Copper. A lot of people use that because its cheaper than just Silver wire. What is a problem is if you use Copper for ground, and SPC for others, because they may have different conductances and such, and you may get a variation between the two. You just need to use commensurate wire when building cables. Use all wire from one batch from one company in a cable, SK you can ensure that they are all identical. 

My cables are all SPC, I like it because its cheap enough, and it makes me feel like I'm not cheaping out


----------



## nelson515

dutchgfx said:


> That's different than combining 2 different wires; that's SPC, Silver Plated Copper. A lot of people use that because its cheaper than just Silver wire. What is a problem is if you use Copper for ground, and SPC for others, because they may have different conductances and such, and you may get a variation between the two. You just need to use commensurate wire when building cables. Use all wire from one batch from one company in a cable, SK you can ensure that they are all identical.
> 
> My cables are all SPC, I like it because its cheap enough, and it makes me feel like I'm not cheaping out


 
*26 AWG 7N Pure UP-OCC Cryo Stranded Silver + Copper Type 2 Litz Custom Wire*
*This custom wire is our 26AWG 7N Pure Silver plus 7N Copper type 2 litz wire, made in collaboration with those who created “UP-OCC” wires. **This new and unique wire features 3 enamel-coated groups of Pure Silver and two groups of Copper inside containing 10 strands in each for not only decreasing electrical anomalies (i.e. skin and proximity effect) but prevent oxidation to maintain same appearance after very long use, increases durability greatly, and sound quality improvements through its configuration. We designed the wire in “SSSCC” configuration to offer more concentrated, concise sound. It utilizes PE insulation for flexibility and durability, and are cryo-treated for long lasting, enhanced sound quality.*
  
 I am talking about this silver + copper wire but not a SPC.
 I am thinking of whether I can combine a silver and a copper wire to serve the purpose as this plussound wire does.
 thank you.


----------



## DutchGFX

nelson515 said:


> [COLOR=666666]*26 AWG 7N Pure UP-OCC Cryo Stranded Silver + Copper Type 2 Litz Custom Wire*[/COLOR]
> *This custom wire is our 26AWG 7N Pure Silver plus 7N Copper type 2 litz wire, made in collaboration with those who created “UP-OCC” wires. **This new and unique wire features 3 enamel-coated groups of Pure Silver and two groups of Copper inside containing 10 strands in each for not only decreasing electrical anomalies (i.e. skin and proximity effect) but prevent oxidation to maintain same appearance after very long use, increases durability greatly, and sound quality improvements through its configuration. We designed the wire in “SSSCC” configuration to offer more concentrated, concise sound. It utilizes PE insulation for flexibility and durability, and are cryo-treated for long lasting, enhanced sound quality.*
> 
> I am talking about this silver + copper wire but not a SPC.
> ...



Oh I didn't see that one
Personally, I wouldn't. Just me, but I would stick to one type.

This is beyond my knowledge though. So I'm going to step out and let others comment. But personally I wouldn't


----------



## PETEREK

Hey guys, I'm looking for a 3.5mm connector that will be able to house 8 wires of 26awg. Obviously it needs to be kind of big, which is what the guy is looking for. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, how big is a Canare F12 compared to a Switchcraft or Rean?


----------



## 65535

Canare 3.5mm will fit 1/4" diameter cables/bundles just fine, 8 26awg wires should be under that.
  
 Switchcraft offers 3.5mm connectors with various diameter accommodations, look at their webpage for specs.
  
 Amphenol and Neutrik 3.5mm may fit but will be on the tighter side.


----------



## zachchen1996

Any opinions on Xhadow XLR & RCA connectors?


----------



## ThurstonX

*  ^^^^^*
 New DIY Mogami W2799 HE-500s cable avatar


----------



## DMinor

peterek said:


> Hey guys, I'm looking for a 3.5mm connector that will be able to house 8 wires of 26awg. Obviously it needs to be kind of big, which is what the guy is looking for. Any help would be appreciated.
> 
> Also, how big is a Canare F12 compared to a Switchcraft or Rean?


 
  
 I am sure this one will do it. I have a pair of these. They look good in quality.


----------



## PETEREK

65535 said:


> Canare 3.5mm will fit 1/4" diameter cables/bundles just fine, 8 26awg wires should be under that.
> 
> Switchcraft offers 3.5mm connectors with various diameter accommodations, look at their webpage for specs.
> 
> Amphenol and Neutrik 3.5mm may fit but will be on the tighter side.



Ok I'll let him know the F12 will work. Thanks man.



dminor said:


> I am sure this one will do it. I have a pair of these. They look good in quality.



Thanks for the link. I'll have him consider this one as well.


----------



## nelson515

peterek said:


> Ok I'll let him know the F12 will work. Thanks man.
> Thanks for the link. I'll have him consider this one as well.


 
  
 how about this mate
http://www.viablue.de/com/phono_plugs_3_5_t6s.shtml
 this is a good looking and quality 3.5mm plug IMO.
  
 Cheers!


----------



## nelson515

nelson515 said:


> *26 AWG 7N Pure UP-OCC Cryo Stranded Silver + Copper Type 2 Litz Custom Wire*
> *This custom wire is our 26AWG 7N Pure Silver plus 7N Copper type 2 litz wire, made in collaboration with those who created “UP-OCC” wires. **This new and unique wire features 3 enamel-coated groups of Pure Silver and two groups of Copper inside containing 10 strands in each for not only decreasing electrical anomalies (i.e. skin and proximity effect) but prevent oxidation to maintain same appearance after very long use, increases durability greatly, and sound quality improvements through its configuration. We designed the wire in “SSSCC” configuration to offer more concentrated, concise sound. It utilizes PE insulation for flexibility and durability, and are cryo-treated for long lasting, enhanced sound quality.*
> 
> I am talking about this silver + copper wire but not a SPC.
> ...


 
  
 Anyone has tried this before and can give me some advice?
 Thank you.


----------



## CombatCupcake

So the threads on these boards go back so many years its hard to find recent info...
  
 I'm looking at these parts:
 http://www.audiocrast.com/product_disp.php?p_id=1352&weblan=e
 http://www.audiocrast.com/product_disp.php?p_id=1316&weblan=e
  
 And any of the other useful stuff like 3.5mm plugs that arent found on Mouser and Parts-express, etc. Like Pailiccs, Viablue, etc  (I don't like the Neutrik/Switchcraft styles)
  
  
 Does anyone have any good USA based suppliers?  For some of the more headphone specific parts, I've really only found on Lunashops, Audiocrast (which I haven't found much info about if they are reputable, cause their selection and prices are quite good), and ebay.  Are all from China.
 Are those really the only suppliers for those parts?
 I was about to order from Audiocrast, but shipping turned out to be $46 for a bunch of parts.
 avoutlet.com does seem to have the Viablue small for the best price, but they don't carry much else.
  
 thanks


----------



## PETEREK

combatcupcake said:


> So the threads on these boards go back so many years its hard to find recent info...
> 
> I'm looking at these parts:
> http://www.audiocrast.com/product_disp.php?p_id=1352&weblan=e
> ...


 
 I use Markertek.com for a lot of my DIY needs. I buy cable from Redco.com


----------



## Speedskater

peterek said:


> I use Markertek.com for a lot of my DIY needs. I buy cable from Redco.com


 

 Both are excellent US suppliers.
  
 http://www.redco.com/
  
 http://www.markertek.com/


----------



## CombatCupcake

speedskater said:


> Both are excellent US suppliers.
> 
> http://www.redco.com/
> 
> http://www.markertek.com/


 
  
 Thanks but I've looked on both and they have nothing I'm looking for. They don't carry the IEM connectors. not any brand plugs except for the Neutrik/Switchcraft/Rean styles.


----------



## 65535

Both companies are professional supply houses for the audio and audio/video industry respectively. They carry tried and true equipment. There's a reason they carry what they do. 
  
 As for EIM connectors you'll probably have to overpay for custom made ones from "custom" cable shops.


----------



## luisdent

I use markertek as well. Sometimes mouser and sometime daleproaudio.


----------



## Scyrge

Hey all. My ATH-AD700s recently died on me and I'm looking to completely rewire them in a bid to fix it. AFAIK the driver still works, was only a wire problem. I've tried to do some research on my own, but I just want to verify some things before I dive into it.
  
 I was thinking about a mogami 2534 or 2799 as a cord. Are either of those fine or would you guys reccommend something else? Would I be able to use the 3.5mm jack from my previous cable or would I be better off buying a new one? If so, are there any recommendations?


----------



## DutchGFX

scyrge said:


> Hey all. My ATH-AD700s recently died on me and I'm looking to completely rewire them in a bid to fix it. AFAIK the driver still works, was only a wire problem. I've tried to do some research on my own, but I just want to verify some things before I dive into it.
> 
> I was thinking about a mogami 2534 or 2799 as a cord. Are either of those fine or would you guys reccommend something else? Would I be able to use the 3.5mm jack from my previous cable or would I be better off buying a new one? If so, are there any recommendations?




2534 looks a little big, especially for portable use. You really only need a 3 conductor cable, even 2 + a shield would work since I assume you aren't balancing them. The W2799 would be fine, but I would look for a 2 wire + 1 shield cable, it will be more flexible and smaller, since you don't need more than 3 conductors. I'm lazy so I'm not gonna look through the Mogami site but that's what I would look for. 

Probably easy to just buy a Neutrik or other brand 3.5mm from Redco. They sell a ton of connectors and im sure you can find a Neutrik on there. If not try Parts-Express. They will have some.

Hope that helps 

N.B you CAN physically reuse the plug, but its a real hastle and you will probably not get it clean enough .


----------



## PinkFloydQ

^^^^^^ The W2944 Mogami cable has two conductors and a shield


----------



## 65535

If you want a single cable for making a single entry headphone cable I would recommend Mogami W2697. It's 2 conductors plus shield, 28awg conductors and an oversized served shield. It measures in just under 0.100" so it's ideal for headphone cables.


----------



## Jason36

Anybody know where I can get RSA/ ALO balanced connectors for headphone cables from in the UK? Does Frank at Toxic Cables supply them does anybody know?


----------



## Scyrge

Awesome, thanks guys. Think I'm gonna go with the Mogami W2697 and a Neutrik NYS 231BG. I've noticed a lot of people like to utilize paracord (or other such sleeves), does that have a benefit or is it only for aesthetics?


----------



## Toxic Cables

jason36 said:


> Anybody know where I can get RSA/ ALO balanced connectors for headphone cables from in the UK? Does Frank at Toxic Cables supply them does anybody know?


 
 Yes, drop me a PM.


----------



## 65535

Aesthetics, it will actually make the cable stiffer, thicker, heavier, and transmit more mechanical noise to the cups. It feels nice and looks good though.


----------



## Toxic Cables

peterek said:


> I'm sure it wouldn't be to hard to retrofit the balanced male end of the Kobiconn connector into a 3.5mm angles connector's barrel.


 
 Made one for a customer recently,


----------



## PETEREK

toxic cables said:


> Made one for a customer recently,


 
 Very nice!


----------



## slokenafk

I have been making my cables by purchasing canare quad star cable and just stripping all the shielding and using it as 4 seperate wires. Is anything about this not reccomended?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk


----------



## DutchGFX

You might as well just buy copper wire from eBay or something. Probably cheaper. Other than that, there is nothing at all wrong with that. In fact, the wire is probably at least decent if not high quality, So that's fine, I just suspect that it may he cheaper to buy via EBay or some other cite.


----------



## 65535

It's generally HDPE which is fairly stiff and has a twist that is difficult to remove. From a wire standpoint, it's wire. It's not cheap due to quantity pricing but Cooner Wire makes some exceptionally nice high strand count PVC jacketed wire that is super supple. We use it at work in 26awg for hookup wire. We also have some of their 6x26 served shield cable stuff is amazingly nice.


----------



## jodgey4

I tried searching around and couldn't find any answers... but does anybody know of 45 degree angled plugs like V-Moda has? (I'm waiting for that to become industry standard for 3.5mm plugs, it's by far the best)


----------



## BotByte

Jodgey, I honestly don't like those 45' angle plugs, and I've never seen a 45' angle stand-alone connector. I'd go for the 90' angle ones if I was you.


----------



## BotByte

Hey guys, I've been wanting to get into custom cables since most that I come across--and all that I have--are rather meh~. I'm running pretty much all Monoprice cables at this point, and kind of tired of the cheap looks (but they're good cables otherwise). 
  
 What I'm figuring is this:
  
 Either, Mogami W2799 , or, Canare L-4E5C , since they are lightweight quad cables. Is there a big difference with the quality, or weight, or sleeving? Any better, lightweight cables around the same price?
  
 Thank you for your time.


----------



## FrozenPanda

Hey all,
  
 I was looking to recable a gaming headset whose cable splits into 2 3pole 3mm plugs. I peeked inside the cups (single entry) and saw that there were 5 connects. I'm guessing there are mic +/- and then drivers L/R with a shared ground? There's also a mute and a volume rocker on the ear cups them selves but I think this is taken care of by the integrated circuit. This is what it looks like inside. Anybody know if I'd be able to just do like a 6 strand braid?
  

 Note: the solder points on the right lead to the cable out of the cups.


----------



## Kamakahah

botbyte said:


> Hey guys, I've been wanting to get into custom cables since most that I come across--and all that I have--are rather meh~. I'm running pretty much all Monoprice cables at this point, and kind of tired of the cheap looks (but they're good cables otherwise).
> 
> What I'm figuring is this:
> 
> ...




Both the mogami and canare are good. No better price per foot than the canare. I found the mogami wires to be ever so slightly softer and more flexible. The difference is really negligible.

If you plan to strip them down and sleeve them, then just go with the Canare. Want Mogami but would rather avoid stripping and having kinks in your unsleeved braid? Then check out BTG-audio.


----------



## PETEREK

I thought Mogami and Canare were kind of cheap alternatives to buying expensive wire only until I saw how much Hifiman charges for an upgrade Canare cable. A 5meter cable with a 1/4 connector and 2 mini coax costs $112, I about laughed myself off my chair. Talk about mark up. 

Just wanted to share that.

I just realized that these cables were the topic of conversation, I wasn't referring to anything anyone said about the cables, I was just browsing through Hifiman accessories and saw the prices. I had to share that.


----------



## 65535

Canare and Mogami are the choice for professional audio, as is Neutrik. They're cheap because they're so widely used by the industry that production volume has driven the price down nicely. Sure you can buy boutique cable and pay for low production volume and fancy names, or pay for a custom cable.
  
 One thing I've appreciated as an employee at a small company doing semi-custom cable work, it's time consuming and parts add up quickly. 8x BNC(m), 2x 2.1x5.5mm(f), 1x HD15(f) on a 1 foot fan out comes out to $750 or so. 
  
 Things that can be mass produced with automated machinery can be made cheap. Things that have to be hand built will be much more expensive. $112 isn't out of the realm of price after markup for a company to have it hand made.


----------



## slokenafk

Heres some better pics of my new custom cable with my new cans. 
 Also, Ignore the crap on my desk. I was not willing to clean for pics.


----------



## Chris_Himself

Dang I would pay money for that job.


----------



## DingoSmuggler

frozenpanda said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I was looking to recable a gaming headset whose cable splits into 2 3pole 3mm plugs. I peeked inside the cups (single entry) and saw that there were 5 connects. I'm guessing there are mic +/- and then drivers L/R with a shared ground? There's also a mute and a volume rocker on the ear cups them selves but I think this is taken care of by the integrated circuit. This is what it looks like inside. Anybody know if I'd be able to just do like a 6 strand braid?


 
 A thought...
  
 Use a thin single core shielded cable for mic, then do a 4 wire braid for the headphones around the outside, using the mic cable as a core.


----------



## BotByte

Thanks guys! Yeah, I'll be stripping and sleeving each wire, so I'll go for the Canare. I've got everything but the cable heading my way at the moment.


----------



## slokenafk

chris_himself said:


> Dang I would pay money for that job.




Mine? If so thanks!


----------



## deadofmind

Hello, don't know if this is right thread, but it is DIY questions ^_^
  
 Can anyone name the plugs in this pic?
 http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjgzWDgwMA==/z/LgoAAOxySoJTRQxz/$_57.JPG


----------



## Zashoomin

deadofmind said:


> Hello, don't know if this is right thread, but it is DIY questions ^_^
> 
> Can anyone name the plugs in this pic?
> http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjgzWDgwMA==/z/LgoAAOxySoJTRQxz/$_57.JPG


 
 You have come to the right place.  Those are Oyaide plugs.  It looks like both are TRRS connectors (4 connections: L, R, Mic, G)  rather than the usual TRS (3 connections: L, R, G).  The plugs should run you about $20 a pop but are really high quality and look really nice.  For most purposes I think that the standard TRS will be just fine.  There are two different kinds shown in the picture as well.  A strait plug and a right angle one.  
  
 Hope this helps


----------



## PETEREK

zashoomin said:


> You have come to the right place.  Those are Oyaide plugs.  It looks like both are TRRS connectors (4 connections: L, R, Mic, G)  rather than the usual TRS (3 connections: L, R, G).  The plugs should run you about $20 a pop but are really high quality and look really nice.  For most purposes I think that the standard TRS will be just fine.  There are two different kinds shown in the picture as well.  A strait plug and a right angle one.
> 
> Hope this helps


 
 It's actually L,R,G,Mic


----------



## deadofmind

I do believe they are actually both, depending on brand
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_%28audio%29#TRRS_Standards


----------



## PETEREK

Oh wow, I've never seen it any other way. I retract my previous statement then! 
  
 But really, how stupid are the companies that first started wiring them differently? That just restricts the convenience of swapping out a cable for their devices.


----------



## deadofmind

... Apple.
  
 That is all.


----------



## PETEREK

Ha right.


----------



## deadofmind

Talking about 4 pole plugs and mics, where would be the appropriate forum for microphones?


----------



## Toxic Cables

zashoomin said:


> You have come to the right place.  Those are Oyaide plugs.  It looks like both are TRRS connectors (4 connections: L, R, Mic, G)  rather than the usual TRS (3 connections: L, R, G).  The plugs should run you about $20 a pop but are really high quality and look really nice.  For most purposes I think that the standard TRS will be just fine.  There are two different kinds shown in the picture as well.  A strait plug and a right angle one.
> 
> Hope this helps


 
 Not Oyaide, those are out of China and made to look like Oyaide, i have some here.


----------



## Zashoomin

toxic cables said:


> Not Oyaide, those are out of China and made to look like Oyaide, i have some here.


 
 How can you tell?


----------



## Toxic Cables

zashoomin said:


> How can you tell?


 
 The rounded corners, the plating on the barrel and the overall finish of the product. I am also not aware of Oyaide making a TRRS plug, but that i could be wrong about as i have not had to time to keep up to date with them.


----------



## Zashoomin

toxic cables said:


> The rounded corners, the plating on the barrel and the overall finish of the product. I am also not aware of Oyaide making a TRRS plug, but that i could be wrong about as i have not had to time to keep up to date with them.


 








  
 Interesting.  I didn't even notice but it looks like the barrel finish is supposed to be matte, and the edges more sharp. Pictures above to compare.  I did think that a TRRS connector was strange because I have never found one by them as well but didn't really give it a second thought.


----------



## deadofmind

http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4088
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4089
  
 Are these then not genuine?


----------



## GrindingThud

Just picked up a few of these....pretty nice:




fraggler said:


> Looks like the Doublehelixcables Capsid: http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=118  There are few samples out in the wild.


----------



## Zashoomin

deadofmind said:


> http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4088
> http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4089
> 
> Are these then not genuine?


 
 I don't think so.  Especially at those prices.  I don't think you will find a connector from Oyaide for less than $20 either.


----------



## glunteer

Hello guys !
  
 What size should I use heat shrink in cable hd 600?
  
 *I am using a Mogami cable w2893


----------



## PETEREK

I'm just guessing, but I would think 3/8" for the connector part. It has to go over the top of the connector so the solder points aren't exposed.


----------



## glunteer

peterek said:


> I'm just guessing, but I would think 3/8" for the connector part. It has to go over the top of the connector so the solder points aren't exposed.


 

 Thanks Casper


----------



## deadofmind

What kind of wire is that that goes up through the headband? I know it's for the right side speaker, so it has 2 separate (wires? strands? idk)
  
 I have to replace this because I opened the Senns all the way up, and saw that a part of the wire was exposed (probably friction in the folding joint)
  
 Also, would I be able to remove that PCB to save space?
  
 Also, microphones, where to talk about these?


----------



## Canadian411

glunteer said:


> Hello guys !
> 
> What size should I use heat shrink in cable hd 600?
> 
> *I am using a Mogami cable w2893




I actually have diff question.
What is that red and black heat shrink?

Does cardas or mogami comes like that? Or yoy need to apply the heat shrink?


----------



## luisdent

.


----------



## glunteer

canadian411 said:


> I actually have diff question.
> What is that red and black heat shrink?
> 
> Does cardas or mogami comes like that? Or yoy need to apply the heat shrink?


 
 In Mogami, I used paracord with heat shrink on the ends


----------



## 65535

canadian411 said:


> I actually have diff question.
> What is that red and black heat shrink?
> 
> Does cardas or mogami comes like that? Or yoy need to apply the heat shrink?




I use 3/16" to cover 2x 22-26 awg twisted pair, 5/16" is good to cover the jacket of most ¼" (6mm) cable. ⅜" is for Cardas HD6** connectors.


----------



## Canadian411

65535 said:


> I use 3/16" to cover 2x 22-26 awg twisted pair, 5/16" is good to cover the jacket of most ¼" (6mm) cable. ⅜" is for Cardas HD6** connectors.




Oh thank you thank you very much!!! This is very helpful.

Do you use hot air gun or hair dryer to shrink the heat tube?


----------



## Canadian411

glunteer said:


> In Mogami, I used paracord with heat shrink on the ends




I like that paracord as well, lot of different colors!


----------



## 65535

canadian411 said:


> Oh thank you thank you very much!!! This is very helpful.
> 
> Do you use hot air gun or hair dryer to shrink the heat tube?


 
  
 A hot air gun works well, I've also used a butane torch. Depending on the hair dryer it might work. Just be careful as the small stuff burns pretty quick.


----------



## Samuel777

i have a Denon ADH600 EM, and would like to know which cable can be use to upgrade the quality sound ? i'm looking for new cable.
 i have Two cable : one with the bottom : volume, etc... / and the second very long and strong. 
 my second question is to ask if there is a difference in the Sound quality between the two cable ?
 which one do you use, or prefer and why ?
  
 thank
 sam


----------



## TrollDragon

canadian411 said:


> Do you use hot air gun or hair dryer to shrink the heat tube?


For me its Zippo all the way!

The real hardass would use wooden matches and light them with a thumb nail.


----------



## Kamakahah

65535 said:


> A hot air gun works well, I've also used a butane torch. Depending on the hair dryer it might work. Just be careful as the small stuff burns pretty quick.


 
 Same. I honestly grab whatever is closest at the time. I use both hot air gun and a butane torch. Sometimes there are circumstances where one or the other fits the situation better. 


trolldragon said:


> For me its Zippo all the way!
> 
> The real hardass would use wooden matches and light them with a thumb nail.


 
 Agreed.


----------



## BotByte

samuel777 said:


> i have a Denon ADH600 EM, and would like to know which cable can be use to upgrade the quality sound ? i'm looking for new cable.
> i have Two cable : one with the bottom : volume, etc... / and the second very long and strong.
> my second question is to ask if there is a difference in the Sound quality between the two cable ?
> which one do you use, or prefer and why ?
> ...


 
 This can be debated, but I uphold that as long as there's not a problem with the current cable, a "better" cable isn't going to me a single difference. So, no, a "better" cable isn't going to improve sound quality.
 No, there shouldn't be a difference between the two cables; if there is, one is probably defective in some way.


----------



## paijo

I just curious about one thing...why most cable here using rean as the jack, a lot of good cable using only rean jack, why don't you use better jack, i think, there is a lot of better audio jack out there.


----------



## jodgey4

I'd use Rean just because of how cheap they are, how easy they are to get, and how reputable Neutrik is.


----------



## Kamakahah

paijo said:


> I just curious about one thing...why most cable here using rean as the jack, a lot of good cable using only rean jack, why don't you use better jack, i think, there is a lot of better audio jack out there.




Out of curiosity, which "better Jack" come to mind and what about them leads you to believe that they are better?


----------



## paijo

jodgey4 said:


> I'd use Rean just because of how cheap they are, how easy they are to get, and how reputable Neutrik is.


 
  
  


kamakahah said:


> Out of curiosity, which "better Jack" come to mind and what about them leads you to believe that they are better?


 
  
  
 i've used rean for a couple of time, but i disappoint to it's quality, the build quality is the most problem to me.
 i've also try pailics, ranko, mps, amphenol... and they are cheap also, specially pailics, it's nearly same price to rean. in my country,pailics and amphenol easier to get. 
 why pailics and amphenol are batter than rean in my sight, because i thing, they have better build quality, better looks ,and better sounds ... 
 pailics has good high freq detil, good bass controlling, and better separation.
 amphenol is better in high freq control, good mid freq, and less bass for the one who don't like much bass quantity.


----------



## Toxic Cables

trolldragon said:


> For me its Zippo all the way!
> 
> The real hardass would use wooden matches and light them with a thumb nail.


 
 My first ever time working with heatshrink/DIY cable, i actually used a match, did not work out very well. I think i still have that cable somewhere


----------



## TrollDragon

paijo said:


> i've used rean for a couple of time, but i disappoint to it's quality, the build quality is the most problem to me.
> i've also try pailics, ranko, mps, amphenol... and they are cheap also, specially pailics, it's nearly same price to rean. in my country,pailics and amphenol easier to get.
> 
> why pailics and amphenol are batter than rean in my sight, because i thing, they have better build quality, better looks ,and better sounds ...
> ...


Plugs have a different sound... :rolleyes:

 That kind of foolishness needs to be discussed in the Sound Science "Fiction" Forum and not in this thread.


----------



## TrollDragon

toxic cables said:


> My first ever time working with heatshrink/DIY cable, i actually used a match, did not work out very well. I think i still have that cable somewhere


Yes indeed, I've used matches in a pinch but you have to be real careful and expect burnt fingers.


----------



## paijo

toxic cables said:


> My first ever time working with heatshrink/DIY cable, i actually used a match, did not work out very well. I think i still have that cable somewhere


 
  
 hahahha.. same as me... but now, i used cheapo hair dryer...


trolldragon said:


> Plugs have a different sound...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 hahahaha,, ,, may be i'm too fool about that, at least that's what i heard...
  
 if the sound is not arguable , then the build quality, the price, and the looks will be the main reason... for me, it's a waste using expensive cable if it's using bad build audio jack.


----------



## luisdent

trolldragon said:


> toxic cables said:
> 
> 
> > My first ever time working with heatshrink/DIY cable, i actually used a match, did not work out very well. I think i still have that cable somewhere
> ...


 
  
 I've always used a butane torch lighter i got as a wedding gift. The more jetlike flame can easily be waved in front back and forth for easy control


----------



## 65535

Downside with the torch is the 2200F flame vs the 300F shrinking temp of the heat shrink.


----------



## luisdent

65535 said:


> Downside with the torch is the 2200F flame vs the 300F shrinking temp of the heat shrink.


Perhaps, but i don't get the flame near the heatshrink. I start a good distance and slowly get closer as i wave it back and forth. I get very consistent and controlled results every time. The biggest downside is the the flame is small and narrow, so more back and forth is needed, a wider source of heat would make things faster. But my lighter was free


----------



## 65535

The butane torch I picked up years ago actually has a slider that you can push forward and cover the air intake making it a reducing flame. I still really like the safety of flicking on the heat gun with round shroud and rotating the part in there. Some of the bigger stuff ½" and up takes a lot of heat.


----------



## deadofmind

Sooo..
  
 <_<;
  
 Anyone can advise what kind of wire this is?

  
 It has 2 wires one copper one red in the same plastic thing, and is really thin.
  
 None of the wires I have work as replacement and I need it to fix my headphones


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Someone sound like got a KNOCK OFF Product.


----------



## Mainian

I have a pair of Westone 4's and the cable has started to tear near the ear bud (Literally the section coming out of the ear piece). 

 Should I attempt a DIY on such a close proximity to the ear piece or pay for it to be done?


----------



## ThurstonX

re: heatshrink, I use a candle (in a holder... duh), as it allows for both hands on the cable, which makes it easy to turn the portion with the heatshrink and generally allows for more control.


----------



## Canadian411

What is the purity grade for

Mogami quad microphone 4x24
Cardas 4x24

I cannot find the spec on these wires, I assume they are all pure 4N copper?

*Typo : Candas to Cardas*


----------



## Zashoomin

canadian411 said:


> What is the purity grade for
> 
> Mogami quad microphone 4x24
> Candas 4x24
> ...


 
 Mogami should be OFC 4N and Cardas should be OCC copper 6N or 7N.    Please feel free for anyone to correct me.


----------



## Canadian411

zashoomin said:


> Mogami should be OFC 4N and Cardas should be OCC copper 6N or 7N.    Please feel free for anyone to correct me.


 
 So Cardas cable is better, but I cant hear any differences between 4N vs 7N.
 I think Mogami should be fine for me.
  
 Cardas is way way more expensive than Mogami $18 vs $1 per ft, not sure if it worth it, anyone ?


----------



## 65535

There is definitely not a difference.


----------



## PETEREK

Mogami all day. I like it over Canare, and I can't imagine anything about the Cardas is 18x better than it. I really like Mogami w2893, super flexible, and the wires are all different colors so there's no need for a multimeter ever.
  
 I just straight cabled a broken pair of Bose AE2s I got off eBay for super cheap. It's probably going to be my simple portable headphone.
  

  

  

  
 I wonder how many people see some pictures I take in like 2 or 3 threads. Sorry to those few/hundreds of you.
 It'll probably happen more often now that I got my new camera and don't have to use THAT^ junk HTC One cam anymore.


----------



## wolfetan44

HTC One M7 or M8? I have nothing to complain about my M8's camera quality.


----------



## Zashoomin

canadian411 said:


> So Cardas cable is better, but I cant hear any differences between 4N vs 7N.
> I think Mogami should be fine for me.
> 
> Cardas is way way more expensive than Mogami $18 vs $1 per ft, not sure if it worth it, anyone ?


 
 If you can't hear the difference than there is no point in spending more money, but some people claim there is a difference in which case maybe the extra money is worth it.  Also the Cardas wire is nicer looking and easier to work with.


----------



## deadofmind

How does noone know what type of wire connects the speakers in a Sennheiser HD 280?!
  
 I need something with 2 conductors, and super thin.


----------



## Kamakahah

deadofmind said:


> How does noone know what type of wire connects the speakers in a Sennheiser HD 280?!
> 
> I need something with 2 conductors, and super thin.



Probably because it is generic manufacturing cable that isn't usually sold or bought by the general public.

You'll just have to look for suppliers selling thin, two-conductor cable.
Not going to be something readily available. I'd suggest looking at suppliers in Asia. You might find a shop that you could use a forwarding service.
Perhaps someone knows a supplier.

Alternatively, you could buy a cheap,broken headphone/headset and gut it for cable.


----------



## 65535

Mogami makes an ultra flex 32awg single wire coaxial construction shielded cable, it's .039" diameter and is about as small as you'll find. There is one center conductor and a shield, so 2 wires, use the center conductor as the signal, and the shield as common. Don't be fooled for that short run small 32awg is adequate. Stuff is pretty cheap, usually wire starts getting more expensive when you get this small.
  
 http://www.markertek.com/Cables/Bulk-Wire-Cable/Bulk-Video-Cable/Mogami-Wire-Cable-Corp/W2444-00-F.xhtml


----------



## Toxic Cables

deadofmind said:


> How does noone know what type of wire connects the speakers in a Sennheiser HD 280?!
> 
> I need something with 2 conductors, and super thin.


 
 PM me your address, i think i have some really thin OCC wire somewhere, i will stick enough in the post for you to connect the insides of the headphones.


----------



## Lohb

Is 22awg 'too thick' for a 4-strand headphone cable ?


----------



## PETEREK

It will probably be pretty stiff. I wouldn't go lower than 24, but that's just me.


----------



## 65535

If you're just using bare wires then no, however a jacketed 4x22 will be much thicker than you'd want for a headphone cable.


----------



## BotByte

lohb said:


> Is 22awg 'too thick' for a 4-strand headphone cable ?


 
 I just got my Canare L-4E5C (awg 26), and it's just at that point of being called "thick" and "heavy" IMO. 22awg might be different if it has light sleeving rather than shielding and rubber sleeve.


----------



## Lohb

Darn, it was this 22awg cable....thought the price was good for UP-OCC
http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=52


----------



## PETEREK

That would be nice for some interconnects!


----------



## 65535

2.1mm OD is HUGE for 22awg wire. $1.65 is steep for 22awg wire.


----------



## deadofmind

65535 said:


> Mogami makes an ultra flex 32awg single wire coaxial construction shielded cable, it's .039" diameter and is about as small as you'll find. There is one center conductor and a shield, so 2 wires, use the center conductor as the signal, and the shield as common. Don't be fooled for that short run small 32awg is adequate. Stuff is pretty cheap, usually wire starts getting more expensive when you get this small.
> 
> http://www.markertek.com/Cables/Bulk-Wire-Cable/Bulk-Video-Cable/Mogami-Wire-Cable-Corp/W2444-00-F.xhtml


 
 Does common mean the ground?
 If so that cable might just be perfect! thanks for the info, I'm trying to do my first headphone mod ^_­^ Gonna try adding both a detachable cord and mic to my HD 280 pro Sennheisers 
  
 Ill buy this wire and if it doesn't work, I will probably just add dual sided connectors.


----------



## 65535

Common is ground for headphones.

It's a mini coax which is going to be the smallest cable with 2 conductors available for a given wire gauge.


----------



## PETEREK

wolfetan44 said:


> HTC One M7 or M8? I have nothing to complain about my M8's camera quality.


 
 The M7 cam quality is effing terrible. The sensors take a crap really quickly. I have one, and both my girlfriends parents do, only one of those 3 cameras isnt a POS. I had to buy a camera just so I could get some decent pictures, I couldn't with my phone. It was just getting worse and worse.


----------



## Zashoomin

65535 said:


> 2.1mm OD is HUGE for 22awg wire. $1.65 is steep for 22awg wire.


 
 $1.65 a ft for OCC 22AWG Copper is not steep. I also think that this is Type 2 Litz so if you plan on using this you will need a solder pot.


----------



## TrollDragon

Does anybody have any extras of those really skinny "Sennheiser labled plugs" that they would be willing to sell and drop in a small envelope for mailing?

 I only need one and really dont want to wait 4.5 weeks to get it from lunashops.
 PM me if you do, Thanks!


----------



## Kamakahah

I hate soldering those. Got to be the worse plugs in the world. Wish I could find an alternative for them with a better soldering point configuration.


----------



## Canadian411

kamakahah said:


> I hate soldering those. Got to be the worse plugs in the world. Wish I could find an alternative for them with a better soldering point configuration.




Ya me too. Its very hard to solder. I find viablue is the worst plug to solder.

I made this cable yesterday and took me like 30 mins to solder, soldering area was so small I had to borrow my grand ma reading glass.


----------



## PETEREK

kamakahah said:


> I hate soldering those. Got to be the worse plugs in the world. Wish I could find an alternative for them with a better soldering point configuration.


 
 Those are really similar to the pailiccs when it comes to soldering. The ones that are the biggest pain for me are the pailiccs TRRS connectors.


----------



## TrollDragon

canadian411 said:


> Ya me too. Its very hard to solder. I find viablue is the worst plug to solder.
> 
> I made this cable yesterday and took me like 30 mins to solder, soldering area was so small I had to borrow my grand ma reading glass.


Ahhhhhh and then you put heat shrink over the Viablue shell..... 

Why man Why?

Heatshrink IMHO should not be seen...


----------



## deadofmind

65535 said:


> Common is ground for headphones.
> 
> It's a mini coax which is going to be the smallest cable with 2 conductors available for a given wire gauge.


 
 Great, thank you
  
 Another question. Will this be suitable for powering the second ear?
  
 And will a single ground in the main cord be enough for 2 headphones and a microphone ground?


----------



## 65535

I would use the Mogami Ultraflex for the in headband wire and use something like W2929 for the main length with connectors on both ends. That will give you 4 conductors and a shield, enough to run L/R/Com/Mic and have a shield grounded at the source.
  
 http://www.markertek.com/Cables/Bulk-Wire-Cable/Bulk-Audio-Cable/Mogami-Wire-Cable-Corp/MG-2929-FT.xhtml


----------



## Lohb

Anyone on here sell Kobiconn IRIS male female plugs ? I'm going to put a panel mount on my mini-amp and route it from taps connection.
 Sick of XLR pendulums...so heavy....they are built like a tank but terrible when I want  to use a DAP or off of my notebook.


----------



## Canadian411

trolldragon said:


> Ahhhhhh and then you put heat shrink over the Viablue shell.....
> 
> Why man Why?
> 
> Heatshrink IMHO should not be seen...




I think lot of aftermarket put heatshrink over viablue plugs. I put it there just to cover the bottom screw.

I wanted to put the black one but ran out of... so red one it is.


----------



## 65535

What about mini-xlr?

Neutrik miniCon has 12 pins similar in size to the iris connector.

Lemo makes some nice small 4 pin connectors too.


----------



## paijo

canadian411 said:


> Ya me too. Its very hard to solder. I find viablue is the worst plug to solder.
> 
> I made this cable yesterday and took me like 30 mins to solder, soldering area was so small I had to borrow my grand ma reading glass.


 
  
 hahaha...yes. viablue is hard to solder, but for tiny cable and 4 strand only, i think it's still easy to put it in... i only neds 10 minutes to put it in, the longest part is to braid the cable....)


peterek said:


> Those are really similar to the pailiccs when it comes to soldering. The ones that are the biggest pain for me are the pailiccs TRRS connectors.


 
 pailics has larger soldering area than viablue or mps eagle, the easiest jack to solder for me is rean and amphenol. soldering acrolink L shape is killing me.
  


trolldragon said:


> Ahhhhhh and then you put heat shrink over the Viablue shell.....
> 
> Why man Why?
> 
> Heatshrink IMHO should not be seen...


 
 hahahahahha...).. it should be transparent heat shrink to be used, i think it will be more charming....


----------



## Lohb

65535 said:


> What about mini-xlr?
> 
> Neutrik miniCon has 12 pins similar in size to the iris connector.
> 
> Lemo makes some nice small 4 pin connectors too.


 

 Thanks, yes getting LEMO for Y-split as well as some kind of panel mount.


----------



## Lohb

What size cable sleeving is best for 4 x 26awg cables then 2x 26awg above the Y-split ?


----------



## deadofmind

As in paracord? If so, I too may be interested in this answer. I know of the wires and such, but have no knowledge of the paracord I would need to use.


----------



## fenderf4i

Paracord 550 should be fine for both.


----------



## ThurstonX

fenderf4i said:


> Paracord 550 should be fine for both.


 
  
 +1.  Four wires (with or without outer sheath) fit fine, and the extra space above the split helps lessen microphonics, at least that's what I experience with my HE-500s.  By comparison, 550 paracord covering four wires for a single run AKG cable tends to be a little microphonic.


----------



## Kamakahah

When you sleeve it, you can choose to tighten the paracord to fit snug around the cable or to leave it a bit loose and flowing. While fitting it to the cable looks nice and will really accentuate the curvatures of the wire if it's braided, it does add to the microphonics just a bit. I like to leave it a little bit of extra material on cables that will be moving actively.


----------



## ThurstonX

kamakahah said:


> When you sleeve it, you can choose to tighten the paracord to fit snug around the cable or to leave it a bit loose and flowing. While fitting it to the cable looks nice and will really accentuate the curvatures of the wire if it's braided, it does add to the microphonics just a bit. I like to leave it a little bit of extra material on cables that will be moving actively.


 
  
 Very true.  That's definitely the problem with my AKG cable.  Fortunately it's not bothersome once the music starts playing.


----------



## jchandler3

Hey guys, sorry if this is a dumb question but I'm a DIY noob and need some help. 
  
 I'd like to build a balanced cable for my 650s and I'm thinking of using Mogami Quad W2534 cable. Can I just leave the cable alone until the Y-split, then just remove the shielding and twist from there? I've attached a drawing to better explain what I mean. 
  
 Thanks!


----------



## 65535

If you untwist it correctly you can untwist 2 twisted pairs from each other and they'll hold a nice twist. Slap some heatshrink on them and it doesn't come out too bad. My issue when I used Canare L-4E6S is that it's heavy and doesn't sit well. IMO it's really too thick to make a good headphone cable. W2893 or W2929 would bother be better choices. 28awg seems small but it's adequate, and you really don't want a cable much bigger than 0.150" as it starts getting really heavy. I have some 0.160" shielded 6x26 and it's about as heavy as you can ignore. My opinion of course but be cautious. 
  
 I would treat the split for aesthetics. I have a micro lathe and I've trimmed some ABS tubing to size and it looks real sharp.


----------



## Lohb

65535 said:


> If you untwist it correctly you can untwist 2 twisted pairs from each other and they'll hold a nice twist. Slap some heatshrink on them and it doesn't come out too bad. My issue when I used Canare L-4E6S is that it's heavy and doesn't sit well. IMO it's really too thick to make a good headphone cable. W2893 or W2929 would bother be better choices. 28awg seems small but it's adequate, and you really don't want a cable much bigger than 0.150" as it starts getting really heavy. I have some 0.160" shielded 6x26 and it's about as heavy as you can ignore. My opinion of course but be cautious.
> 
> I would treat the split for aesthetics. I have a micro lathe and I've trimmed some ABS tubing to size and it looks real sharp.


 

 Is there any benefit of hooking up 8-strand W2893 vs 4-strand soundwise ? About to slap together a pair of balanced T50's for my cousin and I have a good quantity of this stuff at hand.


----------



## jchandler3

65535 said:


> I would treat the split for aesthetics. I have a micro lathe and I've trimmed some ABS tubing to size and it looks real sharp.


 
  
 Would you mind sharing a photo of that? I'm having a hard time coming up with a good solution aside from the Viablue splitters.


----------



## 65535

lohb said:


> Is there any benefit of hooking up 8-strand W2893 vs 4-strand soundwise ? About to slap together a pair of balanced T50's for my cousin and I have a good quantity of this stuff at hand.


 
 I'm not familiar with an 8-strand W2893, it's a 4 conductor served shield cable. However it is a little on the larger side, but it will be fine for a headphone cable.


----------



## 65535

jchandler3 said:


> Would you mind sharing a photo of that? I'm having a hard time coming up with a good solution aside from the Viablue splitters.


 
  
 Sure thing.
  
 This was just some preliminary proof of concept testing with ABS tubing I bought from McMaster so it limited my options in terms of dual exit holes and obviously it's just ABS so it's not super nice or fancy. The sky is the limit with a little bit of work. I was thinking about some of the nice things that could be made for cable split covers out of wood or different metals. Bronze came to mind.
  
 Anyways, this is a friction fit over the 1/4" Techflex Nylon Multifilament on top of Canare L-4E6S, however any size could be used and the hole drilled appropriately. Adhesive wouldn't be a terrible idea to ensure it doesn't come off, however without serious twisting and pulling I can't get these off.


----------



## Kamakahah

lohb said:


> Is there any benefit of hooking up 8-strand W2893 vs 4-strand soundwise ? About to slap together a pair of balanced T50's for my cousin and I have a good quantity of this stuff at hand.


 There are no benefits aside from possible aesthetic ones.


----------



## Lohb

65535 said:


> I'm not familiar with an 8-strand W2893, it's a 4 conductor served shield cable. However it is a little on the larger side, but it will be fine for a headphone cable.


 

 I just meant braiding that W2893 cable I have (original 4 strands in one mic cable) in an 8-strand braid. But if there is no sonic benefit, I'll just leave it at balanced 4-strand. The W2893 cables are super thin ....28AWG ?
  
 Kamakahah- Thanks also.


----------



## PETEREK

lohb said:


> I just meant braiding that W2893 cable I have (original 4 strands in one mic cable) in an 8-strand braid. But if there is no sonic benefit, I'll just leave it at balanced 4-strand. The W2893 cables are super thin ....28AWG ?
> 
> Kamakahah- Thanks also.


 
 26awg x 4. I made this cable out of 8 strands of w2893. It wasn't too bulky either. It sleeved just fine in 550 paracord. It was tight, but still do-able.
  

  

  
 He later decided he didn't want the mic split so I reterminated it to a single 3.5mm Canare (F2? I can't remember) and put 4 wires to each driver, I re-sleeved that with 1/4 nylon multifilament. I loved that cable.


----------



## jchandler3

65535 said:


> Sure thing.
> 
> This was just some preliminary proof of concept testing with ABS tubing I bought from McMaster so it limited my options in terms of dual exit holes and obviously it's just ABS so it's not super nice or fancy. The sky is the limit with a little bit of work. I was thinking about some of the nice things that could be made for cable split covers out of wood or different metals. Bronze came to mind.
> 
> Anyways, this is a friction fit over the 1/4" Techflex Nylon Multifilament on top of Canare L-4E6S, however any size could be used and the hole drilled appropriately. Adhesive wouldn't be a terrible idea to ensure it doesn't come off, however without serious twisting and pulling I can't get these off.




Wow very nice—thanks for sharing!


----------



## Gladzilla

Sorry if already asked. Would this make sense, using 14 gauge to the y splitter then the  iem side 22 gauge? This is all going to be using speaker wire.


----------



## Kamakahah

gladzilla said:


> Sorry if already asked. Would this make sense, using 14 gauge to the y splitter then the  iem side 22 gauge? This is all going to be using speaker wire.




I would suggest against that, especially for a headphone. The larger AWG is going to have a capacitance that is high for a headphone. This will have negative consequences on the sound.

Even 22 awg is more than necessary for the majority of headphones, but is still useable. The larger cable also adds to weight and reduced flexibility.

I'd recommend choosing the cable size on the lower end of the spectrum that still meets your setups capacitance requirements.


----------



## TrollDragon

Yes some Romex 14/2 would make the cable dual purpose as a headphone stand as well.


----------



## Gladzilla

http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=321142006782 is this worth the price


----------



## Canadian411

I bought many of this.

What are you planning to make ?

*UPDATE : Attached some pictures, I made with 0.20mm, 0.50mm, 0.30mm, 0.12mm etc.*
Thing is, with the thicker wires (0.5mm +) you can easily braid for interconnect wires, very stiff, it's easier to do 6 or 8 strands interconnects.
For anything less than 4 it's very stiff like ALO cables.


----------



## Kamakahah

gladzilla said:


> http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=321142006782 is this worth the price




Assuming it is actually what it says, that is dirt cheap per foot of OCC SPC. It's also a ton of wires so if it's bad you got almost 300ft of crap.

Only real concern based on the little info given is the 7 strands. It'll likely be a bit stiffer and more prone to failure than a higher strand count. I don't usually work with wire less than 19 strands at the very least.

Maybe someone else has tried it and can comment.


----------



## Canadian411

kamakahah said:


> Assuming it is actually what it says, that is dirt cheap per foot of OCC SPC. It's also a ton of wires so if it's bad you got almost 300ft of crap.
> 
> Only real concern based on the little info given is the 7 strands. It'll likely be a bit stiffer and more prone to failure than a higher strand count. I don't usually work with wire less than 19 strands at the very least.
> 
> Maybe someone else has tried it and can comment.




Do you know where I can get a good up occ silver plated copper or copper from 22 to 28 awg bulk wires?


----------



## Gladzilla

Double helix sells nice Teflon coated cables. Based upon everything I've read I'll order 20ft for a iem cable


----------



## Gladzilla

http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=147

That's what I'm going to order for an iem cable.


----------



## Kamakahah

Many people like DHC. You'll likely be happy with the purchase. He's even nice enough to pre-braid it for you if you ask nicely.


----------



## 65535

The 26awg I use is 65 strand.


----------



## Canadian411

gladzilla said:


> http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=147
> 
> That's what I'm going to order for an iem cable.




That is expensive! Oh my.

I thought $1/feet at plussound was expensive, I guess not then..


----------



## Gladzilla

canadian411 said:


> That is expensive! Oh my.
> 
> I thought $1/feet at plussound was expensive, I guess not then..


 could I get it pre braided?


----------



## fenderf4i

So I accidentally bought a B gauge jack, where are these actually used, anyway?


----------



## TrollDragon

Old phone patchbays used B gauge plugs.


----------



## Canadian411

gladzilla said:


> could you provide a link




Ah 24awg is $4. Ft

But 28awg is $1 ft.

http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html


----------



## Gladzilla

Is finding the end of the braid difficult if it's a pre braided cable?


----------



## Gladzilla

canadian411 said:


> I bought many of this.
> 
> What are you planning to make ?


 looking to make an iem cable that can sustain some maybe light to heavy abuse. Going to be for my brother that's why I said some abuse.


----------



## nikongod

gladzilla said:


> Is finding the end of the braid difficult if it's a pre braided cable?


 
  
 Its usually at the end of the cable.


----------



## Gladzilla

I mean when wanting to know what end corresponds with the other


----------



## MrEleventy

Use a multimeter or continuity tester to check which end corresponds. Otherwise it's trial and error with solder/unsolder the ends.


----------



## TrollDragon

One needs to be faster when MrEleventy is on the scene...


----------



## Canadian411

gladzilla said:


> looking to make an iem cable that can sustain some maybe light to heavy abuse. Going to be for my brother that's why I said some abuse.


 
  
 I abuse my iem cables and iems, I am on my 3rd set of ue900, and previously destroyed TripleFiUF10, Shure 215, sony etc,
 I do intense workout, probably 2,000 to 3,000 calories per hour workout.
  
 I made my own iem cables and tried so many, it doesn't matter if you get the highquality cables, it will get trashed in few months/week.
  
 Since then, I buy $14 cable from ebay, it's as good as the UPOCC cables because at the gym you can't really hear that much of difference, your more focused on the workout than your listening anyways.


----------



## Canadian411

gladzilla said:


> I mean when wanting to know what end corresponds with the other


 
  
 haha, yes use multimeter !, without it I am not sure how you are going to identify the same wires.


----------



## Canadian411

Hey why don't you get Mogami microphone cable ? it's about $0.80 per ft and it has 4 separate cables. making iem cables will cost you less than $4.
 You can tear off the outer teflon and use the small paracord sleeve.
  
 I might do that, bought the smaller mogami and paracord already.


----------



## 65535

Cross linked Polyethylene is not exactly flexible for small wires.


----------



## Canadian411

65535 said:


> Cross linked Polyethylene is not exactly flexible for small wires.




Mogami?


----------



## ThurstonX

canadian411 said:


> Hey why don't you get Mogami microphone cable ? it's about $0.80 per ft and it has 4 separate cables. making iem cables will cost you less than $4.
> You can tear off the outer teflon and use the small paracord sleeve.
> 
> I might do that, bought the smaller mogami and paracord already.


 
  
 I got my Mogami W2799 for $0.64/foot from Redco.  Best price I found at the time (about 4-5 weeks ago).  That's $0.16/foot per wire, and it sounds great with my cans.  I didn't braid them, just used 550 paracord; light and supple.


----------



## Canadian411

thurstonx said:


> I got my Mogami W2799 for $0.64/foot from Redco.  Best price I found at the time (about 4-5 weeks ago).  That's $0.16/foot per wire, and it sounds great with my cans.  I didn't braid them, just used 550 paracord; light and supple.




Can that be used for iem? I also bought 5ft from redco.

By the way, do you buy nylon or polyester paracord?


----------



## ThurstonX

canadian411 said:


> Can that be used for iem? I also bought 5ft from redco.
> 
> By the way, do you buy nylon or polyester paracord?


 
  
 Dunno, don't have IEMs.  The Mogami site has all the measurements.
  
 I used this:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007Y8YJ62
  
 but not that color


----------



## Gladzilla

canadian411 said:


> Hey why don't you get Mogami microphone cable ? it's about $0.80 per ft and it has 4 separate cables. making iem cables will cost you less than $4.
> You can tear off the outer teflon and use the small paracord sleeve.
> 
> I might do that, bought the smaller mogami and paracord already.


 
 I bought plussound 28 AWG 7N Pure UP-OCC Stranded Copper Custom Wire. not going to put paracord on it this time may on the next cable. also have a Viabule spliter on the way..


----------



## Canadian411

gladzilla said:


> I bought plussound [COLOR=666666]28 AWG 7N Pure UP-OCC Stranded Copper Custom Wire. not going to put [/COLOR]paracord on it this time may on the next cable. also have a Viabule spliter on the way..




That is a nice cable!! Let me know how it turns out.


----------



## jchandler3

Do you guys know where to find—for lack of a better description—a larger diameter paracord? I'd like to sleeve a cable that's almost .25" in diameter, and for this application, I'd really like to have fabric rather than techflex.


----------



## PETEREK

Search 1/4 nylon multifilament. It's like big, nicer paracord.


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> Search 1/4 nylon multifilament. It's like big, nicer paracord.



+1 that'll likely save a lot of time and headache.


----------



## 65535

Techflex Nylon Multifilament, e-Bay is one to go to. Markertek sells ONLY 1/4" ID sleeve. Redco sells shop rolls of most sizes, however it's a non-stock item so double delivery time for the order.


----------



## jchandler3

Awesome, thank you guys!


----------



## PETEREK

If you want I have some black 1/4 that I can sell you cheaply. I bought 100 feet and there's no way I'm going to need that much as the projects that are thick enough to use it on are very rare. PM me if you're interested.


----------



## Gladzilla

When making an iem cable, should I use 2 ground wires or bridge at the y split?


----------



## Zashoomin

gladzilla said:


> When making an iem cable, should I use 2 ground wires or bridge at the y split?


 
 you need two ground and usually both are soldered to the ground on the connector but I guess you can do it at the Y split if you want, but if you ever want to go balanced you are going to need a whole new cable, instead of just a connector.


----------



## luisdent

gladzilla said:


> When making an iem cable, should I use 2 ground wires or bridge at the y split?


 
  
 This depends on the wire and whatnot. With 28awg, the wire is thin enough to braid both grounds in separately and if you don't braid things too tightly it comes out really flexible. I've bridged them at the split before, and it's not bad, but then you have a point of failure. I usually wrap the bridged area in a bit of electrical tape and then heat shrink over that, only covering a tad more than I need to of the soldered wires. Depending on the wires, it's easier to roll up a wire for storage when there is no bridge like this in the middle of the cable...


----------



## Gladzilla

luisdent said:


> This depends on the wire and whatnot. With 28awg, the wire is thin enough to braid both grounds in separately and if you don't braid things too tightly it comes out really flexible. I've bridged them at the split before, and it's not bad, but then you have a point of failure. I usually wrap the bridged area in a bit of electrical tape and then heat shrink over that, only covering a tad more than I need to of the soldered wires. Depending on the wires, it's easier to roll up a wire for storage when there is no bridge like this in the middle of the cable...


 
 awesome reply, I've looked at connectors and have gotten mixed results.what would you recommend for durability?


----------



## luisdent

gladzilla said:


> luisdent said:
> 
> 
> > This depends on the wire and whatnot. With 28awg, the wire is thin enough to braid both grounds in separately and if you don't braid things too tightly it comes out really flexible. I've bridged them at the split before, and it's not bad, but then you have a point of failure. I usually wrap the bridged area in a bit of electrical tape and then heat shrink over that, only covering a tad more than I need to of the soldered wires. Depending on the wires, it's easier to roll up a wire for storage when there is no bridge like this in the middle of the cable...
> ...



Personally, i like neutrik, because they're reliable and affordable. If you want a step up in looks while still being very durable, viablue makes nice connectors. Most of the popular connectors on these threads are pretty durable though. I find it comes down to size, appearance and design, whether for soldering or fitting a certain application...


----------



## Canadian411

For me I hate viablue, hard to solder and the clipping mechanism is based on the screw.

Furutech is the one I use for 1/4.or black neutrik for xlr.


----------



## luisdent

canadian411 said:


> For me I hate viablue, hard to solder and the clipping mechanism is based on the screw.
> 
> Furutech is the one I use for 1/4.or black neutrik for xlr.


 
  
 I agree, but I wanted to give an alternative to the neutrik, and the viablue are built well and look nice. But that's sort of what i meant by it depending on your application. Some are much harder to solder than others. I hate soldering to round posts vs terminals with holes. I use neutrik almost exclusively personally.


----------



## Kamakahah

Pole style soldering, like the viablue plugs, makes me want to put fist holes in my walls. Guess that's the price of using a sexy looking plug.
I love how some of the furutech plugs are styled. Unfortunately, my favorite ones cost far too much to realistically think about using.


----------



## PETEREK

kamakahah said:


> Pole style soldering, like the viablue plugs, makes me want to put fist holes in my walls. Guess that's the price of using a sexy looking plug.
> I love how some of the furutech plugs are styled. Unfortunately, my favorite ones cost far too much to realistically think about using.


 
 Yeah they can be frustrating at times, I'd still rather solder those than deal with trying to get the barrel on the Rean 3.5mm connectors when you're using paracord. I've cut them off and started over a few times because I was so pissed.


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> Yeah they can be frustrating at times, I'd still rather solder those than deal with trying to get the barrel on the Rean 3.5mm connectors when you're using paracord. I've cut them off and started over a few times because I was so pissed.




Interesting. My last 15 or so cables have all been Neutrik with paracord, save one odd job to fit a 2.5mm slot and even that was with paracord. Never had the problem you're describing. I even use the Neutrik 3.5mm with the smaller diameter hole. Maybe we have different techniques.


----------



## TrollDragon

I don't know if any of you knew Randy "Achmedisdead", if you did there is a condolences thread here.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/721664/achmedisdead-is-in-fact/


----------



## BucketInABucket

Would an Oyaide jack be easier to solder than a neutrik/rean jack?


----------



## Canadian411

bucketinabucket said:


> Would an Oyaide jack be easier to solder than a neutrik/rean jack?


 
  
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/675333/trrs-to-trs-adapter-3-5mm-balanced-trrs-to-single-ended-trs-adapter
  

  
 Just searched here, looks like rean is the easiest, followed by Oyaide, Viablue


----------



## BucketInABucket

Oh god the rean jack was already so difficult for me. Looks like I'm sticking with rean then :3


----------



## Lugnegaard

Furutechs are great. Big, sturdy, well made and not too expensive. And easy to work with.


----------



## elmoe

lugnegaard said:


> Furutechs are great. Big, sturdy, well made and not too expensive. And easy to work with.


 
  
 They are also extremely heavy, so beware. I used a 1/8" furutech jack for my Grado recable and now wish I had gone with something lighter.


----------



## Lugnegaard

Yes, but for stationary usage it doesn't matter


----------



## TrollDragon

How heavy can a plug be?
I use a Grado 1/8 to 1/4 mini adapter cable now so the plug couldn't be much heavier than that?


----------



## PETEREK

Does the weight really affect you usage with the cable? It's going to be connected to a (probably) heavy device so would you really notice? 
  
 The Canare F12 was the biggest I've use so far, I soldered 8 wires into it! Haha it was still very nice, the weight made it feel really good. 
  
 I think the weight of the connector doesn't matter, just the weight of the cable and Y-Split.


----------



## BucketInABucket

Nah, the weight of the connector doesn't really ruffle my feathers. It's more the size of the connector, anything extremely bulky and it won't fit onto my portable (only) rig without squashing my interconnect.


----------



## elmoe

trolldragon said:


> How heavy can a plug be?
> I use a Grado 1/8 to 1/4 mini adapter cable now so the plug couldn't be much heavier than that?


 
  
 It's definitely more than twice as heavy. The whole armature is steel, the connector alone weighs more than one of my Grado SR325i's cups. It's pretty annoying.


----------



## TrollDragon

Cool! 
Ima have to get me a few of those. 

Steal my headphones will ya... Clang... Thud!


----------



## exhornet

hey guys. i have a sennheiser hd 518. i modded it to have a standart 3.5mm female plug at left cup. i had to sand a lot both inside the cup and the connector, in order to fit it inside the cup. so the process made it fragile. after couple of weeks, it broke down  it is fine at look but audio got weird. so i want to mod again but this time, i want to make a fixed cable now, but i have some questions.
  
 should i solder cable directly to driver or would it fine if just fix the tip of replacing cable with the drivers cable? i have a solid method for this: hot glue+heat shrink tube. i would like to go with second option because it is safer. i cant afford to burn drivers while soldering 
  
 i have 24 awg silicon cable that used in rc planes and stuff. can i use this? it is pretty soft so thats an advantage but i am afraid of microfonic effect. anyone can inform me about this?
  
 how should i braid it? if possible i want to use it flat 3 lane as it would be tangling free, but dont know how to do that. need advices about this.
  
 any advice is welcome


----------



## Lohb

Anyone seen the Oyaide clone right-angle plugs turning up on ebay ?
 5 for the price of 1 Oyaide, but QC/materials wildcard.
 They have right angle shape of Oyaide 3.5" body and the screw on barrel of a straight Oyaide 3.5"
 Would be nice to make 2 interconnect cables,an IEM plug end and not hit $125 just for the 5x original 3.5" plugs....


----------



## valespring

Hi there, long-time lurker, first-time poster.
  
 I've done 1/4 guitar cables before, but this is my first rodeo for any interconnects. I bought some Mogami cable and Pailiccs 3.5mm plugs due to what I saw on the gallery. I braided the cable and wrapped it in paracord, but it's been sitting a few weeks because I'm not exactly sure how to solder the plug on.
  
 I've searched and found a few posts showing how to show other Pailiccs plugs, but not this exact one. Does anyone have a picture on the inside of theirs that they could share or more info on how to solder this funky plug?
  
 I've attached a link to one I have, I can't embed for some reason: 
  
 http://i.imgur.com/fAQkQQw.jpg
  
 I've read the following threads:
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/586612/need-soldering-tips-on-pailiccs-3-5mm-connector
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/410135/ultimate-diy-the-3-5mm-1-8-mini-jack-plug-collection-thread/105
  
 Any help would be appreciated!


----------



## PETEREK

valespring said:


> Hi there, long-time lurker, first-time poster.
> 
> I've done 1/4 guitar cables before, but this is my first rodeo for any interconnects. I bought some Mogami cable and Pailiccs 3.5mm plugs due to what I saw on the gallery. I braided the cable and wrapped it in paracord, but it's been sitting a few weeks because I'm not exactly sure how to solder the plug on.
> 
> I've searched and found a few posts showing how to show other Pailiccs plugs, but not this exact one. Does anyone have a picture on the inside of theirs that they could share or more info on how to solder this funky plug?


 
 The tip is the left signal, the next is the right signal, and the fat spot before the threading is where you solder the ground.


----------



## elmoe

Buy a multimeter! It would take you 10 seconds to check every point to see which is which.


----------



## Kamakahah

Pick up a cheap multimeter from somewhere like Harbor Freight for about $4. They even offer them for free with coupons occasionally. It'll serve the purpose of checking those connections. Not super accurate for readings and the build quality is mediocre, but it'll get the job done.


----------



## jodgey4

I went to fix a broken connector on my Audeze cable, and I mirrored where the jumpers go across. DOH. Audeze ships a User's Manual that has the diagram for all the wiring... I just assumed it was looking from the back, not the front. No wonder the pin numbers didn't match the picture... I can't believe what I did. Anyways, measure twice, cut once - except read once, solder once!
  
 EDIT:: All corrected. Except now, it's very hard for my to depress the pin all the way to get the connector off. Uggh. I suck at this. Good thing I'm making new cables soon, I think they'll go much smoother.


----------



## Lugnegaard

Hi guys!
  
 I built a new headphonecable for my HD650 the otherday, all went well (I thought). I used Toxic Cables Viper wire, very easy to work with.
 When I tested the cable it sounded small and just lame. No space, no air, like a recording in a small room. Tested with Rostropovich Cello concerts which usually sounds very good.
  
 So I measured the Ohms on my stock cable, they gave me a zero reading on the big ground pin and no reading on the small positive pin.
  
 So I measured my diy cable (using Cardas HPCS connectors) and I got 0 on the ground but also a reading on the small positive....?! Weird. I removed the heatskrink and resoldered the wires on the left side connector and plugged it into my Crack again. No sound, just dead.
  
 I haven't really changed anything, except for the resolder. What should I do?
 All help is most appreciated.


----------



## elmoe

lugnegaard said:


> Hi guys!
> 
> I built a new headphonecable for my HD650 the otherday, all went well (I thought). I used Toxic Cables Viper wire, very easy to work with.
> When I tested the cable it sounded small and just lame. No space, no air, like a recording in a small room. Tested with Rostropovich Cello concerts which usually sounds very good.
> ...


 
  
 It would help to know how you soldered (which wire where). Most likely the cable is shorting out.


----------



## BotByte

lugnegaard said:


> Hi guys!
> 
> I built a new headphonecable for my HD650 the otherday, all went well (I thought). I used Toxic Cables Viper wire, very easy to work with.
> When I tested the cable it sounded small and just lame. No space, no air, like a recording in a small room. Tested with Rostropovich Cello concerts which usually sounds very good.
> ...


 
 Can't really make sense of your description, but the sound you're getting sounds like you mixed the channels and you're running mono. Your soldering might be bad, or the two positive coppers might be hitting each other somehow. 
  
 Opps, kind of a late reply, huh? Whatever...


----------



## BucketInABucket

Yo, anyone know where to get decent wire for DiY jobs in Hong Kong? I already know where to get the jacks but the wire has stumped me so far.


----------



## junkimchi

Ok about to plunge into DIY cabling for my HD600 and here is my shopping cart. I'm sure its missing a few things, both things i'm aware and not aware of.

 - 30 ft of Mogami 2893 Cable:
 http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893.html

 - Neutrik NP3RX-B:
 http://www.redco.com/Neutrik-NP3RX-B.html
  
 - Cardas HPSC connectors:
 http://www.partsconnexion.com/CARDAS-71677.html
  
 - 100ft of 550 Paracord: 
 http://www.wildbillwholesale.com/pa1.html

 - Y splitter???
 (I need help here)

 - Heat shrink???
 (Also could use some help with this one)
  
 Are those all the parts I need? I do have soldering tools left over from when I built a bottlehead crack. Any help regarding the process will be much appreciated!


----------



## Senpai3330

junkimchi said:


> Ok about to plunge into DIY cabling for my HD600 and here is my shopping cart. I'm sure its missing a few things, both things i'm aware and not aware of.
> 
> 
> - 30 ft of Mogami 2893 Cable:
> ...




Wait wait wait. Sanity check: why do you need 30 feet of Mogami cable? Just making sure you know W2893 is a quad cable already, there's 4 conductors inside the outer sheathe.

And yep you'll need some heatshrink (I recommend buying a variety pack for ~$9 off amazon so you'll have any size you need in the future).

For the y-split some people just use heatshrink. There are some snap-on y-splits you can buy like this or this. My personal method is doing the split inside of a 3.5 mm jack housing and sealing it with hot glue.


----------



## Canadian411

junkimchi said:


> Ok about to plunge into DIY cabling for my HD600 and here is my shopping cart. I'm sure its missing a few things, both things i'm aware and not aware of.
> 
> 
> - 30 ft of Mogami 2893 Cable:
> ...




I boight exact same cables and paracord.
And I don't really like paracord.

Get tecflex 1/4 and 1/8 from redco.
Mine is coming.


----------



## jchandler3

junkimchi said:


> Ok about to plunge into DIY cabling for my HD600 and here is my shopping cart. I'm sure its missing a few things, both things i'm aware and not aware of.
> 
> - 30 ft of Mogami 2893 Cable:
> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893.html
> ...


 
  
 I'll be curious as to what you do about a Y splitter. I've been wondering the same thing myself. 
  
 If you just need black heat shrink, I really like TechFlex's. It's great quality and is 3:1. 
  
 And a word of caution on the Neutrik connector: The boot that it comes with_ _has a _very_ tight tolerance, so watch your diameter with cable+paracord. Neutrik sells a larger boot (BPX-L).


----------



## junkimchi

senpai3330 said:


> Wait wait wait. Sanity check: why do you need 30 feet of Mogami cable? Just making sure you know W2893 is a quad cable already, there's 4 conductors inside the outer sheathe.


 
 I plan to make multiple cables lol

 As of right now I'm the most confused about what to do with the Y-splitter area. The rest seems pretty straight forward.

 I plan to take the rubbershielding off before putting paracord around it, as it seems from my research this is either necessary or advised so that the wire fits through the paracord easily.


----------



## Senpai3330

junkimchi said:


> I plan to make multiple cables lol
> 
> 
> As of right now I'm the most confused about what to do with the Y-splitter area. The rest seems pretty straight forward.
> ...




Gotcha, also added some links and suggestions to my last post, not sure if you saw.


----------



## Senpai3330

Sorry, bit of a repost of my question but the DIY forum mainpage is a bit dead and I need an answer fast:

There are a few cables out on the market right now like the Effect Audio Thor (pictured) that are using individual nylon/cloth sleeving for each conductor in the braid instead of just one protective covering over the entire braid. I absolutely love the aesthetic and want to recreate it on a few of my own cables.



I'm not really sure how thin of a sleeving I should use and where to purchase it. I'll be reusing some nice 26 AWG wire which is less than 1 mm in diameter even with insulation. The thinnest sleeving in the most appropriate length I could find was this listing for 3/32" techflex. Any thoughts/suggestions?


----------



## MrEleventy

A little costly but, here is an option for DIY. Others have made their own with a drill/drill press or just fashion one out of headshrink. I've had a HD600 cable that was made that way, worked great.


----------



## Kamakahah

Believe it or not, we have our own Y split thread. I recommend browsing it. Probably more options towards the end.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/537117/the-y-split-thread


----------



## Lohb

senpai3330 said:


> Wait wait wait. Sanity check: why do you need 30 feet of Mogami cable? Just making sure you know W2893 is a quad cable already, there's 4 conductors inside the outer sheathe.
> 
> And yep you'll need some heatshrink (I recommend buying a variety pack for ~$9 off amazon so you'll have any size you need in the future).
> 
> For the y-split some people just use heatshrink. There are some snap-on y-splits you can buy like this or this. My personal method is doing the split inside of a 3.5 mm jack housing and sealing it with hot glue.


 

 Heatshrink for W2893 mostly for aesthetics or to re-inforce the cable ?


----------



## Kamakahah

Can be both. Doesn't do much reinforcement, but some. It's partially a functional issue. You might need some for a Y split, to cover certain connectors, to cover up sloppy work, channel identification, etc.

It has many uses, but it isn't necessary in every build. It's just cheap and easily resolves a number of potential problems.


----------



## TrollDragon

It's also unappealing and should not be seen IMHO.


----------



## Lohb

trolldragon said:


> It's also unappealing and should not be seen IMHO.


 
 You mean multi-color cables should be hidden under shrink ?


----------



## TrollDragon

lohb said:


> You mean multi-color cables should be hidden under shrink ?


 
 Nope, the heat shrink should be under connector shells out of sight, if you cant get rid of it totally then at least use clear.
 Multi-coloured cables should be sleeved in something, when I first saw the mogami white / blue wire used I though someone was actually using a Cat5 cable for headphones. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
  
 Also the best Y split, is one like this...


----------



## 65535

There isn't a problem with colorful cables, all too often heat shrink is used as a cop-out for properly fitted parts or as a substitution for a part.  My personal opinion is heat shrink is good for insulation wire, adding thickness for clamping, and to add pull on strength in the case of adhesive lined. 
  
 All too often I see expensive cables that use heat shrink like it makes the cables look nice, it does not. High quality properly assembled parts should not need heat shrink to function, I never use it other than as a cover for hand twisted cable and when hidden.


----------



## Lohb

senpai3330 said:


> Sorry, bit of a repost of my question but the DIY forum mainpage is a bit dead and I need an answer fast:
> 
> There are a few cables out on the market right now like the Effect Audio Thor (pictured) that are using individual nylon/cloth sleeving for each conductor in the braid instead of just one protective covering over the entire braid. I absolutely love the aesthetic and want to recreate it on a few of my own cables.
> 
> ...


 

 Nice, I saw stuff like this with huge black cotton sleeving on each cable line vs the braid on some LCD-XC cables....looked great but black cotton vs nylon not sure it is a good material....white cotton sleeving like I saw the other day, now that is not looking long-term.
  
 Just got some IRIS M/F plugs yesterday to replace  all my 4-XLR "lead" M/F pendulums. Not as bomb-proof, but easier to deal with for me....but maybe not looking long-term


----------



## Kamakahah

I think cable companies do it mostly for branding.


----------



## smaragd

bucketinabucket said:


> Yo, anyone know where to get decent wire for DiY jobs in Hong Kong? I already know where to get the jacks but the wire has stumped me so far.




What wire are you looking for? I've seen Mogami and Belden for sale in Ap Liu Street, Sham Shui Po...
I've also made some interconnects myself with silver core wire from DIY Hifi supply (Fotan)...
There are a couple of DIY shops online in HK as well.
If looking for IEM earphone wire look for more flexible stranded cable rather than solid core... PM me if you like more local info...


----------



## Lohb

So ,I was hoping to get this IRIS female port and Oyaide3.5" as tightly together as possible like a one-piece adapter.

  
  
 Is there any material/hard tubing etc anyone can suggest to mate them together before shrink over the top ?
 I think even 3 layers of shrink would not keep the adapter rigid over time so there needs to be some kind of tubing frame etc ?
  
 I guess the way to do the cabilng job is to push excess cabling inside the Oyaide after soldering.Cabling needed a bit longer to move the barrel back to get access to the solder points on the Oyaide or do the Oyaide first and Iris second ?


----------



## AnakChan

lohb said:


> So ,I was hoping to get this IRIS female port and Oyaide3.5" as tightly together as possible like a one-piece adapter.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 No idea what an Iris port is but @Komkrit did it with a Kobiconn to Oyaide 3.5mm :-

http://www.head-fi.org/t/661897/mini-balanced-to-3-5mm-adapter-in-my-way/45#post_9601090
  
 The Iris pins seem to be more separated so you probably can't shave off the perimeter off the Iris as much s Komkrit did with the Kobiconn. Still though maybe it'll give you some ideas?


----------



## Lohb

Thanks, yes Kobiconn IRIS RSA/ALO type female port !


----------



## TheYonderGod

My project is attaching a boom mic to my AudioTechnica AD700s (cannibalized mic from an old broken headset). I want the wire to go into the ear cup and then attach to a TRRS female connector along with the headphone drivers, and then have a single cable run to my computer where I will buy/make (whichever is cheaper) an adapter to split the single TRRS into 2 standard TRS connectors. I will also make/buy a shorter cable for if I ever want to use them with my phone or laptop on the go.
  
 Am I going to have any problems with this plan? I CAN indeed use the same ground for both the headphones and mic, right?
  
 I WAS going to ask where I could find one of these: http://www.showmecables.com/product/35mm-trrs-jack-panel-mount-connector-metal.aspx?link=YMAL But I randomly happened to see it in the related products for http://www.showmecables.com/product/3-5mm-Jack-TRRS-Connector-Plastic.aspx, even though it didn't show up in the my search before.
 Still, does anyone know if there are there any cheaper? Especially on Amazon where I have credit. I don't know if I'm just searching the wrong terms or if they are really that rare.  
  
 For cables: I have like 1000ft of speaker wire, can I just sleeve it with Paracord and use it? Or should I just buy a pre-made cable?


----------



## odib

Hi guys,
 I was wondering if I can get some input in a custom cable for gaming I'm trying to make. http://i.imgur.com/50KRexO.png
 I was just wondering what sort of connectors I need to use for the mic section? Am I right to assume that I can use a normal 3.5mm female plug and 6.35mm male jack for the headphone section?
 What kind of cable should I be using?


----------



## jodgey4

odib said:


> Hi guys,
> I was wondering if I can get some input in a custom cable for gaming I'm trying to make. http://i.imgur.com/50KRexO.png
> I was just wondering what sort of connectors I need to use for the mic section? Am I right to assume that I can use a normal 3.5mm female plug and 6.35mm male jack for the headphone section?
> What kind of cable should I be using?



You want the modmic cable and headphone cable to be together in one binding? Normal jacks, sure. Whatever your card takes. Canare star-quad or Mogami quad in the smaller sizes is the standard around here.


----------



## PETEREK

odib said:


> Hi guys,
> I was wondering if I can get some input in a custom cable for gaming I'm trying to make. http://i.imgur.com/50KRexO.png
> I was just wondering what sort of connectors I need to use for the mic section? Am I right to assume that I can use a normal 3.5mm female plug and 6.35mm male jack for the headphone section?
> What kind of cable should I be using?


 
 Here's my 'custom cable' for gaming.
  
 Q701 + ModMic 3.0 --> mic+audio---TRRS adapter ----> MixAmp Pro, that's my setup. It won't be like this forever, but it works for now.


----------



## TheYonderGod

I just ordered the stuff for my mod
  
 http://i.imgur.com/UqVLklw.png
 (heatshrink is just because it's cheap and idk what I'll need)
  
 I will attach mic to my headphone grill (ATH-AD700) and have the wire running down to the hole where the cable currently comes out of, which I will replace with the TRRS panel mount. Then I will make a cable: 1 male TRRS on 1 end, and 2 male TRS on the other end for mic+headphones (I realized this is cheaper than making/buying a cable+adapter; 3 connectors instead of 5) I believe if I make it correctly I can just use one of my plentiful TRS cables for audio only if I want to take them on the go.
  
 I still want someone to confirm -
 I can use the same ground wire for the mic and the headphones? 
 16 or 18 awg speaker wire for the cable wont be a problem, other than possibly uncomfortability due to weight?
  
  
 I made a "prototype" version with my brother's headphones (thrashed to hell and back JVC RX700), just using plain speaker wire all the way to the connector which I got from a broken pair of ear buds. If anyone is wondering, the mic is from a broken Plantronics headset (garbage headphones anyways, but good mic) It was really simple to attach, I just took apart the headset and threw away everything except the mic and the screw that attached it, then made a hole in the plate of the headphones for the screw and another for the wires (I used my soldering iron, but I would recommend a drill 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 ). Then I soldered the mic wires to the speaker wire, made another hole for the wires to come out of, tied a knot on the inside to keep it secure, and soldered the other end to the headphone connector. I should have taken a pic of the inside, but its too much work to open them up now.


----------



## PETEREK

Yeah the MixAmp uses the same ground for the mic and audio, so you can too.


----------



## Kamakahah

Using speaker wire will increase capacitance. Here comes the same bad example again: Imagine hooking up a fireman's hose to a regular home spigot. Sure, with the right attachment it'll hook up and water will flow, but the water will only trickle out instead of a sold flow.
The end result is a degradation of your audio signal.
I couldn't say how much or if you'd even notice. If it is your only option, then go for it. Otherwise, pick up some cheap Canare L-4E5C off eBay.

Looks like you had some fun Frankensteining those JVCs.


----------



## retrodisease

Does any have any tips or tricks to feeding 26 awg wire through Micro Paracord (Type 1). It's taking me like an hour to do a foot at a time.


----------



## jodgey4

retrodisease said:


> Does any have any tips or tricks to feeding 26 awg wire through Micro Paracord (Type 1). It's taking me like an hour to do a foot at a time.



Idk of it's the same as 550 paracord, I shrinktape the wire to one of the inner nylon strands nearly tip to tip, them pull all of that through. It takes about 5 minutes per. Hand feeding stinks!


----------



## retrodisease

It's about 1/3 of the diameter of 550 (type 3) paracord. Has no internal strands. If I put shrinkwrap over the 26 AWG wire it would be too big to fit in.
  
This image will give you an idea of the size


----------



## retrodisease

*edited for redundancy*


----------



## junkimchi

I have decided to dish out and go for via blue splitters on my hd600/650 cable but I was wondering which of the following would work and is the smallest option?
  
 ViaBlue SC-2
 http://www.viablue.de/com/splitter_sc2.shtml
  
 ViaBlue NF-S1
 http://www.viablue.de/com/splitter_nfs1.shtml
  
 ViaBlue NF-A7
 http://www.viablue.de/com/splitter_nf-a7.shtml

 The NF-A7 is a bit smaller, which is what I want, but would one 8.5mm opening be big enough to fit two strands of Paracord 550 Type 3?

 EDIT: 

 I believe I found the answer to my question in the DIY cable gallery. A user seemed to have created a cable successfully using the smaller NF-A7 splitter:
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/10530#post_8891093


----------



## retrodisease

550 Paracord has a diameter of 5/32 inch which is 3.96~ mm. In theory 8.5mm should be large enough.


----------



## junkimchi

Quick question. How do these splitters stay in place?


----------



## jodgey4

junkimchi said:


> Quick question. How do these splitters stay in place?


 
 Usually hot glue and/or shrink tape.


----------



## fiascogarcia

Does an 8 conductor cable (4 wires per ear) for an iem require any particular type of connector for a Westone type 2 pin connector, or will any 2 pin connector accommodate this much wire?  Thanks!


----------



## uncola

Hey guys I'm planning on making my first DIY cable.. my headphone is a modded fostex t50rp that has a male mini 4 pin xlr.. a single one on the left cup.  
  
 My headphones came with a canare l4e6s mini xlr female to male 1/4" plug cable.. and I opened up the 1/4" side to look at how it's soldered and it looks like two white conductors are soldered to the shield and two blue are soldered to the two other tabs..  and it looks like the braided shield in cable isn't attached to anything in the plug.. does that sound right?  Or is the canare braided shield  combined with the two white conductors that are soldered to the plug shield area?  It doesn't look like it is but I can't see for sure
  
 I ordered mogami 2983 and a 1/4" stereo male plug and mini xlr female from redco.  Mogami colors are Black / Red / Blue / Clear
 I think I found the info I need to wire both connectors on this page http://www.head-fi.org/a/diy-cable-info-and-resources#connectors
*Tip:* Left signal
*Ring:* Right signal
*Sleeve:* Ground  
  
 What colors would I use for left and right, blue and red?  and then clear and black get used for ground?
 Then on the mini xlr side.. 
*Pin 1:* Left positive (+)
*Pin 2:* Left negative (-)
*Pin 3:* Right positive (+)
*Pin 4:* Right negative (-)
 would I then attach blue to left positive and red to right positive, then attach clear and black to the left and right negative spots?  and then would I solder the spiral shield to the shield tab?  or is that wrong and I would attach clear and black to shield tab.  or combine clear and black with the spiral shield and attach to the shield tab?  Anyone have experience with a cable with 1/4" and mini xlr 4 pin?  I guess I Just need to know what color goes where and if I do anything with the spiral shield or ignore it
  
  
 http://www.neutrik.com/zoolu-website/media/download/113/Assembly+Instruction+-+Professional+Phone+Plugs+-+PX+Series    leads to pdf
 http://www.redco.com/files/MINI_XLR_Assembly_instructions.pdf


----------



## jodgey4

uncola said:


> attach blue to left positive and red to right positive, then attach clear and black to the left and right negative spots and probably just ignore the spiral shield.


 
 man, colors are fun! if you do want to solder the sheilding, only solder it to one end (which i guess you would be forced to because the 1/4" is the only one with a ground tab, none on mini-xlr). sometimes if you attach sheilding to both ends along with negative/ground wires, you can get weird ground hum issues. but since you can't even do that, just do whatever.


----------



## uncola

Thanks jodgey4, that makes sense since I saw people say only attach the spiral or braided shield to the amplifier side of a cable and not the headphone side.
 As far as the colors go.. as long as I use the same color for left and right on both sides, I should be fine?


----------



## TrollDragon

I've only seen the shield connected to one end on interconnects to keep grounds separate. I've havn't seen a shield implemented on a headphone cable yet...


----------



## jodgey4

uncola said:


> Thanks jodgey4, that makes sense since I saw people say only attach the spiral or braided shield to the amplifier side of a cable and not the headphone side.
> As far as the colors go.. as long as I use the same color for left and right on both sides, I should be fine?


 
 Fo sho. The colors themselves don't matter, but you want the signal going to the right place. Some cable looks all the same, so it's helpful to have a multimeter that can test continuity and make an idiot-proof BEEP when you touch two ends of the same wire. If you need any more help, ask away or PM me.


----------



## uncola

Thanks! I think I'm ready to make this cable!  I found a page telling the convention for the colors, I'll probably follow it for ease of remembering.
  
 "There is a general "R Code" for audio equipment. R: Red, Right, Ring, Recieve. When you have a TRS connector (Tip/Ring/Shield) the Ring always goes to the Right channel on a L/R system, the Receive on a Send/Receive system. The Left/Send/Tip doesn't have a standard. Black used to be the common color, now it's white, sometimes it's blue. It doesn't matter because you use the R as the identifier. The bare wire is the shield, though it doesn't provide much shielding or grounding, it's purpose is to create the flow loop for discarded electrons. But since few know anything about that part of the system it is referred to as shielding, grounding, common, but it's all irrelevant."  
  
 http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/6698/headphone-wire-color-coding
  
 sweet, I found a picture labeling the pins on a female mini xlr 4 pin.  
  
  
*Headphone End of Cable - Female 4-Pin Mini XLR*
*Pin     Signal*
 1        Left +
 2        L- through the Cable Shield
 3        Right +
 4        R- through the Cable Shield


----------



## tehsprayer

I am very new to use and was wondering all the stuff I need to make a custom cable for my MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs
  
 I was thinking the blue dragon cable of 5 ft for $60 and not sure what common 1/4 plugs are the best, what would you suggest?
 http://www.moon-audio.com/moon-audio-blue-dragon-bulk-headphone-cable.html#
  
  
 Also what else do I need to make this cable. I think the alpha dogs use a special mini xlr the plugs in the left and right for each cup


----------



## uncola

hi tehsprayer, the alpha dogs use dual 4 pin mini xlr male connectors on their headphone cable.. you can buy the male mini xlr 4 pins directly from mrspeakers https://mrspeakers.com/product/cable-plugs-male-for-alpha-dog-and-mad-dog-custom-cables/  
and this page shows the pinouts  https://mrspeakers.com/mrspeakers-alpha-dog-headphones/  click on pinout for custom cables.  It looks like you'd need a cable with 8 conductors, 4 for each side.. I'm not sure though you better double check with someone more experienced
Left:
 1 = L+
 2 = L - (or ground for single ended cables)
 3 = L+
 4 = L- (or ground for single ended cables)

Right:
 1 = R+
 2 = R - (or ground for single ended cables)
 3 = R+
 4 = R- (or ground for single ended cables)

This might be the type of wire you have to use..  says it's 8 channel cable.. http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2932.html

and then I guess you'd just get a 4pin xlr for the other end of the cable if you have a balanced amp.. if not then some kind of 1/4" trs or 3.5mm trs.  I'm gonna use this 1/4" trs for my cable http://www.redco.com/Neutrik-NP3X-B.html


----------



## jodgey4

uncola said:


> hi tehsprayer, the alpha dogs use dual 4 pin mini xlr male connectors on their headphone cable.. you can buy the male mini xlr 4 pins directly from mrspeakers https://mrspeakers.com/product/cable-plugs-male-for-alpha-dog-and-mad-dog-custom-cables/
> and this page shows the pinouts  https://mrspeakers.com/mrspeakers-alpha-dog-headphones/  click on pinout for custom cables.  It looks like you'd need a cable with 8 conductors, 4 for each side.. I'm not sure though you better double check with someone more experienced
> Left:
> 1 = L+
> ...


 
 If it really is the same as Audeze cables, then you could always just use jumpers between pairs of pins to reduce to 4 conductors.


----------



## tehsprayer

jodgey4 said:


> If it really is the same as Audeze cables, then you could always just use jumpers between pairs of pins to reduce to 4 conductors.


 
 This is very confusing for me to understand. So the blue dragon cable is not compatible? I think the stock cable for the ADs is the quad star canare


----------



## jodgey4

tehsprayer said:


> This is very confusing for me to understand. So the blue dragon cable is not compatible? I think the stock cable for the ADs is the quad star canare


 
 The conductor itself (quar star, etc.) doesn't matter. I just checked, and the Alpha Dogs appear to use a custom plug at the end, you can buy them off the site though. I just meant, that since on each plug there are four pins, and they are paired together, you could just run another piece of wire between each pair, and then you could run only one back to the main plug. Heck, you don't even have to do that if you don't want, the cans will still get the signal. You can order a pre-built blue dragon cable with Alpha Dog plugs off the Moon Audio site.


----------



## tehsprayer

jodgey4 said:


> The conductor itself (quar star, etc.) doesn't matter. I just checked, and the Alpha Dogs appear to use a custom plug at the end, you can buy them off the site though. I just meant, that since on each plug there are four pins, and they are paired together, you could just run another piece of wire between each pair, and then you could run only one back to the main plug. Heck, you don't even have to do that if you don't want, the cans will still get the signal. You can order a pre-built blue dragon cable with Alpha Dog plugs off the Moon Audio site.


 
 I'm trying to learn DIY because it is only $60 for 5ft blue dragon plus $15 for the 2 custom plugs and like another $7 for 1/4 jack. Like $80 when the blue dragon cable prebuilt for the Alpha Dogs is +/-$200 depending on plug options.


----------



## Kamakahah

tehsprayer said:


> This is very confusing for me to understand. So the blue dragon cable is not compatible? I think the stock cable for the ADs is the quad star canare




The blue dragon IS compatible. The AD connectors each have 4 pins. Like Jodgey4 said, you'll need to connect the pins that are duplicate on each connector. So you can see in the post how each connector has two grounds and two signal pins. You can run a small wire between the dulpicates. 
The idea is that you end up with only needing two wires coming from each connector rather than 4 (one for each available pin).


----------



## tehsprayer

kamakahah said:


> The blue dragon IS compatible. The AD connectors each have 4 pins. Like Jodgey4 said, you'll need to connect the pins that are duplicate on each connector. So you can see in the post how each connector has two grounds and two signal pins. You can run a small wire between the dulpicates.
> The idea is that you end up with only needing two wires coming from each connector rather than 4 (one for each available pin).


 
 Is there a cable that is similar to the blue dragons but cheaper? Something I can experiment on and so I know what to do?
  
 Does this also involve soldering?


----------



## Kamakahah

tehsprayer said:


> Is there a cable that is similar to the blue dragons but cheaper? Something I can experiment on and so I know what to do?
> 
> Does this also involve soldering?



1. Pick up some Canare L-4E6S or L-4E5C (smaller). The first is what the stock AD cable is made from. Alternatively, you can pick up any in this link:
http://www.redco.com/Bulk-Quad-Microphone-Cable/
Mogami is often used. It is almost identical to the Canare but has a twisted copper shielding that isn't tinned. The Canare is the best bang for your buck. You can get most of these off eBay if you want small quantities.

Yes, it does involve soldering.
You'll need wire strippers that can handle 24-30awg. Some "flush cuts" are very useful. Also, buying a "helping hands" to hold the wire during soldering is practically required unless you have a second person to help. Needle nose pliers also come in handy as well as a razor blade of your choice for cutting back the outer PVC of the cable to reveal the wires inside.

Definitely practice soldering before you do it. Plenty of great tutorials for soldering techniques on YouTube.
You can also pick up some cheap Neutrik 3.5mm stereo plugs or practice soldering the wire to.


----------



## Lohb

Hi guys, if you want to braid each line of 4 balanced lines like this what size of multi-filament sleeve would you use ?
 I like the big look of this cable.....superb !
 Is there any ebay listing with a cotton soft sleeving you could suggest, or is it better to keep it nylon for durability.....?


----------



## DJScope

lohb said:


> Hi guys, if you want to braid each line of 4 balanced lines like this what size of multi-filament sleeve would you use ?
> I like the big look of this cable.....superb !
> Is there any ebay listing with a cotton soft sleeving you could suggest, or is it better to keep it nylon for durability.....?


 
  
 Search for "paracord" on eBay.


----------



## uncola

what is the deal with only soldering the spiral copper shield on one side of the cable?  it prevents ground loop hum?  How do you keep track of which side it's attached on and then do you plug that into the dac or the amp side?  if it was for instance rca or something


----------



## 65535

For RCA cables you should be using a coaxial cable which means you'll connect the center conductor to the pin and the shield to the sleeve on both sides.
  
 Hope that helps.


----------



## uncola

Thanks that does help.  The people I saw connecting the spiral shield to only one side and saying to plug that side into source were using star quad.  I think I found the answer:
  
 for star quad:  These cables have the signal conductor to the center pin, the ground part of the signal to the outer conductor and what is being called the shield, many times called a drain, connected to the outer conductor only on one 
 end to allow the interference this shield/drain collects to leave the equipment in an orderly manner.
 On most cables there is only the center conductor and the ground conductor which is 'shielding' the center conductor. On these cables there is the center conductor, the ground conductor and the shield/drain.
  
 found the history behind it on audiokarma:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



 *02-01-13: Nsgarch*
 You are referring to a "floating shield" (one end 'floats' -- is not connected.) This is exactly to PREVENT any curent flow, which would result in hum and RFI being mixed with the audio signal (and thus winding up in your speakers!)

 Having the shield connected at one end only does not prevent intercepted hum and RFI from draining to ground at the connected end.

 In the old days ;~) single ended interconnects contained only one (center) conductor (+) and the shield carried the (-) signal, so it had to be connected at both ends. Then Bruce Brisson (owner of MIT cables) invented the "shotgun" single-ended interconnect while working for MonsterCable, which is what put MonsterCable on the map! It is called "shotgun" because it contains TWO signal conductors (double-barreled shotgun ;~) surrounded by a shield -- but since the shield no longer has to carry the audio signal, it can be 'grounded' at just one end, and can do its shielding job even more effectively.

 Mr. Brisson provided these shotgun cables with ARROWS, which point to the end of the cable where the shield is connected to ground (no, the arrows have NOTHING TO DO WITH SIGNAL FLOW!) He did this specifically so that all interconnects could be installed with the grounded end of their shields connected to the preamp (yes, EVEN THE ONES BETWEEN THE PREAMP AND THE AMP!) That is because such a configuration is what's called 'Star Grounding' -- with the preamp at the center of the 'star'.

 Star Grounding provides the quietest system; and in order to prevent ground loops, the preamp should be the ONLY component actually grounded to the wall. In the old days ;~) we generally put 'cheater plugs' on the (three prong) power cords of all other equipment, to prevent additional grounding points (which will always produce ground loops.)

 Unfortunately, installing 'cheater plugs' can produce a, shock hazard if you are working on your system and remove the interconnects (and thus the ground connection) from a piece of equipment that has a cheater plug on it (for example: if you were adjusting the bias on a tube amp, which requires removing the input interconnects ;~) So be careful! Much of today's equipment (especially amplifiers) have switches on the back that allow you to 'float' (disconnect) that piece of equipment's audio circuits from ground, and thus eleminating the need for cheater plugs (the equipment's chassis is still grounded) and preventing you from accidentally electrocuting yourself!


----------



## retrodisease

lohb said:


> Hi guys, if you want to braid each line of 4 balanced lines like this what size of multi-filament sleeve would you use ?
> I like the big look of this cable.....superb !
> Is there any ebay listing with a cotton soft sleeving you could suggest, or is it better to keep it nylon for durability.....?


 
  
 Although I use paracord instead of Multi filament sleeving to do this, with a 26 AWG wire type III paracord (550 LB, diameter 10/64") is way too bulky but it will work, type 1 paracord (microcord, diameter 1/20") can work but its absolutely miserable and near impossible to thread the wire through. Type II paracord would be ideal but hasn't really been used since the 80's so its near impossible to find. Lucky there is some people on ebay selling 275 lb and 325 lb paracord with a diameter of 7/64" which will perfect.
  
 I've never used Multi filament sleeving, but according Techflex's website, the Nylon Multifilament's smallest size is 1/8" (8/64") making it only slightly larger than 275/325 paracord but smaller than Type III 550, so I'd go with that.


----------



## Lohb

retrodisease said:


> Although I use paracord instead of Multi filament sleeving to do this, with a 26 AWG wire type III paracord (550 LB, diameter 10/64") is way too bulky but it will work, type 1 paracord (microcord, diameter 1/20") can work but its absolutely miserable and near impossible to thread the wire through. Type II paracord would be ideal but hasn't really been used since the 80's so its near impossible to find. Lucky there is some people on ebay selling 275 lb and 325 lb paracord with a diameter of 7/64" which will perfect.
> 
> I've never used Multi filament sleeving, but according Techflex's website, the Nylon Multifilament's smallest size is 1/8" (8/64") making it only slightly larger than 275/325 paracord but smaller than Type III 550, so I'd go with that.


 

 Bulky/chunky was the idea after seeing some chunky braiding.
 Got this 550 paracord

  
 I'd only be doing it from the KOBICONN IRIS connector up to the y-split...after that just clear cover cryo copper directly terminated to the cans.


----------



## Paul Graham

Ok here's a shot in the dark....
  
 I have a Single Ended Silver Poison Frank made for my Sennheiser IE8's.
 He's now sending me a Balanced Viper to replace it, So I have a spare Silver poison!
  
 Heres my problem..
  
 I have a pair of Beyerdynamic T50p Teslas that were given to me as faulty/not working.
  
 After a rather clumsy fumble around with the original cable and then a spare Switchcraft 3.5 I had laying around, I've figured its the Jack.
  
 Anyway, Its still not sounding fantastic and I know its down to my temporary measures...
  
 So, Im thinking I want to use the Silver Poison I already have to replace the existing cable.
 Ill leave the Viablue 3.5 on one end, But when I disconnect the IE8 connectors, How do I know which wire is positive etc ( With it all the same colour )???...
  
 I have a multi meter but haven't got a clue how to use one!
  
 Any help would be greatly appreciated folks, Thank you in advance!! 
  
 Heres the Multi Meter...


----------



## Paul Graham




----------



## MrEleventy

Around 5:30 right before 6 o'clock. 9th option going Clockwise. That's the continuity test option. Touch the ground portion of the jack and then touch either pin on the IEM cable. The one that beeps is ground. Repeat for other side.


----------



## Paul Graham

Thanks, Ive sussed out the continuity setting on a multi meter, I can now see what is what. Or Hear lol...
 Now to grow some balls and do this haha....


----------



## MrEleventy

Run out and buy a cheap pair of hps + some 3.5mm jacks, then practice. It'll take the edge off.  GL!

Soon, you'll be installing mini-xlrs into your T70s.


----------



## fiascogarcia

mreleventy said:


> Around 5:30 right before 6 o'clock. 9th option going Clockwise. That's the continuity test option. Touch the ground portion of the jack and then touch either pin on the IEM cable. The one that beeps is ground. Repeat for other side.


 
  
 Does 8 conductor cable have one or two grounds per side?  Always equal number pos and neg? Thanks!


----------



## jodgey4

fiascogarcia said:


>


 
 Yes, because ideally you want equal impedance on the signal and ground sides. I'll be making 8 conductor SE and balanced cables for my Audeze's soon like this.


----------



## TrollDragon

Good little tutorial...
 http://startingelectronics.com/beginners/first-steps-in-using-a-multimeter/


----------



## MrEleventy

+1 for jodgey4.

And a question from me; Does equal number of pos & grounds matter if you're going SE? Would it be fine to go say, 3:1 per side and have end with 6:2 into the jack?


----------



## jodgey4

mreleventy said:


> +1 for jodgey4.
> 
> And a question from me; Does equal number of pos & grounds matter if you're going SE? Would it be fine to go say, 3:1 per side and have end with 6:2 into the jack?


 
 Signal and ground as I stated would imply SE... sorry if that was unclear. Convention calls SE for each channel as a signal and ground, balanced has a + and -. Try to keep the number of conductors for signal = ground, or + = -. So 2:2 as signal:ground for SE, or 2:2 as +:- in a balanced operation.
  
 Into the jack for SE, you'd have 2 left signal conductors (tip IIRC), 2 for the right (ring), and 4 coming all together as ground (sleeve or ground tab, whatever you call it 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





) as pairs from each of those sides. Balanced would be 2L+, 2L-, 2R+, 2R- into each of the corresponding four pins of your end male XLR. 3:1... I see no benefit for it myself, but either way I doubt you'd hear a difference. Most 8 conductor cables are overkill anyways to begin with (I'm doing it b/c I can... and it looks cool, haha).
  
 Good luck, feel free to ask more questions or PM for more guidance. I hope I was more clear this time!


----------



## Paul Graham

Thanks dude.
Well I've bitten the bullet and trying my first solo hp recable. 

Here's the progress so far, I've tabbed the pos wires so I don't get confused.

Was a rpita using the original rubber grommits but I've made it work. Tested both drivers and to the naked ear they sound better than they were so maybe it wasn't just the jack and was a naff cable?

Anyway here's some progress pics


----------



## Paul Graham

Don't suppose anyone has a spare t50p driver do they? . . Lol


----------



## MrEleventy

Uh oh.... 




 
What happened? I know the Beyer DT drivers are a pita to recable but... the T50s too??


----------



## Canadian411

mreleventy said:


> Uh oh....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 All new beyerdynamic T series are pretty poorly built. Very thin circuit board glued to the mounting house with the thin voice coil soldered together. (not sure what they were thinking). ??
 This T series are really cheap, not going to buy beyer again.


----------



## Paul Graham

The two little wires on the back of the pcb snapped. 
We'll gutted!
I shoulda left it tonight but needed to distract myself as my parents were in a road accident earlier.
They're ok thank The Fat Laughing Man in the sky but the cars F#%\?€D!
Anyway so yeh should have left it but we all learn.
Need to source a driver now somehow ( seems they're like the dust from rocking horse ***** )


----------



## hoekeat

I am getting some Mogami W2893 and Canare L-4E6S and wanna make some balance cables for my DT880 and some single ended interconnect (between dac and amp). Is there any need to strip the wires for my objective or should I just use it as it is? If i were to only use 3 out of the 4 wires for the single ended interconnect, which sleeve is more ideal?
  
 thanks


----------



## Canadian411

hoekeat said:


> I am getting some Mogami W2893 and Canare L-4E6S and wanna make some balance cables for my DT880 and some single ended interconnect (between dac and amp). Is there any need to strip the wires for my objective or should I just use it as it is? If i were to only use 3 out of the 4 wires for the single ended interconnect, which sleeve is more ideal?
> 
> thanks


 
  
 for your interconnect, like you said you only need 3 conductors/wires, L, R and ground. So you can tear off mogami sleeve and use only 3 wires (doesnt matter which color/wire, but i will use red for right, blue for left and transparent/black for ground, it doesnt really matter.).
 I tried paracord 550 and didn't like it too much, I use tecflex 1/8 or 1/4 with mogami sleeve. 
  
 Try tecflex from redco, it might be cheaper to buy than paracord if you order by ft. I ordered a lot from redco.


----------



## PETEREK

When I use Mogami for interconnects or anything that isn't balanced I twist the clear and black together and use that as a ground and then the red and blue for signals obviously. I never use the metal sleeving for a ground.


----------



## Canadian411

Beautiful Techflex ... 
  
 http://techflex.com/prod_pet.asp
  
 click "colors" tab.


----------



## PETEREK

IMO the ONLY thing techflex should be used for is interconnects in the world of audio cables. It's very rigid and creates microphonics. It's great for interconnects though.


----------



## funch

Ditto.


----------



## hotfever

how hot your solder iron is needed to be to solder wire to rhodium plated 3,5mm plug??
  
 what if my iron go too hot and melt the 3,5mm plug's plastic channels separators??


----------



## funch

If you had to leave the iron on the tab long enough to melt the insulators, there must have been some contamination on the tabs.
 If you touched the tabs at all, that could have done it.
  
 Was the plug a Cardas 1/4" TRS? That one needs quite a bit of heat, but others I've done only need a few seconds at most on medium heat.


----------



## Canadian411

Make sure to use the heat-shrink after you solder.
  
 like this


----------



## 65535

peterek said:


> IMO the ONLY thing techflex should be used for is interconnects in the world of audio cables. It's very rigid and creates microphonics. It's great for interconnects though.


 
  
  
 I think we should get out of the habit of calling sleeving microphonic. It transmits mechanical noise to the headphone cups but there is no electrical component of that.
  
 I tend to agree on the use of techflex though, properly applied it adds weight and increases mechanical noise. The benefit would be aesthetic, durability, and color coding.
  
 I haven't noticed a decrease in flexibility unless it's over tightened. Though I tend to use nylon multifilament rather than the PET expanding sleeve as the latter feels uncomfortable to the touch.


----------



## TrollDragon

Tis true, Tis true...

So sayeth the Wiki...

"The term is sometimes misused to describe sounds transmitted to the ear physically by mechanical vibrations or knocks on the wires of a headphone or in-ear monitor, when no disturbance of any electrical signal occurs."


----------



## uncola

I'm looking on ebay for some cheap nicer than standard rca connectors and most of the low cost ones are from china.. Do any of these look good or are they probably not really silver plated/copper alloy etc?  
  
 Also anyone have an opinion on this Furez FZ162AA Analog Interconnect Cable?  it's OFHC 16 awg two conductor and shielded.. 92 cents a foot from douglas connection web site.  From what I've read, usually interconnects are made of thinner cable because low capacitance matters more than low resistance from a thick gauge wire.. is that generally right?  Is there any other cable I should think about trying other than mogami/canare or the rawcable.com lc-1?  http://douglasconnection.com/Furez-FZ162AA-Analog-Interconnect-Cable-Raw-FZ162.htm
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/331115525312?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

  
  
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/4pcs-copper-gold-plated-Locking-RCA-Plugs-Connector-/161305616227?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item258e905f63

  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/4Pc-Cast-Copper-Gold-Plated-RCA-Connector-Plug-Audiophile-/131225237058?pt=US_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item1e8da23642


----------



## funch

The first ones are, um, copies (I'm being nice here) of Cardas plugs. The second are copies of Furutech. Not sure of the third.
  
 They all look to be decent plugs for the money though.


----------



## Kamakahah

The main concern with the copies is if they are actually using the stated materials. You can't really know for sure unless you break them and test.
Still probably worth a shot.
 Most of the specialty companies charge $$$ for the brand name, so you're really paying a steep mark-up for a much cheaper product. I have no doubt there are legit "copies", but there are also plenty of gussied up pieces of trash.


----------



## 65535

Most of the boutique connectors in the first place are junk. Copies of them are likely much worse. The biggest issue wouldn't be falsifying materials and platings, the latter is cheap, however the former is make or break. Most of the time the alloy will be so cheap that it'll wear out or break after a short time.
  
 I admit most RCAs on the professional market aren't particularly nice. That being said I won't support the boutique companies selling such overpriced lies no matter how good they look.


----------



## Shawn71

Subbed......


----------



## Zashoomin

Some "boutique" connectors are super easy to work with and look really good.  That and they are very high quality.  Of course that isn't always true but I have found a couple that hold true to that statement.  You do have to be very careful when dishing out money for connectors though as most of the time you are going to be paying for the looks more than anything.  Again though there are some nice ones.  If you don't want to dish out the money though I highly highly suggest neutrik connectors.  They are very very easy to work with, quality is top notch, but they aren't the prettiest things. 
  
 just my $0.02


----------



## DJScope

The problem with your "boutique" connectors is that those companies charge a premium for the name. The reason why copies are so cheap compared to the real thing is because it doesn't really cost $20 to make one connector, especially when they're being pumped out in bulk. Even when you are applying gold, silver and even rhodium/platinum it still would cost a couple of dollars just to make 1 connector. Manufacturing in China is so much cheaper and I wouldn't be surprised if these "boutique" connector come from the same factories that these copies come from. 
  
 On another note. I personally love the look of these ones!
  

  
  
 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3-5mm-Male-Jack-Audio-Headphone-Stereo-3-5MM-headphone-earphone-Adapter/703106331.html


----------



## uncola

This is what happens when you grab the soldering iron by the barrel 
  
 click for gore 


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## 65535

Why would you do that? I brush my iron against my hand occasionally while soldering but it never burns me. I keep it set at 535F if that makes a difference, no need to go higher.


----------



## Kamakahah

It sends shivers down my spine just thinking about touching it long enough to do that.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

WHY???


----------



## DJScope

Haha. Rooky mistake. I've done that before.


----------



## BotByte

I've done worse... got my finger caught in a drill...
 Still have my finger though!
  
 Anyways, I have a question for ya'll: I'm thinking of recabling my T50RPs for dual detachable cables. The problem I hit is deciding what connectors I should go for. I kind of don't want to go for 3.5mm mono, and mini XLR seem rather large. Is there any decent gold-plated cable connectors and jacks out there? I'm interested in if you can buy the coaxial jacks that Hifiman put out (I know you can buy their connectors).


----------



## DJScope

botbyte said:


> I've done worse... got my finger caught in a drill...
> Still have my finger though!
> 
> Anyways, I have a question for ya'll: I'm thinking of recabling my T50RPs for dual detachable cables. The problem I hit is deciding what connectors I should go for. I kind of don't want to go for 3.5mm mono, and mini XLR seem rather large. Is there any decent gold-plated cable connectors and jacks out there? I'm interested in if you can buy the coaxial jacks that Hifiman put out (I know you can buy their connectors).


 
  
 You mean like F-Type jacks they use for cable TV/internet?


----------



## TrollDragon

djscope said:


> You mean like F-Type jacks they use for cable TV/internet?


 

No more like RF SMA connectors...
http://www.rfconnector.com/sma-connectors.php
  
 They are SMC connectors...


----------



## uncola

it looks like this site sells them..  I can't tell if the part built into the hifiman headphones is male or female but they sell both.  They are definitely smaller than mini xlr..  but mini xlr seems to be getting popular.  my modded zmf t50rp uses a single mini xlr male 4 pin..  later he moved onto the dual entry..  single entry seems more ergonomic but I guess dual is better for sound
  
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/index.php?route=product/product&manufacturer_id=11&product_id=47
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=43
  
 edit:  found some for sale on etsy..  I think this might include both male and female but not sure?  better email them and ask if ordering
 https://www.etsy.com/listing/176025725/hifiman-headphone-connectors-for-diy?ref=related-0


----------



## uncola

Hey what are your thoughts on heat shrink, should it cover the bottom half of the rca jack barrel or should you just slip it inside the barrel of the rca jack?  If it's adhesive heat shrink and you slide it over the surface of the rca plug barrel, that helps with preventing the wire from being pulled out of the rca plug right?  
  
 Is it better like this 

 or like this:


----------



## TrollDragon

You can buy those ones or pick up some from China but the shipping take forever...
  
 Male Sockets
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-connector-SMC-male-plug-nut-bulkhead-solder-1-13-cable-straight-M-/281150396314
  
 Female Plugs
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-connector-SMC-female-jack-crimp-RG174-RG316-LMR100-straight-F-/271349281875


----------



## TrollDragon

IMHO all heat shrink needs to be out of sight...


----------



## elmoe

I prefer heatshrink inside the plug, and not too long, but thick enough to that there is no play between the plug and the cable. I sometimes use several layers of heatshrink when the cable is too thin so that the plugs don't move at all.


----------



## DJScope

trolldragon said:


> IMHO all heat shrink needs to be out of sight...


 
  
 I agree. The most that is acceptable is about an inch out of the inside of the connector and only if it's done neatly. Some times you absolutely need it for holding the sleeve of or filling in the gap for small diameter cables.


----------



## PETEREK

botbyte said:


> Anyways, I have a question for ya'll: I'm thinking of recabling my T50RPs for dual detachable cables. The problem I hit is deciding what connectors I should go for. I kind of don't want to go for 3.5mm mono, and mini XLR seem rather large. Is there any decent gold-plated cable connectors and jacks out there? *I'm interested in if you can buy the coaxial jacks that Hifiman put out (I know you can buy their connectors).*


 
  
 Yes, yes you can.



  



  
  
  
 And yeah, I sanded down and filled the stock hole for the 3.5mm jack with body filler.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I always like the Carbon Fiber look i'am wondering how much it will cost to get a 12" X 12" sheet.


----------



## PETEREK

like $12 or so on Amazon. I covered my Fiio E12 with it as well. It makes it so light weight too! Haha


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Are you referring to the Vinyl Carbon Look? I can get those here locally from a lot of places I need the REAL Carbon Fiber.Thanks!


----------



## PETEREK

Ha wellI tthought that was what you were referring to.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

No worries,it's a bit hard  to get them here locally.Thanks Again!


----------



## PETEREK

I have this page (below) bookmarked for an upcoming project some people here may know about. I'm going to venture into the world of REAL carbon fiber and make some cups for the Denon AH-D series headphones, and probably others later on like Beyer and Audio Technicas. I was supposed to have started already but the money that was going to be going towards that turned into part of my vacation fund. I'll be starting this up at the end of the month though.
  
 http://www.uscomposites.com/shortroll.html


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Those looks interesting however i have no clue on how to apply the resin properly then you will need a vacuum then oven to bake it(i think)Thanks for the link and i like  to see your work on the Beyer Cups i'am a sucker for carbon fiber look.


----------



## PETEREK

Nope you don't bake it, but yes there is definitely a longer process than just sticking it on. I'll definitely have some trial and error in the first few attempts until I find a good rhythm, I will probably just put all the updates on that in my Everything MOD Thread! when the time comes. Don't be afraid to check it out


----------



## BotByte

trolldragon said:


> They are SMC connectors...


 
 Thanks! I knew there was a name for them, just didn't know the name. 
  


peterek said:


> Yes, yes you can.
> 
> 
> And yeah, I sanded down and filled the stock hole for the 3.5mm jack with body filler.


 
 I'm more specifically looking for the male version, since I've found the female version (the cable side). Is there any specific brand/make/model and company you prefer to order them from? Or should I just get whatever~? 
  
 I'm actually going to craft a entirely new body for the drivers. Cups, gril, headband, whatnot,
  
 Thanks!


----------



## i luvmusic 2

peterek said:


> Nope you don't bake it, but yes there is definitely a longer process than just sticking it on. I'll definitely have some trial and error in the first few attempts until I find a good rhythm, I will probably just put all the updates on that in my Everything MOD Thread! when the time comes. Don't be afraid to check it out


 
 Can't wait.


----------



## PETEREK

botbyte said:


> I'm more specifically looking for the male version, since I've found the female version (the cable side). Is there any specific brand/make/model and company you prefer to order them from? Or should I just get whatever~?
> 
> Thanks!


 
 I used these specifically. Same link and everything. 
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/350974333372?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649


----------



## BotByte

peterek said:


> I used these specifically. Same link and everything.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/350974333372?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649


 
 Thanks!


----------



## uncola

I finished my headphone cable!  This was much harder than the interconnects, mainly because of the redco mini xlr 4 pin female..  redco doesn't carry the neutrik rean mini xlr.. next time I make a headphone cable I'll use the rean.. supposed to be easier.  Also going to buy a cheap third hand with the two alligator clips
  
 Materials:  Neutrik NP3X-B black/gold 1/4" male plug, Mogami 2893 mini star quad 8', Redco TA4FB Mini xlr 4-pin female, furry letters 3/16" nylon multifilament sleeving, generic 1/2" 3:1 adhesive heatshrink.  Heatshrink was very thick, next time gonna try getting heatshrink from better source
  
 tools used:  $5 ebay 60w soldering iron, $4.50 cardas quad eutectic solder, $12 wire stripper, tweezers, liquid flux $5,  $7 ebay multimeter
  
 Guys I decided not to connect the spiral copper shield at either ends.. is that bad?  I connected both negative conductors on the 1/4" side to the shield part of the plug
  
 edit:  this cable sounds exactly the same  as my old canare l4e6s cable despite using smaller conductors.  maybe I notice slightly more stereo seperation and better imaging but that could just be because I'm listening critically right now


----------



## 65535

uncola said:


> edit:  this cable sounds exactly the same  as my old canare l4e6s cable despite using smaller conductors.  maybe I notice slightly more stereo seperation and better imaging but that could just be because I'm listening critically right now


 
  
 If you're hearing a difference I suspect there is something wrong with one of the cables. 
  
 Looks good, I'm a fan of Mogami W2893 in TechFlex 3/16" NMF sleeving. Always seemed to heavy for headphone cables though at 1/4" OD.


----------



## uncola

So if someone wanted to make a pretty diy power cable, what's an inexpensive wire to use?  I checked ebay and it's all crazy expensive like $12 per foot.  I was thinking of using the canare gs11 quad speaker wire cause it's 14 awg but I guess it's not rated to be used as a power cable.
 edit:  power cables are 3 conductor right?
  
 Cheapest decent power cord by the foot I Found http://www.parts-express.com/carol-14-awg-3c-sjoow-power-cable-25-ft--100-574
  
 This power cord plug set looks good http://www.ebay.com/itm/201016910532?item=201016910532&autorefresh=true


----------



## jodgey4

For me, finding cheap plugs is the problem! I have loads of wire to use from the lab at work, it's thick with few strands, but power cables don't really need flexibility.


----------



## fenderf4i

uncola said:


> So if someone wanted to make a pretty diy power cable, what's an inexpensive wire to use?  I checked ebay and it's all crazy expensive like $12 per foot.  I was thinking of using the canare gs11 quad speaker wire cause it's 14 awg but I guess it's not rated to be used as a power cable.
> edit:  power cables are 3 conductor right?





Get Carol brand 10/3 SJOOW cable. Home Depot carries it here in Canada, it should be easy to find in the US as well. I put tech flex on mine, and Wattgate conectors.


----------



## 65535

10/3 is insane for a residential use power cord unless you want your power cable to pull your devices off the table.
  
 Stick to some good 18/3 or 16/3 SJOOW or if you really feel like having unnecessary bulk in the cable get some nice SOOW cable. Throw some sleeving and make it all excessively pretty. 
  
 I for one hide power cables to the best of my ability, it's 115V AC which is then transformed and filtered, a power cable should either be safe, and easy to hide or look nice if seen.


----------



## DJScope

uncola said:


> So if someone wanted to make a pretty diy power cable, what's an inexpensive wire to use?  I checked ebay and it's all crazy expensive like $12 per foot.  I was thinking of using the canare gs11 quad speaker wire cause it's 14 awg but I guess it's not rated to be used as a power cable.
> edit:  power cables are 3 conductor right?


 
  
 I find that standard flexi 3 core with 3x 18AWG copper core wire does the job. We use it here at work for fire protective application so we can only use quality wire. Here in Australia we have a 240V 60Hz in the GPOs and it does the trick well.


----------



## hoekeat

canadian411 said:


> for your interconnect, like you said you only need 3 conductors/wires, L, R and ground. So you can tear off mogami sleeve and use only 3 wires (doesnt matter which color/wire, but i will use red for right, blue for left and transparent/black for ground, it doesnt really matter.).
> I tried paracord 550 and didn't like it too much, I use tecflex 1/8 or 1/4 with mogami sleeve.
> 
> Try tecflex from redco, it might be cheaper to buy than paracord if you order by ft. I ordered a lot from redco.


 
  
 thanks Canadian411,
  
 I've look at redco and found out they have lots of options for Techflex. Are those just cosmetic difference? Which techflex do you normally go for? For a 3 wires build (i.e. interconnect) will 1/8 or 1/4 be more suitable?


----------



## fenderf4i

Here's some other power cables just posted to the gallery. http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/13725#post_10689421


----------



## uncola

hoekeat think about buying the cleancut techflex, I used 3/16 nylon multifilament with my mogami 2893 which is 4.8mm and it fit correctly but when I cut it and burned it with a lighter it the edges swole and wouldn't fit under the barrels of my plugs.. the cleancut stuff seems like it would be better..  also be aware some techflex expands and some doesn't so when people quote which to use with what diameter of cable, it might vary.. like regular techflex does expand so you can use smaller sizes but nylon doesn't expand so you need bigger for the same cable.. or the opposite I don't remember   hopefully someone can chime in


----------



## Canadian411

hoekeat said:


> thanks Canadian411,
> 
> I've look at redco and found out they have lots of options for Techflex. Are those just cosmetic difference? Which techflex do you normally go for? For a 3 wires build (i.e. interconnect) will 1/8 or 1/4 be more suitable?


 
  
 If you use mogami cables, 1/8 will work for you, 1/8 can expand as well.. 
 Let me try at home and post the picture for you.
  
 And I follow this link to get the right techflex, Home :: Wiring Materials :: Techflex Sleeving :: Standard Sleeving :: Flexo PET
  
 http://www.redco.com/Techflex-PTN0.13.html
  
 Oh, I forget, let's say if you buy combination of 50 qty of red and 50 qty of black, redco will reduce the price for 100 qty which will be $0.11, so 100 ft = just $11. Not bad, it will last long time


----------



## hoekeat

even if i am buying 100ft of Techflec Flexo PET from Redco, the cheapest shipping will be more than the sleeve itself. 
 Any other reliable website with better shipping? I saw some from Amazon is cheaper if buying in smaller quantity, and some seller in ebay is from Taiwan?


----------



## Kamakahah

hoekeat said:


> even if i am buying 100ft of Techflec Flexo PET from Redco, the cheapest shipping will be more than the sleeve itself.
> Any other reliable website with better shipping? I saw some from Amazon is cheaper if buying in smaller quantity, and some seller in ebay is from Taiwan?



Furryletters on eBay has a number of options. Pricing is good if you're looking for smaller quantities.


----------



## Canadian411

hoekeat said:


> even if i am buying 100ft of Techflec Flexo PET from Redco, the cheapest shipping will be more than the sleeve itself.
> Any other reliable website with better shipping? I saw some from Amazon is cheaper if buying in smaller quantity, and some seller in ebay is from Taiwan?


 
  
 Sorry can't help you there regarding the shipping cost, I usually buy bunch to justify the shipping cost.
 I bought some paracord from ebay (from china) and it's a fake paracord, and quality isn't the same the one you buy from US.
  
 Let me know if you manage to find somewhere cheaper, I will like to know as well, Good luck !


----------



## matbhuvi

Probably a very dumb question. I have a good quality Tchernov speaker cable originally purchased to use with my car's subwoofer. Now i want to use that cable to connect my Neuman KH120 active monitors which take XLR-M for input. My DAC is Geek out which has only 3.5mm headphone out. What do i need to make this work?


----------



## jchandler3

matbhuvi said:


> Probably a very dumb question. I have a good quality Technrov speaker cable originally purchased to use with my car's subwoofer. Now i want to use that cable to connect my Neuman KH120 active monitors which take XLR-M for input. My DAC is Geek out which has only 3.5mm headphone out. What do i need to make this work?




I don't mean this in a patronizing way (just wanting clarity): you're wanting to connect an unbalanced output to a balanced input using speaker wire?


----------



## jodgey4

You need a 3.5mm plug and two 3-pin XLR jacks. I think you can just connect the L signal from the 3.5 jack to the + pin on the XLR and the ground to the -, same for the other with the R, ignore grounds. So four wires will be needed. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. The speaker shouldn't care if the signal is balanced or not, it just needs something coming in and something going out.


----------



## jchandler3

Left and right signals to their respective pin 2s, run the ground to each 1 pin and jumper to the 3 pin. 

1 - ground
2 - signal
3 - jumpered ground

Could be wrong but that's what I'd do. And speaker wire wouldn't be a very good choice, IMO.


----------



## 65535

I always wire my SE to balanced adapters with a floating pin 3 incase I switch them around and go balanced to SE that way I'm not trying to drive a dead short with the inverted output.


----------



## matbhuvi

jchandler3 said:


> I don't mean this in a patronizing way (just wanting clarity): you're wanting to connect an unbalanced output to a balanced input using speaker wire?


 

 My DAC doesn't have balanced out. So, i have no choice as of now.


jchandler3 said:


> Left and right signals to their respective pin 2s, run the ground to each 1 pin and jumper to the 3 pin.
> 
> 1 - ground
> 2 - signal
> ...


 
  
 Thanks. Any reason why speaker wire wouldn't be a good choice? This is the wire i have.


----------



## jchandler3

matbhuvi said:


> Thanks. Any reason why speaker wire wouldn't be a good choice? This is the wire i have.


 
  
 There are a few technical reasons, potentially causing the "skin effect," but I don't recommend speaker wire more from a practical standpoint. Have fun wiring 4 leads of that speaker wire into a 3.5mm plug... 
  
 I would recommend a high quality mic wire, with more reasonably gauged solid-core wire.


----------



## TrollDragon

jchandler3 said:


> There are a few technical reasons, *potentially causing the "skin effect,"* but I don't recommend speaker wire more from a practical standpoint. Have fun wiring 4 leads of that speaker wire into a 3.5mm plug...
> 
> I would recommend a high quality mic wire, with more reasonably gauged solid-core wire.


 
 Skin Effect on a few feet of speaker wire from the Line Out on a DAC?
 Really?
  
 Didn't know he was going to do any RF or Induction welding...


----------



## 65535

Because it's huge and unshielded. For RCA interconnects I would recommend a coaxial cable. Mogami and Canare both have inexpensive high quality offerings.


----------



## 65535

trolldragon said:


> Skin Effect on a few feet of speaker wire from the Line Out on a DAC?
> Really?
> 
> Didn't know he was going to do any RF or Induction welding...


 
  
 I won't accept a system as good unless it has a 20GHz bandwidth from input to output.


----------



## jchandler3

trolldragon said:


> Didn't know he was going to do any RF or Induction welding...


 
  
 Hilarious!
  
 I only mentioned that because it's commonly brought up as an "issue" (real or not) when comparing wire gauge for audio. Like I said, I'm suggesting he use smaller gauge wire for practical purposes.


----------



## TrollDragon

65535 said:


> I won't accept a system as good unless it has a 20GHz bandwidth from input to output.


 
 Then you would need a nice DSAX96204Q Infiniium to check it all out... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  


jchandler3 said:


> Hilarious!
> 
> I only mentioned that because it's commonly brought up as an "issue" (real or not) when comparing wire gauge for audio. Like I said, I'm suggesting he use smaller gauge wire for practical purposes.


 
 But it's $6 a foot...


----------



## MrEleventy

Just tossing this out there...

For anyone looking for some cheap low profile 3.5mm jacks, Mouser now carry low profile Amphenols.

Pics!
 
$2.50 for Nickel (Part no. KS3PC LINK)
$3.00 for Gold (Part no. KS3PC-AU LINK)

Not as nice looking as DHC Elites but at 1/3 to 1/4 of the price... no complaints. 
Better than paying the same price to get them from China.


----------



## alexsv

matbhuvi said:


> Probably a very dumb question. I have a good quality Tchernov speaker cable originally purchased to use with my car's subwoofer. Now i want to use that cable to connect my Neuman KH120 active monitors which take XLR-M for input. My DAC is Geek out which has only 3.5mm headphone out. What do i need to make this work?


 
 As was mentioned before you need two 3 pin XLR's, Neutrik are excellent at about $3.00 each. For the 3.5mm, I suggest the Neutrik Rean, also inexpensive All are available from Parts Express. Not sure about the amps in the speakers but since they are from a pro audio company, probably want to see pin 1 connected to ground. Right XLR pin 2 should go to ring on the 3.5, Left XLR pin 2 to the tip. Pin 3 on both XLR's should go to the sleeve (ground) on the 3.5. Pins 1 and 3 can be jumpered at the XLR with a common hookup wire. Speaker wire is overkill for this application and have fun soldering 14 or 12 gauge wire to the terminals in the 3.5.


----------



## BotByte

mreleventy said:


> Not as nice looking as DHC Elites but at 1/3 to 1/4 of the price... no complaints.


 
 My thoughts EXACTLY. Also, you don't need to make a minimum purchase.
  
 Gonna have to order some of these. 
  
 If anyone is wondering, the part number is KS3PC-AU for the gold, KS3PC for the nickel.


----------



## MrEleventy

botbyte said:


> My thoughts EXACTLY. Also, you don't need to make a minimum purchase.
> 
> Gonna have to order some of these.
> 
> If anyone is wondering, the part number is KS3PC-AU for the gold, KS3PC for the nickel.


I bought 4 of the Nickel, should've bought some of the Gold as well. They're way easier to work with than the eBay China stuff.


----------



## matbhuvi

alexsv said:


> As was mentioned before you need two 3 pin XLR's, Neutrik are excellent at about $3.00 each. For the 3.5mm, I suggest the Neutrik Rean, also inexpensive All are available from Parts Express. Not sure about the amps in the speakers but since they are from a pro audio company, probably want to see pin 1 connected to ground. Right XLR pin 2 should go to ring on the 3.5, Left XLR pin 2 to the tip. Pin 3 on both XLR's should go to the sleeve (ground) on the 3.5. Pins 1 and 3 can be jumpered at the XLR with a common hookup wire. Speaker wire is overkill for this application and have fun soldering 14 or 12 gauge wire to the terminals in the 3.5.


 

 Considering the difficulties, this is what i have decided to try out
  
 3.5mm stereo plug to RCA from monoproce
 4 banana plugs from monoprice
 2 XLR-M to RCA-F of Livewire brand from Guitarcenter
 6ft of Russian made Original 2SC tchernov cable 
  
 No soldering. Plug & play. Hope this works out.


----------



## alexsv

matbhuvi said:


> Considering the difficulties, this is what i have decided to try out
> 
> 3.5mm stereo plug to RCA from monoproce
> 4 banana plugs from monoprice
> ...


 
 What are the banana plugs for?


----------



## matbhuvi

alexsv said:


> What are the banana plugs for?


 

 RCA connectors. I use them to connect my speaker wire to A/V receiver. It should work here as well.


----------



## jchandler3

Hey fellas, need to verify my plan here:
  
 I'm building a new balanced cable for my HD650s, to be terminated in a 4 pin XLR. Eventually I'll be buying a balanced amp and want to be ready for that. For the time being, however, I only have a single-ended amp and need to build an adapter as well (female 4 pin XLR to TRS). 
  
 Basically, I'm 99% sure this is correct, but I'm going to use Mogami W2534 quad-conductor cable, but I'm not sure what to do with its shield. The TRS obviously has the 2 tabs and the arm but the 4 pin XLRs have the 4 pins and a Ground tab. Do I run a floating shield on the main headphone cable only, and ignore the shield on the adapter? See my diagram below... Thanks!


----------



## PETEREK

Ignore the shield completely man, the 4 wires will be used on the 4 pins of the XLR connector. L+, L-, R+, R-. Then wire the xlr connector on your adapter the same way as the one on the end of the cable, but connect both ground wires from that to the single ground on the 3.5mm connector.


----------



## jchandler3

peterek said:


> Ignore the shield completely man, the 4 wires will be used on the 4 pins of the XLR connector. L+, L-, R+, R-. Then wire the xlr connector on your adapter the same way as the one on the end of the cable, but connect both ground wires from that to the single ground on the 3.5mm connector.


 
  
 Ok, sounds good. Thanks!


----------



## graphidz

So after a long long while, I finally gotten my parts. I have a few questions about constructing the cable. Sorry if the questions had been asked before. The said cable will be like this :
 3.5mm plug (http://www.redco.com/Amphenol-KS3PB-AU.html) --> quad conductor cable(http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893.html) --> Y-split --> male 3pin mini XLR(http://www.redco.com/Redco-TA3MB.html) --> female 3pin mini XLR(http://www.redco.com/Redco-TA3FB.html) --> headphones
  
 1. Should I ignore the shield?
 2. At the 3.5mm plug, since the cable is quad, that means i have to solder L+ conductor for the left channel and R+ conductor for the right channel and the R-&L- to the ground, right?
 3. At the 3pins mini XLRs, since I will split the cable into 2, so 2 conductors go to each mini XLR. So I only use the L+/L- & R+/R-?


----------



## uncola

graphidz so is this a 3.5 to dual mini xlr 3 pin male cable?   and your headphone has two mini xlr 3 pin female ports?  is this your t50rp?


----------



## graphidz

Yes
 Gonna make one
 Yep, my T50RP


----------



## uncola

I think what I did was I followed this convention for the colors:
 Source Plug end = shielding + black + clear/copper soldered to ground (sleeve)  ,  red soldered to right+ (ring) , blue soldered to left+ (tip)
  
 I was going to solder the spiral shield to the shield part of the plug only on one side, the source side.. for you the 3.5mm..  but I got lazy and I only soldered the black and clear conductors to the shield.  it works fine but I think technically you'r;e supposed to attach the spiral shield to that side too..  I was going to cut off like 3/4 of the spiral and then twist the rest to make it small enough to fit on the shield.. but like I said I got lazy.. you should try it though.. 
  
 and then for the two 3 pin mini xlr male plugs I think you'd just use red for R+ on the plug for the right headphone cup, then L+ for the left headphone cup.. and then R- and L- can be the other two conductors, I don't think it matters what colors you use but here's the convention I used:
  
 Headphone end = red soldered to right + (positive)  , black soldered to right - (negative)  ,  Blue soldered to left + (positive) , clear/copper soldered to left - (negative)
  
 and on the headphone side I don't think you connect the spiral shield at all...  
  
 here's a pic of the 3 pin xlr pins, note I think the top two numbers would be reversed when looking at the plugs from the back?



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



[size=1.15em]_Pin # 1 does not need to be connected to ground for headphone use, just leave it disconnected._[/size]
 [size=1.15em]Many headphone amps have a pair of 3-Pin XLR connectors. For the *Left XLR connector* you connect the L+ to Pin 2, L- to Pin 3 and the cable shield to the XLR connector's ground lug. Connecting the cable shield to the ground lug will provide RFI noise protection for the cable. *Pin 1 does not need to be connected to ground for a headphone cable* (it's there for microphones and other audio gear). The *Right XLR connector*would be R+ to Pin 2, R- to Pin 3 and the cable shield to the ground lug.[/size]
 [size=1.15em]If you wish to use one headphone cable and Y the cable to the XLR connectors and/or the ear cups I recommend using Canare Star Quad or Gotham Mini Quad cable. Remove the rubber outside layer and shield for the cable Y, you'll need about 17 inches for the ear cup Y and around 6 inches for the XLR Y. Unravel the 4 conductor wires and then twist them into right and left pairs going to the ear cups and/or XLR connectors. You can cover the cable split with a couple inches of heat-shrink tube to dress up the cable. I also recommend heat-shrink for the XLR end of the cable Y to enhance the grip of the XLR connector's strain relief clamp.[/size]


----------



## graphidz

uncola said:


> I think what I did was I followed this convention for the colors:
> Source Plug end = shielding + black + clear/copper soldered to ground (sleeve)  ,  red soldered to right+ (ring) , blue soldered to left+ (tip)
> 
> I was going to solder the spiral shield to the shield part of the plug only on one side, the source side.. for you the 3.5mm..  but I got lazy and I only soldered the black and clear conductors to the shield.  it works fine but I think technically you'r;e supposed to attach the spiral shield to that side too..  I was going to cut off like 3/4 of the spiral and then twist the rest to make it small enough to fit on the shield.. but like I said I got lazy.. you should try it though..
> ...


 
  
 Basically what I had initially concluded too, but wasn't confident enough. Reading this helped me too :
 http://robrobinette.com/BalancedCable.htm#Other_Balanced_Headphone_Connectors_
 Thanks for the advice


----------



## graphidz

Another question, if I want to use the shield to the mini XLR's ground lug, is it OK if I make a braid together with the conductors (as in 2 conductors+1 shield twisted into a wire)?
 Or don't bother with it and just cut it altogether


----------



## uncola

For the redco mini xlr, I don't think there's a ground lug..  I think maybe the metal strain relief  clamp is the part you're supposed to clamp to the spiral shield.  You could do that, but I've read it's best only to attach the spiral shield on the source side, the 3.5mm plug..  
 edit:  ok yeah if you look at the picture in the pdf on the bottom right.. it says you crimp metal strain relief tabs closer to the plug to the spiral shield.. and the second strain relief tab should be over the insulator..  
 edit 2: I realized once you split the starquad cable for the dual mini xlr, might be really hard to maintain the spiral shield.. heh I'd just be lazy and not attach it on the headphone side
 http://www.redco.com/files/MINI_XLR_Assembly_instructions.pdf


----------



## Orihalcon

Hi there. I've seen in some pics, like the one below, where people are using 4 wires for doing their interconnects. Is this purely from a looks perspetive? Also I would assume then that they terminate two wires on the positive and two on the negative. That sound about right?


----------



## fenderf4i

orihalcon said:


> Hi there. I've seen in some pics, like the one below, where people are using 4 wires for doing their interconnects. Is this purely from a looks perspetive? Also I would assume then that they terminate two wires on the positive and two on the negative. That sound about right?





That is correct. The braid is nice and everything stays together well. The downside is, that it doubles your wire costs.


----------



## 65535

It also throws out shielding but that isn't usually a big issue.


----------



## sjolander21

Hi!
  
 Has anyone opened an Apple Lightning to USB camera adapter? Since it has capabilities that the standard usb cable doesn't have, I guess it must contain another chip in the female USB A end?
  
 I recently bought an iFi Nano iDSD, and it works like a charm with the Touch 5G running iOS 7.1.2. I had an idea about breaking a Lightning to USB camera adapter open and unsolder the female USB A end from the chip and replacing it with a male USB B connector...
  
 What do you guys think?


----------



## BotByte

orihalcon said:


> Hi there. I've seen in some pics, like the one below, where people are using 4 wires for doing their interconnects. Is this purely from a looks perspetive? Also I would assume then that they terminate two wires on the positive and two on the negative. That sound about right?


 
 Looks, and that many smaller wires are easier to bend than thicker ones. If you have thick wires with a small system like the Stack, or like mine, the wires can move or weigh down the equipment or won't bend enough to allow the plugs to go in.


----------



## graphidz

uncola said:


> For the redco mini xlr, I don't think there's a ground lug..  I think maybe the metal strain relief  clamp is the part you're supposed to clamp to the spiral shield.  You could do that, but I've read it's best only to attach the spiral shield on the source side, the 3.5mm plug..
> edit:  ok yeah if you look at the picture in the pdf on the bottom right.. it says you crimp metal strain relief tabs closer to the plug to the spiral shield.. and the second strain relief tab should be over the insulator..
> edit 2: I realized once you split the starquad cable for the dual mini xlr, might be really hard to maintain the spiral shield.. heh I'd just be lazy and not attach it on the headphone side
> http://www.redco.com/files/MINI_XLR_Assembly_instructions.pdf


 
  
 I actually thought the metal strain relief clamp is the ground lug lol. Yeah, maybe I should just do only that.


----------



## jchandler3

Does anyone know if a standard heat gun will melt Techflex? (I don't want it to, obviously)

*Edit:* Nevermind, I found that they spec the melting point at 482°F


----------



## Gladzilla

need help on directions to wire a shure iem connector.


----------



## Canadian411

gladzilla said:


> need help on directions to wire a shure iem connector.


 
  
 ? more specific ?


----------



## 65535

jchandler3 said:


> Does anyone know if a standard heat gun will melt Techflex? (I don't want it to, obviously)
> 
> *Edit:* Nevermind, I found that they spec the melting point at 482°F


 
 Yes a standard heat gone will melt most plastics, it can even melt solder use with care.


----------



## greyhamster

Does anyone know where I can find some connectors for Sennheiser HD 530? I think they use the same as in HD 25.


----------



## Gladzilla

canadian411 said:


> ? more specific ?


 it has two side pins and a middle pin that is pointed.


----------



## Shawn71

gladzilla said:


> it has two side pins and a middle pin that is pointed.




whats the exact model? You mean MMCX connectors?


----------



## Canadian411

gladzilla said:


> it has two side pins and a middle pin that is pointed.


 
  
 Looks like this one ? I made this custom cable for one of my UE900, I don't remember, when I get home I will take a picture of soldering side to show you.
 If you have the multimeter you can easily find out which pin is positive.
  
 As far as I remember you have 3 pins sticking out at the bottom (2 side and 1 middle).
 Two outer pins are for the ground and middle one is the positive, it does not matter which outer pin you solder both are ground.
  
 But, use the multimeter to make sure which pin connects to the round jack on the other side.
  
 Hope this helps.
  
*IMP : make sure to use the heatshrink after you solder, the pins are very close to each other, when you close the plastic housing (I apply crazy glue) it may touch.*


----------



## Shawn71

greyhamster said:


> Does anyone know where I can find some connectors for Sennheiser HD 530? I think they use the same as in HD 25.




If you are sure the connectors are same as/compatible with HD25, then you can buy the same cable/connectors that goed with HD600/650/580 series.....

For connectors:

 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=1853 

For the cable:

 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4289


----------



## Shawn71

canadian411 said:


> Looks like this one ? I made this custom cable for one of my UE900, I don't remember, when I get home I will take a picture of soldering side to show you.
> If you have the multimeter you can easily find out which pin is positive.
> 
> As far as I remember you have 3 pins sticking out at the bottom (2 side and 1 middle).
> ...




Nice finish....looks pro. So did you buy all 3( cable,3.5mm jack and mmcx) @one place? Aliexpress?
And what is the wattage of the soldering stick that you used?


----------



## Canadian411

shawn71 said:


> Nice finish....looks pro. So did you buy all 3( cable,3.5mm jack and mmcx) @one place? Aliexpress?
> 
> And what is the wattage of the soldering stick that you used?



 


Thanks ! ,

From my experience as long as you don't solder wires on the same surface as the headphone voice coil you can use the medium heat.
When you DIY, for example re-terminating the headphone to balanced xlr/rewiring/hard-wiring you have to be extremely careful with the heat because you can ruin the voice coil.

I burn my beyerdynamic T70 voice coil by doing this, but for this type of soldering it's ok to use medium to high. (enough heat to melt solders)
And also depends on your solders, cardas solders are easier to melt than mundorf from my experience.

I bought all 3 items from ebay/b&H I believe.

Cable 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10M-0-12mm-Generic-High-Purity-Silver-Plated-OCC-Teflon-Wire-FR-Audio-DIY-0-15x7-/221137701212?ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123

Connector
http://www.ebay.com/itm/C8-With-gasket-Earphone-Pins-Set-for-Shure-SE846-SE535-SE425-SE315-UE900-etc-/251507364970?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:CA:3160

Personally I will not recommend the cable that I bought, they are very stiff due to 7 strands at 0.15mm, more strands is better for iem (more strands = flexible), try to get at least 12 strands for better flexibility.

And lastly, I don't really like viablue, the locking mechanism is bit weird and I don't really get a good grip when pulling out from the audio device (ipod/ipad/ etc).

Hope this helps.


----------



## greyhamster

shawn71 said:


> If you are sure the connectors are same as/compatible with HD25, then you can buy the same cable/connectors that goed with HD600/650/580 series.....
> 
> For connectors:
> 
> ...




Thanks Shawn,

The hd 650 connectors can fit hd25s but wont fit the HD 530s.


----------



## Shawn71

greyhamster said:


> Thanks Shawn,
> 
> The hd 650 connectors can fit hd25s but wont fit the HD 530s.




Sure,not a problem.....btw,what exactly the problem w/cable? If possible post a picture when you get a chance......


----------



## Shawn71

canadian411 said:


> shawn71 said:
> 
> 
> > Nice finish....looks pro. So did you buy all 3( cable,3.5mm jack and mmcx) @one place? Aliexpress?
> ...




TY for the inputs....Actually my TF10 cable bit the dust and yet figuring out to do the recabling on my own or buy the sunricky cable/FiiO's.....:rolleyes:


----------



## Canadian411

shawn71 said:


> TY for the inputs....Actually my TF10 cable bit the dust and yet figuring out to do the recabling on my own or buy the sunricky cable/FiiO's.....


 
  
 To be honest, I a/bed 7NUPOCC cable vs cheap $14 cable for my UE900 and didn't hear difference.
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-cable-with-Remote-Mic-connect-iphone-to-SHURE-SE535-SE425-SE315-215-/310711199421?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123
  
 You don't really hear significant difference because the cable is really short.  Story is different if we are talking about the speaker wires that go around the house.
  
 And also, FiiO iem cables don't have the ear guide, triplefi10 needs the hard/pre-formed ear guide IMO.  I bought Fiio replacement cable for my triplefi10 and it's completely useless.


----------



## graphidz

I have a noob question, I accidentally melted a bit of the cable insulator on the conductor. Is it still safe to use or should I change the conductor?


----------



## Canadian411

graphidz said:


> I have a noob question, I accidentally melted a bit of the cable insulator on the conductor. Is it still safe to use or should I change the conductor?



 


picture ?


----------



## graphidz

canadian411 said:


> graphidz said:
> 
> 
> > I have a noob question, I accidentally melted a bit of the cable insulator on the conductor. Is it still safe to use or should I change the conductor?
> ...


 
  
 Ah drats... Can't take it. Too small to see unless I use a macro lens


----------



## Canadian411

graphidz said:


> Ah drats... Can't take it. Too small to see unless I use a macro lens



 


I really can't tell but anything like that I use heatshrink to cover.


----------



## TrollDragon

graphidz said:


> Ah drats... Can't take it. Too small to see unless I use a macro lens


TWSS...


----------



## graphidz

canadian411 said:


> graphidz said:
> 
> 
> > Ah drats... Can't take it. Too small to see unless I use a macro lens
> ...


 
  
 It's not the aesthetics problem though. I'm just worried that because of this, I'll get some weird problem on my headphones and may even damage my driver or something.


----------



## Canadian411

graphidz said:


> It's not the aesthetics problem though. I'm just worried that because of this, I'll get some weird problem on my headphones and may even damage my driver or something.



 


as long as both negative or positive don't touch each other you will be fine.


----------



## Gladzilla

canadian411 said:


> Looks like this one ? I made this custom cable for one of my UE900, I don't remember, when I get home I will take a picture of soldering side to show you.
> If you have the multimeter you can easily find out which pin is positive.
> 
> As far as I remember you have 3 pins sticking out at the bottom (2 side and 1 middle).
> ...


 
 So I would need to have 3 wires going to the connector? http://www.ebay.com/itm/261401213320?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 for reference


----------



## greyhamster

shawn71 said:


> Sure,not a problem.....btw,what exactly the problem w/cable? If possible post a picture when you get a chance......



No problem with the cable at all. The problem is I want to make a nice and fancy cable for my HD 530 but cant find the proper connectors.


----------



## Canadian411

gladzilla said:


> So I would need to have 3 wires going to the connector? http://www.ebay.com/itm/261401213320?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 for reference


 
  
 No, you only need even number of wires per connector, I had 2 wires, 1 wire to the middle pin and 1 wire to outer pin (right or left, doesn't matter).
 The picture that you see is 2 wires per connector meeting at the y split, then 4 wires (1 left positive, 1 right positive, 2 for the ground) to 1/8 viablue connector.
  
 And that connector from the link looks good, I will use the silicone to seal after I solder to prevent any water/sweat to get trap.
  
 Here I added pictures,


----------



## Gladzilla

Thanks, you're awesome.


----------



## Canadian411

gladzilla said:


> Thanks, you're awesome.



 


Any time my friend  let me know, and don't hesitate to pm me if you have more questions.

good day !


----------



## shallman989

I've looked through about 100 pages of this thread and haven't found what i'm looking for.  I want to replicate a Q-audio cable or any high-end cable for headphones.  I would like to do it myself to save some money because i'm looking at 10 feet and it starts getting really expensive at that point.
  
 The only part I can't find is nice sheathing they have.  The Q-audio has nice looking silk sheathing and that would be something I want.  Anyone know where I can find that?  I know a lot of people use paracord but that's not quite what i'm looking for.  Even a nice cotton sheathing.  If the wires already have it then thats all good too.


----------



## TrollDragon

Steve has the silk custom woven for his cables, which is probably why you can't find it commercially.


----------



## jodgey4

DHC has cotton sleeving at $1.25/ft. IIRC.

NOT $2/


----------



## PETEREK

Isn't that a terribly high price? PlusSound has nylon multifilament for $1/foot and even that is high.


----------



## Shawn71

graphidz said:


> I have a noob question, I accidentally melted a bit of the cable insulator on the conductor. Is it still safe to use or should I change the conductor?




Yes,like "canadian411" said the +ve and -ve should not be in contact or shorted...And as long as the cables are intact where they are soldered (no loose ends) it is ok....btw,is it on the 3.5mmjack side?


----------



## graphidz

shawn71 said:


> Yes,like "canadian411" said the +ve and -ve should not be in contact or shorted...And as long as the cables are intact where they are soldered (no loose ends) it is ok....btw,is it on the 3.5mmjack side?


 
  
 Yeah it is. Well, sorted everything and all is well. Thanks to this thread for the advice too!


----------



## Orihalcon

Quick question.
  
 As I understand it strand count for the most part is largely responsible for the flexibility of a cable. So a higher strand count would be much better IEM cables etc.So a 7 strand one, being more rigid would not be an issue for an interconnect I'd think.
  
 I'm looking at the following cable to make some RCA interconnects - about 5" long - for a Schiit stack;
  
24 AWG Silver plated wire < Ebay link to product.
  
 Would that be a good wire thickness to use? I would like to imitate the 4 wire braid I posted previously and this wire looks so damn nice with the clear insulation.
  
 Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.
  
 PS: Will be looking to use some red copper RCA plugs.


----------



## Kamakahah

Orihalcon
Stand count tends to help flexibility do to more, smaller individual strands to make up the same overall AWG. Additionally, it reduces the chance of failure from wires breaking.

That wire is just fine for an interconnect. It won't be moving so no worries. Even solid core works just fine for interconnects. I'm actually making a special pair for my stack right now.


----------



## Orihalcon

kamakahah said:


> @Orihalcon
> Stand count tends to help flexibility do to more, smaller individual strands to make up the same overall AWG. Additionally, it reduces the chance of failure from wires breaking.
> 
> That wire is just fine for an interconnect. It won't be moving so no worries. Even solid core works just fine for interconnects. I'm actually making a special pair for my stack right now.


 
 Thank you kindly!
  
 Would you recommend that thickness (24 AWG) or do you have a preferred cable type?


----------



## Canadian411

orihalcon said:


> Quick question.
> 
> As I understand it strand count for the most part is largely responsible for the flexibility of a cable. So a higher strand count would be much better IEM cables etc.So a 7 strand one, being more rigid would not be an issue for an interconnect I'd think.
> 
> ...


 
 Yape like *Kamakahah* said this cable is fine. I will probably go for the one that is more flexible. (depend on the length of you interconnect)
 By the way, this is OFC cable, 4N grade which will be fine.
  
 You can also use mogami cable they are like $0,70 to $1.08 something per ft for quad. Your cable will be the same price $1 per ft (if you make 4 strand braiding)., $8 per  10meter or 32 ft, divide by 4.


----------



## Orihalcon

canadian411 said:


> Yape like *Kamakahah* said this cable is fine. I will probably go for the one that is more flexible. (depend on the length of you interconnect)
> By the way, this is OFC cable, 4N grade which will be fine.
> 
> You can also use mogami cable they are like $0,70 to $1.08 something per ft for quad. Your cable will be the same price $1 per ft (if you make 4 strand braiding)., $8 per  10meter or 32 ft, divide by 4.


 
 Beautiful.
  
 Thank you. I will be using some Mogami cable to make a new lead for my AKG headset - sleeved in some paracord. While I know I can use a cheaper wire for the interconnects...I'm purely choosing that translucent silver coated wire for the look 
  
 Thank you all for the comments and help!


----------



## shallman989

Thank you for answering my question guys.  That helps me make my decision.


----------



## Shawn71

canadian411 said:


> To be honest, I a/bed 7NUPOCC cable vs cheap $14 cable for my UE900 and didn't hear difference.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-cable-with-Remote-Mic-connect-iphone-to-SHURE-SE535-SE425-SE315-215-/310711199421?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123
> 
> ...




So which one you recommend,DIY or after market ones? I prefer DIY, coz I can make another if the current goes bad whenever I want,tho little extra money involved,for sourcing connectors,cable,3.5mmjack individually......

And big thanks for the headsup on the wires.....just give me a final hints on the wires tho..like the better but cheap,reliable blah blah...and your reliable source.

Ive been eying @ aliexpress and some ebay HK sellers but worried about they being legit cables or knockoffs?.....tbh.

And yeah the fiio dont have ear hook / hardened bend sort and I dont want buying the rc-ue1 either as they looks very likes of stock ones...


----------



## Canadian411

shawn71 said:


> So which one you recommend,DIY or after market ones? I prefer DIY, coz I can make another if the current goes bad whenever I want,tho little extra money involved,for sourcing connectors,cable,3.5mmjack individually......
> 
> And big thanks for the headsup on the wires.....just give me a final hints on the wires tho..like the better but cheap,reliable blah blah...and your reliable source.
> 
> ...




It depends on the iem. Which iem r u planning to use/buy?

For example, if you have an entry level headphone and you upgrade the stock cable to very high end cable (7n grade, 1% gold silver/copper etc) you will not hear the difference.

I only use my iems when I workout or run so getting an expensive cable doesn't really buy me anything.

Even with mid tier iem like ue900 I honestly don't hear the difference in a quiet room. Olny reason I started diy because I am on my 7th cable since I bought iems. So in a run long I save money and can reuse the connectors


----------



## Canadian411

orihalcon said:


> Thank you kindly!
> 
> Would you recommend that thickness (24 AWG) or do you have a preferred cable type?




Here is the pic I made with the same cable, mine was up occ 7n grade silver plated copper with 7 strands on each wire.

I used 8 wires in total with the round braid pattern, its not very stiff once you pass 2 inch in length.



*EDIT : 2014/July/19 11:07AM EST, it's not 7N, I found out that it is 6N grade.*


----------



## Shawn71

canadian411 said:


> It depends on the iem. Which iem r u planning to use/buy?
> 
> For example, if you have an ry level headphone and you upgrade the stock cable to very high end cable (7n grade, 1% gold silver/copper etc) you will not hear the difference.
> 
> ...




TF10. For now....


----------



## Lohb

Is it difficult to get 26awg end-to-end through paracord ?


----------



## BucketInABucket

Sorry to ask this question again but,

Does anyone know where to buy wire for recabling headphones in Hong Kong?


----------



## Canadian411

shawn71 said:


> TF10. For now....




I think people said they've noticed the difference when they upgrade the stock tf10 cable but not me. Ymmv I guess.


----------



## TrollDragon

The circular 8 braid, is that done freehand or on a round dowel that you remove after it is braided?


----------



## Orihalcon

canadian411 said:


> Here is the pic I made with the same cable, mine was up occ 7n grade silver plated copper with 7 strands on each wire.
> 
> I used 8 wires in total with the round braid pattern, its not very stiff once you pass 2 inch in length.




Damn. That is an amazing looking braid!

Link to cable used? 

Think I might actually be leaning toward using awg 16/18 for the interconnects. Bit more body and would look better maybe.


----------



## Canadian411

trolldragon said:


> The circular 8 braid, is that done freehand or on a round dowel that you remove after it is braided?


 
  
 It's done by hand with the aid of Kumihimo plate, but I didn't use Kumihimo 8 round pattern, just the regular 8 braid round pattern
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/81221/8-wire-litz-braid-instructions#post_930476 (post #5)
  
 I only use Kumihimo because I was running out of fingers , other alternative is to use the 8 wire clips to immobilize cable while you are working with the wire that you are working.


----------



## Canadian411

orihalcon said:


> Damn. That is an amazing looking braid!
> 
> Link to cable used?
> 
> Think I might actually be leaning toward using awg 16/18 for the interconnects. Bit more body and would look better maybe.


 
 Oops that was 19 strands per wire cable  it's been long time  (20 awg)
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/10M-0-50mm-Generic-High-Purity-Silver-Plated-OCC-Teflon-Wire-Headset-DIY-19-0-18-/320998603388?ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123


----------



## Shawn71

canadian411 said:


> I think people said they've noticed the difference when they upgrade the stock tf10 cable but not me. Ymmv I guess.





Tbh, Im least worried about sound going DIY cable but there shd'nt be degradation either........

So you recommend viablue connector? I dont like angled neutriks either,plus they are bulky... Im fine with straight plug.how about Oyaide and furutechs?

And suggest me the cable pls,like I requested before,in my earlier post, about the type that is bang for the buck.

TY.


----------



## Canadian411

shawn71 said:


> Tbh, Im least worried about sound going DIY cable but there shd'nt be degradation either........
> 
> So you recommend viablue connector? I dont like angled neutriks either,plus they are bulky... Im fine with straight plug.how about Oyaide and furutechs?
> 
> ...


 
  
 To be honest, I hate viablue, very hard to solder and its doesn't have the grip like furutech/neutrik or other plugs. (Oyaide is bit hard to solder too but not as hard as viablue)
  
*AVOID viablue at all cost !, I am serious.*
  
 And for the cable, are you going to braid or use some sort of nylon/techflex sleeve ?
  
 If you are flexible with the budget I will probably get  DIY cable from plussound. (*28 AWG 7N Pure UP-OCC Stranded Silver Plated Copper Custom Wire)*
 That's about $1.25 per ft, you will probably need 3-4 feet ? so 4 feet x 4 wires braid x 1.25 = $20. + connector (about $40), this will last long time.


----------



## Shawn71

canadian411 said:


> To be honest, I hate viablue, very hard to solder and its doesn't have the grip like furutech/neutrik or other plugs. (Oyaide is bit hard to solder too but not as hard as viablue)
> 
> *AVOID viablue at all cost !, I am serious.*
> 
> ...




How about the other cable you provided the ebay link of 10meters? Its not good?

What cable did you use for your UE900?

Braid or nylon flex sleeve, any technical advantage over the other? Pls differntiate...

Sorry for shooting many questions but I want to make sure on the cable part......

Oh btw,if the 3.5mm connectors doesnt make much difference against ordinary gold plated,Im fine with the latter to be on budget side.


----------



## TrollDragon

canadian411 said:


> It's done by hand with the aid of Kumihimo plate, but I didn't use Kumihimo 8 round pattern, just the regular 8 braid round pattern
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/81221/8-wire-litz-braid-instructions#post_930476 (post #5)
> 
> I only use Kumihimo because I was running out of fingers , other alternative is to use the 8 wire clips to immobilize cable while you are working with the wire that you are working.


Much appreciated, thanks for the info! I'll have to find me one of these on eBay or see if Michaels has one.


----------



## Canadian411

shawn71 said:


> How about the other cable you provided the ebay link of 10meters? Its not good?
> 
> What cable did you use for your UE900?
> 
> ...


 
  


shawn71 said:


> How about the other cable you provided the ebay link of 10meters? Its not good?
> 
> What cable did you use for your UE900?
> 
> ...


 
  
*For my UE900* : I used  7 strands, but I will not suggest this one cause it's very stiff.
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/10M-0-12mm-Generic-High-Purity-Silver-Plated-OCC-Teflon-Wire-FR-Audio-DIY-0-15x7-/221137701212?ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123
  
*For my interconnects*, I used 19 strands one, this is a very good wire, you can use this one for any interconnects.
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/10M-0-50mm-Generic-High-Purity-Silver-Plated-OCC-Teflon-Wire-Headset-DIY-19-0-18-/320998603388?ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123
  
*Techflex vs Nylon sleeve*
 I use techflex for interconnects only, nylon for headphone cables. But for IEMs if you don't take it to the gym you can use the nylon, for gym iems, since you will be sweating a lot, both soft techflex or nylon will accumulate the mold. I don't use any sleeve for iems since I sweat a lot when I exercise.
 Cheap Techflex sleeves tend to produce more microphonics than nylon sleeve when you touch the cord/wire. As long as you don't move a lot techflex will be fine as well. But my choice will be nylon sleeve for iem. (I made few headphone cables using techflex as well and it's fine for me) 
  
*Gold vs Silver connectors*
 For me I used both, gold plated or silver plated and didn't make any sound difference altho technically silver should give a better sound quality since it has the highest electrical conductive rating. 
 However, gold last longer than both silver/copper since silver/copper causes corrosion over the time due to air (oxidization). IMO iem connectors should always be gold plated.
 My previous version of UE900 connectors were silver plated and didn't last long due to sweat, wet air etc. Ultimate Ears recently upgraded all theirs to gold plated I believe.
  
*MISC*
 You also have to consider what kind of solder you use, lead free vs one with lead etc, brand, quality, etc. But all this nitty gritty stuff is beyond me.


----------



## fenderf4i

I don't find the Viablue difficult to solder at all.


----------



## Shawn71

canadian411 said:


> *For my UE900* : I used  7 strands, but I will not suggest this one cause it's very stiff.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/10M-0-12mm-Generic-High-Purity-Silver-Plated-OCC-Teflon-Wire-FR-Audio-DIY-0-15x7-/221137701212?ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123
> 
> *For my interconnects*, I used 19 strands one, this is a very good wire, you can use this one for any interconnects.
> ...




Thank you very much for your time and advice.......Help is much appreciated.


----------



## uncola

I got some navships silver plated teflon wire..  for headphone cables does shielding matter?  What do people do for shielding when they buy bare teflon insulated wires like this?
 Also does the conductor that you solder to ground/shield on the connector not count as shielding if it's just a wire and not something that covers the whole cable?
  
 My imagination says they use this:


----------



## Orihalcon

To be honest I think rfi and emi interference should not be that prevalent in a house...unless you have an electric fence running through your home haha. I know signal interference does occur...but for the average person this will never be an issue I believe.

At least that is what my Google reading have disclosed thus far.

Perhaps some people here can share the cases where they did experience these issues?


----------



## Toxic Cables

Some of our new custom made connectors that will be offered for sale when i get back from holiday in Sept,
  
 
  
  
 
  
 The last one is a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter we had made.


----------



## Johan R

Hi, I'm looking for some paracord for my Mogami m2495 (7mm) cable. From what I've gathered, 550 paracord is a bit thin? But where can you find a better fit?


----------



## jchandler3

johan r said:


> Hi, I'm looking for some paracord for my Mogami m2495 (7mm) cable. From what I've gathered, 550 paracord is a bit thin? But where can you find a better fit?




[@]cCasper TFG[/@] directed me to Techflex multifilament. It's super durable, looks nice and comes in a variety of diameters to fit you needs.


----------



## Canadian411

Yape, I use techflex.


----------



## graphidz

Hey guys. More questions to ask lol. So after my first ever cable attempt, I learnt a few things from my mistakes in the first one and pretty much want to start doing another one. But for this next project, I was thinking of using single core instead and this time to really do a balanced cable. Why I want to use single core is because of braiding! So here are the questions :
  

I was thinking of either using 6 or 8 single core cables which each of them split in half (3-3 and 4-4 in y-split configuration respectively). But for the 3-3, i'm not sure what to do with the 3rd cable. Should I just leave it as a dummy cable? And for the 4-4, I'll just need to use 2 cables for each L+, L-, R+, R- right?
Does braiding cause microphonics?
For the 4pin, is there any "standardized" configuration of which pin goes to which? I'm asking cause last time I ordered Redco's 3pin mini xlr, their configuration was kinda different (http://www.redco.com/images/P/ta3f.jpg), which in the end, I just used 2 as "+" and 3 as "-"
  
 And thanks again~
  
 And I'll just put these advice here, just in case nobody knew about it :

Don't use techflex for headphone cables. It was a dumb decision on my part. Cable was stiff for my liking and was really noisy.
Get a bigger ratio for the shrinktube.
Remember, put the things in order through the cable BEFORE you decide to solder it.


----------



## 65535

I'm not sure what you mean, but if single core means solid core that's a bad idea. Use stranded wire. If you mean individual conductors I would use the number of conductors equal to the number of pins on the connectors you intend to use. For single ended that's 3 wires 4 if you want to run dual entry. For balanced that's 4 wires. Alternatively stick to integer multiples of that number.
Braiding MAY cause microphonics, however it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll get worse mechanical noise transmission from hitting the cable and moving around. The tighter you braid the worse that is. (Microphonics is an electrical phenomenon which doesn't exist noticeably in low impedance headphone cables, it is not the mechanical noise transmission you get from hitting or rubbing a cable)
Yes, there is a standard, you'll have to do a search on Google.com to find it out as I don't know it off the top of my head. I don't know what you mean about 3 pin mini/full size XLR. The pinout for those is also standardized. 
  

Techflex for cables shouldn't make it stiffer, that means it's applied too tightly. When applied correctly it is just as flexible as the bare cable. Personally I only use multifilament, PET expanding tubing and others IMO are only good for bundling cables and make terrible cosmetic covering as they don't feel good on the skin.
I would use the ration appropriate for achieving the desired recovered diameter while still fitting over the largest part. Using the biggest shrink factor you can find makes it more difficult to use, if you need it to shrink small and fit over a large part at the same time it is your only option.
Yup, same goes for any project.


----------



## Canadian411

Don't use the solid core wires!!!


----------



## graphidz

65535 said:


> I'm not sure what you mean, but if single core means solid core that's a bad idea. Use stranded wire. If you mean individual conductors I would use the number of conductors equal to the number of pins on the connectors you intend to use. For single ended that's 3 wires 4 if you want to run dual entry. For balanced that's 4 wires. Alternatively stick to integer multiples of that number.
> Braiding MAY cause microphonics, however it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll get worse mechanical noise transmission from hitting the cable and moving around. The tighter you braid the worse that is. (Microphonics is an electrical phenomenon which doesn't exist noticeably in low impedance headphone cables, it is not the mechanical noise transmission you get from hitting or rubbing a cable)
> Yes, there is a standard, you'll have to do a search on Google.com to find it out as I don't know it off the top of my head. I don't know what you mean about 3 pin mini/full size XLR. The pinout for those is also standardized.
> 
> ...


 
  

Definitely not those single strand. Maybe I worded it wrongly. I'm still not sure what the right term to use since it varies from conductor or core or strand. So I just used what I think is right. well, I just thought by using 3 wires will be easier to braid. So I'll just go with multiples of 4 then.
Again, maybe I got the terms wrong again. I thought microphonics = cable noise = noise produced when the surface is rubbed, which I actually wanted to say the last one. OK, so note to self : not too tight on the braiding.
What I meant was from the link I put, the number 2 and 3 was inverted compared to what I googled, which will make me to be very careful in my future DIY cables. And to prevent the same mistake, I wanted to confirm if there was a standard or some manufacturer(amp/dac manufacturers especially) would use their own style instead.
  

I don't know, it seems tight to me. But maybe it's because it's in its stock (as in, the smallest radius instead of compressing it to make the radius bigger)
I've only used 2:1(or 1:2, I'm not sure) of which just barely fits on my parts. I know I should order a bigger diameter, but that will also mean the final shrunk diameter would be bigger. So a bigger ratio would be more useful because it can shrink much smaller and tighter
Which is why a very important note to self 
  
 And thanks~


----------



## Speedskater

Note that 'core' has the same meaning as 'conductor'.  So a speaker cable has two cores or two conductors.
  
 In correct usage (but we can find exceptions) a cable or cord has two or more cores/conductors.  While a wire has only one core/conductor.


----------



## noob101

anyone here know a source to buy pure silver stranded wire i remember hearing somewhere in this thread awhile ago but cant find..
 and can someone remind me the site were someone can build a cable 4 me.. it might be the same site don't remember..
  
 edit: if you know a similar site that's even better


----------



## TrollDragon

The plugs arrived today Frank, much Thanks!

 These are very solid and something to behold, the picture does nit do them justice.


----------



## noob101

toxic cables thats the site i was looking for lol


----------



## PETEREK

If anyone is going to buy Hifiman connectors (SMC) from PlusSound, buy them from their Etsy account instead. They're $14.99 plus $5 shipping there, and on their actual site they're $19.99 plus whatever shipping is to you. Just a tip.


----------



## Lohb

peterek said:


> If anyone is going to buy Hifiman connectors (SMC) from PlusSound, buy them from their Etsy account instead. They're $14.99 plus $5 shipping there, and on their actual site they're $19.99 plus whatever shipping is to you. Just a tip.


 

 Is there much difference in quality vs the ebay ones at $3 a set ?


----------



## PETEREK

lohb said:


> Is there much difference in quality vs the ebay ones at $3 a set ?


 
 I'm not sure really. There probably isn't. If anyone can comment on this, let me know so I can stop paying this crazy brand name inflicted inflation.


----------



## Lohb

peterek said:


> I'm not sure really. There probably isn't. If anyone can comment on this, let me know so I can stop paying this crazy brand name inflicted inflation.


 

 I'm a Plus Sound Audio fan boy for their DIY headphone cryo cables though....


----------



## PETEREK

They have great stuff, but when I buy wire I go through BTG. PlusSound's is much more expensive and Brian's stuff is equally good for much less money. I'm not interested in the Litz stuff or anything special, I just buy good wire for the flexibility.


----------



## Canadian411

peterek said:


> They have great stuff, but when I buy wire I go through BTG. PlusSound's is much more expensive and Brian's stuff is equally good for much less money. I'm not interested in the Litz stuff or anything special, I just buy good wire for the flexibility.




Isn't btg ofc cables? Ofc are cheaper than occ or upocc.

Mogami quad cables are also ofc and its 4 times cheaper than btg..since you get 4 wires for $.80-$1 per ft.


----------



## PETEREK

canadian411 said:


> Isn't btg ofc cables? Ofc are cheaper than occ or upocc.
> 
> Mogami quad cables are also ofc and its 4 times cheaper than btg..since you get 4 wires for $.80-$1 per ft.


 
 Yep you're right, I buy loads of w2893 but BTG's XPLE 24awg wire is more flexible than the internal wires of the Mogami.


----------



## Lohb

With DIY cables I just buy best I can, as it works out the same as a ready-made OFC cable etc. Probably a minute sound difference but I'd always wonder what the next cable grade up would sound like...


----------



## Canadian411

I bought ofc, occ and upocc.
To me I can't tell the difference so mogami is enough for me.


----------



## TrollDragon

I have some 140/44 silk served litz on the way, it should be a nice flexible cable.

Going to try the Lemo plug on the T50RP's out to that sweet Toxic Cable 1/4" plug.


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> I have some 140/44 silk served litz on the way, it should be a nice flexible cable.
> 
> Going to try the Lemo plug on the T50RP's out to that sweet Toxic Cable 1/4" plug.


 
 You better take some pictures for us!


----------



## TrollDragon

Don't worry I will...


----------



## Rico613

I'm planning to mod cable a new Senn HD800.  I've got some basic questions and will appreciate any help that will keep me out of the ditch on this project . . .
  
 What does nylon mesh sleeve size really mean?  If it is described as 1/2 inch is that a minimum, maximum, or average size?  Theoretically, if I had a 3/8" bundle of wires would It be better to get 1/4" and size up or get 1/2" and size it down?  
  
 Any problem using 4 x 18 AWG wire for headphone cable?  (Yes, it's solid silver and bloody expensive but I plan to keep the insulation fairly stiff to minimize bending.)
  
 Does anyone have experience with FEP Spaghetti Tubing?  I'm wondering if thin wall or light wall tubing will collapse when bent?   Is standard wall 1/32" too stiff when bundled X 4?
  
 Is there a good source for things like solid Y sleeves, rubber transition sleeves, other supplies & equipment?
  
 Well, that's the plan,  any advice will be greatly appreciated . . .


----------



## 65535

1) That's usually nominal ID so it'll fit over a diameter of that size. Some sleeving is expandable and fits a much larger size others don't.
  
 2) Yes 18AWG is far too large for headphone cable, solid wire will make that a headphone stand and not a cable. You'll either damage the connector on your amp or the connectors on your headphones, also there is no way 18AWG solid or stranded will fit in the custom Lemo connectors Sennheiser uses.
  
 3) Thin tubing will collapse if not properly installed, FEP is also pretty stiff unless it's incredibly thing like the insulation on wire. It wouldn't be a good part to use in a headphone cable.
  
 4) There are a few, mostly import and overpriced stuff usually.


----------



## PETEREK

I have searched for a little bit now trying to find a how-to on making a line-out interconnect (30 pin), but can't find anything. What goes into making one? I know I've seen somewhere that there are resistors (?) in the build?


----------



## TrollDragon

Right here good sir, iPods are included there as well with resistance values.
http://pinouts.ru/CellularPhones-A-N/iPhone_connector_pinout.shtml


----------



## PETEREK

I'm really loving TrollDragon lately.


----------



## TrollDragon

Did you have no love for me before...


----------



## MrEleventy




----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> Did you have no love for me before...



Hahahaha of course I did. 



mreleventy said:


>




No homo.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Should we all leaved you two alone.LOL


----------



## Lohb

With LITZ cabling, would applying silver solder at the ends be enough to remove the enamel.... or should the enamel removal be done separately before soldering the cable ?


----------



## TrollDragon

lohb said:


> With LITZ cabling, would applying silver solder at the ends be enough to remove the enamel.... or should the enamel removal be done separately before soldering the cable ?


 

 With the heavier stuff like 220/44 I was told that your really need a solder pot to actually tin the ends properly.
 I have a heavy stained glass iron around here if I need it but I'll try the 140/44 with my Weller first.


----------



## Rico613

I'd want to try some kind of solvent with a wire brush rather than burning the wires and forming god knows what kind of compound around the copper.  Granted I don't know much about it though . . .


----------



## TrollDragon

For the 240 strands of 44 AWG enameled and wrapped in silk, the solder pot would be the best method as the wire is .045" in diameter and the 140 strand I am going to use is .032" or 0.8mm


----------



## Lohb

trolldragon said:


> For the 240 strands of 44 AWG enameled and wrapped in silk, the solder pot would be the best method as the wire is .045" in diameter and the 140 strand I am going to use is .032" or 0.8mm


 

 Was 24awg total with 15 separate strands I think for reference.


----------



## TrollDragon

lohb said:


> Was 24awg total with 15 separate strands I think for reference.


For those wires I just get a good blob of solder on my iron and run the tip of the wire in and out of the solder blob. Eventually the enamel all burns off and the wire is tinned. Makes a mess of your iron but that cleans up easily.


----------



## Lohb

Thanks.


----------



## Canadian411

can you use the lighter ? ie zippo ?


----------



## TrollDragon

No flame... the strands are to fine they would just melt.


----------



## PETEREK

I hate enameled wire so much.


----------



## Zashoomin

Technically you are supposed to use a solder pot.


----------



## brybell

I was told I should post this here: 
  
 Hey, 
  
 I have some extra cat5e lying around and wanted to make some cables and do a little DIY.
  
 What is cat5 good for? I could use some rca to rca interconnects or stereo mini plug to rca. Would cat5 be good for either of these applications?
  
 After researching online I know in general how to make some cables, but can't find much detailed info.
  
 Any info would help, thanks! I would also like any recommended DIY projects for audio diy beginners  Thanks!


----------



## Canadian411

brybell said:


> I was told I should post this here:
> 
> Hey,
> 
> ...


 
  
  
 Short answer is yes, but I believe cat5e is designed to carry signals at very low power, conductors found in cat5e are not really designed to carry high power like speaker voltage.
 I think it's better for the headphone or interconnect cables but cat5e are really one conductor wire which is very stiff to work with.
 I have braided cat5e cables and turns out to be ugly unless you use the paracord sleeve to hide 
  
 FYI, please refer this site
  
 http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/cat5questions_e.html


----------



## punks15

Hey there, i'm curious what if i accidentally switched the wire for ground and signal for Mini to RCA , what will happen?


----------



## JacobLee89

punks15 said:


> Hey there, i'm curious what if i accidentally switched the wire for ground and signal for Mini to RCA , what will happen?


 
  
 Two possibilities come to my mind. You'd either get no sound, or could get potential damage to your parts. I could type more, but I'm treading into things I may not know enough about.


----------



## jodgey4

I think it depends on what got swapped where, and where the signal is going. Most likely, you'd just get no sound, or weird humming/buzzing.


----------



## 65535

Depends on where you mess up the wiring. You could get both signals to one side, shorted ground to signal which usually just means no sound, you could get both channels in both sides.
  
 Chances are it won't hurt anything, output impedance of most devices is high enough that even a dead short won't produce enough current flow to damage the output stage, inputs have even higher impedance so they're hard to kill with simply ground signal swaps.


----------



## hyper8

Would either Canare L-4e6s (starquad) or L-4e5c (mini-starquad) work with a Viablue T6S 3.5mm small plug?


----------



## Aegen

You guys know where I can buy Shure mmcx plugs (angled "L" preferred) in clear plastic? Lunashop has it but they send out random colors. 

Silver metal would also be good. Or any sites that sells a collection of Shure plugs for that matter.


----------



## TrollDragon

The Litz has arrived, 140 strands of 44 AWG all wrapped in silk. I'm going to sleeve this in Type 1 Paracord so I'll need to stop into Michaels tomorrow on the way home for some black and some white.


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> The Litz has arrived, 140 strands of 44 AWG all wrapped in silk. I'm going to sleeve this in Type 1 Paracord so I'll need to stop into Michaels tomorrow on the way home for some black and some white.


 
  
 Goodness, I feel all... tingly just seeing that.  Must. Fire. Up. Soldering. Iron!!!


----------



## Canadian411

trolldragon said:


> The Litz has arrived, 140 strands of 44 AWG all wrapped in silk. I'm going to sleeve this in Type 1 Paracord so I'll need to stop into Michaels tomorrow on the way home for some black and some white.




Can you tell me where did you get this cable? Link?

Thanks!!!!


----------



## TrollDragon

canadian411 said:


> Can you tell me where did you get this cable? Link?
> 
> Thanks!!!!


 

 This came from Scott's Electronic Parts.


----------



## Lohb

Guys could there be any issues if I try and convert over an iBasso PB2 Hirose plug to RSA/ALO type female port....
 There are 2 cables inside that would not hook up to the 4-pin RSA female port....


----------



## DJScope

trolldragon said:


> This came from Scott's Electronic Parts.




Do you know if this guy posts internationally? To Australia more specifically.


----------



## TrollDragon

djscope said:


> Do you know if this guy posts internationally? To Australia more specifically.


Sorry but I don't think he does, I had to ask him to make a small shipment to Canada.


----------



## DJScope

trolldragon said:


> Sorry but I don't think he does, I had to ask him to make a small shipment to Canada.




*sad panda face*


----------



## graphidz

trolldragon said:


> This came from Scott's Electronic Parts.


 
  
 Read that he doesn't ship internationally. Bummer. Maybe on demand?
 Anyway, how thick are yours? He didn't put the units on his site, so I wasn't sure. and 140 strands... isn't that stiff?


----------



## Lohb

graphidz said:


> Read that he doesn't ship internationally. Bummer. Maybe on demand?
> Anyway, how thick are yours? He didn't put the units on his site, so I wasn't sure. and 140 strands... isn't that stiff?


 

 Shipping forwarding.


----------



## TrollDragon

I'll put the calipers to it tonight when I get home and measure the thickness.


----------



## TrollDragon

The diameter of the 140/44 wire is 0.9mm or 0.035"


----------



## Kamakahah

trolldragon said:


> The diameter of the 140/44 wire is 0.9mm or 0.035"




So approximately 19awg. Pretty big.

Thanks for measuring it. Looks like I'll be going with something smaller in the 40-60 stand count of the 46awg.


----------



## jodgey4

So, I built my first cable from scratch today, an 8-strand Audeze SE cable from Mogami 28g, sleeved in paracord, DHC parts, Cardas Quad Eutectic solder. These darn cables are pretty tricky to make! Keeping track of where you are when braiding, getting all the paracord sleeving to not fray and to stay in place, getting the wires through the cord, remembering to put all the parts on before you solder/heatshrink/strain relief... getting the braiding to be tight and split from two groups of 4 to the big 8 braid cleanly and not too awkwardly... yikes! At least I know my soldering skills were more than up to the task, connections are solid and that's what matters!
  
 I've been discouraged enough, that I don't think I'll be attempting a balanced cable anytime soon. For what I'm doing, I can understand why people would pay up to $150 or so for a simple cable with non snake-oil parts! Heck, I'd pay someone $100 just to assemble the darn thing with my parts! It's so time consuming and headache-inducing! But I'm almost done, I'm going to add some hot glue in tomorrow to hold the sleeving in place at the connectors, and then I'll post pictures in the pictures thread. I'll never look at a handmade cable the same way again!


----------



## DJScope

jodgey4 said:


> So, I built my first cable from scratch today, an 8-strand Audeze SE cable from Mogami 28g, sleeved in paracord, DHC parts, Cardas Quad Eutectic solder. These darn cables are pretty tricky to make! Keeping track of where you are when braiding, getting all the paracord sleeving to not fray and to stay in place, getting the wires through the cord, remembering to put all the parts on before you solder/heatshrink/strain relief... getting the braiding to be tight and split from two groups of 4 to the big 8 braid cleanly and not too awkwardly... yikes! At least I know my soldering skills were more than up to the task, connections are solid and that's what matters!
> 
> I've been discouraged enough, that I don't think I'll be attempting a balanced cable anytime soon. For what I'm doing, I can understand why people would pay up to $150 or so for a simple cable with non snake-oil parts! Heck, I'd pay someone $100 just to assemble the darn thing with my parts! It's so time consuming and headache-inducing! But I'm almost done, I'm going to add some hot glue in tomorrow to hold the sleeving in place at the connectors, and then I'll post pictures in the pictures thread. I'll never look at a handmade cable the same way again!


 
  
 Each his own. I enjoy this sort of work.


----------



## jodgey4

I enjoyed the soldering and stuff, but the braiding isn't my strong suit... I'll need to practice more, that's all!


----------



## DJScope

jodgey4 said:


> I enjoyed the soldering and stuff, but the braiding isn't my strong suit... I'll need to practice more, that's all!


 
  
 I just got a bunch of wire and braided a dozen cables before i actually made my first braided cable. Once you get the hang of it it's a cake walk.


----------



## Canadian411

jodgey4 said:


> So, I built my first cable from scratch today, an 8-strand Audeze SE cable from Mogami 28g, sleeved in paracord, DHC parts, Cardas Quad Eutectic solder. These darn cables are pretty tricky to make! Keeping track of where you are when braiding, getting all the paracord sleeving to not fray and to stay in place, getting the wires through the cord, remembering to put all the parts on before you solder/heatshrink/strain relief... getting the braiding to be tight and split from two groups of 4 to the big 8 braid cleanly and not too awkwardly... yikes! At least I know my soldering skills were more than up to the task, connections are solid and that's what matters!
> 
> I've been discouraged enough, that I don't think I'll be attempting a balanced cable anytime soon. For what I'm doing, I can understand why people would pay up to $150 or so for a simple cable with non snake-oil parts! Heck, I'd pay someone $100 just to assemble the darn thing with my parts! It's so time consuming and headache-inducing! But I'm almost done, I'm going to add some hot glue in tomorrow to hold the sleeving in place at the connectors, and then I'll post pictures in the pictures thread. I'll never look at a handmade cable the same way again!


 
  
 Soldering is the easiest part 
 If you have a trouble maintaining wires during the braiding process you will need a clip to hold or the square kumihimo plate.
  
 I've made 16 conductors cables before and knowing that I only have 10 fingers I knew I needed an extra device


----------



## graphidz

trolldragon said:


> The diameter of the 140/44 wire is 0.9mm or 0.035"


 
  
 Woot. Thanks for measuring! I don't have much experience with cable size, so not sure if 1mm is considered thick. But since usually people go for around 26AWG for cables, guess I'll go for 20/44 for my next project. Assuming he could ship internationally.


----------



## fenderf4i

hyper8 said:


> Would either Canare L-4e6s (starquad) or L-4e5c (mini-starquad) work with a Viablue T6S 3.5mm small plug?


 
  
  
  
 Both will, the larger L4E6S easily fits in the Viablue T6S 3.5mm (I have both of those items right here).


----------



## jodgey4

canadian411 said:


> Soldering is the easiest part
> If you have a trouble maintaining wires during the braiding process you will need a clip to hold or the square kumihimo plate.
> 
> I've made 16 conductors cables before and knowing that I only have 10 fingers I knew I needed an extra device




Haha, yeah. Where's the best place to get one of those braiding plates? Also, any advice on how to make the y-split clean?


----------



## fenderf4i

jodgey4 said:


> Haha, yeah. Where's the best place to get one of those braiding plates? Also, any advice on how to make the y-split clean?





I've used the Plussound Audio Y-splitter, it's very nice and compact. http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


----------



## Kamakahah

fenderf4i said:


> I've used the Plussound Audio Y-splitter, it's very nice and compact. http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


 
 +1. It's small and sleek. I think the silver one shows off the fact that it's plastic a bit too much but the black looks nice. Many Y-splits are large and even heavy at times. The Plussound one is very nice. It's small form and light weight make me think it was designed for IEMs/CIEMs, but it'll work great as long as you aren't running an 8-braid of individually sleeved wires.


----------



## fenderf4i

kamakahah said:


> +1. It's small and sleek. I think the silver one shows off the fact that it's plastic a bit too much but the black looks nice. Many Y-splits are large and even heavy at times. The Plussound one is very nice. It's small form and light weight make me think it was designed for IEMs/CIEMs, but it'll work great as long as you aren't running an 8-braid of individually sleeved wires.





They're not plastic, both colours are anodized aluminum.


----------



## Kamakahah

fenderf4i said:


> They're not plastic, both colours are anodized aluminum.




Well alright, just felt and looked that way. Good to know. Still prefer the black one. 
Thanks for the correction.


----------



## fenderf4i

kamakahah said:


> Well alright, just felt and looked that way. Good to know. Still prefer the black one.
> Thanks for the correction.





With small items that are thin walled, I agree aluminum can get confused with plastic!


----------



## Lohb

jodgey4 said:


> Haha, yeah. Where's the best place to get one of those braiding plates? Also, any advice on how to make the y-split clean?


 

 I use no y-splitter now...just clear shrink.......the y-split before kept catching under desks and pulling my cans off....drove me insane....same with xlr's...built like a tank but just too heavy....switched them out for M/F RSA plugs.....brilliant.


----------



## jodgey4

fenderf4i said:


> I've used the Plussound Audio Y-splitter, it's very nice and compact. http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


 
 I shoulda clarified more, I had DHC splitters (look great and match the other plugs), but of course you can't fit all that wire through them. For my split, I just round-4-strand braided each side down from the mini-XLR about 18", then just started straight into the round-8-strand braid. No splitters, shrink, or anything. Maybe I just need to tighten up that section more by hand, I was just worried I'd lose track of which strand is where or whatever. I have a few ideas in my head of things I'd like to try. The DIY bug is back already!


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> The Litz has arrived, 140 strands of 44 AWG all wrapped in silk. I'm going to sleeve this in Type 1 Paracord so I'll need to stop into Michaels tomorrow on the way home for some black and some white.


 


Spoiler: 140/44 Litz wire pic






>


 
  


  
 I'm planning on getting some form of Litz wire from Scott's, but I'm not sure about the sizes.  My plan is a four-conductor cable terminated with HiFiMAN SMCs and a Neutrik NP3X plug.  I'd like to use 95 lbs. paracord from Paracord Planet (two colors, braided).  The 140/44 seems like it will be a little thicker and stiffer than I'd like, though that's a guess.
  
 Aside from any obvious problems I may have overlooked, I'd appreciate some feedback on the gauges listed here:
 http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/index1/Litz-Wire-Supplier.html
  
 I was thinking 80/46 or 100/46, the latter being nominally thicker (0.508mm vs. 0.5588mm, converting the measurements listed).  I'm guessing the 100/46 will fit in the 95 lbs. paracord easily enough, without being too slack.  I've never done a braided cable, but I'm guessing too much slack makes it more difficult to achieve a clean look.
  
 Thoughts, esp. about wire gauge and tips re: soldering?
  
 Thanks.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

For those of you who have HD 600/650 what type of DIY upgrade cable did you use?
 I need to make a shorter cable for mine this long cable is annoying.


----------



## MrEleventy

When I had them, I used mogami starquad. Forgot which model number but I believe it was the mini.


----------



## DVass13

i luvmusic 2 said:


> For those of you who have HD 600/650 what type of DIY upgrade cable did you use?
> I need to make a shorter cable for mine this long cable is annoying.


 
  
 I simply bought a replacement cable from Sennheiser for like $15, chopped it to the length I wanted, and added a Neutrik connector (4-pin XLR in my case). It's nice quality and only cost me about $20 total. I have done custom paracord sleeved and braided cables before, but the ease of just taking an existing cable and modding it seemed worth it.
  
 It looks like there aren't any cables on Sennheiser's website, but you can get them for ~$23 off amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0028PGXRE)


----------



## i luvmusic 2

mreleventy said:


> When I had them, I used mogami starquad. Forgot which model number but I believe it was the mini.


 
 I have a leftover MOGAMI 2893 from my previous cable build but this one is Thin i believed it's AWG 28.THANK YOU!


----------



## i luvmusic 2

dvass13 said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > For those of you who have HD 600/650 what type of DIY upgrade cable did you use?
> ...


 
 I can just cut off this stock cable i have and install a 1/4 TRS but i like the look of the custom made.Thank you! for the suggestion.


----------



## DVass13

i luvmusic 2 said:


> I can just cut off this stock cable i have and install a 1/4 TRS but i like the look of the custom made.Thank you! for the suggestion.


 
  
 In that case, I've used Mogami W2534 with type 3 paracord from (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H84YVRE) with good success.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

dvass13 said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > I can just cut off this stock cable i have and install a 1/4 TRS but i like the look of the custom made.Thank you! for the suggestion.
> ...


 
 Thank You!


----------



## Lohb

lohb said:


> Guys could there be any issues if I try and convert over an iBasso PB2 Hirose plug to RSA/ALO type female port....
> There are 2 cables inside that would not hook up to the 4-pin RSA female port....


 

 BUMP.
  
 Would I have grounding issues if it were possible to substitute in a Kobiconn female port plug over the Hirose one with the 2 remaining internal cables (cables 1NC +4NC headphone channel wiring config diagram above) not being soldered in ?


----------



## TrollDragon

lohb said:


> BUMP.
> 
> Would I have grounding issues if it were possible to substitute in a Kobiconn female port plug over the Hirose one with the 2 remaining internal cables (cables 1NC +4NC headphone channel wiring config diagram above) not being soldered in ?


I personally can't see any issue with that since they are labeled as NC (No Connection) for headphone hookup.


----------



## TrollDragon

thurstonx said:


> I'm planning on getting some form of Litz wire from Scott's, but I'm not sure about the sizes.  My plan is a four-conductor cable terminated with HiFiMAN SMCs and a Neutrik NP3X plug.  I'd like to use 95 lbs. paracord from Paracord Planet (two colors, braided).  The 140/44 seems like it will be a little thicker and stiffer than I'd like, though that's a guess.
> 
> Aside from any obvious problems I may have overlooked, I'd appreciate some feedback on the gauges listed here:
> http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/index1/Litz-Wire-Supplier.html
> ...


Hey ThurstonX,

The 140/44 is my first use with this wire so I can't really comment on the thicknesses or flexibility of the other sizes he sells. All of the 44 AWG wire is served (wrapped) in very fine silk the other sizes are served in nylon which I don't think would be as flexible.

The 140/44 fits easily in Type I (95) Paracord so anything less would fit as well.

I soldered the 140/44 with my old Weller TCP iron that has a 700 degree wide tip installed. I used a little solder paste on the wire and heated up a big blob of Kester 60/40 solder on the iron. Putting the wire end in and out of the blob will clean it and tin it, you just have to keep adding a little solder while you do it. Lots of solder drips so protect your workbench, the enamel also makes a proper mess of your iron so keep a wet cleaning sponge handy.

If you have no experience soldering then this wire will be quite frustrating to work with.

Others have also ordered some, so hopefully they will chime in with their experience.


----------



## graphidz

trolldragon said:


> Hey ThurstonX,
> 
> The 140/44 is my first use with this wire so I can't really comment on the thicknesses or flexibility of the other sizes he sells. All of the 44 AWG wire is served (wrapped) in very fine silk the other sizes are served in nylon which I don't think would be as flexible.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Sounds complicated. Can't just solder like you'd normally would solder stuff?


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> Hey ThurstonX,
> 
> The 140/44 is my first use with this wire so I can't really comment on the thicknesses or flexibility of the other sizes he sells. All of the 44 AWG wire is served (wrapped) in very fine silk the other sizes are served in nylon which I don't think would be as flexible.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for feedback!  I went ahead and ordered the 100/46 yesterday.  I've only worked with Mogami W2799 (and the thicker version; can't recall the exact number.... W2893?), which is four-conductor and, guessing, nylon covered.  Each wire of the four measures 1mm with the serving(?), and just in their normal twisted configuration are really flexible after removing the outer sheath and copper shielding.  So the 100/46 should be good, based on his posted measurements.
  
 Thanks a ton for the soldering tips.  I reckon it'll go smoothly enough.


----------



## ThurstonX

graphidz said:


> Sounds complicated. Can't just solder like you'd normally would solder stuff?


 
  
 On the site, he says his Litz wire is easy to solder, though he leaves it at that.


----------



## Eternalmetal

I just started building my first audio cable for my AKG K-702s with the Blue Dragon cable, Furutech FP-704, and a Rean 3-pin mini XLR connector (has yet to arrive).  I am using Cardas quad eutectic solder and flux for the connections, and heat shrink for sealing and helping minimize movement near the connections.  While im not finished with the cable, I decided to share a few photos of my progress.  Im very inexperienced when it comes to soldering so it will be interesting to see if this works.
  



  

  
 I decided to put a piece of heat shrink inside the connector to provide some additional strain relief, but I think the cable looks better without it.
  

  
 So far so good, now im just waiting for the mini-XLR to arrive in the mail.  From the looks of it I expect the mini-XLR to be easier to solder than the Furutech was, I never had to solder to a plate before.


----------



## graphidz

thurstonx said:


> On the site, he says his Litz wire is easy to solder, though he leaves it at that.


 
  
 Guess it means you can just solder like any other cables then. I guess.
  


eternalmetal said:


> I just started building my first audio cable for my AKG K-702s with the Blue Dragon cable, Furutech FP-704, and a Rean 3-pin mini XLR connector (has yet to arrive).  I am using Cardas quad eutectic solder and flux for the connections, and heat shrink for sealing and helping minimize movement near the connections.  While im not finished with the cable, I decided to share a few photos of my progress.  Im very inexperienced when it comes to soldering so it will be interesting to see if this works.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Oh don't worry. Looks 10 times better than what I did on my cable lol.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I don't know about K702 but for my Q701 the wiring is reversed you maybe need to check that.


----------



## ThurstonX

i luvmusic 2 said:


> I don't know about K702 but for my Q701 the wiring is reversed you maybe need to check that.


 
  
 +1 with Q701.  Definitely worth checking.


----------



## roughington

I was wondering what budget cable options are out there I want to make a braided cable for my HFI 780's that I am modding and I wanted to terminate them in mini xlr 4 pin to 3.5mm i might sleeve them too but I am still unsure but the pictures that some people have posted inspire me to do so. Any help would be greatly appreciated I'd would like my cables to cost < 2USD per foot


----------



## TrollDragon

You are going to put tiny xlr sockets in your HFI-780's? Are you mounting them on the outside as they won't fit inside the cup.


----------



## Kamakahah

roughington said:


> I was wondering what budget cable options are out there I want to make a braided cable for my HFI 780's that I am modding and I wanted to terminate them in mini xlr 4 pin to 3.5mm i might sleeve them too but I am still unsure but the pictures that some people have posted inspire me to do so. Any help would be greatly appreciated I'd would like my cables to cost < 2USD per foot




Mogami or canare star quad is the way to go on a budget. It's $0.50-1.00/ft. Each foot has 4 wires, so your essentially getting 4 feet of wire for that price. 
The trade offs are:
1. You'll have to strip the cable down to get the wire for braiding.
2. The wire comes in predetermined colors that you might not want if you don't plan on sleeving them in Type I paracord before braiding.
3. The liberated wire will have kinks as a result of their twisted configuration inside the cable.

Lots of cable makers sell DIY wire for less than $2/ft. Many of the listed in this thread.


----------



## roughington

Much thanks but If I were to braid 4 wires together what braid pattern should I go with? Or should I take a trip down to the local salon


----------



## jodgey4

There's a link to braiding patterns on the first page of this thread.


----------



## DJScope

roughington said:


> Much thanks but If I were to braid 4 wires together what braid pattern should I go with? Or should I take a trip down to the local salon


 
  
 http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos/4strand.htm
  
 Enjoy!


----------



## roughington

Thanks


----------



## TrollDragon

Well the Lemo right angle PCB sockets are way too large to fit in the T50RP cups so that is out. I am not going to purchase any Lemo chassis mount sockets, so does anyone want to trade for some tiny xlr stuff. Shoot me a PM if you do.


----------



## roughington

does anyone have any experience with BTG-Audio's cables?


----------



## Eternalmetal

graphidz said:


> Oh don't worry. Looks 10 times better than what I did on my cable lol.


 
  
 Thanks for the encouragement.  I wasnt really sure what to think, but im not a stranger to tedious work so im hoping it is good enough.


thurstonx said:


> +1 with Q701.  Definitely worth checking.


 
 Yea, they are backwards on the K-702 as well.  Pin 2 goes to the ring and not the tip like on a standard cable.


----------



## Kamakahah

roughington said:


> does anyone have any experience with BTG-Audio's cables?




Yup.


----------



## roughington

anything I should know before buying 20 feet of wiring?


----------



## Kamakahah

roughington said:


> anything I should know before buying 20 feet of wiring?




Not really. It's just like Mogami wire. 
Works great. Never had any issues related to Brian's wire or service.

Is there a specific concern that you have?


----------



## roughington

Not really I was torn between this and mogami, mogami is technically cheaper but I would have to strip down the wire to get the 4 wires to braid them, and I need to know what sleeve patterns to use I need to know what 3.5 plug to use it's so frustrating and exciting!!! Can you tell this is my first major modding job?


----------



## Kamakahah

roughington said:


> Not really I was torn between this and mogami, mogami is technically cheaper but I would have to strip down the wire to get the 4 wires to braid them, and I need to know what sleeve patterns to use I need to know what 3.5 plug to use it's so frustrating and exciting!!! Can you tell this is my first major modding job?




The BTG Will make your first time less stressful. Just take your time. Remember to put on all the heatsink and connector pieces that need to before soldering. Have fun. It's pretty satisfying seeing it completed.


----------



## graphidz

roughington said:


> Not really I was torn between this and mogami, mogami is technically cheaper but I would have to strip down the wire to get the 4 wires to braid them, and I need to know what sleeve patterns to use I need to know what 3.5 plug to use it's so frustrating and exciting!!! Can you tell this is my first major modding job?


 
  
 Why would you want to strip the insulator though? Might as well get single conductor cables instead to save time and trouble. For the plugs, I try not to think about it much since I'm not into the debate "XXX changes sound sig". What matters most would be the size you need to get. Diameter size specifically.


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> Well the Lemo right angle PCB sockets are way too large to fit in the T50RP cups so that is out. I am not going to purchase any Lemo chassis mount sockets, so does anyone want to trade for some tiny xlr stuff. Shoot me a PM if you do.


 
 NOOOOOO!!!


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> NOOOOOO!!!


Yup major suckage, I just ordered 4 tiny xlr's from Redco two plugs and two sockets...


----------



## graphidz

Oh yeah, if you don't have a drill to make a hole in the T50RP, you can use the soldering rod to do the job. Be careful of the fume though. LOL


----------



## uncola

Made a video demonstrating how easy it is to shrink heatshrink with a hairdryer, just because I was unsure when starting out and I think this will help peoples confidence


----------



## Eternalmetal

eternalmetal said:


> Thanks for the encouragement.  I wasnt really sure what to think, but im not a stranger to tedious work so im hoping it is good enough.
> Yea, they are backwards on the K-702 as well.  Pin 2 goes to the ring and not the tip like on a standard cable.


 
 My mini-XLR connectors finally came in today!  Thankfully I bought a few extras, because even after numerous reminders, I accidentally followed the wrong wiring diagram and wound up swapping the left and right channels.  Though tbh im just glad to see that my soldering job was effective since it sounds great.  This kind of hampers my initial side by side impressions, but it didnt take long for me to see that my DIY Blue Dragon cable takes a slight haziness away from the sound and makes things sound a little clearer.  I really wasnt expecting a drastic difference or anything, but I am actually quite impressed that I could squeeze a noticeable amount of performance out of a headphone by just replacing it's cable.  Ive heard some people make comments that their cables initially didnt sound good until they burned in, is this sometimes true?  
  
 I found this project to be very gratifying, I think I could get used to doing DIY stuff like this more often.  Gotta fix my cable first though, lol


----------



## roughington

eternalmetal said:


> My mini-XLR connectors finally came in today!  Thankfully I bought a few extras, because even after numerous reminders, I accidentally followed the wrong wiring diagram and wound up swapping the left and right channels.  Though tbh im just glad to see that my soldering job was effective since it sounds great.  This kind of hampers my initial side by side impressions, but it didnt take long for me to see that my DIY Blue Dragon cable takes a slight haziness away from the sound and makes things sound a little clearer.  I really wasnt expecting a drastic difference or anything, but I am actually quite impressed that I could squeeze a noticeable amount of performance out of a headphone by just replacing it's cable.  Ive heard some people make comments that their cables initially didnt sound good until they burned in, is this sometimes true?
> 
> I found this project to be very gratifying, I think I could get used to doing DIY stuff like this more often.  Gotta fix my cable first though, lol


 
 what mini xlr connectors did you get I think i should go with the neutrik ones but i have no clue


----------



## uncola

I got the ones from redco and I regret it, the neutrik rean ones seem better and easier to work with.  My headphone came with some cables using neutrik rean and they feel more metally


----------



## Eternalmetal

roughington said:


> what mini xlr connectors did you get I think i should go with the neutrik ones but i have no clue


 
 I used the Neutrik Rean RT3FC-B, which seems to be the connector most prefer.  It feels like a well designed connector and fits perfectly into my AKG K-702.  I really have no complaints with it.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

So your K702 wiring is not reversed?The Q701 is reversed wiring.


----------



## TrollDragon

uncola said:


> I got the ones from redco and I regret it...


 
 I ordered a pair of plugs and sockets the other day. Whats wrong with the Redco versions? Don't tell me they are total junk like some of the Lunashops connectors...


----------



## fenderf4i

The Redco mini-xlr connectors are the Switchcraft brand (TA4B etc.). They're good connectors and inexpensive. The best I've used so far are the Furutech. Pricey, but very very nice.


----------



## Eternalmetal

i luvmusic 2 said:


> So your K702 wiring is not reversed?The Q701 is reversed wiring.


 
 No it is, so I had to rewire it since I looked at the 'normal' schematic when I first soldered it.  I already knew what I had to do and still did it wrong, lol
  
 Here are some pictures of the Rean mini-XLR connector being soldered.  It should give anyone an idea what the connector is like, plus I want to show off my build 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  


  

  
 The hardest part of all this was probably soldering on the ground ring.  Fortunately the documentation says it is optional so you dont need to put it on.  I manipulated it too much when I tried to solder it on yesterday, and it wouldnt fit into the housing.
  

  

 I had to cut the rubber connector/strain relief that screws into the outside of the connector since the hole was too small for the wire.  Of course this is not shown since I added my own strain relief via heat shrink tubing.
  

  
 And my first cable is finally complete and in proper working order!


----------



## TrollDragon

Excellent, thanks for the Redco info.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

eternalmetal said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > So your K702 wiring is not reversed?The Q701 is reversed wiring.
> ...


 
  When i did mine for the Q701 i stripped off the insulator and the shield leaving just the four conductors twisted then i sleeved it with a paracord so the heatshrink will fit nicely inside the barrel no heatshrink visible from out side.


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> I ordered a pair of plugs and sockets the other day. Whats wrong with the Redco versions? Don't tell me they are total junk like some of the Lunashops connectors...


 
  
 I've only used the Redco 3-pin mini XLR plug, but I had no problem with it.


----------



## graphidz

eternalmetal said:


>


 
  
 You're gonna regret doing your heatshrink like that. I know at least I did. Didn't last long. Heatshrink became loose, especially when you move your cables a lot.


----------



## uncola

Trolldragon I posted pics in this thread showing my assembly of the redco. They are OK and I think the same as switch craft but neutrik look nicer for sure and have the neutrik plastic clamp thing for strain relief I insulation and use more metal


----------



## TrollDragon

uncola said:


> Trolldragon I posted pics in this thread showing my assembly of the redco. They are OK and I think the same as switch craft but neutrik look nicer for sure and have the neutrik plastic clamp thing for strain relief I insulation and use more metal


 
 Yes that's right I remember your build, that poor blistered finger.


----------



## roughington

I can't find anywhere that has the neutrik 4pin male connectors anywhere


----------



## Kamakahah

roughington said:


> I can't find anywhere that has the neutrik 4pin male connectors anywhere




Mouser.com


----------



## roughington

Thanks now all I need is an amazing looking plug to use and my recable is complete


----------



## Kamakahah

roughington said:


> Thanks now all I need is an amazing looking plug to use and my recable is complete




FT-763 (R)


----------



## Rico613

kamakahah said:


> roughington said:
> 
> 
> > I can't find anywhere that has the neutrik 4pin male connectors anywhere
> ...


 
 Here's another source:  http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/XLR-Connectors/Neutrik-USA-Inc/NC4FXX-B.xhtml


----------



## ThurstonX

kamakahah said:


> FT-763 (R)


 
  
 Sexy, yes, but at that price I think some truly double-blind comparisons are in order.  I can build two or three cables for a connector.  If you just won the lottery, OTOH, go for it.


----------



## fenderf4i

kamakahah said:


> FT-763 (R)





I used their mini-XLR's on my build. They're very, very nice.


----------



## Kamakahah

thurstonx said:


> Sexy, yes, but at that price I think some truly double-blind comparisons are in order.  I can build two or three cables for a connector.  If you just won the lottery, OTOH, go for it.




I agree. I just posted it because it's sexy and very unlikely to grace any of my cables unless I 100% find my endgame and just want to be done. We all know that doesn't ever happen, so these won't either.



fenderf4i said:


> I used their mini-XLR's on my build. They're very, very nice.




Very nice indeed.


----------



## roughington

I don't know if playing 40usd is worth it for just 1 plug any other suggestions?


----------



## Kamakahah

roughington said:


> I don't know if playing 40usd is worth it for just 1 plug any other suggestions?




Neutrik NP3X-B. 
My go-to favorite. I think it's pretty sexy looking for not being boutique. The build quality is amazing and easy to work with. You really can't go wrong with it. It fits your Neutrik theme as well.

Edit: Almost forgot, the price is right.


----------



## ThurstonX

kamakahah said:


> Neutrik NP3X-B.
> My go-to favorite. I think it's pretty sexy looking for not being boutique. The build quality is amazing and easy to work with. You really can't go wrong with it. It fits your Neutrik theme as well.
> 
> Edit: Almost forgot, the price is right.


 
  
 +1  Just picked up a couple of the silver versions from eBay; best price I could find.


----------



## Eternalmetal

graphidz said:


> You're gonna regret doing your heatshrink like that. I know at least I did. Didn't last long. Heatshrink became loose, especially when you move your cables a lot.


 
  
 I actually regretted it immediately after I heatshrinked it.  Not only do I not like the way it looks, it didnt really hold and one side has already come down past the rubber screw connector.  Im going to redo it and make it look better, but im still just happy listening to my first DIY cable.  I didnt really expect it to make much of a difference, but the more I listen to it the more I realize that it is indeed clearer.  Ive had these cans for about 5 years now, so im more than used to how they sound, and the new cable adds more clarity to the upper mid range to highs.  The lower end sounds unchanged, but I really dont know how to listen for "clearer" bass so I dont think I would notice really subtle changes.  Sorry for rambling, im just pleasantly surprised that the difference is more than just placebo.
  
 Btw, I impulse bought a pair of Klipsch R6s a little while ago after I lost my Westone W4s at the gym (FML), and I kind of regret not ordering a better pair online.  Not only are they overly bass heavy and veiled, but the flat cable on these make so much damn noise when I move that I was wondering how hard it would be to recable them.  Should I attempt to cut into the rubber and replace the cables at the soldering point, or could I cheat a little and just strip the cable right out of the connector and add a little heatshrink to it to seal it up?  I dont think I would be too disappointed if I ruined this pair of IEMs, but it would be nice if I could at least stop the obnoxious cable noise and it couldnt hurt to do a little DIYing to them 
  
 Here is a pic of the IEMs im working with: 
  

 /I hope this is the right thread to ask this question..


----------



## Zashoomin

fenderf4i said:


> I used their mini-XLR's on my build. They're very, very nice.


 
 These are VERY nice.  They are to date my favorite mini xlr's


----------



## iamj

Hi all, 
  
 Please excuse my ignorance, I hope you can point me in the right direction. I have dabbled with a soldering iron before but never for audio equipment. I am looking to practice by making a LOD before attempting to make some rca interconnects for my turntable, phono preamp and amp as I still have the ones they came with. 
  
 I could just buy a Fiio L3 for about £8 (might do anyway), but where's the fun in that? I think I can source everything I need, but am completely confused by all the options regarding wires. I'd like to keep costs reasonable whilst getting a better sounding & looking interconnect than the Fiio. 
  
 I read in some DIY threads that people have used wire such as Starquad or Mundorf Silver/Gold 0.5mm etc but when I search for it there are so many options I just get baffled. 
  
 I have found http://www.hificollective.co.uk/components/wire.html and http://www.canford.co.uk/Cables in the UK so far, but when 1m of the Mundorf is £15+VAT(20%) that seems to be a long way off DIY threads saying they can make them for less than $10 and I don't know if any of the Canford wires are appropriate. I appreciate I won't be using all of the 1m but still, I'm not going to have much use for it after, unless I make a few and sell the others. 
  
 The Mundorf just seems too expensive, would one of the Neotech options be more appropriate or am I looking at the wrong wire?
  
 If someone could advise where I could find out a bit more about the different wires and their uses or give me some wire options from the above sites it would be much appreciated.
  
 Thanks for any advice


----------



## JacobLee89

iamj said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Please excuse my ignorance, I hope you can point me in the right direction. I have dabbled with a soldering iron before but never for audio equipment. I am looking to practice by making a LOD before attempting to make some rca interconnects for my turntable, phono preamp and amp as I still have the ones they came with.
> 
> ...


 
  
 For interconnects you have less to worry about than headphone cables. Though for some, matching cable material is almost an obligation.
  
 Because you are indeed looking at getting materials, it's difficult to find anything that's cheap once you calculate postage and package. Be prepared to spend up to £30 on your project. I've made a cable for my HD650's which totalled up to £90 if I included the additional materials I bought: just in case I messed up.
  
 The cable itself, you can choose anything that's either silver, SPC (Silver plated copper), or oxygen free copper (OFC). Van Damme has some good selection of cables on ebay and they sell by the metre, those cables of course will need to be stripped if you want the fancy braided appearance. As for the guage, you better make your own decisions after reading up on this: http://www.laventure.net/tourist/cables.htm#gauge
  
 You also mentioned the Fiio L3, which means you probably have to source an Apple connector. The price on that is up in the air since I do not know where it can be sourced.


----------



## iamj

Thank you, although at this point I'm not sure if it cleared things up or just gave me more to think about! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 The dock connector is the only issue as I can't seem to find any uk stockists, but I will be able to get it from Qables as a last resort.
  
 Also, if anyone in the UK could list their go to DIY component websites/stockists I would really appreciate it, they seem thin on the ground.


----------



## JacobLee89

iamj said:


> Thank you, although at this point I'm not sure if it cleared things up or just gave me more to think about!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 One thing I do alot when starting off any DIY projects is to look at what manufacturers are already doing and what DIY'ers are using: what metal/guage/sleeves they use, and make select choices from that information. It's a slightly less informed way, but at least you can't go wrong if you follow similar guidelines.
  
 The last cable project, I used some Van Damme XKE Starquad cables. Because of how it's wired internally I had to strip the entire cable down and go the braiding route, but the conductor uses several strands of SPC as well as OFC. I wanted to sleeve it, but I have nothing long enough to cover it.
  

  
 Now I'm slowly being vexed by it's appearance... Need to find some clearcoat that's flexible enough so that I can make the cables more durable...


----------



## iamj

For me, it's a case of trying to match the wire mentioned in DIY Threads to the actual wire I can find as the descriptions always seem different. 
  
 I just found I can pick up the VD XKE Starquad in my local Maplin which might be good for a few practice cables. 
  
 From what I've been reading I would like to try both Silver and Copper single core cables to see if I can a) tell the difference & b) see if I prefer one (I have read silver can be brighter) and also, after reading your link I'd like to try say a 30 gauge wire in a 20 gauge sheath to see if it makes a difference I can hear compared to the correct size sheathing. 
  
 I like the look of yours and a clear coat outer would look tidy, although I may end up sticking some techflex over any braiding anyway.


----------



## VortexBlast

Here are my new DIY cables:
 First one is an RCA Connector composed of a Viablue NF-S1 Quattro Silver Cable and 1877 Phono OCC RCA Connectors for connecting my DAC to my Schiit Lyr.



  
 Next is an 8 strand braid Mogami Neglex W2534 Cable with Neutrik right angle mini plugs for my T50RP. This was a challenge to wire it up since it's impossible to fit 8 conductors in that tiny jack

  
 And next is a Furutech FP-314Ag Power Cable with Furutech FI-E11-N1 (G) Gold Shuko and IEC Plugs.


 Now I was told by the seller to wire up the power cable with the arrow on the jacket pointing towards the IEC Connector (ie. following the flow of the current) and I did that but what if I wired it up the other way? What would happen?
 And also on the jacket of my Viablue Cable, there's also an arrow, does that suppose to indicate the way the current supposed to travel too (ie. from the source to the amp)?


----------



## roughington

vortexblast said:


> Here are my new DIY cables:
> First one is an RCA Connector composed of a Viablue NF-S1 Quattro Silver Cable and 1877 Phono OCC RCA Connectors for connecting my DAC to my Schiit Lyr.
> 
> 
> ...




Firstly nice looking cables I was going to braid my mogami cables too but I got too lazy burning don't think it should or else the way you plug in a male to male connector would matter


----------



## PETEREK

Guys, I am having the hardest time finding a place to buy a 4 pin balanced connector, specifically a Furutech. Please, someone link me.


----------



## DJScope

peterek said:


> Guys, I am having the hardest time finding a place to buy a 4 pin balanced connector, specifically a Furutech. Please, someone link me.


 
  
 http://www.furutech.com/distributors/america/


----------



## Zashoomin

peterek said:


> Guys, I am having the hardest time finding a place to buy a 4 pin balanced connector, specifically a Furutech. Please, someone link me.


 
 http://www.moon-audio.com/diy-audio-parts/furutech-ft-610mf-r-high-performance-mini-xlr-connector-4-pins.html


----------



## PETEREK

Thanks guys


----------



## drez

vortexblast said:


> Here are my new DIY cables:
> First one is an RCA Connector composed of a Viablue NF-S1 Quattro Silver Cable and 1877 Phono OCC RCA Connectors for connecting my DAC to my Schiit Lyr.
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 V nice.  I have ordered some of the new Furutech power plugs - apparently the strain relief is now metal?  I had issues with the old model cracking, I guess others did too.  Should arrive this week some time...


----------



## graphidz

vortexblast said:


> Next is an 8 strand braid Mogami Neglex W2534 Cable with Neutrik right angle mini plugs for my T50RP. This was a challenge to wire it up since it's impossible to fit 8 conductors in that tiny jack


 
  
 Very nice and neat. I'm planning to do something like this too in the future. How's the cable microphonics? And is it stiff on the verge of being annoying?


----------



## VortexBlast

graphidz said:


> Very nice and neat. I'm planning to do something like this too in the future. How's the cable microphonics? And is it stiff on the verge of being annoying?




It really depends on how tight you braid the cable. Do it tightly, there will be more microphonics and it'll be stiffer but do it loosely and there'll be less microphonics and more flexible.
In this case though, I did it a bit tight. It has some microphonics but it's really not bad and it's not too stiff with just enough flexibility to be used comfortably outside.


----------



## eertelppa

Well over the years people have helped me and I ordered some supplies, yet it has sat there. After buying a home, getting settled in it, and working on my main hobby of photography, my Grado 325i cups are falling apart. So with changing out the cups my next to do list, I noticed I still have a box of supplies...unused. 
  
 1) Anyway, how difficult is it for me to change out my cord if I wanted to?
 2) I have a Hakko 888 (if I remember correctly)
 3) I own a hands free gator clip thingamajig
 4) Own the following wire...bought from navships on ebay.
 - 25' 24 AWG 19 strand (black)
 - 25' 24 AWG 19 strand (white)
 - 25' 24 AWG 19 strand (red)
 - 50' 28 AWG stranded (black)
 Will these work? Should I order 26 AWG 19 strand instead? Wire isn't that expensive and I guess color won't matter since I am covering it all up. 
 5) I remember printing countless information on fabric sheathing, cotton, unbleached cotton, nylon, teflon, silk, etc etc. Yet to buy anything though. It seems like paracord is common around here now. Other viable options?
 6) Never could decided on which plugs I wanted even after reading about all the different kinds. Something nice, professional, and don't mind it costing, but nothing ridiculous. 
 7) Shrink wrap stuff. I remember looking into this as well, but never knew what sizes I needed, how much, etc. 
  
 I was planning (IIRC) to take the wires, sheath them, litz braid them, and make a new classy looking cable for my headphones. It never got done and would appreciate some pointers to get it actually complete. 
  
 Thanks for any advice.


----------



## DJScope

eertelppa said:


> Well over the years people have helped me and I ordered some supplies, yet it has sat there. After buying a home, getting settled in it, and working on my main hobby of photography, my Grado 325i cups are falling apart. So with changing out the cups my next to do list, I noticed I still have a box of supplies...unused.
> 
> 1) Anyway, how difficult is it for me to change out my cord if I wanted to?
> 2) I have a Hakko 888 (if I remember correctly)
> ...


 
  
 I bought 26AWG silver plated cable to try it out and personally I think they're too thin for everyday use. Though they can be good for IEMs. Though I've proven that theory wrong because my most used cable is a 1.5m cable made from it and it has last 3 months of torture. I think 24AWG is perfect in terms of "looks". This is because when you quad braid the 26AWG cables, the total diameter becomes just under 3mm, but 24AWG is just under 4mm which is a much neater finish with plugs which are made for a 4mm cable diameter. Especially looks nice when done right with some heat shrink.


----------



## PETEREK

I like using 26awg wore for cables. In my opinion it's the perfect flexibility and durability. For IEM cables I'd want 28awg.


----------



## Kamakahah

eertelppa

1. Pretty simple to do. Just go easy on the time you apply heat. Use some extra flux if you have it. Pick up some solder wick to clean up the pads before you resolder. 

2. That Hakko is perfect. You can adjust your temperature accordingly.

3.The helping hands are helpful. Lol I have a couple.

4. Any of those wires will work. Anything 24-28 awg is what I would recommend. I've man-handled an interconnect that I made with 28 awg to see if I could cause a malfunction, nothing. Taking your time and building it correctly with good solder joints and strain relief trumps a larger awg any day; However, keep 19 strands as a minimum. The higher the better for increased durability and flexibility.

5. Paracord or nylon multifilament. Both are cost effective and work well. They can be bought from many suppliers and eBay.

6. Depends on how important style is to you. You can't go wrong with Neutrik. The Neutrik NP3X-B Plug is my go-to 1/4" connector. It checks all the boxes.

7. You can get mixed size kits from eBay for cheap. Most commonly used would probably be 3/8". Maybe 1/4" and a few smaller pieces. 3:1 ratio is preferred but not as easy to find. You won't need adhesive heat shrink.

You can braid and sleeve or save time by simply twisting. The effect is the same. It's merely a style preference.


----------



## Cloud-S

Can anyone tell me how to fix this break? This break is at the interface of the normal insulated wire and the memory wire. IEM are BW R2.


----------



## Klots

Bought a 26AWG BTG silver plated copper cable to make a cable for my Sennheiser HD700. When I braid 4 wires, is there any technique that is a must for braiding or I can choose techniques like these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pOEfGKCkaY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLjs_MeGNpo ?


----------



## DJScope

klots said:


> Bought a 26AWG BTG silver plated copper cable to make a cable for my Sennheiser HD700. When I braid 4 wires, is there any technique that is a must for braiding or I can choose techniques like these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pOEfGKCkaY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLjs_MeGNpo ?


 
  
 I personally love this guide: http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos/4strand.htm


----------



## Klots

djscope said:


> I personally love this guide: http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos/4strand.htm


 
 Yes, that is one technique from videos I posted. I think I will go with that.


----------



## eertelppa

@DJScope 
@Kamakahah
  
  
 Thanks both of you for the advice. I need to check my supplies (meant to last night but got busy) and see what all I purchased. I know I have a roll of nice solder. Not sure about solder wick (to remove excess solder), but I will pick some up. I guess a lot of solder seems to have flux in it, so I will check on this tonight. 
  
 Great to hear, I think I will use the 24AWG for now and see how it comes out, just mock braid it and see if I like the thickness, size, weight, etc...before buying more wire. 
  
 For Neutrik, Oyaide, Canare, Double Helix, etc...I would be curious to find (just tried researching for a few minutes) the various common options people are using. Yes there are probably 30 different brands, but other than Neutrik what are some go to options? It does seem the Neutrik is well regarded. 
  
 What do I do for the split in the cable? Where the 4 wires get split to two for each headphone. Heat shrink is used here?
  
 I will check out the paracord and nylon multifilament. I remember searching for cotton sleeving and trying to find something similar to unbleached cotton but had a pattern. Sort of high end stuff, but I was going to have to order a massive amount. Some guy had a connection through a factory or something, haha. I don't even recall. Might be simpler to stick with something common. 
  
 Thanks again for all the help. Only seems like I need a few things and some time to work on this.


----------



## graphidz

vortexblast said:


> It really depends on how tight you braid the cable. Do it tightly, there will be more microphonics and it'll be stiffer but do it loosely and there'll be less microphonics and more flexible.
> In this case though, I did it a bit tight. It has some microphonics but it's really not bad and it's not too stiff with just enough flexibility to be used comfortably outside.


 
  
 Ah yes. I was told not to braid too tightly. And you use it outside? How thick the total diameter of the cable if I may ask?


----------



## Kamakahah

Klots Any flat or round braid of your choosing will work just fine. You can also simply twist the wire if you plan on sleeving and would prefer it to look a little less bulky. It's nothing more than a style and feel preference between those options.


----------



## Kamakahah

eertelppa There are lots of 1/4" plug options. Many cable makers have their own that they sell as well as the brands you mentioned. You can check out Toxic cables new plugs. They are pretty sexy if you like the carbon fiber look.

You can do whatever you want at the Y-split. Some people do nothing but cross the wires tightly. After soldering it doesn't go anywhere. You can use heat shrink. Many of those same cable companies sell a Y-split. Prices range from $10-25 usually. You can use beads, shells from plugs with heat shrink. You can be as creative as you want or not at all. Here are some examples of recent splits I've used:





There really isn't any particular benefit to cotton sleeving over anything else if your wire is already insulated. Even then, its effect as a dialectic is null that way and its benefit when used as one is considered negligible by many anyway.

I recommend that most people focus on form, function, style, and proper building techniques. Those will turn out to be far more important in the daily use of the cable than boutique wire and connectors.


----------



## eertelppa

Wow thanks for the great information and the pictures mean a thousand words!
  
 And yes I just am not a huge fan of the plastic plug look. I don't need anything diamond/platinum/ruby coated, but something in black (what looks like glass) and just clean looking. I will do some additional research at plug options, I could not see the Toxic ones for some reason...a lot of the photos were not loading for me.  
  
 When you say cross the wires tightly I guess that is just a more natural look? Just discontinue the 4 braid and transition to two separate braids. I assume this is done irregardless, just depends if one hides it via heat shrink or a more creative alternative? 
  
 And I agree, for now I am fine with sleeving, braiding, putting the whole thing together and worrying more about my technique and cleanliness, than having all components spec'd out perfect and precise. 
 I believe other than heat shrink, sleeving, solder wick, and a plug that I am set up. I'll get a few things on ebay and some places for a plug.
  
 Hoping that soon, I can share my experiences...since I am way over due. Plus since my Grado's and Audio Technica's are out of commission both, I am itching to get at least the Grado's done. 
  
 Thanks again. Lastly any advice for practicing? Should I try a dummy run on 2 feet of cable or something or just take my time on the one for my headphones?


----------



## VortexBlast

graphidz said:


> Ah yes. I was told not to braid too tightly. And you use it outside? How thick the total diameter of the cable if I may ask?


 
 It's around 8mm. Yes, that's quite wide but the Mogami cables are 24AWG and have thick insulation so only 7 out of 8 strands can fit inside the Neutrik right angle mini plug. I'd suggest using 26AWG cables if you're planning to solder it to a 3.5mm jack.
 And it doesn't bother me at all using it outside but then again, I use my T50RP as portable headphones.


----------



## graphidz

vortexblast said:


> It's around 8mm. Yes, that's quite wide but the Mogami cables are 24AWG and have thick insulation so only 7 out of 8 strands can fit inside the Neutrik right angle mini plug. I'd suggest using 26AWG cables if you're planning to solder it to a 3.5mm jack.
> And it doesn't bother me at all using it outside but then again, I use my T50RP as portable headphones.


 
  
 Oh wow. 8mm. Pretty thick imo. Welp, I'd never want to use T50RP as a portable. too big for me lol.


----------



## TrollDragon

As soon as some 4 pin tiny xlr's arrive I have a cable waiting for my T50rp's to make them portable as well.

  
 The left jack is wired to accept a short single sided tiny xlr cable, which is why the headband cable was left in place.
 They will just love these at the grocery store... Many a strange look.


----------



## BucketInABucket

Are there any places to get wire in the UK apart from toxic cables? I've sent them a PM and they don't seem to be responding.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

trolldragon said:


> As soon as some 4 pin tiny xlr's arrive I have a cable waiting for my T50rp's to make them portable as well.
> 
> 
> The left jack is wired to accept a short single sided tiny xlr cable, which is why the headband cable was left in place.
> They will just love these at the grocery store... Many a strange look.


 
 I like it very nice.......


----------



## PETEREK

I just dropped $52 on connectors....and it was only 2 of them! I've got some 5-pin LEMO chassis mounts on the way >
  
 I got the plugs from a pretty awesome headfier recently.


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> I just dropped $52 on connectors....and it was only 2 of them! I've got some 5-pin LEMO chassis mounts on the way >
> 
> I got the plugs from a pretty awesome headfier recently.




Nice. Make sure to post some shots of those. I've been considering ordering a pair of 2 pin LEMO plugs and jacks for a custom build. Debating if it's worth $50. They are pretty sweet.


----------



## PETEREK

I have the plugs already and some right angle panel mounts and man, they are sturdy and we'll built. After holding these and checking them out any other connector I have after this is going to feel like cheap crap.


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> I just dropped $52 on connectors....and it was only 2 of them! I've got some 5-pin LEMO chassis mounts on the way >
> 
> I got the plugs from a pretty awesome headfier recently.


 
 Excellent deal! The same pair of sockets from DigiKey.ca shipped to my door would be $76.
  
 Just passing the love on Bro, it's a great DIY community we have here and you sir, have some wicked skills!


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> Excellent deal! The same pair of sockets from DigiKey.ca shipped to my door would be $76.
> 
> Just passing the love on Bro, it's a great DIY community we have here and you sir, have some wicked skills!




((TrollDragon is the previously stated, "awesome headfier". I really appreciate it man, I'll put them to good use!


----------



## wigglepuff

do those flat tangle free (stereo) cables also have 3 or 4 wires in them? is there an existing  pic here in the thread were someone removed the outer skin, what page is it on?


----------



## theodoro

Hey, i just subed this topic 
 I wanted to make my first custom cables. I want to make 2 pairs of RCAs (so, 4 phono RCA to RCA). 
 After some research i ended up looking at the Mogami W2534, and some rca plugs from e-bay. 
 I want to connect an Odac to an O2 amp, and then from the O2 to my Stereo Amplifier. (i will buy the O2/Odac soon, but i want to make the cables first)
 I don't know much about cables, so if these cables are bad or not very good for the purpose i want them, please tell me. I don't really care if the custom cables will improve the sound, but i want them to look good. 

 ...And last question. Is there a way to use cloth braid sleeving at any cable?
 (sorry if my questions are already answered in the topic, but i just joined. I'll need some time to read the whole post. It's going to be interesting  )


----------



## Speedskater

Mogami 2434 is a Star-Quad cable that is an excellent balanced interconnect cable (XLR) for high interference areas. It's not what you want for an RCA interconnect! Look through the catalog for a coax cable with very low shield end-to-end resistance.


----------



## theodoro

Well... i thought it would be good for that because here says "Applicable Equipment" and shows some speakers. 
 I am pretty confused about the Ohms at cables o.O  
 I was going to buy the cables from here, so if you could suggest me another one from there, it would be awesome. Otherwise, please suggest me some other cable (I live in Europe) I like thick cables, so i would be a bit dissapointed if i can't find a nice quality thick cable (but still fairly cheap) for my use. 

 And by the way thanks for the advice


----------



## Speedskater

These two pages by Kurt Denke describe a good RCA interconnect.  Note there are other brands of bulk cable that meet the goals.
  
 http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/subwoofer/index.htm
  
 http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/subwoofer/LC1-design-notes.htm


----------



## theodoro

I already watched those cables  but it'll cost me more than 30 euros for 2 meters. I read what it would be good for me, but i cannot find what i need. 

 EDIT: After searching for cables i always end up to the Mogami W2534. Is it a bad choice because of the money or it will affect the sound? The resistance seems pretty low, doesn't it?

 EDIT2: Can i use both RCAs from one W2534 cable?


----------



## VortexBlast

theodoro said:


> I already watched those cables  but it'll cost me more than 30 euros for 2 meters. I read what it would be good for me, but i cannot find what i need.
> 
> EDIT: After searching for cables i always end up to the Mogami W2534. Is it a bad choice because of the money or it will affect the sound? The resistance seems pretty low, doesn't it?
> 
> EDIT2: Can i use both RCAs from one W2534 cable?


 
  
 For RCA Cables I would just buy a cable that only has 2 conductors (simpler and you can buy thick gauge cables) in it but you can use the Mogami W2534 if you want to. You just need to twist the two blue wires together and solder it to the hot part, the two clear wires to the cold part and the shield to the cold part as well but only from the output part (ie. the source).
 And since you're using two conductors for each part instead of one, you're basically reducing the resistance (ie: Ohms) of the cable
  
 Here's a really thorough diagram on how to wire it up from Van del Hul.
http://www.vandenhul.com/download/CAwdEAwUUkNEW0I= 
 The RCA to RCA diagram is at page 11. It also shows you the diagram for various adapters such as RCA to XLR and etc...
  
 But in my opinion, I would use this cable: ViaBlue NF-S1 Quatro Silver Cable. It's more expensive than the Mogami but it has better shielding and a thicker gauge (20 AWG instead of 24 AWG from the Mogami).
 Or you can go for Furutech for the best of the best (be prepared to pay a whole lot of money though)


----------



## BucketInABucket

Would Mogami Neglex W2549 work for a pair of RCA cables? I have a set of switchcraft RCA jacks which have an opening diameter of roughly 7mm so I don't think either of the cables mentioned will fit.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I used this *ViaBlue NF-A7 Triple Shield Analog cable PITA to work with.Don't asked me how it sound because all the cables i made they all sound the same to me.*


----------



## roughington

i luvmusic 2 said:


> *because all the cables i made they all sound the same to me.*


 
 Truer words have never been uttered until now


----------



## TrollDragon

i luvmusic 2 said:


> I used this [COLOR=5A5A5A]*ViaBlue NF-A7 Triple Shield Analog cable PITA to work with.Don't asked me how it sound because all the cables i made they all sound the same to me.*[/COLOR]


That's because you didn't Cryo them long enough to line up the crystals or you used sub standard LN2. You have to get your LN2 from Praxair in Mississauga...


----------



## i luvmusic 2

YEAH SURE!!!!!!


----------



## i luvmusic 2

This reminds me of the CAPS.


----------



## TrollDragon

You have to Cryo those as well or buy some Dueland's. PCx has them on sale from $595 each down to $189 each, screaming deal if you ask me.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

trolldragon said:


> You have to Cryo those as well or buy some Dueland's. PCx has them on sale from $595 each down to $189 each, screaming deal if you ask me.


 
 SURE WILL DO.........LOL


----------



## BucketInABucket

Damn you can't really buy Mogami Neglex W2549 in the UK, shame that.
  
 EDIT: Anyone know where to buy that stuff?


----------



## Speedskater

theodoro said:


> EDIT: After searching for cables i always end up to the Mogami W2534. Is it a bad choice because of the money or it will affect the sound? The resistance seems pretty low, doesn't it?


 
 Well if you connect 3 of the conductors and the shield to the shells,  The end-to-end resistance is 2.56 Ohms per 1000 feet. An extremely good coax end-to-end resistance is  1.7 Ohms.  So if you hook it up that way it's not bad.


----------



## theodoro

speedskater said:


> Well if you connect 3 of the conductors and the shield to the shells,  The end-to-end resistance is 2.56 Ohms per 1000 feet. An extremely good coax end-to-end resistance is  1.7 Ohms.  So if you hook it up that way it's not bad.


 
 I guess it will be better than the 2-euros-RCA i use now, right?


----------



## VortexBlast

theodoro said:


> I guess it will be better than the 2-euros-RCA i use now, right?


 
  
 Yes of course. Mogami is a good cable brand. They're like the Neutrik of cables (ie. the standard of cables). They're very easy to work with and are relatively cheap.
 What will be the RCA plug that you're going to solder the cable to? Because that's also important and make sure that the diameter of the RCA plug hole is large enough to accept the 6mm in diameter of the Mogami cable.


----------



## theodoro

vortexblast said:


> Yes of course. Mogami is a good cable brand. They're like the Neutrik of cables (ie. the standard of cables). They're very easy to work with and are relatively cheap.
> What will be the RCA plug that you're going to solder the cable to? Because that's also important and make sure that the diameter of the RCA plug hole is large enough to accept the 6mm in diameter of the Mogami cable.


 
 I was thinking to buy some *Neutrik *(gunmetal) 6.5mm, from ebay, but they are pretty expensive.  I just knew that Neutrik has nice plugs, so i chose the best good looking(for me) rca plug. Do they worth it?


----------



## VortexBlast

theodoro said:


> I was thinking to buy some *Neutrik *(gunmetal) 6.5mm, from ebay, but they are pretty expensive.  I just knew that Neutrik has nice plugs, so i chose the best good looking(for me) rca plug. Do they worth it?


 
  
 How much expensive? All I know is that Neutrik makes very affordable connectors. They have some expensive ones but they rarely go past €50.
  
 Here for example: Neutrik NYS 373 for only 1.90€ a plug in which you need to buy 4 so that means 7.60€ and will gladly accept up to 8mm cables.
  
 If you don't want fancy and just want inexpensive, functional and reliable with solid build quality connectors, Neutrik is very good.


----------



## acain

Can anyone recommend a nice looking Y splitter for headohones for making your own cable?


----------



## Kamakahah

acain said:


> Can anyone recommend a nice looking Y splitter for headohones for making your own cable?




What kind of style are you looking for?
What color(s), shape, size (length/diameter)? There are a few different options depending on what you want.


----------



## BucketInABucket

Noone seems to answer my questions


----------



## acain

I am really not sure what dia I am new to diy just wanted to see what was out there


----------



## VortexBlast

bucketinabucket said:


> Noone seems to answer my questions


 
  
 If you want to buy from France and pay for 14€ of shipping, Audiophonics.fr do carry the Mogami W2549.
 Here's the link: http://www.audiophonics.fr/en/cables-modulation-cables-symetrique/mogami-neglex-w2549-cable-modulation-symetrique-60mm-p-4937.html
  


acain said:


> I am really not sure what dia I am new to diy just wanted to see what was out there


 
  
 ViaBlue makes some very nice splitters.
http://viablue.de/com/splitter.shtml


----------



## theodoro

vortexblast said:


> How much expensive? All I know is that Neutrik makes very affordable connectors. They have some expensive ones but they rarely go past €50.
> 
> Here for example: Neutrik NYS 373 for only 1.90€ a plug in which you need to buy 4 so that means 7.60€ and will gladly accept up to 8mm cables.
> 
> If you don't want fancy and just want inexpensive, functional and reliable with solid build quality connectors, Neutrik is very good.


 
 Well i was thinking about those (i need 8 of them) and for an item that won't change much, is pretty expensive (for me). I never heard any difference from difference calbes so i will make my new first cable because i will enjoy it  Also i want custom length,i want them look nicely (it's like a cable fetish  ) and if i do make some cables at least i want to be decent quality, that's all.


----------



## acain

Thanks for the info


----------



## VortexBlast

theodoro said:


> Well i was thinking about those (i need 8 of them) and for an item that won't change much, is pretty expensive (for me). I never heard any difference from difference calbes so i will make my new first cable because i will enjoy it  Also i want custom length,i want them look nicely (it's like a cable fetish  ) and if i do make some cables at least i want to be decent quality, that's all.


 
  
 Well since you're buying 8 of them that price seems reasonable and with only £​2.50 in shipping you're not paying much really.
 If you want to make it even nicer, buy cotton or nylon sleeving. Or you can strip the jacket and shielding and sleeve each 4 conductor individually and braid them.


----------



## theodoro

vortexblast said:


> Well since you're buying 8 of them that price seems reasonable and with only £​2.50 in shipping you're not paying much really.
> If you want to make it even nicer, buy cotton or nylon sleeving. Or you can strip the jacket and shielding and sleeve each 4 conductor individually and braid them.


 
 Yeah, that was the plan, but i can't find cotton sleeving (preferably black-white) Any suggestions with that?


----------



## VortexBlast

theodoro said:


> Yeah, that was the plan, but i can't find cotton sleeving (preferably black-white) Any suggestions with that?


 
  
 You can always use nylon sleeves like this: http://viablue.de/com/sleeve_black.shtml but sadly I only know where to buy it in France. I have no idea where to find it in Greece.


----------



## BucketInABucket

vortexblast said:


> If you want to buy from France and pay for 14€ of shipping, Audiophonics.fr do carry the Mogami W2549.
> Here's the link: http://www.audiophonics.fr/en/cables-modulation-cables-symetrique/mogami-neglex-w2549-cable-modulation-symetrique-60mm-p-4937.html
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Ouch, 18€ for the mere foot of the stuff that I need for my interconnects


----------



## Kamakahah

acain said:


> I am really not sure what dia I am new to diy just wanted to see what was out there


 
  
Plussound
Doublehelixcables
Qables
Toxic cables
Viablue
  
 You can use heatshrink or nothing at all. You can also use beads of various kinds or shells from 3.5mm connectors like Neutrik/Rean. 
 There are a few people that do custom ones with wood/acrylic. 
  
 It really depends on what you're after. More importantly, what you're willing to spend. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Hopefully these give you an idea of some of the options available.


----------



## PanpandaChan

Quick question, where would I find clear sleeving?
  
 I want to do a 3 strand braid and then sleeve it in something clear.
  
 I know theres the teflon tubing, but those aren't really clear.
  
 Theres also aquarium tubing but I dont know if anyone actually uses that.. they have pretty thick walls. lol


----------



## ThurstonX

panpandachan said:


> Quick question, where would I find clear sleeving?
> 
> I want to do a 3 strand braid and then sleeve it in something clear.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Heat shrink?  It can be pretty clear when shrunk, but not sure you'd want to do that.  Also, you'd probably want to find it still cylindrical and not flattened.  That's a very interesting question.


----------



## TrollDragon

panpandachan said:


> Quick question, where would I find clear sleeving?
> 
> I want to do a 3 strand braid and then sleeve it in something clear.
> 
> ...


 
 There is clear sleeving but I don't know how flexible it would be, or suffer any mechanical noise.
 http://www.wirecare.com/product.asp?pn=WC00212550


----------



## PETEREK

That stuff makes cables pretty rigid. It's good for interconnects but that's about it, IMO.


----------



## PanpandaChan

thurstonx said:


> Heat shrink?  It can be pretty clear when shrunk, but not sure you'd want to do that.  Also, you'd probably want to find it still cylindrical and not flattened.  That's a very interesting question.


 
  
 Hmm, actually, I might try that. I dont mind if its not a perfect cylinder, it might be even better if its form fitted to the cable braid.
 Do you know if clear heat shrink would yellow over time? Thats my other concern.
  


trolldragon said:


> There is clear sleeving but I don't know how flexible it would be, or suffer any mechanical noise.
> http://www.wirecare.com/product.asp?pn=WC00212550


 
  
  


peterek said:


> That stuff makes cables pretty rigid. It's good for interconnects but that's about it, IMO.


 
  
 Damn lol. Thats another issue I've had, keep finding stuff thats clear but would make the cable unwieldy.


----------



## PETEREK

Why do you have to cover the wires? Don't use any sleeve, cables look nice that way anyway.


----------



## ThurstonX

panpandachan said:


> Hmm, actually, I might try that. I dont mind if its not a perfect cylinder, it might be even better if its form fitted to the cable braid.
> Do you know if clear heat shrink would yellow over time? Thats my other concern.


 
  
 Another good question.  The only clear heat shrink I've used hasn't been on long enough for me to say.  Hope not!
  


peterek said:


> Why do you have to cover the wires? Don't use any sleeve, cables look nice that way anyway.


 
  
 Was kind of wondering about that, as just the braid looks very nice.  I really need to get off my butt and use that litz wire and paracord I've had for two weeks.  I'm itching to try and make a decent round braid.


----------



## VortexBlast

I'm thinking of making another custom cable for my Hifiman but this time using 8 22 AWG OCC conductors (4 per channel) in a paracord braid and terminated with a Furutech 1/4" Jack. 
Is it overkill or should I just use thinner gauge wires?


----------



## ThurstonX

Quick question for experienced four-wire braiders.  I've got my 100/46 Litz wire threaded through the paracord, so braiding would seem to be the next step.  But I got to thinking about the beginning end and that it might be best to have it anchored before starting.  Is it a good idea to solder that end to the TRS plug first?  Seems like a good idea, but any input would be appreciated.

 TIA.


----------



## TrollDragon

I just lock the ends down in a vise.


----------



## PETEREK

thurstonx said:


> Was kind of wondering about that, as just the braid looks very nice.  I really need to get off my butt and use that litz wire and paracord I've had for two weeks.  I'm itching to try and make a decent round braid.


 
 When I get the supplies in to make a cable, they don't sit for more than a day normally. I just get an itch to make something constantly.


----------



## PETEREK

thurstonx said:


> Quick question for experienced four-wire braiders.  I've got my 100/46 Litz wire threaded through the paracord, so braiding would seem to be the next step.  But I got to thinking about the beginning end and that it might be best to have it anchored before starting.  Is it a good idea to solder that end to the TRS plug first?  Seems like a good idea, but any input would be appreciated.
> 
> TIA.


 
 I always solder the TRS end first, but then I clamp that down afterwards for braiding.


----------



## ThurstonX

peterek said:


> When I get the supplies in to make a cable, they don't sit for more than a day normally. I just get an itch to make something constantly.


 
  
 I got busy with lots of domestic stuff, and then I wanted to make a couple pairs of grills for my HiFiMAN cans.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it


----------



## ThurstonX

peterek said:


> I always solder the TRS end first, but then I clamp that down afterwards for braiding.


 
  
 Interesting.  I like that approach.  I guess a couple C-clamps and some wood will suffice to clamp it down to my desk/workbench.  Thanks.


----------



## Kamakahah

thurstonx said:


> Interesting.  I like that approach.  I guess a couple C-clamps and some wood will suffice to clamp it down to my desk/workbench.  Thanks.




Any of those will work. Another option is use some tape and an empty keyring. Then you can attach the ring to whatever. I've used all of those styles. You'll find what works easiest for you after a few tries.


----------



## Kamakahah

vortexblast said:


> I'm thinking of making another custom cable for my Hifiman but this time using 8 22 AWG OCC conductors (4 per channel) in a paracord braid and terminated with a Furutech 1/4" Jack.
> Is it overkill or should I just use thinner gauge wires?




It'll be twice as heavy with no additional sonic benefits. If it's the style that you want, go for it.


----------



## PETEREK

Quote:


vortexblast said:


> I'm thinking of making another custom cable for my Hifiman but this time using 8 22 AWG OCC conductors (4 per channel) in a paracord braid and terminated with a Furutech 1/4" Jack.
> Is it overkill or should I just use thinner gauge wires?



 You'll have the strongest neck on Head-fi. Haha


----------



## TrollDragon

A vise, some tunes, a beverage and a sunny day makes for good braiding.


----------



## fabian005

Sub'd


----------



## PanpandaChan

peterek said:


> Why do you have to cover the wires? Don't use any sleeve, cables look nice that way anyway.


 
  
 I want a glossier/more complete look.
 And I'm worried about snagging the wire on something since these would be for my portables.
  


thurstonx said:


> Another good question.  The only clear heat shrink I've used hasn't been on long enough for me to say.  Hope not!
> 
> 
> Was kind of wondering about that, as just the braid looks very nice.  I really need to get off my butt and use that litz wire and paracord I've had for two weeks.  I'm itching to try and make a decent round braid.


 
  
 I found this: http://www.amazon.com/Insultab-3005000C1A5-HS-105-Polyvinylchloride-Shrink/dp/B003ICY2G0
 Comes in different sizes and claims to stay clear forever. Might give it a try.
  
 Now another question... I was originally going to do a 3 strand braid, because I wanted one color down the middle and then the other two strands of a different color going around it. But I just realized you cant really braid that way.. right? It'd look loose and messy I think?
  
 Also, where do you guys get your wires from? I see a bunch on eBay, but its hard to find 16-18AWG wires there :\ (in the color I want anyway).
 I never realized 20-26AWG was so damn thin. Less than 1mm outer diameter? Am I mistaken?


----------



## Kamakahah

PanpandaChan

You wouldn't want something 16-18 awg for a headphone cable. That's like intentionally wearing a sweater in the summer heat when you have plenty of clean Tees. 
Stick to 24-28awg stranded wire. They do what you need and are much lighter. I've yet to have any break or failure related to the wire so don't worry about how thin it is. Just make sure it's stranded with a 19 or higher thread count, that you make good solder joints and use proper strain relief methods at the connectors.

Lots of places sell wire. Most of the companies I linked to for Y-splits on the past page sell it.


----------



## PanpandaChan

kamakahah said:


> @PanpandaChan
> 
> You wouldn't want something 16-18 awg for a headphone cable. That's like intentionally wearing a sweater in the summer heat when you have plenty of clean Tees.
> Stick to 24-28awg stranded wire. They do what you need and are much lighter. I've yet to have any break or failure related to the wire so don't worry about how thin it is. Just make sure it's stranded with a 19 or higher thread count, that you make good solder joints and use proper strain relief methods at the connectors.
> ...


 
  
 hmm. It just sounds so thin to me. Right now im using mogami cable with a paracord sleeve and its like.. 3mm outer diameter.
  
 This seems to be the perfect thickness, especially with how big these DIY plugs are.
  
 How thick are your braided 24-28awg wires?


----------



## Kamakahah

panpandachan said:


> hmm. It just sounds so thin to me. Right now im using mogami cable with a paracord sleeve and its like.. 3mm outer diameter.
> 
> This seems to be the perfect thickness, especially with how big these DIY plugs are.
> 
> How thick are your braided 24-28awg wires?




Here is one example. 4-strand round braid with 28awg wire from Plussound.


It will vary slightly depending on how tight or or loose you braid.

I've done a 3-strand round braid with 30awg, 19-strand spc and worked it over just for testing/fun. I bent The hell out of it. Yanked and pulled at angles to test the joints I had made at the same time. It worked the same after. 

I wouldn't be concerned by 24-28awg at all for headphones/interconnects. As long as the wire has a good strand count and good joints, you won't likely have issues unless you put it in extreme circumstances for a prolonged period.


----------



## ThurstonX

Just had a strange experience (or lack thereof) with the Litz wire I ordered from www.angelfire.com/electronic2/index1/Litz-Wire-Supplier.html
  
 I soldered the four conductors to the Neutrik plug, then tried testing with a DMM.  Got no readings.  Thinking I'd botched the soldering, I snipped it and tested the four wires end to end.  Nada on all four.  Thinking maybe the DMM was wonky, I tested a short run of Mogami W2799 I had lying around.  Red to red gave me the response I expected on the DMM.
  
 The Litz wire in question (100/46) is served in silk, and each run is in a paracord sleeve.  Any idea why I didn't get a reading on the DMM?  I'm loath to redo the soldering or bother braiding until I figure out what's going on.
  
 TIA.


----------



## GrindingThud

Sounds like enameled wire or coated wire....did you clean the coating off?
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/everything-else/131250-removing-enamel-magnet-wire.html


----------



## ThurstonX

grindingthud said:


> Sounds like enameled wire or coated wire....did you clean the coating off?
> http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/everything-else/131250-removing-enamel-magnet-wire.html


 
  
 Trust me, it's silk.  Bloody PITA to get it off of even the ends.  Likes to get caught up in the copper strands, but it's doable with lots of picking and snipping.  No way to get it all off, and what the point be.


----------



## GrindingThud

No no, not the outer silk, each little copper strand inside is enamel coated according to the website and it says beware, know what you are buying......

"Litz wire is specified like this, the first number is number of strands, the number after the "/" is the AWG wire gauge size. So 175/46 for instance is 175 strands of number 46 AWG gauge wires. The approximate diameter in the chart is the over all diameter of the entire bundle of wires including the nylon or silk serving and is taken from a data sheet not actual measurement."

"Each and every copper wire in all the Litz wire is Enameled coated. So each strand acts like an individual wire conductor."

"Make sure you know what you are buying, there are no returns or refunds on wire sales, all sales are final."




thurstonx said:


> Trust me, it's silk.  Bloody PITA to get it off of even the ends.  Likes to get caught up in the copper strands, but it's doable with lots of picking and snipping.  No way to get it all off, and what the point be.


----------



## ThurstonX

grindingthud said:


> No no, not the outer silk, each little copper strand inside is enamel coated according to the website and it says beware, know what you are buying......
> 
> "Litz wire is specified like this, the first number is number of strands, the number after the "/" is the AWG wire gauge size. So 175/46 for instance is 175 strands of number 46 AWG gauge wires. The approximate diameter in the chart is the over all diameter of the entire bundle of wires including the nylon or silk serving and is taken from a data sheet not actual measurement."
> 
> ...


 
  
 Oh, bugger.  Forgot about that.  Time to do some research.  Thanks for that link!


----------



## TrollDragon

I soldered the 140/44 just perfectly and easily right through the silk. I have an 800 degree tip in my Weller TCP, melt a good deal of solder on the tip then basically poke the wire into the melted blob and add more solder till the wire starts to tin. You know when it's hot enough as you get this gummy reddish mess forming which is the enamel. Tin more than you usually would as you can always trim the ends to proper size.

These wires need a lot of heat and solder to tin with an iron, also make sure you are using a rosin core solder or apply flux to the wire.


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> I soldered the 140/44 just perfectly and easily right through the silk. I have an 800 degree tip in my Weller TCP, melt a good deal of solder on the tip then basically poke the wire into the melted blob and add more solder till the wire starts to tin. You know when it's hot enough as you get this gummy reddish mess forming which is the enamel. Tin more than you usually would as you can always trim the ends to proper size.
> 
> These wires need a lot of heat and solder to tin with an iron, also make sure you are using a rosin core solder or apply flux to the wire.


 
  
 Thanks for that.  Is that 800 F?  I had my iron at about 350 C and noticed that gummy mess, and that was with the silk pulled back.  I use rosin core, so that should be good.
  
 Earlier, after I was re-educated about that Litz wire, I tried various methods on a short strand.  I tried dipping in acetone for 15-30s or so, but that had no effect.  Then I fanned out the ends and burned with a lighter, cleaned with some steel wool, and that got the current flowing.  Not good side effects to the wire, though.  I'll try your method on another short strand to get the hang of it.  I don't really want to trim my four wires any shorter than I already have.  At least I built in a few extra inches when I made the initial cuts.
  
 Mañana, mañana.


----------



## TrollDragon

thurstonx said:


> Thanks for that.  Is that 800 F?  I had my iron at about 350 C and noticed that gummy mess, and that was with the silk pulled back.  I use rosin core, so that should be good.
> 
> Earlier, after I was re-educated about that Litz wire, I tried various methods on a short strand.  I tried dipping in acetone for 15-30s or so, but that had no effect.  Then I fanned out the ends and burned with a lighter, cleaned with some steel wool, and that got the current flowing.  Not good side effects to the wire, though.  I'll try your method on another short strand to get the hang of it.  I don't really want to trim my four wires any shorter than I already have.  At least I built in a few extra inches when I made the initial cuts.
> 
> Mañana, mañana.


 

 Yes that is 800F, I use this tip here http://www.all-spec.com/products/PTB8.html
  
 I just unroll some solder, mine is heavy enough that I can have 3 or 4 inches of it stay suspended out from the spool. I take the wire in one hand and the iron in the other and try to keep a little pool of solder on the bottom of the tip, which I work the wire in and out of feeding solder to it as needed by moving the tip and wire closer to the spool.
  
 Or you can just clamp the wire in something and work the solder and tip instead, your wire is smaller than mine so it should be fairly easy to solder. Also I don't touch the tip to the wire I just work the molten solder ball back and forth over it. The Litz I used would tin in less than 30 seconds with this method, any of that other stuff trying to clean off the enamel just puts stress on the wire.
  
 Good Luck!


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> Yes that is 800F, I use this tip here http://www.all-spec.com/products/PTB8.html
> 
> I just unroll some solder, mine is heavy enough that I can have 3 or 4 inches of it stay suspended out from the spool. I take the wire in one hand and the iron in the other and try to keep a little pool of solder on the bottom of the tip, which I work the wire in and out of feeding solder to it as needed by moving the tip and wire closer to the spool.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Good stuff.  I wouldn't have thought to try a tip like that, but for this job it makes sense.  My station/iron came with a few tips, so I'll put your instructions to the test in a practice session to make sure I've got it and can produce the desired results.  I really appreciate your tips (pun intended).  I see no need to stress the wire unnecessarily, as my earlier tests did.  Now I'm feeling confident.
  
 Gotta love the Head-Fi ethos


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> Yes that is 800F, I use this tip here http://www.all-spec.com/products/PTB8.html
> 
> I just unroll some solder, mine is heavy enough that I can have 3 or 4 inches of it stay suspended out from the spool. I take the wire in one hand and the iron in the other and try to keep a little pool of solder on the bottom of the tip, which I work the wire in and out of feeding solder to it as needed by moving the tip and wire closer to the spool.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Just wanted to say thanks again for your tips.  Got the wires testing good end to end, and just soldered the TRS plug.  Looking good.  Braiding and hopefully finishing tomorrow.  If it's worthy, pix to follow.


----------



## TrollDragon

thurstonx said:


> Just wanted to say thanks again for your tips.  Got the wires testing good end to end, and just soldered the TRS plug.  Looking good.  Braiding and hopefully finishing tomorrow.  If it's worthy, pix to follow.


 
 You are most Welcome!
  
 It is not your regular everyday wire to work with, but once you get the hang of tinning one end end nicely, the rest are all easy.
 And DIY cables are ALWAYS picture worthy!


----------



## Kamakahah

trolldragon said:


> You are most Welcome!
> 
> It is not your regular everyday wire to work with, but once you get the hang of tinning one end end nicely, the rest are all easy.
> And DIY cables are ALWAYS picture worthy!




I agree, always post your work. You should be proud.

Questions: Did you pick up wire with both silk and Teflon insulation? 

I'm curious how they compare from a building standpoint. Was one easier to work with, more difficult? Flexibility? Etc?


----------



## TrollDragon

kamakahah said:


> I agree, always post your work. You should be proud.
> 
> Questions: Did you pick up wire with both silk and Teflon insulation?
> 
> I'm curious how they compare from a building standpoint. Was one easier to work with, more difficult? Flexibility? Etc?


 
  
 I only picked up the silk served stuff which has this very fine thin wrap of silk. The nylon or Teflon served wire would be very stiff so work with I imagine, but I have not tried it.


----------



## ThurstonX

Finally finished the cable using the 100/46 Litz wire.  With @TrollDragon's advice, the wire is pretty easy to work with.  Make a solder ball and poke the ends in and out.  I enjoyed the braiding, actually, and got into a nice rhythm, first standing, then sitting.  I lost my place twice, but worked out how to recover without having to start over.  The biggest PITA are those bloody SMC connectors.  I hope I'm done making cables for my HiFiMAN cans.  I will say that it sounds as good as it looks, as long as you think it looks good 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  At first blush it seems slightly different from the Mogami W2799 cable I normally use.  I'll have to compare them sometime down the road.  For now, I'll stick with this one.  Anyway, here are some pix.
  
 Sorry if they seem a bit dark.  I did adjust the brightness and contrast on them.  Right-click and Open in new tab... will give you the 1200x900 versions.


----------



## uncola

whoa those earcups look all satanic and evil like some kind of tumor


----------



## ThurstonX

uncola said:


> whoa those earcups look all satanic and evil like some kind of tumor


 
  




  
  
 Nah, just a nice flame pattern.  They're acrylic PC fan grills I trimmed down and spray painted.  Maybe it's the red organza 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  <---- aaawwwwww, happy devil!


----------



## TrollDragon

thurstonx said:


> Finally finished the cable using the 100/46 Litz wire.  With @TrollDragon's advice, the wire is pretty easy to work with.  Make a solder ball and poke the ends in and out.  I enjoyed the braiding, actually, and got into a nice rhythm, first standing, then sitting.  I lost my place twice, but worked out how to recover without having to start over.  The biggest PITA are those bloody SMC connectors.  I hope I'm done making cables for my HiFiMAN cans.  I will say that it sounds as good as it looks, as long as you think it looks good
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Excellent Job!
  
 I am glad to see that it worked out for you, also nice to see *no heat* shrink at the Y split. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



 There is not much you can do with those little SMC connectors but yours turned out great and I just love those grills!


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> Excellent Job!
> 
> I am glad to see that it worked out for you, also nice to see *no heat* shrink at the Y split.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  I recalled that nice, clean method for the split from some hazy memory of reading about braiding cables.  It appealed to me enough that I didn't have to go hunting for it again, just remembered it, and put it into practice.  It's so dead simple I can't believe people just don't do it naturally.  Ah well, different strokes for different folks.
  
 re: the grills, check your PM.


----------



## reddog

thurstonx said:


> Finally finished the cable using the 100/46 Litz wire.  With @TrollDragon
> 's advice, the wire is pretty easy to work with.  Make a solder ball and poke the ends in and out.  I enjoyed the braiding, actually, and got into a nice rhythm, first standing, then sitting.  I lost my place twice, but worked out how to recover without having to start over.  The biggest PITA are those bloody SMC connectors.  I hope I'm done making cables for my HiFiMAN cans.  I will say that it sounds as good as it looks, as long as you think it looks good    At first blush it seems slightly different from the Mogami W2799 cable I normally use.  I'll have to compare them sometime down the road.  For now, I'll stick with this one.  Anyway, here are some pix.
> 
> Sorry if they seem a bit dark.  I did adjust the brightness and contrast on them.  Right-click and Open in new tab... will give you the 1200x900 versions.



The cable looks great, however the grill mod looks freaking fantastic. Your modified HE-560'S look simply marvelous, fit for the muses. Please have a great night listening to tunes through your great cans.


----------



## ThurstonX

reddog said:


> The cable looks great, however the grill mod looks freaking fantastic. Your modified HE-560'S look simply marvelous, fit for the muses. Please have a great night listening to tunes through your great cans.


 
  
 Thanks, reddog!  I'm really happy with my modded HE-560s and HE-500s (they have similar grills).  Let me know if you're interested in the grills.  I can give you the maker, and help with construction tips.  And of course I'm esp. pleased with the new cable.  It even has wife-approved colors 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Time to bliss out with the SACD of _Dark Side of the Moon_.  As great as that album is in almost any context, it's mind-blowing on those cans.
 Cheers


----------



## TrollDragon

Well I managed to install a tiny xlr in the cups of the GMP 8.300D Pro's, those cups are a special PE material that seems more like a rubber than a plastic.

  
 Just a stock piece of cable terminated with a REAN 3.5mm TRS and a 4 pin Redco tiny xlr.


----------



## PETEREK

trolldragon said:


> Well I managed to install a tiny xlr in the cups of the GMP 8.300D Pro's, those cups are a special PE material that seems more like a rubber than a plastic.
> 
> Just a stock piece of cable terminated with a REAN 3.5mm TRS and a 4 pin Redco tiny xlr.


 
 Nice! Looks like it's supposed to be that way. 
  
 I make plastic sheet at my job, there are so many different types of plastic, you wouldn't believe it. I run stuff that you could swear is rubber but it's actually plastic. Strange stuff.


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> Nice! Looks like it's supposed to be that way.
> 
> I make plastic sheet at my job, there are so many different types of plastic, you wouldn't believe it. I run stuff that you could swear is rubber but it's actually plastic. Strange stuff.


 
 Thanks!
  
 Yes it is one funky type of plastic and I can see now how they are totally indestructible, you could stomp that cup flat and it would pop back into shape.


----------



## gmahler2u

great forum.


----------



## ThurstonX

peterek said:


> I make plastic sheet at my job, there are so many different types of plastic, you wouldn't believe it. I run stuff that you could swear is rubber but it's actually plastic. Strange stuff.


 
  
 That got me thinking about the Neutrik NP3X plugs.  The strain relief where the wires feed in is remarkably like rubber, flexes, opens up well to accept whatever we're shoving through it, but I have a feeling it's actual this funky plastic you mentioned.  Any experience with that?


----------



## TrollDragon

thurstonx said:


> That got me thinking about the Neutrik NP3X plugs.  The strain relief where the wires feed in is remarkably like rubber, flexes, opens up well to accept whatever we're shoving through it, but I have a feeling it's actual this funky plastic you mentioned.  Any experience with that?


 
 Neutrik's spec sheet says it is a Polyacetal (POM) but not exactly which one of the hundreds of variations.


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> Neutrik's spec sheet says it is a Polyacetal (POM) but not exactly which one of the hundreds of variations.


 
  
 So, it's a *thermoplastic*, which sounds a lot like *plastic* to me!  Whatever it is, I love how easily I could shove those two paracord-sleeved wires through.  I used my special Rush 2112 golf tee


----------



## TrollDragon

A special Rush 2112 golf tee... Pics! Pics!


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> A special Rush 2112 golf tee... Pics! Pics!


 
  
 LOL!  I *knew* you'd want some!  OK, after I get back from the PO with those 6N5Ps, I'll post a couple.  It is DIY cable-related, since it proved an invaluable tool 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  The only thing that bugs me... I can't remember WTH I got it.  Maybe with a Backstage Club (swag) order.


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> A special Rush 2112 golf tee... Pics! Pics!


 
  
 Here ya go


----------



## TrollDragon

thurstonx said:


> Here ya go


 
  
 Ha Ha Too Fine!
  
 You DIY Cables, Chase Fire Bottles and Rush Fan to boot...


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> Ha Ha Too Fine!
> 
> *You DIY Cables, Chase Fire Bottles and Rush Fan to boot...*


 
  
 Yep, I think that about sums me up 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  I could embarrass myself with pix of Rush stuff around my house.  I think I've said too much.
  
  
 OMG! Surrounded by beeeeeeeer!!


----------



## leeperry

What's the least nasty option to seal solder pads and avoid copper oxidation in your opinion?

I've used this overkill varnish but it's too darn toxic huh: http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/protective-coatings/insulating/red-insulating-varnish-4228/


----------



## JacobLee89

leeperry said:


> What's the least nasty option to seal solder pads and avoid copper oxidation in your opinion?
> 
> I've used this overkill varnish but it's too darn toxic huh: http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/protective-coatings/insulating/red-insulating-varnish-4228/


 
  
 The more accessible option would be using a hot glue gun.
  
 Problem is that they're not known for precision application, and one small shake of the hand can result in sticky glue string everywhere. Probably on top of the list for methods that look like bodge jobs.


----------



## 3l3tric

Hey all, I'm considering building a pair of RCA interconnects for my desktop DAC/Amp (since I've already poured enough money into both of those for now... lol), and I had a question about what the best route to take in design would be.
 Should I use 2-conductor wire and wire one conductor to signal and the other to ground and shield the cable length in a metal shroud that's not connected to anything, use single conductor wire connected to signal and shield the cable length in metal shield that's connected to the grounds, or use 2 conductor wire and wire one conductor to signal and the other to ground and connect the metal cable shield to ground as well?
 In case it matters, my plan is to order pure Silver wire from somewhere that has some sort of shielding pre-installed and apply a metal shield, some sort of rubber (possibly heatshrink) tube, and possibly kevlar to the outside. I am also planning to use the Eichmann Bullet solid silver plugs for the actual RCA plugs.


----------



## ThurstonX

3l3tric said:


> Hey all, I'm considering building a pair of RCA interconnects for my desktop DAC/Amp (since I've already poured enough money into both of those for now... lol), and I had a question about what the best route to take in design would be.
> Should I use 2-conductor wire and wire one conductor to signal and the other to ground and shield the cable length in a metal shroud that's not connected to anything, use single conductor wire connected to signal and shield the cable length in metal shield that's connected to the grounds, or use 2 conductor wire and wire one conductor to signal and the other to ground and connect the metal cable shield to ground as well?
> In case it matters, my plan is to order pure Silver wire from somewhere that has some sort of shielding pre-installed and apply a metal shield, some sort of rubber (possibly heatshrink) tube, and possibly kevlar to the outside. I am also planning to use the Eichmann Bullet solid silver plugs for the actual RCA plugs.


 
  
 I used some quad Mogami I had from an old cable, and basically did your first option, but I paired two wires for signal and two for ground.  *Maybe I should have used three for the signal and one for the ground?*  I didn't think about it at the time.  Maybe someone can comment on that.  Anyway, my 7"-8" cables work great from my DAC to amp.  I used Redco branded RCA plugs.
  
 HTH and good luck!


----------



## pdrm360

Does anyone know how (L- & L+) and (R- & R+) are isolated inside the HD650 stock cable?


----------



## Shawn71

pdrm360 said:


> Does anyone know how (L- & L+) and (R- & R+) are isolated inside the HD650 stock cable?




-ve/ground from the jack/plug is common for both L & R channels and seperated/diverted to both L- and R-.....where as the L+ & R+ are retained individually from the jack/plug till the connector pins at headphone ends.....


----------



## pdrm360

^^ I meant it looks like that the L- and L+ (also R- and R+) are in contact to each other’s a long of the cable.  
  
 How is the L+ separated from L- (or R+ from R-)?
  

  
 Are they lack true insulation between conductors?


----------



## pdrm360

I also found this picture in head-fi. it looks like they are bare wires with no insulation and a strand of Kevlar wrapped around.


----------



## TrollDragon

Those wires have an enamel insulation on them. They only look like bare wire.


----------



## pdrm360

trolldragon said:


> Those wires have an enamel insulation on them. They only look like bare wire.


 
  
 It makes sense now. 
  
 So, how can we re-terminate them with the enamel insulation?


----------



## pdrm360

^^ How can we get rid of enamel insulation for the soldering part?


----------



## TrollDragon

Follow the instructions in this post here to tin the ends of the wire.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/676402/diy-cable-questions-and-comments-thread/2550#post_10892514


----------



## ThurstonX

So, any opinions on using 4-conductor wire for RCA plugs, esp. the number of conductors for signal and ground?  Specifically, any benefit using three for signal and one for ground, vs. 2 & 2?  Also, what about mixing wires, like the 100/46 Litz for signal, and something cheaper/less robust for ground?
  
 TIA.


----------



## uncola

I'm pulling this out of my butt but I'd think a single conductor for signal would be better because thinner gauge is lower capacitance and for short cables the gauge doesn't affect DC resistance much? I don't remember how impedance is affected


----------



## pdrm360

What should we do with the cable’s shield in the 4-pin XLR termination? Thanks!


----------



## MisterX

pdrm360 said:


> What should we do with the cable’s shield in the 4-pin XLR termination? Thanks!


 
http://www.rane.com/note151.html


----------



## pdrm360

misterx said:


> http://www.rane.com/note151.html


 
 Thanks.
  
 This document is about balanced (3-pin XLR) and unbalanced 1/4" (6.35mm) jacks, nothing about the 4-pin XLR.


----------



## MisterX

The practice outlined in the document applies regardless of the number of pins..


----------



## PETEREK

The shield is the dotted line in the pictures. Both dotted lines.


----------



## pdrm360

So, it looks like it's not any standard.  What is the best practices for the 4-pin XLR cabling? Any suggestions?


----------



## PETEREK

1-left sig, 2-left ground, 3-right sig, 4-right ground. I never use the shields.


----------



## pdrm360

peterek said:


> 1-left sig, 2-left ground, 3-right sig, 4-right ground. I never use the shields.


 
  
 So, you never connect shield to any pin, correct?  Thanks!


----------



## PETEREK

*I* never do, some people use the shield. You wouldn't do that in a balanced configuration though, as that would make it unbalanced.
  
  
  
 Edit: Woot! Post #2000.


----------



## pdrm360

peterek said:


> *I* never do, some people use the shield. You wouldn't do that in a balanced configuration though, as that would make it unbalanced.
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: Woot! Post #2000.


 
  
 I see, using the shields maybe works only if we have separate shields on each channels, such as Beyer T1 stock cable. Thanks for the info.
  
 Congrats, you are "2000+ Head-Fi’er" now.


----------



## PETEREK

pdrm360 said:


> *I see, using the shields maybe works only if we have separate shields on each channels, such as Beyer T1 stock cable*. Thanks for the info.
> 
> Congrats, you are "2000+ Head-Fi’er" now.


 
 True, didn't think of that.


----------



## CrispyD

So, I've been through this entire thread, and I've only seen Cat5 cable mentioned a couple of times. Usually negatively; that the wire is not good for headphone cables. Usually because it's so stiff. I've made a couple cables now using wire harvested from Cat5 patch cables, and they seem OK to me. I'm pretty sure they aren't OCC, but then you can get a 100ft patch cord for 9 bucks on Amazon.
  
 Are people talking about Riser / Plenum cable which is solid core, and not patch cables which are stranded?
  
 Is there some other difference in the copper that makes them a poor choice for headphone cables? Other than the fact that they aren't silver, OFC, or OCC?


----------



## Honkytime

Anyone done the mini xlr  plug conversion to DT 880's? any tips anyone might give me before i start this endeavor?


----------



## PETEREK

You're going to have to modify the baffle for the drivers a little to accommodate the mini XLR chassis.


----------



## TrollDragon

honkytime said:


> Anyone done the mini xlr  plug conversion to DT 880's? any tips anyone might give me before i start this endeavor?


 
  
 My DT880's are 4 pin tiny xlr with an Audeze LCD wired cable.

  
  
*Be extremely careful with these tabs, they are just press fit into the plastic and will pull out very easily snapping the voice coil wire in the process.*


----------



## DJScope

crispyd said:


> So, I've been through this entire thread, and I've only seen Cat5 cable mentioned a couple of times. Usually negatively; that the wire is not good for headphone cables. Usually because it's so stiff. I've made a couple cables now using wire harvested from Cat5 patch cables, and they seem OK to me. I'm pretty sure they aren't OCC, but then you can get a 100ft patch cord for 9 bucks on Amazon.
> 
> Are people talking about Riser / Plenum cable which is solid core, and not patch cables which are stranded?
> 
> Is there some other difference in the copper that makes them a poor choice for headphone cables? Other than the fact that they aren't silver, OFC, or OCC?


 
  
 Nothing wrong with using CAT5 cable for audio.


----------



## CrispyD

djscope said:


> Nothing wrong with using CAT5 cable for audio.


 
 I got the opposite impression from reading, and wanted to get that out there. Based on my admittedly limited experience, it seemed like a good resource for inexpensive 26ga wire. I was using it for practice / proof of concept.
  
 As an IT guy, I've learned that patch cables reproduce when they are dumped in boxes. So they can be had for free if you know the guy in the right place.


----------



## DJScope

crispyd said:


> I got the opposite impression from reading, and wanted to get that out there. Based on my admittedly limited experience, it seemed like a good resource for inexpensive 26ga wire. I was using it for practice / proof of concept.
> 
> As an IT guy, I've learned that patch cables reproduce when they are dumped in boxes. So they can be had for free if you know the guy in the right place.




I started my cable making hobby with CAT5 cables. I've even used power cord 18AWG cables. All of them sound equally good. Even when compared the the OFC solver plated cables I've made, they font make any audible difference. At least to my ears (and science). It just feels good to knoe that you made a cable from high quality materials.


----------



## cartrufer

Well I am surprise this type of cable, the hybrid silver-copper type, is becoming popular among the different alternative
professionals cable makers still very few specialized DIY shops offers them.

Please is there any supplier offering this hybrid silver-copper cable for non-professionals?
I mean to buy certain amount by meters?

Thank you, cartrufer.


----------



## ThurstonX

crispyd said:


> I got the opposite impression from reading, and wanted to get that out there. Based on my admittedly limited experience, it seemed like a good resource for inexpensive 26ga wire. I was using it for practice / proof of concept.
> 
> *As an IT guy, I've learned that patch cables reproduce when they are dumped in boxes. So they can be had for free if you know the guy in the right place.*


 
  
 LOL.  Or if you get laid off, you can make yourself a nice little parting gift basket.  I've still got some wonderfully long runs of CAT-5, not to mention a stapler and full color set of Sharpies


----------



## MrEleventy

crispyd said:


> I got the opposite impression from reading, and wanted to get that out there. Based on my admittedly limited experience, it seemed like a good resource for inexpensive 26ga wire. I was using it for practice / proof of concept.
> 
> As an IT guy, I've learned that patch cables reproduce when they are dumped in boxes. So they can be had for free if you know the guy in the right place.


Yeah, I'm still rocking some short homemade CAT 5 RCAs ICs in my setup. They definitely better than the cables that I picked up from Wally World, they went bad after a few months while my CAT5 ICs are still going strong a year later.


----------



## TrollDragon

8 Braid Cat5 IC works great as a Headphone Stand or DAP's Coilover tunable suspension...


----------



## Honkytime

peterek said:


> You're going to have to modify the baffle for the drivers a little to accommodate the mini XLR chassis.


 
  


trolldragon said:


> *Be extremely careful with these tabs, they are just press fit into the plastic and will pull out very easily snapping the voice coil wire in the process.*


 
 Thank's for your help guys i decided to do my DT 770's first just in case things went horribly wrong, but it went very smooth. here are some pics of the finished conversion.


----------



## freeman59

Hallo: I'm Odino from Italy: I have a little question about a extension cable 1,5 mt I will made with mogami cable quad 2893 I buy: the extension cable is for my new
  
 headphone Beyerdynamic dt880 premium 600ohm: firs't answer/help: for a good extension/connection is better a 3.5mm plug/jack or 6.3mm plug/jack??? the mogami cable
  
 have four core/ cable plus the ground: please can you help me by explaining how i can connect too? I thought to classic connect: ground to the outer metal of the plug / jack 
  
 and use only two wires of the  Mogami 2893 quad cable one for the right channel and one for the left...otherwise schield and two wires for the right channel and two to the 
  
 left ...: well, I hope that some of you tell me how better to connect the four mini cable plus ground to male and female connector on the 2893 Mogami quad cable: Thankìs and 
  
 see you soon: Odino.


----------



## 3l3tric

What TRS plugs do you guys use?
 I've been on the hunt for high quality 1/4 inch TRS plugs (I need one for a custom cable for my HE-4), but I can't seem to find any that use high quality metals (copper or silver), other than gold-plated rhodium connectors or something like that.
 I know such RCA connectors exist (here and here), but the only TRS plugs I can find seem to be gold/silver plated rhodium or nickel or something similar (which, according to this, would be highly inferior to copper/silver).
 Anyone know where to find these types of TRS connectors?


----------



## acain

8 braid cat 5 wire must have took some time I did a 4 strand round braid and if I get distracted I forget were I left off and end up messing the braid up.


----------



## ThurstonX

3l3tric said:


> What TRS plugs do you guys use?
> I've been on the hunt for high quality 1/4 inch TRS plugs (I need one for a custom cable for my HE-4), but I can't seem to find any that use high quality metals (copper or silver), other than gold-plated rhodium connectors or something like that.
> I know such RCA connectors exist (here and here), but the only TRS plugs I can find seem to be gold/silver plated rhodium or nickel or something similar (which, according to this, would be highly inferior to copper/silver).
> Anyone know where to find these types of TRS connectors?


 
  
 That's an interesting article you linked to, but even it cannot avoid audiophilic words when describing the sound/tone a given metal allegedly imparts.  That's not to say the descriptions are necessarily inaccurate, but I'd be skeptical until I could compare each.  Not sure how practical that is.
  
 Good luck in your search, and please post back re: any positive results.


----------



## 3l3tric

thurstonx said:


> That's an interesting article you linked to, but even it cannot avoid audiophilic words when describing the sound/tone a given metal allegedly imparts.  That's not to say the descriptions are necessarily inaccurate, but I'd be skeptical until I could compare each.  Not sure how practical that is.
> 
> Good luck in your search, and please post back re: any positive results.


 
 The main point of the article is the conductivity table, which shows Rhodium and Nickel as almost 3X less conductive than Copper. The rest of the article is really subjective, and I'd love to see what equipment they used to evaluate those sounds (IE: Senn HD600 and a single ended amp vs a STAX SR-009 and appropriate balanced amp), but the graph does tell a lot about metal v metal as far as conductivity goes.
 I just wish I could understand why solid Ag RCA plugs exist but not TRS plugs. Even Cardas' TRS plugs are of low quality when you look at the metal composition (Pure Rhodium? Really?). ALO Audio's offering isn't much better, IIRC. And even with the RCA plugs, it seems companies have their materials all messed up. Looking at the KLE plugs, the difference between the silver Harmony and copper Harmony is that the silver harmony has a solid silver ground connection, but retains the silver plated copper signal connection. Shouldn't that be the other way around?
 What really gets me is why Oyaide produces a set of solid silver RCA plugs but not even solid copper TRS.
 /rant
  
 EDIT: looks like this is a little bit closer to what I'm looking for. I wish they'd tell what the copper alloy was, though.
 EDIT2: For anyone curious, I just found out that the connectors used on the HiFiMan headphones are SMC connectors. You may get more variation in the connectors you can purchase. 
 Unfortunately, though, I doubt that anyone makes solid copper/silver SMC connectors.


----------



## GrindingThud

SMC connectors are designed for RF / Radar applications and good to 10GHz. You won't hear any variation with materials on an SMC used at audio frequencies. 
http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/smc.asp?N=0&sid=4E446D001C7C617F&
  
 Quote:


3l3tric said:


> EDIT2: For anyone curious, I just found out that the connectors used on the HiFiMan headphones are SMC connectors. You may get more variation in the connectors you can purchase.
> Unfortunately, though, I doubt that anyone makes solid copper/silver SMC connectors.


----------



## syntheticfish

Hello! I'm looking for some reasonable quality 2 conductor cable. Any suggestions?


----------



## eugenius

Question: can you take out the connectors from the stock Sennheiser HD800 balanced cable or are they glued?


----------



## freeman59

freeman59 said:


> Hallo: I'm Odino from Italy: I have a little question about a extension cable 1,5 mt I will made with mogami cable quad 2893 I buy: the extension cable is for my new
> 
> headphone Beyerdynamic dt880 premium 600ohm: firs't answer/help: for a good extension/connection is better a 3.5mm plug/jack or 6.3mm plug/jack??? the mogami cable
> 
> ...


----------



## compoopers

So this happened!

Any ideas on what to do? Do I need to buy a whole new cable, or can I get just the plug replaced? I live on a college campus, do you think I could find a fix to this somewhere?


----------



## Shawn71

compoopers said:


> So this happened!
> 
> Any ideas on what to do? Do I need to buy a whole new cable, or can I get just the plug replaced? I live on a college campus, do you think I could find a fix to this somewhere?




so is that a 3.5mm jack?...


----------



## compoopers

Yeah I believe it is. If I ordered a new one, could I get someone to fix it?


----------



## MrEleventy

Ouch. Yeah, it's fixable. You can just lop the jack off and attach a new one.


----------



## compoopers

How difficult is that? I've never worked with cables in that way and know nothing about soldering.


----------



## Arty McGhee

compoopers said:


> How difficult is that? I've never worked with cables in that way and know nothing about soldering.


 
 its pretty simple
 unless its crappy varnished wire
 whats on the other end?


----------



## ThurstonX

compoopers said:


> How difficult is that? I've never worked with cables in that way and know nothing about soldering.


 
  
 So if you're not willing to take on all the tasks involved in learning how to fix it (and really, unless that's a long-term goal, who could blame you for not wanting to), you can
  

get a new cable, _*if *_the cable is detachable from the cans
find someone who can do the job for free (<--- gratuitous Steely Dan reference 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 )... or at worst a nominal fee.
contact the manufacturer and say, What, man?!!?  and see what they'll do
buy new cans
  
 Maybe I missed something, but I don't think so.


----------



## compoopers

The cable is detachable so I could always buy a new one I suppose.

However, I'm more interested in repair just from a fun standpoint. I was thinking since I live on a college campus, I could take it to somewhere in the engineering dept and bring a few beers for trade?

Any tips on where might be good for that? As a business major such a trade appeals to me


----------



## ThurstonX

compoopers said:


> The cable is detachable so I could always buy a new one I suppose.
> 
> However, I'm more interested in repair just from a fun standpoint. I was thinking since I live on a college campus, I could take it to somewhere in the engineering dept and bring a few beers for trade?
> 
> Any tips on where might be good for that? As a business major such a trade appeals to me


 
  
 See, now that sounds like a plan.  Have fun with it, and be sure to film drunk engineers-in-training.  Youtube wants YOU.
  
 Where?  I think you answered your own question: Engineering Dept.  Make up some fliers and post them.  Don't skimp on the beer, or whatever they like to drink.  Jägermeister, perhaps


----------



## Arty McGhee

compoopers said:


> The cable is detachable so I could always buy a new one I suppose.
> 
> However, I'm more interested in repair just from a fun standpoint. I was thinking since I live on a college campus, I could take it to somewhere in the engineering dept and bring a few beers for trade?
> 
> Any tips on where might be good for that? As a business major such a trade appeals to me


 
 sounds like a good idea
 look for a ham radio club or some IT nerds
 one of em should have a soldering iron
 a twelve pack o tall boys oughta do it


----------



## ThurstonX

Hell, I'll fix yer cable.  Bring the Jägermeister and a 3.5mm plug of your choice.  I'd come to NERV, but I've no idea where that is


----------



## DrewWaits

So I got my current VMODA M80 Interconnect cable and my Triple Fi 10s from a buddy, starting my audiophilic journey. I've just now become interested in making my own. I have what I believe a silver dual twisted pair for my Triple Fi 10s. My question is, they are in a very small plastic tubing. My other interconnect has the same type of tubing, but is a quad braid of silver and copper, with a slightly larger diameter. What is the type of tubing called? I would like to recreate this for a small interconnect for my mobile rig, but I don't know what this is called. If this is not enough information, I can totally upload pictures tomorrow.


----------



## smaragd

Most likely Teflon tubing...


----------



## DrewWaits

smaragd said:


> Most likely Teflon tubing...


 
 I am more than a little dumb. Your ellipses are well-earned. Obviously bed-time!


----------



## MrEleventy

thurstonx said:


> Hell, I'll fix yer cable.  Bring the Jägermeister and a 3.5mm plug of your choice.  I'd come to NERV, but I've no idea where that is


Once you get to Japan, it's just a simple cross dimensional hop and escalator ride into the center of the Earth away.


----------



## ThurstonX

mreleventy said:


> Once you get to Japan, it's just a simple cross dimensional hop and escalator ride into the center of the Earth away.


 
  
 Can I stop by your place in S'port on the way to NERV?  Or is that just one of the many "Southport"s in Normalville?


----------



## Arty McGhee

mreleventy said:


> Once you get to Japan, it's just a simple cross dimensional hop and escalator ride into the center of the Earth away.


 
 um actually
 i believe that's neo tokyo


----------



## compoopers

thurstonx said:


> See, now that sounds like a plan.  Have fun with it, and be sure to film drunk engineers-in-training.  Youtube wants YOU.
> 
> Where?  I think you answered your own question: Engineering Dept.  Make up some fliers and post them.  Don't skimp on the beer, or whatever they like to drink.  Jägermeister, perhaps






arty mcghee said:


> sounds like a good idea
> look for a ham radio club or some IT nerds
> one of em should have a soldering iron
> a twelve pack o tall boys oughta do it




For sure, this sounds like fun now! Thanks for the input, I'll scout it out and see what's going on at the engineering dept. And for sure, I'll pick up some jag for them hahah.


----------



## etb513

Hi all,
  
 I'm thinking of doing the ATH-M50 removable cable mod, so I'd also like to make a new cable to go along with it. I'm currently thinking I'd like to use Mogami W2893 cabling w/ 3/16" techflex sleeving. I have a couple questions regarding sizing, strain relief and specific connectors:
  
 - I'm going to cut 4 feet of cabling. Will I need to cut the techflex sleeving longer for it to match the full length, or will the 3/16" techflex not contract when slide over the cable, like some other sleeving does?
  
 - I wanted to use a small locking 3.5mm panel connector on the M50's, so I'm looking at http://www.vetco.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8750 and the accompanying locking cable connector here: http://www.vetco.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8749. On the other end, any appropriate connector works, so I was just planning on ordering another one from the same site: http://www.vetco.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=15123. My concern is, these connectors have strain reliefs (either rubber or spring), but I don't know how well that would work with the sleeving. What's the best approach here? Strain relief under the sleeve, and heatshrink on top? Or maybe just get a more appropriate type of connector?
  
 Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!
  
 EDIT: Also, anyone know anywhere online selling Mogami W2893 or a comparable cable with reasonable shipping (in the US)? Everywhere I've looked has had absurd shipping.


----------



## Arty McGhee

etb513 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm thinking of doing the ATH-M50 removable cable mod, so I'd also like to make a new cable to go along with it. I'm currently thinking I'd like to use Mogami W2893 cabling w/ 3/16" techflex sleeving. I have a couple questions regarding sizing, strain relief and specific connectors:
> 
> ...


 
 i did mine with a mini xlr
 if you want a locking connector its a better choice
 the rean mini xlr has excellent strain relief
 i prefer paracord to techflex 
 tf is much stiffer its all available at redco for reasonable usps shipping
 hope this helps


----------



## PETEREK

Me too!


----------



## Kamakahah

etb513

The mini xlr push and release will be more functional than the 3.5 twist on/off. You can get Nylon Multifilament instead of the PET techflex. It doesn't expand like the PET but has a much better feel. It doesn't have the color or design options of paracord or PET either. 

I'm a paracord guy myself. It's cheap, lots of style options, feels nice and is pretty easy to work with.


----------



## Honkytime

I made my first cord with Pet techflex and noticed that every time I drag the cord across the desk it amplifies the plastic drag noise into the into the headphone. thou i still found it quite flexible.   I'm going to try the para cord next for my new cord for my HE 400's and see the difference.


----------



## etb513

Thanks for the suggestions regarding the connector type, guys. I'll definitely consider going with a mini XLR, but I'm a little concerned about the process of actually mounting the socket - since it's larger, is it much more work then mounting a 3.5mm socket that pretty much fits in the existing cable hole? I already ordered the 3.5mm connectors, but everything was pretty cheap, so I'm certainly willing to put them aside for a later project if mini XLR is really worth it.
  
 I'll consider switching to paracord, but the techflex I ordered was actually the 3/16" nylon multifilament techflex, so hopefully that will work well enough.


----------



## Kamakahah

etb513 said:


> Thanks for the suggestions regarding the connector type, guys. I'll definitely consider going with a mini XLR, but I'm a little concerned about the process of actually mounting the socket - since it's larger, is it much more work then mounting a 3.5mm socket that pretty much fits in the existing cable hole? I already ordered the 3.5mm connectors, but everything was pretty cheap, so I'm certainly willing to put them aside for a later project if mini XLR is really worth it.
> 
> I'll consider switching to paracord, but the techflex I ordered was actually the 3/16" nylon multifilament techflex, so hopefully that will work well enough.




The nylon multifilament will work great. The mini XLR will require you to widen the hole. If you don't mine screwing and unscrewing every time to remove the cable then it's no big deal. If you will be removing it often, which one would assume is a factor for wanting to do the mod, then it might become tedious after a while.


----------



## ThurstonX

honkytime said:


>


 
  
 I have that problem with 550 paracord that I pulled too tight around a Mogami four-wire twist (sheath and shield removed).  Yes, paracord is superior, but try to leave some slack, if possible.  Fortunately, I only "hear" it when there's no music playing, like when I'm connecting it to the AKGs.  Techflex looks good on interconnects.


----------



## Arty McGhee

etb513 said:


> Thanks for the suggestions regarding the connector type, guys. I'll definitely consider going with a mini XLR, but I'm a little concerned about the process of actually mounting the socket - since it's larger, is it much more work then mounting a 3.5mm socket that pretty much fits in the existing cable hole? I already ordered the 3.5mm connectors, but everything was pretty cheap, so I'm certainly willing to put them aside for a later project if mini XLR is really worth it.
> 
> I'll consider switching to paracord, but the techflex I ordered was actually the 3/16" nylon multifilament techflex, so hopefully that will work well enough.


 
 well good luck with it
 post some photos when its done


----------



## hennessys

Hi guys,

I'm panning to make a RCA to XLR. I've got some Mogami cable that i would like to use. Which approach you suggest:

1. The same colors soldered together and i use one of them with the shielding for the RCA sleeve / last pin on the xlr.

2. I leave the shielding out of the game. The two blue is soldered together and used instead of the shield for the sleeve and the transparents are going to the other pins on the xlr


----------



## jdogw

Hey guys, 
  
 I need a 3.5mm plug that would fit into a lifeproof Iphone case anyone got any suggestions? thanks.


----------



## PETEREK

jdogw said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I need a 3.5mm plug that would fit into a lifeproof Iphone case anyone got any suggestions? thanks.





  
 I like using these from PlusSound for devices with cases, they're nice and slim at the tip. (the first connector on the page)
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
  
 Here's a small version of the Viablue 3.5mm connectors. They're a little more pricey but they look nice and the build quality is great in all the Viablue connectors I've used.
 http://www.avoutlet.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=1580
  
 Here are some cheap ones 
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-3-5mm-Male-Plug-3-Pole-Stereo-Repair-Audio-Earphones-TRS-Connector-Solder-/291031208729?pt=US_Audio_Cable_Plugs_Jacks&hash=item43c2cfd319


----------



## i luvmusic 2

My VIABLUE RCA splitters They sucks big time,Loosed fit for both male and female sides,They looks/feels nice tho.


----------



## jdogw

peterek said:


> I like using these from PlusSound for devices with cases, they're nice and slim at the tip. (the first connector on the page)
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
> 
> Here's a small version of the Viablue 3.5mm connectors. They're a little more pricey but they look nice and the build quality is great in all the Viablue connectors I've used.
> ...


 
 thanks but do you know if they will fit the lifeproof cases though?


----------



## PETEREK

No I don't but you aren't going to find much slimmer than the first and third links.


----------



## MrEleventy

peterek said:


> I like using these from PlusSound for devices with cases, they're nice and slim at the tip. (the first connector on the page)
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
> 
> Here's a small version of the Viablue 3.5mm connectors. They're a little more pricey but they look nice and the build quality is great in all the Viablue connectors I've used.
> ...


Skip the cheap ones. The end is really small. Fitting 3 cables into the end is a tight fit. Ended up scraping the cable and causing shorts. I bought 4, used 1 and threw away the rest. Amphenol makes some too that I like. A lot easier to work with and nicer looking.


----------



## PETEREK

Yeah I agree, they aren't the best to work with. I figured I'd link an option that was cheaper in case he was on a budget.


----------



## Arty McGhee

jdogw said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I need a 3.5mm plug that would fit into a lifeproof Iphone case anyone got any suggestions? thanks.


 
 this is the new amphenol
 its made to fit through a case
 dunno if it'l fite the life proof
 it fits my generic ipad case
  
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Amphenol-Audio/KS3PC-AU/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMumZtdVBplilw2%2fibSMC4t6


----------



## FrozenPanda

arty mcghee said:


> this is the new amphenol
> its made to fit through a case
> dunno if it'l fite the life proof
> it fits my generic ipad case
> ...


 
 OH man that looks great. Is the new jack much shinier than the older ones? And also, how was working with the Pistons? Did you crack them open and solder directly onto the driver or did you just cut the cable and solder wire to wire?


----------



## Arty McGhee

frozenpanda said:


> OH man that looks great. Is the new jack much shinier than the older ones? And also, how was working with the Pistons? Did you crack them open and solder directly onto the driver or did you just cut the cable and solder wire to wire?


 
 thanks its like a greyish shiny finish
 compares to the old black style amphenol
 i cracked them open. they come apart pretty easy


----------



## Ellis

I'm attempting to solder a new plug onto my SteelSeries Flux In-Ears, but I'm not sure which wires to solder where.

The IEMs have a microphone, and I have four wires: copper, red/green striped, red, green (in that order - the cable is flat).

My plug is the Neutrik NTP3RC-B, though - a TRS connector. I know that I won't get the in-line mic/button working, but which cable is likely to be which? If I had to guess I'd say red = right, green = left, red/green = mic, so I can cut away the red/green.


----------



## Toxic Cables

jdogw said:


> thanks but do you know if they will fit the lifeproof cases though?


 
 The Viablue will not fit.


----------



## Toxic Cables

i luvmusic 2 said:


> My VIABLUE RCA splitters They sucks big time,Loosed fit for both male and female sides,They looks/feels nice tho.


 
 Those are made for larger cables mostly, they have quite a few options including a couple that fit smaller cables. It's best to check the measurements before ordering.


----------



## Ellis

Did some testing. Red = ring, green = tip, copper = sleeve, red/green striped = not used.

Haven't actually done any soldering yet though


----------



## i luvmusic 2

toxic cables said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > My VIABLUE RCA splitters They sucks big time,Loosed fit for both male and female sides,They looks/feels nice tho.
> ...


 
 Sorry my apology!I mean a RCA Y adapters..........


----------



## leeperry

Any knows what's so improved with those Hifiman connectors? http://www.lunashops.co.uk/goods-3463.html

Regular ones are twice cheaper: http://www.lunashops.co.uk/goods-3287.html


----------



## jodgey4

HOW MANY TIMES CAN I FORGET TO PUT THE SCREW PART OF A CONNECTOR ON BEFORE I SOLDER AGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


----------



## funch

Um, infinitely? I feel your pain. Getting in a hurry is a sure path to disaster. Trust me; I was a master at it. Finally got myself slowed
 down in my old age.


----------



## DJScope

jodgey4 said:


> HOW MANY TIMES CAN I FORGET TO PUT THE SCREW PART OF A CONNECTOR ON BEFORE I SOLDER AGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


 
  
 I can't help but laugh at your misfortunes! Well, at least until I do the same myself! xD


----------



## ThurstonX

I like to think of those situations as learning opportunities.  I've become much more adept at desoldering


----------



## jodgey4

I couldn't find my desoldering braid or pump to re-open the tiny holes... so i just put one Rean 3.5mm connector aside and grabbed another.


----------



## Gerner

I know this cable aren't for headphones, but I have some issues maling my speaker cable... 




I'm not sure I can solder the cable into the connector? Or do it have to be crimped? 

Hope someone can help me.  

// Gerner


----------



## Shawn71

If you want to use that cable, The speaker cable has 2 core of wires for positive and negative,for a given channel......and you need 3 wires to use with 3.5mm or 6.3mm jack for an earphone or headphone....left +, right + & common ground...

What model headphone you are trying to re-cable?

OR

you tryin to fix the broken RCA jack/plug?...


----------



## Gerner

shawn71 said:


> If you want to use that cable, The speaker cable has 2 core of wires for positive and negative,for a given channel......and you need 3 wires to use with 3.5mm or 6.3mm jack for an earphone or headphone....left +, right + & common ground...
> 
> What model headphone you are trying to re-cable?
> 
> ...




My bad.. The cable is ment to be used with my stereo hifi system.  So I need 2 cable for each speaker ( left/right ) 
The problem is that I don't know how to make the cable "stick (?)" To the connector. 

Hope it makes sense. 

// Gerner


----------



## Shawn71

gerner said:


> My bad.. The cable is ment to be used with my stereo hifi system.  So I need 2 cable for each speaker ( left/right )
> The problem is that I don't know how to make the cable "stick (?)" To the connector.
> 
> Hope it makes sense.
> ...




Yes,now....... the banana plug that goes to the amp/av receiver should have a small screw for the conductor(+ve) and the ground cable can be clamped using a plier....in general.....if this doesnt help you,request you to post a picture or two.....to help you better...


----------



## castleofargh

hey guys, I'm struggling (mostly because I don't have a multimeter), trying to find what are the left/right/ground pins in a 5ring jack from a sony noise cancelling headphone.
  
 something like that:

 I'm guessing that sony would follow logic(yeah I know I'm an optimist). also they have to at least start with left at the tip for compatibility when using other headphones in the DAP. 
 so here is my guess:
 at the tip of the jack it has to be +left, so I guess they would then put the left mic, then +right, and right mic, and the - in last position. that's how how I would do it if I was sony. but really, I have zero idea about how THEY actually did it. ^_^
 so I jumped in here hoping some wise man could save me before I decide to randomly connect stuff and pray for nothing to go bad.
  
 any help is deeply appreciated, thanks.


----------



## jodgey4

Normally the tip is left, first ring is right, and the bottom of the sleeve should be ground. That leaves two middle rings to figure out, which I assume are a left and right (top to bottom) signal (or +/-).

The only thing I'm not 100% sure on is the ground, I'm only 97% sure I guess, haha. Just tape wires around and test it all before you solder.


----------



## Shawn71

It cld be L+ (T) , R+ (R), L mic (R), R mic (R), common ground -ve (S).....


----------



## Gerner

shawn71 said:


> Yes,now....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 Here are some pictures. 
  
 http://imageshack.com/a/img661/9365/29sAjp.jpg
 http://imageshack.com/a/img661/7792/o3ND4e.jpg
 http://imageshack.com/a/img908/6470/ABJqm9.jpg
  
 // Gerner


----------



## MrEleventy

Maybe do it like this picture? 



Found the picture on a Amazon listing. Here


----------



## Gerner

mreleventy said:


> Maybe do it like this picture?
> 
> 
> 
> Found the picture on a Amazon listing. Here


 
  
 Looks pretty much like the one I use.. But can't really see how to get them soldered propably?


----------



## Shawn71

gerner said:


> Looks pretty much like the one I use.. But can't really see how to get them soldered propably?




if you see 2/3 cuts (gaps) along the banana plug you might just insert the strands and crimp it......then screw the outer metal tubing....if no cuts then soldering will do.....


----------



## Gerner

Those are the once I've bought:  http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200573351701?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
  
 As far as I can see, they have to be either crimped or soldered?
 But if they have to be soldered, then I must stick them into the connector, and solder them where the connector ends at the hole?
  
 Okay.. I made a try, and this is what by end result looks like.. Pretty horrible since the caps are ugly as hell.. My next pair of cables (In the future) will be better..
 I'll go see if they even work..
  
 http://imageshack.com/a/img911/2497/M57Pty.jpg
 http://imageshack.com/a/img661/2346/k8bH6a.jpg


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Try tinning the cable then insert it and put your iron in the highs settings this works for me in the past.


----------



## Arty McGhee

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Try tinning the cable then insert it and put your iron in the highs settings this works for me in the past.




Heat it up real good and kinda seal it in there


----------



## castleofargh

castleofargh said:


> hey guys, I'm struggling (mostly because I don't have a multimeter), trying to find what are the left/right/ground pins in a 5ring jack from a sony noise cancelling headphone.
> 
> something like that:
> 
> ...


 
 I'll answer myself in case someone needs this one day. 
  
 starting from the tip it's: 1=left  2=right 4="ground"
 the signal was bleeding so much into 5 that I thought it was the ground... messed up and killed the 4th contact on the female jack in the process.
 well I was already making one from 2 broken DAPs so it doesn't change much I ended up just switching the plug with the working one (so yeah I repaired nothing at all really, I just switched 2 components ^_^).


----------



## i luvmusic 2

arty mcghee said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > Try tinning the cable then insert it and put your iron in the highs settings this works for me in the past.
> ...


 
 Yes and tinned  it until it's big enough to fit in the connector.


----------



## Honkytime

Got my steelex vacuum vise today. stuck it to my desk and picked the glass up with it. Damn this hobby thou, if my headphones and amp collection weren't enough, i now have a full soldering station now too. I just got to put the bench cabinet together now. I think that the guy that said "sorry about your wallet" lied to me, it should have been "Sorry of not having any future savings".
 anyways some pics of my new vise.


----------



## hennessys

I feel your pain 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Nice station, i need to get something like this too.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

honkytime said:


> Got my steelex vacuum vise today. stuck it to my desk and picked the glass up with it. Damn this hobby thou, if my headphones and amp collection weren't enough, i now have a full soldering station now too. I just got to put the bench cabinet together now. I think that the guy that said "sorry about your wallet" lied to me, it should have been "Sorry of not having any future savings".
> anyways some pics of my new vise.


 
 That is not a VISE.
  
 This is a VISE.

  

  

 JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
  
  
 I'am still feel sorry for your wallet and your future savings.


----------



## Honkytime

i luvmusic 2 said:


> That is not a VISE.
> This is a VISE.


 
 ya got me there but i think that ones a little heavy for my particle board  bench set up my new workstation today here is a pic.


----------



## ThurstonX

honkytime said:


> ya got me there but i think that ones a little heavy for my particle board  bench set up my new workstation today here is a pic.


 
  
 Nice and compact, very tidy.  Oh, and I love that little helping hands guy.  He surrenders 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Looks like we have the same.  I'd take a pic, but it's not worthy, and too messy.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

honkytime said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > That is not a VISE.
> ...


 
 Yeah it's a little heavy for your Bench 45 lbs. 25 years old i've changed my Work Bench twice but not even once for my VISE but it can't do any of electronic components grab too big.


----------



## TrollDragon

honkytime said:


> ya got me there but i think that ones a little heavy for my particle board  bench set up my new workstation today here is a pic.


Nice workstation!
I'll have to get one of those retractable jumper rigs, they look very handy.


----------



## acain

Need advice I am pretty new to DIY cables. Say you have 2 cables both of them sleeved in techflex or paracord.  I want to twist them together after there sleeved how do you get them to stay together if the wire is very flexible. Do you use some kind of glue?


----------



## PETEREK

acain said:


> Need advice I am pretty new to DIY cables. Say you have 2 cables both of them sleeved in techflex or paracord.  I want to twist them together after there sleeved how do you get them to stay together if the wire is very flexible. Do you use some kind of glue?


 
 Check out this video


----------



## acain

Thanks for the video


----------



## Honkytime

How many say 24 or 26 ga wires can you get you run inside type 1 coracord?


----------



## Kamakahah

honkytime said:


> How many say 24 or 26 ga wires can you get you run inside type 1 coracord?




Not sure if it's a trick question,but I can't imagine fitting more than one 22-28awg wire into type one paracord. Perhaps it varies depending on the vendor, but I couldn't.


----------



## Honkytime

kamakahah said:


> Not sure if it's a trick question,but I can't imagine fitting more than one 22-28awg wire into type one paracord. Perhaps it varies depending on the vendor, but I couldn't.


 no not a trick question i just ordered some paracord and was wondering how the i.d was on the paracord


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I managed to sleeved the MOGAMI 2893(4X28AWG) and 3X22AWG with a paracord from Supply Captain i stripped the outer jacket and the shield and slowly feed it inside the Paracord.


----------



## Honkytime

Thought id post a few pics of building my new cord for my HE-400's
  

  
 started out by cutting the cable and PET techflex 
  

 getting ready to solder the SMC connectors

 Soldering the 4 pin xlr connector, had to redo the first 2 wires as i put them on backwards by mistake.

 Finished Product


----------



## CrispyD

I'm looking to make some custom USB cables, both 2.0, and 3.0. My Google-fu is not strong enough to find less than 1000 feet of plain USB compliant wire for sale. I hate to buy perfectly good cables just to snip the ends off so I can make them pretty, but if that's the way, so be it.
  
 I found standard connectors from the usual suspects, but are there any places selling pretty USB connectors?


----------



## Hente

Dunno if this is the right thread or not, but I don't know if there is a general recable thread. I'm looking to recable my Brainwavz HM3/ Fischer Audio FA-004 clones and I'm not sure which solder contact is the left, right and ground/common signal. I unfortunately don't have a multimeter so I'm not sure how I could test them to check which one is which. Pictures of the driver: http://imgur.com/a/ZJZ1y
I'm assuming the copper is the ground/common, but not sure which signal the other two color wires are.

Also, what is a cheap, good wire for recabling headphones, and where should I buy the stuff? I know the OP states some sites & there is a list of resources on this forum, but I'd still like some user input on this since there seems to be so many sites.


----------



## Shawn71

hente said:


> Dunno if this is the right thread or not, but I don't know if there is a general recable thread. I'm looking to recable my Brainwavz HM3/ Fischer Audio FA-004 clones and I'm not sure which solder contact is the left, right and ground/common signal. I unfortunately don't have a multimeter so I'm not sure how I could test them to check which one is which. Pictures of the driver: http://imgur.com/a/ZJZ1y
> I'm assuming the copper is the ground/common, but not sure which signal the other two color wires are.
> 
> Also, what is a cheap, good wire for recabling headphones, and where should I buy the stuff? I know the OP states some sites & there is a list of resources on this forum, but I'd still like some user input on this since there seems to be so many sites.




The red marking (on the left, when soldering contacts facing down) are the positive terminal........

EDIT>>> HM3 has single entry cable,which means the right channel signal passes thru headband from the left earcup.The copper colored are the common ground for both L & R channels,thus L- & R-. From the picture,green is the L+ and blue is R+....
The green directly soldered to left+ whereas the blue, R+, cld be directly routed to right cup along with R- (copper ground).....

Btw, I know the rubberized cable is the existing stock cable,but is the other cable are the one you tryin to re-cable? Coz the piece of cable that bridges the left and right earcups will not be of that diameter and it shd be small enough to traverse the headband.......


----------



## Hente

shawn71 said:


> The red marking (on the left, when soldering contacts facing down) are the positive terminal........
> 
> EDIT>>> HM3 has single entry cable,which means the right channel signal passes thru headband from the left earcup.The copper colored are the common ground for both L & R channels,thus L- & R-. From the picture,green is the L+ and blue is R+....
> The green directly soldered to left+ whereas the blue, R+, cld be directly routed to right cup along with R- (copper ground).....
> ...



Thanks a lot for the information! Unless I also have to recable the right driver/cables I'm not going to be recabling the cable that goes through the headband, just gonna be recabling the stock rubberized cable that goes out of the left earcup.


----------



## Shawn71

hente said:


> Thanks a lot for the information! Unless I also have to recable the right driver/cables I'm not going to be recabling the cable that goes through the headband, just gonna be recabling the stock rubberized cable that goes out of the left earcup.




No,my bad, let me re-phrase...dont disturb the L>R cable...Ive just commented that the cable shd be thin enough to be hidden inside frame....but seeing the other cable in the picture,with cross woven sheath,I thought thats your new cable (main one) you tryin to re-cable by soldering on the same places as the stock cable....since you dont have clue which goes where....
Recabling is Just the main cable with 3.5mm jack....


----------



## squallkiercosa

Does cryo treated connectors are actually better? any experience?


----------



## Kamakahah

I've noticed zero difference from cryo-treated anything. YMMV.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Hi!
   Which one is the + side on HD 650 connector pins big or small?Thanks!


----------



## funch

I've checked the leads on a stock Cardas Senn. cable, and they use the small as +, large as -.
  
 Truthfully, though, I dont' think it really matters. Sennheiser does that so no one switches one lead and ends up out of phase.


----------



## leeperry

funch said:


> Truthfully, though, I dont' think it really matters. Sennheiser does that so no one switches one lead and ends up out of phase.


 
  
 It very much might: http://wiki.faust3d.com/wiki/images/2/24/U70review79.jpg


----------



## funch

That may be true, if the positive pulse should push the cone out instead of pulling it back.


----------



## Shawn71

funch said:


> I've checked the leads on a stock Cardas Senn. cable, and they use the small as +, large as -.
> 
> Truthfully, though, I dont' think it really matters. Sennheiser does that so no one switches one lead and ends up out of phase.




Thats right about the polarity......but it really matters when you diy the cable tho....


----------



## PETEREK

I just finished stripping the 4 wires out of 5 meters of Mogami w2893. That's 196 inches people. That was torture.


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> I just finished stripping the 4 wires out of 5 meters of Mogami w2893. That's 196 inches people. That was torture.


No, that builds character...


----------



## PETEREK

Ha you know what also builds character? Sleeving the entire thing in Type 1 paracord. Yeah, that's going to happen. I'm going to have to anchor the end in my kitchen and braid in the living room. LMAO!


----------



## TrollDragon

HaHa, I really like Type I it will be an epic cable!


----------



## PETEREK

So do I, I'll update and possibly edit this post as my views change during this build. Haha


----------



## ThurstonX

peterek said:


> Ha you know what also builds character? Sleeving the entire thing in Type 1 paracord. Yeah, that's going to happen. I'm going to have to anchor the end in my kitchen and braid in the living room. LMAO!


 
  
 I'd say it's heroic.  You're my hero.  All my heroes are masochists, which is why I hang around this thread 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  
  
 Seriously, we want in-progress pix, or a movie of the braiding.  I just did four 100/46 Litz wires into type 1 paracord (about 8-feet per) and it wasn't too bad.  I was able to do it mostly by feel, so I could watch TV while threading.
  
 Good luck, and do post pix when it's done.


----------



## Arty McGhee

thurstonx said:


> I'd say it's heroic.  You're my hero.  All my heroes are masochists, which is why I hang around this thread
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 did about 6 feet x 3 strands to make that blue cable
 took a lot longer than i thought ....
 makes for a nice cable 
 good ruck casper!


----------



## ThurstonX

I hate to keep bringing this up, mostly cuz it means I'm not understanding something (shocker!), but I'm still wondering about wire gauge, number of conductors and capacitance in unbalanced interconnects.  I'm going to be making a few pairs of really short (under 12 inches) interconnects to put my schiit together, and I've got a few options.
  

Mogami W2893 quad in its native form, combining two wires for signal and two for ground.  I currently have one interconnect like this (about 7.5 inches).
Same, but stripped to just the wires.  I'd do this *IF* it's better to use just two wires, as opposed to combining two wires for signal and two for ground.
100/46 Litz in whatever the best config is (assuming one for signal, one for ground)
Combo of 100/46 Litz for signal, single Mogami wire for ground.  Not sure if that's a good idea, or if it matters at all.
  
  
 I did search this thread for "capicitance" and found this: http://www.atlascables.com/right-connection.html  --  obviously there's a lot I could read.  Will there be a noticeable difference between using two combined conductors vs. a single wire in such just cables?  The advantage of leaving the W2893 intact is the shielding.  I'm trying to use up what I've got without buying new cables/wire.

 TIA.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

funch said:


> I've checked the leads on a stock Cardas Senn. cable, and they use the small as +, large as -.
> 
> Truthfully, though, I dont' think it really matters. Sennheiser does that so no one switches one lead and ends up out of phase.


 
  
 Thanks!


peterek said:


> I just finished stripping the 4 wires out of 5 meters of Mogami w2893. That's 196 inches people. That was torture.


 
 I have this cable(Mogami 2893)in 12' already  stripped a while back when i made a TRS extension cable, Is this  cable(2893) big enough for the HD 650?Is it better to used the Mogami 2534(slightly bigger than the 2893)does it matter? sorry! for all my questions.THANK YOU!


----------



## i luvmusic 2

trolldragon said:


> HaHa, I really like Type I it will be an epic cable!


 
 Where do you get your Type I paracord in Canada?Thanks!


----------



## TrollDragon

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Where do you get your Type I paracord in Canada?Thanks!


 
 I pick mine up from Michaels, there is not a lot of selection though.


----------



## ThurstonX

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Where do you get your Type I paracord in Canada?Thanks!


 
  
 Does Paracord Planet ship to Canada?  They have a crazy selection.


----------



## TrollDragon

thurstonx said:


> Does Paracord Planet ship to Canada?  They have a crazy selection.


 
 A steep $20 for a $5 spool of micro cord I just put in their shopping cart, it might be the same for bigger orders though and that would be ok.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

trolldragon said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > Where do you get your Type I paracord in Canada?Thanks!
> ...


 
  
 Thanks TD!I just want Black.


thurstonx said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > Where do you get your Type I paracord in Canada?Thanks!
> ...


 
 I don't know but i usually get my paracord from Supply captain i'am looking for stores locally.Thanks!


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> A steep $20 for a $5 spool of micro cord I just put in their shopping cart, it might be the same for bigger orders though and that would be ok.


 
  
 Bummer, but not surprising.


----------



## Kamakahah

I suppose you could save some money by having another member buy and ship it to you. Probably worthwhile if you buy a small bulk order.


----------



## Earual

I have a question guys. I'm thinking of creating a 1/4" male to stereo mini male braided cable as my Custom One Pro cable. Obviously I only need three wires to do the trick, but if I wanted to use say 5, or 6 and double the number of wires connected to each terminal, does that result in a degradation of SQ?


----------



## Mach3

I'm doing an 8 wire round braid with double helix 7N copper wire.
 Anyone know how to braid the y split section so I can finish the braiding with left and right side 4 wire round braid?


----------



## Honkytime

thurstonx said:


> Does Paracord Planet ship to Canada?  They have a crazy selection.


 
 i clicked on the shipping info on my cart in paracord planet and yes they ship to Canada threw UPS, but it added another $20.97 to the price for shipping. i ordered some off ebay and only paid 30 for 3 100ft different colors shipped to canada


----------



## PETEREK

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Thanks!
> I have this cable(Mogami 2893)in 12' already  stripped a while back when i made a TRS extension cable, Is this  cable(2893) big enough for the HD 650?Is it better to used the Mogami 2534(slightly bigger than the 2893)does it matter? sorry! for all my questions.THANK YOU!




I really don't know if it would be better or not, I only use w2893 because I know it's flexible and always works well for headphone cables and interconnects. I like to stick with what I know works, which is why I haven't tried the w2534 yet.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

peterek said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks!
> ...


 
 I'am about to find out which one of the two will be better for me just ordered it last night.Thanks!


----------



## PETEREK

Oh awesome man, let us know what you prefer and why.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Now i realized that the 2534 is slightly bigger than the 2893 might be a PITA to sleeve those individual conductor i guess i need to wait and see.


----------



## DMinor

Hi guys,  I am looking for 1/4" diameter multifilament sleeve in *silver color* but couldn't find it. Let me know if you know where to buy these. Thanks


----------



## PETEREK

dminor said:


> Hi guys,  I am looking for 1/4" diameter multifilament sleeve in *silver color* but couldn't find it. Let me know if you know where to buy these. Thanks


 
 I couldn't find 1/4" but here's 3/16", pretty close. Hope you can make it work.
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-16-SILVER-BRAIDED-NYLON-SLEEVING-techflex-25-ft-/230724923573?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item35b846f0b5&vxp=mtr


----------



## DMinor

peterek said:


> I couldn't find 1/4" but here's 3/16", pretty close. Hope you can make it work.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-16-SILVER-BRAIDED-NYLON-SLEEVING-techflex-25-ft-/230724923573?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item35b846f0b5&vxp=mtr


 
  
 Thank you for the info. I may just try that.
  
 Is there another type of multifilament sleeve which is less softer? I would like to have the sleeve maintain the round shape with the wires in.


----------



## Honkytime

kamakahah said:


> Not sure if it's a trick question,but I can't imagine fitting more than one 22-28awg wire into type one paracord. Perhaps it varies depending on the vendor, but I couldn't.


 
 my paracord arrived today
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  I NOW get why you thought it was a trick question. having never used it before,... yeah I can't see how you would get more than 1 cord threw it.


----------



## Kamakahah

honkytime said:


> my paracord arrived today:bigsmile_face:   I NOW get why you thought it was a trick question. having never used it before,... yeah I can't see how you would get more than 1 cord threw it.




I've been wrong before, so I didn't want to tell you no when it might be possible with very thin wire. Otherwise, it can already be a bit of a chore just getting one through. Good luck with the build.


----------



## NotaLefty

I'm wanting to build my first cable ever for my HE400i because the stock cable is just too short at under 5 feet. Are there any easy to follow guides available that someone can link/provide?


----------



## theodoro

Hello guys,
 I have a Mogami W2549 #22AWG cable and i want to make (x2) RCAs with it. I know most people suggest Neutrik connectors but i like these better (for looks only). Does anybody have an idea if they are good connectors?

 Also, i want to sleeve the cable. Many people use paracord but 1) where can i find paracord with dual color (black&white or black&gray) in *Europe, *2)what type of paracord do i need? (how many mm in width?  and 3) how can i feed the cable inside the paracord?


----------



## deadpool

I finally picked up a new soldering iron and I'm looking to put a new cable on my Denon D2000s. I'm not that worried about sound quality, I am worried about:
  
 -*Cord flexibility *(want something very flexible, with minimal memory)
 -*Noise transmission* (don't want to pick up all the noise from dragging the cord across my body/chair/floor etc.)
 -Appearance (probably not an issue with sleeving options)
 -Ease of use (using something with pre-braided & color coded wires would be easier than braiding my own, not a huge deal)
 -Price I guess, <$60-80 seems reasonable for a 8-12ft cable.
  
 I'm just going to solder them, not interested in quick disconnects. I'm a little hazy about how I'll be doing the Y-Split, I think adhesive heat shrink will be adequate if I can't find anything else. I've heard of Canare/Mogami/DHC/Toxic/etc. 
  
  
 So far I'm looking at:
 -8-12 feet of cable
 -a nice looking 3.5mm cable
 -some kind of Y junction or just using adhesive heat shrink
 -solder
 -probably 4-6ft 1/8" paracord
 -6-8ft 1/4" paracord
  
 Thanks for any help, I've been loving my D2000s for probably 5+ years now, time to give them a bit of a tune up


----------



## PETEREK

deadpool said:


> I finally picked up a new soldering iron and I'm looking to put a new cable on my Denon D2000s. I'm not that worried about sound quality, I am worried about:
> 
> -*Cord flexibility *(want something very flexible, with minimal memory)
> -*Noise transmission* (don't want to pick up all the noise from dragging the cord across my body/chair/floor etc.)
> ...






  
 You probably wont need 1/4" paracord. Your cable would have to be pretty damn thick to need that, like 8 wires thick. If you're wanting to use paracord, 550 paracord or 3/16" nylon multifilament (softer than paracord) will work nicely for 4 wires. I pretty much stick to Mogami for budget cables, you're going to have to remove the stock sleeving to get to the wires and use only the wires covered in paracord to achieve the most flexibility. 
  
 I would use Mogami w2893, stipping the sleeving can take some time but the wire inside is really worth it. If you want to put something at the Y split, you could always order an extra 3.5mm connector and use the barrel there, cover it with heat shrink and call it a day. It looks better doing it that way than having an amoeba shaped blob of heatshrink. I personally like using Amphenol 3.5mm connectors over Rean 3.5mm's, they look nicer and are just as cheap. 
  
 I'm going to give you my recommended parts list for a budget cable excluding the solder, you may have a preference to the thickness or type. I use a really fine solder. I would just go check out a local shop for that, like Radio Shack.
  
 Mogami W2893: http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893.html
 Amphenol 3.5mm: http://www.redco.com/Amphenol-KS3PB-AU.html
 3/16" nylon multifilament (before y split): http://www.ebay.com/itm/231010217812?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 1/8" nylon multifilament (after y split): http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-8-BRAIDED-NYLON-SLEEVING-audio-TECHFLEX-25-ft-/360217197985?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item53de9e3da1&vxp=mtr
If you really want to use a splitter, PlusSound's are nice: http://www.ebay.com/itm/plusSound-Cryo-Treated-Anodized-Aluminum-Y-Splitter-Stopper-For-DIY-/271638981151?pt=US_Splitters_Combiners&hash=item3f3ef1ea1f


----------



## syntheticfish

Hello gang!
 First off, I have no idea what I am doing and thus need your help! I want to make a 3.5mm to two RCA cable. I have chosen what appear to me to be very good quality connectors:
  
 neutrik profi
 Viablue 3.5mm mini jack
  
 does anyone have an opinion on these? What about the cable? What sort of cable am I going to need? Any recommendations?
  
 Thanks!


----------



## smaragd

syntheticfish said:


> Hello gang!
> First off, I have no idea what I am doing and thus need your help! I want to make a 3.5mm to two RCA cable. I have chosen what appear to me to be very good quality connectors:
> 
> neutrik profi
> ...


 

 Neutrick Profi are rubbish compared to Eichmann bullet RCA plugs....day and night difference  The 3.5mm Viablue is a great connector though, both the normal 3.5mm and mini 3.5mm


----------



## syntheticfish

Thanks for the feedback, Samaragd. I'll investigate those. Any opinions on cables?


----------



## i luvmusic 2

So i picked up some paracord  and my order from take 5 audio should arrived tomorrow let the fun part begins.


----------



## deadpool

peterek said:


> You probably wont need 1/4" paracord. Your cable would have to be pretty damn thick to need that, like 8 wires thick. If you're wanting to use paracord, 550 paracord or 3/16" nylon multifilament (softer than paracord) will work nicely for 4 wires. I pretty much stick to Mogami for budget cables, you're going to have to remove the stock sleeving to get to the wires and use only the wires covered in paracord to achieve the most flexibility.
> 
> I would use Mogami w2893, stipping the sleeving can take some time but the wire inside is really worth it. If you want to put something at the Y split, you could always order an extra 3.5mm connector and use the barrel there, cover it with heat shrink and call it a day. It looks better doing it that way than having an amoeba shaped blob of heatshrink. I personally like using Amphenol 3.5mm connectors over Rean 3.5mm's, they look nicer and are just as cheap.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thank you for the reply. That list looks pretty good to me. for the Mogami W2893 do you suggest stripping just the black plastic sheathing off, or both the plastic sheathing and copper insulating layer as well? Any experience with noise transmission and cable memory?


----------



## PETEREK

deadpool said:


> Thank you for the reply. That list looks pretty good to me. for the Mogami W2893 do you suggest stripping just the black plastic sheathing off, or both the plastic sheathing and copper insulating layer as well? Any experience with noise transmission and cable memory?


 
 I strip it all the way down to the 4 wires, so the black (or whatever color you order) sheething, copper, paper, and also the strings. I don't have any issues with cable noise, just let your nylon multifilament be a little loose, don't pull it tight so it's hugging the wires really tightly, otherwise you probably would have cable noise. I think you'll be happy with the way it turns out for price, microphonics, and memory (all for the lack of).


----------



## NotaLefty

Do you put cables in the paracord without anything else over them?


----------



## PETEREK

*I* do.


----------



## NotaLefty

peterek said:


> *I* do.


 
 Is there a different way to do it? I'm going blindly into this and I can't seem to find a guide for it.


----------



## ThurstonX

peterek said:


> I strip it all the way down to the 4 wires, so the black (or whatever color you order) sheething, copper, paper, and also the strings. I don't have any issues with cable noise, just let your nylon multifilament be a little loose, don't pull it tight so it's hugging the wires really tightly, otherwise you probably would have cable noise. I think you'll be happy with the way it turns out for price, microphonics, and memory (all for the lack of).


 
  


notalefty said:


> Do you put cables in the paracord without anything else over them?


 
  
 I did the same as @cCasper TFG with my Mogami W2799: strip it all so you're left with just the four wires.  It's pretty easy to keep the natural twist intact.  I use painter's tape to secure at least the lead end, but you could do both, taper the lead, then inch worm it through 550 paracord.  And a *strong* +1 for keeping the paracord fairly loose over the wires.  The first one I did I pulled it too tight, which resulted in noise.  That was with a single entry AKG (i.e., no 'Y' split).  With a 'Y' split it's even easier to keep the 550 loose.  It doesn't look baggy or at all bad.  Because the two pairs above the split are the closest to the cans, it's best to use 550 on those, too.  No need to force them through type 1.
  
 Yep, four wires straight into the paracord.  Makes for a ridiculously light and supple cable.
  
 Good luck


----------



## ThurstonX

notalefty said:


> Is there a different way to do it? I'm going blindly into this and I can't seem to find a guide for it.


 
  
 The first cable I made using Mogami W2799 I left the Mogami construct intact, and the result was too stiff.  I've never experienced any interference or problems with cables that use just the four wires.  You can get away with three for cables that only have one entry (e.g., AKGs), but it seems like that'd be more trouble than it's worth.  Just use two wires for the ground.


----------



## Kamakahah

notalefty said:


> Is there a different way to do it? I'm going blindly into this and I can't seem to find a guide for it.




It's a personal preference. I like to leave on the cotton strands and paper film to help reduce mechanical noise. 

I also agree about the paracord tightness on the wire. It takes some practice to get it right. Too tight and it becomes stiff and adds noise. Too loose and the cable slides freely in the paracord and fees/looks odd. I try to lightly slide my fingers over until it feels midway between snug and loose. Just play with it a little until you find a suitable fit.


----------



## PETEREK

kamakahah said:


> It's a personal preference. I like to leave on the cotton strands and paper film to help reduce mechanical noise.
> 
> I also agree about the paracord tightness on the wire. It takes some practice to get it right. Too tight and it becomes stiff and adds noise. Too loose and the cable slides freely in the paracord and fees/looks odd. I try to lightly slide my fingers over until it feels midway between snug and loose. Just play with it a little until you find a suitable fit.




It's funny to me that you'd say it feels and looks odd with the sleeve being too loose, because that's EXACTLY what Stephan Audio Art does with their cables. If you want that look, take the length you've cut your wires at and multiple that by 130%. People love that look and pay a crazy amount for it.

Edit: Stephan Audio Art, not Norne.


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> It's funny to me that you'd say it feels and looks odd with the sleeve being too loose, because that's EXACTLY what Norne does with their cables. If you want that look, take the length you've cut your wires at and multiple that by 130%. People love that look and pay a crazy amount for it.




Interesting, never seen a Norne cable with that style in person. Do you know which specific model? All the ones I've seen, including the one I own aren't oversized.


----------



## PETEREK

Crap I was thinking of Stephan Audio Art. Anyway, the Endorphin cable is that way. I saw 2 in person at a meet recently and that is exactly what it is.


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> Crap I was thinking of Stephan Audio Art. Anyway, the Endorphin cable is that way. I saw 2 in person at a meet recently and that is exactly what it is.




Okay, that makes sense. Norne is pretty distinct in their style. I haven't seen one of the Endorphin cables. Everyone has different tastes. I saw a cable at a meet the other day with heat shrink that hadn't been shrunk yet after the Y-split to the cups. I thought it was very awkward, but apparently the maker didn't. To each his own.


----------



## PETEREK

kamakahah said:


> Okay, that makes sense. Norne is pretty distinct in their style. I haven't seen one of the Endorphin cables. Everyone has different tastes. I saw a cable at a meet the other day with heat shrink that hadn't been shrunk yet after the Y-split to the cups. I thought it was very awkward, but apparently the maker didn't. To each his own.


 
 Totally agree. I have made some cables that have baggy sleeving like that and it's actually kind of nice. It makes the cable super flexible (depends solely on the flexibility of the wire itself), I didn't experience any cable noise, and it just feels nice. I personally stick to leaving it just baggy enough to prevent microphonics though. 
  
 Here's a cable with a baggy sleeve I made for MShenay a little while back. Super duper flexible and soft. I really liked it.


----------



## deadpool

peterek said:


> You probably wont need 1/4" paracord. Your cable would have to be pretty damn thick to need that, like 8 wires thick. If you're wanting to use paracord, 550 paracord or 3/16" nylon multifilament (softer than paracord) will work nicely for 4 wires. I pretty much stick to Mogami for budget cables, you're going to have to remove the stock sleeving to get to the wires and use only the wires covered in paracord to achieve the most flexibility.
> 
> I would use Mogami w2893, stipping the sleeving can take some time but the wire inside is really worth it. If you want to put something at the Y split, you could always order an extra 3.5mm connector and use the barrel there, cover it with heat shrink and call it a day. It looks better doing it that way than having an amoeba shaped blob of heatshrink. I personally like using Amphenol 3.5mm connectors over Rean 3.5mm's, they look nicer and are just as cheap.
> 
> ...


 
 Thank you so much, you saved me ~$50. Just ordered everything, think the total was ~$25 (the sheathing was about as expensive as everything else).
  
 With the saved money I'm going to attempt to make a new pad for the D2000s (old one is flaking). I'm looking at some lambskin:
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/ITALIAN-Lambskin-Leather-Hide-BLACK-nz-Sq-Ft-/221592485131?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3397f0fd0b
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/ITALIAN-Lambskin-Leather-Hide-Distress-BROWN-1-Sq-Ft-/221594447678?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33980eef3e
  
 Know it's a bit off topic, but if anyone has some tips/hints for the padding I'm all ears. Right now I'm just planning to make a simple sleeve with maybe 1/8" foam or cotton batting inside. Now all I need to do is find some wooden cups and they'll be brand new


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Sleeving the Mogami 2534 individual conductor with a Type I paracord is a PITA but i got it done finally.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Is this the right way to wire the HD 650 in balanced/4 pin XLR?
  
 Headphone CONNECTOR small pin is Positive and Big pin is Negative.
  
 BLACK Connector small pin to XLR pin 1
 BLACK Connector big pin to XLR pin 2
 RED Connector small pin to XLR pin 3
 RED Connector big pin to XLR pin 4
  
 I referred those pin out from this XLR picture.THANKS!


----------



## 62ohm

Hi guys,
  
 I'm currently trying to re-terminate the stock HD650 cable to XLR, does anyone have any tips on which goes where to the XLR?
  

  
 Green & Copper = Left Channel
 Red & Copper = Right Channel


----------



## spurxiii

62ohm said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 


Use that diagram in the previous post and get a continuity meter to check


----------



## 62ohm

How do I find out which is ground and which is signal? I'm aware that small pin on the headphone end is positive and big pin is negative, but it is quite difficult backtracking these cable cores to the pins manually.


----------



## Honkytime

62ohm said:


> How do I find out which is ground and which is signal? I'm aware that small pin on the headphone end is positive and big pin is negative, but it is quite difficult backtracking these cable cores to the pins manually.


 
 Use a muti-meter and test for continuity across both ends


----------



## 62ohm

Alright then, thanks for the tips guys. Just gonna have to get a multi-meter now and see to it if I can get my re-termination endeavor to work.


----------



## wavid

Im about to recable my Grados using some Van Damme quad cable and i was just wondering if anyone knows what size paracord would be best for the 4 individual wires? Would Nano 36lb (0.75mm) or Micro 100lb (1.12mm) paracord be better? The Van Damme quad is the same size as the Mogami quad or Canare starquad i think...


----------



## PETEREK

Type 1. I ordered micro paracord once for individual braiding and was terribly disappointed. It's so effing small. Type 1 looks like this on 26awg.


----------



## wavid

Thanks for response but im confused. I cant find anything called Type 1 paracord in the UK.
 This is what i was looking at, but i dont want to get 100ft if its too small...
 http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/micro-cord---112mm-x-100-feet-30m-of-micro-paracord---black-19476-p.asp
  
 EDIT: Wow i guess not...seems as tho Type 1 is around 1.85mm thick and Micro is 1.12mm thick...
 Glad i asked because i though Type 1 IS Micro cord
  
 I guess this is my only option...(so expensive in UK)
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/TYPE-Paracord-American-100ft-BLACK/dp/B00G1P6WZA
  
 Thanks!


----------



## PETEREK

You might have to type "Type I paracord" (I (eye)).


----------



## squallkiercosa

I found some full metal mini xlr that looks good but I'm worried about interference created by the alloy, is that a concern? Is that a concern the alloy for connectors in general?  
 The only thing I find so far for a decent price are switchcraft or switchcraft clones.


----------



## Kamakahah

squallkiercosa said:


> I found some full metal mini xlr that looks good but I'm worried about interference created by the alloy, is that a concern? Is that a concern the alloy for connectors in general?
> The only thing I find so far for a decent price are switchcraft or switchcraft clones.




Link?


----------



## creatip

Hello,
  
 I don't know if it's the best place to put my question, but I thought it'd be better to put it here than to open a new topic.
  
 So I'm thinking of making an 8-strands braided cable, using a small gauge cable, on a TRS 3,5mm plug. My question is, how should I configure the strands to the 3 poles of the TRS plug?
  
 Logically I'm guessing I'd want to have the same amount of strands in the left and right poles/channels. So should I go with:
  
 - Left-3 strands, Right-3 strands, Ground-2 strands?
 or
 - Left-2 strands, Right-2 strands, Ground-4 strands?
  
 I guess what I'm asking basically is, is it okay to have less strands on the ground pole than the signal poles? Or is it better to have more strands in the ground, considering it's a common ground?
  
 Thanks in advance.


----------



## PETEREK

I guess if you absolutely wanted to use that many wires I would go 2 to each signal and 4 to the ground.


----------



## creatip

peterek said:


> I guess if you absolutely wanted to use that many wires I would go 2 to each signal and 4 to the ground.


 
  
 Hi, thanks for the reply.
  
 My reason is for aesthetic only. The cable I'm using is very small in gauge, that a 3-strands or 4-strands braid would still result in a fairly small gauge overall cable. I'm considering either a 6-strands (2 strands each), or a 8-strands braid. If I'm not mistaken, 8-strands braid gives a rounder shape than 6-strands. 
  
 So I guess it's logical to have more strands on the ground pole than each of the signal poles?


----------



## i luvmusic 2

My DIY cable for the HD 650 and yes it's all CRYO TREATED.


----------



## jodgey4

creatip said:


> Hi, thanks for the reply.
> 
> My reason is for aesthetic only. The cable I'm using is very small in gauge, that a 3-strands or 4-strands braid would still result in a fairly small gauge overall cable. I'm considering either a 6-strands (2 strands each), or a 8-strands braid. If I'm not mistaken, 8-strands braid gives a rounder shape than 6-strands.
> 
> So I guess it's logical to have more strands on the ground pole than each of the signal poles?



Do 8 strand as suggested, you want equal resistance for each path, l&r and +&-. So that's four on the ground.


----------



## ThurstonX

i luvmusic 2 said:


> My DIY cable for the HD 650 and yes it's all CRYO TREATED.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Very nice.  I like the pic that shows the materials used.  I'm planning to do that for an upcoming post showing off new RCA interconnects.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

thurstonx said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > My DIY cable for the HD 650 and yes it's all CRYO TREATED.
> ...


 
 THANK YOU!
 Same here i need to make some Interconnect cable i have all the parts the only thing holding me back is to where  can i get a RCA connector that can take a cable larger than 12mm OD.I will be using a ViaBlue NF-A7 Triple Shield Analog Cable and Viablue cable Sleeve.


----------



## NotaLefty

How do you get the cables through the paracord? Am I using the wrong size maybe? There is nothing I can do to get the cables through it.


----------



## Kamakahah

notalefty said:


> How do you get the cables through the paracord? Am I using the wrong size maybe? There is nothing I can do to get the cables through it.




What wire and paracord are you using?


----------



## NotaLefty

I'm using wire from Radio Shack and 325 paracord from Michaels.


----------



## Kamakahah

notalefty said:


> I'm using wire from Radio Shack and 325 paracord from Michaels.




Do you know what gauge wire? Is it insulated? If you can link it, that would help.


----------



## NotaLefty

I have no idea, sorry. It was laying around and I was told it was from Radio Shack. Could you link me to what I should be using?


----------



## Kamakahah

notalefty said:


> I have no idea, sorry. It was laying around and I was told it was from Radio Shack. Could you link me to what I should be using?




It's just difficult to assess the problem without being able to see the wire. It could be any number of issues our simply technique.


----------



## NotaLefty

The wire feels like it has almost no substance to it, much like a thread. I try to push it into the paracord but it simply will not go in. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, I just want a new cable on the cheap.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

325 Paracord can take 2 conductor  26awg Mogami 2534 3 conductor will be really tight PITA.


----------



## ThurstonX

notalefty said:


> I'm using wire from Radio Shack and 325 paracord from Michaels.


 
  
 No idea if this will help you, but if you haven't tried it... Put a very small amount of tape around the tips (I like blue painter's tape).  Make sure it's as tight as you can make, as you don't want to increase the thickness of the wire too much.  You don't need much tape at all, so trim excess once you've got the tape around it twice.  Leave a few millimeters of tape past the end of the wire.  When pressed, the tape extension will likely be somewhat flat.  Use some small, precision scissors to trim the tape into a tapered point, and try to round the end a little (less likely to snag).  Basically, you want one edge of the tape that extends beyond the wire angling toward the end of the other edge.
  
 It might sound more complicated than it is, but it takes less than a minute to do, and I've had great success avoiding snags.  It's still a PITA to inch worm the paracord over the wire, but having the tape-stiffened end makes it much easier to feel your way through the process.  I've got it to the point where it's a mindless enough process that I can watch TV while doing it, very rarely looking down.  And when you get a feel for it, you can sense a snag coming and back it out a bit to reorient the taped end and/or your fingers.
  
 Of course, the paracord needs to fit over the wire(s) to begin with.  The tape method works with a single, flimsy wire (silk served Litz, e.g.), as well as twisted bundles (stripped out 4-wire Mogami, e.g.).
  
 Good luck.


----------



## NotaLefty

I think my biggest problem right now is I don't know exactly what materials I should be using. If I'm trying to make a cable with a 1/4" jack and dual-entry into headphones, could you provide me a shopping list of what I need?  I'm trying to make a braided cable similar to this one. http://static.squarespace.com/static/536d72eae4b06672a7c8b88a/543d82dfe4b07d76437bf209/54442bf9e4b08813902c5ed3/1413753875473/unnamed2.jpg?format=1500w


----------



## ThurstonX

notalefty said:


> I think my biggest problem right now is I don't know exactly what materials I should be using. If I'm trying to make a cable with a 1/4" jack and dual-entry into headphones, could you provide me a shopping list of what I need?  I'm trying to make a braided cable similar to this one. http://static.squarespace.com/static/536d72eae4b06672a7c8b88a/543d82dfe4b07d76437bf209/54442bf9e4b08813902c5ed3/1413753875473/unnamed2.jpg?format=1500w


 
  
 Four wires: buy some Mogami or whatever (Redco in the US has the best price on W2799, e.g., which uses four different colors, making it easier; works out to about $0.18/ft per *wire*)... then strip off the outer sheath and remove the copper shield.
  
 95 paracord (Paracord Planet has a ridiculous selection).  Separate the four wires.  Use the end-taping method, described previously.  Feed them through.  PITA, but definitely doable (I just did it).  Braid.  At the 'Y' split just pair off two wires going to each side of the cans.  Try to keep them twisted before you solder the connectors.  Tape is your friend.
  
 Don't pull the paracord too tight over the wires.  No need.
  
 I posted photos of a HiFiMAN cable I made using this method.  Search this thread.  Personally, the open 'Y' split looks better than trying to cover it with something, but YMMV.
  
*NB:* you really want to plan the entire job before starting.  Step 1, Step 2, etc., though with this type it's pretty straight forward.  Measure, cut, sleeve, solder the 1/4" plug, anchor, braid, solder can connectors.  Easy peasy


----------



## Arty McGhee

notalefty said:


> The wire feels like it has almost no substance to it, much like a thread. I try to push it into the paracord but it simply will not go in. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, I just want a new cable on the cheap.


 
 definitely try the tape thing a very small piece will do
 for 550 paracord 3-4 strands of 24-26 awg will fit fine
 i keep some stiff cheap wire ($5 spool from flea market)
 feed a single strand of the stiff wire through the paracord
 twist the ends and solder the 3-4 strands to the thick wire
 wrap a bit of tape around it so it doesnt snag and pull the whole thing through
 works well with the 25 awg mogami i use
  
 for the type 1 i suggest trying a few different types and sizes
 paracord planet has all kinds of stuff even if you can't purchase
 its a good source of info... i find some good for longer cables
 and some just too tight for my ham hands and screaming carpal tunnel
 save it for interconnects and shorter stuff
 feed a single strand into the end of the type 1
 typically only a few inches, the trick here is to use the
 stretch properties of the paracord using a kind of push-pull technique
 push the wire a little bit and pull the pararcord over the wire
 works good takes a long time
 patience...


----------



## ThurstonX

Finished up three pairs of interconnects to put my Schiit (and XPS-1) together.  Looks a damn sight better than the rat's nest I had as a temporary solution.  Does it sound better?  Why, *of course *it does!  What a question 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  It sure doesn't sound worse.  Everything in my chain is using the 100/46 type 2 Litz, pictured below.  Well, haven't rewired the turntable yet 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Wouldn't hold my breath on that one.
  
 I learned one really valuable trick along the way.
  
*Re: How to cut TechFlex cleanly?*
  
 "When I was working on my ground wires this week, I used a good pair of kitchen shears to cut the (unfortunately not official TechFlex) sleeving. It quickly disintegrated until I found a solution. I wrapped masking tape around the sleeving right to the edge of where I wanted to cut, snipped the sleeving, then quickly hit the end with a lighter. Worked out nicely."
  
 from: *http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/377400-post4.html*
 It certainly did work out nicely.  Tip o' the mug to that gent 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  In the "Materials" photo you can see the result of not securing the end of the cut with tape.  I took it one step further and put tape on both sides of the Sharpie cut mark, then cut and hit both ends with a lighter.  The trick I taught myself was inserting 95% of the tube into the Techflex, folding and taping the loose end, then feeding that end through the RCA barrels.  A bit of pain working the Techflex through the barrels once they're on, but it's doable.  It can rough up the Techflex slightly, but only to feel, not to sight.  Since it's the only solution I could find, I grinned and bore it.
  
 The connectors are these Reans: http://www.redco.com/Rean-Neutrik-NYS352G.html  Cheap as schiit, but I had no problems with them, and I like the look.  I bought 20, needed 12, and fortunately the first part of the order arrived with 12.  Good thing I didn't screw any of them up, but I certainly won't win any soldering awards 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 The last trick I discovered has to do with getting the Teflon coating off the Litz wire.  I augmented @TrollDragon's "ball o' solder" method to include a gentle brushing of the slightly fanned out ends with the tip of the iron, flipping once to get both "sides."  Then I give them another dip in the solder ball.  Had zero problems using that method.  I had my new Hakko station set at about 825 F.
  
 I think that about covers it.
  
  
*The Rat's Nest*
  

  
  
*Materials*
  

  
  
*Rean el Cheapo (pic shamelessly borrowed from Redco)*
  

  
  
*The Mats! (AKA - The Replacements)*
  

  
  
*Rats Evicted*
  

  
  
*Shameless Self-Promotion* 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  

  
  
 Had to show off my scrap wood stand, which also will fail to reap any rewards.  You can see one of my scrap wood speaker stands in pix 1 & 5.


----------



## creatip

jodgey4 said:


> Do 8 strand as suggested, you want equal resistance for each path, l&r and +&-. So that's four on the ground.


 
  
 Thank you, I guess I'll go with 8 strands then. It's actually for a male-to-male 3,5mm interconnect. I'm guessing 8 strands for a headphone cable would need a very long cable, and be way too stiff.
  
 Anyway, back to the subject of DIY headphone cable, for my Hifiman HE400, I'm using a 'twisted plate' (dunno the official name of it, so that's what I call it) cable. It's actually a solid core copper cable, shaped in a twisted/helix thin plate shape inside the jacket/shielding.
  
 I'm actually 'pushing it', as 1 strand of the cable alone is almost the same size of the SMC connector of the Hifiman headphone, and of course I'd need 2 strands for each connector. But yeah, what can I say, I love the look of the cable very much....


----------



## TrollDragon

Excellent Job on the patch cables!
  
 And a nice augmentation!


----------



## ThurstonX

Didn't like the way the cables into the XPS-1 were getting pinched, so rigged a new config:
  
  

  

  

  
  
 Used some 3M interlocking strips (better than Velcro) to secure it. and covered the white part and S/N labels with electrical tape.
  
 In an unrelated DIY cable project, I added an inline On/Off switch (SparkFun.com to the rescue!) to a funky headphone stand my wife got me for my b-day.  I love the design, but the lack of a switch was not something I was willing to accept.  Plugging and unplugging all the time is a pointless PITA, IMO.  Otherwise, it's a gorgeous stand, and gives just enough ambient light to the small Lab room.  You can check out the maker's stuff here: *https://www.etsy.com/listing/192531378/tech-gift-mens-gift-custom-handmade*


----------



## Greg_R

I'm making a braided cable for a headset (TRRS).  I have 4 strands of 28g wire.  Is a particular braiding pattern recommended?  There will be 3 active conductors (L/R + mic) and 1 ground.
  
 I see the two options below.  Any recommendations would be appreciated!
  
http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos/4strand.htm
http://www.headfonia.com/a-cable-not-rocket-science/2/


----------



## Kamakahah

greg_r said:


> I'm making a braided cable for a headset (TRRS).  I have 4 strands of 28g wire.  Is a particular braiding pattern recommended?  There will be 3 active conductors (L/R + mic) and 1 ground.
> 
> I see the two options below.  Any recommendations would be appreciated!
> 
> ...




The pattern is purely a preference. Flat or round, number of strands and the rest. A normal 4-strand round braid will do just fine - Like that one on Seekyee. How tight you do the braid can affect flexibility and that's about it.


----------



## sawrym

Is there any advantage of 8  (28/26awg) over 4 conductor cable for CIEMs in terms of sound quality with silver wire? (balanced to 2pin connectors for SE5)


----------



## sawrym

second question:
 Is there any store offering right angled 2.5mm trrs balanced good quality (gold or rhodium plated) DIY plug?


----------



## wavid

im re cabling my grados in a bit and i have a question....2 wires will come out of my left cup and 2 wires come out of the right...so in the plug i solder both left wires on the left pole on the 3.5mm jack and both right wires on the right pole? what do i put on the 3rd pole? im guessing thats the ground and the shield cover should be solder to it but i wont have one because im stripping the star quad cable and braiding the individual wires....


----------



## PETEREK

Pretty excited, I'm making a Neutrik 4 pin XLR to Furutech 1/4" TRS today. My first time using Furutech!


----------



## Paul Graham

Shot in the dark....
  
 Ive got $19 left in my budget pot after some big projects being payed for.
  
 Im after a simple 30pin LOD to male hirose ( for iBasso amps ) with about an inch and a half of cable.
 Would anyone be kind enough to consider knocking one up for me please for $19?
  
 Like I said its a shot in the dark, But I had to ask lol........
  
 And I just realised this is in the wrong section lol, SORRY!!


----------



## Muinarc

I have an embarrassing question. I have about a dozen really nice Tiffany style RCA connectors that I bought for a project years ago that never came to be. I was thinking I could make some nice interconnects for my head-fi setup using these, but I don't really know how to use them!
  
 I took an exploded picture to show what I am dealing with. The tip has a little access hole you can see at it's base for soldering the lead in there. What I can't figure out is the sleeve. It's the part to the right of the tip in the pic below, I guess I just solder the lead to the inside wall of that part? Worried that's not going to make for a very durable connection.
  
 The other sleeve butts up against the first, I believe you use it to pinch the shielding in there?
  
 Pardon my ignorance, any guidance would be appreciated


----------



## TrollDragon

Those look to be made for use with coax cable.


----------



## Muinarc

That makes a lot of sense haha. It's odd that I can't find any how-to's or anything for these types of RCAs, but all kinds of parts places sell them. I think I can modify the sleeves to be used with other types of cable, just an extra step in the process.


----------



## TrollDragon

Everything can be made to work one way or another! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 
 Good luck with your build and post some pictures in  the gallery when they are done.


----------



## Kamakahah

I don't work with too often mini xlr's. I'm only very familiar with the Rean ones and wasn't very impressed with the quality. Probably my first disappointment with a Rean/Neutrik product. I need to pickup a handful but want some input first. Been eyeing the usual guys: Switchcraft, Redco and Amphenol. 

Anyone suggest one of the listed over the rest?


----------



## Honkytime

kamakahah said:


> I don't work with too often mini xlr's. I'm only very familiar with the Rean ones and wasn't very impressed with the quality. Probably my first disappointment with a Rean/Neutrik product. I need to pickup a handful but want some input first. Been eyeing the usual guys: Switchcraft, Redco and Amphenol.
> 
> Anyone suggest one of the listed over the rest?


 
 i thought the switchcraft ones were well made, when i did my DT770 cable mod. have not tried the others yet.


----------



## PETEREK

I used the Switchcrafts quite a few times and then tried Amphenol and could swear I was working with the same connector with some extra branding. I'd go with either of those that you can find the lower price on.


----------



## dminches

I own a pair of ATH W3000ANVs and would like to convert the cable from single ended to 4 pin XLR. Can someone recommend a person here who does good work? Id like the cable cut so I end up with an XLR to TRS adapter too. 

TIA


----------



## smaragd

Frank from Toxic Cables is a person who is very well respected and does custom requests as well... 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/609155/toxic-cables-impressions-and-discussion-thread/2070

Sent from my LG-E988 using Tapatalk


----------



## dminches

Thanks for the reply.  Ideally I'd like to find someone in the US, but I will contact Frank about this.


----------



## Kamakahah

dminches said:


> I own a pair of ATH W3000ANVs and would like to convert the cable from single ended to 4 pin XLR. Can someone recommend a person here who does good work? Id like the cable cut so I end up with an XLR to TRS adapter too.
> 
> TIA




Brian at BTG Audio. Located in California. Good work at reasonable prices. He'll have no problem taking care of your request.
http://btg-audio.webs.com


----------



## creatip

Finally finished the 8 strands cable project I was talking about earlier:
  

  
 Took quite some time, as this is the first time I tried braiding 8 strands. Quite satisfied with the result though


----------



## PETEREK

creatip said:


> Finally finished the 8 strands cable project I was talking about earlier:
> 
> Took quite some time, as this is the first time I tried braiding 8 strands. Quite satisfied with the result though



Very nice! Looks very professional and that braid is so tight!


----------



## FraGGleR

dminches said:


> I own a pair of ATH W3000ANVs and would like to convert the cable from single ended to 4 pin XLR. Can someone recommend a person here who does good work? Id like the cable cut so I end up with an XLR to TRS adapter too.
> 
> TIA


 
 If you are just trying to mod the stock cable, I doubt any of the pros like Frank are going to do it.  Not worth their time.  You could post in the FS forum and see if there is a DIYer local to you.  The work is simple enough, so anyone with a nice gallery of DIY cables should be able to handle it.  Whether you trust them with a $1200 headphone is another matter.


----------



## creatip

peterek said:


> Very nice! Looks very professional and that braid is so tight!


 
  
 Thanks. Yeah I pulled it tight, because if it was loose or flimsy, 8 strands of cables are gonna look very very bad. Also it's a good thing the gauge of a single strand is very small, making it easy to shape. The diameter, including the jacket/shielding, of one strand is just a tad bigger than a fishing line. 
  
 Also just finished recabling my headphone cable. Actually it's the same 4 strands braid as before, just different way of braiding, and pulled it tighter. Looks better too, even if it's just my subjective opinion


----------



## ThurstonX

creatip said:


> Thanks. Yeah I pulled it tight, because if it was loose or flimsy, 8 strands of cables are gonna look very very bad. Also it's a good thing the gauge of a single strand is very small, making it easy to shape. The diameter, including the jacket/shielding, of one strand is just a tad bigger than a fishing line.
> 
> Also just finished recabling my headphone cable. Actually it's the same 4 strands braid as before, just different way of braiding, and pulled it tighter. Looks better too, even if it's just my subjective opinion


 
  
 What wire is that?  Forget about paracord, that deserves to be shown off.


----------



## ThurstonX

I'm looking for inexpensive SMC connectors for HiFiMAN cans.  So far these seem to be the ones, but I'm curious if anyone knows of even cheaper.
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMC-Plug-male-Straight-Crimp-for-LMR100-RG316-RG174-RG178-cable-RF-connector-/151052598587


----------



## AndroidVageta

Does anyone have any idea what and where I can find Sony MDR-EX1000 connectors to make my own cable?


----------



## TrollDragon

thurstonx said:


> I'm looking for inexpensive SMC connectors for HiFiMAN cans.  So far these seem to be the ones, but I'm curious if anyone knows of even cheaper.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMC-Plug-male-Straight-Crimp-for-LMR100-RG316-RG174-RG178-cable-RF-connector-/151052598587


 
 Cheaper than $2.58 each...


----------



## ThurstonX

trolldragon said:


> Cheaper than $2.58 each...


 
  
 Yeah, I know.  What can I say... I'm cheap 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  It's better than $6/ea., of course, so I'll suck it up.


----------



## TrollDragon

androidvageta said:


> Does anyone have any idea what and where I can find Sony MDR-EX1000 connectors to make my own cable?


 
 Those connectors don't seem to exist... You could possibly repurpose the ends from a lunashops replacement cable.
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4530


----------



## creatip

thurstonx said:


> What wire is that?  Forget about paracord, that deserves to be shown off.


 
  
 Heya. Thanks for the comment. Yeah, the cable is absolutely beautiful. I never intended to use paracord/sleeving for this, lol. Dunno the proper name, but I call it 'twisted plate'. It's actually a solid copper core, shaped thin like a plate, then twisted inside the transparent jacket. OFC copper. 
  
 I 'forced' it to be the cable of my HE400, although it's far from the ideal size. Just 1 strand of this cable is almost as big as 1 SMC connector (while of course I'd need 2 strands for 1 connector). Oh well, what can I say, I really love the look of this cable 
  

  
 You can see the size comparison of 1 strand of cable vs 1 SMC connector.
  
 Oh btw, I got my connectors from here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251262372944?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
  
 $7 + shipping for 5 pairs (10 pcs). Glad I bought 5 pairs, though, I broke a few of them, trying to do the awkward connection  It's copper/brass though, I think, mine started to darken. 
  
 These connector are actually cheap, because it's actually a network cable (coaxial cable) connector (smaller brother of the renowned SMA connector), and still used in networking products, so yeah.
  
 There's a seller who sell gold plated SMC connector: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GOLD-PLATED-HIFIMAN-HE300-HE400-HE500-HE5-HE6-CONNECTORS-FOR-DIY-plusSound-/271662374307?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4056dda3 significantly pricier
  
 Alternatively, of course you could always order directly from Hifiman's official store: http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=83


----------



## Honkytime

thurstonx said:


> I'm looking for inexpensive SMC connectors for HiFiMAN cans.  So far these seem to be the ones, but I'm curious if anyone knows of even cheaper.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMC-Plug-male-Straight-Crimp-for-LMR100-RG316-RG174-RG178-cable-RF-connector-/151052598587


 
 I have ordered 12 of these from the seller and shipped to my house in 2 weeks no issues so far.
  
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMC-female-jack-crimp-for-RG174-RG179-RG316-RG188-Cable-Connector-/160764096092?pt=US_Radio_Comm_Coaxial_Cables_Connectors&hash=item256e496e5c


----------



## Honkytime

It was a rough night, last night first after spending almost an hour stripping my 6 foot piece of Canare L-4E5S wire  i somehow managed to cut one of the wires about right in the middle. Then after about another hour trying to feed the wire threw the type 1 paracord it stopped about 4 feet in and will not go any farther. "sigh" definitely not my night for cable building. i think the 22 ga Canare wire is too thick for type 1 paracord. So its back to the drawing board for me might try to order some mogami wire or just get some nylon braided sleaving and try that instead.


----------



## Kamakahah

creatip

Do you have a link to the wire vendor?


----------



## PETEREK

kamakahah said:


> creatip
> 
> Do you have a link to the wire vendor?



I'd also like to know.


----------



## creatip

kamakahah said:


> @creatip
> 
> Do you have a link to the wire vendor?


 
  
  


peterek said:


> I'd also like to know.


 
  
 I bought it at a local store in my country, Indonesia, so I don't think it's readily available worldwide, though 
  
 I found a seller in ebay with something similar, or even better: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acoustic-Silver-Copper-Twisted-Solid-Ribbon-Speaker-Cable-Dont-Pay-40-00-m-/261652571279?pt=AU_Television_Accessories&hash=item3cebb5648f
  
 That one got silver plated or something, while mine is only plain copper.
  
 Oh, and it's actually a speaker cable, so it's quite big in diameter.


----------



## ThurstonX

creatip said:


> I bought it at a local store in my country, Indonesia, so I don't think it's readily available worldwide, though
> 
> I found a seller in ebay with something similar, or even better: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acoustic-Silver-Copper-Twisted-Solid-Ribbon-Speaker-Cable-Dont-Pay-40-00-m-/261652571279?pt=AU_Television_Accessories&hash=item3cebb5648f
> 
> ...


 
  
 This seems like an opportunity to open an eBay store 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 
  
 There's a reference to something similar here: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/zensati/1.html


----------



## gustus

Hi! I'm new here so this might sound a little stupid so sorry for that. Also sorry for poor english. I'm using Beyerdynamic DT 990 for PC gaming and have modded a mic for them to use as a headset but cables are starting to irritate me a bit so I've decided to build a new cable that carries both mic and the headphones audio. I want the cable to be detachable.
  
 I've been thinking to cut the cable of the headphones couple of inches from the can and shorten the mics cable so they could be soldered on one female connector. This way I could easily recreate that for other headphones as well. The cable itself would have male connector on one end and two 3,5mm stereo plugs on the other. 
  
 I would wan't to use 5-pin mini xlr connector as it is relatively small and can handle a decent amount of pulling since it locks. I just wanted to check if it's ok to use one pin as ground for both the mic and the cans or can it cause some interferences to the signal? If the 5-pin mini xlr is no good, what would you recommend instead?
  
 Also, about the cable itself, what sort of cable would be up to the task? I have a bunch of unused HDMI cables lying around and wondered if i could use them and remove the connectors and wind up 6x 3 strands. Cable wouldn't have to be more than 3m long at max. And if you can also suggest good places in EU-area to purchase cables and connectors online I would be very greatful!


----------



## creatip

thurstonx said:


> This seems like an opportunity to open an eBay store
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 I wonder why these ribbon cables are not very well known. Perhaps because it terminates into a small flat plate that's a bit awkward for


----------



## ChrisCaubin

Hi Guys,
 I'm looking at making 2 usb cables. I'm not looking to spend much. I want to make something like this:
 http://2channelaudio.blogspot.com.au/2013_01_01_archive.html
 Could you make some suggestions on what connectors to use (keeping in mind mainly build quality and aesthetics), I need 2 standard usb connectors, a usb b connector and a Female USB-A connector (for a ifi micro idsd).
  
 Also, if any of you have any insight on this it would be appreciated:
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/319231/millett-starving-student-hybrid-amp/6825#post_11046080
  
 Thanks in advance,
 Chris


----------



## theodoro

Hey guys, 
 i have 3 questions
 1) What paracord do i need  to sleeve 1 full cable (example: mogami W2534)
 2) What paracord do i need to sleeve only one out of 4 cable of the W2534 (stripped) ​ 3) Where i can find a pair of HD600 plugs in Europe? Most people suggest the cardas plugs, but i can only found some on e-bay. ​


----------



## ThurstonX

theodoro said:


> Hey guys,
> i have 3 questions
> 1) What paracord do i need  to sleeve 1 full cable (example: mogami W2534)
> 2) What paracord do i need to sleeve only one out of 4 cable of the W2534 (stripped) ​ 3) Where i can find a pair of HD600 plugs in Europe? Most people suggest the cardas plugs, but i can only found some on e-bay. ​


 
  
 1) Type 3/550 should do it.  I've used it with four stripped but still twisted wires from Mogami W2799.
 2) Type 1.  I used 95 lbs cord for individual wires.
 3) Don't know.


----------



## theodoro

thurstonx said:


> 1) Type 3/550 should do it.  I've used it with four stripped but still twisted wires from Mogami W2799.
> 2) Type 1.  I used 95 lbs cord for individual wires.
> 3) Don't know.


 
 Thanks man


----------



## jdogw

Any of you know where to buy some desktop speaker drivers?


----------



## DingoSmuggler

jdogw said:


> Any of you know where to buy some desktop speaker drivers?


 
 parts express, madisound, what are you after exactly?


----------



## theodoro

Does anyone know where i can find paracord type 1 in Europe? I can't find it.  It's like type 1 doesn't exists o.O
 (i found 100ft on amazon.co.uk but i don't want that much :\ )


----------



## DJScope

theodoro said:


> Does anyone know where i can find paracord type 1 in Europe? I can't find it.  It's like type 1 doesn't exists o.O
> (i found 100ft on amazon.co.uk but i don't want that much :\ )


 
  
 eBay is your friend.


----------



## pank2002

I hope this is appropriate for this thread.  
  
 Basically, I need to replace the Cardas connectors on my "custom" cables for Sennheiser HD-25-1 II.  I contacted various professional cable makers, including the original producer, but everyone wanted me to buy new cables, which seems wasteful to me.
  
 Does anybody either (i) know someone who'd be willing to replace the Cardas connectors, or (ii) know of detailed instructions to replace Cardas connectors?  For (ii) I assume I'd need a soldering iron, solder etc. (I just moved and have nothing here)?
  
 [I did search for this, but perhaps because of lack of correct terminology I was unable to find what I was looking for]


----------



## GBechz

Hey guys. I rarely post as I usually find that someone has already asked the same question. But this time likely due to the use of improper search terms I cannot find a good answer to my question.
  
 I am looking to make a 3.5mm to 1/4" TRS cable for Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs. I sent a PM to this fellow http://www.head-fi.org/t/666284/mrspeakers-mad-dog-impressions-and-discussion-thread/705 (see posts 713 and 718) about a different issue, but wanted to throw out a different, more general question for those more knowledgable than myself. I have some pretty standard mic cable and I understand that Left will go to the Tip, Right to Ring, and Shield to Sleeve. But what if I want to use 4 separate conductors braided? Left+ to Tip, Right+ to Ring, Left- Right- and shield to Sleeve would work for 4 conductor wire. But with 4 separate conductors, what is shielding my cable?
  
 I've read many conflicting articles on this. Hopefully this all makes sense, but please let me know if more clarification is needed to supply a sufficient answer.


----------



## creatip

gbechz said:


> Hey guys. I rarely post as I usually find that someone has already asked the same question. But this time likely due to the use of improper search terms I cannot find a good answer to my question.
> 
> I am looking to make a 3.5mm to 1/4" TRS cable for Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs. I sent a PM to this fellow http://www.head-fi.org/t/666284/mrspeakers-mad-dog-impressions-and-discussion-thread/705 (see posts 713 and 718) about a different issue, but wanted to throw out a different, more general question for those more knowledgable than myself. I have some pretty standard mic cable and I understand that Left will go to the Tip, Right to Ring, and Shield to Sleeve. But what if I want to use 4 separate conductors braided? Left+ to Tip, Right+ to Ring, Left- Right- and shield to Sleeve would work for 4 conductor wire. But with 4 separate conductors, what is shielding my cable?
> 
> I've read many conflicting articles on this. Hopefully this all makes sense, but please let me know if more clarification is needed to supply a sufficient answer.


 
  
 I don't think I quite get it. The sleeve is the ground polarity, right? For unbalanced connection, the sleeve should serve as the common ground for both channels? So in 4 wires, unbalanced TRS connection, it should be 1 wire left, 1 wire right, 2 wires common ground, no?


----------



## GBechz

That is what I have seen, yes, but I thought the shield was there for shielding RF and such. There are plenty of braided cables around (Mogami, separated cat 5, etc) that don't seem to have a shield, just a wire inside a jacket. I was wondering what are the potential drawbacks/benefits to this vs a cable with the conductors contained inside a foil/stranded shield.


----------



## Kamakahah

gbechz said:


> That is what I have seen, yes, but I thought the shield was there for shielding RF and such. There are plenty of braided cables around (Mogami, separated cat 5, etc) that don't seem to have a shield, just a wire inside a jacket. I was wondering what are the potential drawbacks/benefits to this vs a cable with the conductors contained inside a foil/stranded shield.


 
  
 Your question could be rephrased to ask, "What are the benefits and drawbacks to using shielding on a cable."
  
 I'll start by linking what is a very easy to good link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shielded_cable
 That should basically explain the use of shielded cable. Because the average user might not be using his/her equipment in an environment that is prone to interference and noise, it's usually a non-issue. For studios, concerts and other setups that might be an issue. Obviously YMMV. Where your home is located, how it's wired and what gear you are using can all potentially lead to interference/noise issues. I've yet to have a problem in the 3 different locations I've lived in the past 6 years. 
  
 Drawbacks tend to be about functionality. Added shielding means a heavier and less flexible cable. It can also be more or less expensive depending on the cable/wire you are comparing. For 95% of the headphone/earphone cables I build for myself or others I remove the shielding. I've yet to receive a complaint about noise/interference due to the cable: However, people will often complain when a cable is too heavy or stiff. Again, that is personal preference. 
  
 My suggestion - Try both. Get some cheap Canare L-4E5C. Make a pair of four foot cables; One with shielding and one without using its stripped wires. Figuring in the cost of four 3.5mm Rean/Neutrik connectors and perhaps a 10ft length of 550 paracord for sleeving the unshielded cable, the cost will be very low for the test. Easily under $20 purchasing non-bulk amounts from ebay.


----------



## dminches

Shout out to cCasper TFG who re terminated my AT W3000ANVs. He provides better service than most companies, at a fraction of the cost!


----------



## Arty McGhee

kamakahah said:


> My suggestion - Try both. Get some cheap Canare L-4E5C. Make a pair of four foot cables; One with shielding and one without using its stripped wires. Figuring in the cost of four 3.5mm Rean/Neutrik connectors and perhaps a 10ft length of 550 paracord for sleeving the unshielded cable, the cost will be very low for the test. Easily under $20 purchasing non-bulk amounts from ebay.


 
  
 good science i dig it
  
 generally you don't need a shield unless you have a source of interference
 say a cell phone that makes that duka duka duka sound if its too close to your source
  
 usually you get 4 wires from a split setup
 2 wires  going to each cup left,right, L ground, R ground
 its handy to run all 4 to the jack and combine the grounds
 this will allow you to easily switch to a balanced setup in the future
  
 other wise if you want a 4 braid just run 2 grounds
 solder 'em together at the ends
  
 duka duka duka
 (thats not my phone)


----------



## spideysense

Hi Everyone!
  
 I just started learning to solder over the weekend. I successfully made a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm paracord with slimline plug, so  it fits cellphone cases. I had a ton of trouble with the first soldering Iron I bought and I also had solder that had no rosin or flux. I read up on some advice and watched some videos and I made another cable with better supplies and things went really great, as if I had been soldering for years, simple smooth and quick.
  
 I had a guy sell me some wire he said was excellent for stereo cables. It was  a 2 wire (black and white wire) with braided shielding. someone suggested since there was no ground to solder the shielding and use as ground. I did but I only get left and right channel sound from one speaker. Perhaps the wire I have is meant for mono? When I balance the volume to the middle it's really quiet and you can barely hear it. Does wire used for male to male stereo cable need to have 3 wires and shielding?
  
 My other question is I bought a female 3.5 mm chassis because I want to do the removable cable mod to a pair of Audio Technica M50S that I got used for cheap. The problem is the chassis has 5 pins and I don't know what is what. I hope some of you guys have used them before in the past. The one I have is identical to this image:http://www.switchcraft.com/Product_Headers/35mm_mono_stereo_pcboardmt_jacks_red.jpg .
  
  
 Thanks


----------



## creatip

gbechz said:


> That is what I have seen, yes, but I thought the shield was there for shielding RF and such. There are plenty of braided cables around (Mogami, separated cat 5, etc) that don't seem to have a shield, just a wire inside a jacket. I was wondering what are the potential drawbacks/benefits to this vs a cable with the conductors contained inside a foil/stranded shield.


 
  
 I don't have much experiences working with different cables/wires, but from my experience, the kind of cables that got a kind of aluminium foil in it are something like coaxial cables, the ones that got outside strands surrounding the inner strands, or in other words, multiple polarities sandwiched in 1 big strand of cable. 
  
 I maybe wrong though


----------



## Hal Rockwell

spideysense said:


> Hi Everyone!
> 
> I just started learning to solder over the weekend. I successfully made a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm paracord with slimline plug, so  it fits cellphone cases. I had a ton of trouble with the first soldering Iron I bought and I also had solder that had no rosin or flux. I read up on some advice and watched some videos and I made another cable with better supplies and things went really great, as if I had been soldering for years, simple smooth and quick.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Use white for right channel and black for the left channel. Use the shielding as ground for the both of them.
  
 Some of the pins on the 3.5mm socket that you purchased are probably connected together and serve as ground. Manufacturers make it that way so it will have more soldering points to hold it better against the PCB.


----------



## spideysense

Hi Hal,
  
 I had used white for left and black for white when I soldered it last night. I did solder the shielding directly to the ground on both ends. The only thing that confuses me was there was this dark color paper like material where the ground goes on the jack. I guess that is to keep things from shorting out. I soldered the shielding under the paper just to be safe. I don't get right and left sound out of the single side at once, If I roll left or right to one way I hear it loud but it doesn't come from both speakers, only the one speaker. All joints seem to be ok, nothing being bridged or touching.


----------



## Hal Rockwell

spideysense said:


> Hi Hal,
> 
> I had used white for left and black for white when I soldered it last night. I did solder the shielding directly to the ground on both ends. The only thing that confuses me was there was this dark color paper like material where the ground goes on the jack. I guess that is to keep things from shorting out. I soldered the shielding under the paper just to be safe. I don't get right and left sound out of the single side at once, If I roll left or right to one way I hear it loud but it doesn't come from both speakers, only the one speaker. All joints seem to be ok, nothing being bridged or touching.


 
  
 The only way to be sure that the leads are not shorted out is to check it with a DMM. The cable may be broken in the middle or the plastic insulation in the plugs may be damaged.


----------



## spideysense

Hi Hal,
  
 I slowly and carefully heated up the joints and took the wire off, cut a little down , and re-soldered. Part of the problem was the right wire needed a tiny bit more solder. The other issue was the jack I was plugging them into wouldn't do in all the way due to plastic surround it, so that was a big issue as to why not all of the sound came through. I tried with an adapter and it worked before I re-soldered it but I could get a little short when wiggling.
  
 Seems to be good to go now though, Thanks!


----------



## creatip

spideysense said:


> Hi Hal,
> 
> I slowly and carefully heated up the joints and took the wire off, cut a little down , and re-soldered. Part of the problem was the right wire needed a tiny bit more solder. The other issue was the jack I was plugging them into wouldn't do in all the way due to plastic surround it, so that was a big issue as to why not all of the sound came through. I tried with an adapter and it worked before I re-soldered it but I could get a little short when wiggling.
> 
> Seems to be good to go now though, Thanks!


 
  
 A DMM would save you from a lot of headaches in soldering works. Even a basic $10 DMM (or even analog MM, for that matter) is usable. It's used to easily find shorts, broken wires/connections, and polarities/channels.


----------



## creatip

I did some headphone recabling and making interconnects for personal uses and a bit of DIY hobby. Turned out a friend was interested, and bought the interconnect. So I figure, what the heck, I'll just make more of it for sale, for some pocket and cigarette money  It's only for local market though, as international shipping fees will end up more than the price itself.....
  

  
 The most costly one is actually the middle one, Amtrans solid core gold plated 0.5mm, 4 strands.


----------



## Arty McGhee

creatip said:


> A DMM would save you from a lot of headaches in soldering works. Even a basic $10 DMM (or even analog MM, for that matter) is usable. It's used to easily find shorts, broken wires/connections, and polarities/channels.


 
 yeah i was recommended to buy the $5.00 one that harbor freight sells
 cheap as heck and does the trick it's a good idea to get in the habit
 of constantly checking continuity before sleeving or shrink tubing
 good on ya for learning to solder, it's becoming a lost art in some ways
 keep practicing and you'll be surprised at what you can do
  
 post some photos in the photos thread


----------



## ThurstonX

creatip said:


> A DMM would save you from a lot of headaches in soldering works. Even a basic $10 DMM (or even analog MM, for that matter) is usable. It's used to easily find shorts, broken wires/connections, and polarities/channels.


 
  
 +1
 I think I paid $5-$6 for my Mastech DMM @ Amazon.  One of the best fivers I ever spent.


----------



## Shawn71

creatip said:


> A DMM would save you from a lot of headaches in soldering works. Even a basic $10 DMM (or even analog MM, for that matter) is usable. It's used to easily find shorts, broken wires/connections, and polarities/channels.




+10......not only/ even for DIY purposes but its a basic,must have, instrument just like we keep screw drivers/tools kit handy at home/in the garage......sometimes handy making crying child smile by buzzer sound(continuity check)..... got my basic craftsman from circuitcity for $8.....


----------



## Kamakahah

You can also get some pretty decent Fluke, uh... Look-alikes, for a good price. They'll last you much longer than the $5 units. I was getting the cheapo $5 for free from Harbor Freight with their coupon. After two broke in less than a few months, I stepped up. Glad I did. Much better functionality and accuracy. Although, the "look-alike" unit can't compare to a legit unit, it's close enough. 

So, if you find yourself frustrated with the cheapo, there are other options.


----------



## Shawn71

Thought the below link will be useful for those in need.......especially diy parts shipped thru china post.

 http://track-chinapost.com/?p=435


----------



## creatip

Does anybody know stereo plugs (mini 3,5mm or 6,35mm) that got a big cable hole? The hole where the cables/wires go inside. The biggest I could find is 8.5mm diameter, but that's not big enough. I'm guessing I'd need 1cm or maybe more diameter hole. 
  
 The reason is because I want to use 4 strands of wires, with 1 strand is about 3mm in diameter.


----------



## PETEREK

creatip said:


> Does anybody know stereo plugs (mini 3,5mm or 6,35mm) that got a big cable hole? The hole where the cables/wires go inside. The biggest I could find is 8.5mm diameter, but that's not big enough. I'm guessing I'd need 1cm or maybe more diameter hole.
> 
> The reason is because I want to use 4 strands of wires, with 1 strand is about 3mm in diameter.


 
 SwitchCraft 3.5mm connector barrels are bigger than most. The Amphenol 3.5mm and 6.35mm connectors both have larger holes if you don't use the small rubber things that come with them.


----------



## DutchGFX

So I need a cable to connect 8 power supply wires from one chassis to another, any connector ideas?

Edit: I'm thinking of using 2 4pin XLR cables to do the trick


----------



## creatip

peterek said:


> SwitchCraft 3.5mm connector barrels are bigger than most. The Amphenol 3.5mm and 6.35mm connectors both have larger holes if you don't use the small rubber things that come with them.


 
  
 Amphenol and Switchcraft? I don't know if there are any in the local stores. I'll look into it. I could always order from ebay, I guess 
  
 Thank you.


----------



## DutchGFX

creatip said:


> Amphenol and Switchcraft? I don't know if there are any in the local stores. I'll look into it. I could always order from ebay, I guess
> 
> Thank you.




Or order from Redco. They sell tons of connectors


----------



## PETEREK

dutchgfx said:


> Or order from Redco. They sell tons of connectors


 
 I order from Redco constantly. They ship quickly and their prices are dirt cheap. I have probably 10 Amphenol 3.5mm connectors in my parts drawer right now.


----------



## Kamakahah

creatip said:


> Amphenol and Switchcraft? I don't know if there are any in the local stores. I'll look into it. I could always order from ebay, I guess
> 
> Thank you.







peterek said:


> I order from Redco constantly. They ship quickly and their prices are dirt cheap. I have probably 10 Amphenol 3.5mm connectors in my parts drawer right now.




+1 for Redco. 

Also, I like Mouser when they have what I'm after. Partsexpress occasionally, but shipping was annoying until they offered their new flat rate option.


----------



## Arty McGhee

peterek said:


> I order from Redco constantly. They ship quickly and their prices are dirt cheap. I have probably 10 Amphenol 3.5mm connectors in my parts drawer right now.


 
 i get most of my stuff from redco
 fast shipping cheap prices good selection


----------



## MrEleventy

Ditto on Mouser + Redco. I often do Mouser because I get stuff quicker. They ship from Tx and I live in La. Redco is NJ.


----------



## PETEREK

That's probably why I get Redco so quickly then, I'm in Michigan.


----------



## ThurstonX

My Redco stuff ships from Connecticut.
  
 Got a question re: the Switchcraft 35HDBAU vs. the 35HDBAUS.  Even Switchcraft's own site links to the same data sheet (http://www.switchcraft.com/Drawings/35hd_series_cd.pdf), but the product page (http://www.switchcraft.com/ProductSummary.aspx?Parent=427) lists this difference:
  

3.5MM (1/8" mini) Stereo Plug, gold finger, black handle, 0.290" cable diameter
3.5MM (1/8" mini) Stereo Plug, gold finger, black handle, *0.175" cable diameter*
  
 I'm going to make a cable for the Philips X2s, and while I doubt I'll find a plug as small as the one they use, I'd like to get close.  The Switchcraft looks nice, isn't too expensive, and has a flat barrel top (where the plug comes out), as opposed to Rean and Amphenol, which are slightly tapered.  I have an Amphenol KS3PB-AU, so I've a good idea of the size.  The Switchcraft is about one millimeter wider, but I can live with that.
  
 My question is about the overall diameter of the 35HDBAU vs. the 35HDBAUS.  I'd guess they use the same barrel, except the 35HDBAUS has a narrower opening.  *But* if its diameter is smaller, I'd be willing to give it a whirl.  I'll be using three wires from a Mogami W2799, sleeved in black and braided.  Heat shrink will have to hold it all in place, as I'm fairly certain the paracord will be left outside the housing.
  
 Any thoughts?  Any other 3.5 mm plugs you'd recommend that are $10 or less?
  
 TIA.


----------



## DutchGFX

Redco is in Stratford, CT I think, its like 2 hours from me


----------



## MrEleventy

Close enough. I knew it was on the East Coast. lol


----------



## ChrisCaubin

Sorry in advance for the noob question. Is there any way, when ordering from mouser, to split the part for to projects in two different packs (I want them to ship together, but I want all the parts for one project in one envelope and all the parts for another project in another envelope)


----------



## BillsonChang007

I wish to build my own self a Christmas present for once. Just want to know if this cable will do the trick for my AKG K702/65? http://www.ebay.com/itm/271650851723
  
 My plan:
 Cutting them into 7 line of equal length. 2 for left channel, 2 for right channel and 3 for the ground wire. 
 Q: Should I just make it one for all? Will it make a difference? 
  
 Using nice cable sleeve to sleeve the 3 up *separately *[left, right, ground respectively]. 
  
 Will this work?
  
 Thanks
 Billson


----------



## Shawn71

billsonchang007 said:


> I wish to build my own self a Christmas present for once. Just want to know if this cable will do the trick for my AKG K702/65? http://www.ebay.com/itm/271650851723
> 
> My plan:
> Cutting them into 7 line of equal length. 2 for left channel, 2 for right channel and 3 for the ground wire.
> ...




Well, you can use as such as its teflon coated and sleeve/sheath the wire.......and yes you can use 2 strands each for positive of both R and L and 3 strands for common ground.....you just need to mark them which goes where and check them correctly before and after soldering using a DMM or analog.....imo.


----------



## BillsonChang007

shawn71 said:


> Well, you can use as such as its teflon coated and sleeve/sheath the wire.......and yes you can use 2 strands each for positive of both R and L and 3 strands for common ground.....you just need to mark them which goes where and check them correctly before and after soldering using a DMM or analog.....imo.






So I can immediately build a cable for my headphone without trouble using just that cable? Sleeving is optional in this case now right? Thanks!


----------



## Shawn71

billsonchang007 said:


> So I can immediately build a cable for my headphone without trouble using just that cable? Sleeving is optional in this case now right? Thanks!




The sheath/sleeve is both for fancy looking and especially durabilty,tho its not a must and you can show off the transparent cable,shiny SP ofc cable w/o that........ its all personal preference.

And Billy, I wld say you wait for some of our fellower's inputs on the subject,who did the similar cabling already for theirs.......


----------



## BillsonChang007

shawn71 said:


> The sheath/sleeve is both for fancy looking and especially durabilty,tho its not a must and you can show off the transparent cable,shiny SP ofc cable w/o that........ its all personal preference.
> 
> And Billy, I wld say you wait for some of our fellower's inputs on the subject,who did the similar cabling already for theirs.......




Alright, many thanks! 

Will do. But a tempted to order it now thought hahahaha. I want it done before Christmas lol


----------



## ThurstonX

billsonchang007 said:


> Alright, many thanks!
> 
> Will do. But a tempted to order it now thought hahahaha. I want it done before Christmas lol


 
  
 It's worth mentioning that AKG usually (always?) reverses the Left and Right channels on their pin-outs (pins 2 & 3).  Before the DIY bug bit me, I had Redco make me a cable without knowing to tell them it was for an AKG (they might not have known), and sure enough, they were reversed.  That cable became a pair of interconnects 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  It's that way on the two AKGs I've checked (Q701s and K712s).  For the cables I made, I used the following on the mini XLR, with a TRS plug on the amp end:
  
 Pin 1 : Ground
 Pin 2 : Ring/Right
 Pin 3 : Tip/Left
  
 Easiest enough to confirm with a DMM on your stock AKG cable.
  
 If you're planning to solder all those wires into a mini XLR, I'd be curious to see some photos before you close it up.
  
 Good luck


----------



## Shawn71

thurstonx said:


> It's worth mentioning that AKG usually (always?) reverses the Left and Right channels on their pin-outs (pins 2 & 3).  Before the DIY bug bit me, I had Redco make me a cable without knowing to tell them it was for an AKG (they might not have known), and sure enough, they were reversed.  That cable became a pair of interconnects    It's that way on the two AKGs I've checked (Q701s and K712s).  For the cables I made, I used the following on the mini XLR, with a TRS plug on the amp end:
> 
> Pin 1 : Ground
> 
> ...




Thx for the heads-up.....cld'nt all those wires fit inside the XLR shell/adapter?.....


----------



## BillsonChang007

thurstonx said:


> It's worth mentioning that AKG usually (always?) reverses the Left and Right channels on their pin-outs (pins 2 & 3).  Before the DIY bug bit me, I had Redco make me a cable without knowing to tell them it was for an AKG (they might not have known), and sure enough, they were reversed.  That cable became a pair of interconnects
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks for pointing that out!
  
 I just ordered a sleeve, the cable, the two jacks [3.5mm and mini XLR] for this project. About two weeks time all should arrive and I shall start my project.


----------



## ThurstonX

shawn71 said:


> Thx for the heads-up.....cld'nt all those wires fit inside the XLR shell/adapter?.....


 
  
 Seems like it'd be a tight fit to me.  I got four 100/46 type 2 Litz wires (served in silk, which is nominal) into my Redco mini XLR, but I don't think I'd like to try eight (was that the number) wires, esp. coated with Teflon or even the stuff Mogami uses in the Neglex.  That's why I want pix of this hot-dog-eating-contest-of-a-cable-project.  Video of the actual insertion would be even better


----------



## PETEREK

thurstonx said:


> Seems like it'd be a tight fit to me.  I got four 100/46 type 2 Litz wires (served in silk, which is nominal) into my Redco mini XLR, but I don't think I'd like to try eight (was that the number) wires, esp. coated with Teflon or even the stuff Mogami uses in the Neglex.  That's why I want pix of this* hot-dog-eating-contest-of-a-cable-project.*  Video of the actual insertion would be even better


 
 HAHAHA
  
 I think that will be too many wires for that connector as well.


----------



## fabian005

Will a standard Red White and Yellow cable work with the yellow cable stripped off with my gear? Pretty straight forward question but I don't want to damage my gear with wrong cables so I am inquiring first before I try. It looks like a pretty robust  cable and I haven't had time to construct my own yet because of money constraints.


----------



## jodgey4

Yellow is usually the video input, and the white and red are standard RCA's for audio - so go ahead and use them if you're in a pinch! Smart idea!


----------



## fabian005

Tried it and sounds fantastic! Now I just need a more robust 6.3mm to 3.5mm :\.


----------



## JacobLee89

fabian005 said:


> Tried it and sounds fantastic! Now I just need a more robust 6.3mm to 3.5mm :\.


 
  
 I got one from Sennheiser, that looks like this:
  

  
  
 Been using it for a year now, and still going strong!
  
 But if you're feeling productive. There's always the DIY option.


----------



## creatip

fabian005 said:


> Tried it and sounds fantastic! Now I just need a more robust 6.3mm to 3.5mm :\.


 
  
 For me, aftermarket/DIY plugs/jacks (the male and female) give better strain reliever clamp, because the clamp is made of metal (compared to factory produced rubber molded body/shell). Perhaps good quality ones also use metal strain reliever clamp inside the rubber body.


----------



## 020Assassin

I'm not a DIYer, at least not with cable making, but I'm wondering if there's someone willing to make a silver cable for me for a Grado SR60i I want give a Woody!
  





  
 I bought an SR325iS as my new primary headphones, and I have a two-year old SR60i that I want to turn into my 'portable' headphone. Not portable as to wear while cycling around Amsterdam (although I might do that occasionally), but more to stuff into my backpack when I go somewhere with my bluetooth/iPad combo (I'm an author, and I write pretty much everywhere).
  
 I heard that silver cables are more sensitive to bending at straight angles and should always be carried in loose loops. I often have my combo on my lap or relatively close by, so I'm looking for a short cable (approx. 3 feet/1 meter) that terminates in a 1/8"/3.5mm connector that can be inserted in the small headphone port of my iPad. I prefer a thin/light cable that is still better than the standard SR60i cable, and I though that silver cables can be really thin. I can handle a solder iron within reason, and I'll have to because the wooden cups come with holes that require the cable to be removed and resoldered. I figured, as long as I'm re-attaching the cable, I might as well upgrade to a better/lighter cable.
  
 I don't know if my assumption are right or wrong, but I'm looking for someone who'd be willing to make me such a cable, so I can recable the SR60i once the wooden cups are in. You can either post in this thread or, maybe better, send me a PM.
  
 I'm located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, so I'd prefer a Head-Fi-er from the UK or Europe, in regards to shipping costs and the time zone (being more or less in the same timezone make communication much easier). As to cost, I'm not a cheapskate and I appreciate custom work, but I'm also on a limited budget.
  
 Anybody willing and able to help me with this?


----------



## smaragd

You may want to contact Frank @ Toxic Cables, search the Toxic Cables Thread and you will see that he's doing plenty of custom jobs... He's very busy but based in the UK may be of advantage to you...
I myself bought a Silver Poison DIY kit and did the assembly myself. Silver Poison is 99% stranded silver with around 1 % gold. This gave my Westone In ear monitors a perfect upgrade. Feel free to PM me for more info...


----------



## 020Assassin

smaragd said:


> You may want to contact Frank @ Toxic Cables..


 
 Thanks, I'll check him out.


----------



## BillsonChang007

Or you can ask in the Grado mod thread  plenty of people there.


----------



## acain

Does anyone know were I can get TF10 female connectors in the US?


----------



## PETEREK

acain said:


> Does anyone know were I can get TF10 female connectors in the US?




Plussound sells them. 
http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html


----------



## PETEREK

Edit.


----------



## Shawn71

Gents: for senn HD600, the connections are'nt inverted/reversed,correct? That goes to stock,after market and DIY cables.....I know the small and big pins are for positive and negative respectively.......but just want to make sure.....will tell you guys what is that about......


----------



## pdrm360

shawn71 said:


> Gents: for senn HD600, the connections are'nt inverted/reversed,correct? That goes to stock,after market and DIY cables.....I know the small and big pins are for positive and negative respectively.......but just want to make sure.....will tell you guys what is that about......


 
 The big pins are for ground.


----------



## Shawn71

pdrm360 said:


> The big pins are for ground.




Yes,me sayin the same......and so its correct.


----------



## acain

peterek said:


> Plussound sells them.
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html


 

 Thanks I just looked I didn't see the female ones, I need them to put in the shell of a diy ciem.


----------



## PETEREK

Using a phone on this site doesn't work too well, I meant to edit the post that I made showing the male connectors because I misread your question, but ended up making a second post instead. Fail.


----------



## eXniHiLo

Hi there.
  
 I'm planning to DIY my interconnect between my portable amp and my clip, but cannot find any bulk cable - like this one - around there (France)
 Though, I was wondering if that kind of cable (seen in a specialist's shop) would be good or if it was not the good cable.
 Sorry for the dumb question and thanks in advance for the answer 
  
 P.S.: I have already found my neutrik angled for €7 (~$8.6) x2.


----------



## JacobLee89

exnihilo said:


> Hi there.
> 
> I'm planning to DIY my interconnect between my portable amp and my clip, but cannot find any bulk cable - like this one - around there (France)
> Though, I was wondering if that kind of cable (seen in a specialist's shop) would be good or if it was not the good cable.
> ...


 
  
 Any cable used for electrical signals would be fine. You can strip a USB cable for it's wires, or a Cat5e network cable and they'll still be good for audio.
  
 I used some hobbyist SPC hookup wire before, and it was as good as the Fiio interconnect I have. The only major thing you are getting yourself from DIY'ing your own cable is having a more direct control over design, dimensions, and aesthetics.


----------



## creatip

exnihilo said:


> Hi there.
> 
> I'm planning to DIY my interconnect between my portable amp and my clip, but cannot find any bulk cable - like this one - around there (France)
> Though, I was wondering if that kind of cable (seen in a specialist's shop) would be good or if it was not the good cable.
> ...


 
  
 Cable on the first link is very small. You'd wanna braid it, for interconnects. 4 strands braid works, but the best (aesthetically) is 8 strands. It looks pretty when braided.
  
 Oh and I think you can find those in ebay. Some of them sell it per meter.


----------



## eXniHiLo

Thank you JacobLee89 for the answer.
 So for you a Mogami, Gotham, UF-OCC or whatever else is the same? If this is really the case that's good to know - way less expensive cables.
  
edit: @creatip: the cables are filled with 0.11mm² wire (~27AWG). I thought it was sufficient. What size would you suggest me?
edit 2: Ah, I finally found something interesting there (UP-OCC Hook-up wire). Still 5 times the price you get in North America, but heh, only site I found =)


----------



## BillsonChang007

exnihilo said:


> Thank you JacobLee89 for the answer.
> So for you a Mogami, Gotham, UF-OCC or whatever else is the same? If this is really the case that's good to know - way less expensive cables.
> 
> edit: @creatip
> ...




I got a 24AWG 10m cable for around $17 shipped, should be here by next week. I am planning to do double cord for each channel (24AWG x 2); ground, left and right. 

Theres no best AWG, if it is too thin, I believe you can just use two cord for each channel. Correct me if I am wrong guys! It is also worth noting that, double cable does not double the AWG, the formula are as follow; Pie x Square of Diameter of Wire / 4. The number you got is used to find the AWG in the table such as www.accesscomms.com.au/reference/awgcalculation.htm 

Hope it helps
Billson


----------



## creatip

exnihilo said:


> Thank you JacobLee89 for the answer.
> So for you a Mogami, Gotham, UF-OCC or whatever else is the same? If this is really the case that's good to know - way less expensive cables.
> 
> edit: @creatip: the cables are filled with 0.11mm² wire (~27AWG). I thought it was sufficient. What size would you suggest me?
> edit 2: Ah, I finally found something interesting there (UP-OCC Hook-up wire). Still 5 times the price you get in North America, but heh, only site I found =)


 
  
 Sufficient in functionality, maybe. Including the teflon jacket, it's less than 1mm, just a tad bigger than a fishing line. I tried braiding 3 strands, 4 strands, and 8 strands. 3 strands feels too flimsy and brittle. 4 strands could work, but it's relatively a lot smaller than the cable hole of most stereo plugs.I stick with 8 strands. Took longer time to braid, but best result and doesn't feel flimsy and brittle.


----------



## JacobLee89

creatip said:


> Sufficient in functionality, maybe. Including the teflon jacket, it's less than 1mm, just a tad bigger than a fishing line. I tried braiding 3 strands, 4 strands, and 8 strands. 3 strands feels too flimsy and brittle. 4 strands could work, but it's relatively a lot smaller than the cable hole of most stereo plugs.I stick with 8 strands. Took longer time to braid, but best result and doesn't feel flimsy and brittle.


 
  
 What happens if you do 6 strands? Almost nobody mentions this.
  
 I would understand if it's for a headphone cable for connecting to separate cups, but for 3.5mm interconnects it shouldn't be much - if any - of a problem.


----------



## TrollDragon

jacoblee89 said:


> What happens if you do 6 strands? Almost nobody mentions this.
> 
> I would understand if it's for a headphone cable for connecting to separate cups, but for 3.5mm interconnects it shouldn't be much - if any - of a problem.


 
  
 6 Strand IC and short wooden one...


----------



## JacobLee89

trolldragon said:


> 6 Strand IC and short wooden one...


 
  
 I see, but I definitely do not observe, so it seems!


----------



## 020Assassin

trolldragon said:


> 6 Strand IC and short wooden one...


 
 Beautiful!


----------



## creatip

jacoblee89 said:


> What happens if you do 6 strands? Almost nobody mentions this.
> 
> I would understand if it's for a headphone cable for connecting to separate cups, but for 3.5mm interconnects it shouldn't be much - if any - of a problem.


 
  
 AFAIK, as far as braiding goes, there are flat braiding, and round braiding (3 strands can''t be braided in round braids). I tend to go for round braids for better flexibility in all directions. 
  
 As for why not 6, well, mostly individual preference, I guess.
  

  
 This is the 4 strands round braid. Uniform shape and patterns. A bit like a chain.
  


  
 The 6 strands round braid (at least the way I do it) gives un-uniform shape and paterns between the sides. The resulting shape is kinda like a trapezoid (smaller in 1 side, bigger on the opposite side)
  
 *cables above are just cheap-ass cables I got for practicing and experimenting with different kind of braids and number of strands
  

  
 8 strands round braid have uniform shape and patterns on all 4 sides (yes, it's actually square shaped)
  
 In the end, I go for 8 strands braid for small gauges, or 4 strands braid for big gauges.


----------



## TheYonderGod

I'm making a cable (4 pin->dual 3 pin) for my headset mod (adding a mic to my AD700s)
 Did I get the wrong cable, the wrong connector, or do I just have to deal with the cable being too thick to fit the connector's strain-relief spring?
 I got this cable - http://www.showmecables.com/product/4-conductor-star-quad-microphone-cable-black-per-ft.aspx
 And these connectors - http://www.showmecables.com/product/3-5mm-Plug-TRRS-Connector-Metal.aspx http://www.showmecables.com/product/3-5mm-Stereo-Plug-Connector-Metal.aspx
  
 I can just barely fit the screw-on connector cover over the cable. I cant even fit it with some heat-shrink on the cable. 
  
  
  
 Between this problem, and me learning how to solder, especially since my soldering iron is a 180w industrial gun, this has been a long and expensive project. I probably should have just bough an Antlion mod-mic, but at least now I have the knowledge. 
  
  
 One more question-
 on the dual 3-pin side of the cable I need to split the ground into 2 wires (1 for headphones 1 for mic) Will there be any problem using thicker guage wire for this part? It's either that or cut off a couple inches more of this cable, but it's a perfect length so I'd rather not.


----------



## lobehold

Some questions for the experienced DIYers, due to me learning that solder pot is a thing:
  

Is the solder in the solder pot reused? If so, how long do you use it before discarding it - if it is to be discarded at all?
If it is being reused, would the impurities - esp. if you're using it to burn away the litz enamel - become a problem?
Do you use the same type of solder in the solder pot (tinning) as the solder you use for the actual soldering?
Does lead-free solder give off less harmful fumes?


----------



## Muffin860

I'm getting cell interference.
  
 I made my first cable last night. It is a 3.5>3.5 mm cable, totaling about 4' 3". I used 24 AWG silver plated oxygen free copper wire with teflon insulation. I used para-cord as a sleeve for each wire, then braided the para-cord. This morning when I test it, I get some interference whenever the cable is near my cell phone . Can someone explain to me where I went wrong? Should I have added a 4th strand and soldered it to the ground of one of the jacks to create a shield? Thanks in advance.


----------



## zild1221

Hopefully you guys can help me out. I'm doing a custom set of grados in a light pink and black color scheme. I am going to do a couple modifications to them including a single sided detachable cable. 
  
 I don't want to go with a visible braid, just a solid cable. Either Mogami W2893 or Canare L-4E5C will probably be what I use. I want to sleeve it with light pink, so Paracord will be my best bet. What size paracord fits over these wire models? Do I have to strip the jacketing off to fit it in the Paracord? And if so on the last question, is there a wire that's recommended where I do not have to strip off the jacketing? 
  
 Thanks. And if you're wondering, here's a quick sketchup model with different color schemes. I'm leaning toward full pink cup. http://imgur.com/a/Fqjvz


----------



## lumzi23

Help. I recently damaged my HE-500 cable. One of the cables on the right side came free. I tried to slot it back in the hole but no dice. I even tried to remove some expose more of the wire but all that did was shorten the length. I have some extra connectors. Can some one guide me or show me a tutorial how to open them up (or whatever) so I can fix it (I don't want to buy new cables).


----------



## dinesh18892

Hello everyone
first of all thanks for all the help and knowledge you are providing. 
I accidently broke my speaker system's 3.5 mm jack and all I got now is in the pic. 
help me to fix it please. 
thanks


----------



## 020Assassin

zild1221 said:


> Hopefully you guys can help me out. I'm doing a custom set of grados in a light pink and black color scheme. I am going to do a couple modifications to them including a single sided detachable cable.
> 
> Thanks. And if you're wondering, here's a quick sketchup model with different color schemes. I'm leaning toward full pink cup. http://imgur.com/a/Fqjvz


 
  
 I'm sorry, but I think pink is a horrible colour for headphones, so my opinion is pretty much worthless. My wife isn't into pink either, but she thinks the second image shows the nicest colour scheme and the fourth image runs second.


----------



## zild1221

020assassin said:


> I'm sorry, but I think pink is a horrible colour for headphones, so my opinion is pretty much worthless. My wife isn't into pink either, but she thinks the second image shows the nicest colour scheme and the fourth image runs second.


 
 No, that's fine. I appreciate your opinion. She's a pink freak and they're mostly for home use. At least her family won't try and steal them from her... Also, the pink really doesn't dhow up nicely in Sketchup. Its going to be more pastel and subtle and match the cable. I just need to figure out what size cable fits in what size paracord.


----------



## Arty McGhee

zild1221 said:


> Hopefully you guys can help me out. I'm doing a custom set of grados in a light pink and black color scheme. I am going to do a couple modifications to them including a single sided detachable cable.
> 
> I don't want to go with a visible braid, just a solid cable. Either Mogami W2893 or Canare L-4E5C will probably be what I use. I want to sleeve it with light pink, so Paracord will be my best bet. What size paracord fits over these wire models? Do I have to strip the jacketing off to fit it in the Paracord? And if so on the last question, is there a wire that's recommended where I do not have to strip off the jacketing?
> 
> Thanks. And if you're wondering, here's a quick sketchup model with different color schemes. I'm leaning toward full pink cup. http://imgur.com/a/Fqjvz


 
 550 paracord should be fine for either of those with or without the shielding
 i prefer to remove the shielding  to make for a lighter and more flexible cable
 the paracord will stretch to fit.. good luck
  
  
 i think pink is a fine color for headphones


----------



## Mach3

dinesh18892 said:


> Hello everyone
> first of all thanks for all the help and knowledge you are providing.
> I accidently broke my speaker system's 3.5 mm jack and all I got now is in the pic.
> help me to fix it please.
> thanks


 
  
 You need a 3.5mm stereo plug. Hope you have soldering skills.


----------



## Shawn71

mach3 said:


> You need a 3.5mm stereo plug. Hope you have soldering skills.




and to add,the 3.5mm jack has 3 poles called TRS (Tip Ring Sleeve).....to identify,hold the 3.5mm jack/plug in your left hand,horizantally) where the metal contacts facing to your right/the soldering points on to your left.......,the right most tip (end) is the T (left channel +) , the middle ring is the R (Right +) and the left most metal is the S (commong ground for both L & R channel,ie. R - & L -)....this is the you shd solder them......


----------



## ThurstonX

dinesh18892 said:


> Hello everyone
> first of all thanks for all the help and knowledge you are providing.
> I accidently broke my speaker system's 3.5 mm jack and all I got now is in the pic.
> help me to fix it please.
> thanks


 
  
 Buy a Digital Multimeter (DMM; no need to go crazy; $5-$10) for testing which wires go to which contacts (TRS), a soldering iron and a 3.5 mm plug.  Depending on the plug, you might want some heat shrink to make it look nice.  I just used a seriously cheap Rean 3.5 mm plug and did not bother with heat shrink, as the paracord fit inside.  I'd snip those crappy ends, remove what insulation you need to, and strip the individual wires to the appropriate lengths (again, can depend on the plug).
  
 Seems like a fun little project.  Good luck.


----------



## eXniHiLo

Just to be sure and not do something stupid, if I get this for my mini "3.5 - 3.5" IC (still hesitating between cables), may I solder the shield to the ground only or should I get a separate cable (like in a quad cable) to get the ground? I know this is the way to go for a "3.5 - RCA" IC but a doubt arose for a "3.5 - 3.5" mini.

  
 Thanks again for the tips guys.
  
 P.S.: Neutriks on their way home = D


----------



## JacobLee89

exnihilo said:


> Just to be sure and not do something stupid, if I get this for my mini "3.5 - 3.5" IC (still hesitating between cables), may I solder the shield to the ground only or should I get a separate cable (like in a quad cable) to get the ground? I know this is the way to go for a "3.5 - RCA" IC but a doubt arose for a "3.5 - 3.5" mini.
> 
> 
> Thanks again for the tips guys.
> ...


 
  
 I've done it before with a headphone cable, No issues with sound quality as far as I can tell, and I'm pretty sure it won't make much of a difference for an IC.


----------



## dinesh18892

mach3 said:


> You need a 3.5mm stereo plug. Hope you have soldering skills.


 
 Thanks am onto  it 
 and yeah I know soldering


----------



## dinesh18892

thurstonx said:


> Buy a Digital Multimeter (DMM; no need to go crazy; $5-$10) for testing which wires go to which contacts (TRS), a soldering iron and a 3.5 mm plug.  Depending on the plug, you might want some heat shrink to make it look nice.  I just used a seriously cheap Rean 3.5 mm plug and did not bother with heat shrink, as the paracord fit inside.  I'd snip those crappy ends, remove what insulation you need to, and strip the individual wires to the appropriate lengths (again, can depend on the plug).
> 
> Seems like a fun little project.  Good luck.


 
 yup soon I will post the final result when I will be free I will do this job
 Thanks


----------



## eXniHiLo

jacoblee89 said:


> I've done it before with a headphone cable, No issues with sound quality as far as I can tell, and I'm pretty sure it won't make much of a difference for an IC.


 
 Then it's all good. Thanks.


----------



## rshuck

Does anyone have success using the internals of the Neutrik 4 Pin male XLRs in the body of any of the other (Oyaide Focus 1/Furutech non-Carbon) shells? I don't like the design of the Neutrik connectors but it seems like nobody else makes an attractive 4-Pin. Also, has anyone done a custom splitter to be 3D Printed? I just made one in SketchUp and sent it to Shapeways for printing. Not sure how much DIY has been done in this area, or if everyone is just using the Viablue splitters or is just using heat shrink.


----------



## rshuck

zild1221 said:


> Hopefully you guys can help me out. I'm doing a custom set of grados in a light pink and black color scheme. I am going to do a couple modifications to them including a single sided detachable cable.
> 
> I don't want to go with a visible braid, just a solid cable. Either Mogami W2893 or Canare L-4E5C will probably be what I use. I want to sleeve it with light pink, so Paracord will be my best bet. What size paracord fits over these wire models? Do I have to strip the jacketing off to fit it in the Paracord? And if so on the last question, is there a wire that's recommended where I do not have to strip off the jacketing?
> 
> Thanks. And if you're wondering, here's a quick sketchup model with different color schemes. I'm leaning toward full pink cup. http://imgur.com/a/Fqjvz


 
 Both of those will be too thick to fit inside standard 550 cord, even if you found 750 cord it would be too thick to fit inside. I have seen that at least one person managed to strip the jacketing off the canare L-4E6C and was able to pull the shielding through 550, but it was apparently very difficult to accomplish. I don't know of any standard cable that will fit through 550 cord. You could always do techflex over the Canare, but I'm not sure that's a look that you want. You could always get regular stranded wire in a smallish gauge and use that instead of a jacketed cable. It will likely be more expensive to do that way though, and wouldn't look as uniform as a jacketed single cable in 550.
  
 Out of curiosity, why a single sided cable? Where are you going to run the cable for the other driver? You could always design and have a small custom splitter printed up by Shapeways... I am going through that process now myself. That way you don't have to settle for the standard viablue ones, and they can be printed from plastic for about $15 or so.


----------



## PETEREK

Can anyone help me out and link me a really narrow 3.5mm TRS connector that would fit into an M100? Something close to this size shipping from the *US. *I can find some that will work from China, but who has time to wait that long? I'd appreciate it, I can't seem to find anything.


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> Can anyone help me out and link me a really narrow 3.5mm TRS connector that would fit into an M100? Something close to this size shipping from the *US. *I can find some that will work from China, but who has time to wait that long? I'd appreciate it, I can't seem to find anything.




I was in the same bind not that long ago building a cable for another member. I never ended up finding one in the USA. Ordered a few from overseas. 
Think I still have an extra or two hanging around in the materials box if you'd like me to check.

I can also break out the calipers if you know the diameter you need. I'll double check.


----------



## creatip

peterek said:


> Can anyone help me out and link me a really narrow 3.5mm TRS connector that would fit into an M100? Something close to this size shipping from the *US. *I can find some that will work from China, but who has time to wait that long? I'd appreciate it, I can't seem to find anything.


 
  
 Found this USA ebay seller that got something similar: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FROM-USA-2-Purple-Stereo-AV-Male-1-8-3-5mm-TRRS-4Pole-Plug-Jack-Audio-connector-/351243080581?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51c7b81385
  
 Problem is, all I could see in his store that are about the same size (slim) are all 4 poles. Might want to message him, to see if he got the 3 poles type. I know there's a 3 poles version, because I've seen it.
  
 My question though, how do you solder those type of contacts properly? I've done a few of Pallics plugs, successfully, but ended up melting the surrounding plastic, which of course ended up looking like crap....


----------



## creatip

lumzi23 said:


> Help. I recently damaged my HE-500 cable. One of the cables on the right side came free. I tried to slot it back in the hole but no dice. I even tried to remove some expose more of the wire but all that did was shorten the length. I have some extra connectors. Can some one guide me or show me a tutorial how to open them up (or whatever) so I can fix it (I don't want to buy new cables).


 
  
 Not sure I understand what you really meant/asking, but I got a documentation of recabling my HE-400: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/222167-diy-hifiman-headphone-recabling-with-braided-strands-image-heavy/


----------



## Mach3

peterek said:


> Can anyone help me out and link me a really narrow 3.5mm TRS connector that would fit into an M100? Something close to this size shipping from the *US. *I can find some that will work from China, but who has time to wait that long? I'd appreciate it, I can't seem to find anything.


 
  
 Can you give me the link to the China supplier thanks


----------



## ThurstonX

creatip said:


> Not sure I understand what you really meant/asking, but I got a documentation of recabling my HE-400: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/222167-diy-hifiman-headphone-recabling-with-braided-strands-image-heavy/


 
  
 That's a great guide you put together.  Where were you when I was first starting on my HiFiMAN DIY journey?! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  Bookmarked for future reference.
  
 And LOL at that comment about selling on Head-Fi


----------



## creatip

thurstonx said:


> That's a great guide you put together.  Where were you when I was first starting on my HiFiMAN DIY journey?!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanx.
  
 I'm not using that cable anymore tho. I'm using copper wire that's originally a speaker cable now. Big, bulky, but an eyecandy: http://www.head-fi.org/t/676402/lightbox/post/11046334/id/1236908


----------



## PETEREK

mach3 said:


> Can you give me the link to the China supplier thanks


 
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/281243011459?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
  
  


creatip said:


> Found this USA ebay seller that got something similar: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FROM-USA-2-Purple-Stereo-AV-Male-1-8-3-5mm-TRRS-4Pole-Plug-Jack-Audio-connector-/351243080581?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51c7b81385
> 
> Problem is, all I could see in his store that are about the same size (slim) are all 4 poles. Might want to message him, to see if he got the 3 poles type. I know there's a 3 poles version, because I've seen it.
> 
> My question though, how do you solder those type of contacts properly? I've done a few of Pallics plugs, successfully, but ended up melting the surrounding plastic, which of course ended up looking like crap....


 
 Eh yeah, the plastic melts. Just be sure to get the contacts soldered right the first time around, trying to clean up and do it again is near impossible.


----------



## phantomore

AWESOME! I really needed the step by step guid on how to do this awesome things! 
  
 Quite sad that I still don't get this kind of stuff  
  
 I shall dig my head in to the world of the interwebz a bit more and research!
  
 Off to the adventure!


----------



## ThurstonX

creatip said:


> Thanx.
> 
> I'm not using that cable anymore tho. I'm using copper wire that's originally a speaker cable now. Big, bulky, but an eyecandy: http://www.head-fi.org/t/676402/lightbox/post/11046334/id/1236908


 
  
 Yes, I recall that gorgeous wire.  It would almost be worth big and bulky, if I weren't now addicted to light and supple.  Can't be too bad, though, if four strands can fit in that plug.
  
 As with your cables, I love your photos!  Are you a pro, or just talented in that arena, too?


----------



## scizzro

Hey all, first time DIYer here. I'm making a custom cable for my HD600. I really like the look of the braided paracord so that's the way I'm going. I've never worked with paracord and am hoping you guys can clear some stuff up for me.
  
 Some sellers say it has a "removable" core, some don't. Is it all the same stuff?
  
 I keep reading that thicker wire is better. I found some 26 AWG that looked good at btg audio, is that too thin if I just use a single strand for each conductor? And will it fit in the paracord nicely?
  
 Is there a certain solder / hot glue adhesive I need to use in this application or can I just use anything I've got laying around?
  
 Thanks guys! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 -scizzro


----------



## PETEREK

scizzro said:


> Hey all, first time DIYer here. I'm making a custom cable for my HD600. I really like the look of the braided paracord so that's the way I'm going. I've never worked with paracord and am hoping you guys can clear some stuff up for me.
> 
> Some sellers say it has a "removable" core, some don't. Is it all the same stuff?
> 
> ...



It should all be the same stuff, removable core or not. You will have to remove it either way anyway. 26awg is fine do for a cable sending one to each conductor, pretty much all my cable builds are 26awg. If you are wanting to have them individually sleeved male sure you get the right paracord thickness. You will need type 1 paracord. If you used 550 it would be extremely baggy.


----------



## scizzro

peterek said:


> It should all be the same stuff, removable core or not. You will have to remove it either way anyway. 26awg is fine do for a cable sending one to each conductor, pretty much all my cable builds are 26awg. If you are wanting to have them individually sleeved male sure you get the right paracord thickness. You will need type 1 paracord. If you used 550 it would be extremely baggy.


 
 Thanks man, really helpful. I've been able to mostly complete my parts list. I was looking at some of your previous work in the gallery thread, it really is top notch. I've been struggling with what size / type heat shrink to get and I noticed this post of yours:
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14010#post_10973952
  
 That is exactly how I want the heat shrink to look on the Sennheiser connectors. Do you remember what kind it was?


----------



## PETEREK

I get all my hest shrink from Redco.com. I BELIEVE it was 3/16" but it may have been 1/4. I would order both just in case, it's pretty cheap and they sell by the foot. 

Thanks for noticing the work


----------



## creatip

thurstonx said:


> Yes, I recall that gorgeous wire.  It would almost be worth big and bulky, if I weren't now addicted to light and supple.  Can't be too bad, though, if four strands can fit in that plug.
> 
> As with your cables, I love your photos!  Are you a pro, or just talented in that arena, too?


 
  
 With that cable, it's next to impossible to do a 'proper' cabling, as the diameter of 1 strand of that cable is almost as big as the connector itself, and 1 connector needs 2 strands. Good thing the cable's core is solid plate type, so it's easily shaped. The connectors looks pretty awkward, but yeah, at least it work....
  
 I needed the cable hole of the stereo plug to be at least 8mm to fit 4 strands through the hole. 
  

  

  
 Oh and taking pictures is my daily job, so yeah....


----------



## scizzro

Has anyone here dealt with Sonic Craft before?
  
 https://www.soniccraft.com/
  
 They have good pricing on UPOCC copper and Sennheiser connectors, and are located in the USA.


----------



## tomb

scizzro said:


> Has anyone here dealt with Sonic Craft before?
> 
> https://www.soniccraft.com/
> 
> They have good pricing on UPOCC copper and Sennheiser connectors, and are located in the USA.


 

 Yes, Soniccraft is an excellent business.  I've dealt with them many times.  Their Gen II film caps are standard on the output of the Millett Hybrid MiniMAX, now - after I ran out of Vitamin Q's.


----------



## squallkiercosa

Hey everyone, I got a cable from Audeze brand new. The problem is one of the channels doesn't work at all (I got a replacement after) and I would like to fix it, I was wondering where should I look first or what should I change first.Thanks!


----------



## Shawn71

squallkiercosa said:


> Hey everyone, I got a cable from Audeze brand new. The problem is one of the channels doesn't work at all (I got a replacement after) and I would like to fix it, I was wondering where should I look first or what should I change first.Thanks!




Hmm...thats not good......ok, so do you have DMM? You have to check the continuity test between the ends of associated points using the buzzer.......


----------



## squallkiercosa

shawn71 said:


> Hmm...thats not good......ok, so do you have DMM? You have to check the continuity test between the ends of associated points using the buzzer.......


 
 I wanted to buy a cheap one, at least to have it just in case at home (20$ range) if you have any recommendations please let me know. 
  
 However, how do you test continuity? do you connect first to a source and what would be the next step?


----------



## Shawn71

squallkiercosa said:


> I wanted to buy a cheap one, at least to have it just in case at home (20$ range) if you have any recommendations please let me know.
> 
> However, how do you test continuity? do you connect first to a source and what would be the next step?




No source,but with a dmm.....ok pls tell me whats the issue with the cable? I'd posted about continuity testing some thread here....let me chk.


----------



## Arty McGhee

squallkiercosa said:


> I wanted to buy a cheap one, at least to have it just in case at home (20$ range) if you have any recommendations please let me know.
> 
> However, how do you test continuity? do you connect first to a source and what would be the next step?




I'm using a $5.00 one from harbor freight 
Does the job
Don't need anything fancy for continuity
And DC voltage


----------



## Shawn71

arty mcghee said:


> I'm using a $5.00 one from harbor freight
> Does the job
> Don't need anything fancy for continuity
> And DC voltage




Yeah thats enough to keep handy for very basics.....


----------



## creatip

squallkiercosa said:


> I wanted to buy a cheap one, at least to have it just in case at home (20$ range) if you have any recommendations please let me know.
> 
> However, how do you test continuity? do you connect first to a source and what would be the next step?


 
  
 A simple way to put it, if the metal points of the DMM connect, it will buzz. So put 1 metal in one end of the cable (or polarity to be exact), put the other in the other end of the cable, and it should buzz. When you find 1 (or more) polarity that doesn't buzz, you found your problem. 
  
 You don't actually need something with a buzzer (although a buzzer is a nice feature), just a plain ohm meter would do. When the metal touch, the number will start 'dancing', instead of showing just '1'. So when you find a polarity that the reading stay at '1', there's your problem.


----------



## TheYonderGod

I completed my microphone mod on my AD700s, but the connectors don't fit right, it's too loose so it doesn't make a good connection and stops working when I move. 
  


 

 


  
  
  
  
 Any suggestions for what connectors to use?


----------



## Shawn71

squallkiercosa said:


> I wanted to buy a cheap one, at least to have it just in case at home (20$ range) if you have any recommendations please let me know.
> 
> However, how do you test continuity? do you connect first to a source and what would be the next step?




Ok,....so you have a quick easy guide from creatip now......easy. Just be sure about checking between the ends....especially with the neutriks if you dont have 3.5/6.3mm jacks,as Im not sure what type cable you have tho...


----------



## 020Assassin

How easy/difficult would it be to make an extension cable for a Stax electrostatic Lambda Nova set?


----------



## cable

ignore


----------



## Wizzard

Right, the cable on my Shure SE215's died and instead of getting another stock cable, I plucked for the FiiO RC-SE1. Unfortunately due to it's size, it didn't pair well with my iPhone and kept popping out all to often. Despite having very limited soldering knowledge, I decided to change the jack to something that would be seated better. I chose Switchcraft 35HDBAU (the standard 3.5mm straight jack), watched a few videos on YouTube and felt that I was ready for the task. Without thinking too much, I cut off the old jack and realised that all the wires are actually braided and none of them are colour coded. Now I have a cable with 8 strands (which all look exactly the same to me) and no idea how I'm supposed to know which is left, right and ground. Could anyone shed some light on the solution?

 Also, a friend said that he had done some guitar cables in the past and said that doing only the left and right is sufficient (while all the videos I had did in fact, solder ground). Is there any truth to what he's saying?

 I attached a few pictures and links to better illustrate my issue.
  
 Cable - http://www.fiio.net/en/products/10
 Jack - http://www.switchcraft.com/productsummary.aspx?Parent=427


----------



## Hal Rockwell

wizzard said:


> Right, the cable on my Shure SE215's died and instead of getting another stock cable, I plucked for the FiiO RC-SE1. Unfortunately due to it's size, it didn't pair well with my iPhone and kept popping out all to often. Despite having very limited soldering knowledge, I decided to change the jack to something that would be seated better. I chose Switchcraft 35HDBAU (the standard 3.5mm straight jack), watched a few videos on YouTube and felt that I was ready for the task. Without thinking too much, I cut off the old jack and realised that all the wires are actually braided and none of them are colour coded. Now I have a cable with 8 strands (which all look exactly the same to me) and no idea how I'm supposed to know which is left, right and ground. Could anyone shed some light on the solution?
> 
> 
> Also, a friend said that he had done some guitar cables in the past and said that doing only the left and right is sufficient (while all the videos I had did in fact, solder ground). Is there any truth to what he's saying?
> ...




You'll be needing a DMM to check for the wire's continuity to find out which wires go to the left driver and which wires go to the right. Every driver has two terminals - one for the signal and one for ground. The ground is common for both drivers but leads are different for left and right.


----------



## PETEREK

It's hurting me to see that helping hand on the connector barrel like that.


----------



## Wizzard

Could DMM mean Digital Multi Meter?

 Also, I do apologies for the clamping method but in my defense, the helping hand is very old and exceptionally weak (barely holds anything and therefore didn't scratch the casing).


----------



## Saeglopur

Ok I've got a handful of questions and I'm sure theyve been answered somewhere, but I was hoping someone could help me possibly even via email with how to even start making cables. I'm new the the headphone/audiophile etc. world and I've always been technical and artistic and I have a fascination with some of these cables and I'd love to make my own. I just have no clue where to even begin. Is there anyone who has experience with it that would be interested in helping me out at all? Or at least if someone could direct me to a very intro level tutorial or something that would be great. Thanks all!


----------



## scizzro

saeglopur said:


> Ok I've got a handful of questions and I'm sure theyve been answered somewhere, but I was hoping someone could help me possibly even via email with how to even start making cables. I'm new the the headphone/audiophile etc. world and I've always been technical and artistic and I have a fascination with some of these cables and I'd love to make my own. I just have no clue where to even begin. Is there anyone who has experience with it that would be interested in helping me out at all? Or at least if someone could direct me to a very intro level tutorial or something that would be great. Thanks all!


 
 I'm in the process of making my first cable as well. The basic idea is you want to take the signal from your amp and carry it to your headphones. To do that you need connectors for either end of the cable and wire inbetween. (Is that TOO simple? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





)
  
 To connect the wire to the connectors, you use solder. There are videos out there that will teach you how to do it. 
  
 You also have the option of using outer sleeving / heatshrink for aesthetic/durability reasons. 
  
 I would sit down and draw a diagram of the cable, including every part you need to make the kind of cable you want. All of the parts you need can be found from places listed in the original post of this thread.


----------



## creatip

wizzard said:


> Could DMM mean Digital Multi Meter?
> 
> Also, I do apologies for the clamping method but in my defense, the helping hand is very old and exceptionally weak (barely holds anything and therefore didn't scratch the casing).


 
  
 Yes, a DMM is short for a Digital Multi Meter. Analog Multi Meter would work too, as long as it got ohm meter, but nowadays a DMM can be cheaper than analog, and more convenient, so yeah.
  
 When you do it, solder them based on each polarities. Meaning, start with either the left or the ground first, and find which ones are the corresponding cables. Solder them right after you found them. This way it's easier to keep track which cables are which. 
  
 Guitar cables are usually mono, only 2 polarities, signal and ground. You can try googling it with something like 'guitar 1/4" plug'


----------



## creatip

saeglopur said:


> Ok I've got a handful of questions and I'm sure theyve been answered somewhere, but I was hoping someone could help me possibly even via email with how to even start making cables. I'm new the the headphone/audiophile etc. world and I've always been technical and artistic and I have a fascination with some of these cables and I'd love to make my own. I just have no clue where to even begin. Is there anyone who has experience with it that would be interested in helping me out at all? Or at least if someone could direct me to a very intro level tutorial or something that would be great. Thanks all!


 
  
 You'll need to know how to solder, mainly. Lots of tutorial articles and videos on the net. 
  
 Practice with cheap stuffs first, i.e. $0.5 cable, $1 plugs. You'll most likely do mistakes, and you learn from them.


----------



## Saeglopur

creatip said:


> You'll need to know how to solder, mainly. Lots of tutorial articles and videos on the net.
> 
> Practice with cheap stuffs first, i.e. $0.5 cable, $1 plugs. You'll most likely do mistakes, and you learn from them.


 

 I can solder, I do it as part of my job so I should be ok on that end, I'm mainly confused as to why some cables have two or even more wires. Two makes sense but on some (at least it looks like it) they have like four wires and I just get a little confused on that. I guess my biggest question is what would I need to make a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable thats about 4' long? Obvioulsy two connectors but is there a way to find out how many wires you need?


----------



## Saeglopur

scizzro said:


> I'm in the process of making my first cable as well. The basic idea is you want to take the signal from your amp and carry it to your headphones. To do that you need connectors for either end of the cable and wire inbetween. (Is that TOO simple?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Would you care to shoot me some emails with pics of your process?


----------



## creatip

saeglopur said:


> I can solder, I do it as part of my job so I should be ok on that end, I'm mainly confused as to why some cables have two or even more wires. Two makes sense but on some (at least it looks like it) they have like four wires and I just get a little confused on that. I guess my biggest question is what would I need to make a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable thats about 4' long? Obvioulsy two connectors but is there a way to find out how many wires you need?


 
  
 If you can solder, then it's 75% of the hard part gone. 
  
 A basic stereo connection got 3 polarities, left channel, right, and (common) ground. A balanced connection got 4 polarities, with separate grounds (2 ground polarities). 
  
 If the wire used is small/thin, it's advised to use 4 strands, with 2 strands in the common ground, to avoid current bottleneck in the ground polarity. If the wire's relatively thick, however, it shouldn't be a problem.
  
 More than 4 strands are usually for aesthetic purposes only. I did 8 strands of thin wires braided for a good braid shape. 
  
 I didn't use paracord sleeves in my previous projects because I like to flaunt my cables, but that's just a matter of taste entirely.


----------



## scizzro

saeglopur said:


> I can solder, I do it as part of my job so I should be ok on that end, I'm mainly confused as to why some cables have two or even more wires. Two makes sense but on some (at least it looks like it) they have like four wires and I just get a little confused on that. I guess my biggest question is what would I need to make a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable thats about 4' long? Obvioulsy two connectors but is there a way to find out how many wires you need?


 
 Stereo 3.5mm connectors, often reffered to as TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) have a left, right, and ground. These signals can't be crossed or combined, so you need 3 separate wires to make a 3.5mm to 3.5mm.
  
 You may see some headphone cables have 4 wires. There may be three reasons for this: 
  
 1) If your headphone has two connectors, one for each cup, then the ground from the amp has to go to each cup. Some people choose to run 1 ground wire from the amp-side connector to the Y-Split in the cable, then solder two wires and branch off to each cup. Others simply run a 4th conductor, also a ground, that goes straight through instead of branching.
  
 2) They are using a balanced amp. Balanced amp cables require 4 wires.
  
 3) Aesthetics. They want their cable to look different. In the end, the connections are the same. +,-,Gnd
  
 For the 3.5mm to 3.5mm, there are many options for wiring. You could use a single 3 conductor cable and just be done with it. If you wanted to get fancy, you could get single conductor cabling, sheath it with paracord, then braid each strand. It accomplishes the same thing, but requires more cable length. I.E. if you want a 5 foot cable and are buying single conductor cable, you would need 5 foot x 3 conductors = 15 feet of cable. (Plus a bit more to make up for braiding)
  
 For sleeving, you have 2 options, generally: Techflex and Paracord.
  
 I'm still waiting for all of the parts to come in, so I haven't gotten started yet. I was unsure of myself and took 2-3 days to research everything before ordering parts.


----------



## ThurstonX

saeglopur said:


> I can solder, I do it as part of my job so I should be ok on that end, I'm mainly confused as to why some cables have two or even more wires. Two makes sense but on some (at least it looks like it) they have like four wires and I just get a little confused on that. I guess my biggest question is what would I need to make a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable thats about 4' long? Obvioulsy two connectors but is there a way to find out how many wires you need?


 
  
 For a simple cable like you describe, you need at least two wires for the signals, and something to complete the ground (Sleeve in TRS: Tip Ring Sleeve).  People often use a third wire, or a third and fourth wires, esp. if they plan to braid them (i.e., just the wires, perhaps bought plain, perhaps removed from a cable, and finally perhaps sleeved in paracord or something else).  If you buy two conductor cable that has a copper shield built in, you can use the shield for the ground connections.
  
 A lot of people prefer just the wires, without the stiff, heavy outer sheath and inner shielding.  Interference shouldn't really be a problem, which is a good thing.
  
 HTH.
  
 Sorry if a lot of that is a rehash of previous posts.  I'm a slow typist


----------



## Saeglopur

scizzro said:


> Stereo 3.5mm connectors, often reffered to as TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) have a left, right, and ground. These signals can't be crossed or combined, so you need 3 separate wires to make a 3.5mm to 3.5mm.
> 
> You may see some headphone cables have 4 wires. There may be three reasons for this:
> 
> ...


 

 What all did you search for to learn about this? Most of this is going over my head. I understand the concept of ground and all that but everything else is a little confusing since im brand new to all of this. My best headphones are V-Moda M100 and they just use a detatchable 3.5 to 3.5. So I'm wanting to build a cable for them with the braid style for practice.


----------



## Saeglopur

creatip said:


> If you can solder, then it's 75% of the hard part gone.
> 
> A basic stereo connection got 3 polarities, left channel, right, and (common) ground. A balanced connection got 4 polarities, with separate grounds (2 ground polarities).
> 
> ...


 

 Would you be cool with emailing about this a bit more?


----------



## scizzro

saeglopur said:


> What all did you search for to learn about this? Most of this is going over my head. I understand the concept of ground and all that but everything else is a little confusing since im brand new to all of this. My best headphones are V-Moda M100 and they just use a detatchable 3.5 to 3.5. So I'm wanting to build a cable for them with the braid style for practice.


 

 For "research," I just looked through this thread, and through all the parts website, noting the differences between the parts and stuff. Above is the wiring diagram for a 3.5mm to 3.5mm. That is your goal, just straight connections like that. There are lots of different ways to change the way it looks, but that is what HAS to be in order for it to work correctly. 
  
 Which style cable are you thinking of making? Are you trying to make it look like something you've seen in this thread?


----------



## Saeglopur

scizzro said:


> For "research," I just looked through this thread, and through all the parts website, noting the differences between the parts and stuff. Above is the wiring diagram for a 3.5mm to 3.5mm. That is your goal, just straight connections like that. There are lots of different ways to change the way it looks, but that is what HAS to be in order for it to work correctly.
> 
> Which style cable are you thinking of making? Are you trying to make it look like something you've seen in this thread?


 
 Just a simple one like this, if i can upload the picture right. so the green is ground black is - red is + right? I've seen a couple diagrams like that on here for different cable types but the lines and all that confuse me a bit, I haven't worked with this type of stuff too much so I apologize that I'm helpless. Also I know this isn't a 3.5 cable I just mean this style of the clear insulation and braiding


----------



## scizzro

saeglopur said:


> Just a simple one like this, if i can upload the picture right. so the green is ground black is - red is + right? I've seen a couple diagrams like that on here for different cable types but the lines and all that confuse me a bit, I haven't worked with this type of stuff too much so I apologize that I'm helpless. Also I know this isn't a 3.5 cable I just mean this style of the clear insulation and braiding


 
 It's fine, everyone has to start somewhere.
  
 So that guy chose to do a 4-wire braid on his RCA cables. 
  
 Sorry, my parents just got home. I'm gonna go talk to them for a bit, I'll be back in a bit to give you a better answer if no one else has yet


----------



## Shawn71

saeglopur said:


> What all did you search for to learn about this? Most of this is going over my head. I understand the concept of ground and all that but everything else is a little confusing since im brand new to all of this. My best headphones are V-Moda M100 and they just use a detatchable 3.5 to 3.5. So I'm wanting to build a cable for them with the braid style for practice.




Ok, I dont know whether you gonna use the same spc shure cable by cutting the MMCX ends or buy some braided cables seperately for your M 100 project......with relate to your exising confusion see if the below tips helps you and already most of our friends posted you good tips and had you covered in most part......

1) now,since it has eight(8) strands, its divided into 2each for left+,left-,right+ & right-.
2) using a dmm,set to buzzer mode. (using analog mm is fine as well)
3) check between each of stranded wire to where it actually terminates at the mmcx connector's end.
4) so ideally it shd be,2 stranded wires for one polarity,like 2 each for left+,left-,right+ and right-.
5) just tape them and tag/mark for 4 pairs(r+,l+,r-,l-), for easy grouping at 3.5mm end.
6) once you made upto this point, the other end of 3.5mm jack/plug will be as below.
Left+ = Tip, Right+ = Ring and left- & right- = Sleeve (common ground). Note here the right- & left - are grouped together to form a common ground to be soldered as one,the Sleeve.


----------



## scizzro

saeglopur said:


>


 
 Ok, so this guy did a 4-wire braid for each cable. That's more than necessary - for RCA cables, you only need 2 wires to each connector. So, he soldered 2 wires to each terminal.
  
 Each wire has only 1 conductor in it, and is covered with clear insulation. So, he took 4 lengths of the copper cable, braided it, then terminated it. (To terminate means to put the connector onto the wire)
  
 So, if one of these cables was 5 feet long, he would have had to order at least 20 feet of wire (again, because 4 wires x 5 feet = 20)
  
 He didn't use any heat shrink or outer sleeving at all. It gives it sort of a raw look. So yeah, this is a relatively simple cable to make. The braiding was the hardest part.
  
 In your case, you would use 3 conductors instead of 4. (Unless you wanted to have a really chunky looking cable, then you could use more conductors and solder multiple conductors to each lead in the connectors, but only 3 is required)
  
 I hope this is helping. If you have any more questions, I'll do my best to help, but I am by no means a DIY expert. 
  
 I am very much looking forward to making my first cable, though


----------



## creatip

saeglopur said:


> Just a simple one like this, if i can upload the picture right. so the green is ground black is - red is + right? I've seen a couple diagrams like that on here for different cable types but the lines and all that confuse me a bit, I haven't worked with this type of stuff too much so I apologize that I'm helpless. Also I know this isn't a 3.5 cable I just mean this style of the clear insulation and braiding


 
  
 That diagram is the way to go. Tip = left +, ring = right +, sleeve = ground for both channels (common ground). Easier yet, just remember tip from one end goes to tip in the other end, ring to ring, sleeve to sleeve. That's all there is, nothing else. Try soldering a straight wire first, preferably with cheap practice wires, and see if it work (got sound, left and right not inversed). After that, desolder one end, and practice braiding the 3 strands (if you're going for braiding style). Braiding videos can be found in youtube, from 3 to 8 strands.


----------



## Wizzard

creatip said:


> Yes, a DMM is short for a Digital Multi Meter. Analog Multi Meter would work too, as long as it got ohm meter, but nowadays a DMM can be cheaper than analog, and more convenient, so yeah.
> 
> When you do it, solder them based on each polarities. Meaning, start with either the left or the ground first, and find which ones are the corresponding cables. Solder them right after you found them. This way it's easier to keep track which cables are which.
> 
> Guitar cables are usually mono, only 2 polarities, signal and ground. You can try googling it with something like 'guitar 1/4" plug'


 
  
 Thank you.
  
 Will attempt to borrow a MM from a friend and keep your advice in mind.


----------



## GBechz

I wanted to ask here before I solder this incorrectly; does anyone have experience with this style? Which connection is right and which is left? Or you can use TRS nomenclature if you prefer.


----------



## Shawn71

gbechz said:


> I wanted to ask here before I solder this incorrectly; does anyone have experience with this style? Which connection is right and which is left? Or you can use TRS nomenclature if you prefer.




The long one (solder side) is common ground(R- & L- which is S), the middle contact is right+ (R) and smallest one is left+ (T)......


----------



## ThurstonX

gbechz said:


> I wanted to ask here before I solder this incorrectly; does anyone have experience with this style? Which connection is right and which is left? Or you can use TRS nomenclature if you prefer.


 
  
 This is why everyone should have a DMM.  Simple (continuity) test to be sure.


----------



## creatip

gbechz said:


> I wanted to ask here before I solder this incorrectly; does anyone have experience with this style? Which connection is right and which is left? Or you can use TRS nomenclature if you prefer.


 
  
 Best way is to test it with a DMM. I've had one of similar angled plug, cheap China generic version, that actually got the polarities reversed. The others are normal, but there's one that's reversed, left to right. Perhaps bad QC.


----------



## Saeglopur

scizzro said:


> Ok, so this guy did a 4-wire braid for each cable. That's more than necessary - for RCA cables, you only need 2 wires to each connector. So, he soldered 2 wires to each terminal.
> 
> Each wire has only 1 conductor in it, and is covered with clear insulation. So, he took 4 lengths of the copper cable, braided it, then terminated it. (To terminate means to put the connector onto the wire)
> 
> ...




awesoke thanks for the help. Definitely keep in touch when you make one! I'm gonna order some parts soon hopefully too.


----------



## GBechz

shawn71 said:


> The long one (solder side) is common ground(R- & L- which is S), the middle contact is right+ (R) and smallest one is left+ (T)......




Thank you. Yeah, I don't own a DMM or a solder pump, and didn't want to mess it up. If I start making more than 1 cable every 6 months maybe I'll invest.


----------



## Shawn71

thurstonx said:


> This is why everyone should have a DMM.  Simple (continuity) test to be sure.







creatip said:


> Best way is to test it with a DMM. I've had one of similar angled plug, cheap China generic version, that actually got the polarities reversed. The others are normal, but there's one that's reversed, left to right. Perhaps bad QC.




« YES » its a must to have.....


----------



## ThurstonX

gbechz said:


> Thank you. Yeah, I don't own a DMM or a solder pump, and didn't want to mess it up. If I start making more than 1 cable every 6 months maybe I'll invest.


 
  
 I use a $5 DMM.  Works great.  I'm not even sure I'd call it an "investment."  My wife would just say, That's three less beers for you this week, dear, and we'd call it even


----------



## Snakey

So i am planning on making my own first cable, and i have some questions that i hope you can help me with. 
  
  
  
 1. My headphones are the Sennheiser momentum on-ear. i will be using this plug : http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3574 
  
 Can somebody tell me what part of the plug is +,ground and - ?
  
  
 2. Since i am from sweden we don't have many places to buy parts from. Here are the wires i can choose from : http://www.electrokit.com/audiokabel.c385
  
 I am planning to do a simple 3.5 mm to 2.5 that i linked above . Can i use the RVVP 4x0.2 ? I am only gonna use 3 of the wires and just let the 4th unsoldered.
  
 3.


----------



## Wizzard

wizzard said:


> Right, the cable on my Shure SE215's died and instead of getting another stock cable, I plucked for the FiiO RC-SE1. Unfortunately due to it's size, it didn't pair well with my iPhone and kept popping out all to often. Despite having very limited soldering knowledge, I decided to change the jack to something that would be seated better. I chose Switchcraft 35HDBAU (the standard 3.5mm straight jack), watched a few videos on YouTube and felt that I was ready for the task. Without thinking too much, I cut off the old jack and realised that all the wires are actually braided and none of them are colour coded. Now I have a cable with 8 strands (which all look exactly the same to me) and no idea how I'm supposed to know which is left, right and ground. Could anyone shed some light on the solution?
> 
> Also, a friend said that he had done some guitar cables in the past and said that doing only the left and right is sufficient (while all the videos I had did in fact, solder ground). Is there any truth to what he's saying?


 
  
 Going back to my original question, once I got the DMM, I'm still a bit confused as to what I'm supposed to do. According to all the advice, it will have something to do with Ohm's. I understand that the sensible thing to do is to go and Google the answer like everyone else but I'm not even sure what to Google.


----------



## scizzro

wizzard said:


> Going back to my original question, once I got the DMM, I'm still a bit confused as to what I'm supposed to do. According to all the advice, it will have something to do with Ohm's. I understand that the sensible thing to do is to go and Google the answer like everyone else but I'm not even sure what to Google.


 
 Most DMM's have a continuity mode. If you look on the dial selector there should be a symbol that looks like a little sound wave. Set the meter to that mode, then touch the leads together. The meter should make a noise letting you know that it has detected continuity.
  
 Then, with your cable that has been cut, touch one lead to a spot on one of the connectors that goes into the IEM, and the other lead to one of the 8 cut cables. If it doesn't ring, switch the lead that's on the cut cables until you get a ring. Repeat this step 8 times until you identify each of the 8 cut cables. There should be 3 different "channels", a common ground that goes to both IEM's, a right channel that goes to the right IEM alone, and a left channel that goes to the left IEM alone. Once you identify what signal each wire is supposed to carry, you can terminate it to the 3.5mm jack accordingly. Because you have 8 wires, more than 1 wire will carry the same signal, so you can group them together.
  
 If your DMM doesn't have a continuity mode, you can use the resistance mode (Ohm meter). The Ohm meter will display a small resistance when you find continuity, similar to when the meter would ring on continuity mode. However, this can be semi-unreliable depending on the situation.
  
 Edit: To clarify, continuity in this case means able to complete a circuit - if you touch two conductors with the leads of the meter and the meter doesn't ring, then the two leads are not in contact with eachother, and the circuit is broken. (0 Ohms would show on an ohm meter)


----------



## creatip

wizzard said:


> Going back to my original question, once I got the DMM, I'm still a bit confused as to what I'm supposed to do. According to all the advice, it will have something to do with Ohm's. I understand that the sensible thing to do is to go and Google the answer like everyone else but I'm not even sure what to Google.


 
  
 A bit hard to explain step by step, so just use this in google: 'how to test continuity with digital multimeter'


----------



## Wizzard

Thank you both so much.

 Will attempt this over Christmas period and report back.
  
 Merry Christmas!


----------



## Anthony1

peterek said:


> It's hurting me to see that helping hand on the connector barrel like that.


 

 like fingernails scraped down a blackboard


----------



## DemonicAngelz

Hi guys,
  
 I am trying to recable my DT770 250ohm to one without the curled cord as it is getting really annoying. I was wondering what are some cable options that I can try. 
  
 I really like the look of transparent teflon casing exposing copper cables within. I have seen quite a few pictures of them floating around this forum.
  
 I was wondering if anyone has the model number of good cables with that look I could purchase? Also what gauge would be ideal? I would like the cable to remain flexible. It wouldn't be that long though, maybe 1.2m ? I sit at my desk while listening anyway.


----------



## BillsonChang007

thurstonx said:


> It's worth mentioning that AKG usually (always?) reverses the Left and Right channels on their pin-outs (pins 2 & 3).  Before the DIY bug bit me, I had Redco make me a cable without knowing to tell them it was for an AKG (they might not have known), and sure enough, they were reversed.  That cable became a pair of interconnects    It's that way on the two AKGs I've checked (Q701s and K712s).  For the cables I made, I used the following on the mini XLR, with a TRS plug on the amp end:
> 
> Pin 1 : Ground
> 
> ...




Hey there! 

Apologize! I totally forgot to take a picture before I close it up but I solder all wires into the mini XLR. My cables were too thick to fit into the small hole so I cut it off a bit. 

I followed your instruction and I am waiting for my 3.5mm jack to arrive now. How to tell which is left and right channel on this type of jack? http://www.ebay.com/itm/151289094863

Thank


----------



## musicinmymind

Does anyone know where can I get 2.5 mm 4 pole, which is easy for soldering. Check below 3.5 mm 4 pole backpart is easy for soldering (not sure what to call it)
  

  
 unlike this one, which is complicated for soldering, 
  

  
  
 I can get 3.5 mm 4 pole in below ebay link, but could not find similar 2.5 mm, please suggest.
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/4pcs-Gold-plate-Stereo-4-Pole-Male-3-5mm-Jack-Plug-Audio-connector-headphone-/161098165421?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item258232ecad


----------



## Shawn71

musicinmymind said:


> Does anyone know where can I get 2.5 mm 4 pole, which is easy for soldering. Check below 3.5 mm 4 pole backpart is easy for soldering (not sure what to call it)
> 
> 
> 
> ...




lunashops.com

edit»»» just check with them.....some budget ones dont showup the internals in their listing.....


----------



## Shawn71

billsonchang007 said:


> Hey there!
> 
> Apologize! I totally forgot to take a picture before I close it up but I solder all wires into the mini XLR. My cables were too thick to fit into the small hole so I cut it off a bit.
> 
> ...




Billy: take a look on previous page,I had posted a same reply......


----------



## musicinmymind

shawn71 said:


> lunashops.com
> 
> edit»»» just check with them.....some budget ones dont showup the internals in their listing.....


 
  
 Thanks a lot, will check with them right away


----------



## ThurstonX

billsonchang007 said:


> Hey there!
> 
> Apologize! I totally forgot to take a picture before I close it up but I solder all wires into the mini XLR. My cables were too thick to fit into the small hole so I cut it off a bit.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Still waking up, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong...
  
 I think the way you need to proceed is first, use a DMM to determine how your stock AKG cable is wired.  If it follows the pattern I posted, then it's the typical bassackwards AKG way.  Second, use a DMM to determine which internal soldering posts on your 3.5 mm plug go to which elements of the TRS.  Third, use the DMM to find the wire for each pin of the mini-XLR and mark them (some tape or whatever).  Fourth, solder accordingly (i.e., based on what you discovered in step 1).
  
 FWIW, you'd do all that even if it weren't using the wonky AKG pinouts.  You'd still have to find the wires for each of the pins so you solder them to the correct posts on the other end.  Which pins on the mini-XLR go to which parts of the TRS just depends.  If AKG used the standard pinouts, it'd be slightly less confusing.
  
 Where's that $@!#in' coffee?


----------



## jodgey4

demonicangelz said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am trying to recable my DT770 250ohm to one without the curled cord as it is getting really annoying. I was wondering what are some cable options that I can try.
> 
> ...




The only wire like that that I know of is boutique stuff like DHC offers. Not sure where to get it cheap like you can Canare/Mogami.


----------



## Worth

Is this wire fine?
 http://www.amazon.com/NTE-Stranded-Hook-Up-Wire-Black/dp/B003N3HC7A


----------



## musicinmymind

worth said:


> Is this wire fine?
> http://www.amazon.com/NTE-Stranded-Hook-Up-Wire-Black/dp/B003N3HC7A


 
  
 for?


----------



## Worth

musicinmymind said:


> for?


 
 Making a headphone cable on a budget


----------



## Kamakahah

worth said:


> Making a headphone cable on a budget




You can get cheap copper wire with transparent insulation from various places overseas through Lunashops, Aliexpress and Ebay. Just search for things like, "OFC copper wire" and "OCC copper wire". Plenty of cheap ones. Not the highest strand counts and usually less than supple insulation. The shipping time can be a few weeks, but you asked for cheap. 

Alternatively, you can order some OFC copper from BTG audio for a reasonable price(relatively). It ships from northern California.


----------



## DemonicAngelz

jodgey4 said:


> The only wire like that that I know of is boutique stuff like DHC offers. Not sure where to get it cheap like you can Canare/Mogami.


 
 Sigh. Its only getting harder cause I'm in the UK. Cant find any decent cable providers. 

 Anyone have links?


----------



## Toxic Cables

demonicangelz said:


> Sigh. Its only getting harder cause I'm in the UK. Cant find any decent cable providers.
> 
> Anyone have links?


 
 Shoot me a PM if you like with what you need, i have OCC stranded copper wire starting at £0.50 per feet, silver at £2.50.
  
 We are UK based.


----------



## musicinmymind

Completed my HD-650 custom wire, I was kind of annoyed with length of stock wire. So split them into two and did successfully attached the plugs to it. But not able efficiently apply Shrink Tubing for Strain Relief, like the one I see on below pic.
  
 do we really need, heat gun for efficient like below?


----------



## Kamakahah

musicinmymind said:


> Completed my HD-650 custom wire, I was kind of annoyed with length of stock wire. So split them into two and did successfully attached the plugs to it. But not able efficiently apply Shrink Tubing for Strain Relief, like the one I see on below pic.
> 
> do we really need, heat gun for efficient like below?




Nope. It's just faster and easier with one. You can use a lighter if you're careful or blow dryer if you're patient.


----------



## JacobLee89

kamakahah said:


> Nope. It's just faster and easier with one. You can use a lighter if you're careful or blow dryer if you're patient.


 
  
 With those connectors though, choose a lower heat setting else the plastic on the strain relievers will melt inside the shrink wrap. I've thought I'd be more experienced on the 4th time I did it (spoiler: the strain relievers warped again), but I'll go for the blow dryer path with those cardas connectors if I were to ever make another pair of Sennheiser cables.
  
 Then again... I was using a paint stripper as a heat gun...


----------



## ThurstonX

If you use a candle for heat shrinking, you can hold the cable with two hands.  Makes for easier distance and rotational control, at least as compared to using a lighter.


----------



## musicinmymind

thurstonx said:


> If you use a candle for heat shrinking, you can hold the cable with two hands.  Makes for easier distance and rotational control, at least as compared to using a lighter.


 
  
 Thanks for all suggestion, I will start with candle, let me check how much progress I make.


----------



## DJScope

Anyone has or can get the pin outs for the ZMF Blackwoods?


----------



## PETEREK

By looking at them, I'd guess they are epoxied in. That's quite a deep channel they're in. If they aren't epoxied, just try unscrewing them.


----------



## creatip

musicinmymind said:


> Does anyone know where can I get 2.5 mm 4 pole, which is easy for soldering. Check below 3.5 mm 4 pole backpart is easy for soldering (not sure what to call it)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 I think the main reason they use 1-shaft-multiple-poles design is because of space. The smaller the plug and the more polarities, the less space to implement the separate soldering points like in the first picture. Those 1 shaft design is also easier to work with cables with multiple polarities grouped/shielded together. It's kinda awkward to work with, but just need a little practice.
  
 PS: imagine what it's like soldering this kind of plug:
  

  


musicinmymind said:


> Completed my HD-650 custom wire, I was kind of annoyed with length of stock wire. So split them into two and did successfully attached the plugs to it. But not able efficiently apply Shrink Tubing for Strain Relief, like the one I see on below pic.
> 
> do we really need, heat gun for efficient like below?


 
  
 AFAIK, there are different kinds of heatshrink tubes, in context of its shrink ratio. Cheap-ass industrial shrink tubes are usually 2:1. There are better ones at 3:1. Basically it means, say the initial diameter is 6mm. 2:1 tubes can shrink to 3mm max, while 3:1 tubes can shrink to 2mm max. It's useful to use bigger ratio when implementing to something with one big end, and small other end, like the plug in the picture. 
  
 Oh, on another note, regarding to questions about how to know/test polarities of stereo plugs, will it be helpful if I take a few picture of using a DMM to test them?


----------



## BillsonChang007

creatip said:


> PS: imagine what it's like soldering this kind of plug:


 
 I got impatient waiting for my 3.5mm jack to arrive so I pulled a IEM that I don't use at all and take out its jack to put it on my custom cable. Its similar to the one in the picture except that it is 3 poles and damn! I will never go back to it. Luckily I found a unused cable so I pulled out its 3.5mm jack and put it on my custom cable.

 Special thanks to Shawn and ThurstonX for the advice! I have successfully completed my cable hehe


----------



## Worth

billsonchang007 said:


> I got impatient waiting for my 3.5mm jack to arrive so I pulled a IEM that I don't use at all and take out its jack to put it on my custom cable. Its similar to the one in the picture except that it is 3 poles and damn! I will never go back to it. Luckily I found a unused cable so I pulled out its 3.5mm jack and put it on my custom cable.
> 
> Special thanks to Shawn and ThurstonX for the advice! I have successfully completed my cable hehe


 
 Pic?


----------



## BillsonChang007

worth said:


> Pic?





worth said:


> Pic?




Its kind of ugly but will post it tomorrow!


----------



## Shawn71

billsonchang007 said:


> I got impatient waiting for my 3.5mm jack to arrive so I pulled a IEM that I don't use at all and take out its jack to put it on my custom cable. Its similar to the one in the picture except that it is 3 poles and damn! I will never go back to it. Luckily I found a unused cable so I pulled out its 3.5mm jack and put it on my custom cable.
> 
> 
> Special thanks to Shawn and ThurstonX
> for the advice! I have successfully completed my cable hehe




Thats it, boom......great job! URW


----------



## ThurstonX

billsonchang007 said:


> Special thanks to Shawn and ThurstonX for the advice! I have successfully completed my cable hehe


 





  


billsonchang007 said:


> Its kind of ugly but will post it tomorrow!


 
  




  
  
 and in case you didn't know, there's a Gallery thread here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery


----------



## Zigis

I want to build long 3.5 mm 4 pole connector cables. Cables go from PC, laptop, iphone to 10K input CMoy amp. Amp's input, output are 4 pole, for phone/mic headset, mic signal go direct from amps output to input, than through cable to device.
  
 Anyone done this before? What kind of cable to use for L, R and mic? 3x twisted pairs, 3x shilded? Any ideas where to find?


----------



## Wizzard

scizzro said:


> Most DMM's have a continuity mode. If you look on the dial selector there should be a symbol that looks like a little sound wave. Set the meter to that mode, then touch the leads together. The meter should make a noise letting you know that it has detected continuity.
> 
> Then, with your cable that has been cut, touch one lead to a spot on one of the connectors that goes into the IEM, and the other lead to one of the 8 cut cables. If it doesn't ring, switch the lead that's on the cut cables until you get a ring. Repeat this step 8 times until you identify each of the 8 cut cables. There should be 3 different "channels", a common ground that goes to both IEM's, a right channel that goes to the right IEM alone, and a left channel that goes to the left IEM alone. Once you identify what signal each wire is supposed to carry, you can terminate it to the 3.5mm jack accordingly. Because you have 8 wires, more than 1 wire will carry the same signal, so you can group them together.
> 
> ...


 
  
  
 Thank you very much.
 Attempted today and although I would've done a few things differently (individual heatshrink for each set of wires and so on), I succeeded and I now have a working cable once again. Again, thanks a bunch and Merry Christmas.


----------



## BillsonChang007

thurstonx said:


> and in case you didn't know, there's a Gallery thread here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery


 
 Thanks! Just posted it there
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14190#post_11162559


----------



## Saeglopur

scizzro said:


> Ok, so this guy did a 4-wire braid for each cable. That's more than necessary - for RCA cables, you only need 2 wires to each connector. So, he soldered 2 wires to each terminal.
> 
> Each wire has only 1 conductor in it, and is covered with clear insulation. So, he took 4 lengths of the copper cable, braided it, then terminated it. (To terminate means to put the connector onto the wire)
> 
> ...




Made my first cable tonight! Works great too I'm pumped.


----------



## Kamakahah

saeglopur said:


> Made my first cable tonight! Works great too I'm pumped.




Congratulations! It looks great. Always feels good to be happy with the finished product.


----------



## musicinmymind

> billsonchang007 said:
> 
> 
> > Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> ...


 
  
 Copied this from gallery thread.
  
 Question : what is the use of using more than one strands, what is the sonic advantage we get by doing that?


----------



## scizzro

musicinmymind said:


> Copied this from gallery thread.
> 
> Question : what is the use of using more than one strands, what is the sonic advantage we get by doing that?


 
 I think it's an aesthetic thing. The sonic advantages of any aftermarket cable at all varies between everyone. In other words, you really need to judge for yourself. Many stand behind the performance upgrades of cables, while others scoff at the idea.


----------



## Kamakahah

musicinmymind said:


> Copied this from gallery thread.
> 
> Question : what is the use of using more than one strands, what is the sonic advantage we get by doing that?





Edit: it says 14 strands. I didn't see that. It's a total of 6 wires. Each wire is built of 7 twisted strands which is the lowest count before solid core. I normally recommend never going below a 19 strand count because I find even that to be too stiff. 

No sonic advantage. It could actuality be detrimental due to increased capacitance. Lots of factors to consider. 
It's a style choice more than anything. It can also be a, "look what I can do" kinda thing as well. Nothing wrong with that I suppose.


----------



## BillsonChang007

musicinmymind said:


> Copied this from gallery thread.
> 
> Question : what is the use of using more than one strands, what is the sonic advantage we get by doing that?




Yeap, like all others have said. It is best to judge it yourself


----------



## musicinmymind

yes everyone is his own best judge, let me start with Silver vs  Copper wire for JVC 850's. I am kind of annoyed with rolled of highs, will interesting to check how it will sound with pure sliver cables.
  
 Thanks for all input.


----------



## creatip

musicinmymind said:


> Copied this from gallery thread.
> 
> Question : what is the use of using more than one strands, what is the sonic advantage we get by doing that?


 
  
 If the wires are very thin (I'm not really familiar with AWG sizing) main reason to use lots of strands (more than 4) is to make the final product thicker, hence doesn't break easily and less flimsy. 
  
 There's also a theory that very thin cables may not be enough to deliver the needed current. This is the theory in speakers cables, because speakers requires quite a lot of amount of current. Headphones should use small current to operate, though. Well, maybe inefficient headphones like older orthos need more current though.


----------



## Kamakahah

musicinmymind said:


> yes everyone is his own best judge, let me start with Silver vs  Copper wire for JVC 850's. I am kind of annoyed with rolled of highs, will interesting to check how it will sound with pure sliver cables.
> 
> Thanks for all input.




Save your money. It won't extend the frequency response. You'll need to play around with other dampening factors if you want more upper presence. 
I own the 850. Tried it with various cables of my own build and others. Front and rear dampening will do a lot more to the frequency response than a cable.


----------



## musicinmymind

kamakahah said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > yes everyone is his own best judge, let me start with Silver vs  Copper wire for JVC 850's. I am kind of annoyed with rolled of highs, will interesting to check how it will sound with pure sliver cables.
> ...


 
  
 Ahhh... good to know
  
 you refer to these mods, james444 posted on JVC 850 thread?
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/708427/the-new-jvc-fx850-woodie-perfection-a-review/2430#post_11162332


----------



## Kamakahah

musicinmymind said:


> Ahhh... good to know
> 
> you refer to these mods, james444 posted on JVC 850 thread?
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/708427/the-new-jvc-fx850-woodie-perfection-a-review/2430#post_11162332




Yes. Those mods will have a greater impact on frequency response than cable. The one exception would be a bad cable. 

I find that many people will mistakenly perceive benefits from silver based cables that can be attributed to the slight volume increase that comes with the slightly increase in conductance. 

I'll see people A/B without volume matching. 

Not saying there aren't differences, but I never suggest cables as a way to "fix" an undesirable FR.


----------



## musicinmymind

kamakahah said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > Ahhh... good to know
> ...


 
  
 I will try them, right now I have given rest to my ears for two days (one more day to go 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





), wanted to distance myself from IE800, before I try fx850.


----------



## Shawn71

musicinmymind said:


> Copied this from gallery thread.
> 
> Question : what is the use of using more than one strands, what is the sonic advantage we get by doing that?







creatip said:


> If the wires are very thin (I'm not really familiar with AWG sizing) main reason to use lots of strands (more than 4) is to make the final product thicker, hence doesn't break easily and less flimsy.
> 
> There's also a theory that very thin cables may not be enough to deliver the needed current. This is the theory in speakers cables, because speakers requires quite a lot of amount of current. Headphones should use small current to operate, though. Well, maybe inefficient headphones like older orthos need more current though.




And to add creatip reply, the stranded cable is better than single conductor one and cant be easily broken as multiple strands withstand more folds,kinks etc due to more flexibility nature.....


----------



## musicinmymind

shawn71 said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > Copied this from gallery thread.
> ...


 
  
 Got it....I am working on balanced cable from AK100 II into Krell KAV-400xi speaker amp. Wanted to check balanced AK100 II performs, when compared to PWD MK II.
  
 if not much difference SQ wise, I can sell PWD. hard ask for an DAP out perform high end Desktop DAC, either way it should be fun to compare.
  
 All the advice I am getting here, saves me lot of bucks. Thanks a lot


----------



## creatip

shawn71 said:


> And to add @creatip reply, the stranded cable is better than single conductor one and cant be easily broken as multiple strands withstand more folds,kinks etc due to more flexibility nature.....


 
  
 With 'strands' I was actually talking about individual cables, though. 1 cable = 1 strand, 4 cables braided = 4 strands braided.


----------



## Daedalus1116

What connector do you guys prefer for IEM? 2-pin or MMCX?


----------



## smaragd

if you have the choice go for MMCX, they turn 360 degrees making it easier to fit without causing tangling and un-twisting...


----------



## PETEREK

I've heard that many people dislike those though because they wear out over time. But I guess there is the possibility that you can break the pins of the 2 pin connectors off too.


----------



## Kamakahah

I prefer the MMCX. Less prone to accidently breaking from bends and pulls. Add mentioned above, it allows for rotation. Everything wears out eventually, that's one reason why we DIY. If that happens, you can fix it.


----------



## Toxic Cables

Coming soon for DIY'ers only, the first 4Pin audiophile Carbon Fibre XLR plugs, exclusive to Toxic Cables.
  
 Both male and female,


----------



## Shawn71

toxic cables said:


> Coming soon for DIY'ers only, the first 4Pin audiophile Carbon Fibre XLR plugs, exclusive to Toxic Cables.
> 
> Both male and female,
> 
> ...




Thats nice to hear! Is this very first in the Industry?......I wld assume it feels light using CF?.......


----------



## jodgey4

shawn71 said:


> Thats nice to hear! Is this very first in the Industry?......I wld assume it feels light using CF?.......


 
 DHC has had carbon fibre connectors for quite some time, it's just a band of it. Nothing to do with weight reduction. Unless this is that much different...


----------



## Honkytime

toxic cables said:


> Coming soon for DIY'ers only, the first 4Pin audiophile Carbon Fibre XLR plugs, exclusive to Toxic Cables.
> 
> Both male and female,


 
 Very Sexy!


----------



## Shawn71

jodgey4 said:


> DHC has had carbon fibre connectors for quite some time, it's just a band of it. Nothing to do with weight reduction. Unless this is that much different...



ok....so its just aesthetics and betterment of material.....


----------



## Toxic Cables

jodgey4 said:


> DHC has had carbon fibre connectors for quite some time, it's just a band of it. Nothing to do with weight reduction. Unless this is that much different...


 
 That's very different, using the body from Valab plugs and the internals from another, there are many doing this, i have tried it also. These 4Pin plugs have had internals made specifically for this shell, and both male and female available, as people could not find the internals from another female XLR to fit the Valab plugs, so only male being used now.


----------



## Toxic Cables

shawn71 said:


> Thats nice to hear! Is this very first in the Industry?......I wld assume it feels light using CF?.......


 
 The first custom made carbon 4Pin, Yes. No, that's just there for looks.


----------



## sling5s

Blue Jean says they use 2-channel coaxial cable with a 25AWG conductor size for each center conductor for the Audeze cable. What are your opinions?  
 Is this superior to the Audeze stock cable and comparable to the 4 X 24 or 26AWG cables?


----------



## DJScope

sling5s said:


> Blue Jean says they use 2-channel coaxial cable with a 25AWG conductor size for each center conductor for the Audeze cable. What are your opinions?
> Is this superior to the Audeze stock cable and comparable to the 4 X 24 or 26AWG cables?


 
  
 Thicker cables are better in performance so a 24AWG wire will out perform a 25AWG wire of the same material. 
  
 PS. 25AWG kind of an uncommon size.


----------



## Kamakahah

djscope said:


> Thicker cables are better in performance so a 24AWG wire will out perform a 25AWG wire of the same material.
> 
> PS. 25AWG kind of an uncommon size.




Umm... That statement might lead to some confusion. What do you mean specifically when you say," better in performance"? 

If you mean that it has the ability to carry a slightly larger load, then Okay. Other than that, I'd wager a whole bunch of cash any day of the week that that there is no audible difference.


----------



## DJScope

kamakahah said:


> Umm... That statement might lead to some confusion. What do you mean specifically when you say," better in performance"?
> 
> If you mean that it has the ability to carry a slightly larger load, then Okay. Other than that, I'd wager a whole bunch of cash any day of the week that that there is no audible difference.




I didn't say there will be an audible difference. Technically my statement was correct. As you said, it will carry more current, and will have less resistance over a longer span.


----------



## Kamakahah

djscope said:


> I didn't say there will be an audible difference. Technically my statement was correct. As you said, it will carry more current, and will have less resistance over a longer span.


 
  
 You did not. You're statement was confusing as an answer to the question to which you were responding. That's why I was simply asking for clarification to avoid confusion for the person asking:


sling5s said:


> Blue Jean says they use 2-channel coaxial cable with a 25AWG conductor size for each center conductor for the Audeze cable. What are your opinions?
> Is this superior to the Audeze stock cable and comparable to the 4 X 24 or 26AWG cables?


 
  
 In this particular example of using a cable with either 25awg conductors or 24 awg conductors there is be no practical difference to make one "perform better." 
  
 Anyway, the point was so that sling wouldn't confuse "performance" with anything audible which is what I think he was asking. 
 In short, the answer is no. The Audeze stock cable will not have an audible difference over the Blue Jean cable based on 1 awg difference in the conductors used.


----------



## DJScope

kamakahah said:


> You did not. You're statement was confusing as an answer to the question to which you were responding. That's why I was simply asking for clarification to avoid confusion for the person asking:
> 
> In this particular example of using a cable with either 25awg conductors or 24 awg conductors there is be no practical difference to make one "perform better."
> 
> ...




The question was if it is superior, not if it sounded better. A thicker cable is superior to the thinner one. Nuff said.


----------



## jodgey4

Not true, thicker can be less flexible, in which case the subjective desire for ergonomics could win over any tiny difference in resistance and capacitance. But then there's strand count...

So let's just wait and listen to someone who had tried both, or avoid commenting.


----------



## PETEREK

I use Mogami wire that is 26awg because it is very flexible, I think 24awg is the absolute thickest you should use for a headphone cable, but I never use it.


----------



## creatip

jodgey4 said:


> Not true, thicker can be less flexible, in which case the subjective desire for ergonomics could win over any tiny difference in resistance and capacitance. But then there's strand count...
> 
> So let's just wait and listen to someone who had tried both, or avoid commenting.


 
  
 My Hifiman HE400's original cable was a Canare coaxial (the type that got 3 polarities all encased in 1 jacket). My DIY cable is 1 polarity/cable, so I ended up with 4 cables, braided. I'm not familiar with AWG measurement, so I'll just show it in this picture:
  

  
  
 As far as audible differences, I can't hear any. It's heavier, that's the sure thing. Flexibility, I'd say more or less the same, as the original cable was quite stiff anyway. The main reason for using this cable is purely aesthetic, for me.


----------



## jodgey4

Ya, I saw that in the cable gallery thread iirc. Freakin' gorgeous.


----------



## DJScope

peterek said:


> I use Mogami wire that is 26awg because it is very flexible, I think 24awg is the absolute thickest you should use for a headphone cable, but I never use it.




I've got a 3m cable made from 3x 18AWG cores. It has lower resistance that my 26AWG SPC 1.5m cable.


----------



## musicinmymind

creatip said:


> jodgey4 said:
> 
> 
> > Not true, thicker can be less flexible, in which case the subjective desire for ergonomics could win over any tiny difference in resistance and capacitance. But then there's strand count...
> ...


 
  
 this cable looks awesome, please give the link where I can buy it


----------



## creatip

musicinmymind said:


> this cable looks awesome, please give the link where I can buy it


 
  
 Found it in a local audio store in my country, dunno where they got it from.
  
 This is something similar: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acoustic-Silver-Copper-Twisted-Solid-Ribbon-Speaker-Cable-Dont-Pay-40-00-m-/251771020182?pt=AU_Television_Accessories&hash=item3a9eb8e396
  
 And yes, they're both originally speaker cables, so you might want to think again to use it as a headphone cable, as it's heavy and bulky.


----------



## PETEREK

djscope said:


> I've got a 3m cable made from 3x 18AWG cores. It has lower resistance that my 26AWG SPC 1.5m cable.


 
 That has to be extremely stiff! Yikes.


----------



## DJScope

peterek said:


> That has to be extremely stiff! Yikes.




Not exactly. I salvaged the cores from a fire rated flexi cable. Its suprisingly light as well.


----------



## sfo1972

Ok folks - I think I am going to roll-up my sleeves and attempt a DIY cable replacement for my Audeze LCD3s. I have been toying with the idea for a few days when I looked at replacement cables to the stock one. I personally don't believe the insane prices being charged for replacement cables, and being a engineer and designer, I decided to build my own for a fraction of the price.
  
 Two questions for those that have attempted this, or have knowledge about it:
  
 1) Are the wiring diagrams for the LCD2s the same as the LCD3s?
  
 2) Any specific advice you can give for this project?
  
 Much appreciated.


----------



## creatip

sfo1972 said:


> Ok folks - I think I am going to roll-up my sleeves and attempt a DIY cable replacement for my Audeze LCD3s. I have been toying with the idea for a few days when I looked at replacement cables to the stock one. I personally don't believe the insane prices being charged for replacement cables, and being a engineer and designer, I decided to build my own for a fraction of the price.
> 
> Two questions for those that have attempted this, or have knowledge about it:
> 
> ...


 
  
 Should be the same. You can verify it yourself with a DMM though.


----------



## musicinmymind

I wanted to build and 8 strand per side Speaker AMP to HE-6, not sure what cable to use. I wanted to make sure, to there is no current loss between HE-6 and Speaker AMP.
  
 I feel the stock wire is carrying less current to HE-6 and limit its performance, I know with SMC connectors, there are limitations, but wanted to try before taking hard wire path.
  
Question : Which DIY is best suited to ensure there is no current loss. Please let me know, even if you think this is stupid question


----------



## creatip

musicinmymind said:


> I wanted to build and 8 strand per side Speaker AMP to HE-6, not sure what cable to use. I wanted to make sure, to there is no current loss between HE-6 and Speaker AMP.
> 
> I feel the stock wire is carrying less current to HE-6 and limit its performance, I know with SMC connectors, there are limitations, but wanted to try before taking hard wire path.
> 
> Question : Which DIY is best suited to ensure there is no current loss. Please let me know, even if you think this is stupid question


 
  
 If current is your main concern, maybe consider using speaker cables. Those are aimed to be used in high current flow applications. Bad thing is, it could be big, bulky, and unsightly.


----------



## musicinmymind

creatip said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > I wanted to build and 8 strand per side Speaker AMP to HE-6, not sure what cable to use. I wanted to make sure, to there is no current loss between HE-6 and Speaker AMP.
> ...


 
  
 you mean 12 Gauge wire like ones in below link?
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-feet-TRUE-12-Gauge-AWG-Speaker-Wire-Car-Home-Audio-Blue-and-Black-ft-GA-/291280210342?pt=US_Car_Audio_Power_Speaker_Wire&hash=item43d1a749a6


----------



## creatip

musicinmymind said:


> you mean 12 Gauge wire like ones in below link?
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-feet-TRUE-12-Gauge-AWG-Speaker-Wire-Car-Home-Audio-Blue-and-Black-ft-GA-/291280210342?pt=US_Car_Audio_Power_Speaker_Wire&hash=item43d1a749a6


 
  
 Something like that. It's a sure overkill for 90% of headphones in the market, but then again, the HE-6 is not an 'ordinary' headphone. 
  
 I also use a speaker wire myself, for my HE400. It's overkill in functionality, but I'm going for the aesthetic


----------



## musicinmymind

creatip said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > you mean 12 Gauge wire like ones in below link?
> ...


 
  
 I will go for it and will use Type 1 paracord. Nothing much to loose.


----------



## creatip

musicinmymind said:


> I will go for it and will use Type 1 paracord. Nothing much to loose.


 
  
 Biggest obstacle you'll encounter is how to fit those humongous cables to the microscopic SMC connectors.


----------



## PETEREK

creatip said:


> Biggest obstacle you'll encounter is how to fit those humongous cables to the microscopic SMC connectors.



Agreed, good luck with that.


----------



## musicinmymind

creatip said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > I will go for it and will use Type 1 paracord. Nothing much to loose.
> ...


 
  
 yes, will order 5 pair of SMC connectors, in case I fail first few attempts. This is my beta test, if any improvement found, will hard wire using better one's.


----------



## creatip

musicinmymind said:


> yes, will order 5 pair of SMC connectors, in case I fail first few attempts. This is my beta test, if any improvement found, will hard wire using better one's.


 
  
 The thing that makes it next to impossible is the size itself, and the fact that there's no insulation between the signal pole and the ground or (-) pole on the SMC connector. It's originally meant to be used with coaxial type of cables.
  
 You gotta make your own insulation, provided you can squeeze the conductor strands inside the tiny hole of the SMC.
  

  
  

  

  
 Oh and I think the cable you linked before is larger than the one I used in the picture.


----------



## sfo1972

I am sorry if this question has been answered already on this thread as I am working my way through the pages, but what is a good gauge for the headphone cable? I am building Audeze LCD-3 balanced cable?
  
 I saw numbers ranging from 18AWG all the way up to 24AWG? I assume smaller gauge will be easier to handle as long as it's big enough for the signal?


----------



## jodgey4

26 I see used for headphones, and 28 most common with IEM's it seems.


----------



## musicinmymind

creatip said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > yes, will order 5 pair of SMC connectors, in case I fail first few attempts. This is my beta test, if any improvement found, will hard wire using better one's.
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for pic's.....you are right size would be issue. If I am not able to squeeze the wires, then I will not use the bottom cap of SMC, after solder I will just use the head sink. As this would an temporary cable, it should not be an issue.


----------



## creatip

musicinmymind said:


> Thanks for pic's.....you are right size would be issue. If I am not able to squeeze the wires, then I will not use the bottom cap of SMC, after solder I will just use the head sink. As this would an temporary cable, it should not be an issue.


 
  
 I'm assuming your SMC connectors haven't arrived yet. The biggest challenge, aside from squeezing the wires, you must also make sure the signal wire touch the middle needle, without touching anywhere else. In the picture you can see a middle pin, that's the signal pole. Now that pole absolutely cannot touch anywhere else of the connector, especially the original cable hole, the place where you insert the signal wires. That's the real challenge.


----------



## Kamakahah

sfo1972 said:


> I am sorry if this question has been answered already on this thread as I am working my way through the pages, but what is a good gauge for the headphone cable? I am building Audeze LCD-3 balanced cable?
> 
> I saw numbers ranging from 18AWG all the way up to 24AWG? I assume smaller gauge will be easier to handle as long as it's big enough for the signal?




Anything 24-28awg is pretty standard and will work just fine. Be more concerned with its insulation and strand count. Those will affect your experience directly through weight, flexibility and durability. 

musicinmymind I'd recommend modding the connector. Think about cutting off the wire guide at the bottom to make room for your oversized cable. Honestly, I'd be most concerned with the stress that such a heavy, stiff cable is going to put on the jack in the headphone.
If you really want to go to a larger gauge, 18 would probably be the cutoff point I'd recommend. It will carry more than enough current to drive an HE6. It's not like you're making a 20+ foot cable.


----------



## sfo1972

kamakahah said:


> Anything 24-28awg is pretty standard and will work just fine. Be more concerned with its insulation and strand count. Those will affect your experience directly through weight, flexibility and durability.
> 
> @musicinmymind I'd recommend modding the connector. Think about cutting off the wire guide at the bottom to make room for your oversized cable. Honestly, I'd be most concerned with the stress that such a heavy, stiff cable is going to put on the jack in the headphone.
> If you really want to go to a larger gauge, 18 would probably be the cutoff point I'd recommend. It will carry more than enough current to drive an HE6. It's not like you're making a 20+ foot cable.


 

 Thanks - Any recommendations for insulation and strand count based on your experience? I am aiming for a 10' cable with balanced a balanced connector (XLR).


----------



## jodgey4

For that length I'd personally do an 8 strand for four pin, 6 for three. With headphone cables, you really only care about the resistance of the cable, which can be cut in half with double the strands.


----------



## sfo1972

jodgey4 said:


> For that length I'd personally do an 8 strand for four pin, 6 for three. With headphone cables, you really only care about the resistance of the cable, which can be cut in half with double the strands.


 

 Great - So for the Audeze LCD3s for the 4 pin mini-xlr I should use between 24 and 28AWG 8 strands copper (OCC). I know that the 4 pins need to be shorted on the headphone side, so I would need 2 cables from each mini-xlr going to the balanced connector on the AMP side. Does this sound right?
  
 Thanks for the help.


----------



## Kamakahah

sfo1972 said:


> Thanks - Any recommendations for insulation and strand count based on your experience? I am aiming for a 10' cable with balanced a balanced connector (XLR).




By strand count I'm referring to the individual strands of copper that make up a single wire. When people say 4-strand or 8-strand cable they are referring to the number of wires or conductors used to make the cable. It can be confusing. Context is key. 

For the strand count in the wire, I prefer a minimum of 19 strands. 40 or more is preferable but ultimately leads to more expensive wire. You'll find plenty of cheap "OCC 7N blah blah blah" wire out there. The reason it's cheaper than other wire with similar specifications is due to the low strand count, usually 7 strands or solid core. 
It's expensive to make wire with high strand count. You can Google why. Also, just know that it provides better flexibility and overall longevity to the cable. Those wires usually have harder insulation. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it means it loses some flexibility. 

If you want an 8-strand cable, (ie 8 wires), you'll need 2 wires for each terminal (R+, R-, L+, L-). At the Y-split they will separate into two, 4-strand braids. Each set of 4 wires going to either the right or left mini-xlr connector. Make sure to label your wires with numbered tape or something. 
From there, 2 wires will be used for each pin: 2 for R+, 2 for R-, 2 for L+ and 2 for L-.


----------



## sfo1972

kamakahah said:


> By strand count I'm referring to the individual strands of copper that make up a single wire. When people say 4-strand or 8-strand cable they are referring to the number of wires or conductors used to make the cable. It can be confusing. Context is key.
> 
> For the strand count in the wire, I prefer a minimum of 19 strands. 40 or more is preferable but ultimately leads to more expensive wire. You'll find plenty of cheap "OCC 7N blah blah blah" wire out there. The reason it's cheaper than other wire with similar specifications is due to the low strand count, usually 7 strands or solid core.
> It's expensive to make wire with high strand count. You can Google why. Also, just know that it provides better flexibility and overall longevity to the cable. Those wires usually have harder insulation. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it means it loses some flexibility.
> ...


 

 Great info. this makes a lot of sense; now I can start my cable hunt, which seems to be a job in of itself.
  
 In my case, I need 4 wires Y-Split into 2 x Wire braids. The Audezes, as far as my research showed, don't use all the 4 pins on the Mini-XLRs but rather only 2 of them.
  
 I was also thinking of using techflex and heat shrink sleeves for the first cable, then attempt the braiding on the second cable.
  
 Many thanks for this great info *Kamakahah. *


----------



## PETEREK

sfo1972 said:


> Great info. this makes a lot of sense; now I can start my cable hunt, which seems to be a job in of itself.
> 
> In my case, I need 4 wires Y-Split into 2 x Wire braids. The Audezes, as far as my research showed, don't use all the 4 pins on the Mini-XLRs but rather only 2 of them.
> 
> ...




Audeze does use all 4 pins. I'm not looking anywhere but I have made plenty of Audeze cables. 1+4 are the positive pins and 2+3 are negative pins. Audeze uses 2 pins per for signal and 2 for ground just in case one of the pins fails, there will still be a usable connection.


----------



## sfo1972

peterek said:


> Audeze does use all 4 pins. I'm not looking anywhere but I have made plenty of Audeze cables. 1+4 are the positive pins and 2+3 are negative pins. Audeze uses 2 pins per for signal and 2 for ground just in case one of the pins fails, there will still be a usable connection.


 

 Thanks cCasper. I stumbled across this link today:
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/453116/audeze-lcd-2-orthos/11085#post_7423371
  
 From reading that thread and looking at the wiring diagram, assuming the guys there are correct, it seems that Pins 1 & 4 are connected together internally so are 2 & 3. I assume that you are using all 4 wires on each mini-xlr as a measure of assurance/safety, is that correct?
  
 I also checked the stock cable that came with my LCDs and found only 2 wires going to each channel: 2 to the right and 2 to the left.
  
 Thanks for the help.


----------



## musicinmymind

kamakahah said:


> sfo1972 said:
> 
> 
> > I am sorry if this question has been answered already on this thread as I am working my way through the pages, but what is a good gauge for the headphone cable? I am building Audeze LCD-3 balanced cable?
> ...


 
  
  


creatip said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for pic's.....you are right size would be issue. If I am not able to squeeze the wires, then I will not use the bottom cap of SMC, after solder I will just use the head sink. As this would an temporary cable, it should not be an issue.
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for suggestions, I will get both 18 & 12 gauge and also cutting SMC to make room. Honestly I am not sure, if heavy gauge makes any SQ differences, just wanted to try because I have current hungry HP and powerfull amp, stock cables may not be doing justice to it. If I get more warm sound with out loosing dynamics then I will happy man.


----------



## sfo1972

kamakahah said:


> By strand count I'm referring to the individual strands of copper that make up a single wire. When people say 4-strand or 8-strand cable they are referring to the number of wires or conductors used to make the cable. It can be confusing. Context is key.
> 
> For the strand count in the wire, I prefer a minimum of 19 strands. 40 or more is preferable but ultimately leads to more expensive wire. You'll find plenty of cheap "OCC 7N blah blah blah" wire out there. The reason it's cheaper than other wire with similar specifications is due to the low strand count, usually 7 strands or solid core.
> It's expensive to make wire with high strand count. You can Google why. Also, just know that it provides better flexibility and overall longevity to the cable. Those wires usually have harder insulation. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it means it loses some flexibility.
> ...


 
  
  


jodgey4 said:


> For that length I'd personally do an 8 strand for four pin, 6 for three. With headphone cables, you really only care about the resistance of the cable, which can be cut in half with double the strands.


 

 OK folks - I placed an order for 20AWG OCC silver plated x 19 strands just now. The wire hunt is over, for now, and I can switch my focus to connectors and Y-Split, braiding until the cables arrive. I believe I have the needed wiring diagrams as well. The hunt for connectors starts: mini-xlrs 4 pins, 1/4" TRS, and 4-pin XLR.
  
 Many thanks for your help.


----------



## sfo1972

One more question guys, now that I am focusing on connectors I am getting a bit greedy 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Which vendors do you recommend for funky looking connectors and Y splitters? Cool stuff like the ones used on Silver Dragons, etc.
  
 Many thanks


----------



## BillsonChang007

Hey guys! Do you guys know where can I get affordable RCA jack? I widh to build a lineout. Preferably, Ebay and ships to Brunei. I tried searching but no luck :/

Found it. xD


----------



## ThurstonX

I'm thinking about making an extension cable (Female RCA to Male RCA) for my turntable.  It needs to be about eight feet long, which would make the total just under 12-feet.  I've got the wire, just need to find some female RCA plugs.
  
 The question is, is this a fool's errand?  Will that extension cause too much loss of signal by the time it hits the phono stage (Emotiva XPS-1)?  The cartridge is Moving Magnet, with the XPS-1 set accordingly.  I wonder if the extra gain for Moving Coil cartridges would make up for any signal loss, or if that's a bad idea.
  
 Sorry for being slightly off topic, but y'all are pretty smart, so I figured I'd ask here


----------



## Kamakahah

ThurstonX Sadly this is not in my repertoire of knowledge. 

I recommend asking MuppetFace. While I'm not sure how familiar she is with the workings of cables, she has some pretty intense knowledge of vinyl setups and might be able to answer your question.


----------



## ThurstonX

kamakahah said:


> @ThurstonX Sadly this is not in my repertoire of knowledge.
> 
> I recommend asking @MuppetFace. While I'm not sure how familiar she is with the workings of cables, she has some pretty intense knowledge of vinyl setups and might be able to answer your question.


 
  
 Thanks.
  
 If I have the couplers, I'm going to test the theory using that method with some cheap M-to-M RCAs.  If it passes that test, then I figure removing the coupler and going that much more direct will work.  I may shoot MuppetFace a PM re: the gain settings on the XPS-1.


----------



## ThurstonX

The coupled male RCA cable test was successful.  Now I've got a request re: constructing the Female-to-Male extension cable.  I've got some four-conductor Mogami (W2893, IIRC) that's still sheathed and shielded (left over from a Redco custom cable I've already started cannibalizing), and I've got plenty of fixed installation W2799 that would be easier to work with.  I'd like to use the bulkier, shielded cable, but I'm wondering about the best way to expose and solder the two pairs I need for the RCA connectors.
  
 Should I just strip away as much as I need, put some heat shrink around it (?), then solder?  It won't look pretty, but I'm sure I can make it functional.  Or should I use the W2799 and feed it through some paracord?  I guess the basic question is, what's the best way to make a two-channel cable that's one thick cable in the middle up until the split ends?
  
 If you've done it and have photos, that'd be great.

 TIA.


----------



## musicinmymind

sfo1972 said:


> OK folks - I placed an order for *20AWG OCC silver plated x 19 strands* just now. The wire hunt is over, for now, and I can switch my focus to connectors and Y-Split, braiding until the cables arrive. I believe I have the needed wiring diagrams as well. The hunt for connectors starts: mini-xlrs 4 pins, 1/4" TRS, and 4-pin XLR.
> 
> Many thanks for your help.


 
  
 can you pls give the link.


----------



## sfo1972

musicinmymind said:


> can you pls give the link.


 

 Sure:
http://r.ebay.com/qHaK2q
  
I chose the gauge 20 instead of 24 for 2 reasons: the 19 strands and Audeze stock cable uses gauge 20. It will likely be thicker to handle, but it made sense to me.
  
 I am trying to find cool connectors, if you can recommend vendors for mini-xlrs, TRS, and Y-Splits I would appreciate it. I am looking at DHC and a couple of the others, interestingly they don't sell all the connectors for DIY that they use on their cables. I guess its a way to market their product.
  
Let me know what you think of the cable and good luck.


----------



## Kamakahah

sfo1972 said:


> Sure:
> [COLOR=222222]http://r.ebay.com/qHaK2q[/COLOR]
> 
> [COLOR=222222]I chose the gauge 20 instead of 24 for 2 reasons: the 19 strands and Audeze stock cable uses gauge 20. It will likely be thicker to handle, but it made sense to me.[/COLOR]
> ...




Hopefully you realized that the wire is silver-plated BRASS and not copper. Why does that matter? Conductivity. http://www.tibtech.com/conductivity.php

Maybe they are banking on the electron flow on the surface which is silver. Unfortunately, that doesn't apply the same way in this circumstance. It should flow through the bulk cross section of the wire which means you'll be conducting with brass. It has significantly lower conductivity/increased resistance. 
That said, you might like it. It's the reason that wire is so cheap. 

There is actually a separate thread that is about where to buy Y-splits. It's pretty slim pickings. I'd recommend something custom made in acrylic or wood from someone like Clint at YewAudio. 

All mini xlr connectors are rip off of one another. They are all pretty much the same. Rean are slightly different. 
The one exception I know of are Furutech ones, (FT-610mF). Even it's not that different, but it's my favorite style wise. As all Furutech products, it's expensive. 

Good luck with the build.


----------



## sfo1972

kamakahah said:


> Hopefully you realized that the wire is silver-plated BRASS and not copper. Why does that matter? Conductivity. http://www.tibtech.com/conductivity.php
> 
> Maybe they are banking on the electron flow on the surface which is silver. Unfortunately, that doesn't apply the same way in this circumstance. It should flow through the bulk cross section of the wire which means you'll be conducting with brass. It has significantly lower conductivity/increased resistance.
> That said, you might like it. It's the reason that wire is so cheap.
> ...


 

 Actually that's a very good point! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Thanks for highlighting that prior to the start of the build.
  
 Is there a particular tried and tested cable you would recommend from eBay? Hunting through thousands of listings is pretty tiring. I don't necessarily believe the silver coating will add much to the conductivity, it makes the cable look pretty more than anything else, at least for the short run that I will be building.
  
 And many thanks on the recommendations for connectors. I have come to the same conclusion over the past couple of days, its slim pickings.


----------



## PETEREK

sfo1972 said:


> Actually that's a very good point!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Why only from eBay?
  
 Here's some 22awg (2 strands in one cable) Mogami. You would have to strip the wires out, but that isn't too hard.
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bulk-Mogami-w2549-Pro-Audio-Mic-Cable-Wire-microphone-cord-BY-THE-FOOT-2549-0001-/221292079311?pt=US_Cables_Snakes_Interconnects&hash=item33860928cf


----------



## sfo1972

peterek said:


> Why only from eBay?
> 
> Here's some 22awg (2 strands in one cable) Mogami. You would have to strip the wires out, but that isn't too hard.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bulk-Mogami-w2549-Pro-Audio-Mic-Cable-Wire-microphone-cord-BY-THE-FOOT-2549-0001-/221292079311?pt=US_Cables_Snakes_Interconnects&hash=item33860928cf


 

 eBay is not essential - but easily accessible.
  
 I wanted to build a cable with the clear cable and silvery look to it. The issue was me looking for 19 strands/wire cable, as a result of an earlier recommendation. I missed the brass part when I was hunting through the listings and chose that cable earlier. Here is a link for OCC Copper - Silver Plated, but is only 7 strands: http://r.ebay.com/kLmN0n
  
 Do you have a recommendation for a clear cable, similar to the ones listed, but 19 strands? Or is 19+ strands/wire not that important?


----------



## ThurstonX

Same Mogami W2549 at $0.80/ft
  
 http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2549.html


----------



## Kamakahah

sfo1972 said:


> eBay is not essential - but easily accessible.
> 
> I wanted to build a cable with the clear cable and silvery look to it. The issue was me looking for 19 strands/wire cable, as a result of an earlier recommendation. I missed the brass part when I was hunting through the listings and chose that cable earlier. Here is a link for OCC Copper - Silver Plated, but is only 7 strands: [COLOR=222222]http://r.ebay.com/kLmN0n[/COLOR]
> 
> Do you have a recommendation for a clear cable, similar to the ones listed, but 19 strands? Or is 19+ strands/wire not that important?




Lots of people end up ordering some 7 strand Acrolink at some point. It'll work just fine. 
My recommendations are simply my preferences based on my own experience with various wire. Since I'm often building cables for others, I prefer to choose materials that are less likely to have issues in the future. That doesn't mean they will have issues. 

You'll end up building other cables after this one. Your curiosity will eventually get the best of you. Give one of the more available 7 strand wires a try and save yourself the effort of finding the perfect wire.


----------



## implodingtreble

hello all,

 quick background, bare with me folks.
  
 I'm looking at stepping up in the audiophile game and would like to upgrade my Monoprice 8323s before I buy some mid-end cans and attempt some mods on them (was suggested to get a pair of  Beyer DT 770s) or even some amps, (DACs?). I really would like to practice soldering by doing some DIY cables. Right now I'd like to tackle a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. simple balanced 3 cable braided. I've been trying to comb through this thread and gather all the right information to do this project. which 208 pages is a bit daunting for a novice like me. As I described to my buddy "_DIY Cables are a whole different family in the order of Audiophiles with it's own Genus spanning multiple species._"

 If I'm correct I would need

 1. Soldering Iron (Duh, looking at the Hakko 936ESD)
 2. Helping Hands
 3. some Magami mic cord (would like a 24awg)
 4. Some 3.5mm jacks TRS (open to some suggestions)
 5. paracord if I decide to sleeve. (but if I'm braiding why sleeve, am I right fella's/gals?)

 oh and to follow this diagram. http://cdn.head-fi.org/3/32/326642cd_stereo.png


----------



## sfo1972

kamakahah said:


> Lots of people end up ordering some 7 strand Acrolink at some point. It'll work just fine.
> My recommendations are simply my preferences based on my own experience with various wire. Since I'm often building cables for others, I prefer to choose materials that are less likely to have issues in the future. That doesn't mean they will have issues.
> 
> You'll end up building other cables after this one. Your curiosity will eventually get the best of you. Give one of the more available 7 strand wires a try and save yourself the effort of finding the perfect wire.


 

 Thanks for the help. I ordered the OCC *Copper* Silver-plated 24AWG cable just now and will use the other one to practice cable building. Many thanks for all your help and I will update everyone with my trials and tribulations along the way. I will also post some pics in the gallery of the finished product.
  
 Cheers


----------



## Arty McGhee

love all this cable talk
 i started about a year ago building cables
 i've always been an avid diy'er (i prefer the current term maker)
 part of this is passing on the skill to others
 there seems to be a lot of beginners out there
 i learned by buying a lot of cheap parts and wire and practicing
 before long you will get what you like and what works best for you
 hard to beat the mogami for cable, cheap and good (this is what professionals use in sound reinforcement and studios)
 also seller "navships" on ebay sells some real high quality silver plated copper (mil surplus uncle sam buys the best)
 his stuff can be on the stiff side go for the smaller (larger #) awg
 just did my grado woodies in his 26 awg 19 stranded teflon sleeved in 95 paracord and braided almost flexible as mogami
 i use mostly rean and amphenol connectors but i just ordered a bunch of weird mini xlrs off ebay
 paracord planet has craptons of colors sizes etc. buy a whole mess and have at it
  
 mostly buy a mess of cheap stuff and go nuts
 pretty soon you'll have something that looks pretty good
 then buy the fancy stuff when you are ready
 but most of all have fun with it
 if you wanna make a pink cable make a pink cable
 then post pictures 'cause we all wanna see
  
 sorry for writing a book


----------



## implodingtreble

arty mcghee said:


> love all this cable talk
> i started about a year ago building cables
> i've always been an avid diy'er (i prefer the current term maker)
> part of this is passing on the skill to others
> ...


 

 No worries on the book, this helps out a lot. I take it the 95 paracord is the smaller paracord that will sleeve one cable? So for my simple balanced 3.5mm to 3.5mm, I would have 3 cords sleeved in paracord, on soldered to the tip, one to the ring and one to the sleeve? Or do I Solder 2 cables per? I got confused when I started to see discussions on 8 braided cables. 

 8 braided cable would be 3 on the T, 2 on R and 3 on the S? I hope this question makes sense, I'm a bit of a visual learner so reading an explanation takes me a minute. 

 Once again no worries on the book, the more you write, the better the explanation. Appreciate it.


----------



## BillsonChang007

sfo1972 said:


> eBay is not essential - but easily accessible.
> 
> I wanted to build a cable with the clear cable and silvery look to it. The issue was me looking for 19 strands/wire cable, as a result of an earlier recommendation. I missed the brass part when I was hunting through the listings and chose that cable earlier. Here is a link for OCC Copper - Silver Plated, but is only 7 strands: http://r.ebay.com/kLmN0n
> 
> Do you have a recommendation for a clear cable, similar to the ones listed, but 19 strands? Or is 19+ strands/wire not that important?


 
 Hey there! I purchased the same exact cable as the link you gave! Generally, more strands means more flexible [?] 
  
 I used the cable to build a cable for my AKG K702/65. While it is a little stiff, but I find it fine for desktop use but definitely not for portable


----------



## sfo1972

arty mcghee said:


> love all this cable talk
> i started about a year ago building cables
> i've always been an avid diy'er (i prefer the current term maker)
> part of this is passing on the skill to others
> ...


 

 On the contrary, thank you for sharing all this great knowledge. This is what I was looking for, experience.
  
 I have been designing and building systems and stuff for over 25 years; Never handled headphones until now. This is all new stuff to me. Handling the build of the headphone cable, soldering, sleeving, etc is a no brainer as I crank a lot of embedded systems projects out of my workshop. The challenge is getting the 'right' raw material and correct wiring diagrams.
  
 The suggestion from *Kamakahah *above regarding custom wooden Y-splitter got me thinking of building my own. I have all the tools in the workshop to mill stuff to whatever I need so this is turning into an integration project of multiple disciplines into custom headphones cable. Kinda of exciting actually to build something truly unique and individual. I am thinking about making a custom Y-Splt from one of the Apollo11 pins atop a custom built wooden enclosure. Let's see where this goes.
  
 Cheers


----------



## Arty McGhee

implodingtreble said:


> No worries on the book, this helps out a lot. I take it the 95 paracord is the smaller paracord that will sleeve one cable? So for my simple balanced 3.5mm to 3.5mm, I would have 3 cords sleeved in paracord, on soldered to the tip, one to the ring and one to the sleeve? Or do I Solder 2 cables per? I got confused when I started to see discussions on 8 braided cables.
> 
> 8 braided cable would be 3 on the T, 2 on R and 3 on the S? I hope this question makes sense, I'm a bit of a visual learner so reading an explanation takes me a minute.
> 
> Once again no worries on the book, the more you write, the better the explanation. Appreciate it.


 
 lotsa braiding going on
 yes the 95 sleeves over 28awg nicely (sometimes not so nicely)
 yes a basic 3.5 to 3.5 is 3 wires trs (tip ring sleeve color coded wire and or a mutimeter helps)
 the 4 braid i use is two to each speaker twisted and braids to 4 and doesn't require any shrink wrap and looks real nice at the plug i solder the 2 grounds together i also leaves the option to convert to a balanced setup in the future
 i had a hard time making my first one took me 2 days
 look at lotsa pictures (there's a real good picture thread here)
 and watch a lotta youtube videos on how to braid theres tons of 'em


----------



## sfo1972

billsonchang007 said:


> Hey there! I purchased the same exact cable as the link you gave! Generally, more strands means more flexible [?]
> 
> I used the cable to build a cable for my AKG K702/65. While it is a little stiff, but I find it fine for desktop use but definitely not for portable


 

 That's great news, thanks for letting me know. Did you find any issues with quality of sound, due to lower conductivity of brass than copper?
  
 Thanks for letting me know - I am happy that my I can use these as practice cables and can pass them on to my kids' iOS devices.
  
 Cheers


----------



## creatip

sfo1972 said:


> Thanks for the help. I ordered the OCC *Copper* Silver-plated 24AWG cable just now and will use the other one to practice cable building. Many thanks for all your help and I will update everyone with my trials and tribulations along the way. I will also post some pics in the gallery of the finished product.
> 
> Cheers


 
  
 That seller got the 19 strands version that you were looking for originally, right? http://www.ebay.com/itm/16ft-lot-1-0mm2-19strands-0-26mm-POCC-Copper-Silver-Plated-Teflon-Wire-Audio-DIY-/281442551247
  
 It's 1mm thick, shouldn't be too thick for a 3-4 braid.


----------



## sfo1972

creatip said:


> That seller got the 19 strands version that you were looking for originally, right? http://www.ebay.com/itm/16ft-lot-1-0mm2-19strands-0-26mm-POCC-Copper-Silver-Plated-Teflon-Wire-Audio-DIY-/281442551247
> 
> It's 1mm thick, shouldn't be too thick for a 3-4 braid.


 

 I ordered this one:
http://r.ebay.com/ING5Kl
  
 Its 24AWG, OCC Silver Plated, 7 Strands. I decided to just start building cable and listen to which sound the best. As insinuated earlier, it seems that I will be building a lot of cables in this hobby


----------



## E3E

Okay, so excuse my ignorance here, but I have some headphones that I wanted to use an MMCX connector on to create a detachable cable with, but I hear that those connectors are 50 ohms while my headphones' impedance is 70. Will there be any problems if I try this, or does this not matter? 

 Thanks!


----------



## BillsonChang007

sfo1972 said:


> That's great news, thanks for letting me know. Did you find any issues with quality of sound, due to lower conductivity of brass than copper?
> 
> Thanks for letting me know - I am happy that my I can use these as practice cables and can pass them on to my kids' iOS devices.
> 
> Cheers


 
 they sound much clearer with wider instrumental separation and warmer than the stock cable of my K702/65


----------



## mattmatt

Hi, just a quick question, with 6 core braided cables for IEMs, where do 2 wires on a single end go, ground or positive? I have seen a lot of people doing 6-8 cored cables for headphones and IEMs but I still don't get the reason of doing so. 
  
 cheers


----------



## Kamakahah

mattmatt said:


> Hi, just a quick question, with 6 core braided cables for IEMs, where do 2 wires on a single end go, ground or positive? I have seen a lot of people doing 6-8 cored cables for headphones and IEMs but I still don't get the reason of doing so.
> 
> cheers


 
  
 It's a style preference. That's all there really is to it. Pretty much zero practical benefit.
  
 You'll be adding additional weight and bulk. It looks cool though.
 It's best that you have the same number of conductors going each way in the loop. A six wire braid on a single-ended to single-ended connector is fine. I wouldn't recommend adding an uneven amount to one channel or the ground. You'll basically end up with varying resistances. Maybe you won't hear a difference at all, maybe you will.


----------



## Kamakahah

billsonchang007 said:


> they sound much clearer with wider instrumental separation and warmer than the stock cable of my K702/65


 
  
 He think you ordered the OCC *BRASS* cable. Is that the one you used? It is the one that he originally linked from his purchase, NOT the OCC SPC.


----------



## scizzro

sfo1972 said:


> I ordered this one:
> http://r.ebay.com/ING5Kl
> 
> Its 24AWG, OCC Silver Plated, 7 Strands. I decided to just start building cable and listen to which sound the best. As insinuated earlier, it seems that I will be building a lot of cables in this hobby


 
 I almost ordered that stuff when looking for wire, but I wasn't privvy to see it was coming from China. I had doubts about its quality.


----------



## BillsonChang007

kamakahah said:


> He think you ordered the OCC *BRASS* cable. Is that the one you used? It is the one that he originally linked from his purchase, NOT the OCC SPC.




Thanks for the clarification! But I meant this cable: http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/271650851723

This seller is very trust worthy and he kept in touch with me until my order arrived in perfect condition. I have no quality issue with it so far. In fact, I plan to use it to build a RCA cable


----------



## sfo1972

scizzro said:


> I almost ordered that stuff when looking for wire, but I wasn't privvy to see it was coming from China. I had doubts about its quality.


 

 Yeah I know. Let's find our how good it is once I receive it. I will post an update here - I ordered from Hong Kong in the past and was very happy with the quality of the product and promptness.  BTW-The seller shipped in 24 hours from order placement. Only issue is that it states 2-3 weeks for delivery.


----------



## BillsonChang007

sfo1972 said:


> Yeah I know. Let's find our how good it is once I receive it. I will post an update here - I ordered from Hong Kong in the past and was very happy with the quality of the product and promptness.  BTW-The seller shipped in 24 hours from order placement. Only issue is that it states 2-3 weeks for delivery.


 
 Mine arrive in 1.5 week to Brunei I was surprised since my local post was never on time


----------



## Edwii

There's a lot of info here to try and sort through. 
  
 I was wondering if someone could give me a simple parts list. 
 What cable to get for HD650's  approximately 20ft worth.   
 And which connections to get, nothing too expensive, just one that will get the job done well.


----------



## creatip

I'm trying to make an audio LOD 30-pin for idevices. Anybody got a link to an ebay seller for something like this: http://www.qables.com/shop/diy-parts-wire-connectors/dock-connectors/ipod-iphone-itouch-dock-connector-black-thin-glue-shielded ?
  
 I prefer sellers from China or around it, because I live in Asia, so China seller's shipping is actually faster than western seller's. I'm pretty sure there are China made version, just can't seem to get the right keyword for searching. 
  
 Tried searching for 'dock connector', 'LOD DIY', and various keywords on ebay. All I got were either ready made LODs, or the internal servicing parts. Tried disassembling ready made connectors, but just too much risks. They're already glued shut, and prone to snap when pried open.


----------



## sfo1972

billsonchang007 said:


> Mine arrive in 1.5 week to Brunei I was surprised since my local post was never on time




That's really great to hear. I ordered my connectors and supplies from Amazon yesterday and they should be getting here in a few days so that will align nicely.


----------



## Edwii

I need to make a 20 foot cord for my HD650 
   
 Can someone give me a link or model number to the cable I should use?   (shipping with in north america)
 I'm assuming a big thicker gauge due to the length.  
  
 Also, is there any one in north america that sells the sennheiser can plugs?
 Please advise so I can place an order before the weekend.


----------



## scizzro

edwii said:


> Also, is there any one in north america that sells the sennheiser can plugs?
> Please advise so I can place an order before the weekend.


 
 Soniccraft had the Cardas Sennheiser plugs for $12.80, best price I could find a few weeks ago. (Seems they are on sale right now for $10.24.) Ships from Texas. Redco also has them for $19.95 - they don't buy them direct, so they won't give any discount on that price. Ships from Connecticut.


----------



## ThurstonX

Finished my Female-to-Male RCA extension cable last night.  Photos are here:
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14250#post_11206593
  
  
 While it works fine in some scenarios (e.g., iPod --> 'Y' cable --> new extension cable --> A/V receiver; Schiit SYS --> new extension cable --> Lyr), unfortunately it is responsible for what sounds like a ground loop hum and some random static when used in its intended scenario: i.e., extended my turntable's fixed L/R output to the phono preamp.
  
 When I switch back to the cheap RCA couplers and a too-short RCA patch cable (standard type that comes with consumer electronics), everything is fine.
  
 The bulk of the cable is Mogami W2893 quad mic cable, but both ends have been stripped down to the individual wires, paired, then covered with some paracord and finally Techflex, but that's just for aesthetics.  Since the cable works fine with line level sources, all I can think is that the unshielded ends, *and the ungrounded turntable* are not playing well together.  FWIW, my turntable has no integrated ground wire, which in some versions has the ground wire protruding along with the L/R wires.  The AC plug does not have the wider left blade.  There is a screw just above the where the AC cord comes out, but I'm not sure that can be used for grounding.  And, as noted, the supposed ground loop hum does not happen with standard RCA cable + couplers.
  
 If anyone has any thoughts about this, and any ideas about how to make a cable that would work, I'm all ears.  The only thing I can think to try would be some Mogami W2799 quad mic cable for two individual cables.  That would leave more shielding in place.  I have enough to make two cables of 7-feet each, which is what I need.  In the meantime, I ordered a 12-foot cable from Amazon, even though it's longer than I'd like.  There are not many F-to-M RCA cables available.


----------



## musicinmymind

thurstonx said:


> Finished my Female-to-Male RCA extension cable last night.  Photos are here:
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14250#post_11206593
> 
> ...


 
  
 you cable looks awesome, blue Techflex looks great too. Do you think below wire is also using Techflex?


----------



## scizzro

musicinmymind said:


> you cable looks awesome, blue Techflex looks great too. Do you think below wire is also using Techflex?


 
 No, that is twisted Paracord


----------



## musicinmymind

scizzro said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > you cable looks awesome, blue Techflex looks great too. Do you think below wire is also using Techflex?
> ...


 
  
 it shines a bit, could be nylon ones. It is from Double Helix Cables, wonder how can twist so perfection. Do you think it was hand twisted?


----------



## scizzro

musicinmymind said:


> it shines a bit, could be nylon ones. It is from Double Helix Cables, wonder how can twist so perfection. Do you think it was hand twisted?


 
 Paracord can have a shimmery appearance
  
 http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Grey-Paracord-Midwest-Parachute/dp/B007ZSBR52
  
 It really is an amazing twist, I bet he glued it...


----------



## Armaegis

thurstonx said:


> Finished my Female-to-Male RCA extension cable last night.  Photos are here:
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14250#post_11206593
> 
> ...


 
  
 Just something random to try... is there hum when only one channel is connected? or try touching just the shells and not the pins and see if that's where it's coming from.


----------



## musicinmymind

scizzro said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > it shines a bit, could be nylon ones. It is from Double Helix Cables, wonder how can twist so perfection. Do you think it was hand twisted?
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for link


----------



## ThurstonX

musicinmymind said:


> you cable looks awesome, blue Techflex looks great too. Do you think below wire is also using Techflex?


 
  
 If I had to guess, I'd say paracord, and if not that, some multi-filament stuff, but I lean toward paracord.  I should specify that I used Techflex PET.  They make lots of different stuff.


----------



## ThurstonX

armaegis said:


> Just something random to try... is there hum when only one channel is connected? or try touching just the shells and not the pins and see if that's where it's coming from.


 
  
 Just tried the cable into the phono preamp, so, female ends "loose."  Definitely a wicked hum going on, which was accentuated by touching the barrels at either end.  For schiits and grins I plugged in the RCA ends of an Audioquest RCA-to-3.5mm TRS, and it was hummy as well.  The cheap stereo RCA cable had the least amount of hum, and that's the only one I can use with the turntable (until my 12-footer arrives, or I make a new pair of cables from W2799).
  
 What do you think this signifies, esp. given that the cable was silent when plugged into the Lyr from the SYS?
  
 I'm not sure I've got enough stereo receiver antenna wire to make a ground cable.  I need about 9 or 10 feet to stretch it across the room, and there's still the question of where to attach it to the turntable.  Time to start hunting around.


----------



## Edwii

scizzro said:


> Soniccraft had the Cardas Sennheiser plugs for $12.80, best price I could find a few weeks ago. (Seems they are on sale right now for $10.24.) Ships from Texas. Redco also has them for $19.95 - they don't buy them direct, so they won't give any discount on that price. Ships from Connecticut.


 

  
 Thanks for the help, very helpful. Everything else is across the pond and expensive. 
  
 Would you also be able to point me towards the best kind of cable options I should get?


----------



## Armaegis

thurstonx said:


> Just tried the cable into the phono preamp, so, female ends "loose."  Definitely a wicked hum going on, which was accentuated by touching the barrels at either end.  For schiits and grins I plugged in the RCA ends of an Audioquest RCA-to-3.5mm TRS, and it was hummy as well.  The cheap stereo RCA cable had the least amount of hum, and that's the only one I can use with the turntable (until my 12-footer arrives, or I make a new pair of cables from W2799).
> 
> What do you think this signifies, esp. given that the cable was silent when plugged into the Lyr from the SYS?
> 
> I'm not sure I've got enough stereo receiver antenna wire to make a ground cable.  I need about 9 or 10 feet to stretch it across the room, and there's still the question of where to attach it to the turntable.  Time to start hunting around.


 
  
 So with just the cable dangling free off the phono, the hum gets worse? That's... like your cable is acting as an antenna or something weird. What if you short the barrels/grounds together at the phono preamp? Just trying to eliminate as much as possible.


----------



## creatip

edwii said:


> Thanks for the help, very helpful. Everything else is across the pond and expensive.
> 
> Would you also be able to point me towards the best kind of cable options I should get?


 
  
 Any kind of cables will work, even those cheap electrical/light bulb cables will work. Just browse around and get the cable that appeals to you most. While there are neverending debates on different cables yields different sound quality, personally I haven't experienced any solid facts about it. Just take a few things in consideration:
  
 - how thick is the cable you want. Thicker will be better in durability, but more bulky, stiff, and heavy
 - what kind of cable do you want, the sandwiched type (all polarities encased in 1 jacket), or the single polarity type (1 polarity in each cables)
 - aesthetic, which cable is the most easy on your eyes. You can also use paracord sleeving to remedy ugly looking cables
 - your budget. Audio cables can go from $1/m to over $100/m


----------



## Edwii

creatip said:


> Any kind of cables will work, even those cheap electrical/light bulb cables will work. Just browse around and get the cable that appeals to you most. While there are neverending debates on different cables yields different sound quality, personally I haven't experienced any solid facts about it. Just take a few things in consideration:
> 
> - how thick is the cable you want. Thicker will be better in durability, but more bulky, stiff, and heavy
> - what kind of cable do you want, the sandwiched type (all polarities encased in 1 jacket), or the single polarity type (1 polarity in each cables)
> ...


 
 That's what I mean, I want something above average. Shielded and will work well even at 20feet. but i dont know what to pick? I'd spend between
 $0.80 - $2 per foot, give or take.


----------



## creatip

edwii said:


> That's what I mean, I want something above average. Shielded and will work well even at 20feet. but i dont know what to pick? I'd spend between
> $0.80 - $2 per foot, give or take.


 
  
 Then you'd want sandwiched cables. Single polarity cables usually don't have any shielding (at least not that I'm familiar with), assuming you meant those aluminium foil type of shielding. 
  
 Mogami seems to be quite popular. Canare is also frequently used.


----------



## brdlnde

Dear all DIY friends,
  
 Can someone please explain to a novice beginner the differences or reasons to choose one over the other;
  
 Shielded interconnect cable, f.ex. VIABLUE EPC-4 *VS* creating your own braided cable from single copper wires? My thought is that shielding is really important with all cables, and making one just by braiding I can't understand how this can be good?
  
 I made my own Q701 cable out of this cable above, which is of course not as flexible as the stock cable.
  
 My intension if I'm making my own cable is to make "the best possible cable". 
  
 Thanks for any tips and replies.


----------



## scizzro

Finally gathered all of the parts I need to make my HD600 cable w/ 1/4 to 1/8 adapter. I'm busy on a different soldering project atm so it will be a few days before I take a crack at this one. I'm scared to mess it up 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Also thinking about changing out the navy Paracord for some white, the combo IRL doesn't look the same as I had imagined. I was trying to match the HD600 headband


----------



## Arty McGhee

edwii said:


> That's what I mean, I want something above average. Shielded and will work well even at 20feet. but i dont know what to pick? I'd spend between
> $0.80 - $2 per foot, give or take.


 
  


brdlnde said:


> Dear all DIY friends,
> 
> Can someone please explain to a novice beginner the differences or reasons to choose one over the other;
> 
> ...


 
 there's a lot of info about this to me there is no easy answer, you have to do the research and decide what is best for you, there is a reason most of us use unshielded cable, paracord and braiding look nice is pretty durable, there is no best wire, its a preference, its no surprise many of us use mogami because its inexpensive and works great, there is no best cable imho (any cable will work and you probably won't be able to hear a difference and if you can good on ya)  hope this helps


----------



## Armaegis

brdlnde said:


> Dear all DIY friends,
> 
> Can someone please explain to a novice beginner the differences or reasons to choose one over the other;
> 
> ...


 
  
 A lot of it is aesthetics and durability. A manually braided cable will never have the consistency of a manufactured one, and most DIY don't have shields over the braids because that will cover the aesthetic of the braid. Whether that shielding makes a difference... *shrug* take that debate over to sound science.
  
 On the matter of braiding itself, most DIY braids aren't even the most optimal from a EMI rejection standpoint. Litz braiding? That's a misused and misunderstood term that doesn't apply to DIY and can only be accomplished at the manufacturing end.
  
 TL;DR... and I didn't answer your question anyways


----------



## ThurstonX

armaegis said:


> So with just the cable dangling free off the phono, the hum gets worse? That's... like your cable is acting as an antenna or something weird. What if you short the barrels/grounds together at the phono preamp? Just trying to eliminate as much as possible.


 
  
 Not sure the hum got worse, but it was there, both with my DIY cable and the Audioquest.  Only the cheap stereo RCA cable eliminates the hum.  Waiting on a longer version from C2G.  If it, too, has the hum, at least I can return it to Amazon.  Who knows, in the end I may just get another cheap cable and use the couplers.
  
 I tried a ground wire, but again, the problem is where to attach it to the turntable.  The only obvious connection made little difference, so I bagged that idea, esp. as the lack of never mattered in the past.  I have to believe it's a lack of proper shielding at the ends of the DIY cable.  As to the Audioquest cable... whatever.
  
 Thanks for the replies.


----------



## Edwii

arty mcghee said:


> there's a lot of info about this to me there is no easy answer, you have to do the research and decide what is best for you, there is a reason most of us use unshielded cable, paracord and braiding look nice is pretty durable, there is no best wire, its a preference, its no surprise many of us use mogami because its inexpensive and works great, there is no best cable imho (any cable will work and you probably won't be able to hear a difference and if you can good on ya)  hope this helps


 
  
 I understand.
 If I might ask a question or two more? 
 Is there an advantage to running 4 conductor with separate negatives but still joining to the TRS?  Or Is 3 fine?
 Following that question; What models of mogami wire would you suggest for ether option 20 gauge or higher?
 What do people use for a Y spliter when the cord splits to individual cups?


----------



## Armaegis

edwii said:


> I understand.
> If I might ask a question or two more?
> Is there an advantage to running 4 conductor with separate negatives but still joining to the TRS?  Or Is 3 fine?
> Following that question; What models of mogami wire would you suggest for ether option 20 gauge or higher?
> What do people use for a Y spliter when the cord splits to individual cups?


 
  
 4 will give you better braiding options, let's you split naturally to a dual entry, and has minutely better crosstalk performance. You can also wire up for an XLR4 with a TRS adapter if you wish.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Something like this?


----------



## Arty McGhee

nice cable 


i luvmusic 2 said:


> Something like this?


 
 nice work
 i think that demonstrates the reason for the 4 way braid
 it gives you a neat y split, no need for shrink or a bead or bauble
 it gives the option for an xlr termination
 and it looks great


----------



## i luvmusic 2

THANKS!


----------



## ThurstonX

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Something like this?
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


 
  
*VERY* nice work 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Love that XLR.  Is that for a balanced rig?


----------



## reddog

A very nice cable, love the braid.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

thurstonx said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > Something like this?
> ...


 
 Yes and Thanks!


----------



## i luvmusic 2

reddog said:


> A very nice cable, love the braid.


 
 Thanks!


----------



## sfo1972

edwii said:


> I understand.
> If I might ask a question or two more?
> Is there an advantage to running 4 conductor with separate negatives but still joining to the TRS?  Or Is 3 fine?
> Following that question; What models of mogami wire would you suggest for ether option 20 gauge or higher?
> What do people use for a Y spliter when the cord splits to individual cups?


 

 I wrestled with similar questions for a couple of weeks; I feel your frustration 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 I haven't built my cable yet but my supplies are on their way from all over the world...lol.
  
 Here are the answers to your questions:
  
 1) Given that you are terminating to a TRS connection then 3, or even 2 in my case for LCDs, is fine. But as pointed out by @Armaegis braiding 4 would be easier. In my situation I am only going with two cables from each XLR into the Y split joining into 4 cables going to my XLR for a balanced connection.
  
 2) From scouring this and other threads it seems that 24-28 gauge cables are preferred by experts over thicker cables - 20 would be the thickest that you should go with but will not be flexible. I haven't used Mogami so I will yield to others' opinions.
  
 3) Y-Splitter options are limited; If you are doing a 4 wire braid, the Y will split neatly and you will not need anything special. The other options are Viablue Y-Split, DHC (Double Helix Connectors), and others. Check the Y-Split thread where they discuss this in more detail. For me, after frustration in finding a decent Y-splitter at a good price, I decided to build my own in my workshop out of Zerbra Wood blanks and customize it with Lapel Pin from one my favorite events in Nasa history.
  
 Hope this helps.


----------



## Edwii

sfo1972 said:


> I wrestled with similar questions for a couple of weeks; I feel your frustration
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Not sure if you can answer this. 
 What I want to do is make an "right handed" cord for my hd650's, in other words, the cord would only hang off the right side cup and no longer meet in the middle. Instead the left cup wires would be looped along the headband. I have some Ideas on how to make this practical, however what I am unsure of is if having the left side wires longer than the right side, if that would effect the quality? My gut says no, but headphone rules and speaker rules are not always the same.


----------



## Armaegis

edwii said:


> Not sure if you can answer this.
> What I want to do is make an "right handed" cord for my hd650's, in other words, the cord would only hang off the right side cup and no longer meet in the middle. Instead the left cup wires would be looped along the headband. I have some Ideas on how to make this practical, however what I am unsure of is if having the left side wires longer than the right side, if that would effect the quality? My gut says no, but headphone rules and speaker rules are not always the same.


 
  
 For just a few inches length, there shouldn't be any noticeable difference.
  
  
  
 (that's what she said?)


----------



## Kamakahah

armaegis said:


> For just a few inches length, there shouldn't be any noticeable difference.
> 
> 
> 
> (that's what she said?)




I got as far as, "for just a few inches", before my might thought "that's what she did). Oh man.


----------



## sfo1972

edwii said:


> Not sure if you can answer this.
> What I want to do is make an "right handed" cord for my hd650's, in other words, the cord would only hang off the right side cup and no longer meet in the middle. Instead the left cup wires would be looped along the headband. I have some Ideas on how to make this practical, however what I am unsure of is if having the left side wires longer than the right side, if that would effect the quality? My gut says no, but headphone rules and speaker rules are not always the same.


 

 I don't have direct experience with anything like that. Common sense would say that it should not be an issue for the lengths we are worried about, only a few feet, not long cable runs to worry about latency and delays.  But I will defer to the experts on the forum for a definitive answer.


----------



## BillsonChang007

scizzro said:


> Finally gathered all of the parts I need to make my HD600 cable w/ 1/4 to 1/8 adapter. I'm busy on a different soldering project atm so it will be a few days before I take a crack at this one. I'm scared to mess it up
> 
> Also thinking about changing out the navy Paracord for some white, the combo IRL doesn't look the same as I had imagined. I was trying to match the HD600 headband




Where did you get the sleeve from ? Link pref if its online


----------



## PETEREK

Just bought one of these Sparkfun Third Hands. I'm pretty excited about the upgrade, it's long overdue.
  
  
 Anyone else using one of these? How do you like it?


----------



## jodgey4

I NEED THAT.
  
 I'm about to start a 5-6' aux cable from Mogami and DHC parts, in black reflective paracord. 4 strand, round braid is the plan. A third hand setup would be great for when I attempt an 8 strand again!


----------



## PETEREK

The one I was using is 100 times better than not having one at all, but it is worn out and the clamps keep trying to fall off the metal Roda they connect to. So annoying. I will be happy to dump it the old one in the trash.


----------



## ThurstonX

peterek said:


> Just bought one of these Sparkfun Third Hands. I'm pretty excited about the upgrade, it's long overdue.
> 
> 
> Anyone else using one of these? How do you like it?


 
 Damn, that's tempting.  I've only dealt with SparkFun once, but I already love 'em.  Thanks for posting, and hope it works out


----------



## 020Assassin

peterek said:


> Just bought one of these Sparkfun Third Hands. I'm pretty excited about the upgrade, it's long overdue.
> 
> 
> Anyone else using one of these? How do you like it?




Nice!

As you know I used a very old soldering iron to make my ZennJazzGrado, but I talked to my wife about uprgrading the soldering iron to a soldering station. And get myself some third hands. Since i'm not (semi)professional, I bought a 48W soldering station and third hand with a magnifier. This would not be for making cables, but to solder cables to drivers or repair electrics.


----------



## PETEREK

My soldering iron is nothing fancy at all, I think I paid like $40 for it? It works great though, so no reason to upgrade it right now.


----------



## 020Assassin

peterek said:


> My soldering iron is nothing fancy at all, I think I paid like $40 for it? It works great though, so no reason to upgrade it right now.




Mine is a discarded iron from my younger brother (who is the technical wizard in our house), when he upgraded to something you seem to have. The soldering station I bought is a 48W adjustable with tempartures of 150-450 Celsius. And the third hands are the usual version. I checked out the Sparkfun website. Very nice. So you buy a baseplate with two arms and you can buy extra amrs and a fan and a maginfier, et cetera, separately? Good concept. A bit expensive for my modest soldering (I don't think I will solder more than once a month or so), but for you I can see that it's pretty much mandatory.


----------



## PETEREK

020assassin said:


> Mine is a discarded iron from my younger brother (who is the technical wizard in our house), when he upgraded to something you seem to have. The soldering station I bought is a 48W adjustable with tempartures of 150-450 Celsius. And the third hands are the usual version. I checked out the Sparkfun website. Very nice. So you buy a baseplate with two arms and you can buy extra amrs and a fan and a maginfier, et cetera, separately? Good concept. A bit expensive for my modest soldering (I don't think I will solder more than once a month or so), but for you I can see that it's pretty much mandatory.


 
 I have 4 arms coming with mine, I don't need a magnifying glass. 2 big clamps and 2 small clamps. I solder a couple days a week


----------



## 020Assassin

peterek said:


> I have 4 arms coming with mine, I don't need a magnifying glass. 2 big clamps and 2 small clamps. I solder a couple days a week




Indeed, so for you the investment (40-50$?) makes sense. For me, not so much. Maybe, if the modding/cabling bug catches me too, I might upgrade, but (like you) I think I would uprgrade my third hands before I would upgrade the soldering iron.

It's like with all tools. For working on my motorcycle. My tools are pretty good for an amateur, but not as good as the Snap-On my mechanic uses. He uses them every day, though, and I use my tools maybe once every two months. For that, they are more than sufficient.


----------



## PETEREK

I totally understand that. It doesn't make sense to upgrade something that works just fine when you use them occasionally. Obviously if you use an OK tool everyday it would make sense to upgrade and save yourself some hassle.


----------



## 020Assassin

Indeed, I can imagine you will enjoy your work even more with that Sparkfun.


----------



## Armaegis

For those who can't justify buying a good helping hands (skip the cheap ones; not worth it), a small drill press vice is a decent alternative. It's heavy and clamps hard enough for anything you'd need to do (put a layer of hot glue on the edges if you don't want to scratch your projects), and if you stick a couple bricks or books underneath then you can even run lengths of wire up from the bottom for better placement and access.


----------



## sfo1972

armaegis said:


> For those who can't justify buying a good helping hands (skip the cheap ones; not worth it), a small drill press vice is a decent alternative. It's heavy and clamps hard enough for anything you'd need to do (put a layer of hot glue on the edges if you don't want to scratch your projects), and if you stick a couple bricks or books underneath then you can even run lengths of wire up from the bottom for better placement and access.




Do you have a link for the vice you are recommending?

I have this mounted at the short end of my workbench, mind you its for woodworking projects:
http://www.rockler.com/9-quick-release-workbench-vise


----------



## 020Assassin

armaegis said:


> For those who can't justify buying a good helping hands (skip the cheap ones; not worth it), a small drill press vice is a decent alternative. It's heavy and clamps hard enough for anything you'd need to do (put a layer of hot glue on the edges if you don't want to scratch your projects), and if you stick a couple bricks or books underneath then you can even run lengths of wire up from the bottom for better placement and access.


 

 Or you could go to the Sparkfun website, buy 'extra arms', take a piece of wood, drill some holes, stick the arms in...


----------



## Armaegis

sfo1972 said:


> Do you have a link for the vice you are recommending?
> 
> I have this mounted at the short end of my workbench, mind you its for woodworking projects:
> http://www.rockler.com/9-quick-release-workbench-vise


 
  
 Something much much smaller, like this:
 http://www.homedepot.com/p/BESSEY-4-in-Drill-Press-Vise-BV-DP40/205023096
 http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-jaw-capacity-drill-press-vise-30999.html
  
 You can usually find them on sale for <$10.


----------



## sfo1972

armaegis said:


> Something much much smaller, like this:
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/BESSEY-4-in-Drill-Press-Vise-BV-DP40/205023096
> http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-jaw-capacity-drill-press-vise-30999.html
> 
> You can usually find them on sale for <$10.




I love harborfreight tools 
I get lost in there for hours...lol

Thanks for the link.


----------



## Honkytime

peterek said:


> Just bought one of these Sparkfun Third Hands. I'm pretty excited about the upgrade, it's long overdue.
> 
> 
> Anyone else using one of these? How do you like it?


 
 that thing is the schiit i can see me having one in the near future


----------



## Edwii

Can someone reccomend a US or Canada West coast supplier of Canare or Mogami?  All I can find is east coast sellers, which means a good chunk of shipping costs.   
  
 I'm specifcly looking for " Canare L-4E6S  " but the Mogami equivelnt might be fine if cost effective.


----------



## PETEREK

Redco sells Canare and Mogami pretty cheaply, they ship from CT I think which is the East coast, but their prices on the actual product make up for the shipping costs you'll have to pay if you buy enough.


----------



## theodoro

Hello. I want to make a custom cable for my HD600 and i will use the quad mogami cable (can't remember number)
 Questions:
 1) I should "destroy" the cable just to get the 4 main cables, right?
 2) Will the 3/16" sleeving be ok for all (4) cables? Is it going to be tight/loose? Should i use paracord instead?


----------



## Groundzero

Hi everyone,
 I'm looking to make some RCA ICs to replace the store bought ones I have now. I picked out cable, but can't decide on the connectors. I looked at Viablue and Furutech, but their lowest price copper connectors are still $60 for 2 pair. Since I'll be making 3 sets of ICs, the cost adds up quickly. Can anyone suggest some less expensive connectors without going to brass cores? Thank you.


----------



## scizzro

groundzero said:


> Hi everyone,
> I'm looking to make some RCA ICs to replace the store bought ones I have now. I picked out cable, but can't decide on the connectors. I looked at Viablue and Furutech, but their lowest price copper connectors are still $60 for 2 pair. Since I'll be making 3 sets of ICs, the cost adds up quickly. Can anyone suggest some less expensive connectors without going to brass cores? Thank you.


 
 Soniccraft has the Furutech OCC Gold plated RCA's at $21.50 a pair.. Slightly better than the price you quoted, if you want to stick with the Furutech. 
  
 http://www.soniccraft.com/product_info.php/furutech-fp-126-rca-p-1771


----------



## 020Assassin

020assassin said:


> Mine is a discarded iron from my younger brother (who is the technical wizard in our house), when he upgraded to something you seem to have. The soldering station I bought is a 48W adjustable with tempartures of 150-450 Celsius. And the third hands are the usual version. I checked out the Sparkfun website. Very nice. So you buy a baseplate with two arms and you can buy extra amrs and a fan and a maginfier, et cetera, separately? Good concept. A bit expensive for my modest soldering (I don't think I will solder more than once a month or so), but for you I can see that it's pretty much mandatory.


 
  
 Pictures:


----------



## sfo1972

I got the hang of the 4 wire braid, not a big deal. But I think that I am tying it too tight, can I get some thoughts on how loose the braid should be? See picture below.
  
 Thanks


----------



## creatip

sfo1972 said:


> I got the hang of the 4 wire braid, not a big deal. But I think that I am tying it too tight, can I get some thoughts on how loose the braid should be? See picture below.
> 
> Thanks


 
  
 I think you didn't pull it hard enough, that's why it's not uniform, skewing left and right. For small strands, don't worry about pulling it too tight. They're small, so they're flexible anyway. 
  
 For big strands, it's actually easier to tune how tight the knots are, even after they have been soldered.
  

  
  
 This is how I imagine it should look like, with similar cable as yours, the silvery white one:


----------



## i luvmusic 2

sfo1972 said:


> I got the hang of the 4 wire braid, not a big deal. But I think that I am tying it too tight, can I get some thoughts on how loose the braid should be? See picture below.
> 
> Thanks


 
 I'am glad to see someone is using a real VISE............
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




 Mine is this...


----------



## SonicScientist

Hopefully this is a better place to ask a question. Copy paste from my failure of a thread:

I hope this is the right place to ask, this forum isn't exactly fluid on a tablet. Anyway, I recabled Grado sr80 a while back with Canare star quad and a straight 3.5mm Amphenol plug. I'll fetch the model numbers later if they're of importance, but they're the usual stuff recommended even here. The problem is that if I wiggle the plug or the cable near it the sound either disappears from one channel or it loses both ends and becomes distant. But this only happens with my pc. I have an extension cord of the same cable terminated with Neutrik plugs and a short one from Jays headphones and they have the same problem, but only from the pc.

The sound is fine from my Nexus 7 tablet with and without the ext. cables. For some reason the jack won't fit my Nexus 4 phone. 2 other headphones with stock cables work well with all the configurations. Grados too worked well with stock cable, but I've changed sound cards since then. The current one is Xonar DG by the way.

I don't know too much of this, but it feels like some kind of weird grounding problem. Anyone got any idea? I should probably solder in a new jack, but at the moment I don't have means to close the housings if I opened them for figuring out the channels.


----------



## sfo1972

i luvmusic 2 said:


> I'am glad to see someone is using a real VISE............
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Lol. Nice to see your workshop, that looks like a good setup.  My other vise, which is way too big for this is a rocker woodworking vise. I had posted a link to it earlier, that vise is used for woodworking projects.
  

  
 This has some serious clamping power


----------



## sfo1972

creatip said:


> I think you didn't pull it hard enough, that's why it's not uniform, skewing left and right. For small strands, don't worry about pulling it too tight. They're small, so they're flexible anyway.
> 
> For big strands, it's actually easier to tune how tight the knots are, even after they have been soldered.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for the tips - I will try re-braid today with a looser approach and pull the braid straight to avoid the weaving right and left. I am using AWG20 though, which is a bit thicker than normal.


----------



## Armaegis

sonicscientist said:


> Hopefully this is a better place to ask a question. Copy paste from my failure of a thread:
> 
> I hope this is the right place to ask, this forum isn't exactly fluid on a tablet. Anyway, I recabled Grado sr80 a while back with Canare star quad and a straight 3.5mm Amphenol plug. I'll fetch the model numbers later if they're of importance, but they're the usual stuff recommended even here. The problem is that if I wiggle the plug or the cable near it the sound either disappears from one channel or it loses both ends and becomes distant. But this only happens with my pc. I have an extension cord of the same cable terminated with Neutrik plugs and a short one from Jays headphones and they have the same problem, but only from the pc.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Sound disappearing and becoming distant (like you're listening to an echo) is very likely a lost ground connection. It's possible the jack in your PC has a loose sleeve terminal that isn't contacting the barrel.


----------



## creatip

sfo1972 said:


> Thanks for the tips - I will try re-braid today with a looser approach and pull the braid straight to avoid the weaving right and left. I am using AWG20 though, which is a bit thicker than normal.


 
  
 The way I do it, it's braid (twist) - pull to the side - braid - pull.
  
 Also, I solder them to the 3.5mm plug first. Then I plug it to my ipad's jack, and start braiding from there. Because I'm pulling to the side, it won't come off.


----------



## SonicScientist

armaegis said:


> Sound disappearing and becoming distant (like you're listening to an echo) is very likely a lost ground connection. It's possible the jack in your PC has a loose sleeve terminal that isn't contacting the barrel.


 
 Yep, the ground pin had snapped from the female jack in my diy-extension cord as it also works as stress reliever. I doubt I did any better jobs on other plugs either.


----------



## axeltow

Hi Guys,
  
 I was encouraged by scizzro to drop you a line here with some questions since there are some really experienced ppl in this thread.
  
 So, recently I purchased the HD600 and I am loving it. For a long time I was thinking of doing a DIY project. I thought the Bottleahead Crack amp was a good idea but I decided that something easier would be better for a start. Plus, I spent all my money on those headphones. 
  
 I read some pages but since I am a total noob, I can't seem to figure out several things.
  
 1) Where can you get the needed materials if you live in Europe? This seems to ship worldwide - http://www.lunashops.com
  
 I guess you need the following things:
  

Sennheiser Connectors
6.5mm Connector
Wire Cable
Heatshrink
Isolation for the wire
  
 2) What kind of wiring cable should I get? There are many different ones in lunashop, different pins and width (http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=2029). Are there other places I can get cables from? Cardas cables for example for EU?
  
 3) How do I make the Y split?
  
 4) I see different braiding done by various users. How exactly you do the braiding and incorporate it into the Y split? 
  
 It seems that I need a step by step guide  It kinda sux but I am really not sure where to start from. I would appreciate any help!
  
 Thanks in advance


----------



## sfo1972

Here is my practice cable for braiding and y-split with heat shrink - much better braid than before...any thoughts for improvements? In the final cable, I will custom build a zebrawood y-split and finish it with a nice deep finishing oil. The y-split in this picture was just for practie and trying out the heat shrink at the y-split. But just for informational purposes, how do you use the heat shrink for a y-split and have it come out better than this?


----------



## sfo1972

axeltow said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I was encouraged by scizzro to drop you a line here with some questions since there are some really experienced ppl in this thread.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Welcome to the forum...I will try to answer your questions one by one, based on my experience thus far in cable building:
  
 1) There are several cable suppliers on eBay that ship worldwide from Japan, China, USA, etc. They are fast, efficient and you can get the supplies fairly quickly. You also should check Amazon uk for a lot of the connectors, heat shrink suppliers, etc.
  
 2) Same as number 1 above. Also, you want to stay in the range of 24AWG to 26AWG. I think 28AWG is small for your HDs, so 24 or 26 AWG should work well for you. As for the cable type, you need to skim this thread and see the different types to determine what you like. For example, do you want clear cabling (see through) or do you want to sleeve it in Parachord?
  
 3) The Y-Split can be made either: 1) Heat-Shrink 2) Buy a connector such as Via-blue or DHC (Double Helix Cable)/others 3) Leave it as is without covering, or 4) get creative and make your own
  
 4) The best way to learn braiding is to check youtube - Search for "3 and 4 strand braiding" videos and learn from them
  
 My advice, spend a few hours on the thread. You will learn a ton and avoid costly mistakes down the road. Search the web looking for supplies, sketch out what you think you want to do, come here with questions.
  
 A lot of great people here that wanna help.
  
 Cheers
  
 ---EDIT:
 I thought of one thing that might help you learn braiding:Buy cheap 20AWG-24AWG wire from your local hardware store that is 16 feet or more. Cut 4 strands at 4 feet each, practice with this cheap cabling until you crack the braiding to your liking. When you go to the actual cable, there will be less errors and better confidence to get it right on the first go.


----------



## ThurstonX

With the couple of braided cables I've made with Y-splits, I just stopped braiding and started twisting.  I used twist ties at the two ends to keep the twists relatively equal until soldering (obviously the twist is set once you've soldered the ends in place).  No need for heat shrink or splitters.  I see splitters as useful for non-braided Y-split cables (HiFiMAN, for example); basically any Y-split cable that isn't an open braid, with twisted pairs above the split.
  
 One cheap way to make a split shield (I hesitate to call it a splitter, as it's not) is to cut an appropriately sized cylinder from a ballpoint pen (be sure to remove the inner ink tube first... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 )  IIRC, I put the paracord on the three parts, then slid the pen cylinder over the lower, single paracord section, and finally the heat shrink to cover the pen plastic.  Probably don't want to shrink the heat shrink until the you're done soldering and have tested the cable (with a DMM at the very least).  It's kind of a PITA to do all the shrinking only to find a short, bad solder joint or some other problem after the fact.
  
 HTH.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

sfo1972 said:


> Here is my practice cable for braiding and y-split with heat shrink - much better braid than before...any thoughts for improvements? In the final cable, I will custom build a zebrawood y-split and finish it with a nice deep finishing oil. The y-split in this picture was just for practie and trying out the heat shrink at the y-split. But just for informational purposes, how do you use the heat shrink for a y-split and have it come out better than this?


 
 IMO no need for the split heatshrink,For me the heatshrink on the split ruins the nice look of the braid.


----------



## Arty McGhee

i luvmusic 2 said:


> IMO no need for the split heatshrink,For me the heatshrink on the split ruins the nice look of the braid.


 
 +1


----------



## PETEREK

Does anyone know of a place in the US that sells HD558 2.5mm connectors? I don't really feel like waiting for them to ship from Luna. Thanks in advance.


----------



## DJScope

peterek said:


> Does anyone know of a place in the US that sells HD558 2.5mm connectors? I don't really feel like waiting for them to ship from Luna. Thanks in advance.




Amazon.


----------



## PETEREK

djscope said:


> Amazon.


 
 They aren't showing up there for me.


----------



## DJScope

peterek said:


> They aren't showing up there for me.





http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_0_26?ie=UTF8&k=sennheiser+replacement+cable&sprefix=sennheiser+replacement+cable

There's a bunch of em.


----------



## PETEREK

djscope said:


> http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_0_26?ie=UTF8&k=sennheiser+replacement+cable&sprefix=sennheiser+replacement+cable
> 
> There's a bunch of em.


 
 I don't want a cable, I want the connector. *DIY*.


----------



## DJScope

peterek said:


> I don't want a cable, I want the connector. *DIY*.




Oooohhhhh... Derp. My bad, I thought you said cable. You can get them on eBay.


----------



## PETEREK

Nope, none on eBay either.


----------



## GrindingThud

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5mm-Male-Repair-Headphone-Jack-Plug-Audio-Soldering-For-Sennheiser-HD598-HD558-/201160101592?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ed6138ed8

China is only place I've seen them.


----------



## scizzro

peterek said:


> Nope, none on eBay either.


 
 Does any 2.5mm fit the hp? Not sure if this guy would work, he looks kind of bulky, but cheap and comes from NY
  
 http://www.adafruit.com/product/1798
  
 Digikey has one, too
  
 http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/SP-2501/CP-2501SP-ND/408546


----------



## PETEREK

They have to be very low profile. I'll just order from Lunashops I guess. I hate the wait though.


----------



## Shawn71

scizzro said:


> Does any 2.5mm fit the hp? Not sure if this guy would work, he looks kind of bulky, but cheap and comes from NY
> 
> http://www.adafruit.com/product/1798




I believe yes.....why/how? The stock ones have 4poles( just like balanced,L+,L-,R+,R-) but the after market cables have just 3 poles (conventional L+,R+ & common ground),like luna sells......so cld be senn shorted the fourth pole as common ground or the 4th pole is null/dummy/not used......


----------



## Shawn71

peterek said:


> They have to be very low profile. I'll just order from Lunashops I guess. I hate the wait though.




just be more specific abt item # and qty.....while ordering and before they ships out......a friendly note.


----------



## brdlnde

Hi again all.
  
 I have decided to make a new headphone cable for my AKG Q701, to have a more flexible cable.
  
 23 gauge wire in a PTFE sleeve. How many wires would you guys recommend me braiding? 3,4,5 or 6? 
  
 I also wonder which of these cables should be connected to the ground on the plugs. Or do you guys not ground the wires? I have no idea. 
  
 Thanks for helping.


----------



## ThurstonX

brdlnde said:


> Hi again all.
> 
> I have decided to make a new headphone cable for my AKG Q701, to have a more flexible cable.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I've made a couple cables for my Q701s.  Not sure about the wire gauge, but I used Mogami W2799 stripped to the four conductors, sleeved with 95-lbs (type 1, I guess) paracord from Paracord Planet, then braided in the round style.  The one I use now is made from type 2 Litz 100/46 (i.e., 100 strands, 46 AWG(?)), and the same paracord and braiding.
  
 I use two conductors twisted together for the grounding.  Didn't have a problem getting it all into the Redco mini-XLR.  I use Neutrik NP3X plugs at the TRS end.
  
 The most important thing to know about the AKGs are the reversed signal pins on the mini-XLRs.  You can verify this by testing the stock cable with a DMM.  I've posted in here about the pin outs on the mini-XLR, so I'll let you find it, and not misquote myself.  Just test continuity between the three female ends of the mini-XLR and the TRS.
  
 Apologies if you already knew that, but it seems worth mentioning.
  
 Good luck


----------



## Arty McGhee

brdlnde said:


> Hi again all.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 23awg wire in a ptfe sleeve is probably less flexible than stock
 somewhere between stiff and not very flexible at all lol
  
 my fave akg cable i use is 28 awg 3 conductor (any more is just for looks)
 braided and sleeved in 550 paracord super flexible
  
 a,good choice is mogami 2799 innards its a bit more flexible
 i think you mean shielding when you say ground
 the shaft wire is the ground and is necessary most of us remove the sheilding
 and just use the inner conductors


----------



## Pingupenguins

I'd have to agree with everyones opinions. PTFE wire is pretty stiff. I played with that stuff a while ago and decided mogami cable was way better. Canare works too if you can't find mogami.


----------



## brdlnde

arty mcghee said:


> 23awg wire in a ptfe sleeve is probably less flexible than stock
> somewhere between stiff and not very flexible at all lol
> 
> my fave akg cable i use is 28 awg 3 conductor (any more is just for looks)
> ...


 
  
 Thanks Arty McGhee. The stock cable is quite flexible and I would like to make something almost as flexible. My first DIY cable was made from a Viablue EPC-4 cable with just a syntethic sleeve. The shielding of the cable went to the ground of course. But this cable is very stiff and not very comfortable.
  
 Is it possible, if I use 23AWG cable or smaller if I find, to use it bare inside a cotton sleeve? Or do I need the plastic tube? I couldn't find a cotton sleeve as small as 22AWG or similar....
  
  


thurstonx said:


> I've made a couple cables for my Q701s.  Not sure about the wire gauge, but I used Mogami W2799 stripped to the four conductors, sleeved with 95-lbs (type 1, I guess) paracord from Paracord Planet, then braided in the round style.  The one I use now is made from type 2 Litz 100/46 (i.e., 100 strands, 46 AWG(?)), and the same paracord and braiding.
> 
> I use two conductors twisted together for the grounding.  Didn't have a problem getting it all into the Redco mini-XLR.  I use Neutrik NP3X plugs at the TRS end.
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks ThurstonX. So two conductors are of course for L + R channel, and the two left over conductors you use for ground? I guess the first conductor is just for the looks, as 2x 25AWG f.ex. is quite a lot for just ground?


----------



## ThurstonX

brdlnde said:


> Thanks Arty McGhee. The stock cable is quite flexible and I would like to make something almost as flexible. My first DIY cable was made from a Viablue EPC-4 cable with just a syntethic sleeve. The shielding of the cable went to the ground of course. But this cable is very stiff and not very comfortable.
> 
> Is it possible, if I use 23AWG cable or smaller if I find, to use it bare inside a cotton sleeve? Or do I need the plastic tube? I couldn't find a cotton sleeve as small as 22AWG or similar....
> 
> ...


 
  
 This: http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/console/
  
 indicates that each conductor is 26 AWG.  Yep, two for ground.  I doubt that has a negative effect, but wiser people can speak to that.  I wanted a round braid, not a flat 3-wire braid, and it seemed silly not to twist together the strands of both wires for the grounds.  I did make a cable using all four wires (stripped the sheath and shielding) threaded into 550 paracord, but it was a little "microphonic" when rubbed, probably because I pulled the paracord too tight.  I undid that cable and made the braided cable instead.
  
 Getting rid of the outer sheath and the copper wire shielding made for a very light and supple cable.
  
 I did a 3-wire braid for my Fidelio X2s, and while it doesn't look bad, I prefer the 4-wire braid.  With four wires you can have two-color combos.  Since my Q701s are white, I did a black and white braid.


----------



## brdlnde

Thanks for your replies!  
 I'll definitely do this braiding cable, possibly a 4 braid cable.


----------



## shine4t

This might a huge long shot but it's sort of my last resort.
  
 I have a pair of Sennheiser G4ME One headphones. My cat managed to chew the cord enough to make them not work.
  
 Now I tried searching for replacement cables but found nothing, after posting on reddit/r/headphones someone pointed me towards this thread. I'm not really looking to dive this deep into the HiFi thing and really only want my headphones to work again. I only really use them to game.
  
 Is there anyone in here who would fabricate a replacement cable for me, and how much would you charge for something like that.
  
 Also, if someone could maybe point me towards a shop in Orlando that might do this type of work it would be greatly appreciated. I would not need any fancy cable or something non-standard, just if someone does do this work I'd like to get in touch with that person.


----------



## Edwii

Making a 25ft cable for HD650
 Few questions : 
  
 Shielding:  
 1. Does it make a difference? 
 2. If you're using shield wire, I read you have to solder it to a connector; Which and how? 
    
 Wire: 
 I ordered some Canare quad cable. I assumed paracord would be large enough to fit it from what I read. What I didn't understand was that what people meant was I would need to strip off the outer casing and shield, and only do Two conductors per length of paracord. I didn't want a braided cord but looks like that's what I'm stuck with If I want to wrap it this way. 
  
 1. I may not use the quad cable at all, instead I would get individual lengths of 20awg-22awg; I don't want to order more wire
 a. Can I just get some generic speaker wire from the local shops or is it not a good choice?
 b. What's a common type of wire I might be able to find in a common store that would work well?
  
 Connections: 
 I randomly picked up a vintage Quadraphonic, with dual "rear and front" headphone jacks. I might be wrong, but I bet I could use it as a balanced headphone amp? 
 If that's the case I don't want to make two cables at this time. 
 1. Instead of making a 4 wire cable with a TRS connection (like I was planing to) I could use a 4pin XLR, and then make a 4pin XLR to dual TRS adapter; would this degrade the signal much?  
 2. Is there much to gain by running balanced ? 
  
  
 Paracord: 
 Instead of doing a braid, has any one tried fusing two lengths together, like melting the nylon together?


----------



## jodgey4

@shine4t First off, howdy, and welcome to Head-Fi! The motto 'round here is, "Sorry about your wallet!"
  
 It's a non-detachable cable, so your option are to repair the one you have yourself if you feel comfortable, or see if one of us is nearby and is willing to do the repair... as it probably will require taking them apart depending on the damage done. Some sites will do detachable cable mods, that's kinda what you'd be in for at this point if you don't want just a straight re-solder and heatshrink job.


----------



## jodgey4

edwii said:


> Making a _*25ft*_ cable for HD650


 
 At that length, shielding might be worth your time, hard to say. If the cable is running past other electronics and such, then yes. You solder one end of the shielding to just the TRS/XLR ground that goes into the amp, not to the headphones as well as you could cause a ground loop.
  
 I'd keep the Canare as is with the shielding already done and wrap it in Techflex if it's not too laate...
  
 20-22awg is probably fine from anywhere as long as it feels flexible enough, also consider doing higher strand counts of the Canare if you have enough (8 strand or so).
  
 Nope, haven't tried fusing...
  
 Now somebody come in and correct me on my advice XD.


----------



## Edwii

jodgey4 said:


> At that length, shielding might be worth your time, hard to say. If the cable is running past other electronics and such, then yes. You solder one end of the shielding to just the TRS/XLR ground that goes into the amp, not to the headphones as well as you could cause a ground loop.
> 
> I'd keep the Canare as is with the shielding already done and wrap it in Techflex if it's not too laate...
> 
> ...


 

 1. the wire would be running along the wall along with a USB cable, Internet COAX cable, and a XLR microphone cable.  
 2. I think I've used Techflex stuff before, I use it a lot in automotive and other things. I find it quite stiff and abrasive compaired to nice soft paracord. Is there a more "cloth like" option I could use? 
 perfereably something that comes in different colors? 
 3. I edited a part in my post about balanced connections vs unbalanced, got any input?


----------



## jodgey4

Balanced has common mode noise rejection and more power, so those are great things for long cable runs.
  
 The other stuff I think you should ask someone else, but considering where it's running, I'd really suggest shielding.


----------



## axeltow

sfo1972 said:


> Welcome to the forum...I will try to answer your questions one by one, based on my experience thus far in cable building:
> 
> 1) There are several cable suppliers on eBay that ship worldwide from Japan, China, USA, etc. They are fast, efficient and you can get the supplies fairly quickly. You also should check Amazon uk for a lot of the connectors, heat shrink suppliers, etc.
> 
> ...


 
  
  
 Wow...thank you for the info. I think that's quite enough to get me started. I invest couple of hours on looking through this and the gallery so I can draw a picture in my head for what I want.
  
 Once again, thank you for the valuable input!


----------



## scizzro

shine4t said:


> This might a huge long shot but it's sort of my last resort.
> 
> I have a pair of Sennheiser G4ME One headphones. My cat managed to chew the cord enough to make them not work.
> 
> ...


 
 The best option for you is to just repair the cable you already have, since it is not detachable. It's a rather simple process if you or your friends have any soldering experience. If you decide to try it, feel free to ask more detailed questions here.


----------



## Edwii

Fellow cable makers, found this supplier today, they sell "cloth-covered" cord http://www.sundialwire.com/clothcoveredwire.aspx#category 
 It's a bit over kill but looks nice.


----------



## Arty McGhee

edwii said:


> Fellow cable makers, found this supplier today, they sell "cloth-covered" cord http://www.sundialwire.com/clothcoveredwire.aspx#category
> It's a bit over kill but looks nice.




That's lamp cord
ie; wire designed for carrying ac current to a light bulb, serious overkill for audio purposes


----------



## theodoro

edwii said:


> Fellow cable makers, found this supplier today, they sell "cloth-covered" cord http://www.sundialwire.com/clothcoveredwire.aspx#category
> It's a bit over kill but looks nice.


 
 But where's the fun if you buy something already braided? 
 (Just kidding, it can be practical to buy something like this.)


----------



## shine4t

scizzro said:


> The best option for you is to just repair the cable you already have, since it is not detachable. It's a rather simple process if you or your friends have any soldering experience. If you decide to try it, feel free to ask more detailed questions here.


 
 The problem is my dad and I looked at the cable and he didn't feel it was an easy fix, and he is an electrician and has fixed other cables for me that the cat has chewed.
  
 The cable is chewed right in the middle, and it has a braided cover, then the rubber one, inside that is like white thin hairs to cover it and then on the very inside you have the copper wires, but they are very hard to manage. I might snap some pictures. My dad mostly thought it wasn't fixable because it's so small he'd need some sort magnifying glass or something to enhance it.


----------



## scizzro

> I might snap some pictures.


 
 Please, do.


----------



## jodgey4

I'm just more surprised that Sennheiser didn't just come out with yet _another_ proprietary connector for the G4ME series 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





.


----------



## scizzro

jodgey4 said:


> I'm just more surprised that Sennheiser didn't just come out with yet _another_ proprietary connector for the G4ME series
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 





 I'm curious if they actually sound good. Love my senny's, but I've never tried the ones marketed to gamers
  
 Also, offtopic: I'm on the edge of buying an LCD2.2f, and am stuck in the decision between the Oppo HA-1 and the NFB-28. Your siggy caught me by suprise since you have that combo. You likey?


----------



## Kamakahah

edwii said:


> 1. the wire would be running along the wall along with a USB cable, Internet COAX cable, and a XLR microphone cable.
> 2. I think I've used Techflex stuff before, I use it a lot in automotive and other things. I find it quite stiff and abrasive compaired to nice soft paracord. Is there a more "cloth like" option I could use?
> perfereably something that comes in different colors?
> 3. I edited a part in my post about balanced connections vs unbalanced, got any input?




2. You can get some softer nylon multifilament sleeving. There is a seller on eBay. You can only find it in silver or black. If you're using the Canare mini quad, then you could probably fit the 3/16th inch over it. A safer bet for the standard Canare would be the 1/4 inch or 3/8ths size. I haven't tried it personally over the stock cable. I'd suggest measuring your cable first for accuracy. 

3. Lots of receivers and amps have a common ground configuration. By definition they are balanced. By headphone audio they are not "fully balanced" in the sense that they don't have separate grounds. I'd verify your model. If it is shared ground, then you will not be running a "balanced" amp. You can still use an XLR connection if it matches your setup. You could even make an adapter to go along with it from XLR to 1/4 or 1/8 inch. It's what many people have me to for them.


----------



## Armaegis

shine4t said:


> The problem is my dad and I looked at the cable and he didn't feel it was an easy fix, and he is an electrician and has fixed other cables for me that the cat has chewed.
> 
> The cable is chewed right in the middle, and it has a braided cover, then the rubber one, inside that is like white thin hairs to cover it and then on the very inside you have the copper wires, but they are very hard to manage. I might snap some pictures. My dad mostly thought it wasn't fixable because it's so small he'd need some sort magnifying glass or something to enhance it.


 
  
 At that point I'd see if I could open up the cup and replace the entire cable.


----------



## JacobLee89

armaegis said:


> At that point I'd see if I could open up the cup and replace the entire cable.


 
  
 I'd second that. Trying to fix a cable like that would end up with a very ugly bulge.


----------



## ArmAndHammer

I've been reading through this thread for a while now and haven't seen what I'm looking for yet so I'm just going to ask (but I'll keep reading because there's loads of great info and pics). I have a pair of Philips Fidelio X2's. They are a single sided entry with 3.5mm connection at the cup for anyone that isn't familiar with them. I want to recable them mainly to shorten the cable and add a 1/4" plug, but also to improve the looks and maybe even the sound. I'd really like a braided cable with copper wire in a clear housing. What would you recommend for wire and how many wires do I need? 
  
 I've also wondered, for headphones like this, buy changing the cable from source to cup but not from one cup to the other, is there any imbalance in the sound in cases where the new cable changes the sound since there's a foot or so of unchanged cable between cups?


----------



## scizzro

armandhammer said:


> What would you recommend for wire and how many wires do I need?


 
 If you never plan on going balanced, you can use 3 conductors. If in the future you might get a balanced amp and would want to use the same cable, use 4 conductors. Then you can just take off the 1/4" and put a 4-pin XLR on. Of course, going balanced on the X2 I believe would require you to open up the cups since it's single sided entry.
  
 On the part that goes into the headphone, it's just a regular 1/8" plug, right? So it would be a 1/8" to 1/4" cable, the wiring connection is straight forward.


----------



## ArmAndHammer

scizzro said:


> If you never plan on going balanced, you can use 3 conductors. If in the future you might get a balanced amp and would want to use the same cable, use 4 conductors. Then you can just take off the 1/4" and put a 4-pin XLR on. Of course, going balanced on the X2 I believe would require you to open up the cups since it's single sided entry.
> 
> *On the part that goes into the headphone, it's just a regular 1/8" plug, right?* So it would be a 1/8" to 1/4" cable, the wiring connection is straight forward.


 
 Correct. I figured the actual wiring wouldn't be too hard though It is my first time doing this. Any recommendations for the actual wire? I'm guessing 24 or 26 awg is appropriate. Is there any benefit to using the slightly larger gauge? I guess the biggest complaint with the stock cable other than being too long is the slightly high impedance so I'm looking to improve on that if possible.
  
 This is the look I'm after, just a nice and simple braid without any sheathing and about 5 feet in finished length...


----------



## scizzro

armandhammer said:


> Any recommendations for the actual wire? I'm guessing 24 or 26 awg is appropriate. Is there any benefit to using the slightly larger gauge?


 
 A thicker cable lowers the resistance, but flexibility is a concern in a headphone cable. You don't want a solid wire that barely flexes, so 24-28 stranded is a good gauge.
  
 As far as what cable to use... I don't have enough experience with different manufacturers so I don't feel comfortable making a recommendation.


----------



## scizzro

Well I decided to start on my first cable project today. I've had the parts laying around for a week or two now. I need a balanced cable for my HD600, so I thought I'd make one myself. This is my first attempt at braiding, too.
  


  

  
 It looks better than I thought it would... Now I have to figure out how to stop braiding and start twisting


----------



## Edwii

Making a 25 foot cable for my HD650 out of Canare L-4E6S. 
 When doing my research I thought I could sleeve it in paracord, but found out it wont fit unless I strip off all the shielding. 
 So I'm thinking I want to keep the shielding because it's a long run along the wall by other cables. 
  
 Here is my idea for compromise: 
 Since the majority of the cable will be along the wall and behind furniture, I'll strip the last 3 - 5 feet closet to the headphones, wrap it in paracord to make it nice, than leave the rest of it shielded. 
   
 Whatch'all think?


----------



## Kamakahah

edwii said:


> Making a 25 foot cable for my HD650 out of Canare L-4E6S.
> When doing my research I thought I could sleeve it in paracord, but found out it wont fit unless I strip off all the shielding.
> So I'm thinking I want to keep the shielding because it's a long run along the wall by other cables.
> 
> ...




That works. I recommend measuring the distance from where the cable lifts off the floor to the headphones. Then add a foot or two for movement. This will keep the weight of the shielded cable on the ground. It seems like it will probably be more than 5 feet based on your description.


----------



## scizzro

edwii said:


> Whatch'all think?


 
 If you can wait a few more days I would order some 1/4" techflex. The Canare wesbite lists that outer diameter of that wire as .236", so it should fit in the techflex nicely.


----------



## holco

I expect my new HD 650 any day now and need a long 5 meters balanced DIY cable, hope you guys can give me some advise for what to buy and how to connect?
  
 Head-Amp is a Audio-GD NFB 28 (2015 model) (4-pin XLR or 1/4" output)


----------



## scizzro

holco said:


> I expect my new HD 650 any day now and need a long 5 meters balanced DIY cable, hope you guys can give me some advise for what to buy and how to connect?
> 
> Head-Amp is a Audio-GD NFB 28 (2015 model) (4-pin XLR or 1/4" output)


 
 If you bought the NFB-28 you should make the XLR cable. You need Sennheiser connectors, a male 4-pin XLR connector, heatshrink, something to sleeve it with (paracord/techflex), with 4 conductors inbetween. I don't know about any EU distributors for those parts, I'm sure you can find some
  
 Do you know how you want the cable to look?


----------



## holco

scizzro said:


> If you bought the NFB-28 you should make the XLR cable. You need Sennheiser connectors, a male 4-pin XLR connector, heatshrink, something to sleeve it with (paracord/techflex), with 4 conductors inbetween. I don't know about any EU distributors for those parts, I'm sure you can find some
> 
> Do you know how you want the cable to look?


 
 The thing what for me is important are, good sound and not to stiff.


----------



## holco

Sorry for my worthless last reply, answering from a cellphone without spelling check was no good idea 
  
 Ok I looked on the internet and see that the headphone plugs and the 4 pin XLR will be no problem.
  
 But what cable to buy I don't know?? 
  
 Things I look for are,
  
 Flexible
 Durable 
 Oxygen-free copper wire (I think silver will be to bright sounding for my taste and gold plated silver to expensive)
 Suitable for balanced use
 Suitable for 5 meter lengt (not to thin I think) 
 Affordable (€80 > €120 total is my coal when possible)
 Low or free shipping rates (from the US is very expensive for us Dutch guy's


----------



## scizzro

holco said:


> But what cable to buy I don't know??


 
 It depends on what style cable you want to make. Do you just want to make it as simple as possible? Or do you want to braid it? You need 4 conductors, you could do 4 single wires and braid them, 2 groups of 2, or find a wire that has 4 conductors in it and don't braid or twist anything. If you need some inspiration you can look through the cable gallery thread here:
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery


----------



## ArmAndHammer

Getting ready to order my cable supplies. Quick question on the solder iron...better to get a decent fixed wattage iron or a cheap station with adjustable temp? I'm probably not going to be making loads of cables or interconnects. Really probably just one or two cables for my current headphones, maybe the occasional RCA as needed, and the odd repair job that might be needed on an electrical device around the house. 
  
 The fixed wattage iron I was looking at is the Hakko DASH in either 15w or 20w. No idea on a soldering station. The dash is around $30 so I don't really want to spend more or much more than that. Maybe something like the Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station for $40? With the cable, connections, and tools...this project is already costing me about $100.


----------



## JacobLee89

armandhammer said:


> Getting ready to order my cable supplies. Quick question on the solder iron...better to get a decent fixed wattage iron or a cheap station with adjustable temp? I'm probably not going to be making loads of cables or interconnects. Really probably just one or two cables for my current headphones, maybe the occasional RCA as needed, and the odd repair job that might be needed on an electrical device around the house.
> 
> The fixed wattage iron I was looking at is the Hakko DASH in either 15w or 20w. No idea on a soldering station. The dash is around $30 so I don't really want to spend more or much more than that. Maybe something like the Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station for $40? With the cable, connections, and tools...this project is already costing me about $100.


 
  
 The fixed wattage is good for most of your needs. The main issue is that it'll just take a while for the soldering iron to warm up. Also remember to "tinn" your soldering iron when you first use it. That's just covering the hot soldering iron tip with a bit of solder and wiping it on the wet cleaning sponge, to help it with the soldering process and to prevent it from rusting after use (it means you also need to tin it after you're done with soldering).


----------



## holco

I have found two options, a DIY one and a assembled one.
  
 A:
 The assembled one looks nice but I am not sure if they used genuine plugs and can't find anything about the used cable, so sound wise
​it will be a surprise I think.
  
 B:
The DIY cable is composed with genuine plugs and a much used cable for headphones, so I think I can't go wrong with this one but
​it needs work and in the end it will not look as nice as the assembled one although I will do my best to get the best out of it.
  
So for now I think option B is the best choice, but if anyone can tell me that option A is a great cable..................
  
  
A:
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-Upgrade-Cable-For-HD545-HD565-HD580-HD600-HD650-Balanced-XLR-4-Pins-CANNON-/251805487141?
  

  
  
  
 B:
 http://www.redco.com/


----------



## Arty McGhee

holco said:


> I have found two options, a DIY one and a assembled one.
> 
> A:
> The assembled one looks nice but I am not sure if they used genuine plugs and can't find anything about the used cable, so sound wise
> ...


 
 so
  
 option b;  50 bucks and you will learn some new skills and have a better understanding of how your equipment works
 also a feeling of accomplishment and self-esteem that will make you a better person and have 75 bucks left over to pay bills
 or put in the bank or buy someone you care about something nice 
  
 option a:  125 bucks buys just a cable
  
 its your decision none of my business really
 just sayin
  
 DIYorDIE


----------



## scizzro

holco said:


> ...


 
 Just to let you know, those sennheiser connectors come as a pack of 2 - you don't need to buy 2 of them. They also need to be covered by heatshrink, they are open and don't come with a cover plate. You'll need the heatshrink anyway when you make the y-split. 
  
 I would get like 16 feet of the quad, and the last foot or so as 2 x 2 - it will be much easier that way, and you won't need to buy something to sleeve it with. Sorry for the crude drawing: 
  

  
  
 You could use quad instead of the 2-conductor, but you only need 2 to each sennheiser connector. 
  
 Do you have a soldering gun already? These connectors need to be soldered


----------



## holco

scizzro said:


> Just to let you know, those sennheiser connectors come as a pack of 2 - you don't need to buy 2 of them. They also need to be covered by heatshrink, they are open and don't come with a cover plate. You'll need the heatshrink anyway when you make the y-split.
> 
> I would get like 16 feet of the quad, and the last foot or so as 2 x 2 - it will be much easier to that way, and you won't need to buy something to sleeve it with.
> 
> Do you have a soldering gun already? These connectors need to be soldered


 
 Oeps!! one set to many, thanks 
  
 I have a Weller station so soldering isn't a problem, and also a collection of sleeve's and heat-shrink.


----------



## scizzro

armandhammer said:


> Getting ready to order my cable supplies. Quick question on the solder iron...better to get a decent fixed wattage iron or a cheap station with adjustable temp? I'm probably not going to be making loads of cables or interconnects. Really probably just one or two cables for my current headphones, maybe the occasional RCA as needed, and the odd repair job that might be needed on an electrical device around the house.
> 
> The fixed wattage iron I was looking at is the Hakko DASH in either 15w or 20w. No idea on a soldering station. The dash is around $30 so I don't really want to spend more or much more than that. Maybe something like the Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station for $40? With the cable, connections, and tools...this project is already costing me about $100.


 
 For basic use a fixed temp is fine. I ended up getting this one 
  
 http://www.amazon.com/Weller-SP40NKUS-Watt-Soldering-Black/dp/B00B3SG7F0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422107487&sr=8-1&keywords=weller+led+40+watt
  
 Because it comes with tips, has a 7 year warranty, and gets hot as crap. 900 degrees, and in just a minute or two. They also have a 750 degree version. Good reviews on amazon and home depot, and I haven't encountered any problems yet. I did accidentally melt a pin on a switch, but it was my own fault.


----------



## scizzro

holco said:


> Oeps!! one set to many, thanks
> 
> I have a Weller station so soldering isn't a problem, and also a collection of sleeve's and heat-shrink.


 
 Sounds like you are good to go, then =p
  
 I added a picture to my last post, not sure if it's helpful. You just have to decide if you want to make your own cable now 
  
 I also just ordered the NFB-28, and am making a balanced cable for my Sennheiser HD600


----------



## holco

scizzro said:


> Sounds like you are good to go, then =p
> 
> I added a picture to my last post, not sure if it's helpful. You just have to decide if you want to make your own cable now
> 
> I also just ordered the NFB-28, and am making a balanced cable for my Sennheiser HD600


 
 Hit the buy button 
  
 I will let you know/see when the cable is finished. 
  
 Good luck with your NFB 28, I am very happy with mine, great piece of equipment!!


----------



## Shawn71

scizzro said:


> Sounds like you are good to go, then =p



+1.....


----------



## ArmAndHammer

scizzro said:


> For basic use a fixed temp is fine. I ended up getting this one
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Weller-SP40NKUS-Watt-Soldering-Black/dp/B00B3SG7F0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422107487&sr=8-1&keywords=weller+led+40+watt
> 
> Because it comes with tips, has a 7 year warranty, and gets hot as crap. 900 degrees, and in just a minute or two. They also have a 750 degree version. Good reviews on amazon and home depot, and I haven't encountered any problems yet. I did accidentally melt a pin on a switch, but it was my own fault.


 
 Do you want or need one that gets that hot for doing cables and working on headphones? That's why I was looking at the 15w and 20w irons because they only get up into the high 300's low 400's.


----------



## scizzro

armandhammer said:


> Do you want or need one that gets that hot for doing cables and working on headphones? That's why I was looking at the 15w and 20w irons because they only get up into the high 300's low 400's.


 

 Look at the melting temp of whatever solder you're using. Some lead-frees are around 500. So no, a 900 degree iron isn't required for making a cable. I just read a lot of reviews about dinky irons that just don't get hot enough and can't get the job done. Didn't want to fuss with it. With the really hot iron, you just have to work fast.


----------



## creatip

scizzro said:


> Just to let you know, those sennheiser connectors come as a pack of 2 - you don't need to buy 2 of them. They also need to be covered by heatshrink, they are open and don't come with a cover plate. You'll need the heatshrink anyway when you make the y-split.
> 
> I would get like 16 feet of the quad, and the last foot or so as 2 x 2 - it will be much easier that way, and you won't need to buy something to sleeve it with. Sorry for the crude drawing:
> 
> ...


 
  
 How do you make a good looking Y split?
  
 I tried with 1 tube just before the intersection, but it's a sore-eyes. So I took it off, and prepared a longer tube. Cut 2 holes on each side for the L-R wires, but when heated, it also turned out to be a sore eyes...


----------



## creatip

Guys, have you ever encountered a connector's surface that soldering tins just won't stick to? 
  
 I got one yesterday. Cleaned it up, tried putting flux (the black paste thingy), and it still wouldn't stick at all. I even wasted a few cm of WBT tin, and it kept gunking on my solder tip instead of the contact surface. 
  
 What should I do if I encounter something like that? Rough sandpaper?


----------



## PETEREK

Dude yes, I just got some 3.5mm connectors with carbon fiber barrels from lunashops a couple weeks ago that have this issue. I had my iron all the way up to 500 Celsius trying to get the solder to stick but it just wouldn't.


----------



## creatip

peterek said:


> Dude yes, I just got some 3.5mm connectors with carbon fiber barrels from lunashops a couple weeks ago that have this issue. I had my iron all the way up to 500 Celsius trying to get the solder to stick but it just wouldn't.


 
  
 Oh man, that's exactly the thing that gave me the trouble, though I didn't get mine from Luna. Mine is the L-shaped carbon fibre barrel (I'm sure it's only decal tho). One of them soldered fine, but the other one wouldn't stick at all. It's only in the ground pole/stress reliever tho, the other polarities were fine.
  
 Ended up rough sandpapered it before soldering, and even then it still looked kinda brittle.


----------



## PETEREK

Sounds like I should just toss those. They were like $10 each too. What a rip off.


----------



## holco

creatip said:


> How do you make a good looking Y split?
> 
> I tried with 1 tube just before the intersection, but it's a sore-eyes. So I took it off, and prepared a longer tube. Cut 2 holes on each side for the L-R wires, but when heated, it also turned out to be a sore eyes...


 
 This will be the way I am going to do it, you need some adhesive heat shrink though. 
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/9645#post_8532084


----------



## holco

Btw, is this the correct way to connect a 4 pin XLR plug on a balanced HD 650 cable?


----------



## PETEREK

holco said:


> Btw, is this the correct way to connect a 4 pin XLR plug on a balanced HD 650 cable?




Yes!


----------



## scizzro

peterek said:


> Yes!


 
 Is that looking into a male xlr? Or from behind?
  
 Edit: figured it out. That's looking into it from the front pins, not the back. When you go to solder , you have to reverse it. But I'm hoping the pins are numbered on the connector just to help avoid confusion


----------



## PETEREK

I wasn't paying attention to the layout, just the pin numbers. Follow those numbers and you will have it right.


----------



## BillsonChang007

Does it matter as which pin u connect to the HD650's jack for left or ground?


----------



## creatip

peterek said:


> Sounds like I should just toss those. They were like $10 each too. What a rip off.


 
  
 If it's gonna be tossed anyway, try rough sandpapering. I sanded until I took off a bit of shine out of the surface, but not completely doff. Soldering tin started to stick after that. Perhaps you'd wanna go all the way till doff to get the best result.
  


holco said:


> This will be the way I am going to do it, you need some adhesive heat shrink though.
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/9645#post_8532084


 
  
 Ah that explains. My tubes aren't adhesive, just standard industrial use tubes. Perhaps I'll try using glue or something for that....


----------



## Shawn71

peterek said:


> Sounds like I should just toss those. They were like $10 each too. What a rip off.




Yep I stay away from them(just me)......they royally screwed up my senn cables and were very rude in handling customers.....so pathetic. All I said to myself -just "kiss my arse".....


----------



## creatip

shawn71 said:


> Yep I stay away from them(just me)......they royally screwed up my senn cables and were very rude in handling customers.....so pathetic. All I said to myself -just "kiss my arse".....


 
  
 Well, I've bought something from Luna only recently. It took more than 30 days for the shipment to arrive (from Asia to Asia, that's quite a long time), and yeah they can be a little hard to get in touch. Not to mention their website (.com, not the .uk) is a little hard to open, often timed out. 
  
 I think they're dropshipper, like amazon or something, so they don't have full control of the shipping and QC of their products.


----------



## Sesameopen

Hey guys I am going to recable my brainwavz b2 because one cable just split. I took the cap off and now I am stuck on what supplies to get.


----------



## Shawn71

sesameopen said:


> Hey guys I am going to recable my brainwavz b2 because one cable just split. I took the cap off and now I am stuck on what supplies to get.




you need to solder carefully......for that you need to have soldering iron,lead the essentials for soldering and little knowledge on the same......and you need to glue them back once soldered correctly and tested to sound.....pls remember about setting the temp or the heat as it might damage the BA driver solder joint if its overheat.....


----------



## Sesameopen

shawn71 said:


> you need to solder carefully......for that you need to have soldering iron,lead the essentials for soldering and little knowledge on the same......and you need to glue them back once soldered correctly and tested to sound.....pls remember about setting the temp or the heat as it might damage the BA driver solder joint if its overheat.....




Yeah I have the solder equipment. What temperature should I be looking at? And what cabling equipment do I need


----------



## Arty McGhee

holco said:


> This will be the way I am going to do it, you need some adhesive heat shrink though.
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/9645#post_8532084


 
 that looks pretty good, adhesive shrink is your friend
 i  use 3:1 it does a nice job of tying everthing together
  
 did this with a spare connector barrel and adhesive shrink
  

  
 or with braided paracord
  

  
 or a skull


----------



## bigalila

I'm about to tackle a balanced, detachable cable mod on my DT880's. I'm looking at connector options for the cans.  There isn't a whole lot of room in the DT880, so I was looking for a small solution.  In my search I came across MCX connectors.  Usually used for small RF antenna connections, but look promising for this application.  Female panel mount for the can and male cable mount for the cable.  My only worry is that the connector won't have enough friction to support the cable.  Has anybody had any experience with these connectors?  
  
 Ebay links to what I'm on about:
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/281127291635?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/171656322064?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649


----------



## MrEleventy

Should work. The Hifimans use SMC connectors and there's a few IEMs that use mmxcs like the TE-05, Shure, etc.


----------



## bigalila

Sweet, just ordered them. Sexy cable here I come!!!


----------



## creatip

bigalila said:


> Sweet, just ordered them. Sexy cable here I come!!!


 
  
 Ah too late. I'd have voted for SMC connector of Hifiman's. It got screw threads that locks tight. Once it's locked, it's impossible to pull it off, accidentally or not, without breaking anything.
  
 Here's a picture:


----------



## MrEleventy

Personally, I like the MMXC types. I don't know how reliable they are in the long run but the ones on my IEMs are pretty sturdy and hold together pretty tightly. I really have to try to disconnect them.


----------



## bigalila

creatip said:


> Ah too late. I'd have voted for SMC connector of Hifiman's. It got screw threads that locks tight. Once it's locked, it's impossible to pull it off, accidentally or not, without breaking anything.
> 
> Here's a picture:


 
  
 I looked at those too, it was still going to be to tight to the drivers for my comfort.  I have been looking at data sheets for days now and making measurements.  I wanted to go with a connector that I could use on all my HP's current and to come.  I want the ability to swap the cable between them.  I need a really long cable for my living room and a short one for my bedroom.  I also need a balanced cable soon because I'm going to gift myself a Gungnir and Mjolnir in a few months as a "retirement present" to myself.
  
 They have MMCX connectors too that are even smaller.  I thought they would be too small for my application though.


----------



## MrEleventy

The HD800 connectors are expensive but they would work. They're pretty slim. Mini-XLRs would fit too if you mod the cups a little. TrollDragon has a set of DT880s modded with mini-XLR connectors in each cup.

Myself, I've modded and balanced a DT770 Pro80 with a mini-xlr 4pin. I liked having single entry so I kept it that way.


----------



## bigalila

Yeah... HD800 connectors are a little pricey.  Didn't want to have to drop that kind of money every time I convert a HP or need to make a new cable.  I also didn't want to mod the cups or driver housing on my DT880.  I got some AD900's (heard them once and always wanted them) and X2's coming that will also get the mod.
  
 While I'm posting... never had the DT880 completely apart.  I figured while I'm at it, I want to liven up the color scheme a little.  I've searched for a "how to" for disassembling them completely, but everybody stops after the drivers are out.  How hard is it to split the two cup halves (if you can) and remove the grills?


----------



## MrEleventy

[@]cCasper TFG[/@]'s done it, You can ask him. Here's a LINK


----------



## TrollDragon

bigalila said:


> Yeah... HD800 connectors are a little pricey.  Didn't want to have to drop that kind of money every time I convert a HP or need to make a new cable.  I also didn't want to mod the cups or driver housing on my DT880.  I got some AD900's (heard them once and always wanted them) and X2's coming that will also get the mod.
> 
> While I'm posting... never had the DT880 completely apart.  I figured while I'm at it, I want to liven up the color scheme a little.  I've searched for a "how to" for disassembling them completely, but everybody stops after the drivers are out.  How hard is it to split the two cup halves (if you can) and remove the grills?


 
  
 Check he previous post for cCasper TFG's mods... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
  
 Be _*EXTREMELY*_ careful when removing the drivers from the DT880's and any other DTXXX as the little tangs that the wires solder to are only press fit into the plastic and will pull out very easily. This will break the voice coil wire on the driver and if you are lucky you can reattach it like a few of us have done.


----------



## bigalila

Thanks for the link and info!  With the DIY Manufaktur name on the thread I was never going to find it!  Thanks again!!!


----------



## MrEleventy

NP. And GL w/ the mods. Post some pics when you're done.


----------



## bigalila

I'll post pics, unless I botch it, then I'll act like it never happened.


----------



## PETEREK

Good luck! It's not too difficult if you're patient. 



bigalila said:


> I'll post pics, unless I botch it, then I'll act like it never happened.


----------



## Rem0o

Hi there. New to this DIY cable thing!

 I will make a cable for my HD650 as I want a shorter one.

 My plan is *W2534 *from mogami, techflex sleeving, cardas connectors and a neutrick plug (basic stuff). However, I have a few questions regarding the cable itself. 
  
 1)  Do you need to solder the copper shield to ground or let it float there?
 2) If I plan to sleeve anyway, should I just strip the 4 conductors off and get rid of the shield/insulation material all together?
 3) If I do as I said in 2), can you just buy jacket-less cable in the first place?

 Open to all recommendations!
  
 Thanks!


----------



## scizzro

rem0o said:


> Open to all recommendations!
> 
> Thanks!


 
 You can buy single conductors, but typically it's more expensive than Mogami quad. Redco, SonicCraft, Double Helix, Moon Audio, etc, all sells this kind of wire. If you're making a single ended cable, not having a shield can make your system more prone to interference. I have one and I have to move my cell phone away from the cable, or I can hear the data transmission.


----------



## Rem0o

scizzro said:


> You can buy single conductors, but typically it's more expensive than Mogami quad. Redco, SonicCraft, Double Helix, Blue Moon Audio, etc, all sells this kind of wire. If you're making a single ended cable, not having a shield can make your system more prone to interference. I have one and I have to move my cell phone away from the cable, or I can hear the data transmission.


 
 Right, but how do you split the shield at the separation point to go to each side? I guess you can rewrap the shield arround each side?


----------



## DingoSmuggler

rem0o said:


> Right, but how do you split the shield at the separation point to go to each side? I guess you can rewrap the shield arround each side?


 
 Just strip the inner conductors out, forget the shield. Shielding isn't useful for headphone cables.


----------



## PETEREK

When it comes to shielding on headphone cables, I feel the added flexibility of having a cable without a shield outweighs any problems I might have with interference using it. None of my cables have shields and I still don't have issues with phone signals, or anything else.


----------



## Arty McGhee

dingosmuggler said:


> Just strip the inner conductors out, forget the shield. Shielding isn't useful for headphone cables.


 
 yeah
 none of my cables are shielded
 not needed


----------



## 020Assassin

peterek said:


> When it comes to shielding on headphone cables, I feel the added flexibility of having a cable without a shield outweighs any problems I might have with interference using it. None of my cables have shields and I still don't have issues with phone signals, or anything else.




I'm often using your cable on my ZennJazzGrado in places with WiFi and lots of people using phones and bluetooth connections, and I've never had any interference.


----------



## Rem0o

Great thanks!


----------



## musicinmymind

I am planning to build 2.5 mm Trrs to shure plug IEM cable for JVC 850 balanced cable. I found this awesome 2.5 mm trrs plug with lock in ebay. But very costly 35$, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Ranko-Acoustics-REP-1050-4P-Rhodium-Plated-2-5mm-TRRS-Stereo-Plug-/321646170681?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae39b1239
  

  
 Please suggest 2.5 trrs plug with lock, for around 10$


----------



## PETEREK

I just got a pair of Luke Skybeyers in the mail that I want to restore. I just have to say, the cabling on these things is some of the worst stuff I've ever seen. The strain reliefs are terrible, thick pieces of rubber tubing (not heatshrink) and the cable is made up of 6 VERY rigid pieces of solid core wire. The worst. I just wanted to share that. These will be receiving a full makeover shortly. I might even order some Black Dragon cable to use on these, I want to see what's so great about it.
  
  
 (Not my pair, these are just Darth Beyers, but show the cable better than most pictures on google)


----------



## Shawn71

musicinmymind said:


> I am planning to build 2.5 mm Trrs to shure plug IEM cable for JVC 850 balanced cable. I found this awesome 2.5 mm trrs plug with lock in ebay. But very costly 35$, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Ranko-Acoustics-REP-1050-4P-Rhodium-Plated-2-5mm-TRRS-Stereo-Plug-/321646170681?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae39b1239
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Hmm.....thats way too much.....this is a gold plated but reasonably priced.....You need to purchase worth usd30 to get a tracking # tho, just......

 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4258


----------



## PETEREK

shawn71 said:


> Hmm.....thats way too much.....this is a gold plated but reasonably priced.....You need to purchase worth usd30 to get a tracking # tho, just......
> 
> http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4258


 
 That link is broken for me.


----------



## TrollDragon

peterek said:


> That link is broken for me.


 
 The link works for me but those RK connectors are absolute trash.
  
 The strain relief on the barrel is a grub screw that screws down onto the wire. The best Chi-Nee threading that money can buy, so order a dozen and you might find two that actually have good working threads.

 Also expect a month shipping unless you pay for a faster method.


----------



## musicinmymind

trolldragon said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > That link is broken for me.
> ...


 
  
 Ohh boy, do not want to mess with RK connectors if they are not good....which ones you recommend?


----------



## TrollDragon

musicinmymind said:


> Ohh boy, do not want to mess with RK connectors if they are not good....which ones you recommend?


 

 I have had good luck with the Yarbo and Pailiccs connectors pictured above from lunashops.
 Just remember that 95% of all their stuff is cheap clone quality especially the Oyaide and Viablue.


----------



## TrollDragon

Pailiccs now has a 90º 3.5mm TRS. I need to get me some of these! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4478


----------



## musicinmymind

trolldragon said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > Ohh boy, do not want to mess with RK connectors if they are not good....which ones you recommend?
> ...


 
  
 are these good ? http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4100
  
 I need one 2.5 mm trrs male and 3.5 mm trrs female for RE-600 balanced connector. found 2.5 mm trrs with Pailiccs but they do not have 3.5 mm trrs female.
  
 as most of the their stuff is cheap, SQ wise Pailiccs are good? or I should look somewhere else and avoid lunashops completely. Shure connectors I got from them paying 10$ and wait for a month was crap, they did not work at all.


----------



## TrollDragon

musicinmymind said:


> are these good ? http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4100
> 
> I need one 2.5 mm trrs male and 3.5 mm trrs female for RE-600 balanced connector. found 2.5 mm trrs with Pailiccs but they do not have 3.5 mm trrs female.
> 
> as most of the their stuff is cheap, SQ wise Pailiccs are good? or I should look somewhere else and avoid lunashops completely. Shure connectors I got from them paying 10$ and wait for a month was crap, they did not work at all.


 

 I have never used those connectors, lunashops has cheap stuff, so it is really up to you to try them.
  
 As for the Pailiccs, I don't notice a difference in the perceived SQ of connectors and the same goes for wire. Unless the connectors are defective or badly corroded then they would all sound the same to me... As they always say... YMMV.


----------



## musicinmymind

trolldragon said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > are these good ? http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4100
> ...


 
  
 I just find this nice jack, it should do the job...thx
  
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Furutech-Valab-Oyaide-Shure-Denon-diy-headphone-cable-connector/Oyaide-J-3-5-mm-1-8-female-mini-rhodium


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I found this "JACK"...............
  
  

  
 Thanks,
  
 Jack


----------



## creatip

In my experience, Pailics is of decent quality. Never had any problems with Pailics (lose contact, hard to plug, tin not sticking, etc). The one bummer side of Pailics is its soldering contacts that's a headache for inexperienced guys. 
  
 Oyaide should be the lower border of 'high-end stuffs', so it's also good.


----------



## PETEREK

Do you guys think the pin part of a 4-pin mini xlr would pop into this barrel?
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEUTRIK-NC3FRX-BAG-3-PIN-FEMALE-XLR-PROFESSIONAL-90-RIGHT-ANGLE-AUDIO-CONNECTOR-/141542850620


----------



## TrollDragon

XLR plugs are very big compared to tiny xlr...
  
 Here is the drawing of that right angle.
 http://www.neutrik.com/zoolu-website/media/download/884/Drawing+NC3FRX
  
  
 Here is an adapter for size comparison.


----------



## PETEREK

Oh jeez for some reason I thought I was looking at a mini XLR. Haha Thanks for clearing that up for me. Whoops!


----------



## musicinmymind

Question on Mogami Gold Studio cable it has 3-pin XLR connectors and uses  Mogami W2534 which quad cable, how it this possible.
  
 how can they use solder four wires to 3-pin xlr?
  
 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GoldStu02
  
  
 even cardas 4x24 normally used for 3-pin XLR, again same question.
  
  
 http://www.soniccraft.com/product_info.php/cardas-4x24-awg-shielded-p-1911


----------



## musicinmymind

musicinmymind said:


> Question on Mogami Gold Studio cable it has 3-pin XLR connectors and uses  Mogami W2534 which quad cable, how it this possible.
> 
> how can they use solder four wires to 3-pin xlr?
> 
> ...


 
  
  
Blues to pin 2 (+) Clears to pin 3 (-) and shield at both ends to Pin 1 (Grnd)
  
​haha...answering my own question. searching net found this answer.


----------



## tepet08

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MS-Audio-Pure-Silver-Litz-Structure-Headphone-Replacement-Cable-/301489290142?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4632297b9e
  
 hi guys.I'm about to get myself to cable DIY.Its going to be a balanced cable for Alpha Prime.Since the stock cable is already a copper,I want a silver ones just to see if I can hear any difference with my too-tone-deaf eat,so going for a custom $300++ is an investment I'm not willing to make at this time.After some googling,I found this 'MS audio pure silver litz structure'.Would this work you guys think?Its $20 for a meter with $3 shipping.
  
 Thanks guys


----------



## Kamakahah

tepet08
That's actually a pretty interesting cable. The price is definitely right of what they say they are offering is correct when you compare similar offerings from other vendors. There are a couple issues. 

1. They don't give any additional stats on the wire material purity or how it was cast. 

2. Here is a quote from the listing, "Each filaments are independent signal transmission line. Electron only travel on surface of conductor>" 
First of all, that isn't really true in this case as far as I understand conduction in this setting. 
More importantly, if this statement were true, then why bother with pure silver over cheaper silver-plated copper or plated brass? According to this both would only transmit on the silver anyway. Either way, the difference between silver and copper is very small. If you hear any difference, it will likely be due to a slight increase in volume with the silver. Make sure to volume match. 

Also, litz wire is made to reduce the "skin effect" that can occur in larger wires conducting a good amount of current, like power lines. Pretty sure it's not an issue for the very small gauge wire that's used in our cables. More of a marketing tool than anything. 

Probably* nothing wrong with the cable , but the information seems odd. I might try some for fun.


----------



## creatip

tepet08 said:


> http://www.ebay.com/itm/MS-Audio-Pure-Silver-Litz-Structure-Headphone-Replacement-Cable-/301489290142?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4632297b9e
> 
> hi guys.I'm about to get myself to cable DIY.Its going to be a balanced cable for Alpha Prime.Since the stock cable is already a copper,I want a silver ones just to see if I can hear any difference with my too-tone-deaf eat,so going for a custom $300++ is an investment I'm not willing to make at this time.After some googling,I found this 'MS audio pure silver litz structure'.Would this work you guys think?Its $20 for a meter with $3 shipping.
> 
> Thanks guys


 
  
 Seriously, $20/m is quite a lot for a cable that you yourself isn't quite sure of the benefits it's supposed to give. Let alone, it's used for speakers. AFAIK I'd guess the requirement for a decent speakers placement should make it min. 2m cables needed for each speakers. Stereo speakers placed too close to each other won't give a good spacial sound anyway. 2m each would make it 4m = $80. Quite a lot for a speaker wiring cable. Yeah, I know there are a lot of way pricier cables, which I don't really think they worth their weigh in gold either. 
  
 Besides, unlike headphones, there are a lot of other factors that come into play for speaker systems to sound good. Something like placement, furnitures around the room, and wall damping will make a more significant difference than a cable upgrade, IMO. Even with cheap styrofoam sheets roughly placed on walls could change the sound quite a lot.


----------



## Anaximandros

FYI, I bought some silver plated copper teflon insulated cables from pentodbg.
 These are AWG26, 30 strands, very flexible and fit perfectly into paracord type I.
  
http://www.ebay.de/itm/10-m-HIGH-PURITY-SILVER-PLATED-TEFLON-PTFE-WIRE-0-14mm2-26AWG-FOR-AUDIO-/161342082107
  
 10m for $18 inlcuding shipping.


----------



## Worth

Can I use AWG26 speaker wire for making a headphone cable?


----------



## creatip

worth said:


> Can I use AWG26 speaker wire for making a headphone cable?


 
  
 Yes. But keep in mind, AWG26 wires are very very small, only 0.405mm in diameter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge)
  
 I made one for my HE-400, but ended up not using it, as it looks very ridiculous. Small wires plugged into a big over ear headphone. 
  
 Most of the time, it wouldn't be a problem other than aesthetic (very small wire vs big headphone). For particular insensitive and current (ampere) hunger headphones, such as HE-6, 26 AWG might not be big enough to deliver the amount of current needed


----------



## Worth

creatip said:


> Yes. But keep in mind, AWG26 wires are very very small, only 0.405mm in diameter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge)
> 
> I made one for my HE-400, but ended up not using it, as it looks very ridiculous. Small wires plugged into a big over ear headphone.
> 
> Most of the time, it wouldn't be a problem other than aesthetic (very small wire vs big headphone). For particular insensitive and current (ampere) hunger headphones, such as HE-6, 26 AWG might not be big enough to deliver the amount of current needed



What about for alpha dogs?


----------



## Kamakahah

creatip said:


> Seriously, $20/m is quite a lot for a cable that you yourself isn't quite sure of the benefits it's supposed to give. Let alone, it's used for speakers. AFAIK I'd guess the requirement for a decent speakers placement should make it min. 2m cables needed for each speakers. Stereo speakers placed too close to each other won't give a good spacial sound anyway. 2m each would make it 4m = $80. Quite a lot for a speaker wiring cable. Yeah, I know there are a lot of way pricier cables, which I don't really think they worth their weigh in gold either.
> 
> Besides, unlike headphones, there are a lot of other factors that come into play for speaker systems to sound good. Something like placement, furnitures around the room, and wall damping will make a more significant difference than a cable upgrade, IMO. Even with cheap styrofoam sheets roughly placed on walls could change the sound quite a lot.




Actually the cable is effectively four individual conductors. You'll notice the cable is two connected together. Within each of those are two individually bundled groups. 
So for a six foot cable with four wires you would need two meters of that cable, $40 worth. 

If you tried to buy twenty-four feet of pure silver litz wire from a cable maker, it normally runs almost $10 per foot so a total of almost $240. That's why I said this is a good deal from that perspective: However, I'm not convinced the product is legit considering the exceptionally low price point. 

If I had to guess, it's probably mislabeled silver-plated copper. Although, I could be wrong.


----------



## Whaleshark12

Hey guys, I was thinking of recabling my own IEM. But there are couple of question I would like to ask some well info Head fier about the cable. Which cable is suitable for making IEM cables? AWG26 or AWG32? Some cable are rated 4n (which means 99.99 oxygen free right?), http://www.ebay.com/itm/15Ft-4N-occ-Silver-plated-Headphone-Cable-DIY-Replace-Repair-Upgrade-Cable-/111383361282?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19eef73702 Something like this. But how do i differentiate which channel is to which cable? What i meant was, example I have a superlux HD381. When i disconnect the wire from the driver there is 2 strand, 1 in red, another in copper colour. As the ebay's pic only show 6 strand of the same colour (silver). How do I know which channel is going to be? As for solder, is 60% tin 40% lead good enough for solder the wire end at the driver? Or do i need a solder with small amount of silver in it? I have read about that silver does't increase the conductivity. It only prevent the wire get oxidized. My source may not be that correct but do hope you guys could correct me.


----------



## sfo1972

@Kamakahah thanks for all the support along the way. I finished my first cable, pics on this link:
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14370#post_11282669
  
 cheers


----------



## Lohb

Anyone got a lead on chunky multi-strand DIY 22AWG (litz) cryo up-occ copper ?
  
 The ready-made retail cabling is just too much for me right now.


----------



## DJScope

lohb said:


> Anyone got a lead on chunky multi-strand DIY 22AWG (litz) cryo up-occ copper ?
> 
> The ready-made retail cabling is just too much for me right now.


 
  
 http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/index1/Litz-Wire-Supplier.html


----------



## musicinmymind

djscope said:


> lohb said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone got a lead on chunky multi-strand DIY 22AWG (litz) cryo up-occ copper ?
> ...


 
  
 this site has Litz wires cheaper than air, have you used any of them, are they good?


----------



## ThurstonX

musicinmymind said:


> this site has Litz wires cheaper than air, have you used any of them, are they good?


 
  
 I bought and used a 100-foot spool of the 100/46 wire in three HP cables and a few 12-inch interconnects.  Aside from needing to remove the coating prior to soldering (been covered in this thread), I had no problems with it.  Sound quality-wise I have no complaints, but I didn't compare it to other cables, other than decide that the jobs were all worth it.
  
 I'd probably get heavier gauge wire for interconnects, if I had to do it all over again, but the 100/46 threaded through 95-lbs. paracord from Paracord Planet makes for seriously light, supple braided cables; far more so than stripped out Mogami wires, e.g.
  
 HTH.


----------



## musicinmymind

thurstonx said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > this site has Litz wires cheaper than air, have you used any of them, are they good?
> ...


 
  
 Do you burn the coating with a lighter?, please give me the link to this thread, if you know the page no


----------



## ThurstonX

musicinmymind said:


> Do you burn the coating with a lighter?, please give me the link to this thread, if you know the page no


 
  
 I did that once, and while it worked, it coated the wires with soot.  I used some steel wool and super fine emery paper to clean it off, but it was a tedious process.  In the end I used @TrollDragon's trick of melting it off in a solder ball, and augmented his trick by fanning out the wires and brushing with the iron's tip, flipping the fan over to get as much as possible.  My trick did break a few of the 100 strands occasionally, but done carefully it sped up the process, and I don't notice any problems where it counts.  A DMM is a must to make sure the wires are really conducting.
  
 So yeah, extra work compared to standard wire, but I reckon all Litz wire is like that...?


----------



## musicinmymind

thurstonx said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > Do you burn the coating with a lighter?, please give me the link to this thread, if you know the page no
> ...


 
  
 understood, may have use a solder pot as well. If Litz sounds almost like Mogami wires, is it worth the trouble?


----------



## Armaegis

musicinmymind said:


> this site has Litz wires cheaper than air, have you used any of them, are they good?


 
  
 Prices that are too good to be true, on a site hosted by angelfire???


----------



## 020Assassin

Does anybody have the wire codes for the stock T50RP cable? I want to cut the stock wire and give it a male/female 3.5mm mini jack coupling, but I need to know the colour of the L wire and the R wire.


----------



## TrollDragon

armaegis said:


> Prices that are too good to be true, on a site hosted by angelfire???


 

 That used to be Scott's site, he must have sold it to Mike.


  
 Excellent wire from his site and great prices to boot!


----------



## 3l3tric

So, I had this crazy idea for an unbalanced headphone cable shielding design, and I'd like to hear your opinions on whether it will work or not.
 The MS Paint rendition is below, but this is what it consists of:
 1. A layer of thin metal film shielding, such as Double Helix Cables' "Membrane" shielding, overlayed with shrink tube for stability
 2. A copper mesh tube that covers both signal wires simultaneously
 3. A copper mesh tube that covers one signal wire.
 NOTE: In the cross sections, the central black area is the Left signal wire, the central red area is the right signal wire. Consult the color key for all other materials.
  
 My thought is that, due to the increasing diameter of the copper mesh shield as the cable goes from Headphones to amplifier, I will be able to perform the necessary modifications to the shield and then slip it over the whole cable. The diameter of the mesh at the top is equivalent to the diameter of each signal wire at the thin insulation layer. The diameter of the mesh used from the Y-Joint down will be equivalent to the diameter of a circle with a circumference equal to 2 times the diameter of each signal wire at the thin insulation layer. At the conjoined section of the Y-joint, I will scrunch the mesh down to increase the inner diameter, and will then solder the middle of the tube together, creating two chambers. The upper areas of shielding will be soldered to this conjoined 2-chamber piece.
  
 The reason for the full separation of the Left and Right channels is the Right-hand rule of physics, which in this case would allow for signal interference between the channels if the wires were not individually shielded from each other. The inner cotton and thick shrinkwrap layers are placed in their positions for spacing between the shielding and signal wires. The metal foil and copper mesh will be soldered together at the 1/4 plug end and the headphone connection ends, and this soldered "wire" will be connected to the ground terminals on both connections, making the whole shielding the ground wire and increasing its efficiency, as a ground plane does in an actual audio circuit.
  
 What do you guys think? Image below.
 If this is a good design, I think it will cut the cost of unbalanced cables down, as we'll only have to spend money on 1 expensive inner cable rather than two. And this design, using physics principles, will increase the performance of the whole cable.


----------



## TrollDragon

3l3tric said:


> _*So, I had this crazy idea*_...
> ..._*will increase the performance of the whole cable.*_


 
  
 Wow that is a whole big pile of work to make a very stiff cable that will give no noticeable improvement over a piece of unshielded wire...
 Increasing cable performance??


----------



## jodgey4

Well if it's a long enough cable running by some noisy electronics... it may not be _that_ crazy. But I agree, for 98% of users, it's probably overkill and stiff. I'm sure that'd be a great build.


----------



## 3l3tric

trolldragon said:


> Wow that is a whole big pile of work to make a very stiff cable that will give no noticeable improvement over a piece of unshielded wire...
> Increasing cable performance??


 
 I figured that the whole point of DIY cables was building the best performing/looking cable possible.
  
 What I meant by increasing performance was reducing potential signal interference and improving the effectiveness of the shield. Some methods I've heard about before explain to use a twisted pair of signal/ground wires and surround with disconnected metal shield. In practice, this design results in a higher chance of EMI from the ground wire and the metal shield is less effective.
  
 My design, in theory, ensures that from bottom to top, the signal will be introduced to the least possible interference, resulting in the greatest possible integrity of signal through the conductor. In practice, I doubt it will be a night and day difference, since we're talking about cables here, but I think there may be a psychological impact from just knowing that the best possible cables are used. Additionally, I feel like there may be some additional clarity or overall lack of congestion, but these are just guesses that will not be resolved until I actually build this cable.
  
 Finally, this design should, in theory, reduce the cost of cable built using high price conductors, such as Litz wires, as only 1/2 of the previously required wire will be needed, and IIRC, the supplies that make up the shielding will cost less than the ground wire.
  
 I hope this makes sense. I'm not George Cardas, and I'm not asserting that music will sound totally different using this cabling method. It's really more a peace of mind improvement than anything else.


jodgey4 said:


> Well if it's a long enough cable running by some noisy electronics... it may not be _that_ crazy. But I agree, for 98% of users, it's probably overkill and stiff. I'm sure that'd be a great build.


 
 I don't doubt that it's overkill, especially for an unbalanced kilobuck setup. But hey, go big or go home, I guess. I'd rather go to the extreme now than later.
  
 I've decided to remove one layer of the cotton dielectric and heatshrink from the design plan, as I believe that it would needlessly add cost and thickness.
 At this point, there are only 6 layers on top of the initial signal wire: Dielectric>Shrinktube>Foil Shield>Shrinktube>Mesh shield>Outer Shrinktube> (Optional) Fiber Mesh
 Since the cotton dielectric will be pulled fairly thinly, and the layer of shrinktube above the foil shield will be as thin as feasible, I believe that this cable will still be manipulable and will not be overly heavy.
 Additionally, I doubt I'll hear a totally dynamic difference, but I think that I may hear a slight difference just from knowing that the signal going from amp to headphone will not be interfered with in any way.


----------



## Kamakahah

I think everyone needs to go play the Google game and learn a little more about Litz cable. Specifically what makes it different, its purpose, and under what circumstances it actually makes a difference. 

I think that'll help take some of the wow factor out of that term. 

As far as the shielding theory above, it's fine but unnecessary for the majority of users under average listening conditions. 
A cable like the one described above will lack the functionally that will be far more noticeable than the possible micro-plankton of sonic benefit from thick shielding. This is from my experience and understanding. YMMV. e.g. Your home is located in an area with exceptionally high levels of interference, but that's not the case for most.


----------



## 3l3tric

kamakahah said:


> I think everyone needs to go play the Google game and learn a little more about Litz cable. Specifically what makes it different, its purpose, and under what circumstances it actually makes a difference.
> 
> I think that'll help take some of the wow factor out of that term.
> 
> ...




Thanks for your input.

Since it's a headphone cable for desktop listening rather than an IEM cable, I think I'm going to use this design since it will have the best possible shielding properties out of any design I could come up with.

Just to be totally clear, I'm attributing any sonic benefits from this cable to the OCC signal wire I'm using, and I'm not expecting a sonic overhaul.


----------



## Arty McGhee

kamakahah said:


> I think everyone needs to go play the Google game and learn a little more about Litz cable. Specifically what makes it different, its purpose, and under what circumstances it actually makes a difference.
> 
> I think that'll help take some of the wow factor out of that term.
> 
> ...


 
 so after a little google-fu
 i understand litz wire is for primarily for making coils 
 that carry high voltages of ac current
 while they will work fine as audio cables there seems to be 
 no benefit other than selling fancy cables for a lot of money
 this dude really bursts that bubble starting about 25 cents a foot
 do people really believe that there is an improvement in quality
 between litz and say a straightened out coat hanger
  
 i like the silk coated stuff i could make a really cool cable for my grados
 20 feet is like 10 bucks.. im there 
 anybody know how to solder this stuff will my good ole kester 60/40 work on this stuff
 gotta place an order now


----------



## Kamakahah

arty mcghee said:


> so after a little google-fu
> i understand litz wire is for primarily for making coils
> that carry high voltages of ac current
> while they will work fine as audio cables there seems to be
> ...




Seems you got a good start from Google.

The price is definitely right. I ordered both silk and Teflon insulated wire a while back from there. I suggest ordering a bit larger than you'd expect. It's very thin and flexible. At times that makes it very hard to individually sleeve without attaching a guide. Is it worth the extra effort? Probably not, but still a decent value if you want to experiment. 

You can use your 60/40 to remove the enamel. Just put a nice blob on the tip of the iron and run it over the wire for a bit. There are some other scraping methods. YouTube has a few videos for showing how to without a solder pot.


----------



## Stillhart

Hey all,
  
 I'm ready to get going on my adventures in DIY cabling.  My first project is going to be just a replacement cable for my new HE-560.  I want to make a balanced cable running to XLR and then an XLR->TRS adapter for running SE.  
  
 I've been reading a lot and have a pretty good idea of what to do, but I'm having a heck of a time figuring out which parts to order.  I want to do a braided 4-wire thing with nice sleeves on the individual wires.  
  
 So I was thinking of getting some Canare L-4E6S and stripping out the wires, etc.  Is that overkill for a first cable?  It's kinda pricey considering I'l probably make a lot of noob mistakes.  There's also Gotham GAC-4/1 and Mogami 2893?  Those are thinner and more flexible I guess.  Thinner is probably better with those teeny SMC connectors, right?
  
 And then once I get that handled, I need to get the techflex or paracord.  I read Techflex 3/32 somewhere; is that the right size?  I'm worried about micophonics with the techflex and I was wondering if there were other options that are softer.
  
 Neutrik connectors on the XLR side and whatever I can dig up for SMC.  
  
 LOL!  I feel like such a noob.  This is the hardest part by far!
  
 EDIT - Can I just use Redco's house brand cable?  Seems to be equivalent to those others and a nice in-between size of 24AWG.  http://www.redco.com/Redco-TGS-QD.html


----------



## PETEREK

@Stillhart

I personally prefer Mogami over Canare. If you want the wires from inside the w2893 cable, order w2799 instead, it uses the same wires but has less to cut through. 

As for the sleeving, if you want to braid 4 wires individually I recommend Type 1 paracord. When sleeving it, it's easiest to not strip the end of the wire until after you route it through the paracord. To put the wire through the paracord you should fold the beginning of the wire at about an inch or inch and a half in and put the folded end in first, it's MUCH easier to do it that way. 

Neutrik XLR connectors are probably the easiest things to solder to in the headphone connector world, so you're in luck there. The smc connectors are another story. I normally use the ones Plussound sells as a pair. Solder the signal wire first and then route the ground through the connector and solder it to the OUTSIDE of the part surrounding the signals spot. Easiest way. 

And finally, congrats on saving yourself a s***load of money on cables by doing it yourself. Even if you were to mess up 5 times making a cable, it will probably still cost you less than laying someone to make you a cable once. But beware, once you DIY a cable nicely once, every headphone you have will end up with a new cable. This is your warning. It's an addiction I don't mind having.


----------



## Kamakahah

@Stillhart @cCasper TFG I agree mostly with Casper. You'll develop your own preferences over time. While I like Mogami, I think that Canare L-4E5C to be probably have the best value/cost ratio. It's the mini cable to the Canare L-4E6S. It doesn't really get much cheaper than $0.48 for 4 feet of wire quality copper wire.
 If you think that's overkill, your wallet is in for a huge surprise when you start looking at boutique wire.  
 One benefit of the canare is that the braided shielding is MUCH faster to remove than the wrapped in the mogami. You literally just slide it off. Takes less than 15 seconds. I've found a few tricks to make unwrapping the wire from the paper/cotton strands a bit faster. Hard to explain in words. It's basically spinning it like a jump rope while holding what you are removing and trying to avoid getting hit in the face after you unwind about 3 feet. 
 You could use the redco if you want, but I'd recommend the Canare or Mogami. 
  
 I like using type 1 or micro paracord for individual wire sleeving, but type 95 paracord gives you a bit more space and makes the process faster/less tedious. Naturally the twisted wire inside the Canare and Mogami will have kinks. You can get those out by sliding them over a rounded surface. Just make sure not to pull at a sharp angle. Alternatively, you can heat it up with a blow dryer and pull it straight. Just make sure to not over heat it. 
  
 Always good to have more guys jumping into the DIY cable ring. It's a lot of fun to see people's work come to life in different forms than I had imagined. 
 My advice is to do a quick sketch to plan out the build. Let it show which wires go to what pins, the order you plan to put things on, making sure the heat shrink and connector shell are on the cable before soldering, and things of that nature. Only takes a few minutes but can save you from serious face palm moments. 
 Finally, take your time. You'll be happy you did. Each build you'll find new tricks to make things easier and faster.


----------



## ThurstonX

peterek said:


> @Stillhart
> 
> I personally prefer Mogami over Canare. If you want the wires from inside the w2893 cable, order w2799 instead, it uses the same wires but has less to cut through.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I agree with this so much I had to quote it all.  I do agree about the 95-lbs. paracord comment, though.  I was thinking that's the same thing as Type 1.


----------



## Stillhart

peterek said:


> @Stillhart
> 
> I personally prefer Mogami over Canare. If you want the wires from inside the w2893 cable, order w2799 instead, it uses the same wires but has less to cut through.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks for the tips!  The Plussound connectors cost 50% more than just buying them from Head Direct.  Is there a notable difference between the two?
  


kamakahah said:


> @Stillhart @cCasper TFG I agree mostly with Casper. You'll develop your own preferences over time. While I like Mogami, I think that Canare L-4E5C to be probably have the best value/cost ratio. It's the mini cable to the Canare L-4E6S. It doesn't really get much cheaper than $0.48 for 4 feet of wire quality copper wire.
> If you think that's overkill, your wallet is in for a huge surprise when you start looking at boutique wire.
> One benefit of the canare is that the braided shielding is MUCH faster to remove than the wrapped in the mogami. You literally just slide it off. Takes less than 15 seconds. I've found a few tricks to make unwrapping the wire from the paper/cotton strands a bit faster. Hard to explain in words. It's basically spinning it like a jump rope while holding what you are removing and trying to avoid getting hit in the face after you unwind about 3 feet.
> You could use the redco if you want, but I'd recommend the Canare or Mogami.
> ...


 
  
 Thanks as well!  Re the overkill comment, I was actually looking at a website that was charging too much.  I've found it for cheaper now.  Also, after doing more research, I realize it's on the cheaper side.  Also, took a step back and realized that the wiring is going to be the cheapest part of the cable.  lol
  
 Really like the idea of the build plan.  I'll probably put together a basic checklist so I don't do stuff in the wrong order... or at least I'll be able to reorder it once I realize I've made a mistake.
  


thurstonx said:


> I agree with this so much I had to quote it all.  I do agree about the 95-lbs. paracord comment, though.  I was thinking that's the same thing as Type 1.


 
  
 Can anyone confirm?  I'm paranoid about getting the wrong stuff.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  I'll probably just grab some of the 95.
  
 The Canare is the cheapest and I fully expect to **** up my first build so I'll probably grab that.  I think the last thing I need to figure out is what kind of shrink wrap I need.  I grabbed a "variety pack" at Radio Shack for 50% off of dirt cheap.  But I'll probably want more at some point...


----------



## ThurstonX

stillhart said:


> Can anyone confirm?  I'm paranoid about getting the wrong stuff.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 I can confirm that Paracord Planet's 95-lbs. works great with stripped out Mogami (W2799 in my case).  As for SMC connectors, I just bought the cheapest I could find on eBay (China or Hong Kong), and bought a few extras, which isn't a bad idea, esp. at those prices.  Prior to that I'd always used the ones from HiFiMAN.  The ones from eBay have a snugger fit at the cups, which I prefer.  They could hang there without screwing them on, though of course you wouldn't use them that way.  May just be a manufacturing aberration, but I'm not complaining.  FWIW, I used them on two cables, one each for HE-560s and HE-500s.
  
 re: Mogami vs. Canare, I'm not familiar with the latter.  The W2799 is pretty inexpensive from Redco (cheapest I could find at $0.64/foot, which is four conductors, so divide by four).
  
 HTH.


----------



## Kamakahah

Stillhart There isn't a difference in the connectors. Norne audio also sells them, but the cheapest by far is from China if you don't mind the wait. 

Some 3:1 ratio heatshrink comes in very handy for covering barrel to wire spots where it really needs to shrink down. The 2:1 ratio that you picked up is good to have on hand either way. 
I recommend some 3/16ths, 1/8th, and maybe some 1/4 inch just for giggles. 
Canare doesn't get any cheaper than from Redco if you plan to pick up 30+ feet. You can sometimes find 10-20ft quantities on ebay at a decent price. 

Paracord vendors try to stick to standards, but I've found there are minor variations occasionally. Can't really if type 1 and 95-paracord are the same,but I can assure you that micro Paracord is smaller. I like it, but it is undoubtedly more difficult to use.


----------



## 020Assassin

I ordered 2x 5 meters of paracord type I, in black and in gold. Mogami and Canare is difficut to come by here, but I got Tasker C116, which seems to have the same values. I got two 3.5 mm jacks, the straight Neutrik NYS231 and the angled NTP3RC. When the paracord arrives I'm going to try my hand to make a gold and black version of the cable cCaspar made for my ZennJazzGrado:


----------



## Stillhart

NM, I think I got it.  I'm gonna grab a variety kit of 3:1 tubes.


----------



## 020Assassin

stillhart said:


> NM, I think I got it.  I'm gonna grab a variety kit of 3:1 tubes.


 

 I checked out something similar, but with a variety of colours too. The main problem is that you'll probably use half of them, and find no use for the other half.
  
 I think when you make your own cable, you'll probably get a preference for certain cable, and you'll find yourself using two or maybe three widths in heatshrink, which are cheaper if you buy per yard/meter, so you can snip off the required length yourself, instead of getting stuck with all pieces being 45mm...


----------



## Stillhart

020assassin said:


> I checked out something similar, but with a variety of colours too. The main problem is that you'll probably use half of them, and find no use for the other half.
> 
> I think when you make your own cable, you'll probably get a preference for certain cable, and you'll find yourself using two or maybe three widths in heatshrink, which are cheaper if you buy per yard/meter, so you can snip off the required length yourself, instead of getting stuck with all pieces being 45mm...


 
  
 Okay, I'll stick with my Radio Shack ones for now and see which sizes I actually use.  Thanks.


----------



## Stillhart

Question unrelated to all my other questions:  I figure I'll probably want to replace the cable on my beloved HP100 (seriously, these cans are just awesome for the price!) since it comes with a coiled cable that I'm not too fond of.  The problem is that it uses a semi-proprietary connector.  It's a 3.5mm stereo jack but with a weird outer locking ring.  I emailed them directly and they don't have replacement connectors.
  
 I've tried replacements with thin barrels to fit inside the locking mechanism (the kind made for cell phone cases) but they don't quite work.  The only thing I can think of right now is using a dremel tool to file off the locking thing on the cup and hope a regular 3.5mm connectors just stays in there well.  
  
 Anyone have any thoughts on options?


----------



## Worth

Does braiding the cable reduce the length? If so, how much?


----------



## scizzro

worth said:


> Does braiding the cable reduce the length? If so, how much?


 
  
 On a 5-foot cable with 4 conductors, I lost roughly 4 inches. But it depends on the diameter of the wire and how tightly you braid it.


stillhart said:


> Anyone have any thoughts on options?


 
 Could you just cut that connector off a few inches below the boot and solder the stock wires to the cable you make? Some heatshrink would cover the splice.


----------



## Worth

scizzro said:


> On a 5-foot cable with 4 conductors, I lost roughly 4 inches. But it depends on the diameter of the wire and how tightly you braid it.



Thanks! How tightly did you braid?


----------



## holco

My DIY balanced cable for the HD 650
  
 Finally I can use my headphone on the lounge suite 




  
 Mogami W2893
 4 pins XLR Neutrik NC4MXX
 CARDAS HPSC Headphone Connector (very challenging to solder!!, IMHO they should use silver pins)
 Lengt: 17 feet (510cm)


----------



## Worth

What gauge wire should I use for a Rca to 3.5mm cable?


----------



## Stillhart

holco said:


> My DIY balanced cable for the HD 650
> 
> Finally I can use my headphone on the lounge suite
> 
> ...


 
  
 This is going to be one of my next projects.  Not looking forward to soldering those Senn connectors...


----------



## holco

stillhart said:


> This is going to be one of my next projects.  Not looking forward to soldering those Senn connectors...


 
 Yes don't underestimate those CARDAS HPSC connectors, they are a pain in the butt to solder


----------



## Stillhart

holco said:


> Yes don't underestimate those CARDAS HPSC connectors, they are a pain in the butt to solder


 
  
 Yeah, I'll stick with my current plan:
  
 HE-560 to balanced XLR + XLR->TRS adapter + TRS->1/8" mini adapter
 Q701 Boompro adapter
 More HE-560 cables for friends perhaps
  
 ...then maybe I'll have enough soldering under my belt to try something hard like the Senns.


----------



## Eudis

Hi. I have some Mogami cable with 4 wires inside. I wanted to make a double male cable using 3.5mm Trs. So, do I Solder the black and sleave wire together onto the connecter ground. The leaves me one for + and one for - and one left over. What do I do with the left over?


----------



## holco

Ground to ground
 two wires to +
 two wires to -


----------



## Eudis

Thanka!


----------



## PETEREK

I personally don't use the shield. I do 2 to the grounds and one to each signal.


----------



## ThurstonX

peterek said:


> I personally don't use the shield. I do 2 to the grounds and one to each signal.


 
  
 Ditto, but then I've always stripped off everything down to the four wires.


----------



## PETEREK

Yeah so do I. I very rarely use the cable in its complete form. But when I did, I still didn't use the shield.


----------



## Eudis

Here it is!
Just one issue. Gotta find some 3:1 heat shrink to clamp the neutrik plug in securely. Redco ran out of silver L plugs so they sent me a black one. Oh well, thus is my first cable.


----------



## Stillhart

Well, here goes nothing!


----------



## scizzro

stillhart said:


> Well, here goes nothing!


 

 Good luck 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 You starting tonight? And what's that TRS female for?


----------



## Stillhart

scizzro said:


> Good luck
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 I'm making a 6' balanced XLR, a 6" XLR->TRS 1/4" and a 6" TRS 1/4"->TRS 1/8".  You know... just in case.  The last one is just because I'm going to have to sell the one that came with my HD650 and I love that darned thing.
  
 I'll start tonight as soon as I find info on how to solder the HiFiMan connectors.  I have no clue... lol


----------



## scizzro

stillhart said:


> I'm making a 6' balanced XLR, a 6" XLR->TRS 1/4" and a 6" TRS 1/4"->TRS 1/8".  You know... just in case.  The last one is just because I'm going to have to sell the one that came with my HD650 and I love that darned thing.
> 
> I'll start tonight as soon as I find info on how to solder the HiFiMan connectors.  I have no clue... lol


 
 Darn you'll be a pro at soldering after you're done =p
  
 I might be wrong, but I was under the impression most of those cheap smc connectors were meant to be crimped, not soldered


----------



## Stillhart

scizzro said:


> Darn you'll be a pro at soldering after you're done =p
> 
> I might be wrong, but I was under the impression most of those cheap smc connectors were meant to be crimped, not soldered


 
  
According to this page, you have to solder the center pin and the outer barrel...


----------



## scizzro

stillhart said:


> According to this page, you have to solder the center pin and the outer barrel...


 
 Learn something new every day. Not sure if you need this, but I'm gonna post it here for future reference when I re-cable my HE400.
  

 I would start by putting some solder onto the end of each wire and also onto the metal where the wires go. Then just put the tinned wire onto the tinned connector, put your iron on them and they will melt together. Wish I could be more help, but I've never worked with 'em before. Hopefully someone else will chime in. Good luck!


----------



## Jolfr

Hey guys!
 I'm looking into doing my first DIY cable here soon. I'd like to make myself two short (<1 ft) RCA cables. (I will be using them as interconnects between a DAC & amp)
 Right now I'm looking at getting:
 Mogami W2497 cable ( http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2497.html )
 and Switchcraft 3502RABAU connectors ( http://www.redco.com/Switchcraft-3502RABAU.html )
  
 I am willing to spend a little bit of money to make these nice cables but I don't need the HIGHEST quality. 
 What do you guys think?


----------



## Arty McGhee

jolfr said:


> Hey guys!
> I'm looking into doing my first DIY cable here soon. I'd like to make myself two short (<1 ft) RCA cables. (I will be using them as interconnects between a DAC & amp)
> Right now I'm looking at getting:
> Mogami W2497 cable ( http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2497.html )
> ...


 
  
 that stuff will work just fine
 it made me think of a set i made 
 a few months back when i got my schiit stack
  
 this is what it means to jam econo
  
 http://www.redco.com/Redco-RRCA.html
 http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-3CFB.html
 http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-3CFW.html


----------



## Stillhart

Well, due to a slight mishap when stripping the sleeve off the 6' cable, I *decided* to start with the 6" cable. >.>

Here is my first cable ever:



Everything tests out with the multimeter. I won't be able to test until I finish the big cable.

Any tips for getting the sleeve and insulation off?


----------



## Arty McGhee

stillhart said:


> Well, due to a slight mishap when stripping the sleeve off the 6' cable, I *decided* to start with the 6" cable. >.>
> 
> Here is my first cable ever:
> 
> ...


 
 that shorty looks wicked good
 i use one of these does a good job not ruining the insides
 just do a few inches at a time


----------



## mrs1986

Hi guys!
  
 I know it is probably there inside the thread, but i searched using google and all that but couldn't find any kind of tutorial/guide for a new starter to make IEM cable.
  
 I just got a pair of shure se215 and i would like to make a new cable for them, something looking like the westone's epic cable or alike...
  
 Someone knows in which page can find that?


----------



## Stillhart

Okay I'm out of time for tonight. Here's what I got so far.



Ending up a lot shorter than planned, but learning a lot!


----------



## ThurstonX

stillhart said:


> Okay I'm out of time for tonight. Here's what I got so far.
> 
> 
> 
> Ending up a lot shorter than planned, but learning a lot!


 
  
 That's a radical Y split.  I like it, and it's all lookin' good.  Congrats


----------



## PETEREK

stillhart said:


> Okay I'm out of time for tonight. Here's what I got so far.
> 
> 
> 
> Ending up a lot shorter than planned, but learning a lot!


 
 Looking good man. Yeah you'll learn to cut the type 1 paracord a little longer than the wires that will be sleeved with it, as well as buying a little extra length in wire to achieve the proper length of braided cable. It looks like you're catching on pretty quickly though!


----------



## Stillhart

arty mcghee said:


> that shorty looks wicked good
> i use one of these does a good job not ruining the insides
> just do a few inches at a time


 
  
 Thanks for the compliment!  I sharpened my pocket knife and used it to slice down the side of the cable.  It worked really well.  
  


thurstonx said:


> That's a radical Y split.  I like it, and it's all lookin' good.  Congrats


 
  
 Thanks!
  


peterek said:


> Looking good man. Yeah you'll learn to cut the type 1 paracord a little longer than the wires that will be sleeved with it, as well as buying a little extra length in wire to achieve the proper length of braided cable. It looks like you're catching on pretty quickly though!


 
  
 Thanks to you too!  Yes, I made both of those mistakes.  But now I have a better idea of how much it shrinks.
  
 The problem I had last night before my wife made me go to bed was getting the crimp connector over the two wires AND the paracord.  It was just too tight.  I'm not sure if I should try to tape down the frayed ends to see if that helps, or if that will just make it thicker.  Otherwise, I can try to solder it on so the paracord ends right at the crimp and then heat shrink it together... I mean I'll be heat shrinking either way.  But I'm worried that that won't hold the paracord securely.  Maybe one small shrink over the paracord+crimp end and then a larger shrink over the barrel of the connector and the small wrap?
  
 Thoughts?


----------



## TijmenK

I just picked up 10 feet of Tasker C 264 cable for €12. Proper steal and should make for good headphone cable. 12 multicore cables with 2 30AWG cores each, shielded per pair so should be pretty strong. 
  

  
 I'll have to live with all those funky colors, might look into painting them because I'm not really looking forward to using the pink, brown and purple cables.


----------



## Stillhart

tijmenk said:


> I just picked up 10 feet of Tasker C 264 cable for €12. Proper steal and should make for good headphone cable. 12 multicore cables with 2 30AWG cores each, shielded per pair so should be pretty strong.
> 
> 
> 
> I'll have to live with all those funky colors, might look into painting them because I'm not really looking forward to using the pink, brown and purple cables.


 
  
 Why not just sleeve them in paracord then?


----------



## TijmenK

That's a much better option, not sure why I didn't think of that. Cheers!


----------



## Stillhart

tijmenk said:


> That's a much better option, not sure why I didn't think of that. Cheers!


 
 LOL!  NP.  :-D


----------



## Spiderman

Hey guys my 50 dollar cable got pinched, how much would a repair cost it just looks like the sleeve was damaged. It still works, I was hoping someone here would repair it for me as I don't want to compromise the sound quality of the cable.


----------



## 020Assassin

spiderman said:


> Hey guys my 50 dollar cable got pinched, how much would a repair cost it just looks like the sleeve was damaged. It still works, I was hoping someone here would repair it for me as I don't want to compromise the sound quality of the cable.


 

 Get a piece of heat shrink, unscrew the metal cover of the connector, put the heat shrink over the damaged area, warm the heat shrink, pull the cover over the heat shrink again and screw the cover back onto the connector?


----------



## Shawn71

020assassin said:


> Get a piece of heat shrink, unscrew the metal cover of the connector, put the heat shrink over the damaged area, warm the heat shrink, pull the cover over the heat shrink again and screw the cover back onto the connector?


 

 +1, and if he feels its a little pita project (dealing with heat  ) he can (scotch) tape it,easy......


----------



## Armaegis

shawn71 said:


> +1, and if he feels its a little pita project (dealing with heat  ) he can (scotch) tape it,easy......


 
  
 At least use some electrical tape... won't break like scotch tape and it's black.


----------



## 020Assassin

armaegis said:


> At least use some electrical tape... won't break like scotch tape and it's black.



+1 electrical tape for now, heatshrink ffor a more 'professional' solution.


----------



## syntheticfish

Hello! I have a foolish question for you! So I bought some silver cable. I was expecting multiple strands like copper but here I just have one thick strand... Is this normal? I'm making an RCA interconnect. Is this good kit?


----------



## creatip

syntheticfish said:


> Hello! I have a foolish question for you! So I bought some silver cable. I was expecting multiple strands like copper but here I just have one thick strand... Is this normal? I'm making an RCA interconnect. Is this good kit?


 
  
 That's a solid core cable. It's not that silver wires don't have strand version, it's just the one you bought is the solid core version.
  
 In theory, solid cores are more preferred than small strands because it can deliver more currents. For example, A is solid core with 2mm diameter, B is small strands, same material, also with 2mm diameter. A should be able to deliver more currents. In practical the difference is kinda astronomical and negligible in audio applications.
  
 Some people prefer small strands, some people prefer solid core. Some even say, even on the same material, small strands vs solid core give different sounds => personally I think this is kinda far fetched. 
  
 The thing you gotta remember for solid cores is that they're not very bend-resistant. You can bend small strands wires like you'd fold a paper, but not for solid cores. This kinda make them not ideal for mobile applications, such as IEMs re-cabling and such. For stationary applications, like speaker cables, it won't matter.


----------



## Kamakahah

syntheticfish said:


> Hello! I have a foolish question for you! So I bought some silver cable. I was expecting multiple strands like copper but here I just have one thick strand... Is this normal? I'm making an RCA interconnect. Is this good kit?




It's solid core. That's why it was so cheap. It's just fine for an interconnect since it won't be moving around much. 
Solid core is less flexible and more prone to breaking. Just don't bend it at sharp angles or repeatedly in the same areas.


----------



## syntheticfish

Thanks chaps!!


----------



## DanielMiracle

Hey, everyone, hope you're all doing well. I'm looking to make a new cable for my HD600's. Could you suggest a good 1/4" stereo jack and a good stereo microphone cable? What gauge microphone cable would you suggest and how important is the gauge? Thanks in advance!


----------



## Lohb

Hi, would techflex 1/8 be fairly flush/tight over 24awg cabling ?
  
 Also looking at a 7-strand cable (kind of hybrid sitting between 75+ strand multi/single core line)
 UPOCC 24 AWG from Singapore and wonder if it will be reasonably flexible enough for a set of cans with round 4-line braid ?


----------



## PETEREK

lohb said:


> Hi, would techflex 1/8 be fairly flush/tight over 24awg cabling ?
> 
> Also looking at a 7-strand cable (kind of hybrid sitting between 75+ strand multi/single core line)
> UPOCC 24 AWG from Singapore and wonder if it will be reasonably flexible enough for a set of cans with round 4-line braid ?




If you're going to make a 4 wire cable you will want 3/16". It can be pulled tight onto the cable if you want, but the 1/8 will be SNUG.


----------



## Jean Corriveau

Can anyone name me a brand or some brands that makes nice chassis connectors (panel mounts) for 3 pin xlr and 4 pin xlr as well as 3.5 mm connection?


----------



## Arty McGhee

jean corriveau said:


> Can anyone name me a brand or some brands that makes nice chassis connectors (panel mounts) for 3 pin xlr and 4 pin xlr as well as 3.5 mm connection?


 
 i use the redco brand for mini xlr panel mount jacks
 i've also used neutriks there doesn't appear to be any difference
 for 3.5mm i like the kobiconn ones, you can get them from mouser
 they make a couple different styles


----------



## Jean Corriveau

Thank you very mouch @Arty McGhee, I found exactly what I was looking for.


----------



## Kalavere

Hey guys, I am trying to make my first cable, just a simple 6.3mm jack extension using Canare Starquad cable, it's got a 6mm OD, my question is which braided sleeve should I use for a nice tight fit like this one in the picture? All the braided sleeves are massively oversized on Canford. I'm pretty much trying to copy the cable exactly.


----------



## funch

If size 6 is 6mm, then this one:  http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/20574/39-326_TECHFLEX-EXPANDABLE-SLEEVING-Fray-resistant-size-6


----------



## DanielMiracle

Can someone tell me which would be better for sleeving 26 gauge cables, 275 or 550 paracord? Each cable would be individually sleeved; also, these are for my hd600s. Thanks in advance!


----------



## nehcrow

Having real difficulty sleeving my Canare Starquad individually into 2mm paracord. I know people have this before, what's your method?


----------



## Stillhart

danielmiracle said:


> Can someone tell me which would be better for sleeving 26 gauge cables, 275 or 550 paracord? Each cable would be individually sleeved; also, these are for my hd600s. Thanks in advance!


 
  
  


nehcrow said:


> Having real difficulty sleeving my Canare Starquad individually into 2mm paracord. I know people have this before, what's your method?


 
  
 I did Canare star quad, which was 26 AWG.  I used type 95 paracord.  You gotta do the "inchworm" method.  Took me about 10-15min (it got quicker as I got better) for each 6 foot strand.


----------



## Stillhart

Hey what kind of cable and connectors do I need for a digital coax RCA cable?  I thought I read somewhere that you want a cable with higher resistance?  No clue if that's right or not.  Anyone know?


----------



## jodgey4

I used heatshrink - put the wire inside with some of the inner paracord strands - and seal it real tight. Then you can usually just pull the wire all the way through as you pull the inners out from the other side. Sometimes it'll break halfway through, but it gets me much closer, much quicker.


----------



## drambit

I made a thread about this but nobody looked at it so I might as well repost my question here.
  
 Here's the rundown of my problem, I am recabling a pair of headphones for my friend, the headphones involve a Y-Split with one cord going to each cup, and I did it the wrong way by cutting the cable so that there is 1 long cable coming from the jack, and two short cables coming from each cup, there are 3 seperate wires (I'm using Mogami 4 wire cable, but only using 3 wires.) 
  
 I don't have enough cable to redo it the proper way which involves just taking off an enormous piece of insulation and braiding it to each cup without any cutting, so my only real choice is to figure out some way to clamp all 3 wires together at the solder joint so that the cord doesn't break when you tug on it.
  
 Any ideas? I can take pictures if I have to.


----------



## Arty McGhee

stillhart said:


> Hey what kind of cable and connectors do I need for a digital coax RCA cable?  I thought I read somewhere that you want a cable with higher resistance?  No clue if that's right or not.  Anyone know?


 
 i posted some links on this about 2 pages back


----------



## Arty McGhee

drambit said:


> I made a thread about this but nobody looked at it so I might as well repost my question here.
> 
> Here's the rundown of my problem, I am recabling a pair of headphones for my friend, the headphones involve a Y-Split with one cord going to each cup, and I did it the wrong way by cutting the cable so that there is 1 long cable coming from the jack, and two short cables coming from each cup, there are 3 seperate wires (I'm using Mogami 4 wire cable, but only using 3 wires.)
> 
> ...


 
 ok
 i use adhesive shrink tubing which does a nice job
 or you can individual heatshrink each solder joint cover it with
 an old fitting or piece of tubing then another layer of shrinkwrap
 it can be done so it looks neat and clean


----------



## nehcrow

jodgey4 said:


> I used heatshrink - put the wire inside with some of the inner paracord strands - and seal it real tight. Then you can usually just pull the wire all the way through as you pull the inners out from the other side. Sometimes it'll break halfway through, but it gets me much closer, much quicker.


 
 Thanks for your help, could you give a little more info? Im a little confused
 What do you mean by inner paracord strands btw


----------



## drambit

arty mcghee said:


> ok
> i use adhesive shrink tubing which does a nice job
> or you can individual heatshrink each solder joint cover it with
> an old fitting or piece of tubing then another layer of shrinkwrap
> it can be done so it looks neat and clean


 
 What is that cylinder in the middle of the wire? Also does heatshrinking it redistribute force? I need some way to join the soldered connections so that I can tug basically as hard as I want on either end of the connection and it won't separate.


----------



## Stillhart

arty mcghee said:


> i posted some links on this about 2 pages back


 
  
 That's just normal Canare cable and connectors.  So nothing special needed for digital RCA vs analog?


----------



## Kamakahah

stillhart said:


> That's just normal Canare cable and connectors.  So nothing special needed for digital RCA vs analog?




75ohm impedance I believe. I haven't ever made one, but that's what comes to mind. If that's the case, you'll just need to a resistor for the job. Shouldn't be too hard.


----------



## DanielMiracle

stillhart said:


> I did Canare star quad, which was 26 AWG.  I used type 95 paracord.  You gotta do the "inchworm" method.  Took me about 10-15min (it got quicker as I got better) for each 6 foot strand.


 
 Was type 95 too small? I'm concerned that 550 might be too big.


----------



## Kamakahah

danielmiracle said:


> Was type 95 too small? I'm concerned that 550 might be too big.




550 will be pretty baggy on a single 26 awg wire. Some people like the look and feel while others, like myself, strongly dislike it. 

You'll never know until you try for yourself. Type 95 will work well, IMO. There is some technique needed, but it's not hard to pick up.


----------



## DanielMiracle

kamakahah said:


> 550 will be pretty baggy on a single 26 awg wire. Some people like the look and feel while others, like myself, strongly dislike it.
> 
> You'll never know until you try for yourself. Type 95 will work well, IMO. There is some technique needed, but it's not hard to pick up.


 
 I don't really want a baggy look. Do you know how 275 paracord would look compared to 95? I have almost everything planned out for my cable, but I'm stuck on the paracord/colors


----------



## Kamakahah

danielmiracle said:


> I don't really want a baggy look. Do you know how 275 paracord would look compared to 95? I have almost everything planned out for my cable, but I'm stuck on the paracord/colors




I haven't used 275 yet, sorry. Lots of us use type 95. Is there a reason you think your wire will be too big?


----------



## DanielMiracle

kamakahah said:


> I haven't used 275 yet, sorry. Lots of us use type 95. Is there a reason you think your wire will be too big?


 
 Well, in complete honesty, I've never done this before, and I'm just trying to make sure it's done correctly.


----------



## Arty McGhee

danielmiracle said:


> I don't really want a baggy look. Do you know how 275 paracord would look compared to 95? I have almost everything planned out for my cable, but I'm stuck on the paracord/colors
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 the 275 is just a bit thicker than the 95
 and a bit easier to pull cable through
 and not too baggy with 26 awg imho
 its pretty inexpensive from paracord planet
 i would get some and try it out
 i've said this before starting out you really need to buy a variety
 of components  and decide whats right for you


----------



## Kamakahah

danielmiracle said:


> Well, in complete honesty, I've never done this before, and I'm just trying to make sure it's done correctly.




95 will work. You'll need to make sure no wire is sticking out of the insulation before sleeving as it will catch on the inside. 
You'll also need to learn to worm it through a few inches at a time. When you get the technique down, it goes fast.


----------



## DanielMiracle

kamakahah said:


> 95 will work. You'll need to make sure no wire is sticking out of the insulation before sleeving as it will catch on the inside.
> You'll also need to learn to worm it through a few inches at a time. When you get the technique down, it goes fast.


 
 I think that's what I'm going to use! Thanks


----------



## musicinmymind

danielmiracle said:


> stillhart said:
> 
> 
> > I did Canare star quad, which was 26 AWG.  I used type 95 paracord.  You gotta do the "inchworm" method.  Took me about 10-15min (it got quicker as I got better) for each 6 foot strand.
> ...


 
  
 275 is best one for 26AWG, some of best in Verse use 275 http://www.bestintheversecables.com/


----------



## Arty McGhee

drambit said:


> What is that cylinder in the middle of the wire? Also does heatshrinking it redistribute force? I need some way to join the soldered connections so that I can tug basically as hard as I want on either end of the connection and it won't separate.


 
 that is an unused barrel from a right angle neutrik connector
 i shorten them so i have these left over
 any short piece of tubing will work
 the adhesive heat shrink redistributes all kinds of force
 you can't pull this apart
 i keep some 3/8" 3:1 dual wall adhesive shrink tubing around
 its great stuff i got 4 feet for about 7 bucks from the ebay


----------



## Stillhart

musicinmymind said:


> 275 is best one for 26AWG, some of best in Verse use 275 http://www.bestintheversecables.com/


 
  
 Damn, that is come CLEAN braiding!  I need to figure out how to get my technique that good.


----------



## jodgey4

stillhart said:


> Damn, that is come CLEAN braiding!  I need to figure out how to get my technique that good.


 
 And so cheap, too! DANG.


----------



## drambit

Is the barrel necessary? Like if I just go find some adhesive heatshrink, solder the connections together, then shrink the tube over it, there is no chance it will pull apart? Or is there something I am missing? I'm doing this for someone else so I can't have it to be too MacGyvered.


----------



## Kamakahah

drambit said:


> Is the barrel necessary? Like if I just go find some adhesive heatshrink, solder the connections together, then shrink the tube over it, there is no chance it will pull apart? Or is there something I am missing? I'm doing this for someone else so I can't have it to be too MacGyvered.




The barrel isn't necessary. It's simply a preference to hide the joining of parts. Heatshrink alone will reveal unevenness and separations once it is shrunk. The barrel is just for concealment and/or style. You could use anything really, like a piece of cut straw.


----------



## Kamakahah

jodgey4 said:


> And so cheap, too! DANG.




Well yeah, Canare and paracord. Materials don't get any cheaper than those. 
Let's break it down for fun. 
$6 worth of cable and paracord for a 6 foot cable. Viable splitter and 1/4" are $30. Mini XLR $3 together. Heatshrink, solder, misc maybe $1-2 worth. These are all non-bulk prices. We'll say $41 total, selling for $90 with those options. 

Maybe three hour build time. So earning about $16 hour. It's reasonable when you compare to others. 

Still, switch to neutrik connections with no splitter and you can make the same thing yourself for $13. Love me some DIY.


----------



## ZSamuels28

What do most people use as a wire sheath? I saw a DIY and the guy used Kevlar Shoelaces like these http://www.amazon.com/Safety-Kevlar-Retardant-Metal-Tip-Laces/dp/B00GNQONCG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1424812573&sr=8-3&keywords=kevlar+shoelaces
  
 Or something like this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KRY0F7C/ref=s9_simh_gw_p60_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1V53SJYZX416WZW8GGP2&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1970559082&pf_rd_i=desktop


----------



## Kamakahah

ZSamuels28

Paracord, PET techflex, or nylon multifilament sleeving. 

Paracordplanet.com, supply captain. 

The nylon sleeving like this: http://m.ebay.com/itm/1-8-BRAIDED-NYLON-SLEEVING-audio-TECHFLEX-25-ft-/360217197985

Depends on what you want to do and personal preference.


----------



## Arty McGhee

drambit said:


> Is the barrel necessary? Like if I just go find some adhesive heatshrink, solder the connections together, then shrink the tube over it, there is no chance it will pull apart? Or is there something I am missing? I'm doing this for someone else so I can't have it to be too MacGyvered.


 
 its not necessary
 i was showing an example
 its just to make it look neat


----------



## Arty McGhee

kamakahah said:


> @ZSamuels28
> 
> Paracord, PET techflex, or nylon multifilament sleeving.
> 
> ...


 
 +1


----------



## ZSamuels28

kamakahah said:


> @ZSamuels28
> 
> Paracord, PET techflex, or nylon multifilament sleeving.
> 
> ...


 
 Are they just for show or do they actually do something if I use a certain material?


----------



## Stillhart

zsamuels28 said:


> Are they just for show or do they actually do something if I use a certain material?


 
  
 They are just for show.  If you want, you can make it look just like a guitar or microphone cable.


----------



## musicinmymind

kamakahah said:


> jodgey4 said:
> 
> 
> > And so cheap, too! DANG.
> ...


 
  
 + we can try different braiding option with DIY, I am working on kumihimo braid for my HE-6 cable, looks awesome (to me) will be able to complete in few days, will post pics soon


----------



## Kamakahah

zsamuels28 said:


> Are they just for show or do they actually do something if I use a certain material?




They each serve a purpose IMO. 
The PET techflex is a plastic feeling Web that can expand easily. It's great for desktop interconnects. I don't suggest it for headphone cables as it is not quite as flexible and doesn't have a soft feel. That's my preference. 

The nylon multifilament sleeving and paracord are very similar. The paracord has has stands inside that need removing. It can also get those hair like fraying after rubbing. A quick pass of a flame fixes that. It's soft and flexible while still being strong. Comes in many of sizes, colors, and patterns. It's a go-to for most. 

The nylon multifilament sleeving is a sturdier paracord IMO. It doesn't fray, and is a little thicker/stronger feeling while still being soft and flexible. Only comes in a few colors and sizes. Usually black or silver. So it's a bit limited. Still, I like it a lot. 

Everyone has their preferences. You'll developed your own. These are just mine. I suggest trying them all. Get a little of each to play with first.


----------



## Kamakahah

musicinmymind said:


> + we can try different braiding option with DIY, I am working on kumihimo braid for my HE-6 cable, looks awesome (to me) will be able to complete in few days, will post pics soon


 

Exactly. I've done a few adapters using kumihimo. You can do some cool stuff with a little creativity. 
Good luck finishing it.


----------



## ZSamuels28

How big of shrink wrap should I use to secure my 1/4" and 1/8" adapters? And how big of Nylon sleeving should I use for these adapters? Sorry I'm new to making cables.


----------



## Stillhart

Well according to THIS PAGE, the Canare RCAP connectors are 75ohm connectors and should work.  Now to figure out if I can put a two-pole 1/8" on one end and bypass the little 1/8" to RCA adapter on my X5.  It might be more trouble than it's worth if there's some sort of resistor to be added.


----------



## drambit

As long as it redistributes force enough that I can pull on either end of the connection and not worry about it breaking I am a happy camper. It's probably hard to find in my city though. Is there any other way?


----------



## ZSamuels28

Is there any reason to use mini xlr over 1/4 mono for a balanced headphone setup? Thinking of modding my Beyers even further and putting a 1/4 mono chassis on each side of the headphones and using a dual 1/4 mono to stereo cable. So I guess comes two questions, would this improve SQ or should I leave the 3.5mm jack? Also if I do it will it matter if I use 2 mini xlr 3 pin or 2 mono 1/4?


----------



## Stillhart

zsamuels28 said:


> Is there any reason to use mini xlr over 1/4 mono for a balanced headphone setup? Thinking of modding my Beyers even further and putting a 1/4 mono chassis on each side of the headphones and using a dual 1/4 mono to stereo cable. So I guess comes two questions, would this improve SQ or should I leave the 3.5mm jack? Also if I do it will it matter if I use 2 mini xlr 3 pin or 2 mono 1/4?


 
  
 Do you mean 1/8" mono?  Cuz 1/4" is rather gigantic to go in the headphone side...


----------



## ZSamuels28

You're probably right, and that way I wouldn't need to remove the jack already superglued on there hahaha. So would a mini xlr be better or can I just stick with my 1/8 mono?


----------



## Stillhart

zsamuels28 said:


> You're probably right, and that way I wouldn't need to remove the jack already superglued on there hahaha. So would a mini xlr be better or can I just stick with my 1/8 mono?


 
  
 I don't know, I'm a noob at this too.  I'd think a mini-xlr would be better simply because it clips in so it'd be more secure.  But it's got a bigger diameter, so depends on what fits.


----------



## Kamakahah

drambit said:


> As long as it redistributes force enough that I can pull on either end of the connection and not worry about it breaking I am a happy camper. It's probably hard to find in my city though. Is there any other way?


 
  
 epoxy


----------



## drambit

Epoxy to what though is the question. I have a soldered connection, I have epoxy, I have nothing to put brace the wires to with epoxy to redistribute force.


----------



## Kamakahah

drambit said:


> Epoxy to what though is the question. I have a soldered connection, I have epoxy, I have nothing to put brace the wires to with epoxy to redistribute force.




Post a picture. It'll make it easier to see where you're at currently.


----------



## nehcrow

**** it... 2mm paracord is never going to fit over my Canare Starquad, think Techflex 1/8" would fit tightly and still have similar flexibility?


----------



## drambit

kamakahah said:


> Post a picture. It'll make it easier to see where you're at currently.


 
 http://i.imgur.com/uMJRar3.jpg
  
 Two wires to the left cup two wires to the right cup and the full size cable to the jack. I'm going to solder them together but If I do that without any way to brace them the junction will tear apart. 
  
 PS: Is there a braiding guide around here somewhere? I used a drill to twist the wires into a vice, but it is a ****ty braid.


----------



## nehcrow

One more question, is it really hard to fully recable a M50?
 Also does this techflex at 1/16" work for individually sleeving starquad? I like a tight look. Paracord at 2mm is a pain in my ass
 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3m-Length-Black-Techflex-Flexo-PET-Expandable-Braided-Cable-Sleeving-/230927952950?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&var=&hash=item35c460ec36


----------



## ZSamuels28

nehcrow said:


> One more question, is it really hard to fully recable a M50?
> Also does this techflex at 1/16" work for individually sleeving starquad? I like a tight look. Paracord at 2mm is a pain in my ass
> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3m-Length-Black-Techflex-Flexo-PET-Expandable-Braided-Cable-Sleeving-/230927952950?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&var=&hash=item35c460ec36


 
 I would think this would be fairly easy, I did a detachable mod for my Beyerdynamic DT770's and I can't imagine it's any harder than recabling that. Just some simple soldering required. 1/16" seems quite a squeeze although if you buy the techflex expandable like you are looking at I would think that would be fine. I'm going to recable from the right driver to the left and use 1/8" nylon multifillament which doesn't expand.


----------



## ZSamuels28

What size shrink wrap should I use for 1/4" or 1/8" adapters?


----------



## Kamakahah

drambit said:


> http://i.imgur.com/uMJRar3.jpg
> 
> Two wires to the left cup two wires to the right cup and the full size cable to the jack. I'm going to solder them together but If I do that without any way to brace them the junction will tear apart.
> 
> PS: Is there a braiding guide around here somewhere? I used a drill to twist the wires into a vice, but it is a ****ty braid.




Solder is pretty darn solid if you make a good joint. Is there some reason significant force will be applied to the cable? That seems like the real issue. 

Anyway, you join the wires by twisting them together and soldering. Cover each joint with a small piece heatshrink. Use some Epoxy putty on the whole area. You can shape it how you like with the putty kind. Let it cure, then cover that with an adhesive heatshrink. 

If someone manages to pull that apart, then they are doing something horribly wrong to the cable.


----------



## drambit

kamakahah said:


> Solder is pretty darn solid if you make a good joint. Is there some reason significant force will be applied to the cable? That seems like the real issue.
> 
> Anyway, you join the wires by twisting them together and soldering. Cover each joint with a small piece heatshrink. Use some Epoxy putty on the whole area. You can shape it how you like with the putty kind. Let it cure, then cover that with an adhesive heatshrink.
> 
> If someone manages to pull that apart, then they are doing something horribly wrong to the cable.


 
 I'm trying to think of a way to do it without adhesive heatshrink because I'm being paid $20 to do this, I'm already using like $9 in supplies, and I've put like 4 hours into getting them going, so it's not even remotely worth it as it is, and the cheapest heatshrink is about $5 which is just excessive. I think maybe if I just epoxy the area and use regular heatshrink it will be fine but idk. Also the reason I'm concerned about force distro is not because there that likely to be someone pulling it apart but just because it's stupid design to make it in a way so that if you were to tug on it the force would go to the solder joints, the force should always be going to the sections of cable on either end of the solder joints. Next time I do this I'm going to make sure I do it the right way lol.


----------



## Kamakahah

drambit said:


> I'm trying to think of a way to do it without adhesive heatshrink because I'm being paid $20 to do this, I'm already using like $9 in supplies, and I've put like 4 hours into getting them going, so it's not even remotely worth it as it is, and the cheapest heatshrink is about $5 which is just excessive. I think maybe if I just epoxy the area and use regular heatshrink it will be fine but idk. Also the reason I'm concerned about force distro is not because there that likely to be someone pulling it apart but just because it's stupid design to make it in a way so that if you were to tug on it the force would go to the solder joints, the force should always be going to the sections of cable on either end of the solder joints. Next time I do this I'm going to make sure I do it the right way lol.




Regular heatshrink is just fine with epoxy. Adhesive heatshrink isn't all that strong. Epoxy is like a rock man. That'll be more then enough. A good solder joint would be sufficient, but epoxy will make it as strong as it'll get. The wire will be more likely to give somewhere else compared to the solder + epoxy joint.


----------



## mrs1986

Please, I just got my se215 iems and I definitely need new cables, the stock is super sticky and I don't like it really...
I didn't find about making iems cable, I just see about full sized cans cables...

Can someone guide me in the right direction :/


----------



## jodgey4

You can just use thin guage wire, and the Shures use standard connectors available from many vendors IIRC. Or I'm sure eBay or somebody has a full cable for cheap.


----------



## Kamakahah

mrs1986 said:


> Please, I just got my se215 iems and I definitely need new cables, the stock is super sticky and I don't like it really...
> I didn't find about making iems cable, I just see about full sized cans cables...
> 
> Can someone guide me in the right direction :/


 
  
 You can pick up the the MMCX connectors fairly cheap from Norne audio if you don't want to wait for shipping from China. 
 As far as wire goes, you can either pick up a prefab cable without termination from somewhere like Lunashops or Ebay. 
 Alternatively, you can find some really light/thin litz copper that fits the bill pretty well from *here* 
 Another option is to just use something that is flexible with soft insulation. I highly recommend Plussound audio's 28awg SPC. I made a cable for my JVC FX850 and it's fantastic. 
 It's my go-to wire when I want something that checks all my boxes and has a nice, soft feel. 
  
 Finally, you could just buy a stock cable from another IEM. I personally like the stock JVC FX850 cable. I think it's pretty screwing fantastic. Lots of other premade mmcx cables out there. Aliexpress, Lunashops, Ebay, etc all have plenty of options. 
  
 It all really comes down to your personal preferences and what you're exact wants/needs are.


----------



## Arty McGhee

kamakahah said:


> You can pick up the the MMCX connectors fairly cheap from Norne audio if you don't want to wait for shipping from China.
> As far as wire goes, you can either pick up a prefab cable without termination from somewhere like Lunashops or Ebay.
> Alternatively, you can find some really light/thin litz copper that fits the bill pretty well from *here*


 
 i've been testing a cable made from the silk wrapped litz from that site on one of my grados for a couple weeks
 its holding up well no silk coming off, it may fit the bill quite well its very flexible and soft to the touch


----------



## mrs1986

kamakahah said:


> You can pick up the the MMCX connectors fairly cheap from Norne audio if you don't want to wait for shipping from China.
> As far as wire goes, you can either pick up a prefab cable without termination from somewhere like Lunashops or Ebay.
> Alternatively, you can find some really light/thin litz copper that fits the bill pretty well from *here*
> Another option is to just use something that is flexible with soft insulation. I highly recommend Plussound audio's 28awg SPC. I made a cable for my JVC FX850 and it's fantastic.
> ...




Thanks a lot!

I saw some pre-mades in lunashop but didn't know if they are reliable...

I will take a look and compare, if it is worth buy all the things to make my own cable...



arty mcghee said:


> i've been testing a cable made from the silk wrapped litz from that site on one of my grados for a couple weeks
> its holding up well no silk coming off, it may fit the bill quite well its very flexible and soft to the touch




Thanks for your answer too, I will take a look


----------



## Kamakahah

arty mcghee said:


> i've been testing a cable made from the silk wrapped litz from that site on one of my grados for a couple weeks
> its holding up well no silk coming off, it may fit the bill quite well its very flexible and soft to the touch




Good to hear. I have some from there on hand. Haven't been able to put it to use just yet. Waiting for the right job.


----------



## bigalila

zsamuels28 said:


> Is there any reason to use mini xlr over 1/4 mono for a balanced headphone setup? Thinking of modding my Beyers even further and putting a 1/4 mono chassis on each side of the headphones and using a dual 1/4 mono to stereo cable. So I guess comes two questions, would this improve SQ or should I leave the 3.5mm jack? Also if I do it will it matter if I use 2 mini xlr 3 pin or 2 mono 1/4?


 

 I just recalled my Beyers with MCX connectors.  They work great.  Check out my post here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14460#post_11339174  If you want to try them and have any questions, feel free to PM me.


----------



## musicinmymind

bigalila said:


> zsamuels28 said:
> 
> 
> > Is there any reason to use mini xlr over 1/4 mono for a balanced headphone setup? Thinking of modding my Beyers even further and putting a 1/4 mono chassis on each side of the headphones and using a dual 1/4 mono to stereo cable. So I guess comes two questions, would this improve SQ or should I leave the 3.5mm jack? Also if I do it will it matter if I use 2 mini xlr 3 pin or 2 mono 1/4?
> ...


 
  
 Techflex you used are awesome, can you pls give the link to buy.


----------



## bigalila

musicinmymind said:


> Techflex you used are awesome, can you pls give the link to buy.


 

 I used the 1/8" for the smaller cables and 1/4" for the bigger ones.  Here's the link: http://www.redco.com/Flexo-PET-Techflex-Sleeving/


----------



## ZSamuels28

For braids that result in more than 3 wires for a 3.5mm cable what do you do with the extra wires? I.E. if I do a 4 wire round braid, what do I do with the extra wire?


----------



## scizzro

zsamuels28 said:


> For braids that result in more than 3 wires for a 3.5mm cable what do you do with the extra wires? I.E. if I do a 4 wire round braid, what do I do with the extra wire?


 
 Use two wires for the ground channel.


----------



## ZSamuels28

What if I use 6 wires? 2 to each?


----------



## Armaegis

zsamuels28 said:


> What if I use 6 wires? 2 to each?


 

 Yes. Symmetry is desirable (though technically it shouldn't make that much of a difference).


----------



## drambit

Anyone here know how to get consistent 2 wire braids? Even with a power drill mine keep unraveling a bit so that there are tons of gaps and the size of twists is completely uneven.


----------



## creatip

drambit said:


> Anyone here know how to get consistent 2 wire braids? Even with a power drill mine keep unraveling a bit so that there are tons of gaps and the size of twists is completely uneven.


 
  
 2 wires can't be braided, they can only be twisted. 
  
 I'm having the same problem, having a hard time to make the twist stay as they were. I'm thinking twist and pull, hold at 2 ends (with vise), and use heat gun, maybe? But kinda risky, too much heat, and the rubber jacket will start to melt. 
  
 Another option is maybe to use a transparent heatshrink tube to cover the whole damn thing. Cover and shrink when they're pulled tight with vise, and they should keep their shape. It will make the cables stiffer tho...


----------



## Armaegis

The wrong way to twist is holding the ends tights with a vice/drill/whatever and turning it. "Twist" really is the wrong motion to use entirely, because what that does is physically twist the wire and it wants to untwist itself back to original state (think like you're winding up a big spring).
  
 You should be simply passing the wires across each other repeatedly. Fix the wires at one end in a vice, then hold the wires one in each hand, pass over to the opposite hands pulling lightly after ever couple passes. This is much slower, but is really the only way to do it. What this does is get the wires to wrap around each other*, but not actually "twist" so now they won't try to unravel themselves.   You can control the amount of twist by the angle and how tightly you pull the ends.
  
 *for those wondering, it's more of a bending that happens to move in a circular path, and the amount of energy stored in the bending is minimal and transverse to the longitudinal axis so it is all spread out, whereas the twisting stresses are all quite large and additive along the axis.


----------



## sfo1972

drambit said:


> http://i.imgur.com/uMJRar3.jpg
> 
> Two wires to the left cup two wires to the right cup and the full size cable to the jack. I'm going to solder them together but If I do that without any way to brace them the junction will tear apart.
> 
> PS: Is there a braiding guide around here somewhere? I used a drill to twist the wires into a vice, but it is a ****ty braid.


 

 No sure if someone has answered your question on braiding, but here are some links:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwjlhzo4pNM
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Sixteen-Strand-Braid/step2/The-Weave/
http://howdidyoumakethis.com/spiral-braids-with-12-to-28-strands/
http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos/4strand.htm


----------



## sfo1972

drambit said:


> Anyone here know how to get consistent 2 wire braids? Even with a power drill mine keep unraveling a bit so that there are tons of gaps and the size of twists is completely uneven.


 

 What type of wire and gauge are you using?


----------



## sfo1972

armaegis said:


> The wrong way to twist is holding the ends tights with a vice/drill/whatever and turning it. "Twist" really is the wrong motion to use entirely, because what that does is physically twist the wire and it wants to untwist itself back to original state (think like you're winding up a big spring).
> 
> You should be simply passing the wires across each other repeatedly. Fix the wires at one end in a vice, then hold the wires one in each hand, pass over to the opposite hands pulling lightly after ever couple passes. This is much slower, but is really the only way to do it. What this does is get the wires to wrap around each other*, but not actually "twist" so now they won't try to unravel themselves.   You can control the amount of twist by the angle and how tightly you pull the ends.
> 
> *for those wondering, it's more of a bending that happens to move in a circular path, and the amount of energy stored in the bending is minimal and transverse to the longitudinal axis so it is all spread out, whereas the twisting stresses are all quite large and additive along the axis.


 

 Braiding four cables is actually good practice for the two wire braid. I agree with you about not twisting the cables and more of passing them atop each other, I also believe that the gauge and type of cable will have a lot to do with how easy or hard it is to work with the cable.
  
 cheers


----------



## ZSamuels28

What kind/type/size of paracord would I use for these scenarios?
 Braiding single 26awg wires
 Placing 2 26awg wires in paracord
 Placing 4 26awg wires in paracord
 3.5mm cord
 20awg guitar cable
  
 I was looking at Paracord 550 5/32" from Michaels, would this work?


----------



## Stillhart

zsamuels28 said:


> What kind/type/size of paracord would I use for these scenarios?
> Braiding single 26awg wires
> Placing 2 26awg wires in paracord
> Placing 4 26awg wires in paracord
> ...


 
 I used type 95 paracord for single 26 AWG wires.  Can't help with the others, sorry.


----------



## DanielMiracle

I am looking to make my first cable and had a quick question. Would this http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-feet-22-AWG-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Black-19-Strands-/231481590451?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35e560c2b3 wire work well if I used it for my hd600 cable? (Apologize for not knowing how to embed the link)  Would the gauge be too small/large? I also plan to get some 275 paracord for sleeving. Would it fit around it smoothly or would I be better off using 95 paracord? Thanks in advance!


----------



## ZSamuels28

danielmiracle said:


> I am looking to make my first cable and had a quick question. Would this http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-feet-22-AWG-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Black-19-Strands-/231481590451?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35e560c2b3 wire work well if I used it for my hd600 cable? (Apologize for not knowing how to embed the link)  Would the gauge be too small/large? I also plan to get some 275 paracord for sleeving. Would it fit around it smoothly or would I be better off using 95 paracord? Thanks in advance!


 
 I think 95 paracord would fit better, I would think a smaller wire might be better for this but honestly I don't know, I know a lot of people use *Mogami W2893 *for making cables and that is 26awg.


----------



## musicinmymind

I suggest W2893 and 275 paracord. Mogami is cheap and 275 is thick and gives a nice finish with 26awg, Good tight sleeving.


----------



## DanielMiracle

musicinmymind said:


> I suggest W2893 and 275 paracord. Mogami is cheap and 275 is thick and gives a nice finish with 26awg, Good tight sleeving.


 
 I would imagine you would be right; however, I would like to braid my cable. That would mean I would have to strip the Mogami wire. Would the 275 fit very well on the individual Mogami wire strands? I hope what I'm saying makes sense.


----------



## DanielMiracle

zsamuels28 said:


> I think 95 paracord would fit better, I would think a smaller wire might be better for this but honestly I don't know, I know a lot of people use *Mogami W2893 *for making cables and that is 26awg.


 
 Are the individual wires 26awg or is the entire wire bundle 26awg?


----------



## PETEREK

danielmiracle said:


> Are the individual wires 26awg or is the entire wire bundle 26awg?


 
 The individual wires are 26awg. There are 4 of them.


----------



## DanielMiracle

peterek said:


> The individual wires are 26awg. There are 4 of them.


 
 Wouldn't that be a little too small for my hd600s? Or am I overthinking the gauge of my cable.


----------



## PETEREK

danielmiracle said:


> Wouldn't that be a little too small for my hd600s? Or am I overthinking the gauge of my cable.


 
 No, it will be fine.
  
 It's funny when people get so wrapped up in the gauge of the wire they use for cables, do you know how small voice coil wires are? That's all the cable leads to anyway.


----------



## DanielMiracle

peterek said:


> No, it will be fine.
> 
> It's funny when people get so wrapped up in the gauge of the wire they use for cables, do you know how small voice coil wires are? That's all the cable leads to anyway.


 
 You have a valid point. I hadn't thought of that. What's the most optimal gauge wire for 275 paracord? Or would 95 paracord work better? I get the feeling I'm overcomplicating this, but I don't want my sleeving to be 'loose.'


----------



## musicinmymind

danielmiracle said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > I suggest W2893 and 275 paracord. Mogami is cheap and 275 is thick and gives a nice finish with 26awg, Good tight sleeving.
> ...


 
  
 you need use inchworm method, 275 works perfectly on individual Mogami wires. Below is cable I am working, may be tomorrow I will find time to complete the other end with Hifiman pins.


----------



## DanielMiracle

musicinmymind said:


> you need use inchworm method, 275 works perfectly on individual Mogami wires. Below is cable I am working, may be tomorrow I will find time to complete the other end with Hifiman pins.


 
 Which Mogami Cable are you referring to? Nice cable by the way!


----------



## Stillhart

Is that an 8-wire braid into two 4-wire braids?


----------



## musicinmymind

danielmiracle said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > you need use inchworm method, 275 works perfectly on individual Mogami wires. Below is cable I am working, may be tomorrow I will find time to complete the other end with Hifiman pins.
> ...


 
  
 Mogami W2534, got it from Redco. All thanks to this thread, awesome guys here give me the idea, I just executed.


----------



## musicinmymind

stillhart said:


> Is that an 8-wire braid into two 4-wire braids?


 
  
 yes 8-wire braid into two 4-wire, kumihimo braid. I wanted to add more current to HE-6, Mogami W2534 is extremely flexible and 275 makes them beautiful.


----------



## Stillhart

musicinmymind said:


> yes 8-wire braid into two 4-wire, kumihimo braid. I wanted to add more current to HE-6, Mogami W2534 is extremely flexible and 275 makes them beautiful.


 
 That is sick, dude, well done.  I'm going to be working on my 2nd cable soon.  I really need to get my braiding technique better.  :-/


----------



## DanielMiracle

musicinmymind said:


> Mogami W2534, got it from Redco. All thanks to this thread, awesome guys here give me the idea, I just executed.


 
 I think I may do the same! Say the 275 fits perfectly?


----------



## musicinmymind

danielmiracle said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > Mogami W2534, got it from Redco. All thanks to this thread, awesome guys here give me the idea, I just executed.
> ...


 
  
 yes it fits perfectly with tight fit, if you are working on complex braid tight fit will help, but you need to have patience and time for inchworm to begin with.


----------



## ZSamuels28

For W2893 use 95 paracord.


----------



## DanielMiracle

musicinmymind said:


> yes it fits perfectly with tight fit, if you are working on complex braid tight fit will help, but you need to have patience and time for inchworm to begin with.


 
 Thanks for your help!


----------



## musicinmymind

stillhart said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > yes 8-wire braid into two 4-wire, kumihimo braid. I wanted to add more current to HE-6, Mogami W2534 is extremely flexible and 275 makes them beautiful.
> ...


 
  
 kumihimo braid, is extremely easy, you just have follow the pattern. check this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYbP0c-TMs0


----------



## Arty McGhee

danielmiracle said:


> I am looking to make my first cable and had a quick question. Would this http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-feet-22-AWG-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Black-19-Strands-/231481590451?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35e560c2b3 wire work well if I used it for my hd600 cable? (Apologize for not knowing how to embed the link)  Would the gauge be too small/large? I also plan to get some 275 paracord for sleeving. Would it fit around it smoothly or would I be better off using 95 paracord? Thanks in advance!


 
 i sometimes use this sellers wire i usually go with the 26 awg 19 strand
 the teflon makes it slide through the paracord with much less effort than the mogami
 but it is slightly less flexible, but they are both really nice sleeved in the 275 cord
  
  


peterek said:


> No, it will be fine.
> 
> It's funny when people get so wrapped up in the gauge of the wire they use for cables, do you know how small voice coil wires are? That's all the cable leads to anyway.


 
 true dat


----------



## bigalila

I've been sleeving the wires from Mogami W2893 in 95 paracord.  It's a nice snug fit.  I 5-minute epoxy some 25lb test monofilament fishing line to the wire. Feed the line through and just pull the wire through. Works pretty well.


----------



## Lohb

Is there any simple way/hack to tin litz cabling if your builder does not have the dedicated tinning gear ?


----------



## PETEREK

lohb said:


> Is there any simple way/hack to tin litz cabling if your builder does not have the dedicated tinning gear ?


 
 Put some flux on the exposed wire and then apply the solder to it. Otherwise, just add more heat. To get the PlusSound Litz to tin without flux I have just been turning my soldering iron up to 450 Celcius.


----------



## Lohb

peterek said:


> Put some flux on the exposed wire and then apply the solder to it. Otherwise, just add more heat. To get the PlusSound Litz to tin without flux I have just been turning my soldering iron up to 450 Celcius.


 

 Thnx. My local guy making me a 3.5"-3.5" with PSA 24awg type 6 Litz.


----------



## musicinmymind

peterek said:


> lohb said:
> 
> 
> > Is there any simple way/hack to tin litz cabling if your builder does not have the dedicated tinning gear ?
> ...


 
  
 Does litz cable sound differently or actually give an better SQ?


----------



## PETEREK

musicinmymind said:


> Does litz cable sound differently or actually give an better SQ?


 
 I have no idea. Probably not, but who likes cheap cables? Right? Head-fi logic.


----------



## Kamakahah

musicinmymind said:


> Does litz cable sound differently or actually give an better SQ?




No. This was just a topic about 5-10 pages back. 
I highly recommend looking up what Litz wire is. Feel free to also look up "skin-effect". Look for when, where, and why it is used. 

It's worth the 10-15 minutes to have a basic idea of what you're buying before buying into marketing hype. 

I'll say this much, it's been an effective way to sell more cables. Just switch the type of Litz being sold and BAM, people will pay for a new $150-200 cable.


----------



## DJScope

Standard copper is completely adequate for audio applications. Anything above that is over kill. Litz, low-oxygen copper and even silver plated copper are all made for specific applications, non of these are audio listening. Only if you're using high quality measuring devices that can measure waaaayyyy beyond the human audible threshold. But for listening, just standard quality copper is great. Though, I like to use silver plate copper because I can get it pretty cheap locally and it comes in teflon shielding. I use it not because I think there is any audible difference but because I know that it's good quality and will last a long time.


----------



## musicinmymind

Make sense... I will stick with Mogami for my DYI, they are really easy to work with.


----------



## gunnerwholelife

Hey,
   I am not sure if this is the right thread but I want to know which product is this and where to get it :-  
 It's a moldable silicon mould use to fix things etc.But I can't read the name of the product.Can anyone help me ?


----------



## creatip

gunnerwholelife said:


> Hey,
> I am not sure if this is the right thread but I want to know which product is this and where to get it :-
> It's a moldable silicon mould use to fix things etc.But I can't read the name of the product.Can anyone help me ?


 
  
 Can't read Kanji, but based on your description, I'd say it's some kind of putty. If you google, you gotta use additional word, like 'putty for repairing', or 'silicone putty' or something. Simply 'putty' will give you weird hits.
  
 I think one that's often used for handycraft is Sugru (brand), just google it. Putty for home repairs smells awful, it's barf quality smell, literally....


----------



## gunnerwholelife

@creatip I know about Sugru but it will be very expensive to import it to India so I wanted a cheaper alternative.Do you have anything else in mind ?


----------



## creatip

gunnerwholelife said:


> @creatip I know about Sugru but it will be very expensive to import it to India so I wanted a cheaper alternative.Do you have anything else in mind ?


 
  
 Home depo like Ace also got putty like that for home repairs. Something like loctite or 3M. It's smelly when being fixed, might wanna use a mask (I mean it, based on experience), but odorless when it's harden. But may not be ideal for skin contacts, so depends on the application. 
  
 Ebay is always a good option.


----------



## scizzro

gunnerwholelife said:


> Hey,
> I am not sure if this is the right thread but I want to know which product is this and where to get it :-
> It's a moldable silicon mould use to fix things etc.But I can't read the name of the product.Can anyone help me ?


 
 The brand of the putty you posted is "Dufix", but I found the exact same packaging made by "Loctite" 
  
 http://www.henkel-ac.jp/products/dph-481.html
  
 Loctite sells repair putty on Amazon.
  
 http://www.amazon.com/Loctite-431348-2-Ounce-Purpose-Repair/dp/B000BOB8P6
  
 Pretty sure that is the same stuff
  
 I also found the exact same stuff on Amazon.jp. Not sure how the ordering process works, or if you can even do it.
  
 http://www.amazon.co.jp/LOCTITE-%E3%83%AD%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BF%E3%82%A4%E3%83%88-%E5%A4%9A%E7%94%A8%E9%80%94%E8%A3%9C%E4%BF%AE%E3%83%91%E3%83%86-48g-DHP-481/dp/B002YMNJQY


----------



## musicinmymind

For my next cable, I am searching for "transparent glossy finish wire", something like one in below pic. Not able to find one, please suggest. It can be speaker wire or others, anything between 22 AWG till 26AWG, but needs to be transparent glossy finish.


----------



## axeltow

Hey guys,
  
 I have a DIY USB Type A to Type B cable that came with a DAC I purchased couple of years back. It is a funny make. It uses 2 coaxial cables for D- and D+. A silver platted conductor for POWER and the copper braids of the coaxial cables twisted and positioned in the GND positions. Any ideas what size of coaxial cables I should be going for if I want to replicate it? I can't find a decent shop to browse cables so I have to order online. Not knowing the size troubles is as I am most certain to fail. I cant really measure it because they have excessive solder on the connectors.
  
 I think I've found silver platted conductor and it should be fairly easy to get small coaxial cables, but still size is troubling me.


----------



## coinmaster

Hi. I'm looking into making my own cables to save time and money. I really want to buy the top range silver widow cable from toxic cables but I don't want to wait 3 months for them to arrive.
 I'm currently looking into which raw materials I want to use and I've heard that silver improves high frequencies, gold improves low frequencies, and copper is somewhere in the middle.
 What would happen if I wound 3 strands of wire together consisting of silver, copper, and gold and used it for my audio wire? Is it worth trying? Has it been done before? Or will the electricity just take the path of least resistance and ignore the copper and gold?


----------



## jodgey4

You'll lose any 'benefit' of higher end cables if you mix them (it'll act as one strand according to parallel impedances, and it's not like a bypass capacitor situation because it's a linear device)... multiple strands means that you get a lower impedance at least, which itself doesn't really matter either. I don't believe in silver vs. copper. vs. gold either, and gold is a _horrendous_ idea for a cable - expensive, and copper is much better. So no, I wouldn't say a cable like that is worth it at all unless it's for purely cosmetic reasons.


----------



## coinmaster

Well a lot of people have said that gold improves bass if you add a bit of it in the cable.
 I know people make copper silver hybrid cables and say it is an improvement over just silver or copper alone. Why not all 3 metals in this case?


----------



## Armaegis

Would you mix diesel into gasoline?


----------



## Arty McGhee

coinmaster said:


> Well a lot of people have said that gold improves bass if you add a bit of it in the cable.
> I know people make copper silver hybrid cables and say it is an improvement over just silver or copper alone. Why not all 3 metals in this case?


 
 look up on googles confirmation bias


----------



## Kamakahah

coinmaster said:


> Well a lot of people have said that gold improves bass if you add a bit of it in the cable.
> I know people make copper silver hybrid cables and say it is an improvement over just silver or copper alone. Why not all 3 metals in this case?




People say a lot of things on the Internet. I invite you to Google a few terms: "conductance", "resistance", and "impedance". You can also Google what an electrical conductor like wire is and how the terms above relate to it. 

The idea of someone saying that gold will improve bass, generally, on whatever you put it on is silly. Very silly. Materials don't work like that in audio. It sure does a good job at marketing you more expensive materials though. 
Lots of snake oil and bogus claims when it comes to cable magic. I recommend building some different kinds yourself and that way you can decide what you believe, whatever that my be - magic or science.


----------



## coinmaster

Science aside, I've seen countless people say the same stuff all over the internet from unrelated sources by experienced people and newbies alike. I've seen people claim silver improved the high frequencies even before they knew it was "supposed" to do that. If enough people claim the same thing about what they are hearing I'm inclined to believe it.
 It's not like all these dudes are *trying* to believe in cable magic, some of them try to disprove it and still come out saying cables do make a difference.
 If it was truly snake oil I'd imagine a great variation in peoples statements about different materials used in their wires, but they all make the same statements about their qualities in detail. HMMMMMMMMMM....sounds suspiciously like they might be telling the truth.


----------



## Arty McGhee

kamakahah said:


> People say a lot of things on the Internet. I invite you to Google a few terms: "conductance", "resistance", and "impedance". You can also Google what an electrical conductor like wire is and how the terms above relate to it.
> 
> The idea of someone saying that gold will improve bass, generally, on whatever you put it on is silly. Very silly. Materials don't work like that in audio. It sure does a good job at marketing you more expensive materials though.
> Lots of snake oil and bogus claims when it comes to cable magic. I recommend building some different kinds yourself and that way you can decide what you believe, whatever that my be - magic or science.


 
 yeah thats what i meant
  
 so its kin of like this i try not to get into these conversations so lets keep it real simple
  
 Science ("conductance", "resistance", and "impedance") + common sense (and you're brains compensity to fool you) = save you're money
  
 but buy good quality copper cable at a good price
 there is a reason most of us use the same mogami
  
 lastly if'n you can really tell the difference (in a double blind study using scientific method) there's a guy name a James Randi got a million dollars for ya
  
 good luck


----------



## Kamakahah

coinmaster said:


> Science aside, I've seen countless people say the same stuff all over the internet from unrelated sources by experienced people and newbies alike. I've seen people claim silver improved the high frequencies even before they knew it was "supposed" to do that. If enough people claim the same thing about what they are hearing I'm inclined to believe it.
> It's not like all these dudes are *trying* to believe in cable magic, some of them try to disprove it and still come out saying cables do make a difference.
> If it was truly snake oil I'd imagine a great variation in peoples statements about different materials used in their wires, but they all make the same statements about their qualities in detail. HMMMMMMMMMM....sounds suspiciously like they might be telling the truth.




You seem pretty set on believing something that you've never had first had experience with. You are using sources without any links to the random "guys" and "experienced people" makes me pretty suspicious. The simple fact that you'll believe something just because 'X' number of other people believe it tells me that you don't have much of an education pertaining to logic or reason. 
For that reason alone, there is really no point in trying to reason with you through sound arguments, facts, or science. You are free to believe what you want. Hopefully you get the chance to decide first had: Although, it won't matter. You've already decided how it will sound. That's called "expectation bias." Thus, you will hear it to be so. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. 
Ignorance is bliss I suppose.


----------



## coinmaster

I'm not going to go track down everywhere I've ever been on the internet just to prove a point to other internet people, sorry.
 Also I don't "Believe" in anything yet. But from my own research it seems the only people that don't believe cables alter the sound are people that haven't tested it themselves or people using low end systems where they probably wouldn't hear the difference anyway.
  
 If you were to tell me that you, yourself have tested different materials and have heard no difference on a system that might actually be able to pick up a difference then I might be inclined to listen. Plainly stating textbook science when actual people doing actual tests have said otherwise is not going to convince me.
 Hearing may be subjective and potentially influenced by perceptions but I find it hard to believe that allll these people are under the same mental "influence" where they hear the exact same stuff on the exact same materials.
  
 Trust me, I would love to not spend hundreds of dollars on a cable. But I want to do it once and do it right. If there was no audible difference between silver, copper, and gold that would be great. But that is not what I am seeing.


----------



## scizzro

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/


----------



## coinmaster

I'm not sure I'm going to be convinced by a few lines of text based off speaker tests. Considering headphones and speakers are a different beast as well. Keep them coming though.


----------



## Armaegis

Y'know... gold does have terrible conductvity. If used in small gauges this would create a cable with high resistivity/impedance. Couple that with a headphone that has an impedance spike in the midbass and voila, the sound gets warmer.


----------



## scizzro

coinmaster said:


> I'm not sure I'm going to be convinced by a few lines of text based off speaker tests. Considering headphones and speakers are a different beast as well. Keep them coming though.


 

 There isn't a report out there that will convince you. Your ears are unique. They are what will convince you.
  
 You asked our opinion; you got a pretty unanimous answer. If you aren't satisfied with that, oh well.
  
 Make your cable. Report back here with the results. Please.


----------



## coinmaster

If I were to make this triple element cable. Scientifically speaking, it would not lower the sound quality right?


----------



## jodgey4

Nope. It would still be a pretty good cable, though depending on how many strands you used and length, the capacitance could be a little high. Idk if I've ever seen a headphone cable with too high of capacitance though, so my guess is that you'd be fine.


----------



## nehcrow

I ordered Canare Starquad and I got this!? What is it anybody?


----------



## spurxiii

nehcrow said:


> I ordered Canare Starquad and I got this!? What is it anybody?


 
 Not sure but its not a Canare starquad. I get mine from http://www.swamp.net.au/audio-cable-per-meter-bulk-rolls/
 $3.99 per metre with free shipping


----------



## creatip

If anything, a cable's material acts as a 'filter' to different frequency response, in conjunction with the headphone, like this: 
  


armaegis said:


> Y'know... gold does have terrible conductvity. If used in small gauges this would create a cable with high resistivity/impedance. Couple that with a headphone that has an impedance spike in the midbass and voila, the sound gets warmer.


 
  
 Warm = low-mid. Assuming it's true that gold make the sound warmer, it's not that gold add the low mid frequency, but rather recessing other frequencies. 
  
 I've built (and sell) interconnects with different cable materials, from copper (canare), gold plated copper (amtrans), silver plated copper (acrolink), pure silver (furukawa), and 99% silver + 1% gold (mundorf). They do sound a bit different to me, although I can't guarantee myself that I'm free from any biases. 
  
 What I can say though, that the difference is kinda minuscule, and on some songs, you gotta really strain your ears if you hope to hear any differences. If it's $10 standard cable vs $15-20 'upgraded' cable, then yeah, why not, it usually looks better anyway. But if it's $10 vs $1000 exotic cable, hell no....for me anyway. 
  
 Best thing of course is to try it yourself. You got an idea of using different cables on 1 polarity? Try it, and see for yourself. You might on to something, but then again, you might not. Remember, discoveries are based on failures. 
  
 All I tried was using different cables for the signal and the ground, like this one:
  

  
 Gold plated copper (amtrans) as the ground, silver plated copper as the signal.


----------



## Arty McGhee

nehcrow said:


> I ordered Canare Starquad and I got this!? What is it anybody?


 
 thats coax


----------



## creatip

nehcrow said:


> I ordered Canare Starquad and I got this!? What is it anybody?


 
  
 Sorry to say, but that looks awful. 
  
 There are a lot of counterfeit Canare cables and connector out there. Even the counterfeits got grades of themselves, like middle grade, good grade, almost perfect grade (very much alike the real thing)
  
 Edit: didn't read the post above me when posting this. Yes, that's a coaxial cable. I thought you ordered an audio cable, and got that delivered, then it's awful.


----------



## nehcrow

spurxiii said:


> Not sure but its not a Canare starquad. I get mine from http://www.swamp.net.au/audio-cable-per-meter-bulk-rolls/
> $3.99 per metre with free shipping


 
 That's exactly where I ordered mine from lol
 So... errr.... guess I'll email them


----------



## spurxiii

nehcrow said:


> That's exactly where I ordered mine from lol
> So... errr.... guess I'll email them


 
 It should be marked "L-4E6S CANARE 1305 MADE IN JAPAN"


----------



## nehcrow

Mine says 1045 :\
 I dont know, guess they got the wrong order
  
 Anyway a real question: how to get tightly fitting wire over techflex easily? It's really damn hard atm


----------



## lains

I got my cable today from Redcro, 30 feet of Canare L-4E6S. Fast delivery to Europe, a bit surprised to be honest.
  
 Viablue connectors and a few other items in the mail, including paracord of different colors. But I couldn't find any small paracord (other then expensive US shipping), so I only have 4mm ones on the way.
 Had some leftovers from another project, so had to try and make a testrun. Wanted to see if things would work, how it was to braid, and how the feel was.
  
 I am happy with the result. The braiding took the longest, hope it speeds up with practice. But 1.5 hour from I started taking the cable apart until I was done with the braiding isn't half bad.
 The cable is 1meter, 4 strands, pink and red paracord. Not the combo I will be using on the real deal. ^^


----------



## creatip

lains said:


> I got my cable today from Redcro, 30 feet of Canare L-4E6S. Fast delivery to Europe, a bit surprised to be honest.
> 
> Viablue connectors and a few other items in the mail, including paracord of different colors. But I couldn't find any small paracord (other then expensive US shipping), so I only have 4mm ones on the way.
> Had some leftovers from another project, so had to try and make a testrun. Wanted to see if things would work, how it was to braid, and how the feel was.
> ...


 
  
 You use a paracord for each of those tiny strands? Damn, I just braid them all together. Those strands are small, to me anyway.


----------



## lains

creatip said:


> You use a paracord for each of those tiny strands? Damn, I just braid them all together. Those strands are small, to me anyway.


 
  
  
 Yes I did, I liked the feel of the braided paracord. And today I found a local dealer of paracord #95 and #425, so most likely I will be ordering a sample of both to see how that would turn out.
 The wires are 1.4mm, the #95 paracord is 1.6mm (outer diameter), so I think that might be a bit to close. The #425 is 3.2mm outer diameter, so that could remove some of the play I have with the 4mm #550.


----------



## BloodyPenguin

Looking for ANY help I can get re-cabling a set of SoundSOUL S-018:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GISUL8
  
 I of course would pay for shipping both ways and install fees.
  
  
 I just want a nice cable to go with my budget IEMs.  Something like this:  http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4414
  
  
  
 I started a Classified Thread Here:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/757281/for-someone-to-re-cable-a-soundsoul-s-018
  
  
 EDIT, this is what the inside of it looks like:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/748807/soundsoul-s-018-impressions-thread/240#post_11376142
  
  
  
 Thanks to anyone who can help!


----------



## Kamakahah

BloodyPenguin Hopefully someone helps you out. Honestly, it's a pretty big PITA to do on most cheap IEMS, sometimes nearly impossible.


----------



## BloodyPenguin

kamakahah said:


> @BloodyPenguin Hopefully someone helps you out. Honestly, it's a pretty big PITA to do on most cheap IEMS, sometimes nearly impossible.


 
 Crap...  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  
  
 Thanks for the heads up though....


----------



## ZSamuels28

That's a pretty legit audio cable: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4414
  
 Anyone know where to buy braided cable like this that is really high quality? I can make it myself but it's a PITA to braid... Haha


----------



## BloodyPenguin

zsamuels28 said:


> That's a pretty legit audio cable: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4414
> 
> Anyone know where to buy braided cable like this that is really high quality? I can make it myself but it's a PITA to braid... Haha


 
 Lunashops have a bunch more like that as well:  http://www.lunashops.com/search.php?encode=YTo0OntzOjg6ImtleXdvcmRzIjtzOjE0OiJlYXJwaG9uZSBjYWJsZSI7czoxOiJ4IjtzOjI6IjM3IjtzOjE6InkiO3M6MjoiMTAiO3M6MTg6InNlYXJjaF9lbmNvZGVfdGltZSI7aToxNDI1NDIzNDM3O30=
  
 As long as you do not mind waiting a month or so to get it.
  
 ..


----------



## ZSamuels28

bloodypenguin said:


> Lunashops have a bunch more like that as well:  http://www.lunashops.com/search.php?encode=YTo0OntzOjg6ImtleXdvcmRzIjtzOjE0OiJlYXJwaG9uZSBjYWJsZSI7czoxOiJ4IjtzOjI6IjM3IjtzOjE6InkiO3M6MjoiMTAiO3M6MTg6InNlYXJjaF9lbmNvZGVfdGltZSI7aToxNDI1NDIzNDM3O30=
> 
> As long as you do not mind waiting a month or so to get it.
> 
> ..


 
 Yeah but are Lunashops cables high quality?


----------



## BloodyPenguin

zsamuels28 said:


> Yeah but are Lunashops cables high quality?


 
 This, I do not know.  I just know it is a decent site and that it has been used by many head-fiers (including myself).  I've just never bought their cables.


----------



## creatip

bloodypenguin said:


> Crap...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 It's a big risk of re-cabling, because the cables aren't detachable. Meaning you gotta dig inside, and solder in a new cable. That's also a big risk by itself. Too hot of a solder, and it will ruin the drivers. 
  
 All those risk aren't exactly worth it for lower end stuffs. That's why most middle end stuffs and higher got detachable cables. It's much much easier to work on detachable cables. 
  


zsamuels28 said:


> That's a pretty legit audio cable: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4414
> 
> Anyone know where to buy braided cable like this that is really high quality? I can make it myself but it's a PITA to braid... Haha


 
  
 Really high quality as in REALLY high? The siltech emperor, 45 grand for 2m cable http://www.thecableco.com/Product/Siltech-Emperor-Double-Crown It's a speaker cable, but still applicable to headphones. 
  
 Lunashop is a good place to browse. Ebay is always a solution.


----------



## Kamakahah

creatip That's awesome. If they sell one of those cables that would be mission accomplished. I would have a hard time not laughing out loud if I saw one of those in a system.


----------



## nehcrow

So any tips for getting individual cables over tight fitting techflex easily?


----------



## creatip

zsamuels28 said:


> Yeah but are Lunashops cables high quality?


 
  
 That's kinda hard to say. What I do know, for example they sell acrolink silver plated copper wires at low price of something like $2-4/m, while sellers at ebay sell completed products of around 1,5m braided (usually it's 4 strands = 6m cables in total) using the exact same cable + regular mini stereo plug (not Viablue or stuffs) at above $100, some even go above $200. Most of the times people will say ebay ones are the higher quality, and/or lunashops' are counterfeit, while I can bet if someone to get the cable at lunashop and the one from ebay, dissect it and test it in a lab, they're the same stuff. 
  


kamakahah said:


> @creatip That's awesome. If they sell one of those cables that would be mission accomplished. I would have a hard time not laughing out loud if I saw one of those in a system.


 
  
 I would get one, seriously....if my annual income is above 10 million dollars, that is....


----------



## Kamakahah

nehcrow said:


> So any tips for getting individual cables over tight fitting techflex easily?




Over? You mean how to get the techflex over the cables, right? 

Are we talking about PET techflex that expands or the nylon multifilament braided sleeving that techflex also sells?


----------



## ZSamuels28

kamakahah said:


> Over? You mean how to get the techflex over the cables, right?
> 
> Are we talking about PET techflex that expands or the nylon multifilament braided sleeving that techflex also sells?


 
 That nylon multifillament DOES NOT move... I bought some and was bummed that it didn't expand so I went and bout the PET. That stuff is bomb.


----------



## creatip

zsamuels28 said:


> That nylon multifillament DOES NOT move... I bought some and was bummed that it didn't expand so I went and bout the PET. That stuff is bomb.


 
  
 There's an idea that I could think of, but never tried, because I never used any sleeving in my cables.
  
 Get a thin and right size heatshrink tube. You'll need very long tube, but the industrial version is dirt cheap. You'd throw them away afterwards anyway.
  
 - Measure and cut the tube length about the cable's length + 30cm or so
 - Insert the cable about 15-20cm inside the tube
 - Heat the whole length of the tube to make it shrink and grip the cable tightly
 - Insert the other end of the tube into the sleeve, all the way to the other end of the sleeve
 - Pull.....
  
 Might want to apply talcum powder, vaseline, or even oil along the surface of the tube, to minimize friction between the tube and the inside of the sleeving.


----------



## ZSamuels28

creatip said:


> That's kinda hard to say. What I do know, for example they sell acrolink silver plated copper wires at low price of something like $2-4/m, while sellers at ebay sell completed products of around 1,5m braided (usually it's 4 strands = 6m cables in total) using the exact same cable + regular mini stereo plug (not Viablue or stuffs) at above $100, some even go above $200. Most of the times people will say ebay ones are the higher quality, and/or lunashops' are counterfeit, while I can bet if someone to get the cable at lunashop and the one from ebay, dissect it and test it in a lab, they're the same stuff.
> 
> 
> I would get one, seriously....if my annual income is above 10 million dollars, that is....


 
 Would you say that this silver plated wire is better than Mogami W2893? Which one on lunashops would you recommend for making a 3.5mm cable? I have Neutrik connectors and some 95 paracord or 1/4" nylon multifillament for the wires.


----------



## creatip

zsamuels28 said:


> Would you say that this silver plated wire is better than Mogami W2893? Which one on lunashops would you recommend for making a 3.5mm cable? I have Neutrik connectors and some 95 paracord or 1/4" nylon multifillament for the wires.


 
  
 First thing first, lunashop is only a shop, they don't produce stuffs. It's just whether they sell counterfeits (considering their low prices) or the real stuffs. If you believe they sell counterfeits, then don't order anything from them. If you believe they're legit, then get the one you like. Do some research on cables, and crosscheck if lunashop have them or not. 
  
 Which cable is good which is bad, which is better than which, that's highly subjective. Some people insists on different cables yields different sounds, others don't believe it. 
  
 In short, just get anything that appeals the most to you, and go with it.


----------



## Kamakahah

zsamuels28 said:


> That nylon multifillament DOES NOT move... I bought some and was bummed that it didn't expand so I went and bout the PET. That stuff is bomb.


 
 I'm not a huge fan of the PET. I find it to have an unpleasant texture when it touches my skin. I'm way more into soft sleeving. The downside of non-expandable sleeving is trying to worm the wire through. That is the technique you'll need you use. Make sure the end of the wire has a clean cut with no wire sticking out of the insulation. I cut a small piece of electrical tape and stretch it over the end. This serves two purposes: the stretch helps keep it thin, so no added bulk and helps the wire slide easily through. Others attach some something like fish line or a paper clip to the end. Regardless, you need to worm the wire through the sleeving a few inches at a time. Once you get the technique down, it goes really fast. 


zsamuels28 said:


> Would you say that this silver plated wire is better than Mogami W2893? Which one on lunashops would you recommend for making a 3.5mm cable? I have Neutrik connectors and some 95 paracord or 1/4" nylon multifillament for the wires.


 
  
 The random SPC isn't "better" than mogami - It's just different. The problem with ordering from random sellers on ebay and lunashops is that you have almost no way to confirm that what you're getting is what they are advertising. It could be a load of BS. Sure, you can chemically test the silver and copper to be sure that at least they aren't lying about the materials, but I doubt anyone but me and a few other science nerds like me would even bother. So you are taking it on good faith that you are receiving the advertised product. Even then, the differences are so minute that it wont matter. 
 What does matter is functionality. How flexible a cable is. How it feels to the touch near your neck, chest and arms. Does it tangle easy? Does it hold memory easily? These are things that people notice every single time they use a cable. So, if one of those cables is significantly more flexible, softer feeling, doesn't twist or tangle, doesn't hold memory, and the other does? Then yes, one is better. 
 Generally speaking, wire with higher strand count is usually more flexible, but it really depends on the type of insulation dielectric that is covering the wire. You won't know until you hold them side by side and compare yourself. 
  
 People choose Mogami and Canare because it is consistent. We know it's pretty flexible and that sleeving it in something soft and to our style preferences like paracord takes care of the rest. When you buy random wire with various different insulation and strand counts, you're rolling the dice. I've personally tried wire from at least 20 different vendors with various different make-ups. 
 In the end, nothing can touch the value/performance ratio of Canare L-4E5C.  $0.48/ft (of 4 conductors) from Redco.com. So that comes to $0.12/ft for good quality, industry standard, OFC copper wire. So I still order other wire from time to time? Absolutely. I'm a big fan of PlusSound Audio's basic occ SPC (sold out currently), and their 75-strand occ copper. I love the soft insulation and great flexibility. Whenever I plan on leaving the wire bare, they are my go-to. 
  
 It really comes down to personal preference and usage. "Better" really depends on your wants/needs. My "better" might not be your "better".


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## ZSamuels28

What's wrong with something like this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-AWG-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Assortment-50-feet-7-strand-/231344763948?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35dd38f42c
  
 Would I notice a difference between silver plated stuff and a regular Mogami or Canare?


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## ZSamuels28

creatip said:


> You use a paracord for each of those tiny strands? Damn, I just braid them all together. Those strands are small, to me anyway.


 
 What is that over the cable? I notice people use clear or gray stuff like that, is that clear strink tube?


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## nehcrow

kamakahah said:


> Over? You mean how to get the techflex over the cables, right?
> 
> Are we talking about PET techflex that expands or the nylon multifilament braided sleeving that techflex also sells?


 
 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3m-Length-Black-Techflex-Flexo-PET-Expandable-Braided-Cable-Sleeving-/230927952950?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&var=&hash=item35c460ec36

 So PET. Still have difficulties since I bought the smallest diameter expecting it to expand over the wire, inch worm method might work but it might take like 30 mins per wire


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## Kamakahah

zsamuels28 said:


> What's wrong with something like this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-AWG-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Assortment-50-feet-7-strand-/231344763948?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35dd38f42c
> 
> Would I notice a difference between silver plated stuff and a regular Mogami or Canare?


 
 I used Navships a lot when I first started. It's great practice wire. It's quality MIL spec spc. The problem is that it is only 7 strands and the insulation is pretty stiff/memory prone. The overall result is a pretty stiff cable. Sonically it works great, no complaints. 
  


zsamuels28 said:


> What is that over the cable? I notice people use clear or gray stuff like that, is that clear strink tube?


 
  
 Clear heatshrink. Makes it stiffer (that's what she said). It's not for everyone. I'm not a huge fan of it, but some are. 


nehcrow said:


> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3m-Length-Black-Techflex-Flexo-PET-Expandable-Braided-Cable-Sleeving-/230927952950?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&var=&hash=item35c460ec36
> 
> So PET. Still have difficulties since I bought the smallest diameter expecting it to expand over the wire, inch worm method might work but it might take like 30 mins per wire


 
 Well, if you bought a PET that is too small, then that's going to be a super PITA to worm. Since it isn't flexible, I can see why you are so frustrated. There is a list that shows it's dimensions. It's always nice to keep some cheap calipers on hand for measurements to order the right thing the first time.


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## nehcrow

kamakahah said:


> I used Navships a lot when I first started. It's great practice wire. It's quality MIL spec spc. The problem is that it is only 7 strands and the insulation is pretty stiff/memory prone. The overall result is a pretty stiff cable. Sonically it works great, no complaints.
> 
> 
> Clear heatshrink. Makes it stiffer (that's what she said). It's not for everyone. I'm not a huge fan of it, but some are.
> Well, if you bought a PET that is too small, then that's going to be a super PITA to worm. Since it isn't flexible, I can see why you are so frustrated. There is a list that shows it's dimensions. It's always nice to keep some cheap calipers on hand for measurements to order the right thing the first time.


 
 Well I ain't wasting $8, do you reckon vaseline would work somehow? I would wash it out with soapy water + let it dry, don't want none of that of vaseline in there


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## Kamakahah

nehcrow said:


> Well I ain't wasting $8, do you reckon vaseline would work somehow? I would wash it out with soapy water + let it dry, don't want none of that of vaseline in there




No idea. I've never had to do it. Honestly, I don't think I ever would. 
You might be the first pioneer in the field of sleeving wire with vaseline. Let us know how it turns out.


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## ZSamuels28

nehcrow said:


> Well I ain't wasting $8, do you reckon vaseline would work somehow? I would wash it out with soapy water + let it dry, don't want none of that of vaseline in there


 

 You have no idea how much worthless paracord/techflex/shrink tube I have from not measuring... Maybe I'll use it one day... MAYBE.
  
 And with the vaseline... That's hilarious, take photos if you do it.
  
 On another note, has anyone recabled Beyerdynamic DT770 or a similar model left driver to the right?


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## DingoSmuggler

Be very careful using petroleum products - ie. vaseline, around cables. Your standard PVC insulation won't like it very much.


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## ZSamuels28

What's the best solder for audio? I was looking through some old forums and saw some people like lead free solder. I saw 2 names in the forums: Cardas Quad (I think this does have lead) and Mundorf. Any recommendations? Also, does anyone use flux or is it bad for audio applications?


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## funch

What you don't want for sure is acid core solder; only rosin core. The rosin is the flux. There are some situations where extra flux can be useful, but
 knowing when comes with experience.


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## ZSamuels28

Interesting, does it matter what solder I use? It looks like Cardas Quad is really highly rated, also Kester 63/37.


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## scizzro

zsamuels28 said:


> Interesting, does it matter what solder I use? It looks like Cardas Quad is really highly rated, also Kester 63/37.


 
 I use plain old 60/40 from Radioshack.


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## ZSamuels28

Yeah I use 60/40 from Osh but I'm wondering if it makes a better connection using something better


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## Kamakahah

As long as you make a nice solid joint with a good mechanical connection, it doesn't matter. 
Lead-free solder has a higher melting temperature. Applying more heat to certain things like drivers can be detrimental. It really depends on the application. 
I personally like 63/37, eutectic solder as it goes from solid to liquid rather than pasty 60/40. It's a personal preference. 
I use Kester 60/40 and 63/37, Cardas and mundorf supreme. The mundorf is probably my least favorite just because the additional heat required. 

Despite what people think, that 4% silver in the solder means jack s*** compared to a nice, clean joint. I mean, it's not like they used expensive solder in your headphones, amps, or dacs. You don't see audiophiles reflowing every joint in their setup because it's pointless. 

Just focus on technique. Making the best joint while applying only the necessary amount of heat and duration is what matters. 

I probably use the Cardas more than anything. Next would be the Kester. I only really use the Mundorf supreme when someone really insists on it.


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## ZSamuels28

Thanks for the info! One thing I notice made a huge difference was going from my crappy radio shack 40 watt soldering iron to a Aoyue 469 70w with a heat dial. I'll probably pick up some Cardas Quad since it seems very high quality, that's what you use most? Something like this? http://m.ebay.com/itm/400607789415


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## Armaegis

kamakahah said:


> As long as you make a nice solid joint *with a good mechanical connection,* it doesn't matter.


 
  
 The bolded section is a key part that most people forget. A good mechanical connection between conductive materials will ensure a good electrical connection. Solder does not make the electrical connection for you. It simply holds the existing connection in place.


----------



## creatip

zsamuels28 said:


> Thanks for the info! One thing I notice made a huge difference was going from my crappy radio shack 40 watt soldering iron to a Aoyue 469 70w with a heat dial. I'll probably pick up some Cardas Quad since it seems very high quality, that's what you use most? Something like this? http://m.ebay.com/itm/400607789415


 

 I use WBT solder, not very much because I believe it's a big upgrade (from regular ones), but more because it's well known, and consequently sells well (I'm making and selling interconnects, so yeah... )
  
 Having said that, I love how the result looks very silvery shiny, compared to bulk $2/roll soldering tin. Notice, I love the look, not saying anything about functionality.
  


armaegis said:


> The bolded section is a key part that most people forget. A good mechanical connection between conductive materials will ensure a good electrical connection. Solder does not make the electrical connection for you. It simply holds the existing connection in place.


 
  
 Hmmmm, I would say yes and no to that.
  
 Yes, the best and most important connection is between the 2 conductive materials, e.g. the wire vs the polarity plate on the audio plug or a PCB's copper surface.
  
 No, a solder also acts, or add/help/supplement in conductivity. That's why it's made of conductive materials as well. If the function is limited to holding the existing connection only, then:
  
 - It's no different than other sticky material, e.g. home repair putty. It's true that the connection will still work with using a putty as the thing holding it together, as long as the 2 important conductive surface touch each other, but that's not what I meant. What I mean, if a solder is nothing more than something like a putty, then something like this won't work:
  



  
 The cable's core never touch the plug's body at all, and yet it's still conductive. In this example, the solder splotch function as something that's holding the 2 things together, also as a conductive material, passing through electricity between them. Surely a putty can't do this. 

 *and yeah, that's a crappy soldering job. I did that with used scraps, for the purpose of this post only. 
  
  
  
 This is my logic of what a solder do:
  
 - Hold the connection together, and yes, in this particular point, I agree it serves the same purpose as an electrical tape or a putty, but it's not limited to this point only
 - Widen the contact surface. In small stuffs, like a tiny resistor's legs, the point of contact between the leg and the PCB is just a tiny spot. This may not be enough for the required current transfer. A conductive material splotch (solder) helps widen the point of contact, and by doing so, helps the two surface to exchange the needed amount of current. 
 - Helps a little as a tiny/micro heatsink, dissipating heat. 
  
 Well, that's just what I think, tho....


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## ZSamuels28

Thanks for the informative post! So between WBT and Cardas it shouldn't matter?


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## noumen

Hi,
  
 nobody answer in my topic so I put link here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/757270/where-to-get-thin-cable I'am looking for cabel fits in sleeving 1,2-1,5mm diameter inside. Thanks for any suggestions!


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## lains

noumen said:


> Hi,
> 
> nobody answer in my topic so I put link here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/757270/where-to-get-thin-cable I'am looking for cabel fits in sleeving 1,2-1,5mm diameter inside. Thanks for any suggestions!


 
  
 Canare-L-4E6S has 4 wires that measure out to 1.4mm each. Well priced and fast shipping to Europe. http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E6S.html
 Could be a very tight fit. But redco has a lot of other cables too, so have a look and see if anything fits your need.


----------



## noumen

lains said:


> Canare-L-4E6S has 4 wires that measure out to 1.4mm each. Well priced and fast shipping to Europe. http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E6S.html
> Could be a very tight fit. But redco has a lot of other cables too, so have a look and see if anything fits your need.


 
 Thanks M8. We have it in Poland (https://www.audeos.pl/pl/p/Canare-Starquad-l-4e6s-black-kabel-mikrofonowy/119) but this is 4 wires 21AWG so probably I can't fit two wires inside 1,2-1,5mm sleeving.


----------



## lains

noumen said:


> Thanks M8. We have it in Poland (https://www.audeos.pl/pl/p/Canare-Starquad-l-4e6s-black-kabel-mikrofonowy/119) but this is 4 wires 21AWG so probably I can't fit two wires inside 1,2-1,5mm sleeving.


 
  
 Ah, you wanted 2 wires in one sleeve. Thats not much room to work with. But that is also why I recommended you check out the other cables redco has in store.
 Have you thought about maybe sleeve each wire and braid them? Should make your options a bit better.


----------



## bigalila

armaegis said:


> Solder does not make the electrical connection for you. It simply holds the existing connection in place.


 

 Uhmmm... not true.  Maybe if you are not tinning before you solder, you could get a good mechanical connection between the two conductive surfaces.  Until you solder the joint that is.  When soldering the joint it would take more pressure than you can provide with the tip of your soldering iron to keep that mechanical connection.  You actually want that solder to flow and fill all of the gaps between the two conductive surfaces, many of which a too small for you to see without magnification.  If it doesn't flow properly to fill those gaps it is what's known as a "cold solder" joint which does not conduct electricity very well.  If you want that perfect mechanical connection, that would be welding, which produces way too much residual heat for our connectors to survive.


----------



## ZSamuels28

bigalila said:


> Uhmmm... not true.  Maybe if you are not tinning before you solder, you could get a good mechanical connection between the two conductive surfaces.  Until you solder the joint that is.  When soldering the joint it would take more pressure than you can provide with the tip of your soldering iron to keep that mechanical connection.  You actually want that solder to flow and fill all of the gaps between the two conductive surfaces, many of which a too small for you to see without magnification.  If it doesn't flow properly to fill those gaps it is what's known as a "cold solder" joint which does not conduct electricity very well.  If you want that perfect mechanical connection, that would be welding, which produces way too much residual heat for our connectors to survive.


 
 You mean I can't weld my solder to my adapters!? Darn...  I think I'm going to get some Cardas Quad Solder as it is said to be very high quality stuff


----------



## creatip

bigalila said:


> Uhmmm... not true.  Maybe if you are not tinning before you solder, you could get a good mechanical connection between the two conductive surfaces.  Until you solder the joint that is.  When soldering the joint it would take more pressure than you can provide with the tip of your soldering iron to keep that mechanical connection.  You actually want that solder to flow and fill all of the gaps between the two conductive surfaces, many of which a too small for you to see without magnification.  If it doesn't flow properly to fill those gaps it is what's known as a "cold solder" joint which does not conduct electricity very well.  If you want that perfect mechanical connection, that would be welding, which produces way too much residual heat for our connectors to survive.


 
  
 I agree with you, but isn't welding pretty much the same thing as soldering? The 2 welded surfaces still got those 'gaps', it's just the surrounding that is joined together with the welding. I'd imagine to get that really perfect mechanical connection would be by 'forging'. Heat the 2 surfaces until glowing red and almost melt, then hammer them together before they cool off. Now that's a perfect connection


----------



## Armaegis

creatip said:


> Hmmmm, I would say yes and no to that.
> No, a solder also acts, or add/help/supplement in conductivity. That's why it's made of conductive materials as well.


 
  


bigalila said:


> Uhmmm... not true.  Maybe if you are not tinning before you solder, you could get a good mechanical connection between the two conductive surfaces.  Until you solder the joint that is.  When soldering the joint it would take more pressure than you can provide with the tip of your soldering iron to keep that mechanical connection


 
  
  
 What I meant was that people should not be making connections based purely on solder (making bridges essentially). The conductivity of solder is quite poor.


----------



## bigalila

creatip said:


> I agree with you, but isn't welding pretty much the same thing as soldering? The 2 welded surfaces still got those 'gaps', it's just the surrounding that is joined together with the welding. I'd imagine to get that really perfect mechanical connection would be by 'forging'. Heat the 2 surfaces until glowing red and almost melt, then hammer them together before they cool off. Now that's a perfect connection


 
 A good weld with proper "penetration" joins the two metals together as one.  Penetration in a weld is how deep the metal was heated beyond it's critical temperature and was able to flow together mixing the metals of the pieces being joined.  Heating the metal to glowing red [right at the critical temperature, but not beyond] would not provide as good as a connection as the two metals would not be able to flow together and make a strong joint.


----------



## ZSamuels28

Just bought some Cardas Quad from here http://www.ebay.com/itm/25g-Solder-Cardas-Quad-Silver-Eutectic-Solder-Authorized-Cardas-Dealer-/400607789415?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4615c167
  
 Will let you guys know how well it works... Apparently this stuff is really high quality


----------



## lains

armaegis said:


> What I meant was that people should not be making connections based purely on solder (making bridges essentially). *The conductivity of solder is quite poor.*


 
  
 Do you have any backing for that? Because as far as i was taught, a good solder between two points gives anything but a poor conductivity.


----------



## Armaegis

creatip said:


> I agree with you, but isn't welding pretty much the same thing as soldering? The 2 welded surfaces still got those 'gaps', it's just the surrounding that is joined together with the welding. I'd imagine to get that really perfect mechanical connection would be by 'forging'. Heat the 2 surfaces until glowing red and almost melt, then hammer them together before they cool off. Now that's a perfect connection


 
  


bigalila said:


> A good weld with proper "penetration" joins the two metals together as one.  Penetration in a weld is how deep the metal was heated beyond it's critical temperature and was able to flow together mixing the metals of the pieces being joined.  Heating the metal to glowing red [right at the critical temperature, but not beyond] would not provide as good as a connection as the two metals would not be able to flow together and make a strong joint.


 
  
  
 Forging is also a generic term that means shaping metal by applied force (hammering, pressing, etc). Heat isn't even necessary.
  
 Welding joins two materials together (flows them back together; they are metallurgically bonded). There may or may not be a filler material involved. Heat is usually involved but in some cases not.
  
 Soldering and brazing connects two material through a filler material.
  
  
 For cables, in an ideal world we would be able to create metallurgical bonds, but this is impractical and very expensive on small scales.


----------



## creatip

bigalila said:


> A good weld with proper "penetration" joins the two metals together as one.  Penetration in a weld is how deep the metal was heated beyond it's critical temperature and was able to flow together mixing the metals of the pieces being joined.  Heating the metal to glowing red [right at the critical temperature, but not beyond] would not provide as good as a connection as the two metals would not be able to flow together and make a strong joint.


 
  
 Ah ok, noted. New thing learned...


----------



## Armaegis

lains said:


> Do you have any backing for that? Because as far as i was taught, a good solder between two points gives anything but a poor conductivity.


 
  
 Lead and tin have terrible conductivity. Here's a chart, copper is "1". Everything else is a multiple of the resistivity of copper (I think silver is... 0.95 or something like that).
 http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedias/soldering-basics#chart


----------



## bigalila

A lead tin alloy solder actually has almost the same resistance and conductivity as pure copper wire.  You can look up the individual metals base measurements here: http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/a/Table-Of-Electrical-Resistivity-And-Conductivity.htm
  
 As you can see, Copper has a resistance of 1.68×10−8 and conductivity of 5.96×107.  Lead has a resistance of 2.2×10−7 [higher than copper] and conductivity of 4.55×106 [lower than copper].  Tin has a resistance of 1.09×10−7 [lower than copper] and conductivity of 9.17×106 [higher than copper].  As an alloy these qualities are averaged [for the most part] as per the alloy composition.  A 65/35 solder has almost the same resistance and conductivity as copper but a higher melting point than 60/40 which is probably why 60/40 is more popular.  Still, the difference between the two is almost immeasurable and definitely can't be heard through the few connections we make in our cables.


----------



## ZSamuels28

What have I done with this solder conversation >_<


----------



## noumen

lains said:


> Ah, you wanted 2 wires in one sleeve. Thats not much room to work with. But that is also why I recommended you check out the other cables redco has in store.
> Have you thought about maybe sleeve each wire and braid them? Should make your options a bit better.


 
  
 Hmm...
  
 This sleeving (Nylon Soft 2mm) truly have small room, but... I'am going to make IEM, so when I'am using thick cable they looks - not as good as I'd like to...
  
 I can try braid two cables in this sleevings but, the question is how... Cabel for IEM should be elastic, two wires probably will untie. I mean three wires always hold themselves, two wires need glue, or non elastic cables, or something else.
  
 Anyway, I am going to check Redco.


----------



## Armaegis

bigalila said:


> A lead tin alloy solder actually has almost the same resistance and conductivity as pure copper wire.  You can look up the individual metals base measurements here: http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/a/Table-Of-Electrical-Resistivity-And-Conductivity.htm
> 
> As you can see, Copper has a resistance of 1.68×10−8 and conductivity of 5.96×107.  Lead has a resistance of 2.2×10−7 [higher than copper] and conductivity of 4.55×106 [lower than copper].  Tin has a resistance of 1.09×10−7 [lower than copper] and conductivity of 9.17×106 [higher than copper].  As an alloy these qualities are averaged [for the most part] as per the alloy composition.  A 65/35 solder has almost the same resistance and conductivity as copper but a higher melting point than 60/40 which is probably why 60/40 is more popular.  Still, the difference between the two is almost immeasurable and definitely can't be heard through the few connections we make in our cables.


 
  
 Um... are you neglecting the power factor on those numbers? Both lead and tin are much much worse the copper. Only silver is more conductive than copper.
  
 You also can't really calculate equivalent resistivity by simply averaging from the composition. (and conductivity is simply the reciprocal of resistance)


----------



## Kamakahah

bigalila said:


> A lead tin alloy solder actually has almost the same resistance and conductivity as pure copper wire.  You can look up the individual metals base measurements here: http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/a/Table-Of-Electrical-Resistivity-And-Conductivity.htm
> 
> As you can see, Copper has a resistance of 1.68×10−8 and conductivity of 5.96×107.  Lead has a resistance of 2.2×10−7 [higher than copper] and conductivity of 4.55×106 [lower than copper].  Tin has a resistance of 1.09×10−7 [lower than copper] and conductivity of 9.17×106 [higher than copper].  As an alloy these qualities are averaged [for the most part] as per the alloy composition.  A 65/35 solder has almost the same resistance and conductivity as copper but a higher melting point than 60/40 which is probably why 60/40 is more popular.  Still, the difference between the two is almost immeasurable and definitely can't be heard through the few connections we make in our cables.


 
  
 I think you need to break out the calculator and see how negative exponents factor into what you're saying. Algebra FTW. 
  
 1.68x10^-8 is the same as 0.0000000168, while 1.09x10^-7 is   0.000000109.  See the difference?
  
 The resistance of tin is in fact 6.488 times larger than copper, using the numbers you provided. Solder does not have the same conductivity as pure copper. Choosing to not make a good mechanical connection is a big no-no. Not only will you end up with a weaker joint, but a worse connection. To what extent? Well that depends.


----------



## Arty McGhee

zsamuels28 said:


> What have I done with this solder conversation >_<


 
 ya this is killin me
 you guys need to take this to the science thread
 or something
  
  
  
 (kester 60/40 ftw)


----------



## ZSamuels28

Okay new question... Should I tin all of my wires that I use to connect to my headphone drivers and adapter? I guess I can't really tin them if I put them through a hole, or could/should I?


----------



## Armaegis

Tinning is fine, though be careful if you're putting the wires through holes that tinning doesn't make the wire too thick to fit (it happens if you use too much solder)


----------



## creatip

kamakahah said:


> I think you need to break out the calculator and see how negative exponents factor into what you're saying. Algebra FTW.
> 
> 1.68x10^-8 is the same as 0.0000000168, while 1.09x10^-7 is   0.000000109.  See the difference?
> 
> The resistance of tin is in fact 6.488 times larger than copper, using the numbers you provided. Solder does not have the same conductivity as pure copper. Choosing to not make a good mechanical connection is a big no-no. Not only will you end up with a weaker joint, but a worse connection. To what extent? Well that depends.


 
  
 Not trying to throw in more gas into the fire, but I'd imagine the resistance and conductivity value of those applies to homogenous one piece of material, e.g. 1 rod of copper and 1 rod of tin being measured. 
  
 Say I got 2 pieces of copper plate. If I stack them together, I'd imagine the resistance measured between them is greater than what's stated in the measurement, because of the 'gaps' mentioned before. Soldering acts as the filler on the gaps, and resulting in a better conductivity. 
  
 I think the concept is more or less similar to applying thermal paste between a PC's processor chip and the heatsink. Good heatsinks use copper surface that's very good in transferring heats, better than the thermal paste, but still, applying thermal paste between the surface of contact to act as a filler will enhance the heat transfer.


----------



## creatip

zsamuels28 said:


> Okay new question... Should I tin all of my wires that I use to connect to my headphone drivers and adapter? I guess I can't really tin them if I put them through a hole, or could/should I?


 
  
 You're kinda over-worrying trivial stuffs. Tinning wires before threading it through the hole vs threading it first, then soldering would give basically the same result. When heated, soldering tin will become semi-liquid that will fill tiny holes and gaps. The difference might be, if the wires are tinned first, then it's a bit easier to solder it after it's threaded through the hole. 
  
 I'd suggest some googling on articles and/or videos on 'how to solder properly'


----------



## Armaegis

I find pre-tinning is great for:
 - really delicate jobs where I can just tap quickly with an iron (with a bit of solder on the tip) and not worry about too much heat going through
 - times where I need a hand to hold the wire/component steady at whatever angle I need, so again it's just a tap (sometimes with some extra flux applied) to create the connection


----------



## bigalila

kamakahah said:


> I think you need to break out the calculator and see how negative exponents factor into what you're saying. Algebra FTW.
> 
> 1.68x10^-8 is the same as 0.0000000168, while 1.09x10^-7 is   0.000000109.  See the difference?
> 
> The resistance of tin is in fact 6.488 times larger than copper, using the numbers you provided. Solder does not have the same conductivity as pure copper. Choosing to not make a good mechanical connection is a big no-no. Not only will you end up with a weaker joint, but a worse connection. To what extent? Well that depends.


 

 Sorry, I did fudge the math a little.  I guess I should actually stop fishing next time. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Anyways... what mechanical connection are you going on about?  There is no mechanical connection available in most of the connections we use in our cables and connectors.  You could count twisting wires together, I guess, that is a mechanical connection.  We could also try bolting, welding, brazing...
  
 My method is so; Clean both workpieces well, lightly tin each piece and allow to cool, add small amount of flux, hold both workpieces tightly together and add heat and maybe a little more solder until I get a good flow, make sure the two work pieces are held securely until completely cool.  Hasn't failed me in the 25+ years since I started soldering.


----------



## DingoSmuggler

Resistance is measured in ohms, its inverse is conductance, measured in mhos (mho is simply ohm spelled backwards, equivalent to 1/ohm).
  
 The inverse of conductivity is resistivity, not resistance.
 Resistivity would be expressed in ohm*metres, and conductivity being the inverse, in mhos/metre.
  
 For a bit of an example - we knew a 3m length of copper wire had a resistivity of 1.6x10^(-10) ohm*metres, a cross sectional area of 2x10^(-6) m^2.
 The resistance of the length of wire will be the resistivity divided by the c/s. area multiplied by the length - giving us 24 milliohms.
  
 The resistance of properly made solder joints is tiny, and for headphone cables should be less than the contact resistance of the plug to jack, or the wire resistance.


----------



## Armaegis

bigalila said:


> Sorry, I did fudge the math a little.  I guess I should actually stop fishing next time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 I think he means simply physical contact.
  
 Try and establish as much physical contact with the wire to the connector as possible, _then_ fill with solder to fill in the gaps and hold it in place, yadda yadda.
  
 If soldering to posts or holes (not for headphone cables usually), then there are in fact "proper" procedures for wrapping/looping the wires before solder is applied.


----------



## Kamakahah

creatip said:


> Not trying to throw in more gas into the fire, but I'd imagine the resistance and conductivity value of those applies to homogenous one piece of material, e.g. 1 rod of copper and 1 rod of tin being measured.
> 
> Say I got 2 pieces of copper plate. If I stack them together, I'd imagine the resistance measured between them is greater than what's stated in the measurement, because of the 'gaps' mentioned before. Soldering acts as the filler on the gaps, and resulting in a better conductivity.
> 
> I think the concept is more or less similar to applying thermal paste between a PC's processor chip and the heatsink. Good heatsinks use copper surface that's very good in transferring heats, better than the thermal paste, but still, applying thermal paste between the surface of contact to act as a filler will enhance the heat transfer.


 
  
 Thermal and electrical conductivity share some of the same principles, but are different. Both are largely determined by free electrons. However, electrical conductivity is inversely proportional to the thermal speed of electrons while thermal conductivity is directly proportional. Anyway, you can look that up. 
  


bigalila said:


> Sorry, I did fudge the math a little.  I guess I should actually stop fishing next time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 I'm with you. It's sort of a broad question since each scenario is a bit different depending on what you are working on. My original post that was pointed out leading the the conversation contained a general guideline that I and many others follow. How you choose to interpret a "good mechanical connection" is largely going to depend on what you're working on. I use the same method as you describe here often. I think people might be over thinking the piece of advice a little too much. 


dingosmuggler said:


> Resistance is measured in ohms, its inverse is conductance, measured in mhos (mho is simply ohm spelled backwards, equivalent to 1/ohm).
> 
> The inverse of conductivity is resistivity, not resistance.
> Resistivity would be expressed in ohm*metres, and conductivity being the inverse, in mhos/metre.
> ...


 
  
 Good post. I agree.


----------



## bigalila

armaegis said:


> I think he means simply physical contact.
> 
> Try and establish as much physical contact with the wire to the connector as possible, _then_ fill with solder to fill in the gaps and hold it in place, yadda yadda.
> 
> If soldering to posts or holes (not for headphone cables usually), then there are in fact "proper" procedures for wrapping/looping the wires before solder is applied.


 
 Good point, he might believe that's the same as a mechanical connection.  I also agree with you you on the holes and posts, but we don't really see too many of those on the tiny connections we use.
  


dingosmuggler said:


> Resistance is measured in ohms, its inverse is conductance, measured in mhos (mho is simply ohm spelled backwards, equivalent to 1/ohm).
> 
> The inverse of conductivity is resistivity, not resistance.
> Resistivity would be expressed in ohm*metres, and conductivity being the inverse, in mhos/metre.
> ...


 
 Thank you for wording that so well.  A lot of people on here are worried about types of solder and what sounds the best, but the truth is exactly as you stated.  A properly soldered joint has very little resistance and doesn't affect the sound to a hearable level over the couple connections in our cables.  Now if we were talking about all the connections on an amp's board, that could be a different story.  Many, many more connections for the little improvement made with higher quality solder to add up and actually make an audible difference, maybe.


----------



## noumen

Hi!
  
 Can I use this one as a two wire cabel? Inside wire as a minus outside as a plus?
  
 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Pink-100m-32AWG-Acrolink-Silver-Plated-With-Shielding-Layer-Signal-Teflon-Wire-Cable-7-0-08mm2/2045430807.html


----------



## JacobLee89

noumen said:


> Hi!
> 
> Can I use this one as a two wire cabel? Inside wire as a minus outside as a plus?
> 
> http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Pink-100m-32AWG-Acrolink-Silver-Plated-With-Shielding-Layer-Signal-Teflon-Wire-Cable-7-0-08mm2/2045430807.html


 
 Rather than saying "minus" and "plus". it's easier to say it in terms of "signal" and "ground", because either have their own purposes completely different to closing a basic circuit.
  
 It's feasible to use the inside wire as a signal, and the outside shielding as a ground, but I do not know what metal is being used as the shielding layer. If it's aluminium then you should reconsider, as aluminium has a conductivity of 61%. 
  
 Are you working on making separate RCA cables? If you're working on 3.5mm or 1/4" stereo cables, then I'd suggest using a separate wire for each.


----------



## noumen

jacoblee89 said:


> Rather than saying "minus" and "plus". it's easier to say it in terms of "signal" and "ground", because either have their own purposes completely different to closing a basic circuit.
> 
> It's feasible to use the inside wire as a signal, and the outside shielding as a ground, but I do not know what metal is being used as the shielding layer. If it's aluminium then you should reconsider, as aluminium has a conductivity of 61%.
> 
> Are you working on making separate RCA cables? If you're working on 3.5mm or 1/4" stereo cables, then I'd suggest using a separate wire for each.


 
 Thanks!
  
 I'am working on IEM with 3,5mm jack cabel. Shielding layer is probably the same metal used inside the wire. This is thread where I describe my problem: http://www.head-fi.org/t/757270/where-to-get-thin-cable meaby You can help.


----------



## PETEREK

I REALLY wish it was possible to buy Linum cable. I'd be all over that, but they don't seem to want to tap into the DIY market yet.


----------



## ZSamuels28

peterek said:


> I REALLY wish it was possible to buy Linum cable. I'd be all over that, but they don't seem to want to tap into the DIY market yet.


 
 Can't you buy one made and cut the adapters off?


----------



## PETEREK

Yeah, but you aren't just paying for the supplies at that point, you're paying for some other guy to make it for you. I just want the wire


----------



## ZSamuels28

Woah could I use those Linum cables with my ASG 2.5's?


----------



## PETEREK

I emailed a distributor named Lee about buying a small run of the Linum cable. He's going to see what he can do for me. I will update later on when I have an answer. I don't have high hopes though.
  
  


zsamuels28 said:


> Woah could I use those Linum cables with my ASG 2.5's?


 
 But yes, you can. You would PROBABLY have to order a cable from them though. Like I said, I doubt I'll be able to buy the cable from them. They probably like having something that nobody (?) else can offer in that field at the moment. 
  
 DIY is a pretty niche market in comparison to what they normally use the wire for.


----------



## ZSamuels28

Meh... $100 for a wire, not worth it lol.


----------



## PETEREK

zsamuels28 said:


> Meh... $100 for a wire, not worth it lol.


 
 Compared to some cable prices, $100 isn't s***.


----------



## ZSamuels28

True but I'd rather make better cables at a fraction of the cost


----------



## Armaegis

Even if you could convince Linum to sell the wire separately... it probably wouldn't be cheap and you'd have to buy a lot of it.


----------



## PETEREK

I asked about 25 feet. I don't see myself getting any.


----------



## Charliemotta

Just tell them you know me..


----------



## PETEREK

Ha I wish it were that easy!


----------



## Armaegis

peterek said:


> I asked about 25 feet. I don't see myself getting any.


 
  
 You might have more luck asking for a spool of 500 or 1000'. C'mon, a thousand feet won't last you *that* long... it''s only enough to make roughly twenty 8-strand braided 6' cables. That'll last you two or three months tops


----------



## ZSamuels28

armaegis said:


> You might have more luck asking for a spool of 500 or 1000'. C'mon, a thousand feet won't last you *that* long... it''s only enough to make roughly twenty 8-strand braided 6' cables. That'll last you two or three months tops


 
 Get that much and sell it on here


----------



## Daedalus1116

Stupid question, how many strands cable do I need for using on an IEM?


----------



## Armaegis

You will need 4 wires; two for each side.
  
 If you're talking about individual strands per wire, it doesn't really matter. If it's bigger than 1 you'll be ok.


----------



## creatip

peterek said:


> Compared to some cable prices, $100 isn't s***.


 
  
 True. Compared to the Siltech Emperor Crown, those Linum are spare change....


----------



## PETEREK

creatip said:


> True. Compared to the Siltech Emperor Crown, those Linum are spare change....


 
 Hmm... Siltech Emperor Crown cable or......Dodge Charger SRT-8? Decisions, decisions...


----------



## scizzro

peterek said:


> Hmm... Siltech Emperor Crown cable or......Dodge Charger SRT-8? Decisions, decisions...


 
 People who can afford that cable have no interest in a Charger =p


----------



## PETEREK

Haha That's true.


----------



## creatip

peterek said:


> Hmm... Siltech Emperor Crown cable or......Dodge Charger SRT-8? Decisions, decisions...


 
  
 Woot? It's a no brainer...
  
 What'd you get a chunk of metal on wheels for??


----------



## Kzkzas

Sorry if this is the wrong place, I've searched on the forums but I couldn't find an answer for these two questions because they're probably so obvious. I've been sleeving/braiding cables for a while on PC's so I know the method, it's more the details,
 For the HE-500's stock silver wire, what would be the diameter of paracord required? I can measure it but I'd rather know the recommended, anyone know?  I want a really snug fit, Also
  
  
  
  


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!






  

 The stock HE-560 cable has a 'block' that separates the two wires into the individual drivers (I'm totally clueless, I don't even know the proper term for it), where would I get one of these? What's the term for it?


----------



## jodgey4

Most people here use 550 paracord, pulled tight it gets pretty snug on most gauges, maybe someone else will chime in, but you _might_ be able to go smaller.
  
 And you're looking for a y-splitter I think, like this - http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=118 ?


----------



## ThurstonX

kzkzas said:


> Sorry if this is the wrong place, I've searched on the forums but I couldn't find an answer for these two questions because they're probably so obvious. I've been sleeving/braiding cables for a while on PC's so I know the method, it's more the details,
> For the HE-500's stock silver wire, what would be the diameter of paracord required? I can measure it but I'd rather know the recommended, anyone know?  I want a really snug fit, Also
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 When I sleeved my stock HE-500 cable, I cut it, used 550 paracord on all three runs, soldered it back together and used a section of a ballpoint pen tube to cover the surgery.  Heat shrink acted as the bandage.  I opted for 550 paracord because it was looser than it could have been above the Y split with a different size.  My thinking was that looseness would help ameliorate the "micorphonics" (bad word for it, but what everyone calls the noise you can hear when the wires close to the cups get bumped or rubbed.  While it didn't eliminate it, the 550 paracord did help with that noise.
  
 Not that I ever use that cable


----------



## pauldgroot

I want to make a new balanced cable for my HE-560's and I've read a lot about people using Mogami W2893 and Canare L-4E6S. It's pretty hard to come by Canare cable where I live and Mogami is nearly impossible (pricing also considered). I do have some Sommer Cable Peacock cable lying around from which I can take out the conductors. I know the T1's also use this cable but I was wondering if there is a big reason to go with the Canare or Mogami over the Sommer Cable? Im asking only about the conductors themselves since I'm going to individually sleeve them and then braid them.
  
*Sommer*
 http://info.sommercable.com/2__produkte/2__030_meterware/2__200_0551.html
*Canare*
 http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=53
*Mogami*
 http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/microphone/quad/


----------



## creatip

jodgey4 said:


> Most people here use 550 paracord, pulled tight it gets pretty snug on most gauges, maybe someone else will chime in, but you _might_ be able to go smaller.
> 
> And you're looking for a y-splitter I think, like this - http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=118 ?


 
  
 I've been looking for those y-splitter in asian sites (ebay, aliexpress), but never found them. 'y-splitter' keyword always gives funky results....


----------



## ZSamuels28

Shrink tube is very useful


----------



## squallkiercosa

Hey guys, I have a question for you. I made a cable recently (actually I fixed a broken audeze cable) I checked continuity (with a cheap multimeter set at 200 ohms) The results were 0.05 in every strand, what are usually the resistance values you get making cables?


----------



## Arty McGhee

squallkiercosa said:


> Hey guys, I have a question for you. I made a cable recently (actually I fixed a broken audeze cable) I checked continuity (with a cheap multimeter set at 200 ohms) The results were 0.05 in every strand, what are usually the resistance values you get making cables?




It may depend on the meter but in continuity mode its either 0 or 1


----------



## jodgey4

You have your meter set too high, expect something like 1 to 2 ohms.


----------



## squallkiercosa

arty mcghee said:


> It may depend on the meter but in continuity mode its either 0 or 1


 
 Unfortunately the multimeter doesn't have a continuity mode. The options I have are 200, 2000, 20k 200k and 2000k ohms. 
 The cable is 2.5m. What I don't know is what would be the acceptable standards, any formula to calculate? I am a biologist working in sales so this is not my area of expertise. 

 http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tools-hardware/electrical-tools-accessories/electrical-supplies-parts/testers/mastercraft-digital-multimeter-0520060p.html?utm_campaign=bazaarvoice&utm_medium=SearchVoice&utm_source=RatingsAndReviews&utm_content=Default


----------



## Mr Rick

squallkiercosa said:


> Unfortunately the multimeter doesn't have a continuity mode. The options I have are 200, 2000, 20k 200k and 2000k ohms.
> The cable is 2.5m. What I don't know is what would be the acceptable standards, any formula to calculate? I am a biologist working in sales so this is not my area of expertise.
> 
> http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tools-hardware/electrical-tools-accessories/electrical-supplies-parts/testers/mastercraft-digital-multimeter-0520060p.html?utm_campaign=bazaarvoice&utm_medium=SearchVoice&utm_source=RatingsAndReviews&utm_content=Default


 
 Your cheap multimeter will either measure open or shorted. In your case shorted is what you want.
  
 Use your repaired cables in good health.


----------



## Martor

dear all, 
 I've just received some viablue stuff (jewelry, indeed 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





) to make a pair of cable with mmcx connectors (for dje, at first).
 Have you ever seen something like this?

 As you can see, the male has a body narrower than the shure' one (or westone and/or fidue)

 which has a bigger housing, as well.
  
 any advice will be greatly appreciated
  
 Marco


----------



## ZSamuels28

Question, does the shield in the Mogami 2893 serve a purpose if I'm making a 3.5mm cable? Can I just take the wires out and braid them/put techflex over them or is there an advantage to leaving them in the cable?


----------



## jodgey4

Unless you're doing really long runs, you don't need the shielding. Taking it out is what most seem to do. Techflex should provide some shielding as well.


----------



## ZSamuels28

Also, if I'm sleeving with paracord or techflex do I need to braid the wires or can I just feed them through the paracord/techflex?


----------



## jodgey4

550 paracord usually fits one strand, so you'd sleeve each strand first, then braid those together. Same thing with Techflex if it's small - though most use it as the very outside layer (so you'd braid the wires together (in paracord or not) and then put that through the flex).


----------



## ZSamuels28

550 paracord should fit 3 26awg wires no problem... same with 1/8" techflex, do I need to braid these or can I just feed them through?


----------



## ThurstonX

zsamuels28 said:


> 550 paracord should fit 3 26awg wires no problem... same with 1/8" techflex, do I need to braid these or can I just feed them through?


 
  
 You don't need to braid them.  I've fed four Mogami W2799 wires (stripped of sheath and shield) through 550 paracord (from Paracord Planet, if that makes a difference).  If you wanted a braided cable, you could use a smaller gauge paracord for each wire, then braid those.  FWIW, I made a three-strand braid using the aforementioned Mogami and 95 lbs paracord and it's a little stiffer than I'd like.  I tried to keep the paracord as loose as possible, but something like 275 might have worked better... or not, if the stiffness is inherent in the wires and their coating.


----------



## ZSamuels28

thurstonx said:


> You don't need to braid them.  I've fed four Mogami W2799 wires (stripped of sheath and shield) through 550 paracord (from Paracord Planet, if that makes a difference).  If you wanted a braided cable, you could use a smaller gauge paracord for each wire, then braid those.  FWIW, I made a three-strand braid using the aforementioned Mogami and 95 lbs paracord and it's a little stiffer than I'd like.  I tried to keep the paracord as loose as possible, but something like 275 might have worked better... or not, if the stiffness is inherent in the wires and their coating.


 
 That's what I thought, I guess I'll feed 3 Mogami 2893 through the 550 paracord I have.


----------



## ZSamuels28

What is this clear sleeving put over the wires? Also what size would I buy of the clear sleeving 1/8"?


----------



## creatip

zsamuels28 said:


> What is this clear sleeving put over the wires? Also what size would I buy of the clear sleeving 1/8"?


 
  
 That's just a clear heatshrink tube. I use it for all of my DIY interconnects


----------



## ZSamuels28

creatip said:


> That's just a clear heatshrink tube. I use it for all of my DIY interconnects


 

 Where do you buy it? Is it fairly flexible?
  
 Also, where do you buy your wires? I'm kind of sick of tearing apart Mogami wire for the inside strands... How is Navships' 19 strand 26 awg or 24 awg for 3.5mm?


----------



## ElliottG

Hi
  
 I'm ordering some new headphones soon...just the regular Superlux 668B's, and want to make my own cable to go from my computer to the headphones.
  
 I was looking at Canare cable, then read about Mogami cables. I guess they have the same "gooey-ness" since they're both x-linked polyethylene? 
  
 1) Which Mogami cable is recommended for use with regular headphone jacks? I need a 3.5mm male on one end and a 3.5mm female on the other.
  
 2) Which jacks would you recommend?
  
 I was also wondering if it was possible to use one cable, and have 4 plugs on one wire, 1 male/1 female for a mic input, and 1 male/1 female for the headphones themselves...I am going to be using an external mic and was thinking about not running 2 separate wires.
  
 Thanks,
 Elliott


----------



## ZSamuels28

I would go with Mogami 2983 and take the wires out of that, they're 26awg. You technically can leave the cables inside and just solder 2 to ground, but part of the fun is taking them out and braiding them or putting paracord/techflex over them. For 3.5mm adapters I would use a Neutrik adapter or if you want to go fancier you could use a Pailiccs adapter. As far at the female jack I'm not sure if you need one that solders on but if so this is a good one 3.5mm Stereo Panel Mount Jack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ML4A2Q/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_MD8avb0D9NM5X

If you just need the adapter I think Neutrik also makes female 3.5mm


----------



## ZSamuels28

Anyone ever use navships silver plated 24awg 19 strand to make a 3.5mm cable? If so how is it?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=381106252116

24 AWG Silver Teflon Wire Assortment 50 feet 19 strand


----------



## ElliottG

Hey thanks so much for your help. I sent you a private message but I got a limit of 2 so I'm not sure you got it or not. 




zsamuels28 said:


> I would go with Mogami 2983 and take the wires out of that, they're 26awg. You technically can leave the cables inside and just solder 2 to ground, but part of the fun is taking them out and braiding them or putting paracord/techflex over them. For 3.5mm adapters I would use a Neutrik adapter or if you want to go fancier you could use a Pailiccs adapter. As far at the female jack I'm not sure if you need one that solders on but if so this is a good one 3.5mm Stereo Panel Mount Jack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ML4A2Q/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_MD8avb0D9NM5X
> 
> If you just need the adapter I think Neutrik also makes female 3.5mm





I think I'm looking finally at the Mogami 2534 because I like a thicker wire better! I think I will also leave the sheathing on the wire because I like how it looks.

I really like this:

http://i.imgur.com/4IMpYym.jpg

Would you say that's the 2534 or 2983? It looks quick thick actually now that I'm looking at it...

Right now I have Icemat Siberia V2's and the wire is quite thin...and it bugs me lol.

When looking at the paracord/techflex options, what do you usually choose for the sizing? Like I saw the 2534 is 6mm in diameter, so does that mean I need a sheathing that is 6mm, or should I go for something smaller so it's tighter?

And how do the plugs work for cable sizes? Do I need to choose different adapters if I go with the 2534 vs the 2983? How do I know which adapters fit which cables?

As for that female connector you linked, I actually need one that will be like in the picture I showed above. Basically I'm gonna make a cable with a female on one end and a male on the other exactly as shown in the pic. The headphones I'm getting you can see here:

http://headphonescout.com/wp-content/uploads/superlux_hd668b/18-superlux-hd668b.jpg

As you can see they have a male 3.5mm jack sticking out of them, so I need one end of my cable to be a female so they can connect together.

Thanks for the help!
Elliott


----------



## Lohb

Sorry, this old question...headphone awg/techflex matching for a_ snug_ fit...
  
 4x 22AW + Techflex best size ??
 Then above the Y
 2x 22AW + Techflex best size ??


----------



## PETEREK

lohb said:


> Sorry, this old question...headphone awg/techflex matching for a_ snug_ fit...
> 
> 4x 22AW + Techflex best size ?? *3/16" techflex multifilament sleeve*
> Then above the Y
> 2x 22AW + Techflex best size ?? *1/8" techflex mulltifilament sleeve*


 
  
  
  
*IMO.*


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> *IMO.*




+1. Solid choice.


----------



## nofarewell

Hi, 

 Can you help with completely recabling some old Sony earbuds? MDR-E4, 2 series where the wires to the cases are thinner. I'm new and have less ideas where to start. Do you know where to buy quality material, soft core, also good quality 3.5 plugs (the more similar to Sony Japan plugs, the better)? 

 Thanks in advance!


----------



## ZSamuels28

zsamuels28 said:


> Anyone ever use navships silver plated 24awg 19 strand to make a 3.5mm cable? If so how is it?
> 
> http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=381106252116
> 
> 24 AWG Silver Teflon Wire Assortment 50 feet 19 strand




Anyone?


----------



## Arty McGhee

zsamuels28 said:


> Anyone ever use navships silver plated 24awg 19 strand to make a 3.5mm cable? If so how is it?
> 
> http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=381106252116
> 
> 24 AWG Silver Teflon Wire Assortment 50 feet 19 strand




I use navships sometimes
The Teflon insulation is quite stiff
The 26 awg 19 strand is best imho
It slides into 95 paracord wicked easy 
And it's almost as flexible as the Mogami
It's Uncle Sam issue and Uncle Sam buys the best
That means it very high quality stuff


----------



## bigalila

arty mcghee said:


> It's Uncle Sam issue and Uncle Sam buys the best
> That means it very high quality stuff


 
 Not really, Uncle Sam buys from the lowest bidder that meets the specifications desired, even if it doesn't have superior build quality to other suppliers.


----------



## noumen

zsamuels28 said:


> Anyone?


 
 I have just bought 32AWG silver teflon wire. Still waiting (shipp to Poland about 3-4 weeks).


----------



## pauldgroot

pauldgroot said:


> I want to make a new balanced cable for my HE-560's and I've read a lot about people using Mogami W2893 and Canare L-4E6S. It's pretty hard to come by Canare cable where I live and Mogami is nearly impossible (pricing also considered). I do have some Sommer Cable Peacock cable lying around from which I can take out the conductors. I know the T1's also use this cable but I was wondering if there is a big reason to go with the Canare or Mogami over the Sommer Cable? Im asking only about the conductors themselves since I'm going to individually sleeve them and then braid them.
> 
> *Sommer*
> http://info.sommercable.com/2__produkte/2__030_meterware/2__200_0551.html
> ...


 
  
 Anyone please?


----------



## musicinmymind

pauldgroot said:


> pauldgroot said:
> 
> 
> > I want to make a new balanced cable for my HE-560's and I've read a lot about people using Mogami W2893 and Canare L-4E6S. It's pretty hard to come by Canare cable where I live and Mogami is nearly impossible (pricing also considered). I do have some Sommer Cable Peacock cable lying around from which I can take out the conductors. I know the T1's also use this cable but I was wondering if there is a big reason to go with the Canare or Mogami over the Sommer Cable? Im asking only about the conductors themselves since I'm going to individually sleeve them and then braid them.
> ...


 
  
 Cables can be compared sonically only if some had all these three and able to compare side by side. Ears are only judge, unless one believe in measurement (I have no exposure to it).
  
 I have compared Canare and Mogami, could not hear any difference and never have experienced difference when headphone cable is changed. Form my experience Power cord make most impact to sound, then comes Interconnectors, but Headphone cables for me did not make any difference at all. I have tried DIY OCC, OFC and Litz cables along with 600$+ aftermarket headphone cables, could not hear any difference. 
  
 from the link, not sure if Sommer is OFC or OCC. Make sure it is high quality copper, has no cold joints when built (soldered) and use it with confidence, nothing to loose or gain.
  
  
 it would be difficult to answer you question,


----------



## nofarewell

nofarewell said:


> Hi,
> 
> Can you help with completely recabling some old Sony earbuds? MDR-E4, 2 series where the wires to the cases are thinner. I'm new and have less ideas where to start. Do you know where to buy quality material, soft core, also good quality 3.5 plugs (the more similar to Sony Japan plugs, the better)?
> 
> Thanks in advance!


 
 Can someone help me with this? Are there inventory sony cables for this project somewhere? Can't find them on Ebay, nut this would be the best solution. Wires without the housings, oldschool, behind the neck profile ones. If not, basically I would need some advice if I can find 4 core and 2 core quality wires for this matter. I have two Sony models which need rewiring, please help if you can. Thanks


----------



## ZSamuels28

Is 24 awg 19 strand too big for 3.5mm?


----------



## PETEREK

zsamuels28 said:


> Is 24 awg 19 strand too big for 3.5mm?



No.


----------



## Arty McGhee

zsamuels28 said:


> Is 24 awg 19 strand too big for 3.5mm?


 
 not at all i just find it to be a bit stiffer
 i find the 26 to be more flexible to my liking
 its all personal preference, its not a question
 of too big or to small or right or wrong wire
 try it and see


----------



## PETEREK

arty mcghee said:


> not at all i just find it to be a bit stiffer
> i find the 26 to be more flexible to my liking
> its all personal preference, its not a question
> of too big or to small or right or wrong wire
> try it and see


 
 The gauge is sometimes indicative of the flexibility but not always. 26awg Mogami is flexible, but next to 24awg Nucleotide it is stiff as hell. It all comes down to the stiffness of the insulation and the strand count really, and then the gauge. 
  
 btw, I have fallen in love with Nucleotide.


----------



## ZSamuels28

peterek said:


> The gauge is sometimes indicative of the flexibility but not always. 26awg Mogami is flexible, but next to 24awg Nucleotide it is stiff as hell. It all comes down to the stiffness of the insulation and the strand count really, and then the gauge.
> 
> btw, I have fallen in love with Nucleotide.




Nucleotide is expensive! Where do you buy yours?


----------



## ZSamuels28

What size shrink tube would I use for 2-4 26 awg wires? Would 1/8" be too big? Or should I go with 3/32?


----------



## Jean Corriveau

I got a couple questions:
  
 Which between Canare and Mogami make the best cable for the price for headphones?
  
 Also, is Mogami W2697 cable flexible enough to be a great candidate for headphone cabling?
  
 If so, what would be the Canare equivalent?


----------



## Arty McGhee

peterek said:


> The gauge is sometimes indicative of the flexibility but not always. 26awg Mogami is flexible, but next to 24awg Nucleotide it is stiff as hell. It all comes down to the stiffness of the insulation and the strand count really, and then the gauge.
> 
> btw, I have fallen in love with Nucleotide.


 
 thats a litz cable yes?


----------



## ZSamuels28

zsamuels28 said:


> What size shrink tube would I use for 2-4 26 awg wires? Would 1/8" be too big? Or should I go with 3/32?


 
 Anyone?


----------



## PETEREK

zsamuels28 said:


> Nucleotide is expensive! Where do you buy yours?



There is only one place to buy it, DoubleHelixCables. 



arty mcghee said:


> thats a litz cable yes?



I can't remember at the moment, I generally buy boutique wire for looks and flexibility, I'm not a huge believer in sync changes.


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> There is only one place to buy it, DoubleHelixCables.
> I can't remember at the moment, I generally buy boutique wire for looks and flexibility, I'm not a huge believer in sync changes.




The Peptide is Litz. The nucleotide is not. 
Arty McGhee


----------



## Arty McGhee

kamakahah said:


> The Peptide is Litz. The nucleotide is not.
> @Arty McGhee


 
 thanks
 its blocked by my work firewall for some reason


----------



## musicinmymind

peterek said:


> zsamuels28 said:
> 
> 
> > Nucleotide is expensive! Where do you buy yours?
> ...


 
  
 Even I was not, but now huge believer in Powercords and Inter connectors.  But not in Headphone cables.
  
 I was using cheap extension cord for power cable, was under impression that, Power cords does not make any difference to sound at all. Extension cord stayed for than more than 1 year, one day I wanted to use extension code for something else and by chance I plugged the stock Power code directly to wall, ohh bay, it was dramatic change and surprise, was like throwing a bucket of water on my sleeping amp and waking it up. The brightness I had always had issue with and wanted to change the amp because of it, was no longer there. It was more organic, with solid depth and much much improved bass depth and impact.
  
 I know, you will be thinking that I am crazy and that's exactly how I feet too as non-believer.


----------



## smitty1110

^ we totally had a moment like this at the last DC area meet, someone brought a Shunyata cable and we could hear a difference in TOTL gear with the HD 800's. Was a truly surreal experience.


----------



## musicinmymind

smitty1110 said:


> ^ we totally had a moment like this at the last DC area meet, someone brought a Shunyata cable and we could hear a difference in TOTL gear with the HD 800's. Was a truly surreal experience.


 
  
 yes I remember it, but even after that I was non-believer. Cables changes makes you believer, only if you hear it from your system for better.


----------



## creatip

musicinmymind said:


> Form my experience Power cord make most impact to sound, then comes Interconnectors, but Headphone cables for me did not make any difference at all.


 
  
 Hmmmm, never thought of the possibility of power cables to make a difference, even a small one. If that's so, do you think those power conditioners make a difference? I think I came across a DIY power conditioner schematic (in audio context ofc) somewhere in the net, just have to dig my history. 
  
 My setup is power outlet => PSU => DAC. Reading your post, now I'm considering power outlet => power conditioner => PSU => DAC.


----------



## Daedalus1116

peterek said:


> The gauge is sometimes indicative of the flexibility but not always. 26awg Mogami is flexible, but next to 24awg Nucleotide it is stiff as hell. It all comes down to the stiffness of the insulation and the strand count really, and then the gauge.
> 
> btw, I have fallen in love with Nucleotide.


 
 How are you liking the Nucleotide? Would you recommend using them with IEM?


----------



## PETEREK

I recommend it over most other wires that are 24awg.


----------



## Armaegis

jean corriveau said:


> I got a couple questions:
> 
> Which between Canare and Mogami make the best cable for the price for headphones?
> 
> ...


 
  
 I've used Canare L-2E5 (26awg) which should be roughly equivalent to the Mogami W2697. It's a standard cable used for microphones.


----------



## Jean Corriveau

> I've used Canare L-2E5 (26awg) which should be roughly equivalent to the Mogami W2697. It's a standard cable used for microphones.


 
  
 Thx @Armaegis. I think I'll stick to the Mogami then. It's way cheaper.


----------



## ZSamuels28

Anyone have any tips for not burning the plastic on adapters like Pailiccs? Barely touching it with the soldering iron melts the plastic. Is this bad at all or is it okay if the plastic is a little warped?


----------



## Arty McGhee

zsamuels28 said:


> Anyone have any tips for not burning the plastic on adapters like Pailiccs? Barely touching it with the soldering iron melts the plastic. Is this bad at all or is it okay if the plastic is a little warped?


 
 yeah don't touch the plastic with the iron
  
 i use a very fine tip and a light touch 
 the thinnest solder you cat get i use the kester .03 i think
 also maybe turn the temp down on the iron
 presolder both ends and just a touch of the iron
  
  
  
  
 "actors rehearse, musicians practice"
 mike watt


----------



## Armaegis

jean corriveau said:


> Thx @Armaegis. I think I'll stick to the Mogami then. It's way cheaper.


 
  
 Really? Usually Canare is cheaper here.


----------



## creatip

zsamuels28 said:


> Anyone have any tips for not burning the plastic on adapters like Pailiccs? Barely touching it with the soldering iron melts the plastic. Is this bad at all or is it okay if the plastic is a little warped?


 
  
 Tried everything I could, and the plastic keep getting burnt.
  
 - Light touch of the solder tip
 - Put a layer of solder on both the cable conductor and the jack's pole
 - Put a USB fan blowing straight to the soldering point
 - Even tried 'dripping' the soldering tin (solder tip didn't touch it directly at all), and it still got burnt by the liquid solder, and also a waste of good tin, btw.
  
 Eventually I gave up, and just try not to burn it too much.....
  
 Oh, and it doesn't make a difference if the plastic melted a bit, as long as 2 poles don't come into contact, of course


----------



## Jean Corriveau

Actually, Canare L-2E5 and Mogami W2697 cost approximately the same price per ft but I'd have to order 4 times length of Canare, so 4 times the initial cost :S


----------



## Kamakahah

jean corriveau said:


> Thx @Armaegis. I think I'll stick to the Mogami then. It's way cheaper.


 
  
  


jean corriveau said:


> Actually, Canare L-2E5 and Mogami W2697 cost approximately the same price per ft but I'd have to order 4 times length of Canare, so 4 times the initial cost :S


 
  
 Why exactly are you using those particular models?
 Canare L-4E5C & Mogami W2893 are great choices. They are quad cables so four feet of wire per foot of cable. They are the "mini" so slimmer overall cable and use 26 awg individual conductors. 
 Their big brothers, the Canare L-4E6S and the Mogami W2534 are thicker overall and use individual conductors that are 24awg. 
  
 I prefer the mini versions as they are cheaper and slightly smaller awg.  The Canare L-4E5C goes for $0.48/ft of cable. In other words, $0.12/ft of wire when the conductors are stripped out. 
 Hard to beat that price anywhere, even taking into account shipping costs. Bulk orders help to negate that cost. A six foot cable using four wires, 24 feet, only has a cost of about $3.00 for the wire.


----------



## Armaegis

I can't find any starquad locally. Jean is also in Canada, though he might have different distributors nearby.


----------



## Daedalus1116

How do you guys do 2 strand braid? Just twist them together? If so, wouldn't they easily untwist (attached to an IEM for example).


----------



## Armaegis

Just let them hang freely and repeatedly cross them over each other, don't "twist" the wires around each other.


----------



## Jean Corriveau

armaegis said:


> I can't find any starquad locally. Jean is also in Canada, though he might have different distributors nearby.


 
  
 I do have access to all of Canare and Mogami product lines but I really want 2 core cables for what I'm looking to do, that's the only reason why I'm going for the Mogami W2697. By the way I bought it already, it comes in 164 ft bundle.


----------



## Kalavere

Hey guys, so today I had a go at my first litz braid, I think it came out pretty well, it's only wire pulled from some 3 core mains cable. I bought a Neutrik 6.3mm plug I am going to practice soldering to and I'll get some HiFiman coax connectors to practice soldering with as well. 
  

  
  
  
 I have a couple of questions - firstly, what is the AWG of the wires inside normal a UK 3 core mains cable?
  
  
 Secondly, is this diagram correct for the soldering points?

  
  
 Thanks in advance!


----------



## Shawn71

Yes, for both 3.5mm and 6.3mm jacks, with R+,L+ and common ground(L- & R-)......


----------



## ZSamuels28

Where can I get some good clear wire? I don't want to pay for a whole Mogami cable and then strip it just for the clear wire inside...


----------



## garrettwp

Not sure if this has been asked, I looked through about a 100 pages and didnt see an answer. How much length do you use when doing a four wire braid? I would like to know how much wire I need to cut to get the desired length. Say I want a 6 foot length as the end result, using canare L-4E5C in a 4 wire braid, what would be the required length before braiding? Do I need to cut say 10 feet of wire? Will I loose a few feet of length at the end result?
  
 - Garrett


----------



## MrEleventy

garrettwp said:


> Not sure if this has been asked, I looked through about a 100 pages and didnt see an answer. How much length do you use when doing a four wire braid? I would like to know how much wire I need to cut to get the desired length. Say I want a 6 foot length as the end result, using canare L-4E5C in a 4 wire braid, what would be the required length before braiding? Do I need to cut say 10 feet of wire? Will I loose a few feet of length at the end result?
> 
> - Garrett


Already asked and answered.  Here's a quote...





kamakahah said:


> downhomeupstate said:
> 
> 
> > Sub'd, y'all.
> ...


----------



## JacobLee89

It's easier to shorten something long, than to lengthen something short.


----------



## Kamakahah

jacoblee89 said:


> It's easier to shorten something long, than to lengthen something short.




That's what she said. 
I couldn't help myself, sorry.


----------



## Shawn71

garrettwp said:


> Not sure if this has been asked, I looked through about a 100 pages and didnt see an answer. How much length do you use when doing a four wire braid? I would like to know how much wire I need to cut to get the desired length. Say I want a 6 foot length as the end result, using canare L-4E5C in a 4 wire braid, what would be the required length before braiding? Do I need to cut say 10 feet of wire? Will I loose a few feet of length at the end result?
> 
> - Garrett


 

 Oh Boy, You waited close to 10 years to post your very first query?......Lot of patience in you.


----------



## garrettwp

mreleventy said:


> Already asked and answered.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 I must have not used the correct search terms with in the post. Like I said I only read about a 100 pages worth from the current page back and have not reached back to 2013 yet. Thanks for the quoted post.
  


shawn71 said:


> Oh Boy, You waited close to 10 years to post your very first query?......Lot of patience in you.


 
  
 I was not sure if anyone would catch that. I usually just read up on the posts and search the forum for the answers I need which usually have already been answered. In this case the question I have asked was already answered but I guess I did not do a good enough search for it. Must have been using the wrong search term.
  
 - Garrett


----------



## Shawn71

> Originally Posted by *garrettwp* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> I was not sure if anyone would catch that. I usually just read up on the posts and search the forum for the answers I need which usually have already been answered. In this case the question I have asked was already answered but I guess I did not do a good enough search for it. Must have been using the wrong search term.
> 
> - Garrett


 
 I understood......not a problem....


----------



## ZSamuels28

zsamuels28 said:


> Where can I get some good clear wire? I don't want to pay for a whole Mogami cable and then strip it just for the clear wire inside...


 
 Anyone?


----------



## Shawn71

zsamuels28 said:


> Anyone?


 

 Aliexpress?.......


----------



## Arty McGhee

zsamuels28 said:


> Anyone?


 
 plussound makes some decent clear insulated 26 awg wire
http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html
 starts at 2 bucks a foot
 still much cheaper to strip out the mogami
 i don't think the plussound is any better


----------



## noumen

zsamuels28 said:


> Where can I get some good clear wire? I don't want to pay for a whole Mogami cable and then strip it just for the clear wire inside...


 
 Clear, like braid is clear?
  
 Like this one? http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10m-Acrolink-Silver-Plated-6N-OCC-Signal-Teflon-Wire-Cable-0-12mm2-Dia-0-8mm-For/32231190428.html


----------



## ZSamuels28

noumen said:


> Clear, like braid is clear?
> 
> Like this one? http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10m-Acrolink-Silver-Plated-6N-OCC-Signal-Teflon-Wire-Cable-0-12mm2-Dia-0-8mm-For/32231190428.html


 
 Yes or clear silver, where can I get 26awg with lots of strands?


----------



## noumen

zsamuels28 said:


> Yes or clear silver, where can I get 26awg with lots of strands?


 
 As I post, on Allliexpress or USA: http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html
  
 or
  
 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10m-32ft-0-12mm2-26AWG-HIGH-PURITY-SILVER-OCC-COPPER-TEFLON-PTFE-WIRE-AUDIO-/151624148736?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item234d80e700


----------



## musicinmymind

noumen said:


> zsamuels28 said:
> 
> 
> > Yes or clear silver, where can I get 26awg with lots of strands?
> ...


 
  
  
 I like this, very flexible and glassy looking clear cable. But cost is as good as plussound
  
 http://www.iccfl.com/product_info.php?cPath=211_214&products_id=4966&osCsid=v63l5ok3l0ac2dgknjcrtk2l85


----------



## ZSamuels28

musicinmymind said:


> I like this, very flexible and glassy looking clear cable. But cost is as good as plussound
> 
> http://www.iccfl.com/product_info.php?cPath=211_214&products_id=4966&osCsid=v63l5ok3l0ac2dgknjcrtk2l85


 
 Damn, $10/meter... Does strand count matter?


----------



## musicinmymind

I have also used this one, cheap but very stiff
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/181598877759?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&var=480556259675&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


----------



## musicinmymind

zsamuels28 said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > I like this, very flexible and glassy looking clear cable. But cost is as good as plussound
> ...


 
  
 should not matter, unless it is very thin. OCC copper does not come cheap, but I hear no SQ difference between OCC or OFC.


----------



## teamrushpntball

What size heatshrink is everyone using to cover fittings like trs plugs and mini xlr's?  1/2" 3:1 ratio?


----------



## ZSamuels28

teamrushpntball said:


> What size heatshrink is everyone using to cover fittings like trs plugs and mini xlr's?  1/2" 3:1 ratio?




It depends, first, adhesive backed shrinks more than non adhesive backed and I would use adhesive backed for adapter to cable just because it is a little more secure. 1/2" seems large, I usually use 1/4" or 3/8" for my 3.5mm adapters. You can buy a cheap assortment on eBay and try them out. Also if you buy a size just a tiny bit too small you can usually stretch it with pliers and it will give quite a bit. If you want me to I can caliper one on my neutrik 3.5mm adapters and tell you the largest point on it.


----------



## Arty McGhee

Originally Posted by *teamrushpntball* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 





> What size heatshrink is everyone using to cover fittings like trs plugs and mini xlr's?  1/2" 3:1 ratio?


 
 i use 3/8" 3:1 adhesive to cover plugs 
 does a nice sealing everything together
 paracord, plugs, etc


----------



## teamrushpntball

zsamuels28 said:


> It depends, first, adhesive backed shrinks more than non adhesive backed and I would use adhesive backed for adapter to cable just because it is a little more secure. 1/2" seems large, I usually use 1/4" or 3/8" for my 3.5mm adapters. You can buy a cheap assortment on eBay and try them out. Also if you buy a size just a tiny bit too small you can usually stretch it with pliers and it will give quite a bit. If you want me to I can caliper one on my neutrik 3.5mm adapters and tell you the largest point on it.


 
  
 3/8" for a 3.5mm barrel, think that would fit something like an rca plug too?


----------



## Arty McGhee

teamrushpntball said:


> 3/8" for a 3.5mm barrel, think that would fit something like an rca plug too?


 
 depending on the plug
 you'll probably need something a little bigger


----------



## ZSamuels28

teamrushpntball said:


> 3/8" for a 3.5mm barrel, think that would fit something like an rca plug too?




Like I said if you get 3/8" and you need a bit more room you can stretch the shrink tube a bit.


----------



## jjacq

Hello I've been interested in making my own cables for a while and I'm thinking of getting these for my upcoming IM50 or IM70. 
  
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4251
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4341

 I would like to know what kind of solder I need for it and what else I need besides the termination? Do I apply heatshrink or do I not do it at all? As of right now, I only have a soldering iron and I'm going to pick up helping hands next week or so. Is there anything else?

 Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.
  
 EDIT: Also, if I want to make braided cables from scratch, how do I go about braiding them? Really interested in making silver cables if it's not too pricey.


----------



## sfo1972

jjacq said:


> Hello I've been interested in making my own cables for a while and I'm thinking of getting these for my upcoming IM50 or IM70.
> 
> http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4251
> http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4341
> ...


 
  
 That cable looks really good by the way. They have done a lot of the hard work for you with the Y-Split and the TRS connector. It looks like you only need to solder the termination according to the right wiring diagram and you should be good to go.
  
 I don't think you need anything other than the helping hands plus the soldering iron that you have. The only thing would be to make sure that the termination points do not require any heat shrink to hide any exposed wire. If you cut your wires carefully, you should not have any exposed outside of the termination cap.
  
 Please keep us posted with your progress, especially with your impressions of that cable.


----------



## Shawn71

If you need transparent memory wire (sheath of ~4-5"?) part you might have to get them before soldering the connectors......or if the cable could fit inside the groove of ear-guides you have already, will solve the purpose too.....or you can use just like that w/o both.....


----------



## jjacq

shawn71 said:


> If you need transparent memory wire (sheath of ~4-5"?) part you might have to get them before soldering the connectors......or if the cable could fit inside the groove of ear-guides you have already, will solve the purpose too.....or you can use just like that w/o both.....


 
  
 Oooh I think I know what you're talking about but may I ask for a link? Is it just called "transplant memory wire"? Also, what would be a good solder to buy for this? I can either order it online or get it from harbor freight when I go and get my helping hands. I need a heat gun for that right?


----------



## ZSamuels28

jjacq said:


> Oooh I think I know what you're talking about but may I ask for a link? Is it just called "transplant memory wire"? Also, what would be a good solder to buy for this? I can either order it online or get it from harbor freight when I go and get my helping hands. I need a heat gun for that right?


 
 I REALLY like Cardas Quad, honestly it doesn't matter what solder you use as long as it creates a strong joint and has a good melting point. Cardas Quad is nice cause it has a low melting point and applies easily. Here's a link for it on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/25g-Solder-Cardas-Quad-Silver-Eutectic-Solder-Authorized-Cardas-Dealer-/400607789415?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4615c167


----------



## ZSamuels28

Would replacing the wire inside my Beyerdynamic DT770 with litz wire make any sound difference than the Mogami I currently have in there?


----------



## MrEleventy

zsamuels28 said:


> Would replacing the wire inside my Beyerdynamic DT770 with litz wire make any sound difference than the Mogami I currently have in there?


I doubt it.


----------



## ZSamuels28

That's what I figured... I honestly would like to see if anyone could actually hear the difference between Litz and Mogami haha


----------



## SptTablo

Hey Everyone,

I am planning to make my own usb cables and also audio cables such as 3.5mm to 3.5mm or 3.5mm to rca.

I am wondering what kind of cables should I use?

I cannot seem to find cables that other cable diyers use like silver plated copper or pure silver etc.

Thanks for the help.


----------



## ZSamuels28

Navships on eBay sells good silver plated copper, Mogami has good flexible wire. Litz cable is an option but expensive and I don't know if it makes a difference especially short range.


----------



## PETEREK

I can't personally recommend navships wire for anything but interconnects. It isn't flexible enough for a cable, IMO.


----------



## ZSamuels28

peterek said:


> I can't personally recommend navships wire for anything but interconnects. It isn't flexible enough for a cable, IMO.




His 26awg 19 strand is great and flexible


----------



## PETEREK

zsamuels28 said:


> His 26awg 19 strand is great and flexible



I haven't used that, so I'll take your word for it. 

If you're just getting into DIY cable making, I highly recommend Mogami. It's good wire and very cheap. I use w2799 because it takes less time to strip out of the cabling (less layers, same wires). You can find some good prices on it and a couple other quad cables on redco.com


----------



## ZSamuels28

peterek said:


> I haven't used that, so I'll take your word for it.
> 
> If you're just getting into DIY cable making, I highly recommend Mogami. It's good wire and very cheap. I use w2799 because it takes less time to strip out of the cabling (less layers, same wires). You can find some good prices on it and a couple other quad cables on redco.com




Also Mogami 2893 is a good quad cable. And you can strip out the 26awg wires. Performanceaudio.com is good too for wire


----------



## Kamakahah

zsamuels28 said:


> His 26awg 19 strand is great and flexible




The awg and strand count isn't the issue with Navships, it's the insulation of the wire. The Teflon used is pretty stiff compared to other cables. It also holds memory. 

I started using the stuff for practice when I first started. It's fine, but there are much better options for flexibility and function.


----------



## musicinmymind

I am waiting for 28 Awg from plusSound, it is out of stock and not sure when it would back in stock.
  
 I need ultra flexible for IEM cables, cable in link below is also good flexible one's. But I need best for IEM, any suggestion?
  
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/OCC-Litz-26-awg-diy-type-2-44-awg-stranded


----------



## musicinmymind

peterek said:


> musicinmymind said:
> 
> 
> > I am waiting for 28 Awg from plusSound, it is out of stock and not sure when it would back in stock.
> ...


 
  
 Great thanks a lot, I will get one.


----------



## ZSamuels28

4 wire round braid with navships 26awg 19 strand, 3/16 clear shrink tube, Paillics adapter one end and Neutrik on the other end (easier to fit in most iPhone cases).


----------



## Toxic Cables

Anyone possibly have the link to the video on YouTube that shows 2 wires twisted and how it's done.
  
 A customer needs it and i for the life of me, can't find it.
  
 Thanks.


----------



## DaemonSire

I'm going to do my first re-cable.  It will be a 3.5mm to 6.3mm connection.  I have some Canare L-4E6S cable.
  
 Few quick questions:

Now my understanding from reading the thread is it is to remove the shielding and simply use the 4 wires in the cable - 1 wire to L+, 1 wire to R+ and use the remaining 2 for the Ground.  Since the Canare cable uses 2 white and 2 blue wires, is there a standard/best practice as to which colour to use for positive/negative?  White or Blue for postive?  I know it won't matter either way, but I'd like to do what is standard.
What do you guys do with the leftover shielding when you remove it?  Since it is a nice bit of copper, I'd hate to throw it away.
How easy/difficult is it to remove the shielding since it is braided?  I'd like to keep the braid on the 4 wires if possible.  Or is it easier just to take everything out and re-braid the 4 wires manually afterwards?
  
 Oh, and I'll be sleeving this in paracord.
  
 Thanks!


----------



## musicinmymind

daemonsire said:


> I'm going to do my first re-cable.  It will be a 3.5mm to 6.3mm connection.  I have some Canare L-4E6S cable.
> 
> Few quick questions:
> 
> ...


 
  
 1. there is no standard practice, other than color there is no difference between these wires. Better use white for negative and  blue for positive, that way there is less confusing.
 2. I just throw it away
 3. I is easy to keep inner braided. If you want individual paracord sleeving then you need to undo braid and do it all over again (Paracord 95 or Paracord 275) . If you use one paracord for all the 4, then no need to undo braid, Paracord 575 should work fine.
  
 hope this helps


----------



## DaemonSire

musicinmymind said:


> 1. there is no standard practice, other than color there is no difference between these wires. Better use white for negative and  blue for positive, that way there is less confusing.
> 2. I just throw it away
> 3. I is easy to keep inner braided. If you want individual paracord sleeving then you need to undo braid and do it all over again (Paracord 95 or Paracord 275) . If you use one paracord for all the 4, then no need to undo braid, Paracord 575 should work fine.
> 
> hope this helps


 
 great, thanks for the help


----------



## creatip

toxic cables said:


> Anyone possibly have the link to the video on YouTube that shows 2 wires twisted and how it's done.
> 
> A customer needs it and i for the life of me, can't find it.
> 
> Thanks.


 
  
 It's been said (answered) in previous pages. With 2 wires, don't twist them. Just criss-cross the wires, left to right and the reverse. Wires got default shape memories. If you twist them, they'd wanna un-twist by itself. If you do the criss-cross, the force that makes the wire wanna return to their original shape actually make the 'twist' tighter.


----------



## Kamakahah

creatip said:


> It's been said (answered) in previous pages. With 2 wires, don't twist them. Just criss-cross the wires, left to right and the reverse. Wires got default shape memories. If you twist them, they'd wanna un-twist by itself. If you do the criss-cross, the force that makes the wire wanna return to their original shape actually make the 'twist' tighter.




He builds custom cables as a business. He's more than aware of the process. He wants the video link for a customer that could likely benefit from a visual. 
Unfortunately, the member that posted it was ban. Not sure if the video is still around. 
I'll see if I can track it down.

Edit: Toxic Cables found it. 

https://youtu.be/rAhFN5dxL4g


----------



## Kalavere

I'll never understand how you get banned from here, people are so nice and open to opinion.


----------



## Toxic Cables

kamakahah said:


> He builds custom cables as a business. He's more than aware of the process. He wants the video link for a customer that could likely benefit from a visual.
> Unfortunately, the member that posted it was ban. Not sure if the video is still around.
> I'll see if I can track it down.
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks mate, very much appreciated.
  
 Yes, was for a customer that bought a DIY kit, thought it would be easier for him to see how it's done, then the possibility of getting it wrong with my instructions.


----------



## MrEleventy

kalavere said:


> I'll never understand how you get banned from here, people are so nice and open to opinion.


 Breaking forums rules would be one. Link


----------



## Kalavere

mreleventy said:


> Breaking forums rules would be one. Link



 


Wow, that's something else!


----------



## ZSamuels28

kalavere said:


> mreleventy said:
> 
> 
> > Breaking forums rules would be one. Link
> ...


 
 That's insane... How does this person continue to get review units...


----------



## MrEleventy

zsamuels28 said:


> That's insane... How does this person continue to get review units...


Some manufacturers don't care what you do with their product after you've received it. Some consider it a "payment" for good reviews. As this rule is just for this forum, they don't care/aren't aware.


----------



## creatip

kamakahah said:


> He builds custom cables as a business. He's more than aware of the process. He wants the video link for a customer that could likely benefit from a visual.
> Unfortunately, the member that posted it was ban. Not sure if the video is still around.
> I'll see if I can track it down.
> 
> ...


 
  
  


toxic cables said:


> Thanks mate, very much appreciated.
> 
> Yes, was for a customer that bought a DIY kit, thought it would be easier for him to see how it's done, then the possibility of getting it wrong with my instructions.


 
  
 Ah didn't see the user ID when quoted, my bad.
  
 But if it's just for simple instruction only, maybe record a simple video using smartphone or stuffs? At least better than nothing.
  
 Edit: or better yet, face time or skype maybe?


----------



## creatip

zsamuels28 said:


> That's insane... How does this person continue to get review units...


 
  
 I think it's perfectly normal to sell review units, depending on the agreement between him and the brand. Like, 'do you need this thing back after I reviewed it?' If the answer is no, then it's practically a giveaway, or like said, a 'payment'. He should be able to do whatever he want with it. 
  
 For example, let's say I'm a GPU reviewer. Because brands think I did a good job, they send me lots of stuffs. Now after all the jobs (or reviewing) are done, what am I gonna do with 10 GPUs? I sure as hell can't use them all in my only PC. Give them away is an option, but if I can sell it (in other words, if somebody wanna buy it), then yeah, nothing wrong with that.
  
 It's just against the rule of this forum, and he got banned, based on the link.


----------



## alfa147x

So I'm in some serious trouble with the SO. I've been using plain speaker cables to hook up my floor standing front speakers. I had promised to make / procure some nice looking speaker cables since they're exposed. 

I'm looking to find a nice sleeve for the Belden 5T00UP 10 AWG Speaker Cable. Any recommendations? I love the matte look of the more fabric looking sleeves but I only can find the plastic stuff. Also what diameter / size sleeve should I order? 

Thanks!


Edit: 
Hmmm. Fabric sounds like a dust magnet. Is there a higher quality sleeve that's not a dust magnet?


----------



## nimblue123

Hello! My name is Nimblue. I came to this forum mainly because it seems like the best choise, but also because i am in desperate need for help.

 So, i am assuming that you guys like good quality headsets like sennheiser and such. And hopefully i wont get too much hate for this, but i recently got a Razer Kraken Pro.

 I'm not a lot into audio, so for me, i like the quality that it's producing. I understand that i can get better value with other headsets, and i understand Razer might be bad quality, but i am honestly satisfied with it, so please dont tell me to refund it and get a better headset.

 Anyways, to the case. I got it like.. 4 days ago, and i'm liking it so far. Problem is that the cord from the headset is very thin, i'm used to a Razer Tiamat 7.1 which had a really sturdy and durable cord, but not the case with this one.

*I've gotten a single really minor scratch:*
  
 http://i.imgur.com/C8tSsdx.jpg

 This picture doesnt really do it much justice, and sorry for the bad quality picture. But, the scratch is there. And i wanna be on the safe side, and i dont know the right word for this. (English isnt my mother language).

 But i've been wanting to braid / sleeve my cord.
  
*It consists of a few things;*
  
 The cord from my headset, which goes into a splitter. And the splitter into the computer. For now i'm only wanting to braid / sleeve the cord from my headset.
  
 http://i.imgur.com/B7jD1wk.jpg

 As seen in this picture, i took the cord out of the splitter, so that's the only thing i wanna work with at the moment.
  
 I've heard about thermoheat tubes, but i honestly think they are rather ugly, and i'm not interested in working with them.
  
 Hopefully, this is something which is possible with braided sleeving. I dont know how to do this, where to buy them etc. 

 The specs is:
  
 Cable Length: 1.3 m / 4.27 ft plus 2m / 6.6 ft splitter adapter.

 Since i'm not gonna work with the adaptor, we can take that out.

*So we have this:*
  
 Cable Length: 1.3 m / 4.27 ft plus 2m

 I'm not sure what those mean. The 1.3 m could be the length of the thing itself? And i dont know about the last part, and i dont know which of them says how thick it is.

*So with that in mind. This is the look i'm trying to go for:*
  
 http://imgur.com/a/5k7Zz
  
 Thank you for reading, so to sum it up. I'm looking to braid / sleeve my cord for my Razer Kraken Pro, not using thermosink tubes, but braiding / sleeving, how do i go about doing this? Where can i buy some that fits my cord?

 Thanks in advance!


----------



## ZSamuels28

nimblue123 said:


> Hello! My name is Nimblue. I came to this forum mainly because it seems like the best choise, but also because i am in desperate need for help.
> 
> So, i am assuming that you guys like good quality headsets like sennheiser and such. And hopefully i wont get too much hate for this, but i recently got a Razer Kraken Pro.
> 
> ...


 
 This would be tough because you have to have a big enough sleeve to get over the adapter. Generally, we usually put the sleeving on before the adapter, but Techflex Pet is expanding sleeving so you could probably get some 3/16" or even 1/4" to get over the adapter and it would fit over the cable. You definitely couldn't use paracord unless you took the adapter off. Another thing is you're going to have to hold the sleeve down somehow and that is usually with shrink tube, once again you have to get big enough shrink tube to fit over the adapter, but small enough so it will hold tight on the cable when you shrink it. A caliper would honestly be your best friend in this situation.


----------



## nimblue123

zsamuels28 said:


> This would be tough because you have to have a big enough sleeve to get over the adapter. Generally, we usually put the sleeving on before the adapter, but Techflex Pet is expanding sleeving so you could probably get some 3/16" or even 1/4" to get over the adapter and it would fit over the cable. You definitely couldn't use paracord unless you took the adapter off. Another thing is you're going to have to hold the sleeve down somehow and that is usually with shrink tube, once again you have to get big enough shrink tube to fit over the adapter, but small enough so it will hold tight on the cable when you shrink it. A caliper would honestly be your best friend in this situation.


 
  
 Cable Length: 1.3 m / 4.27 ft plus 2m
  
 This is the specs, which would fit on mine?

 And, if i get the. For example, Techflex Pet, do i just pull it over and it will fit? Can i do it without using shrink tube?


----------



## ZSamuels28

nimblue123 said:


> Cable Length: 1.3 m / 4.27 ft plus 2m
> 
> This is the specs, which would fit on mine?
> 
> And, if i get the. For example, Techflex Pet, do i just pull it over and it will fit? Can i do it without using shrink tube?


 
 That is the cable length, you need the cable width, and more importantly the adapter width at it's biggest point. The problem is even if you fit the techflex over the wire there is no way to secure it unless you like glue it down or a better solution shrink tube it.


----------



## nimblue123

zsamuels28 said:


> That is the cable length, you need the cable width, and more importantly the adapter width at it's biggest point. The problem is even if you fit the techflex over the wire there is no way to secure it unless you like glue it down or a better solution shrink tube it.


 
 As seen on here: http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-audio/razer-kraken-pro
  
 The adaptor to the splitter, is the same size as all other normals.
  
 It says "Connector: Analog 3.5 mm combined jack (headphone and mic) i assume the splitter is same size as the one i have. Is there any effective ways to tighten it fast?

 Also, isnt there any solutions which isnt techflex which will just be a little bigger than the width of the cable? I'll try contacting Razer Support to know the width.


----------



## ZSamuels28

nimblue123 said:


> As seen on here: http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-audio/razer-kraken-pro
> 
> The adaptor to the splitter, is the same size as all other normals.
> 
> ...


 
 There are various sizes of adapters,





 is obviously smaller than


----------



## nimblue123

zsamuels28 said:


> There are various sizes of adapters,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-accessories/audio-mic-splitter-adapter-for-the-razer-electra

 Check this, and scroll down to gallery. That's the ones i have.


----------



## ZSamuels28

nimblue123 said:


> http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-accessories/audio-mic-splitter-adapter-for-the-razer-electra
> 
> Check this, and scroll down to gallery. That's the ones i have.


 
 I don't know how wide that is... You'd have to measure it.


----------



## nimblue123

zsamuels28 said:


> I don't know how wide that is... You'd have to measure it.


 
 I contacted Razer Support for help. Do you have reddit or skype or somewhere we can chat?


----------



## ZSamuels28

You can just message me on here, I check head-fi pretty frequently. You should just buy a caliper to measure it.


----------



## Stillhart

Hey folks, 
  
 I've completed two headphone cables so far and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself.  Here are some lessons learned:
  

The cable part of the cable is not expensive.  If you are planning on individually sleeving the wires inside the cable anyhow, don't waste your time buying Mogami/Canare/etc.  Just buy the wire.  OMG, wish I'd done that.  Stripping the wires out of the cable takes almost as much effort as sleeving them.
Wear a glove on one hand when sleeving the cables, unless you have guitar-player calluses.
Panavise > Helping Hands but Panavise + Helping Hands > all
95# and 275# paracord both work fine on 26 AWD wires, but 275 felt slightly easier to sleeve and didn't "shrink" as much as the 95
Twist the wires a bit while sleeving to inch it on easier
Test your TRS connectors to make sure they're connected normally.  The Neutrik ones I used last time were not pinned out the same way as the diagram I was looking at and I had to desolder and resolder correctly when I tested afterwards.
  
 So yeah, I'm thinking about putting together a new cable for myself that's a bit longer.  My first one came out much shorter than I'd planned (due to nooby mistakes here and there).  I'm considering getting some higher end cable this time.  I know most folks in here aren't cable believers, and I'm right there with you.  But what better way to see for myself than making one (rather than spending stupid cash on one)?  
  
 So with a healthy dose of skepticism, what's the next step up from Canare?  OFC copper?  Silver coated copper?  Unicorn copper?  Suggestions?
  
 Question 2:  Mike from Woo Audio proved to me without a doubt that a $500 USB cable (Nordost Heimdall 2) makes a difference.  Anyone have any ideas on how I can make my own cable at that level?  Or does it require some crazy shielding techniques or something?


----------



## Kamakahah

stillhart said:


> Hey folks,
> 
> I've completed two headphone cables so far and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself.  Here are some lessons learned:
> 
> ...




1. I think you'd appreciate the wire from either DoubleHelixCables or Plussound audio. You'll find the softness and flexibility of the wire a very nice step up from the Canare. So much so that you might consider keeping it bare to appreciate its beauty. 

I don't recommend the Litz wire as it doesn't matter for headphones and will only cause you added time and frustration for soldering, but feel free to give it a whirl. Every experience adds something, right? 

Maybe play with a spc or pure silver to satiate your curiosity. Just know that pure silver gets real expensive very fast. Material enough for a four foot cable can run you up to $150-180 easily. Suddenly that Canare will seem like a steal at less than $3 for enough wire to make that four food cable. 

Toxic cables is another option with lots of good DIY options available if you don't mind waiting for shipping from the UK.

2. Making a USB cable isn't hard at all, but I couldn't tell you what voodoo they implemented in theirs to achieve what you heard. Maybe if you ask them nicely they'll explain? Lol.


----------



## PETEREK

kamakahah said:


> 1. I think you'd appreciate the wire from either DoubleHelixCables or *Plussound audio*. You'll find the softness and flexibility of the wire a very nice step up from the Canare. So much so that you might consider keeping it bare to appreciate its beauty.
> 
> I don't recommend the Litz wire as it doesn't matter for headphones and will only cause you added time and frustration for soldering, but feel free to give it a whirl. Every experience adds something, right?
> 
> ...


 
 I don't find PlusSound's wire to be flexible at all compared to DHC. Their insulation is just too hard.


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> I don't find PlusSound's wire to be flexible at all compared to DHC. Their insulation is just too hard.


. 

I disagree. I suppose it depends on which wire you ordered. Not sure if they all use the same insulation. 
The one I use from Plussound is currently out of stock and is extremely soft to the point that I need to alter my soldering technique for it.

I've had them side at a meet for testing,but again it may vary from wire type to wire type.


----------



## Stillhart

Yeah, looking over the options out there, silver seems to be at least $100 per 6'.  I don't think I'm willing to spend that much on an experiment unless I already have a buyer lined up afterwards, lol.  SPC seems to be about half that and OCC copper seems to be about the same.  I need to find the forums where cable believers live and figure out what the difference are supposed to be.  I recall reading that silver is supposed to be brighter?
  
 Anyone have any idea what makes a $500 USB cable work?  Shielding between power and data lines or something?


----------



## ThurstonX

stillhart said:


> Hey folks,
> 
> I've completed two headphone cables so far and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself.  Here are some lessons learned:
> 
> ...


 
  
 Congrats, and kudos for wanting to keep improving.
  
 I'll agree that the Litz wire adds a bit more to the process, as most (all?) has individually coated wires in each strand.  That means removing (burning or melting off) said coating.  I did it on multiple cables, and it's not that hard.  Sonically it's fine (I'd say great, but whatever), at least on par with the Mogami I've used.  Three of my four main cans use cables built on it, as do my interconnects in my Stack o' Schiit.  For headphone cables its best feature is being *far* more supple than Mogami.  My cables aren't stiff in the slightest and just float there.  For that reason alone I love it.  I used 100/46 sleeved in 95 lbs paracord from Paracord Planet.  A higher strand count and gauge like 144/44 would probably be great, and 275 lbs paracord might be better.  I did 4-strand braids for the HP cables.
  
 Oh yeah, and the 100' spool was far less expensive than any boutique cable I've found.


----------



## Stillhart

thurstonx said:


> Congrats, and kudos for wanting to keep improving.
> 
> I'll agree that the Litz wire adds a bit more to the process, as most (all?) has individually coated wires in each strand.  That means removing (burning or melting off) said coating.  I did it on multiple cables, and it's not that hard.  Sonically it's fine (I'd say great, but whatever), at least on par with the Mogami I've used.  Three of my four main cans use cables built on it, as do my interconnects in my Stack o' Schiit.  For headphone cables its best feature is being *far* more supple than Mogami.  My cables aren't stiff in the slightest and just float there.  For that reason alone I love it.  I used 100/46 sleeved in 95 lbs paracord from Paracord Planet.  A higher strand count and gauge like 144/44 would probably be great, and 275 lbs paracord might be better.  I did 4-strand braids for the HP cables.
> 
> Oh yeah, and the 100' spool was far less expensive than any boutique cable I've found.


 
  
 Did you use a solder pot for the litz or some other technique?


----------



## ThurstonX

stillhart said:


> Did you use a solder pot for the litz or some other technique?


 
  
 I just used a really hot iron and a ball of solder, per @TrollDragon's initial posts in this thread.  Basically it's just working the strands through the ball for 30 seconds or so.  IIRC, he said not to touch the strands with the tip, but...  I augmented his process by brushing the tip over the wires, which were slightly fanned out; turning the fan from side to side until the gunk (coating) seemed to be off.  After doing both ends I tested with a DMM.  If the signal didn't seem clean or optimal, I brushed again.  A PITA, but it worked every time.  If I needed more cables, I would have ordered the 144/44 (or whatever is near that gauge) in a heartbeat.
  
 If you want the link to the seller, I'll try to find it, but it's linked in this thread from a few months ago.


----------



## teamrushpntball

So I realized I screwed up my braid half way through my cable, any downside to unwinding it and fixing the error? Litz wire individually sleeved in 275 paracord.


----------



## ZSamuels28

teamrushpntball said:


> So I realized I screwed up my braid half way through my cable, any downside to unwinding it and fixing the error? Litz wire individually sleeved in 275 paracord.


 
 Yeah, time lol. I don't think unbraiding it and braiding it again will cause any issues especially since it is in paracord.


----------



## raulromanjr

I'm making or remaking a cable for my Sony MDR-Z7. The cable is a BTG-Audio Midnight cable. I'm just reusing the 4 wire cable and putting new ends on it. I'm using three new Rean plugs. This will be a shorter version of the unbalanced cable that comes with the headphones which is also a 4-wire cable. I just need some help with the pin assignments. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Below is the cable as represented on Sony's manual and the plugs I'm using. The amp end of the cable will be plugged into an FiiO E12.


----------



## PETEREK

The 3.5mm connectors that go in the headphone are TIP: signal RING: ground SLEEVE: nothing. 

The headphone end is standard pinout. Tip: left Ring: right Sleeve: ground



raulromanjr said:


> I'm making or remaking a cable for my Sony MDR-Z7. The cable is a BTG-Audio Midnight cable. I'm just reusing the 4 wire cable and putting new ends on it. I'm using three new Rean plugs. This will be a shorter version of the unbalanced cable that comes with the headphones which is also a 4-wire cable. I just need some help with the pin assignments. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Below is the cable as represented on Sony's manual and the plugs I'm using. The amp end of the cable will be plugged into an FiiO E12.


----------



## raulromanjr

Thank you!  They sound great!


----------



## Jean Corriveau

Can anyone help me? I know the question I'm asking is not for a DIY project but I've been looking around the web for quite some time now and I couldn't find what I'm looking for. Where can I find a budget cable with 3.5mm male to 2 x 3.5mm male?


----------



## BloodyPenguin

This one should be somewhat simple.  Just looking to add a little strain relief to my earbuds.
  
 I have circled what I am talking about.
  
  
 Would some heat shrink tape be best?  I do not have any tools at home.  Just a lighter.  Not sure if that would work.
  
  
 Thanks to anyone who can give me a suggestion.
  
  

  
 ..


----------



## Armaegis

jean corriveau said:


> Can anyone help me? I know the question I'm asking is not for a DIY project but I've been looking around the web for quite some time now and I couldn't find what I'm looking for. Where can I find a budget cable with 3.5mm male to 2 x 3.5mm male?


 
  
 I did some brief searching but just couldn't find anything... does the dual end need to carry L/R in both ends, or will it be breaking it into L and R separately?
  
  


bloodypenguin said:


> This one should be somewhat simple.  Just looking to add a little strain relief to my earbuds.
> 
> I have circled what I am talking about.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I don't think even a 3:1 would shrink enough to properly hold the wire, and for such tiny wires sometimes the strain relief doesn't even do what you want because the tubing becomes so hard it doesn't flex, so all it does it move the stress point down. Maybe try just a small piece of hockey/fabric tape?


----------



## BloodyPenguin

armaegis said:


> I don't think even a 3:1 would shrink enough to properly hold the wire, and for such tiny wires sometimes the strain relief doesn't even do what you want because the tubing becomes so hard it doesn't flex, so all it does it move the stress point down. Maybe try just a small piece of hockey/fabric tape?


 
 Yeah, one of my options was going to be something like that Hockey/Fabric Tape.  I just was seeing if there were anything else out there I was not thinking of.
  
 Thank you for the reply.  
  
 ..


----------



## Jean Corriveau

> I did some brief searching but just couldn't find anything... does the dual end need to carry L/R in both ends, or will it be breaking it into L and R separately?


 
  
 L and R seperately.


----------



## MrEleventy

jean corriveau said:


> L and R seperately.




Hmm. I can't find a 3.5mm mono. 1/4", yeah. But not a 1/8"

I thought maybe a replacement cable and checked Shure 1540 (Nope, mmcx connectors) and MDR Z7 (Maybe? 3.5mm to 2x 3.5mm stereo). 

Which leads me to my own question..... Why does the MDR Z7 even use a stereo jack in the cup when a mono will suffice? Over-engineering? Or maybe just a cost thing? Buying stereo jacks in a larger quantity vs buying some stereo and some mono. Probably cost.


----------



## Jean Corriveau

> Hmm. I can't find a 3.5mm mono. 1/4", yeah. But not a 1/8"


 
  
 I found the same thing. I have may cable price lists and none of them had what I was looking for so I decided to modify my design instead. (The world won against me lol)


----------



## Armaegis

jean corriveau said:


> I found the same thing. I have may cable price lists and none of them had what I was looking for so I decided to modify my design instead. (The world won against me lol)


 
  
 you could be a pioneer and put rca jacks on the cups 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
  
 (all things considered, there are far more options for rca connectors than trs or xlr, but unfortunately most of them are large)


----------



## Armaegis

Sennheiser had a few cans that had ts mono jacks in the cups... (can't remember if the cup ends were 2.5 or 3.5mm though)
  
 http://www.amazon.ca/Genuine-Replacement-SENNHEISER-HD212-Pro-Headphones/dp/B008JH9WRI
 http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=Sennheiser%20Replacement%20Cable%20HD212%20Pro%20HD477%20HD497%20Cord&_itemId=190670642558


----------



## Jean Corriveau

> you could be a pioneer and put rca jacks on the cups


 
  
 Don't say that, I seriously thought about it but ended up thininking it would look aweful.


----------



## Jean Corriveau

armaegis said:


> Sennheiser had a few cans that had ts mono jacks in the cups... (can't remember if the cup ends were 2.5 or 3.5mm though)
> 
> http://www.amazon.ca/Genuine-Replacement-SENNHEISER-HD212-Pro-Headphones/dp/B008JH9WRI
> http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=Sennheiser%20Replacement%20Cable%20HD212%20Pro%20HD477%20HD497%20Cord&_itemId=190670642558


 
  
 That could be a solution as well but I don't like the cable itself.


----------



## Stillhart

Doesn't Oppo PM-1/2 use dual mono?


----------



## creatip

bloodypenguin said:


> This one should be somewhat simple.  Just looking to add a little strain relief to my earbuds.
> 
> I have circled what I am talking about.
> 
> ...


 
  
 You could apply some hot glue (as in those hot glue guns type). I used to do that in the past with the el-cheapo $5 earbuds, and they did work in prolonging the lifespan a bit.


----------



## BloodyPenguin

creatip said:


> You could apply some hot glue (as in those hot glue guns type). I used to do that in the past with the el-cheapo $5 earbuds, and they did work in prolonging the lifespan a bit.


 
 That is a good idea as well!  Thanks!  
  
 ..


----------



## Armaegis

jean corriveau said:


> Don't say that, I seriously thought about it but ended up thininking it would look aweful.


 
  
 Just offset the connectors by 30-45° so that the plugs stick out ala Audeze and you'll be fine. RCAs aren't that much bigger that mini-xlrs...
  


stillhart said:


> Doesn't Oppo PM-1/2 use dual mono?


 
  
 They do, but Oppo cables aren't exactly cheap...


----------



## Jean Corriveau

https://www.oppodigital.com/products.asp?cat=40 
  
 It's not too bad but they are BO.


----------



## spurxiii

bloodypenguin said:


> That is a good idea as well!  Thanks!
> 
> ..




I've used self amalgamating tape in the past


----------



## BloodyPenguin

spurxiii said:


> I've used self amalgamating tape in the past


 
 Cool, thanks for that as well.  I also see that listed under Self Fusing Tape.  
  
 ..


----------



## Stillhart

armaegis said:


> They do, but Oppo cables aren't exactly cheap...


 
  
 Yeah but you can search eBay for cheap Oppo replacement cables, etc...


----------



## Jean Corriveau

> Yeah but you can search eBay for cheap Oppo replacement cables, etc...


 
  
 Lunashops seem to have cheap Oppo cables.


----------



## leeperry

.


----------



## Arty McGhee

jean corriveau said:


> https://www.oppodigital.com/products.asp?cat=40
> 
> It's not too bad but they are BO.


 
 i would think someone on this list could help you make a real nice one


----------



## Jean Corriveau

arty mcghee said:


> i would think someone on this list could help you make a real nice one


 
  
 Thank you for the offer. Actually, I have all the material I need at home to make my own but I was really looking for one on the market since as I said in my first post concerning this it's not for a DIY project.


----------



## Sanman99

My Klipsch s5i have the 3rd tip segment loose. That little piece was always pulling out and I had to use pliers to pull the protruding metal sticking from the jack, then shove it back into the plug. After a couple times, it had started to cut out in one of my ears and I figured out that I could bend or pinch the plug, but I can't do that all day. Can I use something to keep it pinched, because I don't feel comfortable doing anything inside this thin cord that has those in-line control wires.
  
 Also, I really want to get my Monoprice IEMs modded with a cable that doesn't tangle like crazy. I went and got some eartips from MEElectronics (and already lost one that popped off and looked all over for it). I could buy some other brand, but that just leaves me with yet another lonely IEM (and there's no fun without DIY and hacking).
  
 Lastly, my ATH-m50s got put i storage among lots of stuff (its tip also pulled out and even got itself lost), so its headband is very slightly twisted. Not sure if anyone knows of something cool I could do if I'm willing to tear these up.
  
 I created a thread, but wasn't sure whether or not to post in this thread.
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/761304/gotta-fix-a-couple-iems-and-other
  
 Thanks in advance if anyone can respond.
  
  
 Hoping to figure out what sound signature I prefer so I can buy some more expensive headphones, so I'll look around what shops my town has.
 I also gotta fix this darn Sansa Clip+ volume button. See if I'll borrow my dad's soldering iron until I get my own.


----------



## Shawn71

reg S5i, cld you pls post a picture of the jack? looks like the 3.5mm jack needs a replacement.....Monoprice can be fixed/re-cabled using a cheap pair's cable if you are on tight budget,as the IEM price is merely $10......


----------



## Stillhart

Hi guys,
  
 For a balanced interconnect cable (dual XLR from DAC to Amp), do you guys know if I need M/M or M/F or F/F and do you know the proper pinouts?  Is it just 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, shield to ground?
  
 Thx!
  
 EDIT - Looks like it's M/F.  Now I just need to know if I need to do anything funky with the pinouts.
  
 Oh and can anyone recommend a paracord wrap for the Canare cable if I'm not stripping out the wires, just using it as is?


----------



## DingoSmuggler

stillhart said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> For a balanced interconnect cable (dual XLR from DAC to Amp), do you guys know if I need M/M or M/F or F/F and do you know the proper pinouts?  Is it just 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, shield to ground?
> 
> ...


 
 1: Shield
 2: + (non-inverted signal)
 3: - (inverted signal)
  
 yes wire 1-1, 2-2, 3-3
  
 The casing for the xlr connector will usually also have a solder tab, better to leave this disconnected IMO.
  
 More than you ever wanted to know about balanced connections. http://www.rane.com/note110.html


----------



## Pwn3r4Life

Anyone have any experience getting phone controls (play/pause/resume) and a microphone on a DIY cable?
  
 As I mostly use my Android phone as a source, I really would like to have these in-line controls. I plan to upgrade to a Sony Walkman DAP somewhere down the line to maintain the same cord control functionality. Any help?


----------



## DingoSmuggler

pwn3r4life said:


> Anyone have any experience getting phone controls (play/pause/resume) and a microphone on a DIY cable?
> 
> As I mostly use my Android phone as a source, I really would like to have these in-line controls. I plan to upgrade to a Sony Walkman DAP somewhere down the line to maintain the same cord control functionality. Any help?


 
 A single button remote is just a momentary switch shorting out between mic & ground.


----------



## Pwn3r4Life

dingosmuggler said:


> A single button remote is just a momentary switch shorting out between mic & ground.



Oh! That's easy. Thanks a bundle!

Any idea about volume control, for Android?

And any idea on where to snag a microphone and switches? I'm sure I can find somewhere, I'm just curious on recommendations.


----------



## WoXxi

Hello head-fi community, 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 I need to recable my AKG K518DJ . I did some searches on the internet and i found this awesome work :
  
 http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2015/16/1429110843-1429010132-wtbi1ii.jpg
  
 Is it possible to find someone who make this cable ready to solder and shipping in Europe please ?
  
 http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2015/16/1429110844-post-30591-0-67821200-1406141437.jpg
  
 I would appreciate your help, thank you.


----------



## MIKELAP

Hi got a blue Cardas cable for a Senns HD800 HP that i want to solder a 4pin xlr connector to, got a black ,green red and white wire +shield where would they go on connector Thank you .


----------



## Stillhart

Pin 1 - L+
 Pin 2 - L-
 Pin 3 - R+
 Pin 4 - R-
  
 Ground goes to the little tab on the body of the XLR on the top of your photo.  I have heard it's not necessary to connect ground on these cables tho.


----------



## MIKELAP

stillhart said:


> Pin 1 - L+
> Pin 2 - L-
> Pin 3 - R+
> Pin 4 - R-
> ...


 
    Where would the black and white go ? Thanks


----------



## Stillhart

Sorry, I have no idea how those cables are pinned out.  You might want to use a multimeter to test them through and see which is which.


----------



## MIKELAP

Soldering a 4 pin xlr connector on a Cardas blue HP 4x24  cable for SENNS HD800 and just noticed something when i was trying to tin wire ,solder has a hardtime sticking to the wire, i tin a regular piece of wire no problem tinning wire why is that . Do i need a special type solder for this cable. This is what i use .roll on the left   1/16 . Thanks


----------



## Zashoomin

mikelap said:


> Soldering a 4 pin xlr connector on a Cardas blue HP 4x24  cable for SENNS HD800 and just noticed something when i was trying to tin wire ,solder has a hardtime sticking to the wire, i tin a regular piece of wire no problem tinning wire why is that . Do i need a special type solder for this cable. This is what i use .roll on the left   1/16 . Thanks


 
  
 The wire is most likely a type 2 litz wire...meaning that every single individual strand has an enamel coating on it. There are a couple of ways to burn off the enamel.  You can get a solder pot, or you can turn up your soldering iron temp and see if that works.  the soldering pot option is easier though.  


mikelap said:


> Where would the black and white go ? Thanks


 
 If you want to figure out what color goes where test for continuity with a multimeter.  Set your meter to the ohms setting and touch the wires. If the meter reads 0, you are touching the same wire on both sides.  If the other side of the cable is already connected to the sennheiser connector, than the pin is + and the shield is -.
  
 Hope this answers some questions.


----------



## MIKELAP

Thanks ,that i figured out  .Now problem is that solder is not sticking to Cardas  copper wire regular wire there's no problems tinning any suggestions. Thanks


----------



## Kamakahah

mikelap said:


> Thanks ,that i figured out  .Now problem is that solder is not sticking to Cardas  copper wire regular wire there's no problems tinning any suggestions. Thanks




You're using lead free silver solder. It's going to have a higher melting point and is generally more difficult to solder using. Check the specs on it and set your temp accordingly. 

I'd recommend trying the Cardas quad eutectic silver solder. You can pick up smaller quantities on ebay to sample.


----------



## MIKELAP

Finally managed to get solder to melt and stick .Thanks everyone for your input .By the way heres wiring for Senns HD800 using Cardas blue cable 4x24 to a Neutrik 4 pin XLR


----------



## cddz

Been lurking for a good while trying to find ideas for what to use to re cable my Beyerdynamic MMX 300 headset. Not a lot of folks share headset re-cable. Thanks to this forum I worked up the courage to do it. Got tired of having to fix a $400 headset..... I have a good bit of experience soldering, I use a JBC CD-B station. I guess it was taking the plunge to purchase the Mogami 2534, removing the sheathing and re sleeve it with para-cord. I used #95 para-cord. 6 strand round braid and a couple of radio shack TRS connectors. If you were like me and a bit worried about doing it to a headset, have no fear. I see that the gallery is now locked , so I figured I would share it on here to help someone else that may be looking for the same information. Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture.


----------



## Stillhart

cddz said:


> Been lurking for a good while trying to find ideas for what to use to re cable my Beyerdynamic MMX 300 headset. Not a lot of folks share headset re-cable. Thanks to this forum I worked up the courage to do it. Got tired of having to fix a $400 headset..... I have a good bit of experience soldering, I use a JBC CD-B station. I guess it was taking the plunge to purchase the Mogami 2534, removing the sheathing and re sleeve it with para-cord. I used #95 para-cord. 6 strand round braid and a couple of radio shack TRS connectors. If you were like me and a bit worried about doing it to a headset, have no fear. I see that the gallery is now locked , so I figured I would share it on here to help someone else that may be looking for the same information. Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture.


 
  
 That looks great, well done!


----------



## cdsa35000

cddz said:


> Been lurking for a good while trying to find ideas for what to use to re cable my Beyerdynamic MMX 300 headset. Not a lot of folks share headset re-cable. Thanks to this forum I worked up the courage to do it. Got tired of having to fix a $400 headset..... I have a good bit of experience soldering, I use a JBC CD-B station. I guess it was taking the plunge to purchase the Mogami 2534, removing the sheathing and re sleeve it with para-cord. I used #95 para-cord. 6 strand round braid and a couple of radio shack TRS connectors. If you were like me and a bit worried about doing it to a headset, have no fear. I see that the gallery is now locked , so I figured I would share it on here to help someone else that may be looking for the same information. Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture.




Gangstar Alert! Gunz & Headphonez!


----------



## cddz

LOL! I took the pic just after cleaning it. A buddy wanted to see how the cable turned out. He is a big Glock fan, I am a Sig snob


----------



## PETEREK

Many people want to know how to do this the fastest, so here is a video showing how to strip the wires out of the Mogami w2799 jacket and sleeve (4 feet) in a minute and a half (or less).


----------



## Kamakahah

cddz nice job. 

Pretty bummed about the gallery thread as well. Wish they would just take care of those breaking the rules instead of locking the whole thread on everyone. Oh well.


----------



## Jean Corriveau

peterek said:


> Many people want to know how to do this the fastest, so here is a video showing how to strip the wires out of the Mogami w2799 jacket and sleeve (4 feet) in a minute and a half (or less).




  
 Nice job cCasper! Very efficient way to do it. Now's the time to make the video on how to sleeve them as fast as you stripped them


----------



## Arty McGhee

peterek said:


> Many people want to know how to do this the fastest, so here is a video showing how to strip the wires out of the Mogami w2799 jacket and sleeve (4 feet) in a minute and a half (or less).





Whoa
I'm doin the hard way 

Those you're hands?


----------



## PETEREK

arty mcghee said:


> Whoa
> I'm doin the hard way
> 
> Those you're hands?



Yeah I made the video by myself.


----------



## Armaegis

Maybe I'm one of those weird guys where if I have starquad/shielded/whatever wire, I'll just leave it that way. If I want individual wires for braiding, then I'll use individual wires. I'm a heretic, I know


----------



## PETEREK

armaegis said:


> Maybe I'm one of those weird guys where if I have starquad/shielded/whatever wire, I'll just leave it that way. If I want individual wires for braiding, then I'll use individual wires. I'm a heretic, I know


 
 I use to do that, but I never have issues with microphonics or anything so there is no benefit for me leaving it there. Without it the cable becomes more flexible and thinner, and I like that. It does make you take one additional step, but my way of removing it hardly takes any time at all, especially if I don't have a camera between my face and the job.


----------



## Arty McGhee

armaegis said:


> Maybe I'm one of those weird guys where if I have starquad/shielded/whatever wire, I'll just leave it that way. If I want individual wires for braiding, then I'll use individual wires. I'm a heretic, I know


 
 i think its a good way
 to
 get some good wire
 on the cheap
  
 "jam econo on the copp(er)"


----------



## Stillhart

arty mcghee said:


> i think its a good way
> to
> get some good wire
> on the cheap
> ...



+1 As far as I can tell, this is the main reason to do it that way.


----------



## dukja

I am interested to make a DIY cable with eco wire such as Mogami W2799 for my HE-6 and other phones
 http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2799.html
  
 And I do plan to remove the sleeve like the above demo.  However, the individual wire color does not look nice.  I like the stock HE-6 copper cable with clear insulator.  Is there any good economic copper wire like that for DIYer?
  
 Something like this?


----------



## liquidzoo

dukja said:


> I am interested to make a DIY cable with eco wire such as Mogami W2799 for my HE-6 and other phones
> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2799.html
> 
> And I do plan to remove the sleeve like the above demo.  However, the individual wire color does not look nice.  I like the stock HE-6 copper cable with clear insulator.  Is there any good economic copper wire like that for DIYer?
> ...


 
  
 Couple of options I can think of:
  
 Buy 4x the amount of the 2799 and use only the clear strand
  
 Use only the clear strands from Mogami 2534 (quad cable, 2 clear and 2 blue, thicker and stiffer than the 2799/2893)
  
 Use cheap speaker cable from Home Depot or similar
  
 Pay the premium for something from DHC (nucleotide is $2/ft single strand)


----------



## ThurstonX

dukja said:


> I am interested to make a DIY cable with eco wire such as Mogami W2799 for my HE-6 and other phones
> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2799.html
> 
> And I do plan to remove the sleeve like the above demo.  However, the individual wire color does not look nice.  I like the stock HE-6 copper cable with clear insulator.  Is there any good economic copper wire like that for DIYer?
> ...


 
  
 Paracord is your friend 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  If you can make a cable (i.e., soldering), you can sleeve and braid it first.  95 or 275 (for a slightly looser feel) will do it, and there is an insane selection from which to choose (I like Paracord Planet).  For colors and patterns you're pretty much just limited by your imagination.
  
 +1 on the W2799 from Redco.  Good, cheap stuff!  You can get plugs and heat shrink (black and red, at least) there, too.


----------



## dukja

Thanks for all the ideas.  DHC does not sounds too bad and it is in OK. (Oop, Peter probably moved to TX now).   But I have been their website trying find bare DIY wire and found none.  Links will be appreciated.
  
 And paracord idea is good for hiding my ugly braid.     I like the neat looking of a good braid if I can do it.  
  
 As for plugs at Redco.  Do they have good 4-pin XLR Neutrik connector?


----------



## liquidzoo

dukja said:


> Thanks for all the ideas.  DHC does not sounds too bad and it is in OK. (Oop, Peter probably moved to TX now).   But I have been their website trying find bare DIY wire and found none.  Links will be appreciated.
> 
> And paracord idea is good for hiding my ugly braid.     I like the neat looking of a good braid if I can do it.
> 
> As for plugs at Redco.  Do they have good 4-pin XLR Neutrik connector?


 
 If you're looking for normal XLR, probably.
  
 If you're looking for tiny or mini-xlr, the only division of Neutrik that makes them is Rean.
  
 http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/REAN-Neutrik/RT4MPR/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMv0W4pxf2HiV09DDig7boOLaCCNIf9ZXY0%3d is a good shallow mount 4 pin tiny xlr (male) panel mount.
  
 For the DHC wire, see here:  http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=2


----------



## funch

dukja said:


> As for plugs at Redco.  Do they have good 4-pin XLR Neutrik connector?


 
  
 Here's what I use. Very pleased with them. I use the large opening version. It eliminates the rubber boot.
  
 http://www.redco.com/Redco-TA4FB.html


----------



## Armaegis

Where can I get a nice 3.5mm TRRS plug? or does anyone have a couple extra they'd like to sell me? (must be able to ship to Canada)


----------



## Stillhart

armaegis said:


> Where can I get a nice 3.5mm TRRS plug? or does anyone have a couple extra they'd like to sell me? (must be able to ship to Canada)


 
 Redco sells a 3.5mm TRRS but it doesn't have the thin part for using with the PM-3.
  
 http://www.redco.com/Redco-Male-TRRS.html
  
 Moon Audio has one that's right angle.
  
 http://www.moon-audio.com/4-pole-trrs-3-5mm-right-angle-adapter.html


----------



## Stillhart

Does anyone know if this is safe and effective for tinning litz?
  
 http://www.instructables.com/id/Quick-Easy-DIY-Solder-Pot/


----------



## PETEREK

stillhart said:


> Does anyone know if this is safe and effective for tinning litz?
> 
> http://www.instructables.com/id/Quick-Easy-DIY-Solder-Pot/



I don't know why it wouldn't be.


----------



## ThurstonX

dukja said:


> Thanks for all the ideas.  DHC does not sounds too bad and it is in OK. (Oop, Peter probably moved to TX now).   But I have been their website trying find bare DIY wire and found none.  Links will be appreciated.
> 
> *And paracord idea is good for hiding my ugly braid.     I like the neat looking of a good braid if I can do it.*
> 
> As for plugs at Redco.  Do they have good 4-pin XLR Neutrik connector?


 
  
 I meant: strip out the individual wires, sleeve each in paracord, and then braid.  I never see the point of braiding wires only to sleeve them in paracord.  I made some Mogami cables where I left the wires twisted after having removed the sheath and shield, then sleeved them in 550 paracord.  They may be a little less stiff than the aforementioned paracord-then-braid cables, which, if true, is probably due to the way the coating on the Mogami wire reacts to be braided.  I've spoiled myself with the silk-served Litz wire.


----------



## Arty McGhee

stillhart said:


> Does anyone know if this is safe and effective for tinning litz?
> 
> http://www.instructables.com/id/Quick-Easy-DIY-Solder-Pot/


 
 i do the same thing basically
 using the bottom of an cheap coffee mug
 its ceramic and does the trick
 sometimes helps to burn the laquer
 off with a candle first.... good luck


----------



## super8scientist

Can anyone help, I'm bogged down in info from this great site but need it spelling out simply for me. I'm trying to rewire my Philips Uptowns, the cable seems to have 4 little wires in it's core. I will be wiring from each can so I need to know:
  
 1) What wire is best (UK would be best)
 2) Para-cord?
 3) How to connect the two wires coming from either can into one to go into the 3.5mm jack
 4) Any further advice, this is my first DIY mod
  
 Thanks!!


----------



## Stillhart

super8scientist said:


> Can anyone help, I'm bogged down in info from this great site but need it spelling out simply for me. I'm trying to rewire my Philips Uptowns, the cable seems to have 4 little wires in it's core. I will be wiring from each can so I need to know:
> 
> 1) What wire is best (UK would be best)
> 2) Para-cord?
> ...


 
  
 1 - I'm not in UK so can't comment.  
 2 - What are you asking?
 3 - See if this helps you out at all.  I find it to be an invaluable resource.  https://robrobinette.com/BalancedCable.htm
 4 - Make sure you have a plan of action before doing anything.  The more prepared you are, the easier it will be.
  
  
 Hey guys, I don't want to strip a bunch of Canare wire for my next project.  Can someone recommend a good source for singe-strand 26AWG wire that isn't like $1.50/ft?
  
 EDIT - By "Single strand" I mean the stuff inside the Canare cable, not 4 strands twisted up.


----------



## super8scientist

That site is amazing! Thanks a lot that's really straightened me out. I can easily order that stuff to the UK.
 By paracord I was just wondering if you thought it was worth putting it on the cable?


----------



## Stillhart

super8scientist said:


> That site is amazing! Thanks a lot that's really straightened me out. I can easily order that stuff to the UK.
> By paracord I was just wondering if you thought it was worth putting it on the cable?



Personally, I love the look of a 4 strand braid with each strand individually wrapped in paracord. Check out the diy cable gallery for some ideas on how it looks.


----------



## Armaegis

stillhart said:


> Redco sells a 3.5mm TRRS but it doesn't have the thin part for using with the PM-3.
> 
> http://www.redco.com/Redco-Male-TRRS.html
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks. Were you just psychic in knowing that I was looking to make a PM-3 cable?


----------



## Stillhart

armaegis said:


> Thanks. Were you just psychic in knowing that I was looking to make a PM-3 cable?


 
 It just so happens I'm making a cable for my PM-3 right now as well.  But since I don't have a portable balanced source, I didn't spend a ton of time looking for one that's compatible with the PM-3.  I *did* find one that MIGHT work, but my gut tells me it's going to be close.  
  
 https://store.acousticom.com/3-5mm-1-8-in-trrs-plug-black?search=trrs
  
 Otherwise, it's waiting until Moon Audio or Double Helix Cables deigns to release theirs into the wild.  Both of those guys sell custom balanced cables for the PM-3 so they much have working connectors...


----------



## Speedskater

stillhart said:


> Hey guys, I don't want to strip a bunch of Canare wire for my next project.  Can someone recommend a good source for singe-strand 26AWG wire that isn't like $1.50/ft?


 
 For solid single conductor wire, I would just disassemble some bulk Cat5/Cat6 cable.
 Heck, you might find some stranded conductor Cat5/Cat6 cable.


----------



## jjacq

Hello I'm planning to make an IEM cable terminated to the AK 2.5mm balanced. I do have full sized cans I'd like to use with it and I thought about making a 1/8" female to 2.5mm male balanced adapter but that's probably not a good idea. Single ended to balanced output can't work right? Does this mean I might have to get new cables if I wanna use my other cans with it?

 Also, what AWG spec is used for braided cables? 20-21 AWG? I'd probably make that second if my 1/8" to 2.5mm balanced won't fly with you guys.
  
 Thanks please let me know.


----------



## entah

Hello, I'm planning to make an IEM cable with individual paracord sleeve. Is paracord with 1mm diameter  available? And, is there any recommendation of cheap paracord seller / website that can ship worldwide? since I'm living in Indonesia.
  
 Thank you in advance


----------



## Stillhart

jjacq said:


> Hello I'm planning to make an IEM cable terminated to the AK 2.5mm balanced. I do have full sized cans I'd like to use with it and I thought about making a 1/8" female to 2.5mm male balanced adapter but that's probably not a good idea. Single ended to balanced output can't work right? Does this mean I might have to get new cables if I wanna use my other cans with it?
> 
> Also, what AWG spec is used for braided cables? 20-21 AWG? I'd probably make that second if my 1/8" to 2.5mm balanced won't fly with you guys.
> 
> Thanks please let me know.


 
  
 If your cable is balanced and you want to make an adapter to use it with a SE amp, you're fine.  If your cable is SE and you want to make andadapter to use it with a balanced amp, you'll damage your equipment.
  
 Can't help with your other question, sorry.


----------



## MrEleventy

jjacq said:


> Hello I'm planning to make an IEM cable terminated to the AK 2.5mm balanced. I do have full sized cans I'd like to use with it and I thought about making a 1/8" female to 2.5mm male balanced adapter but that's probably not a good idea. Single ended to balanced output can't work right? Does this mean I might have to get new cables if I wanna use my other cans with it?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What Stillhart said. You'll damage your amp since you'll be combining ground @ the headphones. The best way will be to recable your headphones into a balanced configuration and then make an adapter there to go from balanced to SE. That way, you can use both SE and balanced.



jjacq said:


> Also, what AWG spec is used for braided cables? 20-21 AWG? I'd probably make that second if my 1/8" to 2.5mm balanced won't fly with you guys.


Depends on how many cables you're planning to braid together. 20-21 AWG is fine for 3 or 4 strands. Anything more and you'll want to step down to a smaller size like 24s or 26s.


----------



## mikek200

stillhart said:


> If your cable is balanced and you want to make an adapter to use it with a SE amp, you're fine.  If your cable is SE and you want to make andadapter to use it with a balanced amp, you'll damage your equipment.
> 
> Can't help with your other question, sorry.


 
 Dan,
 As I  have put the Yiggy on the back burner-,I'm looking at a  Theta DS ProGen III, ,[SE}to have as a backup for my BasicIII.{XLR}
 I know nothing about making an adapter  for the GenIII,any suggestions,as to who I should contact to make me one
  
 Mike


----------



## Stillhart

mikek200 said:


> Dan,
> As I  have put the Yiggy on the back burner-,I'm looking at a  Theta DS ProGen III, ,[SE}to have as a backup for my BasicIII.{XLR}
> I know nothing about making an adapter  for the GenIII,any suggestions,as to who I should contact to make me one
> 
> Mike


 
  
 Hey Mike, what kind of adapter are you talking about?  You want a cable to connect its SE output to your amp?  That's just regular old RCA.  Most amps, even balanced ones, will have SE RCA inputs.


----------



## killaHz

I bogged down after about 25 pages and some searches of the thread, so apologies if this has been covered.

I'm going to be disassembling my Fostex T50rps to put new cups and a baffle on, where another modder's efforts broke the components. I figure if I'm desoldering the drivers (however risky that might be), I might as well convert these cans to a dual-entry format with 4-pin mini XLRs on each cup. Basically the Audeze style.

I've got Canare mini quad cable on the way, and I'm wondering if somebody has good instructions for how to engineer the Y-split in the cable.


----------



## Stillhart

matthew420 said:


> I bogged down after about 25 pages and some searches of the thread, so apologies if this has been covered.
> 
> I'm going to be disassembling my Fostex T50rps to put new cups and a baffle on, where another modder's efforts broke the components. I figure if I'm desoldering the drivers (however risky that might be), I might as well convert these cans to a dual-entry format with 4-pin mini XLRs on each cup. Basically the Audeze style.
> 
> I've got Canare mini quad cable on the way, and I'm wondering if somebody has good instructions for how to engineer the Y-split in the cable.


 
  
 I like to strip the 4 wires out from the Canare cable, sleeve them individually, and then braid them.  If you do it that way, the Y-split requires no real engineering... you just stop braiding the 4 wires and then twist each of the two pairs of wires together.  For bonus points, make sure the two wires going to the left cup are opposite on the braid (I think of them as top, bottom, left, right when braiding so try to keep both wires for a give ear cup on top/bottom or left/right).


----------



## killaHz

stillhart said:


> I like to strip the 4 wires out from the Canare cable, sleeve them individually, and then braid them.  If you do it that way, the Y-split requires no real engineering... you just stop braiding the 4 wires and then twist each of the two pairs of wires together.  For bonus points, make sure the two wires going to the left cup are opposite on the braid (I think of them as top, bottom, left, right when braiding so try to keep both wires for a give ear cup on top/bottom or left/right).




It's tempting. I've already got the paracord, and I like that look.

The other end of the cable is going to terminate in a 3.5 mm Neutrik plug, though, and I don't know if four sheathed wires will fit in there. (Three of the four possible amp outs I currently own are 3.5, so it doesn't make much sense to terminate in a 6.4 mm plug and use adapters for 3.5, rather than the other way around.)


----------



## Stillhart

matthew420 said:


> It's tempting. I've already got the paracord, and I like that look.
> 
> The other end of the cable is going to terminate in a 3.5 mm Neutrik plug, though, and I don't know if four sheathed wires will fit in there. (Three of the four possible amp outs I currently own are 3.5, so it doesn't make much sense to terminate in a 6.4 mm plug and use adapters for 3.5, rather than the other way around.)


 
  
 If it'll fit with the giant Canare cable, I don't see why 4 sleeved wires wouldn't fit...?


----------



## liquidzoo

Should fit, but you may have to drill out the end of the Neutrik plug.
  
 The only 4 wire braid I currently have is unsleeved, but there's plenty of room for sleeving if I wanted to do it (and I'm going to on the new cables I'm making for those cans)
  
 The plug I am using is a Rean (Neutrik) 3.5mm, but the end is drilled out.  The cable end of the plug is ~6.8mm rather than the stock ~4.5mm
  
 Still should be able to squeeze the paracord into the stock plug end, depending on the wire diameter.  The wire I'm using is Mogami 2534, which is 24AWG.  26AWG would be better for paracord sleeving (type 1/#95) and would definitely fit easier.


----------



## killaHz

Alrighty then. Sounds like a winner. At worst, I'll have to ream out the hole a little, it sound like. I guess I thought the paracord sleeves would take up more room than that. (Obviously, the thickness of the wire is negligible in comparison.)

Thanks for the tips.


----------



## PETEREK

Here's another tip video; how to route a cable with a sleeve though a connector boot, the easy way (if you aren't in front of a camera).


----------



## Toxic Cables

You could just put some tape around the sleeve and wire, makes it much quicker and easier.


----------



## PETEREK

toxic cables said:


> You could just put some tape around the sleeve and wire, makes it much quicker and easier.



It's normally much quicker than this, the straw was smashed at the very end, but yes you could do that I suppose. I've just been doing it this way recently. 
Is that what you do? Use tape?


----------



## Armaegis

I've also done it with some dental floss. Wind tightly around the sleeving, then wind a couple times around an individual wire above it to hold it up (works better with the string type floss, not the ribbon plastic kind).
  
 Most of the time I just use a bit of masking tape though. Pinch it tight, push it through with fingertips... lube if necessary


----------



## PETEREK

armaegis said:


> I've also done it with some dental floss. Wind tightly around the sleeving, then wind a couple times around an individual wire above it to hold it up (works better with the string type floss, not the ribbon plastic kind).
> 
> Most of the time I just use a bit of masking tape though. Pinch it tight, push it through with fingertips... [COLOR=D3D3D3]lube if necessary [/COLOR]



Hahaha at the last part. Maybe I should just change the title of the video to say that it's how I do it. Haha clearly we all have our own unique methods.


----------



## buke9

Just a little confused. Just got in my Mogami 2893 cable for my balanced Alpha Dogs project. Do you guys strip the cable just for the conductors and then braid and cover? I was wondering what to do with the shielding wire but if it is to be removed then that answers that question. I was thinking of just running the cable as is to the split and the twist and cover (haven't decided on that part just yet). I still have a few months till my amp ( Cavalli Liquid Carbon) comes in. I am buying a new balanced dac to get a full balanced setup ( just to hear the difference ( If any)). Just was wondering what was the best way to go. I was also going to make a new cable for my HE-400's also. I am open to suggestions on wire and sleeve that would be great ( for both projects).


----------



## Stillhart

Yes, I strip for the 4 conductor wires (throw away the shielding and such).  Then cover before braiding, not after.  And yes, braid to the split and then twist.
  
 GL!


----------



## DutchGFX

Anyone know where I can get the stuff to make a power umbilical like this one? I need 8 wires and it needs to be flexible. I currently am using Belden 1037A or something which is a Cadillac for sure but it is too stiff. I want a similar ribbon flexible design that can carry my 2.5a heaters while doing my 250V DC. I also need help with the connectors, since the TE connectivity ones I tried made it impossible to find the correct contact pins on Mouser.


----------



## dprimary

squallkiercosa said:


> Hey guys, I have a question for you. I made a cable recently (actually I fixed a broken audeze cable) I checked continuity (with a cheap multimeter set at 200 ohms) The results were 0.05 in every strand, what are usually the resistance values you get making cables?


 

 That would be .05 Ohm if you are measuring correctly. If it is true you definitely have continuity.   When you short the test leads together does it read zero? There might be a calibration to zero the meter, if it does not you just have to calculate the offset.


----------



## DJScope

dprimary said:


> That would be .05 Ohm if you are measuring correctly. If it is true you definitely have continuity.   When you short the test leads together does it read zero? There might be a calibration to zero the meter, if it does not you just have to calculate the offset.


 
  
 I've noticed that a lot of the new cheaper multimeters are calibrated wrong, having a few tens of mV either way from zero. Almost all the ones at work have that same problem. My multimeter on the other hand is from the 90s and always show dead zero when when it's supposed to.


----------



## chambek

Thanks for sharing, really useful thread..


----------



## lucidreamer

Just made myself a custom silver HiFiMan headphone cable last night for my HE-560. I had some bulk quality silver stranded plastic shielded wire laying around that I bought more than 10 years ago and rarely used. It is about the same length as the stock HE-560 crystalline cable and wrapped in parachord layer to make it look a little more rigid and just because I like fabric cables overall  Soldering the coax cable connectors using 5%-silver based tin alloy was not that hard - the wire opening in the center pin was smaller than the thickness of the silver wire, so some precision tools and magnifying glass came helpful. I did not have a quality 6.3mm plug at hand, so I just used the Switchcraft 3.5mm to terminate the cable and added the 6.3 adapter taped to Switchcraft to avoid removing and secured with heat-shrink, works pretty well!
  
 The HE-560 stock crystalline cable is pretty good already but it is still copper and a tad darker than mine. My custom cable made a noticeable difference by expanding the lows and the highs a little bit and by making the sound more snappier and faster. I swapped the new and the stock cable a few times and it is without doubt makes a difference. Now the bass is more pronounced and in some tracks it even feels like a small subwoofer was added. I have some concerns that the higher frequencies may be tiresome and eventually cause some listening fatigue, so I may give it a try to listen to the music for a few hours today to see if that happens. Overall pretty happy with the sound now, it really gives more air and transparency to my HE-560 and if the sound does not prove to be too fatiguing, I may stick to that one.


----------



## killaHz

zashoomin said:


> Well I think I will help some people out as well.  If you are making Audeze cables here is a diagram of everything that you need to know.
> 
> . . . short the mini xlr's as so:




So, this is probably a dumb question, but: once one has shorted the pins on the mini xlrs, what's the procedure for connecting the wire?


----------



## MrEleventy

matthew420 said:


> So, this is probably a dumb question, but: once one has shorted the pins on the mini xlrs, what's the procedure for connecting the wire?




Solder each wire directly to the U portion


----------



## buke9

stillhart said:


> Yes, I strip for the 4 conductor wires (throw away the shielding and such).  Then cover before braiding, not after.  And yes, braid to the split and then twist.
> 
> GL!


 
 Thanks for the reply. What are you covering them in before braiding? I have read many post and seen so many different covers and can't wrap my head around a cover for each 26 awg wire that would go in the connector. Or are you talking of something different? I was thinking of a paracord cover and just can't see braiding four stands of paracord. Am I missing something or are you speaking of another covering ?


----------



## Arty McGhee

buke9 said:


> Thanks for the reply. What are you covering them in before braiding? I have read many post and seen so many different covers and can't wrap my head around a cover for each 26 awg wire that would go in the connector. Or are you talking of something different? I was thinking of a paracord cover and just can't see braiding four stands of paracord. Am I missing something or are you speaking of another covering ?


 
 i made a couple cables over the weekend
 used 275 paracord from paracord planet
 then braided
 works nice with 26awg wire
 they had a bunch of stuff on sale


----------



## Stillhart

arty mcghee said:


> i made a couple cables over the weekend
> used 275 paracord from paracord planet
> then braided
> works nice with 26awg wire
> they had a bunch of stuff on sale


 
  
  


buke9 said:


> Thanks for the reply. What are you covering them in before braiding? I have read many post and seen so many different covers and can't wrap my head around a cover for each 26 awg wire that would go in the connector. Or are you talking of something different? I was thinking of a paracord cover and just can't see braiding four stands of paracord. Am I missing something or are you speaking of another covering ?


 
  
 What he said.  You can use 95# or 275# paracord.  I found 275 to be slightly looser, making it easier to work with, while still feeling like it fits.  And it first into the connectors I used just fine.


----------



## miceblue

Question: How do I make a Y-split cable if I'm using Mogami W2893 cable?


----------



## buke9

OK I see now. That is the look I was thinking of. Thanks again for the replies. I will give this stuff a shot. Thanks again.


----------



## buke9

I'm thinking of making a nice little wood yoke for mine. Just one question does the twist to the cups stay after twisting and heat shrinking the ends? I have not worked with this stuff before so just asking.


----------



## Stillhart

buke9 said:


> I'm thinking of making a nice little wood yoke for mine. Just one question does the twist to the cups stay after twisting and heat shrinking the ends? I have not worked with this stuff before so just asking.



Yes, you reuse the twist that was there when it was in the bigger cable. It "remembers" the twist and sticks well. You just gotta twist in the right direction... CCW iirc.


----------



## USHI

anyone know where i can get plug that have hinge like this?


----------



## liquidzoo

miceblue said:


> Question: How do I make a Y-split cable if I'm using Mogami W2893 cable?


 
 Braid the 4 wires together up to the point where you want to split them, then twist 2 wires together for each end of the split.


----------



## Armaegis

ushi said:


> anyone know where i can get plug that have hinge like this?


 
  
 I don't think I've ever seen a DIY hinged plug...
  
 I believe that's the Sennheiser Momentum cable though.


----------



## buke9

stillhart said:


> Yes, you reuse the twist that was there when it was in the bigger cable. It "remembers" the twist and sticks well. You just gotta twist in the right direction... CCW iirc.


 
 You remember correctly ccw twist. Thanks for all the info. Getting me some paracord and having at it. Thanks to all for the help.


----------



## ivanrocks321

Hey Guys I just changed a cable that had HiFiMan connectors to a rean mini XLR for my audeze. The rean have this soft rubber like part that screws into the metal jacket of the connector was wondering if it advisable to shrinkwrap over the soft rubber part or would it cause more problems. I just want some extra protection with shrink wrap if I can get away with it.


----------



## liquidzoo

ivanrocks321 said:


> Hey Guys I just changed a cable that had HiFiMan connectors to a rean mini XLR for my audeze. The rean have this soft rubber like part that screws into the metal jacket of the connector was wondering if it advisable to shrinkwrap over the soft rubber part or would it cause more problems. I just want some extra protection with shrink wrap if I can get away with it.


 
 I've used adhesive lined heatshrink over that rubber (ish) part.  Mostly I did it because I had to cut part of it to fit my 4 wire braid inside and I wanted it to still look halfway decent.


----------



## hardwiredcnd

I know I'm posting prematurely just going though the posts on this thread slowly. Thanks for all the info. 

I'm looking to mod an as yet to be purchased pair of headphones with a custom cable. Making it with four pairs of twisted scsi data cable braided then at the split twisted. Using thicker paracord for the one side and a little thinner after the split for L & R sides. Have not decided on the connectors yet, I hope with further reading to make a decision. 

So far I've moded/repaired a couple sets of broken iphone ear buds with paracord, it's a four makes one process, they really seem to fall apart when used by some people. 

So in using paracord I've managed to tape the cable to the inner nylon and pull it through sometimes, it's been hit and miss if you pull too hard. I initially started using a piece of 12ga house wire with one end folded over as a needle. Also I've waited till the end to heat the paracord or it will really not stretch and make it harder to feed through, though it may fray quite a lot. Hope that helps.


----------



## dukja

thurstonx said:


> Paracord is your friend
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks to all the info.  I built a cable with W2799 and #95 paracord with 4-pin XLR for my HE-500.  I really like the sound which is not much different from the stock silver plated cable with no complain from me.  The microphonic issue is gone.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  And I like the look of my new cable.
  
 The only thing I found challenge was threading the W2799 through #95 paracord.  It was a good/tight fit and I managed to get it started if I smoothed out the tips by bending a U shape of the copper wire.  Still, it took a lot of time to do it.  And the way I did it was thread a few inches at the front end and "squeeze" the paracord toward the back end and doing this alternatively.  But I found sometimes such "squeeze" motion seems to damage the paracord and cuasing some thread loops poking out of the bundle.
  
 So I would like to check with you experienced guys.  Any way to improve my process? (trying not to use larger paracord)
  
 Thanks!!


----------



## liquidzoo

I think you've got the process down right.
  
 It takes time and patience, but it does get easier.
  
 I've found that the easiest (for me) is to not strip the ends of the wires before sleeving, just going with a straight cut (maybe trim a little of there is a sharp edge).  Makes it easier for me to not have the copper wires out to snag the paracord.
  
 I use Type 1 paracord (which I've since found out is now commonly referred to as #95) as well.
  
 There are YouTube videos on paracord sleeving (usually for computer power supplies) that may have some tricks.  Computer modders are generally dealing with much shorter wires than headphones, though, and most I've seen use 550 paracord, which I wouldn't want to use on individual wires.


----------



## Stillhart

275# paracord is slightly easier to work with on 26AWG wire without feeling loose at all.  I don't bother with 95# anymore.
  
 Oh and I always strip is small amount off the end (like 1mm) and fold it over.  It seems to go smoother that a flat or angled cut.


----------



## dukja

Thanks for the confirmation and hint.  I still like the lighter weight of #95 better so may stick with it for a few more cable run.  
  
 And today I bring the new cable to my office for HE-6.  I like it better than the original stock OCC cable, which sounds a little round off and softer at the high frequency.  That may be due to some green oxidization on my original stock cable.  The new cable shines more light and has yet smooth sparkle.  A good synergy to HE-6.   I'll definitely make another one for HE-500. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 One more question about the SMC connector.  I have some crimp tool at my lab but the die diameter was 0.151 instead of .128(?) for SMC.  I used small amount of solder on the negative signal wire and then just press-fit the barrel in, which seems to be solid enough with heat shrink.  Any one has some suggestion on that?  
  
 Thanks!


----------



## miceblue

liquidzoo said:


> miceblue said:
> 
> 
> > Question: How do I make a Y-split cable if I'm using Mogami W2893 cable?
> ...



I keep meaning to reply back to you but then I forget about it. >.>

Does that mean I have to open up the cable's PVC outer shell and take out the 4 wires? I was hoping to keep them all in the original shell but I don't know how practical that would be.

I want to make a female 4-pin XLR to dual male 3-pin XLR adaptor, or female 4-pin XLR to dual 3.5 mm TRS adaptor (for some Sony amplifiers and/or the Pono player). The part that worries me is how to make the cable area look clean on the Y-split if I use the Mogami cable in its original PVC shell.


----------



## liquidzoo

miceblue said:


> I keep meaning to reply back to you but then I forget about it. >.>
> 
> Does that mean I have to open up the cable's PVC outer shell and take out the 4 wires? I was hoping to keep them all in the original shell but I don't know how practical that would be.
> 
> I want to make a female 4-pin XLR to dual male 3-pin XLR adaptor, or female 4-pin XLR to dual 3.5 mm TRS adaptor (for some Sony amplifiers and/or the Pono player). The part that worries me is how to make the cable area look clean on the Y-split if I use the Mogami cable in its original PVC shell.


 
 You can always remove the outer shell and put all 4 wires (still twisted together) inside some 550 Paracord (should fit fine without the outer shell and copper shield), then separate the strands where you want your Y-split and twist them together and put them inside of more paracord.  A dab of hot glue and a craft store wood bead (or something similar) will cover the Y-split where the 3 paracord strands meet.


----------



## buke9

Can someone help me with braiding. I have tried the tutorial from Chimera labs and it never comes out right. You look at the pics and there is a step missing ( unless I'm missing something) both me and my wife tried it and when it says you are back just as you started it just isn't. I wanted the loose Litz braid to keep Left and Right where they should be but I can't do it from this site. It looks right but it doesn't end up right. Do any other 4 strand braids end up with left being left and right being right? It might be that I'm just missing something I don't know. Any help would be great.


----------



## JacobLee89

buke9 said:


> Can someone help me with braiding. I have tried the tutorial from Chimera labs and it never comes out right. You look at the pics and there is a step missing ( unless I'm missing something) both me and my wife tried it and when it says you are back just as you started it just isn't. I wanted the loose Litz braid to keep Left and Right where they should be but I can't do it from this site. It looks right but it doesn't end up right. Do any other 4 strand braids end up with left being left and right being right? It might be that I'm just missing something I don't know. Any help would be great.


 
 All braiding will have every strand overlapping each other. Unless you know where you started your braid, how many overlaps until you complete a full cycle, and how many braid cycles you did, you'll have to use a multimeter to find out which strand is which.
  
 Unless of course you use specifically coloured strands for L/R/Ground.
  
 I've braided only a few times, and I find it impossible to keep track of such things. I always use a multimeter in the end. One thing I do though is make sure that all strands are soldered to a connector of my choice before I braid, so I can just ping the strands to the contacts of the terminal.


----------



## Stillhart

buke9 said:


> Can someone help me with braiding. I have tried the tutorial from Chimera labs and it never comes out right. You look at the pics and there is a step missing ( unless I'm missing something) both me and my wife tried it and when it says you are back just as you started it just isn't. I wanted the loose Litz braid to keep Left and Right where they should be but I can't do it from this site. It looks right but it doesn't end up right. Do any other 4 strand braids end up with left being left and right being right? It might be that I'm just missing something I don't know. Any help would be great.


 
  
 Here's my trick, which won't work for everyone, but works for me:
  
 I usually sleeve my left and right pairs in different colors.  So like two black sleeved strands for left and two red sleeved strands to right.  Within each sleeve, I have a blue and a white strand.  So I'll have black/blue, black/white, red/blue, red/white.  From there, it's easy to say white = + and blue = - (or whatever) and Black = left and Red = right.  
  
 BAM!  You always know which is which without a DMM.
  
 Of course, I'd never plug it into anything without using a DMM to test every connection so knowing which is which visually is irrelevant. :-D


----------



## buke9

I guess I'm not saying what I wanted to say. I followed the instructions from The Chimera Labs site and it didn't come out the way they said it would. Yes I would check the finished result but the braid tutorial didn't work. I tried several times with my wife checking me and it just doesn't work. It looks good but it doesn't get you back at the begging like it says you will. There is a step missing you can see it in the pics. I think it is step 6 to seven it moves a wire that it doesn't tell you it did. I like the look of the braid but if it doesn't end up where I need it to then what? I the look of the litz braid and every time I try the one on the site it comes out wrong. Is the another tutorial or does someone have a take 1 over 3 and 2 over 134 step to this process ?\
 Thanks in advance.


----------



## liquidzoo

buke9 said:


> I guess I'm not saying what I wanted to say. I followed the instructions from The Chimera Labs site and it didn't come out the way they said it would. Yes I would check the finished result but the braid tutorial didn't work. I tried several times with my wife checking me and it just doesn't work. It looks good but it doesn't get you back at the begging like it says you will. There is a step missing you can see it in the pics. I think it is step 6 to seven it moves a wire that it doesn't tell you it did. I like the look of the braid but if it doesn't end up where I need it to then what? I the look of the litz braid and every time I try the one on the site it comes out wrong. Is the another tutorial or does someone have a take 1 over 3 and 2 over 134 step to this process ?\
> Thanks in advance.


 
 I found this post to be of a lot of help when learning how to do a 4 wire braid.
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/294279/4-wire-litz-braid-round#post_3775401


----------



## Stillhart

buke9 said:


> I guess I'm not saying what I wanted to say. I followed the instructions from The Chimera Labs site and it didn't come out the way they said it would. Yes I would check the finished result but the braid tutorial didn't work. I tried several times with my wife checking me and it just doesn't work. It looks good but it doesn't get you back at the begging like it says you will. There is a step missing you can see it in the pics. I think it is step 6 to seven it moves a wire that it doesn't tell you it did. I like the look of the braid but if it doesn't end up where I need it to then what? I the look of the litz braid and every time I try the one on the site it comes out wrong. Is the another tutorial or does someone have a take 1 over 3 and 2 over 134 step to this process ?\
> Thanks in advance.


 
  
  
 Those instructions looks pretty clear to me.  I'm not a fan of that braid style tho.  I prefer the 4-strand round braid.


----------



## theaterinterior

I'm aware that there is a list of places to buy headphone wire in the first post, but I'm trying to purchase some in Australia. I need about 2 meters of 4 wires to repair a set of ATH-ES7s pretty much exactly as in this thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/597026/how-to-recable-my-ath-es7
  
 Black and grey preferably, but black and white is fine too. I'd rather purchase off of ebay or a local Australian place. I am wary of shipping from a standalone website from overseas as I like the protection of ebay, being able to look at shipping times and feedback and such. However, if it's a local store I can just march in and give them a piece of my mind if somethings wrong.
  
 Jaycar would be preferable, but I just don't really know what to search for as I can't really just search for 18AWG headphone wire as AWG is an american standard and Jaycar doesn't have anything specifically called headphone wire. Will any silicone covered copper wire work?
  
 Something like this for example? http://www.jaycar.com.au/Wire%2C-Cable-%26-Accessories/Hookup-%26-Power-Cable/General-Purpose-Hookup/Black-Light-Duty-Hook-up-Wire---25m/p/WH3001


----------



## Arty McGhee

theaterinterior said:


> I'm aware that there is a list of places to buy headphone wire in the first post, but I'm trying to purchase some in Australia. I need about 2 meters of 4 wires to repair a set of ATH-ES7s pretty much exactly as in this thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/597026/how-to-recable-my-ath-es7
> 
> Black and grey preferably, but black and white is fine too. I'd rather purchase off of ebay or a local Australian place. I am wary of shipping from a standalone website from overseas as I like the protection of ebay, being able to look at shipping times and feedback and such. However, if it's a local store I can just march in and give them a piece of my mind if somethings wrong.
> 
> ...


 
 i think you want something like this
  
http://www.jaycar.com.au/Wire%2C-Cable-%26-Accessories/Coaxial-Cable/Microphone--50R/4-Core-Screened-Professional-Microphone-Cable/p/WB1540


----------



## theaterinterior

arty mcghee said:


> i think you want something like this
> 
> http://www.jaycar.com.au/Wire%2C-Cable-%26-Accessories/Coaxial-Cable/Microphone--50R/4-Core-Screened-Professional-Microphone-Cable/p/WB1540


 

 The only problem with that is that it is all contained within one "case" for want of a better word. I wanted to have individual wires that I could braid together just like in the link I shared. Would I potentially be able to separate them from that case? Even then the colour is wrong. Thank you though! I might at least experiment with that.


----------



## JacobLee89

theaterinterior said:


> The only problem with that is that it is all contained within one "case" for want of a better word. I wanted to have individual wires that I could braid together just like in the link I shared. Would I potentially be able to separate them from that case? Even then the colour is wrong. Thank you though! I might at least experiment with that.


 
  
 Wire stripping is a common occurrence in custom wire making. I'm sure there was a video on how to strip them in less than a minute. Something with scoring the cable with a knife...


----------



## theaterinterior

jacoblee89 said:


> Wire stripping is a common occurrence in custom wire making. I'm sure there was a video on how to strip them in less than a minute. Something with scoring the cable with a knife...


 

 Stripping the wire should be fairly easy I imagine, I've got some tools that should make short work of it.
  
 Surely once I strip off the outer layer and shielding, I will just be left with hookup wire, only the colour will be wrong? What is the difference between the hookup wire and the wires within the mic cable? It should just be copper with a PVC tube around it in both cases, shouldn't it? Will they be okay without that shielding?


----------



## buke9

stillhart said:


> Those instructions looks pretty clear to me.  I'm not a fan of that braid style tho.  I prefer the 4-strand round braid.


 
 It looks right when braiding but it said after the braiding on the instructions it puts you back where you began. It doesn't . I gave up and am using the process to braid anyway and will just figure out the left and right at the split with a multimeter. Still haven't decided on what to do at the split yet but I have time. Thanks for the response.


----------



## JacobLee89

theaterinterior said:


> Stripping the wire should be fairly easy I imagine, I've got some tools that should make short work of it.
> 
> Surely once I strip off the outer layer and shielding, I will just be left with hookup wire, only the colour will be wrong? What is the difference between the hookup wire and the wires within the mic cable? It should just be copper with a PVC tube around it in both cases, shouldn't it? Will they be okay without that shielding?


 
  
 Shielding only plays a huge part when the cable is past a certain length. The braiding should give enough "shielding" for the length you want, and should be fine until about 5-10 metres


----------



## buke9

Ok just got the braid done ( might go a little further). I think it turned out ok just got the figure out what I am going to do at the y split. I need to find some heat shrink ( was just at a Radio Shack to pick up some solder and desolder wick to fix a pair of crossovers on my speakers) and just didn't think of heat shrink. Still thinking of making a wood yoke for the y split ( have lots of different wood) . Anyway I think it turned out not too bad for my first try.
 The color on my monitor looks a little purple but it is Red and Black.


----------



## Stillhart

Well done, that's a pretty braid.  I might have to try that on my next one!


----------



## buke9

Thanks straight up Litz 4 wire flat braid . Really easy to do ( I did it  ). The Chimera site said after one progression you are where you started but I don't find that to be true but no worries multimeter to find the left and rights and your on your way.


----------



## theaterinterior

jacoblee89 said:


> Shielding only plays a huge part when the cable is past a certain length. The braiding should give enough "shielding" for the length you want, and should be fine until about 5-10 metres


 

 So the hookup wire should be identical to the stripped wires from the mic cable, right?


----------



## Stillhart

buke9 said:


> Thanks straight up Litz 4 wire flat braid . Really easy to do ( I did it  ). The Chimera site said after one progression you are where you started but I don't find that to be true but no worries multimeter to find the left and rights and your on your way.


 
  
 Well you know, if you braid before you solder either end, it doesn't matter which is which.


----------



## buke9

stillhart said:


> Well you know, if you braid before you solder either end, it doesn't matter which is which.


 
 I know. I was wanting to keep colors of wires the way I wanted them . I didn't realize how it would come out until after I finished it. Doesn't matter now the deed is done and it will be just fine. Thanks again. I like the way it came out. I just have to wait several months to hear them. No problem I'm thinking of making another set for my HE-400's now.


----------



## JacobLee89

theaterinterior said:


> So the hookup wire should be identical to the stripped wires from the mic cable, right?


 
  
 If it's copper/silver/silver plated copper, and multi strand, between 24-28 AWG (some people like to go further than these gauges), then you should be all good.
  
 Just don't try to strip them all into their bare wires. I had that idea once and I ended up with metal spaghetti on the floor 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





.


----------



## funch

Just got this in from Redco. Nice finish; sorta' black chrome. Quite small plug that looks very well made.


----------



## theaterinterior

jacoblee89 said:


> If it's copper/silver/silver plated copper, and multi strand, between 24-28 AWG (some people like to go further than these gauges), then you should be all good.
> 
> Just don't try to strip them all into their bare wires. I had that idea once and I ended up with metal spaghetti on the floor
> 
> ...


 

 As in take ALL the casing off? Oh god! That must have been a disaster! I've only ever cannibalised cables before, and even just stripping the ends I've always made a mess!
  
 Thank you very much! I'm going to go ahead and make the trip now. I'll be back here begging for help in anything goes amiss!


----------



## jjacq

Thinking of buying a Linum BaX cable and I was thinking of reterminating it to 2.5mm balanced for A&K players because the balanced model is like, $90 more D:... I was wondering if anyone knows if I can get this jack:
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-2-5mm-4-pole-stereo-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Soldering-/151648204819?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item234eeff813

 or

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sale-4-Pole-2-5mm-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Soldering-Golden-/121419988319?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c4531fd5f
  
 And can I really do this with a single ended BaX cable to begin with? It looks like this, 
  
 http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53f52de9e4b0c49dae1271ad/t/54c03d99e4b02c5458cab420/1421884826073/

 Thanks guys please let me know.


----------



## musicinmymind

jjacq said:


> Thinking of buying a Linum BaX cable and I was thinking of reterminating it to 2.5mm balanced for A&K players because the balanced model is like, $90 more D:... I was wondering if anyone knows if I can get this jack:
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-2-5mm-4-pole-stereo-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Soldering-/151648204819?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item234eeff813
> 
> ...


 
  
 Good idea, but execution will be harder, if you do not have soldering experience. 2.5, 4 pole jack soldering will hardest part.


----------



## jjacq

musicinmymind said:


> Good idea, but execution will be harder, if you do not have soldering experience. 2.5, 4 pole jack soldering will hardest part.


 
  
 Thank you, I will check with my friend that makes cables.


----------



## buke9

Has anyone messed with Hifiman connectors? I'm trying to figure out how the crimp is made on the sleeve. I read in an older post on a Head-Fi forum that you can leave it off if you want. I would like to leave it on but if the crimp is ugly then I guess leave it off. Just wondering if anyone has dealt with these.


----------



## PETEREK

buke9 said:


> Has anyone messed with Hifiman connectors? I'm trying to figure out how the crimp is made on the sleeve. I read in an older post on a Head-Fi forum that you can leave it off if you want. I would like to leave it on but if the crimp is ugly then I guess leave it off. Just wondering if anyone has dealt with these.



I route the signal through the connector and route the ground around the outside, then hot glue the area with the solders and then heatshrink tube the whole thing. I've never been able to use those barrel things, but have never needed to doing it the way I do.


----------



## DingoSmuggler

buke9 said:


> Has anyone messed with Hifiman connectors? I'm trying to figure out how the crimp is made on the sleeve. I read in an older post on a Head-Fi forum that you can leave it off if you want. I would like to leave it on but if the crimp is ugly then I guess leave it off. Just wondering if anyone has dealt with these.


 
 You would need a ratchet crimping tool, with the correct sized hex die for the SMC connector.
  
 Crimping of coax cable is pretty standard, but using normal stranded wires with a crimp connection designed for the shield of a coax cable won't be a guarantee for a secure connection anyway.


----------



## Stillhart

I just solder the connection and then squish it down with a wrench. Seems to work fine on the two I've made so far.


----------



## Rocko1

Would the Mogami W2697 be a good cable to use for my AT M50 headphones? Looking for something light and flexible.


----------



## liquidzoo

rocko1 said:


> Would the Mogami W2697 be a good cable to use for my AT M50 headphones? Looking for something light and flexible.


 
 If it were me, I would rather use W2799 (4 conductors).


----------



## Rocko1

liquidzoo said:


> If it were me, I would rather use W2799 (4 conductors).


 

 What would be the reason? Would that cable be too stiff?


----------



## liquidzoo

The 26AWG 2799 is pretty flexible, and I would use the 4 conductor cable because you need 1 for left, 1 for right, and 2 for ground on the cable itself.


----------



## Rocko1

liquidzoo said:


> The 26AWG 2799 is pretty flexible, and I would use the 4 conductor cable because you need 1 for left, 1 for right, and 2 for ground on the cable itself.


 

 Ok, thanks. I figured on using the sleeve as the ground on the 2697. I will look into the 2799.


----------



## buke9

Well I'm not buying a tool so crimping is out. The glue gun gives me the idea that if you glue inside the hole and around maybe do that and slide the outer barrel over it and maybe the barrel would be glued on then. Just a thought. Now I have to decide what wood I will use on the y split for my Alpha Dog cable and maybe the HE cables. I still have not decided to cover the HE cables as I'm buying clear covered silver coated wire for them it might look nice though. Thanks again for the advice.


----------



## CalvinXC

Made this cable today


BTG audio SPC cables and some Eidolic DIY parts from Peter


----------



## PETEREK

calvinxc said:


> Made this cable today
> BTG audio SPC cables and some Eidolic DIY parts from Peter


 
 Very nice! The cable looks great, and so does the photography! Better put that one in the Pics of Headphones Gallery.


----------



## CalvinXC

peterek said:


> Very nice! The cable looks great, and so does the photography! Better put that one in the Pics of Headphones Gallery.


 
 Thanks for the compliment. I'll post there in awhile.


----------



## Juergen

My first headphone cable. 
  


  
 Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad (Red)
 Techflex 1/8" sleeving (red & black)
 ViaBlue T6s 1/4"
 Extra connectors supplied with HE-500s


----------



## buke9

Nice job. Yes said you used Techflex red and black I assume that is from the split but what is on the main cable? It looks like a different color and size. I'm making a set of cables for my HE-400's and haven't decided on covering yet. I like the look of yours. By the way how do they sound?


----------



## Juergen

buke9 said:


> Nice job. Yes said you used Techflex red and black I assume that is from the split but what is on the main cable? It looks like a different color and size. I'm making a set of cables for my HE-400's and haven't decided on covering yet. I like the look of yours. By the way how do they sound?


 
 Thanks, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.  Actually, the main cable is the same (1/8") Techflex in black.  It is just stretched out more so the red cable shows through.  The design was inspired by my Zu Mobeus cable for my Senn HD600 I bought quite a few years ago.  I didn't feel like spending that much again on a cable so I took the diy route this time.  Unfortunately I have been out of town all week (finished the cable last Sunday) so I haven't had much time to listen.  I'm pretty sure I won't be able to tell the difference. I just didn't like handling the original cable.  The new cable is a bit microphonic (from the Techflex) but I usually listen in a comfortable chair without moving too much so it doesn't really bother me.  One tip on soldering the SMC connectors: After I soldered the ground wire to the outside of the connector, the brass (?) collar would not slip over the base of the connector because the wire was in the way.  I just slipped it up as far as it would go and it just got covered in heat shrink.  Maybe you could solder it to the bottom rim of the connector instead of the side?  Hope that made sense.


----------



## buke9

Yes the connectors look tough to get right. Still looks good.


----------



## buke9

Getting 20 meters of some silver coated copper wire from china and going to make some rca interconnects and balanced HIFIMan cables out of it. It's 24 gauge  just wondering if I just twist a pair for the interconnects or do a 4 wire braid? If I do the twist I will cover it if I do a braid I will do naked .


----------



## buke9

Well went with the naked braid. I was surprised how much better they sounded then my Monster interconnects from my Denon pre's to my Adcom GFA-555 to my Polk LSi 15's. I needed to wait till I solder them to put the heat shrink on to get it even. Not too bad for first pair.


----------



## Shawn71

buke9 said:


> Well went with the naked braid. I was surprised how much better they sounded then my Monster interconnects from my Denon pre's to my Adcom GFA-555 to my Polk LSi 15's. I needed to wait till I solder them to put the heat shrink on to get it even. Not too bad for first pair.


 

 Nice!....the cables looks good,where did you order?....link pls.


----------



## diogodtb

Hi guys!
 I have a DAC on the go (Nuprime udsd) and it's gonna be connected with my active speakers (JBL LSR305).
 I'm planning to make the cables by myself.
 The outputs on the dac are RCA's and the inputs on the speakers are XLR (3 pin) or TS.
 Do you know which input on the speakers is gonna be the best to use?
 About the cable, I was thinking to use a Canare L-4E5C, as I already have some, if XLR is the way to go or buy a instrument cable if TS is the right option. Any suggestion about it?
 Thanks guys for the help!


----------



## liquidzoo

You could use the same wire for either.

I'm guessing (just a guess, though) that either 2 of the XLR pins will be bridged (for signal) or you will only use 2 pins.

Either way, you could use 2 of the cores for ground and 2 for signal for each speaker. TS connectors are pretty much anywhere you can find TRS connectors.


----------



## diogodtb

Thanks for the reply!
  
 They are possibilities. Do you think XLR is a better option than the TS for the quality of the signal? How about if I use the TS connector instead and solder all the 4 conductors for the signal and the shield on the sleeves, it won't be necessary to make any bridges...
 I forgot to say but the inputs on the speakers are balanced and the outputs on the nuprime udsd DAC, I have no idea


----------



## buke9

shawn71 said:


> Nice!....the cables looks good,where did you order?....link pls.


 
 The connectors are *NEUTRIK REAN NYS373. *From Parts-express.com $1.59 a pop.The wire is from Ebay seller vintage_audio_lab it's called VALAB 24 AWG it is teflon coated silver plated ofc wire 7 strand of .23mm wire . It was $18 plus $7 shipping for 20 meters shipped from Taiwan. It took a couple of weeks to get it but I think worth the wait. It also sails thru #275 paracord whereas Mogami 28 awg was a chore. I think I have to order more connectors and wire because I left those interconnects connected to my amp and have to make another set to hook up my newly arrived Teac UD-301 DAC.


----------



## Shawn71

buke9 said:


> The connectors are *NEUTRIK REAN NYS373. *From Parts-express.com $1.59 a pop.The wire is from Ebay seller vintage_audio_lab it's called VALAB 24 AWG it is teflon coated silver plated ofc wire 7 strand of .23mm wire . It was $18 plus $7 shipping for 20 meters shipped from Taiwan. It took a couple of weeks to get it but I think worth the wait. It also sails thru #275 paracord whereas Mogami 28 awg was a chore. I think I have to order more connectors and wire because I left those interconnects connected to my amp and have to make another set to hook up my newly arrived Teac UD-301 DAC.


 

 Noted, TY for the reply.....I wanted to do a IC and a 2.5mm-3.5mm HP cable too and if needed IEM cable as well....The one I purchased lately is so thin.


----------



## stayfrosty

Recabled my ue900 first time doing IEM's man those soldier pins are tiny ^_^
  
 mogami cable with eidoloc bits im pleased


----------



## Stillhart

stayfrosty said:


> Recabled my ue900 first time doing IEM's man those soldier pins are tiny ^_^
> 
> mogami cable with eidoloc bits im pleased


 
  
 I'm about to do a cable with that Eidolic connector... do you think the shrink wrap under the connector is necessary?
  
 EDIT - Oh and sexy cable!


----------



## stayfrosty

I wouldn't say its necessary, I did it because I like that aesthetic and it helps to hold the para cord in place. its an easy connector to work with has 3 nice soldier pads and the tabs that you crimp down on the cable to secure it. good luck!


----------



## PETEREK

When I order stuff online I sometimes write in the 'customer notes' section "write a joke on the box". Redco is the only company to bite so far. Haha


----------



## buke9

Just made a new set of cables today. I made a set of single ended 3.5 mm cables for my Alpha Dogs. This time I went for the 4 wire round Litz braid. I really like this braid . The wire inside is the silver coated wire I used in my interconnects. It slipped right thru #275 paracord . 7 feet of paracord only needed the last 6 or 7 inches inchwormed thru one of the four went all the way. I had to get out the Dremel to ream out the end of the connector to get all 4 paracords inside the connector. I went with shrink tubing on the split because it was fast and doesn't look too bad imho. I marked left and right for the end and still wired it wrong ; ). I'm glad I tested before shrinking the connector. I think I'm getting a little addicted to making cables but I have more to build. I want to thank all for your suggestions and comments.


----------



## allindaze

peterek said:


> When I order stuff online I sometimes write in the 'customer notes' section "write a joke on the box". Redco is the only company to bite so far. Haha


 
 Hahaha


----------



## Shawn71

peterek said:


> When I order stuff online I sometimes write in the 'customer notes' section "write a joke on the box". Redco is the only company to bite so far. Haha


 
 So If I were to receive your order, I wld write as "don't open - surprise inside"? with a neat empty box that will have just foam peanuts stuffed, inside. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 And,.... after that surprise, you will receive a box the next day, that has what you had ordered actually........


----------



## PETEREK

shawn71 said:


> So If I were to receive your order, I wld write as "don't open - surprise inside"? with a neat empty box that will have just foam peanuts stuffed, inside.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 That would be hilarious, but also frightening.


----------



## dubleon

Any suggestions for cheap(ish) durable braided cable for Denon D5000s? My stock cable keeps fraying and getting into crazy knots. I'd want something as good as the stock cable.
  
 Thanks


----------



## buke9

dubleon said:


> Any suggestions for cheap(ish) durable braided cable for Denon D5000s? My stock cable keeps fraying and getting into crazy knots. I'd want something as good as the stock cable.
> 
> Thanks


 
 Are they detachable ? I just looked up on the net and it says they are not unless modded. Are you looking for bulk wire or a complete cable?


----------



## dubleon

Yep not detachable. I'm thinking it would be hard to convert them. I was thinking about the dhc nucleotide cable with a hard wearing sleeving.


----------



## buke9

It looks like good wire. I might give it a try. I really like the silver plated ofc wire I found on ebay. It sounds nice very bright and clear. It made better interconnects than a pair of monster cables I paid 3x as much.


----------



## PETEREK

dubleon said:


> Yep not detachable. I'm thinking it would be hard to convert them. I was thinking about the dhc nucleotide cable with a hard wearing sleeving.



Hifiman (smc) connectors fit into the headphone frame without any modifications to it. That would be an easy way to make it detachable.


----------



## Tudge

Hi there everyone, I hope this is the right place to post this (first post!). I'm just about to start gathering parts to make some decent cables, first cable to make will be a stereo 1/4" jack lead. I've decided on Canare L4E6S Starquad cable as it seems to be well used on these forums, so I'm presuming it's decent. However, I'm not 100% on wiring it up!
  
 For starquad, with its 4 conductors plus shield, would you wire the 2 white conductors to L (tip), 2 blue to R (ring) and the shield to ground? Seems right to me, but I thought I'd check before I spend any money & waste it! 
  
 Also, as for sleeving the cable, I would love to use paracord as I like how it looks and feels (I've sleeved a few PSUs for PCs), but obviously paracord is way too smaller diameter for the starquad. Does anyone know what material sleeving I need to be looking for to buy similar stuff but larger? (or links?! - I'm UK) 
  
 Thanks everyone, and sorry for the stupid questions!  noob.... hehehe


----------



## Stillhart

tudge said:


> Hi there everyone, I hope this is the right place to post this (first post!). I'm just about to start gathering parts to make some decent cables, first cable to make will be a stereo 1/4" jack lead. I've decided on Canare L4E6S Starquad cable as it seems to be well used on these forums, so I'm presuming it's decent. However, I'm not 100% on wiring it up!
> 
> For starquad, with its 4 conductors plus shield, would you wire the 2 white conductors to L (tip), 2 blue to R (ring) and the shield to ground? Seems right to me, but I thought I'd check before I spend any money & waste it!
> 
> ...


 
  
 Hi Tudge,
  
 Usually what I've seen done is wiring one conductor to tip, one to ring, and two to ground.  Leave the shield unconnected.
  
 For sleeving the entire cable, I've seen people use shoelaces (cut off the tends and it's a hollow tube!) or something called Techflex.  Hope this gets you moving in the right direction!


----------



## Tudge

Cheers stillhart! I can't believe the shielding is un-wired, having only ever wired up guitar cables for people, where the shield is wired... Doesn't not wiring the cores up in pairs defeat the point of having four cores?
  
 Also, I'll have a look at techflex, shoelaces are abit soft for me - I tend to be quite brutal on cables and wear through them alot hahaha Thanks


----------



## Stillhart

tudge said:


> Cheers stillhart! I can't believe the shielding is un-wired, having only ever wired up guitar cables for people, where the shield is wired... Doesn't not wiring the cores up in pairs defeat the point of having four cores?
> 
> Also, I'll have a look at techflex, shoelaces are abit soft for me - I tend to be quite brutal on cables and wear through them alot hahaha Thanks


 
  
 Kevlar reinforced shoelaces are probably worth looking into (like for work boots).  They shouldn't be too expensive.
  
 Regarding the shielding, I got the impression you were wiring a TRS plug, which doesn't take advantage of the 4th conductor.  This is how I understand people wire TRS with Mogami cable.  I believe you can tin the shielding in with the two ground conductors if you want, but most folks seem to think it's not necessary.
  
 This is a guide that I found helpful that might help you too:  http://www.instructables.com/id/Quality-DIY-headphone-cable-replacement/?ALLSTEPS


----------



## stayfrosty

I used mogami 2893, or you can use canare 4e5c for this http://www.head-fi.org/content/type/61/id/1385375/width/500/height/1000/flags/LL which I covered in 650 para cord you have to strip both the rubber outer sleeve and also the shielding off the cable then it will be small enough to put the para cord over. what others are saying is correct you don't use the shielding its 2 grounds(white) and use the blues for left and right signal.


----------



## Tudge

Cheers guys, very helpful! I guess the starquad formation is only useful for balanced audio then, in terms of cancelling out interference. So a high quality 2 conductor (+ shield) would be just as good? Or is it better to have the ground through a dedicated conductor and just tin in the ground as suggested for starquad?
  
 And kevlar shoelaces might be a good idea!
  
 Also, the instructable was very useful, thanks for the link.


----------



## Stillhart

tudge said:


> Cheers guys, very helpful! I guess the starquad formation is only useful for balanced audio then, in terms of cancelling out interference. So a high quality 2 conductor (+ shield) would be just as good? Or is it better to have the ground through a dedicated conductor and just tin in the ground as suggested for starquad?
> 
> And kevlar shoelaces might be a good idea!
> 
> Also, the instructable was very useful, thanks for the link.


 
  
 I use star quad, strip out the wires, sleeve them individually, then braid em.  I use 4 because it makes a nice looking braid.  Mostly that's an aesthetic choice.  Looks good, very flexible.  
  
 If you choose to do a 2-conductor cable, you'll want to use the shielding as the ground, I guess.  I've never tried it, but you definitely need a ground...


----------



## Tudge

Sweet. Thanks. Time to get on with it I think!


----------



## Speedskater

I lost track of just what are we making with Star-Quad?
 a] Balanced analog interconnect
 b] Unbalanced analog interconnect
 c] Headphone cable
  
 Note that for balanced interconnects, Twisted Pair Shielded (TPS) will be as good as Star-Quad except in extremely hostile environments. Running a mic cable near theater lights would be an extremely hostile environment.


----------



## Tudge

I was asking how to wire starquad for trs, unbalanced stereo, but it's all sorted now! Seems to me starquad is primarily designed for stereo balanced signal, but obviously works well for other stuff! Once I get some money together I'll order my parts and get started, keep an eye on the picture thread...


----------



## owne3d

Hey everyone i just wanted to ask since my rp-htx7 form panasonic came to their age, the jack started to fall apart.
 And i decided to change it, however going with just a jack was to simple so, I decided to add the detachable mod.
 However i cannot do it neatly and place jack socket inside of the cup there is almost no space at all(or i havent found small enough jack socket)
 So i decided to go with the dongle such as LUMBERG KLK 22.
 And here's my question should i change the cable thats soldered to the driver(considering that it'll be pain in the back because of how close the soldering points are.)
 Will there be any significant "diffrence" considering using old cable and some brand new one mixed together with a jack socket.


----------



## Bobo Fret

Howdy all.
  
 Gonna try a DIY headphone cable for my Hifiman 560's.  I'm still researching parts and supplies, but I do have some questions on the general procedure I thought I would ask.  I've read the 1st 50 pages of this thread and got some great info, but I can't read all 266, so forgive me if some of this was covered.
  
 I have experience making guitar patch cables, speaker cables, Speakon cables and the like, but I could use a little guidance here.
  
  
 ·   *1.  Regarding the actual** wiring:  For a 4-conductor braid, is this correct?  On the TRS side:  One wire to tip and ring respectively and two wires to sleeve?  On the Hifiman connectors after the split:  The wires from tip and ring go to the Hifiman center pin on the L and R connector respectively.  This leaves one wire to connect to the outer sleeve on each L and R connector respectively.  Correct?*
* *
*·   2.  So if I wanted to start with a 6-wire braid instead of 4, I presume one extra wire is connected to each of the tip and ring on the TRS side and on the other end, the extra wire terminates on the center pin on the Hifiman.  Correct?  I’ve read that connecting the “extra” wires on the outer sleeve of the Hifiman connectors instead of on the center pins is not the way to go, yes?*
* *
*·   3.  I’d like to try to use some nylon mesh or MDPC-X for an outer covering.  Maybe two colors, one for before and after the split respectively.  My question is, what’s going on at the Y-split with the mesh?  For example in the picture below (I like the Viable splitter) what's going on under there?  Simply heat shrink all the ends together?  Is this where the hot glue comes in?  I see hot glue on supply lists for DIY but I don’t see anywhere what it’s used for.  As an alternative, would it be acceptable to do paracord inside the nylon mesh wrap and simply keep the paracord exposed past the split and terminate the mesh at the Y?  Maybe a little cleaner/easier that way????*
* *
*·   4.  How to heat the heat shrink tubing correctly.  I generally use a lighter, but that looks poopy, but for my guitar pedalboard patch cables I don’t care about the scorch marks.  Correct way?  Hairdryer?  Heat gun?  *
* *
*·   5.   What setting on my multi-meter for testing connections?  I know...dumb question.*
  
     Sorry for such basic questions. I really appreciate any and all input.
  
      BTW, is this splitter heavy?  I presume it's aluminum.
  
     
  
  
  
*S*


----------



## Zashoomin

bobo fret said:


> Howdy all.
> 
> Gonna try a DIY headphone cable for my Hifiman 560's.  I'm still researching parts and supplies, but I do have some questions on the general procedure I thought I would ask.  I've read the 1st 50 pages of this thread and got some great info, but I can't read all 266, so forgive me if some of this was covered.
> 
> ...


 
 1. correct
 2. correct...btw you will soon understand why we all hate hifiman connectors. 
 3. you could do any of the ways that you mentioned,but you could also just have enough paracord to reach into the y split and have friction take care of the rest.  Meaning that the material you use weather it be paracord or nylon microfilment, or even techflex will most likely stay hidden in the connector if you just extend it a bit into the Y split.  
 4. You can do it very well with a lighter, but you have to keep the flame moving the entire time or you will burn the heat shrink.  Also, as soon as it shrinks, you need to turn off the heat.  If you do it right, you can get it looking like it is supposed to. Hairdryer works, but takes forever.  Heatgun is the best, but also the most expensive.  
 5. Set it to ohms.  basically you are testing for continuity using the ohms setting (the one with the omega).  if you touch two ends and the meter reads 0 (or very close to 0) than that means that it is conducting from one side to the other, if it reads 1 (which is equivalent in this case to infinity), that means that there is no continuity. Use this to test if you are checking for shorts and seeing if you soldered everything correctly and well.  
  
 That splitter is aluminum and very light.  Also a lot bigger than you would think so be careful...it is very big.  
  
 keep asking questions.  If you don't ask, you can't learn.


----------



## Bobo Fret

My new best friend!!!
  
 Thanks a million Zashoomin!  I think I have enough information to get me started now.
  
 I'm sure I'll have questions going forward, so I'lll be sure to check in.
  
 Off to bed...


----------



## Bobo Fret

And since we're sort of on the topic...do y'all see any benefit to doing a 6-wire vs.a 4-wire braid sonically.  It would be a bigger PITA working with more wires and those Hifiman connectors, so if the benefit doesn't significantly outweigh the hassle, then forgets it.
  
  
 Also, anyone digging Plussounds' copper/silver/gold wire?  Worth the cost vs. staight-up copper (or plated copper for that matter).  I know it's debatable, but opinions still appreciated.


----------



## Zashoomin

bobo fret said:


> My new best friend!!!
> 
> Thanks a million Zashoomin!  I think I have enough information to get me started now.
> 
> ...


 





  
  


bobo fret said:


> And since we're sort of on the topic...do y'all see any benefit to doing a 6-wire vs.a 4-wire braid sonically.  It would be a bigger PITA working with more wires and those Hifiman connectors, so if the benefit doesn't significantly outweigh the hassle, then forgets it.
> 
> 
> Also, anyone digging Plussounds' copper/silver/gold wire?  Worth the cost vs. staight-up copper (or plated copper for that matter).  I know it's debatable, but opinions still appreciated.


 
 I don't think there will be any difference other than the fact that a 6 braid will look cooler and be a bit thicker.  That is if you choose to expose the wires instead of adding sleeving to them.  
  
 I love plussound's wires (also take a look at toxic cable's wires. They are also very very nice.) Very easy to work with and super high quality.  Is there a difference in sound?  I can't hear any but depends on who you ask. I like the look of silver cables so I almost always just buy silver plated copper or silver wire for the looks. (it only matters if you have bare cables though and don't use sleeving.)


----------



## PETEREK

bobo fret said:


> And since we're sort of on the topic...do y'all see any benefit to doing a 6-wire vs.a 4-wire braid sonically.  It would be a bigger PITA working with more wires and those Hifiman connectors, so if the benefit doesn't significantly outweigh the hassle, then forgets it.
> 
> 
> Also, anyone digging Plussounds' copper/silver/gold wire?  Worth the cost vs. staight-up copper (or plated copper for that matter).  I know it's debatable, but opinions still appreciated.




For the cost, I would always go with DHC nucleotide. Great wire and extreme flexibility.


----------



## Bobo Fret

Thanks guys.


----------



## Bobo Fret

*Does the quality of the ground wires matter?  *
  
 My guess would no, except as it relates to aesthetics in a non-covered cable. 
  
 Perhaps even worth getting something with better insulation than wire quality?
  
 I'm almost positive I still have some of the cables I yanked out of my '76 Monte Carlo (first car) back in the early '80's in a box in my shed, which had a lovely "vintage" greenish patina last I looked.  I just knew I'd find a use for it someday.


----------



## Zashoomin

bobo fret said:


> *Does the quality of the ground wires matter?  *
> 
> My guess would no, except as it relates to aesthetics in a non-covered cable.
> 
> ...


 
 yes it does.  Not just looks, but it also determines how easy or hard it is to work with, how long it will last, how flexible it is, how easy it will solder, etc...
  
 better cables will almost always also come with better insulation as well.  
  
 Down side is good cables cost money...sometimes a lot of money.


----------



## Bobo Fret

Sure, I get all that, I was really talking in terms of sound quality. 
  
 If it's nice and bendy, well insulated, and matches the size of "the good wire", can the ground be any old wire?
  
 I've already purchased all my wire (24awg copper Litz from Plussound) for my first project.  I thought the price was insanely reasonable relative to some of the non-DIY stuff I own.  But if one could find a reasonable groundwire that could match characteristics with the "the good stuff", the cost could be brought down to ridiculous levels. 
  
 That, being said, I expect I'm to lazy to delve that far into it.  Maybe, if I was doing longer run interconnects, power cables, etc.  For the 3-foot cables I'm doing for my headphones and (next) IEM's for my DAP/bedside amp - ain't worth the hassle.


----------



## Bobo Fret

*Is there a generally accepted convention on how to wire the 3.5mm / 6.3mm jack?*
  
*Does the tip wire always terminate at the left headphone?  Vice versa?  Dealer's choice?*


----------



## buke9

bobo fret said:


> *Is there a generally accepted convention on how to wire the 3.5mm / 6.3mm jack?*
> 
> *Does the tip wire always terminate at the left headphone?  Vice versa?  Dealer's choice?*


 
 Yes tip L + sleeve R + barrel -. Unless you want to listen to your headphones backwards ; ) I hooked up a set backwards once and tested before final assembly (glad iI did). Listening to a song you know and hearing something coming for the opposite side is a weird feeling.


----------



## Bobo Fret

Well, I've been accused of having my head screwed on wrong, but I shall try to conform to convention 
  
 Thanks!!!


----------



## Stillhart

bobo fret said:


> Well, I've been accused of having my head screwed on wrong, but I shall try to conform to convention
> 
> Thanks!!!


 
  
 Well keep in mind that if you're making a symmetrical cable (TRS on both ends, for something like a PM-3), it doesn't matter how you wire it as long as it's the same on both sides.


----------



## buke9

stillhart said:


> Well keep in mind that if you're making a symmetrical cable (TRS on both ends, for something like a PM-3), it doesn't matter how you wire it as long as it's the same on both sides.


 
 I don't understand left is left and right is right. I don't have those phones but if you wire negative to the tip and whatever to the sleeve and ring you will be out of phase. Yes it will play but recordings were meant to be heard as the recording microphone diaphragm pushes in the speaker pushes out. Out of phase is fine for a sub connected to a speaker but for a speaker or headphones just sounds messed up IMHO.


----------



## Stillhart

buke9 said:


> I don't understand left is left and right is right. I don't have those phones but if you wire negative to the tip and whatever to the sleeve and ring you will be out of phase. Yes it will play but recordings were meant to be heard as the recording microphone diaphragm pushes in the speaker pushes out. Out of phase is fine for a sub connected to a speaker but for a speaker or headphones just sounds messed up IMHO.


 
  
 What I'm saying is if your cable is essentially an extension cable because you have the same connector on both ends, just make sure you solder the same wires to the same connectors.  It doesn't matter which is L/R/G if you just make sure they're the same on both sides.


----------



## theHof

I'm wondering if anyone has some wire suggestions. I just got some Grado 325es and I love everything about them except the PC Power Cord of a headphone cable it uses. I believe the 325e uses an 8-conductor wire, are there any very flexible options? My dream cable would be covered up got the splitter and then just braided to each side and terminated to the mini viable 3.5mm plug. Any thoughts would be awesome.


----------



## nehcrow

Hi so the gold-plated barrel surrounding the RCA centre pin has two parts snapped off on my connector.
 Here's a pic to show what I'm talking about (two notches have been snapped off completely):
  

 This has no effect on SQ right? I'm thinking the barrel is just to secure the centre pin in place or are there wires soldered to it? 
 Let me know, you guys probably know more than me


----------



## Bobo Fret

That part is the grounding sleeve.  As long as it's still making contact with it's reciprocal connector, you'll be OK.  All but one of those flanges could fall off and as long as the last one is in contact, it'll still be grounded.  The configuration in which it is manufactured is to keep it snug in place.  Two birds, one stone dealio.
  
 So I guess you have to keep it rotated into a certain position for it to go on without banging into the broken off bits, huh?


----------



## Bobo Fret

What's the smallest paracord that is reasonable to work with for a single 24awg?  
  
 Would 95 be too big a PITA?


----------



## Stillhart

bobo fret said:


> What's the smallest paracord that is reasonable to work with for a single 24awg?
> 
> Would 95 be too big a PITA?


 
  
 95 is pretty tight on 26 AWG.  I can't imagine it'd be too big for 24 AWG which is thicker...


----------



## buke9

bobo fret said:


> What's the smallest paracord that is reasonable to work with for a single 24awg?
> 
> Would 95 be too big a PITA?


 
 I use #275 for both of those gauges. Seeing that #95 is smaller and only single strand core I think it would be way too tight for 24 gauge wire.


----------



## buke9

stillhart said:


> What I'm saying is if your cable is essentially an extension cable because you have the same connector on both ends, just make sure you solder the same wires to the same connectors.  It doesn't matter which is L/R/G if you just make sure they're the same on both sides.


 
 I didn't see he was making an extension cable so you would be right there .


----------



## Pwn3r4Life

Strange issue, strange question. I just shortened the cable on my Audio Technica AD-700 and put a new jack on. The joints are soldered and independently wrapped in electrical tape, as they should be. I heatshrunk it, and it works. I get sound of both sides reliably. BUT, voices are whisper quiet in 90 percent of songs I listen to. They sound underwater and far away. Some songs sound like they are stuttering in and out rapidly. This occurs across multiple sources, but is not noticeable on all songs.
  
 Did I mess something up in the wiring? How? Did I ruin the drivers? I did use a multimeter, set to measure resistance to check for shorts as I soldered, during this I heard a loud pop occasionally from the headphones. Did this blow them out? I'm really confused guys.


----------



## funch

It sounds like maybe you got them wired out of phase; that is the signal and ground wires switched on one driver. Does the sound seem diffuse, where you can't pinpoint where the performers are in the soundfield? Is there any bass, or is it MIA?
  
 BTW, wiring the drivers out of phase does no harm at all.


----------



## Pwn3r4Life

funch said:


> It sounds like maybe you got them wired out of phase; that is the signal and ground wires switched on one driver. Does the sound seem diffuse, where you can't pinpoint where the performers are in the soundfield? Is there any bass, or is it MIA?
> 
> BTW, wiring the drivers out of phase does no harm at all.


 
 The sound sounds strange. I'd say diffuse. I can't pinpoint anything, imaging is awful. Things sound distant. Voices are absent on most modern tracks. The phase issue makes sense. I heard nothing out of the ordinary in a frequency sweep. So I wired it wrong and I have to redo it? How do I figure out which is correct?
  
 Thanks,
 Nate


----------



## funch

I just read your first post about using the meter and getting a pop. The meter sends a very small voltage to check for continuity. I'm sure that's what was causing the pop.
  
 If you're still getting sound from each driver, then you probably didn't do any damage, but in the future, don't put the probes so current goes through the drivers.
  
 To correct the problem you're having, you just need to switch the wires on one driver. That will put things back in phase. You can do it at the driver itself, or at the plug.


----------



## nehcrow

bobo fret said:


> That part is the grounding sleeve.  As long as it's still making contact with it's reciprocal connector, you'll be OK.  All but one of those flanges could fall off and as long as the last one is in contact, it'll still be grounded.  The configuration in which it is manufactured is to keep it snug in place.  Two birds, one stone dealio.
> 
> So I guess you have to keep it rotated into a certain position for it to go on without banging into the broken off bits, huh?


 
 Cheers thanks for detailed response, was thinking about getting it replaced but this saved me a few $$$
 They were bent pretty badly (point of no return) when I got them so I just snapped them off fully, they still fit snugly! 
 They hold up pretty well regardless what position they are in, dem Neutrik connectors


----------



## esteboune

Hello All,
  
 I would like to do a cable for the coax out of the Fiio x5
  
 3.5mm to Coax
  
 What type of wire should i use? 
 Moreover i'm not sure of the connection i have to do on the 2 termination.
  
 Your advise will be really appreciated.
  
 cheers.


----------



## Stillhart

esteboune said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I would like to do a cable for the coax out of the Fiio x5
> 
> ...


 
  
 Hmm, mine came with that cable.  I can test it with my DMM later tonight if you still need info on it by then.  That should at least tell you what connects to what.


----------



## creatip

esteboune said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I would like to do a cable for the coax out of the Fiio x5
> 
> ...


 
  
 By definition, coaxial connection/cabling = 2 polarities only. Furthermore, coaxial is mostly used for digital signals, not analog.
  
 Looking at the X5, it's not that the jack can 'convert' coaxial (digital) to 3.5mm (analog), but rather the jack can accept 2 kinds of plug/connector, analog line out and digital coax out, and adjust the output accordingly. Another example of this kind of plug is the Astell&Kern DAPs, where it got 1 jack for 3.5mm and optical. 
  
 Now what are you planning to extract from the X5? Analog or digital signal? For analog, get a 3 polarities 3.5mm and cable with 3 polarities (or 3 strands). For digital, maybe get a 2 polarities 3.5mm and coax cable (I'm not too sure about digital coax plug)


----------



## Stillhart

creatip said:


> By definition, coaxial connection/cabling = 2 polarities only. Furthermore, coaxial is mostly used for digital signals, not analog.
> 
> Looking at the X5, it's not that the jack can 'convert' coaxial (digital) to 3.5mm (analog), but rather the jack can accept 2 kinds of plug/connector, analog line out and digital coax out, and adjust the output accordingly. Another example of this kind of plug is the Astell&Kern DAPs, where it got 1 jack for 3.5mm and optical.
> 
> Now what are you planning to extract from the X5? Analog or digital signal? For analog, get a 3 polarities 3.5mm and cable with 3 polarities (or 3 strands). For digital, maybe get a 2 polarities 3.5mm and coax cable (I'm not too sure about digital coax plug)


 
  
 Sorry, you're mistaken here.  There is a dedicated Coax output on the X5 1st gen.  The second gen has a single port for Coax and Line Out and you have to set it in the software.  
  
 I assume he's using 1st gen as he didn't specify 2nd gen.  In that case, it's safe to assume he needs a digital output.  I believe you're right that to connector is a 2-pole, but I'll confirm when I get home.


----------



## creatip

stillhart said:


> Sorry, you're mistaken here.  There is a dedicated Coax output on the X5 1st gen.  The second gen has a single port for Coax and Line Out and you have to set it in the software.
> 
> I assume he's using 1st gen as he didn't specify 2nd gen.  In that case, it's safe to assume he needs a digital output.  I believe you're right that to connector is a 2-pole, but I'll confirm when I get home.


 
  
 Ah ok then. Yes I referred to the 2nd gen's picture and specs.


----------



## esteboune

Hi guys,
  
 thanks for you reply. 
 Yes, i'm referring to the Gen 1.
  
 If provides in the packaging a 3.5mm to coax female.

  
 so i belive i need to get a cable with 2 wires.
 any specificity on this cable since it is for digital?
  
 thanks again


----------



## Stillhart

esteboune said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> thanks for you reply.
> Yes, i'm referring to the Gen 1.
> ...


 
  
 Just measured mine.  Tip to inside of RCA, sleeve to outside of RCA.  Resistance was <1ohm so nothing special it would seem.  I know they like the RCA Coax cable to be 75 ohms optimally so I wonder if the coax output of the X5 is inherently flawed...
  
 As far was what wire you use, it doesn't really matter how many conductors as long as it's more than one.  Any more that two and you can just solder multiple wires to each connection (similar to using 2 wires for ground in a 4-wire cable terminated to TRS).


----------



## esteboune

stillhart said:


> Just measured mine.  Tip to inside of RCA, sleeve to outside of RCA.  Resistance was <1ohm so nothing special it would seem.  I know they like the RCA Coax cable to be 75 ohms optimally so I wonder if the coax output of the X5 is inherently flawed...
> 
> As far was what wire you use, it doesn't really matter how many conductors as long as it's more than one.  Any more that two and you can just solder multiple wires to each connection (similar to using 2 wires for ground in a 4-wire cable terminated to TRS).


 

 Thanks a lot!
  
 i'm not sure i will find a 2 pole 3.5mm jack easily.
  
 May i use a TRS, and use only the tip and the sleeve?
  
 I have quite a lot of Canare LE-4E6s, i will use the 2 blue wires on the tip and the 2 white one the sleeve
  
 As for the RCA, i will use a Monster.


----------



## Stillhart

esteboune said:


> Thanks a lot!
> 
> i'm not sure i will find a 2 pole 3.5mm jack easily.
> 
> ...


 
  
 That would depend on how the X5 is wired inside, I suppose.  I just checked and the tip and the break are the same lengths as on a 3.5mm TRS so that part should work fine.  After that, it's a crap shoot on whether to wire to the ring or sleeve.  Maybe one wire to each?


----------



## liquidzoo

esteboune said:


> Thanks a lot!
> 
> i'm not sure i will find a 2 pole 3.5mm jack easily.
> 
> ...




Look for a 3.5mm *mono* plug.

Should be able to find them easily enough,

This is the US site, but the same connector should be available on that side of the pond too:

http://www.amazon.com/Neutrik-Rean-NYS226BG-3-5mm-Black/dp/B0008JFHI8

While you're at it, you could get a neutrik RCA too. Will be cheaper than Monster (unless you already have the monster jack).


----------



## Bobo Fret

I just pooped on here to ask the same questions.
  
 I've inquired about that Rean Neutrik from a seller on eBay and was told that it will accept up to a 6mm cable, which is bigger than the coax I happen to have on hand.  Can anyone confirm this spec?  I can't find a spec sheet on this plug.  I suppose they make smaller coax, I just haven't looked yet.
  
 I actually gave up and bought an RCA to 3.5 straight adapter (no cable in the middle).  Of course like a dumbass I cut off the RCA off one end of the coax cable I was cannablizing to install the 3.5mm before I knew that a connector was going to be impossible to find.  Now I have some Nakamichi RCA connectors on order    Around and around we go.
  
 Seriously though, why the hell aren't there any big bore 3.5mm connectors.  Or smaller coax cable (or is there?)?


----------



## buke9

bobo fret said:


> I just pooped on here to ask the same questions.
> 
> I've inquired about that Rean Neutrik from a seller on eBay and was told that it will accept up to a 6mm cable, which is bigger than the coax I happen to have on hand.  Can anyone confirm this spec?  I can't find a spec sheet on this plug.  I suppose they make smaller coax, I just haven't looked yet.
> 
> ...


 
 Rean makes a 3.5mm that is 8mm on the cable side. The smaller Rean is 4.6mm or so I read .181 inches on my calipers and the big one .34 inches that comes out to be 8.6 mm.
 Hope that helps Parts Express is where I got mine.


----------



## creatip

bobo fret said:


> I just pooped on here to ask the same questions.
> 
> I've inquired about that Rean Neutrik from a seller on eBay and was told that it will accept up to a 6mm cable, which is bigger than the coax I happen to have on hand.  Can anyone confirm this spec?  I can't find a spec sheet on this plug.  I suppose they make smaller coax, I just haven't looked yet.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Pooped?
  
 Anyway, there are big cable holed after market 3.5mm out there. Just have to be patient and keep searching. Ebay is a good place. China products are actually nice these days, or if feeling wanna invest more, get viablue plugs. The T6s (fat ones) accept max. 9.5mm according to the spec.
  
 Or just do what I did. I got this Pailics connector that I'd like to use, but the braided cables were just too big for the hole. So I got an electric drill and one of those cone shaped sanding stone bit. Just enlarge the cable hole manually. It's effortless with the sanding stone bit.


----------



## Bobo Fret

Ha.  Alas, I did not poop.  Not in here anyway.  Bad forum etiquette.  Shoulda been "popped"
  
 Thanks for the actionable info fellas!!!


----------



## buke9

bobo fret said:


> Ha.  Alas, I did not poop.  Not in here anyway.  Bad forum etiquette.  Shoulda been "popped"
> 
> Thanks for the actionable info fellas!!!


 
 Here is a pic of a new set of interconnects I made with the 8 mm Rean connector. The size of cable going in is 4 by #275 paracord measuring about 5 mm or .2 inches.

 Just so you can see how much room there is in these connectors. One caveat they are wide and they can't fit in a iPhone case like a Otterbox so keep that in mind.


----------



## Bobo Fret

Thanks for the pic!  The Rean has a huge tush with the 4 x.  Definitely would work.
  
 Those WBT's look pretty sweet as well.  Looks like they might even accept a bigger cable than the Rean just eye-balling it.  Maybe even too big?  You could stuff a small child in that gap, man.
  
 Cheers.


----------



## Bobo Fret

*On the other end of the spectrum: check out this stuff.  I've never seen coax this small before stumbling upon their website today.*
  
*O.D. about 3mm!  They have three variants.  Seems like a nice DAP-friendly solution.*
  
*Anyone try it?*


----------



## buke9

bobo fret said:


> Thanks for the pic!  The Rean has a huge tush with the 4 x.  Definitely would work.
> 
> Those WBT's look pretty sweet as well.  Looks like they might even accept a bigger cable than the Rean just eye-balling it.  Maybe even too big?  You could stuff a small child in that gap, man.
> 
> Cheers.


 
 They measure 9 mm on the WTB and I don't think a small child but a large cat for sure.


----------



## checha31

Hello People,
  
 After reading/seeing the amazing variety of DIY cables & interconnects, I've made up my mind to try a few projects.
  
 I recently ordered a Decware Taboo MK3 and I want to do my own Mini-RCA interconnect.
  
 I'm opting to use Silver wire (or silver coated copper wire) for my needs.
  
 I came across this site and I'm hoping it’s a good option to go with -
  
http://www.homegrownaudio.com/bulk-silver-audio-wire/
  
 Thoughts are very much appreciated to newbies like myself.
  
 Cheerio...


----------



## hexital

Hi Head-Fi'ers,
  
 Long time lurker, first time poster...
  
 I'm looking into a DIY project and have had tremendous difficulty finding some ultra thin 3 conductor or TRS suitable cable. 
  
 The original cable I am trying to mimic is a transparent 1mm O.D. TRS shielded cable with litz/enameled conductors. 
  
 I've searched high and low and can't find anything similar except noble audio ultra thin cables (http://nobleaudio.com/en/shop/accessories/)
  
 Has anyone come across or know of a supplier for bulk cable like this? All the 'thin' TRS or TRRS cables I have found so far are too thick.
  
 I need the cables to be as thin and flexible as possible for my project, ideally around 1mm. 
  
 Thanks!


----------



## liquidzoo

hexital said:


> Hi Head-Fi'ers,
> 
> Long time lurker, first time poster...
> 
> ...




This link was pm'd to me a long time ago and might be similar to what you're looking for, I don't know.

You'd need a solder pot to burn off the enamel coating.

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/index1/Litz-Wire-Supplier.html

Scroll down and look at the 220/44 wire.


----------



## hexital

liquidzoo said:


> This link was pm'd to me a long time ago and might be similar to what you're looking for, I don't know.
> 
> You'd need a solder pot to burn off the enamel coating.
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks!! I've fired off an email. If I'm not able to find an ultra thin TRS cable, I might be able to fashion something myself with several of these litz wires.


----------



## PETEREK

Does anyone know where I can find some wire that can be used for a cable (not an interconnect) that is gold plated and has a gold color? Like the one below.


----------



## hainss

Hi folks, 
  
 Do you think it's a good idea to transform my Black Dragon for Sennheiser (XLR 4pin) for a Hifiman if I use the plug that they give in the original box. 
  
 Do you think I can do myself if I don't have any equipements and experiences? 
  
 Sorry for my english


----------



## creatip

peterek said:


> Does anyone know where I can find some wire that can be used for a cable (not an interconnect) that is gold plated and has a gold color? Like the one below.


 
  
 Do you need real gold plated, or just gold color?
  
 I got this cable from a local brick and mortar shop. It's copper, but kinda gold color:
  


  
 I don't think the shop sells worldwide, but I found a similar (or better) one in ebay, in the past. The keyword was 'twisted copper wire' or something.
  
 As for real gold plated, the only one I found/know is the amtrans gold plated copper. It's quite small tho, I think the biggest is 0.9mm, the bigger one:
  

  


hainss said:


> Hi folks,
> 
> Do you think it's a good idea to transform my Black Dragon for Sennheiser (XLR 4pin) for a Hifiman if I use the plug that they give in the original box.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Without any equipment? No, I don't think so. Unless you can do all the stripping, and soldering, and crimping, and whatnot with your bare fingers and nails.


----------



## PETEREK

creatip said:


> Do you need real gold plated, or just gold color?
> 
> I got this cable from a local brick and mortar shop. It's copper, but kinda gold color:
> 
> ...


 
 I was hoping for gold plated, and not solid core. I'll do some more looking around. Thanks


----------



## Bobo Fret

A few pages back I had asked about a 3.5mm mono plug with an opening big enough for coax cable (for my DX50).
  
 I have a TRS plug with a big enough diameter to fit coaxial cable.
  
 So my question is:  *If I solder the central wire in the coax cable to the tip AND ring of the plug together (and the sleeve separately), will that effectively function like a TS plug?*


----------



## liquidzoo

bobo fret said:


> A few pages back I had asked about a 3.5mm mono plug with an opening big enough for coax cable (for my DX50).
> 
> I have a TRS plug with a big enough diameter to fit coaxial cable.
> 
> So my question is:  *If I solder the central wire in the coax cable to the tip AND ring of the plug together (and the sleeve separately), will that effectively function like a TS plug?*




Comparing a mono plug to a TRS plug (I just did it side by side), the Tip section is the same length on both. Soldering it the way you're saying might not end up the way you want. I'd bridge the ring and sleeve together rather than the ring and tip.

How big is your coaxial cable? Why not just buy a mono plug? http://www.markertek.com/product/nys226/rean-nys226-3-5mm-mono-male-nickel-silver

If you need to, get a stepped drill bit or a cone sanding bit (for a dremel) and widen the end a little.


----------



## Bobo Fret

So I wired it the way YOU recommended liquidzoo, and it didn't work.  
  
 I'm going to re-do it just to make sure it wasn't operator error.  
  
 I just can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work.


----------



## Bobo Fret

Ok, new question...
  
 I finished my first DIY cable for my Fischer Amps FA-4e XB's (Plussound silver wire, Eidolic connectors) and it sounds killer!  But I don't know what orientation I should be plugging in to the earphones.  
  
 Which side is ground vs. hot on the earphone itself?  Is there a way test?  Maybe like the logo, any previous symbol wore off.  I there some sort of industry wide convention that I don't know about?  It's a conspiracy I tell you!!!


----------



## buke9

bobo fret said:


> Ok, new question...
> 
> I finished my first DIY cable for my Fischer Amps FA-4e XB's (Plussound silver wire, Eidolic connectors) and it sounds killer!  But I don't know what orientation I should be plugging in to the earphones.
> 
> Which side is ground vs. hot on the earphone itself?  Is there a way test?  Maybe like the logo, any previous symbol wore off.  I there some sort of industry wide convention that I don't know about?  It's a conspiracy I tell you!!!


 
 Do you have the old cables? How were they supposed to be plugged in? It shouldn't matter much just as long as both sides are the same (you can check with a multimeter for that). From what I can tell by looking at pics online it looks like the positive goes away from the tip (from what I can see ) . Hope this helps.


----------



## Bobo Fret

Thanks buke9.  Very helpful!


----------



## buke9

bobo fret said:


> Thanks buke9.  Very helpful!


 
 Your welcome. Just glad I could help out.


----------



## treecko2694

Hey guys, I have two IEMs that need rewiring: Old Klipsch S4 and Vsonic GR07 Bass Edition. I am lost in this rewiring world though, so I'd love if you could help me. What do I need to buy? Where can I buy it (I'm in Italy)? Additionally, I could use some tutorials on how to open up the IEMs. Thanks!


----------



## Stillhart

I have an IEM question too:
  
 I want to replace the cable on my new Noble 4C with one that doesn't feel like it came from a Crackerjack box, but I've never made an IEM cable yet.
  
 1 - What wire is good for this?  The Canare with paracord sleeving seems like it'd be way too thick for an IEM cable, so I'm thinking something small and transparent and litz-y.  Any suggestions?
  
 2 - I was thinking about throwing a kobicon connector on there to use balanced on the Liquid Carbon and then making a kobicon to TRS adapter for portable use.  But all the kobicon adapters I've found so far are right angled.  Anyone know of any straight ones?
  
 3 - Are teeny IEM cables and connectors as big of a PITA to work on as they seem?  I'm scared!
  
 Thanks!


----------



## Bobo Fret

Stillhart:  I just finished my very first DIY cable. That is the one pictured on the left. I used 275 paracord over Plussound's pure silver 26 AWG Litz cable.  I also have some of their 26 AWG Litz copper wire.  The silver wire is a little bit thinner and thus a little easier to get into such a small paracord diameter.  Still, the copper wire wasn't too bad to work with.
  
 You can see the bulk with the 275 Paracord is not extreme.  For comparison is another iem cable of equal length.  My DIY cable has 4 wires total and the brown cable on the right has 6.
  
 Yeah, the connectors are a PITA to some degree.  Impossible to do without one of those helping hands / third hand thingies (correct name escapes me at the moment).  The (smaller) Viablue 3.5mm connector was the biggest PITA.  Check the pics online and you'll see what I mean.  There's probably more user friendly plugs with bigger solder tabs.  I had to use my big-ass Weller soldering gun because my pencil-style soldering iron couldn't melt the enamel coating on the Litz bundles. 
  
 Just take your time.  It's not too bad.  For my 4-foot cable, I needed one extra foot of cable and paracord for _each_ wire to compensate for the loss of length from the braiding, so plan accordingly. 
  
 It was well worth it.  It sounds fantastic with my Fischer Amps IEM's and much better than the old cable.  The highs are simply sublime with the silver cable - my first encounter with silver!!!  Overall, the cable is light-weight and very comfortable.


----------



## Stillhart

Nice, that's the same color combination I used with my first cable!  
  

  
 I still think that paracord looks too thick tho.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  Anyone have any other suggestions?


----------



## TattooedMac

thehof said:


> I'm wondering if anyone has some wire suggestions. I just got some Grado 325es and I love everything about them except the PC Power Cord of a headphone cable it uses. I believe the 325e uses an 8-conductor wire, are there any very flexible options? My dream cable would be covered up got the splitter and then just braided to each side and terminated to the mini viable 3.5mm plug. Any thoughts would be awesome.


 

 Seeing as no one answered this, I would like to Bump the Question, and please speak in Dumb Speak, because I know nothing about wiring, well not on HP's anyways.
  
 Cheers


----------



## Arty McGhee

this is how i'm doing grado's
 26 awg copper sleeved in 95 or 275 paracord
 pretty straightforward the info is all in this thread
 do some reading and let us know if you get stuck
  
 also try some specific questions
  
 1 minute with a hair driver will soften the glue to get the cup apart
 if you don't want to solder on the driver, leave an inch or so of wire attached
 and solder to that, mogami 2799 from redco (strip the outside and shielding and use the 4 inner wires)
 rean or amphenol connector from redco, paracord from paracord planet, the do a search on braiding
 or litz braiding and start practicing....
  
 good luck


----------



## AxelCloris

A question for my more DIY-minded friends. I'm looking to adapt a 2.5mm TRRS terminated cable to 3.5mm TRS for use with non-balanced gear. Is there anything on the market that already exists or is a DIY jumper the only route?


----------



## Stillhart

axelcloris said:


> A question for my more DIY-minded friends. I'm looking to adapt a 2.5mm TRRS terminated cable to 3.5mm TRS for use with non-balanced gear. Is there anything on the market that already exists or is a DIY jumper the only route?


 
  
 I can only think of ones that go in the opposite direction (for use with Mixamp and/or Xbox controller)...


----------



## liquidzoo

axelcloris said:


> A question for my more DIY-minded friends. I'm looking to adapt a 2.5mm TRRS terminated cable to 3.5mm TRS for use with non-balanced gear. Is there anything on the market that already exists or is a DIY jumper the only route?




Something like this would work: http://www.showmecables.com/product/2-5mm-Jack-TRRS-Connector-Plastic.aspx

Wire the 2 negative connectors to the sleeve of the 3.5mm TRS with the R and L wired to the Ring and Tip respectively.


----------



## Amish

I was going to continue searching then I noticed this thread. Perfect!
  
 I currently use Analysis Plus "Oval one" Cables in my system and then a few other brands as well. I love the Analysis Plus cables but it is killing me to spend the $100 or more per pair to finish out my system. Yes I'm vain or something but I want all my wiring to look the same.
  
 So I am ready to start building my own and if things work out I will sell off the Oval Ones.
  
 I think I would like to go with compression RCA fittings as I already have a tool for that. The problem I am having is deciding on the cable to use.
  
 I want good quality cable that doesn't cost a ton ($1-$10 per foot would be fine). I know I can use Canare quad or a coaxial type cable. And here is another thing... Is using a cable with a single solid copper core good? Or would it be better to use a quad core type cable. I know the quad core would be more flexible but the single core would be doable.
  
 Any thoughts on this?


----------



## bluewrx1025

axelcloris said:


> A question for my more DIY-minded friends. I'm looking to adapt a 2.5mm TRRS terminated cable to 3.5mm TRS for use with non-balanced gear. Is there anything on the market that already exists or is a DIY jumper the only route?




I know it's not DIY but Norne Audio has one here. 

http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Norne-Hyper-Short-Adapter-AK240-Astell-and-Kern-2-5-mm-4-pole-trrs-3-5-mm-1-8-rhodium


----------



## bluewrx1025

Just finished my first DIY cable. Not the best, but hopefully with a little practice I can start building cables that look like some of the masterpieces on here.


----------



## Amish

Looks pretty nice to me.


----------



## 290752

Can someone please recommend me a high quality 6.3mm female connector?
  
 I'm trying to make an extension cable, but I can only find cheap parts or Neutrik locking ones.


----------



## liquidzoo

kepler28nm said:


> Can someone please recommend me a high quality 6.3mm female connector?
> 
> I'm trying to make an extension cable, but I can only find cheap parts or Neutrik locking ones.




Rean makes one that's not bad looking (too bad it's not black, though): http://www.markertek.com/product/nys2203p/rean-nys2203p-full-metal-3-pole-1-4-inch-cable-jack-1-4-inch-stereo-trs-female

Calrad has one too: http://www.markertek.com/product/30-420/calrad-30-420-slim-1-4in-stereo-inline-audio-jack-metal

Could have sworn I've seen a Switchcraft one too, but the only cable mounted ones I can find at the moment are mono.


----------



## 290752

Thanks.
 Is THIS mono or standard 3 pole?


----------



## PETEREK

kepler28nm said:


> Thanks.
> Is THIS mono or standard 3 pole?


 
 TRS means it's 3-pole. (Tip Ring Sleeve)


----------



## 290752

Oops stupid comment.


----------



## TattooedMac

I'm going to be modding my grado's and to be honest, I think they have one of the best cables on them, so I am not going to spend a small fortune on and special silver 99.999999999999% stuff.
  
 So I'm going to rip apart the Grado cable, and use the 8 conductors in that. My question is, what size is the single conductor? or better more, what type/size Paracord should I be getting to cover each of the 8 strands, to be then Litz 8Braided to the 'Y' then 4 Litz Braid to the drivers ??
  
 I see people using 325/550 and so on, but that looks too big for a single strand conductor . . . This is the ONLY thing holding me back at the moment, because I can't find a definitive answer to this questing.
 I have the colours as in a red and black mixture for the 8 braid and going red and black for each side of the 'Y'
  
 Appreciate any help . .
  
 Cheers TM


----------



## PETEREK

tattooedmac said:


> I'm going to be modding my grado's and to be honest, I think they have one of the best cables on them, so I am not going to spend a small fortune on and special silver 99.999999999999% stuff.
> 
> So I'm going to rip apart the Grado cable, and use the 8 conductors in that. My question is, what size is the single conductor? or better more, what type/size Paracord should I be getting to cover each of the 8 strands, to be then Litz 8Braided to the 'Y' then 4 Litz Braid to the drivers ??
> 
> ...


 
 The size you're looking for is *Type 1 paracord. *It's great for single strands up to 24awg. I think the wires in the bulky grado cables are 26awg which would work fine for Type 1.
  
 I normally get my Type 1  from Paracord Galaxy. It should be the second link on google if you search "Type 1 Paracord".


----------



## buke9

tattooedmac said:


> I'm going to be modding my grado's and to be honest, I think they have one of the best cables on them, so I am not going to spend a small fortune on and special silver 99.999999999999% stuff.
> 
> So I'm going to rip apart the Grado cable, and use the 8 conductors in that. My question is, what size is the single conductor? or better more, what type/size Paracord should I be getting to cover each of the 8 strands, to be then Litz 8Braided to the 'Y' then 4 Litz Braid to the drivers ??
> 
> ...


 
 I use #275 for 24 awg . I have not used the Type 1 cord (also called #95) I looked at it but it is smaller than 275 and has only one strand in it whereas 275 has 4 so a little more room. The size difference between the two is Type 1 1.85 mm 275 2.38 mm . I haven't done a 8 braid yet but will be soon to make a set of hybrid balanced cables for my Alpha Dogs and HE-400's.


----------



## Backsplash7

I've recently decided to take my first steps into this hobby, after a couple of years of putting it off and gradually felling less guilty about spending money.
 To that end I have just purchased a pair of sennheiser HD600's and, after reading various forum recommendations about upgrading the cable, decided I'd have a go at making myself a new cable from scratch, with the view to use .9999 silver wire and gold solder.
 One question I would like to ask, however, is whether or not there is a benefit to making the cable with lots of cores or not. Having looked at the pre-made cables I'm seeing that cables vary from 4 cores to 14, with a commensurate increase in price per extra strand of wire, but I've yet to read anywhere whether using more wires is worthwhile or not; will I hear a difference if I use 14, or will 4 sound exactly the same?


----------



## buke9

backsplash7 said:


> I've recently decided to take my first steps into this hobby, after a couple of years of putting it off and gradually felling less guilty about spending money.
> To that end I have just purchased a pair of sennheiser HD600's and, after reading various forum recommendations about upgrading the cable, decided I'd have a go at making myself a new cable from scratch, with the view to use .9999 silver wire and gold solder.
> One question I would like to ask, however, is whether or not there is a benefit to making the cable with lots of cores or not. Having looked at the pre-made cables I'm seeing that cables vary from 4 cores to 14, with a commensurate increase in price per extra strand of wire, but I've yet to read anywhere whether using more wires is worthwhile or not; will I hear a difference if I use 14, or will 4 sound exactly the same?


 
 You will hear many different opinions on whether a cable will make a difference it is hotly debated. That being said I find silver makes things sound brighter with a tad more clarity with a reduction in bass. I have not used solid silver but silver plated ofc wire. From what I've read about how the signal travels it is by the skin of the wire. That would mean as I understand it more strands would mean more signal path. I have made a set silver plated  interconnects for my HT setup on my mains and found a loss of bass from the Monster cables I had but much more clear and bright sounding so I made a set of hybrids that got the bass back. You can do what you want but I think you might want to start out a little slower with the silver and gold solder. Most cable makers use (from what I gather) for solder is Cardis Quad it is I think 5% silver with Tin Lead and Copper. I use it and it is great to work with. For my copper cable I use DHC Nucleotide I find it pretty nice stuff to work with. Please take all of this as my own opinion as YMMV. You are the one that hears what you hear. Hope this helps you .


----------



## TattooedMac

buke9 said:


> I use #275 for 24 awg . I have not used the Type 1 cord (also called #95) I looked at it but it is smaller than 275 and has only one strand in it whereas 275 has 4 so a little more room. The size difference between the two is Type 1 1.85 mm 275 2.38 mm . I haven't done a 8 braid yet but will be soon to make a set of hybrid balanced cables for my Alpha Dogs and HE-400's.


 

 Thanks bike ōle mate. I tried several 'paracord shops' in the US and non of them shipped to Aust. Those that did, were charging 2x more the price of the cord for shipping, and it just get ridiculously expensive, for just paracord. 
 I did find a place closer to home and they were selling 2mm cord, so I got some of that and will see if I can't pull it through. I'm did read the e series might be using 26awg so I could get lucky. It does have a _little _ bit of stretch, and the tighter the better especially when Im doing a 5ft 8 Braid.


----------



## buke9

tattooedmac said:


> Thanks bike ōle mate. I tried several 'paracord shops' in the US and non of them shipped to Aust. Those that did, were charging 2x more the price of the cord for shipping, and it just get ridiculously expensive, for just paracord.
> I did find a place closer to home and they were selling 2mm cord, so I got some of that and will see if I can't pull it through. I'm did read the e series might be using 26awg so I could get lucky. It does have a _little _ bit of stretch, and the tighter the better especially when Im doing a 5ft 8 Braid.


 
 I don't know Grado's wire but I bet that the 2 mm paracord will fit. You might have to do the the inch worm method of getting it in. Sorry for the shipping costs but what can you do ? I can buy stuff from China and have it in my hand in a week free shipping. It's all about volume.


----------



## buke9

New xlr interconnect . Hybrid silver plated and DHC occ copper cable.. Getting ready for my Liquid Carbon amp.


----------



## Stillhart

Nice choice of color!  What DAC are you pairing it with?  That's a mighty short interconnect and depending on the size of the DAC, it may force a specific positioning of your amp.


----------



## buke9

stillhart said:


> Nice choice of color!  What DAC are you pairing it with?  That's a mighty short interconnect and depending on the size of the DAC, it may force a specific positioning of your amp.


 
 Teac UD-301. It will be long enough. It comes within an inch of the front of the dac. I like the color also contrast with the black and red of my cables. Plus the Teac lights are blue.


----------



## daseinpdx

I am building a replacement extension cable for my IE800 iems.   I found some cheapo 2.5mm TRS line sockets/jacks to start with, but I am hoping to find something better with a smaller profile.  Most of the sockets floating around seem to be the same ones that I have already, clunky with big black boots.   The only place that seems to have anything different is showmecables, but it has a metal shell, which I imagine will add more weight than would be desirable for an iem cable.
  
 Does anyone know where I can get a slimmer higher quality 2.5mm TRS socket?  I have tried showme, digikey, ebay, amazon, aliexpress, etc.  Mostly just the big clunky ones with the black boots that I have.  It seems like there should be some floating around somewhere since manufacturers like sennheiser put them on their cables.
  
 Thanks.


----------



## kookoo

What metal would you guys use for memory wire like the stuff on westone cables?
 I'm currently building my own cables and have everything except that bit of metal


----------



## PETEREK

kookoo said:


> What metal would you guys use for memory wire like the stuff on westone cables?
> I'm currently building my own cables and have everything except that bit of metal


 
 Use a paper clip.


----------



## kookoo

peterek said:


> Use a paper clip.


 
 thanks, i thought of that but isn't it too stiff?
 was wondering if a small length of solder wire would do


----------



## PETEREK

You can give that a try too if you have some thicker stuff like the Canare Quad or something similar. A good thing to do is to set it where you want while the heatshrink is still pretty warm, that will help keep it where you want it.


----------



## Backsplash7

buke9 said:


> You will hear many different opinions on whether a cable will make a difference it is hotly debated. That being said I find silver makes things sound brighter with a tad more clarity with a reduction in bass. I have not used solid silver but silver plated ofc wire. From what I've read about how the signal travels it is by the skin of the wire. That would mean as I understand it more strands would mean more signal path. I have made a set silver plated  interconnects for my HT setup on my mains and found a loss of bass from the Monster cables I had but much more clear and bright sounding so I made a set of hybrids that got the bass back. You can do what you want but I think you might want to start out a little slower with the silver and gold solder. Most cable makers use (from what I gather) for solder is Cardis Quad it is I think 5% silver with Tin Lead and Copper. I use it and it is great to work with. For my copper cable I use DHC Nucleotide I find it pretty nice stuff to work with. Please take all of this as my own opinion as YMMV. You are the one that hears what you hear. Hope this helps you .


 

 Thanks for the feedback. It's true that I may not be able to hear a difference either way, but then I was also told by a friend that I'd hear no difference with the headphone upgrade unless I had a dedicated amp/dac setup and I did, so I'm hoping that I will be able to hear 'something' even if it's not huge. That being said, I did find that my new set lacks power in the bass compared to my old set, which I do miss despite the improved detail and clarity. If using silver wire is likely to further decrease the bass, then perhaps I ought to reconsider


----------



## buke9

backsplash7 said:


> Thanks for the feedback. It's true that I may not be able to hear a difference either way, but then I was also told by a friend that I'd hear no difference with the headphone upgrade unless I had a dedicated amp/dac setup and I did, so I'm hoping that I will be able to hear 'something' even if it's not huge. That being said, I did find that my new set lacks power in the bass compared to my old set, which I do miss despite the improved detail and clarity. If using silver wire is likely to further decrease the bass, then perhaps I ought to reconsider


 
 I can't say you will hear less bass with solid silver but I did with silver plate on my speaker setup. I have planar headphones so a little loss in bass is not too noticeable . The copper brought back the bass for my speaker setup.


----------



## dirkpitt45

How thick of sleeving would you guys recommend for an iem cable? 
  
 I was looking at this: http://www.moddiy.com/products/Deluxe-PET-PP-Cotton-Braided-Sleeving-%28Red-4mm%29.html
  
 But I'm not sure if 4mm would be too thick.


----------



## Stillhart

I just ordered parts for an IEM cable but I'm not going to use any sleeving.


----------



## steveos

Hi, can anyone build me an upgrade cable for ath IM70 for a price? Im located at Glendale, CA


----------



## buke9

dirkpitt45 said:


> How thick of sleeving would you guys recommend for an iem cable?
> 
> I was looking at this: http://www.moddiy.com/products/Deluxe-PET-PP-Cotton-Braided-Sleeving-%28Red-4mm%29.html
> 
> But I'm not sure if 4mm would be too thick.


 
 4mm sleeve would be monster big for an IEM cable. Stillhart had it right with nothing to cover it with. I have only one pair of IEM's Havi B3 Pro 1 and the cable is only 1.5 mm wide going to the ears. What wire would you be using?  You might use that up to the split but after that way too big.


----------



## kookoo

dirkpitt45 said:


> How thick of sleeving would you guys recommend for an iem cable?
> 
> I was looking at this: http://www.moddiy.com/products/Deluxe-PET-PP-Cotton-Braided-Sleeving-%28Red-4mm%29.html
> 
> But I'm not sure if 4mm would be too thick.


 

 I use a 3.2mm techflex on mine but cotton sleeves are thicker and heavier than nylon sleeves. the techflex expands a little when the cables are in.


----------



## buke9

steveos said:


> Hi, can anyone build me an upgrade cable for ath IM70 for a price? Im located at Glendale, CA


 
 I am sure many can but most will be a little weary of someone that just joined today. The connectors are available for $15 plus shipping and another $5 for the 3.5 mm connector plus shipping and then the wire. That can run as much as whatever. DHC Nucleotide cable which I like is $2.25 a foot. Multiply that by x4 for the cable from the ears until the split and 3x after that for a single ended cable. Then factor in labor and this cable will cost more than your IEM's. Not saying that I don't think cables make a difference ( I do) but how much are you willing to spend for a bit of increase in sound quality?


----------



## dirkpitt45

buke9 said:


> 4mm sleeve would be monster big for an IEM cable. Stillhart had it right with nothing to cover it with. I have only one pair of IEM's Havi B3 Pro 1 and the cable is only 1.5 mm wide going to the ears. What wire would you be using?  You might use that up to the split but after that way too big.


 
  
 I haven't decided yet. I have some DHC laying around, or I might try to reuse the stock JH cable that's all gross and oxidized now.
  
 I really like how the cables with red sleeving look here: http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Type-4-OCC-Litz-CIEM-IEM-Westone-Shure-SE846-SE425-SE535-1964-ears-ue900-ultimate


----------



## steveos

Right side pin of the cable broke so now I am looking for a more durable replacement  Seriously needing help, or if there are any shops where I can get one near Glendale CA?

Was thinking of getting an IM02 from amazon for the BA flavor too, that way I can get back to recording and reviewing my song compositions. But then again, it may break again after a few months so Im looking into purchasing some durable cables now.


----------



## PETEREK

Can anyone here point me to a iPod 30-pin LOD connector with a side exit for the wires? I can't seem to find one anywhere.


----------



## Arty McGhee

peterek said:


> Can anyone here point me to a iPod 30-pin LOD connector with a side exit for the wires? I can't seem to find one anywhere.


 
 i knew i saw one the other day kinda pricey
  
http://warehousedeals.aloaudio.com/low-rider-line-out-dock


----------



## PETEREK

arty mcghee said:


> i knew i saw one the other day kinda pricey
> 
> http://warehousedeals.aloaudio.com/low-rider-line-out-dock



Come on Arty, this is a DIY thread. I just need the connector. I'd never pay for a cable. Never.


----------



## Arty McGhee

my bad
  
 just happened to see it so i know they have them
 lotta money for a little cable
  
 diy or die


----------



## Pingupenguins

I've never seen anything in my searches. You'll probably just have to drill a hole through a dock to get the wires to come out the side. Then plug up the old hole.


----------



## PETEREK

pingupenguins said:


> I've never seen anything in my searches. You'll probably just have to drill a hole through a dock to get the wires to come out the side. Then plug up the old hole.



Yeah that's what I was thinking too. Bummer. I'd rather have it ready to go but I can make it work.


----------



## Shawn71

peterek said:


> Yeah that's what I was thinking too. Bummer. I'd rather have it ready to go but I can make it work.


 

 Or you can inquire ebay sellers who does/sell the DIY LODs (w/side exit) with different cables just to sell the connector alone.....


----------



## djboutz

Hey Guys, I'm looking for a cable to use for DIY-Cable for travels. I travel a lot and am a all day, everyday music listener. so I need A very durable and flexible cable close to no memory. The cables I am used to are 3mm thick, so that's the diameter I'm looking for. Having enough cores to insert a inline microphone would put the cherry on the cake. Sound quality of the cable is secondary, but appreciated. Any recommendations? Hopefully I'm not looking for a inexistent jack of all trades. Thanks in advance!


----------



## henree

This is the cable for hifiman He-400. The two inner wires are exposed. This is the stock cable. It is not very pliable. Is there a way to salvage this by repair? I was hoping to strip the rubber and find soft felixable material to wrap around. Any suggestions?


----------



## kookoo

henree said:


> This is the cable for hifiman He-400. The two inner wires are exposed. This is the stock cable. It is not very pliable. Is there a way to salvage this by repair? I was hoping to strip the rubber and find soft felixable material to wrap around. Any suggestions?


 
  
 cut off the bit that's exposed,, buy a new connector if the current one cannot be salvaged, solder the new connector to the ends and don't forget to attach some heat shrink (that's the sold flexible material that you're looking for) to give a better finish. problem solved. I don't have any first hand experience with Hifiman headphones but it's the same as any other connector.
  
 Probably another more short term solution is to get some 3:1 heat shrink and see if it will shrink small enough to wrap around this problem


----------



## henree

So here is where I am at. I have heat shrink tubing. But it won't fit over the plug. The larger tube shrinks too loose. The perfect size qould be 6.4 to 3.2 mm. But that end connector is giving me trouble. I tried using needle pliers to stretch. But the tubes are splitting. I just want to secure this wire. Is there any other ways?


----------



## PETEREK

If you're giving up on heatshrink, just strip the whole Y-Split's black insulation and rock the bare Canare.


----------



## henree

henree said:


> So here is where I am at. I have heat shrink tubing. But it won't fit over the plug. The larger tube shrinks too loose. The perfect size qould be 6.4 to 3.2 mm. But that end connector is giving me trouble. I tried using needle pliers to stretch. But the tubes are splitting. I just want to secure this wire. Is there any other ways?


 
 Would it be a good idea to just cut the wires and use a butt splice connector. Then apply heatshrink on top?


----------



## kookoo

At this point heat shrink won't work so... you'll have to cut away and resolder the connector to the undamaged wire
 Never done any splicing so that one is up to you.
 sorry


----------



## Stillhart

When making a IEM cable with 2pin connector, how do I know which pin is which? They don't seem to be keyed in any way...
  
 Edit - Okay, figured it out.  Front is - and Rear is +.  I made sure to put the connectors on so I know which was supposed to be front and rear and I'm golden.
  


  
  
 SPC with transparent insulation, Eidolic connectors.


----------



## creatip

stillhart said:


> When making a IEM cable with 2pin connector, how do I know which pin is which? They don't seem to be keyed in any way...
> 
> Edit - Okay, figured it out.  Front is - and Rear is +.  I made sure to put the connectors on so I know which was supposed to be front and rear and I'm golden.
> 
> ...


 
  
 This is an example of a case where a DMM is a lifesaver (or rather sanity saver  )
  
 Use a DMM to test the closed loop between the TRS plug and the IEM connector's pins of the original cabling. Signal always +, ground always -. If it's inverted, I think it will still sound, but phase-inverted(?)


----------



## Stillhart

creatip said:


> This is an example of a case where a DMM is a lifesaver (or rather sanity saver  )
> 
> Use a DMM to test the closed loop between the TRS plug and the IEM connector's pins of the original cabling. Signal always +, ground always -. If it's inverted, I think it will still sound, but phase-inverted(?)



Actually I did use a DMM and got weird results. Thinking back on it I wonder if it's because I tested it with one side plugged in...


----------



## buke9

Finally had time finish the other one in anticipation of the Cavalli Liquid Carbon. Still have to make two other cables for the Alpha Dogs and He-400's for balanced connections all around.


----------



## Pingupenguins

stillhart said:


> When making a IEM cable with 2pin connector, how do I know which pin is which? They don't seem to be keyed in any way...
> 
> Edit - Okay, figured it out.  Front is - and Rear is +.  I made sure to put the connectors on so I know which was supposed to be front and rear and I'm golden.
> 
> ...


 

 Nice cable! Cool wire, where'd you get it?


----------



## Stillhart

pingupenguins said:


> Nice cable! Cool wire, where'd you get it?


 
  
 LOL!  Does it look familiar?  It passed through your very hands not too long ago...   :-D


----------



## Pingupenguins

Lol. I thought that, but wasn't sure. How are the Eidolic connectors? Might have to try some solder on connectors in the future if any repairs come up.


----------



## colorsquid

Hey guys, I have been making a few HP cables lately with great success. When building a mini 4 pin XLR why is it important to ground pins 2 and 3, if they are not used at the headphone end? Those little ground loops are a bitch to solder with older eyes.


----------



## Stillhart

pingupenguins said:


> Lol. I thought that, but wasn't sure. How are the Eidolic connectors? Might have to try some solder on connectors in the future if any repairs come up.


 
  
 They're hit and miss for me.
  
 Pro's:  The look fantastic, they're well built, they have the extended barrel so they work in the PM-3 and in cell phone cases.
 Con's:  They're not QUITE thick enough to put a 4-strand, paracord-sleeved braid in there WITH shrink wrap too.  Also the IEM connectors just look too big when worn, the IEM connectors inner diameter for the soldering points is juuust a bit on the small side (I had to redo the tin with less solder to get it to fit).
  
 I will probably continue to use the TRS adapter, but look for a different solution for the IEM side.  If I can't find anything good, I'll come back to these as they're not BAD just quirky and expensive.


----------



## BoomBox

So I got some 26awg silver plated cable from the navships ebay seller, all of it's 19 strands \o/
  
 100 feet of the kapton+teflon insulated wire (50ft of green, 50ft of purple), and 100 feet of just the teflon insulated stuff (50ft white, 50ft red). 
  
 The kapton insulated stuff is thinner, and also a little stiffer. It seems to hold it's shape after bent a little more than without it. This will make 2 lots of 2.4 meter cables with 8 strands each for the LCD2's. Will report back in a week or so on the Kapton cables to see how it goes with braiding and as a headphone cable in general. 
  
 Now I just need to find some good connectors :3
  
 Picture of the wires as they came from the package:


----------



## kookoo

so guys, with mmcx, does it matter where you solder the live and neutral wire? if so which is which? sleeve and inside pin


----------



## BoomBox

kookoo said:


> so guys, with mmcx, does it matter where you solder the live and neutral wire? if so which is which? sleeve and inside pin


 
  
 The shell is the ground, the pin is the signal.


----------



## buke9

stillhart said:


> They're hit and miss for me.
> 
> Pro's:  The look fantastic, they're well built, they have the extended barrel so they work in the PM-3 and in cell phone cases.
> Con's:  They're not QUITE thick enough to put a 4-strand, paracord-sleeved braid in there WITH shrink wrap too.  Also the IEM connectors just look too big when worn, the IEM connectors inner diameter for the soldering points is juuust a bit on the small side (I had to redo the tin with less solder to get it to fit).
> ...


 
 I like the look of the connectors was going to make a pair of 1/8 inch to 1/8 inch connectors and like the look of your connectors.Going with bare wire so I think they will work for me. Rean makes a 8mm opening 1/8 connector that can fit a lot of paracord in. I had to ream out the Rean connector 1/8 connector to insert 4 x 275 para cord.


----------



## Pingupenguins

boombox said:


> So I got some 26awg silver plated cable from the navships ebay seller, all of it's 19 strands \o/
> 
> 100 feet of the kapton+teflon insulated wire (50ft of green, 50ft of purple), and 100 feet of just the teflon insulated stuff (50ft white, 50ft red).
> 
> ...


 
  
 Good stuff to start with, however I wouldn't ever use it with IEM's and it would make one stiff cable for headphones. I used to play around with that stuff years ago, I use whatever is left over for odd jobs now-a-days.
  
 As for connectors, you should try Daleproaudio.com great selection and FREE SHIPPING. great if you want to pick up one or two connectors.


----------



## kookoo

boombox said:


> The shell is the ground, the pin is the signal.


 
 Thanks.
 What about the 2 pin (westone style) though?


----------



## BoomBox

kookoo said:


> Thanks.
> What about the 2 pin (westone style) though?


 
  
 If it's the MMCX connector version, pinout is the same. Pin is signal, shell is ground.
  
  
 If you're referring to the older Westone one that JH, Westone, Ultimate Ears, Unique Melody, etc.... use, then this is your pinout:
  
*Left Front Pin:* Channel -
*Left Rear Pin:*Channel +
*Right Front Pin:* Channel -
*Right Rear Pin:* Channel +
  
  
 ... Also refer to the diagram on this post:
  


cogsand gears said:


> As far as im aware this is the standard arrangement, But im not 100% on that...
> 
> Top line for JH / Westone etc. Bottom line is TF10 / SF5 etc


----------



## kookoo

Thanks BoomBox, pretty much answers my question.
 I assume that rear is the one with the blue/red dot and front is the other.


----------



## PETEREK

pingupenguins said:


> boombox said:
> 
> 
> > So I got some 26awg silver plated cable from the navships ebay seller, all of it's 19 strands \o/
> ...



Man, nice link. I don't know how I've never come across that site. The prices are great compared to other places, they have a wider selection than a lot of other sites, and on top of all that they ship for free?! That's awesome. As a frequent DIYer, the free shipping has got my attention, big time.


----------



## Bobo Fret

Quick question I can't seem to find an answer for:
  
 --I'm re-wiring some AKG K601's with Canare Star Quad. 
  
 --The bare wire seems to redundant in this 4-wire, 4-contact headphone. 
  
 --So do I ignore the bare wire in the Star Quad cable?


----------



## PETEREK

bobo fret said:


> Quick question I can't seem to find an answer for:
> 
> --I'm re-wiring some AKG K601's with Canare Star Quad.
> 
> ...



I always do, I've never used the shield as part of the connection.


----------



## Aegruin

I want to make a hp cable for my new HE-400S. 6.35 to 2.5. But -there is always a but- I don't have much money left.
 I'm not saying "give me HE-1000 sound from HE-400S!", I just want to improve the sound a little. What can I use for this? It should be cheap and better from the stock cable but like I said I'm not expecting an awesome change on sound. I'm not looking for "pure gold cables!". It must be cheap. A little advice you can give me would be awesome.


----------



## Bobo Fret

peterek said:


> I always do, I've never used the shield as part of the connection.


 

 I mean, it's like the only real option, right?  I knew I overthought this.  Stupid brain.


----------



## BoomBox

pingupenguins said:


> Good stuff to start with, however I wouldn't ever use it with IEM's and it would make one stiff cable for headphones. I used to play around with that stuff years ago, I use whatever is left over for odd jobs now-a-days.
> 
> As for connectors, you should try Daleproaudio.com great selection and FREE SHIPPING. great if you want to pick up one or two connectors.


 
  
 That link is extremely useful. However as I'm in AU, no free shipping for me  But still quite a few things that I'd like anyway :3


----------



## BoomBox

kookoo said:


> Thanks BoomBox, pretty much answers my question.
> I assume that rear is the one with the blue/red dot and front is the other.


 
  
 I'm afraid that I can't answer. I can't seem to find any info on which is the front or back pins, and I haven't worked with that style of plug yet.


----------



## Stillhart

boombox said:


> I'm afraid that I can't answer. I can't seem to find any info on which is the front or back pins, and I haven't worked with that style of plug yet.


 
  
 When I made mine, (Noble, 2-pin) I pretty much had to just decide which would be front and back since they are reversible.  I made it so the Eidolic logo always points out.  If you want to use the dots or whatever, that works too.  If it's not keyed, just pick a side that you'll remember.


----------



## kookoo

stillhart said:


> When I made mine, (Noble, 2-pin) I pretty much had to just decide which would be front and back since they are reversible.  I made it so the Eidolic logo always points out.  If you want to use the dots or whatever, that works too.  If it's not keyed, just pick a side that you'll remember.


 

 OMG that makes so much sense why couldn't I figure that part out.
 LOL
 This whole DIY shenanigan is doing my head in
  
 Thank you all


----------



## boneofimba

kookoo said:


> Thanks BoomBox, pretty much answers my question.
> I assume that rear is the one with the blue/red dot and front is the other.


 

 you would want the dots to face upwards so you can identify the L/R channel
  
 poor smartphone pic but this shows how it works


----------



## kookoo

Just finished my first cable. Thanks guys
  

  
 It looks ugly but i'll get better at it


----------



## taiyoyuden

I'm making my first cable (Mogami W2534 and Neutrik NP3C-B) to replace my broken K701 cable.
  
  

  
  
 How do the joints look? They look good to me but I would like further confirmation.
 Also is it bad that the outer cable cover doesn't go all the way up to the connector?


----------



## Aegruin

taiyoyuden said:


> I'm making my first cable (Mogami W2534 and Neutrik NP3C-B) to replace my broken K701 cable.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 They looks good if you have used flux or a solder wire with flux. Don't forget to wrap it with a heat shrink or electrical tape. I recommend wrapping every wire one by one and wrapping tight all together from the top layer.


----------



## taiyoyuden

aegruin said:


> They looks good if you have used flux or a solder wire with flux. Don't forget to wrap it with a heat shrink or electrical tape. I recommend wrapping every wire one by one and wrapping tight all together from the top layer.


 
  
 I used 60% tin, 40% lead, rosin core solder. Does that count? Should I wrap electrical tape around the joint as well?


----------



## Aegruin

taiyoyuden said:


> I used 60% tin, 40% lead, rosin core solder. Does that count? Should I wrap electrical tape around the joint as well?


 
 Rosin core means flux. Yes. 
 I'm generally wrapping every space I can found. %90 of EMI causing by non-shielded solders.


----------



## taiyoyuden

aegruin said:


> Rosin core means flux. Yes.
> I'm generally wrapping every space I can found. %90 of EMI causing by non-shielded solders.


 
  
 I wrapped some electrical tape around the wires. Thank you for all the feedback!


----------



## bluewrx1025

Got a chance to finish up my Hifiman to mini xlr adapters last night.


----------



## DaemonSire

I have a question on the type of cable to use.  I've seen a lot of recommendations both ways.  I'm looking to make some custom cables and re-wire a headphone, so would like to know which cable to buy a big spool of.  This way I can be set in the long run.
  
  
 Canare L-4E6S
 Mogami W2893
 Mogami W2534
  
  
 Now I know the W2893 is the thinnest, but people have said it is also the easiest to work with because of that.  I also see a lot of pro cables made using the Canare (MrSpeakers old cables, ZMF's old cables).  This is also a much heavier gauge of wire.
  
  
 If I wanted to just buy one spool of cable for all my needs (headphone re-wire, interconnects, adapters, etc.), which is the best bet?
  
  
 Also, is there much benefit in doubling up the cores?  For example, if I were to re-wire my Grado's, I technically only need the 4 wires (2 for each cup).  But their new 'e' series line has been going with an 8 conductor core.  Do you think it is worth doubling it up or just using the single wire?
  
 I imagine if I were to go the route of using 2 wires, the W2893 would be the best since it is the highest gauge.
  
  
 Anyways, any and all comments would be appreciated for an inspiring cable builder 
  
 Thanks


----------



## PETEREK

daemonsire said:


> I have a question on the type of cable to use.  I've seen a lot of recommendations both ways.  I'm looking to make some custom cables and re-wire a headphone, so would like to know which cable to buy a big spool of.  This way I can be set in the long run.
> 
> 
> Canare L-4E6S
> ...



If you are planning on keeping the wires in the stock sleeve I would use 2893, and if you were planning on just using the wires and stripping the sleeve off I would use w2799. Mogami > Canare, IMO.


----------



## DaemonSire

peterek said:


> If you are planning on keeping the wires in the stock sleeve I would use 2893, and if you were planning on just using the wires and stripping the sleeve off I would use w2799. Mogami > Canare, IMO.


 
 Thanks for the info.  I plan on stripping the sleeve and either just using the wires or sleeving them in paracord (likely the paracord route).


----------



## ThurstonX

daemonsire said:


> Thanks for the info.  I plan on stripping the sleeve and either just using the wires or sleeving them in paracord (likely the paracord route).


 
  
 Then +1 on the W2799 route.  Easier to get to the individual wires, and cheaper(?).  I think I paid $0.16/foot per wire (4 wires in a foot) after getting to just the wires.  Got it at Redco Audio.


----------



## liquidzoo

daemonsire said:


> Thanks for the info.  I plan on stripping the sleeve and either just using the wires or sleeving them in paracord (likely the paracord route).







thurstonx said:


> Then +1 on the W2799 route.  Easier to get to the individual wires, and cheaper(?).  I think I paid $0.16/foot per wire (4 wires in a foot) after getting to just the wires.  Got it at Redco Audio.




I agree with the 2799. I think the outer sleeve (that you'll cut off anyway) is thinner and it doesn't have as much shielding. Same gauge cores as 2893, just much easier to strip and work with.


----------



## ThurstonX

liquidzoo said:


> I agree with the 2799. I think the outer sleeve (that you'll cut off anyway) is thinner and it doesn't have as much shielding. Same gauge cores as 2893, just much easier to strip and work with.


 
  
 Pretty sure the difference between the two Mogami types is that W2799 is made for in-place/static/console installations, vs. having to be rugged enough to endure road-wear/gigs/etc.  I've stripped both, and W2799 is far easier, mostly due to the sheath.  The copper shield is only a nominal PITA.


----------



## DaemonSire

liquidzoo said:


> I agree with the 2799. I think the outer sleeve (that you'll cut off anyway) is thinner and it doesn't have as much shielding. Same gauge cores as 2893, just much easier to strip and work with.


 
  
  


thurstonx said:


> Pretty sure the difference between the two Mogami types is that W2799 is made for in-place/static/console installations, vs. having to be rugged enough to endure road-wear/gigs/etc.  I've stripped both, and W2799 is far easier, mostly due to the sheath.  The copper shield is only a nominal PITA.


 
  
  
 In Canada, I don't seem to be able to source the 2799 as easily as the 2893.  Other than it being easier to strip, you say the internal wires themselves are the same between 2799 and 2893?
  
 If one was cheaper than the other, should I just go for the cheaper route between the two?
  
 Also, do you guys have any thoughts on whether or not using multiple wires per connection is worth it?  Besides increasing the reliability of the cable, is it worth it?  I see a lot of cables on eBay and elsewhere seem to use 8 wires.


----------



## liquidzoo

daemonsire said:


> In Canada, I don't seem to be able to source the 2799 as easily as the 2893.  Other than it being easier to strip, you say the internal wires themselves are the same between 2799 and 2893?
> 
> If one was cheaper than the other, should I just go for the cheaper route between the two?
> 
> Also, do you guys have any thoughts on whether or not using multiple wires per connection is worth it?  Besides increasing the reliability of the cable, is it worth it?  I see a lot of cables on eBay and elsewhere seem to use 8 wires.




The conductors are the same between 2799 and 2893. The difference is in the copper shielding and the strings that are in the 2893. Get whatever is cheaper. I've used the 2893 on a few projects and have no issues with it.

Not sure on the multiple wires per connection and its benefits. My Grados have an 8 conductor cable (stock) and when I recable them I will use another 8 conductor cable. Mostly for the looks as I'm not sure what benefit there is over 4.


----------



## jodgey4

8 vs. 4 wires means more capacitance and less resistance. Inductance is usually a non issue. Shouldn't make a difference for 95% of applications. Watch capacitance on interconnects, and resistance on long runs.


----------



## DaemonSire

jodgey4 said:


> 8 vs. 4 wires means more capacitance and less resistance. Inductance is usually a non issue. Shouldn't make a difference for 95% of applications. Watch capacitance on interconnects, and resistance on long runs.


 
  
 Thanks.  So if I understand correctly, you want a low capacitance on interconnects so try to keep them as short as possible and use less conductors (4 in this example).
  
 Whereas, for longer runs, you want to lower the resistance, so using more conductors (8) is better.
  
 Does that sound right?
  
 But basically, for either short interconnects or approx 6ft headphone cable, 8 vs 4 doesn't really matter?


----------



## jodgey4

daemonsire said:


> Thanks.  So if I understand correctly, you want a low capacitance on interconnects so try to keep them as short as possible and use less conductors (4 in this example).
> 
> Whereas, for longer runs, you want to lower the resistance, so using more conductors (8) is better.
> 
> ...


 Yup. Interconnects are different from normal headphone cables sometimes because the higher output impedances of preamps and DACs can turn into an RC filter, cutting high frequncies in the audible spectrum in some cases. Again, usually not a problem . I use 8 strands for the aesthetics.


----------



## buke9

Finally got time to work on my balanced cables for my Alpha Dogs waiting for my Liquid Carbon. Still have to make the splitter . Got a chunk of Bolivian Rosewood for that. Here is the work in progress.


----------



## buke9

My chunk of Bolivian Rosewood for the split . Don't know if I should round it off or leave it squared off. What do you guys think?


----------



## esteboune

buke9 said:


> My chunk of Bolivian Rosewood for the split . Don't know if I should round it off or leave it squared off. What do you guys think?


 

 Can you put a coin or something else to get the size of the chunk?


----------



## liquidzoo

buke9 said:


> My chunk of Bolivian Rosewood for the split . Don't know if I should round it off or leave it squared off. What do you guys think?




I agree on the coin to see the scale, but I think it looks good with the top and bottom flat (if that's what you're referring to). Maybe tame the edges a bit with some sandpaper, but I wouldn't go further than that.


----------



## buke9

A penny for scale.


----------



## buke9

liquidzoo said:


> I agree on the coin to see the scale, but I think it looks good with the top and bottom flat (if that's what you're referring to). Maybe tame the edges a bit with some sandpaper, but I wouldn't go further than that.


 
 That's what I was thinking also. Thanks for the input.


----------



## buke9

Holes drilled and test fit.I think I might thin it up a bit.


----------



## kookoo

buke9 said:


> A penny for scale.


 
 Just something up for debate here but wouldn't people generally want a smaller/ thinner y split? maybe it's just me  but it does add some considerable weight (to be fair my cables are always used for IEM not full sized cans) also the smaller it is...the less likely it gets tangled up on something? or is it just me again
 PS i have no concept of how big a penny is unfortunately. but the wood oh mamma


----------



## buke9

kookoo said:


> Just something up for debate here but wouldn't people generally want a smaller/ thinner y split? maybe it's just me  but it does add some considerable weight (to be fair my cables are always used for IEM not full sized cans) also the smaller it is...the less likely it gets tangled up on something? or is it just me again
> PS i have no concept of how big a penny is unfortunately. but the wood oh mamma


 
 A penny is about 19 mm. This is for headphones and not IEM's. Yes I want to thin it up some. It weighs 7.44 grams as is. The size is just about right just a little bit thinner would be better.For IEM's I agree smaller would be better. After cutting this one out I have a new design option for the next one.

 I am going to leave the top as is and cut the bottom straight . If anyone wants to know what the line is it is a nick in mt joiner planer knife. I think this will be nice.


----------



## PETEREK

The weight should be fine man. Look at this Viablue.


----------



## Arty McGhee

buke9 said:


> Holes drilled and test fit.I think I might thin it up a bit.


 
 that looks pretty good just round off the sharp edges a bit and i thinks you got something there


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> The weight should be fine man. Look at this Viablue.


 
 Thanks . I didn't think the weight was a problem either. I plan on thinning it up just a bit but it is ok just as is.


----------



## buke9

arty mcghee said:


> that looks pretty good just round off the sharp edges a bit and i thinks you got something there


 
 Thanks Arty that is my plan.


----------



## esteboune

buke9 said:


> Thanks Arty that is my plan.


 

 +1
  
 it will look great!


----------



## graphidz

Hey guys, I have a question. I have a pair of 2 conductors(?) cable that I got from my speakers. Planning to solder one end of both of them to one 6.3mm TRS connector(so that means L, R, ground for both L and R) to the speakers. Good or bad idea? They are passive speakers and I'm only doing this as a first step before I buy a speaker amp.
  
 P.S : Yes, I know it's kind of a silly question lol.


----------



## ThurstonX

graphidz said:


> Hey guys, I have a question. I have a pair of 2 conductors(?) cable that I got from my speakers. Planning to solder one end of both of them to one 6.3mm TRS connector(so that means L, R, ground for both L and R) to the speakers. Good or bad idea? They are passive speakers and I'm only doing this as a first step before I buy a speaker amp.
> 
> P.S : Yes, I know it's kind of a silly question lol.


 
  
 If you're using speakers with a speaker amp, why are you using a TRS plug?  Maybe I'm missing something, but please give more details about what you're trying to achieve.
  
 If you're just driving your speakers, simply hook them up to your amp (banana plugs are great, if your gear accepts them).
  
 Are you planning to drive headphones with your speaker amp?  If so, you can make a simple speaker tap adapter where one "end" (four separate "wires") connects to the amp, just like with speakers, while the other "end" is soldered to a female TRS adapter.  I just made one of those using a Neutrik adapter, but it would be nigh impossible to get speaker wires through the strain relief part of the boot.  I used four wires from some Mogami W2799 (so, quite thin) sleeved in 95 lbs paracord, and it was a tight enough squeeze to get those four through the boot.
  
 So, why are you using the TRS plug?


----------



## graphidz

thurstonx said:


> If you're using speakers with a speaker amp, why are you using a TRS plug?  Maybe I'm missing something, but please give more details about what you're trying to achieve.
> 
> If you're just driving your speakers, simply hook them up to your amp (banana plugs are great, if your gear accepts them).
> 
> ...


 
  
 Ah yes, I guess I should explain more. Sorry about that.
  
 I am using this with a desktop amp that is designed for headphones. My friend, the one who made it guaranteed that it should be enough to drive my speakers(albeit up to a certain level), because he had tried before with his speaker sets.
  
 So I need the TRS connector to solder all the 4 ends(2 for each side) in the configuration similar to headphones do, which is L, R , Ground(for both sides). This TRS jack will then be connected to the amp out, which the place where my usual headphones go to. The other out the amp has is the DAC out, so not gonna use that.
  
 I don't have a speaker amp atm, but will probably buy if this amp of mine can't drive the speakers well. Hope this clears everything up. Too tired to think straight now lol. Will continue tomorrow.


----------



## buke9

graphidz said:


> Ah yes, I guess I should explain more. Sorry about that.
> 
> I am using this with a desktop amp that is designed for headphones. My friend, the one who made it guaranteed that it should be enough to drive my speakers(albeit up to a certain level), because he had tried before with his speaker sets.
> 
> ...


 
 Yes it didn't make sense at first that clears it up. The tip is for L+ the ring is for R+ and the to negatives go to the sleeve and you should be fine if the speaker cable will fit inside the barrel. If it for temporary use why not give it a shot.


----------



## ThurstonX

graphidz said:


> Ah yes, I guess I should explain more. Sorry about that.
> 
> I am using this with a desktop amp that is designed for headphones. My friend, the one who made it guaranteed that it should be enough to drive my speakers(albeit up to a certain level), because he had tried before with his speaker sets.
> 
> ...


 
  


buke9 said:


> Yes it didn't make sense at first that clears it up. The tip is for L+ the ring is for R+ and the to negatives go to the sleeve and you should be fine if the speaker cable will fit inside the barrel. If it for temporary use why not give it a shot.


 
  
 That's the way.  Since it could be temporary, and I gather not moved about too often, you could forgo the boot and just stick the speaker wires into the barrel.  Maybe some tape or heat shrink could provide some strain relief, as needed.
  
 Good luck


----------



## graphidz

buke9 said:


> Yes it didn't make sense at first that clears it up. The tip is for L+ the ring is for R+ and the to negatives go to the sleeve and you should be fine if the speaker cable will fit inside the barrel. If it for temporary use why not give it a shot.


 
  
  


thurstonx said:


> That's the way.  Since it could be temporary, and I gather not moved about too often, you could forgo the boot and just stick the speaker wires into the barrel.  Maybe some tape or heat shrink could provide some strain relief, as needed.
> 
> Good luck


 
  
  
 Glad to hear it works as normal as headphone cables do. Woot! Thanks guys


----------



## greyhamster

Does anyone know where to get the cable connector for sennheiser HD 530s? The one I bought from ebay only fit HD 540s. HD 540s and 530s use the same connector type but HD 540s have bigger, shallower entrance.


----------



## smaragd

Hi everyone, I'm planning to make a 4 wire braid cable for my HD650. Could anyone explain how much extra wire I should order in order to compensate for the braid? I plan on making either a 6 feet or 8 feet 4 wire round braid. The wire gauge is 26AWG. Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Stillhart

smaragd said:


> Hi everyone, I'm planning to make a 4 wire braid cable for my HD650. Could anyone explain how much extra wire I should order in order to compensate for the braid? I plan on making either a 6 feet or 8 feet 4 wire round braid. The wire gauge is 26AWG. Thanks
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 
  
 It depends on how tight your braid is.  I like to braid mine relatively loosely so that the cable is still supple.  I tend to only lose a few inches out of a 6 foot wire.  
  
 Be careful about your paracord tho.  I found that 95# paracord "shrinks" a lot more than 275# paracord.  In fact, while I might lose 4"-6" on a 6' run of 95# paracord, I usually have a few inches extra after a 6' run of 275#.


----------



## CalvinXC

smaragd said:


> Hi everyone, I'm planning to make a 4 wire braid cable for my HD650. Could anyone explain how much extra wire I should order in order to compensate for the braid? I plan on making either a 6 feet or 8 feet 4 wire round braid. The wire gauge is 26AWG. Thanks
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




The length of the cable that you want to make times 4 (6ft x 4). It will lose a few inches in length after braid. 
You can add a foot or two if you're uncertain.


----------



## smaragd

Thanks Stillhart and CalvinXC ... Still contemplating if I will sleeve it or not. The bare wire (silver / gold in Teflon ) looks kinda cool. Using the same wire for my IEM.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Duffy1207

Hey guys, I've been looking to get my Denon 751's recalled in the UK without much success. The cable went somewhere around the jack as they usually do. I had a go at soldering on a new jack before which worked for a while but it was a bit of a hash job... Would anyone be willing to offer their services to completely recable them for a fee obviously? Thanks


----------



## Pingupenguins

duffy1207 said:


> Hey guys, I've been looking to get my Denon 751's recalled in the UK without much success. The cable went somewhere around the jack as they usually do. I had a go at soldering on a new jack before which worked for a while but it was a bit of a hash job... Would anyone be willing to offer their services to completely recable them for a fee obviously? Thanks


 
  
 I don't know if anyone could really reply to that publicly. I think if anyone offers up services, the mods come in and label them as "MOT's" like me. Esp, if you're giving them extra money. I think this thread is more about learning to do it yourself. Just practice a bit more, maybe not on your headphones, and you could just make it yourself! It's pretty fun IMO (obviously.... I'm a little bias though).


----------



## smaragd

Try Frank @ Toxic Cables, he's located in UK. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## kuzimoto

Hey guys, I'm looking to create my first AUX cable for use in my car. I'm looking to make it pretty rugged and last a while since I have different people using it pretty often, and they tend to die after a while. So far I have a Neutrik NTP3RC-B right angle 1/8" jack for the stereo side, and a Amphenol Audio KS3PC-AU straight 1/8" jack for the phone/ipod.
  
 However I don't really know what type of cable would work best. I was thinking about using Mogami W3031 however it has only two conductors plus the shield. Is it possible to use the shield as the ground, or is that not really recommended? Otherwise I thought I could use Mogami W2944 which is 2 conductor as well, but an additional wire which seems like it could be used as a decent ground.


----------



## liquidzoo

kuzimoto said:


> Hey guys, I'm looking to create my first AUX cable for use in my car. I'm looking to make it pretty rugged and last a while since I have different people using it pretty often, and they tend to die after a while. So far I have a http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Neutrik/NTP3RC-B/?qs=erV61lVMmP98yp2Tyz6QmQ%3D%3D]Neutrik NTP3RC-B[/url] right angle 1/8" jack for the stereo side, and a Amphenol]http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Amphenol-Audio/KS3PC-AU/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMv0W4pxf2HiV7tHWrL7MPmY9mIYbO5YSX4%3d]Amphenol Audio KS3PC-AU[/url] straight 1/8" jack for the phone/ipod.
> 
> However I don't really know what type of cable would work best. I was thinking about using Mogami W3031
> however it has only two conductors plus the shield. Is it possible to use the shield as the ground, or is that not really recommended? Otherwise I thought I could use Mogami W2944
> which is 2 conductor as well, but an additional wire which seems like it could be used as a decent ground.




My choice would be Mogami W2893 or W2799. Both are 4 conductor, both have a copper shield that could be used to strengthen the cable if left on.


----------



## kuzimoto

liquidzoo said:


> My choice would be Mogami W2893 or W2799. Both are 4 conductor, both have a copper shield that could be used to strengthen the cable if left on.


 
  
 Thanks, the W2799 looks like it would work well. Though what is the proper way to wire it, since I only need three conductors? I'm guessing I would either wire two of the wires to ground, or just leave one of them untouched.


----------



## liquidzoo

kuzimoto said:


> Thanks, the W2799 looks like it would work well. Though what is the proper way to wire it, since I only need three conductors? I'm guessing I would either wire two of the wires to ground, or just leave one of them untouched.




One to the tip (Left), one to the ring (Right), the other 2 to the sleeve (Ground) on both sides. Strip back the copper sleeving that's wound around the cores far enough that it won't touch the connector on either side.


----------



## kuzimoto

liquidzoo said:


> One to the tip (Left), one to the ring (Right), the other 2 to the sleeve (Ground) on both sides. Strip back the copper sleeving that's wound around the cores far enough that it won't touch the connector on either side.


 
  
 Perfect, thanks a lot! What's the purpose of not using the copper sleeving? Does it require using a specific connector?


----------



## liquidzoo

kuzimoto said:


> Perfect, thanks a lot! What's the purpose of not using the copper sleeving? Does it require using a specific connector?




No, it could be used as well. It's used to eliminate electrical interference when used as a microphone cable (but that's mostly for cables that are a lot longer than you will use). I just prefer to not use it (I strip off the outer sleeve and copper and just use the inner cores when I make cables).


----------



## kuzimoto

liquidzoo said:


> No, it could be used as well. It's used to eliminate electrical interference when used as a microphone cable (but that's mostly for cables that are a lot longer than you will use). I just prefer to not use it (I strip off the outer sleeve and copper and just use the inner cores when I make cables).


 
  
 Cool, thanks for all your help. I guess I'll have to wait and see what will work best when I get everything together. I have always liked the look of the braided cables, so maybe I'll go that route!


----------



## Pingupenguins

kuzimoto said:


> Cool, thanks for all your help. I guess I'll have to wait and see what will work best when I get everything together. I have always liked the look of the braided cables, so maybe I'll go that route!


 
  
 If you have the time, you could peel back the sleeve and expose the wires to work on. I used to do that when I was first messing around with wire. A lot cheaper than buying it from a wire place as you get 4 conductors in one length.


----------



## buke9

kuzimoto said:


> Cool, thanks for all your help. I guess I'll have to wait and see what will work best when I get everything together. I have always liked the look of the braided cables, so maybe I'll go that route!


 
 Braid the cables . Will it sound better I don't know but it looks really cool and you did it.


----------



## esteboune

@unknownsolo
  
 there is 2 wires per ear.
  
 1 ground & 1 signal
  
 so 4 wires will go to the Jack 3.5 num1
  
 then you have 2 solutions:
  

  
  

  
 i will strongly advise Solution num 2.
  
 From my point of view 2 ground wire going to 1 ground wire is not at all optimal.
 it is the type of construction you see in cheap cables...
  
*Expert, please advise...*
  
 if you go to 4 wires, this is the type of cable you will get (IMHO it is also better looking that 3 wires braid!)


 this is the wire I have on my Shure SE846. Perfect.
  
 light weight and flexible
  
 quite easy to do actually.


----------



## unknownsolo

Yes! I want that thin wire! Honestly I am not an expert so I have no idea!
  
 Is it possible to have solution 1 with 4 wires extension? Like I said, I have no idea about cables, but looking at my OEM cable, that's how it looks like to me.
  
 Plus, I thought TRRS is for cables with microphones, would that still work if I plug it directly to iPhone or a Bluetooth receiver without using the extension?


  
  

   
 

 If possible, and with seeing my requirements, I want everything in black, no logos, no markings, super thin, matching plugs jacks. Basically just like your cable but with matching jacks/plugs.
  
 Obviously there will be no need for a Y adapter as the headphone plug/jack will be my Y adapter. I wouldn't mind a small black heatshrink as a Y knob that can move up and down to tighten the cable around my head though


----------



## unknownsolo

Something like this


----------



## smaragd

Why would you want the option of the extension ? Why not making it a full length cable instead? The 2 extra connectors used for the extension are only adding an extra weak point in the signal path... 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## unknownsolo

Great question  I already have couple regular OEM cables from UE. I spend a lot of time a day commuting to/from work on the bus and I am using Jabra Play for bluetooth to my iPhone
  

  
 Now I guess you see where I am going with this. Using the OEM cable and clipping the Jabra Play to my shirt ending up with a lot of cable hanging around. What I normally do is stuff the extra cable in my pocket. But, that doesn't look very pretty and most of the times, when I move, the cable bounces out. 
  
 I also did not want to just create a short cable and keep swapping cables. I don't want my connectors to wear out on the headphones. So I wanted to see if someone can make me the cable above. That way, I can detach the extension, plug in bluetooth. When I get home, plug in the extension and back to normal.
  
 Hope that makes sense, If you have a better suggestion, let me know please.


----------



## Pingupenguins

The TRRS to TRS plan looks good. However, it will be hard to find quality, and good looking TRRS sockets. I've been able to find TRRS plugs that are good quality, but I am still on the search for TRRS sockets that aren't made of plastic.
  
 Otherwise, the methodology is pretty sound. If the IEM sockets wear out you are up a creek. usually means rebuilding the IEM's. Being able to switch sources will be very nice and be able to go to a balanced connection every once and a while.
  
 One other thing though, is that there will be a large chunk of metal bouncing off your chest with the plug and socket. Just keep that in consideration.


----------



## unknownsolo

I know the metal pieces will be a bit heavy hanging around. How bad? not sure! 
  
 Do you know of any matching, slim and light yet durable jack/socket combo?


----------



## unknownsolo

No takers?


----------



## DaemonSire

Thanks again for the help on the W2799 recommendation.
  
 I have a follow-up question now regarding paracord sleeving.  Can you recommend the different sizes of paracord I would need to sleeve the W2799 cable?


----------



## Pingupenguins

unknownsolo said:


> I know the metal pieces will be a bit heavy hanging around. How bad? not sure!
> 
> Do you know of any matching, slim and light yet durable jack/socket combo?


 

  Slim 3.5mm sockets are hard to come by. Easy to work on Slim 3.5mm male plugs are hard to come by as well. Not to mention, the way those tiny plugs often mount to the cable, often leaves a lot to be desired. They don't firmly attach to the plug, and often rely on the solder joints to stay put, so expect to be going into the cable to fix it every now and then.


----------



## ThurstonX

daemonsire said:


> Thanks again for the help on the W2799 recommendation.
> 
> I have a follow-up question now regarding paracord sleeving.  Can you recommend the different sizes of paracord I would need to sleeve the W2799 cable?


 
  
 If you strip the W2799 down to its individual wires, 95 lbs paracord will work.  If you want something slightly looser without being too big, people have reported 250 *275 lbs cord* works well.  This assumes you'll braid it.  You can use 450 *550 lbs cord* for the whole, unstripped W2799, but where's the fun in that?!


----------



## liquidzoo

daemonsire said:


> Thanks again for the help on the W2799 recommendation.
> 
> I have a follow-up question now regarding paracord sleeving.  Can you recommend the different sizes of paracord I would need to sleeve the W2799 cable?




#95 for a tight fit, #250 for a slightly looser (but easier to slide on) fit.

That would be for the individual conductors inside the outer shell. You'd need a techflex sleeve to put over it inside the shell.

_Edit_ ^^ Or, apparently #450 or #550 works for the whole thing. Never knew. I figured it would be too small (it's certainly too small for 2893).


----------



## DaemonSire

thurstonx said:


> If you strip the W2799 down to its individual wires, 95 lbs paracord will work.  If you want something slightly looser without being too big, people have reported 250 lbs cord works well.  This assumes you'll braid it.  You can use 450 lbs cord for the whole, unstripped W2799, but where's the fun in that?!


 
  
  


liquidzoo said:


> #95 for a tight fit, #250 for a slightly looser (but easier to slide on) fit.
> 
> That would be for the individual conductors inside the outer shell. You'd need a techflex sleeve to put over it inside the shell.
> 
> _Edit_ ^^ Or, apparently #450 or #550 works for the whole thing. Never knew. I figured it would be too small (it's certainly too small for 2893).


 
  
 Thanks guys.  I will definitely be stripping it down to the individual wires.
  
 So how many wires would fit in either the #95 or #250?  All 4 wires?


----------



## ThurstonX

Sorry, I'm pretty sure I meant to type *275 lbs* paracord.  Yep, I did: http://paracordplanet.com/paracord/275-paracord/
  
 D'oh! and *550 lbs* for the whole thing, though that's moot for this example.
  
 Corrected.


----------



## ThurstonX

daemonsire said:


> Thanks guys.  I will definitely be stripping it down to the individual wires.
> 
> So how many wires would fit in either the #95 or #250?  All 4 wires?


 
  
 One wire per length of cord, which will give you four (or three, if that's all you need; as with an AKG cable, e.g.) to make the braid.


----------



## DaemonSire

Cool, thanks.  I didn't think the 95 or 250 (275) would be enough for all 4 wires.
  
 So 95 for a tight fit, 275 for a looser fit *per* wire.
  
 550 for all 4 wires.
  
 What size for 2 wires?  And 8 wires?
  

 Sorry for all the questions, just getting everything in order


----------



## liquidzoo

daemonsire said:


> Cool, thanks.  I didn't think the 95 or 250 (275) would be enough for all 4 wires.
> 
> So 95 for a tight fit, 275 for a looser fit *per* wire.
> 
> ...




I wouldn't put 2 in without at least twisting them. 275 would be enough for that I believe.

For 8, I'd sleeve them individually and braid from there. Same with 4, though. Sleeve individually and braid.


----------



## iamabore

I'm sure this has been asked before, but digging around is hard. I did search, but everything was pretty much what I knew already and didn't really answer my question at all, just made me think up even more.
  
 I want to make myself a new cable for my K702's as well as for the DT1770 that's in the mail (I'm so excited). The stock cable is just too large for what I use it for, sitting at my computer with my amp less then 2 feet away from me. I always get caught up on my cable or jut twist it up a whole lot if I do some fancy-work with it.
  
 Right now I'm looking at Neutrik/Rean NYS204 and RT3FC-B as they look nice matched with some Mogami 2534. Right now I don't think I'm gonna sleeve them, just keep the cable at how it looks, but the 2534 has 4 wires wrapped up. As both have a 3-pin XLR would I end up soldering two of the cables to the ground, or just snip one at where I cut the sleeve on both ends and forget it exists?
  
 I ordered a bunch so I'll probably end up splitting some of it and resleeving/braiding it and making a few when I get bored, but mainly just going for a shorter cable that doesn't get in my way as much.
  
 Also never made my own cable, so whatever pointers I could get would be appreciated. The swapped L/R on the K702/Q701 confused me a bit, seems like it just 'happens' from what I was reading, if you got it, you got it otherwise it wasn't a problem.


----------



## liquidzoo

iamabore said:


> I'm sure this has been asked before, but digging around is hard. I did search, but everything was pretty much what I knew already and didn't really answer my question at all, just made me think up even more.
> 
> I want to make myself a new cable for my K702's as well as for the DT1770 that's in the mail (I'm so excited). The stock cable is just too large for what I use it for, sitting at my computer with my amp less then 2 feet away from me. I always get caught up on my cable or jut twist it up a whole lot if I do some fancy-work with it.
> 
> ...




2 wires to the ground, yes.

And yes...AKG does have a nasty habit of reversing the L and R pins (pin 2 and pin 3) so unless you can handle the reversed audio, you'd have to make a separate cable for them.

Mogami 2534 might be a bit thick (and therefore stiff), but you could use 2799 or 2893 instead fairly easily.

Standard pinout:

Pin 1 = Sleeve = Ground
Pin 2 = Ring = Right
Pin 3 = Tip = Left

Can be verified with a multimeter in continuity mode (touch one end to the TRS and poke the other into the XLR end, note when the meter registers continuity)

AKG Pinout (or how I messed up my Beyer rewire  ):

Pin 1 = Ground
Pin 2 = Left
Pin 3 = Right


----------



## DaemonSire

Thanks a lot of the advice @ThurstonX and @liquidzoo
  
 Now I need to learn to braid... besides, it will come in handy when my daughter is a bit older


----------



## Stillhart

iamabore said:


> I'm sure this has been asked before, but digging around is hard. I did search, but everything was pretty much what I knew already and didn't really answer my question at all, just made me think up even more.
> 
> I want to make myself a new cable for my K702's as well as for the DT1770 that's in the mail (I'm so excited). The stock cable is just too large for what I use it for, sitting at my computer with my amp less then 2 feet away from me. I always get caught up on my cable or jut twist it up a whole lot if I do some fancy-work with it.
> 
> ...


 
  
 While I think it's great that you want to make your own cable, I might also suggest you try what I did:  just braid your existing cable.


----------



## liquidzoo

daemonsire said:


> Thanks a lot of the advice @ThurstonX
> and @liquidzoo
> 
> 
> Now I need to learn to braid... besides, it will come in handy when my daughter is a bit older




This might help

http://www.head-fi.org/t/294279/4-wire-litz-braid-round#post_3775401

Or, for 8 wires

http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos/8strand1.htm

3 is easy. Pass each side, left and right, over the center (making it the new center). Alternate left and right each time.


----------



## iamabore

liquidzoo said:


> 2 wires to the ground, yes.
> 
> And yes...AKG does have a nasty habit of reversing the L and R pins (pin 2 and pin 3) so unless you can handle the reversed audio, you'd have to make a separate cable for them.
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks for the reply, I'll look into the wire, have to check the prices and such.
  
  


stillhart said:


> While I think it's great that you want to make your own cable, I might also suggest you try what I did:  just braid your existing cable.


 
 I did that, braided my K702 up a lot, but I end up twisting and turning it up a whole and getting it caught, also I didn't really like how thick it turned out to be.


----------



## liquidzoo

iamabore said:


> Thanks for the reply, I'll look into the wire, have to check the prices and such.
> 
> 
> I did that, braided my K702 up a lot, but I end up twisting and turning it up a whole and getting it caught, also I didn't really like how thick it turned out to be.




http://www.redco.com/Mogami-Quad-Microphone-Cable/

2799 and 2893 are both cheaper per foot than 2534.


----------



## iamabore

liquidzoo said:


> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-Quad-Microphone-Cable/
> 
> 2799 and 2893 are both cheaper per foot than 2534.


 
 I'm buying from a local audio shop and they have ~50m 2534 in stock already from something else and they'll hopefully sell it cheaper there then I can get online with shipping and what not.


----------



## DaemonSire

liquidzoo said:


> This might help
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/294279/4-wire-litz-braid-round#post_3775401
> 
> ...


 
 thanks, will take a look at that.  Too bad the pictures are gone in one of the links from that thread


----------



## liquidzoo

daemonsire said:


> thanks, will take a look at that.  Too bad the pictures are gone in one of the links from that thread




It's pretty easy to do 4 wires as long as you can keep the strands straight as to what step you're on.


----------



## Stillhart

The way I do 4 wires is to pair them up top/bottom and left/right.  Then you just swap top bottom then swap left right, repeat.  The real trick is to make sure you always swap them the same way, so top always goes to the right of bottom and right always goes to the top of left.
  
 EDIT - Just go to youtube and look up a how-to for a round braid.  It's pretty simple.


----------



## ThurstonX

stillhart said:


> While I think it's great that you want to make your own cable, I might also suggest you try what I did:  just braid your existing cable.


 
  
 Your braiding-fu is strong, sensei 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  I could never get those single strand braids to look that nice.  I gave up, bought a DMM, soldering station, and made me some proper cables


----------



## Athur126

Hi does anyone know to wire an ER4 cable with resistance? I want to make an 100ohm cables so my ER4 becomes an S version but idk what kind of resistors to use and how to wire them. Any advice on this?


----------



## Pings

I'm starting to get ready to to a detachable cable and mic mod for my DT770 Pro 250. I was looking for some sort of wiring d*i*agram on how to do this. I found these Lemo connectors online. I going to try and copy Tommyboy's mod here in the pics. Can someone please help me. This will be my 1st headphone mod but I'm a HVAC tech and this seams not so hard to do compared to my day to day. If anyone could help with anything that would be amazing.
  
  


roads said:


> This is my nice Lemo push pull mod and I would like to sell it btw. Its made by Tommyboy.


 
  
 So far I found these for the mod:
  
 Wire: (Mogami W2893 Miniature Quad Microphone Cable)
 Connector: (Lemo 4 Pin Connector)
  
 Looking for:
 Braided sleeve "red and black" and what size.
 Heat shrink and what size.
 What type of 3.5mm Male TRS/TRRS are those?
 A cool looking 1/4 Male TRS.
 Any resources, links, and some sort of wiring d*i*agram would be huge.
 What else would I need, or what have I gotten wrong?


----------



## PETEREK

athur126 said:


> Hi does anyone know to wire an ER4 cable with resistance? I want to make an 100ohm cables so my ER4 becomes an S version but idk what kind of resistors to use and how to wire them. Any advice on this?



I've been looking into how to do this recently too, so more information on this would be sweet.


----------



## WoXxi

Hi everybody !
  
 It's been some years that i want to recable my AKG K518 but i'm afraid to do it because i don't know what to buy and how to do this ! But there in one thing i know : The result.
 I want something that look like this:
  
 
  
 It's a braided Y-cable obviously. Is there a step to step guide to do this kind of cable please? I really need some advices
 or maybe if you know someone who sells that kind of cable in Europe ?
  
 Ath the moment here is the crappy cable of my AKG K518:
  

  
 I will fight until death to replace this cable !


----------



## liquidzoo

Looks like some sort of quad cable (Mogami, Canare, or something similar) with the outer jacker stripped off, then sleeved in a techflex or paracord. The Y-Split is just the 4 wires separated into 2 pairs, probably twisted together.


----------



## WoXxi

liquidzoo said:


> Looks like some sort of quad cable (Mogami, Canare, or something similar) with the outer jacker stripped off, then sleeved in a techflex or paracord. The Y-Split is just the 4 wires separated into 2 pairs, probably twisted together.


 
  
 I think you are right ! i found a description of his work:
  
 - Canare L-4E5C cable
 - minijack plug straight Neutrik
  
 For the Y-split i didn't find a tutorial :/


----------



## liquidzoo

woxxi said:


> You are right ! i found a description of his work:
> 
> - Canare L-4E5C cable
> - minijack plug straight Neutrik
> ...




The Y-Split looks like a couple of layers of heatshrink to me. Possibly adhesive lined, but definitely just heatshrink.


----------



## WoXxi

liquidzoo said:


> The Y-Split looks like a couple of layers of heatshrink to me. Possibly adhesive lined, but definitely just heatshrink.


 
  
 You mean something that look like this post ?


----------



## liquidzoo

woxxi said:


> You mean something that look like this post ?




Exactly.

Smaller pieces, but same principle.


----------



## PETEREK

An easy way to make a nice looking Y-Split is by cutting a piece of siphoning tube (1/4" or so?), filling it with hot glue and then putting heatshrink over it. That's what I do.


----------



## buke9

pings said:


> I'm starting to get ready to to a detachable cable and mic mod for my DT770 Pro 250. I was looking for some sort of wiring d*i*agram on how to do this. I found these Lemo connectors online. I going to try and copy Tommyboy's mod here in the pics. Can someone please help me. This will be my 1st headphone mod but I'm a HVAC tech and this seams not so hard to do compared to my day to day. If anyone could help with anything that would be amazing.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Are these the same type of headphones you are doing? If so try to contact that person for wiring diagram. Really you don't need a diagram as you have to crack open the cans. The picture is too small to identify the connectors for me. It would be nice to know what you are hooking this up to to figure out what it is that you need. I just can't wrap my head around the adapters other than it has a 3.5mm trrs male on the male cable and a female 3.5mm trrs to two 3.5mm trs on the output . Then that sounds fine but what is the need for a 1/4 in trs?


----------



## p90036

ii had some difficulty fitting the mogami 2534 into minixlr ... any idea how i might make it look nicer? (using the same cable & conn... i like the thick cable and the thin connectors...)


----------



## Pings

buke9 said:


> Are these the same type of headphones you are doing? If so try to contact that person for wiring diagram. Really you don't need a diagram as you have to crack open the cans. The picture is too small to identify the connectors for me. It would be nice to know what you are hooking this up to to figure out what it is that you need. I just can't wrap my head around the adapters other than it has a 3.5mm trrs male on the male cable and a female 3.5mm trrs to two 3.5mm trs on the output . Then that sounds fine but what is the need for a 1/4 in trs?


 
  
 It's made by Tommyboy I don't think he's making mods anymore. I tried to email him and nothing. So I've been reading and researching. I came up with this Beyerdynamic DT-990-Pro-250 Mic Mod Pictorial/Diagram. It's a WIP and I still need figure out how to wire it, then color code it. If any could take a few minutes to help me out that would me awesome.
  





  
 I'm going after these mods right here made by Tommyboy.


----------



## esteboune

Hi 
  
 i try to assis Pings in is wiring diagram:
  

  
 in this diagram, you may see that L-, R- and Mic- are merged into 1 single wire.
  
 is it correct and possible?
  
 thanks!


----------



## Pings

esteboune said:


> Hi
> 
> i try to assis Pings in is wiring diagram:
> 
> ...


 
  
 Here is an update of that.


----------



## Arty McGhee

>





> in this diagram, you may see that L-, R- and Mic- are merged into 1 single wire.
> 
> is it correct and possible?
> 
> thanks!


 
 yes
 thats just a common ground wire
 not a problem unless you're planning to go balanced
 its a pretty standard 4 - wire setup with 2 going to the mic
  
 i would practice on a cheap pair first, takstar hi2050 or pro 80
 are cheap and have plenty of room, once you get it right
 you and transfer everything over, better to ruin a $40.00 pair
 first rather than ruin a more expensive pair


----------



## Arty McGhee

p90036 said:


> ii had some difficulty fitting the mogami 2534 into minixlr ... any idea how i might make it look nicer? (using the same cable & conn... i like the thick cable and the thin connectors...)


 
  
   





>


 
 shrink tubing is you're friend
 remove the broken parts and cover with
 3/8" 3:1 adhesive shrink, should look pretty clean


----------



## Pings

arty mcghee said:


> yes
> thats just a common ground wire
> not a problem unless you're planning to go balanced
> its a pretty standard 4 - wire setup with 2 going to the mic
> ...


 
  
 What do you mean by balanced?


----------



## esteboune

pings said:


> What do you mean by balanced?




the opposite. 

Each signal has his own ground.


----------



## buke9

pings said:


> It's made by Tommyboy I don't think he's making mods anymore. I tried to email him and nothing. So I've been reading and researching. I came up with this Beyerdynamic DT-990-Pro-250 Mic Mod Pictorial/Diagram. It's a WIP and I still need figure out how to wire it, then color code it. If any could take a few minutes to help me out that would me awesome.


 
 Still don't know why all the connectors. Here is a cool 1/4" connector http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Furutech-Valab-Oyaide-Shure-Denon-diy-headphone-cable-connector/Eidolic-E-6-3-R-mm-1-4-inch-trs-headphone-phone-connector-silver-carbon. Sorry could not get the link to embed in a single word.


----------



## Pings

esteboune said:


> the opposite.
> 
> Each signal has his own ground.


 
  
 Should it be balanced? Does it even matter with these headphones? Isn't stock unbalanced? Questions!!!


----------



## kuzimoto

Hey guys, so I got some Mogami W2799 and the 95 lbs paracord, got the shielding off and sleeved all four of the conductors with the intention of using all four to make a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. But it seems like all the wires together with sleeving seems a bit thick for one of my connectors, the neutrik NTP3RC-B which supports cables with an outer diameter of 4.5mm. Is there a good method to shoving all the wires in there? It would probably look pretty silly if I were to leave the paracord on the outside of the connector. Otherwise I would probably have to go down to three conductors (though I was trying to stay at four since I liked the look of it more).
  
 I was thinking about using heat-shrink on all of the cables so that they all go to a point and then I could maybe force it through. Can this work, or would it break that rubbery bit on the connector? Any other suggestions?


----------



## liquidzoo

kuzimoto said:


> Hey guys, so I got some Mogami W2799 and the 95 lbs paracord, got the shielding off and sleeved all four of the conductors with the intention of using all four to make a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. But it seems like all the wires together with sleeving seems a bit thick for one of my connectors, the neutrik NTP3RC-B which supports cables with an outer diameter of 4.5mm. Is there a good method to shoving all the wires in there? It would probably look pretty silly if I were to leave the paracord on the outside of the connector. Otherwise I would probably have to go down to three conductors (though I was trying to stay at four since I liked the look of it more).
> 
> I was thinking about using heat-shrink on all of the cables so that they all go to a point and then I could maybe force it through. Can this work, or would it break that rubbery bit on the connector? Any other suggestions?




That would work

Another thing I've done with similar boots is to cut a couple of slits in the end (or just cut the very end of it off) and then cover it with a small bit of adhesive lined heatshrink.


----------



## kuzimoto

liquidzoo said:


> That would work
> 
> Another thing I've done with similar boots is to cut a couple of slits in the end (or just cut the very end of it off) and then cover it with a small bit of adhesive lined heatshrink.


 
  
 Yeah, cutting some slits would probably work well. The rubber seems fairly flexible though so I'll probably try forcing it first.


----------



## Arty McGhee

pings said:


> Should it be balanced? Does it even matter with these headphones? Isn't stock unbalanced? Questions!!!


 
 only if you are running or plan to run balanced gear (dac, amp etc)
 otherwise stick with single ended


----------



## Arty McGhee

kuzimoto said:


> Hey guys, so I got some Mogami W2799 and the 95 lbs paracord, got the shielding off and sleeved all four of the conductors with the intention of using all four to make a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. But it seems like all the wires together with sleeving seems a bit thick for one of my connectors, the neutrik NTP3RC-B which supports cables with an outer diameter of 4.5mm. Is there a good method to shoving all the wires in there? It would probably look pretty silly if I were to leave the paracord on the outside of the connector. Otherwise I would probably have to go down to three conductors (though I was trying to stay at four since I liked the look of it more).
> 
> I was thinking about using heat-shrink on all of the cables so that they all go to a point and then I could maybe force it through. Can this work, or would it break that rubbery bit on the connector? Any other suggestions?


 
  
 i've had good luck shortening this connector and using 3/8" 3:1 adhesive shrink to hold it all together


----------



## kuzimoto

arty mcghee said:


> i've had good luck shortening this connector and using 3/8" 3:1 adhesive shrink to hold it all together


 
  
 Looks like that turned out pretty good. I'm guessing you left out that bit of plastic that sits inside the housing?


----------



## Arty McGhee

kuzimoto said:


> Looks like that turned out pretty good. I'm guessing you left out that bit of plastic that sits inside the housing?


 
 its in there but its cut short


----------



## Pings

arty mcghee said:


> only if you are running or plan to run balanced gear (dac, amp etc)
> otherwise stick with single ended


 

 Yes I got a Schiit Stack coming.
  
 OK I think I got it. The only thing that will be unbalanced is the mic. So I can just buy a unidirectional mic and a mono TS connector.


----------



## liquidzoo

pings said:


> Yes I got a Schiit Stack coming.
> 
> OK I think I got it. The only thing that will be unbalanced is the mic. So I can just buy a unidirectional mic and a mono TS connector.




Which Schiit stack?

Not all of their stuff is balanced.


----------



## Arty McGhee

pings said:


> Yes I got a Schiit Stack coming.
> 
> OK I think I got it. The only thing that will be unbalanced is the mic. So I can just buy a unidirectional mic and a mono TS connector.


 
 if its the modi/magni its single ended
  
 i run the modi/vali and dig it very much


----------



## Pings

liquidzoo said:


> Which Schiit stack?
> 
> Not all of their stuff is balanced.


 
  
 The Modi 2/Magni 2 is what I'm looking at.
  


arty mcghee said:


> if its the modi/magni its single ended
> 
> i run the modi/vali and dig it very much


 
  
 I'm going to buy it Friday. Should I go with the Vali over the over the Magni 2? I'm about 50 dollars under budget too.
  
  
  
  
 I found a solution for a unidirectional mic. I just bought a Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW Microphone so that's what I'm going to use as the mic for the mod.


----------



## ThurstonX

pings said:


> The Modi 2/Magni 2 is what I'm looking at.
> 
> I'm going to buy it Friday. Should I go with the Vali over the over the Magni 2? I'm about 50 dollars under budget too.
> 
> I found a solution for a unidirectional mic. I just bought a Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW Microphone so that's what I'm going to use as the mic for the mod.


 
  
 If I've followed this correctly, there is no balanced cable for you, as your amp and source are not balanced in their outputs.  Google is your friend here, so I won't belabor the point.
  
 You can wire your cans to be balanced, a la a pair of HiFiMAN planars or whatever, that terminate in a single-ended plug, which will go into your single-ended Schiit amp.  The nice thing about cans wired that way is that they are converted fairly easily to a balanced termination, should you ever get a balanced rig.  One popular method of cabling (in anticipation of a balanced amp) is to terminate the cans to a 4-pin XLR plug, and have two "adapters" that attach it to the amps.  One "adapter" is single-ended (generally 6.35mm/quarter-inch), while the other is balanced (per whatever the amp requires), most commonly XLR.  With those "adapters" the cans and "root" cable can be used interchangeably with both single-ended and balanced amps.
  
 Pretty sure I've got that right, but if corrections or clarifications are required, please do so.


----------



## Pings

thurstonx said:


> If I've followed this correctly, there is no balanced cable for you, as your amp and source are not balanced in their outputs.  Google is your friend here, so I won't belabor the point.
> 
> You can wire your cans to be balanced, a la a pair of HiFiMAN planars or whatever, that terminate in a single-ended plug, which will go into your single-ended Schiit amp.  The nice thing about cans wired that way is that they are converted fairly easily to a balanced termination, should you ever get a balanced rig.  One popular method of cabling (in anticipation of a balanced amp) is to terminate the cans to a 4-pin XLR plug, and have two "adapters" that attach it to the amps.  One "adapter" is single-ended (generally 6.35mm/quarter-inch), while the other is balanced (per whatever the amp requires), most commonly XLR.  With those "adapters" the cans and "root" cable can be used interchangeably with both single-ended and balanced amps.
> 
> Pretty sure I've got that right, but if corrections or clarifications are required, please do so.


 
  
 Thanks of the info. I got confused on my question and here we are. Learned much though. To go balanced with mod I'm planing out would mean I would need some kind of 6 pin connector. 6 Pins, 3 grounds on in the inside the cup with that little space would be super tough. I think I'll stick with 4 pins for this setup.


----------



## liquidzoo

pings said:


> Thanks of the info. I got confused on my question and here we are. Learned much though. To go balanced with mod I'm planing out would mean I would need some kind of 6 pin connector. 6 Pins, 3 grounds on in the inside the cup with that little space would be super tough. I think I'll stick with 4 pins for this setup.




Balanced would be 4 pins. + and - for each of the L and R signal, but it would require a balanced source.


----------



## Pings

liquidzoo said:


> Balanced would be 4 pins. + and - for each of the L and R signal, but it would require a balanced source.


 
  
 + a mono mic mod. Would be 6 pins. Then split into a TS, and 4 pin XLR, but I'm not doing that. I'm going to do 4 pin unbalanced.


----------



## PETEREK

I totally understand why a detachable mic is cool, but why not just do a 3.5mm detachable mod and use a V-moda boompro mic+cable? That's what I have done to my DT990 32-ohm.


----------



## Pings

peterek said:


> I totally understand why a detachable mic is cool, but why not just do a 3.5mm detachable mod and use a V-moda boompro mic+cable? That's what I have done to my DT990 32-ohm.




That was my 1st idea, even though about sleeving that too. I'm going with a black a red themem. Getting red ear pads, red head cushion, red behind the gril, red cable, and with black connections.


----------



## PETEREK

pings said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > I totally understand why a detachable mic is cool, but why not just do a 3.5mm detachable mod and use a V-moda boompro mic+cable? That's what I have done to my DT990 32-ohm.
> ...


 
 I blacked mine out and used some BTG Audio copper for the right channel in a 4-wire braid (just for looks, because...look at it). I have used many headphones for gaming, and this is the best a headset can be (*IMO*). I can use them just for music with a 3.5mm detachable cable, and with the boompro mic + cable, and if (I won't) I ever want to sell them, I won't have to explain what that other jack is for.
  
   
  
 BTW, thanks ahead of time for all the cable management compliments that I know I'll be receiving


----------



## Pings

I don't like the look of the V-moda BoomPro Mic. It looks cheese to me. Beside I bought a Audio-Technica PRO-8HEMW Headworn Microphone for the headset mod. If I'm going to dump this type of money into my headset I might as well go big.


----------



## PETEREK

pings said:


> I don't like the look of the V-moda BoomPro Mic. It looks cheese to me. Beside I bought a Audio-Technica PRO-8HEMW Headworn Microphone for the headset mod. If I'm going to dump this type of money into my headset I might as well go big.


 
 Hey, they're *you're *headphones after all. Good luck with the modding, update us with the finished product when you're done!


----------



## Pings

Do I have to use the sleeve for the ground on cable mod or can I just any extra wire in the strand? Also what wire should I use to rewire the inside of the headphones?


----------



## liquidzoo

pings said:


> Do I have to use the sleeve for the ground on cable mod or can I just any extra wire in the strand? Also what wire should I use to rewire the inside of the headphones?




Any wire (I use 2 of the 4 cores of the Mogami 2799 or 2893 that I use for the recable job). You can use small sections of your quad core wire for the inside of the headphones as well, just make sure it's not too stiff (I ended up damaging my DT770s by using wire that was too stiff).


----------



## Pings

liquidzoo said:


> Any wire (I use 2 of the 4 cores of the Mogami 2799 or 2893 that I use for the recable job). You can use small sections of your quad core wire for the inside of the headphones as well, just make sure it's not too stiff (I ended up damaging my DT770s by using wire that was too stiff).


 
  
 OK just making sure before I go to town. Still waiting on the shipping a few things though. Damn! Got any links for wire that is better suited for the wire inside the cups?


----------



## liquidzoo

pings said:


> OK just making sure before I go to town. Still waiting on the shipping a few things though. Damn! Got any links for wire that is better suited for the wire inside the cups?




The cores from the Mogami 2893 you mentioned at first will work.


----------



## Pings

liquidzoo said:


> The cores from the Mogami 2893 you mentioned at first will work.


 
  
 OK. So those are not the wires that damaged you DT770s? Did you ever fix them?


----------



## liquidzoo

pings said:


> OK. So those are not the wires that damaged you DT770s? Did you ever fix them?




No, the ones that did the damage had thicker insulation and were much stiffer (I want to say Canare L-4E5C or L-4E6S), the ones I used when I fixed them were Mogami W2893 (yes I fixed them with the help of TrollDragon, but it was tough. Be careful desoldering the existing wires).


----------



## Pings

liquidzoo said:


> No, the ones that did the damage had thicker insulation and were much stiffer (I want to say Canare L-4E5C or L-4E6S), the ones I used when I fixed them were Mogami W2893 (yes I fixed them with the help of @TrollDragon, but it was tough. Be careful desoldering the existing wires).


 
  
 Not pressing too hard, over heating kind of thing? Any advice is needed.


----------



## liquidzoo

pings said:


> Not pressing too hard, over heating kind of thing? Any advice is needed.




Don't keep the heat on any longer than you have to. The heat will transfer from the pegs to the plastic housing of the driver very quickly. If you get any movement in the pegs at all, very carefully inspect underneath between the peg and the driver for a hair thin wire and make sure it's still attached (it's a total and royal pain to fix if it breaks), but only do so after you have waited long enough for the housing and post to cool off.

And yes, don't press too hard. A light touch to the existing solder is all that should be needed. Pull lightly on the wire as you apply the heat. As soon as the wire moves, remove the iron (even if you don't get the wire all the way off in one try) and let the post cool completely.


----------



## buke9

Finally had time to finish my balanced cables for my Alpha Dogs. Will get to hear them on a Prototype Liquid Carbon next weekend as mine will not be done till November .


----------



## smaragd

@buke9 Clean job! neat!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## buke9

smaragd said:


> @buke9 Clean job! neat!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 
 Thanks


----------



## kenman345

anyone got any nice recommendations for Right Angle RCA plugs? I keep finding questionable ones or ones that are not gold plated
  
 I would like ones that will be good quality with Gold Plated pin


----------



## funch

http://www.cardas.com/grno.php


----------



## kenman345

funch said:


> http://www.cardas.com/grno.php


 
 That sticks out quite a bit though, its extended on the end and I am looking for Right Angle plugs to help push a DAC back a little against a wall. The less height the better, or a reasonable depth would be nice, but that Cardas one isnt that great.
  
  
 Anyone used theses before? http://amzn.com/B0116F37LQ


----------



## esteboune

buke9 said:


> Finally had time to finish my balanced cables for my Alpha Dogs. Will get to hear them on a Prototype Liquid Carbon next weekend as mine will not be done till November .


 
  
 impressive
  
 well done!
  
 can you zoom on the braid please?


----------



## smaragd

kenman345 said:


> anyone got any nice recommendations for Right Angle RCA plugs? I keep finding questionable ones or ones that are not gold plated
> 
> I would like ones that will be good quality with Gold Plated pin




Switch craft has a fairly good reputation:

http://www.switchcraft.com/productsummary.aspx?Parent=1005


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## buke9

esteboune said:


> impressive
> 
> well done!
> 
> can you zoom on the braid please?


 
 Thanks .I did a 4 wire round braid to the cans and a 4 wire braid with pairs to the connector. I wasn't liking the look of the 8 wire braid so I paired a silver and copper together.


----------



## esteboune

buke9 said:


> Thanks .I did a 4 wire round braid to the cans and a 4 wire braid with pairs to the connector. I wasn't liking the look of the 8 wire braid so I paired a silver and copper together.


 
  
 very good.
  
 weel done


----------



## moneyhor

I'm planning to make an adapter to be able to use my Audeze cables for my Alpha Dogs, I was wondering if a Canare L-4E6S (21 AWG) will suffice or a 4-wire or 8 wire braided Mogami 2799 at 26 AWG? Also where can I find information on the pinouts? This is pretty much my first time soldering and I feel pretty nervous about it. I was also thinking of sleeving it with some paracord or something just to make it look low profile. Can anyone tell me what size the paracord should be?

 Thank you.


----------



## PETEREK

moneyhor said:


> I'm planning to make an adapter to be able to use my Audeze cables for my Alpha Dogs, I was wondering if a Canare L-4E6S (21 AWG) will suffice or a 4-wire or 8 wire braided Mogami 2799 at 26 AWG? Also where can I find information on the pinouts? This is pretty much my first time soldering and I feel pretty nervous about it. I was also thinking of sleeving it with some paracord or something just to make it look low profile. Can anyone tell me what size the paracord should be?
> 
> 
> Thank you.



You should just go with 4 wires of W2799 on each side. You could even use 2 if you wanted to. Canare isn't quite as flexible, so I wouldn't use that. That's just my preference. 
The sleeve size would be 550 paracord OR 1/8" techflex nylon multifilament for 2 wires and 3/16" techflex nylon multifilament for 4 wires.


----------



## esteboune

Hello!
  
 my collection of HeadFi equipment is increasing steadily !
 The problem is that i have now 4 different Headphone OUT on my different DAPs, Amps, etc...
  
 1. Regular desktop Amp: Output TRS 6.3mm
 2. Regular DAP: Output TRS 3.5
 3. Sony ZX2: Output TRRS 3.5
 4. Alo Audio CDM: Output TRRS 2.5
  
 I re-cabled all my headphones and earphones, some of them are TRRS, 3.5, 2.5... It is a mess!!!
  
 My plan is the following:
  
 all my headphones cable terminated with REAL tiny XLR Male 4 pins
  


 then i do 4 adapters:
  
 REAL tiny XLR Female 4 pins to TRS 6.3mm
 REAL tiny XLR Female 4 pins to TRS 3.5mm
 REAL tiny XLR Female 4 pins to TRRS 3.5mm
 REAL tiny XLR Female 4 pins to TRRS 2.5mm
  


 It will work for sure.
 But i'm wondering if it my weaken the sound quality.
  
 for exemple, on the audeze LCD2, i will have 1 connection in the cup (mini XLR), 1 connection with the adapter (mini XLR), 1 connection with the termination jack.
  
 is it too much?
 Will it affect the sound?
 durability?
  
 Thanks for your thoughts !


----------



## BoomBox

esteboune said:


> But i'm wondering if it my weaken the sound quality.
> 
> for exemple, on the audeze LCD2, i will have 1 connection in the cup (mini XLR), 1 connection with the adapter (mini XLR), 1 connection with the termination jack.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Sound quality, if your soldering joints are good, your wiring is well shielded and your connectors well built, if there is a degradation you won't hear it. 
  
  
 Durability, depends entirely on how rough you are with it I suppose. A small extension cable would probably be the most durable, and put the least strain on any source device you'll plug it into....
  
 Of course building the female connection into the back of a male plug for an adapter is also an option, similar to these: http://www.head-fi.org/t/661897/mini-balanced-to-3-5mm-adapter-in-my-way/30 , however depending on how heavy your plugs are it may or may not put too much strain on the source device's plugs. 
  
  
 Also in personal opinion, it might be better off terminating with a 4 pin Auto-IRIS plug (over the mini-xlr) and converting from there. You may eventually run into a source device that has it.


----------



## rmoody

buke9 said:


> Finally had time to finish my balanced cables for my Alpha Dogs. Will get to hear them on a Prototype Liquid Carbon next weekend as mine will not be done till November .


 
 Did you bring that to Nashville? I would have loved to see that! I'll holler at you next meet.
  
 How did they do on the Ether C? I'm 1/3 of the way towards saving for mine, gosh they were awesome.
  
 Which wires did you use on this? And where did you obtain them?


----------



## buke9

rmoody said:


> Did you bring that to Nashville? I would have loved to see that! I'll holler at you next meet.
> 
> How did they do on the Ether C? I'm 1/3 of the way towards saving for mine, gosh they were awesome.
> 
> Which wires did you use on this? And where did you obtain them?


 
 I screwed up the left side so I could not use them I was one pin off should have looked at it closer. I don't have a balanced amp (still waiting on the Liquid Carbon) to check them out. Hopefully it will be here about the same time I get my Ether C's. One can hope until then I'll be making an adapter for them as I believe the LC won't be done this year really. The silver plate is from China the supplier on eBay doesn't carry it any more. It was 24 awg silver plated ofc copper and I found some occ silver plated copper from someone else for $1.50 a foot. The copper is Double Helix Nucleotide at $2.25 a foot. Not real cheap stuff but I do think it is better than Mogami or Cardas mic cable YMMV. Norne audio also has 22 awg upocc copper for $1.23 a foot just remembered.


----------



## buke9

Balanced to 1/4 in. adapter.

 Ready for the Ether C's.


----------



## flaminius

Which paracord would you guys prefer for sleeving Mogami W2893 cables individually? 95 or 275 ?


----------



## PETEREK

flaminius said:


> Which paracord would you guys prefer for sleeving Mogami W2893 cables individually? 95 or 275 ?


 
 Type 1 paracord


----------



## liquidzoo

flaminius said:


> Which paracord would you guys prefer for sleeving Mogami W2893 cables individually? 95 or 275 ?







peterek said:


> Type 1 paracord




Type 1 or 95 lb. I think it's the same thing, depending on where you buy it.

Wikipedia says they're the same: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_cord

Amazon calls theirs "Type 1 95 lb Paracord"


----------



## PETEREK

liquidzoo said:


> flaminius said:
> 
> 
> > Which paracord would you guys prefer for sleeving Mogami W2893 cables individually? 95 or 275 ?
> ...


 
 Bologna, I'm going to change it.


----------



## fourrobert13

Well, I just pulled the trigger and got some cable and connectors from Redco.  I guess I'm going to attempt to make a new cable for my modified Grado SR60e headphones.  I recently did a detachable cable mod on them and used rca females in the cans themselves.  Most manufactured rca to 3.5mm cables come in standard lengths of 3', 6, 10', 12' etc. and 3' is to short and I didn't like the extremely long cable that came with the Grados so I need something in the middle.  I've got a design in my head and need to get it on paper before I forget.  4' is the magic length for me, so that's the goal of the new cable.  I ordered some Techflex sleeving, but I may go another route...still on the fence with this one.  I'll try to remember to post a pic of my finished product.  Everything should arrive this week, so I'll get started on the project so enough.


----------



## Jeangenie

Im very frustrated, i'm trying to fish BTG wire through 275 paracord and I keep getting stuck at the 1/3 point (6 feet), I don't know what to do. I've been going at it for 2 hours now. any tips?


----------



## Zibigan

I have never done this for headphone cabling; however, I feel like it shouldn't be any different. When sleeving a lot of wire that is a tight fit in the sleeving material, I would get a length of wire that easily slides through the sleeving material and solder that wire to the larger wire. All that would be left to do is push the small wire through the sleeving material and then pull the larger wire through using the smaller wire from the other end. YMMV, but it has worked for me in the past.


----------



## buke9

jeangenie said:


> Im very frustrated, i'm trying to fish BTG wire through 275 paracord and I keep getting stuck at the 1/3 point (6 feet), I don't know what to do. I've been going at it for 2 hours now. any tips?


 
 Are you just trying to push it thru? If so try inch worming it thru. I take it your using the 26 awg wire and I have put Mogami 26 awg wire in 275 with a little work .


----------



## Jeangenie

Yeah I've been pushing it through. How do you inch it through?


----------



## buke9

You want to hold the the wire through the paracord a little back from the end of the wire then bunch up the paracord over the the end of the wire then pinch the end of the wire and pull the bunch over the trailing part of wire. Once you get the hang of it it will go pretty quick.


----------



## Arty McGhee

jeangenie said:


> Yeah I've been pushing it through. How do you inch it through?


 
 think inchworm, or like when you lose the drawstring on your sweats, push and pull a 1/2" or so at a time
  
  


zibigan said:


> I have never done this for headphone cabling; however, I feel like it shouldn't be any different. When sleeving a lot of wire that is a tight fit in the sleeving material, I would get a length of wire that easily slides through the sleeving material and solder that wire to the larger wire. All that would be left to do is push the small wire through the sleeving material and then pull the larger wire through using the smaller wire from the other end. YMMV, but it has worked for me in the past.


 
 this works best with teflon insulated wire keep solder joint very straight, use very little solder and sand it smooth with an emery board
 so it doesn't hang, be patient you'll end up with an awesome cable i really like the mogami 26 awg, 275 paracord combo


----------



## cpdelc

Hi everyone,
  
 I'm having trouble repairing my AIAIAI Tracks headphones cable here. It's got mic and volume control, makes it harder to figure out which wire goes where (and the colour-coded wire is on different colour than the one in Apple's Earpod). Is there anyone here with knowledge of repairing TRRS jacks?
  
 Anyway, here are the colours of the wires:
 Red - Copper (twist)
 Blue
 Green
 Copper with Film-Protected Red Wire inside
 Green - Copper (twist)
  
  Any help would be appreciated, cheers!


----------



## jjacq

How do I go about making a cable like this for a 3.5mm detachable cable AKG k553? I was under the impression that you can't go single ended to balanced? I'd like it to be RSA terminated.


----------



## PETEREK

jjacq said:


> How do I go about making a cable like this for a 3.5mm detachable cable AKG k553? I was under the impression that you can't go single ended to balanced? I'd like it to be RSA terminated.


 
 You'd have to use a TRRS 3.5mm female inside the headphones to support 4-pole 3.5mm connectors, and then use RSA on the other end of the cable. You have to use 4 wires.


----------



## jjacq

peterek said:


> You'd have to use a TRRS 3.5mm female inside the headphones to support 4-pole 3.5mm connectors, and then use RSA on the other end of the cable. You have to use 4 wires.




Thanks for the reply. Assuming the seller I bought my headphones from used this guide,

http://www.head-fi.org/t/764773/how-to-akg-k553-pro-detachable-cable-mod-and-for-k550-and-k551-lot-of-images

The second page says that it's already done as TRRS which doesn't require you to open one side. Does this mean I just need the 4 pole TRRS to RSA cable or am I still not off the hook?


----------



## PETEREK

jjacq said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > You'd have to use a TRRS 3.5mm female inside the headphones to support 4-pole 3.5mm connectors, and then use RSA on the other end of the cable. You have to use 4 wires.
> ...


 
 If he used TRRS on one side you should be set as long as it's wired properly. Make sure to connect a 3.5mm TRRS male into the headphones without any wires connected to it and then use a multimeter to make sure you connect the right signal to the right ground on the RSA end, basically just double-check his wiring.


----------



## buke9

jjacq said:


> How do I go about making a cable like this for a 3.5mm detachable cable AKG k553? I was under the impression that you can't go single ended to balanced? I'd like it to be RSA terminated.


 
 There is no problem listening to single ended from a balanced output. So you can make the cables by connecting the balanced neg together. With the RSA termination.


----------



## PETEREK

buke9 said:


> jjacq said:
> 
> 
> > How do I go about making a cable like this for a 3.5mm detachable cable AKG k553? I was under the impression that you can't go single ended to balanced? I'd like it to be RSA terminated.
> ...


 
 Actually, I think it can be harmful to the source that the balanced output is part of in some cases. It isn't harmful to use a balanced cable with a single ended adapter with a single ended source, it ISN'T a good idea to use a single ended headphone with a balanced source.


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> Actually, I think it can be harmful to the source that the balanced output is part of in some cases. It isn't harmful to use a balanced cable with a single ended adapter with a single ended source, it ISN'T a good idea to use a single ended headphone with a balanced source.


 
 Where do you get your information from ? I haven't tried it but everything I read is that it is OK but I might be wrong.


----------



## PETEREK

buke9 said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > Actually, I think it can be harmful to the source that the balanced output is part of in some cases. It isn't harmful to use a balanced cable with a single ended adapter with a single ended source, it ISN'T a good idea to use a single ended headphone with a balanced source.
> ...


 
 I've just seen things mentioned multiple times about damage occurring being possible, like in the link below.
  
 https://lhlabs.freshdesk.com/facebook/support/solutions/articles/5000634421-geek-out-v2-user-manual-
  
  
  
*"**Single Ended And Balanced Outputs*
 
Geek Out V2 features two audio outputs. A 1/8”/3.5mm single-ended (TRS) output, as well as a 1/8”/3.5mm balanced (TRRS) output.
 
The Single-Ended Output is indicated with a "SE" mark above the headphone jack. A "BAL" for Balanced output is indicated above the jack that is directly under the USB port. It is not recommended to use a Single-ended (TRS) 3.5mm jack for the balanced output and will not be covered under warranty if damage occurs. By incorporating a TRRS to XLR cable, the Geek Out V2 can be connected to a home stereo system in full balanced mode.
 
*V2 Pin-out Diagram:*
 





 
*"*


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> I've just seen things mentioned multiple times about damage occurring being possible, like in the link below.
> 
> https://lhlabs.freshdesk.com/facebook/support/solutions/articles/5000634421-geek-out-v2-user-manual-
> 
> ...


 
 Like I said I could be wrong. I have read that it is ok and that it will damage the amp. Then the best bet is not to do it.


----------



## fourrobert13

Just finished it a few minutes ago. My new cable for my modified Grados. It's 4', W2893 cable, covered in Techflex.


----------



## Jeangenie

So i made my first Hifiman cable; and there is absolutely no sound. I used a multimeter and touched it against the L/R connector and the 1/4 jack and it makes a sound. What am i doing wrong?


----------



## PETEREK

jeangenie said:


> So i made my first Hifiman cable; and there is absolutely no sound. I used a multimeter and touched it against the L/R connector and the 1/4 jack and it makes a sound. What am i doing wrong?



You probably have the positive solder points in the Hifiman connectors partially soldered to the ground. Those Hifiman connectors are tricky to do right. Look for any solder linking the positive to the rest of the connector surrounding it. That will be your problem.


----------



## buke9

jeangenie said:


> So i made my first Hifiman cable; and there is absolutely no sound. I used a multimeter and touched it against the L/R connector and the 1/4 jack and it makes a sound. What am i doing wrong?


 
 Check both the pos and neg sides together as PETEREK said you could have neg and pos touching in some way. It doesn't take much to ground it out. Make sure that you don't have continuity on the tip but to the Left pos and nothing else. And for the rest of the connections.


----------



## Jeangenie

so i think that might be the problem


peterek said:


> You probably have the positive solder points in the Hifiman connectors partially soldered to the ground. Those Hifiman connectors are tricky to do right. Look for any solder linking the positive to the rest of the connector surrounding it. That will be your problem.


 

 so i think thats probably the problem, I tried using a solder sucker to clean it up, but it doesn't look like its getting all of it.
 I placed an order for soldering braid and another set of connectors in case the soldering braid doesn't cut it.


----------



## Shensmobile

Hey guys, new to Head-Fi but am familiar with cable making (do it for work).

 I'm looking to make a new sleeved and unbalanced headphone cable for my DT990's and AKG k240s.  I'm wondering what you think about these cable choices:
  
 http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=57 (Braided shield, cotton sleeve internally, cotton filled)
 http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=59 (Foiled, drain wire)
 http://www.rpelectronics.com/aud-34.html (Generic cable, copper wrap shield[not braided])
  
 I can acquire these locally for a reasonable price. 
  
 The L-2T2S is quite a large cable, so I plan on stripping the insulation off and putting paracord sleeving over the braid.  For the other two cables, I'll see if I can just fit the cable (in its entirety) underneath paracord as well.
  
 The question is, would the L-2T2S be worth it over the other two?  I've heard people say that since headphones are a low impedance termination, headphone cables are not very susceptible to noise.  I still like it because it has cotton filler which will reduce the capacitive coupling changes when the cable moves.  Would I be able to tell the difference over the other two cables?
  
 Also, would paracord 550 sleeving fit over a 4mm diameter cable without much trouble?
  
 Thanks for the advice everybody!


----------



## medleyman30

Hi! I've read about half of this thread so far and think I've gathered enough info to build a replacement headphone cable for my hifiman he 560s. 

My plan so far: 

4ft braided cable using paracord 1 to sleeve the 4 individual conductors terminated with 1/8th connector and smc adapters for the headphone side. 

My questions are these: is the dhc nucleotide cable really worth the price at 2.25/ft? If I go mogami ofc wire, will it be downgrading from the stock headphone cable?

Lastly, which connector would you all recommend between neutrik rean, pallic, dhc elite or viablue for the 1/8th connector?

Thanks dor the info!


----------



## buke9

medleyman30 said:


> Hi! I've read about half of this thread so far and think I've gathered enough info to build a replacement headphone cable for my hifiman he 560s.
> 
> My plan so far:
> 
> ...


 
 I think the nucleotide sounds better than magami but is it worth the money I don't know that would be up to you. It is great to work with just got to watch the heat on it as the pe will melt fairly easy. for connectors I had to ream out the Rean connector in order to get 4 #275 paracords into it. They do make a fat connector that will fit them with room to spare. The normal Rean is like 4.5 mm and the fat one is 8 mm. I have the DHC Elite and they are 6 mm and Eidolic are the same. I don't know about Palic never used them. The one thing about DHC and Eidolic is they are case friendly and the Reans are not so much . The small one is not too bad but the big one is.
 I'm not going to spend big money on connectors to tell which sounds better as I don't think any you mentioned would sound much different from the other . Then it goes to looks and usability. Cables and wire can start a very heated debate. I like my hybrid cables (copper and silver plate copper) but that is me ymmv. If they don't sound better to others is fine I like them because I made them. I made a set of silver plated for my Alpha Dogs they sound good but the paracord wrap is just too microphonic. I can't see better wire and bigger gauge being a bad thing. I just like making cables and going to try different wire soon. I hope this helps somewhat.


----------



## Arty McGhee

medleyman30 said:


> Hi! I've read about half of this thread so far and think I've gathered enough info to build a replacement headphone cable for my hifiman he 560s.
> 
> My plan so far:
> 
> ...


 
 i don't think there's anything about the nucleotide that could make it sound better
 they are both high quality copper mogami = .20 cents a foot vs. $2.25 a foot
 save your money or better yet buy some of each and see for yourself
 i use the rean connectors ($1.25 ea) and ream them out with a drill, pretty simple
  
 especially if its your first cable it may not come out so good, so i would practice on some
 cheaper stuff until you have something you like, then get fancy


----------



## uncola

so I'm going to make my first xlr cable.. I've done a few rca before.  I notice people use a small piece of heatshrink to cover the solder cups in the xlr connector after they solder it.. some people do all 3, but I saw one person only do the ground.  is there a best way to do it?  should I just cover the solder cup for the ground wire with heatshrink?


----------



## buke9

uncola said:


> so I'm going to make my first xlr cable.. I've done a few rca before.  I notice people use a small piece of heatshrink to cover the solder cups in the xlr connector after they solder it.. some people do all 3, but I saw one person only do the ground.  is there a best way to do it?  should I just cover the solder cup for the ground wire with heatshrink?I


 
 You can use it or not that is up to you. With xlr you connections are far enough away I don't think you need it. If you want to be sure then go ahead and add it.


----------



## Pingupenguins

buke9 said:


> You can use it or not that is up to you. With xlr you connections are far enough away I don't think you need it. If you want to be sure then go ahead and add it.


 
  
 What he said. 
  
 There's no real need to do it, but its an extra safety measure if you really want it. Could make for a very over built cable!


----------



## uncola

Thanks for the advice guys, I tried it but I stripped the outer jacket only a teeny little bit to avoid overly long conductors so the drain wire was too short to fit any heatshrink over it so I skipped it.  Man, xlr connectors are so easy to work with.  
 Things I learned to always do:
 always pre-tin solder cup and conductors
 always put a little solder on the tip of the soldering iron before trying to heat up something, it makes heat conduct way faster to the solder cup
 triple check the xlr pinout and don't forget neutrik cups face down so you have to flip the xlr connector upside down and pin 1 and 2 are reversed from the rear pinout in this picture


Pin 1: Shield / Ground​
Pin 2: Positive - red​
Pin 3: Negative - white or black​

 also I learned how to put the optional colored ring accessory onto the neutrik xlrs

 anyway my cables came out great, I used neutrik nc3mxx-bag and nc3fxx-bag and dh labs bl-1 silver plated copper cable.. it has 2 conductors, foil shield and drain wire.. silver plated copper 20 awg


----------



## buke9

uncola said:


> Thanks for the advice guys, I tried it but I stripped the outer jacket only a teeny little bit to avoid overly long conductors so the drain wire was too short to fit any heatshrink over it so I skipped it.  Man, xlr connectors are so easy to work with.
> Things I learned to always do:
> always pre-tin solder cup and conductors
> always put a little solder on the tip of the soldering iron before trying to heat up something, it makes heat conduct way faster to the solder cup
> ...




 Looks good. The things you found out to do first are spot on.


----------



## branchless

Hi - first post, pretty ignorant so apologies.
  
 I have a pair of audio technica ATH-ES7s. I've been really happy with them. Then the right can stopped working.
  
 I've opened up both cans, on the right side I connected a 3.5mm jack from an audio source onto the driver connects - sound comes back.
  
 Conclusion: rhs wire is broken somewhere along the length of the cable.
  
 The cable has 3 wires -  green / red / copper as left/right/ground respectively.
  
 The driver end looks like this:
  
 http://i.imgur.com/XO1GCD7.jpg
  
 Not an amazing pic - two wires are red and copper on the right can. I assume the copper splits as the ground and the other can has green and copper.
  
 Ok onto the question - I figured this was an opportunity to improve my ES7s. I came up with 2 ideas:
  
 1. replace the cable with a better one - where to buy a male split cable of good quality? Don't want to make my own
  
 2. put jacks into the cans and have a detachable cable. I can see two challenges with this, first is getting a small enough jack into each can, second is getting a male to male split cable to plug into it. Does anyone know if such jacks hardware exists and if such cabling exists off the shelf?
  
 Apologies for what are likely basic questions and if I've missed out information please tell me.


----------



## kriztolized

What do you guys recommend for durable IEM cable for the likes of the Shure se846, flexible, low microphics, durable, etc are important


----------



## syntheticfish

Hey guys, I made a new cable for my HD600s a few months back but the connector to one of the cardas connectors has come loose. I'm looking for a better way of adding in some strain relief than just heat shrink. I was looking through some old threads and saw a discussion on using a hot glue gun or even epoxy to seal the cable into the connector after soldering. Is this a good idea? any drawback other than the fact that it would be permanent! Any other good ideas?
  
 Thanks for your help!


----------



## buke9

syntheticfish said:


> Hey guys, I made a new cable for my HD600s a few months back but the connector to one of the cardas connectors has come loose. I'm looking for a better way of adding in some strain relief than just heat shrink. I was looking through some old threads and saw a discussion on using a hot glue gun or even epoxy to seal the cable into the connector after soldering. Is this a good idea? any drawback other than the fact that it would be permanent! Any other good ideas?
> 
> Thanks for your help!


 
 I use hot glue as it is not permanent as epoxy would be. If a cable goes bad you can dig it out if you need to.


----------



## branchless

Hi
  
 I have a pair of audio technica ES7 broken right can cable somewhere along the cable. I can connect straight into the solder points on the driver and get output.
  
 ES7 aren't big cans. Any comments on:
  
 1. simply getting a replacement cable  like this: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5102. Any comments on quality / supplier?
  
 2. putting jacks into the cans to allow for detachable cables


----------



## kookoo

branchless said:


> Hi
> 
> I have a pair of audio technica ES7 broken right can cable somewhere along the cable. I can connect straight into the solder points on the driver and get output.
> 
> ...


 

 Your choice really, but either way you will have to open up the cans and desolder the joint.
 I have modded my ESW9 to take in a mmcx jack, hop onto the ESW9 thread to see what's been happening


----------



## buke9

branchless said:


> Hi
> 
> I have a pair of audio technica ES7 broken right can cable somewhere along the cable. I can connect straight into the solder points on the driver and get output.
> 
> ...


 
 Can't comment on quality or supplier. What I will say it will be hard to buy the items yourself and build it much cheaper than that.


----------



## branchless

Thanks kookoo, I see this here is very interesting:
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/524036/audio-technica-ath-esw9-and-ath-esw9a-thread/705#post_11779312


----------



## medleyman30

What awg do you guys recommend for interconnects, like RCAs? I have leftover mogami w2534; would those conductors be up for the task? Also, do they need to be shielded? 

Thanks!


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

medleyman30 said:


> What awg do you guys recommend for interconnects, like RCAs? I have leftover mogami w2534; would those conductors be up for the task? Also, do they need to be shielded?
> 
> Thanks!


 
 18 to 26 is pretty typical. For general interconnects, 24 is a good size. Mogami w2534 will work just fine. You don't need to shield interconnects, but it can be helpful to reduce noise in areas with high RFI.


----------



## alpha421

Greetings,
  
 I'll admit, I'm a newb at this, but I'll be converting a YUIN PK1 into PONO balanced configuration and want to be sure that it'll be wired correctly.  From the PONO tech document as I understand it, is just a matter of soldering each channel pair wiring [(R/G)(L/G)] to just the tip and ring on the stereo connectors? So in summary, for the right channel, I would solder the red wire to the tip and the copper wire to the ring, and do the same for the left channel?
  
 You're response/clarification/correction is greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.


----------



## buke9

alpha421 said:


> Greetings,
> 
> I'll admit, I'm a newb at this, but I'll be converting a YUIN PK1 into PONO balanced configuration and want to be sure that it'll be wired correctly.  From the PONO tech document as I understand it, is just a matter of soldering each channel pair wiring [(R/G)(L/G)] to just the tip and ring on the stereo connectors? So in summary, for the right channel, I would solder the red wire to the tip and the copper wire to the ring, and do the same for the left channel?
> 
> You're response/clarification/correction is greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.


 
 That's the way it looks like to me. From the pictures of the ear buds it looks like to have separate cables going to the plug so that should make it easy. Do you already have the cable cut to know that the wire is red?


----------



## alpha421

Not yet.  I will in about a week as I"m still waiting for the PK1 delivery.  This weekend, I'll perform the operation on a much cheaper but worthy specimen, the Denon AH-C700 (a giant killer, IMO, since I paid $25 for it, took out the nozzle filters, and slapped on a set of Comply T400 tips), which also has separate channel cables from end to end..


----------



## buke9

alpha421 said:


> Not yet.  I will in about a week as I"m still waiting for the PK1 delivery.  This weekend, I'll perform the operation on a much cheaper but worthy specimen, the Denon AH-C700 (a giant killer, IMO, since I paid $25 for it, took out the nozzle filters, and slapped on a set of Comply T400 tips), which also has separate channel cables from end to end..


 
 As long as you have cables with separate sides it should be easy to get it right as long as you can tell which is the pos and neg of the side.


----------



## tarsonis

I saw some recommendations some pages before. Is the Paracord type 1 not too small if I use the mogami 2893 with its outer isolation?


----------



## liquidzoo

tarsonis said:


> I saw some recommendations some pages before. Is the Paracord type 1 not too small if I use the mogami 2893 with its outer isolation?




The 4 cores together? Yes, type 1 would be way too small for that. It's just right for a single core


----------



## alpha421

buke9 said:


> As long as you have cables with separate sides it should be easy to get it right as long as you can tell which is the pos and neg of the side.


 
  
 Looks like I got lucky and performed a successful SE to PONO balanced conversion on my first shot.  I also have the SE version of the same iem with identical mods and burn in regimen to compare with this balanced version:


----------



## buke9

alpha421 said:


> Looks like I got lucky and performed a successful SE to PONO balanced conversion on my first shot.  I also have the SE version of the same iem with identical mods and burn in regimen to compare with this balanced version:
> 
> 
> Looks good and clean I hope you like it.


----------



## alpha421

^Thanks.


----------



## kriztolized

Hey guys I got myself some MMCX connectors, to replace the cable on my shure se846, but I can't find any spec sheets on the connectors anywhere (maybe I suck at finding these things), but am I correct in assume the middle contact is where the L or R connection is, and the side ones are the ground?


----------



## kookoo

kriztolized said:


> Hey guys I got myself some MMCX connectors, to replace the cable on my shure se846, but I can't find any spec sheets on the connectors anywhere (maybe I suck at finding these things), but am I correct in assume the middle contact is where the L or R connection is, and the side ones are the ground?


 
 Yup, that is just about true for most setups. the middle is live and the side is the ground


----------



## Arty McGhee

alpha421 said:


> Looks like I got lucky and performed a successful SE to PONO balanced conversion on my first shot.  I also have the SE version of the same iem with identical mods and burn in regimen to compare with this balanced version:


 
 good job
 balanced mode shows how amazing the amp section of the pono is
 i just made a balanced cable for my hd700
 it sounds great


----------



## rmoody

kriztolized said:


> Hey guys I got myself some MMCX connectors, to replace the cable on my shure se846, but I can't find any spec sheets on the connectors anywhere (maybe I suck at finding these things), but am I correct in assume the middle contact is where the L or R connection is, and the side ones are the ground?


 

 I'd love any advise you can give once you make yours. I have the MMCX connectors, wire and the other connectors. What I need now is a soldering iron with a finer tip soldering iron and some form of magnifying device because these 45 year old eyes don't focus too well now days.
  
 Which MMCX connectors did you settle on? Oh and I'm aiming to recable my 1540, I just hate the gumby stock cables.
  
 What I'd really like to do is make a cable for the Ether C and then make adapters to go from the Ether C connector to the MMCX.


----------



## kriztolized

rmoody said:


> I'd love any advise you can give once you make yours. I have the MMCX connectors, wire and the other connectors. What I need now is a soldering iron with a finer tip soldering iron and some form of magnifying device because these 45 year old eyes don't focus too well now days.
> 
> Which MMCX connectors did you settle on? Oh and I'm aiming to recable my 1540, I just hate the gumby stock cables.
> 
> What I'd really like to do is make a cable for the Ether C and then make adapters to go from the Ether C connector to the MMCX.


 
 I'll be sure to post again once I've given a crack at it. I've also got to pick up a few things before I make an attempt, need to grab a wire stripped for 26 AWG wire, and still waiting on my 3.5mm plug to arrive. I settled on eidolic for both the plug and the MMCX connectors.
  
 These are the ones I got:


----------



## Allanmarcus

Hello. I'm making a TRS (male) to XLR4 (female) adapter in prep for my Ether-C DUM balanced cable. I've searched, and I'm still not sure of the connections. I think it goes like this:
  
 Tip to pin 1
 Ring to pin 3
 Sleeve to pins 2 and 4
 Shield to sleeve on TRS plug and to center lug on Neutrik NC4FX
  
 Can anyone confirm to correct this?
  
 Thanks.


----------



## PETEREK

allanmarcus said:


> Hello. I'm making a TRS (male) to XLR4 (female) adapter in prep for my Ether-C DUM balanced cable. I've searched, and I'm still not sure of the connections. I think it goes like this:
> 
> Tip to pin 1
> Ring to pin 3
> ...



Yep, that's correct. Sleeve not necessary.


----------



## Allanmarcus

peterek said:


> Yep, that's correct. Sleeve not necessary.




Great! Now I too am ready for my ether-c!


----------



## buke9

rmoody said:


> I'd love any advise you can give once you make yours. I have the MMCX connectors, wire and the other connectors. What I need now is a soldering iron with a finer tip soldering iron and some form of magnifying device because these 45 year old eyes don't focus too well now days.
> 
> Which MMCX connectors did you settle on? Oh and I'm aiming to recable my 1540, I just hate the gumby stock cables.
> 
> What I'd really like to do is make a cable for the Ether C and then make adapters to go from the Ether C connector to the MMCX.


 
 Go to Parts Express and Stahl irons . I bought a nice little Solder station that is adjustable and on sale and $5 for a tip set with 4 tips well worth the price. If you have a Harbour Freight around they have some helping hands with a magnifying glass hooked to it for something like $4.


----------



## Arty McGhee

buke9 said:


> Go to Parts Express and Stahl irons . I bought a nice little Solder station that is adjustable and on sale and $5 for a tip set with 4 tips well worth the price. If you have a Harbour Freight around they have some helping hands with a magnifying glass hooked to it for something like $4.






What he said
I've been using that iron for about a year no complaints
That and practice practice practice


----------



## Allanmarcus

Many headphones with attached cables come with an 1/8" (3.5mm) TRS jack and screw-on adapter to convert the jack into 1/4" (6.3mm). Anyone know where to buy this type of plug?
  
 update: I found this:
 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?sku=857699&Q=&O=&is=REG&A=details
  
 Any other options?
  
 More edits: 
  
 Is the type of jack I'm looking for called a "locking" plug? Like this:
 http://www.markertek.com/product/sw-35hdlbaus/switchcraft-35hdlbaus-3-5mm-locking-stereo-plug-black-handle-gold-plug
  
 Does that little thing screw off that that is what the 1/4" adapter screws onto?


----------



## rmoody

kriztolized said:


> I'll be sure to post again once I've given a crack at it. I've also got to pick up a few things before I make an attempt, need to grab a wire stripped for 26 AWG wire, and still waiting on my 3.5mm plug to arrive. I settled on eidolic for both the plug and the MMCX connectors.
> 
> These are the ones I got:


 
  
 I looked at those but I could not confirm they would fit on my 1540 (they have the connection recessed about 3/8"), so I got these:
  





  
  
 I have an OK soldering iron, performs well enough, just hell finding tips that I know will work so I've determined to get a Hakko so that I know I can get tips. Just need to convince SWMBO. It's not like I don't use my soldering stuff all the time. Heck I saved us and a neighbor a new TV when the caps when out, repaired for $15 for each.


----------



## Allanmarcus

rmoody said:


> I looked at those but I could not confirm they would fit on my 1540 (they have the connection recessed about 3/8"), so I got these:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 I made a cable with those a few months ago. OMG, what a hassle. IT was the hardest soldering I ever did. Also, you will need a glue gun and heat shrink to finish the tips.


----------



## buke9

kriztolized said:


> I'll be sure to post again once I've given a crack at it. I've also got to pick up a few things before I make an attempt, need to grab a wire stripped for 26 AWG wire, and still waiting on my 3.5mm plug to arrive. I settled on eidolic for both the plug and the MMCX connectors.
> 
> These are the ones I got:


 
 The Eidolic stuff is super light.


----------



## rmoody

allanmarcus said:


> I made a cable with those a few months ago. OMG, what a hassle. IT was the hardest soldering I ever did. Also, you will need a glue gun and heat shrink to finish the tips.


 
  
 Heat shrink is also required for listening to Frank Zappa.


----------



## esteboune

All.
  
 i trying to make a LOD out to Micro Usb in in order to use the ZX2 with the Alo Audio CDM. (the LOD out to 3.5 is useless)...
  
 this is the Sony WM port plug that i have:
  

  
 L, G and R are quite obvious...
  

  
  
 but what about VCC, the 5V cable???
  
 any idea about that?
  
 thanks in advance.


----------



## smaragd

buke9 said:


> The Eidolic stuff is super light.


 

 I can highly recommend these ... used them in my DIY cable for my Westone UM-Pro50.
 They're easy to solder and the caps are made from anodised aluminium so they won't conduct or short out.
 You also have the option to glue them permanently with super glue or use a dab of hot glue which is what I did.


----------



## mattmatt

Hi, just want to confirm the connection of 2-pin westone IEMs. The upper socket in both sides are positive and the lower socket is the ground, right?


----------



## alpha421

Request for confirmation:  So, I want to make a PONO balanced to SE converter cable for use with my soon-to-be PONO balanced YUIN PK1s'.  From the two male balanced connectors, is the Tip/Ring wiring configuration done for each L/R channel the same for their respective female connectors?  And when the two are connected, the channels match the same (L/L, R/R)? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Arty McGhee

alpha421 said:


> Request for confirmation:  So, I want to make a PONO balanced to SE converter cable for use with my soon-to-be PONO balanced YUIN PK1s'.  From the two male balanced connectors, is the Tip/Ring wiring configuration done for each L/R channel the same for their respective female connectors?  And when the two are connected, the channels match the same (L/L, R/R)? Thanks in advance.


 
 yes
 i've made a bunch of these
 tip ring male matches tip ring female
 on the male the grounds (or rings) are merged to the shaft
 left (tip) is tip right (tip) is ring
 helps to mark one side with a colored shrink
 i use red, red is ring, red is right
  
 does that make sense?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Looking for cable recommendations...
  
 Hello. I want to make a simple cable for my Ether-C headphones. I have the tips coming from MrSpeakers and I have a jack, but I would like advice on cable. This thread is way too long to read through, so I'm just gonna post. I will have the DUM cable for more critical home listening, so I'm looking for a lightweight, flexible cable for more portable usage. I don't need a fancy cable for audiophile listening; for this cable I'm focusing on flexibility and comfort and (hopefully) moderately low priced. Any recommendations?


----------



## liquidzoo

allanmarcus said:


> Looking for cable recommendations...
> 
> Hello. I want to make a simple cable for my Ether-C headphones. I have the tips coming from MrSpeakers and I have a jack, but I would like advice on cable. This thread is way too long to read through, so I'm just gonna post. I will have the DUM cable for more critical home listening, so I'm looking for a lightweight, flexible cable for more portable usage. I don't need a fancy cable for audiophile listening; for this cable I'm focusing on flexibility and comfort and (hopefully) moderately low priced. Any recommendations?




Mogami 2799 or 2893 is cheap, decently flexible, and easy to work with after you strip it down to the 4 inner cores.

http://www.redco.com/Mogami-Quad-Microphone-Cable/

Not sure how cheap you want to go. I hear Plussoundaudio has some really good wire at ~$1/ft (single core).


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Looking for cable recommendations...
> 
> Hello. I want to make a simple cable for my Ether-C headphones. I have the tips coming from MrSpeakers and I have a jack, but I would like advice on cable. This thread is way too long to read through, so I'm just gonna post. I will have the DUM cable for more critical home listening, so I'm looking for a lightweight, flexible cable for more portable usage. I don't need a fancy cable for audiophile listening; for this cable I'm focusing on flexibility and comfort and (hopefully) moderately low priced. Any recommendations?


 
 I don't get my Ether-C's till Friday so I don't know about microphonics on the C's as with the Akpha Dogs. I do not suggest paracord for the Alpha Dogs it is real bad. I made a balanced cable waiting for the Liquid Carbon to use with my Alpha Dogs and made it out of Double Helix OCC copper pe covered wire and Silver plated teflon covered wire and left it naked and it cut down microphonics down a lot. The DHC wire is kind of expensive at $2.25 a foot. I got the silver plated wire from China for like $18 for 20 meters. I made a silver only cable covered in paracord and it sounded pretty good but the microphonics were horrible. You can find the silver plate in the states but a little more expensive. I just found it on ebay and they raised there prices from the last time I bought it they want $10 for 10 meters and $5 shipping from Tiawan but that would be enough for a cable. Just a thought.


----------



## alpha421

arty mcghee said:


> yes
> i've made a bunch of these
> tip ring male matches tip ring female
> on the male the grounds (or rings) are merged to the shaft
> ...


 
  
 Clear as mud.  Just kidding.  Thanks for the confirmation.


----------



## PoochZag

I have started the process of making my first cable and wanted to share a tip I just figured out.  This forum so far has been an incredible wealth of knowledge during the process
  
 I am sleeving the individually stripped out wires of Canare L-4E6S inside of 275 paracord.  I have been struggling for a couple days, and couldn't get either the tape or paper clip tricks to work.
  
  I decided to dip the cut end of the copper wires in Elmer's glue, and let it dry overnight.  This has created a nice smooth ball at the end of the wire.  It threads through really easily now, and takes me about 4 minutes to inchworm a foot of wire.  Just wanted to pass along in case this technique hasn't been mentioned, it really saved me.
  
 My stripped Canare wire is still really twisty, I'm hoping this won't matter during the braiding process!


----------



## Allanmarcus

liquidzoo said:


> Mogami 2799 or 2893 is cheap, decently flexible, and easy to work with after you strip it down to the 4 inner cores.
> 
> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-Quad-Microphone-Cable/
> 
> Not sure how cheap you want to go. I hear Plussoundaudio has some really good wire at ~$1/ft (single core).




Up to $3/ft is ok, but the pricing on the mega I you suggest is great.

What do you mean once you strip it down to the cores?

Update: ok, I assume you mean if I'm going strip off the sleeve a use the individual wires. I wasn't planning on doing that. I would prefer to just use the cable as is for the bulk of the cable, and resleeve after the Y.


----------



## liquidzoo

allanmarcus said:


> Up to $3/ft is ok, but the pricing on the mega I you suggest is great.
> 
> What do you mean once you strip it down to the cores?




Cut off the outer rubber so you just have the 4 individual wires.


----------



## Allanmarcus

So what cables do the major headphone manufacturers use for the mid-fi headphones?


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Up to $3/ft is ok, but the pricing on the mega I you suggest is great.
> 
> What do you mean once you strip it down to the cores?
> 
> Update: ok, I assume you mean if I'm going strip off the sleeve a use the individual wires. I wasn't planning on doing that. I would prefer to just use the cable as is for the bulk of the cable, and resleeve after the Y.


 
 Mr. Speaker cable that came with my Alpha Dogs is made from Canare Quad cable ( about the same as Mogami 2893) and it's made like what you want to do (whole till the split and sleeved in a rubber sleeve). There is still a bit of microphonics in it but nothing like paracord.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> Mr. Speaker cable that came with my Alpha Dogs is made from Canare Quad cable ( about the same as Mogami 2893) and it's made like what you want to do (whole till the split and sleeved in a rubber sleeve). There is still a bit of microphonics in it but nothing like paracord.




Cool, thanks. What does one use for rubber sleeve? Shrink wrap tube? What sleeve is recommended for the least microphinics?


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Cool, thanks. What die one use for rubber sleeve? Shrink wrap tube? What sleeve is recommended for the least microphinics?


 
 After a little interweb searching I think it might be 3/16 latex micro tubing or something similar.


----------



## junkimchi

How does one go about making a barrel style Y-split like the one below? Is it done with just heat shrink?

 Sort of found my answer:
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/676402/diy-cable-questions-and-comments-thread/4215#post_11917801


----------



## buke9

junkimchi said:


> How does one go about making a barrel style Y-split like the one below? Is it done with just heat shrink?
> 
> Sort of found my answer:
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/676402/diy-cable-questions-and-comments-thread/4215#post_11917801


 
 Doesn't look like heat shrink only. Maybe a small piece of some type of pipe covered in heat shrink.
 You edited while I was typing. Not a bad guess though ; )


----------



## ThurstonX

junkimchi said:


> How does one go about making a barrel style Y-split like the one below? Is it done with just heat shrink?
> 
> Sort of found my answer:
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/676402/diy-cable-questions-and-comments-thread/4215#post_11917801


 
  
 His are nicer, but I used a ballpoint pen, disassembled and section to the desired length.  Tubing might be better if a wider opening is required.


----------



## ForceMajeure

I am interested lately to make my own CIEM cable, I would like to know what cable wire is the closest in feel as the one used in the standard UE/JH/1964 replacement cable.
 I have one of this cable and it's a good wire, pliable, soft, thin, doesn't retain kinks. What wire do you recommend? I am a bit lost. How can I know the physical properties of a wire from specs? Does teflon mean it pliable? PFE? What about microphonics?  
  
 Also I am looking for a small 90deg right angle plug and so far these seems to be good  
  
 https://world.taobao.com/item/522752671103.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.J3vDeK#detail
   
 this one seems good but I don't know how flexible is the tail to be used as a strain relief
  
  
 https://world.tmall.com/item/520459603758.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.J3vDeK
 
  
 I am actually thinking of "casting" the 90deg plug I have on the original jh/westone/1964 cable from some kind of rubber/plastic but have no clue what material to use.
  
 For the 078mm pin I am thinking of buying them here https://world.taobao.com/item/520928025466.htm?spm=a312a.7728556.1414651174895.6.1JE2AR&scm=1007.10146.12547.0&id=520928025466&pvid=58aecf3f-fe00-4b4b-88d3-35bb8bf5f022 and use uv resin in a cast done from the plugs I have on the original cable...or buy those pre-made.
  
 So far the most difficult part is to actually knowing what is a good wire...


----------



## Allanmarcus

Anyone know where I can buy SC peacock cable in the USA?
http://shop.sommercable.com/index.php?lang=1&cl=search&sQWSearchProfile=SommerEN&searchparam=SC-Peacock+MKI


----------



## BeastaS

I need help with rewiring the jack of my Denon AH D510R headphones. These come with Apple iPod remote.
  
 I am in India where there is nobody to repair these and I'm doing it myself. I have attached a photo of the pins of the TRRS plug, just reply back with what pin corresponds to which colour wire. The different wire colours I see are-
 RED
 GREEN
 BLACK
 BARE COPPER
 WHITE
 TRANSLUCENT CREAMISH
  
 In the image attached you'll find the pic of the TRRS plug I'm using. Just match them up for me please. Tell me what colour corresponds to the following-
  
 Smallest pin- ???
 Slightly bigger pin- ???
 Pin sticking out- ???
 Largest terminal- ???
  
 Link to the image- http://i.imgur.com/ToZSR.jpg


----------



## Allanmarcus

Question: let's say I use quad wire for a headphone cable. I split the wire down to the Y and remove the outer insolation and shielding between the Y and the speakers. I now have two wire to go to each headphone speaker. I will use soft nylon sleeve between the speaker and the Y, but do I need to add any extra insolation between the wire and the sleeve? this is the wire between the speaker and the Y split. Thanks


----------



## ThurstonX

allanmarcus said:


> Question: let's say I use quad wire for a headphone cable. I split the wire down to the Y and remove the outer insolation and shielding between the Y and the speakers. I now have two wire to go to each headphone speaker. I will use soft nylon sleeve between the speaker and the Y, but do I need to add any extra insolation between the wire and the sleeve? this is the wire between the speaker and the Y split. Thanks


 
  
 You don't really need any insulation at all (see all the cables made by stripping the stock cable down to its component wires, then often sleeved in paracord), so you'll be fine with what you describe.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Question: let's say I use quad wire for a headphone cable. I split the wire down to the Y and remove the outer insolation and shielding between the Y and the speakers. I now have two wire to go to each headphone speaker. I will use soft nylon sleeve between the speaker and the Y, but do I need to add any extra insolation between the wire and the sleeve? this is the wire between the speaker and the Y split. Thanks


 
 Like he said. Just to let you know the DUM cable cover is less microphonic than my original Alpha Dog cable on my Alpha Dogs. I found some on Ebay . I believe it is the same size.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Question: let's say I use quad wire for a headphone cable. I split the wire down to the Y and remove the outer insolation and shielding between the Y and the speakers. I now have two wire to go to each headphone speaker. I will use soft nylon sleeve between the speaker and the Y, but do I need to add any extra insolation between the wire and the sleeve? this is the wire between the speaker and the Y split. Thanks
> ...


 

 Yep, that's the stuff I am planning on getting. I will also get mogami 2893 wire and this Switchcraft 35HDLBAUS plug so I can use it with a 3.5mm jack, and screw on a 1/4" jack in a pinch. I'm also thinking of this Carbon Fiber Micro Y-Split Cover from Double Helix Cables.
  
 Cost of cable:
  
 MrSpeakers tips: $14 (shipped for free sine I got them with my headphones)
 Cable (6'): 5.64  (free shipping from Markertek)
 Plug: $7.69 (free shipping from Markertek)
 Sleeve: 7.84 (shipped from ebay)
 $35.17 if I use heat shrink for the Y split
  
 Quite the deal. Of, if I want to get a little _fancier_, I can add:
  
 Y-Split:  $16 (had to throw in an adapter to get cart above minimum order of $15) 
  
 So, $51.17 gets me a decent portable cable with a fancy Y-split, plus an adapter! I love DIY.
  
 Umm, the small openings on the Y split are 4mm. Will that accommodate the two wires from the 2893 and tech techflex nylon sleeve?


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Yep, that's the stuff I am planning on getting. I will also get mogami 2893 wire and this Switchcraft 35HDLBAUS plug so I can use it with a 3.5mm jack, and screw on a 1/4" jack in a pinch. I'm also thinking of this Carbon Fiber Micro Y-Split Cover from Double Helix Cables.
> 
> Cost of cable:
> 
> ...


 
 4mm should be big enough. The basic 1/8 " connector is 6mm I had to ream out a 1/8" connector to fit 4 paracord covered wires. So two wires with that techflex should fit just fine.


----------



## ForceMajeure

forcemajeure said:


> I am interested lately to make my own CIEM cable, I would like to know what cable wire is the closest in feel as the one used in the standard UE/JH/1964 replacement cable.
> I have one of this cable and it's a good wire, pliable, soft, thin, doesn't retain kinks. What wire do you recommend? I am a bit lost. How can I know the physical properties of a wire from specs? Does teflon mean it pliable? PFE? What about microphonics?
> 
> Also I am looking for a small 90deg right angle plug and so far these seems to be good
> ...


 
 Nobody?


----------



## buke9

forcemajeure said:


> Nobody?


 
 I'll take a shot. Is your cable bad or do you just want to make your own cable? I don't have your CIEM's ( or any IEM's) so I can't comment on the wire used and it's pliability. Teflon is not real pliable PE is a better choice for that. I don't know what PFE is PTFE is Teflon. The connector in the upper right is a person to solder. I tried a connector like that one and was saying many nasty things till I threw it across the room. It might be me not having the right heat or using flux but it made me just scream the whole time. I don't know if this helps but at least you got a response. As far as good wire that is just too subjective to answer.


----------



## ForceMajeure

Thanks, I just want to make my own cable. Thank you for the Teflon explanation that's clear things for me.
 About the connector you mentioned, do you remember what kind of plastic was the cover part? was it flexible enough to use as strain relief (kind of rubbery) or was it solid with no flex at all?


----------



## buke9

forcemajeure said:


> Thanks, I just want to make my own cable. Thank you for the Teflon explanation that's clear things for me.
> About the connector you mentioned, do you remember what kind of plastic was the cover part? was it flexible enough to use as strain relief (kind of rubbery) or was it solid with no flex at all?


 
 Not sure I know what you mean by cover part? Do you mean what covered the connector posts? Wait I think you mean the outer of the connector housing. It was a straight metal housing so that doesn't help you there. If it was me I would hot glue the connector for strain relief.


----------



## ForceMajeure

this


----------



## buke9

forcemajeure said:


> this


 
 I understand. The connector I was talking about was a straight metal connector.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Hello there.
  
 I plan on using my Hifiman-HE400i in balanced mode in the future and have a quastion.
  
 I dont intend to build a theheadphone cable myself, i will order that from Forza AudioWorks.
  
 BUT i would like to build my own extension cable for that, and wanted to ask here if my part selection is correct and how to properly build it.
  
 The headphone cable will be this one:  http://forzaaudioworks.com/en/product.php?id_product=80
 Terminated for Hifiman HE Series and with 4-pin XLR Male plug.
  
 For the extension cable i want to use the following parts:
  
 http://shop.sommercable.com/en/Cables/Bulk-Cables-Audio/Mikrofonkabel-SC-Square-4-Core-MKII-200-0301-highflex.html
 http://www.neutrik.us/en-us/xlr/xx-series/nc4fxx
 http://www.neutrik.us/en-us/xlr/xx-series/nc4mxx
  
 And will connect them like this:
  
 http://dhd-audio.de/dhd_files/doc/2_sysref/pics/rm420_701_schematic1.gif
  
 Will those parts work and is the quality good enough?
  
 And regarding the pinout, i have read on some occasions to NOT connect the shield to anything.
 Some say just connect the shield to the connector housing.
 And some others say that its to be done like in the picture above (shield connected to housing AND Pin4)
  
 What is the correct/best way to do it?
  
 Hopefully someone can help me out here 
  
 Greetings, Mario


----------



## buke9

hirschiaut said:


> Hello there.
> 
> I plan on using my Hifiman-HE400i in balanced mode in the future and have a quastion.
> 
> ...


 

 Yes all that would work fine. I don't get why make a extension cable ? Why not get a longer cable made? I can't see paying that kind of money for a cable with good wire and then use lesser wire for an extension. That's up to you though.


----------



## HirschiAUT

buke9 said:


> Yes all that would work fine. I don't get why make a extension cable ? Why not get a longer cable made? I can't see paying that kind of money for a cable with good wire and then use lesser wire for an extension. That's up to you though.


 
  
 Thank you very much for your reply.
 If you could add an opinion or suggestion on how or if to connect the shield to anything i would really appretiate it.
  
 Regarding the reason for an extension:
  
 In my living room the distance between my couch and the Hifi-Rack with all my components (for speakers and for headphones) is roughly 5 meters.
  
 For "serious" listening i place a comfy chair beside the rack, and the 1,5m cable will be more than enough.
  
 For TV and Movies i have to sit on the couch, hence the need for a longer cable.
 But i dont need the last bit of SQ in this cases and wont pay hundreds of euros for it 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 And additionally the signal path itself is not optimal to start with for this scenario (NAS --> WLAN --> TV --> Optical_out --> DAC --> AMP).
 I think there is so much loss already in this path that i wont really benefit from a more expensive cable


----------



## buke9

hirschiaut said:


> Thank you very much for your reply.
> If you could add an opinion or suggestion on how or if to connect the shield to anything i would really appretiate it.
> 
> Regarding the reason for an extension:
> ...


I understand now what you have should do just fine.


----------



## PoochZag

How do I get the rear part off of the MrSpeakers Alpha/Ether connector (SN-8-4(P)) so that I can access the solder points?
  
 I'm quite confused and I'm sure its jsut something simple that I haven't been able to search for correctly
  
 Started making my first DIY cable, it's going well so far!


----------



## buke9

poochzag said:


> How do I get the rear part off of the MrSpeakers Alpha/Ether connector (SN-8-4(P)) so that I can access the solder points?
> 
> I'm quite confused and I'm sure its jsut something simple that I haven't been able to search for correctly
> 
> Started making my first DIY cable, it's going well so far!


 
 Hold the part of the connector that goes in to the phones by pushing the sliding part back and twist the end where the rubber boot was.


----------



## PoochZag

buke9 said:


> Hold the part of the connector that goes in to the phones by pushing the sliding part back and twist the end where the rubber boot was.


 
 Thank you so much.  Had to use a pair of needlenose to help but got it off!


----------



## buke9

poochzag said:


> Thank you so much.  Had to use a pair of needlenose to help but got it off!


 
 Good luck.


----------



## PoochZag

buke9 said:


> Good luck.




Thanks again. Just finished it wasn't too bad once you helped me figure out that detail. I can't test it until tomorrow when my first balanced amp comes, but I think I did it right!

Thanks to everyone in this thread as well, an immense help in getting started


----------



## buke9

poochzag said:


> Thanks again. Just finished it wasn't too bad once you helped me figure out that detail. I can't test it until tomorrow when my first balanced amp comes, but I think I did it right!
> 
> Thanks to everyone in this thread as well, an immense help in getting started


 
 Looks nice and clean good job. Off topic but what amp are getting?


----------



## PoochZag

buke9 said:


> Looks nice and clean good job. Off topic but what amp are getting?




Thanks I appreciate it. It checks out by continuity but I'm worried I could have flipped polarity on either connector so we'll see. 

Mjolnir 2, upgrading from Lyr 1. Wanted an amp I could use my sensitive headphones with, a preamp, and thought I'd try balanced out while I am at it. I guess I'll still need to get a proper balanced DAC down the road but I'm sure it'll be fine for a while


----------



## buke9

poochzag said:


> Thanks I appreciate it. It checks out by continuity but I'm worried I could have flipped polarity on either connector so we'll see.
> 
> Mjolnir 2, upgrading from Lyr 1. Wanted an amp I could use my sensitive headphones with, a preamp, and thought I'd try balanced out while I am at it. I guess I'll still need to get a proper balanced DAC down the road but I'm sure it'll be fine for a while.


 
 Waiting on a Liquid Carbon here. I can't remember the pinout to check for polarity off hand but I think 1 is pos and 2 neg but don't quote me on that.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Browsing the sites linked on the first page, all I see are speaker wire (looks too thick) and microphone wire. Is microphone wire the same as you would use for headphone cables?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Browsing the sites linked on the first page, all I see are speaker wire (looks too thick) and microphone wire. Is microphone wire the same as you would use for headphone cables?


 
 Yes. Most headphone cables are 26 or 24 awg wire the same as microphone cable. You can use thicker but it gets hard to fit in connectors.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I'm looking to begin making my own cables for different headphones I have. This thread seems like it might help, but there are so many pages and I'm struggling to find the information I need. Like specifically what kind of materials I should get.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> I'm looking to begin making my own cables for different headphones I have. This thread seems like it might help, but there are so many pages and I'm struggling to find the information I need. Like specifically what kind of materials I should get.


 
 The wire is hotly debated subject for some. It depends on what you want to spend for most. Connectors can be had from many different places again it depends if you want basic or nicer pieces. You can pay as little or as much as you want. I can point you in a direction .


----------



## PinkyPowers

Depending on the price, I would like to start off with something like a 7N OCC copper. Nice, sturdy gold-plated connectors. 

I just placed an order for the Senn Momentum 2.0. So I think I should try and make a cable for that first. That appears to have a 2.5mm jack on one end and a 3.5mm on the other. Should be a proper challenge for my first cable.

-~::*Edit*::~-
Is Plussoundaudio a good store to buy from?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Depending on the price, I would like to start off with something like a 7N OCC copper. Nice, sturdy gold-plated connectors.
> 
> I just placed an order for the Senn Momentum 2.0. So I think I should try and make a cable for that first. That appears to have a 2.5mm jack on one end and a 3.5mm on the other. Should be a proper challenge for my first cable.
> 
> ...


 
 Never bought anything from them so I can't say. From what I can tell there prices aren't too out of line. Are you planning on covering them or just naked wire? You might want to check out Eidolic connectors. I really like them and they just look great.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I've been wondering about whether I should cover come, and if so, with what. Any ideas?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> I've been wondering about whether I should cover come, and if so, with what. Any ideas?


 
 This set i think look good naked.
 They also would look good covered but the microphonics covered with paracord on my Alpha Dogs were just too much. I just got a pair of Ether-C's with a free Dum cable and they are covered in soft Techflex that stuff is just great.


----------



## PinkyPowers

That does look nice.

So what's the best place for buying OCC copper wire?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> That does look nice.
> 
> So what's the best place for buying OCC copper wire?


 
 The wire I used there was Double Helix Nucleotide 24 awg OCC and silver plated ofc 24 awg from China. The copper wire was PE covered which is nice and flexible but got to watch the heat when soldering. The silver plated wire is teflon covered so heat is not a problem but it is a bit stiffer. I don't think there is a best place to buy anything. Just what your willing to pay for.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Hmm... on second thought, for my first run, I think I will probably just do regular OFC, or silver plated OFC. Much less expensive and not so tragic if I destroy myself in the process. 

What are the pros and cons between 24AWG and 26AWG?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Hmm... on second thought, for my first run, I think I will probably just do regular OFC, or silver plated OFC. Much less expensive and not so tragic if I destroy myself in the process.


 
 The silver plate from China is way less expensive if you can wait a week or two. So is the copper OCC .


----------



## PinkyPowers

What sellers do you use for low price, quick shipping, and good communication?


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> What sellers do you use for low price, quick shipping, and good communication?


 
 http://btg-audio.com/webstore.htm#!/c/2620180/inview=product11559158&offset=0&sort=normal


----------



## PinkyPowers

Those are very good prices.


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> http://btg-audio.com/webstore.htm#!/c/2620180/inview=product11559158&offset=0&sort=normal


 
 That is not bad on price might have to try some out. Thanks


----------



## PinkyPowers

If I'm doing a four-braid weave, how much length will I lose? In other words, I want a 4' cable. How long should I make each wire before the braiding begins?


----------



## buke9

Just ordered some wire.


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> If I'm doing a four-braid weave, how much length will I lose? In other words, I want a 4' cable. How long should I make each wire before the braiding begins?


 
 For four feet I think you'd probably lose between 3 and 6 inches depending on how tight your braid is. In my experience you will have a more flexible cable and lose less length if you do your braid at a kind of relaxed tension, not tight, not too loose, right in the middle. If you plan to make a split with two wires you better do that 2-braid twist as tightly as you can though, otherwise it can become loose.


----------



## PinkyPowers

peterek said:


> For four feet I think you'd probably lose between 3 and 6 inches depending on how tight your braid is. In my experience you will have a more flexible cable and lose less length if you do your braid at a kind of relaxed tension, not tight, not too loose, right in the middle. If you plan to make a split with two wires you better do that 2-braid twist as tightly as you can though, otherwise it can become loose.




What connectors do you like that aren't obscenely expensive?


----------



## buke9

Check out Double Helix and Norne Audio.


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > For four feet I think you'd probably lose between 3 and 6 inches depending on how tight your braid is. In my experience you will have a more flexible cable and lose less length if you do your braid at a kind of relaxed tension, not tight, not too loose, right in the middle. If you plan to make a split with two wires you better do that 2-braid twist as tightly as you can though, otherwise it can become loose.
> ...


 
 I 2nd Buke, check out Norne Audio and DHC. I normally start at Norne because they're more reasonable with their shipping prices and connector prices combined, then DHC, then PlusSound. For connectors like 4-Pin XLR, 3-Pin XLR, 3.5mm Rean and Neutrik, Amphenol connectors and other connectors that aren't boutique like Eidolic but are high quality I go straight to Redco.com. Redco ships fast as hell and are reasonably priced. I get all my 4-pin mini XLR connectors from Partsexpress.com. They sell the Amphenol male and females along with the chassis mount males there.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I can't seem to find gold-plated 2.5mm TRS jacks.


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> I can't seem to find gold-plated 2.5mm TRS jacks.


 
 What kind of cable are you making that would need a 2.5mm TRS?


----------



## PinkyPowers

It's for the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0. I need one 2.5mm jack, and one 3.5mm.

Or I could do one 2.5mm TRRS (for my AK120ii), and modify the headphone wiring. But that makes me very nervous.


----------



## PinkyPowers

It looks like I'll be getting a 2.5mm from Ted. He was one specially made.


----------



## PinkyPowers

What solder is everyone using?

In school I discovered how much I hated the lead-free solder. The 60/40 mix melted quite well.

I have no doubt this is as hotly contested as the cable issue, but is there a sound change with using different kinds of solder?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> What solder is everyone using?
> 
> In school I discovered how much I hated the lead-free solder. The 60/40 mix melted quite well.
> 
> I have no doubt this is as hotly contested as the cable issue, but is there a sound change with using different kinds of solder?


 
 I use Cardas Quad.Tin,lead,copper and silver. I love it don't know if there is a difference in sound but it just works great.


----------



## Dopaminer

Wise Ones,
  
 I have question regarding the balance-ability of my B&O H6.  This headphone uses a removable cable which can be connected to either cup.  (The connector on this  cable can be 3.5TRRS or 3.5TRS.)   I have a new dual-mono balanced amp, and I am thinking that I should be able to run cables to _both_ cups of the H6 simultaneously  and achieve balanced drive, as long as I sever the connection between the two drivers which runs through the headband.  
  
 Is this wrong?  Does anyone see any flaw in my reasoning?  (never mind the whole validity of balanced argument . . . ) 
  
 In advance, thanks !
  
 d


----------



## buke9

dopaminer said:


> Wise Ones,
> 
> I have question regarding the balance-ability of my B&O H6.  This headphone uses a removable cable which can be connected to either cup.  (The connector on this  cable can be 3.5TRRS or 3.5TRS.)   I have a new dual-mono balanced amp, and I am thinking that I should be able to run cables to _both_ cups of the H6 simultaneously  and achieve balanced drive, as long as I sever the connection between the two drivers which runs through the headband.
> 
> ...


 
 It's weird that you can put it in either side unless they have wires for both side running in each cup for the other side. I mean not hard to do just a little weird. In order not to blow up your amp you need to make sure that the left and right negatives are separate . I think that would mean cracking the cans open. They still could have the negatives connected on both sides. Cutting the wires in the headband should work but make sure to check it with a meter to be sure. There still could be some stuff on the connector in the cans that could cause a problem though. Now that I think about it you would have to use TRRS connectors on both side and wire it not using the tip on the other side that might work but not having it to check I can't be sure. I know this doesn't help much be I gave it a shot.


----------



## Dopaminer

buke9 said:


> It's weird that you can put it in either side unless they have wires for both side running in each cup for the other side. I mean not hard to do just a little weird. In order not to blow up your amp you need to make sure that the left and right negatives are separate . I think that would mean cracking the cans open. They still could have the negatives connected on both sides. Cutting the wires in the headband should work but make sure to check it with a meter to be sure. There still could be some stuff on the connector in the cans that could cause a problem though. Now that I think about it you would have to use TRRS connectors on both side and wire it not using the tip on the other side that might work but not having it to check I can't be sure. I know this doesn't help much be I gave it a shot.


 
  
 Thanks for the reply.  Yeah, it`s a little weird - the concept is the headphone is daisy-chain-able: I can connect to a source and then you can patch in to the free side of my headphone.  I think it was a Beats thing, which I doubt anyone uses.  Anyway, I just compared two cables, one in either side, the stock cable and a Furutech aftermarket cable, and took turns plugging them into my AK to try to hear a difference.  The stock cable is TRRS and the Furutech is TRS; I couldn`t hear any clear difference though I had a vague impression the stock cable was giving a little more bass and detail.  Placebo is wonderful.  
  
 So I think I`ll take a deep breath and snip the wires in the headband, if I can disassemble it.


----------



## micropixel

dopaminer said:


> Thanks for the reply.  Yeah, it`s a little weird - the concept is the headphone is daisy-chain-able: I can connect to a source and then you can patch in to the free side of my headphone.  I think it was a Beats thing, which I doubt anyone uses.  Anyway, I just compared two cables, one in either side, the stock cable and a Furutech aftermarket cable, and took turns plugging them into my AK to try to hear a difference.  The stock cable is TRRS and the Furutech is TRS; I couldn`t hear any clear difference though I had a vague impression the stock cable was giving a little more bass and detail.  Placebo is wonderful.
> 
> So I think I`ll take a deep breath and snip the wires in the headband, if I can disassemble it.




Same thought crossed my mind to make it a balanced cable with solid core UPOCC to give the sound more body, but I simply do not know where to begin to disassemble the headphone housings. Good luck and please share your success story/photos! Thanks.


----------



## PETEREK

dopaminer said:


> Wise Ones,
> 
> I have question regarding the balance-ability of my B&O H6.  This headphone uses a removable cable which can be connected to either cup.  (The connector on this  cable can be 3.5TRRS or 3.5TRS.)   I have a new dual-mono balanced amp, and I am thinking that I should be able to run cables to _both_ cups of the H6 simultaneously  and achieve balanced drive, as long as I sever the connection between the two drivers which runs through the headband.
> 
> ...


 
 You don't have to cut the cord between the drivers, you just need to run TWO TRRS connectors, one to each cup. For the right just use the 2 poles that are designated to the right driver through either cup and obviously for the left use the 2 poles that are designated to the left driver through both cups. So, no matter which connector you put into either cup, you will have a balanced connection. One half of the cable will carry ONLY the right driver's positive and negative, and the other half will carry only the left driver's positive and negative. Don't modify the headphone to achieve this, it is already ready for this. Hopefully you understand what I'm saying here and don't reduce the value of your H6 by cutting into it.


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> You don't have to cut the cord between the drivers, you just need to run TWO TRRS connectors, one to each cup. For the right just use the 2 poles that are designated to the right driver through either cup and obviously for the left use the 2 poles that are designated to the left driver through both cups. So, no matter which connector you put into either cup, you will have a balanced connection. One half of the cable will carry ONLY the right driver's positive and negative, and the other half will carry only the left driver's positive and negative. Don't modify the headphone to achieve this, it is already ready for this. Hopefully you understand what I'm saying here and don't reduce the value of your H6 by cutting into it.


 
  


dopaminer said:


> Thanks for the reply.  Yeah, it`s a little weird - the concept is the headphone is daisy-chain-able: I can connect to a source and then you can patch in to the free side of my headphone.  I think it was a Beats thing, which I doubt anyone uses.  Anyway, I just compared two cables, one in either side, the stock cable and a Furutech aftermarket cable, and took turns plugging them into my AK to try to hear a difference.  The stock cable is TRRS and the Furutech is TRS; I couldn`t hear any clear difference though I had a vague impression the stock cable was giving a little more bass and detail.  Placebo is wonderful.
> 
> So I think I`ll take a deep breath and snip the wires in the headband, if I can disassemble it.


 
 Dopaminer I think Peterek might be right about not cutting the wires in the headband . The pass thru thing just bugs me though. I am not sure you need two trrs connectors if the negatives aren't combined somewhere in the phones. The only reason for two trrs connectors is if you cut the wires between cups. Is your stock cable Trrs on both ends. If it is Trrs on the phones and trs on the plug in to the player you will not hear any difference and shouldn't be used in balanced mode. I don't have a AK( whichever model you have) I know some do have balanced outs and don't know if it different plugs or a switch but if you are not balanced on both ends you will not hear a difference. Does the cable come with a mic on it? If it does I doubt it is set up for balanced use. The only way to tell is sticking a trrs plug into it and checking with a meter. Just don't run a single ended setup on a balanced output.


----------



## PETEREK

You would absolutely need two TRRS connectors to run them balanced with dual entry. I'm 100% certain. Likely, the grounds will be the Sleeve and the lower Ring spot so when a TRS connector is used the ground of the TRS will contact both the lower ring and the sleeve of the TRRS female on the headphone. If you were to use two TRS instead of two TRRS you would be sharing grounds for both drivers but would have separate signals. Do not do that.  I'm telling you, you need two TRRS or just run one single TRRS and stop trying to run them dual entry, you won't even benefit from it in anyway other than curing an itch for dual entry. The T and 2nd ring position should be signal and ground for the left driver, and the first ring position and the sleeve should be signal and ground for the right driver. I don't want to draw a diagram of how these are wired, but I will if you guys still don't totally understand.


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> You would absolutely need two TRRS connectors to run them balanced with dual entry. I'm 100% certain. Likely, the grounds will be the Sleeve and the lower Ring spot so when a TRS connector is used the ground of the TRS will contact both the lower ring and the sleeve of the TRRS female on the headphone. If you were to use two TRS instead of two TRRS you would be sharing grounds for both drivers but would have separate signals. Do not do that.  I'm telling you, you need two TRRS or just run one single TRRS and stop trying to run them dual entry, you won't even benefit from it in anyway other than curing an itch for dual entry. The T and 2nd ring position should be signal and ground for the left driver, and the first ring position and the sleeve should be signal and ground for the right driver. I don't want to draw a diagram of how these are wired, but I will if you guys still don't totally understand.


 
 That is what I was getting at you only need one trrs connector in one side. Yes two trs would blow your balanced amp up.I didn't understand he wanted dual entry only. If he wanted dual entry then yes two trrs connectors would be needed and they could be put in either side and it wouldn't matter( if that is how these are wired I don't know I don't have them). I believe the Trrs pinout is Tip L+ first ring R+ second ring L- and sleeve R-.


----------



## PETEREK

buke9 said:


> That is what I was getting at you only need one trrs connector in one side. Yes two trs would blow your balanced amp up.I didn't understand he wanted dual entry only. If he wanted dual entry then yes two trrs connectors would be needed and they could be put in either side and it wouldn't matter( if that is how these are wired I don't know I don't have them). I believe the Trrs pinout is Tip L+ first ring R+ second ring L- and sleeve R-.


 
 Yeah I know, it seemed like he really wanted to do dual entry. I assumed that because he basically stated that he knew he could do balanced with one single TRRS but then brought up that he wanted to make a dual entry cable.
  
 That pinout makes the most sense to me if it can use TRS and TRRS with the same 3.5mm female connector.


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> Yeah I know, it seemed like he really wanted to do dual entry. I assumed that because he basically stated that he knew he could do balanced with one single TRRS but then brought up that he wanted to make a dual entry cable.
> 
> That pinout makes the most sense to me if it can use TRS and TRRS with the same 3.5mm female connector.


 
 I wouldn't trust it unless I could test it though. That pass thru thing just has me wondering what else is going on.


----------



## PETEREK

buke9 said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah I know, it seemed like he really wanted to do dual entry. I assumed that because he basically stated that he knew he could do balanced with one single TRRS but then brought up that he wanted to make a dual entry cable.
> ...


 
 I'm sure it's nothing man, it's just for convenience. I like my single entry cables on the left, some people like it on the right.


----------



## Dopaminer

peterek said:


> You don't have to cut the cord between the drivers, you just need to run TWO TRRS connectors, one to each cup. For the right just use the 2 poles that are designated to the right driver through either cup and obviously for the left use the 2 poles that are designated to the left driver through both cups. So, no matter which connector you put into either cup, you will have a balanced connection. One half of the cable will carry ONLY the right driver's positive and negative, and the other half will carry only the left driver's positive and negative. Don't modify the headphone to achieve this, it is already ready for this. Hopefully you understand what I'm saying here and don't reduce the value of your H6 by cutting into it.


 
  
  
 Brilliant.  Yes, I get it, makes perfect sense.  No disassembly required.  Thanks PETEREK ! 
  
  
 This is the amp I just bought, a Ratoc Audio Labs REX-KEB03.  It has 3.5 TRS output and twin 2.5mm outputs for dual mono cables. The right 2.5 output is also stereo TRRS, for AK-balanced cables.


----------



## PETEREK

Just to be thorough (and to show off some obviously great artistic skills).


----------



## Pingupenguins

pinkypowers said:


> If I'm doing a four-braid weave, how much length will I lose? In other words, I want a 4' cable. How long should I make each wire before the braiding begins?


 
  
  
 I actually measure out 50" of wire for a 4ft cable. But as Peterek said, it varies on how tight you braid. I know with some other wire, I can lose 1 ft over a 6.5ft length. crazy stuff but it does depend on what wire you use as well. 
  
 As for your 2.5mm TRS I don't think DHC/Norne have it. I've only seen the TS 2.5mm. Be interested to see your cable when you're finished! Always good fun seeing what other people do with my wire.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Yeah, I have some of your regular plain copper OFC on its way to me. Can't wait to start making things.

My only concern--well, one of them--is I don't have much of a work space. This is going to be one ramshackle operation which will probably lead to my house burning down.


----------



## Pingupenguins

Don't worry "Rome wasn't built in a day." 
  
 Take your time, Find something to clip the wires to.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I've got an oddball question.

My AK120ii has more power on the Balanced 2.5mm TRRS output than it does on the Singled-Ended 3.5mm TRS.

If I wanted to give these Sennheiser Momentum 2.0s a little extra juice, could I make a cable that went from 2.5mm TRS (the port on the Senns) to 2.5mm TRRS (the port on the 120ii)? I know I would get none of the benefits of a balanced line, but I would get the extra power... right? Or would this simply not work at all?

The Senn M2 is being driven LOUD enough from the 3.5mm output. They just aren't filling out as much as I'd like. When I drive them from my desktop amp, they sound quite a bit better. So it is very liking a current issue, yes?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> I've got an oddball question.
> 
> My AK120ii has more power on the Balanced 2.5mm TRRS output than it does on the Singled-Ended 3.5mm TRS.
> 
> ...


Unless it a balanced headphone and cable you shouldn't do it.Going single ended into a balanced amp can damage it from what I'm told.


----------



## Arty McGhee

pinkypowers said:


> I've got an oddball question.
> 
> My AK120ii has more power on the Balanced 2.5mm TRRS output than it does on the Singled-Ended 3.5mm TRS.
> 
> ...


 
 depending on how hard it is to disassemble/assemble the headphone
 its fairly easy to rewire the internals to balanced wiring
 if your not comfortable doing this type of thing it is best avoided
 i've done a few on cheap throw aways before trying it on an expensive can


----------



## PinkyPowers

There's a thread somewhere around here of a member who took apart a 1st Gen Momentum and wired it for balanced. I know I could do it, but I really don't want to. These are only a day old, and I'm not sure I'm going to keep them. So... best not void the warranty just yet.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> There's a thread somewhere around here of a member who took apart a 1st Gen Momentum and wired it for balanced. I know I could do it, but I really don't want to. These are only a day old, and I'm not sure I'm going to keep them. So... best not void the warranty just yet.


 
 Yes I would wait to find out if I liked them before modding or waiting till after warranty ran out.


----------



## Pingupenguins

pinkypowers said:


> I've got an oddball question.
> 
> My AK120ii has more power on the Balanced 2.5mm TRRS output than it does on the Singled-Ended 3.5mm TRS.
> 
> ...


 


 I wouldn't recommend it at all. You'll short the ground plane and possibly fry your A&K. 
  
 As for simply rewiring it for balanced, you'd need to find a new socket that is TRRS and will fit in the same slot provided by sennheiser. Probably not the best thing to do either. Only other option is drilling a new hole into the headphones for a second socket, and making it balanced that way. 
  
 In the end, I would suggest what most people do, get an external amp to boost the signal if you don't think it's enough.


----------



## buke9

pingupenguins said:


> I wouldn't recommend it at all. You'll short the ground plane and possibly fry your A&K.
> 
> As for simply rewiring it for balanced, you'd need to find a new socket that is TRRS and will fit in the same slot provided by sennheiser. Probably not the best thing to do either. Only other option is drilling a new hole into the headphones for a second socket, and making it balanced that way.
> 
> In the end, I would suggest what most people do, get an external amp to boost the signal if you don't think it's enough.


 
 Like he said. If you want more power get a amp.


----------



## dirkpitt45

Does anyone have any ideas for threading 28awg wire through Type 1 (1.85mm) paracord? I was planning on making an IEM cable, but threading the wire through the paracord is proving to be more difficult than expected. I thought I'd be able to just super-glue the central cord to the wire, and as I pulled out the core, the wire would go through the sleeving. But I can't seem glue the wire to the cord smoothly enough. Eventually something gets caught and I can't pull it through any further. I haven't tried tape yet, but I'm not sure if it would be strong enough since I can't wrap it too thick.


----------



## buke9

dirkpitt45 said:


> Does anyone have any ideas for threading 28awg wire through Type 1 (1.85mm) paracord? I was planning on making an IEM cable, but threading the wire through the paracord is proving to be more difficult than expected. I thought I'd be able to just super-glue the central cord to the wire, and as I pulled out the core, the wire would go through the sleeving. But I can't seem glue the wire to the cord smoothly enough. Eventually something gets caught and I can't pull it through any further. I haven't tried tape yet, but I'm not sure if it would be strong enough since I can't wrap it too thick.


 
 The best way is to do the inch worm method. Push it thru as far as you can then grab the wire and paracord back a little from where it stopped then bunch up the paracord over the end of the wire then hold the tip of the wire and slide the bunched up paracord over the wire. It will go pretty easy after that.


----------



## PinkyPowers

pingupenguins said:


> I wouldn't recommend it at all. You'll short the ground plane and possibly fry your A&K.
> 
> As for simply rewiring it for balanced, you'd need to find a new socket that is TRRS and will fit in the same slot provided by sennheiser. Probably not the best thing to do either. Only other option is drilling a new hole into the headphones for a second socket, and making it balanced that way.
> 
> In the end, I would suggest what most people do, get an external amp to boost the signal if you don't think it's enough.




Last night I tried the Sennheiser M2 with the FiiO X5 Classic, and it sounded fuller and more alive. So I started thinking of ways to get more power out of my AK. The obvious solution is to listen at louder volumes until the Momentum wakes up. But I like my ears too much. Then I remembered EQ! Just enabling EQ lowers the volume by around six steps. So I did, and then I set all the slides down by 50%, forcing me to raise the system volume quite a bit to reach that optimal point. Yet now the phones are getting more current than before. The result? A fuller, richer sound.



Or is that not how the hardware works, and this is all a placebo? If so, I like this pill.


----------



## Pingupenguins

pinkypowers said:


> Last night I tried the Sennheiser M2 with the FiiO X5 Classic, and it sounded fuller and more alive. So I started thinking of ways to get more power out of my AK. The obvious solution is to listen at louder volumes until the Momentum wakes up. But I like my ears too much. Then I remembered EQ! Just enabling EQ lowers the volume by around six steps. So I did, and then I set all the slides down by 50%, forcing me to raise the system volume quite a bit to reach that optimal point. Yet now the phones are getting more current than before. The result? A fuller, richer sound.
> 
> 
> Or is that not how the hardware works, and this is all a placebo? If so, I like this pill.


 
  
 What ever works for you dude. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 At the end of the day, this hobby is about you and your tastes, not what the internet tell you to do.


----------



## buke9

pingupenguins said:


> What ever works for you dude.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 You got that right.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Thanks. I agree.

Though, I was genuinely asking if my logic and understanding of the hardware and software was accurate. 

Am I imagining the better sound?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Thanks. I agree.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Put it back the other way and see if you hear a difference. Don't have they AK so can't replicate.


----------



## PinkyPowers

That was the first thing I did.

It wasn't a blind test, though, so I could have be prejudiced in favor of certain expectations.


----------



## dirkpitt45

buke9 said:


> The best way is to do the inch worm method. Push it thru as far as you can then grab the wire and paracord back a little from where it stopped then bunch up the paracord over the end of the wire then hold the tip of the wire and slide the bunched up paracord over the wire. It will go pretty easy after that.


 
  
 Tried that several times, it only works for about half a foot and then there's too much friction and the wire gets stuck. Probably just gonna order wider paracord.


----------



## Pingupenguins

dirkpitt45 said:


> Tried that several times, it only works for about half a foot and then there's too much friction and the wire gets stuck. Probably just gonna order wider paracord.


 
 sounds like you're trying to stuff something in a hole that doesn't fit dude. I usually get away with 1/8" nylon sleeve on a 3mm OD cable. Anything more than that is asking for trouble. Generally the listed width is the maximum. I'd say 550 is 1/8". 
  
 What paracord are you using? I played around with paracord before but found the cool colored variety had really crappy threads. Lots of fraying and fuzzing.


----------



## liquidzoo

dirkpitt45 said:


> Tried that several times, it only works for about half a foot and then there's too much friction and the wire gets stuck. Probably just gonna order wider paracord.




You have to make sure you have a clean cut too. Any wires poking out of the end will snag on the paracord and make it impossible to do. A dab of hot glue on the end might help. Type 1 will definitely fit over 28 AWG wire (single wire, that is).


----------



## TheGiantHogweed

What I am about to say isn't audio related but then this isn't in that section of the forum.
  
 I am wanting to work out how to wire up USB plugs. I have just bought these:
  
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HO71FSI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00
  
 They are cheap but they look reasonably simple to wire up. I am still waiting for them to arrive.  One of the cables will be to power a 5v LED strip from my USB hub. Another cable I have is to charge my tablet. The 5v transformer at the end of the cable gave up so I cut is off and am now wanting to put a USB plug on it. The cables for these 2 devices just have live and neutral so no data needed. I just am not quite sure where to solder them onto the connections. As this is an audio forum, I feel that many people here will have made and wired up their own custom USB cables for DACs and other things so if anyone could tell me where live and neutral should go, I would appreciate it. On the 5th picture down on the Amazon page, the 5th picture down is probably the best picture to show what the plugs are like.


----------



## Pingupenguins

liquidzoo said:


> You have to make sure you have a clean cut too. Any wires poking out of the end will snag on the paracord and make it impossible to do. A dab of hot glue on the end might help. Type 1 will definitely fit over 28 AWG wire (single wire, that is).


 
  
  
 I usually wrap stuff up in PTFE tape. I've found that to be pretty good and it gets pretty slippery at the end. Maybe 5 or 6 times around.


----------



## buke9

dirkpitt45 said:


> Tried that several times, it only works for about half a foot and then there's too much friction and the wire gets stuck. Probably just gonna order wider paracord.


 
 I have never used Type 1 I use #275 and have no problem with up to 22 awg wire .That is mostly Pe and Teflon coated wire.


----------



## BeastaS

beastas said:


> I need help with rewiring the jack of my Denon AH D510R headphones. These come with Apple iPod remote.
> 
> I am in India where there is nobody to repair these and I'm doing it myself. I have attached a photo of the pins of the TRRS plug, just reply back with what pin corresponds to which colour wire. The different wire colours I see are-
> RED
> ...


 
 Anyone?? Anything??


----------



## buke9

beastas said:


> Anyone?? Anything??


 
 I don't know about the color of wires as to where they go. The Pin out for the plug is tip Left + first ring R + next ring - for for everything and sleeve for mic. I would be guessing here so don't blame me if I'm wrong. Bare copper shielding wire (put that to ground if it was wrapped a round the outside of the cable)  Translucent Creamish color might be for the mic . For the other wires you might strip the wires and touch them to them to the small pin and the (not for sure what is called) the big terminal with cable clamp to find out which wire goes to the speakers. Red is most of the time Right side and White left side so that is a start. I would try touching the red wire to the larger pin and the black wire to the large terminal and see if you hear sound in the right cup. Plugging the plug into a sound source of course. Then try the white to the little pin and black to the large terminal and see if you get sound on the left side. I would think the green and cream is for the mic but again this is just a guess. Still just a guess here as I don't have the connector to test the small pin is L + the larger one R + the one to the side is for mic and the rest go to the large terminal. If you have a multimeter this would be easy to figure out. I know this is not the answer you wanted but it is a start for you.


----------



## buke9

Just got my Eidolic 4pin XLR connector.

 It is pretty sweet. more heft to them than I thought . I know this is over kill but they do look nice. Still waiting on my 2.5 mm Eidolic connectors to make balanced cables for the HE-400S's for the soon to be coming Liquid Carbon.


----------



## Allanmarcus

So, I remade my ether-c cable with rubber tube sleeves instead of soft nylon sleeves. All the microphonics are gone! I don't understand why rubber sleeving isn't recommended more.
  
 This is what I used: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201005980084
  
 Note, I only used rubber between the Y split and the cans. I used soft nylon TechFlex between the Y and the plug.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> So, I remade my ether-c cable with rubber tube sleeves instead of soft nylon sleeves. All the microphonics are gone! I don't understand why rubber sleeving isn't recommended more.
> 
> This is what I used: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201005980084
> 
> Note, I only used rubber between the Y split and the cans. I used soft nylon TechFlex between the Y and the plug.


 

 That is the same stuff Mr. Speakers use on the standard cable I believe . Less microphonic on the Ether-C's as on the Alpha Dogs. Going to make a shorter cable for the Ether-C's to use with the QP1R . Going to cannibalize an old cable for connectors haven't decided to cover or not yet but the soft Techflex on the Dum cable is pretty nice. Still waiting for parts for the balanced cable for the HE-400S and getting the Liquid Carbon would be nice also but it shouldn't be too long now. Good job by the way.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > So, I remade my ether-c cable with rubber tube sleeves instead of soft nylon sleeves. All the microphonics are gone! I don't understand why rubber sleeving isn't recommended more.
> ...





With regards to reusing the mrspeakets connections, were do you get replacement crimps? I found the crimps in the connector really not reusable.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> With regards to reusing the mrspeakets connections, were do you get replacement crimps? I found the crimps in the connector really not reusable.


 

 I don't use the crimps I usually just hot glue the wires in the connectors as I'm not real rough on them . I'm not cutting up an Mr. Speakers cable just one I made. I think I have some crimps at home ( visiting family for Thanksgiving) when I get back home I'll see if I can find them. I bought two pair of connectors so I could have some if you need them ?


----------



## micropixel

Can anyone kindly share wiring diagram or instruction for Ether SN8-4 connector please. Appreciate if you can also share picture of the soldering points for me to have an idea how difficult it potentially is. I have fair experience building LCD cable using mini XLR, so now I'm considering building Ether cable too. Thanks!


----------



## PETEREK

I 





micropixel said:


> Can anyone kindly share wiring diagram or instruction for Ether SN8-4 connector please. Appreciate if you can also share picture of the soldering points for me to have an idea how difficult it potentially is. I have fair experience building LCD cable using mini XLR, so now I'm considering building Ether cable too. Thanks!



I'm at work, so I can't supply a picture, but Pin 1 is the positive and Pin 2 is the negative for both the left and the right connectors. The pins are numbered on the inside of the connector next to the soldering points.


----------



## micropixel

Thanks PETEREK. 

So pins 3 and 4 are not used? No shorting required (as in the case of LCD mini XLR)?


----------



## PETEREK

micropixel said:


> Thanks PETEREK.
> 
> So pins 3 and 4 are not used? No shorting required (as in the case of LCD mini XLR)?



Nope, those aren't used. They use those pins when they're used for the single entry Mad Dog Pro, in the dual entry headphones Mrspeakers makes they only use 1 & 2.


----------



## Allanmarcus

micropixel said:


> Can anyone kindly share wiring diagram or instruction for Ether SN8-4 connector please. Appreciate if you can also share picture of the soldering points for me to have an idea how difficult it potentially is. I have fair experience building LCD cable using mini XLR, so now I'm considering building Ether cable too. Thanks!




Also, there is a PDF you can find on the web from the maker of the connector that shows how to put he whole thing together. Just google the part number. The diagram is near the end of the PDF.


----------



## micropixel

Thanks PETEREK.

Alllanmarcus - thanks too. Found it!

Link here if anyone else may be interested:
http://www.isamwoo.com/images/sn.pdf


----------



## buke9

New connect made to run from the QP1R to the AVR or Liquid Carbon (if it ever comes). WBT locking rca's and Double Helix 1/8" with 24 awg silver plate occ copper and 22 awg occ copper wire. Sounds really good out of the QP1R. 

 Finally the parts are in for the balanced cable for the HE-400S.

 Now time to get to work on them and mobile cable for the Ether-C's.


----------



## rmoody

Made my first headphone interconnect. Been soldering since I was about 14, but you can't tell here. First time dealing with 4% silver solder, pain in the butt!
 Also, what is up with the sleeve solder area on Neutrik 1/4" TRS male plugs? There is no place to secure the wire. After trying for about an hour only to have the wire come off, I drilled 5/64" holes in the thing, divided the shield up, tinned and threaded through the holes. What a pain!
  
 Anyway, here they are bad soldering and all. Oh, I like orange, go VOLS!
  
 I'll be using this with and Ether C which SWMBO ordered for me for Christmas, figured I'd better get off my duff and get this ready.


----------



## buke9

rmoody said:


> Made my first headphone interconnect. Been soldering since I was about 14, but you can't tell here. First time dealing with 4% silver solder, pain in the butt!
> Also, what is up with the sleeve solder area on Neutrik 1/4" TRS male plugs? There is no place to secure the wire. After trying for about an hour only to have the wire come off, I drilled 5/64" holes in the thing, divided the shield up, tinned and threaded through the holes. What a pain!
> 
> Anyway, here they are bad soldering and all. Oh, I like orange, go VOLS!
> ...


 
 Doesn't look bad to me. I like blue as in Big Blue. The Spring meet in Nashville will be full of Ether-C's.


----------



## buke9

He-400S cable braided .

 Got to take a break. Can't decide if I want to put a wood splitter on this one or not. Going to put the 4 pin XLR on and then decide. Now time to quit for the night.

 Went ahead and attached the XLR connector.


----------



## micropixel

rmoody said:


> Made my first headphone interconnect. Been soldering since I was about 14, but you can't tell here. First time dealing with 4% silver solder, pain in the butt!
> Also, what is up with the sleeve solder area on Neutrik 1/4" TRS male plugs? There is no place to secure the wire. After trying for about an hour only to have the wire come off, I drilled 5/64" holes in the thing, divided the shield up, tinned and threaded through the holes. What a pain!
> 
> Anyway, here they are bad soldering and all. Oh, I like orange, go VOLS!
> ...


 
  
 My exact sentiment from yesterday trying to make a pigtail adapter just like yours.  Gotta have a really hot solder gun to burn through the thick metal sleeve solder area, so I am reattempting this coming weekend with a fatter tip to try to finish off from where I let off yesterday!


----------



## Gerner

Hello Everyone..
  
 I havn't made a lot of posts in here.. But I really need some help now, since my project by recabling my Beyerdynamic DT770 is about to die.. And I won't let that happen!
  
 Just to make it a lot more difficult before I start.. I live in Denmark, so shipping cost and taxes are sometimes very high!
  
 But to get started, I need to re-cable my Beyerdynamic DT770, but I don't need it to be a regular cable to be replaced with.. I need something like this:
  
 - 4 Conductors
 - Transparent Isolation
 - OCC copper
 - 24 AWG
  
 Just to clarify it with a picture..
  

  
 But now comes the hard part.. I have to find a proper cable! Which actually are a pain in the ass, because I don't want to pay too much..
  
 My first option was a Mogami 2534 cable, because it comes with 4 conductors, 2 transparent, 2 blue.. Which i perfect, because it's a cheap cable to buy..
 But it was sold out everywhere.. (Found it on ebay, but the shipping cost was too much!)
  
 Then someone told me to look at this one: http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=2
  
 Seems great, and the price isn't that high.. I need 5 to 10 meters in total.
 But they ship from USA, so the shipping cost AND taxes are ridicules high..
  
 So here's my question... Where can I find a proper cable to buy, when living in Denmark?
  
 Best Regards
 Gerner


----------



## HirschiAUT

gerner said:


> Hello Everyone..
> 
> I havn't made a lot of posts in here.. But I really need some help now, since my project by recabling my Beyerdynamic DT770 is about to die.. And I won't let that happen!
> 
> ...




Hey there Gerner.

Since i want to build a 4pin XLR extension cable i was also searching for a reasonably priced good quality 4 conductor cable, and i found those:

http://shop.sommercable.com/en/Cables/Bulk-Cables-Audio/Mikrofonkabel-SC-Square-4-Core-MKII-200-0301-highflex.html

I get them here in austria for the 2,87€ / meter mentioned on the homepage.
If you find a dealer for sommer cables in denmark this might be an option.

Hope that helps.
Greetings, Mario


----------



## Gerner

hirschiaut said:


> Hey there Gerner.
> 
> Since i want to build a 4pin XLR extension cable i was also searching for a reasonably priced good quality 4 conductor cable, and i found those:
> 
> ...


 
  
 We do actually have a pretty solid dealer, in Germany though, but they have tons of Sommer Cables, and they sell them for a reasonably price too!
 http://www.thomann.de/dk/sommer_cable_square_4core_mkii_highflex.htm
 But I really dislike the colors of the isolation.. I'm going to remove the black shielding.
  
 It could use paracord though, but if I can find a good cable with transparent isolation, it would be a blessing!
  
 But thanks a lot for the link!


----------



## buke9

gerner said:


> We do actually have a pretty solid dealer, in Germany though, but they have tons of Sommer Cables, and they sell them for a reasonably price too!
> http://www.thomann.de/dk/sommer_cable_square_4core_mkii_highflex.htm
> But I really dislike the colors of the isolation.. I'm going to remove the black shielding.
> 
> ...


 
 It is really hard to find wire cheap no matter where you live. Much harder in Europe I'm sure. The shipping and taxes kills it. There is some on AliExpress that is not too bad looking but it is 28 awg at about .95 cents(US) a foot $15.27(US) for 5 meters free shipping to the US here is a link. BTG Audio has some OFC stuff that is really nice also you might give them a look but I don't know about shipping to you as he is here in the US. I know this doesn't help much but another place to look. By the way I think you mean insulation not isolation . I know English is not your first language so just trying to help out so others understand what you mean. I have enough trouble myself 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





.


----------



## Gerner

buke9 said:


> It is really hard to find wire cheap no matter where you live. Much harder in Europe I'm sure. The shipping and taxes kills it. There is some on AliExpress that is not too bad looking but it is 28 awg at about .95 cents(US) a foot $15.27(US) for 5 meters free shipping to the US here is a link. BTG Audio has some OFC stuff that is really nice also you might give them a look but I don't know about shipping to you as he is here in the US. I know this doesn't help much but another place to look. By the way I think you mean insulation not isolation . I know English is not your first language so just trying to help out so others understand what you mean. I have enough trouble myself
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 It's really hard to find anything good in Denmark, especially if you want the cable to be transparent.  
 I'm going to call an instrument store today, because I know they once had Mogami 2534, but they don't sell it online any longer.. So if I'm lucky they have some left in the store..  It will make everything so much easier, and cheaper! 
 And thanks for the correction, and you're right, english is not my first language, but hopefully you guys understand what I'm writing. 
  
 And thanks again! Will look at that link of yours.


----------



## buke9

gerner said:


> It's really hard to find anything good in Denmark, especially if you want the cable to be transparent.
> I'm going to call an instrument store today, because I know they once had Mogami 2534, but they don't sell it online any longer.. So if I'm lucky they have some left in the store..  It will make everything so much easier, and cheaper!
> And thanks for the correction, and you're right, english is not my first language, but hopefully you guys understand what I'm writing.
> 
> And thanks again! Will look at that link of yours.


 
 You are doing fine with English just one thing to make it more clear to others. We are kind of spoiled in the US as far as shipping and taxes and lots of suppliers for just about everything.


----------



## Gerner

buke9 said:


> You are doing fine with English just one thing to make it more clear to others. We are kind of spoiled in the US as far as shipping and taxes and lots of suppliers for just about everything.


 
  
 I didn't had any luck by finding any Mogami 2534.. So I wrote to another danish dealer, who said he had some Mogami 2893, which is a bit smaller (26 awg instead of 24 awg), so I bought 10 meters of that instead.. It have 4 different colors (Red, black, blue and clear), but the most important thing is to have enough for a fully clear cable for my DT770, which is why I bought 10 meters.. 
 I'm really excited to receive it, since it's my first time where I have to disassemble a pair of headphones and re-place the current cable. Just to make it a little more fun, I bought this damping kit: https://customcans.co.uk/s/s/index.php/dt770-mass-loading-mod.html .. If the result is superb, I might change my Soundmagic E30 out with these instead.. Full size vs in-ears..  
  
 But thanks a lot for the help guys! And when I've finished the mod I will post some pictures in the DIY cable gallery!


----------



## DMinor

About one month ago I ordered some items from DASETN and I never received. Now it appears Dasetn's online store has been closed.
  
 Fortunately Paypal has recovered the funds for me.


----------



## buke9

gerner said:


> I didn't had any luck by finding any Mogami 2534.. So I wrote to another danish dealer, who said he had some Mogami 2893, which is a bit smaller (26 awg instead of 24 awg), so I bought 10 meters of that instead.. It have 4 different colors (Red, black, blue and clear), but the most important thing is to have enough for a fully clear cable for my DT770, which is why I bought 10 meters..
> I'm really excited to receive it, since it's my first time where I have to disassemble a pair of headphones and re-place the current cable. Just to make it a little more fun, I bought this damping kit: https://customcans.co.uk/s/s/index.php/dt770-mass-loading-mod.html .. If the result is superb, I might change my Soundmagic E30 out with these instead.. Full size vs in-ears..
> 
> But thanks a lot for the help guys! And when I've finished the mod I will post some pictures in the DIY cable gallery!


 
 I'm glad for you. Please post pics that would be great. Good luck!


----------



## Allanmarcus

Hi. I'm making a single ended Audeze cable for an LCD-3. Do I really need to jumper 1/4 and 2/3 on the connectors?


----------



## PETEREK

allanmarcus said:


> Hi. I'm making a single ended Audeze cable for an LCD-3. Do I really need to jumper 1/4 and 2/3 on the connectors?



I guess you don't really HAVE to, but Audeze does use all four pins just in case one pin fails later on.


----------



## Allanmarcus

peterek said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Hi. I'm making a single ended Audeze cable for an LCD-3. Do I really need to jumper 1/4 and 2/3 on the connectors?
> ...


 
 Thanks. I guess I figured that out after I posted. I will try to jump the pins, but that looks like some fancy soldering.


----------



## PETEREK

allanmarcus said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > allanmarcus said:
> ...



Nah, just tin your wires and bend the tip at a right angle and bridge them that way. Easy peasy.


----------



## Allanmarcus

peterek said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > peterek said:
> ...




Of course I've been really careful,about lengths, trying not to make any errors. Two nights ago I finished the y split and the soldered on the 1/4 jack. I then carefully measured the tip connector lengths, cut and tinned the ends, then went to bed. Now I realize I will need 4mm more to bend the wires to jump the pins! I mean it's not the end the world, but experience is soooooo valuable. 

At any rate, thanks. Hopefully I can find the time to finish the cable tonight. Too many other projects going. I'm also making speaker stands and senngrados. I'm loving the DIYness of this hobby.


----------



## Gerner

As promised.. 
  
  

 http://imgur.com/a/f9g14
  
 It's my first braided DIY cable ever made.. So I went with the blue and red cable, just to try it out, and left the clear and black for the final cable.
 I think it came out pretty well.


----------



## rmoody

Here is my second cable. 1/4" Neutrik TRS to 1/8" Neutrik TRS.


----------



## buke9

gerner said:


> As promised..
> 
> It's my first braided DIY cable ever made.. So I went with the blue and red cable, just to try it out, and left the clear and black for the final cable.
> I think it came out pretty well.


 
  


rmoody said:


> Here is my second cable. 1/4" Neutrik TRS to 1/8" Neutrik TRS.


 
 Looks good to me.


----------



## Akrubenstein

Is there anyone that does re-cabling for modestly priced headphones?
  
 I have a pair of Shure SRH840s which one ear stopped working.  So, I dismantled them and found one of the wires sheared from repeated bending via normal use.  I'd like to get them repaired for a fee instead of binning them, however I have neither a soldering iron nor the confidence to do this myself.
  
 I'm in NJ but we could do this via mail if anyone knows someone who does this sort of thing.


----------



## Allanmarcus

akrubenstein said:


> Is there anyone that does re-cabling for modestly priced headphones?
> 
> I have a pair of Shure SRH840s which one ear stopped working.  So, I dismantled them and found one of the wires sheared from repeated bending via normal use.  I'd like to get them repaired for a fee instead of binning them, however I have neither a soldering iron nor the confidence to do this myself.
> 
> I'm in NJ but we could do this via mail if anyone knows someone who does this sort of thing.




I'm guessing that if you can see the broken wire a TV , stereo repair shop could fix it for less than the cost of shipping.


----------



## Gerner

Okay... So I just broke the wire that goes from the connectors and down to the driver itself.. damn. 
But I really have to get them working again, so I'm thinking on using my dt990 drivers instead.. So have anyone tried this? 

Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk


----------



## amp281

I have a set of Sennheiser HD280s.  I am attempting to recable them with Canare L-4E6S starquad.  How should I attach the tinsel wires from the drivers to the wire from the starquad? It resists my solder because of its coating and the wire is very hard to work with.  I can't reliably tin the wire and it is so small I am not sure it can be sanded off without destroying the wire alltogether.
  
 Are there other wires I can substitute? 24AWG speaker wire seems to be too thick and too stiff compared with the original tinsel.
  
 Thanks.
  
 Edit: lighter seemed to remove the coating okay but the wires are too short at this point.  What size and type of replacement wire should I use for the speaker driver to cable +/- leads?
  
 Here are pictures:
 http://i.imgur.com/4dGJx0y.jpg
 http://i.imgur.com/Hp8x8gj.jpg
 http://i.imgur.com/JN5C1vY.jpg
 http://i.imgur.com/Yggi1ck.jpg
  
 I think this stuff is Litz wire, correct? What AWG/size should I use?


----------



## liquidzoo

amp281 said:


> I have a set of Sennheiser HD280s.  I am attempting to recable them with Canare L-4E6S starquad.  How should I attach the tinsel wires from the drivers to the wire from the starquad? It resists my solder because of its coating and the wire is very hard to work with.  I can't reliably tin the wire and it is so small I am not sure it can be sanded off without destroying the wire alltogether.
> 
> Are there other wires I can substitute? 24AWG speaker wire seems to be too thick and too stiff compared with the original tinsel.
> 
> ...




Assuming you're careful, and mark which ones went where, you can replace the existing wire with the Canare you're doing the rest of the recable with and be just fine.


----------



## wisefire

Hey guys, looking to make a (2) right angle rca to female 3.5mm cable. Would this RCA and this 3.5mm jack work? If so, what cable should i use?
 Thanks


----------



## amp281

I would however the canare is much much thicker than the sennheiser.  I don't have a gauge to measure this tinsel wire but it seems like its upwards of 25awg.  This is an issue when it comes to routing the wire between the plastic housings.  The Sennheiser wire is also much more flexible then the canare's individual conductors.  I am just not sure what type of wire and what size of wire this is so that I can buy a new strand of it.


----------



## liquidzoo

Something like this would probably work:

https://www.mikeselectronicparts.com/product/220-46-litz-wire/

Though if you're recabling, why not take your stock cable and strip it down and use the wire from there?

Solder pot would probably be the easiest way to burn the enamel off so it can be tinned.


----------



## amp281

Stock leads are now too short after I used a flame to remove the coating on the tinsel.  The poorly tinned ends were very brittle and broke off in the flame.
  
 Thank you for the link to the litz wire.
  
 I have never worked with this wire before, is it coated like the stock Sennheiser wire and therefore can be run un-jacketed side by side for the + and -?
  
 I looked at using some telephone wire which seems thin enough but its not nearly as flexible and has fewer strands.


----------



## liquidzoo

amp281 said:


> Stock leads are now too short after I used a flame to remove the coating on the tinsel.  The poorly tinned ends were very brittle and broke off in the flame.
> 
> Thank you for the link to the litz wire.
> 
> ...




Never used it before, but I believe like the stock wires it's enamel coated so can be run without other insulation.

I know you said that about the leads, but what about the stock cable itself? You mentioned recabling with Canare. If you still have the stock cable, chances are there are at least 3 wires inside that you could use for this purpose if you wanted.

Might save you a bit of money and time.


----------



## buke9

Finally found a 8 wire braid that I like and is not too crazy. This is for my portable cable for the Ether-C's to the QP1R.


 Brain at BTG Audio wanted to see what people was doing with his wire so here you go @Pingupenguins


----------



## Pingupenguins

buke9 said:


> Finally found a 8 wire braid that I like and is not too crazy. This is for my portable cable for the Ether-C's to the QP1R.
> 
> 
> Brain at BTG Audio wanted to see what people was doing with his wire so here you go @Pingupenguins


 
  
  
 I was beginning to wonder when you'd post it up!!! Very nice. Looks like a square braid. I always liked the silver copper combo but no one ever requests it  
  
 Would love to see the finished product too! But so far so good.


----------



## buke9

pingupenguins said:


> I was beginning to wonder when you'd post it up!!! Very nice. Looks like a square braid. I always liked the silver copper combo but no one ever requests it
> 
> Would love to see the finished product too! But so far so good.


 
 Been a little busy. Just had to buy a new TV the old one was dying so the wife and I decided to buy it for each other for Christmas. Off topic I know but I got an 65" LG 4k OLED and OMG is it the best ever can't quit watching it . Yes it is a square braid the round just gets too hard to keep up with where you are but I'll get it for the next one. I don't give up too easy. It's relaxing to braid cables once you get the hang of it. The wire is nice and supple though I like that. Will just see how it sounds when done. I'm sure I'll like it.


----------



## Pingupenguins

buke9 said:


> Been a little busy. Just had to buy a new TV the old one was dying so the wife and I decided to buy it for each other for Christmas. Off topic I know but I got an 65" LG 4k OLED and OMG is it the best ever can't quit watching it . Yes it is a square braid the round just gets too hard to keep up with where you are but I'll get it for the next one. I don't give up too easy. It's relaxing to braid cables once you get the hang of it. The wire is nice and supple though I like that. Will just see how it sounds when done. I'm sure I'll like it.


 
  
  
 Yeah, there is a reason I have to charge more for the round braid as you can see.  My advice is, don't mess up and make sure you have time to complete the cable. If you take a break and lose your place, you will not find it again then you will have to restart the braid, or weave (more like it...). 
  
 Happy cabling!


----------



## buke9

pingupenguins said:


> Yeah, there is a reason I have to charge more for the round braid as you can see.  My advice is, don't mess up and make sure you have time to complete the cable. If you take a break and lose your place, you will not find it again then you will have to restart the braid, or weave (more like it...).
> 
> Happy cabling!


 
 Yes I've been there. I like breaks 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





. It is hard to keep track of it.


----------



## Gerner

Hello guys,
  
 I could really need some help.. I've now re-cabled my DT770, and instead of DT770 drivers I use DT990 instead.. But the problem now is, I have a lot more bass ind the left ear-cup..
 And here's my thoughts:
  
 There's a lot more cables inside the cup
 The new Mogami 2893 cable only goes to the left cup, and the std. cable goes from left to right
  
 The wires should be soldered properly..
  
 Anyone have any suggestions on my problem?


----------



## PETEREK

gerner said:


> Hello guys,
> 
> I could really need some help.. I've now re-cabled my DT770, and instead of DT770 drivers I use DT990 instead.. But the problem now is, I have a lot more bass ind the left ear-cup..
> And here's my thoughts:
> ...


 
 Did you attach the plastic ring and white felt part on the DT990 driver from your old DT770 driver? If you don't have one I have 4 here that I can spare. Let me know and I'll send you one.


----------



## Gerner

Yes, both caps are on.  I've even double checked.. Also double checked the soldering.. And it all seems to be fine.
  
 But my best guess would be the wiring..


----------



## PETEREK

gerner said:


> Yes, both caps are on.  I've even double checked.. Also double checked the soldering.. And it all seems to be fine.
> 
> But my best guess would be the wiring..


 
 Let's see some pictures. I'm sure one of us here can get to the bottom of it for you.


----------



## wakka992

Hi guys,
What paracord size I'd need to sleeve my Mogami W3106 headphone cable? It's made by two 4.8 mono shielded cable, so it's a stereo "flat" cable.
Any idea? I got some cotton sleeve for it but I'd rader use paracord...
In the past I got 550 type III paracord but was way too small even for smaller cable (like W2549)
Thanks!!


----------



## liquidzoo

Are you trying to sleeve the conductors separately or the entire thing with the rubber outer jacket all at once? 550 Paracord should be more than big enough for any individual conductor you'd want to use for headphones (295 or 95 is more common for the individual conductors).


----------



## wakka992

@liquidzoo
 thanks for your answer, I'd like to sleeve the cable from the jack up to the Y splitter (I bought a beautifull Viablue one) and then I think I'd live the splitted cable up to the connector without sleeving it.
 If you think 550 Paracord would be enough for a 2x4,8mm cable (so 9,6mm, even if it's flat) then I think I bought some crappy paracord... 
 I'm from Italy, and looking for paracord in EU is quite troublesome.


----------



## Gerner

Havn't got the time yet to post pictures.. But I can do it tomorrow. 
  
 But I've heard from a friend, that the resistors could be different from the stock cabel and the mogami 2893?


----------



## buke9

gerner said:


> Havn't got the time yet to post pictures.. But I can do it tomorrow.
> 
> But I've heard from a friend, that the resistors could be different from the stock cabel and the mogami 2893?


 
 I doubt the stock cable and Mogami would be that far off in resistance but I could be wrong here. The cable could make a difference for some of it but I doubt a real big difference. Changing drivers can make a big difference . Changing the cavity of the cups can really change things. I don't know if that is what is going on but it could be something.


----------



## buke9

OK @Pingupenguins finished it. It sounds really good also. The wire was a dream to use.

  

 I don't need a y split I think this works just fine as is. Shrink tube would ruin it. The wire is very good Thanks.


----------



## Pingupenguins

buke9 said:


> OK @Pingupenguins finished it. It sounds really good also. The wire was a dream to use.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't need a y split I think this works just fine as is. Shrink tube would ruin it. The wire is very good Thanks.


 
  
 Very nice! I agree heat shrink would definitely change how the cable looks. I don't use a splitter on the Q cables so I can totally see that working. 
  
 What are these for again? Mr.Speakers?


----------



## buke9

pingupenguins said:


> Very nice! I agree heat shrink would definitely change how the cable looks. I don't use a splitter on the Q cables so I can totally see that working.
> 
> What are these for again? Mr.Speakers?


 

 Ether-C's with QP1R. Awesome setup. Sounds a little better now
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





.


----------



## Gerner

Some pictures of my cups.. 
  

  


  
  
 Hope anyone got some answers.. I really wants to use them soon.


----------



## wakka992

liquidzoo said:


> Are you trying to sleeve the conductors separately or the entire thing with the rubber outer jacket all at once? 550 Paracord should be more than big enough for any individual conductor you'd want to use for headphones (295 or 95 is more common for the individual conductors).


 
 Yes liquidzoo, I was trying to sleeve the mogami with the rubber outer jacket. Only now I see that all the others who sleeved mogami has stripped the wire to the core and then used paracord for individual cable sleeving. I'm doing that right now, but I think that 550 Paracord is a bit too thick for individual conductor.
 Maybe I'll keep the inner steel jacket from the jack to the Y splitter sleeved with 550, and then individual conductor sleeved with smaller paracord. What size would you recommend for individual conductor? 225??
 Thanks


----------



## PETEREK

gerner said:


> Some pictures of my cups..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Well, it looks like you're using blue as ground and red as the signals. Everything here looks fine to me, unfortunately.


----------



## Gerner

Exactly! I have two blue wires from my jack plug, and they are both ground (One for each cup), and the red ones are signals.
  
 I've double checked everything, but the bass seems to give a bigger punch in left cup than right..


----------



## PETEREK

gerner said:


> Exactly! I have two blue wires from my jack plug, and they are both ground (One for each cup), and the red ones are signals.
> 
> I've double checked everything, but the bass seems to give a bigger punch in left cup than right..


 
 The only other thing I can think of is that you might have a cold-solder-joint. The solder might have hardened back up while the wire was _slightly_ moving and made a connection that isn't as strong as the other driver's connection. The next step I recommend to you is resoldering the weaker driver's connection and then testing it again.


----------



## liquidzoo

wakka992 said:


> Yes liquidzoo, I was trying to sleeve the mogami with the rubber outer jacket. Only now I see that all the others who sleeved mogami has stripped the wire to the core and then used paracord for individual cable sleeving. I'm doing that right now, but I think that 550 Paracord is a bit too thick for individual conductor.
> Maybe I'll keep the inner steel jacket from the jack to the Y splitter sleeved with 550, and then individual conductor sleeved with smaller paracord. What size would you recommend for individual conductor? 225??
> Thanks




Depending on the size of the individual conductor, 95 or 275 Paracord is what you're looking for. Not sure what is available for you.


----------



## Allanmarcus

wakka992 said:


> liquidzoo said:
> 
> 
> > Are you trying to sleeve the conductors separately or the entire thing with the rubber outer jacket all at once? 550 Paracord should be more than big enough for any individual conductor you'd want to use for headphones (295 or 95 is more common for the individual conductors).
> ...


 

 I use rubber sleeve from the cups tot he Y, then soft nylon tech flex or paracord from the Y to the plug. For my Ether C's, the rubber greatly reduced the microphonics. I used the individual wires from mogami quad. I used 1/8 ID 3/16 OD Latex Rubber Tubing. 24AWG was a real pain to thread. 26AWG was a moderate pain. 
  
 I think if you have large headphones, like Audeze or Ethers, the rubber is worth it. For my SennGrados, I used paracord above the Y, and there are no microphonics. YMMV


----------



## buke9

wakka992 said:


> Yes liquidzoo, I was trying to sleeve the mogami with the rubber outer jacket. Only now I see that all the others who sleeved mogami has stripped the wire to the core and then used paracord for individual cable sleeving. I'm doing that right now, but I think that 550 Paracord is a bit too thick for individual conductor.
> Maybe I'll keep the inner steel jacket from the jack to the Y splitter sleeved with 550, and then individual conductor sleeved with smaller paracord. What size would you recommend for individual conductor? 225??
> Thanks


 
 The #275 will fit the Mogami single conductors you just have to be patient and inch worm it in.


----------



## DecentLevi

Hello guys - important question. My friend @Packdemon is helping build a 4-pin XLR cable for my Senn. HD 650's. But this is our first time making a balanced cable. We have all the supplies but are not sure about the wiring / schematics. Based on the photos below, would somebody please advise us which connection from photo A goes to which connection in photo B? Especially helpful would be which side is right and which is left, to make sure we don't get a reverse stereo image. (note this will be for the Liquid Carbon). Thanks in advance...
  
 Quote:


ben_r_ said:


> ...
> *PHOTO A*


 
       *PHOTO B:*


----------



## PETEREK

decentlevi said:


> ben_r_ said:
> 
> 
> > ...
> ...



Left small pin to Pin 1 of the XLR, Left big pin to Pin 2 of the XLR, Right small pin to Pin 3 of the XLR, and Right big pin to Pin 4 of the XLR.


----------



## DecentLevi

@Peterk thanks so much for this. You're a member of trade so I'm sure you know what's up - anybody else speak now or forever hold this cable's peace


----------



## Raddiqal11

https://shop62524823.world.taobao.com/search.htm?spm=a312a.7700824.w4002-13043890379.105.dcHULr&_ksTS=1450198218352_371&callback=jsonp372&mid=w-13043890379-0&wid=13043890379&path=%2Fsearch.htm&search=y&pageNo=2#anchor

http://world.taobao.com/item/520535964016.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z0k.1000777.1000393.8.bMpRmM&_u=

Hey all, just want to share these Taobao links. They're really high quality stuff. I'm extremely happy with their service too. Ordered a bunch of their cables since they are relatively cheap to try them out. When they arrived today, they came with a whole catalog of their wires. That is customer service.

The first link is for all their products and the second are the wires that i specifically ordered. Nice smooth jacket, very minor rubbery feel. Soft and flexible too! Super easy to braid as they didn't coil up. Go check them out.

P.S I'm not very sure if I'm allowed to post these links and share them. If I'm allowed to, just quote me to give me assurance. If not, admins please just remove the post. I'd be sad to see this thread locked


----------



## Allanmarcus

raddiqal11 said:


> https://shop62524823.world.taobao.com/search.htm?spm=a312a.7700824.w4002-13043890379.105.dcHULr&_ksTS=1450198218352_371&callback=jsonp372&mid=w-13043890379-0&wid=13043890379&path=%2Fsearch.htm&search=y&pageNo=2#anchor
> 
> http://world.taobao.com/item/520535964016.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z0k.1000777.1000393.8.bMpRmM&_u=
> 
> ...


 
 any way to change the language to english?


----------



## Arty McGhee

allanmarcus said:


> any way to change the language to english?


 
 if you use google chrome it will ask if you want to interpret
 problem is you can't buy from taobao in the us without an agent


----------



## ForceMajeure

raddiqal11 said:


> https://shop62524823.world.taobao.com/search.htm?spm=a312a.7700824.w4002-13043890379.105.dcHULr&_ksTS=1450198218352_371&callback=jsonp372&mid=w-13043890379-0&wid=13043890379&path=%2Fsearch.htm&search=y&pageNo=2#anchor
> 
> http://world.taobao.com/item/520535964016.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z0k.1000777.1000393.8.bMpRmM&_u=
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks, sure looks interesting. What are you using these wires for?


----------



## Raddiqal11

forcemajeure said:


> Thanks, sure looks interesting. What are you using these wires for?




I'm using these wires to make iem cables. I'm selling them actually but won't sell them here as I have no intention of becoming a member of trade anytime soon. 



The copper if from another supplier and they are much more stiffer and coils up too easily making the wires memory prone


----------



## smaragd

raddiqal11 said:


> https://shop62524823.world.taobao.com/search.htm?spm=a312a.7700824.w4002-13043890379.105.dcHULr&_ksTS=1450198218352_371&callback=jsonp372&mid=w-13043890379-0&wid=13043890379&path=%2Fsearch.htm&search=y&pageNo=2#anchor
> 
> http://world.taobao.com/item/520535964016.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z0k.1000777.1000393.8.bMpRmM&_u=
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks for sharing the link! Some interesting stuff and pricing is fair too...


----------



## ForceMajeure

How flexible is this wire?
 http://world.taobao.com/item/520535964016.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z0k.1000777.1000393.8.bMpRmM&_u=
  
 I don't know if you have experience with the usual cable supplied with CIEM which is made from Tinsel wire and has a great soft and flexible feeling. Can it be compared?


----------



## Raddiqal11

forcemajeure said:


> How flexible is this wire?
> http://world.taobao.com/item/520535964016.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z0k.1000777.1000393.8.bMpRmM&_u=
> 
> I don't know if you have experience with the usual cable supplied with CIEM which is made from Tinsel wire and has a great soft and flexible feeling. Can it be compared?




Ooh I never had much experience with those tinsel wires. I bought that exact wire. Let's say when I uncoil if from the roll, it didn't have the tendency to coil back. Only thing is its not perfectly straight there's small bends but overall it's very easy to work with


----------



## cityle

Hey,
  
 I'm considering to make a short (20 cm) braided cable for my ath-m70x as the stock one is not really flexible. I would like to achieve a cable like that.

  
 So it's the purple cable here gonna do the job? (ideally I want to make a cable with this shade of purple)
http://world.taobao.com/item/44804043949.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a312a.7700824.w4002-13043890379.45.wNdDX1

 and am I better off to use a 3.5mm plug on one end and the 2.5mm plus on the other side
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Male-Repair-Headphone-Jack-Plug-Audio-Soldering-For-Sennheiser-HD598-HD558-HD518-/161346832260
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-Stereo-3-5mm-3-Pole-Repair-Headphone-Jack-Plug-Cable-Audio-Solder-DIY/201349411041?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D34881%26meid%3Ddd38037b9dce4bb0a82512dd83d08df7%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D141221075957
  
 or do 3.5mm on each end and use this adapter?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/OE-Gold-2-5mm-Male-to-3-5mm-Female-Stereo-Audio-Headphone-Jack-Adapter-Converter-/221850003910?hash=item33a74a69c6:g:s5UAAOSwgQ9Vyedd


----------



## ai03

cityle said:


> Hey,
> 
> I'm considering to make a short (20 cm) braided cable for my ath-m70x as the stock one is not really flexible. I would like to achieve a cable like that.
> 
> ...


 
  
 The purple wire should be fine for the cable. Here is a comparison of two cables of 0.8mm wire:
  

 8 strand is around 4mm thick consistently
  

 4 strand is around 1mm thick at its thinnest point, 4mm at its thickest
  
 It's best to use the 3.5mm plug on one side and 2.5mm plug on the other if you are only using it with your m70x.


----------



## cityle

I f I understand well, if I want to do 4 or 8 strand cable, it's because I would be using trrs balanced plug. But, in my case, as I'm gonna to use trs plug, I will instead do a 3 or 6 strand cable, with the 6 strand cable having 2 cable for each pole, right?


----------



## buke9

cityle said:


> I f I understand well, if I want to do 4 or 8 strand cable, it's because I would be using trrs balanced plug. But, in my case, as I'm gonna to use trs plug, I will instead do a 3 or 6 strand cable, with the 6 strand cable having 2 cable for each pole, right?


 
 Yes two for each. The 6 round braid looks nice also.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Does anyone have a diagram for these jacks? The 2.5mm is especially confusing. Where is ground?


----------



## cityle

Here you go


 the long is the right channel and the short one is the left channel


----------



## PinkyPowers

Thanks.

What do you do for ground when there's no sleeve on the side where you solder the cable?


----------



## ai03

pinkypowers said:


> Thanks.
> 
> What do you do for ground when there's no sleeve on the side where you solder the cable?


 
  
 You would solder the ground to somewhere connected to the sleeve part of the connector, which is the "third ring". I suggest this part, but it is important to make sure no solder gets on the screw grooves, or the connector won't close later on.


----------



## buke9

Totally hate those type of connectors. They are so hard for me to solder.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Yeah. This is going to be trouble.


----------



## ai03

With those connectors, I usually tin the wire, put some solder down on to the connector beforehand, then fuse them together.


----------



## DJScope

asianinvasion said:


> With those connectors, I usually tin the wire, put some solder down on to the connector beforehand, then fuse them together.


 
  
 Using flux helps also.


----------



## DPence

I am new to the forums but have been around them for a long time. 

There are a couple things that I am looking for specifically and hoping that someone has answers.

Where can I find 2 pin connectors for JH Audio IEMs? I have JH 5 Pros that I would like to re-cable. Can someone also tell me the termination that they use?

Where can I find a quality in-line mic and control unit for iOS device?

I am working on getting supplies together and doing the build myself as I have pretty good experience in the solder area.

Thank you in advance for any and all info that you can provide.


----------



## ai03

dpence said:


> I am new to the forums but have been around them for a long time.
> 
> There are a couple things that I am looking for specifically and hoping that someone has answers.
> 
> ...




I know the 2-pin connectors are available from a few places:

Norne audio - Eidolic connectors
Lunashops generic
Plussound cryo treated

As long as they are 2-pin 0.78mm connectors, they should fit most custom IEMs. I've used the Eidolics; very easy to solder, well-made, but slightly bulky.

As for a in-line mic, I found this, but I have never used one before, so I do not know how to solder it into a cable.


----------



## DPence

asianinvasion said:


> I know the 2-pin connectors are available from a few places:
> 
> Norne audio - Eidolic connectors
> Lunashops generic
> ...




Thank you very much for this information, huge help. 

Still need to find out the termination for the JH IEMs.


----------



## rmoody

Just finished a cable for my Ether Cs. It's just 1/8" TRS connection. I could not get para-cord over the core cable which is a Gotham 11002 so I left it plain. The Y is made from a piece of heavy duty 4:1 adhesive heat shrink I got a Home Depot. When I shrunk it down I pressed in the middle with needle nose pliers to form the "wire pants". It's a bit thick and could use some rounding on the edges, but it's sturdy. Used red para-cord for right, white for left. The Hirose connectors were not as bad as I had thought they would be. I used the lengths in the PDF that says how long to strip the wire (2mm) and how far back the crimp should be. The crimp distance wound up being a non-issue as it did not grip the wires at all. I'm a bit concerned with the lack of strain relief on these, still working out how to fix that. One positive is the para-cord is stretched pretty tight now and if you do pull on the cables, the para-cord takes the most of it. The crimps still don't grip the para-cord very well. I'm considering adding some JB Weld to attach the para-cord to the crimp. and or crimp to the wires, not sure. Soldering was actually much easier than I thought. Need a magnifying glass for my old eyes, but other wise it was easy. Stripped 2mm off the end of the wire, fluxed, tinned. Setup the third hands to hold the wire onto the solder well, added flux, cleaned my soldering iron tip, added a drop of solder, touched to the connection, and done. I wired the left and right backwards so I had to go back to the TRS and re-solder. Worked out OK just annoying. One thing I could not get was a twist on the leads from the Y to the headphones. The inner conductors just would not stay twisted.
  
 I made this for use with my DX90 on my desk while at work. I'm considering another like this with a right angle TRS and stripping the 11002 inner conductors out of the outer insulation and also cut it shorter by about 1 to 2 feet. I should be able to sleeve it all with para-cord doing it this way. It will be more flexible and easier for use with my DX90 in my shirt pocket.
  
 PDF on assembling the Hirose connections, see page 18: http://www.hirose.co.jp/cataloge_hp/ed_HR10_20140305.pdf
  
 Anyone have a lead on the crimpers for these things?


----------



## PinkyPowers

Brilliant work.


----------



## buke9

Thought it would be yellow and black ; ). Nice soldering by the way. Nice cable. I have only one crimp I can find. Another user was looking for them also but with no luck.


----------



## PETEREK

If anyone has lettering on the heat shrink that they want removed, you can rub it off with those Clorox cleaning wipes. That's what has worked best for me.


----------



## rmoody

peterek said:


> If anyone has lettering on the heat shrink that they want removed, you can rub it off with those Clorox cleaning wipes. That's what has worked best for me.


 
  
 Oh man, thank you! Eventually I was going to try and figure that out. The Y I made has lettering on the other side. I really appreciate that!


----------



## krajee

Quick question about USB cables.

So far I've made two. Both work fine when charging my FiiO X3 from the wall, and when used to plug the X3 into a computer either for file transfers or charging, they work exactly the way I would expect them to work. However, when I use the same cables for any phone, the phone will charge slowly and I cannot do any file transfers from my computer.

The first cable is 18", so I don't feel length is an issue. Neither of them have a shield though - both are just 4 wire braids. Would the lack of a shield be my issue here or are there any other suggestion?

Thanks!


----------



## PinkyPowers

No. See if you can't find the wiring schematic for your phone's USB port. I bet it's a little different.


----------



## nickthequick

I have just started making custom cables and ran into a problem during my first try. I am using canare star-quad wire for a mini to mini cable, however my 3.5 slim jack's barrel is too small to fit around the rubber surrounding the conductors. I want to get some Neutrik or REAN connectors but I don't know what diameter the barrel should be. I have seen ranges from 4-8 mm but I don't know which size to get for star-quad. Thanks for the help!


----------



## buke9

nickthequick said:


> I have just started making custom cables and ran into a problem during my first try. I am using canare star-quad wire for a mini to mini cable, however my 3.5 slim jack's barrel is too small to fit around the rubber surrounding the conductors. I want to get some Neutrik or REAN connectors but I don't know what diameter the barrel should be. I have seen ranges from 4-8 mm but I don't know which size to get for star-quad. Thanks for the help!


 
 There are several ways you can go. You can buy new connectors like the fat Reams that will fit the cable. You can also strip down the cable and use the wire you have with the connectors you have then with a little paracord make them look nice. How long is the cable your trying to make?


----------



## nickthequick

buke9 said:


> There are several ways you can go. You can buy new connectors like the fat Reams that will fit the cable. You can also strip down the cable and use the wire you have with the connectors you have then with a little paracord make them look nice. How long is the cable your trying to make?




Well I bought multiple colors of the star-quad and wanted to use some white tech flex with it. I also have some para cord that I was planning on using with the stripped star-quad, however the only downside of this that I see is the shielding goes to waste. Is there a way to sleeve the wire in para cord if it still has the shielding on it? I feel like it would catch on the material of the para cord too much to be able to sleeve it. The cable I want should be like 5 feet long.


----------



## buke9

nickthequick said:


> Well I bought multiple colors of the star-quad and wanted to use some white tech flex with it. I also have some para cord that I was planning on using with the stripped star-quad, however the only downside of this that I see is the shielding goes to waste. Is there a way to sleeve the wire in para cord if it still has the shielding on it? I feel like it would catch on the material of the para cord too much to be able to sleeve it. The cable I want should be like 5 feet long.


 
 Shielding should not be a problem for a cable of that length unless it is surrounded by power cables.


----------



## nickthequick

buke9 said:


> Shielding should not be a problem for a cable of that length unless it is surrounded by power cables.




Oh so for simple audio cables shielding doesn't matter? Good to know. Do you think that a 6mm barrel would be big enough for some canare star quad and some tech flex.


----------



## buke9

Should be large enough for striped conductors and tech flex.Don't know the size of the Tech Flex though? this is 8 26 awg wires going into a 6mm connector.

 Plenty of room.


----------



## nickthequick

buke9 said:


> Should be large enough for striped conductors and tech flex.Don't know the size of the Tech Flex though? this is 8 26 awg wires going into a 6mm connector.
> 
> 
> Plenty of room.




Awesome thanks for the great info!


----------



## Gerner

Hello again guys!
  
 I know this is primary for headphone cables.. But I'm planning on making some power cables of my own.. Stock cables looks like ****..
  
 But what I really want to know is, if it's possible to get single stranded double insulated power cables? I'd like to braid them..


----------



## horribol

I just finished making my first pair of headphone cables ever, it took me quite some time but it was fun. I used 2.5m of Redco TGS-QD cable, it was really easy to strip. I removed all the cables and tried to straighten them up a bit. For sleeving I used Scarlet Red 275 Paracord, and this was sooo frustrating at first. The cable kept getting stuck inside the paracord. My first 2 cables ended up with a few imperfection like these:



  
 During one the mani re-sleeving of the second cable, after getting stuck once again, I finally realized what was that I was doing wrong. I was using a big wire cutter to cut the tip of cable instead of using a small flush cutter. Once I began using the flush cutter it was all smoth sleeving.
 I used Amphenol KS3P plugs on each side, nickel on one end and gold on the other. They aren't too big but still easy to solder. They come with a rubber end that removes the need of using heatshrink but it doesn't seem to be made for 4 cables tho, closing the first plug after soldering wasn't easy with those many cables.
 Braiding was more fun than I thought it would be, but it got a bit tedious after the first meter. Now this is were I need some advice. I ended up with quite a bit of unbraided cable before the plug
  

 You can also see that I also didn't use the rubber thingy, as I couldn't push back through the braid. The plug itself wouldn't go through the braid, so I needed to left that much unbraided cable to get the shell there before soldering. I used the clear tube from the first plug (didn't realize they were supposed to be inside) at the end of the braid to apply some pressure. I'll probably try to redo that end and minimized that unbraided cable.
 Finally, some pictures of the finished product, it ended at a length of slightly more than 2m after the braiding and some snipping. I still got a lot of cable and Paracord so I'll surely be making a few more cables.


----------



## buke9

horribol said:


> I just finished making my first pair of headphone cables ever, it took me quite some time but it was fun. I used 2.5m of Redco TGS-QD cable, it was really easy to strip. I removed all the cables and tried to straighten them up a bit. For sleeving I used Scarlet Red 275 Paracord, and this was sooo frustrating at first. The cable kept getting stuck inside the paracord. My first 2 cables ended up with a few imperfection like these:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Not bad at all. Those connectors aren't what you want to stuff paracord in. Even the small Rean's I had to grind the opening to get it to fit four wire covered in #275. If you are going to use those connectors I would try getting the braid closer to the connector or try a little bit of looser braid. Still a really good first try.


----------



## nickthequick

Those look really nice dude great job! Alright I have a question about iPod connectors and how to solder them. I haven't really found a great picture or diagram on how they are soldered. Can someone on here maybe explain how to or if they could even get a picture that would be awesome! Also if I wanted to plug it into a receiver would I need to to make the other side a couple rca jacks or a mini jack? It's not my receiver so I'm not sure if there is a female mini jack port on it, but I know there is definitely a pair of female rca ports.


----------



## Gerner

> Originally Posted by *horribol* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> For sleeving I used Scarlet Red 275 Paracord, and this was sooo frustrating at first.


 
  
  
 Hmm, I've been looking for some black Paracord for my 4 stranded braid I'm planning on doing for my T70's.
 I can see you use Paracord 275, isn't it quite large? I've looked at Paracord 100 (Type1), with a diameter of 1.6mm. I use Mogami 2893, and when I strip it the wires are 1mm thick, so the Paracord will have a tight, but not too tight fit..
 So my question is, do you leave some of them white strings inside the Paracord?


----------



## PETEREK

gerner said:


> > Originally Posted by *horribol* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> > For sleeving I used Scarlet Red 275 Paracord, and this was sooo frustrating at first.
> >
> >
> ...


 
 Don't leave the white strings in the paracord. If you think the type 1 paracord is too tight it's because you have it stretched to it's maximum length with your wires inside it, instead pust MORE paracord over each wire so it's on them looser and is sort of baggy, after the cable is braided it will be much more flexible and look much thicker. It will not be sloppy looking, I promise.
  
 Examples:


----------



## Gerner

peterek said:


> Don't leave the white strings in the paracord. If you think the type 1 paracord is too tight it's because you have it stretched to it's maximum length with your wires inside it, instead pust MORE paracord over each wire so it's on them looser and is sort of baggy, after the cable is braided it will be much more flexible and look much thicker. It will not be sloppy looking, I promise.
> 
> Examples:


 
  
 What kind of Paracord do the cables in the pictures use?
 It's just the Paracord 275 that confuses me.. The size from Paracord 100 to 275 is a lot?
  
 But I think I will stick to the Paracord 100 (Type 1)..


----------



## PETEREK

gerner said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > Don't leave the white strings in the paracord. If you think the type 1 paracord is too tight it's because you have it stretched to it's maximum length with your wires inside it, instead pust MORE paracord over each wire so it's on them looser and is sort of baggy, after the cable is braided it will be much more flexible and look much thicker. It will not be sloppy looking, I promise.
> ...



It's type 1 paracord. Perfect size for individually braiding 24 or 26 AWG wire.


----------



## Gerner

peterek said:


> It's type 1 paracord. Perfect size for individually braiding 24 or 26 AWG wire.


 
  
 Lovely. 
  
 Gonna order some then! I really like Paracord, it's super cheap and looks awesome, and most of the time I like Paracord more than normal nylon sleeves. 
  
 Thanks a lot!


----------



## horribol

gerner said:


> Hmm, I've been looking for some black Paracord for my 4 stranded braid I'm planning on doing for my T70's.
> I can see you use Paracord 275, isn't it quite large? I've looked at Paracord 100 (Type1), with a diameter of 1.6mm. I use Mogami 2893, and when I strip it the wires are 1mm thick, so the Paracord will have a tight, but not too tight fit..
> So my question is, do you leave some of them white strings inside the Paracord?


 

 I definitely thought it would be thicker, but it´s actually quite thin. I used 24 AWG and after figuring out the correct way to cut the tip of the cable, it was a pretty smooth sleeving experience so you can probably go thinner. I do wonder if it won´t get stuck too much on a type 1.
 Here's a pic for reference. You definitely don't wanna use these for an IEM, but for regular headphones I feel like they are perfect. Measure are in cm/mm.


----------



## Gerner

horribol said:


> I definitely thought it would be thicker, but it´s actually quite thin. I used 24 AWG and after figuring out the correct way to cut the tip of the cable, it was a pretty smooth sleeving experience so you can probably go thinner. I do wonder if it won´t get stuck too much on a type 1.
> Here's a pic for reference. You definitely don't wanna use these for an IEM, but for regular headphones I feel like they are perfect. Measure are in cm/mm.


 
  
 Interesting.. 
 My cables are 26awg = 1mm of thickness.. And as far as I can read on Amazon the Type 1 Paracord from "Wild" are 2mm thick.. So I think I'll stick to that.
 Will post some pictures when I receive my paracord..


----------



## buke9

gerner said:


> Interesting..
> My cables are 26awg = 1mm of thickness.. And as far as I can read on Amazon the Type 1 Paracord from "Wild" are 2mm thick.. So I think I'll stick to that.
> Will post some pictures when I receive my paracord..


 
 Others have said that will fit . I have not used it. The type 1 or #95 stands for 95 lbs and #275 stands for 275 lbs . The 95 has less inner strands I believe than the 4 strands of the 275. The thickness of the outer shell should not matter. There are others here that say the 95 will work for up to 24 awg so it should work.


----------



## nickthequick

I have found that #95 paracord is a tight fit for 21 awg canare star quad wire. I got too frustrated to sleeve a 6 ft long wire so I gave in and ordered some #275 paracord.


----------



## buke9

nickthequick said:


> I have found that #95 paracord is a tight fit for 21 awg canare star quad wire. I got too frustrated to sleeve a 6 ft long wire so I gave in and ordered some #275 paracord.


 
 Did that work for you? I haven't used that big of wire. I would like too use that.


----------



## Arty McGhee

nickthequick said:


> I have found that #95 paracord is a tight fit for 21 awg canare star quad wire. I got too frustrated to sleeve a 6 ft long wire so I gave in and ordered some #275 paracord.


 
 i used round white athletic shoelaces for 22 awg, came out awesome
 95 paracord works well for 26 awg, use patience
 if its getting hung up pull it out and re-trim the end
 if theres any copper sticking out it will hang up
 don't try to jam it in - inch it along i little bit at a time
 with practice- it will work and you'll get a much more flexible cable


----------



## nickthequick

buke9 said:


> Did that work for you? I haven't used that big of wire. I would like too use that.



I just ordered it today, in a week I'll update you on how it goes.


----------



## nickthequick

arty mcghee said:


> i used round white athletic shoelaces for 22 awg, came out awesome
> 95 paracord works well for 26 awg, use patience
> if its getting hung up pull it out and re-trim the end
> if theres any copper sticking out it will hang up
> ...



What is a good technique to trim the ends so it doesn't catch on the paracord.


----------



## buke9

arty mcghee said:


> i used round white athletic shoelaces for 22 awg, came out awesome
> 95 paracord works well for 26 awg, use patience
> if its getting hung up pull it out and re-trim the end
> if theres any copper sticking out it will hang up
> ...


 
 RIP Lemmy.


----------



## buke9

Try rolling the ends with something hard to put it to a point but not too much that might help.Others here say teflon tape wraped around the end. I have it but haven't tried it.


----------



## nickthequick

buke9 said:


> Try rolling the ends with something hard to put it to a point but not too much that might help.Others here say teflon tape wraped around the end. I have it but haven't tried it.



What do you mean my roll the ends with something hard can you explain further? Would sticking the wire in something like a pointy pen cap work?


----------



## buke9

nickthequick said:


> What do you mean my roll the ends with something hard can you explain further? Would sticking the wire in something like a pointy pen cap work?


 
 I just mean rolling the edges of the cut. I don't think there is something small enough to put on the ends to help out.


----------



## horribol

nickthequick said:


> arty mcghee said:
> 
> 
> > i used round white athletic shoelaces for 22 awg, came out awesome
> ...




For me using a flush cutter worked best.


----------



## PETEREK

Guys, don't try cutting the end in a special way so it doesn't get hung up. Take the end of the wire and bend it to a point about an inch down and then thread it through the paracord.


----------



## uncola

I've also heard teflon plumbers tape over the end helps but obv. costs money vs bending the wire and taping it down with regular tape


----------



## PETEREK

uncola said:


> I've also heard teflon plumbers tape over the end helps but obv. costs money vs bending the wire and taping it down with regular tape



You don't need to tape it down, it'll stay that way while you inch it through the paracord. It's free and works better than anything else I've tried.


----------



## nickthequick

peterek said:


> You don't need to tape it down, it'll stay that way while you inch it through the paracord. It's free and works better than anything else I've tried.



My new connectors are coming in today so i'll be making a couple cables when I get home. I'll let you know how it goes and which method worked best for me.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

Greetings and Happy New Year everyone,

 (1)I have been recently tinkering with the idea of making my own 3.5mm to 3.5mm line out interconnect cables. I have done some amount of research and have found that a typical wire         comes with 3 inner strands which are the (+), (-), and ground. However, some wire also come wrapped in  copper or silver colored sheath, may I kindly know what is the use of the sheath? Does it also serve as the ground? 

 (2)Also, in a normal 3.5mm audio jack, there are only 3 areas for 3 wires respectively correct? The left channel, the right channel, and ground. So at most a "normal" or "basic" interconnect should only have 3 wires at most if I am not wrong in my assumption. However, I have seen a multitude of custom cable with 4-8 cables in between the two 3.5mm jacks, how is this possible? Do they use 2 wires for left channel, 2 wires for right channel, 4 wires for ground?

 (3)And then there are wires like these:

 The listing mentions that it is a 19 stand wire, if I were to use wire like these for a custom interconnect, do I divide the 19 strands into the 3 channels respectively? I.E. 6 strands for R, 6 strands for L, and 7 strands for ground? Or do I use the whole 19 strands for a particular channel?

 Sorry for all the questions, and I hope you will kindly take the time and effort to answer my newbish question.

 Thank-you


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> Greetings and Happy New Year everyone,
> 
> (1)I have been recently tinkering with the idea of making my own 3.5mm to 3.5mm line out interconnect cables. I have done some amount of research and have found that a typical wire         comes with 3 inner strands which are the (+), (-), and ground. However, some wire also come wrapped in  copper or silver colored sheath, may I kindly know what is the use of the sheath? Does it also serve as the ground
> The wrap is for RF interference it is mostly put to ground . Not needed for short cable runs unless you run it alongside a power cable maybe.
> ...


----------



## horribol

audionewbi3 said:


> Greetings and Happy New Year everyone,
> 
> (1)I have been recently tinkering with the idea of making my own 3.5mm to 3.5mm line out interconnect cables. I have done some amount of research and have found that a typical wire         comes with 3 inner strands which are the (+), (-), and ground. However, some wire also come wrapped in  copper or silver colored sheath, may I kindly know what is the use of the sheath? Does it also serve as the ground?
> 
> ...


 
  
 1) Yes, the shielding is generally tied together and used for ground.
  
 2) Most people here use quad microphone cable, and they use a redundant wire for ground. You could have as many wires as you want per channel/ground, but given the plug's connector size for tip and ring is hard to use more than one or two for them.
  
 3) You CAN do that, but if the wires are not color coded it will be a real pain in the ass to identify all of them. You'll have 19 wires and you won't know if they are tip, ring or sleeve unless you test every single one individually. Using something color coded like a cat-5, etc cable would make thing easiers, but I still wouldn't recommend it.
 Also, don't use one of those cables per channel unless you want to end with a ridiculously bulky cable.


----------



## FallenAngel

I would suggest getting into the habit of testing every wire always, so getting same color wires aren't a problem and you make sure your soldering is up to par.
As for 19 stand cable, use it, but check the outer diameter, there's nothing inherently thick about having more strands, each stand could be super thin.


----------



## buke9

fallenangel said:


> I would suggest getting into the habit of testing every wire always, so getting same color wires aren't a problem and you make sure your soldering is up to par.
> As for 19 stand cable, use it, but check the outer diameter, there's nothing inherently thick about having more strands, each stand could be super thin.


 
 Is this Litz wire? If not it could only be used as a one wire connection.


----------



## FallenAngel

buke9 said:


> Is this Litz wire? If not it could only be used as a one wire connection.




Looks like spc, and you never split conductors within a wire for separate channels. One wire per channel, all threads included.


----------



## Arty McGhee

peterek said:


> Guys, don't try cutting the end in a special way so it doesn't get hung up. Take the end of the wire and bend it to a point about an inch down and then thread it through the paracord.




So you feed it in with the first inch doubled over?
I will try this on my next cable


----------



## PETEREK

arty mcghee said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > Guys, don't try cutting the end in a special way so it doesn't get hung up. Take the end of the wire and bend it to a point about an inch down and then thread it through the paracord.
> ...



Yeah man, maybe an inch and a half. It'll make your life a lot easier.


----------



## Arty McGhee

peterek said:


> Yeah man, maybe an inch and a half. It'll make your life a lot easier.




Cool I got a bunch of 95 paracord on sale and some Mogami 2799
I'll give it a shot,


----------



## AudioNewbi3

horribol said:


> 1) Yes, the shielding is generally tied together and used for ground.
> 
> 2) Most people here use quad microphone cable, and they use a redundant wire for ground. You could have as many wires as you want per channel/ground, but given the plug's connector size for tip and ring is hard to use more than one or two for them.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thank-you very much for the very very informative reply mate!
 So for a custom IC Cable, theoretically, I can use 6 (all with the same number of strands) copper wires and divide them equally into 2(R) / 2(L) / 2(G) correct? Is there an inherent benefit of using more wires on an IC cable? I thought more wires=more resistance? Actually, if one wanted, the IC Cable would work with only 3 wires correct? One each for R, L and, Ground.


fallenangel said:


> I would suggest getting into the habit of testing every wire always, so getting same color wires aren't a problem and you make sure your soldering is up to par.
> As for 19 stand cable, use it, but check the outer diameter, there's nothing inherently thick about having more strands, each stand could be super thin.


 
 What device do I use to test for each wire? Using a multimeter by setting it to?
  


fallenangel said:


> Looks like spc, and you never split conductors within a wire for separate channels. One wire per channel, all threads included.


 
 Thank-you for the reply
  
 So, If I were to attempt to solder my own IC Cable by using a 19 strand silver cable (either pure or plated), I would need 3 wires (each with 19 strands) instead of splitting them up correct?


----------



## FallenAngel

audionewbi3 said:


> Thank-you very much for the very very informative reply mate!
> 
> So for a custom IC Cable, theoretically, I can use 6 (all with the same number of strands) copper wires and divide them equally into 2(R) / 2(L) / 2(G) correct? Is there an inherent benefit of using more wires on an IC cable? I thought more wires=more resistance? Actually, if one wanted, the IC Cable would work with only 3 wires correct? One each for R, L and, Ground.
> What device do I use to test for each wire? Using a multimeter by setting it to?
> ...




Nothing inherently better with using multiple wires.

You would use a DMM, digital multi meter testing for resistance. It should be next to zero if it's connected or next to infinite if not.

Correct on last part.


----------



## buke9

fallenangel said:


> Looks like spc, and you never split conductors within a wire for separate channels. One wire per channel, all threads included.


 
 If it's litz you can. I would not.


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> Thank-you very much for the very very informative reply mate!
> So for a custom IC Cable, theoretically, I can use 6 (all with the same number of strands) copper wires and divide them equally into 2(R) / 2(L) / 2(G) correct? Is there an inherent benefit of using more wires on an IC cable? I thought more wires=more resistance? Actually, if one wanted, the IC Cable would work with only 3 wires correct? One each for R, L and, Ground.
> What device do I use to test for each wire? Using a multimeter by setting it to?
> 
> ...


 
 Are you talking about the cable you have a pic of? If so it can not be done.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

buke9 said:


> Are you talking about the cable you have a pic of? If so it can not be done.


 
  Yes the cable I am talking about is the one I posted a pic of, with the green and white. If I wanted to create an IC, I would need at least 3 of those cable correct?


----------



## buke9

fallenangel said:


> Nothing inherently better with using multiple wires.
> 
> You would use a DMM, digital multi meter testing for resistance. It should be next to zero if it's connected or next to infinite if not.
> 
> Correct on last part.


 
 I see that you are a anti cable person. That is fine I disagree which is also fine. I see that this person thinks it is ok to split up wire to make a cable. It will not work unless it is a Litz wire. If it is plain wire it will short out.


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> Yes the cable I am talking about is the one I posted a pic of, with the green and white. If I wanted to create an IC, I would need at least 3 of those cable correct?


 
 Yes. I might have got it wrong from others that it was different. You can not split up that wire. Even if it was Litz wire I wouldn't. That wire should only be used as one conductor. That would mean 3 of them for the connector you are wanting to make.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

buke9 said:


> Yes. I might have got it wrong from others that it was different. You can not split up that wire. Even if it was Litz wire I wouldn't. That wire should only be used as one conductor. That would mean 3 of them for the connector you are wanting to make.


 
 Thanks for the info mate!
 And If I wanted to be more lascivious, i could use 6 of those cables and split them up into 2 channels each correct?


----------



## horribol

audionewbi3 said:


> Thank-you very much for the very very informative reply mate!
> So for a custom IC Cable, theoretically, I can use 6 (all with the same number of strands) copper wires and divide them equally into 2(R) / 2(L) / 2(G) correct? Is there an inherent benefit of using more wires on an IC cable? I thought more wires=more resistance? Actually, if one wanted, the IC Cable would work with only 3 wires correct? One each for R, L and, Ground.
> What device do I use to test for each wire? Using a multimeter by setting it to?
> 
> ...


 
  
 Yes, you only really need 3 wires.
  
 You need to use a multimeter to test for continuity, many even include a buzzer to make testing simpler. Continuity test just what it names implies, continuity between two points. If you for example test continuity on two extremes of a short wire, it should show almost 0 and make a buzzing sound. Just google "multimeter continuity" and you'll get all the info you need.


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> Thanks for the info mate!
> And If I wanted to be more lascivious, i could use 6 of those cables and split them up into 2 channels each correct?


 
 Yes I do Silver plated and Copper wires to make my cables. Six wires or 8 wires for a balanced cable.


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> Thanks for the info mate!
> And If I wanted to be more lascivious, i could use 6 of those cables and split them up into 2 channels each correct?


 
 Yes


----------



## FallenAngel

buke9 said:


> I see that you are a anti cable person. That is fine I disagree which is also fine. I see that this person thinks it is ok to split up wire to make a cable. It will not work unless it is a Litz wire. If it is plain wire it will short out.


 
  
 If you look at my history, I'm sure you'll notice that not only am I not "anti-cable", whatever that means, but that I build all of my own cables, and enjoy this hobby greatly. I would never recommend splitting strands within a cable for multiple channels as my comment below states.
  
 I'm just here to help because I've been in the hobby for many years and have gained experience over the years.
  
 This is most likely just a miscommunication between us.  I'm also glad to see you so active on the forum helping people out, it's much appreciated.
  


fallenangel said:


> Looks like spc, and you never split conductors within a wire for separate channels. One wire per channel, all threads included.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

fallenangel said:


> Nothing inherently better with using multiple wires.
> 
> You would use a DMM, digital multi meter testing for resistance. It should be next to zero if it's connected or next to infinite if not.
> 
> Correct on last part.


 
  
  


buke9 said:


> Yes. I might have got it wrong from others that it was different. You can not split up that wire. Even if it was Litz wire I wouldn't. That wire should only be used as one conductor. That would mean 3 of them for the connector you are wanting to make.


 
  
  


horribol said:


> Yes, you only really need 3 wires.
> 
> You need to use a multimeter to test for continuity, many even include a buzzer to make testing simpler. Continuity test just what it names implies, continuity between two points. If you for example test continuity on two extremes of a short wire, it should show almost 0 and make a buzzing sound. Just google "multimeter continuity" and you'll get all the info you need.


 
  
  


buke9 said:


> Yes I do Silver plated and Copper wires to make my cables. Six wires or 8 wires for a balanced cable.


 
  
  


buke9 said:


> Yes


 
  
  


fallenangel said:


> If you look at my history, I'm sure you'll notice that not only am I not "anti-cable", whatever that means, but that I build all of my own cables, and enjoy this hobby greatly. I would never recommend splitting strands within a cable for multiple channels as my comment below states.
> 
> I'm just here to help because I've been in the hobby for many years and have gained experience over the years.
> 
> This is most likely just a miscommunication between us.  I'm also glad to see you so active on the forum helping people out, it's much appreciated.


 
  
 Man oh man that is why I love forums in general so much! Thank-you to all the people who has taken the time and effort to clear up and answer my questions! Now that I have some basic knowledge about cabling in general, I guess I shall wait for my solder iron to arrive and away I go....(well if time allows). Guess the electronics class that I was forced to take during secondary school was not at all useless.

 Happy New Year Mates~


----------



## buke9

fallenangel said:


> If you look at my history, I'm sure you'll notice that not only am I not "anti-cable", whatever that means, but that I build all of my own cables, and enjoy this hobby greatly. I would never recommend splitting strands within a cable for multiple channels as my comment below states.
> 
> I'm just here to help because I've been in the hobby for many years and have gained experience over the years.
> 
> This is most likely just a miscommunication between us.  I'm also glad to see you so active on the forum helping people out, it's much appreciated.


 
 I guess I should not make assumptions too quickly ; ) By the anti cable comment was meant to those that cables don't matter. I think there is something that different wire can make a difference. I apologize for my hast in judgement of you. We are here to help those with less experience that should be all. Have a Great New Year !


----------



## nickthequick

Hi guys I'm back from my paracord experiments and found that the #275 is a great fit for 21 awg wire. It is super easy to just inch it through. I tried the technique where you fold it over about an inch down, however that didn't work as well as just inching it through. Strangely enough when it's over the wire it looks identical to #95 paracord when sleeved over some wire. Hope this info helps.


----------



## Edwii

I need some good durrable light weight cable for ear buds, what's popular? Where to order?


----------



## PinkyPowers

What does everyone use for memory wire, as to create the ear-hook for IEMs?


----------



## Raddiqal11

pinkypowers said:


> What does everyone use for memory wire, as to create the ear-hook for IEMs?




I'm using some sort of garden wire. And very thin one from Sellers brand. However jewellery wire works well too.


----------



## buke9

edwii said:


> I need some good durrable light weight cable for ear buds, what's popular? Where to order?


 
 Don't want you to feel your being ignored . I don't have IEM's that have detachable cables so I can't give any experience on that. I would think that some 28 awg would be fine or even 26 awg. It might help if you said what they are for . If you are cracking open some earbuds I don't know. I still think those will work but without the dimension of the opening it is hard to tell.


----------



## smaragd

pinkypowers said:


> What does everyone use for memory wire, as to create the ear-hook for IEMs?




I use shrink tubing, pre shape it and use a hair dryer at hot setting... Feels more comfortable ... Similar to what Westone did with their current IEM series. Only drawback is that you can't change the shape once it's shrunk in place but it's still flexible enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Raddiqal11

http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14760#post_12223554
I posted some of my works there if you want to check them out.



smaragd said:


> I use shrink tubing, pre shape it and use a hair dryer at hot setting... Feels more comfortable ... Similar to what Westone did with their current IEM series. Only drawback is that you can't change the shape once it's shrunk in place but it's still flexible enough.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 


Yeap i also use that. More often than the garden wire. I will always hairdry again and reshape it till the most comfortable shape is obtained.


----------



## Edwii

buke9 said:


> Don't want you to feel your being ignored . I don't have IEM's that have detachable cables so I can't give any experience on that. I would think that some 28 awg would be fine or even 26 awg. It might help if you said what they are for . If you are cracking open some earbuds I don't know. I still think those will work but without the dimension of the opening it is hard to tell.


 

 I have a sennheiser m30i , nothing fancy, but the wire needs replacement. I'm not trying to preserve the ipod mic thing ether. 
 I just want a nice common wire model I can order some amount of.
 I want something like this: 


 Four enameled leads in two wire casings... I don't know the proper terms lol. But yeah I want something that's pretty much exactly that, and maybe available in color options.


----------



## buke9

edwii said:


> I have a sennheiser m30i , nothing fancy, but the wire needs replacement. I'm not trying to preserve the ipod mic thing ether.
> I just want a nice common wire model I can order some amount of.
> I want something like this:
> 
> ...


 
 Ok now I understand. I have a pair of CX 2.00i's so I guess the size of wire is the same. I don't know where you can get that wire . That cable comes out to be .065 inches wide insulation combined. That is like 34 awg that is one wire stripped so that is probably 40 awg for each wire. Are you just wanting to splice some wire in to get them to work again or are you cracking them open to replace the whole cable and a new connector?  I think to find wire like this might be hard to find I don't know. Someone else here might be able to help but for me it wouldn't be worth it to order wire and a connector with shipping cost it would cost at least half the price of a new one. I understand the want to fix it but there is a cost that sometimes doesn't make sense. I'm sorry I can't help more.


----------



## Edwii

buke9 said:


> Ok now I understand. I have a pair of CX 2.00i's so I guess the size of wire is the same. I don't know where you can get that wire . That cable comes out to be .065 inches wide insulation combined. That is like 34 awg that is one wire stripped so that is probably 40 awg for each wire. Are you just wanting to splice some wire in to get them to work again or are you cracking them open to replace the whole cable and a new connector?  I think to find wire like this might be hard to find I don't know. Someone else here might be able to help but for me it wouldn't be worth it to order wire and a connector with shipping cost it would cost at least half the price of a new one. I understand the want to fix it but there is a cost that sometimes doesn't make sense. I'm sorry I can't help more.


 

 I'm probably thinking of replacing the entire cable. I'm a little worried how to crack open the factory bud casing, but beyond that it should be easy. I have some bullet shells I was gonna replace the casings with any ways lol. So the gauge isn't super critical, just so long as it's in the ball park.


----------



## buke9

edwii said:


> I'm probably thinking of replacing the entire cable. I'm a little worried how to crack open the factory bud casing, but beyond that it should be easy. I have some bullet shells I was gonna replace the casings with any ways lol. So the gauge isn't super critical, just so long as it's in the ball park.


 
 Sorry my wire size was wrong. I looked at the wrong wire chart. I didn't look at different wire my bad. Here is a pic of 26 awg next to the CX 2.00i cable.

 I was way off. So two 26 would be fine. As far as a solid cable just do some searches . I just use bare clear wire or covered in paracord.


----------



## DPence

So I am pretty new to making my own custom cables. One issue that I have been having is getting Paracord to be contained in the ends where the barrels are. What are some good tips for this process? Thank you in advance for any help and info.


----------



## Raddiqal11

dpence said:


> So I am pretty new to making my own custom cables. One issue that I have been having is getting Paracord to be contained in the ends where the barrels are. What are some good tips for this process? Thank you in advance for any help and info.




I would say spam hot glue. Hot glue is extremely versatile. You just need to apply it first then use a hair dryer to melt it again and smooth it out


----------



## liquidzoo

dpence said:


> So I am pretty new to making my own custom cables. One issue that I have been having is getting Paracord to be contained in the ends where the barrels are. What are some good tips for this process? Thank you in advance for any help and info.







raddiqal11 said:


> I would say spam hot glue. Hot glue is extremely versatile. You just need to apply it first then use a hair dryer to melt it again and smooth it out




This, or a small bit of heatshrink.

I have some custom barrels on some of my cables, so it's a bit easier (since they're a bit longer), but I am able to get some heatshrink in there and have it not be visible.


----------



## buke9

dpence said:


> So I am pretty new to making my own custom cables. One issue that I have been having is getting Paracord to be contained in the ends where the barrels are. What are some good tips for this process? Thank you in advance for any help and info.



I use heat shrink on the ends and you can also heat shrink over the end of the connector and the paracord holding it all together.


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

Any tips on feeding the cable through a cover like paracord?
  
  
 Tried W2799 through 550 Paracord. It was not fun, but i have a feeling if I could get it through it would be a brilliant combo
  
  
  
 -Jonathan


----------



## buke9

seencreative said:


> Any tips on feeding the cable through a cover like paracord?
> 
> 
> Tried W2799 through 550 Paracord. It was not fun, but i have a feeling if I could get it through it would be a brilliant combo
> ...


 
 I do the inch worm method.


----------



## liquidzoo

seencreative said:


> Any tips on feeding the cable through a cover like paracord?
> 
> 
> Tried W2799 through 550 Paracord. It was not fun, but i have a feeling if I could get it through it would be a brilliant combo
> ...




Strip the outer rubber jacket off (so you're left with the 4 26awg inner cores). Those inner cores will fit easily in 275 paracord, or even 95 with the inchworm method.

The 4 cores twisted together (minus the outer rubber jacket) of W2799 might fit through 550, but it would be tight. Easier to thread them through separately and braid.


----------



## PoochZag

I've gotten w2799 through 550 paracord, jacket and all. I put elmers glue on the end and let it dry to smooth it out so it won't snag inside the paracord. Then just inch worm it through. The glue trick also works well for individual wired through 275 paracord


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

poochzag said:


> I've gotten w2799 through 550 paracord, jacket and all. I put elmers glue on the end and let it dry to smooth it out so it won't snag inside the paracord. Then just inch worm it through. The glue trick also works well for individual wired through 275 paracord





Yeah, I think I'll try that. I got it about half way before it snagged, the edge poked right through. I think that's the biggest problem is snagging.

Not like I have 60 feet of 550 heh


----------



## gr34td3str0y3r

I need a custom cable... Of course. why else would I be here. 
 This is what I need: 3.5mm trs to 2x 3.5mm ts, unbalanced. 
  
 I can get a place like Blue Jeans Cables to custom make this for me, but there is a catch. I need VERY skinny 3.5mm TS terminations. 
  
 I want to make/buy a 3.5mm TRS to and Left and Right Channel for the V-moda M-100. But the M-100 take a VERY VERY skinny 3.5mm termination.
  
 I don't mind learning how to DIY just to make this cable, but does anyone sell a skinny termination for DIY purposes?

 Just for comparison here are 3x 3.5mm terminations. Even the middle one is WAY too fat to fit. The left one is the v-moda cable. I can shave the middle one down, for example, but most DIY terminations are metal are they not? (and I know these are TRS, I need TS, but just putting the pic up to show what size I need) 

  
  Please don't ask why? Does why really matter in this hobby? I just want to because I can! Any help you guys can provide would be great.


----------



## FrozenPanda

> I want to make/buy a 3.5mm TRS to and Left and Right Channel for the V-moda M-100. But the M-100 take a VERY VERY skinny 3.5mm termination.
> 
> I don't mind learning how to DIY just to make this cable, but does anyone sell a skinny termination for DIY purposes?


 
  
 I recommended this to someone who has the M-80 and they said it worked. Don't know about the M-100. 
  
 http://www.redco.com/Amphenol-KS3PC-Extended-Collar.html
  
 You might want to give them a try?


----------



## buke9

I don't have the phones to test but Eidolic makes a 3.5 with a shank on it to get it past most portable cases that might work. As I was writing this FrozenPanda gave you another option. It is not as long as the Eidolic but much cheaper. Here is a pic of the Eidolic.

 Hope this helps.


----------



## PinkyPowers

So I bought a pair of Audeze LCD 2.2 w/fazor from the Classifieds. And I'm in the process of securing a fully balanced DAC/Amp (NFB-28).

How many conductors do I need to make a balanced cable with those mini-XLR jacks? I don't need four per-channel, right? I can do two per-channel, yes? If so, how do you solder them. Don't they have four pins each?

Also, what gauge wire should I consider for planar magnetic cans like these?


----------



## FrozenPanda

buke9 said:


> I don't have the phones to test but Eidolic makes a 3.5 with a shank on it to get it past most portable cases that might work. As I was writing this FrozenPanda gave you another option. It is not as long as the Eidolic but much cheaper. Here is a pic of the Eidolic.


 
  
 That is one gorgeous connector! I would probably recommend trying their new 3.5GT1
  
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Norne-Audio-Beyerdynamic-T1-Gen-2-Eidolic-3-5mm-diy-connector
  
 Seems like that has the longest shank.


----------



## gr34td3str0y3r

thanks for the suggestions. 
 I am a total noob here. So excuse the ignorance. I just just Left and right change but these are Stereo terminations that you guys linked to me. 
 I can simple wire them up as mono L and mono R correct?


----------



## gr34td3str0y3r

Ahhhh. Can I am on the right track. Can you identify the 3.5 mono inputs going into the these M100? 
 The stereo is Oyaide. That is easy to find. but the TINY 3.5 mm mono?!


----------



## buke9

gr34td3str0y3r said:


> thanks for the suggestions.
> I am a total noob here. So excuse the ignorance. I just just Left and right change but these are Stereo terminations that you guys linked to me.
> I can simple wire them up as mono L and mono R correct?


 
 You are correct .You don't have to have mono plugs just wire the tip to pos and the neg to either one of the other two posts and you should be good to go.


----------



## gr34td3str0y3r

Okay. Still on this mission. 
 I have found 6.5mm shell for 3.5mm plugs. 
 MAYBE I can shave a few mm on the femal plug to make them fit. 
 WORST case I am just going to hard wire my connections, but I want to see if I can find the PERFECT 3.5mm male plugs 
  
 Does any know or can easily find a 3.5 TRS or TS male termination with a shell SMALLER than 6.3. I need 5.6 but can make smaller than 6.3 work. 
  
 Some contendters. Denon AH-D600 D7100 plugs. But I don't know their diameter. Anyone have these can measure? 
  
 So far this is my best best for DIY terminations. The guys at Lunar either out source their custom vmoda single ended cables, or don't understand enough english to understand what the **** I am asking them to do for me. Its really easy. 
 Take their vmoda okay termnations off their other cables, and put them on the million other y split cables they have. They said they don't have any that fit, even though I am sitting there staring at some they do, but NOT DIY versions. 
  
  
 I have scene pictures of a 5.6mm termination but I can not track it down!
  
  
 If I lived in Tokyo I know EXACTLY where I could go. More options there than grains of rice in sushi shop. but I am really far away from Toyko the moment and the electrons shops around me are a ******* joke. "Latop with SDD? We don't have that type of technology yet" That type of crap.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Cable recommendation, please
  
 I want to make a cable similar to stock Oppo PM-1/PM-2. It appears to be two separate cables, joined at the Y-split, and held together with fabric down to the jack. The cables seem to still be sleeved, and they are very flexible. So, the question is what cable is that?


----------



## cityle

gr34td3str0y3r said:


> Okay. Still on this mission.
> I have found 6.5mm shell for 3.5mm plugs.
> MAYBE I can shave a few mm on the femal plug to make them fit.
> WORST case I am just going to hard wire my connections, but I want to see if I can find the PERFECT 3.5mm male plugs
> ...


 

 I found similar plugs here http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-3-Pole-3-5mm-Male-Repair-headphone-Jack-Plug-Metal-Audio-Soldering-Spring-/281243011459?hash=item417b63c983:g:k2IAAOxyB9RS0DbC


----------



## Allanmarcus

gr34td3str0y3r said:


> Okay. Still on this mission.
> I have found 6.5mm shell for 3.5mm plugs.
> MAYBE I can shave a few mm on the femal plug to make them fit.
> WORST case I am just going to hard wire my connections, but I want to see if I can find the PERFECT 3.5mm male plugs
> ...




Maybe from this seller?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141525087831


----------



## Allanmarcus

gr34td3str0y3r said:


> Okay. Still on this mission.
> I have found 6.5mm shell for 3.5mm plugs.
> MAYBE I can shave a few mm on the femal plug to make them fit.
> WORST case I am just going to hard wire my connections, but I want to see if I can find the PERFECT 3.5mm male plugs
> ...




http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Pcs-CESS-3-5mm-1-8-Inch-Stereo-TRS-Male-Plug-Audio-connector-/141760176946
Maybe?


----------



## Artour

Are people buying the cables like that already for the "naked" look?


----------



## XenHeadFi

seencreative said:


> Any tips on feeding the cable through a cover like paracord?
> 
> Tried W2799 through 550 Paracord. It was not fun, but i have a feeling if I could get it through it would be a brilliant combo


 
  
 I've got a 5 ft. extension using that Mogami wire, unstripped, into 550. It's a little tight but does fit, so you have use much more paracord. I wrap the end well with teflon plumber's tape (any hardware store, super cheap from Harbor Freight if you have one nearby) and do the inch worm. I try to keep the teflon thin (2-3 layers) but extend about 1/2-in down so it has a better chance of staying put. Only problem is if the teflon slips off because I mistakenly grabbed it while doing the inchworm. Usually, I have to restart and the "stuck" teflon comes out the other side with the wire.


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

xenheadfi said:


> I've got a 5 ft. extension using that Mogami wire, unstripped, into 550. It's a little tight but does fit, so you have use much more paracord. I wrap the end well with teflon plumber's tape (any hardware store, super cheap from Harbor Freight if you have one nearby) and do the inch worm. I try to keep the teflon thin (2-3 layers) but extend about 1/2-in down so it has a better chance of staying put. Only problem is if the teflon slips off because I mistakenly grabbed it while doing the inchworm. Usually, I have to restart and the "stuck" teflon comes out the other side with the wire.






Hmm that's also a good idea, I do have a good bunch of Teflon tape better then gluing cutting and restripping


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Cable recommendation, please
> 
> I want to make a cable similar to stock Oppo PM-1/PM-2. It appears to be two separate cables, joined at the Y-split, and held together with fabric down to the jack. The cables seem to still be sleeved, and they are very flexible. So, the question is what cable is that?


 
 I don't know for sure but I doubt they would make a cable that is spliced. Just saying.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Pcs-CESS-3-5mm-1-8-Inch-Stereo-TRS-Male-Plug-Audio-connector-/141760176946
> Maybe?


 
 If it has got a 5mm cable hole it will prolly be bigger than 5.6mm wide.


----------



## buke9

artour said:


> Are people buying the cables like that already for the "naked" look?


 
 Like what?


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Cable recommendation, please
> ...


 
 nothing is spliced. The headphone cable from Oppo is two separate cables, each running from the jack to their respective driver. You can easily tell if you saw and felt the cable. The question is what cable are they using? More importantly, what 2 or 4 core cable, 3.5mm (or thereabouts) in diameter, and very supple and flexible can anyone recommend?


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> nothing is spliced. The headphone cable from Oppo is two separate cables, each running from the jack to their respective driver. You can easily tell if you saw and felt the cable. The question is what cable are they using? More importantly, what 2 or 4 core cable, 3.5mm (or thereabouts) in diameter, and very supple and flexible can anyone recommend?


 
 Sorry just read two separate cables joined at the split. Not two separate cables run thru the split. My bad. Don't have the cable so can't offer anything.


----------



## PinkyPowers

What gauge is best for the current-hungry LCD2?


----------



## FallenAngel

pinkypowers said:


> What gauge is best for the current-hungry LCD2?


 
  
 Considering that the headphone equivalent of "current hungry" is practically nothing, use whatever you like.
  
 For headphones, I like 26awg and don't like going thicker than 24awg if I can avoid it.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Thanks. 

What's the difference between the Litz wire at Mike's Electronics and the OCC at Double Helix? The price is crazy different just for a slightly different gauge.


----------



## FallenAngel

pinkypowers said:


> Thanks.
> 
> What's the difference between the Litz wire at Mike's Electronics and the OCC at Double Helix? The price is crazy different just for a slightly different gauge.


 
  
 Not touching that can of worms.


----------



## buke9

fallenangel said:


> Not touching that can of worms.


 
 That is so very smart.


----------



## PinkyPowers

lol. I didn't mean sound-wise. That is indeed a can of worms. I meant, are they both Litz, both OCC?


----------



## FallenAngel

As far as I know, Litz just means it's stranded wire. As for OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) is a process for pulling wire over heated rollers to stretch it out. Though this exact iteration of wire processing is about 30 years old, as far as I know, all wire has been processed in a similar fashion. There's nothing that I know of that makes OCC any different from any other wire. Their claim of extreme purity (99.999%), while sounding great, is a matter of the base material you start with and not introducing impurities into it. There was also something I read and saw microscopic photos of a cross-section of OCC having a denser structure than "other" wire. All I can say is citation needed.
  
 Don't get me wrong though, while I say this, I still build my cables from Cardas 99.9999% pure copper and just got some new 26awg silver plated 99.9999% pure wire from another manufacturer to play with. 
  
 I think it looks pretty and it's fun to work with "exotic" and ultra pure materials.
  
 For headphones, I usually use stranded wire, but for interconnects, I greatly prefer solid core.


----------



## buke9

fallenangel said:


> As far as I know, Litz just means it's stranded wire. As for OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) is a process for pulling wire over heated rollers to stretch it out. Though this exact iteration of wire processing is about 30 years old, as far as I know, all wire has been processed in a similar fashion. There's nothing that I know of that makes OCC any different from any other wire. Their claim of extreme purity (99.999%), while sounding great, is a matter of the base material you start with and not introducing impurities into it. There was also something I read and saw microscopic photos of a cross-section of OCC having a denser structure than "other" wire. All I can say is citation needed.
> 
> Don't get me wrong though, while I say this, I still build my cables from Cardas 99.9999% pure copper and just got some new 26awg silver plated 99.9999% pure wire from another manufacturer to play with.
> 
> ...


 
 Litz wire is not standard wire. Every stand is insulated . IE transformer wire.


----------



## FallenAngel

buke9 said:


> Litz wire is not standard wire. Every stand is insulated . IE transformer wire.


 
  
 Doh! Should have read the wiki first. Sounds like a pain in the ass to work with if you have to melt off the insulation off each strand (reason I hate working with multistrand Cardas and their crazy 800 degree insulation coating, I'm fine with their solid-core as it's just once, but every strand, yuk). I basically never use Litz wire, it's just a pain.


----------



## PinkyPowers

How do you manage a soldering pot? Do you just stick a bar of solder in? What do you do with the solder when you're done? Can you just leave it in there, cool and hard? I saw one site selling fuel with the pot. Why would it need fuel if it's electrical?


----------



## FallenAngel

pinkypowers said:


> How do you manage a soldering pot? Do you just stick a bar of solder in? What do you do with the solder when you're done? Can you just leave it in there, cool and hard? I saw one site selling fuel with the pot. Why would it need fuel if it's electrical?


 
  
 Yes, you just put a bar of solder in it and leave it for next time.
  
 I'm guessing it isn't fuel but flux which helps greatly for making solder stick to metals. Most solder wire has flux in it, but in a pot, you would use flux on the wire or get very bad results.


----------



## PinkyPowers

They're trying to sell this with the solder pot. What could you use this for?

Butane Fuel?


----------



## FallenAngel

Butane is a highly flammable fuel used in lighters and torches, so I have no idea why you'd need it for a solder pot.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Do I need a bottle of flux to mix with the bar of solder inside the pot?


----------



## FallenAngel

pinkypowers said:


> Do I need a bottle of flux to mix with the bar of solder inside the pot?


 
  
 Not to mix in the pot, just to dab a little on the wire you want to tin.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

Greetings once again guys and gals,
  
 May I kindly know would my 10w soldering iron for SMD components have enough power required to make/solder a custom InterConnect? If the power is insufficient, how many watts of power is preferably required for this kind of job? 25w? 40w? 60w?

 Thank-you


----------



## FallenAngel

audionewbi3 said:


> Greetings once again guys and gals,
> 
> May I kindly know would my 10w soldering iron for SMD components have enough power required to make/solder a custom InterConnect? If the power is insufficient, how many watts of power is preferably required for this kind of job? 25w? 40w? 60w?
> 
> ...




With a 10 Watt iron, it's certainly possible but will just take you longer because you'll likely need to wait for it to heat up between solder joints and you would choose a connector that has a ground ring to solder to. I just don't see a 10 Watt iron heating up a bulky RCA enough.

My advice is to get a soldering station for $80-$100 as a one time investment. I've had my Hakko station for like 8 years and can't imagine going back to the little 25W iron I started with. It's just so fast and convenient in comparison.


----------



## George Chronis

Hi all,
  
 I'm getting an Ether C from a member here and it comes with a 1/4 DUM. I want to have a balanced to 4 pin XLR and an 1/8 portable. The portable will be used most of the time with a Mojo and iPhone 6. The balanced will be used for a Mjolnir2/Gungnir MB combo, but only when I can't use the H1K (very rarely).
  
 I am thinking of re-terminating the 1/4 DUM to 1/8 and shortening it as well. I don't want to use a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter as it will be bulky for portable use and the cable is too long at 6' still. Do you think I am going to degrade the quality of the DUM much? And which 1/8 plug would you recommend buying?
  
 For the XLR, I am thinking of making my own like @buke9 did for his portable (nice work btw). I have a digital soldering station and have soldered quite a few plugs and boards, but nothing audiophile grade (I'm in robotics). I will buy the headphone end plugs from MrSpeakers and a Neutrik NC4MXX-B XLR 4-Pin Male. I think I will buy the cable from BTG Audio. I'm looking at an all silver built. I am thinking of doing an 8 braid. Can someone explain how I need to braid this and the pinout? I found this: http://www.isamwoo.com/images/sn.pdf but I'll end up with 4 ends on L, 4 on R and 8 at the XLR. I'm not so sure what the best way to short these is.
  
 Finally, on braiding, I found this: http://seekyee.com/Slings/howtos/8strand1.htm Is this what I should do for braiding up to the Y, then continue with a 4 strand round past the Y to the L and R? And do I have to put some kind of component at the Y split? If so, where do I get that from?
  
 I also thought of building a female 1/8 TRRS to male 4 pin XLR and use the DUM cable for the desktop setup, but I don't know if the 1/4 DUM has all the wires required for a balanced setup in there already. Like this: http://amzn.com/B0108IEWNE
  
Any advice, answers, ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated.
  
Thanks!


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

Hey guys, so here's the cable. I ended up putting heat shrink on the end of the W2799 to feed it through the paracord. Looks great.


Now the problem. Before I redid the cable the left channel sounded loose at the 1/4" connector. Which wasn't a problem. The would cut in and out, go quiet, and sounded like suuuuper loud cable rub noise when ever I moved the cable around the jack. I was taking the cable apart to put Para cord on anyways. So got everything all done, sounded alright on my dad's old Yamaha amp, drove the hour back to my house, plug it into my Mangi 2 U, and left channel is loose again. Doesn't seem to be on the headphone side, only moving the 1/4" connector seems to cuase issues.


I hope its just a loose wire, (again) but is it possible the cable is broken inside some where? What about the connector itself? Or god forbid the amp


----------



## XenHeadFi

george chronis said:


> I am thinking of doing an 8 braid. Can someone explain how I need to braid this and the pinout? I found this: http://www.isamwoo.com/images/sn.pdf but I'll end up with 4 ends on L, 4 on R and 8 at the XLR. I'm not so sure what the best way to short these is.
> 
> Finally, on braiding, I found this: http://seekyee.com/Slings/howtos/8strand1.htm Is this what I should do for braiding up to the Y, then continue with a 4 strand round past the Y to the L and R? And do I have to put some kind of component at the Y split? If so, where do I get that from?
> 
> ...


 
  
 I tried another site for an 8-strand round... DISASTER for me at least. It was a complicated pattern that was difficult for me to hold. Spent about 8 hours redoing and redoing. SeekYee's directions for his more square-shaped 8-strand was way simpler and looks way better than the 8-strand round. Yes, when you have about 8-12 inches left, you split the 8 into 2 x 4-strand and do 4-strand round braid. I would tape or clip at the split to keep the other 4 from unraveling.
  
 The Y-split will be stable after you finish braiding. It is just not aesthetically pleasing. Some people just use heatshrink to create a "Y". You can find clear 2:1 heatshrink that looks pretty good (http://amzn.to/1JRqI7X). I used a small splitter from Double Helix Cables (http://bit.ly/1J9pkO2). Its a good size for your full sized headphones and might seem too large for IEMs.
  
 Typically, you combine 2 wires for each L+/L-/R+/R-. Use a multimeter or a simple battery+Lightbulb to check which wire is which. Figure this out after you finish your braiding since all of your wires will be identical in color.
  
 The TRRS to XLR4 has the wires, but you will have to make sure the TRRS is wired correctly for your component. Look at the pictures in this thread as someone recently posted TRRS wiring diagrams, which may fit your component. The XLR4 part should be wired correctly (1 = L+ ; 2 = L- ; 3 = R+; 4 = R-)


----------



## XenHeadFi

seencreative said:


> Now the problem. Before I redid the cable the left channel sounded loose at the 1/4" connector. Which wasn't a problem. The would cut in and out, go quiet, and sounded like suuuuper loud cable rub noise when ever I moved the cable around the jack. I was taking the cable apart to put Para cord on anyways. So got everything all done, sounded alright on my dad's old Yamaha amp, drove the hour back to my house, plug it into my Mangi 2 U, and left channel is loose again. Doesn't seem to be on the headphone side, only moving the 1/4" connector seems to cuase issues.
> 
> 
> I hope its just a loose wire, (again) but is it possible the cable is broken inside some where? What about the connector itself? Or god forbid the amp


 
 Hmm... easiest way is to test with other set of cables with 1/4" plug. Do you have another amp or a 1/4th to 1/8th adapter to test with a phone?
  
 If it worked perfectly fine (wiggling, tugging lightly) on the Yamaha with your phones, then the connector on the Magni might be loose. Still could be a cold joint if you do not trust your soldering skills...


----------



## George Chronis

xenheadfi said:


> I tried another site for an 8-strand round... DISASTER for me at least. It was a complicated pattern that was difficult for me to hold. Spent about 8 hours redoing and redoing. SeekYee's directions for his more square-shaped 8-strand was way simpler and looks way better than the 8-strand round. Yes, when you have about 8-12 inches left, you split the 8 into 2 x 4-strand and do 4-strand round braid. I would tape or clip at the split to keep the other 4 from unraveling.
> 
> The Y-split will be stable after you finish braiding. It is just not aesthetically pleasing. Some people just use heatshrink to create a "Y". You can find clear 2:1 heatshrink that looks pretty good (http://amzn.to/1JRqI7X). I used a small splitter from Double Helix Cables (http://bit.ly/1J9pkO2). Its a good size for your full sized headphones and might seem too large for IEMs.
> 
> ...


 
  
  
 Wow! I believe you covered everything I needed! Thanks so much! On to get the wires and start braiding I guess. I'll post some pictures of the progress.


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

xenheadfi said:


> Hmm... easiest way is to test with other set of cables with 1/4" plug. Do you have another amp or a 1/4th to 1/8th adapter to test with a phone?
> 
> If it worked perfectly fine (wiggling, tugging lightly) on the Yamaha with your phones, then the connector on the Magni might be loose. Still could be a cold joint if you do not trust your soldering skills...





Oh yes, I have all of the testing options other then a spare cable to test the headphones. I'll get on that when I can


The solder joints look very good if I say so myself  some decent solder with lower silver content as well. My only worry is the way it sounds when I move it, and the fact it's the same problem that I had the first time I made the cable.


Hopefully it's just the connector $4 and 10 mins to fix. If it's the cable, well, that is not fun. If it's the mangi 2u, that's a bummer, but I'm sure Schiit will warrenty it. It's only been a year, it will just be gone for a bit, but I have a sound card I can dig up


----------



## PinkyPowers

So today I finally began work on that Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 cable.






I had trouble with the 3.5mm end, but the 2.5mm is the real nightmare. I think I melted it. It's reading a short between L and R. I don't see a short, so... I suppose it's done for.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> So today I finally began work on that Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 cable.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Those type of connectors are crazy hard for me. I don't know the right way to do them. I melted them the same way on a 1/8 inch interconnect . So don't feel too bad.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Yeah, they're unnatural. To make it worse, I did the normal connector first, so now I have to cut each wire to a slightly different length so it goes on smooth. It's horrid.

I'm talking to Ted now for another one of these 2.5mm jacks.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

fallenangel said:


> With a 10 Watt iron, it's certainly possible but will just take you longer because you'll likely need to wait for it to heat up between solder joints and you would choose a connector that has a ground ring to solder to. I just don't see a 10 Watt iron heating up a bulky RCA enough.
> 
> My advice is to get a soldering station for $80-$100 as a one time investment. I've had my Hakko station for like 8 years and can't imagine going back to the little 25W iron I started with. It's just so fast and convenient in comparison.


 
  Thanks for the swift reply mate. Seeing as I have just started dabbing in the hobby, I shall remain using the 10w iron for the time being. If I really d feel that it is not doable, I shall buy another 25W or 40W iron. Besides, I am not soldering any RCA Cable, rather only tiny 3.5mm to 3.5mm interconnect cables.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

trolldragon said:


> 8 Braid Cat5 IC works great as a Headphone Stand or DAP's Coilover tunable suspension...


 
 May I kindly know how did you split those cables up?

 2 Cables for R Channel, 2 Cables for L Channel, and 4 Cables for Ground?


----------



## Vidal

Not sure if this is common knowledge but I worked out that the chip in the cheap knock off camera connection kits is actually in the lightning connector itself. I've been building some custom cables here's a picture below. 
  
 http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/Paul_Gaskell/IMG_0515_zpsgivvqhyk.jpg
  
 The mini usb cable actually uses the soldering points on the tiny circuit board rather than joining cable to cable, this was crazy tricky to do and I'm not sure how strong it is. The upshot is I have a ultra short cable which connects my iPhone direct to the dac/amp without the need for a bulky camera connection kit.
  
 Hope the picture works being a newbie I'm not able to upload.


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> May I kindly know how did you split those cables up?
> 
> 2 Cables for R Channel, 2 Cables for L Channel, and 4 Cables for Ground?


 
 That is how I do it.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

buke9 said:


> That is how I do it.


 
 Thanks for the info mate.
 Can I do the following for an 8 Strand Interconnect? 
  
 3 Right Channel
 3 Left Channel
 2 Ground Channel
  
 Or must the number of Ground Wires be more than the total number of Left and Right Channeled wires combined?

 Lastly, do you heat-shrink each of the channel inside of the 3.5mm jack or do you just heat-shrink the whole lot together?
  
 Heat Shrink 3 wires from R
 Heat Shrink 3 wires from L
 Heat Shrink 2 wires from G
  
 Or
  
 Heat Shrink all 8 strands together? If it's not too much trouble for you, may I kindly have a look at the inside of 8 strand Inter Connect 3.5mm Jack? I want to have a look at how you solder and organize the wires in the jack.
  
 Thank-you


----------



## PinkyPowers

Why do you use so many cables? Is not a simple 4 strand 26AWG sufficient for any headphone?


----------



## PETEREK

audionewbi3 said:


> buke9 said:
> 
> 
> > That is how I do it.
> ...


 
 You could do 3 for each signal and 2 for the ground, but I always do 4 for the ground and 2 per signal. 
  
 I heat shrink them all together if I heat shrink them at all. I normally fill the connector with hot glue to prevent any unwanted contacts.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

pinkypowers said:


> Why do you use so many cables? Is not a simple 4 strand 26AWG sufficient for any headphone?


 
 I am planning to use 30AWG Furukawa 5N copper wire as well as Teflon Silver Coated wires for my 6 strand and 8 strand IC. I guess I just want to try it out.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

peterek said:


> You could do 3 for each signal and 2 for the ground, but I always do 4 for the ground and 2 per signal.
> 
> I heat shrink them all together if I heat shrink them at all. I normally fill the connector with hot glue to prevent any unwanted contacts.


 
 Is there a specific reason for more ground wires when compared to channel wires?


----------



## PETEREK

audionewbi3 said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > You could do 3 for each signal and 2 for the ground, but I always do 4 for the ground and 2 per signal.
> ...


 
 If you're sending out signal, it has to go somewhere after it passes through the drivers, so having more grounds (imo) is better than having more signal wires. Really, you are never going to put enough power to a headphone for this to ever matter unless it's an Abyss or HE6 (Probably not even then) but technically speaking you want to have a great ground. If you know anything about car audio you'll know that is where people start upgrading after they start throwing more power at their speakers.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

peterek said:


> If you're sending out signal, it has to go somewhere after it passes through the drivers, so having more grounds (imo) is better than having more signal wires. Really, you are never going to put enough power to a headphone for this to ever matter unless it's an Abyss or HE6 (Probably not even then) but technically speaking you want to have a great ground. If you know anything about car audio you'll know that is where people start upgrading after they start throwing more power at their speakers.


 
 Ah I see I see. Thanks for the clarification. So in all honesty, It doesn't matter how many wires are allocated to each channel because as long as there are wires contacting each channel your IC should basically work correct? 

 I can go 2 wires for each channel in a 6 strand IC right?


----------



## FallenAngel

audionewbi3 said:


> Ah I see I see. Thanks for the clarification. So in all honesty, It doesn't matter how many wires are allocated to each channel because as long as there are wires contacting each channel your IC should basically work correct?
> 
> I can go 2 wires for each channel in a 6 strand IC right?


 
  
 Yep, it'll work with as many or as few wires as you want. The amount of current running through headphone and interconnect wire is negligible.
  
 An easy way of looking at it is that ground channel isn't a channel, it's the drain that all current returns through. So if you have 2 wires for each channel, the ground while having 2 wires will see double the current than each of the Left/Right channels. That's why people usually use the same amount of wire for Left/Right and the combined of the two for Ground. It's not necessary of course, but it does make it more balanced in terms of how much current runs through each wire. Again, the amount of current running through the wire is so small that you really can use just a single 28awg wire and it'll be plenty.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Where's a good place to buy Cardas OCC cable?


----------



## FallenAngel

pinkypowers said:


> Where's a good place to buy Cardas OCC cable?


 
  
 It's not something commonly available and only comes in a few "usable" sizes. I get it from Percy Audio : http://www.percyaudio.com/
  
 It's also unbelievably hard to work with (you need an 800 degree soldering iron or solder pot to get the enamel off the wire) and since the sizes are either 18awg (what I use for interconnects) or 29awg and smaller which would only work if you're doing your own Litz configuration which isn't easy, all I can say is "Good Luck".


----------



## PinkyPowers

Is it known what materials Moon Audio uses to make their Silver Dragon cables? And where to find it?

I've ordered a soldering pot and the Hakko FX888D-23BY. So I should be able to work with at least the Litz wire sold by Mike.

Is Litz a better concept than stranded?


----------



## rmoody

What does everyone like for RCA male connectors?
  
 I'm looking at these now:
  
 http://www.redco.com/Neutrik-NF2CB-2-Profi.html
 bit expensive, but like
  
 And:
 http://www.redco.com/Rean-Neutrik-NYS373-Male-RCA-Plug.htm;
  
 Opinions? Thoughts?
  
 I'll admit, I'm a bit of  Neutrik slut, they make good, tough stuff (this from when I played bass once upon a time [I still have my Rickenbacker 4001, 1973 model, betting most of you are younger than she is! Now get off my lawn!!!!]). 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 
  
 And what cable do you like for this situation?


----------



## FallenAngel

rmoody said:


> What does everyone like for RCA male connectors?
> 
> I'm looking at these now:
> 
> ...


 
  
 I personally don't care much for Neutrik RCAs. I found the ProFi a bit overpriced and the NYS series on the cheap side. There aren't many inexpensive RCAs that I actually like to say the truth but found the Amphenol RCAs to be very nice for a decent price.
  
Also, from experience, the cheap RCAs on eBay are absolute crap and aren't worth it. I've tried a bunch and they're all terrible quality.
  
 VT4C.com has a nice selection of RCA connectors, just stay away from their cheapest ($5-6 / pair), the rest are pretty good. Yarbo makes some amazing connectors that I like. YA Audio is quite good too.
  
 Personally, I now stick to Amphenol for most of my cables or sometimes splurge on Vampire RCAs or something nice from VT4C if I don't mind the shipping costs and wait times. Since they offer great prices on large steel chassis for power amps, I order connectors whenever I get one for a project.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Is ten strands good for 26AWG Litz?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Is ten strands good for 26AWG Litz?


 
 I have no idea on that. Mostly the more strands mean more flexible wire. I would think 10 strands would be kinda stiff but not too crazy. I've wanting to try some Litz cables but the wire is expensive. Still might try some just to see if there is a difference .


----------



## AudioNewbi3

fallenangel said:


> Yep, it'll work with as many or as few wires as you want. The amount of current running through headphone and interconnect wire is negligible.
> 
> An easy way of looking at it is that ground channel isn't a channel, it's the drain that all current returns through. So if you have 2 wires for each channel, the ground while having 2 wires will see double the current than each of the Left/Right channels. That's why people usually use the same amount of wire for Left/Right and the combined of the two for Ground. It's not necessary of course, but it does make it more balanced in terms of how much current runs through each wire. Again, the amount of current running through the wire is so small that you really can use just a single 28awg wire and it'll be plenty.


 
 Thanks for the informative reply mate! So then, how do people do a 6 strand Inter-Connect Cable?


----------



## FallenAngel

audionewbi3 said:


> Thanks for the informative reply mate! So then, how do people do a 6 strand Inter-Connect Cable?


 
  
 Well, if it's a mini-mini cable, 2 for Left, 2 for Right and 2 for Ground. For RCA-RCA 3 each, and for XLR 2 for + 2 for - and 2 for Ground.
  
 Any combination works really, there are no set rules. I've seen crazy cables that had a 20awg ground and a single 30awg signal line. That's more than 3x fatter ground than signal and can handle 6x the current.


----------



## PinkyPowers

buke9 said:


> I have no idea on that. Mostly the more strands mean more flexible wire. I would think 10 strands would be kinda stiff but not too crazy. I've wanting to try some Litz cables but the wire is expensive. Still might try some just to see if there is a difference .




What do you use most for headphone cable?


----------



## rmoody

Amphenol is my second pick. Not a lot of detail on the Yarbo to see how they are assembled.
  
 I do like the ACPR plugs from Amphenol as they can be had in numerous colors and are afordable.
  
 Any preference on cable?


----------



## FallenAngel

Just my opinion, I like 26awg stranded wire (7 or 19 strands is what I usually buy, and stiffness of the cable depends much more on the coating than anything else). I buy large spools once and they last me for years for every possible project.
  
 Just do a google image search for "Yarbo RCA" to see how they're assembled.
  
 http://www.aliexpress.com has a very good selection of RCAs as well, TONS actually, lots of Yarbo. I think I'll order from them from now on as their selection is just huge and lots offer free shipping.
  
 Wire preference is determined by application, so lots to choose from. Most recently, I've switched to using fairly thick solid-core wire for interconnects and 24-26awg stranded wire for headphones.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> What do you use most for headphone cable?


 
 I have used lots of different wire. Double Helix has some really nice wire as does BTG Audio. I won't get into which is better that is a deep hole to climb out of and I won't go there. I like to do hybrid cables silver plate and plain copper. The reason why is I made a rca interconnect cable for my two channel setup and the silver plate was so much better than my Monster Cable interconnects but lost a little bass. Putting some OCC wire back in gave it back. I am going to try some solid silver for some interconnects soon but for now I might try some silver stranded for headphones.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I decided to buy the 24 AWG stranded OCC from Double Helix. It seemed like a good idea, since I was also buying my mini-XLR and Eidolic XLR connectors from them.

I'm also going to try parachord this time. I've got some nice colors coming from Amazon. Type 1. Should make a lovely braid.


----------



## PinkyPowers

buke9 said:


> I have used lots of different wire. Double Helix has some really nice wire as does BTG Audio. I won't get into which is better that is a deep hole to climb out of and I won't go there. I like to do hybrid cables silver plate and plain copper. The reason why is I made a rca interconnect cable for my two channel setup and the silver plate was so much better than my Monster Cable interconnects but lost a little bass. Putting some OCC wire back in gave it back. I am going to try some solid silver for some interconnects soon but for now I might try some silver stranded for headphones.




I didn't think Double Helix solid silver-plated OCC copper. I know they do for their cables, but not as raw wire. Am I wrong? Did I miss something?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> I didn't think Double Helix solid silver-plated OCC copper. I know they do for their cables, but not as raw wire. Am I wrong? Did I miss something?


 
 No they don't as far as I know.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> I decided to buy the 24 AWG stranded OCC from Double Helix. It seemed like a good idea, since I was also buying my mini-XLR and Eidolic XLR connectors from them.
> 
> I'm also going to try parachord this time. I've got some nice colors coming from Amazon. Type 1. Should make a lovely braid.


 
 Yes your right to buy many things from him as his shipping price is a little too much for a single item. I don't know about the DHC v3 wire but the wire I bought from him was nice stuff. Got to be quick on soldering as the cover will draw back and melt quick. I love the Eidolic stuff it is just so good looking.


----------



## buke9

rmoody said:


> Amphenol is my second pick. Not a lot of detail on the Yarbo to see how they are assembled.
> 
> I do like the ACPR plugs from Amphenol as they can be had in numerous colors and are afordable.
> 
> Any preference on cable?


 
 I got these on eBay a bit ago. There are monster sturdy and the locking feature will hold up a house they are that tight. I paid like $60 for 20 of them from China (they might be fakes I don't know but they are super strong). They also have a .359" opening for a cable that is 9mm and that is huge. They sound good to me but YMMV.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

fallenangel said:


> Well, if it's a mini-mini cable, 2 for Left, 2 for Right and 2 for Ground. For RCA-RCA 3 each, and for XLR 2 for + 2 for - and 2 for Ground.
> 
> Any combination works really, there are no set rules. I've seen crazy cables that had a 20awg ground and a single 30awg signal line. That's more than 3x fatter ground than signal and can handle 6x the current.


 
  
 Thank-you once again for the informative reply mate!

 One last question (hopefully), can I use a mix of copper and silver plated wires for my interconnect? 
 If I can, is there a set of rules saying that one should use silver plated for R and L,copper for G?
 Or can I just go crazy and 2 Silver, 2 Copper for G, and 1 Silver, 1 Copper for both L and R?
  
 Thank-you


----------



## DPence

What is the preferred slider for use over Paracord with CIEMs?

I just made my first cable and didn't even think about the slider option. I like having them cinched pretty securely. 

Thanks in advance for your recommendations.


----------



## FallenAngel

audionewbi3 said:


> Thank-you once again for the informative reply mate!
> 
> 
> One last question (hopefully), can I use a mix of copper and silver plated wires for my interconnect?
> ...




No set rules at all buddy, go nuts, have a good time with it. Post pics when you're done though.

To really drill it how little rules there are, you could take the highest purity cast 26awg silver wire sleeved in Egyptian silk, wrapped around cotton with Teflon dialectic for signal wire and stick a coat hanger through the whole thing as the ground and it'll still work.

I've actually made a cable like that, the coat hanger was just some fairly thick copper wire, and it was very fun to build and sounded great. Difficult but very fun.

Applicable to audio, don't try this in engineering class or high voltage work.


----------



## anonim

Hi All,

Do you know a simple guide on how to build its own ciem cable ?
I'm trying to find informations or a video or something to do mine but can't find a single one... 

Regards,


----------



## FallenAngel

anonim said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Do you know a simple guide on how to build its own ciem cable ?
> I'm trying to find informations or a video or something to do mine but can't find a single one...
> ...




Take any guide to building a headphone cable and attach the iem connector of choice.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

fallenangel said:


> No set rules at all buddy, go nuts, have a good time with it. Post pics when you're done though.
> 
> To really drill it how little rules there are, you could take the highest purity cast 26awg silver wire sleeved in Egyptian silk, wrapped around cotton with Teflon dialectic for signal wire and stick a coat hanger through the whole thing as the ground and it'll still work.
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks-you once again for the epic reply!


----------



## FallenAngel

audionewbi3 said:


> Thanks-you once again for the epic reply!


 
  
 No worries, I'm glad to help. 
  
 Here's something that I built a while ago that was an experimental build for fun. It's a thick cotton rope with 24awg pure silver wire wrapped around it in a double helix pattern, covered in teflon and then sleeving.
  

  
  
 Like I said, you can go crazy and build really interesting wires.


----------



## PinkyPowers

The solder station and solder pot arrived! Now I have a setup that can achieve anything. The only limitations are my skill and imagination.


----------



## FallenAngel

Good sutff!


----------



## FallenAngel

buke9 said:


> I got these on eBay a bit ago. There are monster sturdy and the locking feature will hold up a house they are that tight. I paid like $60 for 20 of them from China (they might be fakes I don't know but they are super strong). They also have a .359" opening for a cable that is 9mm and that is huge. They sound good to me but YMMV.




Definitely fake at that price. Doesn't mean they're bad, just a replica. I've used those before and think they're poetry nice actually. Thinner than I like, but good.


----------



## buke9

fallenangel said:


> Definitely fake at that price. Doesn't mean they're bad, just a replica. I've used those before and think they're poetry nice actually. Thinner than I like, but good.


 
 I'm sure your right about fake. They even gave them individual ser #'s. You would think WBT would go after them there still lots of them on eBay. There're still nice connectors.


----------



## FallenAngel

You can't really "go after" Chinese copies, different international laws.

Then again, for all we know, they're from the same factory but some are sold to WBT and others to no name companies that stick the same label on them. That's what I've seen about brands I will not name.


----------



## buke9

fallenangel said:


> You can't really "go after" Chinese copies, different international laws.
> 
> Then again, for all we know, they're from the same factory but some are sold to WBT and others to no name companies that stick the same label on them. That's what I've seen about brands I will not name.


 
 Yes I've seen that on a lot of products.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I was bemoaning the fact I had nothing to solder, and thus no reason to use my new soldering iron, when I remembered the custom cable that came with my LCD-2.2s. It's a single-ended, four-stand braid, custom jobby. Well done. Yet ugly as all hell! It's covered in this neon green mesh that clashes with everything, and the LCDs most of all.

There was no way I would use this cable, so I set it aside for parts. It's got a 1/4" ViaBlue jack that I absolutely intended to reuse. And of course... wire! If I could salvage it.

The Head-Fi'er who sold it all to me said the cable was around $80 when he bought it off eBay. But I'm wondering if it wasn't more than that. It's about 8' long, and check this out...

Is this silver-plated copper, or straight silver?



Can anyone recognize where this stuff might have come from?


----------



## Arty McGhee

pinkypowers said:


> I was bemoaning the fact I had nothing to solder, and thus no reason to use my new soldering iron, when I remembered the custom cable that came with my LCD-2.2s. It's a single-ended, four-stand braid, custom jobby. Well done. Yet ugly as all hell! It's covered in this neon green mesh that clashes with everything, and the LCDs most of all.
> 
> There was no way I would use this cable, so I set it aside for parts. It's got a 1/4" ViaBlue jack that I absolutely intended to reuse. And of course... wire! If I could salvage it.
> 
> ...


 
 give it a scrape with a blade
 if its plated it'll come right off and you'll see copper


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> I was bemoaning the fact I had nothing to solder, and thus no reason to use my new soldering iron, when I remembered the custom cable that came with my LCD-2.2s. It's a single-ended, four-stand braid, custom jobby. Well done. Yet ugly as all hell! It's covered in this neon green mesh that clashes with everything, and the LCDs most of all.
> 
> There was no way I would use this cable, so I set it aside for parts. It's got a 1/4" ViaBlue jack that I absolutely intended to reuse. And of course... wire! If I could salvage it.
> 
> ...


 
 That many strands for $80 is not Silver it would be more like $600 if it were if not more. The other cable don't know. If you buy enough wire they will put what you want on it. It could be a special buy of wire.


----------



## PinkyPowers

That silvery sample came from that cable. It's a 22-23AWG. I was able to scrape off the silver and indeed saw copper underneath.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> That silvery sample came from that cable. It's a 22-23AWG. I was able to scrape off the silver and indeed saw copper underneath.


 
 That what was thought by all 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Well, this part confused me, so I thought I'd clarify.



buke9 said:


> That many strands for $80 is not Silver it would be more like $600 if it were if not more. *The other cable don't know.* If you buy enough wire they will put what you want on it. It could be a special buy of wire.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Well, this part confused me, so I thought I'd clarify.


 
 No worries my internet went out before I could edit my post. I didn't get it was the same cable until my connection went out.


----------



## FallenAngel

buke9 said:


> That many strands for $80 is not Silver it would be more like $600 if it were if not more. The other cable don't know. If you buy enough wire they will put what you want on it. It could be a special buy of wire.


 
  
 8 ft, 4 wires, 32 feet of stranded pure silver wire, the cheapest I found would be at about $8/ft - $250 total.
 If it were solid-core silver, then it's like $4/ft.


----------



## PinkyPowers

$80 seems cheap even for silver plated copper. That much wire?

I think I'm going to make a new cable out of it and sell her.


----------



## FallenAngel

pinkypowers said:


> $80 seems cheap even for silver plated copper. That much wire?
> 
> I think I'm going to make a new cable out of it and sell her.


 
  
 It depends on the quality of the silver plated copper.
  
 I get a 1000 ft spool for like $250 of mil-spec stranded SPC. It's great stuff, but not on the same level of UPOCC copper with silver plating, which is like $2.50/ft that I used for some other cables.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Question about melting a solder bar in a solder pot:

Do you simply hold one end while sticking the other in the pot, and then remove it when the pot is full? Or should I somehow cut the bar into pieces small enough to fit in the pot?


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

I cut the bar with a jigsaw to make smaller pieces. Problem is the solder bar, as it heats up from the jigsaw blade, gets stuck to the blade and dulls it quickly, so it's not very ideal


----------



## q2klepto

Anyone know how to contact Eidolic? I want to get their fancy connectors/plugs but they dont respond on their facebook page, or have a Twitter account...or have any contact info on their home page...
  
 Yet many cable makers have them as options


----------



## PETEREK

q2klepto said:


> Anyone know how to contact Eidolic? I want to get their fancy connectors/plugs but they dont respond on their facebook page, or have a Twitter account...or have any contact info on their home page...
> 
> Yet many cable makers have them as options



Go to Doublehelixcables.com or Norne to order them from their sites.


----------



## q2klepto

peterek said:


> Go to Doublehelixcables.com or Norne to order them from their sites.


 
  
 Yup I can get them from DHCbut want to see if i can source from them directly

 Not sure why theyre impossible to contact  so weird that their homepage has 0 contact info

 THanks tho!


----------



## PETEREK

q2klepto said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > Go to Doublehelixcables.com or Norne to order them from their sites.
> ...



Peter distributes the Eidolic products, so I would start there.


----------



## rmoody

peterek said:


> Peter distributes the Eidolic products, so I would start there.


 
 Looking for you on Etsy, not finding you. You still there?


----------



## PETEREK

rmoody said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > Peter distributes the Eidolic products, so I would start there.
> ...



Yeah I'm still there, there's a link to my shop on my profile page here. Hopefully I'll get my site going here soon.


----------



## iScream

peterek said:


> If you're sending out signal, it has to go somewhere after it passes through the drivers, so having more grounds (imo) is better than having more signal wires. Really, you are never going to put enough power to a headphone for this to ever matter unless it's an Abyss or HE6 (Probably not even then) but technically speaking you want to have a great ground. If you know anything about car audio you'll know that is where people start upgrading after they start throwing more power at their speakers.


 
  
  
  
 For what it's worth, that isn't what happens with the signal driving your headphones.  The difference between AC and DC is that AC changes polarity, which means the current changes direction.  So when we say our frequency is 20 Hz, what we mean is that the polarity and current flow changes 20 times per second.
  
 For the most part you have the right idea though.  If you're running two 24 gauge positive wires it makes sense to have two 24 gauge ground wires or a single ground with a slightly larger wire gauge.  But with the power levels going to headphone drivers it probably doesn't matter much unless you're running really long cables or really thin wire.
  
 Not sure what you're talking about regarding car audio.  Sure, a good ground is important but you don't normally have to screw with it unless you get a noise problem from different components being grounded to different areas of the chassis.
  
 -Chris


----------



## XenHeadFi

iscream said:


> For what it's worth, that isn't what happens with the signal driving your headphones.  The difference between AC and DC is that AC changes polarity, which means the current changes direction.  So when we say our frequency is 20 Hz, what we mean is that the polarity and current flow changes 20 times per second.


 
 Sorry, can you expound on this a bit? I am not sure I understand what you are trying to convey. Are you talking about the frequency of the AC mains which are a continuous sine wave that reaches peak-to-peak (+120V and back to +120V) 60 times a second in the US under ideal conditions? Not sure how that applies to the signal going through headphone cables to the headphone drivers.


----------



## iScream

xenheadfi said:


> Sorry, can you expound on this a bit? I am not sure I understand what you are trying to convey. Are you talking about the frequency of the AC mains which are a continuous sine wave that reaches peak-to-peak (+120V and back to +120V) 60 times a second in the US under ideal conditions? Not sure how that applies to the signal going through headphone cables to the headphone drivers.


 
  
 No, I'm saying the electrical signal traveling across your interconnects and speaker wire is AC.  When playing any sound, the current does not just travel into one side of the driver and out the other.  It changes back and forth, depending on the frequencies.  Otherwise we wouldn't be able to use capacitors and inductors as frequency filters.  (Crossovers)
  
 By the way, this doesn't really matter but DC current actually flows from the negative side to the positive.


----------



## PinkyPowers

So what does the wiring on an Audeze mini-XLR really look like. I understand I need to make jumpers between pins?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> So what does the wiring on an Audeze mini-XLR really look like. I understand I need to make jumpers between pins?


 
 This might help. Link


----------



## Eudis

What do you guys use for a Y split? Making cables for my he400i and so far heatshrinking a y split seems like my only choice and it doesn't seem sturdy. I can't find a barrel or what ever to secure it online.


----------



## PinkyPowers

YES! That's exactly what I needed. Thank you.


----------



## PinkyPowers

eudis said:


> What do you guys use for a Y split? Making cables for my he400i and so far heatshrinking a y split seems like my only choice and it doesn't seem sturdy. I can't find a barrel or what ever to secure it online.




http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=118

http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html

Also, contact Ted over at the Headphonlounge.com. He has some lovely wood pieces he makes himself.

http://headphonelounge.com/in-ear-monitor-cables/


----------



## Eudis

@PinkyPowers

Exactly what I was looking for!!!

Thank you so much


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> YES! That's exactly what I needed. Thank you.


 
 Your welcome.


----------



## rmoody

eudis said:


> What do you guys use for a Y split? Making cables for my he400i and so far heatshrinking a y split seems like my only choice and it doesn't seem sturdy. I can't find a barrel or what ever to secure it online.


 

 I used some large 5:1 heat shrink with adhesive I found at home depot, pretty thick stuff, see pics of the one I made here somewhere. Shrunk it down, and pressed between the cables with needle nose pliars.


----------



## Benny-x

So, did the old "DIY questions and advice" thread get closed and folded into this one for some reason? I thought this was the "pictures thread" and the other was for "discussions and advice". It's been a while since I've been in here...
  
 Anyway, I've just bought a pair of Pioneer SE Master1 headphones and I need to make a balanced cable for them. That's no problem, the issue is just with the headphone side connectors. 
  
 The SE Master1s use the MMCX style connector like on the Shure SRH-1540 and 1840. They have a kind of shaft or sleeve that goes up into the port and I guess provides support so that the only stress point isn't on that tiny MMCX connection. Then, there's also a groove that runs down the shaft. So, where on earth do I buy these? 
  
 Pics:
 Pioneer - http://pioneer-headphones.com/english/se-master1/common/img/balance_topimage.jpg
 Pioneer groove view - http://hifilounge.co.uk/image/cache/data/pioneer/SE%20Master%201/pioneer-se-master1-hodetelefon-56_1-675x500.jpg
 Shure - http://www.head-fi.org/t/702042/shure-srh1540-review
  
 I've found these here by Eidolic:
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Eidolic-mmcx--shure-iem-ciem
 http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=173
  
 But those show they're for IEM usage, I know the MMCX part is the same, but the the support sleeve/shaft isn't there. The aluminum barrel on the Eidolic ones seems thinner than the ones on the Pioneers or SRH-1840. And they lack the groove.
  
 If you see this link at Moon Audio, the sonnectors they use look like the standard ones from the manufacturer:
 http://www.moon-audio.com/silver-dragon-shure-headphone-v3.html
  
  
 Seondly, is about MMCX, these are coaxial connections, so ( - ) and ( + ), but is there anywhere on them to connect the shield? I have a 3pin minXLR connector and I want to make an MMCX->3pin mini XLR connector, but I don't want to just drop the ground/shield connection by soldering them together on the XLR side. Is there a 3rd shield area on the MMCX or only ( - ) and ( + ) ?


----------



## Kamakahah

It's been a while since I've had time to post or even read the forums. I'm here because I need some help after my hiatus. 

I made a cable for a friend's HE-560 about 6 months back. I terminated it with a mini 4-pin xlr to reduce weight when connecting adapters. I made three adapters: 4-pin xlr, speaker taps, and finally to a 1/4" TRS. 

Recently he found that the right channel was cutting out. I told him I'd take a look. I figured that one of the connections was coming loose or something to that effect. I soldered on some new connectors and found it was having the same issue. It only cuts out when I twist the part of the connector below the threaded head or when I tilt it one way or another slightly.I made sure it was properly tightened but the problem remained. Then I tried switching the channels to test if it was just the right connector/poor soldering job. When the channels were switched, there wasn't a problem. Everything came in loud and clear, and no amount of twisting or tilting caused any changed - Clearly the soldering job wasn't the issue. Sadly, that left the channels switched and didn't bring me closer to a solution.

At that point I began to worry that the complication was a loose connection inside the headphone; until I got the idea to check continuity when the problem was present. I returned the cable to it's proper configuration, turned the connector until it cut out and then used a multimeter to check continuity on the signals and grounds. I did this with the connectors open so I could touch where the joints where made as well as other locations. *Note* I had previously check continuity across all the adapters and the cable and verified everything 4-5 times and found no issue. Yet somehow the left signal and ground were connected. I reset the right channel by twisting it so that the signal was coming through and checked again, the left signal and ground were no longer connected. 

Now I wondered if it was just a bad connector. I tried two more sets of connectors and have cut off about 1.5 inches of length from the original wire during retries. Having gone through four pairs of connectors I've come to the conclusion that it must either be all the connectors with the issue or something simple that I'm just not realizing. My next step was going to be soldering on a new 4-pin mini-xlr at the cables termination. Before I try that, I figured it might be wise to ask for an outside opinion. 


If you happen to know what what my issue might be, then please...PLEASE let me know. Hopefully I'll read a reply and get to enjoy a much deserved face palm.
In the case that no one is able to propose a working solution from my unexceptional description, I'm hoping that someone will ease my suffering by allowing me to ship the cable out to them for inspection.


----------



## PETEREK

kamakahah said:


> It's been a while since I've had time to post or even read the forums. I'm here because I need some help after my hiatus.
> 
> I made a cable for a friend's HE-560 about 6 months back. I terminated it with a mini 4-pin xlr to reduce weight when connecting adapters. I made three adapters: 4-pin xlr, speaker taps, and finally to a 1/4" TRS.
> 
> ...


 
 If it's for an HE-560, is it using the SMC connection or 2.5mm connection? The problem is probably coming from the other end of the cable, not the XLR. SMC can be pretty annoying to solder, sometimes the wire can be exposed where it's routed into the connector and if it makes contact there it will cause your issue, a short. I generally hot glue or epoxy those so they will be reliable forever. This could be the case with the 2.5mm connection too, but the problem would be a lot easier to see.


----------



## Kamakahah

peterek said:


> If it's for an HE-560, is it using the SMC connection or 2.5mm connection? The problem is probably coming from the other end of the cable, not the XLR. SMC can be pretty annoying to solder, sometimes the wire can be exposed where it's routed into the connector and if it makes contact there it will cause your issue, a short. I generally hot glue or epoxy those so they will be reliable forever. This could be the case with the 2.5mm connection too, but the problem would be a lot easier to see.




Thanks for the reply. It uses the older SMC connectors. They are a PITA. On my second and third sets of connectors, I made sure to strip only a very small portion of wire for the signal. I verified the connection and ruled out any bridging or exposed wire with a jeweler's loupe. I normally add hot glue after checking the connection. I did it for both of those tries. Possible wire exposure in the routed neck due to melting the insulation. To be mostly confident that isn't the issue, I practiced doing a very quick, low heat solder on the neck of one of the used connectors with a piece of the same kind of wire. I verified that the soldering job was quick enough to ensure melting insulation wasn't the issue and the joint made was acceptable. 

I spent about 5 hours going over every possibly I could imagine while trying different techniques and variations. 

I'd order different SMC connectors, but it's not like anywhere offers a better quality version; they're all the same stock from Asia. 

Anyway, I appreciate your input. I'm probably going to have to send this to someone else.


----------



## Vidal

Can anyone recommend a decent supplier of cable and connectors that's based in the UK?


----------



## George Chronis

So, I got all my parts to build my first cable. It's a 4ft, 4 strand cable with parts mostly from double helix. The connectors that go to the headphone end were bought from Mr Speakers directly. I swear I've seen the answer here before, but for the life of me I can't find it: how do I get to the pins of the headphone end connectors to solder the wire? Something with pulling back the outer ring and twisting?

Thanks!


----------



## George Chronis

Ok, never mind, found it. Post #4393. Let me see if I can get it out without scratching it now...


----------



## rmoody

george chronis said:


> Ok, never mind, found it. Post #4393. Let me see if I can get it out without scratching it now...


 
  
 Remove the rubber boot. Plug them into the headphones. Twist the lower part exposed by removing the boot.


----------



## George Chronis

rmoody said:


> Remove the rubber boot. Plug them into the headphones. Twist the lower part exposed by removing the boot.


 

 Ha! I feel stupid now...


----------



## rmoody

george chronis said:


> Ha! I feel stupid now...


 

 Don't I read that from Dan. I was using a pair of pliars on mine.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

Hey guys, may I kindly know how do you identify whether a cable is insulated or not? I heard that there are some cables which look like they are not insulated; but, in reality they are coated with a layer of transparent insulation (which you should burn off using a lighter?).

 If I do encounter the insulation what should I do? Burn it off with a lighter? Or burn it off by touching it with my solder iron?

 For reference, this is the cable I will be using for my Inter connects:

 Some silver plated, teflon covered,30AWG wires
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.LmZxm0&id=38439006148&_u=t2i926dj0f6d  

 And some Furukawa 5N OCC Copper Cables
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.LmZxm0&id=38417991601&_u=t2i926dj45ee
  
  
 Will these have the transparent insulation?

 Thank-you


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> Hey guys, may I kindly know how do you identify whether a cable is insulated or not? I heard that there are some cables which look like they are not insulated; but, in reality they are coated with a layer of transparent insulation (which you should burn off using a lighter?).
> 
> If I do encounter the insulation what should I do? Burn it off with a lighter? Or burn it off by touching it with my solder iron?
> 
> ...


 
 If it is not litz wire I doubt it will be enamel covered. Could be wrong but I doubt it.


----------



## robertsong

Hello
  
 I'm looking for suggestions for silver coaxial to make a "mini" 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. Does such cable exist? I may consider braided too. Thanks.


----------



## PinkyPowers

robertsong said:


> Hello
> 
> I'm looking for suggestions for silver coaxial to make a "mini" 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. Does such cable exist? I may consider braided too. Thanks.




There's no analogue "audio" signal that travels over coaxial. It's all digital. It doesn't matter what the cable material is made of on that side of the equation. So long as it's transmitting those 1s and 0s properly, the DAC will do the exact same job.


----------



## PinkyPowers

At last!



So, I melted the first connector. The second was much easier, and went together quickly. But when I tested the cable out, I discovered the 2.5mm end was not very compatible with the M2. It needed a latching mechanism and secure it and give you proper channel balance. So Ted sent my a third connector, one which he believed would work with the Momentum.

And it does! 

My first cable is complete. Now if only Double Helix would get their act together and send me my supplies, I could begin work on the balanced cable for my LCD-2.

This cable is merely OFC. Not even Litz. Yet I swear it sounds more dynamic than the stock cable. The bass sounds fuller, the treble is sharper and extended. It's a surprise, as I expected no improvement whatsoever. I just wanted to make a cable.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> At last!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Not bad at all. The two times I ordered from DHC I had to email him to get him to send the order.


----------



## robertsong

Sorry, I meant shielded cable, not coaxial. This is for an analog cable.


----------



## buke9

robertsong said:


> Sorry, I meant shielded cable, not coaxial. This is for an analog cable.


 
 You said 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm mini cable. No need for a shielded cable. There is lots of silver plated copper or silver wire out there. Myself I would not want a cable as I would want wire. It is going to be harder to find a short piece of cable as it would be for wire. I take it that you are wanting a Dap to Amp connector?  It would be better if you said what this is for as it would be easier to help out with your options.


----------



## PinkyPowers

buke9 said:


> The two times I ordered from DHC I had to email him to get him to send the order.




What email address did you send to? I've contacted them already, and have not heard back.


----------



## robertsong

buke9 said:


> You said 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm mini cable. No need for a shielded cable. There is lots of silver plated copper or silver wire out there. Myself I would not want a cable as I would want wire. It is going to be harder to find a short piece of cable as it would be for wire. I take it that you are wanting a Dap to Amp connector?  It would be better if you said what this is for as it would be easier to help out with your options.


 
  
 A stereo "mini" cable to connect DAP to headphones. I have a pair of acrolink rhodium plugs lying around and want to find some high quality silver wire/cable to make a new cable. Such as this:
  
 http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Auxiliary-Headphones-iPhones-Stereos/dp/B00R10DWWK/ref=pd_sim_23_27?ie=UTF8&dpID=31ZSnR%2BD4-L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1T3XXNKGARP4XXH5SJPR


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> What email address did you send to? I've contacted them already, and have not heard back.


 
 peter@doublehelixcables.com


----------



## PETEREK

buke9 said:


> pinkypowers said:
> 
> 
> > What email address did you send to? I've contacted them already, and have not heard back.
> ...


 
 I normally contact them through Doublehelixcables@gmail.com


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> I normally contact them through Doublehelixcables@gmail.com


 
 Just looked at it again and that is the one he replyed on.


----------



## Joel Peterson

Is anyone noticing anything immediately wrong with my intended wiring scheme and does anyone have any tips on how to improve my plan? Especially since I've noticed most people do not even bother with the shield when making their own unbalanced cables and just would single wire their channels and grounds with the quad cable instead of bi-wiring. It's not my first time making custom electronics, but definitely my first time taking phonics into consideration of my soldering and cable choice.

 Video and linked article describing the reason I wired this way Essentially bi-wiring reduces resistance and effective gauge.
 Link to Primary Cable
 Link to Secondary Cable


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

Alright Guys, I finally had time to do some trouble shooting with my cable
  
 if you guys don't remember, the left channel was cutting out, almost sounded like it was shorting out.
  
 I finally got to do some testing. Threw my 1/4" adapter on my porta pros, they sound fine, so obviously not the amp.
  
  
 So bring my DIY cable to my dad's place, sounds 100% fine. He must have fixed it. Idk. Come home, plug them back into my Mangi 2U same problem. Odd. Plug them into my phone, sound fine. So I plug them into an adapter, then an adapter back to 1/4", they sound fine with the Mangi 2U now.
  
 So its something about that specific jack into the specific mangi 2u. Litterally any other combination sounds fine. Any ideas?
  
  
  
 EDIT: If I pull on it slightly, so it comes out just a tiny bit, works fine. Note to self, cheapo plugs from radio shack, are cheap. GG


----------



## rmoody

joel peterson said:


> Is anyone noticing anything immediately wrong with my intended wiring scheme and does anyone have any tips on how to improve my plan? Especially since I've noticed most people do not even bother with the shield when making their own unbalanced cables and just would single wire their channels and grounds with the quad cable instead of bi-wiring. It's not my first time making custom electronics, but definitely my first time taking phonics into consideration of my soldering and cable choice.
> Video and linked article describing the reason I wired this way Essentially bi-wiring reduces resistance and effective gauge.
> Link to Primary Cable
> Link to Secondary Cable


 
 That's pretty much what I did with my balanced XLR interconnects for my Gungnir to Mjolnir stack. Paired the two white and two red for + and - and then used the shield for the ground pin and shield connection (I split the shield ran half to pin 1 and half to the shield). My Gungnir arrives tomorrow so I'll officially test then.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

joel peterson said:


> Is anyone noticing anything immediately wrong with my intended wiring scheme and does anyone have any tips on how to improve my plan? Especially since I've noticed most people do not even bother with the shield when making their own unbalanced cables and just would single wire their channels and grounds with the quad cable instead of bi-wiring. It's not my first time making custom electronics, but definitely my first time taking phonics into consideration of my soldering and cable choice.
> 
> Video and linked article describing the reason I wired this way Essentially bi-wiring reduces resistance and effective gauge.
> Link to Primary Cable
> Link to Secondary Cable


 
 Correct me if I am wrong, I am quite new to this too, but are your ground wires are basically also acting as negative conductors?

 From my limited knowledge, I can only picture two cables (i.e. red and white), each with shielding.
 Core of red wire goes to (+) of right driver, shield to (-) of right driver
 Core of white wire goes to (+) of left driver, shield to (-) of left driver
 Then both the shield gets twisted together to form the ground channel.

http://crcdiy.pixnet.net/blog/post/35264113


----------



## Joel Peterson

audionewbi3 said:


> Correct me if I am wrong, I am quite new to this too, but are your ground wires are basically also acting as negative conductors?
> 
> From my limited knowledge, I can only picture two cables (i.e. red and white), each with shielding.
> Core of red wire goes to (+) of right driver, shield to (-) of right driver
> ...


 

 You are correct. In a standard electrical circuit that is how it would work. I was hoping to generate some discussion on this topic because using the ground shield as a negative conductor seems to be in the minority of most unbalanced cable builds that follow as standard circuit. However, tutorials such as this one: https://robrobinette.com/BalancedCable.htm suggest using the shield as the negative conductor for a few reasons. "_The cable's grounded shield is used for both signal transmission and noise suppression. The shield's impedance is different than the two conductors so the cable is unbalanced." _Also in my diagram I am running the wires in parallel to help reduce resistance, but I am not entirely sure that I am doing it correctly, or if there is a more specific way to wire that is especially applicable to audio cabling.


----------



## buke9

Unless your making a real long cable there is no need for noise / RFI reduction. I use separate wires for each + and  - connection. I also like to make each the same length using the shielding would throw that off. As always they are your cables.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

buke9 said:


> Unless your making a real long cable there is no need for noise / RFI reduction. I use separate wires for each + and  - connection. I also like to make each the same length using the shielding would throw that off. As always they are your cables.




Thats what I am planning to do once I my materials arrive from China. I also prefer using equal lengths of cable to do things. I am planning to use the shielding and core of the wire as a single terminal. 

So with R+,R-,L+,L-. I would use 4 cables total.

Btw, does braiding decreases the length?


----------



## PinkyPowers

buke9 said:


> peter@doublehelixcables.com






peterek said:


> I normally contact them through Doublehelixcables@gmail.com




I emailed both those just to be sure. He got back to me fairly quickly. My order should arrive tomorrow sometime . 

Thanks.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> I emailed both those just to be sure. He got back to me fairly quickly. My order should arrive tomorrow sometime .
> 
> Thanks.


 
 Sometimes he needs a reminder.


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> Thats what I am planning to do once I my materials arrive from China. I also prefer using equal lengths of cable to do things. I am planning to use the shielding and core of the wire as a single terminal.
> 
> So with R+,R-,L+,L-. I would use 4 cables total.
> 
> Btw, does braiding decreases the length?


 
 Yes braiding decreases length. It depends on the braid as how much.


----------



## AndroidVageta

Made my question it's own thread before immediately seeing this one so I'll repost here!
  
 Have a pair of Sony MDR-EX1000's but want to convert the plug that goes into the buds to a straight drop down (instead of over/behind the ear).
  
 Here's the plugs it uses (proprietary unfortunately) and I'd want to eliminate the "bend" and, I guess, solder the new cable to the exposed part of the wires? 
  
 Like this:
  

  
 Picture typo: "Cut the angled part here so that the new cable _*WILL*_ fall straight down"
  
  
 What I'd need help with, really, is how to make the connection strong. I mean, I'm assuming I could cut away enough plastic to expose enough wire to make a solid connection but the wire alone wouldn't be strong enough I don't think?
  
 What I'm thinking is leave as much jacket as possible on the new cable then using heatshrink and some sort of epoxy basically glue the cable jacket to the heatshrink from the inside then epoxy the other end of the heatshrink to the connector?
  
 Thoughts on what I could do?


----------



## AudioNewbi3

buke9 said:


> Yes braiding decreases length. It depends on the braid as how much.


 
 8 strand round braid, with a 10cm strand, how long will the final product be? 5cm?


----------



## Arty McGhee

androidvageta said:


> Made my question it's own thread before immediately seeing this one so I'll repost here!
> 
> Have a pair of Sony MDR-EX1000's but want to convert the plug that goes into the buds to a straight drop down (instead of over/behind the ear).
> 
> ...




Hotglue and or 3:1 adhesive shrink both are fairly easy to remove if you have a problem


----------



## PinkyPowers

I have 24AWG OCC from DHC and Type 1 Paracord. I plan to make four strands of roughly 8 feet apiece.

How should I cut the paracord? Longer than the cable? Shorter? The same size?


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> I have 24AWG OCC from DHC and Type 1 Paracord. I plan to make four strands of roughly 8 feet apiece.
> 
> How should I cut the paracord? Longer than the cable? Shorter? The same size?


 
 I'd probably use almost 9 feet of paracord for 8 feet of wire. The paracord will shrink in length when it's sleeved over something.


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> 8 strand round braid, with a 10cm strand, how long will the final product be? 5cm?


 
 I don't think it would be that short. I think maybe 15 to 20 %.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Thanks.

Isn't it already sleeved over a string, or something?


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> Thanks.
> 
> Isn't it already sleeved over a string, or something?


 
 Yeah but the wire is going to make it shrink in length, I'm telling you. Pull the strings out and throw them away.


----------



## PinkyPowers

peterek said:


> Pull the strings out and throw them away.




 I was going to eat them.


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > Pull the strings out and throw them away.
> ...


 
 I'm not insulting your intelligence. Lol Some people think they're in there to use for routing or something. I was just making sure you knew they weren't needed for anything.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

buke9 said:


> I don't think it would be that short. I think maybe 15 to 20 %.




Alright, thanks for the info mate!


----------



## XenHeadFi

pinkypowers said:


> I have 24AWG OCC from DHC and Type 1 Paracord. I plan to make four strands of roughly 8 feet apiece.
> 
> How should I cut the paracord? Longer than the cable? Shorter? The same size?


 
 24AWG is larger than the cords inside. Even sleeving 26AWG required around 5.5 feet of paracord for 5 feet of cable.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I'm having a very hard time getting this horrid stuff over my wire.

There are sections of the paracord that are ever so slightly haggard, and I can't get passed those. 

All of my parachord has these sections. There is no hope. This is stuff is not meant for running wire thorough.


----------



## Joel Peterson

pinkypowers said:


> I'm having a very hard time getting this horrid stuff over my wire.
> 
> There are sections of the paracord that are ever so slightly haggard, and I can't get passed those.
> 
> All of my parachord has these sections. There is no hope. This is stuff is not meant for running wire thorough.


 

 What sort of tips and tricks have you used to succeed? I'll be doing my first paracord sheath soon. I know to tape off and round the edge of the cable, I also thought about maybe using 1 of the remaining inner strings to help pull the cable through by tying it to it? I'll be using the 1/4" paramax paracord to cover 1/4" mogami.


----------



## XenHeadFi

pinkypowers said:


> I'm having a very hard time getting this horrid stuff over my wire.
> 
> There are sections of the paracord that are ever so slightly haggard, and I can't get passed those.
> 
> All of my parachord has these sections. There is no hope. This is stuff is not meant for running wire thorough.


 
 Did you tape off the ends of the wire so it doesn't snag on the inside of the paracord? The haggard sections are where the wire snagged on the inside of the paracord. I like teflon tape since its made to be "slick" which helps in inching the wire through. You are also trying to push 24 AWG through Type 1 (95 lb) which is going to be a tight fit.


----------



## PinkyPowers

How do you tape the ends in a way that makes it smooth? I can't visualize that.


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> How do you tape the ends in a way that makes it smooth? I can't visualize that.


 
 Hey pink, I've said this before and people have said this or that about it but try folding the end of the wire to a point about an inch in and route it through that way. Getting it started will take a second but after you get it going it'll work great and won't ever get hung up.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Any tricks on getting the wire + paracord through a y-spit like the carbon fiber dongles sold my Double Helix?

What I consider the hardest part is done.



As it turns out, that other cable I made must have been a flat braid. I tried that here, and the extra bulk of the paracord made it apparent I had been doing it wrong. It was ostentatiously flat, and would make for a poor headphone cable.

So I headed back to YouTube to learn the round braid. It's harder to keep track of, and terribly easy to lose your place.


----------



## XenHeadFi

pinkypowers said:


> Any tricks on getting the wire + paracord through a y-spit like the carbon fiber dongles sold my Double Helix?
> 
> What I consider the hardest part is done.


 
 Looks like you didn't melt the end of the paracord as it is frayed pretty badly in the picture. Snip of the frayed ends and lightly run the paracord over a lighter to melt just the tiny fibers of the paracord. If you do it right, there will not be a blob of melted paracord and the end should stay open. After that, you should have no problems with the y-split.
  
 Braid and color look nice!


----------



## AudioNewbi3

Finally, my first DIY 8 strand mini-mini Interconnect. 
 Let me start off by thanking all the individuals who took the time to* answer, clarify, and most of all providing clear and easy to understand instructions* to all of my newbish cable question.
  
 It is these feedback that I was finally able to complete my first interconnect. Now onwards, the cable took me a good 3 hours to complete. 70% of the time was stripping the insulation off of the wires WITHOUT the proper wire stripper (The wires I bought were between 28~30AW, and the samllest hole of my stipper was 24AWG), thus I was forced to use a HUGE cable cutter to strip the insulators, resulting in mismatched lengths of wires.

 I still have enough materials for another 3 cables, thus I will try to make a better looking cable once I get my hands on a proper sized wire stripper.

 Although it looks like shyte, I am still pretty proud of my first IC.

 Cheers~!


----------



## PinkyPowers

The melting trick was quite helpful for over-all handling. Unfortunately, I still couldn't get those cord through those small holes in the y-split. 

I'm okay with that. My cable came out wonderful, all the same.


----------



## Magme

Hey guys! I’m currently looking into building a new cable for my MrSpeakers Alpha Dog.
 But as I’ve never done this before, i would really like some help and guidance.
  
 I’m thinking of using the DUM connector from my "old" cable, which got a loose connection at the Y section.
 Will i be able to savage it? Or do i have to buy a pair of new connectors?
  
 Next I’m looking into sleeving the cables individually, and braiding them. I’m thinking of using Viablue's red sleeve.
 Is it good enough? And what size will i have to buy for it to work?
  
 As i currently think the Y section of the Alpha Dog cable is unstable, will it help with an Ysplitter?
 And what should i buy for it to be ok?
  
 Finally the cable itself, what should i buy? I’ve looked around, but it's a complete jungle! I also looked for a reference on how to assembly it for an Alpha Dog, but can’t seem to find it.
  
 Your help will be much appreciated!


----------



## PinkyPowers

magme said:


> Hey guys! I’m currently looking into building a new cable for my MrSpeakers Alpha Dog.
> 
> But as I’ve never done this before, i would really like some help and guidance.
> 
> ...




For wire, check these sites.

http://www.btg-audio.com/webstore.htm#!/26-AWG-Clear-XLPE-wire-per-ft/p/11559158/category=2620180

http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=2

https://www.mikeselectronicparts.com/product-category/wire/litz-wire/litz-wire-26/

http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html


----------



## Magme

pinkypowers said:


> For wire, check these sites.
> 
> http://www.btg-audio.com/webstore.htm#!/26-AWG-Clear-XLPE-wire-per-ft/p/11559158/category=2620180
> 
> ...



You wouldnt happen to know any stores inside EU?


----------



## Magme

Thank you!! You wouldnt happen to know any shops inside EU?


----------



## XenHeadFi

magme said:


> Thank you!! You wouldnt happen to know any shops inside EU?


 
 Ebay has quite a few sellers based in Europe. Not sure if they are EU countries, though.


----------



## rmoody

This is not exactly a cable question, but I'll post here anyways.
  
 If I wanted to build a little mute box for the XLR balanced preamp outs to my powered monitors for the MJ2, should I short the + and - to ground or short + and - to each other?


----------



## buke9

rmoody said:


> This is not exactly a cable question, but I'll post here anyways.
> 
> If I wanted to build a little mute box for the XLR balanced preamp outs to my powered monitors for the MJ2, should I short the + and - to ground or short + and - to each other?


 
 Why not open them?


----------



## rmoody

buke9 said:


> Why not open them?


 

 Derp? This is why I love this thread! Thank you!


----------



## buke9

rmoody said:


> Derp? This is why I love this thread! Thank you!


 
 You were thinking too hard about it.


----------



## rmoody

buke9 said:


> You were thinking too hard about it.


 
  
 Exactly right. Common thing I do. It's a strength. It's also a weakness.


----------



## PinkyPowers

*Okay!*

Some friends of mine on another forum have me second-guessing myself. They don't seem to think I could possibly have a balanced cable if I'm not using three wires for each driver. Hot, Cold, and Ground.

I'm using four wires in total. 
L
L-
R
R-

Have I done it right?


----------



## Joel Peterson

pinkypowers said:


> *Okay!*
> 
> Some friends of mine on another forum have me second-guessing myself. They don't seem to think I could possibly have a balanced cable if I'm not using three wires for each driver. Hot, Cold, and Ground.
> 
> ...


 
  
  
 What amp are you using? What you have there is a proper setup for 4 pin XLR. It's "balanced" in the fact that each driver gets its own dedicated negative lead, however it lacks the dedicated shielded ground which is what most people define as necessary for a truly balanced cable. They are likely referring to this setup where you have dual plugs.


----------



## Eudis

So what connectors do Mr.Speaker Alpha Dogs use. Can't find them anywhere.


----------



## PETEREK

eudis said:


> So what connectors do Mr.Speaker Alpha Dogs use. Can't find them anywhere.



https://mrspeakers.com/shop/3-accessories/cable-plugs-male-for-alpha-dog-and-mad-dog-custom-cables/


----------



## Eudis

That answers that, Are specialty connectors only produced by Mr.speaker or are they a specific type?


----------



## Magme

It is a connector made by HIROSE, they call it a HR10A-7P-4P i believe.
  
 http://www.isamwoo.com/images/sn.pdf


----------



## PinkyPowers

joel peterson said:


> What amp are you using? What you have there is a proper setup for 4 pin XLR. It's "balanced" in the fact that each driver gets its own dedicated negative lead, however it lacks the dedicated shielded ground which is what most people define as necessary for a truly balanced cable. They are likely referring to this setup where you have dual plugs.




I'm using the NFB-28


----------



## HirschiAUT

Hey there guys.
  
 I am thinking of building my first cable and need some help 
  
 The cable will be for my (soon to be bought) Oppo PM-3 to connect to the (to be shipped in April) Luxury & Precision L3 DAP.
 The L3 features a balanced output, so i want to take advantage of that.
  
 First of all, i don´t even know where to get the raw materials.
  
 I will need one 2,5mm trrs male plug, one 3,5mm trrs male plug, and some wires (and maybe a sleeve).
 I tried to find a source but short of a sleeve i can´t find anything, not even proper OFC single wires...
  
 Does anyone know of a good source, preferably in the EU?
 Worldwide is OK too, but i have to calculate more shipping and taxes, and that kind of negates the price benefit of a DIY cable 
  
  
 Another thing is that the PM-3 and L3 use different pinouts as far as i know (wait for confirmation from Oppo to get me the exact pin out)
 The PM-3 (should) have a 3,5mm trrs socket with the pinout of the hifiman DAPs (from the tip)  L+, R+, L-, R-  and the L3 uses a 2,5mm trrs socket with the same pinout as A&K, it is (from the tip)   R-, R+, L+, L- .
  
 This means that i will have to "cross wire" the cable like this:
  
 3,5mm tip  -->  2,5mm ring 2
 3,5mm ring 1  -->  2,5mm ring 1
 3,5mm ring 2  -->  2,5mm sleeve
 3,5mm sleeve  -->  2,5mm tip
  
 Can anyone confirm if this is correct?
  
  
 And lastly, can anyone provide a link to some tutorials on how to braid a wire made of 4 (or 8) single wires?
  
 Greetings, Hirschi


----------



## muso

hirschiaut said:


> Hey there guys.
> 
> I am thinking of building my first cable and need some help
> 
> ...




Hi Hirschi
I am in the UK. A good source of wire (24 awg occ copper) is forza audio works. Also check out toxic-cables.co.uk. 

For the trrs plugs is norne audio. It is in the US but the eidolic plugs are good and their post is not too pricey (unlike double helix cables, which is good but pricey!). 

There is loads out there for different braiding techniques.


----------



## HirschiAUT

muso said:


> Hi Hirschi
> I am in the UK. A good source of wire (24 awg occ copper) is forza audio works. Also check out toxic-cables.co.uk.
> 
> For the trrs plugs is norne audio. It is in the US but the eidolic plugs are good and their post is not too pricey (unlike double helix cables, which is good but pricey!).
> ...




Thank you very much for your suggestions!

As a matter of fact, i happen to own a cable from Forza Audioworks for my HE-400i, and i know that he sells wire.
But tbh i thought of getting some cheaper wire, just did not find an alternative source 
The cheapest from toxic is lower, but they charge 3x for shipping, so no real difference there :-/

One more question on the wire, is there a guideline i what awg to use?
I see 24awg a lot, and 26 too, does it really matter for anything else than flexibility for a short (1,2m) cable?


----------



## Raddiqal11

hirschiaut said:


> Thank you very much for your suggestions!
> 
> As a matter of fact, i happen to own a cable from Forza Audioworks for my HE-400i, and i know that he sells wire.
> But tbh i thought of getting some cheaper wire, just did not find an alternative source
> ...




Hello! I'm in Singapore and I buy all my materials from Taobao. They have the best range and prices hands down. However A's you are in the UK you may need to rely on a freight forwarder. Shipping is not exactly expensive but more troublesome. 

However I do recommend Eidolic items. They are much better made and the leads for soldering are made in such a way that its much easier to isolate and put a heat shrink over to prevent the wires from coming in contact with one another. Take note of this as a common 4 pole 2.5mm plugs have extremely small soldering points which makes them an immense chore to work with. 

Also on the size matter. I think it doesn't matter. The more important factor is the sheath material. Teflon is much more stiffer than PE sheath. Using a PE sheathed cable will make it much more flexible. However the pe sheath is extremely easy to melt and cause contact at where the wires touch one another in braiding. So do be careful and do not leave the soldering iron on it for too long.


----------



## muso

I actually ordered some cable from taobao but a month later and it still hasn't arrived. FAW is about the same price (note most charge by the foot but FAW charge by the metre) and is hand picked for being good quality and good for headphone cable (in terms of flexibility etc). And it's in English!


----------



## HirschiAUT

raddiqal11 said:


> Hello! I'm in Singapore and I buy all my materials from Taobao. They have the best range and prices hands down. However A's you are in the UK you may need to rely on a freight forwarder. Shipping is not exactly expensive but more troublesome.
> 
> However I do recommend Eidolic items. They are much better made and the leads for soldering are made in such a way that its much easier to isolate and put a heat shrink over to prevent the wires from coming in contact with one another. Take note of this as a common 4 pole 2.5mm plugs have extremely small soldering points which makes them an immense chore to work with.
> 
> Also on the size matter. I think it doesn't matter. The more important factor is the sheath material. Teflon is much more stiffer than PE sheath. Using a PE sheathed cable will make it much more flexible. However the pe sheath is extremely easy to melt and cause contact at where the wires touch one another in braiding. So do be careful and do not leave the soldering iron on it for too long.




Thanks for suggesting Taobao.
I have seen it mentioned a few times before here, but i can't even decipher the homepage, and google translator makes a horrid mess out of it D-:
And the forwarding is another thing i might want to avoid


----------



## muso

Check out takefiveaudio Canada based and good prices


----------



## HirschiAUT

muso said:


> Check out takefiveaudio Canada based and good prices





Thanks for that suggestion too, but i cant find trrs plugs there 

I just had a talk with matt from Forza Audioworks, and he pointed me to this shop:

http://www.lunashops.com/index.php

Looks like they have it all, plugs, wires, and the shipping is dirt cheap 
Maybe the quality is not the best, but i think for a first DIY venture it is the right way to go.

Would bite my ass if i melted the eidolic plug i ended up paying 25€


----------



## AudioNewbi3

Okay ladies and gentleman, I would like to share with you once again, the fruits of my labor as well as give a big thank-you to the great and helpful individuals who have helped me by answering my every single question which I have posted in this thread. 
  
 It is thanks to the kind folks here that I was able to make the following:


  
 My first attempt at creating a custom mini-to-mini cable:

  

 It was somewhat roughly finished and not very pleasing to the eyes. Basically a trail run for myself.
 12 strand cable,8 strands of pure copper wire, 4 strands of plated silver.
  
 My second attempt:
  
 Much more leasing to the eye, 12 strand cable, 8 silver, 4 copper

  

 Still was not that pleased with how the braiding looked, so I tried to make another cable.

 My last and final attempt: 
 Decided to braid the cables before I soldered them on to the jacks. Also I decided not to braid all the 12 wires together, instead splitting them up to equal numbers of 3R, 3L, 3G, 3G.
 All 12 strands are silver plated copper.

  

  

 My best looking cable yet to date.
  
  
 All cables used was 0.50mm stranded cable, which cording to my stripper is 24AWG instead of 30. Oh and the cables are teflon coated, so they are a wee bit stiff. 

 So once again, A big THANK-YOU to the awesome people at this thread for helping me out!

 Cheers


----------



## AudioNewbi3

Oh btw, how do I know what AWG correspond to what diameter?

 I have some 24AWG wire and it's 0.5mm in diameter (based on my wire stripper)
 I thought 30AWG were 0.5mm in diameter?

 Is there a chart to confirm these? By the way, I am using stranded wires.


----------



## rmoody

audionewbi3 said:


> Oh btw, how do I know what AWG correspond to what diameter?
> 
> I have some 24AWG wire and it's 0.5mm in diameter (based on my wire stripper)
> I thought 30AWG were 0.5mm in diameter?
> ...


 

 It's going to depend on the wire stranding, there are numerous charts around, here's one: http://www.calmont.com/images/chart_eng_wire_gauge.jpg


----------



## AudioNewbi3

rmoody said:


> It's going to depend on the wire stranding, there are numerous charts around, here's one: http://www.calmont.com/images/chart_eng_wire_gauge.jpg


 
 Thanks for the info mate!


----------



## HirschiAUT

Hey there, i have a question regarding different wire types used in one cable.

I have seen some 8-Strand cables using 4x pure copper and 4x silver plated copper wires.
Each pin (L+/- and R+/-) is connected with one pure copper and one silver plated copper wire.

What is the benefit/purpose behind this?
All i can imagine is the looks of it, having two different colors braided together...


----------



## FallenAngel

hirschiaut said:


> Hey there, i have a question regarding different wire types used in one cable.
> 
> I have seen some 8-Strand cables using 4x pure copper and 4x silver plated copper wires.
> Each pin (L+/- and R+/-) is connected with one pure copper and one silver plated copper wire.
> ...


 
  
 In terms of basic electronic knowledge, using different wires in parallel is a big no.


----------



## HirschiAUT

fallenangel said:


> In terms of basic electronic knowledge, using different wires in parallel is a big no.


 
  
 Thanks for the answer.
  
 Maybe i did not understand this correct, and they use (for example) 2xpure copper for L and R+ and 2x silver plated for  L and R-, but i don´t see any reason behind this...
  
 Any idea how someone would use a cable like this?
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5030
  
 Or like this:
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5218
  
 It just puzzles me...


----------



## ectoraige

Hi all,
 I need to make up a 5-pin DIN to 3.5"mm cable, but having a bit of trouble selecting the right connectors.
 It's to connect a raspberry pi (old model) to an old amp that is used for a PA system. Here's a picture of the female DIN connector on the amp:
  
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6AzZv11u1kaS2dnc2tLVG9rNFNod3BLcmNHRFV6TVhiWHhF/view?usp=sharing
  
 I'm not sure of the markings on it, and I'm finding conflicting information online - either I need to wire tip to pin 5, and sleeve to pin 3, or I need to wire tip to pin 5, ring to pin 3, and sleeve to pin 2.
  
 I was looking at DIN connectors like this: http://ie.rs-online.com/web/p/din-connectors/0491011/ but what does the following comment in the description mean: "Mate with the cable mount sockets of same configuration only." Is that relevant?
  
 This is the 3.5mm connector I was looking at: http://ie.rs-online.com/web/p/jack-trs-connectors/3951131/
  
 This is for a PA system in a factory, so sound quality isn't exactly top of the list, making it work is pretty much about all that matters. I understand the old PI doesn't drive much, but I'm assuming it'll be enough for the amp, if not there's plenty of USB converters or HiFi-Pi boards I can use, I'll still need a working cable though.


----------



## ectoraige

Maybe it's for making "party" headsets that more than one person can listen to? Seems strange to me, there would be difference resistance between the pairs.


----------



## rmoody

Polarization? Silver for Left, Copper for Right?
 Or Silver for +, Copper for -?
 Looks?
 Schiits?


----------



## paijo

i've already test some cables combination (silver coated copper with pure copper). and for vocal i think best combination is pure copper for signal, silver coated for ground. And for detail and musical characteristics, i prefer silver coated for signal, and pure copper for ground. 
 second combination also gave wider soundstage i think.


----------



## Eudis

The sennheiser HD598 and momentum 2.0 use the same locking connector right? Anyone know of a US seller for the connector?


----------



## AudioNewbi3

Hello, may I kindly know whats the best diameter of stranded wire for making a mini-to-mini interconnect? 1.0mm?


----------



## PinkyPowers

eudis said:


> The sennheiser HD598 and momentum 2.0 use the same locking connector right? Anyone know of a US seller for the connector?




It looks like it might be.

I secured my connectors from Ted at TheHeadphoneLounge.com. Just email him and tell him what you're looking for. Explain that it needs to have that latching design. He should know exactly what you need, since he worked with me for a few weeks until we found the right connector for my Momentum cable.


----------



## HirschiAUT

paijo said:


> i've already test some cables combination (silver coated copper with pure copper). and for vocal i think best combination is pure copper for signal, silver coated for ground. And for detail and musical characteristics, i prefer silver coated for signal, and pure copper for ground.
> 
> second combination also gave wider soundstage i think.




Thanks for your answer, very interesting.
From what i understand i guess you are referring to a single ended design, using (for example) one pure copper wire for L and R and 2 plated silver for the combined ground, right?
I think in a balanced setup this can't be applied in the same way, or am i missing something?


----------



## paijo

yup...it's applied on single ended, sorry if i missed about the balance system....


----------



## Eudis

pinkypowers said:


> It looks like it might be.
> 
> I secured my connectors from Ted at TheHeadphoneLounge.com. Just email him and tell him what you're looking for. Explain that it needs to have that latching design. He should know exactly what you need, since he worked with me for a few weeks until we found the right connector for my Momentum cable.


 
 You're the best PinkPowers!!!
  
 I will contact him soon. What is the diameter of the wire you used? Nice looking cable there!


----------



## ectoraige

ectoraige said:


> Hi all,
> I need to make up a 5-pin DIN to 3.5"mm cable, but having a bit of trouble selecting the right connectors.
> It's to connect a raspberry pi (old model) to an old amp that is used for a PA system. Here's a picture of the female DIN connector on the amp:
> 
> ...


 

 Sorry, I'm new around here, should I start a separate thread for this?


----------



## PinkyPowers

eudis said:


> You're the best PinkPowers!!!
> 
> I will contact him soon. What is the diameter of the wire you used? Nice looking cable there!




That was 26AWG


----------



## cityle

eudis said:


> The sennheiser HD598 and momentum 2.0 use the same locking connector right? Anyone know of a US seller for the connector?



You can also buy it on ebay, it will just take a while to reach you.http://m.ebay.com/itm/Male-Repair-Headphone-Jack-Plug-Audio-Soldering-For-Sennheiser-HD598-HD558-HD518-/161346832260?nav=SEARCH


----------



## Skyfall

paijo said:


> i've already test some cables combination (silver coated copper with pure copper). and for vocal i think best combination is pure copper for signal, silver coated for ground. And for detail and musical characteristics, i prefer silver coated for signal, and pure copper for ground.
> second combination also gave wider soundstage i think.


 
  
 Thanks for sharing your impressions now I'm inspired to do the same ( matur nuwun mas)
  
 I would hope that anyone that who DIY cable also share not only the fabulous looking cables...Coz they are, but also a bit of how they actually sound. I'd like to know if a certain type of conductor really is making an audible difference ie. warm, bright, details, sound stage, depth and so on


----------



## PinkyPowers

Is there any benefit to building balanced cables for my powered speakers (Airmotiv s4)? Or is that only really beneficial to headphones?


----------



## FallenAngel

pinkypowers said:


> Is there any benefit to building balanced cables for my powered speakers (Airmotiv s4)? Or is that only really beneficial to headphones?


 
  
 Of course, so you can use balanced output from your DAC.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I meant balanced for speakers in general.


----------



## paijo

skyfall said:


> Thanks for sharing your impressions now I'm inspired to do the same ( matur nuwun mas)
> 
> I would hope that anyone that who DIY cable also share not only the fabulous looking cables...Coz they are, but also a bit of how they actually sound. I'd like to know if a certain type of conductor really is making an audible difference ie. warm, bright, details, sound stage, depth and so on


 
 lhoh...  ...who's this?? from aud-id or kerhor too?? (sami2 om...  )


----------



## Joel Peterson

ectoraige said:


> Sorry, I'm new around here, should I start a separate thread for this?


 
 You may want to make a dedicated thread for this one, or check an electrical engineering forum, judging by the schematic it almost looks like this is a proprietary connection? Is that a switch in one of the pins to activate the PA? If so that looks like it needs to be powered in order to work and using a 3 pin TRS connector likely won't activate the system.


----------



## q2klepto

paijo said:


> i've already test some cables combination (silver coated copper with pure copper). and for vocal i think best combination is pure copper for signal, silver coated for ground. And for detail and musical characteristics, i prefer silver coated for signal, and pure copper for ground.
> second combination also gave wider soundstage i think.


 
  
 Youre able to measure differences?


----------



## Joel Peterson

I'll be building my first cables next week and I plan on doing a test of the electrical properties of common high end cable stock. I have varying gauges of pure copper, silver plated copper, high grade OCC copper and standard grade OCC copper. I'll be testing different braid techniques, as well as multiwire and parallel wiring setups. My equipment is limited, but I'll have both my mechanical engineer friend as well as my electrical engineer friend take a look at my testing setup and see if I'm making any mistakes. I don't have any of the highly sensitive equipment needed to test acoustic properties, but I do have a few scopes and meters for different properties of the current passing through each wire. I'll let you all know in about 2 weeks what I come up with data wise, as well as what my own subjective listening impressions of each setup with a reference HD600.


----------



## rmoody

joel peterson said:


> I'll be building my first cables next week and I plan on doing a test of the electrical properties of common high end cable stock. I have varying gauges of pure copper, silver plated copper, high grade OCC copper and standard grade OCC copper. I'll be testing different braid techniques, as well as multiwire and parallel wiring setups. My equipment is limited, but I'll have both my mechanical engineer friend as well as my electrical engineer friend take a look at my testing setup and see if I'm making any mistakes. I don't have any of the highly sensitive equipment needed to test acoustic properties, but I do have a few scopes and meters for different properties of the current passing through each wire. I'll let you all know in about 2 weeks what I come up with data wise, as well as what my own subjective listening impressions of each setup with a reference HD600.


 

 I look forward to your conclusions. As you and most people, I don't have the sophisticated testing equipment. However, I'm much more interested in what you, just a regular person, has to say that someone with multi-million dollar testing equipment says.


----------



## PETEREK

Does anyone know where connectors for the Final Audio Design Pandora Hope VI can be found? They're locking 3.5mm and they seem proprietary. If anyone knows I would really appreciate the info, I've been hunting like mad. 
  
 Thanks


----------



## PinkyPowers

So what is the trick to "taping the end" of your wire when running it through paracord? I'm not having much luck with that. 

I also tried the "bend the end of the wire into an arrow" technique. The shielding didn't crimp tight enough, making too much bulk for the Type 1 paracord to run over it. Maybe I should strip the end and just bend the naked wire?


----------



## XenHeadFi

pinkypowers said:


> So what is the trick to "taping the end" of your wire when running it through paracord? I'm not having much luck with that.
> 
> I also tried the "bend the end of the wire into an arrow" technique. The shielding didn't crimp tight enough, making too much bulk for the Type 1 paracord to run over it. Maybe I should strip the end and just bend the naked wire?


 
 You are probably over thinking it. It is literally just wrap a bit of teflon tape over  the ends of the wire. I use just some cheap stuff I picked up from Harbor Freight Tools. You can use any teflon tape found in the plumbing section of local hardware stores. You see the end covered in white? That is the end of an unstripped mogami 2799 where I have "taped the end" with teflon about 0.5 to 0.75 inches down the wire. I did the same thing with the stripped out conductors from this Mogami. I was able to easily thread the individual conductors (with their insulations) through Type 1 (#95) paracord as seen in the balanced cables I made for HE560s (I still suck at braiding as I botched 2 sections and didn't notice until weeks later). 4 individually sheathed cables with the standard 4-strand round braid from the Neutrik.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Lovely work.

I just moments ago stripped the end by half an inch and folded the naked wire back, creating a nice smooth, rounded head.

*HOLY HELL!*

That made the process SO easy.


----------



## Jozurr

How difficult is it to change an XLR female to banana plugs? I have an aftermarket cable for my HE-6 terminated in XLR and the cable maker is asking for $130 for an XLR to banana plug adapter for the same cable. The price sounds completely absurd to me so I'd like to give this a shot.


----------



## buke9

jozurr said:


> How difficult is it to change an XLR female to banana plugs? I have an aftermarket cable for my HE-6 terminated in XLR and the cable maker is asking for $130 for an XLR to banana plug adapter for the same cable. The price sounds completely absurd to me so I'd like to give this a shot.


 
 That would be real easy. If it were me I would just make an adapter instead of cutting the connector off . Not real hard to do.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Last night I undid my Momentum cable for the... 4th time? There were some things I didn't like. 

I put a shorter barrel on the 2.5mm connector, with a smaller amount of headshrink. I took off the 3.5mm end and unbraided the whole cable. Rebraided with a proper round braid. Made the 3.5mm end nicer.

I think this is as good as this cable will ever be.


----------



## buke9

That braid looks much better,.Nice job.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I think I was doing a flat braid, before. When I made my Audeze cable, I had to learn the round braid, because what I had been doing before was not working on that cable. So I took everything I learned over the last month and "dun her right".


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> Last night I undid my Momentum cable for the... 4th time? There were some things I didn't like.
> 
> I put a shorter barrel on the 2.5mm connector, with a smaller amount of headshrink. I took off the 3.5mm end and unbraided the whole cable. Rebraided with a proper round braid. Made the 3.5mm end nicer.
> 
> ...


 
 Nicely done, looks like BTG copper, am I right?


----------



## PinkyPowers

Indeed it is.


----------



## PETEREK

pinkypowers said:


> Indeed it is.


 
 It's good stuff, especially for the price. I'm glad Brian (BTG) isn't so greedy, he's a good dude.


----------



## DPence

This thread helped me out so much and have made a few cables for specific purposes. I have been using Oyaide and Eidolic connections for all of my cable and sleeving them with Paracord.


----------



## buke9

dpence said:


> This thread helped me out so much and have made a few cables for specific purposes. I have been using Oyaide and Eidolic connections for all of my cable and sleeving them with Paracord.


 
 Pretty nice work my friend not bad at all.


----------



## Magme

I'm currently looking for the last part, for a new balanced cable for my Alpha Dog.
  
 Which of these wires will be preferable? or which one is the highest quality?
  
 http://www.audiophonics.fr/en/silver-gold-copper-wire-c-295.html
 http://www.audiophonics.fr/en/balanced-cables/canare-l-4e6s-star-quad-high-performance-microphone-cable-shielded-o-6mm-p-10457.html
 http://www.audiophonics.fr/en/silver-gold-copper-wire/litz-wire-multistrand-isolated-pu-90x01mm-0707mm-p-7809.html
 http://www.audiophonics.fr/en/silver-gold-copper-wire/litz-multistrand-wire-isolated-pu-30x01mm-0236mm-p-5738.html
  
 Or should i look at something else?


----------



## PinkyPowers

Dose anyone know the wiring schematic for Audio Technica IM0x connectors?


----------



## Shawn71

[COLOR=FF00AA][/COLOR]





pinkypowers said:


> Dose anyone know the wiring schematic for Audio Technica IM0x connectors?




Simple and best way is to check the continuity test (using dig mm or analogue mm) between the 3.5mm end and earpieces termination ends (the other end of the cable).....


----------



## PinkyPowers

I couldn't find a schematic online so I just checked the continuity of the other cable. 

Another question: whats the best way to skim the ashen debris from the surface of you solder pot?


----------



## Eudis

I just finished my cable.

I feel like it came out great. 

If you guys are making cables for Mrspeaker cans becareful of the tiny pins on the HR10A-7P-4P connectors.

I found viablue connectors for around $12 and splitters for around $9.99 not bad. They're US sellers too.

Edit pics:


----------



## PinkyPowers

The last pieces came in the mail today and I was able to build my ATH-IM03 cable.





26AWG Silver Plated 7N OCC Litz from PlusSound
Oyaide Gold Plated 3.5mm TRS
Some Chinese ATH-IM connectors from ebay

The only reason I didn't make it 2.5mm TRRS, is that these are my backup IEMs. They usually stay at home with my backup DAP, the X5 Classic. Just in case my bag with the really expensive gear gets lost/stolen.


----------



## buke9

eudis said:


> I just finished my cable.
> 
> I feel like it came out great.
> 
> ...


 
 Super sweet. Yes I have Alpha Dogs and Ether C's and the connectors are small and a bit of a pain .


----------



## PETEREK

eudis said:


> I just finished my cable.
> 
> I feel like it came out great.
> 
> ...


 
 It's an odd combo, but that color scheme is badass!
  


buke9 said:


> Super sweet. Yes I have Alpha Dogs and Ether C's and the connectors are small and a bit of a pain .


 
 Bukey boy, just wait until you make a cable for the iBasso PB2 with their 6-pin Hirose connectors. It's essentially the same design as the Ether and Alpha connectors but there are 6 pins instead of 4.


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> It's an odd combo, but that color scheme is badass!
> 
> Bukey boy, just wait until you make a cable for the iBasso PB2 with their 6-pin Hirose connectors. It's essentially the same design as the Ether and Alpha connectors but there are 6 pins instead of 4.


 
 No thanks I have hard enough time seeing the 4 pin. Old eyes geeting worse by the day.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Come on Head-fi. Any experience with this?



pinkypowers said:


> Another question: whats the best way to skim the ashen debris from the surface of you solder pot?


----------



## rmoody

buke9 said:


> No thanks I have hard enough time seeing the 4 pin. Old eyes geeting worse by the day.


 

 I resemble that remark. I got a lighted magnifier to use when soldering these small parts.


----------



## q2klepto

Anyone know where you can get in-line mics for iems? Would love to find a place to source these


----------



## Vidal

q2klepto said:


> Anyone know where you can get in-line mics for iems? Would love to find a place to source these


 
  
 Aliexpress seems to have them 
  
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1pcs-Mic-Control-Remote-Adapter-DIY-Parts-For-HTC-Samsung-Seires-Mobilephone-LN004770/32266986372.html?spm=2114.10010108.100010.1.CDWgyt


----------



## wakka992

Joining the club!
  

  
 Guys I just DIY my first cable!
 It's for the HiFiman HE-400i with mogami neglex quad, neutrick 3,5mm jack, 2.5mm jack bought from aliexpress, viablue shrinking tube, loose paracord Type III sleeve.
 I'm kind of proud! ok, nothing compared to some works of you guys, but still...


----------



## buke9

wakka992 said:


> Joining the club!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Don't put yourself down at all nice set of cables.


----------



## renren234

fallenangel said:


> In terms of basic electronic knowledge, using different wires in parallel is a big no.




Hmm can you explain briefly why not? Sorry I'm still new to this. Am planning on making a hybrid after hearing what a pure silver cable(diy) sounded. Its darn good!! 
Thanks in advance


----------



## FallenAngel

renren234 said:


> Hmm can you explain briefly why not? Sorry I'm still new to this. Am planning on making a hybrid after hearing what a pure silver cable(diy) sounded. Its darn good!!
> Thanks in advance




Generally because they would provide different loads in terms of resistance and impedance, and different amount of current would pass through each. This isn't a huge issue with low current applications like headphones but the simple electrical maths behind it becomes much more complex when you start combining different wire it resistor sizes.


----------



## PinkyPowers

What's the best way to mend exposed patches of wire along the length of the cable? I'm looking for a neat, low-profile solution. My father suggested liquid tape. That sounds like it might work nicely. What say you?


----------



## Vidal

pinkypowers said:


> What's the best way to mend exposed patches of wire along the length of the cable? I'm looking for a neat, low-profile solution. My father suggested liquid tape. That sounds like it might work nicely. What say you?


 
  
 I think you can get it in the States - Sugru
  
 https://sugru.com/buy/
  
 That liquid tape stuff sounds pretty nasty stuff in comparison


----------



## GasMaskMan

repost x4
 Reposting this here from a lot of threads:
 Figured I'd ask here.
 I gotta recable my Grado SR325i, never done this before, but I did desolder one cup.|
 Here's a list of what I plan to get:
Mogami W2534 7 ft
Rean Neutrik NYS228G
  
 What else do I need? Heat shrink, right? I have a soldering iron and stuff.
 Also when it comes to the y-point do I strip the tubes and just combine the wires?
 Never done this before, so I'm a bit unsure of how to go about doing this.
   Thanks!


----------



## q2klepto

gasmaskman said:


> repost x4
> Reposting this here from a lot of threads:
> Figured I'd ask here.
> I gotta recable my Grado SR325i, never done this before, but I did desolder one cup.|
> ...


 
  
 Can you open up the cups and remove the old cable and resolder new stuff? I did that for an older pair of AKGs and my Fostex TH-X00...wasnt too bad


----------



## liquidzoo

gasmaskman said:


> repost x4
> Reposting this here from a lot of threads:
> Figured I'd ask here.
> I gotta recable my Grado SR325i, never done this before, but I did desolder one cup.|
> ...




Mogami 2534 might be a little stiff, but it will work. I use 2893 or 2799 (literally the same except for some added shielding, which I remove anyway)

If you're going to strip the outer shielding off of the cable, do it before you start, and label *both* ends of at least 1 of the wires you want to go to the L/R (2534 has 2 blue and 2 clear-ish wires, for the sake of this post, I will assume clear for signal and blue for ground, label both sides of one of the clear, again for the sake of this post I will call this the Left Signal wire)

I normally braid first, solder second. Braid all but however long you want your Y-Split length to be, you can put a bit of heatshrink, hot glue, whatever at the Y-Split if you want (some don't, if you do it right the wires will hold together from what I've read).

Take your left signal and one of the blue wires and twist them around eachother (example of what I'm talking about on the LCDs here) Do the same with the other pair.

Solder your left signal wire to the left headphone speaker on the signal side, the blue wire in that group on the ground side. Do the same for the Right.

On the plug side, solder the Left Signal wire to the Tip , the Right Signal to the Ring, and twist the 2 other wires together and solder to the sleeve. Make sure you put the collar for the plug on the wires before you solder them so you can screw it in when you're done.


----------



## GasMaskMan

liquidzoo said:


> snip


thank you!
I would like to keep most of the sleeving on possibly, but this was really helpful. Hopefully soon my 325s will be back to working order rather than in shambles soon enough.

Just ordered a plug and the mogami off of redco.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Hey guys, need a bit of help.
 I want to order all materials for my first DIY cable the next days and have a quastion.
  
 Can anyone give me rough estimates on how much length i lose with braiding?
 I will use 4 pieces of 26AWG wires for my cables, haven´t settled on round or flat braid yet.
  
 I want it to be ~ 1,5m after braiding, how long should one wire be before the braid?
  
 And for the future, will i lose different amounts for round or flat braid, and for 6 or 8 braid?


----------



## q2klepto

hirschiaut said:


> Hey guys, need a bit of help.
> I want to order all materials for my first DIY cable the next days and have a quastion.
> 
> Can anyone give me rough estimates on how much length i lose with braiding?
> ...


 
  
 I try to do a tight round braid, with 275lb paracord and 21AWG (Canare Quad Star) its roughly 1inch per foot. It'll probably be less with thinner 26AWG wire


----------



## HirschiAUT

q2klepto said:


> I try to do a tight round braid, with 275lb paracord and 21AWG (Canare Quad Star) its roughly 1inch per foot. It'll probably be less with thinner 26AWG wire


 

 Thanks for your answer.
  
 I guess i will be generous and add 10% to be safe and see how it comes out.
  
 One more question on the soldering part, i read a lot about the Quad Eutectic Solder being used.
 From what i see it costs roughly 3x what normal stuff costs.
  
 I am a little unsure if there even is a sonic difference, and if there is if it is overkill when i work with sub 40$ parts for a cable.
  
 What are you guys here working with and whats your opinion on that matter?


----------



## Vidal

I use the quad stuff for the iPhone to DAC cables I make for EBay, they're digital so there's no 'sonic' benefit but the quad stuff is the easiest to work with. Saves me a lot of time and effort.


----------



## q2klepto

hirschiaut said:


> Thanks for your answer.
> 
> I guess i will be generous and add 10% to be safe and see how it comes out.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I dont actually think it makes a difference with well built cables. Probably bad for business but ya...theyre all good heh. I should get them measured for fun


----------



## NightFlight

Looking for info on where to buy connectors that will fit JH13Pro CIEMS.  This thread is getting a bit long in the tooth to pick through for the information.


----------



## buke9

nightflight said:


> Looking for info on where to buy connectors that will fit JH13Pro CIEMS.  This thread is getting a bit long in the tooth to pick through for the information.


 
 Do they look like these LINK.


----------



## NightFlight

Cool but no. I've just picked up a used set of first edition freqphase. So their the 2-pin not the quad.


----------



## buke9

nightflight said:


> Cool but no. I've just picked up a used set of first edition freqphase. So their the 2-pin not the quad.


 
 So This. This might be the same not sure LINK.


----------



## PinkyPowers

buke9 said:


> So This. This might be the same not sure LINK.




I've got some of those I ordered a few weeks ago. Haven't gotten around to making a cable with them. I think I'm going to save those for some Silver + Gold Litz and fashion a cable for the Custom Solars I have coming my way.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> I've got some of those I ordered a few weeks ago. Haven't gotten around to making a cable with them. I think I'm going to save those for some Silver + Gold Litz and fashion a cable for the Custom Solars I have coming my way.


 
 Which one the Eidolics?


----------



## PinkyPowers

Yeah, the ones you linked to, from Norne, even. 

They look very good.


----------



## buke9

Norne is a great place for Eidolic connectors.There shipping is sooo much better than DHC.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I found that out. It was something like $3, as opposed to $8.


----------



## Johnnystuff

WARNING: noob questions ahead.
  
 I was looking around trying to make my first personal set of cables and I'd like to understand how to choose the section. I understand that the higher the section the higher the resistance but aren't we in the totally-negligible range here, at least untill AWG 18 or even 16? I'd like my cables to be (and look) solid and possibly ever-lasting. So, talking about real specs, it all boils down to how many amps will be running into them. But how can I calculate them? In the specs there are generally listed the v and a given res (like 2.9Vrms @32 ohms). Is it correct dividing 2.9/32 and assuming 0.9 A is the value? That would mean AWG 22/21 or 0.7mm as a bare minimum, is that correct?
  
 What I don't understand about that is that it looks like V is fixed and varying R we have I while afaik I should be fixed so for instance they should say "this device can output at max 1A" instead of the archaic form "2.9V at 32ohms". In that case it would be pretty straight forward to pick up the right section instead of delving into the internet looking for conversion tables, devices specs and whatnot. Not sure if I made myself clear but that's still me being a noob I guess 
  
 Last one: euro shops that have *all*the*things*? I don't want to dwell with custom fees, untrackable expeditions and epical shipping times so if I'll have to pay 5 extra bucks it'll be good for me. The only one I know is Audiophonics which is pretty good but I'd like options.
  
 Thanks.


----------



## Vidal

I thought that the higher the cross section of cable the lower the resistance.
  
 So thinner fuse wire has a higher resistance, it heats up with a lower current and bing! it melts.
  
  


johnnystuff said:


> WARNING: noob questions ahead.
> 
> I understand that the higher the section the higher the resistance but aren't we in the totally-negligible range here,


 
  
 I thought that the higher the cross section of cable the lower the resistance. 
  
 So thinner fuse wire has a higher resistance, it heats up with a lower current and bing! it melts.


----------



## Johnnystuff

vidal said:


> I thought that the higher the cross section of cable the lower the resistance.
> 
> So thinner fuse wire has a higher resistance, it heats up with a lower current and bing! it melts.


 

  
 I misunderstood cross-section with lenght. So, does this mean I shell use rails cables? 
  
 No seriously, this info makes me a little more confused. Why should someone go for AWG28 instead of 16 then? Also, which is the max amperage I should build these cables for? How many amps a good desktop amp can output? How about a tube amp? As far as I've seen so far it's always 1A. Haven't checked tubes though.


----------



## Vidal

You want thinner cable for flexibility and weight, a headphone cable made from 16AWG wouldn't be very useable. Obviously at home you can go thicker than one for portable use.
  
 I wouldn't worry about current if you've ever seen the floating voice coil in a pair of DT990s you'd know there can't be much current going to the speaker.


----------



## liquidzoo

vidal said:


> You want thinner cable for flexibility and weight, a headphone cable made from 16AWG wouldn't be very useable. Obviously at home you can go thicker than one for portable use.
> 
> I wouldn't worry about current if you've ever seen the floating voice coil in a pair of DT990s you'd know there can't be much current going to the speaker.




16 would be heavy and big...think power tool power cord big.

I normally make my cables out of 26 AWG wire (I think a lot of people do the same) and I've never gone bigger than 22 or 24, and even then they were stiff and not very user friendly.


----------



## Johnnystuff

So we're talking about 0.2mm2 for 24 AWG. There's not much choice tbh since the next one (at least on Audiophonics) is 0.5mm2 which is 20 AWG. Also on the insanely priced ones, those in silver and gold, nothing less than 0.5mm2. Meh I was tempted. Does it make any difference using silver? Anything you can _hear_ I mean?
  
 Talking about these in particular I don't get how they're insulated or even "if". It says polyurethane paint but.... is it an actual insulation or just to keep them separated in the roll? Do I have to insulate them one by one or can I bind them together and do the three of them? I'm asking because I don't see any 0.2 sleeve at all. The minimum is 0.65 and it says "ideal for 0.4-0.5 wires".


----------



## PinkyPowers

I added a few extra touches to my Audio Technica cable.







In addition to the earhooks, I attempted to make a chin cinch out of heatshrink tubing. But it melted onto the cable. I had to cut it off with an exacto knife, which left exposed patches of wire that shorted my left channel to ground.

I head to heat up the cable with my hot air gun, and pull the left side strands apart a little, and let them reseat in a way where they were not shorted together. Then I did my best to cover up theses exposed areas with clear liquid electrical tape.






In the end it turned out pretty good. But there was a few minutes there where I was overcome with the devastation of my failure. A dark moment for sure.


----------



## HirschiAUT

johnnystuff said:


> So we're talking about 0.2mm2 for 24 AWG. There's not much choice tbh since the next one (at least on Audiophonics) is 0.5mm2 which is 20 AWG. Also on the insanely priced ones, those in silver and gold, nothing less than 0.5mm2. Meh I was tempted. Does it make any difference using silver? Anything you can _hear_ I mean?
> 
> Talking about these in particular I don't get how they're insulated or even "if". It says polyurethane paint but.... is it an actual insulation or just to keep them separated in the roll? Do I have to insulate them one by one or can I bind them together and do the three of them? I'm asking because I don't see any 0.2 sleeve at all. The minimum is 0.65 and it says "ideal for 0.4-0.5 wires".




Regarding sources for wires in Europe i also searched a lot recently for my first diy cable, and found these:

Toxic Cables, they start with 0,7£ per foot for 26awg occ wires.
Shipping is 15£ inside EU, you can request shipping for 6£ per mail, but then it is not tracked.

http://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=68&sort=p.price&order=ASC


The other source in Europe is ForzaAudioworks.
There is only one choice, 24awg 7n occ for 4,5€ per meter, shipping is 5€ inside EU.
And they also offer techflex nylon sleeving, heard that is a solid choice for flexibility and non-microphonic.

http://forzaaudioworks.com/en/category.php?id_category=11


From the US i found BTG-Audio, offering 26awg for 0,8$ per foot, and he would ship for 10$, again untracked.

http://btg-audio.com/webstore.htm#!/26-AWG-Clear-XLPE-wire-per-ft/p/11559158/category=2620180

The above are all PE insulated, thus being very flexible.


Another possibility is Lunashops from China, i will get my connectors from there.
They also offer 26awg 7n occ wires, for 3$ per meter and shipping is INCLUDED in that price, so that might be good for small amounts, but untracked below 30$ value.
BUT it is Teflon insulated, and i have heard that this might be a little stiff, no personal experience though.

http://www.lunashops.com/search.php?encode=YTo1OntzOjg6ImNhdGVnb3J5IjtzOjE6IjAiO3M6ODoia2V5d29yZHMiO3M6MzoiQXdnIjtzOjE6IngiO3M6MjoiNDUiO3M6MToieSI7czoyOiIxNCI7czoxODoic2VhcmNoX2VuY29kZV90aW1lIjtpOjE0NTcwMjk2MDU7fQ==


Hope this helps a little


----------



## Johnnystuff

hirschiaut said:


> Hope this helps a little


 
 Damn! It helps bigtime, especially to understand that my first honorable intentions not to buy from big(ger) Mother China were just me being a moron 
  
  
 Anyway, much appreciated thanks.


----------



## HirschiAUT

johnnystuff said:


> Damn! It helps bigtime, especially to understand that my first honorable intentions not to buy from big(ger) Mother China were just me being a moron
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway, much appreciated thanks.




Glad to be of help 

And regarding ordering in china, i will order there for the first few trys because of the low cost especially for low volume orders.
And something i just did not find in europe are 2.5 and 3.5 mm trrs balanced plugs i need for my oppo pm3, so since i will order them there i might as well add some wire for the start 

For future cables i will most likely go with either toxic or btg, maybe forza if i want something "bigger".

As for plugs, there are those eidolic plugs, boy do they look sexy, and i would not mind the price of 13$ or so a piece, but add 25$ delivery from US (again no source in EU known to me) and it gets ugly


----------



## Sesameopen

Hey guys, I've been reading in the DIY cable thread and this one, but I haven't really found any tutorials on how to make one from scratch. I have a MEE audio Pinnacle P1 and I really do not like the cables it came with.
  
 Can I just buy a 3.5mm jack, some wire, a Y-splitter, and the MMCX connectors? Is it that easy? Or is it that easy on paper? Or is it not that easy?
  
 Thanks.


----------



## PinkyPowers

A solder station and Ohm Meter are required, too. But, yeah, it's more or less that easy.


----------



## Sesameopen

pinkypowers said:


> A solder station and Ohm Meter are required, too. But, yeah, it's more or less that easy.


 
 Is there any guide on how to do this? Or is it all by experience? Looking up the parts it's not that expensive.


----------



## PinkyPowers

sesameopen said:


> Is there any guide on how to do this? Or is it all by experience? Looking up the parts it's not that expensive.




There may be, but I don't know of one.

You can't go wrong with these items:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ANZRT4M/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1457402877&sr=1&keywords=hakko+fx-888d

http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-MSR-R500-Digital-Multimeter-Continuity/dp/B00KHP6EIK/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1457402938&sr=1-1&keywords=multimeter

And I forgot... you'll also need these.

http://www.amazon.com/Kester-Solder-Rosin-Core-Spool/dp/B00068IJPO/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1457403112&sr=1-5&keywords=solder

http://www.amazon.com/Kester-951-Soldering-Low-Solids-No-Clean/dp/B004X4KOWS/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1457403176&sr=1-5&keywords=flux+pen

http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-CHP-170-Stand-off-Construction-21-Degree/dp/B017ODDPNO/ref=sr_1_15?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1457402938&sr=1-15&keywords=multimeter

http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-MSR-R500-Digital-Multimeter-Continuity/dp/B00KHP6EIK/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1457402938&sr=1-1&keywords=multimeter


----------



## Raddiqal11

sesameopen said:


> Hey guys, I've been reading in the DIY cable thread and this one, but I haven't really found any tutorials on how to make one from scratch. I have a MEE audio Pinnacle P1 and I really do not like the cables it came with.
> 
> Can I just buy a 3.5mm jack, some wire, a Y-splitter, and the MMCX connectors? Is it that easy? Or is it that easy on paper? Or is it not that easy?
> 
> Thanks.




Yeap basically that's the materials. Make sure you have 1 wire for each connection. So at least 4. 

Tools
Soldering iron around 350 degrees Celsius is what I use. 
Solder, just about any one will do unless you're willing to cash out more for wbt or mundorf solders. 
Heat shrink 
Hot glue
A third hand tool. The one with 2 hands and a magnifying glass. If possible get the one with a sponge grip. 
Wire strippers, there are 2 kinds, the automatic one where you don't have to actually pull the insulation out. Only thing is your braiding will have to be unravelled. Or the standard clipper kind but when you pull on the wire it may be pulled tighter on the braid and will extend. 
Clippers and needle nose pliers 
Multimeter

Check out my Instagram page @radynamics the first few pics are how my soldering is and how I insulate. I'm working on a tutorial soon. 

So from bottom up. 
It's get wires. I cut them to 1.5m before braiding. 
I braid before doing any soldering. However some guys solder the wires to the jack first. 4 wires so 2 to ground and 1 to each live. 
Then they will press that onto a large piece of blu tack to anchor and then braid. 

Make sure you insulate and slide on the jack barrel and any heat shrink you need for the y split and cable cinch. 

Then before splitting use the multimeter to test which cables are ground and which are live. You want to split them such that each side will have 1 live and 1 ground 

Twist the 2 wires as a braid first, doesn't have to be so tight. Slide on the MMCX barrel and any heat shrink for ear guide before soldering. Solder and then I use a some hot glue around the connection and slide a heat shrink over. Then slide or screw on the barrel. After that I recommend using a small pick to stuff hot glue into the barrel opening. Make sure the opening is filled. This is to reduce the pull on the solder points. 

I strongly suggest using eidolic MMCX connectors. They are the most well made and have slightly larger soldering points. Their barrel is also wide enough such that small imperfections is okay. It's well worth the money considering how I burned through 3 **** connectors making just 1 cable. 

Hope this helps and all the best! It's a challenge but a very rewarding one


----------



## Johnnystuff

In case of cans with a dual cable (one per earpad), how do you split the main one? I never saw y-splitters in the DIY shops so I'm guessing you just solder an extra wire at a certain point and use some heatshrink sleeves around the cut/solder. Not exactly elegant though so..... y-splitters where art thou?


----------



## PinkyPowers

johnnystuff said:


> In case of cans with a dual cable (one per earpad), how do you split the main one? I never saw y-splitters in the DIY shops so I'm guessing you just solder an extra wire at a certain point and use some heatshrink sleeves around the cut/solder. Not exactly elegant though so..... y-splitters where art thou?




It's best to simply use four conductors all the way through the cable. That's how the nicest cables are made.


----------



## Johnnystuff

How about the ground? Do you use 2 separate wires with dual conductors plus shielding for the ground or alternatively 6 wires from the bottom up?


----------



## liquidzoo

johnnystuff said:


> How about the ground? Do you use 2 separate wires with dual conductors plus shielding for the ground or alternatively 6 wires from the bottom up?




If you make it with 4 wires up to the Y, then 2 to each cup/earphone from there.

2 ground, 1 Right, 1 Left.


----------



## comzee

This shows how ignorant I am, but I'm having a tough time self researching this concept.
  
 I have a speaker amp I want to drive my headphones.
  
 It has the standard 2wire taps for left/right (4 wires total)
 Example:


Spoiler: Image






  
 I want to wire those into a 6.3mm TRS female headphone jack.
  
 I thought I could just bridge the black pairs, to the TRS sleeve, but I'm confused.
  
 With TRS it's right/left/ground. But on speaker outputs, it's two wires for left and right, that control polarity, so the black pairs are not ground?
  
 This image illustrates how i want to wire my adapter, just consider the RCA ends raw wire I would plug into the speaker taps of the amp, and the 6.3mm TRS would be a female input, not male. Would this work?
  
  


Spoiler: Adapater Diagram


----------



## Vidal

Speaker amp? Won't that  be far too powerful for headphones?


----------



## comzee

vidal said:


> Speaker amp? Won't that  be far too powerful for headphones?


 
 Powering HiFiMAN HE6 headphones, very common to power it off a speaker amp.


----------



## Vidal

comzee said:


> Powering HiFiMAN HE6 headphones, very common to power it off a speaker amp.


 
  
 Ah I see, looks like the HE6 has cables to each cup. Would not creating a cable that goes from the amp direct to the headphone cup be a better idea?
  
 I believe that would be balanced, or at least what I understand to be balanced.


----------



## Gerner

Okay.. This might not be the correct place to ask this.. But hopefully I'm not the only one, who've had this horrible problem..
 I've replaced my old stock cable from my DT990, and made a beautiful cable. I then opened up my DT990, and soldered onto the connectors.. But there's a sound difference in the right channel. I'm not quiet sure what the problem is, because I'm sure I don't have any cold solderings points.. But I've placed some solder under one of the connectors, but could this have an effect on the output? Perhaps some resistance of some sort?


----------



## Vidal

Can you take some photos of the wire connections?
  
 I know when I did my first DT990 mod I fried the voice coil wire and had to buy a new driver.


----------



## buke9

comzee said:


> This shows how ignorant I am, but I'm having a tough time self researching this concept.
> 
> I have a speaker amp I want to drive my headphones.
> 
> ...


 
 I understand what you want to do but I'm unsure if that is good to do. Like others said I think it would be safer to make a new cable. I don't think it would hurt the headphones but might fry your amp. Still you need someone smarter than I on amp design to let you know for sure. I can't find a decent schematic to see if the grounds are together on the speaker outputs because most are split with an amp for each side with a transformer on the output. I have not seen a setup like you want before not to say it wont work but if it did I think others would do it but mostly what I have seen is 4 pin xlr to speaker taps adapter. If It were me and I wanted a 1/4" plug for whatever amp your using now and also speaker taps I would put a 4 pin xlr and make two adapters one 1/4' and one for speaker taps. I hope I'm wrong because that would be so much easier.


----------



## buke9

gerner said:


> Okay.. This might not be the correct place to ask this.. But hopefully I'm not the only one, who've had this horrible problem..
> I've replaced my old stock cable from my DT990, and made a beautiful cable. I then opened up my DT990, and soldered onto the connectors.. But there's a sound difference in the right channel. I'm not quiet sure what the problem is, because I'm sure I don't have any cold solderings points.. But I've placed some solder under one of the connectors, but could this have an effect on the output? Perhaps some resistance of some sort?


 
 Were the connectors your talking about those on the drivers themselves? If they are and you did not heatsink them you could have overheated it and damaged the driver.


----------



## comzee

buke9 said:


> I can't find a decent schematic to see if the grounds are together on the speaker outputs because most are split with an amp for each side with a transformer on the output.


 
 Pretty much this, and I don't want to blow the amp/phones if the grounds can't be common. I can buy a balanced cable, but minimum it would cost $160 I found. 
  
 I bought a Marantz PM500 for $200 just for fun. I'm debating if I want to spend the money on a balanced headphone cable just to test this thing out......


----------



## buke9

comzee said:


> Pretty much this, and I don't want to blow the amp/phones if the grounds can't be common. I can buy a balanced cable, but minimum it would cost $160 I found.
> 
> I bought a Marantz PM500 for $200 just for fun. I'm debating if I want to spend the money on a balanced headphone cable just to test this thing out......


 
 You can make it much cheaper than that. If you have a soldering iron and meter you could desolder the connector and plug the ends into the amp and try it out. If you don't like it resolder and be done with it.


----------



## eXniHiLo

Hello there,
  
 A long time ago, I wanted to custom made my own cables following the DIY gallery on this site but did not have time. Now that I have, could you confirm me that using http://gothamcables.com/en/gothamcables/installationanalog/10122gac2minifrnc would be good for an interconnect cable? (NX1-amp to a Clip+, used with Focal Siprit Pro headphones) cable?
  
 Thank you very much lads, I'm planning on doing something like: http://cdn.head-fi.org/c/c2/900x900px-LL-c2e0aad0_IMG_1851.jpeg but like this: http://cdn.head-fi.org/6/60/900x900px-LL-60b86495_P2231620.jpeg and I already have 2 of those: http://www.neutrik.com/website/uploads/images/07/660x/ntp3rc.jpg?v=2
  
 P.S.: would you confirm me the length for, let's say, a 8 cm cable? (Back in the day I thought I planned to buy 30cm to go back and forth (cables are very thin) and have a little room (we never know what can happen)). I could be completely wrong though 
  
 Thank you very much =)


----------



## Johnnystuff

exnihilo said:


> .....I'm planning on doing something like: http://cdn.head-fi.org/c/c2/900x900px-LL-c2e0aad0_IMG_1851.jpeg .....



Damn that is neat. Where can you find those things-with-two-holes to put at the end of the sleeve? Do they even have a name?

BTW; I'm a total noob but I wouldn't use a solid connector ever, especially for interconnect though.


----------



## Gerner

vidal said:


> Can you take some photos of the wire connections?
> 
> I know when I did my first DT990 mod I fried the voice coil wire and had to buy a new driver.


 

 Got them to work.. The drivers weren't fried, I think it had something to do with the plug I've used.. But thanks anyways.


----------



## PETEREK

johnnystuff said:


> exnihilo said:
> 
> 
> > .....I'm planning on doing something like: http://cdn.head-fi.org/c/c2/900x900px-LL-c2e0aad0_IMG_1851.jpeg .....
> ...




The part with the two holes separating the left and right channels is a splitter. They can be found all over, but I'm not sure what exact brand that is. Viablue splitters on AVoutlet.com (or search Viablue SC-2 on google) , PlusSound, Doublehelixcables sell their own styled ones on their sites.


----------



## Johnnystuff

Awesome, I thought y-splitters were connectors not just pieces-of-something-that-splitted-wires. Learnin sumthin erryday


----------



## Vidal

gerner said:


> Got them to work.. The drivers weren't fried, I think it had something to do with the plug I've used.. But thanks anyways.




That's good news, they're expensive to replace.


----------



## horribol

Do you guys straighten your cables out before sleeving? I'm making a 3m long aux cable, and slowly straightening every single cable looks like a pain, do you guys have a way to do this faster? Or should I just sleeve them like that?


----------



## buke9

horribol said:


> Do you guys straighten your cables out before sleeving? I'm making a 3m long aux cable, and slowly straightening every single cable looks like a pain, do you guys have a way to do this faster? Or should I just sleeve them like that?


 
 Not sure what you mean by straighten the cable?


----------



## eXniHiLo

exnihilo said:


> Hello there,
> 
> A long time ago, I wanted to custom made my own cables following the DIY gallery on this site but did not have time. Now that I have, could you confirm me that using http://gothamcables.com/en/gothamcables/installationanalog/10122gac2minifrnc would be good for an interconnect cable? (NX1-amp to a Clip+, used with Focal Siprit Pro headphones) cable?
> 
> ...



 

 Anyone?


----------



## HirschiAUT

Hey guys, i am in the process of sourcing the material for my first DIY cable and need your help.
  
 I am not shure what wire dimension i should use.
  
 I have heard at some point that one should not go below 26AWG for sonic reasons.
  
 I want to build a cable for portable usage, so flexibility is a big aspect, and i thought maybe i can enhance that by using, say , 28AWG wires.
 Would there be any drawbacks by using such thin wires?
  
 Oh, and the cable will be a 4-strand braid 2,5 trrs to 3,5 trrs for Oppo PM-3 headphones and balanced DAP.
  
 Hope someone can help


----------



## XenHeadFi

exnihilo said:


> exnihilo said:
> 
> 
> > Hello there,
> ...


 
 Hmm.. the spec sheet is confusing with the picture. I cannot tell if it has 2 jacketed conductors+shield or 2 jacketed conductors+1 bare conductor+shield. I think it has 3 conductors: Brown is ~26AWG wire jacketed (~22AWG) tinned; White should be the same as Brown; Drain is unjacketed. You can attach the shield to the drain wire to improve noise rejection (8 cm is short, so may not be necessary.
  
 Are ground loop common in portable setups?
  
 The wires are solid conductors so it will be stiff. If you like the interconnects to keep their shape then a solid conductor is fine. I am worried about a stiff wire that is so short, though. If you are okay with this, then the cable will work.


----------



## XenHeadFi

hirschiaut said:


> Hey guys, i am in the process of sourcing the material for my first DIY cable and need your help.
> 
> I am not shure what wire dimension i should use.
> 
> ...


 
 If you want to improve flexibility, find 24-26 AWG conductors that are made from at least 30+ strands. Mogami 2799 is very flexible as individual conductors. You do not have to use thinner wire as that will break more easily.


----------



## eXniHiLo

bwah, seems like my message disappeared.
  
 Thank you XenHeadFi for the information. FYI, bith wire are 27AWG (I asked them a long time ago, about the only thing I can remember). I thought this would be thin enough to be flexible/soft, but I will follow your advice and pick something multi-stranded. I am going in shop next week so I will be able to see what is in store =)


----------



## HirschiAUT

xenheadfi said:


> If you want to improve flexibility, find 24-26 AWG conductors that are made from at least 30+ strands. Mogami 2799 is very flexible as individual conductors. You do not have to use thinner wire as that will break more easily.




Thanks for your reply.

I understand that more strands mean more flexibility, the wire i have an eye on is a 27 AWG consisting of 53 strands, thats why i am thinking it would be great for flexibility.

I also know that mechanically it will be weaker than a 26AWG, but i guess not by much.

The main concern is if there are any noticable sonic/electrical drawbacks


----------



## XenHeadFi

hirschiaut said:


> The main concern is if there are any noticable sonic/electrical drawbacks


 
  
 Nothing electrical, the wire should perform as expected.


----------



## buke9

hirschiaut said:


> Thanks for your reply.
> 
> I understand that more strands mean more flexibility, the wire i have an eye on is a 27 AWG consisting of 53 strands, thats why i am thinking it would be great for flexibility.
> 
> ...


 
 Yeah 27 not too much different than 26 depends on insulation also for flexibility. I prefer larger wire most of the time like DHC Nucleotide 24 awg is super nice stuff and very flexible a little pricey but looks great naked braided BTG audio 26 awg is also nice stuff at a third of the price (occ vs ofc). If your going to cover it Mogami is a good choice also.


----------



## HirschiAUT

buke9 said:


> Yeah 27 not too much different than 26 depends on insulation also for flexibility. I prefer larger wire most of the time like DHC Nucleotide 24 awg is super nice stuff and very flexible a little pricey but looks great naked braided BTG audio 26 awg is also nice stuff at a third of the price (occ vs ofc). If your going to cover it Mogami is a good choice also.




Thanks for your recommendations, really appretiated 
I have already considered BTG Audio wires, they would be one of the least expensive options even though i am living in Europe 

I guess i will just order both BTG and the 27AWG and see what i like better, since i want to build two cables (one for home and portable usage).

Oh just fyi, this is the one i am talking about all the time:
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5275

They also offer 26AWG of the same style with a bit more single strands, but that is nearly double the price, so i will just try the 27 i guess 

When i get all that stuff and got to work with it i let you guys know what i think about it :-D

And for covering, at the moment i want to let them naked, so no Mogami


----------



## Johnnystuff

I was wondering whether the type of material has an audible effect at all or it's just myth and placebo. Like silver for wires and rhodium for plugs. Assuming there is an effect am I right thinking that those shinier ones should be used for headphones cables mostly while for interconnects copper is just fine?

Also, all the so called gold-plated.... not sure they're all really plated with the mighty Au or just an alloy of sort with a small percentage of Au. How can you tell the really gold-plated from the looking-like but not quite it?


----------



## Vidal

johnnystuff said:


> I was wondering whether the type of material has an audible effect at all or it's just myth and placebo. Like silver for wires and rhodium for plugs. Assuming there is an effect am I right thinking that those shinier ones should be used for headphones cables mostly while for interconnects copper is just fine?
> 
> Also, all the so called gold-plated.... not sure they're all really plated with the mighty Au or just an alloy of sort with a small percentage of Au. How can you tell the really gold-plated from the looking-like but not quite it?


 
  
 That's dangerous talk in these parts, a plague of cable locust will descend upon your HiFi and strip it bare of all precious metals for such heresy.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 My view, the only person who can judge is yourself. If you can hear a difference and you want to spend the money on cables then it'll last you a lot longer than hookers and coke. I think the benefits would be applicable, if you believe, would apply equally to both headphone cables and analogue interconnects.
  
 There's also the visual appeal when it comes to headphones as they're not tucked away, which is why I think braiding is popular when it doesn't actually offer any real benefit to sound.


----------



## buke9

Litz braiding was used for interference reduction can't remember what kind but I don't think that headphones would be helped out by that unless it was a really long cable along with lots of equipment and cables running everywhere. Yes it does look good too. I hear the difference in some cables but not in all it could be in my head though. I did hear a real difference in a pair of silver plated interconnects on my two channel setup going from Monster cables but a bit of bass was lost. I don't think I'll ever buy a set of $1000 headphone cables. My mind might change after CanJam as there will be lots of stuff to try out.I like using quality connectors because most of them look good and are built very well also. Like with all audio YMMV. Just my 2 cents.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Litz is designed to reduce the "skinning effect", which I don't exactly understand.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Litz is designed to reduce the "skinning effect", which I don't exactly understand.


 
 That's Litz wire versus litz braid.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Ah. Never heard of Litz Braid. I thought you just meant a braid of Litz Wire.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Ah. Never heard of Litz Braid. I thought you just meant a braid of Litz Wire.


 
 No there is litz braiding a certain sequence that reduces interference a german invention I believe and individual coated wires that is to reduce the skin effect of transmission of the signal.


----------



## Vidal

I think the Litz Braiding would be classed as 'pseudoscience', if you want to reduce interference on longer runs you'd use shielded cables or better still balanced. From what I've read twisted pair would be a better method, it's the method used in ethernet which carry huge complex traffic.
  
 Doing something for aesthetics is valid enough, hell I own a pair of Aedle VK-1s, but there's no benefit to braiding from an electronics perspective. God, knows I've spent ages trying to find how it benefits.


----------



## XenHeadFi

vidal said:


> I think the Litz Braiding would be classed as 'pseudoscience', if you want to reduce interference on longer runs you'd use shielded cables or better still balanced. From what I've read twisted pair would be a better method, it's the method used in ethernet which carry huge complex traffic.
> 
> Doing something for aesthetics is valid enough, hell I own a pair of Aedle VK-1s, but there's no benefit to braiding from an electronics perspective. God, knows I've spent ages trying to find how it benefits.


 
 I think Litz Braid is like a weak version of the twisted pair, except Litz Braid can handle 4 conductors. Litz braid is probably worse than twisted pair for increasing common mode rejection when used in "balanced" (differential) transmission. Unless your headphones are amplified at the cups, common-mode rejection is not something to worry about. For short runs, also not something to worry about. For long runs, I would just use shielded cable.
  
 Litz braid may be better than twisted pair at reducing parasitic capacitance, which should already be pretty small and insignificant.


----------



## Vidal

.


----------



## rmoody

What's everyone's favorite source for a 2.5mm TRRS right angle plug?

Wanting to make a balanced cable for the Onkyo player for the Nashville headfi meet.


----------



## PETEREK

rmoody said:


> What's everyone's favorite source for a 2.5mm TRRS right angle plug?
> 
> Wanting to make a balanced cable for the Onkyo player for the Nashville headfi meet.



I haven't seen any right angle plugs.


----------



## rmoody

peterek said:


> I haven't seen any right angle plugs.



 


That's what I was afraid of. meh


----------



## Allanmarcus

Hi.
 
Has anyone tried "Woven Fabric Heatshrink Tubing"? 
 
Also, I'm totally digging Sommer Cable SC-Peacock MkII cable (the stuff on the beyerdynamic T1). It's flexible, think, good quality, and easy to work with. I got it from 
 
Jed Larson
Sales & Office Manager
Sommer cable America, Inc.
131 Stony Circle, Suite 500| Santa Rosa, CA 95401
E-Mail: jed.larson@sommercable.com
Tel. Main: +1-707-200-4020 | Direct: +1-707-206-6519 | Fax: +1-707-284-0618
 
by the way. Fairly inexpensive too. about $1/foot (plus shipping, which was $14 for 50')
 
Second question. What the most flexible nylon fabric style sleeve? I would like to sleeve the cable from the jack to the Y, but I don't want the sleeving to make the cable stiff. After the Y, I leave the cable with the just the plastic insolation, which is almost completely non-microphonic; that is why I love the SC-Peacock MkII cable as it's like speaker wire, but with two wires per side. I was looking at sleeve options from WireCare. Wow. Lots of options. Carbon Fiber sleeve? Anyone try that? I was thinking "Flexo Noise Reduction - 3/8". The TechFlex site says this stuff will expand to 1/2", which should fit the peacock cable. Anyone try this stuff? 
 
TIA,
 
Allan


----------



## mike g

Can I ask a real newbie soldering question. Tried soldering a new jack to a cable I have today and couldn't work out the best way to ensure that the wire stays in contact with the relevant part of the jack connection? By the time I had soldering iron in one hand, solder in the other I didn't have a free hand to keep the wire presses down.


----------



## Vidal

I usually tin the wire and object I'm soldering with a decent amount of solder before. (Tin - pre cover) you won't need any extra solder usually.
  
 There's also helping hands and reverse tweezers to hold things in place


----------



## skierdb526

mike g said:


> Can I ask a real newbie soldering question. Tried soldering a new jack to a cable I have today and couldn't work out the best way to ensure that the wire stays in contact with the relevant part of the jack connection? By the time I had soldering iron in one hand, solder in the other I didn't have a free hand to keep the wire presses down.


 

 I second helping hands.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Gotta have Helping Hands. Would be a nightmare without them.


----------



## buke9

+1 on helping hands I have two of them.


----------



## PETEREK

I've got a pair of GRS Third Hands, I can't recommend them enough. A lot of those helping hands will move slightly after you let go, these stay exactly where you set them. They cost a bit more than other types, but if you plan on doing this a lot it's worth the money. 

http://www.zakjewelrytools.com/products/004-545-short-double-third-hand-soldering-station


----------



## rmoody

peterek said:


> I've got a pair of GRS Third Hands, I can't recommend them enough. A lot of those helping hands will move slightly after you let go, these stay exactly where you set them. They cost a bit more than other types, but if you plan on doing this a lot it's worth the money.
> 
> http://www.zakjewelrytools.com/products/004-545-short-double-third-hand-soldering-station


 

 Dern that is too cool and too expensive!


----------



## Raddiqal11

mike g said:


> Can I ask a real newbie soldering question. Tried soldering a new jack to a cable I have today and couldn't work out the best way to ensure that the wire stays in contact with the relevant part of the jack connection? By the time I had soldering iron in one hand, solder in the other I didn't have a free hand to keep the wire presses down.




Best way is to tin the cable and the lead you're soldering it too. Just melt some solder onto them so that they have some solder. Then hold the cable with your hand press it against the lead and solder. 

I only use the third hand for gripping the jack and connectors. It will bite into my PE cable sheath


----------



## mike g

Thanks guys I'll give that a go.  I did think of tinning each first but was concerned about not having direct contact between cable and jack.  I've also ordered a couple more jacks with the small holes to thread the cable through instead of it just resting on top of the jack which should make soldering easier.  I've also ordered new helping hands with a magnifying glass which should help.
  
 So next question- having put braiding on the cables and then slid the screw on top part of the jack up the cable, how do you get the braiding to go under this part of the jack or is the trick to cut the braiding so that it just reaches the jack?


----------



## rmoody

mike g said:


> Thanks guys I'll give that a go.  I did think of tinning each first but was concerned about not having direct contact between cable and jack.  I've also ordered a couple more jacks with the small holes to thread the cable through instead of it just resting on top of the jack which should make soldering easier.  I've also ordered new helping hands with a magnifying glass which should help.
> 
> So next question- having put braiding on the cables and then slid the screw on top part of the jack up the cable, how do you get the braiding to go under this part of the jack or is the trick to cut the braiding so that it just reaches the jack?


 

 Flux is your friend. When I tin wires I dip the stripped part of the wire into the flux to get a coating of flux on the wire, then with my clean, shinny and hot iron, get a little bit of solder on the iron, then touch the wire. If more solder is needed to completely tin the wire, I add solder with the iron still in contact with the wire.
  
 Keep your iron tip clean and shinny. It will help to transfer the heat more quickly. I keep a damp sponge and a scrubby pad with my soldering kit (the damp sponge is good if you need to cool down a joint after soldering it also). There are tip tinning products that make for quickly getting your tip clean and shinny, makes a lot of smoke that's not good to breathe: http://smile.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-TMT-TC-2-Tinner-0-8oz-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458751848&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=tip+tinner&psc=1
  
 Use flux. I mean, don't glob it on, but make sure the joint area has a coating, the more you solder the more you get an idea of how much flux to use. It makes a big difference in how quickly you can heat the joint and make the connection. Just know if you need to clean the flux. Some requires cleaning, some is no-clean, some needs just water, others alcohol. I typically use non-chlorine brake cleaner as the other is not SWMBO approved (bad smell).
  
 A kit of some sort to practice soldering is a great idea. When I was taking EE tech classes, one of our projects was to build a multimeter. It was pretty fun and even useful as a meter once completed. I have a Fluke so the one I made collects dust now, or did I give that to someone?
  
 You can tape the end of the braiding after it's on the wire, then slide the jack cover over that. You could also use heat shrink, but that would be wasteful of an expensive product.
  
 Hope you find this helpful.


----------



## Benny-x

raddiqal11 said:


> Best way is to tin the cable and the lead you're soldering it too. Just melt some solder onto them so that they have some solder. Then hold the cable with your hand press it against the lead and solder.
> 
> I only use the third hand for gripping the jack and connectors.* It will bite into my PE cable sheath*


 
  
 I don't know where I saw it, but the solution to this is getting some thin heatshrink and putting it over the teeth on the gator clips. One sleeve over each set of teeth. It keeps the grip, keeps the teeth, but doesn't mess up your gear   
  
 The other, less cool, option was to bend down the teeth with pliers. I took the heatshrink one, works great.


----------



## EveTan

I have this FitEar custom cable that I want to fix, it's connectors seem to not be as accurate, or something, where they've ruined the sockets of the IEM once already. 
  

  
  
 I was wondering if this is an easy fix? to solder on some new connectors like : http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5286
 And perhaps to add a short memory wire while I'm at it (is that a product? what do people normally use for memory wire?). 
  
 I've never tried making/tampering with cables though, so I'm a bit worried something might go wrong.


----------



## mike g

Following all the advice on hear I had another go at soldering a new jack onto a cable I have and all working well. Thanks guys! Think next step will to make a cable from start so will pick up some eidolic connectors. Don't think they're available in the UK so will need to wait for them to arrive from the US. My plan is to try some silver cable. If I'm going to braid the cable do I also need to weave it first or will it be ok to simply run it through the braid?


----------



## Vidal

mike g said:


> Don't think they're available in the UK so will need to wait for them to arrive from the US.


 
  
 I've never found a UK supplier and the guys never respond to emails so I gave up.


----------



## Rozenberg

Hey guys, I think I need help here.
  
 So I got this kinda fancy silver cable from a friend, but the right channel is dead.
 The problem is in the 2 pin connector and I don't know how to take it off.
 My guess is they're glued inside the barrel, but is a heat gun enough to make them loose?
 I currently don't have a heat gun so gotta buy it if necessary.
  

  
 Alternatively, I could cut it right at the exit hole of the barrel, but buying new 2 pin from China would take 2 - 4 weeks...
 EU kinda sucks for sourcing DIY IEM parts.


----------



## rmoody

How do I solder this thing:
  
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Furutech-Valab-Oyaide-Shure-Denon-diy-headphone-cable-connector/Norne-Audio-Eidolic-Astell-and-Kern-2-5mm-4-pole-trrs-balanced-ak240-ak120-ak380-ak100-diy-connector
  
 The solder "pads" are tiny and round, any advice on getting this done?
 My only thoughts are very small exposed wire, lots of flux, put a 90 degree bend in the wire and glob solder on.
 Anyone used these?


----------



## PETEREK

rmoody said:


> How do I solder this thing:
> 
> http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Furutech-Valab-Oyaide-Shure-Denon-diy-headphone-cable-connector/Norne-Audio-Eidolic-Astell-and-Kern-2-5mm-4-pole-trrs-balanced-ak240-ak120-ak380-ak100-diy-connector
> 
> ...



I don't use Flux on these at all. Just tin the end of your wire and tin the soldering pad a little, then solder them together. They are small but definitely not impossible. Just make sure you line your helping hands up well.


----------



## rmoody

peterek said:


> I don't use Flux on these at all. Just tin the end of your wire and tin the soldering pad a little, then solder them together. They are small but definitely not impossible. Just make sure you line your helping hands up well.


 

 Thanks, I'll try that. I have a feeling I'll be cussing by the time these are done


----------



## PETEREK

rmoody said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > I don't use Flux on these at all. Just tin the end of your wire and tin the soldering pad a little, then solder them together. They are small but definitely not impossible. Just make sure you line your helping hands up well.
> ...



You'll be fine man, just make sure you don't bridge the second Ring with the Sleeve, that's the only tedious part.


----------



## Chs177

rmoody said:


> Thanks, I'll try that. I have a feeling I'll be cussing by the time these are done


 
 Magnifying glasses like this one: l
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/152028347481
 are really helpful in such type of soldering.
 Good luck!


----------



## rmoody

chs177 said:


> Magnifying glasses like this one: l
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/152028347481
> are really helpful in such type of soldering.
> Good luck!


 

 HEY!? Did you just call me old? I have some of those  Now, get off my lawn! Kidding, those are great to have, especially if you are my age where your eyes have stopped focusing on close objects.
  
 Well, here it is, wasn't too bad. The tip was annoying because my third hands kept sliding around on me. I finally got a bit ill with it and put a dab of flux on that and the sleeve. Now to get some paracord over it and get the other end attached.


----------



## Allanmarcus

chs177 said:


> rmoody said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks, I'll try that. I have a feeling I'll be cussing by the time these are done
> ...


 

 I agree. I got these from Amazon
 http://www.amazon.com/SE-MH1047L-Illuminated-Multi-Power-Magnifier/dp/B003UCODIA
 $9 with prime


----------



## buke9

Hate to say but I could use those also.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> Hate to say but I could use those also.


 

 your age shouldn't matter to "need" the headband magnifier. Its extra light and eye protection are good enough reason to get it, even for a snot-nosed punk 20 year old 
  
 Note, I'm a snot-nopsed punk 50 something year old!


----------



## rmoody

allanmarcus said:


> I agree. I got these from Amazon
> http://www.amazon.com/SE-MH1047L-Illuminated-Multi-Power-Magnifier/dp/B003UCODIA
> $9 with prime


 

 Them are the exact ones I got!
  
 Ok, cable is all done. Note to self, do the MrSpeakers connector first! Not having that crimp tool means I have to do some fanagling with the little brass dothingy to get it to fit. It's harder when you can't see where you need to file or squeeze with the pliars. I'll post some pics of the final assembly once I get them all finished. I think the hard part is done now that the 2.5mm TRRS is complete. I love the MrSpeakers connectors, just get the wire into the cup and a tiny amount of solder will do it.
  
 I appreciate all the help!


----------



## Allanmarcus

rmoody said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > I agree. I got these from Amazon
> ...


 

 I tried to find the recommended crimp tool (SA-HCT Hand Crimp Tool), but I cannot find it anywhere! I have a crimper on my wirestrippers and I'm making a new balanced MrSpeakers cable now with the Sommer SC-Peacock MKII wire I mentioned in an earlier post. I will be trying to crimp soon. For my first pair I used pliers. Ugly, but it worked. Such a great connector with a such an odd implementation. I awaiting some cable pants from amazon that I want to try for the Y split.
  
 If anyone can figure out where to get spare crimps, please let me know.


----------



## ZSamuels28

What wire/adapters do people recommend for RCA? Mogami W2319 and Neutrik NYS373-2? Anything better or recommended?


----------



## PETEREK

zsamuels28 said:


> What wire/adapters do people recommend for RCA? Mogami W2319 and Neutrik NYS373-2? Anything better or recommended?


 
 It comes down to cost man. If you want something easy to use, Mogami W2893 is great for people just getting into cable building. If you want something fancier, look at any of the boutique shops that are known for making cables themselves, most will have a "DIY" section and sell certain wires of theirs by the foot. There are some good options on eBay (Lavricables?). I know @Whitigir swears by some of the silver he gets from someone on eBay. Again, it comes down to cost and also aesthetic preferences.


----------



## ZSamuels28

peterek said:


> It comes down to cost man. If you want something easy to use, Mogami W2893 is great for people just getting into cable building. If you want something fancier, look at any of the boutique shops that are known for making cables themselves, most will have a "DIY" section and sell certain wires of theirs by the foot. There are some good options on eBay (Lavricables?). I know @Whitigir
> swears by some of the silver he gets from someone on eBay. Again, it comes down to cost and also aesthetic preferences.




But Mogami W2893 is 4 strand, don't I want something 1 strand?


----------



## PETEREK

zsamuels28 said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > It comes down to cost man. If you want something easy to use, Mogami W2893 is great for people just getting into cable building. If you want something fancier, look at any of the boutique shops that are known for making cables themselves, most will have a "DIY" section and sell certain wires of theirs by the foot. There are some good options on eBay (Lavricables?). I know @Whitigir
> ...


 
 You're wanting to make RCA-RCA interconnects right? That's what I assumed. Mogami W2893 is 4 stranded, but you can still use it. If I were to use it to make RCA-RCA interconnects I would use the black and clear wires as the ground (sleeve) and the red and blue as the signal. just twist them together and solder two wires to each the ground and the signal. I normally don't use the metal sleeve on quad cable, I just strip out the wires and use those. I used to use W2893 all the time the way I just described. 
  
 Edit: this is for each channel. You would have to do the same exact thing on the other channel, so there would be 2 interconnects.


----------



## ZSamuels28

Yeah same idea as this except using the W2893: http://diyaudioprojects.com/Power/DIY-Shielded-RCA-Interconnect-Cables/

I personally would rather leave the cable inside rather than strip it out. Do you know if I just cut the shield and expose the wires if it will cause any harm? I've made plenty of 3.5's but never an RCA.


----------



## PETEREK

zsamuels28 said:


> Yeah same idea as this except using the W2893: http://diyaudioprojects.com/Power/DIY-Shielded-RCA-Interconnect-Cables/
> 
> I personally would rather leave the cable inside rather than strip it out. Do you know if I just cut the shield and expose the wires if it will cause any harm? I've made plenty of 3.5's but never an RCA.


 
 Yes that guide will work fine man. 
  
 I was just saying that I strip out the wires now, I used to leave them inside the stock sleeving when I was just starting out. It will function the exact same either way.


----------



## ZSamuels28

Or what about using Mogami W2528?


----------



## ZSamuels28

True, it's all personal preference I guess


----------



## PETEREK

zsamuels28 said:


> Or what about using Mogami W2528?


 
 You can use anything man. I just like w2893 because it has 4 conductors in it and it's more flexible than Canare cables. I used to buy W2893 all the time. When I use mogami now I order W2799, it uses the same internal wires as the W2893 but it doesn't have the thick sleeve or the paper and thread insulations, so stripping it is easier (and it costs less). Check Redco.com out for some other options. Look in the 'Bulk Cable' section in the directory on the left side of the page.


----------



## ZSamuels28

Awesome! Thanks for the advice.


----------



## PETEREK

zsamuels28 said:


> Awesome! Thanks for the advice.


 
 No problem, glad to help.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Or just get monoprice premium RCA cables!

LOL, I say that and tomorrow I will be making some RCA cable 'cus I'm hooked on solder smoke


----------



## mike g

I've used van damme pro patch and think it's very good and reasonably priced for interconnectors.


----------



## EdgarMadhook

I've just finished re-wiring my iGrados & the only thing i'm concerned about is the possibility of the nylon multifilament cable sheath being too microphonic (I know there's a lot of discussion about what this means elsewhere but I'm specifically referring to the sound of the cable sheath knocking & rubbing against my body, ultimately bleeding into the earphones).
  
 I've seen folk recommend Paracord but I'm wondering, *does anybody know of any cotton stuff, rather than nylon, that can do the same job?* Preferably in different thickness's too (2mm - 6mm ideally). I'm in the UK so would prefer something sold within Europe.
  
 Thanks, in advance.


----------



## Arty McGhee

edgarmadhook said:


> I've just finished re-wiring my iGrados & the only thing i'm concerned about is the possibility of the nylon multifilament cable sheath being too microphonic (I know there's a lot of discussion about what this means elsewhere but I'm specifically referring to the sound of the cable sheath knocking & rubbing against my body, ultimately bleeding into the earphones).
> 
> I've seen folk recommend Paracord but I'm wondering, *does anybody know of any cotton stuff, rather than nylon, that can do the same job?* Preferably in different thickness's too (2mm - 6mm ideally). I'm in the UK so would prefer something sold within Europe.
> 
> Thanks, in advance


 
 white athletic shoelaces work great i think they're a poly/cotton blend
 just don't eat when you have 'em on


----------



## FallenAngel

rmoody said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > I haven't seen any right angle plugs.
> ...




I saw some cheaper plastic ones but they aren't all that great compared to the quality 3.5mm


----------



## mike g

edgarmadhook said:


> I've just finished re-wiring my iGrados & the only thing i'm concerned about is the possibility of the nylon multifilament cable sheath being too microphonic (I know there's a lot of discussion about what this means elsewhere but I'm specifically referring to the sound of the cable sheath knocking & rubbing against my body, ultimately bleeding into the earphones).
> 
> I've seen folk recommend Paracord but I'm wondering, *does anybody know of any cotton stuff, rather than nylon, that can do the same job?* Preferably in different thickness's too (2mm - 6mm ideally). I'm in the UK so would prefer something sold within Europe.
> 
> Thanks, in advance.


 
 Hi - I think mains cables r us sell cotton sheathing - would be worth checking out their website


----------



## mengoswag

I recently built a cable using pretty cheap but extremely stiff wire do you guys know where I could get a nicer more pliable wire?


----------



## rmoody

mengoswag said:


> I recently built a cable using pretty cheap but extremely stiff wire do you guys know where I could get a nicer more pliable wire?


 

 I guess it first depends on what you used. I have been using Mogami W2534 from Redco with the outer insulation and the shielding removed (ie just the inner 4 conductors). It's pretty flexible.
  
 I've also used Gotham GAC-4, it is more flexible than the Mogami. I like the Mogami because I'm making cables using the same connectors that Dan uses on his Ether headphones and the crimp on ring make a much better mechanical connection with the larger Mogami wires (well, at least with 4 conductors, with 2 it won't). Also, the Mogami stays twisted where the Gotham untwists if you look at it funny.


----------



## Allanmarcus

mengoswag said:


> I recently built a cable using pretty cheap but extremely stiff wire do you guys know where I could get a nicer more pliable wire?


 
  
 Lots of variables there. How long will the cable be? What's it for; headphones, IEMs, or interconnect? How pliable do you want it? How much are you looking to spend?


----------



## Arty McGhee

mengoswag said:


> I recently built a cable using pretty cheap but extremely stiff wire do you guys know where I could get a nicer more pliable wire?


 
 as the artist formerly known as caspertfg
 mogami 2799, can't beat it
 it whips a llama's a**


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

edgarmadhook said:


> I've just finished re-wiring my iGrados & the only thing i'm concerned about is the possibility of the nylon multifilament cable sheath being too microphonic (I know there's a lot of discussion about what this means elsewhere but I'm specifically referring to the sound of the cable sheath knocking & rubbing against my body, ultimately bleeding into the earphones).
> 
> I've seen folk recommend Paracord but I'm wondering, *does anybody know of any cotton stuff, rather than nylon, that can do the same job?* Preferably in different thickness's too (2mm - 6mm ideally). I'm in the UK so would prefer something sold within Europe.
> 
> Thanks, in advance.





I'm using 550 paracord over my w2799. Oh gosh the cable noise is bad, sounds like someone is cleaning my ear drum with a brush when I move heh.

My only guess is something softer may be quieter.


----------



## EdgarMadhook

I road-tested mine today, jogging round my local park. The nylon multifilament is pretty microphonic above the split but, so long as I have the cable running under my t-shirt, it's OK. 
Still, I'm going to try out some unwaxed cotton shoelaces that are heading my way. I'd like the cable to be a bit more soft & flexible. The nylon stuff holds it's shape a bit too much.


----------



## PETEREK

edgarmadhook said:


> I road-tested mine today, jogging round my local park. The nylon multifilament is pretty microphonic above the split but, so long as I have the cable running under my t-shirt, it's OK.
> Still, I'm going to try out some unwaxed cotton shoelaces that are heading my way. I'd like the cable to be a bit more soft & flexible. The nylon stuff holds it's shape a bit too much.



Cable noise can be better or worse depending on how you attach it to the connector as well. If you have the wire crimped in the strain relief and then the sleeve over that and hot glued into the connector or something similar to that, the noise from the wire will transfer louder to the headphone's 3.5mm input. If you crimp the wires AND the sleeve in the connectors strain relief, the sleeve will absorb a little bit of that noise that's transferred from the wire by being between the wire and the strain relief. Maybe try that method if you haven't done it that way already.


----------



## EdgarMadhook

Interesting. 

The 4-braid wire, multifilament & heatshrink made the cable too thick for the small plastic crimp inside the Neutrik jack so I removed it. Are there any other tricks besides hot glue?


----------



## mengoswag

Do you know where I could get just straight wire (maybe a spool of wire) though? Not like the full cable because I want to be able to use my own sleeving and other stuff.


----------



## PETEREK

edgarmadhook said:


> Interesting.
> 
> The 4-braid wire, multifilament & heatshrink made the cable too thick for the small plastic crimp inside the Neutrik jack so I removed it. Are there any other tricks besides hot glue?


 
 I would just hot glue it in that case. Another  thing that'll reduce cable noise is not pulling your sleeve so tight that it feels hard, use enough sleeve on the cable for just a little slack so it's relaxed and soft. A lot of people pull the sleeve so tight that it makes the cable stiff, put just a few more inches of the sleeve on so it's just a little loose.


----------



## liquidzoo

mengoswag said:


> Do you know where I could get just straight wire (maybe a spool of wire) though? Not like the full cable because I want to be able to use my own sleeving and other stuff.




A lot of people (myself included) buy quad cable and strip out the outer shielding (leaving you with just the 4 cores).

Mogami 2799 or 2893 (same as 2799 with more shielding) is a popular and cheap starting point. Once you have it down to the 4 inner cores you can sleeve it as you please.


----------



## PinkyPowers

peterek said:


> I would just hot glue it in that case. Another  thing that'll reduce cable noise is not pulling your sleeve so tight that it feels hard, use enough sleeve on the cable for just a little slack so it's relaxed and soft. A lot of people pull the sleeve so tight that it makes the cable stiff, put just a few more inches of the sleeve on so it's just a little loose.




Ace advice. Thanks. I'm going to keep that in mind.


----------



## Johnnystuff

Kinda OT cause it's not a DIY question but still. I just bough a simple interconnect 3.5mm male to male, one end is angled one's straight. Problem is it's TRRS on the angled side and TRS on the straight one. It works as intended but how does it compute?


----------



## mengoswag

Aight thanks for the advice


----------



## Eudis

Looking to mod my incoming THX00 with removable cables.
  
 Anyone here try it yet?
  
 I saw that smc connectors and jacks can be used but are there others that can be used without modifying the housing for the THX00?
  
 Also can I used any smc connector or are the hifiman type special?


----------



## skierdb526

eudis said:


> Looking to mod my incoming THX00 with removable cables.
> 
> Anyone here try it yet?
> 
> ...




I did with 2.5mm inputs. Check out my history and you will see it. I had to modify the housing, but it didn't alter the sound. I'd definitely recommend getting it done by a pro like PETEREK If you are worried about damaging your new headphones.


----------



## skierdb526

And from my understanding you can use a regular SMC Connector.


----------



## Stealer

What is the best method to braid/twist 2 wires together and prevent it from untwisting over time..my diy iem cable untwist by itself after sometimes. 
No, i dont like to use sleeving as well..


----------



## Allanmarcus

skierdb526 said:


> eudis said:
> 
> 
> > Looking to mod my incoming THX00 with removable cables.
> ...




Which jacks did you use? I'm thinking of modding my T1s with 2.5mm inputs.


----------



## PETEREK

allanmarcus said:


> skierdb526 said:
> 
> 
> > eudis said:
> ...



For the TH-X00 I would use these: http://www.amazon.com/2-5mm-Female-Black-Connector-Socket/dp/B00ZGQZ0DK

For the T1 or any other Beyers you would need to use a bigger connector to cover the hole that will be left behind from the stock cables strain relief. Use these: http://www.kvconnection.com/product-p/km-161-7100.htm

You don't have to get them from those exact websites, but those are the styles you would use for those two headphones.


----------



## skierdb526

peterek said:


> For the TH-X00 I would use these: http://www.amazon.com/2-5mm-Female-Black-Connector-Socket/dp/B00ZGQZ0DK
> 
> For the T1 or any other Beyers you would need to use a bigger connector to cover the hole that will be left behind from the stock cables strain relief. Use these: http://www.kvconnection.com/product-p/km-161-7100.htm
> 
> You don't have to get them from those exact websites, but those are the styles you would use for those two headphones.




I used the jacks listed above but spent more for them on eBay.


----------



## Allanmarcus

peterek said:


> For the T1 or any other Beyers you would need to use a bigger connector to cover the hole that will be left behind from the stock cables strain relief. Use these: http://www.kvconnection.com/product-p/km-161-7100.htm
> 
> You don't have to get them from those exact websites, but those are the styles you would use for those two headphones.


 
  
 Do you just secure the 2.5mm female jack with the provided nut, or do you use glue, or both?


----------



## PETEREK

allanmarcus said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > [CONTENTEMBED=/t/676402/diy-cable-questions-and-comments-thread/5040#post_12466361 layout=inline] [/CONTENTEMBED]
> ...



Forget the nut and use epoxy. I normally scuff the sides of the connector up with sandpaper so the epoxy can get better grip.


----------



## EdgarMadhook

Here's another question that probably has a simple answer....
  
 Is it possible to add a remote control to a regular pair of earphones (iGrados in my case)?
  
 I'm probably expecting too much & would prefer to keep my Neutrik TRS mini-jack.


----------



## tjdub

@PETEREK have you by any chance done 3.5 mm female plugs on any denon or fostex headphone, if so witch do you recommend?. I know smc is easier but I would rather my cables be interchangeable between my headphones


----------



## PETEREK

tjdub said:


> @PETEREK have you by any chance done 3.5 mm female plugs on any denon or fostex headphone, if so witch do you recommend?. I know smc is easier but I would rather my cables be interchangeable between my headphones



Yes I have. Use the type here:http://www.parts-express.com/35mm-stereo-panel-mount-jack--090-317
You don't have to order them from this site, but this is what you should use.

You are going to have to modify the cup and the baffle a little for it to fit, and you'll have to widen the hole that the cable is going through right now, just a little bit.


----------



## tjdub

Thanks I'll give that connector a try


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

peterek said:


> Yes I have. Use the type here:http://www.parts-express.com/35mm-stereo-panel-mount-jack--090-317
> You don't have to order them from this site, but this is what you should use.
> 
> You are going to have to modify the cup and the baffle a little for it to fit, and you'll have to widen the hole that the cable is going through right now, just a little bit.





That one good for reliability? I have 3.5mm mono on each ear of my t50rps. They short and act loose when I can't find any loose solders or wires


----------



## PETEREK

seencreative said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > Yes I have. Use the type here:http://www.parts-express.com/35mm-stereo-panel-mount-jack--090-317
> ...


I heard the same thing from another user about the mono, I use the stereo, im not sure which I linked, I just Google Image searched then copied the link attached to it, I was using my phone from work. Just get the stereo one and bridge the short gold soldering tab with the long ground tab and use the other small silver tab for the signal (tip). I've never had issues with the stereo jacks of this style.


----------



## Eudis

@PETEREK

Do you have an pictures of the smc on the thx00 and 3.5mm so I can see what to modify.


----------



## PETEREK

eudis said:


> @PETEREK
> 
> Do you have an pictures of the smc on the thx00 and 3.5mm so I can see what to modify.


 
 PM me your email address.


----------



## tjdub

Can I be included in the email?, I would like to see as well.


----------



## Eudis

For anyone interested this is the album for some modded DenonX000/Fostex600/THx00/900.

http://imgur.com/a/Yqoq4


I think I might do 3.5mm since I have all the parts and seems practical. 

My plan is to cut away at the baffle just enough to get the 3.5mm jack in and grind the wood a tiny bit with a rotary too so it sits flush on the 3.5mm jack.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Anyone have any Flexo Nylon Multifilament - 3/8"?
  
 I would like to see if it fits some cable I have, but there doesn't seem to be a way to get a short strip at a reasonable price. 
  
 If you would be willing to send me 6 inches, I'd happily pay the postage.
  
 TIA


----------



## Allanmarcus

Anyone know where to get there 2.5mm mono jacks?


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Anyone know where to get there 2.5mm mono jacks?


 
  Norne audio and DHC has eidolic ones I think like $14 a pair.


----------



## PinkyPowers

allanmarcus said:


> Anyone know where to get there 2.5mm mono jacks?




http://www.redco.com/Switchcraft-850.html


----------



## Allanmarcus

pinkypowers said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone know where to get there 2.5mm mono jacks?
> ...




Those don't look anything like the ones pictured. Does moon audio take as witchcraft jack and then add something on top of the jack?


----------



## Benny-x

allanmarcus said:


> Those don't look anything like the ones pictured. Does moon audio take as witchcraft jack and then add something on top of the jack?


 
  
 After investigating and monitoring Moon Audio for many years, I do believe different types of witchcraft are used in unison with the moon phases. It is not only limited to jacks or jack-tops. I would be careful trying to duplicate their practices and just settle with keeping them at the other end of a UPS delivery. 
  
 I have no idea what they do and cannot contribute anything of value beyond enjoying Moon Audio and witchcraft


----------



## Benny-x

I also need some help. 
  
 I'm making up a few headphone cables for myself and I always liked the look for this clear heatshrink, but I have no idea what it is. It's much clearer, shiny, and almost thicker looking than anything else I've seen on eBay or whatever. Most clear heatshrink has a kind of cloudy look to it.
  

 I think this is an old Norse (now Norne) Audio adaptor. 
  
 In this picture it looks like there's a brown heatshrink base, then a layer of black, and finally the shiny, clear heatshrink. Do you agree that's what's going on or is there more to it? I'm also looking for some nice blue (not too light, not too dark) and some nice red (full bodied red, not weak looking, light matte red) heat shrink to put on each side and then under the clear heatshrink. Help appreciated in any recommendation of where to buy good quality, good coloured stuff. 
  
  
 Then after that, I've bought some carbon fibre sleeving from DHC and want to put is around my 6 wire round weave, but I'm worried about how the little flaky fibres will come off. I'm wondering what I can wrap the wire bundle in that will stop them from rubbing the carbon fibre too much? I'm thinking a thin wrapping of teflon tap the whole length of the cable? Then I need to wrap the outside of the carbon fibre sleeving to stop the fibres from catching on the final nylon multifilament outer sleeving. Again, I'm thinking a thin wrapping of teflon tap the length of the cable?
  
 I've never wrapped a cable in teflon tape before, so I'm not sure how much it's going to restrict the flexibility of the cable as whole. I'd like it to be as flexible as possible, as much as a 6 wire round braid can be anyway. If anyone has any experience with teflon tape or another idea, I'd love to know.


----------



## rmoody

Been busy cable making for the Nashville headfi meet.
  
 The first one is the same cable I made before for my Ether C, just rebuilt them. I removed the Gotham cable's insulation and shielding and put some orange para-cord over it, because go Vols and all that. Then I put a female version of the connector that Dan uses on it. The objective is to make them modular. This one is about 4 feet long.
  
 Next is the same thing, but about 6 feet long using Mogami W2534 instead of the Gotham cable. I like the Mogami cable better, it works very well with Dan's connectors with all 4 conductors and the brass ring provides a good mechanical connection. On the left and right ends with only 2 wires things are not so rosy. But a glad happenstance showed me that if you let one end of that brass crimp ring go under the other, you get a good mechanical connection for strain relieve and it's easier to get to fit into the connector. I may actually go back to the 4 foot version and do this.
  
 Third is an extension cable, about 6 feet long. Notice the all silver end? I tried this version for giggles. It works pretty good actually with Mogami W2534 and provides a good mechanical connection. It did put some scores in the para-cord. I may get a burr up somewhere and replace it with the "standard" version, dunno. The hardest part of these connectors is that infernal brass crimp ring for which I have no crimper. So I do the best I can with pliers but I wind up having to file them down to get them to fit, works out in the end.
  
 Last are my modular connectors. 4 pin XLR balanced, 1/4" TRS, 2.5mm TRRS (I hope I can find a right angle version I like one day.), and last 3.5mm TRS right angle.
  
 I have plans for a 3.5mm TRS straight using a ViaBlue that is on it's way.
  
 Anywho, enjoy the cable porn (for what it is) and I hope to see you in Nashville!


----------



## Benny-x

benny-x said:


> I also need some help.
> 
> I'm making up a few headphone cables for myself and I always liked the look for this clear heatshrink, but I have no idea what it is. It's much clearer, shiny, and almost thicker looking than anything else I've seen on eBay or whatever. Most clear heatshrink has a kind of cloudy look to it.
> 
> ...




No love?


----------



## tjdub

@rmoody what type of connector did you use for the detachable cable end, is it a 4 pin mini xlr?. Youngish a great job , they look super clean


----------



## Benny-x

tjdub said:


> @rmoody what type of connector did you use for the detachable cable end, is it a 4 pin mini xlr?. Youngish a great job , they look super clean


 
 It's a 4 pin Hirose connector. They're most famously used by MrSpeakers on their headphones and by iBasso on their old portable amps and DACs. It's another miniature locking connector like mini XLR. Hirose seems to have the mini locking connector market locked down outside of the audiophile world, though. PSUs, camera connections, work stations, etc.
  
 I'm also making some modular cables for my portable set and I'm still up in the air whether I want to do mini 4 pin XLR or 4 pin Hirose :-/  Hirose support looks wider, but alas Furutech or other reputable companies don't make them :~)


----------



## rmoody

benny-x said:


> It's a 4 pin Hirose connector. They're most famously used by MrSpeakers on their headphones and by iBasso on their old portable amps and DACs. It's another miniature locking connector like mini XLR. Hirose seems to have the mini locking connector market locked down outside of the audiophile world, though. PSUs, camera connections, work stations, etc.
> 
> I'm also making some modular cables for my portable set and I'm still up in the air whether I want to do mini 4 pin XLR or 4 pin Hirose :-/  Hirose support looks wider, but alas Furutech or other reputable companies don't make them :~)


 

 What he said. It's basically the female version of what Dan uses, when I get home I'll get the Mouser link for you. But they are expensive there, I found a guy on eBay selling them cheaper but they are still a bit pricey.
  
 There are also two styles, as you can see on my extension cable, one has that infernal brass ring that is secured to the shell with a .050" hex cap screw, the other uses a compression ring method. Both have advantages/disadvantages and the brass ring would win out if I could find the dang crimp tool (reasonably priced of course).
  
 I originally bought mini XLR, but they pissed me off before I even used them because they are very clumsy to deal with. Too many small parts to fiddle with and line up and the only ones I could find affordably in 4 pin were the Redco, which are ok, but not the quality of Neutrik (their parent company). The Switchcraft are probably great,but they cost nearly as much or more than the Hirose. If anyone can find a good mini 4 pin XLR connector, chime in.
  
 Dan sells the male connectors for a steal (I guess he can do that when he orders them by the thousands) so between this and the ease of use, I dumped the mini XLR idea. I keep hoping he'll see my modular cables and steal the idea from me (You listening Dan? You can repay me via selling the female versions like you do the male version, hehe)


----------



## rmoody

Here is the link for the female version of what Dan uses:
  
 http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/hirose-electric-co-ltd/HR10A-7J-4S%2873%29/HR1598-ND/1095456
  
 http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Hirose-Connector/HR10A-7J-4S73/?qs=Ux3WWAnHpjAwe7Cpc1eAIg%3D%3D
  
 This is the specific one I used:
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/HIROSE-HR10A-7J-4S-COMPATIBLE-CONNECTOR-NEW-/322046580108?hash=item4afb78d58c:g:YkwAAOSwDk5T~f4I


----------



## EveTan

What material/places to buy would you use for good flexible memory wire for IEMs? I'm in the midst of redoing a IEM connector so I thought I might also add a better memory wire to it.


----------



## rmoody

evetan said:


> What material/places to buy would you use for good flexible memory wire for IEMs? I'm in the midst of redoing a IEM connector so I thought I might also add a better memory wire to it.


 

 Great question, I'd like to know myself. At some point, I'd like to make some cables for my Sure SE535s. Thinking of using Gotham GAC-4, maybe 3 feet long or shorter with modular termination for when I need a longer cable.
  
 Possibly dual use for my Shure 1540 (until I sell them as they have not seen use since the Ether C came into my life).


----------



## mikesale

I'm pondering attempting to build 4-5 cables of various lengths for my HE-560, HE-400i & HD-700 headphones which are *all* 2x 2.5mm to 3.5mm or ¼" terminations. 
  
*Am I nuts?*
 My biggest concern: it's been 20 years since I've soldered _anything_ and rarely done much precision stripping.. The 3.5 look difficult and the 2.5 look very difficult to solder and the expertise in stripping the wires looks like it could take me through 20' of skill up times.
  
 Are my eyes bigger then my abilities will likely be? Is there a better way to get started? (RCA cables?) 
  
*Tools: Wrong choice or something missing?*
 Sobering Station & Tips: Hakko FX888D-23BY Digital Soldering Station with Chisel Tip Pack
 Solder: Kester 44 Rosin Core Solder 66/44 0.80mm(0.31 inches) 1 lb. Spool
 Wire Cutters:Hakko CHP-170 Micro Soft Wire Cutter
 Soder sucker:  Electronix Express 060820- Solder Sucker Desoldering Pump
 Wire strippers: I have some that I've used for household DIY, but nothing this fine grained, any helpful suggestions? Or am I good to go?
 Pliers, small screw drivers, tweezers, etc. are already in my shop.
  
*Parts:*
 Wire: Mogami w2799 (how much do I need for a 8' long cable?)
 Term to amp: Ebay
 2x term to cups: Eidolic 2.5mm Mono Headphone Plug (anything less then $20 each??)


----------



## Allanmarcus

mikesale said:


> I'm pondering attempting to build 4-5 cables of various lengths for my HE-560, HE-400i & HD-700 headphones which are *all* 2x 2.5mm to 3.5mm or ¼" terminations.
> 
> *Am I nuts?*
> My biggest concern: it's been 20 years since I've soldered _anything_ and rarely done much precision stripping.. The 3.5 look difficult and the 2.5 look very difficult to solder and the expertise in stripping the wires looks like it could take me through 20' of skill up times.
> ...


 
  
 I soldered rarely, and then I built a BottleHead Crack. Now I make my own cables, and I think I do pretty well. Learn to tin wire, strip, and clean your iron tips after each solder. 
  
 The iron you have picked is pretty damn nice. Overkill for the part time user. This is the one I got:
 http://www.amazon.com/Stahl-Tools-SSVT-Temperature-Soldering/dp/B0029N70WM
  
 takes a few minutes to warm up, but it works well. I also got a set of tips, helping hands, and this is a must:
 Illuminated Multi-Power LED Head Magnifier
 http://www.amazon.com/SE-MH1047L-Illuminated-Multi-Power-Magnifier/dp/B003UCODIA
  
 I would say practice with some relatively inexpensive wire you might have about. Make some RCA interconnects. 
  
 As for how much wire you need, well that depends on how you build the cable. If you braid it, you'll need more. If you just sleeve it, then 8 feet.
  
 Oh, you should get some heat shrink as well. A heat gun is good too. You can get one for ~$10 from amazon or harbor freight.
  
 as for connectors, I used these for my PMx2 (same as what you need):
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/161907729977
 Picture shows 8, but you get 10.
 They are a little difficult to solder, but they are thin. They have no inherent strain relief, so I just used heatshrink. 
  
 Hope this helps. 

 Also, where in Co are you? I'm just south, in enchanting New Mexico!


----------



## rmoody

mikesale said:


> I'm pondering attempting to build 4-5 cables of various lengths for my HE-560, HE-400i & HD-700 headphones which are *all* 2x 2.5mm to 3.5mm or ¼" terminations.
> 
> *Am I nuts?*
> My biggest concern: it's been 20 years since I've soldered _anything_ and rarely done much precision stripping.. The 3.5 look difficult and the 2.5 look very difficult to solder and the expertise in stripping the wires looks like it could take me through 20' of skill up times.
> ...


 

 Third hands are a must.
 If you are getting older like I am, magnification, I've got a cheap lighted magnifier I wear on my head. It's the only way I can see those tiny solder spots.
 I'm using a cheap automatic stripper, like $3 cheap. Seems to work ok, no nicked wires so far.
 Flux.
 Whatever is needed to remove the flux.
  
 Smart ass alert: you need 8 feet of cable to make an 8 foot cable. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




 I know, you are probably going to braid it, so I don't know, sorry.


----------



## mikesale

allanmarcus said:


> I soldered rarely, and then I built a BottleHead Crack. Now I make my own cables, and I think I do pretty well. Learn to tin wire, strip, and clean your iron tips after each solder.
> 
> The iron you have picked is pretty damn nice. Overkill for the part time user. This is the one I got:
> http://www.amazon.com/Stahl-Tools-SSVT-Temperature-Soldering/dp/B0029N70WM
> ...


 

 Thanks for the pointer on the iron and suggestion for practice. A HUGE thank you for the connector pointer! Any suggestion on "inexpensive wire" for RCA cables? 
  
 I'm south of Denver; I think I saw you in passing at the Denver meet up last year at the library. My very first meet of any kind; I was shy & overwhelmed by the volume of cool gear and amazing DIY amps, cables, mods, etc.. Did you ever find that water bottle?


----------



## mikesale

rmoody said:


> Third hands are a must.
> If you are getting older like I am, magnification, I've got a cheap lighted magnifier I wear on my head. It's the only way I can see those tiny solder spots.
> I'm using a cheap automatic stripper, like $3 cheap. Seems to work ok, no nicked wires so far.
> Flux.
> ...


 

 Good catch! I definitely need the 3rd hands.


----------



## Allanmarcus

mikesale said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > I soldered rarely, and then I built a BottleHead Crack. Now I make my own cables, and I think I do pretty well. Learn to tin wire, strip, and clean your iron tips after each solder.
> ...


 
 Never found it. 
  
 I get many of my items from markertek. They have good prices and free shipping. 
  
 Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad Microphone Cable by the Foot is good
 Mogami W2534 Neglex Quad Microphone Cable
  
 Canare L-2T2S Audio Cable Black is good for two wire needs. I would start with this.
  
 Another fun cable to make is a female 4 pin XLR to male TRS 1/4". Use quad cable for that.
  
 Also, I used YouTube to learn about stuff all the time. Tinning and soldering are well covered there.
  
 Oh, a multi-meter is very important, or some way to check on continuity.


----------



## Allanmarcus

One more thing I highly recommend. A wire stripper that can go as low as 26awg.
  
 I got this one from Parts Express for $5 + shipping
 http://www.parts-express.com/7-in-1-wire-stripper-crimper-26-16-awg--360-632
  
 I also had to use the crimper part when I made MrSpeakers cables.


----------



## msd94

As someone who's just done simple headphone mods (putting panelmount RCA or 1/8" F connectors in headphones to replace a broken cable) how realistic do you think it would be for me to make a new cable for my Shure SE535? I've looked into it a little but can't seem to find anything but crimp connectors for RF use on the MMCX connectors, would that work for an audio cable?


----------



## Allanmarcus

msd94 said:


> As someone who's just done simple headphone mods (putting panelmount RCA or 1/8" F connectors in headphones to replace a broken cable) how realistic do you think it would be for me to make a new cable for my Shure SE535s? I've looked into it a little but can't seem to find anything but crimp connectors for RF use on the MMCX connectors, would that work for an audio cable?


 
  
 Do those use MMCX? 
  
 This might help. Stuff lunashop sells for the SE535. I'm not sure it will work on the "s", but it might


----------



## msd94

allanmarcus said:


> Do those use MMCX?
> 
> This might help. Stuff lunashop sells for the SE535. I'm not sure it will work on the "s", but it might


 
 yes it's MMCX. and my mistake, it's the SE535, Have you used lunashop's cables? I want something of good quality (at least as good as the stock) that will last, preferably without the terrible memory wire that makes it impossible for me to wear these comfortably. I would like to get into cable making but starting with IEM cables just seems very difficult. Would it be worth me trying to make my own or just buy one premade?


----------



## Allanmarcus

msd94 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Do those use MMCX?
> ...


 
  
 I purchased some cheap cable from them, and it was cheap. I've also purchases some connectors, and they were decent quality. They aren't that expensive, but stuff can take a long time to get arrive since they literally use a slow boat from china (I think)


----------



## Benny-x

benny-x said:


> I also need some help.
> 
> I'm making up a few headphone cables for myself and I always liked the look for this clear heatshrink, but I have no idea what it is. It's much clearer, shiny, and almost thicker looking than anything else I've seen on eBay or whatever. Most clear heatshrink has a kind of cloudy look to it.
> 
> ...


 
  
*2 Questions:*
 A. Where can I get fancy, clear heat shrink like on that adaptor? It looks thicker.
 B. How can I insulate carbon fibre sleeving from rubbing too much on the wires and from the outer nylon multifilament jacket? I thought of using teflon tape. I don't want to add anything to make the cable too stiff.


----------



## mikesale

Making my very first cable ever for my HE-560 with 2 separate 2.5mm cup connectors and I need to figure out the various sizes of heat shrink to purchase for:

2x 2.5mm connectors?
Y-split over 4-braid to 2x 2-braid
¼" Connector
3.5mm connector?
Braided Paracord over 26awg to connector
  
 I believe I'll need very small diameter for the connectors to isolate within the connectors after soldering, but what size and where do I get clear?
  
 For the stuff that can be seen outside the connectors, what diameters? 2:1 or 3:1?
  
 The options exploring at http://www.avoutlet.com are massive! (except I cannot find clear there)


----------



## Arty McGhee

mikesale said:


> Making my very first cable ever for my HE-560 with 2 separate 2.5mm cup connectors and I need to figure out the various sizes of heat shrink to purchase for:
> 
> 2x 2.5mm connectors?
> Y-split over 4-braid to 2x 2-braid
> ...


 
 this is pretty much all i use these days
 its 3:1 so it will go down to 1/8" and its adhesive
 so it holds everything together like hotglue
  
http://www.markertek.com/product/mac-11630/dual-wall-heat-shrink-tubing-8-piece-pack-3-8-inch-x-6-inch-clear


----------



## mikesale

arty mcghee said:


> this is pretty much all i use these days
> its 3:1 so it will go down to 1/8" and its adhesive
> so it holds everything together like hotglue
> 
> http://www.markertek.com/product/mac-11630/dual-wall-heat-shrink-tubing-8-piece-pack-3-8-inch-x-6-inch-clear


 
 Thank you! Other then cable-over-connector, for which it seems ideal, where do you use this where on cables? For Y splitter? Over soldered wire on the connector?


----------



## Allanmarcus

mikesale said:


> Making my very first cable ever for my HE-560 with 2 separate 2.5mm cup connectors and I need to figure out the various sizes of heat shrink to purchase for:
> 
> 2x 2.5mm connectors?
> Y-split over 4-braid to 2x 2-braid
> ...


 

 there are numerous heat shrink kits on amazon for <$15. I find that I tend to use the larger pieces much more than the small ones. 2:1 is good for most work, but occasionally you want 3:1. I'm not sure when to use adhesive heat shrink yet, as I have never used it.
  
 3:1 can be a bit pricey. I purchase a few 3 foot lengths from eBay, and a few assorted black and colored kits from amazon.


----------



## rmoody

mikesale said:


> Thank you! Other then cable-over-connector, for which it seems ideal, where do you use this where on cables? For Y splitter? Over soldered wire on the connector?


 

 For my Y I used some 5:1 heat shrink with adhesive I got at Home Depot. Get it shrunk down and while it's' still warm, take needle nose pliers and press between the cables leading to the headphones. Comes out nicely. See:


----------



## PETEREK

mikesale said:


> Thank you! Other then cable-over-connector, for which it seems ideal, where do you use this where on cables? For Y splitter? Over soldered wire on the connector?


 
 For anyone wondering how to make splitters like the one below, get some siphoning tube (I'm not totally sure on the diameter, 3/16" or 1/4" depending on whether they measure from the ID or OD), push the sleeves into each end of a 1-1.5" piece of that siphoning tube, then insert the tip of your hot glue gun inside an opening and fill it with hot glue. Afterwards use some 3/8" heat shrink tubing over the top of it and make sure that heat shrink tube is about 1/4" longer than the siphoning tube. Heat it. If you want to get real fancy, put some clear heat shrink over that.
  
 BOOM.


----------



## rmoody

peterek said:


> For anyone wondering how to make splitters like the one below, get some siphoning tube (I'm not totally sure on the diameter, 3/16" or 1/4" depending on whether they measure from the ID or OD), push the sleeves into each end of a 1-1.5" piece of that siphoning tube, then insert the tip of your hot glue gun inside an opening and fill it with hot glue. Afterwards use some 3/8" heat shrink tubing over the top of it and make sure that heat shrink tube is about 1/4" longer than the siphoning tube. Heat it. If you want to get real fancy, put some clear heat shrink over that.
> 
> BOOM.


 
  
 Looks nice!


----------



## PETEREK

rmoody said:


> peterek said:
> 
> 
> > For anyone wondering how to make splitters like the one below, get some siphoning tube (I'm not totally sure on the diameter, 3/16" or 1/4" depending on whether they measure from the ID or OD), push the sleeves into each end of a 1-1.5" piece of that siphoning tube, then insert the tip of your hot glue gun inside an opening and fill it with hot glue. Afterwards use some 3/8" heat shrink tubing over the top of it and make sure that heat shrink tube is about 1/4" longer than the siphoning tube. Heat it. If you want to get real fancy, put some clear heat shrink over that.
> ...


 
 Thanks. Just trying to help others achieve the same thing. It's much simpler than it might seem when you first see it, and I'm exposing that.


----------



## mikesale

peterek said:


> For anyone wondering how to make splitters like the one below, get some siphoning tube (I'm not totally sure on the diameter, 3/16" or 1/4" depending on whether they measure from the ID or OD), push the sleeves into each end of a 1-1.5" piece of that siphoning tube, then insert the tip of your hot glue gun inside an opening and fill it with hot glue. Afterwards use some 3/8" heat shrink tubing over the top of it and make sure that heat shrink tube is about 1/4" longer than the siphoning tube. Heat it. If you want to get real fancy, put some clear heat shrink over that.
> 
> BOOM.


 

 A thing of beauty! and my "must try" list.


----------



## mikesale

peterek said:


> Thanks. Just trying to help others achieve the same thing. It's much simpler than it might seem when you first see it, and I'm exposing that.


 

 Looking to put something together like this and wondering what you mean when you refer to "siphoning tube"? I'm just thinking of something hard to semi-hard slightly larger in in diameter then the two braids to the cups that you slip over the Y, then use the glue with the heat shrink to hold it in place. Anything more specific then that?
  
 Short version: What would one google to get back "siphoning tube" relevant to this solution?


----------



## Eudis

Hey guys, finished my successful 2.5mm mod on my THX00.
  
 Well I initially started with dual 3.5mm, but then converted it to a 2.5mm.
  


  
And the cable I made and used (dual 2.5mm to L 3.5mm, makes for a great portable cable too):

imgur ablum of the cable: https://imgur.com/a/GCxjH

For those wanting to perform the mod and feel confident doing so here are some brief and vague steps:


 Disassemble the cups. First you twist off the pads. You unscrew the inner screws (in the holes where the cup mounts go) and removed the wooded cups. Second you screw off the drivers off the housing. The are the outer screws.

 You desolder the wires off the drivers. Please note there will be a red marker on the + side and the - will be bare like so. Then you untie the knot and pull out the cable. Then you pull out the grommet.

 This is where gets tricky. You need a rotary tool with a triangular shaped grinder tip. You need to carefully grind the hold to fit the 2.5mm/3.5mm thread. It need about .5mm of widening to fit the thread, so be extra careful.

 Solder on your jack to the driver, on the ones I used, the gold pin was the middle ring (Right +) so I used the short none gold pin to find L + since I used mono connectors. The long is ground. Remember red marker is + and the other is ground.

 Look at this picture. Grind at your driver baffle exactly like I did. Please note that was when I did the 3.5mm jack, the 2.5mm jack is literally the same.

 Put the 3.5mm in and thread it tightly. Make sure the long pin is facing upwards. Then fit your driver back in and screw it to the housing. There's stand offs where the drivers will slot into. Once your done it'll look like this

 Now line up your wooden cups to the headphones. There are two indentations that line up with the swivel points inside the cups. Make not of where the 2.5mm/3.5mm jack lines up and use a rotary tool to grind a round indentation like so

 Line the wooden cups back up and screw them in place. And boom you're done.


 This initially took me about.....3-4 hours doing it blindly (figuring things out). I'm confident I can do it in 1-3 hours next time.

 

 

(The blue words are hyperlinks to imgur pictures. I copied this from a post I made elsewhere haha)


----------



## Allanmarcus

I find soldering onto connector to be a hassle something, especially with hard to clamp connectors like 4 pin XLR. I was thinking of building a small, but heavy, box with male and female connector attached to the box. Then when it's time to solder them, I just plug them into the box and they will be help in place really well. Nothing attached on the other end of the connectors inside the box; the box is just there has a receptacle to hold the actual connector in place which soldering. The added benefit is that the "helping hands" can be used to hold the wire, and then I have two human hands left for the solder and iron. 
  
 Anyone try this or have a better solution?


----------



## bluesaint

I recently ordered some 8 core OCC silver, copper combo cable. Those who has something similar, can you share how do you pair the core's for soldering to headphone and connector end?
  
 I'm going to use these cables to do the following:
  
 1.) re-wire headphone cables from cans to 4 pin XLR: How to pair the cores to the XLR connector?
 2.) create 4 pin XLR to TRS: How to pair the cores to the 1/4 TRS connector?
 3.) re-wire driver wires on meze classic 99


----------



## Eudis

bluesaint said:


> I recently ordered some 8 core OCC silver, copper combo cable. Those who has something similar, can you share how do you pair the core's for soldering to headphone and connector end?
> 
> I'm going to use these cables to do the following:
> 
> ...




1. Start with soldering the wire to the trrs. There's 8 wires in that braid so pair two wires to each conductor pin.

2. Get a multimeter and find which wire matches rings of the trrs and match it up with the proper pin on the xlr following its proper pin out schema


----------



## rmoody

eudis said:


> Hey guys, finished my successful 2.5mm mod on my THX00.
> 
> Well I initially started with dual 3.5mm, but then converted it to a 2.5mm.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Looks nice.
  
 What is that right angle plug that you used?


----------



## Eudis

It's from plussoundaudio. It's under diy. 

I'm not liking it. I overmeasured the amount of heatshrink and it spins around too much plugged into my phone. I'm going to re-terminate to a strait 3.5mm plug.


----------



## Eudis

These the 2.5mm Jacks I used: http://www.vetco.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=72_90&products_id=6830


----------



## Allanmarcus

eudis said:


> These the 2.5mm Jacks I used: http://www.vetco.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=72_90&products_id=6830


 

 did you use epoxy to secure the female jacks in the cups, or did you just use the nut?


----------



## rmoody

eudis said:


> It's from plussoundaudio. It's under diy.
> 
> I'm not liking it. I overmeasured the amount of heatshrink and it spins around too much plugged into my phone. I'm going to re-terminate to a strait 3.5mm plug.


 

 Thanks.


----------



## Eudis

allanmarcus said:


> did you use epoxy to secure the female jacks in the cups, or did you just use the nut?




I used the nut when I did the 3.5mm and then used hot glue when I redid them into 2.5mm. I didnt want to do epoxy because it'll be harder to remove compared to hot glue and I'm lazy. It's very secure with hot glue+the nut.


----------



## Eudis

Can any 3.5mm L connector with extended be used for fostex t50rps?

Do they sell the locking versions that are compatible with the t50rp just?

Any suggestions?


----------



## Allanmarcus

I have some Mogami W2524 cable. I was planning on making some RCA interconnects with it, but I read some stuff on the interwebs about wanting very low capacitance for RCA interconnects. Mogami bills this cable as "guitar" cable. Can anyone chime in on the efficacy of using this cable for 5 foot (1.5m) or shorter RCA interconnects?
  
 Thanks,

 Alaln


----------



## Buddhasummer

Hi there, 

This is my first post sorry it's a question. I've been reading this forum for a few years with interest and have recently moved into the financial abyss, I mean hobby, that is headfi. 

I own some first generation T1s and recently purchased a Phasemation EPA-007x head amp. The EPA is dual mono so I have re terminated my SE to dual 3 pin XLR. My question is what to do with the sheid wires? It seems some say insulate and leave floating i.e do not attach and some say attach to the ground lug on the XLR. I'm confused what should be done with the shield .

I have the same question regarding shield as I'm making an adaptor cable SE with dual 3 pin XLR female so I can still use the T1s with my Metrum Aurix amp, do I not attach the shield or attach? Or does it not matter either way. To add, I'm using some mogami for the adapter cable which being a single cable as opposed to the T1s twin, I only have one shield wire so if I need to connect sheid would I half the shield so one half goes to left XLR and the other to the right XLR?

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated and accepted. I have asked several cable makers but either they were not too sure or simply didn't answer.

Sorry if this is a basic question, I did read this whole thread but seem to have read conflicting answers, assuming my understanding is correct. 

Thanks in advance, with respect, Simon...


----------



## Allanmarcus

buddhasummer said:


> Hi there,
> 
> This is my first post sorry it's a question. I've been reading this forum for a few years with interest and have recently moved into the financial abyss, I mean hobby, that is headfi.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I've attached them on some, and cut 'em off on others. Unless you are in a place with massive EMI issues, it shouldn't matter for a headphone cable. One guy on the T1 thread said he likes the sound better with the sock cable an plug, but with the shield disconnected. 
  
 You can alway fold them back, solder everything else, then try it. Then attache them, and try it again. If you like, keep em. If not, clip clip and your done.


----------



## Buddhasummer

Thank you very much, I will do as you suggest. Cheers.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I'm trying something that I though would be easy, and now I'm worried. I'm making a cable for an HD800 for a fellow head-fi-er. Holy crap, them pins are tiny. For those that haven't seem them:
  

  
 Yes, that ridiculously tiny thing on the right. To make it worse, I think one solders to the smaller wires on that thing!
  


 That's like a 2mm surface to solder, with 1mm separating them!
  
 So, I'm looking for hints and suggestions on how to get this right. I hear these things melt easily too, so I don't want to do that. The pair of connectors is like $45! What the hell was Sennheiser thinking?


----------



## rmoody

allanmarcus said:


> I'm trying something that I though would be easy, and now I'm worried. I'm making a cable for an HD800 for a fellow head-fi-er. Holy crap, them pins are tiny. For those that haven't seem them:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Those are not any smaller than the connectors used in MrSpeaker's cables.
  
 Third hands, and a lighted head magnifier and you should be good.
  
 http://smile.amazon.com/SE-MH1047L-Illuminated-Multi-Power-Magnifier/dp/B003UCODIA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1460686632&sr=8-4&keywords=lighted+magnifier
  
 I tin the wires, put a little flux on the connector, clean my iron, put a little bit of solder on the iron, get the wire in position, touch the iron to the solder cup/wire, done.


----------



## Allanmarcus

rmoody said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > I'm trying something that I though would be easy, and now I'm worried. I'm making a cable for an HD800 for a fellow head-fi-er. Holy crap, them pins are tiny. For those that haven't seem them:
> ...


 

 Thanks for the advice. I've made two MrSpeakers cables for my Ether C, so I've soldered 4 of those connectors. This HD800 connector pins are smaller and closer together.
  
 It's hard to see in the picture, but there's a little reservoir in each pin, so I will drop a tiny bit of solder in there, tin, then touch, as moody suggests. I don't have any flux, but maybe I need some.


----------



## PETEREK

allanmarcus said:


> I'm trying something that I though would be easy, and now I'm worried. I'm making a cable for an HD800 for a fellow head-fi-er. Holy crap, them pins are tiny. For those that haven't seem them:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Just solder your wires onto the outside of the pins, should be pretty easy that way. Then you don't have to be afraid of bridging the pins.


----------



## Benny-x

peterek said:


> For anyone wondering how to make splitters like the one below, get some siphoning tube (I'm not totally sure on the diameter, 3/16" or 1/4" depending on whether they measure from the ID or OD), push the sleeves into each end of a 1-1.5" piece of that siphoning tube, then insert the tip of your hot glue gun inside an opening and fill it with hot glue. Afterwards use some 3/8" heat shrink tubing over the top of it and make sure that heat shrink tube is about 1/4" longer than the siphoning tube. Heat it. If you want to get real fancy, put some clear heat shrink over that.
> 
> BOOM.


 
 Thanks for the little tutorial on that. 
  
 Now, what kind of clear heat shrink did you put on over that to finish it off? Besides your branding on it, what's the material or how could I find that same, super clear, thick heat shrink?


----------



## buke9

Well since I pulled the trigger on a Yggdrasil I though i would give it some love. A little solid silver love. I had to cannibalize the connectors from my old interconnects so I can't tell if there is a big difference in sound but the Yggy is really good.


----------



## rmoody

buke9 said:


> Well since I pulled the trigger on a Yggdrasil I though i would give it some love. A little solid silver love. I had to cannibalize the connectors from my old interconnects so I can't tell if there is a big difference in sound but the Yggy is really good.


 
  
 Very nice, where do you source your solid silver wire?


----------



## buke9

rmoody said:


> Very nice, where do you source your solid silver wire?


 
 Ebay a guy in the UK. 6 x 26 awg . $50 for one meter. Pre braided.


----------



## Kestlerify

I'm trying to fix my headphones, and I'm looking for cable and jacks. I want the cable to be removable from the headphones so I can switch different length cables to use on pc and hometheater. Anyway. Could someone help me find the jack that goes inside the headphones and jack that goes on to the both ends of the cable? I would like to have small jacks like in this picture (Sorry cant add pictures). Also, they should be able to ship to Finland!

 http://cdn.head-fi.org/7/77/77cd37a7_s-l1600.jpeg


----------



## buke9

kestlerify said:


> I'm trying to fix my headphones, and I'm looking for cable and jacks. I want the cable to be removable from the headphones so I can switch different length cables to use on pc and hometheater. Anyway. Could someone help me find the jack that goes inside the headphones and jack that goes on to the both ends of the cable? I would like to have small jacks like in this picture (Sorry cant add pictures). Also, they should be able to ship to Finland!
> 
> http://cdn.head-fi.org/7/77/77cd37a7_s-l1600.jpeg


 
 There are lots on Ali Express that I'm sure ship to Finland .


----------



## q2klepto

Balanced audio quesiton - does it matter if the positive signal is connected to whats normally the ground on the earphone side?
  
 TRS1 = Tip = R+
 TRS1 = Sleeve = R-

 TRS2 = Tip = L-
 TRS2 = Sleeve = L+
  
 Would i get polarity/phase issues if its wired this way?


----------



## Allanmarcus

OK, this is amusing. Kimber Kable showed some headphone cable at AXPONA and this is how Enjoy The Music reported it:
  


> Kimber Kable developed a new precision hand-braided process that allows the conductors to seamlessly separate from 16 wires to 8 wires within the transition. This eliminates the need for a solder joint, which can be detrimental to the sound


 
 http://www.enjoythemusic.com/AXPONA_2016/Kimber_Kable_Axios/
  
 Just think, they developed a way not to have a solder joint at the Y split! Why didn't anyone here thing of that?


----------



## PETEREK

allanmarcus said:


> OK, this is amusing. Kimber Kable showed some headphone cable at AXPONA and this is how Enjoy The Music reported it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Man, they're just paving a new path, eh?


----------



## Benny-x

allanmarcus said:


> OK, this is amusing. Kimber Kable showed some headphone cable at AXPONA and this is how Enjoy The Music reported it:
> 
> http://www.enjoythemusic.com/AXPONA_2016/Kimber_Kable_Axios/
> 
> Just think, they developed a way not to have a solder joint at the Y split! Why didn't anyone here thing of that? :atsmile:


 have any of you guys checked out the Kimber? As far as I know it is unique and I'm going to order one.


----------



## Allanmarcus

benny-x said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > OK, this is amusing. Kimber Kable showed some headphone cable at AXPONA and this is how Enjoy The Music reported it:
> ...




I'm gonna guess that not too many people that make their own cables also buy $800 Kimber Kables.


----------



## rmoody

allanmarcus said:


> I'm gonna guess that not too many people that make their own cables also buy $800 Kimber Kables.


 

 In my case, you would be correct. I just can't see paying $800 for maybe $100 in materials. I don't care how much effort it takes to braid the thing. Guess what? My cables also don't have those terrible splices at the Y. It's not some top secret formula, you just braid all of the individual wires until you reach the Y and then split them off with a fewer number of wires. What exactly makes them think this is some miraculous technological advancement worth charging 3 to 4 figures for? To each their own. Maybe they do sound better. So what. I highly doubt I could tell the difference between their cables and a coat hanger when it comes to sound quality. I'd rather spend the money on, well, ANYTHING else. I digress.


----------



## MrMan

=)


----------



## tjdub

@PETEREK I got the female 3.5mm jack that you suggested, I just need some advice on how to wire it. Is it 1=ground 2=right 3=left?


----------



## tjdub

@PETEREK I got the female 3.5mm jack that you suggested, I just need some advice on how to wire it. Is it 1=ground 2=right 3=left?


----------



## rmoody

tjdub said:


> @PETEREK I got the female 3.5mm jack that you suggested, I just need some advice on how to wire it. Is it 1=ground 2=right 3=left?


 
 http://pinoutsguide.com/Home/Tele35s_pinout.shtml


----------



## Benny-x

allanmarcus said:


> I'm gonna guess that not too many people that make their own cables also buy $800 Kimber Kables.


 
 Did you ever think that some people do this as a hobby for the easy connections, but in the critical locations, like the last conductors before the drivers, you'd want to use the best, most advanced cables out there? When Kimber is releasing something like the Axios, I already know my DIY work can't compete. Money well spent, IMO.
  
  
  
  
  
  
*you've got to have figured out I'm just messing around by now. It's braiding... A fuukcing kumihiko braid is 100X more complicated than this, and those have been around for ages. Those miraculously go from any large number of wires in 2 halves, just like we've all been doing for ages. And without solder... This is an add for people who have more dollars than sense. That only care about getting something expensive and then saying it's the best. Good on them. I think my cables are better anyway, but they do have more than $100 worth of materials, which I'm now starting to cry a bit about as it keeps climbing...


----------



## Allanmarcus

benny-x said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > I'm gonna guess that not too many people that make their own cables also buy $800 Kimber Kables.
> ...


 
  
 For with money to burn, the potentially small increase a sound quality from specialized cables might be worth it. If you have already spent $k on an amp, $2k on a DAC, and 1-5K on headphones, you _might_ be able to hear the difference with a Kimber Kable over a well made DIY or a decent $200 cable. "money well spent" is very relative, and I doubt most head-fi-ers, especially the ones on the DIY thread would agree. 
  
 That all said, is the kimber braid reproducible for us wanna-be's that would rather spend $13 on 18 feet of Mogami W2799 and $20-$30 on connectors? I plan on making my own 8 conductor cable and then blind testing it with my other DIY cables


----------



## Benny-x

allanmarcus said:


> For with money to burn, the potentially small increase a sound quality from specialized cables might be worth it. If you have already spent $k on an amp, $2k on a DAC, and 1-5K on headphones, you _might_ be able to hear the difference with a Kimber Kable over a well made DIY or a decent $200 cable. "money well spent" is very relative, and I doubt most head-fi-ers, especially the ones on the DIY thread would agree.
> 
> That all said, is the kimber braid reproducible for us wanna-be's that would rather spend $13 on 18 feet of Mogami W2799 and $20-$30 on connectors? I plan on making my own 8 conductor cable and then blind testing it with my other DIY cables


 
 Are you trying to reverse troll me?


----------



## Allanmarcus

benny-x said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > For with money to burn, the potentially small increase a sound quality from specialized cables might be worth it. If you have already spent $k on an amp, $2k on a DAC, and 1-5K on headphones, you _might_ be able to hear the difference with a Kimber Kable over a well made DIY or a decent $200 cable. "money well spent" is very relative, and I doubt most head-fi-ers, especially the ones on the DIY thread would agree.
> ...


 
 I have no idea. I'm just writing honestly.
  
 I do wonder if the kimber braid is anything special, or if a "standard" braiding tutorial at http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos/8strand1.htm is pretty much the same.


----------



## tjdub

Thanks for the link moody, worked like a charm


----------



## rmoody

tjdub said:


> Thanks for the link moody, worked like a charm


 

 Cool beans, any time! Just wanna help any way I can. I have to look these things up myself to make sure I'm doing it right.
  
 I have this note book of notes about stuff like this. Sometimes it's notes about how to upgrade/cross flash the firmware of my HBA for my file server, or notes on how to configure the POS router to work with my IPFire router, other times, it's my cable making notes. One page has the pinouts of TRS, TRRS, XLR and the Hirose connectors that Dan uses for MrSpeakers when I was making my modular cables. I guess it's the aircraft mechanic still in me, never remember, always have the manual with you. Bad things happen when you get over confident and think you know everything. One day this came in handy after I replaced my IPCop router with the IPFire system and we had no Intertubez. I was able to coach my wife through fixing it with my notes over the phone.


----------



## tjdub

This was my practice run before I tackle my fostex th900 and x00. I am very happy with the outcome


----------



## rmoody

tjdub said:


> This was my practice run before I tackle my fostex th900 and x00. I am very happy with the outcome


 
 Nice, mic boom? Got any more pictures/info to share?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Ok, I'm making progress on the HD800 cable. Pins weren't that hard, but not easy. 



Question: once I assemble the connector, how do I provide strain relief? There's nothing in the connector for that. Heatshrink?


----------



## Allanmarcus

I ended up using 3-1 heat shrink


----------



## Benny-x

rmoody said:


> Cool beans, any time! Just wanna help any way I can. I have to look these things up myself to make sure I'm doing it right.
> 
> I have this note book of notes about stuff like this. Sometimes it's notes about how to upgrade/cross flash the firmware of my HBA for my file server, or notes on how to configure the POS router to work with my IPFire router, other times, it's my cable making notes. One page has the pinouts of TRS, TRRS, XLR and the Hirose connectors that Dan uses for MrSpeakers when I was making my modular cables. I guess it's the aircraft mechanic still in me, never remember, always have the manual with you. Bad things happen when you get over confident and think you know everything. One day this came in handy after I replaced my IPCop router with the IPFire system and we had no Intertubez. I was able to coach my wife through fixing it with my notes over the phone.


 
 The palest of ink is better than the best of memories. This is a very important saying to know.
  
 I keep several "emails" in gmail for audio notes, hardware notes, IT notes, car notes, and basically anything else that I need a working manual on using or doing something with that I might not be doing every day. I recommend this as gmail drafts, or google docs (but slower), are accessible anywhere you can log into your gmail from.


----------



## rmoody

allanmarcus said:


> I ended up using 3-1 heat shrink


 
 Looks good!


----------



## tjdub

Here's some pictures with the vmoda boom mic and a vmoda cable


----------



## Allanmarcus

Success! The HD800 cable for @kavasc is done! It even works too! Note, I don't normally make cables for others, but kavasc is a family friend.
  
 I can't believe how much I use the "channel identification" track from one of the demo CDs I have. I never thought it would be useful, but it's always great to hear "left change. this is the left channel" come from the left when I test a newly minted cable.
  

  
Sommer SC-Peacock MKII cable. Neutrik NC4MXX-B 4-Pin XLR-M Cable Connector. Tech Flex Nylon Multifiliament 3/8 sleeve on lower portion. Norne audio HD800 connectors.


----------



## MrMan

For mobile use.


----------



## Allanmarcus

mrman said:


> For mobile use.




  
 LOL! I was expecting Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz!


----------



## mikesale

allanmarcus said:


> Success! The HD800 cable for @kavasc is done! It even works too!
> 
> I can't believe how much I use the "channel identification" track from one of the demo CDs I have. I never thought it would be useful, but it's always great to hear "left change. this is the left channel" come from the left when I test a newly minted cable.
> 
> ...


 
 Very sleek looking. Nice work!


----------



## Allanmarcus

mikesale said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Success! The HD800 cable for @kavasc
> ...




Thanks. I tend to go for utilitarian most of the time.

I'm gonna try a braided cable in the next few weeks, and I might even try some paracord sleeving on the strands. My daughter is off to Girl Scout camp soon where she will braid lanyards. I'll be at home braiding cable. Ain't like funny


----------



## mikesale

allanmarcus said:


> I'm gonna try a braided cable in the next few weeks, and I might even try some paracord sleeving on the strands. My daughter is off to Girl Scout camp soon where she will braid lanyards. I'll be at home braiding cable. Ain't like funny


 
 Ha! I have a "crafty" wife and two daughters who made some cash braiding lanyards and bracelets. I fully intend to "outsource" to them (as I've already done to pull the inside string out of paracord!)


----------



## Allanmarcus

Naked, or not?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Oops, hit the reply a little too early there!

Naked or not? I have some Mogami quad cable, removed the insulation and shielding. I've need practicing braiding with 8cables, and I think I've got it. I'm concerned about microphonics if I sleeve the cable in 95 paracord, so I'm considering leaving it naked. Seems to me the kimber kable axios is naked, so why can't mine? 

But I also worry about the fragility of the wires and the relatively thin insolation. Any thought on naked or not for and 8 wire cable, split into 4 at the Y?


----------



## mikesale

allanmarcus said:


> Oops, hit the reply a little too early there!
> 
> Naked or not? I have some Mogami quad cable, removed the insulation and shielding. I've need practicing braiding with 8cables, and I think I've got it. I'm concerned about microphonics if I sleeve the cable in 95 paracord, so I'm considering leaving it naked. Seems to me the kimber kable axios is naked, so why can't mine?
> 
> But I also worry about the fragility of the wires and the relatively thin insolation. Any thought on naked or not for and 8 wire cable, split into 4 at the Y?


 

 Haha! If I didn't know there I was about to take you out for disparaging comments about my daughter! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 I'm doing 4 wires with each wire in 95 paracord and trying to keep the paracord loose. I haven't had time to actually solder the one connection and braid them as of yet (busy time for my at work).
  
 I personally would not do a full normally used HP cable unsheathed/paracord/etc., but have no problem with interconnect. That said, I've definitely seen people brave enough and haven't heard anything negative. Maybe generous use of heat shrink?
  
 Looking forward to hearing and seeing the 8 strand braid.


----------



## mengoswag

Do you guys know a good place to get pure silver wire?


----------



## goneraz

Hi i am planning to embark on my first diy project. I will be making a cabke for my jh16pro. Before i go out and start buying stuff i would like just to clarify a few things.
1) the .78mm connector - does it matter if i get the ground and poaitive mix up? There is only 2 pins and is it crucial for me to make sure that i get the groung on the right pin? Or i xan just simply solder on any pin.
2) if i need to make sure that the -ve and +ve are in the correct orientation then how do i find out which cable is positive and which is -ve.


----------



## rmoody

goneraz said:


> Hi i am planning to embark on my first diy project. I will be making a cabke for my jh16pro. Before i go out and start buying stuff i would like just to clarify a few things.
> 1) the .78mm connector - does it matter if i get the ground and poaitive mix up? There is only 2 pins and is it crucial for me to make sure that i get the groung on the right pin? Or i xan just simply solder on any pin.
> 2) if i need to make sure that the -ve and +ve are in the correct orientation then how do i find out which cable is positive and which is -ve.


 

 You want to make sure that + on the left is the same as the right. Say if one pin is shorter, and you choose to make that + on left, the short pin should be + on the right.
  
 Then again, maybe it won't matter on IEMs. I'd still do it that way. Just in case.
  
 With speakers you wind up with the speakers out of phase with each other if you don't keep the polarity the same.
  
 Use a multimeter in continuity mode to keep the wires sorted out.


----------



## Bartmil

What kind of cable can i use between the drivers? Just those that are thin and covered with "veneer"? That you have to sand, or burn then, to make a welding.


----------



## Celdur

I'm pretty new (as you can tell by my profile picture), but I've been on Head-Fi for a while - pardon me if I posted this in the wrong section. Recently my PortaPro cable broke, and since I'm a poor student and live in Canada, I don't want to spend the $20 (or the 6-8 weeks) to send them in and get them repaired under warranty. Saying that, normally I just recable headphones myself, but since these are such nice headphones I figured I'd ask for advice before I went through with it. 
  
 Since I like having a really small connector for the sake of portability (and since I'm not the best at soldering), I was considering taking apart a pair of Monoprice 9927s and using the braided cable on them as a replacement cable instead of making one myself - I've had good experiences using 9927 cables on other, cheaper headphones. However, I'm doubtful if such a cheap cable is the best choice for this (even though I trust in its durability), and I don't want to take apart a perfectly good pair of IEMs if I have better options. Does anyone have any other recommendations on pre-built, durable (and hopefully braided) cables that I could buy for around $10 and could stick in a pair of PortaPros? Are there any reasons why using a 9927 cable is a bad idea (sound quality or otherwise)?
  
 If you guys do have any recommendations, having an inline mic would be nice too - I have the KTC PortaPro version and I'd like to keep the mic on it.


----------



## remastered

rmoody said:


> You want to make sure that + on the left is the same as the right. Say if one pin is shorter, and you choose to make that + on left, the short pin should be + on the right.
> 
> Then again, maybe it won't matter on IEMs. I'd still do it that way. Just in case.
> 
> ...


U will experience out of phase if u end up connecting opposite polarity to ur iem. So u might wanna ensure that u get the connectors right


----------



## Bartmil

I mean, can i change the cable between, the drivers, for the cable on the center of the picture? The original cable are shielded? They need to be shielded?

 Thanks!


----------



## buke9

bartmil said:


> I mean, can i change the cable between, the drivers, for the cable on the center of the picture? The original cable are shielded? They need to be shielded?
> 
> Thanks!


 
 I don't see a reason for shielding it should work. I think they use smaller wire internal not to overheat the driver but I think it should work just watch the heat.


----------



## Bartmil

Thank you very much!


----------



## kernel8888

Hello, noob question here. Sorry if it has been answered previously, but will a 3 pin 3.5mm plug work to reterminate a lcd-2 cable?
  
http://www.amazon.com/Neutrik-NYS231BG-3-5mm-Stereo-Black/dp/B0008JFHII/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1462485009&sr=8-3&keywords=3.5mm+neutrik+plug
  
 looking at this one, but not sure if the 3-pin jack will work or how to solder the right strands to the  right pin on the plug.
  
 Any advice would be welcome, thanks!


----------



## funch

Yes you can, but why are you looking to do that?
  
 This plug is more expensive, but a vastly better plug. 
 http://www.amazon.com/Phone-Connectors-3-5mm-HANDL-piece/dp/B005T8TH84/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1462485248&sr=8-3&keywords=3.5mm+switchcraft+plug


----------



## kernel8888

i mainly use my lcd-2 straight out of my iphone, or out of my fiio e12, or centrance hifi m8 and don't like the bulk of the 1/4-3.5 adapter. plus I want to make it 4ft long so I'd reterminate at the 4ft length.
  
 is there anything to know about which pin on the plug to connect with which cable strands?


----------



## PETEREK

> Originally Posted by *kernel8888* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> Hello, noob question here. Sorry if it has been answered previously, but will a 3 pin 3.5mm plug work to reterminate a lcd-2 cable?
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Neutrik-NYS231BG-3-5mm-Stereo-Black/dp/B0008JFHII/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1462485009&sr=8-3&keywords=3.5mm+neutrik+plug
> ...


 


> Originally Posted by *kernel8888* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> i mainly use my lcd-2 straight out of my iphone, or out of my fiio e12, or centrance hifi m8 and don't like the bulk of the 1/4-3.5 adapter. plus I want to make it 4ft long so I'd reterminate at the 4ft length.
> 
> is there anything to know about which pin on the plug to connect with which cable strands?


 
  
 Hopefully you have a multimeter handy. You can cut the cable at whatever length you want and then strip the ends of each of the 4 wires. 
  
 Pins 1&4 are signals on the mini XLR connectors, 2&3 are the grounds. You can determine which of the 4 wires are left, right, and grounds using a multimeter using this info.
  
 Take both the grounds and twist them together, solder them to the sleeve (long soldering spot on the 3.5mm connector. Connect the left signal to the shortest soldering point, and the right to the remaining soldering point.
  
 You're finished!


----------



## Allanmarcus

allanmarcus said:


> Naked or not? I have some Mogami quad cable, removed the insulation and shielding. I've need practicing braiding with 8cables, and I think I've got it. I'm concerned about microphonics if I sleeve the cable in 95 paracord, so I'm considering leaving it naked. Seems to me the kimber kable axios is naked, so why can't mine?
> 
> But I also worry about the fragility of the wires and the relatively thin insolation. Any thought on naked or not for and 8 wire cable, split into 4 at the Y?


 
  
 Well, the braiding is complete. Here's what I learned. Doing a round braid on naked cable was impossible for me. I just couldn't control the wires and I got out of order too easily. The square braid was easier, but I didn't have a great system for when I had to stop for the night, so I have a few errors in the braid. My wife says that just proves it was hand made!
  
 I'll probably terminate balanced for an HD800 (my new toy), but the connectors aren't here yet. I'm still debating putting sleeving on the section between the Y and the balanced jack, mostly for protection, but the visible braid is cool. I might stop the sleeving a few inches below the Y, just to expose some the braiding. So many decisions! (so many first world problems, oh well


----------



## Kaszanas

allanmarcus said:


> Well, the braiding is complete. Here's what I learned. Doing a round braid on naked cable was impossible for me. I just couldn't control the wires and I got out of order too easily. The square braid was easier, but I didn't have a great system for when I had to stop for the night, so I have a few errors in the braid. My wife says that just proves it was hand made!
> 
> I'll probably terminate balanced for an HD800 (my new toy), but the connectors aren't here yet. I'm still debating putting sleeving on the section between the Y and the balanced jack, mostly for protection, but the visible braid is cool. I might stop the sleeving a few inches below the Y, just to expose some the braiding. So many decisions! (so many first world problems, oh well


 
  
 I am a noob up here, never tried making my own cables.
 Would you please explain on how to make a cable with spliter for CAL? This one looks badass.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Sorry, not sure what CAL means.


----------



## Kaszanas

allanmarcus said:


> Sorry, not sure what CAL means.


 
  
 It stands for Creative Aurvana Live - presumably one of the best phones for their price arround 45$ new and 20-25$ used in Poland.
 Cable goes up into 2 cups separately so I guess that I would have to make a cable that is split. somewhere on its length.
 I am not an expert tho, I am trying to get the idea on how to do it, so I can plan my work.


----------



## Allanmarcus

So what are you trying to accomplish with a new cable? That will help us to give you a better answer.


----------



## Kaszanas

allanmarcus said:


> So what are you trying to accomplish with a new cable? That will help us to give you a better answer.


 
  
 It might seem stupid to you but I just want to learn how to assemble cables overall. So I am not really seeking an improvement in sound but pure fun from DIY experiment. But if I can boost the quality all along it would be cool too.
 Nothing special. I would just like to make a replacement cable for 2 jack connector cups. Looking nice playing nice


----------



## Allanmarcus

kaszanas said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > So what are you trying to accomplish with a new cable? That will help us to give you a better answer.
> ...


 

 Go back to post #5073 and start there.


----------



## Allanmarcus

PanaVise. I just got one, and I love it. Way better than Helping Hands clips. There are two that I can recommend; the 201 and the 301. I have the 301.
  
 301. $54.99 MSRP, but commonly goes for $34

  
  
 201. MSRP $29.99, but commonly goes for $25 on amazon. Also, seems to include the Speed Control Handle in the box

  
 There sell a number of bases for these, but I just used an old piece of wood. Some suggest using a plastic cutting board.
  
 At any rate, the PanaVise combined with helping hands is very useful.


----------



## WMah

question for single sided headphones like the AKG K702/Q701's, if we are not going balanced, do we only use 3 wires for the cable? I'm just seeing some other aftermarket cable makers making single sided akg cables with 4 wires and just wondering if there's a rationale to it. the mini xlr connectors have a pretty small hole in the housing i am not too sure if a 4 wire braid can even get in there.


----------



## liquidzoo

wmah said:


> question for single sided headphones like the AKG K702/Q701's, if we are not going balanced, do we only use 3 wires for the cable? I'm just seeing some other aftermarket cable makers making single sided akg cables with 4 wires and just wondering if there's a rationale to it. the mini xlr connectors have a pretty small hole in the housing i am not too sure if a 4 wire braid can even get in there.




4 is standard (L, R, and 2 to Ground), but you can use 3.

I agree that it's hard to get 4 into the mini-xlr. I've cut off the very end of the rubber boot in the past to accomodate the 4 wire braid.


----------



## Toxic Cables

Hi Guys,
  
 we just took delivery of some more of our own custom connectors. We will be updating the new website in the next week or so with a huge range of connectors from most brands and our own. We should have everything you could ever need under one roof.
  
 As we also have our own industrial high resolution heatshrink printer now, we will also be offering a printing service, to give your cables that professional look that a logo can add.
  
 Below are pictures of just some of our new and existing connectors, including the first threaded IEM connectors, so no glue to mess around with. I have not had a chance to take pictures of all our own brand connectors yet, but we will try to get to them ASAP.
  
  
  
  
  ​  
  
 ​ ​


----------



## rmoody

Looking nice!
  
 Will you have any right angle 2.5mm TRRS?
  
 Please add detail pictures of the solder points. One thing I feel is missing from your site (and most others).


----------



## Toxic Cables

rmoody said:


> Looking nice!
> 
> Will you have any right angle 2.5mm TRRS?
> 
> Please add detail pictures of the solder points. One thing I feel is missing from your site (and most others).


 
 Unfortunately we have spoken to the factory that make our connectors for us and they are unable to produce them currently, we will keep trying.
  
 Absolutely, we intend on doing this for every single connector we sell. We have already done this on the site for our own brand connectors that are already listed.  Thank you for your suggestion.


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

Well, it seems the mono plugs on the ends of my cable that plug into the cans are loose. The solders look alright still, so it must be something internal in the plug

Anyway to fix it? If not, is it possible to usensure a stereo 3.5mm and plug it into the mono jacks?

If not I could just go mini-xlr


----------



## PinkyPowers

toxic cables said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> we just took delivery of some more of our own custom connectors. We will be updating the new website in the next week or so with a huge range of connectors from most brands and our own. We should have everything you could ever need under one roof.
> 
> ...




Just checked your site, and you have the silver + gold wire for an AWESOME price right now. I wish it were Litz, but even so, I'm tempted.


----------



## PETEREK

toxic cables said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> we just took delivery of some more of our own custom connectors. We will be updating the new website in the next week or so with a huge range of connectors from most brands and our own. We should have everything you could ever need under one roof.
> 
> ...


 
 The connectors look nice but those threaded IEM connectors were released by plusSound last year in July.


----------



## Toxic Cables

peterek said:


> The connectors look nice but those threaded IEM connectors were released by plusSound last year in July.


 
 Thanks you.
  
 I have not been active on these threads for over a year, have just been too busy making cables. With new staff now we have been able to dedicate one of the members to our parts sections. We have been using threaded IEM connectors coming close to a year now on our 2pin and MMCX cables, although we just switched the shape of the barrel couple months back. Not sure who Plusaudio is, but good to to hear others using this design as glue can get messy.
  
 These should be priced at £5.95 a pair, that's $8.50 at today's exchange rate.
  
 Edit: Meant Plussound, my bad.


----------



## Toxic Cables

pinkypowers said:


> Just checked your site, and you have the silver + gold wire for an AWESOME price right now. I wish it were Litz, but even so, I'm tempted.


 
 I have some sleeved Litz, if you are looking for PE sleeved silver litz, drop me a PM. I should have a bunch of discontinued and R&D sample silver litz wires in the workshop that we could do pretty cheap. Some are even pre terminated with OM Fitear/2 pin clear connectors.
  
 http://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product/silver-widow-25-5awg-french-silk-occ-cryo-litz-silver-wire/


----------



## Eudis

I've been trying source some decently priced litz copper wire for sometime now.

I've been using this stuff: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281831106775

It's cheap, looks nice, and always in Stock but it's microphonic as hell. I can't make any sleeveless cables with it because without the sleeving it picks ups a ton of noise.

Anyone got any suggestions? I don't mind ordering from China. Just want some nice litz wire to try for once.


----------



## relikk356

Can you let me know the hardware you used for this mod? I would like to replace the 500ft cable these come with!
  
  
 Quote:


eudis said:


> Hey guys, finished my successful 2.5mm mod on my THX00.
> 
> Well I initially started with dual 3.5mm, but then converted it to a 2.5mm.
> 
> ...


----------



## Eudis

Do you want to do a 2.5mm mod? You'll need a rotary too with grinder tips, 2.5mm stereo jacks, a soldering iron, and screw driver to just mod the headphones and a hot glue gun.


----------



## relikk356

eudis said:


> Do you want to do a 2.5mm mod? You'll need a rotary too with grinder tips, 2.5mm stereo jacks, a soldering iron, and screw driver to just mod the headphones and a hot glue gun.


 
 Yes, have all that. 
  
 What i was looking for is the female jack you used. 
  
 I have this on order but if you've already done it, i would rather get something i know will fit.
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/281728337447?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
  
 By the way, thanks for the fast response!


----------



## Eudis

relikk356 said:


> Yes, have all that.
> 
> What i was looking for is the female jack you used.
> 
> ...




That one will fit. You will need to widen the hole on housing for the cable by .5mm to get it fit perfect


----------



## relikk356

Okay, thanks!


----------



## tjdub

I'm about to do this MOD myself, to the ones that have done it do you leave one pin unused on the female plug as its made for stereo? Or should I ground it?


----------



## Eudis

Ignore it.


----------



## tjdub

Cool thanks. Witch pin did you ignore?


----------



## PETEREK

I recommend these 2.5mm plugs for Fostex detachable mods. It has a smaller diameter and fits into the hole well if you drill it out just _a little_. Secure with epoxy. 
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/131591427593?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


----------



## tjdub

Does look a lot sleeker than mine, but unfortunately I already cut the driver and the headphone chasis so I'm pretty much ready togo, the only thing I'm not to sure of is wiring mono to stereo plugs.


----------



## PETEREK

tjdub said:


> Does look a lot sleeker than mine, but unfortunately I already cut the driver and the headphone chasis so I'm pretty much ready togo, the only thing I'm not to sure of is wiring mono to stereo plugs.


 
 I recommend bridging the ring and the sleeve in a stereo plug so they're both the ground, and then obviously the tip is the signal. That way if you use the cable with another "mono" dual 2.5mm connection you'll know it will work. The way some of these manufacturers are wiring their headphones nowadays is strange, they might use the tip and the sleeve area or the tip and the ring, using both will ensure that the cable will work with any dual 2.5mm connection.


----------



## tjdub

Thanks guys , it took me a wile but everything turned out better than expected


----------



## rmoody

tjdub said:


> Thanks guys , it took me a wile but everything turned out better than expected


 

 Well don't tease us. Pics!!


----------



## ST4RL

Hello guys! I just started modding my headphones and I ran into a small problem, the connector I use seems to be too big and heavy which causes the audio to cut sometimes. Do you guys have any recommandations for small 3.5mm TRS connectors? The problem only occurs on my phone and when I use small earphones or IEMs with small connectors everything is okay. Thanks in advance guys and thanks for this great thread!


----------



## tjdub

rmoody said:


> Well don't tease us. Pics!!



Lol here you go


----------



## ST4RL

I almost forgot why do people braid their cables? For long cables already soldered on headphones I understand but when you make your own one I don't see why you would need to braid it.


----------



## PinkyPowers

st4rl said:


> I almost forgot why do people braid their cables? For long cables already soldered on headphones I understand but when you make your own one I don't see why you would need to braid it.




It's really just for the looks. A braid is strong, but is it really any stronger than a fine twisting? A braid is no less microphonic. Hell, it might even more worse, in some cases. But oh, how lovely it is.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I don't think the braid is microphonic. It's the nylon covering the wire that is microphonic.


----------



## PETEREK

Many things go into why cables transfer noise (microphonics). The thickness of the wire strands, the stiffness of the insulation (PE is normally the best for low microphonics because it's soft), the way the wires are connected to the connector's strain relief, and whether you have a sleeve or not. The braid's tightness can also lead to more microphonics, a looser braid _generally_ will have lower microphincs, but this isn't always the case.


----------



## PinkyPowers

allanmarcus said:


> I don't think the braid is microphone. It's the nylon covering the wire that is microphones.




That paracord one for my LCD-2 is the least microphonic cable I've ever used. That naked, braided copper for my Momentum 2.0 is pretty bad, though.


----------



## Allanmarcus

pinkypowers said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > I don't think the braid is microphone. It's the nylon covering the wire that is microphones.
> ...


 

 Interesting. So much for my theory. 
  
 BTW, here's my (almost) final 8 wire braided balanced HD800 cable. I'm one connector short of a final cable (story of my life , but the pin I need is on order.
  
 The nylon is hot knife cut, and loose at the "Y", so the 8 wire braid can be shown off. The wire is mogami W2799. I'm going to try a second version with individually sleeved wire. I'll keep the braid loose and see how that works out.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Nice work.


----------



## Whitigir

Braiding these cables is for better look and some what resisting EMI naturally. It doesn't do any much better than twisting, but braiding it will just make it more flexible. Nice TH X00 mods  I wonder if I could just do it with 3.5mm sockets.


----------



## tjdub

whitigir said:


> Braiding these cables is for better look and some what resisting EMI naturally. It doesn't do any much better than twisting, but braiding it will just make it more flexible. Nice TH X00 mods  I wonder if I could just do it with 3.5mm sockets.



That's what I used


----------



## Whitigir

tjdub said:


> That's what I used




Wait, I thought you used 2.5mm and not 3.5mm. What was the one you used, any links ? Thank you


----------



## tjdub

http://www.amazon.com/Lsgoodcare-3-5mm-Stereo-Panel-Connector/dp/B01DBNI0PE?
This is what I used


----------



## Whitigir

Thank you. Good to know it work


----------



## tjdub

Just be warned it did require a bunch of cutting. I'm definitely not going this rout with my th900, probably going with hifiman plugs as they seem less intrusive but over all I am very happy with the MOD


----------



## relikk356

tjdub said:


> Lol here you go


 
 How were you able to fit the connector jack in with the wood? I took it apart and did a quick test and it seems like the connector was not going to fit properly unless i cut a notch in the wood or it was sticking out from the bottom like a quarter inch. I felt that would look goofy, and didn't want to cut up the cups. Your pic seems to line up flush, so what am i missing?


----------



## Eudis

relikk356 said:


> How were you able to fit the connector jack in with the wood? I took it apart and did a quick test and it seems like the connector was not going to fit properly unless i cut a notch in the wood or it was sticking out from the bottom like a quarter inch. I felt that would look goofy, and didn't want to cut up the cups. Your pic seems to line up flush, so what am i missing?




Cut the cups.


----------



## relikk356

noooooooo. lol. Okay, well i guess ill be cutting the cups.


----------



## Whitigir

Cutting the cups will change the physical designs of the chambers. It will negatively affecting the sound produced. Sticking it out a bit is a better deal


----------



## Eudis

whitigir said:


> Cutting the cups will change the physical designs of the chambers. It will negatively affecting the sound produced. Sticking it out a bit is a better deal




Then only things that have changed for my THX00 was the highs getting tamed a little from cutting the cups. Otherwise it sounds the same.

Anyways I recommend smc.


----------



## tjdub

I didn't notice much sound change either, and @relikk I did cut the cups and the drivers. The sound actually changed for the better a bit because I changed the internal cable to silver litz and the cable that I am now using is way better then the original


----------



## PETEREK

whitigir said:


> Cutting the cups will change the physical designs of the chambers. It will negatively affecting the sound produced. Sticking it out a bit is a better deal


 
 If you seal the cup in that area it won't change the sound. If you hear a change in sound because of a small connector being in the cup you've got some kind of superhuman hearing.


----------



## BeingCyan

Looking to create my DIY iem cable.

Would something like this work for the wire? http://www.ebay.com/itm/30AWG-OD-0-7MM-PTFE-F4-Silver-Plated-OFC-Copper-Wire-300V-Cable-1M-5M-/322088610857?var=511016663956&hash=item4afdfa2c29mo76CnO1FMc0DdFY7UC5HIw

Sleeve : http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Meters-White-High-Densely-3mm-Expanding-Matte-Braided-Sleeving-Cable-Harness-/151768805792?hash=item23562031a0:g:vw4AAOSwyQtVuxgS

Is it correct to say I would cut four lengths of the above wire, braid them together and sleeve them up?
Anyone can give suggestion on thickness/sleeving/other wires if the above wires are not suitable?
Much appreciated.


----------



## buke9

beingcyan said:


> Looking to create my DIY iem cable.
> 
> Would something like this work for the wire? http://www.ebay.com/itm/30AWG-OD-0-7MM-PTFE-F4-Silver-Plated-OFC-Copper-Wire-300V-Cable-1M-5M-/322088610857?var=511016663956&hash=item4afdfa2c29mo76CnO1FMc0DdFY7UC5HIw
> 
> ...


 
 Looking at the wire it is 7 strand wire which tends to be a little stiff being such a small gauge it might not be though. The techflex stuff most certainly will be the way it looks I could be wrong . It is fairly cheap so won't be out much.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Hey there guys n´ gals :-D
  
 I am planning to make my first DIY cable in the near future, and need some advice.
  
 I will start with a rather "easy" one, a pair of RCA interconnects.
  
 First, the Parts i want to use:
  
 Connectors: http://www.furutech.com/2013/01/26/1037/
  
 Wires:           Mogami 2806  (hard to get in Austria) http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/console/
    Alternative:  http://shop.sommercable.com/en/Cables/Bulk-Cables-Audio/Mikrofonkabel-Club-Series-MKII-200-0051.html
  
 I will use only the inner strands of both wires, i plan to do either 6 or 8-wire braid.
  
 And now for the questions 
  
 If i use a braided cable, how many of the conductors will be used as signal and how many as ground?
 For Headphone cables i have read to use the same amount for signal and ground, does this also apply here?
  
 Will there be mayor problems with EMI due to the lack of a shield?
 The cables will be roughly 30cm in length, just fyi.
  
 Next about sleeving, i know that if i want to sleeve the whole cable i can use paracord 550, techflex nylon, shoelaces etc.
 I think i can handle how to use them, will be try and error, but not much unknown stuff i hope.
  
 What is more of a mystery is how to sleeve the individual conductors before braiding.
 All i found that might fit is Paracord 100 (~1,7mm dia) or 90 (~1,2mm dia), depending on size of the conductors.
 The Sommer has 1,5mm dia, so it should fit the para 100, but the Mogami has 1,9mm dia, and the next bigger paracord is 3mm dia.
 Any suggestions on what could be used (besides a smaller cunductor, duh  )
  
 And, how the hell am i supposed to get the single wires through the paracord?
 Both are very flexible i imagine, any tips/tricks on how to do this?
  
 And if you have any other information that comes with experience please feel free to add, i guess i will need every help i can get :-D


----------



## Allanmarcus

Lesson Learned:
  
 I made some RCA interconnects and I screwed up, but didn't know it!  After I soldered I checked continuity between R+/R+ and R-/R- and R+/R-, and the same on the left side. All was good.  
  
 When I used the cable, there was a significant channel imbalance. I then checked resistance with the multi-meter between R+/R- and found the resistance was't zero! It was fine on the left side. I reflowed the joints and had the same issue. I then desoldered, re-striped the wires and re-soldered. All is well now. I now know to check for resistance as well as continuity. 
  
 Hope this helps others.


----------



## uncola

allanmarcus good tip, except I don't know how to check resistance using my multimeter, only continuity


----------



## HirschiAUT

allanmarcus said:


> Lesson Learned:
> 
> I made some RCA interconnects and I screwed up, but didn't know it!  After I soldered I checked continuity between R+/R+ and R-/R- and R+/R-, and the same on the left side. All was good.
> 
> ...




Thanks for the info.
Could it be that on one cable the conductor had direct contact with the plug and on the other the connection was solely through the solder itself, thus having different resistance?
Just some sleepy thoughts while on commute at 5am


----------



## Allanmarcus

uncola said:


> allanmarcus good tip, except I don't know how to check resistance using my multimeter, only continuity




Just switch the multi meter to ohm (the symbol that looks like a horseshoe facing down). Any reading other than 0 is not good between two wires that should not be touching.


----------



## Allanmarcus

hirschiaut said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Lesson Learned:
> ...




I couldn't see anything touching, so I'm not sure what was happening.


----------



## relikk356

In case anyone cares....


----------



## tjdub

They look pretty good relikk, did you go with 2.5 or 3.5mm?, I like the cable to


----------



## relikk356

tjdub said:


> They look pretty good relikk, did you go with 2.5 or 3.5mm?, I like the cable to


 
 2.5mm. No real difference in audio quality but i did have to file down parts of the ear cups, and cut some of the driver molding to fit the new connections.


----------



## tjdub

That's what I had to do to, what I cable are you using?


----------



## Whitigir

relikk356 said:


> 2.5mm. No real difference in audio quality but i did have to file down parts of the ear cups, and cut some of the driver molding to fit the new connections.




So then, the 3.5 sockets will need even more cuts and file down to the chambers


----------



## relikk356

cable is from hifiman he400s.


----------



## jahsavi

Thinking about making my own headphone cable for the LCD-2, what soldering iron models do you guys use? Do I need temperature control?


----------



## bluewrx1025

This is the one I use. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BRC2XU/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687462&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000AS28UC&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1D453A0MK8ERTMRWPTW6


----------



## PETEREK

If you're looking to invest in a good soldering iron, I would get the Hakko FX888D. It's about $100 and is great. Heats up extremely quickly (under 30 seconds normally) and has a nice cable on the soldering iron which is extremely nice. 
 It's what I use.


----------



## Allanmarcus

jahsavi said:


> Thinking about making my own headphone cable for the LCD-2, what soldering iron models do you guys use? Do I need temperature control?


 

 Take a look here post #5073


----------



## PinkyPowers

peterek said:


> If you're looking to invest in a good soldering iron, I would get the Hakko FX888D. It's about $100 and is great. Heats up extremely quickly (under 30 seconds normally) and has a nice cable on the soldering iron which is extremely nice.
> It's what I use.




This is what I use too. It's very good.


----------



## jahsavi

Thanks for the suggestions on soldering irons. It's hard to read 350 pages to find answers. haha


----------



## Benny-x

pinkypowers said:


> This is what I use too. It's very good.


 
 Hakko FX-951 over here. I looked at the 888, but it was pricey over here and I got a real deal on an FX-951. It's a hell of a unit and I can't believe the build quality. It's going to outlast me, I'm sure of it. My vote is for Hakko, whichever model.


----------



## mengoswag

Well I mean can't go wrong with that $15 dollar soldering iron from fry's :^>


----------



## Allanmarcus

mengoswag said:


> Well I mean can't go wrong with that $15 dollar soldering iron from fry's :^>


 

 Actually, for a little more than $15 you can do better. Sure, the Hakko's are very nice, but you still want variable temp control. For low end, I recommend Stahl Tools SSVT Variable Temperature Soldering Station. $26 from Amazon. This is what I use, although with Father's Day approaching, I might add the Hakko to my with list


----------



## Allanmarcus

Oh, HAKKO FX-888D on sale at Fry's for $79.99 Shipping, for me, is $6, so a better price than amazon. 
  
 http://www.frys.com/product/7550776?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG


----------



## PinkyPowers

At work I use $3000 solder stations, but the FX888D is so good I never feel like I'm sluming it at home.


----------



## buke9

Stahl SSVT here 17.95 from parts express 5 for shipping and another 6 for assorted tips . I tend to use the small chisel bit the most.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

allanmarcus said:


> PanaVise. I just got one, and I love it. Way better than Helping Hands clips. There are two that I can recommend; the 201 and the 301. I have the 301.
> 
> 301. $54.99 MSRP, but commonly goes for $34
> 
> ...


 
 I've been using these for 20+ years......
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  

 Just KIDDING.


----------



## MP53

Michael Percy has some nice DIY gear!  Percy Audio


----------



## HirschiAUT

hirschiaut said:


> I am planning to make my first DIY cable in the near future, and need some advice.
> 
> I will start with a rather "easy" one, a pair of RCA interconnects.
> 
> ...




Anyone got some answers to my questions?
Most important would be EMI, wire distribution and sleeving of single wires


----------



## liquidzoo

hirschiaut said:


> Anyone got some answers to my questions?
> Most important would be EMI, wire distribution and sleeving of single wires




Generally I do 1 wire per signal (R and L) and 2 for ground. For RCAs, that's not entirely necessary. You can do 1 for the signal and 1 for ground for each side. 6 or 8 strand RCAs are going to look great, but I see a problem getting all of those wires inside the barrel.

EMI will be negligible at the signals that will be traveling through interconnects at the distances you'd be using them. Much more important to have strong solder joints.

Sleeving is just inching it through. It takes practice to be able to do it, but it is possible.


----------



## HirschiAUT

liquidzoo said:


> Generally I do 1 wire per signal (R and L) and 2 for ground. For RCAs, that's not entirely necessary. You can do 1 for the signal and 1 for ground for each side. 6 or 8 strand RCAs are going to look great, but I see a problem getting all of those wires inside the barrel.
> 
> EMI will be negligible at the signals that will be traveling through interconnects at the distances you'd be using them. Much more important to have strong solder joints.
> 
> Sleeving is just inching it through. It takes practice to be able to do it, but it is possible.




Thank you very much for the answer!

Regarding fitting an 8 or 6 braid, the furutech plugs can take cables up to ~8mm diameter.
If i get the mogami, one wire has 1.9mm dia, so a 6 braid should have approx 8mm on its thickest area if i am not mistaken, so it should fit right?
Or do you mean it will be hard to solder all those wires because of limited space inside the plug?


----------



## liquidzoo

hirschiaut said:


> Thank you very much for the answer!
> 
> Regarding fitting an 8 or 6 braid, the furutech plugs can take cables up to ~8mm diameter.
> If i get the mogami, one wire has 1.9mm dia, so a 6 braid should have approx 8mm on its thickest area if i am not mistaken, so it should fit right?
> Or do you mean it will be hard to solder all those wires because of limited space inside the plug?




A bit of both.

Don't forget, if you're sleeving the Mogami wire, you'll have to account for the sleeving diameter as well.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Here's my latest cable
  
 
  
  
  
 It's an 8 wire round braid, which was so much easier to do with paracord! I'm a little worried about the weight. I'm still waiting to get the tips from lunashops. Nothing like 45 day shipping!
  
 I'm also a little worried about stress relief at the tips. As you can see, I'm ready to solder the ends to the connectors, and then I plan on simple heat shrink over the connector and the paracord. Will regular heat shrink do the job, or do I need "adhesive heat shrink", or something else?


----------



## Whitigir

Looking good. What are the connectors ? If it has clamps then you should be good with regular heatshrink


----------



## jahsavi

Where did you buy the wire and mesh from? Was the wire already in the mesh? Thanks! Cable looks great btw!


----------



## Allanmarcus

whitigir said:


> Looking good. What are the connectors ? If it has clamps then you should be good with regular heatshrink




Sorry. HD800, so no inherent strain relief. No space for hot glue. 




jahsavi said:


> Where did you buy the wire and mesh from? Was the wire already in the mesh? Thanks! Cable looks great btw!




The sleeve is type 1 (95lb) paracord from Amazon. It comes with a string inside you have to remove, then you have to feed the bare wire into the paracord. Most of the wire worked great, but a few required Teflon tape. I also learned not to spare the Teflon tape, to it can fall off inside the paracord. Took about 30-60 minutes per wire (x 8), then a few hours to braid. I just did it while watching tv at night with the wife. 

The wire is stripped Mogami mini quad core W2799 from markertek (72 cents per foot). The XLR jack also from markertek.


----------



## Whitigir

For Hd800 connector you will have to use heavy duty adhesive heat shrink tubes to secure the joins and also form the bottom body to plug and unplug it more securely.....the way Hd800 connectors are *_*


----------



## Allanmarcus

whitigir said:


> For Hd800 connector you will have to use heavy duty adhesive heat shrink tubes to secure the joins and also form the bottom body to plug and unplug it more securely.....the way Hd800 connectors are *_*


 

 I was thinking of this stuff. Thoughts?
  
 http://www.amazon.com/URBEST®-87Pcs-Adhesive-Lined-Shrink/dp/B019EXKWRO


----------



## Whitigir

Those should be good stuff, if not enough then you can double the layer and you are set


----------



## jahsavi

Awesome, thank you! thank you! thank you!
  
  
 Just ordered the wire from markertek but I'm doing a different kind of cable so I ordered Mini-XLRs and a 1/4" connector on amazon with the 95lb paracord.
  
 I had an idea that I'm not sure will work but to connect the wire to the paracord core before pulling it out. This might save a lot of time! Just a thought.


----------



## Allanmarcus

jahsavi said:


> Awesome, thank you! thank you! thank you!
> 
> 
> Just ordered the wire from markertek but I'm doing a different kind of cable so I ordered Mini-XLRs and a 1/4" connector on amazon with the 95lb paracord.
> ...


 

 The challenge is how to connect the string to the wire and keep the connection incredibly thin so that the connection can pass through the sleeve. If you figure that out, let us know.


----------



## Allanmarcus

allanmarcus said:


> whitigir said:
> 
> 
> > For Hd800 connector you will have to use heavy duty adhesive heat shrink tubes to secure the joins and also form the bottom body to plug and unplug it more securely.....the way Hd800 connectors are *_*
> ...


 

 I decided to t ry these
  
 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C8I15EQ
  
 Dual Wall Adhesive Lined Heat Shrink KIT
 both red and black
 no writing on the tubing.


----------



## PETEREK

allanmarcus said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > whitigir said:
> ...


 
 Looks like there is lettering on the smaller tubes. If there is and you want it off, before you shrink it wipe the letters off with a Clorox wipe. Let it dry off and then shrink it.


----------



## Whitigir

I do not want to block my vent ports. Therefore, my final transformation will stick out and protrude out a lot. It may look bad, however I do not want to block out my vent ports as my post below shows how I COuld easily hear the changes in the sound signatures by rotating the foam discs as long as the vent ports are there. I am very happy with what I have here.


To further read on sound differences and impressions when these vents are changes, blocked, you can visit this thread.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/802704/th-900-fostex-ez-simple-mods-and-other-fostex-dynamic-variants-x00-denon-mor


----------



## Eudis

Added some 2.5mm my THX00 stock cable to compliment the 2.5mm jacks and its custom cable.


----------



## ChrisIsAwesome

Hello everyone, I have a question specifically for the Ak-Pef21 since I'm looking to make my own balanced interconnects for ak100II to 3pin xlr amp input on the Woo audio wa22. 
 How does the PEF21 ground without causing hum since it has only 2 wires going to each 3pin xlr? I thought that devices needed to be grounded on each end of the signal to eliminate ground noise/ interference.
  

 I've already ordered supplies and plan on making a six cable braid. 2 ground wires going from the 3.5 phono to the xlr ground and 4 wires from the 2.5 TRRS 4pole to the L and R channels.
 Will this work? or is there an easier way to ground the circuit. I have very limited knowledge.


----------



## kenblu24

Hello. I'm looking to restore a pair of old Bose Triports (around ear). I need to solder some cables onto the actual speaker. I wanted to just use a cable from some cheap earbuds on amazon, but I have no idea how to cleanly cut those wires. They have those really strong fiberglass-like core where the wires are wrapped around, bundled together. Anybody have any tips for this?


----------



## rmoody

chrisisawesome said:


> Hello everyone, I have a question specifically for the Ak-Pef21 since I'm looking to make my own balanced interconnects for ak100II to 3pin xlr amp input on the Woo audio wa22.
> How does the PEF21 ground without causing hum since it has only 2 wires going to each 3pin xlr? I thought that devices needed to be grounded on each end of the signal to eliminate ground noise/ interference.
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Balanced cables do not require a ground for short runs. Nothing wrong with it, just not needed. This cable is only using two pins at each XLR. +R -R +L -L I would just forego the ground wires and just go 4 wires total. Those 5th and 6th wires are going to be dern hard to get into a 3.5mm TRRS and won't really benefit you. I'm sure Buke will drop by give you some advice also.


----------



## ChrisIsAwesome

That's interesting. I copied this from another thread:
  
 Moon Audio- "We are no longer building a cable that goes from the AK to AC powered devices. The AK because it has no true earth ground can some times cause a hum issue between it and a AC power device like the HDVD800. We have had a bunch of returns as a result. So we will no longer offer such a cable as it is hit or miss depending on your home's grounding or electronics grounding."
  
 The PEF21 has the 3.5 phono which i assumed they where using as a dedicated ground wire, also shown on DHC's cable to eliminate hum.
 Or is it unrelated to the cable and an issue with the audio signal ac/dc.


----------



## UNOE

Where is some good places to buy some wires and female connectors.


----------



## Allanmarcus

unoe said:


> Where is some good places to buy some wires and female connectors.




Certainly depends on what you are looking for. I get lots of stuff from markertek, but if you are looking for non standard or exotic stuff, not there.


----------



## rmoody

unoe said:


> Where is some good places to buy some wires and female connectors.


 

 I like Redco Audio, but like Allanmarcus says, it depends on what you want/need.


----------



## WickedSharp

Hello,
  
 First ever posting on Head-Fi!
 I'm looking for two things to help me upgrade my Sony MDR-V6 cable
  
 1) A quality 1/4 stereo plug that fits nicely with 4.80mm outer diameter cable cable (L-4E5C).
 2) Ideas for sleeve/jacket material, including size and even source for purchase. (I don't want to strip the cable).


----------



## PLUSSOUND

unoe said:


> Where is some good places to buy some wires and female connectors.


 
 We offer DIY connectors, plugs, and other components on our website. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
  
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


----------



## Allanmarcus

plussound said:


> unoe said:
> 
> 
> > Where is some good places to buy some wires and female connectors.
> ...


 

 Interesting stuff.. Any chance you can post pictures of the jacks without the covers?
  
 Specially I'm wondering about the 2.5mm Mono Connectors.


----------



## PLUSSOUND

plussound said:


> We offer DIY connectors, plugs, and other components on our website. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
> 
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


 
  
  


allanmarcus said:


> Interesting stuff.. Any chance you can post pictures of the jacks without the covers?
> 
> Specially I'm wondering about the 2.5mm Mono Connectors.


 

 Sure, here's the 2.5mm Mono Connector:


----------



## UNOE

Thanks for the replies.  Im not sure what I want yet but this is good start.  I tried soldering something and melted the plastic in the 3.5mm connector so have to redo it.  I opened up a pair of old IEM to practice on.  And noticed I have no idea how this wire works its thin wire with no insulation.  There is 5 wires because it has a mic too.  The 3.5mm was loose and worked half the time so wanted to repair the end.  But this is strange.  I don't see how these wires are isolated one from another.


----------



## FindingNewSound

Hi all,
  
 I have some questions about mono to stereo headphone cable (e.g., HD700, HE1000):
 1. Are there any pros or cons to going for 8 conductors (which then split into 4 and 4) compared to 4 conductors (2 for each side)?
  
 2. In the case of 8 conductors, what is the best way to solder the 4 conductors in each side (e.g., 2 for signal and 2 for ground)?
  
 Cheers,


----------



## Whitigir

findingnewsound said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have some questions about moto to stereo headphone cable (e.g., HD700, HE1000):
> 1. Are there any pros or cons to going for 8 conductors (which then split into 4 and 4) compared to 4 conductors (2 for each side)?
> ...





General rules 

1/ more conductors = more conductivity. 

2/ correct


----------



## FindingNewSound

Thanks for the answer, but because having more conductors = having more ground wires (which are also signal return wires), wouldn't that introduce more interference or distortion? I'm talking about unbalanced cables btw.


----------



## Whitigir

findingnewsound said:


> Thanks for the answer, but because having more conductors = having more ground wires (which are also signal return wires), wouldn't that introduce more interference or distortion? I'm talking about unbalanced cables btw.




I think you are confused between interferences, shielding, and distortions .


----------



## FindingNewSound

Hi,
  
 Sorry I just realised I worded it wrong. What I meant was interference, so does having more ground/signal return wires means picking up more interference?


----------



## Whitigir

findingnewsound said:


> Hi,
> 
> Sorry I just realised I worded it wrong. What I meant was interference, so does having more ground/signal return wires means picking up more interference?




No, why should it be ? Grounding means grounding....the more ground, the faster the external unwanted signals dispersed and the more efficient your hot signals can conduct


----------



## FindingNewSound

Yea but for unbalanced cable, the ground wire is also the signal return one and it does carry audio signal, so it follows that having more ground = getting more interference?


----------



## Whitigir

findingnewsound said:


> Yea but for unbalanced cable, the ground wire is also the signal return one and it does carry audio signal, so it follows that having more ground = getting more interference?




I don't think so, the ground terminals on these 3.5mm are also the body. Basic principle of electricity is that it will run to the closest place that it can conduct most effectively. So the body of these 3.5mm are connected to the large body of the headphones, and that will be the place where interferences will disperse and run into, because there is no hot signal to pull it return line into further conducting, where as the same ground that carry returned audio signals has the positive hot signals to pull it further inside . I hope it make senses


----------



## Allanmarcus

findingnewsound said:


> Hi,
> 
> Sorry I just realised I worded it wrong. What I meant was interference, so does having more ground/signal return wires means picking up more interference?




Probably not. Mostly a 4 or 8 or 16 conductor wire looks cooler, but adds very little to overall sound quality. Some people have sensitive enough hearing to distinguish a difference between cables, and others cannot tell the difference. Between the cable a quality headphone comes with and 16 conductor made from gold, silver, and unicorn hair, the difference will be very little for the average listener. Some might be able to tell the difference in a blind test, and some might now. The quality of your source DAC and amp can also make a difference. 

There is also the edge effect, which may or may not make a difference with a headphone cable.


----------



## liquidzoo

I think for a headphone cable, the main difference between a 4 conductor cable and an 8 conductor cable, aside from the looks, is going to be weight.

More wires are going to weigh more and potentially (depending on the wire used) be significantly stiffer.


----------



## Allanmarcus

liquidzoo said:


> I think for a headphone cable, the main difference between a 4 conductor cable and an 8 conductor cable, aside from the looks, is going to be weight.
> 
> More wires are going to weigh more and potentially (depending on the wire used) be significantly stiffer.


 

 It all depends. I just made an 8 wire braided, and it's more flexible than a 2 wire with insolation. All things being equal, your statement is true, but there are so many factors involved.


----------



## liquidzoo

allanmarcus said:


> It all depends. I just made an 8 wire braided, and it's more flexible than a 2 wire with insolation. All things being equal, your statement is true, but there are so many factors involved.




That's why I specified depending on the wire used.

That same 8 wire braid with Canare L-4E5C would probably be quite a bit stiffer than the same braid made with something lighter (even Mogami 2799).


----------



## Whitigir

I always use 8 wires braid, and even solid core at that....what is the problem again ?


----------



## Allanmarcus

whitigir said:


> I always use 8 wires braid, and even solid core at that....what is the problem again ?


 
  
 What wire did you use? If it's solid core, must be very flexible wire.


----------



## ChrisIsAwesome

What do you guys consider a reasonable price per ft for silver plated occ copper/ Non plated 6n occ copper, and how many strands do you typically aim for?


----------



## Whitigir

allanmarcus said:


> What wire did you use? If it's solid core, must be very flexible wire.




Considering you are looking at 4 plugs of Furutech FT735, you know that the cables is of good quality. I just wanted to impress on the points that customized cables can be just about anything as long as you know what to do and how it is needed



chrisisawesome said:


> What do you guys consider a reasonable price per ft for silver plated occ copper/ Non plated 6n occ copper, and how many strands do you typically aim for?




The pricing and counts of conductors shouldn't be the factors, but more like the cables quality and the authenticity of it, and the real life performances


----------



## Allanmarcus

whitigir said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > What wire did you use? If it's solid core, must be very flexible wire.
> ...


 
  
 Sorry, I didn't mean to imply the wire wasn't good quality. I was just under the impression that solid core wire is not as flexible as stranded. I'm curious as to what solid core wire has as much flexibility as stranded. I'm not arguing; I'm trying to learn. Thanks.


----------



## ChrisIsAwesome

Can someone explain why this cable is so cheap? almost 1/10th the price of other teflon silver plated occ copper wire
 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/201587345690?_trksid=p2045573.m570.l6004&_trkparms=gh1g%3DI201587345690.N41.S2.R1.TR2
  
 Is it related to strand count, Capacitance, purity?
  
 I think by 'cut area 0.12mm2' they might mean Cross sectional area which is = 0.1288mm2  for 26 awg.


----------



## Whitigir

chrisisawesome said:


> Can someone explain why this cable is so cheap? almost 1/10th the price of other teflon silver plated occ copper wire
> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/201587345690?_trksid=p2045573.m570.l6004&_trkparms=gh1g%3DI201587345690.N41.S2.R1.TR2
> 
> Is it related to strand count, Capacitance, purity?




I am not sure if this is correct size, but 0.12mm is about 40 AWG ? It is ways...too small to do anything with. It is like any regular multi-stranded stock copper, but each individual wires itself ? You will need at least 10 of those to strand up and make a combined 25-26 AWG approximately ? 


So what I am trying to say ? 1M of common length is fully convert to that 10m....so ? 1m for that price with cutting and stranding work DIY for silver plated copper wires ? I think it is expensive


----------



## Allanmarcus

whitigir said:


> chrisisawesome said:
> 
> 
> > Can someone explain why this cable is so cheap? almost 1/10th the price of other teflon silver plated occ copper wire
> ...


 

 The listing says the wire is 0.15mm*7strands or approx 26 AWG. Although I don't know what "cut area" means
  
 My guess is that it's just really cheap wire with very little silver. I also agree that 7 strand might be stiff wire.


----------



## 93EXCivic

Ok so I am about to attempt to make my first cable for a little project I am working on.
  
 It is a 3.5mm stereo to two 3.5mm mono cable.
  
 I have the following parts
 http://store.haveinc.com/showproduct.aspx?ProductID=51647&SEName=neutrik-35mm-trs-plug-gold
 http://store.haveinc.com/showproduct.aspx?ProductID=49574&SEName=canare-f11-ts-mini-35mm-audio-plug
 http://store.haveinc.com/p-49694-canare-l4e6s-starquad-microphone-cable-21awg-braid-shield-cut.aspx
  
 Did I get the right cable? I bought based on a recommendation I saw in here but I was thought that shield was not preferred.
  
 Also what is a good source for jacketing material? Also any ideas suggestions for smaller 3.5mm Mono connectors? These Canare F11s are huge!


----------



## bluewrx1025

93excivic said:


> Ok so I am about to attempt to make my first cable for a little project I am working on.
> 
> It is a 3.5mm stereo to two 3.5mm mono cable.
> 
> ...


 
  
 When I made my 3.5 mono to 3.5 mono I used the NYS226BG Neutrik Mono connectors. I think I bought them from eBay. I ended up using mogami 2535 wire. I striped the outer shielding off and ended up braiding the cable. If you want jacketing, I usually use Techflex clean cut braided sleeving.


----------



## relikk356

Hazaaa!!! I made my own cable out of the Fostex th-x00 left overs. Actually have enough to make two. Pictures aren't so pretty but overall decent enough for my first.
  

  
  

  
  
 I'm having a hard time finding a good price on connectors. The ones i got off of Ebay were cheap in price, but they are, well cheap in quality. At the same time i dont want to pay $10.00 for 3.5mm male end. Is there a happy medium store someone can suggest? Something that's quality but not $10 a pop? I'm looking to buy in bulk.
  
 EDIT-
 Just looked at the posts ahead of mine and they indirectly answer this. Thanks.


----------



## Allanmarcus

relikk356 said:


> Hazaaa!!! I made my own cable out of the Fostex th-x00 left overs. Actually have enough to make two. Pictures aren't so pretty but overall decent enough for my first.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Check out markertek.com


----------



## Whitigir

You are not happy at 10$ male plugs ? Check out the Furutech FT735 plugs. They will make you cry


----------



## 93EXCivic

bluewrx1025 said:


> When I made my 3.5 mono to 3.5 mono I used the NYS226BG Neutrik Mono connectors. I think I bought them from eBay. I ended up using mogami 2535 wire. I striped the outer shielding off and ended up braiding the cable. If you want jacketing, I usually use Techflex clean cut braided sleeving.


 
 Cool thanks. Grabbed some Neutrik Mono connectors and Techflex clean cut to try out.
  
 Anyone know where to find a 30 pin connector to make an iPod LOD from?


----------



## PLUSSOUND

93excivic said:


> Also what is a good source for jacketing material?


 
  


relikk356 said:


> I'm having a hard time finding a good price on connectors. The ones i got off of Ebay were cheap in price, but they are, well cheap in quality. At the same time i dont want to pay $10.00 for 3.5mm male end. Is there a happy medium store someone can suggest? Something that's quality but not $10 a pop? I'm looking to buy in bulk.


 
  


93excivic said:


> Anyone know where to find a 30 pin connector to make an iPod LOD from?


 
  
 We offer high quality DIY connectors, sleeving, and other components on our website at reasonable prices.
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


----------



## ChrisIsAwesome

If youre half drunk and it's your first time using wire and solder don't attempt a balanced 2.5 trrs 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




 It survived, but isn't pretty. I wonder how it's going to sound.


----------



## AnakChan

chrisisawesome said:


> If youre half drunk and it's your first time using wire and solder don't attempt a balanced 2.5 trrs
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Just did one just tonight and I had an easy 2.5mm TRRS compared to other designs but still it was a PITA. And I did a horrible job at it too. But it works :-


----------



## ChrisIsAwesome

What connector is that? I couldn't get my phone camera to focus on my connection sadly.
 With the eidolic 2.5 trrs i ended up over heating the 'stem' for the solder to stick and melted the plastic spacing rings in between each section. All 4 wires are VERY close to touching since there is so little room inside the casing. Fingers crossed.


----------



## AnakChan

chrisisawesome said:


> What connector is that? I couldn't get my phone camera to focus on my connection sadly.
> With the eidolic 2.5 trrs i ended up over heating the 'stem' for the solder to stick and melted the plastic spacing rings in between each section. All 4 wires are VERY close to touching since there is so little room inside the casing. Fingers crossed.


 
  
 It's a Nakamura NP-254. Not certain if it's sold overseas. I covered it -very- briefly in a show report 2 years back.


----------



## PinkyPowers

chrisisawesome said:


> With the eidolic 2.5 trrs i ended up over heating the 'stem' for the solder to stick and melted the plastic spacing rings in between each section. All 4 wires are VERY close to touching since there is so little room inside the casing. Fingers crossed.




I did that with a 2.5mm TRS. It melted so bad the channels shorted together and I had to buy a new connector.

The trick I learned for all cable-making, and soldering in general: use flux on the wire and the connector separately. Then, with great care, add solder to both, again, separately. It's called tinning. Tin the wire and the connector. Then, use Helping Hands to position the wire perfectly, making flush contact with the already-soldered connector. All you have to do then is very briefly lay the tip of the iron on the wire, and the solder on the wire and connector will bond.

The concept is preparation and positioning. If you get that right, it won't take more than 3 seconds of heat to make a solid connection. The rings won't get hot enough to melt.


----------



## ChrisIsAwesome

I am the mad cable scientist.
 In my very first attempt at using a soldering iron, twisting and braiding cable this atrocity was born.
  

  
 That Nakamura NP-254 looks very convenient.
 It works!


----------



## SeEnCreaTive

chrisisawesome said:


> I am the mad cable scientist.
> In my very first attempt at using a soldering iron, twisting and braiding cable this atrocity was born.
> 
> 
> ...





Well, looks isn't everything, especially in audio. My cables look beautiful. But they cut out. I think it's the connectors I used. Some internal looseness. Idk. As long as they work


----------



## radmanhs

So I want to make a couple rca cables, and I've seen that there are several ways to make them.  I know braided cables typically have a lot more flexibility, but Is there any other benefits to using one method over another? 
  
 1) Using instrument cable, soldering the copper to the conductor, and the shielding to the ground.
 2) Using 2 twisted wires without a shield, 1 of the wires to the conductor and the other to the ground.
 3) Using 2 twisted wires with shield, both go to conductor and shield goes to ground.  (I've seen people also cut back the shield all the way and use above method)
 4)Using 4 braided wires, twist the 2 pairs at the end and solder like a 2 wire cable.
  
 Also, where do you get your higher awg wires? I know if you buy Canare star quad cable, you get a great deal. But what if I want a higher awg clear cable, or black cable, ect. example
  
 One final thing.  What paracord sizes do you recommend? For larger awg individual wires, I've seen 275 paracord, but what about a thick instrument cable, such as Mogami, which has a 6mm outer dia. jacket.


----------



## Allanmarcus

radmanhs said:


> So I want to make a couple rca cables, and I've seen that there are several ways to make them.  I know braided cables typically have a lot more flexibility, but Is there any other benefits to using one method over another?
> 
> 1) Using instrument cable, soldering the copper to the conductor, and the shielding to the ground.
> 2) Using 2 twisted wires without a shield, 1 of the wires to the conductor and the other to the ground.
> ...




I get my cable at markertek

I use nylon multifilament for thicker cables.


----------



## radmanhs

just thought of mdpc-x sleeving, costs more than techflex, but it also has much better quality. Might not be as flexible, so I'll have to do some experimenting


----------



## PLUSSOUND

We also offer y-splitters, cable sliders, and sleeving for DIY:
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


----------



## brokentofu

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Amphenol/152135/?qs=%2fha2pyFadugfk0Zkbi2znW72fViiFyVBXuGsozIG%2fVhe6incRfn%252bow%3d%3d
  
 Would these be suitable for he400? Is there a better connector from mouser? I need to make a mouser order for a couple other projects and I thought I might as well make a new cable for my he400.


----------



## XenHeadFi

radmanhs said:


> So I want to make a couple rca cables, and I've seen that there are several ways to make them.  I know braided cables typically have a lot more flexibility, but Is there any other benefits to using one method over another?
> >snip<
> Also, where do you get your higher awg wires? I know if you buy Canare star quad cable, you get a great deal. But what if I want a higher awg clear cable, or black cable, ect. example
> 
> One final thing.  What paracord sizes do you recommend? For larger awg individual wires, I've seen 275 paracord, but what about a thick instrument cable, such as Mogami, which has a 6mm outer dia. jacket.


 
  
 Since RCA cables usually carry analog signals...
 1) What length cables do you plan on making? The longer they are, the more important that you properly implement shielding.
 2) Where in your chain do you plan on using them? If they are going to be used before the amplifier, IMO it is very important to properly implement shielding.
 3) How are the 2 pieces of equipment grounded? The may affect how you implement shielding. Usually you attach the shield to the "input" plug and leave the "output" plug floating. In special cases, like you need both pieces of equipment to have the same ground potential (and float the "terminal" piece of equipment, then you attach the shield to both sides.
  
 Braiding is more for looks than for function as can help with common-mode noise rejection, but shielding is much much more effective than braiding.
  
 Ebay is a great place and some of the more popular wires have their stores on Ebay. Sorry, I don't have any of the links handy.
  
 I don't think you fit something like Canare StarQuad into even #550 paracord. Mogami 2799, which is 3.2mm in diameter, is a snug fit into #550; not that hard to sleeve, but harder than the individual conductors into #275. I'm guessing you are referring to Mogami 2534? I think you need techflex (1/8"=3.175mm expands to 1/4"=6.25mm ) or similar products for that size cable.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Anyone know where to get the little pins for HD800 connectors? I tried ordering from LunaShops, but their packages never seem to arrive. I need 3 or 4 pins.


----------



## Whitigir

allanmarcus said:


> Anyone know where to get the little pins for HD800 connectors? I tried ordering from LunaShops, but their packages never seem to arrive. I need 3 or 4 pins.




I thought hd800 has only 2 pins ? I ordered mine from moon audio


----------



## Allanmarcus

whitigir said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone know where to get the little pins for HD800 connectors? I tried ordering from LunaShops, but their packages never seem to arrive. I need 3 or 4 pins.
> ...




Correct. I'm making two cables and it melted one pin. I have a second set of connectors, so I'm actually short 2 pins.


----------



## Whitigir

allanmarcus said:


> Correct. I'm making two cables and it melted one pin. I have a second set of connectors, so I'm actually short 2 pins.




. These guys are expensive....!


----------



## Allanmarcus

whitigir said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone know where to get the little pins for HD800 connectors? I tried ordering from LunaShops, but their packages never seem to arrive. I need 3 or 4 pins.
> ...




Hey, I can only find the connectors with the pins, not just the pins. Can you post a link?


----------



## mikesale

plussound said:


> We also offer y-splitters, cable sliders, and sleeving for DIY:
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


 

 Those are some nice Y-splitters for $10!


----------



## Allanmarcus

I contacted Moon-Audio and they do not sell the HD800 connector pins separately. One has to buy the whole connector.


----------



## Whitigir

allanmarcus said:


> I contacted Moon-Audio and they do not sell the HD800 connector pins separately. One has to buy the whole connector.




Yeah, I am afraid so...


----------



## Toxic Cables

allanmarcus said:


> I contacted Moon-Audio and they do not sell the HD800 connector pins separately. One has to buy the whole connector.


 

 I am re-terminating a HD800 cable for use with another headphone for a customer, if any good to you, you can have the used pins from these as they would be binned anyway.
  
 I did have a bunch of new extra pins, but for the life of me can't find them now.


----------



## brokentofu

How should I solder the negative wire on this terminal?
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/160764096092?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


----------



## buke9

brokentofu said:


> How should I solder the negative wire on this terminal?
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/160764096092?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


It goes on the side of the connector just adjacent to th positive or the inside is fine depending on your wire size. Looking at it again the inside.


----------



## Gordonuts

Hi all, I'm a budding DIY instrument cable maker and I've made several cables so far using Mogami and Belden cabling. The Canare GS-6 I'm trying to work with now is different though, in that the shielding wire is braided around the inner jacket and is proving to be pretty difficult to unbraid cleanly. I'm sure there's an easy/obvious answer I'm not seeing, and that's why I'm here! Hoping to find some insight from people who have experience working with these cables. Thanks in advance!


----------



## Allanmarcus

brokentofu said:


> How should I solder the negative wire on this terminal?
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/160764096092?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


 

 very carefully 
  
 To any part of the area inside the terminal. You might want to use shrink wrap on the positive connection to insulate it.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> very carefully
> 
> To any part of the area inside the terminal. You might want to use shrink wrap on the positive connection to insulate it.


+ 1 on that.


----------



## radmanhs

I built a couple sets of rca cables, and both have the same problem.  They make a lot of noise, the first set makes sense because the inside are pretty janky, but the second set is a lot better, with the same problem.  Now when I use the old set I had, if I turn the volume up I notice a little noise , which didn't use to be there.  I moved other devices that were nearby away, with no fix.  Any idea how to fix this problem?


----------



## buke9

radmanhs said:


> I built a couple sets of rca cables, and both have the same problem.  They make a lot of noise, the first set makes sense because the inside are pretty janky, but the second set is a lot better, with the same problem.  Now when I use the old set I had, if I turn the volume up I notice a little noise , which didn't use to be there.  I moved other devices that were nearby away, with no fix.  Any idea how to fix this problem?


 

 Do you have a set that don't make noise?


----------



## buke9

I tried to edit my post but everything is getting wonkie . On my iPhone there is a big black box that takes up 3/4 of the screen and now it doesn't included my edit's.


----------



## radmanhs

So I switched the power cable, and what strip the amp/dac are on, which fixed the original set of store bought cables, but now my diy cables are even worse.  This is the first thing that came to mind, would only having 1 side of the drain wire connected be an issue?  I read that most people only connect it on the input side.  Would that be the issue?


----------



## radmanhs

Maybe I should specify what I'm using,  Schiit Modi 2 > Headroom maxxed out home amp > Sennheiser HD650's 
  
 I was going to guess that the usb cable might be a problem, but the power cable switch seemed to fix the big problem


----------



## buke9

You should only have two wires connected.  Forget about the shielding unless they are long cables like over 20 feet. Do not try to connect them to both sides. You do not have balanced cables so just two wires. Forget about the shielding .


----------



## radmanhs

fml, I'm using mogami 2524, because I've seen people instrument cables for rca.  So if I get a 2 core cable, use 1 of the wires for the terminal and the other for the ground on only 1 side?  I'm assuming using 4 cables for a braid wouldn't really affect anything other than stiffness, right?  Also where can I get clear wire from? Preferably in a few different awg's but not at furutech price.  1 more thing,  If I make a 4 wire braid, what is the max awg they can be to fit in a 6mm i.d. connector?


----------



## radmanhs

I found this on amazon, you get an absurd amount of wire for the price, so that makes me question its quality, but who knows
  
 What do you guys think?
  
 https://www.amazon.com/Copper-Bright-0-025-Diameter-Length/dp/B000IJYRK2/ref=nav_signin?ie=UTF8&qid=1467428498&sr=8-19&keywords=24+awg+copper+wire&


----------



## buke9

btgaudio.com is one place.  Also Doublehelixcables.com .


----------



## radmanhs

well, time to wait another week and try this again...


----------



## radmanhs

just to confirm, If I make a 4 wire braided rca cable,  2 go to the terminal, and the other 2 wires go to the ground on 1 or both sides, because seems a lot like what I did, just with the drain wire, although, there must obviously be some sort of difference.


----------



## radmanhs

ok, 1 more post.  I made a small adjustment in the floating end of the cable.  I isolated the shield strands that were sticking out using heatshrink.  the noise was drastically reduced, to the point where you could only really hear it if you turn up the volume higher than what you would have it on for everyday use.  but that isn't good enough, how can I get rid of that last tiny bit of noise?  Is the only real choice new wire, like the stuff I ordered from btg, or can I salvage this rca cable, and not add it to my shelf of failed projects? lol


----------



## Allanmarcus

radmanhs said:


> ok, 1 more post.  I made a small adjustment in the floating end of the cable.  I isolated the shield strands that were sticking out using heatshrink.  the noise was drastically reduced, to the point where you could only really hear it if you turn up the volume higher than what you would have it on for everyday use.  but that isn't good enough, how can I get rid of that last tiny bit of noise?  Is the only real choice new wire, like the stuff I ordered from btg, or can I salvage this rca cable, and not add it to my shelf of failed projects? lol


 

 Very hard to tell without pictures. Hard to know what you think is "janky". 
  
 If you have a drain side, you connect it to the input side. If you are using mogami 2524, I don't think you can have a drain. The center wire is the positive and the shield is the common. You need to have the common connected on both sides.
  
 If you have a multimeter, see if there any impedance between the the connections on the jack. If there is, you have a short of a poor connection.


----------



## radmanhs

how is the common wire different than a drain wire? I have read many times is the shield of an instrument cable is the drain wire, which you ground on 1 end, of course on the input side


----------



## Allanmarcus

Every RCA interconnect needs two wires connected at each end. The positive wire gets connected to the center pin of the RCA jack. The common gets connected to the outer connector of the RCA jack. If you have a cable with two inner wires AND a shield, you still connect the positive and the common as described, but then you can connect the shield to one side of the cable, soldered to the same part the common is soldered too.
  
 If your cable only has an inner wire and a shield, you use the inner wire as the positive and the shield as the common. You cannot have a drain in this case.


----------



## radmanhs

I just tested it, there is an impedance of .4 ohms... Well' guess I'll try to fix the connections tomorrow.  I'm brand new to soldering and have taught myself how to solder from 0 within the past week.  What are some tips to make a better connection


----------



## radmanhs

allanmarcus said:


> Every RCA interconnect needs two wires connected at each end. The positive wire gets connected to the center pin of the RCA jack. The common gets connected to the outer connector of the RCA jack. If you have a cable with two inner wires AND a shield, you still connect the positive and the comment as described, but then you can connect the shield to one side of the cable, solders to the same part the common is soldered too.
> 
> If your cable only has an inner wire and a shield, you use ut thinner wire as the common and the shield as the common. You cannot have a drain in this case.


 
 Well, I learned something today, time to rebuild my rca cables from scratch again XD


----------



## Allanmarcus

radmanhs said:


> >
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I learned something today, time to rebuild my rca cables from scratch again XD


 

 Yikes! I flubbed up some words on my original post #5344
  
 Please see the post as I fixed it.


----------



## Allanmarcus

radmanhs said:


> I just tested it, there is an impedance of .4 ohms... Well' guess I'll try to fix the connections tomorrow.  I'm brand new to soldering and have taught myself how to solder from 0 within the past week.  What are some tips to make a better connection


 

 Clean the tip, then tin it. Tin the wires. Good ventilation. Helping hands or adjustable vise like the PanaVise. Go slow, be exact. Watch a number of youtube videos.


----------



## radmanhs

would not having the common grounded on 1 end cause a problem with the impedance?


----------



## Allanmarcus

radmanhs said:


> would not having the common grounded on 1 end cause a problem with the impedance?


 

 You need to have the common grounded on both ends. That's why it's called common; it's a common wire across your entire system.


----------



## radmanhs

allanmarcus said:


> You need to have the common grounded on both ends. That's why it's called common; it's a common wire across your entire system.


 
 right, but since on my current cable I have only one end of the common wired on the outer connector and I have .4 ohm impedance, with pretty good solder connections throughout, would that be a possible reason why there is resistance to begin with?  Or would it only because of "poor" solder connections


----------



## Allanmarcus

radmanhs said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > You need to have the common grounded on both ends. That's why it's called common; it's a common wire across your entire system.
> ...


 

 Sorry, I don't know.


----------



## radmanhs

What would you say is the threshold of impedance until you still have problems?  All I know is that I finally finished my first successful set of cables XD only took ~20 hours, but it feels totally worth it


----------



## Paladin79

radmanhs said:


> What would you say is the threshold of impedance until you still have problems?  All I know is that I finally finished my first successful set of cables XD only took ~20 hours, but it feels totally worth it


 
 I am having a little trouble understanding the question but I might be able to help. Be careful not to confuse impedance with resistance, both use the ohm symbol. A lot of coaxial cable is 75 ohm impedance. In RF, 50 ohm is common in digital cable it can be 110 ohm but that is impedance. Look up impedance and you will find that resistance is a factor but so are inductive reactance and capacitive reactance and the relationship to current and voltage. If a coaxial cable is wired properly tip to tip or ground to ground, you should measure zero resistance, a dead short. .o4 ohms I would have to know what meter you are using and how accurate it is normally.I was explaining in another post that it is possible to have a high resistance short in coaxial cable if you get the dielectric too hot. We sold a couple guitar cables built at the same length and one was louder than the other. Between the tip and ring of a quarter inch connector we were getting 30k resistance, it should measure infinite or a very high resistance. Under two meters impedance is not much of a factor and should not be much of an issue at audio frequencies from what I recall.


----------



## radmanhs

paladin79 said:


> I am having a little trouble understanding the question but I might be able to help. Be careful not to confuse impedance with resistance, both use the ohm symbol. A lot of coaxial cable is 75 ohm impedance. In RF, 50 ohm is common in digital cable it can be 110 ohm but that is impedance. Look up impedance and you will find that resistance is a factor but so are inductive reactance and capacitive reactance and the relationship to current and voltage. If a coaxial cable is wired properly tip to tip or ground to ground, you should measure zero resistance, a dead short. .o4 ohms I would have to know what meter you are using and how accurate it is normally.I was explaining in another post that it is possible to have a high resistance short in coaxial cable if you get the dielectric too hot. We sold a couple guitar cables built at the same length and one was louder than the other. Between the tip and ring of a quarter inch connector we were getting 30k resistance, it should measure infinite or a very high resistance. Under two meters impedance is not much of a factor and should not be much of an issue at audio frequencies from what I recall.


 
 well I'm dumb.  It is .3 ohms resistance, not impedance.  Hmmm, I feel that it should have pretty solid connections, but there is no noise and they sound great, so that's whats important to me


----------



## Paladin79

radmanhs said:


> well I'm dumb.  It is .3 ohms resistance, not impedance.  Hmmm, I feel that it should have pretty solid connections, but there is no noise and they sound great, so that's whats important to me


 
 Not a problem and I hope I was not redundant. I am sure the electronics side of things gets discussed here a lot. Coaxial cable, there are generally only two conductors (things like tri-axial are an exception.) To use two conductors and a shield I use twisted pair microphone cable and as one gentleman mentioned, the braid is just connected on one end,connect two commons and you can have a very nice current loop. I just used such a setup to remove hum from a phono cable.


----------



## buke9

Impedance is in Henry .


----------



## Paladin79

Ohms also are used to denote reactance, inductance uses the Henry.

I will quote something from Blue Jeans Cable

And, in case it's not obvious by now, another thing that it doesn't mean is that the resistance of the cable will be 75 ohms. Since a simple volt-ohmmeter will measure resistance, we sometimes will get a call from a customer who says that he's measured his cable and it isn't anywhere close to 75 ohms. But resistance, which also confusingly happens to be measured in ohms, has nothing to do with characteristic impedance, which can't be measured by using a VOM.

The ohms rating on a coaxial cable basically means that a cable will react a certain way over it's length to current and voltage. Were it to be an actual resistance measurement of the cable then how could a cable that is ten feet long have the same resistance as one that is 300 feet long?


----------



## lol4291

Hi, 
  
 Just joined the forum. I'm planning on doing a detachable cable mod and I have some questions. The headphone I'm planning to mod is my sister's AKG K420, the cables has broken and need replacement. Compared to headphone that has only one cable coming out the headphone, this has two cables and then joined by a Y- split.
  
 Am I correct that all headphones has three wires [Left, Right and Ground] and for these AKG K420 it's split in this way [Right, Ground] to right side and [Left, Ground] to left side?
  
 I've found some parts and can I know if they are suitable?
  
http://my.element14.com/multicomp/mj-074n/socket-3-5mm-jack-3pole/dp/1267374
http://my.element14.com/lumberg/klb-4/connector-rca-jack-3-5mm-3way/dp/1200144
http://my.element14.com/neutrik/nys231bg/plug-3-5mm-jack-straight-gold/dp/8234663
http://my.element14.com/rean/nys231/connector-rca-plug-3-5mm-3way/dp/4480181
  
 And I have question regarding the cable that is to be used? How do I choose it? What AWG?
  
 And are these cables suitable? [It's really hard to find proper things for audio in my country; it's either unavailable or ridiculously priced.]
  
http://my.element14.com/van-damme/268001cl/cable-1pair-black-per-m/dp/2425036
http://my.element14.com/belden/9535/cable-9535-5core-per-m/dp/1218693
http://my.element14.com/van-damme/268-007-060/cable-balanced-patch-blue-per/dp/1891092
  
 or should i get these and mod with them?
  
http://my.element14.com/pro-signal/psg00049/lead-3-5mm-s-jack-jack-2m/dp/4258496
http://my.element14.com/pro-signal/audl-73-2m/lead-3-5mm-s-jack-bare-end-2m/dp/1219361
  
 Lastly, I just have to follow this video right? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmeubmXyTug [I'll use sleeving and heatshrink and all]
  
 Sorry for the long post.
  
 Any help is appreciated.
  
 Thank you.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> Ohms also are used to denote reactance, inductance uses the Henry.
> 
> I will quote something from Blue Jeans Cable
> 
> ...




I think you misunderstand. I think his cable is showing resistance between the hot and common. There should 0 resistance between the hot and common. Anything else, I believe, is not good.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I think you misunderstand. I think his cable is showing resistance between the hot and common. There should 0 resistance between the hot and common. Anything else, I believe, is not good.


 
 If he is indeed showing that low of resistance between hot and ground he has a very good short but you may well be right. And yes I am pretty aware there should be no resistance there lol.( my people build hundreds of custom cables per week) If he is getting .3 ohms measuring there and they sound great I just figured he was measuring tip to tip or common to common and perhaps his meter was slightly off. Since they sound great now, all's well that ends well.


----------



## Danthrax

Does anyone know what connectors will fit into an Audeze Sine?


----------



## cyberstretch

Hi all. Would really appreciate some help if possible. 
My sennheiser in-ear headphones have developed a loose connection at the Jack so have decided to replace it. I have cut the Jack off and I now have 5 wires. Can anyone help with the colours and how many poles on the Jack I would need.

Green 
Red
Green/red
Green/copper
Red/ copper

Thanks


----------



## KewlMunky

Hello all. I've never done any cable work, but am curious in trying to do one for the first time. I have a new power amp on the way for my HE-6 and so I am interested in making a 4pin XLR to banana plug adapter. Where would I find instructions for this so that I can get the wires sorted out?
  
 Thanks


----------



## Paladin79

kewlmunky said:


> Hello all. I've never done any cable work, but am curious in trying to do one for the first time. I have a new power amp on the way for my HE-6 and so I am interested in making a 4pin XLR to banana plug adapter. Where would I find instructions for this so that I can get the wires sorted out?
> 
> Thanks


 
 pardon me I was in the middle of something else and misread the original post. You are talking standard XLR's not mini's.


----------



## KewlMunky

paladin79 said:


> http://www.diyaudioblog.com/2011/11/custom-audeze-balanced-headphone-cable.html
> 
> Here is an older listing but I am not sure it is still accurate. It is a start.


 
  
 Thanks for the link. To make things easy, would I be fine just buying a 4 pin XLR cable and replacing the male end with banana plugs?


----------



## Paladin79

Banana plugs are easy to find and in most case do not require solder. If you can find the four pin cables made up you can certainly do that once you know the wiring.


----------



## KewlMunky

paladin79 said:


> Are you sure you want to use banana plugs? Personally I would be looking for a star quad cable made by someone like Mogami or Canare that you can buy by the foot. It contains four wires, and you can split two per channel. XLR mini plugs you can get from Neutrik or Switchcraft.


 
 The amp that's on the way only has banana terminals. Currently I am running my HE-6 off an emotiva mini-x a-100 via an adapter with female 4 pin xlr on one end and bare ends of the wires onto the speaker taps on the other end. I was aiming to do something similar here, but thought getting actual ends of some kind would be a bit cleaner.


----------



## Allanmarcus

A 4-pin XLR to male banana plugs is possibly one of the easiest soldering projects there is. It's a great starter project. All you need is a female 4-pin XLR ($5-$6 from Martertek), two banana plugs. heck, those are optional as you can just connect the wires directly to your speakers outputs. You really only need banana plugs if you want to swap other wires in the speaker output terminals on your amp. And finally a few feet of 14 AWG speaker wire. You could use thinner wire, but I would not. I would probably use 12 AWG, but it really depends on how long a run. More than 10 feet of speaker wire, I would recommend 12 AWG. For less, 14 should work fine.
  
 Pinout is easy


----------



## KewlMunky

allanmarcus said:


> A 4-pin XLR to male banana plugs is possibly one of the easiest soldering projects there is. It's a great starter project. All you need is a female 4-pin XLR ($5-$6 from Martertek), two banana plugs. heck, those are optional as you can just connect the wires directly to your speakers outputs. You really only need banana plugs if you want to swap other wires in the speaker output terminals on your amp. And finally a few feet of 14 AWG speaker wire. You could use thinner wire, but I would not. I would probably use 12 AWG, but it really depends on how long a run. More than 10 feet of speaker wire, I would recommend 12 AWG. For less, 14 should work fine.
> 
> Pinout is easy


 
 Excuse my ignorance with wiring, but I would have thought I would need four banana connectors; signal and ground for each channel?


----------



## Allanmarcus

kewlmunky said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > A 4-pin XLR to male banana plugs is possibly one of the easiest soldering projects there is. It's a great starter project. All you need is a female 4-pin XLR ($5-$6 from Martertek), two banana plugs. heck, those are optional as you can just connect the wires directly to your speakers outputs. You really only need banana plugs if you want to swap other wires in the speaker output terminals on your amp. And finally a few feet of 14 AWG speaker wire. You could use thinner wire, but I would not. I would probably use 12 AWG, but it really depends on how long a run. More than 10 feet of speaker wire, I would recommend 12 AWG. For less, 14 should work fine.
> ...




Correct. I'm two bananas short of a bunch


----------



## KewlMunky

allanmarcus said:


> Correct. I'm two bananas short of a bunch


 
  
 So then to make this as simple as possible I can buy a 4 pin XLR, hack off the male end and replace with a bunch of bananas? I just have to use a meter to make sure I match up the wires to the pins when labeling them.


----------



## Paladin79

Markertek does sell the cables pre-made generally as male to female, I saw one for $18.95 list but I looked that up on the dealer side of that company, TecNec. IThe connector could run about $5.65 otherwise and they do sell speaker cable by the foot and probably sell banana plugs as well.
  


 
_Pro Co 12GA Unshielded Loudspeaker Cable - Per Foot  List is probably $1.19 a foot._
_ _
_If you do not mind me asking, are you going from amp to speakers? you mentioned the HE-6 and a new amp. _
_ _


----------



## buke9

kewlmunky said:


> Excuse my ignorance with wiring, but I would have thought I would need four banana connectors; signal and ground for each channel?


You will need four.


----------



## Paladin79

I was kind of curious if he is wanting to go from the speaker out on an amp to his headphones since that is where you normally find the jacks for banana plugs.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I was kind of curious if he is wanting to go from the speaker out on an amp to his headphones since that is where you normally find the jacks for banana plugs.


The HE-6's need lots of power and most that own them do just that.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> I was kind of curious if he is wanting to go from the speaker out on an amp to his headphones since that is where you normally find the jacks for banana plugs.


 

 Yes, he is. The HE-6 is extremely non-efficient, and really like some serious power.
  
 Yes, could just get a pre-made cable and hack it apart and solder the wires to the banana plugs, but chances are it uses a much higher gauge wire than you might want.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> The HE-6's need lots of power and most that own them do just that.


 
  


allanmarcus said:


> Yes, he is. The HE-6 is extremely non-efficient, and really like some serious power.
> 
> Yes, could just get a pre-made cable and hack it apart and solder the wires to the banana plugs, but chances are it uses a much higher gauge wire than you might want.


 
 Thanks guys, I had no idea that was the case. So you would run directly from say oh, 12 awg wire into what they sell with the headphones, maybe 22 awg to 24 awg. Think that might pose a problem?


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> Thanks guys, I had no idea that was the case. So you would run directly from say oh, 12 awg wire into what they sell with the headphones, maybe 22 awg to 24 awg. Think that might pose a problem?


I don't think I would go that big maybe 16 would be fine as they need power but not as much current as a speaker would need. I think you could use 22 awg but it is so small for the banana plug.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> I don't think I would go that big maybe 16 would be fine as they need power but not as much current as a speaker would need. I think you could use 22 awg but it is so small for the banana plug.


 
 True, I could not find a listing on what Markertek uses in their extension cables if he does go with the completed cable thing but if the remainder of the cable is 22 and he is buying 22 awg, that is good to know going in. It could be 24 awg., a phone call would solve it pretty easily. It depends on the style of banana plug, I know of some that would accept many wire sizes, some that require soldering, etc. Later, long drive home for me now.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Now I'm really curious. What amp are you getting that you must have banana plugs? Or do you just want to be able to swap speaker wires easily?


----------



## KewlMunky

allanmarcus said:


> Now I'm really curious. What amp are you getting that you must have banana plugs? Or do you just want to be able to swap speaker wires easily?




I would like to make it easily swappable.

The amp is a carver M500t.


----------



## Paladin79

kewlmunky said:


> I would like to make it easily swappable.
> 
> The amp is a carver M500t.


 
 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms. Um, that should certainly power the headphones. Are you a careful type of person? Pardon me while I doodle a schematic of something I would have in place if I wanted to do something like this.


----------



## KewlMunky

allanmarcus said:


> Yes, he is. The HE-6 is extremely non-efficient, and really like some serious power.
> 
> Yes, could just get a pre-made cable and hack it apart and solder the wires to the banana plugs, but chances are it uses a much higher gauge wire than you might want.


 
 What are the dangers of my custom adapter having higher gauge wire than the headhpone's cable? How big is too big?


----------



## Paladin79

I will answer this in a bit if Allanmarcus is not around, he asked the question most recently about what amp you were using and I will only jump in if I think you are about to get into trouble. I am trying to get some cats to use a cat door. Ever tried herding cats?


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I will answer this in a bit if Allanmarcus is not around, he asked the question most recently about what amp you were using and I will only jump in if I think you are about to get into trouble. I am trying to get some cats to use a cat door. Ever tried herding cats?


Cats do what they want when they want to do it. If you want them to do something they will for sure not do it.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Cats do what they want when they want to do it. If you want them to do something they will for sure not do it.


 
 I am sure Buke9 can answer the question about the wire as well, dinner time for me, and cat wrangling.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kewlmunky said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, he is. The HE-6 is extremely non-efficient, and really like some serious power.
> ...


 
  
 The easy answer, it could sound bad.
  
 I think you are on the right track, You should use at least the AWG as the headphone cable, and possible a little thicker. 
  
 Audioholics has a good article on this topic.  For 8 Ohm loads they recommend no thinner than 18 AWG for up to 10 feet. See the tale about 1/2 way down the page for more recommendation. Now the HE-6 is 50 Ohm and come with a 1m and 2m cable. You are going to add some distance to that cable (maybe another meter or two?), so you need to take into account the full run from the speaker terminal to the cups.
  
 Bottom line is that you could do a bunch of math to figure out the optimal gauge, but I wouldn't; I would just use 18 AWG or thicker speaker cable and nylon multifilament (or a cut shoe lace) as a sleeve, then solder it myself. Like I said, it's a really easy solder project. You have to worry about two other thicknesses. The first is the aggregating all the wires into the XRL female jack. Two pairs of speaker wire into that jack should work, but it's a concern. The second is the wire into the banana plug. As was pointed out earlier, a really thin wire into he plug (like a 24 AWG wire) will be quite odd, and possibly difficult to handle. An 14-18 AWG wire into a banana plug, relieved with shrink-wrap, and soldered into the plug, would work well. 
  
 I happen to have some extra connectors and speaker cable, so I could check on thicknesses and let you know.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> The easy answer, it could sound bad.
> 
> I think you are on the right track, You should use at least the AWG as the headphone cable, and possible a little thicker.
> 
> ...


I definitely would go with as big as will go into the XLR connector there is no right or wrong here.


----------



## KewlMunky

allanmarcus said:


> The easy answer, it could sound bad.
> 
> I think you are on the right track, You should use at least the AWG as the headphone cable, and possible a little thicker.
> 
> ...


 
 Actually my amp will be sitting on my computer desk, so the adapter will be fairly short. Maybe 3 ft. I'll check into the article.
  
 Thanks.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I was able to get 2 pairs of 16 AWG in the connector. 14 AWG was too thick. 
  
 If you don't have any 16 AWG speaker wire and want 6 feet, PM me and we can work it out.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I was able to get 2 pairs of 16 AWG in the connector. 14 AWG was too thick.
> 
> If you don't have any 16 AWG speaker wire and want 6 feet, PM me and we can work it out


 
 I will add a couple things. First off no matter what size speaker wire is hooked in series with the headphone cable, if the headphone cable is 24 awg, that is going to be what the cable will handle. You could add 6 awg in series and you are still dealing with some pretty small wire on the headphone cable. That is what confused me earlier when the talk was about wire gauge going to speaker that might easily handle 100 watts each, then the size and length of a continual run is important. Adding 14 awg or 16 awg in series is a moot point, it is the gauge of the headphone wire you have to be concerned about. Secondly, be careful! I have fifty ohm speakers and I think they are rated to handle about 2 watts. Maybe those will handle 4 watts, What is the size of the wiring past the headphone jacks? The headphones might easily require quite a bit of power and you certainly have plenty but turn that amp up slowly and start low otherwise you run the risk of damaging the headphone cable, the headphones, or your ears. It is a little late in the day for me to talk power formulae but at 8 ohms if you get 200 watts per channel into speakers, at 50 ohms even if you got 45 watts that is well past the capabilities of those headphones. Just think about a fuse, maybe one strand of wire that you put in series with large wire. If you are not careful, which part of that circuit would you like to be the fuse?


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I will add a couple things. First off no matter what size speaker wire is hooked in series with the headphone cable, if the headphone cable is 24 awg, that is going to be what the cable will handle. You could add 6 awg in series and you are still dealing with some pretty small wire on the headphone cable. That is what confused me earlier when the talk was about wire gauge going to speaker that might easily handle 100 watts each, then the size and length of a continual run is important. Adding 14 awg or 16 awg in series is a moot point, it is the gauge of the headphone wire you have to be concerned about. Secondly, be careful! I have fifty ohm speakers and I think they are rated to handle about 2 watts. Maybe those will handle 4 watts, What is the size of the wiring past the headphone jacks? The headphones might easily require quite a bit of power and you certainly have plenty but turn that amp up slowly and start low otherwise you run the risk of damaging the headphone cable, the headphones, or your ears. It is a little late in the day for me to talk power formulae but at 8 ohms if you get 200 watts per channel into speakers, at 50 ohms even if you got 45 watts that is well past the capabilities of those headphones. Just think about a fuse, maybe one strand of wire that you put in series with large wire. If you are not careful, which part of that circuit would you like to be the fuse?


You are right about speakers headphones are a bit of a different story as far as amps go. I have not run a set from speaker taps though. Even tbough I wouldn't mind a pair of HE-6's. They are really nice cans.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > I was able to get 2 pairs of 16 AWG in the connector. 14 AWG was too thick.
> ...


 

 I agree with everything you state. My suggestion to use 16 AWG was primarily to allow for some size synergy with the banana plugs. 
  
 As for making the wire a little thicker than headphone cable. Assuming the headphone cable is rated at 22 AWG, I would use at lease 20 AWG. There is some fudge factor when cable makers rate their cables, so by going a little thicker, one can be sure the "bottleneck" is the headphone cable, not the speaker tap cable. 
  
 Also, thanks for making me thing. I did more reading, and this article from Crown looks interesting. 
  
 http://www.crownaudio.com/how-much-amplifier-power
  
 the calculator
  
 http://www.crownaudio.com/en/tools/calculators
  
 better calculator
  
 http://geoffthegreygeek.com/calculator-amp-speaker-spl/


----------



## Paladin79

I am sure they are fine headphones and I bet if some research was done you could discover their power handling capabilities as well as the wire gauge of the headphone cable. Those are pretty small connectors plugging into the headphone jacks so maybe 22 gauge but 24 is likely as well. The gentleman asking the questions might be experienced hooking those headphones to power amps but if not, I want to be able to sleep tonight lol.

Later, cat wrangling is hard work.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> I agree with everything you state. My suggestion to use 16 AWG was primarily to allow for some size synergy with the banana plugs.
> 
> As for making the wire a little thicker than headphone cable. Assuming the headphone cable is rated at 22 AWG, I would use at lease 20 AWG. There is some fudge factor when cable makers rate their cables, so by going a little thicker, one can be sure the "bottleneck" is the headphone cable, not the speaker tap cable.
> 
> ...


I doubt that any wire would make any difference but I like the biggest I can get . That is just me but I think bigger is always better.


----------



## Paladin79

I wish you well. Just be careful with the volume. My college, work, and hobbies are mostly electronics based and have been for several decades so I might have given you some decent advice.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I wish you well. Just be careful with the volume. My college, work, and hobbies are mostly electronics based and have been for several decades so I might have given you some decent advice.


Yes you have. If it is taken don't know,


----------



## KewlMunky

paladin79 said:


> I wish you well. Just be careful with the volume. My college, work, and hobbies are mostly electronics based and have been for several decades so I might have given you some decent advice.


 
 I will most certainly be careful with the volume. Most of the guys in the HE-6 thread recommend about 120 watts RMS into 8 ohms to properly power the HE-6. I believe the HE-6 can handle at most 7 watts RMS, 15 peak. 

 I appreciate all the discussion and help guys!


----------



## Paladin79

A couple fairly easy things to remember are current is the same in a series circuit. The current going through 22 AWG and 16 AWG would be the same in series. Power ( measured in watts) equals voltage times current. A 100 watt light bulb with one amp of current at a 100 volts would fully light. Starting with an amp capable of 200 watts per channel at 8 ohms is quite a bit of power.


----------



## KewlMunky

paladin79 said:


> A couple fairly easy things to remember are current is the same in a series circuit. The current going through 22 AWG and 16 AWG would be the same in series. Power ( measured in watts) equals voltage times current. A 100 watt light bulb with one amp of current at a 100 volts would fully light. Starting with an amp capable of 200 watts per channel at 8 ohms is quite a bit of power.


 
 My current one is only 50 Watts into 8 ohm. I'll just have to be very careful with the pre amp volume knob.
  
 Also, out of laziness, would anyone in this thread be willing to make me a 3ft 4 pin xlr to 4 banana plug cable and sell it to me?


----------



## Paladin79

kewlmunky said:


> My current one is only 50 Watts into 8 ohm. I'll just have to be very careful with the pre amp volume knob.
> 
> Also, out of laziness, would anyone in this thread be willing to make me a 3ft 4 pin xlr to 4 banana plug cable and sell it to me?


 
 Glad to hear it is a bit safer than some models. As a MOT on this site I can neither sell or give you such a cable or I would be happy to help you out. I do believe one gentleman said you could PM him and he could help. I might sound overly cautious but my people build as many as 500 custom cables a week and I have to instill in them what they should and should not do in terms of safety, functionality, and reliability.


----------



## KewlMunky

paladin79 said:


> Glad to hear it is a bit safer than some models. As a MOT on this site I can neither sell or give you such a cable or I would be happy to help you out. I do believe one gentleman said you could PM him and he could help.


 
 I believe he just had some speaker wire, unless I'm thinking of someone else.


----------



## Paladin79

kewlmunky said:


> I believe he just had some speaker wire, unless I'm thinking of someone else.


 
 You might want to reread the posts and they certainly have the connectors at Markertek, this is not a difficult cable if you have a soldering iron and some basic electronics tools so I bet he can help you.
  
 If I knew the voltage out on your amp I could give you an approximation of the power you would be dealing with on a 200 watt per channel amp into 50 ohms. Impedance does vary with frequency so it would only be an approximation. If voltage out is 20 volts you could be dealing with only 8 watts at 50 ohm, at some frequencies that could be 16 watts. No matter what, you should not be lacking power.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 
  
 I did check out the headphones and I am sure they are quite good and come with a very good cable with SMC connectors. Luckily not a hard connector to obtain in the event I get a set and build my own cables for it. I did find a pair for sale with 22 awg balanced cables, I had a feeling they used something slightly larger than 24 awg. It also recommended an amp that delivered 2 watts per channel.


----------



## ashmodai

Lunashop is refered multiple times here but mainly about cheap connectors. What about the quality of their cables ? Like this one http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5354
Looks nice.... Anyone that tried already a cable from them and who could comment ? Thanks !


----------



## Paladin79

I bought some OCC sample cable from them a while back but I was not impressed and you can definitely see the connectors are not very good. The prices are low but sometimes you get what you pay for.


----------



## Allanmarcus

If you buy from them, make sure you get the tracked shipping, which is free for orders over $30, I think. I've had multiple orders "lost in the mail" from them.


----------



## ashmodai

Thanks ... That's what I was afraid of ... Any good cable shop recommendation in EU ? I am sure it has been asked already so sorry in advance for not finding


----------



## Paladin79

Sorry I am in the states and do not know of many there.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I've also had poor experience with Lunashop, both with quality of product and customer service, which I don't want to get into again. Suffice to say, I won't buy from them now.


----------



## Paladin79

I decided to stick to some quality American made cable from Belden and occasionally some Litz wire that is OCC. Some of the Chinese product is bare stranded wire with no certification. I do not have a microscope capable of examining it so sometimes it is hard to know what you are buying. Even a certification is just a piece of paper. It probably just comes down to experimenting, listening, and going with product you like and feel you can trust. As far as connectors, try to find something with soldering lugs, if you see a cylinder with metal then plastic then metal. Imagine what will happen if that metal gets a little hot. You are also just trying to solder to the side of a round surface. A wire through a lug is much stronger and will cause less issues.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I decided to stick to some quality American made cable from Belden and occasionally some Litz wire that is OCC. Some of the Chinese product is bare stranded wire with no certification. I do not have a microscope capable of examining it so sometimes it is hard to know what you are buying. Even a certification is just a piece of paper. It probably just comes down to experimenting, listening, and going with product you like and feel you can trust. As far as connectors, try to find something with soldering lugs, if you see a cylinder with metal then plastic then metal. Imagine what will happen if that metal gets a little hot. You are also just trying to solder to the side of a round surface. A wire through a lug is much stronger and will cause less issues.


Was looking for some Litz wire can you give a source if you can? Just wanted to try some.


----------



## Paladin79

I have bought from a few sources, let me check my sources when I am in the office tomorrow. Do you happen to have a solder pot? It helps when you work with this wire.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I have bought from a few sources, let me check my sources when I am in the office tomorrow. Do you happen to have a solder pot? It helps when you work with this wire.


Don't have one but can get one.


----------



## mikesale

I'm hoping to try a balanced cable for my 2.5mm HiFiMan HE-560 terminating to TRRS for my Fiio AM3 Balanced amp for the X7 and and looking to order a few TRRS ends to build out a few cables of differing lengths. 
  
 Can anyone share a pic of their TRRS soldering positions? 
  
 Any suggestions on TRRS connectors that people have had success in actually soldering at home?


----------



## Paladin79

mikesale said:


> I'm hoping to try a balanced cable for my 2.5mm HiFiMan HE-560 terminating to TRRS for my Fiio AM3 Balanced amp for the X7 and and looking to order a few TRRS ends to build out a few cables of differing lengths.
> 
> Can anyone share a pic of their TRRS soldering positions?
> 
> Any suggestions on TRRS connectors that people have had success in actually soldering at home?


 
 I have tried four or five types but most have been junk. For a while Calrad had some good ones but they discontinued them, they had solder lugs that were well separated. I will see what I can find when I get to my office tomorrow. The cheap ones have what looks like a metal cylinder separated by plastic. Try to solder and the plastic melts, some are useless out of China.


----------



## funch

This is the only one I've seen. Markertek also has it listed. 
  
 http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Kobiconn/171-7425-E/?qs=%2fha2pyFaduh4UJYAHYDrvIf9JcZbqu%252bRxC3IuSsb%252b%2fo%3d
  
  
 The ultimate splitter? Or lunatic fringe.
  
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Norne-Audio-Eidolic-Titanium-Y-split-splitter-cable-cables-aftermarket-diy-occ-litz-silver-precious-metal-limited-flagship


----------



## Allanmarcus

funch said:


> The ultimate splitter? Or lunatic fringe.
> 
> http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Norne-Audio-Eidolic-Titanium-Y-split-splitter-cable-cables-aftermarket-diy-occ-litz-silver-precious-metal-limited-flagship




Most splitters are unbalanced and cause the sound to be heavier. Some are very dark in color, and with cheaper ones, that darkness leaks into the cable and colors the sound. Some are made from organic polymers, and thus make cables sounds plasticy. Most importantly, since your wallet is very open after buying this splitter, you will certainly feel that your headphones sound more open!


----------



## ashmodai

Thank for the valuable advices ! Actually talking about connectors and soldering, I have on more issue. Looks like the "cable" connectors for the SMC plugs are all to be crimped and not soldered ? How to proceed ? Should I try to solder it still ? any specific connectors you know about that are made to be soldered ?
  
 Thanks again


----------



## ashmodai

Actually I have just seen that mouser stocks Belden cables  
 For exemple: 
 http://www.mouser.ch/Belden-Wire-Cable/Wire-Cable/Hook-up-Wire/_/N-5ggs?P=1z0jmglZ1yxufhe
  
 Any particular recommendation ? (this is for creating a custom headphone cable for my TH-X00 ended in 3.5m to connect to my Hifiman player)


----------



## Tadamn

wje said:


> *I thought this might work a bit better.  Sadly, the DIY Cable Gallery thread is becoming less of a gallery thread and sadly, more of a Q&A thread*
> 
> 
> *Let's use this thread for the Questions and Answers thread for information regarding DIY cables, connectors, using an ohm meter, paracord, etc. and all those types of questions and comments.*
> ...


 

 Have you guys heard any rumors about Redco Audio's acquisition?


----------



## Paladin79

ashmodai said:


> Actually I have just seen that mouser stocks Belden cables
> For exemple:
> http://www.mouser.ch/Belden-Wire-Cable/Wire-Cable/Hook-up-Wire/_/N-5ggs?P=1z0jmglZ1yxufhe
> 
> Any particular recommendation ? (this is for creating a custom headphone cable for my TH-X00 ended in 3.5m to connect to my Hifiman player)


 
 Look in the Belden Brilliance series. Tastes differ, but personally I like some of their AES/EBU 110 ohm cable. 1800B, 1800F. The second is larger but more flexible.Then there is the 1508A, highly flexible,twisted pair audio cable, 24 awg. Great to work with and a size that will fit a lot of smaller 3.5 mm connector openings. You will not see a lot of hype from Belden but their quality control is second to none. Markertek also sells a lot of Belden as well as West Penn, Mogami and Canare. For balanced four conductor cable I use star quad made by Mogami or Canare. If you want good 3.5 mm trs connectors Mouser sells the Amphenol KS3PC in nickel or gold plated. They are extended to fit some hard to fit headphones as well as smart phones and other devices that are encased. This connector will accept cable up to 1/4 inch diameter if you remove the rubber grommet at the cable opening. The 1800F is the largest diameter and it is right at .20 inches.
  
  
 I wish I knew of some quality TRRS (three ring connectors) but none of the major companies make them yet. You can get them out of China but personally I would not use those and you best have had a lot of soldering experience if you try.
  
 Someone asked about smc crimp or solder. I have used both and for the crimp you have to have the proper die sizes for the crimping tool. I have maybe 10 different sets and match them up as needed. Soldering would be easier and you would have more cable options. You can find both types of SMC plugs on ebay last I looked.
  
 One thing I forgot to mention to one person on here, if you use a solder pot to work with Litz wire, be sure you get some liquid rosin solder flux. You dunk the wires in the flux just a bit maybe 1/8 of an inch and then into the solder. You may have to do that a couple times and you have to be certain the solder pot has reached its maximum temp. The coating will rise to the surface of the solder as black clumps and you will see when the solder is adhering properly. Do not add rosin flux directly to the pot it is not a good idea, use solid bar solder and keep the flux separate. Those of you who have learned proper soldering will know about heating the joint first when using rosin core solder.


----------



## ashmodai

paladin79 said:


> Look in the Belden Brilliance series. Tastes differ, but personally I like some of their AES/EBU 110 ohm cable. 1800B, 1800F. The second is larger but more flexible.Then there is the 1508A, highly flexible,twisted pair audio cable, 24 awg. Great to work with and a size that will fit a lot of smaller 3.5 mm connector openings. You will not see a lot of hype from Belden but their quality control is second to none. Markertek also sells a lot of Belden as well as West Penn, Mogami and Canare. For balanced four conductor cable I use star quad made by Mogami or Canare. If you want good 3.5 mm trs connectors Mouser sells the Amphenol KS3PC in nickel or gold plated. They are extended to fit some hard to fit headphones as well as smart phones and other devices that are encased. I wish I knew of some quality TRRS (three ring connectors) but none of the major companies make them yet. You can get them out of China but personally I would not use those and you best have had a lot of soldering experience if you try.
> 
> Someone asked about smc crimp or solder. I have used both and for the crimp you have to have the proper die sizes for the crimping tool. I have maybe 10 different sets and match them up as needed. Soldering would be easier and you would have more cable options. You can find both types of SMC plugs on ebay last I looked.
> 
> One thing I forgot to mention to one person on here, if you use a solder pot to work with Litz wire, be sure you get some liquid rosin solder flux. You dunk the wires in the flux just a bit maybe 1/8 of an inch and then into the solder. You may have to do that a couple times and you have to be certain the solder pot has reached its maximum temp. The coating will rise to the surface of the solder as black clumps and you will see when the solder is adhering properly. Do not add rosin flux directly to the pot it is not a good idea, use solid bar solder and keep the flux separate. Those of you who have learned proper soldering will know about heating the joint first when using rosin core solder.


 
  
 Thanks a lot !


----------



## Paladin79

no es nada.
  
  


allanmarcus said:


> Most splitters are unbalanced and cause the sound to be heavier. Some are very dark in color, and with cheaper ones, that darkness leaks into the cable and colors the sound. Some are made from organic polymers, and thus make cables sounds plasticy. Most importantly, since your wallet is very open after buying this splitter, you will certainly feel that your headphones sound more open!


 
 This is funny!  The value of an item is what people will pay for it and something like that can only reach a limited portion of a limited market. One of a hundred has a nice ring to it though lol.
  
 I have to be a little cautious with cables though. I have this 20 lb ragdoll cat who loves to chew on coiled cords and braided cords. Back in the days of home phones and coiled cords my wife was standing in the kitchen holding a phone saying the phone was dead. I looked down and the big fellow had chewed completely through the cord and it was just dangling there. With something like that titanium splitter on a a cable he might break a tooth.In my Avatar you will see him playing chess. His openings are incredible but he gets bogged down in the middle game and his endgame is non-existent.


----------



## radmanhs

Alright, I'm back with more questions....
  
 I want to replace my old, worn out hd650 headphone cable.  I have some btg 26 awg wire laying around and wasn't sure If I should do a 4 or 8 wire braid.  It is pretty thin so I think the 8 wire braid would look pretty sweet.  
  
 I know that there are only a few distributers of hd650 connectors, which makes it a huge pain.  There are cardas, furutech, and a few ebay sellers, which is always a little sketchy to me, but if the seller is trusted, it isn't too bad.  What connectors would you go for on your own cable?  Same goes for the 1/4" trs connector.  I used neutrik rean connectors in my last cables and I liked them a lot.  But I have seen amphenol connectors were pretty popular.  My question about them is, is the black part at the end plastic or painted metal?  I much rather have a full metal connector than one that is half metal and half plastic.


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## Paladin79

Amphenol does make a line of all metal quarter inch connectors available in silver or black bodies. The tips can be nickel or gold plated. Call Mouser, I just ordered some and they gave me those options and they can help with part numbers. I know the 650 connector is proprietary but I should have a cable in front of me today and I will help where I can. Personally I would use 8 wires, but I need to see the headphone connectors first to see how much room you have. Any time you double wires you are increasing the overall wire gauge. Combine two 14 gauge and the result is 11 AWG as best I recall. (I seldom look such things up so I could be wrong on the exact increase.). Since you have done this before I imagine you do understand twisted pair compared to running wires in parallel.


----------



## radmanhs

I understand how the twisted works, not sure what the parallel run is, other than literally just running the wires next to each other.  I've seen a few ways people have made cables with multiple wires, such as twisting the positive and negative together clockwise on 2 sets of wires, then twist those 2 sets counterclockwise.  Would it be fine to use the braiding methods that are on the first post, by using the 8 wire round/square braid, then splitting off into 2 4 wire flat braids.  Or should I use the twisting method?


----------



## Paladin79

Sorry I just meant the wires should not just be run next to each other, always twisted or braided. With four wires I imagine braiding is best without seeing the wire. A gentleman from here is helping me with a remodel and is bringing a 650 cable so I may have better answers in a couple hours. Also i doubt the black Amphenol are just painted. I would think powder coated or anodized. I have done an 8 wire braid using occ copper and silver and it works quite well but it was for single entry headphones so I did not have to split the wires for dual entry.


----------



## radmanhs

I imagine the simple solution for the 8 to 2 4 wire braids would be a splitter or heatshrink.  I bet he is going to plug his website in, but I do kind of like plussoundaudio's splitters


----------



## Paladin79

radmanhs said:


> I imagine the simple solution for the 8 to 2 4 wire braids would be a splitter or heatshrink.  I bet he is going to plug his website in, but I do kind of like plussoundaudio's splitters


 
 As a member of the trade and not a sponsor, I am no supposed to plug anything and my company is not listing headphone cables per se at this time. I offered some general wiring advice based on considerable experience. I had not done anything with Sennheiser 650 headphone cables till about 5 pm today when a gentleman from this site came down to help with some remodeling. The standard 650 cable was much better wire than I expected and I was impressed with the sound. It was interesting to see the connectors up close. I am sure Plussound has fine splitters and if you like them you should certainly use them. If you do use heat shrink tubing, I would prefer the type with adhesive inside, you can use something like hemostats, lock them between the split of the wires as you are heating and the tubing seals itself around each leg causing a very nice finish.


----------



## PLUSSOUND

radmanhs said:


> I imagine the simple solution for the 8 to 2 4 wire braids would be a splitter or heatshrink.  I bet he is going to plug his website in, but I do kind of like plussoundaudio's splitters


 

 Thank you! It is possible to divide 8 wires by two (4 wires per side) without the use of splitter or heatshrink, but y-splitters just look and feel great on cables.


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## Paladin79

I saw on one thread there might be some $95, 1 of 100 splitters out there; they must be special. Your site perhaps?


----------



## PLUSSOUND

Our Y-splitters go for $9.99 and $24.99.
  
 http://plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


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## Paladin79

Ah that is reasonable. There are so many threads it is hard to recall where I saw the post.

Thanks


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## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> Ah that is reasonable. There are so many threads it is hard to recall where I saw the post.
> 
> Thanks


 

 see post #5418 for the link to the expensive splitters and my in-depth opinion


----------



## Paladin79

Thanks my memory is not what it once was.


----------



## Stealer

i have with me the Denon5000 and He560 headphone.
 So i am thinking of doing a modification so that both headphones can share the same cable.
 using the 2.5mm plug
  
 this (screw type)
  

 or this ( hold with epoxy)

 And I would like to know 
 1.  which would be a better option 2.5 or 3.5 mm
 2.  which of the above plug can be used on both D5000 and he560
 3.  where can I buy them with gold-plated type (preference),
 Locally i can see few shops selling the 3.5mm gold-plated type (screw type) but not the 2.5mm


----------



## buke9

stealer said:


> i have with me the Denon5000 and He560 headphone.
> So i am thinking of doing a modification so that both headphones can share the same cable.
> using the 2.5mm plug
> 
> ...


I have no experience with either plug. There are more options out there . I don't have any off hand but I have seen others . I think it would be wise to find a few more options before I would commit to just two. I myself would go for 2.5 as they are smaller and would not effect the sound as much . It is up to you to decide though.


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## Allanmarcus

Hi. I really need three or four (but I would take as little as one) HD800 pins. I have two pairs of barrels and one pin, and I'm trying to make two cables. If anyone happens to have any, maybe used and leftover from a re-cabling job, please let me know.

I tried to order from Luna shops, but they are useless. They claim to have shipped them, but they never arrived. Highly recommend avoiding lunashops.


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## Paladin79

stealer said:


> i have with me the Denon5000 and He560 headphone.
> So i am thinking of doing a modification so that both headphones can share the same cable.
> using the 2.5mm plug
> 
> ...


 
 Buke is correct about the size of the 2.5 taking up less space, I have not seen the 2.5 mm jacks (female) in gold myself. There are a lot more 3.5 females produced by many quality manufacturers so it is the best choice as far as availability. The same holds true for the male 3.5 mm connectors, you can find quality connectors in gold, amphenol is my personal preference.
  
 I have used and tested most all connectors used with headphones and I have a preference for the type that Mr. Speakers uses. Hirose or e-valucon . I also like the SMC connectors and I believe you can find the jacks in gold but I doubt seriously you want to add male connectors to each cable. An easy one I rarely see used is the SMA connector, easy to find in Gold and it would screw down, and you can get them with a lock nut on the female and not have to worry about epoxying them in place. I could use them but they are not for someone with little soldering experience.The threaded portion of the female is 5.75 mm, probably a similar size to what you are considering
 They are generally used with coaxial cable but I have made them work with headphones and I love the results.


----------



## Stealer

@Paladin79
 the photo you posted is a SMC connector that is used in the old hifiman. I am trying to get away from this screw type.
  
  
 And if I am not wrong both the 2.5 and the 3.5mm plug external dimensions are the same (panel mounted type)
 Some1 can confirm this..
  
 As for the other plug (2nd pic I posted) I am not sure of dimension
  
 rgds


----------



## Paladin79

stealer said:


> @Paladin79
> the photo you posted is a SMC connector that is used in the old hifiman. I am trying to get away from this screw type.
> 
> 
> ...


 
 The photo I posted is of an SMA plug and jack, there are sub-miniature types A,B,and C thus SMA, SMB, SMC. You prefer not to use the style with threads and that is fine, these are readily available with gold plating and I trust them more than a chinese made connector with a thin piece of metal that can easily be bent and cease making good contact. There are some quality 3.5 mm plugs and jacks out there but good 2.5 connectors are not quite as common. Since you are talking about epoxying a jack in place, I would personally want a connector that was built to last. I do this for a living and tend to think a year or two down the road. My people use sub-miniature connectors on a daily basis and the entire connector and pins are gold on these connectors. Even a gold plated housing for a connector may not contain a gold contact. Before you buy anything see if you can get an internal view and I wish you well in your search.


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## solidshark91493

Trying not to be ignorant and not look, been trying all day. But I want to make a custom cable for my Shure SE315's And I dont really know how it would work or what Id need besides the MMCX connectors. 
 I tried searching but only find links to very expensive already made cables.


----------



## Trerit

I need a balanced cable for my HE-400i in some months. Never made a hifi cable so i have little clue as to what to get.
*What i think my needs for the cable is:* 1.5-2meter length, 2 x 2.5mm male monojacks on the headphone side, 1 x 4 pin xlr male on the amp side.

*So far i have found these products:*
silver plated copper wire with teflon insulation. its 26awg, unsure if this is to thick or the insulation is bad or i should go with some different strand..
4pin xlr male. Looks kinda cheap, better alternatives? 
2.5mm mono jack. couldnt find some more hifi ones with my ebay searches. i probably suck at using ebay..
  
 Will probably braid the cable, i selected silver plated because it sounds like an upgrade to regular copper..
  
any hints for wires and links to pages with better connectors is much appreciated


----------



## Stegosaurus

I"m in the same boat as Trerit. Looks like a cool addition to my hobby of choice .I'd like to get a few basic electronics tools. Just dont know which ones id use the most. I'd like to make some cabels for my hifi brothers... that would be really cool.


----------



## Paladin79

solidshark91493 said:


> Trying not to be ignorant and not look, been trying all day. But I want to make a custom cable for my Shure SE315's And I dont really know how it would work or what Id need besides the MMCX connectors.
> I tried searching but only find links to very expensive already made cables.


 
 Look in Digi-key, things like this..
  
 http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?mpart=0734150971&vendor=900
  
 If you get these and need help contact me and I will walk you through some of the things you will need to know.


----------



## Paladin79

trerit said:


> I need a balanced cable for my HE-400i in some months. Never made a hifi cable so i have little clue as to what to get.
> *What i think my needs for the cable is:* 1.5-2meter length, 2 x 2.5mm male monojacks on the headphone side, 1 x 4 pin xlr male on the amp side.
> 
> *So far i have found these products:*
> ...


 
 Neutrik and Switchcraft are both very good brands, that four pin xlr will not be cheaply made. There is a lot of debate over whether silver plated wire will do you any good. Read up on "skin effect" and RF frequencies and then make a decision. You can get pre-braided wire if you wish, since you are talking two mono connectors you would be doing at least a four wire braid so that you have separate grounds. There are plenty of illustrations out there on how to do this. Personally I use either copper OCC or silver OCC, and if you read up on skin effect you may very well see why I go in that direction. There is also some very good oxygen free copper out sold as Mogami star quad cable, it is a four wire configuration and I enjoy the sound through such a cable as well. I like variety and do a lot of testing. If I cannot hear an audible difference, I try not to spend the extra money.


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> I"m in the same boat as Trerit. Looks like a cool addition to my hobby of choice .I'd like to get a few basic electronics tools. Just dont know which ones id use the most. I'd like to make some cabels for my hifi brothers... that would be really cool.


 
 It can be fun, you will find plenty of good information if you read some of the posts on this site. If you need specific help like sources or soldering, contact me and I will help you where I can. You can always start with some lesser expensive twisted pair wire like Belden before you splurge on expensive wire. Oftentimes that can be an upgrade over stock cables on lesser expensive brands.
  
 You might want to start with some interconnects like RCA cables or XLR cables just to get some soldering experience. 
  
 One thing that might helps some of you is this: Look at the top of the line headphones made by Sennheiser, Fostex, Mr Speakers,ZMF, Audeze. See which connectors they use. Very few of the will build with 3.5 mm or 2.5 mm and quite often they are using quality cables themselves. 
  
 As far as tools, watch for deals on Ebay for Lindstrom, Erem, Hakko, and Weller. Lesser expensive tools make by the Cooper group are good for starting out. Start with good quality and it will last you a long time. I have had one pair of Lindstrom pliers for 30 years and they still work well. Weller is not the brand of soldering iron it once was but there are plenty of parts out there if you ever need to repair it.I am getting close to the end of my electronics career and I will always try to take time to help.


----------



## XenHeadFi

trerit said:


> 4pin xlr male. Looks kinda cheap, better alternatives?


 
 Those Neutrik XLR4 connectors are built like tanks. They are designed for roadies to plug and unplug. Considering XLR is generally an "industrial" connector due to its size and weight, most of the connectors sold will be more functional than "bling". Neutrik does make a "bling" XLR connector, but only in XLR 3-pin format (http://www.neutrik.com/en/xlr/crystalcon/nc3mxx-b-crystal).
  
 For my interconnects, I went with (http://www.neutrik.com/en/xlr/xx-he-serie/), which can be considered "semi-bling" with its "satin chrome" finish... For my headphones, I went with (http://www.neutrik.com/en/xlr/xx-series/nc4mxx-b). Semi-glossy black solid metal housings with hard heat-resistant plastic "backplate" to hold the pins/jacks, not-so-soft plastic boot with a hard plastic internal strain relief.
  
 A good starting guide on soldering wires to connectors with equipment list (http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/remotes-cables-accessories-tweaks/13000-how-solder-illustrated-diy-guide-making-your-own-cables.html). He is showing RCA connectors, but most of what he shows is general to all types of cables. Here is another informative guide for balanced cabling (https://robrobinette.com/BalancedCable.htm). For the equipment list you really need:

Solder iron, preferably a temperature-controlled soldering station if you plan on doing more than cables. A good plug-in-the-wall type with 30 - 60 Watts is good enough for cables. Melting the insulation is generally the issue. Temperature-controlled just gives you a bit more time before the insulation melts.
Solder iron cleaner - Get the bronze metal wool type (like this https://smile.amazon.com/Hakko-599B-02-Solder-Cleaning-Holder/dp/B00FZPGDLA/) and NOT the damp sponge. I have never gotten the damp sponge to work. It just moves the solder around the tip and lowers the tip's temperature. The bronze will not damage the tip of the iron and can scrape off burnt flux very easily.
Solder - good 63% Tin/37% Lead with flux (rosin) core is the best. Ignore silver or other mixtures as they are difficult to solder. Try to find a thin stranded one, 0.032" diameter is best. I use Kester 44 (63/37, 0.020", rosin-core). If your solder does not contain flux, you really need some as it helps the solder stick to the metal by cleaning off the surfaces of the wire and connector. There are many articles about which flux is useful in different situations, but this one is generally useful (https://smile.amazon.com/SRA-99-20-Rosin-Soldering-Flux/dp/B008OC3VMU/). A little goes a long way.
Helping Hands - You need 4 hands to solder a connector. One hand each to hold the wire, connector, solder, and soldering iron. If you cannot cobble together a make shift system, I suggest this one (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B008VO7H9E/). It is heavy enough to not wobble under its own weight and the clips are strong and easily fixed in place. Avoid (https://smile.amazon.com/SE-MZ101B-Helping-Magnifying-Glass/dp/B000RB38X8/) this type as they tip over if you look at them funny, which made soldering very frustrating.
Beginner level - good pliers with cutters. Competent level - wire stripper like this (https://smile.amazon.com/Hakko-CSP-30-1-Stripper-Maximum-Capacity/dp/B00FZPHMUG/) with a good flush cutter (https://smile.amazon.com/Hakko-CHP-170-Stand-off-Construction-21-Degree/dp/B017ODDPNO/). Wire strippers really takes much of the guess work away from stripping wire. The flush cutter is a very handy tool and can be used to cut and to strip all but thick wires. Pliers with cutters or the wire stripper can cut the thick wires and then you can use the flush cutters for the rest. REALLY thick wires need diagonal cutters, but that is for power cables and not for headphone cables.
Simple multimeter or even a battery/wires/lightbulb to check if the connection is good AND to check if you have a short! No current should flow between the ground and the signal wire in the cable itself.
A fan to blow the flux/rosin fumes away from your face. Solder does not fume as it is metal and is just melting. Flux will boil and these fumes are not so healthy (rosin does smell nice since it is an extract of plant sap, but rosin solvent is not so pleasant as it is an organic solvent). You can go all fancy and buy a fume extractor, but a well ventilated room is good unless you are doing hours of soldering.
  
 Other useful things are lighting, head-worn magnifiers, no-flux solder tip cleaner, more pliers (diagonal cutters, needle-nose, really thin needle-nose, hooked-nose), ESD-safe forceps, X-acto knife, scissors, box cutters, mini probes, screw drivers, fume extractor and the list goes on and on.


----------



## Paladin79

Other useful things are lighting, head-worn magnifiers, no-flux solder tip cleaner, more pliers (diagonal cutters, needle-nose, really thin needle-nose, hooked-nose), ESD-safe forceps, X-acto knife, scissors, box cutters, mini probes, screw drivers, fume extractor and the list goes on and on. 
  
  
 Personally I prefer magnifier lights that can be swiveled out of the way. I get models that sold for $160 new for around $40 each so I use four or five in my home shop. As far as a fume extractor a quiet computer fan is easy and cheap to rig up.
  
 I got this tool set for my son when he was around 12 and he uses it to this day. It even has a tape measure which is also very handy when building cables. The fact everything is organized helps you keep track of the tools, brand is xcellite and it runs around $500. Also I always use Panavise vises, they are portable and really handy for all kinds of soldering. I worked with a group of 100 technicians and that vise and a Weller iron and Kester solder are pretty standard equipment. (along with a magnifier light.)
  





 Panavise next to cat


----------



## PLUSSOUND

solidshark91493 said:


> Trying not to be ignorant and not look, been trying all day. But I want to make a custom cable for my Shure SE315's And I dont really know how it would work or what Id need besides the MMCX connectors.
> I tried searching but only find links to very expensive already made cables.


 
  


trerit said:


> I need a balanced cable for my HE-400i in some months. Never made a hifi cable so i have little clue as to what to get.
> *What i think my needs for the cable is:* 1.5-2meter length, 2 x 2.5mm male monojacks on the headphone side, 1 x 4 pin xlr male on the amp side.
> 
> *So far i have found these products:*
> ...


 
  


stegosaurus said:


> I"m in the same boat as Trerit. Looks like a cool addition to my hobby of choice .I'd like to get a few basic electronics tools. Just dont know which ones id use the most. I'd like to make some cabels for my hifi brothers... that would be really cool.


 
  
 We sell connectors, plugs, and other components needed to build cables:
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


----------



## Trerit

xenheadfi said:


> Those Neutrik XLR4 connectors are built like tanks. They are designed for roadies to plug and unplug. Considering XLR is generally an "industrial" connector due to its size and weight, most of the connectors sold will be more functional than "bling". Neutrik does make a "bling" XLR connector, but only in XLR 3-pin format (http://www.neutrik.com/en/xlr/crystalcon/nc3mxx-b-crystal).
> 
> For my interconnects, I went with (http://www.neutrik.com/en/xlr/xx-he-serie/), which can be considered "semi-bling" with its "satin chrome" finish... For my headphones, I went with (http://www.neutrik.com/en/xlr/xx-series/nc4mxx-b). Semi-glossy black solid metal housings with hard heat-resistant plastic "backplate" to hold the pins/jacks, not-so-soft plastic boot with a hard plastic internal strain relief.
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks alot 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 reading through the guides and finding some good stuff. also stumbled across eidolic connectors and they are quite bling so i think il go for those 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 

 as for tools; I got a Teng Tools 16 Drawer Tool Chest. Weller soldering bolt with tip fume extraction hooked up to a filter and compressor. multimeter, solder remover, helping hands. huge workbench etc. Have no clue of all the tools in the tool chest though so i might order some of the ones you mentioned.

 I have soldered quite a few cables, PCB's, electric guitar electronics. just loads of things for work and fixing up stuff my friends break.also soldered a lot when i went to electroics school 8 years ago. Just have zero experience with audiophile/hifi stuff


----------



## Trerit

plussound said:


> We sell connectors, plugs, and other components needed to build cables:
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


 
 Got any male 4pin xlr's to match those 2.5mm mono jacks? or know of some that match


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> Also I always use Panavise vises, they are portable and really handy for all kinds of soldering.


 
 One day, I may upgrade to Panavise, but so far, my small electronics tinkerings have not needed anything more than those cheap helping hands. 
  


trerit said:


> Thanks alot
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 No worries, I was lazy and didn't include the other 2 posts when I quoted yours. They seem to be much more on the beginner level. The first post on this and the gallery thread are ancient and of course there is so much on the web about soldering. I don't think there is much difference in soldering and soldering with audiophile stuff. Technique and practice. 
  
 Ooh, good catch! Forgot about solder remover. Nice to have some good solder wick to clean up messes on the connectors. Solder suckers are great for other things like PCB but more limited usefulness for cables.
  
 For cabling, this is close to an exhaustive list of things I use: wire stripper (cut cable/wire and strip insulation), teflon tape (to help get wire through paracord/techflex), binder clips (for holding wures when braiding), no-clean flux with cotton swabs (for pre-tinning), Hakko soldering station, Kester solder, helping hands, magnifier (for small connectors like SMC or 2.5mm), heat shrink (about 3 or 4 sizes), heat gun, lighter (for melting ends of paracord), X-acto knife (for mistakes), solder wick (for mistakes), mini pick/probe (like a tiny ice pick for scraping off solder that goes a little to far) and electricians tape (keep things together and add bulk to smooth out heat shrink), fume extractor, lighting.


----------



## Paladin79

One day, I may upgrade to Panavise, but so far, my small electronics tinkerings have not needed anything more than those cheap helping hands. 
  
 My people do use helping hands occasionally but they use Panavises daily. It is cheaper to get started with helping hands.  I ran my own company for ten years so I have duplicates of several things, three scopes, a couple signal generators, et aliae. I can thoroughly test cables but most people can get by with an ohmmeter (continuity tester) and their ears.
  I do not recall if anyone mentioned a heat gun for heat shrink tubing. ECG makes one for about $20 that is not bad for beginners. The types I use are made to last for years and tend to run in the $150 range. When dealing with nylon mesh it is best to have a great deal of control over the heat so you do not melt the mesh.


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## buke9

trerit said:


> Got any male 4pin xlr's to match those 2.5mm mono jacks? or know of some that match


Check out Norne audio. They have the Ediolic connectors super sweet looking . The 2.5 connectors had a long shaft on them so I can go balanced on my HE-400S and HD-700's with the same cable.


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## Stegosaurus

paladin79 said:


> It can be fun, you will find plenty of good information if you read some of the posts on this site. If you need specific help like sources or soldering, contact me and I will help you where I can. You can always start with some lesser expensive twisted pair wire like Belden before you splurge on expensive wire. Oftentimes that can be an upgrade over stock cables on lesser expensive brands.
> 
> You might want to start with some interconnects like RCA cables or XLR cables just to get some soldering experience.
> 
> ...


 
 Thank You for the insightful information. So I'm taking your advise and looking at the tools on eBay. I found some older Weller soldering irons for a descent price. Good to know you can order parts for them should I need to do so. Also looking at some new Lindstrom pliers. I will start with some cheaper parts but I'd like to geat some descent tools right out of the gate.


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## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> Thank You for the insightful information. So I'm taking your advise and looking at the tools on eBay. I found some older Weller soldering irons for a descent price. Good to know you can order parts for them should I need to do so. Also looking at some new Lindstrom pliers. I will start with some cheaper parts but I'd like to geat some descent tools right out of the gate.


 
 If you have any trouble finding specific items I may well have extras of some things at home. The weller tips for the solder stations are rated by heat, 8 on the back is 800 degrees, 7.. 700 degrees etc. For heavier duty soldering I use 800, for finer soldering 700. Some of the magnifier lights I get have a small spec of rust but once that happens a local pharmaceutical company replaces them with a more expensive model so getting them at $40 for this quality is a steal. There are some cheap ones on ebay out of China but before long the springs will break or the bulbs will burn out and you cannot find replacements. They also have a lower quality plastic lens, the quality ones use glass or a better grade of plastic.


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## solidshark91493

paladin79 said:


> Look in Digi-key, things like this..
> 
> http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?mpart=0734150971&vendor=900
> 
> If you get these and need help contact me and I will walk you through some of the things you will need to know.


 
  
 First attempt making custom cables. I get the gist of it I think.. I just wanna do it right and not get the wrong parts. 


plussound said:


> We sell connectors, plugs, and other components needed to build cables:
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/wires.html
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


 
 Basically the same answer. Plus if I can help it cheaper would be preffered but I dont wanna cheap out on these so I ll spend what I need to.


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## NeenerPhones

Couple questions. I'm not too sure about how different cables alter sound but i'm looking for something that retains the sound signature my cheapo project cans (Superlux HD668B) but clears things up a bit.
  
 I'm thinking about connected
  
This to this and connect each wire to a 3.5 mm that goes into a female 3.5mm that come from the headphones superlux style  
  
 What would be the benefit if any if I connect the Belden cable to a mini XLR and the two Mogami cables to a mini XLR? 
  
 I am VERY new to this. If someone could nudge me in the right direction that would be great. 
  
 What I need:
 1) 1/4 or 1/8 to connect to amp or phone using an adapter 
 2) Same sound signature 
 3) Reliable male and female 3.5mm connections and if there is any benefit to using XLR, i'll give it a try and in which case I'll meet the two mogami cables together that go into a female 3 or 4 pin XLR (needs to be small... Reeaally don't want a bulky plug) and the Belden can go to a male XLR or I can make a 3.5mm cable that splits into two male XLR and connect female to the cups of the headphones... If you feel there are better cables (or simply recommended through experience) that sell per foot or under 5 foot lengths, please point me to them.
  
 Thanks guys 
  
 Sincerely,
  
 - The newbie


----------



## Paladin79

You can buy plenty of quality cable from Markertek. They also handle Neutrik connectors which is about the only brand I use for XLR's, some 3.5 mm and such. I do not know of smaller XLR's, they are usually fairly large. You cannot go wrong with Belden or Mogami, both companies make quality cable. You can always go cheaper with Chinese made products but I tend to stay away from those for the most part for high end audio.


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## NeenerPhones

Thanks for the reply! I have been eye balling Neutrik 'tiny' 3 pole XLRs but the only male end I can find is meant to go into a chassis. So the XLR thing might just be out the window. I've found some pictures and they're slightly larger than a 1/4 with a nice thick handle.


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## rmoody

neenerphones said:


> Thanks for the reply! I have been eye balling Neutrik 'tiny' 3 pole XLRs but the only male end I can find is meant to go into a chassis. So the XLR thing might just be out the window. I've found some pictures and they're slightly larger than a 1/4 with a nice thick handle.


 

 I tried these, and hated them. I use the connectors MrSpeakers uses. You can get the male from Dan for a great price, then I've had to get the female from eBay. I have the DigiTech and Mouser links at home if you want them. Used them for my last modular cable and other than the crimp ring, it's easy to use. I cannot find the crimper for it, so I just make do with pliars and then filing it down so that it fits. Takes about 20-30 minutes per connector depending on how well I can get the pliars to cooperate that particular day. Have some pics if you want I've posted on this thread. Just look for orange cables because Go Vols!


----------



## Paladin79

You are talking mini XLR's then, standard XLR's are nearly 3/4 inch outside diameter and generally used on equipment.


----------



## thewatcher101

When you solider speaker wires to terminals, do you need to form a knot to hold the wires in their terminals, or will the solider wires be enough for normal usage abuse?


----------



## NeenerPhones

Where might I be able to get those connectors or contact Dan?.. I'm also very and I mean VERY skeptical of where or how I'm going to attach this cable
  
 I wanted to go superlux style and make a male or female end that hangs out of the cup but I don't know how patient i'll be with the soldering and wire cutting. So i'll probably just go with a fixed wire that connects to a 3.5 female or whatever better, more solid connector I can get my hands on. What may be the best way to secure the wire to the housing? So far the most convenient option seems to be hot glue.


----------



## Paladin79

thewatcher101 said:


> When you solider speaker wires to terminals, do you need to form a knot to hold the wires in their terminals, or will the solider wires be enough for normal usage abuse?


 
 Are you talking speaker wires to connectors? Basically whenever possible I was always taught if you go through a solder lug you should loop the wire through and crimp it then solder. You never rely on just the solder itself. Many speaker wires connections on equipment is spring loaded or you use a five type lug where just the speaker wires goes through, or you attach spade lugs,pin connectors, banana plugs, or dual banana plugs. If you could show me a photo I could answer you better. Some connections work better when you do not use solder at all.


----------



## thewatcher101

I don't think I can loop it, based on the connectors, looping it does nothing because it is just a flat inside. And the connectors rides pretty close to the end of the barrel so there isn't much room to hold a loop.


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## Paladin79

That appears to be a 1/4 inch TRS connector. It is not made to accommodate speaker wire. 22-24 AWG twisted pair more than likely with shield. Those are solder lugs but for smaller wire.


----------



## thewatcher101

Sorry my mistake, not speaker wire, they are for headphone cables, for the LCD series.


----------



## buke9

rmoody said:


> I tried these, and hated them. I use the connectors MrSpeakers uses. You can get the male from Dan for a great price, then I've had to get the female from eBay. I have the DigiTech and Mouser links at home if you want them. Used them for my last modular cable and other than the crimp ring, it's easy to use. I cannot find the crimper for it, so I just make do with pliars and then filing it down so that it fits. Takes about 20-30 minutes per connector depending on how well I can get the pliars to cooperate that particular day. Have some pics if you want I've posted on this thread. Just look for orange cables because Go Vols!


I saw the crimper a while back and I think it was like $30 so no go for me. No you want Blue cables go Cats ; )


----------



## buke9

thewatcher101 said:


> I don't think I can loop it, based on the connectors, looping it does nothing because it is just a flat inside. And the connectors rides pretty close to the end of the barrel so there isn't much room to hold a loop.


No looping wire. Just throw a little solder on the terminal end and tin the tips of the wire and solder away done.


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## Allanmarcus

@thewatcher101 
  
 I solder the tip and ring, crimp the metal over the wires, then solder the common to the crimp.


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## Paladin79

I really cannot see if you have holes in the lugs but if you do, the proper method is to loop the wire through the lugs, sometimes you have to enlarge them a bit with a small pick. Tacking them on there is not the best way, it will work for a while but eventually they can work loose. You never rely on solder alone even though it seems you can get away with it lol. If there are no holes in the lugs I would loop the wire around the outside, crimp it a bit and then solder it. The ground can be attached as Allanmarcus said. I generally use Neutrik or Amphenol TRS quarter inch that grip the cable jacket for extra strength but if done properly that connector can work.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> I saw the crimper a while back and I think it was like $30 so no go for me. No you want Blue cables go Cats ; )


 
 Buke you and I will have to talk about basketball one day lol. I arrived in Bloomington the same time as Bob Knight but that is not the story I want to tell you.


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## Allanmarcus

Thanks @Paladin79 ! Here's how I was doing it, but I will try the loop method. 
  
 note: I got some macro extension tubes just so I could shots like this 
  
 I'm very interested in comments, tips, suggestions.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> Buke you and I will have to talk about basketball one day lol. I arrived in Bloomington the same time as Bob Knight but that is not the story I want to tell you.


 
 Would love to hear it.


----------



## Paladin79

you are close and at least you are going through the lug. Many of the folks here are diy guys and are working on their own equipment. My people do this for a living and we give a lifetime warranty on a lot of cables so we have to do it so it will last even if the customer abuses the cable some. I was also taught the proper way in school and the reasoning behind it. Those little lugs have holes in them for a reason lol. Also as I said, I was taught you never rely on the solder to hold a joint together, the wire being looped and crimped gives the junction strength and does not allow as much movement. We do get new people and I rely on others to do some training, or rare occasion when a cable is returned it is because the wire was not looped through the lug when soldered. There are plenty of times we do 500 cables a day and I worked every weekend for 8 months helping out so I have done plenty of those myself lol.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Thanks @Paladin79 ! Here's how I was doing it, but I will try the loop method.
> 
> note: I got some macro extension tubes just so I could shots like this
> 
> I'm very interested in comments, tips, suggestions.


 
 Looks great. If it has a hole by all means go thru it. You did it the right way as going inside and not putting too much for the barrel to deal with.


----------



## Paladin79

When you said speaker wire I thought yikes!  Do we have another guy hooking his 500 watt power amp directly into his headphones again?  My earlier answers were based on speaker wire lugs and terminals. It can take a few questions before things start to add up. Tomorrow if I get time I will post a couple pictures while at work. Pardon me if I seem over critical, for home use and if you are grabbing the plug and not the cable you will probably be fine with what you have there. I have done work for companies where you had best have a good crimped loop there and solder filling the entire eyelet of the lug or the work was rejected.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> When you said speaker wire I thought yikes!  Do we have another guy hooking his 500 watt power amp directly into his headphones again?  My earlier answers were based on speaker wire lugs and terminals. It can take a few questions before things start to add up. Tomorrow if I get time I will post a couple pictures while at work. Pardon me if I seem over critical, for home use and if you are grabbing the plug and not the cable you will probably be fine with what you have there. I have done work for companies where you had best have a good crimped loop there and solder filling the entire eyelet of the lug or the work was rejected.


 

 I would love to see your work. The pictures I posted is a 1/4" TRS. After the barrel I also put heat shrink on the outside for about 1.5" down the cable.
  
 At any rate, please post some pics!


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## Paladin79

Quarter inch connectors are much easier to work with than 2.5 mm or 3.5 mm. Fortunately too my people end up building 25 or more of each on occasion. Speed and skill greatly increases and with repetition you learn wire strip lengths and proper wire bending so things move quickly and efficiently. When working with tiny connectors I have made spring steel straight picks that are abrasive. They are used to open tiny solder lugs if stranded wire does not fit well. Oftentimes we use a couple drops of hot glue before the clear insulator goes on. If you ever need to remove it, the same heat gun you use for heat shrink tubing will do that. RCA cables are faster but generally it takes less than eight minutes to build each cable, two trs connectors, one on each end and test the cable. Naturally if there is a hand tool made that speeds up the process or improved efficiency I buy it. I am not including braiding cable or using sheathing in that 8 minute figure. Short RCA cables I do in about 4 minutes each at home so a set is 8 minutes. That includes making the cables directional.


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> you are close and at least you are going through the lug. Many of the folks here are diy guys and are working on their own equipment. My people do this for a living and we give a lifetime warranty on a lot of cables so we have to do it so it will last even if the customer abuses the cable some. I was also taught the proper way in school and the reasoning behind it. Those little lugs have holes in them for a reason lol. Also as I said, I was taught you never rely on the solder to hold a joint together, the wire being looped and crimped gives the junction strength and does not allow as much movement. We do get new people and I rely on others to do some training, or rare occasion when a cable is returned it is because the wire was not looped through the lug when soldered. There are plenty of times we do 500 cables a day and I worked every weekend for 8 months helping out so I have done plenty of those myself lol.


 
  
 Would you expand on how you crimp wire onto lugs, please? I usually pass the conductor through the hole and try to wrap the it at least once around the lug. With smaller lugs and thicker conductors, this is sometimes not possible, so I try to at least create a hook with the conductor and mash it down with some sort of pliers (usually needle nose). After that, I solder.
  
 Recently, I have been working with crimps and learning their strengths and weaknesses. I just bought a set of crimpers for a few electronics projects I intend to do, but crimpers need to have the correct die to match the crimps being used. With just wire and lug, I don't see how I could do a proper crimp.


----------



## Paladin79

I will make every effort to post pics tomorrow from work. I will take pics before and after soldering cause after solder you do not see the wire much.






first photo shows the only tools I used other than the panavise and soldering iron. I just grabbed a cheap connector that I knew had solder lugs. It also has a hole in the back for the braid to pass through., 

second photo shows strip length. I have not tinned the ground wire, this cable comes with some pre-tinned wire thus the copper and silver colors

Third photo shows wires looped through the lugs and holding itself in place, no need for helping hands or the like. I opened the clamp at the bottom so you could better see the wire.

Fourth photo shows the tip and ring wires soldered, I then flipped the connector over and soldered the ground on the back side, as I said there is a ground hole there.

Fifth photo I formed the clamp into a circle then I crimped the clamp with the crimping tool to get it tight and uniform around the cable jacket. I prefer clamping the jacket, not the wires and the ground is well soldered. 

Please note I rushed through this in around a minute, normally I wire these red to the right but I was more concerned with showing the wire looped through the solder lugs and proper soldering technique. I would normally do a pre-test with a meter, use hot glue to seal the tip and ring lugs, slide the clear insulator in place and screw on the back shell then on to the other end. I then test for continuity and lack of shorts, (high resistance shorts can be a factor with some cable) and then do a live test. It may not show it well but the wire looped through the lugs receives solder on both sides of the lug and the hole is completely filled.

I did use a different wire stripper to remove the outside jacket. Being in a hurry I stripped the red and black wires with the side cutters, but I can do that with a pocket knife, or various other wire strippers. I was working at an employees desk so I only grabbed the few things she had out at the time. 

Sixth photo shows finished end and the jacket stripper I used to remove the blue jacket approximately 3/4 inch. The last photo ended up on the top.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Would you expand on how you crimp wire onto lugs, please? I usually pass the conductor through the hole and try to wrap the it at least once around the lug. With smaller lugs and thicker conductors, this is sometimes not possible, so I try to at least create a hook with the conductor and mash it down with some sort of pliers (usually needle nose). After that, I solder.
> 
> Recently, I have been working with crimps and learning their strengths and weaknesses. I just bought a set of crimpers for a few electronics projects I intend to do, but crimpers need to have the correct die to match the crimps being used. With just wire and lug, I don't see how I could do a proper crimp.


 
 I do not crimp wire onto solder lugs, I simply loop the wires through it as in the above photos. I sometimes use a straight pic like in the above photo if the holes in the solder lugs are too small for a specific size wire. I do use a hex crimper to make a uniform circle with the cable clamp. There are crimp type RCA connectors, we use a lot of Canare one day if I get time I will show that but as I recall the Canare tools can be around $300 and you can only use their connectors which are often made for specific cable so that is a little out of reach for the normal diy person. We do crimps on SMA, SMB, and SMC connectors. SMC are sometimes used on headphones the others are rf connectors.


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> I do not crimp wire onto solder lugs, I simply loop the wires through it as in the above photos. I sometimes use a straight pic like in the above photo if the holes in the solder lugs are too small for a specific size wire. I do use a hex crimper to make a uniform circle with the cable clamp. There are crimp type RCA connectors, we use a lot of Canare one day if I get time I will show that but as I recall the Canare tools can be around $300 and you can only use their connectors which are often made for specific cable so that is a little out of reach for the normal diy person. We do crimps on SMA, SMB, and SMC connectors. SMC are sometimes used on headphones the others are rf connectors.


 
 I must have misunderstood what your wrote then. I was thinking you added a small tube crimp to the wire+lug before soldering. Since I have the old style HE560, I know the SMC female connector very well and it is a pain in the butt to work with.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> I must have misunderstood what your wrote then. I was thinking you added a small tube crimp to the wire+lug before soldering. Since I have the old style HE560, I know the SMC female connector very well and it is a pain in the butt to work with.


 
 Sorry for the misunderstanding, it was certainly not my intent to mislead you. We work with a ton of SMA connectors, I guess wi fi is part of a lot of vending machines now and we do a lot of cables for that market. We do a lot of traditional audio cables but have not ventured into headphone cables much yet. I have built quite a few for my own use and to help out people who need proprietary cables. Many of the same principles apply, soldering is soldering. I think normal SMC's are for RF applications with coaxial cable but there are some modified versions for twisted pair as well. Do they still use SMC connectors on newer headphones? I am sure HIfiman is a good brand but I have not owned a pair yet.


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> Sorry for the misunderstanding, it was certainly not my intent to mislead you. We work with a ton of SMA connectors, I guess wi fi is part of a lot of vending machines now and we do a lot of cables for that market. We do a lot of traditional audio cables but have not ventured into headphone cables much yet. I have built quite a few for my own use and to help out people who need proprietary cables. Many of the same principles apply, soldering is soldering. I think normal SMC's are for RF applications with coaxial cable but there are some modified versions for twisted pair as well. Do they still use SMC connectors on newer headphones? I am sure HIfiman is a good brand but I have not owned a pair yet.


 
 Yeah, when I was looking for the connector to make my custom cables, I found many sites listing it as used for antenna connectors for RC/Drones. I like the connector for its function: not proprietary and is secure once properly installed. However for headphone use, they do need a large and robust strain relief system since it only accepts pretty thin wire and solder ground directly to the housing. I do not see a way to crimping the signal wire onto female connector, though. I don't change cables much.
  
 I think the range of connectors is very wide, from proprietary to 2.5"(Edit: millimeters!) and miniXLR.
  
 Totally agree that soldering is pretty much soldering.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Yeah, when I was looking for the connector to make my custom cables, I found many sites listing it as used for antenna connectors for RC/Drones. I like the connector for its function: not proprietary and is secure once properly installed. However for headphone use, they do need a large and robust strain relief system since it only accepts pretty thin wire and solder ground directly to the housing. I do not see a way to crimping the signal wire onto female connector, though. I don't change cables much.
> 
> I think the range of connectors is very wide, from proprietary to 2.5" and miniXLR.
> 
> Totally agree that soldering is pretty much soldering.


 
 A lot of times I will trim any excess wire from a solder joint but that is mostly habit. If you are dealing with high voltage you want to avoid sharp points because of corona discharge. Knowing that helped me land a pretty good size government contract when one of their engineers visited and I could convince him I had worked with high voltage and that our work would meet their standards. You would not think soldering could absorb an eight week training course but it can. It just depends on the application and just how crucial each solder joint is.


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> A lot of times I will trim any excess wire from a solder joint but that is mostly habit. If you are dealing with high voltage you want to avoid sharp points because of corona discharge. Knowing that helped me land a pretty good size government contract when one of their engineers visited and I could convince him I had worked with high voltage and that our work would meet their standards. You would not think soldering could absorb an eight week training course but it can. It just depends on the application and just how crucial each solder joint is.


 
 I too use my flush cutters and picks to remove any sharp points, but never thought of corona discharges as I have only been planning up to 36 V projects (no tubes in my near future,). 36 V is getting up there, especially with DC. I am always worried about poking holes in the insulator/heat shrink/tape/etc and creating a short.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> I too use my flush cutters and picks to remove any sharp points, but never thought of corona discharges as I have only been planning up to 36 V projects (no tubes in my near future,). 36 V is getting up there, especially with DC. I am always worried about poking holes in the insulator/heat shrink/tape/etc and creating a short.


 
 When using clamps on 1/4" connectors that have teeth on them, I try to have just jacket beneath them. That is another reason I shape them using the hex crimpers. If you are not careful bending them pliers and such you can easily poke through the insulation on wire. Even if it measures fine at the time, as the cable is handled the teeth can work their way through and suddenly you just shorted out the left or right channel. For the photos I grabbed some cheap connectors just so I could show solder lug soldering. We use a lot of Neutrik and they have a totally different cable clamping system. They also only use one solder lug and a think I will call a solder cup. The brand is well known for guitar quarter inch mono connectors and the guitar cords get tugged on a lot so that system is quite solid.
  
 I think the max I worked with was 30kv but that was a while back and it had more to do with television and crt computer monitors and some military applications that will remain nameless.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Hey there 
I am going to build my first DIY cable soon and have some questions.

I will build a 3.5 to 2.5 balanced cable to connect my Oppo PM-3 with my balanced DAP.

I already have all materials, will ise plugs from china (lunashops) and some wires fro. stripped mogami neglex quad cable.

My questions are about the wires.

First, if anyone has ever stripped the mogami cables, do you have some advice how to do that?
Getting off the rubber tube was easy, but the shild was pure pita as the cable.always twisted around itself (i stripped 7 meters at once).
Also seperating the drilled around each other wires was really hard and all together cost me ~2 hours...

Second, is there anything to watch out for regarding braiding patterns?
I will use four wires in a round braid, but how should i align the + and - wires?

I am just practicing braiding atm, here are two pattern examples:





If we assume blue is - and clear is +, in the first pattern they are always "opposite" to each other.
In the second one the kind a twist around each other inside the braid, or something, dont really know how to describe that...

Would really appretiate any help!!

Oh, and i still have the prob that when i lose the patern only ONCE i wont find back into it and have to start anew, i hope that happens less with more practice...


----------



## Paladin79

I have worked with the Mogami star quad and I will try to post a couple pics of strippers that would do the job. I am not sure you would have any issues with either of those braiding patterns. Personally I keep the like colors together, clear blue with opaque blue, etc. and the wires are identical as far as I know, so whichever you use for the + just make sure you use it for the + on the other end. An ohmmeter with continuity buzzer is handy for this. Personally I would  have left the wire in the star quad configuration and just separated the two pairs and put some nice braided mesh on it but each to their own.
  
  
 Align positive and negative? Naturally you would keep each pair together going to each side of the headphones, twisted pair is about all you can do.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Paladin79 said:
			
		

> I have worked with the Mogami star quad and I will try to post a couple pics of strippers that would do the job. I am not sure you would have any issues with either of those braiding patterns. Personally I keep the like colors together, clear blue with opaque blue, etc. and the wires are identical as far as I know, so whichever you use for the + just make sure you use it for the + on the other end. An ohmmeter with continuity buzzer is handy for this. Personally I would  have left the wire in the star quad configuration and just separated the two pairs and put some nice braided mesh on it but each to their own.
> 
> 
> Align positive and negative? Naturally you would keep each pair together going to each side of the headphones, twisted pair is about all you can do.




Thanks for your answer and the pics of the strippers.
But i think i did not describe my problem clear enough.
I have no problem getting the isolation off the single wire, i had a hard time getting the copper shield that is wrapped around the 4 wires of the mogami off, the cable just twisted around itself all the time.
Same problem with seperating the 4 single conductors.

Regarding patterns and aligning wires, i read somewhere that how you braid the + and - together might affect sound, why i dont remember...

And i do not have to seperate the braid, the Oppo PM-3 has a single 3,5mm 4pin socket on one side and the DAP has a 2,5mm 4pin socket.
I just have to be careful with wiring because the pinout is different on both


----------



## Paladin79

hirschiaut said:


> Thanks for your answer and the pics of the strippers.
> But i think i did not describe my problem clear enough.
> I have no problem getting the isolation off the single wire, i had a hard time getting the copper shield that is wrapped around the 4 wires of the mogami off, the cable just twisted around itself all the time.
> Same problem with seperating the 4 single conductors.
> ...


 
 Sorry I cannot help you in how to take the outside braid off, that is a form of shielding as is twisted pairs and I usually leave it alone. IMHO you are probably paying more for this cable manufactured in a jacket than you would be if you bought some high purity OFC wire and just started with that.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> hirschiaut said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for your answer and the pics of the strippers.
> ...


 

 I don't think so. Mogami quad for a about ~$0.75/foot (shipped) is a pretty good price. Remember, you're getting 4 wires per cable.
  
 Getting the shielding off is a pain. You just have to patiently unwind it. Same with the wire itself. You just have to unwind a little, flatten it out, then unwind a little more. Perfect activity when watching TV


----------



## buke9

hirschiaut said:


> Thanks for your answer and the pics of the strippers.
> But i think i did not describe my problem clear enough.
> I have no problem getting the isolation off the single wire, i had a hard time getting the copper shield that is wrapped around the 4 wires of the mogami off, the cable just twisted around itself all the time.
> Same problem with seperating the 4 single conductors.
> ...


I just use something pointed and just unbraid it a little at a time. Sorry but it is a pita.


----------



## XenHeadFi

hirschiaut said:


> [A] First, if anyone has ever stripped the mogami cables, do you have some advice how to do that?
> Getting off the rubber tube was easy, but the shild was pure pita as the cable.always twisted around itself (i stripped 7 meters at once).
> Also seperating the drilled around each other wires was really hard and all together cost me ~2 hours...
> 
> ...


*

 A) I don't remember having too much trouble stripping the copper shielding from mogami 2799. Xacto through the gray insulator. Then I just try to push the shield down the wire, expanding it. Think of it like the reverse of sleeving wires into paracord. At the end, I pretty much got a ball of copper shielding at one end of the cable. 7 meters is pretty long as I have only done at most 2 meters at one time. I do not remember taking too long and I saved the shield. It is amazing how little copper there is. Canare StarQuad's shield is a whole different thing. I think I just cut it off.
  
 B) It doesn't really matter. Initial strands 1&2 and 3&4 will naturally branch off together after you finish the 4-strand braid section. If you suddenly decide that you want 1&4 to go to one, then your Y-split will just be a bit bigger. If you have a Y-Splitter, the slightly bigger bulk should be hidden inside. If you desire a specific pattern for the 4-strand braid, then you just have to plan accordingly.
  
 C) Welcome to the club! Unless I notice a mistake immediately, I have to start from scratch, too. On my last cable, I started from scratch 3 times before I got it right. Then I messed up with the twisted-pair to the cups. I twisted the wrong way so when I tighten the connector, it loosens the twist! D'OH!
*


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I don't think so. Mogami quad for a about ~$0.75/foot (shipped) is a pretty good price. Remember, you re getting 4 wires per cable.
> 
> Getting the shielding off is a pain. You just have to patiently unwind it. Same with the wire itself. You just have to unwind a little, flatten it out, then unwind a little more. Perfect activity when watching TV


 
 Respectfully I will disagree and I tend to remember there are four wires in quad cable. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




 You are effectively really getting and paying for five wires counting the braid. That is 24 awg ofc, the braid is no doubt higher gauge.  75 cents a foot is a good price for that particular cable is something I would agree with.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> Respectfully I will disagree and I tend to remember there are four wires in quad cable. :bigsmile_face:
> You are effectively really getting and paying for five wires counting the braid. That is 24 awg ofc, the braid is no doubt higher gauge.  75 cents a foot is a good price for that particular cable is something I would agree with.


What I think you are missing here is we like to do things the hard way otherwise it would not be fun. Yes it is five wires but most like the satisfaction of braiding our own even if covering with tech flex or the like. You do this for a living we do it because we want to.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> What I think you are missing here is we like to do things the hard way otherwise it would not be fun. Yes it is five wires but most like the satisfaction of braiding our own even if covering with tech flex or the like. You do this for a living we do it because we want to.


 
 I do plenty of it because I want to and I do like the looks of the braided cable, I have done plenty of them on my own. Please reread what I just said and what you quoted, I said that was a great price for that cable and  I will add it is his cable so he can do as he wishes of course. Would I do the same thing with star quad, probably not, but I merely stated an opinion there and I hope I am entitled to that.. What a  star quad cable costs and what individual wires cost is more of a fact. I know what that cable sounds like when it is left in tact, I happen to like that configuration so I will recuse myself from further discussion. lol


----------



## XenHeadFi

Whether or not I keep the shielding depends on the cable type and its use. For my 5 foot extension/breakout cable that plugs into the XLR4 jack of the amplifier, I have intact Mogami 2799 in 550 paracord. The shield is connected only to the connector at the amplifier. This cable gets run near many other cables so I wanted it to be shielded. I also have a short female XLR4 to male  3.5mm TRS that is intact Canare StarQuad, because Canare StarQuad's outer insulation is pure sexy.
  
 My 3 ft headphone cables are stripped Mogami 2799 on with male XLR4 and female SMC, sleeved in paracord. I think I can get away from not having shielding because it's on the un-amplified side, it's short, and it's generally not around a bunch of other cables. They plug into the extension cord.
  
 My <1ft. XLR3 interconnects are braided, no sleeves, and no shield. Probably should have shielding here, but...
  
 If I made RCA or BNC or Coax, I would definitely keep the shield as those are specs for those kinds of cables.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I do plenty of it because I want to and I do like the looks of the braided cable, I have done plenty of them on my own. Please reread what I just said and what you quoted, I said that was a great price for that cable and  I will add it is his cable so he can do as he wishes of course. Would I do the same thing with star quad, probably not, but I merely stated an opinion there and I hope I am entitled to that.. What a  star quad cable costs and what individual wires cost is more of a fact. I know what that cable sounds like when it is left in tact, I happen to like that configuration so I will recuse myself from further discussion. lol


Whoa there. Yes I got that you said the price was fine got it. i just got your little joke on quad cable (I'm a little slow) . I agree a 30 foot long mic cable would benifient from the shielding but a 6 foot headphone cable I doubt it . That's all I was saying didn't mean to ruffle any one up.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Whether or not I keep the shielding depends on the cable type and its use. For my 5 foot extension/breakout cable that plugs into the XLR4 jack of the amplifier, I have intact Mogami 2799 in 550 paracord. The shield is connected only to the connector at the amplifier. This cable gets run near many other cables so I wanted it to be shielded. I also have a short female XLR4 to male  3.5mm TRS that is intact Canare StarQuad, because Canare StarQuad's outer insulation is pure sexy.
> 
> My 3 ft headphone cables are stripped Mogami 2799 on with male XLR4 and female SMC, sleeved in paracord. I think I can get away from not having shielding because it's on the un-amplified side, it's short, and it's generally not around a bunch of other cables. They plug into the extension cord.
> 
> ...




Well said. I was a fan of the Canare star quad long before I used the Mogami. I do apologize for having some advantages in cable I have laying around but I love the sound of the star quad as it is made so it is not in my nature to change it but if it is what you have, go for it. I have not tried to strip a bunch of it and am no help for those who are doing that. Putting paracord on some cables can be a slow process. I do not use tech flex, it tends to be noisy and abrasive IMHO.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Whoa there. Yes I got that you said the price was fine got it. i just got your little joke on quad cable (I'm a little slow) . I agree a 30 foot long mic cable would benifient from the shielding but a 6 foot headphone cable I doubt it . That's all I was saying didn't mean to ruffle any one up.




I could have said things better, I like the star quad as it sits, but someone else might like the looks and sound of it braided and go to that effort. More power to them. I stopped talking when the gentleman asked the best way to strip it down cause frankly I hav not done that before. I buy cable daily so it is probably unfair if I use info others might not have. It is not easy to unknow something. The gentleman might not have the access to product I take for granted. I did personally make and give away several cables on here until I was asked to stop. It saddens me that a person might own some CHC Sulverados and not be able to use them but I must abide.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I could have said things better, I like the star quad as it sits, but someone else might like the looks and sound of it braided and go to that effort. More power to them. I stopped talking when the gentleman asked the best way to strip it down cause frankly I hav not done that before. I buy cable daily so it is probably unfair if I use info others might not have. It is not easy to unknow something. The gentleman might not have the access to product I take for granted. I did personally make and give away several cables on here until I was asked to stop. It saddens me that a person might own some CHC Sulverados and not be able to use them but I must abide.


 
 It's all good . Good to have you here.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> It's all good . Good to have you here.


 
 I enjoy it. I am also the first to admit I do not have the headphone knowledge of most any of you and I am glad to learn. I do have to stop giving cables away though, one guy was in Ireland and UPS was going to be $95 out of my pocket plus the cost of materials. It went USPS, he should get it some day, so far it has been a week. Years ago I helped a guy in New Caledonia with electronic parts he could not get, he would go over to Australia and ship me Cuban cigars as a thank you. The guy was in paradise but electrolytic capacitors do not grow on palm trees or whatever he had.
  
 I did happen to think of something that could possibly help with stripping the braid from cables. Years ago I used a jacket stripper for really thick jackets on RGB cable. It had an elongated U shape that slipped under the jacket and would not touch any of the wires. The thing was razor sharp and it might slice through mesh just as easily. Provided you were going to junk the mesh anyway. The end was kind of a hook shape. Seam rippers have a similar shape but you pulled this instead of pushing it and it was much sharper. It finally broke and I tossed it or I would take a picture of it.


----------



## HirschiAUT

First of all, thanks for all the answers and comments, really helpful!!!
  
 About the mogami cable and why i use it:
  
 Since i want to do a braid myself, i have to get single wires.
 I searched for MONTHS but over here in europe there are only limited options.
 The "cheapest" single wires would have been from china, but only 27AWG with teflon insulation instead of XLPTE.
 And even that would have cost 2,4€ per meter for single wires.
 The cheapest PTE insulated was from Toxic Cables, 26AWG for 2,7€ per meter, +7,5€ uninsured shipping (12€ insured).
 For 3,8€ i can buy the mogami locally, that means i get 1 meter of 24AWG wire for 0,95€, so a big difference...
  
 As for the reason why i got 7 meters, i want to use only the clear wires for my headphone cables as i will not sleeve them.
 The blue ones will be used for adapters and the likes.
 I initially planned an 8 wire braid, and with 14 meters of clear wire i would end up with 8 pieces of 1,75 meters clear wire, perfect for a roughly 1,6m cable.
 But since the cable is gonna be for portable use i am only doing 4 wire braid becaise of convenience.
  
 And regarding losing the pattern and the need to start again, I did not make any mistakes during the braiding.
 What happens all the time is that i have to straighten the wires below the braid from time to time, and while doing so i sometimes forget where in the pattern i stopped, and then i never find into it again xD
  
 One more time a big thanks to all of you, really appretiated!
 As soon as i properly start with the cable i will post some pictures


----------



## XenHeadFi

hirschiaut said:


> First of all, thanks for all the answers and comments, really helpful!!!
> <snip>
> About the mogami cable and why i use it:
> <snip>
> ...


 
 I love Mogami 2799, so you won't get any complaints from me. It's high quality OFC copper and very supple.
  
 Well, a 4-strand braid should be just 2 movements repeated (String 1 under-over String 3 to become New String 2. String 4 under-over New String 2 to become New String 3). I only stop after a full cycle. There are jigs that will help with braiding (http://www.paracordplanet.com/tools/jigs/) or kumihimo disks (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DP73NY/). They seem overkill for simple 4-strand braids, though.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> I love Mogami 2799, so you won't get any complaints from me. It's high quality OFC copper and very supple.
> 
> Well, a 4-strand braid should be just 2 movements repeated (String 1 under-over String 3 to become New String 2. String 4 under-over New String 2 to become New String 3). I only stop after a full cycle. There are jigs that will help with braiding (http://www.paracordplanet.com/tools/jigs/) or kumihimo disks (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DP73NY/). They seem overkill for simple 4-strand braids, though


 
 It is good cable, the 2799 is the mini quad, the 2534 is standard size and costs considerably more.
  
 If you add wires together you effectively increase the wire gauge but I have yet to find a good chart that shows that result. dual 14 awg becomes 11 as best I can recall and I think I read that in info from Mogami or Canare.
  
 A good flexible cable I like for interconnects is Belden 1800F, flexible and well made. It is an AES/EBU cable but at short distances impedance is not much of a factor anyway. I love the sound and I have made a couple cables for a gentleman here and he liked it as well. 42/40 stranding and high flex, and it comes in multiple colors.


----------



## HirschiAUT

xenheadfi said:


> I love Mogami 2799, so you won't get any complaints from me. It's high quality OFC copper and very supple.
> 
> Well, a 4-strand braid should be just 2 movements repeated (String 1 under-over String 3 to become New String 2. String 4 under-over New String 2 to become New String 3). I only stop after a full cycle. There are jigs that will help with braiding (http://www.paracordplanet.com/tools/jigs/) or kumihimo disks (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DP73NY/). They seem overkill for simple 4-strand braids, though.




Thanks for the links!

I guess i just have to be more careful and practice, practice, practice 

I really try to remember what wire is stopped, for example " next the right goes left", but i have the feeling that while i straighten the hanging wires with the right hand one of them slips a little in my left hand and that leads to confusion and the need to start over :-/

Well as i said, practice and patience and all will be good 
The thing i worry most is the soldering of the 3,5 and 2,5mm trrs plugs, those solder points are crazy small...
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5364


----------



## Paladin79

hirschiaut said:


> Thanks for the links!
> 
> I guess i just have to be more careful and practice, practice, practice
> 
> ...


 
 Those connectors are hard to work with and have what I consider to be a metal shaft with plastic in between. Get it too hot and the plastic melts. You are also just laying the wires on the edge of that round part of the connector. TRRS is the one connector I have trouble finding with proper solder lugs. Calrad used to make some but they discontinued them. I have soldered since the early seventies and I have trouble with those plugs so do not feel bad. Once you get the wires soldered be sure to tug on them a bit to see if they will hold. If anyone knows of better quality TRRS I would love to find some myself. I get asked for cables with them a few times a week, mainly the 3.5 mm.


----------



## comzee

Ok, I'm not sure how to wire this, but I want to make a power conditioned usb card for cheap.
  
 My idea, I buy this pcie usb card that supports external power: https://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Superspeed-Ports-PCI-E-Expansion/dp/B00FPIMICA
 Instead of plugging into my PC PSU (which is dirty power) - I rewire the 4 pin molex to USB, so I can power it from this: https://www.amazon.com/External-RAVPower-16750mAh-Portable-Technology/dp/B00MQSMEEE
  
 I know battery power isn't the best hifi power out there, but it's a hell of a lot better than my PCs PSU.
  
 Is this possible, how would I rewire 4pin molex to usb to power from USB powerbank ?


----------



## Paladin79

Pin 1 on a USB 2.0 is +5v, Pin 4 is ground. The other two lines are for data. It sounds like you are only looking for power so you can wire those into the two inputs on the molex plug. If you have an old USB cable laying around, red is five volts and black is ground on most I have seen. I will try to look at that particular molex plug and figure out the power in. Computers use 5 and 12 volts and others as I recall red is usually 5 v, yellow 12, black is ground.  If you have a voltmeter you can double check that on the molex plug in question. I can walk you through that if you so desire. Voltage is one thing but I would have to do some calculations to figure out just how long you could power the device using that source.


comzee said:


> Ok, I'm not sure how to wire this, but I want to make a power conditioned usb card for cheap.
> 
> My idea, I buy this pcie usb card that supports external power: https://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Superspeed-Ports-PCI-E-Expansion/dp/B00FPIMICA
> Instead of plugging into my PC PSU (which is dirty power) - I rewire the 4 pin molex to USB, so I can power it from this: https://www.amazon.com/External-RAVPower-16750mAh-Portable-Technology/dp/B00MQSMEEE
> ...


----------



## comzee

paladin79 said:


>


 
 I highly appreciate the reply. Upon more research, I think that USB card, and similar like it, are only power augmented by USB.
 Meaning they still pull the regular 5v/900ma from the pcie slot.
  
 I think the external power is to juice it up, for faster phone / usb device charging. 
 I could be wrong, since it's hard to find definitive info on this, but I believe that's what it does.
  
 I got lazy and just ordered a schiit wyrd. I needed something for my Dragonfly dac, because the PC dirty usb power is ruining the sound of it.
  
 I regularly use the Dragonfly from battery power (my cell phone) so I know it benefits greatly from clean power.
  
 edit note:
 About how long that battery would last though, I was planning on keeping it charged via PC usb.
 I know it wrecks havoc on the battery to keep it charging 24/7, but it was to be a cheap throw-away battery (once the 24/7 charging eventually ruined it).
  
  
 I actually did this when I used my Arcam Miniblink bluetooth DAC. 
 If I powered it directly from cell phone charger, it sounded like crap. If I powered it from USB battery, then had the USB battery charging from wall, sound quality significantly increased. Seems that's how it is will all this portable units, clean power is the first step to hifi.


----------



## Paladin79

comzee said:


> I highly appreciate the reply. Upon more research, I think that USB card, and similar like it, are only power augmented by USB.
> Meaning they still pull the regular 5v/900ma from the pcie slot.
> 
> I think the external power is to juice it up, for faster phone / usb device charging.
> ...


 
 not a problem. I was in the middle of a few other things and just tried to just address the connections. I think what i gave you was pretty close but i do not mess with computer power supplies as much as I once did. That does look like a nice little device to power some things. I use an OPPO portable Dac that will also function as a power source for a phone and I have a few other things if I am outside need portable power. I have even run a Martin Logan sound bar off of a 12 volt car jump starter that has USB out, 110 v out etc. That can be handy for out door parties and the quality of sound is to die for when used with a decent source.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> Those connectors are hard to work with and have what I consider to be a metal shaft with plastic in between. Get it too hot and the plastic melts. You are also just laying the wires on the edge of that round part of the connector. TRRS is the one connector I have trouble finding with proper solder lugs. Calrad used to make some but they discontinued them. I have soldered since the early seventies and I have trouble with those plugs so do not feel bad. Once you get the wires soldered be sure to tug on them a bit to see if they will hold. If anyone knows of better quality TRRS I would love to find some myself. I get asked for cables with them a few times a week, mainly the 3.5 mm.


It seems all the trrs's are made like that but here is a link to some stuff that I use it pretty nice looking also.http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Furutech-Valab-Oyaide-Shure-Denon-diy-headphone-cable-connector


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> It seems all the trrs's are made like that but here is a link to some stuff that I use it pretty nice looking also.http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Furutech-Valab-Oyaide-Shure-Denon-diy-headphone-cable-connector


 
 Yeah the one time I found some with four lugs they were pulled off the market. Companies like Amphenol, Switchcraft, and Neutrik do not build any at this time that I know of. There are plenty of things coming out of China I would not normally use but sometimes you have little choice. Thanks for the link Buke, I wish they showed internals on all of them so it was easier to tell what a person had to solder to lol. I will have to try solder with a lower melting point but most of the ROHS compliant types I use require more heat.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> Yeah the one time I found some with four lugs they were pulled off the market. Companies like Amphenol, Switchcraft, and Neutrik do not build any at this time that I know of. There are plenty of things coming out of China I would not normally use but sometimes you have little choice. Thanks for the link Buke, I wish they showed internals on all of them so it was easier to tell what a person had to solder to lol. I will have to try solder with a lower melting point but most of the ROHS compliant types I use require more heat.


I looked most of them up and they all tend to be the same. I just love the look of Eidolic and they are so lite.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> I looked most of them up and they all tend to be the same. I just love the look of Eidolic and they are so lite.


 
 I have not purchased any of those yet but they must be decent if they can command that kind of price. I have some people I trust who travel to China a lot. There is a Chinese word guanxi which kind of means networking. Those you deal with and trust. There are probably some great parts that could be made there with the right guidance and communication. Companies like Tyco and Amphenol have things built there but to their specs. It does not take long to learn when a product is well made and reliable. The photos of soldering I took not long ago were of a cheap 1/4 inch. The body would barely screw onto the connector because it was so poorly made, when 
  
 connected you could wobble it back and forth in your fingers. It was a sample I would never use but it served my purpose for a solder demonstration, not much else.
  
 A connector like the one above, Amphenol, gold plated, anodized body, good clamp and grommet system, well built with solder lugs. Guaranteed for something like 10,000 insertions. Cost maybe $1.50. I know it, I trust it, I have never had one fail. I have a hard time paying 10 times or 100 times the price of that connector for something of the same or lesser quality. Same with Neutrik, in 11 years I have not seen one that failed, xlr, 3.5 mm, 1/4 inch. Average cost $2.50 or less.


----------



## Trerit

Not sure about this braiding game.

 if you use litz wires, is it sonicaly important to make a braided cable out of the wires or is it just for looks and to make it less tangly?
 Im wondering since the litz wire is already braided..


----------



## Paladin79

trerit said:


> Not sure about this braiding game.
> 
> 
> if you use litz wires, is it sonicaly important to make a braided cable out of the wires or is it just for looks and to make it less tangly?
> ...




Great question. I would think braiding is still important because no matter how well isolated from each other, the same signal is passing along a given conductor. Other wire miight be spiral wound but it is not insulated like Litz. Litz is a lot less likely to be affected by other signals but if braiding keeps the signal only slightly more pure in this instance, why not braid? I have some pretty sophisticated test equipment in my shop at home and if someone told me laying Litz down next to each other is perfectly fine, I am not so sure I could measure anything and prove them wrong. In Ethernet wire you can have twisted pairs next to each other yet each pair has to still be twisted at a different rate than the one next to it so I still lean toward overall braiding.

I did some more reading on Litz wire and its braiding is so that the individual wires are not on the outside all the time, and this reduces skin effect. Skin effect occurs at high frequencies, not so much in the audible range.

Here is a statement I found on cable braiding, a lot of people say you do it cause it "looks cool."
"...braiding offers many of the benefits of spiral winding in that the close proximity of the wires to each other reduces noise (rfi/emi) pickup. Unlike spiral winding, braiding exhibits lower mutual inductance because the wires are not parallel to each other but instead cross at angles. This also reduces crosstalk. The only reason we don't see braiding more often is because it is more expensive to do than spiral winding."


----------



## Trerit

paladin79 said:


> Great question. I would think braiding is still important because no matter how well isolated from each other, the same signal is passing along a given conductor. Other wire miight be spiral wound but it is not insulated like Litz. Litz is a lot less likely to be affected by other signals but if braiding keeps the signal only slightly more pure in this instance, why not braid? I have some pretty sophisticated test equipment in my shop at home and if someone told me laying Litz down next to each other is perfectly fine, I am not so sure I could measure anything and prove them wrong. In Ethernet wire you can have twisted pairs next to each other yet each pair has to still be twisted at a different rate than the one next to it so I still lean toward overall braiding.


 
 I want to put my cable in a heatshrink sleeve. braiding will make it bumpy inside whilst i want it to be more smooth. I was just looking at pictures of the Nordost Heimdal 2 headphone cable and it seems to be twisted? Maybe thats an option? 

 I dont know about you guys but i eat and drink some times with my headphones on. the standard paracord sleves, or braided cable setups seem to hard to clean :/


----------



## Paladin79

trerit said:


> I want to put my cable in a heatshrink sleeve. braiding will make it bumpy inside whilst i want it to be more smooth. I was just looking at pictures of the Nordost Heimdal 2 headphone cable and it seems to be twisted? Maybe thats an option?
> 
> 
> I dont know about you guys but i eat and drink some times with my headphones on. the standard paracord sleves, or braided cable setups seem to hard to clean :/




Twisted pairs inside of heat shrink tubing are fine as far as I am concerned. On dual input headphones you probably just end up with twists anyway over the last foot or so. To me braiding and twisting serve the same purpose as far as the signal. It reduces crosstalk or cross channel interference.

Braiding helps maintain the twists. In standard twisted pair audio the jacket does that and oftentimes an overall shield is used. If you put wire in heat shrink tubing you are adding a jacket. To add braiding to Litz offers another layer of shielding IMHO. If I am wrong, I am wrong.

Here is an interesting article about Belden star quad, it does address twisted pairs as well. Braiding cable looks good and it is interesting to do but precision can be important when dealing with cables. A lot of the star quad uses 95% french braid for extra shielding, I use and like that product. This article also mentions which pairs you match up, you stay with similar colors if you leave the cable in tact. If you remove all four and do the braiding yourself, you can match them up most any way you wish.

http://www.belden.com/blog/broadcastav/How-Starquad-Works.cfm

I have built a lot of cables using star-quad and especially like it if I am picking up 60 cycle hum. When using it for dual entry headphones, I do encase it in mesh or heat shrink tubing for a reason as I split to the headphones and I try to keep my twists as precise as possible.


----------



## buke9

trerit said:


> I want to put my cable in a heatshrink sleeve. braiding will make it bumpy inside whilst i want it to be more smooth. I was just looking at pictures of the Nordost Heimdal 2 headphone cable and it seems to be twisted? Maybe thats an option?
> 
> 
> I dont know about you guys but i eat and drink some times with my headphones on. the standard paracord sleves, or braided cable setups seem to hard to clean :/


There is also rubber tubing that Mr. Speakers used on their original cables before they went to the Dum cable.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> There is also rubber tubing that Mr. Speakers used on their original cables before they went to the Dum cable.


 
 This may be a bit off subject but I have always been impressed with Mr Speakers especially the alpha dog. The dum cable is a no nonsense quality cable and it is nice to see some companies taking a realistic approach.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> This may be a bit off subject but I have always been impressed with Mr Speakers especially the alpha dog. The dum cable is a no nonsense quality cable and it is nice to see some companies taking a realistic approach.


+1 on that.


----------



## Paladin79

I am curious if some of you guys built any high end usb cables?  Even cheap cables are triple shielded so I was wondering if anyone ever made one and then ran into issues and had to go back in and change a few things. 
  
  
 This example is funny because of the power wires jumping from 20 to 28 awg, That is a pretty good leap lol.


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> I am curious if some of you guys built any high end usb cables?  Even cheap cables are triple shielded so I was wondering if anyone ever made one and then ran into issues and had to go back in and change a few things.


 
 Nope, I stay away from high frequency wiring. I wouldn't trust myself with my little hobby workbench to be able to build such a cable and keep it in spec. I barely trust myself with simple analog wiring or point-2-point!


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Nope, I stay away from high frequency wiring. I wouldn't trust myself with my little hobby workbench to be able to build such a cable and keep it in spec. I barely trust myself with simple analog wiring or point-2-point!


 
 An honest man.
 I maintain a decent shop at home because I am a bit of a workaholic and I take on some side jobs in electronics but headphone and audio cables are a welcome break.


----------



## CrispyD

I've made a few USB 2.0 cables. My standard M.O. is to reuse existing cables, and replace the ends. They were functional, but not very durable. I chalk that up to the cheap connectors I used. I never did any testing on them, so I can't say that they met spec, but they worked well enough. I ended up using them for power cables for my phone in my car.
  
 I plan on making a custom cable for the Mechanical keyboard I'm building in the next couple of weeks. I expect it will be good enough for that.
  
 I certainly wouldn't expect anything I made to be better than something made professionally. It was more of an experiment than anything else.


----------



## thewatcher101

Does anyone directly solider wires directly into their headphones without connectors?


----------



## Paladin79

crispyd said:


> I've made a few USB 2.0 cables. My standard M.O. is to reuse existing cables, and replace the ends. They were functional, but not very durable. I chalk that up to the cheap connectors I used. I never did any testing on them, so I can't say that they met spec, but they worked well enough. I ended up using them for power cables for my phone in my car.
> 
> I plan on making a custom cable for the Mechanical keyboard I'm building in the next couple of weeks. I expect it will be good enough for that.
> 
> I certainly wouldn't expect anything I made to be better than something made professionally. It was more of an experiment than anything else.


 
 You are using a shielded cable by using the existing ones so that should be fine. The only trouble I have had with such things is on some pre-made cables they use an aluminum braid that cannot be soldered so I had to use some crimp splices. For power cables emi and rfi are less of an issue.


----------



## MrMan

thewatcher101 said:


> Does anyone directly solider wires directly into their headphones without connectors?


 
  
 Are you asking if someone will do that for you, or does anyone in general do it for their own pair of headphones. In both instances the answer is yes.


----------



## Paladin79

thewatcher101 said:


> Does anyone directly solider wires directly into their headphones without connectors?


 
 I don't because I like the flexibility of trying different cables and I want to be able to plug in a 3 foot cable or a 15 foot cable depending on where I am listening in a room.If you want to try it I can probably help you with the understanding the jacks in your present set up so you are soldering to the correct locations.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Yes. I've heard of people hard wiring cables to the headphones. Theory being that with each connector, a little wiggle loss occurs. I think the general consensus is that the flexibility to swap cables outweighs the incredibly tiny single loss. 

That said, a connector at the cup can also make the headphones less comfortable to wear. Hardwiring a cable eliminates the hard connector at the cup, and allows the wire to bend out of the cups sooner.


----------



## Paladin79

If you do proceed to hard wire the headphones I do have some small, soft rubber grommets that can extend the cable out a bit and give the wire a bit more controlled flex. They also act as a strain relief to some extent. They are about a quarter inch outside diameter. If needed I will send them gratis.


----------



## Whitigir

I rather have detachable on a headphones than hard-wiring the headphones. I know my headphones will stay with me for the longest time considering if I upgrade my gears, and so, it is a much better option to me to do the detachable cables


----------



## Paladin79

whitigir said:


> I rather have detachable on a headphones than hard-wiring the headphones. I know my headphones will stay with me for the longest time considering if I upgrade my gears, and so, it is a much better option to me to do the detachable cables


 
 I agree and IMHO the better headphones tend to use better connectors as well as better original cables.


----------



## thewatcher101

I guess I will keep the connectors on cause I have a pair of LCD 2 and I want to reduce as much weight as possible from them and not having connectors will shave off weight along with a new cable. 

On another note I just recently got into cables and damn they make a big difference. I was wondering if cables matter as much as you move up stream. Does the cable that connect my dac to amp matter as much or would I notice a big difference. 

Also where is a good source to buy wires. I want to play around with silver, copper gold, and copper and litz.


----------



## thewatcher101

I use mogami gold for my speakers, and they are great for the price. 

I've did some cable rolling before and never notice a big difference until I've tried headphone cables using 44 gauge type 2 litz. I was very impressed.


----------



## SVTong

Hi all,
  
 I'm still new to the DIY cable game, but I've made a couple of basic 3.5mm ones.  So far I've used paracord and techflex, but both of them make a lot of noise when they rub against clothing, etc.  Does anyone have any recommendations for sleeving that are fairly quiet and won't transmit sound/vibrations up the cable to my headphones?


----------



## buke9

svtong said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm still new to the DIY cable game, but I've made a couple of basic 3.5mm ones.  So far I've used paracord and techflex, but both of them make a lot of noise when they rub against clothing, etc.  Does anyone have any recommendations for sleeving that are fairly quiet and won't transmit sound/vibrations up the cable to my headphones?


Some headphones are more prone to micro phonics than others. My old Alpha Dogs were really bad I couldn't stand the paracord cable I made super noisy the standard cable that came them was a rubber tubbing that wasn't too bad. I find Teflon coated and PE coated wire just braided and no cover was best but tapping on it you still hear it.


----------



## buke9

Hey paladin79 I think you might help me out on a question or some others might as well. The size of shrink tube is it pre shrink? I have only bought a kit with multiple sizes and was just wondering. I'm guessing pre shrink but never hurts to ask.


----------



## Paladin79

it is generally measured before it is shrunk. Most heat shrink tubing is 2 to 1 shrink ratio but you can buy 3 to 1 shrink ratio as well. For keeping things like paracord in place, adhesive lined works very well. 
  
 Things like techflex I have seen listed by actual size and expansion size so that one generally throws me off.
  
 I was monitoring this topic hoping someone would come up with some nice cotton mesh or silk to use on cables since paracord is a nylon mesh from what I have seen lol.
  
 By the way I am trying to buy some Alpha Dogs that I can have changed over to Alpha Primes, I like that sound but I am trying to accomplish this for around $500 total. Everyone needs a goal, every now and then.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> it is generally measured before it is shrunk. Most heat shrink tubing is 2 to 1 shrink ratio but you can buy 3 to 1 shrink ratio as well. For keeping things like paracord in place, adhesive lined works very well.
> 
> Things like techflex I have seen listed by actual size and expansion size so that one generally throws me off.
> 
> ...


 
 Norne has some cotton but just in grey I was thinking of trying. When I had my Alpha Dogs Dan didn't offer the upgrade or I would have done it. Alpha Primes are very nice for sure.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Norne has some cotton but just in grey I was thinking of trying. When I had my Alpha Dogs Dan didn't offer the upgrade or I would have done it. Alpha Primes are very nice for sure.


 
 If you do try it let me know what you think. There are lots of Chinese companies selling mesh but a high percentage is pep (plastic) and that is probably as noisy if not noisier than nylon mesh.At least with paracord, there are different strengths and you can calculate the sizes of cable it will cover. 550 is good for small diameter cables but they do make 650 and 750 as I recall. I believe the 550 has six strands of nylon you can remove and it has to support 550 lbs in its complete state.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> If you do try it let me know what you think. There are lots of Chinese companies selling mesh but a high percentage is pep (plastic) and that is probably as noisy if not noisier than nylon mesh.At least with paracord, there are different strengths and you can calculate the sizes of cable it will cover. 550 is good for small diameter cables but they do make 650 and 750 as I recall. I believe the 550 has six strands of nylon you can remove and it has to support 550 lbs in its complete state.


 The problem with it is is .80 cents a foot for the Norne sleeve. I've got some of there OCC 22 awg wire also but at that price I'm hesitant to buy. The wire is fairly stiff and I have only used it for interconnects at this point but might get around to making a headphone cable. The silk stuff is boy howdy expensive .


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> The problem with it is is .80 cents a foot for the Norne sleeve. I've got some of there OCC 22 awg wire also but at that price I'm hesitant to buy. The wire is fairly stiff and I have only used it for interconnects at this point but might get around to making a headphone cable. The silk stuff is boy howdy expensive .


 
 There are a lot of things I can find easily but fabric for cables is not one of them. I do have some friends asking the Chinese for such things and if they can come through, I will share some with you Buke. Naturally I am asking for certified OCC as well and Litz wire. I may have to read the rules for members of the trade a few more times before I am conversant but I think I can give things away every now and then if I do not show a photo of it.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> There are a lot of things I can find easily but fabric for cables is not one of them. I do have some friends asking the Chinese for such things and if they can come through, I will share some with you Buke. Naturally I am asking for certified OCC as well and Litz wire. I may have to read the rules for members of the trade a few more times before I am conversant but I think I can give things away every now and then if I do not show a photo of it.


Litz count me in. I don't mind paying that's the only reason I have a job ; )


----------



## Allanmarcus

One of the factors I've read about here, but cannot verify, is there is a relationship between the tightness of the sleeving and microphonics. You might consider not pulling the sleeving so tight over the wires.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> One of the factors I've read about here, but cannot verify, is there is a relationship between the tightness of the sleeving and microphonics. You might consider not pulling the sleeving so tight over the wires.


You might have something there it was a chore to pull the paracord over the Mogami wire over it it was quite tight. Thanks for that.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Litz count me in. I don't mind paying that's the only reason I have a job ; )


 
 I was taught in one business class that I have a job in order to satisfy my creditors. I do believe you said once that you have access to a solder pot, it helps with Litz.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I was taught in one business class that I have a job in order to satisfy my creditors. I do believe you said once that you have access to a solder pot, it helps with Litz.


Yep


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Yep


 
 Cool and I do believe I am on my way to getting the Alpha Prime, luckily I researched the connectors some time ago because the first thing I will do is build some balanced cables for an amp I have been wanting to try out. They will come with a cable but upgrading is not much of an issue for me. It will be fun to experiment with and I can treat my son to some cables for his Alpha Primes as well. Star quad comes to mind as one style of cable I can try quickly and I have liked my previous builds.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> Cool and I do believe I am on my way to getting the Alpha Prime, luckily I researched the connectors some time ago because the first thing I will do is build some balanced cables for an amp I have been wanting to try out. They will come with a cable but upgrading is not much of an issue for me. It will be fun to experiment with and I can treat my son to some cables for his Alpha Primes as well. Star quad comes to mind as one style of cable I can try quickly and I have liked my previous builds.


Can't remember for sure but I believe that is what is used for the standard cable from Mr Speaker. The Primes are nice and balanced is the way to go as they need some power to shine.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Can't remember for sure but I believe that is what is used for the standard cable from Mr Speaker. The Primes are nice and balanced is the way to go as they need some power to shine.


 
 That sounds correct but it has been a while since I read it. I read more about the dum cable. I will have to make some to plug into a Pono player as well but luckily there are drawings out there. I like the fact that I can keep the star quad in tact and just split off from each end, pop on connectors, and trust the remainder of the cable.


----------



## alpha421

buke9 said:


> Norne has some cotton but just in grey I was thinking of trying. When I had my Alpha Dogs Dan didn't offer the upgrade or I would have done it. Alpha Primes are very nice for sure.


 
  
 I've used it and it's only good for thinner wires (anything 22AWG and up) for dual conductors';OK for single conductor if that's your direction.  It's a lot less micro phonic than the para-chord sheathing.  However, cotton being organic doesn't do well with stains, odors, high humidity, and is a lot less durable than the other stuff. Like a cotton t-shirt, it feels really nice, but polyester blends will last a lot longer and keep its shape better.  I have yet to source a parachord sheathing with cotton.


----------



## Paladin79

I have seen plenty of cotton used by companies overseas but more often than not it already has wire inside it. I am sure it does exist but it is pretty hard to find.


----------



## SVTong

allanmarcus said:


> One of the factors I've read about here, but cannot verify, is there is a relationship between the tightness of the sleeving and microphonics. You might consider not pulling the sleeving so tight over the wires.


 
 I re-made my cable and loosened up the paracord (not an easy task).  It definitely helped, but I'm still getting quite a bit of noise from the sleeve rubbing against my clothes.  There was also the added benefit of making the cable more flexible.


----------



## Allanmarcus

svtong said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > One of the factors I've read about here, but cannot verify, is there is a relationship between the tightness of the sleeving and microphonics. You might consider not pulling the sleeving so tight over the wires.
> ...


 

 I about to finish up some cables I started a long time ago, but needed additional parts. Some of the cables are braided hair wire, and some braiding paracord sleeved. Some are braided all the from stem to stern, and some only braided to the "Y".
  
 One other "trick" I've read about is to loosen the braiding when using individually sleeved cables.


----------



## XenHeadFi

svtong said:


> I re-made my cable and loosened up the paracord (not an easy task).  It definitely helped, but I'm still getting quite a bit of noise from the sleeve rubbing against my clothes.  There was also the added benefit of making the cable more flexible.


 
 I am guessing you are using IEMs with a tight fit? Not sure it would be possible to eliminate microphonics. Physics is against you here. Vibrations travel very well through solids, and with tightly fitting IEMs, the cable is pretty much conducting any vibration straight into your bones and ear. That is the reason why making sure your sleeving is loose helps reduce microphonics, the energies are dampened through lack of tension and small air gaps between sleeve and wire.
  
 With on-ear/over-ear headphones, there is the pad that helps dampen the energy of the vibration from reaching your bones.


----------



## SVTong

xenheadfi said:


> I am guessing you are using IEMs with a tight fit? Not sure it would be possible to eliminate microphonics. Physics is against you here. Vibrations travel very well through solids, and with tightly fitting IEMs, the cable is pretty much conducting any vibration straight into your bones and ear. That is the reason why making sure your sleeving is loose helps reduce microphonics, the energies are dampened through lack of tension and small air gaps between sleeve and wire.
> 
> With on-ear/over-ear headphones, there is the pad that helps dampen the energy of the vibration from reaching your bones.


 
 Nope, I'm using my on-ear headphones, but the vibrations still transfer into the cups.  

 I'm going to try and track down some thin rubber tubing and see if that helps.


----------



## XenHeadFi

svtong said:


> Nope, I'm using my on-ear headphones, but the vibrations still transfer into the cups.
> 
> I'm going to try and track down some thin rubber tubing and see if that helps.


 
 Sorry for the wrong assumption. I did look and did not see you mention what you were using.
  
 Also, please tell us how you made your cables. What kind of wire and size? Individual wires or bundled? Are they individually sheathed?


----------



## SVTong

xenheadfi said:


> Sorry for the wrong assumption. I did look and did not see you mention what you were using.
> 
> Also, please tell us how you made your cables. What kind of wire and size? Individual wires or bundled? Are they individually sheathed?


 
 No worries - I didn't mention it because I'm new to this whole audiophile thing and am more than a little embarrassed by my plebeian setup  

 I'm learning all of this because the cable I need isn't commercially available, so I had to make it myself.  I have a pair of Sony MDR-10RBT's that I use with my PS4, but I wanted a boom mic to use with them that I can plug into my controller and still use my headphones.  So the cable I made is a 4-pole 3.5mm plug on one end splitting off to a 3-pole 3.5mm plug and an old boom mic that I scavenged then attached temporarily to the side of my headphones.  I'm working on a cleaner setup, but this will get me gaming for now.  Wires are pulled from a CAT5 cable.
  
 Quick and dirty, but it works, and for better or worse, has opened my eyes to the much better gear available out there.  I'd like to make another one using Mogami cable and ViaBlue plugs, but I should upgrade my headphones first.
  
  
http://s307.photobucket.com/user/SVTong/media/ScufCable.jpg.html


----------



## Paladin79

Not a bad job for a first attempt. Did you leave the cat 5 wire as twisted pair or untwist it and re-twist it?


----------



## SVTong

paladin79 said:


> Not a bad job for a first attempt. Did you leave the cat 5 wire as twisted pair or untwist it and re-twist it?


 
 I removed the shell and untwisted the wires inside.  I re-twisted them and braided the 3 pairs that I used, then sleeved them in the paracord.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> I removed the shell and untwisted the wires inside.  I re-twisted them and braided the 3 pairs that I used, then sleeved them in the paracord.


 
 Not bad, 24 awg wire usually. Your work shows promise and you obviously figured the wiring out.


----------



## SVTong

paladin79 said:


> Not bad, 24 awg wire usually. Your work shows promise and you obviously figured the wiring out.


 
 Thanks - It's not up to the level of most of the others on this thread, but it'll come with practice, I hope.

 Now it's just a matter of finding a smooth sleeving material.  And getting a better set of headphones.  _And_ figuring out how to run a headphone amp and still have full audio and mic capabilities through my PS4.
  
 Reading about all of this high end equipment is going to bankrupt me.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Thanks - It's not up to the level of most of the others on this thread, but it'll come with practice, I hope.
> 
> Now it's just a matter of finding a smooth sleeving material.  And getting a better set of headphones.  _And_ figuring out how to run a headphone amp and still have full audio and mic capabilities through my PS4.
> 
> Reading about all of this high end equipment is going to bankrupt me.


 
 LOL the more you make, the more you tend to spend but at least you are saving money on cables so far and from what I have seen, most of the equipment holds its value pretty well. I have been in the industry a long time but I still shop carefully and buy used equipment on occasion if the deal is good enough. I bought a pair of headphones for $60 in mint condition and built a cable that was far superior to the original, new they were $250 and sounded worse. There are ways to do it if you are careful and take your time.


----------



## buke9

svtong said:


> Thanks - It's not up to the level of most of the others on this thread, but it'll come with practice, I hope.
> 
> 
> Now it's just a matter of finding a smooth sleeving material.  And getting a better set of headphones.  _And_ figuring out how to run a headphone amp and still have full audio and mic capabilities through my PS4.
> ...


You did a great job for your first cable. Some headphones will always have a bit of micro phonics to them I believe it is the cups and how the connector is coupled to them. Closed headphones are the most prone to this . I had the best luck with Teflon coated or PE wires without a sleeve on them. I think any material that has any resistance against clothing will make some noise. As for going bankrupt I guess you didn't get the standard Welcome to Head-Fi sorry for your wallet.


----------



## SVTong

Thanks guys, it's definitely been a fun experiment. Maybe I'll try one without a sleeve, but I should track down a nicer looking alternative to the cat5 wires. What are some affordable options that are suitable for headphones?


----------



## Toxic Cables

French silk sleeved OCC Copper litz
Cotton sleeved OCC Copper Litz


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Thanks guys, it's definitely been a fun experiment. Maybe I'll try one without a sleeve, but I should track down a nicer looking alternative to the cat5 wires. What are some affordable options that are suitable for headphones?


 
 Some of the people here have talked about cutting apart star quad Mogami cable for the wires. Mogami makes a W2944 cable that is ofc, two conductors plus drain that is a lot easier to work with IMHO and it runs about 40 cents a foot retail. Markertek sells it.


----------



## buke9

svtong said:


> Thanks guys, it's definitely been a fun experiment. Maybe I'll try one without a sleeve, but I should track down a nicer looking alternative to the cat5 wires. What are some affordable options that are suitable for headphones?


Check out BTG Audio his stuff is nice and not too expensive . Here is a link http://btg-audio.com/webstore.htm#!/DIY-Parts/c/2620180/offset=0&sort=normal. There are more but this is the cheapest I've found outside of China. There might be others but I haven't found them yet. Here is my Ether-C cables With BTG wire.


----------



## SVTong

Thanks guys, I think I'll put in an order to markertek. That way I can get some more connectors while I'm at it. Hopefully shipping and duties aren't too bad to Canada.


----------



## SVTong

Would I use the drain as the ground with the Mogami? Don't most people use the shielding for that?


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Thanks guys, I think I'll put in an order to markertek. That way I can get some more connectors while I'm at it. Hopefully shipping and duties aren't too bad to Canada.


 
 I have no association with them or any other distributor but I did see a good list of sources at the beginning of one DIY site on here. The usual names, Mouser, Digi-Key, etc. Some may even have locations in Canada.


----------



## XenHeadFi

svtong said:


> No worries - I didn't mention it because I'm new to this whole audiophile thing and am more than a little embarrassed by my plebeian setup
> 
> I'm learning all of this because the cable I need isn't commercially available, so I had to make it myself.  I have a pair of Sony MDR-10RBT's that I use with my PS4, but I wanted a boom mic to use with them that I can plug into my controller and still use my headphones.  So the cable I made is a 4-pole 3.5mm plug on one end splitting off to a 3-pole 3.5mm plug and an old boom mic that I scavenged then attached temporarily to the side of my headphones.  I'm working on a cleaner setup, but this will get me gaming for now.  Wires are pulled from a CAT5 cable.
> 
> ...


 
 Pretty good job, especially unwinding Cat5. I've never worked with Cat5 as the conductors seems kind of stiff. I'm probably wrong since I've seen some people use it with great effect.
  
 Yeah I think buke9 is right, closed headphones can act sort of like IEMs in terms microphonics. The vibrations hit the cup and get turned into sound waves by literally vibrating the air inside. Since they are closed, the sound waves have nowhere to go but into your ear.


----------



## SVTong

I can't seem to find any wire like the btg stuff - would other places have it listed under speaker or mic cable?  Everyone seems to only sell multi conductor cables (at least in Canada).  Is it the same as Hook Up wire?
  
 Is this useable?
 http://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=1708


----------



## Allanmarcus

xenheadfi said:


> svtong said:
> 
> 
> > No worries - I didn't mention it because I'm new to this whole audiophile thing and am more than a little embarrassed by my plebeian setup
> ...




Solid core cat 5 is stiff. Stranded is less, but nit as flexible as Mogami quad when the cable has 30 strands.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Solid core cat 5 is stiff. Stranded is less, but nit as flexible as Mogami quad when the cable has 30 strands.


 
 Another good choice is Canare L-4ES6 quad, it has fifty strands per ofc conductor and is 24 awg. Some of the Mogami quad is 26 awg and that generally sells for about 80 cents a foot, get a higher gauge and it can be $1.45 a foot. A lesser expensive and reasonable solution would be to find 22 awg stranded ofc wire with jacket that is ready to go for 10-15 cents a foot. If I have time today I will check with a few suppliers to see if I can find some reasonable product that might save time and money. 
  
 And Allanmarcus is correct about the solid and stranded conductor cat 5, and if concentrically stranded there may be only seven strands in 24 awg wire. Generally speaking the higher strand count the better. Solid wire conducts better but breaks long before stranded would, if bent back and forth continually. Patch cables (cables from your computer to a router etc.) are most always made with stranded wire.


----------



## SVTong

Would this work?

*22 awg,* Mil-Spec, AG-Plated, Stranded Cu, *BLACK*,**PTFE* Jacket

 There isn't much more info than that, unfortunately - I don't know how many strands are in it.
 Here's where it's listed:

 http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_hookup_connex_ptfe_silver.html
  
 And they're in Canada, so it works in my favour.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Would this work?
> 
> *22 awg,* Mil-Spec, AG-Plated, Stranded Cu, *BLACK*,**PTFE* Jacket
> 
> ...


 
 That looks like very good wire, I know Alpha makes some similar that can be quite pricey. Some I have seen like that is 19/32 stranding as I recall, I bet if you contacted them they could tell you. You know you are in good shape if you can get it for anywhere near 20 cents a foot but i would bet you that wire is more like 50 cents to $1.00 a foot. You would save time by not having to strip it from a quad configuration or pay duties.


----------



## XenHeadFi

svtong said:


> I can't seem to find any wire like the btg stuff - would other places have it listed under speaker or mic cable?  Everyone seems to only sell multi conductor cables (at least in Canada).  Is it the same as Hook Up wire?
> 
> Is this useable?
> http://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=1708


 
 Hook wire's purpose is to connect one circuit component to another. Before cheap custom Printed Circuit Boards were available from board houses, that is how DIY electronics were made (also how electronics were made before the invention of PCBs). Certainly, hook up wire can be used, but they are generally stiffer due to low strand count.
  


svtong said:


> Would this work?
> *22 awg,* Mil-Spec, AG-Plated, Stranded Cu, *BLACK*,**PTFE* Jacket
> http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_hookup_connex_ptfe_silver.html


 
 From the picture, if it is accurate, the wire looks like it has 7 strands.
  
 All of these wire can work, but do they meet what you want.


----------



## SVTong

paladin79 said:


> That looks like very good wire, I know Alpha makes some similar that can be quite pricey. Some I have seen like that is 19/32 stranding as I recall, I bet if you contacted them they could tell you. You know you are in good shape if you can get it for anywhere near 20 cents a foot but i would bet you that wire is more like 50 cents to $1.00 a foot. You would save time by not having to strip it from a quad configuration or pay duties.


 
 The duties and iimport taxes are what worry me about buying international.  I've had duties total up to an additional 30%, so at that point it's not worth it. 
  
 I'll fire them an e-mail and see if I can get more info on it.  
  
 Should I be looking for 22 or 24 awg?  I'm guessing the 24 would be more flexible, but more prone to breakage?
  


xenheadfi said:


> Hook wire's purpose is to connect one circuit component to another. Before cheap custom Printed Circuit Boards were available from board houses, that is how DIY electronics were made (also how electronics were made before the invention of PCBs). Certainly, hook up wire can be used, but they are generally stiffer due to low strand count.
> 
> From the picture, if it is accurate, the wire looks like it has 7 strands.
> 
> All of these wire can work, but do they meet what you want.


 
  
 So I'm still better off stripping down some Mogami then - unfortunately, the Canadian suppliers don't have a great selection of their stuff.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> The duties and iimport taxes are what worry me about buying international.  I've had duties total up to an additional 30%, so at that point it's not worth it.
> 
> I'll fire them an e-mail and see if I can get more info on it.
> 
> ...


 
 Either 22 awg or 24 awg should both last a very long time for headphones. 24 awg is smaller and ceteris paribus (all other things being equal) it should be more flexible. Mogami makes good wire and unless you can find say 24 awg in stranded ofc as single wire it is one way to do it. Personally I like to leave star quad as star quad because no matter how well I believe I twisted it or braided it, I would be hard pressed to do a better job than was done on the cable in that configuration. I would think you should be able to find Mogami cable in Canada but I could be very wrong. Something you could also look for in Canada, (since Belden sells all over the world) is Belden 9452. Sometimes there is a difference in terminology between manufacturers. Belden's Brilliance cable says they use High Conductivity copper, it may well be comparable to oxygen free copper.


----------



## SVTong

paladin79 said:


> Either 22 awg or 24 awg should both last a very long time for headphones. 24 awg is smaller and ceteris paribus (all other things being equal) it should be more flexible. Mogami makes good wire and unless you can find say 24 awg in stranded ofc as single wire it is one way to do it. Personally I like to leave star quad as star quad because no matter how well I believe I twisted it or braided it, I would be hard pressed to do a better job than was done on the cable in that configuration. I would think you should be able to find Mogami cable in Canada but I could be very wrong.


 
 I think I would still strip it and re-braid, simply because I'd like to make a lightweight cable without the outer casing.  
  
 Would this work for that?
 http://www.economik.com/mogami/w2534-4ch-24awg-neglex-quad-mic-cable-price-per-foot/


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> I think I would still strip it and re-braid, simply because I'd like to make a lightweight cable without the outer casing.
> 
> Would this work for that?
> http://www.economik.com/mogami/w2534-4ch-24awg-neglex-quad-mic-cable-price-per-foot/


 
 it should work fine, there is also a 26 awg star quad they make that would run you less money. It makes sense to want to go light weight and others have used this cable by stripping it. They do use a french braid I believe and that can slow you down some but the end result would be some very good wire.


----------



## liquidzoo

svtong said:


> I think I would still strip it and re-braid, simply because I'd like to make a lightweight cable without the outer casing.
> 
> Would this work for that?
> http://www.economik.com/mogami/w2534-4ch-24awg-neglex-quad-mic-cable-price-per-foot/




2534 is stiffer than 2893 or 2799 (same cable, 2893 has some added shielding).

2893 is $1.21/ft on that site, 2799 is $1.05

I'd use the 2799, honestly. 26AWG and definitely flexible enough to make a nice headphone cable.

The cable I made here is made from Mogami 2893 sleeved with Type 1 (#95) paracord.


----------



## SVTong

liquidzoo said:


> 2534 is stiffer than 2893 or 2799 (same cable, 2893 has some added shielding).
> 
> 2893 is $1.21/ft on that site, 2799 is $1.05
> 
> ...


 
 Is it safe to use 26awg without any sleeving and just doing a 4 strand braid?  I'd like to go sleevless and keep the cable smooth.


----------



## liquidzoo

svtong said:


> Is it safe to use 26awg without any sleeving and just doing a 4 strand braid?  I'd like to go sleevless and keep the cable smooth.




Sure, but if you want to do that buy at least double what you think you'll need (if you want to keep the colors uniform). The quad cores inside 2893/2799 are 4 different colors (Red, Blue, Black, Clear(ish)).


----------



## SVTong

liquidzoo said:


> Sure, but if you want to do that buy at least double what you think you'll need (if you want to keep the colors uniform). The quad cores inside 2893/2799 are 4 different colors (Red, Blue, Black, Clear(ish)).


 
 Dang.  The 2799 is not available online.  I'll have to get the 2893 and just toss out the shielding.  It also means that I have no choice but to make a blue or clear cable.


----------



## liquidzoo

svtong said:


> Dang.  The 2799 is not available online.  I'll have to get the 2893 and just toss out the shielding.  It also means that I have no choice but to make a blue or clear cable.




Might be cheaper to buy your length of 2893 and buy some Type 1/#95 paracord from Amazon and sleeve it. Then the outer cable color won't matter at all.


----------



## SVTong

liquidzoo said:


> Might be cheaper to buy your length of 2893 and buy some Type 1/#95 paracord from Amazon and sleeve it. Then the outer cable color won't matter at all.


 
 I actually really like how the ViaBlue sleeving looks, but I'm really worried about the microphonics.  My current cable is sleeved in paracord, but I'm getting rid of it because of the amount of vibration/sleeve noise.  That's why I want to go exposed wire.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Seems timely. I just finished this cable for a friend. haven't actually tried it yet since I don't have LCD headphones. It's two Mogami W2799 still sheathed from the 1/4" jack to the "Y", then stripped and re-sleeved in paracord, then braided. By putting about an extra three inches of nylon sleeving over the main section of twin cables, they are still pretty darned flexible.
  
 I have to say, I think I hate these TA4FLX connectors the most.


----------



## Paladin79

There is not a lot of room in the mini 4 pin xlr. Had you ever built with the connector for MrSpeakers? Hirose or E-Valucon.
  
 Good looking cable, Neutrik TRS it appears. Adhesive heat shrink tubing or standard?
  
 Doubling the 26 awg should give you 23 awg so in effect you are slightly above what you would get using 24 awg wire as in the W2534 star quad.


----------



## SVTong

allanmarcus said:


> Seems timely. I just finished this cable for a friend. haven't actually tried it yet since I don't have LCD headphones. It's two Mogami W2799 still sheathed from the 1/4" jack to the "Y", then stripped and re-sleeved in paracord, then braided. By putting about an extra three inches of nylon sleeving over the main section of twin cables, they are still pretty darned flexible.
> 
> I have to say, I think I hate these TA4FLX connectors the most.


 
  
 Very nice!  I need more practice to get my 4-strand braids to look that good.  
  
 What kind of sleeving is that?  And does the nylon transmit a lot of vibration?


----------



## Allanmarcus

svtong said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Seems timely. I just finished this cable for a friend. haven't actually tried it yet since I don't have LCD headphones. It's two Mogami W2799 still sheathed from the 1/4" jack to the "Y", then stripped and re-sleeved in paracord, then braided. By putting about an extra three inches of nylon sleeving over the main section of twin cables, they are still pretty darned flexible.
> ...


 
  
  
 I think the nylon is http://www.markertek.com/product/tf-nmn025bk/techflex-nmn0-25bk-nylon-multifilament-1-4-inch-cable-sleeve-per-foot
  
 I'm not sure how microphonic it is. My buddy will come over tonight and we will test.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I think the nylon is http://www.markertek.com/product/tf-nmn025bk/techflex-nmn0-25bk-nylon-multifilament-1-4-inch-cable-sleeve-per-foot
> 
> I'm not sure how microphonic it is. My buddy will come over tonight and we will test.


 
 it has the look of TechFlex, they make some good product.


----------



## SVTong

OK, PartsConnexion got back to me.  The *24 awg* Mil-Spec, AG-Plated, Stranded Cu,*BLACK,  ***PTFE* Jacket, Cryo Treated Wire has 17strands.  The 26AWG version has 7.
  
 Would the 24awg work for a headphone cable, or am I still better off stripping Mogami W2893?
  
 Cost-wise, the Mogami is cheaper per usable foot, but the Connex stuff is silver plated copper which should conduct better.


----------



## Allanmarcus

svtong said:


> OK, PartsConnexion got back to me.  The *24 awg* Mil-Spec, AG-Plated, Stranded Cu,*BLACK,  ***PTFE* Jacket, Cryo Treated Wire has 17strands.  The 26AWG version has 7.
> 
> Would the 24awg work for a headphone cable, or am I still better off stripping Mogami W2893?


 

 Depends on how stiff you like it (sorry, couldn't resist).


----------



## SVTong

allanmarcus said:


> Depends on how stiff you like it (sorry, couldn't resist).


 
  
 Haha - I guess this one of the few situations where I want it to be as soft and flexible as possible.
  
 Mogami, then?


----------



## Paladin79

I do recall getting some cotton fabric tubing out of China that did have just a little nylon mesh in it but the remainder was cotton. I used it on some Mogami cable and had little or no noise. I did not remove the individual wires from the Mogami except at the split for dual input headphones. I know I ordered it on Ebay, the place sold a lot of PEP but they also listed fabric. I will not say it is noiseless but it is about a 75% improvement over any nylon mesh I tried. The cotton was raised up more on the cable than then nylon so it made contact a high percentage of the time. At home I have one of the applications where I tried it, I will get a picture of it tonight if I get time and I will try to list the Ebay link if I can locate it again. The expansion flex of this is not as great as something like TechFlex but it is much better than paracord so it is a pretty versatile product.
  


 This is it on some Mogami star quad, the black areas are nylon mesh but the cotton is violet in color. I kind of gave up on it thinking that I would come across all cotton sometime but it is not very common.


----------



## Whitigir

paladin79 said:


> I do recall getting some cotton fabric tubing out of China that did have just a little nylon mesh in it but the remainder was cotton. I used it on some Mogami cable and had little or no noise. I did not remove the individual wires from the Mogami except at the split for dual input headphones. I know I ordered it on Ebay, the place sold a lot of PEP but they also listed fabric. I will not say it is noiseless but it is about a 75% improvement over any nylon mesh I tried. The cotton was raised up more on the cable than then nylon so it made contact a high percentage of the time. At home I have one of the applications where I tried it, I will get a picture of it tonight if I get time and I will try to list the Ebay link if I can locate it again. The expansion flex of this is not as great as something like TechFlex but it is much better than paracord so it is a pretty versatile product.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Awesome, where did you buy these sleeves ?


----------



## Paladin79

whitigir said:


> Awesome, where did you buy these sleeves ?


 
 I am still trying to locate the link. Try searching for cotton mesh sometime on Ebay and you will see how easy it is to locate such a product lol. I know it was a company out of china that advertised both PET and fabric. PET is plastic. I will have more time to look when I get home tonight.
  
 I do recall they measured it flat and the size I bought was six mm, it stretches enough to go around cable that is 5.14 mm outside diameter. I take that back, I ordered 4 mm flat and it stretched over cable 4-7 mm. Here is the link.
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/2M-5M-Braided-Soft-PP-Cotton-Yarn-PET-Expandable-Sleeving-4mm-8mm-12mm-/231391753695?var=&hash=item35e005f5dfmMBIarHKK3tGjiQzR0LUelw
  
 Doh! I checked my past purchases, this is something I bought personally for my own use so luckily it was still there. I just ordered more of the 4 mm and some of the 8 mm to try out. It comes to about $1.50 a meter for what I ordered so roughly 50 cents a foot with free shipping. Just be prepared to wait a while to receive it.


----------



## SVTong

Oh, that looks really good. I think the ViaBlue sleeve is a similar. Plastic/cloth hybrid.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Oh, that looks really good. I think the ViaBlue sleeve is a similar. Plastic/cloth hybrid.


 
 I am not familiar with that but you may well be right; I kind of used this and forgot about it but I still had pics on my phone. It is kind of like politics, it is the lesser of two evils.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 You really have to run your fingers across this a lot to pick up much noise, just normal usage and I really do not pick up much at all.


----------



## XenHeadFi

svtong said:


> Would the 24awg work for a headphone cable, or am I still better off stripping Mogami W2893?
> 
> Cost-wise, the Mogami is cheaper per usable foot, but the Connex stuff is silver plated copper which should conduct better.


 
 Gauge really depends on the connector at your headphones. Mine are female SMC connectors which are tiny. 26 AWG fits and maybe 24 AWG, but I doubt 22 AWG will fit the hot junction. Some of the bigger connectors can handle 22 AWG with no problems.
  
 Silver-plated will only conduct high frequency stuff. Audio frequencies are not too worried about skin effects. I think it makes clear insulation look nice, but audio will be YMMV.
  
 I posted pictures of my current headphone cables, rebuilt from a previous cable - stripped out Mogami 2799 then sleeved in #95 Paracord from paracordplanet. I made 2 big mistakes - Right channel is under-twisted and twisted in the wrong direction. You can see that in the photos. Before attaching to the headphones, I just counter-twist since SMCs are screwed on. I'm pretty comfortable with the 4-strand braid since the uniformity is easy to maintain as it naturally falls into roughly the same pitch. I need to work on my twisted pairs. The funny thing is that prior to the rebuild, the twisted pairs were okay, but the 4-strand had some skips in the braiding.
  
 Also, I learned after the negative wires broke off from the connector that I had to build some heavy duty strain reliefs for SMC connectors. Electrical tape and 3 layers of heat shrink. One connector looks good... the other slipped somehow.
  
 Here is the close up of the Y-split and terminal connectors. Sorry, only clean spot I have is on my green ESD mat.
  

  
 Microphonics, none. 3 feet of wire and 3.5 feet of paracord. I could have probably used another inch or 2 of paracord and still be fine.


----------



## Paladin79

It is nice to see someone talk about silver plating and skin effect, generally that kicks in at about 100khz depending on the gauge of the wire, the amount of skin. It is also good to see a person that knows about ESD, you must have a bit of a technical background or you learned it along the way. Oh yeah and you managed to use SMC connectors, I have used SMA and SMB more so but one day I will play around with HiFiMan headphones a bit myself.


----------



## Whitigir

paladin79 said:


> I am still trying to locate the link. Try searching for cotton mesh sometime on Ebay and you will see how easy it is to locate such a product lol. I know it was a company out of china that advertised both PET and fabric. PET is plastic. I will have more time to look when I get home tonight.
> 
> I do recall they measured it flat and the size I bought was six mm, it stretches enough to go around cable that is 5.14 mm outside diameter. I take that back, I ordered 4 mm flat and it stretched over cable 4-7 mm. Here is the link.
> 
> ...




Thank you so much for the helps. They are awesome looking sleeves


----------



## Paladin79

whitigir said:


> Thank you so much for the helps. They are awesome looking sleeves


 
 I felt obligated to help you. You have the model Fostex headphones I hope to buy one day soon. Maybe it is just the color I like. Stay away from the purple mesh, it would probably clash. Today I ordered the silver and the coffee colors I have enough cables that nearly glow in the dark.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Finally got my braided HD800 cable complete! Unfortunately the left connector isn't working properly; it's loose somehow. I need to take it apart and see what the dead is, but at least it looks great.
  
 I will say it has zero microphonics. This is two mogami quad cables, stripped, braided, and the bottom part sleeved with multifilament nylon. The nylon is heat knife cut, and I didn't attach it to the Y with anything for two reasons. 1) gotta be able to show off the 8 strand braid! 2) by not attaching it to the Y, I hopped (successfully) to reduce microphonics.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Finally got my braided HD800 cable complete! Unfortunately the left connector isn't working properly; it's loose somehow. I need to take it apart and see what the dead is, but at least it looks great.
> 
> I will say it has zero microphonics. This is two mogami quad cables, stripped, braided, and the bottom part sleeved with multifilament nylon. The nylon is heat knife cut, and I didn't attach it to the Y with anything for two reasons. 1) gotta be able to show off the 8 strand braid! 2) by not attaching it to the Y, I hopped (successfully) to reduce microphonics.




Do you not have an ohmmeter? I generally pre-test before applying heat-shrink tubing. It can save a lot of rework and lost time. It can also save the possibility of damaging equipment with a short circuit. I can walk you through some simple tests if you like.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Finally got my braided HD800 cable complete! Unfortunately the left connector isn't working properly; it's loose somehow. I need to take it apart and see what the dead is, but at least it looks great.
> ...


 
  
 I do. I tested everything, or at least I though I did. Turned out the barrel was shorting against one of the inner pins. Stupid HD800 connector! Rather then desolder, which can easily melt the pin, I added a little electrical tape, and that seemed to do the trick. It's working! I have to say, it sound way better than the stock cable. The braiding really intermixes the sounds well and the red and blues wires definitely add some color. The black wire really brings out the darkness, and finally the clear wire increases clarity. The fact that there are two of each color makes the increase in everything twice as great!
  
 In all seriousness, the 8 strand braid is tightly woven, but still is extremely flexible. 
  
 My next task is to finish the balanced version in post #5251. I finally have all the pins I need and a little more experience.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I do. I tested everything, or at least I though I did. Turned out the barrel was shorting against one of the inner pins. Stupid HD800 connector! Rather then desolder, which can easily melt the pin, I added a little electrical tape, and that seemed to do the trick. It's working! I have to say, it sound way better than the stock cable. The braiding really intermixes the sounds well and the red and blues wires definitely add some color. The black wire really brings out the darkness, and finally the clear wire increases clarity. The fact that there are two of each color makes the increase in everything twice as great!
> 
> In all seriousness, the 8 strand braid is tightly woven, but still is extremely flexible.
> 
> My next task is to finish the balanced version in post #5251. I finally have all the pins I need and a little more experience.


 
 Oh good you had me worried, I would never plug a cable in without running tests, headphones and amps are worth too much to take chances. There are also such things as high resistance shorts that can cause one side to be weaker than the other. I test, apply heat shrink tubing then test again. There are also some inexpensive audio testers out there that use lights and sounds to help those with little experience with test equipment.  I should be building balanced cables for MrSpeakers Alpha Primes one day soon. If I use Mogami cable I will stick to 24 awg since the Hirose contacts are pretty small. Trying to fit four wires into such a space can be tricky.


----------



## Paladin79

Pretty soon I will post a photo of what adhesive heat shrink tubing can look like when used as a junction between a single cable and two cables that split off. It can make for a very neat appearance and secure the sheathing in place so there are no worries of it working itself loose down the road. I used this method to help a few folks on here who could not find proper cables for some headphones no longer supported by the manufacturer. This form of heat shrink tubing is also great for sealing the back of connectors when sheathing is attached, it stays in place very well. I make absolutely certain the cable is built properly before applying this product. Going back and redoing anything can be a real pain. Because it is adhesive, you can use pliers to adhere the center between the split cables, I am not sure if it shows in the photo but these pliers had ridges but you can also use smooth long nose pliers, or hemostats for similar results.


----------



## SVTong

paladin79 said:


> Pretty soon I will post a photo of what adhesive heat shrink tubing can look like when used as a junction between a single cable and two cables that split off. It can make for a very neat appearance and secure the sheathing in place so there are no worries of it working itself loose down the road. I used this method to help a few folks on here who could not find proper cables for some headphones no longer supported by the manufacturer. This form of heat shrink tubing is also great for sealing the back of connectors when sheathing is attached, it stays in place very well. I make absolutely certain the cable is built properly before applying this product. Going back and redoing anything can be a real pain. Because it is adhesive, you can use pliers to adhere the center between the split cables, I am not sure if it shows in the photo but these pliers had ridges but you can also use smooth long nose pliers, or hemostats for similar results.


 
  
  
 What size tubing is that?  That looks great - I'm going to try this on my next cable for sure.


----------



## Paladin79

Quote: 





svtong said:


> What size tubing is that?  That looks great - I'm going to try this on my next cable for sure.


 
 That is 550 paracord with quarter inch adhesive heat shrink tubing with a shrink ration of 2 to 1.
  
 The cable used has an outside diameter of about 3.46 mm. 24 awg, twisted pair, shielded with drain. A quality product that yields outstanding results when paired with some good connectors. Today I am experimenting with some quarter inch I had not tried before that lock on the cable similar to Neutrik.  I am working on setting my daughter up with Dac, AMP, headphones and cables in her favorite colors so it is fun to play around with such things and I want to give her multiple lengths of cables to use.


----------



## Paladin79

The 550 paracord is a good workable size for small connectors. One of my employees built this DIY aux cable for use in her car. I am not a huge fan of nylon sheathing but it is durable and readily available.


----------



## Gerner

Hello DIY'er!
  
 I have a little question which concerns speaker cables, but I think the technique is used on headphone cables too..
 If you have two or four single stranded conductors, and want to do something like this:
 http://s141.photobucket.com/user/nezff/media/Cable%20making/DSC03173.jpg.html

 It looks like one cable to begin with, (The Techflax part) and then 4 single stranded conductors afterwards. Is there some sort of technique to twist the single stranded conductors so it gets this roundish look?

 It's hard for me to explain, but I hope someone gets the points.. Because I have 2/4 conductors, and wants them to look like one FAT cable, and afterwards have the 4 single stranded conductors.


----------



## liquidzoo

gerner said:


> Hello DIY'er!
> 
> I have a little question which concerns speaker cables, but I think the technique is used on headphone cables too..
> 
> ...




Probably some quad cable (Mogami 2893/2799/2534 or Canare L-4E5C or L-4E6S or similar) that's only stripped at the very end for the conductors.


----------



## Gerner

liquidzoo said:


> Probably some quad cable (Mogami 2893/2799/2534 or Canare L-4E5C or L-4E6S or similar) that's only stripped at the very end for the conductors.


 

 Mogami is way too thin, I'm looking for each strand to be near 14 gauge. 

 I can see the picture didn't work, but if you look at this cable:

 The cable is quite thick, and that's what I want. 

 I was thinking twisting them, but I don't think it will hold shape if 14 gauge.


----------



## Paladin79

gerner said:


> Mogami is way too thin, I'm looking for each strand to be near 14 gauge.
> 
> I can see the picture didn't work, but if you look at this cable:
> 
> ...


 
 Canare makes some 14 awg that when combined gets it down to 11 gauge. I used that in the walls in my house. I want to say it is four wires. I will try to look up the numbers.
  
_Canare 4S11 Star Quad Speaker Cable - Grey_
  
_it is 14 awg and splits off well, I want to say outside diameter is at least half an inch, serious jacket. Good product._


----------



## Allanmarcus

gerner said:


> liquidzoo said:
> 
> 
> > Probably some quad cable (Mogami 2893/2799/2534 or Canare L-4E5C or L-4E6S or similar) that's only stripped at the very end for the conductors.
> ...




Looks like four coax cables held together with techflex, then split with "cable pants"


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Looks like four coax cables held together with techflex, then split with "cable pants"


 


 The canare is a large cable with four star quad 14 awg cables within. You can still use techflex and heat shrink tubing but get an effect like the cable in the photo.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Looks like four coax cables held together with techflex, then split with "cable pants"


 
 That is not coaxial cable with those connectors on it. Those are pin type speaker connectors for single conductor, coax is two conductor.
 Canare 4S11 end view, star quad that will give you four 14 awg speaker wires, about $1.45 a foot from Markertek. 10.82 mm or .41 inch outside diameter without techflex. It allows me to run one line back to my rear surround speakers, split off for both speakers and stay inside the wall since it is four conductor. I do think the part about the cable pants was correct though.


----------



## XenHeadFi

gerner said:


> It looks like one cable to begin with, (The Techflax part) and then 4 single stranded conductors afterwards. Is there some sort of technique to twist the single stranded conductors so it gets this roundish look?
> 
> It's hard for me to explain, but I hope someone gets the points.. Because I have 2/4 conductors, and wants them to look like one FAT cable, and afterwards have the 4 single stranded conductors.


 
 Very hard to tell the exact cable because it is hidden inside techflex and resolution is not high on the photo. Easiest way to get that look is as others have already said, 4-conductor cable. But, looking very closely, you can see bulges in the techflex that LOOK like twisted pair. The pitch is quite low.
  
 I found Mogami 3104 Studio Speaker cable that has 4 conductors, 12 AWG each (http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/speaker_cable/conventional_configuration/). If you want thicker, you will have to look at power cables.
  
 The y-splits seem to be soft pvc, kind of like this http://wholesaler.alibaba.com/product-detail/VY7-5-Series-Y-shape-black_60197980249.html. The link is just an example as Ebay or Amazon may carry the right size. The y-splits are then sealed to the techflex with regular heat shrink.


----------



## Allanmarcus

If you end up buying cable pants, check the opening sizes. They sell different sizes and ended up getting some too small for anything useful.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Very hard to tell the exact cable because it is hidden inside techflex and resolution is not high on the photo. Easiest way to get that look is as others have already said, 4-conductor cable. But, looking very closely, you can see bulges in the techflex that LOOK like twisted pair. The pitch is quite low.
> 
> I found Mogami 3104 Studio Speaker cable that has 4 conductors, 12 AWG each (http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/speaker_cable/conventional_configuration/). If you want thicker, you will have to look at power cables.
> 
> The y-splits seem to be soft pvc, kind of like this http://wholesaler.alibaba.com/product-detail/VY7-5-Series-Y-shape-black_60197980249.html. The link is just an example as Ebay or Amazon may carry the right size. The y-splits are then sealed to the techflex with regular heat shrink.


 
 That is correct, it is two cables doubled up, and twisted at the ends. Add two together and get a larger gauge, two 14's give you 11 awg. effectively.
  
 Mogami is good as well, Canare I have used more often for this type of application. They ended up with a fairly large gauge, thus the pin connectors.


----------



## Gerner

Whow, thank you guys! It's really nice information your coming with. 
  
 I might try both the options.. Twisted cables and star quad cables.  

 Kinda short reply, but omw to bed.. Will post again tomorrow.


----------



## jlily82

I'm trying to switch some cables from angled connections to straight ones. Ive got everything ready to solder but i cant seem to get the wires soldered in the right spots. I have my green, red and my ground, which wires get soldered where? heres what the plug looks like
  
 http://s200.photobucket.com/user/lilyquist82/media/4A7BBC97-50EF-4D29-A4FA-AAA394BFB5D5.jpg.html?sort=2&o=54
  
 http://s200.photobucket.com/user/lilyquist82/media/8936F4B0-E7C2-4DAD-9A50-C3C5AE764510.jpg.html?sort=2&o=55
  
 any help is appreciated, Im a total newb at this, Thanks


----------



## Paladin79

jlily82 said:


> I'm trying to switch some cables from angled connections to straight ones. Ive got everything ready to solder but i cant seem to get the wires soldered in the right spots. I have my green, red and my ground, which wires get soldered where? heres what the plug looks like
> 
> http://s200.photobucket.com/user/lilyquist82/media/4A7BBC97-50EF-4D29-A4FA-AAA394BFB5D5.jpg.html?sort=2&o=54
> 
> ...


 
 There is a cylinder separated by plastic, the red and green go there, the ground goes to the long metal piece. Unfortunately you have to solder to the side of that cylinder without melting the plastic in between. Most of those I have seen, from inside out it goes ring and then tip but it can vary with manufacturers. Normally I use red to ring (right channel), and in your case green to tip (left channel). If you happen to have an ohmmeter you can tell this for sure, What is on the other end of the cable? That can help me tell you if red truly goes to the ring. If you have trouble I can also recommend other connectors with solder lugs, I trust their reliability much more. If you need help with an inexpensive volt ohmmeter, I can probably help there too.
  
 A good mnemonic device is Red, Ring, Right channel.  Hopefully whoever made your cable in the first place had the red wire as the right channel.
  
 If any of you do not want to go to the expense of a meter I could draw up and photograph a circuit using a battery, an led, and some wire that can be used to test continuity, and open and short circuits. Things like meters are especially handy if you are braiding eight wires and four are gold and four are silver or all have a clear jacket and look identical.


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## jlily82

I have a meter and a soldering iron, just lack the knowledge.........
  
 Every diagram i looked at had 3 poles to solder to and this one had 2.
  
 I greatly appreciate your help, Thanks again!


----------



## Paladin79

top photo, tip to tip
 middle photo, ring to ring
 bottom photo, sleeve to sleeve
  
  
 Quote: 





jlily82 said:


> I have a meter and a soldering iron, just lack the knowledge.........
> 
> Every diagram i looked at had 3 poles to solder to and this one had 2.
> 
> I greatly appreciate your help, Thanks again!


 
 You have your fingers over the tip so it is a little hard to tell but if that is a stereo connector, tip, ring, and sleeve. The long metal piece is the third connector, that is ground. The cylinder has the place to attach wires for the tip and ring. A meter works the same way but I am about to show a simple circuit that can test such a connection. You can do the same thing with your meter, in this one a light will come on, in yours, you will read zero when you have continuity.
  
 You can use your meter to measure for continuity, it should go to zero as you measure tip to tip, ring to ring, and sleeve to sleeve from the front of the connector to the back.
  
 All I did was grab a 9 volt battery, some wire, and a 12 volt bulb that you can get from most any auto supply store. Notice how the light comes on as I measure the very front part of the connector and the back part of the cylinder? That is measuring tip to tip. With a meter, touch your leads together. That is the same thing you are doing when you measure from one end of a wire to another, or measure the tip on the front side and back side of a connector. Now if you solder this connector, you should not have continuity between tip to ring, tip to ground or ring to ground. If so, you have a short circuit, and that is bad. Total build time for my continuity tester, two minutes (once I found everything).
  
 Basically I soldered a black wire to the battery - that then went to the body of the bulb, ground. I soldered a red wire from the + of the battery to the hot for the bulb, the bulb lit. I cut the red wire in half, stripped a half inch of jacket from the cut portions, tinned them (soldered them), this gave them rigidity for use as test probes.Voila!!! A cable or connector continuity tester.


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## jlily82

Wow, this might be the most helpful place on the internet!
  
 I'll have to make a trip into work to get my meter, but yes, it is a stereo connection.


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## XenHeadFi

jlily82 said:


> I have a meter and a soldering iron, just lack the knowledge.........
> 
> Every diagram i looked at had 3 poles to solder to and this one had 2.
> 
> I greatly appreciate your help, Thanks again!


 
 How to use a digital multimeter (DMM) to check for conductivity:

Insert probes into multimeter. Black probes goes into COM (for COMmon, sometimes labels GND). Red probe goes into the jack with many symbols (NOT the one labeled "10A" if your meter has 3 jacks).
Set your DMM to either resistance (Ω, capital Greek letter Omega) or Diode/Beep (diode is a triangle with a line through it, beep has the nearly universal symbol for sound). If you put it in resistance mode, you will be looking for values under 5 ohms for a connection (actual values differ due to features of DMM and quality of DMM and probes). For Diode, you should see something close to zero. And beep will beep if there is a connection.
Hold one probe (doesn't matter which) on one section of the connector (Tip, ring, or sleeve). Just make sure the probe only touches one section. You can use your non-dominant hand to hold the probe onto the connector as this will NOT affect the readings at this scale.
Now with the other probe, touch metal on the other side of the connector. See #2 for what you should expect.
AFTER you "finish" soldering everything together, test for conductivity again.
**Very important** Test to make sure there is no short circuit. Make sure there is NO CONDUCTIVITY between tip/ring/sleeve. Example: Place probe on Tip. Place other probe on the other end where the Ring is connected. Make sure resistance is either very high (millions) or Over Limit ("OL" on most meters). Touch the Sleeve to ensure Tip is not connected to Sleeve, either. Repeat for all other unique combinations.


----------



## Paladin79

jlily82 said:


> Wow, this might be the most helpful place on the internet!
> 
> I'll have to make a trip into work to get my meter, but yes, it is a stereo connection.


 
 Your meter may also have a buzzer or beeper for continuity. It will make a sound when you are measuring across a complete circuit or touching the tips together. I started taking photos, (my wife actually took them but she is not in the room now) before you mentioned you had a meter. A word of warning, a 9 volt battery will power a bulb with a filament requiring 12 volts. Do not try to use a bulb from a flashlight because many of them will not handle the current and you will have in essence a fuse on your hands; an open fuse to be precise. As I showed the portion of the cylinder farthest away from the tip is the tip connection. It is the case on this connector I tried but you will be able to measure yours to see if it is the same. If  you have a meter without a continuity buzzer, just go to the lowest ohm scale you can find. Be sure to turn your meter off after use if it does not have an auto shut off, if I remember my electronics you will drain the battery in your meter the fastest if you forget and leave it on the low own scale. Also use the meter or the bulb circuit, do not measure the bulb circuit with the meter on the ohm scale, that is a no no.
  
 Your post went up zenheadfi as I was typing or I would not have bothered and good point about checking for high resistance shorts. I was trying to keep it simple.


----------



## Whitigir

A good multi-meter can also check continuity as well


----------



## Paladin79

whitigir said:


> A good multi-meter can also check continuity as well


 
 Any meter with an ohms scale can check continuity of course. In the event this person or anyone else did not have a meter. I thought I would show a quick and easy way to test for continuity. I started to use an LED but figured a filament bulb might be simpler since LEDs are oftentimes polarized. The biggest problem I had was locating a connector in my home shop with that type of soldering cylinder.  
  
 By the way I just saw a video on how the Fostex TH-900 cups are painted, most impressive video.


----------



## Whitigir

paladin79 said:


> Any meter with an ohms scale can check continuity of course. In the event this person or anyone else did not have a meter. I thought I would show a quick and easy way to test for continuity. I started to use an LED but figured a filament bulb might be simpler since LEDs are oftentimes polarized.
> 
> By the way I just saw a video on how the Fostex TH-900 cups are painted, most impressive video.




Yeah  and that was a very throughout DIY experiences . Thanks !


----------



## Paladin79

whitigir said:


> Yeah
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 It is either this or yard work and I can do this and enjoy my audio set up lol.


----------



## XenHeadFi

whitigir said:


> A good multi-meter can also check continuity as well


 
 Yes, the Diode/Beep function is the continuity test. If your DMM has a mute, then the Diode/Beep mode becomes just ... Diode mode.


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> Your post went up zenheadfi as I was typing or I would not have bothered and good point about checking for high resistance shorts. I was trying to keep it simple.


 
  
 At best shorted cables just don't work, but they may cause your equipment to let out the magic blue smoke, which I definitely want to keep from happening to anyone.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> At best shorted cables just don't work, but they may cause your equipment to let out the magic blue smoke, which I definitely want to keep from happening to anyone.


 
 Very true. The last thing I had issues with was a warranty repair on an Onkyo  7.2 surround sound receiver I have had for a  few years. After the first factory repair it played for ten minutes and I had a puff of white smoke from an electrolytic capacitor, once you smell that there is little doubt what is going on. They did repair it properly or I would have gone into it myself and free is always good.
  
 My favorite digital mulitmeter is an old model, the Simpson 467, the military used them a lot. New they were over $500 but you can still buy them for about $20 on Ebay. If you are fortunate you will get a ten amp current shunt and 5kv probe. I have a half dozen of them still working fine after many years.


----------



## Whitigir

xenheadfi said:


> At best shorted cables just don't work, but they may cause your equipment to let out the magic blue smoke, which I definitely want to keep from happening to anyone.




This reminded me of a while ago when I was trying to make my cables. I had to trace it down, and.....I forgot I already stripped the other end wires. Then I kept on having the cables shorted at the jacks.....I got messed up and resolder the jacks twice....to realize that I stripped the other ends and they got shorted out 

Everyone has his moment when "newb" lol. I shared mine, of course hahah


----------



## Paladin79

Something that can really help is a  desk mount combination light and magnifier for looking over your work. It can show you if so much as one strand is out of place on stranded cable. I also dabble with chronograph watches and a light and magnifier is very handy for changing batteries on some models. There is one in the upper left hand corner of this photo. This is part of my shop. Jagermeister machine is not essential for DIY cables but it does not hurt.


----------



## jlily82

Well that experiment failed miserebly, good thing i used a pair of headphones i didnt care about to ruin. 
  
 I dont understand i had all my wires lined up, but the solder just wouldnt take to the new plugs? is there a step im missing?


----------



## buke9

jlily82 said:


> Well that experiment failed miserebly, good thing i used a pair of headphones i didnt care about to ruin.
> 
> I dont understand i had all my wires lined up, but the solder just wouldnt take to the new plugs? is there a step im missing?


A bit of flux can help sometimes.


----------



## Paladin79

jlily82 said:


> Well that experiment failed miserebly, good thing i used a pair of headphones i didnt care about to ruin.
> 
> I dont understand i had all my wires lined up, but the solder just wouldnt take to the new plugs? is there a step im missing?


 
 Those plugs are very difficult to solder to. I assume you are using rosin core solder, it should clean the joint and help the solder to stick. Would you mind if I suggest some alternate plugs you could solder with greater ease?
  
 I posted just as Buke did, rosin is a type of flux usually in the center of solder made for electronics, but if it does not get the job done there is liquid and paste flux out there.


----------



## jlily82

buke9 said:


> A bit of flux can help sometimes.


 
 I used a little flux and still wouldnt take.


----------



## jlily82

paladin79 said:


> Those plugs are very difficult to solder to. I assume you are using rosin core solder, it should clean the joint and help the solder to stick. Would you mind if I suggest some alternate plugs you could solder with greater ease?


 
  
 What do you reccommend?, I liked the look of these, which is why i bought them, but they are impossible for me to solder to.


----------



## Paladin79

jlily82 said:


> What do you reccommend?, I liked the look of these, which is why i bought them, but they are impossible for me to solder to.


 
 Either Amphenol or Neutrik. Take a look at photos, there is a purple cable with Amphenol on the left and Neutrik right angle on the right. Both use solder lugs. Take a photo of the complete connector. If I think I have a tip that will fit the body I will send you a couple no charge if you are in the US. That way you can keep the looks but use a quality tip.


----------



## XenHeadFi

jlily82 said:


> I used a little flux and still wouldnt take.


 
 Try this process. It is a few steps, but does help the solder stick.

Apply a little bit of flux to one section of the connector. Any electronics grade solder will do; from safety-colored-glass solder, no clean solder, mildly activated rosin and activated rosin. Just don't use acid flux, which is common in plumbing. Heat the flux with the iron until it burns off (safe, no-clean types) or melts (rosin-type). This cleans the surface. Tin the part of the connector by adding a blob of solder to the iron and transfering the blob to where the flux was. As the connector heats up, the solder should flow and form a small flat bead.
Clean off the iron and add some fresh solder to it before setting it aside. We will need it shortly.
Make sure the wire is neat by trimming and twisting. Apply some flux to the wire and heat it off. Clean off the iron and add a little bit of fresh solder. Touch the iron to the wire and add some more solder. The solder should wick into the wire. As soon as you see the solder wick into the wire, you can remove solder then the iron half a beat later.
You have pre-tinned both connector and wire. Now we just have to worry about melting the solders together
Clean off the iron, reapply a small bit of solder and solder the wire to the connector. You probably don't need anymore solder than what is already on the iron, wire, and connector.
  
 Flux - a little bit goes a long way. Don't use too much as you don't want the solder to flow to other parts of the connector


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Try this process. It is a few steps, but does help the solder stick.
> 
> Apply a little bit of flux to one section of the connector. Any electronics grade solder will do; from safety-colored-glass solder, no clean solder, mildly activated rosin and activated rosin. Just don't use acid flux, which is common in plumbing. Heat the flux with the iron until it burns off (safe, no-clean types) or melts (rosin-type). This cleans the surface. Tin the part of the connector by adding a blob of solder to the iron and transfering the blob to where the flux was. As the connector heats up, the solder should flow and form a small flat bead.
> Clean off the iron and add some fresh solder to it before setting it aside. We will need it shortly.
> ...


 
 Good advice but I would add one thing, when you get done, tug on the wire to make sure it has adhered well. I am obviously biased against that kind of connector but you like the looks and right now that is what you have to work with and I wish you the best.


----------



## rmoody

xenheadfi said:


> Try this process. It is a few steps, but does help the solder stick.
> 
> Apply a little bit of flux to one section of the connector. Any electronics grade solder will do; from safety-colored-glass solder, no clean solder, mildly activated rosin and activated rosin. Just don't use acid flux, which is common in plumbing. Heat the flux with the iron until it burns off (safe, no-clean types) or melts (rosin-type). This cleans the surface. Tin the part of the connector by adding a blob of solder to the iron and transfering the blob to where the flux was. As the connector heats up, the solder should flow and form a small flat bead.
> Clean off the iron and add some fresh solder to it before setting it aside. We will need it shortly.
> ...


 

 Great description and process. Mine is quite similar with minor unmentionable changes as they are not worth the mention. Over time and practice you will come up with your own process that works for you. If all else fails, take the home brew approach, relax, have a home brew (or just a brew).
  
 My personal method, clean iron, flux part (I usually apply flux to only one part), apply a small amount of solder to the clean iron, apply iron to parts. (Like I said, practically unmentionable difference.)
  
 I also pre-tin my wires: strip, twist, apply flux, clean iron, apply solder to the iron, apply iron to fluxed wire.
  
 As you can see, many ways to skin the cat as it were.
  
 Acid flux sucks, it will turn your wire green and ugly. It works great, but the aftermath, ugh!
  
 I've found that a damp sponge and a stainless or brass scrub pad (like this https://smile.amazon.com/Hakko-599B-02-Solder-Cleaning-Holder/dp/B00FZPGDLA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469926473&sr=8-1&keywords=solder+iron+tip+cleaner) really help to clean the solder iron tip. Also I'm a big fan of this stuff https://smile.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-TMT-TC-2-Tinner-0-8oz-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1469926378&sr=8-9&keywords=solder+iron+tip+cleaner it makes huge fumes, but really makes cleaning/tinning your soldering iron tip a breeze.
  
 Practice also will help you get it down. Good luck! If I can help in any way, don't hesitate to ask.


----------



## rmoody

paladin79 said:


> Something that can really help is a  desk mount combination light and magnifier for looking over your work. It can show you if so much as one strand is out of place on stranded cable. I also dabble with chronograph watches and a light and magnifier is very handy for changing batteries on some models. There is one in the upper left hand corner of this photo. This is part of my shop. Jagermeister machine is not essential for DIY cables but it does not hurt.


 
  
 Awesome setup! I like the spool hanger. Color me jealous.


----------



## Paladin79

rmoody said:


> Awesome setup! I like the spool hanger. Color me jealous.


 
 That is an older photo, I have a couple new desktop versions now. There is also a coiled spring attachment that holds wires for you as you work with multiple solder points. 
 I once did some 100 wire connectors for a guy, Built the pc boards and did all the design and layout. I think I did five sets and I never want to see another again even for four figures. Wires can only be in so many colors and eventually a blue with a red stripe looks just like a red with a blue stripe. Some use three colors, blechhh!


----------



## Paladin79

jlily82 said:


> I used a little flux and still wouldnt take.


 
 If you do use the standard type connector, on the back side that you solder to, the right lug is ring, left one tip, and sleeve (ground) is pretty obvious.


----------



## XenHeadFi

rmoody said:


> Great description and process. Mine is quite similar with minor unmentionable changes as they are not worth the mention. Over time and practice you will come up with your own process that works for you. If all else fails, take the home brew approach, relax, have a home brew (or just a brew).
> 
> I've found that a damp sponge and a stainless or brass scrub pad (like this https://smile.amazon.com/Hakko-599B-02-Solder-Cleaning-Holder/dp/B00FZPGDLA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469926473&sr=8-1&keywords=solder+iron+tip+cleaner) really help to clean the solder iron tip. Also I'm a big fan of this stuff https://smile.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-TMT-TC-2-Tinner-0-8oz-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1469926378&sr=8-9&keywords=solder+iron+tip+cleaner it makes huge fumes, but really makes cleaning/tinning your soldering iron tip a breeze.
> 
> Practice also will help you get it down. Good luck! If I can help in any way, don't hesitate to ask.


 
 Yeah, it is best to develop a process that fits you
  
 I use a Hakko FX888D with 3 presets (165C, 270C, 330C). My process is pretty much the identical to yours: Clean tip, flux, solder, clean tip, repeat. However, I don't like the sponge and don't use it, but LOVE the brass pads. Mine has the same shape as that Hakko, but it's a black aluminum knockoff. Like you, I also use a flux-less tip cleaner instead of solder, but mine is (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CIB9PBE/). Mine doesn't smoke much and smells a bit like Salamoniac, and I totally agree that it is way easier to keep your iron tip in top shape than adding solder. The flux inside rosin-core solder is not only bad for you but is also what eats tips when left to burn. However, after I dip my solder tip into the tip cleaner, I set the temp to low. The Hakko is nice since it heats from 165C to 270C in less than 2 seconds. I just bump the temp back up to 270C, wait 2 seconds, clean off the tip cleaner and solder.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Yeah, it is best to develop a process that fits you
> 
> I use a Hakko FX888D with 3 presets (165C, 270C, 330C). My process is pretty much the identical to yours: Clean tip, flux, solder, clean tip, repeat. However, I don't like the sponge and don't use it, but LOVE the brass pads. Mine has the same shape as that Hakko, but it's a black aluminum knockoff. Like you, I also use a flux-less tip cleaner instead of solder, but mine is (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CIB9PBE/). Mine doesn't smoke much and smells a bit like Salamoniac, and I totally agree that it is way easier to keep your iron tip in top shape than adding solder. The flux inside rosin-core solder is not only bad for you but is also what eats tips when left to burn. However, after I dip my solder tip into the tip cleaner, I set the temp to low. The Hakko is nice since it heats from 165C to 270C in less than 2 seconds. I just bump the temp back up to 270C, wait 2 seconds, clean off the tip cleaner and solder.


 
 Have you had good luck with Hakko? I had to stop using them after their transformers failed. It was just one model but I had three of them go down. Mind you these were production situations, not diy. It depends on the brand tip as far as pre-tinning, I use Weller and stay clear of the brass pads.


----------



## Packdemon

Hey guys,

I have this issue with my V-moda boompro that when I try to use the headset splitter adapter cable connecting to a separate amp/DAC for the headphone than for the mic, it causes a ground loop. This happens since the mic and headphones use the same ground on the TRRS connector on the end of the cable. Do you know if I'd be able to cut the maleTRRS connector off of the boompro and the female TRRS connector from the adapter, and then splice the wires together? It should work theoretically, but I'm just not sure if the ground channel wires for the mic and headphone were joined at the TRRS connector, or if it was joined somewhere further up the cable. I don't want to cut the cable's TRRS connector only to find that there are only 4 wires (instead of 5) inside to begin with. Has anyone ever tried this before, or does anyone know anybody from V-moda that can confirm for me how many wires inside there are at the the end of the cable?

I'm aware that I can just purchase a ground loop isolator, but I really want to try this fix instead.


Best Regards,
Lyova Margaryan of Tru-Fi Speakers


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> Have you had good luck with Hakko? I had to stop using them after their transformers failed. It was just one model but I had three of them go down. Mind you these were production situations, not diy. It depends on the brand tip as far as pre-tinning, I use Weller and stay clear of the brass pads.


 
 So far so good, but I have no way to getting a temperature reading off the tip. Sure I can hook up a K-type onto the meter, but not sure how accurate that will be. Also, I've got an infrared thermometer, but I don't think it can measure the temperature of something so small.
  
 Which model did you have?


----------



## Packdemon

packdemon said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I have this issue with my V-moda boompro that when I try to use the headset splitter adapter cable connecting to a separate amp/DAC for the headphone than for the mic, it causes a ground loop. This happens since the mic and headphones use the same ground on the TRRS connector on the end of the cable. Do you know if I'd be able to cut the maleTRRS connector off of the boompro and the female TRRS connector from the adapter, and then splice the wires together? It should work theoretically, but I'm just not sure if the ground channel wires for the mic and headphone were joined at the TRRS connector, or if it was joined somewhere further up the cable. I don't want to cut the cable's TRRS connector only to find that there are only 4 wires (instead of 5) inside to begin with. Has anyone ever tried this before, or does anyone know anybody from V-moda that can confirm for me how many wires inside there are at the the end of the cable?
> 
> ...



Nevermind, I figured it out. I opened the in-line control box to see if the 2 ground channels (5 channels overall) were separate going down the cable. Turns out that V-moda kept the channels separate running down the full length of the cable, so I knew at that point that I could cut it to do my splice mod.

And I'm happy to report no more ground loop issues!

It's not the best looking cable ever, but here are some pictures:




Best Regards,
Lyova Margaryan of Tru-Fi Speakers


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> So far so good, but I have no way to getting a temperature reading off the tip. Sure I can hook up a K-type onto the meter, but not sure how accurate that will be. Also, I've got an infrared thermometer, but I don't think it can measure the temperature of something so small.
> 
> Which model did you have?




The model 936 is what failed to hold up but that was with daily usage in a production situation. I have an FX888 I use on occasion at home and it is still fine. My people use Wellers daily and the tips stay cleaner with just a wet sponge. Weller does not offer the brass and IMHO they do not need to. In my shop at home I have soldered 20 hours on a weekend many times and I prefer the handle size on the Wellers as well. I can also change temperature by changing tips and repair any portion of the iron if it ever fails. 
I probably own 8 Wellers and a couple are 35 years old and still working. My home shop is not typical because I ran my own electronics business for ten years. I also use Pace equipment but that is not for the weekend hobbyist.


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> The model 936 is what failed to hold up but that was with daily usage in a production situation. I have an FX888 I use on occasion at home and it is still fine. My people use Wellers daily and the tips stay cleaner with just a wet sponge. Weller does not offer the brass and IMHO they do not need to. In my shop at home I have soldered 20 hours on a weekend many times and I prefer the handle size on the Wellers as well. I can also change temperature by changing tips and repair any portion of the iron if it ever fails.
> I probably own 8 Wellers and a couple are 35 years old and still working. My home shop is not typical because I ran my own electronics business for ten years. I also use Pace equipment but that is not for the weekend hobbyist.


 
 The Hakko 936 is revered to the same level as the Weller WES51 Analog Station. Since Hakko discontinued the 936, the Chinese clones of the 936 (many labeled 937 or 937D) have become the entry level temperature-controlled soldering stations. Dave Jones of EEVBlog fame has a 936 that is pretty close to 30 years old now.
  
 Well, failures will happen, but 3 with the same issue sounds like a bad batch.
  
 Pace is so nice, but really can't justify spending 3 times the price for quality that exceeds my needs by so much.


----------



## Paladin79

Above is the model I like to use. This is just a shelf in my home shop, pardon the clutter. 
 Quote: 





xenheadfi said:


> The Hakko 936 is revered to the same level as the Weller WES51 Analog Station. Since Hakko discontinued the 936, the Chinese clones of the 936 (many labeled 937 or 937D) have become the entry level temperature-controlled soldering stations. Dave Jones of EEVBlog fame has a 936 that is pretty close to 30 years old now.
> 
> Well, failures will happen, but 3 with the same issue sounds like a bad batch.
> 
> Pace is so nice, but really can't justify spending 3 times the price for quality that exceeds my needs by so much.


 
 I know both models, and I do not use the WES51 model either for many situations. As I mentioned they were in a production situation and probably lasted a total of two years. Perhaps they did get worse toward the end of the run. I am objective about such things and if they were up and running now I would say they were great lol. 
  
 This is a DIY thread and those who build something on occasion would be fine with many irons. Just as a homeowner might buy Buffalo tools and a mechanic Snap On or Proto. For more than 40 years I have done this for a living and the Weller parts are more readily available to me. I deal with two distributors for electronic tools and one stopped carrying Hakko, the other never started. They even say since they (the Wellers) are built in Mexico the quality is not what it once was.
  
 When the Hakko went down I brought Wellers from home to keep up production and took them home when I had more new Wellers in place and they have been working ever since. I use the WTCPT series and in some situations I have set up three of them with different size and temperature tips for my own use. Not everyone is going to plunk down $150 per soldering station and I would never suggest they are for entry level. As I recall the Hakko I did buy for personal use was just under $100, and it is fine so far. My son has a W60P3 Weller in his tool kit, (he rarely solders unless his tv stops working or such) and that is probably fine as an entry level iron for building a few cables.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I use this $20 station and other then it taking 5 minutes to warm up, it works well. 

https://www.amazon.com/Stahl-Tools-SSVT-Temperature-Soldering/dp/B0029N70WM


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I use this $20 station and other then it taking 5 minutes to warm up, it works well.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Stahl-Tools-SSVT-Temperature-Soldering/dp/B0029N70WM




Excellent price and with the way the tip system is made I bet you can find replacement tips for it.

 I do a bunch of side work for a local manufacturer and when you deal with adding components to 500 boards in a weekend, time is money. My son was making $50 an hour when he was 14, helping out. It paid for his college; he graduated Debt free.

I imagine several people on here got their start in business as DIY's. It can be a hobby or a profitable sideline.


----------



## Paladin79

Something that might be of interest to DIY cable makers. I bought a pair of California Headphone Company Silverado's pretty cheap on Ebay and made my own cable. The end result was much better than I had hoped. Every now and then you might see a used pair for $60 or so, they are no longer in production but I still see people asking $250 for them new old stock. If anyone wants to go that route and gets a defective original cable or no cable at all I can help them with the wiring.I know at least 6 people who have said a replacement cable (compared to the original) does wonders for the headphones and I can attest to that myself. Cost of replacement maybe $10 and some labor.


----------



## Allanmarcus

So, I purchased some wood beads to use at the Y split. From what I understand, I feed all the wires throught, the set the bead in the right location, then fill it up with hot glue. Any tips or tricks to this process? Best to hold it horizontal or vertical? Easy to trim off any cooled glue that leaks out?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Also, all this talk of soldering stations is making me want to upgrade! I'm seriously thinking of this one:

http://www.parts-express.com/stahl-tools-ddss-digital-display-soldering-iron-station--374-300

I like that you can see the current temp and the set temp. Now I just need to figure out what temp to use for what!


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Also, all this talk of soldering stations is making me want to upgrade! I'm seriously thinking of this one:
> 
> http://www.parts-express.com/stahl-tools-ddss-digital-display-soldering-iron-station--374-300
> 
> I like that you can see the current temp and the set temp. Now I just need to figure out what temp to use for what!




I am more geared toward production but I like to use 600-700 degrees f minimum. 800 is more to my liking but I would not recommend it for everyone. Silver solder can melt at lower temps, so heating the joint is easier for it. I also like the fact they sell tips for it. Personally I use larger tips for quarter inch connectors and XLR's and the higher temps help there. Things like guitar cables can require considerable heat as well. If you buy ROHS compliant solder, it can take some getting used to. Also a small fan to blow away solder fumes is good and I always try to caution people about washing their hands after dealing with lead based solder.


I have not worked with wooden beads but excess hot glue can be picked or cut away. In extreme cases we use heat guns to get it to flow all over again.


----------



## Allanmarcus

WooHoo! I finally finished my second braided HD800 cable! No microphonics. Very flexible. Very strong.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> WooHoo! I finally finished my second braided HD800 cable! No microphonics. Very flexible. Very strong.


 
 nice!  My next cable build, other than helping a few friends, will be for MrSpeakers Alpha Primes which I should be receiving soon. I hope to build some cables for my son as well, he has those headphones also. They are among my favorites.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Also, all this talk of soldering stations is making me want to upgrade! I'm seriously thinking of this one:
> 
> http://www.parts-express.com/stahl-tools-ddss-digital-display-soldering-iron-station--374-300
> 
> I like that you can see the current temp and the set temp. Now I just need to figure out what temp to use for what!


I've got its baby brother with just a adjustment knob I couldn't be happier with it get the tip pack with it it has 4 tips I think and is only like 4 or 5 bucks but it at the same time their shipping is pricey for small orders.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> I've got its baby brother with just a adjustment knob I couldn't be happier with it get the tip pack with it it has 4 tips I think and is only like 4 or 5 bucks but it at the same time their shipping is pricey for small orders.


 
 Parts Express also has a decent selection of 3.5 mm connectors, electronic kits and speaker diy supplies. Such part places were handy when I began teaching my son electronics when he was four. In cub scouts he built a transmitter and receiver that transmitted sound over an infrared carrier.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> Parts Express also has a decent selection of 3.5 mm connectors, electronic kits and speaker diy supplies. Such part places were handy when I began teaching my son electronics when he was four. In cub scouts he built a transmitter and receiver that transmitted sound over an infrared carrier.


Great selection no doubt . When the weather breaks a bit I'll finish my center speaker all parts came from PE.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Great selection no doubt . When the weather breaks a bit I'll finish my center speaker all parts came from PE.


 
 I built my subwoofers but that is about all the speaker building I want to do. I have one capable of infrasound (sound below 20 hertz), you cannot hear it but you can feel it. Tigers use it as well as other large animals. Most of my other speakers are Klipsch, I know three or four gentlemen who used to work there and they fixed me up.
  
 Back to DIY stuff. If you even get a chance and get your hands on it, I have been having remarkable results using AES/EBU wire for interconnects. It is 110 ohm but impedance is not much of a factor under two meters and it changes with frequency anyway. I will go as far as saying several people I know who used it for headphone cables were pretty impressed. Often it is lightweight, twisted pair, with a good shield, 24 awg. I have not played with IEM's much but I have a feeling it would work well for those.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I built my subwoofers but that is about all the speaker building I want to do. I have one capable of infrasound (sound below 20 hertz), you cannot hear it but you can feel it. Tigers use it as well as other large animals. Most of my other speakers are Klipsch, I know three or four gentlemen who used to work there and they fixed me up.
> 
> Back to DIY stuff. If you even get a chance and get your hands on it, I have been having remarkable results using AES/EBU wire for interconnects. It is 110 ohm but impedance is not much of a factor under two meters and it changes with frequency anyway. I will go as far as saying several people I know who used it for headphone cables were pretty impressed. Often it is lightweight, twisted pair, with a good shield, 24 awg. I have not played with IEM's much but I have a feeling it would work well for those.


Got a link ?


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Got a link ?


 
 http://www.markertek.com/product/bl-1800f-be/belden-1800f-multi-conductor-single-pair-cable-per-foot-blue
  
 Here is a link for something I would use for IC's, It is all I use on my system at home. One smaller version is 1800B but it is less flexible. 
  
 This is especially good for building little  cables that have to bend easily behind amps and dacs, being shielded you can wire it as balanced. There is also a 1508A brilliance cable that is very flexible, not AES/EBU but more of a tiny microphone cable, 24 awg I believe that is easy to fit into 550 paracord.
  
 The 1800f sounds a little expensive but for one foot cable with some say Neutrik RCA connectors you might be looking at $7 per cable and have something that is very impressive and it comes in a good range of colors.


----------



## Paladin79

jlily82 said:


> What do you reccommend?, I liked the look of these, which is why i bought them, but they are impossible for me to solder to.


 

 Here is a good quality Neutrik connector on some MrSpeaker headphones I acquired. It does not appear to be a stock cable but it is well made and I will only need to modify a couple things to get it to fit my needs. The headphones go back to MrSpeakers tomorrow for modifications so I will have plenty of time to build new cables. Do not be alarmed if you see the name Rean on Neutrik connectors, it is part of their branding. The Neutrik's are nice and large and easy to solder to and have proper solder lugs.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> WooHoo! I finally finished my second braided HD800 cable! No microphonics. Very flexible. Very strong.


 
 I take it you used small paracord. What size if you do not mind me asking. There is a 275 and something they call number 1 paracord, both should be pretty tiny.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > WooHoo! I finally finished my second braided HD800 cable! No microphonics. Very flexible. Very strong.
> ...


 
  
 95 1-Strand Paracord Type 1
 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXEL43A
  
 Mogami W2799 stripped and inch-wormed into the paracord. I used plumbers tape (PTFE tape) around the end of the wire to feed it in. Make sure to cover about two to three inches of the wires with the tape before feeding it in.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> 95 1-Strand Paracord Type 1
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXEL43A
> 
> Mogami W2799 stripped and inch-wormed into the paracord. I used plumbers tape (PTFE tape) around the end of the wire to feed it in. Make sure to cover about two to three inches of the wires with the tape before feeding it in.



All good advice, thanks. Plumbers tape is probably Teflon tape I would think, I just bought some for a bathroom remodel in my home. I have several sizes of paracord on the way including micro, 275, and number 1. I would think braiding helps with microphonics, the cable I got with some MrSpeakers exhibits none. A straight run probably allows vibrations to travel consistently right down the jacket. That and jacket tautness is more likely to occur and transfer sound just like a string between tin cans. The cable I got with the aforementioned cans had the same color code as the 2799 so there are quite a few people using it I would think. MrSpeakers advertises Canare in their standard cables and that is another good brand I am sure. Belden has it as well but if a person could buy good quality 24 or 26 awg. ofc or HP ofc I am more apt to go that route. I will find something yet.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > 95 1-Strand Paracord Type 1
> ...


 
  
  
 heh heh, I used to call it that too. From Wikipedia:
  
 It is also known by the genericised trade-name Teflon tape; while Teflon is in fact identical to PTFE, Chemours (the trade-mark holders) consider this usage incorrect, especially as they no longer manufacture Teflon in tape form.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> heh heh, I used to call it that too. From Wikipedia:
> 
> It is also known by the genericised trade-name Teflon tape; while Teflon is in fact identical to PTFE, Chemours (the trade-mark holders) consider this usage incorrect, especially as they no longer manufacture Teflon in tape form.


 
 I stand corrected. That is how bandaid got to be the word for a certain small bandage.
  
 So you know, I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that it can be cheaper to buy star quad than single strand wire of the same type but if the majority of the wire is used to make star quad and it is mass produced for that purpose that would certainly keep the price down. It is starting to be more logical. If it is used for audio it is generally at least twisted pair so why bother to sell it as single wire? I doubt a large company gears things toward DIY folks. OCC is so pricey that they can market it most any way they like.
  
 Unless my sources just failed to list it, I do not see where the Mogami 2799 is OFC. The 24 awg Mogami 2534 is OFC. That may just be the people selling the stuff and all Neglex is OFC but I have yet to find it mentioned that way. I am just trying to be sure I am comparing apples to apples in my search for single conductor high quality wire to use for braiding. There is a thread on here about the Canare and Mogami but some of the info was convoluted like Neglex is always blue etc. lol I need to track down Mogami spec sheets.


----------



## SVTong

If you ever do find a good source for a high strand count single wire, please post it up - I've been hunting around for it for a few days now with no luck.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> If you ever do find a good source for a high strand count single wire, please post it up - I've been hunting around for it for a few days now with no luck.


 
 I will be glad to but then you are in Canada and then it will be a matter of customs and taxes or driving over the border if you live close enough to the states. In some of my searches I found some silver plated single conductor copper but it was solid, not stranded. If I can get 24 awg made for under 20 cents a foot I will do it but knowing it would be a special run of wire, I doubt I can get it for that price but I hope to get an answer soon.


----------



## SVTong

paladin79 said:


> I will be glad to but then you are in Canada and then it will be a matter of customs and taxes or driving over the border if you live close enough to the states. In some of my searches I found some silver plated single conductor copper but it was solid, not stranded. If I can get 24 awg made for under 20 cents a foot I will do it but knowing it would be a special run of wire, I doubt I can get it for that price but I hope to get an answer soon.


 
 Yeah, avoiding customs and duties is definitely a big challenge.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Yeah, avoiding customs and duties is definitely a big challenge.


 
 Yeah if you were in Windsor it would be easier. I have been there to play in tournaments and it is an easy trip to get back into the states. I found some wire I like, 105 strand, High Conductivity copper but even my cost is up there because it has already been made into double shielded cable. Belden 9397. I have not given up yet and I have not exhausted all my sources.
  
 I will have a price relatively soon, I am getting a quote for ofhc that will be built to my specs in either 24 or 26 awg.


----------



## jlily82

paladin79 said:


> Here is a good quality Neutrik connector on some MrSpeaker headphones I acquired. It does not appear to be a stock cable but it is well made and I will only need to modify a couple things to get it to fit my needs. The headphones go back to MrSpeakers tomorrow for modifications so I will have plenty of time to build new cables. Do not be alarmed if you see the name Rean on Neutrik connectors, it is part of their branding. The Neutrik's are nice and large and easy to solder to and have proper solder lugs.


 
 Those look like the ones I ordered. Should be in my mailbox along with a helping hand and a soldering staion. I'm guessing anything is easier than trying to solder to those other plugs.


----------



## Paladin79

jlily82 said:


> Those look like the ones I ordered. Should be in my mailbox along with a helping hand and a soldering staion. I'm guessing anything is easier than trying to solder to those other plugs.


 
 Yeah I knew those were what you ordered. I am not sure who built the cable I got with the headphones (not original to the MrSpeakers.) but tomorrow I will try to take a picture of how not to solder to those connectors you received. I am fortunate the cable I got was still working. 
  
 I also checked with my people who work with the type connector you had trouble with, they have no issue soldering to it with Weller irons and rosin core solder, it may be the fact we use hotter tips and they solder several hours a day but equipment can be a factor. None of them use anything but a wet sponge that came with the irons, same with me, so how the tips are manufactured makes a difference I am sure. I am not suggesting anyone pay $150-$175 per iron, I was just saying you get different results with different equipment.
 We have a couple of gallons of liquid flux but only use it when we are using solder pots, there is no rosin in the solder in solder pots or it would just burn off, you always have to clean the wires with it before dipping the wires in. It is especially important with Litz wires, there is enamel that has to burn off to reach the wire.


----------



## Allanmarcus

jlily82 said:


> I'm trying to switch some cables from angled connections to straight ones. Ive got everything ready to solder but i cant seem to get the wires soldered in the right spots. I have my green, red and my ground, which wires get soldered where? heres what the plug looks like
> 
> http://s200.photobucket.com/user/lilyquist82/media/4A7BBC97-50EF-4D29-A4FA-AAA394BFB5D5.jpg.html?sort=2&o=54
> 
> ...


 

 Here's how I solder on connectors like that. First I measure the wire and cut the wire very carefully. The ring wire will be a tad longer than the tip. I then tin the wires with s little more solder than usual. I then put a small amount of solder directly on the metal parts on the connector. For this part helping hands are generally too wobbly for me, and I use a vise (panavise). I put the connector in the vise, I place the tinned part of the wire over the place to solder, then I apply the tip to the wire, just enough to melt the solder, then remove the tip. Basically I smosh the wire into the connector with the solder tip. The tinned wire and the solder on the connector should heat up. Hold the wire for a few second until the joint cools, then let go. I hold the wire with needle nose pliers. The iron needs to be pretty hot so it will melt the tinned wire and other solder quickly.
  
 The tricks:
 tin and pre solder.
 Use a vise to hold the connecter so you can put some pressure on their with the iron tip. 
 hot tip


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Here's how I solder on connectors like that. First I measure the wire and cut the wire very carefully. The ring wire will be a tad longer than the tip. I then tin the wires with s little more solder than usual. I then put a small amount of solder directly on the metal parts on the connector. For this part helping hands are generally too wobbly for me, and I use a vise (panavise). I put the connector in the vise, I place the tinned part of the wire over the place to solder, then I apply the tip to the wire, just enough to melt the solder, then remove the tip. Basically I smosh the wire into the connector with the solder tip. The tinned wire and the solder on the connector should heat up. Hold the wire for a few second until the joint cools, then let go. I hold the wire with needle nose pliers. The iron needs to be pretty hot so it will melt the tinned wire and other solder quickly.
> 
> The tricks:
> tin and pre solder.
> ...


 
 Yeah he got new connectors since that post (Neutrik) and a new iron. I avoid that style of connector whenever possible but we did get some special 2.5 mm for Sennheiser that had that cylindrical set up. No matter what you do you are tacking a wire onto the side of a round piece of metal separated by plastic, without enough heat and proper technique the wire comes off. I was taught in college to never depend on the solder doing all the work and with that style you have little choice.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Solder buddy. Interesting

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/solderbuddy-diyers-delight


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Solder buddy. Interesting
> 
> http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/solderbuddy-diyers-delight




Not a bad idea, I may grab a couple and check them out. The Panavise has a spring shaped device you can add on for holding wires but I mainly use it when I am tinning several wires at once or waiting for hot glue to set. I will get a photo once I get to work. I have built some of my own devices to help people. The largest was a tester for any style 50 pin connector with LED's for all channels to show continuity, opens, and short circuits. I designed and built it in one weekend for one large government project. 

Something I will build soon that pertains to headphones will be adapting a pair of circum aural headphones to accept any major type of headphone cable made. Balanced, unbalanced with adapters for all connector types. It will accept Sennheiser, Audese, MrSpeakers etc.



Above is an image of some additions to a panavise, spring like wire holder, solder caddy, and iron holder for Weller irons. They are not super expensive and are available from Panavise.


----------



## Allanmarcus

W2799 is 30/0.08 OFC 
 26 AWG
  
 http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/console/


----------



## Paladin79

jlily82 said:


> Those look like the ones I ordered. Should be in my mailbox along with a helping hand and a soldering staion. I'm guessing anything is easier than trying to solder to those other plugs.


 


 Above are two examples of proper and improper soldering technique, the first photo shows wires laid flat against a solder lug and soldered in place, they attached the ground wire the same way. I was taught never to do this, it is not a strong junction.
  
 The second photo shows looping the wire through the solder lug hole before it is soldered. Those holes are there for a reason lol. If the stranded wire does not fit, I use a very sharp pick to enlarge the hole just a bit. The wire should be passed through the hole and then bent over slightly, you can cut off the excess before or after soldering. The hole in the lug should be entirely filled with solder as well as covering the wire. The second  photo is pre-solder.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> W2799 is 30/0.08 OFC
> 26 AWG
> 
> http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/console/


 
 Thanks Allan,  I did not happen to see that in two descriptions put out by the same distributor so it made me wonder. I got sidetracked and did not go to Mogami. I have seen distributors say that the wire in Canare star quad is OFC but I have not had much time to check into that as well. Hopefully today I will get a decent quote for some of that type of wire as a single conductor. Manufacturers build multi conductor cables with it and I hope it is reasonable in price if you can catch it before they combine it with other wires, a braided shield, reinforcing material, and a jacket. If I can get it made I will try for a very flexible jacket as well and 105 strand. I have a couple projects in mind where I could use it and I should end up with thousands of feet of it that might help folks who are searching for such wire.


----------



## SVTong

Has anyone ever bought from Audiocrast out of China before?  I thought this looked pretty interesting:

 http://www.audiocrast.com/product_disp.php?p_id=1043&weblan=e


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Has anyone ever bought from Audiocrast out of China before?  I thought this looked pretty interesting:
> 
> http://www.audiocrast.com/product_disp.php?p_id=1043&weblan=e


 
 not me, I am not a big fan of Chinese connectors and tend to buy certified occ wire.


----------



## heliosphann

Wanting to start working on some cables, re-terminating, etc.               
  
 Any good guides/videos that I can check out? Thx.


----------



## Paladin79

heliosphann said:


> Wanting to start working on some cables, re-terminating, etc.
> 
> Any good guides/videos that I can check out? Thx.




You can always start by reading through this thread. I can help some, I have run a company for over ten years which has built most any type cable you can imagine. I think early on in this thread, good sources are mentioned. There are also some experienced people here who would answer specific questions.Soon I hope to show my home shop and the tools I use, after four decades in electronics; that might help some.


----------



## rmoody

paladin79 said:


> You can always start by reading through this thread. I can help some, I have run a company for over ten years which has built most any type cable you can imagine. I think early on in this thread, good sources are mentioned. There are also some experienced people here who would answer specific questions.Soon I hope to show my home shop and the tools I use after four decades in electronics; that might help some.


 

 Ohh, electroporn, awesome! Going to make me want that new soldering iron.


----------



## Paladin79

We were just talking soldering irons but it you only solder a couple hours a week there are plenty of inexpensive irons out there. My people turn theirs on at 9 AM and off at 5:30 PM so we use Wellers and Panavise vises, Lindstrom tools, and Kester solder. For home use you can use Cooper tools and helping hands and a device Allanmarcus just posted.

Because of your location I can help you with a distributor in Louisville whom I believe will sell to end users. They carry a large line of tools, connectors, and wire. They have sales every now and then on partial spools that a person can buy very reasonably. They do carry Hakko irons and I got one of those models for under $100 but Parts Express carries some inexpensive models. Markertek is another good source for tools, wire and connectors.



heliosphann said:


> Wanting to start working on some cables, re-terminating, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 </


----------



## Paladin79

heliosphann said:


> Wanting to start working on some cables, re-terminating, etc.
> 
> Any good guides/videos that I can check out? Thx.


 
 Sorry I misread your location, since you live in Indy, I run a business 15 minutes south of there and if you wanted to stop in some time I could personally show you most anything associated with cable building. Technique, equipment,connectors, wire- whatever. I could even give you a few samples to play around with at home.You can private message me if you want to stop in some time. I just happened to find a bunch of 1/4 inch stereo male connectors that I can give you to practice with. They are cheap ones we would not use but they would be great for practice.


----------



## heliosphann

paladin79 said:


> Sorry I misread your location, since you live in Indy, I run a business 15 minutes south of there and if you wanted to stop in some time I could personally show you most anything associated with cable building. Technique, equipment,connectors, wire- whatever. I could even give you a few samples to play around with at home.You can private message me if you want to stop in some time. I just happened to find a bunch of 1/4 inch stereo male connectors that I can give you to practice with. They are cheap ones we would not use but they would be great for practice.


 
 Thanks, I'll send you a PM.


----------



## Paladin79

I just received a bunch of paracord including some micro cord that is really tiny, 1.18 mm. Kind of small to do a lot with unless you have bare wire and a lot of that is solid and not what i would normally use for headphone cables.
  
 They seem pretty close in size but I do like the flexibility of the type 1 paracord compared to the four internal strand 275.
  
 Anyway if you make it down and you have certain headphones that you own we may well be able to build a working cable for your existing setup and allow you to do a lot of the work. Things like RCA interconnects and 3.5 mm aux cables are pretty handy to have as well.


----------



## Paladin79

I found it is possible to get some high quality 24 and 26 awg single conductor wire made at a reasonable price.I have one more quote outstanding and then I should be able to proceed and lay my hands on several thousand feet of it for a fraction of what it costs to cut apart existing cables.There is a 6 to 12 week wait time depending on the source but at least I know now that it is doable.


----------



## SVTong

That's awesome - keep us posted!


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> That's awesome - keep us posted!


 
 It does not resolve shipping to canada since I am in the states lol. You could always drive down here, wrap a couple hundred feet around your waist and try not to go through any metal detectors on your way back, um wait that might not be legal.


----------



## SVTong

paladin79 said:


> It does not resolve shipping to canada since I am in the states lol. You could always drive down here, wrap a couple hundred feet around your waist and try not to go through any metal detectors on your way back, um wait that might not be legal.


 
 Well, if it's noticeably cheaper than the other options, then it should more than offset the import duties.  Hopefully.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Well, if it's noticeably cheaper than the other options, then it should more than offset the import duties.  Hopefully.


 
 If your only choice is say buying Mogami star quad from the states or buying one conductor wire and using four of them, it is much cheaper. The weight is less as well so shipping costs should be lower as well. There is also the weight of the french braid they use on some of the star quad.


----------



## jlily82

I have successfully soldered a new straight 3.5 connection on my IEM's. Thanks to eveyone in this thread for their help, especially Paladin79


----------



## buke9

jlily82 said:


> I have successfully soldered a new straight 3.5 connection on my IEM's. Thanks to eveyone in this thread for their help, especially Paladin79


 
 Pics.


----------



## Paladin79

jlily82 said:


> I have successfully soldered a new straight 3.5 connection on my IEM's. Thanks to eveyone in this thread for their help, especially Paladin79


 
 Glad to help, those are very good connectors and they should last a long time. The only problem I ever have with that style is plugging them directly into an Iphone with a case on it, I use an extended tip version for such applications. I have damaged the screens on a couple Iphone 6's so I rarely leave mine out of a case now. I got through all previous versions of said phone without damaging them.


----------



## Paladin79

This is part of my home shop. Some things that really help out are lighted magnifier light, solder holders, wire holders, a sharp pick, good side cutters and pliers, a multimeter, soldering iron, hemostats, solder sucker and solder wick, panavise vise or helping hands, various screwdrivers, wire strippers,heat gun,glue gun, and parts bins. I tend to use Acro bins but there are plenty of cheaper ones out there. Not shown are several containers of various sizes and types of heat shrink tubing. Wire strippers are handy but if careful you can get by with a decent pocket knife in a pinch.
  
 I use magnetic tool holders for things I need to access quickly, and a soldering iron set up for my left hand with a large 800 degree tip, two other irons are set up with smaller tips that I access with my right hand for smaller work but that is not something I recommend for most diyers. This is just an old metal desk with slide out sections on the left and right side and drawers full of connectors, wire, specialty solder etc. 
  
 I did stop and build an extension for my turntable today. One of these days I should replace the existing left and right channel output cable because I doubt it has the quality of many cables I could use to replace it. It is an Hitachi PS-58 from the late seventies. I can date it because the first album I ever bought and played on it was Warren Zevon's Excitable Boy album. Luckily you ground to the chassis on the turntable so I will not have to incorporate an extra ground wire in the cable.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

Wanted to give a big thanks to all the individuals who helped and assisted me along with my DIY cable journey. 
  
 Applying what I have learned here, this is my best work yet! Thanks guys!
  
 Specs:
 Conron 3.5mm Jack
 Hakugei Copper Wire
 SeaHF Silver Foil Wire
 SeaHF Silver Plated Wire
 12 conductors total ( 3 conductors for both the L&R channel, while 6 conductors for G)
 Each  channel consists of 1 x Hakugei Copper Wire, 1 x SeaHF Silver Foil Wire, 1 x SeaHF Silver Plated Wire (whilst G consists of 2 ea)
  
 Note the best braiding work, but hell, it is quite hard to do it with such limited lengths to work with


----------



## Paladin79

That is certainly an interesting looking cable and three wires to each of the channels had to be difficult. Well done.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

paladin79 said:


> That is certainly an interesting looking cable and three wires to each of the channels had to be difficult. Well done.


 
 Thanks for the complement mate!


----------



## XenHeadFi

audionewbi3 said:


>


 
  
 Really outstanding braiding work! Wish I could do that. I couldn't even do a 4-strand Round after 3 days of trying.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Really outstanding braiding work! Wish I could do that. I couldn't even do a 4-strand Round after 3 days of trying.


 
 is this considered round or helical?


----------



## alpha421

Looks round to me.


----------



## AudioNewbi3

xenheadfi said:


> Really outstanding braiding work! Wish I could do that. I couldn't even do a 4-strand Round after 3 days of trying.


 
 Thanks a lot mate, most of my braiding, learned from paracord braiding tutorials.
  
 The above picture braid was made possible by this tutorial:
http://www.paracordguild.com/make-rope/
  
 From my limited experience, any form of "compound" braiding (i.e. separating 12 strands of conductors into 4 sets of 3, then using 3 strand braids on each of the sets, and finally combining 4 these 4 sets into a single mass with 4 strand braid) will significantly complicate things.
  
 Thus over the past few attempts, I have decided that it would be best to just separate the 12 strands of conductors (what I considered to be the physical limit of what a normal 3.5mm jack can accommodate) into 4 sets, with each set consisting of 3 strands of conductors, braiding them with the rope making technique, then combining the 4 braided sets into a single cable by once again utilizing the rope braiding method.
  
 I find that with this method, it significantly simplifies as well as speed up the process.
  
 12 Strand Interconnect separated into 4 sets of 3 conducters

  

 (Note: they do not allow for additional braiding to combine these 4 sets into one cable)
  
  
 8 strand interconnect. 8 strand of conductors were once again separated into 4 sets of 2. Each individual sets was then braided with rope making technique, the 4 sets were then combined together using 4 strand braid method. (Still somewhat complex).

  
 In conclusion rope main braiding technique will be the one to use if you want a simple and efficient way to create cables IMHO.
  
 Hope this helps


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> is this considered round or helical?


 
 I was following directions from Paracord Guild, but those instructions are now missing. Maybe that method didn't work because I only see the identical technique that I use labeled as "round"
  
 My interconnects use some 7 stranded UPOCC. After braiding 4 wires using the same technique, they came out square... Push the edges inward and they become round.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> I was following directions from Paracord Guild, but those instructions are now missing. Maybe that method didn't work because I only see the identical technique that I use labeled as "round"
> 
> My interconnects use some 7 stranded UPCOCC. After braiding 4 wires using the same technique, they came out square... Push the edges inward and they become round.


 
 One of these days I will work more on braiding. It seems pretty hard to recall the methods when you only braid occasionally. I did buy some OCC copper and silver wire that was pre-braided and the work was exceptional. My problem is I have read so much about twisted pair and how each twist needs to be identical that I probably over-worry about how the end result will be affected if it is not truly uniform.


----------



## wormcycle

I am sure this question has been asked before but cannot find the answer. I am planning to buy Violectric balanced amp and have a spare HD600 cable.
 In the Violectric manual there is a detailed instruction how to connect the left and right side headphone wires to the 4 pin XLR.
 Can I just chop the 1/4 plug from my spare wire and solder the wires to 4 pin XLR according to the instruction? That looks to me like a no brainer but I do not have much DIY experience.
 Appreciate any comments.


----------



## XenHeadFi

wormcycle said:


> I am sure this question has been asked before but cannot find the answer. I am planning to buy Violectric balanced amp and have a spare HD600 cable.
> In the Violectric manual there is a detailed instruction how to connect the left and right side headphone wires to the 4 pin XLR.
> Can I just chop the 1/4 plug from my spare wire and solder the wires to 4 pin XLR according to the instruction? That looks to me like a no brainer but I do not have much DIY experience.
> Appreciate any comments.


 
 As long as the spare HD600 has "balanced" wiring, which means 2 wires to each cup for L+/L- and R+/R-. Usually if your cable has 4 wires inside and no mic/remote control, then it is balanced. The cable is just terminated as single-ended (1/4" plug).
  
 If all of the above are true, then you can reterminate with an XLR4. Just as you thought.


----------



## XenHeadFi

paladin79 said:


> One of these days I will work more on braiding. It seems pretty hard to recall the methods when you only braid occasionally. I did buy some OCC copper and silver wire that was pre-braided and the work was exceptional. My problem is I have read so much about twisted pair and how each twist needs to be identical that I probably over-worry about how the end result will be affected if it is not truly uniform.


 
 I think having proper braiding for interconnects is more important as common-mode noise/EMI generated in the interconnected will be amplified. Since most cabled headphones do not have amplifiers built into the cups, braiding and shielding are less important since that noise will not be amplified compared to the amplified music signal. We are talking about 60-80+ dB differences which is 1 million to 100 million times lower energies. 60-db noise can be heard on its own when there is no amplified signal to mask it AND if you are in a very quiet place with the volume turned up.
  
 Most wireless and Bluetooth headphone have built in amplifiers. With the small space within the cup, you can get EMI from the circuit being amplified by the circuit. Probably not so bad these days, but those early models...


----------



## wormcycle

Thank you, everything checks:
 - the cable I am plannng to mod is a Sennheiser stock cable that I replaced with HD650 cable
 - as you said two wires, and two little pins on each side, four wires all together
  
 This will save me a lot of money, I think that Sennheiser HD50 balanced cable was made pretty much the same way and they are selling it for  $239.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> I think having proper braiding for interconnects is more important as common-mode noise/EMI generated in the interconnected will be amplified. Since most cabled headphones do not have amplifiers built into the cups, braiding and shielding are less important since that noise will not be amplified compared to the amplified music signal. We are talking about 60-80+ dB differences which is 1 million to 100 million times lower energies. 60-db noise can be heard on its own when there is no amplified signal to mask it AND if you are in a very quiet place with the volume turned up.
> 
> Most wireless and Bluetooth headphone have built in amplifiers. With the small space within the cup, you can get EMI from the circuit being amplified by the circuit. Probably not so bad these days, but those early models...


 
 I have a decent understanding of EMI and electronics in general and proper braiding is important by all means. Belden is a good source of info and I deal with them often (they are in northern Indiana). I tend to trust what they say about twisted pair, bonded pair, etc.


----------



## Paladin79

wormcycle said:


> Thank you, everything checks:
> - the cable I am plannng to mod is a Sennheiser stock cable that I replaced with HD650 cable
> - as you said two wires, and two little pins on each side, four wires all together
> 
> This will save me a lot of money, I think that Sennheiser HD50 balanced cable was made pretty much the same way and they are selling it for  $239.


 
 I have done some soldering on the hd650 stock cable and it appeared to be Litz wire, if you have any issues with it accepting solder, get with me and I will help if I can.


----------



## alpha421

Just use an iron that goes up to around 700 degrees F, and it'll easily melt off the insulation for a proper and clean contact with the solder.  For headphone/iem cables, this is all you need.  For thicker gauge litz like those on speaker cables, invest in a soldering pot.


----------



## Paladin79

alpha421 said:


> Just use an iron that goes up to around 700 degrees F, and it'll easily melt off the insulation for a proper and clean contact with the solder.  For headphone/iem cables, this is all you need.  For thicker gauge litz like those on speaker cables, invest in a soldering pot.


 
 It can be done with a 700 degree iron and the understanding that every strand of wire needs to be tinned. Even small gauge wire can be  as much as 105 strand, a magnifying light helps a lot.


----------



## Gladzilla

which cable should i use to make a mini xlr to 3.5mm for my q701 want to use a lower gauge wire to provide cleaner sound and more power?


----------



## Paladin79

Quote: 





gladzilla said:


> which cable should i use to make a mini xlr to 3.5mm for my q701 want to use a lower gauge wire to provide cleaner sound and more power?


 
 Mini xlr's do not generally accommodate large cable, personally I like things like Belden 1800b or 1508A, both available at Markertek, 24 awg conductors, shielded with ground. Lower gauge number means bigger wire, if you were hoping to go above 24 awg I would have to think about it some. If you want to braid individual wires you could do that as well if you like and maybe find some 22 awg. The 1508a will take 550 paracord nicely if you want to dress the cable up a bit. In at least six cases when I have used this wire the recipients raved about the sound quality compared to original equipment cables. I used that cable with paracord on this cable, it is highly flexible for a jacketed cable.


----------



## Paladin79

I just happened to notice that Markertek has the Hirose connectors normally used on MrSpeakers cables. Other places like Digikey and Mouser have them but this is the first time I saw them there.
  
Hirose HR10A-7P-4P 4-Pin Male Push-Pull Connector with 7mm Male Shell  
  
  
 They take a little getting used to but it is one of my favorite headphone connectors. I have never had one fail in any cable application. Female sockets are readily available for DIY headphone projects.


----------



## rmoody

paladin79 said:


> I just happened to notice that Markertek has the Hirose connectors normally used on MrSpeakers cables. Other places like Digikey and Mouser have them but this is the first time I saw them there.
> 
> Hirose HR10A-7P-4P 4-Pin Male Push-Pull Connector with 7mm Male Shell
> 
> ...


 

 I love these! Best price I can find for the male pined one is from Dan. For the mate to that, some eBay seller in France has the best price I have found. Linkypoo: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HIROSE-HR10A-7J-4S-COMPATIBLE-CONNECTOR-NEW-/322046580108?hash=item4afb78d58c:g:YkwAAOSwDk5T~f4I
  
 This guy also sells the 7P-4P: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HIROSE-HR10A-7P-4P-COMPATIBLE-CONNECTOR-NEW/321089774722?rt=nc&_soffid=5&_soffType=PromotionalShipping&_trksid=p5731.m3795
  
 I've used these to make modular cables for my Ether C (see my pics on this thread) and soon for my IEMs, just have not gotten the connector for the IEM yet. One cable, multiple pig tails for balanced, SE, 1/8", 1/4", etc.
  
 My only gripe is the crimp on ring, I cannot find the approved tool for that, so I use just pliars and have to file it down until it fits.
  
 Soldering is very easy, get the connector clamped in something with the pin you need to solder up and the solder cup will face up, touch of solder on the wire, bit on the cup, apply heat, add wire, quarter turn, repeat. Lighted magnifiers are perfect for us older gents.


----------



## Paladin79

Hirose does sell a clamping tool for that ring but it is pretty expensive. I will try to show you an alternate method soon using another type of tool. I do have a lot of other sources for the connector and MrSpeakers sells them as well under a different brand, they are something like $6.99 each there. I got a cable with my Alpha Primes that some company built, they did not use the clamp, they did use glue other than maybe a bit of super glue. I prefer using the clamp and screw, used properly it offers the most secure method of attaching the cable. Silicone tape can be used to build up the area under the clamp if needed.


----------



## mrjayviper

1. any site for braiding techniques? the one listed in the first post is now gone
  
 2. Is there any difference between the connectors on a AKG K7 series phones with detachable cables? just wondering if I need to look for something specific when buying the mini-XLR.
  
 thanks a lot.


----------



## HirschiAUT

mrjayviper said:


> 1. any site for braiding techniques? the one listed in the first post is now gone




For braiding tutorials i usually go to http://www.paracordguild.com 

Just search for "flat Braid" or "round Braid" or something like that and you get some tutorials


----------



## Allanmarcus

rmoody said:


> paladin79 said:
> 
> 
> > I just happened to notice that Markertek has the Hirose connectors normally used on MrSpeakers cables. Other places like Digikey and Mouser have them but this is the first time I saw them there.
> ...


----------



## Paladin79

Here is the circular crimper I use for the crimp ring on the Hirose connectors. This type of tool is used for crimping the ground sleeve on bnc and rca connectors. The majority of them have removable dies and are hex shaped, those will work as well and they are available from most electronic suppliers like Markertek. The perfect size is for RG 58 cable but RG 59 crimp dies will get you very close as well. This type of tool works very well for crimping the prongs on 3.5 mm and quarter inch connectors so they are uniform and round and so the teeth will not penetrate the jacket and short the wires to ground. You can get away with other methods but I like to use the connectors as they were designed to be used and this type of crimper might be $20 or less compared to paying $340 for the name brand crimper.
  
 I should be building a few cables today for my Alpha Primes and if I get time I will post more pics. A gap between the crimp ring and wires can be built up with heat shrink tubing or silicone tape. The silicone tape adheres to itself but it needs no adhesive base like electrical tape.
  
 Here is a hex crimper from Markertex that would have openings the proper size. This one is a little pricey for DIY'rs but if you look for an RG 58 hex crimper on Ebay there are bound to be cheaper ones available.
  
 http://www.markertek.com/product/pal-1317/paladin-1317-crimp-tool-for-rg-58-rg59-rg62au
  
 Ebay:
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/RadioShack-Cable-Crimper-Coax-Hex-RG59-RG6-RG58-/331937756351?hash=item4d490834bf:g:GwIAAOSww9VXhHMe
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/1PCS-COAXIAL-Crimper-crimping-Pliers-Cable-Tool-HEX-DIE-RG58-RG59-/151247816692?hash=item23371287f4:g:3rAAAMXQEgpTF6n1


----------



## SSSN

I am making DIY Cinch cables using microphone wire. This wire has two inner conductors and a shield. I'm wondering whether I should use the second inner conductor or the cable shielding as ground.
 If I use the shielding, is it a good idea to use both inner conductors for the signal pin? I am inclined to believe it's a good idea, because it effectively doubles the gauge. Also, the two conductors are twisted, so it might help against interference?


----------



## Paladin79

sssn said:


> I am making DIY Cinch cables using microphone wire. This wire has two inner conductors and a shield. I'm wondering whether I should use the second inner conductor or the cable shielding as ground.
> If I use the shielding, is it a good idea to use both inner conductors for the signal pin? I am inclined to believe it's a good idea, because it effectively doubles the gauge. Also, the two conductors are twisted, so it might help against interference?


 
 you can indeed double two twisted pair wires and increase the gauge by a factor of three as I recall. two 14 awg become 11 awg, 
  
 Try doing that with two ground wires and they best be twisted as well if my theory serves me correctly other wise you can have a ground loop.
  
 I am not familiar with the term cinch connector but if it has a hot and a ground you are fine.


----------



## rmoody

paladin79 said:


> Here is the circular crimper I use for the crimp ring on the Hirose connectors. This type of tool is used for crimping the ground sleeve on bnc and rca connectors. The majority of them have removable dies and are hex shaped, those will work as well and they are available from most electronic suppliers like Markertek. The perfect size is for RG 58 cable but RG 59 crimp dies will get you very close as well. This type of tool works very well for crimping the prongs on 3.5 mm and quarter inch connectors so they are uniform and round and so the teeth will not penetrate the jacket and short the wires to ground. You can get away with other methods but I like to use the connectors as they were designed to be used and this type of crimper might be $20 or less compared to paying $340 for the name brand crimper.
> 
> I should be building a few cables today for my Alpha Primes and if I get time I will post more pics. A gap between the crimp ring and wires can be built up with heat shrink tubing or silicone tape. The silicone tape adheres to itself but it needs no adhesive base like electrical tape.
> 
> ...


 

 Where did you find that round crimper? I've not found one no matter how hard I've searched.
  
 I wonder if I took the hex crimper and applied some drill press to it if I could get a nice round crimper?


----------



## Paladin79

Quote: 





rmoody said:


> Where did you find that round crimper? I've not found one no matter how hard I've searched.
> 
> I wonder if I took the hex crimper and applied some drill press to it if I could get a nice round crimper?


 
 I have had that tool for years and it was made by a company named Jerrald but I am not sure how available they are, hex crimpers work fine, once you get the basic shape, use the hex crimper to finish the job. If you locate a hex crimper with too small of a circular opening, you can stop the crimp and ht the release tab on a racheted crimper. They build this safety feature in so you can get out of a situation where the crimper gets stuck and cannot go any farther to open its jaws. Another tool I find very helpful when working with headshells and small connectors are 5 inch ignition pliers such as this one. You can find plenty of them on ebay by searching for that exact term.(ignition pliers) They are good for rounding the lugs a bit before I crimp them.


----------



## Hawaiibadboy

Can i take a cable like this for example:
  

  
 Regular L/R
  
 and cut and go +/- on both sides and make them balanced?
  
 4 cables to 2 for L and 2 for R being + and -?   Is it that simple?
  

  
  
 Forgive the newblet to balanced question. Gonna use a PHA 3 from Sony


----------



## Paladin79

hawaiibadboy said:


> Can i take a cable like this for example:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 That cable appears to have four wires so yes you can. If it is run to a trs connector now they would have run both grounds to the same point. Balanced cables use separate grounds and with four wires you can rewire it to be positive left plus ground and positive right plus ground. Connectors like 3.5 mm or quarter inch trs share a common ground, balanced just used separate grounds for each channel.


----------



## Hawaiibadboy

paladin79 said:


> That cable appears to have four wires so yes you can. If it is run to a trs connector now they would have run both grounds to the same point. Balanced cables use separate grounds and with four wires you can rewire it to be positive left plus ground and positive right plus ground. Connectors like 3.5 mm or quarter inch trs share a common ground, balanced just used separate grounds for each channel.


 
  
  

  
 Thank you very much for the reply
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 So some common viablue 3.5 would work.
  
 Thank you!!!!


----------



## Hawaiibadboy

So just ( forgive my newbletwaves of moronishness)...if i had 2 wires for each of the above connects it looks like ..
  
 ignore the ground?  I am using this for a PHA-3 BTW
  
 My car audio system runs the drivers on L +/- R +/- and grounds are for HU and amp since this is just the audio signal can i just go  stereo connections and ignore ground ?
  
 Last dumb question...i double promise!!


----------



## Paladin79

hawaiibadboy said:


> So just ( forgive my newbletwaves of moronishness)...if i had 2 wires for each of the above connects it looks like I would not have a ground? just one wire for_ stereo signal _connect points.
> 
> Last dumb question...i double promise!!


 
 That is a trs connection, tip, ring , and sleeve. Were you going to use two of those connectors? If not tip is left channel, ring is right channel and two grounds go to the common ground but that is not a balanced connector normally. Two balanced connectors each use their own ground and hots thus the four wires.


----------



## Hawaiibadboy

paladin79 said:


> That is a trs connection, tip, ring , and sleeve. Were you going to use two of those connectors? If not tip is left channel, ring is right channel and two grounds go to the common ground but that is not a balanced connector normally. Two balanced connectors each use their own ground and hots thus the four wires.


 
  
  
 Yes 2 of those
  I was imagining that i am splitting the current four wires total and making two mono  signals that are stereo when combined at the PHA. That sounds too simple and apparently is not how it's done. I kinda figured this would not be as easy as snipping and solder with a 4 wire cable


----------



## Paladin79

hawaiibadboy said:


> Yes 2 of those
> I was imagining that i am splitting the current four wires total and making two mono  signals that are stereo when combined at the PHA. That sounds too simple and apparently is not how it's done. I kinda figured this would not be as easy as snipping and solder with a 4 wire cable


 
 A TRS connector (plug) is usually a single stereo connector but you can use it as a mono but you need to use the jack (female) connector that is also TRS if at all possible. If not the connections will not line up very well. You can use the tip for positive and the sleeve for ground for each channel. On California Headphone Company connectors they tie both the tip and ring together for the hot and do the same on the female connectors, this is even better since you have less chance of developing problems with one contact. Use mono plugs with mono jacks and stereo plugs with stereo jacks. A stereo can be wired as a mono but not vice versa.


----------



## XenHeadFi

hawaiibadboy said:


> Forgive the newblet to balanced question. Gonna use a PHA 3 from Sony


 
  
 Do you have the wiring information for those balanced outputs on the PHA 3? Considering it is Sony and they hate using industry standards that are not their own, I think you should find how the sockets are connected. Admittedly, they can only switch the +/- so both phases would be inverted and you wouldn't hear a difference.


----------



## LikesSlowCars

The objective is simple, to replace a cheap $18 TASCAM TH02-B headphone 3.5mm fixed cable with a much more durable stereo wire and jack.
  
 I read the first page on this topic, and it gives you links to a bunch of parts suppliers. ex; "Type SMC Connectors" < Gets you +2,000 results on ebay.
  
 I'll need to try to pry open/drill/break off the cable connection, and then install a 3.5mm jack. Then I'll want to either buy, or create a custom cable about 4-6 feet that connects with my PC with 3.5mm.
  
 But does not highlight the most important aspects as far as close tolerances (dont want it to get loose over time), durable materials (the cord on my TASCAM is starting to break apart from getting caught in my chair -one- time.), and high fidelity (no point in replacing cable if the sound suffers). At the moment, I'm taking a wild guess that "PAILICCS" 3.5mm jacks are good. That's about it.
  
 I'm doing this mostly to teach myself how to modify headphones, instead of modding/breaking some $300 plus cans someday in the future.
  
 Any thoughts? By the way, I'm new!


----------



## Hawaiibadboy

paladin79 said:


> A TRS connector (plug) is usually a single stereo connector but you can use it as a mono but you need to use the jack (female) connector that is also TRS if at all possible. If not the connections will not line up very well. You can use the tip for positive and the sleeve for ground for each channel. On California Headphone Company connectors they tie both the tip and ring together for the hot and do the same on the female connectors, this is even better since you have less chance of developing problems with one contact. Use mono plugs with mono jacks and stereo plugs with stereo jacks. A stereo can be wired as a mono but not vice versa.


 
  I am going to try on a spare set while PETEREK makes me a proper one so I can enjoy it ...then mess around on my own. Thanks for the replies bro!
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  


xenheadfi said:


> Do you have the wiring information for those balanced outputs on the PHA 3? Considering it is Sony and they hate using industry standards that are not their own, I think you should find how the sockets are connected. Admittedly, they can only switch the +/- so both phases would be inverted and you wouldn't hear a difference.


 
  
 Sony is a trip. Proprietary is like a mantra over there from PC to audio though.. it is not as bad as 10 years ago.
 I will try to see what they did but it might be fun like going to the dentist fun.


----------



## XenHeadFi

likesslowcars said:


> The objective is simple, to replace a cheap $18 TASCAM TH02-B headphone 3.5mm fixed cable with a much more durable stereo wire and jack.
> 
> I read the first page on this topic, and it gives you links to a bunch of parts suppliers. ex; "Type SMC Connectors" < Gets you +2,000 results on ebay.
> 
> ...


 
 First Welcome to DIY!
  
 Second, You do not want SMC connectors. You are looking for 3.5mm TS (Tip-Sleeve, also known as mono) female sockets place in the cups and 3.5mm TS male connectors to put on the cable. Not sure what the driver wires look like in that headphone, but most headphones have very tiny and fragile wires from the socket to the driver so be careful. You can also use TRS connectors and just do not connect anything to the 3rd part. Just make sure you wire both ends the same way. Here is an example of the female socket you might be interested in: http://www.redco.com/Rean-Neutrik-NYS230.html . Male connectors are usually about looks and/or fit and there is a huge selection.
  
 Third. You will most likely have to modify the cup to accept the female socket unless you are lucky and the holes are the right sizes. Hot glue is your friend.
  
 Fourth. Seems like you want to replace the cable, too. Both Redco and MarkerTek have a good selection of cables that suit your purpose. Many people like to "Quad" cables like Mogami 2799 or Canare StarQuad. There is probably too much flexibility here and it really depends on what you want the end product to look like. These conductors are all Oxygen-Free 99+% Copper and are perfectly capable of transmitting audio frequencies. They shouldn't sound worse than what you have unless you make a mistake in construction.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Fourth. Seems like you want to replace the cable, too. Both Redco and MarkerTek have a good selection of cables that suit your purpose. Many people like to "Quad" cables like Mogami 2799 or Canare StarQuad. There is probably too much flexibility here and it really depends on what you want the end product to look like. These conductors are all Oxygen-Free 99+% Copper and are perfectly capable of transmitting audio frequencies. They shouldn't sound worse than what you have unless you make a mistake in construction.


 
 I have mixed the Mogami and Canare on some balanced cables for my Alpha Primes and either quad is excellent. I went as far as doing some square wave tests with both brands as well as trying some binaural frequencies.


----------



## LikesSlowCars

xenheadfi said:


> [...] an example of the female socket you might be interested in: http://www.redco.com/Rean-Neutrik-NYS230.html . [...]
> 
> Third. You will most likely have to modify the cup to accept the female socket [...]
> 
> Fourth. [...] Both Redco and MarkerTek have a good selection of cables that suit your purpose. Many people like to "Quad" cables like Mogami 2799 or Canare StarQuad. [...]


 
 I wrote a detailed post, but apparently head-fi has a forum backup, and I lost the whole thing 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 2) As I have read more and more and more, I realize Amphenol, Switchcraft, and Rean Neutrik are typically the sockets of choice. I'm researching dimensions, and pinouts between the 3.
 3) I will definitely have to modify the headset, however.. if the headset cable is already ripped from getting caught -one- time on my chair. It's only going to get worse!  I have a heat gun, dremel, and a dewalt drill.
 4) I looked at the Quad cables you mentioned, and it seems those are designed for balanced stereo transmission. ie; GND/+/- to each can. That doesn't work because I dont even have a 5 pin DAC like the Jotunheim. (I'm getting a B-Stock "The Element" for now.)
  
 The cable I found inside the speaker housing is 3 wire, with a tiny 2-wire to the right speaker:
 Green to Left speaker, Red to Right speaker, and it looks like copper is the common ground between both speakers.
  
 Reference: (For myself)
 Amphenol M Series; ACJS-MV35-3, ACJS-MV35-3S, or ACJS-MV35-5 (6 mm hole, 15.8 x 15.8 x 27.4 mm internal dimensions, 1.6 mm thickness max - assuming 2.4mm washer + bolt)
 Switchcraft 3.5mm ; 35RAPC2BH3, 35RAPC4BH3, or 35RAPC3BH3 (3.6 mm hole, 14 x 6 x 11.5 mm internal dimensions, 1.5 mm thickness max - assuming 2mm washer + M6 bolt - no washer/bolt included)
 Rean Neutrik; NYS230 (10 mm hole, 25 x 19.5 x 19.5 mm internal dimensions, 7 mm thickness minus undisclosed washer/bolt thickness.)
  
 I found on digikey I can buy the Switchcraft (35RAPC4BH3) for $1.32 w/ bolt. Ironically the 3-conductor version costs 58 cents more. For some odd reason they do not have amphenol, or neutrik hardware. It sounds like a good idea to insulate the tabs to make sure there's no short circuits. From what I know, if you mail order Digikey, they will send the parts to you with free shipping on small orders. I only need one jack.
  
 I've taken photos of how to take apart the headset, but it will be awhile before I do anything with this. Thanks XenHeadFi for the suggestions!


----------



## XenHeadFi

likesslowcars said:


> The cable I found inside the speaker housing is 3 wire, with a tiny 2-wire to the right speaker:
> Green to Left speaker, Red to Right speaker, and it looks like copper is the common ground between both speakers.
> 
> 
> I've taken photos of how to take apart the headset, but it will be awhile before I do anything with this. Thanks XenHeadFi for the suggestions!


 
 That means that is a Single-Ended only headphone, which for the price is to be expected. You can still use Quad cables by using 2 conductors for ground and 1 each for +R and +L. I'm not sure you can beat the value of the Quad cables as they are both popular and readily available.
  
 You are welcome and have some fun exploring!


----------



## buke9

xenheadfi said:


> That means that is a Single-Ended only headphone, which for the price is to be expected. You can still use Quad cables by using 2 conductors for ground and 1 each for +R and +L. I'm not sure you can beat the value of the Quad cables as they are both popular and readily available.
> 
> You are welcome and have some fun exploring!


Nothing is single ended only just how far you want to go. Each driver has + and- you just have to make them separate .


----------



## XenHeadFi

buke9 said:


> Nothing is single ended only just how far you want to go. Each driver has + and- you just have to make them separate .


 
 True, he can rewire both drivers.


----------



## LikesSlowCars

Just a update, I sent Digikey my order via snail mail with a check. Hopefully sometime in the next 2 weeks I get the part I wanted without paying some crazy high fee. On my second pair of headphones, I noticed that when I rotate the 3.5 mm plug in my tablet device, it has a faint buzzing noise. It boggles my mind how cheaply made these stock cables are! xD 
  
 Edit:
 I sent my Digikey mail on 8/30 in the morning, today (9/2, 3 days later) I got a email saying they have received my order, and that there would be no shipping charge. Awesome! In terms of what I did, I simply ordered the item on Digikey, went to checkout, selected "other" for shipping. Then printed the shopping cart page. Says it will be shipped to me via First Class USPS. They even gave me a tracking number. Nice.


----------



## Paladin79

likesslowcars said:


> Just a update, I sent Digikey my order via snail mail with a check. Hopefully sometime in the next 2 weeks I get the part I wanted without paying some crazy high fee. On my second pair of headphones, I noticed that when I rotate the 3.5 mm plug in my tablet device, it has a faint buzzing noise. It boggles my mind how cheaply made these stock cables are! xD


 
 I use Digikey a couple times a week and they generally do a very good job.
  
 I have stock cables with at least four headphones I own and I always saw an improvement with cables I built but then I have not paid $1500 new for any headphones yet and I imagine they offer much better cables with higher end products. Hopefully the problem is the cable and not the jack on your tablet device.


----------



## 2damoon

Hello All,
  
 Not much of a DYI'er, but reading through the posts in this thread, I got to learn a lot of interesting things that intrigued me to build my own as well as scared me into starting something that I know I would suck at.
  
 So here is my question. I would like to have a cable for IE80 with a TRRS 2.5 Anstel and Kern connector for a Fiio X7 with AM3 AMP.
  
 Is there anyone here that could help me with something like this? I am willing to purchase it, not do it myself. 
  
 Thank you,


----------



## LikesSlowCars

2damoon said:


> [...] I would like to have a cable for IE80 with a TRRS 2.5 Anstel and Kern connector for a Fiio X7 with AM3 AMP.
> 
> Is there anyone here that could help me with something like this? I am willing to purchase it, not do it myself. [...]


 
  
 Sorry man, I dont think this is a place you can hire people to modify your earphones. This is why I'm in the same boat. I bought some ultra cheap headphones on amazon for $18, and I'm testing this modding thing on that. Either I can figure it out, or I just suck.. haha


----------



## 2damoon

I don't really need them modified, I need an entirely new cable. Hopefully someone is still in the business of making good cables.


----------



## Paladin79

2damoon said:


> I don't really need them modified, I need an entirely new cable. Hopefully someone is still in the business of making good cables.


 
 I am sure you fill find someone who can help. There are a lot of experienced cable builders here.


----------



## PLUSSOUND

2damoon said:


> I don't really need them modified, I need an entirely new cable. Hopefully someone is still in the business of making good cables.


 

 We are happy to assist you. Please email us or send us a PM with your requests/requirements.


----------



## jchandler3

Hey guys, possibly a stupid question, but heregoes...
  
 I'm currently making a balanced cable for my HD650s, and I have a question about shielding. I'm using Mogami W2534 quad cable, which has a spiral shield. Should I just cut it off at the Y-split and inside the XLR-4 housing?
  
 Thanks!


----------



## rmoody

jchandler3 said:


> Hey guys, possibly a stupid question, but heregoes...
> 
> I'm currently making a balanced cable for my HD650s, and I have a question about shielding. I'm using Mogami W2534 quad cable, which has a spiral shield. Should I just cut it off at the Y-split and inside the XLR-4 housing?
> 
> Thanks!


 

 The general consensus is that for the length of run we are working with here (10' being about max) that shielding is not required. It only comes into play for long runs, how long? Er, I dunno, depends on environmental variables.
  
 I started off trying to preserve the shielding myself. After reading advice from others, I stripped the outer insulation and the shielding and sleeved with paracord. I've not noticed any negatives. The positives are more flexibility in how the wire flexes and what you can do with it. Most connectors do not have the room to handle the entire quad wire assembly much less the annoyance in dealing with securing the shield.
  
 I hope that helps.


----------



## Paladin79

jchandler3 said:


> Hey guys, possibly a stupid question, but heregoes...
> 
> I'm currently making a balanced cable for my HD650s, and I have a question about shielding. I'm using Mogami W2534 quad cable, which has a spiral shield. Should I just cut it off at the Y-split and inside the XLR-4 housing?
> 
> Thanks!




The spiral twists in quad are twisted pair in effect and a form of shielding. Naturally you twist the individual pairs and remove any filler and shielding material when you break out the two pairs going to connectors. More shielding is provided by the braid but it is usually not crucial as previously explained.


----------



## jchandler3

Okay, thanks guys!


----------



## Decommo

Hello. 
  
 Can anyone help me out? I just found this thread and started reading through. I still have not completed reading all posts. If this is already been discussed, please excuse me.
  
 I am trying to convert TFZ Series 5 to have 2 x 3.5mm jack to be balanced out for Pono and PHA 3. The cable is not removable so I might have to cut existing 3.5mm jack off and solder cable to 2 x 3.5mm jack. The cable has 4 very thin cables braided together.  I can unbraid them so separate 4 thin cables. However, I am not sure which 2 cables left and right since cables got together on chin slider and separate again and it is not clear which one is which side after chin slider.  Does it really matter which cable is left or right when soldering 2 x 3.5mm jack? Or it is okay as long as making sure 2 cables from one side goes to one 3.5mm and the other goes to the other 3.5mm jack?


----------



## Paladin79

decommo said:


> Hello.
> 
> Can anyone help me out? I just found this thread and started reading through. I still have not completed reading all posts. If this is already been discussed, please excuse me.
> 
> I am trying to convert TFZ Series 5 to have 2 x 3.5mm jack to be balanced out for Pono and PHA 3. The cable is not removable so I might have to cut existing 3.5mm jack off and solder cable to 2 x 3.5mm jack. The cable has 4 very thin cables braided together.  I can unbraid them so separate 4 thin cables. However, I am not sure which 2 cables left and right since cables got together on chin slider and separate again and it is not clear which one is which side after chin slider.  Does it really matter which cable is left or right when soldering 2 x 3.5mm jack? Or it is okay as long as making sure 2 cables from one side goes to one 3.5mm and the other goes to the other 3.5mm jack?


 

 Find a song that you know well where a certain track is on the left channel and another on the right. Rewire the cable and then match up the connectors so the music is correct then mark them so you know the next time. It does not matter so much since you can figure it out. It does matter if you reverse the hot and ground so hopefully that will not be an issue for you.  Personally I use Sirius by The Alan Parsons Project.


----------



## Allanmarcus

decommo said:


> Hello.
> 
> Can anyone help me out? I just found this thread and started reading through. I still have not completed reading all posts. If this is already been discussed, please excuse me.
> 
> I am trying to convert TFZ Series 5 to have 2 x 3.5mm jack to be balanced out for Pono and PHA 3. The cable is not removable so I might have to cut existing 3.5mm jack off and solder cable to 2 x 3.5mm jack. The cable has 4 very thin cables braided together.  I can unbraid them so separate 4 thin cables. However, I am not sure which 2 cables left and right since cables got together on chin slider and separate again and it is not clear which one is which side after chin slider.  Does it really matter which cable is left or right when soldering 2 x 3.5mm jack? Or it is okay as long as making sure 2 cables from one side goes to one 3.5mm and the other goes to the other 3.5mm jack?


 

 if you do it work, the channels will be reversed. If that is not an issue for you, then it doesn't matter. If you care, this might help:
  
 Stereo Audio Test (Left, Right)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bJ0dvAl98k


----------



## hcabrita

Hello there.
  
 My Hifiman RE-400's cable is visibly damaged, and I'm looking to try a rewire.
  
 Could you please tell me if there's a topic where I can find some sort of list of companies / persons that offer rewire servies (Europe)?
  
 Thanks in advance.
  
 BR


----------



## Allanmarcus

T


hcabrita said:


> Hello there.
> 
> My Hifiman RE-400's cable is visibly damaged, and I'm looking to try a rewire.
> 
> ...


 

 This is the "Do it yourself" thread. You should post in the Cables, Power, Tweaks, Speakers, Accessories forum.


----------



## Decommo

allanmarcus said:


> >
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  


paladin79 said:


> >
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thank you so much. I now understood how to figure out left and right side. I will order parts and try to give a go.


----------



## Paladin79

decommo said:


> Thank you so much. I now understood how to figure out left and right side. I will order parts and try to give a go.


 
 Now if you happen to have the Harvest album that oftentimes came with the Pono, lead guitar is on the right channel on "Old Man" and bass is on the left as I recall.


----------



## uncola

Is there an easy way to write on heatshrink?  If I wanted to put an arrow or something on it?  I only have black heatshrink.  Is there a specific silver metallic sharpie that works?  I think I've seen some brands do that.  Or can you only write on white heatshrink?


----------



## Allanmarcus

uncola said:


> Is there an easy way to write on heatshrink?  If I wanted to put an arrow or something on it?  I only have black heatshrink.  Is there a specific silver metallic sharpie that works?  I think I've seen some brands do that.  Or can you only write on white heatshrink?


 

 I would shrink it in pale first, then draw the arrow. A silver sharpie should work. Let us know.


----------



## Paladin79

uncola said:


> Is there an easy way to write on heatshrink?  If I wanted to put an arrow or something on it?  I only have black heatshrink.  Is there a specific silver metallic sharpie that works?  I think I've seen some brands do that.  Or can you only write on white heatshrink?


 
 I generally use silver or white model paint and a very fine brush but then I crest arrows and have the stuff laying around. A little clear lacquer over the top and it is fairly permanent. I am generally doing the arrows on RCA interconnect cables myself.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Also, you might get some clear heatshrink wrap, apply the black, draw/paint on it, then shrink the clear over it.
 
On a different not, I picked-up some nice wood beads that I want to use at the Y connector on the HP cables. Do folks use a hot glue gun and just squirt in the glue into the bead to hold it in place until the glue sets?


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Also, you might get some clear shirk wrap. Shrink the black, draw/paint on it, then shrink the clear over it.
> 
> On a different not, I picked-up some nice wood beads that I want to use at the Y connector on the HP cables. Do folks use a hot glue gun and just squirt in the glue into the bead to hold it in place until the glue sets?


 
 I certainly hope when you folks search for heat shrink tubing you do not call it shrink wrap, you might end up with a product intended for food preservation.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Hot glue can work but I generally try to avoid it in this situation. It sounds like you have wooden beads with just one channel drilled into them instead of a "Y" bead where two channels go to one. In that situation the use of a rubber grommet is the method I prefer. You need to find one that is the proper size of course but once in place they are hidden and you can remove the bead without doing damage if you ever so desire. Done properly you do not run the risk of making a mess (as you might with hot glue) if you are using fabric or mesh around the wires. You want to locate a grommet that is tapered, (conical in shape) see photo. The grommets shown are 45 mm long and as you can probably tell by looking at them, you can cut the desired length. They are approximately 5-12 mm outside diameter with a 4 mm cable opening. When installed the grommet holds the bead in place, is not visible, and can be removed. They are available with different size cable openings and I buy them in black, red, and blue 500 at a time. The outside can be trimmed to insure a proper fit and it is wise to practice a little before making the final assembly. They are quite flexible and make for a more professional appearance, you only need a piece around a quarter inch long inserted small end first into the bead. If you are only doing a couple beads here and there pm me and I will try to send you a handful gratis. In the photo the grommets are used to designate left and right channels and to provide strain relief but they are more commonly used between cable and head shells to secure the cable. Since it is being used just to hold the bead in place, you can even slit the grommet and slide it over the cable and then force it into the bead with long nose pliers.


----------



## nsge

Guys what cables to buy for recabling?
 (I want 3.5mm Amphenol KS3PC-AU cuz it looks cool )
 My picks till now:
 Sonoleone 3014 and Starquad l-4e5c.
  
  
 Headphones: Creative Aurvana Live
  
 PS: I live in Europe so dont recommend cables that are only in USA


----------



## Paladin79

nsge said:


> Guys what cables to buy for recabling?
> (I want 3.5mm Amphenol KS3PC-AU cuz it looks cool )
> My picks till now:
> Sonoleone 3014 and Starquad l-4e5c.
> ...


 
 I use the Amphenol connectors on a daily basis and they are quite good, as is the Canare star quad. I do not recognize the Sonoleone but the others are very good quality.


----------



## nsge

I quite like how starquad and amphenol looks like so i think to buy them then


----------



## Paladin79

nsge said:


> I quite like how starquad and amphenol looks like so i think to buy them then


 
 I use the Canare, Mogami, and Belden star quads and it is hard to go wrong with any of those. Amphenol makes some very good 1/4 inch connectors now as well. I generally use those or Neutrik (REAN).


----------



## nsge

paladin79 said:


> I use the Canare, Mogami, and Belden star quads and it is hard to go wrong with any of those. Amphenol makes some very good 1/4 inch connectors now as well. I generally use those or Neutrik (REAN).


 
 I wanted to buy Neutrik but amphenol has little gap so I can use this mini jack with my phone with case.


----------



## Paladin79

nsge said:


> I wanted to buy Neutrik but amphenol has little gap so I can use this mini jack with my phone with case.


 
 Yep, it is why I went to those connectors myself. They have an extension that allows them to be hooked to devices in cases. I have used that particular type of connector for over a year with no failures.


----------



## nsge

Well I was using stock cable and mini jack for past 5 years but yesterday one insulating ring on jack "disappeared" when I tried to get out mini jack from soundcard cuz it was stuck but I finally got it out without one insulating ring... and some people said that mini jack without  it can damage soundcard. Dont know if is true tho :d
  
 Does it ever happened to you?


----------



## Paladin79

I have seen that happen with a few 3.5 mm plugs but never with Neutrik or Amphenol in approximately 11 years and my people send out around thirty 3.5 mm cables a week. It depends on which ring you lost. The one between the tip and ring should not hurt anything. If it was the one between the ring and ground (sleeve) I would not use that connector again if I could avoid it. You could easily take the right channel to ground if not careful.


----------



## nsge

Bottom one. Dont know which one is it.
  
 Edit: I googled. Its the one between sleeve and ring


----------



## Paladin79

The second one back from the tip is the worst one to lose in my opinion so try to avoid using it. I hope you did not damage the jack in the sound card getting it out. Try a different cable if you can.


----------



## nsge

Headphones works just fine, soundcard too but insulating ring is missing from mini jack.
  
 Edit: *but what if i use this:* http://wireessence.com/wp-content/themes/wireessence/img/pages/realizacje/przedluzacz_minijack.jpg *to connect headphones to soundcard? Is it going to work just fine or I can still damage headphones/soundcard?*


----------



## Hakase

So I'm making my own cable and it's for my AKG's and I wanted to make it with the connector being a 3.5mm jack. So it should go 3 pin mini xlr to 3.5mm jack but I'm not sure what 3.5mm connector I need to buy. Does it need to be like this:
  

  
  
 or can it be like this:
  

  
 Sorry if this has already been asked before. Any suggestions would be great


----------



## Paladin79

The top connector is stereo, trs (tip ring sleeve), the bottom is mono TS (tip sleeve). I am not real familiar with those headphones but if you are planning on plugging the 3.5 mm into a device then it should be stereo like the top connector. The top connector also has an extended tip that helps if you are plugging into a smart phone or table that is in a case. That being said, I am not sure if the top connector has solder lugs inside, if not I prefer connectors like Amphenol:


----------



## Allanmarcus

hakase said:


> So I'm making my own cable and it's for my AKG's and I wanted to make it with the connector being a 3.5mm jack. So it should go 3 pin mini xlr to 3.5mm jack but I'm not sure what 3.5mm connector I need to buy. Does it need to be like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 Be very careful with LunaShops. I've ordered from them before, and was never happy with the results. Their stuff is very cheap, and in one case, useless. The 3.5mm mono jacks I ordered had no threads to connect the plastic shell to the plug.
  
 I think you want to know which plug to use on the end of the cable that doesn't plug into the headphones, right? Assuming you want a 3.5mm jack, you need a stereo one, which has the three connections (the pic on the top). There are many places to get a jack other than LunaShops. This one from Markertek is a good, basic quality jack, but might have issues if you are plugging into a phone with a case.


----------



## uncola

dumb question..  but with a 2 conductor shield+drain wire cable.. is it usually best to use 1 conductor for positive pin, 1 conductor twisted together with drain wire for shield.  or can I twist together 2 conductors for the positive pin and just use the drain wire for ground/shield?  talking about rca cables and this bulk cable http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_interc_connex.html#


----------



## Paladin79

uncola said:


> dumb question..  but with a 2 conductor shield+drain wire cable.. is it usually best to use 1 conductor for positive pin, 1 conductor twisted together with drain wire for shield.  or can I twist together 2 conductors for the positive pin and just use the drain wire for ground/shield?  talking about rca cables and this bulk cable http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_interc_connex.html#


 

 This conversation may end up getting tricky but here goes. In my experience it is best to use one conductor for positive on both ends, that is the easy part. Now from all I have read, and from personal experience and personal testing, I attach the shield and second conductor to ground only on one end when using that type of cable. Otherwise you have two grounds and run the risk of creating a ground loop. The cable is then directional and you would mark an arrow on one end indicating signal flow. I have read differing opinions about this but most often I read that you should go from the source end with the ground with two conductors. The other end has just a hot and ground and the shield does not touch the ground but still runs along the cable for shielding purposes. Some people refer to these as balanced rca connections but there is not a whole lot of info out there. I personally use them on my main setup and have them running to three amps, switchbox, a dac, turntable, turntable preamp, etc. Just be sure to remember which end is which and mark that end accordingly.


----------



## uncola

Thanks paladin that makes sense to me.


----------



## Paladin79

uncola said:


> Thanks paladin that makes sense to me.


 
 Unfortunately I have to concern myself with such things because my people send cables all over the country that are being used with balanced or unbalanced systems. We have to build cables on a daily basis for the end user who wants to hook his mixing board (balanced) to some home audio device that is unbalanced. More than once I have had to tell people to lift a shield wire on one end of a cable to solve an issue so I tend to read any info I can lay my hands on. I generally tape off the unconnected shield or add some heat shrink tubing so that it is insulated but available for future use in case you wanted use the cable for say two three pin XLR's.


----------



## Hakase

paladin79 said:


> The top connector is stereo, trs (tip ring sleeve), the bottom is mono TS (tip sleeve). I am not real familiar with those headphones but if you are planning on plugging the 3.5 mm into a device then it should be stereo like the top connector. The top connector also has an extended tip that helps if you are plugging into a smart phone or table that is in a case. That being said, I am not sure if the top connector has solder lugs inside, if not I prefer connectors like Amphenol:


 
 That's exactly what I wanted to know, thanks 
  
 Could you link a good dealer for the Amphenol connector?
  
  


allanmarcus said:


> Be very careful with LunaShops. I've ordered from them before, and was never happy with the results. Their stuff is very cheap, and in one case, useless. The 3.5mm mono jacks I ordered had no threads to connect the plastic shell to the plug.
> 
> I think you want to know which plug to use on the end of the cable that doesn't plug into the headphones, right? Assuming you want a 3.5mm jack, you need a stereo one, which has the three connections (the pic on the top). There are many places to get a jack other than LunaShops. This one from Markertek is a good, basic quality jack, but might have issues if you are plugging into a phone with a case.


 
  
 Okay, that's what I needed to know. I wasn't planning on getting anything from LunaShops it was just a quick picture I found off of google. Thank you for the link to Markertek


----------



## Paladin79

Here is a link for the extended tip from Parts Express if you want something that fits into a cell phone jack that has a case.
  
 http://www.parts-express.com/amphenol-ks3pc-au-35mm-stereo-mini-plug-black---gold-for-mobile-devices--092-3570
  
 This is a top quality plug and the grommet can be removed to allow for larger cable.


----------



## Hakase

paladin79 said:


> Here is a link for the extended tip from Parts Express if you want something that fits into a cell phone jack that has a case.
> 
> http://www.parts-express.com/amphenol-ks3pc-au-35mm-stereo-mini-plug-black---gold-for-mobile-devices--092-3570
> 
> This is a top quality plug and the grommet can be removed to allow for larger cable.


 
 Thank you very much 
  
 Does anyone have a wiring diagram for 3pin mini xlr to 3.5mm xD
  
 I know that typically a 3.5mm has left, right, and ground connections but the 3pin mini xlr connector I have is four different connections which I assume is for a balanced connection? left+ left- right+ right- ?


----------



## Paladin79

hakase said:


> Thank you very much
> 
> Does anyone have a wiring diagram for 3pin mini xlr to 3.5mm xD
> 
> I know that typically a 3.5mm has left, right, and ground connections but the 3pin mini xlr connector I have is four different connections which I assume is for a balanced connection? left+ left- right+ right- ?


 

 Someone who knows your headphones might have to help with that. Basically you have a four pin mini  XLR. I use those as extensions on some MrSpeakers balanced cables but they are just wired pin to pin. If I get time I will check later and try to post it if no one else has found it for you.  The 3.5 mm TRS uses a common ground so each channels ground would go back to that.


----------



## rmoody

hakase said:


> Thank you very much
> 
> Does anyone have a wiring diagram for 3pin mini xlr to 3.5mm xD
> 
> I know that typically a 3.5mm has left, right, and ground connections but the 3pin mini xlr connector I have is four different connections which I assume is for a balanced connection? left+ left- right+ right- ?


 
 http://toffer.com/2015/12/10/xlr-to-14-trs-wiring-diagram/
  
 That 4th connection you are referring to is the shield most likely. You could connect that to the ground pin. But I just strip the shield off my cables especially when going to 3.5mm because there is just not enough room and for the short runs for a headphone cable, the shield is not needed.


----------



## Allanmarcus

uncola said:


> dumb question..  but with a 2 conductor shield+drain wire cable.. is it usually best to use 1 conductor for positive pin, 1 conductor twisted together with drain wire for shield.  or can I twist together 2 conductors for the positive pin and just use the drain wire for ground/shield?  talking about rca cables and this bulk cable http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_interc_connex.html#


 

 When I make an RCA interconnect with a drain, I connect hot to hot (tip to tip, or pos to pos), then common to common, then the shield on just one side to the common. I make that side "drain side" and that gets plugged into the source.


----------



## Shawn71

allanmarcus said:


> Be very careful with LunaShops. I've ordered from them before, and was never happy with the results. Their stuff is very cheap, and in one case, useless. The 3.5mm mono jacks I ordered had no threads to connect the plastic shell to the plug.
> 
> I think you want to know which plug to use on the end of the cable that doesn't plug into the headphones, right? Assuming you want a 3.5mm jack, you need a stereo one, which has the three connections (the pic on the top). There are many places to get a jack other than LunaShops. This one from Markertek is a good, basic quality jack, but might have issues if you are plugging into a phone with a case.




Yes,true......they are also not good at workmanship but just sending us any stuffs that dont need any custom work,like diff connector termination,cable length,cable types etc etc.

But we can make sure we get what we want by telling our requirement and that LS respond/agree to that clearly thru a confirmation email more than once (just in case so as to claim refund etc) besides a paypal note too while sending them a payment. And also its better to shop there, ONLY when something is not available elsewhere at the time of our need as aliexpress sells a-z, best place to hunt on,the alternative!


----------



## Paladin79

shawn71 said:


> Yes,true......they are also not good at workmanship but just sending us any stuffs that dont need any custom work,like diff connector termination,cable length,cable types etc etc.
> 
> But we can make sure we get what we want by telling our requirement and that LS respond/agree to that clearly thru a confirmation email more than once (just in case so as to claim refund etc) besides a paypal note too while sending them a payment. And also its better to shop there, ONLY when something is not available elsewhere at the time of our need as aliexpress sells a-z, best place to hunt on,the alternative!


 

 Communication with off shore companies takes some getting used to.
  
 It is best to use short emails and to keep them simple.
  
 I was also taught that in some cultures, folks say "yes" when they really mean no.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> When I make an RCA interconnect with a drain, I connect hot to hot (tip to tip, or pos to pos), then common to common, then the shield on just one side to the common. I make that side "drain side" and that gets plugged into the source.


 

 That drain side gets the arrow I spoke about earlier pointing away from the source. That way down the road you will know which side is which. Someone was just asking about making arrows on heat shrink tubing. I usually mark the cable itself if I use a light enough color. Most of my interconnect jackets are light blue, yellow, or red depending on their purpose.


----------



## liquidzoo

hakase said:


> Thank you very much
> 
> Does anyone have a wiring diagram for 3pin mini xlr to 3.5mm xD
> 
> I know that typically a 3.5mm has left, right, and ground connections but the *3pin mini xlr connector I have is four different connections* which I assume is for a balanced connection? left+ left- right+ right- ?




A 3 pin mini-xlr should only be 3 pins...

Also, despite what is almost always written on the internet about wiring a 3 pin XLR, AKG likes to reverse things.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/648464/recabling-my-headphones#post_9114995

I found that information when I was making a cable for some AKG-K240s that I had a few years ago. Normally it's:

Pin 1 - Ground
Pin 2 - Tip (Left)
Pin 3 - Ring (Right)

AKGs flip pins 2 and 3 (or they used to, not sure if they still do, though).

If they've kept the same wiring over the years, it would be:

Pin 1 on XLR > Sleeve on 3.5mm
Pin 2 on XLR > Ring on 3.5mm
Pin 3 on XLR > Tip on 3.5mm

A multimeter with continuity setting would be able to confirm this.


----------



## Hakase

liquidzoo said:


> A 3 pin mini-xlr should only be 3 pins...
> 
> Also, despite what is almost always written on the internet about wiring a 3 pin XLR, AKG likes to reverse things.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I may have misconstrued that it has 4 pins since when I unscrewed the connector it shows what looks like four spots for wires to be soldered.
  
 http://www.redco.com/Redco-TA3FB.html - The connector I have
  
 Thank you very much for the AKG wiring scheme


----------



## rmoody

hakase said:


> I may have misconstrued that it has 4 pins since when I unscrewed the connector it shows what looks like four spots for wires to be soldered.
> 
> http://www.redco.com/Redco-TA3FB.html - The connector I have
> 
> Thank you very much for the AKG wiring scheme


 

 Yeah, that fourth spot, the little silver damnit that always pops off when you are trying to get the thing together, is for the shield. I gave up on that thing and went with the same connectors that Dan uses on MrSpeakers headphones. They are shorter and easier to assemble also has 4 pins for balanced use. One could just not even use the damnit for headphone cables, shielding isn't needed for headphone cables.


----------



## Allanmarcus

rmoody said:


> hakase said:
> 
> 
> > I may have misconstrued that it has 4 pins since when I unscrewed the connector it shows what looks like four spots for wires to be soldered.
> ...


 

 I always wondered what the technical name of that part was.


----------



## Paladin79

rmoody said:


> Yeah, that fourth spot, the little silver damnit that always pops off when you are trying to get the thing together, is for the shield. I gave up on that thing and went with the same connectors that Dan uses on MrSpeakers headphones. They are shorter and easier to assemble also has 4 pins for balanced use. One could just not even use the damnit for headphone cables, shielding isn't needed for headphone cables.


 

 The 4 pin Hirose type connectors are indeed easier to use. I have tried four brands of the mini 4 pin xlrs and hate them all equally. It's been a little while since I have been in Knoxville, I recall Suttree's High Gravity Tavern and hope it is still there.


----------



## Hakase

Another question, if I wanted to use this cable:
  
 http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E5C.html
  
 for a 3 pin mini xlr would I only use three of the wires out of this particular cable? I want to keep my first few cables with cheapish materials until I'm a little more comfortable with making them so I don't want any fancy silver cables etc. Any other recommendations or tips are welcome


----------



## Paladin79

hakase said:


> Another question, if I wanted to use this cable:
> 
> http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E5C.html
> 
> for a 3 pin mini xlr would I only use three of the wires out of this particular cable? I want to keep my first few cables with cheapish materials until I'm a little more comfortable with making them so I don't want any fancy silver cables etc. Any other recommendations or tips are welcome


 

 I would do what is done when you go from a 3.5 mm stereo plug to dual inputs on headphones. They are using four wires but attaching both grounds to the common ground. In your case if you go from a TRS connector (stereo) to a three pin XLR, take two wires to ground on each end and use two for the + on the left and right channel. Get some experience soldering and then move on to more complex cabling schemes.


----------



## Hakase

paladin79 said:


> I would do what is done when you go from a 3.5 mm stereo plug to dual inputs on headphones. They are using four wires but attaching both grounds to the common ground. In your case if you go from a TRS connector (stereo) to a three pin XLR, take two wires to ground on each end and use two for the + on the left and right channel. Get some experience soldering and then move on to more complex cabling schemes.


 
  
 Sounds good 
  
 I appreciate the help!


----------



## rmoody

paladin79 said:


> The 4 pin Hirose type connectors are indeed easier to use. I have tried four brands of the mini 4 pin xlrs and hate them all equally. It's been a little while since I have been in Knoxville, I recall Suttree's High Gravity Tavern and hope it is still there.


 
 Sure is! Was there a few weeks ago for Dogfish Head tap takeover. They did a 4 year vertical of 120 Minute IPA, damn!
  
 In Minneapolis for the week. Have already discovered Surly, and yup, they are on point. Surly 10 their 10th anniversary Old Ale is right.


----------



## Paladin79

rmoody said:


> Sure is! Was there a few weeks ago for Dogfish Head tap takeover. They did a 4 year vertical of 120 Minute IPA, damn!
> 
> In Minneapolis for the week. Have already discovered Surly, and yup, they are on point. Surly 10 their 10th anniversary Old Ale is right.


 
 I will have to look for the Surly 10. The last time I was in Minneapolis it was the day after the coldest day in recorded history in the Chicago area and I drove into the teeth of a blizzard driving up from Indiana. Not the best time to drive north on a business trip.
  
 Sorry for going off topic. 
  
 Hakase I am not sure what part of Kentucky you are in but if you ever make it North to Indiana I would be glad to help you out with some various types of cable, connectors and some soldering lessons if you are new to such work.


----------



## uncola

paladin if you're building an AES cable, how important is it to get wire that says it's rated for 110ohms?  If I just use regular cable made for analog interconnects, will there be more jitter because of uh.. "reflections"?  and how do they make wire that is 110 ohm anyway, is it the amount of twists per inch that makes it?
  
 edit: answered my own question, 110ohm aes cable uses plastic rod spacers to ensure 110ohms impedance even when the cable is bent.  and regular analog cable shouldn't be used for a digital aes cable, it does cause reflections.


----------



## Paladin79

uncola said:


> paladin if you're building an AES cable, how important is it to get wire that says it's rated for 110ohms?  If I just use regular cable made for analog interconnects, will there be more jitter because of uh.. "reflections"?  and how do they make wire that is 110 ohm anyway, is it the amount of twists per inch that makes it?


 
 certain transmitted frequencies require specific impedance so stick with the 110 ohm aes/ebu such as Belden 1800B or 1800f for single pair cable. I am not familiar with reflection issues with this form of cable, I am well aware of reflection and refraction in optical cables. I know the cable is specifically made for digital transmission and is well shielded and low capacitance but I use the cable on a daily basis and I have not noticed more twists compared to other audio cable but that should be one element. Impedance is a factor of resistance and inductive and capacitive reactance and changes with frequency from what I recall. Impedance should stay the same with distance (even though it is negligible in the first meter or so) and AES/EBU cable maintains the signals over long distances so it is a probably a higher quality cable than you will see for a lot of analog audio. I have no problems for using it for analog and it has exceptional bandwidth but a lot of analog cable is just not built to the same standards and most likely costs less. I am trying to answer this without posting formulae. In analog wire, you are dealing with power to some extent, a signal that is changing in amplitude and direction, in wire made for digital applications, it is more about maintaining the ones and zeros I would think. Does that help?


----------



## andrewjamesdean

I've got a pair of Denon D7000s that have been recabled using the most microphonic sleeve known to man.

 What is the softest, least microphonic sleeving that people suggest? Looks to be either paracord, or techflex multifilament?
  
 I'm based in Melbourne, Australia - does anyone know of a shop (or hobbyist) that could do this for me?
  
 Much appreciated.


----------



## Allanmarcus

andrewjamesdean said:


> I've got a pair of Denon D7000s that have been recabled using the most microphonic sleeve known to man.
> 
> 
> What is the softest, least microphonic sleeving that people suggest? Looks to be either paracord, or techflex multifilament?
> ...




The smoother, the better. Any nylon will be microphonic, and the tighter the nylon is stretched, the worse it gets. Cotton tubing might be better, but it's hard to find and gets dirty. I use braided bare wires or latex rubber tubing (a pain to work with). 

Nylon multifilament with a little loose material might be the least worse option.


----------



## Paladin79

andrewjamesdean said:


> I've got a pair of Denon D7000s that have been recabled using the most microphonic sleeve known to man.
> 
> 
> What is the softest, least microphonic sleeving that people suggest? Looks to be either paracord, or techflex multifilament?
> ...




I found a nylon/cotton combo sleeving and posted it a while back. It comes in several sizes and can be ordered out of China. It is not much different than nylon paracord as far as cleanliness. I can repost the link once I get to work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231391753695?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=530652124648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Here is a link. This type of mesh is less problematic because the cotton sits a little higher than the nylon mesh, it also has a lot of flex so it is easier to work with than tight fitting paracord. As far as softness, I have found that paracord feels better with age. You can also try to get creative and not have the paracord end quite so close to the connector itself. See my earlier pics of the red and black grommets. Those are highly flexible and lightweight and if you glue the paracord inside those instead of having it end quite so close to the connector or connectors.

I hope to experiment with some methods of dampening the paracord a bit to decrease microphonics. I have several ideas but that does not necessarily mean they are good ideas.


----------



## SVTong

Hi guys,
  
 I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but I finished my headset cable and the audio side is great, but the mic side has issues.  When I test the mic, there is quite a bit of background hum and I can faintly hear what sounds like a radio station.  Do I need some kind of shielding on my cable?  And why is the audio side of it sound fine?  The wire is teflon coated 24ga OFC in a 6-strand braid.  3 strands for audio and 3 for the mic (2 for mic and 1 for ground).  On the headset side, I'm using a mini-xlr for audio and a USB for the mic.  The source side is a 1/4" for audio and 3.5mm for mic.  The 1/4" is plugged into my reciever, and the mic is plugged into a USB adapter which is then plugged into my PS4.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but I finished my headset cable and the audio side is great, but the mic side has issues.  When I test the mic, there is quite a bit of background hum and I can faintly hear what sounds like a radio station.  Do I need some kind of shielding on my cable?  And why is the audio side of it sound fine?  The wire is teflon coated 24ga OFC in a 6-strand braid.  3 strands for audio and 3 for the mic (2 for mic and 1 for ground).  On the headset side, I'm using a mini-xlr for audio and a USB for the mic.  The source side is a 1/4" for audio and 3.5mm for mic.  The 1/4" is plugged into my reciever, and the mic is plugged into a USB adapter which is then plugged into my PS4.


 
  
 You may be having trouble maintaining a consistent ground between cables since you are adding an adapter. Try a USB cable if you can, it may be a cheap way to see if that is what is causing the issue. You can learn a lot by taking a length of wire and touching it from ground to ground and bypassing the adapter in the middle as well and then to each side of the adapter ground.  I keep a copper braided mesh that will open to a large diameter for such tests but it is not easy to lay your hands on.


----------



## SVTong

Thanks Paladin, I'll try that when I get home


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Thanks Paladin, I'll try that when I get home


 

 it probably sounds a bit janky, but you can even try to shield a bit of the cable with aluminum foil. Shielded audio cable generally uses aluminized mylar. Braiding and twisted pair is a form of shielding but in some instances you need more just as in coaxial cable you have dual and quad shielded cable for some applications. I pick up a little noise when I get my iphone close to speakers or a portable headphone amp and I am using cables I braided myself. Switch to AES/EBU wire that has a mylar or braided shield and I am fine.


----------



## SVTong

That's what I'm worried about. I was hoping the braiding would be enough, but apparently not. I'm just confused as to why the mic side is picking it up, but the audio side isn't.

Edit: so I tried grounding it in a few different places, but no luck. I've read that it helps to plug everything into a powered USB hub instead of directly into the ps4. Tried that, and the noise lessened, but it's still there. I might try the foil trick next just to see if it is the cable acting as an antenna, but it's going to take a lot of foil. The cable is 12' long.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> That's what I'm worried about. I was hoping the braiding would be enough, but apparently not. I'm just confused as to why the mic side is picking it up, but the audio side isn't.
> 
> Edit: so I tried grounding it in a few different places, but no luck. I've read that it helps to plug everything into a powered USB hub instead of directly into the ps4. Tried that, and the noise lessened, but it's still there. I might try the foil trick next just to see if it is the cable acting as an antenna, but it's going to take a lot of foil. The cable is 12' long.


 
 Start with the braided portion if you can. By your description I believe it is RFI. Any light dimming circuits near by?


----------



## SVTong

paladin79 said:


> Start with the braided portion if you can. By your description I believe it is RFI. Any light dimming circuits near by?




No dimmers nearby and the entire cable is braided. I'm also looking into some kind of sleeving to cut the RFI down.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> No dimmers nearby and the entire cable is braided. I'm also looking into some kind of sleeving to cut the RFI down.


 

 It is unfortunate but sometimes there are specific types of cables made to work in certain applications and it can take a long time to learn the differences.


----------



## SVTong

Absolutely, and this is definitely one of those live and learn scenarios for sure.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Absolutely, and this is definitely one of those live and learn scenarios for sure.




I do have the luxury of having test equipment that I can use to examine the signal as well as enough theory and experience to work in the industry.


----------



## SVTong

OK, the janky solution wins the day for now.  12" of foil wrapped around the cable on the PS4 side stopped the noise.  I also put a ferrite core on the cable.  
  
 Lesson learned - not all wire is created equal.  Buy the proper materials or there will be hours and hours of wasted time.  On the plus side, my new K7XX's sound great and no one on my fireteam has to listen to local AM talk radio when I'm online with them.  
  
 And now I'll be hunting around online again for better wire.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> OK, the janky solution wins the day for now.  12" of foil wrapped around the cable on the PS4 side stopped the noise.  I also put a ferrite core on the cable.
> 
> Lesson learned - not all wire is created equal.  Buy the proper materials or there will be hours and hours of wasted time.  On the plus side, my new K7XX's sound great and no one on my fireteam has to listen to local AM talk radio when I'm online with them.
> 
> And now I'll be hunting around online again for better wire.


 

 I am glad you were able to isolate it and I wish you well in your search for the proper cable. I find myself making longer and longer braided cords to go from my iphone to an OPPO HA2 portable amp for better isolation. Aesthetics are good but functionality matters as well.


----------



## Hakase

Before putting on the connector do you all use heat shrink at the ends? I've seen some videos of people just heating up the paracord and then letting it heat shrink that way but I didn't know how effective that was.


----------



## Paladin79

I generally use adhesive heat shrink tubing at each end to insure that it locks down the paracord. The adhesive is only activated with heat. I also do not like to have the paracord touching the connector ground to help keep microphonics down. The use of heat shrink can vary with connector. I do like to heat the frayed portion of the paracord to reduce more fraying and to give the heat shrink tubing a small ridge to grab onto.
Paracord by itself tends to travel IMHO.


----------



## Hakase

paladin79 said:


> I generally use adhesive heat shrink tubing at each end to insure that it locks down the paracord. The adhesive is only activated with heat. I also do not like to have the paracord touching the connector ground to help keep microphonics down. The use of heat shrink can vary with connector. I do like to heat the frayed portion of the paracord to reduce more fraying and to give the heat shrink tubing a small ridge to grab onto.
> Paracord by itself tends to travel IMHO.


 
  
 Thanks for the tips


----------



## Paladin79

Glad to help. Another thing everyone might not be aware of is shrink ratio's on heat shrink. 2-1 is common but you can also find 3-1 which is great fou going over part of a connector body and yet shrinking down to fit the cable itself. There is also thin wall and double wall.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Has anyone tried the generic brand OCC Litz SPC on the Toxic Cables DIY store?

There's no pictures and very little info. I don't want to buy if it's not a very supple, light wire. Also needs to be transparent, for that tough of aesthetic. 

It's so inexpensive, it seems too good to be true. So I fear it's awful.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Has anyone tried the generic brand OCC Litz SPC on the Toxic Cables DIY store?
> 
> There's no pictures and very little info. I don't want to buy if it's not a very supple, light wire. Also needs to be transparent, for that tough of aesthetic.
> 
> It's so inexpensive, it seems too good to be true. So I fear it's awful.


I see pictures on the site on my phone haven't tried on the computer yet. Looks finely stranded and it is transparent they have it in silk also the transparent one is out of stock though.


----------



## Paladin79

Sometimes it just boils down to whether you like the sound. There are companies that sell OCC silver plated copper who give you documentation. A lot is coming out of China and the price is low but quality varies. Personally I would trust Toxic Cables because they offer such a wide variety of products and I doubt they would stay in business long if they sold inferior products or made false claims.You can test for silver plating and Litz wire is pretty obvious if you have ever worked with it so it may well be decent. The beauty of DIY is you are only out a small price and labor if it turns out to be so-so. Spend $150 up on such a cable and you would be expecting decent results.


----------



## nsge

Guys please explain me something cuz im newbie.
 What's real difference between SPDIF and USB? Can you hear difference? And can you hear difference between 16/44 vs 24/96? I was using 16/44 all the time cuz I didnt think that i have to choose it in settings on my PC... sound is way better. I was just wasting full potential of my soundcard. But can you hear difference?


----------



## buke9

nsge said:


> Guys please explain me something cuz im newbie.
> What's real difference between SPDIF and USB? Can you hear difference? And can you hear difference between 16/44 vs 24/96? I was using 16/44 all the time cuz I didnt think that i have to choose it in settings on my PC... sound is way better. I was just wasting full potential of my soundcard. But can you hear difference?





nsge said:


> Guys please explain me something cuz im newbie.
> What's real difference between SPDIF and USB? Can you hear difference? And can you hear difference between 16/44 vs 24/96? I was using 16/44 all the time cuz I didnt think that i have to choose it in settings on my PC... sound is way better. I was just wasting full potential of my soundcard. But can you hear difference?


This is not the right thread for this. I would think the introduction and help and recommendations thread would be more appropriate. Sorry for that my phone is acting up and won't let me fix it.


----------



## Allanmarcus

nsge said:


> Guys please explain me something cuz im newbie.
> What's real difference between SPDIF and USB? Can you hear difference? And can you hear difference between 16/44 vs 24/96? I was using 16/44 all the time cuz I didnt think that i have to choose it in settings on my PC... sound is way better. I was just wasting full potential of my soundcard. But can you hear difference?




Wrong thread for this. Let's not discuss it hear. Please look in the sound science forum or google search.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Wrong thread for this. Let's not discuss it hear. Please look in the sound science forum or google search.


 
 Darn I was curious to see some of the answers on that one. lol
  
 Here is a thought pertaining to DIY cables. I got a cable that appeared to be a diy cable when I bought a pair of Alpha Primes. The four wires are wrapped with nylon paracord and it is softer and less microphonic than newer product. I am sure with wear the elasticity would improve and I was just curious if anyone exhibited similar results with older cables after use? I had to do some repairs so I know there was no special construction technique, wire or paracord used. Basically can cable fabric improve with age?


----------



## Hakase

EDIT: Figured it out, I'm good now.


----------



## PinkyPowers

paladin79 said:


> Sometimes it just boils down to whether you like the sound. There are companies that sell OCC silver plated copper who give you documentation. A lot is coming out of China and the price is low but quality varies. Personally I would trust Toxic Cables because they offer such a wide variety of products and I doubt they would stay in business long if they sold inferior products or made false claims.You can test for silver plating and Litz wire is pretty obvious if you have ever worked with it so it may well be decent. The beauty of DIY is you are only out a small price and labor if it turns out to be so-so. Spend $150 up on such a cable and you would be expecting decent results.




Thanks for the advice. I placed the order. 

Around half the price I spent on the same sort of wire from Plussound last year. Hope it's good.


----------



## Paladin79

pinkypowers said:


> Thanks for the advice. I placed the order.
> 
> Around half the price I spent on the same sort of wire from Plussound last year. Hope it's good.


 
      As best I can tell, OCC is a licensed process and I would think that any company advertising such cable would be able to provide documentation about who made the wire as well as the specs on said wire. HDMI cables are that way, you can go to a site and see which companies meet the proper standards to manufacture cable for hdmi usage. Fail to meet the manufacturing requirements and your name is taken off the list of qualified vendors.
     OCC has been around since 1986 or so and is a patented process so any company that advertises it heavily already most likely has their ducks in a row and are selling you proper product. It is fun to build cables and it is great to hear an audible difference after you go through the process. There is always a caveat emptor factor but you are not risking a lot of money and so much of this is subjective anyway. If you build the same cable at the same length using the same connectors that you used for the cable you paid double the amount for and you listen to the same music at the same volume level with the same equipment and both cables sound the same, great! Now if you believe there is a huge difference, get someone to blindfold you, swap the cables randomly and keep track of which cable was plugged in at any given time, ceteris paribus (all other things being equal) and see if you can truly select repeatedly the one you liked better. Heck you might even like the lesser priced wire better and select it each time. In which case you might want to stock up on it, unless of course it was a closeout and you will never see it again. Personally, I have in front of me a dozen different cables with wire by Belden, Canare, Mogami, and various occ copper, ofc, hc copper and silver plated copper that I can swap in and out as I please and I would be hard pressed to consistently pick the most expensive one if blind folded, ceteris paribus. There may well be people who can and I certainly respect such abilities but I would never claim to be one of them.


----------



## chrismini

I think I'll leave custom cables to the pros.


----------



## Paladin79

lol there are a lot of things involved but each to their own.


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Thanks for the advice. I placed the order.
> 
> Around half the price I spent on the same sort of wire from Plussound last year. Hope it's good.


Please report in when you get it I was looking for some Litz wire that wasn't crazy exspensive.


----------



## Hakase

Behold the fruits of my labor thanks to the help of head fi


----------



## uncola

thanks Paladin and other guys, I just made my first AES cable from some mogami w3080 I forgot I had.  I also used my yihua 936 solder station for the first time.  Not sure if it's the tip I switched to, but I can't recommend it.  Solder joints were a real struggle and came out ugly.   I'll try the original skinny tip when I make my rcas later this week.

  
 here's some halfway through pics showing my horrible process


----------



## uncola

Might be a good time to ask, how do you cut nylon multifilament without it fraying like crazy.  Also:  tip!  Even if you don't have teflon plumbers tape to tape up the end of your cable to help slide it through sleeving, scotch tape helps do it too.  Made it go wayyy faster then my usual inchworm method of sliding it one inch at a time.


----------



## PinkyPowers

uncola said:


> Might be a good time to ask, how do you cut nylon multifilament without it fraying like crazy.  Also:  tip!  Even if you don't have teflon plumbers tape to tape up the end of your cable to help slide it through sleeving, scotch tape helps do it too.  Made it go wayyy faster then my usual inchworm method of sliding it one inch at a time.




Use scissors to trim as neatly as you can, then take a lighter to the end. The heat will melt it into a nice hard finish.


----------



## Paladin79

uncola said:


> Might be a good time to ask, how do you cut nylon multifilament without it fraying like crazy.  Also:  tip!  Even if you don't have teflon plumbers tape to tape up the end of your cable to help slide it through sleeving, scotch tape helps do it too.  Made it go wayyy faster then my usual inchworm method of sliding it one inch at a time.


 
 I am working on a couple faster methods of getting the wire through sleeving and will try to post some results if things go well. I have some type 1 sleeve that is a lot harder to work with than 275 size paracord. It is much softer and more flexible but a pain to get the wire through.


----------



## Paladin79

hakase said:


> Behold the fruits of my labor thanks to the help of head fi


 
 That looks very good, nice job braiding.


----------



## Luke Chadwick

Here's my DIY cable after the RHA750's I had an accident getting caught up in my bike, rather than throwing them away or buying new ones, I decided to make them modular, now if the cable gets damaged again or I want a different length I can just switch it out.
  
http://i.imgur.com/woJpOj7.jpg
  
 Could've been done cleaner but I'm happy with the result and they still sound great.


----------



## Paladin79

luke chadwick said:


> Here's my DIY cable after the RHA750's I had an accident getting caught up in my bike, rather than throwing them away or buying new ones, I decided to make them modular, now if the cable gets damaged again or I want a different length I can just switch it out.
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/woJpOj7.jpg
> 
> Could've been done cleaner but I'm happy with the result and they still sound great.


 

 Good job. Especially if those TRRS connectors use the round cylinder that you are supposed to solder onto. The hotglue makes for a pretty good seal, if you ever need to take them apart you can remelt it using a heat gun or hand-held hairdryer.


----------



## Shensmobile

Just made my first cable for my HD580's and honestly it came out pretty great!  The Y-Split was a lot easier than I expected to tackle.
  
 I ended up using some spare Canare CA-L-2T2S (2 conductor with shield).  I used the shield as the common return path.  Unfortuantely with Paracord 550 covering it, it's pretty stiff.  I'm not sure if it's the shield that's causing it or that the Paracord is stretched out to its max.
  
 I'm looking at re-doing the cable using the Canare Quad-cable.  If I opt for that, should I keep the fibre with the conductors or would that give me the same issue of stretching out the paracord and making it stiff again?


----------



## Paladin79

shensmobile said:


> Just made my first cable for my HD580's and honestly it came out pretty great!  The Y-Split was a lot easier than I expected to tackle.
> 
> I ended up using some spare Canare CA-L-2T2S (2 conductor with shield).  I used the shield as the common return path.  Unfortuantely with Paracord 550 covering it, it's pretty stiff.  I'm not sure if it's the shield that's causing it or that the Paracord is stretched out to its max.
> 
> I'm looking at re-doing the cable using the Canare Quad-cable.  If I opt for that, should I keep the fibre with the conductors or would that give me the same issue of stretching out the paracord and making it stiff again?


 

 The star quad is right at 1/4" outside diameter so it may well be a tighter fit than the two conductor with shield. There are larger sizes of paracord of course. I got some combo cotton and nylon sheathing that stretches more than paracord but less than techflex, I believe it was four and six mm wide measured flat but I would have to look up the exact sizes.  It is better in regards to microphonics IMHO.  Correction, the cotton and nylon is available in 4, 8, and 12 mm widths (measured flat as best I can tell.)


----------



## Shensmobile

paladin79 said:


> The star quad is right at 1/4" outside diameter so it may well be a tighter fit than the two conductor with shield. There are larger sizes of paracord of course. I got some combo cotton and nylon sheathing that stretches more than paracord but less than techflex, I believe it was four and six mm wide measured flat but I would have to look up the exact sizes.  It is better in regards to microphonics IMHO.


 
 I would be removing the PVC jacket.  The actual cable bundles internally are about the same size.  I guess my question is if the lack of shield would make the quad cable more flexible or is the paracord likely the cause of the stiffness?


----------



## Paladin79

shensmobile said:


> I would be removing the PVC jacket.  The actual cable bundles internally are about the same size.  I guess my question is if the lack of shield would make the quad cable more flexible or is the paracord likely the cause of the stiffness?


 

 it is probably the french braid and filler that stiffens the quad cable. Adding paracord does not help. The cotton/nylon is more flexible usually.


----------



## Shensmobile

paladin79 said:


> it is probably the french braid and filler that stiffens the quad cable. Adding paracord does not help. The cotton/nylon is more flexible usually.


 
 Where can I find this cotton/nylon material?  What I'll probably do is open the braid up and take some of the cotton filler out.  I'll get it to a thickness that fits well into whatever covering material I choose to use.

 Thanks for the advice


----------



## Paladin79

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231391753695?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=530652124610&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
  
 Just be careful if removing the braid. Star Quad cable as it sits has some excellent properties. If you remove the braid and do not keep the integrity of the twisted wires you would be giving up two forms of shielding. Go too far and you would be better off removing the internal wires and braiding them.


----------



## Allanmarcus

shensmobile said:


> Just made my first cable for my HD580's and honestly it came out pretty great!  The Y-Split was a lot easier than I expected to tackle.
> 
> I ended up using some spare Canare CA-L-2T2S (2 conductor with shield).  I used the shield as the common return path.  Unfortuantely with Paracord 550 covering it, it's pretty stiff.  I'm not sure if it's the shield that's causing it or that the Paracord is stretched out to its max.
> 
> I'm looking at re-doing the cable using the Canare Quad-cable.  If I opt for that, should I keep the fibre with the conductors or would that give me the same issue of stretching out the paracord and making it stiff again?


 

 Try loosening the sleeving. That can make a huge difference.


----------



## Shensmobile

paladin79 said:


> http://www.ebay.com/itm/231391753695?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=530652124610&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
> 
> Just be careful if removing the braid. Star Quad cable as it sits has some excellent properties. If you remove the braid and do not keep the integrity of the twisted wires you would be giving up two forms of shielding. Go too far and you would be better off removing the internal wires and braiding them.


 
  
 I was considering removing the 4th conductor but that would probably ruin the braid.  I just checked out the diagram of the Star Quad and there's a shield on top of the quad cables.  I think if I remove that shield, I'll have enough space to fit everything into 550-size paracord without it getting all bound up. That's quite a bit of cross-sectional area that I relieve.


allanmarcus said:


> Try loosening the sleeving. That can make a huge difference.


 
  
 Unfortuantely the cable I'm using pretty much expands the paracord to the max.  There would've been a little slack but I've already heat sealed the ends and I used superglue to keep everything neat and tidy.  Whoops. 

 Learning experience for next time!


----------



## Paladin79

shensmobile said:


> I was considering removing the 4th conductor but that would probably ruin the braid.  I just checked out the diagram of the Star Quad and there's a shield on top of the quad cables.  I think if I remove that shield, I'll have enough space to fit everything into 550-size paracord without it getting all bound up. That's quite a bit of cross-sectional area that I relieve.
> 
> Unfortuantely the cable I'm using pretty much expands the paracord to the max.  There would've been a little slack but I've already heat sealed the ends and I used superglue to keep everything neat and tidy.  Whoops.
> 
> Learning experience for next time!


 

 if I get a chance I will see how the cotton/nylon fits on the star quad. I was experimenting with my own mesh at home and need to bring some into work to access some of the star quad. I keep Belden, Mogami, and Canare but they are all fairly close in size as I recall. I doubt it will give a looser fit since it has the nylon mesh structure but the cotton helps.


----------



## Paladin79

Here is a photo of the cotton and nylon mesh. The purple portion is the cotton and the black is the nylon (PET actually). It does shrink down pretty tight but I prefer the cleaner appearance as well as the lessened microphonics. This will easily expand to fit star quad.


----------



## chrismini

Looks like good quality cable. It's the soldier joints and the plugs that really make a difference. I have no skill is this regard so I paid $160 for the cable on my $300 HiFiMAN HE-300's.(CablePros) Just make sure you burn them in with pink and brown noise and a recording with serious transient response. I use Zappa's G-Spot Tornado off The Yellow Shark CD. The last disc he did before he died of prostate cancer at age 53. I am a survivor of that disease...


----------



## Allanmarcus

OMG. cable burn-in. 

I just do the cable of joy dance three time around by newly finished cables and then enjoy the music.


----------



## Paladin79

chrismini said:


> Looks like good quality cable. It's the soldier joints and the plugs that really make a difference. I have no skill is this regard so I paid $160 for the cable on my $300 HiFiMAN HE-300's.(CablePros) Just make sure you burn them in with pink and brown noise and a recording with serious transient response. I use Zappa's G-Spot Tornado off The Yellow Shark CD. The last disc he did before he died of prostate cancer at age 53. I am a survivor of that disease...


 

 I believe in using quality connectors so that they hold up well and use those with solder lugs whenever possible but when you are using wire at say 5 feet in length and it is looped through a solder lug and a mere fraction of solder lies between it and the lug, I would be hard pressed to see how that could make as much difference as the wire itself.  I know about soldering and have been through a six week course on just that and yes silver is a better conductor than tin and lead but I am hard pressed to believe that that tiny junction or the junction between where a plug makes contact with a jack would be of more significance than five feet of wire. Source music is important but after that I would personally rate importance as headphones, amp, wire, connectors, then solder but that is just my opinion. I am glad to hear you are a survivor.


----------



## rmoody

paladin79 said:


> I believe in using quality connectors so that they hold up well and use those with solder lugs whenever possible but when you are using wire at say 5 feet in length and it is looped through a solder lug and a mere fraction of solder lies between it and the lug, I would be hard pressed to see how that could make as much difference as the wire itself.  I know about soldering and have been through a six week course on just that and yes silver is a better conductor than tin and lead but I am hard pressed to believe that that tiny junction or the junction between where a plug makes contact with a jack would be of more significance than five feet of wire. Source music is important but after that I would personally rate importance as headphones, amp, wire, connectors, then solder but that is just my opinion. I am glad to hear you are a survivor.


 

 Think weakest link in a chain.
 It's like a choke point at the solder joint.
 I don't even think that cables make a hill of beans difference myself unless you got silver wire, but getting some solder with silver content wasn't that expensive so I did. It does make soldering more of a challenge due to the higher temperature required, but nothing some practice can't fix.


----------



## Paladin79

rmoody said:


> Think weakest link in a chain.
> It's like a choke point at the solder joint.
> I don't even think that cables make a hill of beans difference myself unless you got silver wire, but getting some solder with silver content wasn't that expensive so I did. It does make soldering more of a challenge due to the higher temperature required, but nothing some practice can't fix.


 

 I know about weak links in chains and I have dealt with solder joints, crimp connectors, and compression connectors for years. I am not suggesting that if a solder joint was poorly soldered that it would not be an issue. But think about this logically, how much gap if any is there between a solder joint and a solder lug. If done properly, less than one mm. Compare that to five feet of wire carrying the signal and I would be more cautious about the five feet of wire. Anything can be a weak link, a broken piece of wire, a bad tube or transistor in an amp, or a driver on a headphone. I have read that crimp connectors are sooooo much better because they do not use solder. My people use Canare crimp RCA connectors on a daily basis and compared to a soldered RCA connector, (bar a poor solder joint) I think anyone would be hard pressed to say they hear a difference. I changed out the factory cables on three sets of headphones with other copper wire  and the difference was very noticeable. I have soldered the same connectors to the same types of wires using silver solder and 60/40 tin-lead solder and I could not hear or measure a difference.
  
 Here is a better analogy, you have five feet of copper wire and in the middle of that wire, at 2.5 feet, you place a one mm wide piece of solid silver, it is there permanently, no gaps, just there. Silver is a better conductor than copper but will you have much of an audible difference having silver in that one mm section over copper? Now change out the copper wire for litz wire, or occ, or ofc, or hc up copper. Which is more logical to make a difference? That change or the one mm in the middle of the wire? Silver solder can be 2% silver or 4% on up. Pure silver tarnishes so it is not used on connector plating very often. Corrosion can be a weak link so ofc or as pure a copper as you can get is good I would think. That is the way I look at it anyway but I can be proven wrong.


----------



## rmoody

paladin79 said:


> I know about weak links in chains and I have dealt with solder joints, crimp connectors, and compression connectors for years. I am not suggesting that if a solder joint was poorly soldered that it would not be an issue. But think about this logically, how much gap if any is there between a solder joint and a solder lug. If done properly, less than one mm. Compare that to five feet of wire carrying the signal and I would be more cautious about the five feet of wire. Anything can be a weak link, a broken piece of wire, a bad tube or transistor in an amp, or a driver on a headphone. I have read that crimp connectors are sooooo much better because they do not use solder. My people use Canare crimp RCA connectors on a daily basis and compared to a soldered RCA connector, (bar a poor solder joint) I think anyone would be hard pressed to say they hear a difference. I changed out the factory cables on three sets of headphones with other copper wire  and the difference was very noticeable. I have soldered the same connectors to the same types of wires using silver solder and 60/40 tin-lead solder and I could not hear or measure a difference.


 

 I'm not disagreeing with you, was just saying 
 Sorry if it came off as me insinuating you were ignorant. Because I do not think that.
 I should have put ? at the end of my first two sentences.
  
 One day I'd like to try some silver wire for giggles, I find the stuff hard to find. I wonder if my choice of wire is why I don't notice a difference? I got good Mogami or Canare wire for my cables. Or maybe too many rock concerts? Close proximity to running aircraft engines? OKOK, I'll say it, getting old?
  
 It would be a fun experiment to make two sets of cables, same wire, but solder vs crimp connectors. Get someone with "golden" ears (as in not me) and see what they hear.
  
 I wonder if there are any electrically measurable differences in conductance, resistance, capacitance, etc between soldered or crimped connectors. There is a dissimilar metal transition that would occur between the wire/solder/connector interface right? With a crimp, it's just between the wire and connector. For instance, with Type K thermocouples the joint that attaches the wires to the circuit board must be compensated for, but when using a Type K extension which is normally a mechanical connection, no compensation is needed.
  
 I highly doubt that using 4% silver solder would make any noticeable difference over 60/40. I mean, maybe if you used 100% silver, but that's not very feasible. I think the wire and a good solder technique would be more important. I still like the warm and fuzzy I get from my 4% silver solder .


----------



## Paladin79

No slight taken. I hope I know a little bit about this since I have worked, taught, and enjoyed the field for over four decades. I have the good fortune to be able to try most anything I want in wire, connectors, solder, etc. but I certainly do not claim to have golden ears as well. Some things can be very subjective of course.  If someone handed me a connector that I could hear an audible difference in compared to those I use, more power to them.
  
 I can tell you some horror stories about dissimilar metals so yes, that can be a factor at times.
  
 Money is more wisely spent on amps and headphones than $2,000 cables if we are talking bang for the buck but as with most things in nature there should be balance.
  
 I should mention also that I have access to plenty of younger people to test cables here and I personally own a great deal of test equipment but some things are very hard to measure. Lately I have been seeking the advice of a few gentlemen from this site who have impressed me with their knowledge and ability to build cables. At some point my company may offer diy wire for sale and I am more apt to just say, here is occ copper, here is its certification, and that is about all. It is a little dangerous to say "I guarantee this will sound incredible" or whatever.  I do want to offer some high grade Belden because it is generally made in northern Indiana and the engineering dept. at a local university demo'd a lot of it for me many years ago and I like the quality. I have also had a few guys from headfi stop by my business and I tend to listen and learn from them.


----------



## rnros

paladin79 said:


> As best I can tell, OCC is a licensed process and I would think that any company advertising such cable would be able to provide documentation about who made the wire as well as the specs on said wire. HDMI cables are that way, you can go to a site and see which companies meet the proper standards to manufacture cable for hdmi usage. Fail to meet the manufacturing requirements and your name is taken off the list of qualified vendors.
> * OCC has been around since 1986 or so *and is a patented process so any company that advertises it heavily already most likely has their ducks in a row and are selling you proper product. It is fun to build cables and it is great to hear an audible difference after you go through the process. There is always a caveat emptor factor but you are not risking a lot of money and so much of this is subjective anyway. If you build the same cable at the same length using the same connectors that you used for the cable you paid double the amount for and you listen to the same music at the same volume level with the same equipment and both cables sound the same, great! Now if you believe there is a huge difference, get someone to blindfold you, swap the cables randomly and keep track of which cable was plugged in at any given time, ceteris paribus (all other things being equal) and see if you can truly select repeatedly the one you liked better. Heck you might even like the lesser priced wire better and select it each time. In which case you might want to stock up on it, unless of course it was a closeout and you will never see it again. Personally, I have in front of me a dozen different cables with wire by Belden, Canare, Mogami, and various occ copper, ofc, hc copper and silver plated copper that I can swap in and out as I please and I would be hard pressed to consistently pick the most expensive one if blind folded, ceteris paribus. There may well be people who can and I certainly respect such abilities but I would never claim to be one of them.


 
 About 12 years ago was the first time I saw the Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC), although I do remember reading somewhere that the process was developed in the mid '80s.
  
 I think the first place I saw it available was with Take Five Audio. (I think Vampire was importing the wire?) At that time, it was only the single strand 26 AWG (that I used). I did use it for interconnects and I did like the sound. Also played with single strand silver, but always preferred the OCC sound. All of these were braided of course. No teflon on the OCC, only the magnet wire insulation.
  
 EDIT: Stranded OCC wire was also available.


----------



## Paladin79

rnros said:


> About 12 years ago was the first time I saw the Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC), although I do remember reading somewhere that the process was developed in the mid '80s.
> 
> I think the first place I saw it available was with Take Five Audio. (I think Vampire was importing the wire?) At that time, it was only the single strand 26 AWG (that I used). I did use it for interconnects and I did like the sound. Also played with single strand silver, but always preferred the OCC sound. All of these were braided of course. No teflon on the OCC, only the magnet wire insulation.
> 
> EDIT: Stranded OCC wire was also available.




I have tried some solid silver as well and have had occ copper that I liked and some that sounded no better to me than Ofc or HC copper. I have no reason to pay $45-$60 a foot for silver in four wire configuration.


----------



## Toxic Cables

paladin79 said:


> Sometimes it just boils down to whether you like the sound. There are companies that sell OCC silver plated copper who give you documentation. A lot is coming out of China and the price is low but quality varies. Personally I would trust Toxic Cables because they offer such a wide variety of products and I doubt they would stay in business long if they sold inferior products or made false claims.You can test for silver plating and Litz wire is pretty obvious if you have ever worked with it so it may well be decent. The beauty of DIY is you are only out a small price and labor if it turns out to be so-so. Spend $150 up on such a cable and you would be expecting decent results.


 
 Thank you for the recommendation mate
  
 We do have a huge selection of wires available, actually half of them are not even listed yet. Some we just have not got around to and some we decided against using in our own cables and sell on.
  
 I have been meaning to get around to listing all our DIY products, but just don't have the time, i will try to soon.


----------



## Paladin79

toxic cables said:


> Thank you for the recommendation mate
> 
> We do have a huge selection of wires available, actually half of them are not even listed yet. Some we just have not got around to and some we decided against using in our own cables and sell on.
> 
> I have been meaning to get around to listing all our DIY products, but just don't have the time, i will try to soon.


 

 In looking through their DIY connectors for sale, I am pleased to see that all with an internal view exposed show solder lugs. I hope the Oyaide are that way as well. People who solder the product themselves and who want the product to last once it goes out into the field are more inclined to use such connectors. I have never liked the idea of tacking a wire to the side of a small cylinder and relying on the solder to do all the work.
  
 The only thing I see on the connectors that might be off a bit is the description, gold plated "jacks" for what I would consider to be male plugs in the US. Perhaps in other countries the term plugs and jacks are used interchangeably and if so I stand corrected.


----------



## PinkyPowers

paladin79 said:


> The only thing I see on the connectors that might be off a bit is the description, gold plated "jacks" for what I would consider to be male plugs in the US. Perhaps in other countries the term plugs and jacks are used interchangeably and if so I stand corrected.




Yes, the term is more or less interchangeable. I don't know if it's "correct" to call them jacks, but very often they will be. It's become part of the vernacular.


----------



## Paladin79

pinkypowers said:


> Yes, the term is more or less interchangeable. I don't know if it's "correct" to call them jacks, but very often they will be. It's become part of the vernacular.


 
 It can matter of course and I doubt you will ever hear the term wall plugs. There are also phone plugs and phono plugs. Call Mouser or Digikey and order a 3.5 mm jack and you will receive the female.  I had a gentleman order a female to female bnc cable once and I called him and explained that was highly unusual and asked if he did not want male plugs? He got all huffy and explained how he had been an audio engineer for 30 years and certainly knew the difference. Once he received the cable he called and apologized and stated he had it wrong all those years. The show a photo so it is easy to tell what they are selling at Toxic Cables so I doubt they would have much of an issue but I was just curious about the difference in terms between countries.


----------



## Allanmarcus

From the source of all knowledge:
  
Electrical connectors consist of plugs (male-ended) and jacks (female-ended).
  
It's sort of easy to remember. Females don't have plugs


----------



## Paladin79

Yeah but then you get into HDMI connectors and no longer have little male pins but one portion slides inside the other; USB is similar.

.. A small adapter consisting of a male on each end or a female on each end is called a gender changer for obvious reasons.


----------



## Paladin79

paladin79 said:


> Yeah but then you get into HDMI connectors and no longer have little male pins but one portion slides inside the other; USB is similar.
> 
> .. A small adapter consisting of a male on each end or a female on each end is called a gender changer for obvious reasons.




By the way Allan, be sure you check your mail tomorrow.


----------



## Toxic Cables

paladin79 said:


> In looking through their DIY connectors for sale, I am pleased to see that all with an internal view exposed show solder lugs. I hope the Oyaide are that way as well. People who solder the product themselves and who want the product to last once it goes out into the field are more inclined to use such connectors. I have never liked the idea of tacking a wire to the side of a small cylinder and relying on the solder to do all the work.
> 
> The only thing I see on the connectors that might be off a bit is the description, gold plated "jacks" for what I would consider to be male plugs in the US. Perhaps in other countries the term plugs and jacks are used interchangeably and if so I stand corrected.


 

 Done the Oyaide descriptions about 4 years ago, hopefully with the pictures included, there won't be any confusion. Says jack plug, as in a plug that can be plugged in to a jack


----------



## buke9

Toxic Cables on the DIY forum is making me want to try some of that Litz wire for sure. I just love this community most of the builders and providers are so accessible . I have met many at meets and they tend to love what they do and that shows a lot in their products.


----------



## Toxic Cables

buke9 said:


> Toxic Cables on the DIY forum is making me want to try some of that Litz wire for sure. I just love this community most of the builders and providers are so accessible . I have met many at meets and they tend to love what they do and that shows a lot in their products.


 

 Couple of years ago, i used to be on here all the time, every other day. I learned a lot on these threads and still do. Things have just been so busy the last few years, i just don't get the time i would like to post was much n the threads.
  
 Between making cables and and replying to messages, i don't have much of a life 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 If you need anything, please drop me a PM and i will reply as soon as i possibly can.


----------



## buke9

toxic cables said:


> Couple of years ago, i used to be on here all the time, every other day. I learned a lot on these threads and still do. Things have just been so busy the last few years, i just don't get the time i would like to post was much n the threads.
> 
> Between making cables and and replying to messages, i don't have much of a life
> 
> If you need anything, please drop me a PM and i will reply as soon as i possibly can.


I'm glad things are busy for you. Will definitely be ordering some wire as soon as I get back from vacation sorry holiday to you.


----------



## uncola

my parts connexion Connex bl-ag arrived and my ms audio star rca connectors arrived.. maybe I'm overthinking it but anyone recognize what kind of set screw this is?  it's hard to see in the hole.. is it flathead or torx?  the connectors are pretty cool
 here's the real question.. when I put the wire into the connector.. there's a lot of wiggle.. not sure the set screw will be enough to hold down the wire.. is adding two layers of heatshrink to make the cable thicker a good strategy to help the set screw reach the cable?  or is there a better way?


----------



## chrismini

Thank you.


----------



## buke9

uncola said:


> my parts connexion Connex bl-ag arrived and my ms audio star rca connectors arrived.. maybe I'm overthinking it but anyone recognize what kind of set screw this is?  it's hard to see in the hole.. is it flathead or torx?  the connectors are pretty cool
> here's the real question.. when I put the wire into the connector.. there's a lot of wiggle.. not sure the set screw will be enough to hold down the wire.. is adding two layers of heatshrink to make the cable thicker a good strategy to help the set screw reach the cable?  or is there a better way?


Just get this and you'll have just about everything you need. https://www.amazon.com/Boxer-Tools-BX-100-Tamper-Security/dp/B000AYVJDI


----------



## chrismini

Transparent Audio make the best cables in the world. Also the most expensive. Their MM Opus speakers cost $40,000.


----------



## uncola

huzzah a tiny flathead for eyeglass repair works on this set screw


----------



## Paladin79

Depending on the cable opening size in the back of the RCA connector I generally use rubber grommets that have about an 8 or 9 mm outside diameter and reduce down as low as about 2 mm for the cable. I buy them with lesser expensive RCA connectors. Wire opening sizes of 2,4 and 6 mm I believe. I can post pics Monday. Silicone tape also works well since you can add exactly the amount you need. Tommy Tape from MarkerTek.


----------



## buke9

uncola said:


> huzzah a tiny flathead for eyeglass repair works on this set screw


Wiha makes some really great small screwdrivers and the Phillips heads for Macs.


----------



## uncola

thanks paladin I'd love to see those grommets..  I've only used the cheap neutrik rean rca connectors before this with that plastic boot that clamps on the cable as you screw on the bottom of the connector.. that's a great way to secure the cable..  weird that this more expensive connector is worse.. maybe I should have ordered a fatter cable since this connector opening goes up to 9mm cable


----------



## uncola

I finally picked up the Teflon plumbers tape at home depot and they also had self fusing stretchy silicon tape so now I'm set to make my cable the pro way


----------



## Sko0byDoo

uncola said:


> here's the real question.. when I put the wire into the connector.. there's a lot of wiggle.. not sure the set screw will be enough to hold down the wire.. is adding two layers of heatshrink to make the cable thicker a good strategy to help the set screw reach the cable?  or is there a better way?


 
  
 Connexion BL-Ag is pretty good, I made several interconnects from them before.  My solution to increase the wire outer diameter is to cover them with TechFlex Nylon Multifilament shealth. Heatshrinks with adhesive (or cheaper version = regular shrink with hot glue) at ends to keep the sheath taut.  My balanced interconnects using TechFlex nylon multifilament:


----------



## uncola

Just finished making and immediately started using my new interconnects between preamp and monoblock speaker amps!  these are my first solid core and my first pure silver(not just plated) interconnects.. also the connectors use the eichmann bullet principles and are silver plated tellurium copper..   I floated the shield on the source end and added arrows on the heatshrink pointing to the amp side..  if this isn't a nice upgrade from bluejeans cable lc-1.. then all the audiophile myths are really myths and not an example of how like.. people used willow bark tea for fever centuries before scientists realized there was aspirin in it   which is how I like to think of some of the audiophile shared ideas


----------



## Paladin79

I am not sure I totally follow what you are saying Uncola about myths and science but you may well have made a better product than you had before. It should be better from a science standpoint.
 Silver is one of the best conductors and if you can get a very pure silver, so much the better. By doing it yourself you saved the labor involved with buying it from a company who builds such cables. It is generally best to compare apples to apples, Blue Jeans sells a very good product at a reasonable price point that is considerably better than some cables you can buy. Many of the sponsors here started out doing similar things to what you are doing by building and experimenting and putting out a product they feel is a good one and one for which there is a demand. 
  
  
 Build one of the four wire cables with paracord as a DIY person and you realize why companies can charge what they do. Now as a professional, the first time I put wire in paracord and inched it along it may have taken an hour to do that one step. YIKES!  Since it was new to me, I listened to Allanmarcus when he told me about teflon tape. Cool, I might get the process down to a half hour. As a businessman with a background in science I want that process to take no more than a minute, so I figured out how to do it in one minute. I need to be able to do that but most DIY's do not. Part of what you are doing has to do with the sense of satisfaction you get from building it yourself as well as the beauty and great sound of the finished product. Try to make a living at it and you cannot spend an hour feeding wire through paracord. Necessity is the mother of invention.


----------



## uncola

Heh well I meant the whole silver gives more treble detail etc thing.  I mean.. I paid $7 a foot for this solid core silver when there are many papers on why there won't be an audible difference from 50 cent a foot stranded copper based cables.  I think hardcore audiophile tweak users like to think audio folklore(cable sound, isolation footers) is stuff future science will explain, in the way that past folklore like willow bark tea helping fevers was eventually explained(discovery of aspirin) but was basically magic for centuries.  But I'm not really hearing a night and day difference with my new cables so I might be coming to the end of my cable experimentation journey.  I really appreciate all the help you guys in this thread gave over the last couple years


----------



## uncola

sko0bydoo said:


>


 
 Hey sko0byD00 when I was googling connex-ag I saw your post about hum.. did you ever solve it?  or did you have to go to more heavily shielded cables?  I'm switching from super shielded bjc lc-1 to this and haven't had any so far.. I also didn't connect the shield at the amp end, only source end in the cable


----------



## Paladin79

It can be tricky to justify some things. Let ten people listen to those cables and age is a factor (you lose high frequencies in later years.)

If you like one sound over another go with it. OCC was developed by a scientist and if it was snake oil I doubt a lot of people would use it. It can boil down to whether you want to pay big bucks for slightly better sound. If you cannot hear a difference, why bother? There have been tests where 70% of a group chose the cheapest cables made in a blind test. Change the group and change the results.


----------



## Sko0byDoo

uncola said:


> Hey sko0byD00 when I was googling connex-ag I saw your post about hum.. did you ever solve it?  or did you have to go to more heavily shielded cables?  I'm switching from super shielded bjc lc-1 to this and haven't had any so far.. I also didn't connect the shield at the amp end, only source end in the cable


 
  
 Yeah, solved the hum problem.  It wasn't the interconnect cables.  It was the galvanic noise from the pc to the DAC via the USB cable.  I used an external aes/ebu converter to isolate the polluted 5V usb power now.
  
 The bl-ag got good enough shielding sleeve.  No need adding more.  May be grounding the drain wire at the source side just to be sure.


----------



## Arty McGhee

if any of you fine folks think you can hear the difference in cables
 i know a guy whose got a million dollars for you 
  
http://gizmodo.com/305549/james-randi-offers-1-million-if-audiophiles-can-prove-7250-speaker-cables-are-better
  
 please take this to the sound science forum before the mods close this thread, i'm beggin ya


----------



## Paladin79

This looks like an ideal time to go back to DIY cable building. I have found the combo cotton and pet sheathing. Does anyone have a good source for all cotton or silk?


----------



## Paladin79

Someone asked about what to do for a large opening in the back of an RCA connector and I suggested a rubber grommet. Here is a photo of what I was talking about. I buy individual grommets but this RCA connector comes with a choice of four sizes when you order it from Calrad. 30-292 is the four mm cable opening version.
 They are available in 2.8 mm, 4 mm, 6 mm and 8 mm. The part number I listed is four MM.


----------



## uncola

hmm interesting, do those grommets only fit in that calrad connector?
 I tried using that silicon fusing stretchy tape but it was so sticky the friction when I was screwing on the bottom half of the rca connector started to twist the cable around and I was worried about breaking my solder joints.. had to use it extremely sparingly


----------



## Paladin79

uncola said:


> hmm interesting, do those grommets only fit in that calrad connector?
> I tried using that silicon fusing stretchy tape but it was so sticky the friction when I was screwing on the bottom half of the rca connector started to twist the cable around and I was worried about breaking my solder joints.. had to use it extremely sparingly


 

 They fit an RCA connector with up to a 7.5 mm opening. If you need something larger than that, look for a photo I posted on Sept. 11, that shows longer grommets that fit even larger openings. You cut them down as needed. It would be futile for me to list the source on that since they are sold 500 at a time but you might luck out and find some on Ebay. They act as strain reliefs as well as helping to secure the cable inside a connector.
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-Rubber-Cable-Strain-Relief-Boots-Sleeves-BTS-59-BK-RG-59-RG59-Wire-Covers-/291526133048?hash=item43e04fc538:g:f~QAAOSwd0BVuFSq
  
 Here is a post on ebay for those boots except these are for RG 59 cable and will have about a 1/4 inch cable opening, what you want is made for RG 58. Opening is closer to 3mm or so.


----------



## Jiggybutt

I'm planning to build my own balanced cable for my HE-560! I'm a total newbie on this forum, and in hifi aswell, but have seen several posts about recommending microphone cables to build from. Wouldn't a thin speaker-cable braid be the same thing as taking microphone cable and dig out the conductors from the inside?


----------



## liquidzoo

jiggybutt said:


> I'm planning to build my own balanced cable for my HE-560! I'm a total newbie on this forum, and in hifi aswell, but have seen several posts about recommending microphone cables to build from. Wouldn't a thin speaker-cable braid be the same thing as taking microphone cable and dig out the conductors from the inside?




People recommend the microphone cable for a couple of reasons:

It's cheap. Mogami W2799, for example, is $0.62/ft

For that price, you get 4 wires inside the microphone cable shielding (which most, thought not all, people remove).

Most of the time, you're not going to find speaker wire in the 24-26 AWG range. Most speaker wire is 12-18 AWG, which might work, but would be quite bulky for headphones.


----------



## Paladin79

liquidzoo said:


> People recommend the microphone cable for a couple of reasons:
> 
> It's cheap. Mogami W2799, for example, is $0.62/ft
> 
> ...


 

 Very good answer. The Mogami is 26 awg, they do offer 24 awg quad but it costs more.


----------



## SVTong

Theoretically though, if one could get a hold of 24ga speaker wire it should work as well, correct?


----------



## liquidzoo

paladin79 said:


> Very good answer. The Mogami is 26 awg, they do offer 24 awg quad but it costs more.




Yes. The Mogami W2799 and W2893 are both 26 AWG. The only difference is extra copper shielding in the 2893 (and about $0.20/ft more money)

Mogami W2820 is 24 AWG. I've not used it, but I have used the Canare 24 AWG wire and prefer the Mogami 26 AWG for a more flexible wire.


----------



## liquidzoo

svtong said:


> Theoretically though, if one could get a hold of 24ga speaker wire it should work as well, correct?




In theory, yes. It will depend a lot on how the outer shield of the wire is constructed. That will determine how stiff it is once completed.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Does anyone have the pin layout for a standard 2-pin CIEM cable?


----------



## Paladin79

liquidzoo said:


> Yes. The Mogami W2799 and W2893 are both 26 AWG. The only difference is extra copper shielding in the 2893 (and about $0.20/ft more money)
> 
> Mogami W2820 is 24 AWG. I've not used it, but I have used the Canare 24 AWG wire and prefer the Mogami 26 AWG for a more flexible wire.


 

 I have used those two brands as well as Belden star quad, I prefer it and the Mogami personally. I am working on buying a bunch of 24 awg jacketed wire that is high quality, I can also get the 26 awg in OFC but unfortunately I would have to buy 150,000 feet or more. This is why a lot of people cut the star quad apart lol.


----------



## Jiggybutt

liquidzoo said:


> People recommend the microphone cable for a couple of reasons:
> 
> It's cheap. Mogami W2799, for example, is $0.62/ft
> 
> ...


 
 Well, I live in Sweden, which means that I can't find it cheap around here. The shielding won't make a big difference, won't make much difference, since you can't connect it in both ends, only amp. Or am I wrong about how shield works?
  
 Why is an awg that high needed? Is it the amp that needs the higher resistance? Or just that a thick cable is heavy for headphone use?


----------



## Paladin79

jiggybutt said:


> Well, I live in Sweden, which means that I can't find it cheap around here. The shielding won't make a big difference, won't make much difference, since you can't connect it in both ends, only amp. Or am I wrong about how shield works?
> 
> Why is an awg that high needed? Is it the amp that needs the higher resistance? Or just that a thick cable is heavy for headphone use?


. 

The larger the wire gauge number the smaller the wire.26 AWG is small, 10 AWG is huge in comparison. AWG is American wire gauge. Some rf cable uses outside diameter in hundredths of inches but that is rare.


----------



## Allanmarcus

pinkypowers said:


> Does anyone have the pin layout for a standard 2-pin CIEM cable?


 

 "standard 2-pin CIEM cable"? Is there such a thing? It would help to know what CIEM you have.
  
 ​Generally you connect one wire to one pin and the other wire to the other pin.


----------



## liquidzoo

jiggybutt said:


> Well, I live in Sweden, which means that I can't find it cheap around here. The shielding won't make a big difference, won't make much difference, since you can't connect it in both ends, only amp. Or am I wrong about how shield works?
> 
> Why is an awg that high needed? Is it the amp that needs the higher resistance? Or just that a thick cable is heavy for headphone use?




Thick cable is heavy and stiff. The thicker it is, the stiffer it will be. Most (not all, especially on higher end headphones) stock headphone cables are quite a bit smaller than 26 AWG, actually.

When I make cables, even for my single sided Beyers, I take the quad mic cable and cut the outer shielding off, leaving me with the 4 inner wires. Then I sleeve those with paracord (simply for looks) and braid them. I could just as easily leave all of the outer shielding in place (you don't actually connect the copper shield to anything in headphone cables, so it just adds weight). I go through the braiding process simply for looks.


----------



## Jiggybutt

liquidzoo said:


> Thick cable is heavy and stiff. The thicker it is, the stiffer it will be. Most (not all, especially on higher end headphones) stock headphone cables are quite a bit smaller than 26 AWG, actually.
> 
> When I make cables, even for my single sided Beyers, I take the quad mic cable and cut the outer shielding off, leaving me with the 4 inner wires. Then I sleeve those with paracord (simply for looks) and braid them. I could just as easily leave all of the outer shielding in place (you don't actually connect the copper shield to anything in headphone cables, so it just adds weight). I go through the braiding process simply for looks.


 
 Allright. Yes, sleeving and doing a braid was my intention. The braid would actually help you against interference noise, so it's win/win with the looks.
  
 I found this 25 awg that I may be able to import, though shipping costs more than the cable itself. 
 http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2799.html


----------



## liquidzoo

jiggybutt said:


> Allright. Yes, sleeving and doing a braid was my intention. The braid would actually help you against interference noise, so it's win/win with the looks.
> 
> I found this 25 awg that I may be able to import, though shipping costs more than the cable itself.
> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2799.html




Interesting that they say that's 25AWG. Mogami themselves say it's 26:

http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/console/

That is good wire if you can get it. My guess is you could probably find it for a cheaper total price from the UK or Europe, but I wouldn't know where to look.

I used the same wire (well, the 2893, but it's the exact same wire) on the wire I used for my Beyers and I like it a lot. Very flexible, quite easy to work with.


----------



## Paladin79

liquidzoo said:


> Interesting that they say that's 25AWG. Mogami themselves say it's 26:
> 
> http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/console/
> 
> ...


 

 sometimes they will list a drain wire as a different gauge but I would have to check it out sometime. Another interesting thing they can do is list what the gauge would be if you join two wires. 14 awg then becomes 11 awg as I recall. Gauge increases in increments of three from what I have been able to figure out. Electricians probably have to know such things but my so far my lack of education never hurt me none. (quoting Paul Simon)


----------



## Jiggybutt

hmm ok. So how about this, that is supposed to be awg 24? Is it too thick?
 http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2534.html
  
 I've looked aroud internet but it's not possible to order in europe in bulk and any other way they are all way more expensive.


----------



## Paladin79

jiggybutt said:


> hmm ok. So how about this, that is supposed to be awg 24? Is it too thick?
> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2534.html
> 
> I've looked aroud internet but it's not possible to order in europe in bulk and any other way they are all way more expensive.


 

 That wire is over a quarter inch outside diameter. I have used it for balanced cables and do not consider it too thick personally but individual wires are a lot lighter. I generally leave it in the jacket and split off at each end for each channel but that is for home use and cable weight on something like that does not bother me much.


----------



## liquidzoo

jiggybutt said:


> hmm ok. So how about this, that is supposed to be awg 24? Is it too thick?
> http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2534.html
> 
> I've looked aroud internet but it's not possible to order in europe in bulk and any other way they are all way more expensive.




24 AWG isn't too thick, but it will not be as flexible as 26 AWG (and it might be harder to get into #95 paracord). Plus it's more expensive. I'd go with the 2799 if it were me.

You could also go with Canare L-4E5C http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E5C.html which is _supposed_ to be 26 AWG. Not sure if it really is. I've used the L-4E6S, though, and it definitely feels like 23 AWG, so maybe the numbers are right.


----------



## Paladin79

liquidzoo said:


> 24 AWG isn't too thick, but it will not be as flexible as 26 AWG (and it might be harder to get into #95 paracord). Plus it's more expensive. I'd go with the 2799 if it were me.
> 
> You could also go with Canare L-4E5C http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E5C.html which is _supposed_ to be 26 AWG. Not sure if it really is. I've used the L-4E6S, though, and it definitely feels like 23 AWG, so maybe the numbers are right.


 

 Jacket thickness and composition as well as strand count can cause them to feel different. I am playing around with some 24 awg Belden with a 144 strand count that is buttery soft. (butter at room temp that is, not the stuff straight out of the fridge that you have to chisel apart.)


----------



## PinkyPowers

allanmarcus said:


> "standard 2-pin CIEM cable"? Is there such a thing?




It's rare that a CIEM uses a proprietary connector. Noble, Empire Ears, 64Audio, Spiral Ears, JHA, all use the same "Standard" connector. Jerry Harvey's Siren Series uses a proprietary 4-pin, because of that bass pot in the wire. I'm sure there are a handfull of other examples, but the standard is still the standard. 

If you reverse the grounding and signal wire, you throw the driver out of phase with the opposite side. It does matter.

Also, I'm building a balanced cable.


----------



## Allanmarcus

pinkypowers said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > "standard 2-pin CIEM cable"? Is there such a thing?
> ...


 

 might this help?
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/9015#post_8289474


----------



## Jiggybutt

liquidzoo said:


> 24 AWG isn't too thick, but it will not be as flexible as 26 AWG (and it might be harder to get into #95 paracord). Plus it's more expensive. I'd go with the 2799 if it were me.
> 
> You could also go with Canare L-4E5C http://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E5C.html which is _supposed_ to be 26 AWG. Not sure if it really is. I've used the L-4E6S, though, and it definitely feels like 23 AWG, so maybe the numbers are right.


 
 I can't get the 95 Paracord here. This is my alternative; http://www.ebay.com/itm/3mm-New-Tight-Braided-PET-Expandable-Sleeving-Cable-Wire-Sheath-17-Color-/252511003776?var=&hash=item3acad42480mp6gRC3itOFMfM8etnbHQMQ
 Can't be too bad eh?
  
 Edit:
 Found paracord 90. maybe too small?
 https://www.paracord.eu/micro-paracord


----------



## Paladin79

jiggybutt said:


> I can't get the 95 Paracord here. This is my alternative; http://www.ebay.com/itm/3mm-New-Tight-Braided-PET-Expandable-Sleeving-Cable-Wire-Sheath-17-Color-/252511003776?var=&hash=item3acad42480mp6gRC3itOFMfM8etnbHQMQ
> Can't be too bad eh?
> 
> Edit:
> ...


 

 Stay away from the PET if you can, that is plastic. I have not used the 90 yet, but it should be pretty small. 250 or 275 allows you to have a looser fit and decrease microphonics a bit. I also found some combination cotton and PET mesh which is not too bad. Lots of flexibility and you do not have to remove the nylon strings inside. I have listed that on here a couple times previously but if you have trouble finding it I will post it again. It is measured by flat width as I recall and on Ebay as well but it takes a lot of searching to find it.


----------



## liquidzoo

jiggybutt said:


> I can't get the 95 Paracord here. This is my alternative; http://www.ebay.com/itm/3mm-New-Tight-Braided-PET-Expandable-Sleeving-Cable-Wire-Sheath-17-Color-/252511003776?var=&hash=item3acad42480mp6gRC3itOFMfM8etnbHQMQ
> Can't be too bad eh?
> 
> Edit:
> ...




If you can't find 95, I do see Type 1 on that site (Paracord 100), which is what I've used in the past. IMO that's what you should get.

_Edit_ I would use the Type 1 for 26 AWG Mogami, for 24AWG Mogami or Canare, I would probably go up one size just to avoid the possibility of it not fitting. (Though that would be 250/275, which I also don't see on that site...)


----------



## Paladin79

liquidzoo said:


> If you can't find 95, I do see Type 1 on that site (Paracord 100), which is what I've used in the past. IMO that's what you should get.
> 
> _Edit_ I would use the Type 1 for 26 AWG Mogami, for 24AWG Mogami or Canare, I would probably go up one size just to avoid the possibility of it not fitting. (Though that would be 250/275, which I also don't see on that site...)


 

 The type 1 I have purchased is more flexible than the 250 and similar in size. I like it but it can be harder to thread the wire into unless you get industrious and find a method to quickly install the wire.


----------



## Jiggybutt

crap. In all haste I ordered the wrong cable. It is the one  http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2534.html which is AGW 24. If I read the data correctly it is 1.6mm in diameter. Exactly the same as Paracord 100 so that will be a too tight squeeze, or does the paracord expand when you push it together?
  
 My option is Paracord 425, 3 mm diameter. https://www.paracord.eu/Paracord-Type-II
 or
 this Cotton/PET you mentioned. http://www.ebay.com/itm/231391753695?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=530652124610&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 It has 4 mm option but it is adviced for use on cables 4-7 mm in diameter. Maybe it will be too loose?


----------



## liquidzoo

There will be a bit of expansion, but honestly not a lot. Would be better to get something that is a bit bigger, or wire that is smaller (though if you've already ordered the wire then just go with bigger paracord).

You don't have to sleeve it, naturally; though that would depend on the amount you got (2534 has 2 blue wires and 2 clear-ish ones, I've seen some cool cables made with just the clear ones).

Or, send an email to Redco. Maybe they can swap out what you ordered for a smaller diameter. Worth a try.


----------



## Jiggybutt

liquidzoo said:


> There will be a bit of expansion, but honestly not a lot. Would be better to get something that is a bit bigger, or wire that is smaller (though if you've already ordered the wire then just go with bigger paracord).
> 
> You don't have to sleeve it, naturally; though that would depend on the amount you got (2534 has 2 blue wires and 2 clear-ish ones, I've seen some cool cables made with just the clear ones).
> 
> Or, send an email to Redco. Maybe they can swap out what you ordered for a smaller diameter. Worth a try.


 
 I was just on my way to send an email to them when I discovered my mistake, but saw that it has already shipped. Honestly, the paracord from this site is not that expensive since you can order bulk, so maybe I'll order both 100 and 425 and use the one that fits best. It's not a bad thing to have some extra paracord at home.
  
 I know that sleeving is optional, but I think it looks nice. I ordered some extra cable, but it's noway near enough to be able to do just clear wire.


----------



## Paladin79

jiggybutt said:


> I was just on my way to send an email to them when I discovered my mistake, but saw that it has already shipped. Honestly, the paracord from this site is not that expensive since you can order bulk, so maybe I'll order both 100 and 425 and use the one that fits best. It's not a bad thing to have some extra paracord at home.
> 
> I know that sleeving is optional, but I think it looks nice. I ordered some extra cable, but it's noway near enough to be able to do just clear wire.


 

 it can look nice and it is interesting to learn different braiding patterns.


----------



## Paladin79

In the next few days I will try some high strand count oxygen free copper 24 awg wire with a silicone jacket and I will post the results. The wire is so soft and flexible that I will probably braid it without any fabric. Luckily it can be purchased in many colors so with a four wire braid, it should look fairly good. Little chance of microphonics and light weight.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I used a MultiMeter to figure out the wiring on the Balanced Rhapsodio Pandora I own. 

Here's a schematic for anyone interested.



And with that knowledge, I finished up my 2.5mm TRRS Silver-Plated Copper Litz CIEM cable.



This is that Non-Toxic SPC Litz I bought from Toxic Cables. It's quite supple and easy to use.

I'm having some trouble with these Eidolic 2-pin connectors. The housing is loose and pulls off WAY too easy. They've snapped in place, but it's a light snap. Am I supposed to push harder? Is there a second snap?


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> I used a MultiMeter to figure out the wiring on the Balanced Rhapsodio Pandora I own.
> 
> Here's a schematic for anyone interested.
> 
> ...


The cable looks pretty sweet. Have you got them to work? Try pushing harder.


----------



## PinkyPowers

I'm having no luck pushing them down harder.


----------



## alpha421

Great job on the cable.  For those Eidolic housings, to get them to stay put, I believe you have to use a small amount of super glue; at least that's what I've done with those connector housing.  Also, gel super glue works best as it's easier to handle and doesn't create those annoying glue threads with regular super glue.


----------



## PinkyPowers

alpha421 said:


> Great job on the cable.  For those Eidolic housings, to get them to stay put, I believe you have to use a small amount of super glue; at least that's what I've done with those connector housing.  Also, gel super glue works best as it's easier to handle and doesn't create those annoying glue threads with regular super glue.




Thanks for the advice.

Will that hold when you pull them out of the CIEMs?

Any recommended glue for super-strength?


----------



## alpha421

Yes.  The hold is permanent.  I use the Gorilla Super Glue Gel. Use only a little and apply it with a sharp pointed tooth-pick.  Once I got the wire leads soldered on, I apply a little gel glue around the black pin housing near the top around its circumference and when you slide the barrel down, it spreads out the glue. 
  
 When I first used the Eidolic pin connectors, I thought it snapped securely in place and voila, but the secret is glue.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Thanks. I will try that.


----------



## ryssen

This have probably been up before but...
 I have bought me a pair of Philips Fidellio X2 and I´m thinking of making a new nice cable can anyone guide me to some places where I can buy Diy cables and connectors 3,5mm,thanks in advance.
  
 Maybee a braided cable,who sells them?


----------



## PinkyPowers

You can't take any pride in the thing if you don't braid it yourself. 

It's not hard to learn at all. Just watch some YouTube videos on doing a 4 strand round braid.


----------



## Rikuo

Anyone have an idea where I could get a Rosewood Y splitter?

 My google-fu is failing me.


----------



## Kamakahah

rikuo said:


> Anyone have an idea where I could get a Rosewood Y splitter?
> 
> 
> My google-fu is failing me.




https://www.etsy.com/shop/YewWoodworks


----------



## Rikuo

kamakahah said:


> https://www.etsy.com/shop/YewWoodworks


 

 I don't see any Y splitters?


----------



## Kamakahah

rikuo said:


> I don't see any Y splitters?




He can make most things if you reach out and ask about what you need. 

You're unlikely to find a place that stocks what you're after. It'll have to be custom work.


----------



## SSSN

ryssen said:


> This have probably been up before but...
> I have bought me a pair of Philips Fidellio X2 and I´m thinking of making a new nice cable can anyone guide me to some places where I can buy Diy cables and connectors 3,5mm,thanks in advance.
> 
> Maybee a braided cable,who sells them?


 
  
 The most simple thing would be a studio-grade microphone cable (something like Mogami W2791) and Neutrik 3,5mm plugs.


----------



## PinkyPowers

alpha421 said:


> Great job on the cable.  For those Eidolic housings, to get them to stay put, I believe you have to use a small amount of super glue; at least that's what I've done with those connector housing.  Also, gel super glue works best as it's easier to handle and doesn't create those annoying glue threads with regular super glue.




The Gorilla Glue Gel worked nicely. I've installed and removed the cable a few times now, and the barrel stays in place. 

Thanks again. Cheers.


----------



## BrianKT

rikuo said:


> Anyone have an idea where I could get a Rosewood Y splitter?
> 
> My google-fu is failing me.


 

http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/parts.html


----------



## PinkyPowers

Working on that CIEM cable got me motivated to fix this Sennheiser HD6xx cable I had made way back at the beginning of the year.

The Senn connectors deformed under the pressure of the helping hand clamps when the soldering iron warmed them up, and they would no longer fit into the ear-cups. I had ordered replacement connectors, but never got around to soldering them on. 

Until now...







It's Silver-Plated Copper. I can't tell you what purity, because this wire is scavenged from another custom cable I received second hand. The original owner couldn't tell me any more about it.

This used to be covered in horrid, bright green paracord. Mini-XLR connectors, and 1/4" plug.

As you can see, it's a very different beast now.


----------



## Paladin79

pinkypowers said:


> Working on that CIEM cable got me motivated to fix this Sennheiser HD6xx cable I had made way back at the beginning of the year.
> 
> The Senn connectors deformed under the pressure of the helping hand clamps when the soldering iron warmed them up, and they would no longer fit into the ear-cups. I had ordered replacement connectors, but never got around to soldering them on.
> 
> ...


 

 Very nice work. I especially like the clear head shrink tubing so you can still see the read and black connectors as well as the cable going into them.


----------



## Jiggybutt

I'm making my current cable to the headphones I use at my computer. A Hifiman He-560 with a Modmic attatched to it. Currently the mic cable hangs beside my headphone cable and everything is a mess, so I'm thinking of including a mic cable in my braid, and putting a 2.5mm jack on the cable by the headphones so I can take the mic on and off when I want to. I looked at 5 strain braids but I can only find a flat one which is kind of boring. My conclusion is to do a round 4 strain braid and run the mic cable inside as a core, and do a three wire twist to the right ear and 2 wire twist to the left. I've tested it and the braid works ok.
  
 My question is if anyone thinks it's a problem including the mic cable? Is it possible to get noise in either cable?


----------



## Paladin79

jiggybutt said:


> I'm making my current cable to the headphones I use at my computer. A Hifiman He-560 with a Modmic attatched to it. Currently the mic cable hangs beside my headphone cable and everything is a mess, so I'm thinking of including a mic cable in my braid, and putting a 2.5mm jack on the cable by the headphones so I can take the mic on and off when I want to. I looked at 5 strain braids but I can only find a flat one which is kind of boring. My conclusion is to do a round 4 strain braid and run the mic cable inside as a core, and do a three wire twist to the right ear and 2 wire twist to the left. I've tested it and the braid works ok.
> 
> My question is if anyone thinks it's a problem including the mic cable? Is it possible to get noise in either cable


 
 I believe you would be all right since the microphone cable should be fairly well shielded. You might be able to experiment by looping it around your existing cable but IMHO you would be fine.


----------



## SVTong

That's pretty much exactly what I did with my ModMic cable.  I used it as a core with 4 24ga wires around it.  I'd post a picture, but I ended up sleeving the whole thing in Techflex, so you can't really see it.  I get no interference through the headphones or the mic, and I've been using it for about 6 weeks now.  The only difference is that I left the mic intact rather than putting a 2.5mm connector inline.  When I remove the cable, I pull the ModMic off of the magnetic base and let the mic hang from the coil.


----------



## Paladin79

It is good to hear from someone who actually built it that way. I am well grounded in theory but it never hurts to have some real world info. Here is a pic of some silicone jacketed ofc wire I am trying out. I just built a cable for some Fostex t50RP's at this time. It might work for balanced cable but i would probably have to sleeve any splits I made to each channel. For four wire TRS it is light and flexible with great sound quality and very little if any microphonics. It holds a good tight braid and works well for this type of cable.


----------



## Whitigir

paladin79 said:


> It is good to hear from someone who actually built it that way. I am well grounded in theory but it never hurts to have some real world info. Here is a pic of some silicone jacketed ofc wire I am trying out. I just built a cable for some Fostex t50RP's at this time. It might work for balanced cable but i would probably have to sleeve any splits I made to each channel. For four wire TRS it is light and flexible with great sound quality and very little if any microphonics. It holds a good tight braid and works well for this type of cable.




Excellent ! What do you think of PE jacketed wires ? Will it be good and no microphonic ?


----------



## SVTong

Paladin, does that silicone wire have any "memory" to it due to the rubbery casing?  I made a cable out of some low-end rubber coated speaker wire, and it never laid out properly - it was always trying to do it's own thing and getting in the way.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Paladin, does that silicone wire have any "memory" to it due to the rubbery casing?  I made a cable out of some low-end rubber coated speaker wire, and it never laid out properly - it was always trying to do it's own thing and getting in the way.


 

 I had no issues with memory but like I said, I stuck to a braid all the way down the cable. To split off each pair and maintain twisted pair would not be real easy but I bet I could do it with clear heat shrink tubing or some other means but I would probably be giving up a lot of flexibilty. Maybe a tight paracord would maintain the twists. The color on this kind of wire was not as vibrant as i would like. I was trying for orange and navy. (School colors of the University of Illinois and later the Chicago Bears).


----------



## Paladin79

whitigir said:


> Excellent ! What do you think of PE jacketed wires ? Will it be good and no microphonic ?


 

 I have yet to try much of the PE, more often than not I deal with PVC but I will see what is out there. I liked the silicone cause I prefer 24 awg wire and it was ofc as well. If you know of any PE ofc or OCC send me a link and I would be happy to buy some and test it out. I have settled on binaural recordings for testing (Amber Rubarth especially).


----------



## Jiggybutt

paladin79 said:


> I believe you would be all right since the microphone cable should be fairly well shielded. You might be able to experiment by looping it around your existing cable but IMHO you would be fine.


 
  
 Yes, the mic cable is really thick, over 2mm. I tried to do the looparound but it was hard to get it tight. Rather sure that I'm gonna be ok.


svtong said:


> That's pretty much exactly what I did with my ModMic cable.  I used it as a core with 4 24ga wires around it.  I'd post a picture, but I ended up sleeving the whole thing in Techflex, so you can't really see it.  I get no interference through the headphones or the mic, and I've been using it for about 6 weeks now.  The only difference is that I left the mic intact rather than putting a 2.5mm connector inline.  When I remove the cable, I pull the ModMic off of the magnetic base and let the mic hang from the coil.


 
 Thats good to know someone else has tried it. The reason I want a 2.5mm connector is that I use my headphones for other things as well and want to be able to take the mic off and use them without it.


----------



## SVTong

I do too, but I made an audio only cable and use the one with the Mic attached for gaming.


----------



## buke9

whitigir said:


> Excellent ! What do you think of PE jacketed wires ? Will it be good and no microphonic ?


PE is very soft and flexible. It don't think it is real microphonic to me but it doesn't take heat well so you need to be quick when soldering it will shrink back on you if you leave the iron on it too long.


----------



## Jiggybutt

I might have to rethink my project. I just got my headphone cables on the mail and tried to do a braid with the microphone cable. Due to the thickness of the mic cable the braid ended up beeing really thick.

 Maybe it will be better to attatch it to the side of the braid instead of inside as core..


----------



## Allanmarcus

Can anyone recommend a decent 2.5mm connector, preferably mono (for use with an Oppo PM-2) that has both solder lugs and an extension on the plug so that the barrel doesn't but up against the cup?
  
 Want something like this with regards to the extended plug part:

  
  
 BUT I want good solder lugs to solder to. I guess I could even try 2.5 TRS plugs and figure out which combination of wires would work. Still, want good lugs and plug extension. 
  
 Ideas?


----------



## SVTong

jiggybutt said:


> I might have to rethink my project. I just got my headphone cables on the mail and tried to do a braid with the microphone cable. Due to the thickness of the mic cable the braid ended up beeing really thick.
> 
> 
> Maybe it will be better to attatch it to the side of the braid instead of inside as core..



mine looked just like that, which is why I covered it in tech flex. It's still flexible, but it's definitely chunky.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Can anyone recommend a decent 2.5mm connector, preferably mono (for use with an Oppo PM-2) that has both solder lugs and an extension on the plug so that the barrel doesn't but up against the cup?
> 
> Want something like this with regards to the extended plug part:
> 
> ...


Eidolic makes them but a bit pricey I think I paid 14 to 17 dollars for a pair. They come in tr and trs . 
The one on the left I have to fix as it caught under a seat when I got up and no longer is working . It has the same barrel as the one shown without the carbon fiber the black one on the right is a lot bigger barrel to hold bigger cables.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Can anyone recommend a decent 2.5mm connector, preferably mono (for use with an Oppo PM-2) that has both solder lugs and an extension on the plug so that the barrel doesn't but up against the cup?
> ...


 
  
 yikes, that is pricey. The ones in the picture I posted are $2/pair. Hopefully there something in the middle.


----------



## buke9

That's weird when I go to the pic it goes to the first pic in the thread weird. The TR plugs only have a lug for ground and the shaft for pos but is fine to work with. Sorry the middle one is 1/8 " just noticed it.


----------



## Allanmarcus

So here's a pic from DoubleHelix Cables
  

  
 A little hard to tell. Does the shaft have a hole to fill with solder and the wire, or is it just a solid shaft? Assuming it's solid, what the best way to get a good connection?
  
 This cheap ones that I posted (and have used), look like this one. Quite hard to get a good feeling connection. Also, 6.50 per pair from LunaShops or 5 pairs for $10 from eBay. Essentially the same plugs.


----------



## Allanmarcus

So this is a pic of the plusSound 2.5mm mono plug. Looks like a solid shaft. $14.00/pair. I wish I knew where they got the base unit as I really don't carte about the Cryo treatment or the black anodized aluminum housing (not shown here) as I will just cover it will heat shrink. 
  
 What's the best way to solder to that shaft? Stip a little, tin heavily, and and just touch the two together? Strip the wire longer and wrap it around the shaft, then effetely tin the wire which should have it solidly on the shaft?


----------



## Allanmarcus

delete


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> So here's a pic from DoubleHelix Cables
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 It's got a little dimple but not a hole for the wire. They were just fine for me the other one you have just suck I've tried them before and my soldering skills or equipment couldn't use them. The Eidolics are pricey but one touch and I was done. I always use a bit of flux just for insurance and tin a bit and it was a snap with the Eidolics the others it started to melt the spacers for me.


----------



## Whitigir

Never mind. Does anybody know where to learn 10-12 wires braiding, please


----------



## Jiggybutt

whitigir said:


> Never mind. Does anybody know where to learn 10-12 wires braiding, please


 
 Pair them and do a 6 wire braid


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Can anyone recommend a decent 2.5mm connector, preferably mono (for use with an Oppo PM-2) that has both solder lugs and an extension on the plug so that the barrel doesn't but up against the cup?
> 
> Want something like this with regards to the extended plug part:
> 
> ...


 
 I will look around work Monday and see what I can find you Allan. I have not seen many 2.5 mm with extensions but solder lugs should not be an issue.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> It's got a little dimple but not a hole for the wire. They were just fine for me the other one you have just suck I've tried them before and my soldering skills or equipment couldn't use them. The Eidolics are pricey but one touch and I was done. I always use a bit of flux just for insurance and tin a bit and it was a snap with the Eidolics the others it started to melt the spacers for me.


 
 That little dimple is a solder cup and they work very well. As I have posted a few times I avoid the cylinder separated by plastic whenever possible (the type where the spacers melted).


----------



## PinkyPowers

Threw together this little adapter tonight.





Female 2.5mm TRRS to Male 4-pin XLR. 22AWG OCC SPC from Norne Audio.

By "threw together" I mean toiled and cursed and nearly gave up. The smaller they are, the more frustrating, I've found.


----------



## Toolman

pinkypowers said:


>




Nice  I need one just like this


----------



## stwq-9383

Was wondering if some advice could be given to me for the construction of my IEM cable.
  
 Should I have a total of 8 strands of wire soldered on the Jack, naturally 4 would go to the left and another 4 to the right.
 Question is, whether the grounding (-) would be 2 out of the 4 cables on each side?
 Or that I could use all 8 cables for L & R signals (+) and add in a thicker wire for grounding (-)?


----------



## Whitigir

stwq-9383 said:


> Was wondering if some advice could be given to me for the construction of my IEM cable.
> 
> Should I have a total of 8 strands of wire soldered on the Jack, naturally 4 would go to the left and another 4 to the right.
> Question is, whether the grounding (-) would be 2 out of the 4 cables on each side?
> Or that I could use all 8 cables for L & R signals (+) and add in a thicker wire for grounding (-)?




You can do it either way, the first way is 2x2 and 2x2 that would make it total of 8....the second way is 4x1 and 4x1 then additional thicker ground 1-1 would make it 10 in total. Whichever way you prefer, it wouldn't matter. The problem is that you figure out the size you are using to go with accordingly for the second way. Unless you are using single ended then it could be 9 wires as only 1 ground joined


----------



## stwq-9383

whitigir said:


> You can do it either way, the first way is 2x2 and 2x2 that would make it total of 8....the second way is 4x1 and 4x1 then additional thicker ground 1-1 would make it 10 in total. Whichever way you prefer, it wouldn't matter. The problem is that you figure out the size you are using to go with accordingly for the second way. Unless you are using single ended then it could be 9 wires as only 1 ground joined


  

 Thank you so much for this information!
  
 Just another question...The 'thicker' grounding cable refers to either the ability to withstand same or more resistance of the (+) cables yea...?


----------



## PinkyPowers

stwq-9383 said:


> Was wondering if some advice could be given to me for the construction of my IEM cable.
> 
> Should I have a total of 8 strands of wire soldered on the Jack, naturally 4 would go to the left and another 4 to the right.
> Question is, whether the grounding (-) would be 2 out of the 4 cables on each side?
> Or that I could use all 8 cables for L & R signals (+) and add in a thicker wire for grounding (-)?




You only need 4 conductors to build a working cable. 8 is only if you're trying to be fancy.

Unless we're talking about a JH Audio Siren Series cable. Those need 8 wires because of the bass-adjusting pots in the cable.


----------



## stwq-9383

pinkypowers said:


> You only need 4 conductors to build a working cable. 8 is only if you're trying to be fancy.
> 
> Unless we're talking about a JH Audio Siren Series cable. Those need 8 wires because of the bass-adjusting pots in the cable.


 
  
  
 Right.. So normally 2 cables on the Left (+ & -) and another 2 on the right will do the job?


----------



## Whitigir

stwq-9383 said:


> Thank you so much for this information!
> 
> Just another question...The 'thicker' grounding cable refers to either the ability to withstand same or more resistance of the (+) cables yea...?




Wires has sizes, and in the US it is Gauge or (AWG) and else where is mm I believe. Basically, if your thicker grounding cables is the same size as the other 4-4, you are just fine.

Use this to figure it out. Normally they are printed on their body

http://www.wirebarn.com/Wire-Calculator_ep_42.html


----------



## PinkyPowers

stwq-9383 said:


> Right.. So normally 2 cables on the Left (+ & -) and another 2 on the right will do the job?




Correct. Nearly all IEMs (and full-size headphones) only have two connector pins per side. You cannot need more than two conductors.


----------



## stwq-9383

pinkypowers said:


> Correct. Nearly all IEMs (and full-size headphones) only have two connector pins per side. You cannot need more than two conductors.


 
  
 This is going to save me from further cost! Thanks!
  
  


whitigir said:


> Wires has sizes, and in the US it is Gauge or (AWG) and else where is mm I believe. Basically, if your thicker grounding cables is the same size as the other 4-4, you are just fine.
> 
> Use this to figure it out. Normally they are printed on their body
> 
> http://www.wirebarn.com/Wire-Calculator_ep_42.html


 
  
  
 Thank you so much for this, something new for me!


----------



## Toxic Cables

allanmarcus said:


> Can anyone recommend a decent 2.5mm connector, preferably mono (for use with an Oppo PM-2) that has both solder lugs and an extension on the plug so that the barrel doesn't but up against the cup?
> 
> Want something like this with regards to the extended plug part:
> 
> ...


 

 We have some available, black housing £7.99 and carbon housing £11.99 for a small order we can send this standard post so would be cheaper.
  
 Soldering is a breeze on these.
  
If you like i can take some pictures when i get to workshop shortly.


----------



## Allanmarcus

toxic cables said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Can anyone recommend a decent 2.5mm connector, preferably mono (for use with an Oppo PM-2) that has both solder lugs and an extension on the plug so that the barrel doesn't but up against the cup?
> ...




That looks interesting. What is the recommended way to solder a wire to the post to ensure the best connection?

Also, even with the weak pound, the pricing is still ~$10US + shipping. I may just have to accept the fact that 2.5mm plugs with lugs ain't cheap.


----------



## Toxic Cables

allanmarcus said:


> That looks interesting. What is the recommended way to solder a wire to the post to ensure the best connection?
> 
> Also, even with the weak pound, the pricing is still ~$10US + shipping. I may just have to accept the fact that 2.5mm plugs with lugs ain't cheap.


 

 Tin the post and wire and solder it directly on to the side of the post, been doing it for years, never have i had a solder joint fail.
  
 Have you tried Aliexpress, likely be about $3 for a pair shipped.


----------



## Allanmarcus

toxic cables said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > That looks interesting. What is the recommended way to solder a wire to the post to ensure the best connection?
> ...




Can you post or PM me a link? I cannot find these on aliexpress.


----------



## Toxic Cables

allanmarcus said:


> Can you post or PM me a link? I cannot find these on aliexpress.


 

 Not these, they have different types of many plug on there.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Ok, found one for $3.71 that might work. No idea of the quality of the plug, though. I think I can assume "not high". 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-Pieces-2-5mm-Male-Headphone-Plug-Male-Stereo-Audio-Connector-For-Cable-Adapter/32580136003.html


----------



## madmalkav

Bought some microcord -smaller version of paracord- to sleeve some 22awg wires, just to discover this cord structure is different to paracord and doesn't fit for sleeving.
  
 Any sugestions on what to use to sleeve cables of this diameter?


----------



## Paladin79

madmalkav said:


> Bought some microcord -smaller version of paracord- to sleeve some 22awg wires, just to discover this cord structure is different to paracord and doesn't fit for sleeving.
> 
> Any sugestions on what to use to sleeve cables of this diameter?


 
 Type 1 paracord does a good job, look in Paracord Galaxy. I bought some micro paracord myself and it might be all right for wire without a jacket but it is very tiny. If you cannot find type 1 look for 250 paracord, it should be fine as well.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Paracord comes in many different sizes. I've used 95 Type 1 to fit 22 and 24AWG. Nice and snug.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Ok, found one for $3.71 that might work. No idea of the quality of the plug, though. I think I can assume "not high".
> 
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-Pieces-2-5mm-Male-Headphone-Plug-Male-Stereo-Audio-Connector-For-Cable-Adapter/32580136003.html


 

 Allan, are you working on a small project where say four connectors would be enough? I have some 2.5 mm mono's with solder lugs but they are nickel plated but highly reliable. I got them from a vendor who does not sell to the general public but I could help out if you like.


----------



## madmalkav

Thanks @Paladin79  and 
@PinkyPowers. 
  
 Unfortunately, the colors I want -maroon and hunter green from Atwood Rope- aren't available in Type 1, so my options are to look for similar colors on Type 1 producers -hard because photos of the same color vary wildly among different stores- or see if the Atwood 1/16" cord is good for sleeving. Any help with any of those options will be really appreciated.


----------



## PinkyPowers

madmalkav said:


> Thanks @Paladin79
> and
> @PinkyPowers
> .
> ...




Amazon has an incredible selection of colors.


----------



## madmalkav

pinkypowers said:


> Amazon has an incredible selection of colors.


 
 I'm afraid that selection gets quite less incredible in Amazon Spain


----------



## PinkyPowers

That's a bummer.


----------



## Paladin79

madmalkav said:


> I'm afraid that selection gets quite less incredible in Amazon Spain


 

 It does get tricky trying to help folks in other parts of the world. Perhaps look on Ebay and find a Chinese source who ships all over the world? There is plenty of paracord there but prices vary and there is generally a 2-3 week wait.


----------



## madmalkav

I have no problem buying to US ellers, but Amazon won't send much of those products. But Paracord Galaxy and a lot of others does, so for me it is more about finding the appropiate product than were to buy it.


----------



## Paladin79

madmalkav said:


> I have no problem buying to US ellers, but Amazon won't send much of those products. But Paracord Galaxy and a lot of others does, so for me it is more about finding the appropiate product than were to buy it.


 

 I see. Luckily there are a lot of sellers so you should be able to find what you want.


----------



## madmalkav

paladin79 said:


> I see. Luckily there are a lot of sellers so you should be able to find what you want.


 
 Anyway, if someone have experience using Atwood's 1/16" for sleeving, I will really appreciate some feedback.


----------



## SuperPollito

Just ordered a bunch of stuff to try my first DIY - thanks for the info everyone, we'll see how this goes!


----------



## Paladin79

superpollito said:


> Just ordered a bunch of stuff to try my first DIY - thanks for the info everyone, we'll see how this goes!


 

 My work has kept me from contributing much lately but there are plenty of experienced folks on this thread who can help.


----------



## 1yay1

Okay, first post after lurking and finding some info on DIY cables - 400 pages is alot, and i'm pretty sure the info i'm looking for is somewhere hidden in here, and most of my questions i already found answers.
  
 Now i want to make a cable for my hd650, i bought 24awg cable, PTFE and silver coated copper, paracord 100, some hd650 connectors from ebay/china.
 What i'm missing is the 6,3mm connector and/or balanced out (will make both cables, likely). Not sure what to get, any recommendations of something that looks good and is available in europe? (but not too expensive for my first cable). also heatshrinks, for the connector sides and the Y splitter in the middle (likely getting viablue splitter) - i have no idea what size i should get and what shrinking factor i should get. also with glue, without? no idea.
  
 anything else i'm missing for this, that i forgot?


----------



## buke9

1yay1 said:


> Okay, first post after lurking and finding some info on DIY cables - 400 pages is alot, and i'm pretty sure the info i'm looking for is somewhere hidden in here, and most of my questions i already found answers.
> 
> Now i want to make a cable for my hd650, i bought 24awg cable, PTFE and silver coated copper, paracord 100, some hd650 connectors from ebay/china.
> What i'm missing is the 6,3mm connector and/or balanced out (will make both cables, likely). Not sure what to get, any recommendations of something that looks good and is available in europe? (but not too expensive for my first cable). also heatshrinks, for the connector sides and the Y splitter in the middle (likely getting viablue splitter) - i have no idea what size i should get and what shrinking factor i should get. also with glue, without? no idea.
> ...


Just make a balanced cable and a adapter. I'm sure you can get Neutrik connectors over there. They are rugged and inexpensive. The heat shrink is measured flat across . I'm going with adhesive next time I would advise the same for you. 2:1 is fine for most things 3:1 if you are going to cover the back of a plug and wires 2:1 prolly work most of the time.


----------



## Paladin79

1yay1 said:


> Okay, first post after lurking and finding some info on DIY cables - 400 pages is alot, and i'm pretty sure the info i'm looking for is somewhere hidden in here, and most of my questions i already found answers.
> 
> Now i want to make a cable for my hd650, i bought 24awg cable, PTFE and silver coated copper, paracord 100, some hd650 connectors from ebay/china.
> What i'm missing is the 6,3mm connector and/or balanced out (will make both cables, likely). Not sure what to get, any recommendations of something that looks good and is available in europe? (but not too expensive for my first cable). also heatshrinks, for the connector sides and the Y splitter in the middle (likely getting viablue splitter) - i have no idea what size i should get and what shrinking factor i should get. also with glue, without? no idea.
> ...


 
 As Buke said Neutrik is a good choice and should be in other countries. Amphenol also makes some vary good product and you might find their 1/4 inch connectors (6.3mm) in your area. 3M makes a lot of heat shrink tubing. The thin wall adhesive type would be great for your application, stay away from thick wall or double wall, that is out there as well and it can get a little bulky and add extra weight.


----------



## cthomas

Is this the thread to find someone who can make me a custom cable?

Cheers


----------



## Jiggybutt

cthomas said:


> Is this the thread to find someone who can make me a custom cable?
> 
> Cheers


 
 Why not make it yourself? It is really not that hard and it is a fun project. You will like the cable even more when you have made it yourself!


----------



## cthomas

jiggybutt said:


> Why not make it yourself? It is really not that hard and it is a fun project. You will like the cable even more when you have made it yourself!




I don't have a soldering iron and never done anything like that before. And I assume ordering parts would be a hassle too since I live in Australia and would have to ship everything. On the other hand it would be handy to know how to go about it at least I could consider it. Are there any good video guides?


----------



## Jiggybutt

cthomas said:


> I don't have a soldering iron and never done anything like that before. And I assume ordering parts would be a hassle too since I live in Australia and would have to ship everything. On the other hand it would be handy to know how to go about it at least I could consider it. Are there any good video guides?


 
 Well, I'm in the making of my first cable. I live in Sweden and ordered everything from US and China. Had an old soldering iron at home. Took some time to watch some soldering videos and then got to work. It is not hard but very rewarding.


----------



## cthomas

jiggybutt said:


> Well, I'm in the making of my first cable. I live in Sweden and ordered everything from US and China. Had an old soldering iron at home. Took some time to watch some soldering videos and then got to work. It is not hard but very rewarding.




Turns out my mates got a soldering iron. How much did everything cost you to make a cable? I've emailed Zach from bestintheverse cables but the price is getting up there... so far $140 USD including shipping to Australia for an 8ft balanced cable. Alternatively I found a cheap balanced cable from customcans for less than half that price.


----------



## Allanmarcus

cthomas said:


> jiggybutt said:
> 
> 
> > Well, I'm in the making of my first cable. I live in Sweden and ordered everything from US and China. Had an old soldering iron at home. Took some time to watch some soldering videos and then got to work. It is not hard but very rewarding.
> ...




It depends on the materials. What headphones are they for? Do you want to braid cable, or is a thinker cable, like that on the Breyer T1, ok? Do you want a nylon sleeve? Many questions to be answered.


----------



## cthomas

allanmarcus said:


> It depends on the materials. What headphones are they for? Do you want to braid cable, or is a thinker cable, like that on the Breyer T1, ok? Do you want a nylon sleeve? Many questions to be answered.




Im just realising how crazy some of these prices are just for materials. I was on the phone to a guy who sells furutech stuff, he used to sell Viablue but doesn't anymore. Says that Viablue are not very good because it's made from brass and they don't sound good. Wouldn't my stock hd650 cable be brass too? I'm confused on what I should be considering for connectors now and not keen on spending more on cables than what my 650's cost me that's for sure.

Edit: I'm after something like these...


----------



## Trying2Learn

I posted this in the Home-made IEM forum, but I figured maybe the masters over here could help me too. I'm just starting my DIY journey and I'm planning to solder a/some BA's to an MMCX connection. How does this work? The MMCX female has these 
  
 3 little prong things, do the + and - wires just go on any 2 of them? This counts as a cable right? lol


----------



## cthomas

Hi again. Would someone be able to point me in the direction of some sort of guide(s) that can explain the ins and outs of how headphone cables/jacks work?

The subject has piqued my interest and want to learn. My basic knowledge is very limited on the subject. 

I want to make a balanced cable for my HD650...

The balanced connection I'm keen to understand is dual TRS. Seperate plugs for left and right channels as I want it to work with my Sony PHA-3.



I'm interested to know if I need special wire for a balanced headphone cable? By googling it I noticed that balanced has hot and cold wires and a normal cable has just hot. So I'm assuming I might need specific balanced wire?

I've found some jacks on eBay, sleeving seems simple enough to find but have no idea where I find headphone cable wire. Is there a specific place to get it from?

Thanks in advance for any help!


----------



## Jiggybutt

My total is around 40 USD. 
 I bought microphone cable with 4 wires inside it and stripped it to get the cables. Then sleeved them with paracord and braided together. It's a very common method around here and you get good wires for low money. The positive is that you can buy this cable in bulk from some sellers, which means cheap. You just put in how long you want it to be and they cut it for you. This cable has 4 wires inside it, and that is all you need. You use them as hot and cold.
  
 You don't need to strip the wire, but I recommend it, because you get rid of a lot of weight to your end cable if you do it.
  
 So I ordered my neutrik jack and cable from redco.com. It was the cheapest I found. 
 These are the cables I talk about: http://www.redco.com/Mogami-Quad-Microphone-Cable/
 Mine is the W2534, but the thinner W2893 is probably as good, but gets you a thinner cable. Also cheaper.
  
 I have hifiman headphones so I ordered the connectors for the headphones from ebay really cheap. 
  
 I followed a great site for balanced audio, but it is currently down unfortunately.


----------



## Whitigir

cthomas said:


> Im just realising how crazy some of these prices are just for materials. I was on the phone to a guy who sells furutech stuff, he used to sell Viablue but doesn't anymore. Says that Viablue are not very good because it's made from brass and they don't sound good. Wouldn't my stock hd650 cable be brass too? I'm confused on what I should be considering for connectors now and not keen on spending more on cables than what my 650's cost me that's for sure.
> 
> Edit: I'm after something like these...




Yes, viablue is a rip-off. I don't sell stuff, but I had been making and experienced countless of stuff, Including Furutech. You have not got there yet. Until u get to quality connectors, wires, solders...etc. Real quality cables will cost easily $300-400 by DIY. It could easily be priced at $700-1000 by vendors.

I agreed that brass connectors don't sound good. Furutech does sound good.


----------



## Whitigir

trying2learn said:


> I posted this in the Home-made IEM forum, but I figured maybe the masters over here could help me too. I'm just starting my DIY journey and I'm planning to solder a/some BA's to an MMCX connection. How does this work? The MMCX female has these
> 
> 
> 3 little prong things, do the + and - wires just go on any 2 of them? This counts as a cable right? lol




It can go to any of them, just as long as your cables plugs is soldered on accordingly.


----------



## cthomas

whitigir said:


> Yes, viablue is a rip-off. I don't sell stuff, but I had been making and experienced countless of stuff, Including Furutech. You have not got there yet. Until u get to quality connectors, wires, solders...etc. Real quality cables will cost easily $300-400 by DIY. It could easily be priced at $700-1000 by vendors.
> 
> I agreed that brass connectors don't sound good. Furutech does sound good.




What would be a good quality and affordable 3.5mm TRS? Furutech is nice but not in my budget.


----------



## PinkyPowers

cthomas said:


> What would be a good quality and affordable 3.5mm TRS? Furutech is nice but not in my budget.




Eidolic is a very nice brand.

But for ultra-affordable and good quality, you can't go wrong with Neutrik.


----------



## cthomas

Eidolic looks good. Cheers.


----------



## Whitigir

Neither of the above is made of good quality materials. The next best bet for you would be Ranko Acoustic. It has it own looks, but the materials, technology, and quality is top notch. In my own experiences, it rivals those of Furutech.


----------



## Allanmarcus

cthomas said:


> whitigir said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, viablue is a rip-off. I don't sell stuff, but I had been making and experienced countless of stuff, Including Furutech. You have not got there yet. Until u get to quality connectors, wires, solders...etc. Real quality cables will cost easily $300-400 by DIY. It could easily be priced at $700-1000 by vendors.
> ...




Why do you need 3.5mm TRS if you are making a balanced cable?


----------



## Whitigir

allanmarcus said:


> Why do you need 3.5mm TRS if you are making a balanced cable?




Into headphones that needs 3.5mm ends, Z7, E-Lear, Z1R...etc


----------



## cthomas

whitigir said:


> Neither of the above is made of good quality materials. The next best bet for you would be Ranko Acoustic. It has it own looks, but the materials, technology, and quality is top notch. In my own experiences, it rivals those of Furutech.




And they're cheap too! Good advice mate, I like the look of these... Now for some good affordable wires and I'm almost there


----------



## cthomas

whitigir said:


> Into headphones that needs 3.5mm ends, Z7, E-Lear, Z1R...etc




Not in this case. PHA-3 to HD650


----------



## cthomas




----------



## Allanmarcus

I guess I'm totally confused. He posted a picture of an XLR balanced HD650 cable. I though that is what he wanted. Sorry.
  
 As for brass, are almost all plugs plated (Nickel, Gold) brass?


----------



## Whitigir

allanmarcus said:


> I guess I'm totally confused. He posted a picture of an XLR balanced HD650 cable. I though that is what he wanted. Sorry.
> 
> As for brass, are almost all plugs plated (Nickel, Gold) brass?




No, but those are very common, because they are cheap to produce. Plus, the majority of people can not tell the differences due to many factors involved. However, Furutech Plugs are offered in different materials. The better it sounds, the more expensive it is to make


----------



## Muinarc

rmoody said:


> Just finished a cable for my Ether Cs. It's just 1/8" TRS connection. I could not get para-cord over the core cable which is a Gotham 11002 so I left it plain. The Y is made from a piece of
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> ...


 
  
  


rmoody said:


> Been busy cable making for the Nashville headfi meet.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> ...


 
  
 I've done some searching and looking at the PDF to the Hirose instructions and photos I sill can't quite grasp how these go together. Dan told us somewhere what pins to use and gave numbers, but I see none on the connector unless they're stamped on the backside? I have a DIY cable from a forum member but when I tested these at RMAF with the Audio Precision team we discovered it's wired out of phase. I don't want to make the same mistake.
  
 I want to make myself another cable but I was hoping to get more clarification on how these go together without me tearing apart my current cable. If anyone has a new one of these connectors and can take some pics of the exploded parts layed out that would be a big help to me!
  
  
 I just need 2 of these right?
  
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HIROSE-HR10A-7P-4P-COMPATIBLE-CONNECTOR-NEW/321089774722?rt=nc&_soffid=5&_soffType=PromotionalShipping&_trksid=p5731.m3795&rmvSB=true
  
  
  
 Thanks everyone.


----------



## rmoody

The pin numbers are on the back/inside of the connector. They are extremely small, I doubt any picture I take will show you this. You can disassemble the cables without damaging them. Pull back the rubber boot to expose the .05" set screw, unscrew this enough that the brass crimp ring inside will turn in the connector freely (it may come all the way out, just be careful that little sucker is really small), connect the cable to the ear-cup so that the internal parts will rotate in relation to the outer shell, turn the part of the connector where you loosened the set screw in a counter clockwise direction. Once free, you can pull the internal part off of the ear-cup with minimal force. Reverse to reassemble.
  
 Part numbers are like this:
 HR10 is the type of connector. Hirose something or other.
 A (or lack of an A) is how it grips the cable, A is a set screw and a brass crimp ring. No A is a sort of ferrule. This version is usually more expensive and I find harder to deal with even without a crimp tool for that brass crimp ring. The ferrule has what behave like teeth and they snag on the cable sleeving making tightening the assembly a pain in the rear. The brass crimp ring is a pain to get attached, but once you get it on the cable and file it down so that it passes through the outer shell, it's much easier to deal with. I take a pair of pliers and begin folding the ends making it as round as I can, then I take a small file and smooth off any sharp edges on the teeth and any high points until it fits into the shell freely and spins. Takes about 15 minutes the first time and gets easier as you do more.
 7 no idea 
 J or P is Jack or Plug.
 4 is number of poles or wires it carries, they make these things up to 12 or 24 pins.
 S or P is Sockets (female) or Pins (male) on the internal part.
 (73) sometimes you see this as part of the part number, sometimes you don't, no idea what it means.
  
 Below is what you would want if you are going to make a modular cable system like I did. I recommend using Dan's connector (HR10A-7P-4P(73)) on the adapters and the other one on the end of the headphone cable because it's cheap to order them from Dan, the other one is a pain to find without paying through the nose. There is some seller on eBay from France that usually has them (watch me jinx myself) and he's got the best price I've found. In fact, I think I'll go order a pair now.
  
 What you have in the eBay link is what Dan uses to connect to the ear-cups. Be sure to check Dan's site he sells these cheap. Also, that's the guy I've ordered mine from in the past, good seller.
  
Dan's part on DigiKey.
 HR10A-7P-4P(73)
 set screw, plug, 4 poles, pins (male)
  

  
  
 It's counterpart, HR10A-7J-4S(73)
 set screw, jack, 4 poles, sockets (female)


----------



## Muinarc

rmoody said:


> The pin numbers are on the back/inside of the connector.....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> ...


 
  
 Ok that helps a bit. I think I know what to expect, do you off hand remember what pins + - they are for the Ether? I can search for Dan's comment but if you know it might be easier to find out from you 
  
 Thanks for the assist!


----------



## rmoody

muinarc said:


> Ok that helps a bit. I think I know what to expect, do you off hand remember what pins + - they are for the Ether? I can search for Dan's comment but if you know it might be easier to find out from you
> 
> Thanks for the assist!


 

 I'm looking for them, stand by, here's this also.
  
 Order of assembly:
 Strip the tips of the wires about 1/8", 2 or 3 mm and tin.
 Feed the wire through the rubber boot, narrow end first.
 Disassemble the connector and feed the outer shell over the wire, narrow end first.
 Clamp the internal section with the electrical connectors with helping hands or the like.
 Get some magnifying device.
 Using the pinouts from Dan's site, solder the wires. Make sure your soldering iron tip is clean and tinned. Apply a small amount of flux to the solder cup and a small amount of solder to the soldering iron tip. Hold the wire in place with helping hands, touch the soldering iron to the wire and solder cup, feed more solder as needed.
 Rinse, repeat.
 Crimp the brass ring to the cable.
 Slide the outer housing over the brass crimp ring, thread onto the inner section.
 Tighten the set screw.
 Slide the boot onto the end of the connector.


----------



## Muinarc

Ah you just reminded me that they were on the MrSpeakers site.


----------



## rmoody

Found my notebook. If you don't have one, get one, keep it handy with drawings of this stuff, trust me, it helps.
 And if you wire it wrong, de-solder it do it again. Doesn't make you a bad person. 
  
 Pinouts:
  
 With the notch on the connector on top from the back the order is:
 4 1
 3 2
  
 Mad Dog and also if you want to make a modular cable, looking at the connector from the solder cup end:
 Pin 1 = L+
 Pin 2 = L-
 Pin 3 = R+
 Pin 4 = R-
   
Right connector:

 Pin 1 = R+
 Pin 2 = R-
 Pins 3 and 4 are not used.
  
 Left connector:
 Pin 1 = L+
 Pin 2 = L-
 Pins 3 and 4 are not used.
  
 2.5mm TRRS (what A&K uses):
 Tip = R-
 Ring 1 = R+
 Ring 2 = L+
 Sleeve = L-
  
 TRS (3.5mm or 6.whaevermm, er 1/8" or 1/4"):
 Tip = L
 Ring = R
 Sleeve = Ground
  
 Female XLR:
 Pin 1 = L+
 Pint 2 = L-
 Pin 3 = R+
 Pin 4 = R-
 With the pins oriented on the bottom from the back (I think!):
 4       1
   3  2
  
 Male XLR:
 Pin 1 = L+
 Pint 2 = L-
 Pin 3 = R+
 Pin 4 = R-
 With the pins oriented on the bottom from the back (I know):
 4       1
   3  2
 With the pins oriented on the bottom from the front:
 1       4
   2  3


----------



## Paladin79

rmoody said:


> Found my notebook. If you don't have one, get one, keep it handy with drawings of this stuff, trust me, it helps.
> And if you wire it wrong, de-solder it do it again. Doesn't make you a bad person.
> 
> Pinouts:
> ...


 
 Excellent info. I will mention that the numbers on the Hirose connectors do not line up with the four pins quite as well as the ones sold on the MrSpeakers site. For those of you DIY'ers who do not have a solder pot I ordered a few today from Digikey and I will see how well they work tomorrow. Some are as low as $26 each. I have also been experimenting with desktop air filtration for said solder pots. A small fan can help but I like to do things right and protect people who are exposed to fumes for several hours each day but that is overkill if you only build a cable once in a while. Solder pots are great for working with litz wire and general tinning but probably not for everyone.


----------



## rmoody

All this cable talk has me catching the bug to make something again. I'd like some fancy power cables. I have some 15 foot long 30 amp server rack power cables laying around. I think they are 10/3 SJOOW cables, about 1/2" around, should be a good starting point. I've been hunting for cool and not too expensive IEC and NEMA 5-15P plugs. I've only see a few pics of power cables on the thread. I know @buke9 has some killer power cables feeding his Yggi, I don't know if he made them though. What's everyone doing for power cables?
  
 Any input on a power conditioning power strip? I'm going between a Furman and Emotiva. Leaning Emotiva because they are within a day trip in Nashville and it's lower in profile than the Furman. That thing is a lot bigger than the pictures make it out to be.


----------



## Whitigir

Power cord cables ?  . I don't do power conditioner as it only color up the sound over-all. I want the pure sound quality. So I make the best power cables, and replace the chassis male connector to make sure I got the best signals and voltage integrity


----------



## 1yay1

Hey, have a more general question - what makes cables flexible and what makes them stiff?


----------



## Muinarc

1yay1 said:


> Hey, have a more general question - what makes cables flexible and what makes them stiff?


 
  
 From my experience most of the stiffness comes from the sheathing/insulation around the cable and what it's made of. Some are harder Teflon plastics, some are more rubberized. Thickness of the cable of course comes into play, as does the stranding of the wire inside or if it's solid-core single conductor. I had 0AWG power cable for a car stereo (about 1 inch diameter) and it had so many strands you'd be amazed at how flexible it was.


----------



## Whitigir

muinarc said:


> From my experience most of the stiffness comes from the sheathing/insulation around the cable and what it's made of. Some are harder Teflon plastics, some are more rubberized. Thickness of the cable of course comes into play, as does the stranding of the wire inside or if it's solid-core single conductor. I had 0AWG power cable for a car stereo (about 1 inch diameter) and it had so many strands you'd be amazed at how flexible it was.




I am with this, and it will depend on what you want, you will need to choose accordingly.


----------



## PinkyPowers

The Toxic Silver Poison wire came earlier this week, and tonight I finished her up. It's lovely stuff. Very easy to work with.

Compared to OCC copper, this is certainly brighter, with better treble definition, bringing out the LCD-2's details more. My tastes run towards a warmer signature, so this sounded funny to me ears at first. But it's growing on me.


----------



## Whitigir

pinkypowers said:


> The Toxic Silver Poison wire came earlier this week, and tonight I finished her up. It's lovely stuff. Very easy to work with.
> 
> Compared to OCC copper, this is certainly brighter, with better treble definition, bringing out the LCD-2's details more. My tastes run towards a warmer signature, so this sounded funny to me ears at first. But it's growing on me.




Nice works ! I see that you are progressing rapidly with materials quality. At least you are not losing out much


----------



## PinkyPowers

Yep. This was an experiment I ran on myself. If I couldn't be sure I heard a difference with Silver/1%Gold alloy, I would quit buying expensive conductors.

But I definitely hear a difference. I wouldn't call it out-right better, as that depends on your tastes, but it does sound different.


----------



## Whitigir

pinkypowers said:


> Yep. This was an experiment I ran on myself. If I couldn't be sure I heard a difference with Silver/1%Gold alloy, I would quit buying expensive conductors.
> 
> But I definitely hear a difference. I wouldn't call it out-right better, as that depends on your tastes, but it does sound different.



Welcome to my world, as I keep saying, authentic and quality materials in wires do make differences. Hence, different flavor and is one of the way to tune and improve your own system. Only, counterfeit and unknown source of wires do not bring about changes. I always hear the differences from different quality and authentic materials. To my ears, I like silver/gold a lot 

However, the better the materials, the more expensive it is. On the bright side, experiences is truly priceless


----------



## cthomas

This may seem like a daft question but is it possible to use an IEM balanced cable (my Sony MUC-M20BL1) with full size headphones such as the HD650? 





And if so, is it also possible to join an MMCX (female) connector to a HD650 (male) connector in some way? 





My thinking is that it could work as an adapter so I don't need to make a whole new cable. I already have the cable above, just need it to connect to my HD650 somehow. 

Sorry if that's a stupid question.


----------



## Arty McGhee

hey
  
 as long as you have the right connectors and pinouts
 why not, im in the process of getting as many headphones to use the
 same cables the hd650 is a problem....
  

 first idea a stud using a barrel connector from lunashops
 required some drilling and soldering connector to connector
 works ok but cable hits you in the shoulder  
  
 so i came up with a pigtail

 acrolink plugs, 2.5mm trs connectors, covered i adhesive shrink
 super comfortable works great


----------



## Rammoshe

Hi
 Quick question about solder
 Does it really make a difference to the soun when using silver solder? (Cardas) or is it just fine with 60/40 solder?


----------



## Paladin79

rammoshe said:


> Hi
> Quick question about solder
> Does it really make a difference to the soun when using silver solder? (Cardas) or is it just fine with 60/40 solder?


 
 I have used a lot of different combinations of solder, 60/40, silver solder, Rohs compliant and if there is anyone who can hear an audible difference I would like to meet them and shake their hand. When you solder and use connectors with solder lugs, the wire itself should come in contact with the lugs and the solder is there to maintain the connection. When connectors have solder cups, I can see where there is less chance the wire can make physical contact with the connection so it may be a little bit more important in those connections but...if you get the chance, try both and if you can consistently tell the difference more power to you.(I am trying to stay away from the term "double blind testing" but it would be about the only way someone would convince me they could hear a difference.)
  
 I do not always rely on what I hear and I have never been able to measure a difference. One word of caution though, if you use lead based solder on a consistent basis, wash your hands after soldering especially before eating. Lead is a cumulative poison and it is feasible to get lead powder on your hands when soldering. It is also a good idea to have a small fan blowing solder fumes away from you or even invest in a small filtration system if you solder a lot. (approximately $50.)


----------



## Rammoshe

paladin79 said:


> I have used a lot of different combinations of solder, 60/40, silver solder, Rohs compliant and if there is anyone who can hear an audible difference I would like to meet them and shake their hand. When you solder and use connectors with solder lugs, the wire itself should come in contact with the lugs and the solder is there to maintain the connection. When connectors have solder cups, I can see where there is less chance the wire can make physical contact with the connection so it may be a little bit more important in those connections but...if you get the chance, try both and if you can consistently tell the difference more power to you.(I am trying to stay away from the term "double blind testing" but it would be about the only way someone would convince me they could hear a difference.)
> 
> I do not always rely on what I hear and I have never been able to measure a difference. One word of caution though, if you use lead based solder on a consistent basis, wash your hands after soldering especially before eating. Lead is a cumulative poison and it is feasible to get lead powder on your hands when soldering. It is also a good idea to have a small fan blowing solder fumes away from you or even invest in a small filtration system if you solder a lot. (approximately $50.)


 
 Thanks for the information mate, I will go with the 60/40 Stannol solder wire I got at work.


----------



## Paladin79

rammoshe said:


> Thanks for the information mate, I will go with the 60/40 Stannol solder wire I got at work.


 
 The 60/40 melts well compared to some of the lead free solder I have used. I have also used some expensive crimp on connectors that use no solder. Once again I cannot hear an audible difference but some swear by them,


----------



## cthomas

arty mcghee said:


> hey
> 
> as long as you have the right connectors and pinouts
> why not, im in the process of getting as many headphones to use the
> ...




Hey thanks, yeah I just wasn't sure if the Sony cable would be too thin or something, just never made any cables so wasn't sure if that was an issue.

Would you have any idea what the "right connectors and pinouts" would be in my case? I'm guessing the HD650 connectors are all the same, however I've noticed a few different types of female MMCX connectors so not sure what would be best for this particular adapter.


----------



## cthomas

Ok so I've done some research into joining a female MMCX to a HD650 connector and starting to get a better understanding of it. 



From the guide on this thread it mentions for an MMCX the pins on the shell = ground and the centre pin = signal.



And on the HD650 connector the large pin = ground, small pin = signal.

So a few questions I have are...

1) How exactly should I connect the two? Use some kind of wire or any other suggestions?

2) Is lunashops a good place to order these connectors?

3) Do I need some sort of shield/casing like in the first above pic from head-fier Arty McGee?

4) Is there any chance I could potentially break either my headphones or amp? I'm guessing this is where a multimeter comes into the picture?

Sorry for the noob questions, never done anything like this before so just making sure I'm understanding everything correctly. Thanks guys!


----------



## buke9

cthomas said:


> Ok so I've done some research into joining a female MMCX to a HD650 connector and starting to get a better understanding of it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I would definitely have wire in between just to reduce stress myself. You can do it either way but I just think the less stress on the plugs would be the best.


----------



## Arty McGhee

cthomas said:


> Ok so I've done some research into joining a female MMCX to a HD650 connector and starting to get a better understanding of it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 i found it best to use 4-5 inches of wire, i use mogami 2799 internals sleeve in paracord, its very soft and flexible
 lunashops is good there prices are very reasonable there selection is great shipping is 2-3 weeks depending on where you live
 you don't need special casing, i use 3:1 adhesive shrink, does a nice job holding everything together
 i don't think there's much chance of ruining your stuff but as always a multimeter is you friend, i check connections throughout the processs
  
 these small connectors are hard to solder, you want to use a fine tip iron and buy some extra connectors just in case
  
 good luck


----------



## cthomas

buke9 said:


> I would definitely have wire in between just to reduce stress myself. You can do it either way but I just think the less stress on the plugs would be the best.







arty mcghee said:


> i found it best to use 4-5 inches of wire, i use mogami 2799 internals sleeve in paracord, its very soft and flexible
> lunashops is good there prices are very reasonable there selection is great shipping is 2-3 weeks depending on where you live
> you don't need special casing, i use 3:1 adhesive shrink, does a nice job holding everything together
> i don't think there's much chance of ruining your stuff but as always a multimeter is you friend, i check connections throughout the processs
> ...




Awesome, thanks guys!


----------



## gmplus




----------



## cthomas

So I was looking at the Furutech FT-2PS connectors for the HD650. These are quite expensive at $60 AUD for a pair. Is there any real perceivable difference compared to a cheaper pair that costs $10?


----------



## Whitigir

Furutech is good, period


----------



## cthomas

whitigir said:


> Furutech is good, period




Is there anything similar in quality that are a bit cheaper?


----------



## Whitigir

cthomas said:


> Is there anything similar in quality that are a bit cheaper?




I am afraid not, there are many technologies involved, and they are all very expensive to produce. You can skim out and use cheaper plugs. The effects are only 5% or so, but unless you are OCD about these stuff, you don't have to.

1/ copper purity
2/ oxygen impurity in the copper
3/ crystal length and cast
4/ cryogenic treatment for longevity and conductivity
5/ thick plating technology
6/ tight tolerances

All of the above contribute into something unique and exotic that is not just available in any stores. The products is considered high-end niche products that every steps and processes involved were all dedicated into 1 main task: Audio quality and original signals integrity. On top of that, reliability as well.

The only thing that is very close to it = Ranko Acoustic. It uses Copper cores and gold plated. It doesn't use all those fancy technologies. However, there are other models of Ranko Acoustic that utilized the same above process, and they are also just as expensive.


----------



## cthomas

Thanks, I'm thinking of reterminating my Sony muc-m20bl1 cable with the furutech connectors as its too long for IEM's. Do you know if the muc-m20bl1 cable is good quality? Thought you might know since you know your Sony stuff quite well


----------



## Whitigir

The wires accounts for 95% improvements, and the connectors is only 5%. Most of Sony cables that is not with Kimber Kables are OFC+Silver Plated


----------



## Arty McGhee

whitigir said:


> The wires accounts for 95% improvements, and the connectors is only 5%. Most of Sony cables that is not with Kimber Kables are OFC+Silver Plated


 
  
 please understand this is not the opinion of everyone on this thread
  
 this is a diy thread, if you want to discuss brands of manufacturer specifics
  
 there are cable discussion ans sound science forums please take this
  
 conversation there
  
 thank you


----------



## Whitigir

arty mcghee said:


> please understand this is not the opinion of everyone on this thread
> 
> this is a diy thread, if you want to discuss brands of manufacturer specifics
> 
> ...




Hey, I didn't ask you to read it. I specifically answered the guy question, that is all. The guy specifically asked for those because he wanted to DIY his project. Stop being a nazis and people would appreciate


----------



## cthomas

arty mcghee said:


> please understand this is not the opinion of everyone on this thread
> 
> this is a diy thread, if you want to discuss brands of manufacturer specifics
> 
> ...




I'm looking to mod a Sony cable. What is the problem exactly?


----------



## Arty McGhee

cthomas said:


> I'm looking to mod a Sony cable. What is the problem exactly?


 
 no problem dude
  
  
  


cthomas said:


> Is there anything similar in quality that are a bit cheaper?


 
  
 acrolink connectors work just fine 
 there are even some cheaper ones from lunashops that work just fine


----------



## nasedase

So I'm trying to repair my *OSTRY KC06A* ​headphones and it has a wire configuration unlike a lot of what I've seen. One red, one green, one blue, and one silver. I was wondering if anyone knows which goes to right pin, which goes to left, and which goes to ground.


----------



## cthomas

Thanks mate.


----------



## buke9

arty mcghee said:


> no problem dude
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I like the look of the Acrolink connectors have a link? Just got on the drop for the 6XX's and need to build a balanced cable to the Liquid Carbon.


----------



## cthomas

buke9 said:


> I like the look of the Acrolink connectors have a link? Just got on the drop for the 6XX's and need to build a balanced cable to the Liquid Carbon.




They're on lunashops site, was just looking at them.

http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=1853


----------



## buke9

cthomas said:


> They're on lunashops site, was just looking at them.
> 
> http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=1853


Thanks for that.


----------



## Arty McGhee

these are the acrolink

  
 these are 
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5426

  
 these are drilled out and covered in shrink
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5180


----------



## buke9

Not big on adapters at the headphone myself would rather build a cable for the headphone. Ordered the Acrolink still haven't decided on cable yet. Still thinking of some Toxic litz not for sure.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> arty mcghee said:
> 
> 
> > no problem dude
> ...




Just get the stock cable for ~$20 on Amazon and reterminate it.


----------



## Fasterball

Guys I want to make a longer cable for my HE-350's.  I want to do it from scratch for the experience.  I know my headphones only cost 99.00, but I really just want to learn how to make a quality cable.  My question is: the 2.5mm connectors that go to each cup do I have to use mono 2.5mm connectors and if I use stereo how do I wire them?
  
 The HE-350s are similar to the hd700, oppo 1 and 2, he-1000 or so I've been told.


----------



## nasedase

nasedase said:


> So I'm trying to repair my *OSTRY KC06A* ​headphones and it has a wire configuration unlike a lot of what I've seen. One red, one green, one blue, and one silver. I was wondering if anyone knows which goes to right pin, which goes to left, and which goes to ground.


 
 I'm quoting this and posting a link to the image https://goo.gl/photos/BwRmKK4Lv5oBGE2SA
 Head-Fi won't allow me to post pictures yet, so I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me what goes where with the wires.


----------



## liquidzoo

nasedase said:


> I'm quoting this and posting a link to the image https://goo.gl/photos/BwRmKK4Lv5oBGE2SA
> Head-Fi won't allow me to post pictures yet, so I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me what goes where with the wires.




Hard to tell without seeing the other end(s), but here's my best guess:

The Red/Copper and Silver ones are the ground(s) and the Blue and Green ones are for the signal.

Without actually seeing the cups to see if you can tell what wires go into where it would be hard to tell how to solder this to a plug.

I can tell, however, that you would need a solder pot or something similar to strip the enamel off of the wires before soldering.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Just get the stock cable for ~$20 on Amazon and reterminate it.


Where's the fun in that? ; )


----------



## buke9

fasterball said:


> Guys I want to make a longer cable for my HE-350's.  I want to do it from scratch for the experience.  I know my headphones only cost 99.00, but I really just want to learn how to make a quality cable.  My question is: the 2.5mm connectors that go to each cup do I have to use mono 2.5mm connectors and if I use stereo how do I wire them?
> 
> The HE-350s are similar to the hd700, oppo 1 and 2, he-1000 or so I've been told.


You can use trs connectors no problem the tip is for the + of whatever side and doesn't matter about the other it can go to ring or sleeve. Yes the cables are the same for all of those as long as it has a slim build to it.


----------



## Fasterball

buke9 said:


> You can use trs connectors no problem the tip is for the + of whatever side and doesn't matter about the other it can go to ring or sleeve. Yes the cables are the same for all of those as long as it has a slim build to it.


 So if I understand correctly - I can use TRS vs. Mono. Just for each plug I would solder wire to the positive post and leave the negative balnk and then solder the other wire to ground?


----------



## Fasterball

nasedase said:


> I'm quoting this and posting a link to the image https://goo.gl/photos/BwRmKK4Lv5oBGE2SA
> Head-Fi won't allow me to post pictures yet, so I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me what goes where with the wires.


 This is just a guess. Green and Silver are your grounds and red and blue are right and left respectively.


----------



## buke9

fasterball said:


> So if I understand correctly - I can use TRS vs. Mono. Just for each plug I would solder wire to the positive post and leave the negative balnk and then solder the other wire to ground?


You can use either the in trs connectors it is left + tip ring + right and sleeve ground. It doesn't matter which you use but to be safe you can go to both. It depends on where the plug actually touches the ring or sleeve. It would be easy to tell with a multimeter. Eidolic makes really nice 2.5 mm mono connectors so you wouldn't have to worry about it they are a bit pricey but look great.


----------



## buke9

nasedase said:


> I'm quoting this and posting a link to the image https://goo.gl/photos/BwRmKK4Lv5oBGE2SA
> Head-Fi won't allow me to post pictures yet, so I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me what goes where with the wires.


What end is this from? If you cut the connector off just use a multimeter on it problem solved.


----------



## 2ndRoad805

Question: Is it possible to solder a 24 AWG solid core copper wire through the hole of ViaBlue's Small T6s 3.5mm plug?
  
 So I'm being cheap. Relatively. Getting frustrated with spending $15+ for 3.5mm male to male cables every 2-3 months. So...  I got two Viablue connectors (got some Neutriks for backup/wifeys cable). Couldn't find my old soldering iron.. then bought an Aoyue 936 kit, Type 1 paracord, Cardas quad Eutectic Solder.. some 4:1 heatshrink and now I'm in the $100+ range. So much for cheap...
  
 And now for the cringe-worthy cable choice (if the ViaBlue connectors didn't do it for you). My 200ft Spool of Cat6 24AWG solid core copper wire. Logic? Well I see here many of the cabling options recommended over here quickly run north of $100. I'm trying to avoid crying hysterically. I hear solid core is great but it seems that is not the case for CAT6 cable. Microphonics? I understand what it is, but I wanted to see for myself how bad said microphonics would be. Using a power drill to untwist the pairs, sleeve them in paracord and then retwist  them back up with the drill. Works like a charm thus far. Still waiting on my solder and iron to arrive.
  
 Meanwhile, I notice the gauge of the wire is just a little too thick for the hole in the smaller terminal. The VaiBlue connector's strain relief is working fine though once the screws were tightened down. I'm wondering if it is necessary to bother trying to crush or maybe dremel the wire fine enough to fit through the hole before soldering?
  
 Are there any tips? Has anyone tried to use larger gauge solid core wire on small terminals? Should I not worry about it and just solder it straight without looping it into the hole?


----------



## Whitigir

I had used up to 18 AWG for the terminals on 3.5mm, so I don't have the viablue because I don't like it pricing for the quality offered, but I don't think 24 AWG would pose a problem as it should be a very common sizes for 3.5mm


----------



## ai03

2ndroad805 said:


> Are there any tips? Has anyone tried to use larger gauge solid core wire on small terminals? Should I not worry about it and just solder it straight without looping it into the hole?




As long as the wire is connected to the terminal with solder, it shouldn't matter whether the wire goes through the hole or not. 

I would advise against using solid core wire for any cable which will be bent/moved around often since they tend to break much easier and are less flexible compared to stranded wires.


----------



## Paladin79

asianinvasion said:


> As long as the wire is connected to the terminal with solder, it shouldn't matter whether the wire goes through the hole or not.
> 
> I would advise against using solid core wire for any cable which will be bent/moved around often since they tend to break much easier and are less flexible compared to stranded wires.


 
 I was taught to never rely on just solder if at all possible so it is hard for me to recommend just solder when you have a solder lug available. I generally use a sharp pick made out of spring steel to enlarge the opening enough to accommodate the wire. If this is not feasible and you are using stranded wire it is possible to use wire strippers with separate openings for each gauge and lightly crimp the wire using a smaller gauge opening so that you remove some strands to achieve the desired size. By using a solder lug you are improving the strength of the connection instead of just tacking the wire to the side of it. When you think about it, even in removing strands from a loop you still have say 24 awg wire on each side of said loop so you are in effect ending up with a wire size of 21 awg. The hole in the center of the solder lug is filled in, lay a wire across it and you only have so much surface area to work with. If neither of these methods appeal to you, at least loop the wire around the outside of the lug then solder it. At least then you will have a better chance of the wire staying in place for years to come.


----------



## Paladin79

whitigir said:


> I had used up to 18 AWG for the terminals on 3.5mm, so I don't have the viablue because I don't like it pricing for the quality offered, but I don't think 24 AWG would pose a problem as it should be a very common sizes for 3.5mm


 
 24 awg is quite common for 3.5 mm and my people have used it with those connectors for runs as long as 250 feet with no issues.


----------



## graphidz

Alright having a bad day today. Just found out that my beloved linum cable has connection issue on the 3.5mm connector side, rendering the left channel inoperable. Considering how thin this cable is, I'm going to assume soldering it back will be hell. Anybody done repairs on this? Any tips or guide?


----------



## Paladin79

graphidz said:


> Alright having a bad day today. Just found out that my beloved linum cable has connection issue on the 3.5mm connector side, rendering the left channel inoperable. Considering how thin this cable is, I'm going to assume soldering it back will be hell. Anybody done repairs on this? Any tips or guide?


 
 I repaired one for a friend. The wires can be soldered but you have to be pretty careful. I used a magnifier light, micro soldering iron and a solder pot.( I also inspected the wires with a Nikon dual ocular microscope before resoldering but that is not a common item.)
 The biggest thing is just seeing the wires and making sure they are tinned properly. Unfortunately I had to replace the 3.5 mm connector and went with an amphenol connector that has a small rubber grommet that would allow for such small wire. They use litz wire as I recall. You can melt away the outside coating using a soldering iron if you are extremely careful but it is not a task I would recommend if you have not soldered before. I used a meter to determine the two channels and ground.


----------



## graphidz

paladin79 said:


> I repaired one for a friend. The wires can be soldered but you have to be pretty careful. I used a magnifier light, micro soldering iron and a solder pot.( I also inspected the wires with a Nikon dual ocular microscope before resoldering but that is not a common item.)
> The biggest thing is just seeing the wires and making sure they are tinned properly. Unfortunately I had to replace the 3.5 mm connector and went with an amphenol connector that has a small rubber grommet that would allow for such small wire. They use litz wire as I recall. You can melt away the outside coating using a soldering iron if you are extremely careful but it is not a task I would recommend if you have not soldered before. I used a meter to determine the two channels and ground.


 
  
 Don't think I have a fine enough soldering iron. I only have the same thing that you use to solder electronic components. Works OK for soldering bigger sized cables, but for this small, don't think it'll cut it. How many cores does the Linum uses? Going to have to test every cores to find which is ground I guess. But all things told, I think I'm going to have to send to someone with more experience, which probably have better tools too. Sigh...


----------



## Paladin79

graphidz said:


> Don't think I have a fine enough soldering iron. I only have the same thing that you use to solder electronic components. Works OK for soldering bigger sized cables, but for this small, don't think it'll cut it. How many cores does the Linum uses? Going to have to test every cores to find which is ground I guess. But all things told, I think I'm going to have to send to someone with more experience, which probably have better tools too. Sigh...


 
 if you have an iron where the tip can be changed you might be able to get a smaller one but it is not my intent to discourage you; yours may work. I think there are only about seven strands, it is pretty small wire. I am not sure they use the same 3.5 mm connector all the time and you may be able to open the one you have to examine the wires. All I could do was cut the wires, figure out the wiring and add a new connector.


----------



## graphidz

paladin79 said:


> if you have an iron where the tip can be changed you might be able to get a smaller one but it is not my intent to discourage you; yours may work. I think there are only about seven strands, it is pretty small wire. I am not sure they use the same 3.5 mm connector all the time and you may be able to open the one you have to examine the wires. All I could do was cut the wires, figure out the wiring and add a new connector.


 
  
 oh no. The negativity is from me and me alone lol. Anyway, If the cores are not that many, I could deal with it. I'd need to find a replacement tip  (gonna need to check if it's interchangeable anyway). Well thanks for the tip.


----------



## cthomas

So I'm thinking of modding this balanced cable...



...to fit these Sennheiser connectors.



Each side of the cable has 4 wires...



...and only 2 pins on the Sennheiser connectors. 

Which wires go to the signal and which go to ground?

Thanks y'all


----------



## Fasterball

Can someone explain why we twist wires? Is it just aesthetics?


----------



## rmoody

cthomas said:


> So I'm thinking of modding this balanced cable...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Most likely 2 wires per pin. If it were me, I would use a multi meter to figure out what wire is what and take notes for when I solder the connectors.


----------



## Whitigir

cthomas said:


> So I'm thinking of modding this balanced cable...
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Yellow wires are all grounds or negative polarity. Colored wires are positive and or signals.

Most of the time: Red is right channel and Green or blue or other colors are Left channel.

Use multimeter and check continuity to be sure, but those above are the common of typical wires and cables.

Another way that I am sure yellow wires is Ground or negative, because usually Ground and share the same color on both channels. You see yellow in both as the picture shown, so it is ground.

Red is always right channel

Another way to tell without using the multi meter here is once you cut off the right or left plugs, only cut one, and work on it. Again colored wires is signal or positive polarity and yellow is ground.

Have fun


----------



## cthomas

rmoody said:


> Most likely 2 wires per pin. If it were me, I would use a multi meter to figure out what wire is what and take notes for when I solder the connectors.







whitigir said:


> Yellow wires are all grounds or negative polarity. Colored wires are positive and or signals.
> 
> Most of the time: Red is right channel and Green or blue or other colors are Left channel.
> 
> ...




Thanks guys! What readings will the positive wires give compared to the ground wires using a multimeter?


----------



## nasedase

couldn't I burn the enamel off with a lighter? A lot of tutorials show them using that method.


----------



## nasedase

From the input end. The earbuds are still attached. What would a multimeter tell me exactly? Which ones are ground?


----------



## Dyaems

cant seem to find decent info on google, but anyone has a pinout for MMCX connectors? im trying to change my 2-pin Lear C10 to MMCX if it is possible. this would probably be the connector that I am going to use:

  


Spoiler: mmcx connector link



http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4974
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5088
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5027


  
 not sure which one i should use in those three though. also if mmcx would be a better choice than 2-pin (westone) connector but that is altogether on another topic


----------



## Shawn71

dyaems said:


> cant seem to find decent info on google, but anyone has a pinout for MMCX connectors? im trying to change my 2-pin Lear C10 to MMCX if it is possible. this would probably be the connector that I am going to use:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




The center pin is the positive terminal (R+ / L+) and either of those 2 pins can used to terminate the negative connection.(R- / L-) of respective channel.....


----------



## Dyaems

shawn71 said:


> The center pin is the positive terminal (R+ / L+) and either of those 2 pins can used to terminate the negative connection.(R- / L-) of respective channel.....


 
  
  
 Thanks man! Cheers 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 
  
 "either of those 2 pins" you mean those two pins at the sides, am I correct?


----------



## Shawn71

dyaems said:


> Thanks man! Cheers
> 
> "either of those 2 pins" you mean those two pins at the sides, am I correct?




Yes , those 2 pins on either side of the center pin.......you can also check for urself using a multimeter's continuity test and it beeps if shorted.


----------



## Shawn71

nasedase said:


> From the input end. The earbuds are still attached. What would a multimeter tell me exactly? Which ones are ground?




Did you take a picture of the 3.5mm end prior de-soldering or cutting those 4 wires?......if not can you trace these wires againt the 3.5mm jack's end where you cut?as to blue with blue etc for ex:


----------



## Dyaems

shawn71 said:


> Yes , those 2 pins on either side of the center pin.......you can also check for urself using a multimeter's continuity test and it beeps if shorted.


 
  
 alright, gotcha! thanks again!


----------



## Allanmarcus

I imagine there will be some deals coming in the next 6 weeks that will appeal to DIYers. Hers' the first I've seen:
  
This years’ Black Friday Special is bigger and better than ever! Enter the code BLACKFRIDAY16 before checking out between November 24th (Thanksgiving) at 12AM PST and November 30th at 11:59PM PST to receive 20% off on all first party products, including our custom IEM and headphone cables, amplifiers, accessories, and DIY items! Also, our newly announced earplugs will be made available for the first time to purchase during the special! Don’t miss out!​  ​ www.plussoundaudio.com​


----------



## GodsInHisHeaven

Any good wire / connector suppliers in Europe?
  
 I can do the braiding and soldering myself, but somehow I cannot find any cable supplier in Germany  .


----------



## 1yay1

Conrad, pollin, thomann. I used regular silver/copper litz from pollin, awg 24


----------



## dragicon

HI guys, 
 So this is my second post, as others told me to post in here.  I am looking to recable my Beyerdynamic T50P headphones, as my OEM cable snapped.  I am going to buy the Mogami W2534 cable (probably a length of 6 feet or so).  I am unsure how to connect the split wire (after the y) to the ear cups. I took a picture of the opened up headphones, but I am wondering if I should just solder each of the 4 cables in the quad directly to the 2 points that are in each ear cup?  I'm not sure how I should explain this, but I guess I am just looking for some direction on how to transform the quad cable into the "normal" headphone cable.  
  
 I can't post pictures, so here is a link to the picture of the headphone ear cup opened up.  I am curious about the black part of the cable that is going through the ear cup, and then if I should just directly solder the Mogami cable to the attach points on the speaker.  
 http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i280/dragicon/IMG_3559_zpshd2ekmfs.jpg


----------



## joed83

Im making an adaptor for my er4 with 75ohm resistors in but ive not been able to find a female 3.5mm jack, only ones to attach to a pcb.

Ive used switchcraft jacks everywhere else so was hoping to find something from them but they dont seem to do what im looking for.

Can anyone help?

Many thanks!

Just added pics


----------



## Whitigir

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=3.5mm+female


----------



## Arty McGhee

switchcraft
  
http://www.markertek.com/product/sw125/switchcraft-125-3-5mm-141in-tini-female-cable-mount-jack
  
 i use these rean cheaper and better looking
  
http://www.markertek.com/product/nys-240bg/rean-nys240bg-3-5mm-cable-jack-black-metal-handle-and-gold-contacts


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> switchcraft
> 
> http://www.markertek.com/product/sw125/switchcraft-125-3-5mm-141in-tini-female-cable-mount-jack
> 
> ...


 

 The Reans are good quality, they are a spinoff from Neutrik and I have used them for years. Very durable connectors. They make the males with a couple different sizes of cable openings but I am not so sure they provide that for the females. If the opening does not match up well with the cable size, there are rubber grommets out there that will do the trick.


----------



## joed83

Thanks!

Ive ordered a couple of the switchcraft and rean ones


----------



## Paladin79

joed83 said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Ive ordered a couple of the switchcraft and rean ones


 

 Both brands are well made, you should be fine.


----------



## chillaxing

For the ones that use canare cables, is there microphonics with this cable?


----------



## Paladin79

chillaxing said:


> For the ones that use canare cables, is there microphonics with this cable?


 

 I have never had issues using Canare star quad. If you remove the individual wires and use paracord, you are more apt to get microphonics I would think.


----------



## joed83

paladin79 said:


> Both brands are well made, you should be fine.




The rean ones arrived first, im very happy with them. Thanks!


----------



## Frankk04

I am looking to make similar to what is pictured. I am looking for a quality 2.5mm jack and a cable that is colored or I can use PET or Techflex for the coloring. Looking for a flexible cable (approx 1/8"). One end will have a 2.5mm jack and the other will be used with a 5mm led. The cable length is only 12" max. Looking for suggestions as I have never done this before. The company that made these are out of business. This is actually for fishing.


----------



## buke9

frankk04 said:


> I am looking to make similar to what is pictured. I am looking for a quality 2.5mm jack and a cable that is colored or I can use PET or Techflex for the coloring. Looking for a flexible cable (approx 1/8"). One end will have a 2.5mm jack and the other will be used with a 5mm led. The cable length is only 12" max. Looking for suggestions as I have never done this before. The company that made these are out of business. This is actually for fishing.


Just so you know in further inquiries a jack is where the plug goes into hence a female connector . I know what you meant but can be confusing sometimes. A lot of the 2.5mm plugs don't have solder lugs just graduated post and they can be a bear sometimes to solder just to give you a warning they can be frustrating at times. Most audio 2.5 mm plugs come in tr and trrs not too many in trs. There are some on eBay but they ship out of China .


----------



## buke9

Forgot to ask what kind of fishing?


----------



## Whitigir

buke9 said:


> Forgot to ask what kind of fishing?




The Heo ? Fishing with TRRS cables and 3.5m audio plugs. Lol....I am interested to know what kind of fishing too


----------



## i luvmusic 2




----------



## Frankk04

Basically what I am trying to make the first photo which attaches to a fishing alarm. I fish tournaments where you fish 24/7 for 4 days at a time. See this picture that shows how it works.


----------



## Frankk04

I need a flex cable that is not thicker than around 3mm for this!


----------



## Paladin79

If you do not get a decent answer on this I can figure something out Monday. I have access to quality 2.5 mm trs plugs with proper solder lugs. As far as a flex cable that is 3mm, Belden 1508a flexible audio Brilliance cable is quite good and just a fraction over 3mm. 
  
 http://datasheet.octopart.com/1508A-B591000-Belden-datasheet-42410.pdf


----------



## Frankk04

Have been looking up cables but have not come up with a quality solution and tough finding decent 2.5mm plugs. Any help would be appreciated! This is sort of what I am looking for but they are with 3.5mm. I like the colored plugs!


----------



## cyph3r

Hi all, 
  
 I am planning on making a nice cable for my ol'd Westone UM3X RCs which have those 2 pin-ended cables. Does anyone can recommend where to source 3.5 mm and 2 pin connectors as well as some decent cable materials? I dont need necessarily super high end, but good value for price in terms of cable material. Enhanced durability would also be great because I commute with this gear every day. 
  
 I am sure there are plenty of hints in this thread, but I have really limited time and would like to focus on making rather than reading. 
  
 Thanks a lot for some hints.


----------



## pr0b3r

Hi!  Anyone around here know where I can get schematics for 3.5mm male to type-c male cable?  I'm planning to try connecting it to my Cayin i5 and Mojo.  I'm aware about the pre-made cable that Cayin is selling but I would like to try and make one with the help of a local DIYer.  I hope someone can help.  Thanks in advance!


----------



## liquidzoo

pr0b3r said:


> Hi!  Anyone around here know where I can get schematics for 3.5mm male to type-c male cable?  I'm planning to try connecting it to my Cayin i5 and Mojo.  I'm aware about the pre-made cable that Cayin is selling but I would like to try and make one with the help of a local DIYer.  I hope someone can help.  Thanks in advance!




This might help



And


----------



## pr0b3r

liquidzoo said:


> This might help


 

 Awesome!  I'll send this to my DIYer friend.  I'm sure those will be of big help to us.  Thanks man!  I appreciate it a lot.


----------



## Frankk04

Any help would be appreciated. I am still looking for quality 2.5mm TRS Plug. I am also looking for right angle 2.5MM as well if you have any suggestions. Thanks for your help!


----------



## buke9

frankk04 said:


> Any help would be appreciated. I am still looking for quality 2.5mm TRS Plug. I am also looking for right angle 2.5MM as well if you have any suggestions. Thanks for your help!


http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=phoenixent&product_name=HWS16061&gclid=CKqI36m3iNECFUg8gQodw7gB3g
http://store.haveinc.com/p-46412-sub-mini-25mm-trs-male-cbl-end-plastic.aspx?source=googlefeed&gclid=CPTc9Mm3iNECFdgYgQoda7kPXQ
https://www.adafruit.com/products/1798?gclid=CLnx8N63iNECFdQ9gQodt_wOzA
http://www.katerno.com/detail/s/840207/p/468_EC/?_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=CICu9Ii4iNECFdQ2gQodcsYMwQ
Here is a few don't have a idea on the quality of them just a google search. Most people here use TS or TRRS 2.5 mm connectors.


----------



## Frankk04

Thanks for the links. I have been looking all of these up as well but looking for a quality one! Thanks again.


----------



## buke9

frankk04 said:


> Thanks for the links. I have been looking all of these up as well but looking for a quality one! Thanks again.


Do you have to have TRS?


----------



## Frankk04

No, I am just using this for wiring into an LED on one end and the other plugged into a 6 Volt source. Similar to the picture but I am really looking for a right angle gold plated 2.5MM Plug.


----------



## BrianKT

frankk04 said:


> Thanks for the links. I have been looking all of these up as well but looking for a quality one! Thanks again.


 
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html


----------



## joelk2

Hi folks, got some qpad qh90s, the sound only works in one ear. The ear on the other side of cable entry. 

I wanna have a whirl at recabling them.

I've found the website canford.co.uk which had some cable mentioned earlier in the thread. (Belden 1508a)

Now I quite like the look of mdpc-x sleeving also.

Would I strip the wires from the belden cable (out of the PVC part) and then just run them through the mdpc-x sleeve or do I leave them in the PVC part and run it all through?

If stripping out do I have to braid them first?


----------



## XenHeadFi

joelk2 said:


> Hi folks, got some qpad qh90s, the sound only works in one ear. The ear on the other side of cable entry.
> 
> I wanna have a whirl at recabling them.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Stripping a multi-conductor cable is mostly about looks than performance (as long as the cable is short, say about 6 feet or under 2 meters). Depending on what you want them to look like as you can individually sheath then braid or braid then sheath the braid. I like the look of individual sheath-then-braid.
  
 Not sure about the wiring of those headphones. The Belden has 2 insulated conductors, an unsheathed ground, and a shield with PVC insulation. If you headphones already use a 3-wire cable then this cable might be suitable for single-ended wiring (i.e. TRS plugs), but using an unsheathed ground as the common "negative" seems weird. If you strip it, you will probably need to strip double the length of cable so that you can use an insulated wire for the common ground.
  
 If your original cable has 4 conductors, then the I think the 1508A is not a suitable cable unless you are stripping it for the insulated conductors.


----------



## joelk2

xenheadfi said:


> Stripping a multi-conductor cable is mostly about looks than performance (as long as the cable is short, say about 6 feet or under 2 meters). Depending on what you want them to look like as you can individually sheath then braid or braid then sheath the braid. I like the look of individual sheath-then-braid.
> 
> Not sure about the wiring of those headphones. The Belden has 2 insulated conductors, an unsheathed ground, and a shield with PVC insulation. If you headphones already use a 3-wire cable then this cable might be suitable for single-ended wiring (i.e. TRS plugs), but using an unsheathed ground as the common "negative" seems weird. If you strip it, you will probably need to strip double the length of cable so that you can use an insulated wire for the common ground.
> 
> If your original cable has 4 conductors, then the I think the 1508A is not a suitable cable unless you are stripping it for the insulated conductors.




Thankyou for your reply. I think if I understand correctly then a quad cable.may be a better option then?

It will be wired with yes so 3 cables.

Could I use 2 runs of this for it?


http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=262500924039&category=26213&pm=1&ds=0&t=1482567786753


----------



## liquidzoo

joelk2 said:


> Thankyou for your reply. I think if I understand correctly then a quad cable.may be a better option then?
> 
> It will be wired with yes so 3 cables.
> 
> ...




If you're recabling the headphones all the way anyway, it would likely be easier to use quad cable. Stripping all of it is up to you (you certainly don't have to, especially with single entry), but you will need to strip enough to go around the headband from one cup to the other (provided you want to replace that bit of wiring too).

2 leads to the ground, one to the right and one to the left. I would pick something like Mogami 2799 if you can find it. It's cheap and the conductors inside the sheath are 4 separate colors. Makes keeping the Ground/Left/Right wiring separate easy.

Be very careful soldering to the left speaker (and the right one too, for that matter). It's really easy to leave the heat on too long and damage the driver or the solder tabs.


----------



## Frankk04

Looking for recommendations for high density nylon sleeping. There are so many out there. This is for outdoor use. Have looked at Mod DIY which looks quality as well as Techflex and Kobra! What are your thoughts! Would be 3mm or 1/8".


----------



## DeadLightning

I'm looking to make a new cable for my newly acquired AKG Q701s as I'm not to fond of the stock green cables that they come with. I have found the connectors that I'm going to use already, the only problem I've run into is that I'm not sure which cable I should buy. The connection is a 1/4" TRS connector to a mini XLR if that helps. I'm pretty new to this as this would be the first cable that I've ever made so any help would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Starburp701

Edit: wrong thread!


----------



## liquidzoo

deadlightning said:


> I'm looking to make a new cable for my newly acquired AKG Q701s as I'm not to fond of the stock green cables that they come with. I have found the connectors that I'm going to use already, the only problem I've run into is that I'm not sure which cable I should buy. The connection is a 1/4" TRS connector to a mini XLR if that helps. I'm pretty new to this as this would be the first cable that I've ever made so any help would be greatly appreciated.




You can buy any cable you like. I like Mogami (either 2799 or 2893, the connectors are the same size) because of the price.

I believe that the Q701s use a 3 pin mini-xlr, like a lot of AKG headphones, and any 1/4" TRS will do.

Please note, though, that AKG likes to wire their XLRs backward:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/55290/wiring-help-for-diy-akg-k271-headphone-cable

Normally, a mini-xlr is wired 

Pin 1 - Ground
Pin 2 - Tip/Left
Pin 3 - Ring/Right

AKG like to reverse pins 2 and 3. A multimeter will help sort that out and make sure that you wire it correctly.

If you're looking for a list:

http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2799.html
http://www.redco.com/Redco-TA3FB.html
http://www.redco.com/Amphenol-ACPS-GB-AU.html

Those 3 together will make a fine cable, though you might want some sleeving for the Mogami. I _think_ 550 Paracord with the middle bits removed will fit over that mogami, though you may have to remove the outer jacket (but not untwist) first.


----------



## Arty McGhee

this is a very fine silver plated copper 28-30 awg
 cheap stuff from navships, wicked flexible
 amphenol and rean connectors, i like the rean mini xlr for its strain relief
 braided and sleeved in 550 paracord
  
 i would suggest mogami 2799, best bang for buck, and flexibility, durability


----------



## xLoud

I am going to build cable for HifiMan HE-400i. I am going for 4 wire balanced with 4-pin XLR. 

 Anyone with experience or knowledge in balanced cable making can please confirm that I am not making any mistake. I am bit confused with ground in unbalanced setup. For XLR to 3.5 mm TRS, I have to connect both L- & R- to ground of TRS. Please someone confirm I am not making any mistake in connection.


----------



## liquidzoo

xloud said:


> I am going to build cable for HifiMan HE-400i. I am going for 4 wire balanced with 4-pin XLR.
> 
> 
> Anyone with experience or knowledge in balanced cable making can please confirm that I am not making any mistake. I am bit confused with ground in unbalanced setup. For XLR to 3.5 mm TRS, I have to connect both L- & R- to ground of TRS. Please someone confirm I am not making any mistake in connection.




Looks right to me, and yes to go from a balanced 4 pin XLR to an unbalanced TRS, you'd connect pins 2 and 4 to the TRS Sleeve, Pin 1 to the Tip and Pin 3 to the Ring.


----------



## Kranara

I am looking to build a cable for my IEMs, done the cabling before for another project but having trouble with connectors.

 They use the MMCX standard for connection to the IEM but I'm finding it difficult to find the right shure type MMCX jacks, can I use any MMCX type connectors? Does anyone have any recommendations for MMCX connectors easily available in the UK/ Europe?

 Thanks.


----------



## buke9

I hope everyone has a great New Year!


----------



## JohnRS

Hi all. I've ordered the parts to make a cable for my Sennheiser IE80's. I haven't received everything but at the minute I'm not sure which pin is to be soldered to the positive and which to the negative, on the earbud pin. Can anyone help?


----------



## Arty McGhee

johnrs said:


> Hi all. I've ordered the parts to make a cable for my Sennheiser IE80's. I haven't received everything but at the minute I'm not sure which pin is to be soldered to the positive and which to the negative, on the earbud pin. Can anyone help?


 
 best way is to put a meter on the old cable
 check each pin to the input jack using continuity
  
 tip = left
 ring = right
 shaft = ground
  
 ifn' you don't have a meter get one, $5 dollars from harbor freight
 it will be your best tool to make a good cable


----------



## JohnRS

arty mcghee said:


> best way is to put a meter on the old cable
> check each pin to the input jack using continuity
> 
> tip = left
> ...




Thanks! I did plan on that but thought I'd take the lazy route and ask on here. Plus I don't know where my multimeter is. The Mrs has a habit of moving things that are "left out" and she's obviously moved it as it isn't with my other electronic tools.
I'll need it anyway to make sure my new cable works as it should before connecting it.


----------



## leeperry

Can't be hassled going Y so does anyone know where to get those kludgy-looking clamps in order to remain dual-entry from start to end please? http://www.head-fi.org/g/i/1791352/a/1127194/cardas-clear-headphone-cable-2m-audeze-terminals/


----------



## PinkyPowers

Anyone know of some 3.5mm mono that are long and slim enough for the Meze 99 Classic cups?


----------



## JohnRS

johnrs said:


> Thanks! I did plan on that but thought I'd take the lazy route and ask on here. Plus I don't know where my multimeter is. The Mrs has a habit of moving things that are "left out" and she's obviously moved it as it isn't with my other electronic tools.
> I'll need it anyway to make sure my new cable works as it should before connecting it.




I've checked with a multimeter and can confirm, if you're looking at the flat side of the terminal with the pins pointing upwards then the left pin is ground and right live on both left and right wires.



Sorry for the image quality it was taken and edited on my phone.


----------



## Arty McGhee

pinkypowers said:


> Anyone know of some 3.5mm mono that are long and slim enough for the Meze 99 Classic cups?


 
 both plus sound and eidolic make an extended 3.5mm jack
 not sure if it fits but its worth a look


----------



## f iDeL

Anyone knows what type of sleeving, this cable has?
 I mean the clear sleeve on the cable,
 I see lots of diy with this type of sleeve but I can't find were to buy...
 Thanks a lot!


----------



## rikk009

I am stuck here. Need some help. I am making micro-usb to micro-usb cables and need to make one side OTG(shorting 4 and 5 pin I guess) but I opened up three micro-usb cables to extract the plugs but they all are 4 pin only. There is a pin at the back instead. So I am little confused which is what...can anyone here who made a micro-USB OTG cable can guide me please?


----------



## liquidzoo

rikk009 said:


> I am stuck here. Need some help. I am making micro-usb to micro-usb cables and need to make one side OTG(shorting 4 and 5 pin I guess) but I opened up three micro-usb cables to extract the plugs but they all are 4 pin only. There is a pin at the back instead. So I am little confused which is what...can anyone here who made a micro-USB OTG cable can guide me please?




Does this help?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-USB-OTG-host-cable-The-easy-way/step2/Cutting-into-the-USB-micro-end-and-making-it-a-hos/

It looks like you're there, just need to remove that last little bit and expose the pins.


----------



## rikk009

liquidzoo said:


> Does this help?
> 
> http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-USB-OTG-host-cable-The-easy-way/step2/Cutting-into-the-USB-micro-end-and-making-it-a-hos/
> 
> It looks like you're there, just need to remove that last little bit and expose the pins.


 
 I actually need to verify the pins 4 and 5. In other articles they all have 5 pins in a line but mine has 4 and one at the back which confuses me. One at the back is most likely the ground but I am not sure.


----------



## Starburp701

The LCD 2 diy cable is confusing me... 
I have 4 cables. On my TRS I have 2 soldered to the tip and 2 to the ring. No ground, right? Left channel is one wire to 1 and the second to 4. Grounds (2&3) aren't touched. Same on the other side. Can anyone explain what I'm doing wrong? Not sure how im supposed to ground the cable with only 4 wires. Do immediately just solder 2 and 3 together? I don't want to ruin my cans. Thanks.


----------



## buke9

starburp701 said:


> The LCD 2 diy cable is confusing me...
> I have 4 cables. On my TRS I have 2 soldered to the tip and 2 to the ring. No ground, right? Left channel is one wire to 1 and the second to 4. Grounds (2&3) aren't touched. Same on the other side. Can anyone explain what I'm doing wrong? Not sure how im supposed to ground the cable with only 4 wires. Do immediately just solder 2 and 3 together? I don't want to ruin my cans. Thanks.


You have 4 wires or conductors not cables and if you have 4 for a trs connection 1 wire to tip 1 wire to ring and the grounds go to sleeve. Left + tip Right + ring -''s go to sleeve.


----------



## Starburp701

buke9 said:


> You have 4 wires or conductors not cables and if you have 4 for a trs connection 1 wire to tip 1 wire to ring and the grounds go to sleeve.




Yes, conductors. So I'm using 1 wire for 1/4 and 2/3?


----------



## buke9

starburp701 said:


> Yes, conductors. So I'm using 1 wire for 1/4 and 2/3?


I don't know about LCD connectors just that is the way the Trs plug needs to de wired.


----------



## buke9

starburp701 said:


> Yes, conductors. So I'm using 1 wire for 1/4 and 2/3?


Just looked it up if you have a 4 pin mini xlr then the 1/4 is + and 2/3 is - .


----------



## xLoud

HifiMan HE-400i has 2.5mm TRS connector on headphone side. How do I connect them to 4 Pin XLR?


----------



## buke9

xloud said:


> HifiMan HE-400i has 2.5mm TRS connector on headphone side. How do I connect them to 4 Pin XLR?


https://www.google.com/search?q=4+pin+xlr+pinout&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS723US723&oq=4+pin+xlr+pin&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j69i60j69i61j0l3.19689j0j4&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=kWIBL7A5gMmhvM%3AThat is a female plug where you would need a male end.


----------



## xLoud

I am talking about 2.5mm TRRS/3.5mm TRS connector that connects to source. On headphone there are  2.5mm TRS connector for each left and right. That makes total 3+3 wire, how to connect these to 4 pins in XLR?


----------



## buke9

xloud said:


> I am talking about 2.5mm TRRS/3.5mm TRS connector that connects to source. On headphone there are  2.5mm TRS connector for each left and right. That makes total 3+3 wire, how to connect these to 4 pins in XLR?


There are only two wires on the 2.5mm trs connectors going to the cups. The tip is your positive for each side.


----------



## xLoud

This is the connector.


----------



## buke9

xloud said:


> This is the connector.


Yes I know and there is only two wires no need for trs I use ts on the replacement cable I made.


----------



## ExabytE

Anyone tried this wire? http://www.ebay.com/itm/281831106775?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=580816709756&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT or maybe this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/182187600450?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT or this one
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/10m-Vanguard-0-2mm-square-high-purity-silver-plated-OCC-wire-Hi-Fi-Audio-cable-/132021890900?hash=item1ebd1e2f54:g:-DYAAOSw-0xYQbjH
 Seems quite cheap and nice and i was looking for a nice looking one to recable my broken inears. I guess i should go for the 24awg size?


----------



## SVTong

exabyte said:


> Anyone tried this wire? http://www.ebay.com/itm/281831106775?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=580816709756&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT or maybe this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/182187600450?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT or this one
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/10m-Vanguard-0-2mm-square-high-purity-silver-plated-OCC-wire-Hi-Fi-Audio-cable-/132021890900?hash=item1ebd1e2f54:g:-DYAAOSw-0xYQbjH
> Seems quite cheap and nice and i was looking for a nice looking one to recable my broken inears. I guess i should go for the 24awg size?


 
 That SPC in the first link is insanely cheap - I might have to give it a go and see....


----------



## buke9

exabyte said:


> Anyone tried this wire? http://www.ebay.com/itm/281831106775?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=580816709756&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT or maybe this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/182187600450?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT or this one
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/10m-Vanguard-0-2mm-square-high-purity-silver-plated-OCC-wire-Hi-Fi-Audio-cable-/132021890900?hash=item1ebd1e2f54:g:-DYAAOSw-0xYQbjH
> Seems quite cheap and nice and i was looking for a nice looking one to recable my broken inears. I guess i should go for the 24awg size?


It's going to be pretty stiff for in ears I believe that is the 19 strand stuff I have very stiff.


----------



## ExabytE

The third link is 7 strands according to them.


----------



## buke9

Less strands more stiff.


----------



## ExabytE

Thanks. I'll guess i'll try the 26awg one from the first link for iems and if i'll like it, 22-24 awg for headphones in the future.
 I assume you guys use 4 wires for braiding to look nicer right? How long should be an individual wire to have lets say 1 meter(or 1 ft whatever) long finished cable after braiding?


----------



## Whitigir

buke9 said:


> Less strands more stiff.




Very true, especially for in ears. Headphones is ok with many types even Solid cores but for in ears, the more flexible the more comfortable


----------



## SVTong

exabyte said:


> Thanks. I'll guess i'll try the 26awg one from the first link for iems and if i'll like it, 22-24 awg for headphones in the future.
> I assume you guys use 4 wires for braiding to look nicer right? How long should be an individual wire to have lets say 1 meter(or 1 ft whatever) long finished cable after braiding?


 
 It depends on how tightly you braid it, but I usually add 25% more length for a 4-strand braid.


----------



## jchandler3

Hey guys, another braiding question:
  
 I'd like to try my hand at a 4-strand litz braid. I'm wondering if it's possible to create the Y-split by just stopping the litz pattern and start twisting the pairs. Does that look weird? Become loose? Fall apart? I can't picture what it might do.
  
 Thanks!


----------



## JohnRS

jchandler3 said:


> Hey guys, another braiding question:
> 
> I'd like to try my hand at a 4-strand litz braid. I'm wondering if it's possible to create the Y-split by just stopping the litz pattern and start twisting the pairs. Does that look weird? Become loose? Fall apart? I can't picture what it might do.
> 
> Thanks!



Ive only just finished my first one but that's what I done and appears to be what others do. 
Here is mine. I sleeved my individual cables but you get the idea.


----------



## wgrish7

Have any of you done a removable cable mod for earphones?
 My earphone wires corroded.
 Something like this:


----------



## buke9

jchandler3 said:


> Hey guys, another braiding question:
> 
> I'd like to try my hand at a 4-strand litz braid. I'm wondering if it's possible to create the Y-split by just stopping the litz pattern and start twisting the pairs. Does that look weird? Become loose? Fall apart? I can't picture what it might do.
> 
> Thanks!


That's no problem but I would put some heat shrink to keep it from unraveling or use a splitter like in the above cable. I did a 8 wire and 4 wire to the cups for my Ether C's and didn't put a thing on it the 4 wire braid keeps the 8 intact.


----------



## Sakujin

I'm also curious about the quality of those chinese ebay silver or copper wires for headphones, are they better or different in what way with ur stock headphone cables. Thanks in advance!

It's been a few days that I looked at the braided version but havn't found any review so this has kept me from trying them out.

Here are the ones I'm currently looking at:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Braided-Teflon-OCC-Copper-Silver-plated-wire-HIFI-DIY-audio-Headphone-cable-5M-/182413412534?hash=item2a78afc8b6:g:RY8AAOSwjDZYcIu8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5m-high-purity-OCC-PTFE-cable-wire-For-HIFI-audio-Headphone-speaker-upgrade-DIY/191991732008?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3D473b8b37bf52415aa08351e392733c80%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D182413409895

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5m-High-End-PTFE-OCC-Silver-wire-Cable-For-HIFI-AUDIO-AMP-Headphone-Speaker-DIY-/201687024642?hash=item2ef57bc402:g:KdwAAOSw4DJYgeP4


----------



## AudioNewbi3

Good evening everyone,
  
 Has anyone in this thread attempted to use a 3.5mm stereo jack for mono use?

 I am currently making a cable for one of my headphones and noticed that I do not have any mono jack available......so can I use a stereo jack? 
 If so, how should I wire it?

 Below is a simple illustration of my potential cable

                                                                                         =================(3.5mm Mono Jack for left channel)
                                                       (wire)                         ||
 (3.5mm Stereo Jack)======================== ||
                                                                                         ||
                                                                                         =================(3.5mm Mono Jack for right channel)


 So I do not have any mono jacks available, can I use a stereo jack?

 Thank-you

 EDIT: If it is feasible, should I go for option A or B?


----------



## buke9

audionewbi3 said:


> Good evening everyone,
> 
> Has anyone in this thread attempted to use a 3.5mm stereo jack for mono use?
> 
> ...



I think either will work . I think in mono the connection is made at where the ring is on a mono plug but to be sure you can jumper the ring and sleeve together.


----------



## Paladin79

It depends on the brand of connectors (plugs and jacks). The spacing can be off between the rings between stereo and mono connectors. I have posted photos before showing the differences. Ever hear someone say I pulled the plug part way out and it started working? That is because the spacing between the rings was off slightly.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Yikes! I didn't realize the danger.

When I soldered my Meze Cable, I used 3.5mm TRS instead of mono. I used the tip and the shield, but left the ring unconnected. I didn't know which way to jumper it. Channel to ring, or ground to ring. The cable works beautifully, but I guess it could have been an epic fail. :eek:


----------



## Allanmarcus

pinkypowers said:


> Yikes! I didn't realize the danger.
> 
> When I soldered my Meze Cable, I used 3.5mm TRS instead of mono. I used the tip and the shield, but left the ring unconnected. I didn't know which way to jumper it. Channel to ring, or ground to ring. The cable works beautifully, but I guess it could have been an epic fail.


 

 That is the risk you take with wood cups: fire!
  
 Of course my cans have beryllium in them, so I need to be extra careful


----------



## AudioNewbi3

buke9 said:


> I think either will work . I think in mono the connection is made at where the ring is on a mono plug but to be sure you can jumper the ring and sleeve together.


 
  
  


paladin79 said:


> It depends on the brand of connectors (plugs and jacks). The spacing can be off between the rings between stereo and mono connectors. I have posted photos before showing the differences. Ever hear someone say I pulled the plug part way out and it started working? That is because the spacing between the rings was off slightly.


 
 May I kindly have a link to the post which you have made?
  


pinkypowers said:


> Yikes! I didn't realize the danger.
> 
> When I soldered my Meze Cable, I used 3.5mm TRS instead of mono. I used the tip and the shield, but left the ring unconnected. I didn't know which way to jumper it. Channel to ring, or ground to ring. The cable works beautifully, but I guess it could have been an epic fail.


 
  
  
 Judging from all the replies here, especially the one about different connector length, I guess the safest bet would be to just use the Tip and Sleve of the TRS connector.


----------



## Demoninja

Hi all, I'm looking to getting into making my own headphone cables. I've done a lot of reading and I think I'm ready to buy parts but I have some questions as well. Can I get a quick look at my parts list for confirmation? I'm not sure what size paracord I'll need for my plan if I can get some recommendations. Cables are going to be soldered onto the drivers directly.
  
 Mogami W2893 cable
 Paracord (probably from Amazon)
 1/8" TRS connector
 Y Split
  
 When stripping the microphone cable, do you strip it completely and then sleeve it with the paracord or just strip enough to get to the wires that need to be soldered and then slide the paracord over the rest of the sleeve?
  
 Edit: Also, do I need a TRS? Is there any resource anyone can direct me towards to read about this? I know that TS is tip and sleeve and TRS is tip, ring, sleeve but I don't understand the practical applications.


----------



## sharktopus

So I've been reading through quite a bit of this thread, and am thinking of making the leap into making my first cable.  I was thinking about recabling my Audio Technica ATH-IM02's because I get a lot of microphonics from the stock cable.  The parts that I'm looking at are:
 Cable: 26 AWG occ cable from BTG Audio
 3.5mm TRS connector
  
 I've been having some issues sourcing the connector for from the cable to the IEM.  The only ones that I've found thus far that didn't seem too sketchy were from lunashops.  Does anyone have any experience with these/recommendations about where to find them?
  Thanks!


----------



## rikk009

pinkypowers said:


> Yikes! I didn't realize the danger.
> 
> When I soldered my Meze Cable, I used 3.5mm TRS instead of mono. I used the tip and the shield, but left the ring unconnected. I didn't know which way to jumper it. Channel to ring, or ground to ring. The cable works beautifully, but I guess it could have been an epic fail.


 
 Those cables look good. Can you mention what cables are those along with the connectors and splitter?


----------



## Demoninja

Don't know about the cables but the connectors and split appear to be Eidolic. http://eidolic.com/


----------



## buke9

demoninja said:


> Hi all, I'm looking to getting into making my own headphone cables. I've done a lot of reading and I think I'm ready to buy parts but I have some questions as well. Can I get a quick look at my parts list for confirmation? I'm not sure what size paracord I'll need for my plan if I can get some recommendations. Cables are going to be soldered onto the drivers directly.
> 
> Mogami W2893 cable
> Paracord (probably from Amazon)
> ...


It is totally up to you if you want to strip it all the way done to single conductors or not it will not effect the sound. Some like the look of a braided cable as do I but you don't have to by any means. Yes you need TRS if you want stereo sound.


----------



## Whitigir

Believe it or not, braided cables is not only for look. Braided cables has more effects to it than you think that there is . It is called geometry. Read it up and try it yourself


----------



## PinkyPowers

rikk009 said:


> Those cables look good. Can you mention what cables are those along with the connectors and splitter?




Eidolic plugs and Norne Audio OCC copper with tranpsrent black jacket. I can't recall where I got the y-split. I've had it for a year, just lying around.


----------



## conflict0102

Very nice gear


----------



## Arty McGhee

ge·om·e·try
 jēˈämətrē/
_noun_
noun: *geometry*

     the branch of mathematics concerned with the properties and relations of points, lines, surfaces, solids, and higher dimensional analogs.

   a particular system of geometry.
plural noun: *geometries*
"non-Euclidean geometries"


   the shape and relative arrangement of the parts of something.
"the geometry of spiders' webs"


----------



## buke9

whitigir said:


> Believe it or not, braided cables is not only for look. Braided cables has more effects to it than you think that there is . It is called geometry. Read it up and try it yourself


For such a short run not much from what I've read. The conductors probably Is more important than the braid.


----------



## Whitigir

buke9 said:


> For such a short run not much from what I've read. The conductors probably Is more important than the braid.




That is a progress, keep it up


----------



## buke9

whitigir said:


> That is a progress, keep it up


Not for sure how to take that comment?


----------



## Whitigir

buke9 said:


> Not for sure how to take that comment?




That means there is more to it than that, but it is up to you to find out


----------



## buke9

whitigir said:


> That means there is more to it than that, but it is up to you to find out


Sorry not going to engage but if geometry is key there are problems with that cable you posted spacing is off after the split on one side and a bit slack at the connector of one of your Lemo's. Have a nice day.


----------



## Arty McGhee

please don't feed the trolls


----------



## Whitigir

buke9 said:


> Sorry not going to engage but if geometry is key there are problems with that cable you posted spacing is off after the split on one side and a bit slack at the connector of one of your Lemo's. Have a nice day.




That is fine, geometry never meant symmetry. But that is ok, I spoke from experiences, and I am not here to teach people what some self motivations may have brought them . You have a nice day too


----------



## tubey1

Does anyone know how to properly use Mogami WG2534 for headphone cable? Online on various sites people have 2 different opinions. Some say use 2 clear for 1 channel and 2 blue for another while some recommend using clear+blue/clear+blue. Which is true?
  
 Does anyone have recommendations for best DIY cable for HD600 besides the Mogami?


----------



## PinkyPowers

tubey1 said:


> Does anyone know how to properly use Mogami WG2534 for headphone cable? Online on various sites people have 2 different opinions. Some say use 2 clear for 1 channel and 2 blue for another while some recommend using clear+blue/clear+blue. Which is true?
> 
> Does anyone have recommendations for best DIY cable for HD600 besides the Mogami?




It couldn't matter less. It's entirely up to you.


----------



## buke9

arty mcghee said:


> please don't feed the trolls


Sorry I've had a bad day ; )


----------



## buke9

tubey1 said:


> Does anyone know how to properly use Mogami WG2534 for headphone cable? Online on various sites people have 2 different opinions. Some say use 2 clear for 1 channel and 2 blue for another while some recommend using clear+blue/clear+blue. Which is true?
> 
> Does anyone have recommendations for best DIY cable for HD600 besides the Mogami?


To keep the phase straight I would go clear/blue keeping one positive and the other negative same for the other side . It would work either way if you have a multimeter to make sure which is which.


----------



## Arty McGhee

tubey1 said:


> Does anyone know how to properly use Mogami WG2534 for headphone cable? Online on various sites people have 2 different opinions. Some say use 2 clear for 1 channel and 2 blue for another while some recommend using clear+blue/clear+blue. Which is true?
> 
> Does anyone have recommendations for best DIY cable for HD600 besides the Mogami?


 
 i like to use mogami 2799
 you get 4 colors so its a bit easier to keep straight
 its also a bit more flexible
  
 they are both high quality copper i don't think you can go wrong with either
 there's no rules here its DIY, use whatever makes you happy and is
 easier to work with.
  
 good luck


----------



## bvng3540

Need help reterminate Jh audio siren series cable to the new 4.4mm, any help appreciated thanks


----------



## PinkyPowers

bvng3540 said:


> Need help reterminate Jh audio siren series cable to the new 4.4mm, any help appreciated thanks




Oh that doesn't sound like fun. I think with JHA, I would just build an adapter. Those cables are complicated as hell.


----------



## bvng3540

pinkypowers said:


> Oh that doesn't sound like fun. I think with JHA, I would just build an adapter. Those cables are complicated as hell.






That is for standard 3.5mm, can't find any where for the 3.5mm trrs and 4.4mm trrrs


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Is it suitable to use a COMPONENT VIDEO CABLE for AUDIO application?


----------



## Paladin79

Most component video cables I know of are coaxial cables with solid copper center conductors so I see nothing wrong with doing that. i use high end Belden coaxial cable for both purposes without issue. ( the cable will also work for digital applications, SPDIF and SDI.)


----------



## i luvmusic 2

paladin79 said:


> Most component video cables I know of are coaxial cables with solid copper center conductors so I see nothing wrong with doing that. i use high end Belden coaxial cable for both purposes without issue. ( the cable will also work for digital applications, SPDIF and SDI.)


 
 Ok Thanks!


----------



## Pyrolistical

I made my own Audeze cable
  

  
 I did this for the Y

  
 What are some other approaches to make this nicer? The y heat shrink boots are expensive and ditto for the machined y cable boxes


----------



## JohnRS

I got a Viablue NF-A7 for £7.


----------



## Paladin79

pyrolistical said:


> I made my own Audeze cable
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 As far as costly heat shrink boots, you can use adhesive lined dual wall heat shrink tubing. Simply clamp something like hemostats on the portion of heat shrink tubing between the two branches of cable, heat it, and it will adhere to itself making a nice solid junction. I hope that makes sense, if not I will try to get a photo later. Just be certain of your work before doing this because it is fairly permanent.


----------



## Demoninja

pyrolistical said:


> I did this for the Y
> 
> 
> What are some other approaches to make this nicer? The y heat shrink boots are expensive and ditto for the machined y cable boxes


 
  
 I ordered some of these http://www.qables.com/shop/diy-parts-wire-connectors/y-splitter-devices. I don't have them in person but they look nice to me and are fairly cheap. Heres an image I pulled off Google for how they look with some paracord sleeving. I can let you know how they look when they come in.


----------



## sharktopus

paladin79 said:


> As far as costly heat shrink boots, you can use adhesive lined dual wall heat shrink tubing. Simply clamp something like hemostats on the portion of heat shrink tubing between the two branches of cable, heat it, and it will adhere to itself making a nice solid junction. I hope that makes sense, if not I will try to get a photo later. Just be certain of your work before doing this because it is fairly permanent.


 
 When you say "heat it" are you referring to heating up the hemostats to only melt together the middle portion that you've clamped?  or just clamp it and then heat the whole shebang?


----------



## NTK1

Hello.
  
 I am planning on doing the detachable cable mod for my DT770s. I would like to make my own cables but I have no idea where to start. I braided the 10ft cable but I can feel the weight of the cable.
  
 What kind of gauge wire do I use? I want to make a simple braided, non sleeved, cable.
  
 Similar to something like this


----------



## Paladin79

sharktopus said:


> When you say "heat it" are you referring to heating up the hemostats to only melt together the middle portion that you've clamped?  or just clamp it and then heat the whole shebang?




You would clamp it and Heat the entire piece of heat shrink tubing. You can also do this with long nose pliers. The adhesive causes it to form a "Y" in effect.


----------



## buke9

ntk1 said:


> Hello.
> 
> I am planning on doing the detachable cable mod for my DT770s. I would like to make my own cables but I have no idea where to start. I braided the 10ft cable but I can feel the weight of the cable.
> 
> ...


26 or 28 awg would be fine if you want a lighter cable. Here is some wire I've used before light and flexible. The silver plate is different I think from what I got before but the copper looks the same .http://btg-audio.com/webstore.htm#!/DIY-Parts/c/2620180/offset=0&sort=normal


----------



## liquidzoo

ntk1 said:


> Hello.
> 
> I am planning on doing the detachable cable mod for my DT770s. I would like to make my own cables but I have no idea where to start. I braided the 10ft cable but I can feel the weight of the cable.
> 
> ...




I use Mogami 2893 or 2799 for my DT 770 cables. I used some Canare cable (I think) for a first try, but I didn't like how stiff it was. The 2893/2799 cable is 26 AWG so it's nice and flexible, plus it's cheap.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14670#post_11939940

If you're doing a removable cable mod on the DT770s, please be careful. It's really, really easy to overheat the pads and separate the voice coil wire (I've done it).


----------



## Arty McGhee

ntk1 said:


> Hello.
> 
> I am planning on doing the detachable cable mod for my DT770s. I would like to make my own cables but I have no idea where to start. I braided the 10ft cable but I can feel the weight of the cable.
> 
> ...


 
 i would suggest doing it first on a cheaper headphone first 
 something takstar or somic for like 30-40 bucks
 they don't make the takstar pro 80 any more its similar to a beyer
 i found this
  
https://www.amazon.com/iSK-HF-2010-Professional-Quality-Monitoring/dp/B01D8IH7X8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486746762&sr=8-1&keywords=isk+headphones
  
 but the idea is ruin a fancy headphone for practice and do a nice job on you expensive ones


----------



## Pyrolistical

I went the other way and made my headphone cable using thick heavy cable. The 1/4" end is a power cable with 16 awg wire


----------



## Paladin79

That is pretty large wire for sure lol. I max out about 24 awg on most headphone cables.


----------



## Whitigir

pyrolistical said:


> I went the other way and made my headphone cable using thick heavy cable. The 1/4" end is a power cable with 16 awg wire




Lol ? What kind of headphone cables and plugs can u do on 16AWG ?


----------



## Paladin79

whitigir said:


> Lol ? What kind of headphone cables and plugs can u do on 16AWG ?


 
 I have noticed a misconception on this site before a little like this. It involved hooking a 300 watt power amp to a set of headphones. The gentleman was getting advice like "I would use 12 gauge wire coming off the amp." Unfortunately no matter how large that particular wire is, once you apply the power to the wires inside the headphones (maybe 26 awg or so) the results are not going to be very good for the headphones or the ears if the headphone wire did not act like a fuse quickly enough lol.


----------



## Pyrolistical

whitigir said:


> Lol ? What kind of headphone cables and plugs can u do on 16AWG ?




It was a 3 conductor wire to get the right outer diameter for the 1/4" jack. I think it was designed to carry 115v power and just happen to be 16 awg


----------



## DR650SE

Hey guys, I Could use a bit of help being pointed in the right direction.  I'm deployed but headed home in the next few weeks.  I have my nice IEM cable with me, and unfortunately the connection near the 3.5mm plug went out. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 Is there somewhere I can send it to to get fixed when I get home?  I've never soldered before and too afraid to mess it up.  It cost me around $180 so I don't want to risk it.  I'm willing to pay to have someone with the know-how, to do it for me.
  
 Eventually I'll learn, but i'll learn to solder on something cheaper first 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 On a more sad note, I had my wife send my replacement cable 3 months ago, and it too to is going in and out on the right ear.  It's taped up.  Going to be along boring 3 weeks with my crappy Bose earphones if these get much worse    I ordered a cheap $18 cable from amazon in the hopes it arrives before I leave.  I have about a lot of travel ahead and need a good cable. 
  
 So what are my options with my good cable?


----------



## Allanmarcus

@DR650SE  you could try a stereo repair shop, if there is one near where you will be. The manufacturer might offer a repair service as well. 
  
 I also found this place, but I have no experience with them
 http://www.headphonerepair.com


----------



## Spider fan

Some of the local computer repair places around me will do a solder headphone repair too.  Maybe give some of the ones around you a call.  I also see people on craigslist willing to do electronic repairs.


----------



## Paladin79

I would be glad to help out, no charge, if you can be without the iems for a few days and if you are fairly certain the problem is in the 3.5 mm end. I would naturally use my own pads for testing. You can pm me for address if you would like my help.
  
 Tom


----------



## NoisyNeighbour

Working on a cable for my HE-400i, the newer model with the 2.5s. Can anyone confirm if http://www.redco.com/Redco-2.5mm-Male-TRS-w-Collar.html would fit the 400i? Or maybe have this 2.5 connector and can give me the measurements. Thanks!


----------



## paecificjr

Question for everyone. I am planning on making a custom cable sometime and I am looking for a right angle 1/8" connector that is also threaded so I can put on a 1/4" adapter. Any thoughts?


----------



## Paladin79

paecificjr said:


> Question for everyone. I am planning on making a custom cable sometime and I am looking for a right angle 1/8" connector that is also threaded so I can put on a 1/4" adapter. Any thoughts?


 
 Neutrik makes and excellent 3.5 mm right angle stereo connector but it is not threaded. I have yet to see a right angle that is.
  
  
 http://www.markertek.com/product/ntp3rc-b/neutrik-ntp3rc-b-3-5mm-stereo-right-angle-mini-plug-black-gold?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&utm_source=google&utm_term=Product_Target&utm_campaign=Shopping+-+Connectors+%26+Adapters&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=mVY4YMQb|pcrid|74923779380|pdv|c|&gclid=CNvy6JDAkNICFVC4wAodfPoO6w


----------



## paecificjr

Qui`


paladin79 said:


> Neutrik makes and excellent 3.5 mm right angle stereo connector but it is not threaded. I have yet to see a right angle that is.
> 
> 
> http://www.markertek.com/product/ntp3rc-b/neutrik-ntp3rc-b-3-5mm-stereo-right-angle-mini-plug-black-gold?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&utm_source=google&utm_term=Product_Target&utm_campaign=Shopping+-+Connectors+%26+Adapters&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=mVY4YMQb|pcrid|74923779380|pdv|c|&gclid=CNvy6JDAkNICFVC4wAodfPoO6w


 
  
  
 That's sad. Maybe somebody else has? Maybe I ghetto mod my own?


----------



## Paladin79

Another thought is to build a short 3.5 mm female to quarter inch male cable. Braid the wires,make it pretty, use quality connectors, and save a bit of wear and tear on the equipment jack you would be plugging in and out of. I have fashioned several of these for my own use because I do not like to use adapters unless absolutely necessary. It is also good cable building practice. Another method is to use four pin mini xlr male and females and use these at the end of longer cables. I have some for balanced equipment, 3.5 mm, quarter inch, whatever I need. Rean (Neutrik) makes some very good quality parts and they are my first choice. I am constantly changing and trying new equipment and the four pin mini xlr helps me a lot but may not be for everyone. Said connectors lock into place and there is a small release tab so they are a good solid extension to leave on a cable.


----------



## paecificjr

paladin79 said:


> Another thought is to build a short 3.5 mm female to quarter inch male cable. Braid the wires,make it pretty, use quality connectors, and save a bit of wear and tear on the equipment jack you would be plugging in and out of. I have fashioned several of these for my own use because I do not like to use adapters unless absolutely necessary. It is also good cable building practice. Another method is to use four pin mini xlr male and females and use these at the end of longer cables. I have some for balanced equipment, 3.5 mm, quarter inch, whatever I need. Rean (Neutrik) makes some very good quality parts and they are my first choice. I am constantly changing and trying new equipment and the four pin mini xlr helps me a lot but may not be for everyone. Said connectors lock into place and there is a small release tab so they are a good solid extension to leave on a cable.


 
 I like your idea of leaving an adapter hanging on my equipment, but my problem is that it isn't my equipment. I did think about the mini xlr, but I thought that would just get messy. Do you have any pictures?


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> Another thought is to build a short 3.5 mm female to quarter inch male cable. Braid the wires,make it pretty, use quality connectors, and save a bit of wear and tear on the equipment jack you would be plugging in and out of. I have fashioned several of these for my own use because I do not like to use adapters unless absolutely necessary. It is also good cable building practice. Another method is to use four pin mini xlr male and females and use these at the end of longer cables. I have some for balanced equipment, 3.5 mm, quarter inch, whatever I need. Rean (Neutrik) makes some very good quality parts and they are my first choice. I am constantly changing and trying new equipment and the four pin mini xlr helps me a lot but may not be for everyone. Said connectors lock into place and there is a small release tab so they are a good solid extension to leave on a cable.


What is your aversion of a adapter?


----------



## Paladin79

Quote: 





buke9 said:


> What is your aversion of a adapter?


 

 here is a quick photo showing a Rean 4 pin male and female plugged together, i used a red/ black  white/blue cable to show there are two separate cables attached. Basically i can change from balanced dual 3.5 mm on a Pono to quarter inch stereo in a heartbeat and not worry about the connections. There is a latch system so they stay well connected. I can easily change over to a 3.5 mm stereo male, or dual xlr balanced. Now for Buke's question, I have not had good luck with adapters, generally the quality can be quite poor though I admit some are better than others. Were I to use one I would use a 3.5 mm that screws into a quarter inch, those I have found to be pretty solid and do not offer many issues. Otherwise if you try to go from a quarter inch down to a 3.5mm I have bought a half dozen versions and all became intermittent very quickly. There may be some great ones I have not tried top of the line adapters but my success has been minimal with those I purchased.  I have used this type of Rean arrangement for over a year with no issues. Also I am not swapping cables on my alpha primes very often, I unhook the Rean and voila, I can plug into most anything I own. I leave XLR's to a Rean plugged into the back of a balanced amp/dac and do not have to get to the back of the equipment to change them out. (top photo)


----------



## buke9

Wow never had that happen and I have 4 of them but will take your word of your experience with them. You still have to go to a meet.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Wow never had that happen and I have 4 of them but will take your word of your experience with them. You still have to go to meet.


 
 I have had no issues with a few of them but trust me, I have access to a lot of them lol; I own 20 or so of various types. I plug things in a lot so maybe I am just hard on them. 
  
 One day I will make it to a meet, unfortunately my work duties keep increasing. One more photo, it takes me all of five seconds to change from a Pono to a Valhalla 2 amp using this system and the connection is rock solid.


----------



## Paladin79

For home equipment I have used things like this that I made. 3.5 mm stereo female jack (trs) to 1/4 inch male trs. I have since gone more to the 4 pin mini xlrs though since they can be used for balanced audio or common ground cables. This one is not as pretty as some but that red cable is Mogami star quad which uses oxygen free copper wire and it is quite well shielded. Rean  3.5 mm jack and Amphenol trs plug.


----------



## Arty McGhee

show us your pigtails
  
 i carry a lot of these in my bag, i make them from scraps 
  
 i dig the 4 pin mini xlr i may start using them


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> show us your pigtails
> 
> i carry a lot of these in my bag, i make them from scraps
> 
> i dig the 4 pin mini xlr i may start using them


 

 Maybe this helps. On the left is the headphone cable (red and black) with a female 4 pin mini xlr, the other three cables all have the four pin male mini xlr end, then go on to XLR's, TRS 1/4 inch, and dual TRS 3.5 mm for a Pono player. Somewhere I also have the mini xlr to 3.5 mm. I totally trust the Rean four pin mini xlr connectors and they have a small white arrow for keying. At home I rarely have to disconnect the main cable from the headphones and I can leave these plugged in to various equipment to save constantly plugging in and out. You can buy just the male or female four pin xlr if ever you had to replace one. They are not real easy to work with so it pays to have some experience soldering. (heading out to dinner or I would have tried for a better photo.)
  
 Tom


----------



## Letmebefrank

paladin79 said:


> Maybe this helps. On the left is the headphone cable (red and black) with a female 4 pin mini xlr, the other three cables all have the four pin male mini xlr end, then go on to XLR's, TRS 1/4 inch, and dual TRS 3.5 mm for a Pono player. Somewhere I also have the mini xlr to 3.5 mm. I totally trust the Rean four pin mini xlr connectors and they have a small white arrow for keying. At home I rarely have to disconnect the main cable from the headphones and I can leave these plugged in to various equipment to save constantly plugging in and out. You can buy just the male or female four pin xlr if ever you had to replace one. They are not real easy to work with so it pays to have some experience soldering. (heading out to dinner or I would have tried for a better photo.)
> 
> Tom




Hey Tom, where do you source your mini 4 pins? I'm sure you have a pile of them at the office, but I can't find the sleek rean ones anywhere online. Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

MarkerTek has them. I will post a link soon. They also list Switchcraft as I recall but they are not as easy to plug together. I also like Neutrik's (Rean's) way of gripping the cable jacket.

http://www.markertek.com/product/rn-rt4mc-b/rean-rt4mc-b-tiny-xlr-4-pole-male-black-shell-gold-contacts

http://www.markertek.com/product/rt4fc-b/neutrik-rt4fc-b-rean-tiny-4-pole-xlr-cable-connector

Total of under $5.00 for both parts. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being the easiest connectors to install (RCA plugs, Mono quarter inch being a 2). I would give these a difficulty of 8. I like them but they may not be for everyone. I have built many a cable knowing I then had to terminate it with a specific connector. With this system I can go to two channels and ground or balanced connections. it is extra work but there is less wire cost in a short pigtail and less braiding.

One day if my company becomes a sponsor here, we could possibly sell such connectors as well as pre-made pigtails with quality 3.5 mm, quarter inch, 4 pin standard XLR etc. already installed. Perhaps a few kinds of star quad cable, individual wire, connectors, heat shrink tubing, rubber grommets etc. for the DIYer. 

Tom


----------



## Dyaems

Hi all,
  
 I have a Lear C10 cable with a straight plug, I want to re-terminate it to an angled plug. While it sounds easy to do, I am not sure how to figure out the wires as all of them have the same color.
  
 My idea supposedly was to remove the housing (still in the cable), then transfer the wires to the new plug one by one after cutting and re-tinning the exposed wires. Problem is that the housing still stays on the cable lol.. so I scratched that idea.
  
 Any other ideas before I proceed? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Allanmarcus

dyaems said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have a Lear C10 cable with a straight plug, I want to re-terminate it to an angled plug. While it sounds easy to do, I am not sure how to figure out the wires as all of them have the same color.
> 
> ...


 

 Use a sharpie and mark the cables with 1, 2, or 3 dots on a portion of the cable you will not see once the housing is bak on. Take pictures with your smart phone.


----------



## Dyaems

allanmarcus said:


> Use a sharpie and mark the cables with 1, 2, or 3 dots on a portion of the cable you will not see once the housing is bak on. Take pictures with your smart phone.


 
  
 good idea, and thanks! but i think for some reason my sharpie comes off for some reason, maybe it gets rubbed by my fingers or something? was thinking to make a small cut, up to three small cuts on each wire but still cant see it sadly


----------



## JohnRS

dyaems said:


> good idea, and thanks! but i think for some reason my sharpie comes off for some reason, maybe it gets rubbed by my fingers or something? was thinking to make a small cut, up to three small cuts on each wire but still cant see it sadly



If you have a multimeter you continuity test the terminals and the exposed wire you'll solder. 

Sharpie pens work OK but I continuity tested the wire just before soldering to the connector to be 100%.



In short I'd get a multimeter if you haven't got one. They're £10 on amazon and a cheap one will do fine for basic things like continuity.


----------



## NTK1

liquidzoo said:


> I use Mogami 2893 or 2799 for my DT 770 cables. I used some Canare cable (I think) for a first try, but I didn't like how stiff it was. The 2893/2799 cable is 26 AWG so it's nice and flexible, plus it's cheap.
> 
> http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/14670#post_11939940
> 
> If you're doing a removable cable mod on the DT770s, please be careful. It's really, really easy to overheat the pads and separate the voice coil wire (I've done it).


 
 Would something like this work? 
  
 http://a.co/8jT8cO6

  

 Modding and soldiering isnt an a problem.Just never played with audio wiring.


----------



## liquidzoo

ntk1 said:


> Would something like this work?
> 
> 
> http://a.co/8jT8cO6
> ...




This would likely be a better choice: http://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2799.html


----------



## buke9

ntk1 said:


> Would something like this work?
> 
> 
> http://a.co/8jT8cO6
> ...


I would not recommend a solid core wire for headphone cable.


----------



## Dyaems

johnrs said:


> If you have a multimeter you continuity test the terminals and the exposed wire you'll solder.
> 
> Sharpie pens work OK but I continuity tested the wire just before soldering to the connector to be 100%.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I do have a multimeter, not sure how to check for continuity though, I really don't use the other features besides checking voltage of PSU haha. Maybe I should ask mister G. Thanks!


----------



## NTK1

buke9 said:


> I would not recommend a solid core wire for headphone cable.


 
 Was looking at the wrong listing.
  
 Meant 
  
http://a.co/6gsTZ72
  
Just wanted to buy cheap bulk to practice.


----------



## Allanmarcus

dyaems said:


> johnrs said:
> 
> 
> > If you have a multimeter you continuity test the terminals and the exposed wire you'll solder.
> ...


 

 RTFM


----------



## Allanmarcus

So, what the next step up for copper cable from Mogami W2799? Anything better?


----------



## Arty McGhee

dyaems said:


> I do have a multimeter, not sure how to check for continuity though, I really don't use the other features besides checking voltage of PSU haha. Maybe I should ask mister G. Thanks!


 

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+To+Use+A+Multimeter/25632#s64987


----------



## Arty McGhee

allanmarcus said:


> So, what the next step up for copper cable from Mogami W2799? Anything better?


 
 better like how?


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> RTFM


 
  


dyaems said:


> I do have a multimeter, not sure how to check for continuity though, I really don't use the other features besides checking voltage of PSU haha. Maybe I should ask mister G. Thanks!


 
 Go to the lowest ohm setting, sometimes they use the omega symbol, touch the leads together and you should get a zero reading. A piece of wire should give you the same result. A lot of meters have a small speaker symbol for an audio tone, depending on the make of meter this might not be very loud though.
 On some kinds of cables you have to be careful of creating a high resistance short, you measure for this on a higher ohm scale such as 100k or up but that is a discussion for another day.


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> better like how?


 
  


allanmarcus said:


> So, what the next step up for copper cable from Mogami W2799? Anything better?


 
 The 2799 is a miniature quad; they make other Neglex cable of course. I have some 24 awg ofc I like as well or better that costs less. I do not have the specs in front of me but it has a higher strand count.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> arty mcghee said:
> 
> 
> > better like how?
> ...




If you are referring to the stuff you sent me, I like it too. A bit more flexible than the mogami. Are you selling it yet?


----------



## buke9

ntk1 said:


> Was looking at the wrong listing.
> 
> Meant
> 
> ...


Have never heard of it so can't comment on it.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> If you are referring to the stuff you sent me, I like it too. A bit more flexible than the mogami. Are you selling it yet?


 
 I think I sent you Belden, this is another brand. We should be launching a new website before long and on there should be 24 awg ofc in at least two jacket colors. I doubt it matches the flexibility of smaller gauges.  It is not an easy to find 24 awg ofc unless you tear apart star quad. I listened to your suggestion on the cable boots as well (grommets). I will only have products I use and like so the decision making will be a little unilateral but I am always open to new ideas. I will have cable for high flex ic's and the parts to build them, cotton/mesh cable jacket etc. I am kicking around the idea of offering pig tails using Rean four pin mini xlrs, I love them and I like the cost savings compared to building four types of cables for one set of headphones or using adapters but I am not sure how many would warm to the idea.
  
 Tom


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Have never heard of it so can't comment on it.


 
 That is just 22 awg hook up wire, available most anywhere by ten different companies, tinned copper, not many strands.


----------



## Dyaems

allanmarcus said:


> RTFM


 
  
 no need to be rude, there is no manual in the first place, my multimeter is just a generic one, and bought it at least 4 years ago. this is one of the reasons i stopped visiting this forum, because of people like you.
  
  


arty mcghee said:


> https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+To+Use+A+Multimeter/25632#s64987


 
  
 thanks, i already saw that link earlier when i was doing some searches on google.
  
  


paladin79 said:


> Go to the lowest ohm setting, sometimes they use the omega symbol, touch the leads together and you should get a zero reading. A piece of wire should give you the same result. A lot of meters have a small speaker symbol for an audio tone, depending on the make of meter this might not be very loud though.
> On some kinds of cables you have to be careful of creating a high resistance short, you measure for this on a higher ohm scale such as 100k or up but that is a discussion for another day.


 
  
 thanks you for the information! currently reterminating the cable as of this post.


----------



## JohnRS

dyaems said:


> no need to be rude, there is no manual in the first place, my multimeter is just a generic one, and bought it at least 4 years ago. this is one of the reasons i stopped visiting this forum, because of people like you.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




This is a pic of the continuity symbol. As said the audio symbol means it beeps when a circuit is made, if not you rely on the readings and to test touch the probes together.


----------



## Paladin79

I am glad you got it figured out. There are also some cable testers out there with a good loud beep for continuity, much louder than some of the meters I have encountered. This one is particularly good but might be a little pricey unless you are building quite a few cables. I mention a loud beep since with that you can make many checks without ever looking up. 
  
 http://www.markertek.com/product/hos-cbt-500/hosa-cbt-500-audio-cable-tester-w-bnc
  
 My people build cables daily so I can justify the expenditure; and they cost me less than the Markertek price. It has a lot of jacks for common connectors but is not much help with many of the connectors used on headphones other than a continuity test. 
  
 Tom


----------



## Allanmarcus

dyaems said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > RTFM
> ...




Sorrry, wasn't trying to be rude. Many people forget their stuff comes with manuals, either on line or printed. Also, I work in IT, and RTFM is a VERY common expression used amoung friends.


----------



## Paladin79

Knowing what little I do about Allanmarcus from posts I have read, he certainly goes out of his way to help people and I have no doubt his intent was not mean.
  
 For those of you who may not have a meter, I posted a simple circuit on here a while back showing a battery, a couple pieces of wire and a small bulb you can use to test continuity. It was much easier to do back when there was a Radio Shack in most US cities but times change. Companies like Parts Express still sell kits and a lot of needed electronic supplies for those of you who do not have several decades of parts stashed in your garage.


----------



## Arty McGhee

paladin79 said:


> Knowing what little I do about Allanmarcus from posts I have read, he certainly goes out of his way to help people and I have no doubt his intent was not mean.
> 
> For those of you who may not have a meter, I posted a simple circuit on here a while back showing a battery, a couple pieces of wire and a small bulb you can use to test continuity. It was much easier to do back when there was a Radio Shack in most US cities but times change. Companies like Parts Express still sell kits and a lot of needed electronic supplies for those of you who do not have several decades of parts stashed in your garage.


 
 my $5 harbor freight meter is my constant companion while cable building
 i constantly check for correct connections and short etc.
  
 i dunno how old people are, but i'm over 50
 we used to tinker with batteries and wire and lightbulbs
 and used to make that flashlight/continuity tester
 we learned to solder in shop i high school
  
 i fear the internet and videogames has made us dumb (damn kids get off my lawn)
  
 i feel its important for us to pass this knowledge on to the next generation (and be nice to people)
  
 sorry for the rant 
  
  would love some info on that wire you were talking about


----------



## Paladin79

I will try to get the specs Monday and post them. I have already used up the 25 foot sample I received but I have already committed to several thousand feet. I would be fooling myself if I claimed I could hear a difference between a group of 24 awg ofc wires ceteris paribus (all other things being equal.) I have had some twenty somethings with excellent hearing compare the wire to others I presented to them including some OCC copper and I was pleased with the results. I used balanced binaural audio (Chesky recordings) through my home setup and the two young ladies with what I believe to be the best hearing asked me how in the "heck" (supply your own four letter word here) they were supposed to listen to factory earbuds on their smart phones anymore? All wires were in four wire braid configuration and there were no markings on the wires but I encased them in paracord anyway. The wire is not expensive and if you PM me your address Arty I would send you a sample gratis when the shipment arrives. I am not a sponsor yet but I do not believe it is against the rules here to help out a fellow cable builder. If we start selling wire, I would never say more than here are the specs i know of, form your own opinion otherwise. If you like OCC better, by all means buy it or litz wire I would hope to offer those as well. I like choices.
  
  
 The cable in question is 24 awg bare copper, 40x40 stranding, ofc, foam polypropylene insulation and it will most likely well for less than Mogami 26 awg and save a lot of labor removing it from star quad cable.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Tom


----------



## sharktopus

If I wanted to get some such cable, where could it be found?  Or is the answer just grab some star quad cable and tear it down?  The cable I've got right now is really inflexible and microphonic, so I'm looking at making my own.  Also, if I've been following y'all correctly, it sounds like the rean connectors would be a good balance between price and quality.


----------



## Paladin79

Rean (Neutrik) and Amphenol are very good connectors. I like and use both brands and have not experienced any failures over a ten year period. I cannot hear a sonic difference between brands so I mostly go by quality of construction.

I will send you some wire no charge to try out when it arrives. It is not readily available in small batches otherwise. Some things have MOQ's (minimum order requirements) or companies will not set up and run production. PM me a name and address and I will send some no charge in a week or less. If you want to take time to give your impression that would be appreciated but not mandatory. Most Star quad I know of uses good wire but for a year I have wanted to locate individual ofc wire of high quality. A diyer can use their own time to cut star quad apart. If I do that in a production situation I just tripled my labor cost. Even at home I can construct a cable pigtail in 15 minutes or less, it goes against my nature to take an hour if I am anxious to hear new music or compare amps but that is just me.

Tom


----------



## sharktopus

paladin79 said:


> Rean (Neutrik) and Amphenol are very good connectors. I like and use both brands and have not experienced any failures over a ten year period. I cannot hear a sonic difference between brands so I mostly go by quality of construction.
> 
> I will send you some wire no charge to try out when it arrives. It is not readily available in small batches otherwise. Some things have MOQ's (minimum order requirements) or companies will not set up and run production. PM me a name and address and I will send some no charge in a week or less. If you want to take time to give your impression that would be appreciated but not mandatory. Most Star quad I know of uses good wire but for a year I have wanted to locate individual ofc wire of high quality. A diyer can use their own time to cut star quad apart. If I do that in a production situation I just tripled my labor cost. Even at home I can construct a cable pigtail in 15 minutes or less, it goes against my nature to take an hour if I am anxious to hear new music or compare amps but that is just me.
> 
> Tom


 
 Thanks for the info and quick reply!


----------



## Paladin79

sharktopus said:


> Thanks for the info and quick reply!


 

 You are most welcome, just let me know what length cable you would like to build and if you will be using a three or four wire braid. If you decide to go with the Rean four pin mini xlrs I talked about, you can get them from Markertek and I posted links earlier.
  
 Tom


----------



## PETEREK

I'm not sure if one of these images have been made or not yet, but here is the pinout for the 4.4mm balanced plug. This is based on the Kimber Kable 4.4mm balanced cable straight from Sony.


----------



## buke9

peterek said:


> I'm not sure if one of these images have been made or not yet, but here is the pinout for the 4.4mm balanced plug. This is based on the Kimber Kable 4.4mm balanced cable straight from Sony.


Just don't get the need for Sony to do this. Wanted to hear the Z1R's on my gear at a meet but nope because of the cable.


----------



## PinkyPowers

buke9 said:


> Just don't get the need for Sony to do this. Wanted to hear the Z1R's on my gear at a meet but nope because of the cable.




Yep. That's one of the main reasons I went with the Opus#2 instead of the WM1A. I just didn't want to have to reterminate all my balanced cables.


----------



## Arty McGhee

peterek said:


> I'm not sure if one of these images have been made or not yet, but here is the pinout for the 4.4mm balanced plug. This is based on the Kimber Kable 4.4mm balanced cable straight from Sony.


 
 when has sony ever failed to miss the boat
 the only one worse is apple


----------



## buke9

arty mcghee said:


> when has sony ever failed to miss the boat
> the only one worse is apple


Beta was better though ; )


----------



## buke9

pinkypowers said:


> Yep. That's one of the main reasons I went with the Opus#2 instead of the WM1A. I just didn't want to have to reterminate all my balanced cables.


The WM1Z is what was at the meet and I thought my QP1R was heavy that thing weighed twice as much I bet.


----------



## Mikko Peltonen

Started making a balanced cable for my HE-400i headphones. Here's a picture of a partially finished XLR to 1/4" adapter.
  
 Pretty sweet for my first cable


----------



## Paladin79

mikko peltonen said:


> Started making a balanced cable for my HE-400i headphones. Here's a picture of a partially finished XLR to 1/4" adapter.
> 
> Pretty sweet for my first cable


 
 Nice looking cable. A good quality Neutrik connector obviously. Once you take it down to a TRS there is a common ground so I wonder then if such a cable would be considered balanced to unbalanced?  The way the neutriks lock on the cable is really top notch, you never have to worry about the cable coming loose as you might with a small clamp on some connectors.


----------



## kaushama

Hello all

What would be the best wiring geometry for the 8 core braided cable? I guess B??


----------



## buke9

kaushama said:


> Hello all
> 
> What would be the best wiring geometry for the 8 core braided cable? I guess B??


Not being a engineer but I would pick A or B as it doesn't put things together but that could be totally wrong . I don't think on a short cable it will make much of a difference.


----------



## kaushama

I guess Kimber does it up to split in A) way. By the looks of of their web pictures of the cable. They use two colors for each ground and signal wires.


----------



## buke9

Doesn't matter what color .


----------



## kaushama

LOL 

I know just told it as a guide to examine the y split of the headphone cable!


----------



## PinkyPowers

How the bleeding hell did you take a picture while actively soldering? Just how many hands do you have?!
:eek:


----------



## john777

pinkypowers said:


> How the bleeding hell did you take a picture while actively soldering? Just how many hands do you have?!
> :eek:




Probably like me he uses his feet as well...


----------



## Allanmarcus

pinkypowers said:


> How the bleeding hell did you take a picture while actively soldering? Just how many hands do you have?!
> :eek:




No smoke.


----------



## Starburp701

I don't heat shrink and just use Viablue SC2 (1 IN 2 OUT)

There's this thread, too.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/537117/the-y-split-thread/20_20


----------



## Mikko Peltonen

Adapter cable done!


----------



## Sharkhunter

mikko peltonen said:


> Adapter cable done!


 
 Which paracord version did you use. I am planning to make a custom cable for the Mr Speaker Aeon.. Just started collecting all info. I was thinking of using 275 Paracord.


----------



## Mikko Peltonen

sharkhunter said:


> Which paracord version did you use. I am planning to make a custom cable for the Mr Speaker Aeon.. Just started collecting all info. I was thinking of using 275 Paracord.




That's 550 used with a wire of 1,7 mm outer diameter. Works fine, maybe a little loose. Had 3 mm paracord which would've been fine but the material was crappy. 2 mm didn't have a chance. It's better to get bigger paracord, trying to get the wire through a snuggly fitting paracord is a pain.

2,4 mm OD wire fit well also in the 550.


----------



## Andreeww

I noticed that there is glue in the jacks and connectors of aftermarket cable. Now I am trying to replace the connectors. Is the glue really necessary and what kind of glue is it?
 Thanks


----------



## liquidzoo

andrew lin said:


> I noticed that there is glue in the jacks and connectors of aftermarket cable. Now I am trying to replace the connectors. Is the glue really necessary and what kind of glue is it?
> Thanks




Probably there as strain relief. If there's built in strain relief it's probably not necessary, though you can add it for extra security if you want. It's probably normal hot glue.


----------



## Paladin79

And normal hot glue can be removed by heating it once again. As far as being necessary, if you have proper solder lugs there is less need for glue. If you do not have a good clamping system for the cable jacket and if you are soldering to the side of cylindrical connectors then hot glue may not be a bad idea. You need something that will withstand the strain of the cable being tugged on. In the clamping system Neutrik uses, there is probably a better chance of the cable jacket breaking than the clamp letting go.


----------



## pofdstudios

Hey there folks! Hoping one of you guys can help me out. Im looking to make or have made a replacement cable for my Klipsch x20i IEMs. They use these idiotic screw-type coaxial SSMCX connectors and I am unable to locate any info or replacement cable on the web. Klipsch said "coming soon" but to be honest they are not even breathing hard yet! lol Any help would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Paladin79

pofdstudios said:


> Hey there folks! Hoping one of you guys can help me out. Im looking to make or have made a replacement cable for my Klipsch x20i IEMs. They use these idiotic screw-type coaxial SSMCX connectors and I am unable to locate any info or replacement cable on the web. Klipsch said "coming soon" but to be honest they are not even breathing hard yet! lol Any help would be greatly appreciated.


 
 http://www.molex.com/molex/products/family?key=ssmcx&channel=products&pageTitle=Introduction
  
 you might find someone with the Molex SSMCX connectors if you can pin it down to a specific part number. I would think they would be using 75 ohm coaxial cable since 50 ohm is more for RF applications. I have not built with those particular connectors before but often times you would crimp or solder a center pin and crimp a collar ring over the outside braid. This type of procedure is pretty exacting and you have to have the proper size crimp dies. I know of some quality miniature 75 ohm coaxial cable but you have to concern yourself with the outside diameter of the cable and dielectric. Having just looked up your IEM's I do not think this would be a good DIY project. Maybe Klipsch will eventually have a solution cause those are not cheap IEM's.
  
 Tom


----------



## pofdstudios

paladin79 said:


> http://www.molex.com/molex/products/family?key=ssmcx&channel=products&pageTitle=Introduction
> 
> you might find someone with the Molex SSMCX connectors if you can pin it down to a specific part number. I would think they would be using 75 ohm coaxial cable since 50 ohm is more for RF applications. I have not built with those particular connectors before but often times you would crimp or solder a center pin and crimp a collar ring over the outside braid. This type of procedure is pretty exacting and you have to have the proper size crimp dies. I know of some quality miniature 75 ohm coaxial cable but you have to concern yourself with the outside diameter of the cable and dielectric. Having just looked up your IEM's I do not think this would be a good DIY project. Maybe Klipsch will eventually have a solution cause those are not cheap IEM's.
> 
> Tom


 
 Thanks for the reply Tom. Yeah the inline microphone/volume control snags everywhere and the cable is far too short.


----------



## Paladin79

pofdstudios said:


> Thanks for the reply Tom. Yeah the inline microphone/volume control snags everywhere and the cable is far too short.


 
 I would help if I could but a lot of times manufacturers have such things made overseas and some of the connectors become a bit proprietary if they have to fit inside a specific housing. It is all well and good if they provide replacement cables but if they do not, you are stuck. I have had some dealings with Klipsch but mostly on speakers. Good luck in your search.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Tripod/timer or with a helper?????


----------



## Paladin79

That must pertain to how to take a photo while soldering lol. There are times where I would give my right arm to be ambidextrous. (Yogi Berra, slightly paraphrased.)


----------



## Allanmarcus

Actually, I was always taught to heat the wire and lug, and touch the solder to the other side, not tip, solder wire/lug.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Actually, I was always taught to heat the wire and lug, and touch the solder to the other side, not tip, solder wire/lug.




That is correct, you heat the joint and apply solder. Touch solder directly to the tip and you burn the rosin. The rosin is there to clean whatever you are soldering.


----------



## Mikko Peltonen

Progress made on the balanced cable!
  
 By the way, it was a total pain in the butt to braid the cable. I had four stands of 3,5 m long cables and they were twisted all the time. Took over an hour to do that... I also didn't have any idea that the cable would shrink that much when braided. I was expecting it to go from 3,5 m to roughly 3 m but its more like 2,5 m. Would've preferred it to be a bit longer but can't do that now, lol


----------



## Paladin79

mikko peltonen said:


> Progress made on the balanced cable!
> 
> By the way, it was a total pain in the butt to braid the cable. I had four stands of 3,5 m long cables and they were twisted all the time. Took over an hour to do that... I also didn't have any idea that the cable would shrink that much when braided. I was expecting it to go from 3,5 m to roughly 3 m but its more like 2,5 m. Would've preferred it to be a bit longer but can't do that now, lol


 
 I generally have my people figure an extra 30 % when they braid a cable but it can vary with tightness of braid, cable size, and whether it is a 3 or 4 wire braid. That is a nice, tight braid that looks very good. Sometimes you can get uneven pressure on the wires and the joints are not consistent in spacing.


----------



## Benny-x

paladin79 said:


> I generally have my people figure an extra 30 % when they braid a cable but it can vary with tightness of braid, cable size, and whether it is a 3 or 4 wire braid. That is a nice, tight braid that looks very good. Sometimes you can get uneven pressure on the wires and the joints are not consistent in spacing.


 
  
 I've been wondering about this lately as well. In a few months I'm hopefully, finally going to begin undertaking a big cable project, but I need the result to be a 4m cable. It's going to be a 4 strand round braid, all wires have their own PE jacket, but I may put an additional thin cotton sleeve on them before the braiding.
  
 I'm now guessing I'll have to take about 5.5m of wire if I hope to get a 4m cable out of it. Good to know.


----------



## Mikko Peltonen

benny-x said:


> I've been wondering about this lately as well. In a few months I'm hopefully, finally going to begin undertaking a big cable project, but I need the result to be a 4m cable. It's going to be a 4 strand round braid, all wires have their own PE jacket, but I may put an additional thin cotton sleeve on them before the braiding.
> 
> I'm now guessing I'll have to take about 5.5m of wire if I hope to get a 4m cable out of it. Good to know.


 
  
 If you aren't going to buy some crazy expensive cable it might be safer to get a few extra meters and then just cut it to the optimal length after braiding.


----------



## Benny-x

mikko peltonen said:


> If you aren't going to buy some crazy expensive cable it might be safer to get a few extra meters and then just cut it to the optimal length after braiding.


 
 I'm unfortunately in the "unless..." category there 
  
 In thinking about it, though, I do have some other projects that I'll need smaller bits of wire for, so I might just go with 6m lengths first, then cut the wire to length with done. Then the bits that're left over can be used for the other projects and I'll hopefully not wast much~~
  
 Thanks for the idea.


----------



## Arty McGhee

hey just a quick thanks man to mr. paladin79
 these mini-xlrs are a great idea
 just finished with this and they work great
 i'll probably re-terminate most of my stuff to this
  
 the rean mini-xlr has the best designed strain relief of anything i've ever used


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> hey just a quick thanks man to mr. paladin79
> these mini-xlrs are a great idea
> just finished with this and they work great
> i'll probably re-terminate most of my stuff to this
> ...


 
 You are most welcome Arty. The cables look good and they should last a long time.You are obviously experienced to have built the cables this quickly.


----------



## john777

mikko peltonen said:


> Progress made on the balanced cable!
> 
> By the way, it was a total pain in the butt to braid the cable. I had four stands of 3,5 m long cables and they were twisted all the time. Took over an hour to do that... I also didn't have any idea that the cable would shrink that much when braided. I was expecting it to go from 3,5 m to roughly 3 m but its more like 2,5 m. Would've preferred it to be a bit longer but can't do that now, lol




Yes, the losses in length when braiding I find very difficult to predict. I usually find it is about a third reduced, but sometimes more.


----------



## Paladin79

It is better to factor in extra length and hopefully use a wire whose results are pleasing for a reasonable price. You can cut extra cable off and for home use I generally like to go longer anyway. At my home system it is not unusual for me to have two or three people listening at once with headphones or a combination of headphones and speakers.


----------



## Mikko Peltonen

All done!


----------



## SEABREEZE

Question folks, am I correct the XLR connector has 3 wires and Kubiconn connector has 4 wires.. Can anyone point  me to a diagram on how to wire a Kubiconn connector
  
 Thx


----------



## Allanmarcus

seabreeze said:


> Question folks, am I correct the XLR connector has 3 wires and Kubiconn connector has 4 wires.. Can anyone point  me to a diagram on how to wire a Kubiconn connector
> 
> Thx


 

 There are many XRL connectors. Some have 3 and some have 4. What are you trying to make?


----------



## buke9

seabreeze said:


> Question folks, am I correct the XLR connector has 3 wires and Kubiconn connector has 4 wires.. Can anyone point  me to a diagram on how to wire a Kubiconn connector
> 
> Thx


http://www.head-fi.org/t/671311/designing-balance-cable-for-ray-samuels-rsa-sr-71b-latest-version


----------



## SEABREEZE

allanmarcus said:


> There are many XRL connectors. Some have 3 and some have 4. What are you trying to make?


 

 Looking to create a 6' Headphone cable for Senn 650 to  Kubiconn
  
 Also how many wires does a SE have
  
 I have a SE cable and someone else has the same SE cable I have. So t will all be the same wire. If you need 4 wires for Kubiconn I can use both cables and turn it into a balanced Kubiconn
  
 I need to see a diagram on how to wire it.


----------



## Allanmarcus

seabreeze said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > There are many XRL connectors. Some have 3 and some have 4. What are you trying to make?
> ...


 

 SE has three. One common and two positive.
  
 If you have an HD650, your cable very likely has four wires. 
  
 You may have to use a multimeter to figure that out.


----------



## scottcriswell

I built a 4 pin xlr cable for my HE 560s and I am getting some crossfeed between the two channels. Anyone care to hazard a guess why this is happening? I've done continuity tests between the pins and none of them made the meter ring


----------



## rmoody

Can you post some pictures of the joints? Any details you can provide on the parts you used or details on how you constructed could help us.


----------



## scottcriswell

I figured it out.  The negative connection on both channels had broken at one point, so I decided to just redo the connections after the Y split.  Turns out that when I did this, I swapped the left and right negative channels.  After having done the pinout correctly the first time, I goofed and wasn't sufficiently meticulous the second time.  I'll post some pictures shortly though, I'm proud of it for it being my first cable.


----------



## scottcriswell

Nees to work on my braid quality. Got my wire from a starquad mic cable and as such the wires had a pretty significant spiral to them. I'd like to buy straighter wire for future builds. I also used electrical tape as a stand in for heat shrink


----------



## john777

scottcriswell said:


> Nees to work on my braid quality. Got my wire from a starquad mic cable and as such the wires had a pretty significant spiral to them. I'd like to buy straighter wire for future builds. I also used electrical tape as a stand in for heat shrink




Not bad for a first cable. I wouldn't let anyone see my first interconnect pair! You will get better as time goes on and develop your own 'style'. Well done.


----------



## SEABREEZE

allanmarcus said:


> SE has three. One common and two positive.
> 
> If you have an HD650, your cable very likely has four wires.
> 
> You may have to use a multimeter to figure that out.


 
 Yes I just checked 4 wires, 2 wires going to red prongs for headphone end and 2 wires going to the black prongs for headphone end
  
 Is each of the two wires one + and -  going in to the black  and  red.
  
 Would I just need to solder  onto the Kubiconn  the  proper  positive &  negative poles of those 4 wires removing the SE connector that is on there now


----------



## SEABREEZE

seabreeze said:


> Yes I just checked 4 wires, 2 wires going to red prongs for headphone end and 2 wires going to the black prongs for headphone end
> 
> Is each of the two wires one + and -  going in to the black  and  red. Just checking, as nothing need to be done at that end It's the SE end that needs to be replaced
> 
> Would I just need to solder  onto the Kubiconn  the  proper  positive &  negative poles of those 4 wires removing the SE connector that is on there now


----------



## Allanmarcus

seabreeze said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > SE has three. One common and two positive.
> ...




Yep, that should be it.


----------



## SEABREEZE

allanmarcus said:


> Yep, that show be it.


 

 Sounds pretty simple


----------



## Paladin79

oh Kobiconn, no wonder I had not heard of Kubiconn.


----------



## musicfan145

Could anyone recommend a good quality 2.5mm TR plug, specifically one that _doesn't_ have a stepped-down barrel/sleeve (AKA extended collar)?
  
 Eidolic has one that is TR but has an extended collar:
http://www.eidolic.com/Eidolic-Hifi-Audio-Headphone-Connectors-Oppo-PM-1-Sennheiser-hd-700-hd700-2-5-mono.html
  
 And they have one that doesn't have the extended collar, but it is TRRS:
http://eidolic.com/Eidolic-Hifi-Audio-Headphone-Connectors-2-5_new2.html
  
 The closest thing I've been able to find is the 850x series from Switchcraft. It would work, but I was hoping for something a lot sexier:
http://www.switchcraft.com/productsummary.aspx?Parent=370
  
  
 (Ideally, I'd also like to find one that's easy to solder for an old geezer with less-than-stellar fine motor control and vision.) 
  
 Thanks for any recommendations!


----------



## Paladin79

musicfan145 said:


> Could anyone recommend a good quality 2.5mm TR plug, specifically one that _doesn't_ have a stepped-down barrel/sleeve (AKA extended collar)?
> 
> Eidolic has one that is TR but has an extended collar:
> http://www.eidolic.com/Eidolic-Hifi-Audio-Headphone-Connectors-Oppo-PM-1-Sennheiser-hd-700-hd700-2-5-mono.html
> ...


 

 The Switchcraft has solder lugs; they are in my opinion easier to solder than those made with cylinders separated by plastic. Personally I would use the Switchcraft over most Chinese connectors, they are guaranteed for 10,000 insertions and the quality is top notch. The body of the connector is also available in the color red so using two of those connectors it would be very easy to designate right channel.


----------



## Demoninja

Could I get a quick confirmation if this would work as I'm planning. I want to mod one of my headphones to take detachable cables but I don't want to have to mark the cable with L/R. Could I connect the drivers to a pair of 3.5mm TRS females, left would be soldered to the tip only, right would be soldered to the ring only. The cable itself will be terminated with two 3.5mm on one end and a 6.3mm on the other end. For the 3.5mm male connectors I will wire both tip and ring. 
  
 Would this wiring plan allow me to just plug the cable in and not care about left and right?


----------



## Paladin79

demoninja said:


> Could I get a quick confirmation if this would work as I'm planning. I want to mod one of my headphones to take detachable cables but I don't want to have to mark the cable with L/R. Could I connect the drivers to a pair of 3.5mm TRS females, left would be soldered to the tip only, right would be soldered to the ring only. The cable itself will be terminated with two 3.5mm on one end and a 6.3mm on the other end. For the 3.5mm male connectors I will wire both tip and ring.
> 
> Would this wiring plan allow me to just plug the cable in and not care about left and right?


 
 If I understand what you are saying, I believe you would be fine. Standard output from any device should have the ring as right channel. As long as you do not change that configuration anywhere in the cable it should work. Naturally the grounds should be attached together.


----------



## Andreeww

Can someone tell me if there's a super small 2.5 to 3.5 adapter. I am trying to use a cable terminated in 2.5 mono connectors on headphones with 3.5 holes. Thanks


----------



## Renka

Is there something somewhere presenting the properties and pros and cons of various types of cable builds and their recommended applications? I know about where to buy cables, but I have no idea what I'm looking for other than knowing that I need 5 conductors. I want to make a cable for my Sony MDR-7506 but it is very important for me that the cable be as flexible as the stock cable that's on it. I have no idea what I should look for to have a flexible cable. I know it has to be stranded but what about the jacket? What about shielding? What about the diameter? All the custom cables I see here appear to be rather stiff from the pictures. I also want to fit this cable with a female jack at around chest height that will allow me to plug in a microphone. The end of the cable will split in 2 TRS male jacks.

 Also, if anyone knows where I can find a 135° TRS male jack, that would be great. Whether I go with a removable cable or not will depend a lot on whether or not I can find this.

 Thanks for your help!


----------



## Paladin79

renka said:


> Is there something somewhere presenting the properties and pros and cons of various types of cable builds and their recommended applications? I know about where to buy cables, but I have no idea what I'm looking for other than knowing that I need 5 conductors. I want to make a cable for my Sony MDR-7506 but it is very important for me that the cable be as flexible as the stock cable that's on it. I have no idea what I should look for to have a flexible cable. I know it has to be stranded but what about the jacket? What about shielding? What about the diameter? All the custom cables I see here appear to be rather stiff from the pictures. I also want to fit this cable with a female jack at around chest height that will allow me to plug in a microphone. The end of the cable will split in 2 TRS male jacks.
> 
> Also, if anyone knows where I can find a 135° TRS male jack, that would be great. Whether I go with a removable cable or not will depend a lot on whether or not I can find this.
> 
> Thanks for your help


 
 In mentioning five conductors, I would consider star quad with a ground. Mogami, Canare, or Belden, the standard size cable is about 1/4 inch outside diameter but you might find miniature versions. Star Quad is shielded in two ways, the actual braid shield and the twists (twisted pair) I would think.
 As far as a 135 degree male plug, I know of none, 90 degree yes. Neutrik makes good one and they are available at Markertek; they also handle many forms of star quad cable. Those are fairly flexible compared to coaxial cable but less flexible than say microphone cable.
  
 Tom


----------



## Renka

Thanks for your post, but what I mean is how does the jacket material, braiding, diameter, general construction of the cable affect the flexibility of the cable? What are upsides, downsides of using certain types of jackets, braiding, constructions? This is what I want to know.


----------



## Allanmarcus

renka said:


> Thanks for your post, but what I mean is how does the jacket material, braiding, diameter, general construction of the cable affect the flexibility of the cable? What are upsides, downsides of using certain types of jackets, braiding, constructions? This is what I want to know.


 

 If you pull the sleeve too tight, the cable will be less flexible. Multifilament sleeve or paracord is good, just leave a little extra on the cable for flexibility. 
  
 If you are going to strip quad and braid, the tighter the braid, the less flexible the cable. That said, I just sleeved 8 strands of mogami with 95lb paracord, and did a fairly tight braid, and the cable is still quite flexible. 
  
 Best it to experiment.


----------



## Renka

I mean the braid inside a cable. I know that there are various types of braid. Does the type of braid make a difference when it comes to flexibility?

 I would like to avoid stripping the cable if that is possible. I don't like the idea of paracord because fabric is too difficult to clean and disinfect well (I spend a lot of time in hospitals). Similarly, braided cables would be too intricate to clean and disinfect well. I would prefer to have a single cable with a flexible plastic jacket. I don't know which materials are flexible and which are not.


----------



## Paladin79

renka said:


> I mean the braid inside a cable. I know that there are various types of braid. Does the type of braid make a difference when it comes to flexibility?
> 
> I would like to avoid stripping the cable if that is possible. I don't like the idea of paracord because fabric is too difficult to clean and disinfect well (I spend a lot of time in hospitals). Similarly, braided cables would be too intricate to clean and disinfect well. I would prefer to have a single cable with a flexible plastic jacket. I don't know which materials are flexible and which are not.


 
 When you look at the specs on cable, you will get a percentage of braid. High end cable may have a 95% french braid. It is great for shielding but less flexible than a cable that has a 65% braid. Less wire, less braiding. Companies like Belden have excellent info on types of braid, types of stranding, etc. Look for some good reference material on the subject. PVC is not as flexible as something with polyethylene. I could be wrong but it seemed you started talking about five conductor cable. If you do not want to strip it, and you want a jacket, star quad is the way I could go, standard microphone cable which is highly flexible is generally just two conductors and a ground. There is a lot of braided shielding on star quad though. Heck if you are in the US somewhere I could send you a few small samples of star quad or microphone cable and you can bend them and see which you prefer. How exactly were you planning to hook up five conductor anyway lol?


----------



## Renka

paladin79 said:


> How exactly were you planning to hook up five conductor anyway lol?


 


 The idea would be to have the standard 3 conductors go to the headphones. I would make a slit in the cable about 6 to 8 inches from the headphones and pull out 2 cables that I would hook up to a female jack for the microphone. Then I would use heat shrink to secure the female jack against the cable so it doesn't dangle and to close the whole thing. Then at the end of the cable I would make a y split for a microphone and headphone plug. Does this sound feasible or is it more work than it's worth?

 Unfortunately I don't live in the US but thanks for the offer!


----------



## Niouke

hello all, diy noob here.

I'm looking to replace the jack on a pair of sony xba-40n's.

I have a few different jack kits and a soldering iron kit, is there any tutorial or online ressource that I can use to help me doing things properly ?

Thank you!


----------



## Paladin79

renka said:


> The idea would be to have the standard 3 conductors go to the headphones. I would make a slit in the cable about 6 to 8 inches from the headphones and pull out 2 cables that I would hook up to a female jack for the microphone. Then I would use heat shrink to secure the female jack against the cable so it doesn't dangle and to close the whole thing. Then at the end of the cable I would make a y split for a microphone and headphone plug. Does this sound feasible or is it more work than it's worth?
> 
> Unfortunately I don't live in the US but thanks for the offer!


 
 I can tell you one way it could be feasible but other diy'ers might cringe at this suggestion. Since you are talking about slitting the cable to pull out wires, I am hard pressed to think of a jacketed cable that would suit your needs. There is one type of cable that I can think of that would have plenty of wires, can be purchased easily no matter where you live, and comes in a shielded version that is still fairly flexible. The quality of the wires is not as good as some I could suggest but one solution could be to use a shielded or non-shielded cat 5e patch cable. Patch cables use stranded wires, are generally 24 awg copper wire (stay away from copper covered aluminum), and consist of four twisted pairs thus eight wires. It would be easy enough to simply cut the connectors from the cable, slit the jacket and mylar foil shield, and remove one twisted pair for the microphone. You are then left with three pair that could be used for left channel, right channel, and ground. Not only are they twisted pair but each pair is twisted at a different rate compared to each other. Such a cable is inexpensive, fairly flexible (jacket thickness is minimal) and readily available all over the world. If you combine twisted pairs, the cumulative wire gauge would probably be about 21 awg or you could just use three of the wires for TRS connection and stay with 24 awg.
  
 Tom


----------



## Andreeww

andrew lin said:


> Can someone tell me if there's a super small 2.5 to 3.5 adapter. I am trying to use a cable terminated in 2.5 mono connectors on headphones with 3.5 holes. Thanks



Anyone?


----------



## jchandler3

andrew lin said:


> Anyone?


 

 Yep, they exist (like this or this). Just search "2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter," and you should be able to find something.


----------



## Andreeww

jchandler3 said:


> Yep, they exist (like this or this). Just search "2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter," and you should be able to find something.



They are so much bigger than what I want. I want something that's only a little longer than the tip like some 3.5 to 6.5 adapter.


----------



## leeperry

leeperry said:


> Can't be hassled going Y so does anyone know where to get those kludgy-looking clamps in order to remain dual-entry from start to end please? http://www.head-fi.org/g/i/1791352/a/1127194/cardas-clear-headphone-cable-2m-audeze-terminals/


 
  
 Bumpity Bump ^ Anyone knows please? Would love to build a cable with a furu jack and two EPC-2 SPC Viablue wires 
  
 Or maybe EPC-1? But apparently using the cable shielding for grounding isn't a good idea?


----------



## ForceMajeure

andrew lin said:


> They are so much bigger than what I want. I want something that's only a little longer than the tip like some 3.5 to 6.5 adapter.


 
 Think about it. It's not physically possible because the 3.5mm is bigger than the 2.5mm. It cannot fit inside the adapter jack like 3.5mm to 6.5mm.


----------



## Renka

paladin79 said:


> I can tell you one way it could be feasible but other diy'ers might cringe at this suggestion. Since you are talking about slitting the cable to pull out wires, I am hard pressed to think of a jacketed cable that would suit your needs. There is one type of cable that I can think of that would have plenty of wires, can be purchased easily no matter where you live, and comes in a shielded version that is still fairly flexible. The quality of the wires is not as good as some I could suggest but one solution could be to use a shielded or non-shielded cat 5e patch cable. Patch cables use stranded wires, are generally 24 awg copper wire (stay away from copper covered aluminum), and consist of four twisted pairs thus eight wires. It would be easy enough to simply cut the connectors from the cable, slit the jacket and mylar foil shield, and remove one twisted pair for the microphone. You are then left with three pair that could be used for left channel, right channel, and ground. Not only are they twisted pair but each pair is twisted at a different rate compared to each other. Such a cable is inexpensive, fairly flexible (jacket thickness is minimal) and readily available all over the world. If you combine twisted pairs, the cumulative wire gauge would probably be about 21 awg or you could just use three of the wires for TRS connection and stay with 24 awg.
> 
> Tom


 

 I don't think I have ever encountered a cat 5 cable that I found to be particularly flexible. I have 5 of them here, all stranded and with seemingly different build quality and they would be too stiff for my taste. What about heat shrink? Do you know of any kind that is known for being very flexible? If I get heat shrink that is very flexible and get it in a size that would allow stripped and braided cables to move without too much friction, that might work? If not, then I guess I will have to go with star quad cable and make do with that.


----------



## Paladin79

renka said:


> I don't think I have ever encountered a cat 5 cable that I found to be particularly flexible. I have 5 of them here, all stranded and with seemingly different build quality and they would be too stiff for my taste. What about heat shrink? Do you know of any kind that is known for being very flexible? If I get heat shrink that is very flexible and get it in a size that would allow stripped and braided cables to move without too much friction, that might work? If not, then I guess I will have to go with star quad cable and make do with that.
> [/quote
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## ostewart

Does anyone know how the stereo 2.5mm jack that goes in the the cup on the HE-1000v2 is wired?
  
 Could someone test with a multimeter please


----------



## Arty McGhee

renka said:


> I don't think I have ever encountered a cat 5 cable that I found to be particularly flexible. I have 5 of them here, all stranded and with seemingly different build quality and they would be too stiff for my taste. What about heat shrink? Do you know of any kind that is known for being very flexible? If I get heat shrink that is very flexible and get it in a size that would allow stripped and braided cables to move without too much friction, that might work? If not, then I guess I will have to go with star quad cable and make do with that.


 
 this is why you see so many cables made from single wires sleeved in paracord or higher-end wire
 braided, because it is flexible, i think if you could find a nice 5 wire braid style, it would be the most
 flexible option, i think i've seen something similar by Peterek, you might want to do a search


----------



## buke9

ostewart said:


> Does anyone know how the stereo 2.5mm jack that goes in the the cup on the HE-1000v2 is wired?
> 
> Could someone test with a multimeter please


I believe it is the same as the 400S and that is tip + and sleeve - . I have replaced mine with mono 2.5 mm plugs now so I can't be for certain but I think it is.


----------



## sharktopus

buke9 said:


> I believe it is the same as the 400S and that is tip + and sleeve - . I have replaced mine with mono 2.5 mm plugs now so I can't be for certain but I think it is.


 
 What mono plugs did you use?  I 'm trying to switch from my he-500's smb connectors, but haven't yet found a jack that would fit well inside the headphone enclosure.


----------



## Mikko Peltonen

@sharktopus I personally used these. They fit but protrude a little bit more than I'd want. Though they were still the best ones I could find.
  

  

  
 If the jacks weren't offset so much it would accommodate a thicker plug.


----------



## buke9

sharktopus said:


> What mono plugs did you use?  I 'm trying to switch from my he-500's smb connectors, but haven't yet found a jack that would fit well inside the headphone enclosure.


http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Furutech-Valab-Oyaide-Shure-Denon-diy-headphone-cable-connector/Eidolic-astell-kern-3-5-2-5-mm-1-8-4-pole-balanced-trrs-headphone-iem/Norne-Audio-Eidolic-2-5-mm-oppo-pm-1-oppo-pm-2-nighthawk-sennheiser-hd700-hd-700-headphone-connector-diy-hifiman-he-400i-400s-he-x-he-1000-he1k these are what I used.


----------



## NoisyNeighbour

@Mikko Peltonen @sharktopus
  
  I bought a pair of Redco 2.5 TRS for a cable I'm currently making for my 400i. The silver are not available ATM, but they have red and black. http://www.redco.com/Redco-2.5mm-Male-TRS-w-Collar.html
 Diameter of the sleeve is 8mm and it's the maximum that will fit the HE-400i. The collar is 3mm long. If planning to use larger than 8mm diameter connectors, collar must be minimum 4mm long
  
  
 It fits as a perfect sized glove!

  

  

  

  

  
 And this is the cable.

  
 Almost done, just waiting on the new soldering station. My old RadioShack iron decided to crap out on me, long overdue for an upgrade anyway/.


----------



## kaushama

Anyone knows where to buy the connectors at the headphone end of FOCAL UTOPIA?


----------



## Mikko Peltonen

NoisyNeighbour I ordered similar ones earlier and they were a little too tight in my opinion. The dimensions were the same as yours but I was worried they might scratch the paint on the headphones because the fit was so tight. The connectors move a little when you move your head so it rubs against the paint on the headphones. 

The cable is looking nice, though!


----------



## john777

kaushama said:


> Anyone knows where to buy the connectors at the headphone end of FOCAL UTOPIA?




Focal?

Probably not. I am not sure I like all these proprietary connectors as it makes assembling your own cables tricky.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kaushama said:


> Anyone knows where to buy the connectors at the headphone end of FOCAL UTOPIA?




https://www.alliedelec.com/lemo-fgg-0b-302-clad52z/R1039306/

I got a couple of pairs. Cable is ready to solder, but I had to go on travel to (shudder) Dallas. Hopefully I'll have this weekend to finish the cable.

Note, it took a few weeks from order time to receiving the connectors. Also, they are silver, not black.


----------



## kaushama

allanmarcus said:


> https://www.alliedelec.com/lemo-fgg-0b-302-clad52z/R1039306/
> 
> I got a couple of pairs. Cable is ready to solder, but I had to go on travel to (shudder) Dallas. Hopefully I'll have this weekend to finish the cable.
> 
> Note, it took a few weeks from order time to receiving the connectors. Also, they are silver, not black.




Thank you! Do you know how to wire them? A diagram?


----------



## sharktopus

mikko peltonen said:


> @sharktopus I personally used these. They fit but protrude a little bit more than I'd want. Though they were still the best ones I could find.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
  


buke9 said:


> http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Furutech-Valab-Oyaide-Shure-Denon-diy-headphone-cable-connector/Eidolic-astell-kern-3-5-2-5-mm-1-8-4-pole-balanced-trrs-headphone-iem/Norne-Audio-Eidolic-2-5-mm-oppo-pm-1-oppo-pm-2-nighthawk-sennheiser-hd700-hd-700-headphone-connector-diy-hifiman-he-400i-400s-he-x-he-1000-he1k these are what I used.


 
  
  


noisyneighbour said:


> @Mikko Peltonen @sharktopus
> 
> I bought a pair of Redco 2.5 TRS for a cable I'm currently making for my 400i. The silver are not available ATM, but they have red and black. http://www.redco.com/Redco-2.5mm-Male-TRS-w-Collar.html
> Diameter of the sleeve is 8mm and it's the maximum that will fit the HE-400i. The collar is 3mm long. If planning to use larger than 8mm diameter connectors, collar must be minimum 4mm long
> ...


 
 Thanks all for the advice!  However, I'm trying to find a female port to replace the piece inside the headphones themselves, so I can then make my own cables without messing with the weird SMC connectors that are installed on the headphones stock.  It looks like most of you are using the newer headphones with the TRS female jacks as stock.  Do any of you (or anyone else for that matter) have any experience replacing the female part?  Or should I just look around for a cheap pair of the new phones and switch my drivers out?


----------



## Renka

Alright. I ordered 12 feet of Canare L-4E5C. Thanks a lot for helping me decide Paladin79!
  
 I have not decided yet how I want to mod my headphones.

 Beware, your mind is about to be blown away by mad photoshop skills.

  

 A) I cut the straight end of the stock cable and solder it to the headphones. (I dread having to put the ear pad back on).
 B) I cut the cable 1 foot below the headphones and make a Y split with a female jack. (Solid connection, but single cable length)

 I guess each has their own advantage and disadvantage. Whatever I choose to do in the end, it seems like it would maybe be a good idea to get 3:1 or 4:1 heat shrink to finish things up nicely with a single piece of heat shrink.

 I heard that polyolefin dual wall adhesive lined heat shrink is where it's at to make sick Y splits and good strain reliefs. True or not? I would ideally like to buy one of those kits with various sizes but they don't seem readily available for this specific type of heat shrink (I want to avoid ordering from China as it will take over a month to arrive). I already have 2:1 heat shrink in various sizes that I bought from dx.com so I have the cheap heat shrink part covered if I ever need it.

 What should I expect to be a reasonable price for dual wall adhesive lined heat shrink?
 When I see something like "3/8" Heat Shrink". Is 3/8" the diameter or is it when it's lying flat?
 Any specific store I should check?

 Markertek is out because of their shipping prices.

 Thanks again for your help!


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> https://www.alliedelec.com/lemo-fgg-0b-302-clad52z/R1039306/
> 
> I got a couple of pairs. Cable is ready to solder, but I had to go on travel to (shudder) Dallas. Hopefully I'll have this weekend to finish the cable.
> 
> Note, it took a few weeks from order time to receiving the connectors. Also, they are silver, not black.


 

 I buy and use Lemo connectors all the time. I think I would rather fly to Dallas than have to deal with their alphanumeric numbering system very often. (Every couple digits describes a different portion of the connector.)  I also buy from Allied a lot and if you are ever needing to locate Lemo parts again give me a shout and I will hook you up with a company that assembles all the parts to fit your needs and would probably save you some time and money. They are quality connectors and a little tricky to work with the first time or two.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kaushama said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > https://www.alliedelec.com/lemo-fgg-0b-302-clad52z/R1039306/
> ...




There are just two pins per channel, so I will use a multimeter on my stock cable to figure it out. I'll post once I do. 

Also, there are a lot of parts in this connector, so gently take it apart and take a picture so you know how to assemble it.


----------



## musicfan145

Uh-oh. I bought a set of these plugs because they were the best looking 2.5mm plugs I could find that did not have an "extended collar" (stepped down shaft):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/192067585511 

They look even better in person, but there is one little problem: I have *no idea *how to solder the center conductor. I don't even know what terms to use to Google it. It's just the top half of a shaft with no apparent hole or opening. No lug or well that I can find. Am I missing something? Based on the close-ups below, can anyone lead me to enlightenment about how to approach this?

Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

You are not missing anything, a lot of Chinese connectors are like that. Use rosin solder flux to help clean that small cylinder. You will have to solder the wire to the side of it. Fortunately you do not have two or three connections you have to make there. Some separate the cylinders with plastic and when you get it too hot, the plastic melts. I personally avoid that kind of connector but there are plenty of them out there. I was taught that you use solder lugs because you never want to rely on just the solder to do all of the work, a lug strengthens the joint and connection.
  
 Tom


----------



## Arty McGhee

musicfan145 said:


> Uh-oh. I bought a set of these plugs because they were the best looking 2.5mm plugs I could find that did not have an "extended collar" (stepped down shaft):
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/192067585511
> 
> ...


 
 very carefully...
  
 don't melt the plastic part, you want the finest tip you can get for your iron
 adjust it so its not too hot, just hit it with the iron and flow a bit of solder on there
 then tin the wire touch it to the solder on the plug just 'til it flows and hold it there til cool
  
 did i say don't melt the plastic part, helps to put a 90 degree bend in the wire
 so it angles in the right direction after soldering


----------



## Arty McGhee

paladin79 said:


> You are not missing anything, a lot of Chinese connectors are like that. Use rosin solder flux to help clean that small cylinder. You will have to solder the wire to the side of it. Fortunately you do not have two or three connections you have to make there. Some separate the cylinders with plastic and when you get it too hot, the plastic melts. I personally avoid that kind of connector but there are plenty of them out there. I was taught that you use solder lugs because you never want to rely on just the solder to do all of the work, a lug strengthens the joint and connection.
> 
> Tom


 
 you ain't kiddin
 the 2.5mm trrs ones are brutal


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> you ain't kiddin
> the 2.5mm trrs ones are brutal


 
 I do not advertise nor do I use any of the TRRS whether they be 2.5 mm or 3.5 mm if they have that metal and plastic cylinder. I did once find a company that made TRRS with solder lugs but they stopped selling them pretty quickly which I considered to be a shame. You gave some good advice Arty, I get busy so my answers are often brief. 
  
 I had reason to try three or four brands of 4 pin mini din xlr's in the last couple days and I still like the Rean (Neutrik), especially the price. I tried some Switchcraft and they would not accommodate cable of any size at all. Amphenol looked nearly identical but worked a lot better.
  
 Tom


----------



## Arty McGhee

paladin79 said:


> I do not advertise nor do I use any of the TRRS whether they be 2.5 mm or 3.5 mm if they have that metal and plastic cylinder. I did once find a company that made TRRS with solder lugs but they stopped selling them pretty quickly which I considered to be a shame. You gave some good advice Arty, I get busy so my answers are often brief.
> 
> I had reason to try three or four brands of 4 pin mini din xlr's in the last couple days and I still like the Rean (Neutrik), especially the price. I tried some Switchcraft and they would not accommodate cable of any size at all. Amphenol looked nearly identical but worked a lot better.
> 
> Tom


 
 some of the daps i have use them for balanced mode (fiio and lotoo)
 the 4 pin mini's work great for that, much easier to solder than those tiny trrs


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> some of the daps i have use them for balanced mode (fiio and lotoo)
> the 4 pin mini's work great for that, much easier to solder than those tiny trrs




Which Fiio do you have and how do you like it? I have a couple but only my Pono has balanced mode.

If you ever have an issue with the Reans let me know. I like to think long term and can only say I have not had one fail in two years usage. I am glad you like them.


----------



## john777

paladin79 said:


> You are not missing anything, a lot of Chinese connectors are like that. Use rosin solder flux to help clean that small cylinder. You will have to solder the wire to the side of it. Fortunately you do not have two or three connections you have to make there. Some separate the cylinders with plastic and when you get it too hot, the plastic melts. I personally avoid that kind of connector but there are plenty of them out there. I was taught that you use solder lugs because you never want to rely on just the solder to do all of the work, a lug strengthens the joint and connection.
> 
> Tom




+1


----------



## wakka992

Hi guys,
 I've just finished to solder a custom cable for my sennheiser HD650 using a mogami neglex quad microphone cable a "FURUTECH FP-704 (G)" 6.3mm jack and cardas sennheiser proprietary headpfone connector but I think I may be incurring in a ground issue.

 Using a electricity tester to determine if the soldering was properly done I noticed that the ground cable does react not only to the sleeve/ground part of the TRS plug but also to the "external" metal housing of the FURUTECH FP-704 (G).

 Is this correct? should the ground react to both the sleeve/ground TRS and the external housing?
 Thanks for your assistance


----------



## Paladin79

wakka992 said:


> Hi guys,
> I've just finished to solder a custom cable for my sennheiser HD650 using a mogami neglex quad microphone cable a "FURUTECH FP-704 (G)" 6.3mm jack and cardas sennheiser proprietary headpfone connector but I think I may be incurring in a ground issue.
> 
> Using a electricity tester to determine if the soldering was properly done I noticed that the ground cable does react not only to the sleeve/ground part of the TRS plug but also to the "external" metal housing of the FURUTECH FP-704 (G).
> ...


 

 I am not entirely sure how you wired the connectors but the sleeve ground should is normally making contact with the head shell itself on its own in most connectors I know about. If you are having issues, all three connections should be there and you should be getting continuity from the sleeve of one connector to another just as both tips, and both rings should be connected. Are you going TRS to TRS?


----------



## wakka992

paladin79 said:


> I am not entirely sure how you wired the connectors but the sleeve ground should is normally making contact with the head shell itself on its own in most connectors I know about. If you are having issues, all three connections should be there and you should be getting continuity from the sleeve of one connector to another just as both tips, and both rings should be connected. Are you going TRS to TRS?


 
 Hi Paladin,
  
 thanks for your input.
 I'm wiring TRS to 2x sennheiser HPSC connector. Both ring and tips are correctly done, I get continuity from jack to both HPSC connector.
 My doubt was for the ground, so you confirm that is right that the soldered ground cable make contact with the head shell.
  
 Thanks


----------



## Paladin79

wakka992 said:


> Hi Paladin,
> 
> thanks for your input.
> I'm wiring TRS to 2x sennheiser HPSC connector. Both ring and tips are correctly done, I get continuity from jack to both HPSC connector.
> ...


 

 Generally you do not have to solder to the headshell, the sleeve of many connectors makes contact with it automatically, oftentimes when the connector is screwed together. Are you picking up hum, 50 or 60 cycle interference? A photo of the cable might help a bit. If you left the cable in tact it should be well shielded but for that braid shield to be of much help it needs to go to the sleeve of at least one end of the cable. The negative connection from both hpsc connection should go to the sleeve of a trs connector, but I guess you are asking if the braid should go there as well. Personally I would attach it to the sleeve of a TRS along with the two grounds from the HPSC plugs. On the connector below you can see the sleeve will end up touching the threads of the connector, therefore making contact with the headshell itself. Try touching the braid to the sleeve and seeing if that fixes any noise issues.


----------



## wakka992

sorry I don't have a photo of the cable right now, so I'll post a pics found on the thread:
  

  
 I circled the area that is making contact with the jack housing and it's "passing" ground to it.
 As I understood from you you said it's right that the ground wire soldered there make contact with the external metal housing when closing the connector, isn't it?


----------



## Paladin79

wakka992 said:


> sorry I don't have a photo of the cable right now, so I'll post a pics found on the thread:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 yes the housing will make contact with the ground when you assemble the connector so there is no need to solder to the housing. That ground should be going to each negative pin on the other two connectors, (I believe you said there are two), one hot should be to the tip, the other to the ring, tip is left channel, ring is right. Honestly that is well shielded cable and the twists are pretty consistent with twisted pair so that is a form of shielding as well. In most instances I doubt you would need the shield attached but if you are picking up interference you may have to try it. When done you should have continuity to tip, ring and sleeve....positive, positive, then the grounds on the the Sennheiser connectors. If you have two sennheiser connectors, each ground should be coming back to the sleeve, not just one. It will be a shared ground.


----------



## Allanmarcus

wakka992 said:


> sorry I don't have a photo of the cable right now, so I'll post a pics found on the thread:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 Looks good.
  
 Also, that's a plug, not a jack. Some folks are are picky about that sort of thing 
  
 A fixed connector (commonly the female one) is a jack.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Looks good.
> 
> Also, that's a plug, not a jack. Some folks are are picky about that sort of thing
> 
> A fixed connector (commonly the female one) is a jack.


 

 LOL I am generally picky about that but after a while you just interpret as best you can.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  Unfortunately I get emails each day with folks describing things as plugs or jacks and if we are to build the proper cable I always have to stop and ask questions. When you custom build 4000-5000 cables a month you had best ask questions so that you get things right. (The drawing in my photo was even submitted to me with mistakes, sigh.)


----------



## rikk009

@Paladin79 I see you helping out others selflessly here everyday. Kudos to you man.


----------



## Paladin79

rikk009 said:


> @Paladin79 I see you helping out others selflessly here everyday. Kudos to you man.


 
 You are most kind Rikk, I enjoy this thread more than most others on the site but people like Buke, Alanmarcus, and Arty are probably more prolific in their help. They certainly know headphone related connectors better than me; I have been fortunate in doing electronics so long I am able to realize what I do not know.


----------



## Andreeww

forcemajeure said:


> Think about it. It's not physically possible because the 3.5mm is bigger than the 2.5mm. It cannot fit inside the adapter jack like 3.5mm to 6.5mm.



I don't understand what you are saying. 2.5 is smaller than 3.5 and 3.5 is smaller than 6.5. isn't that right?


----------



## buke9

andrew lin said:


> I don't understand what you are saying. 2.5 is smaller than 3.5 and 3.5 is smaller than 6.5. isn't that right?


You are looking for a 2.5 male to a convert to a 3.5 male converter and mono at at that. I doubt there are too many the way you want. I can find some TRRS the way you want but no monos. Those could work but it would be a crap shoot as it depends on where the plug makes contact. My guess not where you want.


----------



## Andreeww

buke9 said:


> You are looking for a 2.5 male to a convert to a 3.5 male converter and mono at at that. I doubt there are too many the way you want. I can find some TRRS the way you want but no monos. Those could work but it would be a crap shoot as it depends on where the plug makes contact. My guess not where you want.



That could work as long as it's super small


----------



## buke9

andrew lin said:


> That could work as long as it's super small


There is one on eBay it is a TRRS 3.5 male and 2.5 input fairly small that might do but no guarantee it will work. Not sure this link will work as am I'm on my phone but here it goes. http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-117182-37290-0/2?mtid=1588&kwid=1&crlp=164965185820_324272&itemid=262465469374&targetid=271413283670&rpc=0.24&rpc_upld_id=109324&device=m&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2Flike%2F262465469374%3Flpid%3D82%26chn%3Dps&adtype=pla&googleloc=9014219&poi=&campaignid=714751104&adgroupid=42866488452&rlsatarget=pla-271413283670&gclid=CMHnt9a1zdICFQ-CaQodSvgPyA


----------



## Andreeww

buke9 said:


> There is one on eBay it is a TRRS 3.5 male and 2.5 input fairly small that might do but no guarantee it will work. Not sure this link will work as am I'm on my phone but here it goes. http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-117182-37290-0/2?mtid=1588&kwid=1&crlp=164965185820_324272&itemid=262465469374&targetid=271413283670&rpc=0.24&rpc_upld_id=109324&device=m&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2Flike%2F262465469374%3Flpid%3D82%26chn%3Dps&adtype=pla&googleloc=9014219&poi=&campaignid=714751104&adgroupid=42866488452&rlsatarget=pla-271413283670&gclid=CMHnt9a1zdICFQ-CaQodSvgPyA



Thanks but not what I want. I want 2.5 female to 3.5 male.


----------



## john777

andrew lin said:


> Thanks but not what I want. I want 2.5 female to 3.5 male.




That's pretty weird porn...


----------



## buke9

andrew lin said:


> Thanks but not what I want. I want 2.5 female to 3.5 male.


That is what is that is.


----------



## Allanmarcus

WooHoo! I finally finished my balanced Utopia cable. 
  
 8 strand mogami W2799
 Individually sleeved into ParacordPlanet 95 lb paracord
 Bead purchased at a craft recycling store in Colorado Springs (10 for 25 cents, such a deal!)
  
 Sound great to me. Way lighter than stock cable! I _love_ making things. A hobby ain't a hobby unless you make something.
  

 The Lemo connector is tiny, but I found it easier to solder than the HD800 connector. The hole there is wide enough to slide the two 26AWG (effectively 24AWG) wire into. After I soldered the blue, i slid the heat shrink up and melted it. I used a hemostat to hold the wire as I soldered it, which allowed me to hold it close, not burn my fingers, and acted as a heat sink to protect the heat shrink.
  
  

  

  

 Technically I didn't need the bead as the Y of the braid of the 8 strand to 4 strand holds really well, but I like the bead.


----------



## ForceMajeure

andrew lin said:


> I don't understand what you are saying. 2.5 is smaller than 3.5 and 3.5 is smaller than 6.5. isn't that right?


 
 My bad, I thought you wanted 3.5mm to 2.5mm mono adapter.
 Sorry.
  
 Unfortunately I am not able to find small 2.5mm to 3.5mm mono adapters either.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> WooHoo! I finally finished my balanced Utopia cable.
> 
> 8 strand mogami W2799
> Individually sleeved into ParacordPlanet 95 lb paracord
> ...


 
 Great looking cable and a good explanation of the build. It looks like you heat shrink the paracord on both ends to keep it from drawing out of the connector as well.


----------



## Paladin79

forcemajeure said:


> My bad, I thought you wanted 3.5mm to 2.5mm mono adapter.
> Sorry.
> 
> Unfortunately I am not able to find small 2.5mm to 3.5mm mono adapters either.


 
 As best I can tell you are looking for a small adapter built like this 3.5 female to 1/4 inch (6.5mm)
 I have never seen one in stereo built in that method so a mono would even be less likely. If you look on Ebay and the Chinese are not offering it there, then it probably does not exist. Buke is correct in that sometimes you can plug a mono connector into a stereo and have the contacts line up but oftentimes they do not. Good luck in your search but if I were you, I would start looking for another solution IMHO.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> WooHoo! I finally finished my balanced Utopia cable.
> 
> 8 strand mogami W2799
> Individually sleeved into ParacordPlanet 95 lb paracord
> ...


 Looks sweet. I'm about ready ready to build a cable for my AKG 872's the stock one is so long I need a shorter one. Where did you get the Lemo connectors from ?
I might need some pointers on the connector as I have yet to take the one apart on the 872 as to to f it up. Not real worried about for the pinout just what to look for with the connector. By the way the Utopia's are awesome cans to say the least.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Looks sweet. I'm about ready ready to build a cable for my AKG 872's the stock one is so long I need a shorter one. Where did you get the Lemo connectors from ?
> I might need some pointers on the connector as I have yet to take the one apart on the 872 as to to f it up. Not real worried about for the pinout just what to look for with the connector. By the way the Utopia's are awesome cans to say the least.


 
 You can get the Lemos from Digikey and Mouser as I recall but those can run $20-$30 each. I can check Monday to see how much my supplier in Indy sells them for, I might be able to save you a few bucks. As I recall they can even provide boots, it is just another couple digits on the part number. Allied Electronics has a decent price but if you are not careful with Lemo you can spent $12 each or $30 each.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I got the connectors at allied

https://www.alliedelec.com/lemo-fgg-0b-302-clad52z/R1039306/


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I got the connectors at allied
> 
> https://www.alliedelec.com/lemo-fgg-0b-302-clad52z/R1039306/


 
 They order them in, the folks that actually assemble them are places like PEI Genesis.
  
 http://www.peigenesis.com/en/shop/part-information/FGG0B302CLAD52Z/LMO/EACH/267603.html
  
 I am not sure they sell to end users but you have my help if either of you ever need it.


----------



## rollinbr

andrew lin said:


> Thanks but not what I want. I want 2.5 female to 3.5 male.


 
  
 Here is what you want.
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5mm-Male-to-2-5mm-Female-Stereo-Mic-Audio-Earphone-Jack-Adapter-Converter-Gold/172052430722?_trksid=p2385738.c100677.m4598&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908110712%26meid%3D0fdbf02e59364404a5d70c185c087b12%26pid%3D100677%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D50%26sd%3D262465469374
  
 Or this one...
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5mm-Male-to-2-5mm-Female-Stereo-Audio-Headphone-Jack-MIC-Adapter-Converter/361470921072?_trksid=p2385738.c100677.m4598&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908110712%26meid%3D9f14d23e1dcb4b00a80c7d07be976abd%26pid%3D100677%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D50%26sd%3D262465469374
  
 Or even this one...
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5mm-Male-to-2-5mm-Female-Stereo-Audio-Headphone-Jack-Adapter-Converter/331969929946?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41668%26meid%3D0d469989c78f4cfcb1489eea14408ecc%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D182395623011


----------



## Allanmarcus

rollinbr said:


> andrew lin said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks but not what I want. I want 2.5 female to 3.5 male.
> ...


 

 That last one is kinda pricey compared to the others


----------



## PinkyPowers

allanmarcus said:


> That last one is kinda pricey compared to the others




That's USA pricing for you.


----------



## sharktopus

andrew lin said:


> Thanks but not what I want. I want 2.5 female to 3.5 male.


 
 This might also work: http://www.brabbithifi.com/product/106-adapter-ak-2-5-trrs.html


----------



## kaushama

Anyone know how to do square 16 wire braid or link to such a tutorial?


----------



## neddoge

Subbed.... And I have a lot of reading to do!


----------



## Allanmarcus

kaushama said:


> Anyone know how to do square 16 wire braid or link to such a tutorial?



Google is your friend

I tried and I could not keep all the strands in the right order to maintain the braid. I'm not sure it can be done by hand. I asked about the axioms at RMAF and they said they use a machine.


----------



## kaushama

allanmarcus said:


> Google is your friend
> 
> I tried and I could not keep all the strands in the right order to maintain the braid. I'm not sure it can be done by hand. I asked about the axioms at RMAF and they said they use a machine.




You can keep track of the strands if the method is known. Just a matter of making a simple tool to keep the wires in an order. Like KUMIHIMO tool. I googled but could not find a satisfactory method.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kaushama said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Google is your friend
> ...


 

 VERY cool! I just watched https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb5vy8egtQQ
 He's doing an 8 strand. 16 would be mind blowing. Still, first "tool" I've seen that might actually work.
 Thanks for the KUMIHIMO reference. 
  
 One of the challenges is keeping the strands separate. I use a panavise, insert the wires, and put the vise on top of tall cabinet. Even so, the bottoms of the wires drag on the ground, thus the wires don't stay separate during the braiding process, which causes me to stop every few braids and separate all the wires. 
  
 update: another amazing one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDk8-KCTGjU
  
 Update again: Might be helpful: http://howdidyoumakethis.com/spiral-braids-with-12-to-28-strands/
  
 Final update: here it is! 16 strand braid DIY:
 http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Sixteen-Strand-Braid/
 and this:
 http://www.vvprints.com/vvp/braids.html


----------



## kaushama

There are so many patterns when you google. However the challenge is to find a electrically optimal pattern. As you said Kimber Axios is a very fine pattern. However how to do it is a challenge. I am sure it could be done by hand.

I too use Panvise to hold the cables. You could use alligator clips to keep wires together and separate. I use several colors of clips in a sequence to keep track of the braid.


----------



## kaushama

8 strand braid is done > Construction: over 5, under 2




12-strand > Construction: over 8, under3




I guess for 16 strand version > over 11, under 4 would work.

will try and report.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kaushama said:


> There are so many patterns when you google. However the challenge is to find a electrically optimal pattern. As you said Kimber Axios is a very fine pattern. However how to do it is a challenge. I am sure it could be done by hand.
> 
> I too use Panvise to hold the cables. You could use alligator clips to keep wires together and separate. I use several colors of clips in a sequence to keep track of the braid.


 

 Does the pattern really matter? The goal is reject noise (act as shielding). My guess is that just have bare wires not braided would probably be indistinguishable from fully shielded wire for a 6-8 foot run in most situations. Once the wires are braided, pretty much any braiding pattern will provide a shield effect.


----------



## kaushama

allanmarcus said:


> Does the pattern really matter? The goal is reject noise (act as shielding). My guess is that just have bare wires not braided would probably be indistinguishable from fully shielded wire for a 6-8 foot run in most situations. Once the wires are braided, pretty much any braiding pattern will provide a shield effect.




I guess goal should be to avoid many crossings among separate channels in complex manner.


----------



## kaushama

Those 8 wire and 12 wire patterns could be easily done with KUMIHIMO tool. It is a matter of just getting the correct sequence. The round KUMIHIMO tool would be ideal for them.


----------



## Paladin79

kaushama said:


> I guess goal should be to avoid many crossings among separate channels in complex manner.


 
 Even in the most simple pattern, it is fairly important to keep the twists consistent. Some manufacturers use bonded twisted pair to insure this happens. From what I have read, I would trust the shielding effect of four braided wires much more than I would sixteen where I was hoping to keep them in a consistent pattern. My goals are quality of sound over general appearance of a cable but goals differ.


----------



## Allanmarcus

There appear to be a few cables in the gallery that use Kumihimo. They all appear to be 8 strand.
  
post #14621

  
  
post #14503

  
  
post #8074


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> kaushama said:
> 
> 
> > I guess goal should be to avoid many crossings among separate channels in complex manner.
> ...


 

 So would an "error" in the braid degrade the sound directly (as in the magnetic fields get screwy), or just lessen the shielding of the entire cable?


----------



## kaushama

[VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xr1ZWaxfCg[/VIDEO]

This would be another good technique!


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> So would an "error" in the braid degrade the sound directly (as in the magnetic fields get screwy), or just lessen the shielding of the entire cable?


 
 Without consistency you can lessen the shielding and introducing more cross channel interference. It is not always an easy thing for the human ear to pick out I would think and would be easier to measure. Personally I try not to make things harder unless it would improve the end result and in 16 wire braiding you had best use a machine IMHO. I read an excellent document by an engineer from Belden explaining this but it has been a while. As I recall too he had some great info on skin effect as well. The signal tends to travel on the outside of wire at frequencies above 100k so using silver plating on copper wire is probably good for RF applications but means little when you deal with the frequency range of the human ear and audio cables. 
  
 Here is some info I think accurate on the subject..
  
Twisting Cable pairs are twisted together for two very important reasons. First, bringing them more tightly together reduces the coupling of external magnetic fields (while increasing the coupling between the conductors) by reducing the loop area between them. Second, twisting them together in a very symmetrical fashion causes any noise coupled onto one conductor to be more perfectly cancelled (in the receiver) by noise coupled onto the other conductor. Twisting reduces both magnetic (inductive) and electric (capacitive) coupling.
To understand how twisting does this, consider a magnetic field from a source that is closer to one side of the cable than the other. At any point along the cable, one conductor will be closer to the source than the other, so the induced voltage will be greater in that conductor than in the other. But one half twist along the cable in each direction, the other conductor will be closer to the source, and so will have the greater induced voltage, but the polarity will be opposite. The more symmetrical the twisting, and the "tighter" the twisting, the more perfectly the two induced voltages will match each other over the length of the cable, and thus be better cancelled by the receiver. The number of twists per unit length is called the "lay" of the cable.
Twisting also reduces capacitive coupling onto the cable, and for the same reasons. The abil- ity of twisting to reduce coupling extends to very high frequencies. Ethernet networks run on high quality, unshielded, twisted pairs at frequencies in the hundreds of MHz, and require good crosstalk rejection to function well."


----------



## Allanmarcus

kaushama said:


> This would be another good technique!


 
  
  
 Interesting. For speaker wire that won't be moved around, this would work. For headphone cable, I would worry that the finished cable would unwind itself over time.


----------



## kaushama

Using clips to keep wires tidy and keep track of the braid.


----------



## Sakujin

paladin79 said:


> yes the housing will make contact with the ground when you assemble the connector so there is no need to solder to the housing. That ground should be going to each negative pin on the other two connectors, (I believe you said there are two), one hot should be to the tip, the other to the ring, tip is left channel, ring is right. Honestly that is well shielded cable and the twists are pretty consistent with twisted pair so that is a form of shielding as well. In most instances I doubt you would need the shield attached but if you are picking up interference you may have to try it. When done you should have continuity to tip, ring and sleeve....positive, positive, then the grounds on the the Sennheiser connectors. If you have two sennheiser connectors, each ground should be coming back to the sleeve, not just one. It will be a shared ground.




I've always wondered why it's important to ground the housing, cause some of mines aren't an they sound just fine.


----------



## Paladin79

sakujin said:


> I've always wondered why it's important to ground the housing, cause some of mines aren't an they sound just fine.


 
 I doubt it matters a lot, I was just saying that on many connectors the housing is metal and is threaded onto or is held against the sleeve portion of a trs or ts connector that is ground anyway. In the photo I showed there is no doubt there would be contact. Some cheaper connectors use a plastic housing. I think some are made of metal for durability.


----------



## Sakujin

paladin79 said:


> I doubt it matters a lot, I was just saying that on many connectors the housing is metal and is threaded onto or is held against the sleeve portion of a trs or ts connector that is ground anyway. In the photo I showed there is no doubt there would be contact. Some cheaper connectors use a plastic housing. I think some are made of metal for durability.


 
 Cool, thanks for the clarification, now I need to find time to braid my occ silver wires


----------



## Paladin79

sakujin said:


> Cool, thanks for the clarification, now I need to find time to braid my occ silver wires


 
 If they are pure silver, as opposed to silver plated copper, I would be interested to know if you can hear a difference between those and other wires.
  
 Tom


----------



## Demoninja

Hey everyone, just wanted to say thanks a lot for answering all my questions about different cables/adapters/whatever. You all made it really easy for me to learn how to make this stuff and it's quite fun. I had a question about making a balanced adapter, not sure if this is the correct place but I was hoping someone would either be able to point me in the right direction or answer the question.
  
 I'm picking up a Mjolnir 1 for really cheap. The problem is it only has a 4 pin XLR and a pair of 3 pin XLR and I don't want to make a balanced cable for every headphone I own. Will there be any problems with me making an adapter using a pair of 3 pin XLR males and terminating that in a 1/4 inch female for use with my single ended headphones. Would there be any potential issues besides the output not being balanced or is this a sure fire way to burn my house down?


----------



## Allanmarcus

demoninja said:


> Hey everyone, just wanted to say thanks a lot for answering all my questions about different cables/adapters/whatever. You all made it really easy for me to learn how to make this stuff and it's quite fun. I had a question about making a balanced adapter, not sure if this is the correct place but I was hoping someone would either be able to point me in the right direction or answer the question.
> 
> I'm picking up a Mjolnir 1 for really cheap. The problem is it only has a 4 pin XLR and a pair of 3 pin XLR and I don't want to make a balanced cable for every headphone I own. Will there be any problems with me making an adapter using a pair of 3 pin XLR males and terminating that in a 1/4 inch female for use with my single ended headphones. Would there be any potential issues besides the output not being balanced or is this a sure fire way to burn my house down?


 

 It's really easy to make a 4pin xlr to SE female adapter. It should be just as easy with the 3 pin. Probably easier with the 4 pin.


----------



## Paladin79

demoninja said:


> Hey everyone, just wanted to say thanks a lot for answering all my questions about different cables/adapters/whatever. You all made it really easy for me to learn how to make this stuff and it's quite fun. I had a question about making a balanced adapter, not sure if this is the correct place but I was hoping someone would either be able to point me in the right direction or answer the question.
> 
> I'm picking up a Mjolnir 1 for really cheap. The problem is it only has a 4 pin XLR and a pair of 3 pin XLR and I don't want to make a balanced cable for every headphone I own. Will there be any problems with me making an adapter using a pair of 3 pin XLR males and terminating that in a 1/4 inch female for use with my single ended headphones. Would there be any potential issues besides the output not being balanced or is this a sure fire way to burn my house down?


 
 Personally I would use the 4 pin XLR out to a Rean female quarter inch from say Markertek. You could use a short piece of star quad cable and it would fit both connectors very well. To split to two three pin xlr's is more costly and time consuming.
  
 http://www.markertek.com/product/nys2203p/rean-nys2203p-full-metal-3-pole-1-4-inch-cable-jack-1-4-inch-stereo-trs-female-cable-jack
  
 They sell the four pin xlr's as well, they are probably listed as Neutrik but Rean is from the same company.


----------



## buke9

demoninja said:


> Hey everyone, just wanted to say thanks a lot for answering all my questions about different cables/adapters/whatever. You all made it really easy for me to learn how to make this stuff and it's quite fun. I had a question about making a balanced adapter, not sure if this is the correct place but I was hoping someone would either be able to point me in the right direction or answer the question.
> 
> I'm picking up a Mjolnir 1 for really cheap. The problem is it only has a 4 pin XLR and a pair of 3 pin XLR and I don't want to make a balanced cable for every headphone I own. Will there be any problems with me making an adapter using a pair of 3 pin XLR males and terminating that in a 1/4 inch female for use with my single ended headphones. Would there be any potential issues besides the output not being balanced or is this a sure fire way to burn my house down?


It is not safe for the amp to make that cable. You can go balanced to single ended but not the other way around.


----------



## Paladin79

I had no idea, that is good to know.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> demoninja said:
> 
> 
> > Hey everyone, just wanted to say thanks a lot for answering all my questions about different cables/adapters/whatever. You all made it really easy for me to learn how to make this stuff and it's quite fun. I had a question about making a balanced adapter, not sure if this is the correct place but I was hoping someone would either be able to point me in the right direction or answer the question.
> ...


 
 DOH! You are right! Backwards was I.


----------



## Allanmarcus

ashmodai said:


> Lunashop is refered multiple times here but mainly about cheap connectors. What about the quality of their cables ? Like this one http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5354
> Looks nice.... Anyone that tried already a cable from them and who could comment ? Thanks !


 

 Did you (or anyone) or this or any other cable from LunaShops? Pre-braided silver + copper cable looks interesting. 
  
 They also have this one for less: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5030 (8 wire)
  
 http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5277 (16 wire)


----------



## Demoninja

Thanks for the confirmation. I was pretty sure I read that it wasn't safe but I couldn't find any confirmation when I was googling.


----------



## Paladin79

demoninja said:


> Thanks for the confirmation. I was pretty sure I read that it wasn't safe but I couldn't find any confirmation when I was googling.


 

 I have never thought about it much and I have a couple amps that will do either single entry or balanced but I just never thought of hooking the single ended to the balanced out and never built cables for that purpose lol. Even a Pono player comes up with a warning but I have already hooked a balanced cable to the unit when I see that.


----------



## sharktopus

buke9 said:


> It is not safe for the amp to make that cable. You can go balanced to single ended but not the other way around.



So just to clarify, it's ok to go from a balanced headphone to a single ended amp but not from a balanced amp to single ended phones?

Also, if so, does anyone know exactly why?


----------



## PinkyPowers

sharktopus said:


> So just to clarify, it's ok to go from a balanced headphone to a single ended amp but not from a balanced amp to single ended phones?
> 
> Also, if so, does anyone know exactly why?




Headphones are passive, whereas amps have active circuitry that must not be shorted together.


----------



## Paladin79

I am getting ready to build some Aux cables for a Bottlehead Crack and I came across some sample cables someone sent me a while back...
  


 I love the look of this, (it has clear pvc over the french braid) and it turns out it is silver plated high strand count OFC throughout. I am going to take the finish off some nickel plated RCA connectors to get down to the brass underneath and they should pair nicely with this cable. I should achieve the look I want as well as quality sound. The cable is coaxial and not very flexible but it is some free quality cable that will suit my needs. I need maybe six feet and have about 100 feet of the stuff.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Anyone ever try Belden 8890
  
 http://www.mouser.com/search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=0virtualkey0virtualkey8890-002100
  
 45 strand 24AWG "Stranded silver-coated copper conductor insulation with extruded TFE Teflon"
  
 $70 for 100 feet from mouser. Seems reasonable.
  
 I'm not exactly sure how one would use it since the OD is 1.66mm. Maybe run 4 from the plug to the Y, plot it to two per cub, and sleeve each section. Might be interesting.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Anyone ever try Belden 8890
> 
> http://www.mouser.com/search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=0virtualkey0virtualkey8890-002100
> 
> ...


 

 I have used other test probe wire but not that one lately. You usually use it for meter leads and most of my customers request silicone jacket. That type of wire is super flexible and may not take well to braiding.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone ever try Belden 8890
> ...


 
  
 I wasn't thinking of braiding it. Just pass all four cables through one sleeve, split at the Y, and sleeve two cables to each cup


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I wasn't thinking of braiding it. Just pass all four cables through one sleeve, split at the Y, and sleeve two cables to each cup


 

 Twisted pair perhaps? I have had the same idea but there are some awfully good twisted pair shielded and jacketed cables that come to mind when I consider that. Quick question, Hd 650 300 ohm or Beyerdynamic DT880 250 ohm, your preference?


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > I wasn't thinking of braiding it. Just pass all four cables through one sleeve, split at the Y, and sleeve two cables to each cup
> ...


 

 I guess I was just drawn to the flexibility of the Belden, which probably disappears when bundling 4 of them together 
  
 If you like a warm sig, the 650. If you prefer a more lively signature, the 880. I have a heavily modded HD650, which gives it more life and better bass, and many people love, but I don't think it holds a candle to TOTL headphones. That said, yo can pick up an HD650 for under $300 and mod it for free.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I guess I was just drawn to the flexibility of the Belden, which probably disappears when bundling 4 of them together
> 
> If you like a warm sig, the 650. If you prefer a more lively signature, the 880. I have a heavily modded HD650, which gives it more life and better bass, and many people love, but I don't think it holds a candle to TOTL headphones. That said, yo can pick up an HD650 for under $300 and mod it for free.




I should probably take this conversation out of here so pm me on the TOTL if you would.

The test lead cables are made so the unwind easily when twisted with another cable, just the nature of the beast. I did buy some high quality copper a while back that had a silicone jacket that holds a braid but feels like wire covered in paracord that has been used for a year. Very soft and flexible by itself.

Generally if I want balanced cable I use a quality star quad and heat shrink twisted pairs on each end but that is just me, I like to retain what Mogami, Canare, or Belden worked so hard to shield properly. 

I am waiting on some 24 awg ofc that should hit by end of month. Unfortunately my people are facing several large cable builds and I have to set aside fun stuff while we make money.

Tom


----------



## neddoge

​Attempting to make some RCA cables in the meantime, using a garbage soldering iron (mine is inbound from Massdrop sometime this year hopefully).  The copper wire surrounding the internal signal wire in my microphone/instrument cable is completely unruly and won't just "untwist" to allow a nice, clean ground into the rean connector I have.  The cable weaves in and out of itself and can only be slid and scrunched up along the internal wire...
  
 Should I just toss the handful of feet that I have and get a different wire?  This one is a PITA.  Or is there any alternative method to the madness?


----------



## Paladin79

neddoge said:


> ​Attempting to make some RCA cables in the meantime, using a garbage soldering iron (mine is inbound from Massdrop sometime this year hopefully).  The copper wire surrounding the internal signal wire in my microphone/instrument cable is completely unruly and won't just "untwist" to allow a nice, clean ground into the rean connector I have.  The cable weaves in and out of itself and can only be slid and scrunched up along the internal wire...
> 
> Should I just toss the handful of feet that I have and get a different wire?  This one is a PITA.  Or is there any alternative method to the madness?


 
 I have worked with such shielding a lot and if you cannot get it to unravel some so that you can twist it to form a nice piece resembling a stranded wire, take your side cutters and make a one inch cut or so down the length of it, you can then form it together more easily. Be very careful of any stray strands that might come loose and cause a short. Once you get it where you want it, cut off any excess and tin it (solder it) down to  where it forms into the complete bundle again. Make sure it does not spring forward and come into contact with the center pin of the RCA cable. You do not need a whole lot of the shield making contact with the ground on the RCA, an 1/8 inch square or so should suffice and you can trim away any excess. Just be sure to tin some of the remainder of that braid so it maintains the shape and does not move on you.
  
 If what I just said does not help I can try for a couple photos soon, my people build RCA cables on a nearly daily basis. You might be able to find a $5.00 throw away iron somewhere till a decent one arrives. I have seen some that will last a week or so till the tip is unusable but I do not recommend them for much longer.
  
 Oh yeah, be careful with the heat, try to solder a little of the braid at a time. On coaxial cable if you get the braid too hot you run the risk of it melting into the dielectric (white portion surrounding the center conductor) and causing a short circuit or high resistance short.


----------



## neddoge

paladin79 said:


> I have worked with such shielding a lot and if you cannot get it to unravel some so that you can twist it to form a nice piece resembling a stranded wire, take your side cutters and make a one inch cut or so down the length of it, you can then form it together more easily. Be very careful of any stray strands that might come loose and cause a short. Once you get it where you want it, cut off any excess and tin it (solder it) down to  where it forms into the complete bundle again. Make sure it does not spring forward and come into contact with the center pin of the RCA cable. You do not need a whole lot of the shield making contact with the ground on the RCA, an 1/8 inch square or so should suffice and you can trim away any excess. Just be sure to tin some of the remainder of that braid so it maintains the shape and does not move on you.
> 
> If what I just said does not help I can try for a couple photos soon, my people build RCA cables on a nearly daily basis. You might be able to find a $5.00 throw away iron somewhere till a decent one arrives. I have seen some that will last a week or so till the tip is unusable but I do not recommend them for much longer.
> 
> Oh yeah, be careful with the heat, try to solder a little of the braid at a time. On coaxial cable if you get the braid too hot you run the risk of it melting into the dielectric (white portion surrounding the center conductor) and causing a short circuit or high resistance short.


 

 ​That's awesome feedback, thank you!  I may grab an extra iron to kill some anxiousness as that's a bottle neck currently.  If you wouldn't mind, pictures are always appreciated (as it's apparent I'm just starting out, lol).  If it's a hassle, no worries!  Your advice is pretty damn spot on as is.


----------



## Paladin79

neddoge said:


> ​That's awesome feedback, thank you!  I may grab an extra iron to kill some anxiousness as that's a bottle neck currently.  If you wouldn't mind, pictures are always appreciated (as it's apparent I'm just starting out, lol).  If it's a hassle, no worries!  Your advice is pretty damn spot on as is.


 

 I hope it is somewhat close, I have people building cables on a daily basis and if I do not have the technical knowledge we are in trouble lol. I will try to add some photos in the next half hour or so.
  
 Here are photos showing the beginning braid, I slit down the side of it using side cutters, then twirled it together, then tinned it so it stayed together, then soldered it to ground and finished the cable. I left the braid longer than usual so you could see how it stays together. The braid that is still all the way around the dielectric is loose and not heated so much that it burns into that white area. I did this rather quickly and left it longer than normal as I said but you can see there is no chance of braid shorting out the tip of the connector. There is a gap between braid and center pin of around 1/16 inch or more when done.


----------



## chillaxing

hey guys, is 22awg cables to big for iems?
  
 wanting to use a certain cable but only thing i've found is in a 22awg.


----------



## Paladin79

chillaxing said:


> hey guys, is 22awg cables to big for iems?
> 
> wanting to use a certain cable but only thing i've found is in a 22awg.


 
  
 It is probably doable if it fits the connectors for which it is intended. There are a couple tricks I can help you with if you get into trouble there. I doubt it will be as flexible as smaller stuff but it sounds like you found something you like in appearance.


----------



## chillaxing

paladin79 said:


> It is probably doable if it fits the connectors for which it is intended. There are a couple tricks I can help you with if you get into trouble there. I doubt it will be as flexible as smaller stuff but it sounds like you found something you like in appearance.


 
  
  
 thats what I was afraid of, soldering and weight/bulkiness.  I'm looking for the copper wire with the translucent black shielding.  its been kind of hard sourcing it.  found some 22awg but not 26awg


----------



## Paladin79

chillaxing said:


> thats what I was afraid of, soldering and weight/bulkiness.  I'm looking for the copper wire with the translucent black shielding.  its been kind of hard sourcing it.  found some 22awg but not 26awg


 

 Good luck there, most jackets are opaque unless you get clear. I have some high end 24 awg ofc wire arriving at the end of this month but my color choices were somewhat limited. There are some star quads that have some translucent blues and pinks but black is a tough one.
  
 I saw the translucent red in the cable gallery and it is indeed a good look. Strand count will have a lot to do with flexibility as well.


----------



## buke9

chillaxing said:


> thats what I was afraid of, soldering and weight/bulkiness.  I'm looking for the copper wire with the translucent black shielding.  its been kind of hard sourcing it.  found some 22awg but not 26awg


Norne has 22 awg in transparent black ( maybe what you've found) Toxic has at least two different 26 awg wire in transparent black also one in blue. https://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product/viper-26awg-occ-cryo-silver-plated-7n-copper-in-clear-blue-and-black/ https://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product/scorpion-1ft-7n-26awg-occ-cryo-stranded-copper-wire-2/ one is silver plate and the other copper. Hope it helps.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Does anyone use 22 AWG even for full sized headphones? Isn't that overkill? Sure, and Axios cable is effectively 20 AWG (4 x 26 AWG per connection), but from my limited understanding of electronics, a 24AWG wire with 30 cores should be able to handle over an amp of current. 
  
 Also, I thought the rule of thumb is to divide the impedance of the headphone by 10, and them pick a cable that is lower than that number.
  
 For mogami W2893, .13 Ohm/m, so assuming a 2 meter cable, the 26AWG wire should be good for any headphone > .26 Ohm.
  
 Am I misunderstanding? Thanks.
  
 Also, I'm gonna ask second question. Anyone have experience mixing copper and silver cable, say an 8 strand cable, 4 copper, 4 silver, one of each to each connection? Best or both worlds, or just silly?


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Does anyone use 22 AWG even for full sized headphones? Isn't that overkill? Sure, and Axios cable is effectively 20 AWG (4 x 26 AWG per connection), but from my limited understanding of electronics, a 24AWG wire with 30 cores should be able to handle over an amp of current.
> 
> Also, I thought the rule of thumb is to divide the impedance of the headphone by 10, and them pick a cable that is lower than that number.
> 
> ...


 
 I have not tried the mixing of copper and silver so that is the easy part to answer.
  
 The .13 ohms is dc resistance and resistance goes down as the cross sectional area of wire goes up. Impedance is a combination of resistance, inductive reactance, and capacitive reactance and varies with frequency. I would have to read more about that rule of thumb to do a comparison but I would think 24 or 26 awg would be fine for the power levels supplied to most headphones.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> Does anyone use 22 AWG even for full sized headphones? Isn't that overkill? Sure, and Axios cable is effectively 20 AWG (4 x 26 AWG per connection), but from my limited understanding of electronics, a 24AWG wire with 30 cores should be able to handle over an amp of current.
> 
> Also, I thought the rule of thumb is to divide the impedance of the headphone by 10, and them pick a cable that is lower than that number.
> 
> ...


Not pure silver but silver plate sure. I put the silver plate on positive and copper to negative. That was on a balanced cable for HE400S and HD 700 fine on the 400's but way to bright on the 700's. I also made a portable cable with BTG silver plate and copper ofc for my Ether C's. The dumb cable is better I think.


----------



## Andreeww

Can somebody help me? I am looking for some kind of stepped heat shrink tube. It is usually put between connectors and cable. It is just thick heat shrink with steps. However, I don't know what it is actually called and I can't find it. I hope someone can tell me.


----------



## Allanmarcus

andrew lin said:


> Can somebody help me? I am looking for some kind of stepped heat shrink tube. It is usually put between connectors and cable. It is just thick heat shrink with steps. However, I don't know what it is actually called and I can't find it. I hope someone can tell me.


 

 Quite possibly it just layers of heatshink.


----------



## Andreeww

allanmarcus said:


> Quite possibly it just layers of heatshink.



No, it's not like that.


----------



## Allanmarcus

andrew lin said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Quite possibly it just layers of heatshink.
> ...


 

 OK. If you can post a picture, either one you took or one from google images, that would really help.


----------



## Renka

kaushama said:


> Anyone know how to do square 16 wire braid or link to such a tutorial?


 


 Edit : Oh, I saw that you already know about all of that.

 I don't think anything could ever be square with 16 strands unless you do a square braid with 8 strands where you double up the strands. Try "kumihimo 16 strand" on google. This is the best I can think of. I don't know how cables will hold with this though and it will definitely not look this tight, but if you can pull this off it will look amazing. The fact that you would be using a disk/loom would definitely help keeping things in place and equally tightened. I think you could probably achieve a flat braid using some kind of disk too.

 http://howdidyoumakethis.com/spiral-braids-with-12-to-28-strands/

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP3kyr5zZhg


----------



## Allanmarcus

well, I got my kumihimo plate and gave it a try with some mogami 26AWG wire I had left over. 16 strand braid. I haven't figured out how to do the plit yet, because I braiding too much and didn't leave any to split! I'm learning.
  
 What I've learned. kumihimo aint hard, but takes patience. 1.5 hours / foot of finished product. It will be harder with longer cable too.
 Also, 3 feet of wire becomes one foot of braided cable for the 16 strand section. for a 6 foot cable plus 18" from Y to connector, I will need:
 main section: 6' (desired length) x 3 (braid loss) x 16 (strands)  = 288'
 split Y sections: 1.5 (desired length) x 2 (braid loss) x 8 (strands) x 2 (channels) =48'
 total wire: 336'
 or 84' feet of quad cable! 
  
Mogami W2799 Neglex would be ~$60 from markertek
 Nice Acrolink wire from lunashops is about $1/foot, so that would be $336
 DoubleHelix Full spool (100m/330ft) Nucleotide 24awg OCC copper wire: $499.00
  
 Damn! starting to understand how an Axios cable is $800.
  
 The W2799 is 30 strand 26AWG. Effectively it's 18 cents per foot (or 60 cents per meter) for one 26 AWG wire. I'd like a more supple wire for this, but I'm don't want to spend hundreds on a cable. Any ideas? Also, I'd like at least two colors.
  
  
  
  

 16 strand braid of mogami W2799 wire


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> well, I got my kumihimo plate and gave it a try with some mogami 26AWG wire I had left over. 16 strand braid. I haven't figured out how to do the plit yet, because I braiding too much and didn't leave any to split! I'm learning.
> 
> What I've learned. kumihimo aint hard, but takes patience. 1.5 hours / foot of finished product. It will be harder with longer cable too.
> Also, 3 feet of wire becomes one foot of braided cable for the 16 strand section. for a 6 foot cable plus 18" from Y to connector, I will need:
> ...


----------



## neddoge

paladin79 said:


> I hope it is somewhat close, I have people building cables on a daily basis and if I do not have the technical knowledge we are in trouble lol. I will try to add some photos in the next half hour or so.
> 
> Here are photos showing the beginning braid, I slit down the side of it using side cutters, then twirled it together, then tinned it so it stayed together, then soldered it to ground and finished the cable. I left the braid longer than usual so you could see how it stays together. The braid that is still all the way around the dielectric is loose and not heated so much that it burns into that white area. I did this rather quickly and left it longer than normal as I said but you can see there is no chance of braid shorting out the tip of the connector. There is a gap between braid and center pin of around 1/16 inch or more when done.


 

 ​Nice pictures, thank you!!!  My cable in itself is SO MUCH SMALLER than that!  My dielectric is a mfer to strip, using mainly my finger nails and some pinching/tugging because it's so damn tiny!  What cable is that?  I'll try again with my tiny canare instrument cable but may just end up getting a bigger cable to practice with since it wasn't but a few bucks anyways.


----------



## Paladin79

The cable is Belden 1694A. Suitable for HD/SDI, spdif, It is an RG 6, the RG 59 version is 1505A, if you want more flexible go with 1505F. There is a miniature version 1855A. Belden sells worldwide as far as I know.
  
 fingernails huh lol I am guessing you are in Australia or New Zealand or I would offer to send you some tools unless you prefer to MacGyver the cables. I am never without a pocket knife (unless on a commercial flight) and I can make the majority of cuts on cables with little else in a pinch, just a thought.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> Doing the math in my head, at 26 awg you are ending up with about 17 awg per connection, supple is going to be tricky. Per a discussion about resistance, in such a circuit resistance will decrease, current will increase, and voltage will remain the same.
> 
> If I can find a wire that works well I will give it to you with one stipulation. You have to build two, I love the look of the finished result. Judging by the photo I would guess you are right at 8 mm diameter, which is not too bad for many connectors I can think of. I can have most any wire made but there has to be enough demand to justify it. 30 awg and smaller would be great for this but not so great for three wire cables IMHO.
> 
> Tom


 
  
  
 16 x 26 AWG would be effective 14 AWG, but only 4 strand goes per connection, so its 4 * 26 AWG -> 20 AWG according to https://www.wirebarn.com/combined-wire-gauge-calculator_ep_42.html
  
 I'd be happy to make 2, but it might be weeks or months to finish it.
  
 I may have found the wire for this project. SommerCable SC-Octave
 http://usashop.sommercable.com/en/Cables/Bulk-Cables-Audio/Mikrofonkabel-SC-Octave-Tube-200-0186.html
 it's a 7 wire combo package, but the 5 audio wires are OFC, 72 strand,  26 AWG. Cost would be ~$150, which I'm not ready to go to (I know, look at my headphone list, but I won't spend $150 on a cable, crazy). I sent them an email to see if they have other cables with that wire, or if they can just cat that wire. We'll see.
  
 And yep, 8mm diameter for the main cable.


----------



## Paladin79

It was early in the morn and I rarely look things up so I will go with their numbers. On a lot of cable you can just deduct three units of wire gauge from each additional cable.
  
 I would not be in a hurry, I probably have five cables and various pigtails with connectors for any headphone I own. 
  
 Being in the business I rarely pay much of anything for electronics, I have zero cost in a NAD power amp I repaired and maybe $400 in a 7.2 surround system and six more speakers in my downstairs.(Martin Logan, Klipsch, and Polk) I average less cost for cables comparatively. Knowing one day I will end up with most any thing I want without much of an investment stops me from paying $1000 or $2,000 for a pair of headphones. I do have $500 in Alpha Primes that were upgraded at the factory and have a two year warranty. If I build some cables and sell them, even those become a write off.
  
 I am expecting a large quantity of 24 awg ofc I like at the end of this month in two colors. I have doubts it would be more flexible than what you just used being a larger wire gauge but it is 140/40 stranding as I recall so that could help. (do not hold me to those numbers, I have the info at work.) I can send you enough of a sample to see what you think before building two cables with it so you are not wasting your time.


----------



## buke9

allanmarcus said:


> well, I got my kumihimo plate and gave it a try with some mogami 26AWG wire I had left over. 16 strand braid. I haven't figured out how to do the plit yet, because I braiding too much and didn't leave any to split! I'm learning.
> 
> What I've learned. kumihimo aint hard, but takes patience. 1.5 hours / foot of finished product. It will be harder with longer cable too.
> Also, 3 feet of wire becomes one foot of braided cable for the 16 strand section. for a 6 foot cable plus 18" from Y to connector, I will need:
> ...


Pretty damn sweet!


----------



## liquidzoo

allanmarcus said:


> well, I got my kumihimo plate and gave it a try with some mogami 26AWG wire I had left over. 16 strand braid. I haven't figured out how to do the plit yet, because I braiding too much and didn't leave any to split! I'm learning.
> 
> What I've learned. kumihimo aint hard, but takes patience. 1.5 hours / foot of finished product. It will be harder with longer cable too.
> Also, 3 feet of wire becomes one foot of braided cable for the 16 strand section. for a 6 foot cable plus 18" from Y to connector, I will need:
> ...




Wow is that ever pretty! Nicely done!

If you ever wanted to do it with a smaller gauge wire (slightly more expensive than the Mogami, though) I was once pm'd a link to this litz wire by TrollDragon. At the length you'd want it works out to $2.22/10 feet, so ~$78 for 350 feet. You'd need a solder pot, but it might work out well and create a very nice looking cable.


----------



## Paladin79

liquidzoo said:


> Wow is that ever pretty! Nicely done!
> 
> If you ever wanted to do it with a smaller gauge wire (slightly more expensive than the Mogami, though) I was once pm'd a link to this litz wire by @TrollDragon. At the length you'd want it works out to $2.22/10 feet, so ~$78 for 350 feet. You'd need a solder pot, but it might work out well and create a very nice looking cable.


 
 You can get a half way decent solder pot for under $25 plus shipping if you know where to look so they are not exactly cost prohibitive.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Ok! First off, what does 140/40 (or 220/46) mean?
 Update: whoops! Ok! "220 strand 46 AWG litz wire." --> 22.74 AWG
 22.74 x 4 wires --> 16.762 AWG
 16.7 AWG might be on the thick side. But thanks for the link. I'll see if they have anything smaller.
  
  
 140/40 --> 18.689 AWG  18 AWG?
  
  
 Second, I know what a solder pot is, but why do I need it for Litz wire? Please walk me through it.
  
 Third, I got working this morning and did this. The actual Y was ugly (respect to Helios!), so a splitter is needed.
  

  
 Note, my prototype isn't very long 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  

 splitter option 1. I'm thinking I could sand the bead and stain it.
  

 splitter option 2.


----------



## liquidzoo

allanmarcus said:


> Ok! First off, what does 140/40 (or 220/46) mean?
> Update: whoops! Ok! "220 strand 46 AWG litz wire." --> 22.74     AWG
> 140/40 --> 18.689     AWG
> 
> ...




The wire has an enamel coating that you need to melt off. A solder pot is the most effective way to do it. (Someone will correct me if I'm wrong here)

I'm not sure how to calculate the effective AWG, so I'd have to defer to someone who does. I know that this is the same kind of wires that are used in a lot of the small headphone cables where you have 3 together inside a rubberized outer shell. They're small, for sure.


----------



## kaushama

That's cool. I have ordered kumihimo plate as well. Would you mind posting the pattern methods of 16 strand and 8 strand braids?


----------



## Allanmarcus

liquidzoo said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Ok! First off, what does 140/40 (or 220/46) mean?
> ...


 

 Thanks. This is what I'm using to calculate AWG
  
 https://www.v-cap.com/awg-calculator.php


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Ok! First off, what does 140/40 (or 220/46) mean?
> Update: whoops! Ok! "220 strand 46 AWG litz wire." --> 22.74 AWG
> 22.74 x 4 wires --> 16.762 AWG
> 16.7 AWG might be on the thick side. But thanks for the link. I'll see if they have anything smaller.
> ...


 
 The numbers indicate strands and number of bundles but do not always indicate wire gauge, You can have different size individual strands. If you get really fine wire it can be very flexible. As I said though, I do not have those numbers in front of me and it ends up being 24 awg.
  
 you use a solder pot to quickly melt the enamel coating from Litz wire, otherwise when you try to solder it, you may or may not be soldering all of the strands. With a solder pot you will have better contact when you finally solder the wire. You use bar solder with a solder pot, it contains no flux, you dip the wire to be dunked into liquid rosin flux then into the molten solder in the solder pot. If you need liquid flux I can probably help with that as well.


----------



## Allanmarcus

thanks for the info on the solder pot.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> thanks for the info on the solder pot.


 
 NP I added a couple things since you asked how to use it. If you try adding flux to the solder in the pot it will just go up in smoke, as does the enamel from the Litz wire.


----------



## Allanmarcus

The actual wire in one wire of mogami W2799 is .15mm and is 30 strand.
  
 https://www.mikeselectronicparts.com/product/60-46-litz-wire/
 This wire is 60 strand and is ~.46mm thick
  
 I'm guessing the litz adds to the thickness.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> The actual wire in one wire of mogami W2799 is .15mm and is 30 strand.
> 
> https://www.mikeselectronicparts.com/product/60-46-litz-wire/
> This wire is 60 strand and is ~.46mm thick
> ...


 
 it would and I do not have accurate numbers in front of me but with higher strand count comes better conductivity and better flexibility but jacket type is a factor as well. Litz wire is stranded much differently as I recall, interwoven to try to keep the signal constantly traveling through the center of the conductors. An easy way to remember conductivity is to think of 24 awg solid wire, there are no air gaps. Do the same thing with large strands of wire, and at 24 awg there are spaces between wires. Solid conducts better but will break more quickly when flexed compared to stranded wire. Oftentimes in hook up wire each strand is tinned, that adds to thickness as well. You have to be careful of that when buying wire you want to be flexible.
  
 Here is a solder pot I have used:
 http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/aven-tools/17100-100/243-1250-ND/5886023
  
 They are not expensive and this will do the job. If you use it much I suggest a small fan or fume filter. I generally buy a higher wattage unit but the same company makes this 100 watter.


----------



## Arty McGhee

i use plain litz wire and have purchased from mikes
  
 he sells good stuff at a good price, i use 175/46 as a similar size to 26awg
  
 the cheaper chinese stuff can be tinned without a solder pot but its tricky
  
 i use a blob of solder on the bottom of a coffee cup
  
 i did some simple braiding tests with some silk served wire he sells
  
 very cool stuff its flexible like string, thing is its not insulated in ptfe or teflon or whatever
  
 its served with like a thin thread spun around it , it will wear off fairly quickly
  
 i use this
  
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Litz-wire-175-46-for-crystal-set-coil-Double-layer-100-/150628081951?hash=item231222211fmGbn****ByNi9CswQEhrQvA
  
 but i sleeve it in paracord
  
 sorry if this doesnt help much


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> i use plain litz wire and have purchased from mikes
> 
> he sells good stuff at a good price, i use 175/46 as a similar size to 26awg
> 
> ...


 
 I was wondering if anyone ever tried some of that wire. Those are super fine strands and the type of wire i look for, only I go for ofc.


----------



## Allanmarcus

@arty, first of all, you listen to grados, so everything is suspect 
Ok, might be senngrados with custom drivers 


Can the litz wire from the eBay store be used without paracord or other insulation? Could I braid it directly?


Also, broader question. Automatic wire stripper gun? Worth it?


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> @arty, first of all, you listen to grados, so everything is suspect
> Ok, might be senngrados with custom drivers
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Which automatic wire stripper gun? There are some that clamp the cable pretty hard, the better ones run around $100 but you can adjust accurately for wire sizes. Paladin makes some I like but they are out there under other names. (Please note that Paladin is a registered trademark and my id here bears no association with said company, nor with the TV show from the 1950's.)


----------



## Allanmarcus

I was thinking something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Stripper-Cutter-Parts-Express/dp/B0002KR95W


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I was thinking something like this
> https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Stripper-Cutter-Parts-Express/dp/B0002KR95W


 
 That is a bit of a knock off of the quality strippers. I would be amazed if it handled that range of wire gauges well. That being said, something like that to me is like is generally ok for the occasional user just like a cheap socket set can get you by for a while if you are a shade tree mechanic. I was afraid you meant something like this:
  





  
  
  
  
 Better ones are like this:




  
 This model is much better and will accurately strip anything and cause little damage. You can even lay four wires in it and strip them all at once. (My workers came up with that one, and this is the tool you want if you are doing a thousand cables. Also it looks like the one shown has a crude adjustment, this needs little adjustment if any.
  
 This is another type that you could use for a long time with few issues. Obviously not automatic but they are handy if you are working with wire of an unknown gauge.
  
 http://www.markertek.com/product/pal-1117/greenlee-pa1117-22-10-awg-stripper?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&gclid=CjwKEAjwtbPGBRDhoLaqn6HknWsSJABR-o5sW0ShQKK0gcIFwJEpbwgpdTR0zNdT6DIlFd_y69wCNRoC4VHw_wcB
  
 for $5.00 this is another good method of telling wire gauge and getting your measurements right:




  
  
 Go to Digikey, the part number is PCB-Ruler-ND, they had a few hundred in stock a couple weeks ago but sold out fast, I bought a half dozen myself.


----------



## Arty McGhee

Quote: 





allanmarcus said:


> @arty, first of all, you listen to grados, so everything is suspect
> Ok, might be senngrados with custom drivers
> 
> 
> ...


 
 i was listening to my vintage rs2 grados as i was writing 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 not trying to discourage you, that braid is beautiful so definitely
  
 give it a shot, just trying to relate my experiences, its cool stuff
  
 everyone should try it... putting my grados back on and going back to my
  
 happy place... this is my happy place..doh


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I have one like  this since the 90's during the time i was learning how to play with HIGH VOLTAGE only mine looks older but still really sharp and it's somewhere in my shed collecting dust.


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> i was listening to my vintage rs2 grados as i was writing
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Personally I was just taking a break from building Idc ribbon cables. I did watch some great videos today on Binaural plus sound (which I own a lot of) and why 24/192 works so well. I think I owned a Grado phonograph cartridge back in the seventies but I am glad to hear the company is still in existence.


----------



## Paladin79

i luvmusic 2 said:


> I have one like  this since the 90's during the time i was learning how to play with HIGH VOLTAGE only mine looks older but still really sharp and it's somewhere in my shed collecting dust.
> 
> 
> Those are great for larger wire, my people did a bunch of power cables for LED lighting for indoor tennis stadiums and those helped a lot. They are fine for speaker wire as well.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

No it is not ideal for smaller gauge wires.


----------



## Paladin79

i luvmusic 2 said:


> No it is not ideal for smaller gauge wires.


 
 I keep a set with my electrical tools for things like installing ceiling fans or replacing outlets on rental house or home projects. Kits like this are great for electronics, I got my son a set when he was pretty young and being in a case like that he has never lost any.
  




  
 He just bought a house and has few of those tools but he is set if he needs to tear down a computer. He also fixed his own plasma tv with me sending him a few parts. That was a serious DIY project.


----------



## neddoge

paladin79 said:


> The cable is Belden 1694A. Suitable for HD/SDI, spdif, It is an RG 6, the RG 59 version is 1505A, if you want more flexible go with 1505F. There is a miniature version 1855A. Belden sells worldwide as far as I know.
> 
> fingernails huh lol I am guessing you are in Australia or New Zealand or I would offer to send you some tools unless you prefer to MacGyver the cables. I am never without a pocket knife (unless on a commercial flight) and I can make the majority of cuts on cables with little else in a pinch, just a thought.


 

 ​I used a Kershaw that I keep on my person to score it initially but I was being a bit overly cautious to be frank. 
  
 I live just shy of DC (traffic central.com) and think I'm mostly good with equipment (thank you for the offer!), I'm just half assing it for the time being hah.  I have a needle nose and tweezers for any fine detail stuff, a generic stripper/crimper, a garbage iron (for the time being), and a tabletop vice (like yours) to act as a third hand.  I just need to practice, and a lot!  This thread and your help has been great so far.


----------



## Paladin79

neddoge said:


> ​I used a Kershaw that I keep on my person to score it initially but I was being a bit overly cautious to be frank.
> 
> I live just shy of DC (traffic central.com) and think I'm mostly good with equipment (thank you for the offer!), I'm just half assing it for the time being hah.  I have a needle nose and tweezers for any fine detail stuff, a generic stripper/crimper, a garbage iron (for the time being), and a tabletop vice (like yours) to act as a third hand.  I just need to practice, and a lot!  This thread and your help has been great so far.


 
 It takes a while to develop the touch to use a pocket knife much on cables. I was also taught to strip wires with side cutters and can do that in a pinch but not often. Doing production we stop using some tools if they get the least bit dull so we replace things pretty quickly and I end up with a lot of older tools that still might do some good. I am in DC a couple times a year, my son lives across the Potomac in Virginia near Wolf Trap. I started teaching him electronics, chess and computers at age four and some of it worked I guess. lol
  
 That particular cable I showed you, the Belden 1694A we use for longer runs on audio and video cables so if you ever need any short pieces, 25 feet and under. We have a lot of scrap. I would rather see it used than have it melted down for copper value. (40 cents a pound)
  
 In the DC area is MicroZotl, http://www.lineartubeaudio.com/microzotl/
  
 I hope to make it there one day to tour the factory but DC has so much to offer it is tough to always do what one wants.


----------



## sharktopus

So earlier when you guys were talking about litz wire, does that refer to how a single wire's strands are braided?  I've mostly seen litz referring to how to braid your own cable from someone else's wire.


----------



## Arty McGhee

no litz braiding and litz wire are 2 different things
  
 this is a litz braid (sort of)
  

  
 litz wire (the type i sometimes use) is made for radio antennas and inductive heating coils
 and has very little if any effect in audio use other than extreme flexibility (that oughta get 'em goin)
  
 this explains it pretty good
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litz_wire


----------



## audiofreakie

I'm using this flat braids for 8 strand OTG micro usb type C to USB type B.


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> no litz braiding and litz wire are 2 different things
> 
> this is a litz braid (sort of)
> 
> ...


 
 Arty, well said.
  
     I read what I could about Litz wire at one point and came to the conclusion it had more to do with the wire strands themselves and how they were interwoven. I got the impression that that design morphed over to the braiding of the individual conductors but that was done more by DIY folks since the general application of Litz wire has little to do with analog audio. I have used it. I could not hear much difference between it and good quality OFC but I could measure some slight differences.
     Every chance I get, I get folks under 40 to listen to various headphone cables I have made and trust me, I have access to many types of wire. I have found one person in fifty who can consistently pick a litz wire from occ or ofc with everything else being equal. All of us would like to believe we can hear at that level, I am not one of them. Were I to sell Litz wire, I would say "here it is, here is what I know about the strand count and outside diameter, if you love it, more power to you."  If you build a headphone cable, you put your time and energy and love for aesthetics into it. When you are finished, you are hoping to love the end result. The paracord might be stretching away from a connector, or your braid may not be as perfect as you would like, but it is your cable and you took the time to hunt for the paracord and wire and connectors, so it is unique.
  
 Litz has some advantages in that it was manufactured for a certain purpose so there is a lot of it out there. Try to find 26 awg stranded ofc sometime, or 24 awg with a high strand count. I buy wire on a regular basis and those are tough things to find unless you want to deconstruct some star quad cables or the like. Another problem is finding wire that you can count on being consistent. If I buy Belden, Mogami, Canare etc. I know I can count on the quality and I can pull up the specs, and believe them.


----------



## neddoge

paladin79 said:


> It takes a while to develop the touch to use a pocket knife much on cables. I was also taught to strip wires with side cutters and can do that in a pinch but not often. Doing production we stop using some tools if they get the least bit dull so we replace things pretty quickly and I end up with a lot of older tools that still might do some good. I am in DC a couple times a year, my son lives across the Potomac in Virginia near Wolf Trap. I started teaching him electronics, chess and computers at age four and some of it worked I guess. lol
> 
> That particular cable I showed you, the Belden 1694A we use for longer runs on audio and video cables so if you ever need any short pieces, 25 feet and under. We have a lot of scrap. I would rather see it used than have it melted down for copper value. (40 cents a pound)
> 
> ...


 

 ​How did you find this company?  I love that there's somebody just up the road, ish, to meet up with and get some tips from.  I sent them an email just to see how their team is.  I wonder how many other companies are local, being the huge melting pot this area is.
  
 My dad passed down some half-assed car amping instructions without much information/explanation as to why things were the way they were so I'm trying to pick up the accurate pieces of his info and relearning the correct manner with some things. 
  
 I'm not far from Wolf Trap, nice!  And absolutely, I'd love some extra wire to practice on if you have some on hand.  I can send some change via PayPal for the postage/packaging.  Which RCA tips are you using?  I don't think my Reans would house that wire, lol.


----------



## Paladin79

neddoge said:


> ​How did you find this company?  I love that there's somebody just up the road, ish, to meet up with and get some tips from.  I sent them an email just to see how their team is.  I wonder how many other companies are local, being the huge melting pot this area is.
> 
> My dad passed down some half-assed car amping instructions without much information/explanation as to why things were the way they were so I'm trying to pick up the accurate pieces of his info and relearning the correct manner with some things.
> 
> I'm not far from Wolf Trap, nice!  And absolutely, I'd love some extra wire to practice on if you have some on hand.  I can send some change via PayPal for the postage/packaging.  Which RCA tips are you using?  I don't think my Reans would house that wire, lol.


 
 I found talk of those amps on here, there were originally done by David Berning. The more I read the more I became impressed. I emailed David directly as well as the company that is carrying on his designs and both were most kind in their responses. I own a Valhalla 2 and will be building a Crack soon so tube type amps have always been an interest for me. 
  
 The wire will fit some Reans, we generally use Canare RCA, BNC, and F connectors that are made especially for that cable by Canare. I do not recommend them for your use since the tools can run $300.  I have some extra RCA connectors we do not use much that I could send along. I personally use a high end Belden or Mogami Neglex microphone cable for my aux cables. I want the flexibility and shielding and I generally build what are considered directional aux cables. I use Amphenol RCA's mostly but some Reans are quite good as well. 
  
 Just keep in mind the 1694A is coaxial cable with a solid copper center conductor at 18 awg as I recall. I have many friends in the engineering department at a local university that use little else but then most of this is made in northern Indiana and so they are buying local.  I will look around though and send you a few small miscellaneous pieces of cable, it will have brand name and part numbers on the side. I will try to PM you tomorrow with some info. Postal shipping is not expensive but we will talk about that. I have done a few aux cables for friends on here, particularly if they have Schiit equipment and they do not want the tension of a coaxial cable lifting one piece of equipment off the top of another.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> ... I generally build what are considered directional aux cables.


 
  
 as in a drain wire? Or you alway use them in the same in/out configuration to align the crystals?


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> as in a drain wire? Or you alway use them in the same in/out configuration to align the crystals?


 
 I am talking about the shield and drain wire in reference to the source and destination. I try not to use magic crystals and fairy dust if I can help it. I have cats and they would just end up tracking them around the house. I have 9 or 10 devices in close proximity so I use what shielding I can. Oops, make that 15, drat I may need to reread Thoreau and simplify my downstairs.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I just learned about this: MFC Paracord Threader
  
 https://mainframecustom.com/shop/cable-sleeving/tools/paracord-threader/
  
 I'm not sure what size paracord it works best with, but I've sent an email inquiry about that.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I just learned about this: MFC Paracord Threader
> 
> https://mainframecustom.com/shop/cable-sleeving/tools/paracord-threader/
> 
> I'm not sure what size paracord it works best with, but I've sent an email inquiry about that.


 
 Judging by the size of the pin, I have a feeling it would work with 150 paracord and larger. That looks like a molex pin I use a lot of so I will have plenty of them laying around. My people use a similar method but I like the looks of this one and will have at least one on the way tomorrow.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > I just learned about this: MFC Paracord Threader
> ...


 
  
 Only the tube is included. I think it was designed for PC modders, so a molex pin is about right.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Only the tube is included. I think it was designed for PC modders, so a molex pin is about right.


 
 Trust me i will figure out the proper pin size, once I get it I will let you know how it works and send you some pins if you need them. I buy them by the thousand and they are not expensive. Heck a person can probably put a drop of hot glue on the end of the wire, slide it into the tube and reheat it once retracted from the other end but I will check molex pins first.
  
 I guess this falls under DIY but I am going to upgrade the drivers in some CHC  Silverado headphones so they are 250 or 300 ohm impedance. I found some that are amazingly close in fit and if I have to alter the headphone housing much I can do it. I have enough acrylic (methyl methacrylate) that I can fashion most anything inside a headphone. Under heat and pressure the material is strong enough to make a knife blade so it should certainly handle this. It can be drilled and sanded to most any shape and it is relatively light weight.


----------



## rmoody

Do I take it you don't like the Irwin stripper?
  
 FYI, Paladin got taken over by Greenlee's core company, Textron, they are rebranding all the Paladin stuff to Greenlee. Guess you won't have to change your name .


----------



## Paladin79

rmoody said:


> Do I take it you don't like the Irwin stripper?
> 
> FYI, Paladin got taken over by Greenlee's core company, Textron, they are rebranding all the Paladin stuff to Greenlee. Guess you won't have to change your name .


 

 If this is the style stripper you call Irwin, I like it for some applications. It can leave dents in pvc jacket or Teflon jacket. It is fine for rubberized jackets on AC cordage and I would use it there. The cutting surface is rather shallow and rugged so it will last a long time but the serrated portion that grabs the cable is what can cause dents. For home use that can be fine but some of my customers would freak if they saw dents in jacketed wire.
  
 I use Paladin as a knight of the court of Charlemagne, also called the twelve peers. They were similar to Arthur's knights of the round table. The Mensa society uses a similar concept. Mensa is latin for table and since there can be no "head" of a round table, all those seated around it are considered equals. I always liked that approach. I always liked the knight on a chess board (I play in the USCF) and I have carved wooden chess pieces and always found the knight the most difficult to carve and the prettiest of the pieces in my opinion but I digress.
  
 If you like any style wire stripper over another by all means use what you like. The one in the photo is certainly rugged and will last a long time. I use cutters like Lindstom's that I have had for 25 years and they work well after repeated usage. For the occasional cable builder Xcelite would be fine. I bought my son an Xcelite tool kit that he might use five times a year and they are fine after 15 years.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

That type of stripper is under sooooooo many brands ranging from $7-35 CAD at least in my area.


----------



## Allanmarcus

In anyone finds this useful, I just started putting together a Google Sheet of wire.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pXSXIVBJXhb5fqysBTHQ5q3SHQ3d8B6kAHv8yQIWSTY/edit?usp=sharing
  
 If you have additions or comments, please let me know.


----------



## Paladin79

i luvmusic 2 said:


> That type of stripper is under sooooooo many brands ranging from $7-35 CAD at least in my area.


 
 Yeah the one in my photo has the Vise Grip brand on it. There are some cheap knock-offs out there too.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> In anyone finds this useful, I just started putting together a Google Sheet of wire.
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pXSXIVBJXhb5fqysBTHQ5q3SHQ3d8B6kAHv8yQIWSTY/edit?usp=sharing
> 
> If you have additions or comments, please let me know.


 
 I would not begin to know where to start with additions, if time allows I will send some info. Gepco was purchased by Belden last I heard so I am not sure what will happen with branding there.


----------



## rmoody

I appreciate you stating the pros and cons, knowing these will press into the insulation is good to know. I'm looking closely at those Paladin/Greenlee strippers. What I would really love is a heat stripper that didn't cost and arm and leg.
  
 BTW, I said Irwin because they own Vise Grip. I'm weird, I won't say "Crescent Wrench" because it's a Crescent brand adjustable wrench", Vise Grip is a "Vise Grip brand locking pliar", etc.


----------



## Paladin79

rmoody said:


> I appreciate you stating the pros and cons, knowing these will press into the insulation is good to know. I'm looking closely at those Paladin/Greenlee strippers. What I would really love is a heat stripper that didn't cost and arm and leg.
> 
> BTW, I said Irwin because they own Vise Grip. I'm weird, I won't say "Crescent Wrench" because it's a Crescent brand adjustable wrench", Vise Grip is a "Vise Grip brand locking pliar", etc.


 
 Ahhh that makes sense, the Vise Grip does certainly match the Irwin colors so I knew what you were talking about. My last name is the name of a tool company that now owns Black and Decker I do believe. Trace the history of most any gun or tool company and a lot of changes seemed to have taken place.
  
 I have a few for fiber optic that are super accurate and easy to use and they will do small copper wire. They are a pain to set up. I even have this think with about seven blades for coaxial cable. It is scary looking and I think developed for NASA usage but I never liked the idea of losing a finger to strip a bit of jacket from copper wire lol.  If I think something is unsafe, I am sure not going to hand it to another person their first day on the job I even take extra blades off of some tools after seeing one lady open her hand up accidentally many years ago.
  
 By the way my daughter lives in Knoxville, I am down that way once a year or more. Lovely country once you get down to the Smokeys especially. Another acquaintance works at Oak Ridge, I run into her and a few other physicists in D.C. on occasion since they got their doctorates at a local university.


----------



## Allanmarcus

well, I tried a different pattern for the 16 strand braid. This time a spiral
  

  
  
 and the square braid for reference:

  
 Hard to tell which I like better. I'm just gonna have to make one. I don't look forward to stripping 84 feet of quad.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> well, I tried a different pattern for the 16 strand braid. This time a spiral
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 I would be curious if you noticed any difference in sound compared to say the original quad cable when you get one built. 
  
 Many years ago there was a local guy who sold all brands of speakers, some he designed and built himself. He would use a switch box to go from one set of speakers to another so the customer could actually hear one set compared to AR's or Infinity's or whatever. I try to use that same approach with headphone cables and headphones. Cables are easier of course because you do not have the impedance differences but cables are another matter. It is not that hard to use a known headphone, run a four pin mini xlr and switch between cables going to a headphone amp. I wish I could just remember and say oh this one had a V shape or a U shape but it is never easy for me. If I have some listen to my setup, I can go to different switch designations and they never know if it is a braided cable, star quad, or dual conductor with a ground. It is just the way I learned and I try to duplicate some of that, I can switch between star quad and occ or litz. Mind you there is always a short cable going to the headphones but that remains constant, as do the dac and amp and music. To me looks are a factor but so is the end result. If I put the most money in a specific cable and people consistently like two cheaper cables or stock cables better, I start wondering if it is worth the bother. I just like to get it down to the same headphones on the same music so I can rapidly switch back and forth when comparing.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > well, I tried a different pattern for the 16 strand braid. This time a spiral
> ...


 

 I've only been able to hear the difference between cables once. I was at a meet and some folks were comparing two 500+ cables. I _think_ I heard the difference and said I preferred cable "B". Everyone was surprised because they preferred cable "A". We then compared these two cables with the cable I made from SommerCable SC-PeaCock Mk II cable (same as used in the beyedynamic T1 gen 1), and they all thought the peacock cable sounded just as good. I could not tell the difference. Wha difference I could tell was minimal at best. I'm lucky, I guess, that my ears aren't all that trained or sensitive! I can focus on having fun with cable making and not worry too much about the tiny sound differences.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I've only been able to hear the difference between cables once. I was at a meet and some folks were comparing two 500+ cables. I _think_ I heard the difference and said I preferred cable "B". Everyone was surprised because they preferred cable "A". We then compared these two cables with the cable I made from SommerCable SC-PeaCock Mk II cable (same as used in the beyedynamic T1 gen 1), and they all thought the peacock cable sounded just as good. I could not tell the difference. Wha difference I could tell was minimal at best. I'm lucky, I guess, that my ears aren't all that trained or sensitive! I can focus on having fun with cable making and not worry too much about the tiny sound differences.


 

 There is nothing wrong with having fun doing most anything and I am more apt to consider the opinion of others above my own hearing preferences. I am in a different arena and my thoughts and techniques differ accordingly. As far as myself, I am not about to pay $60 a foot for some wire if I cannot find anyone who can consistently say it sounds better than 20 cent a foot wire. (obviously there is more difference between headphones and amps and it makes more sense to invest money into those.) I enjoy the looks of different braided cables and certainly experiment with those as well, I just have to be a little cautious in business as far as what I say and do not say so I pay attention to some of the science behind things.
  
 I have all kinds of equipment, a minimum of 35k albums, headphone test recordings etc., but my favorite tests consist of a few Chesky recordings done in churches. Binaural plus. On a few cuts you can hear the patter of rain on the roof in the background. Unfortunately I am a little spoiled by such recordings and have a hard time listening to much else right now.
  
 I mainly talked about how I go about comparing one cable to another. It is a little tough for me to say wow that cable I heard eight months ago was so much better than this one I listen to now lol. My company may well be selling some cables soon and the more data I can get, the better. In no way, shape or form have I said others should think or do the same things as me. I am hoping to have wire of a quality that will save people from cutting apart star quad if they prefer not to do that. If you enjoy the experience, more power to you.


----------



## Reima

I am planning to make a balanced cable for my modded Fostex T50RP. Would a 28AWG silver wire okay for this or do I need a thicker wire?


----------



## Paladin79

reima said:


> I am planning to make a balanced cable for my modded Fostex T50RP. Would a 28AWG silver wire okay for this or do I need a thicker wire?


 
 I think 28 awg would be fine. That wire is so costly if pure silver that I am sure it would be pretty costly to move up in gauge. What amp are you running? What is maximum power output? What length cable were you thinking of building?  I could give a more educated answer with a few numbers. I am thinking those headphones are around 50 ohm impedance, I hope that is pretty close even with mods.


----------



## Reima

paladin79 said:


> I think 28 awg would be fine. That wire is so costly if pure silver that I am sure it would be pretty costly to move up in gauge. What amp are you running? What is maximum power output? What length cable were you thinking of building?  I could give a more educated answer with a few numbers. I am thinking those headphones are around 50 ohm impedance, I hope that is pretty close even with mods.


 
 I am using an Ibasso PB2, it puts out up to 2500mW. The cable will be about 54 inches long. I am looking at the non Toxic brand silver wire that Toxic cables has for sale.


----------



## Paladin79

reima said:


> I am using an Ibasso PB2, it puts out up to 2500mW. The cable will be about 54 inches long. I am looking at the non Toxic brand silver wire that Toxic cables has for sale.


 
 I am guessing that you do not have to crank the amp much to drive those headphones, half volume or so and it is capable of 2.5 watts. I would not be afraid to try it. At that length you are not adding a lot of resistance. I would feel more comfortable at 26 awg if it does not cost a lot more or if you could do an eight wire braid you would be effectively increasing the wire gauge to around 25 awg using the 28 awg wire.


----------



## Reima

paladin79 said:


> I am guessing that you do not have to crank the amp much to drive those headphones, half volume or so and it is capable of 2.5 watts. I would not be afraid to try it. At that length you are not adding a lot of resistance. I would feel more comfortable at 26 awg if it does not cost a lot more or if you could do an eight wire braid you would be effectively increasing the wire gauge to around 25 awg using the 28 awg wire.


 
 Thanks, I would rather go to a 26awg wire than to attempt a eight wire braid. Will look into the 26awg options, I may still decide to use UPOCC copper wire instead.


----------



## Paladin79

reima said:


> Thanks, I would rather go to a 26awg wire than to attempt a eight wire braid. Will look into the 26awg options, I may still decide to use UPOCC copper wire instead.


 
 It is not something I have to figure out often but if pure silver, it is a better conductor than copper so less DC resistance but you are throwing in a smaller diameter so you are causing me to think lol. I have heard pure silver and I am pretty happy with high end copper but tastes vary. What I generally avoid is silver plated copper but that is a discussion for another day.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

paladin79 said:


> i luvmusic 2 said:
> 
> 
> > That type of stripper is under sooooooo many brands ranging from $7-35 CAD at least in my area.
> ...


 
 Yeah they are all made in CHINADA....


----------



## Reima

paladin79 said:


> What I generally avoid is silver plated copper but that is a discussion for another day.


 
 I am avoiding silver plated copper as well, I will either get pure silver or copper. Some of the copper wires are pretty expensive as well.


----------



## Paladin79

reima said:


> I am avoiding silver plated copper as well, I will either get pure silver or copper. Some of the copper wires are pretty expensive as well.


 
 They can be. Years ago a friend told me that Linn Audio would not produce a cd player until it was audibly better than a turntable.  I like to quantify the difference before I spend the money on wire, and it is why I try to test for differences.


----------



## audiofreakie

Anyone have link to diy micro usb OTG with power chord?


I try to build USB type C to usb.


----------



## liquidzoo

audiofreakie said:


> Anyone have link to diy micro usb OTG with power chord?
> 
> 
> I try to build USB type C to usb.




Not DIY, but you can buy one: http://www.head-fi.org/t/822353/usb-type-c-3-1-to-micro-usb-otg-cable


----------



## Letmebefrank

@Paladin79 Hey Tom, can you link me where you buy your Rean Mini XLR 4-pins from? I cant find them on markertek.
  
 Thanks


----------



## Paladin79

letmebefrank said:


> @Paladin79 Hey Tom, can you link me where you buy your Rean Mini XLR 4-pins from? I cant find them on markertek.
> 
> Thanks


 
http://www.markertek.com/product/rn-rt4mc-b/rean-rt4mc-b-tiny-xlr-4-pole-male-black-shell-gold-contacts
http://www.markertek.com/product/rt4fc-b/neutrik-rt4fc-b-rean-tiny-4-pole-xlr-cable-connector
  
 I tried searching for them myself with no luck but luckily I knew the part numbers and knew they had them lol. By the way I had some quadruple Belgium in DC that was amazing, good to hear from you Frank!
  
 I would lead you elsewhere but they have a decent price, if you are in a hurry drive over and I will hand you a couple.  I buy them from the same company but they have a retail side and a distributor side.
  
 Once I get it done you will have to bring down your HD-650's and try them on my Bottleneck Crack, I have not received the kit yet but I will be making major mods to it and the headphones I will plug into it.
  
 Tom


----------



## Letmebefrank

paladin79 said:


> http://www.markertek.com/product/rn-rt4mc-b/rean-rt4mc-b-tiny-xlr-4-pole-male-black-shell-gold-contacts
> http://www.markertek.com/product/rt4fc-b/neutrik-rt4fc-b-rean-tiny-4-pole-xlr-cable-connector
> 
> I tried searching for them myself with no luck but luckily I knew the part numbers and knew they had them lol. By the way I had some quadruple Belgium in DC that was amazing, good to hear from you Frank!
> ...


 
  
 Thanks Tom, just ordered a pair of each!
  
 I'll take you up on the offer to check out the BH crack once you finish it. I would like to get one myself so it will be nice to try out first. What sort of upgrades do you have planned? I was thinking of making mine in a custom enclosure with rear input for power and signal and front output for headphones instead of everything on the top.


----------



## Paladin79

letmebefrank said:


> Thanks Tom, just ordered a pair of each!
> 
> I'll take you up on the offer to check out the BH crack once you finish it. I would like to get one myself so it will be nice to try out first. What sort of upgrades do you have planned? I was thinking of making mine in a custom enclosure with rear input for power and signal and front output for headphones instead of everything on the top.


 
 Ok I am doing that and using 1/8 inch copper plate for top plate and front and back plates. I am also making or having made a custom quartered oak or walnut cabinet and adding little round yellow VU meters to the front. I am having a couple knobs turned in solid copper on a metal lathe. As far as headphones I am putting new drivers (250 ohm) into some CHC Silverados since they will go with the finished look. I am also using special cables and building a headphone stand to match. All Steampunk, copper with a Patina. I showed a few photos in one of the Crack threads. Those are the changes I will talk about, a couple may or may not work and if they turn out badly I may need plausible deniability.
  
 By doing my own top plate it will only have openings for the two tubes and transformer. I am also getting brown bakelite and brass tube sockets. I am also adding an extra on off switch to the front, rear switch can be main power. I envision my cables looking like copper mesh but I have not thought that all out yet.  Oh and I am raising the cabinet height a few inches cause the VU meters are a must for me lol. I will mess with the electronics too and probably add some military grade plugs to the inside so I can pull the top plate if I need to but that is the simple stuff.


----------



## TAsme

Good evening guys!
  
 Eventhough i am completely sure this question has been asked a hundred times in this thread already but I have to do it ones more:
 I wanna try Building my first DIY IEM cable. I have a pair of Noble Audio Katanas and would love to connect em with my Onkyo DP-X1 balanced 2,5 mm Output.
  
 So far I found the following products:
  
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Norne-Audio-Eidolic-2-5-mm-4-pole-trrs-balanced-connector-diy-cable-cables-iem-ciem-astell-kern-onkyo-dp-x1-cowon-plenue-eidolic-carbon-aftermarket
 http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/Norne-Audio-Eidolic-e2-78-pg-tecu-ciem-iem-tellurium-copper-peek-diy-aftermarket-noble-heir-alclair-1964-um-unique-melody-jh-cable-plug-hifi-audio-connector
  
 I am still looking for a silver cable to buy. which one would you recommend me? So far I did only find this one:
  
 https://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product/silver-poison-1ft-7n-26awg-occ-cryo-stranded-silver1-gold-wire-2/
  
 Also what other parts would you recommend me to get?
  
 Since I wanna use the balanced Output of the Onkyo, will this mean extra work or anyhting extra I Need to think of? I am really completely new to those Things and have never done anything comparable..
  
 Any advice I can get I am happy with!
  
 Thanks a lot!


----------



## chillaxing

for solder pots, what type of bars should I use?  Does it matter?


----------



## Paladin79

chillaxing said:


> for solder pots, what type of bars should I use?  Does it matter?


 
 I have good luck with Kester high purity Sn60Pb40 (60/40 tin to lead ratio) for general work. There are some high end bars out there with some silver content but the price goes up drastically and you buy it in pound bars. I use this solder for work that stays in the US, if shipped outside then ROHS compliance kicks in and the solder does not flow the same.
  
 You also need liquid rosin solder flux. I was given two gallons of that a while back (which is a good thing cause it is not real easy to ship.)
  
 You dip the wire in the flux then the solder, bar solder contains no flux that I know of, it would burn off. Use a small fan or solder exhaust fan if you do much of this, the fumes can get really bad.


----------



## chillaxing

ok, I was gonna get some stuff from amazon. it was a 50/50 lead to tin, wanted to know if it really mattered what the stuff was made up of.


so you dip it in the rosin then dip it in the solder? wouldn't it burn off? I've done soldering before since I work on my own cars, but using a solder pot is new to me.


----------



## Paladin79

chillaxing said:


> ok, I was gonna get some stuff from amazon. it was a 50/50 lead to tin, wanted to know if it really mattered what the stuff was made up of.
> 
> 
> so you dip it in the rosin then dip it in the solder? wouldn't it burn off? I've done soldering before since I work on my own cars, but using a solder pot is new to me.


 
 rosin cleans the wire so the solder adheres, it does not have to stay on it. Try adding rosin to the solder and it burns off before it hits the wire. Trust me, this is the order lol.


----------



## docholliday

chillaxing said:


> ok, I was gonna get some stuff from amazon. it was a 50/50 lead to tin, wanted to know if it really mattered what the stuff was made up of.
> 
> 
> so you dip it in the rosin then dip it in the solder? wouldn't it burn off? I've done soldering before since I work on my own cars, but using a solder pot is new to me.


 
 Ewww. 50/50 solder is usually for plumbing or stained glass...and may be an acid-core instead of rosin-core (if it's in spool format). 
  
 I used to use 60/40, but have since switched to Kester 63/37 .021 on tiny boards (when I'm not using hotair and paste).
  
 I hate RoHS compliancy, it's the reason I've had to fix so many things that've failed because of bad solder joints. A lot of automotive control modules, computer motherboards, and high-voltage power supplies seem to all randomly die in the last few years. Every time, it's been cracked/not enough/cold solder. I don't remember the last time I had to change a component, minus a few electrolytic capacitors in power supplies. And those were because the manufacturer used crappy Rubyconn or Capxons.


----------



## Paladin79

We were talking bar solder for solder pots so there is no core. I have used 63/37 as well and it is fine.

I just make sure and teach new people to wash their hands before eating since lead is a cumulative poison. I also keep warning about solder fumes from a solder pot. The rosin does burn off after cleaning the joint and the smoke gets bad if you do this for 8 hours. A few wires on occasion, not so bad. ROHS solder does not flow well and has a higher melting point as I recall. I hate to count on it lol.


----------



## Letmebefrank

Paladin79 That sounds amazing I can't wait to see/hear it!


----------



## docholliday

paladin79 said:


> We were talking bar solder for solder pots so there is no core. I have used 63/37 as well and it is fine.
> 
> I just make sure and teach new people to wash their hands before eating since lead is a cumulative poison. I also keep warning about solder fumes from a solder pot. The rosin does burn off after cleaning the joint and the smoke gets bad if you do this for 8 hours. A few wires on occasion, not so bad. ROHS solder does not flow well and has a higher melting point as I recall. I hate to count on it lol.


 
 Bah, been smelling those fumes since I was 6 years old...
  
 Seriously, though, I have a full fume exhaust in my lab (I mix a full chem lab on one side with my electronics lab on the other). A hot solder pot puts out constant fumes as long as it's on, so yeah, it sits under the fume hood. I've got over a dozen different rolls of solder on the bench, each with it's purpose. I don't work on any wiring or headphones, but many board level designs and repairs, so I only have the pot on when I have to make 40-100 pin interconnects between boxes. 
  
 The 430+ melt of RoHS solder isn't the worse part, it's the brittleness of the joint that makes it not hold up to any length of time. But, i guess since it's a throw away society, planned obsolecence is much easier for manufacturers nowadays!

 I recall what a shop looked like when I was growing up, simple and most one or two irons. Large oscilloscopes and pattern generators galore. The largest space utilizer was the bins and bins of components, huge caps, ceramic bar resistors.
  
 Now, I have a huge stereo Zeiss microscope for soldering, 3 different Edsyn stations (solder, desolder, hotair), a solder "holder" that's two feet high (with the dozen 1lb rolls of solders), and refrigerator in the lab for the paste solders. 
  
 Half the repairs I've been doing is removing every bit of RoHS solder from a board and reworking it with nice leaded solder. I had a board that somebody else had fixed a half dozen times, kept coming back broke. I changed the solder out and it's been working fine for over a year...ugh.


----------



## Paladin79

docholliday said:


> Bah, been smelling those fumes since I was 6 years old...
> 
> Seriously, though, I have a full fume exhaust in my lab (I mix a full chem lab on one side with my electronics lab on the other). A hot solder pot puts out constant fumes as long as it's on, so yeah, it sits under the fume hood. I've got over a dozen different rolls of solder on the bench, each with it's purpose. I don't work on any wiring or headphones, but many board level designs and repairs, so I only have the pot on when I have to make 40-100 pin interconnects between boxes.
> 
> ...


 

 I personally own a Nikon dual ocular scope as well as most things you discuss. I am on the downhill side of my career but I did own and operate my own electronic business. Past history includes working for the largest color television plant in the world and then for a company that lists itself as the largest independent electronics repair company in the world so I have had a little experience.
 More often than not I got promoted quickly and sent on for a lot of post grad education so I gravitated to business and management since it paid more. I still get to handle a soldering iron when my people get behind but I mostly do technical research, teaching, and project management. It is obvious you work in the industry and I know what you are talking about in regards to ROHS solder. I do not have the pleasure of doing much repair now but I did fix an NAD amp the other day for my own use and I have helped a few folks from here when they stopped by my company to learn some soldering and such.
  
 On a side note, I have visited Doc Holliday's grave in Glenwood Springs Colorado. My daughter was graduated from a college there so I had a chance to visit a few times. The hot springs was the site of a sanitorium (sanatorium?) where he spent his last days, it was depicted in Tombstone as I recall.
  
 I have not tried a bunch of bar solder but I generally use Kester brand. In custom cable making I work with a lot of people with little electronics background. Most of our work is for the government or large corporations so headphone cables are a welcome relief from some of the repetitive things I encounter.
  
 Tom


----------



## Paladin79

Getting back to DIY type of stuff, I just received some wire I have been waiting for and owe a few of you some samples. (You can always send me a PM to refresh my memory if you still want said samples).

  High strand count, 24 awg OFC made in the USA.
  
 Tom


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> Getting back to DIY type of stuff, I just received some wire I have been waiting for and owe a few of you some samples. (You can always send me a PM to refresh my memory if you still want said samples).
> 
> High strand count, 24 awg OFC made in the USA.
> 
> Tom


 

 Can you tell us the strand count, and width of the conductor (OD of the full wire, including insulation)?


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Can you tell us the strand count, and width of the conductor (OD of the full wire, including insulation)?


 

 I get about 1.25 mm, strand count is 41/40, I did not have the number in front of me the other day as I said so I had the stranding count wrong. (my memory fails me at times.)
  
  I tried a sample a while back and liked it but I want to make another cable of a specific length that I can compare to some of my baseline cables and get a friend of mine to check it out. Her hearing is exceptional and I did not have a large enough quantity of this around the last time I did comparative testing.


----------



## Allanmarcus

thanks @Paladin79 
  
 I had a very reputable set of ears listen to the 4 strand cable made from the wire you sent me and compared to the 8 strand mogami cable I made too, and he felt the cable from the wire you sent was a little better, but not as good as the stock cable. In this case the headphones were the PMx2 with the stock Oppo cable.
  
 I had a few others listen, and no one else was able to detect a difference.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> thanks @Paladin79
> 
> I had a very reputable set of ears listen to the 4 strand cable made from the wire you sent me and compared to the 8 strand mogami cable I made too, and he felt the cable from the wire you sent was a little better, but not as good as the stock cable. In this case the headphones were the PMx2 with the stock Oppo cable.
> 
> I had a few others listen, and no one else was able to detect a difference.


 

 I could be dead wrong about this but I believe when you pay dearly for a set of headphones most manufacturers are going to use some very good wire. I helped a friend with a stock pair of HD 650's and it sure looked like they were using litz wire. I think on the Massdrop version they changed the cable but don't quote me on that. Companies like Sennheiser, Oppo, and Beyerdynamic are bound to do a lot of testing to maximize the combination of cable and headphones. Headphones $200 down are where I can really tell a difference when I make substitutions but I have a feeling that is true for a lot of people.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > thanks @Paladin79
> ...


 

 heh heh, the stock cable for the HD650 is a whooping $10.99
  
 Out of stock now, but is supposed to be in by the end of the month. 
  
 From what I heard, the MD issue the cable length, not the quality, but I could be wrong there.
  
 Getting the stock cable and re-terminating to balanced is really easy.
  
 $500 headphone (list) and an $11 cable. That's probably how it should be.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> heh heh, the stock cable for the HD650 is a whooping $10.99
> 
> Out of stock now, but is supposed to be in by the end of the month.
> 
> ...


 

 You are probably correct on all counts and some things are subjective. I merely said what the cable looked like when I cut it and soldered it. They buy in volume. I have a feeling just the connectors would cost us $10.00 or so. I saw where a few people had replaced the Massdrop cable with what they said was higher quality and they probably just figured since they paid $150 it had to be better. OCC is pricey and Cardas is as well, personally the MrSpeakers Dum cable is probably closer to my approach. Now how many people have replaced the HD 650 with another cable and said OMG this is so much better!!!!  I have a feeling their stock cable is fairly decent no matter what price. The CHC Silverado's I will modify had a cable that did not last and I could sure tell a big difference with other cables I used but those were Chinese made headphones with undoubtedly a Chinese cable.
  
 Sennheiser is to be commended on that price. Ever gone back to a manufacturer for a mass produced cable and they want $25, or $250 or more. I deal with that on a daily basis. I just did an accordion cable for a guy where the factory wanted $150 for a freaking Midi cable equivalent. We made him one for $20 and he was ecstatic. I had his old cable and it was nothing special.
  
 Are there headphones $1,000 up where they sell you $11.00 cables?  Hd 650's can be $315 or so. MrSpeakers does not have real expensive cables come to think of it, at least the base cable is not. Dum cable maybe $150, I forget.


----------



## Letmebefrank

I'm going to be making a custom cable for my HD650s here soon. I have all the parts coming in this week or early next week. Using canare quad sleeved in 275 paracord, black and grey. Should look similar to my Impact Audio cable but a little thicker and terminated in rean mini xlr 4 pole male. Then I'll make a mini 4 pole female to 6.5mm trs male, and another mini 4 pole to neutrik 4 pole XLR, essentially copying Paladin79's setup for his headphone cables. 

I kind of want to open up my SHP9500s and see if I can make them balanced, then make a cable for them. 

Any links to a very small 3.5mm trrs jack that would fit inside a headphone?


----------



## Paladin79

http://www.markertek.com/product/30-712-bk/3-5mm-4-conductor-trrs-chassis-mount-snap-in-jack-black
  
 here is one you can check out, I have never used them but installation would be easy enough.


----------



## beano bomboozo

Great thread guys. Thank you all for the great info.


----------



## musicfan145

Just wanted to say thanks to the others on this thread for the advice and inspiration. I just finished my first DIY cable!

Cable is Mogami W2534 (a little stiff, but I liked the color), Amphenol ACPS-GN-AU on the big end, 2.5mm plugs are #008452 from the Kenable eBay store. The slider is just a barrel from a third 2.5mm plug. Total cost ~$24.

Thanks again!


----------



## buke9

musicfan145 said:


> Just wanted to say thanks to the others on this thread for the advice and inspiration. I just finished my first DIY cable!
> 
> Cable is Mogami W2534 (a little stiff, but I liked the color), Amphenol ACPS-GN-AU on the big end, 2.5mm plugs are #008452 from the Kenable eBay store. The slider is just a barrel from a third 2.5mm plug. Total cost ~$24.
> 
> Thanks again!


Looks really sweet. Give your self a good pat on the back great job.


----------



## Letmebefrank

Looks awesome. I like the look of the bare mogami quad!


----------



## Paladin79

musicfan145 said:


> Just wanted to say thanks to the others on this thread for the advice and inspiration. I just finished my first DIY cable!
> 
> Cable is Mogami W2534 (a little stiff, but I liked the color), Amphenol ACPS-GN-AU on the big end, 2.5mm plugs are #008452 from the Kenable eBay store. The slider is just a barrel from a third 2.5mm plug. Total cost ~$24.
> 
> Thanks again!


 

 Nice uniform braids. I like Neutrik connectors but am and leaning toward Amphenol more lately. Both have a very good system to grasp the cable.


----------



## Paladin79

If there is anyone else wondering about how to deal with braid on coaxial cables I am in the middle of building a large amount of audio cables with TS 1/4 inch, TS 3.5 mm, and TRS 3.5 mm this weekend. Using a high end Belden HD/SDI miniature 75 ohm cable. It would be easy enough to stop and snap a couple photos. Once you go through a few hundred you can get pretty good at judging all cable cut distances.


----------



## Reima

Has anyone tried this silver wire from Lunashops?
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3004


----------



## Allanmarcus

reima said:


> Has anyone tried this silver wire from Lunashops?
> http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=3004


 

 I've been looking at a lot of wire, so I'm learning. I'm guessing that the wire is not great and is very very thin. I would suggest you ask LunaShops the AWG and strand count.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I've been looking at a lot of wire, so I'm learning. I'm guessing that the wire is not great and is very very thin. I would suggest you ask LunaShops the AWG and strand count.


 
 I am guessing 26 awg and it does not look like a high strand count. If that were silver occ it could be very pricey, I have tested some of that but this stuff just says signal wire.


----------



## musicfan145

paladin79 said:


> Nice uniform braids. I like Neutrik connectors but am and leaning toward Amphenol more lately. Both have a very good system to grasp the cable.




Thanks! My wife is a knitter, so she supervised my braiding to make sure it was OK. 

I think the Amphenol connectors are perfect for novices; good quality and appearance, inexpensive, but also really easy to solder. It's great to hear that a pro is leaning toward them too!


----------



## Paladin79

musicfan145 said:


> Thanks! My wife is a knitter, so she supervised my braiding to make sure it was OK.
> 
> I think the Amphenol connectors are perfect for novices; good quality and appearance, inexpensive, but also really easy to solder. It's great to hear that a pro is leaning toward them too!


 
 I doubt you will ever have an issue using such Amphenol. A jack is more likely to fail before the plug (male connector). A lot of the wire and connectors from other countries do not have the quality control or name to stand behind.
  
 My wife also knits and sews. From her sewing kit I have used such things as seam rippers to remove jacket from cables without damaging the wires or braid inside. I also use some of her blunt darning needles to thread wire through paracord. It is a wise person who uses the abilities of others and does not feel as if they know it all. I learn things daily, but I also try to teach daily.


----------



## chillaxing (Aug 10, 2017)

.


----------



## Paladin79

chillaxing said:


> you guys know where I can find some angled 2 pin connectors and some inexpensive 2.5mm trrs jack and plug


 
 If you got to Markertek and type TRRS you will find 2.5 mm jacks, I have not seen the plugs there but it may be a start.


----------



## Reima

paladin79 said:


> They can be. Years ago a friend told me that Linn Audio would not produce a cd player until it was audibly better than a turntable.  I like to quantify the difference before I spend the money on wire, and it is why I try to test for differences.


 
 Since this is my first attempt at making a headphone cable I decided to go with the OFC wire from BTG Audio.


----------



## Allanmarcus

reima said:


> paladin79 said:
> 
> 
> > They can be. Years ago a friend told me that Linn Audio would not produce a cd player until it was audibly better than a turntable.  I like to quantify the difference before I spend the money on wire, and it is why I try to test for differences.
> ...


 

 A little pricey for a first cable attempt, but not ridiculously priced. 
  
 I gotta wonder what the heck this means: "This would be great for audio projects because of it's [sic] lack of wire vibration."
 Do many people suffer from wire vibration? 
  
 edit: I found some info on this voodoo
 http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/debunking-the-myth-of-speaker-cable-resonance


----------



## Paladin79

While most anything has a resonant frequency, that sounds a little hokey to me.


----------



## sharktopus

paladin79 said:


> If there is anyone else wondering about how to deal with braid on coaxial cables I am in the middle of building a large amount of audio cables with TS 1/4 inch, TS 3.5 mm, and TRS 3.5 mm this weekend. Using a high end Belden HD/SDI miniature 75 ohm cable. It would be easy enough to stop and snap a couple photos. Once you go through a few hundred you can get pretty good at judging all cable cut distances.


 
 I would be interested in that if you have not already finished them.


----------



## Reima

allanmarcus said:


> A little pricey for a first cable attempt, but not ridiculously priced.


 
 I am not worried about the soldering as I have re-terminated iem cables many times, My only concern is the braiding of the cable which is something I have never done.


----------



## sharktopus

So I'm ordering the supplies to make my first cable, and I'm thinking mogami or canare star quad where I leave it in their nice insulation up to the Y-split, then strip out pairs to each side.  I've seen some photos of people heat-shrinking these pairs together for a neater look.  Is there a particular type/size of heatshrink y'all use or recommend?  I've never used heatshrink before, so I'm not sure what to buy.  Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

sharktopus said:


> So I'm ordering the supplies to make my first cable, and I'm thinking mogami or canare star quad where I leave it in their nice insulation up to the Y-split, then strip out pairs to each side.  I've seen some photos of people heat-shrinking these pairs together for a neater look.  Is there a particular type/size of heatshrink y'all use or recommend?  I've never used heatshrink before, so I'm not sure what to buy.  Thanks!


 
 I personally use dual wall heatshrink with an adhesive inner lining. The next size above quarter inch should do it, 3/8 or bigger. The adhesive will let you form two legs and seal it between those legs for a nice finished look. When I get to work tomorrow I can look for an exact part number and source. Dual wall is not as important as the adhesive part to me. It will also help bond to any paracord if you use that.


----------



## Paladin79

sharktopus said:


> I would be interested in that if you have not already finished them.


 
 I finished all I can do for the weekend but I got a few photos as I worked. 




 I was working on right angle ts quarter inch connectors here, (Neutrik)


----------



## Allanmarcus

sharktopus said:


> So I'm ordering the supplies to make my first cable, and I'm thinking mogami or canare star quad where I leave it in their nice insulation up to the Y-split, then strip out pairs to each side.  I've seen some photos of people heat-shrinking these pairs together for a neater look.  Is there a particular type/size of heatshrink y'all use or recommend?  I've never used heatshrink before, so I'm not sure what to buy.  Thanks!




If I understand you correctly, you are referring to section of cable between the Y and the connectors. It depends on how flexible you want that part to be. I have one cable where the builder (not me) used heat shrink. It's quite stiff, but totally usable. (Yea, yea, that's what she said . I prefer that part of cable more flexible, so I use multifiliment techflex or paracord. I know 95 lb paracord is too thin, and I just cannot recall which size is best. I think 1/4" techflex is what I used. I also experimented with latex tubing in order to reduce cable noise. It works, but the latex fades, so cosmetics becomes a minor issue. 

Hope this helps.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> If I understand you correctly, you are referring to section of cable between the Y and the connectors. It depends on how flexible you want that part to be. I have one cable where the builder (not me) used heat shrink. It's quite stiff, but totally usable. (Yea, yea, that's what she said . I prefer that part of cable more flexible, so I use multifiliment techflex or paracord. I know 95 lb paracord is too thin, and I just cannot recall which size is best. I think 1/4" techflex is what I used. I also experimented with latex tubing in order to reduce cable noise. It works, but the latex fades, so cosmetics becomes a minor issue.
> 
> Hope this helps.


 
 Darn the word "vocable" was removed quickly lol. nevermind


----------



## sharktopus

allanmarcus said:


> If I understand you correctly, you are referring to section of cable between the Y and the connectors. It depends on how flexible you want that part to be. I have one cable where the builder (not me) used heat shrink. It's quite stiff, but totally usable. (Yea, yea, that's what she said . I prefer that part of cable more flexible, so I use multifiliment techflex or paracord. I know 95 lb paracord is too thin, and I just cannot recall which size is best. I think 1/4" techflex is what I used. I also experimented with latex tubing in order to reduce cable noise. It works, but the latex fades, so cosmetics becomes a minor issue.
> 
> Hope this helps.


 
 Yes, this is what I was referring to.  Have you had any issues with microphonics with the techflex?


----------



## sharktopus

paladin79 said:


> I finished all I can do for the weekend but I got a few photos as I worked.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Thanks!  That's really helpful.  Do you have a recommendation for cable for some RCA connectors?  I'm trying to make some 10-15 foot ones, because all the commercial ones are mad expensive.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > If I understand you correctly, you are referring to section of cable between the Y and the connectors. It depends on how flexible you want that part to be. I have one cable where the builder (not me) used heat shrink. It's quite stiff, but totally usable. (Yea, yea, that's what she said . I prefer that part of cable more flexible, so I use multifiliment techflex or paracord. I know 95 lb paracord is too thin, and I just cannot recall which size is best. I think 1/4" techflex is what I used. I also experimented with latex tubing in order to reduce cable noise. It works, but the latex fades, so cosmetics becomes a minor issue.
> ...


 

 I need to proofread BEFORE I hit the submit button, not after


----------



## Paladin79

sharktopus said:


> Thanks!  That's really helpful.  Do you have a recommendation for cable for some RCA connectors?  I'm trying to make some 10-15 foot ones, because all the commercial ones are mad expensive.


 
 If you are wanting to use coax, Belden 1505A or 1505F is quite good. I also use some belden 1800f, high flex microphone cable just for the flexibility. PM me your address and I will see if I can send you a few samples to check out. The cable in the photos are Belden 1855A, a miniature version of the 1505A, the drawings I was working off of called for coaxial cable and it  had to work with small 3.5 mm connectors, this is part of a 1200 cable build for a large company and we are using 4 pin mini xlr's as well so the wire had to fit those too. Try buying 600 of those quickly sometime lol.
  
 I have an abundance of Belden 1694A in lengths under 25 feet that would work well, it is an RG 6. I could discuss that with you privately, normally I would pay shipping but this is a little different situation. We generally use it for longer runs so we end up with some odd short lengths we seldom use. It runs about 46 cents a foot on Markertek.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I need to proofread BEFORE I hit the submit button, not after


 
 I was just curious if you were hearing voices other than the ones in the music.


----------



## sharktopus

have any of you noticed a difference in flexibility between similar canare and mogami star quad cables?


----------



## Paladin79

sharktopus said:


> have any of you noticed a difference in flexibility between similar canare and mogami star quad cables?


 
 They are pretty close but I would give Mogami a slight edge judging by what I have here at home but I think the sample I grabbed used 26 gauge wire and the Canare has 24 so I was not exactly comparing apples to apples. Both are very good cable, and Belden makes one I use a lot of as well. I like using USA made product when I can and some customers request it.


----------



## sharktopus

paladin79 said:


> They are pretty close but I would give Mogami a slight edge judging by what I have here at home but I think the sample I grabbed used 26 gauge wire and the Canare has 24 so I was not exactly comparing apples to apples. Both are very good cable, and Belden makes one I use a lot of as well. I like using USA made product when I can and some customers request it.


 
 Cool, I think I'll grab one of each and see what I like.


----------



## Paladin79

Both are good products and I like keeping the shielding in place on such cable, it makes for a fairly easy build you can count on. As I have explained before, I take it down to a mini 4 pin xlr and then change pigtails when I want 3.5 mm, 1/4 inch or balanced cable but that is not for everyone. Some people use adapters and such. I run a Pono player in balanced mode as my portable player so I need a pigtail properly wired for it.


----------



## Allanmarcus

sharktopus said:


> have any of you noticed a difference in flexibility between similar canare and mogami star quad cables?




Funny you should mention that. I just got a few feet of various quad cables to test just that. The most flexible is Gotham GHC-4/1, which is designed for headphones, but isn't shielded. Makes stripping it easy. The next was the Gotham GAC-4/1. Very nice cable. Each conductor is 24AWG, 96 strand. It's a little thick, but very nice. On sale if you buy 25 m for 61 cents a foot. 

Between the mogami and the canare, I prefer the mogami. The canare uses a braided shield and the mogami doesn't, so it's easier to strip. I also think the mogami is a tad more flexible. 

Order 1 or 2 feet of each from markertek and check them out yourself.


----------



## sharktopus

allanmarcus said:


> Funny you should mention that. I just got a few feet of various quad cables to test just that. The most flexible is Gotham GHC-4/1, which is designed for headphones, but isn't shielded. Makes stripping it easy. The next was the Gotham GAC-4/1. Very nice cable. Each conductor is 24AWG, 96 strand. It's a little thick, but very nice. On sale if you buy 25 m for 61 cents a foot.
> 
> Between the mogami and the canare, I prefer the mogami. The canare uses a braided shield and the mogami doesn't, so it's easier to strip. I also think the mogami is a tad more flexible.
> 
> Order 1 or 2 feet of each from markertek and check them out yourself.


 
 Was the dedicated headphone cable also 24 AWG?  I couldn't find any gauge info on their site for that cable.


----------



## Allanmarcus

sharktopus said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Funny you should mention that. I just got a few feet of various quad cables to test just that. The most flexible is Gotham GHC-4/1, which is designed for headphones, but isn't shielded. Makes stripping it easy. The next was the Gotham GAC-4/1. Very nice cable. Each conductor is 24AWG, 96 strand. It's a little thick, but very nice. On sale if you buy 25 m for 61 cents a foot.
> ...




It's 19 strand .1mm, so 25.363 AWG


----------



## Paladin79

It's been a lot of years since I have seen Gotham cable around, they used to sell under the brand Deltron as I recall. It is nice to see they are still in business.
  
  
 In the next few days I hope to convert some 32 ohm headphones into 250 ohm for use with a Bottlehead Crack. If this works well I plan to convert another low impedance set into 600 ohm headphones. Luckily the original set will have a nice flat surface to drill into so that I can make them open or semi open. I will then construct a cable using modern cable and connectors to give said headphones the look I seek. It will probably involve removing the plating on some connectors to get down to the brass metal underneath.  It should be a great learning experience as well as a DIY project.
  
  
  
 Tom


----------



## neddoge

paladin79 said:


> It's been a lot of years since I have seen Gotham cable around, they used to sell under the brand Deltron as I recall. It is nice to see they are still in business.
> 
> 
> In the next few days I hope to convert some 32 ohm headphones into 250 ohm for use with a Bottlehead Crack. If this works well I plan to convert another low impedance set into 600 ohm headphones. Luckily the original set will have a nice flat surface to drill into so that I can make them open or semi open. I will then construct a cable using modern cable and connectors to give said headphones the look I seek. It will probably involve removing the plating on some connectors to get down to the brass metal underneath.  It should be a great learning experience as well as a DIY project.
> ...


 

 And I'll be following that along, should you post details 
  
 Still haven't had time to toy around with the RCA job, and won't have time for another few weeks.  Time, you fickle woman you.


----------



## Paladin79

neddoge said:


> And I'll be following that along, should you post details
> 
> Still haven't had time to toy around with the RCA job, and won't have time for another few weeks.  Time, you fickle woman you.


 

 I will post details if it works out, the cable part is not too bad provided I find paracord whose pattern makes it look like it was made in the 20's.
  
 I told a salesperson what I was going to do with only the drivers for a specific brand of headphones and he told me I would be voiding the warranty. I kind of knew that lol. Once they are done I will try to get one or two local guys who are on this site to give you their opinion too. It is hard to stay objective when you do something yourself and you are hoping for good results.
  
 And tempus certainly does fugit.


----------



## Letmebefrank

paladin79 said:


> I will post details if it works out, the cable part is not too bad provided I find paracord whose pattern makes it look like it was made in the 20's.
> 
> I told a salesperson what I was going to do with only the drivers for a specific brand of headphones and he told me I would be voiding the warranty. I kind of knew that lol. Once they are done I will try to get one or two local guys who are on this site to give you their opinion too. It is hard to stay objective when you do something yourself and you are hoping for good results.
> 
> And tempus certainly does fugit.




Brown or tan paracord would look like an old lamp cord I think.


----------



## Paladin79

letmebefrank said:


> Brown or tan paracord would look like an old lamp cord I think.




That could work and I have several brown choices. The headphones I will mod came with black and white. Black with a small white stripe might resemble old cordage as well. The headphones are pretty rugged with an aviator look to them. Dark brown with a small pattern could work.

I have found some twisted brown wire all the same color used in fixtures meant to look old, I can do a four wire braid in all brown that should look pretty reasonable.

 You are one of the folks I would let test them. It would seem unrealistic if having modded them I said omg these are fantastic lol. It is best to eliminate bias.


----------



## Letmebefrank

paladin79 said:


> That could work and I have several brown choices. The headphones I will mod came with black and white. Black with a small white stripe might resemble old cordage as well. The headphones are pretty rugged with an aviator look to them. Dark brown with a small pattern could work.
> 
> I have found some twisted brown wire all the same color used in fixtures meant to look old, I can do a four wire braid in all brown that should look pretty reasonable.
> 
> You are one of the folks I would let test them. It would seem unrealistic if having modded them I said omg these are fantastic lol. It is best to eliminate bias.


 
  
 I'll definitely test them out for you. Looking forward to it.


----------



## Paladin79

This is how the new driver fits the opening of the headphones I am modding. I will probably spend more time getting the sound the way I want it and reinstalling the pads than anything else. The driver fits as though it was made for the headphones. Sometimes you can just eyeball something and know it is realistic lol.  I will be building more cables for these of course and wiring the new drivers for hook up to the jacks so I should be staying within the framework of this thread.
Quote:





letmebefrank said:


> I'll definitely test them out for you. Looking forward to it.





If anyone needs info on building a set of cables for CHC Silverado headphones I can help. Also I really like their design of using stereo 3.5 mm jacks for each channel. The parts are so accessible.


----------



## Paladin79

It finally happened, I have to find some 2.5 mm mono connectors (plugs) for OPPO PM-1 headphones and it looks as if most all come from China,( as does OPPO I believe). Anyone found any connectors they trust that can be purchased fairly quickly here in the states? I prefer solder lugs but I doubt that is going to happen, sigh.
  
 thanks
  
 Tom


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> It finally happened, I have to find some 2.5 mm mono connectors (plugs) for OPPO PM-1 headphones and it looks as if most all come from China,( as does OPPO I believe). Anyone found any connectors they trust that can be purchased fairly quickly here in the states? I prefer solder lugs but I doubt that is going to happen, sigh.
> 
> thanks
> 
> Tom


 
  
 haha
  

  
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> It finally happened, I have to find some 2.5 mm mono connectors (plugs) for OPPO PM-1 headphones and it looks as if most all come from China,( as does OPPO I believe). Anyone found any connectors they trust that can be purchased fairly quickly here in the states? I prefer solder lugs but I doubt that is going to happen, sigh.
> 
> thanks
> 
> Tom


There is Eidolic. No lugs but very good quality and light. Norne and Double Helix carry them.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> There is Eidolic. No lugs but very good quality and light. Norne and Double Helix carry them.


 
 Yeah I have seen Eidotic, I will check out the others thanks.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> haha
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html


 
 Oh boy cryo treated eh?    The price is fairly reasonable for retail, I need to find a source for these that does not take three weeks to deliver lol.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > haha
> ...


 
  
 Cryo treated means "the cool" is baked in!


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> Oh boy cryo treated eh?    The price is fairly reasonable for retail, I need to find a source for these that does not take three weeks to deliver lol.


I have a pair of the Eidolics if you need them now.


----------



## Paladin79

I have a few days so no biggy. I have to stop saying yes to people.
Thank you for the kind offer though.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> I have a few days so no biggy. I have to stop saying yes to people.
> Thank you for the kind offer though.


That's cool but if you need them I can send them out.


----------



## Paladin79

ok I will get you my address early tomorrow. Let me know what you need for them and I am good for it. You are closer than ordering elsewhere.

Thanks again

Tom


----------



## Arty McGhee

4pin mini xlr's and leftover grado parts


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> 4pin mini xlr's and leftover grado parts


 

 You are pretty talented to do such a good job with those connectors. My people are working with 615 4 pin mini xlrs of them as we speak.
 Do the Grados stay on your ears well, I always wondered about cups that can swivel that much. Do you have to adjust them a lot?


----------



## liquidzoo

paladin79 said:


> You are pretty talented to do such a good job with those connectors. My people are working with 615 4 pin mini xlrs of them as we speak.
> Do the Grados stay on your ears well, I always wondered about cups that can swivel that much. Do you have to adjust them a lot?




I've found with mine that they're pretty much set it and forget it. They're light enough to stay put as long as you're not moving around a lot.

The main issue is that the stock cable is rather short, so any movement is likely to dislodge them.


----------



## Paladin79

liquidzoo said:


> I've found with mine that they're pretty much set it and forget it. They're light enough to stay put as long as you're not moving around a lot.
> 
> The main issue is that the stock cable is rather short, so any movement is likely to dislodge them.


 

 Thanks, I had not seen a pair up close so your insight helps.
  
 I cannot tell by the photo if there are removable cables to each cup and if not then the 4 pin mini xlr system does provide a lot of versatility. You can make pig tails most any length required.


----------



## Arty McGhee

paladin79 said:


> You are pretty talented to do such a good job with those connectors. My people are working with 615 4 pin mini xlrs of them as we speak.
> Do the Grados stay on your ears well, I always wondered about cups that can swivel that much. Do you have to adjust them a lot?


 
 thanks i just take my time and think things out
 they stay on your head pretty good t gives you a lot of adjustment
 you can use metal collars to lock them down
  

 they're made for rc plane landing gear i think they can be had for a few bucks


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> thanks i just take my time and think things out
> they stay on your head pretty good t gives you a lot of adjustment
> you can use metal collars to lock them down
> 
> ...


 
 I kind of thought they might have some kind of locking system but you certainly fashioned one for yourself, very nice.
  
 I have to think things through on a daily basis and use wire and connectors I can trust or we could be in big trouble. When you get into things like cabling for warning systems on any passenger aircraft that might hold more than 30 people you best take it seriously.
  
 Those connectors will last well and they are easy to plug and unplug. I need to build more for myself when I get the time one day.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> ok I will get you my address early tomorrow. Let me know what you need for them and I am good for it. You are closer than ordering elsewhere.
> 
> Thanks again
> 
> Tom


The ones I have are the black ones if that makes a difference to ya.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> The ones I have are the black ones if that makes a difference to ya.


 
 It makes no difference whatsoever on color. You have my address by PM.
  
 I am just doing a down and dirty star quad to the mono 2.5's and 3.5 TRS on the other end. I ask the person to choose colors and they say yes. They will be happy with what they get lol.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> It makes no difference whatsoever on color. You have my address by PM.
> 
> I am just doing a down and dirty star quad to the mono 2.5's and 3.5 TRS on the other end. I ask the person to choose colors and they say yes. They will be happy with what they get lol.


Ok then I'll get them out tomorrow for you then. I'll pm any thing else.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Ok then I'll get them out tomorrow for you then. I'll pm any thing else.


 

 Perfect, thanks for your help Buke.


----------



## Renka

I messed up applying 4:1 adhesive-lined heat shrink. Any tip on removing it? Make a cut and heat it up? Or is it going to be too messy and I best leave it there even if it's not to my taste?



 I figured out now that I should heat up the side I want to keep in place first...


----------



## Paladin79

renka said:


> I messed up applying 4:1 adhesive-lined heat shrink. Any tip on removing it? Make a cut and heat it up? Or is it going to be too messy and I best leave it there even if it's not to my taste?
> 
> 
> 
> I figured out now that I should heat up the side I want to keep in place first...


 
 ok, but if you get in that situation again, it is not as bad as it seems to remove. Some heat and side cutters can do the job. I also like to keep small sheers around that look like scissors but they are made for tougher work.


----------



## Paladin79

If anyone needs a low cost heat gun for heat shrink tubing I have tested some of the ECG (NTE) HG 300D desktop guns and they do a decent job.
  
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003N3G4WY/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=77859183504723&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_9eqqjmjwym_e
  
 They are not something I would use in a production situation day in and day out but for an occasional build they would hold up fairly well. Years ago i would buy some of the $20 heat guns off of Ebay and they would last a few months and start spitting out sparks. Better ones are made by Steinel in the $60 to $150 range but those are more for high usage.
  
 This one is my all time favorite, whisper quiet and you can change the heating element for different temperatures.
  
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001HWAFZU/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=182048402348&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=s&hvrand=18204714388977756423&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1017270&hvtargid=kwd-4177811244&ref=pd_sl_cufnk3kth_b_p19
  
  
 Tom


----------



## chillaxing

I was thinking about getting a heat gun.

What would be a good one for a reasonable price? Willing to spend up to $100


----------



## Allanmarcus

This the one I use. It's very reliable and only $26
 https://smile.amazon.com/Wagner-0503008-HT1000-200-watt-Heat/dp/B00004TUCV
 Wagner 0503008 HT1000 1,200-watt Heat Gun


----------



## Letmebefrank

allanmarcus said:


> This the one I use. It's very reliable and only $26
> https://smile.amazon.com/Wagner-0503008-HT1000-200-watt-Heat/dp/B00004TUCV
> Wagner 0503008 HT1000 1,200-watt Heat Gun


 
  
 Literally JUST bought one of those. Can't wait to try it out!


----------



## Allanmarcus

letmebefrank said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > This the one I use. It's very reliable and only $26
> ...


 

 Works well on paint too


----------



## Paladin79

The $20 heat guns we bought were reliable if used once a week so I am sure the Wagner would be fine for casual usage. I was getting five packs for as low as $15 each but they did not have a name like Wagner on them. Those should be a decent choice. Some of the cheap ones all look the same and they will slap any brand name in the rectangular space on the side of the gun.
  
 In a pinch you can use a cigarette lighter. I have a portable butane soldering iron that has a heat shrink attachment. That works great for working on such things as landscape lighting. I redid a bunch of my lights using some scrap cable that had a very thick jacket, heat shrunk all connections and it is very water proof. The original wiring was made with the intention of you buying new lights in a couple years lol. Oh yeah I soldered all connections, the original method is like insulation displacement, a couple sharp metal prongs stick down through the wire. That is wonderful till the copper oxidizes and you lose connections.


----------



## Arty McGhee

allanmarcus said:


> This the one I use. It's very reliable and only $26
> https://smile.amazon.com/Wagner-0503008-HT1000-200-watt-Heat/dp/B00004TUCV
> Wagner 0503008 HT1000 1,200-watt Heat Gun


 
 i just bought one of these after my $13.00 ebay one went bang and started smoking
  
 the wagner works well and it will sit flat on the bench with the heater end pointing up
  
 i use the low setting and hold what i'm shrinking above it and kind of roll it around
  
 works well


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> i just bought one of these after my $13.00 ebay one went bang and started smoking
> 
> the wagner works well and it will sit flat on the bench with the heater end pointing up
> 
> ...


 

 The one I use has a metal stand that keeps it in a ready position, it will not fall over if you bump it and it is so quiet you barely know it is on. I tend to watch movies or listen to audio books or music as I work at home. I will be working with cables all weekend and hope to rewire some headphones as well. (internal wiring and driver replacement).  The inexpensive ecg unit has a wire stand that props the end a bit so it lays in a usable position but they do not put out the heat of the Wagner. 
  
 We should have this same discussion about glue guns sometime. I know which ones tend to fail but that list greatly exceeds those I like.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I like this better for my heatshrink tubing.......


----------



## Paladin79

There ya go, you should come by the next time I cannot get a fire going in my fire pit.


----------



## buke9

paladin79 said:


> There ya go, you should come by the next time I cannot get a fire going in my fire pit.


Not sure you'll have fire pit after that though.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Not sure you'll have fire pit after that though.


 
 True, a book I read recently talked of fires being so bad that bricks melted. That could have been fiction, I forget which book it was from.
  
 Anyway back to wire and DIY. Inside some headphones I am modding, they use tiny little wires. I am going to use at least OFC and maybe OCC, the wire is like two inches long so I figured I would use the best thing I could lay my hands on. Anyone got any good sound logic why I should not do this, or leave well enough alone. These were maybe $200 headphones so nothing spectacular anyway.I seem to recall ZMF or someone saying they upgraded the quality of wire in their headphones so I cannot see where it could hurt.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Speaking of tiny HP driver wires i just melted mine (Beyerdynamic DT 770 250R).


----------



## sharktopus

paladin79 said:


> True, a book I read recently talked of fires being so bad that bricks melted. That could have been fiction, I forget which book it was from.
> 
> Anyway back to wire and DIY. Inside some headphones I am modding, they use tiny little wires. I am going to use at least OFC and maybe OCC, the wire is like two inches long so I figured I would use the best thing I could lay my hands on. Anyone got any good sound logic why I should not do this, or leave well enough alone. These were maybe $200 headphones so nothing spectacular anyway.I seem to recall ZMF or someone saying they upgraded the quality of wire in their headphones so I cannot see where it could hurt.


 
 I'm not sure if any even vaguely normal fire would melt bricks (short of lave, etc).  However, bricks will certainly explode if heated enough. Fun fact, lots of rocks too (especially sandstones) so be careful building your fire-pit! Thats why if you ever build or work with forges, high-fire pottery kilns, and other stuff that puts out a crap load of heat, you have to use special heat resistant bricks or you will have a very bad day :'''(   I'm actually planning on building my own portable gas forge soon, and sourcing good (and inexpensive) firebrick is one of my main challenges.


----------



## Paladin79

sharktopus said:


> I'm not sure if any even vaguely normal fire would melt bricks (short of lave, etc).  However, bricks will certainly explode if heated enough. Fun fact, lots of rocks too (especially sandstones) so be careful building your fire-pit! Thats why if you ever build or work with forges, high-fire pottery kilns, and other stuff that puts out a crap load of heat, you have to use special heat resistant bricks or you will have a very bad day :'''(   I'm actually planning on building my own portable gas forge soon, and sourcing good (and inexpensive) firebrick is one of my main challenges.


 
 Luckily I had a six foot diameter pit built and landscaped around so I have some room in it and the outside brick does not get too hot.
  
 Glad to here you received the wire I sent. I am working seven days a week so I get sidetracked now and then. I keep asking companies for 24 awg ofc and better and not too many American companies offer it so I lucked out with this one. I may use some this weekend inside headphones.


----------



## Paladin79

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Speaking of tiny HP driver wires i just melted mine (Beyerdynamic DT 770 250R).


 
 That is very close to the high impedance drivers I am installing into some low impedance headphones and one of the reasons I want to go with larger gauge wire.
 I believe amps for such high impedance headphones are high current, lower voltage. Power ratings on headphones can be five watts or less on many I have seen. Power equals voltage times current.100 volts times one amp powers a 100 watt bulb. I have tried to warn people that no matter what they are doing with headphone wire gauges, if they can handle a certain amount of power, the internal wires are in series and generally pretty small. Enough power and that wire tends to act like a fuse lol. Another power formula is P=I squared times R. The impedance of a circuit is made up of resistance, and inductive and capacitive reactance but resistance is certainly a large factor. A large resistance increases the overall power in a circuit, combine high resistance and high current and suddenly you had best have a wire that will handle that. This may or may not make sense but look at it this way. You have a 300 watt power amp, 16 awg speaker wire coming out and you decide to hook it directly to your headphones. Inside them is wire of maybe 30 awg, tiny wires. Turn it up a bit and you just melted the wire in the headphones.


----------



## sharktopus

So I'm trying to make some fancy-pants cables with interchangeable ends (e.g. 4-pin XLR or TRS, etc,etc). Until I looked at the plastic piece on my rean mini 4-pin XLRs that grabs the cable. As far as I can tell, there is no way my star quad cable is gonna fit in there. How do Y'all make this work? The only thing I can think to do is to strip a bit more of the sheath off and then use heat shrink to replace it,which should be a bit thinner in diameter. Here's a photo of my conundrum with the two included mini pieces on the right of the cable, and for comparison on the left one from a regular-size XLR.


----------



## sharktopus

Also, do any of you know the pinout for Hifiman's older headphones (eg HE500) with the screw-style SMC connectors?


----------



## Allanmarcus

sharktopus said:


> So I'm trying to make some fancy-pants cables with interchangeable ends (e.g. 4-pin XLR or TRS, etc,etc). Until I looked at the plastic piece on my rean mini 4-pin XLRs that grabs the cable. As far as I can tell, there is no way my star quad cable is gonna fit in there. How do Y'all make this work? The only thing I can think to do is to strip a bit more of the sheath off and then use heat shrink to replace it,which should be a bit thinner in diameter. Here's a photo of my conundrum with the two included mini pieces on the right of the cable, and for comparison on the left one from a regular-size XLR.




Check the specs on the connector and the cable the cable will have an overall diameter (OD) spec, the connector will have a max wire size spec. 

The boot of the connector is supposed to be tight, so you may just need to work the wire into the boot.


----------



## sharktopus

allanmarcus said:


> Check the specs on the connector and the cable the cable will have an overall diameter (OD) spec, the connector will have a max wire size spec.
> 
> The boot of the connector is supposed to be tight, so you may just need to worksheet wire into the boot.


 
 Worksheet wire into boot??  My main issue is that the cable clamp part is too small, i guess.


----------



## Arty McGhee

sharktopus said:


> So I'm trying to make some fancy-pants cables with interchangeable ends (e.g. 4-pin XLR or TRS, etc,etc). Until I looked at the plastic piece on my rean mini 4-pin XLRs that grabs the cable. As far as I can tell, there is no way my star quad cable is gonna fit in there. How do Y'all make this work? The only thing I can think to do is to strip a bit more of the sheath off and then use heat shrink to replace it,which should be a bit thinner in diameter. Here's a photo of my conundrum with the two included mini pieces on the right of the cable, and for comparison on the left one from a regular-size XLR.
> ok


 
 ok
  
 if you look at the connectors you have about 1/2" or more to work with 
 what you do is strip off about 1/2 inch of the outer insulation and shielding
 then you need to slide the screw on end over the stripped end and onto the main cable
 it goes short end first so the threads face the stripped end the tip is rubber it will expand
 it may help to wrap a small piece of masking tape around the end of the wire
 next take the larger strain relief (probably the blue one) and slip it over the end
 of the stripped wire so the pointy end faces the piece you already slipped on
 strip the ends and solder the connector part on then the outer metal piece slides
 over the soldered on part then the  metal clip slips on and mates to the connector
 its keyed to only fit one way, slide the blue piece to meet the clip and into the metal part
 it may take a bit of fiddling but it should all got together without having to force anything
 then slide the threaded part down and screw it into the metal end, it helps to practice
 a few times before soldering...
  
 hope this helps 
 good luck


----------



## Arty McGhee

the blue part is made to expand you can see one side is open
 slide it on or pry it open with a screwdriver
 when you screw down the boot (be careful not to twist if you look closely i broke the blue wire off)
 its kind of ingenious the boot holds pressure on the blue strain relief which holds everything together
 while putting n0 pressure on the solder joints


----------



## Paladin79

Here is a finished one, jacket was removed but inner shield left in place, adhesive heat shrink tubing was used to insure the cotton braid stays in place.
 Quote: 





arty mcghee said:


> the blue part is made to expand you can see one side is open
> slide it on or pry it open with a screwdriver
> when you screw down the boot (be careful not to twist if you look closely i broke the blue wire off)
> its kind of ingenious the boot holds pressure on the blue strain relief which holds everything together
> while putting n0 pressure on the solder joints


 
 Very good explanation Arty. That blue jacket lock mechanism is the same one Neutrik uses in xlrs and 1/4 inch connectors. It is one of the reasons I prefer this product. If you do not have something like this you would have a little metal clamp that is supposed to grip the jacket; those do not work very well and you run the risk of the clamp digging into the cable causing a short.


----------



## Allanmarcus

sharktopus said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Check the specs on the connector and the cable the cable will have an overall diameter (OD) spec, the connector will have a max wire size spec.
> ...




Sorry. iPad auto correct again

Work the wire into the boot.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Sorry. iPad auto correct again
> 
> Work the wire into the boot.


 
 The boot will expand to accept the wires. If ever you get into a situation where a boot or plastic housing is just too small and the rest of the connector will work, it is possible to drill some of them out a bit, use a reamer, or as a last resort a hot soldering iron tip works wonders. Be sure to clean the tip immediately though if ever using one to melt plastic. These techniques should not be needed in this case.


----------



## Paladin79

This may be slightly off subject but here are a few photos of the wire inside headphone that lies between the headphone cable and the driver. I am replacing some very tiny wire because I changed these 32 ohm headphones into 250 ohm and it would not be right to leave such tiny wire in the path of a high current amp. Second photo is the proper use of solder lugs, completed solder joint on the right, lug about to be soldered on the left. Note how I totally fill the hole with solder and have the wire crimped through it for maximum strength. Bottom photo is just the wire going to new drivers from the 3.5 mm jack on one side. Total headphone conversion time, 1.25 hours. I am testing them now. I tacked the driver in place with hot glue on four sides so that I can go back in and tweak things. I also converted the headphones from closed to semi open, I may open them a bit more. So far I am impressed with the sound and they are totally functional but, dialing the exact sound I hope to achieve will take a little time. I basically put a half inch hole in the cup to open them and ground down the old screw posts to the new drive would fit, notched the top for a centering tab on the driver and all is done. I already have a replacement set of headphones on the way for $65 but those may resemble Beyerdynamic T1's when complete, 600 ohm most likely.


----------



## Allanmarcus

arty mcghee said:


>


 
  
 I sometimes (not always) put a small bit of heat shrink on each wire when I make a balanced cable. I don't imaging it adds too much value, but it sure looks clean. My utilitarian theory is that it might protect the joint and might protect agains tiny insect that eat solder that might crawl into the connector. Does anyone else do this?
  
  
 The pic below shows what I mean. It's not my best work. It's possible the first balanced connector I soldered; it's part of an adapter.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I sometimes (not always) put a small bit of heat shrink on each wire when I make a balanced cable. I don't imaging it adds too much value, but it sure looks clean. My utilitarian theory is that it might protect the joint and might protect agains tiny insect that eat solder that might crawl into the connector. Does anyone else do this?
> 
> 
> The pic below shows what I mean. It's not my best work. It's possible the first balanced connector I soldered; it's part of an adapter.


 

 ​I will use it at times on stranded wire if there is a chance enough movement might cause a short or to add strength to a connection. There generally has to be a logical reason for me to use it, for strength I will definitely add hot glue unless there is a really good strain relief built in. (I especially use it around clamp type strain relief.) I am likely to use heat shrink under those to protect them from digging through the jackets of individual wires. Since it is internal, looks do not factor into it much for me but utility does.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Thanks Tom.
  
 I'm bored and putting together a list of places to get DIY stuff. Here's what I have so far. I'm maintaining the list on the site linked in my signature.
  
 Anyone else have a good place to get stuff?
  
 List of places for general supplies:

Markertek 
Redco
DigiKey
Have Inc.
Harbor Freight
HomeDepot or Lowes or your local hardware store
Amazon
eBay
Parts Connexion
Parts Express
Mouser Electronics
Allied Electronics
MonoPrice (more for pre-built stuff and speaker wire)
Cables for Less (more for pre-built stuff)
 Speciality

Furutech
PlusSound
Double Helix
LunaShops (last resort as they stuff is slow to get to you and poor quality)
Paracord Planet
Wirecare (for sleeving)


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Thanks Tom.
> 
> I'm bored and putting together a list of places to get DIY stuff. Here's what I have so far. I'm maintaining the list on the site linked in my signature.
> 
> ...


 

 ​Nice of you to mention Cables For Less Allan, if I ever get some free time we hope to offer more DIY headphone cable stuff, we do a ton of custom work but not as much in headphones right now. Gotham can be a good source for some wire, FullCompass can surprise you with specialty items. Peerless Electronics in Louisville is great for soldering stations, tools and some cable but I am not positive they sell to end users.
 . I am catching the NCAA tourney and listening to the headphones I just finished, they are impressive for so little work lol.


----------



## docholliday

boombox said:


> If it's the MMCX connector version, pinout is the same. Pin is signal, shell is ground.
> 
> 
> If you're referring to the older Westone one that JH, Westone, Ultimate Ears, Unique Melody, etc.... use, then this is your pinout:
> ...


 
  Has anybody noticed that the UE Custom pinout is different that both of those? The "UE" on that chart is for the TF10 - the left side is correct for the customs, but the right side would be mirrored to the left (flipped). Or, in other words, opposite polarity from "normal" 2-pin connectors (JH).


----------



## sharktopus

So when Y'all are using the rean, etc. mini-XLRs, what cable are you using?  I have the standard star quad from both mogami and canare, and both seem to be 1-2mm larger than the largest jacked diameter that rean says works with their XLRs.  I have verified this myself my dint of spending about forty minutes trimming bits off of the clamp/chuck part, and other such things.  How do you make this work?  Or is the answer just buy some skinnier cable?


----------



## Allanmarcus

sharktopus said:


> So when Y'all are using the rean, etc. mini-XLRs, what cable are you using?  I have the standard star quad from both mogami and canare, and both seem to be 1-2mm larger than the largest jacked diameter that rean says works with their XLRs.  I have verified this myself my dint of spending about forty minutes trimming bits off of the clamp/chuck part, and other such things.  How do you make this work?  Or is the answer just buy some skinnier cable?


 

 I don't think many feed quad cable into a mini XLR. That said, mini quad, Mogami W2799, had an OD of 3.2mm. That should fit.


----------



## sharktopus

Ahhh  That should definitely work.  I'll give it a try for my next cable.


----------



## Arty McGhee

sharktopus said:


> So when Y'all are using the rean, etc. mini-XLRs, what cable are you using?  I have the standard star quad from both mogami and canare, and both seem to be 1-2mm larger than the largest jacked diameter that rean says works with their XLRs.  I have verified this myself my dint of spending about forty minutes trimming bits off of the clamp/chuck part, and other such things.  How do you make this work?  Or is the answer just buy some skinnier cable?


 
 look at my photo again
 i'm using stock grado cable 
 i trim about 1/2" (or enough to cover with the blue strain relief)
 and just the 4 inner wires without the outer insulation and sheilding
 to fit the connector over, if the threaded end doesn't fit that and be trimmed 
 does that make sense?
 in other words only the inner wires get clamped and only the threaded part covers the full width of the star quad


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> look at my photo again
> i'm using stock grado cable
> i trim about 1/2" (or enough to cover with the blue strain relief)
> and just the 4 inner wires without the outer insulation and sheilding
> ...


 

 ​I used stock star quad, not mini, but only the four wires go into the connector as Arty says.
 I tried to warn folks when I brought this up that it was for more experienced cable builders. I also had photos showing a four wire braid using 24 awg wire, braid and all but that braid stops inside the boot then the wires are straight, I hope that helps.


----------



## Renka

I just cut the cable above the coil on my Sony MDR-7506 and installed an Amphenol plug. When I turn the sound up and down while something is playing, I hear a short static click. What could be the issue?

 Edit : Actually it seems to happen while playing this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNf9nzvnd1k
 But not when I play a video where someone is talking with light music in the background. Did I do something wrong?


----------



## Paladin79

renka said:


> I just cut the cable above the coil on my Sony MDR-7506 and installed an Amphenol plug. When I turn the sound up and down while something is playing, I hear a short static click. What could be the issue?
> 
> Edit : Actually it seems to happen while playing this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNf9nzvnd1k
> But not when I play a video where someone is talking with light music in the background. Did I do something wrong?


 
 Are you clicking on a certain part of the sound pattern as you go along? It is natural to have some pops there but otherwise the sound itself is quite smooth. If you are getting noise as the program runs by itself, I would look for poor solders. Most everything has a frequency at which it will vibrate (resonant frequency).  If you are running through a DAC, there are times where I will get noise till I turn the dac off then back on when dealing with computer sound as well.


----------



## Renka

paladin79 said:


> Are you clicking on a certain part of the sound pattern as you go along? It is natural to have some pops there but otherwise the sound itself is quite smooth. If you are getting noise as the program runs by itself, I would look for poor solders. Most everything has a frequency at which it will vibrate (resonant frequency).  If you are running through a DAC, there are times where I will get noise till I turn the dac off then back on when dealing with computer sound as well.


 

 Everything is fine. I fetched a pair of old SkullCandy earbuds I had completely forgotten about and they do the same thing. I'm relieved. I guess I'm a little bit paranoid about messing things up since I've never done this before.


----------



## Paladin79

renka said:


> Everything is fine. I fetched a pair of old SkullCandy earbuds I had completely forgotten about and they do the same thing. I'm relieved. I guess I'm a little bit paranoid about messing things up since I've never done this before.


 
 Lol, that was going to be my next question." Did you have this issue before you built the cable."
  
 Staying in that sound range is fine, go down to 15 hertz and you are getting into infrasound and getting close to the resonant frequency of the human eye.  Some large mammals use those frequencies to communicate and you can feel it more than hear it.


----------



## Carcajou

Hi all,
  
 I want to build a RCA cable and I'd like to have both channels in the same cable to make cable management easier. 
  
 I was thinking of ordering a lenght of 2534 Mogami cable. This cable has 4 conductors + a shield (let's call them 1,2,3,4, & S).
  
 What would I be better off doing:
  
 A- 1-L+, 2-L-, 3-R+, 4-R-, do nothing with S;
  
 B- 1-L+, 2-L-, 3-R+, 4-R-, split S and connect it to both L- and R-
  
 C- 1+2-L+, 3+4-R+, split S and connect it to both L- and R-
  
 Thanks for your help!


----------



## Paladin79

I like option D. Use option C but only connect the shield to the source end. Do not connect to destination end otherwise you have a loop that can act as an antenna.

Oops I skimmed that a bit fast. Option B and the shield to source end.

Then mark the cable with an arrow from source. My next favorite option is C, that works all right as well depending on conditions.


----------



## Carcajou

paladin79 said:


> I like option D. Use option C but only connect the shield to the source end. Do not connect to destination end otherwise you have a loop that can act as an antenna.
> 
> Oops I skimmed that a bit fast. Option B and the shield to source end.
> 
> Then mark the cable with an arrow from source. My next favorite option is C, that works all right as well depending on conditions.


 
 Makes sense!
  
 Thanks for your help and your quick answer!!


----------



## Paladin79

Np I am outside on an iPhone or I would have read more carefully. If you have any issues at all pm me. I build all aux cables using this method and as many as 8 pair in close proximity.


----------



## Carcajou

paladin79 said:


> Np I am outside on an iPhone or I would have read more carefully. If you have any issues at all pm me. I build all aux cables using this method and as many as 8 pair in close proximity.


 
 Sounds good, thanks again!


----------



## Kinyin

Hey everyone,
  
 I've spent a good week doing research for my first recabling and I've run into a small snag. I've repainted and added a mic to my AD700s, but I want to now do a removable TRRS cable with paracord sleeving. My issue is when I get to the Y-Split. Instead of using an adapter, I just wanted to split the cable naturally and terminate each end with a TRS and Mono jack. However, I need to figure out how to ground both plugs. Four wires, but the split requires a second ground. Is it possible to just solder the ground and copper jacket together at the headset and then use the jacket at the split as the second ground or do I need to cut at the split and solder a spare bit of wire to the ground to split off to the other jack? I'm sleeving in paracord, so the copper shield wouldn't be covered by anything and I'm not sure if that would cause interference.
  
 I know that there are individual wires surrounded by a sheath that acts as a ground and an example can be found factory-stock inside my headset, but I can't find any Mogami cables or other brands that feature a wire like this. It would certainly solve my dilemma.


----------



## audiofreakie

Build hd series cable with 6 strand spc cable, paraccord sleeving with hand stitched y splitter so it strong enough, then add ranko jack barrel to cover the splitter.


----------



## Paladin79

kinyin said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I've spent a good week doing research for my first recabling and I've run into a small snag. I've repainted and added a mic to my AD700s, but I want to now do a removable TRRS cable with paracord sleeving. My issue is when I get to the Y-Split. Instead of using an adapter, I just wanted to split the cable naturally and terminate each end with a TRS and Mono jack. However, I need to figure out how to ground both plugs. Four wires, but the split requires a second ground. Is it possible to just solder the ground and copper jacket together at the headset and then use the jacket at the split as the second ground or do I need to cut at the split and solder a spare bit of wire to the ground to split off to the other jack? I'm sleeving in paracord, so the copper shield wouldn't be covered by anything and I'm not sure if that would cause interference.
> 
> I know that there are individual wires surrounded by a sheath that acts as a ground and an example can be found factory-stock inside my headset, but I can't find any Mogami cables or other brands that feature a wire like this. It would certainly solve my dilemma.


 

 I am not sure I can give you a complete answer but here goes. Copper shield with paracord over it should be fine, that should not hurt anything. Now comes the tricky part, if you have a ground with a shield not attached you can use shielding but there are some caveats. A shield will act as a shield when it covers wires, using it in addition to grounds may cause you to pick up 60 cycle hum on unbalanced equipment. If that happens you should try disconnecting it at different ground points till you eliminate it. See on a coaxial cable, just a center conductor and braided shield, the shield is ground. As long as you are just dealing with the ground and the shield, you can experiment without doing any damage in my opinion but I would feel a lot safer in trying this on my own cable than advising someone else to do it.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> Ok then I'll get them out tomorrow for you then. I'll pm any thing else.


 

 I did throw together a few parts as a thank you, it is a Monday, I have not had much coffee and I did electronics three weekends in a row so I realized after the fact that I sent you one each of a red and a white RCA connector, unless you are building like a 3.5mm to RCA's one of each will not do you much good lol.  The grommets I am including come in real handy on headphone cables.
 Tom


----------



## Kinyin

paladin79 said:


> I am not sure I can give you a complete answer but here goes. Copper shield with paracord over it should be fine, that should not hurt anything. Now comes the tricky part, if you have a ground with a shield not attached you can use shielding but there are some caveats. A shield will act as a shield when it covers wires, using it in addition to grounds may cause you to pick up 60 cycle hum on unbalanced equipment. If that happens you should try disconnecting it at different ground points till you eliminate it. See on a coaxial cable, just a center conductor and braided shield, the shield is ground. As long as you are just dealing with the ground and the shield, you can experiment without doing any damage in my opinion but I would feel a lot safer in trying this on my own cable than advising someone else to do it.


 
  
 Would it just be safer for me to, at the split, branch off the actual ground wire with some of the excess cable I'll have? Splitting the ground at the split, so to speak.
 Or is there some other cable other than W2983 that would be better to use? I'm perfectly fine with splitting the ground at the end, but if there's another easier solution I am all ears.
  
 Thanks for the reply! Been following this group for years as a lurker and it's nice to see that everyone is as helpful as I remember.


----------



## Paladin79

kinyin said:


> Would it just be safer for me to, at the split, branch off the actual ground wire with some of the excess cable I'll have? Splitting the ground at the split, so to speak.
> Or is there some other cable other than W2983 that would be better to use? I'm perfectly fine with splitting the ground at the end, but if there's another easier solution I am all ears.
> 
> Thanks for the reply! Been following this group for years as a lurker and it's nice to see that everyone is as helpful as I remember.


 
 You are fine splitting it and using other wire if all you need it for is a ground.


----------



## Kinyin

paladin79 said:


> You are fine splitting it and using other wire if all you need it for is a ground.


 
 One last question for you, as I'm pretty much stuck at the last step of my purchase.
  
 I can find great quality TRRS male jacks, but when it comes to the female connector that will go in the headphones themselves, all I can find is Radioshack and cheap Chinese connectors at every online store I look.
  
 However, XLR panel connectors seem to be plentiful. I'm not sure if I can find one that will fit, but assuming I can, is there any reason I couldn't use one and then split it off into TRS and TS at the opposite end?
  
 Edit: Nevermind, it doesn't look like there's enough space for the size of a mini XLR. So I'll just have to try my luck with these Chinese 4 pole connectors.


----------



## Paladin79

kinyin said:


> One last question for you, as I'm pretty much stuck at the last step of my purchase.
> 
> I can find great quality TRRS male jacks, but when it comes to the female connector that will go in the headphones themselves, all I can find is Radioshack and cheap Chinese connectors at every online store I look.
> 
> ...


 
 I am not much help locating TRRS connectors, I have rarely found any I would trust. If you know which ring is which on the trrs, it is feasible to split to stereo and mono, a ring would end up being a tip and the S (sleeve) is a common ground. If you keep adding connectors I am not sure I will be able to leave a good enough trail of breadcrumbs to find my way out of this conversation. Have you got any simpler cables that need help?


----------



## Kinyin

paladin79 said:


> I am not much help locating TRRS connectors, I have rarely found any I would trust. If you know which ring is which on the trrs, it is feasible to split to stereo and mono, a ring would end up being a tip and the S (sleeve) is a common ground. If you keep adding connectors I am not sure I will be able to leave a good enough trail of breadcrumbs to find my way out of this conversation. Have you got any simpler cables that need help?


 
 You've been more than enough help already 
  
 Right now it's just a 3.5mm TRRS > TRS + TS and i'll split the ground for the two at the end. Essentially I'm just building a 10' long TRRS splitter, now that I think about it. The only problem at this point is finding quality female jacks to install into my headphones. Looks like it's going to be Chinese parts and a bit of luck.
  
 Thanks for making yourself available to assist me!


----------



## Paladin79

kinyin said:


> You've been more than enough help already
> 
> Right now it's just a 3.5mm TRRS > TRS + TS and i'll split the ground for the two at the end. Essentially I'm just building a 10' long TRRS splitter, now that I think about it. The only problem at this point is finding quality female jacks to install into my headphones. Looks like it's going to be Chinese parts and a bit of luck.
> 
> Thanks for making yourself available to assist me!


 
 Good luck,there are plenty of small jacks out there for headphones, personally I like the little four pin Hirose connectors or 3.5 mm jacks but it depends on the room you have in the headphones.


----------



## Paladin79

Here is a photo of what my interconnect cables will look like when completed. (connector is just stuffed onto cable for photo). Everything on a Bottlehead Crack I am building will be copper, bronze, brass or gold. This is the closest match I could get for the IC's. Switchcraft rca connector with black finish removed down to the brass underneath. Cable is OFC so I am not sacrificing quality for looks.


----------



## Kinyin

paladin79 said:


> Good luck,there are plenty of small jacks out there for headphones, personally I like the little four pin Hirose connectors or 3.5 mm jacks but it depends on the room you have in the headphones.


 
 I've never heard of Hirose connectors before and just found an example of someone who installed one into the very headphones I have. Once again you may have just helped me. I was getting very upset that I was going to be buying these nice cables, connectors, etc., only to use cheap bits in the headphones.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kinyin said:


> paladin79 said:
> 
> 
> > Good luck,there are plenty of small jacks out there for headphones, personally I like the little four pin Hirose connectors or 3.5 mm jacks but it depends on the room you have in the headphones.
> ...




Hirose is what mrspeakers uses.


----------



## docholliday

Has anybody used the Amphenol KS3 series 3.5mm plugs? I'm wondering if the straint-relief system is like the Neutrik ones with chuck/gland design.


----------



## Paladin79

docholliday said:


> Has anybody used the Amphenol KS3 series 3.5mm plugs? I'm wondering if the straint-relief system is like the Neutrik ones with chuck/gland design.


 
 I have used a few hundred because of the extended tip. They do not have a chuck design, it is more of the metal clamp but they do have a grommet and extended tip. A lot of Neutrik 3.5's use the same system, NYS 231 etc. When you get into the quarter inch and xlrs they are more inclined to use the plastic chuck. Amphenol uses it on some of their high end 1/4 inch connectors.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Hirose is what mrspeakers uses.


 
 It has been a while since I ordered those connectors directly form MrSpeakers but I believe they use another brand that looks just like the Hirose, they have gold plated pins. I will try to find that brand later today if I have time. Hirose you can buy from Markertek, just be careful they make four pin plugs that have male pins as well as female pins. Generally you want the female pins on the jacks. In RF you call the opposite gender pins in a plug or jack reverse polarity.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > Hirose is what mrspeakers uses.
> ...




I'm not 100% sure, but I thin these are the ones from markertek
http://www.markertek.com/product/hr10a7p4p/hirose-hr10a-7p-4p-4-pin-male-push-pull-connector-with-7mm-male-shell
They are $16 each. From mrspeakers they are $7 each plus 3 for shipping, so cheaper from my speakers. For the female, you can get them eBay or markertek, but they will be cheaper from eBay. They might be clones, but they are as good or good enough.


----------



## docholliday

paladin79 said:


> I have used a few hundred because of the extended tip. They do not have a chuck design, it is more of the metal clamp but they do have a grommet and extended tip. A lot of Neutrik 3.5's use the same system, NYS 231 etc. When you get into the quarter inch and xlrs they are more inclined to use the plastic chuck. Amphenol uses it on some of their high end 1/4 inch connectors.


 
 Thanks, I was wondering about if they were "typical" Switchcraft. I have a pile of the Rean ones and Neutrik, and I don't care for how big the shell hole is in the Reans. At least the Switchcraft ones have a grommet which should do the trick.


----------



## Paladin79

docholliday said:


> Thanks, I was wondering about if they were "typical" Switchcraft. I have a pile of the Rean ones and Neutrik, and I don't care for how big the shell hole is in the Reans. At least the Switchcraft ones have a grommet which should do the trick.


 
  
 They are very good parts and if need be you can remove the grommet for larger cable. We use them with cable up to a quarter inch outside diameter.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I'm not 100% sure, but I thin these are the ones from markertek
> http://www.markertek.com/product/hr10a7p4p/hirose-hr10a-7p-4p-4-pin-male-push-pull-connector-with-7mm-male-shell
> They are $16 each. From mrspeakers they are $7 each plus 3 for shipping, so cheaper from my speakers. For the female, you can get them eBay or markertek, but they will be cheaper from eBay. They might be clones, but they are as good or good enough.


 

 MrSpeakers uses E-Valucon but in some ways I like them better than the Hirose. They will interchange and both work very well. I do not pay the $16 from Markertek and as i recall Allied Electonics has the Hirose as well and probably Digikey or Mouser. It is always good to shop around for such parts. I must have a half dozen cables made with those connectors and none has ever failed me.
  
 Just received some mesh pencil holders that I will use to make protective outside covers for some open headphones I am modifying. Thanks go to Allanmarcus for the suggestion.


----------



## Renka

docholliday said:


> Thanks, I was wondering about if they were "typical" Switchcraft. I have a pile of the Rean ones and Neutrik, and I don't care for how big the shell hole is in the Reans. At least the Switchcraft ones have a grommet which should do the trick.


 

 Do these pictures help? I have the grommets sitting under the plugs on mine. They couldn't fit over the thick heat shrink and I couldn't be bothered to enlarge the hole. I also like the look better that way.


----------



## Paladin79

renka said:


> Do these pictures help? I have the gommets sitting under the plugs on mine. They couldn't fit over the thick heat shrink and I couldn't be bothered to enlarge the hole. I also like the look better that way.


 

 That is an example of where we use a soldering iron to enlarge the grommet if need be but if the cable is large enough we just remove it, that connector has a 1/4 inch opening in the actual metal headshell which makes it great for a lot of the microphone and star quad cable we use. The fact it has an extended tip can be great as well for plugging into phones and ipads with cases on them.


----------



## Arty McGhee

allanmarcus said:


> Hirose is what mrspeakers uses.


 

https://mrspeakers.com/product-category/3-accessories/cables/
  
 they sell the jack for $5.99 and the plugs for $6.99
  
 i used them for the open alphas, they work great, nice locking mechanism


----------



## Paladin79

arty mcghee said:


> https://mrspeakers.com/product-category/3-accessories/cables/
> 
> they sell the jack for $5.99 and the plugs for $6.99
> 
> i used them for the open alphas, they work great, nice locking mechanism


 

 That is a very good price and I have no qualms using that connector over the Hirose. It has gold pins where the Hirose might be silver or nickel plated.


----------



## docholliday

renka said:


> Do these pictures help? I have the grommets sitting under the plugs on mine. They couldn't fit over the thick heat shrink and I couldn't be bothered to enlarge the hole. I also like the look better that way.


 
 Thanks! The grommet length was what I needed. That ground strap/clamp is the typical Switchcraft one too.


----------



## sharktopus

paladin79 said:


> That is a very good price and I have no qualms using that connector over the Hirose. It has gold pins where the Hirose might be silver or nickel plated.




I'm going to reterminate the headphone side of my hifiman he500s to remove the screw connector. Would these be a good option? Or do you guys have any other recommendations? Also, do you know what diameter hole you need to fit these jacks?


----------



## buke9

sharktopus said:


> I'm going to reterminate the headphone side of my hifiman he500s to remove the screw connector. Would these be a good option? Or do you guys have any other recommendations? Also, do you know what diameter hole you need to fit these jacks?


I don't think they will work with grinding the outside of the cup. Though I don't have the 500's I think the 400 is close in shape. Here is a pick of my 400's and Ether-C's that use the connectors.


----------



## Paladin79

sharktopus said:


> I'm going to reterminate the headphone side of my hifiman he500s to remove the screw connector. Would these be a good option? Or do you guys have any other recommendations? Also, do you know what diameter hole you need to fit these jacks?


 
 The hole opening on my alpha primes with that jack is right at 12 mm diameter, you have to have room for the connector to latch. They are one of my favorite connectors, they latch down and you have to push to release them. It is real obvious when they lock into place.


----------



## jazzfan

allanmarcus said:


> Thanks Tom.
> 
> I'm bored and putting together a list of places to get DIY stuff. Here's what I have so far. I'm maintaining the list on the site linked in my signature.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Nice list. In the _DIY and Mods_ section of the HeadFi Wiki you'll find many of these part suppliers and more in the _Do it Yourself Links_ article.
  
 Please feel free to update the article with new information as needed.


----------



## Allanmarcus

jazzfan said:


> Nice list. In the _DIY and Mods_ section of the HeadFi Wiki you'll find many of these part suppliers and more in the _Do it Yourself Links_ article.
> 
> Please feel free to update the article with new information as needed.


 
  
 Holy crap! I didn't even know that was there. Thanks!


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Take Five Audio  is one of my fav.


----------



## Arty McGhee

sharktopus said:


> I'm going to reterminate the headphone side of my hifiman he500s to remove the screw connector. Would these be a good option? Or do you guys have any other recommendations? Also, do you know what diameter hole you need to fit these jacks?


 
 you may be better off with something like this
  
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Kobiconn/161-7000-EX/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMv0W4pxf2HiV6QXVaK0kvxBKzMePtABVJ8%3d
  
 its close to the 2.5mm that hifiman uses now


----------



## Paladin79

Even 3.5 mm does not take up too much room if you find the right configuration. Diameter here is a total of 5 mm.


----------



## Reima

Here is my first attempt at making a cable for my headphone. The cable is currently hardwired to the driver wires.
 .


----------



## sharktopus

Finally finished my first DIY cable.  I got bored while I was trying to figure out how to fix the issues that were cropping up with my headphone cable, so I made some speaker cables instead.
  
 They are 40' long each and made from Canare's 13AWG speaker star quad.  One side on each is terminated with gold-plated spade plugs, while the other ends have expanding banana plugs.  I also learned the fantasticness that is heat-shrink, which I suspect is magic.


----------



## sharktopus

arty mcghee said:


> https://mrspeakers.com/product-category/3-accessories/cables/
> 
> they sell the jack for $5.99 and the plugs for $6.99
> 
> i used them for the open alphas, they work great, nice locking mechanism


 
 Those DIY alphas are my next project, as I just got access to my hackerspace's two 3D printers.


----------



## Paladin79

We need to get something clear here. Beer is magic, heat shrink tubing is barely science fiction but cool nonetheless.
It is particularly useful when you have to attach two cables together so you can pull a new one through a wall.


----------



## john777

paladin79 said:


> We need to get something clear here. Beer is magic, heat shrink tubing is barely science fiction but cool nonetheless.
> It is particularly useful when you have to attach two cables together so you can pull a new one through a wall.




I saw your suggestion too late to help me route some coaxial aerial cable through a thick brick exterior wall with an air-space... Will remember this for next time!


----------



## Paladin79

john777 said:


> I saw your suggestion too late to help me route some coaxial aerial cable through a thick brick exterior wall with an air-space... Will remember this for next time!


 
 Adhesive lined heat shrink tubing works best, if replacing one coaxial cable with another you can even solder the center conductors together as well as the braid, then use the heat shrink tubing.
  
 Here is something that might help those of you trying to feed wire through paracord, I have experimented with darning needles, with trying to glue the wire to the nylon string leaving the tube, but finally came up with this method:
  
 Strip back the jacket about 1.5 inches revealing the copper stranded wire.

 Now double the wire over itself,
  

 finally solder the wire forming a built in needle

 The beauty of this method is you now have a rounded shape that would easily pass through the paracord. If you merely solder the wire you will end up with a sharp point that can snag the nylon. 
 Final step is to use a hammer or heavy object to help flatten the solder and wire. This will remove any rough portions that might be sticking up. I use a concrete floor since I have no vise or anvil suitable and that works fine. You only have to tap it lightly to shape it, solder is quite malleable. Once the wire is through the paracord, simply cut the solder needle off and you are in business.
  
 Tom


----------



## Letmebefrank

paladin79 said:


> Adhesive lined heat shrink tubing works best, if replacing one coaxial cable with another you can even solder the center conductors together as well as the braid, then use the heat shrink tubing.
> 
> Here is something that might help those of you trying to feed wire through paracord, I have experimented with darning needles, with trying to glue the wire to the nylon string leaving the tube, but finally came up with this method:
> 
> ...




Awesome suggestion Tom. I was having a lot of trouble with that last week but this should make it much easier.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Last night I finished braiding the 16 strand cable! Only one, very minor "dropped stitch" in one of the thinner wires. Overall, it came out great! I still need to decide on the "Y" (naked, Viablue, Bead, something else) and solder the connectors. One question I had when I started this was about flexibility. Now that it's done, I feel it's plenty flexible for daily use. I am a little worried the insulation will dry out a little, get stiffer, and crack, but only time will tell.
  
 The full story is on my web page.
  

  

  

  

  
 Here it is with a bead I happen to have:

  
 Yet another bead option


----------



## Paladin79

letmebefrank said:


> Awesome suggestion Tom. I was having a lot of trouble with that last week but this should make it much easier.


 
 You are most welcome Frank. This is some 24 awg ofc and 150 paracord is pretty tight but this is the best method I have come up with so far. One of my employees was soldering a form of needle to the wires, that was reusable but got snagged a lot, the rounded end really helps.


----------



## Renka

Funny thing... those plastic splitters like the Viablue one are more expensive per splitter than buying 4 feet of adhesive-lined heatshrink for 15 USD. They are much bulkier too.

 The idea came from cyberspyder on this forum. You can achieve this Y shape by using pliers while heating the tubing. The heat shrink tubing I used was a little too large for this. I needed this size for something else.


----------



## Paladin79

renka said:


> Funny thing... those plastic splitters like the Viablue one are more expensive per splitter than buying 4 feet of adhesive-lined heatshrink for 15 USD. They are much bulkier too.
> 
> 
> The idea came from ccklone on this forum. You can achieve this Y shape by using pliers while heating the tubing. The heat shrink tubing I used was a little too large for this. I needed this size for something else.




I have mentioned the y split with pliers or hemostats but I may not have been the only one. I have tried some of the beads but found them bulky as well so I rarely use them now. It is not so much a cost factor for me. It took me a long time to find it but often I will use 3-1 shrink ratio for that junction that is adhesive. It took a while to find it in the diameters I prefer.


----------



## SVTong

Hi all,
  
 I've made a pair DIY custom IEMs, but the wires are becoming problematic.  I used 24ga teflon coated SPC from china, but the stuff is really stiff and VERY microphonic.  I like the way the clear teflon looks on the silver and on copper, so I'd rather not use a stripped star quad because they tend to use solid coloured conductors.  Does anyone have any suggestions for high strand count wire that won't break the bank?  @Paladin79 , I think you mentioned before that you might have a source lined up for some good OFC wire - any progress on that front?


----------



## Allanmarcus

svtong said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I've made a pair DIY custom IEMs, but the wires are becoming problematic.  I used 24ga teflon coated SPC from china, but the stuff is really stiff and VERY microphonic.  I like the way the clear teflon looks on the silver and on copper, so I'd rather not use a stripped star quad because they tend to use solid coloured conductors.  Does anyone have any suggestions for high strand count wire that won't break the bank?  @Paladin79 , I think you mentioned before that you might have a source lined up for some good OFC wire - any progress on that front?


 

 I've learned a lot about wire, and I've posted it here:
  
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pXSXIVBJXhb5fqysBTHQ5q3SHQ3d8B6kAHv8yQIWSTY/edit#gid=0
  
 Let me know if you cannot get into that.
  
 Luna shops sells some silver or copper wire, as does BTG Audio.
  
 If you are willing to go into over $2/foot, there are others (I will add them soon)
  
 What's your price range?


----------



## SVTong

> What's your price range?


 
  
 As cheap as possible, lol!

 Ideally, I'd like to be under $0.50, but I know that's asking for a lot in that price range.  The other issue I have is that shipping form China to Canada is brutal.  The SPC that I have now took 10 weeks to arrive here.  Not ideal.
  
 Edit: just looked at your file - there is 24ga wire with 105 strands?!?  That would seem to be the obvious choice on paper


----------



## Allanmarcus

svtong said:


> > What's your price range?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 I have some samples of that coming. It's not clear, though. He's talking about the Daburn 2671. Min 100' (I just added that to the sheet. Sorry)


----------



## SVTong

allanmarcus said:


> I have some samples of that coming. It's not clear, though. He's talking about the Daburn 2671. Min 100' (I just added that to the sheet. Sorry)


 
 I would definitely be interested in what you think of it.  I might be convinced to ditch the clear if the flexibility is really good.


----------



## Allanmarcus

svtong said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > I have some samples of that coming. It's not clear, though. He's talking about the Daburn 2671. Min 100' (I just added that to the sheet. Sorry)
> ...


 

 I haven't tried it, but you might this Silicone Cover Stranded-Core Wire from AdaFruit. Pretty cheap. 2m for $1


----------



## SVTong

I haven't looked into silicone wire before - has anyone tried to braid/use it?  Would the silicone have too much memory to make it usable for IEMs?


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> I haven't looked into silicone wire before - has anyone tried to braid/use it?  Would the silicone have too much memory to make it usable for IEMs?


 
 I have used it and it seems to braid well, very flexible and soft to the touch. Somewhere I have a cable I made with it, I will post a photo if I can locate it.
 Here is a four wire silicone braid, I have not done a y split with it so I cannot attest to how well two wires would hold but it grips well and you can make a very tight braid with it from my experience.


----------



## Allanmarcus

got the Daburn wire in. Unfortunately I only asked for 26awg. Its _very_ flexible and soft. I would be a little worried about longevity if the wire where bare. 24AWG threaded though paranoid might work very well. I don't know about just having two wires wound together. The wire may be too flexible. Not sure. One might be able to braid 4 trends of 26awg and feed that through paranoid to each channel, then braid the 8 strands to the plug.


----------



## Allanmarcus

WooHoo! 16 strand cable is complete!
  
 Read the saga here
  

  
 Does it make my headphones sound like Focal Utopia's? YES! Of course they started as Utopia's, so no big change. I actually prefer the 8 strand individually paracord sleeved cable, as that cable is much more flexible. Still, 16 strands is cool and maybe, just maybe, it sounds better.
  
 I WAY overbought wire, so I have many extra feet of 26AWG mogami wire. I will probably make another cable or two, not terminate them and sell them for cost. I really do enjoy this.


----------



## wigglepuff

guys how do you get the proper size to fit inside the paracord? like using 3 individual gauge 22 wires will fit into what size paracord perfectly without making it too stiff or too loose.


----------



## Paladin79

In my experience paracord varies a lot depending on who made it. It is rated at how much weight it can support and not flexibility. That being said 24 awg wire with jacket is not real easy to get into 150 paracord. You best use something larger for 22 awg. It is not expensive, buy a few sizes and experiment.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> WooHoo! 16 strand cable is complete!
> 
> Read the saga here
> 
> ...


 
 I think it looks very cool, now getting into whether it sounds better can be a little tricky so adding the maybe helped I am sure. If you have a cable that accurately transports the sound that goes into said cable, that is about all you can hope for, to maintain it. In all the testing I have done, the more wires added, the trickier it gets to maintain the quality of the original sound.


----------



## Allanmarcus

wigglepuff said:


> guys how do you get the proper size to fit inside the paracord? like using 3 individual gauge 22 wires will fit into what size paracord perfectly without making it too stiff or too loose.




It gets even more fun. Not only is not no standard size for paracord, there is no standard size for wire insolulation. So you have to experiment to match both the specific wire into specific paracord. 

I get paracord from paracordplanet.com


----------



## SVTong

Here is a shot of the IEMs I made with the Chinese teflon coated SPC.  That is about as tight of a coil as they will make - any tighter than that and they spring open to this size.  One advantage is that the 2-wire twist going to each channel holds very nicely.  They also seem less susceptible to RF noise compared to the cheap hookup wire I was using before.


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> Here is a shot of the IEMs I made with the Chinese teflon coated SPC.  That is about as tight of a coil as they will make - any tighter than that and they spring open to this size.  One advantage is that the 2-wire twist going to each channel holds very nicely.  They also seem less susceptible to RF noise compared to the cheap hookup wire I was using before.


 
 Teflon can be tricky, I have to use quite a bit of it on occasion and just finding the right wire strippers for it is not always easy. It is most likely the fine job  you did with the twists that help with RF noise I would think although teflon does have some interesting properties.


----------



## ForceMajeure

svtong said:


> Here is a shot of the IEMs I made with the Chinese teflon coated SPC.  That is about as tight of a coil as they will make - any tighter than that and they spring open to this size.  One advantage is that the 2-wire twist going to each channel holds very nicely.  They also seem less susceptible to RF noise compared to the cheap hookup wire I was using before.


 
 Is that the Acrolink cable brand from Lunashops?


----------



## SVTong

forcemajeure said:


> Is that the Acrolink cable brand from Lunashops?


 
  
 I got it off of eBay:

 http://www.ebay.ca/itm/281831106775?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&var=580816709753&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> I got it off of eBay:
> 
> http://www.ebay.ca/itm/281831106775?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&var=580816709753&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


 
 I am not so sure they say what kind of wire they are silver plating but I skimmed the add pretty quickly. You might want to read up on "skin effect" sometime. I am sure solid silver wire can have a difference in audio but the outside plating does not come into play at audible frequencies. Read up on it and form your own opinion though, I try to look at the science involved with such product and am not discouraging anyone from buying what they wish to buy.


----------



## SVTong

paladin79 said:


> I am not so sure they say what kind of wire they are silver plating but I skimmed the add pretty quickly. You might want to read up on "skin effect" sometime. I am sure solid silver wire can have a difference in audio but the outside plating does not come into play at audible frequencies. Read up on it and form your own opinion though, I try to look at the science involved with such product and am not discouraging anyone from buying what they wish to buy.


 
 In all honesty, I bought it purely for appearance's sake.  It was an opportunity to make a good looking cable for not much money.  The next one I make will definitely be function over form though!


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> In all honesty, I bought it purely for appearance's sake.  It was an opportunity to make a good looking cable for not much money.  The next one I make will definitely be function over form though!


 
 Not a problem and I am glad you did not invest a lot in it. I try to follow the logic on why they build certain wire a certain way. Generally I only see silver plated wire in high end RF uses. If Belden builds it, there is usually a good reason for it. (skin effect)
 We have five senses, (some say seven but i won't get into that). Sound is important to me but so is appearance and feel of a cable so I respect those things as well. I even had one customer who talked about the smell of silicone wires before, she would call me to order stinky red cables.


----------



## ls13coco

I know the info will be in here, but not knowing where to start after digging through pages I ask for some direction.

 I have my solder kit and heat gun ready, just need the supplies. Primarily wondering if I could be linked to good wire, as I want same if not "better" quality than what I'm replacing. Plan to do 7-8 foot cables for each of my headphones.


----------



## Paladin79

ls13coco said:


> I know the info will be in here, but not knowing where to start after digging through pages I ask for some direction.
> 
> I have my solder kit and heat gun ready, just need the supplies. Primarily wondering if I could be linked to good wire, as I want same if not "better" quality than what I'm replacing. Plan to do 7-8 foot cables for each of my headphones.


 
 Since you are in Canada a lot of it depends on what you have available there or who will ship there. You can always start with some Mogami star quad, I personally do not strip out the individual wires but plenty of people do if you want to braid a cable.


----------



## ls13coco

paladin79 said:


> Since you are in Canada a lot of it depends on what you have available there or who will ship there. You can always start with some Mogami star quad, I personally do not strip out the individual wires but plenty of people do if you want to braid a cable.


 

 Great, I'll start with seeing what I can get from that. Thanks!


----------



## Happytalk

Hi all. Amazing stuff. This thread had helped me a lot with basic headphone jack repairs and RCA replacements. I'm wondering if there is a way to make a stereo signal into mono that plays through both ears via a simple short cable. I put this together. It's a 3.5mm male o 3.5mm male then to stereo female to mono male then to stereo (both sides) coupler then to mono mail to stereo female with is where the headphones plug into. A couple of problems. It always seems like the 3.5mm jack has to be moved into just the right place to work and overall, I think there may be a grounding issue. Once in a while there is distortion. Trying to avoid having a separate box. Certain recordings, I would like to hear in mono rather than stereo. Eventually I get to audacity and pair them down, but when I'm traveling that is not always possible. Any help is appreciated. Thanks


----------



## Allanmarcus

happytalk said:


> Hi all. Amazing stuff. This thread had helped me a lot with basic headphone jack repairs and RCA replacements. I'm wondering if there is a way to make a stereo signal into mono that plays through both ears via a simple short cable. I put this together. It's a 3.5mm male o 3.5mm male then to stereo female to mono male then to stereo (both sides) coupler then to mono mail to stereo female with is where the headphones plug into. A couple of problems. It always seems like the 3.5mm jack has to be moved into just the right place to work and overall, I think there may be a grounding issue. Once in a while there is distortion. Trying to avoid having a separate box. Certain recordings, I would like to hear in mono rather than stereo. Eventually I get to audacity and pair them down, but when I'm traveling that is not always possible. Any help is appreciated. Thanks


 

 yes, such a cable would be very easy. You would just get a male and female 3.5.mm plug and jack, then just run two wires between them, and jumper the L and R channels. 
  
 Are you sure your player doesn't have an option for mono? For example, on an iOS device you can  use the accessibility settings to change the sound to mono.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> yes, such a cable would be very easy. You would just get a male and female 3.5.mm plug and jack, then just run two wires between them, and jumper the L and R channels.
> 
> Are you sure your player doesn't have an option for mono? For example, on an iOS device you can  use the accessibility settings to change the sound to mono.


 
 I do believe Allan is saying run the ground and left or right channel and jumper the channels on both ends. You can also have all three wires there and jumper left and right channel on one end.
  
 You have to move them around a bit because if you go from a stereo to a mono with connectors on 3.5, the sleeve of the mono can touch the ring on the stereo. Rarely do they line up well.
  
 The advice on the settings is very good.


----------



## Happytalk

Thanks so far. would be for portable use with a DAP. At home, I'm all set and use speakers primarily. Plenty of mono vinyl records and a mono switch on my integrated amp.


----------



## Allanmarcus

happytalk said:


> Thanks so far. would be for portable use with a DAP. At home, I'm all set and use speakers primarily. Plenty of mono vinyl records and a mono switch on my integrated amp.


 

 What DAP? Does your DAP have a mono option?


----------



## Trying2Learn

I'm trying to pull off a two pin connector cable from a Noble iem but it won't budge at all? Can I get some help?


----------



## XenHeadFi

allanmarcus said:


> yes, such a cable would be very easy. You would just get a male and female 3.5.mm plug and jack, then just run two wires between them, and jumper the L and R channels.
> 
> Are you sure your player doesn't have an option for mono? For example, on an iOS device you can  use the accessibility settings to change the sound to mono.


 
 Would this not short a balanced connection? I think single-ended would be fine as they already have a common ground, which the OP appears to have from the TRS tip in the picture.


----------



## Paladin79

xenheadfi said:


> Would this not short a balanced connection? I think single-ended would be fine as they already have a common ground, which the OP appears to have from the TRS tip in the picture.


 

 I would not recommend combining grounds from a balanced output but TRS uses a common ground and I believe that is about all that was discussed there.


----------



## Stegosaurus

Hello all. I am new to the DIY cable thread. I am a DIY person by nature. I could buy cables but I like tinkering too much!
 I am interested in making a longer cord for my Hifiman 440i's. It is only about 4 feet long and I'd like for it to be at least 7 or 8. After hours of scrolling through this thread I'm still undecided as to what cable and hardware to purchase. It is a "y" cord 1.5 meters long with 2.5 mini's male (headphone) and a 6.35 male (amp).  I don't mind springing for quality. So if anyone has some input Id appreciate it.


----------



## Paladin79

Quote: 





stegosaurus said:


> Hello all. I am new to the DIY cable thread. I am a DIY person by nature. I could buy cables but I like tinkering too much!
> I am interested in making a longer cord for my Hifiman 440i's. It is only about 4 feet long and I'd like for it to be at least 7 or 8. After hours of scrolling through this thread I'm still undecided as to what cable and hardware to purchase. It is a "y" cord 1.5 meters long with 2.5 mini's male (headphone) and a 6.35 male (amp).  I don't mind springing for quality. So if anyone has some input Id appreciate it.


 

 On the 6.35, you are always pretty safe with Neutrik or Amphenol, they are what I use most. Markertek will sell you those and 2.5 mini males will be on that site as well. I have not done much for Hifiman so I am not sure if those need to be extended tip 2.5 mm or not. Plenty of people here can answer that for you. An easy way to do such a cable is to get Belden or Mogami or Canare star quad cable. Strip the jacket back on the Y split end and run two wires to the 2.5 mm connectors and whichever you use for ground on the 2.5, both go to ground on the 1/4 inch connector. Each hot will then go to the tip or ring. Ring is right channel and marked red on many headphones. I am a bit pressed for time so I am probably getting too technical too quickly. I would attach the shield on the 1/4 inch headshell side only, you will be doing twisted pair to each 2.5 mm.
  
 My advice is do something basic like this, learn trs and TS connectors, you can look that up easily. Then move on and do a three wire braid, then a four wire braid. Unless you run a balanced amp, the connections will stay about the same. If you use four wires in a braid, the twisted pair is acting as a shield. In the case of star quad, you  have a braid shield and in essence twisted pair as well.
  
 You can use adhesive lined heat shrink tubing to form a quick and easy junction at the split. This cable has paracord over jacketed cable. You can also buy cable that is two conductors and a ground to build something like this. You have to do more soldering on the junction though and that takes a little time to explain.
  
 Tom


----------



## Stegosaurus

^^^
 Hey, thanks Tom. I'm going to take your advice and try a simple cable first like the one pictured.  Ill post a few pics in the process and when when I'm done.


----------



## Allanmarcus

xenheadfi said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > yes, such a cable would be very easy. You would just get a male and female 3.5.mm plug and jack, then just run two wires between them, and jumper the L and R channels.
> ...


 

 I assumed SE.


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> ^^^
> Hey, thanks Tom. I'm going to take your advice and try a simple cable first like the one pictured.  Ill post a few pics in the process and when when I'm done.


 
 good luck Steg. If you can find something like Belden 1508a it is a pretty reasonable two conductor and drain wire cable. Lightweight and I can walk you through how to make the junction. I have an affinity for some American made cable and like to support folks in northern Indiana when I can. A friend used to be a supervisor at Belden, he now works for an insurance agency whose owner was the basis for the movie Hoosiers. I have a feeling you know that story lol.


----------



## buke9

xenheadfi said:


> Would this not short a balanced connection? I think single-ended would be fine as they already have a common ground, which the OP appears to have from the TRS tip in the picture.


Never connect the grounds on a balanced connection bad things will follow.


----------



## Happytalk

allanmarcus said:


> What DAP? Does your DAP have a mono option?




It's a DX90. Love it. Not that I know of. I'm still a little unclear about how to make a stereo to mono cable.


----------



## buke9

happytalk said:


> It's a DX90. Love it. Not that I know of. I'm still a little unclear about how to make a stereo to mono cable.


Don't make a mono cable. If it is mono it play that way.


----------



## castleofargh

wouldn't it make more sense to convert files instead of trying to mix paths with a cable?


----------



## buke9

Ok I'm done just going to listen to music


----------



## caecillius

paladin79 said:


> On the 6.35, you are always pretty safe with Neutrik or Amphenol, they are what I use most. Markertek will sell you those and 2.5 mini males will be on that site as well. I have not done much for Hifiman so I am not sure if those need to be extended tip 2.5 mm or not. Plenty of people here can answer that for you.(...)
> 
> Tom




HifiMan headphones do not require the extended 2.5mm connectors. My Switchcraft connectors work beautifully in that regard. I think it's the Sennheiser HD -700s that require the extended connector.


----------



## Stegosaurus

paladin79 said:


> good luck Steg. If you can find something like Belden 1508a it is a pretty reasonable two conductor and drain wire cable. Lightweight and I can walk you through how to make the junction. I have an affinity for some American made cable and like to support folks in northern Indiana when I can. A friend used to be a supervisor at Belden, he now works for an insurance agency whose owner was the basis for the movie Hoosiers. I have a feeling you know that story lol.


 
 I purchased Canare cable for my headphones. I did get Belden for my speaker wire though. Didn't realize the company was in Indiana. I really try hard to buy American. (Drive a Chevy truck) Its becoming harder each day. 
 Hoosiers is an awesome movie! Viewing it is a right of passage for an Indiana boy. Going to watch it soon again.
  
 Chris


----------



## Stegosaurus

caecillius said:


> HifiMan headphones do not require the extended 2.5mm connectors. My Switchcraft connectors work beautifully in that regard. I think it's the Sennheiser HD -700s that require the extended connector.


 
 Ok. Thanks. I took a chance and got the regular size. Not sure what brand though. Where did you purchase the Switchcraft 2.5's? Looking at the Headphones the 2.5  sub minis look like they need to be thin in order to plug in correctly.


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> Ok. Thanks. I took a chance and got the regular size. Not sure what brand though. Where did you purchase the Switchcraft 2.5's? Looking at the Headphones the 2.5  sub minis look like they need to be thin in order to plug in correctly.


 
 Mouser Electronics has them.
  
 http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Switchcraft/880X/?qs=iwvYsH9bSFbKw1hXLRZXaA%3D%3D&gclid=Cj0KEQjwicfHBRCh6KaMp4-asKgBEiQA8GH2x1UzzkFBxvW6mFMAu9KpNtPPn-XY-QdsDk3IVSxsx1caAt2_8P8HAQ
  
 The 880 model, and they are quality connectors. I am using some Switchcraft in a couple Bottlehead Crack builds because they use nickel covered brass.


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> I purchased Canare cable for my headphones. I did get Belden for my speaker wire though. Didn't realize the company was in Indiana. I really try hard to buy American. (Drive a Chevy truck) Its becoming harder each day.
> Hoosiers is an awesome movie! Viewing it is a right of passage for an Indiana boy. Going to watch it soon again.
> 
> Chris


 
 The engineering staff at the local university use little else besides Belden, I have worked with those gentlemen on many occasions. They (Belden) have some ofc wire in some of their three wire cables as I recall but i do not have the part numbers in front of me. Canare is good, I use their connectors mostly but those are now made in China, sigh. 
  
 The story on which Hoosiers is based has to do with tiny Milan high school and a famous last minute shot to win the championship. There are 12 high schools in the US that seat more than 10,000, Indiana has ten of them lol. Anyway I digress, good luck with the cables, I have to finish installing some french doors and then I want to see if I can build a Bottlehead Crack in 6 hours so I have my day planned, oh and I am cooking outdoors late tonight as well.


----------



## Happytalk

Delete


----------



## XenHeadFi

happytalk said:


> [Edit] It's a 3.5mm male o 3.5mm male then to stereo female to mono male then to stereo (both sides) coupler then to mono mail to stereo female with is where the headphones plug into. A couple of problems. It always seems like the 3.5mm jack has to be moved into just the right place to work and overall, I think there may be a grounding issue. Once in a while there is distortion.[Edit]


 
 The fiddly-ness of the adapters are because they are probably not made to the same spec. I have a cheap HOSA 1/4" to 1/8" that just does not seem to work with about 20% of my 1/4" connectors. You have 3 adapters, making the odds pretty good that something will be out of alignment.
  
 Not sure what you mean by distortion, but partial contact between the adapters could cause all sorts of shenanigans from hiss/static to volume and perceived tone issues.
  
 After researching this a bit more, the distortion might be caused by impedance mismatch or worse, a temporary short. Every way I have thought about trying to do this with just wires will create a short where the amp's output drivers can try drive each other instead of your headphones. Once the Left and Right wires touch each other, either in the middle or by connecting them to the same pin/ring, the signal can bypass the headphone drivers depending on resistance/impedance. So, you have to first sum the signal and then split signal without a low-resistance path between left and right. I did find a note from Rane that addresses the summing part (http://www.rane.com/note109.html). Unfortunately, the Rane note refers to summing circuits for subwoofers after a beefy active crossover network, so the diagrams may not apply to headphones and full-range sound. 
  
https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/71903/how-could-i-build-a-headphone-stereo-to-mono-converter
  
 I cannot vouch for the above circuit as my basic understanding of LR circuits only goes as far as isolated circuits, not combined between an amplifier and transducers. We have beefy resistors, Electrolytic (I assume) Capacitors, and bleeder resistors for those caps...Gonna make a pretty ugly cable!
  
 I wonder if beefy diodes may work or not. Again, I know what diodes do, but not how they might affect a circuit or sound.
  
 Your problem does not appear to have a simple solution...


----------



## Stegosaurus

paladin79 said:


> The engineering staff at the local university use little else besides Belden, I have worked with those gentlemen on many occasions. They (Belden) have some ofc wire in some of their three wire cables as I recall but i do not have the part numbers in front of me. Canare is good, I use their connectors mostly but those are now made in China, sigh.
> 
> The story on which Hoosiers is based has to do with tiny Milan high school and a famous last minute shot to win the championship. There are 12 high schools in the US that seat more than 10,000, Indiana has ten of them lol. Anyway I digress, good luck with the cables, I have to finish installing some french doors and then I want to see if I can build a Bottlehead Crack in 6 hours so I have my day planned, oh and I am cooking outdoors late tonight as well.


 
 Good to know that Americans still make quality goods. Ill defiantly look for their products in the future.
 Enjoy the crack build...looks like fun!
 Marion High where I grew up is the 6th largest I think.


----------



## Stegosaurus

paladin79 said:


> Mouser Electronics has them.
> 
> http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Switchcraft/880X/?qs=iwvYsH9bSFbKw1hXLRZXaA%3D%3D&gclid=Cj0KEQjwicfHBRCh6KaMp4-asKgBEiQA8GH2x1UzzkFBxvW6mFMAu9KpNtPPn-XY-QdsDk3IVSxsx1caAt2_8P8HAQ
> 
> The 880 model, and they are quality connectors. I am using some Switchcraft in a couple Bottlehead Crack builds because they use nickel covered brass.


 
 Is this a mono sub mini plug? The original is a stereo sub mini.


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> Is this a mono sub mini plug? The original is a stereo sub mini.


 
 That is a mono, I was thinking you mentioned a mono going to each side of the headphones but if you need stereo on one side I am sure Switchcraft would build them as well. I will repeat, I do not know those particular headphones and I lack the time to look them up right now. This is why I thought you had two mono connectors.
  
  
  with 2.5 mini's male (headphone) 
  
  
 You used the term 2.5 mini's male, that sounds plural to me, thus I figured mono per channel. It is easy enough to look up TS and TRS connectors so you know when a connector is mono and when it is stereo. Those are pretty basic things if you want to build some cables. I can explain it to you but i cannot comprehend it for you.


----------



## caecillius

I got the 502-850X from Mouser, they're about 4 dollars cheaper per connector than the 880X. Not sure the difference other than color(?). http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=iwvYsH9bSFa9I0XHZl7b1Q%3d%3d
  
 The 880X says the housing is "metal" versus "black" for the 850 but I'm pretty sure it's also metal. It doesn't feel like plastic but I could be wrong. My VP of Eng. used to be a Switchcraft rep so I scored some brownie points at work for these. Plus, I like the look as they are tiny and unobtrusive, so many of the others have either larger plastic bodied or are much longer than the Switchcraft models. I bought some other versions to compare because they were super cheap and Amazon is evil but they just don't compare in my mind.
  
 UPDATE: The 880X is shielded while the 850X isn't. Paladin79 can speak to whether the shielding is actually necessary but in my usage I've not had a problem with the 850X and interference of any kind.


----------



## caecillius

stegosaurus said:


> Is this a mono sub mini plug? The original is a stereo sub mini.


 
 Mono works fine. Not sure why Hifiman used stereo but it's not necessary.


----------



## Paladin79

Thanks for the stereo/mono explanation and i see why there was some confusion. I have some headphones that take 3,5 mm stereo on both sides and they wired the tip as hot and the ring as ground, it was enough to confuse people trying to replace the cables if they had never used an ohmmeter before. I believe those connectors use nickel over copper alloy for the plug and the housing is anodized copper alloy. 
  
 It is close enough to my liking to be considered brass. I am building two amps whose exposed metal will be copper, brass or gold so I searched all over for housings I could remove the nickel plating from to expose the color metal I wanted and Switchcraft was my choice.


----------



## Stegosaurus

caecillius said:


> I got the 502-850X from Mouser, they're about 4 dollars cheaper per connector than the 880X. Not sure the difference other than color(?). http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=iwvYsH9bSFa9I0XHZl7b1Q%3d%3d
> 
> The 880X says the housing is "metal" versus "black" for the 850 but I'm pretty sure it's also metal. It doesn't feel like plastic but I could be wrong. My VP of Eng. used to be a Switchcraft rep so I scored some brownie points at work for these. Plus, I like the look as they are tiny and unobtrusive, so many of the others have either larger plastic bodied or are much longer than the Switchcraft models. I bought some other versions to compare because they were super cheap and Amazon is evil but they just don't compare in my mind.
> 
> UPDATE: The 880X is shielded while the 850X isn't. Paladin79 can speak to whether the shielding is actually necessary but in my usage I've not had a problem with the 850X and interference of any kind.


 
 Thanks. I"ll give them some consideration. I"d like for my cables to be quality but saving is always good too especially if they work well.
 Also, thanks for the clarification on the stereo/mono plugs.


----------



## Paladin79

caecillius said:


> I got the 502-850X from Mouser, they're about 4 dollars cheaper per connector than the 880X. Not sure the difference other than color(?). http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=iwvYsH9bSFa9I0XHZl7b1Q%3d%3d
> 
> The 880X says the housing is "metal" versus "black" for the 850 but I'm pretty sure it's also metal. It doesn't feel like plastic but I could be wrong. My VP of Eng. used to be a Switchcraft rep so I scored some brownie points at work for these. Plus, I like the look as they are tiny and unobtrusive, so many of the others have either larger plastic bodied or are much longer than the Switchcraft models. I bought some other versions to compare because they were super cheap and Amazon is evil but they just don't compare in my mind.
> 
> UPDATE: The 880X is shielded while the 850X isn't. Paladin79 can speak to whether the shielding is actually necessary but in my usage I've not had a problem with the 850X and interference of any kind.


 
 I have not noticed interference with the plastic housings as well. I am more apt to use the metal for durability reason. 
  
 Caecillius I am in your area a couple times a year, my son and his family are in Fairfax county near Wolf Trap.


----------



## caecillius

I'm just down Rt7 in Sterling a couple of miles away. PM if you are in the area and want to grab a drink or just talk tech.


----------



## Allanmarcus

For this looking for a 2.5mm mono plug with solder lugs and extended pole, I have found two.
  
 PlusSound
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
 $15 / pair
 Very nice looking
  
 AliExpress
 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-Pieces-2-5mm-Male-Headphone-Plug-Male-Stereo-Audio-Connector-For-Cable-Adapter/32580136003.html
 Claims to be gold plated
 $4.81 / pair
 $16.33 / 5 pairs


----------



## Paladin79

caecillius said:


> I'm just down Rt7 in Sterling a couple of miles away. PM if you are in the area and want to grab a drink or just talk tech.


 
 Will do, you are the third head-fier I know in that area now. Microzotl is not far away in Maryland, I will make it there one day as well. High quality OTL amps.
 Naturally I fly into Dulles, I see you are north of that. 
  

 I just got done building a stock Bottlehead Crack, and found I did not have the right length RCA cables so I threw together some Belden 1800F with Neutrik PROFI connectors. I built directional cables and my preamp is a Valhalla 2 so tubes all the way. (Green cables plugged into back of amp.)  I was a little anxious to hear the amp so build time on the cables, seven minutes.


----------



## 1yay1

quick question: will i have any problems with microphonics with techflex? I want to use 4 strand mic cable, wrapped with techflex (bigger diameter until split, then smaller diameter after)


----------



## Paladin79

1yay1 said:


> quick question: will i have any problems with microphonics with techflex? I want to use 4 strand mic cable, wrapped with techflex (bigger diameter until split, then smaller diame


 
  
  

 it has a rough texture and I believe it is made of nylon or a plastic so you can have microphonics with it. I try to go with softer materials that have some cotton in them myself.


----------



## Allanmarcus

1yay1 said:


> quick question: will i have any problems with microphonics with techflex? I want to use 4 strand mic cable, wrapped with techflex (bigger diameter until split, then smaller diameter after)


 

 there a many types of tech flex. which one are you thinking of using? Multifilament nylon tech flex isn't too bad, and has the protective benefits of nylon. The cotton stuff Paladin79 refers to is very soft, but may not be as protective. it's a tradeoff. Many people use Paracord or even shoelaces. Lot's of options.
  
 One thing that I think it true regardless of what you use. If you pull it very tight over the wire, it will be more noisy. Pull it tight, then pull back a little and give the sleeve some slack, maybe a few inches of sleeving, then cut it.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> there a many types of tech flex. which one are you thinking of using? Multifilament nylon tech flex isn't too bad, and has the protective benefits of nylon. The cotton stuff Paladin79 refers to is very soft, but may not be as protective. it's a tradeoff. Many people use Paracord or even shoelaces. Lot's of options.
> 
> One thing that I think it true regardless of what you use. If you pull it very tight over the wire, it will be more noisy. Pull it tight, then pull back a little and give the sleeve some slack, maybe a few inches of sleeving, then cut it.


 

 What I said was, I use a material with SOME cotton in it, it also has a much smaller nylon mesh for strength. It is very smooth to the touch and lacks the roughness of most any techflex product I have tried.  I think Allan is thinking of something he has used or tried but it is NOT what I was referring to lol.
  
 I will also add that I had this material made up to my specs and unless someone broke into my office in the middle of the night there is no way someone could be describing what I am referring to.


----------



## Allanmarcus

paladin79 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > there a many types of tech flex. which one are you thinking of using? Multifilament nylon tech flex isn't too bad, and has the protective benefits of nylon. The cotton stuff Paladin79 refers to is very soft, but may not be as protective. it's a tradeoff. Many people use Paracord or even shoelaces. Lot's of options.
> ...


 

 Sounds interesting. I was thinking of cotton or silk sleeving. Looks great, but can get dirty easily. 
  
 Stuff like this from PlusSoundAudio is very nice:
 http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/components.html
 Black, White, Silver available. 
  
 Paracord and shoelaces are also good. I've used TechFlex Nylon Multifilament with good results, but it can be a bit noisy. 
 You can search eBay for "BRAIDED NYLON SLEEVING tech flex" and find some 25' lengths for under $5, which might be good to experiment with. 
  If the wires are looser int he sleeve, they will be more flexible and less noisy. Too loose and it feel weird. 
  
 DoubleHelex Cables has "pure white cotton sleeve", but i gotta wonder about the durability of the stuff. 
 https://doublehelixcables.com/product/dhc-pure-white-cotton-sleeve/
  
 parts Connexion has "pure silk tubing"
 http://www.partsconnexion.com/tubing_silk.html
 I have no personal experience with this stuff, but it looks interesting. Not cheap
  
@Paladin79 - can you post a link to an example of what you are referring to? I think you posted a pic of some purple stuff a while back. I'm always looking for something interesting.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> Sounds interesting. I was thinking of cotton or silk sleeving. Looks great, but can get dirty easily.
> 
> Stuff like this from PlusSoundAudio is very nice:
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/components.html
> ...


 

 I will try to post a photo when I get back to my office.  There is no link to an example, I have my specs for what I had made but those will only be in the product description if I go with this fabric/braid.
  
 I had a pretty good idea what you were referring to Allan and I generally go in my own direction on this type of product. I want something that will tighten down and conform to a cable but lacks the microphonics of nylon mesh or plastic.


----------



## SVTong

I know that ViaBlue also has some of the cotton/nylon hybrid sleeving, but they are hard to come by and it's pretty expensive.

 http://www.takefiveaudio.com/categories/269-viablue-high-quality-cable-sleeve
  
 http://www.viablue.de/com/sleeves.shtml


----------



## Paladin79

svtong said:


> I know that ViaBlue also has some of the cotton/nylon hybrid sleeving, but they are hard to come by and it's pretty expensive.
> 
> http://www.takefiveaudio.com/categories/269-viablue-high-quality-cable-sleeve
> 
> http://www.viablue.de/com/sleeves.shtml


 


 I cannot speak for anyone else but I think it would be nice to find such product at a reasonable price that had inside diameters listed so you knew what wire or cable would fit into it and what it might shrink down to when taught. A good variety of colors and patterns would be good as well. Perhaps they could offer some 24 and 26 awg ofc wire of good quality also.  Someone should work on that.


----------



## Happytalk

xenheadfi said:


> The fiddly-ness of the adapters are because they are probably not made to the same spec. I have a cheap HOSA 1/4" to 1/8" that just does not seem to work with about 20% of my 1/4" connectors. You have 3 adapters, making the odds pretty good that something will be out of alignment.
> 
> Not sure what you mean by distortion, but partial contact between the adapters could cause all sorts of shenanigans from hiss/static to volume and perceived tone issues.
> 
> ...




Thanks! This has been my inference, but I thought I'd ask the experts. I've seen a little box somewhere that does this. Just can't find it. Was hoping for a cable, but I'm officially all in this hobby and don't mind stacking components wth a rubber band during my commutes. I'll report back if I find the box and if it is an acceptable solution. Maybe one or two folks are interested.


----------



## 1yay1

allanmarcus said:


> there a many types of tech flex. which one are you thinking of using? Multifilament nylon tech flex isn't too bad, and has the protective benefits of nylon. The cotton stuff Paladin79 refers to is very soft, but may not be as protective. it's a tradeoff. Many people use Paracord or even shoelaces. Lot's of options.
> 
> One thing that I think it true regardless of what you use. If you pull it very tight over the wire, it will be more noisy. Pull it tight, then pull back a little and give the sleeve some slack, maybe a few inches of sleeving, then cut it.


 
 I was asking about this type of techflex: https://www.techflex.org/de/engmaschiges-design-geflecht-flexo-tight-weave.html or this: https://www.techflex.org/de/kabelschlauch-extrem-dehnbar-over-expanded.html and it's microphonics. Paracord i tried, but it had very slight microphonics it seemed.
 My HD800 cable is looking like **** by now, and i really want to make something nice looking to replace it.


----------



## Allanmarcus

1yay1 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > there a many types of tech flex. which one are you thinking of using? Multifilament nylon tech flex isn't too bad, and has the protective benefits of nylon. The cotton stuff Paladin79 refers to is very soft, but may not be as protective. it's a tradeoff. Many people use Paracord or even shoelaces. Lot's of options.
> ...




Both of those would not be good for a headphone cable. Way too stiff. The only tech flex I would recommend is nylon multifiliment. Your profile doesn't say what country you are in. The reason I ask is that if you're in Germany or Europe you can get the summer sc-peacock mk2 cable which is probably the least microphonic cable out there. It's the same cable beyerdynamic used on the T1 gen 1. You can get it in the USA but shipping on a small quantity might be expensive.


----------



## 1yay1

Yes i'm in Germany.
 You mean something like this?
 https://www.thomann.de/de/sommer_cable_square_4core_mkii_highflex.htm?ref=search_rslt_sommer+cable+4+core_184718_1
  
 this is pretty much what i planned on using. just wanted to make it better looking with some sort of wrapping that actually fits the outer diameter and is available in europe/germany


----------



## Allanmarcus

1yay1 said:


> Yes i'm in Germany.
> You mean something like this?
> https://www.thomann.de/de/sommer_cable_square_4core_mkii_highflex.htm?ref=search_rslt_sommer+cable+4+core_184718_1
> 
> this is pretty much what i planned on using. just wanted to make it better looking with some sort of wrapping that actually fits the outer diameter and is available in europe/germany


 

 Nope, this:
  
 http://shop.sommercable.com/en/Cables/Bulk-Cables-Audio/Patch-Mikrofonkabel-SC-Peacock-MKII-200-0551.html
  
 Buy a few meters of this, solder the connectors, and you are done. No tech flex needed.


----------



## 1yay1

Well yes, but it won't look cool 
 I would like to wrap the same cable in some sort of cotton or whatever


----------



## Allanmarcus

1yay1 said:


> Well yes, but it won't look cool
> I would like to wrap the same cable in some sort of cotton or whatever




You can wrap the part between the Y split and the main connector with sleeping and leave the two wires between the Y and the tips bare. That might be a good compromise between cool and non-noisy.


----------



## 1yay1

allanmarcus said:


> You can wrap the part between the Y split and the main connector with sleeping and leave the two wires between the Y and the tips bare. That might be a good compromise between cool and non-noisy.


 
  
 What about using something like this in two different sizes, thicker pre split, and thinner ones post. Seems to be only shop i can find that seels cotton sleeves
 https://shop.strato.de/epages/15261498.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/15261498/Categories/Gewebeschlauch/Baumwolle
 https://shop.strato.de/epages/15261498.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/15261498/Categories/Gewebeschlauch/DIOLEN
  
 Alternatively, the sommer cable also exists in blue, which looks pretty good and i would just use that one instead of the normal black one.
  
 Now what is a good source for hd800 connectors? I could only find some from aliexpress or ebay.com, don't want to spend huge amount on boutique brand connectors. Just don't want them to have a bad fit or connection issues. 
 Headphone plug i will use good ol' neutrik, worked perfect so far.


----------



## Paladin79

1yay1 said:


> What about using something like this in two different sizes, thicker pre split, and thinner ones post. Seems to be only shop i can find that seels cotton sleeves
> https://shop.strato.de/epages/15261498.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/15261498/Categories/Gewebeschlauch/Baumwolle
> https://shop.strato.de/epages/15261498.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/15261498/Categories/Gewebeschlauch/DIOLEN
> 
> ...


 

 I see some of the cables for the HD800's using TA4f connectors, those are available by Amphenol, Switchcraft, and Neutrik but I have a feeling you need the standard connector. Maybe either type can be used?


----------



## Allanmarcus

1yay1 said:


> allanmarcus said:
> 
> 
> > You can wrap the part between the Y split and the main connector with sleeping and leave the two wires between the Y and the tips bare. That might be a good compromise between cool and non-noisy.
> ...


 

 Unfortunately I cannot read those web sites, but the pictures look OK. The sleeving looks soft. If they are cotton or silk they get dirty rather easily, so you might want to get a dark color.
  
 As for connectors, the HD-800 connectors are not cheap. expect to pay 20-50 euros, or more. Even Lunashops is not cheap - $36 is the cheapest.
  
 You also have to be *very* careful when you solder the wire to the tips. It's quite easy to melt the tip. You can get extras from lunashops for $11, but then you have to wait. The HD800 tips are one of the hardest to solder.


----------



## Paladin79

I am checking out some of the Switchcraft  880x 2.5 mm mono connectors, they are quite tiny and lightweight but with Switchcraft quality. Cable opening is only about 3.25 mm but that should be fine for a couple strands of 24 awg wire.  Oftentimes you can tell the better connectors just by fit and finish, the screw threads on some imports are pretty bad.


----------



## 1yay1

allanmarcus said:


> Unfortunately I cannot read those web sites, but the pictures look OK. The sleeving looks soft. If they are cotton or silk they get dirty rather easily, so you might want to get a dark color.
> 
> As for connectors, the HD-800 connectors are not cheap. expect to pay 20-50 euros, or more. Even Lunashops is not cheap - $36 is the cheapest.
> 
> You also have to be *very* careful when you solder the wire to the tips. It's quite easy to melt the tip. You can get extras from lunashops for $11, but then you have to wait. The HD800 tips are one of the hardest to solder.


 
 Yes those are 100% cotton as far as i can tell, but i think i will try the normal blue one


----------



## Stegosaurus

Paladin79
 Cool Bottlehead! Maybe some day I'll be skilled enough to try a build like that.
  
 So I got some equipment delivered to the house yesterday. A new Weller wtcpt (old hand me down was shot), a panavise, star quad and a few different connectors. I'm excited to try my new equipment and create my new cables.  A few quick questions though...what is the best tip and solder for the project? Is it necessary to use flux on cables? I keep reading conflicting advice online. Thanks!


----------



## SVTong

@Allanmarcus,  Do you have any experience with the BTG Audio 26ga wire?  It's only 30 strands, but I'm not sure if the polyethylene coating is any more flexible than teflon.  Most of the cable that I've stripped down from my local suppliers is 17 strand, so I'm going to have to go online for my IEMs.


----------



## Allanmarcus

svtong said:


> @Allanmarcus,  Do you have any experience with the BTG Audio 26ga wire?  It's only 30 strands, but I'm not sure if the polyethylene coating is any more flexible than teflon.  Most of the cable that I've stripped down from my local suppliers is 17 strand, so I'm going to have to go online for my IEMs.


 
  
 Nope, sorry.


----------



## Paladin79

So I got some equipment delivered to the house yesterday. A new Weller wtcpt (old hand me down was shot), a panavise, star quad and a few different connectors. I'm excited to try my new equipment and create my new cables.  A few quick questions though...what is the best tip and solder for the project? Is it necessary to use flux on cables? I keep reading conflicting advice online. Thanks!
  
  
  
 On the Weller tips the last number on them indicates temperature. PTM8 is 800 degree, PTP7 is 700, personally I prefer 800 but 700 will work for you. If you are doing large connectors like quarter inch, I prefer PTM8s, that is a medium width tip, for finer work something like a PTP7 or so would be good. You want to buy rosin core solder something like Kester .031 diameter SN60PB60. This is 60/40 tin to lead ration and has been a standard in the industry for many years. A good solder to start with. If you cannot locate the solder tips by those numbers I will look at some this weekend and get you better numbers. They change every now and then, Allied Electronics is a good source for some of these parts but Markertek should have them as well.
  
 Occasionally you might need a little additional rosin flux but for most soldering, what is in the center of the solder should be sufficient. Remember to head the joint then apply the solder, this keeps you from burning off the rosin before it cleans the solder joint.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I read somewhere its a good idea to use some flux when twisting together some wire, then tinning the twisted wire before tinning. it. For example, I create headphone cables with 8 or 16 strands. That means I have to twist together 2 or 4 wires before soldering them to the connectors. I will twist the wires together, dip then in a little flux, then tin the wires (learn about tinning, if you don't know already - lot's of YouTube on tinning). I'm not sure if this use of flux makes anything better, but I'd like to think so.


----------



## Stegosaurus

paladin79 said:


> So I got some equipment delivered to the house yesterday. A new Weller wtcpt (old hand me down was shot), a panavise, star quad and a few different connectors. I'm excited to try my new equipment and create my new cables.  A few quick questions though...what is the best tip and solder for the project? Is it necessary to use flux on cables? I keep reading conflicting advice online. Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Hey,Thanks Again Tom! Great info! Ill add that stuff to my order.


----------



## Stegosaurus

allanmarcus said:


> I read somewhere its a good idea to use some flux when twisting together some wire, then tinning the twisted wire before tinning. it. For example, I create headphone cables with 8 or 16 strands. That means I have to twist together 2 or 4 wires before soldering them to the connectors. I will twist the wires together, dip then in a little flux, then tin the wires (learn about tinning, if you don't know already - lot's of YouTube on tinning). I'm not sure if this use of flux makes anything better, but I'd like to think so.


 
 Thank you Allanmarcus! I don't know much about this end of our hobby, so I appreciate all the info. I'll ck out some Youtube vids.


----------



## Paladin79

allanmarcus said:


> I read somewhere its a good idea to use some flux when twisting together some wire, then tinning the twisted wire before tinning. it. For example, I create headphone cables with 8 or 16 strands. That means I have to twist together 2 or 4 wires before soldering them to the connectors. I will twist the wires together, dip then in a little flux, then tin the wires (learn about tinning, if you don't know already - lot's of YouTube on tinning). I'm not sure if this use of flux makes anything better, but I'd like to think so.


 
 I am sure there are some very good YouTube videos out there as well as some good forum advice. You need to consider the source on some things and be a little cautious. I have seen some scary YouTube videos and some very bad advice dished out by well meaning people.


----------



## Paladin79

PTM8 and PTK7 . I have used the PTM8 for many years but occasionally for really fine soldering I will go with something really pointed like the PTK7.
  
 My setup is probably different than most, I will have as many as three irons going with different tips so i do not have to stop and change tips. I recently built several hundred 4 pin mini xlrs to quarter inch cpnnectors so i wanted at least two tip sizes. There is very little lost motion when I solder and being a bit ambidextrous with tools does not hurt as well. You can buy extra sponges for the Weller, new barrels, and entire new hand held irons that you just plug into the base. If you know what you are doing you can even change the heater element and switch inside the iron but that is not a job for beginners.
  
  
 Quote: 





stegosaurus said:


> Thank you Allanmarcus! I don't know much about this end of our hobby, so I appreciate all the info. I'll ck out some Youtube vids.


 
  


stegosaurus said:


> Hey,Thanks Again Tom! Great info! Ill add that stuff to my order.


 

 Pardon me if the numbers are slightly off, the actual solder has size on it in hundredths of inches, when you go to buy it the seller might describe it differently. If you have any trouble I will be working in my shop at home this weekend and I can better look some of the things up then. Generally I rarely use additional flux unless the surface is hard to clean with the flux inside the solder and that is exceptionally rare. Its use with a solder pot is another matter but you need to get some basics down before jumping into something like that.


----------



## musicfan145

If you have an old cheap soldering iron you're not using, but you don't yet have a hot knife to cleanly cut paracord and Tech-Flex, check this out:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/845262/diy-hot-knife-made-from-a-soldering-iron#post_13447029


----------



## Paladin79

Great idea, there are all kinds of hot knives out there, some for cutting Styrofoam or trimming feathers when fletching. This one is not expensive and would certainly do the job:
  
https://www.amazon.com/Walnut-Hollow-Professional-Cutting-Stencils/dp/B003GXF4EK/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_cp_10?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B003GXF4EK&pd_rd_r=GNG8Y5Z6VAH4QKFJNP7P&pd_rd_w=R04iI&pd_rd_wg=gmUDi&psc=1&refRID=GNG8Y5Z6VAH4QKFJNP7P
  
 Tom


----------



## Stegosaurus

^^^^^
 Hey guys. Thanks for all the great Ideas, tips, and suggestions. I picked up some of the suggested solder and a few different tips this past weekend while I was out of town. Im going to play around with making a few basic cables this weekend. 
 Tom...thanks again!
 Ill also keep the old soldering iron for the paracord. Thats a great Idea Musicfan!
  
 Speaking of paracord...any suggestions on size?/ or any good sources? Can I just paracord over the rubber cover on the star quad or will I have better results braiding?


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> ^^^^^
> Hey guys. Thanks for all the great Ideas, tips, and suggestions. I picked up some of the suggested solder and a few different tips this past weekend while I was out of town. Im going to play around with making a few basic cables this weekend.
> Tom...thanks again!
> Ill also keep the old soldering iron for the paracord. Thats a great Idea Musicfan!
> ...


 

 You can paracord over star quad or use smaller paracord for individual wires. 550 should be large enough for star quad but it can vary in size between suppliers. 275 is generally the size I use with 24 awg with jacket.
  
 Better results...hmmm. It is probably more eye appealing to do a braid but are the results actually better than if you left the star quad in tact. I have used a lot of both and if you skillfully braid paracord, I doubt you would diminish the sound much compared to the original star quad. You cannot make music sound better than the original recording but you can try to not diminish what you start with. My suggestion would be to braid one using the wires from inside star quad, and then listen to it against the original. If you are equally happy with both results, do whichever one you prefer.
  
 How you perceive sound is fairly subjective after a certain point. I have built headphone cables where I am happier with the result than the original cable and some where I could not tell a difference. Get some star quad, look up four wire braiding, and play around. 
  
 Generally speaking if I do a braid, I try to use three wires if going trs to trs, four wires for balanced cables. Generally I use ofc wire but have experimented with Litz, OCC copper and silver, etc.


----------



## Bubblejuice

Does anyone know where I can get a decent stereo 1/4" female connector?
  
 I need to make a decent 2' extension cable for my LCD-2 custom cable since it's a little to short for my desk. 
  
 I need to make a 1/4" female to 3.5mm angled male cable.


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> Does anyone know where I can get a decent stereo 1/4" female connector?
> 
> I need to make a decent 2' extension cable for my LCD-2 custom cable since it's a little to short for my desk.
> 
> I need to make a 1/4" female to 3.5mm angled male cable.


 

 Markertek carries Neutrik (Rean), that is what I use. If you need stereo I will put up a link soon. I also use Switchcraft, here are links for both brands, TRS and TS.
  
https://www.markertek.com/product/sw131/switchcraft-131-1-4-inch-3-conductor-female-cable-mount-jack
  
https://www.markertek.com/product/sw121/switchcraft-121-1-4-inch-2-conductor-female-cable-mount-jack
  
https://www.markertek.com/product/nys2202p/rean-nys2202p-full-metal-2-pole-1-4-inch-cable-jack-1-4-inch-mono-ts-female
  
https://www.markertek.com/product/nys2203p/rean-nys2203p-full-metal-3-pole-1-4-inch-cable-jack-1-4-inch-stereo-trs-female-cable-jack


----------



## Bubblejuice

paladin79 said:


> Markertek carries Neutrik (Rean), that is what I use. If you need stereo I will put up a link soon. I also use Switchcraft, here are links for both brands, TRS and TS.
> 
> https://www.markertek.com/product/sw131/switchcraft-131-1-4-inch-3-conductor-female-cable-mount-jack
> 
> ...


 
 Thank you! It's been difficult for me to find these, lol.
  
 I'm not sure if I need stereo or not though, I assume headphones use stereo jacks since my cable is terminated with a 1/4". I assume stereo means there's a place to solder a left, right, and ground cable


----------



## Paladin79

If it has two small bands separating conductors, it is stereo, tip ring and sleeve (TRS)
  
 Mono is one small band, tip and sleeve (TS)
  
 Yours should be stereo, I was in a hurry and figured that is what you needed and listed both types. The TRS and TS applies to 1/4 inch, 3.5 mm and 2.4 mm plugs and jacks.
  
 If they describe them as three conductor they are stereo. Sometimes it is just the key words and spacing you use when searching for a connector. I buy several hundred a week of various types so I am fairly used to it.


----------



## Stegosaurus

paladin79 said:


> Generally speaking if I do a braid, I try to use three wires if going trs to trs, four wires for balanced cables. Generally I use ofc wire but have experimented with Litz, OCC copper and silver, etc.


 
 Hopefully, I got the right materials to make my cables:
  
Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad 
 http://www.markertek.com/Attachments/ProductSpecs/StarQuad-Specs.pdf
  
Switchcraft 297 TRS 1/4 Inch Phone Plug Cable End-solder terminals
 http://www.markertek.com/Attachments/Specifications/Switchcraft/297-Specifications.pdf
  
 Swithchcraft 880x 2.5 mm
 http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/393/850X_855X_880X_CD-477045.pdf
  
 So I guess the star quad isn't ofc??? Doesn't say it is in the description. Bummer...


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> Hopefully, I got the right materials to make my cables:
> 
> Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad
> http://www.markertek.com/Attachments/ProductSpecs/StarQuad-Specs.pdf
> ...


 

 Mogami uses some that is. It has been a while since I read much on the Canare but some companies do not always list that info, same with Belden.  I do believe the Canare is ofc though, if you do enough research I bet you can find out.
  
 I cannot pull up that PDF on the switchcraft 1/4 inch but if you go with Amphenol or Neutrik they will lock onto the cable better.
https://www.markertek.com/product/np3c/neutrik-np3c-1-4-inch-trs-male-cable-plug
  
 This connector in black and gold is quite good and you would love the way it locks onto the cable.
  
 Tom


----------



## Bubblejuice

paladin79 said:


> If it has two small bands separating conductors, it is stereo, tip ring and sleeve (TRS)
> 
> Mono is one small band, tip and sleeve (TS)
> 
> ...


 
 Yeah! The cable is definitely stereo lol. I'm just not sure how to know whether the female connector is stereo or not 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Oh ok, awesome! Thank you!
  
 Just out of curiosity though, which do you recommend, the Rean or the Switchcraft?


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> Yeah! The cable is definitely stereo lol. I'm just not sure how to know whether the female connector is stereo or not
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 Both are quality connectors, I use both brands as well as Amphenol. Rean is best on price; between myself and my workers we have sent out more Rean (neutrik) on cables than any other brand, I have never had one fail as far as quarter inch or XLR. I can only recall replacing about two of the 3.5 mm in 12 years. I do prefer their locking system on their larger connectors. The cable itself would probably break before a wire coming off the inside contacts when pulled with a lot of force.


----------



## Bubblejuice

paladin79 said:


> Both are quality connectors, I use both brands as well as Amphenol. Rean is best on price; between myself and my workers we have sent out more Rean (neutrik) on cables than any other brand, I have never had one fail as far as quarter inch or XLR. I can only recall replacing about two of the 3.5 mm in 12 years. I do prefer their locking system on their larger connectors. The cable itself would probably break before a wire coming off the inside contacts when pulled with a lot of force.


 
 Geez, that's awesome! 
  
 Thank you! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 
  
 Would this 3.5mm be a good match up?
  
 http://www.markertek.com/product/ntp3rc/neutrik-ntp3rc-3-5mm-stereo-right-angle-mini-plug-nickel-nickel


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> Geez, that's awesome!
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> ...


 

 I have used hundreds of those and they are great. They also have a gold and black version of that connector as well. It is the only 3.5 mm right angle I use unless I need an extended tip.


----------



## Bubblejuice

paladin79 said:


> I have used hundreds of those and they are great. They also have a gold and black version of that connector as well. It is the only 3.5 mm right angle I use unless I need an extended tip.


 
 Oh, awesome! It's surprising how cheap these are on this site. This same angled connector is twice the price + Shipping on amazon.
  
 While I'm here though, I have a quick question about wire. Lately I've just be stripping the wire out of cheap audio cables I have lying around. However, if I wanted to use a "slightly" nicer cable than some scrap cable, what am I looking for? Can I use speaker cable?


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> Oh, awesome! It's surprising how cheap these are on this site. This same angled connector is twice the price + Shipping on amazon.
> 
> While I'm here though, I have a quick question about wire. Lately I've just be stripping the wire out of cheap audio cables I have lying around. However, if I wanted to use a "slightly" nicer cable than some scrap cable, what am I looking for? Can I use speaker cable?


 

 speaker cable is fairly large gauge compared to most things you would use to build a headphone cable. The smaller the number, the larger the gauge. I generally use 24 awg for headphone cables, some use 26 awg. Most speaker wire is at least 16 gauge which you would never fit into that small of a connector. You also want to do twisted pair. Read up on that if you get a chance. Strand count is a factor too and can affect flexibility and conductivity.


----------



## Bubblejuice

paladin79 said:


> speaker cable is fairly large gauge compared to most things you would use to build a headphone cable. The smaller the number, the larger the gauge. I generally use 24 awg for headphone cables, some use 26 awg. Most speaker wire is at least 16 gauge which you would never fit into that small of a connector. You also want to do twisted pair. Read up on that if you get a chance. Strand count is a factor too and can affect flexibility and conductivity.


 
 Oh ok! So if I want to get some online, I just look for 24 awg speaker wire?


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> Oh ok! So if I want to get some online, I just look for 24 awg speaker wire?



No speaker wire is larger gauge. You can look for 24 awg stranded wire but you want high quality wire for say headphone cables. I will try to explain more later.

Are you located in the USA? If so I can send you some quality cable, 24 awg ofc so you will not have to hunt around for it and then you will understand what I am talking about. Are you attempting to build headphone cables?


----------



## buke9

Don't use speaker wire. There are as Tom says much better and will not break the bank. Most here use microphone cable and with good results. Most speaker wire has a large diameter cover also so much harder to fit in the connectors.


----------



## Bubblejuice

paladin79 said:


> No speaker wire is larger gauge. You can look for 24 awg stranded wire but you want high quality wire for say headphone cables. I will try to explain more later.
> 
> Are you located in the USA? If so I can send you some quality cable, 24 awg ofc so you will not have to hunt around for it and then you will understand what I am talking about. Are you attempting to build headphone cables?


 
 Oh ok. I was jus wondering since I have some GE speaker wire I bought at Walmart to connect some bookshelves to my CD player. It's fairly thin.  It's probably not a big issue considering this is just an extension, but then I realized it probably wouldn't fit the connectors (since you mention it). 
  
 Yeah, I'm in AZ. I would definitely appreciate that, I'm still new to this (and hi-fi audio in general). I am starting to just a little. I made a tiny 3" cable out of scrap parts to connect my JDSlab O2 with my Scarlett 2i2 (I posted it on the Custom cable display thread). I'm sure my next one will come out better. I'm starting out with shorter length cables like this extension and what not. 
  


buke9 said:


> Don't use speaker wire. There are as Tom says much better and will not break the bank. Most here use microphone cable and with good results. Most speaker wire has a large diameter cover also so much harder to fit in the connectors.


 
 Oh yeah, I did notice the wrap was really thick on the speaker wire.  So there's no "headphone" specific wires out there? (Other than the pretty expensive silver/Cryo-copper ones sold by custom cable manufacturers, I guess).


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> Oh ok. I was jus wondering since I have some GE speaker wire I bought at Walmart to connect some bookshelves to my CD player. It's fairly thin.  It's probably not a big issue considering this is just an extension, but then I realized it probably wouldn't fit the connectors (since you mention it).
> 
> Yeah, I'm in AZ. I would definitely appreciate that, I'm still new to this (and hi-fi audio in general). I am starting to just a little. I made a tiny 3" cable out of scrap parts to connect my JDSlab O2 with my Scarlett 2i2 (I posted it on the Custom cable display thread). I'm sure my next one will come out better. I'm starting out with shorter length cables like this extension and what not.
> 
> Oh yeah, I did notice the wrap was really thick on the speaker wire.  So there's no "headphone" specific wires out there? (Other than the pretty expensive silver/Cryo-copper ones sold by custom cable manufacturers, I guess).


 
 Do as Buke said and get some star quad microphone cable or standard microphone cable and get the wires from that if need be lol. It is hard to find 24 awg ofc sold by itself in spools. I would send you some free but you did not say if you are in the states. If not in the states look for Mogami or Canare star quad and get the 24 or 26 awg wires from that and you will have decent inexpensive wire.


----------



## Bubblejuice

paladin79 said:


> Do as Buke said and get some star quad microphone cable or standard microphone cable and get the wires from that if need be lol. It is hard to find 24 awg ofc sold by itself in spools. I would send you some but you did not say if you are in the states. If not in the states look for Mogami or Canare star quad and get the 24 or 26 awg wires from that and you will have decent inexpensive wire.


 
 Oh ok! Aren't microphone cables super thick though?
  
 Yeah, I'm in the US, in Arizona (I put AZ, sorry I didn't make that clear 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





). 
  
 Like this one?
  
 http://www.guitarcenter.com/Mogami/WG253400656-Bulk-Quad-Mic-Cable-Black-Sold-Per-Foot.gc
  
 Does that bring all three little cables inside?


----------



## buke9

bubblejuice said:


> Oh ok. I was jus wondering since I have some GE speaker wire I bought at Walmart to connect some bookshelves to my CD player. It's fairly thin.  It's probably not a big issue considering this is just an extension, but then I realized it probably wouldn't fit the connectors (since you mention it).
> 
> Yeah, I'm in AZ. I would definitely appreciate that, I'm still new to this (and hi-fi audio in general). I am starting to just a little. I made a tiny 3" cable out of scrap parts to connect my JDSlab O2 with my Scarlett 2i2 (I posted it on the Custom cable display thread). I'm sure my next one will come out better. I'm starting out with shorter length cables like this extension and what not.
> 
> Oh yeah, I did notice the wrap was really thick on the speaker wire.  So there's no "headphone" specific wires out there? (Other than the pretty expensive silver/Cryo-copper ones sold by custom cable manufacturers, I guess).


Like I said most here use microphone cable by Belden or Mogami plus others. It is not real expensive but you can a lot for some wire that is for sure. BTG audio has some wire that is not outrageous if you want to make a braided cable with no paracord or other coverings.


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> Oh ok! Aren't microphone cables super thick though?
> 
> Yeah, I'm in the US, in Arizona (I put AZ, sorry I didn't make that clear
> 
> ...


 
 There are little wires inside, quad mean four, thus four wires and a ground. Normal microphone cables has two small wires and a ground. Sorry I did not see the AZ reference till later. If what you see there is expensive I will send you some free if you like. You can PM me your address and such.


----------



## Bubblejuice

paladin79 said:


> There are little wires inside, quad mean four, thus four wires and a ground. Normal microphone cables has two small wires and a ground. Sorry I did not see the AZ reference till later. If what you see there is expensive I will send you some free if you like. You can PM me your address and such.


 
 No no, I don't want to cause any burden. Plus, if you sent me free wire, I would insist on paying shipping, so it'll probably come out the same. No point in making you waste your supply. But I really appreciate it! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 If this Mogami wire is good, then I'll go ahead and get some! Now... if I get a Quad wire, would that just mean that I wouldn't use 1 of the wires? or do I connect two wires to ground or something?
  
 Also, how much wire do you recommend is ideal for a project. Meaning, if I want to make a 2 foot cable, how much wire should I buy, from your experience making cables (In case of mistakes, or having to cut ends, etc)?


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> No no, I don't want to cause any burden. Plus, if you sent me free wire, I would insist on paying shipping, so it'll probably come out the same. No point in making you waste your supply. But I really appreciate it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 You can use just three wires unless you are building a balanced cable. If they will sell you three feet you would have more than enough but it is silly to buy such a small amount and pay shipping when 8 feet might be the same shipping cost. Using three wires you can have left channel, right channel and ground. It is a common ground. If you do a braid, three feet would probably get you close to two feet of actual cable.
  
 You can see the specs of that cable at the bottom of their page, that will help you a lot. I know the company in that add fairly well, they are close to me lol.


----------



## Bubblejuice

paladin79 said:


> You can use just three wires unless you are building a balanced cable. If they will sell you three feet you would have more than enough but it is silly to buy such a small amount and pay shipping when 8 feet might be the same shipping cost. Using three wires you can have left channel, right channel and ground. It is a common ground. If you do a braid, three feet would probably get you close to two feet of actual cable.
> 
> You can see the specs of that cable at the bottom of their page, that will help you a lot. I know the company in that add fairly well, they are close to me lol.


 
 Oh, yeah that makes sense. I mean it says it's available to pick up at a near by guitar center, so I'll just do that. But I'll order 8 ft anyways since I think I'll be making more soon enough.
  
 How would you make a balanced cable with the 4th wire?
  
  
 Haha I'm not sure what any of the specs mean lol 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'll just have to take your word for it that it's the right one.


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> Oh, yeah that makes sense. I mean it says it's available to pick up at a near by guitar center, so I'll just do that. But I'll order 8 ft anyways since I think I'll be making more soon enough.
> 
> How would you make a balanced cable with the 4th wire?
> 
> ...


 
 On a balanced cable the left and right channel each have their own separate grounds, thus four wires. Look at headphones with wires going to each cup. You can then use a balanced amp and keep everything separate, the theory being the sound will not bleed over like it might on a three wire cable with each channel sharing the same ground. As I said, that is the theory. Some things are easier to measure than to hear. Sometimes when you are dealing with expensive equipment, you can pay a lot for small improvements. If you progress in this, you will learn to decide what is right for you.


----------



## buke9

bubblejuice said:


> Oh, yeah that makes sense. I mean it says it's available to pick up at a near by guitar center, so I'll just do that. But I'll order 8 ft anyways since I think I'll be making more soon enough.
> 
> How would you make a balanced cable with the 4th wire?
> 
> ...


If you don't have a balanced amp no need for a balanced cable.


----------



## Paladin79

buke9 said:


> If you don't have a balanced amp no need for a balanced cable.


 
 Buke is right, if your amp output shares a solid ground, you have to use a connector with that same arrangement so your cable is not balanced anyway.


----------



## Bubblejuice

buke9 said:


> If you don't have a balanced amp no need for a balanced cable.


 
 Haha true, I guess having a spare cable is never bad


----------



## Stegosaurus

"Paladin79" You also want to do twisted pair. Read up on that if you get a chance. Strand count is a factor too and can affect flexibility and conductivity.

So is one to use a twisted pair for each channel and a twisted pair for ground? Then, each twisted pair is insulated by paracord; braided to the "Y", where the two channels go to there respective sides? Where does the ground terminate? Ahhhhhh!!! Once I get it Ill be golden! Hahaha.


----------



## Bubblejuice

stegosaurus said:


> "Paladin79" You also want to do twisted pair. Read up on that if you get a chance. Strand count is a factor too and can affect flexibility and conductivity.
> 
> So is one to use a twisted pair for each channel and a twisted pair for ground? Then, each twisted pair is insulated by paracord; braided to the "Y", where the two channels go to there respective sides? Where does the ground terminate? Ahhhhhh!!! Once I get it Ill be golden! Hahaha.


 
 Wait, so you mean you need to use 2 wires for each channel?


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> "Paladin79" You also want to do twisted pair. Read up on that if you get a chance. Strand count is a factor too and can affect flexibility and conductivity.
> 
> So is one to use a twisted pair for each channel and a twisted pair for ground? Then, each twisted pair is insulated by paracord; braided to the "Y", where the two channels go to there respective sides? Where does the ground terminate? Ahhhhhh!!! Once I get it Ill be golden! Hahaha.


 
 This is going to get complicated. First of all, are you doing a three wire braid, four wire braid, or star quad with each channel separating out? Is there a shield involved?
  
 If dealing with star quad, the wires are properly twisted and shielded. When you get down to each channel and each ground, twist them there. They have no shielding otherwise, twisted pair is a form of shielding. Did I just help or confuse you more? lol


----------



## Paladin79

bubblejuice said:


> Wait, so you mean you need to use 2 wires for each channel?


 
 In effect yes but you are using a common ground when using trs connectors. The ground is shared by each channel. On balanced, each channel has its own ground.
  
 I have a long day tomorrow and need to get some rest. Hey I see Allanmarcus is around, perhaps he can jump in since he is closer to your time zone.


----------



## Stegosaurus

Tom...I'm more confused then ever....haha. I am wanting to do a 3 wire braid. I totally deconstructed the star quad all the way down to the 4 wires.


----------



## buke9

stegosaurus said:


> So is one to use a twisted pair for each channel and a twisted pair for ground? Then, each twisted pair is insulated by paracord; braided to the "Y", where the two channels go to there respective sides? Where does the ground terminate? Ahhhhhh!!! Once I get it Ill be golden! Hahaha.


Twisted pair would be for each channel one for signal or positive and one for ground negative the other twisted pair for the other side.


----------



## Stegosaurus

buke9 said:


> Twisted pair would be for each channel one for signal or positive and one for ground negative the other twisted pair for the other side.




Thanks for the help buke9!
So in layman's speak, if I do a 3 braid:
1/4 plug to "Y"
1st Wire out of 3
 Left channel one of the twisted pair wires carries the left signal.
2nd wire out of 3
Right channel (same as above only for right)
3rd wire out of 3
Twisted ground wires

"Y" to left and right 2.5 submini plug
1st wire out of 2
Left twisted pair plus 1 ground terminated to sub mini
2nd wire out of 2
Same as above only right.
Is this right? Please correct if I'm wrong.
Probably seems so rudimentary, but to me its confusing...lol.


----------



## paecificjr

So, I'm going to be modding my DT770's and I want to keep them single opening. What cable do you guys recommend?


----------



## Bubblejuice

stegosaurus said:


> Thanks for the help buke9!
> So in layman's speak, if I do a 3 braid:
> 1/4 plug to "Y"
> 1st Wire out of 3
> ...


 
 This is only for balanced cables right?


----------



## TAsme

Hello guys!
  
 I have some dumb questions regarding my first cable:
  
 I would like to build a DIY cable for my CIEM with the following product:
https://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product/silver-poison-1ft-7n-26awg-occ-cryo-stranded-silver1-gold-wire-2/
  
 Since the cable is twisted inside, where do I know which end i need to solder to which pin and to which end of the TRRS plug?
 Or did I completely misunderstand it and need 4 of these cables to build 1 cable for my CIEM?
  
 I know those questions might sound dumb, but I would really appreciate a serious answer!
  
 Best regards,
  
 Steve


----------



## Allanmarcus

stegosaurus said:


> buke9 said:
> 
> 
> > Twisted pair would be for each channel one for signal or positive and one for ground negative the other twisted pair for the other side.
> ...





A headphone is just like two speakers, one left and one right. Each speaker has a "hot" wire and a ground wire. Sometimes these are referred to a plus and minus. you need to run two wire from each speaker (or headphone cup, in this case) to the plug. With a single ended plug (one that has only three parts, the tip, the sleeve, and the ring) you run the right hot to the ring, the left hot to the tip, and both grounds to the sleeve.


----------



## Bubblejuice

x blah blah blah x Ignore this


----------



## Allanmarcus

tasme said:


> Hello guys!
> 
> I have some dumb questions regarding my first cable:
> 
> ...




You need four wires of that, two for right and two for left.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Also, this might be helpful to those new to a multimeter. This is how you use it to test to see if one end of a wire is connected to something else.

https://sites.google.com/a/marcusfamily.info/diy/hints-and-tips/testingcontinuity


----------



## Bubblejuice

allanmarcus said:


> Also, this might be helpful to those new to a multimeter. This is how you use it to test to see if one end of a wire is connected to something else.
> 
> https://sites.google.com/a/marcusfamily.info/diy/hints-and-tips/testingcontinuity


 
 Thank you for this link! I was doing this but I didn't know there was a special function on a multimeter for continuity.


----------



## Paladin79

Somewhere in all of this there was a question about why is the wire braided.
  
 Braiding, if done well is a way of using twisted pair with three or more wires. You have to keep the wires from running parallel to each other.
  
 I read this quickly so that may or may not have been answered.
  
 You always have a left channel, a right channel and a ground. In balanced there are two separate grounds, in three wire both the left and right channels share the same ground, thus it is a common ground.


----------



## Stegosaurus

I see why guys just buy the cables...I give up...lol.

Ive got a new soldering iron and panavise for sale if anyone is interested.


----------



## Allanmarcus

stegosaurus said:


> I see why guys just buy the cables...I give up...lol.
> 
> Ive got a new soldering iron and panavise for sale if anyone is interested.




It's not that hard, but it is a hobby. Most people start easy and use shielded coax cable and make RCA interconnects. They end up costing the same or slightly more than premium Monoprice cables, but they are easy to make. You then graduate to quad cable. Simply strip the cable 18 inches down, run each pair of wires through techflex, add some heatshrink to the y, solder, a little more heat shrink, and you have a cable that cost half as much as sells for on eBay. Start getting fancier and you can make cables that sell for 200 that only cost 30. If you get crazy like I do, and some others, you can make cables for $100 that would cost you 500-1000 to buy

The benefit of making your own is mostly in the fun of making them.


----------



## Paladin79

Quote: 





stegosaurus said:


> I see why guys just buy the cables...I give up...lol.
> 
> Ive got a new soldering iron and panavise for sale if anyone is interested.


 

 I tried to get you to start on simple cables lol. There is not a lot to it but you have to spend a little time gaining an understanding of the wire and connections. If you get into braiding it is easier to learn by watching Youtube videos, there are plenty of them out there.
  
 If you are ever up this way visiting, if you stopped in I could probably teach you most anything in an hour or so but that is up to you. If you can talk Anixter out of one of these books they can really help.
  
 Tom


----------



## Stegosaurus

Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime
  
 I know I should learn the theory of basic cables first, then start out making a simple cable, but that would take the fun out of it. 
  
 If all else fails read the directions!


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime
> 
> I know I should learn the theory of basic cables first, then start out making a simple cable, but that would take the fun out of it.
> 
> If all else fails read the directions!


 

 I deal with this stuff daily and use terms that I take for granted so at times I am probably not the best teacher. (even though I have successfully taught electronics, chess, and photography)
  
 Some of the questions get hard though like what wire should I use? Are you building cables for IEM's, or single entry headphones, or dual entry? What connectors will you be using? What look do you prefer? There are a lot of questions.
  
 I cannot go out and easily buy ofc 24 awg stranded wire without approaching a manufacturer and buying 15,000 feet. That is why some folks cut apart the star quad. This is a niche industry and one day some of the wire might be more readily available. Microphone cable and star quad cable has been around for years and sold for years so the wire goes into such cables.


----------



## Stegosaurus

paladin79 said:


> I deal with this stuff daily and use terms that I take for granted so at times I am probably not the best teacher. (even though I have successfully taught electronics, chess, and photography)
> 
> Some of the questions get hard though like what wire should I use? Are you building cables for IEM's, or single entry headphones, or dual entry? What connectors will you be using? What look do you prefer? There are a lot of questions.
> 
> I cannot go out and easily buy ofc 24 awg stranded wire without approaching a manufacturer and buying 15,000 feet. That is why some folks cut apart the star quad. This is a niche industry and one day some of the wire might be more readily available. Microphone cable and star quad cable has been around for years and sold for years so the wire goes into such cables.


 
 I think I understand most of it. But I'm still not sure why there are three braids then down to two after the "Y". I've got a twisted pair for the left, a twisted pair for the right, and a twisted pair for the ground??? Then after the "Y" there is two: where did the third one go???...(scratching head) huhhhh??? I get the basic concept (I think) but not how to piece it all together. Why do you think I went with the chimp avatar?...hahaha!


----------



## Paladin79

stegosaurus said:


> I think I understand most of it. But I'm still not sure why there are three braids then down to two after the "Y". I've got a twisted pair for the left, a twisted pair for the right, and a twisted pair for the ground??? Then after the "Y" there is two: where did the third one go???...(scratching head) huhhhh??? I get the basic concept (I think) but not how to piece it all together. Why do you think I went with the chimp avatar?...hahaha!


 
 Star quad has four inner wires, those are what you have to concern yourself with. There is also a braid which can be another conductor but I will leave that out for now. On one end say you have a TRS connector. One wire goes to left hot, one wire to right hot and two grounds go to ground. On the other end if you go to a dual entry headphone you twist a right channel and a left channel pair. Hot left plus ground left, hot right plus ground right.  The wire within the jacket is already twisted pair in effect so you can leave it alone if you use the jacket.
  
 The end with the TRS connector has the entire cable going into the connector, you only twist the pairs going to the headphones. If you connect the shield to a ground, you should only connect it on one end. The source end. I can explain that if you like but it is not really germane to this discussion.
  
  
  
 If you pull the four wires entirely out, you still wire the four wires the same way. Common ground on the trs end, separate grounds on the dual entry ends. You braid them in this sense to do the same thing twisted pair does.
  
 does that help? This afternoon I will make a couple simple drawings and see if that helps.


----------



## Stegosaurus

paladin79 said:


> Star quad has four inner wires, those are what you have to concern yourself with. There is also a braid which can be another conductor but I will leave that out for now. On one end say you have a TRS connector. One wire goes to left hot, one wire to right hot and two grounds go to ground. On the other end if you go to a dual entry headphone you twist a right channel and a left channel pair. Hot left plus ground left, hot right plus ground right.  The wire within the jacket is already twisted pair in effect so you can leave it alone if you use the jacket.
> 
> The end with the TRS connector has the entire cable going into the connector, you only twist the pairs going to the headphones. If you connect the shield to a ground, you should only connect it on one end. The source end. I can explain that if you like but it is not really germane to this discussion.
> 
> ...


 
 Yes. I believe understand now. Thank you!


----------



## Paladin79

Glad to hear you have it now lol


----------



## buke9

Well just posting so my subscriptions will be back. Almost everything was wiped after the update. Carry on.


----------



## liquidzoo

Same.  Good job to all.


----------



## Paladin79

This will take some getting used to, but I am finding most things on the site now.


----------



## penmarker (Apr 27, 2017)

If i want to make a cable with 8 wire braid, how is it wired?
3L, 3R, 2Ground?

***edit
Oh wait sorry.
so 8 wires, divide into 2 for L R channel = 4 wires each
at the TRS jack, combine -ve from L R = 2L + 2R

That means there will be 2 wires on Tip, 2 wires on Ring, 4 wires on Sleeve right?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Correct


----------



## Paladin79

I am working on 64 wire braid but I need to design a shoulder strap to help support the weight.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> I am working on 64 wire braid but I need to design a shoulder strap to help support the weight.


----------



## Paladin79

Allanmarcus said:


>


Allan I had no idea you even wore glasses! I hope it was obvious I was being facetious. The largest connector opening I have is about 9 mm and I can barely fit a 32 wire braid into that.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> Allan I had no idea you even wore glasses! I hope it was obvious I was being facetious. The largest connector opening I have is about 9 mm and I can barely fit a 32 wire braid into that.



Yes, I knew you were attempting humor 

That pic was taken before I had Lasik!


----------



## Paladin79

It's either joke about it or explain the science and sometimes people do not always accept the science.

Anyway the eight strand makes for a very pretty looking cable. I guess the guys are now doing well with the four braid, no word for a few days. I hope all is well and no one gets too discouraged.

I just ordered some headphones that use Litz wire inside the headphones and ofc cables. I was glad to see them list such things. These are 164 ohm so I am anxious to see how that impedance works out. Build quality seemed to be decent so we will see what happens.


----------



## buke9

I'm just about done with this site it is just too messed up. All of my subscriptions are gone. This has been the worst update I have been a part of.


----------



## Paladin79

It takes some getting used to. I am finding newer subscriptions under account alerts at the top right and older things under unread subscriptions in the top right corner as well. Hang in there Buke. You can mark subscriptions by going down to more options in the lower right hand corner as best I can figure out. I am getting emails once again but that took some time.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> It takes some getting used to. I am finding newer subscriptions under account alerts at the top right and older things under unread subscriptions in the top right corner as well. Hang in there Buke. You can mark subscriptions by going down to more options in the lower right hand corner as best I can figure out. I am getting emails once again but that took some time.




Much worse on mobile. Many features just don't work, and show unread subscriptions isn't an easy option to get to on mobile. Jude and company are working on making the site better, so it will take some time.

Adding multiple ad-blockers helps too.


----------



## Bubblejuice

So, I just made a 2' extension cable for my Plus sound exo cable for my LCD-2.2f,  I've been using the adapter that came with them to plug into my O2 amp, but it was a bit too short.

Everything went fairly smoothly, although it took me quite a while to make last night. It uses the Rean terminations, Mogami wires, it's solid, not too flexible (it's just an extension). It works solidly, but... I noticed something I've never noticed before.

I'm a pretty firm believer that cables don't make a difference in sound, but this cable clearly sounds different to the adapter that came with the LCD-2... I don't understand. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it sounds smoother, less detailed, and possibly slightly more sound stage.

Just to confirm I wasn't going crazy, I asked my brother (who is not an audiophile) to compare both to see if I did a good job, and if it sounds ok. And he confirmed exactly what I was hearing without me hinting at any of those terms.

Does anyone know why this may be happening? I thought I would just sound the same being that they are both made with good quality materials. And they are just extension cables... 

Thanks!


----------



## Stegosaurus (May 1, 2017)

Thanks to all for the help! My first cable.


----------



## Paladin79

It sounds "less detailed"? Cables can sound differently, if you can post a photo of the original adapter that might help a little.


----------



## keberwein

Hey gang, I'm working on my first cable build. I'm using Canare-L-4E5C. I don't like the look of the "litz" style cables, so I was going to keep the sleeve on the Canare. Anyone know if there's a paracord size that will go over the entire Canare cable, jacket and all? Would 550 paracord work maybe?


----------



## Paladin79

550 paracord can vary in size a bit but I have used it on that Canare cable before. It can get a little tight but it is doable.


----------



## keberwein

Paladin79 said:


> 550 paracord can vary in size a bit but I have used it on that Canare cable before. It can get a little tight but it is doable.



Awesome, I ordered some 550. Will let you guys know how it works out. Hopefully I'll be back with some pics!


----------



## Paladin79

It generally stretches to just past a quarter inch. Luckily paracord is not super expensive and if it does not fit, it can be used for um paracord.


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## Bubblejuice (May 1, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


> It sounds "less detailed"? Cables can sound differently, if you can post a photo of the original adapter that might help a little.



Yeah... idk, at first I thought the imaging was wonky, but then I put a binaural video and they performed equally. However, I felt like there was more crunch to the notes, like the details were more forward on the Audeze adapter, and more melded into the music with the adapter I made.

The differences are not subtle, but pretty easy to hear. Neither sounds bad, I'm just surprised there's such a big difference in sound.

This is a link to the adapter that came with my LCD-2:

https://www.audeze.com/products/accessories/14-18-stereo-adapter

My adapter uses Mogami Mic wires, Rean 1//4" female jack, and Neutrik 3.5mm end (not gold plated), I have it held in shape with heat shrink and a braided sleeve on top. The connectors are soldered with lead-free solder, and I put a little hot glue in between to make sure the leads would stay separate (Overly cautious I guess). It's also about 2.5' long from end to end.


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## Paladin79

That looks like a decent adapter so I am not really sure why there would be much difference in sound. It sounds like you made a good sound build though with the addition of the hot glue. Oftentimes that will save you some difficulties if you do not have a really good grommet system on the connector and it can keep paracord from moving around as well.


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## Paladin79

Stegosaurus said:


> Thanks to all for the help! My first cable.


That looks pretty decent. Four wire braid? it is a little tough to tell in the photo.


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## Bubblejuice

Paladin79 said:


> That looks like a decent adapter so I am not really sure why there would be much difference in sound. It sounds like you made a good sound build though with the addition of the hot glue. Oftentimes that will save you some difficulties if you do not have a really good grommet system on the connector and it can keep paracord from moving around as well.



Yeah, It is a pretty good adapter. I don't know why I'm getting a difference in sound. Is there any way to change it? Or is this just something that comes with the DIY territory and using different materials?

Yeah, for sure. I used some heatshrink to hold the braided sleeve to the wire, and then one more layer over it it secure the sleeve to the jacks which I over heated a bit so it would sort of melt into the grooves of the braided sleeve. Now the sleeve is very secure. If you look closely at that heat shrink you can see the light marks of the braid. This sacrificed a bit of flexibility, but it's ok since this wire is not very flexible all-together with all the layers.


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## Paladin79

You can change the connectors on the adapter but I doubt that would change the sound. If there is anyone out there who can actually hear a difference between connectors I have yet to meet them. I have heard cables that can track sound more accurately than others, or cables that offer a different sound when hand braided (could be from a lack of shielding or poor construction) but at such a short distance I am not sure what to say. Impedance is less of a factor at short distances,( under a meter I believe) and that is made up of inductive reactance, capacitive reactance and resistance. Please do not take this the wrong way but sometimes you can go into a test expecting a difference. I recently read where the same wine was put in two different bottles, one was marked $20, the other $5.00 and sommeliers consistently picked the $20 bottle as the better. The labels were reversed without them seeing it and then the opposite wines were chosen when marked $20. You did a sort of blind test by having someone else listen so you were as objective as possible and if the tests were done the same way, there probably is a difference. Audio can be a funny thing sometimes. I also once read where there were some blind tests done with speaker wires where the equipment was totally covered. 7 of 10 people chose some $1.00 cables over some that were $100 up and they were supposed audiophiles. On the adapter you built, make absolutely certain the channels were not reversed and that you are getting good channel separation, if all things are equal, and your diy cable is built properly, it must be a slight difference in the wire itself IMHO>


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## Paladin79 (May 2, 2017)

Here are photos of a hot knife I talked about in a previous post. Great for cutting paracord and even heat shrink tubing if you are quick lol. I am working with some custom cables while employees are on vacation so if you are interested in any photos showing soldering technique or associated skills I can probably get some photos easily enough.


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## Allanmarcus

Bubblejuice said:


> Yeah, It is a pretty good adapter. I don't know why I'm getting a difference in sound. Is there any way to change it? Or is this just something that comes with the DIY territory and using different materials?
> 
> Yeah, for sure. I used some heatshrink to hold the braided sleeve to the wire, and then one more layer over it it secure the sleeve to the jacks which I over heated a bit so it would sort of melt into the grooves of the braided sleeve. Now the sleeve is very secure. If you look closely at that heat shrink you can see the light marks of the braid. This sacrificed a bit of flexibility, but it's ok since this wire is not very flexible all-together with all the layers.




Here are a few things I would try.

1) set your multi-meter to Ohm/automatic. Probe left/right, left/common, right/common. All of these should report 0 ohm as there should be no resistance between two things that should not be connected. If you get another other reading, you have something going on. Might be a short, Might be a fluty cable. Might be a faulty connector. Might be a faulty solder joint.

2) If all the Ohm readings are fine, I would simply reflow the joints.


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## penmarker

penmarker said:


> If i want to make a cable with 8 wire braid, how is it wired?
> 3L, 3R, 2Ground?
> 
> ***edit
> ...





Allanmarcus said:


> Correct


Thank you very much Allanmarcus.
Part 2 of this question

If I'm wiring a headphone with single side termination like the AKG K551, how do I go about doing that?
There are 3 solder pads for L+, R+, Gnd and 8 cores. Should I divide the 8 cores into 3 as best as I can?

Headphone side: 3 L+, 3 R+, 2 Gnd

Or do I still follow the previous config for dual termination headphones?

Headphone side: 2 L+, 2 R+, 4 Gnd.

Neither choices look symmetrical, so I am not too sure as to which to use. (_the only symmetrical decision is omitting 2 cores so it is 2+2+2 on both headphone and stereo jack_)
Will there be any difference?


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## Bubblejuice

Paladin79 said:


> You can change the connectors on the adapter but I doubt that would change the sound. If there is anyone out there who can actually hear a difference between connectors I have yet to meet them. I have heard cables that can track sound more accurately than others, or cables that offer a different sound when hand braided (could be from a lack of shielding or poor construction) but at such a short distance I am not sure what to say. Impedance is less of a factor at short distances,( under a meter I believe) and that is made up of inductive reactance, capacitive reactance and resistance. Please do not take this the wrong way but sometimes you can go into a test expecting a difference. I recently read where the same wine was put in two different bottles, one was marked $20, the other $5.00 and sommeliers consistently picked the $20 bottle as the better. The labels were reversed without them seeing it and then the opposite wines were chosen when marked $20. You did a sort of blind test by having someone else listen so you were as objective as possible and if the tests were done the same way, there probably is a difference. Audio can be a funny thing sometimes. I also once read where there were some blind tests done with speaker wires where the equipment was totally covered. 7 of 10 people chose some $1.00 cables over some that were $100 up and they were supposed audiophiles. On the adapter you built, make absolutely certain the channels were not reversed and that you are getting good channel separation, if all things are equal, and your diy cable is built properly, it must be a slight difference in the wire itself IMHO>



I agree with that 100%. But I honestly was not expecting a difference. I thought a cable was just a cable and it would sound identical. However, after using it normally for about 30 minutes, I realized there was something off about the sound. Not bad, just different. Then I did a blind test where I had my brother change the cables back and forth while I looked the other way. I could tell clearly which was which after many tries. 

I'm not sure what it could be. The channels are definitely right. I actually mixed them up at first on one end and had to cut the wire, clean up the leads, and re-solder them the right way. It works just fine too, everything is great, it just sounds different which really caught me off guard. 

Can different wire usually make an audible difference?


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## Bubblejuice

Allanmarcus said:


> Here are a few things I would try.
> 
> 1) set your multi-meter to Ohm/automatic. Probe left/right, left/common, right/common. All of these should report 0 ohm as there should be no resistance between two things that should not be connected. If you get another other reading, you have something going on. Might be a short, Might be a fluty cable. Might be a faulty connector. Might be a faulty solder joint.
> 
> 2) If all the Ohm readings are fine, I would simply reflow the joints.



I checked continuity with my multimeter before finalizing the build. I wasn't getting any shorts it seems and the wires seemed to be working. I mean, I'm not getting any noise or cutting, it's just a sound signature change. I'll go ahead and try again though, I just hope my leads can reach inside the 1/4" jack leads.

I also made sure the wire was securely looped on the lead before soldering, and then make sure to solder just enough so it had a firm hold. The leads are all separated by a bit a hot glue, just in case.

What is reflow?


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## Allanmarcus (May 4, 2017)

Penmarker:

2 x right x hot
2 x right x common
2 x left x hot
2 x left x common

Perfect symmetry, except 4 wires in this case are connected to ground.



Bubblejiuce:
I didn't suggest checking continuity, I suggested checking resistance,  there is a difference. I has a cable with no continuity between hot and ground, but did have resistance. There was a channel imbalance. Turned out I had a defective plug.

"Reflow" a solder joint means to apply the hot soldering iron to the solder joint again to reheat the solder to liquid state again, and possibly adding a tad more solder, then remove the iron and let the joint cool naturally. This procedures makes sure the joint is good and that a good contact is make. There is no way you can look at a joint and know it's good.


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## Paladin79 (May 3, 2017)

Um, there is a way to look at a solder joint and have a pretty good idea if it is good or bad. A good solder joint should appear shiny, cold solder joints tend to have a milky color and can look more grainy. You can also tug on the wires especially if using Chinese connectors that do  not have solder lugs. (I can generally tell by inspecting these which joints will not hold, solder should flow and not be globbed onto a connector side.)   You can also look to see that the solder flowed all around the conductors in question. Solder inspection can be done, and has been done for decades. There are inspectors in factories who do little else. (I have worked in some so I know. I have also had six weeks of solder training and have taught electronics and soldering for many years.)

One tip that might help when checking a female 3.5 mm or female quarter inch connector is to have a male connector unassembled with the head shell off to plug into said connector. You can then measure male to male using the contacts inside the male connector. One of the first mistakes my people tend to make is to think a female connector is wired the same as a male. On a male connector, ring (red wire) is on the right, on a female connector, ring is on the left as you face the back of a connector. Plugging a male connector into the back of a female then measuring can make sure you have right to right and left to left.

Now as far as resistance, you can have an open state, a shorted state and something called a high impedance short. The last can occur if you get certain types of wire dielectric too hot. One cable can sound louder than another and this occurs more in coaxial cable. A poor solder can cause an intermittent condition where you move the wire around and sometimes it makes contact, sometimes it does not. My people always test for this by moving the wires as they test for resistance. Otherwise to merely measure, the wire might be making contact right then.


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## Allanmarcus

"Um, there is a way to look at a solder joint and have a pretty good idea if it is good or bad"

True. For a really experienced person. For the average DIYer, reflowing the joints is a good rule of thumb troubleshooting technique I learned from building my crack amp and reading expert advice on the bottlehead forum.


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## Paladin79 (May 3, 2017)

I hope it is true, I said it lol. We generally teach people the first day of soldering what a solder joint should look like so it really does not take a lot of experience to learn shiny from dull but I do understand what you are saying. Companies like Bottlehead have to provide info to cover any level of experience. I have seen some of their "expert" advice and most is quite sound. We generally teach people to do it correctly so they do not have to go back over it. I built two crack amps, Dynaco equipment, an oscilloscope, fm radio, cap meter,  and designed and built my own electronics but everyone has to start somewhere. I do this for a living as well as a hobby.  It is never a bad idea to tell someone what a result should be like and I have posted plenty of pictures of proper solder joints.

Companies like Kester do the same thing, they post photos of what a solder joint should and should not look like. If you learn some basics and do it right the first time there is little need to go back and reflow solder. Think about it, even if you do that, it is a good idea to have a basic concept of what the end result should look like.

I am not trying to give you a hard time Allan, I just looked at the statement "There is no way to look at a solder joint and know if it is good or bad."

I recently repaired an amp that someone was going to toss by just looking at the solder joints. (I got it free and it is a very good amp.)  I only hit those I knew were bad and left the good ones alone. Soldering is a very basic part of electronics and not a hard thing to learn to do, and to learn to do well.


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## penmarker

Allanmarcus said:


> Penmarker:
> 
> 2 x right x hot
> 2 x right x common
> ...


I see, thank you very much. It bugs my eyes visually but electrically it should look good from the equipment.


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## Paladin79

If I get a chance I will try to post a small list of basics on soldering along with photos so those new to soldering will have a good idea what to look for.


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## Allanmarcus (May 4, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


> If I get a chance I will try to post a small list of basics on soldering along with photos so those new to soldering will have a good idea what to look for.



Thanks Tom. There's tons on the Web on what is a good joint, and what is a "cold joint". Here's a good one:






here's another with lugs


> Let us examine the lugs numbered left to right.
> 
> This one is just about perfect. All wires and the surface of the lug are covered with solder. Although it doesn't show in the photo there is no ball of solder on the back. This is sometimes a mistake of those with limited experience.
> There are only two wires in this lug and both of them are soldered on both front and back. Even so, the joint likely would be rejected by quality control. However there is no law that says you have to fill the hole. The advantage of this soldering job is that it would be easy to add wires to this lug later. Since writing this I have been informed that production lines which are assembling tube equipment in the old way don't want the hole filled. This allows the quality control inspector to easily tell a good soldering job from a bad one. That makes sense to me. So don't fill the hole and you'll likely pass QC.
> ...



My point is that even with a good solder joint, or one that appears good, a good troubleshooting technique is to reflow the joint to be sure it's good, that's all.


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## Paladin79

I totally understand what you are were saying Allan. I only disagreed with one sentence about you cannot look at a solder joint and tell if it is good or bad. I agree with," if you are new to soldering and you are not sure if your solder joints are correct then you should go back over them and reflow the solder."

There are countless examples out there of new electronic product that has had issues with new ROHS solder. I have repaired many things by just looking over the solder joints and knowing what to look for so that is very good info and what you posted Allan may well help someone fix a home electronic device down the road, or a cable that has become intermittent.


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## 1yay1

Question about wiring, i got the sommer cable peacock for my hd800.
I plan to wire it for balanced, and use an adapter for unbalanced amp.
if i got this correct, i would wire the shield of each cable to the ground tab on the xlr, wire the red/white cable to + and -, and on the headphone side only wire the + and -, and not solder the shield?
then for the trs jack adapter (would use same cable), i would wire the shield on the xlr female side, but don't wire it on the trs jack? attach left and right minus to sleeve of the trs jack.

talking about this cable: https://www.rapidonline.com/sommer-cable-sc-peacock-mkii-speaker-cable-549508

i'm using neutrik jacks for everything else (XLR male, XLR female, TRS male)


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## Paladin79

1yay1 said:


> Question about wiring, i got the sommer cable peacock for my hd800.
> I plan to wire it for balanced, and use an adapter for unbalanced amp.
> if i got this correct, i would wire the shield of each cable to the ground tab on the xlr, wire the red/white cable to + and -, and on the headphone side only wire the + and -, and not solder the shield?
> then for the trs jack adapter (would use same cable), i would wire the shield on the xlr female side, but don't wire it on the trs jack? attach left and right minus to sleeve of the trs jack.
> ...



You are talking about four pin xlr's correct? The only thing I can tell you for sure so far is you do not want to run a shield to ground connections on any two connectors in series. You mentioned running it to a ground tab on the xlr, maybe you meant the shield tab? You have me a bit confused but in a four wire system you have two positives and two grounds and you have a shield in this case. The two negatives from the headphones would end up going to the sleeve of a trs connector and the two positives to the tip and ring respectively. If you attach the shield to the sleeve on an xlr that would still be ok if you are connecting two xlrs together, neither would be taking the shield to ground as such so that would be safe as well.


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## Allanmarcus (May 4, 2017)

1yay1 said:


> Question about wiring, i got the sommer cable peacock for my hd800.
> I plan to wire it for balanced, and use an adapter for unbalanced amp.
> if i got this correct, i would wire the shield of each cable to the ground tab on the xlr, wire the red/white cable to + and -, and on the headphone side only wire the + and -, and not solder the shield?
> then for the trs jack adapter (would use same cable), i would wire the shield on the xlr female side, but don't wire it on the trs jack? attach left and right minus to sleeve of the trs jack.
> ...



I would not connect the shield at all on any of the connectors.

If you think you must, due to high EMI, then only connect the shield to the ground/shield tab on the male XLR, then connect the shield to both the female XLR's ground/shield tab, as well as the shield of the 1/4 plug of the short adapter cable you are making.

The idea is for the shield to act as an antenna for any EMI, and for any such current to "drain" into the ground (earth) of the device you are plugging into. If you don't connect the shield to the ground/shield tab on the female XLR connector, there will be no way for the EMI to drain from the main cable, through the adapter.

But really, if you snip the shield on both sides and just worry about conductor wire, you will be fine.


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## Bubblejuice

This is a pretty noob question but, just to be absolutely sure, I'll ask it anyways. I feel like I'm not using the right words to look this up online. But... I am going to cut a cable in half, and add a 3.5mm female on one end and add a 3.5mm male on the other (to make a cheap removable cable). 

Which leads do I wire to which? (I can't seem to figure it out with diagrams on google, especially when it comes to the female jack). 

Here is the picture of the connectors:

http://imgur.com/a/VikfG

Thanks you!


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## Bubblejuice

Allanmarcus said:


> Penmarker:
> 
> 2 x right x hot
> 2 x right x common
> ...



Ohhh, that makes more sense. Thank you very much! I don't know what it means lol, but I thought they were the same thing. I'll go ahead and check that too. It feels wrong taking it apart since I spent so long building it, but I'd rather have a properly functional cable and a little more experience.

I am new to soldering, but I watched a good video series from the 80s that was recommended to me. Only one of the joints had excess solder. The rest are not bad (not great since I'm still new though). 

However, I may as well ask now, my lead free solder was taking forever to melt  at 217C, so I ramped it up to 500C which melted the solder pretty quickly. Could this mess with the solder/leads? (I didn't touch the iron to the leads for more than 1 second at a time). 

Also, could using a heat gun at 120C over a wire mess with anything about it? There was a lot of heat shrink to shrink on this wire, I tried to not hold it on each part for very long at one time, but some parts like the jacks just retained heat for a bit since they are metal. And the mogami wire isn't very thick.


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## Bubblejuice

Paladin79 said:


> I hope it is true, I said it lol. We generally teach people the first day of soldering what a solder joint should look like so it really does not take a lot of experience to learn shiny from dull but I do understand what you are saying. Companies like Bottlehead have to provide info to cover any level of experience. I have seen some of their "expert" advice and most is quite sound. We generally teach people to do it correctly so they do not have to go back over it. I built two crack amps, Dynaco equipment, an oscilloscope, fm radio, cap meter,  and designed and built my own electronics but everyone has to start somewhere. I do this for a living as well as a hobby.  It is never a bad idea to tell someone what a result should be like and I have posted plenty of pictures of proper solder joints.
> 
> Companies like Kester do the same thing, they post photos of what a solder joint should and should not look like. If you learn some basics and do it right the first time there is little need to go back and reflow solder. Think about it, even if you do that, it is a good idea to have a basic concept of what the end result should look like.
> 
> ...



I watched an old video series on it. It was super informative. I understand what a good joint looks like, but I still need quite a bit of practice to get that type of joint every time. There's so many little things I do that I'm not sure if I'm doing correctly though when I solder. I guess that comes with the territory.


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## Paladin79

I have been pretty busy but I will try to list some basic techniques for soldering when time allows.
 Now on to shielding.

EMI is a factor but so is RFI in any audio circuit containing speakers. (Headphones are in a sense tiny speakers.)
I use shielding whenever possible, even on RCA auxiliary cables. Why?

There are major things that can interfere with electronics, some are natural, some are man made.

In the world we live in, we can get interference, particularly RFI from desktop and Laptop computers, microprocessors, switch mode power supplies, phone chargers, microwave ovens, light dimmers, magnetic lines of flux from the earth, WI-FI, cordless phones etc, etc. etc.

We are now faced with more such EMI/RFI than any time in human history I would think. Analog as well as digital transmissions are out there. Some can come through at high audible levels, some at lower but if you have shielded cable and the choices is to hook up the shield properly or leave it off, I would say hook it up, by all means!!!!!!

I own an RF meter but they are not that common. Here is an easy way to test for RFI/EMI. Get a portable transistor radio with an AM dial. Tune it between stations (white noise) and then move it toward electrical outlets, surge protectors , computers, etc and see if you get a hissing sound. This is a cheap and easy way to test for RFI/EMI.

There are some good AC outlet strips out there with good EMI/RFI protection but there are also some that come from off shore where they do not worry much about FCC regulations. In my downstairs where my audio set up is located, I count 9 things that can produce EMI/RFI. I know about this stuff. I worked with switch mode powers supplies, integrated circuits and such and continue to work with RF circuitry on a daily basis.

Now you need not worry about shielding if you do not have a computer near by, or a phone charger, or have Wi-Fi,  or live on the planet earth then you should be fine without shielding. Twisted pair is a form of shielding but, how good is it when you are manually twisting wires together? I generally use braided cables outdoors away from the electronics in my downstairs. My lighting, camera system, thermostat, computer, TV, all work from wi-fi and yes we have a microwave oven and light dimmers lol.  A simple thing to remember is, twisted pair is good, shielded twisted pair is better. Now it is fun to braid cables and they look neat and they do have some shielding but if asked about star quad cable and there is a shield there, you are certainly not improving things by not hooking it up, and more often than not you are more susceptible to EMI/RFI, that is not opinion, that is fact.


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## 1yay1

Allanmarcus said:


> I would not connect the shield at all on any of the connectors
> [...]
> But really, if you snip the shield on both sides and just worry about conductor wire, you will be fine.



Then why not use the shield as - and the twisted pair as +?


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## Paladin79 (May 5, 2017)

Generally you use a shield for what it is intended for, a shield. By combining a twisted pair you eliminate their benefits in this case if they go to the same point. You can get the signal there but that is not the best way to do it using the cable you are using. Sorry for the quick answer but we are getting ready for cinco de mayo.


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## Allanmarcus

1yay1 said:


> Then why not use the shield as - and the twisted pair as +?



Technically, that would work. The impedance and capacitance of the shield is likely difference than the conductors, so that might have some deleterious effect on sound. Any EMI/RFI being picked up by the shield is much more likely to be transferred to the transducers, so that might not sound good.

All I was saying is that when making the cable adapter, you want to connect the shield on both ends so the shield from the main cable can drain, assuming you connect the shield from the main cable to the shield/ground lug on the XLR connector.

I read some anecdotal reports of disconnecting the shield on an XLR cable made the headphones sound better. This was one guy here at head-fi, and long enough ago that I cannot remember the thread.

I've made a dozen or so cables. Some with shield, some without, some without the shield connected, some with it connected. I cannot hear any difference. YMMV.


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## 1yay1

I'll just keep the shield unconnected then, like you suggested, seems easiest.


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## Paladin79

I have known of people who cannot tell MP3's from 24/192k so if you cannot hear it, build it any way you want I guess lol.

I personally cannot see paying the prices I pay for dac, amp and headphones and then putting anything in the path that would lessen the quality but then some folks are happy with Beats hooked to MP3's on their phones. If you cannot hear it, you cannot hear it.

I do this for a living and have to make sure people in recording studios and such are not getting sub standard product, a DIY'er has the freedom to do anything they wish. Your equipment, your ears. More power to you.


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## Allanmarcus (May 8, 2017)

sorry to bother with this again, but I have another question. I will be making this switch box. 1 set of RCA inputs (from the DAC) to 6 RCA outputs. I will run balanced mic cable between each RCA jack and the switch, connecting the hot to deck 1 (the deck closest to the shaft), and the ground to deck 2. Do I connect the shield for each wire to ground on the RCA side? What do I connect to the switch side shield to, if anything? Or do I join all the shields in the middle, and heat shrink that?

Whoops! Sorry, I meant to send this as a PM. I got confused.


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## Paladin79 (May 8, 2017)

Allanmarcus said:


> sorry to bother with this again, but I have another question. I will be making this switch box. 1 set of RCA inputs (from the DAC) to 6 RCA outputs. I will run balanced mic cable between each RCA jack and the switch, connecting the hot to deck 1 (the deck closest to the shaft), and the ground to deck 2. Do I connect the shield for each wire to ground on the RCA side? What do I connect to the switch side shield to, if anything? Or do I join all the shields in the middle, and heat shrink that?



   I would just attach shield to the ground to the RCA side and not to the switch side. The reasoning is, if you connect both grounds to shields you are creating a loop that will act as an antenna. The shield is in place and I was always taught to shield the source side, which is indeed the RCA connection.  I also found this method used
when talking about internal shielding on amps, if I can locate that article I will post it (it has been months since I read it.)  I build all RCA aux cables this way when using microphone cable, two conductors and shield ground and I am very pleased with the results.  Item number four below is what I am referring to.  There are a lot of people out there I rarely listen to but Bruce Heran has always made sense to me and I find his info to be sound and reliable.

I believe somewhere in this article he mentions twisted pair is good, shielded twisted pair is better. This is what bugged me when advice was given not to connect the shield at either end on star quad wire, Maybe you do not hear a difference now but in the right circumstances you may well hear it. If I measure it and know it is there, I would just as soon eliminate a problem that my ears might not pick up so easily.

http://diyaudioprojects.com/Technical/Grounding-Shielding/


All grounds do not go directly to the chassis.

Absolutely avoid having any ground conductor handling both signal and power returns.

Avoid multiple ground paths for the signal (ground loops).

Use only one end of the shield inside equipment.

Do not connect the chassis directly to the signal or power supply grounds. Isolate it with a type X2 capacitor and parallel resistor.

All grounds must eventually interconnect at a single place. Use a central ground connection for all three common types of grounds. I prefer this to be at the input jack location.


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## Speedskater (May 8, 2017)

> The idea is for the shield to act as an antenna for any EMI, and for any such current to "drain" into the ground (earth) of the device you are plugging into.


EMI current does not drain into the ground (earth).  This current is only interested in returning to it's voltage source, if a shield is a handy path back to it's voltage source then of course it will take it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The real go-to experts on this subject are:
Neil Muncy
Jim Brown
Henry Ott


----------



## Paladin79

Allan means well and there are much nicer ways to describe what he was saying other than "dumb".  A lot of these folks are doing their own experimenting with braiding wires and what they are creating are aesthetically beautiful and for their own usage.
He takes the time to try to help others and like any forum, some things need to be taken with a grain of salt. I have heard of Muncy and Ott but am not familiar with Jim Brown, I will have to check him out sometime.


----------



## Allanmarcus

It's my understanding that headphones and amps are so low impedance that shielding the wire really doesn't add any value. Even so, my recommendation was to connect the shield to the ground lug for the main headphone cable, and to connect the shield to both connectors on the adapter. 

My comment was that if the shield is not connected, it will likely make no difference. i stand by that solely based on personal experience. 

I't certainly possible that connected an unshielded cable to cheap sound card might cause a problem. Also, a fairly long cable might pick up noise.


----------



## Paladin79

I do have to say that I end up plugging aux cables into all kinds of amps and equipment so I am inclined to shield them well. Impedance changes with frequency but we generally know those frequency ranges in designing any product.

 I can only speak for myself here but I am pretty cautious with shielding considering everything I have hooked up in and around my set up. I am experimenting with higher impedance headphones and OTL amps so I try to play it safe there as well.


----------



## 1yay1

Paladin79 said:


> I have known of people who cannot tell MP3's from 24/192k so if you cannot hear it, build it any way you want I guess lol.
> 
> I personally cannot see paying the prices I pay for dac, amp and headphones and then putting anything in the path that would lessen the quality but then some folks are happy with Beats hooked to MP3's on their phones. If you cannot hear it, you cannot hear it.
> 
> I do this for a living and have to make sure people in recording studios and such are not getting sub standard product, a DIY'er has the freedom to do anything they wish. Your equipment, your ears. More power to you.



how would you wire it then in this case? on the headphone connector: + and -, shield not wired. on the xlr male: left and right +/- and shield to ground tab. 
then for the xlr to trs adapter: shield wired on xlr, and left/right +/- just like on the xlr from the headphone cable.
and on the trs wire left + and right + to the corresponding lugs, both left and right - to the sleeve. and then what to do with the shield? leave it unconnected or wire to sleeve?
or am i mixing this up completely.


----------



## Paladin79

It has been a while since I looked at this but, see if this makes sense.

Hook the shield to the ground on the trs. You can continue to hook it to the case on the xlr, not the ground, the shield connection if it has one, but do not hook it to the headphone inputs. You only want to ground the sleeve on one end, the source end. If you hook it to another ground anywhere along the line you have just created a loop.

follow?  Now I would do it because it is there and it cannot hurt anything by having it in place and it could do some good.


----------



## BillsonChang007

I could use some guidance here guys... 
I'm planning to build my own cable for Alpha Dog and looking for the jack to the headphone. I know Mr Speaker sells it own their website but to ship it to where I am, costs twice to 4 times the cost of the actual jack. Any idea where else I could get it? Also how do I rewire them (which is left channel, right channel, ground channel for the jack). I'm familiar with the 3.5mm tho just not the jack for Alpha Dog 

Also looking for a 3.5mm jack for my B&O H6 as well. If anyone have recommendation for it, lemme know! 

Thanks 
Bilson


----------



## Paladin79

The pinout is on MrSpeakers website for those connectors. When I get to work I can look for the exact Hirose numbers on the parts but I believe Markertek, Digikey, and Allied Electronics carries them. They are fairly expensive on those sites but you may save on shipping. Much of this has been discussed on this thread before so If you do a search I bet you can find it. 

I am not sure about the B and O part.


----------



## 1yay1

yes alright, now i understand. thanks


----------



## Speedskater

Shields are not normally used on  loudspeaker or headphone cables.

Note that shields are connected to chassis's, not to grounds (what ever ground may mean in this case). 

For balanced mic cables, the shield needs to be connected at both ends.
But for other balanced interconnect cables:
a] A shield not connected at either end only offers a little shielding.
b] A shield connected at only the receive end offers more shielding.
c] A shield connected at only the send end offers more shielding.
d] A shield connected at both ends offers the most shielding.


----------



## Allanmarcus (May 10, 2017)

BillsonChang007 said:


> I could use some guidance here guys...
> I'm planning to build my own cable for Alpha Dog and looking for the jack to the headphone. I know Mr Speaker sells it own their website but to ship it to where I am, costs twice to 4 times the cost of the actual jack. Any idea where else I could get it? Also how do I rewire them (which is left channel, right channel, ground channel for the jack). I'm familiar with the 3.5mm tho just not the jack for Alpha Dog
> 
> Also looking for a 3.5mm jack for my B&O H6 as well. If anyone have recommendation for it, lemme know!
> ...




Oops, this is the part number to search for
HR10A-7P-4P

Not sure where you live.


----------



## Paladin79

Thanks Allan, you saved me the trouble of looking up the Hirose part. Those parts are more expensive than the ones MrSpeakers sells which is an E-Valucon connector. They can be a little tricky if you have never taken one apart before, if you do proceed and get the connectors contact me and I will help you with disassembly and reassembly.

Now as far as shielding, the person asked specifically how a shield might be hooked up on Star quad cable in his particular application so I addressed that. Later Allan was asking about a switchbox he is building and that was a totally different discussion. I hook up test equipment to my audio set up and trade equipment in and out all the time so my setup is unlike anything most home owners use or have and I tend to explain that when talking about my own usage.

I am also in the middle of building two Bottlehead Crack amps with some serious mods so one of the  sources I mentioned addressed shielding inside such diy amps cause I have received questions and advice about that.

Sometimes it is best to read an entire thread to understand that discussion. You cannot understand a process by stopping it, you must enter  into it, and flow with it. (I am paraphrasing Frank Herbert in Dune, 1st law of Mentat.)


----------



## Bascule

Please forgive my first post in this thread - so far, my reading and research has just confused me! 

I want to make my own set of balanced cables up - I'm ok with a soldering iron and have the basic tools, but would be grateful for some advice on cable choices, and where to source sufficient quantity from in the uk.

I have an Audiolab m-dac+ with proper balanced XLR outputs. I have a Nuforce HA-200 headphone amp and am about to purchase a second one - these have proper balanced XLR inputs designed for use when you have a pair, with each stereo amp then running in balanced mono, proper monoblocks.  So.. if I've got it right, I need to make a pair or male to female xlrs for the feed from dac to amp, and then a balanced headphone cable with two separate xlr connectors.  I'm running a set of Meze 99 Classics, and the connectors into the headphones are available direct from Meze, so that end is sorted.

This, I think, is what I'm trying to achieve:  (not had a properly balanced system before)




 

I'm quite happy to work out the pinouts etc, thats no issue.

However - any advice on what kind of cable to choose to make this from, as well as connector options and where to source it from in the UK... that would be marvellous and gratefully received!

Thanks!  Ben


----------



## Allanmarcus (May 10, 2017)

For the interconnects, I would just get some from Monoprice.

for the headphones, if you have a balanced cable already, make an adapter. If you need to make a full cable, you just need to terminate the amp side with a split Y, each with a 3 pin. Hopefully nuforce has posted the pinouts.

If you really want to make your own, google is your friend. Here's a good article when searching for
3 pin xlr interconnect diy

http://www.psaudio.com/article/how-to-make-a-50-high-end-xlr-interconnect/


----------



## Paladin79

That is a decent article and Mogami is a good cable. Below in comments someone mentions a Canare cable I also use and like. The Neutrik XLR's mentioned are quite good (I just finished a project using several hundred of them myself.)  All of which should be available in the UK I would think.

Very nice setup, I have some Meze IEM's and will probably grab the same headphones one day.


----------



## buke9

Bascule said:


> Please forgive my first post in this thread - so far, my reading and research has just confused me!
> 
> I want to make my own set of balanced cables up - I'm ok with a soldering iron and have the basic tools, but would be grateful for some advice on cable choices, and where to source sufficient quantity from in the uk.
> 
> ...


 Mogami makes very good cables that would be my first choice. Neutrik all the way on the XLR's . It all can be had on Amazon not sure about other vendors in the U.K. though.


----------



## Paladin79

Good to see you back Buke.

From what I can tell Mogami is very available in other countries. I am pretty spoiled myself, tomorrow I should be getting some Akro bins and a rack so i can organize the connectors I keep at home. I like to be able to build most any interconnect cable in ten minutes or so, Y cables take a bit longer. Luckily the expensive wire like OCC I keep in small spools so into the bins they will go as well.


----------



## buke9

The new site change had me a bit miffed but I'm over it now but still have to subscribe to threads that before when you replied to would keep you in the loop but not now. I use my phone almost always and it was the last to get sorted out. The bins sound like they will be nice for you to have. I'm also the permanent custodian of a pair of Meze 99 Classics demos from Meze so they will be heading your way when I get time unless you don't want them. No problem either way.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> The new site change had me a bit miffed but I'm over it now but still have to subscribe to threads that before when you replied to would keep you in the loop but not now. I use my phone almost always and it was the last to get sorted out. The bins sound like they will be nice for you to have. I'm also the permanent custodian of a pair of Meze 99 Classics demos from Meze so they will be heading your way when I get time unless you don't want them. No problem either way.



Click on your name in the upper right, then Preferences, then make sure "Automatically subscribe to threads that you create, or when you reply..." is selected, if you want that option.


----------



## buke9

Allanmarcus said:


> Click on your name in the upper right, then Preferences, then make sure "Automatically subscribe to threads that you create, or when you reply..." is selected, if you want that option.


 Thanks man.


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## Paladin79 (May 10, 2017)

I would love to have them, and will certainly think of something suitbable as a thank you to send your way.

In keeping with the DIY theme, anyone can look up Akro bins to see what I am talking about. They are great for DIY projects and storing parts for future use. Connectors fit well in them but you can get pretty large sizes for rolls of wire and such. You can make a rack for them pretty easily and many are stack able. I am trying to show what akro bins look like but my images keep getting turned sideways, these are supporting four by four inch copper plates.

I was clicking on my name to find things but did not think to pass it on, good catch Allan.


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## buke9

Paladin79 said:


> I would love to have them, and will certainly think of something suitbable as a thank you to send your way.
> 
> In keeping with the DIY theme, anyone can look up Akro bins to see what I am talking about. They are great for DIY projects and storing parts for future use. Connectors fit well in them but you can get pretty large sizes for rolls of wire and such. You can make a rack for them pretty easily and many are stack able. I am trying to show what akro bins look like but my images keep getting turned sideways, these are supporting four by four inch copper plates.
> 
> I was clicking on my name to find things but did not think to pass it on, good catch Allan.


 Once I round everything up they will be on the way. No worries about remittances my friend.


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## Paladin79

If ever you have a desire to build with OFC wire or Amphenol, Neutrik, or Switchcraft connectors just say the word. I am also using some very high end Neutrik RCA connectors that are about $18 a pair so I could do some custom IC's for you most any time. 

Oftentimes you need a nice flexible cable with the small Schitt equipment that will not lift one piece off the other when interconnected. Similar to Pysst cables but more flexible.


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## BillsonChang007

Allanmarcus said:


> Oops, this is the part number to search for
> HR10A-7P-4P
> 
> Not sure where you live.


Thanks so much! What about the wiring tho? Understand there are 4 pins and 2 of which are same. Which is channel and ground respectively? [sorry if its obv qn]



buke9 said:


> The new site change had me a bit miffed but I'm over it now but still have to subscribe to threads that before when you replied to would keep you in the loop but not now. I use my phone almost always and it was the last to get sorted out. The bins sound like they will be nice for you to have. I'm also the permanent custodian of a pair of Meze 99 Classics demos from Meze so they will be heading your way when I get time unless you don't want them. No problem either way.


Theres a subscribe button somewhere right to the title of the threat i think


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## penmarker

BillsonChang007 said:


> Thanks so much! What about the wiring tho? Understand there are 4 pins and 2 of which are same. Which is channel and ground respectively? [sorry if its obv qn]
> 
> 
> Theres a subscribe button somewhere right to the title of the threat i think


Do you currently have the original cable with you? Do you have a multimeter?
Check continuity between the earcup pins and the headphone jack.


----------



## Enderific

Does anyone know where I can find off-white heat shrink? I've searched everywhere with no luck. Really just a source for heat shrink that isn't the standard colors.


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## Paladin79 (May 11, 2017)

The wiring is shown on the MrSpeakers website for 4 pin wiring,

1 L+
2L-
3 nc
4 nc

1R+
2R-
3nc
4nc

NC is no connection


I only know of white and clear heat shrink tubing, no off white sorry.


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## leeperry (May 11, 2017)

So anyone tried the EPC Viablue cable? http://www.viablue.de/com/head_phone_cable_epc.shtml

I plan on building a minijack/minijack cable and I'll keep the cable shielding floating but I always read that ground should run the same section as signal and that oversizing it would help so why do all minijack/minijack cables use 3 wires huh? Even the $100 furutech using rhodium plated pure solid copper plugs for that matter


----------



## buke9

leeperry said:


> So anyone tried the EPC Viablue cable? http://www.viablue.de/com/head_phone_cable_epc.shtml
> 
> I plan on building a minijack/minijack cable and I'll keep the cable shielding floating but I always read that ground should run the same section as signal and that oversizing it would help so why do all minijack/minijack cables use 3 wires huh? Even the $100 furutech using rhodium plated pure solid copper plugs for that matter


 I don't have the upmost knowledge in this but the shielding helps in blocking EMI. Your making a short cable has about zero chance in picking up interference. It is longer runs that do. Sometimes hooking up the shielding to ground on both ends can actually make it an antenna or a ground loop. So best to just leave it or just hook it up to one end going to earth ground. This is just from my reading on the subject so YMMV and I'm not a engineer.


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## Paladin79

This could end up being a lengthy conversation and one I might jump back into later. Most audio cable is twisted pair and that acts as a form of shielding, thus three wires for mini jacks. If you start building with microphone or star quad cable they generally have a shield as well. For most home equipment twisted pair is fine. If someone says, " I have shielded cable, how do I hook up the shield?" I generally try to answer that. Buke is right, it is bad form to attach a shield on each end if you are taking the shield to ground. On a trs connector, you only have left channel, right channel and ground. Introduce an XLR connector and they have a shield connection. Oh and I generally include RFI when talking EMI, sometimes the terms are used interchangeably.

Tom


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## BillsonChang007

Paladin79 said:


> The wiring is shown on the MrSpeakers website for 4 pin wiring,
> 
> 1 L+
> 2L-
> ...


Thanks!


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## leeperry

Humm yeah floating ground only connected on amp side but it seems to me that 3 wires for a single-entry phone cable is far from optimal as ground will be 0.5x signal huh. Viablue EPC-4 is barely heavier than EPC-3 anyway.

Long story short nobody tried that Viablue EPC wire around here?


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## buke9

Paladin79 said:


> This could end up being a lengthy conversation and one I might jump back into later. Most audio cable is twisted pair and that acts as a form of shielding, thus three wires for mini jacks. If you start building with microphone or star quad cable they generally have a shield as well. For most home equipment twisted pair is fine. If someone says, " I have shielded cable, how do I hook up the shield?" I generally try to answer that. Buke is right, it is bad form to attach a shield on each end if you are taking the shield to ground. On a trs connector, you only have left channel, right channel and ground. Introduce an XLR connector and they have a shield connection. Oh and I generally include RFI when talking EMI, sometimes the terms are used interchangeably.
> 
> Tom


  Yes I meant both as they are dealt with the same way. And as the poster said haven't tried the Viablue cable sorry.


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## Paladin79

I have not tried the Viablue either. The only cables I will be building for home use in the near future will be some interconnects using coaxial cable with brass connectors to go with a steampunk theme. I also need to find some kind of cotton braid that will look old school for some associated headphone cables. Maybe black with some whites stripes. My family room is starting to look like a Mad Max movie exploded in it, copper pipe, ancient switches, bakelite and brass clock gears.


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## Paladin79 (May 13, 2017)

This is my quick and easy DIY parts home storage system, when you run out of horizontal space, go vertical with storage bins. They are easily removable and stack for projects. There are also clear plastic bin covers but they cost more than the actual bins. Cost of system, $36 (this is only half the bins I bought), setup time, under twenty minutes. There are larger and smaller bins out there but these are about seven inches deep, four inches tall. I will add labels later but for now they allow me to sort TRS, XLR, RCA, and assorted headphone cable parts and connectors.


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## i luvmusic 2

Paladin79 said:


> I would love to have them, and will certainly think of something suitbable as a thank you to send your way.
> 
> In keeping with the DIY theme, anyone can look up Akro bins to see what I am talking about. They are great for DIY projects and storing parts for future use. Connectors fit well in them but you can get pretty large sizes for rolls of wire and such. You can make a rack for them pretty easily and many are stack able. I am trying to show what akro bins look like but my images keep getting turned sideways, these are supporting four by four inch copper plates.
> 
> I was clicking on my name to find things but did not think to pass it on, good catch Allan.


 WOW! That Patina is really a work of art beautiful.


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## Paladin79

Thanks, I am hoping my cabinets are done soon so I can start assembly. The last thing I will work on will be steampunk headphone cables. I can use brass allow connectors and if I cannot think of anything else I will go with four wire copper braid with a clear jacket so the copper shows through.


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## i luvmusic 2

Paladin79 said:


> Thanks, I am hoping my cabinets are done soon so I can start assembly. The last thing I will work on will be steampunk headphone cables. I can use brass allow connectors and if I cannot think of anything else I will go with four wire copper braid with a clear jacket so the copper shows through.



You really do some fancy and beautiful works that i can only dream of...


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## Paladin79

Most kind of you to say. I will try to post cable photos here and the amp photos on the Crack thread when completed.


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## i luvmusic 2

I can't wait THANKS!


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## NTK1

Hello All, 

Noob here when it comes to audio cabling. I picked up a set of DT770s for cheap and plan on doing the detachable cable mod. While I was in there I wanted to beef up the cabling between the drivers as well. I am not sure of the ideal cable gauge. 

Would something like this work? http://a.co/6dQ5lda


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## Paladin79 (May 17, 2017)

I would not use that wire for cabling in between the drivers, there are much better types of wire on the market. Where are you located? If you are in the states I would send you something much better at no charge. The last thing I would do is lessen the quality of such drivers so you need to use some wire  of equal or better characteristics. Personally if I had those headphones apart I would most likely turn them into dual entry cans. Each of those drivers has three solder tabs if similar to those with which I have experimented. You then only need two short pieces of wire from jack to driver.

Tom


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## 1yay1 (May 17, 2017)

Ok, my cable is almost finished but i need to solder the hd800 connectors - i'm unsure which one is the + and which one the - on mine.
Can someone maybe help me with figuring it out? if someone knows which side on the connector is + and - that would be enough, sides identified with the locking notch or whatever you want to call it.
this is the one i bought:
https://aliexpress.com/item/2-Custo...Cable-DIY-Connectors-Adapter/32324375263.html


----------



## Paladin79

1yay1 said:


> Ok, my cable is almost finished but i need to solder the hd800 connectors - i'm unsure which one is the + and which one the - on mine.
> Can someone maybe help me with figuring it out?
> this is the one i bought:
> https://aliexpress.com/item/2-Custo...Cable-DIY-Connectors-Adapter/32324375263.html


Have you got a meter? The negative should go to the connector body I would think.


----------



## 1yay1

Paladin79 said:


> Have you got a meter? The negative should go to the connector body I would think.


 i do, but the tips are too big for me to measure on the old cable with any precision to find out which of the sides goes to trs sleeve. i pretty much can't measure without touching the body of the connector and the other tip


----------



## Paladin79

Can you get a photo of the inside of the connector? There are tricks you can use like using a paper clip wrapped around your probe, or solid wire, or even solder. It is always good when you can think yourself through a situation. I have to do it on a nearly daily basis with electronics and it is not a bad practice to get into.


----------



## Allanmarcus

1yay1 said:


> Ok, my cable is almost finished but i need to solder the hd800 connectors - i'm unsure which one is the + and which one the - on mine.
> Can someone maybe help me with figuring it out? if someone knows which side on the connector is + and - that would be enough, sides identified with the locking notch or whatever you want to call it.
> this is the one i bought:
> https://aliexpress.com/item/2-Custo...Cable-DIY-Connectors-Adapter/32324375263.html



on the same side as one of the pins is a small plastic protrusion that fits into a slot. The pin on the side with the plastic protrusion is the hot pin.


----------



## 1yay1 (May 17, 2017)

thanks, i'm pretty sure i'm giving up on this cable tho. i tried for two hours now to solder the hd800 connector and i just can't do it. i'm either too untalented to solder such a tiny connector or don't have the equipment needed. sunk way too much money in it sadly. maybe i should cut off the original cables connectors and solder them to the new cable lol


----------



## NTK1

Paladin79 said:


> I would not use that wire for cabling in between the drivers, there are much better types of wire on the market. Where are you located? If you are in the states I would send you something much better at no charge. The last thing I would do is lessen the quality of such drivers so you need to use some wire  of equal or better characteristics. Personally if I had those headphones apart I would most likely turn them into dual entry cans. Each of those drivers has three solder tabs if similar to those with which I have experimented. You then only need two short pieces of wire from jack to driver.
> 
> Tom



State side. I was thinking of that option as well but I have the habit of pulling my headphones back when taking off. Sometimes I almost choke myself taking off my he-350s lol. What sort of connectors would I use if I did each side?


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## i luvmusic 2

Becareful with that voice coil you can easily melt it,I've done it


----------



## Paladin79 (May 17, 2017)

Personally I would use a quality 2.5 or 3.5 mm female since they are readily available. You want to get chassis mount type connectors not cable mount for the females. If I get time later today I will try to look some up. Since you are in the states I will give you enough quality 24 awg wire to rewire the headphones. It really should not take very much, just PM me with an address and I can try to get it mailed tomorrow.

If you want to get fancy on connectors I really like the four pin Hirose and you can buy the appropriate females there but those add a lot of extra cost to the build compared to more common connectors. On 2.5 or 3.5 TRS you can wire the tip and ring together to make a redundant connection that should last a very long time. Even if one connection gets bent you have another in addition to the ground. I have some headphones done this way and the connections have not caused any problems at all.

The voice coils for Beyerdynamics have a small pc board with three lugs on it if similar to ones I have tinkered with, they are not fool proof by any means but there are plenty of drivers that are less rugged.


----------



## Paladin79 (May 17, 2017)

Here is a photo of female, chassis mount TRS, 3.5 mm jacks. They are more plentiful than trying to find mono and probably a better price. This particular jack is 7 mm OD (outside diameter).
They have a locking nut and screw threads so depending on the thickness of the headphones, you can drill a 3mm hole, mount the jack from the inside with only the threads protruding, and set the nut in place to secure the connector. Easy stuff unless there is already an existing hole that is larger. Personally I use tray acrylic to fill in any areas that previously had a hold and then re-drill that after the acrylic sets but that is not a substance I would recommend to beginners.

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/cui-inc/SJ1-43502PM/CP-SJ1-43502PM-ND/5130707

Tom


----------



## Fabs (May 17, 2017)

Hello,

This is my first cable I am starting to make. It's for iem's I want to make.
It went a little bit different that I was planning about.
I planned to put 2 wire into one paracord sleeve but I was a little bit to optimistic that I can stretch it so 2 will fit inside one. 
So I ended up to put every wire into one sleeve. Now it's a little bit thicker.
I used the Mogami 2534 wire.

To finish it I am waiting of the mmcx  and 3.5mm jack connectors I ordered from aliexpress.

The mmcx connectors I found here in Germany always have 50 Ohm. Does this effect the sound quality? I read something about the 50 ohms are only  at higher frequency but not sure about this.


----------



## Paladin79 (May 17, 2017)

It should not affect sound quality, impedance, even in cable is not much of a factor under two meters in length so I doubt seriously whether a connector would make much difference.

50 and 75 ohm ratings are usually for coaxial cable anyway.


----------



## Fabs (May 17, 2017)

So the coaxial cable have the 50 ohm and not the connectors?
Sorry maybe about the stupid questions but I am a little bit confused about this ^^

Here in Germany I only could find domething like this.
https://m.reichelt.de/MCX-MMCX-Steckverbinder/MMCX-ST-178/3/index.html?ACTION=3&LA=2&ARTICLE=79142&GROUPID=7410&artnr=MMCX+ST-178&SEARCH=%2A&SID=93WRykcqwQATMAAB9fAbAbcad83f893e8df99f366b695f86c511f


----------



## Paladin79

Both cable and connectors can be rated for 50 ohm usage. You are hooking two wires to the connector, not a fifty ohm coaxial cable so I doubt you would see much effect if any by using that connector.

50 ohm is used for RF and 75 ohm for television, (previously it was 300 ohm).

In coaxial cable the impedance rating is a way you know how a cable will react to voltage and current but as I said it makes little difference under two meters. 100 meters, yes.

RCA connectors are generally used with 75 ohm  coaxial cable but you can use one with microphone cable or two twisted pair wires as well.

Those connectors will be fine with your wire, headphone manufacturers have used various connectors with no ill effects because of impedance that I am aware of.


----------



## Allanmarcus

The 800 cable is very hard. Tin the wire with a little more solder than you usually would use, then touch it to the pin and apply the solder tip quickly.  It's not easy, and a vise to hold the connector tip is very useful.


----------



## buke9

Also helping hands are a big help also I have two sets so you can position the wire to the connector and leave hands free for the iron and solder.


----------



## penmarker

And flux helps greatly to make the solder flow. Don't cheap out on them.


----------



## buke9

I agree I use flux also even though it is in most solder but a bit of insurance can't hurt.


----------



## Paladin79

I was given a couple gallons of Kester liquid flux by a local distributor, it used to be used a lot more for production work than nowadays. It comes in real handy for use with solder pots since they use bar solder with no flux but I still have a lifetime supply.


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## sharktopus (May 19, 2017)

so, this may be a basic question, but I can't seem to get a straight answer from other websites/instructions I've looked at.  I'm making 3-pin XLR cables with mogami star quad.  So, on the XLR, there are three pins and a shield.  I get that I wire the outer shield to the shield post on both sides.  Then, I assume one wire goes to each pin, with one getting two.  Is this how to wire it correctly?  And if so, does it matter which pin gets two wires?  Some of the instructions I've seen say to use the twisted outer shield to the ground pin, and one pair each to the other two pins.  However, this seems to me like it would void the usefulness of the shielding.


----------



## Paladin79

I would not change the balance between the left and right channels, doubling the wire changes the awg and larger wire conducts more easily. e.g. 14 wire gauge doubled becomes 11 awg, 26 awg becomes 23 or so. (I am not googling this answer so those numbers might be off just a tad.) It should be safe to use two wires to each ground post as long as the shield is not connected to said ground.


----------



## sharktopus

Paladin79 said:


> I would not change the balance between the left and right channels, doubling the wire changes the awg and larger wire conducts more easily. e.g. 14 wire gauge doubled becomes 11 awg, 26 awg becomes 23 or so. (I am not googling this answer so those numbers might be off just a tad.) It should be safe to use two wires to each ground post as long as the shield is not connected to said ground.


So does the third pin just chill out unconnected to anything then?


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## Paladin79 (May 19, 2017)

It really depends on what configuration you are trying to wire. Are you going to use an XLR for each channel or is one xlr going to have left and right channel?  I believe you asked how to wire the three pins and shield using five wires.

You are wiring two balanced cables it sounds like. You can certainly wire two to positive, two to negative and drain to ground. Without knowing the equipment, I would not hook up the shield to the case, you can hook the ground wire to the shield, only one line is really going to chassis ground then so in effect you are just bridging the shield and ground. Use the diagram below, case is optional. Doubling the wires on the positive and negative will not hurt.


----------



## Paladin79




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## Paladin79

If wiring a single xlr for stereo, then I would not put more wires on the left channel than the right channel or vice versa.


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## Whitigir (May 19, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


>




That is correct.  I simply wire short both (1 and NC) of the grounds and connect to chassis ground.  Much easier
On the RCA to XLR build, the shield and the ground is together.  I don't recommend making such cables unless you know for sure that your amp is true balanced out, meaning that it can take SE input and split it into balanced output.  I also don't recommend shielding here, because that make it more susceptible to attracting noises and induce it into your audio signals.  If you want to shield it, perhap only using isolated RCA body shield away from Hot-Cold signals and the XLR connector with Metal body and NC to shield the cables and isolate it away from chassis ground.  I say just use wires and connect to the correct terminal for a simpler adapter.


----------



## rekun

hello guys, I just re-cabled a pair of beyer t51p for the first time because one side went silent.
Bought some UPOCC Litz 24 awg wire and made myself a 4 strands cable.
But then, I found that the headphone becomes very bass heavy.  It was on the heavy side to my taste before the repair so it's now boom boom boom.
I can't tell if the bass went stronger or the mid and treble faded. Tweaking equalizer does help but normally I don't use it.
I know cables change the sound but the change is so drastic I can't help to suspect I screwed it up.
The sound is full, so no bad contacts/solder joints I guess?
Is there any other ways I could have screwed up in the progress?


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## Whitigir (May 19, 2017)

rekun said:


> hello guys, I just re-cabled a pair of beyer t51p for the first time because one side went silent.
> Bought some UPOCC Litz 24 awg wire and made myself a 4 strands cable.
> But then, I found that the headphone becomes very bass heavy.  It was on the heavy side to my taste before the repair so it's now boom boom boom.
> I can't tell if the bass went stronger or the mid and treble faded. Tweaking equalizer does help but normally I don't use it.
> ...



No, the cables either work, or it doesn't.  Bad solder joints will bring sound cutting in and out when you try and move the cables.  Cables and wires materials, even the geometry will affect your sound.  It is common for copper to boost bass, how drastic ? Only you can tell, but if the cables doesn't have sound cutting here and there, you are safe


----------



## rekun

Whitigir said:


> No, the cables either work, or it doesn't.  Bad solder joints will bring sound cutting in and out when you try and move the cables.  Cables and wires materials, even the geometry will affect your sound.  It is common for copper to boost bass, how drastic ? Only you can tell, but if the cables doesn't have sound cutting here and there, you are safe


If I was blindfolded and someone told me it's a pair of beats I would believe it. <--
Mid and treble are muffled. Not as protrude as a pair of beyer should. 
I guess I learned a lesson here that what a cable can do to the sound. I toyed with tens of aftermarket cables for iems before, they do differ but only slightly. Solid silver wire in the future for me then


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## Paladin79 (May 19, 2017)

Thanks for jumping in Whitigir on the XLR question, it is not always easy to answer a question without knowing the equipment or what a person is trying to accomplish.


----------



## sharktopus

Thanks for the help, and sorry about being less than specific.  I was trying to make a pair of basic xlr interconnects like you would used for balanced pro/stage audio equipment.  Straight xlr to xlr.  Is there any specific advantage/disadvantage to jumpering pin 1 and the chassis lug on the xlr connector?  Currently, I just have the shield go to pin 1 on each side.


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## sharktopus

Also, as a side note, I just found this great article detailing wiring diagrams for a whole slew of balanced and single ended interconnect cables: http://www.rane.com/note110.html


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## Whitigir

Shield only to pin 1 will introduce a lot of noises.  That is IME, not sure how to explain it scientifically to you


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## Paladin79

sharktopus said:


> Also, as a side note, I just found this great article detailing wiring diagrams for a whole slew of balanced and single ended interconnect cables: http://www.rane.com/note110.html


Excellent info, I have read that before but it has been a while. One of my diagrams appears to have been borrowed from there by someone else.

I have dealt with this type of thing for years and on occasion I still have to tell audio people to lift a shield at one end to see if the hum disappears. Some things can be tricky to answer and if some of my answers seem obscure, that is not my intention.


----------



## Speedskater

Whitigir said:


> Shield only to pin 1 will introduce a lot of noises.  That is IME, not sure how to explain it scientifically to you


In pro audio, the cable shield only connects to pin #1 (not the shell). Because in pro audio the shell might come in contact with metal at a different potential. That's covered in standard AES54. But theoretically also connecting the shield to the shell is good.

All XLR chassis connectors need to have pin #1 attached to the chassis at the connector. Some hi-fi equipment mistakenly connects it to the audio circuit common.


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## Paladin79

There is AES3 as well as AES54 1,2 and 3 so normally I have to concern myself with types of cable and application. The original question on here had to do with star quad cable and I knew it was going to get tricky at that point, sometimes it is just best to keep it simple with three wires.


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## Whitigir (May 20, 2017)

Speedskater said:


> In pro audio, the cable shield only connects to pin #1 (not the shell). Because in pro audio the shell might come in contact with metal at a different potential. That's covered in standard AES54. But theoretically also connecting the shield to the shell is good.
> 
> All XLR chassis connectors need to have pin #1 attached to the chassis at the connector. Some hi-fi equipment mistakenly connects it to the audio circuit common.



See mine post above, in whatever audio, the body is NC but then there is another NC pin inside and then the Ground 1 pin.  The NC pin if not connected into anything, it will introduce noises.  What is pro-audio to you anyways ? I have experienced these noises in 2 of my setup, a 10K Stax system and Home stereo system .....I guess it is not pro enough to you

The correct way to do the shielding is to connect NC pin into Pin 1, and that means the body shell is also connected into Chassis ground as well.  I do short pin 1 into NC pin with a short wire and make 3 wires with body shield for XLR 3 as it is the best and proper application


Paladin79 said:


> There is AES3 as well as AES54 1,2 and 3 so normally I have to concern myself with types of cable and application. The original question on here had to do with star quad cable and I knew it was going to get tricky at that point, sometimes it is just best to keep it simple with three wires.



Yes, if you don't care about noises.  3 wires without shielding is recommended if you are making RCA or SE into XLR 3 only.  Otherwise, XLR 3 is designed to be properly shielded and balanced.

For everyone clarification, for god sake...chassis ground is not Audio return ground or Audio common or Audio cold or Audio Negative ......Chassis ground is Chassis ground, and Audio ground is Audio Ground.


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## Whitigir (May 20, 2017)

This is the XLR 3 I made for my Stax system

Most audio equipment has the body connected into Chassis ground, and Chassis ground is where most of the noises are absorbed.  If you want a proper setup, you will have to isolate the Body shells away from Chassis ground in all pieces of your chain to properly do it....Most Recording equipments are designed similarly unless you own a studio where you have engineers working on your own leisure....then these people won't be hanging around in here to discuss about these matters anyways. Only small counts of high end equipments and recording equipments are isolated and the same for USB connector


----------



## Paladin79

I mentioned it depends upon application, AES3 uses three wires and it is a balanced digital signal, 110 ohm wire. AES 54 has to take in portable equipment, microphone usage, all types of analog balanced and unbalanced equipment. The vast majority of cables I work with if XLR to XLR are 3 wire, we just finished a thousand or so in many conceivable applications and the customer insisted upon 3 wire for their applications.(this is a major builder of computers, cell phones etc.) I have their original drawings if you doubt my veracity.
 Using a shield in your application sounds like the way to go. I get calls daily from folks who just say XLR male to female and I have yet to have a cable returned when building with the three wire standard, go figure. (I do ask analog or digital of course.)


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## Whitigir

Agreed  hence I still wonder what the guy meant Pro Audio lol...


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## Paladin79 (May 20, 2017)

It was not a slight. AES uses that to mean recording studios, radio stations and such. Unbalanced was generally thought of being used in home audio. I have to ask such things when people are trying to hook mixers up to the back of their 3.5 mm coming off a computer. Some home audio is excellent equipment so the lines are starting to blur a bit. I tend to ask if they are using commercial equipment rather than pro audio.

Get this, the other day I was asked to build a cable going from a trrs connector marked for two channels with their own grounds down to a single xlr on the back of a powered speaker. According to the manufacturer, it sensed if you were using a balanced or unbalanced signal and switched over to balanced using the single 3 pin xlr. I refused to build it, even the customer service people for the speaker company did not seem to be sure it worked lol. The customer then bought another model of the same powered speakers where each speaker had an xlr. I then built it and it worked like a champ. I also once argued with a customer who wanted to go from an hdmi to rgb and he said there were cables sold that would do that. It turns out a company had a game system that switched an hdmi connector from digital to analog internally. You have to understand the application!

I do this for a living and I know when you start hooking two pieces of equipment together it can get a little crazy sometimes.


----------



## Whitigir

Good story  thanks for sharing !


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## Speedskater

Whitigir said:


> ........................................
> Most audio equipment has the body connected into Chassis ground, and Chassis ground is where most of the noises are absorbed.  ..................................................


It would be better to say 'chassis shield' and of course neither the chassis shield or ground absorbs noise. It's just a shield.


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## Whitigir (May 20, 2017)

Speedskater said:


> It would be better to say 'chassis shield' and of course neither the chassis shield or ground absorbs noise. It's just a shield.


Chassis is not a shield....chassis is ground ....what are you on ?

What are noises ? How does the shield work ? How is Ground different than shield ? I will let you find out for yourself


----------



## Paladin79

Moving on, I wonder if the person who asked about XLR's and the star quad ever got a cable made? He is probably realizing why it was hard to find a definitive answer about his situation when he searched the web.

Anyway if anyone sees some antique looking paracord for sale in the states say something. I am in the middle of a steampunk cable build and hope to maintain the theme throughout.  Black with white stripes perhaps.


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## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> Moving on, I wonder if the person who asked about XLR's and the star quad ever got a cable made? He is probably realizing why it was hard to find a definitive answer about his situation when he searched the web.
> 
> Anyway if anyone sees some antique looking paracord for sale in the states say something. I am in the middle of a steampunk cable build and hope to maintain the theme throughout.  Black with white stripes perhaps.



he did. He was at the meet I just attended. Very nice guy and the cables looked great.


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## Augustas

Asgard 2 from 115 to 230 DIY
Hi! I bought Asgard2 which turned out to be a US 115VAC version but I'm living in the Lithuania there is 230VAC. I searched info and have found that it is possible to change voltage from 115v to 230v. by changing jumpers position. Can somebody explain me how to do that? 
I asked Schiit for help but there is their answer "I’m sorry but for legal and liability reasons, we do not provide instructions on how to alter our products. It is against our no user serviceable parts clause."


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## Allanmarcus

Augustas said:


> Asgard 2 from 115 to 230 DIY
> Hi! I bought Asgard2 which turned out to be a US 115VAC version but I'm living in the Lithuania there is 230VAC. I searched info and have found that it is possible to change voltage from 115v to 230v. by changing jumpers position. Can somebody explain me how to do that?
> I asked Schiit for help but there is their answer "I’m sorry but for legal and liability reasons, we do not provide instructions on how to alter our products. It is against our no user serviceable parts clause."


This really isn't a cable question. You might first try some google searching, headfi searching, or start a new thread in the DIY section.


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## Paladin79

This is more of a comment than a question, (I do believe that is allowed). This is my version of steampunk RCA cables. Brass allow headshells that I modified to fit a fairly large coaxial cable made with OFC center and braid. I used silver solder, and I hope to have a matching quarter inch connector for the associated headphone cable. I need to capture the right look for it so I am still experimenting. 
Braided OCC copper might fit the theme. This photo does not do this cable justice, it is a clear jacket over silver braid but the clear pvc is starting to discolor a bit so it looks nearly copper colored.


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## rellik (May 22, 2017)

The question is how will box man Lokke respond to Chernobyl red mercury? Personally im gonna take a sick day hopefuly.

From my limited understanding, that plate on the steampunk should be litteraly illegal...its not even really green or yellow for that matter...showing that is...must be daytime or something...i guess its chile vs lucerne then trapped in endo.?...

Strangely sometimes chassis can even out some ground noise. Rarely do they shield very well. More importantly they really do help to change the overall sonic signature of the amp. They also can help with being a pretty darn quick source of small amounts of energy.


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## Paladin79 (May 22, 2017)

This thread is for DIY cable comment and questions. If there is a thread for general discussion of most anything, perhaps we could take the conversation there?  PM might even work better. Oh and by the way the color turns out to be cyan, it looks quite green in the proper light, blue in others.

Question for Allanmarcus.  Ever done an eight wire braid using all the same jacket color wire?  If that is absurdly difficult what about two colors?  Right now I am lacking the time and patience to undertake it so I am looking for someone else to take it on for a suitable reward.


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## i luvmusic 2

What is a suitable connector that can carry 12.6VDC 5A(cable mount)?Thanks!


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## Paladin79 (May 22, 2017)

What type wire or cable? It would be best to start with that and then I should be able to give you some answers.

Is it for internal wiring in your amp?

Connectors generally have a fairly high rating, you are dealing with about 60 watts so for a short distance are you using say 16 or 18 awg approximately? Insulated spade connectors would easily handle that.


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## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> Question for Allanmarcus. Ever done an eight wire braid using all the same jacket color wire? If that is absurdly difficult what about two colors? Right now I am lacking the time and patience to undertake it so I am looking for someone else to take it on for a suitable reward



I've done a number of two color wires, but not one color. It would not be a problem for a tight wire only braid. I don't think I could do it sleeved in paracord with only one color. I would need some slight variation in color. 

BTW, if anyone want some braided cable, let me know and we can work it out. It's therapy for me, so I have no problem making a few. You just pay for the materials and shipping.


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## Paladin79 (May 22, 2017)

I may go two colors or tight, one color,  wire only but I will only have you do it if I pay for wire, shipping, and give you some extra wire and connectors for your trouble. The coaxial cable I am playing with (I was given long samples) runs $2.00 a foot and would be great for IC or SPDIF cables.


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## i luvmusic 2 (May 22, 2017)

18awg(stranded)  2 conductors 2ft length,Its for my external DC tube heater 6.3/12.6VDC 5A supply.This connector should be  quick disconnect type like an XLR for example.Thanks!


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## spookanide

Hi everyone. Where in the EU do you source decent 2.5mm TRS DIY connectors? (preferably not TRRS, only TS is a no-go)


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## Paladin79 (May 22, 2017)

Luvmusic
There are some Molex connectors that would be fine for your application. See, if they list the pins for 18 awg wire, they pretty well know the amount of power you will be using. Can you order from Digikey? That would be an easy and cheap way to do this, just get plugs and jacks, male and female pins. You can crimp the pins with long nose pliers and solder the wire as well if you are careful.

Molex is a big company, tonight I will look through the connectors I was going to use on an amp and get you some part numbers.

here are digikey numbers for specific pins and connectors that would be quick connect, 18 awg. 2 conductor connectors:

WM3700-ND
WM1030-ND
WM2500CT-ND
WM2501CT-ND


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## rellik

spookanide said:


> Hi everyone. Where in the EU do you source decent 2.5mm TRS DIY connectors? (preferably not TRRS, only TS is a no-go)



I was able to find 3.5 fem to 2.5 male adapters on Ebay. Otherwise I couldnt find a thing on Mouser even...


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## Paladin79

Unless I am reading it wrong the question was about 2.5 mm connectors in Europe, not adapters. Mouser does sell some Switchcraft 2.5 mm mono's, you might search for that brand there and maybe they have TRS as well. I will try to do some more research for the TRS tomorrow but the mfg. part number for the mono is 880x.


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## i luvmusic 2 (May 23, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


> Luvmusic
> There are some Molex connectors that would be fine for your application. See, if they list the pins for 18 awg wire, they pretty well know the amount of power you will be using. Can you order from Digikey? That would be an easy and cheap way to do this, just get plugs and jacks, male and female pins. You can crimp the pins with long nose pliers and solder the wire as well if you are careful.
> 
> Molex is a big company, tonight I will look through the connectors I was going to use on an amp and get you some part numbers.
> ...



Paladin79
  Thank you for the reply!I do have some MOLEX i'am not really comfortable using those for tube application.How about 4 pin XLR instead (2 pins for + and the other 2 for -)can this handle 5 Amps.Thanks again!


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## Allanmarcus

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Paladin79
> Thank you for the reply!I do have some MOLEX i'am not really comfortable using those for tube application.How about 4 pin XLR instead (2 pins for + and the other 2 for -)can this handle 5 Amps.Thanks again!


Is XLR OK to use with power?


----------



## Allanmarcus

spookanide said:


> Hi everyone. Where in the EU do you source decent 2.5mm TRS DIY connectors? (preferably not TRRS, only TS is a no-go)



http://eu.mouser.com/Connectors/Aud...onnectors/_/N-778cv?P=1z0yxtiZ1yzrzf7Z1ywoz7s

might work for you.


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## i luvmusic 2

Allanmarcus said:


> Is XLR OK to use with power?



I have no idea.As long as the XLR can handle 5 Amps i guess it's OK  plus it looks nice too.When it comes to Tubes all connections/solder need to be all solid any lose/cold solder can result into a noise issue.


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## i luvmusic 2

Never mind i got it.....XLR(large) is rated at 50V 10A.


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## Paladin79

k I was going to say, I had not seen the small ones rated at amperage.  Check out the Crack thread for new photo.


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## rellik (May 23, 2017)

Well, if the cans have a TRSS 2.5 on either side you could use a TRS 2.5 if you cut the headband driver connection cable. I think at least.

This would allow you to not use the adapters that I mentioned above which could only make the rig sound worse. You would loose the ability to connect on just one side as the stock setup.

XLR is pretty hefty, they often use it for semi-pro/mobile stage lighting controllers.


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## Paladin79 (May 23, 2017)

I am not exactly sure how a connector can be Tip Ring Sleeve Sleeve, that sounds a bit redundant.

You are correct though about XLR's and lighting, four pin XLR's are used in DMX lighting systems.

Any full size XLR will certainly handle the power but you have to understand the amp rating of a power supply. Because it is rated at 5 amps does not mean it pulls that much current all the time.
Are you running 12 volts or 6.3 in your filament circuit? Power (wattage) is current times voltage. It is how I knew you were talking 18 awg wire. At 6.3 volts, five amperes  (if that) you are only looking at 31.5 watts max. You just left 18 awg territory and you are moving more to 20 or 22 awg.
 Full size XLR's are large and bulky and overkill, but they will handle it lol. The chassis mount male or female do not take up much room though but if both ends are cable mount, you would be taking up a lot of room in the amp.


----------



## rellik

A TRSS connector was initially designed for use of microphone and headphone combos on the same wire.

More recently it has been used for balanced headphone connections or single ended headphone connections with individual seperate grounds for each driver.

Rarely it is used for cable mount volume and track control on a pair of headphones. Often if the microphone isnt used, the track control simply uses one of the driver channels.

TRSS has found its use most recently in the rare 2.5mm miniplug as opposed to 3.5mm miniplug. Some of the major corps Neutrik, Switchcraft, Amphenol may have begun to stock these connectors.

The benefit of 3.5mm miniplug to split channel 2.5mm miniplug is more unidirectional power distribution.


----------



## Allanmarcus

rellik said:


> A TRSS connector was initially designed for use of microphone and headphone combos on the same wire.
> 
> More recently it has been used for balanced headphone connections or single ended headphone connections with individual seperate grounds for each driver.
> 
> ...



Interesting. Can you post a link to one of these? I've never heard of TRSS. I've only heard of TRRS.


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## Paladin79 (May 23, 2017)

I even checked my suppliers and could only find TRRS. Perhaps in some alternate universe there is a TRSS connector but it is one I have not visited. 

I am also working on splitting power and that being unidirectional. Now if only one person is thinking something,  that is generally considered unilateral like I might be thinking it is time for bed whereas Allan is in a different time zone and it is the shank of the evening for him.


----------



## Paladin79

I found some 8 wire braid occ copper to use for a steampunk headphone project. Splitting it off four each side of the headphones I would guess a person can just do a four wire braid on each side?  Either that or do two twisted pair going to each side, twisting a ground with a hot seems like a way to go as well were I to do twisted pair then separate the ground and dual hots once I get to each connector. This probably does not make a lot of sense.


----------



## rellik

I have been to this universe and I insist on it being Devine . JK

Just a typo. TRSS or TRRS.


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## Paladin79

rellik said:


> I have been to this universe and I insist on it being Devine . JK
> 
> Just a typo. TRSS or TRRS.



No animus intended. Earlier were you making a literary Steampunk reference? I did not recognize the characters if that was the case.

Anyway if I get time I will play around with 8 wire braid this weekend and see how I can split it off for dual entry headphones. Copper in a clear jacket should go with my overall build.


----------



## rellik

Hmm, dont know. What is steampunk? Other than a genre of art that is.


----------



## Paladin79

A genre of sci-fi, it can also be called nouveau-Victorian. Think of Verne and Wells, the art is taken from there I would think but I am getting off topic.

Got any ideas for giving headphone cables an aged look to go with copper and bronze styled headphones?  I am doing some clear pvc over copper OCC but I am always open to suggestions. Some photos of what I am talking about are in the Crack thread and California Headphone Company thread.

I was also trying to think through how to split 8 wire braid to split to dual entry headphones.  It seems illogical to me to twist two wires going to the same positive, they would be electrically the same, it is why I may try pairs of positives and grounds twisted then naturally two hot wires to the right positive and two grounds to right  positive.


----------



## rellik (May 27, 2017)

My suggestion would be to look for silicon brass or i prefer silicon bronze wire. Those have a beautiful aged look to them.

The prob is they are mostly plastic since the materials like to migrate. Thus they are very hard to drive due to it being mostly grains of metal in a plastic.

Real Bronze wire is really hard to get since it has to be ultra pure and then have ultra pure aluminum burned into it carefully to avoid vaporizing the bronze. If it is impure, the aluminum alloy process will lock the impurities in place.

The aluminum must also be very pure and specific energetic match or it will either not hold the quite energetic bronze or will gather other materials readily in an almost infinite manner to create ubiquity(What) metal? (AKA _tah)

Tungsten/Titanium alloys are even harder as they take a very very long time of heating and cooling cycles to alloy. Western Titanium/Tungsten true alloys are virtually non existant but strangely do exist in human form...daumn...prob a baddd idea

Bronze and brass can be used but have to be carefully shaped to retain their contents with specific self resonant shapes. If they have to be moved far from thair source of mining, they have to be plated with Tungsten/Titanium or cored with aluminum otherwise they will fade to what we generally consider (gold) (aka colored lead) (funny aluminum).

Silver, Gold, and copper are another game. Almost impossible to not burn to (funny aluminum) (aka energetic lead). Exotic copper such as Tellurium Copper from the Tellurium mine on I-70 between Denver and Vail can have small amounts of energy applied to it. Tellurium Silver has been reported to destroy miners and Tellurium Gold will really mess you up. They all age to the relatively safe Tellurium Copper. In fact the mine still spits out the stuff to a big cauldron.

Sylvanite crystals are pretty much the scariest thing one can witness. If they are really silver has yet to be proven...ala schrodiners kat. Strangely, they like to stay in place...Mica strangely looks silver but behaves like (funny lead) Thank the Founding Fathers? More like the Native American(s)...whatevs.

If anyone still wonders where Mount Holy Cross really is, figure it out...im not telling. Bad serpentine belt eh? I thought Everest/K2 looked difficult...mere weaklings. Just make a sphere, haha, and be sure to use some glue. (hint, negative space, another hint dont go out of bounds from Wildwood or Inner Mongolia, esp Inner Mongolia, esp Inner Mongolia)


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## Paladin79

Yeah thanks for the info, I need something that works well with sound and is easily obtainable so occ copper is fine for my application. I will post some photos if I get the cable done today.


----------



## rellik

Nyce. That should be cool.


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## Whitigir

Paladin, it is off topic, but I love your dog in the avatar


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## Paladin79 (May 27, 2017)

That is a Cairn terrier and Corgi mix, Woodstock is his name. You are forever responsible for that which you tame.

This is that cable i was talking of matching up with a custom amp and headphones, 8 wire braid going down to four wires per channel. I marked all wires with appropriate colored heat shrink tubing to keep them straight. The heatshrink tubing helped when i locked them down inside the clamp of the 3.5 mm connectors. This is one of many cables I will build for this system but for now i wanted the basic copper look. I am using a right angle Neutrik 1/4 inch connector because my headphone jack will be side mount whenever I complete the amp. The modified headphones use stereo 3.5 mm jacks and plugs, tip and ring are connected on each side. A very solid setup with redundancy built in, the sound quality with this cable is getting close to what I hope to achieve with this setup.


----------



## Letmebefrank

Paladin79 said:


> That is a Cairn terrier and Corgi mix, Woodstock is his name. You are forever responsible for that which you tame.
> 
> This is that cable i was talking of matching up with a custom amp and headphones, 8 wire braid going down to four wires per channel. I marked all wires with appropriate colored heat shrink tubing to keep them straight. The heatshrink tubing helped when i locked them down inside the clamp of the 3.5 mm connectors. This is one of many cables I will build for this system but for now i wanted the basic copper look. I am using a right angle Neutrik 1/4 inch connector because my headphone jack will be side mount whenever I complete the amp. The modified headphones use stereo 3.5 mm jacks and plugs, tip and ring are connected on each side. A very solid setup with redundancy built in, the sound quality with this cable is getting close to what I hope to achieve with this setup.



That's a beautiful setup there.


----------



## Paladin79

Letmebefrank said:


> That's a beautiful setup there.



Thanks Frank, I still have some things to do before i am finished but everything is progressing as planned. I figured the quartered oak would give it the aged look I seek. Being a Gemini I often do things in two's so I bought double the wood, copper, and Crack amps as soon as i considered building one. I have a second set of headphones I can modify but I also have some on the way from Massdrop that should be hitting soon. In the event i give one of the amps away I prefer to give new headphones with it.

I listen to a lot of audio cables but the 8 wire OCC is as good or better than anything I own, I hope to build a balanced cable with it over the weekend if I have time.

Tom


----------



## rellik (May 27, 2017)

You mean Old Growth german maple right? Oak would not have those smooth diffuse striations. Much more linear and defined.

Well its just a Oak and a Styrax tree anyways. Mostly Styrax though...
Lets not forget the touch of cactus for that slight vibrancy. Done.
Personally id prefer a touch of conifer.


----------



## Paladin79 (May 27, 2017)

????? What I am using is quarter sawn white  oak, not maple, not pine, not cactus. It is done a lot less now because it wastes wood, but it is still being done.  It is sometimes called tiger oak because of the stripes.


----------



## Brooko

[Mod Comment]
Removed a couple of posts.  Will be watching thread for a while


----------



## Paladin79

Getting back to DIY cables, I will be building a balanced dual 3.5 mm to dual 3.5 mm TRS plugs to go from Pono player to some modified high impedance headphones using the 8 wire braid. It takes longer working with said wire but the results are quite nice IHMO.


----------



## NTK1

Hello All,

I want to make a cable for me new M1060s. I received Rev2, which has dual 2.5mm mono plugs. My questions is terminating the cables to the mono side. I was looking at 4 core cables. I take it two pairs go to each side and one of the wires from the pairs will be the ground?

I was looking at these two type of cables:
http://www.markertek.com/product/mg-2931/mogami-w2931-analog-4-pair-audio-snake-cable-black-per-foot
http://www.markertek.com/product/l-...-star-quad-microphone-cable-by-the-foot-black

Parts list:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/154282044/plussound-25mm-mono-plugs-for-diy-custom
https://www.etsy.com/listing/188309869/plussound-cryo-treated-aluminum-y (black)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/205126567/plussound-cryo-treated-63mm-14-gold?ref=shop_home_active_15


----------



## PLUSSOUND

NTK1 said:


> Parts list:
> https://www.etsy.com/listing/154282044/plussound-25mm-mono-plugs-for-diy-custom
> https://www.etsy.com/listing/188309869/plussound-cryo-treated-aluminum-y (black)
> https://www.etsy.com/listing/205126567/plussound-cryo-treated-63mm-14-gold?ref=shop_home_active_15



You can also order from here:
http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/components.html


----------



## Paladin79

NTK1 said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I want to make a cable for me new M1060s. I received Rev2, which has dual 2.5mm mono plugs. My questions is terminating the cables to the mono side. I was looking at 4 core cables. I take it two pairs go to each side and one of the wires from the pairs will be the ground?
> 
> ...



You can indeed wire it as you mentioned, on the quarter inch side both grounds go together.


----------



## Allanmarcus (May 28, 2017)

NTK1 said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I want to make a cable for me new M1060s. I received Rev2, which has dual 2.5mm mono plugs. My questions is terminating the cables to the mono side. I was looking at 4 core cables. I take it two pairs go to each side and one of the wires from the pairs will be the ground?
> 
> ...




Correct. You will twist the common (ground) wires together at the amp plug side, then solder to the "sleeve" of the plug.

Tip = left
Ring = red = right (all start with R, so easy to remember)
Sleeve = common


----------



## Paladin79

Allanmarcus said:


> Correct. You will twist the common (ground) wires together at the amp plug side, then solder to the "sleeve" of the plug.
> 
> Tip = left
> Ring = right (both start with R, so easy to remember)
> Sleeve = common



The third "R" is red for right channel.  White or black is left. You always have to know that when hooking interconnect cables as well as the left and right headphone sides.


----------



## Paladin79

This is an eight wire Pono balanced cable, four wire braid going to each headphone cup, four wire twisted pair on a short split to the Pono player.  6N OCC copper wire used. I marked each wire with a short piece of heat shrink tubing to keep track throughout the process. Pono output, tip is positive, ring is negative. On the modified CHC cans, tip and ring is hot, (and tied together) sleeve is negative. Testing with a  Noah Wall binaural plus recording


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> This is an eight wire Pono balanced cable, four wire braid going to each headphone cup, four wire twisted pair on a short split to the Pono player.  6N OCC copper wire used. I marked each wire with a short piece of heat shrink tubing to keep track throughout the process. Pono output, tip is positive, ring is negative. On the modified CHC cans, tip and ring is hot, (and tied together) sleeve is negative. Testing with a  Noah Wall binaural plus recording


Can you post a close up of the braid. Hard to see with such a low rez pic.
Did you hand braid?


----------



## Paladin79 (May 29, 2017)

I bought the wire in an 8 wire braid, did the four wire braid myself as well as the four wire twists and naturally all of the soldering. I used clear heat shrink on the twisted pair to help keep them in the proper configuration. The 8 wire braid I purchased was very concise as you can probably tell.
Microphonics non-existent.  I have so many irons in the fire right now this was a quick and easy way to achieve desired results. This cable took a half hour from start to finish.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> I bought the wire in an 8 wire braid, did the four wire braid myself as well as the four wire twists and naturally all of the soldering. I used clear heat shrink on the twisted pair to help keep them in the proper configuration. The 8 wire braid I purchased was very concise as you can probably tell.
> Microphonics non-existent.  I have so many irons in the fire right now this was a quick and easy way to achieve desired results. This cable took a half hour from start to finish.


Very nice!

Can we ask, where did you get the wire?


----------



## Paladin79 (May 29, 2017)

It was a sample by a Chinese supplier I am checking out, so far I do not have the name of the parent company and may or may not get that unless I buy a large amount of wire from them.
Original country of origin is supposed to be Japan.
Quality of material and workmanship is top notch but I just started testing this weekend.

I constantly ask suppliers for such wire and every once and a while someone delivers.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> It was a sample by a Chinese supplier I am checking out, so far I do not have the name of the parent company and may or may not get that unless I buy a large amount of wire from them.
> Original country of origin is supposed to be Japan.
> Quality of material and workmanship is top notch but I just started testing this weekend.


Just a guess,  it sounds like acrolink wire.


----------



## Paladin79 (May 29, 2017)

I am not familiar with acrolink but I will try to check them out sometime. That name is not on what little documentation I have so far. It appears to be 26 awg and cost per meter is up there. I will try to send you a meter or so to check out sometime, I do believe you would like it.

The Chinese term guanxi probably applies here, if you ask for something, a company generally has a network of companies they deal with and trust who might be able to provide that product.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Ok Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

I just spent an hour listening with various pieces of equipment and there is little i can find fault with on this particular cable. I even used it on a sound test this morning put out by NPR that had you pick high res audio from mp3's and the like and it performed better than my ears IMHO.


----------



## Letmebefrank

That wire looks fantastic. I would love to make something like that for my 650s.


----------



## Paladin79

Letmebefrank said:


> That wire looks fantastic. I would love to make something like that for my 650s.



I am sure I could help out at some point, I think I still have connectors for the 650's around as well.


----------



## Letmebefrank

Paladin79 said:


> I am sure I could help out at some point, I think I still have connectors for the 650's around as well.



Sounds like fun!


----------



## Paladin79

You can always stop down sometime and I can show you four wire braiding if you have not tried it so far. If you like I can even have some of the wire ready for solder using the same technique I used on the cables in the photos.


----------



## Letmebefrank

That would be awesome. We'll have to figure out a time to get together.


----------



## Paladin79

I have some of these connectors that I believe are for the HD 650's, they seem like good solid parts and four strand wire should fit into each connector quite well. They do use a set screw but since I mark each wire with heat shrink tubing, there will be added protection when said screw is tightened down.


----------



## Letmebefrank

Those look pretty nice. Better than the ones I've seen online.


----------



## Paladin79

The top portion screws into place and like I said there is a set screw as well. I need to finish up my second amp and then I can have you down and help you build this cable using the same wires. 8 strand OCC copper.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I used these on my last HD650 cable and they were not easy. They were Acrolink and very inexpensive ($5/pr). I could not figure out a way to solder without melting the plastic. I probably needed to use a very pointy solder tip and lower temp, but I was impatient. Maybe for $5 I'll get another pair and practice. There's actually a good blog entry that I need to read on these types of tips. 

Unfortunately the TH900 uses a very similar connector, but not exactly the same. The HD650 connector can be cut down to fit a TH900, but then it's not perfect . The only company I've been able to find that makes a connector specifically for the TH900 Mk2 is Furutech, and they haven't started shipping yet. I'm not sure I'm ready to spend furutech money ($45/pr)


----------



## Paladin79 (May 30, 2017)

Connectors like that are why I like the flexibility of Weller tips, I can change to a very pointed 700 degree tip in a heartbeat.
I may experiment a bit, I have some tiny ferrules that might just plug onto the little metal shafts quite well. You crimp the connectors to the wire so they are solder-less. I can cut these down a bit in size, the wire goes in the portion of the pin on the light blue plastic end. This would be so much easier than soldering directly to the pins and solder would flow readily from the pin to ferrule.
 I also have some tiny molex female pins that might fit nicely as well.

It has been a while since I researched those connectors. Large pin positive Allan?


----------



## Letmebefrank

I have a pair of those acrolink tips, I haven't tried to solder them yet but I wasn't impressed by the quality.


----------



## Paladin79

The ones I have are not Acrolink but I am sure we can get them to work well for your application without melting any plastic.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Just being able to remove the plastic around the solder area would be awesome. What brand connector is show in the picture above?


----------



## Paladin79 (May 30, 2017)

Heck if I know, something I bought a year ago or more lol. I just looked and do not see them on EBAY, I may have ordered them through Alibaba or some such company.

Lunashops has that connector but I do not recall buying them there. If memory serves me, it seems like someone said a long time ago they had trouble receiving product from Lunashops but I may be thinking of another company.

http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5180


Oh and I found a drawing saying the large pin is ground on those plugs. I will have to remember that lol.


----------



## Allanmarcus (May 30, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


> Heck if I know, something I bought a year ago or more lol. I just looked and do not see them on EBAY, I may have ordered them through Alibaba or some such company.
> 
> Lunashops has that connector but I do not recall buying them there. If memory serves me, it seems like someone said a long time ago they had trouble receiving product from Lunashops but I may be thinking of another company.
> 
> ...



LOL! That was me having issues with Lunashops. They are a store of last resort for me.

I'll look on Alibababababa and Ebay and see what else there is.
update: I found them on both places pretty easily.


----------



## Paladin79 (May 30, 2017)

I do recall you saying that, lol.
 They must have advertised on Ebay a while back and I bet I got them from Lunashops that way.

I think I grabbed them last August in case Frank needed a cable made for his 650's, he is semi local.

It will be interesting to see how he likes the 8 wire OCC on his 650's, I believe I helped shorten a cable for him and Sennheiser appeared to have used Litz wire in their stock cable; they do not skimp on quality.


----------



## Allanmarcus

The stock HD650 cable retails for $11, shipped! It's just out of stock right now. It was out of stock for months, came back in stock, and sold out in a matter of hours. 

Re-terminting it XLR balanced is very common.

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/accessories--hd-650--cable


----------



## Letmebefrank (May 30, 2017)

That's what I ended up doing with my other stock cable, shortened to xlr 4 pin. I can't wait to try that 8 braid wire. I'll order a 4 pin xlr to terminate it with.


----------



## Paladin79

At $11.00 considering cost of connectors from second party sources, that is quite a good cable for the price. Sound quality on this 8 wire braid is quite nice but you can hear it yourself one day soon Frank.


----------



## gug42

Hello,

I try to figure wich diameter of paracord I need for a balanced cable.
I have two cable with 4 wires near 24 awg for each one.  I will only use internal wire.

Well what do you think about thoses choices :
For the main part, 4x wire 24awg, => paracord 550 (4mm) ?
For the second part, 2x wire 24 awg => paracord 3 mm ?

Thank you in advance !

For the story the cables are :
https://www.thomann.de/fr/sommer_cable_square_4core_mkii_highflex.htm
https://www.thomann.de/fr/the_sssnake_smk44bk_mikrokabel.htm

Regards,

ps : I have done some research here .... but not crystal clear for me sorry


----------



## Allanmarcus

I can tell you the 95lb 9Type one, I think) paracord is too small for two AWG wires, so it would need to be larger.

You should be able to either measure (with a caliper) or look up the specifications for the wire you are using to determine the Outer Diameter (O.D.).

95lb has an outer dimension if 1.8mm, and can take a wire about 1.3mm
275lb has a outer dimension of 2.38mm, so 2 1mm wires might work, but if they are bigger, that might be an issue.
Maybe 325 or 425 might work for you.


----------



## Allanmarcus

ok, sorry, I missed the cable links.

The Sommer Cable Square 4-Core MKII Highflex specs are here:
http://shop.sommercable.com/en/Cabl...-SC-Square-4-Core-MKII-200-0301-highflex.html

*Inner conductor Ø (audio) [mm]* 0,50

I believe that mean .5mm for each conductor. That is very thin, so type 1 (95lb) might work, but will be a challenge to feed. 

What I have found with DIY is just buy small amounts of everything, then write down (and post  what works!

That looks like excelled cable for headphones. 24AWG, 102 strand, very thin. Let us know how it works out.


----------



## gug42 (Jun 5, 2017)

Hello,

I will give a try with the 425 (3mm outer diammeter) and the classical 550 (easy to find at good price, 4mm outer diammeter). Well perhaps the 325lb (2,5mm outer diammeter), if I find it a good price in europe (more hard to find than the two others).

By the way I will twist the inner câble, but I don't want, at first place, to twist paracord.


I have done my first cable with The Sommer Cable Square 4-Core MKII Highflex.
I did some rookie mistake :
- keep the shield ...
- use a too thin PET gain
- user thermo-gain over the shield
- the distance between the headphone and Y is too small

The first three point give me a very strong cable, a little too strong   Indeed the cable was more flexible BEFORE i remove the black gain .... and modify it with thermo + PET ... not a really good move. So I'd like to start another with some other stuff.
At the end, good sounding, good looking balanced câble but a little too thick and lake of flexibility.


thank you.


----------



## gug42 (Jun 6, 2017)

Well, if I'm get lucky, Any opinion about this câble 4 wires 0,22mm ?   Could be a very good money value 
https://www.thomann.de/fr/the_sssnake_smk44bk_mikrokabel.htm


----------



## Paladin79

gug42 said:


> Well, if I'm get lucky, Any opinion about this câble 4 wires 0,22mm ?   Could be a very good money value
> https://www.thomann.de/fr/the_sssnake_smk44bk_mikrokabel.htm



It looks like pretty inexpensive cable. About 26 awg and not very good shielding. If it states anywhere that it is oxygen free copper wire then it might be worth stripping the four wires for DIY cable but it does not look like anything remarkable.


----------



## gug42

Oh well forget to mention it : i will remove the shield 
(By the way the sommer cable has a real good shield  )

Hum perphaps better to stay with the "Sommer Cable Square 4-Core MKII Highflex". Sure about details and quality (OFC, 4x0,19, 102 strands, see link before)
The price remains ok (1,85€/m vs 0,68€/m).

Oh another question, for an interconnect XLR 3 pins câble, what AWG is recommanded ?


----------



## Paladin79

The Sommer cable sounds much better, ofc and high strand count.

More often than not I use 24 awg on XLR's, often 22 awg as well depending on customer demands and application.  I am not sure if there is a recommended gauge. The distance and power usage have a lot to do with that. For home audio equipment say from preamp to amp 24 awg should be fine, (generally it is a short distance as well.)


----------



## gug42

Ok thank. I will stay with it     
Yes short distance between dac and amp. Well so the sommer cable could do the job too i suppose


----------



## Paladin79

It should be fine for that application, even 26 awg could work there. I rarely use that wire gauge since we are sending out cables for many applications so I have to play it safe.


----------



## gug42

ok thank you


----------



## andrewcox79

I've been messing around with cable DIY for a bit now (made a couple of cables from parts, modified a couple of cables). There are lots of good threads (e.g. on /r/headphones and on head-fi) with Q&A, but very its a lot of information spread across a lot of different sources. There are a few well-organized guides out there showing you how to make a cable, but they generally focus following through the whole process without expanding on too many options along the way. I'm finding I'm learning from experience, and would love to have an organized place to share my experience, and to gain from others' experiences.

IMO, this could really use some kind of small wiki format. It would go into detail about:

connectors: comparisons of different options for each type, wiring diagrams, for some types of connectors, I could even see a whole page dedicated to instructions / tips for using them right
wire: silver vs copper? ofc? use starquad (and if so, canare vs mogami)? leave shielding / remove it?
sleeving: techflex, nylon multifilament, paracord, PET, shoelaces(!). the benefits of each, the different sizes available for each and their compatibility with different wires
tools needed / recommended: comparison soldering irons, solder, wire stripper, solder pot (for litz wire), eutectic solder, flux
y-splits: heat-shrink only options, options for custom-made y-splits and hole size measurements for those (some vendors document this, some don't)
techniques: tinning wires, braiding strands, etc
heat shrink: 2-1 vs 3-1 (or even higher ratios), adhesive/double-wall vs non-adhesive/single-wall
Does something like this already exist? If not, do people think it sounds useful, and anyone have any ideas on where would be best to create it?


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jun 9, 2017)

andrewcox79 said:


> Does something like this already exist? If not, do people think it sounds useful, and anyone have any ideas on where would be best to create it?



the 'Articles' link above in Head-Fi is a wiki. Here's the link to the DIY Cable Info and Resources page. Please feel free to update it.


----------



## Paladin79

andrewcox79 said:


> I've been messing around with cable DIY for a bit now (made a couple of cables from parts, modified a couple of cables). There are lots of good threads (e.g. on /r/headphones and on head-fi) with Q&A, but very its a lot of information spread across a lot of different sources. There are a few well-organized guides out there showing you how to make a cable, but they generally focus following through the whole process without expanding on too many options along the way. I'm finding I'm learning from experience, and would love to have an organized place to share my experience, and to gain from others' experiences.
> 
> IMO, this could really use some kind of small wiki format. It would go into detail about:
> 
> ...


----------



## andrewcox79

Allanmarcus said:


> the 'Articles' link above in Head-Fi is a wifi. Here's the link to the DIY Cable Info and Resources page. Please feel free to update it.



Ah, if I can also add pages to detail things there, looks like exactly what I want.

But first how can I edit it?


----------



## Allanmarcus

andrewcox79 said:


> Ah, if I can also add pages to detail things there, looks like exactly what I want.
> 
> But first how can I edit it?



Great question. There used to me an edit button on the old site, but I don't see it anymore. My guess is that the article owner needs to set the permission to allow anyone to edit. I posted a comment on the article to this end. Let's see if we get a response.


----------



## sovereign

I have a Hakko FX888D arriving today. Any tips on temp and technique for soldering the center pin on an Eidolic 2.5mm?


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 14, 2017)

sovereign said:


> I have a Hakko FX888D arriving today. Any tips on temp and technique for soldering the center pin on an Eidolic 2.5mm?
> 
> Use rosin core solder, heat the joint then apply solder to the joint as you hold your iron tip in place, if the center flux (inside the solder) is not enough to clean the joint you can use liquid rosin flux but rarely should you have to do that. I generally use 800 degrees but 700 should work nicely for your application depending on the tip used. I have used some Hakko irons and I believe the stock tip should be fine for your application. I use a panavise to hold connectors but helping hands devices can work in a pinch and cost a lot less. The joint when completed should be nice and shiny, make sure the solder flows smoothly over the joint.
> 
> ...


----------



## sovereign

The Eidolic center post is solid. I will be using Kester 44, which Kester recommends to use a temp of 750. My main concern is melting and ruining the Eidolic.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 14, 2017)

As I said if you apply solder to the center pin, and tin the wire, you really do not have to leave the iron on there that long. It was hard for me to tell in the photo exactly what you are dealing with.Practice a bit on other wire if you get a chance. It is a little hard to describe but you start to get a feel for how long to heat something before the solder flows. I mentioned 700 and 800 and 750 certainly falls in the middle lol. The hotter it is, the trickier it can be if you are not experienced, I do production work and my people are highly trained so I went lower for a person new to soldering.
Except for occasional silver solder I use little else besides Kester, and I have been through one of their training programs years ago.

Tom


----------



## sovereign

Missed the temps the first read- thanks.


----------



## Paladin79

No problem, those are good irons and I use them on occasion and most are not as costly as a Weller station, I have one set up on the sinistral side of my workbench at home.


----------



## Matt M.

Hi all, new to the board. Just completed a mod of some Beyerdynamic MMX300's to a detachable cable. I reused the old cable for the cable because I have some questions about the best way to go about making a custom cable. So to start this is a headset so it uses five wires. Red, Green, Copper, White, and the Ground. in the stock cable the cable shield is used as ground for the mic so I guess really it's a 4 conductor cable and they're using the jacket as a ground. My next task is going to be make a fully custom cable and get rid of the stock one. I've already purchased 50' of Mogami quad mic cable so couple of questions:
1) The female jack I mounted in the headset I've wired both the mic ground and speaker ground to the same pin, I see no way around this other than 4.4mm 5 pole jack which I can't seem to source and have never actually seen in use before, is this safe in the long run?
2) I know that Mogami makes some actual 5 conductor cable, is any of that worth exploring I would be better off stripping the quad I have now and making what I need from that? 
2) What the best way to go about doing a 5 cable braid? should I twist the mic pair and sleeve as one? any suggestions here as this will be the first cable I make.

Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

On star quad with a braid you do really have five conductors there counting the braid so you can use that for a common ground if you like. A lot of microphone cable is like that, two insulated wires and a braid. I am not sure what kind of 5 pole jack you are talking about but if you have a photo I can help. Hirose makes all sorts of good jacks and plugs that are compact but very reliable.
I have not done any five cable braids so I will not address that.

Tom


----------



## Matt M.

so 5 pole is TRRRS and is 4.4mm instead of 3.5mm with an additional pole:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/522882...ted-44mm-5-pole-trrrs?ref=shop_home_active_12

my problem is I cannot find a female jack equivalent to wire into the headset itself. If I'm safe with pairing both ground to one pin it's a none issue, however it would be nice if the possibility exists to have them on their own separate wire.


----------



## Paladin79

Yeah I am not sure about a female jack for that plug myself.  That looks like a pretty large connector to be plugging into headphones. Look up Hirose four pin and five pin sometime, they are a lot smaller and readily available.
A normal TRS connector has two wires and braid or ground, unless you are building cables for a balanced system a shared ground is the norm.


----------



## kubig123

Matt M. said:


> so 5 pole is TRRRS and is 4.4mm instead of 3.5mm with an additional pole:
> https://www.etsy.com/listing/522882...ted-44mm-5-pole-trrrs?ref=shop_home_active_12
> 
> my problem is I cannot find a female jack equivalent to wire into the headset itself. If I'm safe with pairing both ground to one pin it's a none issue, however it would be nice if the possibility exists to have them on their own separate wire.



you can find one kind at lunashops.

http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5638

if I remember right someone in the WM1A/Z forum was able to come out with a custom case for this connector.


----------



## theUKMrT

Hello all,

I'm looking for someone in the UK able & willing to re-terminate a couple of iem cables for me (with a 2.5 mm balanced jack). Happy to pay obviously. If anyone can point me in the right direction I'd much much obliged. Many thanks.


----------



## NTK1

So I made my first cable using Mogami 2534 but almost nothing went as planned. I bought 550 paracord to sleeve the main jacket which took a long time only for my y split cover not to fit. The pair of wiring going to my left side decided to untwist itself after I terminated it. I ended up buying 10 ft of cable just in case and have about 4.5ft left. 

My plan now is to remove all 4 wire and sleeve them individually, then braid. Mogami has the insulation measured at *Ov. Dia.(mm) 1.6Ø (0.063")*. So would i need type 95 paracord or there something better to stop the wiring from sliding?


----------



## Paladin79

I have not had much experience with twisted pair untwisting themselves but I have generally used paracord over such pairs.

The 95 paracord sounds correct for that size wire, I have also used clear heat shrink tubing over twisted pair to keep the twists uniform. This is eight wire cable with four wires to each side.


----------



## Allanmarcus

NTK1 said:


> So I made my first cable using Mogami 2534 but almost nothing went as planned. I bought 550 paracord to sleeve the main jacket which took a long time only for my y split cover not to fit. The pair of wiring going to my left side decided to untwist itself after I terminated it. I ended up buying 10 ft of cable just in case and have about 4.5ft left.
> 
> My plan now is to remove all 4 wire and sleeve them individually, then braid. Mogami has the insulation measured at *Ov. Dia.(mm) 1.6Ø (0.063")*. So would i need type 95 paracord or there something better to stop the wiring from sliding?


Yes, 95lb. I get my stuff from Paracord planet.

I have never understood how two wires twisted between the Y and the tips doesn't routinely come untwisted. For the cables I've made with 4 wires (two per channel), I've sleeved in nylon multifiliment. That said, a guy just posted the cable you are thinking about making to the DIY Cable Gallery thread.


----------



## Paladin79

Two wires twisted with paracord hold quite well. Without the paracord, or clear heat shrink tubing or the like, you will have issues. Often I will just switch over to miniature microphone wire at that point, cover it with paracord and it remains round, twists are inside the jacket and it makes for a very clean appearance. Oh and electrically it works quite well.


----------



## Paladin79

Here is an example of keeping the integrity of the star quad cable together and still splitting for two channels using heat shrink tubing:


----------



## gug42

Hello 

A little report  :  
Classical Paracord 550 is perfect for the 4 wires of the sommer cable square4 mk2   great match. 

Paracord 550 is a little too large for 2 wires but not so bad


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jun 17, 2017)

That sommer cable square 4-core mk2 cable looks really interesting. how flexible did you find the individual conductors? Is is really 102 strands per conductor?

Have Inc has this cable, but their shipping cost is outrageous. I called to talk to them about it, left a message, and never heard back. I'm not impressed with them.


----------



## gug42 (Jun 17, 2017)

Well I havent a lots of references, but I will say quite good to good, equal than this one :
http://www.ebay.fr/itm/112314148441?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=412736653541&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

But rember, sommer wires are relative high awg 

About the number  of strand ... i don't know, there is a a lot inside a wire, but 102 ... can't say for sure.


----------



## Allanmarcus

gug42 said:


> Well I havent a lots of references, but I will say quite good to good, just a little lest than this one :
> http://www.ebay.fr/itm/112314148441?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=412736653541&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
> 
> But rember, sommer wires are relative high awg
> ...


Count them!


----------



## gug42

Perphaps when i put the connectors ...


----------



## gug42 (Jun 17, 2017)

Well by the way, in fine, my only regrets is to have buy 100ft of black paracord ! (ok really good money value ! And i can use it for my shoes )
For  sure I will try to find a more fun/colored paracord !

Two cables are ready for soldering process 

And by the way I modfied my point : the wire is equally flexible as the one in the ebay ling ! (I was comparing 4 wires versus 2 ... sorry)


----------



## sharktopus

Paladin79 said:


> Moving on, I wonder if the person who asked about XLR's and the star quad ever got a cable made? He is probably realizing why it was hard to find a definitive answer about his situation when he searched the web.
> 
> Anyway if anyone sees some antique looking paracord for sale in the states say something. I am in the middle of a steampunk cable build and hope to maintain the theme throughout.  Black with white stripes perhaps.


I did indeed get my cables all finished.

 
I tested them out with a few different pieces of  kit, including an amp I've owned since high school and never had the interconnects to actually use.  I'm busy re-reading all the posts that I missed over the last few weeks.  What can I say, I've just been enjoying my current setup too much


----------



## sharktopus

I also finished the new cable for my HE500's.  Canare star quad to neutrik XLR connector with corresponding single ended adapter.  Let me say this about that, those hifiman SMC connectors are a pain to solder!


----------



## Paladin79

nice looking setup


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 19, 2017)

This is an 8 wire braided occ copper cable I just completed for a gentleman on this site. Neutrik male and female four pin mini xlrs  so the cable is easily switched over to a balanced amp. These are the HD 650 connectors that folks are not too crazy about but i did not find them to be too difficult. This cable, those headphones and a custom Crack amp using a Valhalla 2 for a preamp makes for some exceptional sound, especially when listening to binaural plus recordings.


----------



## Letmebefrank (Jun 18, 2017)

Tom thanks for the great conversation, great food, and this beautiful cable. I've redone some of the heat shrink and I'm loving the way it looks. This cable is fantastic.

That bottlehead crack you made is a work of art and it sounds unbelievably good. I have to get one now!


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 19, 2017)

Frank I was curious how the occ copper compares with your stock cable. Notice any differences?

Also if you want to assemble a Crack you can always use my shop and I will  help out as needed. I did swap out some of the wire and I can help with high end interconnect cables.


----------



## Letmebefrank

I only listened briefly last night so I probably wont have a full impression for a couple days. The cable looks and feels great though. it has a nice weight to it that feels reassuring without being too bulky.

I might take you up on that offer, it will be a while before I build one though.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 19, 2017)

Having worked with a few of them now, the constructed 8 wire braid is not a bad way to go. We lost no length when we took it down to four wire braids on each side since it was such a tight braid with which to begin.


----------



## Allanmarcus

So, I finish my 8 strand Fostex TH900/Sennheiser HD580/600/650 cable. I have two questions. 

The Fostex pinout has the large pin +, but the Senn pinout has the large pin -. I wired mine for Fostex, since that is what I have. I have heard people exchange fastest and Sennheiser cables all the time. How much of an issue is it to have the + and - reserved on both channels?
Anyone have an optimal length for the cable between the Y split and the tips? I'm starting to lean towards 12-14".
here's the cable and my blog entry about it.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 19, 2017)

Having just built a y split yesterday I know Frank had closer to a foot split on  a previous cable but nine inches is more what I went with. Think of something hanging from the bottom of your ear or lower, 12-14 inches seems like a lot if you are talking each cable from the split being that length.
Also remember that I was unbraiding 8 wire braid to make said split so that was taking a while and I generally try to keep such work to a minimum when I can.


On the reversal on the Fostex and Senn, you must be talking about balanced cables (photos are not coming through on my work computer), try that on a TRS and you just combined both channels. I will have to give it some thought, you might be able to get away with it on some amps and at least you are not hooking them up out of phase so I would suspect people have indeed got away with it. Would I do it? Doubtful.

I found some things on the subject but only when talking about speakers.

"  If you connect both speakers with the connections reversed at either the amplifier or the speaker you have simply reversed the absolute phase of the system. This means that a signal that should push the speaker cones outward (a positive signal) will now pull the cone of both speakers inward."

Your ear might or might not be able to tell much difference depending on the drivers used. Some folks claim it will distort high frequencies, others say it might cause damage eventually. When in doubt I play it safe.


----------



## CarlosUnchained

Hi! I'm new around and need some help to build my own cable for the Audeze LCD-X. 
The goal is to get a mini 4 pin XLR female terminated in the LCD connector and two small cables: 
4 pin mini XLR to ¼ and 4 pin mini XLR to 4 pin XLR.

1) I have no idea what kind of wire to get, I want something affordable but good quality, no snake oil.

2) I can't find any seller of the connectors to the LCD model. Any help here?

3) I'd like to know which brands sell good looking ¼, 4 pin XLR connectors and spliters, something a bit fancy would be nice.

4) I'm not yet decided if going sleeved or not. What are the mechanical differences between the two?

Any answer to any of those questions would be great!


----------



## keberwein

CarlosUnchained said:


> Hi! I'm new around and need some help to build my own cable for the Audeze LCD-X.
> The goal is to get a mini 4 pin XLR female terminated in the LCD connector and two small cables:
> 4 pin mini XLR to ¼ and 4 pin mini XLR to 4 pin XLR.
> 
> ...





I’m sure plenty of people will jump in here, but I’ll take a swing. First, there’s a really good resource on building your cables here. The trickiest part is soldering the “jumper” on the mini-xlr connectors. If you need two, just buy four—give yourself some room for mistakes.

1)    Wire: I’ve always liked Canare L-4E5C. Some folks like Mogami W2893 because all four wires are different colors. They’re both balanced microphone cables. The Mogami has better shielding, but depending on what your plan is, you might end up stripping that off anyway.

2)    As for connectors, I’d personally go with Redco for the mini-xlr and Neutrik for the large xlr. Neutrik is pretty much considered the “slick hotness” connectors.

3)    If you want more “fancy” connectors, Double Helix makes some nice full size XLR, and they’ve got some cool y-splitters too.

4)    Sleeve or not to sleeve. A lot of folks will strip the shielding off those four-conductor microphone cables and do a “litz braid” instead. The litz method will help reduce interference. However, with short cable runs, (5 ft.?) it shouldn’t be a problem. If you’re planning on a longer cable run, just keep the shielding on and strip your wire at the y-split. I prefer the litz method because it makes the cable lighter and more flexible, but it’s up to you.


----------



## Paladin79

That was a very well thought out response, I am impressed. I do like the Neutrik four pin mini xlrs because they are well marked and I have never had one fail.  I use them for a lot of pig tails so that I can have one cable going to headphones and plug into multiple devices by changing out connectors trading balanced for unbalanced as needed. I also like Amphenol and Switchcraft but I am more into long term usage and reliability than looks.

I have seen braiding described at litz braiding and it does probably qualify for that term since each wire goes to the outside of the braid an equal number of times if done properly so I understand the theory.

Sometimes the paracord sleeve is more for looks but I do think it helps protect the wires and makes the braided wires easier to hold a pattern.

You mentioned some good wire that can probably be located in other countries, I have several types I like but I am centrally located in the states and Belden is not far from me (they also make excellent cable and wire).

Tom


----------



## keberwein

Paladin79 said:


> That was a very well thought out response, I am impressed. I do like the Neutrik four pin mini xlrs because they are well marked and I have never had one fail.  I use them for a lot of pig tails so that I can have one cable going to headphones and plug into multiple devices by changing out connectors trading balanced for unbalanced as needed. I also like Amphenol and Switchcraft but I am more into long term usage and reliability than looks.
> 
> I have seen braiding described at litz braiding and it does probably qualify for that term since each wire goes to the outside of the braid an equal number of times if done properly so I understand the theory.
> 
> ...



I totally forgot about the Switchcraft mini-xlr. Actually, I like those better because they don't have the super-long boot that hangs off the end. They're pricey though, but I guess we're talking about an Audeze cable here


----------



## Paladin79

Amphenol makes a model that is nearly identical but it allows for larger cable to be used. I just ran into this on a 600 cable build.

That is always a factor, what size cable will you be working with and what does the connector allow? I just used 24 awg four strand inside the neutriks with little problem. I left out the shield ring that was inside because there was no shield to attach anyway and it made for an easier build.

I just made some RCA interconnect cables using the Mogami 2534 but I used shield and all, (shield attached to ground on one end only), they are above the five foot threshold that you mentioned and I try not to take chances with my home equipment. I am running out of space for amps so I needed to extend some cabling.


----------



## Letmebefrank

Tom, this cable is just fantastic. There seems to be a bit more detail in the low-mids than with the stock Sennheiser cable but its very subtle and I'm not sure I could A/B the two. I'll keep you updated if this opinion changes. If your people start offering replacement headphone cables with this stuff I cant see anyone being disappointed with the quality or the sound. It is a bit microphonic though so if you move around while listening to quiet music it might bug some people, but I sit pretty still while using headphones so its a non-issue to me. Perhaps a sleeve on the main body of the wire would remove the microphonics but it could kill the look of the cable.


----------



## Allanmarcus

keberwein said:


> I’d personally go with Redco...



Check out Markertek too. Once you add in the shipping at Redco, Markertek might be cheaper.


----------



## Paladin79

Letmebefrank said:


> Tom, this cable is just fantastic. There seems to be a bit more detail in the low-mids than with the stock Sennheiser cable but its very subtle and I'm not sure I could A/B the two. I'll keep you updated if this opinion changes. If your people start offering replacement headphone cables with this stuff I cant see anyone being disappointed with the quality or the sound. It is a bit microphonic though so if you move around while listening to quiet music it might bug some people, but I sit pretty still while using headphones so its a non-issue to me. Perhaps a sleeve on the main body of the wire would remove the microphonics but it could kill the look of the cable.



I was going for the copper look of the cable myself to match an amp and headphones but I will experiment with some cotton and nylon sleeve I have. That occ copper retails for about $16 a foot but it is nice and compact and should accommodate 550 paracord.

I could build an A/B test setup for those with little trouble but I have been involved in other testing lately and I have people coming in this weekend so I need to get ready to show off some of my builds and get their impressions of amps, headphones, and cables.


----------



## CarlosUnchained

@keberwein thanks a lot for the answer!

2) So the LCD uses standard female 4-pin mini XLR? Good to know.

4) If I choose sleeved, It'd go over the shielding, right? I saw different versions and I think this is what's going on inside (correct me if I'm wrong):

       - Single thick sleeve over shielded wire.
       - 4 thin sleeved wires in braid (I guess unshielded then sleeved individually?) like in the pic.






I like this second approach better than fully naked wire. How's the procedure with the wiring in this case?


----------



## Paladin79

There are plenty of posts in here on four wire braids, just do a search and I bet you get the answer.


----------



## CarlosUnchained

Is the "search in the thread" feature back? It's a pretty long thread to find something that specific.

The question is simple:

Do I need to remove the shielding to later sleeve each wire and do the braid?


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 20, 2017)

You would need to remove the outside jacket on star quad cable if you are talking about removing the individual wires and then braiding them. I was answering a later question on "how's the procedure with this wiring", I thought you were asking about four wire braiding.

The search feature on here is indeed working.


----------



## CarlosUnchained

Sorry for the misunderstanding, the braiding procedure it's solved in the first page of the thread, 4 strand round braiding I guess.

Thanks for the answer @Paladin79 

Since the parts are fairly cheap I'm not afraid to fail. I'll buy in excess just in case.


----------



## Paladin79

My fault on the misunderstanding, anyway if you get some small paracord and use the four wires from Canare or Mogami star quad you can pretty much build the cable in the photo. I would suggest using two colors of paracord if you have not braided before, it will make the first one go a lot easier. When using the copper OCC wire I used different heat shrink tubing colors to keep the wires straight, even with shrinkage they slid off the ends of the wires when I was done.

Tom


----------



## keberwein

CarlosUnchained said:


> Sorry for the misunderstanding, the braiding procedure it's solved in the first page of the thread, 4 strand round braiding I guess.
> 
> Thanks for the answer @Paladin79
> 
> Since the parts are fairly cheap I'm not afraid to fail. I'll buy in excess just in case.



The cost of materials is very small compared to the price of a cable of similar  quality . Make two!


----------



## keberwein

@CarlosUnchained If you do paracord. I just learned a great new method for running the wires through. A small dot of hot glue on the end of the wire allows it to slide right through without getting caught on the paracord. I did all four wires of a five-footer the other night in 30 minutes. Amazing trick!


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 20, 2017)

Good sounding trick and trust me I have tried several methods. Depending on the paracord you can use a small piece of wire, double it over so it does not have a sharp point and then solder your wire carefully in between those two (solid wire works better), when you get it through just unsolder and use it for the next piece of paracord. and wire. The smaller the gauge wire, the smaller the tunnel it can traverse.

I am also working on a device that lets you slit the outside jacket of cable like star quad for fast removal of the inner wires. I have some projects where we have to lay open a couple feet of wire quickly to get to the wires inside and I have an adjustable method in mind.


----------



## CarlosUnchained

keberwein said:


> I totally forgot about the Switchcraft mini-xlr. Actually, I like those better because they don't have the super-long boot that hangs off the end. They're pricey though, but I guess we're talking about an Audeze cable here



Which one are you talking about?
This?





Or this?




4 pin version of course.


----------



## keberwein

CarlosUnchained said:


> Which one are you talking about?
> This?
> 
> Or this?
> ...



@CarlosUnchained I was talking about the top one. I've never had any experience with the bottom one. Those have short boots, which is nice because the long boots on the Redcos hit my shoulders when I'm wearing my ZMFs. Anyway, I usually go through this seller on Ebay to get my mini 4-pins. They're not Switchraft brand but they're much cheaper and the quality seems identical. The only "gotcha" is you have to wait for about two weeks if you get them from Ebay. Not because of the seller but because of customs because the seller is in China.


----------



## Paladin79

Most of the boots or grommets can be popped out of the connectors if you do not want them in there. Then the connectors are pretty similar to the Switchcraft shown. The Neutriks have a very good system for clamping down on the cable so you have little worry about a wire coming loose down the road because of cable tension.  If such a clamp is not in place I generally use hot glue to reinforce the grip on the cable.


----------



## sml1226

Paladin79 said:


> I am also working on a device that lets you slit the outside jacket of cable like star quad for fast removal of the inner wires. I have some projects where we have to lay open a couple feet of wire quickly to get to the wires inside and I have an adjustable method in mind.


Never tried it, but that should be pretty doable with a cheap little cable ripper without building anything fancy.




Probably too large to do the job as is on most cabling, but all the tweaking you'd need to do to make it suitable for smaller wire is to shrink the little point down to suit smaller cables or thinner jackets... or be really careful and ensure you only apply enough pressure to split the jacket.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 24, 2017)

I have a couple cable rippers for larger cable and while I am not sure of the exact size of that one I suspect it works on large cable as well.

What I have in mind incorporates Easton aluminum tubing that comes in a multiple of exact sizes. The cable would travel down the short tube and be split by a razor blade (single sided) for a long lasting precise cut. The tubing holds the cable in place so the depth of cut is always perfect. So far i have thought of four ways to attach the blade permanently.

I would set the tubing into two curved pieces of wood or tray acrylic so that two fingers could grip the tube so it could be pulled down the cable.

Most star quad is approximately a quarter inch in diameter so it is just a matter of matching up the tubing with the cable.

The beauty of my theory is the tubing is waste product, something a lot of people would normally just throw away even though in its initial stage it can be quite pricey. Here is an example of how you normally buy the tubing under consideration:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Easton-X...701544?hash=item2a859417a8:g:AIAAAOSwSzRZSbaZ

I have been into archery for many years so I have plenty of the small pieces of tubing that one cuts off the shaft after cutting the arrow to the proper size for each individual. (I build, fletch and crest custom arrows)

Rigid copper pipe is readily available and if you can find that with a quarter inch inside diameter I imagine you could do the same with it. You would need a small reamer or deburring tool to take away the sharp edge on the inside of the metal but even a philips screwdriver can work in a pinch.

This should well be a viable solution but not for everyone. I have rethought the grip portion and a simple graduated rubber grommet over the end of the tubing attached with hot glue or epoxy would do the trick.

Tom


----------



## returntosennder

Hello,

I'm making a mobile cable for my TH-X00s for work to use with my iPhone. I'm planning on using THC 24AWG silver plated OCC copper wire. There will be 3 conductors of that wire in the cable, along with a naked conductor for a remote control + mic salvaged from a broken pair of apple earpods. Will I be able to fit these in type III (550) paracord from paracord planet with a simple 3 strand braid?

If not, will I be able to fit them if I twist instead? Else, what paracord should I get?

Thanks.

--Sennder


----------



## Paladin79

My best guess is the 550 paracord should be large enough to work.


----------



## BillsonChang007

returntosennder said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm making a mobile cable for my TH-X00s for work to use with my iPhone. I'm planning on using THC 24AWG silver plated OCC copper wire. There will be 3 conductors of that wire in the cable, along with a naked conductor for a remote control + mic salvaged from a broken pair of apple earpods. Will I be able to fit these in type III (550) paracord from paracord planet with a simple 3 strand braid?
> 
> ...


Put it simply, I can fit one single 24AWG cable wif conductor nicely into a Paracord 95 (2mm). And it nicely fit into it like its made for it

Hope it helps
Bilson


----------



## Minatect

Hello guys. First time visiting here for info. I am planning on making new cables for my stagediver 2 and I was wondering if this wire is good for such purposes. Thanks in advance.

www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5332


----------



## Minatect

Minatect said:


> Hello guys. First time visiting here for info. I am planning on making new cables for my stagediver 2 and I was wondering if this wire is good for such purposes. Thanks in advance.
> 
> www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5332


By the way, I'm planning on a 8 thread braid


----------



## Allanmarcus

Minatect said:


> Hello guys. First time visiting here for info. I am planning on making new cables for my stagediver 2 and I was wondering if this wire is good for such purposes. Thanks in advance.
> 
> www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5332


Looks good. Let us know how it works out.


----------



## kubig123

Hi,
I'm looking for some 3.5mm TRS female connector but I'm having difficulties to find a good quality one.

Can anybody give me a hint?

thanks!


----------



## buke9

Minatect said:


> By the way, I'm planning on a 8 thread braid


 You should find some smaller gauge wire. Looking at the conversion table and that makes it 19 awg so a 8 wire braid would be pretty big.


----------



## Paladin79

I'm looking for some 3.5mm TRS female connector but I'm having difficulties to find a good quality one.

I like Neutrik, you can get them from Markertek, they may be under the Rean name. Generally any major brand holds up, Amphenol, Switchcraft, etc.


----------



## BrianKT

kubig123 said:


> Hi,
> I'm looking for some 3.5mm TRS female connector but I'm having difficulties to find a good quality one.
> 
> Can anybody give me a hint?
> ...


http://www.redco.com/Rean-Neutrik-NYS240BG.html


----------



## kubig123

Paladin79 said:


> I'm looking for some 3.5mm TRS female connector but I'm having difficulties to find a good quality one.
> 
> I like Neutrik, you can get them from Markertek, they may be under the Rean name. Generally any major brand holds up, Amphenol, Switchcraft, etc.





BrianKT said:


> http://www.redco.com/Rean-Neutrik-NYS240BG.html



thank you both!


----------



## audioflaker

Which is better, Mogami W2791 or W2549 for making home made short, unbalanced interconnects?


----------



## buke9

audioflaker said:


> Which is better, Mogami W2791 or W2549 for making home made short, unbalanced interconnects?


 Either would be fine the 2791 is 24 awg and the 2549 is 22 awg so not much difference I tend to go big if it will fit the connector. That is just me YMMV.


----------



## Allanmarcus

BrianKT said:


> http://www.redco.com/Rean-Neutrik-NYS240BG.html



Here it is on markertek for 8 cents more, but free shipping
https://www.markertek.com/product/n...ble-jack-black-metal-handle-and-gold-contacts


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> You should find some smaller gauge wire. Looking at the conversion table and that makes it 19 awg so a 8 wire braid would be pretty big.


So .05mm is about 44AWG. 100 strands of that is 24AWG according to https://www.v-cap.com/awg-calculator.php
Given that the overall diameter of the cable is .9mm, 24AWG seems generous. An 8 strand cable of this wire should work well

The lack of specs on the wire, and its low cost probably indicate a very small silver content, and less than pure copper.


----------



## XenHeadFi

buke9 said:


> You should find some smaller gauge wire. Looking at the conversion table and that makes it 19 awg so a 8 wire braid would be pretty big.


Just to put the size in perspective, 0.90mm OD is smaller than a single conductor in Mogami 2799, which is 1.0mm OD. If unbundled Mogami 2799 can make an 8-wire (too scared to try), then that lunashop one should also be able to.
EDIT: Ninja'd

Also @Minatect , that 100 strands is misleading as the individual strands are bundled into 7 larger "wires". I think this would make the cable less flexible than a straight up 30-strand "wire".


----------



## buke9

Yes it is od didn't look hard enough. Yes I think the bundles would make it less flexible. Still think 4 strands of 24 awg is pretty big for a iem connector.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Luna Shops even suggests making an 8 strand braid. For $32 it's certainly worth a try.

except that it's lunashops, which generally suck.


----------



## BillsonChang007

How thick of a cable is acceptable? I'm going on 4 braid with paracord and I think that it is just nice but I see some of you guys going 8 braid with 24AWG [same size as me] won't it be bulky? I am tempted to try it tho


----------



## Allanmarcus

I have a sixteen strand with a very tight braid (no paracord), and it's a little bulky. To me the 8 strand is perfect. The challenge with a 4 strand is not having the cables between he Y and the tips unravel. There is no braid with 2 wires; there is only a twist.


----------



## BillsonChang007

Allanmarcus said:


> I have a sixteen strand with a very tight braid (no paracord), and it's a little bulky. To me the 8 strand is perfect. The challenge with a 4 strand is not having the cables between he Y and the tips unravel. There is no braid with 2 wires; there is only a twist.


Yea the 2 wires was my initial worry too but apparently, I read somewhere in here stated by someone that twitsting the 2 wire tight enough can have a good lasting bond and it does work!


----------



## Allanmarcus

BillsonChang007 said:


> Yea the 2 wires was my initial worry too but apparently, I read somewhere in here stated by someone that twitsting the 2 wire tight enough can have a good lasting bond and it does work!


Thanks. I purchased some silver plated 24AWG wire and plan to make a 4 strand for the Ether C. I will sleeve with 95lb paracord and try the twist.


----------



## BillsonChang007

Allanmarcus said:


> Thanks. I purchased some silver plated 24AWG wire and plan to make a 4 strand for the Ether C. I will sleeve with 95lb paracord and try the twist.


Good luck!! 

Btw I had some wild idea thinking to apply but not sure if it will work. To have a stronger bond on the end of the 2 braid, perhaps u cn burn the end of the cable that can bond the two cable together further and also to avoid further tearing the paracord apart by natural use but never dared to do it as I am worried it might burn the cable too  

Also, make sure to straighten the 24awg cable as much as you could before sleeving into the paracord, it will in all the way and just one push!


----------



## Pilotdog68

Can anyone comment if the Neutrik NTP3RC right-angle plug works with cell-phone cases? The plug itself looks a bit short to me.


----------



## kubig123

Pilotdog68 said:


> Can anyone comment if the Neutrik NTP3RC right-angle plug works with cell-phone cases? The plug itself looks a bit short to me.



It really depends on the case, I had a couple of Apple cases for iPhone, and I was able to insert the plug properly, if you have a thicker case, I dint think this plug will work.


----------



## Pilotdog68

kubig123 said:


> It really depends on the case, I had a couple of Apple cases for iPhone, and I was able to insert the plug properly, if you have a thicker case, I dint think this plug will work.



Thanks. Any tips on other right-angle TRS plugs that would be better?  I've seen more options under TRRS, could I just not connect the extra wire?


----------



## kubig123

Pilotdog68 said:


> Thanks. Any tips on other right-angle TRS plugs that would be better?  I've seen more options under TRRS, could I just not connect the extra wire?



I would go with Oyaide, they have a right angle version that should fit most of the cases.

http://www.partsconnexion.com/product31463.html


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jul 5, 2017)

Pilotdog68 said:


> Can anyone comment if the Neutrik NTP3RC right-angle plug works with cell-phone cases? The plug itself looks a bit short to me.




This one might work as it appears there is little extension of the plug housing. Unfortunately it's ugly, but judicious use of heat shrink might solve that issue.







Different one to think about





And another one. Similar to the top one, but possibly less ugly.





Oh, one more!


----------



## Pilotdog68

Thanks for the links. I saw that style, just wish that sleeve was shined up a bit more or something. It looks cheap. 


I actually just discovered the Momentum-style as well (kinda pricey though). I might go with that. I just wish Markertek had some other options, their free shipping is awesome. 

I suppose I have plenty of options, I'm just being picky.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Pilotdog68 said:


> Thanks for the links. I saw that style, just wish that sleeve was shined up a bit more or something. It looks cheap.
> 
> 
> I actually just discovered the Momentum-style as well (kinda pricey though). I might go with that. I just wish Markertek had some other options, their free shipping is awesome.
> ...


I updated my prior post. Check out the last entry. It might be consider pretty by some.


----------



## Pilotdog68

The last one looks a little too formal to me, the black and gold one above it might work. I'm planning on sleeving the cable with some black/blue paracord.  All the black ones I'm finding have "Pailiccs" on them and it looks cheesy to me.


----------



## XenHeadFi

BillsonChang007 said:


> Yea the 2 wires was my initial worry too but apparently, I read somewhere in here stated by someone that twitsting the 2 wire tight enough can have a good lasting bond and it does work!


Once made, I have not had any that spontaneously untwisted, but then my headphones have SMC connectors that screw in. Of course, I somehow made left-handed twists so when I screw in the connectors, I untwist the cable...If you have screw in connectors, make sure to make a right-hand twist. I have to over-twist, then screw in the connectors so that the cable maintains the correct configuration.

When you twist, make sure to create almost a T or a wide V shape with the two strands before twisting. Both strands should wind around each other. If one of your strands appears kind of straight, then you are not doing a proper twist.


----------



## buke9

Allanmarcus said:


> Thanks. I purchased some silver plated 24AWG wire and plan to make a 4 strand for the Ether C. I will sleeve with 95lb paracord and try the twist.


 I made a cable for my Ether C's with paracord I will not make that mistake again horribly microphonic. Just saying.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> I made a cable for my Ether C's with paracord I will not make that mistake again horribly microphonic. Just saying.


Great point. I made my first cable because of the cable noise (that noise isn't microphonics. microphonics is something different, but is commonly used for cable noise) and the Ether C. I ended up making one cable with latex tubing for sleeving between the tips and Y (works well), and another with SummerCable SC-peacock 2 unsleeved. Both have much less noise. I'm not sure what it is with the Ether C and cable noise, but they are very susceptible to it.

I'll make this silver plated cable for the Utopia instead. For some reason it works OK with paracord sleeved cables.

Many thanks for the heads-up.


----------



## BillsonChang007

Pilotdog68 said:


> The last one looks a little too formal to me, the black and gold one above it might work. I'm planning on sleeving the cable with some black/blue paracord.  All the black ones I'm finding have "Pailiccs" on them and it looks cheesy to me.


If you intent to use it with paracord, make sure you check the dimension of the jack. The hole should be big enough for the cable with paracord to go through so that when completed, your cable will look more near rather than making a visible heatshrink on the outside. 

Look at it, the momentum style may not be ideal in that case


----------



## BillsonChang007

XenHeadFi said:


> Once made, I have not had any that spontaneously untwisted, but then my headphones have SMC connectors that screw in. Of course, I somehow made left-handed twists so when I screw in the connectors, I untwist the cable...If you have screw in connectors, make sure to make a right-hand twist. I have to over-twist, then screw in the connectors so that the cable maintains the correct configuration.
> 
> When you twist, make sure to create almost a T or a wide V shape with the two strands before twisting. Both strands should wind around each other. If one of your strands appears kind of straight, then you are not doing a proper twist.


Thanks! I think this is good for future note


----------



## Energy

I have a couple of those right angle plugs in rhodium that I can give out for free, just let me know. 
Also I'll be an avid lurker here from now in case anyone needs cable advice.


----------



## buke9

Allanmarcus said:


> Great point. I made my first cable because of the cable noise (that noise isn't microphonics. microphonics is something different, but is commonly used for cable noise) and the Ether C. I ended up making one cable with latex tubing for sleeving between the tips and Y (works well), and another with SummerCable SC-peacock 2 unsleeved. Both have much less noise. I'm not sure what it is with the Ether C and cable noise, but they are very susceptible to it.
> 
> I'll make this silver plated cable for the Utopia instead. For some reason it works OK with paracord sleeved cables.
> 
> Many thanks for the heads-up.


 No it is the same. Microphonics means small or little sound/noise the same even if mechanical or electrical as in tube vibrations.


----------



## Energy

That terminology can be used to describe both.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jul 5, 2017)

buke9 said:


> No it is the same. Microphonics means small or little sound/noise the same even if mechanical or electrical as in tube vibrations.


Maybe this definition is incorrect, but this is from Wikipedia

*Microphonics* or *microphony* describes the phenomenon wherein certain components in electronicdevices transform mechanical vibrations into an undesired electrical signal (noise). The term comes from analogy with a microphone, which is intentionally designed to convert vibrations to electrical signals.

The noise you hear from rubbing a cable does not fit this definition. The noise from a tube that is ringing does.

More from Wikipedia

The term is sometimes misused to describe sounds transmitted to the ear physically by mechanical vibrations or knocks on the wires of a headphone or in-ear monitor, when no disturbance of any electrical signal occurs.[5]


----------



## buke9 (Jul 5, 2017)

Then what is it called? Is not a paracord a tube? If you can not say what it is not then say what it is? 95 % of the people call it microphonics then please tell us what it is to be called.


----------



## Energy (Jul 5, 2017)

In my opinion it can go both ways.

As stated previously, one can take the derivative of microphonic as microphone, and use it to describe electrical noise. Or another method is to break up the word and use micro to describe something small and phonics as a word choice for noise. _"This cable has a lot of microphonics. It's insulation is very stiff". _Whatever rocks your boat I guess.


----------



## buke9

I truly don't care just wanted to know what it is the correct term for it is.


----------



## Letmebefrank

Guys, it's called "Mechanical Vibrations of an Undampened Wire Under Tension Converted to Unwanted Sound" or MVUWUTCUS*™* (muh-vuh-whut-cuss).


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> I truly don't care just wanted to know what it is the correct term for it is.


Cable noise


----------



## penmarker

Energy said:


> That terminology can be used to describe both.


What did you mean by the cable noise? Do you mean the friction sound traveling up the cable into the headphones when it rubs against your body and/or when you touch the cable?


----------



## Allanmarcus

penmarker said:


> What did you mean by the cable noise? Do you mean the friction sound traveling up the cable into the headphones when it rubs against your body and/or when you touch the cable?


Yes


----------



## Pilotdog68

Energy said:


> I have a couple of those right angle plugs in rhodium that I can give out for free, just let me know.
> Also I'll be an avid lurker here from now in case anyone needs cable advice.


Hey if that's a serious offer to send out some free plugs, I'm your man!


----------



## Little Bear

Question:  Why buy mogami or canare cable in order to canibalize the conductors inside, when you can just buy suitable wire by the foot or in bulk spools?  Seems like a lot of work dissecting multi-conductor cables just to get at what you can buy on a convenient spool for about the same price (or is it?).


----------



## Letmebefrank

And the star quad is hard to braid since that twist is hard to get rid of.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Little Bear said:


> Question:  Why buy mogami or canare cable in order to canibalize the conductors inside, when you can just buy suitable wire by the foot or in bulk spools?  Seems like a lot of work dissecting multi-conductor cables just to get at what you can buy on a convenient spool for about the same price (or is it?).


Mogami W2799 is $0.72 per foot. That $0.18 per foot per strand. If you can find 30 strand 26AWG cable for 18 cents a foot, please post!


----------



## Little Bear

So it's just a matter of price, then?

If I was willing to spend, say, $2 per foot per conductor, are there higher quality choices than 2799 or 2893 or canare?


----------



## buke9

Little Bear said:


> Question:  Why buy mogami or canare cable in order to canibalize the conductors inside, when you can just buy suitable wire by the foot or in bulk spools?  Seems like a lot of work dissecting multi-conductor cables just to get at what you can buy on a convenient spool for about the same price (or is it?).





Letmebefrank said:


> And the star quad is hard to braid since that twist is hard to get rid of.


That I think are fair points . It depends on what you want to do with it. Mogami cable is as cheap by the foot as some single conductor wire that you can get but the Mogami has 4 wires per foot but it would need to be sleeved as who wants a cable with blue white red green or whatever colors that the cable has.


----------



## buke9

Little Bear said:


> So it's just a matter of price, then?
> 
> If I was willing to spend, say, $2 per foot per conductor, are there higher quality choices than 2799 or 2893 or canare?


 That is a very loaded question. There is no test to say one wire is better than another. Every maker says their wire is the best and you can't blame them they are trying to make money. I would suggest you start with some wire from BTG Audio very nice stuff to work with and 26 awg goes at .80 a foot if you want to spend a bit more Double Helix is something to check out also both are very supple wires and damn you both as their Peptide litz cable is now DIY so I have got to try it.


----------



## Allanmarcus

buke9 said:


> who wants a cable with blue white red green or whatever colors that the cable has.



Made with mogami quad. I think it looks pretty good


----------



## penmarker (Jul 7, 2017)

Allanmarcus said:


> Yes


That sound is called microphony.

Also, 1 question guys, I am doing some minor modifications on my speaker amps and I am replacing the old unsuitable magnet wires I used for RCA input with a microphone cable.
Since it only have 2 cores with shielding, will there be any adverse effects if I use the shielding as negative terminals for the RCA input?


----------



## Little Bear

buke9 said:


> I would suggest you start with some wire from BTG Audio very nice stuff to work with and 26 awg goes at .80 a foot if you want to spend a bit more Double Helix is something to check out also both are very supple wires and damn you both as their Peptide litz cable is now DIY so I have got to try it.



Well I don't necessarily "want to spend more", unless it's worth it from the standpoint of either better fidelity or ease of working with it.  I'm willing to pay the DHC price ($2/ft for OFC Cu), but not if the BTG cable would be just as good at less than half.  I'm only looking to make (2) 5 foot cables, one for an LCD-X and one for an HD 800, both single ended with a 4-wire braid, so the cable choice isn't going to break the bank either way.

One advantage the BTG cable has is that it comes in either clear or black jacket, and the black would be desirable if I choose to leave naked the twisted pairs above the split.

BTW, this silver-plated copper stuff from DHC looks gorgeous, doesn't it?  https://doublehelixcables.com/produ...e-hybrid-24awg-silver-plated-occ-copper-wire/  $2.75/ft is pretty steep though.


----------



## Paladin79

This weekend I should be working  at home with a solder pot, rosin flux, 1,000 cables and an exhaust fan so if anyone has any questions pertaining to those items I should be able to post a few photos.  I am also building a Bottlehead Crack with carbon fiber plates that will be totally black so I may build some black interconnect cables with black anodized head shells (DIY cables). I may even use some black mesh on those cables as well just for looks.

Tom


----------



## Pilotdog68

curious what you use the solder pot for?


----------



## Paladin79

Solder pots are used for tinning wires at a rapid rate but it is also very handy if you are working with litz wire. This wire has an enamel coating on each individual strand and you have to remove that coating in order to solder that wire to connectors. This can be done with a soldering iron but it is never easy and I am saying that as someone who has done a lot of soldering. Solder pots are not expensive, around $20-$25 for some models, you need bar solder and liquid solder flux in order to use them. The fumes are not pleasant or healthy so I will be using a portable exhaust fan since I have 10,000 individual stranded wires to tin (five per cable and each end gets tinned.)  These wires are tinned before ferrules are attached but I doubt many people on here have a reason to know about those connectors lol.


----------



## BillsonChang007

I read somewhere that RCA are easily impacted by the length of the cables? I'm talkijg about XLR to RCA cable here as I intent to get an active speaker to connect to my iFi Micro iDSD / Garage1217 tube amp so might build a cable to connect. Or would it better to use 1/4 vs XLR and 3.5/6.3mm vs RCA for a sub 1m to 2m cable?


----------



## Bascule

Hi all..

So I started ploughing through the 100+pages of gallery thread and the nearly 500 pages of this one..  You're all awesome.

However, if anyone can shortcut things for me I'd be really grateful!

I'm looking for recommendations for cable and connector choice that I can buy *in the UK specifically.*

I'm looking to make a set of balanced cables for my Meze 99C phones (and possibly also my HD650s), but that have dual XLR connectors to run from a pair of Nuforce HA-200 monoblocks, as my second one is now on order (I have an M-Dac+ with balanced outputs to feed them, so it's all about the cables now.

OR - make/buy one to use standard connector type balanced cable that may work from a DAP (currently don't have one, but its a future plan) and have an adaptor lead from the Dual XLRs to that..

I'll need a pair of short M-F XLR cables to feed the amps too.

All advice gratefully received, open to any suggestions!


----------



## WayTooCrazy

Looking for information on "microphonics" and the type of insulation used. Teflon, PVC, Silicone, etc. Does anyone have links to anything worth reading? I'm googling away... but it seems that you don't get a comparison typically and if you do... it is very minor.


----------



## Paladin79

BillsonChang007 said:


> I read somewhere that RCA are easily impacted by the length of the cables? I'm talkijg about XLR to RCA cable here as I intent to get an active speaker to connect to my iFi Micro iDSD / Garage1217 tube amp so might build a cable to connect. Or would it better to use 1/4 vs XLR and 3.5/6.3mm vs RCA for a sub 1m to 2m cable?



I am not aware of RCA connectors being easily impacted by cable lengths you would use in normal audio equipment. There is some attenuation if you use coaxial cables at long distances but I am talking 100 to 300 feet roughly. One to two meters should never be much of an issue. Cables can be built using any of the connectors you mentioned and I do not see how one connector can be better than another. XLR connectors are considered balanced connectors but that being said you can even run unbalanced to balanced if done correctly. Running balanced to unbalanced can cause some issues depending on the equipment..


----------



## Paladin79

In the UK I would look for Neutrik connectors and Mogami, Canare, or Belden cable. Star quad cable could be used for the applications you mentioned, it consists of four wires and a shield the exact wiring of the headphones can be addressed by a lot of people here but if i get time later I will talk about it if no one answers. XLR to XLR are easy to wire, you can use a microphone cable (two wires and a ground) and wire 1-1, 2-2, and 3-3.

Tom


Bascule said:


> Hi all..
> 
> So I started ploughing through the 100+pages of gallery thread and the nearly 500 pages of this one..  You're all awesome.
> 
> ...


----------



## Hippocamp

Making a cable for my M1060 V1, which needs mmcx connectors. The first cheap pair of connectors I tried didn't work (poor connection -- sound cutting in and out). I see that some aftermarket cables for this headphone use Eidolic mmcx connectors. But I can't find anywhere to buy them. Anyone know a source?


----------



## BillsonChang007

Paladin79 said:


> I am not aware of RCA connectors being easily impacted by cable lengths you would use in normal audio equipment. There is some attenuation if you use coaxial cables at long distances but I am talking 100 to 300 feet roughly. One to two meters should never be much of an issue. Cables can be built using any of the connectors you mentioned and I do not see how one connector can be better than another. XLR connectors are considered balanced connectors but that being said you can even run unbalanced to balanced if done correctly. Running balanced to unbalanced can cause some issues depending on the equipment..


What kind of issue are we looking at tho? Hiss? Popping? Damaging driver? 

Will look it up a bit meanwhile thanks for the heads up! 

Gosh is it so difficult to extend my hobby to speaker zzz


----------



## NTK1

I bought 1/4 paramax cord to attempt to sleeve Mogami quad cable which has a 6mm OD. After a really slow process I wasn't able to fit a y-splitter that fits up to 8mm cables. I could only slide 1-2 inches at a time, it was a pain. 

I bought this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KUNEIJU/

Is there something else I can use that's easier to fit over the cable and not very thick?


----------



## WayTooCrazy

Which Mogami cable, and it sounds like you are trying to sleeve with complete cable intact.


----------



## XenHeadFi

penmarker said:


> Also, 1 question guys, I am doing some minor modifications on my speaker amps and I am replacing the old unsuitable magnet wires I used for RCA input with a microphone cable.
> Since it only have 2 cores with shielding, will there be any adverse effects if I use the shielding as negative terminals for the RCA input?



Can you provide more information on what you are trying to do and what the cable is connecting? Is this SE or Balanced?
For some applications using a common ground between L/R is okay. For others, NOPE.



NTK1 said:


> I bought 1/4 paramax cord to attempt to sleeve Mogami quad cable which has a 6mm OD. After a really slow process I wasn't able to fit a y-splitter that fits up to 8mm cables. I could only slide 1-2 inches at a time, it was a pain.
> 
> I bought this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KUNEIJU/
> 
> Is there something else I can use that's easier to fit over the cable and not very thick?



I do not think you will find sleeving any easier as the vast majority use the "inchworm" technique that I guess you used. Only other way is if the sleeve is much larger than the cable and then you have a ugly sleeved cable with wrinkles.

If you want a different quad cable, unstripped Mogami 2799 fits into 550 paracord for a total OD of about 4.2mm. Its a pretty tight fit.

For different sleeving...If 1/4 Paramax doesn't fit that cable, you have to go up to techflex-style sleeving. I do not know of any larger size paracord than "paramax". Not sure the thickness of TechFlex compared to ParaMax. Also, the ParaMax from Paracord Planet is almost exactly 1mm thick, unexpanded. After sleeving, I would expect the sleeve to become thinner. I would have expected that your final OD would be just under 8mm (6 + 0.98 + 0.98 or something)... Maybe the paracord from SGT is thicker? I have never used paracord from SGT before.

I just tried to squeeze Canare L-5CFW (0.300") into ParacordPlanet Paramax (0.250") and it was an utter fail. Waiting for 3/8" techflex to come in and see how that fits.


----------



## Paladin79

Paracord is not expensive and it is sold by the number of pounds of force it can withstand before breaking. This has more to do with the internal strands of nylon cord as opposed to outside diameter of jacket. Sometimes you just have to buy a few sizes and experiment.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Paladin79 said:


> Paracord is not expensive and it is sold by the number of pounds of force it can withstand before breaking. This has more to do with the internal strands of nylon cord as opposed to outside diameter of jacket. Sometimes you just have to buy a few sizes and experiment.



Good idea i did this back then but most of the Paracord(550) end up onto my work boots(shoe lace).....


----------



## Paladin79

LOL, on occasion I will help someone with a cable and use paracord. Unfortunately it gets down to "no I want a color blue in between the two samples you are showing me". One day if my company offers paracord to DIY folks I will be sure and measure the inside diameter of the cord when it is stretched so folks have a decent idea if the cord will fit over certain cable. I may also have to list how the colors come out on a pantone color chart to make choice of color easier.


----------



## WayTooCrazy (Jul 9, 2017)

www.paracordplanet.com/cord-comparison-chart/

Can't find anything listing ID only OD.


----------



## NTK1

XenHeadFi said:


> Can you provide more information on what you are trying to do and what the cable is connecting? Is this SE or Balanced?
> For some applications using a common ground between L/R is okay. For others, NOPE.
> 
> 
> ...



Should have just ordered W2820 and re-do my cable, 5mm OD. I used W2534 for my build. Online store doesn't sell this one by the foot and that's why I missed it. 

#24AWG conductor version technically similar to #W2534 NEGLEX quad Mic. Cable except for smaller and slippery outer jacket.


----------



## Paladin79

The charts shown are somewhat helpful but that is outside diameter of the paracord I imagine. Since it does give a bit; not nearly as much as techflex, that could be some fairly useful info even if outside diameter.


----------



## Sharkhunter

I have  a *ZY H800 *Cable with 1/4 inch jack. 
Will i be able to terminate the cable and make it a balanced with 4 pix XLR? 

I read somewhere that i could do the same with a Stock HD800 Cable.


----------



## Paladin79

If you have four separate wires (two grounds) you should be able to change out the 1/4 inch with a four pin xlr and make a balanced cable. Basically any cable using dual entry into the headphones can be turned into a balanced cable IMHO.


----------



## Sharkhunter

Paladin79 said:


> If you have four separate wires (two grounds) you should be able to change out the 1/4 inch with a four pin xlr and make a balanced cable. Basically any cable using dual entry into the headphones can be turned into a balanced cable IMHO.



True. just need a second opinion before I cut the cable with the scissors.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jul 10, 2017)

Hopefully you have an ohmmeter so you can tell which ground is which, you will want to maintain left channel with left ground and right channel with right ground. Otherwise with two black wires you have a fifty-fifty chance of being correct.

Often I will use mini four pin xlrs to pig tails so the same cable can be used for balanced or unbalanced applications. I prefer the Rean (Neutrik) xlr's and I know of at least two other people on here who have tried this method. It gives you a lot of flexibility without investing in several cables.

Tom


----------



## Sharkhunter

Paladin79 said:


> Hopefully you have an ohmmeter so you can tell which ground is which, you will want to maintain left channel with left ground and right channel with right ground. Otherwise with two black wires you have a fifty-fifty chance of being correct.



yes I do have a ohmmeter.


----------



## Paladin79

Cool you should be set then. Depending on which amp you are going to, it is not too hard to find the pin-out on the standard size four pin XLR. Check to see which wire is which going to the headphone connections and you are in business.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jul 11, 2017)

I usually post deals in the Deal thread, but this one pertains to DIYers. Amazon Prime will have the PanaVise 301 on sale in the early morning
Price before sale is $48.95

The PanaVise 312 tray base is a great companion.
The PanaVise 352 PTFE Jaws is also good as they might be more solder iron resistant.

But it's the 301 main vise unit that will go on sale. Price $35.09.

20% savings isn't uncommon


----------



## posnera

I'm considering converting a set of MMCX iems into a "modular system".  What I'd like to do is shorten the length from the iem so that the jack terminates just behind my neck (collar length) with a standard 3.5mm male jack.  That way I can either attach a longer 3.5mm for wired use, or a stand-alone bluetooth receiver for wireless.

So I have a few questions (I'm new to most of this - I have successfully replaced a headphone jack from the end once before).

1 - what is the smallest male sized jack that I can work with, so I can limit weight (is there one with a shirt clip?  doubtful)
2 - is there anything special I need to know about cutting above the y-split?  I don't think so, but any advice would be great
3 - better yet, does anyone know if a short MMCX cable is already available for sale?  (my soldering skills are limited, so I'd be happy to pay for the work!)


----------



## Paladin79 (Jul 11, 2017)

I prefer the model 396 Panavise but that is really a great price for any Panavise product!

Here is the type I use but with tray, and wire holder, iron holder, solder holder, and sponges.

http://www.tecnec.com/Product.asp?cat=TESTTOOLS&subcat=&prodclass=TOOLKITS&baseitem=PANA-396&search=0&off=0&showreturn=0

Sorry my response was entered before the last question appeared and was meant for the sale on Panavise products.


----------



## NTK1

Where can i find a good selection of y splitter?


----------



## Allanmarcus

NTK1 said:


> Where can i find a good selection of y splitter?



I made a page so I could find them
https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/home/y-splitters


----------



## XenHeadFi

Allanmarcus said:


> I made a page so I could find them
> https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/home/y-splitters


Very nice of you to share!

@NTK1 - Double Helix Cables probably has the largest single collection of them. ViaBlues (fake and real) can be found all over eBay, but are larger in size (40mm long and 20mm in diameter). Searching eBay for "pant rca splitter" gives you some more varieties.


----------



## Hippocamp

Here's a newbie question...

I want to make an RCA to 1/4" female TRS adapter cable (so that I can connect my headphones to the pre-out RCAs of my Audio GD NFB-11).

The wiring would seem to be really simple, but just wanted to make sure I have it right. 

Four wires (24 AWG Canare) . + and - to each male RCA connector. Then, for the female TRS, Left+ to the tip, Right+ to the ring, and both negatives to the sleeve.

Right?


----------



## Whitigir

Sound just fine to me for standards


----------



## lotech

Another newbie question.
While I've been soldering for a long time, never anything so small as .78mm 2 pin plugs, or .2.5mm TRRS plugs.
I'm looking for something to practice on, especially for the 2 pin connectors. I'm not willing to sacrifice a bunch of them while I hone skills.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I've looked for cheap connectors but can't seem to find any.


----------



## Paladin79

Where are you located. I might be able to send you some small connectors gratis.

Tom


----------



## Allanmarcus

lotech said:


> Another newbie question.
> While I've been soldering for a long time, never anything so small as .78mm 2 pin plugs, or .2.5mm TRRS plugs.
> I'm looking for something to practice on, especially for the 2 pin connectors. I'm not willing to sacrifice a bunch of them while I hone skills.
> Does anyone have any suggestions? I've looked for cheap connectors but can't seem to find any.




Solder the wire to a small finishing nail to practice.


----------



## Guerito

Hi all - I've made a few headphone cables recently and this thread has been a fantastic resource, so thanks to everyone on here. I've been using either copper wire with a clear insulating sheath or random colour wire sleeved in paracord, all using 24AWG stranded. I've seen a few photos of people using wire that has a brass coloured insulating sheath. I've been looking all over but cannot find this - I've even been checking jewellery suppliers for it. Is it a trick of the light showing this colour in pictures or is there a supplier somewhere that I've missed? 

For reference I'm talking about something similar to a cable that Pinkypowers posted for Meze 99 Classics back in early Feb:


----------



## Paladin79

I have seen some litz wire that is that color, there is an enamel coating over each strand and sometimes the wire also has a clear jacket. If I can locate a good supplier I will post a link.

 It may still be copper wire in that photo but the gold portions certainly look gold so I suspect the wire is more of a bronze color.

Tom


----------



## Paladin79

Allanmarcus said:


> Solder the wire to a small finishing nail to practice.



This is not a bad idea and it certainly works. When I offer to send connectors and such it is because I receive a lot of samples and oftentimes we do large, one time projects, where we have to buy extra connectors. Occasionally I get connectors that I have to reject because a small percentage is defective and I can either dispose of them or offer them for training purposes. I have a large amount of RCA connectors from one supplier that fell into that category.


----------



## lotech

Thanks for the offer, PM sent.
and I'll probably try the finishing nail idea before I start on actual connectors.
I've got a decent amount of wire from some previous builds. 
I'm sure not going to use DH wire to practice!


----------



## Paladin79

If I think of it I will try to include some star quad and probably some of the OFC 24 awg  I like to use.

Tom


----------



## Little Bear

I have a Weller WP25 soldering iron, but it only has the tip it came with, which is a fairly large, flat one that looks too large for a job like this.  Any recommendations for a better size and or type to use? Maybe a conical shape?

Also, the solder I have is Kester .031" 60/40.  Good choice for soldering connectors?


----------



## Paladin79 (Jul 13, 2017)

I will have to check on the Weller tips but that solder is what four of my people use day in and day out to attach connectors to cable. I have purchased larger and smaller but 90% of what we use is the .031 Kester.

https://www.alliedelec.com/apex-tool-group-mfr-st3/70219714/

https://www.alliedelec.com/apex-tool-group-mfr-st6/70219718/

here are a couple Weller tips, a medium and pointed. I just did a search for WP 25 tips on that site and each add list the models they accommodate.

These are the styles I generally use, the medium is great for 1/4 inch and xlr's, the conical tip is better for small connectors. Normally I use 800 degree tips but I get by with 700 on occasion. It looks like your iron is rated in watts so I have a feeling most any tip made for it works at the same temperature all the time.

Here is a link showing the iron with the part numbers for other tips.

https://www.alliedelec.com/apex-tool-group-mfr-wp35/70219991/


----------



## Pilotdog68 (Jul 17, 2017)

I've got Mogami w2893 (4.8mm) and w2929 (2.7mm), but I'm looking for something in between. I want bigger than the w2929, but more flexible than the w2893. Anybody know of such a wire? The stock cable on my K553's is almost as thick as the w2893, but MUCH more flexible.

Would pulling the conductors from Mogami 2534 or Canare L-4E6S and then braiding them result in a more flexible cable than whole 2893?

Or does anybody have an opinion on Belden 1804?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Most of the stiffness is a result of the shield and outer jacket. Simply removing the conductors and resleeving them in nylon multifiliment results in a very flexible cable. Ideally you would remove the conductors but leave them twisted together until the y split.


----------



## Pilotdog68

Allanmarcus said:


> Most of the stiffness is a result of the shield and outer jacket. Simply removing the conductors and resleeving them in nylon multifiliment results in a very flexible cable. Ideally you would remove the conductors but leave them twisted together until the y split.



Doing single entry, so no Y-split. If I strip the jacket and shield off some Canare L-4E6S and sleeve it in paracord, which is better: braided or just loose/straight inside the sleeve? Does it make a difference in terms of interference or microphonics?


----------



## Hippocamp

Pilotdog68 said:


> Doing single entry, so no Y-split. If I strip the jacket and shield off some Canare L-4E6S and sleeve it in paracord, which is better: braided or just loose/straight inside the sleeve? Does it make a difference in terms of interference or microphonics?



I've had good luck just leaving the 4 wires braided (after removing the jacket, shield, etc.) and then sleeving all of them together in larger size paracord or techflex (3/16"). Cable is nice and flexible. Holds a nice round shape. Microphonics are minimal.  

So, no extra braiding needed. I just keep the original factory braid for the four wires. And no need to sleeve each wire individually in paracord.


----------



## Little Bear

I'd suggest you braid before sheathing the wires (or just keep the braiding on the wires when the exterior parts are removed).  Braiding or twisting makes the signal less vulnerable to RF or EMi interference, but in the short lengths suitable for headphone cables and in normal household levels of RF/EMI, it most likely will make no difference.  Still, it's always good to be on the safe side.  Plus, braiding will make the cable stronger with less risk of breaking any single wire.  And, IMO, looks better even when sheathed.


----------



## Pilotdog68

Thanks for the answers guys. I didn't know it was already braided inside the rubber jacket (I'm just making plans for when my supplies get delivered). This job is getting easier and easier


----------



## Allanmarcus

Pilotdog68 said:


> Thanks for the answers guys. I didn't know it was already braided inside the rubber jacket (I'm just making plans for when my supplies get delivered). This job is getting easier and easier


they are not braided in the original jacket; they are twisted, but twisted very well.


----------



## MikeJSmith

Hi, I'm just doing some research on DIY cabling and am trying to get through this thread, but it's pretty long!

I have a (probably dumb) question about twisting two cables together.  Say for a set of headphones, you start with 4 wires braided together, then go through a splitter for two wires to each headphone - I assume you just twist the two wires together?  What is stopping them unravelling and coming apart? Or would they unravel if you twisted them back the other way?

Cheers, Mike


----------



## Whitigir

MikeJSmith said:


> Hi, I'm just doing some research on DIY cabling and am trying to get through this thread, but it's pretty long!
> 
> I have a (probably dumb) question about twisting two cables together.  Say for a set of headphones, you start with 4 wires braided together, then go through a splitter for two wires to each headphone - I assume you just twist the two wires together?  What is stopping them unravelling and coming apart? Or would they unravel if you twisted them back the other way?
> 
> Cheers, Mike



The restrain of the metal itself will retain the twisted form after a couple twists.......


----------



## WayTooCrazy

MikeJSmith said:


> Hi, I'm just doing some research on DIY cabling and am trying to get through this thread, but it's pretty long!
> 
> I have a (probably dumb) question about twisting two cables together.  Say for a set of headphones, you start with 4 wires braided together, then go through a splitter for two wires to each headphone - I assume you just twist the two wires together?  What is stopping them unravelling and coming apart? Or would they unravel if you twisted them back the other way?
> 
> Cheers, Mike



Twisting will result in "tension" on the wire and forcing it to want to return to an untwisted state. Think of it more as "overlapping" the wires so that you don't build tension.


----------



## Guerito

Twisting the wires will change the shape of each of them from straight to slightly wavy. If you've done it correctly, the overlapping that WayTooCrazy mentions means that they cross each other in such a way that the shape of the wires together with their natural stiffness holds them together. They will come apart if you twist them in the opposite direction but will retain some of that waviness. Once twisted, they should stay twisted as long as the ends are terminated, either in a plug for the headphones or just taped together while you're working.


----------



## MikeJSmith

Whitigir said:


> The restrain of the metal itself will retain the twisted form after a couple twists.......





WayTooCrazy said:


> Twisting will result in "tension" on the wire and forcing it to want to return to an untwisted state. Think of it more as "overlapping" the wires so that you don't build tension.



Thanks both.  So I should be OK just to crack on and not twist them so much. Thanks!


----------



## Little Bear

What keeps them from untwisting is the fact that both ends are fixed in place.  When you disconnect the cable from the headphones they CAN untwist.  They usually won't if they are left undisturbed for the reasons cited above, but they are capable of untwisting anytime they are disconnected from the headphones.  Sheathing them in a jacket keeps them from untwisting too.


----------



## WayTooCrazy

Little Bear said:


> What keeps them from untwisting is the fact that both ends are fixed in place.  When you disconnect the cable from the headphones they CAN untwist.  They usually won't if they are left undisturbed for the reasons cited above, but they are capable of untwisting anytime they are disconnected from the headphones.  Sheathing them in a jacket keeps them from untwisting too.



Overlapping them, so that they actually don't create tension will allow the wires to remain pretty much "overlapped" even un-terminated. This is the reason why "machine" twisted wires can have the jacket removed and they remain twisted. They don't have tension built up tension trying to untwist them.

This is the perfect video for demonstrating why "overlapping" is better than "twisting"...


----------



## MikeJSmith

Well I thought I’d give it a quick trial on some cheap stuff before I try anything better. I didn’t braid it far enough in, so that’s something to be aware of, but it works fine! Yay! Almost ashamed to put it on here given what I’ve seen so far but what the hell, a parent has got to love their child right!


----------



## MikeJSmith

Oops, didn’t add the photo!


----------



## Whitigir

Everything has a beginning.  Just so as long as you are moving and working on that iron, you are pretty good .  Your works will improve overtime if electrical-DIY is one of your hobby as well


----------



## Pilotdog68

Allanmarcus said:


> they are not braided in the original jacket; they are twisted, but twisted very well.



Thanks again guys. Here's my 4ft cable using Canare L-4E6S. The twist does a good job of holding the shape, I'll just have to be careful not to pinch it in anything. I'll be making another tomorrow using Mogami 2893. I'll probably leave the jacket on that one for durability.

Honestly these connectors are a nice break from the stuff I normally solder.


----------



## Little Bear

So, I'm about to attempt my first custom cable build.  The plan is for a 5' TRS cable for my Audeze cans.  I'm using 24 awg wire from BTG and it will be braided and then inserted into paracord 550.  At the split, the two Y ends will be twisted and then each twisted pair will be inserted in paracord 95.  

I'm a newb at this and could use some clarification on a few simple things.

1.  I have a Rean TRS jack that came with a roughly 1" long clear plastic thingy.  Is it supposed to be a strain relief, or clear shrink tubing?  If shrink tubing, should it be shrunk over the wires completely inside the rear part of the connector, or some of it be visible sticking out the back when I'm done?



 

2.  The 550 paracord is awfully small diameter for the connector's exit point, isn't it?  Is this a concern?  Is it going to get much bigger with 4x24awg wires braided inside it?  It looks kinda funny this way.



 

3.  I'm not quite certain how to wire this baby up.  Of the two obvious connection points, which one is the tip and which is the ring?  And where does the sleeve wire get soldered to?  Are those two rear tabs just for clamping the wires in place after soldering?  There's also a thin piece of material that I assume is an insulator.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Little Bear said:


> So, I'm about to attempt my first custom cable build.  The plan is for a 5' TRS cable for my Audeze cans.  I'm using 24 awg wire from BTG and it will be braided and then inserted into paracord 550.  At the split, the two Y ends will be twisted and then each twisted pair will be inserted in paracord 95.
> 
> I'm a newb at this and could use some clarification on a few simple things.
> 
> 1.  I have a Rean TRS jack that came with a roughly 1" long clear plastic thingy.  Is it supposed to be a strain relief, or clear shrink tubing?  If shrink tubing, should it be shrunk over the wires completely inside the rear part of the connector, or some of it be visible sticking out the back when I'm done?


It's insulation between the wires and plug.


> 2.  The 550 paracord is awfully small diameter for the connector's exit point, isn't it?  Is this a concern?  Is it going to get much bigger with 4x24awg wires braided inside it?  It looks kinda funny this way.



The most common solution is to use a better fitting plug, but if that is not possible, one solid piece of heat shrink over the plug and about an inch over the wire.







> 3.  I'm not quite certain how to wire this baby up.  Of the two obvious connection points, which one is the tip and which is the ring?  And where does the sleeve wire get soldered to?  Are those two rear tabs just for clamping the wires in place after soldering?  There's also a thin piece of material that I assume is an insulator.



The pad is insulator.

The "wings" are wire crimps for strain relief. I solder the common (ground) to plate on the flip side of the insulator.


----------



## Little Bear

Thank you sir.  All clear now.


----------



## Allanmarcus

@Little Bear , sorry forgot to answer your other questions and concerns.

two 24AWG wires twisted together will not likely fit into 95lb paracord. Certainly you can try, but one 24AWG is a tight fit.

If you are going to make cables, get a multimeter. Any cheap one is fine. You just need to be able to check for continuity, which allows you to determine what is connected to what. I wrote up a little set of instructions here. Once you have a multimeter, you can determine which solder lug is tip and ring. Until then, the smaller one is tip, and the bent one is ring.


----------



## Little Bear

Allanmarcus said:


> @Little Bear , sorry forgot to answer your other questions and concerns.
> 
> two 24AWG wires twisted together will not likely fit into 95lb paracord. Certainly you can try, but one 24AWG is a tight fit.
> 
> If you are going to make cables, get a multimeter. Any cheap one is fine. You just need to be able to check for continuity, which allows you to determine what is connected to what. I wrote up a little set of instructions here. Once you have a multimeter, you can determine which solder lug is tip and ring. Until then, the smaller one is tip, and the bent one is ring.



Just give me a hard slap on the back of the head.  I have a MM and should have thought to use it to answer my own question.  I use it mostly for automotive troubleshooting.

I'll just sleeve the 'Y' wires individually in the 95 and then twist them.  I like that idea better anyway.

Thanks again.


----------



## darmanastartes

How do I disassemble a Neutrik/Rean RT4FC-B female mini-XLR plug so I can get to the leads?


----------



## Little Bear

The black part unscrews.


----------



## darmanastartes (Jul 23, 2017)

Little Bear said:


> The black part unscrews.



How hard is it to unscrew? I tried but it didn't give easily.
EDIT: The black outer cover does not unscrew.


----------



## TYATYA (Jul 23, 2017)

Hi every one,
Where do you buy a good wire for diy?
I want to find copper wire as in picture (said pure coper 7N and there's 300 threads in a core).
I really like this wire for diy demand but did not find a local seller. I must bought other or any cable use that wire and then, cut its terminal.... to got its wire.
High cost, apprx $220 for a 1m long.
So I want to buy real raw material at a suitable cost.
Pls help. Thx


----------



## Little Bear (Jul 23, 2017)

darmanastartes said:


> How hard is it to unscrew? I tried but it didn't give easily.
> EDIT: The black outer cover does not unscrew.



Yeah it looks like the strain relief unscrews from the back but it appears the part with the contacts may just push out from front to back.  Go here and take the link for the pdf assembly info on the upper right part of the page:

http://www.rean-connectors.com/en/products/tiny-xlr-cable-connectors/rt4fc-b


----------



## darmanastartes

Little Bear said:


> Yeah it looks like the strain relief unscrews from the back but it appears the part with the contacts may just push out from front to back.  Go here and take the link for the pdf assembly info on the upper right part of the page:
> 
> http://www.rean-connectors.com/en/products/tiny-xlr-cable-connectors/rt4fc-b



Yup, that did it. Thanks!


----------



## TYATYA (Jul 23, 2017)

I use 7N coper wire (left side) and hybrid coper-silver plated wire (right side, silver plated threads in center so we cant see in pic) to diy a 10cm 3.5 to 3.5.
The soud is difference btw two. Right side one is like crappy with upper bass increase.
But left side one, do great job


----------



## Little Bear

Zashoomin said:


> Well I think I will help some people out as well.  If you are making Audeze cables here is a diagram of everything that you need to know.
> 
> And short the mini xlr's as so:



I'm about to solder up my audeze connectors and just want to confirm -- when looking at the diagram above, is that looking from the back (solder side), or the front (female side)?  From the second pic it appears it's the solder side, but I don't want to have to do this job twice.


----------



## PinkyPowers

Does anyone know where I can buy good, yet inexpensive, Sennheiser HD800 connectors?


----------



## Allanmarcus

PinkyPowers said:


> Does anyone know where I can buy good, yet inexpensive, Sennheiser HD800 connectors?



These worked well for me.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-Plated...D650-HD600-HD565-HD580-HD414-CLE/272299953342

shipping takes a week or two. They also have solid black.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-Plated...0-HD600-HD565-HD580-HD414-BLK-B1/262554310909


----------



## PinkyPowers

Allanmarcus said:


> These worked well for me.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-Plated...D650-HD600-HD565-HD580-HD414-CLE/272299953342
> 
> shipping takes a week or two. They also have solid black.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-Plated...0-HD600-HD565-HD580-HD414-BLK-B1/262554310909



My dear Allan, those be not HD*800* plugs.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jul 23, 2017)

DOH! I misread. Getting old sucks.

Here's a link some inexpensive HD800 tips. Sorry.  I got these from Lunashops via AliExpress ($21.88/pr-shipped). They are more expensive on the Lunashops web site. Be careful with the pins as you solder the wires. I used a vise to hold it, and I squished the brown round base a little, and it didn't fit back in. Use the more delicate clips from a helping hands to hold the pin while you solder.

It appears strain relief is just the heat shrink. If there is a better way, let me know.

Cable I just finished for a friend with these tips:


----------



## Little Bear

Just finished my first cable.  Ta-da!


----------



## PinkyPowers

Allanmarcus said:


> DOH! I misread. Getting old sucks.
> 
> Here's a link some inexpensive HD800 tips. Sorry.  I got these from Lunashops via AliExpress ($21.88/pr-shipped). They are more expensive on the Lunashops web site. Be careful with the pins as you solder the wires. I used a vise to hold it, and I squished the brown round base a little, and it didn't fit back in. Use the more delicate clips from a helping hands to hold the pin while you solder.
> 
> ...



Looks good! And thanks for the link. 

And you too, @Little Bear. Lovely work!


----------



## CarlosUnchained

Little Bear said:


> Just finished my first cable.  Ta-da!



Looks great!

Where did you buy those black connectors for the LCD?


----------



## Little Bear

^I got them here - http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html

9.99/pr isn't bad and I like how they look with the all black LCD-X.


----------



## NTK1

If I want to convert a trrs/trs plug to mono, do I just wire the tip and sleeve?

Also, has anyone had good experience with silver plated wires from eBay? I was thinking of building an 8 core with thinner wires or 24/26 gauge standard cable for my M1060s and HD6XX (once I have them). Looking for something that wont turn yellow. If not ill just sleeve regular wires.


----------



## Pilotdog68

If you are going 8 core, what about Belden 1804A? Silver plated 28awg and its pretty cheap.

https://www.markertek.com/product/b...ductor-star-quad-low-impedance-cable-per-foot


----------



## Allanmarcus

Pilotdog68 said:


> If you are going 8 core, what about Belden 1804A? Silver plated 28awg and its pretty cheap.
> 
> https://www.markertek.com/product/b...ductor-star-quad-low-impedance-cable-per-foot



doesn't 19x40 mean 19 strands of 40 AWG wire? That might not have the flexibility one might want in a headphone cable. But then again, it's only 28AWG, so it might be thin enough to be flexible. If each conductor is really only .762 mm thick, it might be very flexible. Might even make for a great 16 strand.

Before I order some, anyone have experience with this cable?


----------



## Sharkhunter

I have a logitech mmcx iem cable. is it difficult to reterminate the mmcx to use 2 pin for my audeze isine iems.


----------



## NTK1

So my 2.5mm plussoundaduio plug just took a crap. Sound went out on one side and when I opened the plug the sleeve tab just fell off. Can someone recommend me on a good set of 2.5mms?


----------



## Allanmarcus

NTK1 said:


> So my 2.5mm plussoundaduio plug just took a crap. Sound went out on one side and when I opened the plug the sleeve tab just fell off. Can someone recommend me on a good set of 2.5mms?


I would contact plussound for a replacement. They have good stuff


----------



## NTK1

Allanmarcus said:


> I would contact plussound for a replacement. They have good stuff



They only offer a 5 day warranty if damaged and all sales are final is listed for DIY parts.


----------



## MikeJSmith

MikeJSmith said:


> Oops, didn’t add the photo!



Second attempt looks a bit better! Only really needed two wires so that’s easier. And this one works too!


----------



## Paladin79

That is a decent looking mono cable, I am glad it works for your purpose.


----------



## Allanmarcus

@MikeJSmith 

Wire looks nice, but what's it more. As @Paladin79 notes, it's a mono wire. Were you trying for a mono wire?


----------



## Paladin79

LOL I was trying for a more indirect approach but I was certainly curious as well.


----------



## MikeJSmith

Ha, yes I wanted a mono wire. It’s connecting up my iBasso dx80 and chord mojo which both have mini coaxial sockets. It works so hopefully that’s right!


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 4, 2017)

If it works, how could it possibly be wrong? I imagine that is a mono 3.5 mm connection and oftentimes you can get away with using a stereo plug as mono if the rings match up properly. The only major difference in the wire type is you are using a different form of shielding by using twisted pair instead of coaxial cable but it can be done. Good job all around! Generally I would think that the coaxial cable in question would be for a digital signal and a quality copper center conductor is needed but on a short run of cable, you can often times MacGyver it.


----------



## MikeJSmith

Paladin79 said:


> and a quality copper center conductor is needed but on a short run of cable, you can often times MacGyver it



I think this is it. A bit Heath Robinson but works over a short distance. Maybe I’ll make another using proper cable another day. I’m mainly doing this for a bit of fun, practice and exploration so all good learning.


----------



## Paladin79

If you decide to use some proper coaxial cable there is some miniature cable I can recommend. 
Belden makes some that has all the specs of their RG 6 and RG 59 but only about an eighth of an inch outside diameter. Smaller coax fits easily into 3.5 mm connectors.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> LOL I was trying for a more indirect approach but I was certainly curious as well.


Well, at least I didn't ask "What are you doing?"


----------



## Paladin79

Once I learned what was going on it made more sense. Basically if someone says it is working and they like the results I would rarely argue the results. Sometimes manufacturers use different audio or video jacks for other purposes. A 3.5 mm connector to coaxial cable is not real far fetched.

 Right now my folks are building HDMI to RJ 45 connector cables. The customer has specialized test equipment that uses an hdmi jack for something other than digital audio and video. I even know of a manufacturer that switched hdmi from digital to analog within the equipment itself and sold hdmi to component video cables. Without knowing the applications my first thoughts were both cables could never work lol.  I have built about a dozen cables for one brand of headphones that ran the left and right channels together on each 3.5 mm trs connector so replacement cables were not so easy to find; that is not common but it made for a redundant connection that holds up quite well.


----------



## Whitigir

I love seeing people working on their own cables and can listen and observe the result.  Hell, even if it was just for practicality.  I was told that Kimber Axios cables Silver for 3m would cost $4500 or so....Woooo


----------



## Paladin79

I hesitate to say much of anything about products other than there are plenty of cable types I know and trust that are rarely more than a few dollars a foot.


----------



## MikeJSmith

Thanks guys! Now hooked up to some DIY headphone cables, again mainly just playing before I go ahead and try something that looks a little neater. Practicing to create new cables to replace the overly long stock cable terminated in the bigger 6.35mm jack for an easier to handle one.

Any tips / resources for advice on keeping the braiding tidy? I struggled getting a consistent tension and also lost the sequence a couple of times. 
I’ve ordered a load of paracord so next time I’ll try that too.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Well, I've made a few cables! As for braiding, it's all about concentration, which is easy to lose. Your braids look pretty good. Using two or more colors helps too. I haven't tried to make a color color cable yet.

I'm curious how you are going to wire up the pinouts on the tips. Fostex is the opposite +/- than Sennheiser.

I usually post my results on the DIY Cable Gallery!!, with is different from the DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread


----------



## Paladin79

Any tips / resources for advice on keeping the braiding tidy? I struggled getting a consistent tension and also lost the sequence a couple of times. 

I always found it important to keep consistent pressure on the braid. I generally use Panavises to hold the ends of the wires to be braided. It is possible to knot them together on that end and let the vise clamp them down. I also use a wire holder with the panavise that can be very handy.


----------



## MikeJSmith

Allanmarcus said:


> I'm curious how you are going to wire up the pinouts on the tips. Fostex is the opposite +/- than Sennheiser.
> 
> I usually post my results on the DIY Cable Gallery!!, with is different from the DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread



Yes, I've wired them sup the opposite way round to the Sennheiser layout and trimmed down the connector to fit.  Gotcha - Results in cable gallery for the future!



Paladin79 said:


> Any tips / resources for advice on keeping the braiding tidy? I struggled getting a consistent tension and also lost the sequence a couple of times.
> 
> I always found it important to keep consistent pressure on the braid. I generally use Panavises to hold the ends of the wires to be braided. It is possible to knot them together on that end and let the vise clamp them down. I also use a wire holder with the panavise that can be very handy.



Nice set-up!  I have a small vice, but as it isn't fixed to anything it wasn't ideal.  I'll find a way of securing the other end for future.


----------



## Letmebefrank

The panavise setup is very nice. @Paladin79 set me up with a full kit and it has been fantastic.


----------



## Paladin79

Frank lives close to me so I was able to help out. I also value his knowledge of headphones and amps and his hearing has got to be superior to my tired old ears so I always value his opinions there as well.

Anyway the wire holder works very well on cable tension once you either knot or clamp the cables together so each maintains the proper length.  I have used some panavises enough to wear out the threading and all parts are replaceable but occasional cable builders will never have to buy such things.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Speaking of panavises, I just got PTFE jaws as a replacement to the plastic jaws that I've destroyed with poor soldering. The PTFE jaws seems to withstand the heat of an accidental solder tip touch much better than the plastic. Also, the heat being transferred from the solder to jaws through the connector being held in place is not melting the jaws.

This is what I got:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SSTQE0


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 7, 2017)

Very nice attachment!  I personally only use the 350 model panavise with rubber grips over metal jaws and only have to replace those every few years on vises used daily. The tricky thing to find on panavise is the curved sponges that go in the base unit. They come as a kit with a few other panavise parts but I have yet to find them available by themselves. I can find plenty of square and rectangular sponges that I can cut to shape but never the originals for sale as such.

I call the grips on the model 350 rubber but they are probably some plastic compound that wears like iron but retains a bit of flexibility. They will grip without marring.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I just got 72' of BELDEN 8423 i wonder if i did good or i got ripoff ($32 Canadian Peso for 72').This cable is a PITA to work with it have braided copper shield,cloth then another cloth wrapped inside the conductor.Maybe this is nice for interconnect or input signal for tube amp build,What about speaker wire?


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 7, 2017)

List price on that cable is $2.63 per foot American so about $15.23 retail here but that is if I buy 1,000 feet at a time. When people cut short lengths there is labor involved (but not a lot of labor.)  My cost is less. You could certainly use it for interconnect wire within an amp but at 20 awg that is a bit light for most speaker wire that is run at a decent length. 3 feet to each speaker can be doable if you are not running much power.

oops sorry you said 72 feet I was thinking 72 inches. 72 feet of that cable can be $189 American.

That cable is highly shielded and would certainly be pain to work with but they use high quality copper equivalent to ofc I suspect.


----------



## i luvmusic 2 (Aug 7, 2017)

I just don't know what to do with it,When i saw the BELDEN name i didn't think twice i just grab the dang thing now i'am stuck with it
 Nice workshop BTW.


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## Paladin79 (Aug 7, 2017)

LOL it is not something I would use very often myself and I do this for a living.

I used to run my own electronics business so I have multiples of many pieces of equipment so my home shop is a bit more extensive that you might imagine. I still build some cables at home when my people get behind and as you probably know I build an occasional amp, or modify headphones or repair audio equipment if time allows.

If you got 6 feet of that cable for $32 that is a little pricey, if you got 72 feet, then the copper value alone might keep you from losing out on it. I paid $32 for a six by ten inch copper plate 1/8 inch thick and if you do indeed have 72 feet, that Is a lot of copper and even scrap value should be very good.


----------



## Allanmarcus

My wife just sent me this. Enjoy


----------



## Paladin79

Funny! Most of the things my wife sends me are NSW even though she works for a university.

I will have to show that to some employees, a couple of them just got finished making 400 shielded patch cables. Most of them listen to books as they work so the monotony does not become overwhelming; technology allows me to listen to 4-5 a week myself depending on length.

Back to cables, I never did learn if LUV has 6 feet or 72 feet of the Belden cable. That stuff has a dual braid and wrapped shield from what I can tell. If you think opening up star quad is hard for the four wires inside, that stuff would be a nightmare. Quality cable though, made maybe 75 miles north of me.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Paladin79 said:


> LOL it is not something I would use very often myself and I do this for a living.
> 
> I used to run my own electronics business so I have multiples of many pieces of equipment so my home shop is a bit more extensive that you might imagine. I still build some cables at home when my people get behind and as you probably know I build an occasional amp, or modify headphones or repair audio equipment if time allows.
> 
> If you got 6 feet of that cable for $32 that is a little pricey, if you got 72 feet, then the copper value alone might keep you from losing out on it. I paid $32 for a six by ten inch copper plate 1/8 inch thick and if you do indeed have 72 feet, that Is a lot of copper and even scrap value should be very good.



Not 6ft for $32CAD it's 72Ft for $32CAD.I guess i did good.


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 7, 2017)

You did very well then lol. If I had a reason to buy that cable today it would cost me $144 US.

When you started talking speaker wire, length of run is very important. Running 20 feet at 100 watts could well require 14-16 awg. I see Fullcompass is dumping some for $115 for 100 feet but $293 is list, I will have to check outside diameter but it could make some very good XLR cables and perhaps even RCA interconnect cables depending on diameter.

 Outside diameter is .272 inches, 6.91 mm not as bad as I suspected.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I'am going to build another amp for my wife so i will try to use this BELDEN for the input or maybe i will use it for the whole build,Spec for this cable is as follows 3 conductors,20awg,600V,4A.90C. it should be ok for a build.


----------



## Paladin79

I used similar cable in one of my Crack amp builds and it was fine.


----------



## zacrobmer (Aug 8, 2017)

I was looking to build a DIY cable for an enroute pair of HiFiman HE400i's has anyone seen a good source of low profile 2.5mm Male TRS, or "regular" sized ones with a collar?

Redco has these https://www.redco.com/Redco-2.5mm-Male-TRS-w-Collar.html and I have a couple ordered (finger crossed they are in stock).

But I was wondering if anyone knows of another brand/source? I've looked at Markertek, Parts express, mouser, digikey...


----------



## Paladin79

There is a Calrad part number of 30-485 but it does not have the collar.

https://www.ebay.com/i/282273721330?chn=ps&dispItem=1


----------



## zacrobmer

Paladin79 said:


> There is a Calrad part number of 30-485 but it does not have the collar.
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/i/282273721330?chn=ps&dispItem=1



Thanks, I've seen those, or at least that style, the problem is the 400i's have little to no clearance, for anything other then a low profile plug (they have a cutout around the jack). 

Amphenol make those awesome 3.5mm with collars, I was hoping there was 2.5mm version out in the wild somewhere.


----------



## Paladin79

Yeah I have searched for a similar Amphenol myself with no luck. I even tried Double Helix with no luck. If I get some free time later I will look around some more, 2.5 mm trs is not real common as you well know.


----------



## zacrobmer

I appreciate it. 

I've only found the Redco's and a set of low profile (skinny) ones on Lunashops.com.


----------



## Allanmarcus

zacrobmer said:


> I was looking to build a DIY cable for an enroute pair of HiFiman HE400i's has anyone seen a good source of low profile 2.5mm Male TRS, or "regular" sized ones with a collar?
> 
> Redco has these https://www.redco.com/Redco-2.5mm-Male-TRS-w-Collar.html and I have a couple ordered (finger crossed they are in stock).
> 
> But I was wondering if anyone knows of another brand/source? I've looked at Markertek, Parts express, mouser, digikey...



http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5mm-Stere...hash=item283b558687:m:mYFvyiA34Aw-JeFk8fwA2DA


----------



## zacrobmer

Allanmarcus said:


> http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5mm-Stere...hash=item283b558687:m:mYFvyiA34Aw-JeFk8fwA2DA




Nice! Your ebay-fu is stronger than mine. 

Thanks!


----------



## Sicarius27 (Aug 8, 2017)

Howdy guys/girls, I have been browsing these forums for a fair while now and was wondering if I could get some help/clarification of a few things.
As a background, I have finally gotten around to beginning heavy modification of my Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X's last night as I found them uncomfortable, etc, and with this I am doing a complete re-cabling of the cans and making my own custom cables.

My goal is to achieve having a detachable microphone for communication with the best possible (within reasonable budget) cabling for sound quality.
As I understand, having an electrically separate ground return for the left/right drivers is a good way to prevent crosstalk (which you may or way not be able to hear), and regardless I am one of the types of people that would prefer to do a high quality job once.
So does this mean that I should have a 6 conductor cable for: 1) Left, 2) Left ground, 3) Right, 4) Right ground, 5) Mic, 6) Mic ground? If this is the case, would it be best to run the 'Mic Ground' with the headband to the other cup to have dual entry TRS plugs (ie, 1 - Right, Right ground, Mic ground; 2 - Left, Left ground, Mic). Or should I have dual entry plugs with a TS for the Right and Right ground and a TRRS for the Left, Left ground, Mic, and Mic ground?

I was wanting to do Litz braiding of the cables with the braid separating to braided cables to each can from the Y-split.

As for materials, I am in Australia so quality and affordable raw materials are very hard to source therefore I am likely going to have to order from overseas.
For the cable I am trying to decide between using Mogami (likely 2534 stripped of the insulation and shield) or using a cable such as the "Nucleotide V3 24awg stranded OCC copper". For the Mogami I would likely sleeve it with individually with Type I micro paracord/vest cord/accessory cord, and for the OCC copper I would love it if the cable I got looked similar to the Toxic Cables Black Widow if possible (EDIT: Just found a link to these 1000 pages in to the gallery - http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/...em-iem-full-size-aftermarket-up-7-n-6-upgrade)

So my main questions are:
1) Is the 6 conductor setup like I described what I need, and if so, will the 3x2 or 2+4 dual entry setup be best? Furthermore, I read that braiding the pairs (eg, Left and Left ground) in the cable provide benefits to the sound quality, so where should I fit the microphone conductors in this?
2) Have I picked out appropriate cable types for what I want? And if not, would someone be able to point me in the right direction for this?
3) As part of what I ideally want, are there any quality TRS or TRRS jacks and plugs that have a copper-like finish? I found this one (http://www.markertek.com/product/30...o-3-5mm-panel-mount-jack-mounts-in-1-4in-hole), however when checking other sites it has a different finish.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I have a question about using two conductor cable with shield, versus coax cable, for an RCA Interconnect.  From what I understand, it's best practice not to connect the shield to the common on both ends of the RCA cable. One only connects one side and calls it the drain side.  But with coax cable, the shield is the common, so it gets connected to both sides of the RCA cable. How is this different than using the shield on the two conductor cable connected to both ends of the RCA cable? Is one  able "better" than another? From what I understand, mogami uses coax cable for their pre-made RCA cables


----------



## Paladin79

Both types of cable work well and I have built plenty of cable using the two methods. If you are using a quality coaxial cable I suspect it does as good a job as the two conductor with shield, depending on the equipment used. However there may well be a caveat.

I was taught years ago that most home equipment is unbalanced and professional equipment is more often balanced so often I have to build cables that go from one to the other and then I am more apt to use two conductors and shield for that situation.

 The difference is when you use two conductor with shield you can cause problems by hooking the shield to both ends that already have a ground because you are in effect forming a loop and that loop will act as an antenna. In the coaxial cable there is one ground on each end only. (only one signal path). 

When I use that set up, I have the shield to ground on the source end of the cable and mark the cable with an arrow showing direction of signal flow. I have seen such cables called "balanced RCA" cables but they are used less frequently than coaxial RCA IMHO. For my home set up, with a lot of equipment in close proximity I generally use shielded two conductor cable myself, Mogami, Canare, or Belden.


----------



## Feilong4

I'm putting dual stereo 3.5mm plugs (mono didn't work) on a cable used on an old headphone. The left side seems to be cutting out when moving or when the cable (not he plug) is not in a specific location. I've used a different cable and it works just fine.

https://imgur.com/a/OFROa

What am I doing wrong? I also took pictures of the right side for comparison. The right side works with no problems.


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 9, 2017)

With that type ground clamp on the connector it is possible to cut into the jacket and short out the wire going to the tip of your connector. You might try using a bit of heat shrink tubing where clamp grips the jacket for extra insulation. You are using a quality connector and generally the wire is fine unless you get it too hot and melt the insulation or you create a short circuit in some manner.

The solder joints look fine from what I can tell in the photos so I do not believe those are an issue. Always measure the cable with an ohmmeter before installing the cable, move the connector as you do this to check for intermits.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> Both types of cable work well and I have built plenty of cable using the two methods. If you are using a quality coaxial cable I suspect it does as good a job as the two conductor with shield, depending on the equipment used. However there may well be a caveat.
> 
> I was taught years ago that most home equipment is unbalanced and professional equipment is more often balanced so often I have to build cables that go from one to the other and then I am more apt to use two conductors and shield for that situation.
> 
> ...


Ahh, so the "loop" is in the wire itself! OK, I think I got it.

I'm thinking of using Mogami W2965, since that is what Mogami uses. I also like that it's a dual coax cable, so the the final result will look pretty professional. The cable is under a $1 a foot, and Rean RCA plugs are under $1.50 each. That means a 4' DIY stereo RCA cable should be in the $10 range.


----------



## Paladin79

I generally use these Neutrik connectors at home..




 

 

Neutrik NF2CB RCA Professional RCA Plugs



 

My cable price is closer to $45 per set but I am constantly plugging equipment in and out and I like the way these connectors are designed.  I tend to color code the cables so I can tell them apart but having the jackets bonded can make for a neater appearance if you use coaxial cable. When I build with coaxial I use either Belden 1505a, 1505f, or 1694A and use specific Canare connectors made for the cable. The tools required to install those connectors keep most diy folks from attempting them but I would catch grief from the engineering staff at a local university if I ever used much else.  Technical peer pressure.


----------



## chillaxing

hye guys, is there anywhere else to get 2-pins and 2.5 trrs connectors and jacks besides lunashop or places like plusound or helix?

$20 a set is kind of pricey and lunas takes to long.


----------



## Feilong4 (Aug 9, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


> With that type ground clamp on the connector it is possible to cut into the jacket and short out the wire going to the tip of your connector. You might try using a bit of heat shrink tubing where clamp grips the jacket for extra insulation. You are using a quality connector and generally the wire is fine unless you get it too hot and melt the insulation or you create a short circuit in some manner.
> 
> The solder joints look fine from what I can tell in the photos so I do not believe those are an issue. Always measure the cable with an ohmmeter before installing the cable, move the connector as you do this to check for intermits.



Thanks for the advice!

I've soldered it three times to 3 different plugs and got the same result. I think it's definitely just the cable at this point. I forgot to mention that the cable is from a 40 year old headphone and there is some corrosion which I've snipped off at the upper end.

I might have to get a ohmmeter.

I should probably just make a cable. Is there a place where I could get wires for a relatively low price in the US? Lunashops would take a bit too long to arrive.


----------



## Paladin79

I am not allowed to sell on here but if you let me know what you are considering building I would probably be allowed to send you some samples no charge.


----------



## Feilong4

Paladin79 said:


> I am not allowed to sell on here but if you let me know what you are considering building I would probably be allowed to send you some samples no charge.



That would be great!

Something like these: https://imgur.com/a/La7XW


----------



## Paladin79

Can you do your own braiding? I have some excellent OFC 24 awg with two different colors of jacket, you could do a four wire braid with it. It is quality wire and if I sent you four 10 foot pieces you could easily do a 7 foot braid. PM me your shipping info and I will see what I can do for you. If you cannot do a four wire braid I will see what I can do there as well. To save you buying an ohmmeter I can pre mark the wires with some heatshrink tubing so you can keep them straight if that helps.


----------



## Feilong4

Paladin79 said:


> Can you do your own braiding? I have some excellent OFC 24 awg with two different colors of jacket, you could do a four wire braid with it. It is quality wire and if I sent you four 10 foot pieces you could easily do a 7 foot braid. PM me your shipping info and I will see what I can do for you. If you cannot do a four wire braid I will see what I can do there as well. To save you buying an ohmmeter I can pre mark the wires with some heatshrink tubing so you can keep them straight if that helps.



I haven't tried braiding cables as of yet. Is this essentially what I'm supposed to do? http://www.headfonia.com/a-cable-not-rocket-science/2/

If so, I can try it out to learn how to do it. If you could do it, that would also be great.

I'll PM you my details.


----------



## Paladin79

Feilong4 said:


> I haven't tried braiding cables as of yet. Is this essentially what I'm supposed to do? http://www.headfonia.com/a-cable-not-rocket-science/2/
> 
> If so, I can try it out to learn how to do it. If you could do it, that would also be great.
> 
> I'll PM you my details.


That is essentially what you are supposed to do except I am not sure I would use their diagram. Look for folks on here that have explained a four wire braid, it has been covered many times. If my people have time I will have it braided for you, if not it would probably be a fun thing for you to learn.


----------



## Feilong4

Paladin79 said:


> That is essentially what you are supposed to do except I am not sure I would use their diagram. Look for folks on here that have explained a four wire braid, it has been covered many times. If my people have time I will have it braided for you, if not it would probably be a fun thing for you to learn.



Thanks! I'll search through the thread for the 4 wire braid.


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 10, 2017)

There are different braid patterns in four wire I would think but hopefully you can see a finished result. If we do braid it and you do not like the pattern, you can unbraid it and start over of course.

Here is the sample wire I will send you, it has been partially braided so you can at least see the braid pattern and go from there. Portions of what are braided are incorrect but my builder kept getting interrupted and kept messing up as she returned to the project. (see law of diminishing returns). Anyway all four wires are marked so you know which is which and it is free but you will have to re-braid part of it.

Tom


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 10, 2017)

Ok I have a question and one I could research myself but someone may be able to answer this quickly and save me the trouble of looking it up.

What is the pin out for the four pin XLR balanced output on a Cavalli liquid carbon amp?  If there is anything different on the xlr balanced inputs it would be good to know that as well.

Someone shows this as a standard four pin xlr wiring:

1 - left channel +
2 - left channel -
3 - right channel +
4 - right channel -

correct for Cavalli?


thanks in advance

Tom


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> Ok I have a question and one I could research myself but someone may be able to answer this quickly and save me the trouble of looking it up.
> 
> What is the pin out for the four pin XLR balanced output on a Cavalli liquid carbon amp?  If there is anything different on the xlr balanced inputs it would be good to know that as well.
> 
> ...



correct. Everyone uses that pinout

and this link will help
https://www.head-fi.org/articles/diy-cable-info-and-resources.14308/


----------



## Paladin79

Thanks Allan, I figured there must be a standard so one amp could accommodate different headphone cables used with various headphones. I got busy with work stuff and did not have much time to investigate and I may be building a cable this very weekend. Most likely from four pin mini xlr to 4 pin standard xlr, another great use for star quad cable lol.

later


----------



## s4tch

hi guys, i recently bought a centrance hifi-m8 and an akg n40, and i'd like to have a custom xlr-mmcx cable for them. question is: where to get proper mmcx connectors? eidolic looks like a good option, but i can't find it anywhere in stock. do you have any other ideas on sub-$20 mmcx connectors? thanks!

also, soft, light braided cable. materials would be welcome


----------



## hoskoau

Is there a paracord chart that lists the ID size with the cord removed?

I am wanting to use paracord to sleeve the conductors out of Mogami W2534 cable, I know its 1.6mm. I also have some left over W2893 which has 1mm conductors, 26AWG isn't great but If I tie 2 together it becomes 23AWG and might look nicer braided. Just wanting to work out which size paracord to use. Techflex lists minimum and maximum sizes, I just can't seem to find anything for paracord.


----------



## Corbet

I'm not the type of Head-Fi user who mods a ton, but recently, my Denon D2000 cables has been cutting out on the right headphone. Can anybody suggest a cheap (Under $50) headphone cable replacement? I'm really just looking for something I can easily solder that isn't as long or as thick as the D2000s.


----------



## hoskoau

Corbet said:


> I'm not the type of Head-Fi user who mods a ton, but recently, my Denon D2000 cables has been cutting out on the right headphone. Can anybody suggest a cheap (Under $50) headphone cable replacement? I'm really just looking for something I can easily solder that isn't as long or as thick as the D2000s.


Maybe time for a removable cable mod if you are going to be opening it up. 2.5 or 3.5mm jacks open up cable possibilities.


----------



## Guerito

hoskoau said:


> Is there a paracord chart that lists the ID size with the cord removed?



I've used 95 and 275 paracord for individual 24awg wires stripped out from Van Damme mic cable. For a two-wire run above a y split 550 should be ample. If your wires are thin and your braiding is tight then 550 might work for a four-strand braid too.

Of course here in Europe the categories of paracord size seem to vary from shop to shop, as does the softness and flexibility of the sleeving...


----------



## hoskoau

Guerito said:


> I've used 95 and 275 paracord for individual 24awg wires stripped out from Van Damme mic cable. For a two-wire run above a y split 550 should be ample. If your wires are thin and your braiding is tight then 550 might work for a four-strand braid too.
> 
> Of course here in Europe the categories of paracord size seem to vary from shop to shop, as does the softness and flexibility of the sleeving...


Thanks I already have some 550, was looking for the size for individual cable. Might give 95 a try


----------



## Allanmarcus

hoskoau said:


> Is there a paracord chart that lists the ID size with the cord removed?
> 
> I am wanting to use paracord to sleeve the conductors out of Mogami W2534 cable, I know its 1.6mm. I also have some left over W2893 which has 1mm conductors, 26AWG isn't great but If I tie 2 together it becomes 23AWG and might look nicer braided. Just wanting to work out which size paracord to use. Techflex lists minimum and maximum sizes, I just can't seem to find anything for paracord.



nope. I can tell you the 95lb will be too small for two wires. Most of us just sleeve them individually and make an 8 strand braid.



Corbet said:


> I'm not the type of Head-Fi user who mods a ton, but recently, my Denon D2000 cables has been cutting out on the right headphone. Can anybody suggest a cheap (Under $50) headphone cable replacement? I'm really just looking for something I can easily solder that isn't as long or as thick as the D2000s.



There are three possible places where the cable is causing this issue. The plug, the wire, or the connection in the cups. First thing to do is wiggle the cups and see if the issue is there. If it is, you might just need to resolder a joint. Then wiggle th cable around the plug. Same potential solution. You can even cur the wire and solder on a new plug, or just desolder the old one, and reuse it, if possible.

If it's the wire, then you need to re-cable. The easiest wire to use is SummerCable SC-Peacock mk2. Strip, solder, put a piece of heat shrink at the Y to keep the cable from splitting, and done.
http://usashop.sommercable.com/en/C...h-Mikrofonkabel-SC-Peacock-MKII-200-0551.html
Downside is that it's a little thick. It's the same wire used on the old beyerdynamic T1.

You can buy a Sennheiser HD650 for $11, snip the tips off, and use that as a cable. Would probably word well. If it's too long, you can cut it shorter.
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/accessories--hd-650--cable
Problem is that is goes out of stock often, but if you check daily, it will come back. You will not get a better cable for under $50, and this one is only $11 w/free shipping.

Finally, if you want to get sucked into the cable making black pit, mogami quad is the cable many of us use.


----------



## hoskoau

Allanmarcus said:


> nope. I can tell you the 95lb will be too small for two wires. Most of us just sleeve them individually and make an 8 strand braid.


Sorry I wasn't clearer, I am wanting to sleeve them individually so I can use my Kumihimo disc.


----------



## Allanmarcus

hoskoau said:


> Sorry I wasn't clearer, I am wanting to sleeve them individually so I can use my Kumihimo disc.


Interesting. They will be quite thick for kumihimo. I'm curious how that turns out.


----------



## Letmebefrank

Does anyone know how the 2.5mm TRS connectors are wired for newer Hifimans? Do you run + to both tip and ring per side or do you only wire the right + to the ring on the right and left + to the tip on the left and leave the other ones alone?


----------



## zacrobmer (Aug 13, 2017)

For the


Letmebefrank said:


> Does anyone know how the 2.5mm TRS connectors are wired for newer Hifimans? Do you run + to both tip and ring per side or do you only wire the right + to the ring on the right and left + to the tip on the left and leave the other ones alone?



For the HE400i both + are wired to the tips,  the negatives are both wired to the - plate/sleeve (per side).

You could probably get away with using 2.5mm TS/mono plugs.


----------



## caecillius

Letmebefrank said:


> Does anyone know how the 2.5mm TRS connectors are wired for newer Hifimans? Do you run + to both tip and ring per side or do you only wire the right + to the ring on the right and left + to the tip on the left and leave the other ones alone?


For my 400i I used Switchcraft 850X connectors. They are TS, not TSR. Hifiman uses TSR because they are easier to source I assume but aren't necessary. So each side just goes + to tip and then - to sleeve. 

Edit: Ninja'd by zacrobmer


----------



## Letmebefrank

zacrobmer said:


> For the
> 
> 
> For the HE400i both + are wired to the tips,  the negatives are both wired to the - plate/sleeve (per side).
> ...





caecillius said:


> For my 400i I used Switchcraft 850X connectors. They are TS, not TSR. Hifiman uses TSR because they are easier to source I assume but aren't necessary. So each side just goes + to tip and then - to sleeve.
> 
> Edit: Ninja'd by zacrobmer



Awesome thank you both. I already purchased the red/black 2.5mm trs pair from Redco. The only mono I could find with a shoulder were 3x the price or more. If I had the headphones I could've tested the original cable but I wont have them till december (he4xx).


----------



## Allanmarcus

Letmebefrank said:


> Awesome thank you both. I already purchased the red/black 2.5mm trs pair from Redco. The only mono I could find with a shoulder were 3x the price or more. If I had the headphones I could've tested the original cable but I wont have them till december (he4xx).



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Upgraded-2-...io-For-HD700-Oppo-PM-1-2-4Colour/272323118354
$1.49 each

also these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-Gold-...udio-plug-I-soldering-connector-/322420076616
about $1.00 each, and you get 10. Good for when you screw up the solder and need another  This is what I used for my PMx2 cables. 

A little hard to solder, but they work well.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Aug 17, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


>



Tom, what is the wire holder called? Who makes it? Where can I get one? Others may want to know too. Is it a coil letter holder, or something made for holding wire/cable?

If you say "it called a wire holder" I reserve the right to slap you


----------



## Letmebefrank

Allanmarcus said:


> Tom, what is the wire holder called? Who makes it? Where can I get one? Others may want to know too. Is it a coil letter holder, or something made for holding wire/cable?
> 
> If you say "it called a wire holder" I reserve the right to slap you



It's called a Wire Manager. Here's the link on panavise website:

http://www.panavise.com/index.html?pageID=1&page=full&--eqskudatarq=38


----------



## hoskoau

Letmebefrank said:


> It's called a Wire Manager. Here's the link on panavise website:
> 
> http://www.panavise.com/index.html?pageID=1&page=full&--eqskudatarq=38


It's part of NASA guidelines to use a coil to hold wires as it does not damage them. If it's good enough for space equipment then it's good enough for hifi.


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## Paladin79 (Aug 17, 2017)

It slides on the model 350 series panavise, I am not so sure it will fit on other models that do not have this style assembly....https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/panavise/366/366PV-ND/1758  it works with models 366 and 376 vise heads. It does have a clamp and screw arrangement that I could get to work on other devices with a little thought so if you do get one, I am sure you could figure out a way to use it.

Here it is at Digikey..


https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=panavise 358

This photo is courtesy of Allied Electronics, they carry them as well.


----------



## NTK1

How do I convert a 4 pole to mono?


----------



## buke9

NTK1 said:


> How do I convert a 4 pole to mono?


 4 Pole what to what mono?


----------



## NTK1

buke9 said:


> 4 Pole what to what mono?



Sorry. I bought 2.5mm trrs jacks for my m1060s and these take mono.


----------



## buke9

Just to clarify are these to be used on the cup end of cable?


----------



## Allanmarcus

NTK1 said:


> Sorry. I bought 2.5mm trrs jacks for my m1060s and these take mono.



Try tip and sleeve


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## buke9 (Aug 20, 2017)

Well I would go with tip as + and bridge both sleeves to make sure the connection mates well for the - no harm done just don't know where the 1060 jack makes the connection on the 2.5mm connector so that would be the best to be sure.


----------



## blin

What's the term for the piece of sleeving that would go over the top of my paracord into the 3.5mm connector to "fill the gap" so to speak, I have an oyaide jack, the plug rear is 6mm, so I would need to fill the remainder of the gap between the outer of the paracord and the inner edge of the oyaide jack plug, thanks guys.


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## Paladin79 (Aug 22, 2017)

You can use a couple layers of heat shrink tubing. There is thin wall and thick wall, some with adhesive inside, some without. There are also rubber grommets that can take up the gap between a connector and the cable. My favorite are the red, green and black grommets shown, I can buy those with different inside diameters and then cut them to fit specific connectors if needed. They are also good for marking left and right channels as well. They are approximately 1.75 inches long to start, the inside is tapered so as you go to the larger end it will accommodate larger cable. They can act as a strain relief for the cable and you can make them fairly permanent with the use of adhesives.


----------



## Albator75000

Hello everyone, I own a DX200 DAP and as they just released the "AMP3" amplification module including a 2.5 trrs line out output. I am wondering, if possible, how is it possible to make a 2.5mm TRRS to 2x 3-pin XLR interconnect to feed my balanced amp (Cavalli Liquid Carbon)?

Thanks in advance!


----------



## Paladin79

Is the TRRS using two grounds and two hots? If not you would be trying to run unbalanced into balanced and that is not going to give you a balanced input anyway. I seem to recall the liquid carbon taking an unbalanced signal and processing it to be balanced but I believe that is through a normal unbalanced input. Maybe I dreamed that or I am thinking of another amp but I try to only hook balanced to balanced and never run a balanced output into an unbalanced input.


----------



## Albator75000 (Aug 22, 2017)

Yes it has what is called "phase splitter" or something like that. I think the 2.5 mm TRRS output is balanced L+,L-,R+,R-. Could this work? I messaged iBasso about this setup and in their response it seemed like it was possible. The LC has a Right Left dual 3-pin XLR input also.


----------



## Albator75000

This is the module output:


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 22, 2017)

You should be fine then, just match up R+R- and L+L- on each cable and you would be fine. Alanmarcus posted a link recently that showed that particular XLR pin out so it is a matter of getting the 2.5 mm pin out.

Buke was kind enough to let me test out a Liquid Carbon but I have not had much time to build cables yet other than XLR to XLR for balanced inputs. I am also more prone to be more cautious with equipment belonging to someone else lol.


----------



## Albator75000 (Aug 22, 2017)

But the jack has 4 connections the two XLRs have 6 (combined). I thought one of the 3 pins on the XLR plug is for "ground". What do I do with that?
I am not an expert by any means and new to DIY. This one confuses me


----------



## Paladin79

You only use two pins on the XLR's as I recall, you should be able to find that with a bit of research.


----------



## Albator75000

OK, I'm going to research on this.
Thank you.
I'll come back if need be


----------



## Paladin79

I am in the middle of a few things but if I get a chance to look for it later I will post it for you.


----------



## buke9

On a XLR connector 1 is ground 2 is + and 3 is -. 1 is where you would hook your shielding to for a normal balanced cable.


----------



## buke9

I have found no difference in the balanced and unbalanced connections on the LC myself but that is me.


----------



## Paladin79

The only cables I have used have all three wires attached to each XLR so I know they are a continuation of the source. If the balanced output of an LC gets me more gain, then I definitely have to try that. Every once in a while works gets in the way of me giving complete answers in here and I apologize for that. My son actually bought cables the other day before i could ship him things I built, such is life.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I believe the balanced output of the liquid carbon use twice as many amps as the SE output, so you should get significantly more power to the headphones.


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 23, 2017)

Allanmarcus said:


> I believe the balanced output of the liquid carbon use twice as many amps as the SE output, so you should get significantly more power to the headphones.


It does double the output which I need to do in order to drive some of my headphones. It doubles the milliamperes, One amp times a nominal 100 volts equals 100 watts and thus  too much for most headphones. I have seen some cans rated at a maximum of 5-7 watts. Put more than that into them and the little wires that normally carry a signal start acting like little fuses if you are lucky. Think of the warnings about staring at the eclipse without proper glasses only substitute ears and loud sound for eyes and the sun.

Anyway I am going to wire a balanced cable to go from an LC amp to Alpha primes. The pinout is left channel 1-1, 2-2, right channel 3-1, 4-2. The first numbers are for the four pin xlr, second are for the Hirose connectors used by Mrspeakers, only pins one and two are used on each channel.

A balanced cable helps the Cavalli LC immensely, I can hear raindrops pattering on a church used for a Chesky recording. (faintly in the background.) This is a pretty down and dirty cable, four wire ofc 24 awg but it was the quickest method of hearing the amp as it should sound.


----------



## domsch1988

I could use some specific information on Connector and Cable sizes.
I'm planing to do a new cable for my HD600. The connectors for the cups seem to only be available from china (if anyone has a source in Europe, i'd be really glad). They are only 4 bucks a pair, so i'll order 3 or 4 From Ebay.
I'm planing to do 2 Cables. One for desktop use one for mobile.
The base will be earcups to 4pin tinyXLR. From there i'll do two cables. One to 6,3 and one to 3.5. Both significantly shorter than stock.

What infos i need:
- which is the maximum outer diameter cable i can use in the earcups connectors (assuming two singel conductor cables)?
- What size heatshrink fits over the Sennheiser connectors?
- What's the maximum size cable you'd get for tinyxlr-6,3mm assuming i use 3 single conductors?

In the past i've had the Problem of not getting the cables into the connector because of size. This time i'd like to make sure it works before ordering a bunch of stuff...
Also, if you can recommend any specific cable/materials i'd be happy to look into it. Otherwise it'll be mogami (not sure what i can get yet).


----------



## Paladin79

The size heatshrink tubing that fits over the Sennheiser connectors I have is 3/8 inch, approximately 10 mm.
The maximum cable size for mini xlr's can very with manufacturer but 3 mm or 1/8 inch fits the three or four brands I use with no problem and that is certainly small enough for any 6.3 mm connector. Please note that most of the min xlrs can be reamed out a bit to accommodate larger cable.

If I understand your first question, the backs of the Sennheiser connectors I have would accommodate a maximum of 3 mm cable, two single conductors, say 24 awg would fit just fine.

I can recommend all kinds of cable but many are not available in Europe, the Mogami is good cable so you may want to just go with that.

Tom


----------



## Allanmarcus

I was able to get 8 26AWG connectors into the tip.  I has to strip them all about an inch from the end, then twist together each pair of 4, then heatshrink each set. 

I strongly encourage you to just wait until you get your connectors, then measure.


----------



## Paladin79

As I said I was measuring the connectors I have and from what I can tell they are less common than some of the Sennheiser connectors I have recently seen so waiting to get your connectors is good advice. When dealing with heatshrink tubing, most of it is 2-1 shrink ratio but you should be able to find 3-1 as well. It is a little more versatile and as long as you start with a size large enough before shrinking, you have a lot of wiggle room to make sure it will work for your connectors. The 3-1 often works better to match up to both connector and incoming wires.


----------



## Oscar-HiFi

domsch1988 said:


> I could use some specific information on Connector and Cable sizes.
> I'm planing to do a new cable for my HD600. The connectors for the cups seem to only be available from china (if anyone has a source in Europe, i'd be really glad). They are only 4 bucks a pair, so i'll order 3 or 4 From Ebay.
> I'm planing to do 2 Cables. One for desktop use one for mobile.
> The base will be earcups to 4pin tinyXLR. From there i'll do two cables. One to 6,3 and one to 3.5. Both significantly shorter than stock.
> ...



Van Damme is my cable of choice in the EU as it is easier to get, they do a very nice minature starquad for a reasonable price and to me it is a very neutral sounding cable (it is OFC with strands of silver plated copper in it too).


----------



## kwatch

I'm planning to build a balanced custom headphone cable for Hifiman HE-400i. I've build the balanced custom cable for Senn HD600 using Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad cable, but it's too bulky, stiff and heavy. Can anyone recommend me a good cable I can use?


----------



## Paladin79

Canare makes a miniature star quad cable:  L-4E5C Mini-Star-Quad as does Mogami , W2893.


----------



## Pilotdog68

kwatch said:


> I'm planning to build a balanced custom headphone cable for Hifiman HE-400i. I've build the balanced custom cable for Senn HD600 using Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad cable, but it's too bulky, stiff and heavy. Can anyone recommend me a good cable I can use?


Did you use the whole cable or just the inner conductors?  I did cable with just the 4 conductors without the jacket and it is more pliable than w2893 _with_ the jacket


----------



## kwatch (Aug 29, 2017)

Pilotdog68 said:


> Did you use the whole cable or just the inner conductors?  I did cable with just the 4 conductors without the jacket and it is more pliable than w2893 _with_ the jacket




I used the whole cable. Did you use any kind of outer shell like paracord?


----------



## Feilong4

kwatch said:


> I'm planning to build a balanced custom headphone cable for Hifiman HE-400i. I've build the balanced custom cable for Senn HD600 using Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad cable, but it's too bulky, stiff and heavy. Can anyone recommend me a good cable I can use?



Not to shamelessly plug, but I am currently selling 2 balanced Hifiman cables with SMC connectors if you were possibly looking to buy an already built cable.


----------



## Pilotdog68

kwatch said:


> I used the whole cable.



Canare's jackets are generally pretty stiff. I took off the black jacket and the metal whatchamacallit and just sleeved the four wires in paracord. The paracord gives some microphonics but its pretty light and flexible. If you want to keep the outer jacket, I recommend w2893. The Mogami stuff is usually more flexible.


----------



## Paladin79

If I am working with star quad I use the whole cable. If I want individual wires, I get individual wires. Depending on where you live your only option could be to strip the wires from star quad in order to get quality wire.


----------



## Pilotdog68

Paladin79 said:


> If I am working with star quad I use the whole cable. If I want individual wires, I get individual wires. Depending on where you live your only option could be to strip the wires from star quad in order to get quality wire.



To each his own I guess. I was doing a single-entry cable and it was nice being able to strip off the jacket and have the 4 wires already twisted together. All I had to do was slide the paracord over it and solder connectors. It also ended up perfectly round, not lumpy like I see a lot of others here. 

My next cable I plan to do the same way but without any paracord. We'll see how long the twist stays together without anything holding in in shape.


----------



## kwatch

Pilotdog68 said:


> To each his own I guess. I was doing a single-entry cable and it was nice being able to strip off the jacket and have the 4 wires already twisted together. All I had to do was slide the paracord over it and solder connectors. It also ended up perfectly round, not lumpy like I see a lot of others here.
> 
> My next cable I plan to do the same way but without any paracord. We'll see how long the twist stays together without anything holding in in shape.



What paracord in size did you use sleeving to cover the 4 wires twisted together?  What size did you use for the 2 wires connecting to the headphone?


----------



## Pilotdog68

I bought the only size paracord Home Depot had and it fit perfectly. It was just a single-entry cable, so no y-split


----------



## Paladin79

On most star quad there is wire braid. I was curious if you left that in place as well? To me that adds more stiffness to the cable than the outside jacket.


----------



## Pilotdog68 (Aug 29, 2017)

Braided shielding! that's the "metal whatchamacallit" I couldn't think of in post #7413. I removed it, along with the cloth/paper/string filler stuff. Just the 4 wires were left.

The cable is pictured a few pages back: https://head-fi.org/threads/diy-cable-questions-and-comments-thread.676402/page-486#post-13614795


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> If I am working with star quad I use the whole cable. If I want individual wires, I get individual wires. Depending on where you live your only option could be to strip the wires from star quad in order to get quality wire.



Where do you get essentially the same wire that is found inside of mogami quad for the about the same price? 



Pilotdog68 said:


> cloth/paper/string filler stuff



Dielectric


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 29, 2017)

The wire I purchase I do so at 15,000 feet at a time from a major manufacturer, ofc, 24 awg. I did not say it was essentially the same wire in those exact words; it is probably larger than some Mogami used and the strand count could well be different, I just said if I want to buy individual wire, I tend to do just that. Most anyone can approach Mogami, Belden, Canare, Carol, etc and offer to buy specific types of wire but there are usually minimum purchases required, or even special runs of wire. They will brand it any way you like, if you purchase enough but the normal DIYer does not generally need those quantities.

While cloth, paper, and string stuff are not exactly great conductors, I was unaware they were being used as dielectric materials in star quad but I guess the term could apply. I have heard of such things referred to as fillers. Fillers are used to keep the cable round and to eliminate convolution.


----------



## zacrobmer

kwatch said:


> What paracord in size did you use sleeving to cover the 4 wires twisted together?  What size did you use for the 2 wires connecting to the headphone?



 For the cable I made for my He400i's I used 550 cord for 4 strands (Mogami W2893 stripped, no copper sheath, just the wires) and then 275 for the two twisted wires after the split.


----------



## hoskoau

Why don't people use the shield as the ground cable in their headphone cables?


----------



## Letmebefrank

hoskoau said:


> Why don't people use the shield as the ground cable in their headphone cables?


Because headphones do not use ground, they use positive and negative only.


----------



## hoskoau

Letmebefrank said:


> Because headphones do not use ground, they use positive and negative only.


Huh, negative is ground.


----------



## Letmebefrank

hoskoau said:


> Huh, negative is ground.



Positive and negative in transducers are for phasing, you don't connect the output of an amplifier to earth or you will ruin it.


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 30, 2017)

Single entry headphones share a common ground, and the cable can certainly be two conductors and a shield with drain wire, thus the shield is ground. Fostex and lower end Beyerdynamic use this.

 Twisted pair is a form of shielding as is a physical shield. Some of the better cables use one twisted pair and a shield or even a double shield, those cables are not very flexible. Star quad is often used with dual entry headphones and there is a spiral twist, the shield should not be used as ground IMHO since two separate grounds already exist and an additional ground would form a loop and act like an antenna.

Good reply Frank. You should not confuse earth ground with ground potential or a signal that is less positive than another.


----------



## hoskoau

Paladin79 said:


> Single entry headphones share a common ground, and the cable can certainly be two conductors and a shield with drain wire, thus the shield is ground. Fostex and lower end Beyerdynamic use this.
> 
> Twisted pair is a form of shielding as is a physical shield. Some of the better cables use one twisted pair and a shield or even a double shield, those cables are not very flexible. Star quad is often used with dual entry headphones and there is a spiral twist, the shield should not be used as ground IMHO since two separate grounds already exist and an additional ground would form a loop and act like an antenna.


Thanks, I am use to using star quad for balanced mic cables. But we always tie two of the conductors together, it thought it was designed for that. 

I just made a cable for my single entry AKG K712s using Mogami mini quad. I used the shield for ground, tied two conductors for left and the other two for right.


----------



## hoskoau

Letmebefrank said:


> Positive and negative in transducers are for phasing, you don't connect the output of an amplifier to earth or you will ruin it.


Ground isn't earth.


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 30, 2017)

This is an interesting topic but I have an hour drive before I can answer again. A shield is the second conductor on coaxial cable and the third on standard microphone cable. The question was "why is it not used" and my answer is, sometimes it is.

There several types of grounds and that subject can be tricky. I can only think of four or five types off the top of my head. Driving soon, enjoy the topic!

Earth is most certainly a ground and if the chassis of an amp is at ground potential and the sleeve of a connector (signal ground) is attached to that same point, it is going to earth ground. A balanced output does not share a common ground so I would think the path is not so direct.

As far as using two wires for left channel and two for right and the shield for ground that should work and you are increasing the conductor size going to each channel. What you do not want to do is come out of a balanced output on an amp and go to a TRS connector and combine both negatives.

This article should help a bit...

https://robrobinette.com/Push-Pull_Vs_Single-Ended_and_Balanced_Vs_Unbalanced.htm

When you are using dual entry headphones and the cable uses a TRS connector and if you are connecting that to an unbalanced amp, you have a more obvious ground connection. If you are hooking to a balanced out put and use the proper four connection cable those same connections in the headphones are positive and negative. This is a round about way of saying most everything I have heard here is correct, it is the balanced and unbalanced application that can change things.


----------



## Allanmarcus

You could use the shield as the common, but if you also use one of the conductors, you have a "loop" you are running one insulated wire and a second (the shield) outside the insulation. That might cause an issue.

The second issue is separation. for a balanced cable, there is no common. each channel has a left and right + and -. For single ended there is no "-", there is hot and common. the common is literally common between left and right channels. For balanced, the - is not common between left and right channels.

Hope this makes sense.


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 30, 2017)

it makes sense to me but then I work with the stuff lol.  Using the word "common" opens up another can of worms. Here is an article that talks about types of  grounds.

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/technical-articles/an-introduction-to-ground/

Also something Allan will be aware of, earlier I was talking about string and such being used in some cable to give it a round shape. They do not use such things in Ethernet cable so you will see a wavy appearance when using twisted pair. String can also be used to help strengthen a cable so you do not damage the jacket or conductors when pulling it. I have some audio cable where it is obvious it contains twisted pair by looking at the outside jacket, some of the more expensive cable looks perfectly round and conforms to connector openings better. You will see it yourself if you use heat shrink or mesh on twisted pair, the mesh probably hides the shape a little better.


----------



## kwatch

I'm planning to make a digital coaxial cable using Belden 1694A.  What do I use to terminate each end?  Can someone recommend me one I can use?


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 2, 2017)

Such cable can be terminated depending on usage, BNC connectors, F connectors or most likely RCA connectors. For audio use and digital audio go with RCA connectors. My people use Canare connectors but the tools can be pretty pricey so your best bet is to use Neutrik/Rean connectors. There are two conductors in such coaxial cable, center conductor and braided shield. Attach shield to ground and center conductor to center post of the RCA connector. Here are some that would work well. These are solder type connectors.

http://www.tecnec.com/Product.asp?c...&baseitem=NF2CB-2&search=0&off=0&showreturn=0

http://www.tecnec.com/Product.asp?c...aseitem=NYS373-BK&search=0&off=0&showreturn=0

I also like these Amphenol RCA connectors

https://www.alliedelec.com/amphenol-audio-acpr-red/70400416/

You can use the 1694A for audio interconnects, Subwoofer cables, Digital audio cables (SPDIF), HD/SDI and video but your easiest use would be audio interconnects, but just remember down the road that cable is capable of other usages if you so desire. It will do low frequencies but has been sweep tested up to 4.5 gigahertz. The engineering staff at a local university use that series cable mini rg 59, RG 59, and RG 6 (the 1694A) for most any coaxial cable usage and I have built 500 foot cables with it that were used for filming such things as the X games.

Tom


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 2, 2017)

Here is the first connector I mentioned, they are Neutrik's top of the line I believe. I am using a coaxial cable that is laid out like the 1694a. This is silver plated ofc wire with a clear pvc jacket and stranded center conductor instead of solid but soldering technique is very similar between this and 1694A. I am in the process of building a couple sets of these to match up with a bottlehead crack done in silver and black (carbon fiber and black lacquer).


----------



## Letmebefrank

That BH Crack is beautiful Tom.


----------



## Paladin79

You are most kind Frank. I am staying away from lacquer on future projects, this was a lot of work lol, the cables are easy.


----------



## kwatch

Paladin79 said:


> Such cable can be terminated depending on usage, BNC connectors, F connectors or most likely RCA connectors. For audio use and digital audio go with RCA connectors. My people use Canare connectors but the tools can be pretty pricey so your best bet is to use Neutrik/Rean connectors. There are two conductors in such coaxial cable, center conductor and braided shield. Attach shield to ground and center conductor to center post of the RCA connector. Here are some that would work well. These are solder type connectors.
> 
> http://www.tecnec.com/Product.asp?c...&baseitem=NF2CB-2&search=0&off=0&showreturn=0
> 
> ...



There is a big price difference between Rean NYS373 and Neutrik NF2CB.  Will there be a SQ difference between them?

Thanks.


----------



## Paladin79

I doubt you would hear any difference to be honest.

 There is a difference  but it has more to do with the construction of the connector and what happens when you plug them in and out. If you are going to just plug the cable in and leave it, the less expensive one should be fine. Today I happened to be using the higher end connector because of the cable size I was using. 1694A is probably just over a quarter inch in outside diameter.


----------



## MikeJSmith

Hey, I’m sure everyone already has this figured out but I thought I’d share the way I’ve been sleeving some 26awg wire with paracord. 

I tried the inching along like a caterpillar but that was soul destroying so I got some thin, hollow brass tubing from a hobby store.

Then stripped a couple of cm of the wire and soldered it into the tube. It was easiest using the heat gun attachment to my gas soldering iron.

Then it was super easy to thread the tube through the paracord. Took less than 5 minutes for each 1.2ish metre wire, including soldering time.

Hope this helps someone!


----------



## Paladin79

Very good method, my people use something like that. Most anything small enough that will accept solder and not have a sharp pointed end can work.


----------



## kwatch

Paladin79 said:


> I doubt you would hear any difference to be honest.
> 
> There is a difference  but it has more to do with the construction of the connector and what happens when you plug them in and out. If you are going to just plug the cable in and leave it, the less expensive one should be fine. Today I happened to be using the higher end connector because of the cable size I was using. 1694A is probably just over a quarter inch in outside diameter.



It looks like Belden 1505F is more flexible than 1694A.  I might go with that cable.  What is you opinion on 1505F?


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 2, 2017)

Very good cable and for home audio you are fine. It has a stranded center conductor thus better flexibility. It is the rg 59 version of the 1694 (rg 6). We build all short cables with RG 59, anything past 50 feet we generally switch to rg 6 but that is long for home use lol. 1505a is the solid wire version. Solid wire of the same gauge conducts a bit better than the same gauge in stranded. Think about it, a solid object or smaller objects separated by small gaps. There are trade offs to everything. Computer patch cables are generally stranded wire because you can flex them more times than the same wire in solid before they break. Solid conducts better so it is used inside walls more or plenum air spaces. I do not plug cables in and out that often and it would take thousands of bends to break a cable. Coax deals with just one center conductor and it is surrounded by a white dielectric so it is a little tougher to bend very much anyway.


----------



## funch

MikeJSmith

Brilliant idea. I'm stealing it on my next cable.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Sep 3, 2017)

MikeJSmith said:


> Hey, I’m sure everyone already has this figured out but I thought I’d share the way I’ve been sleeving some 26awg wire with paracord.
> 
> I tried the inching along like a caterpillar but that was soul destroying so I got some thin, hollow brass tubing from a hobby store.
> 
> ...


This looks like a great idea. Can you provide any more info on the copper brass tube? Most importantly, what's its outer dimension?


----------



## MikeJSmith (Sep 3, 2017)

Allanmarcus said:


> This looks like a great idea. Can you provide any more info on the copper tube? Most importantly, what's its outer dimension?



I think it’s brass not copper. The store had a lot of train model stuff so I assume it’s used there. 1.5mm external diameter with a 1mm hole, about 300mm in length.

Edit - it looks like most of this is sold in inches, so it was 1/16 outer diameter. Cost me £1.50.


----------



## Allanmarcus

MikeJSmith said:


> I think it’s brass not copper. The store had a lot of train model stuff so I assume it’s used there. 1.5mm external diameter with a 1mm hole, about 300mm in length.
> 
> Edit - it looks like most of this is sold in inches, so it was 1/16 outer diameter. Cost me £1.50.


Great! This looks like the tube, for those of us that live in the middle of nowhere. 

https://www.amazon.com/PRECISION-METALS-8125-3PK1-Tube/dp/B000BPIL9Q

Note one of the sellers is Amazon, with prime.


----------



## Paladin79

Here is another quality RCA connector that would work well with Belden 1694A cable, or 1505A or F. This is the Canare F10. The one on the workbench still has the stress relief spring attached. The cable I am using is a little too large for that so i am mounting them sans spring. This is some semi serious coaxial cable I am using and it is right at 8 mm outside diameter so many rca connectors do not have that large of an opening. Last photo shows the high end Neutrik and some brass switchcraft that I modified greatly to get the proper look for a steampunk project. I may have the last 40 feet of this cable in existence and it is on its way out the door to match the amp in the second photo.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

WOW!I really admire your work beautiful as always...


----------



## Paladin79

Thanks luv, these being for my son I took a little extra care to make the cables match up with the amp. and if he gets the all black Music Hall turntable, they should all go together well.  I was a little hard pressed to find RCA connectors to fit this cable but things are working out.


----------



## kwatch

Paladin79 said:


> Very good cable and for home audio you are fine. It has a stranded center conductor thus better flexibility. It is the rg 59 version of the 1694 (rg 6). We build all short cables with RG 59, anything past 50 feet we generally switch to rg 6 but that is long for home use lol. 1505a is the solid wire version. Solid wire of the same gauge conducts a bit better than the same gauge in stranded. Think about it, a solid object or smaller objects separated by small gaps. There are trade offs to everything. Computer patch cables are generally stranded wire because you can flex them more times than the same wire in solid before they break. Solid conducts better so it is used inside walls more or plenum air spaces. I do not plug cables in and out that often and it would take thousands of bends to break a cable. Coax deals with just one center conductor and it is surrounded by a white dielectric so it is a little tougher to bend very much anyway.



I have a dumb question.  Does it have a minimum length I need to consider?


----------



## hoskoau

Paladin79 said:


> Last photo shows the high end Neutrik and some brass switchcraft that I modified greatly to get the proper look for a steampunk project.


Those Neutrik connectors are very nice, love the spring loaded system and the very pleasing click when they seat.


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 5, 2017)

It is difficult to build such a cable less than about 5 inches long since you need room to slide the backshell down the cable prior to seating it, other than that there is no minimum distance. This is using RCA connectors.

I once read that impedance is not a factor under two meters in length.

I have explained impedance before. Can anyone explain without looking it up why this cable has a 75 ohm impedance?  (Belden 1505a and 1694a etc.)

Those Neutrik connectors are well made and their construction lets them really grip the ground ring on the jack.


----------



## Pilotdog68 (Sep 5, 2017)

Has anybody experimented with coating a custom cable in plasti-dip or flexseal?

I did a trial run with a thin layer of plasti-dip spray and it was looking pretty good. I had to strip it off because I hadn't done the Y-split yet. I'll probably do a whole cable with it unless someone has a good reason why I shouldn't.


----------



## leeperry

say I wanna use two 2.4mm OD wires in a SMC Hifiman plug, I guess I'll have to ditch the plug cover and heatshrink the hell out of it huh?


----------



## Paladin79

That sounds fascinating; I may have to try it myself sometime. Were you able to get a pretty uniform thin layer?


----------



## Pilotdog68 (Sep 5, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


> That sounds fascinating; I may have to try it myself sometime. Were you able to get a pretty uniform thin layer?



(I'm assuming you're taking about my Plasti-dip question.)

I have flex-seal in a little can that I first tried dipping the wire in, but it ended up gloopy and uneven. With the plasti-dip, I sprayed fairly thin coats. After the 3rd coat I couldn't see the color of the wires underneath any more. I stopped there. It wasn't glossy, but it was uniform. I will probably do 5 coats total if I finish a cable that way.

(I'll add that the cable I was spraying was twisted, not braided. It might be harder to get an even coat with the extra "dimensions" of a braided cable.)


----------



## Paladin79

I was asking about the plati-dip. I can recall some kind of product that is used to recoat a grip on hand tools that is like a liquid rubber but it may come out too thick for such wire.


----------



## Pilotdog68

Paladin79 said:


> I was asking about the plati-dip. I can recall some kind of product that is used to recoat a grip on hand tools that is like a liquid rubber but it may come out too thick for such wire.


Yep, that's plastidip. Flex seal is similar but comes out even more rubbery in my experience.

They both come in a can with an open top that you can actually dip things in, or a rattle can. I have the "dipping can" of flex seal, and the rattle can of plastidip. 

Since it sounds like it's not exactly common practice to finish a cable this way, I'll be the guinea pig and post pictures in a day or two.


----------



## zacrobmer

Pilotdog68 said:


> Has anybody experimented with coating a custom cable in plasti-dip or flexseal?
> 
> I did a trial run with a thin layer of plasti-dip spray and it was looking pretty good. I had to strip it off because I hadn't done the Y-split yet. I'll probably do a whole cable with it unless someone has a good reason why I shouldn't.



Not on audio wire, but I know someone who used plastdip to color PSU cables for a PC. It looked great until he started fishing the cables around the case and the coating started peeling off. 

I would think the same issue may come up with a headphone cable, the regular use and bending the plastidip beyond what is meant for could cause it to detach from the cable you apply it to. 

I'd probably make up a short test cable, apply the plastidip, and after letting it dry for a day or so start bending and rubbing the test cable just to test durability. Treat it in a way that is worse case scenario for a headphone cable.


----------



## Letmebefrank

I plasti dipped the chrome parts of the grill on my 300C about 4 years ago. It turned out pretty good and lasted about 3.5 years. It started to flake off and now it's basically impossible to remove as it's baked onto my grill so it kinda looks like crap. My cousin did his wheels and those eventually dried out and started to flake as well. I wouldn't use plasti dip if you want it to last as it starts to harden after a while.


----------



## Allanmarcus

leeperry said:


> say I wanna use two 2.4mm OD wires in a SMC Hifiman plug, I guess I'll have to ditch the plug cover and heatshrink the hell out of it huh?


It's good measuring, but strip the wires just right, then heat shrink the twisted wires such that you only have two wires going into the connector. Then you should be able to use the cover. I did this with 8 wires going into an HD600 plug.


----------



## Pilotdog68

zacrobmer said:


> Not on audio wire, but I know someone who used plastdip to color PSU cables for a PC. It looked great until he started fishing the cables around the case and the coating started peeling off.
> 
> I would think the same issue may come up with a headphone cable, the regular use and bending the plastidip beyond what is meant for could cause it to detach from the cable you apply it to.
> 
> I'd probably make up a short test cable, apply the plastidip, and after letting it dry for a day or so start bending and rubbing the test cable just to test durability. Treat it in a way that is worse case scenario for a headphone cable.





Letmebefrank said:


> I plasti dipped the chrome parts of the grill on my 300C about 4 years ago. It turned out pretty good and lasted about 3.5 years. It started to flake off and now it's basically impossible to remove as it's baked onto my grill so it kinda looks like crap. My cousin did his wheels and those eventually dried out and started to flake as well. I wouldn't use plasti dip if you want it to last as it starts to harden after a while.



I am very easy on my cables as I really only listen while sitting in bed. This one will be 4ft for my HD600's. I'll give it a shot and see how it turns out. If it looks terrible, I'll just peel it off. If it starts flaking in a few years, I'll just make another. These cables cost me <$10 and a couple hours of time. It's not a big risk.


----------



## Pilotdog68 (Sep 6, 2017)

I got the cable assembly completed last night, but didn't have time to spray it with the plastidip. So here is the 'before' picture, the 'after' picture will have to come later. I plan to tape off the connectors, but spray right over the Y-split.

*Side-note*, these cheap HD600/650 connectors from ebay seem to work pretty well. They were easy to solder to and fit together nicely. I just put a dab of hot glue inside before closing it up to hold it tighter. The heatshrink on the end probably isn't even necessary, I'm just going to use it to give a sharp transition from the black plastdip to the clear connector.

The only issue I had with them was the ends of the plastic that go in the headphones were about 0.2mm too large. I had to sand them down a bit before they would fit.



Spoiler: Before Picture


----------



## Letmebefrank

Pilotdog68 said:


>



Where did you get those sennheiser connectors?


----------



## Pilotdog68 (Sep 6, 2017)

Letmebefrank said:


> Where did you get those sennheiser connectors?


I've edited my post with more info, but here is the link to the connectors I bought. I have ordered a few different items from this seller and recommend them.


----------



## hoskoau

What do you huys recommend as a cable similar in quality to the 24awg cable found in Mogami quad but on a spool. I don't want to have to pull about a cable to make a cable. I'd prefer to just buy raw cable


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 6, 2017)

I wish you well in finding such wire, ofc is generally used by manufacturers within their cable builds and is not an easy thing to purchase by itself. You are better off looking for some OCC copper but it can be rather pricey depending on where it comes from. It is a Japanese invention that seems to come out of China a lot.


----------



## Allanmarcus

hoskoau said:


> What do you huys recommend as a cable similar in quality to the 24awg cable found in Mogami quad but on a spool. I don't want to have to pull about a cable to make a cable. I'd prefer to just buy raw cable


If you are willing to pay, BTG is probably you best choice.
http://btg-audio.com/webstore.htm#ecwid:category=2620180&mode=category&offset=0&sort=normal


----------



## haoyuan

Cut up a new pair of RHA T20i so I can use my other cables.  Decided to keep the older cable functional still by installing MMCX male connectors onto it.  Works without a hitch, no problem so far.


----------



## hoskoau

Anybody have any experience with this wire off Aliexpress? 

24AWG 1.1mm OD FEP F46 Teflon Wire Silver Plated OFC Cable High Temperature Black/Brown/Red/Orange/Yellow/Green/Blue/White/Clear
http://s.aliexpress.com/zmMNn2mU 

Decent price not sure about quality though


----------



## Oscar-HiFi

hoskoau said:


> Anybody have any experience with this wire off Aliexpress?
> 
> 24AWG 1.1mm OD FEP F46 Teflon Wire Silver Plated OFC Cable High Temperature Black/Brown/Red/Orange/Yellow/Green/Blue/White/Clear
> http://s.aliexpress.com/zmMNn2mU
> ...



With only 7 strands inside, it'll be quite stiff in my opinion.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I just made a cable from eBay silver plated copper, 7 strand, and it's more stiff than I would like. I would not recommend 7 stand wire.

Pic and info here:      Post #15232


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 7, 2017)

7 strand is usually used in hook up wire, I try to use 30 strand or higher for headphone cables.

Earlier I saw 24awg ofc at 80 cents a foot I believe, that is pretty high for that considering four wire star quad is probably similar money but it has four such wires and a braid and there is cable construction involved.


----------



## kwatch

Can I use Belden 1505F as analog RCA cable for CD player and DAC connecting to Amp?


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 7, 2017)

It is excellent cable for that usage. Earlier we talked about connectors for such cables.

If you have a digital coaxial input on a device, the cable will handle that signal as well (SPDIF).

Since it is well shielded and made to handle low frequencies well, it makes wonderful Subwoofer cables. Shielding is important on those because of 60 cycle hum.

This is off subject but if you want to read some interesting things about low frequencies, read up on infrasound, sound below 20 cycles. Large animals use it to communicate and at around 15 cycles you are pretty close to the resonant frequency of the human eye. There have been some interesting phenomena associated with that frequency. It is believed that tigers use infrasound to freeze their prey. Belden is in northern Indiana but we also have large feline sanctuaries. One place has over 100 tiger and lion rescues, walk through there and you feel sound as much as you hear it.


----------



## hoskoau

Paladin79 said:


> Earlier I saw 24awg ofc at 80 cents a foot I believe, that is pretty high for that considering four wire star quad is probably similar money but it has four such wires and a braid and there is cable construction involved.



Thanks, I was looking at the Belden website and Belden 83048 is 24AWG 19 strands silver coated copper. It's $50 for 100 feet.


----------



## Paladin79

That particular wire is silver plated to prevent oxidation, not so much for sound quality. Both copper and silver will oxidize but I guess they figure the silver will do so at a lesser rate. Nickel and tin are sometimes used for the same purpose. I know for a fact Belden includes some ofc or high conductivity copper in some of their manufactured cables. I will look around tomorrow and try to steer you toward those. I believe they have something that would be a lot less work to dismantle than star quad and price wise you should come out pretty well. At 50 cents a foot you are paying for the silver in that wire and the teflon insulation and it is a lot to pay for something not intended for audio.


----------



## Pilotdog68 (Sep 7, 2017)

just finished spraying the cable with plastidip. Time will tell how well it holds up, but so far the look and feel aren't bad. I don't regret trying it, but I don't think I'll do it again unless it's my last option just because it was a fair amount of work for only a so-so result.

See the spoiler for before and after pictures.


Spoiler


----------



## Paladin79

interesting. The original wire looks like Canare perhaps. Do you like the flexibility?


----------



## Jasolt

Where could I get connectors and wires to make my own cables in Europe? That also has a large variety of choices?


----------



## Pilotdog68

Paladin79 said:


> interesting. The original wire looks like Canare perhaps. Do you like the flexibility?


Yep its Canare. I knew I wanted the wire to be fairly "naked", so I looked for some cable that would be pretty durable. I ordered L-4E6AT and 4S6.  After stripping them down to just the 4 wires, I chose the 4S6. It isn't the most flexible, but it's MUCH better than the L-4E6AT. The advantage to a relatively stiff jacket is that it holds the twist very well. I didn't notice much (if any) change in flexibility after the plastidip.


----------



## Paladin79

Here is a cable recently completed with the Canare L-4E6S star quad. Canare 3.5 mm with modified switchcraft RCA connectors. Black and silver to match an amp.


----------



## Oscar-HiFi

Jasolt said:


> Where could I get connectors and wires to make my own cables in Europe? That also has a large variety of choices?



If you want high quality cable, Toxic Cables and Forza audioworks sell their bulk cable. 

Connectors I tend to get cheap ones from China.

If you want nice, well priced cable, Van Damme mini starquad is easy to source in europe, it's what I use a lot.


----------



## Jasolt

Thank you. But, if I buy a wire how would I have to buy it. If I want a 1.5m wire, do I need to get 4.5m? Because the connectors I want are 3 Pol? I don't get it.


----------



## Paladin79

You need two conductors and ground if you are going three pole. If you buy star quad it has four conductors and shield (or ground). Plenty of conductors for three conductor connectors. You can double up the wires for the right and left channel and use the shield as ground, thus five wires for three connections.


----------



## chillaxing

anyone know where I can get the sony ex1000 connectors besides lunashops?  i recently bought 3 pairs from there and non of them will screw onto the ex without cross threading.


----------



## Sharkhunter (Sep 9, 2017)

Hi,
I am planning to make a balanced cable for Focal elear.

What heat shrink tubing width size do I need to cover the Left and Right 2 strands of cable wiring as shown in the picture.?

I would like to achieve this look as per in this listing on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Corpse-Cabl...198987?hash=item465ebdaa8b:g:79oAAOSwOgdYtKq8

Thank you.


----------



## Paladin79

1/8 inch might fit but to be absolutely safe I would go with 3/16. You have to bear in mind shrink ratio as well, 3 to 1 shrink ratio at 1/4 diameter could work.


----------



## Sharkhunter

Paladin79 said:


> 1/8 inch might fit but to be absolutely safe I would go with 3/16. You have to bear in mind shrink ratio as well, 3 to 1 shrink ratio at 1/4 diameter could work.


Would a 3/16 2:1 shrink ratio will work?


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 9, 2017)

If you had a micrometer and could tell me the overall diameters of the two wires it would help, but if not 3/16 2-1 would be my best guess.  

Use a ruler to take a rough estimate might even tell you.


----------



## Pilotdog68

Speaking of heat shrink...


Maybe this is old news but I think I found a great deal at Harbor Freight. Its a 42-piece combo pack of adhesive-lined 3:1 ratio for under $6.  I have not seen adhesive-lined or 3:1 anywhere else locally, much less both together. There is one catch:  they have some kind of markings printed on the side. I'll have to try to clean those off somehow.

https://m.harborfreight.com/42-piec...g-67598.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided


----------



## haoyuan

Sharkhunter said:


> Hi,
> I am planning to make a balanced cable for Focal elear.
> 
> What heat shrink tubing width size do I need to cover the Left and Right 2 strands of cable wiring as shown in the picture.?
> ...


I'm thinking 4mm 2:1. You can buy a small box of all different sizes and test them before you commit.  Bunch of them on amazon.


----------



## Paladin79

4 mm is right at 1/8th, 5 mm is 3/16, you could tell a lot by just holding the wire over a ruler and measuring it. Naturally I keep an assortment around and that is always a good way to go.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Pilotdog68 said:


> Speaking of heat shrink...
> 
> 
> Maybe this is old news but I think I found a great deal at Harbor Freight. Its a 42-piece combo pack of adhesive-lined 3:1 ratio for under $6.  I have not seen adhesive-lined or 3:1 anywhere else locally, much less both together. There is one catch:  they have some kind of markings printed on the side. I'll have to try to clean those off somehow.
> ...


Seems a bit pricey compared to what you can get an amazon
https://smile.amazon.com/Ginsco-152Pcs-Shrink-Tubing-Adhesive/dp/B01N07O1GO


----------



## Pilotdog68 (Sep 9, 2017)

Allanmarcus said:


> Seems a bit pricey compared to what you can get an amazon
> https://smile.amazon.com/Ginsco-152Pcs-Shrink-Tubing-Adhesive/dp/B01N07O1GO



If you have prime, that is the better deal. Without prime, its $14 shipped.

This is my first experience with adhesive wrap, and I'm really impressed. I used  less than an inch of it to hold some paracord to some spare wire. I tugged as hard as I could to separate the two, but couldn't do it. Very nice.


----------



## Paladin79

The adhesive works well and is great for some applications and dual wall is fairly thick after heating. Single wall standard for the two wire configuration originally asked about is the way to go. ( I only mention that so the proper type of tubing is bought for that usage.)  I go with 3M usually but I have tried some of the no name heatshrink and it can work as well.


----------



## kwatch

I have several headphone cables and their length is between 7' and 10'.  I think it is a bit long for me.  I'm thinking of trim them to 5' and make 5' extension cable . Will extension cable degrade the SQ?


----------



## Paladin79

It should not degrade the signal as long as the cable quality of the extension is as good or better than the original. A cable can be no better than the weakest link.


----------



## Sharkhunter

Paladin79 said:


> If you had a micrometer and could tell me the overall diameters of the two wires it would help, but if not 3/16 2-1 would be my best guess.
> 
> Use a ruler to take a rough estimate might even tell you.



The thickness of both the wires come to 2mm in width.


----------



## Paladin79

At two mm in with then the 1/8 inch or 4 mm heat shrink should be fine, I was playing it safe by saying 3/16 or 5 mm. Just use standard 2-1 shrink ration non adhesive heat shrink tubing and you should be fine.


----------



## Pilotdog68 (Sep 10, 2017)

Remember my HD600 cable made from Canare 4S6 and covered in Plastidip? Well I had some 4S6 left over so I made a cable for my HD700. This time I used 1/4" Polypropylene rope for the lower sheathing, then black paracord above the y-split. Amphenol 3.5mm and generic 2.5mm HD700 connectors.


Spoiler: Photo












That one turned out so nice, it made me regret doing Plastidip on the HD600 cable. So I stripped off all the Plastidip and started threading on the paracord. The only "Y-split" on this one is right out of the 3.5mm Rean jack. It splits into two separate paracord cables there, but then I re-twisted them back to their original star-quad shape. They hold the shape very well even with the paracord in the mix. I just untwist the top 8" or so before plugging them into the Senns, but the length of the "split" can be adjusted shorter or longer whenever I want to.



Spoiler: Photo











They're both ~4ft cables.


----------



## Jasolt

If I want to make a cable that is arround 1.5m and is 3 pole, how much acctual wire do I need? (buying from forza audiowork if it matters).


----------



## Allanmarcus

Jasolt said:


> If I want to make a cable that is arround 1.5m and is 3 pole, how much acctual wire do I need? (buying from forza audiowork if it matters).



3 pole on both ends, or 3 pole on one end and plots to connect to each cup?

If 3 poles on each end, the 1.5 x 3 = 4.5m, unless you want 1.5M of wire, not including the plugs. In any event, assuming 3 pole on both ends, just get 5M of wire. This assumes you are getting 1 connector wire. 

So many questions.


----------



## Jasolt

Allanmarcus said:


> 3 pole on both ends, or 3 pole on one end and plots to connect to each cup?
> 
> If 3 poles on each end, the 1.5 x 3 = 4.5m, unless you want 1.5M of wire, not including the plugs. In any event, assuming 3 pole on both ends, just get 5M of wire. This assumes you are getting 1 connector wire.
> 
> So many questions.



Yes, I do want a 3.5mm 3 pole to 3.5mm to 3 pole, 1 for each side, so you would recommend 5m instead of 4.5m, why is that?


----------



## Feilong4

Sorry, this is probably not the thread to ask, but does anyone so happen to know which wire goes where on this DT770 Pro 80 ohm driver? By the 2 solder joints above the 2 below are done by me.






I've asked a few places and even emailed Beyerdynamic, but still no answer.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Jasolt said:


> Yes, I do want a 3.5mm 3 pole to 3.5mm to 3 pole, 1 for each side, so you would recommend 5m instead of 4.5m, why is that?


well, first off you want a little extra for screw ups. you might be striping a wire and accidental cut it. Second, some of the wire goes into the plugs, si if you want 1.5M of actual wire, you have to account for the wire in the plugs.


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 12, 2017)

Feilong4 said:


> Sorry, this is probably not the thread to ask, but does anyone so happen to know which wire goes where on this DT770 Pro 80 ohm driver? By the 2 solder joints above the 2 below are done by me.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


There is usually a red mark on the Beyer drivers I have worked with but I do not see it in your photo. The way I have hooked them up in the past is red to positive, then I check for the other connection using an ohmmeter. While impedance and resistance are not the same thing, if you have a 32 ohm impedance etc. it will read fairly close to that on an ohmmeter, that tells you that you have the proper two connections. On photos I have seen the red dot is to the left of the solder pads so I would figure the hot being there and the opposite side being ground. If those drivers are 80 ohm, then that is what you should read across the proper two solder points. Another way to tell would be to place a signal across two points and check for sound, the  headphone output of a phone or high res player for instance with the end of a wire stripped so you could get left or right channel and ground. Personally I run two separate inputs to those drivers but originally they may have been a one cable set up. If you are trying to do that, let me know and I will try to help you further. You will in a sense be making a DIY cable to each driver so personally I do not think this question is out of place. There are three connections on such drivers but only two are needed per side.

Tom


----------



## Paladin79

Jasolt said:


> If I want to make a cable that is arround 1.5m and is 3 pole, how much acctual wire do I need? (buying from forza audiowork if it matters).



I have not seen it mentioned whether you are braiding the wires. If so figure and extra 20-30% because the wire length shortens as you braid. If you are running three wires in a jacket then Allan's answer makes sense


----------



## Oscar-HiFi (Sep 12, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


> There is usually a red mark on the Beyer drivers I have worked with but I do not see it in your photo. The way I have hooked them up in the past is red to positive, then I check for the other connection using an ohmmeter. While impedance and resistance are not the same thing, if you have a 32 ohm impedance etc. it will read fairly close to that on an ohmmeter, that tells you that you have the proper two connections. On photos I have seen the red dot is to the left of the solder pads so I would figure the hot being there and the opposite side being ground. If those drivers are 80 ohm, then that is what you should read across the proper two solder points. Another way to tell would be to place a signal across two points and check for sound, the  headphone output of a phone or high res player for instance with the end of a wire stripped so you could get left or right channel and ground. Personally I run two separate inputs to those drivers but originally they may have been a one cable set up. If you are trying to do that, let me know and I will try to help you further. You will in a sense be making a DIY cable to each driver so personally I do not think this question is out of place. There are three connections on such drivers but only two are needed per side.
> 
> Tom



He has a blue mark on the right hand side of the driver, the colour is actually the impedance 

But the side the mark is on is the Live side, the other is the Negative.

Blue = 80 Ohm


----------



## Paladin79

I was making an uneducated guess lol, on some I worked with the mark was also on the side of one of the terminals I ended up using. So red is 250 ohm, I stand corrected.


----------



## Paladin79

Oscar-HiFi said:


> He has a blue mark on the right hand side of the driver, the colour is actually the impedance
> 
> But the side the mark is on is the Live side, the other is the Negative.
> 
> Blue = 80 Ohm



Glad to hear the mark is on the live side, it worked out that way for me and I went into this rather blindly. Basically I used Beyer drivers in another brand of headphones and had to figure things out for myself. The only info I got when I received the drivers was "you know you are going to void the warranty on these." 
 Thanks for taking the time to educate me on the color code Oscar. There is a third connection there that I consider a pass through. As you wire one side with a three wire cable, I would think all three get connected then you run the second channel and ground to the other cup if doing a single cable entry. I did dual on mine.


----------



## kwatch (Sep 12, 2017)

I removed the jacket and shield of Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad. Using only the 4 conductors, it was sleeved in #550 paracord.


----------



## Jasolt

Paladin79 said:


> I have not seen it mentioned whether you are braiding the wires. If so figure and extra 20-30% because the wire length shortens as you braid. If you are running three wires in a jacket then Allan's answer makes sense


I really don't know what you mean by "braiding" and "jacket", but I'm looking to weave the cables, like most expensive custom cables. Also, where should I get the stuff from, wanting from 1 european place only, and how could I "remember" which cable is right, ground and left, seeing that they aren't color coded.


----------



## Muinarc

Jasolt said:


> I really don't know what you mean by "braiding" and "jacket", but I'm looking to weave the cables, like most expensive custom cables. Also, where should I get the stuff from, wanting from 1 european place only, and how could I "remember" which cable is right, ground and left, seeing that they aren't color coded.



By braiding he meant "weaving" as you put it, and you do lose about 25-30% of your starting wire length by weaving it. To know which wire is which, when you're all done you can solve it with a continuity test with a cheap voltmeter. You could also use nail polish of different colors to paint the ends before you start, or use colored or labeled tape.


----------



## Jasolt

Muinarc said:


> By braiding he meant "weaving" as you put it, and you do lose about 25-30% of your starting wire length by weaving it. To know which wire is which, when you're all done you can solve it with a continuity test with a cheap voltmeter. You could also use nail polish of different colors to paint the ends before you start, or use colored or labeled tape.


Ohh, thank you man!


----------



## Paladin79

Sorry I got busy and could not answer. By jacket I meant a pvc or rubberized coating that surrounds a group of wires like star quad cable. In audio those wires are often twisted pair. You do not have much loss with it, start with four feet two inches and build a four foot cable.


----------



## w45inus

Interesting project to do at free time


----------



## Allanmarcus

20-30% is quite high, IMHO. even when I use the braiding disk for a super tight braid, I only lose 10%-15%. When I hand braid with a lose braid, I lose very little length. Still, it's better to have too much wire than too little.


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 13, 2017)

I have had as many as five people learn to braid and oftentimes they end up with the wires at different lengths so they have to be trimmed. For me wire is cheap compared to the time it takes to braid so I allow for a little extra but then we do this for a living and if a customer asks for 4.5 feet, I cannot send them four feet. When you are building a cable for your own use and you are the responsible party, what ever result you get you can live with if you like. I go with at least 20% extra wire as a rule of thumb.

If we do have a few inches of braided wire left and if it is more expensive wire such as Occ copper, we normally build short 3.5 mm interconnects for say going from a phone to a portable amp such as an OPPO HA-2. I am always looking around for those and when you have multiple headphones and cases they are easily misplaced.


----------



## kwatch

Paladin79 said:


> It is excellent cable for that usage. Earlier we talked about connectors for such cables.
> 
> If you have a digital coaxial input on a device, the cable will handle that signal as well (SPDIF).
> 
> ...



I received the 1505F and have a question.  Do I have to solder all the shield?  Can I trim some of it to make it thin?


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 13, 2017)

you can most certainly trim some. Generally what I do is make one slice in it and then twist the bundle together. You can thin out the bundle and shorten it as needed. About the only connectors where I might leave the shield intact are some mono quarter inch connectors that have a very wide sleeve portion that will accept more braid. If done correctly you will not run the risk of any of the braid getting close to the center conductor on the cable. I tend to solder most any braid that might come loose to cause a short. Once it has cooled run your fingers over it to make sure no loose strands can move toward the other connection.


----------



## ImOverEar

I am considering making a 2m and a 4m cable for the AKG K812.

Can anyone confirm the pin config for the Lemo 3-pin plug and suggest a suitable cable to use please?


----------



## v3kt0r

Guys, I have JH16v2 and considering to do diy cable to avoid that moon audio which is a big mistake. Can please anyone provide a pinout for their 4-pin connector with or without cable attenuator (bass adjuster).

Thank you all


----------



## buke9

Do not know but I would not give up the bass adjustment as I found it too much fun. Heard it on the Layla's and Lola's and I did like it not for sure on the ones you have but most (not all ) cables for iems are the most outward are positive so you will have to have a multimeter to test that. Are you talking about a 2.5mm balanced cable or something else?


----------



## demevalos

I would like to create a basic 3.5mm cable, but this would be my first go at it. Would I be able to use 3 strands of cheap 16g copper wire? How would it sound compared to more expensive options? Would 16g be too thick to solder and use properly?


----------



## Paladin79

I would not use anything that large. It will be bulky and you would have a hard time using it with some 3.5 mm connectors. If you really, really want to do this, Canare makes a connector you could probably use all right. It is not too thick to solder but you have to consider the lugs or barrel you are trying to solder to. The best connection IMHO is wire looped through a solder lug and then solder applied. I was taught to never rely on the solder itself to hold the connection and you would most likely be tacking that wire to the side of the lugs. Go for 24 awg, or even 22 but save 16 for speaker wire. Sound quality might be all right.


----------



## demevalos

Cool thank you for the reply


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 22, 2017)

You are most welcome. What length cable are you looking to build? I may be able to send some cable your way no charge that would be more suitable.  It was the Canare F12 connector that has a large cable opening by the way.


----------



## demevalos

that would be aweosme! I'm aiming for around 3-4 feet, as it would be used as a daily carry or with a dac very close to me


----------



## v3kt0r (Sep 23, 2017)

buke9 said:


> Do not know but I would not give up the bass adjustment as I found it too much fun. Heard it on the Layla's and Lola's and I did like it not for sure on the ones you have but most (not all ) cables for iems are the most outward are positive so you will have to have a multimeter to test that. Are you talking about a 2.5mm balanced cable or something else?



Hi Buke9,

I'm about to use 2.5 trrs and already have multimeter which I've used before to do 2.5 trrs balanced for HD600. 4-pin for JH is a bit different in compare to Sennheiser. There are 4 pins for: highs, mid, lows and ground as on picture bellow. It's not like simple HD600 signal and ground for each side. So I was wondering how to terminate all 4 wires on 2.5 trrs jack. Should I solder all three wires (high, mid and low) to signal for right and the same for left and ground as usual?

Thanks all for any advice.


----------



## Paladin79

private message me your address and I will get some things out to you early next week. I have some 24 awg ofc in two colors that you might like and three wire braiding is not hard to do.  This reply was meant for Demevalos.


----------



## v3kt0r

v3kt0r said:


> Hi Buke9,
> 
> I'm about to use 2.5 trrs and already have miltimeter which I've used before to do 2.5 trrs balanced for HD600. 4-pin for JH is a bit different in compare to Sennheiser. There are 4 pins for: highs, mid, lows and ground as on picture bellow. It's not like simple HD600 signal and ground for each side. So I was wondering how to terminate all 4 wires on 2.5 trrs jack. Should I solder all three wires (high, mid and low) to signal for right and the same for left and ground as usual?
> 
> Thanks all for any advice.



Guys, anyone?


----------



## Allanmarcus

v3kt0r said:


> Guys, anyone?


Have you contacted JH and asked them? Have you googled? Have you posted on the JH threads? The LH approach is rather odd to me, at least, so I have no idea.Many others probably don't either.

Once you find out, let us know.


----------



## v3kt0r

Allanmarcus said:


> Have you contacted JH and asked them? Have you googled? Have you posted on the JH threads? The LH approach is rather odd to me, at least, so I have no idea.Many others probably don't either.
> 
> Once you find out, let us know.



I didn't contact jh support because have had really unpleasant experience with that department. Don't want to waste my and their time. I assume they have sort of agreement with Moon Audio so they're kind of monopolist for their v2 iems cables and don't think they are going to share that info easily, but could be wrong of course.
I googled it and found that picture but not really a lot about setup with no attenuator, but there is one for sure which you can get through moon audio website.

Anyway, guys. I would be glad to get some info if you have and will be looking for resolution. Will keep you updated.


----------



## Sharkhunter

I plan to build a iem cable to isine 10. I have purchased the 2 pin 0.78 mm connectors. I want to build a Litz OCC silver plated copper cable. 24 / 26 / 28 awg confuses me while shopping for the cable. What can be used for my iems and where can i buy them from.?

thanks,


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 3, 2017)

24/26/and 28 awg.....AWG stands for American wire gauge, the smaller the number, the larger the wire gauge ergo 28 awg is smaller than 24 awg and would probably be fine in your application. It should cost you less.

Now Litz occ silver plated copper IMHO is mixing terminologies and I am not so sure it exists as such. Litz wire is often used for transformers and often it has an enamel coating on each strand. I have also heard people talk about litz braiding so you may well be using that term.
 Personally I try to talk people out of buying silver plated copper unless they just want it for looks. The reasoning behind such wire is, with the skin effect the signal travels on the outside of a given wire and silver is a better conductor therefore they use just a thin layer there. (it might also be used to keep down oxidation but that is another story.) The skin effect usually kicks in at frequencies around 100kilo hertz and you will be listening to a signal that should be at an audible range of about 20 to 20k hertz (if you are lucky) so paying for silver plating makes little audible difference.

You can find Litz wire on ebay and you can find OCC copper, silver, and probably silver plated there as well. Just be a little cautious where you buy it, OCC is a Japanese invention and if you buy it from a Chinese source it makes me wonder about authenticity.

That being said, if you get a chance, try to listen to a decent quality OFC wire and compare it to some OCC copper lets say, and see if you can hear a difference. If when blindfolded you can pick out the OFC compared to the OCC all other things being equal, then by all means buy the OCC. I have the luxury to have at my disposal most types of wire made and in my own testing, it is rare to find someone who can consistently tell a difference.


----------



## buke9

Sharkhunter said:


> I plan to build a iem cable to isine 10. I have purchased the 2 pin 0.78 mm connectors. I want to build a Litz OCC silver plated copper cable. 24 / 26 / 28 awg confuses me while shopping for the cable. What can be used for my iems and where can i buy them from.?
> 
> thanks,


 Toxic Cables has 26 awg silver plated Litz for $2.50 a foot for not their brand and $3.50 a foot for theirs.


----------



## kubig123

buke9 said:


> Toxic Cables has 26 awg silver plated Litz for $2.50 a foot for not their brand and $3.50 a foot for theirs.


+1 for Toxic.

I have the cooper and the silver plate cooper, easy to solder. I usually double them.


----------



## Paladin79

Litz wire is generally not very easy to solder. Was there a coating on the individual wires? That appears to be a rope braid (how each strand appears in the wire itself.) On litz wire I generally use a solder pot because you have to remove the coating from each individual strand and that may well be what Toxic is offering.


----------



## kubig123

That's correct, you need a solder pot.

Otherwise you can go with Double helix, they are selling 2 version of a OCC Copper Wire, 24 AWG, that is very easy to solder.


----------



## buke9

Yes the Nucleotide wire is nice and very soft and flexible but solder fast as the cover melts very easy.


----------



## Paladin79

Interesting, I have not dealt with any of it in about a year and I am more used to the classic definition of Litz wire and its usage.


----------



## CarlosUnchained

Can somebody explain why the Color Series HCP is so cheap compared with the rest of the cables?


----------



## Oscar-HiFi

CarlosUnchained said:


> Can somebody explain why the Color Series HCP is so cheap compared with the rest of the cables?



4N OFC vs 7N UPOCC...


----------



## Sharkhunter

Paladin79 said:


> 24/26/and 28 awg.....AWG stands for American wire gauge, the smaller the number, the larger the wire gauge ergo 28 awg is smaller than 24 awg and would probably be fine in your application. It should cost you less.
> 
> Now Litz occ silver plated copper IMHO is mixing terminologies and I am not so sure it exists as such. Litz wire is often used for transformers and often it has an enamel coating on each strand. I have also heard people talk about litz braiding so you may well be using that term.
> Personally I try to talk people out of buying silver plated copper unless they just want it for looks. The reasoning behind such wire is, with the skin effect the signal travels on the outside of a given wire and silver is a better conductor therefore they use just a thin layer there. (it might also be used to keep down oxidation but that is another story.) The skin effect usually kicks in at frequencies around 100kilo hertz and you will be listening to a signal that should be at an audible range of about 20 to 20k hertz (if you are lucky) so paying for silver plating makes little audible difference.
> ...



Thank you. 

I found this listing on ebay. 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/302383473399

Will this work for making iem cables.?


----------



## buke9

Sharkhunter said:


> Thank you.
> 
> I found this listing on ebay.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/302383473399
> ...


 It will be really stiff as it is single core.


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 5, 2017)

That is not single core as I read it, seven strands of .15 mm per strand. Since it is priced per meter the price is not bad compared to some I have seen. If that is the type of wire you want to use it should be fine for your application IMHO. I also talked about litz wiring and silver plated copper before. From what I remember the purpose of litz braid in the actual sense it is used, it is a way to keep all of the wires to the inside of a braid as much as possible. Few wires being exposed to the outside of the wire bundle as much as possible, this should reduce skin effect but as I said before, this is for high frequency application, not audible frequencies. The silver looks pretty though.)


----------



## Sharkhunter

I found a Campfire Audio iems litz cable with mmcx terminated. I prefer the feel and look of it. /Is it a challenging task to change from mmcx to 2 pin connectors to fit audeze isine 10s. I do have experience in soldering. 

Thanks.


----------



## lithrai

Where in Europe can I buy 2-pin IEM connectors?


----------



## kingkikapu

Anybody have opinions of mundorf wire?


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Pricey....


----------



## kingkikapu

Yes pricey and the purity isn't the greatest out there either, but was wondering if it had any other interesting characteristics such as good handling and whatnot.


----------



## Sharkhunter

lithrai said:


> Where in Europe can I buy 2-pin IEM connectors?


i bought a pair on ebay. i can ship them to you.


----------



## demevalos

I'm looking to make a basic interconnect 3.5 to 3.5, using 3 mogami w2893 inner wires as my cable. I would like to use paracord as the outer sleeving for these 3 wires. Would I be able to fit 3 strands of 26g through 550 (type 3) or 750 (type 4) paracord?


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 17, 2017)

550 paracord would hold those three wires with no problem. There are six nylon strands in the paracord I have and each is about the size of the wire in that Mogami cable. It is also a very nice size to fit into the opening in the back of the connectors.


----------



## demevalos

hey thanks again tom I made my first cable out of that starquad you sent me! will also be rewiring my 770s soon


----------



## Paladin79

Very cool, Beyerdynamic 770's? I have played around with similar drivers if that is what you are rewiring.


----------



## demevalos

yes sir, i recently did the detachable cable mod to them and my ad500xs but the 770s i feel sketchy about because i used the original cabling to do it. So I think im going to use the innards of the w2893 to replace all of the original wiring, including the left to right drivers


----------



## kingkikapu

Has anybody given a go with MDPC-X sleeving? It's a bit more expensive than paracord or techflex, but generally has a dense weave.  Popular in high end computer modding. I think their smallest sleeve has a minimum diameter of 1.7mm, so probably not ideal for the really tiny stuff.


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 17, 2017)

demevalos said:


> yes sir, i recently did the detachable cable mod to them and my ad500xs but the 770s i feel sketchy about because i used the original cabling to do it. So I think im going to use the innards of the w2893 to replace all of the original wiring, including the left to right drivers



Personally I would go with dual inputs on the 770's in case you wanted to use a balanced amp sometime, maybe a 3.5 mm jack or an Hirose jack, separate grounds for left and right channels and you are in business. I modded some California Headphone Company Silverados over to high impedance with separate inputs. (Beyer drivers.) They already had the 3.5 mm jacks in place so there was not a lot of work involved.
 Modified cans with OCC copper cable on left, standard CHC cans on the right. I will mod them one day as well but just a new cable on them works wonders. You can generally grab them for around $50 in good shape, swap the drivers, drill a couple holes and they are open, high impedance headphones worthy of a Steampunk Bottlehead Crack. (my mods on Crack).


----------



## Paladin79

I will be receiving the Massdrop version of the HD 650 and will build a balanced cable with 8 wire OCC copper for them pretty soon. I am in the process of building a balanced amp so there is no doubt I will need the cable. I saw on Amazon that folks were taking a standard 650 cable, cutting the 3.5 mm or quarter inch and installing the four pin male xlr. These were going for $50-$60 but it is an easy enough upgrade for most of you guys and the XLR connector might run $3.00 or so.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I just got my Sennheiser HD 700 and i'am not impressed with it's stupidly LOOOOONG cable,Does anyone know if this HD 700 cable is 4 conductors?

Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 19, 2017)

i luvmusic 2 said:


> I just got my Sennheiser HD 700 and i'am not impressed with it's stupidly LOOOOONG cable,Does anyone know if this HD 700 cable is 4 conductors?
> 
> Thanks!


If the headphones are dual-entry it pretty well has to be I would think. Single entry I doubt they would bother using four wires.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Paladin79 said:


> If the headphones are dual-entry it pretty well gas to be I would think. Single entry I doubt they would bother using four wires.


Yes it is dual entry (mono 1/8 jacks per side)i just want to make sure before i cut it short and terminate into 4 pins XLR and use the other half to an XLR to TRS adapter.


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 19, 2017)

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Yes it is dual entry (mono 1/8 jacks per side)i just want to make sure before i cut it short and terminate into 4 pins XLR and use the other half to an XLR to TRS adapter.


Unless there is a junction in the cable you can be fairly assured it is four wires down to the TRS. I like to use male and female 4 pin  mini XLR's for pigtails at that point so I can terminate the cable with TRS or keep all four wires for balanced applications.


----------



## TYATYA (Oct 19, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


> I will be receiving the Massdrop version of the HD 650 and will build a balanced cable with 8 wire OCC copper for them pretty soon. I am in the process of building a balanced amp so there is no doubt I will need the cable. I saw on Amazon that folks were taking a standard 650 cable, cutting the 3.5 mm or quarter inch and installing the four pin male xlr. These were going for $50-$60 but it is an easy enough upgrade for most of you guys and the XLR connector might run $3.00 or so.



Stock cable of 650 isn't good.
Boring sound, cold trebl and mid and no texture, less volume of bass. It was a BIG changed when I use the cable in right side. It did not bring 650 to level of detail, texture of 800s but if before is 6.5 or7/10 then it is 2 ranks up after


----------



## TYATYA

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Yes it is dual entry (mono 1/8 jacks per side)i just want to make sure before i cut it short and terminate into 4 pins XLR and use the other half to an XLR to TRS adapter.


Cut it! Sure thing that any cable looks like the one of 650, 800 (after Y split have 2 wire) is 4 wire and just join ground wires at end terminal TRS.


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 19, 2017)

TYATYA said:


> Stock cable of 650 isn't good.
> Boring sound, cold trebl and mid and no texture, less volume of bass. It was a BIG changed when I use the cable in right side. It did not bring 650 to level of detail, texture of 800s but if before is 6.5 or7/10 then it is 2 ranks up after



Yeah as I said I will be making a balanced cable for the Massdrop 650's anyway. I may be including them with an amp I am building for a friend and I definitely need the four pin XLR connection. I like the effects I get with 8 wire OCC copper and I will at some point make a couple pigtails that have trs connections as well. My amp is still in the planning stages but it will have quarter inch trs and balanced connections. High impedance cans are generally used with some OTL amps but I may make allowances for lower impedance headphones as well. 

By the way I do believe you used the same two pin connectors on your build that I have in stock. I like that design compared to some I have seen.

Tom


----------



## TYATYA

Paladin79 said:


> Yeah as I said I will be making a balanced cable for the Massdrop 650's anyway. I may be including them with an amp I am building for a friend and I definitely need the four pin XLR connection. I like the effects I get with 8 wire OCC copper and I will at some point make a couple pigtails that have trs connections as well. My amp is still in the planning stages but it will have quarter inch trs and balanced connections. High impedance cans are generally used with some OTL amps but I may make allowances for lower impedance headphones as well.


You planing a OTL tube amp works well on even low impedance hp? A can low impedance like my Denon ah d2000 sound very poor on that kind of amp. 300Omh cans are fine


----------



## TYATYA

I don't waste $1000 for A$K interconnect cables: D


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 19, 2017)

As I said I may make allowances, I would have been more accurate to say circuit changes, sorry. I know of at least four methods that have been used to get OTL amps to work with low impedance headphones so I plan to experiment to see which one I like best. The person for whom I am building the amp is an engineer and he has some thoughts  as well. No matter what I do, it will be switchable so as to return to the normal OTL configuration for high impedance cans.  I am not talking about building an amp as people used to talk about building computers. To me, most people were assembling parts, the same as one might do with a DIY Kit amp. On Crack kits I was more interested in what they might look like, and now I am going for looks as well as design, and performance for a friend. If it works well I will most likely build a couple for myself.


As you might imagine, I do not spend $1,000 on any cables myself. I am generally happy with OFC but have experimented with many types of cable. I also have test equipment that I can use in conjunction with the human ear to see if I can find a measurable difference.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

As soon as i get the XLR connectors i will be cutting the HD700 stock cable and terminate to 4 pins XLR,The stock cable looks decent.


----------



## buke9

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Yes it is dual entry (mono 1/8 jacks per side)i just want to make sure before i cut it short and terminate into 4 pins XLR and use the other half to an XLR to TRS adapter.


 They are actually 2.5mm rather than 3.5mm(1/4”).


----------



## CarlosUnchained

I'm sorry for the noob question. I want to build my first cable and I want it to look like this:






I know what connectors get for my LCD-X (mini 4pin XLR female) and the 6.5mm TRS too. 
I have no idea what wire buy though, I guess cooper but not very expensive if possible; and based on that the paracord diameter needed.

Can somebody help me?


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 20, 2017)

I use 275 paracord for 24 or 26 awg wire, and what you show in the photo is probably occ copper I suspect but you would save money if you found some oxygen free copper wire. You can save money by removing the four jacketed conductors from star quad like Mogami or Canare, depending on what you can find in your area. If you were located in the US I could try to help with OFC.  If you do not mind the wait just do a search for occ copper on Ebay and you will see lots of listings out of China. The prices are low and you can buy much of it already braided. Will it sound the same as what is in the photo? Such things are pretty subjective.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Check out the DIY suppliers site in my sig. Also on that site you can see my list of wire. I also have some links to Y splitters. You will need to do some research to determine which wire to buy if you can what it looks like.


----------



## CarlosUnchained (Oct 20, 2017)

Paladin79 said:


> I use 275 paracord for 24 or 26 awg wire, and what you show in the photo is probably occ copper I suspect but you would save money if you found some oxygen free copper wire. You can save money by removing the four jacketed conductors from star quad like Mogami or Canare, depending on what you can find in your area. If you were located in the US I could try to help with OFC.  If you do not mind the wait just do a search for occ copper on Ebay and you will see lots of listings out of China. The prices are low and you can buy much of it already braided. Will it sound the same as what is in the photo? Such things are pretty subjective.



Unfortunately I'm in Europe, so I think I'll go with Ebay for ooc.
Thanks for the answer.



Allanmarcus said:


> Check out the DIY suppliers site in my sig. Also on that site you can see my list of wire. I also have some links to Y splitters. You will need to do some research to determine which wire to buy if you can what it looks like.



That site looks great! What size of Y splitter should I get? I guess depending on 4 or 8 strands. Any advise about number of strands to use?



One more question:

What tools do I need that are irreplaceable? I can borrow an iron and a multimeter, but the rest I'd have to buy myself.
Can a regular hair dryer shrink tubes? Something else that I should consider?


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 20, 2017)

What tools do I need that are irreplaceable? I can borrow an iron and a multimeter, but the rest I'd have to buy myself.
Can a regular hair dryer shrink tubes? Something else that I should consider?

You will need small side cutters, long nosed pliers, and possibly helping hands or a panavise depending on what you have available. You can use some hair dryers to shrink the tubing but that can depend on their wattage. They also have a thermal cutoff switch so if it suddenly shuts down that is generally the cause. You can use a disposable lighter or if you are careful, hold the soldering iron under the heat shrink tubing being careful not to touch said tubing, rotate the tubing or associated wire and this works also.

The green and yellow handled tools are the long nosed pliers and side cutters I mentioned. I also made a spring steel pick that is very handy for enlarging the openings on the solder lugs of some connectors. Ignore the black tool, I use things like that for tightening the ground lugs on connectors so they grip the cable uniformly and do not damage it but they are generally for coaxial cable.


----------



## Allanmarcus

CarlosUnchained said:


> Unfortunately I'm in Europe, so I think I'll go with Ebay for ooc.
> Thanks for the answer.
> 
> That site looks great! What size of Y splitter should I get? I guess depending on 4 or 8 strands. Any advise about number of strands to use?
> ...



The size of the Y splitter is dependent on the size of the cable.

As for tools, other than heat shrink and solder, all the other tools are durable.  On my web site I have another page called My Workspace.


----------



## Paladin79

The cutters shown in my photo are especially durable. Lindstrom. I still have some of the Swedish made cutters but nowadays they seem to be made in Spain but they are still quite good provided you use them for cutting copper wire like they are intended.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

buke9 said:


> They are actually 2.5mm rather than 3.5mm(1/4”).



OK good to know Thanks!


----------



## buke9

CarlosUnchained said:


> I'm sorry for the noob question. I want to build my first cable and I want it to look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Looks like a Double Helix Cable. They also have the Audeze mini xlr and 6.3mm by Eidolic the ones pictured if you didn’t already know. I use them a lot as I find the nice looking easy to work with and very light to boot.


----------



## kubig123

Allanmarcus said:


> The size of the Y splitter is dependent on the size of the cable.
> 
> As for tools, other than heat shrink and solder, all the other tools are durable.  On my web site I have another page called My Workspace.



Just discover your webpage, really interesting.

Lot of useful information.


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 21, 2017)

Great information Allan and it was very nice of you to take the time to include all that you did.

I am glad to see you got the switchbox built, one of these days I will have to show you an example of press on lettering that would really make the box look professional.IMHO Great job on the wiring and figuring out the switch.

If you do not mind a minor critique, there is something called impedance testing listed. Impedance and resistance are not exactly the same thing. When you measure with an ohmmeter you are measuring resistance. You mentioned having an imbalance between two wires. You can have a high resistance short which will not read as a shorted condition on an ohmmeter, it might read 300k ohms or such but your autoranging meter did not pick that up. Anyway impedance is made up of resistance and reactance (inductive and capacitive). It is a measurement in ac circuits and resistance is a measurement in both ac and dc circuits. Since impedance is made up of resistance, you can sometimes measure that portion of the circuit with an ohmmeter. Impedance changes with frequency and is not so easily measured. A Z meter might have told you what was truly going on with the wires but to give you an imbalance but that is a more specialized piece of equipment.  (There are more factors contained within impedance but I was trying to give the quick and simple answer.)


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> Great information Allan and it was very nice of you to take the time to include all that you did.
> 
> I am glad to see you got the switchbox built, one of these days I will have to show you an example of press on lettering that would really make the box look professional.IMHO Great job on the wiring and figuring out the switch.
> 
> If you do not mind a minor critique, there is something called impedance testing listed. Impedance and resistance are not exactly the same thing. When you measure with an ohmmeter you are measuring resistance. You mentioned having an imbalance between two wires. You can have a high resistance short which will not read as a shorted condition on an ohmmeter, it might read 300k ohms or such but your autoranging meter did not pick that up. Anyway impedance is made up of resistance and reactance (inductive and capacitive). It is a measurement in ac circuits and resistance is a measurement in both ac and dc circuits. Since impedance is made up of resistance, you can measure that portion of the circuit with an ohmmeter. Impedance changes with frequency and is not so easily measured. A Z meter might have told you what was truly going on with the wires but to give you an imbalance but that is a more specialized piece of equipment.  (There are more factors contained within impedance but I was trying to give the quick and simple answer.)


Thanks! So should I just change the title of that page to Resistance Check?


----------



## TYATYA

Pls share me information where you guys can buy similar occ wire. 

After I bought braided 1.3m to weld end terminal for xlr4 balance audio, my hd650 is almost 40% upgrading SQ. It is so impressed. 
I want one more but 3m long for my another hp.
Problem is 3m will cost not less than 300$ from local shop. 

I want to buy at better price, so seeking on ebay.... not found.
Specs (said)
7N occ 300 strain in a wire


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 23, 2017)

Yes.  (This answer is for Allanmarcus)
 I have over $10k in equipment in my shop but I do not have a Z meter lol, I doubt many out there will. It is a little confusing since Omega is the symbol for both resistance and impedance but try measuring impedance on a coaxial cable sometime and you will come away shaking your head if you use an ohmmeter. Oftentimes if you read across a headphone driver you will come close on resistance to the rated impedance but that is a different situation. Pardon my kibitzing, as I said you put out a lot of great information and you are to be commended for taking the time to do so.The first college from which I was graduated ends in Institute of Technology so I am apt to comment on some of the terminology. Below are the type of letters I like to use on a black background, I am not sure if they are called transfer letters or what but if I find a nice link for white ones I will send it your way. Black is easy to find and I have bunches of those that I intend to use on the amp I am building.
.


----------



## Paladin79

TYATYA said:


> Pls share me information where you guys can buy similar occ wire.
> 
> After I bought braided 1.3m to weld end terminal for xlr4 balance audio, my hd650 is almost 40% upgrading SQ. It is so impressed.
> I want one more but 3m long for my another hp.
> ...



Allan will probably be more helpful with this. That does look like a fairly large gauge of wire, I would say 18 awg or so, or you have very small fingers. 300 strand count is very high and the gauge of each strand makes a lot of difference as well.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

if you put a Volume control in between the Input jack and the sector switch you got your self a Passive attenuator.I have one of that similar to your box but mine have 2 selectable inputs  100K attenuator and 4 selectable outputs,Nice work on the switch box....


----------



## kingkikapu

Anybody have opinions on going 8 wire higher gauge litz vs 4 wire lower gauge litz?  Would it come down to strand count and net cross sectional area?


----------



## Paladin79

The higher the strand count the more flexible and the more cross sectional area it will fill. Would you be able to hear much difference, doubtful IMHO. Higher strand count can conduct slightly better, the closer you get to solid wire in cross sectional area the better. The 8 wire can look cool but I have yet to read any data I would trust that says you gain anything.


----------



## kingkikapu

Paladin79 said:


> The higher the strand count the more flexible and the more cross sectional area it will fill. Would you be able to hear much difference, doubtful IMHO. Higher strand count can conduct slightly better, the closer you get to solid wire in cross sectional area the better. The 8 wire can look cool but I have yet to read any data I would trust that says you gain anything.


Agreed.  I was planning to go with a 4 wire.  Less work too, because let's be honest, I'm lazy.  For me it comes down to resistance more than anything, then ergonomics.  I have some 2534 arriving soon, but wouldn't also mind building a silver cable for the Utopia's for fun.


----------



## Paladin79

I doubt i would be considered lazy  but after listening to cable after cable there comes a point where there are diminishing returns for money spent. I have kept star quad in tact and have used four identical wires in a braid and could not distinguish between the two on sound quality. I have had at least five young grad students get similar results. No one knew which cable was which of course.


----------



## kingkikapu

I hear you.  I built an OCC copper cable for the LCD2's from some free cable I got.  I decided to keep the sheath on below the splitter because, again, lazy.    I actually enjoyed that cable, but it doesn't bend as much as a braid, so I figure this time I will make one that is a little more manoeuvrable.  At this point though, anything is better than the utopia vacuum cord that goes on for miles.

Also picked up some 2893 for the iems seeing as I ripped my 2.5mm balanced cable on the door handle last week while I was rushing out the door.  Sigh.


----------



## Paladin79

This is the newest amp i will use for testing (for a short time.) This is what I did today while watching football, I like to stay active. Anyway I have a large group coming over in two weeks and there will be more cable testing involved. Since I am in a college town it is not hard to get grad students I can use for guinea pigs.


----------



## v3kt0r (Oct 23, 2017)

Hi Guys,

Any advice will be appreciated. Regarding pure silver ic. I did one pair with 26AWG 999 fine silver twisted pair in teflon tube for signal and another the same twisted pair for return. It sounds terrific but when I put it between tt and preamp it gets pretty noticeable humming. So, I moved it from preamp to amp and humming has gone. The thing is that I really like sound on phono section and ordered more wire to do one more pair. So here are the questions

How can I do signal + return twisted for phono? Shielding?

Should I get braided metal shielding tube and wrap both pairs without termination 
Or, should I terminate that shielding to ground ports on both sides?
Or, should I just remove returning twisted pair and terminate that shield instead?
How to be, what to do? 

Thanks again Guys


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 23, 2017)

Did you use twisted pair with RCA connectors? If so you best ground the turntable somewhere, even with coaxial interconnects you often need to connect the ground between equipment to eliminate hum. Even with coaxial cable the separate turntable ground often needs to be connected.


----------



## kingkikapu

Paladin what are your thoughts on heatshrink for over ear IEMs? Worth it or just go naked?


----------



## Paladin79

I do not have enough experience with IEM's to give you an intelligent answer. Heat shrink tubing can help wire hold a specific shape and it can help as a strain relief to keep stress off of wire, if that helps.


----------



## v3kt0r

Paladin79 said:


> Did you use twisted pair with RCA connectors? If so you best ground the turntable somewhere, even with coaxial interconnects you often need to connect the ground between equipment to eliminate hum. Even with coaxial cable the separate turntable ground often needs to be connected.



Hi Paladin,

Yes, I used twisted pair with rca for signal and twisted pair for ground/return. Four wires total for one rca cable, one side. I usually run a ground cable from tonearm junction box to preamp and with regular shielded cable it's quite as a mountain lake in the morning  it's definitely lack of shielding when adding it to phono stage and I don't really know how to do pure silver cable with proper shielding.


----------



## Paladin79

Twisted pair is a form of shielding but an outside shield is even better. Usually even for turntable interconnects I use double shielded coaxial cable and may still need to attach the turntable ground.


----------



## Allanmarcus

v3kt0r said:


> Hi Paladin,
> 
> Yes, I used twisted pair with rca for signal and twisted pair for ground/return. Four wires total for one rca cable, one side. I usually run a ground cable from tonearm junction box to preamp and with regular shielded cable it's quite as a mountain lake in the morning  it's definitely lack of shielding when adding it to phono stage and I don't really know how to do pure silver cable with proper shielding.


Two options. 

One is to braid the cable. Add a bare copper enamel coated wire for each channel, and do a nice tight braid. Only solder one of the ends to the common, and leave the other non-soldered so as to avoid a ground loop.

Another option is to buy shielding like this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-10M-3-3f...eeve-Tubular-Cable-Wire-Z105z-ZY/152371475267
but you need to get the right size.


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 24, 2017)

Hmm I think I have heard about the ground loop somewhere before lol. Good advice though for some situations.

Personally for RCA interconnects I use coaxial or microphone cable. Microphone cable generally consists of a twisted pair of wires with shield. Even when using either of these, the turntable ground most likely needs to be connected between equipment. If you pick up hum with that connected, try disconnecting it from the destination side and see if it helps. No sense making this harder than it is lol, braided and twisted pair are fine for some things but not all things.


----------



## v3kt0r

Guys, 

Thank you for your advises. Generally, with Mogami coax and Canare balanced mic cable I have no hum at all. I'll try to go the way Alanmarcus recommended with terminating only one side. Will see if it works. Thanks again guys.


----------



## Paladin79

v3kt0r said:


> Guys,
> 
> Thank you for your advises. Generally, with Mogami coax and Canare balanced mic cable I have no hum at all. I'll try to go the way Alanmarcus recommended with terminating only one side. Will see if it works. Thanks again guys.


Np good luck and let us know if that works.


----------



## rikk009

Hey folks, need to make a 2.5mm balanced termination to stock sennheiser HD6xx cable. Any guide? Also, does the usual 2.5mm plug does the job or is their any other special plug?


----------



## caecillius

rikk009 said:


> Hey folks, need to make a 2.5mm balanced termination to stock sennheiser HD6xx cable. Any guide? Also, does the usual 2.5mm plug does the job or is their any other special plug?


Yes, you'll need some additional R(ings) on the 2.5mm jack so you can solder in four wires for it to be balanced. What is the device you'll be connecting to with the 2.5mm side?


----------



## rikk009

caecillius said:


> Yes, you'll need some additional R(ings) on the 2.5mm jack so you can solder in four wires for it to be balanced. What is the device you'll be connecting to with the 2.5mm side?


indiegogo.com/projects/auricsound-twin-ess-sabre-32bit-es9028q2m-dac#/
It supports both Active ground and Bridged tied mode.


----------



## v3kt0r

Rikk,

Get 10pcs cheap connectors on aliexpress, or something, in case you screwed up so you have spare. I got 10pcs for $10. It was pain in butt on the beginning but now I can do that in seconds. Also, you better go with brand new wire. 26AWG or less, Mogami or Canare and good soldering gun/station.


----------



## rikk009

v3kt0r said:


> Rikk,
> 
> Get 10pcs cheap connectors on aliexpress, or something, in case you screwed up so you have spare. I got 10pcs for $10. It was pain in butt on the beginning but now I can do that in seconds. Also, you better go with brand new wire. 26AWG or less, Mogami or Canare and good soldering gun/station.


Can you direct me to a link?


----------



## v3kt0r

rikk009 said:


> Can you direct me to a link?



Just pm you. Before you purchase, check if title is correct and that's what you'll need


----------



## TYATYA (Oct 30, 2017)

rikk009 said:


> Hey folks, need to make a 2.5mm balanced termination to stock sennheiser HD6xx cable. Any guide? Also, does the usual 2.5mm plug does the job or is their any other special plug?



What device the cable you make for? A$K and Cowon pin map is TRRS = R-R+L+L- in order. In stock of 650 cable, red wire and green wire is + and remains are ground (negative, same mean).


----------



## rikk009

TYATYA said:


> What device the cable you make for? A$K and Cowon pin map is TRRS = R-R+L+L- in order. In stock of 650 cable, red wire and green wire is + and  are ground (negative, same mean).


Check my posts above I have linked the source.


----------



## TYATYA

rikk009 said:


> Check my posts above I have linked the source.


That product is unfamiliar to me. Anyway pin map can detect by simple test actually


----------



## rikk009

TYATYA said:


> That product is unfamiliar to me. Anyway pin map can detect by simple test actually


It supports both formats that AKM/Sony does.


----------



## caecillius

Based on the link it looks to be the same pinout as Astell&Kern uses.


----------



## TYATYA

rikk009 said:


> It supports both formats that AKM/Sony does.


So both AK 2.5mm and Sony 4.4mm are available? If so you can choice 4.4 for a easier solding plug. For 2.5mm first try usually false bcs a bit hard. (It is easier if use a single wire. I always use 100 and more strands wire for my diy). If u use AK like 2.5 for you, it will be R-R+L+L-


----------



## rikk009

TYATYA said:


> So both AK 2.5mm and Sony 4.4mm are available? If so you can choice 4.4 for a easier solding plug. For 2.5mm first try usually false bcs a bit hard. (It is easier if use a single wire. I always use 100 and more strands wire for my diy). If u use AK like 2.5 for you, it will be R-R+L+L-


No it's 2.5mm but supports two architecture. NVM, I am confused too at this point. Let's concentrate on 2.5mm AKM type. The stock cable is sufficient and a basic 2.5mm TRRS connector?


----------



## caecillius

Yes, you can strip the ends of a stock Sennheiser cable and use a standard TRRS connector. I would recommend getting a couple as they can be tricky to solder without damaging the plastic inside the connector. Also note, the Sennheiser cable wire usually has an enamel on the wire which you'll need to remove before you can solder to the connector. Most people burn it off with a lighter or soldering iron.


----------



## TYATYA

rikk009 said:


> No it's 2.5mm but supports two architecture. NVM, I am confused too at this point. Let's concentrate on 2.5mm AKM type. The stock cable is sufficient and a basic 2.5mm TRRS connector?



Yes stock cable, cut off 6.3 jack and then sold a 2.5 trrs by rule r-r+l+l- . Stock cable has painting wire, identy poles +- by color as posted. Dont forget to cut at 45 deg to got larger cross section for electric to goes. Pre-sold a bit tin on that cut face bcs they are painting wire (elec cant goes thru paint). Sory bad EN


----------



## TYATYA (Oct 30, 2017)

caecillius said:


> Yes, you can strip the ends of a stock Sennheiser cable and use a standard TRRS connector. I would recommend getting a couple as they can be tricky to solder without damaging the plastic inside the connector. Also note, the Sennheiser cable wire usually has an enamel on the wire which you'll need to remove before you can solder to the connector. Most people burn it off with a lighter or soldering iron.



Never do it again. My exp.
Set 275 deg of hot temp. BF sold. Cut at angle the wire and right after, dipping into melted tin.
Burn by gas, shave by knife.... so old method


----------



## Paladin79

A solder pot is a good way to remove that enamel but they can run around $25 so not the best thing for one time usage. 275 degrees is a very low soldering iron temp so you were fortunate to get that to work.

I did happen to see that Massdrop had some cables they were selling for Sennheiser and other brands for $9.95 each and some were offered with trrs connectors. They were sold out on some models but for $9.95 on custom made cables, I doubt seriously if you could buy the three connectors for that price and shipping was pretty reasonable. I do not have a link handy but just do a search for headphone cables and that add may well pop up.


----------



## rikk009

Paladin79 said:


> A solder pot is a good way to remove that enamel but they can run around $25 so not the best thing for one time usage. 275 degrees is a very low soldering iron temp so you were fortunate to get that to work.
> 
> I did happen to see that Massdrop had some cables they were selling for Sennheiser and other brands for $9.95 each and some were offered with trrs connectors. They were sold out on some models but for $9.95 on custom made cables, I doubt seriously if you could buy the three connectors for that price and shipping was pretty reasonable. I do not have a link handy but just do a search for headphone cables and that add may well pop up.


I had checked that the day the drop came live but none of them(Hd6xx) were terminated to 2.5mm balanced and balanced cables are $70-100. $9 is for most basic IEM cable.


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 30, 2017)

That makes sense, it seemed too good to be true and then most everything I wanted was sold out. There was a listing for the cable covering and connectors and I never did see much mention of the wire they were using so I did not take it real seriously. I did order the HD6xx  headphones for $200 figuring I would build my own cables for them anyway and it is a decent price for high impedance headphones.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

So the HD6XX doesn't used the proprietary HD600/650 connectors?


----------



## Paladin79

They do use the two pin hd 650 connectors as far as I know but I have built with them before.


----------



## Letmebefrank

rikk009 said:


> I had checked that the day the drop came live but none of them(Hd6xx) were terminated to 2.5mm balanced and balanced cables are $70-100. $9 is for most basic IEM cable.


To solder the sennheiser wire, tin your iron and hold the stripped wire in the little blob of solder (but don't touch the iron itself if you can help it) until the enamel burns off and then the wire will suck up the solder, then you know it's good to go.


----------



## Paladin79

the wire will suck up the solder....also known as capillary action.


----------



## caecillius

I have the 6XX and yes, they use the dual pin connector. Be careful with 3rd party versions though as one pin is slightly larger than the other but it's easy to mix them up and ruin your headphones if you aren't careful.


----------



## Paladin79 (Oct 31, 2017)

I am going from memory but as i recall the large pin is ground and the smaller pin is hot. Some aftermarket connectors are better than others.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I managed to get some 24 AWG 99.99% pure silver wire (California Wire Company), so I made a headphone cable with it. I sleeved the cable in un-dyed cotton I got from Etsy. I braided the 4 sleeved wires to the Y, then sleeved the braid in techflex (wish I used clear heat shrink). I simply twisted the wired from the Y to the tips, and sleeved that in clear heat shrink purchased from eBay. Connectors are a balanced XLR 4-pin from Markertek and clone Lemo connectors from AliExpress.

Note on the XLR, I got the NC4MX. I highly recommend the NC4MXX. The XX is a little larger and feels better.

Even though the wire is solid core, the overall cable is quite flexible.

How does it sound? Well, this is my first pure silver cable. To me it sounds a bit "brittle", but not in a bad way. Everything seems a little tighter. So hard to tell. I'm comparing it to an 8 strand Mogami cable. Not a night and day difference to me.

I haven't heat shrunk the black and red at the tips since I'm not sure I will keep this for the utopia. I'm thinking I may re-terminate it for an HD6XX.

Has anyone tried mixing pure silver and copper? I'm thinking pure silver for the plus and OFC copper for the minus. I read somewhere to use a few gauge thicker for the copper when doing this. Any thoughts?


----------



## kingkikapu

Anybody know where to pick up some y splitters? The only thing I've enjoyed looking at is Eidolic or something made for the esoterics like DHC, Norne, Toxic, etc.  I'm just struggling to find a good source besides these boutique shops.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kingkikapu said:


> Anybody know where to pick up some y splitters? The only thing I've enjoyed looking at is Eidolic or something made for the esoterics like DHC, Norne, Toxic, etc.  I'm just struggling to find a good source besides these boutique shops.


Here are the ones I’ve found. If anyone knows of more, please let me know

https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/home/y-splitters?authuser=0

On a side note, I just uses a plus sound splitter, and it is great. Comes apart easily for mounting.


----------



## v3kt0r

Hello All,

I asked question regarding DIY Jerry Harvey 4-pin connector cable several pages before but haven't got any clear answer and I promised I will keep you guys posted with whatever I found. So, yesterday I finally received connectors from China. $22 for both R+L + $5 for cable + $1 for 2.5 trrs connector + $1 for small Y-slitter. 4-pin connectors were the same as on original cable, noticed no difference at all. Didn't use bass adjuster, just straight soldering without anything else. The cable I got was 8x 30AWG braided silver plated copper. The material wasn't so important for me here since my goal was a dyi cable with 2.5 trrs (balanced) for JH v2 and do not pay ridiculous $150 from JH website or even more insane $350 for Moon Audio anymore. And guys, I did it  4 cables on each sides, 3 for low, mid, high + 1 ground. On the jack end i connected all 3 (low, mid, high) to signal right and another 3 for signal left and grounds left and right. Everything is working amazing only one cons that you can't adjust bass but who cares because it sounds gorgeous!!! Let me know guys if you have any questions or recommendations.


----------



## Paladin79

Allanmarcus said:


> I managed to get some 24 AWG 99.99% pure silver wire (California Wire Company), so I made a headphone cable with it. I sleeved the cable in un-dyed cotton I got from Etsy. I braided the 4 sleeved wires to the Y, then sleeved the braid in techflex (wish I used clear heat shrink). I simply twisted the wired from the Y to the tips, and sleeved that in clear heat shrink purchased from eBay. Connectors are a balanced XLR 4-pin from Markertek and clone Lemo connectors from AliExpress.
> 
> Note on the XLR, I got the NC4MX. I highly recommend the NC4MXX. The XX is a little larger and feels better.
> 
> ...



I will just address the silver and copper usage combination. Silver is a slightly better conductor than copper (or even gold) but I would be amazed if you could hear or measure a difference if you used say 24 awg silver and the same gauge copper all other things being equal. If you use solid silver of 24 awg it is going to conduct better than stranded silver of the same gauge because you would have air gaps between conductors; the higher the strand count the less gaps. When you add both reasons together, I would personally use a 22 or 23 awg copper with the 24 awg solid silver. It does make sense to use pure silver, the silver plated copper is just wrong if you if you know or learn anything about skin effect. I personally prefer copper over silver and so say the people I have used for audio testing. (about 60 to date).


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> I will just address the silver and copper usage combination. Silver is a slightly better conductor than copper (or even gold) but I would be amazed if you could hear or measure a difference if you used say 24 awg silver and the same gauge copper all other things being equal. If you use solid silver of 24 awg it is going to conduct better than stranded silver of the same gauge because you would have air gaps between conductors; the higher the strand count the less gaps. When you add both reasons together, I would personally use a 22 or 23 awg copper with the 24 awg solid silver. It does make sense to use pure silver, the silver plated copper is just wrong if you if you know or learn anything about skin effect. I personally prefer copper over silver and so say the people I have used for audio testing. (about 60 to date).



Thanks! Since I have some extra mogomi wire, I think I will try a three strand braid to each connector. 2 x 26 AWG to the - and 1 x 24 AWG solid silver to the +.


----------



## afonsoocosta

how much will cost a custom cable +-? just to have a ideia because i want to try to do one, but don't want to spend to much money just to try to do one.


----------



## Paladin79

The answer is 42.

But seriously they can cost anywhere from $5 to $500 depending on materials used. Be more specific like a six foot headphone cable for Sennheiser HD- 650's and one of the fine folks here can give you an intelligent answer. A custom cable can be two RCA connectors and some coaxial cable or two 3.5 mm male connectors and some two wire shielded cable. Many common headphone cables, cost can be $25-$50. Go with 8 strand OCC silver wire of a decent wire gauge and you can be talking big bucks.


----------



## afonsoocosta

Maybe will be a 3.5mm cable to plug to a modded DT 770 pro, so it's a simple cable 3.5mm with like 6 foot. But I don't have any clue about connectors and cable to buy


----------



## Paladin79

Where are you located?  if you are in the US I could probably send you a few things to try out or you can look at Allanmarcus's fine list of venders.


----------



## demevalos (Nov 7, 2017)

this cable has 4 strands of 26g wire in it, and it is very thin. Buy about 10 feet of it

https://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893-Miniature-Quad-Microphone-Cable.html

Also buy about 50 feet of this paracord, in any color you like, if you like that kind of look

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E634170/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've found that these connectors are really easy to use and look nice, but it's $9 a pair

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZOZ9XRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

you could also browse redco for other connectors, i like this one myself

https://www.redco.com/Rean-Neutrik-NYS231BG.html

Do you know how to solder? You'll also need a soldering gun


Edit: sorry i originally linked to a mono neutrik, fixed the link


----------



## Paladin79

Very fine detailed answer. I generally recommend soldering stations over soldering guns but each to his or her own.


----------



## demevalos

I agree, the stations are much more convenient. 

The paracord that I linked is good for a cable that looks like this one (https://i.imgur.com/Xcjvkim.jpg)

If you want a braided look like I posted recently in the Gallery, (seen here https://i.imgur.com/YOxQY48.jpg) you'll need 275 paracord instead

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J2ZF40K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## afonsoocosta

@Paladin79 I'm from portugal, what is a bit of a problem since sometimes shipping costs is more expensive than the product.
@demevalos I think I will do it like the 275 because I like the braided, but in that case I have to split the cable in 2 right? Just 2 little cables going into the 275 Paracord?
Yes I know to sold, not much, but I think it's enough.
Thanks for the help guys


----------



## Paladin79 (Nov 7, 2017)

I learned a long time ago to ask country of origin, especially when I offer to send samples, it saves listing sources that the person might or might not be able to use.


----------



## kingkikapu

All you braiding masters: do you know the type of braid used on the Norne Draug cables?  I think I want to DIY the hell outta that


----------



## demevalos

@kingkikapu sorry that's way over my head haha, those are some nice looking cables though

@afonsoocosta so there will be 3 wires total for an aux cord (left, right, and ground), we will want to put each wire in its own piece of 275 paracord. I'm not sure about audio stores in europe that sell mogami or star quad, I'm sure there are people in this thread that would know more than I.


----------



## afonsoocosta

Yes is also my question, whero to buy the material in the europe. so what i need is like 20 feet of cable and paracord to make a 6 feet cable, and what type of cable i need? and 2 connectors right?


----------



## Guerito

afonsoocosta said:


> Yes is also my question, whero to buy the material in the europe. so what i need is like 20 feet of cable and paracord to make a 6 feet cable, and what type of cable i need? and 2 connectors right?



Paracord Planet is based in the Netherlands I think and is good value with quick shipping.

I’ve found Van Damme starquad to be more easily available in Europe than Mogami, which I had to order from the US. The Van Damme was more flexible than the Mogami when stripped down to individual wires, surprisingly. You can get Canare from Canford in the UK and probably other places.


----------



## musicfan145

Can anyone recommend a nice 3.5mm TRRS plug that is easy to solder? 

I’ve just ordered the new iFi Nano BL with balanced output, but I don’t have a cable. Fortunately, both of my DIY cables are four conductor, but unfortunately, my soldering hand is like Gene Wilder in _Blazing Saddles_. I’m a little intimidated by having to get four joints right in such a small space!


----------



## rikk009

v3kt0r said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I asked question regarding DIY Jerry Harvey 4-pin connector cable several pages before but haven't got any clear answer and I promised I will keep you guys posted with whatever I found. So, yesterday I finally received connectors from China. $22 for both R+L + $5 for cable + $1 for 2.5 trrs connector + $1 for small Y-slitter. 4-pin connectors were the same as on original cable, noticed no difference at all. Didn't use bass adjuster, just straight soldering without anything else. The cable I got was 8x 30AWG braided silver plated copper. The material wasn't so important for me here since my goal was a dyi cable with 2.5 trrs (balanced) for JH v2 and do not pay ridiculous $150 from JH website or even more insane $350 for Moon Audio anymore. And guys, I did it  4 cables on each sides, 3 for low, mid, high + 1 ground. On the jack end i connected all 3 (low, mid, high) to signal right and another 3 for signal left and grounds left and right. Everything is working amazing only one cons that you can't adjust bass but who cares because it sounds gorgeous!!! Let me know guys if you have any questions or recommendations.


Nice. Can you include the links?


----------



## Sinarca

Hi, I' m not a DIY man .
I need an OTG cable with this connectors: Micro usb B ending in male usb type B
Lenght 1.5 mt.
Do you know how can I find it ?
Thanks


----------



## Paladin79

Sinarca said:


> Hi, I' m not a DIY man .
> I need an OTG cable with this connectors: Micro usb B ending in male usb type B
> Lenght 1.5 mt.
> Do you know how can I find it ?
> Thanks[/QUOTE  Have you tried Ebay? if it exists, it will be there.


----------



## Sinarca

Yes, cheked eBay but I have found only people selling short cables, sic..
I need the opposite


----------



## Paladin79

good luck in your search, my people can build a lot of different cables but nothing like that. Those are all asian built as far as I know and if they are not on Ebay you may not find them.


----------



## v3kt0r

rikk009 said:


> Nice. Can you include the links?



Sure!

Cable
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hea...-Headset-Speaker-DIY-Upgrade/32767554889.html

4-pin connector
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/IEM...xanne-24-Iriver-AK-R03-AKR02/32616477160.html

2.5 trrs
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10p...mm-3-pole-Stereo-TRRS-repair/32727409058.html


----------



## Sinarca

Paladin79 said:


> good luck in your search, my people can build a lot of different cables but nothing like that. Those are all asian built as far as I know and if they are not on Ebay you may not find them.



Perhaps, here a possible trick


----------



## afonsoocosta

Hi guys, i'm thinking on make two cables and i want to coil one, so i'm thinking on get this:

5M or 15ft of Mogami 2893 or something like this, the problem is I can't find any mogami 2893 in Europe, so i need help on getting the cable.

And this plugs :
https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/3-5-...lgo_pvid=22bde325-0390-4302-86e5-7ddbae1b1b79
https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/Silv...lgo_pvid=e5a5c8aa-a6b5-450c-8333-27ea1adc2bae
https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/Sale...lgo_pvid=e5a5c8aa-a6b5-450c-8333-27ea1adc2bae

And like 15ft of paracord 550

And the objective is plug the cables to this https://www.ebay.com/itm/190731515793?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT#rwid

Thanks in advance


----------



## demevalos

I found a link to mogami in the UK, hopefully they ship to Portugal https://www.canford.co.uk/MOGAMI-STARQUAD-MICROPHONE-CABLE

The plugs all look okay, although I wouldn't use the first one listed there, the part that you need to solder looks tiny any very difficult, I would use the 2nd and 3rd links

And 550 paracord is good if you want to do one straight cable, but get 275 if you want to braid. 

Yes, the cable will fit into that jack.


----------



## afonsoocosta

Yes, they ship to portugal, but they charge 25$ on shipping, way to expensive, but I will try to get someone to send it to me.

I really want to try to do the braided one, but I don't understand how to do it, because the cable is 4 cables, I need to separate the one cable in 4 and put Paracord individually?

Thanks


----------



## demevalos

Okay, so you're going to want at least 10 meters of 275 (2.38mm) paracord.






If you look at this picture, there are 4 wires inside the whole thing. You are only going to need 3 of them. So basically what you do is cut the cable to the length you want it to be, carefully cut off the whole sheathing (rubber outside part), and take out all four of the wires (black, blue, white, and red in the picture). They will be all twisted together with some paper, string, and bare copper wire in there also, just untwist everything and throw out everything that isn't the four colored wires. Then, cut 3 lengths of the 275 paracord that are slightly longer than your colored wires. There will be string in them, just take all of that out, you don't need it. The next step is probably the hardest part, but it just takes some patience. You'll need to thread 1 piece of colored wire through each 1 piece of paracord, the easiest way I found to do this is to push the wire in as far as you can, then just start inching the paracord down like a worm. Do this for all 3 colored wires, so you'll have 3 pieces of paracord total with 1 wire in each. Let me know when you get to this point and we'll keep going from there.

Also, I forgot to mention you'll probably want some heatshrink for this, I'll paste a link to what I bought for this that has been very useful in my soldering adventures, but you won't really need this much.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075WR9FVL/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## Oscar-HiFi

afonsoocosta said:


> Yes, they ship to portugal, but they charge 25$ on shipping, way to expensive, but I will try to get someone to send it to me.
> 
> I really want to try to do the braided one, but I don't understand how to do it, because the cable is 4 cables, I need to separate the one cable in 4 and put Paracord individually?
> 
> Thanks



Van Damme is excellent cable and easier to source in the EU as they are a UK based company, they do a great minature starquad cable that I use a lot. The inner cores are a mixture of silver plated and OFC copper

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Van-Damm...547380&hash=item281fee7865:g:KQ0AAOSwFe5X0Sm~


----------



## demevalos

That's interesting, why do they use 2 cables twisted for one connection? and what awg is each individual cable?


----------



## afonsoocosta

Oscar-HiFi said:


> Van Damme is excellent cable and easier to source in the EU as they are a UK based company, they do a great minature starquad cable that I use a lot. The inner cores are a mixture of silver plated and OFC copper
> 
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Van-Damm...547380&hash=item281fee7865:g:KQ0AAOSwFe5X0Sm~


I think I will get that, get like 10 fot of it and try to do the thing right

@demevalos on this cable I have to separate them in 4 like the mogami right?

And thanks for the help


----------



## demevalos

Yes, same idea. You will only need 3 of them for this job though.


----------



## Oscar-HiFi

demevalos said:


> That's interesting, why do they use 2 cables twisted for one connection? and what awg is each individual cable?



That's just the picture, it's normal minature starquad with 4 individual cables inside.

Specs are here: http://www.van-damme.com/12a.html

I really like it anyway, nice neutral cable


----------



## Paladin79

demevalos said:


> That's interesting, why do they use 2 cables twisted for one connection? and what awg is each individual cable?



If you are going to a trs connector you need three connections not four (as in a balanced cable) so it is just a way of using the wire you have. I am not sure of the original wire gauge but any time you double the conductors you are increasing the wire gauge. Two 24 awg wires attached together would give you around 21 awg, there are charts on this so I may be slightly off on the final gauge...I am going from memory.


----------



## demevalos

is there any benefit sound wise by doubling the gauge?


----------



## afonsoocosta

And to do the cable with one paracord 550, i just need to connect 3 cables to the audio jack right?


----------



## Paladin79 (Nov 13, 2017)

You double the wire but the gauge does not double, it usually increases by about 3. The larger the gauge, the more power a wire can handle and the more easily it will pass a signal but I doubt you would hear much volume difference between 21 and 24 awg at say six feet. Use 8 gauge speaker wire compared to say 16 awg and you may notice more of a difference.

Second question, you can do it that way with the paracord and use the wires you have, or you can strip each wire out of the overall jacket and use just three or four wires if you want. Most often star quad I have seen uses 24 or 26 awg. The lower the number, the larger the wire gauge by the way. 8 awg is huge, 26 or 28 awg is getting fairly small.


----------



## afonsoocosta (Nov 13, 2017)

List done i think i will go with this,

two of this: https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/Sale...lgo_pvid=e5a5c8aa-a6b5-450c-8333-27ea1adc2bae
one of this https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/Silv...lgo_pvid=e5a5c8aa-a6b5-450c-8333-27ea1adc2bae
50 foot of 550 Paracord US Made GSA Compliant - Black to make one black cable
50 foot of 550 Paracord US Made GSA Compliant - White  to make one white cable
20 ft of https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-Damme-...le-Black-268-029-000-/172334413925?rmvSB=true

and i will make them single, not braided them, because it's too expensive to just try to make a cable, maybe after i could make them i make try to do a braided one.

It that products enought to make the 2 cables? and i have to divide the cable in 4 stripes and use only 3 right?

Sorry for all the questions, but i dont want to spend like 50$ and the material don't fit to make the cables.

Thanks for all the help


----------



## demevalos

I can't see what that last link is (20 ft of...) but it looks good. Do you have any heat shrink also? You can get it pretty cheap on aliexpress, and I think for 550 paracord you'll need at least 4mm heatshrink (somebody correct me if I'm wrong)

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-M...lgo_pvid=82a3902b-ad8d-4bfd-a1a6-19206105b52e

Sorry for that awful link

What I did for my 550 paracord cable was just left all 4 cables twisted together and threaded that through the paracord together, and then just ignore the 4th cable.


----------



## Paladin79

4 mm heat shrink tubing is pretty small to fit over 550 paracord. a quarter inch paracord is 6.36 mm and that is more the size I would use, or something larger.

For TRS connectors, 3.5 mm and 1/4 inch you only need three wires, left channel, right channel and a shared ground. Dual entry cables to a balanced connector use four wires, separate grounds.


----------



## Sinarca (Nov 30, 2017)

Hi, someone know where to buy an OTG cable micro usb type B to male usb type B, but lenght 1,2/1,5 mt ?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Micro vibrations in the cable?

Take a look at this:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazi...le_Gift_2017/GE_Silicone_II_Clear_Sealant.htm

Basically he suggests putting silicon sealant into the RCA plug, which will result in: "The resolution of your connected components will improve, the music will sound smoother and you will relax as you listen."

Anyone try this? Snake oil?


----------



## Paladin79

I have used silicone sealant before inside connectors but not really for that specific purpose. I have never done testing on it but I doubt seriously I could locate people who could tell a difference. My employees generally use hot glue but it is more to act as an added strain relief than a micro-vibration inhibitor. My problem with silicone is that it is very difficult to remove in the event you do develop a problem with the cable down the road or if you want to change connectors on a particular cable and salvage the old connector. With hot glue, you just reheat it and remove the majority of it. Depending on the type, many are fairly flexible even when cooled.

Later this morn I hope to remove some female xlr's from a cable and replace them with male, they are on a short pigtail that plugs into a mini four pin xlr on a headphone cable.I will then reuse the females for the balanced output from a dac into two class a amps that were an exceptional deal. Each amp has an XLR jack on the front, thus I now need plugs on the end of my pigtail. Being Neutrik connectors, there was no need for any hot glue or silicone sealant. I honestly cannot believe either would cause me to "relax and listen".   I am more apt to relax and listen with two fingers of a very old single malt scotch with no snake oil additive.


----------



## mgh24

I am almost ready to take the plunge and try making a cable.  One simple question I have not been able to find an answer to.

My cable will be Y-split, so one common coming from each side down to the Y.  So what do I do with the common from there?  Do you all solder the two common together there, so you have only one common running down to the jack?  Or do you take both common all the way down to the jack?  I would think that would make soldering to the jack a challenge, with double the wire thickness.

I guess one more question  what size heat shrink recommended using this wire?

\https://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2893-Miniature-Quad-Microphone-Cable.html

Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

If I understand your question, you can take the two commons all the way down to the plug unless you are building a balanced cable. That is not a large wire gauge so doubling the wire at the ground on a connector should not be much of an issue. Heat shrink size for that cable, (if you are going over the jacket), 1/4 inch might work but 3/8 diameter would certainly be large enough. If you use adhesive lined heat shrink tubing you can pretty much build a Y split into it by compressing it in the center when hot.  I have posted photos of this before.


----------



## mgh24

Yes, you did understand the question, and that was exactly what I needed.

Many thanks


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 3, 2017)

This is my xlr changeover I previously mentioned. The grey pigtail going the amps has dual male xlrs going down to a four pin mini xlr that I use on my headphone cable end. Within ten seconds I can change the cable over to 3.5 mm, 1/4 inch trs, dual 3.5 mm balanced for PONO etc. This is a balanced set up all the way from the dac to the Alpha Prime headphones. In the dual amp configuration I am doubling the voltage, quadrupling the power and doubling the slew rate of the amps. This entire setup cost me right at $1,000 including Alpha Prime headphones,  Teac dac, and two Optoma NuForce HA200 amps. On several solid state amps that I own, I am not quite achieving a desired power level; there is no problem now. Cables are all DIY and not figured in the cost of the setup.  Neutrik XLRs, cable is all OFC. Also dual volume controls which I inherently like.
  Also shown is the adhesive lined heatshrink split I was talking about, compress the middle with long nose pliers or hemostats while hot and the heatshrink will maintain the split. Paracord over star quad as well as each channel after the split.


----------



## mgh24

Paladin79 said:


> This is my xlr changeover I previously mentioned. The grey pigtail going the amps has dual male xlrs going down to a four pin mini xlr that I use on my headphone cable end. Within ten seconds I can change the cable over to 3.5 mm, 1/4 inch trs, dual 3.5 mm balanced for PONO etc. This is a balanced set up all the way from the dac to the Alpha Prime headphones. In the dual amp configuration I am doubling the voltage, quadrupling the power and doubling the slew rate of the amps. This entire setup cost me right at $1,000 including Alpha Prime headphones,  Teac dac, and two Optoma NuForce HA200 amps. On several solid state amps that I own, I am not quite achieving a desired power level; there is no problem now. Cables are all DIY and not figured in the cost of the setup.  Neutrik XLRs, cable is all OFC. Also dual volume controls which I inherently like.
> Also shown is the adhesive lined heatshrink split I was talking about, compress the middle with long nose pliers or hemostats while hot and the heatshrink will maintain the split. Paracord over star quad as well as each channel after the split.



Thanks for the photo of how you do your split.  Just ordered what I need to for my first try at cable building.


----------



## Paladin79

mgh24 said:


> Thanks for the photo of how you do your split.  Just ordered what I need to for my first try at cable building.


Glad to help out. It is not the easiest thing to explain but the adhesive works great in locking the paracord in place.


----------



## MR_DISTORT

Hi,

Im going crazy! Could someone please help me?
I am planning to build my first cable for my new Senn HD6xx.
I have procured Mogami 2634 cable (6mm OD) and I wanna give it some paracord sleeving.
What size paracord (ID) should I go for?
Is it okay to get the 4mm one? WIll it expand enough to accommodate the 6mm cable?
Your help will be much appreciated!!

Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

I just expanded some four mm and IMHO I believe you would have a tough time getting it to stretch over 6 mm cable.


----------



## Returnity

I'm preparing for my first re-terminating experience and aim for a 4.4mm balanced cable but I need some guidance...

I know the layout of L+, L-, R+ and R- on the plug itself, but where do these correspond on the inner side of the plug where I'm going to solder? And also, how can I tell which wire is which? Couldn't find any info unfortunately.

I intend to try to solder a brainwavz standard balanced cable (with a 2.5mm ending) to the plug sold by ALO audio...


----------



## Paladin79

It sounds like you need a multimeter/ohmmeter and you need to learn to either measure resistance or continuity when using it. On any given bunch of wires, as long as you can get to both ends you can measure to tell which wire is which. The same holds true of connectors. Touch one lead to each connector point and the other meter lead to the solder side of the connector to check for continuity or very low resistance. A while back I even showed a simple circuit using a battery and small bulb that would give you the same results. Meters with the functions mentioned are not very expensive and you may need it down the road to check voltage or current provided you read the owners manual and learn about AC, DC, Resistance, etc.

Tom


----------



## kingkikapu

Just picked up a new Uni-T UT61E multimeter this week after my old clunker took one too many headers off of the desk. Night and day difference in quality. Totally overkill for DIY cabling, but a good all rounder.


----------



## Paladin79

That does look like a decent choice and it even appears to measure frequency. Price in the states is around $50 and that is quite reasonable for what you get.

I have various meters in my shop made by Simpson and Fluke including an old analog Simpson 260 that still comes in handy for specific tests.


----------



## Keebler

Paladin79 said:


> This is my xlr changeover I previously mentioned. The grey pigtail going the amps has dual male xlrs going down to a four pin mini xlr that I use on my headphone cable end. Within ten seconds I can change the cable over to 3.5 mm, 1/4 inch trs, dual 3.5 mm balanced for PONO etc. This is a balanced set up all the way from the dac to the Alpha Prime headphones. In the dual amp configuration I am doubling the voltage, quadrupling the power and doubling the slew rate of the amps. This entire setup cost me right at $1,000 including Alpha Prime headphones,  Teac dac, and two Optoma NuForce HA200 amps. On several solid state amps that I own, I am not quite achieving a desired power level; there is no problem now. Cables are all DIY and not figured in the cost of the setup.  Neutrik XLRs, cable is all OFC. Also dual volume controls which I inherently like.
> Also shown is the adhesive lined heatshrink split I was talking about, compress the middle with long nose pliers or hemostats while hot and the heatshrink will maintain the split. Paracord over star quad as well as each channel after the split.


This setup looks awesome! Nice job.


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 11, 2017)

It may not be for everyone but I like to experiment with balanced audio and binaural plus recordings. Massdrop was running a deal on those amps so I got two for the price of one. There was little work in that setup other than adapting a cable over to 3 pin standard XLR's

. Here is one of my builds that required a lot more effort. I built the cable and changed low impedance headphones into high impedance with a driver change. I also changed them from closed to open and built a headphone rack out of copper that accommodates four pairs. I went with dual controls on the amp, my preference as well as other steampunk features on a converted Bottlehead Crack. On one of my newest builds I am using magic eye tubes as vu meters, technology from the thirties that was probably used till the early seventies.
 Most everything is patinated copper or brass, and quartered oak. The headphone cable is eight conductor braided OCC copper.


----------



## Demoninja

I tried searching through the thread but couldn't really find what I was looking for even though I'm sure this has been asked before. Anyone got advice on a quicker, more efficient way to strip microphone cable? Right now I'm just running a knife down the jacket and peeling it off. It works but it's time consuming and a huge pain in the ass. Also does anyone have any recommendations for reasonably priced cable so I don't have to deal with breaking down microphone cable anymore? I wouldn't mind paying a premium to not have to go through this process.


----------



## Paladin79

Are you located in the US?  Plenty of people sell jacketed wire.


----------



## kingkikapu

Where are you guys picking up heatshrink? I've been looking on amazon, but all of the kits are the cheap 2:1 labelled stuff.  I'd really like to find a good source of labeless heatrshrink that doesn't cost as much as take five audio, MDPCX, bitspower.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Demoninja said:


> I tried searching through the thread but couldn't really find what I was looking for even though I'm sure this has been asked before. Anyone got advice on a quicker, more efficient way to strip microphone cable? Right now I'm just running a knife down the jacket and peeling it off. It works but it's time consuming and a huge pain in the ass. Also does anyone have any recommendations for reasonably priced cable so I don't have to deal with breaking down microphone cable anymore? I wouldn't mind paying a premium to not have to go through this process.


For the price, there is nothing close to stripping the cable. If you want to pay $1 or more /foot per wire, you can get it. If you want to pay $0.18/foot, you gotta suffer.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kingkikapu said:


> Where are you guys picking up heatshrink? I've been looking on amazon, but all of the kits are the cheap 2:1 labelled stuff.  I'd really like to find a good source of labeless heatrshrink that doesn't cost as much as take five audio, MDPCX, bitspower.


There's lots of precut (~3") heat shrink kits on Amazon for under $15 with no writing.
I've been getting my from eBay, both precut and many foot rolls.


----------



## funch

http://www.soniccraft.com/index.php/accessories-heat-shrink-c-157_159


----------



## Demoninja

I'm probably gonna try out stranded hook up wire on ebay. It looks like it's about $0.12 a foot, basically as cheap as butchering microphone cable. Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

I generally send out OFC 24 gauge to DIY'ers in the states at no charge but if that is what you want to buy, go for it. 

I like to use 3m heat shrink tubing but if three foot sections are too pricey then you can search around for kits. I generally go through Digikey myself but I will look around a bit if I get time tomorrow for some other sources. Lately I have purchased mostly adhesive lined.


----------



## Demoninja

Paladin79 said:


> I generally send out OFC 24 gauge to DIY'ers in the states at no charge but if that is what you want to buy, go for it.
> 
> I like to use 3m heat shrink tubing but if three foot sections are too pricey then you can search around for kits. I generally go through Digikey myself but I will look around a bit if I get time tomorrow for some other sources. Lately I have purchased mostly adhesive lined.



Thanks a lot for the offer but I'm planning on making quite a few cables and don't mind trying to source out my own cheap source.


----------



## Paladin79

Sounds good, I did find some silicone coated wire on EBay some time ago that I liked fairly well.


----------



## mgh24

Allanmarcus said:


> There's lots of precut (~3") heat shrink kits on Amazon for under $15 with no writing.
> I've been getting my from eBay, both precut and many foot rolls.



Second that. Get rolls of any size you want from eBay if you are looking for some quantity, price seems reasonable to me.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Demoninja said:


> I'm probably gonna try out stranded hook up wire on ebay. It looks like it's about $0.12 a foot, basically as cheap as butchering microphone cable. Thanks!


I tried some 7 strand, and the results were not great. I don’t think I would go with less than 30 strand at this point, although I did just make two bpheadphone cables with solid silver core.


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 15, 2017)

There is usually plenty of Litz wire on Ebay, I would go for that myself. The seven strand wire is generally hook up wire and not meant for high end audio applications. If time allows for it later, I will look through ebay and post a few links.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Litz-wire-...hash=item256521ef18:m:mD7-Y2moAp1ok4vlX4qa5yA

I like this choice, it is the equivalent of 26 awg and a high strand count. 19 cents a foot with free shipping and these folks carry plenty of choices. To the best of my recollection, the first number is strand count, the second number is the awg of each strand. The larger the second number, the smaller the individual strand. Be cautious of buying anything with an extremely high strand count or you might end up with four gauge wire which would be huge.


Tom


----------



## Allanmarcus

Demoninja said:


> I tried searching through the thread but couldn't really find what I was looking for even though I'm sure this has been asked before. Anyone got advice on a quicker, more efficient way to strip microphone cable? Right now I'm just running a knife down the jacket and peeling it off. It works but it's time consuming and a huge pain in the ass. Also does anyone have any recommendations for reasonably priced cable so I don't have to deal with breaking down microphone cable anymore? I wouldn't mind paying a premium to not have to go through this process.


I forgot. I put together a Google Sheet of wire that I found interesting.
https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/home/wire

Daburn sells some nice wire for a reasonable cost. As low as $0.36/foot for 26AWG, $0.43 for 24AWG, when you buy 1000 feet. If you are going to make a lot of cables, this may be a good quantity.
http://www.daburn.com/2671UltraFlexibleSub-MiniatureWire-U/LSTYLE15681692.aspx
they sent me some samples, and I thought the wire would physically make a good headphone cable. I cannot speak to it's audio quality.


----------



## Paladin79

Soon I will be building a couple balanced audio cables for Sennheiser HD6XX to dual full size 3 pin xlr's as well as a four pin XLR. Undoubtedly a common build for DIY folks in here. It will be a simple 8 wire braid with occ copper and no paracord so nothing too exciting. I see folks selling the stock Sennheiser cable with the four pin XLR on the end but I like the idea of keeping the trs connector original cable in tact for use with portable devices and amps with just TRS outputs. I will try to post a couple pics upon completion, most likely in late January after I receive a new DAC. It really helps to build your own cables cause there are always new devices to try out.


----------



## kingkikapu

Might have a project or two on the go....


----------



## Paladin79

The beauty of doing it yourself is not having to spend more on cables than on the headphones or amps you buy. I just priced some retail Sennheiser cables and saw results from $50 to $650. I will have a total of $520 in headphones and balanced amp/dac.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> The beauty of doing it yourself is not having to spend more on cables than on the headphones or amps you buy. I just priced some retail Sennheiser cables and saw results from $50 to $650. I will have a total of $520 in headphones and balanced amp/dac.


The stock Sennheiser HD650 cable, which is pretty good, is $11 shipped, when it's in stock. I actually picked up some from a different source and plan on re-terminating them balanced, and putting a female XLR on the snipped off side to make an adapter. Doing a few of those to help some of the many new HD6xx owners will be one of my winter break projects.


----------



## Paladin79

I have seen the modified cables for sale and that $11 price is a good one for the basic cable. The special connectors cost something and over-molding is more durable than add on connections.They may have been as low as $40 with a 4 pin XLR added and that is naturally the low end of what is for sale out there. Pop a four pin Neutrik XLR on them and there is little to go wrong.  The $200 price from Massdrop is a good one and it is a great headphone for that price. Personally I am curious to hear them with some occ copper so I am going that route soon. Most amps I have bought or built lately has been balanced so I am more into that phase right now and it gives me reason to do more experimenting.


----------



## Paladin79

This is my "I have 15 minutes to accomplish this the ball game is about to start" dual 3 pin male xlr to single 4 pin female xlr conversion. It will be easier to just build cables to four pin XLR males than some to that and some to dual 3 pin xlrs. Please note I have all supplies at hand and have memorized xlr layouts so it was a quick build. Inside the four pin xlr I marked each pair with red or black heat shrink tubing to be able to quickly tell them apart. I used Mogami star quad and Neutrik connectors. The amps are dual NuForce HA-200's with enough power to push any headphones I own.


----------



## q2klepto (Dec 16, 2017)

Anyone familiar with CustomArts 2pin IEM pin out? The only difference is one side has a bit of a groove where - anyone know where Signal/Ground or +/- should go? Im guessing if connecting pins are pointing north, then the signal/+ would be on the West side, while ground/- would be on the East.






Is that correct?


----------



## Demoninja (Dec 17, 2017)

Okay, anyone got suggestions for tools to make twisting the two cables after the Y split together evenly? I've read about using a drill to twist the cables together but I haven't had much success yet. Is my best option to learn how to do that better? It looks decent hand twisting but it's a pain and it can end up uneven regardless of how careful I am.

I'm also looking for a tool to make sleeving my cables quicker. The cable I'm currently using is 25 awg with 275 paracord.

Thanks for the suggestions  I think these are the last things I'm looking for (and a vise) to really sreamline my process.

Edit: Also, does anyone know if those Eidolic red/black carbon fiber 6.3mm jacks still exist? I've been wanting to track one down for a cable.


----------



## funch (Dec 17, 2017)

The term 'twisting' is misused in this instance. Twisting the wires forces the jacketing against its natural form, so when you take the tension away, it tries to go back to its natural shape and ends up looking like, well, you know.

One should always wrap the wires around each other, allowing them to come together naturally. I find that holding the wires up with one hand, letting them hang naturally, and wrapping them with the other hand works best for me.


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 17, 2017)

From what I have read from manufacturers I respect, the wires should be a uniform twisted pair. I generally use clear heat shrink  to keep them to the uniform shape. This is as close as I can get to what Belden calls bonded twisted pair.
 In a build I just finished this morn, I used 8 wire 7n occ copper and braided the four wires to connectors and this certainly helps them retain the shape I desire. This is a build for a balanced system, HD 65xx, dual amps, and balanced dac. I sealed the wires in place inside the four pin xlr and headphone plugs with hot glue, then went over the top with heat shrink tubing.


----------



## mgh24

I am in the middle of my second try at cable making. This one is better than the first, but still not a pretty thing to see.

Have been using Mogami W2893, stripping the outer jacket and copper insulator, and working paracord over that.  I may try building one leaving the Mogami as one piece up to the Y.  If I wanted to cover the Mogami with paracord, anyone know what size would work for that?

Thanks.


----------



## Demoninja

mgh24 said:


> I am in the middle of my second try at cable making. This one is better than the first, but still not a pretty thing to see.
> 
> Have been using Mogami W2893, stripping the outer jacket and copper insulator, and working paracord over that.  I may try building one leaving the Mogami as one piece up to the Y.  If I wanted to cover the Mogami with paracord, anyone know what size would work for that?
> 
> Thanks.



I did something similar but I still stripped the jacket off. I used 550 for the part before the split and 275 after.


----------



## MikeJSmith

Hey, for threading through paracord, this is what I came up with.  Much easier than the caterpillar technique! 



Demoninja said:


> I'm also looking for a tool to make sleeving my cables quicker. The cable I'm currently using is 25 awg with 275 paracord.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## Oscar-HiFi (Dec 18, 2017)

Demoninja said:


> Okay, anyone got suggestions for tools to make twisting the two cables after the Y split together evenly? I've read about using a drill to twist the cables together but I haven't had much success yet. Is my best option to learn how to do that better? It looks decent hand twisting but it's a pain and it can end up uneven regardless of how careful I am.
> 
> I'm also looking for a tool to make sleeving my cables quicker. The cable I'm currently using is 25 awg with 275 paracord.
> 
> ...



This comes up all the time... using the below method none of my cables have come untwisted once soldered, use a bit of heatshrink at the top after twisting to keep them together for soldering. Once you let go, it will untwist a turn or two and no more.

Here you go, how to twist them properly:


----------



## TYATYA

Paladin79 said:


> ...


Quite same pic


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 18, 2017)

Very similar! I was using some eight wire down to four per side but your two wire twists look like they are holding up quite well and they are nice and uniform. I have a new Dac/AMP on the way and will be using the four pin XLR with it so I figured I would adapt the dual amps to the same configuration.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

I like the look of that headphone stand but personally i wouldn't use it,Why?Because the pads is always under pressure.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

kingkikapu said:


> Might have a project or two on the go....


Looks like  you have a VIABLUE cable sleeve,I have used them on some of my builds they are pretty but stiff.


----------



## Paladin79

i luvmusic 2 said:


> I like the look of that headphone stand but personally i wouldn't use it,Why?Because the pads is always under pressure.



The bottom of the pads is only about 70 mm apart so there is not a huge amount of pressure but point noted. I mainly used these for the photo and generally use a "T" shaped stand that holds four pair of headphones.


----------



## i luvmusic 2

Are you talking about the copper stand that you made i like that one specially the way you put the patina on it.


----------



## kingkikapu

i luvmusic 2 said:


> Looks like  you have a VIABLUE cable sleeve,I have used them on some of my builds they are pretty but stiff.


Only the green cable in the plastic ziploc is Viablue.  The rest is MDPCX sleeving.  Great stuff, a bit stiff yes, but the product is well above paracord in quality.


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 19, 2017)

Are you talking about the copper stand that you made i like that one specially the way you put the patina on it. Iluvmusic

Yeah I generally use that but I have a couple other stands around for when I am using solid state amps and space is an issue.


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 20, 2017)

These are some balanced cables I just made to go from the output of a Pono player into separate amps. Belden miniature microphone cable to Neutrik male XLR's, topped with a cotton/nylon mesh. Amphenol extended tip 3.5 mm connectors. I will be traveling over Xmas and did not want to drag along a full sized DAC along with amps, headphones, and various cables. I used adhesive lined red and black heat shrink tubing so the channel indicators do not move around during usage.


----------



## Allanmarcus

When the marketeers say “cloth-wrapped” cable, like massdrop is saying comes with the Elex headphones, what do you suppose that means?


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 20, 2017)

I do believe there is nylon "cloth" so it is a little hard to say; I will have to check that out sometime. I noticed an issue where an add called an amp balanced when it was not but that was more the manufacturer's wording than Massdrops. In the case of these cables, they are interconnects so I just prettied them up a bit. I may be getting with some headfi folks in the DC area soon so no sense taking average looking cables.

Not a bad setup for something I can haul easily, testing bass with a little Warren Zevon. (Werewolves of London and Nighttime in the Switching Yard) Plus a dsd version of The Gold Bug and A Turn of a Friendly Card. I definitely like these amps.

I like the ease of building with XLR's, the 3.5 mm connectors required some grommet modifications to fit the cable but the operation was a success.


----------



## kwatch

I'm planning to build a pair of balanced cables from headphone amp to powered speakers using Neutrik NC3MXX-B 3 Pin Male and NC3FXX-B 3 Pin Female connector.  What cable do you recommend?  Thanks.


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 26, 2017)

kwatch said:


> I'm planning to build a pair of balanced cables from headphone amp to powered speakers using Neutrik NC3MXX-B 3 Pin Male and NC3FXX-B 3 Pin Female connector.  What cable do you recommend?  Thanks.


I personally like Belden 1800F for such applications. There are many fine cables that are perfectly suited by Mogami and Canare as well but the 1800F is my first choice.  Good choice on connectors by the way.  If you want one cable with a split at each end, many star quad cables can work but those are more usable as amp and Dac interconnects.

In the 1800f you have a cable that can also be used for digital applications if you ever so desire. At 13 picofarads per foot it is a low capacitance cable that works wonderfully with analog signals.


Tom


----------



## kwatch

Paladin79 said:


> I personally like Belden 1800F for such applications. There are many fine cables that are perfectly suited by Mogami and Canare as well but the 1800F is my first choice.  Good choice on connectors by the way.  If you want one cable with a split at each end, many star quad cables can work but those are more usable as amp and Dac interconnects.
> 
> In the 1800f you have a cable that can also be used for digital applications if you ever so desire. At 13 picofarads per foot it is a low capacitance cable that works wonderfully with analog signals.
> 
> ...



Belden 1800F has 3 wires plus a shield.  Do I cut off the shield and use 3 wires?


----------



## Paladin79

You can just use 3 wires. 1 ground, 2 positive, 3 negative. Wire 1-1 etc.


----------



## AnakChan

Nothing fancy but just made a balanced XLR -> 4.4mm. The XLR female was just a Neutrik, and the 4.4mm side as an Effect Audio plug. I used the 0.6mm Oyaide Augline Pt+ PTFE solid core which cost a bomb - $110 for just 1m.



 



I botched up the 4.4mm so bad - hard to solder with a 0.6mm solid core too. I used my clamp to hold the plug as I soldered but as it was conductive everytime pulled out the multimeter to test each wire I soldered, it beeped across all poles. So I thought my solder bridged over the connections but I couldn't find it! I desoldered everything, cleaned up the connections and restarted numerous times. After awhile I got tired tested without the clamp and violà!! It was actually fine! Damn clamp!! Anyhow the soldering/desoldering made the whole connection so unprofessional in the end but I managed to salvage the plug.


----------



## Paladin79

The Neutrik is a great connector but I wish it was easier to find four pin 2.5 and 3.5 mm connectors with solder lugs. Soldering onto a cylinder separated by plastic is never easy and you are fortunate the small connector withstood multiple solder attempts. I would be willing to wager that any issues cropping up in the future originate at that end. Solid wire is not very flexible so hopefully you will not have to repeatedly plug the male end in and out very much. By using a metal clamp you can also run the risk of flattening the round TRRS portion of the plug so I hope all is well there.


----------



## callumrd1

I’m looking to built my first cable for my HD650s. I’d like to make it from copper wire in clear insulation to show off the copper. I’m being a bit ambutious and would like to try an eight strand braid into four strands per channel. Does anyone know where I could get some wire that would be suitable? I’m not very knowledgeable but would assume I’d want 28 or 30 awg.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jan 1, 2018)

There is plenty of it already braided coming out of China for as low as $10 for one meter. You can then split it and do a four wire braid on the headphone connector end if you want relatively quick and easy. The braid is pretty much perfect. All kinds of it on EBay right now, just search for 8 strand braid OCC copper.

I have sampled plenty of it and have had great results in my personal testing.


----------



## Feilong4

Anyone know whether this wire will be good for a dual entry headphone? I'm just looking to make a quick, easy, and supple cable.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/100ft-ELF-...-pure-OCC-copper-wire-28awg-BIN-/122888219259


----------



## Paladin79

It will not be very supple, that is solid wire. A quick and easy way to do it, IMHO, is to use 8 wire pre-stranded. If you indeed want plated wire, silver is a better conductor than gold...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Braided-Te...412534?hash=item2a78afc8b6:g:d9AAAOSws6ZaRF9v

Something like this could be easily split to four strands per side, braided, and used for dual entry. This is a fairly long piece of wire but it is also eight strands compared to one. I consider this quick and easy because I can quickly braid four wires for each entry and use an ohmmeter and marking system to keep all of the wires straight. I am guessing a bit here but I can probably make the complete cable in a half hour to forty-five minutes starting with this wire. I can recall working on such a cable for Letmebefrank so he might be able to help with an estimate of time required.

I have talked about skin effect in here before and plating looks nice, can help keep down oxidation, but it has little effect on sound quality in audio wire at audible frequencies.


----------



## Feilong4

I'm glad I asked otherwise I would have been stuck with a stiff cable haha.

What would having 4 strands per side benefit? I have the cable you sent me which is two strands per side, so I'm curious as for the differences or advantages.

Also about that listing you listed, it says 5 items per lot next to the quantity. Do you know whether that means 5 of those braided cables in one purchase?


----------



## Paladin79 (Jan 3, 2018)

It is the quantity they have available, five per lot and ten lots would be fifty cables. They are just selling one cable 5 meters long, which is 16.40 feet.

Advantages huh? Well you end up doubling the wire per side so in effect you are increasing the wire gauge size and helping conductivity a bit. I would think it is a bit more rugged if soldered properly but if you are looking for supple, four wires in a similar jacket would be more supple compared to eight. I love the looks of eight wire braids and I have had a couple people who can tell a difference in sound. Either way, you  best be able to do a four wire braid at some point cause you need at least four wires for dual entry but on the single plug end it can be balanced or not..

Be sure to look around though, there are lots of choices...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Soft-Braided-PTFE-Silver-OCC-Wire-Hifi-Headphone-Earphone-Upgrade-DIY-Cable-5M/322601141459?_trkparms=aid=555018&algo=PL.SIM&ao=2&asc=44040&meid=86d7141d97554dad95a80769b270dfd9&pid=100623&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=182413412534&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

This choice gives you copper and silver so you would be better able to keep the wires straight as you braid the dual entry end. I usually mark mine with colored heat shrink tubing when using 8 wires that all look alike but that is not exactly entry level braiding so best to practice first. 

Above is an eight wire braid that I braided four per side for dual entry into some Sennheisers, they go on to a four pin xlr then to dual three pin xlrs into the amps but at least you can see four wires per side are not huge.


----------



## Feilong4

I was just about to ask about that cable you just linked since it's cheaper haha.

Thanks for the info.


----------



## Paladin79

I am going from memory but I believe there are less strands thus a smaller gauge. Pure occ copper with a high strand count would be fairly flexible depending on the gauge. I need to do some work but maybe someone else will jump into this conversation and help out as well.

later

Tom


----------



## v3kt0r

Guys,

I promised before to share whatever I found from making diy cable for jh audio v.2. Maybe it will help someone to save some time and money.

Adding 50ohm resistors to avoid using bulky and flimsy bass attenuator otherwise you'll have +15db bass without it which is way overwhelming for me. If all is right, when you use multi-meter to test, you should get 50ohm on bass pair only. Everything else should be on 0.

Created two cables: 
Silver Y-splitter - Pure 30awg 999 silver, 6 strands in 26awg teflon tube (braided) with L-shape 2.4 ttrs AK balanced termination. Both resistors hidden in 2.4 jack
Black Y-splitter - Silver platted 30awg copper, 8 strands (factory braided) with straight 2.4 trrs AK balanced termination. Both resistors hidden in Y-splitter

Apologize for pretty amateur blueprint. I'm not a pro  



 
Result


----------



## Demoninja

I'm planning on modding my pair of Senngrados into a detachable cable. Could I do something like use a TRS female, only wire tip on the left one, ring on the right one and then for the two male TRS I'll connect both tip and ring together to make a cable that doesn't care about the side it's plugged into? Is this a disaster waiting to happen?


----------



## Paladin79

Demoninja said:


> I'm planning on modding my pair of Senngrados into a detachable cable. Could I do something like use a TRS female, only wire tip on the left one, ring on the right one and then for the two male TRS I'll connect both tip and ring together to make a cable that doesn't care about the side it's plugged into? Is this a disaster waiting to happen?



I am not real familiar with the Senngrados or how each side is wired but....

You will either end up combining both channels in which case you would have mono instead of stereo or best case scenario you would have the left channel on the right and right channel on the left side about half the time. If you end up with mono, then indeed it will not matter which trs male is plugged to either side. Personally I find it easier to just mark one side with say a red marker or red heat shrink tubing or red lacquer. I am pretty used to which instruments or vocals appear on the right or left side in much of my music that I prefer to keep everything marked correctly.


----------



## Demoninja

Paladin79 said:


> I am not real familiar with the Senngrados or how each side is wired but....
> 
> You will either end up combining both channels in which case you would have mono instead of stereo or best case scenario you would have the left channel on the right and right channel on the left side about half the time. If you end up with mono, then indeed it will not matter which trs male is plugged to either side. Personally I find it easier to just mark one side with say a red marker or red heat shrink tubing or red lacquer. I am pretty used to which instruments or vocals appear on the right or left side in much of my music that I prefer to keep everything marked correctly.



They're wired like an HD 600. Each side has a ground and a signal. I'm not sure if I clearly explained what I was imagining but I'll keep it simple and just use mono connectors and mark left and right channels. Thanks for chiming in!


----------



## mgh24

v3kt0r said:


> Guys,
> 
> I promised before to share whatever I found from making diy cable for jh audio v.2. Maybe it will help someone to save some time and money.
> 
> ...



Thanks for all that!  Hope I don't have to use it, but I will bookmark this just in case.


----------



## rwpritchett

Hello all,

I'm planning my first DIY cable for my HE-500. I have a mix of amps using 3.5mm and 6.35mm jacks for headphones. Ideally, I would like to construct a cable terminated in a TRS that has a twist-off adapter like the stock AKG and other OEM cables have but I'm having a very difficult time finding a source for the part. I'm not even sure what this type of TRS is called officially, that might be why my google-fu is failing me.

I'm about to just suck it up and go with a standard 6.35mm connector and deal with a separate adapter. Every single one of my other headphones has a twist off hiding a 3.5mm and I like having a secured locking adapter.

Does anybody know a source for this part?  I'm planning to go with sheathed Mogami W2534, so it needs to fit the 6mm cable diameter though I could step down to W2893 4.8mm OD if needed. An example is below, although this isn't necessarily the exact TRS I'm looking for:


----------



## Paladin79 (Jan 10, 2018)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20set-Self...359803?hash=item25e87df8fb:g:LAsAAOSwxp9W25tC

Generally if it is made in China, Ebay has it. This appears to be that exact part. 20 sets is a lot but I am willing to purchase at least half of those if you want to go that route.

I did find someone in the states that has a set of two for $17 apiece but I do not mind the wait for a much better price.


----------



## rwpritchett (Jan 10, 2018)

What about the Switchcraft 35HDLBAU? It looks like it comes with a removable threaded collar that might work with a threaded 6.35mm adapter (which are easy to find).

https://www.mouser.com/productdetail/switchcraft/35hdlbau?qs=sGAEpiMZZMv0W4pxf2HiV2B4j/k8Z2ZS%2bOJ2nxV5gcU=

Edit:

There's also a Sennheiser OEM available, the the cable OD might be too small:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&ap=y&c3api=1876,{creative},{keyword}&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkNfSBRCSARIsAL-u3X-50zXRWWwRShHdVTIRIqTPlI2TTWEhe3lpHCTfscqWfO4O2GgpxbYaApCBEALw_wcB&is=REG&m=Y&sku=426819


----------



## Paladin79

It has been a while since I worked with those but I believe the male and female 3.5 mm connectors attach using those threads. I have no idea if they will fit the 6.35 but you could always buy one to try it out. I guarantee you it would have solder lugs on the inside and would be a quality connector compared to the Chinese made crap. They tend to use round cylinders separated by plastic, get them too hot and the plastic melts. I can use them but it is a pretty poor design. I know some of the pre-made beyerdynamic cables come with the threaded 3.5 and 6.35 but they are around $20 per cable or more. As far as I know, there is no set size to the threads on those connectors but I could be wrong.


----------



## rwpritchett

Well, I just ordered one of the 35HDLBAU Switchcraft plugs. Assuming the threading is correct, I guess I'll try it with a threaded 6.35mm adapter and check with a multimeter to see if it will work. If not I'm out $13 and will just go with a standard Neutrik.

For anyone looking for the same, there's very similar parts:

35HDLBAU = black plug with gold 3.5mm TRS, fits up to 0.250" (6.35mm) cable
35HDLBAU*S* = black plug with gold 3.5mm TRS, fits up to 0.175" (4.45mm) cable
35HDLB*N* = black plug with nickel 3.5mm TRS, fits up to 0.250" (6.35mm) cable
35HDL*NN* = nickel plug with nickel 3.5mm TRS, fits up to 0.250" (6.35mm) cable

I'm hoping the larger 0.250" model will accommodate the Mogami W2534 with some heatshrink for stress relief.


----------



## Paladin79

I may grab a couple of those myself sometime and check them out. You were wise to check the cable entry size, that can always be a factor with such connectors.


----------



## Allanmarcus

rwpritchett said:


> What about the Switchcraft 35HDLBAU? It looks like it comes with a removable threaded collar that might work with a threaded 6.35mm adapter (which are easy to find).
> 
> https://www.mouser.com/productdetail/switchcraft/35hdlbau?qs=sGAEpiMZZMv0W4pxf2HiV2B4j/k8Z2ZS%2bOJ2nxV5gcU=



Nope, that will not work. I got one and it’s sitting is a drawer. It’s for a different kind of locking system.


----------



## Miki_asd

Which paracord's sleeve is good for ~2.2mm diameter cables?


----------



## rwpritchett

Allanmarcus said:


> Nope, that will not work. I got one and it’s sitting is a drawer. It’s for a different kind of locking system.


That's OK. The connector has a nice barrel that can be re-purposed for the y split.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jan 13, 2018)

rwpritchett said:


> That's OK. The connector has a nice barrel that can be re-purposed for the y split.


Ok, this sounds like a good idea. I'm too lazy to search to a pic, so if you have one of how to use a barrel like this as a Y split, please point to it. Many thanks.

Update: I found one. Any better ideas for using a barrel as a Y-Splitter? I would probably do it like this, then add a layer of clear shrink.


----------



## Demoninja

Got about 40ish ft of Canare l-4e6s left and I found out I hate working with it. Anyone wanna take it off my hands?


----------



## mgh24

Allanmarcus said:


> Ok, this sounds like a good idea. I'm too lazy to search to a pic, so if you have one of how to use a barrel like this as a Y split, please point to it. Many thanks.
> 
> Update: I found one. Any better ideas for using a barrel as a Y-Splitter? I would probably do it like this, then add a layer of clear shrink.



Oh I like that idea.  What is a cheap material I can use for a barrel?


----------



## Paladin79 (Jan 14, 2018)

Oh I like that idea. What is a cheap material I can use for a barrel?

About ten years ago I began using clear flexible pvc tubing for such one to two wire connections. It is available in most any home improvement store, it is sometimes used in aquariums. You can get it in various sizes and wall thicknesses. I can post some photos when I return to work tomorrow. Generally we double check all wiring then fill it with hot glue and then cover it with heat shrink tubing. Other parts of the cable might fail down the road but we have never had a cable fail due to that junction. It holds its shape yet flexes quite nicely. We even use it on coaxial cable splits where each cable is about a quarter inch in diameter.

I usually buy it in 25 foot rolls but it seems like it is only about 60 cents a foot or less and most people doing home DIY projects would be hard pressed to use up a foot or two of the tubing This is pretty large product but you get the idea...

https://www.amazon.com/Maxx-Flex-14...962&sr=8-2&keywords=clear+pvc+aquarium+tubing


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jan 14, 2018)

mgh24 said:


> Oh I like that idea.  What is a cheap material I can use for a barrel?


I had some old banana plugs I wasn’t using I got from MCM electronics (now Newark). The barrel worked really well.

MCM Insulated Banana Plug Barrel 27-520
http://www.newark.com/mcm/27-520/bl...7?MER=bn_level5_5NP_EngagementRecSingleItem_1
$0.89

what I ;ike about this barrel is that it isn't tapered 

Tubing, like paladin suggests also works well.

First positioned where I want it





I then marked where the heat shrink needs to be.





Then apply heat.





I would cover this with clear heat shrink, but I don't have the right size. I made this right before leaving to Vegas for a business conference. When I get back, I will measure the barrel and get the right clear tubing.


----------



## kwatch

Can someone recommend me a good cable for turntable?


----------



## Paladin79 (Jan 17, 2018)

Which portion of the turntable? Internal wires to cartridge? Interconnect cables from turntable to amp? Or the more modern USB cable from turntable to computer?

If you need interconnects say dual RCA to RCA, I generally use Belden 1800F, a very flexible audio cable that comes in many colors. RCA connectors, I prefer Neutrik (Rean) and both items should be available on Markertek.com. An example is above.


----------



## kwatch

Paladin79 said:


> Which portion of the turntable? Internal wires to cartridge? Interconnect cables from turntable to amp? Or the more modern USB cable from turntable to computer?
> 
> If you need interconnects say dual RCA to RCA, I generally use Belden 1800F, a very flexible audio cable that comes in many colors. RCA connectors, I prefer Neutrik (Rean) and both items should be available on Markertek.com. An example is above.



I need a pair of RCA cables connecting to receiver for my Dual 721.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jan 17, 2018)

I suspected as much. This cable that I suggested is two conductors and ground. I normally wire them red to hot, black (or white) to ground and braid to ground on one end only. That end with the two ground connections I usually hook to the source and the end with two wires goes to the destination. I read the theory about this years ago and it has served me well with my various setups. I generally mark the cables with direction of signal flow so I know one end from the other.

The cables shown are more flexible than some I have seen and if you use small products like some of the Schiit, they do not have the stiffness to cause one component to raise up above the one below it.


----------



## penmarker

For phono turntable cables you'll need one that specifically list "low capacitance" in its spec sheet. This is most important if you use moving magnet phono cartridges as the capacitance will affect the frequency response.


----------



## Pings

I want to make a 4'/1.2m braided cable how long in total should I make each stand? Know of any good flexible wire small enough for braiding not IEM small.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jan 18, 2018)

penmarker said:


> For phono turntable cables you'll need one that specifically list "low capacitance" in its spec sheet. This is most important if you use moving magnet phono cartridges as the capacitance will affect the frequency response.



The Belden 1800f is low capacitance, around 12 or 13 picofarad per foot. I have my choice of most any cable made and it is my preference. Now if you can not locate it, check out Mogami or Canare cable.

Here is a very good article about this cable:

https://www.belden.com/blog/broadcast/cable-substitution

I have been using several forms of this digital audio cable for years for professional applications and the results have been quite good. I also like the fact that it will work for AES/EBU applications and I am currently using it with a brand new DAC and dual amp balanced setup I finished last night in my own home.


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## Paladin79 (Jan 18, 2018)

Pings said:


> I want to make a 4'/1.2m braided cable how long in total should I make each stand? Know of any good flexible wire small enough for braiding not IEM small.


I would probably use about 5 feet of the cable to insure a 4 foot length. If you are in the US I would be happy to send you enough wire for your application at no charge if you private message me your address and whether you are doing a three or four wire braid. I have some 24 awg ofc wire that is flexible with a decent strand count that I like pretty well. I only have it in two colors, black and white though. I have done a lot of comparisons with it and other wires and the wires do well in my humble tests. (I generally rely on blind testing with local engineers, recording people and grad students who want to hear my setup.)


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## kn0ppers (Jan 19, 2018)

What do you recommend using for sleeving cables? I have multiple kinds of Pure Silver, OFC and OCC wire from Aliexpress. Some of them are really microphonic,almost not suitable for IEM Cables or even Headphone cables used on the go (I guess at home sitting at my desk it would be fine). The outer diameters range from slightly below 1mm to about 2mm, most of them are around 1-1.2mm. I have quite some experience in cable sleeving since I built some high-end PC systems with fully custom cables and all that kind of stuff.

I have MDPC-X Sleeving and some other PET sleeve in big amounts lying around my workshop, about 100m in all kinds of colours and diameters, but that stuff is not really soft or anything (I would not want to sleeve the upper part of an IEM cable with that), so it will scratch on your skin and be extremely uncomfortable I guess. Then I thought that I get some sleeving for Hifi-cables, in this case the "Viablue Geflechtsschlauch" in small and medium size. So I did that. Great sleeving for thicker cables, for cables around 3-4mm OD the small sleeve is really nice, but it is way too big for sleeving cables with 1-2mm OD and then braid them afterwards, which is mainly what I want to do. So my next idea was the Atwood Rope Paracord Micro and Nano as well as some standard 550 for larger cables. It should be softer than the other 2 kinds of sleeving and should also be good for braiding the cables afterwards, but how about the influence on microphonics? This is really my main problem with cable building so far, some of the wires are just terrible - especially the silver plated one, which is really stiff compared to the other ones. It's also stranded but much less flexible, sounds amazing though. I will maybe post a picture.








Also my little review of MMCX Connectors:

Eidolic:

- very high quality, very expensive
- look very nice but are kind of large
- the locking system locks once and forever - if something went wrong, there is no real chance to correct anything
- good connection, harder to remove than other mmcx connectors, but they lock in perfectly
- not easy to get the cable hole sealed, heatshrink won't stick on the shell of the connector, and the bore is pretty large for IEM cables
- L/R marked by coloured rings

Plus Sound:

- well-built, well-designed connectors, pretty much on par with the Eidolics
- the locking system can be used more than once but still is secure and simple, the way it should be done
- the screw for the locking system provides something for heatshrink to grip on, which helps me a lot
- they look just very nice and understated, I know looks are subjective but I like this minimalistic approach
- also fit very well in the IEM sockets I tried

Acrolink / Papri-Audio? (-> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1pa...32831019328.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.3HXdi5)

- very compact, well-built connectors - if you are looking for a really small MMCX connector, THIS is the one you might want
- affordable, comes with cable splitter (I glued that one together and it looks really clean - if you don't mess it up like I did)
- locking system not as secure, but if you screw them on really tight and have heatshrink all the way up into the connector housing, it will hold just fine from my experience
- L/R is marked


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## kingkikapu

I thought the eidolic mmcx connectors were reinsertable?


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## kn0ppers

Yes sure you can connect it with MMCX Earbuds many times, what I mean by locking system is how the outer shell of the connector locks onto the gold plated part with the actual contacts. As for Eidolic, I don't see how that one would be reusable without damaging the connector.


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## kingkikapu

kn0ppers said:


> Yes sure you can connect it with MMCX Earbuds many times, what I mean by locking system is how the outer shell of the connector locks onto the gold plated part with the actual contacts. As for Eidolic, I don't see how that one would be reusable without damaging the connector.


Gotcha thx. I have a few eidolic mmcx parts kicking around, waiting for assembly. 

I also have a ton of mdpc-x sleeping. Great colours but not the softest. Ditto for viablue: great for larger wire. I tend to use silk for fine braids. It has a real luxurious feel.


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## MiRaCL

The original cable for my Audeze LCD-2's broke. 

Going to build a new one.

Going to use:
Furutech FP-704G 6.3mm
Viablue SC-2 splitter
Neutrik 4-pin minixlr

Its all going to be braided with cotton/nylon sleeve.

I need recommendation on witch wire/cable to choose.
I would be great if i could buy it from aliexpress.


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## Allanmarcus

MiRaCL said:


> The original cable for my Audeze LCD-2's broke.
> 
> Going to build a new one.
> 
> ...



What price point are you interested in? You can get some pretty expensive wire from AliE.


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## Shadee13

Hello everybody!
I'm coming here in a need for advice. 
I'm planning to make an individually sleeved and braided cable for my headphones but I'm having trouble deciding which wire I should use.

I've originally planned to use this silicone cable with 40 strands:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fre...wires-AWG24-high-temperature/32723161627.html
but then I've read a post by Lutro0 in a different forum that silicone is not good for sleeving, because it's too soft. Yes, I know Lutro0 sleeves power cables which need to be stiffer but still..

After reading a lot of praise for Mogami and Van Damme cables I've searched for similar cables on Ali and found this:
https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/1M-U...ket-cable-Tinned-copper-wire/32779053276.html
These are PVC coated, so they are probably a bit more solid but they also have seemingly less strands, it's not specified but I'm guessing 7.

Which would you guys recommend? If neither of these then can you recommend me something else? (eBay and Ali only, though. I can't afford to pay shipping for Mogami or Van Damme cables)

And one more question: How do 24 gauge wires fit in 2mm paracord? (from Aliexpress as well) Isn't the paracord too big for them?

Thank you in advance


----------



## Allanmarcus

Shadee13 said:


> Hello everybody!
> I'm coming here in a need for advice.
> I'm planning to make an individually sleeved and braided cable for my headphones but I'm having trouble deciding which wire I should use.
> 
> ...



They are both "tinned" wire, which I don't think is needed, or possible even good for audio.
If you care about flexibility, you want at least 19 strand, if not more.


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## Miki_asd

What do you think about this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hea...id=3f1e3e67-8ef0-4f46-8875-251a580721ca&tpp=1
"There are 8 cores, each core contains 7 strands" So it's not that flexible?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Miki_asd said:


> What do you think about this:
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hea...id=3f1e3e67-8ef0-4f46-8875-251a580721ca&tpp=1
> "There are 8 cores, each core contains 7 strands" So it's not that flexible?


I looked at that earlier today. It will be more flexible that solid core (I have some solid core cables), and less than with 30-40 strand cable. Will it be flexible enough for you? Hard to say, but probably not.

I could have sworn I found some 19 strand 8 core braided pure silver cable on Ali, but I cannot find it now.


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## Allanmarcus (Jan 27, 2018)

Here's some 19 strand copper/silver braided cable
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...e-Headset-Upgrade-DIY/326582_32812074385.html
Might make for a good cable.

Found it!
19 strand, 8 core braided silver:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fle...-Fidelidad-Auriculares-DIY-8/32784928070.html

4 silver, 4 copper:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fle...-Fidelidad-Auriculares-DIY-8/32784065781.html

16 core mixed:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/PAP...OCC-Silver-Upgrade-Headphone/32835521395.html

8 core, just copper:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fle...-Fidelidad-Auriculares-DIY-8/32784850684.html

Note: 19 x .12mm is about 23AWG (I think)
23AWG times 2 is 20AWG

I have no idea if the quality of the wire is any good.


----------



## Miki_asd

Allanmarcus said:


> I looked at that earlier today. It will be more flexible that solid core (I have some solid core cables), and less than with 30-40 strand cable. Will it be flexible enough for you? Hard to say, but probably not.
> 
> I could have sworn I found some 19 strand 8 core braided pure silver cable on Ali, but I cannot find it now.


I should have ask it earlyer, because it's on the way here. A friend recommended it. I don't need 8 core, 4 is enough for me or if it's cheaper i can do the braid myself.


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## Allanmarcus

Miki_asd said:


> I should have ask it earlyer, because it's on the way here. A friend recommended it. I don't need 8 core, 4 is enough for me or if it's cheaper i can do the braid myself.


Well, let us know.


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## Miki_asd

Allanmarcus said:


> Well, let us know.


I mean is there (hopefully good) flexible 4 core braided cable or only 8 and 16 core braided ones?


----------



## Shadee13

Miki_asd said:


> I mean is there (hopefully good) flexible 4 core braided cable or only 8 and 16 core braided ones?



Here's some 4 strand braided silver plated wire for a decent price: https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Core-Bra...DIY-Amplifier-Headphone-Earphone/272993698275

Talking from experience it's very soft and perfect for earbuds. (look at my profile pic, same wire)


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## kn0ppers (Jan 28, 2018)

My problem with those thin cables are microphonics. I hope it gets better once I sleeve them, but some are just horrible. The Litz I got from Norne Audio was perfect though, right now I am searching for some cheaper options. If I would want to build a truly high end cable I might as well order there again. The insulation really needs to be a little softer and thicker, I think having something like cotton strands in the middle also helps.

I think this blue 8-core braided cable looks awesome:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/7N-...2.html?spm=a2g0s.13010208.99999999.262.zAPA4I


Also for AliExpress shoppers from Germany (and maybe other EU contries, don't know about that): Some sellers offer Aliexpress Premium Shipping for relatively okay prices, and basically it always ends up being handed over to DHL Express in Hong Kong and they will deliver it to you, you can find the DHL Tracking Number once it says "shipment accepted by airline" (or a day after that) when you go to the DHL Express tracking and go to  "Track by Shippers's Reference" (NOT tracking number) and put in the AE tracking number there, then you will get a DHL Number which you can easily track in basically every app, but usually once they have it processed it goes pretty fast.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kn0ppers said:


> I think this blue 8-core braided cable looks awesome:
> 
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/7N-...2.html?spm=a2g0s.13010208.99999999.262.zAPA4I



Looks quite interesting, but limited info on the wire itself. All it says is "7N single crystal copper silver wire". For $25 you might give it a try. It's a pretty short cable (1.3M). If you are going to use it for an IEM, it might be a bit bulky.


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## kn0ppers (Jan 28, 2018)

Yes, 7N is pretty much always straight up BS as there is no real 7N copper out there 

I just like the looks of it, would match my next buy, the AQ Nightowls pretty nicely. Black headphones, black+silver connectors and a blue cable. Most likely too bulky for IEMs, although some of the 8 Core braided cables are smaller than you would think. I just got this one which is like 2mm in diameter and sometimes the pictures on AliExpress are really misleading.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kn0ppers said:


> Yes, 7N is pretty much always straight up BS as there is no real 7N copper out there
> 
> I just like the looks of it, would match my next buy, the AQ Nightowls pretty nicely. Black headphones, black+silver connectors and a blue cable. Most likely too bulky for IEMs, although some of the 8 Core braided cables are smaller than you would think. I just got this one which is like 2mm in diameter and sometimes the pictures on AliExpress are really misleading.


Very interesting! .1mm x 7 strands is approx 29.6AWG. For a wire that thin, 7 strands probably is fine. Plus, you say you have it and it's pretty flexible, right?

The ability to get pre-braided on Ali is pretty interesting.


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## kn0ppers

Yes it is pretty flexible but like all pre-braided cables I bought so far its not super soft like the cable of my UE900s for example. Very thin 8 Core like that can definitely be used for IEMs, but you need to unbraid the upper part and rebraid it, which is also a little bit of work. But since I can't braid 8-Core by hand, I think it's a pretty cool option. Just look for a shop where you can get all you want in one place and they don't charge crazy prices. I like AliExpress because I can basically try out every option without paying a crazy amount...


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## Paladin79

Allanmarcus said:


> Very interesting! .1mm x 7 strands is approx 29.6AWG. For a wire that thin, 7 strands probably is fine. Plus, you say you have it and it's pretty flexible, right?
> 
> The ability to get pre-braided on Ali is pretty interesting.



I like the pre-braided cable I have tried. The braiding is so precise compared to most things I can do by hand. I stay fairly busy so I like the fact I can use say eight braid and build a cable quickly when adapting to new headphones or amps.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> I like the pre-braided cable I have tried. The braiding is so precise compared to most things I can do by hand. I stay fairly busy so I like the fact I can use say eight braid and build a cable quickly when adapting to new headphones or amps.


Can you share which wire you have purchased? Links and comments about the wire would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Miki_asd

Allanmarcus said:


> .1mm x 7 strands


Just like the cable i linked. So the diameter must be 2.2 mm as well.
That 8 -> 2x4 braid looks very cool, i love it, how can i do that when my 8 core braided cable arrives? What 4 of the 8 should i chose?


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## Paladin79 (Jan 28, 2018)

I know HIFIKIng is one type I have laying around, they advertise on Amazon and sell completed cables from what I recall. Whenever I get some work caught up I am going to do some more blind testing but I know this particular wire has tested pretty high in my past tests. My newest tester is a trumpet soloist at one of the top schools of music in the country. Sorry I was responding to the previous post.

https://www.amazon.com/HiFiKing-8-C...4574&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=hifikings+8+strand

Mine is all copper, I am not a huge fan of silver plating headphone wire unless you are doing it for looks or similar reasons.

Tom


----------



## musicmaker

Trying to build some balanced headphone cables and interconnects. Have some questions and hoping to get some advice here (have been off the head fi scene for a long time and just getting back)

- I love the Jena labs ultrawire. Build a headphone cable with it a  while ago and love it. Have been looking at the neotech stranded Cu and Ag wire as well. Are there any cheaper alternatives for OCC Cu wire that's stranded and sounds great ?
- What's a good source to buy the sennheiser HD600/650 DIY connectors ?

Thanks for any pointers.


----------



## kn0ppers

kn0ppers said:


> Yes, 7N is pretty much always straight up BS as there is no real 7N copper out there



Also what I said there was BS. There is no 7N OCC Silver, but Copper of that purity can apparently be produced. I also made a MMCX Cable with this stuff and it's quite microphonic. But it also has kind of hard insulation and only 7 strands per wire. I put Viablue small sleeve around the lower portion of the cable, plugs are MPS 3.5mm TRS and Plussound MMCX.


Concerning musicmakers question about HD600/650/6xx cables: I looked into that a little bit a while ago because I was about to order some of the Massdrop HD6xx's and wanted to check out if I could make real fancy cables for them. I ended up not getting them, but what I found is the following: There are no super-high-end HD600-Series connectors that I could find, you can get decent quality on AliExpress, but only plastic housings. So no option of more expensive connectors with anodized Aluminium housing or something like that. Just go to AliExpress and search for HD600 connectors, you will find plenty.

About the wire...well it kind of depends where you live or how much you care about cost. If you live in the US or Canada, you can get high quality wire and Eidolic connectors from DoubleHelix or Norne Audio (but it's kind of pricy!) or something like this new bulk headphone cable from Furutech on eBay (the seller has an introduction price right now, so it's kind of affordable - would make for a good mobile cable and you won't need to worry about microphonics, if you are in NA, maybe worth a try?!). In the EU, there is Toxic-Cables in the UK selling high quality DIY Components and wire. Aaaaand then you have AliExpress with multiple sellers who sell 20+AWG OCC Copper wire, they all claim it's from Hakugei Metals which is a large chinese manufacturer, but if you trust the purity claims on AliExpress....I don't. I ordered some of this stuff, once it finally arrives I will compare it to the Norne Audio wire and share my experience


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## Allanmarcus (Jan 29, 2018)

musicmaker said:


> What's a good source to buy the sennheiser HD600/650 DIY connectors ?



well, depends on what you want to pay. I get mine from the cheap sellers on eBay (see link on my DIY Suppliers page). Alternatively you can go with Furutech FT-2PS-F. $4/pr or $36 (from Sonic Craft). Sonic Craft also has Cardas Senn connectors for $10.45. I'm gonna add that to my site. I prefer the connectors where the shell comes apart. Easier for me to solder that way. I've gotten better as soldering, so I might try the all in ones again, but I will probably just get 'em from eBay.



kn0ppers said:


> I ordered some of this stuff, once it finally arrives I will compare it to the Norne Audio wire and share my experience



How you gonna test for purity?


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## kn0ppers (Jan 29, 2018)

Allanmarcus said:


> How you gonna test for purity?



Gonna test for sound and especially microphonics  And for handling, the insulation on the norne stuff really melts very quickly when soldering, even when it's only like 2 seconds of heat. I did not like that but it wasn't too bad either.


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## Paladin79 (Jan 29, 2018)

I have used plenty of the HD650 connectors on Ebay and so far they are holding up well. I do prefer the two piece type to which Allanmarkus alluded.

Each of us probably have favorite music with which we "test the sound." I personally like to get many opinions and see if there is any correlation between price and performance. If you suddenly find some good quality OFC from Belden, Canare, or Mogami is chosen in blind testing it is feasible that there are some inexpensive wires out there that test highly.


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## kn0ppers

As I said, the "sound" of the cable for me mainly means my In Ear has to sound as good as always (not like crap) and the microphonics need to be acceptable. Everything else I can't make any real comments about.


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## Paladin79

Each of us have likes and dislikes and oftentimes that is all that matters. I probably have in excess of 50 headphone cables, many I made myself and I certainly have personal favorites.


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## kn0ppers (Jan 29, 2018)

Paladin79 said:


> Each of us have likes and dislikes and oftentimes that is all that matters. I probably have in excess of 50 headphone cables, many I made myself and I certainly have personal favorites.



Please don't take this as an insult, but I think you don't really get what I am trying to say? The microphonics of a cable are a criteria that (at least for me) does not depend on personal taste, either a cable performs well in this category or it doesn't. The part with the "sound" is - just like I said - a criteria where I just ask if it does it's main job properly or if Korn suddenly sounds like Hardtechno. You won't hear stuff like "crystal clear highs and great lower extension without noise" from me when talking about cables, I am an engineering student and not into snakeoil or trying to become a member of the "20+ headphone cable club" . I might buy expensive connectors because of manufacturing tolerances or disappointment with the cheaper components, but definitely not because they are cryo-treated. I believe a certain effort to get copper/silver as pure as possible is legitimate and beneficial, but I am not into all that highly expensive nonsense and all the opinions on the sound characteristics of certain cables that go with it. Just trying to find my 2-3 standard go-to-wires and insulation by trial and error and share the experiences along the way. If I find something I like, I'll stick with it and look no further....after all I DIY to save cash, not to spend it 

BTW, has anyone tried this "French Silk" Toxic Cables stuff? A little to pricy for a fail, but I am thinking about getting like 18-20ft for a 6,3mm TRS to 2,5mm Mono connector for my new Nightowls. I am totally into black/red colour scheme, and that stuff is supposed to be a little softer than Paracord?


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## Paladin79

I was not addressing microphonics in the least, sorry if I gave that impression. When you say you like a specific sound, more power to you. I have had a person tell me they could tell the difference between two identical cables I built using the same wire and connectors. Some things are nonsense to me unless they can be quantified. Personally I use test equipment and blind testing but at the end of the day some things sound intrinsically better to me but I do take the time to listen to others. I also test most anything out there and I do not get caught up in hype, or high prices, or lack thereof.  I cannot hear the high frequencies as I once did, it comes with age, as does knowledge in some cases.


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## kn0ppers (Jan 29, 2018)

For the specific sound I have different headphones, in my blind test for example I couldn't tell the difference between the cable included with my Xelentos and a Furutech MMCX Upgrade cable. Just looking for low microphonics and good handling in a cable (when building the cable as well as when using it). And other than that it gives me some peace of mind when it says it's OCC Copper, I have yet to experience sound differences or improvements. But I since I want to build custom IEMs I figured I could do some cables as well, so I wouldn't say I am looking for a specific sound, more like fail-proof recipes for the main types of headphone cables  I know I could always go with Mogami Mini Quad or the equivalent Van Damme cable, the Furutech cable I mentioned a couple posts earlier, or Viablue EPC...but I think braided litz with transparent insulation just looks so damn sexy, so I need to find some that has acceptable microphonics, price and availability in the EU. That's like the main focus right now.


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## Paladin79

I follow what you are saying and I have done considerable work trying to eliminate microphonics myself. I have heard of Van Damme cable but have not tried it, I will have to check it out sometime. I am a member of the trade so I have to be cautious in what I say about products and manufacturers. Some day when I retire I may start a small business centered around high end audio cables so there is some information I tend to keep to myself. You can read previous posts on here and generally I try to help with soldering technique, tools, and electronics theory. I am more familiar with products available in the states. I do work with cables both professionally and as a hobby and often send folks in the states free samples of OFC to help with their builds. I have done little with IEM cables so I doubt I would be much help there.

Tom


----------



## Bright

Hey guys!

I've been wanting to make my own cables for a while now, but every time I start down the path, I look at all my cable options and get overwhelmed and realize I have no idea what I'm talking about or what I need. I see all these gorgeous cables in the DIY gallery, and can't figure out what style of cable they are using or why. I see folks purchase some Mogami and just solder it straight in, but then I see others with custom braided cables with silver plated jackets and what not and not sure where they got it or what to look for. 

Would someone just dump a quick crash course on me of cable types these guys are using and what my options are? I'd be seriously grateful!


----------



## Paladin79

You can learn a lot by going back and reading through this thread. Personally I would look up OFC, (oxygen free copper), OCC (Ohno continuous cast), paracord, AWG (American wire gauge). 

I can teach most anything you want to know about soldering, tools, solder types, etc. I know enough to be dangerous when it comes to braiding so Alanmakus may well help with that, he is extremely knowledgeable about such things.He is also compiling a list of sources for DIY wire and parts. Study connector types, get used to TRS, TRRS, RCA, XLR etc. Learn about brands like Neutrik, Amphenol, and Switchcraft. In wire, Mogami, Canare, Belden are name brands that stand for quality. I will be working my way through a couple hundred cables this weekend but I can jump online and help a bit then if you get started and have specific questions. Through the years I have taught electronics,so I can probably teach you enough to stay out of trouble.


----------



## Bright

Paladin79 said:


> You can learn a lot by going back and reading through this thread. Personally I would look up OFC, (oxygen free copper), OCC (Ohno continuous cast), paracord, AWG (American wire gauge).
> 
> I can teach most anything you want to know about soldering, tools, solder types, etc. I know enough to be dangerous when it comes to braiding so Alanmakus may well help with that, he is extremely knowledgeable about such things.He is also compiling a list of sources for DIY wire and parts. Study connector types, get used to TRS, TRRS, RCA, XLR etc. Learn about brands like Neutrik, Amphenol, and Switchcraft. In wire, Mogami, Canare, Belden are name brands that stand for quality. I will be working my way through a couple hundred cables this weekend but I can jump online and help a bit then if you get started and have specific questions. Through the years I have taught electronics,so I can probably teach you enough to stay out of trouble.



Thanks for the feedback! I just began looking at the differences between OFC and OCC today so that's been helpful. Paracord and AWG are pretty straight forward and something I was familiar with, as well as a handful of brand names. I've played music for a while so was already a bit familiar with a lot somewhat related stuff in terms of XLR's and instrument cables and making minor repairs here and there, as well as working in tech exposing me to most cable components and making CAT5's from time to time. I have some basic soldering skills and a nice Hakko station. I think most of my problem is just understanding the differences between cable types with shielding, braids, solid core, silver, copper, strands, etc. Right now I'm really wanting new cables for my AKG's so I'm planning on ordering some Neutrik/Rean 3 pole mini XLR's and maybe some nicer Viablue connectors. 

I'll start working my way through the pages in this thread and pick up what I can! I feel like I have most of the pieces, I just need the knowledge to put together the puzzle at this point. I appreciate your input and help!


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## musicmaker

Thanks @kn0ppers and @Allanmarcus


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## Paladin79 (Jan 30, 2018)

Responding to Bright
Stranded wire is more flexible, if you were using say cat 5 cable, it will also withstand more flexes than solid wire before it breaks. In that industry solid wire is generally used inside walls and stranded goes to the back of PC's since it might be moved around more. Solid wire of the same gauge conducts better than stranded but not by a lot.

Stranded wire, the first number is number of strands, second number is wire gauge. The more strands, generally the more flexible the wire. If you can find something with thirty strands or more you are doing well. The best conductors are silver, then copper and gold as I recall. Gold will not tarnish and some connectors have a thin layer of gold usually measured in microns. Silver tarnishes and is more expensive than copper so an all around good conductor is copper. OCC copper is listed as say, 6 N, that means it is 99.999999 per cent pure. N's equate to number of nines after the decimal point but it has been ages since I read that so I could be wrong. The larger the number, the smaller the wire. 24 and 26 awg is used a lot in headphone cables, things like 12, 14, and 16 awg are better suited for amp to speaker applications.

Twisted pair is a form of shielding, it has been used since telegraph days  or before. Shield the twisted pair with braid or mylar/aluminum and you have even a better shielded cable but for most audio applications twisted pair is fine. When you braid wire, that is in a sense twisted pair. Run two audio wires next to each other without the twists and you can have issues. Read up on twisted pair, it is important lol. Personally I stay away from silver plated wire, read up on skin effect and you might understand why. It starts at about 100 kilohertz and you are hoping to hear 20 to 20,000 hertz.


----------



## gc335

Sub'd!

I'm unable to find a reasonably priced 2.5 balanced cable for my EL-8s so I'm going to make one.  I know where to get all the connectors but I'm having a hard time finding simple OFC wire.  I'l like to use 4 single strands braided together with a splitter.   The wire is for full sized headphones but I would need to be able to fit 4 of them into the 2.5 balanced plug.

Also, I like that paracord covering and I would used it after the splitter to the termination for the source.

I'm hoping someone here can get me started with a good wire and wiring covering. 

I have not made a cable in the past but I have converted stock cables from SE to balanced.

Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

What sized opening on the 2.5 mm balanced plug. I have some 24 awg ofc I send out to people in the states on occasion to help them out. It is good wire and as far as a covering, I think you are saying all four wires would be covered or are you covering them individually?


----------



## gc335

They are the Eidolic spacious barrel.  I'm not sure of the size.  I have them at home.

I would probably start by leaving them all exposed the then braiding them.  I'll might cover in paracord.  Not sure yet.


----------



## kn0ppers

I posted this wire a couple pages ago I think, it says it's OCC, so should be at least OFC I guess. 1,1mm OD and 110 Cores should be good for what you are trying to do, definitely enough AWG. 1.1mm should go fine with Paracord Micro or Type I. My 10m haven't arrived yet, otherwise I would upload pictures. 4 of those easily fit into most 2.5mm TRRS Plugs. Just make sure your sleeving is nice and tight and you should be fine?

Which connectors were you thinking about using?


----------



## gc335

Awesome!  That looks good.

Connector? You mean at the source?  I have a few Eidolic plugs already. I'll use those.


----------



## kn0ppers (Jan 31, 2018)

With Eidolic you'll be fine. Still kind of sad nobody sells those in the whole EU.

Edit: I just hope that wire doesn't suck, the price would be okay as like a standard wire for braided cables. I`m not that much into paying a couple dollars per feet and like at least the equivalent of 50€ just for wire for one cable..


----------



## Allanmarcus

kn0ppers said:


> I posted this wire a couple pages ago I think, it says it's OCC, so should be at least OFC I guess. 1,1mm OD and 110 Cores should be good for what you are trying to do, definitely enough AWG. 1.1mm should go fine with Paracord Micro or Type I. My 10m haven't arrived yet, otherwise I would upload pictures. 4 of those easily fit into most 2.5mm TRRS Plugs. Just make sure your sleeving is nice and tight and you should be fine?
> 
> Which connectors were you thinking about using?



Tha is really interesting wire. Here's the link to it in English.

My estimates are that 110 strands of .04mm wire is 25.7 AWG.
$26.13 shipped to the USA for 10m is 32.9 feet and $0.79/foot. Not bad, if the wire is special.

@kn0ppers , sis you order any and try it?


----------



## Paladin79 (Jan 31, 2018)

If no one has ordered it, I will grab 30 meters or so to play around with. Chances are it will take a while to get here though. I want to test more Litz wire in the near future so I may grab a roll of it as well.


----------



## kn0ppers

When I said mine hasn't arrived it was before I went to the post box...

It actually arrived and is kind of thinner than I expected, comes on a spool with a funny direction marking (just to keep bad chinese spirits away I will follow it). Once we have daylight here again I will post pictures and remove some of the insulation and take some pictures as well. I will also check if it's really 1.1mm OD or less. Those 112 strands must be very thin...

I also got some of this litz wire with blue coating. Looks amazing, not hard to work with at all as the blue coating melts of after a few seconds. I also have a solder pot but didn't need to fire it up (also I don't use that one with my Mundorf Silver Gold Supreme solder). I will post a picture in the gallery of that one.


----------



## Paladin79

I do like the looks of the blue Litz wire, I may have to get some of that for myself!


----------



## afonsoocosta

Hi guys, I posted here that i want to make a custom cable to my DT 770 pro. I'm just starting now and I have to admite that I dont have a clue what to do .

https://imgur.com/a/uPYOE Can someone what this photos and try to help me? I have a Van damme 4 wires cable and a jack with 3 connections, can someone help me link the wires with the connector?

Thanks in advance


----------



## Paladin79

What you have there is a connecter type that I hate but I will try to help lol. The ground is where the clamp is, that is the sleeve. Tip of the connector is the gold post farthest back, ring is next one toward the front. Do you have an ohmmeter? Solder flux?'

The cable is obviously star quad. You can connect two wires to the sleeve (ground), one to the tip and one to the ring and not hook up the outer braid. If you have dual entry on the other end, you have a ground wire for each channel, ring is right channel hot, Tip is left channel hot.

Personally I would use another type of connector with solder lugs like Neutrik or Amphenol but it is possible to solder to those round posts if you use flux to clean them well before soldering. Sorry I do not have a lot of time today so I hope the above makes sense. A meter can tell you which wire is which and which portion of the connector is tip, ring, and sleeve measuring from front to back.

Tom


----------



## kn0ppers (Feb 3, 2018)

So usually what you would want for making a new cable for a DT 770 Pro is a cable with a twisted pair and a shield. You would then on both sides use the shield as ground and the 2 conductors for left/right. Now if your cable has shielding you can use the shielding as a common ground and 2 conductos for each side, or you could connect the shielding to ground and leave it unconnected on the headphone side, then 1 conductor for each sides ground and signal connection. Or you ditch the shield and do it like Paladin79 said.

And you will want to pre-tin your connector and wires. Put a little flux on the contacts of the plugs and pre-tin those. Then pre-tin the wires, also using flux. If you want to use the shielding, twist it together, use a little piece of heatshrink over it and you can pre-tin it easily, again using flux. I personally use halogen free, no clean flux and eutectic, lead free solder with a high silver and a small gold content, but usually any lead free, eutectic solder with like 3-4% silver should be perfect for those kinds of connections. Most of those solders don't have very good wetting behaviour (is that what you call it?), so that's where some of that extra flux comes in handy. You don't want to use too much of it, but it's actually hard to mess up when you use common sense. 

About your connector, just like Paladin said: It is a standard 3.5mm TRS. TRS means Ground on the sleeve, right channel on the ring, left channel on the tip. There are pictures all over google about the pin-out of TRS connectors, for checking your work you can just check with a simple multimeter. If you don't own one, I think you can get them as low as 10-15$.


----------



## Autostart

Good morning friends. I was wondering if someone can recommend a link to some nice copper wire to build a balanced cable for my LCD-X and HD800. I ordered the connectors but get totally lost when it comes to the wire. I am running a Woo Audio WA22>Audio GD R2R 11.

I was going to order this Norne wire but it seems that its out of stock past a qty of 7 feet which is no help.


----------



## Paladin79

kn0ppers said:


> So usually what you would want for making a new cable for a DT 770 Pro is a cable with a twisted pair and a shield. You would then on both sides use the shield as ground and the 2 conductors for left/right. Now if your cable has shielding you can use the shielding as a common ground and 2 conductos for each side, or you could connect the shielding to ground and leave it unconnected on the headphone side, then 1 conductor for each sides ground and signal connection. Or you ditch the shield and do it like Paladin79 said.
> 
> And you will want to pre-tin your connector and wires. Put a little flux on the contacts of the plugs and pre-tin those. Then pre-tin the wires, also using flux. If you want to use the shielding, twist it together, use a little piece of heatshrink over it and you can pre-tin it easily, again using flux. I personally use halogen free, no clean flux and eutectic, lead free solder with a high silver and a small gold content, but usually any lead free, eutectic solder with like 3-4% silver should be perfect for those kinds of connections. Most of those solders don't have very good wetting behaviour (is that what you call it?), so that's where some of that extra flux comes in handy. You don't want to use too much of it, but it's actually hard to mess up when you use common sense.
> 
> About your connector, just like Paladin said: It is a standard 3.5mm TRS. TRS means Ground on the sleeve, right channel on the ring, left channel on the tip. There are pictures all over google about the pin-out of TRS connectors, for checking your work you can just check with a simple multimeter. If you don't own one, I think you can get them as low as 10-15$.



What Knoppers stated is sound advice, the cable you showed is star quad so it will have four wires and a shield (braid). Most solder is hollow core and contains flux in the center but on the type of connector you showed, extra flux and tinning are both good ideas. Use a connector like these which I greatly prefer and you have two solder lugs that you can loop the wire through without any pre-tinning and the flux inside the solder will do the job. It is also a better solder joint from from what I learned in college.

I was taught that you never rely on just the solder to bond two metals together, loop your wire through a solder lug and it adds strength and durability to the joint. 


On the type of connector you showed, you are tacking a wire to the side of round cylinders and if you get that solder joint too hot, you run the risk of melting the plastic the Chinese generally use between those cylinders. The connectors shown above are by Amphenol on the left and Neutrik on the right. I have used hundreds of the Amphenol and thousands of the Neutrik without failure. You fill the hole of the solder lug with solder and standard 60/40 tin/lead or ROHS compliant solder works fine. I have used various solders containing silver

The "wetting" behavior I have heard of is perhaps solder flow, or capillary action. If you do use a twisted pair with a shield, it would be simpler than the wire you show. Use it with the connectors I show above and your life will be simpler for your first build. 

Solder flux cleans the metal to allow for the solder to adhere better, you need extra when using the connector shown and tinning would help with the time your solder iron tip stays in contact with the wire and connector. Just remember that you are heating the wire and the connector terminal and then applying the solder. Applying the solder directly to the soldering iron tip burns off the flux and it gets less of a chance to do its job of cleaning the solder joint. 

Solder type is a factor and this chart shows the melting points of metals https://www.americanelements.com/meltingpoint.html, tin and lead are going to have the lowest melting point so unless I am exporting a particular cable and ROHS compliance is a must, it is what I prefer to use. Please note that it makes good sense to wash your hands after using lead based solder and it is not a bad idea to have a small vent fan nearby. Lead is a cumulative poison.

 Silver has an extremely high melting point compared to the other two materials. In my testing it is very rare to find people that can hear much difference between wires, I have never found, or really heard of anyone who can hear a difference in connectors or solder. Some folks believe in crimping the wire to the connector and eliminating solder all together. And so it goes, (Kurt Vonnegut).


----------



## Kulgrinda

Hi,

has anyone tried Viablue EPC-1 cable? Sold by meter. Any good?

http://viablue.de/com/head_phone_cable_epc.shtml


----------



## Paladin79

I happened to be helping my employees build some cables and here is an example of a quality 3.5 mm connector with stranded wire going through solder lugs. There was no pre-tinning necessary and this is a high strand count OFC wire that went through the holes in the solder lugs easily. I solder the braid to the clamp on this amphenol connector after using a hex crimp to form the clamp into a nice circle around the cable jacket. Finally there is a side view showing that braid clamp as well as the solder lug with the entire opening filled. Done properly the clear insulation slides easily over all connections. These are solder joints that will last for years since the wires are not just tacked onto the side of cylinders as shown in the earlier discussion.


----------



## Oscar-HiFi

Paladin79 said:


> I happened to be helping my employees build some cables and here is an example of a quality 3.5 mm connector with stranded wire going through solder lugs. There was no pre-tinning necessary and this is a high strand count OFC wire that went through the holes in the solder lugs easily. I solder the braid to the clamp on this amphenol connector after using a hex crimp to form the clamp into a nice circle around the cable jacket. Finally there is a side view showing that braid clamp as well as the solder lug with the entire opening filled. Done properly the clear insulation slides easily over all connections. These are solder joints that will last for years since the wires are not just tacked onto the side of cylinders as shown in the earlier discussion.



Yep always get the wire through the holes, forms lovely joints


----------



## Paladin79

The 3.5 mm connectors I am using in the photos are gold plated with extended tip so they can fit inside a phone or tablet case. I personally recommend this type of connector to anyone doing DIY cables. They are not expensive and available at Parts Express.
https://www.parts-express.com/amphe...source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla

Sorry about the messiness of the work station in the photos. My people often build in excess of 1,000 custom cables a week and the soldering stations (usually Weller) and Panavise vises get some pretty heavy usage.


----------



## lotech

Does anyone know of a good source for 2.5mm TRRS connectors with solder lugs? 
I'm having a hard time finding any quality ones.


----------



## MrSlim

lotech said:


> Does anyone know of a good source for 2.5mm TRRS connectors with solder lugs?
> I'm having a hard time finding any quality ones.



How about this: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5628 
I can't vouch for the quality, because I haven't ordered any yet, but they are the only one's I've found with real solder lugs.


----------



## lotech

Thanks for that. 
and the plus side is I've been looking for 90 degree plug,


----------



## gc335

Has anyone re-terminated the Audeze EL-8 cable?  I have a broken 2.5mm balanced cable and they don't make them any more.  There seem to be two red, two green and one copper wire inside.


----------



## Miki_asd

Miki_asd said:


> What do you think about this:
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hea...id=3f1e3e67-8ef0-4f46-8875-251a580721ca&tpp=1
> "There are 8 cores, each core contains 7 strands" So it's not that flexible?


Yeah, it arrived, not as flexible and veeeeeeeery microphonic...

Guys, can you recommend me some 4 core, very flexible and not so microphonic wire? (for 1-1.2m cables, one for a non balanced and one for a balanced headphone)


----------



## kn0ppers

Typically Litz wires with individually insulated conductors and ideally a larger number of conductors should have less problems with microphonics.

I don't have a link ready right now, but there should be quite some litz wires on aliexpress, also pre-braided ones. Although I prefer using a high quality wire that itself has little mircophonics and braid it myself (as long as it is only 4-core).


----------



## Miki_asd

kn0ppers said:


> Although I prefer using a high quality wire that itself has little mircophonics and braid it myself (as long as it is only 4-core).


It's okay for me too if you can link me a good one (I saw FAW wire, but 4,5€/m is too expensive for me, so i need something cheaper). Can you give me some braiding tip, i know the 4 braid but i don't think i can controll the density of the braid.


----------



## kn0ppers

Braiding is all about having a little practice. If you want a really cheap option you could just buy 6m of Viablue EPC-1 wire, which is a little over 1€/m. If you can get OCC copper wire in that price range - I don't know, there is some relatively cheap options on AliExpress but if you are going to braid yourself you will never reach the low cost of these ultra-thin, pre-braided wires. 

You could always go with one of the quad-mic cables or something like that, but if you want OCC wire to use for braiding that's substantially cheaper than 4,5€/m, I am afraid I can't help you apart from that stuff I posted a few pages ago.


----------



## Fasterball

What do you guys do at the y split.  I'm doing a cable for a set hifiman he-400is.  I ordered some pants boot type y splitters on aliexpress, but the openings were way too small for the wire I have.  Does everyone buy splitters or is there an easier more economical way of dealing with the split?


----------



## Paladin79 (Feb 12, 2018)

I generally use adhesive lined heat shrink tubing, it is readily available and not very expensive. Since it seals together you can use hemostats or pliers to bond the material together between the legs of the split as shown above. I almost always use this when dealing with paracord since the adhesive will keep the mesh material from moving around. I mention this solution since you were already trying to buy a pants boot type split.

https://www.amazon.com/Ginsco-270Pc...words=adhesive+lined+heat+shrink+tubing&psc=1

Always look at the shrink ratio, this is 3-1 and very good for going from large to small sections of cable.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Feb 12, 2018)

Fasterball said:


> What do you guys do at the y split.  I'm doing a cable for a set hifiman he-400is.  I ordered some pants boot type y splitters on aliexpress, but the openings were way too small for the wire I have.  Does everyone buy splitters or is there an easier more economical way of dealing with the split?



That depends on your cable. If you are braiding 8 or more strands, the y splitter is purely cosmetic. I’d you have 4 strands and want the y splitter to stop unraveling, you can use heat strink, with or without a tube or barrel. There are a number of commercial options for YSplitters (I think I captured them all on my suppliers link). Need more info from you as to what you are trying to get from a y splitter.

I’ve used a large bead for nice effect.


----------



## Fasterball

I'm using 4 strands in a round braid that splits of into 2 twisted pairs.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Fasterball said:


> I'm using 4 strands in a round braid that splits of into 2 twisted pairs.


Excellent!

So many options! As we said, the easiest is heat shrink like Paladin mentioned. Depending on the diameter of the wires, various Y splitter options are available (see the Y Spitter page on my site). If you have a caliper and can measure the diameter of one twisted pair, as well as the braid, we can help find Y spitter than might fit, if you want to go that way.


----------



## Paladin79

Here is heat shrink tubing over twisted pair. For some applications I prefer to make sure the twists stay uniform which is not always the case when you merely twist the wires. Belden even uses bonded twisted pair for that same reason. 

There is also heat shrink tubing at the junction of the Canare star quad where the twists begin. This is a balanced setup going from a Pono player to some modified headphones I changed from low to high impedance. Pictured are gold plated Amphenol extended tip connectors that I really like.


----------



## Miki_asd

kn0ppers said:


> apart from that stuff I posted a few pages ago.


You mean this one?


----------



## Fasterball

Noob here lol. Where do I find the


Allanmarcus said:


> Excellent!
> 
> So many options! As we said, the easiest is heat shrink like Paladin mentioned. Depending on the diameter of the wires, various Y splitter options are available (see the Y Spitter page on my site). If you have a caliper and can measure the diameter of one twisted pair, as well as the braid, we can help find Y spitter than might fit, if you want to go that way.



where's your y splitter page?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Fasterball said:


> Noob here lol. Where do I find the
> 
> 
> where's your y splitter page?


Click on the DIY supplies link below
In the upper right, click on the down arrow next to Home, the on Y splitters


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Hoping you guys can help me. I'm looking for a copper-colored nylon sleeving. It's a larger diameter opening, maybe 3/4" - 1" or so. I bought a number of feet many years ago from a seller on Ebay however the item no longer seems to be on Ebay or anywhere else for that matter... and I've used the last of mine up. It looks like this:




 

...it has a slight metallic sheen which you can't really see in the photo. It doesn't really need to be like that though, just looking for something similar. I figured this would be the best place to ask  

TIA.


----------



## Paladin79

Here is some internal soldering on an HD 800 connector. If you are new to DIY or soldering miniature parts, these should probably not be your first choice of a connector to try. A magnifying lamp, tiny soldering iron tip, and a decent vise like a Panavise helps considerably. The connectors are made to work with 26 awg wire or smaller and there is not much room for anything else. I should have laid something next to the connector to give you a sense of proportion but I would say this portion of the connector has a length of about 12 mm with a solder pin length of maybe two mm.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Paladin79 said:


> Here is some internal soldering on an HD 800 connector. If you are new to DIY or soldering miniature parts, these should probably not be your first choice of a connector to try. A magnifying lamp, tiny soldering iron tip, and a decent vise like a Panavise helps considerably. The connectors are made to work with 26 awg wire or smaller and there is not much room for anything else.


Working with those and 2.5mm TRRS connectors requires a bit of patience. I like the Furutech version a little better but at $100 a pair it's spendy. You can use 24 gauge, but I advise isolating one joint with heatshrink because (as you said) things are close.


----------



## Paladin79

These came from Moon Audio as I recall.  Everything is relative, I have done 100 wire cables going into fairly small connectors. There are only so many colors available on wires so you start ending up with black with a red stripe and white stripe, then red with black stripe and white stripe, white with black and red stripe etc. Suddenly working with three or four wires does not seem so bad.


----------



## mgh24

Here is thread about splitting:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-y-split-thread.537117/


----------



## Sheep1234

Hello,

does someone know a good connector for the HD800? I want to build a HD800 cable with this wire https://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product/viper-24awg-occ-cryo-silver-plated-7n-copper/ but can't find a connector. I mean those who connect in the headphones.


----------



## Autostart

Sheep1234 said:


> Hello,
> 
> does someone know a good connector for the HD800? I want to build a HD800 cable with this wire https://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product/viper-24awg-occ-cryo-silver-plated-7n-copper/ but can't find a connector. I mean those who connect in the headphones.



I bought mine on eBay for around $23 shipped from China. Not the best quality but decent for the price. I will be building the cable here in the next week or so. 

Speaking of.... where do you all get the little odds and ends to building IEM cables. IE: 2 pin connectors, wire for around the ear and the clear tubing that goes over the cable and wire?


----------



## buke9

Sheep1234 said:


> Hello,
> 
> does someone know a good connector for the HD800? I want to build a HD800 cable with this wire https://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product/viper-24awg-occ-cryo-silver-plated-7n-copper/ but can't find a connector. I mean those who connect in the headphones.


 Not as cheap as the ones from China but I do like the Eidolic quality https://doublehelixcables.com/product/eidolic-spacious-barrel-hd800-connector-pair/ .


----------



## Paladin79

I like the idea of the spacious barrel, the ones I worked with have pretty tight tolerances. I tried to work with them over a large plastic tray so as not to lose any small pieces.


----------



## buke9

Paladin79 said:


> I like the idea of the spacious barrel, the ones I worked with have pretty tight tolerances. I tried to work with them over a large plastic tray so as not to lose any small pieces.


 Yes they do look good. Bought some Toxic Black Widow 26 awg Litz OCC wire and can’t becide which cable to make. Thinking HD-800 and HE-500. Leaning HE-500 as don’t have a decent cable for them. The thing I have is the solder pot. Got some 60/40 bar stock and tried it out and didn’t flux the ends and it was not a good test run wasn’t bad just wasn’t as good as I wanted. The pot solder had no flux would it be better to flux the wire?


----------



## Paladin79 (Feb 20, 2018)

There is no flux in bar solder so you always have to flux the wire IMHO. If a solder pot included flux it would burn off in the first few minutes and you would have a glorious could of smoke billowing around you as you tried to work with it. You always dip wire in flux before dipping in a solder pot, then you see a bit of smoke, and a wonderfully tinned piece of wire. The same principle applies to rosin core solder, if you apply that to a solder tip you are burning off the flux before you clean the solder joint. Flux cleans the joint allowing solder to adhere.


----------



## buke9

Paladin79 said:


> There is no flux in bar solder so you always have to flux the wire IMHO. If a solder pot included flux it would burn off in the first few minutes and you would have a glorious could of smoke billowing around you as you tried to work with it. You always dip wire in flux before dipping in a solder pot, then you see a bit of smoke, and a wonderfully tinned piece of wire. The same principle applies to rosin core solder, if you apply that to a solder tip you are burning off the flux before you clean the solder joint. Flux cleans the joint allowing solder to adhere.


 I thought so but first time with the pot. Without flux did not do too bad so I’m happy for now until I can locate my tin of flux ; )


----------



## Paladin79 (Feb 20, 2018)

I had a distributor out of Louisville give me a couple gallons of Kester liquid flux since it is not used too much in wave soldering these days, if you need some I bet I can find a small metal container and send you some. You have done me some favors with the help of your extensive knowledge so you are one of the folks I will always help if able.

PS Listening to Lake Street Dive, Fun Machine Album... song " I want you back". A great test song and Rachael Price can sing. Separation of instruments and vocalists is impressive in balanced set up.


----------



## musicmaker

Hi folks,

I need some advice on sourcing parts for a headphone recable project -

I love the jena labs cryo 24awg wire for its flexibility and sonics. Made a HD6xx cable a few years ago and love it. However, I'm also looking to try some nice litz wire. 

I saw some nice wire from Toxic cables UK but was wondering if there are good sources in the US for litz occ wire. Looks like Norne and DHC used to have DIY wire but I cant find it on their site anymore. DHC has a 18AWG but that's too thick for a headphone recable IMO. Any other pointers for good occ litz wire ?

With litz wire, realized I'll need to get a solder pot. Amazon has some nice economical options. I use mundorf supreme solver usually. What a good bar to use for the solder pot ? Again any pointers would be appreciated.

I already have the connectors and splitter, so set there.

thanks !


----------



## Paladin79

I generally use Kester bar solder, I will have to check numbers on it tomorrow. I know of litz wire and plenty of occ but litz occ I am not so familiar with. 

Digikey has solder pots for around $25 that are fairly decent. I tried a couple cheaper ones from them and got tired of stopping to repair the electronics. I use Kester liquid flux myself.


----------



## musicmaker

Thank you, please let me know which litz wire you recommend.


----------



## kingkikapu

musicmaker said:


> Thank you, please let me know which litz wire you recommend.



I've been eyeing up this stuff myself: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hak...id=9777d227-4b4a-4135-a9bd-26dd2b893cd0&tpp=1

Hi core count, 7N OCC copper, a few colour choices for interesting braiding.  About the only downside is the shipping timeline.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Kester makes some ultra low dross solder bars which are pretty ideal for a solder pot, 63/37 is a good ratio. I personally use an American Beauty MP-9 solder pot, works incredibly well... a little expensive though. Cardas makes some fantastic litz wire, not occ though.


----------



## kingkikapu

This is my preferred silver OCC litz option.  I'm ordering the silver and copper high thread count OCC options and will report back in a month or two.


----------



## musicmaker

kingkikapu said:


> I've been eyeing up this stuff myself: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hak...id=9777d227-4b4a-4135-a9bd-26dd2b893cd0&tpp=1
> 
> Hi core count, 7N OCC copper, a few colour choices for interesting braiding.  About the only downside is the shipping timeline.



Thanks.Will look into it but hoping to find something in the US



HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> Kester makes some ultra low dross solder bars which are pretty ideal for a solder pot, 63/37 is a good ratio. I personally use an American Beauty MP-9 solder pot, works incredibly well... a little expensive though. Cardas makes some fantastic litz wire, not occ though.



Thanks ! I'll look into those. Is the cardas wire flexible enough for headphone recabling ?


----------



## Paladin79 (Feb 22, 2018)

If Cardas says they have OCC litz I would believe them. Dr. Ohno patented his process of continuous casting and I would be skeptical of some of the Chinese wire being made with that same process. Some of the litz is 40 AWG and smaller I am not sure occ can be made that small. Caveat emptor.

I have purchased some Russian Litz wire from Ebay and have had good success with it. It is not super expensive.

I work with such things professionally and unless I have proper certifications I have to be very careful what I buy unless it is for my own usage so my situation is probably different than most DIY folks. When you purchase some of the purported OCC wire from some venders all you get is a zip lock bag with a label showing very little info. I have had customers calling when they see a cable on Ebay that goes from hdmi to vga with no electronics involved, free shipping, thousands sold. HDMI uses a digital signal and around 19 wires, VGA is analog and you only need 8 or 9 wires (RGBHV and associated grounds.) People buy those cables thinking they can go from an HDMI source to VGA or vice versa. When you try to return such a cable, you find out that shipping from your location might be $8-$10 when the cable cost you $4.95 with free shipping. (shipping costs from some countries can be 20 or 30 cents). Thus you see thousands sold and very few returned when they do not work for your particular application. When you buy OCC or Litz OCC or gold plated silver wire or whatever from an unknown source are you really getting what you pay for?  It might look pretty and since sound can be pretty subjective you might even convince yourself it sounds better than other cables but does it really?  Personally I am more apt to trust companies that have an online presence and who stand behind products they sell. I am guessing that to set up the equipment to produce real OCC wire and to be a certified producer of such product the costs are very high. I have in excess of $10,000 in test equipment at home but I have nothing that will tell me if a piece of wire is 7N or 5N or even real OCC wire. I have seen companies go around the laws to produce $5.00 non-certified HDMI cables. Do you think they might not do that to sell $5.00 worth of wire for $50? 

I do buy such wire and I test it against OFC wire from known manufacturers, rarely can I detect any kind of sonic improvement and I get similar results using local people with much younger and more trained ears than my own. I am more apt to trust a Moon Audio or Cardas, or Plus Sound or anyone who has their name out there and stands behind the product. When I first got into this I found a company out of the Philippines that sold OCC wire of all types and gave you a long list of specs and certifications. Some of the wire was $80 a foot for OCC wire and it was probably the real thing.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

musicmaker said:


> Thanks ! I'll look into those. Is the cardas wire flexible enough for headphone recabling ?


Absolutely. I've used the 20.5 gauge, 21.5 gauge, 23.5 gauge and 24 gauge internally litzed wire for headphone cable. All work well. I personally burn off the enamel with the soldering iron and a blob of solder. You only really need the solder pot for thicker wire (16 or lower in my experience). 

Cardas also makes a 4x24 cable specifically for headphones. It's twice the price it used to be so you may be better off just braiding the 24 gauge wire. http://www.soniccraft.com/product_info.php/cardas-4x24-awg-shielded-p-1911 ... I've used it for plenty of headphone recables though and it works well.


----------



## kn0ppers

If a am not mistaken all the quad-cables are made for microphones, not specifically headphones as you say. 

I also would not pay crazy amounts of money for aliexpress wire, never more than 10€/meter. If you buy that pure silver stuff someone linked above, you would need like 6m for a cable which would be 300 bucks just for wire and you haven't got any proof of the purity claims. Same thing goes for most of the small headphone cable shops in the US&EU, they also don't show certificates on their websites. Maybe you can get one when you ask for it, but I highly doubt it tbh.

If Furutech claims alpha-OCC copper in the FHD-35, I believe them. If some Aliexpress seller posts the same identical "analysis screenshot" for like 10 different wires, you can guess how likely it is that the wire you buy is the one tested.


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## Paladin79 (Feb 22, 2018)

Star quad is a type of cable well suited to microphones and it has a specific twist pattern. The cable shown has four wires therefore it is quad but they could well be using two twisted pairs which is not exactly the same thing but well shielded none the less. In balanced headphone cables, you do need four conductors and having a braid shield increases the shielding factor. It would most likely work well for microphones too. I know in some applications if one twisted pair is next to another, they try to twist at a different rate so the existing twists do not line up with the adjoining ones. Often times the cloth or paper filler is used so that they can maintain the round shape of the cable as well as uniformity of twists I would think.

Many folks on here disassemble Mogami star quad cables because they use 24 and 26 awg ofc, and it is not easy to go out and buy spools of such wire. There is labor involved but in some countries, that is one of the few reliable sources for good wire. I was shocked the first time I learned of folks doing this and re-braiding it because it is such a well shielded cable as it is manufactured. Once I knew the back story, I realized that they were ending up with an aesthetically more pleasing looking cable as well as a sense of satisfaction in braiding the cable themselves. I admire those who take the time to learn such things and I try to help where I can.


----------



## musicmaker

I'm looking at the cardas 4x24 and the Furutech FHD-35. The cardas is a litz. I know litz is technically better but wondering if I'm going to hear a difference in the headphone cable. I love the jena ul;trawire (looks and sounds great) but isnt litz. Do you guys hear a difference between litz and non litz ?


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## Paladin79 (Feb 22, 2018)

it depends on the makeup of the non-litz wire IMHO. I have some litz that sounds every bit as good as other wires, better is a little hard to differentiate. Some materials can sound a bit different, silver compared to copper, but better..... that is hard to say.

Listen to a good tube amp and a good solid state amp, there is a difference in sound but some prefer the tube, some like the solid state more.

I can own most any wire I wish but I am more apt to spend money on amps and headphones because that is where you can hear a bigger difference and get more bang for the buck. That being said if you have spent $2,000 on a pair of headphones and $5,000 on an amp/dac, you might hear a bit more difference in your headphone cables I would think.


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## HiGHFLYiN9

kn0ppers said:


> If a am not mistaken all the quad-cables are made for microphones, not specifically headphones as you say.


It's listed as a headphone cable on PartsConnexion, Soniccraft, and Moon audio. Headroom also had a grey jacketed version that was specifically for headphones. I agree that every other starquad cable, at least in pro-catalogs, are considered microphone cable, but in this case I think it's safe to call it a headphone cable and agree I'm not misleading anyone. Cardas does have a 2x24M cable that is specifically designed for microphones FWIW. 


 

Re: Litz vs. non-litz, it's just a preference, just like solid core vs stranded in interconnects, or coax vs twisted pair. The Cardas litz wire sounds warmer to me than other competing products. I actually use it to recable Beyerdynamic headphones to tame the forward upper midrange. A number of people in the recording industry find them fatiguing over time, thus it helps. I haven't tried the Furutech headphone cable. Much of Furutech's DIY cable line doesn't seem like a great value to me compared to other brands when you are looking at materials and dielectrics, although I have used their speaker, balanced cables and USB cables in the past with good results. Really the best thing about Furutech is the breadth of connectors they offer, many of which are very well built.


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## Paladin79 (Feb 22, 2018)

I know of few companies that list cable as headphone cable per se unless they are selling DIY headphone products. Some industries have governing bodies that insure standards are met. Some audio is like that but not so much headphone cables.

Values can be a little tricky on some cable but I tend to stick with companies like Amphenol, Neutrik, Switchcraft etc. for connectors. Occasionally I will need to get specific headphone connectors.


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## Sheep1234

Does someone know how to put a 'print' on the heath shrink of the plug? I mean like the golden stuff on cables like this https://shared1.ad-lister.co.uk/UserImages/69fff2ff-c63a-4ca4-9099-622e5c1a1334/Img/DPP_0001.JPG


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## Paladin79

There are printers that will do it but mostly I have had 1000 printed at a time. It is not super expensive.


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## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> There are printers that will do it but mostly I have had 1000 printed at a time. It is not super expensive.


It is if you want 2


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## Paladin79 (Feb 23, 2018)

I am a Gemini and I rarely want just 2.  I know I have seen printers that handle heat shrink tubing but they are not cheap and I would be amazed if they did gold.

I have had to have several types of heat shrink printed before and unfortunately there is usually a set up charge so ordering a couple pieces is not cost effective as I recall.

https://markertek.resultspage.com/search?w=heat+shrink+tubing+printers&sitepref=1

Here are printers from Markertek, but they mainly have black, yellow, and white heat shrink cartridges.

I do own one of the label printers but I usually rely on folks that sell and print on tubing for a living when I need something.


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## HirschiAUT

Hey guys, i am just getting started with building diy cables and am in need of some help 

Just recently i finished my first cable, a balanced cable for my Oppo PM-3 to connect to my L&P L3 DAP.




I braided it with cables i "harvested" from mogami 2534 quad cable, connectors are 2.5 and 3.5 4pin from Lunashops.
They were horrible to solder, but fortunately i have a friend who solders SMD free handed and helped me a wee bit 

To protect the solder joints i secured the ends of the cable to the barrel with a piece of adhesive heat shrink.

So far so good, but the next project troubles me a bit.

My DAP also has a 3,5mm line out / spdif out connection, and i want to build a digital cable going from 3,5mm to RCA.

For the connectors i will most certainly stay with the trusted Neutrik/Rean stuff, but i am totally lost about what cable to choose...

Can anyone point me towards something suitable for this application?
Preferably something easy to get in europe, for example from thomann.

Hope someone can help me 
Cheers, Mario


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## Paladin79 (Feb 24, 2018)

If you can get Belden cable there, Belden 1505A or 1505F (an rg 59 coaxial cable) works well. My people have probably built a few thousand spdif cables using it with no failures. I believe Belden is worldwide but I could be wrong. If you want a smaller coaxial cable then 1855A is the way to go, same specs as the 1505. Such cable has a copper center conductor that you need for low digital frequencies and it is also double shielded.

You can solder coaxial cable, I generally use Canare connectors made for the 1505A but the tools can be expensive since they are specialized crimp connectors. Rean/Neutrik I use on a daily basis and they are excellent connectors.

Going to 3.5 with such cable, I hope you are talking about a mono connection since coaxial cable only has two conductors so it is well suited for RCA connectors.


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## bcowen

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> Hoping you guys can help me. I'm looking for a copper-colored nylon sleeving. It's a larger diameter opening, maybe 3/4" - 1" or so. I bought a number of feet many years ago from a seller on Ebay however the item no longer seems to be on Ebay or anywhere else for that matter... and I've used the last of mine up. It looks like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Try Wire Care.  Not sure if they have an exact color match, but they go all the way up to 4" in PET sleeve in a multitude of colors (and materials other than PET are available too).  I've purchased from them several times with a positive experience each time.

https://www.wirecare.com/category/braided-sleeving/general-purpose/flexo-pet


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## HiGHFLYiN9

Thanks BCowen. Wirecare has the black, grey and white. I actually did a lot of email digging and found out I got it from an Ebay seller FuzzyLetters like 5 years ago. Looks like he no longer has copper, but does carry silver in a couple of sizes. I sent a few messages out to manufacturers across the pond to see if they could custom make it for me. Big minimum purchases though 

I love wirecare, great prices and an awesome selection. I actually just got some sleeving from them yesterday


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## Paladin79 (Feb 26, 2018)

I do have some litz wire on the way, 26 awg, high strand count. I have probably experimented less with litz than other wire but I have liked the sound of any I have heard. Unless I am greatly mistaken when I soldered some of it, Sennheiser uses litz in some of their stock cabling. This is not OCC litz.

I also rediscovered some Belden cable that has some impressive specs. 9397 is the part number, 105 strand count, 44 awg, high conductivity copper (which I imagine is their term for ofc).

https://objects.eanixter.com/PD3199...c=232709184.2.1519669399086&__hsfp=2769168951


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## Allanmarcus (Feb 26, 2018)

Paladin79 said:


> I do have some litz wire on the way, 26 awg, high strand count. I have probably experimented less with litz than other wire but I have liked the sound of any I have heard. Unless I am greatly mistaken when I soldered some of it, Sennheiser uses litz in some of their stock cabling. This is not OCC litz.
> 
> I also rediscovered some Belden cable that has some impressive specs. 9397 is the part number, 105 strand count, 44 awg, high conductivity copper (which I imagine is their term for ofc).
> 
> https://objects.eanixter.com/PD3199...c=232709184.2.1519669399086&__hsfp=2769168951


Nice looking wire, but it seems to only be available in a 500' spool ($535 from markertek). Also, looks to be double shielded, which is probably great for mic wire, but would suck to have to strip that.

Now you got me wondering if Belden has any other wire, say a quad or a mini that used the same wire, but less shielding, and/or is sold by the foot. Let's start with less shielding.

Update: I just found something similar, but with "tinned copper" - not sure exactly how good or bad that is.
Belden cable 1346f and 3084F


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## Paladin79

I generally use such wire as it is made to be used but if I come across a version that is not double shielded I will let you know. My price is considerably lower and I have a few hundred feet left over from a built. I am having a custom cabinet made for headphone equipment so I was considering this for highly shielded interconnect cables. Very flexible and small in diameter yet well suited for RCA and XLR connectors.


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## Paladin79 (Feb 26, 2018)

Allanmarcus said:


> Update: I just found something similar, but with "tinned copper" - not sure exactly how good or bad that is.
> Belden cable 1346f and 3084F



I do not see 1346f in their catalog but 3084F is 22 awg, not listed as high conductivity, more of an industrial data cable. Generally the high end audio series is under Brilliance cables.Tinned copper is less flexible as you might imagine.  They call it flexible because it is listed in automation cables, many of those go by number of flexes before the cable breaks.

What I am describing has a really high strand count, this photo might help.

I did find the 1346F and that is high strand count, it also runs $2.00 a foot and IMHO would be worse to deconstruct than the cable shown in this photo. I honestly doubt if the tinning would help that cable work as a quality audio cable, most wires are either as pure a bare copper as you can get or they are coated like litz wires.


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## Allanmarcus

That is nice looking wire. If my reading of the spec sheet is correct, each conductor has a ~1.22mm diameter. A bit thick for an eight strand cable, but should be good for a 4 strand, even if sleeved in 275 paracord (might be tight in 95 paracord). what's your impression of the flexibility of each conductor? 

Looks like it would make for a nice interconnect. I was thinking of making some RCA interconnects by combining some different wire. If you look at this cable:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=18535
there are two main cables (red and white) inside the main housing. Each of the cables appears to have 4 sub wires.
1) OFC - small solid core
2) OFC - larger solid core
3) OFC - flat?
4) OFC Litz wire (spiral ribbon?)

PE insolation, not PVC. Not sure if that matters. BTW, these monolith cables appear to be rebranded ethereal EXS cables. 

At any rate, the concept I was getting at is mixing different wires in the same cable. Anyone try that?

I was thinking one 24AWG solid core silver, one 24AWG solid core copper, one 24AWG stranded copper (maybe the belden 9397 @Paladin79 is showing), and some copper litz. Then shielded using some braided tinned copper shielding from eBay, and finally sleeved with some nylon multifilament. It would not be very flexible, but generally, flexibility isn't needed for short RCA interconnects. 

I figure the outcomes are:
1) a cable that sounds like every other cable, but had a great story behind it.
2) it actually allows for better sound than the average cable
3) my wife figures out how much I'm spending on this crap and kills me (not mutually exclusive option)
4) it sounds bad


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## Paladin79 (Feb 26, 2018)

Each wire is pretty flexible, it is 24 awg so not quite as flexible as 26 awg. I get a bit closer to 1.1 mm on my micrometer but i may have been indenting the wire a bit.



Now on to the other cable in question. I do not have a history with such wire but....

you are bringing each conductor down to a single point. Starting with the output of the device you are originating from and then to the input of your amp lets say. The amp has a single wire or a copper etching on into the internal workings of the preamp circuitry.

Cables do not make sound better. They can maintain it, have low loss and pass on sound that is quite good. Now if you had multiple outputs from your dac and multiple inputs at the amp it might maintain that quality but at what price? Oh wait, you are still going down to one connection with ground.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> Each wire is pretty flexible, it is 24 awg so not quite as flexible as 26 awg. I get a bit closer to 1.1 mm on my micrometer but i may have been indenting the wire a bit.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hey, I never said a cable could make something sound better 

I pretty much wrote the same thing in a satirical amazon review of the AC-14 power cable from Pangea. I got one free with an amp I got, and Pangea claims "Two-way multi-gauge geometry with isolated bass conductors enhances audio performance" - I called BS. I posted a question about the "isolated bass" and one guy responded with 



> These are constructed using multi-gauge strands of high purity copper conductors. Electrical power is comprised of a range of frequencies where each range, bass, treble and midrange values, travel along the optimal AWG wire gauge for each respective range. Frequencies can also be identified by their radial displacement from "0" zero degrees expressed as cycles. Thus, heavy wire is good for bass where incrementally smaller gauges are ideal for mid and high frequency content with the result being a more accurate spectral characteristic.



Might be BS, might not. I am neither an electrical engineer nor a metallurgist. Based on the premise that the above statement has a little validity, and that the Monoprice RCA cable construction, with various gauges and wire types inside the same cable, makes me wonder if there is anything to it. Maybe a better question for the Sound Science thread.


----------



## Paladin79

At no time did I say you said anything Allan and I am not supposed to disparage any product so I walked back several comments I made earlier. The comments were made about that product.  I have spent my entire career in the field of electronics except for maybe a one year stretch so it is a little hard not to be opinionated. I was mainly trying to point out that you have one center conductor going in and one coming out, no matter what happens in between, all you can hope to do is maintain the original signal. In this case, I believe simpler is better. Maintaining consistent twists in twisted pair or using fairly large copper center conductor with a good dielectric and shielding in coaxial cables is hard enough. I could have it wrong but they appear to have one solid litz wire. That in itself is um, how shall I say this, it runs counter to everything I have ever read about litz wires and their function. I will leave it at that.

Some time back I had reason to do some teaching concerning coaxial cables, some of the early patents in the U.S. were by Nikola Tesla, they have not changed much to this day for good reason.Twisted pair works, it has been used since the days of telegraph. OCC comes from a science based background and there are certainly ways to tell if the copper crystals are longer or more pure. I am more apt to believe something like that and the member of the scientific community who brought it about. I have had considerable experience with Chinese cables. I recall some where they had a thin little cable and it was x number of dollars, they sold you a beefier looking version that one would think would have larger wire and sold for more money. Basically it was the thin cable with extra jacket on it. For quality I look to Belden, Canare, Mogami, etc. as you do.


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## HirschiAUT

Paladin79 said:


> If you can get Belden cable there, Belden 1505A or 1505F (an rg 59 coaxial cable) works well. My people have probably built a few thousand spdif cables using it with no failures. I believe Belden is worldwide but I could be wrong. If you want a smaller coaxial cable then 1855A is the way to go, same specs as the 1505. Such cable has a copper center conductor that you need for low digital frequencies and it is also double shielded.
> 
> You can solder coaxial cable, I generally use Canare connectors made for the 1505A but the tools can be expensive since they are specialized crimp connectors. Rean/Neutrik I use on a daily basis and they are excellent connectors.
> 
> Going to 3.5 with such cable, I hope you are talking about a mono connection since coaxial cable only has two conductors so it is well suited for RCA connectors.



Thanks for your reply!

The only cable i can find locally is the Belden 1505F.
I would have preferred the 1855A for being smaller since i want to use the cable primarily for meets and testing, so more or less on the go.
And unfortunately the source for the 1505F is different from where i can get the 3.5mm connectors.
To save shipping i can get this 75Ohm cable from where i get my 3.5mm connector:

https://www.thomann.de/de/sommer_cable_vector_08_37_sw.htm

Will this also work?
Generally speaking, could i use any 75Ohm shielded cable or is there more to look out for?

Regarding going to 3.5mm, i am sure that coaxial trnasmission only requires "signal" and "ground" connection, so Mono would work.
But if i use only 2 Pins on a Stereo 3.5mm plug, that would also work right?

I ask because i cant get a gold plated black colored Mono 3.5mm connector here, i only get the Stereo version Rean NYS 231 BG.
I looked at the drawing, and since the outer diameter of the barrel is 9mm i should be able to drill the 4,5mm opening for the cable to fit a 6mm diameter cable, right?

The biggest problem is that i dont even know how the "pinout" of the DAP is for the coaxial transmission...

It is a conbined output, it can send a stereo "line out" signal via 3 pin 3,5mm cables (either to 3,5mm or 2xRCA).
And it can also send a digital SPDIF signal on the same output, but i dont know where "signal" and "ground" is connected on the 3pin output.

Is there any way to determine this by measuring?
Or do i have to play "trial and error" until i find the right combination 
My guess would be the following layout, but as i said, i found no reliable information yet...
"Signal" would be the center conductor and "ground" the shield, correct?


----------



## Paladin79

You are correct on the signal and ground. As best I can tell the Sommer cable would work for SPDIF, my German is not too good.  That cable is HD/SDI capable just like the Belden.
  You have to be careful using mono 3.5 connectors in jacks for stereo (trs), the spacing is usually off and they do not often interchange well so you cannot assume a stereo plug will have the same spacing as a mono 3.5 mm.  Rean sells a couple versions of the 3.5 mm, one has a larger opening.The larger stereo version is the NYS231L and the cable opening is 6.45 mm, that could be drilled out a bit but not much. As far as I know you cannot use any 75 ohm cable for spdif. 75 ohm is used throughout the television industry and some of it can be copper covered steel center conductor. You definitely want to look for something well shielded with a solid copper center conductor. I am a bit rushed for time this morn but I can try to answer other questions later today.


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## JamieMcC (Feb 27, 2018)

Hi guys I recognise few here from the Bottlehead bb and BHF forum,  I hope you might be able to offer a bit of guidance cable wise for my Senn HD800.

The rubber coating above the y splitter has started to perish and split first one side followed by the other side about a week later, two weeks on its rapidly disintegrated and now in a such a fragile state that it basically falling apart the cans are just over two years old.





So looking for some guidance on which way to go for a replacement, while I have not made a whole cable before I have reterminated the stock cable with a 4 pin xlr and made a xlr to trs adapter out of the offcut.

I was thinking along the lines of chopping off the damaged end and putting a 4pin xlr on it so it will then have one both ends and make a nice extension lead this would let me chill out the  the sofa and listen to music or watch telly and make a shorter 1.5m replacement with a xlr which would be fine for sitting in the chair next to my amp and listening.

I noticed the neotech headphone cable on the hificollective site but it looks quiet spendy.

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/neotech-nech-3001-copper-headphone-cable.html

Another option is just use some standard Belden or Mogami starquad microphone cable

https://www.canford.co.uk/Products/30-920_MOGAMI-2893-CABLE

Really could do with some pointers on other cables to check out that would be considered a  replacement/upgrade from the original

Cheers
Jamie


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## Paladin79

Jamie, I will only address what you are dealing with at this time on your headphones.  I would do a bit of repair on your existing cable then you can always move on to replacements. I would carefully remove the existing damaged jacket to a point where you have good material, then select a heat shrink tubing with a 3 to 1 shrink ration that will fit over your headphone connectors. Something 5/16 inch or 8 mm might well fit over the connectors but you would have to be the judge of that. This will at least extend the life of what you have. IMHO 3-1 will go over your connectors and then shrink down to fit snugly onto your existing jacket.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Hi Jamie! Paladin is right, that would be a great way to preserve your existing cable. I wouldn't bother cutting it up to upgrade it. If you want to upgrade, get the Eidolic HD800 connectors (they are easiest to work with) and your choice of the two cables. Neotech makes really nice wire, the asking price is fair for what you get. You will need to get the polyurethane off the copper strands though, so you'll need an iron that can get pretty warm to melt it off with a solder blob (or use a friend's solder pot). Mentioned a little earlier in this very long thread, Cardas has a 4x24 that will work and Furutech offers a headphone cable, and there are many other microphone cables out there. You can also simply braid four strands of ~24 gauge wire. Silver clad wire (Belden makes it or you can find surplus on ebay) in PTFE is easy to work with, plentiful and low cost.


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## Paladin79 (Feb 27, 2018)

Very good advice Highflyin and it is nice to use 24 awg instead of the 26 awg required by other connectors. I am curious about the part number on the Belden wire you mentioned. Is that something you can give out or should I contact my distributor or visit their home office not far from me lol?  I have known them to clad some wires in silver that are used in very high frequency applications. Maybe something like this?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-Belde...776890?hash=item283b5f0d3a:g:uhkAAOSwTKJZeEnc

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BELDEN-NEW...562438&hash=item25e1764baf:g:-SIAAOSw22dZ1FQG

Here is more but it is 7/32 strand rate. 83003 is 19/36 and thus more flexible. All are mil spec so they are quite well made. 

I will have to experiment with this wire sometime, a mention by someone from Zynsonix is good enough for me.


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## HiGHFLYiN9 (Feb 27, 2018)

I was surprised to see it as well as I was digging through their catalog, but this was years ago. It was a 24 gauge single strand that was silver clad (not tin clad), and IIRC it was around 40 cents a foot. Given the breadth of Belden's offerings it might be easiest to drop by the office  The items you linked look very suitable, although 2000 feet would take a while to go through, haha.

If you'd like surplus, Apex Jr. has very fair prices on the silver clad wire. You can order by the foot or spool. I've been doing business with Steve there for over a decade, very reputable.

EDIT: forgot to mention, if you order from Apex make sure to get the stranded version, not the solid core. The solid core is great for wiring up amps but bad for headphone cable (too stiff, can break with lots of movement).


----------



## Paladin79

I buy enough from Belden that they would most likely send me samples. To be honest, I have not tried many solid wires but I probably should sometime. I might buy surplus for my personal use, we do not do much with headphone cables as a company; I stay busy with other custom work. It is great to build up such good contacts and I am sure Steve is a fine person. The Chinese word guanxi pertains to building such networks; I have many such contacts myself.

I had promised some friends that I would check out more litz wire but I will most likely play around with the silver clad after that.


----------



## JamieMcC (Feb 27, 2018)

Thanks guys very helpful,

It did originally crossed my mind to re sleeve the damaged areas with some para cord shrink wraping the ends but unfortunately I have left it to long and last night discovered there is now a short /break in the left channel at one of the damaged sections.  They are still just usable if I sit very still and manipulate the cable a bit to get it to work 

To be honest I have never felt the need to change from the stock cable  and if I had damaged it accidentally I would probably just have ordered a new Sennheiser one but as the material has perished and I note this has happened to a few others ,I am reluctant to throw £100 odd on a new one only to have the same thing happen again in two years time.

I would also prefer to purchase a western branded know quantity cable rather than something I might not be 100% sure of off of Aliexpress.

I might add I use Aliexpress regularly for some carbon fibre products for work and it still amazes me that I can get the product ready made and delivered via courier in 7 days from China to the UK when I would struggle to get just the raw materials for the same price here in the UK and delivery would probably be more as well to boot.

Interestingly I can source the beldon 83003 you mention in the post above here in the uk for £37 for a 100ft this looks to be the same wire. I have not used silver plated wire before does it require any special prep or solder techniques I normally use cardas quad eutectic solder?

I don't have particularly fond memories of doing the xlr conversion finding out first hand how thin the hd800 wires were was a bit of a shock.
http://uk.farnell.com/belden/83003-009100/hook-up-wire-24awg-white-30-5m/dp/2764867

http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/2...811.469753495.1519755885-543606696.1512852640

I like the look of the  idolic HD800 connectors they look much better quality than the budget ones I have seen on ebay yet  are still significantly less costly than the furutech ones.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Many of the Aliexpress connectors are of good quality too. They're low cost enough to order blindly and then inspect if they are up to standard when they arrive. You will get some duds but overall 70% or so are very viable and as rugged as name-brand connectors like Neutrik. As others have said though, I'd never buy wire there. That's something I'm very particular about.

Silver clad wire requires no special prep, it's very easy to work with. The Cardas Quadeutectic solder will work well with it.

The Eidolic connectors are great. I was using Furutech before but they are too expensive and only mildly better than the standard HD800 connectors.


----------



## JamieMcC

I just remembered a few years back I made a input selector box with some silver pated wire  (from Navships I think)  and it didn't suit me and was rewired later with solid core copper, so will probably stick to a high quality copper.

I like the look of a couple of the Neotech cables I have thought about using the solid core in the past for a Bottlehead build and remember reading some positive ramblings about there hook up wire a few years back.

As I have no clue I wondered what the main advantages / disadvantages (if any) of going for the Litz braid cable over one from 4 separate hand braid braided cables might be? 

The two that I am looking at are

Neotechs NECH-3001 headphone cable

4 multi-strand UP-OCC Copper with Litz conductors in a PVC insulation with a Nylon braided outer jacket.
Overall diameter: 3mm
Conductor with insulation: 0.9mm
Copper conductor: 0.6mm

Circa £27 a meter 

Or

Neotech`s STDCT 99.999% high purity UP-OCC copper multistrand wire, sheathed in red, heat resistant teflon.

AWG 22, 7 strands of 0.25mm wire,
diameters, inner: 0.68mm,
outer: 1.9mm,

£20 for a meter (4 single wires) 

Cheers
Jamie


----------



## Paladin79

Either of those sound intriguing. 

I do believe there is some confusion over litz wire and litz braid but I have never found definitive information. At one point I believe I read that it is the stranding pattern so that each wire reached the outside surface the same amount of time as any other wire. Thus each wire in turn also acted as the center core where most of the signal traveled at audio frequencies. 

Some folks apply the term to overall braid not stranding. Maybe they use a similar pattern. 

Anyway soon I shall braid some Litz braid, redundant sounding as that might be.


----------



## JamieMcC

lol I am very easy confused but get where you are coming from litzing the litz so to speak.


----------



## Paladin79

Beware of advice- even this.   Carl Sandburg

Anyway I am impressed with Neotech so I doubt you can go wrong there. I am more apt to buy product from companies that give you pertinent information and less subjectivity. Wire size, voltage rating, types of material... all good info.

Anyone can slap a sticker on a zip lock bag stating the product is 7n occ. I recall years ago a company putting fake UL labels on computer cases and getting caught doing so. UL now uses halogram labels to try to curtail some of the fake product.


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## JamieMcC (Feb 28, 2018)

Not seen much mention of this flat braid for headphone cables is it a type that gets used guessing it would be a bit chunky?  To be honest it was the red and black aesthetics and 70% cotton / 30 % polyester covering that piqued my interest horribly vain of me I know...







Neotech UP-OCC flat braid copper wire in 70% cotton / 30 % polyester covering. Rectangular in shape, it is built on a central polyester film on which the braid fits on. Each strand of the braid is 0.05mm in diameter. Then covered in the weaved insulation.

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wires/neotech-BRDCC-flat-braided-copper-wire-cotton.html

Edit it was after posting that it occurred to me this might not be the easiest of cables to solder on to small connectors


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## Paladin79 (Feb 28, 2018)

20 gauge is a tad large as you said. They do list 24 awg, I may grab some of the wire and check it out, 

I do like the fact they are using a high percentage of cotton in the covering. Cotton is not always easy to find and the closest I have come on round braided material has nylon and copper interwoven.


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## JamieMcC

Should I be concerned with the potential lack of screening with these cables effecting channel separation and noise reduction? I was reminded the stock hd800 cable is two shielded twisted pair cables wrapped together in a spiral along with some rubber o ring like material which I guess is for strain relief.


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## Paladin79

Twisted pair is a form of shielding, shielded twisted pair can be better for some applications. I personally use a lot of it for interconnect cables because i have multiple pieces of equipment in close proximity and I like to play it safe. 

When you braid cable, IMHO that is a form of twisted pair. As long as you are not laying two wires next to each other, whether they be stranded or solid you should be fine. On cables I build using star quad, I leave much of the cable in tact then twist the wires for the individual channels so shielding is maintained throughout.. I am not sure of the rubber o ring material but in order to make a perfectly round cable, fillers are used to maintain the concentric shape. In the photo is star quad, notice how when you put a coating over twisted pair you get the ribbed effect, fillers can help eliminate that. Going into the back of a round opening on a connector and using a grommet or clamp system, it is nice to have that perfect roundness. The connectors i use here have a small rubber grommet that accepts the twisted pair quite nicely and conform to the shape well. That is just red and black heat shrink tubing, the rest of the cable has copper braid shield and star quad arranged in effectively a twisted dual pair pattern.


----------



## JamieMcC

Ok I see that starquad cable looks nice and flexible.

Ordered some glue lined 3-1 heatshrink tubing just to see if I can patch up the damaged cable as a stop gap and some hd800 connectors from Alixpress. Disappointingly when I looked at ordering the Eidolic ones (first choice) the cost of shipping alone to the UK was more than the $22 cost of the Chinese ones which shipped fee. I already have an XLR connector so while I wait for the Chinese connectors to arrive there will be plenty of time to ponder some more over cable choices.


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## Paladin79

It is very flexible, that is Canare and I know Mogami makes some slightly smaller with 26awg wire that is even more so.

You should be able to track down your intermittent issue with your cable. Having it connected and then tapping on it to isolate the break might help. If you have an ohm meter you can also watch the scale for continuity and a safer way to proceed.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Paladin79 said:


> You are correct on the signal and ground. As best I can tell the Sommer cable would work for SPDIF, my German is not too good.  That cable is HD/SDI capable just like the Belden.
> You have to be careful using mono 3.5 connectors in jacks for stereo (trs), the spacing is usually off and they do not often interchange well so you cannot assume a stereo plug will have the same spacing as a mono 3.5 mm.  Rean sells a couple versions of the 3.5 mm, one has a larger opening.The larger stereo version is the NYS231L and the cable opening is 6.45 mm, that could be drilled out a bit but not much. As far as I know you cannot use any 75 ohm cable for spdif. 75 ohm is used throughout the television industry and some of it can be copper covered steel center conductor. You definitely want to look for something well shielded with a solid copper center conductor. I am a bit rushed for time this morn but I can try to answer other questions later today.



Thanks one more time for your response.

Regarding the 3.5mm connector, i was going to use a standard TRS connector, using the TIP for signal (center) and SLEEVE for ground (shield), leaving the RING unused.
If this does not work i will try signal on RING, everything else would not make much sense to me, but who knows 

What you say about the cable makes sense, and i found one that should suit my requirements.
Sommer cable is also offering a "slimline" version of the cable i mentioned earlier, and i can get it with reasonable shipping (~5€).
It is 75Ohm, OFC 23AWG single conductor, double shield (copper mesh + foil) with an OD of 4.2mm.

http://shop.sommercable.com/Kabel/M...abel-SC-Slimline-600-0854.html#tab_attributes

It is available with two different sleeve materials, PVC and FRNC.
As far as i can tell FRNC is more resistant to fire, but can anyone tell me if there are other differences like flexibility?

I also found an even smaller one that is 75Ohm with OFC conductor, but it is only single shielded (silver plated copper mesh) and only 30AWG (stranded with 7 strands) with FEP sleeving.

http://shop.sommercable.com/Kabel/M...ssic-Series-MKII-600-0529.html#tab_attributes

Would this also be suitable or are there things speaking against it?
Flexibility should be considerably higher with the stranded conductor and only 2.5mm OD, but i dont want to compromise on quality.


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## Paladin79

The first cable shown would work from what I can read there. The second cable is more suitable for RF applications and I cannot say if it would handle SPDIF. 

I would go with pvc over a fire resistant type of jacket, most of those I have worked with tend to be a little more brittle.

That is probably a wise choice on the trs connector, like I said, if that is a trs jack a ts connector does not always line up properly. I have heard many stories of such connections working but only when you pull the plug partially out of the jack. You do not want to deal with something like that on a quality audio device.


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## HirschiAUT

Paladin79 said:


> The first cable shown would work from what I can read there. The second cable is more suitable for RF applications and I cannot say if it would handle SPDIF.
> 
> I would go with pvc over a fire resistant type of jacket, most of those I have worked with tend to be a little more brittle.
> 
> That is probably a wise choice on the trs connector, like I said, if that is a trs jack a ts connector does not always line up properly. I have heard many stories of such connections working but only when you pull the plug partially out of the jack. You do not want to deal with something like that on a quality audio device.



Yeah i was also thinking that the slimline cable would be the better choice, i will get it with PVC jacket.

One more thing about the RCA connection.
I was going to order this one:

https://m.thomann.de/at/neutrik_nys3730_cinchstecker.htm

But am not sure how to solder it.
The ground connection, whitch is also the strain relief, has no hole to loop the shield mesh through, how do i do this?
I could drill a hole in there but maybe there is another way.

The center connection looks just like a small pit or something.
I would have just stuffen the conductor in there and fill it up with solder, but that doesnt look like a very reliable connection to me...

Any hints or recommendations on how to do this would be really appretiated


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## Paladin79 (Feb 28, 2018)

I use that style of connector all the time. You have a solder cup for the center conductor, generally I fill that with solder, tin the center conductor, and then reheat the solder cup and the wire will lay right in there. The ground or mesh solders to the half circle portion down below. I twist the braid together, form a half circle shape, tin the connector then lay the mesh in that half circle. The connector takes solder very well, you will have little issue getting this to work. That plastic piece is a clamp that acts as a strain relief, there is a small plastic section I always break off, they fit better when you do this IMHO. It is a very thin ring of plastic you break.

When I get to work tomorrow I may try to get a couple photos unless I already have some stored, I have shown proper soldering on those RCA connectors on here before lol.

here is one i have at home that might help. I have bent the center conductor 90 degrees for a specific application but yours will remain straight. The braid is rounded to fit into the curve of the connector ground, notice how there are no loose strands between the center conductor and braid, the white is the dielectric. I pre-tinned this one to maintain all the strands of the braid in place. With a straight center conductor, this would lay nicely in that connector and solder easily.


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## Paladin79

This should help more, I solder the ground (braid) first then the center conductor.


----------



## kn0ppers

Here are the assembly instructions from Neutrik.


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## Paladin79

Very cool I had not seen those before but then unless I am assembling something like a Bottlehead Crack amp I rarely look at instructions.... or ask directions. I think that is a guy thing. Most cable I use must be considered a larger size, usually around a quarter inch diameter, I have rarely not cut off the extra little plastic piece. The connector will not close properly when leaving that piece intact if the cable is too large.


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## kn0ppers (Mar 1, 2018)

Yes, especially when working with Neutrik Connectors I often have to modify them or leave pieces out because most of them are made for really tiny cables.

I got myself a good selection of Neutrik/Rean Mini-XLR Sockets and connectors. Although I always try to keep the shielding and the insulation on the cable as far into the connector as possible I had to go a different route on those and heatshrink over the whole connector to secure the sleeving.

I also use various tools for removing insulation, depending on how much space I have/want to use, what diameter, etc. . Making cables is quite easy, but there is still some kind of a learning curve.One of my favourite tools for stripping wires when I don't have much space (not enough to use bigger tools) is my little Leatherman Squirt ES4.


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## Paladin79

I have worked jobs where the main tools were small side cutters and those are what you learned to use to strip insulation. I have used most any type of wire strippers made including some designed for NASA but working with basic tools you tend to get the feel of things. For RF cables, no matter how tight the tolerances, I can use a knife and perform a variety of jobs. I have one that I have carried for over 30 years but I am always trying new ones but rarely do I find one that feels and sharpens quite the same. When I teach, I teach other tools and occasionally talk knife skills but it takes a while to learn just how deeply to cut and with the right pressure, that is hard to explain.


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## penmarker

Knives are not made equal. Different metal mixture, different tempering techniques, different forging, those change the characteristics of the blade. They induce small changes but when you use those tools with your hands you tend to notice it feels different even though you don't know it is.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 2, 2018)

Time to try out more Litz wire, personally I use a solder pot. No matter how careful one solders and how hot the iron, I prefer the surety of using the solder pot. There are so many tiny wires it is possible to miss some when soldering by hand. How the strands are interwoven in a spiral jacket gives the Litz effect from what I have read.
 I also happen to have a Nikon dual ocular inspection microscope in my home shop and that helps me form the above opinion.


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## musicmaker

Thanks for your guys' advice. I purchased an american beauty solder pot and kester ultrapure solder bar. They arrive tomorrow. The wires, splitters etc have already arrived. Cant wait to make my first litz headphone cable for the Z1R/Focal Clear.


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## Paladin79

Good brand solder pot and you can buy replacement heating elements if ever needed. Just make sure you have some liquid solder flux or equivalent, dip the wires in the flux, then into the pot. You will see a bit of smoke as the solder pot removes the coating on the wires. I may make a cable for some Alpha Primes with wire I received.


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## musicmaker

Thanks. Liquid solder flux I need to source in a store locally as the online shops had big bottles ! Shouldn't be too hard to find in a frys or Radioshack I guess ?


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## Paladin79 (Mar 2, 2018)

https://www.amazon.com/Kester-959T-...479&sr=8-3&keywords=kester+liquid+solder+flux

It is on Amazon, 2 oz is not a huge bottle.


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## Allanmarcus

musicmaker said:


> Thanks. Liquid solder flux I need to source in a store locally as the online shops had big bottles ! Shouldn't be too hard to find in a frys or Radioshack I guess ?


If you still have a RS, they should have it. Fry's should have it too.


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## musicmaker

Paladin79 said:


> https://www.amazon.com/Kester-959T-...479&sr=8-3&keywords=kester+liquid+solder+flux
> 
> It is on Amazon, 2 oz is not a huge bottle.





Allanmarcus said:


> If you still have a RS, they should have it. Fry's should have it too.



Thanks guys ! Had that been amazon prime I'd get it in a heartbeat. Will try Fry's.


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## Paladin79

Yeah I thought it was on Prime at first but no such luck. I have plenty of it but could not ship till next week and I am not sure about suitable containers.


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## kingkikapu

As much as I’d love to invest in a pot I just can’t for the amount of use. DIY wise, anybody used a copper plumbing cap and a heat gun/torch?


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## HiGHFLYiN9

Not sure about others here but my solder pot takes a darn long time to fully heat up before it's ready to fully strip litz wire. I wouldn't want to have to sit there with a torch or heat gun against a copper cap for that long... also doesn't sound terribly safe.


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## kingkikapu

In my former life I was an astrophysicist. Handled many things far more dangerous (chemical, laser, nuclear, the works). 

I think I’m good with an open flame.


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## HiGHFLYiN9

My apologies King if I offended, but consider the average user in the Headfi DIY section is often a novice, and I'd prefer no one here hurts themselves to save a few bucks. DIYAudio.com has a more technically experienced crowd and you'd likely find a several people there with some good DIY solutions if no one here chimes in.


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## kingkikapu

No worries bud. A little danger can be educational/fun


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## Paladin79 (Mar 3, 2018)

This is a very interesting conversation but I should probably bring up one small point in the interest of safety. An air fed torch can reach temperatures of about three times the melting point of copper. Personally I would use a stainless steel or even a small cast iron cup. Copper caps most likely have to contain enough copper to allow for proper soldering yet other alloys might allow them to withstand a bit more heat. It would be a fun experiment to try but a molten solder leak would not be a fun experience and I am someone who has used bucket capacitors in conjunction with a tesla coil. That being said, if you were able to spread the flame over the bottom of the copper cap and cover more surface area you might have a chance. Were i to try such a think i would have a metal plate under the area in question and definitely be in a garage or out building with a work bench. Dipping a very tiny portion of a small wire into a pot is a fairly delicate operation. If a person had a propane burner that a small pan could sit on in a stable position, I can see that working, I have seen such things done to make lead sinkers for fishing and to mold musket balls.

I love the Red Green reference!

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/aven-tools/17100-150/243-1249-ND/5886022

There are some available on digikey for roughly $26 US plus shipping and they even list a less expensive model that is out of stock, these work well for occasional usage but long term there is a mylar capacitor that might give out if you use it day in and day out like my employees tend to do.


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## cyph3r

hi all, 

does anyone know a source for lead-free, preferably RoHs compliant bulk headphone cable that is already braided?


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## Paladin79 (Mar 3, 2018)

Most of that cable I have seen comes out of China and unless the wires have been tinned I doubt if it involves hazardous substances other than the wrong type of pvc.

 Chances are they would not provide proper documentation anyway. Since it is shipped between countries theoretically it should be compliant.


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## kingkikapu

You ever wire one of those bucket capacitors backwards? I used to do that to old CRT’s for kicks. 

I might have an old wrought iron crucible somewhere, but the copper cap is quite thick. It should work fine if I fan it slowly. I like to make my neighbours guess what I’m up to.


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## Paladin79

I was pretty careful with those caps so no.

As long as it is fairly thick copper you may be safe. The solder itself will conduct heat and act as a heat sink. Anything that conducts electricity well acts the same way with heat. I have small camp stoves that use propane, something like that would distribute the heat. When I think of a torch, I think of more focused heat.


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## musicmaker

The Kester solder bar is ginormous ! How do you guys cut it ? hack saw ?


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## Allanmarcus

musicmaker said:


> The Kester solder bar is ginormous ! How do you guys cut it ? hack saw ?


Suck on it until it softens.


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## john777

Usually works the other way...


----------



## Paladin79

Hacksaw works, we also have some giant cable cutters about like a bolt cutter that works.

Once a solder pot is going, just holding the bar upright in some molten solder is all you need do but cutting a small piece first helps.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Paladin79 said:


> This should help more, I solder the ground (braid) first then the center conductor.





kn0ppers said:


> Here are the assembly instructions from Neutrik.



Thanks a lot to both of you!
I already ordered the slimline cable and connectors, will let you know how it worked out and what pinout worked 

One more thing though, regarding another project.

Just for the heck of it i want to build this:

https://robrobinette.com/RobinetteBox.htm

The hardest part should be to get all the parts in Europe, the explanation is very good and easy to understand.
There is just one thing i am wondering about, and its the wires to use for internal connections.

Rob just states that the size should be 22, 20 or 18 AWG, but no quality comments.

First thing i thought of was to just do the same as for my headphone cable, just strip some wire and use that.
I would have thought of something like this:

http://shop.sommercable.com/Kabel/Meterware-Audio/Mikrofonkabel-SC-Primus-200-0151.html

It is 0,5mm², that should be ~20AWG.
I can get it for 1,7€ / Meter, so effectively 0,85€ / meter.

While researching for more options i found out about the term "hookup wire", and gawd you can dump a lot of cash on that one...

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/components/hookup-wire.html

The cheapest option, the OEM stranded 20AWG wire, costs ~ 0,4€ / meter, so half the price of stripping the sommer cable.
BUT it is not stated as OFC, the sommer cable is on the other hand.

Then the cheapskate in me stepped up and thought, why not use 2x0.75mm² speaker wires, like these:

https://www.amazon.de/Wentronic-2X0-75-Lautsprecherkabel-Querschnitt-transparent/dp/B001C6HPGS

They are labled as OFC and cost 0,33€ / meter, so effectively 0,17€ / meter wire!
0,75mm² would also be on the thicker end of his recommendation, sitting somewhere between 19 and 18AWG.

SO, yeah, i am really asking myself how much i should spend to not compromise the overall quality.
But, tbh, i dont really see the reason of using 5N copper for horrendous amounts of money, when the speaker binding posts are gold plated brass...

As always I would really appretiate any input!


----------



## Paladin79

You are talking about a lot of different types of wire and as you get into larger gauges like 18 awg it will be harder to solder properly in that circuitry. The Sommer cable is shielded and twisted pair from what I can tell, you should have excellent results with it plus both channels and a ground are present.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Paladin79 said:


> You are talking about a lot of different types of wire and as you get into larger gauges like 18 awg it will be harder to solder properly in that circuitry. The Sommer cable is shielded and twisted pair from what I can tell, you should have excellent results with it plus both channels and a ground are present.



I dont really know how i should use the sommer cable like it is for the inner wiring of the adapter box, am i missing something?
In the pictures there are only single wires, i would have stripped the SOmmer, and also split the speaker wire...

I am more concerned about the conductor quality that is required / makes sense.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Don't use stranded hookup wire inside that box. I made a switch box with stranded wire, and it was a pain. It's much easier, and better, to use solid core wire. Pretty much any decent solid core copper or silver insulated wire will work. Your local hardware or electronics store should have some. 20, 22, or 24 AWG should be fine.


----------



## musicmaker

Paladin79 said:


> Hacksaw works, we also have some giant cable cutters about like a bolt cutter that works.
> 
> Once a solder pot is going, just holding the bar upright in some molten solder is all you need do but cutting a small piece first helps.



Thank you. You're always so helpful ! Much appreciated.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Paladin79 said:


> Hacksaw works, we also have some giant cable cutters about like a bolt cutter that works.
> Once a solder pot is going, just holding the bar upright in some molten solder is all you need do but cutting a small piece first helps.


Right on. I personally use a jigsaw to cut the first little piece  



Allanmarcus said:


> Don't use stranded hookup wire inside that box. I made a switch box with stranded wire, and it was a pain. It's much easier, and better, to use solid core wire. Pretty much any decent solid core copper or silver insulated wire will work. Your local hardware or electronics store should have some. 20, 22, or 24 AWG should be fine.


Also agreed (unless you really prefer the sound of a certain wire, I like Cardas 2x24 and 4x24 with the shield when wiring up amps). Neotech makes a fantastic solid core UP-OCC wire in teflon for about a buck a foot. I've used it for many switchboxes, Bottlehead builds and Dynaco restorations. The hardware store wire is great on a budget. You can ask if they have any discount remnants too. Also a good budget choice is Cat 5e ethernet wire (solid core in teflon) and surplus silver plated solid core copper in teflon at Apex Jr.


----------



## Paladin79

Solid wire is indeed a good choice but of the choices there, I chose the one I might use. I can work with either stranded or solid wire equally well with the connectors shown. XlR's and binding posts have fairly large openings. Solid wire is more suitable in situations where the wire does not get moved much as it would in a headphone cable or some interconnect cables and it does conduct a bit better. I have plenty of high end stranded, shielded wire so I use it on Bottlehead builds rather than doing the braiding. Twisted pair is good, shielded twisted pair is better. I am afraid I looked at the internals of that box and the first thing that came to mind was how I would wire it, I did the same with Bottlehead Crack amps I built and unfortunately that is not a lot of help to a novice DIY person.

 I have also done Dynaco builds and it is good to hear you are redoing some of those Highflyin, I just got an add the other day from someone selling Dynaco 70's for $3,000 each, I believe they were reproductions but I did not read it that closely. I have seen some of your switchbox and Bottlehead builds on your website as I recall and the work was most impressive and you go out of your way to document and explain the work to DIY folks which I also admire. I could be wrong but I believe you even used the Steampunk style on an amp or two, a style I used myself to impress a local sci fi group.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Allanmarcus said:


> Don't use stranded hookup wire inside that box. I made a switch box with stranded wire, and it was a pain. It's much easier, and better, to use solid core wire. Pretty much any decent solid core copper or silver insulated wire will work. Your local hardware or electronics store should have some. 20, 22, or 24 AWG should be fine.





HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> Right on. I personally use a jigsaw to cut the first little piece
> 
> 
> Also agreed (unless you really prefer the sound of a certain wire, I like Cardas 2x24 and 4x24 with the shield when wiring up amps). Neotech makes a fantastic solid core UP-OCC wire in teflon for about a buck a foot. I've used it for many switchboxes, Bottlehead builds and Dynaco restorations. The hardware store wire is great on a budget. You can ask if they have any discount remnants too. Also a good budget choice is Cat 5e ethernet wire (solid core in teflon) and surplus silver plated solid core copper in teflon at Apex Jr.





Paladin79 said:


> Solid wire is indeed a good choice but of the choices there, I chose the one I might use. I can work with either stranded or solid wire equally well with the connectors shown. XlR's and binding posts have fairly large openings. Solid wire is more suitable in situations where the wire does not get moved much as it would in a headphone cable or some interconnect cables and it does conduct a bit better. I have plenty of high end stranded, shielded wire so I use it on Bottlehead builds rather than doing the braiding. Twisted pair is good, shielded twisted pair is better. I am afraid I looked at the internals of that box and the first thing that came to mind was how I would wire it, I did the same with Bottlehead Crack amps I built and unfortunately that is not a lot of help to a novice DIY person.
> 
> I have also done Dynaco builds and it is good to hear you are redoing some of those Highflyin, I just got an add the other day from someone selling Dynaco 70's for $3,000 each, I believe they were reproductions but I did not read it that closely. I have seen some of your switchbox and Bottlehead builds on your website as I recall and the work was most impressive and you go out of your way to document and explain the work to DIY folks which I also admire. I could be wrong but I believe you even used the Steampunk style on an amp or two, a style I used myself to impress a local sci fi group.



Thanks for all the answers!

I just dont really understand the recommendation of solid core wires.
From what i remember stranded was always easier to solder (for me), but its a long time ago in school, just starting with that stuff again 
Why is it that you prefer solid core wires for such builds?

@Paladin79 when you say you would use the twisted pair sommer cable as it is, how would you do that in this case?

Also, what would you guys guess how much wire i need for this?
I would say 2 meters should be enough, or am I off here?


And about the speaker binding posts, would you use one with those kind of screwed on solder lugs:
http://www.ebay.at/itm/321567119706

Or ones where you solder directly onto the "center conductor"?
https://www.ebay.at/itm/140365796167

Oh, and i also found these, i dont even know how to solder to these, do i wind the wire around the small groove at the end of it?
http://www.dx.com/p/diy-amplifier-t...-terminal-black-red-2-pcs-171070#.Wp0mQyUiF9M

As always, all help is really appretiated!


----------



## Allanmarcus

HirschiAUT said:


> I just dont really understand the recommendation of solid core wires.
> From what i remember stranded was always easier to solder (for me), but its a long time ago in school, just starting with that stuff again
> Why is it that you prefer solid core wires for such builds?



When working with wire around the tiny solder lugs, and making sure no stray wires are touching nearby lugs, having to worry about one wire makes it much easier. With solid core wire, you just use needle-nose pliers to curl the end, then you loop the end into the lug, then use the pliers to squish the loop of wire over the lug, then drop a little solder on it. When using stranded, you have to strip the wire, then twist the wires , then curl them, and often the wires untwist. Or you twist, then tin, then try to curl them for the lug, and the it's harder because of the tinning. 

In general, it way easier to work with solid core.


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 5, 2018)

I just dont really understand the recommendation of solid core wires.
From what i remember stranded was always easier to solder (for me), but its a long time ago in school, just starting with that stuff again 
Why is it that you prefer solid core wires for such builds?

@Paladin79 when you say you would use the twisted pair sommer cable as it is, how would you do that in this case?

Also, what would you guys guess how much wire i need for this?
I would say 2 meters should be enough, or am I off here?


And about the speaker binding posts, would you use one with those kind of screwed on solder lugs:
http://www.ebay.at/itm/321567119706

Or ones where you solder directly onto the "center conductor"?
https://www.ebay.at/itm/140365796167

Oh, and i also found these, i dont even know how to solder to these, do i wind the wire around the small groove at the end of it?
http://www.dx.com/p/diy-amplifier-t...-terminal-black-red-2-pcs-171070#.Wp0mQyUiF9M

As always, all help is really appretiated!


In an effort to answer your questions, solid core is easier and best for beginners. Solid conducts a bit better but if you nick it, it can break pretty easily so be careful.  I have no issues with either but I am pretty experienced and would not have any problems either way.

The Sommer cable is twisted pair, which is a form of shielding, you can look that up and get the answers, it has been explained in here a bunch. It contains two wires, instead of running separate black and red wires you can use the two wires within the cable and have black, red and ground. Those equate to left channel, right channel and ground. If you have trouble substituting those, then buy individual wire but going across a metal cabinet I would at least form the signal wires into twisted pair. (The Sommer cable does that for you and gives you a shield as well.)  As I said earlier, I have plenty such wire that is high quality cable so I generally use it for such wiring and the more practice you get with such wire, they better you will be working with headphone cables and connectors.

Judging by what I see in the cabinet, I believe two meters of wire would be plenty.  A meter of the Sommer or a meter each of red and black hook up wire. This would probably be a lot less confusing for you, and you can follow the instructions on the box better.

That type of binding post generally has a hole in the center pin for your hot wire, ground wire usually has a solder lug or the wire might clamp under the adjustment screw, I cannot tell by the photo.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Allanmarcus said:


> When working with wire around the tiny solder lugs, and making sure no stray wires are touching nearby lugs, having to worry about one wire makes it much easier. With solid core wire, you just use needle-nose pliers to curl the end, then you loop the end into the lug, then use the pliers to squish the loop of wire over the lug, then drop a little solder on it. When using stranded, you have to strip the wire, then twist the wires , then curl them, and often the wires untwist. Or you twist, then tin, then try to curl them for the lug, and the it's harder because of the tinning.
> 
> In general, it way easier to work with solid core.





Paladin79 said:


> In an effort to answer your questions, solid core is easier and best for beginners. Solid conducts a bit better but if you nick it, it can break pretty easily so be careful.  I have no issues with either but I am pretty experienced and would not have any problems either way.
> 
> The Sommer cable is twisted pair, which is a form of shielding, you can look that up and get the answers, it has been explained in here a bunch. It contains two wires, instead of running separate black and red wires you can use the two wires within the cable and have black, red and ground. Those equate to left channel, right channel and ground. If you have trouble substituting those, then buy individual wire but going across a metal cabinet I would at least form the signal wires into twisted pair. (The Sommer cable does that for you and gives you a shield as well.)  As I said earlier, I have plenty such wire that is high quality cable so I generally use it for such wiring and the more practice you get with such wire, they better you will be working with headphone cables and connectors.
> 
> ...



Thanks again for your answers.

I see now that everyone has his favorites, and i guess i will just go with what is easier to get for me.
I would have a few meters left over of some internals of a Mogami quad cable, but this is only 24AWG.

Alternatively i found some cheap 20AWG wires for ~0,34€ / meter, but it has tinned copper conductors, is this ok or should i aim for bare copper?


----------



## Paladin79

Both solder well, tinned copper solders a bit more easily IMHO.  If you decide to build that device, they may well give you a list of product to buy; being fairly new you may want to just follow their instructions or post them so I can look them over and help.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Paladin79 said:


> Both solder well, tinned copper solders a bit more easily IMHO.  If you decide to build that device, they may well give you a list of product to buy; being fairly new you may want to just follow their instructions or post them so I can look them over and help.



Here is the link: https://robrobinette.com/RobinetteBox.htm


And the parts list:

Four or Eight 5-way Speaker Binding Posts (eBay, about $2 each) You'll need 8 if you add the speaker out binding posts. I used 4 pair of dual banana connectors.

18, 20 or 22 gauge wire

Vishay/Dale wirewound non-inductive 1% tollerance resistors about $2 each.

    2 each Resistor2 Mouser part# 71-RS0056R000FB12 Vishay part# RS0056R000FB12  *5watts 6ohms* 1%

    2 each Resistor3 Mouser part# 71-NS2B-2 Vishay part# NS02B2R000FB12  *3watts 2ohms* 1%

    2 each Resistor5 Mouser part# 594-AC03W10R00J Vishay part# AC03000001009JAC00  *3watts 10ohms* 5%

Female 4-Pin XLR Panel Mount about $5 (recommend Neutrik from ebay)

ON-ON SWITCH TOGGLE 4PDT 6A 125V by NKK Digi-Key part# 360-1871-ND $12 (4 Pole, Dual Throw) for Network Bypass switch (NKK are high quality--don't cheap out on the toggle switches)

ON-OFF-ON SWITCH TOGGLE DPDT 6A 125V by NKK Digi-Key part# 360-1849-ND $7 (Dual Pole, Dual Throw) for Amp Mode switch.

1/4" 6.3mm Stereo TRS Panel Mount $5 (recommend Neutrik female, non-switching, non-grounding from ebay)

1/8" 3.5mm Stereo TRS Panel Mount $4 (recommend Neutrik female, non-switching, non-grounding from ebay)


----------



## Paladin79

Do you plan to order from Digikey and Mouser? If so I can probably find you some suitable wire on there and save you some trouble.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Paladin79 said:


> Do you plan to order from Digikey and Mouser? If so I can probably find you some suitable wire on there and save you some trouble.



Since i dont find the 4PDT switch anywhere else, i am kinda forced to do that...
And mouser also has the xlr and 6,3mm connectors, so i will order there.

If you find something suitable there i would really be Happy, maybe even a choice of solid core and stranded


----------



## Allanmarcus

@HirschiAUT 
Since this is the cable thread, how about you start a new thread in the DIY Forum for the Robinette Box?


----------



## HirschiAUT

Allanmarcus said:


> @HirschiAUT
> Since this is the cable thread, how about you start a new thread in the DIY Forum for the Robinette Box?



Sorry, you are absolutely right, i will do that.
Is there any way to move my earlier posts?


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 5, 2018)

HirschiAUT said:


> Since i dont find the 4PDT switch anywhere else, i am kinda forced to do that...
> And mouser also has the xlr and 6,3mm connectors, so i will order there.
> 
> If you find something suitable there i would really be Happy, maybe even a choice of solid core and stranded





HirschiAUT said:


> Since i dont find the 4PDT switch anywhere else, i am kinda forced to do that...
> And mouser also has the xlr and 6,3mm connectors, so i will order there.
> 
> If you find something suitable there i would really be Happy, maybe even a choice of solid core and stranded




I will check around when I get time tomorrow and send you a couple links by private message so as not to take up any more time away from discussions of wire and cable et alia.

Work has kept me so busy I have not had much chance to check out some new litz wire. Its small size will allow it to be fed into paracord pretty easily so it is just a matter of deciding on colors and then doing a four wire braid for Sennheisers down to a mini four pin xlr for balanced audio. With a selection of pigtails, they is then a quick changeover to 3.5 mm plug, or 1/4" stereo plug for amplifier versatility.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> I will check around when I get time tomorrow and send you a couple links by private message so as not to take up any more time away from discussions of wire and cable et alia.
> 
> Work has kept me so busy I have not had much chance to check out some new litz wire. Its small size will allow it to be fed into paracord pretty easily so it is just a matter of deciding on colors and then doing a four wire braid for Sennheisers down to a mini four pin xlr for balanced audio. With a selection of pigtails, they is then a quick changeover to 3.5 mm plug, or 1/4" stereo plug for amplifier versatility.




Sorry if you said it earlier, but which litz wire did you get?


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## Paladin79 (Mar 6, 2018)

It is a 26awg sold by Magnetic Sensor Systems. 60/44 strand count. Quite small and flexible of course. Uses a very thin spirally wrapped jacket.

This would be great product for some of the HD 800 connectors that only accept 26 awg wire. I will only use this with a solder pot. Using such connectors it is best not to spread the wires apart any more than is absolutely necessary and that is difficult not to do using a soldering iron. It is also most difficult to achieve proper tinning using the iron as well.


----------



## Paladin79

I recall someone on here looking for copper mesh tubing to go around fairly large cables, I happened upon this on Ebay while searching for something else....

https://www.ebay.com/p/15mm-Wide-Kn...6&pageci=c38b56f1-e00c-4564-9dc1-29141d2b7d85

Since it is 15 MM wide I would think it would handle cable of around 6 or 7 mm diameter or more.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> I recall someone on here looking for copper mesh tubing to go around fairly large cables, I happened upon this on Ebay while searching for something else....
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/p/15mm-Wide-Kn...6&pageci=c38b56f1-e00c-4564-9dc1-29141d2b7d85
> 
> Since it is 15 MM wide I would think it would handle cable of around 6 or 7 mm diameter or more.


I think that stuff is like TechFlex. If you want it to fit over 7mm wire, you want to buy it slightly smaller as it will expand. 15mm tubing with hang limp and flap all over the place over 6 to 7mm wire.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 6, 2018)

Allanmarcus said:


> I think that stuff is like TechFlex. If you want it to fit over 7mm wire, you want to buy it slightly smaller as it will expand. 15mm tubing with hang limp and flap all over the place over 6 to 7mm wire.



Let me try again, the metal mesh is 15mm wide measured flat,  here is an example of 15 mm wide techflex over 6 mm diameter cable. 
 It stretches quite tightly over said cable, the portion to the left of the photo is unstretched. You have to remember you are not talking diameters when comparing flat to round. I have metal mesh and it does not have the stretch and flexibility of Nylon by any means but that is beside the point. I was trying to give a low end measurement and thus said it could handle 6 or 7 mm or more. There is nothing limp or flapping on this end, and that measurement of 7.11 mm diameter, when I measure the actual techflex by itself I get a measurement of 1.22 mm thickness, the cable I used measures just under 6 mm diameter. The last photo shows the mesh secured in place. It is rather thick material since it does have considerable expansion room. There is a great logic puzzle along these same lines. You basically make a hole in a paper napkin the size of the diameter of a penny (U.S. coins) and then bet someone you can pass a quarter through the hole without tearing the napkin. It is not a bet you want to be on the wrong end of because it can absolutely be done but you have to be able to look at things from another perspective. Please note I took these photos and made the measurements after guessing the mesh would work with that approximate size cable or larger, it is like soldering or anything else, do enough of it and it becomes second nature.

Here is an easier way to do a quick measurement, the mesh resting is 15 mm wide, stretched flat it is right at ten mm wide, double that to get each side and you have 20 mm. (more or less)

Now the cable, circumference of a circle equals pi times the diameter of a circle, thus between 6 and 7 mm is 6.5, multiply that by pi and we get 20.42mm.

Thus when stretched 15 mm or resting mesh can accommodate cable between 6 and 7 mm, or more.

Sorry for all of the detail but I have to do such measurements several times a month. I cannot have four people pulling 250 feet of cable through techflex wondering if the cable is going to fit or if the mesh is the proper length after expansion and contraction.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Thanks. Good to know.


----------



## K1030

Next month I'll be purchasing the Campfire Audio Cascade; are the connectors the same as the ones found on the Sennheiser HD800? If so are they interchangeable and does anyone know of a good place to get a balanced 2.5mm. Thanks in advance.


----------



## Paladin79

The jacks certainly look like they would work with the HD 800 connectors but that is a little tough to know for sure. Once you get the headphones post a pic of the plugs on the cable and I will look them over and make my best guess.  I have not seen any 2.5 mm TRRS connectors I would recommend, sorry.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

For the 2.5mm TRRS this is the best one out there: 
Furutech FT-7254(R) - http://www.furutech.com/2016/05/26/13211/
It's $35. If that's too pricey you can order a few from Aliexpress and use the one you like the best. The carbon fiber shelled ones are not bad.


----------



## kingkikapu

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> For the 2.5mm TRRS this is the best one out there:
> Furutech FT-7254(R) - http://www.furutech.com/2016/05/26/13211/
> It's $35. If that's too pricey you can order a few from Aliexpress and use the one you like the best. The carbon fiber shelled ones are not bad.


I have the Furutech 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 1/4” connectors on diy cables. They are pricey for sure but easy to hook up. I just keep moving them around as needed. Consider them an investment


----------



## kingkikapu

P.s. I also agree with paladin on 2.5mm. They are too fragile on the whole (the connector and especially the receptacle in the player that accepts them). Would far rather see 3.5trrs or 4.4mm pentacon.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 8, 2018)

I only use TRRS with solder lugs but unfortunately this is 3.5 mm, not 2.5 and I agree with the fragility issue.

AT $35 per I would probably reuse them as well but there are plenty of quality 3.5 mm, 1/4 inch, xlr etc. for a tenth that price that hold up quite well. I like a sizable return on investments.


----------



## kingkikapu

Yes but I need to look ballin’ for that 1 in a millionth person in the wild that knows how pricey they are. 

They do look great though.


----------



## Paladin79

kingkikapu said:


> I just keep moving them around as needed. Consider them an investment





kingkikapu said:


> Yes but I need to look ballin’ for that 1 in a millionth person in the wild that knows how pricey they are.
> 
> They do look great though.



They do look good and sometimes that is a huge factor. Looks, functionality and endurance are certainly important factors. I have never come across anyone who says some connectors sound better than others. I did have a gentleman claim he could hear the difference in two three foot pieces of identical cable with identical connectors once, but unfortunately I was too far away to have him prove it to me lol.

 If you like something, go for it. I could have spray painted the top plate on my bottlehead crack but I redesigned it and went with 1/8 inch copper and quartered oak so i probably should never lecture on how to spend ones money.

 My people build and ship as many as 2000 custom cables in a weeks time so I am not going to scrimp on the price of a part if it means a customer will have issues. It does give me an excellent chance to see how Neutrik, Canare,  Switchcraft, and Amphenol hold up in the field so naturally I do have preferences.


----------



## kingkikapu

Totally understand. It’s purely a love of the look. I have several eidolic and neutrik ones as well, but I do love that machined look. 

Yes I have a problem. That and expensive scotch.


----------



## kn0ppers

kingkikapu said:


> Totally understand. It’s purely a love of the look. I have several eidolic and neutrik ones as well, but I do love that machined look.
> 
> Yes I have a problem. That and expensive scotch.



I am a sucker for those beautiful Furutech Connectors as well. I just ordered a bunch of them


----------



## Paladin79

They do look good and I agree about the expensive scotch, an acquired taste, but one I have acquired. Unfortunately the laws are still a little strict here on enjoying a good Cuban cigar, you folks can probably legally buy Cohiba Esplendidos, maybe one day we can again.

Ok back to cables and connectors. Honestly there is a need for quality 2.5 mm trrs connectors and Furutech sells a form of them. Personally I do not have devices that need that connector but things change and I may one day.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Single-malt and cigars, I knew I liked you guys. My current jam is Balvenie 12 year single-barrel (If I have some extra dollars in my wallet) and Alec Bradley Black Markets. The BMs are a nice rich oily Nicaraguan cigar, medium bodied. I haven't had a legitimate Cuban yet, so ignorance is bliss I suppose. 

With the TRRS 2.5mm I have seen a few break, including the Furutech (this person was rather rough with their gear so I'm not surprised). The thing is, nearly everyone that has a player with a 2.5mm TRRS inlet can afford a $35 connector, thus Furutech's high price kinda makes sense in the market. On a budget, these work perfectly well at a small fraction of the price. If purchasing, note there are small and large opening versions.


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 8, 2018)

I generally get Balvenie 21 year old for special occasions and I have been fortunate enough to have been in Canada to buy Cuban cigars from certified shops. I have a friend going to Cuba soon so if it is legal now I will have her grab a couple extra and send you one gratis HiFlyin. The Esplendido is what Castro used to pass out to dignitaries, last price I saw was $739 for 25. I have owned at least two boxes and many single cigars, mostly Montecristo and Cohiba.

Those are decent looking connectors, and the knurling should help plugging them in and out. By the way I am still working on building a headphone amp into this box. I have the components, just not enough time yet to build the circuit board.


----------



## JamieMcC (Mar 8, 2018)

lol that brings back some memories a few years back (20 odd) I took a tour round the Cohiba cigar factory in Havana, on the way round I couldn't resist buying some and picked up 40 cigars for a $20 note from one of the rollers who had a desk jammed full of them. They were mostly labelled Esplendidos all tied up in bunches (not boxed up). I don't smoke myself and didn't know what I was buying at the time only that these suckers were huge.

I did try a couple myself the rest were given away to friends.


----------



## kingkikapu

Had a Cohiba while backcountry skiing on New Years Day in the remote north. Canada has its perks. Good times. 

Oban14 is always good. I like it better than a lot of 15/18years. I was drinking the distillers edition last night while browsing this thread. 

As for 4pins, I’ve got a black furutech and the standard neutriks. For the price, the neutrik is hard to beat.  Just wish there were some different xlr connectors on the market.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9 (Mar 8, 2018)

Paladin79 said:


> I have a friend going to Cuba soon so if it is legal now I will have her grab a couple extra and send you one gratis HiFlyin.


Sounds good to me Paladin 

That box is calling out for electronics inside, haha. Pete Millett made a nice cigar box preamp recently. I have a nice one from Montecristo I'm holding onto for that purpose... or maybe a cigar box guitar.



kingkikapu said:


> As for 4pins, I’ve got a black furutech and the standard neutriks. For the price, the neutrik is hard to beat.  Just wish there were some different xlr connectors on the market.


Check out the Switchcraft AAA XLRs. *Very solid* 2 piece design. They're 90% of the Furutech for 20% of the price. Trouble is finding retailers with stock.







....Eidolic makes a nice one too. Tellurium copper pins.


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 8, 2018)

JamieMcC said:


> lol that brings back some memories a few years back (20 odd) I took a tour round the Cohiba cigar factory in Havana, on the way round I couldn't resist buying some and picked up 40 cigars for a $20 note from one of the rollers who had a desk jammed full of them. They were mostly labelled Esplendidos all tied up in bunches (not boxed up). I don't smoke myself and didn't know what I was buying at the time only that these suckers were huge.
> 
> I did try a couple myself the rest were given away to friends.



I always share them with my son but I rarely take him scotch, his is arranged by regions of Scotland and put my poor offerings to shame. A couple people on here live close to that area of Virginia across the Potomac from DC.

Anyway I have two such boxes and they are available on Ebay I saw, my other one has a glass top so maybe I can do an amp/preamp combo.

I will have to look for the Switchcraft XLR's, I have to use some of their mini four pins on some projects as well as Amphenols and Neutriks.

Oh yeah I just got some colored mesh that is a high percentage of cotton yet it has a good amount of flex and stretch so there is a bit of other material in there as well. This was Mil spec and quite nicely made but it will be a while before I get a chance to try it out. No strands on the inside, this is not your normal paracord.


----------



## JamieMcC

Looking forward to all my bits arriving for the HD800 cable I ordered a second set of connectors and the plan has grown into making up a premium cable  (brand undecided) and a budget cable using some Canare L-4E starquad which arrived a couple of days ago. Had to get my glasses out to be able to make out the individual wires, going to need my magnifying glass for sure on the plus side at least its not as small as the Cardas 4x33 tonearm wire that was a mission and a half.

I enjoy a wee dram also (half Scottish) and treat myself to one bottle of a nice single malt every year on the premise it has to be savoured and last me the year.  The last few years I have been working my way round distilleries from the Sottish Islands, Arran, Jurra, Skye, Mull etc This years tipple is still to be decided. A crystal tumbler I was given adds to the enjoyment.


----------



## Allanmarcus

K1030 said:


> Next month I'll be purchasing the Campfire Audio Cascade; are the connectors the same as the ones found on the Sennheiser HD800? If so are they interchangeable and does anyone know of a good place to get a balanced 2.5mm. Thanks in advance.


It was confirmed on another site that the cascade uses the same connectors as the HD 800.

“Those are HD800 connectors, too. Throw on any HD800 cable.”
“Oh right, yes 100% compatible with the HD800.”
Ken (owner of campfire audio)


----------



## K1030

Allanmarcus said:


> It was confirmed on another site that the cascade uses the same connectors as the HD 800.
> 
> “Those are HD800 connectors, too. Throw on any HD800 cable.”
> “Oh right, yes 100% compatible with the HD800.”
> Ken (owner of campfire audio)


Thanks, I appreciate it.


----------



## CoiL

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> Sounds good to me Paladin
> 
> That box is calling out for electronics inside, haha. Pete Millett made a nice cigar box preamp recently. I have a nice one from Montecristo I'm holding onto for that purpose... or maybe a cigar box guitar.
> 
> ...


I also use Rean mXLR:







Imo, good & cheap


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 10, 2018)

JamieMcC said:


> Looking forward to all my bits arriving for the HD800 cable I ordered a second set of connectors and the plan has grown into making up a premium cable  (brand undecided) and a budget cable using some Canare L-4E starquad which arrived a couple of days ago. Had to get my glasses out to be able to make out the individual wires, going to need my magnifying glass for sure on the plus side at least its not as small as the Cardas 4x33 tonearm wire that was a mission and a half.
> 
> I enjoy a wee dram also (half Scottish) and treat myself to one bottle of a nice single malt every year on the premise it has to be savoured and last me the year.  The last few years I have been working my way round distilleries from the Sottish Islands, Arran, Jurra, Skye, Mull etc This years tipple is still to be decided. A crystal tumbler I was given adds to the enjoyment.



Just remember crystal is a porous substance and will pick up flavors so never wash it with detergents, plain water and a white cloth I believe is the preferred method. When adding ice, my son goes as far as forming perfectly round ice cubes, you do not want little chips of ice diluting the scotch. He and I also use little marble stones you keep in the freezer, you chill the scotch without any water. Jamie, I would be glad to hear your recommendations, my son is not an easy person to buy for and if you like something around the 20 year old mark please let me know. This year I am getting him Camus XO cognac, not the $1200 version but one in a less fancy bottle.

I love those Rean four pin mini xlrs because of the arrow markings. Rean is Neutrik or a division thereof so you can be assured they are good. I use the Rean connectors with pig tails to quickly add different connectors to a given four strand cable. Balanced to TRS in a matter of seconds without constantly plugging the headphone connectors in and out. I have noticed a small size difference on some of the cheaper connectors for Sennheisers and I feel safer not plugging those in and out as I change the cable usage. Little pins with tight tolerances are not always reproduced well IMHO.


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 10, 2018)

I do have some 100% cotton tubing on the way, it comes in white but I am going to find out how well it takes dye. I have in mind a balanced litz cable down to a four pin mini xlr for Sennheiser HD 650's. Shooting for orange and navy blue.

I want to find some silver or light grey metal Y beads that have a smooth, cylindrical shape and add a bit of color to them with some equipment I have laying around for arrow cresting. Black does not allow the navy blue to show up so a light color is best and the blue and orange should really pop if done well. I may experiment with doing the same on some connectors. 
      Here is also a cotton/poly blend I will use with star quad or similar sized wire. I love the looks and feel of this material. It is also lacking the microphonic qualities of nylon and plastic. It is loose on this yellow star quad but tightens down nicely. In a flat measurement, it goes from about 9mm to 20mm as it is stretched and expanded so it will accommodate cable diameters down to 6 mm. (6 is in the photo.)


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## CoiL

Guys, I need some advice with my re-sleeved van damme XKE pro patch cable sleeve with paracord long time ago - it has gone littlebit "worn" like little tiny fabric "balls" have formed on the sleeve.
How to avoid this? Special quality sleeve? Paracords all go "bad" like this? 
Just doubting I will sleeve my new braided cable this time.
This is the cable I`m taling about:


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## kn0ppers

You could try MDPC-X Sleeving (not as soft, but durable, PET sleeve) or Viablue small which also should last for a while. I have no experience with paracord..


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## Paladin79

I do not like to use 100% pet sleeving but I have found lots of cotton with PET reinforcement that holds up very well and is less susceptible to microphonics. I have used this type of sleeving for two years without issues but then I own a lot of cables.

https://www.moddiy.com/categories/Cable-Sleeving/PET-PP-Cotton-Braided-Sleeving/

This company ships worldwide and has quite a large selection of colors and sizes. Those are obviously Neutrik/Rean connectors on the cable shown and the fact the cable fit inside the grommet on the right angle connector gives me a good indication of the size of that cable. Here is four mm cotton/pet sleeving fitting on 3.5 and 6 mm diameter cable respectively. The cotton is raised more than the PET , cotton is silver, pet is black in this case.


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## Terry Newton

I'm looking for Canadian suppliers that sell *2.5mm 4pole TRRS Balanced 16 Core OCC Silver Mixed Headphone Cable For Sennheiser HD800 HD800s as found here.
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5842*

* Or is there a Canadian list here that I have missed?*


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## JamieMcC

Interesting idea dying the cotton sleeve .that sort of thinking appeals to me.

Maybe psychedelic tie dye style or even some kind of swirled marbling ink has the potential to create some interesting patterns. I messed about a bit with swirling paint but found it hard to get consistent results that I was happy with.

You haven't succumbed to curly vane mania?

The mail man surprised me today with a package from china my hd800 connectors damn that was quick they are nicely made but an extremely tight fit to tight imho I have a second pair on the way as well which are of a slightly different design maybe they will fit a bit better.


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## Paladin79

Wow very nice work Jamie! 

The cotton mesh I have on the way is pretty tiny so it will not allow for too many color changes. i ordered 1 mm and 1.5 mm.

I am pretty old school on the vane design, I was taught by a gentleman who is purported to have made the arrows in the movie Deliverance so no curly vanes here lol.

Good luck with the tiny pins on those connectors, if you have to use 26 awg then litz wire might be a good choice for you or maybe use some Mogami star quad with 26 awg wires. If I can help in any way as you start using those just let me know and I will offer what advice I can. I get kind of bored with the electronics so it is fun to play around with new methods. Here is some of my work with patinating copper..


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## JamieMcC

Very nice really like the blue patter-nation I enjoyed following your posts on the Crack bb and BHF


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## Paladin79 (Mar 10, 2018)

I keep trying different cables with the high impedance headphones on the Crack, once I plugged 650's into it I have been very happy with the results.


. One day I will get some HD 800's but I have too many irons in the fire right now. I am curious to see how Litz wire works with those, I saw some today that had 1600 strands at 38 awg but that must be fairly large overall wire gauge lol. I would definitely use a solder pot with that and probably leave the wire dunked in there for a bit just to insure removing all the insulation from the individual wires

I am currently designing a cabinet to hold several amps and pieces of audio equipment. Quartered oak to go with my steampunk design. Edison lights will be involved as well as brass and copper most likely.


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## HiGHFLYiN9

Ah Paladin I forgot you had that awesomely patina'd BH Crack. It's definitely the best finish I've seen on a copper plate so far. 



Terry Newton said:


> I'm looking for Canadian suppliers that sell *2.5mm 4pole TRRS Balanced 16 Core OCC Silver Mixed Headphone Cable For Sennheiser HD800 HD800s as found here. http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5842 Or is there a Canadian list here that I have missed?*


It's been mentioned a few times here on this thread that you can't really validate the quality of metal you are receiving from overseas, so I doubt anyone is selling something like that locally. If you'd like a good supplier of DIY audio parts in Canada, check out auDIYo.com ... also Partsconnexion and Takefiveaudio.


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## Terry Newton

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> It's been mentioned a few times here on this thread that you can't really validate the quality of metal you are receiving from overseas, so I doubt anyone is selling something like that locally. If you'd like a good supplier of DIY audio parts in Canada, check out auDIYo.com ... also Partsconnexion and Takefiveaudio.


  Thank you.


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## Paladin79

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> Ah Paladin I forgot you had that awesomely patina'd BH Crack. It's definitely the best finish I've seen on a copper plate so far.



Thanks Highflyin, if you ever want to learn the process I will give you a hand with it, outside of this thread since it is off topic. I achieved a lighter blue on this amp but prefer the darker blues and green effect.

At times there are some decent connectors that come in from overseas, some of the major companies have some things built there but to their strict guidelines. I once looked for american made connectors and the choices were pretty slim if you want the factory to be here. Some of the Belden cable i use is still made in northern Indiana and I got used to using it after talking to the engineering dept. at a local university. Things like Belden 1505A are high quality and can be used for both digital and analog applications.


----------



## kwatch

How do I thin out the shield of Belden 1505F in order to solder?


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## Paladin79 (Mar 13, 2018)

You twist it together, there is so much braid there that it should not matter much if you cut away about a third of it. I would take more of the black jacket off since you will be removing some of that white dielectric to get to the center conductor. I am looking around for photos, and I will post a couple when time allows.

You want to leave yourself plenty of room between the braid and center conductor, then you can trim either down a bit as needed. I generally add some solder to the braid itself to make sure the tiny strands stay in place. I did this one in a hurry as a demo and left the dielectric longer than you would need to if using RCA connectors.

The 1505f is excellent cable for interconnects. You can also use it for digital applications.


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## Allanmarcus

To add to what @Paladin79 said. After removing about an inch of the outer insolation, I use a small screw driver to gently separate the braid, then using the screwdriver again, I split the now straight wires of the shield into on one side of the wire, the twist them together on the other side (as shown in Paladin's pic above. Then either put a short bit of heat shrink or tin the whole resultant wire.


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## Paladin79

I have done so many of those cables that I rarely use much beyond a pocket knife to remove the jacket and dielectric, small side cutters to trim excess wire and that is about it for me.  My preference on side cutters is Lindstrom, knife by Boker.


----------



## Paladin79

Newark is having a sale on Tenma soldering stations and products. I have used some of their equipment in the past and had good experiences with it but I have never personally used their soldering stations. The first and second items listed, that soldering station for $59.95 and the fume extractor for $34.95 are very good prices for that type of product IMHO. Same with one pound of rosin core solder for $17.99.  If you are ever working with a solder pot, that type of fume extractor can be most important.


http://www.newark.com/tenmasolder?C...MA-HERO&et_cid=29872761&et_rid=915136859&cmp=


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## CoiL

Any recommendations where from can I get similar very soft coating (PVC/silicone) copper cable as comes with iBasso IT01?


----------



## Allanmarcus

CoiL said:


> Any recommendations where from can I get similar very soft coating (PVC/silicone) copper cable as comes with iBasso IT01?


I have to admit I've never touched this wire, but always wondered about it

https://www.adafruit.com/category/282

it's AdaFruit's silicone wire page. They re a DIY computer site. If you get some, please post your results and impressions.


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## Paladin79

I have used silicone wire and it should definitely be soft and flexible. I did a search for some pre-made cables for the Ibasso just for the heck of it and most were $99 up, for that price you can order new iems with cable lol. It reminded me of folks who would buy a whole ink jet printer every time they ran out of ink cause the cartridges were so expensive.


----------



## CoiL

Allanmarcus said:


> I have to admit I've never touched this wire, but always wondered about it
> https://www.adafruit.com/category/282
> it's AdaFruit's silicone wire page. They re a DIY computer site. If you get some, please post your results and impressions.


48$ for shipping to EU ? LOL, heck NO!

IT01 cable is by far the most softest&flexible IEM cable I have ever touched and own.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 15, 2018)

https://www.amazon.com/BNTECHGO-Sil...21140692&sr=8-7&keywords=silicone+wire+26+awg

There is plenty of silicone wire on Amazon but you may be running into similar problems with shipping costs.

I checked some shipping rates and you are not needing a lot of wire. I could most likely put some in an envelope, mail it, and see if it gets to you, no charge. As long as it is not in a package, I doubt customs would be very concerned. I just have no way of knowing if it will be as flexible as what you are hoping for.

If the Chinese will ship there free, here is 3 meters for 99 cents.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/10Feet-3M-...696084&hash=item2116f8466c:g:EgAAAOSwYIxX2Kzg

I did not see Estonia on the list of countries they would exclude from shipping.


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## CoiL

I`ve gone through amazon, ebay and others... nothing like IT01 cable. I would like transparent sleeve + OFC (not tinned or silvered) but it seems to be impossible to find such cable, at least I couldn`t find.
I already have some other braided cables like Papri AG+CU 8-strand but it has PVC sleeving and they are nowhere near as soft as IT01 cable is. Have to hold carefully that cable - it`s freaking good.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 16, 2018)

Good luck in your search, I do not do much with IEM cables. Most likely the company approached a vendor and had that specific cable built, such things can be very difficult to track down.

I find the IEM's you mentioned for sale for around $99 with cable, it might be a way to get another one if it means that much to you.


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## CoiL

No, doesn`t matter SO much but would be nice to make to my other fav IEMs cable with such flexibility. Definitely not buying another IT01 just for cable...
Though, as they say - never say never


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## Paladin79

If all goes well, this weekend I will be working with some litz wire and I may be able to post a couple pictures of the use of liquid rosin, a solder pot, and fume extractor. I want to make a four wire balanced cable down to a mini four pin XLR. With that setup i will be able to add pig tails to go quickly from a dual solid state balanced amp setup over to a Bottlehead crack within ten seconds or so. This will keep me from constantly plugging connectors in and out of Sennheiser 650's and save some wear and tear on the headphone jacks.


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## CoiL

Give us pics!


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## Paladin79

Easily done.

 I have also figured out a low cost cabinet for amps, dacs, headphones, switch boxes, etc. I am running out of space and I believe I have a low cost solution that will allow storage and access to eight or more devices, in a minimal amount of space at a cost of around $120. This also involves DIY cable storage so it might pertain to this thread just a bit. I will also make custom length interconnects for all equipment so there is some DIY involved there as well. I shall build in easy access and expandability.


----------



## EthanTM

The page on cable braiding seems to be broken now: *http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos.htm*
I am pretty sure the link was working just a few weeks ago... Is there another place I can find a guide? There was a pretty unusual 4 strand flat braid that that website had a guide on. I am having trouble finding it anywhere else.


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## garcsa

Help me please, 
How to twist two cables (Toxic Viper, OD 1.4mm) to remain twisted?


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## Allanmarcus

EthanTM said:


> The page on cable braiding seems to be broken now: *http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos.htm*
> I am pretty sure the link was working just a few weeks ago... Is there another place I can find a guide? There was a pretty unusual 4 strand flat braid that that website had a guide on. I am having trouble finding it anywhere else.


works for me.


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## rwpritchett (Mar 17, 2018)

rwpritchett said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I'm planning my first DIY cable for my HE-500. I have a mix of amps using 3.5mm and 6.35mm jacks for headphones. Ideally, I would like to construct a cable terminated in a TRS that has a twist-off adapter like the stock AKG and other OEM cables have but I'm having a very difficult time finding a source for the part. I'm not even sure what this type of TRS is called officially, that might be why my google-fu is failing me.
> 
> ...



Replying to my own forum query here to help anyone else looking for a source for a quality threaded 3.5mm TRS  DIY connector. B&H Photo sells the connector used on Sony phones part # SONY18TRSMV2. I don't care for the orange lettering and haven't found a non-abrasive way to remove it. Acetone does nothing to it so might have to live with it. Anyway, here's the link.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 17, 2018)

If that connector works well for the application except for the lettering or the black finish, I have used a buffing pad on a bench grinder and jewelers rouge to remove finishes without damaging the metal underneath but I am not sure it would not damage the black finish. I started with black connectors but wanted to take them down to a brass finish. You could also just spray paint over the existing body of the connector with black lacquer and a clear coat, or even gold or silver paint.

They are available on EBay out of China.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20set-Self-locking-stereo-plated-6-35mm-revolution-to-3-5mm-self-locking-nut-tak/162814359803?_trkparms=pageci:af5f9eb5-29ec-11e8-8166-74dbd1807c12|parentrq:344a70c21620abd8d48e8e4dfffaa50d|iid:1&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-1-8-3-...738316?hash=item284d03108c:g:RlgAAOSw6-hYm4FY


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## Paladin79 (Mar 17, 2018)

This is my quick home solder pot setup for working with litz wire. To the left the black object in the first photo is a fume extractor, I have cut bar solder with a jigsaw (thanks to Highflyin for that suggestion), in the small black container next to the litz wire is kester liquid rosin. Second photo shows how easy it is to melt more solder once the first small piece starts flowing. Third photo is litz wire after I dunked it in the liquid rosin, then the molten solder. I dunked it in both the rosin and the solder several times to achieve the desired tinning. Final photo shows the brown remnants of the litz coating, it is visible in the white portion of the melted solder in the solder pot. That is 26 awg litz wire with a nylon jacket, the solder is Ultra Low Dross Kester brand. The solder pot is available at Digikey for around $30 or so as I recall, they have less expensive models but the higher the wattage, the more quickly it will melt the solder; this one has a fairly large bowl compared to some. Once the solder pot is going, the process of tinning one end of the litz wire is probably 20 seconds or so. I am fairly ambidextrous but I did not feel safe trying to take a photo with my right hand as I dunked the wire with my left. The black container with the green top is from 35 mm film, (some of you might recall when such film was used), it gives you an idea of the size of a spool containing 100 feet of litz wire.


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## ostewart

garcsa said:


> Help me please,
> How to twist two cables (Toxic Viper, OD 1.4mm) to remain twisted?


----------



## buke9

Just bought some generic 60/40 solder from Amazon and boy is it dross filled. Got some of the Kester liquid flux you suggested and thanks for that good stuff. Other than just skimming it off the top is there other things to do to get rid of the dross?


----------



## kingkikapu

Allanmarcus said:


> works for me.


But not for me it seems. Regional 404?


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## Paladin79 (Mar 17, 2018)

buke9 said:


> Just bought some generic 60/40 solder from Amazon and boy is it dross filled. Got some of the Kester liquid flux you suggested and thanks for that good stuff. Other than just skimming it off the top is there other things to do to get rid of the dross?



I use a device like a church key, paint can opener, or bottle opener are other terms for them. A cheap metal device with a curved end to skim across the top of the solder. No matter what you do eventually dross will form. What I showed in the photo was a first time melt with just one litz wire dunked into it so it stayed very clean.


----------



## garcsa

ostewart said:


>



Thanks!


----------



## buke9

garcsa said:


> Thanks!


 if you have a vise and a variable speed drill that works real well also. One end in the vise and the other in the drills chuck and slowly twist up does a good job.


----------



## Paladin79

Twisted pair and bonded twisted pair is inside a jacket for a reason. Once twisted I use heat shrink tubing, clear tubing or paracord to help maintain the twists. I also have some pure cotton mesh on the way for the same purpose. The twists should be uniform and hopefully remain that way.


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## buke9

Got some Toxic Black Widow 26 awg Litz and it doesn’t like to stay twisted so heat shrink would be my choice .


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## Paladin79 (Mar 17, 2018)

I am in the middle of putting some litz wire inside paracord, I will post of photo of the method I used when all four wires are complete and ready to be braided.

This is using a darning needle that I ground the point off of, then rounded it a bit. It does not snag the paracord and I merely looped the litz wire through it and proceeded to populate 24 feet of paracord fairly quickly. Size 100 paracord as I recall, 26 awg litz wire.


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## garcsa

Too nice cables to put in paracord. 
I will try with 2 plus transparent silicone threads (1mm). So after split there will be 3 braid .  I'll see..


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## Paladin79

This wire is doubled only for a couple inches so that it works with this needle. I am using single litz wire in each paracord. First I tried soldering the wire so it did not come out of the eye of the needle but I found that it worked just by looping it through the eye and there was very little resistance.


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## Allanmarcus

When you guys talk about Litz wire, what “type” litz are you using? From what I understand, there are 8 litz types

http://www.litzwire.com/litz_types.htm


----------



## rwpritchett

Paladin79 said:


> If that connector works well for the application except for the lettering or the black finish, I have used a buffing pad on a bench grinder and jewelers rouge to remove finishes without damaging the metal underneath but I am not sure it would not damage the black finish. I started with black connectors but wanted to take them down to a brass finish. You could also just spray paint over the existing body of the connector with black lacquer and a clear coat, or even gold or silver paint.
> 
> They are available on EBay out of China.
> 
> ...



That second eBay link is what I had in mind for my project. I'll have to keep that in mind next time since I've already acquired a couple of the Sony plugs.

For the Sony plugs, I was able to get the orange lettering off the barrel by using one of those Mr Clean magic erasers to carefully buff it off. It took a while, that lettering on the barrel is really meant to last.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 18, 2018)

This is in response to Allan's mention of litz wire, I should have quoted his post first.


Type two is the closest to what is being used I would think but these are examples of what that particular company produces. You can do the same thing with any copper stranded wire, there are multiple types of bundles that can be woven. They are indeed using litz wire. What I am using is like one little bundle of the type two, it is not multiple bundles, what is shown in the links is more for industrial applications.

I have seen some chinese produce bundles similar to type two because you can use standard equipment to achieve such a braid.

This definition is more in line with what I have learned, it is just from Wikipedia but offers some insight:

*Litz wire* is a type of specialized multistrand wire or cable used in electronics to carry alternating current (AC) at radio frequencies. The wire is designed to reduce the skin effect and proximity effect losses in conductors used at frequencies up to about 1 MHz.[1] It consists of many thin wire strands, individually insulated and twisted or woven together, following one of several carefully prescribed patterns[2] often involving several levels (groups of twisted wires are twisted together, etc.). The result of these winding patterns is to equalize the proportion of the overall length over which each strand is at the outside of the conductor. This has the effect of distributing the current equally among the wire strands, reducing the resistance. Litz wire is used in high Q inductors for radio transmitters and receivers operating at low frequencies, induction heating equipment and switching power supplies.

The term litz wire originates from _Litzendraht_ (coll. _Litze_), German for braided/stranded wire[3] or woven wire.[4]

The key is equalizing the amount of time that each individual strand is at the outside of the wire. The article then goes on to explain skin effect. If you do a search for litz braid you will get links to this site where folks are talking about braiding wire. Unless they are using wire with individually insulated strands, I do believe that term is being misused.


Conf\using, is it not?

I work with wire made for high frequencies and some of it has an air core or steel core with copper at the outside of a large single conductor. At high frequencies the signal path is on the outside of the wire, skin effect. This is for frequencies 100,000 hertz and above. Audio frequencies that the human ear can detect are in the 20-20,000 hertz range, if you are lucky enough to still hear those frequencies. That is why I generally say silver plated copper looks nice, but has little to do with sound quality in audio wire. If the wire is solid silver, that is different.

Today I hope to braid some litz wire, in a litz braid, or should I just say I am braiding litz wire.  One thing is for certain, skin effect will not come into play much but just like using silver compared to copper, how this wire is constructed in terms of resonance, and proximity may cause it to sound slightly different than other stranded copper wire. Now if I hook this wire to some equipment in my shop and introduce frequencies of say 1 megahertz, then I would be able to measure some marked changes between what is happening with the two types of wire.

Update: I went so far as to examine my litz wire under a nikon inspection microscope and the pattern does not match any of those eight shown. It is 26 awg and there are no bundles as you would see in the examples shown. You will have to take my word for this unless I can figure out a way to do some macro photography later today. Getting a photo through the inspection scope is not an easy thing to do.

Here is more from New England Wire on soldering LITZ:
https://www.newenglandwire.com/litz-wire-termination-guide/

Please note they only mention soldering with a solder pot and to use fume extraction. The wire I used is not nearly the size of what they show, so I had little chance of lowering the temp of my solder pot.


----------



## Paladin79

rwpritchett said:


> That second eBay link is what I had in mind for my project. I'll have to keep that in mind next time since I've already acquired a couple of the Sony plugs.
> 
> For the Sony plugs, I was able to get the orange lettering off the barrel by using one of those Mr Clean magic erasers to carefully buff it off. It took a while, that lettering on the barrel is really meant to last.



I am glad you were able to achieve what you wanted RW. I generally use the jewelers rouge on watch crystals so it was one of the less abrasive things I could think of just as toothpaste might work to polish plastic headlight covers. I had already located the connectors on Ebay for someone else so they were easy for me to locate a second time.


----------



## Paladin79

This is using a wire holder attachment on a panavise to hold four wires as I do a braid. A wrap or two around the coil holds each of the four wires in a secure manner. I like to have a bit of spacing at the top with each wire equidistant.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Thanks @Paladin79 . The reason I ask is that @PLUSSOUND says they use Type 6 lizt, which must be custom made for them, as I cannot find it anywhere is headphone size. Cooner Wire has it, but smallest is 9AWG. Cooner has a 22 AWG type 5, but when I sent them an email enquiring about samples and pricing, I got no response. I should probably call them.


----------



## Paladin79

Allanmarcus said:


> Thanks @Paladin79 . The reason I ask is that @PLUSSOUND says they use Type 6 lizt, which must be custom made for them, as I cannot find it anywhere is headphone size. Cooner Wire has it, but smallest is 9AWG. Cooner has a 22 AWG type 5, but when I sent them an email enquiring about samples and pricing, I got no response. I should probably call them.



I seriously doubt what they are calling type six equates to what New England Wire calls type six but I have no way of knowing. The fiber core is used on some cables to insure the round shape but it also keeps all bundles on the outside of the cable. If you read the uses for what New England Wire is producing, you will not see any audio applications so it gets tricky when you are not comparing apples to apples. I have seen closeups of some chinese Litz were you can see several bundles of wire, if a bundle runs down the center of the cable, it is not likely that all wires reach the outside surface equally nor are they as concerned if they do not.  You are trying to limit skin effect when using high frequencies and keep the signal traveling on the inside of the wires as much as possible. You have less worries with audio frequencies so more than likely it is the proximity effect that can help litz wire when used in audio applications. What I have was made in Russia, it is not bundled and each strand may well indeed be exposed to the outside since it was made for specific applications. I like to see country of origin whenever I buy such things, it really should appear on the product.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 20, 2018)

Does anyone have a good source for USB type B connectors? Type A are readily available. I hope to build a 12 or 13 foot quality custom cable from computer to DAC using miniature star quad cable. (USB type 2 plugs)

never mind...

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/assmann-wsw-components/A-USBPB-N/AE11180-ND/5017725

I have been pricing some that go from around $50 -$1,000 and some of the $50 items use star quad.

Digikey has all needed parts including hoods for both the A and B plugs. It will be fun to see how well this works.

Another possible cable is Belden 8723. Dual twisted pair, 22 AWG, well shielded and I found a history of folks using it for USB.


----------



## bcowen

Paladin79 said:


> Does anyone have a good source for USB type B connectors? Type A are readily available. I hope to build a 12 or 13 foot quality custom cable from computer to DAC using miniature star quad cable. (USB type 2 plugs)
> 
> never mind...
> 
> ...



I like these:

http://www.partsconnexion.com/product25845.html

A bit pricey, and they only come in A/B pairs, but they're nicely made....and gold plated (if that makes any difference for the application at hand).


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## Paladin79 (Mar 21, 2018)

Thanks! I prefer using the gold plated but had not seen many so far. One of my employees mentioned that gold might be nice. Most anything that does not corrode is good but gold has a nice look with black.

I have a bunch of nickel plated on the way, I was considering building a half dozen or so and giving them away to folks on here to test out. I will be adding mesh or some type to pretty them up a bit, paracord or pure cotton.

The Belden wire is individually shielded twisted pair, if it is bonded twisted pair, then it is top notch material. i did not have much time today to research that but these should work very well. I also will experiment with some star quad, most anything with four well shielded wires and a good shield system is certainly a start. The Belden is also 22 awg which should allow the cables to be used at a maximum of 15 feet.

I have plans for a cabinet for all of my amps etc but  the distance was a factor so I started shopping around. I will post photos when it is done. Naturally I will use top of the line interconnect cables but I also want storage for all of my headphone cables, headphones, and turntable related products.


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## buke9

USB https://doublehelixcables.com/product/dhc-custom-gold-usb-connectors-set-of-a-b/


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## Paladin79 (Mar 21, 2018)

Thanks Buke, I had a chance to look around a bit last night and found some for $5.00 a set in 15 micron gold plating if I buy them in bulk. It was a little shocking to see Ebay sellers from China asking as much as some local merchants on the same or lesser parts. A lot of the nickel plated shells still have gold contacts, the shell in nickel or gold will not tarnish but that is still mostly for looks. This is going to be an easy build and something most anyone with a soldering iron can do provided they purchase connectors with solder lugs and not SMD (surface mount) contacts.

Buying 100 sets, (if I get into production on these cables) the price gets even better for gold or rose gold connectors.

I have received drawings from several manufacturers I can find very little difference between the connectors on U.S. made product and those that might be imported. By Friday of this week I will have built a couple A-B cables and will do a bit of testing.


----------



## leeperry

hey guys, gonna go quad-braided OCC with black paracord but I need a nice looking & lightweight Y splitter, any ideas please? I guess I'm stuck to stuff like https://www.ebay.com/itm/KSS-black-Cable-Pants-for-DIY-speaker-cables-boots-4pcs-/252426829590 ?


----------



## EthanTM

If you are braiding your cable, would you just cut off all of the insulation around the wires, sleeve each wire, and then braid them back together? If so, would the lack of insulation affect sound quality, and if not, how is buying canare L-4E6S star quad cable and stripping off all of the insulation to make the cable different from just buying regular copper wire from a hardware store and sleeving that?
In other words, for braiding cable, do you still even need special insulated audio cables like Canare star quad cable or could you just use regular 21 AWG copper wire and get the same results?


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 21, 2018)

Manufacturers like Canare, Mogami, Belden etc. use a higher grade of copper wire, less impurities and oxygen than hardware store grade. They often use a higher strand count that allows for flexibility yet better conduction and less resistance than lesser strand count wire.

Star quad also has great shielding and a very exact twisted pair system. Some manufacturers even use bonded pairs since twists can change as cable is bent.

To answer the first part of your question, you can remove overall jacket in star quad but I would leave individual wire jacket and form twisted pair with mesh or heat shrink tubing over twists to help maintain uniformity in twists. Tomorrow I will post a link to twisted pair and why maintaining exact twists is important.


----------



## EthanTM

Paladin79 said:


> Manufacturers like Canare, Mogami, Belden etc. use a higher grade of copper wire, less impurities and oxygen than hardware store grade. They often use a higher strand count that allows for flexibility yet better conduction and less resistance than lesser strand count wire.
> 
> Star quad also has great shielding and a very exact twisted pair system. Some manufacturers even use bonded pairs since twists can change as cable is bent.
> 
> To answer the first part of your question, you can remove overall jacket in star quad but I would leave individual wire jacket and form twisted pair with mesh or heat shrink tubing over twists to help maintain uniformity in twists. Tomorrow I will post a link to twisted pair and why maintaining exact twists is important.


Awesome. I don't know why maintaining exact twists is important so that link will help


----------



## Allanmarcus

EthanTM said:


> Awesome. I don't know why maintaining exact twists is important so that link will help


Most of us remove the outer insulation and shield, then use the inner, still insulated, connectors.  Often we braid 4, 8,and sometime 16 wires to make the cable.  Sometime the cables are paracord sleeved, sometime not.  See my DIY site for some of my samples, or look at the DIY Cable gallery thread.



leeperry said:


> hey guys, gonna go quad-braided OCC with black paracord but I need a nice looking & lightweight Y splitter, any ideas please? I guess I'm stuck to stuff like https://www.ebay.com/itm/KSS-black-Cable-Pants-for-DIY-speaker-cables-boots-4pcs-/252426829590 ?


See this page. https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/home/y-splitters
  Note, Cable pants suck as y splitters. They just aren’t the right size. Also, if you get a y splitter, make sure the openings are both side will fit. A caliper helps.


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 22, 2018)

EthanTM said:


> Awesome. I don't know why maintaining exact twists is important so that link will help



https://www.belden.com/blog/broadcast/how-starquad-works

This is one of my favorite articles on twisted pair, oftentimes there are two wires and a shield for TRS usage and that may be more what this gentleman is describing. Regardless, when you start with a quality product like star quad, I break out the four wires and try to get exact twists in each pair, then cover them with heat shrink tubing to lessen the chances that movement will affect the twists. 

The first time I heard of people cutting star quad apart and removing the wires, I was a little shocked. Why take a product that is so precisely made for a certain purpose and possibly decrease the overall quality by re-braiding the wires yourself?  Basically the answer is, some folks in other countries do not have easy access to quality OFC and the 24 or 26 awg  stranded wire used in such cables is quite good. Braided cables also look nice and it is fun to learn to make them and in effect by braiding, that is probably a form of twisted pair. I have gone as far as sending 24 awg ofc wire no charge to DIY builders in the U.S. so they do not have to cut star quad apart to retrieve the wires.

 My views probably differ from many because much of my education is in science, electronics and business and I work with cables for a living and we build a lot of custom cables for studio and professional usage. I also have a lot of equipment in close proximity in my home setup so I am pretty cautious about cable shielding. This weekend I will begin mounting some equipment in a cabinet for easier access and I will try to post photos of my DIY interconnect cables and how I lay them out once the process is completed. I am also working on a fairly precise setup to test various types of headphone cables against each other. I need some space to incorporate that but I need easy access for switching in and out occ copper, ofc, litz wire, four wire strands, eight wire strands etc.


----------



## leeperry

Allanmarcus said:


> See this page. https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/home/y-splitters
> Note, Cable pants suck as y splitters. They just aren’t the right size. Also, if you get a y splitter, make sure the openings are both side will fit. A caliper helps.


Yeah thanks but I really want it light-weight and I think some cable pants are small enough for the job, will look it up but I guess that's my only option.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 22, 2018)

As far as a good fit that is not too heavy, you can use adhesive heat shrink tubing and use long nose pliers or a hemostat to bond the tubing between the two legs of the cable. 2-1 heat shrink ratio is very common but 3-1 allows for shrinkage that fits two different diameters better in some cases. What I fashioned here serves the same function as cable pants but it also has adhesive to keep the two colors of mesh in place. It is a permanent addition so it is best to make sure you have proper continuity and a lack of short circuits before sealing it.


I just received cable and connectors for building USB A-B cables for use from computer to DAC. So far all sizes are perfect, cable with paracord is fitting nicely into the connector hoods. Within an hour if all goes well I will have a couple of quality usb cables to start testing. 22 awg, individually shielded twisted pairs with a nice looking mesh over the cables.


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## Allanmarcus

leeperry said:


> Yeah thanks but I really want it light-weight and I think some cable pants are small enough for the job, will look it up but I guess that's my only option.


The barrel splitters are very light. You could also do heat shrink like he pic above.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 22, 2018)

Custom built USB 2 A-B cables with poly mesh. These are only six foot or so but they work perfectly and there is plenty of room inside the connectors for soldering 22awg wires. We plugged them in to a dac and computer here. I will take one home and try it with other systems. We have a couple testers with these inputs so initial continuity tests were quick and easy. Getting the mesh on the cable was the most time consuming part, everything else is very easy.

After two hours of testing on various devices, the results are quite good. Now to try for longer lengths.


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## TidalWave (Mar 23, 2018)

I'm trying to find a wire diagram (which wire goes to which part on a connector) for a simple balanced cable (two 3.5mm single pole connectors to go into my headphones--Audeze SINE--and then terminating in a 2.5mm TRRS connector to music source.)

Looks like I need something like this for the TRRS end:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Gol...e-Male-Plug-Jack-metal-Audio/32814070681.html

And something like these for the plugs that go into the headphones, not sure if these are right.  A recommendation for nicer ones would be welcome.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10p...adphone-Male-Plugs-with-Tail/32831580394.html

Not sure which wire to use and which constituent wires to connect to which portions on each connector.  Is there a guide for such connections?  I've been looking and so far mostly see guides for female TRRS connections on youtube.


----------



## ramenmeal

Looking to make/buy a 2.5mm trrs FEMALE to 3.5mm trs MALE adapter. I'm having trouble finding 2.5mm trrs female terminations. Any recommendations? I found a metal one on aliexpress and some cheap plastic things around the net.


----------



## Allanmarcus

TidalWave said:


> I'm trying to find a wire diagram (which wire goes to which part on a connector) for a simple balanced cable (two 3.5mm single pole connectors to go into my headphones--Audeze SINE--and then terminating in a 2.5mm TRRS connector to music source.)
> 
> Looks like I need something like this for the TRRS end:
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Gol...e-Male-Plug-Jack-metal-Audio/32814070681.html
> ...


The easiest way is to just use a multimeter and figure what connects to what. Use continuity setting in the multimeter. Multimeters are cheap, and you need one if you are going to build cables.


----------



## TidalWave

Allanmarcus said:


> The easiest way is to just use a multimeter and figure what connects to what. Use continuity setting in the multimeter. Multimeters are cheap, and you need one if you are going to build cables.



Thanks, I do have and use a multimeter, but I still wouldn't know which should be signals and which should be ground.  For instance the Tip|Ring|Ring|Sleeve doesn't tell me anything.  Ring / Ring are left and right signal wires?  Tip and Sleeve are ground?  But which is which?  That's the sort of thing I want to know for my particular cable.  I have plenty of soldering experience for my other hobby, but I've never tinkered with audio cables before.


----------



## Allanmarcus

TidalWave said:


> Thanks, I do have and use a multimeter, but I still wouldn't know which should be signals and which should be ground.  For instance the Tip|Ring|Ring|Sleeve doesn't tell me anything.  Ring / Ring are left and right signal wires?  Tip and Sleeve are ground?  But which is which?  That's the sort of thing I want to know for my particular cable.  I have plenty of soldering experience for my other hobby, but I've never tinkered with audio cables before.


Do you have an existing cable to test? I may have assumed you do.


----------



## TidalWave

Allanmarcus said:


> Do you have an existing cable to test? I may have assumed you do.



I only have 2 standard cables terminating in a 3.5mm TRS connector.  I'd like to make a balanced cable terminating in a 2.5mm TRRS connector.  I assume if I cut off the 3.5mm connector and wire a TRRS connector to the end, it's not going to do anything good--I need to make a new cable from scratch, right?


----------



## Allanmarcus

I think this is it


----------



## TidalWave

Allanmarcus said:


> I think this is it



Thank you!  I guess I'll have to ask in Audeze SINE thread which is right for that headphone--I know some people have built their own cables.


----------



## Allanmarcus

TidalWave said:


> I only have 2 standard cables terminating in a 3.5mm TRS connector.  I'd like to make a balanced cable terminating in a 2.5mm TRRS connector.  I assume if I cut off the 3.5mm connector and wire a TRRS connector to the end, it's not going to do anything good--I need to make a new cable from scratch, right?


You should be able to cut the old cable and re-terminate it.

The only 2.5 mm line on the chart I posted is most likely the wiring you need.


----------



## TidalWave

Allanmarcus said:


> You should be able to cut the old cable and re-terminate it.
> 
> The only 2.5 mm line on the chart I posted is most likely the wiring you need.



Hrm!  That would be an enticing money and time-saving option.  I have this cable that I could "sacrifice" to the balanced experiment:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/292465171316  It's a pretty nice cable for the price, and I've been using it with a single-ended connection on my phone.  Would it have enough constituent wires to split to a 4-pole TRRS connector for a proper balanced result and proper wiring at the headphone end?


----------



## Allanmarcus

TidalWave said:


> Hrm!  That would be an enticing money and time-saving option.  I have this cable that I could "sacrifice" to the balanced experiment:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/292465171316  It's a pretty nice cable for the price, and I've been using it with a single-ended connection on my phone.  Would it have enough constituent wires to split to a 4-pole TRRS connector for a proper balanced result and proper wiring at the headphone end?


Highly likely. Can you unscrew the 1/4” plug? If you can and you see four wires, you have enough wires.


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## TidalWave (Mar 23, 2018)

Allanmarcus said:


> Highly likely. Can you unscrew the 1/4” plug? If you can and you see four wires, you have enough wires.



Yes, the 1/4" converter plug comes off, and there's a 3.5mm 3-pole plug under it, which I've been using with my phone (single-ended).  I can't disassemble the 3.5mm plug easily to see what wires are connected to it underneath--just tried, the outer housing is tightly screwed on or some such.  I’m afraid two wires were effectively fused early on at the Y-splitter to end up with 3 wires for 3 poles.


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## antdroid (Mar 23, 2018)

TidalWave said:


> Yes, the 1/4" converter plug comes off, and there's a 3.5mm 3-pole plug under it, which I've been using with my phone (single-ended).  I can't disassemble the 3.5mm plug easily to see what wires are connected to it underneath--just tried, the outer housing is tightly screwed on or some such.  I’m afraid two wires were effectively fused early on at the Y-splitter to end up with 3 wires for 3 poles.



I've made Sine cables before. You want to use a 3.5mm connector that has a narrow barrel housing at the headphone connection. If you use a TRS connector, you want to use ground on sleeve and ring for your audio on both left and right connectors IIRC. The one I have handy, I used a TR (mono) connector so it was pretty straightforward.  If you are trying to get to 2.5mm balanced for your input, then follow the standard AK 2.5mm balance connection.


----------



## Paladin79

Not long ago I posted a link to a blog about twisted pairs. Here is one about shielding that I also like by the same gentleman. I had read long ago that in some applications if you hook the shield and ground to the same point on connectors, you can end up with a ground loop that acts like an antenna. This article covers that and other things such as braid and drain wire.

https://www.belden.com/blog/broadcast/ground-loops

He also mentions cables that I use on a daily basis. Belden 1694A, 1800F, and 9451.


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## antdroid (Mar 23, 2018)

FYI for Future 2.5mm balanced cable diy'ers

Here's the parts I used to make a 2.5mm balanced cable:

I've purchased several diy cables from this store and they are great and ship pretty quickly.
https://gratituding.aliexpress.com/...230.html?spm=2114.12010612.0.0.8bd817801yzrPs

Here's a 2.5mm 4-pole connector I've used before sold on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076JDFT98/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've also used these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-1...32716212614.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.7rH77w

They work, but tightening them back is sometimes challenging for some reason.


For headphone-side connectors:

For the Audeze Sine connector I've used these:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Are...32849366450.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.7B4Fx3

For 2-pin IEMs like Noble, iSine, and Massdrop Plus IEM - I bought these connectors:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5Pa...32769299622.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.kSTN3z

For Hifiman HE400i, 400s, 560, etc these work great (2.5mm connectors):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Are...32844883531.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.kSTN3z

I've tried some others but these are ones I really like the most.

Edit: Fixed the 2.5mm 4-pole link.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 25, 2018)

There are shelves to be made but this is the start of a stereo cabinet in which I will mount various amps, dacs, switchers etc. I realize this is off topic but there are DIY cables and cable mounts to come. I was hoping for a vertical cabinet about six feet tall but my windows would not allow for it. Such cabinets are available for $120 or so with adjustable shelves. I have a meeting to attend and then I will start to position some equipment but sizes are excellent, shelves are 23.5 by 14.5 inches, wide enough and deep enough for what I own to sit side by side.The top is large enough to allow for a turntable. The cat barely fits in the bottom but he is a seriously large cat.I also need to figure out how to mount an edison light or two on my headhphone rack to complete the steampunk motif.

Three more shelves should allow me to accomplish what I wish. I want to get all shelves situated before i start drilling holes for cables. I can match the cabinet finish with chalk paint and associated waxes. I will then cut all interconnect cables to length, I cannot change the position of my computer thus I have been experimenting with building USB A-B cables to reach. The cabinet comes with doors but they would be in the way and I need proper air flow inside the cabinet so i would never close them with the equipment turned on. Two Nuforce Optima amps I use for balanced sound get quite warm.


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## kingkikapu (Mar 25, 2018)

Paladin what's your thoughts on Low Dross Sn/Cu eutectic bar solder vs 3-4% silver bar solder?

Edited for spelling and stupidity.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 25, 2018)

I use Kester low dross but I have not tried the other two. I have had six weeks of solder training on their products so I tend to believe in them. While I have had people claim they could hear the difference in two identical lengths and brands of wire, I have not heard that claim about solders or connector plating for that matter.

I am probably more interested in how a solder flows at a specific temperature. I can recall a lot of issues with ROHS solder when it was first used in manufacturing.

Silver does conduct better than copper etc but it melts at a much higher temperature than lead or tin.
 I do always caution employees and friends to wash their hands after soldering, lead is a cumulative poison.


----------



## kingkikapu

Cheers thanks.  Figured that's what you would say.

I picked up a 97Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu Kester Bar today.  Overkill?  Probably, but I've been using 3-5% Ag solder for a long time, so I figured I'd keep it consistent on the bar side.  I've got quite a few cables in the works atm, so it's time to invest in a proper little 200W solder pot and some sexy electronics tweezers.

Several very, very bonkers expensive headphone, AC, interconnect and computer cables on the go.

Still my wallet gently weeps.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 25, 2018)

Still my wallet gently weeps. LOL

I do not want to discourage you from using anything. I am just more used to the Kester. I like Weller irons but I own Hakko and other brands. I have used some rosin core solder with silver content but not so much on the bar solder since my distributors tend to carry Kester and I get no surprises if I use it. Same with Belden or Mogami or Canare.... all good products. I have seen spools of cable that came in from another country where they scotch tape wires together in the middle of a spool. Imagine running speaker wires inside a wall and part of said run is scotch taped together. Quality control does not exist in some product.  I am fortunate to have run my own electronics business so I have multiples of many items and test equipment I only use on rare occasion, but I still like to keep my hand in. I now spend more time now in teaching and project management but it is fun to build an occasional cable for my own use.

My hearing is not what it once was on high frequencies, part of getting older. On some testing i use college students involved in very good school of music. If enough of them tell me, through the test set up I am building, that litz or occ or solid silver or ofc or whatever sounds better to them, and I can quantify that result. Then I am more likely to build with and even sell that product. It is ok to have opinions, but I also like to listen to others.


----------



## kingkikapu

I've got a few neotech cables on the go, including a DIY 99Ag1Au 24awg 8 wire utopia cable, plus a few Neotech NEP-3002 AC cords with furutech connectors.  I should probably build my AC cables from scratch, but I'm honestly too lazy.

The way I see it, I take pleasure in building quality things so I do it some for the craft.

I've had a Hakko Fx888d for a few years.  No complaints with that unit, but I don't do production line work.


----------



## Paladin79

Weller is not the quality it used to be but I can buy any part needed to repair a station and I have four people using them 8 hours a day. I should build AC cords one day, I have lots of cordage left over from sports arenas that went to banks of LED lights.


----------



## kingkikapu

Some good shielded low gauge AC cords with quality connectors has solved a lot of my interference issues in my htpc/theater setup.  I had wayyyyy to many wires back then, and some of the best audio hygiene I did was to separate amps from sources, and run speaker wire orthogonally to source material (Maxwell's law).  It didn't get rid of all of my noise, but good quality cable (hell even cheap quality romex) with proper phase cancelling wrappings and shieldings kicked the problem completely.

I'm building a sweet set of AC cords for my upcoming KTE Holo Spring Dac and GSX-MkII.  Those cables will stay with me for life.  It's an investment.  Ditto for the kester bar and neotech silver litz.  I might pick up a vial of deoxit gold as well as my ancient 3.5mm gold plated TRS connectors are starting to fade quite pronounced vs stock.  They get used a lot


----------



## Paladin79

I could tell you obviously have knowledge. I read that some people spend fortunes using OCC copper for house wiring! That is not me. It is like buyimg a MacBook Pro or taking the same money and investing it in Apple stock instead. In four years the stock is worth much more and the computer is outdated.


----------



## kingkikapu

Completely agree.  You don't need to wire your house with OCC: you need to ensure proper shielding at or near your source and amplification circuits.  The electroweak force follows an inverse square law: double the distance between your conductors and you quadruple the interaction/noise attenuation.  Moving something is a hell of a lot cheaper than building sick cables. (But sick cables are still sick).  

That's also why electricians wire low voltage (Cat5E/6) perpendicular to the power lines in any house attic/space.  Because they can't interact if they operate out of phase.


God you reminded me I really need to check out my brokerage account.  Day trading is too much work.  Swing trading or long haul is far less stressful.


*Still my wallet gently weeps*

*seriously What ouch*


----------



## Allanmarcus

kingkikapu said:


> God you reminded me I really need to check out my brokerage account.



Don’t do it.  Last week was brutal.


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## Paladin79

I administer my employees 401k and I was afraid to even look.

I was building the USB cable thinking all the parts are American made, luckily a few still are.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Hey guys, i need your support again 

I am getting a new SUT for my vinyl setup and therefore need at least one new cable, maybe i replace all on my analog chain, will see.

First, what cables would you suggest?
I read that for the analog chain i want lowest capacitance (pico farrads) possible, right?
Are there other values or specifications to look for?

Second, what connectors?
Will i benefit anything sound wise getting something "better" (boutique) than standard RCA connectors from Neutrik?

On both parts i would appretiate some links of examples if possible 


On another matter, i have long been thinking to replace the power cables on my Hifi components, probably starting on the stuff that draws the most power...

I know this is a hot topic, a lot of heated discussions on if this improves anything or not all over the web.
I dont want to start something like this here, although i am always happy to hear your experiences 
If i was to build my own power cables, what parts (cable and connectors) would i need?
I am totally lost here, so any suggestions are welcome, as long as its not hyper fancy cryo treated connectors for hundreds of Euros


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## Paladin79 (Mar 26, 2018)

Since you mention Euros and probably have access to Mogami, I will try to check some of the specs on their cable later today. You can most likely get Canare also, Belden I am not so sure about.

I would say 23 pf a foot at 1k is not bad, I would not be afraid to build RCA cables using this cable..

https://www.markertek.com/product/m...x83n7yZ7OP18kLbPKAvNDRlZPrZzvRxMaAh8iEALw_wcB



Personally I use a lot of Neutrik and they do have a high end pair of RCA connectors I like a lot.

https://www.markertek.com/product/nf2cb-2/neutrik-nf2c-b-2-rca-professional-connector-pair

I do not want to enter into a discussion about RCA connectors sounding better than others lol.  I enjoy this site and do not want to be banned for comments I might make in response.

 Generally I look for quality of materials and how well the connector stays in place on a particular cable jacket, Neutrik has excellent properties there. By this, I mean how it grips the cable, some connectors use a metal cable clamp, Neutrik uses a plastic piece on this connector that tightens down on the cable as the back shell is screwed in place. I have never known this system to fail and my people have used thousands of the 1/4 inch connectors with a similar system. Quality in design and functionality.

I must say that is an impressive equipment list you have, if you need a cable with a lower capacitance i will try to work on that later in the day. My Mondays get hectic at times.

Right now I am not a lot of help with power cables.  I do not know much, but I know a few things well, power cables are not among those things.


----------



## Allanmarcus

HirschiAUT said:


> Will i benefit anything sound wise getting something "better" (boutique) than standard RCA connectors from Neutrik?



Depends on fact oriented you are 
I think the only thing people can agree on is the more expensive connectors cost more money.



HirschiAUT said:


> If i was to build my own power cables, what parts (cable and connectors) would i need?


I recent upgraded my power cables recently too. Mostly I want 2' cables rather then 6' cables that were a mess. I splurged and went with 14 AWG monoprice cables. They also have right angle connector versions. 

I thought about building a Bottlehead power cable. They politely posted the instructions here:  https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-power-cord-kit-assembly
The polite thing to do would be to buy the cable from them, but one could also source the parts and build it, probably for about half. Note that they conservatively rate the cable at only 3A. The trick is getting the right 20 AWG wire. I don't think stranded is needed, but that might be the secret sauce for theses cables. 

Belden 12 AWG three conductor cable is commonly rated well. It's $12.65/foot from Parts Express. You can then get a hospital grade plug and an IEC connector from Amazon or AliExpress.


----------



## Paladin79

The power cord shown by Bottlehead complies with how I generally figure the wire gauge of adding two cables, just a quick and easy method I use on the fly. 

two 20 awg wires combined gives you 17 awg, two 14 awg wires gives you 11 awg. It is usually a factor of about 3 awg. 
It was certainly nice of them to show the build, I have bunches of 12 and 14 awg laying around from various builds so the next time things get slow, I may get a few people busy building some of those cables. I also have a bunch of Belden and Carol jacketed 12 and 14 awg I may use. Busy work with a purpose.


----------



## TimeSchock

Hey there DIYers.
Any of you seen angled mmcx connectors with a metal shell?

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/4pcs...7.html?spm=a2g0s.13010208.99999999.263.AGvlpV
Something like this but metal.


----------



## viivo (Mar 26, 2018)

Are there any kits or similar that include all one would need to mod a single side cable to L/R cables? I ask because I'd love to mod my DT880s, but with as little soldering as possible.


----------



## Paladin79

viivo said:


> Are there any kits or similar that include all one would need to mod a single side cable to L/R cables? I ask because I'd love to mod my DT880s, but with as little soldering as possible.



I have worked with those drivers but I do not know of a kit that allows for what you are asking.

My suggestion would be to contact someone like HighFlyin9 from Zynsonix and he could certainly do the job or make intelligent suggestions.


 I know the electronics but the  "little soldering"  part would cause me to pause in explaining to you what to do. There is a drivers thread here and maybe those folks could help, that is another option.
 I could easily adapt them but my plate is pretty full for the next couple months.


----------



## viivo (Mar 26, 2018)

Paladin79 said:


> I know the electronics but the  "little soldering"  part would cause me to pause in explaining to you what to do.



Soldering isn't a problem. I was just remembering the trouble I had when I painted my DT990s - getting all the tiny wires in the left earcup soldered back without any of them touching was a nightmare, but I'd still prefer to do this myself rather than send them off to someone. Plus I would think the soldering aspect would be easier with a two sided cable. "Explaining what to do" would be incredibly helpful.


----------



## CoiL

TimeSchock said:


> Hey there DIYers.
> Any of you seen angled mmcx connectors with a metal shell?
> 
> https://de.aliexpress.com/item/4pcs...7.html?spm=a2g0s.13010208.99999999.263.AGvlpV
> Something like this but metal.


https://de.aliexpress.com/item/Alum...3e0b-486b-888d-47f44592d164&priceBeautifyAB=0

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/XY-S...3e0b-486b-888d-47f44592d164&priceBeautifyAB=0

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/New-...3e0b-486b-888d-47f44592d164&priceBeautifyAB=0

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/Clas...3e0b-486b-888d-47f44592d164&priceBeautifyAB=0

etc.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 27, 2018)

viivo said:


> Soldering isn't a problem. I was just remembering the trouble I had when I painted my DT990s - getting all the tiny wires in the left earcup soldered back without any of them touching was a nightmare, but I'd still prefer to do this myself rather than send them off to someone. Plus I would think the soldering aspect would be easier with a two sided cable. "Explaining what to do" would be incredibly helpful.



Where are you located? Do you own an ohmmeter and Dremel tool or equivalent? If you are in the U.S. I could send you a couple female jacks, already wired, and all you would have to do is drill the proper size hole in each cup, install the jacks and solder each of the four wires I provide. (I would need to know lengths, plus  or minus five mm.)What you currently have has a shared ground (common ground), an ohmmeter will easily tell you which connection is which with a bit of help. You then install separate ground wires as well as a wire for each positive left and right channel down to a jack on each side.   A female connector is a jack, a male connector is a plug.
 It is not hard to figure out since your headphones are already wired. Those drivers have three connections as I recall and an ohmmeter will tell you when you are using the proper two. If you have 250 ohm headphones (impedance), you will get a resistance fairly close to that when measuring across the proper two pins. (There is more to impedance than resistance but I am trying to keep this simple.)

I have a system I really like that involves 3.5 mm plugs and jacks, parts are easy to find and it is good and sturdy, redundant even.  If you are not in the U.S. then we would have to figure out what you have available in your area or what can be shipped to you.

Markertek has these and they hold up well. They are also fairly small and you can easily find 3.5 mm TRS Plugs, (stereo plugs). I can explain why I use stereo on each side later.

https://www.markertek.com/product/3...ZmfUZOKg6_LXMCTFa_j9SV-SLqOgZQiEaAsOEEALw_wcB


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## TimeSchock

CoiL said:


> https://de.aliexpress.com/item/Alum...3e0b-486b-888d-47f44592d164&priceBeautifyAB=0
> 
> https://de.aliexpress.com/item/XY-S...3e0b-486b-888d-47f44592d164&priceBeautifyAB=0
> 
> ...



Huh? None of those are angled.
I need angled connectors because with straight ones my in ears don't sit in a comfortable position.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 27, 2018)

Here are a couple photos of hooking up new Beyer Dynamic drivers. DT 990 as I recall. The outside lugs are the important ones when hooking up dual cables. I thought the red dot signified the + side but someone here told me it was impedance I believe. That is a 3.5 mm TRS jack for these particular headphones. By hooking tip to ring, if either contact gets slightly bent or stops functioning, the other is still in contact, redundancy. The plug for the cables I use is wired the same way. It is what California Headphone Company used for the Silverados and it is a pretty solid system. Adding these drivers and converting the headphones to open made a world of difference in sound quality.


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## viivo (Mar 28, 2018)

Paladin79 said:


> Where are you located? Do you own an ohmmeter and Dremel tool or equivalent? If you are in the U.S. I could send you a couple female jacks, already wired, and all you would have to do is drill the proper size hole in each cup, install the jacks and solder each of the four wires I provide. (I would need to know lengths, plus  or minus five mm.)What you currently have has a shared ground (common ground), an ohmmeter will easily tell you which connection is which with a bit of help. You then install separate ground wires as well as a wire for each positive left and right channel down to a jack on each side.   A female connector is a jack, a male connector is a plug.
> It is not hard to figure out since your headphones are already wired. Those drivers have three connections as I recall and an ohmmeter will tell you when you are using the proper two. If you have 250 ohm headphones (impedance), you will get a resistance fairly close to that when measuring across the proper two pins. (There is more to impedance than resistance but I am trying to keep this simple.)
> 
> I have a system I really like that involves 3.5 mm plugs and jacks, parts are easy to find and it is good and sturdy, redundant even.  If you are not in the U.S. then we would have to figure out what you have available in your area or what can be shipped to you.
> ...



Thank you for the detailed response. I'm in Nebraska. I have a dremel but not an ohmmeter, but I can pick up one if necessary, unless ones below ~$30 are so innacurate as to be worthless.


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## CoiL

TimeSchock said:


> Huh? None of those are angled.
> I need angled connectors because with straight ones my in ears don't sit in a comfortable position.


Oh, thought that they were short enough to not cause discomfort.


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## ExpiredLabel

I was curious about chopping a IEM cable and using if for a IC. Does anyone see any issues I may run into having this done? or why this would not be a good idea?


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## penmarker

I don't see why not. Though I think its more common for IEM cables to have enamel coating over their conductors for insulation and might be a bit hard to scrape/melt off.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 28, 2018)

viivo said:


> Thank you for the detailed response. I'm in Nebraska. I have a dremel but not an ohmmeter, but I can pick up one if necessary, unless ones below ~$30 are so innacurate as to be worthless.



You should be able to find one under $30 that does the job well. They often have an audible tone to show continuity, I try to pick a meter that has a loud enough tone that it is easily heard. Basic measurements like voltage, current and resistance are what the meters are made to do so you should be fine with most anything. Like any tool, you can get by with less expensive ones if you only use them occasionally; much of my livelihood has been based around electronics so I own Fluke, Simpson, etc. but things like Beckman are decently priced and hold up well.

https://www.markertek.com/product/dvm850bl/velleman-dvm850bl-3-1-2-dmm-10a-digital-multimeter

Even something like this should be fine.

Now your build, you can get some Mogami wire from Markertek, sold by the foot and strip the wires out...

https://www.markertek.com/product/2534/mogami-w2534-neglex-quad-microphone-cable-black-per-foot

 this wire is also a good start for a cable build and can be worked with in a couple different ways.

Or, contact me when you know your exact measurements inside each cup and I will send you four pieces of quality litz wire to 3.5 mm jacks, pre-tinned with a solder pot, at no charge. Your drivers should be pretty close to what I showed you in my last photos. An ohmmeter will also tell you all the connections on a 3.5 mm plug and jack, you can plug them together and check for continuity and know the tip, ring and sleeve. Mounting the jacks in each cup will be your biggest challenge. Hot glue can help and glue guns are not pricey. I personally use methyl methacrylate, an acrylic polymer. After it sets up I can grind it, sand it, drill it and most likely it is stronger than the material in the cups. (Under heat and pressure you can make a knife blade out of it, or probably a gun frame.)

It is not readily available and you need really good ventilation so that is not something I send out  as I might some wire, or connectors.

If you want my help with wires and jacks just private message me with your address and I will send them out when time allows. I also have some 24 awg ofc stranded wire that is quite good, I could gift you enough of that to make a three or four foot cable if you so desire. To work with this you would need to study up on four wire braiding.

Tom


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## viivo

Paladin79 said:


> [...]
> Tom



Thank you so much for your time and help. The measurement, unless I misunderstood and took the wrong one, is roughly 90mm. Is there anything I need for this that I could buy from your store, or at least pay shipping?


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## Paladin79 (Mar 28, 2018)

I have it covered, I am taking care of this personally and not being a sponsor here, I would probably be breaking rules if I sold this to you. It is just my way of helping out a DIYer. 90 MM sounds much too long. Where your cable actually enters one one side, to the connection on the driver is all you need on each side. You will have a jack on each side, and two wires going from each jack to the lugs on the driver.  In the photo I am going to the center of the driver and it is only 30 mm or less. We do not even have to go that far. There will be no wires going from one driver over to the other driver, each side will have two wires going right to the jack. Make sense now?  I can tin an extra amount and you can cut the wire shorter if need be, or if you leave it, I will include some clear heatshrink tubing to insulate the tinned portion. Making it a bit longer will probably make it easier to work with but I bet 40 mm or so would be more than enough.  I will also mark the wires red and black so you know which is which. The jack will be pre-wired so all you have to do is attach two wires to each driver, install the jacks, then build your headphone cable. I will think about this some but in the event I am confusing you, I may send along a couple properly wired 3.5 mm connectors so there is no doubt how things go together.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 28, 2018)

See if this helps, on each cup you will  have a 3.5 mm jack (female), and two wires going to the outside solder lugs on each driver. That is all you need. When you have a single entry system, you have to run two wires from one side to the other through the headphone band. On a dual entry system, each circuit is self contained, one for left cup one for right cup.


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## Sheep1234

I want to solder a cable to a 3.5 mm Viablue plug and have 4 wires.
The wires were origianlly soldered to a 2.5 mm balanced plug. It's for a IEM that have 2 pin connectors.

Where do I solder the wires to and does it matter which one goes to which part of the plug?
Here a picture


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## Paladin79 (Mar 29, 2018)

Sheep1234 said:


> I want to solder a cable to a 3.5 mm Viablue plug and have 4 wires.
> The wires were origianlly soldered to a 2.5 mm balanced plug. It's for a IEM that have 2 pin connectors.
> 
> Where do I solder the wires to and does it matter which one goes to which part of the plug?
> Here a picture


 two wires to sleeve, both of them should be ground wires. one wire to tip, one wire to ring. I would place the wires through the small holes as much as possible, either that or you are soldering to the side of the two cylinders, and some extra solder flux helps. The tip portion looks flat so I would loop a wire around it, then solder it. Sleeve has a hole, you might get one wire through it and then join the second ground wire to the first and solder.

Tip is left channel, ring is right channel, sleeve is ground. On the actual connector tip, it goes tip, ring sleeve from top to bottom.

If you reverse the two wires going to the tip and ring you will have the right channel on the left and left channel  on the right but it will not cause any damage. This is where an ohmmeter can come in handy, it can tell you all connections and make sure you have proper continuity from one connector to two others.


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## Allanmarcus

Sheep1234 said:


> I want to solder a cable to a 3.5 mm Viablue plug and have 4 wires.
> The wires were origianlly soldered to a 2.5 mm balanced plug. It's for a IEM that have 2 pin connectors.
> 
> Where do I solder the wires to and does it matter which one goes to which part of the plug?
> Here a picture


Paladin covered most of I would have said, so I will just add a few words of wisdom.

1) TRS = Tip, Ring, Sleeve. The easy way to remember what these are is that the sleeve is alway the common (or ground) and Ring = Right (R=R). This only works for TRS plugs.
2) Don't solder anything to the cylindrical part of the plug that gets inserted into the jack 

The sleeve part that you will connect the two common ground wires to has a hole, which is really nice. Many plugs don't have a hole for the sleeve. The Tip and Ring will be harder. Your best bet is to use a vise or helping hands clips (vice is more better) to hold the plug as you solder. Tin the wires. There are plenty of YouTube videos on tinning, if you don't know how. Add a little tiny solder to the plug's tip connector, then pull back a sec. touch the tip wire to the tip connector, then apply the iron to fuse the wire to the connector. That may only take a second or two. let it cool for 15-30 seconds, then do the same on the ring connector. 

You might even want to slide a 1/4" of very thin heat shrink on to the tip wire BEFORE you solder it, then after you solder it, slide the heatshring down and cover the exposed wire and connector. If you are slick, you could do the same wit the ring solder joint too, but obviously you need some thicker heat shrink. That will server as a little extra adhesive and some electrical insolation. The heat shrink is not required; it's only nice. Sort of an example I stole from the interwebs that shows some heatshrink:






I'm not sure how the plug provides strain relief since there is no crimp. If there is no strain relief, you may need to hot glue the wires in place or something. I think it might have a screw that's supposed to lock the wire in. If that is the case, you might want to ticket/protect the wire where the screw's goes with the heat shrink.

Personally, I think you've selected one of the more difficult plugs to solder. It's always easier when you have actual solder lugs. Be REALLY careful not to overhear that central column, or you will melt it and ruin the plug.

Hope this help.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 29, 2018)

I would hope there is some kind of strain relief in the back shell on that connector. I do like the fact that holes were added to the connection points. If indeed there is nothing that clamps down on the jacket and keeps the strain off of the solder joints, Allan's comments about hot glue are certainly valid. Personally I do not use a lot of heat shrink on the inside of the connectors but I have done this type of thing for years and make certain there are no stray strands of wire close to anything they should not touch but it is good advice for those just starting out. The connector I showed in my photo is common for some of the Chinese product that is out there. I bought those without knowing they were not using solder lugs so I never use them. I generally give them away to folks who are learning how to solder for something to practice on, if you can use them, you will not have any issues using a decent connector with proper lugs. Your connector is in between the two versions Sheep, and a slight improvement on what I showed.

A mnemonic device I use with 3.5 mm trs connectors is three R's, red, ring, right.

Red is right channel and historically on most TRS connectors my employees use, with solder lugs, the ring connector is on the right side and we attach a red wire to it to keep everything straight. On many pieces of equipment if red and white RCA connectors are side by side the red is often on the right but not always.

Tomorrow I shall be home installing several pieces of audio equipment in a cabinet so if anyone has any questions about using star quad cable with RCA and XLR connectors, I shall be doing some of that and can post photos. I have already built a long USB 2 A-B so that part of the project is complete.


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## ostewart

Now I'm not usually one to ask questions here, but having some trouble twisting these cables together, as the silver cable is much softer than the copper. This means the silver twists around the copper, and the copper stays pretty straight... I'm thinking I may need to twist them tightly then heat them gently to stay in that position.


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## Paladin79

You want the twists to be equal, not one around the other. Each wire should be the same length whenever possible. Personally I use heat shrink tubing for some applications to maintain the twists. It is not always easy to do using dissimilar metals and requires more effort.

This article may help...

https://www.belden.com/blog/broadcast/how-starquad-works


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## ostewart

Paladin79 said:


> You want the twists to be equal, not one around the other. Each wire should be the same length whenever possible. Personally I use heat shrink tubing for some applications to maintain the twists. It is not always easy to do using dissimilar metals and requires more effort.
> 
> This article may help...
> 
> https://www.belden.com/blog/broadcast/how-starquad-works



Conductors are the same size, but toxic cables updated the jacket material so the silver is the V2 and the copper is still the original. The V2 jacket is more flexible :/ I'll find a way to sort it out


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## Paladin79

I figured they were same size conductors. When one wire makes many turns around another that is more stationary, then length gets thrown off and that can have some minor effects as well.


You show an impressive list of audio equipment.


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## Allanmarcus

ostewart said:


> Now I'm not usually one to ask questions here, but having some trouble twisting these cables together, as the silver cable is much softer than the copper. This means the silver twists around the copper, and the copper stays pretty straight... I'm thinking I may need to twist them tightly then heat them gently to stay in that position.


When I did a silver and copper cable, I braided where I could, trying hard to keep the braiding even, and for the twisting after the split, I just wrapped the copper around the silver. I used solid core silver wire, so it was much less flexible than the copper. The red wires are the copper and the with are the silver. look at the wire between he Y split and the connectors..

If you used a vise to hold the wire ends, you might be able to manually twist the wires evenly by hand, or you could try the drill trick to twist them


----------



## ostewart

Allanmarcus said:


> When I did a silver and copper cable, I braided where I could, trying hard to keep the braiding even, and for the twisting after the split, I just wrapped the copper around the silver. I used solid core silver wire, so it was much less flexible than the copper. The red wires are the copper and the with are the silver. look at the wire between he Y split and the connectors..
> 
> If you used a vise to hold the wire ends, you might be able to manually twist the wires evenly by hand, or you could try the drill trick to twist them



Cheers for that, I don't like coating the cable in heatshrink but I might have to in this case. Is there a flexible type of heatshrink, as what I'm used to is pretty stiff once heated and shrunk.


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## Paladin79

Single wall is more flexible than double wall but I have not heard of any more flexible than that but it could exist. I do not always use the heatshrink, I also use poly blends, cotton with nylon, and soon cotton.

The red on Allan's twists are obviously around the other wire, it is not the route I would take but probably as good as could be done with those wires since Allan does an excellent job building cables.


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## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> Single wall is more flexible than double wall but I have not heard of any more flexible than that but it could exist. I do not always use the heatshrink, I also use poly blends, cotton with nylon, and soon cotton.
> 
> The red on Allan's twists are obviously around the other wire, it is not the route I would take but probably as good as could be done with those wires since Allan does an excellent job building cables.


Thanks. I was going for a "candy cane" look. 
I highly doubt I could hear the difference if it were twisted "properly".


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## Paladin79 (Mar 30, 2018)

Allanmarcus said:


> Thanks. I was going for a "candy cane" look.
> I highly doubt I could hear the difference if it were twisted "properly".



It is a nice look and I just listened to some test tones on HDTracks from 1k to 25k and I would be embarrassed to say how badly I do at high frequencies now. I call on younger friends to test many cables for me, I try to be realistic and objective.

 Part of my undergrad education was with one of those colleges that end in institute of technology so it is hard to always find the beauty in some things science related. I talk to engineers all over the country on a daily basis so it is not always easy to step outside of that box. i try to answer questions in a way where the science makes sense to me, it is never my intent to criticize an individual or anything they built. It makes the most sense to me not to use different materials together and when completed I try to maintain the twists. What I really hate is going back and re-braiding a cable because it is not uniform, but I do. If I used silver and copper together, I would probably spend four or five times the amount of time on it. I am probably not that patient.

 I like the sound of many amps I own but as Allan knows I do go for looks as well when I build or design.


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## Paladin79

This is what I had in mind for a headphone amp/dac cabinet. I will probably get a matching table for the turntable and move tube type amps to the top, but this is a start. Soon I start building interconnect cables, so that is DIY cable related. So far I have under $150 in cabinet and extra shelves. The good folks at Sauder were kind enough to sell me two extra shelves for $5.00 each, that sure beats trying to buy chalked chestnut. 

Interconnects will be well shielded twisted pair cables by Belden, Canare and Mogami with Neutrik connectors. I have AC cords of various lengths. I will run pre-amp outs into two stereo speaker systems. Most likely I will mount blue neon lights inside the cabinet, the drawer holds headphone cables and extra interconnects. Back of cabinet wiring will not show a lot since the shelves are fairly deep.


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## kingkikapu

that's a lot of gear!


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## Paladin79 (Mar 30, 2018)

There is more but at least the shelf spacing is correct for my solid state equipment. My tube type amps are larger and I worry about ventilation so they will most likely go on top. I have also loaned out some equipment but it may not be returning if they buy it lol.

I have a ten outlet ac strip with extra filtering and protection that will go in the bottom of the cabinet so plenty of outlets.


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## kingkikapu

I hear you.  My outlaw amps are 93lbs a piece and generate a lot of heat. Finding furniture that can support them and provide adequate ventilation is a must.

Your setup is looking great.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 30, 2018)

This is a cable I built for my dual amp, balanced setup. Center and last photo.  Mini four pin male Neutrk XLR to dual male three pin XLR's. Mogami star quad cable, clear heat shrink tubing over each twisted pair.( To help maintain twists.)  The amps used to be stacked so I needed something longer.  I used internal red and black wires to signify the channels. Blue neon lights are installed but I may move  them around a bit. This is the most logical setup for me right now, accessible power switch, then selector switch, and Dac on right hand side.

I also had to build some additional RCA interconnect cables. First photo...all cables in my system are now OFC. I labeled the direction of signal flow with waterproof labels I like. Since the cable is shielded, I use the shield, connected at source end.


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## ostewart

@Allanmarcus and @Paladin79 I figured it out  I twisted the 2 copper wires together and heated them up slightly to retain the twisted shape. This way the copper cable retains slight bends when untwisted. I then wrapped the silver cable around the copper.

The upper copper section is a tiny bit different in colour to the bottom due to lightly heating the jacket, but it'll age and the copper will likely go green anyway due to not being litz. But it should be good for a while.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 31, 2018)

Nicely done!


Above are examples of the Neutrik Profi RCA connector. It takes me about ten minutes to build, label, and test a set of cables using Mogami star quad. I tend to have everything in place and make a loop in the cable so the connector shell does not fall off the cable as I wire the tip portion. The blue chuck (cable clamp) grabs the jacket as you install the back shell, I love this arrangement, you never have to worry about strain on your solder connections.

Later today i will put together a couple items for a headphone upgrade. 3.5 mm female jacks with attached litz wire; these will go to Viivo for his headphone rewire.

 I am nearly done with wiring for my amp/dac setup.  Eventually I will have a switched system where a person can listen to at least four different types of wire by switching between four strand litz, occ copper, ofc, and silver wire and select their favorite. The wires will not be visible and as exact in length and twists as i can make them. They will be switched from the same amp into the same headphones with the same music running in a loop. I am curious to see if anyone can hear much of a difference.


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## ostewart (Mar 31, 2018)

@Paladin79 I have plenty of the normal neutrik RCA plugs to build up some cables 

I'm still using the single core pro patch cable for RCA interconnects, haven't had any interference issues with them not being twisted pair (that I can hear anyway)

I'll be interested to hear if people can hear a difference between the cables too.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 31, 2018)

I use those as well and they are fine connectors. I believe someone asked the other day about high end connectors, not from boutique sites or some such and I mentioned these. It was a little hard to explain the clamping system so as I worked with some today I took a few photos.

Twisted pair is great shielding and more effective than a braid shield quite often. I happened to be using star quad since I like the Mogami OFC and my choices were, not use the shield, attach the shield to both grounds (the wrong thing to do since you build a ground loop), or attach it to the ground at the source end, thus my arrow indicators for signal flow. I am always hooking up test equipment as well as having lots of audio equipment present so I do not mind the extra shielding, for most home audio this is rarely needed.

I am fortunate to live in a college town with one of the finest music schools in the country so some of my guinea pigs (I mean that in the nicest possible way) will come from there. I may sell some headphone cables one day when I retire and rather than say, a cable sounds better or laud the silver plated whatever, I hope to merely say, with permission, that one person or another preferred cable X, your results may vary. Hopefully by then some of my testers would have moved on to respective orchestras and that in itself might add a bit of credibility.  There is oftentimes some madness in my method.


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## Paladin79 (Mar 31, 2018)

This is a dual entry upgrade kit I put together for a gentleman on here. The 3.5 mm jacks are ready to use and I have marked the litz wire black and red so there is no doubt which wire is which. On the 3.5 mm plugs I have just wrapped or inserted the proper color wires into them so the recipient will see where the wires go when he builds his own cables. The connections are redundant, both tip and ring are tied together on the jacks as well as the plugs. Amphenol nickel plated extended tip 3.5 mm plugs and a 3.5 mm jack my employees have sent out in hundreds of builds so I trust it as well.  All litz wire was tinned on each end in a solder pot so it is ready to go, jacks are soldered but not the sample wires on the plugs.

Also here are some of the cables I removed and replaced when wiring my audio cabinet. I believe Harry Chapin had a song by the same name, The Cats in the Cables.


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## viivo (Apr 1, 2018)

Really appreciate the time and materials. Looking forward to starting the de-cheapification of these DT880s. I've never liked the appearance of the gray/silver Beyers - too plastic looking. I know they're on the lower end of headphones, but a good place to start and easy to mod.



Paladin79 said:


>



Is it the ambient light, or are those really brass and brown in color? No preference either way of course, just thinking of color schemes for the earcups and like the brown and tan shades that would match those as pictured.


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## Paladin79 (Apr 1, 2018)

They are black and silver in color but a shiny black that might pick up other colors a bit. I am experimenting with Edison light bulbs in a steampunk headphone rack and they give off a yellow hue. I was working on building a protective cage around an edison light, 12 gauge solid copper I hand crafted to protect the bulb. I had to wire the patinated copper tubing and mount a fixture.Cord is a gold mesh that matches my copper work fairly well. Not easily photographed when lit but it is part of a steampunk crack amp endeavor that I keep adding parts to.


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## Old_Snake

Has anyone made an inline mic and play/pause control for the JH Siren Series (4 pin connectors)? JH has a 2 pin version https://jhaudio.com/p/smart-phone-mic-cable. Do you know if I can just replace the 2 pin connector with a 4 pin? I'm not really familiar with the wiring on both.


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## Allanmarcus

Old_Snake said:


> Has anyone made an inline mic and play/pause control for the JH Siren Series (4 pin connectors)? JH has a 2 pin version https://jhaudio.com/p/smart-phone-mic-cable. Do you know if I can just replace the 2 pin connector with a 4 pin? I'm not really familiar with the wiring on both.


From what I understand, the "extra" two wires per channel control the bass driver. So no, I don't think you can simply replace the tips without messing up the sound.


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## Paladin79 (Apr 2, 2018)

viivo said:


> Are there any kits or similar that include all one would need to mod a single side cable to L/R cables? I ask because I'd love to mod my DT880s, but with as little soldering as possible.



I ended up sending out a kit after all and enough OFC wire in two colors to braid a six foot,  four wire balanced headphone cable. I just hope you are hooking into a balanced setup at some point. Taking four wires down to a TRS connector is not much different than what you would start with on single entry headphones.


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## kingkikapu

Hey you Kumihimo disc users: what size of bobbins makes the most sense for an 8 wire cable about 7 feet long?


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## Allanmarcus

kingkikapu said:


> Hey you Kumihimo disc users: what size of bobbins makes the most sense for an 8 wire cable about 7 feet long?


small.


----------



## Paladin79

Those discs do not seem expensive. Do they come with instructions or do you end up watching online videos to learn their operation?  I have also seen weights for them so hopefully that keeps your braiding pretty consistent.


----------



## kingkikapu

I’ve watched a few YouTube vids. They often discuss weighting or holding tricks to ensure consistent tension while braiding. 

I’ll probably practice a bit on some paracord  before working on the silver/gold alloy Neotech litz wire I bought. It’s a good thing I’m building this myself because it cost an arm and a leg in materials alone.


----------



## Paladin79

I would love to see the results when you get it done.

I am at a point in my career where money is not a factor but I constantly get good deals on parts and equipment so I tend to kick myself when I pay retail for electronic materials. It is also another reason I want to get some unbiased test results on some wire.


----------



## kingkikapu

Will do Tom. I’m going to try and recreate the Norne Draug braid. As far as I can tell it’s four twisted pairs braided into a four way round or square braid.


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 2, 2018)

Sounds interesting.

 I can control length, wire gauge, and equipment but I will have to work on getting equal twists and patterns in my testing. I first thought of exceeding two meters per cable but in retrospect, under two meters makes more sense technically. Soon I will have to do the math.

So far my test setup should run under $300. 

Listening to Down By the River by Neil Young, going from total tube amp and pre-amp to balanced solid state, a very good test track.


----------



## Allanmarcus

When I did my 16 strands with the disk, I used some plastic spools with flaps. See them on my site at 
https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/my-stuff/16-strand-cables?authuser=0

These are the bobbins I got: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DV919T8/
I'm not sure I would recommend them. I think amazon has some smaller ones that would be better.


----------



## kingkikapu

ok 2.5" was too big?  I see some 1-7/8" bobbins on amazon as well.  Is that more in line?

The bigger issue I see is how do I consistently create the twisted pairs.  Maybe drill method with a fixed length that I start with pre-twist and another fixed length that all pairs need to be post-twist.  Solder the ends together so they don't untwist (Take Five Audio has a DIY recipe that uses such an approach here: https://www.takefiveaudio.com/contents/53-tfasb).


----------



## Paladin79

I just located the perfect switch box for switching between four types of headphone cable wire, I should have it by April 9th. So the kumihimo sounds good for making accurate four wire braids, I may have to lay my hands on a set. Anyone have a quick list of what I need for this application?
 A simple choice for what I am doing would be to just make two twisted pairs, encase them in heat shrink tubing, and run one to each channel on the four channel input. This will not be completed headphone cables by any means. So far I have maybe a dozen types of wire to test.


----------



## Allanmarcus

The only reason to use Kumihimo is for 8 or more wires. 4 wires are easy to braid, and then twist after the Y.

I don't think it would be easy, or possible, to use Kumihimo for really thick wires that are already twisted pairs. I'm not sure what that would even get you. Twisted pairs makes sense for things like ethernet cable and power, but not for headphone cables.


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 3, 2018)

Allanmarcus said:


> The only reason to use Kumihimo is for 8 or more wires. 4 wires are easy to braid, and then twist after the Y.
> 
> I don't think it would be easy, or possible, to use Kumihimo for really thick wires that are already twisted pairs. I'm not sure what that would even get you. Twisted pairs makes sense for things like ethernet cable and power, but not for headphone cables.



Sorry I was probably not clear but I am talking about testing wire.

"This will not be completed headphone cables by any means."  I stated this.

I was talking to Kingkikapu about my test setup, I am merely trying to keep four types of wire, under test, as equal as I possibly can. I was talking about a switchbox setup and switching between various wires, not using that device (Kumihino) on twisted pairs. I merely stated for my application, if that device is not helpful for accurate braiding for my application, two twisted pairs would work fine, one for each channel.

If you take time to read what I wrote Allan, I merely mentioned making accurate braids, then I realized if nothing else, two sets of twisted pair would suffice. Those were two separate sentences.  I certainly know about braiding then twisting to each channel lol. My tests involve swapping in various wires and having some local folks giving me feed back on what they prefer. This does involve the wire used in headphone cables but I am not talking about specific builds. If the Kumihimo is not a good tool for four wires I appreciate the feedback, but I am trying to keep all things the same, thus four wires only, 24 awg, and a specific length which I mentioned before.

"Twisted pairs makes sense for things like ethernet cable and power, but not for headphone cables"

I will leave this sentence alone at this time since it does not pertain to anything I said, but it does leave plenty of room for rational argument.


----------



## kingkikapu (Apr 3, 2018)

I'm doing a 8 braid of twisted pairs as that's what the norne draug uses (I think.  From the photo below it seem to indicate that's the method being used). 







I'm doing the draug braid mostly because it looks cool.  A straight 8 round braid would yield the best eddy current reduction, but cool is cool amiright?


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 3, 2018)

LoL I love it !!!  Just be careful you do not crack your sternum with that triangular thingy and you will be fine.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kingkikapu said:


> I'm doing a 8 braid of twisted pairs as that's what the norne draug uses (I think.  From the photo below it seem to indicate that's the method being used).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You don't want to use a Kumihimo disc for that cable. 1) I don't think it would work as the braided part of the cable is too think. 2) Kumihimo braided are very tight, which you will not be able to do with that wire.

For 8 wires just braid by hand.


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 4, 2018)

kingkikapu said:


> I'm doing a 8 braid of twisted pairs as that's what the norne draug uses (I think.  From the photo below it seem to indicate that's the method being used).
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That does indeed look like 8 twisted pair and becomes more obvious once it is down to four twisted pair. Perhaps twisted pair is used in headphone cables at times?

It looks like Norne does sell silver plated copper litz wire but it is 23 awg. I will grab some for testing but I was trying to keep all conditions as equal as possible, most other wire I have is 24 awg but that is probably not enough difference to matter much. It would conduct slightly better. It does have a cotton center core so maybe that bumps up the gauge a bit.

I  do have some of that wire on the way, something that I can easily do in my test setup is to put in three groups of the same wire like ofc, and one test wire like the silver plated copper litz and see what kind of results I get. Kingkikapu at some point I will send you a spreadsheet with the results of my testing.


----------



## kingkikapu

You should also pick up some neotech AgAu 24awg litz wire for your testing. Only 12.20$/ft at parts connexion


----------



## kingkikapu

*only*


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 4, 2018)

I will most likely grab that as well. I know the setup I will build but I need to involve other cable as little as possible. The last thing I would want to do is have five feet of really expensive wire going into five feet of something of lesser quality. The gold, silver might be what I could use as a constant or even the silver plated copper litz.

 I do believe in the past there were some issues on this site about testing or double blind testing so I might send my results privately but I doubt I will post the results. The last thing I would want to do is offend someone who paid a high dollar amount for a specific wire or offend any seller.

I should also add that I hope some of my testers do hear a difference between the pricier cable and less expensive OFC or whatever. One day if I do sell such cables, there is just no money to be made on OFC, I get some for ten cents a foot or less and generally just give it to folks starting out building cables.


----------



## kingkikapu

Honestly I don’t expect much difference in the double blind and I won’t be pissed if coat hangers work just fine even though I’ve plopped more than a bit in this hobby. I’d still buy a good transducer or music over wire any day. I’m just at the point where wire is the next thing to tick off. 

Plus it’s fun building stuff and I don’t like waiting months for someone to build me a cable. 

Which reminds me I need to finish my pc cables on my water cooled rig. Now those are annoying.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> I will most likely grab that as well. I know the setup I will build but I need to involve other cable as little as possible. The last thing I would want to do is have five feet of really expensive wire going into five feet of something of lesser quality. The gold, silver might be what I could use as a constant or even the silver plated copper litz.
> 
> I do believe in the past there were some issues on this site about testing or double blind testing so I might send my results privately but I doubt I will post the results. The last thing I would want to do is offend someone who paid a high dollar amount for a specific wire or offend any seller.
> 
> I should also add that I hope some of my testers do hear a difference between the pricier cable and less expensive OFC or whatever. One day if I do sell such cables, there is just no money to be made on OFC, I get some for ten cents a foot or less and generally just give it to folks starting out building cables.



It's ok to post non-scientific "impressions" of DIY results here. We just know they mean crap since they weren't, er, you know, scientific  Although it does appear you are working on trying to make some sort of moderately blind testing possible. As long as you, and us, take the result with a grain of salt, we should be OK. Hell, you might have the measuring equipment to show some sort of difference between the "high end" cable and mogami/belden cable (assuming there is a difference)

Everyone I know that has _purchased_ expensive cables, says they are wonderful! You won't offend anyone here, as the most expensive stuff we tend to build is _only_ $12.20 a foot. Heck, even at $12.20/ft, a 6 foot, 4 strand headphone cable would only be $293, plus $22 for a furutech TRS 1/4", plus $16 for the connectors (for an HD6xx). Why that's well under $350!   heh heh - many Audiophools (auto-correct error) spend hundreds, if not thousands more! we save soooo much with DIY


----------



## Paladin79

kingkikapu said:


> Honestly I don’t expect much difference in the double blind and I won’t be pissed if coat hangers work just fine even though I’ve plopped more than a bit in this hobby. I’d still buy a good transducer or music over wire any day. I’m just at the point where wire is the next thing to tick off.
> 
> Plus it’s fun building stuff and I don’t like waiting months for someone to build me a cable.
> 
> Which reminds me I need to finish my pc cables on my water cooled rig. Now those are annoying.



I doubt anyone will consistently hear much difference and I certainly understand about equipment and the recording quality as do you.

Allan as a member of the trade I am not allowed to disparage anyone's product even though I am tempted to at times.  I have had discussions with moderators, and if I err, I try to err toward playing it safe.

 I do have a shop full of equipment but I am more interested to see if say a trained musician or a recording engineer or a friend who teaches trumpet and has performed with symphonies in three countries can say a specific cable sounds better, then can blindly pick that same cable again and again. I am also curious when buying cable claiming to be 7n occ out of china, if it is even occ and then compare it with something certified out of Japan. Are you as well off with either if only one person in a thousand can consistently pick one over the other?


----------



## kingkikapu

I won’t even be A/Bing my cables when I’m done due to confirmation bias as Allan correctly stated. Unless I can get my gf to run a double blind for me then there’s not much point. 

But then I would have to explain what I’ve been up to. Like THAT is a conversation I want to have.


----------



## Whitigir

Lol, the HD800/S/820 uses the same connectors and these are needle sizes.  Fit up to 23awg....this is so sad.  Even if tried to fit a little larger 21awg, the pins is still the bottleneck which is 23awg....roflmao


----------



## Paladin79

i recently soldered some about that size but had to use 26 awg. Do they claim it works with 23 awg?


----------



## Whitigir

Paladin79 said:


> i recently soldered some that size but had to use 26 awg. Do they claim it works with 23 awg?



No, I tried to fit 23awg, and it barely fit as in not slotted through but fit on the opening just fine.  I believe 26awg is max if u want to slot it deep inside the opening pin


----------



## Paladin79

Whitigir said:


> No, I tried to fit 23awg, and it barely fit as in not slotted through but fit on the opening just fine.  I believe 26awg is max if u want to slot it deep inside the opening pin



I see. Luckily I have miniature irons and a good magnifying lamp but I still dislike working with those.


----------



## Whitigir

Paladin79 said:


> I see. Luckily I have miniature irons and a good magnifying lamp but I still dislike working with those.



Absolutely, but then, what would be the point to fit anything larger than 23awg anyway ? The connecting pins are 23awg solid sizes....so crazy


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## Paladin79 (Apr 4, 2018)

I may start to buy headphones based on the input jacks used. JK

Getting back to my previous conversation I do have a couple types of cable on the way from Norrne audio and Trevor's communications have been excellent and he believes in his products.

I am always open to suggestions on things to test and eventually I will settle on a personal favorite wire no doubt.

And I meant to comment earlier about Kingkick and his gf, my wife is traveling for a couple weeks and I will have all kinds of new gadgets before she returns but she stopped paying attention to electronics many years ago. If something happened to me, my son would have to come in from DC just to explain to her what I have downstairs and which voice command to use for the lights and such.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Whitigir said:


> Lol, the HD800/S/820 uses the same connectors and these are needle sizes.  Fit up to 23awg....this is so sad.  Even if tried to fit a little larger 21awg, the pins is still the bottleneck which is 23awg....roflmao


Well, I have made HD800 cables with 8 wires of Mogami 2799, which means I got four 25 awg (2 per channel) wires into the connector. I had to strip the wires about an inch from the end, then twist together the wires for each channel, then heat shrink each channel. This essentially made two wires going into the barrel. Based on the "rule of 3", two 25 AWG wires together should be ~22 AWG. I wasn't able to get the wire to fit inside the hole in the pin. I just soldered it to the end of the pin. I don't think I took any pictures, and the cables are long gone now.


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## Paladin79 (Apr 4, 2018)

Hmmm where did one learn of the rule of three, I believe I made that up.   I just saw a pattern and stuck with it.


----------



## Whitigir

Allanmarcus said:


> Well, I have made HD800 cables with 8 wires of Mogami 2799, which means I got four 25 awg (2 per channel) wires into the connector. I had to strip the wires about an inch from the end, then twist together the wires for each channel, then heat shrink each channel. This essentially made two wires going into the barrel. Based on the "rule of 3", two 25 AWG wires together should be ~22 AWG. I wasn't able to get the wire to fit inside the hole in the pin. I just soldered it to the end of the pin. I don't think I took any pictures, and the cables are long gone now.



That sounds about right.  But why would we want to fit anything larger than 22-23 wag anyways ? The pins are 23awg itself lol


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## Paladin79 (Apr 4, 2018)

There would be little wrong with extending a 26 awg wire from each pin with a small loop and extending wire from that. The pin itself is so tiny. Solid copper wire with a bit of small heat shrink tubing.


----------



## Paladin79

I am testing and modifying some devices I just received but by the weekend I should be able to test a minimum of four types of wire for headphone cables at a time, and mechanically switch between them rather quickly. All types of wire, occ copper, occ litz, ofc, silver stranded, whatever I am having mounted in a french braid mesh metal mesh jacket with only numbers on them so no one will be able to tell them apart till the test is over. 24 awg, twisted pair per channel. The mesh holds its shape so no matter the configuration on the inside, it is pretty tough to tell one wire from another. Many thanks to Kingkickapu for some valued suggestions!


----------



## kingkikapu

Don't know how many of you are into car audio, but the DIY blood is strong with this one.  Been following him for years.

Certainly there are lessons to be learned from this fellow.  If anything, he's entertaining.


----------



## Paladin79

I will check that out when I get home. Some people are entertaining no matter what they are teaching.

I am still buying high end DIY headphone wire if anyone has more suggestions. When I get all of my choices together I will have an employee re-label all of them so I do not have an inkling of which group they came from when I buy this stuff. This afternoon I should receive silver plated occ litz wire. I may have to try to get some closeup pics of that just for the heck of it. It is 23 awg with a cotton center so I am hoping in reality it is more like 24 awg. I will also get some 22 awg silver plated occ copper but I will most likely use it in another part of my test fixture. I have at least four types of OFC as well as occ copper. Three kinds of litz, some silver plated stranded copper, etc. I may grab some Cardas litz at some point, it has been ages since I bought any and I already have it incorporated in headphone cables.


----------



## Paladin79

Here is a link for some interesting talk about cryo treating, skin effect, and interconnect cables. It also calls mentions something I figured out on my own and had not heard anyone mention till I watched this video. The fact that joining two wires of the same gauge increases the gauge by three. (You will have to just take my word on this, I have looked at enough charts that I tried to figure out a pattern so if a customer called me I could calculate such things in my head.) Lengths of runs for speaker wire, I had to more or less memorize. 

https://www.audioholics.com/gadget-reviews/speaker-cable-and-audio-interconnects

My people use the Belden cable and Canare connectors mentioned here on a regular basis and we have for 12 years. I am in the process of doing some testing involving people who most likely have better hearing than me, but I will also be using some test equipment, oh and twisted pair and shielding.


----------



## Whitigir

Paladin79 said:


> There would be little wrong with extending a 26 awg wire from each pin with a small loop and extending wire from that. The pin itself is so tiny. Solid copper wire with a bit of small heat shrink tubing.



I don’t like extra solder joins so it is either to deal with removable cables the 800s has or hardwire it and skips some solder joins altogether.  I do think to keep the removable mechanism though, just for the convenience of it.  The plus side is that the connectors are smaller and such that it pose no inconvenience when having it on

So the decision is to make 23Awg cables and stick with it


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 7, 2018)

Totally understandable, I do have two work with a couple of those connectors before the weekend is out and I was just thinking out loud.

There is one more trick that can be used, if 23 awg is just too large to fit into a specific opening and it is stranded wire (which I have no doubt it is). Take a pair of wire strippers and clamp down on say 1/16 of an inch of the wire from the end but have them set on 26 awg. You will remove a few strands, be able to insert the wire, and then solder it and back a bit onto the 23 awg wire. Electrically with the addition of the outside tubing of the pin, it would not change a lot.


----------



## Whitigir (Apr 7, 2018)

Well, we can just split some of those strands and leave it outside, insert whatever fit into the tubes, solder it up.  The. Solder the extra strands to the outer barrel of the pins.  No blobs, and totally preserve a good connections .  It is just that the headphones is limited to the number of wire sizes, and that saddens me by a bit.  It wouldn’t work with my furutech though, the inner pins are too short.  Will just slab it on the way that it is lol...

I made Utopia cables that ways and was able to squeeze in 19Awg instead of 20.  But Utopia Lemo was much bigger to work with


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 7, 2018)

You can try it that way but I was thinking about the amount of room you have, if you are careful, it could work, Good Luck!

I just wired up some VU meters and hooked them into my system to test, if anyone needs help with such things, this set is about $20 and not bad at all to wire. I had a 12 v ac-dc transformer so it took me all of 15 minutes to get going.

Before I work with those hd 800 pins I want to finish a test setup. I could not locate a switch box like I wanted so I built my own to be used in conjunction with a Kramer box, resistor load, and scope inputs. I need to finish up some wiring and by 4 pm today I will be able to test between different types of cable material. As well as listening, I will most likely do square wave tests at 20, 1,000, 10,000, and 20,000 hertz respectively.

I need to build a few more cables but so far I can test headphone cable material by sound and by measurement. It is also a way to check the quality of the amps I have. Unfortunately so far I can only use unbalanced connections but that will change eventually. Right now I can seamlessly switch between headphone wire without so much as a crackle or pop. I paid particular attention to any wire used in this setup, being pretty sure of my soldering and theory, everything works the first time. Currently I am running out of a Schiit Valhalla 2 into MrSpeakers Alpha Primes, wire under test, I have no idea but that is the fun of it.

My wife is away for a couple weeks so I have plenty of time to straighten up before she gets back.


----------



## JamieMcC

Hey guys a little update from me.

I have been putting off finishing up my hd800 cable (Canare L-4E5C) its sat in my draw 90 percent complete for a couple of weeks while I summand up the courage to solder the wires to those tiny hd800 connectors. But today the kids were out and there was some decent light today so feeling brave I fired up the soldering iron.

Those tiny pins made for some fiddly work, maybe next time see if I can find a little bit of solid copper core to fit the hole in the connectors then solder my wire to that then insert it into the centre of the pin and solder in place.


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 10, 2018)

Very nice job and I am impressed by the way you maintained the twists with heat shrink tubing. I was just working with some of those connectors myself with 26 awg wire. it looks like you used an adhesive lined heat shrink tubing on the connectors themselves which is also a good idea. I have some solid silver wire on the way for use inside such pins. 

I am acquiring some cotton mesh that I can use on the star quad. I also have silk mesh on the way but it is smaller and more for single wire. The vendor was nice enough to send me samples of all the cotton sizes as well, they are measured flat. 8 MM should be a perfect size for fitting over cable roughly a 1/4 inch diameter or smaller. One of my cats is demonstrating the proper way of picking up the samples using your claws.


----------



## Whitigir

Today I converted stock 800s Cables into 4.4mm Pentaconn.  I was surprised by how well built this Cables was.  Spc shield, 4 conductors, spc conductors, cotton cores, double cotton body sleeving

Only thatut is really 26Awg or less if you count that there is nylon composite cores inside the wires bunches

And WM-1Z can drive HD800S


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 10, 2018)

Nicely done as well.  I do have some very tiny mesh that I want to try to use inside the hd 800 connectors. Solid silver wire should fit nicely and when done, it is not larger than 24 awg insulated, or at least that is my intent. Using heatshrink tubing inside those connectors is pretty difficult and if it is close to where you are soldering, you run the risk of inopportune shrinking.


----------



## JamieMcC

Paladin79 said:


> Very nice job and I am impressed by the way you maintained the twists with heat shrink tubing. I was just working with some of those connectors myself with 26 awg wire. it looks like you used an adhesive lined heat shrink tubing on the connectors themselves which is also a good idea. I have some solid silver wire on the way for use inside such pins.
> 
> I am acquiring some cotton mesh that I can use on the star quad. I also have silk mesh on the way but it is smaller and more for single wire. The vendor was nice enough to send me samples of all the cotton sizes as well, they are measured flat. 8 MM should be a perfect size for fitting over cable roughly a 1/4 inch diameter or smaller. One of my cats is demonstrating the proper way of picking up the samples using your claws.



Thanks I am pretty certain it was one of your posts that mentioned using the glue lined heat shrink tubing to maintain the twist and for strain relief.

The cable splitter was the second one I made the first being made out of a nice bit of snake wood but my two year old made off with it and after searching  hi and lo I gave up and made another its hard to capture the colour but its a mix of black and red pigment in resin along with a pearl mica. It looks black but actually shimmers as the light catches it and looks pretty neat in the flesh.


----------



## Paladin79

Very artistic, and as I recall you have some great looking headphone stands as well. It is always impressive to me when people have such skills and take the time to make something unique and well thought out.


----------



## Whitigir (Apr 10, 2018)

Well, I went ahead and upgraded the inner wires to 23AWG Silver UPOCC Grade.  The pins inside were so flimsy, and then the internal wires is like 28Awg or whatever  tsk...tsk...Sennheiser.  Everything is so well built and engineered, except wires lol


----------



## Paladin79

If I may ask, where did you get your wire? I am testing all types of wire right now.


----------



## Whitigir

UPOCC solidcore wires ? Check out SonicCraft (USA), hifi-collective (UK)


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 10, 2018)

I will order some in. IMHO I will have to jump to silver compared to copper for some folks to detect audible difference in wire, and then the number could still be small.  Stranded or solid will not matter much in my testing.


----------



## Whitigir

I love solid wires for chassis wiring, and internal wires are considered chassis wiring by me.  I tested them and observed them very closely, and I love Silver for the best.  The external wires can always be different and various materials.  The reason why I want and love solid silver in the chassis are

1/ superior conductivity, it should allow any flavor of upgraded external cables to take further effects
2/ Solid Silver doesn’t have the edginess and harsh-lines in performances.  But that is just my own opinions and experiences.

Regardless of #2, I still love Chassis wires to be solid silver as regarding to #1


----------



## Paladin79

Whitigir said:


> I love solid wires for chassis wiring, and internal wires are considered chassis wiring by me.  I tested them and observed them very closely, and I love Silver for the best.  The external wires can always be different and various materials.  The reason why I want and love solid silver in the chassis are
> 
> 1/ superior conductivity, it should allow any flavor of upgraded external cables to take further effects
> 2/ Solid Silver doesn’t have the edginess and harsh-lines in performances.  But that is just my own opinions and experiences.
> ...


----------



## JamieMcC

Interested to hear your thoughts on the cotton sleeving I would really like to try doing a sleeved cable next maybe cotton but am very tempted to try the silk sleeving from hifi collective and experimenting with tie dyeing as was mentioned a little while back.

Also how practical would it be to use some thin say 30 AWG wire for a cable?

I found this place https://www.wires.co.uk/index.html they have a quiet a range of interesting hybrid wires like gold plated silver. Gold plated copper etc  that look inexpensive enough to experiment a bit with.


----------



## Whitigir

JamieMcC said:


> Interested to hear your thoughts on the cotton sleeving I would really like to try doing a sleeved cable next maybe cotton but am very tempted to try the silk sleeving from hifi collective and experimenting with tie dyeing as was mentioned a little while back.
> 
> Also how practical would it be to use some thin say 30 AWG wire for a cable?
> 
> I found this place https://www.wires.co.uk/index.html they have a quiet a range of interesting hybrid wires like gold plated silver. Gold plated copper etc  that look inexpensive enough to experiment a bit with.



30 Awg is very filmy and small.  I would minimize full size headphones cables wires to be at the least 26awg.  But I prefer 23awg as minimum


----------



## Paladin79

I generally use 24 awg but that is quite close to 23. I might try some gold plated silver just to keep down tarnishing but as I have mentioned before, copper is a better conductor than gold.


----------



## Whitigir

Paladin79 said:


> I generally use 24 awg but that is quite close to 23. I might try some gold plated silver just to keep down tarnishing but as I have mentioned before, copper is a better conductor than gold.



Silver don’t typically tarnish the way copper does.  I use them in my T2 and countless of many items I built over the year.  Silver is still silver where as copper would have turned green

The only copper that doesn’t turn green over a period of a year or so is Litz or unless you tinned it all the way


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 11, 2018)

I would say that is silver in a clear pvc jacket so that in itself helps copper as well. I have seen just pure silver wire with no jacket, in that case I would go with another form of plating to keep down oxidation.  I may not have made myself clear, sorry.

Stax T2 kit build?

I do have some solid, high purity silver wire on the way, 24 awg. It does get pricey but at least for my test purposes solid wire will work well. I do have some clear heat shrink tubing that should fit over it perfectly.


----------



## JamieMcC

Slightly off topic but decided on my 2018 Whiskey choice today and blew the savings I made from diying my replacement hd800 cable to continue with my journey round the Scottish Island distilleries (Islay this time) and an Ardbeg ten year old.

First impression is its a pretty serious and complex dram (much more than I am used to) with a smokey ash finish that goes on and on.


----------



## Whitigir

Paladin79 said:


> Stax T2 kit build?



There is never a DIY T2 kit.  You just have to look for information and dig it out of the ground


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 14, 2018)

Very nice, I have not seen that before but I will watch for it. Being ten years old I imagine it was reasonably priced.

oops that was the reply about the scotch.


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 14, 2018)

Whitigir said:


> There is never a DIY T2 kit.  You just have to look for information and dig it out of the ground



I am about to embark on a solid state build that will require some digging as well. I hope to mount this amp in a Cohiba cigar box if I can find one that fits well.

I will use some 22 awg silver plated litz wiring if I get the chance.

This will be a rugged build so I can use it outdoors some.


----------



## Whitigir

Paladin79 said:


> I am about to embark on a solid state build that will require some digging as well. I hope to mount this amp in a Cohiba cigar box if I can find one that fits well.



It would be a lot of fun.  The chassis and metal works are always a PITA to do.


----------



## Paladin79

Whitigir said:


> It would be a lot of fun.  The chassis and metal works are always a PITA to do.



Yeah I had enough metal work for a while, but I do have one more quartered oak and copper Crack amp to do. If I need a common ground inside the wooden box, I have some copper plate left over from other builds that should work quite well. I have some large Alps pots I could not fit into other projects and those should fit well in this build if all goes well.


----------



## kingkikapu

Chilled and ready to diy.


----------



## Whitigir

kingkikapu said:


> Chilled and ready to diy.



That picture look like the power outlet wants you to funnel some of that whiskey into it !


----------



## HirschiAUT

Ima just on mah way home from parteying and seeing all that booze, i was thinking i have to bring some "balance" to it, visual-vise...
So yeah, here are some pics of my homemade bacon 

Still counts as DIY right?!


----------



## Paladin79

Ok this is really off topic lol.

Um my dying cotton mesh has to wait a while, it may have to sit overnight. You can do better heating it but I hate to have the cotton shrink, then it might really be hard to insert the wire.

Bacon goes with everything.


----------



## JamieMcC (Apr 15, 2018)

kingkikapu said:


> Chilled and ready to diy.



Nice not tried the 15 yer old yet,  my brother gave me the Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold for my birthday a few years back which I enjoyed.

Edit forgot about this pic


----------



## JamieMcC

Paladin79 said:


> Ok this is really off topic lol.
> 
> Um my dying cotton mesh has to wait a while, it may have to sit overnight. You can do better heating it but I hate to have the cotton shrink, then it might really be hard to insert the wire.
> 
> Bacon goes with everything.



Be round later to help you with those just need to book my flight


----------



## Paladin79

lol, the Japanese are also doing some remarkable things with whisky.

anyway, hopefully by tomorrow I will have cardinal red cotton mesh. I keep rinsing a bit of it and it looks pink, maybe if I could let it dry with the dye still soaking in, it will hold. This does not have to be washable or wearable of course.


----------



## Paladin79

Quimbo you can ask most anything about headphone cables and get fairly intelligent answers in here.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Interesting, but please keep the thread on topic.


----------



## Paladin79 (Apr 15, 2018)

Here is the end result of my dyeing cotton mesh with some Rit dye. Because I did not want to heat it on the stove and risk the cotton shrinking, I just let it sit overnight. The color is cardinal red as labeled and should be fine but I was hoping for a bit deeper color, maybe with more experimentation I will achieve that. Notice i used a glass bowl and worked over a stainless steel sink. One needs to stay away from plastic and porcelain when using such product.


----------



## JamieMcC

Looks good, its surprised me the difference between the wet colour and the dried end result which looks much more vibrant.

Planning to drop in on an embroidery supply shop on my way home from work tomorrow just to look and see if the have anything cord wise that might be repurposed for cable sleeving.


----------



## Paladin79

You have to be careful with some cordage if it does not have a hollow center but good luck. Next time I need to have more mesh to dye so it is more cost effective but I start to do more of this.

Oh and here is a thread where folks seem less likely to worry about the conversation drifting a bit, they have done whole segments on haggis and such lol.  At any given time there might be 10 or more people contributing too.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...bable-start-up.701900/page-2092#post-14175610


----------



## kingkikapu

Hey gang.  Looking for some grommets for choking up the ysplit.  Any suggestions for finding some on the cheap.  I'd rather not go the way of a 50 pack on ebay if I can avoid it.

thx.


----------



## JImmye00

I made my first cable last night using mogami 26awg (stripped the outside and copper, leaving the paper wrap) and wrapped it in 550 paracord.  I plugged into my headphones and every time it brushes against my crap i can hear it in the headphones (microphonics?)  anything i can do to eliminate this?


----------



## Allanmarcus

JImmye00 said:


> I made my first cable last night using mogami 26awg (stripped the outside and copper, leaving the paper wrap) and wrapped it in 550 paracord.  I plugged into my headphones and every time it brushes against my **** i can hear it in the headphones (microphonics?)  anything i can do to eliminate this?



No sure what you are rubbing the cable against, but one option is to not do that. 

One reason cables can be noisy like that is if the sleeving is pulled too tight. You may need to remove the plug, pull the sleeving back as much as it can be pulled back, then cut off a few inches of cable, re-terminate, then see if that helps.


----------



## Paladin79

JImmye00 said:


> I made my first cable last night using mogami 26awg (stripped the outside and copper, leaving the paper wrap) and wrapped it in 550 paracord.  I plugged into my headphones and every time it brushes against my **** i can hear it in the headphones (microphonics?)  anything i can do to eliminate this?



What you are describing is why I am testing other materials including cotton and silk, it is one thing to lessen the effects of nylon or plastic but the base material can be part of the problem. I just finished dyeing some cotton mesh and hope to house some relatively pure silver with it soon.


----------



## lotech (Apr 19, 2018)

I really like Lagavulin 16, intensely smoky and peaty. I'd love to try the 25 year old, but 2 bottles and I could buy a 64 Audio Trio! Yikes. Stock photo as I'm out at the moment (got to go to Liquor store now). Oh yeah to keep this remotely on topic my soldering skills are getting better thanks to the generousity of Paladin79, I'm almost ready to tackle IEM cables.


----------



## Paladin79

I will have to try the 16 year old sometime, I know my son gets small samples of 25 year old and older sent to him for reasonable prices.

I am at a bit of a standstill on the cotton mesh, I got the red the color I wanted it but black did not work as well the first go around so I need to order more dye. I will eventually get the hang of dyeing the material. Right now I am working on a portable tube type amp, preamp system I can schlep to the back of my property where I do not have AC outlets. This will involve appropriate cables at some point. I am also building a solid state amp inside a Cohiba cigar box provided I can find electrolytics with a low enough profile.


----------



## JImmye00

Allanmarcus said:


> No sure what you are rubbing the cable against, but one option is to not do that.
> 
> One reason cables can be noisy like that is if the sleeving is pulled too tight. You may need to remove the plug, pull the sleeving back as much as it can be pulled back, then cut off a few inches of cable, re-terminate, then see if that helps.



well sure one option would be not to let it brush against my clothing but humans do move their heads  I did pull the paracord pretty tight. I guess i will try loosening it up. thnaks for the suggestioin


----------



## JamieMcC

Put an order in for some of the Neotech NECH 3001 headphone cable, looking forward to trying it out . Its going to be interesting comparing it to my diy Canare L-4E5C cable and the stock hd800 one..


----------



## DylanBinh

Hello guys. I am a new member.
A fresh man to Audiophile world too.

But I do love listening to music.
Till now have enough time and saving to step in this world. Thanks god that finally can post reply here.

Long story short, my setup now:
DAP xDuoo x3 ~ 56$
AMP O2 (with power cord, no battery, opamp original) ~ 44$
AKG Q701 White ~ 130$
And a IC 3.5mm come with those things, I collected from other headfier each items, so dont know what items this IC jack belong too.

After listening to this setup about 2-3 weeks, I finally realized that all of my songs could sound so beautiful like this.
BUT, it is getting a little sad after I realized that the Q701 is too hard to drive.

For all the detail sounds, it is so fabulous. But for the high note its too sharp, and the bass is quite lack and not punchy enough (sorry, I am not good at English, so hard to explain exactly). 

The bass is kind of oil drop on water, it spread out not grouped. I am looking for the bass that can be jump in, like you punch a sandbag, punch punch punch, have tempo and each strike is quick and packed. (Sry again for noob explain).

Plus, there was a song that come with a drum bass left right left right, and hidden in this is some shackle sound (the equipment one guys in Eagle using in Hotel California) and guitar sound play in backgrouns, its very very small note there, but I heard it when I test the O2 AMP (with other opamp - dont know the name). Now I can not get it, only some fade and flat noise that can not sync with the flow.

Any suggestion for a newbie like me to change, to modding, to buy some new opamp, amp, dap or even new headphone (i love this Q701 already).

My music gout is New Age, Instrument, Chill,... Kind of something can calm the mind and relaxing (my life is quite stressful).

Favourite Artis:
Yanni
Yiruma
Dennis Kuo
Secret Garden
Chinese Instrument Music

Julio Iglesias
BeeGees
Beatles
Eagle

Sometimes:
Bruno Mars
Maroon5
Justin Timberlake
EDM

Thanks a lot...!
Please guide me...!
P/s: I already try DIY 2 IC cable.
4x braided 7N Hybrid Silver&Copper
8x braided 7N Silver
Later I will need help and knowledge about DIY cable from you guys.


----------



## Allanmarcus

@DylanBinh ,
This is the wrong forum for general equipment advice. Please post in the Introductions, Help and Recommendations forum
https://www.head-fi.org/forums/introductions-help-and-recommendations.7840/

This thread is for DIY cable discussion. Do you have a questions about DIY cables?


----------



## DylanBinh (Apr 25, 2018)

Allanmarcus said:


> @DylanBinh ,
> This is the wrong forum for general equipment advice. Please post in the Introductions, Help and Recommendations forum
> https://www.head-fi.org/forums/introductions-help-and-recommendations.7840/
> 
> This thread is for DIY cable discussion. Do you have a questions about DIY cables?


Oppps, sorry. My main idea is want to let people understand my problem with my setup.
Sorry not to make it more clear. I was modding DIY Cable for the 3,5mm IC jack as it is the one and only thing I can try to change the quality of the sound for now (as I though so), maybe I will try to change the Q701 cable too.
I have 8 braided 7N Hybrid Copper (4x1,2mm) x Silver (4x1,2mm) and 8 braided 7N Silver (8x1,2mm).
Any advice for me to modding a decent IC 3.5mm jack and cable for Q701.
The IC jack have (L) (R) (G), total is 3 channels. What kind and How many wire I should pick and mix together on each channel.
For now, already tried:
4 braided: 1xSilver (L) 1xSilver(R) 2xCopper(G) => quality is so so, not really much different with my original IC 3,5 jack.
8 braided: 3xSilver (L) 3xSilver(R) 2xCopper(G) => quality is far better, it give me at least 20% more satisfied (my own sense), with more warm, brighter sound and a liitle more punch bass (still not enough).

I mixed it as my instinc because I tried to search through internet and youtube but no post or clip or guide about modding this kind of jack and wire (maybe my searching albility is not good enough).
So if someone can give me advice, or how to calculate or balancing the wire and sound, or maybe the guide or wiki about the effect of wire material/gauge with sound. It will be very nice.
Thanks...!
https://imgur.com/a/bHXTVNR

The wire is Acrolink 7N Silver/Copper


----------



## Paladin79

JamieMcC said:


> Put an order in for some of the Neotech NECH 3001 headphone cable, looking forward to trying it out . Its going to be interesting comparing it to my diy Canare L-4E5C cable and the stock hd800 one..



I will be testing some Neotech 24 awg upocc when I can get around to it but I doubt it is the same as the 3001. I have been given some really nice samples so far and even purchased some solid silver.


----------



## kingkikapu

So my third hands took a pretty bad tumble and are nerfed.  There's a lot of junk on amazon, and the nextech stuff at Home Depot is pretty light.  Suggestions?


----------



## Paladin79

Panavise is what I use consistently and there are add-ons.


----------



## kingkikapu

Hmm tempted to try a suction style one like the 381.  I tend to pull it out when I need it, otherwise I'd like it off of my surfaces.  Is it compatible with clip arms?


----------



## kingkikapu

Actually a 301 and a weighted 308 base looks pretty handy.  Thanks!


----------



## Allanmarcus (Apr 28, 2018)

kingkikapu said:


> So my third hands took a pretty bad tumble and are nerfed.  There's a lot of junk on amazon, and the nextech stuff at Home Depot is pretty light.  Suggestions?


Panavise 301 with PanaVise 312 Tray Base Mount


----------



## Paladin79

Here are a couple Panavises in my own shop, as I mentioned earlier, they are what I would go with. The two silver things in the middle of the desk. I am fairly ambidextrous so two work well for me but one should suffice for normal projects.


----------



## kingkikapu

Thanks for that.  I picked up a 301 with a weighted base.  I've got a magnetic tray that holds all my junk, so decided against the 312 tray base mount.


----------



## Paladin79

I buy thePanavise model 350 work centers. They pretty well come with most things then I add soldering iron holders, solder holders , or wire holders as needed. Eventually after maybe 8 years the threads can wear out if they are used daily but you just buy an new vise head and go on your way.


----------



## kingkikapu

damnit you guys.  After one drink I cancelled my order and went the 350 route.  You're all bad news for me.


----------



## Allanmarcus

kingkikapu said:


> damnit you guys.  After one drink I cancelled my order and went the 350 route.  You're all bad news for me.


But which base did you get?


----------



## Paladin79

The model 350 usually comes with the tray base.

https://www.zoro.com/panavise-multi...QHRyVRcjOEPXkAjKoZcGoGD_trDc5JNYaAknnEALw_wcB


----------



## Allanmarcus

Whoops, you're right. Looks like it comes with the 312 base


----------



## Sarcasmo

Hi,

I'm searching for some silver plated copper 28/30 awg 19 strand clear teflon coated wire for a new iem cable build. The reason I'm asking here is I'm hoping that someone may have experience with something of this spec and can recommend one that is very flexible and as low on micro-phonics as possible.

I've searched through hundreds of pages on these forums hoping to find something close, but I'm coming up dry for anything recent enough to still be available to buy.

Appreciate any word of advice.


----------



## xndR_R (May 7, 2018)

Hey could anyone recommend a good silver wire cable for the Sennheiser HD650?

Ive read some good reviews about Toxic Cables but I cannot wait 14 weeks
So therefore im looking at some DIY options. My budget is arround 10-12$ per feet.


----------



## kingkikapu

Are you dead set on upgrading your 650’s with silver? I feel like you would get better bang for your buck if you upgraded headphones first. But some people swear by 650’s so I figured I would ask.


----------



## xndR_R

kingkikapu said:


> Are you dead set on upgrading your 650’s with silver? I feel like you would get better bang for your buck if you upgraded headphones first. But some people swear by 650’s so I figured I would ask.



I'm using valhalla 2 as amp which matches really well with the 650. So I prefer to stay with the 650. 
Also I've read that alot people prefer silver > copper cables with my headphone.


----------



## VonBoedfeld

Hi,

I need some help regarding chosing the right wire for my DIY headphone cable.

What do you think about the following wire:
Hakugei Ice blue litz 7N extra pure occ copper silver coated 24 AWG, insolated cores







https://de.aliexpress.com/item/pink...ith-thick-silver-plated-wire/32825572037.html


----------



## Allanmarcus

VonBoedfeld said:


> Hi,
> 
> I need some help regarding chosing the right wire for my DIY headphone cable.
> 
> ...


I’m gonna guess that you would be the first person on this thread to try that wire.


----------



## penmarker

Wow 7N material. That's laboratory grade. From AliExpress nonetheless.


----------



## haoyuan

VonBoedfeld said:


> Hi,
> 
> I need some help regarding chosing the right wire for my DIY headphone cable.
> 
> ...



The first line in Chinese under R&D motivation literally says: Summer too hot, dilligently create this cable, can bring people cool and beautiful sky feel!


----------



## Paladin79

I love the chinese description in English! Each single core is shielded and insulated, um no, each is insulated. If one were to ask how they came up with this wire being 7 N the answer would be very interesting I am sure.


----------



## VonBoedfeld

I had read here in the forum a few times that someone recommends Hakugei Metals and was of the opinion that this manufacturer is serious.
But I have not read much about the Aliexpress seller Chitty's Store yet.


----------



## VonBoedfeld

haoyuan said:


> The first line in Chinese under R&D motivation literally says: Summer too hot, dilligently create this cable, can bring people cool and beautiful sky feel!


what poetry.....


----------



## Paladin79

I need to do a cable for Hifiman HE400S, to save some time does anyone have a good source for the 2.5 mm connectors as well as wiring scheme?

thanks

Tom


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> I need to do a cable for Hifiman HE400S, to save some time does anyone have a good source for the 2.5 mm connectors as well as wiring scheme?
> 
> thanks
> 
> Tom


Even though the 2.5 are stereo, the mono connectors might work fine. Contact @PLUSSOUND and ask them. These might work
http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html


----------



## Paladin79

I have some 2.5 mm made for Sennheisers I believe that are trs, I may give those a shot, they are pretty narrow and should fit. There are not that many ways to wire these, it is just a matter of whether they connect both the tip and ring together like on some I have seen. I am in the process of building HD650 cables down to a four pin mini xlr with three pigtails and my friend realized he would have plenty of options if he used those same pigtails for other cables and cut down the wear and tear of plugging three cables into the cups.


----------



## Aeneas

Hi. Can anyone help me find a 2.5mm female socket for a cable?

I'm hoping to make a longer, better version of something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07796P1KZ/?tag=lookjar-20

My idea is to make a 2ft short 2.5mm balanced cable (to be used with Astell & Kern XB10) with an optional 3.5mm 4ft extension (to be used with everything else).

This means that I'll have a nice short cable for the XB10, plus no need to double-dongle when plugging into an iPhone.

Also, if anyone thinks this is a bad idea, I'd appreciate that too.


----------



## caecillius

I prefer Switchcraft 2.5mm connectors myself. They are narrow enough to fit the recessed entry of the HifiMan stuff. Mouser carries them. https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...=sGAEpiMZZMv0W4pxf2HiV6YB0RWJpyofXIHMvsECE44=


----------



## Paladin79

Perfect and using mono makes them simpler to wire. I also trust the brand, I will get some on the way.


----------



## WildStyle-R11

After looking around for a cable I decided to make my own, it be cheaper and I can do whatever I want... I'm looking for 4Pin XLR connector for my oppo Ha 1 and then I don't know with what I can join cable from left and right ear into single cable. Can I get what I need somewhere in UK? I guess I need a solder as well. ^^ Uhm I can use a speaker cable right?


----------



## Paladin79 (May 15, 2018)

Speaker cable is generally too large and may or may not be quality wire. You should be able to find Belden, Mogami, or Canare star quad cable. Four conductors and a shield and very good quality wire, usually 24 or 26 awg and that is all you need for this application. What headphones will you be using? Do they have connectors you unplug?

60/40 Kester solder is a good place to start, rosin core. In the photo is star quad with two wires split off to each side of a headphone.


----------



## WildStyle-R11

Connectors HD 660S...

As a side note Soldering Iron* and looking at that cable uhm multimeter? And yes this is still cheaper. ^^

Just need to find a site where I can get what I need as well.


----------



## Paladin79

Here are some cables I am doing for a friend. These will be one foot pig tails that will fit onto two different headphone cables. When completed he can switch from 3.5 mm to 1/4 inch trs, to 4 pin male xlr cable (balanced audio) without unplugging the base cable from his headphone cups, saving wear and tear on those connectors.


----------



## Oscar-HiFi (May 16, 2018)

WildStyle-R11 said:


> After looking around for a cable I decided to make my own, it be cheaper and I can do whatever I want... I'm looking for 4Pin XLR connector for my oppo Ha 1 and then I don't know with what I can join cable from left and right ear into single cable. Can I get what I need somewhere in UK? I guess I need a solder as well. ^^ Uhm I can use a speaker cable right?



Neutrik 4-pin XLR plugs are easy to find in the UK on eBay. Cable wise, as you are in the UK I would advise you go for Van Damme Miniature starquad, also available on eBay.

Y-splitters are harder to find in the right sizes, I still haven't found good ones that are good for full size cables apart from Viablue which can be quite big. Just did a search and I might try these in future.

HD6xx connectors, I have used these but they take around 2-3 weeks to arrive from China. If you want a UK supplier, here, but they are harder to solder.


----------



## WildStyle-R11

Thanks for the tips, I will now await my stuff.

Also I noticed that there is a shield in the wire I am getting, do I need to ground it as well? And if so do I split it?


----------



## Paladin79

You do not need to split the shield if you already have a hot and a ground. Generally speaking you should not attach a shield at both ends of a cable if there is already a ground, this will make a current loop that can act like antenna, if connected at all, connect it only at the source end.


----------



## handwander

This may be a dumb question but has anyone ever made an IEM cable that is spiraled prior to the splitter? Not sure why but I was thinking this would look interesting visually (though perhaps it's useless functionally) but I can't recall seeing something like that.


----------



## WildStyle-R11

Paladin79 said:


> You do not need to split the shield if you already have a hot and a ground. Generally speaking you should not attach a shield at both ends of a cable if there is already a ground, this will make a current loop that can act like antenna, if connected at all, connect it only at the source end.



Not at both ends, what I meant was, since I am doing a 4 pin XLR. There are 2 grounds at source, I can't figure if it would be a good or a bad idea to split it.


----------



## Paladin79

I am not sure I follow what you are saying, a four pin xlr uses two grounds. Going into the headphones if you have dual entry, you use two grounds there as well, one on each side. If you are using star quad there are four wires plus a shield, it is that braid that I was talking about only attaching on one end.


----------



## WildStyle-R11

Yes, one end source which has 2 grounds, do I attach it to just one of them? (shield)


----------



## Paladin79

Both and both on headphones


----------



## WildStyle-R11

We are still missing eachother. ^^ Not talking about ground wires, but the shield, which has 4 or more reasonably 2 options to go to.


----------



## Paladin79

You need not use or split the shield. Cut it off, twist each pair going to headphone cups.


----------



## WildStyle-R11

I see, so basically it doesn't matter and it doesn't help much?


----------



## Ian Hickler (May 18, 2018)

Hey so... I am a hefty noob I have built one cable. First off where can I buy high quality wire thats not super expensive? Or should I buy starquad mic cables from canrae, mogami or vandamme? I need to make a he 4xx also known as he400i cable. So my other issue is where to buy 2.5m connectors?
Also should I braid it? or no? Like litz and paracord?

Thx- Ian


----------



## kingkikapu

WildStyle-R11 said:


> I see, so basically it doesn't matter and it doesn't help much?


It helps but as soon as you split your wires at the Y you cannot maintain a proper shield geometry so off it goes. 

Regardless, you have additional shielding by twisting the wires above the Y.  It’s the best you can get without making a bulky convoluted mess. Given only about a foot or so isn’t using the additional faraday shield above the Y you have very little possibility of picking up a lot of EMI.


----------



## Paladin79

Thanks for helping on that King, I have an hour drive to my office so I was not able to get back to the gentleman.


----------



## Paladin79

Ian Hickler said:


> Hey so... I am a hefty noob I have built one cable. First off where can I buy high quality wire thats not super expensive? Or should I buy starquad mic cables from canrae, mogami or vandamme? I need to make a he 4xx also known as he400i cable. So my other issue is where to buy 2.5m connectors?
> Also should I braid it? or no? Like litz and paracord?
> 
> Thx- Ian


 2.5 mm connectors, if mono, are available from Switchcraft, look for the number 850X.
Litz is generally decent as is oxygen free copper that is in many star quad types. You can use the star quad as such and use mesh over the entire jacket or remove the wires and braid those. What you need to avoid in audio is two wires running parallel to each other with no braiding or twisting done. Read up on twisted pair some time and you will understand it is a form of shielding.


----------



## Razorbud (May 19, 2018)

Hey guys, I just recabled one of my earbuds yesterday and while the results weren't too bad, they aren't as great as I expected them to be and I would like to ask some questions:

For a 4 cable braid, what braids do you guys use? Flat litz? Round/square (each core on a side of a square, and cross two cores across the "horizontal" axis and the other two cross along the "vertical" axis)? Or a drill method where you split the 4 wires into sets of two, braid each set in one direction, and braid both sets together in a different direction using a drill?

How long do you guys take to do it? I got to admit that it took me longer than it should to finish the project, probably about 3-4 hours just to recable an earbud. Partly cause I'm using a poor quality solder and my soldering iron is badly oxidized. Also I made the rookie mistake of forgetting to put the sleeving for the plug first before soldering the wires to the cable.

What sort of insulation should my cables have? I got ones with PTFE and they seem to be quite good. I accidentally ordered more with FET instead and they felt more like PC and speaker/electronics wires instead of IEM ones. I went ahead an used them anyway cause I didn't want to wait for a new set of wires to arrive. From what I read, they shouldn't really be much different? Though they feel really different.

How much do you guys typically spend per meter of wire? I found some SPC wire on ebay for about $1.50 to $2 per meter depending on gauge.

Is 30 awg flexible enough? The FET wires I mentioned above were 20awg with an OD of 1.5mm. The resulting cable was stiff and heavy.

EDIT: Also, what are your thoughts on getting pre-braided cables? I understand that a multimeter will come in handy to identify the individual cores, but what about the convenience of having them already braided for you?


----------



## Ian Hickler

Hey so put it this way flat braid will look the cleanest. Second litz and third twisted. Twosting is the quickest to.


----------



## kingkikapu

Allanmarcus has a great wire tracker on his DIY supplies page.  Wire prices are anywhere from a fraction of a dollar/ft to 8-12$/ft for gold doped silver (I have some of that sitting in a drawer waiting to be assembled).

My suggestion: don't spend 500$ on wire if your cans are 800$.  Spend that money on better transducers, amps, and dacs.  Upgrade to pricey cables last.  I've made cables out of Belden/Mogami/Canare star quads: some I keep the original sleeving on to the Y, others I strip and braid the whole thing. They sound great.  If you want to go above that in quality you're heading into lower gauge OCC copper.  I'm just gonna put my thoughts out there: I hate solid conductor cables because they're pretty stiff, so if going OCC I go for OCC stranded cables so that they coil better.

I usually buy 24AWG-28AWG for most headphone applications, and add more wires vs going lower gauge and fewer wires.  

P.S. Allan/Paladin: that panavise workstation rocks. Thanks for the advice.


----------



## Ian Hickler

kingkikapu said:


> Allanmarcus has a great wire tracker on his DIY supplies page.  Wire prices are anywhere from a fraction of a dollar/ft to 8-12$/ft for gold doped silver (I have some of that sitting in a drawer waiting to be assembled).
> 
> My suggestion: don't spend 500$ on wire if your cans are 800$.  Spend that money on better transducers, amps, and dacs.  Upgrade to pricey cables last.  I've made cables out of Belden/Mogami/Canare star quads: some I keep the original sleeving on to the Y, others I strip and braid the whole thing. They sound great.  If you want to go above that in quality you're heading into lower gauge OCC copper.  I'm just gonna put my thoughts out there: I hate solid conductor cables because they're pretty stiff, so if going OCC I go for OCC stranded cables so that they coil better.
> 
> ...


Where can I find this store?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Razorbud said:


> Hey guys, I just recabled one of my earbuds yesterday and while the results weren't too bad, they aren't as great as I expected them to be and I would like to ask some questions:
> 
> For a 4 cable braid, what braids do you guys use? Flat litz? Round/square (each core on a side of a square, and cross two cores across the "horizontal" axis and the other two cross along the "vertical" axis)? Or a drill method where you split the 4 wires into sets of two, braid each set in one direction, and braid both sets together in a different direction using a drill?
> 
> ...


For a simple 4 wire braid, I just braid all four wires. I just look up a four strand braid on the inter webs, and follow instructions.


----------



## Paladin79

Soon I will be making DIY cables to go with this DIY amp. (Coaster amp, a hybrid amp sent to me from Jason Stoddard at Schiit). This is such a small amplifier that I will be looking for some 4 mm mesh to fit over quality twisted pair. I should be building at least four of these amps in various housings and hope to do matching cables in all cases. These amps can be left un-populated and used as coasters, thus the name.


----------



## FangJoker

I ordered a cable for my sony xba z5 and the connectors on the cable is really tight. Tighter than the stock cable connector so I broke the tip of one side while changing it out while comparing cables. I can order replacement sony xba connectors from ebay, but I was thinking of changing it to mmcx which I can use for some other IEMs that I own. Who in the USA can do this? I can buy the connectors and send the cable with it if I know someone can do this. Should I make my own thread? If anyone knows anyone in the USA that can do this let me know. Thanks


----------



## sashokv36

Hello,

I am planning to build custom cable for Meze 99 Classics. It is known fact that they require slim 3.5 mm jacks for connection on headphone side. My measurements with existing cable show that actual diameter of said jacks is about 3.44 - 3.45 mm with stem length 14 mm. Now, I've been looking for such connectors, either TS or TSR (both work based on my own experience), however, I find it hard to find reasonable options. What I found so far:

- Meze themselves sell such connectors for ridiculous price of 20 USD per pair.
- Eidolic has fitting connector for even more ridiculous price of 14.50 USD per one.
- At the same time, eBay is full of various cables for Meze with perfectly fitting slim connectors and judging by cable prices, these connectors are really cheap. On top, they look completely differently from Meze or Eidolic options.

I tried to find suitable connectors on Digikey and Mouser, however, there are no 3.5 mm connectors that have actual diameter less than 3.5 mm. On the other hand, certainly such connectors exist beyond Meze and Eidolic offers. Could anyone point me in the right direction, where I could find headphone connectors fitting Meze headphones at the reasonable price?

Many thanks!


----------



## bharris

Hi, 

Can someone point me to a good supplier for "mid-fi" copper wire for a DIY headphone cable?  Link to a good place in the thread?  Not looking to spend more than $2-3/ft.

In the past I've used PlusSound and Norne Audio but they don't seem to have anything non-litz available.
(Sorry, I know it's already in here but I was scanning for a while... this thread has gotten huge)

THANKS!!


----------



## ThinkerMakerDIYer

bharris said:


> Hi,
> 
> Can someone point me to a good supplier for "mid-fi" copper wire for a DIY headphone cable?  Link to a good place in the thread?  Not looking to spend more than $2-3/ft.
> 
> ...


PMing you. I DIYed  quite a few earphones and headphones, cable is a critical choice–some look fancy from pics but really hard to use. I pick them by my own ears. 
And there are just tooooooo many amazon ebay aliexpress sellers claiming they have 6/7/8/9...N ofc/occ... cables just for few $... very funny.


----------



## tarhana

guys can you recommend me a copper wire for iem use? my budget is 5 dollars/feet. aliexpress links would be perfect, paypal (and therefore ebay) blocked here.


----------



## rundeploy

Hello, everyone. I am a usb custom cable maker. I would like to try to make some hifi audio cables (may be with paracord, techflex or teleios sleeving, techflex or teleios might not be a good ideia because of the "microphonics", but i will experiment to see). From my light search i have found that Mogami W2893 cable would be good for that. Do you agree ? I am in Europe so i find it difficult to find where to buy for a decent price. Do you recommend any different cable ? I will make for my headphones like HD598, DT990 Pro, HD650 etc All the connectors i already have. *I just don't know what cable to pick for this headphones and where*. I would appreciate your help.


----------



## Paladin79

W2893 is good. There are also star quad cables made by Canare and Belden that contain quality conductors. The 2893 is 26 awg, I generally like to use 24 awg but the 26 can suffice. 

As far as microphonics, I prefer using mesh that is partially or wholly cotton based, if you do enough searching on Ebay you can find it
.  There is also some decent Litz wire out there so you might find it easier to obtain in your area. I am doing some extensive testing on most any wire type I can find and some of the ofc litz stands up very well to any kind of cable I can buy and quite often the price is reasonable. This is part of my test setup and I can switch between four types of wire at a time. I have also used a dozen people with backgrounds in music and audio to test some of my samples.


----------



## rundeploy

@Paladin79 that's a serious testing setup man, respect! appreciate your input. Can you recommend the specific cables from Canare, Belden, Litz etc for me to look up in Europe , please ?


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 12, 2018)

Thanks that is part of my home setup but I work with such things for a living.
Canare L-4E6S is good, Belden 1172 for 26 awg, Belden 1192A for 24 awg. I have not seen Litz listed by manufacturers often but there should be some German companies that make it.  I am not sure how readily available Belden is there.  Belden 9397 is very good as is Gepco XB401.41. Quality ofc wire.

I use some Belden wire made for USB and have successfully used it at distances over 15 feet


----------



## kingkikapu

Paladin your test rig has really stepped up a notch. Bravo sir.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 12, 2018)

Luckily my wife was out of town for a couple weeks so I had complete use of my downstairs without her seeing all the stuff I drug in from my shop. I can switch in twelve types of wire and use multiple sources and headphones with each unknown type of wire. I have built a Whammy class A amp to add to my Class A solid state amps so some of the test music I am monitoring is pretty amazing imho.  This is more what my setup looks like without the equipment in the way, three tube amps and various solid state amps including balanced Class A for each channel at that time. All test wires are identical in length and encased in a tinned copper mesh so they are not recognizable, identical twists and shielding as well.


----------



## rundeploy

Wow man ! @Paladin79 that's impressive gear you have there. From Canare L-4E6S, Belden 1172 for 26 awg, Belden 1192A for 24 awg, Belden 9397, Gepco XB401.41 and Mogami W2893 could you make a list by preference order from most prefered to less prefered please ? Just to help me guide and have a relation between quality (your preference) vs price that i'll find.
In a quick search i found the Canare L-4E6S with a "reasonable" price and Belden 1192A with not so "reasonable" price 5€/Meter.


----------



## Paladin79 (Jun 12, 2018)

Honestly I doubt if you would be able to hear a difference in the two so you might want to go with the Canare. Both have quality wire. Belden is made close to me, by the time it is shipped overseas I am sure that is a big factor in the price. I buy wholesale also so my price is 1/5 or less what you mentioned.

http://www.canare.com/UploadedDocuments/Star Quad Cable.pdf

With this cable you can build most anything for single or dual entry circum-aural or supra-aural headphones. You can leave it in tact and just split off pairs and twist them for each channel or remove the four inner wires with a lot of work and braid those with mesh over each. I have all types of wire in my test setup you mentioned earlier and so far no one has really found a discernible difference in them.

There are people I am sure who will say they can hear a difference between wires but I am not one of them, sorry. Everything I test is of good quality, all you can hope to do is maintain a signal, wire does not improve a signal.


----------



## Paladin79

Does anyone happen to know the 3.5 mm headphone cup connector wiring for the HiFiman Sundara off the top of their head so I do not have to search around too much?


----------



## Feilong4 (Jun 23, 2018)

Does anyone have some sort of "trick" to implement an effective strain relief inside of the earcup without knotting the cable? One of my headphones is a bit tricky in that if I knot a cable as a strain relief, it is very hard to tighten the front baffle back on - often leaving a gap.

I was thinking of just putting blu-tack, but I'm sure it won't survive a few accidental yanks.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Feilong4 said:


> Does anyone have some sort of "trick" to implement an effective strain relief inside of the earcup without knotting the cable? One of my headphones is a bit tricky in that if I knot a cable as a strain relief, it is very hard to tighten the front baffle back on - often leaving a gap.
> 
> I was thinking of just putting blu-tack, but I'm sure it won't survive a few accidental yanks.


Consider a zip tie


----------



## Feilong4

Allanmarcus said:


> Consider a zip tie



Ah shoot, of course! Thanks!


----------



## Currawong

Paladin79 said:


> Does anyone happen to know the 3.5 mm headphone cup connector wiring for the HiFiman Sundara off the top of their head so I do not have to search around too much?



As far as I know it's just the tip and sleeve for positive/negative, same as Sony and everyone else.

I've decided to try out some more local IC cable and a new brand of plugs to see how things go:

https://www.aeco.tw/ for the connectors and http://www.nanotec-systems.jp for the cable. The latter is supposed to be a great bargain, so hopefully it will be.


----------



## Paladin79

Thanks I did receive that info from someone else and you are correct about the Sundara.


----------



## kingkikapu

Anybody know if you can order small batches of wire and sleeving from Wan Lun in Taiwan?


----------



## L0rdGwyn

Got a question for my fellow cable DIYers.

I'm building a cable for my ZMF Auteurs.  This is my first time using 4-pin mini XLR connectors.  On the stock cable, two pins on each connector are the +, two are the ground, each pin is redundant, but it uses eight conductors.  I am using a four-conductor cable (Moon Audio Black Dragon), and I know ZMF cables are often sold/built with four conductors as well, as opposed to eight.

My question is, should I short the two redundant pins with a piece of wire, effectively spitting each of my four conductors, or only use one of each pin, leaving the other redundant pin unused?  Ideally, I'd like to do it the way Zach at ZMF does it, reached out to him but he is a busy guy haven't heard back yet, I'm a bit short on time, busy week ahead.  I assume the same would apply for Audeze cables.


----------



## Allanmarcus

L0rdGwyn said:


> Got a question for my fellow cable DIYers.
> 
> I'm building a cable for my ZMF Auteurs.  This is my first time using 4-pin mini XLR connectors.  On the stock cable, two pins on each connector are the +, two are the ground, each pin is redundant, but it uses eight conductors.  I am using a four-conductor cable (Moon Audio Black Dragon), and I know ZMF cables are often sold/built with four conductors as well, as opposed to eight.
> 
> My question is, should I short the two redundant pins with a piece of wire, effectively spitting each of my four conductors, or only use one of each pin, leaving the other redundant pin unused?  Ideally, I'd like to do it the way Zach at ZMF does it, reached out to him but he is a busy guy haven't heard back yet, I'm a bit short on time, busy week ahead.  I assume the same would apply for Audeze cables.



Audeze does something sort of similar. When I've built cables for audeze, I short the pins. The theory is that you get a more solid, more better connection with two pins over one pin. Plus, if one pin fails for some odd reason, there is another pin connected. 

working with 3 pins on a mini-XLR not easy. 4 pins per cup, right? that is probably not fun.

Note, you could just do two pins per channel and be done. If it fails, you can always open it up and fix it.


----------



## L0rdGwyn

Allanmarcus said:


> Audeze does something sort of similar. When I've built cables for audeze, I short the pins. The theory is that you get a more solid, more better connection with two pins over one pin. Plus, if one pin fails for some odd reason, there is another pin connected.
> 
> working with 3 pins on a mini-XLR not easy. 4 pins per cup, right? that is probably not fun.
> 
> Note, you could just do two pins per channel and be done. If it fails, you can always open it up and fix it.



Thanks for the input!  I ended up just using pins 1 and 3 and leaving 2 and 4 disconnected.  Getting jumpers across the four pins would be a pain, and like you said, if a connection breaks, I can just open them up and resolder.  As long as there are no performance benefits to using both pins ( and unless ZMF does something exotic with their coil wiring, I cannot think of a single reason why their would be ), I am cool with just using the two.

Happy listening


----------



## My Little Phony

Hello,

i want to solder my own headphone cables in the future. First of all im making a list containing all the parts i need for building custom cables and where to buy it.

Theres only one part i dont know how to search for it. Its the wooden or metall y wire spltter i often see on custom cable pics.
I searched for "y splitter adapter, headphone cable splitter, cable wire splitter" at ebay but did not found anything. 

Do you have any advise and good source where to get the fancy parts? (im living in Germany, recommended international sellers where i can pay with paypal would be nice)


----------



## WildStyle-R11

My Little Phony said:


> Hello,
> 
> i want to solder my own headphone cables in the future. First of all im making a list containing all the parts i need for building custom cables and where to buy it.
> 
> ...



ViaBlue SC-2 I believe is one of them.
I have been thinking of maybe using mini XLR connection as a "Y" splitter.


----------



## My Little Phony

Thank you for mentioning the ViaBlue SC-2. Its the first on my list now. Mini XLR as a Y-splitter. Why not? I guess there are many awesome and interesting ways to build a custom splitter but for now i will be happy if i can just buy one.


----------



## WildStyle-R11

You can also visit some local sites that Make cables and see if they sell any DIY stuff. Like I found in UK "Oidio Sound" They make cables, but they also sell some DIY stuff, like couple of splitters, connectors, wires even.


----------



## My Little Phony

Thanks. Nice shop. Im happy about every source.


----------



## MikeJSmith

My Little Phony said:


> Hello,
> 
> i want to solder my own headphone cables in the future. First of all im making a list containing all the parts i need for building custom cables and where to buy it.
> 
> ...



These are what I ordered from ebay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10x-HiFi...961198&hash=item36314f2e2e:g:KkEAAOSwLoxa6xof

No idea why but you need to search for "boots y splitter".  Not sure if this'll be the same in German!  On a side note, I did need to dremel out the holes to fit cable + paracord, but should be fine as is for just twisted wire.


----------



## My Little Phony

The "boots y splitter" is a nice tip. Thanks.


----------



## Allanmarcus

I never found the boots to work well for headphone cables. One end or the other was the wrong size.

Here's what I have discovered.
https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/home/y-splitters?authuser=0


----------



## My Little Phony

Thank you for the link. The splitters from doublehelix cables are nice. Also good to know that there are basic plastic splitters available. O thats gonna be much fun to make the cables. I have every hardware i need. But before i place my parts-order i will do some test-soldering on some stuff so i get practise and avoid the "diy-disaster thread"


----------



## kingkikapu

Eidolic make the nicest splitters IMO. I have the titanium barrel on my Vega cable. They just released a matching titanium housing for the jack. I’ve got one on order. I think that combination will be very attractive (albeit expensive).


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jul 16, 2018)

deal alert.
Both the PanaVise vises are on the Prime Day list for sale. No idea what the price will be.

PanaVise 350 Multi-Purpose Work Center
Right now, $89.54 at Amazon, so you can compare the sale price
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00011QA0M
I think 1:30 pm PDT
UPDAE: On sale for $71.99

PanaVise 301 Standard PanaVise
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002BC1AY
Right now, $49.47 at Amazon, so you can compare the sale price
I think 12:30 pm PDT
UDPATE: On sale for $33.52


----------



## My Little Phony (Jul 18, 2018)

I want to make a plan how to correctly solder the following balanced headphone cable:

2.5mm TRRS to 2x 3.5mm Mono connectors
DAP: Astell & Kern AK70 MKII
cable: ViaBlue EPC-4

Im not 100% sure where to solder the wires.

The cable consists of 4 conductors (red/blue/black/white)


I decided to assign the cables as following:

Left-Channel:   *B+*(lack) &   *W-*(hite)

Right Channel: *R+*(ed)   &   *B-*(lue)

I found the following picture in the DIY-advise about the Astell & Kern balanced output:







this is one of the 2.5mm TRRS plugs i ordered:







and one of the 3.5mm Mono plug:







Please have a look at the pictures and let me know which color must be a assigned to the numbers i added in red color.


I would have done it like this:

*2.5mm TTRS plug:*

number 1 – *Blue -*

number 2 – *Red +*

number 3 – *Black +*

number 4 – *White -*

(question: if i dont cut the cable and seperate it into 4 singles conductors, what do i do with the shielding here?) ... just found this commend in any forum: "In fact, for a true balanced signal any shield should usually be connected on the driving end only". <--- is this right? But where do i have to solder shielding to when 1-4 is already used?


*3.5mm Mono plug:*

_number 1_
twist *White -* and* Black +* conductor together and solder it to this point for the right-channel at the first plug.
twist *Blue -*   and *Red +* conductor together and solder it to this point for the right-channel at the second plug.

_number 2_
no soldering here, because the conductors dont have any shielding.


Phew! Better ask now than finally having all parts on the table and dont know what to do


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jul 18, 2018)

My Little Phony said:


> I want to make a plan how to correctly solder the following balanced headphone cable:
> 
> 2.5mm TRRS to 2x 3.5mm Mono connectors
> DAP: Astell & Kern AK70 MKII
> ...


left:
black to 1
white to 2

right
red to 1
blue to 2

whoops, just looked at the diagram. You have it right there

3 is right -, that goes to 2 on the right mono plug (blue))
2 is right +, that goes to 1 on the right mono plug (red)
1 is left +, that goes the 1 on the left mono plug (black)
4 is left -, that goes to 2 on the left mono plug (white)

everything should be soldered. clip off the ends of the shield and don't attach it to anything.


----------



## My Little Phony

Many thanks for the quick help Allanmarcus. All questions answered. Now i can relax and wait for the incoming parts


----------



## My Little Phony

I double checked the assignment of the connections. I just printed everything out to have a better overview.

Please have another look and confirm whats right.  I hope the labeling of the chinese seller is ok.


----------



## Allanmarcus

My Little Phony said:


> Many thanks for the quick help Allanmarcus. All questions answered. Now i can relax and wait for the incoming parts



Those plugs are really hard to solder. be very patient and careful not to melt the plastic between the metal.


----------



## Allanmarcus

My Little Phony said:


> I double checked the assignment of the connections. I just printed everything out to have a better overview.
> 
> Please have another look and confirm whats right.  I hope the labeling of the chinese seller is ok.


I misunderstood the diagram. It was a test! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. You have it right.


----------



## My Little Phony

Thanks for clarifying again. I red too much about about technics yesterday and have been a bit confused the later it got. But its really interesting stuff and it makes fun.

A good advise to becareful with the plastic spacers. I will fetch some old connectors & cables and get some practice before i melt the incoming parts.


----------



## Currawong

Allanmarcus said:


> Those plugs are really hard to solder. be very patient and careful not to melt the plastic between the metal.



Yup. The best thing is to put a blob of solder on each connector first, then hold the wire in place and heat the wire until it melts into the solder blob. You have to do it quickly though. It's a massive PITA. In Japan one maker was attaching small circuit boards to the plugs so you could easily solder them but I don't know if they make those any more. 

Here's an adaptor I just made. Instead of using regular wire, I used the trimmed-off leads from through-hole components. I soldered two leads together, cover them with heat-shrink, then soldered everything in place. I could then get the length just perfect to make a very rigid adaptor.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Just FYI, there is one 2.5mm 4-Pin Plug on Lunashops that has actual solder lugs!

BUT it is only available in 90°!
For me that is preferable because when i have my DAP in my pockets it needs way less space than with a straight plug 



http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5628


----------



## My Little Phony

What solder diameter are you using for delicate works on a Trrs plug? I just checked my drawer. I only got 1.0mm solder.

The angled plugs are nice. I have already ordered a similar 3.5mm Trs plug for use with an Hidizs AP60II that got the headphone output at the bottom.


----------



## rikk009 (Jul 19, 2018)

EDIT: NVM figured it on my own.


----------



## Currawong

My Little Phony said:


> What solder diameter are you using for delicate works on a Trrs plug? I just checked my drawer. I only got 1.0mm solder.



I put a drop of solder on a pointy tip and put that on the connectors. Then I tin the wire and press that to the blob on the connectors.


----------



## bvng3540

Where can we buy hd800 female connector, some where in the States


----------



## haoyuan

Anybody seen these plugs? https://bit.ly/2LkmiNF

Looks like a complete set of DITA styled rhodium plated plugs.  Seems like these will be SO MUCH easier to solder the 4 pins (R+ R- L+ L-) than the other smaller plugs I've used AND I'll get to switch connectors anytime I want.  Tempted to give these a try.


----------



## My Little Phony (Jul 25, 2018)

I received a headphone cable from Meze yesterday so i can listen to music through the balanced output of my dap in the meantime and fell in love with the slim and lightweight connectors. You can buy the 3.5 mm mono plugs in their shop.

But especially the 2.5 mm TRRS plug would be very interesting. I was first excited about the Eidolic and Furutech rhodium plugs with carbon details but now i would be happy if i can get similar lightweight and slim plugs like the ones Meze is using. Very minimalistic optics but using a compact and slim plug for the already tiny 2.5 mm balanced output of a dap is feeling just right.

If someone knows where to get this kind of plugs please let me know. Slim & lightweight is the way to go. 

2.5 TRRS:



3.5 Mono:



2.5 TRRS connected to dap:


----------



## bvng3540

Hi all the picture above is the female 2.5mm plug, I need help identify which pins is which thanks


----------



## alpha421

The long contact rod at the bottom is L-, left of it is L+, right of it is R+, directly opposite of it is R-.


----------



## bvng3540

alpha421 said:


> The long contact rod at the bottom is L-, left of it is L+, right of it is R+, directly opposite of it is R-.


Thanks David, been busy are you still want to buy your custom JH Audio IEM, let me know we can meet up


----------



## Kulgrinda

Hi,

I would like to make good quality balanced cable to connect my dac to amplifier. I was thinking of going fully silver - this cable for example. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-5m-Sol...915017?hash=item2a153c8849:g:PEEAAOSw~T9aajV1

I was thinking of soldering 2 wires for hot connector, 2 for negative and 4 for ground. Does that sound reasonable? Is the diameter of 0.4 mm (well, 2x0.4 mm if 2 wires are used) enough for interconnecting cable? Do I still need any kind of shielding? 

Currently I use Viablue NF-S1 in balanced configuration and would like to have more "out of the speakers" experience. My van den Hul RCA cable compared to Viablue XLR sounds more articulate, expressive, but a bit narrower and harsher.


----------



## Kulgrinda

Anyone?


----------



## kingkikapu

I always try to use shielded cable for interconnects.  While it's true the silver wire you referenced on ebay has the benefit of twisting, and you're getting the benefit of XLR common mode rejection, the quality of the latter is source and input dependent.  interconnects are also often in closer proximity to other wires and power.

My recommendation is to always shield them.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Kulgrinda said:


> Hi,
> 
> I would like to make good quality balanced cable to connect my dac to amplifier. I was thinking of going fully silver - this cable for example. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-5m-Sol...915017?hash=item2a153c8849:g:PEEAAOSw~T9aajV1
> 
> ...


Should work fine. I’m going to make some balanced interconnects too, 3-pin XLR, and I’m going to use one copper for the ground, and pure silver solid core for the plus and minus. For a short run, I don’t think shielding is required, unless you have a some overabundance of EMI.


----------



## Paladin79

kingkikapu said:


> I always try to use shielded cable for interconnects.  While it's true the silver wire you referenced on ebay has the benefit of twisting, and you're getting the benefit of XLR common mode rejection, the quality of the latter is source and input dependent.  interconnects are also often in closer proximity to other wires and power.
> 
> My recommendation is to always shield them.


  I like this recommendation and I do this for a living. If you saw my home setup you would understand why I always use shielded cable for interconnects.


----------



## legopart

What the cable recommended length for making ?


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> What the cable recommended length for making ?


Making what?


----------



## legopart

Allanmarcus said:


> Making what?


for headphones >> amp, small room cable


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> for headphones >> amp, small room cable


It’s hard to make a recommendation on length. Most would say “make it long enough to meet your needs”.


----------



## rundeploy

Here i am again with some doubts: which options exist to lace 3 wires of an audio cable ? i don't know their names and how to lace it, yes, i googled it but without success.
I was thinking of taking apart 1.5Meters of Mogami W2893 (quad) and use 3 of the 4 wires to make 3.5 jack to 3.5. Is it a good idea ?
For example, if i lace 1 meter of wires, after laced how much length will become 90cm ? 80cm ?


----------



## Allanmarcus

rundeploy said:


> Here i am again with some doubts: which options exist to lace 3 wires of an audio cable ? i don't know their names and how to lace it, yes, i googled it but without success.
> I was thinking of taking apart 1.5Meters of Mogami W2893 (quad) and use 3 of the 4 wires to make 3.5 jack to 3.5. Is it a good idea ?
> For example, if i lace 1 meter of wires, after laced how much length will become 90cm ? 80cm ?


The word you are looking for is braid

How much length you lose is dependent on how tight you braid. 10%-20% is a good idea

Your plan sounds like a good cable. You will have extra cable, though. Better to have extra and cut it to the size you want.


----------



## kingkikapu

Paladin79 said:


> I like this recommendation and I do this for a living. If you saw my home setup you would understand why I always use shielded cable for interconnects.


I want to see your home setup.  It probably looks like a birds nest just like mine.

Also, I have a few exotic items at home that might produce a bit mroe EMI/RFI than the usual setup. Shielding saves the day.

Trust me.


----------



## Kulgrinda

Allanmarcus said:


> Should work fine. I’m going to make some balanced interconnects too, 3-pin XLR, and I’m going to use one copper for the ground, and pure silver solid core for the plus and minus. For a short run, I don’t think shielding is required, unless you have a some overabundance of EMI.



Thank you for the input. What AWG of silver cable are you going to use?


----------



## Kulgrinda

Paladin79 said:


> I like this recommendation and I do this for a living. If you saw my home setup you would understand why I always use shielded cable for interconnects.



Any advise where I can source shorter metal shielding? I only found minimum 10 meters in Aliexpress and Ebay for sale.


----------



## rundeploy

Allanmarcus said:


> The word you are looking for is braid
> 
> How much length you lose is dependent on how tight you braid. 10%-20% is a good idea
> 
> Your plan sounds like a good cable. You will have extra cable, though. Better to have extra and cut it to the size you want.


Yes ! braid 3 strands ! Thank you ! this is what happens when your first language is not english 
This is the answer i was looking for https://www.animatedknots.com/braidthreestrandone/index.php

And here is another answer that you already answered:
https://www.wikihow.com/Braid-String
"Divide that measurement by 3, then add the answer back to the length you want your braid to be."

Yes, i will have and extra wire and shield after making the 3 wire braid, i will use them later to make another custom hi-fi cable.
Thank you for your help, Allan !


----------



## Paladin79

kingkikapu said:


> I want to see your home setup.  It probably looks like a birds nest just like mine.
> 
> Also, I have a few exotic items at home that might produce a bit mroe EMI/RFI than the usual setup. Shielding saves the day.
> 
> Trust me.



   I am constantly changing things around and testing cables and amps. In the center are a couple of my newer pieces, a Schiit Gungnir and Freya, I am building some class A speaker amps now as well as building Coaster amps, a Schiit DIY project. They are round PC boards that can be used for coasters or with which you can build amps.


----------



## Paladin79

Kulgrinda said:


> Any advise where I can source shorter metal shielding? I only found minimum 10 meters in Aliexpress and Ebay for sale.



Are you talking about metal braid shield itself or shielded cable?


----------



## Kulgrinda

Paladin79 said:


> Are you talking about metal braid shield itself or shielded cable?



I was thinking about separate metal braided shield, would like to use this silver cable I was referring to earlier.


----------



## Paladin79

Belden makes it but it might be hard to find where you live.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Kulgrinda said:


> Thank you for the input. What AWG of silver cable are you going to use?


I will use 24AWG wire, since that is what I have. For interconnects, I've read as thin as 32awg solid core or 28 stranded is fine. I've also heard that solid core is "better", but I doubt I, or most people (or anyone) could hear a difference.

I really don't think you need to worry about shielding for 1 meter interconnect.


----------



## demevalos

I'm planning on upping my cable building game. I currently build all of my cables with type 3 paracord, but I want to move to techflex/PET. What sleeving do you guys use? And what size would be most appropriate for an on-the-go headphone aux cable, with a mogami 2893 core?


----------



## Kulgrinda

Allanmarcus said:


> I will use 24AWG wire, since that is what I have. For interconnects, I've read as thin as 32awg solid core or 28 stranded is fine. I've also heard that solid core is "better", but I doubt I, or most people (or anyone) could hear a difference.
> 
> I really don't think you need to worry about shielding for 1 meter interconnect.



Thanks! Actually cables will be 50 cm long. I'll post result and sound impressions once they are done


----------



## Demoninja

I see most custom cable makers do a fairly loose braid such as this. Is there a benefit to leaving it looser like than vs a braid like this? Maybe it's time related or microphonics related?


----------



## riffrafff

Typically, the tighter the braid, the less flexible the cable (assuming no other variables).


----------



## Allanmarcus

Demoninja said:


> I see most custom cable makers do a fairly loose braid such as this. Is there a benefit to leaving it looser like than vs a braid like this? Maybe it's time related or microphonics related?


what @riffrafff  said, plus less cable noise.


----------



## Demoninja

Great, thanks! I completely forgot about flexibility. So looser braid = more flexible, more microphonics, tighter is the opposite?


----------



## Allanmarcus (Aug 10, 2018)

Demoninja said:


> Great, thanks! I completely forgot about flexibility. So looser braid = more flexible, more microphonics, tighter is the opposite?


Looser braiding is generally more flexible and less microphonic. Tighter is less flexible and more microphonic.
This also try for for how tight sleeving is pulled over the wire.

Also of note, and completely unproven by both scientific and non-scientific testing...

Dark sleeving makes the sound warmer.
Red sleeving makes the sound hotter
Green sleeving makes other envious
Transparent sleeving has no effect on the sound
Plaid sleeving make you look Scottish


----------



## kingkikapu

I like to soak my cables in the blood of my fallen enemies and craft them with a filled greater soul gem of darkness. 

When equipped I get a +40% resistance to country music attacks and a 20+ HP buff. 

Totally worth it.


----------



## legopart (Aug 13, 2018)

do ferrite filters help to improve the cable quality?
from which material use the connectors? (golden or not specification one)?
which sleeve use for fat headphone cables that not destroys theme flaxability?
I used this one on lots of my cable and for the headphones cable too and not satisfied!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/11-Colours...ble+sleeve&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> do ferrite filters help to improve the cable quality?
> from which material use the connectors? (golden or not specification one)?
> which sleeve use for fat headphone cables that not destroys theme flaxability?
> I used this one on lots of my cable and for the headphones cable too and not satisfied!
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/11-Colours-3mm-40mm-Braided-Cable-Sleeving-Auto-Wire-Harnessing-Sheathing-PET/162922576763?hash=item25eef13b7bmFeamlJyGjlik9MngyrXcxw&var=461988605269&_sacat=0&_nkw=cable+sleeve&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313



Ferrite filters: generally not needed for audio level signals. 
Most are brass with a nickel or gold plating to keep the brass from oxidizing. Both work well.
For sleeving, look for cotton or nylon multifilament.


----------



## Paladin79

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2M-Braided...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

I like this company for a combo of cotton and PET sleeving, it takes a while to get but it is not expensive. The four mm is measured flat and can fit cable of 1/4 inch diameter or less.


----------



## Andrew LB

It seems the stock cable on my Sennheiser HD6xx headphones lasted a total of 6 months and now the right side is cutting out, so instead of spending good money on another crappy cable, i've decided to make my own. I've already got two different sets of sennheiser connectors on the way, the Cardas ones and the others from Lunas. As for the cable, it seems lots of you are using star quad microphone cables correct? Is this type used mainly due to the Y split in the cable? And that the negative wires are both soldered to a common ground on the 1/8" or 1/4" stereo plug, while each positive is soldered to the other two spots on the plug?  If that is the case, would a good cable for me to use be Mogami w2893 (mini-quad superflex cable)?


----------



## demevalos

I love mogami 2893, and yes it would work well for this job. It's very flexible, has 4 good cores, and each core is colored (black, red, blue, and clear). Yes, you listed the soldering correctly. Shared ground, left on one pole, right on the other. Test which pole is which though before soldering anything in.


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 14, 2018)

I have used the Mogami 2893 and it is very good cable. I like to use the star quad and go down to a four pin mini XLR and then use pigtails for the last foot or so with 4 pin standard xlr males, 1/4 inch TRS, and 3.5 mm TRS. The four wires inside the star quad allow for balanced operation if you desire that but they can certainly be used for TRS application. I have more than ten headphone amps and with this configuration I can plug into most anything without constantly plugging a cable in and out of the headphones. Hopefully your issue is the cable and not the female pins on the headphones but certainly plugging in another cable will allow you to troubleshoot and make sure it is the cable.

Here is a photo of a pigtail I built into a four wire braided cable but the principle is the same. Please note that if you have not done a lot of cable building or you are not skilled with soldering or use of a multi-meter, there are certainly easier cables to build.


----------



## Demoninja

Andrew LB said:


> It seems the stock cable on my Sennheiser HD6xx headphones lasted a total of 6 months and now the right side is cutting out, so instead of spending good money on another crappy cable, i've decided to make my own. I've already got two different sets of sennheiser connectors on the way, the Cardas ones and the others from Lunas. As for the cable, it seems lots of you are using star quad microphone cables correct? Is this type used mainly due to the Y split in the cable? And that the negative wires are both soldered to a common ground on the 1/8" or 1/4" stereo plug, while each positive is soldered to the other two spots on the plug?  If that is the case, would a good cable for me to use be Mogami w2893 (mini-quad superflex cable)?



Honestly one of the main reasons people use L4E6 is the cost. 50 cents a foot for super good quality wire. If you decide you don't want to braid it you can basically use it as is and have a completed cable in under 10 minutes. w2893 works great as well, I prefer the 26awg because I use 275 paracord sleeving. 275 works with the 24awg in the star quad but it's a lot more annoying. Already been confirmed but yeah that's exactly how you'll solder it.


----------



## Andrew LB

Paladin79 said:


> I have used the Mogami 2893 and it is very good cable. I like to use the star quad and go down to a four pin mini XLR and then use pigtails for the last foot or so with 4 pin standard xlr males, 1/4 inch TRS, and 3.5 mm TRS. The four wires inside the star quad allow for balanced operation if you desire that but they can certainly be used for TRS application. I have more than ten headphone amps and with this configuration I can plug into most anything without constantly plugging a cable in and out of the headphones. Hopefully your issue is the cable and not the female pins on the headphones but certainly plugging in another cable will allow you to troubleshoot and make sure it is the cable.



Oh i've already tested that and yes, Its definitely the cable. I've had this happen before with my HD580's and the break tends to happen right at the headphone connector boot. I confirmed this to be the issue by swapping out the cable from my HD580 just to be sure. 

As for the wiring configuration, unfortunately none of my amps have balanced connections like XLR or TRRS.



> Here is a photo of a pigtail I built into a four wire braided cable but the principle is the same. Please note that if you have not done a lot of cable building or you are not skilled with soldering or use of a multi-meter, there are certainly easier cables to build.



Soldering isn't an issue for me. My Hakko 936 ESD is always ready for action.


----------



## Paladin79

Cool you should be ready then.


----------



## Andrew LB

Is there any reason why i would use a mini-xlr + pigtail to TRS in my case though? wouldn't that just be a lot of extra work for no benefit since i lack balanced output on my amps?


----------



## Demoninja

Nope, you'd just be doing extra work for no reason. If you're planning on getting a balanced amp and only want to make things once you can terminate in a 4 pin XLR male and then make a 4 pin to 6.3mm adapter. It's a more common version of what Paladin's done.


----------



## Andrew LB

I think im just going to order this cable from a place here in LA, cut an end off and wire up some sennheiser connectors for the time being until i gather all the stuff to make a slick looking braided cable as seen in the cable gallery thread. I'm kinda regretting getting a ModMic 4 two weeks ago because had i bought the modmic 5, i could have integrated the cables to make things less bulky. oh well.  In the meantime i tore apart some Cat 6 and am gonna practice braiding it and depending on the results, i'll figure out which style ill make.


----------



## Demoninja

Andrew LB said:


> I think im just going to order this cable from a place here in LA, cut an end off and wire up some sennheiser connectors for the time being until i gather all the stuff to make a slick looking braided cable as seen in the cable gallery thread. I'm kinda regretting getting a ModMic 4 two weeks ago because had i bought the modmic 5, i could have integrated the cables to make things less bulky. oh well.  In the meantime i tore apart some Cat 6 and am gonna practice braiding it and depending on the results, i'll figure out which style ill make.



If you don't mind a basic looking cable like that don't waste your money. Just go to markertek, buy 5 feet of w2893 and a 3.5mm connector for ~7 bucks shipped and make the cable entirely from scratch. Looks like a 5 foot cable is going to be ~22 from that link.


----------



## Paladin79

Demoninja said:


> Nope, you'd just be doing extra work for no reason. If you're planning on getting a balanced amp and only want to make things once you can terminate in a 4 pin XLR male and then make a 4 pin to 6.3mm adapter. It's a more common version of what Paladin's done.



What I am doing is for my system and I know other builders with the skills to use the mini four pin XLR’s and they love them. I can use the same pigtails for four different headphones and never unplug a cable from the cups. It is indeed not a common build and you should keep yours simple.

I am building cables with 2893 right now and the headphones use mini four pin xlrs. I will try to post a photo when completed.


----------



## Andrew LB

Demoninja said:


> If you don't mind a basic looking cable like that don't waste your money. Just go to markertek, buy 5 feet of w2893 and a 3.5mm connector for ~7 bucks shipped and make the cable entirely from scratch. Looks like a 5 foot cable is going to be ~22 from that link.



They're east coast, so i'd have to pay $7 shipping and wait till Monday.  The cable i linked i can go pickup this afternoon.  I'm gonna see if they'll sell w2893 by the foot even though its not on their bulk cable page yet its used in many of their cables. Should make it a lot cheaper.


edit/

Better yet... they sell w2893 at Guitar Center by the foot for $1.29. They're like a 5 minute drive.


----------



## Paladin79 (Aug 15, 2018)

Here is part of a build using Mogami 2893, the cable fits nicely into Amphenol 3.5 mm connectors, there are three cables. Tomorrow they will get ta4f (female four pin XLR's) for use with Audeze headphones. I used heat shrink tubing to maintain the twists as twisted pair and of course red is for right channel. On the split I used adhesive heat shrink tubing and it creates a nice divide when you crimp the center section using long nose pliers or hemostats and with the glue you have a permanent split.

Using this cable, these are fairly light headphone cables and a relatively quick build. I was training a new employee so they did not get finished today but shall be tomorrow morn.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Andrew LB said:


> They're east coast, so i'd have to pay $7 shipping and wait till Monday.  The cable i linked i can go pickup this afternoon.  I'm gonna see if they'll sell w2893 by the foot even though its not on their bulk cable page yet its used in many of their cables. Should make it a lot cheaper.
> 
> 
> edit/
> ...



I think Markertek shipping is free anywhere in the ConUSA for standard shipping. Now I understand you not wanting to wait, especially if you are a millennial. Also, make sure the cable is gluten free and that you take a selfie with it once you are done! Once you post, we'll give you a trophy 

note, the above is humor, and is meant to make you smile. If you are offended, well, that's another millennial thing 

Note, that was more humor.


----------



## demevalos

Lmao Allan, I'm one of those dang millennials also and hate anything over 2 day free shipping. I've found that Redco is one of the better suppliers on the east coast, it's usually 3 days and very cheap shipping. I'm not sure how much their shipping prices would change based on location, it's worth looking though


----------



## legopart

I have a little question.
I not having the option to make umplaged cable to my headphones and the cable is very thin.
but I can replace the connection from Stereo 3.5mm to 3.5mm balanced and with adapter change the connection to XLR Balanced for the amp.






my question is, if I will use the balanced 3.5mm connector on my cellphone, is it going to work?
cause cellphone has another 4 pole connection method


----------



## penmarker

No, your phone's 4 pole is only for the mic on the headset. It does not output or input balanced signal.


----------



## legopart (Aug 16, 2018)

penmarker said:


> No, your phone's 4 pole is only for the mic on the headset. It does not output or input balanced signal.


I want to use balanced cable for stereo purposes too
but the problem is that its the same cable that built to the headphones because they small.
but on the phone instead use the 3rd and 4th connections for the ground as all stereo advises use, the phone set the 4th connector as (mono) Microphone


----------



## penmarker

legopart said:


> I want to use balanced cable for stereo purposes too


Do you want to make that TRRS cable for balanced audio from your phone?

Other than that, it's fine to make a converter cable as long as you do not plug in single ended headphones into balanced amplifier.


----------



## legopart

penmarker said:


> Do you want to make that TRRS cable for balanced audio from your phone?
> 
> Other than that, it's fine to make a converter cable as long as you do not plug in single ended headphones into balanced amplifier.


I have only stereo portable amplifier for outside.
buy in home I use the balanced one.

the portable amp can combine the 3rd and 4th pin because it stereo.
but if I decide to connect it directly to the phone I will lose one side.

so I searching for another solution


----------



## Elyfantman

I was going to make an adapter cable that goes from 4 pin XLR mail to 1/4 trs female. Is this a bad idea?


----------



## themetalchurch

I’m getting a set of Pioneer Monitor 10’s in the mail tomorrow and am already planning for the restorations/mods I would like to do to them. Besides putting some hm5 pads I’d also like to deal with the stretched out wonky cable. Anyone have insight into how one would recable these? Because I’m a nerd I’d like to put a similar coiled cable on them, would this https://en-us.sennheiser.com/access...53J5o53k2blz9daBrsdwWWAnJ-XT58yBoCz4UQAvD_BwE cable work? I don’t like the idea of the sennheiser logo being on the plug, but I’m having a hard time finding any other coiled headphone cable with a 6.33mm plug. Any direction would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance Head-Fi!


----------



## penmarker (Aug 17, 2018)

legopart said:


> I have only stereo portable amplifier for outside.
> buy in home I use the balanced one.
> 
> the portable amp can combine the 3rd and 4th pin because it stereo.
> ...


You can make one TRRS for your balanced portable amp and another TRS for your phone.



Elyfantman said:


> I was going to make an adapter cable that goes from 4 pin XLR mail to 1/4 trs female. Is this a bad idea?


sure should be no problem though I think female 1/4" to male XLR is a little uncommon to me.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Elyfantman said:


> I was going to make an adapter cable that goes from 4 pin XLR mail to 1/4 trs female. Is this a bad idea?


As long as you never use it, you will be fine. If you using it with a balanced amp, you are likely to fry the amp.

In other words, don't make it.


----------



## Elyfantman

Allanmarcus said:


> As long as you never use it, you will be fine. If you using it with a balanced amp, you are likely to fry the amp.
> 
> In other words, don't make it.



I had a feeling this was the case. Thanks!


----------



## legopart

use 6mm connector with 8mm cable. is a bad idea.
I mad the hole bigger with the drill but the cable looks still too much fat and clumsy for it
8mm stereo cable. --> mini xlr 4pin connection + sennheiser hd 598 connection
8mm xlr calbe --> mini xlr 4pin connection


----------



## EthanTM

I need some help. I want to make a braided cable for my headphones. I understand the procedure and everything, but there is a certain look I am going for that I am not sure how to re-create.

Specifically, most braided cables look like this when finished:




but I am looking for a finished product that looks more like this:





The VE cable at the bottom is flat-braided, but the paracord itself also has a "flat" look. I don't think it is just the braid, as ursine.audio sells round-braided cables that look similar to what I am going for. I just don't like the light, flimsy look of braided cables like the one on top. I haven't been able to find any tutorials in which the finished product looked remotely similar to the offerings of Venture electronics or Ursine audio. Does anyone know how these companies achieve this look? I don't own cables from either company so I can't reverse engineer it myself. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## legopart (Aug 18, 2018)

why the low resistance cable that I making, the low resistance heard  quite and with worst quality.
it's feels like the gold plated connectors damage the sound.
I using shielded cables, from copper with gold plated connectors and silver contain solder.
the resistance is very low but the sound is worst


----------



## gilsal

Hi guys,
i'm new to the DIY segment. I'm interested in learning to build and make custom headphone cables. I can't wrap my head around the how cables are routed through the y-split for left and right IEM or cans and I can't seem to figure out the multi core to end connectors. From what I've seen there are either 2 connectors to CANs or IEMs which are L/R+ and ground or for balanced L/R+ and L/R- to a 2.5 4.5mm balanced connector. How do the 8 cores route to this? Am I over thinking how this works? Does anyone have a wire diagram I can reference or review. Apologies if this was posted before.


----------



## Whitigir

legopart said:


> why the low resistance cable that I making, the low resistance heard  quite and with worst quality.
> it's feels like the gold plated connectors damage the sound.
> I using shielded cables, from copper with gold plated connectors and silver contain solder.
> the resistance is very low but the sound is worst


What are you making ?


----------



## gilsal

I would like to make a cable for my HD58x. I would think also that learning to make this cable would open possibilities of learning to make other headphone cables with other connectors like the 2 pin Ultimate ears/Shure and other IEM companies utilize as well as the MCX connector utilized for other CIEMs.


----------



## Whitigir

And your sound is degraded in comparison to stock cables ?


----------



## gilsal

I don't think so. this is more of just a project to learn something new. I do have a CIEM with TF10 internals and another TF10 that I could use a new cable for just from wear and tear of 3 years which would also be on my list to replace. I've seen some people explaining learning to make cables is cheaper than buying some super high end. Not opposed to buying this is just for my interests.


----------



## Andrew LB

Allanmarcus said:


> I think Markertek shipping is free anywhere in the ConUSA for standard shipping. Now I understand you not wanting to wait, especially if you are a millennial. Also, make sure the cable is gluten free and that you take a selfie with it once you are done! Once you post, we'll give you a trophy
> 
> note, the above is humor, and is meant to make you smile. If you are offended, well, that's another millennial thing
> 
> Note, that was more humor.



The fact that you would insult me by even inferring that I am a millennial shows that you should start behaving like an adult instead of those whom you rightfully disparage. Did you even look at my join date? I've been a member here for 16 years. I know your post was meant in jest but come'on, I was in my 20's when i joined Head-Fi. 

As I have stated, the reason I needed this first cable build in a timely manner is because my original cable failed near the headphone connector. I am planning on making fancier cables in the future though. And after test braiding about 6 feet of four cat5 conductors the other day, Its definitely not going to be a job i can rush.


----------



## legopart

Whitigir said:


> What are you making ?


with the first one xlr 4 pin cable for headphones.
withe the second, stereo cable for headphones/

Up to 2m


----------



## Whitigir

Look good, I was just surprised that you said the sound quality Worsen ? It confused me lol


----------



## legopart (Aug 21, 2018)

Whitigir said:


> Look good, I was just surprised that you said the sound quality Worsen ? It confused me lol


The resistant become low, but I feel that the volume down and I feel that the quality is too (I really don't know why)

after I put the sleeve on the cable its bent too often and became to stiff in all it long and on the part that above my shoulder when the unplugged plug is
look what had I done with the sleeved cable https://i.imgur.com/fbC8QvE.jpg

In addition, I searching for silver 4 core silver cable (more fat then 8 cores * 0.1mm that I bought), to create headphone cables and rca connector, short cable to connect aune x1s---> aune x7s

.


----------



## legopart

Stereo cable makes cranchy noise when I move it
becuase of the connector.
3.5mm connector having more of this problem then 6.35mm
how can I fix it?


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> Stereo cable makes cranchy noise when I move it
> becuase of the connector.
> 3.5mm connector having more of this problem then 6.35mm
> how can I fix it?


If the 3.5mm plug can be fixed, open it and fix it (resolder the wires). if it cannot be fixed, then replace the plug. If the cable is cheap, just buy a new one. They are < $5.


----------



## legopart

Allanmarcus said:


> If the 3.5mm plug can be fixed, open it and fix it (resolder the wires). if it cannot be fixed, then replace the plug. If the cable is cheap, just buy a new one. They are < $5.


all the 3.5mm unconnected so easily so it's having so much distortions!


----------



## legopart

Which wire can you recommend me to build a good cable?
maybe from silver?


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> Which wire can you recommend me to build a good cable?
> maybe from silver?


headphone cable? Interconnect cable? Power cable?


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> all the 3.5mm unconnected so easily so it's having so much distortions!



Sorry, this doesn't make sense to me. It's probably english isn't your language, but I'm not sure what you are trying to say.


----------



## legopart (Sep 1, 2018)

Allanmarcus said:


> Sorry, this doesn't make sense to me. It's probably english isn't your language, but I'm not sure what you are trying to say.


3.5mm that connected to PC making lots of scratching noises when I move (the plug moves)



Allanmarcus said:


> headphone cable? Interconnect cable? Power cable?


headphones


Additional question:
what do you think about using laces to cover the headphone cable.
this what I done
the quality is awful but its more easy to use.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Shoe laces work well.

Can you unscrew and resolver the 3.5mm connector? can you post pictures of it? Can you just replace it? 

If it's not the wire, maybe the issue is the jack on the computer.


----------



## legopart

Allanmarcus said:


> Shoe laces work well.
> 
> Can you unscrew and resolver the 3.5mm connector? can you post pictures of it? Can you just replace it?
> 
> If it's not the wire, maybe the issue is the jack on the computer.


Again I meant to say that 3.5mm connector by itself very unstable inside the soket 
(all the solder inside of it is ok!)


----------



## Andrew LB

Since i haven't seen this mentioned, I've found a iron tip that makes soldering in tight places as well as those annoying connectors like the Cardas HBSC sennheiser plugs super easy. It also works great for many surface mount components.

Hakko T18 BR02


----------



## Allanmarcus (Sep 2, 2018)

legopart said:


> Again I meant to say that 3.5mm connector by itself very unstable inside the soket
> (all the solder inside of it is ok!)


Sounds like the issue is the jack  I suggest you try a sound card or external DAC/amp. Some USB DAC/amps are very inexpensive, if that is an issue


----------



## legopart

3 questions:
1- I want to know about the screwed adapter for my diy Stereo cables, that allowes in easy way to connect the cable with 3.5mm and for amps: 6.35mm 
I decide to use and make less cables.
but now I think that maybe I have to use separate connection for 6.35mm and 3.5mm,
Is it damage the sound quality.
I bough the Chinese one




and maybe I will buy this one: here https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hicon-Jack...286803?hash=item2a8e9d1993:g:yXMAAOSwi-1ZlqVo





I just cant find this type of connection when I searched for a good one .


2- I made a lots of mod, on my DT880 too for left sided unpluged (4pin) connection








how the left side headphones compare to dual sided one?
I decided to mod this headphones and add addition same connector on the right side and allow this headphones to works as the left sided and in additional I will make dual sided cables for these headphones.

3- how can I twist a cable for the headphones like that ?
and are the shielded cables better or the same?


----------



## Allanmarcus

A plug is a plug. If it works, it should be fine. 
Do you have a link for the fist plug your posted? The "hicon" plug is quite expensive for what it is ($17 shipped). Note, the Hicon plug is from Sommer Cable, a very reputable cable company.


----------



## legopart (Sep 5, 2018)

Allanmarcus said:


> A plug is a plug. If it works, it should be fine.
> Do you have a link for the fist plug your posted? The "hicon" plug is quite expensive for what it is ($17 shipped). Note, the Hicon plug is from Sommer Cable, a very reputable cable company.


This one (2pcs) is the cheapest one that I found more cheap then any ebay auction.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pc...022.html?spm=2114.13010708.0.0.3a994c4dMv8iqS
without 2 adapters is -1$

some prices are unfair


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> This one (2pcs) is the cheapest one that I found more cheap then any ebay auction.
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pc...022.html?spm=2114.13010708.0.0.3a994c4dMv8iqS
> without 2 adapters is -1$
> 
> some prices are unfair


Great find! Every once in a while someone wants one of those, and they are hard to find. I will post the URL to my Supplier page on my site. Thanks. 

Note, I would probably leave the spring out and just use heat shrink.


----------



## legopart

Can someone explain me how to convert my HD6XX to Balanced headphones?


----------



## Paladin79

There are stock cables on Amazon that have been reworked with a four pin male XLR.


----------



## Elyfantman

legopart said:


> Can someone explain me how to convert my HD6XX to Balanced headphones?



You don't need to modify your headphones. You just need to get or make balanced cables.


----------



## legopart

Elyfantman said:


> You don't need to modify your headphones. You just need to get or make balanced cables.





Paladin79 said:


> There are stock cables on Amazon that have been reworked with a four pin male XLR.



Good, someone explained me that this connection is still called un-Balanced (even if it use XLR connection)


----------



## Paladin79

I am not sure how they figured that, you have dual inputs into the cups, separate grounds. TRS connectors like 3.5 mm or 1/4 inch use a shared ground, both ground wires go there. In balanced you have two complete separate circuits and you can now run the headphones out of a balanced output on an amp. It is a four pin xlr, if they are talking three pin xlr that is different.

https://www.amazon.com/Sukira-Sennh...=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+hd650+balanced+cable

Here is an example of a balanced cable. If your headphones have a single entry instead of dual cables, they are not balanced as a rule.


----------



## Elyfantman

legopart said:


> Good, someone explained me that this connection is still called un-Balanced (even if it use XLR connection)


What amp or DAP are you trying to connect your HD6XX to?


----------



## mwr2700

legopart said:


> 3 questions:
> 
> 3- how can I twist a cable for the headphones like that ?
> and are the shielded cables better or the same?



This looks like it may have been done with a Kumihimo tool.


----------



## riffrafff

So, I threw together a cable for my 4XX 'phones whilst watching the Cup race this last weekend.  From the y-split up, I used 1/8" Techflex (PTNO.13BK)...first time I've ever used it.  It's a bit rough, and somewhat microphonic.  Anyone know of something similar, but, uh, _softer_? 

(This is what I used:  https://www.redco.com/Techflex-PTN0.13.html )

End result:


----------



## xelnaga74

riffrafff said:


> So, I threw together a cable for my 4XX 'phones whilst watching the Cup race this last weekend.  From the y-split up, I used 1/8" Techflex (PTNO.13BK)...first time I've ever used it.  It's a bit rough, and somewhat microphonic.  Anyone know of something similar, but, uh, _softer_?
> 
> (This is what I used:  https://www.redco.com/Techflex-PTN0.13.html )
> 
> End result:



I use Paracord #550

https://www.paracordplanet.com/paracord/550-nylon-paracord/


----------



## riffrafff

xelnaga74 said:


> I use Paracord #550
> 
> https://www.paracordplanet.com/paracord/550-nylon-paracord/



Thanks for that.     Yeah, definitely softer; I'm just looking for something that will fit tighter around the two 26 AWG wires of the W2893 going to the ear-cups.  550 is big enough to engulf the entire star-quad cable, jacket and all!


----------



## Elyfantman

riffrafff said:


> Thanks for that.     Yeah, definitely softer; I'm just looking for something that will fit tighter around the two 26 AWG wires of the W2893 going to the ear-cups.  550 is big enough to engulf the entire star-quad cable, jacket and all!



You can try paracord 475 or even 275 for smaller wires. Paracordgalaxy sells samples for 50 cents.


----------



## riffrafff

Elyfantman said:


> You can try paracord 475 or even 275 for smaller wires. Paracordgalaxy sells samples for 50 cents.



Cool.  I'd never even heard of any besides 550.   Thanks!


----------



## Paladin79

riffrafff said:


> Thanks for that.     Yeah, definitely softer; I'm just looking for something that will fit tighter around the two 26 AWG wires of the W2893 going to the ear-cups.  550 is big enough to engulf the entire star-quad cable, jacket and all!



Riff, if you ever want something less microphonic in larger mesh, I have some cotton based material that is fairly soft yet it expands well. It is offered in many sizes but nothing real tiny. I have experimented with a lot of different materials and most types of wires made. If you ever need to know about techniques for feeding wire into mesh, I can help. Often going up to the cups with twisted pair I used heat shrink tubing to maintain the twists but it is not real soft.


----------



## riffrafff

Paladin79 said:


> Riff, if you ever want something less microphonic in larger mesh, I have some cotton based material that is fairly soft yet it expands well. It is offered in many sizes but nothing real tiny. I have experimented with a lot of different materials and most types of wires made. If you ever need to know about techniques for feeding wire into mesh, I can help. Often going up to the cups with twisted pair I used heat shrink tubing to maintain the twists but it is not real soft.



Thanks!  I'll remember that.  

Hey, I thought you were busy with a wee dram of the ol' Balvenie tonight?  Whatcha doin' on the boards?


----------



## Paladin79

I multitask but when I saw a friend in here, I had to offer to help. I have priorities. I am also checking out my outdoor system, raspberry Pi music server with Infinity portable speaker setup.


----------



## kingkikapu

I’m sort of in a sleeving slump. Need to find something new to try. Wish I could find something like those boutique lamp cord cloth suppliers that do stuff in small diameters. 

Ditto on the Balvenie Doublewood.


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> Good, someone explained me that this connection is still called un-Balanced (even if it use XLR connection)


Technically, what is headphone geeks call “balanced headphones” are technically “balanced”in the same way that balanced interconnects are balanced. A truly balanced cable carries a plus and minus signal and a ground over three wire respectively.  A “balanced” headphone simply carries a hot signal and a ground to each transducer from the amp.  In a truely balanced amp, there are amps for each of these signals, thus 4 amps. Tons has been written about this.

That all said, the term “balanced” for interconnects, microphone cable, or a sub cable is not the same as a “balanced” headphone cable. Electro-purest might argue that there are no balanced headphone cables. They are simply wrong as the word effectively has two meanings now.  Kinda like how “literally” now means “literal” or “not literal, but with great emphasis”. One word, two meanings.


----------



## Speedskater

Allanmarcus said:


> Technically, what is headphone geeks call “balanced headphones” are technically “balanced”in the same way that balanced interconnects are balanced. A truly balanced cable carries a plus and minus signal and a ground over three wire respectively


This is incorrect.
A balanced interconnect system 'carries a plus & minus signal' and sometimes a shield (and the shield may not be connected at both ends). The shield is not required for balanced operation.
There is no ground conductor in a balance interconnect system.
So if a headphone amp has both an active/powered plus output and minus output, it's a balanced system.


----------



## Paladin79

Speedskater said:


> This is incorrect.
> A balanced interconnect system 'carries a plus & minus signal' and sometimes a shield (and the shield may not be connected at both ends). The shield is not required for balanced operation.
> There is no ground conductor in a balance interconnect system.
> So if a headphone amp has both an active/powered plus output and minus output, it's a balanced system.



True, sometimes in headphones I try to simplify things some and talk about four wires instead of three, or two hots and two grounds (negatives). With novice DIY folks the big thing you want to have them avoid doing is taking a four pin male xlr and combining two pins in order to hook to a three wired headphone and possibly damaging the amp.


----------



## JamieMcC (Sep 8, 2018)

Hi guys I'm about to start a new balanced cable for my hd800 using some Neotech NECH-3001

There are four 0.6mm conductors which are encased in a rubber inner jacket with a braided outer sleeve over.

What concerns me is when the inner jacket and outer sleeve are removed and the conductors are split in to two pairs it starts looking a bit thin and fragile and I'm wonder how best to incorporate some extra strain relief into the assembly above the Y splitter. I don't think just adding some braided sleeve over them is going to be enough.  I was wondering about adding some extra cord or fishing line maybe? To each pair of conductors then holding it all in place with some adhesive lined heat shrink tubing then running a braided outer sleeve over the top of the lot.

Hoping you guys have a few tips you can share for this?

Cheers
Jamie

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/neotech-nech-3001-copper-headphone-cable.html

Overall diameter: 3mm
Conductor with insulation: 0.9mm
Copper conductor: 0.6mm


----------



## Allanmarcus

Speedskater said:


> This is incorrect.
> A balanced interconnect system 'carries a plus & minus signal' and sometimes a shield (and the shield may not be connected at both ends). The shield is not required for balanced operation.
> There is no ground conductor in a balance interconnect system.
> So if a headphone amp has both an active/powered plus output and minus output, it's a balanced system.


I’m pretty sure the third pin of a balanced interconnects is always the ground between the two systems. As I said, tons has been written about this.

The point of a balanced system is the voltage across the plus and minus are equal and opposite so that any EMI affects both equally, and thus doesn’t affect the signal.  For unbalanced the signal is carried on the hot, so EMI can affect it,  and thus change the voltage. That’s how I understand it.

I’m not sure that with balanced headphones you are getting equal and opposite voltage on the headphone cable. If it is, then it would be balanced.


----------



## Paladin79

JamieMcC said:


> Hi guys I'm about to start a new balanced cable for my hd800 using some Neotech NECH-3001
> 
> There are four 0.6mm conductors which are encased in a rubber inner jacket with a braided outer sleeve over.
> 
> ...


Jamie, I do not generally use adhesive heat shrink tubing on such wire but I do use standard heat shrink on the twisted pair to keep the twists uniform and to provide strength. On the inside wires to the plugs I use very tiny heat shrink tubing with the paired tubing over it. Those connectors only allow for 26 awg or smaller as I recall.


----------



## JamieMcC

Hi Tom thanks for the reply but being a bit dense I am not 100% sure what you are explaining to me

Is it you use some a short length of tiny shrink tube on each of the single wires over the top of your soldered joint onto the connector itself?

Thinking I may add a length of nylon fishing line to each pair above the y splitter making into a 3 strand braid. Just to add a little extra thickness and strain relief to each pair.


----------



## Paladin79 (Sep 8, 2018)

Ok, going to each connector you have twisted pair, two wires per side. I go over that with heat shrink tubing and extend that tubing over individual tubing on each single wire. This has to be very tiny tubing since there is not much room in the connectors. As I recall the connector itself has an opening about right for the two wires with overall heat shrink tubing. Basically heat shrink tubing on each set of two twisted pair going into connector housing and then individual wire gets tubing as well. I will look for a photo but they are probably at work.  This shows overall twisted pair I like to do going all the way to connectors after the split. Inside the connector I might use heatshrink over individual wires.This is pretty sturdy.


----------



## kingkikapu

Here's a better resource for balanced amp/cable/connector design.  

https://www.headphone.com/pages/balanced-headphones-guide


----------



## ledzep

This has probably been added to the thread somewhere but it's just easier if I ask again saves going through page after page. Building a cable for the daughter's Beyer Aventho wired so she can use it with her WM1Z on balanced, what's the 2 X 3.5mm trs jack's wired like, think the cable is the same for the T1 2nd gen, thanks in advance.


----------



## kingkikapu

Hi all. Has anyone found a decent quality 90 degree 3.5mm trs plug? Other than oyaide I’m not seeing much to work with. 

The straight jacks are problematic in my pants.


----------



## Paladin79

Neutrik makes the only one I will use but Switchcraft also makes some quality connectors.

https://www.markertek.com/product/n...3-5mm-stereo-right-angle-mini-plug-black-gold

https://www.markertek.com/product/3...anau-3-5mm-1-8in-mini-right-angle-stereo-plug


----------



## legopart

xlr gold plated pined connector for half price that I can recommend:

1- buy from here the connector with golden 4 pins:
3pcs for $4.9
*better price for pair





2- buy this soft/cheap metal piece, throw the 3pin connector parts and put the one from the top one with 4pins golden
the price is something like $1 per 1pc
I cant find the correct one from ebay
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-P...945.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.2b904c4dM3e36y




3- fix the shaky connection part with addition ring or glue (cause it not fixed 100%)

an so you get 4pin xlr with light weight and easy to plug that the screw part is from metal, not from plastic and the pins is golden, I check them resistance with the cables and got really low resistance.

each connector that I suggest will cost you ~ $2


the most cheap neutrik connector will cost for me something like $8.4 per 1pcs
https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pcs-Neut...028322&hash=item283e732958:g:xrkAAOSwQJhUlTZ9


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> the most cheap neutrik connector will cost for me something like $8.4 per 1pcs
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pcs-Neut...028322&hash=item283e732958:g:xrkAAOSwQJhUlTZ9



Just get them from Markerek. 
https://www.markertek.com/product/n...r-m-cable-connector-black-shell-gold-contacts
$4.37 each, shipped.
They you are getting genuine Neutrik, which is a very reputable brand, with the very good strain relief.


----------



## Stealer

Hi, need some help here..
I need to fab a 4.4mm male plug to 2 3pin XLR connectors.
My question is, is the ground on 4.4mm or 3pin XLR shield/ground connected?
 If connected, meaning both L & R XLR are sharing the same ground...

thanks in advance..


----------



## ledzep (Sep 16, 2018)

Depends on your budget I'd go for furutech for the connectors or Oyaide or Eidolic , wiring wise there is no ground only R+/- and L+/- , trrr on the 4.4mm and pins 2 and 3 on the XLR ,


Also depends on you XLR ouput most are wired as standard but I've seen a few that are not so best to check the pinout first


----------



## Stealer

ledzep said:


> Depends on your budget I'd go for furutech for the connectors or Oyaide or Eidolic , wiring wise there is no ground only R+/- and L+/- , trrr on the 4.4mm and pins 2 and 3 on the XLR ,
> 
> 
> Also depends on you XLR ouput most are wired as standard but I've seen a few that are not so best to check the pinout first[/QUOTE


----------



## Stealer

Weird, after the quote all the texts I typed doesn't appear?
Creating another post
@ledzep , thank you.


----------



## demevalos (Oct 19, 2018)

Amateur question, but does anybody know how to take apart this style of 3 pin mini XLR connectors for soldering? EDIT: Nevermind, figured it out, you just pull the back part off and it all comes apart


----------



## davisman (Oct 22, 2018)

I modified my stock cable on my TH900 mk1 today, and made it a balanced cable 4 pin xlr. I also made an adapter with the stock 6.3 jack. Went pretty well. The only issue I had was trying to tin the wire on the stock cable. It is 7n ofc. I tried using kester 44, which worked best, and kester 245. The only flux I had laying around was a kester 186 flux pen. It was weird, because once tinned there was no issue when I soldered the 'buckets' of the xlr cable. I also made a 4 pin XLR extension cable today using canare l-4e6s, and had no issue with soldering them.

Any advice? I need to remove the stock cable completely from the drivers in order to replace the strain reliefs on both sides as they have broken. I didn't do it today because I was having to use, in my opinion, excessive heat to get the solder to flow on the wire.

ETA: I forgot to mention that I bought my supplies from Markertek. You guys, turned me onto them, and I will always buy from them in the future. The prices are reasonable, and the shipping is very fast. I ordered last Thursday night, and got everything today. They also package everything really well. Highly recommended.  

My handy work!


----------



## ledzep

davisman said:


> I modified my stock cable on my TH900 mk1 today, and made it a balanced cable 4 pin xlr. I also made an adapter with the stock 6.3 jack. Went pretty well. The only issue I had was trying to tin the wire on the stock cable. It is 7n ofc. I tried using kester 44, which worked best, and kester 245. The only flux I had laying around was a kester 186 flux pen. It was weird, because once tinned there was no issue when I soldered the 'buckets' of the xlr cable. I also made a 4 pin XLR extension cable today using canare l-4e6s, and had no issue with soldering them.
> 
> Any advice? I need to remove the stock cable completely from the drivers in order to replace the strain reliefs on both sides as they have broken. I didn't do it today because I was having to use, in my opinion, excessive heat to get the solder to flow on the wire.
> 
> ...



I use a solder pot for tinning that sort of wire


----------



## Paladin79

ledzep said:


> I use a solder pot for tinning that sort of wire


Good answer, and if you need a solder pot, there are some on Digikey in the $20 range.  I am guessing the poster is in the states since that is a Schiit audio box in the photo.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Oct 23, 2018)

davisman said:


> I modified my stock cable on my TH900 mk1 today, and made it a balanced cable 4 pin xlr. I also made an adapter with the stock 6.3 jack. Went pretty well. The only issue I had was trying to tin the wire on the stock cable. It is 7n ofc. I tried using kester 44, which worked best, and kester 245. The only flux I had laying around was a kester 186 flux pen. It was weird, because once tinned there was no issue when I soldered the 'buckets' of the xlr cable. I also made a 4 pin XLR extension cable today using canare l-4e6s, and had no issue with soldering them.
> 
> Any advice? I need to remove the stock cable completely from the drivers in order to replace the strain reliefs on both sides as they have broken. I didn't do it today because I was having to use, in my opinion, excessive heat to get the solder to flow on the wire.
> 
> ...


I'm having a hard time understanding your issue. First, I'm making the assumption that the wire is enamel coated, and theat's your issue. 7N OFC is nothing special with regards to solder sticking to it, but if the wire is enamel coated, then you have to either use a pot like @Paladin79 suggests, or use a a little flux and a blob of solder on the tip of the iron and hold it there to melt the enamel off.

But it also sounds like you want to remove the wires from the drivers and you are worried that you have to apply too much heat to get the solder to flow so you can remove the wires. If that's the case, I think the issue is your iron is not hot enough. If you get your iron really hot, like in the 700(F) range, you sould only have to apply it for a second or two to heat the existing solder enough so you can put the wire off.

any other ideas?


----------



## ledzep

Bit of flux on the solder pad on the driver and put the iron tip on the pad and as soon as it flows ( 350 °c iron set at ) lift the wire, it's not a ground pad so should flow straight away, do not apply to much heat you'll fry the driver coil.


----------



## davisman (Oct 23, 2018)

I did not know the wire is enamel coated, and that is probably the issue. I had my hako set at 700, and had to hold the torch in place for a long time before I could get it to flow. Also please note that I am a soldering noob, but I am learning. I gave up on crimp connectors a couple of years ago, and have been soldering everything for my work and other projects.



Allanmarcus said:


> I'm having a hard time understanding your issue. First, I'm making the assumption that the wire is enamel coated, and theat's your issue. 7N OFC is nothing special with regards to solder sticking to it, but if the wire is enamel coated, then you have to either use a pot like @Paladin79 suggests, or use a a little flux and a blob of solder on the tip of the iron and hold it there to melt the enamel off.
> 
> But it also sounds like you want to remove the wires from the drivers and you are worried that you have to apply too much heat to get the solder to flow so you can remove the wires. If that's the case, I think the issue is your iron is not hot enough. If you get your iron really hot, like in the 700(F) range, you sould only have to apply it for a second or two to heat the existing solder enough so you can put the wire off.
> 
> any other ideas?



I would guess that the coating on the wires going into the driver is already removed, so it will probably be easier than I thought.



Thanks I do appreciate the knowledge!


----------



## riffrafff

davisman said:


> I did not know the wire is enamel coated, and that is probably the issue. I had my hako set at 700, and had to hold the torch in place for a long time before I could get it to flow. Also please note that I am a soldering noob, but I am learning. I gave up on crimp connectors a couple of years ago, and have been soldering everything for my work and other projects.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Most of the irons where I work are set to 750 degrees.   Enameled wire is easily "stripped" by a solder pot, but in a pinch, you can always scrape the enamel off with an X-Acto knife.  It's tedious sometimes, but you don't have to have 100% of the enamel removed; the solder flow of the connection will boil off the remnants.


----------



## kingkikapu

Solder pots are a life saver for heavy gauge tinning as well.


----------



## demevalos

Hey all, I just made a quick beginners guide to building a basic cable. Take a look and see if it helps! And if there's any building guru's around here, I'd love if you could critique the guide and help me anywhere you think I missed. 

https://imgur.com/gallery/3S0bvSH

Deme


----------



## Viber

Hi,
Complete noob here...

I need to make some *good* cables for my diy headphones, *but i need them to be cheap*.

1. Can i use these wires and get pro sounding results?
A. *UL-1007* 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-10-M-UL-...65608e611:m:mOdHDn5r7y7FYNe95KiKg6w:rk:3:pf:0

B. The " classic" 22AWG *Red Black cable* for car stereo
https://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-22AWG-R...e-Wire-for-Car-Auto-Speaker-Q2T8/302753872496


2. How important it is to insist on the whole "OFC\SPC" thing?

3. How much AWG is too thick or too thin?  as I understand it 22-26AWG is the sweet spot.

Thanks a lot!


----------



## Allanmarcus

Viber said:


> Hi,
> Complete noob here...
> 
> I need to make some *good* cables for my diy headphones, *but i need them to be cheap*.
> ...


If flexibility is important to you, you want stranded wire with high strand count. 19 is a bare minimum, and 30 is better.  I don’t beleive the wires you list have higher than 7, but they don’t even list strand count. They might be solid core. 

OFC is a good idea as, but not required.

Most of use use, or have used, mogami quad to start with. There are many alternatives.  See my DIY page and find the wire page in the menus.


----------



## Paladin79

Viber said:


> Hi,
> Complete noob here...
> 
> I need to make some *good* cables for my diy headphones, *but i need them to be cheap*.
> ...



OFC is where I would start unless you locate some high strand count litz wire. 24 awg is my preference and you can find that in some of the Mogami star quad (as Allan mentioned), but I also like Canare and Belden star quad. If you can find it.  Not knowing what is available to you, there is also some 24 awg ofc two conductor with ground available from Gepco that is very good. The two numbers connected with stranded wire are first the strand count then the actual gauge of each individual wire.


----------



## ThanosD

Could something like this be any good? I can see that the 26 and 22 awg sizes have 19 conductors, I guess these are the strands? It is silver plated copper.


----------



## Viber

mmm the only stuff i can order is from Ebay\China .
Those shipping prices from USA\Euro stores are killing me, i'm not going to pay 20$-50$ shipping lol.

I know about the Mogami cables of course, they are just not available for cheap on ebay though.

I'm pretty shocked i can't find anything decent, i can buy an ofc RCA cable for 1$ but a basic ofc wire of equivalent use is much more expansive


----------



## Paladin79

Availability is certainly tricky in other parts of the world. There is plenty of OCC coming out of China. I am not sure I would trust some of it to be authentic but you do have lots of choices on EBAY, some already braided in four and eight wires.


----------



## Paladin79

ThanosD said:


> Could something like this be any good? I can see that the 26 and 22 awg sizes have 19 conductors, I guess these are the strands? It is silver plated copper.



I have done a lot of testing with silver plated copper and really do not find much advantage of using it. If you read up on "skin effect" it takes place well above the audible range, 100k up for the most part. 19 conductors sounds like the strand count and there are plenty of lower counts out there. An easy way to think of it is, solid wire conducts more easily than stranded of a similar gauge. The more strands you have, the less gaps will be between them thus it is closer to solid wire. The high strand count helps with flexibility, take any two wires and bend them back and forth till they break, the solid wire will always break first if all other things are equal (wire gauge, material, etc.)


----------



## Viber

Allanmarcus said:


> If flexibility is important to you, you want stranded wire with high strand count. 19 is a bare minimum, and 30 is better.  I don’t beleive the wires you list have higher than 7, but they don’t even list strand count. They might be solid core.
> 
> OFC is a good idea as, but not required.
> 
> Most of use use, or have used, mogami quad to start with. There are many alternatives.  See my DIY page and find the wire page in the menus.




Isn't there a strand count under the "conductor" column? Let's say next to 22AWG it says "*17*/0.14TS x2" ,  does *17* represent strand count?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Viber said:


> Isn't there a strand count under the "conductor" column? Let's say next to 22AWG it says "*17*/0.14TS x2" ,  does *17* represent strand count?


Yes, it does.  Sorry, I missed the chart.  You could certainly try the cable and see how flexible it is, but I’m not optimistic. Luna shops, also on Ali (I think) might have some decent wire for you.


----------



## ThanosD (Oct 30, 2018)

Paladin79 said:


> I have done a lot of testing with silver plated copper and really do not find much advantage of using it. If you read up on "skin effect" it takes place well above the audible range, 100k up for the most part. 19 conductors sounds like the strand count and there are plenty of lower counts out there. An easy way to think of it is, solid wire conducts more easily than stranded of a similar gauge. The more strands you have, the less gaps will be between them thus it is closer to solid wire. The high strand count helps with flexibility, take any two wires and bend them back and forth till they break, the solid wire will always break first if all other things are equal (wire gauge, material, etc.)


I don't really know much about wires (yet). I have just read that solid wires can break easily, which is what you are saying too. I see that many mass produced cables are described as silver plated, so I assumed it's a characteristic that my wire should have, and I saw this fairly cheap silver plated wire. I ordered about 10 meteres of 26 awg silver plated teflon wire for 5€, a month ago, to make my first cable, for some IEMs I am making, but is not very flexible, at least while not braided (I am going for a 4strand). The problem is that, while in US, there are many suppliers, in Europe, and especially in Greece, is pretty difficult to source the proper wire for this kind of application at a reasonable cost. So eBay and Aliexrpess are the most viable options. Do you have anything to suggest? Or at least what to search to try and find some proper wire.


----------



## Viber

Allanmarcus said:


> Yes, it does.  Sorry, I missed the chart.  You could certainly try the cable and see how flexible it is, but I’m not optimistic. Luna shops, also on Ali (I think) might have some decent wire for you.



Nothing to be sorry about, it's from a different seller.  Thank you for helping me understand.

I'm starting to think it would be cheaper to just buy an RCA cable\mic cable etc and just change the termination to a 3.5mm plug.


----------



## Paladin79

ThanosD said:


> I don't really know much about wires (yet). I have just read that solid wires can break easily, which is what you are saying too. I see that many mass produced cables are described as silver plated, so I assumed it's a characteristic that my wire should have, and I saw this fairly cheap silver plated wire. I ordered about 10 meteres of 26 awg silver plated teflon wire for 5€, a month ago, to make my first cable, for some IEMs I am making, but is not very flexible, at least while not braided (I am going for a 4strand). The problem is that, while in US, there are many suppliers, in Europe, and especially in Greece, is pretty difficult to source the proper wire for this kind of application at a reasonable cost. So eBay and Aliexrpess are the most viable options. Do you have anything to suggest? Or at least what to search to try and find some proper wire.


On Ebay I would search for OCC wire or Litz wire. Some of the Litz is extremely high strand count but it is best to have a solder pot if you try to add connectors, it can be done with a soldering iron but you have to be pretty thorough. Each individual wire will have an enamel type coating and a solder pot burns all of those away quickly.


----------



## ThanosD

Paladin79 said:


> On Ebay I would search for OCC wire or Litz wire. Some of the Litz is extremely high strand count but it is best to have a solder pot if you try to add connectors, it can be done with a soldering iron but you have to be pretty thorough. Each individual wire will have an enamel type coating and a solder pot burns all of those away quickly.



Hmm ok, thanks a lot for the help. I don't own a soldering pot, but I think I will be fine using the soldering iron, for the normal occ wire.


----------



## Paladin79

OCC should be fine with a soldering iron, and Litz can be done if you understand the process.


----------



## demevalos

What connectors do you guys use to make your HD 650/ 600/ 6XX cables? I bought two different sets of connectors from ebay and neither one fits properly, I don't want to buy anymore without any kind of confirmation they will work


----------



## Allanmarcus

demevalos said:


> What connectors do you guys use to make your HD 650/ 600/ 6XX cables? I bought two different sets of connectors from ebay and neither one fits properly, I don't want to buy anymore without any kind of confirmation they will work


The ones I’ve used are linked on my web site on the suppliers page.


----------



## Paladin79

https://www.amazon.com/Viborg-Audio...=1540921063&sr=8-1&keywords=hd+650+connectors

These work well but Ebay may be cheaper.


----------



## demevalos

Allanmarcus said:


> The ones I’ve used are linked on my web site on the suppliers page.



The ebay ones on your suppliers page are the ones I ordered from the same seller. Maybe I just got unlucky?



Paladin79 said:


> https://www.amazon.com/Viborg-Audio...=1540921063&sr=8-1&keywords=hd+650+connectors
> 
> These work well but Ebay may be cheaper.



Thanks Paladin, I'm gonna try these I think


----------



## Paladin79

I am sure you realize one pin is larger than the other, get them turned around and you can enlarge the small jack enough where It could become intermittent.


----------



## demevalos

Yes, I just copied the direction that the stock cable faces, it wasn't going at all either way


----------



## Paladin79

Very odd, I have used five or six types and all seemed to fit properly but they may not have been what you bought of course.


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## demevalos

I have both of these types, it seems like the pins themselves are slightly longer than on the stock cable

https://i.imgur.com/tzW6hr3.png

https://i.imgur.com/8E2Cpqs.png


----------



## Paladin79

Ah, I have not used those types of connectors but I do believe I shall stay away from them.


----------



## Viber

I've noticed that there is a... "model name?" for various types of cable (I.E "UL-1007" , "UL-1015", "UL 2547" etc etc)...

Do we know all the types\models for cables suited for headphone use? can anyone list them all?

Would make the search for wires so much easier....


----------



## Paladin79

Viber said:


> I've noticed that there is a... "model name?" for various types of cable (I.E "UL-1007" , "UL-1015", "UL 2547" etc etc)...
> 
> Do we know all the types\models for cables suited for headphone use? can anyone list them all?
> 
> Would make the search for wires so much easier....


I know of no such listing, there is not a lot of current going through headphone cables. You kind of have to understand UL as well, you pay for that service and in the case of headphone cables, why bother?


----------



## ignatiusreilly (Nov 5, 2018)

hi all--

Sorry if I'm using this thread wrong. I'm not good at soldering, but I would like to buy a nice 3.5mm M-M cable for a pair of headphones I just got.

Can anybody point me to any vendors selling decent pre-made ones? Just something cloth-covered that looks nice and has quality parts. Not looking to spend an insane amount of money on some artisinal custom thing, though. Thanks much!


----------



## Allanmarcus

ignatiusreilly said:


> hi all--
> 
> Sorry if I'm using this thread wrong. I'm not good at soldering, but I would like to buy a nice 3.5mm M-M cable for a pair of headphones I just got.
> 
> Can anybody point me to any vendors selling decent pre-made ones? Just something cloth-covered that looks nice and has quality parts. Not looking to spend an insane amount of money on some artisinal custom thing, though. Thanks much!


This is the Do It Yourself thread. I suggest you post in the Introductions, Help and Recommendations thread.
https://www.head-fi.org/forums/introductions-help-and-recommendations.7840/


----------



## legopart

Build some speaker cable for a headphone adapter


----------



## ignatiusreilly

Allanmarcus said:


> This is the Do It Yourself thread. I suggest you post in the Introductions, Help and Recommendations thread.
> https://www.head-fi.org/forums/introductions-help-and-recommendations.7840/


Thanks, sorry about that!


----------



## demevalos

@legopart what Beyers are those?? I've never seen anything like them


----------



## ledzep (Nov 9, 2018)

.


----------



## Kurjok (Nov 9, 2018)

What size paracord should I be getting to sleeve a 6mm OD cable? Would 550 (4mm) work?

I am planning on using Canare L-4E6S star quad so alternatively should I just strip to the four wires and braid them and then sleeve the braid with 550 paracord? I don't want to see the braid and rather just have one paracord sleeved cable in view


----------



## legopart

demevalos said:


> @legopart what Beyers are those?? I've never seen anything like them


ET1000


----------



## Paladin79

Kurjok said:


> What size paracord should I be getting to sleeve a 6mm OD cable? Would 550 (4mm) work?
> 
> I am planning on using Canare L-4E6S star quad so alternatively should I just strip to the four wires and braid them and then sleeve the braid with 550 paracord? I don't want to see the braid and rather just have one paracord sleeved cable in view



The 550 might work for the four wires by themselves but it would be nearly impossible to stretch over 6 mm od cable with jacket. Personally I use a product that would go over 6 mm cable with jacket and it is measured at 4 mm when flat. I then use heat shrink over the individual twisted pairs. This is a combination of cotton and a plastic braid but what you touch is usually the cotton and it has very low microphonic properties.


----------



## jmpsmash

Any recommendation for silver (pure or any other config) balanced interconnect cable? I need a short 1.25 feet XLR cable from my DAC to amp. Neotech has some but they seem to be very thick and hard to match with XLR connectors. I currently have mogami 3173 + Neutrik plugs but they don't sound very open. I am planning to use the same plugs and experiment with silver.


----------



## Paladin79

jmpsmash said:


> Any recommendation for silver (pure or any other config) balanced interconnect cable? I need a short 1.25 feet XLR cable from my DAC to amp. Neotech has some but they seem to be very thick and hard to match with XLR connectors. I currently have mogami 3173 + Neutrik plugs but they don't sound very open. I am planning to use the same plugs and experiment with silver.


You are running an AES cable?  That is what 3173 is made for, it is 110 ohm.


----------



## jmpsmash

Paladin79 said:


> You are running an AES cable?  That is what 3173 is made for, it is 110 ohm.



yeah. i read somewhere that it works well but didn't turn out that way.


----------



## Paladin79 (Nov 12, 2018)

I generally use star quad for balanced interconnects myself, I have had little experience with silver other than some extensive testing on headphone cables. Good luck in your search.

Oh and that AES cable should work at short distances, cable impedance is not much of a factor then and Mogami certainly makes good product.


----------



## jmpsmash

Paladin79 said:


> I generally use star quad for balanced interconnects myself, I have had little experience with silver other than some extensive testing on headphone cables. Good luck in your search.
> 
> Oh and that AES cable should work at short distances, cable impedance is not much of a factor then and Mogami certainly makes good product.



It does work in that the sound was OK. but I am looking for something more open sounding.


----------



## Paladin79

jmpsmash said:


> It does work in that the sound was OK. but I am looking for something more open sounding.



The most a cable can do is preserve the signal traveling down the wire, they do not enhance it but some do a better job than others of preserving what is there.


----------



## jmpsmash

agree. but they can certainly diminish a certain signal though. the reason I want to try silver is that from the same dac to the same amp, when I use my RCA cable (using just the single ended part of the Mjolnir 2), it does open up the sound. that is another DIY cable with silver strands. unfortunately it wasn't made by me so i don't know what secret sauce was in it. I want to explore what the Mjolnir can do with full balanced but the cable is holding it back.


----------



## Paladin79

I


jmpsmash said:


> agree. but they can certainly diminish a certain signal though. the reason I want to try silver is that from the same dac to the same amp, when I use my RCA cable (using just the single ended part of the Mjolnir 2), it does open up the sound. that is another DIY cable with silver strands. unfortunately it wasn't made by me so i don't know what secret sauce was in it. I want to explore what the Mjolnir can do with full balanced but the cable is holding it back.



I run balanced throughout my system and soon on to mono blocks, Gumby, Freya, all the way to headphones and I have access to most any cable made but I have not tried silver there, sorry.


----------



## kingkikapu

One other possibility is to upgrade your source pre-outs. A larger voltage pre-out often makes for a better amplification cycle. That or find non-brass connectors. 

I made some Neotech gold/silver xlr interconnects between yggy and gsx mk2 and my LCR channels on my preprocessor.  Pricey wire though. You could probably get more bang from your buck upgrading source or transducer.


----------



## Paladin79

well said King


----------



## jmpsmash

Which Neotech did you use and how do you like it?

I am looking at the NEI-2002. As you said, rather pricey and also quite thick. I probably just need a short length of it, less that 1.5 feet. Shorter is generally better and that will keep the cost down but at the same time, want to make sure that it will bend around ok. 

Source will be either Terminator or Ares depending on where the Mjolnir ends up.


----------



## kingkikapu

jmpsmash said:


> Which Neotech did you use and how do you like it?
> 
> I am looking at the NEI-2002. As you said, rather pricey and also quite thick. I probably just need a short length of it, less that 1.5 feet. Shorter is generally better and that will keep the cost down but at the same time, want to make sure that it will bend around ok.
> 
> Source will be either Terminator or Ares depending on where the Mjolnir ends up.


I used the 26 awg silver/gold hookup wire.  It's not shielded, but since I'm running a real balanced rig that's not a problem.

https://www.partsconnexion.com/neotech-silver-gold-hook-up-wire.html

Do I like it?  Yes, yes I do.  Just don't mate that kind of wire with brass or phosphor bronze xlr pins as you will be wasting your time.  Conductivity is king.


----------



## jmpsmash

kingkikapu said:


> I used the 26 awg silver/gold hookup wire.  It's not shielded, but since I'm running a real balanced rig that's not a problem.
> 
> https://www.partsconnexion.com/neotech-silver-gold-hook-up-wire.html
> 
> Do I like it?  Yes, yes I do.  Just don't mate that kind of wire with brass or phosphor bronze xlr pins as you will be wasting your time.  Conductivity is king.



Great tip! As I only need a short length and balanced I think I will do something similar.


----------



## Gladzilla

Canadian411 said:


> That is a nice cable!! Let me know how it turns out.



sorry for the really late reply, its easy to drive and bass heavy vs a silver plated cables. using paired with sure se215.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Nov 16, 2018)

Heads-up. PlusSound will be having a 20% store wide sale the last week of November (22-30). They have some nice DIY stuff

Sale info:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/plussound-audio-black-friday-2018-events.893414/

great opportunity to get some high quality Y splitters.


----------



## jmpsmash

kingkikapu said:


> I used the 26 awg silver/gold hookup wire.  It's not shielded, but since I'm running a real balanced rig that's not a problem.
> 
> https://www.partsconnexion.com/neotech-silver-gold-hook-up-wire.html
> 
> Do I like it?  Yes, yes I do.  Just don't mate that kind of wire with brass or phosphor bronze xlr pins as you will be wasting your time.  Conductivity is king.





jmpsmash said:


> Great tip! As I only need a short length and balanced I think I will do something similar.



My first attempt at making my own cables didn't work out too well. I used Neotech 23awg silver cable in a starquad config with Vampire XLR connectors. The cables are around 8" long. I did have fun making them and they look quite nice.

However, the sound is very thin and not producing the expected amount of clarity. Very lifeless.

Back to the drawing board?


----------



## Alkattone

Hi! 

I am going to build a cable, but i am a bit confused, the thing is the cable is going to be dual mini-xlr that terminates in a single 6,3 mm plug. But according to pretty mutch any picture i have seen, it looks like a need 3 wires for each output on the xlr, But most of the cables recommended here is 4 cables internally. How would this work?


----------



## Allanmarcus

Alkattone said:


> Hi!
> 
> I am going to build a cable, but i am a bit confused, the thing is the cable is going to be dual mini-xlr that terminates in a single 6,3 mm plug. But according to pretty mutch any picture i have seen, it looks like a need 3 wires for each output on the xlr, But most of the cables recommended here is 4 cables internally. How would this work?



You only run two wires to each mini XLR. for what headphone?


----------



## Alkattone

Allanmarcus said:


> You only run two wires to each mini XLR. for what headphone?



It's going to be for a modified T40rp headphone, yeah i got a bit confused because of the multiple outputs, so its still just going to be one hot wire and one ground?


----------



## Allanmarcus

correct.


Alkattone said:


> It's going to be for a modified T40rp headphone, yeah i got a bit confused because of the multiple outputs, so its still just going to be one hot wire and one ground?


----------



## legopart

what the  disadvantages of twisted cables ?


----------



## jmpsmash

jmpsmash said:


> My first attempt at making my own cables didn't work out too well. I used Neotech 23awg silver cable in a starquad config with Vampire XLR connectors. The cables are around 8" long. I did have fun making them and they look quite nice.
> 
> However, the sound is very thin and not producing the expected amount of clarity. Very lifeless.
> 
> Back to the drawing board?



I found the issue. I used pin 1/3 instead of 2/3 for the signal. After hooking it up correct now it sounds much better. It is now as expected, much more extended high but the low are a bit muted. Maybe I will swap out 2 of the quad with copper instead of silver.

I did have to add another wire for the ground/shield as i noticed some ground loop hum.


----------



## kingkikapu

jmpsmash said:


> My first attempt at making my own cables didn't work out too well. I used Neotech 23awg silver cable in a starquad config with Vampire XLR connectors. The cables are around 8" long. I did have fun making them and they look quite nice.
> 
> However, the sound is very thin and not producing the expected amount of clarity. Very lifeless.
> 
> Back to the drawing board?


Hmm that’s no good. A couple questions: what gear were you connecting? Do you have pics of the soldering work? What sort of solder and flux did you use? 

Thx


----------



## jmpsmash

kingkikapu said:


> Hmm that’s no good. A couple questions: what gear were you connecting? Do you have pics of the soldering work? What sort of solder and flux did you use?
> 
> Thx



I found the issue. I connected pin1/3 instead of 2/3 for the balanced pair. So the +ve input is floating while it pumped signal into the ground. 

I fixed it and then noticed that leaving gnd unconnected there is a noticable ground hum. So connected pin 1's with a cheap piece of wire and now it sounds way way better.

However, with some A/B compare with my reference which is a pair of Audio Art IC3SE, i noticed there is better high frequency details as one would expect, but the bottom end is a bit thinner. I might replace 2 of the star quad with some good quality copper. hopefully that will give things a bit more body. Have to make another order to soniccraft though.


----------



## kingkikapu

Glad you found it.  On a 3 pin balanced interconnect you should have nothing floating.  You should have positive, negative and ground all connected so that common mode rejection gets properly summed.  If you don't, you would be running an unbalanced signal and a poor one at that.

Copper is fine for the ground IMO.


----------



## jmpsmash

kingkikapu said:


> Glad you found it.  On a 3 pin balanced interconnect you should have nothing floating.  You should have positive, negative and ground all connected so that common mode rejection gets properly summed.  If you don't, you would be running an unbalanced signal and a poor one at that.
> 
> Copper is fine for the ground IMO.



is the quality of the ground wire important? Currently I am just using a really cheap piece of wire that I found lying around.


----------



## kingkikapu

“A balanced circuit is a two-conductor circuit in which both conductors and all circuits connected to them have the same impedance with respect to ground and to all other conductors. The purpose of balancing is to make the noise pickup equal in both conductors, in which case it will be a common-mode signal which can be made to cancel out in the load.”

My answer would be no, provided it is of sufficient gauge to handle the electric protential of the system without thermal heating.

Here's a balanced checklist I follow:


Keep balanced line pairs tightly twisted (you've done this).
This provides immunity to magnetic fields, but only ferrous metals are effective low-frequency (60hz ish) magnetic shielding.  Ordinary cable shielding will not protect from this well.
The balanced architecture will provide you good immunity from electric fields, so shielding isn't a big priority.
Make sure your signal wires are good quality, symmetrical, etc.


----------



## kingkikapu

I forgot to ask: how was the noise floor of your cable after you got rid of the hum?


----------



## jmpsmash

kingkikapu said:


> I forgot to ask: how was the noise floor of your cable after you got rid of the hum?



interesting question. I haven't paid attention to it after I fixed the hum issue this morning. I will go home tonight and crank up the volume to check. I will compare it to my reference which is a 3ft shielded cable. the reference has the advantage that it is shielded, but at the same time it is also 4x longer!


----------



## jmpsmash

The above cable is made for the connection between my DAC and amp.

Next I want to make my first balanced headphone cable. I want to try mixing copper and silver. each channel as a starquad like above, 2 silver and 2 copper conductors.

Are there any advantage to the different braiding methods. I know star quad has actual physics behind it that's why I am using it.


----------



## kingkikapu

There are minimal differences in braiding methods from a physics perspective for what you are doing.  They key feature of any braiding/twisting is noise rejection.  Some braids create better ergonomics (they coil better). Bonus.

Again, conductivity ensures a strong source signal and braiding helps rejects noise.  You can facilitate conductivity by minimizing LCR impedence.  The easiest and biggest contributor to that one in headphone cables is straight up resistance.


----------



## kingkikapu

legopart said:


> what the  disadvantages of twisted cables ?


Compared to a straight parallel run of conductors as found in a ribbon cable, there are nearly no disadvantages other than if your twist rate in your twisted cable is rather inconsistent, then you can skew the inductive coupling between the various conductors.  For the wavelengths associated with human hearing you will be hard pressed to hear that phase decoherence.  It more affects higher frequencies found in networking and video transmission compared to audible frequencies.


TLDR: ribbons = more interference/cross talk, braids/twists = less interference/cross talk.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Hey, I just noticed that PlusSound has their Cryo Treated 3.5mm TRRS Plug for only 99 cents!
http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html

I would get it if I needed one.

Shipping is $5, so get a few, and other stuff too since they have 20% off everything.

I know I posted about this earlier, but the 99 cent deal was too good to not pass on.


----------



## legopart (Nov 21, 2018)

Again I ask for explanation about usage of twisted cables for headphones













shield is another thing that I cant understand





I build some cables but I still too stupid to understand how its work and why

what the best why to make XLR cable L+ L- R+ R-, or STR cable with L+ R+ GND ?

I want to see the most professional way to make a cable.

Stax and lot of old headphones using just a long flat cable (once insulated ?)


----------



## jmpsmash (Nov 21, 2018)

what a *differential pair* mean is that there are 2 conductors and the receiving device takes the difference between the 2 conductors as the signal. so a signal coming from the source device will be converted to a positive and negative version of itself and then passed to the positive and negative conductor respectively. mathematically: _positive - negative = 2 positive_

normally, since the cable is next to each other, the same noise is introduced into the 2 conductors, then the receiving device will cancel out the noise. mathematically: _(positive+noise) - (negative+noise) = 2 positive_

2 conductors sitting parallel to each other are not the same EXACT distance to the noise source though, esp if the noise source is close by, twisted pair fixes this. *twisted differential pair*, or just *twisted pair*, is better than 2 separate parallel cables because in a twisted pair, the average distance of the 2 cables to the source of the noise is the same therefore the strength of the noise is the same. mathematically, same as above, but just ensures the _positive noise = negative noise_ as close as possible. the difference in distance is really small, but for things like microphone cable in concert hall or for long runs of ethernet cable the total difference can be significant.

Shield is another way to reduce noise, if the shield is properly grounded, it forms what's is called a Faraday cage and block the noise from getting to the signal cable.


----------



## kingkikapu

I'm curious how much wire you guys are putting in a good full sized headphone cable?  I've got an 8 wire 24 awg stranded cable made.  That works out to about 15awg.

What are you running?


----------



## Allanmarcus

kingkikapu said:


> I'm curious how much wire you guys are putting in a good full sized headphone cable?  I've got an 8 wire 24 awg stranded cable made.  That works out to about 15awg.
> 
> What are you running?


I have some 4 strand and some 16 strand. No sonic differences as far as I can tell. sonically, I think 24-28 AWG is all you need. Anything else is just for fun.


----------



## jmpsmash

kingkikapu said:


> I'm curious how much wire you guys are putting in a good full sized headphone cable?  I've got an 8 wire 24 awg stranded cable made.  That works out to about 15awg.
> 
> What are you running?



I recently put together a 8 wire. dual mono 4 wire, each with 2x 18awg copper and 2x 28awg silver. The 2 4x wire bundles are twisted together and wrapped in flexicord. I wasn't too sure about the ergonomics before I started but turned out quite OK. can't say much about the workmanship though as this is my first attempt. The sound was a bit thinner than I expected. Maybe next time I will skip the silver.


----------



## legopart (Nov 25, 2018)

I used the thin one (I accidentally order only 1mm) 8 strands: 1.6m
1 strand for L+
1 strand for R+
3 strands for R-
3 strands for L-

and put it on XLR cable with option to use it with STR adapter (that connect the  L- and R- to GND)
I believe that the signal wire had to be alone







I made another XLR cable from shilded one, each pair of cable shilded. 1.8m
R- and L- separately got the shield (it's improve the quality in my opinion), like on semi balanced cable

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4core-Copp...VYDrv_PnBH4008KErg:rk:1:pf:0&var=541077174101






really stran


----------



## galangerz

hi!! so I'm new to this and maybe this has already been answered here so if some guidance can be given that'd be much appreciated!! 

one of my IEM cables has a faulty 3.5mm SE jack that cuts out sound when pressured is applied in a certain direction. I happen to have a cheap 2.5mm balanced cable and was wondering if it's possible for me to switch terminations myself (I'm mediocre at soldering).

most searches I've done usually has to do with larger terminations for headphones or other systems I'm unfamiliar with so I didn't know where else to look

any help is much appreciated thanks!!


----------



## Allanmarcus

Kenneth Galang said:


> hi!! so I'm new to this and maybe this has already been answered here so if some guidance can be given that'd be much appreciated!!
> 
> one of my IEM cables has a faulty 3.5mm SE jack that cuts out sound when pressured is applied in a certain direction. I happen to have a cheap 2.5mm balanced cable and was wondering if it's possible for me to switch terminations myself (I'm mediocre at soldering).
> 
> ...


If you can unscrew the plugs and see the wires , you might be able to.  Post pictures.


----------



## galangerz

Allanmarcus said:


> If you can unscrew the plugs and see the wires , you might be able to.  Post pictures.




 


if any more pictures are needed, let me know, I know these are not the best.

so the first should be the cheap balanced termination, I can see all the yellow wires being soldered in the middle, with the white wires split on each end.

the next pic is the furutech connector from a cable made by someone who runs an audio store near me. I can't see much past the hot glue but I guess you guys know more about furutech SE connectors. 

I don't care about scrapping the balanced cable, I just need the connector. 

I really appreciate the feedback )


----------



## Paladin79

https://www.woot.com/offers/astro-7-in-1-workbench-diy-work-station?ref=w_cnt_gw_dly_tl

Here is an interesting price for a versatile, portable work bench. They are on Amazon for $209 so this price is certainly reasonable. Often in the winter my shop gets pretty cold so I can set up one of these in another part of the house and use it when needed.


----------



## rundeploy

Hello, i want to make a custom cable for HD 6XX, but not sure about the wires connection. I have 4 Wires: 2 Red and 2 Black. On the TRS connector: Red1 goes to Tip (Left Channel), Red2 goes to Ring (Right Channel). Black1 and Black2 goes to Sleeve. And on the connectors to the headphone (don't know the name of those connectors) it goes like on this image:




Red1 (Left Channel) goes to the (+) Black connector and one of the Black1 or Black2 (any can go, right ? I'll choose Black1) goes to (-) of the Black Connector. Red2 (Right Channel) goes to the (+) Red connector and Black2 goes to (-) of the Red Connector, in this case.
Can anyone confirm, please, if all the described is correct ?


----------



## ThanosD (Dec 28, 2018)

So guys, I recently built a single-ended 3.5mm 4core cable for my CIEMs, with mmcx termination at the IEMs' side.  I intend to get a balanced source, and I would like to turn the cable to balanced 2.5mm. But I came across this picture:
Which termination should I choose? Which one is the most common? (The source will be the Zishan DSD DAP)

And another thing: I can see adapters for balanced cables to single ended. What would the wiring of such an adapter be? L+ and R+ on tip and ring respectively, and the L- and R- together on the sleeve of a 3.5mm 3pole jack?


----------



## hakuzen

ThanosD said:


> So guys, I recently built a single-ended 3.5mm 4core cable for my CIEMs, with mmcx termination at the IEMs' side.  I intend to get a balanced source, and I would like to turn the cable to balanced 2.5mm. But I came across this picture:
> Which termination should I choose? Which one is the most common? (The source will be the Zishan DSD DAP)
> 
> And another thing: I can see adapters for balanced cables to single ended. What would the wiring of such an adapter be? L+ and R+ on tip and ring respectively, and the L- and R- together on the sleeve of a 3.5mm 3pole jack?


i think AK DAP in your table is the most common


----------



## ThanosD

hakuzen said:


> i think AK DAP in your table is the most common


Yeah, that's probably correct. The guys from another thread measured a cable that was suitable for my application, and came to the same conclusion. Thanks!


----------



## Pingupenguins

https://www.head-fi.org/articles/diy-cable-info-and-resources.14308/

I use this all the time to pull up pin-outs. Scroll down to Headphone connectors and you should see all the designations for all the wiring. 2.5mm and Sennheiser (based on pin size)



rundeploy said:


> Hello, i want to make a custom cable for HD 6XX, but not sure about the wires connection. I have 4 Wires: 2 Red and 2 Black. On the TRS connector: Red1 goes to Tip (Left Channel), Red2 goes to Ring (Right Channel). Black1 and Black2 goes to Sleeve. And on the connectors to the headphone (don't know the name of those connectors) it goes like on this image:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## demevalos

I'm looking to build a cable for my Tin Audio T2, which will be MMCX on the headphones side, and a 3.5mm on the other. I have the whole concept of building it down, except what to use as the flexible heatshrink on the headphone side, so I can wrap the cable around my ears and have it stay in place? What do you guys use?


----------



## kingkikapu

demevalos said:


> I'm looking to build a cable for my Tin Audio T2, which will be MMCX on the headphones side, and a 3.5mm on the other. I have the whole concept of building it down, except what to use as the flexible heatshrink on the headphone side, so I can wrap the cable around my ears and have it stay in place? What do you guys use?


A lot of people use normal clear heatshrink with a "memory wire" solid wire underneath the heatshrink.  This will then hold the shape that you desire.

Personally I prefer cables without memory wire as they can sometimes be less comfortable than a cable without one.


----------



## demevalos

What kind of memory wire? Like a piece of flexible copper wire?


----------



## cocolinho

Is there anything I can do with this? No insulation so I wonder if I can use this copper wires to make a cable
Thanks


----------



## kingkikapu

demevalos said:


> What kind of memory wire? Like a piece of flexible copper wire?



Solid core wire.  Doesn't need to be copper.  I often take old power supply unit connectors that I don't need anymore from old PC's and strip the wire from them.  You only need a 3" piece per side.  You can also find rebar tie wire at any home improvement store.

Or use a paperclip.  Anything goes really.


----------



## legopart (Jan 8, 2019)

How can I create some external noises and check if it affect the cable signal ?


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> How can I create some external noises and check if it affect the cable signal ?


Move all your equipment right under a power transmission tower.

You really don't need to do anything special to check for external noise. Just turn on your system but don't play anything. Turn up the volume. Do you hear any hiss or static? If not, you are good to go. If you do, then you need to investigate.


----------



## ThanosD

Guys, I can get a lot of speaker cable (transparent pvc insulation) for very cheap. The thing is that the outside diameter is roughly 2mm. The diameter of the copper strands alone is 0.5mm . I want to make 4strand cables, for in-ears. Will I have any problems? Is it too thick?


----------



## kingkikapu

The headphone connectors might be a tight fit, but no harm in using what you have available.


----------



## ThanosD

kingkikapu said:


> The headphone connectors might be a tight fit, but no harm in using what you have available.


Great. I guess with a file I can slightly modify the housing of the connector. I have read somewhere that pvc cables have more microphonics. Do you know anything about that?


----------



## kingkikapu

Not really, but if you’re concerned about microphonics you could always do an over the ear arrangement. 

Or a shirt clip.


----------



## Themilkman46290 (Jan 9, 2019)

I want to make a cable, the place I am planning on buying has Sommer SC-Stage22 HighFlex on sale, would that make a good cable for braiding?
It's wires are 24awg ofc with 28 strands, is that flexible enough?


----------



## Themilkman46290

Nevermind I found some canare L-4E5C, and pulled the trigger on it, hope it will be good enough, I noticed allot of people using it


----------



## raybies (Jan 11, 2019)

Hi.

I'm in Australia and I'm really struggling to find some decent cable at a decent price, can anyone recommend a source for:
- 26 or 24AWG Copper or Copper Silver stranded, Litz or non Litz
- If the cable isn't sleeved, a sleeving source too, or are people using shoe laces?

*Toxic Cables don't respond to emails and don't ship to Aus.

My chinese cable experience has been disappointing, but I'm still open to any vendor who doesn't send me copper plated aluminium, claiming Pure OFC.
I have everything else except the cable and sleeve.

Thanks.

The end goal is something like:


----------



## legopart

What to do with the nylon strings inside each conductor ?


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> What to do with the nylon strings inside each conductor ?



cut them off.


----------



## legopart (Jan 14, 2019)

Allanmarcus said:


> cut them off.


I decided that cutting this string makes the cable weaker inside the connection and hold it weakly, but I having an issue to strip and cover the cable with solder (with this string).
Original soldering to the drivers from the companies get with this string inside the the cable




Another question:
How to straight a coiled cable?
*one on beyerdynamic dt48, and another  that I going to use as spare part from beyerdynamic DT880pro







Thinking about the option to replace the cable on Dt48 but doesn't know which one is better then the stock


----------



## kingkikapu

You cannot straighten a pre-coiled cable. It is built like a spring and will return to its natural elastic rest position (coiled). If you try to stretch it straight with too much tension, you will create a plastic deformation, which will permanently deform and damage your wire.

You need to cut that string


----------



## legopart

kingkikapu said:


> You cannot straighten a pre-coiled cable. It is built like a spring and will return to its natural elastic rest position (coiled). If you try to stretch it straight with too much tension, you will create a plastic deformation, which will permanently deform and damage your wire.
> 
> You need to cut that string


I saw someone who makes coiled cables by wrap straight  cable on a stick and heat it (I think externally with fan).


----------



## kingkikapu

You can do that but they are not very permanent. 

I recommend you do straight or twist/braided. Coiled cables are a mess.


----------



## legopart

Is It possible to put some lace/sleeve on the coil cable ?
I found it difficult and it ruined one of my cables.
did someone try ?


----------



## legopart

If I put inside one cable the left and Right channel.
Can the right channel signal create distortion on the Left (or versa)?
Or is the signal distortion it something that comes outside of the cable ?


----------



## kingkikapu

The distortion is mostly from the outside. 

If you twist or braid your wires that is a form of shielding. You do not need a copper sleeving shield for headphones.


----------



## legopart

I searching for bigger diameter for silver plated cable than this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Upg...067.html?spm=2114.13010708.0.0.3a994c4dIcsRhS
*I prefer 4 core one.

I once got one bigger with cable that I bought and cant find one.

thanks for help.


----------



## legopart (Jan 18, 2019)

Do somebody tried to create Power Audio cable ?

like this one here
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Sil....0&spm=2114.10010108.1000013.2.d4584287oQEG9i
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/JP-....0&spm=2114.10010108.1000013.2.30934d24hNIeln








I though to order only the connector from here
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Oyaide-C029-pure-copper-Gold-palted-IEC-power-Connector-Female-Plug/32829456235.html?af=137322&af=137322&aff_platform=aaf&aff_trace_key=4aabe962abe446be812f283eab2697be-1547866751818-03840-VnYZvQVf&afref=&afref=&algo_expid=7897bf2d-9fce-46ff-9866-a4c58886351d-4&algo_pvid=7897bf2d-9fce-46ff-9866-a4c58886351d&cpt=1547866751818&cv=47843&cv=47843&dp=a23caf7d4e69a5a4cf0b85aaef86abfc&dp=a23caf7d4e69a5a4cf0b85aaef86abfc&mall_affr=pr3&mall_affr=pr3&sk=VnYZvQVf&spm=2114.search0604.3.27.4f4460c4kf2Pds&subid1=DPlnKr2ATnM&terminal_id=cea6da2dba8a4b85837d2fdf45d25d2f&tmLog=onelink_blank&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0%2Csearchweb201602_5_10065_10068_319_317_5736020_5736120_10696_453_10084_454_10083_433_10618_431_10307_537_536_10059_10884_10887_100031_321_322_10103%2Csearchweb201603_56%2CppcSwitch_0




that looks same as this regular one from here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Pins-IEC-C13-Female-or-C14-Male-Rewireable-Inline-Socket-Power-Connector-Plug/183558103751?frcectupt=true&hash=item2abcea62c7:g:2DgAAOSwTxhb~lX~:rk:2f:1





Which wire better to use?
https://www.aliexpress.com/af/Hifi-...te=glo&spm=2114.search0604.0.0.11137f9eMMewbe


----------



## Hippocamp

Anyone have a source for a 2.5 mm right angle mono (TS) plug? Al I can find are TRRS. I guess TRS would be ok, using just tip and sleeve.


----------



## legopart

Searching for this type of cables, that combine the 2 channels together , 
I search for bigger pair
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Win...&spm=2114.10010108.addToCart.4.21732c0eO9XKaI
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/GUS...dba8a4b85837d2fdf45d25d2f&tmLog=onelink_blank


----------



## NoisyNeighbour

Looking at making a balanced cable for my LCS-2C. From what I gathered Audeze uses a one signal and one ground for each driver and each pair of pins is bridged/shorted on the mini-xlr side for redundancy. Something like this:



 

I would appreciate if somebody could confirm this looks right!


----------



## legopart

I decide to replace all the 4pin mini XLR on my cables to 6pin mini XLR on my cables
from this




to this





It more stable on his place, and it can fit to my old headphones that still using 4pin mount

Unfortualy I found, After I mod one of my cables, that this connecter have high defeculty to plug it in, even moreover then that it's even harder to pull it out from the headphones.
So I think that I will stay with 4pin mini xlr connector for all my DIY cables and headphones mod.

4p mini xlr its not the perfect but still good enoth ...


----------



## legopart

this connector is too hard to plug/unplug.

I though about 2 options:
1- Stay with 4p-mini XLR
or 2- Cut the holder pins, It having inoth place that can hold the connector even more stable then the 4p-mini XLR


----------



## Shroomalistic (Jan 26, 2019)

Im starting my first attempt at diy cables.  I have some 1/4 paramax coming in,  will it fit around stock canare 4e6s cable?
My first attempt is gonna be a new m1060c cable and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm right angle for my t50rp mk3 and argons.  I made sure to get connectors that had 6mm openings but i want to leave the cable unstripped for the argons but sheethed with black paramax if possible.  For the m1060c cable,  what do you cover the 2 twisted sets with?   Will 550 paracord work or will it be too loose.  What do you guys recommened?

Edit - ParaMax 1/4 does not fit around the solid 4e6s canare cable.  I did put it around the canare stripped down to the shielding and it fit nicely but made the cord loud in micro-phonics.   

On my m1060c cable I stripped the 4e6s down to the paper and put the paramax around it and worked the best for me.  Made the bottom half of cable thick and fit inside the connector tighter then it id with the 550 cord around it.


----------



## legopart

Where can I find a balanced connection for Sennheiser HD598/ HD599?


----------



## TheRH (Jan 28, 2019)

What are some good sources for cable splits? I am looking to build a cable for my HD 58x and will need a cable split, but not sure where to look.


----------



## Allanmarcus

TheRH said:


> What are some good sources for cable splits? I am looking to build a cable for my HD 58x and will need a cable split, but not sure where to look.


https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/home/y-splitters


----------



## TheRH

Now this is awesome, thanks.


----------



## qsk78

Hello,
 I gave up to find any possibility to make my q-JAYs balanced and the reason is unique ssmcx connectors.
Any idea where to find them? 
I spoke to some cable makers - no success, not possible.
The only option I see is to cut connectors off and to solder with another cable.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jan 30, 2019)

qsk78 said:


> Hello,
> I gave up to find any possibility to make my q-JAYs balanced and the reason is unique ssmcx connectors.
> Any idea where to find them?
> I spoke to some cable makers - no success, not possible.
> The only option I see is to cut connectors off and to solder with another cable.


Maybe this?
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/molex-llc/0734154760/WM9474-ND/3878260

Or this

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/molex-llc/0734154680/WM3491-ND/2405376


----------



## TheRH

Not stock any more, this is the cable for a 58X. Next up will be my first fully custom headphone cable.


----------



## legopart

TheRH said:


> Not stock any more, this is the cable for a 58X. Next up will be my first fully custom headphone cable.


public here on ready cables https://www.head-fi.org/threads/diy-cable-gallery.71148/page-1039

which dual-cable  can you recommend ?


----------



## TheRH

Sorry about that.


----------



## legopart

TheRH said:


> Sorry about that.


about that you not have to sorry


----------



## TheRH (Feb 2, 2019)

What do you mean about dual cable?


----------



## legopart

TheRH said:


> What do you mean about dual cable? I do build my own cable as a hobby.


The one which split to two.
I couldn't find any good one


----------



## Themilkman46290

Thanks to you guys on here, read the forum and decided to try, made 3 cables so far
First was using sommercable SC-Peakcock MkII, balanced cable for my he4xx

The other two were done using canare L-4E5C
 


 
Liked the canare a bit better but the sommercable might be better on its own without stripping or braiding.


----------



## Themilkman46290

legopart said:


> The one which split to two.
> I couldn't find any good one


Maybe try SC-Peakcock MkII


----------



## qsk78

Allanmarcus said:


> https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/molex-llc/0734154760/WM9474-ND/3878260
> 
> Or this
> 
> https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/molex-llc/0734154680/WM3491-ND/2405376



Well, the original connectors have a thread


----------



## legopart

Themilkman46290 said:


> Maybe try SC-Peakcock MkII


Thanks, I sent an order for 7m of this cable (I planning to make 2 cables).


----------



## TheRH

Has anyone used paracordgalaxy? and does paracord shrink with when heated?


----------



## Paladin79

Heat paracord enough and it melts lol. You have to be careful with a heat gun. I have used paracordgalaxy and they are fine, I do believe the prices are pretty decent and they have a good selection. I prefer to use cotton and PET mesh myself, cotton is not as microphonic as nylon.


----------



## TheRH

I'm just trying to see what will be the best way, to finish Sennheiser cables at the headphone side. I plan on using Mogami quad star full size. What size paracord can I use that will fit in or near Cardas connectors?


----------



## legopart

Paladin79 said:


> I prefer to use cotton and PET mesh


which cotton can you reccomend ?
I need 4-5mm one. (and even 10-15mm or more if exist)


----------



## demevalos

TheRH said:


> I'm just trying to see what will be the best way, to finish Sennheiser cables at the headphone side. I plan on using Mogami quad star full size. What size paracord can I use that will fit in or near Cardas connectors?



I used 275 paracord for my Senn cable on the headphone side, and 550 on the amp side. It doesn't fit into the Cardas connectors, but you can use heat shrink to hold the two together. Here's the 275 paracord I used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J2ZF40K/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's the 550:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E634170/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's a pic of the final product:

https://i.imgur.com/kbCU5vm.jpg

deme


----------



## Paladin79

legopart said:


> which cotton can you reccomend ?
> I need 4-5mm one. (and even 10-15mm or more if exist)



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Braided-So...meters-/142862715196?var=&hash=item214348093c

This is measured 4 mm flat and it stretches to around 10 mm diameter according to my micrometer. The PET (plastic mesh) is black but otherwise it is cotton, and the cotton sits a little higher than the pet.  Other sizes are available but I rarely buy anything above the 4 mm and it certainly fits a wide variety of cables.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Well, I got me some Sommer Cable SC-Square MkII cable an a HiConn 3.5mm/6.3mm TRS plug. This is the plug that is a 3.5mm plug, but you can screw on a 6.3mm adapter.

Trying to figure out if I should strip out the wire and braid, or just make a simple cable.

What intrigued me about the cable is the ~24AWG wire made with 120 strand OFC. The cable is like 77 cents/foot, so it's cheap. It's also "highflex" (their brand), and now taht I have it, it's pretty flexible for full size mic cable, but still stiff compared to cables that come with most headphones. It would probably be good cable for RCA interconnects. 

Specs:
https://shop.sommercable.com/en/Cab...re-MKII-200-0301-highflex.html#tab_attributes

You can get the cable from Have Inc.
http://store.haveinc.com/p-62042-so...re-4-core-mkii-microphone-cable-per-foot.aspx

The HiCon connector as well:
http://store.haveinc.com/p-62634-hicon-hi-j3563s-3-5mm-to-1-4inch-adapter-screw-on.aspx


----------



## legopart

I not like the 24AWG, they too small
I bough my 4core cable from here
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4core-Copp...var=541077174105&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649





decently 2x 2core of 24awg with separate shielding, I combine the shielding with the - connection and still create a XLR cable, without actual shielding (but it improve a lot)
this cable is flexible but not soo much as I wanted
the price is unfair

the 200-0301 looks not flexible at all





I searched alot for the core Inside of the first mention cable and found it here
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fre...509.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.2a584c4diZqn5v





again in the past I ordered the twin cable, cut it and use only one cable from it to make the headband (again short the R- with the shield)

this is the result for the new headband cable + XLR connector mod + unplugged cable mod.
this is the mention cable before


----------



## legopart (Feb 1, 2019)

My upcoming plan is to cover the provisos holes and make another holes little bit higher and put the unplugged connector on the both sides
(the headphone will stay work like left sided, but could work as dual sided too)
the previous cable position touch my shoulder





in addition I don't know how!, but I want to push the 8mm cable Inside each of this mini-XLR connectors (the fit up to 6.5mm after you drill them)





The cable will be this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/England-Copper-Wire-For-DIY-RCA-XLR-Interconnect-Audio-Cable-hifi-2core/232436341033?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=531733570179&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649





I really don't know how to push this enormous cable to this tiny connector 
I going to apply lots of cuts, drilling and glue 


If this mod will success It will applied on my: Beyerdynamic T1 gen1, another T1 gen1, Dt770pro, Dt990pro (that I bought used on the last year)
and much more headphones like AKG K141, Grado sr80, Ath-m50, beyerdynamic DT48.

I will test this mode first on the most cheap headphones that I have.
the dt880 premium edition serve me more then 5 years!


----------



## legopart (Feb 1, 2019)

I searching for the same quality cable as used on beyerdynamic T1 gen1 twin cable




ok, never mind. I found the information about this great cable from here https://kenrockwell.com/audio/beyer/t1.htm
they used the "Sommer SC-Peacock MKII",
then I sorry that I ordered only 7m of this great cable!
each cable that I make have 2m long.



Themilkman46290 said:


> Maybe try SC-Peakcock MkII


again lot of thanks!

in addition found this cable with more conductors then  the "Sommer SC-Peacock MKII",
https://www.studiospares.com/Cables...al-Stereo-Balanced-Mic-Cable-per-m_548120.htm
but this cable is less flexible becoase it without the mesh strings inside.
but compare to "Sommer" cable that using 28strands* 0.10mm, Europa using 64 strands * 0.12mm
but I still likes the Sommer" cable.
the order is set so...I will never know which is better


----------



## TheRH

demevalos said:


> I used 275 paracord for my Senn cable on the headphone side, and 550 on the amp side. It doesn't fit into the Cardas connectors, but you can use heat shrink to hold the two together. Here's the 275 paracord I used:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J2ZF40K/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> ...




Thanks, that will help alot.


----------



## legopart (Feb 1, 2019)

About paracords / sleeves
I start to use some ugly ones, but they feeling great!
not the cheapest Chines one, but more expensive

I start to use  "Cotton Shoe Laces"
made of cotton that wax coated

the maximum is 8mm and 2m long
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flat-Waxed-Cotton-Shoe-Laces-Dress-Shoelace-Coloured-leather-Bootlace-8mm-Wide/222409591649?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=521279153256&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649




* I cant find any longer


max 2.5mm and 1.8m long (too thin)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Round-Waxe...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649






Can't find 5mm for fair price 


find this one for too high price 2.25m max
https://www.ebay.com/itm/5mm-Round-...2e006c14:m:mHOS9xwM4wm3tc7pk13MH5g:rk:14:pf:0





and one for fair price but only 1.2m and ugly colors
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Quality-Wax-Cotton-Thin-Round-Shoe-Laces-5mm-Dress-Wax-Cord-Laces-Brogues-Colors/392173583769?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=661105665516&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649




*still on order (not received)


I think that this type of sleeves is the best,
too bad I cant find any cheaper material for them

start some modding  on my big cables.




*only the big 6.5mm (8mm) ones
the else made of nylon (polyester/poly?)


I will be glad to get any possible help about this, links, ideas or suggestions

thanks ahead.


----------



## TheRH (Feb 3, 2019)

Is there a such thing as a high quality female trrs connector?


----------



## Paladin79

TheRH said:


> Is there a such thing as a high quality female trrs connector?



Chances are if you find them with solder lugs they are better quality than the males. Often the males use cylinders separated by plastic, a bit too much heat and the plastic melts. If I locate some I will post them for you.


----------



## Allanmarcus

TheRH said:


> Is there a such thing as a high quality female trrs connector?


Looks interesting

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-PACK-High-Quality-3-5mm-1-8-Stereo-TRRS-4-Pole-Female-Plug-Connector-CN-014S/290958764649


----------



## Paladin79

That looks as good as most I have seen so I will not add another. Tomorrow I work with a 4.4 mm TRRRS. The easy way for me to tell one pin from the other is to have a male version, pin that out then measure front to back to figure out the female pins. If there is an easier way, lay it on me lol.


----------



## TheRH (Feb 3, 2019)

Thanks, let me know. I can't find anything that has a barrel.


----------



## Allanmarcus

TheRH said:


> Thanks, let me know. I can't find anything that has a barrel.


Doesn’t the one I posted have a barrel?


----------



## TheRH

Oh totally missed that, just wish there were more pictures of the inside.


----------



## reevos (Feb 7, 2019)

is Canare L-4E5C good for balanced audio? Thinking about doing a 2.5mm connector to a pair of mono 3.5mm connectors tied to my Grado sr60e. Its not a priority right now, but I'm curious about trying this out again with a little more complexity. Should I switch the cable after the y or just double up the wires using the same cable?

Looking further, this is basically what I was thinking http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5788


----------



## CoiL

Does anyone know what cable Moondrop Kanas uses? It measures quite badly (0.8 Ohm) and I would like to turn it into 16-core braided. I have Papri AgCu but it is much stiffer coated material despite looking same. Kanas Pro cable is same soft as IT01 cable but due to having 8-core braid, is even more softer and also lot lighter.


----------



## TYATYA (Feb 9, 2019)

Pls help me.
I diy a cable as on pic 1, connect sp1000 dap to hdvd800 amp using dual xlr3 input of the amp.
I completed the cable and it works okay.
I want to ask for help on grounding.
AK daps use 3.5mm jack as grounding for 2.5mm balance mode.
The question is : Do I welding 3 pin of 3.5 jack together?

1. I know it is dangerous logical. Bcs if plug only 3.5 or 3.5 is plugin before 2.5, the dap will active SE mode -> short circuit happen. This can happen to any cable which 2 jack (3.5 and 2.5) is free

2. AK's cable use a box to fix both 2.5 and 3.5 so they will enter the dap same time -> 2.5 balance mode will be active.

3. In balance mode, 3.5 jack has no signal. Also no bias voltage found between each pair of pin (R G and LG) - I test by headphone plug in 3.5

I hope some one has AK's cable (like the one in pic 2) can confirm on his/her cable : pin on 3.5 is weld together or only G pin use?
(Confirmation is quite easy even dont have a muti-meter in hand. An AA battery and a led can be use)


----------



## TheRH

Meh, it's OK. So I have paracord and I can not figure out how to take out the core. How do I do this?


----------



## nereus

TheRH said:


> Meh, it's OK. So I have paracord and I can not figure out how to take out the core. How do I do this?



Make sure both ends are cut (some ends may be melted to stop fraying) and then it should just slide out pretty easily.


----------



## TheRH (Feb 11, 2019)

I figured that out, this is the first time I have worked with paracord.lol I usually work with techflex.


----------



## maslows

I currently own a pair of Beyerdynamic Amiron Home with the stock 3 meter cable which is entirely too long.

I plan to purchase an Earstudio ES100 and thus I would like a short cable possible a meter.

I have never soldered before, but I own a Dremel Soldering Kit, Wire Strippers, Helping Hands, 

A bit of researching i have decided on the following, but I am unsure if everything with mesh up properly.

(2) Eidolic 3.5mm universal extended-tip plug 

2' Quad Mic Cable

Y-Splitter

3.5mm Plug 

Sleeving going to 3.5mm & Sleeving to headphones


----------



## reevos

maslows said:


> I currently own a pair of Beyerdynamic Amiron Home with the stock 3 meter cable which is entirely too long.
> 
> I plan to purchase an Earstudio ES100 and thus I would like a short cable possible a meter.
> 
> ...



You really want to take advantage of the ES100 having a balanced connection. I would recommend using a 2.5mm balanced plug, but that might get confusing.


----------



## maslows

This?
Compact 2.5mm 4 pole TRRS Plug


----------



## reevos

maslows said:


> This?
> Compact 2.5mm 4 pole TRRS Plug


I would do this: https://doublehelixcables.com/product/eidolic-2-5mm-spacious-barrel-for-astell-kern-4-pole-trrs/  The one you have listed is going to be a pain to solder in from my understanding.


----------



## maslows (Feb 15, 2019)

Making a 1' cable from 3.5mm  to the Y-Splitter & 1' cable from there to the 2.5mm TRRS

1' Mogami 2893 & 2' Mogami W2944

2' Peptide Hybrid SPC – 4-conductor Dual-Twisted-Pair

2' Cardas 4x24 AWG Shielded

Which would be the more suitable cable to suit my needs with this short length.
I am not interested in braiding the cable as it will be sleeved later.


----------



## maslows

bump


----------



## legopart (Feb 15, 2019)

@maslows hard decision 

Using the shield with the negative- connector (to receive less resistance)
am I doing right ?, if I decide not to use ground at all for 4pin xlr connector
each wire is a separate channel
I just cant not to use so much  conductor  only because its the shield 










This adapter: connect  the L- and R- to one GND for TRS connector






But still I think that I do something wrong


----------



## reevos

legopart said:


> @maslows hard decision
> 
> Using the shield with the negative- connector (to receive less resistance)
> am I doing right ?, if I decide not to use ground at all for 4pin xlr connector
> ...


Pretty sure you need a dedicated L+ L- R+ R- and ground... I don't think ground is tied to the negative, but hopefully someone on this forum can take time to respond.


----------



## legopart

reevos said:


> Pretty sure you need a dedicated L+ L- R+ R- and ground... I don't think ground is tied to the negative, but hopefully someone on this forum can take time to respond.


I just think, that this is the best connection for headphone cable. it ruin the shield factor.
do someone tried this or agree?


I applied this method that I learn today  (from some Russian video ) on *RCA* cables  and feel lots of improvement.






But for Headphone cable, I cant feel any different.


----------



## TheRH (Feb 15, 2019)

Ok, I'm trying to take the core out the paracord max, and the rubber filling is being a pain. Any ideas?


----------



## raybies (Feb 15, 2019)

TheRH said:


> Ok, I'm trying to take the core out the paracord max, and the rubber filling is being a pain. Any ideas?


LOL, dude that ain't paracord, that's bungeecord... 

Shock, bungee, elastic, tie down cord same deal.

It's all come undone, you can't use it, you need some paracord, which is super easy to decore... just pull the center out and you have an empty sock which you can slide a wire through.

Paracord: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...amping-Climbing-Camping-Rope/32948107286.html


----------



## TheRH

What? Ah f! Is there a way I can still use it?


----------



## TheRH (Feb 15, 2019)

Ok, so I bought the right stuff, will be here next week.


----------



## honeyjjack

Any know where to get occ pure silver wires by foot? Thanks


----------



## legopart (Feb 16, 2019)

legopart said:


> @maslows hard decision
> 
> Using the shield with the negative- connector (to receive less resistance)
> am I doing right ?, if I decide not to use ground at all for 4pin xlr connector
> ...


Can someone recommend, do I have to change my  DIY cables? or my idea will function better ?

My version for XLR
with more conductivity for -





regular XLR
with grounded shielded






What the best option for headphone cable ?
do I have to sacrifice so much conductivity for grounding ?


its really important decision,  cause I made lots of cables with this method.

do the grounding as a ground can really improve headphone cable


----------



## Allanmarcus

Do not connect an inner wire and the shielding to ground.  You can create a group loop that way.  For a headphone cable, connect the just the innner wires for group and hot and clip off the ends of the shield.

For interconnects, you can use the inner wire OR the shield, but not both.  Some people will connect the shield to ground on one end of the cable and we refer to that end as the drain.


----------



## legopart (Feb 16, 2019)

Allanmarcus said:


> Do not connect an inner wire and the shielding to ground.  You can create a group loop that way.  For a headphone cable, connect the just the innner wires for group and hot and clip off the ends of the shield.
> 
> For interconnects, you can use the inner wire OR the shield, but not both.  Some people will connect the shield to ground on one end of the cable and we refer to that end as the drain.


Thanks for your attention!.
I start to remake all my cables now.

I having a question about 8 strands cable.
how to spread the Ground, R+, R-, L+, R- if I want to create a XLR cable.

this my old version





I planning to change it to this:




Thanks.


----------



## Allanmarcus

It pretty much doesn’t matter. Using two wires for each pole is what I do. There is really no advantage of multiple cores over a basic four core cable. Multiple cores is just funner to build and looks cooler. 

The only exception to this is if your cores are really thin. I think 32AWG is the thinnest gauge needwd for a headphone, maybe 30. If your cores are thinner than that, having multiple cores might be useful.


----------



## leeperry

Hey guys, so I make my own Y cables but I need proper black sleeving that would be as supple, light, soft & non-microphonic as HE400i cable for instance, all I got off aliexpress is stiff techflex that refuses to lose its flat fold at that.

Apparently paracord is where the party's at but my 4 wires together are already 6mm and I gotta go a little larger to avoid microphonics FWIR so I'm officially running out of ideas, how about Viablue then : https://viablue.de/com/accessories_braided_sleeve_black.php ?

Thanks for any insight please


----------



## Allanmarcus

leeperry said:


> Hey guys, so I make my own Y cables but I need proper black sleeving that would be as supple, light, soft & non-microphonic as HE400i cable for instance, all I got off aliexpress is stiff techflex that refuses to lose its flat fold at that.
> 
> Apparently paracord is where the party's at but my 4 wires together are already 6mm and I gotta go a little larger to avoid microphonics FWIR so I'm officially running out of ideas, how about Viablue then : https://viablue.de/com/accessories_braided_sleeve_black.php ?
> 
> Thanks for any insight please


I have many cables that use tech flex nylon multifilament. As with paracord, don't put it on too tight, or it will facilitate cable noise.


----------



## leeperry (Feb 17, 2019)

well, that's what I got in black: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5M-...dable-Sleeving-Cable-Harness/32722624841.html

it remains folded flat, is very stiff and it's PET. I want the same sleeve as HE400i cable, I guess I do need nylon sleeving


----------



## Allanmarcus

leeperry said:


> well, that's what I got in black: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5M-...dable-Sleeving-Cable-Harness/32722624841.html
> 
> it remains folded flat, is very stiff and it's PET. I want the same sleeve as HE400i cable, I guess I do need nylon sleeving


That’s not techflex nylon multi filament. What you got is something else.  I don’t think you can get techflex nylon multifilament on Ali.


----------



## legopart

Allanmarcus said:


> It pretty much doesn’t matter. Using two wires for each pole is what I do. There is really no advantage of multiple cores over a basic four core cable. Multiple cores is just funner to build and looks cooler.
> 
> The only exception to this is if your cores are really thin. I think 32AWG is the thinnest gauge needwd for a headphone, maybe 30. If your cores are thinner than that, having multiple cores might be useful.


Thanks again!

What about RCA cable,how connect the 2 wires and the shield ?
some say connect like this





Each wire to L+/R+ the second to the ground. and the shield only on one side connect to the ground.

some saying not connect the shield at all.


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> Thanks again!
> 
> What about RCA cable,how connect the 2 wires and the shield ?
> some say connect like this
> ...



See https://www.head-fi.org/threads/diy...comments-thread.676402/page-575#post-14783012

An RCA cable is an interconnect cable.


----------



## legopart

Allanmarcus said:


> It pretty much doesn’t matter. Using two wires for each pole is what I do. There is really no advantage of multiple cores over a basic four core cable. Multiple cores is just funner to build and looks cooler.
> 
> The only exception to this is if your cores are really thin. I think 32AWG is the thinnest gauge needwd for a headphone, maybe 30. If your cores are thinner than that, having multiple cores might be useful.


I couldn't sure that the ground on the second side separate and not accidentally connected (and I cant test it)
so I cut all the frame of the cable


----------



## legopart

I disassemble one cable of "SC-Peakcock MkII"  from Beyerdynamic T1 that I bought used.
and discover inside the cable green color on the white silky material near the copper cable 
I guess its  a corrosion.
I decide to cut it until I pass the green color, and connect it, still I  cant sure if there in middle still having this ugly condition.













*this cable is from old vintage headphone but the same condition happened with the Beyerdynamic T1  cable that using "SC-Peakcock MkII"


----------



## demevalos

When you guys keep the shielding on, how do you go about terminating it? Do you solder it to the ground? Shell? I've tried cutting it off, but it gets in the way of the heatshrink sometimes.


----------



## gwertheim

Allanmarcus said:


> That’s not techflex nylon multi filament. What you got is something else.  I don’t think you can get techflex nylon multifilament on Ali.



You can use the same thing as computer modders use. I have cables with that sleeving and it looks really nice 


https://www.cable-sleeving.com


----------



## Allanmarcus

demevalos said:


> When you guys keep the shielding on, how do you go about terminating it? Do you solder it to the ground? Shell? I've tried cutting it off, but it gets in the way of the heatshrink sometimes.


What kind of cable? This question was just asked n the last few days, so maybe just just scroll back a bit.


----------



## ohcrapgorillas

I am wanting to make DIY cables for my Atticus and HD800. I want to use some decently pure OCC litz copper, but I'm having a hard time finding a source. I can find litz wire, and I can find OCC copper, but I can't find OCC litz. I'm also open to suggestions as to what type of wire to use. I'd  prefer to avoid spending megabucks on brand-name wire, even though I'm sure it would be superior in the long run. I also understand that, beyond a certain level of stranding, I'll need a solder pot to properly tin the wire because of the way it absorbs heat?


----------



## Allanmarcus

ohcrapgorillas said:


> I am wanting to make DIY cables for my Atticus and HD800. I want to use some decently pure OCC litz copper, but I'm having a hard time finding a source. I can find litz wire, and I can find OCC copper, but I can't find OCC litz. I'm also open to suggestions as to what type of wire to use. I'd  prefer to avoid spending megabucks on brand-name wire, even though I'm sure it would be superior in the long run. I also understand that, beyond a certain level of stranding, I'll need a solder pot to properly tin the wire because of the way it absorbs heat?


I beleive you want a pot if the wire you are getting is enamel coated.  As for litz, I highly doubt you will be able to hear the difference between litz and basic mogami mic cable.  I recommend you just get some mogami, strip it, lightly braid it, and enjoy.  Maybe use nylon multifiliment sleeve.


----------



## rnros (Mar 3, 2019)

ohcrapgorillas said:


> I am wanting to make DIY cables for my Atticus and HD800. I want to use some decently pure OCC litz copper, but I'm having a hard time finding a source. I can find litz wire, and I can find OCC copper, but I can't find OCC litz. I'm also open to suggestions as to what type of wire to use. I'd  prefer to avoid spending megabucks on brand-name wire, even though I'm sure it would be superior in the long run. I also understand that, beyond a certain level of stranding, I'll need a solder pot to properly tin the wire because of the way it absorbs heat?



I agree with Allan that the solder pot is required for enameled conductors, solid or stranded. And for a headphone cable, the wire gauge is modest, so no issue there.
My question to you is about the 'litz' description. Are you looking for a single solid wire that you will use in a litz braid of your own construction?
Or are looking for a multi-strand cable that is called litz? (Cardas does this, but not OCC.)

Neotech makes both solid and stranded OCC with Teflon insulation. TakeFiveAudio and PartsConnexion carry these.
Some prefer stranded, some swear by solid.
https://www.takefiveaudio.com/categories/209-neotech-cryo-treated-copper-silver-hook-up-wire
https://www.partsconnexion.com/neotech-copper-ptfe-hook-up-wire.html

Some 15+ years ago, Vampire was selling a single strand 26 AWG enameled OCC wire that was used for braiding audio cable. (Essentially, an OCC magnet wire.)
Long gone from the audio DIY marketplace until recently, SonicCraft is now offering this. (Although I know nothing about how this compares with the previous Vampire wire.)
You can get by without a solder pot for just a few connections, but with cheap solder pots available today for $20, no reason to.
http://www.soniccraft.com/index.php/chassis-vampire-c-296_175_447


----------



## ohcrapgorillas

Thanks for your responses, I will be certain to pick up a solder pot before investing in litz wire. I am preferably looking for pre-sleeved, stranded wire. The links you provided are very helpful, I will look into both SonicCraft and Neotech's offerings further, thanks!


----------



## TYATYA (Mar 3, 2019)

Furutech 3.5 TRS jack.
I heard that rhodium coating is wear off fast then underlying  copper layer will appears.
I don't think this jack is counterfeit one. Want to buy this interconnect cable.
But the seller kindly told me that thing.
Any one can help to confirm the coating on Furutech?


----------



## Allanmarcus

TYATYA said:


> Furutech 3.5 TRS jack.
> I heard that rhodium coating is wear off fast then underlying  copper layer will appears.
> I don't think this jack is counterfeit one. Want to buy this interconnect cable.
> But the seller kindly told me that thing.
> Any one can help to confirm the coating on Furutech?


unless you are buying from an authorized dealer or someone you know and trust, assume it's a fake


----------



## TYATYA

Allanmarcus said:


> unless you are buying from an authorized dealer or someone you know and trust, assume it's a fake



That is trust audio shop I known by years. About 10k audio stuffs I paid there so I think they are not spoofing me with a small goods like this.
They tell me to prevent me from buying, not try to selling.
Also I have 2 pcs 3.5 to dual RCA from Furutech, and really they wear out faster than jacks from switchcraft, ediolic, fiio...


----------



## carlman14

Here's my first ever attempt at a DIY cable! Made with Canare star-quad and 275 black and midnight blue paracord. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself!


 

One thing I noticed though, it that the microphonics are worse than the stock cable. Anything that touches the cable can be clearly heard.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might try next time to eliminate the microphonics? Also, what are the main causes of microphonics? Is it the sleeving? The insulation of the cable? The style of the braiding? For instance, would I get less microphonics if I left the 4 cables inside the canare star-quad twisted, and just put one larger-sized paracord sleeve over all of it? Or maybe don't use sleeving at all?


----------



## TheRH

Do they make paracord larger than 7mm? Or something similar that is 7mm or larger?


----------



## Allanmarcus

carlman14 said:


> Here's my first ever attempt at a DIY cable! Made with Canare star-quad and 275 black and midnight blue paracord. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tight sleeve is usually not good for noise. Next time try looser sleeve


----------



## carlman14

Allanmarcus said:


> Tight sleeve is usually not good for noise. Next time try looser sleeve



I'll try that! would you recommend going up a paracord size, like 325? Or should I just not stretch the 275 so tight (like, use more paracord than necessary so that scrunches a little so it's looser).


----------



## Allanmarcus

carlman14 said:


> I'll try that! would you recommend going up a paracord size, like 325? Or should I just not stretch the 275 so tight (like, use more paracord than necessary so that scrunches a little so it's looser).


not stretch it so tight.


----------



## TheRH (Mar 5, 2019)

I need sleeve larger than 7mm, any thoughts?


----------



## nereus (Mar 5, 2019)

TheRH said:


> I need sleeve larger than 7mm, any thoughts?



Would something like this work?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cli...1b-4b6f-b549-24d8993f00b1&transAbTest=ae803_4

Maybe techflex is the way to go for larger diamter


----------



## TheRH

I'll have to look into those. Any other suggestions welcome.


----------



## taiyoyuden

Will an XLR microphone cable with an adapter on each end work as an unbalanced stereo headphone cable? I ask because most mini XLR connectors seem to be low quality and difficult to assemble.

AKG K702 -> Mini-XLR Female to XLR Adapter Male-> XLR Female to XLR Cable Male Cable -> XLR Female to TRS 1/4" Male cable adapter -> Amp


----------



## Allanmarcus

taiyoyuden said:


> Will an XLR microphone cable with an adapter on each end work as an unbalanced stereo headphone cable? I ask because most mini XLR connectors seem to be low quality and difficult to assemble.
> 
> AKG K702 -> Mini-XLR Female to XLR Adapter Male-> XLR Female to XLR Cable Male Cable -> XLR Female to TRS 1/4" Male cable adapter -> Amp



I believe mic cable is 3 wires and balanced headphone is 4.


----------



## TheRH

I just realized that, PET will not work as I want so use it for a headphone cable. I was going to use 1/4 paracord and it is just a hair to small. What else is soft, and will not have too much or any noise can I use for Mogami 2893? this is the main body.


----------



## demevalos

TheRH said:


> I just realized that, PET will not work as I want so use it for a headphone cable. I was going to use 1/4 paracord and it is just a hair to small. What else is soft, and will not have too much or any noise can I use for Mogami 2893? this is the main body.



I'm going to attempt to use a spare shoelace soon, because I feel like it would be very soft and flexible. I'll post results once it's done.


----------



## Paladin79

TheRH said:


> I just realized that, PET will not work as I want so use it for a headphone cable. I was going to use 1/4 paracord and it is just a hair to small. What else is soft, and will not have too much or any noise can I use for Mogami 2893? this is the main body.



I use a combination of cotton and PET, the cotton sticks up more than the pet so it is really not very microphonic.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Braided-So...var=441856022940&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

the 4 mm flat stretches to at least 9 mm diameter.


----------



## Cantrell

TheRH said:


> I need sleeve larger than 7mm, any thoughts?



It's not paracord or tech flex but similar,  stuff called MDPC, they have smaller size for most regular sized cables size and a fair bit larger size. I don't recall what exact diameter is but if memory serves it might be in the ballpark size wise. Also have some nice color choices, several heat shrink color options too (apparently don't require heat shrink to secure in some cases either), mod pc I think is US seller of the product.


----------



## hanihanhan

I am looking for parts to build a MMCX iem cable, but got confused on how to read the AWG on websites. I'm looking for 28 AWG wires in specific. Would this cable work? http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=55


----------



## Allanmarcus

hanihanhan said:


> I am looking for parts to build a MMCX iem cable, but got confused on how to read the AWG on websites. I'm looking for 28 AWG wires in specific. Would this cable work? http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=55


I believe that is 28 AWG and if you combine all 4 wires, you get 25AWG. Note, I also think it's only 7 stands per wire, so it might be a little stiff.


----------



## hanihanhan

Allanmarcus said:


> only 7 stands per wire, so it might be a little stiff.


Does the wire become less stiff with more strands?


----------



## Allanmarcus (Mar 9, 2019)

hanihanhan said:


> Does the wire become less stiff with more strands?


Yes. While I have felt these wires, take a look at mogami w2929
65 cent per foot shipped from markertek


----------



## hanihanhan

Thank you, I will try those. Which size of paracord should I use with 28 awg?


----------



## Allanmarcus

hanihanhan said:


> Thank you, I will try those. Which size of paracord should I use with 28 awg?


depends, are you going to sleeve each wire, or are you going to loosely braid the 4 wires then sleeve the braid from the plug to the Y? They you have to decide are you going to sleeve the two wires from the Y to the connector, or sleeve each wire and twist them?

I think this might be accurate. If anyone can validate, or offer other suggestions, I'll document it on my web site.
1 wire use 95#
2 wires, use 275 or 325. You _might_ be able to get two wires in 95 if you try hard.
4 wires, use 425
Sleeve over 6mm cable?
Sleeve over 8mm cable?

this chart might help
https://www.paracordplanet.com/cord-comparison-chart/


----------



## taiyoyuden

For a TRS to Mini XLR 3-pin headphone cable and Mogami 2534, should it wired 2blue+2white+shield for the 3 conductors or something else?


----------



## hanihanhan

Allanmarcus said:


> depends, are you going to sleeve each wire, or are you going to loosely braid the 4 wires then sleeve the braid from the plug to the Y? They you have to decide are you going to sleeve the two wires from the Y to the connector, or sleeve each wire and twist them?
> 
> I think this might be accurate. If anyone can validate, or offer other suggestions, I'll document it on my web site.
> 1 wire use 95#
> ...



I was planning on paracording each strand and braiding them. Thank you so much for the thorough information. I'll try different ways of paracording.


----------



## evolutiontheory

I want to get into diy; the goal is to replace a 2.5mm termination with 3.5mm.

These are the things that I have found out so far

https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Ki...sprefix=soldering+,aps,228&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1 - Cheapest, I can upgrade later if I find this interesting

Or should I go for this - https://www.redco.com/ECG-J-SSA-2-Economy-50w-Analog-Soldering-Station.html

https://www.redco.com/Eclipse-200-007W.html

https://www.redco.com/Canare-F12.html - What I wanted was a 3.5mm connector with a thread adapter option for 6.3mm. But cannot seem to find it in Redco website.

On a tangent, is there a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter that actually works? That should be interesting too.
https://www.redco.com/Kester-83-4000-0000.html for solder - any suggestions are welcome.
Any inputs or thoughts will be much appreciated. Thank you!


----------



## Allanmarcus

evolutiontheory said:


> I want to get into diy; the goal is to replace a 2.5mm termination with 3.5mm.
> 
> These are the things that I have found out so far
> 
> ...




If you plan on getting into cable making, and eventually amp making (like a Crack or a WHAMMY), I high recommend spending a little more on a better soldering station. Get a Weller WES51. Put a camelcanelcamel watch on it, as it falls below 90 often. If you really don't want to spend $90 for a soldering station, at least get the Redco station. What to you get wit the weller? Pretty fast startup time (~30seconds), temp acquired notification via a blinking light, high temps, auto shutoff for safety. I got it for the faster startup time.

As for wire strippers, again, spend a little more and save money in the long run. In the $4-5 range, get this one: https://www.parts-express.com/7-in-1-wire-stripper-crimper-26-16-awg--360-632
Although I prefer this one: https://www.redco.com/Platinum-15005C-ProStrip-16-30-Wire-Strippers.html
The issue with the Platinum tools is that it won't strip larger wires, which is why I have both.
Middle ground: get both the Eclipse CP-301G and the Eclipse CP-302G from redco.

here's my workbench:
https://sites.google.com/marcusfamily.info/diynotes/home/my-workspace

re:  3.5mm connector with a thread adapter option for 6.3mm
there are few.
The best is probably the HICON HI-J3563S from Sommer Cable. It's like $7 plus $7 shipping. In the US, contact info to get it in the US:
Sommer cable America, Inc.
131 Stony Circle, Suite 500| Santa Rosa, CA 95401
E-Mail: ussales@sommercable.com
Tel. Main: +1-707-200-4020 | Fax: +1-707-284-0618

Want cheap:
AliExpress has this one.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4pc...crew-in-3-5mm-female-jack-to/32897099022.html
Expect it to take three to four weeks to reach you.

That solder is good.


----------



## evolutiontheory

Allanmarcus said:


> If you plan on getting into cable making, and eventually amp making (like a Crack or a WHAMMY), I high recommend spending a little more on a better soldering station. Get a Weller WES51. Put a camelcanelcamel watch on it, as it falls below 90 often. If you really don't want to spend $90 for a soldering station, at least get the Redco station. What to you get wit the weller? Pretty fast startup time (~30seconds), temp acquired notification via a blinking light, high temps, auto shutoff for safety. I got it for the faster startup time.
> 
> As for wire strippers, again, spend a little more and save money in the long run. In the $4-5 range, get this one: https://www.parts-express.com/7-in-1-wire-stripper-crimper-26-16-awg--360-632
> Although I prefer this one: https://www.redco.com/Platinum-15005C-ProStrip-16-30-Wire-Strippers.html
> ...



Thank you! This is super helpful. In the end I went this these

weller solder iron for 44$
Platinum-15005C-ProStrip - Looks versatile

All redco connectors and a 1/4 adapter
Solder from redco


----------



## itsikhefez (Mar 13, 2019)

Slightly confused on how to wire a balanced headphone cable with dual headphone connectors (ZMF).
I've previously used Furutech FHD-35 wire which makes things simple, there are 2 separate wires that have a single conductor and shield. Wiring is obvious.

With starquad, there are 2 twisted pairs and a shield. On the headphone side, a twisted pair is used for each channel, shield is cut off.
On source side, twisted pairs are connected to pins 1-4 accordingly.

2 sources of confusion currently:
1) What do we do with the shield? Connect it to XLR ground lug, or nothing?
2) Which wires should be used for each channel? I've seen people using same color for each channel, similar to how a star quad would be used to connect a 3-pin interconnect. That doesn't make much sense to me, wouldn't we want a twisted pair for each channel?
i.e, twists of L+/L- and R+/R-, as opposed to L+/R+ and L-/R- (as would be when using same color for channel)

Thanks!
P.S. Not sure if it matters but my amp is a BH Mainline.


----------



## Allanmarcus

itsikhefez said:


> Slightly confused on how to wire a balanced headphone cable with dual headphone connectors (ZMF).
> I've previously used Furutech FHD-35 wire which makes things simple, there are 2 separate wires that have a single conductor and shield. Wiring is obvious.
> 
> With starquad, there are 2 twisted pairs and a shield. On the headphone side, a twisted pair is used for each channel, shield is cut off.
> ...


1. Circumcise both size. No need for the shield at all.
2. I don’t think it matters, but using one twisted pair for channel couldn’t hurt.


----------



## itsikhefez

Speaking of twisted pairs, has anyone built a balanced cable of 2 lengths of twisted pairs, without braiding or litz?
Basically 1 twisted pair per channel, and some kind of cloth or sheath that wraps both pairs below the Y split and the connector.


----------



## Allanmarcus

itsikhefez said:


> Speaking of twisted pairs, has anyone built a balanced cable of 2 lengths of twisted pairs, without braiding or litz?
> Basically 1 twisted pair per channel, and some kind of cloth or sheath that wraps both pairs below the Y split and the connector.


Sure. Using Sommer Cable SC-Peacock MKII Same cable that beyerdynamic used for the original T1. The stock Focal Utopia cable is the same concept, but uses some unnamed third party cable (they won't say the name)


----------



## itsikhefez

Allanmarcus said:


> Sure. Using Sommer Cable SC-Peacock MKII Same cable that beyerdynamic used for the original T1. The stock Focal Utopia cable is the same concept, but uses some unnamed third party cable (they won't say the name)



Thanks fellow Mainliner 

To clarify, you removed the sheath and braid and only used the twisted pairs? Then added a sheath below the Y?

Any comments on this approach? Pros/Cons?


----------



## Allanmarcus

itsikhefez said:


> Thanks fellow Mainliner
> 
> To clarify, you removed the sheath and braid and only used the twisted pairs? Then added a sheath below the Y?
> 
> Any comments on this approach? Pros/Cons?


Nope.  The peacock cable essentially is already split into two pairs, kind of like zip cord. Look at the link and the picture.

The main reason to braid all four (or more) wires is convenience, and possibly EMI rejection, but mostly convenience, when sleeving.


----------



## itsikhefez

Allanmarcus said:


> Nope.  The peacock cable essentially is already split into two pairs, kind of like zip cord. Look at the link and the picture.
> 
> The main reason to braid all four (or more) wires is convenience, and possibly EMI rejection, but mostly convenience, when sleeving.



Yes, I have seen the picture. Although they are split, the individual cables have a copper shield around them, which I am assuming you cut off on both ends.



itsikhefez said:


> Speaking of twisted pairs, has anyone built a balanced cable of 2 lengths of twisted pairs, without braiding or litz?
> Basically 1 twisted pair per channel, and some kind of cloth or sheath that wraps both pairs below the Y split and the connector.



^^ To clarify this question, I was referring to taking unsheathed, unshielded twisted pairs, that are simply "joined" together from the Y to the source connector with a sheath. No shielding, no braiding, etc. The reason I am asking about this is because all the unshielded constructions I've seen are braided.


----------



## hanihanhan

Slightly off topic, but can anyone recommend good solder suckers?


----------



## itsikhefez

hanihanhan said:


> Slightly off topic, but can anyone recommend good solder suckers?



Can highly recommend this one: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1597, well worth the price


----------



## MrPretty

itsikhefez said:


> Can highly recommend this one: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1597, well worth the price



I 2nd this one, it's worked really well for me.


----------



## hanihanhan

itsikhefez said:


> Can highly recommend this one: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1597, well worth the price





MrPretty said:


> I 2nd this one, it's worked really well for me.


That's reassuring. I'll have to pick it up soon!


----------



## kingkikapu

I have a hakko sucker. Pretty good bang for the buck, but I’m more of a braid guy usually.


----------



## Allanmarcus

hanihanhan said:


> Slightly off topic, but can anyone recommend good solder suckers?


They all suck, especially the good ones


----------



## hanihanhan

Allanmarcus said:


> They all suck, especially the good ones


They'd better suck!


----------



## hanihanhan

I got my 95 paracord and 28 awg wire, but I'm having the most difficult time to sleeve them. Could anyone give me some tips on how to get the wire through?


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 19, 2019)

One way is to use a solid piece of copper wire, say 12 or 14 awg, round one end with a file so it does not snag, solder your 28 awg wire to the other blunt end and make sure the solder does not stick up much. You can then  use that wire as a needle. I would suggest said wire be 2 inches long roughly. If you do not have solid wire that size, look for solid copper small gauge wire and bend it in half so one end is rounded, once again solder to the opposite end. You can also use a darning needle, I soldered to the back side of this one, or you can loop the wire through, and solder it.


----------



## Themilkman46290

Paladin79 said:


> One way is to use a solid piece of copper wire, say 12 or 14 awg, round one end with a file so it does not snag, solder your 28 awg wire to the other blunt end and make sure the solder does not stick up much. You can then  use that wire as a needle. I would suggest said wire be 2 inches long roughly. If you do not have solid wire that size, look for solid copper small gauge wire and bend it in half so one end is rounded, once again solder to the opposite end.


Wish i would've thought of this when i made mine, o well, guess i will have to remember this tip, great 1


----------



## Paladin79

Themilkman46290 said:


> Wish i would've thought of this when i made mine, o well, guess i will have to remember this tip, great 1



Not a problem, my people have tried a lot of different methods but this one works pretty well, once through the mesh you can simply unsolder  the wire.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Mar 19, 2019)

hanihanhan said:


> I got my 95 paracord and 28 awg wire, but I'm having the most difficult time to sleeve them. Could anyone give me some tips on how to get the wire through?


Wire that thin should go in fairly easily. Other than the method @Paladin79 suggested, just "inchworm" the wire in and be patient.


----------



## nereus

I put a about an inch of heatshrink on the end of the wires. Then cut it off when it's made it's way through.


----------



## Paladin79

nereus said:


> I put a about an inch of heatshrink on the end of the wires. Then cut it off when it's made it's way through.



I can see where that could help a bit and not a method I have tried yet but I shall.


----------



## evolutiontheory (Mar 20, 2019)

Hi all this thread has been so useful to me. Thanks a bunch!!

I am trying to make a 3.5mm to rca interconnect.  Which cable should I choose? Good rca cables seems too thick while the headphone cables seems too thin. So a bit confused here. 

If I use small twisted pair cables will it cause inducatance and other issues? Should I just go for 3.5mm to rca adapter and then run separate rca cables?
Thanks!!


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 20, 2019)

I assume you are talking TRS 3.5 mm going to dual RCA's? If so miniature or standard size star quad would work pretty well. I would leave the pairs twisted going to the RCA connectors and cover those portions with heat shrink tubing or mesh.  I avoid adapters when I can, some can be more trouble than they are worth.

TRS stands for tip, ring, and sleeve. The sleeve is the common ground for the left and right channels. Tip is the left channel, Ring is the right channel. An easy way to remember which is, RED wire, Ring, and Right channel...the three R's.


----------



## evolutiontheory

Thanks! I think this https://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E5C.html will work well for me.. The heat shrink tubing is a great idea!


----------



## Allanmarcus

evolutiontheory said:


> Thanks! I think this https://www.redco.com/Canare-L-4E5C.html will work well for me.. The heat shrink tubing is a great idea!


yep.

Note, the same wire is 89 cents/foot from markertek.com, but with "free" shipping.


----------



## evolutiontheory

Can I use this one to make the same? http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/...em-iem-full-size-aftermarket-up-7-n-6-upgrade


----------



## evolutiontheory

Allanmarcus said:


> yep.
> 
> Note, the same wire is 89 cents/foot from markertek.com, but with "free" shipping.


Great website suggestion. Free shipping is always a plus


----------



## hanihanhan

Allanmarcus said:


> Wire that thin should go in fairly easily. Other than the method @Paladin79 suggested, just "inchworm" the wire in and be patient.





nereus said:


> I put a about an inch of heatshrink on the end of the wires. Then cut it off when it's made it's way through.


I'm still having such a hard time getting the wire to thread through. I might just go ahead and braid them without paracording them. I'll keep trying with my other pairs of wire I guess...


----------



## Allanmarcus

hanihanhan said:


> I'm still having such a hard time getting the wire to thread through. I might just go ahead and braid them without paracording them. I'll keep trying with my other pairs of wire I guess...


Did you remove the elastic core from the paracord?


----------



## Paladin79

Lol great question. I meant to ask that early on and spaced it out.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Paladin79 said:


> Lol great question. I meant to ask that early on and spaced it out.


it's 'cus you're old.


----------



## hanihanhan

Allanmarcus said:


> Did you remove the elastic core from the paracord?


Yes I did, but the wire would still get stuck in about an inch.


----------



## Paladin79 (Mar 21, 2019)

In response to Allan,
Yes, sigh, I am old and nearly senile. What can I say?  In the meantime I am in the middle of building a 300B class A SET amp, and have been experimenting with 20 types of 6sn7's of various vintage. I am also involved with a group of engineers who are doing some DAC and headphone amp testing in a university setting. Oh and I conducted tests on various wire types a few months back, those were fun as well.


----------



## Allanmarcus

hanihanhan said:


> Yes I did, but the wire would still get stuck in about an inch.


OK, some basic questions. What wire are you using? Is it insulated? If it is, did you strip off the end, because you really cannot feed it through the paracord if you have stripped off the end; you have to feed it through with the insolation in tact.


----------



## imas69 (Mar 21, 2019)

Hi all, I will attempting to make my first balanced cable for my hd800, is it possible to just use the below cable without removing the 4 pin xlr
and stripping the cable down and then just splitting at the top end to add the hd800 connectors, if this is not possible is it simply because the
polarity is running the wrong way and in this case could I just turn the cable and re solder the xlr to the other end.
Thanks in advance for any help. Below is the cable.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MRRQZK8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Actually I think I've just realised that this is 3 pin xlr which I guess explains the rca termination


----------



## hanihanhan

Allanmarcus said:


> OK, some basic questions. What wire are you using? Is it insulated? If it is, did you strip off the end, because you really cannot feed it through the paracord if you have stripped off the end; you have to feed it through with the insolation in tact.


Yes, I used Mogami w2929 with the insulation.


----------



## Allanmarcus

hanihanhan said:


> Yes, I used Mogami w2929 with the insulation.



Maybe post a picture. I'm at a loss.


----------



## Chrotesque (Mar 25, 2019)

I recently opened up my Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro and noticed some beautiful colored wires with transparent sleeves, extremely thin as well - I'd guess around 24-26 AWG or something similar.
IIRC they had various non natural colors, meaning blue, red, purple maybe even? Definitely not silver / copper colored only.

Now since then I've decided I want to braid the 2 cans together using those kind of wires BUT I'm having a hard time finding them.
At first I tried on aliexpress but most of what I find is in the 14-18 AWG range typically and therefore too thick, also no other colors anywhere to be seen.

Now all US shops are out of the question for me as I'm living in France - *does anybody have a good supplier for high AWG cables with clear/crystal/transparent sleeves/coating/sheet maybe?*

Specifically preferring more local suppliers for quick delivery times.

What I did find was 24 AWG copper wire (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Tef...lgo_pvid=e4aeadc4-1975-43ec-beb7-77ba26534b07)

and 26-14 AWG silver plated wire (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1me...lgo_pvid=339df0e6-3b21-4f63-9271-b48875da0e45)

*Any other suppliers?*

Also I wouldn't mind *differently colored / plated wires with transparent coating* as well.


----------



## HirschiAUT

Chrotesque said:


> I recently opened up my Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro and noticed some beautiful colored wires with transparent sleeves, extremely thin as well - I'd guess around 24-26 AWG or something similar.
> IIRC they had various non natural colors, meaning blue, red, purple maybe even? Definitely not silver / copper colored only.
> 
> Now since then I've decided I want to braid the 2 cans together using those kind of wires BUT I'm having a hard time finding them.
> ...



Hey, If you just start with building your own cables and want to stay on a budget i can recommend getting Mogami W2534 and stripping it, relatively cheap and good quality 24AWG in clear insulation.

Here is a shop in france whitch offers it.
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/bala...x-w2534-cable-micro-2-pairs-o-6mm-p-5241.html

You get 4 meters high quality wire for 3,30€.
You could use only the clear for your braided cables and keep the Blue ones for internal wiring or sleeved cables.

Here is an example of the cables i made with it.



Hope that helps!


----------



## Chrotesque (Mar 27, 2019)

HirschiAUT said:


> Hey, If you just start with building your own cables and want to stay on a budget i can recommend getting Mogami W2534 and stripping it, relatively cheap and good quality 24AWG in clear insulation.
> 
> Here is a shop in france whitch offers it.
> https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/bala...x-w2534-cable-micro-2-pairs-o-6mm-p-5241.html
> ...



Thank you, that helps already and apologies for the late response. I also managed to make a picture this time of the inside (left side), just in case that helps to illustrate what I'm exactly after:





I know its probably just a copper cable coated with simple color and then insulated BUT god do I love it like that. Any idea where I could find those as well? (hoping and expecting that beyerdynamic doesn't produce those themselves)


----------



## demevalos

These new wires appear to be the same as their old wires, just covered in a clear sheathe. I wouldn't be surprised if they did produce it themselves.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Chrotesque said:


> Thank you, that helps already and apologies for the late response. I also managed to make a picture this time of the inside (left side), just in case that helps to illustrate what I'm exactly after:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Search for enamel coated stranded wire.


----------



## leeperry (Mar 30, 2019)

As much of a long shot as it gets but I hate Y splitters with passion as they all look either heavy or ghetto to me, I think Cardas solved the issue: https://www.moon-audio.com/cardas-clear-headphone-cable.html

Anyone would have any clue where to get something similar please? I'd be using quad-braided Silver OCC for each channel with 550 black para


----------



## ThanosD

leeperry said:


> As much of a long shot as it gets but I hate Y splitters with passion as they all look either heavy or ghetto to me, I think Cardas solved the issue: https://www.moon-audio.com/cardas-clear-headphone-cable.html
> 
> Anyone would have any clue where to get something similar please? I'd be using quad-braided Silver OCC for each channel with 550 black para


I think this comes close enough.


----------



## leeperry

Too heavy, I've ended up ordering https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10P...illeur-Shift-Cable-Line-Tube/32989279584.html


----------



## Allanmarcus

leeperry said:


> Too heavy, I've ended up ordering https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10P...illeur-Shift-Cable-Line-Tube/32989279584.html


It will be interesting to see what you do with those.  

Plus sound has a very nice selection of y splitters that are sturdy, light, small, and easy to work with

http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/components.html


----------



## Allanmarcus

Sad news. Looks like the "free shipping" party at Markertek.com has changed. It used to be free shipping, no minimum. I always wondered how they could afford that. Turn out, they can't! Now it's free shipping only with a $25 minimum. No more impulse buys. 

Still, I like their stuff, but Redco and others sometimes have lower prices. Now it just becomes a little more complicated to calculate everything out. Used to be easy: buying one thing, go to markertek. Buy many things, check both reduce and markertek. Now a cheapskate like me has more analysis to do to save a few bucks!


----------



## itsikhefez

Allanmarcus said:


> Sad news. Looks like the "free shipping" party at Markertek.com has changed. It used to be free shipping, no minimum. I always wondered how they could afford that. Turn out, they can't! Now it's free shipping only with a $25 minimum. No more impulse buys.
> 
> Still, I like their stuff, but Redco and others sometimes have lower prices. Now it just becomes a little more complicated to calculate everything out. Used to be easy: buying one thing, go to markertek. Buy many things, check both reduce and markertek. Now a cheapskate like me has more analysis to do to save a few bucks!



Yea, noticed this as well. I am kinda weird in that if I would need to order just a  few ft of cable, I would actually go to Redco and pay for shipping because I felt bad that the cost of shipping was more than the actual product I was buying


----------



## ThanosD

Guys, I have some Klotz star quad cable, and I want to make an aux cable. The outer diameter of the cable is 5.5mm. Will paracord 550, which is 4mm in diameter stretch enough to be used as sleeving? Or is it not recommended?


----------



## Chrotesque

Allanmarcus said:


> Search for enamel coated stranded wire.



I seem to get nowhere even with that information, when I find anything it's typically not visibly coated (meaning its blue but it doesn't have a visible transparent coating like in the picture I posted). :/


----------



## Bob A (SD) (Apr 3, 2019)

This thread and the related gallery thread have inspired me.   Thanks!

Haven't built any cables since mid 2003 (3 pairs of 1M RCA interconnects).   But I got the itch to replace the doable but cheap looking NewFantasia cable on my Senn HD580/650 frankencans.    My newer HD600s wear a nice CustomCansUK braided cable I picked up used.

Ordered from both redco.com and ebay (all US suppliers!). It'll be a dual run of Mogami W2944 2x26AWG wire, Techflex platinum-gray sheathed, Neutrik NP3X-B, and A/V Connection's Senn plug number when I'm done.  The later looks to be a nice quality set that should be easier to use than the Cardas style for this septuagenarian.    Also ordered a cable pants boot...something I've never used before but I felt was a better option for me than the clunky Y splitters or shrink-tube approaches.










For under $35 I should end up with a very nice looking 6.5' cable (I did buy 16' of wire just in case...).  Already have on hand my soldering iron station, Wonder silver solder, 3rd hand, PTFE and electrical tapes, shrink tubing, multi-meter, and a heat gun.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Bob A (SD) said:


> This thread and the related gallery thread have inspired me.   Thanks!
> 
> Haven't built any cables since mid 2003 (3 pairs of 1M RCA interconnects).   But I got the itch to replace the doable but cheap looking NewFantasia cable on my Senn HD580/650 frankencans.    My newer HD600s wear a nice CustomCansUK braided cable I picked up used.
> 
> ...


Ummm, I’ve tried the boots. I didn’t like the way they looked on the cable. If you don’t like a y splitter, you might just consider heat shrink at the y.


----------



## Bob A (SD)

I intend to cut it down quite a bit and I think it'll look much better than plain shrink tube.


----------



## imas69

ThanosD said:


> Guys, I have some Klotz star quad cable, and I want to make an aux cable. The outer diameter of the cable is 5.5mm. Will paracord 550, which is 4mm in diameter stretch enough to be used as sleeving? Or is it not recommended?


Definitely not you will need something like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6mm-New-...var=561500502164&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


----------



## imas69

Bob A (SD) said:


> I intend to cut it down quite a bit and I think it'll look much better than plain shrink tube.



I am in the process of making two balanced cables for hd800 and hd700 and have used pants boot on both, one I cut down and the other I left as is and I think they
look okay and you can guarantee the cable won't get tangled


----------



## imas69 (Apr 3, 2019)




----------



## Bob A (SD)

imas69,
   Thanks for your comments and especially the pictures.  Looking good!


----------



## ThanosD

imas69 said:


> Definitely not you will need something like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6mm-New-High-Quality-Braided-PET-Expandable-Sleeving-Cable-Wire-Sheath/262610891497?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=561500502164&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


I thought about ordering something like this too as an alternative to the paracord, which I did. But I guess it will be that one that will be used, and not the paracord. I'll try to fit the paracord anyway. Thanks for the info!


----------



## Allanmarcus (Apr 3, 2019)

imas69 said:


>


Great pics, and nice cables. I much prefer the look of just heat shrink or a small Y splitter. For 8 core or more cables, neither is really require if the braiding is done well. Obviously this is a personal preference. This is a simple, solid core silver cable I made for my PMx2.


----------



## imas69

Bob A (SD) said:


> imas69,
> Thanks for your comments and especially the pictures.  Looking good!



Thank you, hope yours does too, I'm new to cable building but they are getting better every time


----------



## imas69 (Apr 5, 2019)

Allanmarcus said:


> Great pics, and nice cables. I much prefer the look of just heat shrink or a small Y splitter. For 8 core or more cables, neither is really require if the braiding is done well. Obviously this is a personal preference. This is a simple, solid core silver cable I made for my PMx2.


----------



## Allanmarcus

imas69 said:


> Thank you, yes I am just experimenting at the moment and wanted to try heatshrink but thought it may tear after a time, I like this cable that you have built, are
> the headphone terminals 2.5mm jacks and if so could you please let me know where you got them from as I've ordered some from China and I am expecting
> quite a long wait also might I have the cheek to ask you how to solder them, is it positive to the centre and minus to the outer case, sorry but I'm a novice, thank
> you in advance.


First off, please don't put your reply inside of the quote tags.

The connection tips are 2.5mm. I got them from https://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html
yes, pos to tip and common to sleeve.


----------



## imas69

Sorry, my apologies, I thought that was how to reply directly, thanks for the info


----------



## wormsdriver

Hey guys my hd800 black dragon cable f'd up on me. The wire came off the Furutech connector and I would like to repair it if I can instead off sending out back to Moon Audio.
How do I get the part with the pins out from inside the connector?
Any help would be much appreciated!


----------



## imas69

Just remove any heat shrink and unscrew it anti clockwise


----------



## wormsdriver

imas69 said:


> Just remove any heat shrink and unscrew it anti clockwise


I did that but the section with the pins is still inside the barrel


----------



## wormsdriver (Apr 6, 2019)

How do I get the part with the pins out so I can solder the wire? Do I just pull out the gold plated barrel with some pliers? It seems very well wedged in there. 
Here's a couple of pictures of what I'm talking about:


----------



## imas69

Is there a small alan key nut underneath where you are holding like there is in these ones        https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Jap...Sennheiser-HD800-pin-headset/32715233274.html

Sorry I use the cheaper ones which just unscrew


----------



## wormsdriver

Yes, but it seems to only be there to secure the cable 
 in


----------



## wormsdriver

imas69 said:


> Sorry I use the cheaper ones which just unscrew



On yours, once you unscrew the bottom portion, does the section with the pins just automatically fall out?


----------



## imas69

Yes, the plastic piece with the pins in is surrounded by two halves of the metal casing and just pulls out, perhaps send an email to furutech or moon audio


----------



## evolutiontheory

https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/7998352.jpg

Which connectors are these? Had these in the cables from lqi and wanted the same for some modifications


----------



## ThanosD

evolutiontheory said:


> https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/7998352.jpg
> 
> Which connectors are these? Had these in the cables from lqi and wanted the same for some modifications


These are almost identical visually, just with different pads for soldering the cables. I don't know if they are of the same quality though


----------



## taiyoyuden

For a regular unbalanced headphone cable, TRS to mini-XLR, how should the wires and shield of a star quad cable be connected?


----------



## wormsdriver (Apr 7, 2019)

Finally managed to get the pins out. Looks like moon-audio (if not furutech) glues the gold plated barrel inside the connectors.

Anyhow, anybody have any tips for soldering these tiny ass pins to the cable!?


----------



## imas69 (Apr 7, 2019)

Tin the pins and tin the wires then all you would need to do is touch the iron onto the pin and marry the wire, what ever you do don't melt the plastic because the pins can move, there
should be some indication of which pin is plus, normally a small notch above the pin on the plastic, good luck it's a pain in the arse and you need good eyes, and use a vice to hold the pin if you can it really makes things easier


----------



## wormsdriver

imas69 said:


> Tin the pins and tin the wires then all you would need to do is touch the iron onto the pin and marry the wire, what ever you do don't melt the plastic because the pins can move, there
> should be some indication of which pin is plus, normally a small notch above the pin on the plastic, good luck it's a pain in the arse and you need good eyes.


Should I have the soldering iron at a certain temp?


----------



## imas69

Try 375


----------



## Allanmarcus

taiyoyuden said:


> For a regular unbalanced headphone cable, TRS to mini-XLR, how should the wires and shield of a star quad cable be connected?


cut the shield off. It's not used for a headphone cable. By "cut off", I mean just trim the shield off the part of the cable you expose to attach the connectors.

You can use three or four of the wires. One to each positive, and one to two to the common.


----------



## itsikhefez

This is a cable I recently built for my ZMF's.
Its pretty basic but I like how things came together in a clean way.
Cable is Canare L-4E6S Star Quad, Furutech FT-610mf 4 pin mini-XLR, and Neutrik 4pin XLR.
550 paracord on the L/R twisted pairs and some heat shrink on the connectors for extra strain relief.

I have ordered samples of many 4 conductor/star quad  cables and found that the Canare is one of the best to work with. I especially like how the individual strands after the Y easily form into 2 twisted pairs.
One thing I would do differently next time is get one of those Y split from plussound shown here recently.



Allanmarcus said:


> cut the shield off. It's not used for a headphone cable. By "cut off", I mean just trim the shield off the part of the cable you expose to attach the connectors.
> You can use three or four of the wires. One to each positive, and one to two to the common.



I actually did use the shield on the star quad. For this cable, I connected it to the ground lug. Based on things I've read elsewhere, I don't see why a shield on the source side would hurt anything. If anything, shouldn't it provide RFI protection?


----------



## Allanmarcus

itsikhefez said:


> I actually did use the shield on the star quad. For this cable, I connected it to the ground lug. Based on things I've read elsewhere, I don't see why a shield on the source side would hurt anything. If anything, shouldn't it provide RFI protection?



it should not hurt on the source side. as for RFI rejection, maybe. possibly.


----------



## imas69

Could anyone please tell me the correct way to wire 2x 2.5mm jacks to a single 6.5mm jack for a Sennheiser HD700 cable.
Thanks in advance.


----------



## itsikhefez

imas69 said:


> Could anyone please tell me the correct way to wire 2x 2.5mm jacks to a single 6.5mm jack for a Sennheiser HD700 cable.
> Thanks in advance.



On the headphone side:
For L/R, solder signal to tip and ground to sleeve.

On TRS jack side:
Tip - left signal
Ring - right signal
Sleeve - ground of both sides.


----------



## imas69

Thanks very much, I am using starquad cable so I have 2 positive and 2 minus with no sleeve, does this mean that I can just join the two wire together to make one signal wire for 
each side.


----------



## itsikhefez (Apr 8, 2019)

imas69 said:


> Thanks very much, I am using starquad cable so I have 2 positive and 2 minus with no sleeve, does this mean that I can just join the two wire together to make one signal wire for
> each side.



No, because you need 2 conductors for each side.
If using star quad, that means that you would use 2 whites for L+/L-, 2 blues for R+/R- and on the TRS side one white to tip (the L+), one blue to ring (the R+) and then the remaining white and blue to the sleeve. You can optionally also connect the shield to the sleeve along with the L-/R-. (The colors in this example are for Canare cable)

Unless, you are planning to join both whites for L+, both blues for R+, and then retain the shield and split it so that half goes to L and half goes to right.


----------



## imas69

Amazing, thank you so much


----------



## Bob A (SD)

Well my supplies for my DIY HD580/650 headphone cable have arrived (Mogami W2944 wire, 1/8" Techflex, Neutrik 1/4" plug, Senn connectors, and pants boot). OMG this stuff is small compared to the RCA interconnects I previously built. Picture shows both to illustrate the size difference. LOL

I intend to slow twist the pair of twin lead wire using the red for the right and black for the left. Jacket it with the Techflex that will also jacket the individual leads to the headphone connectors. Tiny 26 AWG stuff is delicate so stripping the shielding, tinning, and soldering will require a deft touch. This is new territory for me as I've not used this small a gauge before except for wire wrapping.


----------



## exze

I'm finally getting around to rewiring a pair of Grado 225's with a badly cracked cable. Since I need 8 wires total, will the same Mogami 2534 quad cable work if it's doubled up and braided until the Y connector? Or would you suggest a different direction?

Also do you have any tips on how to connect 8 cables to a 1/4 jack?  It's been about 4 years since I've been able to use these headphones, would love to get them going again.


----------



## wormsdriver

exze said:


> I'm finally getting around to rewiring a pair of Grado 225's with a badly cracked cable. Since I need 8 wires total, will the same Mogami 2534 quad cable work if it's doubled up and braided until the Y connector? Or would you suggest a different direction?
> 
> Also do you have any tips on how to connect 8 cables to a 1/4 jack?  It's been about 4 years since I've been able to use these headphones, would love to get them going again.


Just a head's up, you dont need to recable them with 8 conductors again. The 4 conductors on the Mogami 2534 will do nicely.

Also, you now have an easy option to make your Grados have a detachable cable with an aftermarket kit from Beautiful Audio. It might be more than what your willing to spend though, since you need to buy a kit and you still need to make/get a cable.


----------



## wolkegeist

Has anyone ever tried Nordost flatline cable? I'm ordering some cable and hopping I can rip it into a 3-strands ribbon and make a 6-strands  IEM cable. I'm just wondering is it possible to split nordost flatline into smaller ribbons?


----------



## Bob A (SD)

"Has anyone ever tried Nordost flatline cable?"

I've had Nordost Gold Flatline Mk II cables for my speakers since 2000 but have never ever considered them for what you're asking about.


----------



## Monsterzero

Question:

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD250s that I'd like to make a better cable for. Do I need to contact Sennheiser to get the connectors,or is there an online shop that carries various proprietary connectors?


----------



## exze

wormsdriver said:


> Just a head's up, you dont need to recable them with 8 conductors again. The 4 conductors on the Mogami 2534 will do nicely.
> 
> Also, you now have an easy option to make your Grados have a detachable cable with an aftermarket kit from Beautiful Audio. It might be more than what your willing to spend though, since you need to buy a kit and you still need to make/get a cable.



Good to know - going to make things much easier, thanks!


----------



## imas69

Would anyone happen to know where I can buy decent silver plated copper wire in the Uk, I have been using stripped down Van Damme cable
but find it a bit microphonic and fancy a change, I'm also trying to find a good supplier for the headphone end connectors ie 2.5mm jacks for
HD700s and the connectors for the HD800 (sorry I don't know what they are called), I don't mind buying from China but the delivery is a bit too
long.
Thanks in advance


----------



## Allanmarcus

imas69 said:


> Would anyone happen to know where I can buy decent silver plated copper wire in the Uk, I have been using stripped down Van Damme cable
> but find it a bit microphonic and fancy a change, I'm also trying to find a good supplier for the headphone end connectors ie 2.5mm jacks for
> HD700s and the connectors for the HD800 (sorry I don't know what they are called), I don't mind buying from China but the delivery is a bit too
> long.
> Thanks in advance


Toxic Cables?
https://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product-category/diy-parts-and-wires/


----------



## imas69

Thanks very much, unfortunately £2 per foot is a bit excessive considering you can get 100 metres from China for 60$, I appreciate the answer nevertheless


----------



## kingkikapu

imas69 said:


> Thanks very much, unfortunately £2 per foot is a bit excessive considering you can get 100 metres from China for 60$, I appreciate the answer nevertheless


https://www.hificollective.co.uk/components/hookup-wire.html


----------



## imas69

Thanks very much


----------



## imas69

Could someone please explain why it is a 2.5mm MONO jack used for the headphone end of the like of the Sennheiser HD700 and M1060 rather than
a STEREO jack (3 pole) and would it matter to use a 3 pole, thank you


----------



## itsikhefez

imas69 said:


> Could someone please explain why it is a 2.5mm MONO jack used for the headphone end of the like of the Sennheiser HD700 and M1060 rather than
> a STEREO jack (3 pole) and would it matter to use a 3 pole, thank you



You only need 2 conductors for each channel, hence a mono jack is sufficient. 
I'm not sure if a 3-pole would physically fit inside, and even if it did, I'm not sure if that would be a good idea. Where the TRS plug has the (R) (which would not have any wire connected to it), the mono plug has the (-). Whether or not this matters depends on the socket construction I guess.

Either way, mono plugs are pretty easy to find and not too expensive. I bought 2 kinds for my HD700 at the time, one from plussoundaudio and one from norne audio


----------



## imas69

Great thank you, it's only that I had some 3 pole lying around and wanted make use of them but I won't bother to risk it.


----------



## legopart

About the strings inside each core:
which one is better, one with lot of big amount (20+) of strings or low amount (7) {both having the same size}


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> About the strings inside each core:
> which one is better, one with lot of big amount (20+) of strings or low amount (7) {both having the same size}


From what I’ve learned, the strings are there to help the whole cable feel round. There is no electronic purpose for the strings.


----------



## kingkikapu

Yes strings are for shaping the cable.  That said, in high end cables the strings are also used to ensure uniformity of spacing of each twisted conductor.  With consistent windings and spacings, you get better noise rejection.  

Doubt anyone could hear the difference though.


----------



## imas69

Does anyone know what glue people use to seal their jacks and if so how do I unseal it please


----------



## itsikhefez

imas69 said:


> Does anyone know what glue people use to seal their jacks and if so how do I unseal it please


Why do you need any glue?


----------



## imas69

I don't but I have a cable that I purchased on ebay and the connections have been glued and I need to open them but they won't budge


----------



## Allanmarcus

imas69 said:


> I don't but I have a cable that I purchased on ebay and the connections have been glued and I need to open them but they won't budge


Often hot glue gun glue. Try using a blow dryer or heat gun to heat it up. Be careful, as it will be hot. Maybe use gloves.


----------



## imas69

Thanks, I did try that but as you said it becomes too hot to work with, I'll have to try a vice and pliers


----------



## Cantrell

It's a LONG post of question and details. 

I had to buy a cheap $20 amazon cable (IEM didn't come with included cable). It was a MMCX-3.5mm IEM Ag plated Cu 28 AWG cable which shorted quickly at MMCX. This cable/IEM combo has a kinda nasty harsh sibilance esque distortion/Hz spike in treble that effects many female vocals and nearly all snare/snap/clap type sounds. 

* I have some DIY Lavricable 28 AWG solid core pure Ag cryo wire (it was a gift), but I don't think the Ag wire alone is a good match for my IEM nor offer the sound signature I want. * So I'm mainly looking for recommendations for good Cu based wire (Not DHC) to pair with solid core Pure Ag wire for desired sound signature and qualities. Along with some other recommendations, tips, info, etc for other aspects of the cable build that are posted towards the end. It's my 1st headpiece cable build, my experience is with guitars/amps mainly, home/car/boat audio and CB radios. 

* I have ongoing sight loss that varies wildly. So I'd appreciate brief/direct posts/links for help/recommendations, etc. Took me 2.5 months for this. Thanks. 

* Sound wise, I'm looking to add Cu based wire to pair with solid core pure Ag wire, that will really smooth out the top end sizzle/sibilance/distortion and frequency peak/resonance from female vocals, snare/clap/snap like sounds and some horns/brass, etc in Treble/High Mids that current wire/IEM combo displays. Ideally a silky/smooth more delicate leaning high end with a sweet, warmer tonality, has modestly good air and extension, along with a decently balanced amount of sparkle in upper Mids/Treble. 

* Overall, I would like a natural, lush, musical, warmer (but doesn't color the sound too much), sweeter tonality that's nicely balanced. Has fairly decent size and quality more 3D esque Soundstage and imaging with fairly good holographic quality to it, is more open sounding, has great depth to notes from modestly decent deeper black background, has natural sounding cohesion, layering and presentation, very natural sounding note decay, solid definition, doesn't get congested, muddy or bloated, modestly decent resolution, modest/natural dynamics (just don't want music to sound choked), has fairly good level and speed punch when called for, decently tight/controlled bass/sub bass with fairly good levels but doesn't bleed into other parts, good natural pace/flow to music that isn't stiff/clinical nor border on sloppy. A lost in the moment and enjoyment of the music type experience, not critical listening. 

* That excels at female and harmonized vocals, all guitars, stringed instruments (classic European orchestra to European and global ethnic types, violin, cello, fiddle, mandolin, sitar, etc), pianos and similar, keys/synths and decent male vocals.

 * I listen to a lot of female vocals in wide variety of genres (Katherine Jenkins, Dua Lippa, Broods, Tove Styrke, Fugees, Camila Cabello, Ani DiFranco, to Jefferson Airplane), 2nd most is legit rock (classic 50s-70s rock, 1980s-00s alt/indie rock, heavy/hard rock and Nu & Prog metal), 3rd is a good amount of reggae/tropical based and EDM/pop influenced stuff. Plus fair bit of blues & jazz, some bosa nova, flamenco, country, r & b/soul and ethnic (India, Middle Eastern, Balkan/Eastern Mediterranean) at times... for reference of my regular musical tastes.


 _______ 
☆ Specs: 

* Wire Material: Copper based (Unplated Cu, Gold plated Cu, Tin plated Cu, Copper combined with some Gold. Just not Silver plated)

 * Ohno Continuous Cast/OCC 

* Oxygen Free, High/Ultra Pure 4N-5N purity (or better) 

* Prefer Cryogenically Treated/Alpha, but not absolutely required 

* Litz is supposedly better, but stranded wire is fine I guess

 * Jacket & Dielectric: lower level to nearly no noise from cable movement and static (cable will be inside a techflex like outer jacket).

 * Cable AWG/Strands/O.D.: prefer in the 26-22 AWG size. I'll leave strand count to those who know about it. Preferably outer diameter is smallish in size since Ag Lavricable is bit large. I just don't want to have to battle the wires when assembling cable, wrapping wire behind my ears (only way IEM designed to work) or when moving around


. _____________ 
☆ Budget/Price:

 * I'd prefer ballpark around $50, with max of $60 USD (without shipping) for enough wire for 2, 4 or 6 individual conductors of DIY wire for a completed cable 3.25-3.5 feet long, possibly 4 feet.

 * It's definitely more about quality, sound signature and characteristics than number of conductors.


 ☆ Works out to roughly Preferred or Less/Absolute Max Price in USD a foot per conductor at:

 * 2 conductors, 26-22 AWG (3.5 each/7 feet total): $7.15/$8.60 a foot 

* 4 conductors, 30-26 AWG (3.25 each/13 feet total): $3.85/$4.60 a foot 

* 6 conductors, 30 AWG or smaller (3.33 each/20 feet total): $2.50/$3.00 a foot 


____________________ 
☆ Parts I currently have:

 * Pair of IEMs 

* 1.5m of Lavricable DIY cryo treated 28 AWG solid core pure Ag wire in Teflon jackets, 4 conductors total

 * 1 Eidolic SE gold plated 3.5mm male plug 

* L/R label heat shrink 

* DHC Capsid Y split

 * DHC hot adhesive 

* Cinch slider 

* MDPC Sleeving for outer jackets (2 different colors for main cable and L/R)

 * Mod PC finishing heat shrink

 * WBT Ag with lead, Johnson Ag, Mundorf Ag/Gold and Cardas Quad eutectic solders 

* Probably can reuse bendy/memory wire from shorted out amazon cable 


However, I didn't receive the Eidolic MMCX or DHC Cu litz wire from DHC with rest of my order and dude isn't responding to emails since mid January 


________________ 
☆ Parts I still need: 

* Top quality DIY MMCX connectors for cable (brand and store. Norne doesn't sell them either and I won't buy from from DHC again)

 * Top quality Cu based DIY wire to pair with pure Ag wire (Not from DHC. Something sound wise akin to Plus Sound cables like Tri Cu, Gold Plated Hybrid or Gold Plated Cu. They're finished cables of those type are outside my budget.) 

* Store name, brand and type recommendations for wide variety of good quality IEM ear tips (not Comply, their foam sport sounded great with old earbuds, but don't sound very well with current IEM and stock tips aren't very good)

 _____________________ 
☆ Other Questions, Info, Techniques: 

* Is there any effect on Sound Signature, SQ, etc and or preferred arrangement of each conductors metal type in relation to +/- ? And possibly number of conductors? 
Examples like Ag -/Cu +, Ag -/ Cu + & Ag +, Cu -/ Ag +, Ag - & Cu -/ Cu +, etc. Single -/ 2 +, 2 -/ single + for L/R channels 

* Wire braiding techniques/methods/instructions 

* Suggestions for good strain relief items/parts, tricks and design/techniques at source and especially at MMCX connectors? 

* The pure Ag wire outer jacket is a bit less flexible and kind of thick. What are some techniques/suggestions/tips and items for getting a well fitting, decently comfortable and flexible with good strain relief section of cable that wraps behind ears and into MMCX openings?


Thanks for reading and at help


----------



## RestlessZombi

I wired my Hifiman 4XX to balanced a few weeks ago and they used 3.5mm Stereo Jacks. The sleeve and the ring were both negative soldered and tip Positive, from what i can tell there is no advantage to this way and the ring and sleeve would be in the same location if it were just the mono jack. Using Stereo jacks worked fine though.


----------



## Cantrell

Good to know and thanks for response. I was more referring to applying similar principles & effect as what Litz does. I'd read that for more basic 2 channel 3.5mm source plug to IEM setup like mine,  some really liked using 2 smaller Cu or Cu and Ag/Ag plated wires combined for each channels + and single avg to bit larger size Ag wire for -/ground. There's various opinions and "scientific" claims about plated vs unplated wire , so figured on safer side to have separately at least 1 pure Ag and eitherb1-2 pure Cu and or gold plated Cu/composite Cu & gold wires. The sound signature and characteristics is really all that matters though.


----------



## Cantrell

Buller?  Bueller?

Anyone at least have any suggestions on Cu, GP Cu or Tin plated DIY wires for IEM use that are lush, musical, smooth and warmer sounding?


----------



## imas69

Surely the wires won't make that much difference, the drivers will be the main thing that makes the difference but for a warmer sound use copper and not silver.


----------



## imas69

RestlessZombi said:


> I wired my Hifiman 4XX to balanced a few weeks ago and they used 3.5mm Stereo Jacks. The sleeve and the ring were both negative soldered and tip Positive, from what i can tell there is no advantage to this way and the ring and sleeve would be in the same location if it were just the mono jack. Using Stereo jacks worked fine though.


Thanks


----------



## buke9

Cantrell said:


> Buller?  Bueller?
> 
> Anyone at least have any suggestions on Cu, GP Cu or Tin plated DIY wires for IEM use that are lush, musical, smooth and warmer sounding?


 If you want warmer stay away from silver plated as I find them to be bright which I like for my HD-6xx’s and HE-400S but not so much for the HD-700 .


----------



## Cantrell

The cheap Chinese temp cable is Ag plated and way to harsh n brittle top end with siblance, no dielectric with Teflon outer jacket and only 28 AWG.

I just came across neotech gold plated stranded Cu I'm gonna look into, or may try Cardas "Clear" litz hookup wire. I would have gone with DHC Cu litz if not for all the issues with orders and time with DHC.

Yes wire can make significant difference in my experience, which isn't with headphones, but 25 years with guitars,tube amps, guitar cabs, car and boat audio and electrical, home stereo and CB radio. Various aspects can have sight to more noticeable changes, won't turn a moped into a V Twin Harley, but is a factor. As is solder, connectors, tubes, caps, resistors, pots, grounding, shielding, power cables, etc. It can all add up into fairly noticeable audible ,,feel/response ,etc changes but doesn't change the core of item.


----------



## Feilong4 (Apr 27, 2019)

Does anyone  know where I can get strain reliefs like this?

Edit: Maybe not exactly like that, but something like that.


----------



## subharmonic

I'm thinking about making a DIY 3.5mm jack to 3.5mm jack stereo cable to connect my soundcard to my headphone amp.
I don't want to break the bank either.
What cable, and connectors etc would be recommended?
I'm based in the UK.
And - is there a good tutorial anywhere?
I'd buy something off the shelf - but there seems to be very little info out there on good cables of this type - even though it seems to be such a simple cable.

Any help greatly appreciated...


----------



## Allanmarcus

subharmonic said:


> I'm thinking about making a DIY 3.5mm jack to 3.5mm jack stereo cable to connect my soundcard to my headphone amp.
> I don't want to break the bank either.
> What cable, and connectors etc would be recommended?
> I'm based in the UK.
> ...


You are unlikely to the difference between any cable you make and a basic cable you buy at your local store. Just make sure you are making the cable for the fun of making the cable.

Smaller plugs, like 3.5mm stereo, are harder to solder, so make sure you get plugs with solder lugs. They are going to be more expensive. I believe plus audio sells some, but not sure about the UK. 

There are tons of videos on how to solder on YouTube. Start there. Making RCA cables is usually where people start as RCA plugs are relatively easy to solder. Are you sure you card and amp use 3.5 for line level? Ideally you don’t want to be double amping.


----------



## subharmonic

Thanks for your reply Allanmarcus.

It's an 1820m EMU soundcard - I've never been completely happy with the output from the inbuilt headphone amp - hence why I'm looking at getting the JDS Labs Atom.
This is from the 1820MK instruction manual.

_Line Level Analog Outputs
Eight balanced 24-bit, line-level, analog outputs are provided (1-4). Output pair 4 is
designated as the Monitor Output and is fed by the monitor bus of the PatchMix DSP
mixer application. We suggest that you plug your speakers in here. All the analog
outputs can be freely assigned in the mixer application. Special anti-pop circuitry mutes
the analog outputs when power is turned on or off.

Like the analog line inputs, either TRS balanced or TS unbalanced cables can be used.
Balanced cables provide better noise immunity and +6dB higher signal level. The output
line level can be set to accommodate the consumer -10dBV standard, or the pro audio
+4 dBu standard in the I/O screen of the Session Settings dialog box. See I/O Settings.
The maximum input and output line levels are matched when the input and output
settings are set to the same mode (pro or consumer) in the I/O preferences screen.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Do NOT use balanced audio cables (TRS) when connecting balanced outputs to
unbalanced inputs. Doing so can increase noise levels and introduce hum.
6 Balanced Line Level Inputs (configured as 3 stereo pairs)
Turntable Inputs (tied to line input 3)
Turntable
Ground
Alternate Outputs
6 Balanced Line Level Outputs (configured as 3 stereo pairs)
Monitor
Outputs
MIDI Port 2
In/Out
Connect to
E-MU 1010 Card
(same as outputs 1-4)
3 - PCI Card & Interfaces

Computer Speaker Analog Outputs
These stereo mini-phone (3.5mm) jacks duplicate line level outputs 1-4 with a lower
output level to accommodate consumer speakers. These line level outputs are designed
to interface easily with powered speakers._

The Atom has two RCA inputs, and a 3.5mm input.
After a dialogue with John at JDS Labs - he suggested that best option would be the most reasonably priced cable - suggesting that either taking the 3.5mm out from the 1820M and splitting it into two RCA would be fine, as would using a basic 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo cable, and although RCA benefits from reduced crosstalk compared with stereo 3.5mm jack there wouldn't be any perceivable audible benefit of using the 3.5mm to split RCA method. 
I was thinking though that maybe getting the 3.5mm to RCA might be the most sensible idea - from the perspective that if I use the RCA, I'd be able to keep the 3.5mm port free - in case it was required. I still may go down that route...


----------



## imas69

Could anyone please tell me the difference between the headphone cable connections (headphone end) for the Sennheiser hd6 series and the Fostex Th900, they look the
same but I read somewhere that if a hd600 cable was used on the Fostex then this could cause damage. Thanks in advance.


----------



## Allanmarcus

imas69 said:


> Could anyone please tell me the difference between the headphone cable connections (headphone end) for the Sennheiser hd6 series and the Fostex Th900, they look the
> same but I read somewhere that if a hd600 cable was used on the Fostex then this could cause damage. Thanks in advance.



There are a few differences:

the polarity is switched. If you use the fostex cable on a Senn, or the reverse, make sure to plug the cable in backwards in each cup. 
The Foxtex plug inserts slight further then the Senn plug, so a senn plug might easily call out of a Fostex. This happens to me a lot.
The way the plugs lock into the jack are different.
The only plugs I know of made for Foxtex are the Fututech FT-2PS-F. It's hard to find, and not cheap ($55 on eBay from some unknown dealer).

The second, which I just discovered, is this one from Ali. $27 shipped from china, or $18.70/pr if you get 5 pairs.
Or these similar ones from another vendor, or $30 from LunaShops. Both sell either clear or black shells.

Kinda pricey for what they are, but when no one else is selling, you get to charge a premium.

If you look at the part that is inserted, you will how they are different. The plugs for the Fostex have two small plastic rectangles next to the "L". The senn plugs don't have that.


----------



## imas69

Thank you very much for the links and the explanation, really helpful.


----------



## RestlessZombi

Just wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction regarding what might be happening. I have some cables that were working fine but due to a change in my audio kit I needed to change the Balanced connectors from Female to Male. The cable was bought as a pair of Female XLR to Stereo 1/4' (or 6.3mm) for connecting my DAC to powered speakers.

I change the connector without issue at least I thought, but now one of the cables is about half the volume of the other thus the "centre" between the two speakers is no longer correct. It feels like voices in songs are now biased to one side.

Last night I cut the connector off and reconnected it as i noticed the signal wire didn't have all the strands soldered but this made no difference and I'm certain that I know have the full wire soldered properly. I have a multi-meter that I have checked there is a signal and tried a few things to see if there might be a bad conducting point somewhere but can't find anything. Do you think the connectors might at fault or is there any test that I might try to point the source of the issue. I have swapped the cables between left and right and the change in volume follows the cable so i know its not the DAC or Speakers.


----------



## mattiav

I've just ordered myself an iBasso DX200 with an amp8 and a 4.4 -> 2.5 balanced adapter (yay!), but that means I can only test the whole thing properly with my Meze 99 classics, since they're the only headphones I have a balanced cable for (boo!). Since I've got some experience soldering smallish things (mostly guitar wiring wiring) and all the required tools save a solder pot, I thought I'd build some balanced cables for my HD6XX, HE4XX and Campfire Andro S (after I've done the bigger, easier cables first).

I'll mostly be listening on the go, so a 4ft cable will suffice, and I really, really like the look and feel of the stock Andro braided litz cable. I've been looking at basic connectors on AliExpress and eBay, and was wondering if people had specific recommendations or stores for slightly better quality connectors (primarily angled 2.5mm TRRS, straight and narrow 3.5mm TRS for the HE4XX connection, and (angled) Pentaconn jacks). 

More importantly, however, does anyone have a (preferably EU) source for 24 and/or 26 AWG OCC and/or SPC wire with a clear jacket? I was all happy to have found Toxic Cables, then did some reading, discovering that the owners have sadly passed, that the company as such is functionally non-existent, and the email address on the site bounces messages due to an overfull mailbox that likely hasn't been checked in a year. So that's not an option. The various chinese suppliers seem to want me to buy 100m at a time (bit excessive), and I'm skeptical about the quality.

Anyone have sources for cabling they can share?


----------



## RestlessZombi

I have made a few balanced cables recently, it quite rewarding to finish one and have a listen to see what you made. I'm in the UK and have bought wire from OidioSound (Link) for my most recent cables. They do have SPC Clear wire on their site but its currently out of stock. You could try emailing them as they seem very helpful and see if they have any more coming in. I used the clear and the black to make my HD650 Balanced cable (Link, wire sleeves coming soon.)

I have just ordered today some cable from DesignACable (Link), they have a lot of different wires and connectors maybe you get some luck there. 

Most of my Connectors are made by Neutrik which seems like a reasonable company to look out for, they can be found on a lot of sites such as the ones above and EBay. Good quality and reasonable prices.


----------



## Allanmarcus

RestlessZombi said:


> Just wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction regarding what might be happening. I have some cables that were working fine but due to a change in my audio kit I needed to change the Balanced connectors from Female to Male. The cable was bought as a pair of Female XLR to Stereo 1/4' (or 6.3mm) for connecting my DAC to powered speakers.
> 
> I change the connector without issue at least I thought, but now one of the cables is about half the volume of the other thus the "centre" between the two speakers is no longer correct. It feels like voices in songs are now biased to one side.
> 
> Last night I cut the connector off and reconnected it as i noticed the signal wire didn't have all the strands soldered but this made no difference and I'm certain that I know have the full wire soldered properly. I have a multi-meter that I have checked there is a signal and tried a few things to see if there might be a bad conducting point somewhere but can't find anything. Do you think the connectors might at fault or is there any test that I might try to point the source of the issue. I have swapped the cables between left and right and the change in volume follows the cable so i know its not the DAC or Speakers.


Not all devices support converting from balanced out to SE. I think we would need more info, like what the equipment is, how you have it connected, how you wired the cables.


----------



## carlman14

I'm planning on making a nice cable for my LCD's and ZMF's (105 strand litz, eidolic connectors, etc), and was wondering... When building a high quality cable, how important is it that I use silver solder? Will there be a noticeable difference in sound quality if I use silver solder (3-4%) vs typical 60/40 tin/lead solder?


----------



## Allanmarcus

carlman14 said:


> I'm planning on making a nice cable for my LCD's and ZMF's (105 strand litz, eidolic connectors, etc), and was wondering... When building a high quality cable, how important is it that I use silver solder? Will there be a noticeable difference in sound quality if I use silver solder (3-4%) vs typical 60/40 tin/lead solder?


No. and silver solder is hard to use. Stick with 60/40.


----------



## itsikhefez

carlman14 said:


> I'm planning on making a nice cable for my LCD's and ZMF's (105 strand litz, eidolic connectors, etc), and was wondering... When building a high quality cable, how important is it that I use silver solder? Will there be a noticeable difference in sound quality if I use silver solder (3-4%) vs typical 60/40 tin/lead solder?


It will likely not make any difference at all. I have WBT 4% silver solder which works OK on some PCB's but is harder to use point-to-point (which is a similar situation with cables).
I prefer eutectic 63/37 solder


----------



## carlman14

Allanmarcus said:


> No. and silver solder is hard to use. Stick with 60/40.





itsikhefez said:


> It will likely not make any difference at all. I have WBT 4% silver solder which works OK on some PCB's but is harder to use point-to-point (which is a similar situation with cables).
> I prefer eutectic 63/37 solder



Awesome, thanks for the responses. I will stick to the solder I have. I didn't really want to buy silver solder anyway


----------



## mattiav

RestlessZombi said:


> I have made a few balanced cables recently, it quite rewarding to finish one and have a listen to see what you made. I'm in the UK and have bought wire from OidioSound (Link) for my most recent cables. They do have SPC Clear wire on their site but its currently out of stock. You could try emailing them as they seem very helpful and see if they have any more coming in. I used the clear and the black to make my HD650 Balanced cable (Link, wire sleeves coming soon.)
> 
> I have just ordered today some cable from DesignACable (Link), they have a lot of different wires and connectors maybe you get some luck there.
> 
> Most of my Connectors are made by Neutrik which seems like a reasonable company to look out for, they can be found on a lot of sites such as the ones above and EBay. Good quality and reasonable prices.



Thanks for the suggestions, I’m going to send them an e-mail and see if they can help me out!


----------



## Royaume

Hi all!
I want to hardwire my HD800. 3m balanced a 4 pin xlr connector. I would prefer to sheath the braided cable with paracord. Should I use paracord on the individual wires also? Would that make it more soft and flexible? Also, its first time, so if someone can explain the differences between Mogami 2779, 2897 and 2453 that wpuld be a huge help. Sorry if I got any details wrong.
PS, what paracord would I need to sheath each wire and the braided wire?
Thanks in advance!


----------



## RestlessZombi

I had a look for those Mogami cables and I can't find any with those product numbers so I'm not sure what difference there is in those specifically but the usual things to check are:

Materials of the wire - Copper, Silver Plated Copper or Pure Silver (More Silver improves the high end or "Brightness" of the sound)
Thickness or gauge of the metal wire - Thicker gauge is better but the cable will obviously be less flexible - This is why some use two cables per Positive or Negative connection
How many strands of material - i'm not sure on the difference in sound but more strands would be more flexible and as mentioned above if its plated copper you increase the silver content with more strands
How many cores it has - though it doesn't sound like you wish to use one cable with multiple cores doing so will reduce the thickness of the cable as its bunched together more but less flexible then using multiple wires
Covering or sleeve - the covering can be different materials and with different thicknesses so this might be a difference in the wires.

Paracord comes in different types and widths so its hard to say until you know what type and how thick your cables will be. Individual wires should fit in Type 100 or 275 paracord, braided or multicore cables you would want 550 or 650 depending.


----------



## tomb

Royaume said:


> Hi all!
> I want to hardwire my HD800. 3m balanced a 4 pin xlr connector. I would prefer to sheath the braided cable with paracord. Should I use paracord on the individual wires also? Would that make it more soft and flexible? Also, its first time, so if someone can explain the differences between Mogami 2779, 2897 and 2453 that wpuld be a huge help. Sorry if I got any details wrong.
> PS, what paracord would I need to sheath each wire and the braided wire?
> Thanks in advance!



IMHO, the only Mogami you should be using for headphones is the 2893.  That's assuming you want to keep the cable intact.  A lot of people around here talk about stripping the insulation from the Mogami and braiding the remaining wires individually.  Personally, I think that's a waste.  You _want _the shield.  If you strip the insulation, you lose the shield and everything else that makes the Mogami an advantage.

Here's a tip on the paracord.  It took me four orders and a few weeks of trial and error to figure this out, because it's not documented anywhere - at least not with keeping the Mogami cable intact.  I got mine from Paracord Planet, so the naming convention may be different than Paracord Galaxy.

RCA patch cables: Mogami 2524, Paracord MAX, 5/16"
Headphone cables: Mogami 2893, Paracord MAX, 1/4", two wires at split for each channel - Paracord 650 coreless (use 1 ft. length for y-split)
Adapters, such as TRS to 4-pin XLR, Mogami 2534, Paracord MAX, 5/16" (this Mogami is nice, but it's probably way too big for headphones)

All of the above works just fine for keeping the Mogami cable intact.  It works very well on my HD800, 650, 600, etc.  The Paracord fits almost exactly, there is no issue with inch-worming it on the cable, even with a blunt cut on the end of the cable.  You can't use the shield on the y-split, but by the time the signal is that close to your ears, it won't matter.


----------



## mattiav

Additional question for those folks making IEM cables: how best to form the termination end? I’ve got a Shure with stock cable which is stiff, thick and a bit unwieldy. I have the Campfire Andro S with the original Lit cable which itself is lovely, but the memory wire is too stiff to shape really comfortably. I also have cheap and cheerful Advanced Sound IEMs with a skinny, unbraided floppy cable with zero reinforcement which swing too far in the other direction. 

What is your preference? is a braided (2 or quad) cable stiff enough to form into a bit of a hook that will retain some shape without any memory wire or heat shrink? How about just a bit of heat shrink, sans anything else?


----------



## CoiL

Haven`t noticed much self-sleeved high-core-count DIY cables, so, decided to do one because I hate microphonics caused by fabrics and similar sleeving: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/diy-cable-gallery.71148/page-1042#post-14944388

If someone has questions how to, then feel free to ask


----------



## mattiav

CoiL said:


> Haven`t noticed much self-sleeved high-core-count DIY cables, so, decided to do one because I hate microphonics caused by fabrics and similar sleeving: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/diy-cable-gallery.71148/page-1042#post-14944388
> 
> If someone has questions how to, then feel free to ask



Love the very pure aesthetic you have going there, sans Y-split! So you used unsleeved Litz wire (could you share a source? Price looked very attractive..plus in Euros so good option), added heatshrink to each wire and then braided? How is the flexibility?


----------



## CoiL (May 9, 2019)

mattiav said:


> Love the very pure aesthetic you have going there, sans Y-split! So you used unsleeved Litz wire (could you share a source? Price looked very attractive..plus in Euros so good option), added heatshrink to each wire and then braided? How is the flexibility?


Litz was already polyester/silk wounded... otherwise all those 180 thin fibres would "dissolve" while working with sleeving, LOL.
Here is link to Type1 Litz used: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/0-0...540.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.31254c4d8I6JzD
Here is the PO sleeving in 2m length (hard to find longer pieces, they all cut/sell it by 1m usually):https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cle...233.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.31254c4d8I6JzD
Those Rean (neutrik) jacks can be found everywhere with different prices. Imho they are very HQ and durable and tolerate high heat while soldering. Buying much more expensive Amphenol or neutrik analogues is pointless imho, unless You are out for looks.
Flexibility is between good and great since there is much copper + polyester/silk wounding and sleeving tightness + braiding tightness affects it. The more I move& play around with that cable, the more flexible it gets as braiding and sleeving will slightly "loosen up".
I think for my own needs and preferences I got flexibility very good (and getting better).


----------



## CoiL (May 11, 2019)

CoiL said:


> Haven`t noticed much self-sleeved high-strand-count DIY cables, so, decided to do one because I hate microphonics caused by fabrics and similar sleeving: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/diy-cable-gallery.71148/page-1042#post-14944388
> 
> 
> 
> ...





CoiL said:


> Litz was already polyester/silk wounded... otherwise all those 180 thin fibres would "dissolve" while working with sleeving, LOL.
> Here is link to Type1 Litz used: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/0-0...540.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.31254c4d8I6JzD
> Here is the PO sleeving in 2m length (hard to find longer pieces, they all cut/sell it by 1m usually):https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cle...233.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.31254c4d8I6JzD
> Those Rean (neutrik) jacks can be found everywhere with different prices. Imho they are very HQ and durable and tolerate high heat while soldering. Buying much more expensive Amphenol or neutrik analogues is pointless imho, unless You are out for looks.
> ...


I had questions from some users, hope this answers:

Is it as flexible as KPE stock cable? Well, answer is - it just can`t be! Look at this pic:





It is just so dramatic increase in copper weight and strand count. KPE stock cable is pretty "loosely" braided and has very thin & soft wires.
Basically my own sleeved wire is like 3 KPE cable wires put in bunch together as "triangular" way.
And like I`ve already told on threads, extra layer of polyester/silk wounding around copper + sleeving and braiding tightness will determine the overall tightness/softness of cable. For me it is between good and great but is improving over usage as bond between sleeve, polyester/silk and copper gets "looser" from inside.
For what it is worth, I think it is softer than Van Damme XKE Pro-patch cable (which is usually my go-to cable with audio gear for flexibility, price and high quality (quite low impedance): http://www.van-damme.com/vandamme_product/van-damme-pro-grade-classic-xke-pro-patch-cable/
If I compare 4-core braid of self-made cable vs. iBasso IT01, then I think if same loosely braided as latter, that self-made cable is actually softer and more flexible. 1-core thickness is about same on both.


----------



## JackFlash

CoiL said:


> Litz was already polyester/silk wounded... otherwise all those 180 thin fibres would "dissolve" while working with sleeving, LOL.
> Here is link to Type1 Litz used: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/0-0...540.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.31254c4d8I6JzD
> Here is the PO sleeving in 2m length (hard to find longer pieces, they all cut/sell it by 1m usually):https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cle...233.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.31254c4d8I6JzD
> Those Rean (neutrik) jacks can be found everywhere with different prices. Imho they are very HQ and durable and tolerate high heat while soldering. Buying much more expensive Amphenol or neutrik analogues is pointless imho, unless You are out for looks.
> ...



Good find. I'm trying to determine the AWG of the wire. I presume the 0.04 refers to the diameter (i.e., width) of the wire, yes? 0.04 cm is about 26 AWG, right?


----------



## imas69

Could someone please tell me how to ready Litz wire for soldering, I'm told that it can't just be tinned and soldered like bog standard wire, thanks


----------



## CoiL

JackFlash said:


> Good find. I'm trying to determine the AWG of the wire. I presume the 0.04 refers to the diameter (i.e., width) of the wire, yes? 0.04 cm is about 26 AWG, right?


LOL

It is 0.04*mm x 180 *

0.04mm should be diameter (or m2, not sure) of one very thin strand/share..


----------



## JackFlash (May 11, 2019)

CoiL said:


> LOL
> 
> It is 0.04*mm x 180 *
> 
> 0.04mm should be diameter (or m2, not sure) of one very thin strand/share..



Ah, the strand diameter, not the cable.


----------



## CoiL

JackFlash said:


> Ah, the strand diameter, not the cable?


No not the cable, 0.04mm is 1 strand diameter and there is 180 of these strands.


----------



## BerserkZz

Anyone know what kind of wire generally has low microphonics? I just built my first iem cable using mogami w2893 and it has terrible microphonics.


----------



## Allanmarcus

BerserkZz said:


> Anyone know what kind of wire generally has low microphonics? I just built my first iem cable using mogami w2893 and it has terrible microphonics.


How did you make the cable? Did you sleeve it? Did you braid it? These can affect cable noise more than the wires.


----------



## Allanmarcus

JackFlash said:


> Good find. I'm trying to determine the AWG of the wire. I presume the 0.04 refers to the diameter (i.e., width) of the wire, yes? 0.04 cm is about 26 AWG, right?



.04mm diameter is 46AWG
https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/wire/awg-to-mm.html

180 x 46awg is 23.6AWG
https://www.v-cap.com/awg-calculator.php


----------



## BerserkZz

Allanmarcus said:


> How did you make the cable? Did you sleeve it? Did you braid it? These can affect cable noise more than the wires.


Here is a picture of it. https://imgur.com/a/xtxL0jU


----------



## Allanmarcus

BerserkZz said:


> Here is a picture of it. https://imgur.com/a/xtxL0jU


Hard to tell from the picture. it looks like you sleeved each wire in paracord. Is that true? If so, if you pulled the paracord tight, that might be the issue. Sleeving needs to be a little loose or it will be carry noise.


----------



## BerserkZz

Allanmarcus said:


> Hard to tell from the picture. it looks like you sleeved each wire in paracord. Is that true? If so, if you pulled the paracord tight, that might be the issue. Sleeving needs to be a little loose or it will be carry noise.


No I didn't use sleeve. I used a very simple four wire braid.


----------



## Allanmarcus

BerserkZz said:


> No I didn't use sleeve. I used a very simple four wire braid.


Try a loose sleeve.


----------



## CoiL (May 13, 2019)

Allanmarcus said:


> .04mm diameter is 46AWG
> https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/wire/awg-to-mm.html
> 
> 180 x 46awg is 23.6AWG
> https://www.v-cap.com/awg-calculator.php


Thanks for those links!


BerserkZz said:


> Here is a picture of it. https://imgur.com/a/xtxL0jU


That think doesn`t look very flexible (holding its bends everywhere). Seems like a not good wire for DIY cable.


----------



## kingkikapu

imas69 said:


> Could someone please tell me how to ready Litz wire for soldering, I'm told that it can't just be tinned and soldered like bog standard wire, thanks


You need to use a solder pot to melt the enamel coating on the individual wires.  If you dip the end of the litz wire into the solder pot, the enamel coating will burn off the individual wires and tin the end.  After this you can solder the wire to your connectors as usual.


----------



## CoiL

The latter Litz cable/wire I posted about, I just used high wattage soldering iron, with 60/40 tin and soldering paste to firstly tin ends that need to be soldered and it worked quite easily, no solder pot needed imo.


----------



## kingkikapu

I’m not a big fan of that method, but it’s doable. You just have little guarantee of stripping all of the enamel that way. 

Plus it’s a bit messy.


----------



## CoiL (May 13, 2019)

Idk, I got rid of that enamel perfectly (needs some practice) and that particular Litz wire actually reacts pretty well also to direct soldering, though, there will be some enamel residue inside soldering point which is not recommended.
That cable I made has same impedance/resistance on all 5 "channels". I always measure cable pins/connections to be equal and close as possible to bare wire measurement.
Anyway, got my Fidelio X1 dual 3.5mm stereo sockets mod done and tried that cable - marvelous result! details from high-mids and up and bass tightnes clarity seemed to be improved by short listening session. Will do more proper A/B comparing to my previous DIY Van Damme XKE Pro-patch cable.
Very happy with result atm, especially for 17€ and great looks


----------



## Feilong4

Anyone know where I can get some wires like the ones here:


 

It was originally an HD800 cable made by Impact Audio Cables. The original owner says Impact Audio Cables says this about it: 5N (99.999) pure copper wire with a PE insulation

I really like the ergonomics of this cable and would like to use more of these. Just the right amount of flexibility and weight for me. I tried Norne Audio's DIY SPC wires and they're a bit too springy for me.


----------



## mattiav

Feilong4 said:


> Anyone know where I can get some wires like the ones here:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



There is a lot available on AliExpress, although obviously there is some element of buyer beware. 

I’m also trying to pick some wire for braided IEM and full sized cables, but right now I’m mostly wondering about the differences the coating will make - Teflon seems like it will be pretty stiff. The other common options are PE and PVC, but I can’t really find a lot of info on the advantages/disadvantages of either...


----------



## Hal Rockwell

I plan to recable my Takstar HF580, but I don't have much time to dedicate to it. Is there any ready made, bulk, Y-Split cables for sale anywhere?


----------



## CoiL

CoiL said:


> I had questions from some users, hope this answers:
> 
> Is it as flexible as KPE stock cable? Well, answer is - it just can`t be! Look at this pic:
> 
> ...


Took some more pics after my Fidelio X1 dual 3.5mm TRS sockets mod:


----------



## RestlessZombi

Hal Rockwell said:


> I plan to recable my Takstar HF580, but I don't have much time to dedicate to it. Is there any ready made, bulk, Y-Split cables for sale anywhere?



I know a few company's do pre-terminated cables where you just need to connect the connectors on the headphone side or, as in your case, hard wire them to the drivers. I'm not sure on any in Israel though. 

OidioSound.co.uk does have them, I have bought from them a few times, though Connectors and Wire.


----------



## JackFlash

RestlessZombi said:


> I know a few company's do pre-terminated cables where you just need to connect the connectors on the headphone side or, as in your case, hard wire them to the drivers. I'm not sure on any in Israel though.
> 
> OidioSound.co.uk does have them, I have bought from them a few times, though Connectors and Wire.



Perhaps this would work?

http://btg-audio.com/webstore.htm#!/Th900-Stock-cable/p/71800559/category=2620180


----------



## Hal Rockwell

RestlessZombi said:


> I know a few company's do pre-terminated cables where you just need to connect the connectors on the headphone side or, as in your case, hard wire them to the drivers. I'm not sure on any in Israel though.
> 
> OidioSound.co.uk does have them, I have bought from them a few times, though Connectors and Wire.



Thanks for the suggestion. Those guys actually ship to Israel for free, but their cable cost a bit more than I was planning to spend.


----------



## JackFlash

Hal Rockwell said:


> Thanks for the suggestion. Those guys actually ship to Israel for free, but their cable cost a bit more than I was planning to spend.



You might head over to the bang for the buck cable thread. 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/low-end-cheap-generic-otherwise-bang-for-buck-cable-thread.891911/

A lot of the "headless" cables out there aren't great. It might be worth purchasing a cable with connectors, cutting them off, and reattaching. Good luck!


----------



## RestlessZombi

I have used these from them which is really cheap.. 

Sennheiser Off Cut Cable for 2m with 6.3mm connector - £6
https://oidiosound.co.uk/diy/wire/sennheiser-offcut-cable.html 

Beyerdynamic Straight 3M Cable with 3.5mm and 6.3mm convertor - £15
https://oidiosound.co.uk/diy/cables/beyerdynamic-3m-dt.html

I'm not so much advertising this site, but most places will have off cut cables from the work they do, this place just sells them. Depending on how much of an upgrade you are trying to do, I have bought wire and connectors from a few places and made my own. You can easily halve the cost by soldering on the end connector too. 

I have used recently Designacable.com as well, i'm sure there would be a cable there that you could remove an end connector from.


----------



## Hal Rockwell

RestlessZombi said:


> I have used these from them which is really cheap..
> 
> Sennheiser Off Cut Cable for 2m with 6.3mm connector - £6
> https://oidiosound.co.uk/diy/wire/sennheiser-offcut-cable.html
> ...



I'm not looking for a new cable to upgrade from the existing one, but to replace it. The factory did a sloppy stripping and soldering job, so if I intend to fix it, I'll be needing to cut, strip and solder the cable in both cups. The cable consists of very thin wires with a nylon core and I just haye working with those.


----------



## jason41987

i may be constructing my own cable soon for use with headphone amp/dacs.  what i want to do is have a 3.5mm male on one end to plug into the headphones, and a 1/4" on the other to go straight into the amp.. however, i do not want a large straight plug going into the headphones because the headphones i use have pretty large ear cups so when i lean my head to the left, the cable presses into my shoulder.. so is there a 3.5mm plug that maybe doesnt have a long rigid piece to it, or am i better off looking for a 45 degree plug?  i think a 90 degree plug would just bend the cable too much from gravity, although, i may run the cable behind my chair and behind a table


----------



## CoiL (May 15, 2019)

jason41987 said:


> i may be constructing my own cable soon for use with headphone amp/dacs.  what i want to do is have a 3.5mm male on one end to plug into the headphones, and a 1/4" on the other to go straight into the amp.. however, i *do not want a large straight plug going into the headphones because the headphones i use have pretty large ear cups so when i lean my head to the left, the cable presses into my shoulder.*. so is there a 3.5mm plug that maybe doesnt have a long rigid piece to it, or am i better off looking for a 45 degree plug?  i think a 90 degree plug would just bend the cable too much from gravity, although, i may run the cable behind my chair and behind a table


What headphones are You talking about? Just posted pic on previous page about Fidelio X1 with DIY cable Rean NYS231BG 3.5mm TRS male plugs installed ( http://www.rean-connectors.com/zoolu-website/media/download/5917/Drawing+NYS231 ):


CoiL said:


> Took some more pics after my Fidelio X1 dual 3.5mm TRS sockets mod:


For me they work perfectly and don`t "obstruct" shoulders and I have quite short neck.


----------



## jason41987

I have SHP9500s.  those housings, like the black pieces on yours.  Does anybody make a 3.5mm plug with a shorter housing?


----------



## CoiL

Rean NYS231BG are shortest I know of, though, haven`t searched specially shorter ones. For Your information, those Reans reach out 25mm from HP housing socket.


----------



## jason41987

hmm, could i just get the plug with a threaded on housing, cut the housing in half (this should still cover the solder points) and then add a spring for extra, but flexible support?  I think I could get away with that


----------



## CoiL

I think he would be totally fine with those Rean housings with SHP9500 and no need for shorter ones


----------



## maddox6912 (May 15, 2019)

I need to replace the headphone jac in my sennheiser PXC250-II. I cut the end off and now the cable has 4 wires (red, green, copper color, red)

Would someone be able to guide me which wire connects to which in the 3.5mm plug?

any help is much appreciated


----------



## mattiav

maddox6912 said:


> I need to replace the headphone jac in my sennheiser PXC250-II. I cut the end off and now the cable has 4 wires.
> Would someone be able to guide me which wire connects to which in the 3.5mm plug?
> 
> 
> ...



I cant see the images, so a bit hard to comment. Don’t know what the standard color coding is for Sennheiser cables. 

If you have a multi-meter and the cut-off bit of plug and cable you can check which color wire connects to which pole (tip=left, ring=right, sleeve=ground, may be two of your four wires (one ground per driver, single-ended wiring. Kept separate for balanced wiring, but then you need to figure out which wire goes where). Or open the driver cup and measure the wires from there to the end..


----------



## RestlessZombi (May 15, 2019)

maddox6912 said:


> I need to replace the headphone jac in my sennheiser PXC250-II. I cut the end off and now the cable has 4 wires (red, green, copper color, red)
> 
> Would someone be able to guide me which wire connects to which in the 3.5mm plug?
> 
> any help is much appreciated



On the HD650 the Red and Green are for Right and Left Positive, Red Right and Green Left. You'll need to heat the wire to remove the coloured enamel when you solder them. I'm not sure about the second Red wire (though I would guess at it being Right Negative), but looking at photos of the device it has a a battery powered Noise Cancellation box in the middle of the cable making me a little bit concerned it might be for something else.

On a 3.5mm Jack though the Tip is Left Positive, then Right Positive for the ring and the end shield is the Negative for both.


----------



## BowWazoo

Is this the right one for a AKG k812?

https://m.reichelt.de/kabelstecker-...kk7ed4gIVB4fVCh1drQeMEAkYBCABEgIDovD_BwE&&r=1


----------



## Allanmarcus

maddox6912 said:


> I need to replace the headphone jac in my sennheiser PXC250-II. I cut the end off and now the cable has 4 wires (red, green, copper color, red)
> 
> Would someone be able to guide me which wire connects to which in the 3.5mm plug?
> 
> any help is much appreciated



You may need to strip the wires from the plug you cut off and use a multimeter or simple continuity tool to answer your own question.


----------



## jason41987

How come I cannot find a female TRRRS jack anywhere?  I can find male plugs, but no female.


----------



## mattiav

jason41987 said:


> How come I cannot find a female TRRRS jack anywhere?  I can find male plugs, but no female.



PCB mount? There are plenty of 4.4mm sockets on AliExpress (well, mostly the same item from different sellers) for adapters, PCB mount seems harder to find. Or do you mean a different socket size?


----------



## jason41987 (May 16, 2019)

Hmm, I think I found some on Ali.  Searching for TRRRS doesn't work and I just have to look for 4.4mm.  I was considering going down the "balanced" rabbit hole and it's my understanding both drivers need a positive, negative, but can share a ground which means a 5 conductor connector is necessary and a 4.4mm TRRRS looks more doable than mini-XLR.

I am looking at these linked below.  I am thinking since there's enough plastic around the 3.5mm jack on my headphones now, i could ditch the sleeve on that, remove the old plug, drill out the plastic, and thread or epoxy the interior piece to that jack right where the old 3.5mm jack was.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2Pc...41-4a68-9247-b51af8712cd3&transAbTest=ae803_5

And then make a balanced cable that has a male of that on one end, perhaps terminating into 2x 3.5mm plugs for some of the less expensive budgeted amps and DACs, while using just one of the plugs should still work on its own.


----------



## mattiav

jason41987 said:


> Hmm, I think I found some on Ali.  Searching for TRRRS doesn't work and I just have to look for 4.4mm.  I was considering going down the "balanced" rabbit hole and it's my understanding both drivers need a positive, negative, but can share a ground which means a 5 conductor connector is necessary and a 4.4mm TRRRS looks more doable than mini-XLR.
> 
> I am looking at these linked below.  I am thinking since there's enough plastic around the 3.5mm jack on my headphones now, i could ditch the sleeve on that, remove the old plug, drill out the plastic, and thread or epoxy the interior piece to that jack right where the old 3.5mm jack was.
> 
> ...



The drivers need a + and a -, (from tip down its L+, L-, R+, R-, and ground), but you don’t need to wire the ground for headphone out as far as I can tell. The two other common balanced connections are both TRRS (2.5mm, and there is a 3.5mm balanced option though it’s not common outside of Asia as far as I can tell). Not entirely sure what the point of the ground (sleeve) is, perhaps grounding a shield for something like a star quad cable? I’ll leave that answer to the more experienced wiring gurus...


----------



## jason41987

So TRRS is adequate for balancing headphones?


----------



## mattiav (May 16, 2019)

jason41987 said:


> So TRRS is adequate for balancing headphones?



Yes. What people like about Pentaconn vs. 2.5mm is the more solid connection; the 2.5mm connectors are really quite tiny, but A&K made them a sort of standard. The 4.4 is a nice medium size, and increasingly popular. 

The most common balanced connector on desktop amps tends to be a 4-pin XLR these days. Which is 4 poles.


----------



## jason41987 (May 16, 2019)

Unfortunately mini XLR doesn't fit that well into a lot of existing headsets so another system has to be used.  If a 4 conductor TRRS is sufficient then it's a pretty straight forward conversion for a headphone with an existing 3.5mm jack and probably the better solution.  Why don't people just use a 4-pole 3.5mm TRRS?


----------



## Allanmarcus

jason41987 said:


> Unfortunately mini XLR doesn't fit that well into a lot of existing headsets so another system has to be used.  If a 4 conductor TRRS is sufficient then it's a pretty straight forward conversion for a headphone with an existing 3.5mm jack and probably the better solution.  Why don't people just use a 4-pole 3.5mm TRRS?


Are you talking n the headphone side or the amp side? 

The 4pin XLR is the most common connector on the amp side since that’s what most balanced amps use. They are solid and easy to solder. 

On the headphone side, since each wire goes to each cup, only 2 wires per cup are needed


----------



## jason41987

I meant the use of mini XLR, 5-pole phone, mutliple cable connections, etc going to headphones.  3.5mm TRRS for the headphones seems to be the easiest on that end, then terminate the headphone cable into another 4-pole TRRS or mini XLR that can be connected to amps or normal unbalanced outputs with adapters I guess?


----------



## RestlessZombi (May 17, 2019)

jason41987 said:


> I meant the use of mini XLR, 5-pole phone, mutliple cable connections, etc going to headphones.  3.5mm TRRS for the headphones seems to be the easiest on that end, then terminate the headphone cable into another 4-pole TRRS or mini XLR that can be connected to amps or normal unbalanced outputs with adapters I guess?



I believe you said earlier that you were going to use this cable on the SHP9500s which only has one connection thus both channels will need to be connected on this one side. The 3.5 TRRS would be a good idea since it already as a 3.5mm port available and replacing the built in connector would be easier that way. You'll need to check the internal cabling though as its likely that the internal wiring is not set up as a balanced connection. Standard 3.5mm uses only three terminals so Phillips likely just put 3 terminal connector in with the wiring for only three too.

On the other end its the normal XLR not mini XLR that is standard for Balanced Amps. you could though have a mini XLR and then have different connectors from here for Full Sized XLR, 1/4 inch or 4.4mm TRRRS depending on where your connecting.

A bit like..

3.5mm TRRS        --- Cable ---                 Mini XLR Male


then various connectors after 

Mini XLR Female    -- Cable--    1/4 inch TRS
Mini XLR Female    -- Cable--    4.4mm TRRRS
Mini XLR Female    -- Cable--    3.5 TRS

Hopefully that makes sense


----------



## mattiav

RestlessZombi said:


> On the other end its the normal XLR not mini XLR that is standard for Balanced Amps. you could though have a mini XLR and then have different connectors from here for Full Sized XLR, 1/4 inch or 4.4mm TRRRS depending on where your connecting.



The thing to watch out for with XLR (mini or full size) is the number of pins - the most common XLR jack/plug in use is for mic or line in or out connections (dual mono/stereo, for example on DACs or recording interfaces), and is 3 pin. There are 4 and 5 pin variants. The 4 pin is what you’ll need for a single balanced output and is most common for headphone use.


----------



## RestlessZombi

mattiav said:


> The thing to watch out for with XLR (mini or full size) is the number of pins - the most common XLR jack/plug in use is for mic or line in or out connections (dual mono/stereo, for example on DACs or recording interfaces), and is 3 pin. There are 4 and 5 pin variants. The 4 pin is what you’ll need for a single balanced output and is most common for headphone use.



Yes, I forgot to mention this, You will want 4 pin XLR for Balanced Headphones or for that matter, at least 4 pin connectors for any Balanced Audio connection. 3 Pin Mono connectors have Positive, Negative and Ground or Shield connections. Though Ground / Shield should only be connected to one end as It will create ground loop and you will have effectively made an Aerial if you connect it to both ends 

XLR is a fun connector though as you can get 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 pin versions and Neutrik has a version that has 8+2 for when you want your power and network connections to run for super long distances down the same cable.


----------



## jason41987

Yeah, I know about the pin count on XLRs.  Originally I had assumed the metal casing acted as a ground or shielding on those so the 4-pin was actually a 5 conductor hence the thought that TRRRS would have been necessary but I looked at XLR wiring diagrams and realized this is not the case.  So if I go balanced, i'll wire in a 3.5mm TRRS, since that would be the easiest to do, and terminate that in a 4 pin mini XLR and make adapters for different needs.  But in the mean time since I am not sure I will go for balanced just yet as I am still looking into it.  The easiest solution is to get an Fiio K3 which uses a 2.5m TRRS balanced connection, but I am not sure I want to give up the Dolby which just makes everything sound more natural.  Until then I will probably start out making a 3.5mm TRS to 1/4" TRS for normal usage.


----------



## slappomatt (May 19, 2019)

I am wanting to make a set of headphone cables similar to the ursine audio system. I have already sourced the mini XLR connectors for the split, I need to find a source of quality connectors for the rest of it. My current headphones are 6XX and HE-4XX with 2.5mm trs at each ear. also have questions about the recommended wire. I want these to be balanced, My current main amp is a monoprice 788. I need a good XLR 4 pin and Ill probably make an adapter for all the other connectors as well thats the neat part of their system.  I have seen the links in the OP and spent some time last night looking but didnt really find much in the wire area. is there a goto 4 conductor wire people like?

ETA, ok I am getting most of what I need to finish from redco. have inc shipping was ridiculous.
canare 4 wire balanced mic cable mini should be good for the main lead, reg balanced mic cable for the split?

ETA 2 damn even redco shipping is crazy.


----------



## CoiL

slappomatt said:


> I am wanting to make a set of headphone cables similar to the ursine audio system. I have already sourced the mini XLR connectors for the split, I need to find a source of quality connectors for the rest of it. My current headphones are 6XX and HE-4XX with 2.5mm trs at each ear. also have questions about the recommended wire. I want these to be balanced, My current main amp is a monoprice 788. I need a good XLR 4 pin and Ill probably make an adapter for all the other connectors as well thats the neat part of their system.  I have seen the links in the OP and spent some time last night looking but didnt really find much in the wire area. is there a goto 4 conductor wire people like?
> 
> ETA, ok I am getting most of what I need to finish from redco. have inc shipping was ridiculous.
> canare 4 wire balanced mic cable mini should be good for the main lead, reg balanced mic cable for the split?
> ...


Look at this thread first post by hakuzen: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/low-end-cheap-generic-otherwise-bang-for-buck-cable-thread.891911/
There are also links to different bulk wire, maybe You like something. 
PS, good cable material is worth of waiting


----------



## jason41987

A question about the PET shielding. One side can work with a variety of diameters underneath it. So say you have a colored cable that you want to see through a black mesh can you use a smaller side PET shield almost opened up to its max diameter and get something closer to a see through or screen effect? I'd like to use an orange cable underneath with sort of a black mesh over top so only half or less of the orange shows through.


----------



## RestlessZombi

jason41987 said:


> A question about the PET shielding. One side can work with a variety of diameters underneath it. So say you have a colored cable that you want to see through a black mesh can you use a smaller side PET shield almost opened up to its max diameter and get something closer to a see through or screen effect? I'd like to use an orange cable underneath with sort of a black mesh over top so only half or less of the orange shows through.



I haven't tried to use PET Flex shielding but I know tight shielding causes more microphonics down the cable, which is no major issue but avoided if you can. I also feel like the strands would be sharper to handle if pulled open to their near max level.


----------



## teknorob23 (May 25, 2019)

Apologies in advance if this question has been covered but i cant find reference to it in thread.

I have recently been experimenting with my first DIY headphone cables. Ive made two both of which i'm are working way better than the stock cable on my focal stellia.

Cable one is 8 core of solid core Neotech SOCT 24AWG OCC copper cable (pictured below)
Cable two is also 8 cores (4 x Neotech SOCT 24AWG OCC & 4 x SOST 28AWG OCC Silver)
As i say despite my novice status i've been really amazed by the sound both of these produce, preferring the mixed cable for general listening and the pure copper for adding body to my large collection of early 90s indie/ alt rock.

My experience with Neotech OCC in both silver and copper (ive made pure silver interconnects too) is that it bucks the stereotypes for both materials, as each gives a full sound with huge amounts of detail and seperation, just slightly more of certain things with different cables.

So i've got the bug and i'm interested in trying  Neotech's stranded SDCT OCC copper and maybe running some thin solid silver through it, but can anyone advise me is better to get cable with more thin strands (19 with neotech) or fatter fewer strands (7)? I run out of knowledge very quickly on the science side but i know what sounds good to me and i'd love to get anyones thoughts on this, thanks


----------



## imas69

From a sound point of view it wouldn't matter, it's just a case of how fat or thin you like your cables.


----------



## hakuzen

thicker few strands is more rigid than narrower many strands. although sleeve material has also to do with stiffness.


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> From a sound point of view it wouldn't matter, it's just a case of how fat or thin you like your cables.



I'd like something more flexible than my solid core efforts, but its sound quality is my priority as the cable will on really be used at home


----------



## imas69

teknorob23 said:


> I'd like something more flexible than my solid core efforts, but its sound quality is my priority as the cable will on really be used at home


Maybe try other brands too, you could probably get something with just as good sound quality for a fraction of the price, neotech is ridiculously expensive


----------



## hakuzen

check these taiwan up-occ frozen wires (litz and no litz) at ae. rolls look like neotech ones, but no branded, and guess they are cheaper than neotech. i've listened with a cable made of these wires, and SQ is excellent.
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/5003206


----------



## slappomatt

is there a recommended minimum AWG of wire for headphone cables? I have canare star quad mini (26awg), Canare Quad L-4E6S (24awg) on the way,  and mogami W2534 (24awg) on the way.


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> Maybe try other brands too, you could probably get something with just as good sound quality for a fraction of the price, neotech is ridiculously expensive



I hear you on the price front, but relative to the performance i’m pretty happy OCC cable sounds so much better than anything else I’ve heard so far. The occ silver is simply awesome giving all the clarity detail, separation you expect from silver, but without being cold clinical and a soulless which pure silver can give. The bass goes deep and textured and there’s a lovely full liquidity to the mids/ treble with loads of airiness. The copper likewise gives all the great copper warmth and full ness but without bleed or any loss of precision and you still get crisp highs. I have not found any ofc cable that achieves this. 

I’ve been amazed that even with my limited experience/ skill, I’ve been able to make cables at third or quarter of the price of my shop bought ones (which I do really rate). This must be down to the materials, but as you’ll see from my classifieds they’re good enough for me to hold a fire sale 

All of that said, I’m completely open to suggestions and if there’s something you’d recommend and it’s cheaper, I’m doubly up for giving it ago


----------



## mattiav

hakuzen said:


> check these taiwan up-occ frozen wires (litz and no litz) at ae. rolls look like neotech ones, but no branded, and guess they are cheaper than neotech. i've listened with a cable made of these wires, and SQ is excellent.
> https://www.aliexpress.com/store/5003206



How was the flexibility? A bit supple?


----------



## BiggieBig (May 25, 2019)

I was researching making a cable using notch but appears it will cost a lot not to mention the effort (though it would br fun)
Also here in the UK I'm having a hard time souring a 4.4mm balanced solder jack and a good quality 3.5mm Jack.

What are the risks of purchasing something like this

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...h0604.8.42.5d4f1546NQ58RU&transAbTest=ae803_5

All in silver cable 8 cores 22 AWG would cost alot more to make myself got £125

Another one here:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...h0604.8.35.5d4f1546NQ58RU&transAbTest=ae803_5


----------



## hakuzen (May 25, 2019)

mattiav said:


> How was the flexibility? A bit supple?


tried 4 cores, not the most flexible in my list of cables and their resistance, it is cable 165 there, but not the stiffest either. i'd say average flexibility.



BiggieBig said:


> I was researching making a cable using notch but appears it will cost a lot not to mention the effort (though it would br fun)
> Also here in the UK I'm having a hard time souring a 4.4mm balanced solder jack and a good quality 3.5mm Jack.
> 
> What are the risks of purchasing something like this
> ...


they are cables 133 and 130 in my list of cables and their resistance, respectively.
in fact, i reviewed first cable (link into my list). a very good one, nice wire used, but i can't confirm  it's pure silver at that price, guess it could pure silver plated copper instead.
i use it with he400i and enjoy it a lot, noticeable improvement over stock cable.
second one is an all rounder cable. good sound with it, while being very soft and flexible. pure silver plated copper + gold painted silver plated copper.
risks of purchasing: almost zero risk in these cases.

if you seek for pure silver wire, guess these both are true silver wires:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/33008595657.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32918477475.html
but didn't find the terminations you look for.
guess you could find 2*3.5mm TRS termination in this pure silver wire (you could ask for your exact termination):
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5613 (2*3.5mmTS)
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4827 (2*2.5mmTRS)
wire used: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4799


----------



## Allanmarcus

slappomatt said:


> is there a recommended minimum AWG of wire for headphone cables? I have canare star quad mini (26awg), Canare Quad L-4E6S (24awg) on the way,  and mogami W2534 (24awg) on the way.


For IEM I believe 32. For full size, 28, unless you are going to put some series wattage though them like the HE6


----------



## slappomatt

Allanmarcus said:


> For IEM I believe 32. For full size, 28, unless you are going to put some series wattage though them like the HE6


ok thanks. I was worried the 26awg would be too small.


----------



## Idsynchrono_24

Hey everyone, I was looking to get into building a cable, but I'm not sure what size paracord to buy for sleeving the cable. I'll be using 4 wires at 24 AWG, in a standard 4 wire round braid for below the Y split and just twist the wires in hot/ground pairs going up above the Y split. I plan to sleeve the whole 4 wire braid below the Y split, and individually sleeve hot and ground wires above the split. So if the 4 wire braid clocks in at around 18 AWG, what size paracord should I buy for that and what works for the individual 24 AWG strands? Help would be most appreciated!


----------



## mattiav

Idsynchrono_24 said:


> Hey everyone, I was looking to get into building a cable, but I'm not sure what size paracord to buy for sleeving the cable. I'll be using 4 wires at 24 AWG, in a standard 4 wire round braid for below the Y split and just twist the wires in hot/ground pairs going up above the Y split. I plan to sleeve the whole 4 wire braid below the Y split, and individually sleeve hot and ground wires above the split. So if the 4 wire braid clocks in at around 18 AWG, what size paracord should I buy for that and what works for the individual 24 AWG strands? Help would be most appreciated!



It depends on the wire - thickness is it only the gauge but (mostly) also the insulation material thickness. I’ve seen wires that are 26 AWG with diameters ranging between 0.8 and 1.25mm, for instance. What I have on my ‘crib sheet’ for Mogami 2893 cable for example is that 550 or 650 paracord should work well for the core without the PVC jacket (4 wires), and 275 paracord should work for the individual conductors. 

Paracord is cheap, though. I’d order up a few feet of various sizes and just try it out first. Maybe see if they have a sampler pack of sorts?


----------



## Idsynchrono_24

mattiav said:


> It depends on the wire - thickness is it only the gauge but (mostly) also the insulation material thickness. I’ve seen wires that are 26 AWG with diameters ranging between 0.8 and 1.25mm, for instance. What I have on my ‘crib sheet’ for Mogami 2893 cable for example is that 550 or 650 paracord should work well for the core without the PVC jacket (4 wires), and 275 paracord should work for the individual conductors.
> 
> Paracord is cheap, though. I’d order up a few feet of various sizes and just try it out first. Maybe see if they have a sampler pack of sorts?



That's actually a really good point. What's the best place to buy limited runs of it? I was just gonna get some paracordplanet via Amazon, but they seem to sell in 10 ft. increments which can add up if I'm just trying to see what works well. I guess it'd be better to buy slightly larger than slightly smaller since it's easier to work the wire through?


----------



## mattiav

Idsynchrono_24 said:


> That's actually a really good point. What's the best place to buy limited runs of it? I was just gonna get some paracordplanet via Amazon, but they seem to sell in 10 ft. increments which can add up if I'm just trying to see what works well. I guess it'd be better to buy slightly larger than slightly smaller since it's easier to work the wire through?



Slightly loose is better to avoid microphonics, from what I’ve gathered. Can’t help with a supplier - I have mine coming from an EU store that sells per meter (3ft).


----------



## Cantrell

Does anyone have any experience with different metallurgical makeups of lead free bar solder for audio use tinning litz wire? 

It's for use in a small sub 650g solder pot crucible. 

A Popular 1 is SAC 305 SN 96.5, AG 3, CU 0.5%, but all are around $60-$65 USD plus shipping. Way too much for a 1 of project. 

I'm considering some that are lead free SN 93-99.3% and CU 0.7-7%, but haven't found any info on audio use results. I do prefer Cu sound to Ag. 

I'm ideally looking for something big enough for 550-600g crucible, sub $40 USD, uses virgin high quality/purity metal and works very well for audio use and tinning of enameled litz wire. Preferably made in N America, Japan or E.U. unless someone has had great results from stuff made in China or Taiwan and has a specific reliable retailer. 

Thoughts and suggestions? 

Or should I just use modest to lower quality bar solder to burn enamel off and do initial tin, then use solder wick to remove as much as I can and re-tin the ends with flux and audio grade wire solder?

 I could also really use some help on best method/design, product/sources for IEM earcup wire section. Such as clear heat shrink for combination of strain relief and securing memory wire in place. So being flexible, relatively soft, safe for regular contact with skin & sweat and will last through regular use/bending along with keeping memory wire secure. 

PE, PO, etc? 

Dual or single wall? 

Adhesive lined or regular? 

Do I want something that shrinks down really tight, fairly tight, modestly tight or just tight enough to secure fairly well. I wonder about the flexibility aspect depending on how tightly it shrinks around wires. Whether 1.75:1 to 4:1 shrink ratio coupled with initial I.D. and the smallest final I.D. once shrunk. Then how thick the wall becomes with the various ratios and sizes also effecting flexibility along with what O.D. ends up in order to fit inside MMCX 4.0-4.4mm size type openings. 

Anyone have specific product/store/link they've used with/does job & fits well inside of Eidolic MMCX? 

Below the Y split will have Mod PC jacket (it's a bit too stiff and not soft enough IMO for IEM earcup wires) But I'm unsure if I should use silk (which I'll acid dye for great color, wear and light fastness) and if I do use it, should I cover each conductor in silk or do single silk jacket around each channel's bundle of wires? 

Should it go over the top or just under the edge of heat shrink for memory wire? 


I also still have questions about conductor metal arrangements for hot and ground. I'll have 4×25 AWG cryo UP-OCC Cu litz, 2× or 4× 28 AWG cryo UP-OCC solid core pure Ag, then possible option of adding anywhere from 2-4× 33-26 AWG Cu wire that's either OFC, OCC, Litz or regular stranded core wires. Ideal is more natural, lush, smooth, warmer sounding with good space, air, presentation, layering/cohesion, Soundstage, etc. along with great mids and female vocals. 

So which metals and how many conductors for each hot/+ and ground/- ? Even split Cu/Ag 1 of each for +/-, 2× Cu +/2× Ag -, 2× Cu +/1× Cu - & 1× Ag -, 3× Cu +/ 2× Ag -, etc.


----------



## mattiav

A simpler question: how many cores (for an IEM wire) is getting to be ‘too much’? Will a 60 or 100+ core wire hold its shape well enough in a 2wire twist (for an IEM cable for example)?


----------



## CoiL

mattiav said:


> A simpler question: how many cores (for an IEM wire) is getting to be ‘too much’? Will a 60 or 100+ core wire hold its shape well enough in a 2wire twist (for an IEM cable for example)?


Depends how thick is one strand (for example 0.04mm).


----------



## mattiav

CoiL said:


> Depends how thick is one strand (for example 0.04mm).



Nothing smaller than 0.04 for the options I’ve found for higher count wires.


----------



## mattiav

mattiav said:


> Nothing smaller than 0.04 for the options I’ve found for higher count wires.



Anyone?

Anyway, my paracord came in and I found I can fit some of the cheap Litz wire with about 180 strands of 0.04 mentioned earlier in the thread quite nicely in type 100 paracord. Will report back with my impressions of how well it holds shape. 

On that note, what margin of extra length to folks recommend when braiding? For example, say I want a slightly longer than standard ‘mobile’ length cable, about 60” / 150cm. How much raw length should I use, or is the difference negligible?


----------



## CoiL

mattiav said:


> Anyone?
> Anyway, my paracord came in and I found I can fit some of the cheap Litz wire with about *180 strands of 0.04* mentioned earlier in the thread quite nicely in type 100 paracord. Will report back with my impressions of *how well it holds shape*.


Depends how tightly paracord is sleeved around wire.
But imo bigger concern is microphonics caused by silk/polyester envelopoing + paracord.
Also, I suspect that this Litz will be very shape-holder for every move when done with paracord as PO sleeving made it much more "liquid" and soft.



mattiav said:


> On that note, what margin of extra length to folks recommend when braiding? For example, say I want a slightly longer than standard ‘mobile’ length cable, about 60” / 150cm. How much raw length should I use, or is the difference negligible?


For about 2m 8-core braiding I usually take +20cm wire length. But again, it depends on braiding tightness and sleeve thickness.


----------



## mattiav

CoiL said:


> Depends how tightly paracord is sleeved around wire.
> But imo bigger concern is microphonics caused by silk/polyester envelopoing + paracord.
> Also, I suspect that this Litz will be very shape-holder for every move when done with paracord as PO sleeving made it much more "liquid" and soft.
> 
> ...



So roughly 10%, thanks! I’ll report back on how the microphonics are (or aren’t) once it’s done. It’s a snug but not super tight fit, but I guess there’s no good way to test the result other than building a cable. Worst case I’ll be out around 15-20 bucks worth of materials and richer some cable making experience.


----------



## teknorob23

sorry to interrupt, but i'm trying to find a wiring diagram for a 4.4MM 4.4MM Pentaconn balance connector and wandered if any of you have one. Apologies if its already in the thread but i cant find it. Also if anyone has any recommendations on easy to work with plugs, any suggestions would be gratefully received. thanks Rob


----------



## RestlessZombi

teknorob23 said:


> sorry to interrupt, but i'm trying to find a wiring diagram for a 4.4MM 4.4MM Pentaconn balance connector and wandered if any of you have one. Apologies if its already in the thread but i cant find it. Also if anyone has any recommendations on easy to work with plugs, any suggestions would be gratefully received. thanks Rob



I believe that this is the typical layout. From the tip, the connections are left signal positive (L+), left signal negative (L-), right signal positive (R+) and right signal negative (R-) then Ground (though likely you wont have anything to connect to this)


----------



## HirschiAUT

teknorob23 said:


> sorry to interrupt, but i'm trying to find a wiring diagram for a 4.4MM 4.4MM Pentaconn balance connector and wandered if any of you have one. Apologies if its already in the thread but i cant find it. Also if anyone has any recommendations on easy to work with plugs, any suggestions would be gratefully received. thanks Rob



Hey, i have never worked with a 4.4mm balanced connector, but from what i remember while working with 2.5mm and 3.5mm balanced connectors, the pinout varies between manufacturers.

I made a balanced cable for Oppo PM3 to A&K DAP once, and they differ in pinout, see list below.
Hope this helps!


----------



## teknorob23

RestlessZombi said:


> I believe that this is the typical layout. From the tip, the connections are left signal positive (L+), left signal negative (L-), right signal positive (R+) and right signal negative (R-) then Ground (though likely you wont have anything to connect to this)





HirschiAUT said:


> Hey, i have never worked with a 4.4mm balanced connector, but from what i remember while working with 2.5mm and 3.5mm balanced connectors, the pinout varies between manufacturers.
> 
> I made a balanced cable for Oppo PM3 to A&K DAP once, and they differ in pinout, see list below.
> Hope this helps!



Thanks chaps this is really helpful. One further question: if i'm making a four core cable (incidentally mono 3.5mms at the headphone end), does the fact you dont have an earth matter?
thanks again


----------



## HirschiAUT

teknorob23 said:


> Thanks chaps this is really helpful. One further question: if i'm making a four core cable (incidentally mono 3.5mms at the headphone end), does the fact you dont have an earth matter?
> thanks again



From what i understand there is no "earth" in headphone cables.

You either have a common ground (L- and R- share the same pin/wire) in unbalanced cables or seperate grounds in balanced cables.
Please anyone correct me if im wrong


----------



## mattiav

You don’t have/need an extra ground. Though I suppose one could wire a braided shield (e.g. using a star quad cable without stripping the jacket for the bit before the split), but I don’t know if it would make a significant difference. 

From what I’ve gathered, the de facto standard pinout for 2.5mm TRRS jacks is the Astell&Kern pinout (TRRS - R-/R+/L-/L+). Pentaconn is a Sony standard, and follows the pinout as shown above (TRRRS - L+/L-/R+/R-/(earth)). 

Things get messy in the non-standardized 3.5mm balanced outputs which are much less common. And most TRRS 3.5mm jacks in use (smartphones, etc) have the extra ring used for mic or control functions. The diagram above illustrates this nicely.


----------



## teknorob23

HirschiAUT said:


> From what i understand there is no "earth" in headphone cables.
> 
> You either have a common ground (L- and R- share the same pin/wire) in unbalanced cables or seperate grounds in balanced cables.
> Please anyone correct me if im wrong





mattiav said:


> You don’t have/need an extra ground. Though I suppose one could wire a braided shield (e.g. using a star quad cable without stripping the jacket for the bit before the split), but I don’t know if it would make a significant difference.
> 
> From what I’ve gathered, the de facto standard pinout for 2.5mm TRRS jacks is the Astell&Kern pinout (TRRS - R-/R+/L-/L+). Pentaconn is a Sony standard, and follows the pinout as shown above (TRRRS - L+/L-/R+/R-/(earth)).
> 
> Things get messy in the non-standardized 3.5mm balanced outputs which are much less common. And most TRRS 3.5mm jacks in use (smartphones, etc) have the extra ring used for mic or control functions. The diagram above illustrates this nicely.



thanks chaps much appreciated


----------



## teknorob23

quick question  can anyone point me in the direction of thick pararcord or sleeving made from similar soft material 6mm+ in diameter. I've found both silk and cotton sleeve but only in raw colour and i'm looking for black. thanks


----------



## mattiav

Paracord.eu has paramax type V cord, which is 6mm o.d.


----------



## Allanmarcus

teknorob23 said:


> quick question  can anyone point me in the direction of thick pararcord or sleeving made from similar soft material 6mm+ in diameter. I've found both silk and cotton sleeve but only in raw colour and i'm looking for black. thanks


Raw sounds better. Ink disturbs or can interfere with or collect sub-magnetic photons and cause coloration.


----------



## gwertheim

Anyone know where to get a thin 3.5 mm trrs connector, got a pair of fostex t60rp headphones and looking to make a longer cable


----------



## mattiav

gwertheim said:


> Anyone know where to get a thin 3.5 mm trrs connector, got a pair of fostex t60rp headphones and looking to make a longer cable



Would one of these extended tip plugs work?

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/cKM8Cr44
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/c9bJSj1Q 
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/bkwKBvWC

I’m still looking for a really long extended tip jack to make a new Meze 99 classics cable - the shape of the socket means it needs to be either very long or very narrow, neither of which the above seem to fit. Meze sells OEM connectors for 20 bucks, but that’s a bit rich for me. On the other hand I can then use the same cable with my He4XX...


----------



## teknorob23

mattiav said:


> Paracord.eu has paramax type V cord, which is 6mm o.d.



brilliant thanks, just ordered some for next HP cable using neotech and sliver/gold up-occ which i want to treat the best sleeving i can find  



Allanmarcus said:


> Raw sounds better. Ink disturbs or can interfere with or collect sub-magnetic photons and cause coloration.



thanks for the heads up, last thing i wanted to get involved with is irritated photons!


----------



## gwertheim

mattiav said:


> Would one of these extended tip plugs work?
> 
> https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/cKM8Cr44
> https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/c9bJSj1Q
> ...



The problem I ran into was that the jack is recessed so you need a thin 3.5 mm trrs barrel to get past the wood. I have a caliper on order to try and figure out the diameter of the opening


----------



## mattiav (Jun 6, 2019)

I see the links don’t all work very well..

EDIT: new links added that do work...

€ 2,75 | Areyourshop Audio Connector 3.5mm Stereo 3 Pole Male Jack Plug Jack Repair Earphones Audio Adapter S
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33009668874.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.38192e0erQ10Nv

€ 1,68  21％ Off | QYFANG 3.5mm 3 Pole Earphone Audio Jack DIY HiFi Headphone Plug Metal Alloy Splice Adapter Gold Plated Solder Wire Connector
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32963052596.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.66f42e0ePERQ4X

That should do the trick. The plug body on both is narrow and there’s an extended collar that should certainly fit. Measure to check. Meze is a far trickier shape and requires an even thinner jack.
For a slightly more upmarket option there are the extended jacks from PlusSound which may well work:

http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html


----------



## Cantrell

teknorob23 said:


> cable using neotech and sliver/gold up-occ



Have you used solid core pure silver or Neotech gold plated Cu wire for anything? 

In any case let us know how the AG/Gold cable sounds if you can


----------



## teknorob23

Cantrell said:


> Have you used solid core pure silver or Neotech gold plated Cu wire for anything?
> 
> In any case let us know how the AG/Gold cable sounds if you can



So far I’ve made 2 neotech hp cables:

8 core (8 x awg 24 solid copper)
Has to be the best value vs performance I’ve ever come across in hifi because with sleeving, solder etc it cost about £60 and sounds as good if not better than any shop bought copper cable I’ve bought.

8 core (4 x 26 awg solid silver & 4 x 24 awg)
A lot more expensive, at about £245 for the wire and other parts, but considerable leap in performance. Amazing detail retrieval and extension top and and bottom. Guitars sound amazing - a real textured crunch, the bass is really nice to, deep, layered and perfectly controlled. Overall it’s added a real 3D depth to the soundstage.

I’ve experimented with so-occ acrolink multistrand from Japanese ebayer who was recommended to me. I made and 8 and 4 core versions with 23 awg/ 10 strand wire. Very good on the value front and performance is good too. The 4 core sounds slightly more defined and precise than the 8 core which was surprising. The 8 has more low end but it’s slightly less controlled than the 4. Cables cost about 60-75 each. Oh and they’re a lot more flexible than the neotech which I guess is unsurprising what with being multi-strand.

I’ve not really been tempted by the gold coated neotech copper, but I will make a short pure UP-OCC silver at some point so I have a proper reference on the silver sound, but first the silver/gold. I’m going with a 4 core of 28awg which is quite punchy at £270 for 10 metres. I have higher hopes though because so far every step up in neotech range has come with disproportionate returns vs investment, but when funds permit, i'll probably try making it up to and 8 core.

 I can’t believe I’ve spent 20 years lining the cable makers pockets. I should mention the star of my set up the pure silver occ nei 1002 rca cable with eti cryo plugs, not cheap at £350 for the finished cable but wow, its a big leap up from £500 tellurium Q black ultra 2 rca which  itself was a very impressive cable. I don’t know but I suspect it will give any cable up to £1k a run for its money and i think this is solely down to how far ahead Neotech are with their cable tech.. probably why they supply most high end cable makers.

Just need to try and sell some of my creations, that or work out how i can feed the family on mono crystal copper


----------



## assassinloki

Hi Everyone, is there a tutorial for replacing IEM cables for super newbs? I've never done any soldering before and I'd like to know. the IEM in question is Mi Hybrid Pro HD


----------



## mattiav

assassinloki said:


> Hi Everyone, is there a tutorial for replacing IEM cables for super newbs? I've never done any soldering before and I'd like to know. the IEM in question is Mi Hybrid Pro HD



Looking at those, replacing the cable in the housing looks like it would be very, very challenging to do nicely since cables are non-removable. If the wiring connecting to the earpieces is intact, you could consider splicing connectors to the cable and building an additional cable. But in terms of cost, you’re probably best off buying a new one for the 10-15 bucks they cost on AliExpress....


----------



## Allanmarcus

mattiav said:


> Would one of these extended tip plugs work?
> 
> https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/cKM8Cr44
> https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/c9bJSj1Q
> ...



Those three plugs from Ali are TRS, not TRRS. gwertheim was asking about TRRS. 

For an extended TRS plug, try the PLUSSOUND Cryo Treated Extended 3.5mm Connector.

For some incomprehensible reason, @PLUSSOUND doesn't have an obvious way to direct link to their products (hint @PLUSSOUND, add one).
http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html


----------



## PLUSSOUND

Allanmarcus said:


> For an extended TRS plug, try the PLUSSOUND Cryo Treated Extended 3.5mm Connector.
> 
> For some incomprehensible reason, @PLUSSOUND doesn't have an obvious way to direct link to their products (hint @PLUSSOUND, add one).
> http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html



Click on any product, find the Share option below "add to cart", click on the icon "+ more", and you'll see the link (or you can type in copy link). Here's what you were looking for:
http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html#plussound-cryo-treated-extended-3-5mm-connector


----------



## viivo (Jun 6, 2019)

Is there a trick to removing the plugs from the Sony MDR-z7 Kimber Kable, or is cutting the wire and resoldering my only option?

I once tried to coat my cable with plastidip which ended in an ugly, globby mess, and I'm sick of looking at my mistake. I'd like to either clean it or paracord it, both of which require de-braiding.

For reference (not my picture): https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/10202794.jpg


----------



## BiggieBig

teknorob23 said:


> sorry to interrupt, but i'm trying to find a wiring diagram for a 4.4MM 4.4MM Pentaconn balance connector and wandered if any of you have one. Apologies if its already in the thread but i cant find it. Also if anyone has any recommendations on easy to work with plugs, any suggestions would be gratefully received. thanks Rob



Just seen this , see below for a good reference for wiring. 
http://www.diyaudioblog.com/2016/02/headphone-connectors-pins-pinouts-for.html

Least I can do after all your help


----------



## teknorob23

BiggieBig said:


> Just seen this , see below for a good reference for wiring.
> http://www.diyaudioblog.com/2016/02/headphone-connectors-pins-pinouts-for.html
> 
> Least I can do after all your help



Really useful thanks. It would also be useful to see the wiring/soldering sequence inside the plug, although I guess it follows the rings in sequence.


----------



## tomb

Wiring "sequence" is really brand-dependent in how the internals are manufactured.  Whatever is easiest usually works best.   Although, for most XLRs, I find doing the four wires all at once the easiest.


----------



## Wes S

Hey all,

I am happy to join the club, of making my own headphone cables!

I just had a Bottlehead Crack, built by a professional.  In the spirit of DIY, I am twisting up a cable for my Aeolus and Crack.  I will be using Norne Audio's, UP - OCC SPC wire, and all Amphenol connectors.  I must say the Norne DIY wire is beautiful, and looks of the highest quality.





As you can see, I have a couple spare connectors, just in case I mess up.  I will post pics of the finished cable.

Happy Saturday!


----------



## teknorob23 (Jun 10, 2019)

Just a quick report back on working with Neotech's UP-OCC silver/gold wire. I made an 4 core headphone cable for my Focal Stellia and wow this stuff is delicate much harder to work with than any other neotech wire i've used. At 0.1mm per strand width very easy to break one or all the strands, with a moment too long with the soldering iron or if you exert any pressure on it. Braiding the wire is also quite a frustrating process as it does not conform to the braid and will completely unravel at the drop of hat, that is until you braid the two channel braids into a single trunk and then it holds. Once i reset my patience  it wasnt too much of problem, but anyone who's thinking about using it and is relatively inexperienced, my advice is take your time 

The good news is the pain is all worth in terms the cables sonic performance. I cant give a full report as i'm only at about 100hrs burn and i reckon this stuff needs 150-300hrs for the presentation to completely settle down and perform consistently. BUT wow so far it's outperforming every other combination i've tried, most noticeably in depth which is astonishing, as is the level of detail retrieval and seperation. It might not be great in brighter systems as its clarity and snap in the treble is on the verge of brutal, but in tube set-up its sounding very promising.

P.s for the eagle eyed among you, yes the 3.5mm connectors are different and no i hadnt noticed until i saw this pic, but with few choice sentiments expressed they're now the same


----------



## BiggieBig

teknorob23 said:


> It might not be great in brighter systems as its clarity and snap in the treble is on the verge of brutal, but in tube set-up its sounding very promising.


Good to hear more positive news, I wonder if mixing UP-OCC Cooper into the mix will mellow the treble slightly, I remember  reading on various custom cable makers how they claim to mix silver/copper for this reason.


----------



## Oxnitron

Hello everyone 

I want to use my hd660s with a 4pin XLR balanced amplifier.
The problem is that the cables are ridiculously expensive for my taste so I'm thinking about making an adapter.

The hd660s come with a 4.4mm Pentaconn cable and I want to make an adapter for it.
The parts I wanted to use are:

- Female 4.4mm 
- Male 4pin XLR

A male 4pin XLR is easy to find https://www.thomannmusic.com/neutrik_nc4_mxx_b.htm but i can't find any female 4.4mm (for europe).
Is it possible to use this https://fiio-shop.de/kabel/807/fiio-lb-4.4m, cut of the cables and solder them into the 4pin XLR ?

And why does pentaconn and 4pin XLR have ground connections but 2.5mm does not?

Thank you!!!


----------



## Cantrell

teknorob23 said:


> So far I’ve made 2 neotech hp cables:
> 
> 8 core (8 x awg 24 solid copper)
> Has to be the best value vs performance I’ve ever come across in hifi because with sleeving, solder etc it cost about £60 and sounds as good if not better than any shop bought copper cable I’ve bought.
> ...




Useful info, thanks.

Where are you sourcing your neotech wire from, UK hifi?  The neotech website doestnseem to be all that up to date with official retailers as only 1 listed for USA doesn't appear to sell direct at least in consumer amounts and appear to have own spec versions. I haven't recheked PCX in Canada yet, they're usually very reputable but a couple times they received counterfeit items. There'd a couple other reputable businesses but none are listed by neotech and haven't found their CS all that helpful with language barriers.


----------



## TwilightAudio

Over the past month, I went over all of this thread. While a lot has been answered in regards to my doubts about braiding, I am a little unsure about sourcing wire. I know that any good quality copper will do, but are there some vendors (eBay vendors or PayPal friendly vendors esp.) who are reputable sources for copper wire and silver-plated copper wire?  Next, can anyone highlight any tips to ensure I do not end up with a ratty cable? I've seen some gross 4wire braid cables (the cable that comes with ZS10Pro for example) that are really clumpy and ugly on the whole. what differentiates a crappy braid from a nice one that retains its shape and beauty after hours of use?

Finally, how do I select connectors? what are the things I should look at when comparing across brands/options?


----------



## teknorob23

Cantrell said:


> Useful info, thanks.
> 
> Where are you sourcing your neotech wire from, UK hifi?  The neotech website doestnseem to be all that up to date with official retailers as only 1 listed for USA doesn't appear to sell direct at least in consumer amounts and appear to have own spec versions. I haven't recheked PCX in Canada yet, they're usually very reputable but a couple times they received counterfeit items. There'd a couple other reputable businesses but none are listed by neotech and haven't found their CS all that helpful with language barriers.



I get  most of my wire and other bits from these guys:
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/node

And
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/


----------



## IgeNeLL

teknorob23 said:


> I get  most of my wire and other bits from these guys:
> https://www.hificollective.co.uk/node
> 
> And
> https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/


If you are interested, I'm having gold plated cooper 26 AWG and Gold plated Silver 24 AWG. Both is come with cryogen treatment which increase treble extension and dynamic range.


----------



## teknorob23

IgeNeLL said:


> If you are interested, I'm having gold plated cooper 26 AWG and Gold plated Silver 24 AWG. Both is come with cryogen treatment which increase treble extension and dynamic range.



Yes sounds interesting, who is the wire made by?


----------



## TwilightAudio

Just realized that wire is the easiest part of the equation. finding matchin 4.4mm plugs, y splits cinches and 2pin connectors seems to be nearly impossible. anyone got any reccomendations


----------



## IgeNeLL

teknorob23 said:


> Yes sounds interesting, who is the wire made by?


You can look at my signature for the picture.
I can resell wire independently.
Sorry for missing ) I order the cable from Neotech through the local distributor.


----------



## mattiav

TwilightAudio said:


> Just realized that wire is the easiest part of the equation. finding matchin 4.4mm plugs, y splits cinches and 2pin connectors seems to be nearly impossible. anyone got any reccomendations



For cheaper stuff it’s a challenge. Otherwise there’s PlusSound or Eidoloc connectors from Double Helix (among others), although the Pentaconn plugs are currently backordered or something...


----------



## JackFlash (Jun 11, 2019)

Are plugs like this molded onto the cable and hardware after they are soldered together? I have been looking for basic low-profile right angle jacks on Ali. I prefer to use them to connect to devices I keep in my pocket. I have seen many plastic y-splits on Ali that come in two pieces that are sandwiched together and presumably secured with adhesive.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Oxnitron said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> I want to use my hd660s with a 4pin XLR balanced amplifier.
> The problem is that the cables are ridiculously expensive for my taste so I'm thinking about making an adapter.
> ...


Buy a Sennheiser HD650 cable from Sennheiser for $11, then determinate it. Make an XLR to SE adapter with the plug you cut off. The sennheiser cable is a very good cable.
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/accessories--hd-650--cable


----------



## Oxnitron

Allanmarcus said:


> Buy a Sennheiser HD650 cable from Sennheiser for $11, then determinate it. Make an XLR to SE adapter with the plug you cut off. The sennheiser cable is a very good cable.
> https://en-us.sennheiser.com/accessories--hd-650--cable



But I want to use the headphone balanced, else I can just use the normal 1/4inch cable.
That is why I either have to get a 4pin xlr cable (expensive) or a pentaconn to 4pin adapter (since i already have a 4.4mm pentaconn cable) :/


----------



## RestlessZombi

Oxnitron said:


> But I want to use the headphone balanced, else I can just use the normal 1/4inch cable.
> That is why I either have to get a 4pin xlr cable (expensive) or a pentaconn to 4pin adapter (since i already have a 4.4mm pentaconn cable) :/




I think that the idea is that you buy that cable and replace the end 6.3mm / 1/4inch connector with an XLR connector as the headphone connectors are annoying to solder and the cable is expensive, but the standard cable is pretty good already and up until the end connector is balanced. There are a few companies near me that supply this service so i have bought a few of their off cuts and made balanced cables this way myself.

You've already sourced where you can get the XLR (Neutrik NC4 MXX-B) so it should be a simple operation


----------



## Paladin79

RestlessZombi said:


> I think that the idea is that you buy that cable and replace the end 6.3mm / 1/4inch connector with an XLR connector as the headphone connectors are annoying to solder and the cable is expensive, but the standard cable is pretty good already and up until the end connector is balanced. There are a few companies near me that supply this service so i have bought a few of their off cuts and made balanced cables this way myself.
> 
> You've already sourced where you can get the XLR (Neutrik NC4 MXX-B) so it should be a simple operation


https://www.markertek.com/product/nc4mx-b/neutrik-nc4mx-b-xlr-male-4-pin-black-gold

Those are indeed fine connectors and if you are going to attach any connector to a cable, the XLR is one of the easiest; next are connectors with solder lugs.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Oxnitron said:


> But I want to use the headphone balanced, else I can just use the normal 1/4inch cable.
> That is why I either have to get a 4pin xlr cable (expensive) or a pentaconn to 4pin adapter (since i already have a 4.4mm pentaconn cable) :/


@RestlessZombi is correct. It’s relatively easy to convert the stock cable from SE to XLR. The only challenge is the wire inside the cable is enamel coated. All you have to do is cut off the SE plus (leave 6” od wire so you can turn the old plug into an adapter), gently strip the wire, the put a small glob d solder on the tip of the iron, then hold the enameled wire in the glob of solder for a 30-60 seconds. That will melt off the enamel.  Then you simply solder on the XLR connector.


----------



## teknorob23

Managed to get a couple of hours listening in with then h2 and silver/gold cable. Good news the cables excesses in the treble have pulled back. It’s still pretty crystalline but mostly in a good way. The signature in general has become fuller and more natural in tone, the detail is still awesome as is separation and dynamism. The stage
Is wider and deeper although this is not as dramatic as it is with my euphoria supplying the amplification in front of the hugo. It’s genuinely astonishing how much depth is added via this set-up, i mean just wow!! 

The burn process never fails to surprise with the neotech cables, day 1 bass mute a bit closed, then day 2 from no where it booms and becomes completely exaggerated, then from there things begin to settle down with each day bringing more refinement and coherency to each frequency. The treble on the other hand stays more consistent throughout, but loses it edges, refines and more detail is revealed. The mids are the last element to flourish, they’ve sounded good but not completely coherent and now today suddenly voices especially female have found body weight and just sound natural and in the room. 

Overall i can say this wire is worth the money, I definitely not heard detail, depth and dynamism like this on any cable I’ve bought or made, which is quite a bold statement as I’ve spent into the 1000s on cables before (and at the time been very happy). Would I change anything, in my set up, no I don’t think i would. I don’t think id add copper into the mix, I think the gold on the whole takes the edge off the silver and without losing any of its benefits. I might add another 4 cores at some point to see what that does, but i know from have had 8 core and 4 core versions of a couple of effect audio cables, that it’s not always a case of more is best, just different. 

This cable is definitely good match for the stellia, superb for the euforia and really with the hugo2, but if your set up is bright it could be too much, but I’d be really interested to hear it with the dx220 and the nutubes amp9!

Cheers, rob


----------



## Feilong4

Anyone have any experience making a cable for an electrostatic headphone?

I'd like to make an adapter for an incoming Beyerdynamic ET1000 that has a 6 pin DIN plug. I was thinking of making a 6 pin DIN female to Stax 6 pin normal bias plug. Just don't know which wires to use and where to get them.


----------



## Oxnitron

RestlessZombi said:


> I think that the idea is that you buy that cable and replace the end 6.3mm / 1/4inch connector with an XLR connector as the headphone connectors are annoying to solder and the cable is expensive, but the standard cable is pretty good already and up until the end connector is balanced. There are a few companies near me that supply this service so i have bought a few of their off cuts and made balanced cables this way myself.
> 
> You've already sourced where you can get the XLR (Neutrik NC4 MXX-B) so it should be a simple operation





Paladin79 said:


> https://www.markertek.com/product/nc4mx-b/neutrik-nc4mx-b-xlr-male-4-pin-black-gold
> 
> Those are indeed fine connectors and if you are going to attach any connector to a cable, the XLR is one of the easiest; next are connectors with solder lugs.





Allanmarcus said:


> @RestlessZombi is correct. It’s relatively easy to convert the stock cable from SE to XLR. The only challenge is the wire inside the cable is enamel coated. All you have to do is cut off the SE plus (leave 6” od wire so you can turn the old plug into an adapter), gently strip the wire, the put a small glob d solder on the tip of the iron, then hold the enameled wire in the glob of solder for a 30-60 seconds. That will melt off the enamel.  Then you simply solder on the XLR connector.



Thanks a lot guys I'm going to try that then 

I didn't know that the 1/4inch cable was balanced until the connector.


----------



## legopart (Jun 12, 2019)

Feilong4 said:


> Anyone have any experience making a cable for an electrostatic headphone?
> 
> I'd like to make an adapter for an incoming Beyerdynamic ET1000 that has a 6 pin DIN plug. I was thinking of making a 6 pin DIN female to Stax 6 pin normal bias plug. Just don't know which wires to use and where to get them.


Where do you got the Stax plugs ?

You can make an addapter from the same headphone cable, just cut a piece of it.
Credit to some users that helped me about this issue in the past (bruma, MrTechAgent, realstar)






I recable this headphones first, with this cable "Sommer 200-0551 Peacock Dual Balanced Cable Black" this one used on Beyerdynamic T1.1 headphones.
It not the best quality for cable choose, but it  is AWG24 and very flexible.
at this days I instal the driver of Et1000 inside T1.1 (still keeping the original body) because I prefer the new design with the ear pads (Plan to install this drivers inside Dt880pro instead of T1.1 becoase it pricing and instal some Stax Lambda Normal 6pin cable).
For me they sound equals to Dt880 but without the bass, and less then T1
What is your sound impression from this headphones?


----------



## Feilong4

legopart said:


> Where do you got the Stax plugs ?
> 
> You can make an addapter from the same headphone cable, just cut a piece of it.
> Credit to some users that helped me about this issue in the past (bruma, MrTechAgent, realstar)
> ...



I don't have the Stax plug yet though it seems there are some available on ebay. I suppose I could just cut off the wire and reterminate it if it comes to it, though I'd like to keep the cable as is if possible.

I'm unable to test them since I don't have them yet (should be here tomorrow US time) and they won't come with the N1000 energizer. I'm also looking for a cheap Stax normal bias energizer to test them on.


----------



## sean-xenos

Sorry if this has been asked before ( at almost 600 pages this thread is a bit confusing...  ):

I recently bought a Hifiman HE-1000 SE and want to build my own balanced cables, appr. 5 meters long.

I already bought rhodium-plated connectors and want to terminate the cable with two 3-pin XLR plugs (that fit my amp SPL Phonitor 2).

Are there any suggestions for the cable / litz wire that don't break the bank ?

So far I have a recommendation for a braided cross symmetrical cable ( 2x 4 OFC / OCC copper litz, the litz of Sommer Cable SC-Square 4-Core Mk II)
from a German Forum.


----------



## teknorob23

My 2 pennies worth, Ive been experimenting building cables with lots of different wire. Neotech’s UP-OCC wins hands down for from performance point of view even if it’s a bit pricier than some the performance to cost ratio is really good. Their copper both single
And multistrand is probably the best value, Sq-wise has all benefits of good copper, full sounding, great bass and lovely natural midrange, but unlike ofc and other cheaper occ wire I’ve tried, it retains an airy extended  top end with great precision and dynamism across the range, something you’d expect from silver in the mix. 

Similarly neotech’s silver is a much more rounded performer than other silver wire I’ve tried, to the point where blind testing people have sworn its copper. It has a very natural sound with but detail retrieval and separation are a step up from the copper. 

I’ve just finished a cable with their silver gold up occ and yes it’s expensive and a pig to work with as it’s so delicate. It also takes a good 200hrs to run in but when it does it’s astonishingly good, big talk I know, but the depth it’s added with my stellia/ h2 / fa euphoria amp, is something to behold, it’s stunning in every other facet of its presentation and our performs £1000 cables
I’ve bought (which i also likes a lot). A
2 metre 4 core 28awg cable cost about £350, a 3 metre pure copper 8 core 24awg cost about  75,  8 core copper silver mix 3m about  £220 (best value for money imo vs SQ). As for wire I’ve tried various litz, multi-strand and single core versions, I personally think the sq is ever so marginally better with single core but you lose flexibility, so I’d go with multistrand for 5 metres. I braid pairs cores into one then braid them into one using a power drill which gives a nice even hassle free braid. Obvs others have different preferences here, hope that helps a bit


----------



## imas69

teknorob23 said:


> Just a quick report back on working with Neotech's UP-OCC silver/gold wire. I made an 4 core headphone cable for my Focal Stellia and wow this stuff is delicate much harder to work with than any other neotech wire i've used. At 0.1mm per strand width very easy to break one or all the strands, with a moment too long with the soldering iron or if you exert any pressure on it. Braiding the wire is also quite a frustrating process as it does not conform to the braid and will completely unravel at the drop of hat, that is until you braid the two channel braids into a single trunk and then it holds. Once i reset my patience  it wasnt too much of problem, but anyone who's thinking about using it and is relatively inexperienced, my advice is take your time
> 
> The good news is the pain is all worth in terms the cables sonic performance. I cant give a full report as i'm only at about 100hrs burn and i reckon this stuff needs 150-300hrs for the presentation to completely settle down and perform consistently. BUT wow so far it's outperforming every other combination i've tried, most noticeably in depth which is astonishing, as is the level of detail retrieval and seperation. It might not be great in brighter systems as its clarity and snap in the treble is on the verge of brutal, but in tube set-up its sounding very promising.
> 
> P.s for the eagle eyed among you, yes the 3.5mm connectors are different and no i hadnt noticed until i saw this pic, but with few choice sentiments expressed they're now the same


Hi, would you mind linking me to the 3.5mm jacks that you used for the headphone end connection please.
Thanks in advance.


----------



## imas69

IgeNeLL said:


> If you are interested, I'm having gold plated cooper 26 AWG and Gold plated Silver 24 AWG. Both is come with cryogen treatment which increase treble extension and dynamic range.


Where are you getting the wire from please.

Thank you


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> Hi, would you mind linking me to the 3.5mm jacks that you used for the headphone end connection please.
> Thanks in advance.



Connectors are made by neutrik subsidiary Rean: http://rean-connectors.com/

And cable from 
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/

Look in the “hook up wire” section


----------



## imas69

teknorob23 said:


> Connectors are made by neutrik subsidiary Rean: http://rean-connectors.com/
> 
> And cable from
> https://www.hificollective.co.uk/
> ...


Thanks very much


----------



## sean-xenos

teknorob23 said:


> My 2 pennies worth, Ive been experimenting building cables with lots of different wire. Neotech’s UP-OCC wins hands down for from performance point of view even if it’s a bit pricier than some the performance to cost ratio is really good. Their copper both single
> And multistrand is probably the best value, Sq-wise has all benefits of good copper, full sounding, great bass and lovely natural midrange, but unlike ofc and other cheaper occ wire I’ve tried, it retains an airy extended  top end with great precision and dynamism across the range, something you’d expect from silver in the mix.
> 
> Similarly neotech’s silver is a much more rounded performer than other silver wire I’ve tried, to the point where blind testing people have sworn its copper. It has a very natural sound with but detail retrieval and separation are a step up from the copper.
> ...



Is "Neotech STDCT multistrand copper wire" the right wire?  
It says 7 strands of 0.2mm wire for AWG 24. 

In the German forum I was advised to go for 0.05mm strands, 102 strands of 0.05mm OFC wire for AWG 24 ...


----------



## Allanmarcus

sean-xenos said:


> Sorry if this has been asked before ( at almost 600 pages this thread is a bit confusing...  ):
> 
> I recently bought a Hifiman HE-1000 SE and want to build my own balanced cables, appr. 5 meters long.
> 
> ...


I just made a cable from SC square 4 core. Good quality cable. Highly recommended. As is the sc-peacock cable from sommer.


----------



## teknorob23

sean-xenos said:


> Is "Neotech STDCT multistrand copper wire" the right wire?
> It says 7 strands of 0.2mm wire for AWG 24.
> 
> In the German forum I was advised to go for 0.05mm strands, 102 strands of 0.05mm OFC wire for AWG 24 ...



Yes thats the one and i'll stick my neck and say once you've heard UP-OCC you wont look at OFC copper again, it really is amazing stuff. There's a good reason why Neotech supply most very high end hifi companies they're just way ahead on wire tech. Obvs there are other opinions out there, but i'm confident you'll be happy once you hear it.


----------



## BiggieBig (Jun 16, 2019)

teknorob23 said:


> Yes thats the one and i'll stick my neck and say once you've heard UP-OCC you wont look at OFC copper again, it really is amazing stuff. There's a good reason why Neotech supply most very high end hifi companies they're just way ahead on wire tech. Obvs there are other opinions out there, but i'm confident you'll be happy once you hear it.


I back this guy he convinced.

I’m in the process of making the same cable. Arctic  cables claim to use the same cables but price it a little more obviously for their labour + costs etc etc t.


----------



## IgeNeLL

imas69 said:


> Where are you getting the wire from please.
> 
> Thank you


Local distributor of neotech 
I have sent email to Neotech but no reply and contact through distrubutor is OK @@


----------



## sean-xenos (Jun 17, 2019)

Allanmarcus said:


> I just made a cable from SC square 4 core. Good quality cable. Highly recommended. As is the sc-peacock cable from sommer.



The SC Peacock Mk II cable is the original cable for the Beyerdynamic T1, chosen by Beyerdynamic for a good reason I guess 

Another good cable for XLR-adapter cables or extension cables is the SC Albedo cable.

I made a XLR 4-pin to 2x XLR 3-pin adapter with the SC Albedo cable.

I am waiting for the cables and plugs to arrive ....


----------



## sean-xenos

Is there a recommended technique for the braiding of litz cables? 
I want to go for a cable with 8 cores (4 for each channel)...


----------



## CoiL

sean-xenos said:


> Is there a recommended technique for the braiding of litz cables?
> I want to go for a cable with 8 cores (4 for each channel)...


You can braid them as You wish. But this 8-strand "Herringbone" braid is most common one:


----------



## Oxnitron (Jun 18, 2019)

Hey guys I did what you suggested.
I bought a stock sennheiser hd650 cable, cut off the 6.3mm and replaced it with a 4pin xlr


----------



## RestlessZombi

Oxnitron said:


> Hey guys I did what you suggested.
> I bought a stock sennheiser hd650 cable, cut off the 6.3mm and replaced it with a 4pin xlr



Looks good. The cables look enamelled still so you'll be fine, but might be worth heat shrinking each contact in the plug to stop them shorting at a later date. If you plan on doing any more look into this otherwise, Congratulations on making our first Balanced Cable.


----------



## sean-xenos

CoiL said:


> You can braid them as You wish. But this 8-strand "Herringbone" braid is most common one: ...



Thanks a lot


----------



## Feilong4

Does anyone so happen know how to disassemble this Stax normal bias connector for soldering? It's an Amphenol connector that I bought from an ebay seller - I asked the seller yesterday but haven't gotten a reply yet.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Is there a screw in the little hole on the side?


----------



## Feilong4

Allanmarcus said:


> Is there a screw in the little hole on the side?



No screws nor threads to loosen the assembly.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Universal opening device:


----------



## Allanmarcus

Feilong4 said:


> Does anyone so happen know how to disassemble this Stax normal bias connector for soldering? It's an Amphenol connector that I bought from an ebay seller - I asked the seller yesterday but haven't gotten a reply yet.


I read this on headcase. Might apply



You push the wires through the pins and solder them indirectly. I usually tin the wire, feed the wire through the pin, feed solder in from the other side and heat up the side of the pin. Works like a charm with a very strong bond.


----------



## Andrew LB

teknorob23 said:


> *snip*. Neotech’s UP-OCC  *snip*



Maybe I missed something, but I went to look up Neotech and oddly they don't list their phone number or address. Heck, i can't even find what country they're in. 

In all honesty, when buying wire for DIY cables, you should base your decisions on look and feel since barring faulty assembly of the cable, you'll never hear the difference whether it be UP-OCC, OCC, or Silver. Any differences when comparing properly functioning cables is all in your head.


----------



## bogginhead

Does anyone know where I might be able to purchase some 3.5mm stereo (or mono; I'm not entirely sure which I need honestly) plugs that would work with the Audeze Sine DX?  I'm going to build a cable for it, and I'm having the hardest time finding plugs that are slim enough to fit into the very recessed Jack on the DX.


----------



## Allanmarcus

bogginhead said:


> Does anyone know where I might be able to purchase some 3.5mm stereo (or mono; I'm not entirely sure which I need honestly) plugs that would work with the Audeze Sine DX?  I'm going to build a cable for it, and I'm having the hardest time finding plugs that are slim enough to fit into the very recessed Jack on the DX.


Ask @PLUSSOUND audio, since they sell DIY and cables for the sine.


----------



## slappomatt

I'm also looking for some connectors for Hifiman HE-4XX. they take 2 pole 2.5mm although the stock cable is 3 pole.  I bought these from Ebay, but the tip is about .020" shorter than the stock one and I have to wiggle it to get it to work and it cuts out all the time. the jacks on the headset are recessed a bit I need a thin body or at least a step as these have. any idea's? The struggle is real trying to find quality 2.5mm connectors. its all china junk.


----------



## teknorob23

Andrew LB said:


> Maybe I missed something, but I went to look up Neotech and oddly they don't list their phone number or address. Heck, i can't even find what country they're in.
> 
> In all honesty, when buying wire for DIY cables, you should base your decisions on look and feel since barring faulty assembly of the cable, you'll never hear the difference whether it be UP-OCC, OCC, or Silver. Any differences when comparing properly functioning cables is all in your head.



Have you heard it yet? Look and feel doesn’t really bother me as my first priority is sound quality. When I started making cables I had no particular loyalty or preconceptions. The neotech up-occ cable in my experience is the best I’ve heard by a considerable and very noticeable margin, whereas with most other wire i tried the differences were slight. 

Apologies if I’ve misunderstood your post but If you don’t believe the type of wire and it’s construction can alter sound performance, i am not going to try and change your mind. Each to their own, but I’m happy with the results I get and can hear very clear audible differences the most notable of which is with this manufacturers mono-crystal cable


----------



## sean-xenos (Jul 1, 2019)

I am sure that there is an audible difference between OFC, OCC copper, UP-OCC copper, silver-plated OCC copper and pure silver and everything comes at a price, pure silver being the most expensive.
A mixture of pure silver and UP-OCC like 2 wires of silver and 2 wires of copper per driver is another possibility.

UP-OCC and pure silver are expensive wires and that makes experimenting with different materials very challenging.


----------



## kingkikapu

OCC is a casting process, not an element.


----------



## sean-xenos (Jul 1, 2019)

slappomatt said:


> I'm also looking for some connectors for Hifiman HE-4XX. they take 2 pole 2.5mm although the stock cable is 3 pole.  I bought these from Ebay, but the tip is about .020" shorter than the stock one and I have to wiggle it to get it to work and it cuts out all the time. the jacks on the headset are recessed a bit I need a thin body or at least a step as these have. any idea's? The struggle is real trying to find quality 2.5mm connectors. its all china junk...



Most high-end cable manufacturers use VIABLUE 3.5mm mini stereo connectors but there are no 2.5mm connectors made by VIABLUE.

Those 2.5 mm connectors are quite challenging mechanically.
Redco Audio offers some 2.5mm mini stereo connectors that look promising, but I haven't used them myself https://www.redco.com/Redco-2.5mm-Male-TRS-w-Collar.html


----------



## sean-xenos (Jul 1, 2019)

kingkikapu said:


> OCC is a casting process, not an element.


I assumed that it's common to write OCC instead of OCC copper.

I changed my post above to avoid misunderstandings though.


----------



## kingkikapu

You can also buy 5N ohno cast continuous silver from reputable manufacturers.


----------



## teknorob23

sean-xenos said:


> I am sure that there is an audible difference between OFC, OCC copper, UP-OCC copper, silver-plated OCC copper and pure silver and everything comes at a price, pure silver being the most expensive.
> A mixture of pure silver and UP-OCC like 2 wires of silver and 2 wires of copper per driver is another possibility.
> 
> UP-OCC and pure silver are expensive wires and that makes experimenting with different materials very challenging.



Agreed and i can vouch for mixing silver and copper UP-OCC in an 8 core cable, sounding fantastic and probably the best value vs performance cable I’ve made.


----------



## legopart (Jul 3, 2019)

Corrosion inside used/vintage headphones cables
the white mesh strings covered by green and the copper covered to, black or white coloring.
can It damage the sound.
should I replace it?


----------



## kingkikapu

Yes oxidation reduces conductivity, and conductivity is the biggest contributor to quality sound reproduction.  As to whether you can actually hear the difference, well, that is a lot harder to determine.

Was the oxidation found just at the end of the cable, or are you noticing it everywhere you opened up the sheathing?  
You can purchase some DeoxIT (the red one) and clean your wires ends if you think it is worth saving them.  When making cables I always treat areas exposed to air with deoxit gold (the yellow one) to reduce long term oxidation.

This is one of the reasons why litz wire is great: it doesn't oxidise.


----------



## teknorob23

Sorry I know I’ve already asked a similar question re large diameter paracord sleeving . I’ve used the largest available from paracord.eu, the paramax which is about 6mm diameter. This is fine for 4 core, but not wide enough for 8 and 12 core. So my question is, has anyone found wide diameter sleeving made from soft material, ideally similar finish to paracord 7-8mm plus. Any suggestions gratefully received


----------



## legopart

kingkikapu said:


> Yes oxidation reduces conductivity, and conductivity is the biggest contributor to quality sound reproduction.  As to whether you can actually hear the difference, well, that is a lot harder to determine.
> 
> Was the oxidation found just at the end of the cable, or are you noticing it everywhere you opened up the sheathing?
> You can purchase some DeoxIT (the red one) and clean your wires ends if you think it is worth saving them.  When making cables I always treat areas exposed to air with deoxit gold (the yellow one) to reduce long term oxidation.
> ...


It used cable with mesh matirial that absorbed lots of water throth the years.
I sure that the oxide/corrosion is on the middle of the cable.
I short some of the cables from the corrosion parts on the ends but I sure it useless.


----------



## legopart (Jul 3, 2019)

teknorob23 said:


> Sorry I know I’ve already asked a similar question re large diameter paracord sleeving . I’ve used the largest available from paracord.eu, the paramax which is about 6mm diameter. This is fine for 4 core, but not wide enough for 8 and 12 core. So my question is, has anyone found wide diameter sleeving made from soft material, ideally similar finish to paracord 7-8mm plus. Any suggestions gratefully received


take the risk and order one pair of the 8mm that I suggested, they pretty hard to install but I like them.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flat-Waxed...var=521279153256&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
but they no more then 1.8-1.9m


I continue to order with anormouse prices laces for headphones cable, instead of paracords, from plastic matterials that I disslike.

the real lace from Waxed Cotton is much softer and feels more quality.
unfurtunaly on fire its not melts as the plastic paracord, but its burn.
I try to cover it by hot-glue and then by heat shrink

https://www.ebay.com/itm/120-cm-long-6-mm-round-waxed-Cotton-Black-Boot-laces-Single-and-Two-pair-Packs/303131797201?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=602064015331






I used this lace for this cable https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flat-Waxed-Cotton-Shoe-Laces-Dress-Shoelace-Coloured-leather-Bootlace-8mm-Wide/222409591649?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=521279153256&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649


I searching for the original matterial that I could order by metters, I payed too much for it!
my cable standarts is 1.6-*1.8m* long.
takes me long desicions to decide it. its not too short but not too long for my underdesk amp.

Because of it I started to build mount cables like it:


legopart said:


> Planning to create unplugged mount for most of my headphones.
> This is my first testing.
> I mod this headphones to work good with "l*eft sided cable*" as same as "*double sided cable* " (the top cable between the caps (that goes through the headband) connect the right driver to the mount)
> I use the most  fat cable that I found to this version, to check if they improve the quality.
> ...



I made too much rebuildings to my cables only to replace the laces/paracord


legopart said:


> I decently understand you, I put the same connection on many headphones and plan to make it on more.
> I just wanted to adjust one cable for all .
> and many say me that the better way is to buy new one expensive that accept all the option with balanced unplugged cable
> 
> ...


the modding ideal proccess is too long


----------



## teknorob23

legopart said:


> take the risk and order one pair of the 8mm that I suggested, they pretty hard to install but I like them.
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flat-Waxed...var=521279153256&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
> but they no more then 1.8-1.9m
> 
> ...



Great suggestion thank you  just ordered a selection of different wide laces from different vendors on amazon. Thanks again


----------



## legopart

teknorob23 said:


> Great suggestion thank you  just ordered a selection of different wide laces from different vendors on amazon. Thanks again


Can you send me a link for it?


----------



## teknorob23

I bought 4 different sets but this pair were the only ones which opened up nicely, but went on really well and were ideal for this 8 core cable and would definitely accommodate a larger diameter than this. Nice soft finish and didnt melt when i was putting the heat shrink on which always good 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B012KZY2KQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the tip off, its a great solution for cables around 2 meter mark. 

Re the cable itself i'm experimenting by adding UPOCC neotech multi-strand copper to the Silver Gold UPOCC, because i finally put my finger one thing that wasnt quite perfect with the straigh SG cable, it was missing the sub-bass depth which my copper/silver had, so hopefully this will be rectified, but i can definitely see another 4 cores of silver being added at some point to make this up to a 12 core... especially now i have the perfect sleeving solution!


----------



## legopart

This office chair is the number one cable killer





no cable is damaged even today, but when I found the cable got stuck under one wheel, its makes me unhappy.

this is one of the the reasons why I made my cables shorter.
the main reason is quality.
but for measorment of the cable length I took the most short distance when my hand can reach the room's door and the maximum distance when the cable have not enough length to got stuck under the wheels.

I know about the option to tie the cable, but I not like it.
someone knows another ways?


----------



## Christoph

Hi there, 
I plan to make a balanced cable for my Fostex TH900 mk2. I figured out the plugs, but i'm confused about the cable itself.
Is there a faq or introduction text/page that explains the abreviations and differences and what i have to pay attention to when i pick a cable for a balanced headphone connection?
Of course i tried to google it, but not very successful.


----------



## legopart

Fostex TH900 mk2 plugs cost lots of money.
You have to buy some cable that splits to 2 seperate cables and having 4.5mm external diameter

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/330...lgo_pvid=cfc8f8f5-7a9a-44cd-b527-c8d9bb28c894





If the other side will use 4xlr connector, I think that even 9mm cable will fit there.

You have to buy cable that splits to 4cores (cables that splits to 2 seperate cables will also have 4cores)


----------



## slappomatt

those look just like sennheiser HD 600 plugs and just like those they SUCK IMO. why hasnt the indusrty landed on a standard headphone plug. its dumb every brand using some funky plug. dual 3.5mm mono or single 2.5mm balanced should be it.


----------



## Allanmarcus

slappomatt said:


> those look just like sennheiser HD 600 plugs and just like those they SUCK IMO. why hasnt the indusrty landed on a standard headphone plug. its dumb every brand using some funky plug. dual 3.5mm mono or single 2.5mm balanced should be it.


They look similar to the sennheiser plugs, but they are not the same. The way the plug lock is different, and the they insert slightly more than the sell plugs.

You can get cheap senn plugs on eBay or aliexpress and use a utility knife to trim a tiny pit of the plastic off to allow for slight more insertion.

As for wire, just get some mogomi or canare or other good brand quad mic cable. I have lots listed on my site, as well as a lot of info a newbie cable maker might find useful.


----------



## Christoph

Thanks for all your input. 
Yes, its annoying that there are so many different headphone plugs and the Fostex are really expensive. 
Maybe i get cheap Sennheiser plugs first and try to cut them for a deeper insertion, if that doesn't work i can still get the expensive Fostex plugs.

I thought about the Mogami 2893 mic cable which has 4.8 mm diameter. Would this probably work? 

Then i have to pick a suitable splitter that is big enough...


----------



## Christoph

The amp side would be either a 4xlr (desktop amp) or a Pentaconn 4.4mm balanced plug if i decide to use it for my portable dap, a iBasso DX220 with Amp8 which has this type of output.
I havn't found the pinout for the Pentaconn 4.4mm balanced plug yet... does somebody have a hint?


----------



## legopart (Jul 7, 2019)

Christoph said:


> Thanks for all your input.
> Yes, its annoying that there are so many different headphone plugs and the Fostex are really expensive.
> Maybe i get cheap Sennheiser plugs first and try to cut them for a deeper insertion, if that doesn't work i can still get the expensive Fostex plugs.
> 
> ...


26 AWG
the cable looks smaller,
do you sure that you can splitt it ?

as I said before, I bought the "Sommer 200-0551 Peacock Dual Balanced Cable" and decided to use it on my headphones.
Beyerdynamic T1 gen1 using the first, gen2 using much comfort cable.
each cable having ~4.5mm diameter.
so It wouldn't fit to sennheiser plug


I will take for you the measurements





try to compare





For sennheiser hd6xx I using this cable.
Its easy to split it
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4core-Copper-Wire-DIY-Audio-RCA-XLR-Cable-MR202-2AT-Balance/332044643453
Not so flexible when you split it. but it having isolation for each spliting pair
only 24awg but with shielding for each pair.
the sound quality is pretty good but not enough


----------



## teknorob23

Christoph said:


> The amp side would be either a 4xlr (desktop amp) or a Pentaconn 4.4mm balanced plug if i decide to use it for my portable dap, a iBasso DX220 with Amp8 which has this type of output.
> I havn't found the pinout for the Pentaconn 4.4mm balanced plug yet... does somebody have a hint?



Is this what you’re after? The soldering points on the inside correspond with the outer rings, but check with a multi-meter before connecting. Oh and you don’t use the ground connection.


----------



## Christoph

teknorob23 said:


> Is this what you’re after? The soldering points on the inside correspond with the outer rings, but check with a multi-meter before connecting. Oh and you don’t use the ground connection.



Yes, @teknorob23 that is exactly what i'm looking for, thanks!


----------



## Christoph

@legopart
Ok, I see. Thanks for the measurements.
The Mogami 2893 hasn't a separate shield for each of the 2x2 cores.
Then it is maybe not the best choice if this is important.

What do you mean with


> the sound quality is pretty good but not enough


?

Does "not enough" means in fact "not good enough" ?

Would it be a bad idea to use a thicker cable and remove the outer insulation just before the plug and use shrink sleeve ?
I will have a look at the recommended cables.
Thanks!


----------



## teknorob23

Christoph said:


> Yes, @teknorob23 that is exactly what i'm looking for, thanks!



great, its actually not to bad to work with especially compared to the tiny 2.5mm balanced plugs. But i strongly recommend one of these extra hand modelling clamps (lose the magnifying glass) so you can get everything in place before you start soldering. Then apply heat each connection and blob of solder. Do this to all the points first, then press each wire on with the soldering iron, holding it on only momentarily to make the bond. A few deep breaths help the first time you do it


----------



## sean-xenos

teknorob23 said:


> great, its actually not to bad to work with especially compared to the tiny 2.5mm balanced plugs. But i strongly recommend one of these extra hand modelling clamps (lose the magnifying glass) so you can get everything in place before you start soldering. Then apply heat each connection and blob of solder. Do this to all the points first, then press each wire on with the soldering iron, holding it on only momentarily to make the bond. A few deep breaths help the first time you do it


Yes, you definitely need the "extra hands". 

I couldn't work on cables and plugs without them.


----------



## sean-xenos

teknorob23 said:


> Sorry I know I’ve already asked a similar question re large diameter paracord sleeving . I’ve used the largest available from paracord.eu, the paramax which is about 6mm diameter. This is fine for 4 core, but not wide enough for 8 and 12 core. So my question is, has anyone found wide diameter sleeving made from soft material, ideally similar finish to paracord 7-8mm plus. Any suggestions gratefully received


ViaBlue offers paracord sleevings in three different diameters and many different color patterns per meter, you can also have much longer lengths like 5 meters or 10 meters...
Their biggest diameter is good for 8 or even 12 core braided cables


----------



## imas69

Christoph said:


> @legopart
> Ok, I see. Thanks for the measurements.
> The Mogami 2893 hasn't a separate shield for each of the 2x2 cores.
> Then it is maybe not the best choice if this is important.
> ...


Just use the Mogami, a screen is not required after the split over such short lengths, to many people scare monger about microphonics and stethoscope effect when it is very rare to get this
especially in a home environment where you are not constantly moving about and believe me the Mogami also sounds fine and you would only notice minimal differences with higher grade wire.


----------



## sean-xenos

Christoph said:


> Thanks for all your input.
> Yes, its annoying that there are so many different headphone plugs and the Fostex are really expensive.
> Maybe i get cheap Sennheiser plugs first and try to cut them for a deeper insertion, if that doesn't work i can still get the expensive Fostex plugs.
> 
> ...



You actually don't have to care about the diameter of the cable too much. You always can remove the sleeving and shielding of the cable and use some heat shrink instead. The shielding isn't really necessary for small sections like one inch...


----------



## teknorob23

sean-xenos said:


> ViaBlue offers paracord sleevings in three different diameters and many different color patterns per meter, you can also have much longer lengths like 5 meters or 10 meters...
> Their biggest diameter is good for 8 or even 12 core braided cables



Awesome thanks for the heads up. Laces work well but obvs they litterally only stretch so far


----------



## Christoph

@teknorob23
Good hint, i will get an extra hand with clamps.

@sean-xenos
Yes, exactly this was my intention to use a heat shrink and remove the shielding at the last inch.


----------



## Allanmarcus

Christoph said:


> The Mogami 2893 hasn't a separate shield for each of the 2x2 cores.
> Then it is maybe not the best choice if this is important.



shielding is not needed for headphone cables. many of us have made many cables with no shielding and they work great. Most of us strip off the shielding and braid or twist the wires.


----------



## mattiav

Allanmarcus said:


> shielding is not needed for headphone cables. many of us have made many cables with no shielding and they work great. Most of us strip off the shielding and braid or twist the wires.



+1

Look at any of the super high end cables on sale. Few to no shielded runs.


----------



## legopart (Jul 7, 2019)

I plaaning to build some doal sided speaker cable from pair of this speakers cable






18-14AWG

only to prof myself that more conductor is better and the fact that the shielding or twisting method not affect for 2m headphone cable.

How can I glue between two seperate cable and make them as speaker cable ?


----------



## Allanmarcus

legopart said:


> I plaaning to build some doal sided speaker cable from pair of this speakers cable
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Don't glue. Use a wider sleeve for the section between the Y split and the plug.


----------



## lukedss

Hi all, looking to have 65cm custom iem cable made for my iSine's (not over ear) and for aesthetic purposes was considering having nylon sleeving.

This will be used for portable on the go with Es100, do you think it will affect the weight/comfort dramatically? Any other considerations I should make?


----------



## teknorob23

lukedss said:


> Hi all, looking to have 65cm custom iem cable made for my iSine's (not over ear) and for aesthetic purposes was considering having nylon sleeving.
> 
> This will be used for portable on the go with Es100, do you think it will affect the weight/comfort dramatically? Any other considerations I should make?



do you have a budget in mind?


----------



## legopart

65cm is too shorts, its for headphones that will goes up to little bit more then your shoulders


----------



## lukedss

teknorob23 said:


> do you have a budget in mind?



Sorry, I should have said I am having something made


----------



## lukedss (Jul 8, 2019)

legopart said:


> 65cm is too shorts, its for headphones that will goes up to little bit more then your shoulders



Yes, 65cm is from lower ear to above my hip (where the Es100 sits on its cord around my neck-tucked under my arm)


----------



## legopart

Do you going to use this twistred cable? (I dont know how you goind to split it and then twist it again)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32811822368.html


----------



## Christoph

Oxnitron said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> I want to use my hd660s with a 4pin XLR balanced amplifier.
> The problem is that the cables are ridiculously expensive for my taste so I'm thinking about making an adapter.
> ...




I didn't find an answer to this question. Apologies in case i missed the answer.
Does anybody know a source (ideally Europe) for 4.4 Pentaconn plugs (male + female) ?
I noticed that moon audio has at least the male plug for 30USD. Any other sources (maybe cheaper...) ?


----------



## legopart

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/329....3.167.398f5fceFh7cOg&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/330....3.221.318b4e0a3WFmA5&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0


----------



## Christoph

legopart said:


> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/329....3.167.398f5fceFh7cOg&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/330....3.221.318b4e0a3WFmA5&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0


Thanks @legopart
That answers also my untold question if 4.4 balanced plugs from 3rd partys are compatible with the original Pentaconn plugs.
I wasn't sure about this if i can simply search for any 5pol 4.4mm balanced plugs.


----------



## legopart (Jul 9, 2019)

Christoph said:


> Thanks @legopart
> That answers also my untold question if 4.4 balanced plugs from 3rd partys are compatible with the original Pentaconn plugs.
> I wasn't sure about this if i can simply search for any 5pol 4.4mm balanced plugs.


I sure its the same.
Pentaconn has the sony rights so chinies not writing it properly.




about the shielding,
I found this item
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1m-3-3ft-6mm-Flat-Pure-Copper-Cable-Bare-Copper-Braid-Wire-Shielding-Ground-Lead/401748756574





Dont know is it possible to isolate it with quality material (not a heatshrink tube)


----------



## teknorob23

Has anyone come across a rhodium or silver plated mono 3.5mm connector. The neutrik rean GP connectors are great value but i'm building a fairly exotic cable and would like to try something equally exotic on the connector front. 3.5mm rhodium stereo jack are 2 a penny but there seems to be very little choice on the mono front. Any suggestions gratefully received


----------



## legopart (Jul 9, 2019)

I have 2 pairs of  Beyerdamic T1 gen1 headphones
I decided long time ago to install on them the mount for unpluged cable (4pin mini xlr)





on the other mind I hate the fact the I need to store the cable with the headpohnes inside the case all the time.
but at this point this headphone have high quality cable and good flexible connection.
I plan to coppy the Dt880 constroction and allowed the lefts sided connection only as same as doal sided.






I tried to create some beta vesion for doal sided+ left side combo









Now I plan to do so on the Beyerdynamic T1
But still I think that unpluged cable is to messy.

The cable creation is done. but I need another opinion about mount adding to the headphones.


----------



## mattiav

legopart said:


> I sure its the same.
> Pentaconn has the sony rights so chinies not writing it properly.
> 
> 
> ...



Ok, so you have a shield in place. Then what? What are you going to connect the shield to to ground it? Seems like a lot of work for no discernible benefit.


----------



## teknorob23

I'm hoping you wont judge me for showing my ignorance here , but following on from my failed search to find a rhodium plated mono 3.5mm connectors (to fit focal stellia, clear etc).

Can i wire a stereo TRS 3.5mm to work in a mono socket? If so would it mean wiring the live to the tip, ignoring the "right/ring) connection and soldering the negative to the sleeve as with the mono connector. As you can see i need help and as always it will be gratefully received


----------



## hakuzen

teknorob23 said:


> I'm hoping you wont judge me for showing my ignorance here , but following on from my failed search to find a rhodium plated mono 3.5mm connectors (to fit focal stellia, clear etc).
> 
> Can i wire a stereo TRS 3.5mm to work in a mono socket? If so would it mean wiring the live to the tip, ignoring the "right/ring) connection and soldering the negative to the sleeve as with the mono connector. As you can see i need help and as always it will be gratefully received


this will work surely.
if don't, which it would be rare, you can also connect negative to sleeve but also to ring.


----------



## teknorob23

hakuzen said:


> this will work surely.
> if don't, which it would be rare, you can also connect negative to sleeve but also to ring.



thats what i was thinking, i guess i should stop being lazy, get the soldering iron out and try it.


----------



## imas69

teknorob23 said:


> thats what i was thinking, i guess i should stop being lazy, get the soldering iron out and try it.


I made a cable for my hd700 with 2.5mm stereo connectors and it is fine but I would not disconnect the cable from the headphones while the music is playing just in
case but I sincerely doubt even this would be a problem


----------



## hakuzen

teknorob23 said:


> thats what i was thinking, i guess i should stop being lazy, get the soldering iron out and try it.


i've not tried to solder on rhodium plated contacts, but i've heard they are harder to solder (sanding plating suggested, and extra heat when pre-tinning)


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> I made a cable for my hd700 with 2.5mm stereo connectors and it is fine but I would not disconnect the cable from the headphones while the music is playing just in
> case but I sincerely doubt even this would be a problem


good to know thanks. Its frustrating that there seem to be so few options for 3.5 mono connectors out there, seems to be rean or nothing, whereas there's loads of choice on the trs front


----------



## imas69

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/330...lgo_pvid=106d76fe-3919-419c-92a4-698e13cb8dce

You will have to wait a while but they are quite nice, I ordered a couple to start off with but I think they are probably still at least a week away but I'll let you know if you can hang on for a while. Are you in the UK.


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33008244834.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.118.1cf32299OpOPkS&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_6_10065_10130_10068_10547_319_317_10548_10696_10192_10190_453_10084_454_10083_10618_10307_10820_10301_10821_10303_537_536_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103,searchweb201603_53,ppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=106d76fe-3919-419c-92a4-698e13cb8dce-17&algo_pvid=106d76fe-3919-419c-92a4-698e13cb8dce
> 
> You will have to wait a while but they are quite nice, I ordered a couple to start off with but I think they are probably still at least a week away but I'll let you know if you can hang on for a while. Are you in the UK.



wow you've got a better eye than me, i searched ali express and missed these. I am in the UK yes and i look forward to hearing what theyre like Rob


----------



## imas69

teknorob23 said:


> wow you've got a better eye than me, i searched ali express and missed these. I am in the UK yes and i look forward to hearing what theyre like Rob


What will you be terminating it with at the source end because I have some Eidolic 3.5mm trs and matching 4pin xlr or 6.35mm jacks from the US which are beautiful but
obviously we would need to sort something out, are you going to canjam this month. Check them out at Norne audio, the 3.5mm clearly states that they can be used for
Stellia etc, the constant struggle I find is for decent splitters as they all seem to be too big or too small


----------



## sean-xenos

teknorob23 said:


> I'm hoping you wont judge me for showing my ignorance here , but following on from my failed search to find a rhodium plated mono 3.5mm connectors (to fit focal stellia, clear etc).
> 
> Can i wire a stereo TRS 3.5mm to work in a mono socket? If so would it mean wiring the live to the tip, ignoring the "right/ring) connection and soldering the negative to the sleeve as with the mono connector. As you can see i need help and as always it will be gratefully received



Yes, that works for sure. The original Hifiman cables are made in the same way.


----------



## sennfan83261

sean-xenos said:


> Yes, that works for sure. The original Hifiman cables are made in the same way.


I was about to ask the same question because I saw Hifiman (store page) use stereo 3.5mm L and R connectors instead of mono ones in their XLR 4-pin balanced cables they sell.  Thanks for the tip (pun intended).


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> What will you be terminating it with at the source end because I have some Eidolic 3.5mm trs and matching 4pin xlr or 6.35mm jacks from the US which are beautiful but
> obviously we would need to sort something out, are you going to canjam this month. Check them out at Norne audio, the 3.5mm clearly states that they can be used for
> Stellia etc, the constant struggle I find is for decent splitters as they all seem to be too big or too small



I’m hoping to go but not sure which day yet as it’s a busy time for work. I’m using a 6.35mm connector amp end and I have a couple of furutech rhodium plugs I’ve been saving for special builds but I may well be interested in 3.5’s. The eidolic plugs look great and good value comparatively at least. 



sean-xenos said:


> Yes, that works for sure. The original Hifiman cables are made in the same way.





sennfan83261 said:


> I was about to ask the same question because I saw Hifiman (store page) use stereo 3.5mm L and R connectors instead of mono ones in their XLR 4-pin balanced cables they sell.  Thanks for the tip (pun intended).



Am i right in assuming they wire the + to the ring and - to the tip if they’re wiring the other end to a 4pin balanced. Or do they wire as mono plugs? I have made balanced cables for focal clears using Mono 3.5s and 4-pin XLR which worked fine


----------



## Christoph (Jul 11, 2019)

To build a balanced cable i'd like to
summarize some points if i have understood it right:


Shielding is not necessary
Cheap alternative is to strip the wires out of a microphone cable
Other alternative is to buy a single wire (length x4) (here is not clear for me how to keep the overview if every cable looks the same. Has to be electrical measured after the braiding, i assume. Different colours would help a lot i guess)
Braiding for a balanced cable shortens a cable around ~15% which has to be respected when calculating the overall final length
All wires have to be cut exact to the same lenght before braiding
Braiding for a balances cable should be done per side (left/right) separate.
Means braid 2 wires for left side and 2 wires for the right side. Its not necessary to braid all 4 wires together, but it is an option and not false, correct ?
Overall diameter of the wires and the insert hole of the plugs have to be considered

Please correct me if i have understood something wrong.
Btw. Is there any FAQ for this basic things ? I didn't find any up to now. And this thread is veeeeery long.

Additional question:
Any recommentation for a high quality copper cable which is not too thin?
Is there any recommendation for a minimum diameter ? AWG <=26 ? Or better AWG<=24 ?

The earlier mentioned Sommer Cable Square 4-Core MKII seems to be "good" but not great (you get what you pay for).
This shouldn't sound snobby...
Just thinking about alternatives.

For my understanding (cable is only an example):
https://www.toxic-cables.co.uk/product/black-widow-litz-26awg-cotton-occ-cryo-stranded-copper-wire/

As this seems to be a single wire (correct?), i would need 4m of it if i want to build a 1m balanced cable, is this correct ?


----------



## imas69

Christoph said:


> To build a balanced cable i'd like to
> summarize some points if i have understood it right:
> 
> 
> ...


You only need 4 wires not 8


----------



## Christoph (Jul 11, 2019)

imas69 said:


> You only need 4 wires not 8


Of course, sure. Don't know why i wrote 8....i guess some braiding instructions have confused my mind.
I have corrected in the above post to avoid confusion of later readers.


----------



## sean-xenos

...





Christoph said:


> Additional question:
> Any recommentation for a high quality copper cable which is not too thin?
> Is there any recommendation for a minimum diameter ? AWG <=26 ? Or better AWG<=24 ?
> 
> ...



You are right, the SC Square 4 Mk II is okay and a bargain for the money but not great. It's a good cable for training braiding techniques as each of the four cores has a different colour.

UP-OCC wires are generally recommended for copper wires, like Neotech UP-OCC 7N copper wire.

But the whole cable matter is far more complicated than just selecting the purest copper wire. The cable does have a sonic effect and is part of the headphone development.

For example, if your headphone manufacturer uses a certain brand of silver-plated OCC copper wire in its stock cables anything else than the original wire will change the sonic signature of your headphone.
This might be a desired effect or quite the contrary ....


----------



## RestlessZombi

Christoph said:


> To build a balanced cable i'd like to
> summarize some points if i have understood it right:
> 
> 
> ...




To add something to your points, I have made a few cables with the same colours and its not a major issue if you have a Multi-meter. It will almost certainly have a "Continuity" option that you can use on each end to "find" the right wire if you use one of the probes at each end. This is also a great thing for testing that you haven't soldered any of the wires or connector points together, this is easy to do and hard to fix at a later date if you find its happened.

You can cut the cables after braiding them, if anything its easier just to leave them as the points to solder are often at different lengths so theres no benefit if cutting them twice. Cutting them first will almost certainly result in them being different lengths after either way.

For strength and ease, start at the end connector, solder, heatshrink and then braid all four up to the length you wants to leave around the "Y" split (plus 20%as twisting from here will take away a little length) twist the two wires to the headphone end, trim, add connectors and heatshrink.

its up to you how chunky you want the cable to be when considering the cable gauge, i have used 24AWG for most of mine, single strand per connection for light weights cables to travel with and dual strand for my HD650 cable i will use at home (two cables of 24AWG for Positive, two for Negative, making 8 cables at the end connector). if you want to just use 4 strands consider 22 or 20 (there is a bigger difference is thickness as you go down the numbers each step then if you go up)

I believe your right that the cable in your link is just one core, thus you would need 4 sections to make a cable, but remember that firstly that price is for one foot or about 30cm (0.3 of a metre) of it and you will need more then 4 metres of it as you wish to braid it too, thus maybe 5 to 6 metres required for a 1 metre cable.

so at £1.95 per foot and 3 foot per metre (roughly) your looking at 1.95 x 3 x 6 = £35 verses about £3 for 4 Core Thick Mic Cable (Link for the example i use here) Obviously the former is going to be far better quality, but it just shows the difference in cost of cables depending of what you're after. 

I can send a cable making tip guide I made but for now its a little random


----------



## teknorob23

Christoph said:


> To build a balanced cable i'd like to
> summarize some points if i have understood it right:
> 
> 
> ...



At the risk, for regular contributors to this thread, of sounding like a stuck record the best quality copper i've found by some distance is Neotech UPOCC, both solid core and multistrand. The solid core comes in any gauge from 12-30AWG and in multistrand 12-24 AWG. I have used both and SQ is nearly identical between solid and multi-strand, but the later is obvs more flexible. A 4-core 24awg 1.5m cable will set you back £25 for the wire (https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/stdct24-neotech-upocc-copper-wire-702mm-teflon-p-8454.html), which is incredible value as it easily out performs £250+ copper OFC shop bought cables i've owned and most other OCC cable i've tested. The only other OCC wire that could be worth trying is VH Audio Uni-crystal copper. I've not tried it personally but i know others on here have had great success with it and have been really impressed with the SQ. It is a bit more expensive and harder to get in europe


----------



## mattiav

Christoph said:


> To build a balanced cable i'd like to
> summarize some points if i have understood it right:
> 
> 
> ...



Pretty much, for all of that. 

Just to note that Toxic Cables does not appear to exist any more - no reply to e-mail and a site that hasn’t been updated in ages since the original owner passed away, from what I can tell. So you’re better off trying to source your cable elsewhere...


----------



## teknorob23

mattiav said:


> Pretty much, for all of that.
> 
> Just to note that Toxic Cables does not appear to exist any more - no reply to e-mail and a site that hasn’t been updated in ages since the original owner passed away, from what I can tell. So you’re better off trying to source your cable elsewhere...



I think his Son tried to carry things on for a while but definitely shut now. Best place i've found to by cable or DIY spare generally are https://www.hificollective.co.uk/ then these guys stock pretty much every connector you could need https://oidiosound.co.uk/ + they do sell cable too (but not the range Hifi collective have. Both are run by really nice people who are happy to answer how to questions and deliver next day at reasonable rates


----------



## Christoph

sean-xenos said:


> ...
> 
> You are right, the SC Square 4 Mk II is okay and a bargain for the money but not great. It's a good cable for training braiding techniques as each of the four cores has a different colour.
> 
> ...



Headphone to connect with is a Fostex TH-900 MK2, the stock cable i want to replace is a 7N OFC Copper.
Reading about cable sounds seems to be hard to hear for me, but i have to admit that i never had the chance of comparing different cables on the same headphone.
About silver the opinions seems to be diverse and this is nothing i would start the DIY with. 
I like to keep the impact of the bass of the TH-900, could be also more in my opinion (if a cable supports this).


----------



## Christoph

RestlessZombi said:


> I can send a cable making tip guide I made but for now its a little random



Thanks for your tips. The mic cable is compared to some other single cables definitive a bargain. At least a good cable to practice with before moving to more expensive ones.
In case you have a tip guide at your hands, would be great to read it.


----------



## Christoph

teknorob23 said:


> At the risk, for regular contributors to this thread, of sounding like a stuck record the best quality copper i've found by some distance is Neotech UPOCC, both solid core and multistrand. The solid core comes in any gauge from 12-30AWG and in multistrand 12-24 AWG. I have used both and SQ is nearly identical between solid and multi-strand, but the later is obvs more flexible. A 4-core 24awg 1.5m cable will set you back £25 for the wire (https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/stdct24-neotech-upocc-copper-wire-702mm-teflon-p-8454.html), which is incredible value as it easily out performs £250+ copper OFC shop bought cables i've owned and most other OCC cable i've tested. The only other OCC wire that could be worth trying is VH Audio Uni-crystal copper. I've not tried it personally but i know others on here have had great success with it and have been really impressed with the SQ. It is a bit more expensive and harder to get in europe



Thanks for the wire suggestion, i definitely will have a closer look, sounds very interesting and like a good value for the money.


----------



## Christoph

mattiav said:


> Pretty much, for all of that.
> Just to note that Toxic Cables does not appear to exist any more - no reply to e-mail and a site that hasn’t been updated in ages since the original owner passed away, from what I can tell. So you’re better off trying to source your cable elsewhere...





teknorob23 said:


> I think his Son tried to carry things on for a while but definitely shut now. Best place i've found to by cable or DIY spare generally are https://www.hificollective.co.uk/ then these guys stock pretty much every connector you could need https://oidiosound.co.uk/ + they do sell cable too (but not the range Hifi collective have. Both are run by really nice people who are happy to answer how to questions and deliver next day at reasonable rates




Good hint and thanks for the warning of the abandoned shop i was not aware of.


----------



## BiggieBig

My focal 3.5mm cable for  stellia failed.
I'm attempting to solder a new 3.5mm connector. But the cable has coloured stands in Red/Blue which don't expose a live conductor, when I put solder on it there's some burning and it goes black and eventually I can get some connection. But it's very weak i.e when I attempt to solder it to the jack it can lose conductivity. 

Anyone know how these cables are coated and how I get to the metal to get a good bond with solder ?


----------



## RestlessZombi

BiggieBig said:


> My focal 3.5mm cable for  stellia failed.
> I'm attempting to solder a new 3.5mm connector. But the cable has coloured stands in Red/Blue which don't expose a live conductor, when I put solder on it there's some burning and it goes black and eventually I can get some connection. But it's very weak i.e when I attempt to solder it to the jack it can lose conductivity.
> 
> Anyone know how these cables are coated and how I get to the metal to get a good bond with solder ?




Sounds like the cable is enamelled, it can take a while to burn off the enamel. I've previously done it by rubbing a hot soldering iron over it, but there are a few ways apparently. Just take it slow whatever way you try.

_Common ways of removing the insulation on enameled wire include:
_

_Scraping the enamel carefully off with a sharp knife or blade, while trying not to nick the underlying metal wire_
_Melting the enamel off with a hot soldering iron in a quick motion so as not to cause a blob of carbonized enamel to stick to the wire_
_Sanding the enamel off with either fine sandpaper, or a polishing / sanding head on a Dremel-type rotary drill_
_Using a lit matchstick or a cigarette lighter to melt off the enamel, if the wire is thick enough to not get damaged in the process. Really thin "magnet wires" tend to clump up with such treatment_
_Not removing the enamel at all, just connecting through it to the metal wire, using either solder + flux + soldering iron, or a "vampire crimp" or "Insulation Displacement Connector" (IDC) type approach._


----------



## RestlessZombi

Quick few things that I have learnt making cables. Not definitive, currently messy and there may be better ways to do some or all of it. Think more notes then guide..  

*Intro*
The parts list to make a cable are fairly short, cable, connectors, soldering iron, and solder are the basic can't do it without items, but there a few items that will make them easier to produce and result in a better quality final product.

*Suggested things* :
_Soldering "helping hand"_ which are like little crocodile clips to hold the cable as you solder it, cover them in heat shrink though as they will "bite" in to the cable and that doesn't look good and is a basically damaging the cable. Get one with a light as you'll want to see as clearly as you can.

_Heatshrink_ is obviously next. There are two types, normal heatshrink and glue covered heatshrink. both do the same thing to hold the wires and connectors in place but the glue covered is obviously more permanent.

_Heat gun_ is a bit like a smaller hotter hairdryer used to shrink the heatshrink, you can use a lighter but it goes black and smoky easily trying to do it with this.

_Silver solder_ this is just better quality then the stuff you would use for electrical connections.

*Notes*

Here are a few links I have saved that will help with what wire goes to where.. (I'm UK based so the links reflect this)

_Connector Guides_
http://www.diyaudioblog.com/2016/02/headphone-connectors-pins-pinouts-for.html
https://www.mediacollege.com/audio/connection/xlr-rca-1.html

_Braids_
http://jyrab.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-ultimate-cable-braid-resource.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtWWA6MQXGE

_Cables_
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/components/hookup-wire.html, https://www.designacable.com/catalog/category/view/s/parts/id/15/?cat=50&just_cable_type=69 and https://oidiosound.co.uk/diy/wire.html

Silver and Silver plated wires are considered to give brighter sound, some would say at the expense of low end but nothing that I could hear. They are though a little more expensive.

Check ebay first for connectors, look for something like "3.5mm solder jack" to cut out the other unwanted stuff alternatively Oidio does a good selection of ones: https://oidiosound.co.uk/diy/connectors.html and so does DesignACable: https://www.designacable.com/catalog/category/view/s/parts/id/15/?cat=49

*Tips:*

- Make sure to put on all the Sleeves / Heat Shrink and connector covers on the cable before you solder the connection on, un-soldering it is rather frustrating.

- Tin the wires and the connection points before the "making a connection" solder as you can then just heat them enough to join them. 2.5mm connectors are very small and getting 4 wires to connect is hard enough. I melted two connectors before I get it right, then forgot the rule above and had to re-do it, hence why that tip is above this one.

- some wires are covered in enamel so will smoke and require burning of this coating before getting a connection. run the soldering iron up and down the exposed wire to do this.

- Paracord has white smaller cords inside and you can attach the wire to these with heatshrink and pull them through if you're lucky and gentle enough. feeding inch by inch is time consuming.

- If you have a multi-meter, set it to "Continuity" and check the connections before heatshrink and re-assembly.

- make sure you can see what you're doing, burns hurt.

- try not to solder while tired, you'll fail easier and, well, see the above rule.

- twist the coatings off the wires for instant twisted wires

- use a sharp-ish blade to get the wire covers off, too sharp and it'll go straight through. This goes for cable cutting too, wire cutters that are sharp will cut through easily, including the wire you wanted to expose.


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jul 12, 2019)

sean-xenos said:


> UP-OCC wires are generally recommended for copper wires, like Neotech UP-OCC 7N copper wire.
> 
> But the whole cable matter is far more complicated than just selecting the purest copper wire. The cable does have a sonic effect and is part of the headphone development.



That is very debatable.



Christoph said:


> Reading about cable sounds seems to be hard to hear for me, but i have to admit that i never had the chance of comparing different cables on the same headphone.



It's highly unlikely you will hear a difference between quality cables. Very few seem to be able to, and my personal opinion is it's placebo most of the time. I did make a solid code silver cable and tried it with my Utopia, and I think I heard a difference, and didn't like it. I repurposed the cable for an HD6xx and it seems to work well with that headphone. I have never been able to hear a difference between copper wires, and I have tried many. Of course, that is just one day point.

I've tried a number of wires and can't hear a difference. I brought my 16 strand copper cable to CanJam a few years ago and compared to an Axios for about 30 minutes in a quiet room, and could not hear a difference. Sure, some people _might_ be able to hear a slight difference, but if you're one of the lucky ones that cannot, then be happy and get wire that works best for your wallet and aestetics.

Mogami, Beldin, Canare, Summer Cable are all excellent, not "just good".


----------



## sean-xenos (Jul 12, 2019)

Allanmarcus said:


> That is very debatable.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



1. The Sennheiser HD6xx are not high-end headphones and Sennheiser doesn't use expensive wires/cables for them.
For a 300$/Euro headphone it's not economical to try out different kinds of copper cables..
I once had a Sennheiser HD650 and bought a used Cardas cable for the HD650 that did make a huge difference, a huge improvement imho.
But this cable was awfully expensive when bought new, something like 300-400 Euros.
The HD650 cost me 259 Euros new. Not a good price ratio headphone/cable.
2. There are not only copper based cables, headphone cables can be far more sophisticated than that.
3. All manufacturers sell their headphones with a specific cable ("stock cable") and this cable is part of the sound signature that the manufacturer had in mind.
The Focal Utopia is a very expensive TOTL headphone, the flagship headphone of Focal. 
I am pretty sure that Focal selects the sonically most appropriate cable for this headphone, no matter how high the costs. 
It's not very likely to find a cable that could dramatically improve the sound quality of the Utopia for that reason. Focal did a lot of R&D before bringing the Utopia on the market... 
4. It depends on the length of the cable, if you use a short cable like 1.5 meters it's very unlikely to hear huge differences between cables, but if you need five or six meters of cable the sonic effect of the cable gets bigger.


----------



## teknorob23

Allanmarcus said:


> That is very debatable.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





sean-xenos said:


> 1. The Sennheiser HD6xx are not high-end headphones and Sennheiser doesn't use expensive wires/cables for them.
> For a 300$/Euro headphone it's not economical to try out different kinds of copper cables..
> I once had a Sennheiser HD650 and bought a used Cardas cable for the HD650 that did make a huge difference, a huge improvement imho.
> But this cable was awfully expensive when bought new, something like 300-400 Euros.
> ...



100% agree @sean-xenos on all your points except the quality of utopias stock cable. I've been fortunate enough to Utopia, Elegias and now Stellias. All of which share one thing, a truly ordinary cable which in my experience really dont let the Utopia & Stellia perform at there best. 

@Allanmarcus if you cant hear a difference thats fair enough, but i would say that your not going to hear an awful of improvement with list of wire you mention all of which are perfectly good cables, but there's way better out there that will make a significant difference. I am also not surprised by your experience with standard silver cable with the Utopia. They already lean towards the brightside and the wrong cable could push them over the edge. I'd be pretty confident you'd hear a good improvement with Neotech UPOCC silver, maybe mixed with their copper in an 8 core, the cost of which would be fraction of the Utopias cost ($200 for complete cable). This stuff is on a different level and i'd reserve judgement until you've heard it.


----------



## Allanmarcus

teknorob23 said:


> 100% agree @sean-xenos on all your points except the quality of utopias stock cable. I've been fortunate enough to Utopia, Elegias and now Stellias. All of which share one thing, a truly ordinary cable which in my experience really dont let the Utopia & Stellia perform at there best.
> 
> @Allanmarcus if you cant hear a difference thats fair enough, but i would say that your not going to hear an awful of improvement with list of wire you mention all of which are perfectly good cables, but there's way better out there that will make a significant difference. I am also not surprised by your experience with standard silver cable with the Utopia. They already lean towards the brightside and the wrong cable could push them over the edge. I'd be pretty confident you'd hear a good improvement with Neotech UPOCC silver, maybe mixed with their copper in an 8 core, the cost of which would be fraction of the Utopias cost ($200 for complete cable). This stuff is on a different level and i'd reserve judgement until you've heard it.


I've borrowed and heard amny "high end cables", some costing thousands. I've compared to my own cable made with the wire I listed. I could not hear a difference. I've also tried high end RCA cables vs decent ones I make and $20 cables from monoprice; no difference to me. 

Don't sell the HD650 short. To many there are no better headphones. I prefer almost all my other other headphones, but they all cost $1000 or more.
As for the stock HD650 cable. It costs $11 new, including shipping. There is no better deal in audio than that cable. It can easily be converted to a balanced cable too. 

I propose we leave the opinions on which cable is "better" or not to the sound science forum, and focus here on how to make cables, advice on where to find parts/wire, and such.


----------



## BiggieBig

RestlessZombi said:


> Sounds like the cable is enamelled, it can take a while to burn off the enamel. I've previously done it by rubbing a hot soldering iron over it, but there are a few ways apparently. Just take it slow whatever way you try.
> 
> _Common ways of removing the insulation on enameled wire include:
> _
> ...



Thanks for the tips I’ve tired it all this is my third attempt. 

I’m not the best solder but not completely inexperienced. It’s seems hit and miss even when I get the cable conducting when I solder to the jack conduction stops. 

Since this is stock cable not worth the effort I think this cable will go in the bin


----------



## Paladin79

Allanmarcus said:


> I've borrowed and heard amny "high end cables", some costing thousands. I've compared to my own cable made with the wire I listed. I could not hear a difference. I've also tried high end RCA cables vs decent ones I make and $20 cables from monoprice; no difference to me.
> 
> Don't sell the HD650 short. To many there are no better headphones. I prefer almost all my other other headphones, but they all cost $1000 or more.
> As for the stock HD650 cable. It costs $11 new, including shipping. There is no better deal in audio than that cable. It can easily be converted to a balanced cable too.
> ...



I tend to agree with Allan and I have conducted tests with large groups of people.


----------



## teknorob23

Allanmarcus said:


> I've borrowed and heard amny "high end cables", some costing thousands. I've compared to my own cable made with the wire I listed. I could not hear a difference. I've also tried high end RCA cables vs decent ones I make and $20 cables from monoprice; no difference to me.
> 
> Don't sell the HD650 short. To many there are no better headphones. I prefer almost all my other other headphones, but they all cost $1000 or more.
> As for the stock HD650 cable. It costs $11 new, including shipping. There is no better deal in audio than that cable. It can easily be converted to a balanced cable too.
> ...



If someone is asking for wire suggestions or suggestions on any components, then what are we supposed to do, suggest they unwire their telephone and stick a jack on the exposed cable because after all it all the same, or give advice based on experience and what the question being asked is. Im guessing not everyone use this thread with such lowly sonic aspirations or because they just want to make a pretty cable, some of us and i imagine its not just me, are interested finding the best the solutions, components and advice with a view to eeking out incremental performance from our kit. And just because you cant hear the difference doesnt the rest of cant, so can i suggest we each use this thread in the way choose to, thx


----------



## Allanmarcus

teknorob23 said:


> If someone is asking for wire suggestions or suggestions on any components, then what are we supposed to do, suggest they unwire their telephone and stick a jack on the exposed cable because after all it all the same, or give advice based on experience and what the question being asked is. Im guessing not everyone use this thread with such lowly sonic aspirations or because they just want to make a pretty cable, some of us and i imagine its not just me, are interested finding the best the solutions, components and advice with a view to eeking out incremental performance from our kit. And just because you cant hear the difference doesnt the rest of cant, so can i suggest we each use this thread in the way choose to, thx


I suggest this thread is about making the cable. Please feel free to open a new thread to discuss the sonic qualities of various wires, parts, solder. The occasional question about where to get a part or what part to buy to achieve a goal is fine, What I object to is this thread devolving into a discussion about which wire is better bases on subjective sound quality perceptions. there is no cost to open a new thread on that topic.

That's all I'm sayin'


----------



## Paladin79

teknorob23 said:


> If someone is asking for wire suggestions or suggestions on any components, then what are we supposed to do, suggest they unwire their telephone and stick a jack on the exposed cable because after all it all the same, or give advice based on experience and what the question being asked is. Im guessing not everyone use this thread with such lowly sonic aspirations or because they just want to make a pretty cable, some of us and i imagine its not just me, are interested finding the best the solutions, components and advice with a view to eeking out incremental performance from our kit. And just because you cant hear the difference doesnt the rest of cant, so can i suggest we each use this thread in the way choose to, thx



I doubt seriously that Allan is suggesting to use any wire, nor would I. Much of the wire Allan builds with is at a minimum oxygen free copper made by some very fine companies who consistently put out quality product.  I have followed some of his statements for a couple years now so I have a pretty good idea what he might use.

I conducted tests of ofc wire and above. Some with very high levels of purity and I did come across one person who could blindly select specific cable she liked, a high percentage of the time out of 20 samples. I believe a better way to say it is, once you get to a certain quality level, it becomes more and more difficult to tell a difference.


----------



## hakuzen

i also was a non-believer in cables.. most of my interconnects use canare, mogami, and similar.
but got the chance to use up-occ wires in phones cables, and found an small but noticeable difference respect all other wires i tried: blacker background and deeper stage.
so i'm with @teknorob23 at this.
i'm subscribed to this thread because i make some diy cables and i'm interested of diy techniques, but also materials. this includes plugs, solder, sleeves, strain reliefs, splitters, and wires, as they are involved in diy cables (this thread).
i don't know why suggesting canare, mogami, belden, etc. is ok, and suggesting neotech up-occ is wrong. would like to read about everyone's experiences. this way, this thread would be useful for everyone: believers and not believers.
there is no need to discuss about which is better wire, but if someone has tried a different wire, would like to read his experience.

anyway, if this is not possible here, i invite to anyone interested of wires/cables to this thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/low-end-cheap-generic-otherwise-bang-for-buck-cable-thread.891911/
or
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/resistance-of-cables-pics-comments-and-links.907998/


----------



## Allanmarcus (Jul 12, 2019)

I have no issue suggesting any brand. My issue with saying very subjective things like:


> You are right, the SC Square 4 Mk II is okay and a bargain for the money but not great. It's a good cable for training braiding techniques as each of the four cores has a different colour.
> 
> UP-OCC wires are generally recommended for copper wires, like Neotech UP-OCC 7N copper wire.
> 
> But the whole cable matter is far more complicated than just selecting the purest copper wire. The cable does have a sonic effect and is part of the headphone development.


I do not agree with statements like the above, and I would much prefer this thread stay out of the subjective, and completely unprovable, claims about the quality of wire. UP-OCC is "generally recommended" by those that either sell it, or have purchased it and want to justify their purchase. Many people cannot hear a difference between most cables, and if there is a difference, it's tiny. There might a person of two that claim to hear a difference, but as to if they actual can is best left to the sound science board.

Is a wire easy to work with, where to get it, did I get a good price, what colors does it come in, what materials are used to make it, will it meet my aesthetic, weight, length, diameter needs, how to sleeve it; those are all great discussion topics. making statements about the perceived quality, naw, that's puts me off.

If this thread tips that way, fine by me. There's an unsubscribe button there. Maybe I've just been on this thread too long.


----------



## -Hodor-

Hey everybody, I have a Question about the wiring for Beyerdynamic T5p / Denon D7100 etc Headphones.

I purchased these plugs off ebay: https://www.ebay.de/itm/5-Stk-3-5mm-3Polig-Stereo-Kopfhörer-Stecker-Für-Beyerdynamic-Denon-7200-9200-BK/163710112804?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Is it enough to connect Tip And Sleeve and sleeve the Ring with nothing? Ive heard Beyerdynamic did wierd things with their wiring. Is Denon also the same?


----------



## sean-xenos (Jul 13, 2019)

Allanmarcus said:


> I have no issue suggesting any brand. My issue with saying very subjective things like...



Most people here are quite obsessed with headphones, so who is not subjective...?

You might be disappointed that I don't share your positive opinion on the SC Square 4 MkII cable ....
but then it would be honest to refer to that.

What I wrote about the SC Square 4 MkII is based on my *own experiences*:
After some recommendations in forums I bought 12 meters of this cable, took the effort to remove the shielding on all these 12 meters
and built an 8 core cable with Herringbone and Paracord braiding patterns, 5 meters long. Sommer Cables are easy to buy in Europe/Germany and relatively cheap.
It was an instructive experiment but I am disappointed with the sound of the cable.
The SC cable is less resolving and slightly dampened in the highs compared to 6 meters of my Hifiman stock cable that I made from two cables with XLR connectors.
The SC cable is made of OFC, not OCC or UP-OCC copper, the Hifiman stock cable uses 2 OCC copper  and 4 OCC silver-plated copper wires.

So I tend to believe that UP-OCC copper might indeed sound better than OFC and that silver-plated OCC copper or even pure OCC silver might make a sonic difference, too.

For fancy looking cables and colourful braided cables there is the
DIY Cable Gallery https://www.head-fi.org/threads/diy-cable-gallery.71148/

And the whole section here is called DIY (Do-It-Yourself) *Discussions*


----------



## teknorob23

Allanmarcus said:


> I have no issue suggesting any brand. My issue with saying very subjective things like:
> 
> I do not agree with statements like the above, and I would much prefer this thread stay out of the subjective, and completely unprovable, claims about the quality of wire. UP-OCC is "generally recommended" by those that either sell it, or have purchased it and want to justify their purchase. Many people cannot hear a difference between most cables, and if there is a difference, it's tiny. There might a person of two that claim to hear a difference, but as to if they actual can is best left to the sound science board.
> 
> ...



You’re right on two things I have bought UP-OCC and I do like it. I have also tried getting on for 20 other wire types and this just happens to be the best by some way. 

I think it’s pretty poor form to dismiss others experiences as invalid just because they don’t concur with yours. I’m sure you’d be pretty hacked off if I suggested you had a tin ear because you can’t hear the difference between one cable and another. I accept using components in different systems will have varying results, but I am surprised at your experience with the utopia as from my own experience I found the pefornance to be improved by some margin with the introduction of different wire in the chain. 

I make cables in the pursuit of better sonic performance and this thread has helped me achieve this. Pretty much all recommendations on components come with a degree of subjectivity but as long as it’s qualified one can then make decision as to whether it’s useful or not and i for one welcome such suggestions as they help inform my build choices.

I will continue to use this thread and I’m happy to share it with you even if I don’t share your outlook, but like-wise you are also free to start your own opinion free thread.


----------



## kn0ppers

So this thread is going to become completely bananas?

Seriously, Ohm's law, the DC and AC resistance of conductors... it has all been figured out long ago, there is *no* point in discussing this. 

This thread once was about methods of doing stuff and finding connectors, sleeving etc. , *for the usual OFC/OCC and whatever else discussions there are plenty of other threads all over the web*.

Why, seriously, why do you have to "infect" every thread with this stuff? It is honestly annoying.

As this is the DIY-Area, not the cables area, it's not a DBT/ABX free zone here. If you all claim to be able tell differences between cables....why has it never been proven? Build a null tester for your cables. Prove to the world and yourself you can hear the difference between copper with 4N of purity or 5N. It's obviously not going to happen, expectation bias as always.

When you pay three figures for your cables, your brain will make damn sure you perceive a difference, so you can justify the decision. It's just psychology.


----------



## teknorob23

kn0ppers said:


> So this thread is going to become completely bananas?
> 
> Seriously, Ohm's law, the DC and AC resistance of conductors... it has all been figured out long ago, there is *no* point in discussing this.
> 
> ...



And when you spend pennies on bell
Wire you’ll probably do the same


----------



## MadDane

kn0ppers said:


> So this thread is going to become completely bananas?
> 
> Seriously, Ohm's law, the DC and AC resistance of conductors... it has all been figured out long ago, there is *no* point in discussing this.
> 
> ...



And seriously.... Why do you feel you have to post your obviously biased views?  Is it just NOT OK for people to think differently than you, have differing belief than you? Why do you have to, need to try to change people? Whether you agree, disagree, know more, think you know more, think you can prove you know more...... Does it really matter? I like chocolate, I don't need to justify to you or anyone else WHY I like it, I just do. Are you going to try to tell me that is been scientifically proven that "X" people should know better and they should like strawberry? Let this mentality go.....


----------



## tomb

Seems to me the last few posts have proven Allanmarcus's position.  The arguments that always start (for over a decade on Head-Fi) are a natural result when subjective opinions about wire sound quality are expressed.  It begins to de-rail the thread from any intent of DIY. Since that "intent" of this thread was also brought up, it might be useful to review the OP's very first post, where you will find this statement:

*"I thought this might work a bit better.  Sadly, the DIY Cable Gallery thread is becoming less of a gallery thread and sadly, more of a Q&A thread*

*Let's use this thread for the Questions and Answers thread for information regarding DIY cables, connectors, using an ohm meter, paracord, etc. and all those types of questions and comments."*

If you read that last sentence for its overall theme, it's a pretty hard stretch to claim that includes any references to wire sonic qualities.  As Allanmarcus stated, it's best to leave such discussions in the Sound Science section, or in clearly opinion-dependent discussions such as the Cable section itself: https://www.head-fi.org/forums/cables-power-tweaks-speakers-accessories-dbt-free-forum.21/


----------



## -Hodor-

I have 2 Questions concerning the wiring of Headphone Connecotrs:

HD 800: I got my Hands on some Furutech HD 800 connectors, but have no clue which Pin is Signal and which is Ground. They both look the same to me and in the DIY thread (https://www.head-fi.org/articles/diy-cable-info-and-resources.14308/) There is no info.

Beyerdynamic T5p/T1: I have some Stereo 3.5mm Plugs for them. Is it enough to only connect Tip & Sleeve leaving Ring unnasigned?

Thank you


----------



## kn0ppers

A search for "HD800 Pinout" spits out multiple results on google. If you don't trust them, a cheap multimeter is all you need to figure it out (assuming you have the original cable).

If you don't have the original cable, polarity really doesn't matter here (because audio is AC). As long as you do it the same way on both sides they will be in phase and it should be all good.

Regarding the T5p. I can only speak for the second generation, but if I remember correctly the ring is also used for ground. You might as well leave it unconnected and see if it works. I have not torn apart one of these yet, so I do not know if both the ring and sleeve are contacted internally or only one of them. Also it would be really easy to figure this out, but I still have my original cable and no connectors that fit my T5p Gen. 2.


----------



## -Hodor-

kn0ppers said:


> Regarding the T5p. I can only speak for the second generation, but if I remember correctly the ring is also used for ground. You might as well leave it unconnected and see if it works. I have not torn apart one of these yet, so I do not know if both the ring and sleeve are contacted internally or only one of them. Also it would be really easy to figure this out, but I still have my original cable and no connectors that fit my T5p Gen. 2.



I know that on the stock cable ring and sleeve are connected. However I dont have the Headphones here so i cant try it out. The connectors i have are not the very easy to work with and soldering only one of the two would make it a littlebit easier.

I also took another look at the Furutech HD800 connectors and each of the connectors has a red marking on one of the sides. I guess this is the marking for Signal(+)?


----------



## imas69

-Hodor- said:


> I have 2 Questions concerning the wiring of Headphone Connecotrs:
> 
> HD 800: I got my Hands on some Furutech HD 800 connectors, but have no clue which Pin is Signal and which is Ground. They both look the same to me and in the DIY thread (https://www.head-fi.org/articles/diy-cable-info-and-resources.14308/) There is no info.
> 
> ...


The pin below the small notch is the plus pin and with Furutech I'm sure it has a red dot


----------



## -Hodor-

imas69 said:


> The pin below the small notch is the plus pin and with Furutech I'm sure it has a red dot



Thats the one on the side with the red dot. Thanks alot


----------



## tomb

imas69 said:


> The pin below the small notch is the plus pin and with Furutech I'm sure it has a red dot


This ^



-Hodor- said:


> Thats the one on the side with the red dot. Thanks alot



You got your answer, but this photo is what I always use as reference (can't remember where I got it - might even be in this thread!).  The notch in the connector is the key to the polarity, the nearest pin to the notch being the signal wire:


----------



## -Hodor- (Jul 16, 2019)

I have another question about the wiring for the Pono-Players balanced output. Theres 2 Images floating around on here:

https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/7092096.jpg In this one Tip is "Signal/+" and Ring is "Ground/-"

https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/6976930.jpg In this one Tip is connected to Pin 3 of the 3-Pin XLR, and Pin 3 normally is "Ground/-". This would be the Opposite of the above - and the Opposite of for example RME's balanced mode in some of their amps.

I believe the first one should be correct, Can somebody confirm this? Thank you


----------



## RestlessZombi

-Hodor- said:


> I have another question about the wiring for the Pono-Players balanced output. Theres 2 Images floating around on here:
> 
> https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/7092096.jpg In this one Tip is "Signal/+" and Ring is "Ground/-"
> 
> ...



All speakers just have a Positive and Negative terminal, you can think of it as Music in and an out. On connectors with 3 Pins, such as the XLR the 1st is usually Ground or Shielding pin (where you would solder the shielding connection if present), 2nd Positive and 3rd Negative.

 

Mono on a 2.5, 3.5 or 6.3mm type of connector is connected as Tip is Positive and the Sleeve is the Negative connection. When using stereo connectors of this type you would use Tip Positive, Ring and Sleeve as Negative.

In the second image the 3rd Pin is the one at the bottom as is correctly connected to the Negative of the connector.

I haven't used a PonoPlayer but it seems like an odd, but slightly logical way of doing Balanced connections using two connectors.


----------



## -Hodor-

Thank you! Thats the way that made sense to me.

I havent actually worked with 3-Pin XLR's yet (only 4) and somehow thought Pin 2 would be in the middle 

Btw for anybody wondering about the Beyerdynamic T5p etc wiring like me:

Tip = Signal
Ring = Ground for Driver
Sleeve = Ground for the metal extieror of the Headphones themselves


----------



## RestlessZombi

Its no problem, those schematics are confusing.


----------



## MadDane

RestlessZombi said:


> Its no problem, those schematics are confusing.



Agreed.


----------



## Cantrell

I have 3, hopefully quick, from my point of view, somewhat related questions to thread... questions touching upon both sides of the subjective Vs info/building/sourcing/techniques. 


What is the exact inner diameter bore fit and I.D. range of bores that work well for new/replacement eartips to use on 5mm O.D. bore IEM nozzles? 

2mm, 3.6, 3.8, 4, 4.5, 5mm etc I.D. eartip bore 


Suggestions on currently available, good quality, non foam brands/models that may improve the sound, especially that may help get a more smooth, sweet high end and female vocals, natural/balanced, hopefully Soundstage and mid range improving or anything possibly in that ballpark, decently comfortable, stay put and seal fairly well (isolation not a big concern) for aftermarket eartips going on over ear only IEMs?


If possible, can you include any reputable authorized places to purchase suggested eartips that's in or ships at reasonable price to the lower 48 in the USA 

So far I'm looking at Spinfit, Acoustune 08/08a and 07/07a, JVC Spiral Dots and Klipsch Ovals. The Comply Sport foam and stock foam tips sounded horrible with my IEMs. No clue other than knowing 5.5+ mm I.D. bore eartips won't work, 2mm ID bore probably too small and don't want fully foam eartips. Not sure about silicone shell with foam sound tube hybrids,  sound hole port size, design elements of sound tube or outer shell/tip/flange design, eartip shapes, etc.


Thanks


----------



## teknorob23

i have a problem with cable i've made, in that the sound is off centre. Its a 4.4mm pentaconn balanced connector, which when i test via 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter sounds fine, but when plugged directly into a 4.4mm jack the problem occurs.

The cable's construction:

4 core copper wire
3.5mm mono connectors headphone end
4.4mm pentaconn at the amp end

i have wired the cable according to this diagram below without a ground connection which as i understand is not needed. I have tested thoroughly with mult-meter and as i say listened to it via 4.4mm-3.5 adapter and it sounds fine, but when my friend uses it with a 4.4mm balanced output, the problem occurs. This is my first 4.4mm pentaconn, but I have made plenty of cables with 2.5mm trrs and 4 pin XLR balanced cables and the problem has never occurred before

Have i missed something really obvious. Please if anyone can put me out my misery with any suggestions as to what i might have missed or done wrong, i'll be extremely grateful.

thanks, Rob


----------



## imas69

What is the 4.4mm source that your friend has.


----------



## teknorob23

Its an iBasso DX220 Dap with Amp 8 Amplifier module which has the 4.4mm output


----------



## mattiav (Jul 20, 2019)

Cantrell said:


> What is the exact inner diameter bore fit and I.D. range of bores that work well for new/replacement eartips to use on 5mm O.D. bore IEM nozzles?



I’m general I’d try to match bore size and nozzle size. That being said, companies like Campfire Audio include the Final E tips which have a much smaller bore, which stretch over the fairly large nozzles just fine. You can get spiral dots from Penon Audio (free shipping, small bag, size of your choice), Symbio W direct from Romania, ordering from a site with a decidedly vintage design, it it’s legit. Can’t comment on tip recommendations as I’m mostly a foams guy.

However, I’d go look for one of the many tip rolling threads or post in the recommendations section? This is a DIY cable thread...


----------



## mattiav (Jul 20, 2019)

teknorob23 said:


> Its an iBasso DX220 Dap with Amp 8 Amplifier module which has the 4.4mm output



What plug did you use? I’ve seen some pics of shocking variability in spacing. Also, did you measure all the contacts? The fact it works with a summed negative signal suggests there’s a contact problem, not a cable issue. Do you have any other brand 4.4 connectors? Is it seating deeply enough (the iBasso case can get in the way a bit sometimes). Also, does he have another balanced cable to test, ie the amp module is not defective (unlikely, but still).


----------



## teknorob23

mattiav said:


> What plug did you use? I’ve seen some pics of shocking variability in spacing. Also, did you measure all the contacts? The fact it works with a summed negative signal suggests there’s a contact problem, not a cable issue. Do you have any other brand 4.4 connectors? Is it seating deeply enough (the iBasso case can get in the way a bit sometimes). Also, does he have another balanced cable to test, ie the amp module is not defective (unlikely, but still).



I bought these from HP cable company called Oidio Sound in the UK who use them in their cables and everything else i've had from them has work well.

probably exposing my ignorance here  , but if any of the solders cross or an strand from one wire is shorting to the adjacent solder point would this problem occur.?


----------



## mattiav

teknorob23 said:


> I bought these from HP cable company called Oidio Sound in the UK who use them in their cables and everything else i've had from them has work well.
> 
> probably exposing my ignorance here  , but if any of the solders cross or an strand from one wire is shorting to the adjacent solder point would this problem occur.?



Theoretically, considering the cable works with the balanced to SE adapter, I’d say the problem (if in the cable) lies with the negative leads - they’re summed for SE out but need to be separate for balanced, obviously.


----------



## teknorob23

mattiav said:


> Theoretically, considering the cable works with the balanced to SE adapter, I’d say the problem (if in the cable) lies with the negative leads - they’re summed for SE out but need to be separate for balanced, obviously.



yep that makes sense, but i can only think there must be stray solder somewhere, but the left- and right- solder point are not next to one another which would make a stray strand or solder seem more unlikely. Could this effect happen for example left+ and right+ which sit either side of left- make contact with the solder point?  Bigger problem i have is the cable is in Canada and im in UK, otherwise i'd have apart and resolder all of the connections. thank you for your suggestions, its much appreciate


----------



## ShinAyasaki

anybody has positive-negative diagram for 2pin 0.78mm connector? I couldn't find one anywhere for some reasons. Thank you in advance.


----------



## RestlessZombi

ShinAyasaki said:


> anybody has positive-negative diagram for 2pin 0.78mm connector? I couldn't find one anywhere for some reasons. Thank you in advance.




The simple answer is that there isn't one. you'll need to connect the correct wire to positive and negative at the source connector, but at the 2 Pin 0.78 connector, if you are making a balanced cable you can solder either post, if unbalalnced (shared negative at the connector) then pick one and match for both. 

I will add that its good practise to use the same post on both sides for negative either way so that if you are wiring them for unbalanced or balanced that will be adapted to unbalanced, then you will not get mixed signals or channel imbalance. On mine i scored an "x" on the rear of the connector and made sure to connect negative to that pin. It gets a little funky sounding when you mixed the channels positive and negative cables.


----------



## -Hodor-

This Question might seem stupid, but can I assume the negative connections on 2.5mm Balanced are Ground? aka how to connect them to 2xTRS 3.5mm for Beyerdynamic:

Headphone Side:
Tip = +
Ring = -
Sleeve (Ground for Headphone Exterior) = -? ; Metal Shells have to be grounded?

thank you


----------



## RestlessZombi

-Hodor- said:


> This Question might seem stupid, but can I assume the negative connections on 2.5mm Balanced are Ground? aka how to connect them to 2xTRS 3.5mm for Beyerdynamic:
> 
> Headphone Side:
> Tip = +
> ...




Yes, you can pretty much assume the negative and ground are the same. I would connect the Tip to one wire and the Ring and Sleeve to the Negative wire at the Headphone end. At the 2.5mm end connect them as appropriate, different sources use different connection layouts. The one i have used before  = Tip Ring Ring Sleeve = R- R+ L+ L- . 

Maybe someone can answer if you use shielding on balanced connectors like 2.5mm how / if you would terminate it?


----------



## -Hodor-

Thanks,

The wires I use are without shielding so that isnt an issue for me. But thats a good question


----------



## bvng3540

Does any one have a diagram for usb c to 4.4mm plug, thanks


----------



## mattiav

bvng3540 said:


> Does any one have a diagram for usb c to 4.4mm plug, thanks



Umm...no. Because that requires a DAC chip + (balanced) amp of some sort. A USB connection is purely digital. A 4.4mm audio connection is purely analog.


----------



## Fasterball

Are all 4 pin xlr balanced connectors standard? Do they use the same pinout? See the attached photo.


----------



## teknorob23

Fasterball said:


> Are all 4 pin xlr balanced connectors standard? Do they use the same pinout? See the attached photo.



i cant see a pic, but i recenty built and 8 core with a balanced 4 pin neutrik following this..


----------



## Fasterball

teknorob23 said:


> i cant see a pic, but i recenty built and 8 core with a balanced 4 pin neutrik following this..


Thank for this and that's exactly what the picture showed. Does anyone know if some amps do their own unique pinout or is this the standard?


----------



## teknorob23

Fasterball said:


> Thank for this and that's exactly what the picture showed. Does anyone know if some amps do their own unique pinout or is this the standard?



this is standard or at least on all the amps ive ever seen it on which is quite a few


----------



## killaHz

Is there a technical barrier to making a lightning -> 2.5mm TRRS dongle? Because they don't seem to exist, which causes me to doubt my ability to just lop the 3.5 jack off my existing dongle and replace it with a 2.5.


----------



## mattiav

Matthew420 said:


> Is there a technical barrier to making a lightning -> 2.5mm TRRS dongle? Because they don't seem to exist, which causes me to doubt my ability to just lop the 3.5 jack off my existing dongle and replace it with a 2.5.



You need a balanced amp section, so can’t just add a 2.5mm jack and call it a day. It could be wired up (like 2.5mm balanced to 3.5mm SE adapters are) but it would still be single ended. It’s certainly technically possible - see iBasso’s DC01 - a USB-C to balanced 2.5mm out. No reason that can’t be done for an iPhone, just that nobody has in a really small single sized package. Otherwise, for balanced out, you’re getting into small DAC/amp combos like the Fiio q1mkII, or little Bluetooth DAC/amps like the EarStudio ES100...


----------



## teknorob23

Afternoon all, does anyone have experience using Lemo connectors? I'm making a balanced cable with a 4 pin XLR at the amp end and Lemo connectors at the other to fit Focal Utopias. Any advice on pit-falls to avoid or just things to look out for would be much appreciated. Theres no shortage of a lemo connector tutorials but i cant find one specifically for headphone cables. thanks as always


----------



## DestroyerzCT

v3kt0r said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I asked question regarding DIY Jerry Harvey 4-pin connector cable several pages before but haven't got any clear answer and I promised I will keep you guys posted with whatever I found. So, yesterday I finally received connectors from China. $22 for both R+L + $5 for cable + $1 for 2.5 trrs connector + $1 for small Y-slitter. 4-pin connectors were the same as on original cable, noticed no difference at all. Didn't use bass adjuster, just straight soldering without anything else. The cable I got was 8x 30AWG braided silver plated copper. The material wasn't so important for me here since my goal was a dyi cable with 2.5 trrs (balanced) for JH v2 and do not pay ridiculous $150 from JH website or even more insane $350 for Moon Audio anymore. And guys, I did it  4 cables on each sides, 3 for low, mid, high + 1 ground. On the jack end i connected all 3 (low, mid, high) to signal right and another 3 for signal left and grounds left and right. Everything is working amazing only one cons that you can't adjust bass but who cares because it sounds gorgeous!!! Let me know guys if you have any questions or recommendations.



Did you ever get any replies?  I trying to re-terminate my 4 pin JHAudio 3.5mm TRS into 2.5mm TRRS.  Whould you have any information on a conversion like that?


----------



## -Hodor-

Anybody Here got any expierence using solder pots? I want to get one for Litz wire but am not sure what solder and flux to use exactly. Solder Bars seem expensive/hard to find and Leaded solder is banned here in germany, can u use a normal solder wire and feed it into the pot? Can I use a Flux like RMA-223 or should I get NC-559 (or something else entirely)?


----------



## mattiav

-Hodor- said:


> Anybody Here got any expierence using solder pots? I want to get one for Litz wire but am not sure what solder and flux to use exactly. Solder Bars seem expensive/hard to find and Leaded solder is banned here in germany, can u use a normal solder wire and feed it into the pot? Can I use a Flux like RMA-223 or should I get NC-559 (or something else entirely)?



You can use normal solder of any kind as long as it does not contain any rosin/flux! You can dip the wire into the flux of your choosing and the. Dip into the solder. 

I have a cheap and cheerful AliExpress special and a big hunk of (expensive, yes) Kester lead containing bar solder. I ordered from digiKey, comes from the US, but you only pay the VAT, no additional import handling fees or shipping over a certain amount. Leaded solder is still available in the EU, it’s just that it isn’t RoHS compliant so you could get into some trouble if you want to sell your stuff. For personal use it shouldn’t be an issue...


----------



## v3kt0r

DestroyerzCT said:


> Did you ever get any replies?  I trying to re-terminate my 4 pin JHAudio 3.5mm TRS into 2.5mm TRRS.  Whould you have any information on a conversion like that?



Nope, I've been ignored by them. However, made couple of cables by myself but it was quite a challenge. Termination was the easiest part for me, you just terminate 2.5 trrs as usual but use following: 
Right + (Low, Mid, Highs) 
Right - (ground)

And same for left.

I also later added 50ohm resistor for low cables or right and left to avoid bass attenuator which I'm not a fan of. Let me know if you have other questions.


----------



## -Hodor-

mattiav said:


> You can use normal solder of any kind as long as it does not contain any rosin/flux!



So would something like this work? https://www.ebay.de/itm/2-Stangen-K...447047?hash=item3d8a121987:g:WywAAOSwBCdczZOX


----------



## mattiav

-Hodor- said:


> So would something like this work? https://www.ebay.de/itm/2-Stangen-K...447047?hash=item3d8a121987:g:WywAAOSwBCdczZOX



Looks like solder for car bodywork? I don’t have any experience with lead-free solders, so no help from me.


----------



## MadDane (Jul 29, 2019)

That's definitely lead for car bodywork, trust me I've had the displeasure to work with it in days of old.


----------



## -Hodor-

yeah i guess this stuff would be better: https://www.reichelt.de/loetzinn-bl...-flowtin-ag-p96368.html?&trstct=dnrtcl_ldsldr


----------



## teknorob23

at the risk of exposing my lack electrical knowledge, is there any reason from a performance point of view not to mix multi-strand with solid core wire in the same headphone cable?

I am making an 8 core pure copper/ pure siver mix cable for friend. He hasnt got the budget for multi strand silver, but have reasonably flexible cable is a priority, so i rather than use solid core in both metals,  i was thinking of multi-strand copper and solid core silver.

As always any advice gratefully received


----------



## RestlessZombi

I think that the Solid Cables has more "mass" for the same gauge and length when compared to stranded wire. This improves conductivity, but its only a slight difference and often not worth it for the drop in flexibility. If its a fairly thin gauge then the difference would be negligible.


----------



## teknorob23

RestlessZombi said:


> I think that the Solid Cables has more "mass" for the same gauge and length when compared to stranded wire. This improves conductivity, but its only a slight difference and often not worth it for the drop in flexibility. If its a fairly thin gauge then the difference would be negligible.



thanks for coming back to me. I have made 8 core out neotech solid core silver and copper and it does make for a pretty stiff cable especially over the longer lengths. The multi-strand in 8 core is really flexible but whereas the multistrand copper is about the same price as the solid, the silver multi-strand is considerably more expensive. This is why i thought i could atleast add some degree of flex without the extra cost while keeping the performance benefits, if i went solid silver/ stranded copper to each polarity. If its not going to create any issues performance-wise then i'll probably give it go and see if makes a difference to the ergonomics. thanks again


----------



## Fat Larry (Jul 31, 2019)

Hi guys,

First time cable repairer here. I'm looking for parts to repair an iem cable. I've run a few searches and haven't turned up anything.

I need to replace an mmcx connector and was hoping to find something solderless as i'm not set up for soldering at the moment though if it's the only option i can obtain an iron.

 The cable is a Null Audio Arete so i'm wanting to find pins of similar quality.

Can anyone tell me if these would be a good choice? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32789819224.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.55.56f51199C1GJ4H

The other thing i'd like to add is soft flexible ear hooks like the ones on this cable https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...chweb0_0,searchweb201602_4,searchweb201603_60

I haven't had any luck finding that yet so any directions would be greatly appreciated. Global or cheap worldwide shipping would be helpful as i'm not in the US or Asia.

Cheers


----------



## -Hodor-

I havent seen solderless MMCX connectors, and I doubt they exist.

I have yet to make any MMCX Cables myself, Im looking into it atm aswell though and these look interresting:

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/32792474854.html?spm=a2g0x.12010615.8148356.15.5b75c468q3Vtiz


----------



## Fat Larry (Jul 31, 2019)

I just found this kit > https://www.headfoniastore.com/shop/zero-audio-zad-smart-mmcx-kit/. Doesn't look like the connectors are sold separately.

Thats ok, i don't mind picking up another skill. Does quality of solder affect sound quality?


----------



## RestlessZombi

If you mean the solder itself, it will have a minimal effect. If you meant the quality of the made connection then it will have more effect then the solder used, but then you can get good Silver solder for a cheap price so you can fix both of them easily. Learn what Tinning is and Tin the Wire and the Connector first, making a connection then will be a lot easier.


----------



## Fat Larry

RestlessZombi said:


> If you mean the solder itself, it will have a minimal effect. If you meant the quality of the made connection then it will have more effect then the solder used, but then you can get good Silver solder for a cheap price so you can fix both of them easily. Learn what Tinning is and Tin the Wire and the Connector first, making a connection then will be a lot easier.


Yes thats what i ment. Thanks i'll look into it.


----------



## DestroyerzCT

v3kt0r said:


> Nope, I've been ignored by them. However, made couple of cables by myself but it was quite a challenge. Termination was the easiest part for me, you just terminate 2.5 trrs as usual but use following:
> Right + (Low, Mid, Highs)
> Right - (ground)
> 
> ...



Thanks for the reply. That's sort of my plan.  I'm going to use my existing cable with the attenuator and just change out the 3.5mm TRS for the 2.5mm TRRS balanced.


----------



## Fat Larry

Anyone have any insights on what the soft ear hook material is and where i could find it?


----------



## mattiav

Fat Larry said:


> Anyone have any insights on what the soft ear hook material is and where i could find it?



Heatshrink.


----------



## Fat Larry

mattiav said:


> Heatshrink.



Hmmm heatshrink doesn't hold a bent shape. The ear hooks in the video spring back to the hook shape while still being soft. The cable i have has some rigidity to it and had wire ear hooks on it which were annoying to put on or take off.


----------



## RestlessZombi

Fat Larry said:


> Hmmm heatshrink doesn't hold a bent shape. The ear hooks in the video spring back to the hook shape while still being soft. The cable i have has some rigidity to it and had wire ear hooks on it which were annoying to put on or take off.



Heatshrink holds its shape if its bent to the shape when its cooled. I used clear heatshrink on my IEM cable so I know it works.


----------



## Fat Larry

RestlessZombi said:


> Heatshrink holds its shape if its bent to the shape when its cooled. I used clear heatshrink on my IEM cable so I know it works.



Ohhhhh.... so you heat it,shrink it and bend it to shape while it cools?? Do you need a jig or something to bend it over?


----------



## RestlessZombi

Fat Larry said:


> Ohhhhh.... so you heat it,shrink it and bend it to shape while it cools?? Do you need a jig or something to bend it over?



I used like a marker or large pen as a guide to wrap it around, just so I got the same shape on both sides. I would suggest you shrink it first then reheat it to shape it though as it'll be a lot easier to get the shape your after if your not concerning yourself with shrinking it first. Don't use a lighter / Fire for this either, get a cheap heatgun, makes all the difference.


----------



## Fat Larry

RestlessZombi said:


> I used like a marker or large pen as a guide to wrap it around, just so I got the same shape on both sides. I would suggest you shrink it first then reheat it to shape it though as it'll be a lot easier to get the shape your after if your not concerning yourself with shrinking it first. Don't use a lighter / Fire for this either, get a cheap heatgun, makes all the difference.



Thanks i have one, just had no idea that heat shrink behaves like that. Now i just need to pick some connectors.


----------



## killaHz

RestlessZombi said:


> I used like a marker or large pen as a guide to wrap it around, just so I got the same shape on both sides. I would suggest you shrink it first then reheat it to shape it though as it'll be a lot easier to get the shape your after if your not concerning yourself with shrinking it first. Don't use a lighter / Fire for this either, get a cheap heatgun, makes all the difference.



This is all correct advice, except I offer (IMHO) a better choice of cylinder around which to shape the hook: the cardboard tube from a roll of aluminum foil. It's easy to punch a hole in one side, stick the connector through the hole, and pull the heatshrink-wrapped cable around the tube. It matches the curve of an ear relatively well, so you can even angle the curl a little so that when you take the cable off the tube, the cable will angle toward the skull just a little, getting the cable right up against the head and neck.


----------



## MadDane

Matthew420 said:


> This is all correct advice, except I offer (IMHO) a better choice of cylinder around which to shape the hook: the cardboard tube from a roll of aluminum foil. It's easy to punch a hole in one side, stick the connector through the hole, and pull the heatshrink-wrapped cable around the tube. It matches the curve of an ear relatively well, so you can even angle the curl a little so that when you take the cable off the tube, the cable will angle toward the skull just a little, getting the cable right up against the head and neck.



Brilliant!! Another reason I love DIY forums like this!


----------



## Fat Larry

Matthew420 said:


> This is all correct advice, except I offer (IMHO) a better choice of cylinder around which to shape the hook: the cardboard tube from a roll of aluminum foil. It's easy to punch a hole in one side, stick the connector through the hole, and pull the heatshrink-wrapped cable around the tube. It matches the curve of an ear relatively well, so you can even angle the curl a little so that when you take the cable off the tube, the cable will angle toward the skull just a little, getting the cable right up against the head and neck.




Thanks, i'll do that. Sound like a great idea. 

Regarding connectors, will i generally get what i pay for on Aliexpress? Its so hard to know on that place.


----------



## ShinAyasaki (Aug 2, 2019)

Fat Larry said:


> Thanks, i'll do that. Sound like a great idea.
> 
> Regarding connectors, will i generally get what i pay for on Aliexpress? Its so hard to know on that place.



I waited 3 weeks for my 2pin connectors and they ******* sent me the mmcx ones. I got everything ready but the connectors now and it pissed me off bad.

Anybody got a spared pair of 2pin 0.78 connectors laying around that you can sell to me, or I will have to get those $20 connectors from plussound.
edit: the shipping costs 5 dollars, so that's the total of $25 for a pair of 2pin connectors. Yikes


----------



## Fat Larry

ShinAyasaki said:


> I waited 3 weeks for my 2pin connectors and they ******* sent me the mmcx ones. I got everything ready but the connectors now and it pissed me off bad.
> 
> Anybody got a spared pair of 2pin 0.78 connectors laying around that you can sell to me, or I will have to get those $20 connectors from plussound.
> edit: the shipping costs 5 dollars, so that's the total of $25 for a pair of 2pin connectors. Yikes



I was just looking at the Plussound ones, they are certainly pricey and probably made in the same factories as half of the ali connectors. Which ones did you get?


----------



## ShinAyasaki

Fat Larry said:


> I was just looking at the Plussound ones, they are certainly pricey and probably made in the same factories as half of the ali connectors. Which ones did you get?



these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32952213991.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.147c4c4dYmiZQX
not the best value ones, but I have dealt with them before so I thought it should be fine this time also.


----------



## Fat Larry

Another question: What is the clear plastic tubing that i see coming out of all the connectors on my iem cables? I'm assuming it's there for cable relief. What tubing is commonly used and where can i find it?


----------



## ShinAyasaki

Fat Larry said:


> Another question: What is the clear plastic tubing that i see coming out of all the connectors on my iem cables? I'm assuming it's there for cable relief. What tubing is commonly used and where can i find it?


these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32907319081.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.4.1d0e4fa12zu97x

I actually have some black/red from the previous projects and they work just fine. For U.S shipping checkout parts-express, just search for "tubing".


----------



## Fat Larry

ShinAyasaki said:


> these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32907319081.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.4.1d0e4fa12zu97x
> 
> I actually have some black/red from the previous projects and they work just fine. For U.S shipping checkout parts-express, just search for "tubing".



Thanks, really appreciate  it. 

I'm not actually in the US so shipping is two weeks to two months usually from ali. I don't bother to worry about it. 

I also wonder, should i fill the connector with epoxy?


----------



## DR650SE (Aug 5, 2019)

Hey guys, i'm finally making my way in here as I've finally picked up a nice soldering station (Hakko FX-888).  I've repaired a few of my broken headphones I had lying around and would really like to start making new cables, LODs and interconnectors for my DAPs and Amps.

As far as the difference cables make in sound quality, I don't hear it much.  With that said, is there any one places that would be a one stop shop for things like cable wire, MMCX ends, 3.5mm TRS plugs (Male/female), and the splitter for IEM cables?  Perhaps even micro USB, and USB C ends?  I'm looking to start making my own cables out of the hobby of it.  I enjoy working with my hands.

As for wires, I'd like to go with something silver, but I'm not sure what sizes I need.  If needed I'll even go for individual strands.  Obviously I'm looking for things that look clean, slick and not cheap at a decent price (Aren't we all?).  The cheaper (price, not look  ) the better.  Are there any recommended places?  I looked at the first post, but didn't find any place that sold everything.  Is there anything special when it comes to earphone/headphone wires I should be looking for?


----------



## dcime

Why do I have so much trouble finding a 2.5mm female balanced to a 3.5mm Male? I've ordered 4 and all only play in the right side headset. Please tell me what I am  doing wrong and how to correct it (which adapter?)
Thank you


----------



## hakuzen

dcime said:


> Why do I have so much trouble finding a 2.5mm female balanced to a 3.5mm Male? I've ordered 4 and all only play in the right side headset. Please tell me what I am  doing wrong and how to correct it (which adapter?)
> Thank you


you need a female 2.5mm TRRS BALANCED to male 3.5mm TRS adapter, not 2.5mm TRRS SINGLE-ENDED+MIC to 3.5mm. they are not the same, different pins meaning and purpose.
samples of the adapter you need: adapters (measurements, pics, and links)


----------



## dcime

hakuzen said:


> you need a female 2.5mm TRRS BALANCED to male 3.5mm TRS adapter, not 2.5mm TRRS SINGLE-ENDED+MIC to 3.5mm. they are not the same, different pins meaning and purpose.
> samples of the adapter you need: adapters (measurements, pics, and links)


Where can I actually buy one or two please.
Thanks


----------



## dcime

*3.5mm Male to 2.5mm TRRS Female Balanced Output Adapter 8-core Weaving Color1 (Black-Sliver)*
*This will work from Amazon?*


----------



## dcime

I just placed an order for this ; 
okcsc
_3.9 out of 5 stars_  7Reviews
*3.5mm Male to 2.5mm TRRS Female Balanced Output Adapter 8-core Weaving(Sliver) @$18.99 from Amazon. This is what you reccomended please?*


----------



## hakuzen

i've not tried that. but yes, this is the kind of working adapter for your purpose.
did you check my list? some links to products (from aliexpress) are included there (you can search and find some of them at amazon, i guess).
first you have to decide if you prefer a short adapter (not external cable, straight or in L) or an adapter with cable. if short and L, okcsc is the cheapest working one, eidolic the most expensive (links in my list); if with cable, i trust more in FiiO BL35 than the one from your link.


----------



## Fat Larry

ShinAyasaki said:


> these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32952213991.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.147c4c4dYmiZQX
> not the best value ones, but I have dealt with them before so I thought it should be fine this time also.



I grabbed those. They sent me three pairs, i thought i was paying for one?!? Did they send you three? Reason i ask is that i was buying for reasonable quality and really don't want to use a cheap set (which these become at three pairs for $8)..


----------



## algoth

Hi all, my question has probably come up in this thread before but I wasn't able to find an answer: What would be the AliExpress alternative for DIY cable favorites such as Mogami W2893 or Canare L-4E6S? Is there anything similar on AE? I'd of course prefer one of those two but I'm having a hard time sourcing them here in the northern outskirts of Europe. More specifically, I'm looking for a flexible 3-/4-core cable, 24-28 awg per core. 

Thanks!


----------



## RestlessZombi

algoth said:


> Hi all, my question has probably come up in this thread before but I wasn't able to find an answer: What would be the AliExpress alternative for DIY cable favorites such as Mogami W2893 or Canare L-4E6S? Is there anything similar on AE? I'd of course prefer one of those two but I'm having a hard time sourcing them here in the northern outskirts of Europe. More specifically, I'm looking for a flexible 3-/4-core cable, 24-28 awg per core.
> 
> Thanks!



I have used this cable for a few projects, cheap and comparable to Mogami 2893. I'm just not sure on what International Shipping is like.

https://www.designacable.com/compon...re-starquad-bulk-cable-black-268-029-000.html


----------



## killaHz

I looked through the wire supply links in the original post, and it's almost all microphone cable, guitar cable, some hookup wire, etc.—nothing that really resembles the stuff that's in the name-brand cables. Is the only way to get OCC and/or litz wire like the pros to have it custom-made by the factory? I've seen some AliExpress entries that say that's what they're selling, but it's weirdly expensive even by the vaunted standards of audio wire, and I'm loath to purchase from people who don't know how to spell 'litz.'


----------



## -Hodor-

Anybody know of an MMCX Connector that has an actual strain relief? I havent found any, even the Eidolic ones are without. How do you guys make your DIY IEM Cables last?


----------



## killaHz

-Hodor- said:


> Anybody know of an MMCX Connector that has an actual strain relief? I havent found any, even the Eidolic ones are without. How do you guys make your DIY IEM Cables last?



Heatshrink tubing.


----------



## hakuzen

Matthew420 said:


> I looked through the wire supply links in the original post, and it's almost all microphone cable, guitar cable, some hookup wire, etc.—nothing that really resembles the stuff that's in the name-brand cables. Is the only way to get OCC and/or litz wire like the pros to have it custom-made by the factory? I've seen some AliExpress entries that say that's what they're selling, but it's weirdly expensive even by the vaunted standards of audio wire, and I'm loath to purchase from people who don't know how to spell 'litz.'


i've bought some wires in this shop at AE successfully: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/5003206
true up-occ litz wires. sure they don't speak English, but the wires are legit.

other store where you can find nice litz cardas or neotech wires at good price is this: https://www.hificollective.co.uk/
they surely speak English..


----------



## teknorob23

Hello All, has anyone come across a cable tester similar to the one pictured here, which also tests 2.5mm trrs or even 4.4mm terminations. thx


----------



## hakuzen

teknorob23 said:


> Hello All, has anyone come across a cable tester similar to the one pictured here, which also tests 2.5mm trrs or even 4.4mm terminations. thx


If it had featured resistance, capacitance, and inductance measurements, it would be brilliant.
As it is, it looks very comfortable if you need to check lots of cables.


----------



## teknorob23

hakuzen said:


> If it had featured resistance, capacitance, and inductance measurements, it would be brilliant.
> As it is, it looks very comfortable if you need to check lots of cables.



thanks for coming back to me and sorry my post was a bit unclear, as i'm not looking to buy this actual model, but i wanted to see if anyone has found a similar tester which also has 2.5mm or 4.4mm balanced jacks?


----------



## -Hodor-

Matthew420 said:


> Heatshrink tubing.



How do you fixiate the wire in the shell, so theres no strain on the soldered connection is what I meant, sorry beeing unclear


----------



## killaHz

-Hodor- said:


> How do you fixiate the wire in the shell, so theres no strain on the soldered connection is what I meant, sorry beeing unclear



Oh. I think the most common thing is to pack the soldered joints with hot glue.


----------



## -Hodor-

Matthew420 said:


> Oh. I think the most common thing is to pack the soldered joints with hot glue.



Dang, thats what im doing and im not really happy with that. Guess Ill check out some epoxys and dual component glues


----------



## cenix

Hello everyone,

This is a re-post of the thread I made, after which I found out that this one existed and opted to post in here instead (I've requested for that thread to be deleted).

First of all, I'm a complete newbie to soldering MMCX cables. Therefore, I have some questions regarding the soldering of a new MMCX male connector onto my cable.


1: As you can see, the cable has 2 wires. The grey wire branching to the left and the yellow one to the right. Is one of them hot and the other one cold?


2: How should I solder them onto the MMCX plugs, should I just solder the silver ground wire onto one of the outer pins and combine hot + cold and solder them onto the center pin? This is rather confusing to me

Thank you for your help


----------



## -Hodor-

the silver wires on the outside are the shield. one of the wires is your signal, that one goes to the center pin, the other is ground, outside pin/shell


----------



## cenix

-Hodor- said:


> the silver wires on the outside are the shield. one of the wires is your signal, that one goes to the center pin, the other is ground, outside pin/shell



Thank you for your reply. So basically, I can just cut the shield away. Also, there is no way to know which one is the signal other than to solder and test? I don't have a multimeter.


----------



## -Hodor-

cenix said:


> Thank you for your reply. So basically, I can just cut the shield away. Also, there is no way to know which one is the signal other than to solder and test? I don't have a multimeter.


arent the wires different colors? kinda hard to see in the picture


----------



## cenix (Aug 23, 2019)

-Hodor- said:


> arent the wires different colors? kinda hard to see in the picture



I have laid the wires bare, but it's still difficult to see. I think that the colors are very similar, if not the same. They both have a yellow tint, or it seems that way at least. Only the shielding cable is totally silver-colored. Btw, this is the official cable for GR07 detachable version. Cable link HERE.


----------



## mattiav

cenix said:


> Thank you for your reply. So basically, I can just cut the shield away. Also, there is no way to know which one is the signal other than to solder and test? I don't have a multimeter.



...get a multimeter. Seriously. Doing any kind of electronics wiring without even a cheapie is asking for trouble. If only to check you haven’t shorted them out after soldering.


----------



## Fat Larry

mattiav said:


> ...get a multimeter. Seriously. Doing any kind of electronics wiring without even a cheapie is asking for trouble. If only to check you haven’t shorted them out after soldering.



I'll be doing my cable/mmcx repair in the next few weeks. I have a mulitmeter but no idea what i need to do with it. How do i confirm which is the signal (mine are the same colour) wire etc and what should i check after soldering?


----------



## tomb

Fat Larry said:


> I'll be doing my cable/mmcx repair in the next few weeks. I have a mulitmeter but no idea what i need to do with it. How do i confirm which is the signal (mine are the same colour) wire etc and what should i check after soldering?


What you want to do is "check for continuity."  That means checking that each connection at one end of the cable matches up with the connection at the other end of the cable.  The way you do this is by checking the resistance between the two ends.  If you've mixed up the connections from one end to the other, the resistance will show as very large, maybe in the Mega-Ohm range.  If your wiring and soldering made the right connections at both ends, then the resistance will show up as almost zero, or something less than 5 ohms or thereabouts, depending on the wire size and the length of the cable.  Bottom line, the difference between connections on the same wire will be in single digit ohms.  The resistance difference between connections _NOT_ on the same wire will be in the thousands or millions of ohms.


----------



## Fat Larry

Thanks. So people are filling the mmcx connector with epoxy after soldering? Is that before or after adding heatshrink around the solder joints?


----------



## cenix (Aug 24, 2019)

-Hodor- said:


> the silver wires on the outside are the shield. one of the wires is your signal, that one goes to the center pin, the other is ground, outside pin/shell



Quoting you again. It seems that my cable has 2 cores (picture on the left), based on a reference pic I found (on the right). In this case, is your opinion still the same that I have to solder 1 to an outer pin and 1 to the middle pin of the MMCX connector, as well as remove the shielding wires?


----------



## MadDane

cenix said:


> Quoting you again. It seems that my cable has 2 cores (picture on the left), based on a reference pic I found (on the right). In this case, is your opinion still the same that I have to solder 1 to an outer pin and 1 to the middle pin of the MMCX connector, as well as remove the shielding wires?



Yep, you only need 2 wires per side L+R.


----------



## bvng3540

Received my note 10+ it included a crappy akg earbuds which sound like crap, so I decided to chop it off and installed a female 4.4mm because all my cable has been reterminated to 4.4mm, it end up very good, sound fantastic 


Here are the wiring if anyone interest in doing it yourself 



 
There are 2 extra wires yellow and black which is not use, you can cut those off


----------



## legopart

How to create this shring on the black connector?


bvng3540 said:


> Received my note 10+ it included a crappy akg earbuds which sound like crap, so I decided to chop it off and installed a female 4.4mm because all my cable has been reterminated to 4.4mm, it end up very good, sound fantastic
> Here are the wiring if anyone interest in doing it yourself
> 
> 
> There are 2 extra wires yellow and black which is not use, you can cut those off
















I searching for some soft shrink for the area that connected directly to the headphones, I need it elastically as possible


----------



## bvng3540 (Aug 27, 2019)

legopart said:


> How to create this shring on the black connector?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I bought it in ebay, there are may sizes


----------



## reevos

Wow these cables are getting complex, but they look nice.


----------



## CoiL

Matthew420 said:


> I looked through the wire supply links in the original post, and it's almost all microphone cable, guitar cable, some hookup wire, etc.—nothing that really resembles the stuff that's in the name-brand cables. Is the only way to get OCC and/or litz wire like the pros to have it custom-made by the factory? I've seen some AliExpress entries that say that's what they're selling, but it's weirdly expensive even by the vaunted standards of audio wire, and I'm loath to purchase from people who don't know how to spell 'litz.'


You can always sleeve Litz-wire with PVC/PO/PU/PE etc. sleeving yourself... but know it`s hard & "painful" work and needs patience & skill.
Here is my CC1HP DIY cable from Litz-wire with PO sleeving:


Spoiler: pics


----------



## imas69

Sorry posted this in the gallery by mistake but has anyone had any experience with buying parts etc from cosmic-cables.co.uk, I need some wire
and the selection of wire and parts is good but not sure if the service is good, please let me know.


----------



## teknorob23

I’ve not heard of them before, but always keen to find new sources of diy stuff as I’m pretty much reliant on hifi collective for wire and oidio sound for connectors. But their website is slightly strange, everything seems to cost £10 and if you click on wire there’s no details just a price £4, £4 for what, they’re not letting on. It might just be a rubbish site, but looks a bit suss, has someone recommended them to you. Have you tried http://www.custom-hifi-cables.co.uk/home, otherwise oidio do sell
wire as well as connectors and they really top chaps. Other than that hifi collective or https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/ but im
Guessing you’ve seen these. I’d be interested to hear more on cosmic though if they’re genuine as it would be great to have a UK source for eidolic plugs


----------



## imas69

Thanks, I've looked at the other sites but they don't offer the type of wire that I'm after or the connectors, I know what you mean about the cosmic website it is weird
but I think it's only for the mobile site, seems unfinished but when I visited on my laptop everything was fine. Perhaps I'll buy a connector to test the water.


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> Thanks, I've looked at the other sites but they don't offer the type of wire that I'm after or the connectors, I know what you mean about the cosmic website it is weird
> but I think it's only for the mobile site, seems unfinished but when I visited on my laptop everything was fine. Perhaps I'll buy a connector to test the water.


arrh yes sorry you're right the main site is all good. Their pricing is pretty consistent with everyone elses so i cant see any reason to think they wont be fine. I'll definitely be buying a rhodium eidolic jack for my next HP cable. It will be interesting to see how they compare to the furutech which is double the price. Out of interest which wire are you trying to find?


----------



## imas69

Yes, I ordered a relatively cheap connector for a tenner to see what happens, I was looking at this https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/silver-cotton
because I want to make a cable of that colour but I'll see how it goes with the connector first (which I'll need for the cable anyhow), I'll let you know as soon as
I know more.


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> Yes, I ordered a relatively cheap connector for a tenner to see what happens, I was looking at this https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/silver-cotton
> because I want to make a cable of that colour but I'll see how it goes with the connector first (which I'll need for the cable anyhow), I'll let you know as soon as
> I know more.


look forward to hearing how you go


----------



## D_R_G

Hey y'all,

I am getting ready to start making my own cables and I want to start with a cable for my M1060s.  I have a Periapt cable, however really dislike how long the 2.5mm plugs are because they extended for recessed jacks, and can poke at my shoulders if I tilt my head too much either way.  I have only been able to find these plugs on Redco, however wanted to see if there are any options for 2.5mm that do no have the extension?

https://www.redco.com/Switchcraft-850.html

Also, I want to use the pig-tail system where the cables are connected by a mini-xlr connector, I understand how they are wired for balanced termination (in concept), however can a 4-pin mini xlr connector be used for SE cables as well, or will I need to use 3-pin mini xlr  connectors for those cables?  I'd like to keep the same connector for my balanced and SE amps so if the 4-pin can work with either that would be great.

Thanks in advance for the help!


----------



## mattiav

D_R_G said:


> Hey y'all,
> 
> I am getting ready to start making my own cables and I want to start with a cable for my M1060s.  I have a Periapt cable, however really dislike how long the 2.5mm plugs are because they extended for recessed jacks, and can poke at my shoulders if I tilt my head too much either way.  I have only been able to find these plugs on Redco, however wanted to see if there are any options for 2.5mm that do no have the extension?
> 
> ...



There are non-extended 2.5mm on AliExpress, but haven’t come across a lot from the more reliable quality suppliers - TRRS options, yes, but not mono plugs. 

As for cabling, make your cable balanced (which they all are of you have separate + and - wires going to each cup, so 4 wires - only if you have a single TRS input in one cup will it be single ended down the line). Terminate with your balanced 4 pin  mini XLR and make your pigtail connectors as desired. Join the two - wires to a common ground for SE, or keep them separate for balanced. 

Remember you can adapt a balanced headphone cable to single ended and plug it in safely. You cannot build an adapter to go from a single ended cable to a balanced connector without risking damage to the balanced amp you plug that into. The most flexible single cable in terms of adaptability is always a balanced one with suitable adapters/pigtails.


----------



## RestlessZombi

imas69 said:


> Yes, I ordered a relatively cheap connector for a tenner to see what happens, I was looking at this https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/silver-cotton
> because I want to make a cable of that colour but I'll see how it goes with the connector first (which I'll need for the cable anyhow), I'll let you know as soon as
> I know more.



As i think was previously mentioned, Cosmic seems expensive for what they are offering. The link below is to something that is pretty close to what you are looking for and it's £2.40 a metre. Stock they have is 20 or 22 gauge but they do stock thinner of this wire but its just out of stock at the moment. I personally think that the slight quality improvment may not be worth 3 times the cost.

https://oidiosound.co.uk/diy/wire/spc-wire.html

AliExpress has this cable too for a lot less, 10 Metres for £11

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1941379446.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.592f4c4d4Jn04F

The picture also concerns me a little as it seems to show Teflon covered cable yet, calls it cotton covered.
This is more what I would expect: https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/jupiter-cotton-insulated-wire.html

Personally I get my wire from oidiosound.co.uk or Designacable.co.uk.


----------



## imas69

RestlessZombi said:


> As i think was previously mentioned, Cosmic seems expensive for what they are offering. The link below is to something that is pretty close to what you are looking for and it's £2.40 a metre. Stock they have is 20 or 22 gauge but they do stock thinner of this wire but its just out of stock at the moment. I personally think that the slight quality improvment may not be worth 3 times the cost.
> 
> https://oidiosound.co.uk/diy/wire/spc-wire.html
> 
> ...



Thanks for this, I read it as cotton core not cotton sleeve, the wire that you have mentioned from AliExpress  is awful as I found out first hand, it is completely inflexible and not
acceptable for a headphone cable, it is very low quality imo, the only thing  on ali that looks similar is the Neotech stuff which I don't think is actually Neotech and the prices
are equal or more https://www.aliexpress.com/premium/...&origin=y&catId=0&isViewCP=y&switch_new_app=y.
Oidio never seem to have wire stock and the Neotech wire at hificollective is also more expensive which is why I was apprehensive in the first place, I have now ordered 16m of the wire
from cosmic-cables.co.uk and will report back as soon as I have received it. Thanks for your help.


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> Thanks for this, I read it as cotton core not cotton sleeve, the wire that you have mentioned from AliExpress  is awful as I found out first hand, it is completely inflexible and not
> acceptable for a headphone cable, it is very low quality imo, the only thing  on ali that looks similar is the Neotech stuff which I don't think is actually Neotech and the prices
> are equal or more https://www.aliexpress.com/premium/...&origin=y&catId=0&isViewCP=y&switch_new_app=y.
> Oidio never seem to have wire stock and the Neotech wire at hificollective is also more expensive which is why I was apprehensive in the first place, I have now ordered 16m of the wire
> from cosmic-cables.co.uk and will report back as soon as I have received it. Thanks for your help.



It'll be interesting to hear how you get on with it, because it might turn out to be great value. On OIDIO sound, the only thing theyre rubbish at is updating stock levels in their DIY section. They generally have everything thats on there, in stock if you ask plus stuff they dont put on, such as every type of headphone connector you can think of. They are really great to deal with, happy to give indepth DIY advice and everything i've ever ordered arrived the following day


----------



## imas69

I'll let you know as soon as it arrives


----------



## D_R_G

mattiav said:


> There are non-extended 2.5mm on AliExpress, but haven’t come across a lot from the more reliable quality suppliers - TRRS options, yes, but not mono plugs.
> 
> As for cabling, make your cable balanced (which they all are of you have separate + and - wires going to each cup, so 4 wires - only if you have a single TRS input in one cup will it be single ended down the line). Terminate with your balanced 4 pin  mini XLR and make your pigtail connectors as desired. Join the two - wires to a common ground for SE, or keep them separate for balanced.
> 
> Remember you can adapt a balanced headphone cable to single ended and plug it in safely. You cannot build an adapter to go from a single ended cable to a balanced connector without risking damage to the balanced amp you plug that into. The most flexible single cable in terms of adaptability is always a balanced one with suitable adapters/pigtails.



Thanks so much for the info and feedback!  It's a bummer how limited the options are for 2.5mm plugs that are not extended, at least I know I have been looking in the right places.  As for cable termination question, I think I was overthinking the process:  The mini xlr is literal bridge between the two pieces and should be wired as if the mini xlr was not there; with the focus being on the termination for the amp or headphone (balanced - each of the wires and terminated separately, and the - wires are joined and soldered to the sleeve of a TRS), right?

To your last point, I understand there is no benefit to connecting a SE headphone/cable into a balanced input on an amp since it is terminated to SE regardless.  So not that I would do it anyways, I am wondering how could it damage the amp if for example I make this pigtail system, and someone connects a DT-1990 to the balanced input of my 789 rather than the SE input?

Thanks again for all of your help!  I appreciate it very much.


----------



## mattiav

D_R_G said:


> Thanks so much for the info and feedback!  It's a bummer how limited the options are for 2.5mm plugs that are not extended, at least I know I have been looking in the right places.  As for cable termination question, I think I was overthinking the process:  The mini xlr is literal bridge between the two pieces and should be wired as if the mini xlr was not there; with the focus being on the termination for the amp or headphone (balanced - each of the wires and terminated separately, and the - wires are joined and soldered to the sleeve of a TRS), right?



Correct. 



> To your last point, I understand there is no benefit to connecting a SE headphone/cable into a balanced input on an amp since it is terminated to SE regardless.  So not that I would do it anyways, I am wondering how could it damage the amp if for example I make this pigtail system, and someone connects a DT-1990 to the balanced input of my 789 rather than the SE input?
> 
> Thanks again for all of your help!  I appreciate it very much.



It’s not that there is no benefit, it’s electrically dangerous/not possible. Your headphone transducer does not care if it shares a ground or not (single ended vs balanced), it’s a passive device. If you make the pigtail right you can’t connect it by accident (you have it wired properly throughout). But if you short the two grounds in your adapter you connect two parts (negatives) of two powered outputs. Basically short circuiting the amp. 

TL;DR - 
Balanced output -> balanced cable = GOOD
Balanced output -> SE adapter/cable = BAD
SE output -> SE adapter/cable = GOOD

Clear?


----------



## killaHz

I'm starting to go insane, so I know there's some trick of the trade that I'm missing: How do I snake wire through paracord without the little sharp edges of the wire/sheathing snagging threads in the sleeve's fabric and getting stuck?

I tried making a blob of solder on the end of the wires to keep them from grabbing the paracord, but the solder wasn't a nice, round ball—too angular. I tried wrapping with teflon tape, but that's so thin the wires were able to snag the threads of the cord right through the tape.


----------



## imas69

What size paracord are you using


----------



## killaHz

325. I already gave up on 275.


----------



## carlman14

Matthew420 said:


> I'm starting to go insane, so I know there's some trick of the trade that I'm missing: How do I snake wire through paracord without the little sharp edges of the wire/sheathing snagging threads in the sleeve's fabric and getting stuck?
> 
> I tried making a blob of solder on the end of the wires to keep them from grabbing the paracord, but the solder wasn't a nice, round ball—too angular. I tried wrapping with teflon tape, but that's so thin the wires were able to snag the threads of the cord right through the tape.



I've had really good luck putting heat shrink tubing on the end of the wire (with enough tubing hanging off the end of the wire to ensure nothing has a chance of snagging), then snaking it through.


----------



## imas69

Use 4mm it's perfect and the quality ofvthe finished cable always looks and feels better, bit more difficult to get into the openings of your connectors but you can always squish it together with a bit of hot glue


----------



## -Hodor-

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/rean-3-5mm-mono-jack

Cosmic cables say the rean 3.5mm Jacks work with the Beyerdynamic/Sony Headphones. can anybody confirm this is true?


----------



## teknorob23 (Sep 4, 2019)

-Hodor- said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/rean-3-5mm-mono-jack
> 
> Cosmic cables say the rean 3.5mm Jacks work with the Beyerdynamic/Sony Headphones. can anybody confirm this is true
> 
> I


----------



## teknorob23

-Hodor- said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/rean-3-5mm-mono-jack
> 
> Cosmic cables say the rean 3.5mm Jacks work with the Beyerdynamic/Sony Headphones. can anybody confirm this is true?



Sorry my last post corrupted so here it is again..

I think it Depends on the model. Beyer T1 2nd gen have 2.5mm jacks. Sony z1r take 3.5 mono.

Those team plugs are very expensive on their site, I buy loads for making cables for focal’s and they’re normally about £1 each. They are good however and easy to work with. 

https://cpc.farnell.com/rean/nys226/plug-3-5mm-mono-nickel-crimp-sr/dp/CN19672?mckv=segNMW4w1_dm|pcrid|224645161149|kword||match||plid||slid||product|CN19672|pgrid|45968746254|ptaid|pla-582605047582|&CMP=KNC-GUK-CPC-SHOPPING&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8b_brbi25AIVArDtCh1kRAyyEAQYBCABEgJqufD_BwE

Which headphone are you building for?


----------



## imas69

I have used them twice for two different sets of beyer t1 and on the first occasion that worked a treat but the next time the connection wasn't great, I'm not sure what changed the size of the hole or the size of the connector because I didn't have the other cable to compare anymore.


----------



## imas69

The rean connectors on cosmic-cables.co.uk are expensive but I bought 16m of the silver cotton wire and a jack and am happy to report
that it all arrived today along with a letter thanking me for my custom (nice touch I thought), the wire is really nice, nothing like what's on AliExpress 
but I think I'll buy my rean connectors from Farnell if I ever use them again but nice to have another option since Toxic shut down.


----------



## -Hodor-

I dont plan to buy them from cosmic cables, I do have a bunch of them myself (the black & gold version but that doesnt matter). I just didnt think theyd fit the Beyerdynamic cans. If they do that would be great news, since Id much rather use decent quality Neutrik/Rean jacks than cheap chinese crap (no offense)




teknorob23 said:


> I think it Depends on the model. Beyer T1 2nd gen have 2.5mm jacks. Sony z1r take 3.5 mono.



Im pretty sure the Beyer cans use 2x3.5mm aswell


----------



## imas69

Chinese products are as good as any others it's just that they manufacture their stuff in very large quantities and are able to sell at cheap prices, I can't imagine 
a rean connector priced at 73p is head and shoulders above anything that's made in China and the Chinese jacks look a lot better too. In fact when you bend 
the strain relief down to make soldering easier on the rean they quite often break off.


----------



## -Hodor-

I mean the REAN jacks are made in China aswell, only the stuff thats branded Neutrik is actually made in Lichtenstein as far as I'm aware. Also not all chinese jacks are bad, just most of them are worse than the REAN Stuff and take ages to ship to the EU

So if anybody knows if the REAN fit the Beyerdynamic Cans I would be very happy


----------



## imas69

Soonest I can let you know is Saturday night, I'm seeing a friend who has a pair of gen 2 and I have a cable with the rean connectors for my focal
clear so i'll take it with me and test, is Saturday too late.


----------



## -Hodor-

imas69 said:


> Soonest I can let you know is Saturday night, I'm seeing a friend who has a pair of gen 2 and I have a cable with the rean connectors for my focal
> clear so i'll take it with me and test, is Saturday too late.



That would be great thank you!


----------



## D_R_G

mattiav said:


> Correct.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Got it!  Thanks a lot for helping me get a better picture of this, I appreciate it.  I am excited to try out making my first cable!


----------



## Luke-

Hi 

Anyone know where I can get a cable made like this or a place a can purchase from 
It’s for my Fiio M11 to my Hugo 1 
Any help would be good I could possibly build my self if I know where to purchase correct stuff etc.
Thanks


----------



## RestlessZombi

Luke- said:


> Hi
> 
> Anyone know where I can get a cable made like this or a place a can purchase from
> It’s for my Fiio M11 to my Hugo 1
> ...




I'm assuming that this is a 3.5mm to Digital Coax cable, as in you wish to connect it to the Yellow RCA looking connector on the Hugo 1.

If so then i think that this is the pins that need to connect.


 

Taken from the following item on Amazon Website

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Micca-Premium-SPDIF-Digital-Coaxial-Black/dp/B00V436UQU

It does state that the cable needs to be capable of transmitting 75 Ohms through the wire, but use of a decent wire is more important. Link can explain better.

https://www.the-home-cinema-guide.com/coaxial-digital-audio.html


----------



## Luke-

Thanks 


RestlessZombi said:


> I'm assuming that this is a 3.5mm to Digital Coax cable, as in you wish to connect it to the Yellow RCA looking connector on the Hugo 1.
> 
> If so then i think that this is the pins that need to connect.
> 
> ...


Thanks for that..I wish there was one I could just purchase short jumper between the two devices .


----------



## hakuzen (Sep 5, 2019)

Luke- said:


> Hi
> 
> Anyone know where I can get a cable made like this or a place a can purchase from
> It’s for my Fiio M11 to my Hugo 1
> ...


Guess you want to use digital output from M11 (3.5mm coaxial, shared with phones output) to connect to coaxial digital input of Hugo 1 (RCA).
In this case, the 3.5mm coaxial plug can be TS (tip & sleeve) type. Digital signal goes to tip, ground to sleeve.
If so, the second cable in your pic is what you need.
You can find a quite decent affordable one here:
https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/e06.html




You can select and customize length.
Canare LV-61S wire. true 75 ohms nominal impedance (between conductor and shield)


----------



## imas69

-Hodor- said:


> That would be great thank you!


The new Rean connectors won't fit the gen 2 by a tiny margin, I know that they definitely used to fit but I'm guessing that's not 
gonna help you, as I said I don't know what's changed the Rean or the headphone hole, hate to say it but if the ones you have are
old stock then they may still work.


----------



## imas69

Sorry, wrong place again


----------



## -Hodor-

thx imas, and this time your in the right place 











Im confused by the labeling on the Hirose connectors for Mr Speakers. Is this correct? Each number is right between two solder lugs so im not sure!


----------



## killaHz

-Hodor- said:


> thx imas, and this time your in the right place
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's right. Numbers count clockwise, with 'zero' at the square notch at the outer rim.


----------



## -Hodor-

thx m8!


----------



## hypersonic (Sep 8, 2019)

Hi all!
I'm planning to make a cable for my T1 2nd gen, 4 or 8 wires braid and terminating with a 1/4".
Is "hook up wire" what I should be looking for? Not very certain of the terminology.
Also should I choose stranded or solid wire? I'm thinking 24 awg pure silver from neotech or silver/gold from mundorf.
What's the pin out of the 3.5 mm jack for each side of T1?

Any help is greatly appreciated!


----------



## -Hodor-

I would advise against solid core wire for Headphones! Definatly go stranded. If this is your first DIY Cable id strongly suggest going with 4 wires, unless you have done other braiding work.

Pinout for the Beyer 3.5mm:

Tip: Signal
Ring: Ground for Driver
Sleeve: Ground for Shell

Be carefull, not all 3.5mm Jacks fit the Beyers (as you can read above). Mono Plugs work aswell, they dont ahve to be stereo.


----------



## hypersonic

-Hodor- said:


> I would advise against solid core wire for Headphones! Definatly go stranded. If this is your first DIY Cable id strongly suggest going with 4 wires, unless you have done other braiding work.
> 
> Pinout for the Beyer 3.5mm:
> 
> ...



Thank you!
Now when I think about it I want to do sleeving as well so 8 braid could be too difficult for me. Plus 40 feet of pure silver is a bit expensive. lol I guess 4 wires would be a wiser choice.
For the plug, I'm thinking about Eidolic universal as they will certainly fit.
Do I connect both the grounds together? Or just the driver ground?


----------



## teknorob23

hypersonic said:


> Thank you!
> Now when I think about it I want to do sleeving as well so 8 braid could be too difficult for me. Plus 40 feet of pure silver is a bit expensive. lol I guess 4 wires would be a wiser choice.
> For the plug, I'm thinking about Eidolic universal as they will certainly fit.
> Do I connect both the grounds together? Or just the driver ground?



Another way to think of it which helped me when I made my first cable:

Amp end;
Tip- left channel (signal)
Ring- right channel (signal)
Sleeve - ground (combine both ground wires from each channel together and solder here)

Headphone end 
Use mono plugs if you can but as @-Hodor- says stereo will work too

Tip- signal
Sleeve- ground

Another option is to braid the wires and then sleeve in single sleeve of wide gauge paracord. You want the fit be fairly loose to eliminate microphonics.


----------



## imas69

I recently made my first pure silver cable for my HD800 and have to say that the detail and clarity is exceptional, it has all Eidolic connectors
and is the Neotech  silver stranded from here https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver, was slightly cheaper than 
Hificollective and also slightly thicker gauge than they had in stock I think, mine is an 8 braid (which isn't that difficult) and has turned out
to be a cut above any other cable I've tried, I will drop a picture in when I'm back from the dreaded work.


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> I recently made my first pure silver cable for my HD800 and have to say that the detail and clarity is exceptional, it has all Eidolic connectors
> and is the Neotech  silver stranded from here https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver, was slightly cheaper than
> Hificollective and also slightly thicker gauge than they had in stock I think, mine is an 8 braid (which isn't that difficult) and has turned out
> to be a cut above any other cable I've tried, I will drop a picture in when I'm back from the dreaded work.



I can vouch for the quality of this cable both build more importantly sound quality. If you can’t or don’t want to stretch to the silver then neotechs copper upocc is very good value and SQ is fantastic too and 24 or 22awg are less than £5 per metre. I’ll stop there because recomending wire based on subjective claims about sound quality can get you in to terrible trouble on this thread


----------



## hypersonic (Sep 9, 2019)

imas69 said:


> I recently made my first pure silver cable for my HD800 and have to say that the detail and clarity is exceptional, it has all Eidolic connectors
> and is the Neotech  silver stranded from here https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver, was slightly cheaper than
> Hificollective and also slightly thicker gauge than they had in stock I think, mine is an 8 braid (which isn't that difficult) and has turned out
> to be a cut above any other cable I've tried, I will drop a picture in when I'm back from the dreaded work.


Those are 22 awg right? I think I might use those but only in 4 braid.
I'm planning a 1.5 m long cable and 8 braid is a bit costly to meEasily >500 pounds just in wire!
Braiding wouldn't be a problem to me but individual sleeving for all those may make the cable too thick for connectors


teknorob23 said:


> I can vouch for the quality of this cable both build more importantly sound quality. If you can’t or don’t want to stretch to the silver then neotechs copper upocc is very good value and SQ is fantastic too and 24 or 22awg are less than £5 per metre. I’ll stop there because recomending wire based on subjective claims about sound quality can get you in to terrible trouble on this thread


I've done a pure copper cable before and it was awfully bassy I didn't like it at all.
This time I have to try out pure silver


----------



## imas69

hypersonic said:


> Those are 22 awg right? I think I might use those but only in 4 braid.
> I'm planning a 1.5 m long cable and 8 braid is a bit costly to meEasily >500 pounds just in wire!
> Braiding wouldn't be a problem to me but individual sleeving for all those may make the cable too thick for connectors
> 
> ...


----------



## imas69

Leave it unsleeved it is really nice looking like that, take time with the braiding and you'll have a great cable


----------



## imas69

Not sure about the awg  but it's 1.45mm I'd which is a good size.


----------



## teknorob23

hypersonic said:


> Those are 22 awg right? I think I might use those but only in 4 braid.
> I'm planning a 1.5 m long cable and 8 braid is a bit costly to meEasily >500 pounds just in wire!
> Braiding wouldn't be a problem to me but individual sleeving for all those may make the cable too thick for connectors
> 
> ...



Not all copper is equal the mono crystal is pretty neutral, full sounding but neutral and in no way what could be described as bassy.   Neither the copper or silver have what you’d call typical signatures associated with their metal type. My favourite cable with the t1 gen2 was an 8 core (4x copper & 4x silver), which improved the body weight of the presentation, made the mids a little fuller and more natural while maintaining their accuracy and levels of detail. 


I’ve also experimented with both the 24awg and 22awg silver. There’s not a huge difference in performance, the 22 has slightly more slam/ attack in the lower frequencies, but otherwise it’s pretty similar and the 24 is about £27 per metre. The next real step up in performance comes with the addition of 4 more cores or going up 20awg which is a lot more expensive.  

You could always start with 4 cores and then add another 4 at a later date.


----------



## hypersonic

teknorob23 said:


> Not all copper is equal the mono crystal is pretty neutral, full sounding but neutral and in no way what could be described as bassy.   Neither the copper or silver have what you’d call typical signatures associated with their metal type. My favourite cable with the t1 gen2 was an 8 core (4x copper & 4x silver), which improved the body weight of the presentation, made the mids a little fuller and more natural while maintaining their accuracy and levels of detail.
> 
> 
> I’ve also experimented with both the 24awg and 22awg silver. There’s not a huge difference in performance, the 22 has slightly more slam/ attack in the lower frequencies, but otherwise it’s pretty similar and the 24 is about £27 per metre. The next real step up in performance comes with the addition of 4 more cores or going up 20awg which is a lot more expensive.
> ...


You are right. The stock cables are all thin copper but they don't sound particularly bassy. It must be the wire I used, which I forgot what it was lol
I have little to none experience with cables anyway so experimenting with some silver should be fun
Using 22 awg would cost around $450 total. umm...now 24 awg seems to be the sensible option
I plan to do individually sleeving with paracord too. A 24 awg wire is 1.2 OD. Which type should I use? Is 275 cord with 2mm diameter ok?


----------



## teknorob23

hypersonic said:


> You are right. The stock cables are all thin copper but they don't sound particularly bassy. It must be the wire I used, which I forgot what it was lol
> I have little to none experience with cables anyway so experimenting with some silver should be fun
> Using 22 awg would cost around $450 total. umm...now 24 awg seems to be the sensible option
> I plan to do individually sleeving with paracord too. A 24 awg wire is 1.2 OD. Which type should I use? Is 275 cord with 2mm diameter ok?



Yep it is quite punchy on the price front, for the record i have to say the performance does just justify the cost, but the i think you'll be really pleased with the results with the 24awg silver. I'm not the best person to advise on braiding the individual wires, because as i mentioned i prefer braiding the wires first then sleeving the whole lot like this:


----------



## imas69

I would go with the bigger gauge personally and use 550 paracord especially if you're only using 4 wires, is the price including VAT if so I would stump up for the bigger gauge at 37 per metre just for the extra clout in the detail and clarity.


----------



## imas69

Does anyone know the correct wiring config for the Fiio M11 2.5mm balanced please.
Thanks in advance


----------



## -Hodor-

Fiio use the same wiring as A&K so R- R+ L+ L- (from tip to sleeve)


----------



## imas69

Hodor, so sorry for the delayed reply, thank you very much for the info.


----------



## jmpsmash

What's a good source of good quality MMCX plugs? there are only a couple of them in Ebay of unknown quality. I am having problem finding other sources.


----------



## -Hodor-

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/4000108662910.html?spm=a2g0x.12010615.8148356.11.7fc1395dZcnqLT

these are pretty nice


----------



## sennfan83261

Which cable do you guys use to short 1-4 and 2-3 pins on the miniXLR when making Audeze cables?  I saw a recommendation for Neotech UP-OCC copper, but it doesn't mention which gauge to use.  Not a lot of room to work with there.


----------



## imas69

Use anything, it will not make a difference to the end sound, I normally use a small piece of solid core to bridge and then just solder to that.


----------



## RestlessZombi

imas69 said:


> Use anything, it will not make a difference to the end sound, I normally use a small piece of solid core to bridge and then just solder to that.



I was going to say that same thing, but thought i might be cast out from the Audiophile club for not using like 9N Cryo Silver Plated Copper wire.. I use any cheap bit of solid core i can find for this too.


----------



## imas69

Ha, you are banished for a period of 12 months and we suggest that you take the time to take a long hard look at yourself.


----------



## killaHz

Does anybody know of a good quality 4 pin xlr  plug that falls somewhere in between the cheapo Neutrik/Switchcraft stuff that runs like $5 and the $80-ish Furutech? It seems bizarre that there's this enormous wasteland in between those price points.


----------



## jmpsmash

Matthew420 said:


> Does anybody know of a good quality 4 pin xlr  plug that falls somewhere in between the cheapo Neutrik/Switchcraft stuff that runs like $5 and the $80-ish Furutech? It seems bizarre that there's this enormous wasteland in between those price points.



I am interested too. There used to be the Eidolic for ~$23 but they have been out of stock and the other one they offer is $149!


----------



## -Hodor-

well there are ~30ish €/$ Furutech FP-705M


----------



## imas69

Try Trevor at Norne audio in the USA or this is in the UK https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/eidolic-4-pin-xlr


----------



## MadDane

I bought these and was very impressed with the quality.  They tested great, (weren't impossible to solder, though very tiny) and were very strong when assembled.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/200940991699

YMMV


----------



## killaHz

MadDane said:


> I bought these and was very impressed with the quality.  They tested great, (weren't impossible to solder, though very tiny) and were very strong when assembled.
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/200940991699
> 
> YMMV



Oh, I meant the amplifier-end, full size XLR plugs. Sorry about that.


----------



## sworder84

Hello, guys. Has anyone compared Mogami 2893 and 2534 by sound? Is there any difference beetwen them? 
I buyed a few meters of 2893 for my HE 560 and just ordered a 2.5mm connectors. I did not found of W2534 in my town - out of stock!
Maybe later I will change the cable on OCC copper if the last one would better than Mogami. What do you think?


----------



## killaHz

sworder84 said:


> Hello, guys. Has anyone compared Mogami 2893 and 2534 by sound? Is there any difference beetwen them?
> I buyed a few meters of 2893 for my HE 560 and just ordered a 2.5mm connectors. I did not found of W2534 in my town - out of stock!
> Maybe later I will change the cable on OCC copper if the last one would better than Mogami. What do you think?



I haven't A/B tested those two. But if you have two cables of the same material, and one of them is 25 AWG and the other is 26, you'll probably be able to tell a difference.


----------



## sworder84

Matthew420 said:


> I haven't A/B tested those two. But if you have two cables of the same material, and one of them is 25 AWG and the other is 26, you'll probably be able to tell a difference.


Now I have only W2893. I saw 2534 on eBay and markertek but it's need to order. Anyway I'm waiting for connectors now. Tnank you for advice!


----------



## imas69

If there is a difference it will be so slight so I would order what I could, even Canare or Van Damme is fine, it's all silver plated ofc


----------



## killaHz (Sep 28, 2019)

imas69 said:


> If there is a difference it will be so slight so I would order what I could, even Canare or Van Damme is fine, it's all silver plated ofc



Yeah, don't be hung up on any particular brand or model. Most of the stuff that makes one mic cable better than another really doesn't have any effect on our uses. I'm not sure, but I don't think anybody's making an OCC-wire mic cable. So if you're talking OFC, the biggest driver of sonic improvement is going to be wire gauge.

And if you already HAVE 26 gauge wire, your gains from getting new 25 gauge wire won't be worth the money or the wait.


----------



## sworder84 (Sep 28, 2019)

I think headphones more like a copper cable than silver. I also have a custom argentiferous cable (my friend made it for me). But I don't know what kind this cable (noname). Sound is good but a little cold and sharp sometimes. That's why I want to made another cable with Cu conductors.
Which gauge of wire is optimal for headphones?


----------



## killaHz

I tried to start learning how to braid eight strands this morning. It's hard to keep track of which strand is which. Does anybody have any useful wire management suggestions?


----------



## doctorjuggles

Well I’ve personally never done any cabling in my life, but if it was me I’d wrap a different coloured string or piece of cotton or even colour in some pieces of paper and tape them to each end of each strand. Would that work?


----------



## imas69

Turn the TV off, put your headphones on and just keep trying and it gets easier every time but your main weapon is concentration, the worst thing is losing
your train of thought, I'm not very good at it because I keep thinking about chocolate


----------



## teknorob23

Hi All, i'm putting together a replacement cable for a pair of Beyer DT1770 HPs which have a single cable connecting by 3 pin mini xlr to the left cup. So i'm making a trs 6.35 - Mini 3 pin XLR. 

I've made the cable according to this wiring diagram and i am only getting signal out to the left channel. Ive checked the XLR and jack and all corresponding contacts are connecting correctly.

My question, is this correct wiring diagram and  or have i missed something really obvious?

thanks


----------



## Wes S (Oct 1, 2019)

teknorob23 said:


> Hi All, i'm putting together a replacement cable for a pair of Beyer DT1770 HPs which have a single cable connecting by 3 pin mini xlr to the left cup. So i'm making a trs 6.35 - Mini 3 pin XLR.
> 
> I've made the cable according to this wiring diagram and i am only getting signal out to the left channel. Ive checked the XLR and jack and all corresponding contacts are connecting correctly.
> 
> ...


Good timing!  I just twisted up some UP OCC wire for a cable for my DT1770's, and was wondering about the wiring as well.  I think your postive and negative are switched.  I believe the positive is pin 2 and negative is pin 3.  The ground is pin 1.


----------



## -Hodor-

The wiring in your Picture is correct, check the cable with a multimeter to see what your resistances etc are (specificly the connection pin 2 -> ring)


----------



## RestlessZombi

Have you tested with a multi-meter from the XLR end to the TRS end for continuity? check each pin from one end to the other. Also check that none of the connections are also connected to the other, so right isn't accidentally connecting to ground too. 

I can't see anything wrong with your wiring diagram, but if you have the old cable that would be the best reference to check with. There is a guide to swapping out the XLR by Demevalos that seems to confirm the pin layout here : https://imgur.com/a/tMd7Cn7

Double check your using the right pin 1, 2, and 3 in the XLR. I'm not sure if none of this works, beyond cracking open the headphones and checking the continuity from the speak to TRS jack...


----------



## teknorob23

-Hodor- said:


> The wiring in your Picture is correct, check the cable with a multimeter to see what your resistances etc are (specificly the connection pin 2 -> ring)



i'm stuck at this with one channel :0


----------



## -Hodor-

oh I think I know what the issue might be:

That picture is only halfway correct. Its drawn correctly, however the labeling on the XLR is wrong:

Pin 1 is top left (ground)
Pin 2 is bottom middle (right channel)
Pin 3 is top right (left channel)


----------



## killaHz

-Hodor- said:


> The wiring in your Picture is correct, check the cable with a *multimeter* to see what your resistances etc are (specificly the connection pin 2 -> ring)



XLRs are a little tricky, because you don't know from the wiring diagram whether you're looking at the pins from the back or the front. And the TR(R(R))S ones can be a little tricky, too. So just always check with a multimeter.


----------



## Wes S

-Hodor- said:


> oh I think I know what the issue might be:
> 
> That picture is only halfway correct. Its drawn correctly, however the labeling on the XLR is wrong:
> 
> ...


That is correct, and exactly what I said a few post ago.  Just go by the numbers in the pictures, regardless of their orientation.


----------



## teknorob23

Wes S said:


> That is correct, and exactly what I said a few post ago.  Just go by the numbers in the pictures, regardless of their orientation.



so just confirm this is how it should be wired looking at the back of the plug?

Pin 1 is top left (ground)
Pin 2 is bottom middle (right channel)
Pin 3 is top right (left channel)


----------



## Wes S

teknorob23 said:


> so just confirm this is how it should be wired looking at the back of the plug?
> 
> Pin 1 is top left (ground)
> Pin 2 is bottom middle (right channel)
> Pin 3 is top right (left channel)


That is correct.  I hope it works out for you.


----------



## teknorob23

Wes S said:


> That is correct.  I hope it works out for you.



Briliant thank you and thank you everyone else too. I'll have another crack and hopefully report back with success Rob


----------



## ElixBerd (Oct 2, 2019)

hakuzen said:


> i've bought some wires in this shop at AE successfully: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/5003206
> true up-occ litz wires. sure they don't speak English, but the wires are legit.


I seriously question the authenticity of these cables because you don't find such cables on Neotech site.


----------



## teknorob23

ElixBerd said:


> I'm seriously question the authenticity of these cables because you don't find such cable on Neotech site.



Agreed, but neotech do supply upocc wire to lots of third party companies. Still don’t think I’d go for it


----------



## ElixBerd

teknorob23 said:


> Agreed, but neotech do supply upocc wire to lots of third party companies. Still don’t think I’d go for it


They supply it to 3rd parties (as claimed by 3rd parties) but don't list it on their website? This seems kinda shady. Also, the headphone cable that is listed on Neotech site looks too dissimilar to the ones listed on AliExpress. All in all, I think I'll pass.

Any real UPOCC 7N copper cables out there? Here're a few that I could find, but didn't try:

https://forzaaudioworks.com/en/product.php?id_product=22
http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/...em-iem-full-size-aftermarket-up-7-n-6-upgrade


----------



## teknorob23

I’d avoid neotechs preprepared iem cable and go for there hook up cable in either copper, silver or silver gold upocc. I’ve tried lots of alternative upocc and nothing sounds as good to my ears as the neotech branded wire and the copper at least is pretty inexpensive where the 22awg is a bit of a sweet spot for hp cables in terms of sound, ergonomics and price.

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wires/neotech-stdct-multistrand-copper-wires.html


----------



## ElixBerd (Oct 2, 2019)

teknorob23 said:


> I’d avoid neotechs preprepared iem cable and go for there hook up cable in either copper, silver or silver gold upocc. I’ve tried lots of alternative upocc and nothing sounds as good to my ears as the neotech branded wire and the copper at least is pretty inexpensive where the 22awg is a bit of a sweet spot for hp cables in terms of sound, ergonomics and price.
> 
> https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wires/neotech-stdct-multistrand-copper-wires.html


Would it be too stiff if I'd want to make 8 core cable with it (24AWG)? Also, red sheathing sucks.
Has anyone wondered what wire is used in Brise Audio Yatono? Also the outer sheathing looks like a matte resin. I wasn't able to find such bulk cable online.


----------



## teknorob23

ElixBerd said:


> Would it be too stiff if I'd want to make 8 core cable with it (24AWG)? Also, red sheathing sucks.
> Has anyone wondered what wire is used in Brise Audio Yatono? Also the outer sheathing looks like a matte resin. I wasn't able to find such bulk cable online.



I've made quite a few 8 x 24awg cores varying from 1.5 to 5m cables, and yes it is stiffer than a 4 core, but still not what i called stiff and i havent had any complaints from those who i made them for. This wire is teflon coated which is considered the best performing sheathing for hook up wire, but probably less important for HP cables. Pricing on neotech wire seems pretty consistent world-wide but i have found a few anomalies, where specfic wire is cheaper from certain sellers. E.g silver/gold 24AWG which is £56 per metre in the UK, is closer to £40 in Latvia and ukraine.


----------



## hakuzen

ElixBerd said:


> I seriously question the authenticity of these cables because you don't find such cables on Neotech site.


that was my first thought when saw these PE sheathed wires and couldn't find them at their site. btw, they have added some wires to their site (neotech) which i couldn't find before.. at the beginning, the only hook up wire listed in their site were copper, soc, and silver, with teflon or pvc sleeved, iirc.
then, i saw cables using same PE sleeved wires in boutique shops, like null audio, norne, forza audioworks, and others.
then, searched for these wires at distributors; hificollective, where i use to buy the wire, and chinese distributors (taobao). i found these wires in the latter, together with the known wires listed at neotech (same product page in many cases).


ElixBerd said:


> They supply it to 3rd parties (as claimed by 3rd parties) but don't list it on their website? This seems kinda shady. Also, the headphone cable that is listed on Neotech site looks too dissimilar to the ones listed on AliExpress. All in all, I think I'll pass.
> 
> Any real UPOCC 7N copper cables out there? Here're a few that I could find, but didn't try:
> 
> ...


LOL. these wires are not listed at neotech site either. why do you believe these are legit, and the same wires listed at a chinese shop are fake? just because they are chinese?

better do what @teknorob23 suggests. buy a wire which is listed at neotech site, and DIY yourself.


----------



## ElixBerd

hakuzen said:


> LOL. these wires are not listed at neotech site either. why do you believe these are legit, and the same wires listed at a chinese shop are fake? just because they are chinese?


Where do I claim or ask that/if they're Neotech? I only spoke about 7N UP-OCC.

I feel that all this 7N stuff is pure marketing. Even Neotech claims only 5N on this site: https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wires/neotech-stdct-multistrand-copper-wires.html
This article pretty much supports this too: https://doublehelixcables.com/faq/

Does anyone have any firsthand experience with the aforementioned cables?


----------



## teknorob23

ElixBerd said:


> Where do I claim or ask that/if they're Neotech? I only spoke about 7N UP-OCC.
> 
> I feel that all this 7N stuff is pure marketing. Even Neotech claims only 5N on this site: https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wires/neotech-stdct-multistrand-copper-wires.html
> This article pretty much supports this too: https://doublehelixcables.com/faq/
> ...



I've heard one of their UPOCC silver cables which i think retailed for about £1K and was very good, but i've had similar performance out of DIY neotech wire for less than 1/2 the price. Prior to being convinced by another headfier, to pick the soldering iron, i'm embarrassed to admit i could probably buy quite a nice car with money i'd spent in my time on cables. Dont get me wrong i' a believer the potential benefits offered by a well matched cable and was generally very happy with effect the shop bought variants had my music listening, just not the price.  I know the contributors to this thread choose wire for varying and all equally valid reasons, but if your priority is sound quality and like me you believe cables can make a difference, then i'd recommend you try neotech, because i've tried getting on for dozens of unbranded OCC wire, which has often been cheaper but so far none that sounds better. Cliches are often based on fact and in my experience with mono-crystal wire, is buy cheap by twice, maybe three times


----------



## ElixBerd

teknorob23 said:


> I've heard one of their UPOCC silver cables which i think retailed for about £1K and was very good, but i've had similar performance out of DIY neotech wire for less than 1/2 the price. Prior to being convinced by another headfier, to pick the soldering iron, i'm embarrassed to admit i could probably buy quite a nice car with money i'd spent in my time on cables. Dont get me wrong i' a believer the potential benefits offered by a well matched cable and was generally very happy with effect the shop bought variants had my music listening, just not the price.  I know the contributors to this thread choose wire for varying and all equally valid reasons, but if your priority is sound quality and like me you believe cables can make a difference, then i'd recommend you try neotech, because i've tried getting on for dozens of unbranded OCC wire, which has often been cheaper but so far none that sounds better. Cliches are often based on fact and in my experience with mono-crystal wire, is buy cheap by twice, maybe three times


Thanks) It looks like I need to try out different vatiants myself, including this one. It's the only option to truly know. But still, has anyone tried this one?
http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/...em-iem-full-size-aftermarket-up-7-n-6-upgrade


----------



## hakuzen (Oct 2, 2019)

ElixBerd said:


> Where do I claim or ask that/if they're Neotech? I only spoke about 7N UP-OCC.
> 
> I feel that all this 7N stuff is pure marketing. Even Neotech claims only 5N on this site: https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wires/neotech-stdct-multistrand-copper-wires.html
> This article pretty much supports this too: https://doublehelixcables.com/faq/
> ...


yes, 7N looks pure marketing, difficult to determine. but if it is false, it's false for the wires sold in china but also for the wires you linked to, probably: norne (identical wire), forza audioworks, etc. regardless of they use the word "neotech" (copyrighted, btw) or not.
i'm ok with UP-OCC term, let's forget about 6N-7N. guess all the UP-OCC wire is made in taiwan, probably in the same factory where neotech makes its wire. you know, typical OEM+branded production.
from one of the shops at taobao (china) which sells neotech wires (https://hifiman.world.taobao.com/category-1116125796.htm):
"About Bandung and OCC
Neotech in the audio industry is one of the few OCC patents licensed manufacturers. Neotech is also the OEM manufacturers , worldwide more than a fever wire brand producing high-quality audio wire".
(sorry for the google translation)

anyway, you'll know it soon, because i'm going to waste $38 USD in a piece of expensive neotech wire in europe (authorized distributor), just to compare it with the supposedly same wire (OEM) i bought at china.


----------



## hakuzen (Oct 2, 2019)

ElixBerd said:


> But still, has anyone tried this one?
> http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/...em-iem-full-size-aftermarket-up-7-n-6-upgrade


no first hand, but i'd bet it will have nothing to envy to neotech wire, and price is excellent for a 22AWG UP-OCC (cheaper than similar neotech wire).

edit: LOL, they've just removed "7N" and "UP-OCC" from the description of the wire!
now it's "OCC highest purity copper".


----------



## Wes S (Oct 2, 2019)

hakuzen said:


> no first hand, but i'd bet it will have nothing to envy to neotech wire, and price is excellent for a 22AWG UP-OCC (cheaper than similar neotech wire).
> 
> edit: LOL, they've just removed "7N" and "UP-OCC" from the description of the wire!
> now it's "OCC highest purity copper".


Interesting that the description changed?  I am using the SPC OCC from Norne, and it is stellar wire, however the jacket melts super easy, so be careful when tinning the tips.  Norne Audio is one of the best if not the best cable makers for headphones, so you can rest assured that his DIY wire is top notch as well.  The SPC OCC, I have is some of the nicest wire I have ever handled, and is super soft, has no memory or microphonics, and sounds as good as it looks.  For the money, it would be hard to find better wire for heaphone cables.


----------



## killaHz

Wes S said:


> Interesting that the description changed?  *I am using the SPC OCC from Norne, and it is stellar wire, however the jacket melts super easy, so be careful when tinning the tips*.  Norne Audio is one of the best if not the best cable makers for headphones, so you can rest assured that his DIY wire is top notch as well.  The SPC OCC, I have is some of the nicest wire I have ever handled, and is super soft, has no memory or microphonics, and sounds as good as it looks.  For the money, it would be hard to find better wire for heaphone cables.



Exactly what I'd say. I just made a cable with this wire, and the sound and ergonomics are both great. It's not litz wire, so theoretically it may discolor, but my cable is sleeved in paracord. But yeah, that jacket melts away quickly. Next time I'll use a heat sink clip before I tin the wire.


----------



## ElixBerd

hakuzen said:


> anyway, you'll know it soon, because i'm going to waste $38 USD in a piece of expensive neotech wire in europe (authorized distributor), just to compare it with the supposedly same wire (OEM) i bought at china.


Subscribed, man.  Thanks!


----------



## Wes S

Matthew420 said:


> Exactly what I'd say. I just made a cable with this wire, and the sound and ergonomics are both great. It's not litz wire, so theoretically it may discolor, but my cable is sleeved in paracord. But yeah, that jacket melts away quickly. Next time I'll use a heat sink clip before I tin the wire.


Ditto, with the heatsinks.


----------



## ElixBerd

hakuzen said:


> anyway, you'll know it soon, because i'm going to waste $38 USD in a piece of expensive neotech wire in europe (authorized distributor), just to compare it with the supposedly same wire (OEM) i bought at china.


By the way, I've read your cable measurements thread - tremendous work! In it you say that certain AliExpress wires are the best you've heard. Am I right to assume you still haven't compared them to Neotech hook-up wires (red ones)?


----------



## teknorob23

My on golng quest to find wider internal diameter paracord style sleeving continues. I need something to accommodate 8 or 12 core cables, which ar 7-8mm+ diameter. jumbo laces work quite well but top out lengthwise at 180-200mm, so i've been looking at products like this

https://www.paracord.eu/ppm/round-basic-coloured-cord/10-mm-rope/multi

But i wandered has anyone had experience using this or similar and if so is it a similar structure, eg with removable filling, as paracord? and if so how supple is the sleeve. I have emailed paracord.eu to enquire but they're really slow to respond.  thanks


----------



## -Hodor-

that shop has great support, even via whatsapp. Try sending them a message, Im sure they can help you out


----------



## legopart (Oct 8, 2019)

Which cable is better from this options:
AWG 22 - copper silver plated
AWG 18 - copper tin plated
?


----------



## teknorob23

legopart said:


> Which cable is better from this options:
> AWG 22 - copper silver plated
> AWG 18 - copper tin plated
> ?



Generally the first one although silver plate will give you a negligible difference in performance over straight copper. Better to spend more on better mono crystal copper. Is this for an HP cable?


----------



## legopart (Oct 8, 2019)

teknorob23 said:


> Generally the first one although silver plate will give you a negligible difference in performance over straight copper. Better to spend more on better mono crystal copper. Is this for an HP cable?


Actually is for speakers internal use.

I know that AWG18>AWG22
and Silver coated is better. but still I got offer only for AWG22 silver coated.

What can you suggest?

Silver conductivity 63 x 10^6 siemens/meter
Copper conductivity  59 x 10^6 siemens/meter
AWG 22 Diameter: 0.025inch/ 0.64mm
AWG 18 Diameter: 0.036inch/0.91mm

silver conductivity over copper bigger  by ~7%
AWG18 diameter bigger then AWG22 by ~30%

I estimate something like~ AWG18 > AWG22silver by 23%

still dont know which one can be better.


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## teknorob23 (Oct 8, 2019)

legopart said:


> Actually is for speakers internal use.
> 
> I know that AWG18>AWG22
> and Silver coated is better. but still I got offer only for AWG22 silver coated.
> ...


Obviously it depends on your budget and aspiration for performance, but 20 or 22awg occ silver is probably going to give you optimum performance, with the only downside being cost, neotechs 22awg silver upocc hook up is about £10 per foot, and double that for 20awg, there 18awg upocc copper is about £1.80 per foot. If you only need a small amount I’d go with the slightly lighter gauge silver, but the 18awg copper is very good and out performs the various spc ive tried.


----------



## killaHz

I would guess that unless the copper quality differs a lot, the heavier gauge wire will be better. The thin plating of silver isn't going to be able to overcome the fact that the cross-sectional area of 18 AWG is more than twice that of 22.


----------



## xtr4 (Oct 8, 2019)

Quick question; how are the terminations on the TRS plug at the headphone side for the Hifiman 3.5mm plugs? Thanks in advance.

*credit to WJE for the diagram


----------



## jmpsmash (Oct 9, 2019)

ElixBerd said:


> Where do I claim or ask that/if they're Neotech? I only spoke about 7N UP-OCC.
> 
> I feel that all this 7N stuff is pure marketing. Even Neotech claims only 5N on this site: https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wires/neotech-stdct-multistrand-copper-wires.html
> This article pretty much supports this too: https://doublehelixcables.com/faq/
> ...



I have just built 3 different IEM cables:

- 28AWG copper UPOCC Litz from electro acousti
- 28AWG silver UPOCC Litz from electro acousti
- 28AWG silver/gold UPOCC Litz hookup wire bought from soniccraft.

here are my notes after an hour or so of A/B/C comparison. equipment used is : computer -> Plenue M -> THX AAA 789 -> cable -> Andromeda.

copper UPOCC: great sound stage. deep. good imaging, warmer, bass is good, but missing deep rumbling bass when compared to the silver
silver UPOCC: great clarity, forward/bright, sound stage so so, imaging so so, deep rumbling bass
silver/gold : good upper mid/mid, poor bass definition, a bit muddy in sound, sound stage is so so.

my favorite right now is actually the copper, silver come second and then the silver/gold.

i prefer the copper mostly due to being an more realistic listening, the more well formed sound stage and imaging, plus slightly warmer, plus no sacrifice in clarity.

silver is more direct and forward, but slightly less realistic sound stage and a bit too aggressive make it more fatiguing.

and I don't know what the heck is wrong with the silver/gold. sounds muddy and didn't do anything well when compared to the other two.

also for some physical comparison, the silver/gold from sonic craft has a thicker and stiffer jacket. probably due to it being made for hookup wire instead of headphone wire. while the UPOCC from electro acousti has a much softer feel. the 28AWG hookup wire also has a thinner core, which makes me doubt whether it is true 28AWG or not.

copper, silver, silver/gold. You can see the silver/gold end up more bulky/stiff than the other two.


----------



## jmpsmash

Just some facts and thoughts on the authentic or not discussion.

Whatever electro acousti is selling, they are not Neotech HOOKUP wires, as the physical is not the same as the Neotech hookup wire I got from soniccraft. the soniccraft one has much thicker and stiffer insulation, makes it ergnomically poor when used as IEM cable. probably OK for headphone, but not IEMs.

The electro acousti ones, they may still be authentic Neotech, they could have contracted specially made headphone/IEM cables as they are very soft and feel like they are designed to be hung from our heads instead of between components. Afterall Neotech is supposed to be very large company that supplies to many high end cable manufacturers. Some use their branded cable as is (look up Art Audio Cables), but other do not and have custom specs. Also, there are UPOCC from Norne, etc. So we cannot outright reject that OEM explanation idea either.

Regardless, to my ears the electro acousti ones sounds better despite being less exotic composition. I will see if I can stomach the cost to buy some of their Silver/Gold and see if they at least sound the same as the soniccraft ones, but at this point, I am not too keen on it at $15+/meter


----------



## teknorob23

jmpsmash said:


> I have just built 3 different IEM cables:
> 
> - 28AWG copper UPOCC Litz from electro acousti
> - 28AWG silver UPOCC Litz from electro acousti
> ...



Really interesting impressions, was the silver gold the neotech wire? if so i liked this too, but found at this light gauge the extension wasnt great a the bottom end and it was a bit sterile sounding. What stood out listening with Stellias, via FA euphoria, h2 Dac streamer was how holographic the soundstage became, almost unnaturally so at first.

Your reports on the silver are pretty consistent with what i can hear 28awg wire. i find you need a heavier gauge, minimum 24awg, 22awg being the sweetspot to get the potential out of silver. It sounds way smoother and fuller in heavier weights with amazing control/ dynamism as well as the expected clarity. I suspect the same would be true of the silver/gold, but the 24awg is £65 per metre so i wont be confirming this anytime soon  Copper seems to retain a lot of its characteristics even in lighter gauges, but it might be worth trying the 22awg if you like the copper, as i've found its a real step up in clarity air and controlled low end extension. 

also for some physical comparison, the silver/gold from sonic craft has a thicker and stiffer jacket. probably due to it being made for hookup wire instead of headphone wire. while the UPOCC from electro acousti has a much softer feel. the 28AWG hookup wire also has a thinner core, which makes me doubt whether it is true 28AWG or not.

Lovely looking builds btw


----------



## jmpsmash

@teknorob23 , glad we are in agreement on our assessment. my goal is to establish the baseline, trying to understand the sound signature of each of the 28AWG wires standalone, and see how doubling or blending will improve (or screws up) the sound. unfortunately these experiments are very costly!

also these are done with IEMs as the experiments and availability and costs only make sense for IEM thickness. So I won't go much more than 8 core. maybe a 10-12 but the costs will start to add up really fast.

given that copper sounded good, I plan to make a 8 core copper and a 8 core copper/silver next. and maybe experiment with that copper/silver blend one.


----------



## jmpsmash

teknorob23 said:


> Really interesting impressions, was the silver gold the neotech wire?



yes, they are the ones from soniccraft. Neotech silver/gold UPOCC Litz (they didn't say litz in the description, but I was able to tell when soldering)



> Lovely looking builds btw



Thanks! My first attempt with IEM cables and started to get a grip of it now.


----------



## teknorob23

jmpsmash said:


> @teknorob23 , glad we are in agreement on our assessment. my goal is to establish the baseline, trying to understand the sound signature of each of the 28AWG wires standalone, and see how doubling or blending will improve (or screws up) the sound. unfortunately these experiments are very costly!
> 
> also these are done with IEMs as the experiments and availability and costs only make sense for IEM thickness. So I won't go much more than 8 core. maybe a 10-12 but the costs will start to add up really fast.
> 
> given that copper sounded good, I plan to make a 8 core copper and a 8 core copper/silver next. and maybe experiment with that copper/silver blend one.



Good call and yes it does become expensive not mention addictive. I've settled back at 22awg 4 core UPOCC silver as the best for my set up, but i did get up to 12 cores with 8 x 24 awg silver and 4 x 24awg copper, which had one of the most hard hitting signatures of any combination, but it was ridiculously unwieldy. I also tried a 12 with 4 x copper, 4 x silver and 4x silver gold and that was one of the few cables i've made with UPOCC that wasnt a success sonically. I've reused a lot of the same wire in different short length build which does keep the cost down a bit and sold off any surplice cables. Working with headphones makes life a lot easier. I dont envy you having to work with tiny IEM connectors, mind you will be soldering ninja by the time you finish!


----------



## jmpsmash

lol. I have been soldering stuff since I was 10. the only issue now is that the eyes are starting to age and I need reading glasses to see stuff now.


----------



## teknorob23

jmpsmash said:


> lol. I have been soldering stuff since I was 10. the only issue now is that the eyes are starting to age and I need reading glasses to see stuff now.



snap, in fact i'm even on to using a magnifying lamp. Just love getting older!


----------



## IgeNeLL

jmpsmash said:


> I have just built 3 different IEM cables:
> 
> - 28AWG copper UPOCC Litz from electro acousti
> - 28AWG silver UPOCC Litz from electro acousti
> ...


From the appearance, it is likely that the silvergold is Neotech and it is not Liszt.
The signature of silvergold is somehow quick and short. But the speed bass, as well as bass decay, is the special signature.
For neotech cable   cryo option will make a clear difference in the dynamic and details.
However, 28AWG is too small for me.
I have some Gold Plated Copper, 26 AWG, Cryo available. PM me if you have interested in buying.


----------



## ElixBerd (Oct 14, 2019)

jmpsmash said:


> I have just built 3 different IEM cables:
> 
> - 28AWG copper UPOCC Litz from electro acousti
> - 28AWG silver UPOCC Litz from electro acousti
> - 28AWG silver/gold UPOCC Litz hookup wire bought from soniccraft.


Really interesting, thank you for the report! By the way, what is your take on:
1) Thinner AWG vs. thicker AWG overall?
2) More strands of thinner diameter wire vs. less strangs of thicker diameter wire?
3) 4 cores vs. 8 cores vs. more cores?
4) Mixing wires of different diameter in the cable?
5) Litz vs. non-litz?
6) Braiding vs. twisting?

That's a lot of questions, I know  You may not answer to all of them (if any at all). Thanks!


----------



## jmpsmash

ElixBerd said:


> Really interesting, thank you for the report! By the way, what is your take on:
> 1) Thinner AWG vs. thicker AWG overall?
> 2) More strands of thinner diameter wire vs. less strangs of thicker diameter wire?
> 3) 4 cores vs. 8 cores vs. more cores?
> ...



Those are some really good questions that I also want to answer.

Unfortunately, to get to the answers costs a lot of money. Or what some ppl call, tuition fee  . I plan to slowly get there, a N-way comparison between various wire configurations. Just cannot justify throwing down so much dough at one go. Right now I have:

4-core 28AWG UPOCC copper Litz
4-core 28AWG UPOCC silver Litz
4-core 28AWG UPOCC Au/Ag Litz

I have material for:

8-core 28AWG UPOCC copper litz
4+4-core 28AWG UPOCC copper+silver Litz
2x 4-core 28AWG UPOCC copper non-litz

so that should answer:

3) 4 cores vs. 8 cores vs. more cores?
5) Litz vs. non-litz?
6) Braiding vs. twisting?

as well as answering:

a) hybrid 4+4core silver+copper vs. 8-core copper

Meanwhile, @hakuzen 's list is wonderful resource. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/resistance-of-cables-pics-comments-and-links.907998/


----------



## NiTROAUDiO

Hey guys I'm new here and I can't afford a high end cable as I take care  of my disabled mother and want to build my own cables for my m1060 and hifiman sundara. Can anyone tell me what I will need to do this. Thanks you.


----------



## imas69

What is your budget, m1060 are 2.5mm jacks but the sundara are 3.5mm jacks, are you building for both.


----------



## jmpsmash

it will be useful to know your budget and requirements. what are you trying to improve with a new cable?


----------



## NiTROAUDiO

imas69 said:


> What is your budget, m1060 are 2.5mm jacks but the sundara are 3.5mm jacks, are you building for both.


Yes I am. But I'm mainly needing one for my m1060 because I bought some el cheapo and it's short. I am a experienced solderer. I just need the type if wire I need and the way I connect the end connectors.


----------



## jmpsmash

what's your budget?


----------



## imas69

Buy a 2 metre length of Mogami 2893 or Van Damme starquad, 8 metres of 3 or 4mm 550 paracord, 2 x 2.5mm mono jacks and your end jack ie 6.35mm or 4 pin xlr if you want a balanced cable ( you will need a balanced out on your amp), you might also want a splitter.
Strip the 4 strands from the cable and sleeve individual strands in the paracord, secure in a vice and braid, you will find 4 strand videos on youtube. Make sure that you leave about 
25 to 30 cm to split into 2 twist twp strands together for left and right and secure with heatshrink.
Solder left 2.5mm jack L+ to tip   L- to ground/ sleeve, solder right 2.5mm jack R+ to tip  R- to ground.
Solder 6.35mm jack L+ to tip    R+ to ring     L- and R- to ground or for balanced xlr     L+ to 1  L- to 2  R+ to 3 and R- to 4.
This is the basics you will learn as you go.
cosmic-cables.co.uk have a kit that you can buy with everything you need or some reasonably priced cables if you don't feel like making them yourself.
Good luck


----------



## imas69

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/build-your-own-headphone-cable


----------



## killaHz

imas69 said:


> Buy a 2 metre length of Mogami 2893 or Van Damme starquad, 8 metres of 3 or 4mm 550 paracord, 2 x 2.5mm mono jacks and your end jack ie 6.35mm or 4 pin xlr if you want a balanced cable ( you will need a balanced out on your amp), you might also want a splitter.





imas69 said:


> Strip the 4 strands from the cable and sleeve individual strands in the paracord, secure in a vice and braid, you will find 4 strand videos on youtube. Make sure that you leave about
> 25 to 30 cm to split into 2 twist twp strands together for left and right and secure with heatshrink.
> Solder left 2.5mm jack L+ to tip   L- to ground/ sleeve, solder right 2.5mm jack R+ to tip  R- to ground.
> Solder 6.35mm jack L+ to tip    R+ to ring     L- and R- to ground or for balanced xlr     L+ to 1  L- to 2  R+ to 3 and R- to 4.
> ...


https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/build-your-own-headphone-cable

That's how I built my first cable, but for somebody who just wants something fast, breaking the mic cable down into strands, sheathing the strands, then rebraiding the wires is overkill. You can just split the mic cable's outer wrap about a foot down and twist two strands to each side. Maybe, if you're really wanting something fancy, you can cover the naked wire twists with some paracord and hide the junction between paracord and the original mic cable sheathing with some heatshrink.


----------



## killaHz

Hey, does anybody know anything about this outfit making connectors out of Taiwan?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...1.0&pvid=c4c5aa67-b40e-4a62-970d-c09e71387682

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...1.0&pvid=bae81098-ce2f-41d0-a0d7-4097bfc96dbb

They look suspiciously similar to stuff sold by Satin Audio, Toxic Cable, and Eidolic — indeed, the two-pin connectors (second link above) appear to ship in nearly identical mylar packaging to the Eidolic ones I've bought. I'm wondering whether anybody knows if these are simply knockoffs, or whether they might all be made in the same factory. I love me some Eidolic connectors, but my success rate is not high enough to keep using those until I get a little more reliable with a soldering iron.


----------



## sworder84 (Oct 18, 2019)

Mogami 2893 - is the best cable which I've heard for my HE-560. I also have a silver one but Mogami is much natural and detail cable. I made one recently. I wonder there would be a difference if I made same with OCC copper? I listen them with Audio GD NFB-1 amp. I also use a solder with 2% silver.


----------



## hakuzen

Matthew420 said:


> Hey, does anybody know anything about this outfit making connectors out of Taiwan?
> 
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...1.0&pvid=c4c5aa67-b40e-4a62-970d-c09e71387682
> 
> ...


i don't know where are they made, but bought many cables using this kind of plugs from that shop, and can affirm their quality is quite superior than usual chinese knockoffs.
in fact, price of these plugs in the chinese market is much higher than the usual cheap ones, and they aren't easy to find.


----------



## bogginhead

Anyone here have any idea on how to reterminate a 2.5mm TRRS female to 3.5mm TRS male?  It's an 8-core adapter and I'm trying switch the 3.5mm TRS end to a 3.5mm TRRS plug (I'm pretty sure it needs to be wired Astell and Kern pinout).  I have a good working multimeter, but the biggest issue for me is that every wire is the same color (silver-plated wire), and it looks like the replacement 3.5mm TRRS plug I purchased has the ground on the backside of the other 3 rings; never seen one like this before.  

When I check it with a multimeter, I'm getting 2 L positive, 2 right positive, 2 ground positive, and 2 sleeve positive.  Is this right?  Should I go ahead and attach 2 of each to their corresponding rings / spots?  I still haven't been able to find the Astell and Kern pinout for the part of the plug where I'll be soldering to.  Any help is greatly appreciated!


----------



## teknorob23 (Oct 21, 2019)

i'm fed up trying to corrall my anaconda-like Tellurium q usb cable with audioquest Female USB B to micro usb male adapter to connect to my Hugo2. No matter how try to secure it, it is still placing stress on the port. It appears no one makes a cable version of this, which leaves me with the option of making one. Has anyone here any experience of make usb cables and or found a supplier for decent quality connectors? thx

the offending article:


----------



## hakuzen

teknorob23 said:


> i'm fed up trying to corrall my anaconda-like Tellurium q usb cable with audioquest Female USB B to micro usb male adapter to connect to my Hugo2. No matter how try to secure it, it is still placing stress on the port. It appears no one makes a cable version of this, which leaves me with the option of making one. Has anyone here any experience of make usb cables and or found a supplier for decent quality connectors? thx
> 
> the offending article:


ghentaudio's usb cables?
https://www.ghentaudio.com/usb/u08.html





guess you could ask for USB A male connector instead of female.


----------



## teknorob23

hakuzen said:


> ghentaudio's usb cables?
> https://www.ghentaudio.com/usb/u08.html
> 
> 
> ...



thank you for this. I emailed and had a response within an hour to say they could make one and post it to uk all for $25. Perfect thanks and its quite a relief, as although i love making most audio cables i think life might be too short for sweating over one of these. Thanks again


----------



## hakuzen

teknorob23 said:


> thank you for this. I emailed and had a response within an hour to say they could make one and post it to uk all for $25. Perfect thanks and its quite a relief, as although i love making most audio cables i think life might be too short for sweating over one of these. Thanks again


yea, it's not worthy to mess with tiny usb contacts while Ghent does the job very well at very reasonable price. i already bought about 5 usb cables there.
it's my pleasure, mate, hope you like it.


----------



## chrisdrop

Hi all,

With some very welcome help and guidance from @teknorob23 (tx v much) I have just assembled my 1st cable, a (UK) power cable. I have managed to get the courage to plug it into something that I could break if it happened. Then, I have been letting it power my printer. It seems to not be broken at least.

That seems like an awkward _generalised_ testing approach however! I intend to use the cable to power an amplifier which I'd _really_ like to not damage! Any recommendations for how to test UK power cables robustly? It seems to work, however I am not sure if there is anything more I should be doing. 

Tx for any thoughts,
Chris


----------



## gourab1995

Any suggestions for a under 10$ L-shape 3.5mm cable with a mic thats on aliexpress?


----------



## hakuzen

bogginhead said:


> Anyone here have any idea on how to reterminate a 2.5mm TRRS female to 3.5mm TRS male?  It's an 8-core adapter and I'm trying switch the 3.5mm TRS end to a 3.5mm TRRS plug (I'm pretty sure it needs to be wired Astell and Kern pinout).  I have a good working multimeter, but the biggest issue for me is that every wire is the same color (silver-plated wire), and it looks like the replacement 3.5mm TRRS plug I purchased has the ground on the backside of the other 3 rings; never seen one like this before.
> 
> When I check it with a multimeter, I'm getting 2 L positive, 2 right positive, 2 ground positive, and 2 sleeve positive.  Is this right?  Should I go ahead and attach 2 of each to their corresponding rings / spots?  I still haven't been able to find the Astell and Kern pinout for the part of the plug where I'll be soldering to.  Any help is greatly appreciated!





bogginhead said:


> Sorry for the delay in replying to you on this, Slater!  I ended up putting the adapter and soldering iron up for a while, because frustration lol.  And now I've apparently decided to give it another go.  As far as I know, it needs to be the A&K pin arrangement?  It will be used with the Nano Black Label however; I may be wrong.  I can figure out what's what with my multimeter, but I'm not sure about the ground and the sleeve wires.  I purchased a 2.5mm TRRS balun thinking it might help some.


the 2.5mm TRRS balun will be a great help in your case, to distinguish the cores.

ifi nano black uses 3.5mm TRS/TRRS sockets. due to this dual option, the pins are probably L+, R+, L-, R- (TRRS).
your 2.5mm TRRS socket is probably R-, R+, R-, L- (TRRS), most standard type.
balun 2.5mm TRRS is labeled L,R,V,Gnd (TRRS).

to identify the signals carried by each wire, plug the balun into the 2.5mm TRRS socket of your adapter. with the multimeter, one lead into a balun contact, the other touching a wire:
balun V label is ring2, so L+ signal. locate the 2 matching wires. they have to be soldered to tip of 3.5mm TRRS plug, which is the last tiny contact, far from the jack (L+).
balun R label is ring1, so R+ signal. locate the 2 matching wires. they have to be soldered to ring1 of 3.5mm TRRS plug, which is the middle contact (R+).
balun Gnd label is sleeve, so L- signal. locate the 2 matching wires. they have to be soldered to ring2 of 3.5mm TRRS plug, which is the first contact, nearest to the jack (L-).
balun L label is tip, so R- signal. locate the 2 matching wires. they have to be soldered to sleeve of 3.5mm TRRS plug (R-).


----------



## noverbeck

Does anyone have an ebay source for Sennheiser HD600 connectors? There was a white pair posted a while back, but those appear to be out of stock. There are a lot but not sure of quality. Not sure I want to buy the sennheiser cable and steal those plugs. If I do go that route, would you leave a strand of wire soldered and connect it to the new cable, or would complete desoldering be required?


----------



## imas69

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/furutech-ft-2ps-hd6xx-series

Message Ian, he probably has some cheaper ones that are not showing on the site


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/furutech-ft-2ps-hd6xx-series
> 
> Message Ian, he probably has some cheaper ones that are not showing on the site



@imas69 sorry i've been meaning to thank you for a while for putting me on to cosmic. I've bought quite a bit of neotech cable and various connectors from them and Ian has been fantastic, first off they're cheaper which is always good and the postage is always super quick but the customer service in terms of advice on build techniques and products is 2nd to none, so thanks again and i can highly recommend them to anyone else how needs DIY bits in UK and europe


----------



## noverbeck

imas69 said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/furutech-ft-2ps-hd6xx-series
> 
> Message Ian, he probably has some cheaper ones that are not showing on the site


Thank you! I'll ask him. Prices seem fair, and nice to know customer service is from an individual rather than company. I am in the US, so will need to see with shipping.


----------



## teknorob23

noverbeck said:


> Thank you! I'll ask him. Prices seem fair, and nice to know customer service is from an individual rather than company. I am in the US, so will need to see with shipping.



i dont want to do Cosmic out of any business, but if you're in the US, have you tried Norne, Double helix of plussound? they all sell connectors at about the same price


----------



## SNSDluv

Hi all, I want to mod my TH X00 using SMC 2963 connector as pictured below. 

I want to know if there are adapters readily available to convert this to a 3.5mm female so I can use with some of my existing cables? Or if there is a guide on how to create a short adapter/cable myself?


----------



## imas69

@teknorob23, not a problem at all, I have used them a few times and found the service to be great, which is why I plug them when I get a chance, I hadn't seen that you were in the USA noverbeck, apologies, if I were you I would
go to Trevor at Norne audio and steer well clear of double helix.


----------



## noverbeck

imas69 said:


> @teknorob23, not a problem at all, I have used them a few times and found the service to be great, which is why I plug them when I get a chance, I hadn't seen that you were in the USA noverbeck, apologies, if I were you I would
> go to Trevor at Norne audio and steer well clear of double helix.


many thanks, I'll check in with Trevor or Plussound


----------



## Chimmy9278

Interesting, I wonder when will I get to this myself.


----------



## noverbeck

Has anyone used these connectors for HD6X0 headphones?




https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-Plate...hash=item23b730b013:m:ms55klIae2JajfTsg7ngtvw


----------



## legopart

How can I combine 4 wires to 1 (with or without cover)?


----------



## killaHz

legopart said:


> How can I combine 4 wires to 1 (with or without cover)?



You need to be more specific.


----------



## legopart

Want to connect between amp and headphones with seperate 4 wires

Dont know how to glue or combine between them


----------



## imas69

Look on youtube for 4 strand braid


----------



## legopart

imas69 said:


> Look on youtube for 4 strand braid


Whant to leave them straight and not braid them


----------



## imas69

Then your only hope is cable ties


----------



## legopart

imas69 said:


> Then your only hope is cable ties


How?


----------



## imas69

Please draw a picture of what you trying to achieve


----------



## legopart

imas69 said:


> Please draw a picture of what you trying to achieve


----------



## legopart

Look, I can heat shrink all over the cable.
I can bend it with sleeve.
I can even to try apply some glue between them.

do someone have the best method to tie between several cables ?


----------



## imas69

Why don't you try using some manners


----------



## yavormoskov

This is going to be more Do-it-for-me instead of DYI type of question  I am building an audiophile PC. I need two high end USB A to USB B and USB A to USB C cables. I found the perfect one NEOTECH NEUB-3020 (very well shielded and made from UP-OOC copper) cable but is too long at 1 meter and it is only USB B to USB A. It needs to be cut in half and to connect one USB C connector to one of the halves and one USB A to the other half. This way I can have two 50 centimeters each USB A to USB B and USB A to USB C cables. Do you know of a person or a company in USA or Canada that might consider such crazy request?

I have two left hands, otherwise I would have done it myself


----------



## teknorob23

What is the best Ethernet cable available in bulk. Is there anything more exotic than viablue’s silver plated wire?


----------



## legopart

imas69 said:


> Why don't you try using some manners


I did something wrong?


----------



## killaHz

Anybody know the secret to getting the little brass rings in a Mr Speakers/Dan Clark Audio connector crimped properly so that they fit nicely into the barrel of the connector?


----------



## sennfan83261

For making a balanced cable with mono 3.5mm connectors (Hifiman cans), do I simply use the tips as L+ for one and R+ for the other connector and then the respective sleeves as L- and R- ground?


----------



## Paladin79

Matthew420 said:


> Anybody know the secret to getting the little brass rings in a Mr Speakers/Dan Clark Audio connector crimped properly so that they fit nicely into the barrel of the connector?


You can use a hex crimper like you might use on the ring of an RG 59 f connector


----------



## Paladin79

sennfan83261 said:


> For making a balanced cable with mono 3.5mm connectors (Hifiman cans), do I simply use the tips as L+ for one and R+ for the other connector and then the respective sleeves as L- and R- ground?


That is correct but the spacing of the rings can be different than the stereo plus. Did it come with TRS connectors? I would use that type and you still just connect tip and sleeve


----------



## sennfan83261

Paladin79 said:


> That is correct but the spacing of the rings can be different than the stereo plus. Did it come with TRS connectors? I would use that type and you still just connect tip and sleeve


Thanks for the quick help.  Actually, the connectors I bought are mono (TS) (Rean NYS226BG) because many of the after market balanced cables sold for newer Hifiman cans (3.5mm) use mono 3.5mm connectors.  Based on your reply, when using mono 3.5mm connectors for these cans, the tips are L+/R+ and the sleeves are L-/R- based on your post.  Looks simple enough, thanks for your help!


----------



## Paladin79

sennfan83261 said:


> Thanks for the quick help.  Actually, the connectors I bought are mono (TS) (Rean NYS226BG) because many of the after market balanced cables sold for newer Hifiman cans (3.5mm) use mono 3.5mm connectors.  Based on your reply, when using mono 3.5mm connectors for these cans, the tips are L+/R+ and the sleeves are L-/R- based on your post.  Looks simple enough, thanks for your help!


You may well be all right, and yes the tips are left and right plus, sleeves are left and right minus.


----------



## legopart

found this interesting item,
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PG7-Thread...ef-Protective-Spiral-Cable-Gland/292874764670





do someone tried ?
or something from here https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...3&_nkw=Wire+Strain+Relief+Protective&_sacat=0


----------



## chrisdrop

After some significant weeping & gnashing of teeth (apparently I suck at soldering still), and with the sage guidance of @teknorob23 - I have finished my UP-OCC silver interconnects:


----------



## musicinmymind

Both stock cables for PFE 232 were dead a year back and my favorite IEM was catching dust. Last week I used connectors from Stock cable and made my own custom one.
Now rocking with 232 again, with sliver only cables it more balanced now.


----------



## Feilong4

I'm planning on making a female 4-pin XLR to banana plugs for a Hifiman Susvara. Are Mogami W2893 wires ok for that application? I don't want a speaker amp destroying anything.


----------



## Incel (Nov 13, 2019)

What is the GB and American standard they say is in this wire of this TRRS cable? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32911818119.html
Is it just CTIA, OMTP?
https://electronics.stackexchange.c...is-ip-and-nk-transformation-seen-on-earphones
This says it is but not sure if it works on iPhone or not.

Anyone have a link to an IEM cable that works on iPhone I can get off ebay or ali?


----------



## legopart (Nov 13, 2019)

Feilong4 said:


> I'm planning on making a female 4-pin XLR to banana plugs for a Hifiman Susvara. Are Mogami W2893 wires ok for that application? I don't want a speaker amp destroying anything.


How do you gonna split it?
You need something like this:
https://www.redco.com/Gotham-GAC-2prflt.html looks smother
or this https://www.redco.com/Mogami-W3106.html

"I don't want a speaker amp destroying anything"
what do you mean?

- you have to check with voltmeter any continuity leakage between all of the connectors.
- you can test on 100% Left side setting, if only the left side function (no leakage or problem to Righ)
*then do the same for the Right side:





I made a lots of mistakes past days with the soldering and connectors


----------



## Feilong4 (Nov 13, 2019)

legopart said:


> How do you gonna split it?
> You need something like this:
> https://www.redco.com/Gotham-GAC-2prflt.html looks smother
> or this https://www.redco.com/Mogami-W3106.html
> ...



I'm probably gonna have them in Paracord and then braid them. Should the Mogami W2893 wires still be ok? I've used those before so I'm more comfortable using those.

>what do you mean?

I fried an audio component from a speaker amp before so I'm being cautious just in case.

I have made a few custom cables before though just wanted to know if I'd have to get different cables if I were to hook it up to a speaker amp.


----------



## legopart (Nov 13, 2019)

Feilong4 said:


> I'm probably gonna have them in Paracord and then braid them. Should the Mogami W2893 wires still be ok? I've used those before so I'm more comfortable using those.
> 
> >what do you mean?
> 
> ...


You said 4pin xlr (balanced)
now you say - speaker amp ...

*26 AWG 
Served Shield Approx. 73/0.12A
Electrostatic Noise* 50mV Max.
*Electromagnetic Noise* 0.15mV Max.
*Microphonics at 50K / Load* 30m V Max.
*Voltage Breakdown* Must withstand at DC 500V/15sec.
*Insulation Resistance* 100000 M / × m Min. at *DC 125V,* 20°C

from this site: https://daleproaudio.com/products/m...or-balanced-audio-cable-black-200-meter-spool

If you gonna use it not with headphones amp then I don't know how much it qualified for it!
I think that it will function fine without any problems but still not quality enough for speaker cable .

My electrical knowledge is very low!


----------



## BenTandBroken (Nov 14, 2019)

FIXED IT SEE EDIT***
When making a dac to amp interconnect from TRRS to L+R 3 pin XLR I ran into a ground issue. The TRRS DAC side of the cable doesnt have anything to connect to the XLR ground pin.
     The issue is the dac and source on the TRRS side use switching power supplies (ungrounded 2 pole power plugs and one grounded but plugging it in doesn’t resolve the noise) and the amp/xlr side uses grounded 2 pole. As long as I use battery power on the dac/source side of things I’m okay, but god forbid i plug in the dac or source or anything else on this side of the chain to a charger. Noise City -from the switching power supply i assume.
     I have tested using a temporary dedicated ground setup I made and connecting anything on the dac side of the chain directly to the outlet ground fixes the noise, but I don’t currently have a dedicated grounding setup to always do this.
     So I’m just wondering what I can do for a  permanent solution. I’m looking to see what y’all suggest. Did I just make a dumb mistake building the cable or maybe there’s another/better solution I’m overlooking. Thanks.

***EDIT: Found a solution for the Dac I’m using. (LH GOV2+ or any geekout dac with balanced output)


----------



## Angelic (Nov 17, 2019)

I'м planning to make a cable for my HE6 headphones. But while looking for suitable 6.3mm and 3.5mm plugs, I saw that they were mostly made of gold-plated brass, and it's electrical conductivity is many times lower than that of copper or silver. Logically, whenever is quality of copper or even silver cable is high, the sound quality of the whole cable will be exact as the quality of the weakest link of the chain - the brass plug's electrical conductivity / purity.  Does anyone know is there any gold or silver plated copper plug in the market?


----------



## imas69

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/furutech-cf-763m-6-35mm-connector
https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/eidolic-6-35mm-jack-1
Not sure if copper based but these are about as good as you can get and they stock a whole range of any connector you want in all prices, good luck


----------



## Angelic (Nov 17, 2019)

imas69 said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/furutech-cf-763m-6-35mm-connector
> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/eidolic-6-35mm-jack-1
> Not sure if copper based but these are about as good as you can get and they stock a whole range of any connector you want in all prices, good luck


Thank you for an advice. Just checked the specifications, and even these are expensive connectors, there is no pure copper, as : Main conductor: for Furutech: Nonmagnetic Rhodium-plated α (Alpha)Phosphor bronze conductor; for Eidolic - copper alloy (I’m reckoning that would be brass then?) plug chassis, layer of rhodium.
So for above mentioned alloys we have (if electrical conductivity of Copper is 100%): 11% for Phospor Bronze, 28% for typical brass, 38,40% for Rhodium. Unfortunately, even the Aluminium has 61% of Copper's conductivity.


----------



## killaHz

Angelic said:


> Thank you for an advice. Just checked the specifications, and even these are expensive connectors, there is no pure copper, as : Main conductor: for Furutech: Nonmagnetic Rhodium-plated α (Alpha)Phosphor bronze conductor; for Eidolic - copper alloy (I’m reckoning that would be brass then?) plug chassis, layer of rhodium.
> So for above mentioned alloys we have (if electrical conductivity of Copper is 100%): 11% for Phospor Bronze, 28% for typical brass, 38,40% for Rhodium. Unfortunately, even the Aluminium has 61% of Copper's conductivity.



You also don’t encounter pure silver solder. Like solder, a connector has physical requirements that one can’t meet using pure copper or silver. You need rigidity/durability that can only be achieved by alloying.


----------



## Angelic

Matthew420 said:


> You also don’t encounter pure silver solder. Like solder, a connector has physical requirements that one can’t meet using pure copper or silver. You need rigidity/durability that can only be achieved by alloying.


Good point, the connector's rigidity is also very important. But there is another question: What is the point of using miscellaneous expensive cables (OFC, SPC or pure silver), since the maximum difference that will be heard is that between the various solders and the purity of the alloys used, as outgoing signal is already degraded by the usage of far less conductivity alloy or standard solder, even with 4% or 10 % silver?


----------



## killaHz

Angelic said:


> Good point, the connector's rigidity is also very important. But there is another question: What is the point of using miscellaneous expensive cables (OFC, SPC or pure silver), since the maximum difference that will be heard is that between the various solders and the purity of the alloys used, as outgoing signal is already degraded by the usage of far less conductivity alloy or standard solder, even with 4% or 10 % silver?



The distances that the signal needs to cross these barriers of lesser conductivity are very short. So the overall degradation of signal is fairly slight. But it’s undeniably there.


----------



## imas69

Interesting but I'm guessing if the experts think that Rhodium and beryllium are the best sounding connectors then that is probably the case, I must say that having
experienced both the Eidolic and Furutech they are both amazing in both quality and sound. Which wire are you planning on using.


----------



## Angelic (Nov 17, 2019)

imas69 said:


> Interesting but I'm guessing if the experts think that Rhodium and beryllium are the best sounding connectors then that is probably the case, I must say that having
> experienced both the Eidolic and Furutech they are both amazing in both quality and sound. Which wire are you planning on using.


I am still between 2 options: 1st is a MOGAMI 2534 Neglex Quad studio microphone cable, as I read mostly positive review about it, and the second option is ViaBlue™ EPC-4 Silver headphone cable, which looks also fine. Currently I am using silver plated copper custom cable, made by one Russian guy, and while the cable serves me perfectly, I still want to try something new.


----------



## killaHz

imas69 said:


> Interesting but I'm guessing if the experts think that Rhodium and beryllium are the best sounding connectors then that is probably the case, I must say that having
> experienced both the Eidolic and Furutech they are both amazing in both quality and sound. Which wire are you planning on using.



I recently swapped out a Neutrik XLR connector with the usual brass pins for an Eidolic one, with Tellurium Copper alloy plated in Rhodium. It was pretty startling to me how noticeable the improvement was.


----------



## imas69

Personally I would go for the Mogami as it's much more flexible than the Viablue, although I doubt either is going to be a massive difference over the stock cable, @ Matthew420, yes I've noticed myself, the 
Neutrik are well made but lack the quality materials of Eidolic or Furutech.


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> Personally I would go for the Mogami as it's much more flexible than the Viablue, although I doubt either is going to be a massive difference over the stock cable, @ Matthew420, yes I've noticed myself, the
> Neutrik are well made but lack the quality materials of Eidolic or Furutech.



imo the furutech sound almost the same, but the eidolic are so much easier to work and solder


----------



## Angelic

imas69 said:


> Personally I would go for the Mogami as it's much more flexible than the Viablue, although I doubt either is going to be a massive difference over the stock cable, .


Can you advice me another cable, which can give audible difference in SQ ? And do you think about silver plated copper vs pure ofc copper cables?


----------



## imas69

It really depends on budget and how far you are prepared to go with the making of the cable, if you can handle the extra work load then I would definitely go with
Neotech wire as this would be quite a big jump in sq, Neotech is OCC Ohno Continuous Casting, OFC Oxygen free copper is considered the lesser of the two in 
terms of quality. If you really want great sound quality then you could go to Neotech pure silver if you have a big wallet or even better a rich partner.


----------



## sennfan83261

Paladin79 said:


> You may well be all right, and yes the tips are left and right plus, sleeves are left and right minus.


Yup, that's right for Hifiman cans like the Ananda as I found out this weekend :


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> It really depends on budget and how far you are prepared to go with the making of the cable, if you can handle the extra work load then I would definitely go with
> Neotech wire as this would be quite a big jump in sq, Neotech is OCC Ohno Continuous Casting, OFC Oxygen free copper is considered the lesser of the two in
> terms of quality. If you really want great sound quality then you could go to Neotech pure silver if you have a big wallet or even better a rich partner.



I'll second this, the UPOCC copper should give you a noticeable step up from most OFC wire, which i what the majority of stock cables and many after market cables are made of too. Its pretty good value versus peformance choice. The silver is expensive DIY option, but not if you compare it to the price of shop bought equivalent, which you could 2 or 3 times more for.


----------



## killaHz

The other reason to go with something nicer, like Neotech wire, is that microphone wire isn’t the most flexible stuff in the world.


----------



## Angelic

Matthew420 said:


> The other reason to go with something nicer, like Neotech wire, is that microphone wire isn’t the most flexible stuff in the world.


 Which exact wire OCC or silver you can recommend? I found one on Neotech's website, NECH-3001, but it looks very stiff, probably I am on wrong cable, as I choose the sub-menu for EARPHONE / HEADPHONE CABLE.


----------



## imas69

Where on the Planet are you, perhaps we can point you in the right direction, if you buy direct from Neotech you would have to buy 100m or more.


----------



## Angelic

imas69 said:


> Where on the Planet are you, perhaps we can point you in the right direction, if you buy direct from Neotech you would have to buy 100m or more.


Germany


----------



## imas69

Ah, now I see why Viablue is a good option, https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/wire-and-cable
Sorry to point you here again but at least you can see what you are looking for, not sure of stockists in Germany, be a bit careful 
of wire on AliExpress as this can be very stiff, Neotech is a bit stiffer than the other wires but still very flexible when braided.


----------



## Angelic

imas69 said:


> Ah, now I see why Viablue is a good option, https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/wire-and-cable
> Sorry to point you here again but at least you can see what you are looking for, not sure of stockists in Germany, be a bit careful
> of wire on AliExpress as this can be very stiff, Neotech is a bit stiffer than the other wires but still very flexible when braided.


Thank you very much. I suppose my next steps will be to read the cable DIY forum completely in order to take the proper decision on how many silver / copper wires  i will need to make 2 meters of braided cable).


----------



## imas69

Probably start off with 4 strands, so you will need 8 metres of cable, cable will end up a bit shorter than 2 metres after braiding, it's a bit more effort but you will
end up with a better cable, search 4 strand round braid on youtube and just twist the two strands together after the split to the headphone end


----------



## chrisdrop

This weekend I gave a related go...

Neotech UP OCC Copper 4 core 1/4" to mini xlr (for zmf headphones).

Sadly I didn't quite complete it yet. Here is the so far... 4 pin mini xlrs defeated me .. until next weekend !!!

I did manage to braid, wrap and get one end done 

All materials via cosmic cables (and paracord from  kind donor).


----------



## imas69

If you make a small bridge between the two solder points with a small naked piece of wire and solder your Neotech wire to that then your life will be easier in the long run. Good luck.


----------



## chrisdrop

Well THAT looks you are actually able, unlike my enfeebled self!

Are you saying just solder to the bridge wire, not one of the cup points for the non-bridge actual wire? Interesting.


----------



## imas69

Ha, I'm sure you are capable, just make sure that you prime the solder tip and be quick, use a piece of solid core wire to join solder cups 1 and 4 and do the same for solder cups 2 and 3, solder that in place and
then solder your wire to the solid core. Oh and fill the cups with solder first, don't try to use loads of solder as there is no need.


----------



## imas69

Oh by the way, it's not my picture I found it on the www just to show you what I meant. Perseverance is key


----------



## chrisdrop

Tx for that. I found associated blog article. That pic looks stable and uses solid core wire. I was using multi-strand hook-up wire. What do you think of mixing wires like that? I I assume I can just get a meter of the same Neotech  wire but in solid core.. I assume you think it is no issue based on your suggestion but thought I'd ask anyhow.


----------



## imas69

Truthfully, it's so tiny that it'll make no sonic difference, or strip 1 cm piece of the Neotech flux it and apply solder, hey presto a solid piece of wire.


----------



## koudairanger

Some brief questions:
Should I use rosin free solder of something with rosin to solder bath litz wire?
How do I actually braid a 2 braid wire(4 braid when it reaches the Y split)? I tried manually twisting but my finger hurt as hell... Are there any tricks to it?
How should I get some cheap good heat shrink in US? My supplies from china are depleted.
BTW any interesting OCC silver in US? Tried neotech and failed to satisfy me.


----------



## Paladin79

I will just answer the first question.

You use rosin free solder in solder pots but first dip whatever you are tinning in liquid rosin. The pot would burn the  rosin up otherwise, it would just sit there and smoke.


----------



## killaHz

koudairanger said:


> Some brief questions:
> *Should I use rosin free solder of something with rosin to solder bath litz wire*?



No rosin in the solder. Apply rosin flux to the wire, but use non-flux solder in the pot.


----------



## killaHz

And no, I have not found any good OCC silver sources. You have to buy massive spools, I think.


----------



## koudairanger

Paladin79 said:


> I will just answer the first question.
> 
> You use rosin free solder in solder pots but first dip whatever you are tinning in liquid rosin. The pot would burn the  rosin up otherwise, it would just sit there and smoke.


Seems like It's the reason why my pot burns...tine to get some appropriate solder.


----------



## teknorob23

koudairanger said:


> Some brief questions:
> Should I use rosin free solder of something with rosin to solder bath litz wire?
> How do I actually braid a 2 braid wire(4 braid when it reaches the Y split)? I tried manually twisting but my finger hurt as hell... Are there any tricks to it?
> How should I get some cheap good heat shrink in US? My supplies from china are depleted.
> BTW any interesting OCC silver in US? Tried neotech and failed to satisfy me.



which neotech silver did you try and what gauge was it? Could you also elaborate on what you mean by it failed to satisfy you. One other source is https://www.vhaudio.com/unicrystal-occ-silver-wire.html . I've not tried it but have heard good reports


----------



## Paladin79

koudairanger said:


> Seems like It's the reason why my pot burns...tine to get some appropriate solder.



Uh huh, I generally just use Kester bar solder that is pretty close to 60/40 tin to lead ratio. You will notice some smoking when working with litz wire since the solder pot burns the enamel from the wire before you get proper coverage.


----------



## koudairanger

Paladin79 said:


> Uh huh, I generally just use Kester bar solder that is pretty close to 60/40 tin to lead ratio. You will notice some smoking when working with litz wire since the solder pot burns the enamel from the wire before you get proper coverage.


I also got kester, but it's sn95ag5 with rosin core, it burns like gonna explode... I'm going to get some rosin free later.


----------



## koudairanger

teknorob23 said:


> which neotech silver did you try and what gauge was it? Could you also elaborate on what you mean by it failed to satisfy you. One other source is https://www.vhaudio.com/unicrystal-occ-silver-wire.html . I've not tried it but have heard good reports


got some 24awg from sonic craft, and it turn out not that much clear as I expect from OCC silver, plus, too hard to braid it as IEM cable.


----------



## teknorob23

koudairanger said:


> got some 24awg from sonic craft, and it turn out not that much clear as I expect from OCC silver, plus, too hard to braid it as IEM cable.



Yep it’s hook up wire so it’s not the easiest to braid and I can see being more difficult to work with iems. I’m only really making cables for full sized hp’s. Sound quality is improved the heavier you go gauge-wise. 24awg in a 4 core is on the margins where you’re not fully benefiting from what the silver upocc can do. I would normally suggest 22awg is a sweet spot, but it’s thicker still and if your finding the 24 problematic then this going to be even worse to work with. I’ve personally found the neotech silver sonically out performs everything else I’ve tried in terms of diy wire and that it competes with high end shop bought  cables such as effect audio cleopatra and leonidas. Perhaps you can give us an idea of what you’ve heard and preferred before even if it’s shop bought then it will be easier to direct you towards someone who will be able to supply you with wire that might be able to give you similar performance.


----------



## koudairanger

teknorob23 said:


> Yep it’s hook up wire so it’s not the easiest to braid and I can see being more difficult to work with iems. I’m only really making cables for full sized hp’s. Sound quality is improved the heavier you go gauge-wise. 24awg in a 4 core is on the margins where you’re not fully benefiting from what the silver upocc can do. I would normally suggest 22awg is a sweet spot, but it’s thicker still and if your finding the 24 problematic then this going to be even worse to work with. I’ve personally found the neotech silver sonically out performs everything else I’ve tried in terms of diy wire and that it competes with high end shop bought  cables such as effect audio cleopatra and leonidas. Perhaps you can give us an idea of what you’ve heard and preferred before even if it’s shop bought then it will be easier to direct you towards someone who will be able to supply you with wire that might be able to give you similar performance.


I expect something similar to DHC symbiote SE or maybe silverdragon V3 as an IEM cable, I'm not that kind of fan of replacing cables but It's out of interest to DIY something... tried some Norne DIY OCC litz and feel quite good also. I'll try again with them on headphone cables once I got my HD800S.


----------



## Christoph

teknorob23 said:


> I’ve personally found the neotech silver sonically out performs everything else I’ve tried in terms of diy wire and that it competes with high end shop bought  cables such as effect audio cleopatra and leonidas.



Which neotech silver cable can you recommend (maybe in your preferend size 22AWG) ? 

I had a look at
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/neotech_hookup_wire.html
but the selection is quite confusing for me.


----------



## imas69

22 awg is the best gauge in my opinion and cheaper here https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver


----------



## teknorob23

Christoph said:


> Which neotech silver cable can you recommend (maybe in your preferend size 22AWG) ?
> 
> I had a look at
> https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/neotech_hookup_wire.html
> but the selection is quite confusing for me.




Id recommend 22awg Multi-strand silver if you can stretch to it https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/neotech-stdst-occ-silver-wire.html. Its about about £50 per metre from here, but https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver do it for about £35 per metre which incredibly good value. They also sell the 22awg copper cheaper too.  The 24awg will be very good too, but seeing as it works out almost the same price to buy the 22awg from cosmic, its a bit of no brainer


----------



## teknorob23

imas69 said:


> 22 awg is the best gauge in my opinion and cheaper here https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver



sorry i didnt see you'd responded too


----------



## imas69

Ha, no problem, I think we both dive into action when we hear the word Neotech


----------



## killaHz

I like making stuff of my own, but partly because it’s cheap. At those kinds of per-meter prices, it starts to seem like a better idea to have somebody make me a custom cable. Five meters yields a pretty standard four foot IEM cable, so once you’ve bought the kind of connectors that belong on a pure silver cable, you’re probably looking at about 80% of the cost of one of the more affordable custom makers’ offerings. Of course, those guys have waiting lists for months, but still. If I’m going to be plunking down that kind of change, I’d rather have somebody else bearing the risk of accidentally wasting parts.


----------



## imas69

The Neotech wire would not be ideal for an iem cable anyway, it's not as flexible as a litz wire and it's a bit heavier too.


----------



## Christoph

imas69 said:


> 22 awg is the best gauge in my opinion and cheaper here https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver





teknorob23 said:


> Id recommend 22awg Multi-strand silver if you can stretch to it https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/neotech-stdst-occ-silver-wire.html. Its about about £50 per metre from here, but https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver do it for about £35 per metre which incredibly good value. They also sell the 22awg copper cheaper too.  The 24awg will be very good too, but seeing as it works out almost the same price to buy the 22awg from cosmic, its a bit of no brainer



Thank you both for your hints and links.

I've read somewhere that silver is more brittle than e.g. copper.
Could this be an issue for a solid silver headphone cable that it tends to break after a while?


----------



## imas69

The wire is stranded and excellent build quality so it would probably out live us all.


----------



## chrisdrop

When making my last successful 4 core Neotech UP OCC Copper cable I twisted them first in pairs of two, then twisted the 2 pairs up to the y split point. I did this using a drill as suggested by another wise HeadFier. I then put them inside one paracord (i.e.; didn't put paracord over each wire then braid - just one sleeve). 

I don't think it is a big deal - but my twisted pairs of cable didn't seem to want to stay twisted. Any thoughts on how to keep them nicely twisted together ? I ask because this weekend I am going to do another but using silver and I would like it to be as perfect as I can get it.


----------



## imas69

You could try a small piece of heatshrink at each end but if you just use a 4 straid round braid you will have better luck its really easy) 

Just secure in a vice rather than tying together.


----------



## killaHz

imas69 said:


> You could try a small piece of heatshrink at each end but if you just use a 4 straid round braid you will have better luck its really easy)
> 
> Just secure in a vice rather than tying together.




I’ve recently just started soldering my four wires into the amp plug, plugging that into a jack of the appropriate size (when the amp’s not on), and just braiding outward from the amp. It’s easier for me, anyway, because unlike clamping in a vise, you can get them into a more-or-less circular arrangement, which makes it easier for me to keep track of what’s going on. It’s also easier to solder a single wire into place without having to worry about where the rest of the braid should go while I work.


----------



## mattiav

chrisdrop said:


> When making my last successful 4 core Neotech UP OCC Copper cable I twisted them first in pairs of two, then twisted the 2 pairs up to the y split point. I did this using a drill as suggested by another wise HeadFier. I then put them inside one paracord (i.e.; didn't put paracord over each wire then braid - just one sleeve).
> 
> I don't think it is a big deal - but my twisted pairs of cable didn't seem to want to stay twisted. Any thoughts on how to keep them nicely twisted together ? I ask because this weekend I am going to do another but using silver and I would like it to be as perfect as I can get it.



a video posted by another member in the gallery thread that I bookmarked may help:


----------



## chrisdrop

Thanks for the links and consideration. For the sake of sharing; this video is what I have been doing:


----------



## noverbeck

I'm looking for clear jacket copper wire for IEM cables.

Is the 22 Awg OCC Copper from Norne very flexible for wrapping around an ear?
How does it compare to the Cosmic Cable copper wire or Forza copper wire? 

Any other recommendations. Would rather not play the eBay game for wire, though if someone has a recommended seller it would be appreciated. I'm in the US as well. 
Link to Norne:
http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/...em-iem-full-size-aftermarket-up-7-n-6-upgrade


----------



## imas69

Can't speak for the Forza wire but I have bought from cosmic cables and Norne and all the wire is superb quality and very soft and flexible if you are in the US then
give Trevor at Norne a go he is a really decent chap and the wire will be fine to wrap around the ear, it's not litz but that's a bonus if you don't own a solder pot.


----------



## noverbeck

imas69 said:


> Can't speak for the Forza wire but I have bought from cosmic cables and Norne and all the wire is superb quality and very soft and flexible if you are in the US then
> give Trevor at Norne a go he is a really decent chap and the wire will be fine to wrap around the ear, it's not litz but that's a bonus if you don't own a solder pot.



I don't own a solder pot, not ready to tackle that yet. Just checked in with Trevor, he comforted me in suggesting no issues around the ear with the 22 AWG wire, though un-tested by Norne.

With the black friday sales (didn't realize at first), this is really cheap per foot if anyone else is looking, $1.32/foot.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

noverbeck said:


> I'm looking for clear jacket copper wire for IEM cables.
> 
> Is the 22 Awg OCC Copper from Norne very flexible for wrapping around an ear?
> How does it compare to the Cosmic Cable copper wire or Forza copper wire?
> ...



Surgical tubing is cheap and comes in a lot of diameters. It's not the most flexible tubing in the world but at small diameters it might be ok. Probably worth checking some medical supply houses online. For the price you won't lose much.


----------



## Ironcobra80

Looking for a little guidance for making my first cable for my hifiman anandas. Im wanting at least 12-15ft length as sometimes Im a little far back from my amp. Will there be any issues with this distance?

Part list so far:
2x   https://doublehelixcables.com/product/eidolic-e3-5g3-gunmetalblack-carbongold-3-5mm-plug-in-stock/ (why do I need trs 3.5mm going into the cans if its just a 2 pair going in? Im matching the stock cable)
1x   https://doublehelixcables.com/product/eidolic-6-3mm-rhodium-14-connector/
60ft http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/...ket-up-7-n-6-upgrade-spc-silver-plated-copper             Is that enough?
1x https://doublehelixcables.com/product/eidolic-e-sx125-aluminumcarbon-fiber-y-splitter-3-colors/

Am I on the right track, what solder is recommended for the connectors? Will I need any heatshrink? Also who is everyone using for sleeving in the US and what size with that wire, I want to do the cables in silver.


----------



## imas69

1/ you don't ts mono is fine
2/ yes that's enough for a 4 strand cable 4x 15 ft, that is one hell of a long cable and personally if I needed a cable that long I would use a shielded wire.

You can use paracord but good luck getting that soft wire through a 15ft length and you would never get the paracorded wire through the two holes in the
splitter. That wire is a silver colour anyway so you should just use a four strand braid with bare wire anyway. If its your fist time perhaps get a piece of 
microphone wire and do a dummy run first, good luck old chap


----------



## sennfan83261

imas69 said:


> 1/ you don't ts mono is fine
> 2/ yes that's enough for a 4 strand cable 4x 15 ft, that is one hell of a long cable and personally if I needed a cable that long I would use a shielded wire.
> 
> You can use paracord but good luck getting that soft wire through a 15ft length and you would never get the paracorded wire through the two holes in the
> ...


Yup, TS mono is just fine and is what I did for my balanced Ananda cable (positive to the tip and ground to the sleeve).  As for paracord, @Ironcobra80 can try 550 for individual cables (braided) or post Y-split cable pairs.  If one just wants to sleeve the stock twisted cable (outer rubber jacket removed), then maybe 750 paracord.  For mini-quads like the Mogami W2893, 550 paracord can work with the stock twisted cable (without the outer jacket), but it will be slightly stiff.

But yeah, sleeving twisted wire was the most tedious part of making my cable.


----------



## Ironcobra80 (Dec 3, 2019)

sennfan83261 said:


> Yup, TS mono is just fine and is what I did for my balanced Ananda cable (positive to the tip and ground to the sleeve).  As for paracord, @Ironcobra80 can try 550 for individual cables (braided) or post Y-split cable pairs.  If one just wants to sleeve the stock twisted cable (outer rubber jacket removed), then maybe 750 paracord.  For mini-quads like the Mogami W2893, 550 paracord can work with the stock twisted cable (without the outer jacket), but it will be slightly stiff.
> 
> But yeah, sleeving twisted wire was the most tedious part of making my cable.


Thanks for the confirmation on the mono, Im not very clear on the braiding. I was going to sleeve each conductor separately then braid the sleeved cable, are you saying this is impossible at this length? Also the y connectors Im looking at wont work for this configuration? Thanks for the info.

As for the length, I am a couch gamer and my pc can be a good 10 ft away. The stock ananda cable has already stop working in 1 month with zero visible damage, what a pos that thing is. Im having trouble finding mono 3.5mm eidolic connectors anyway so ill probably just stick to the trs.


----------



## sennfan83261

Ironcobra80 said:


> Thanks for the confirmation on the mono, Im not very clear on the braiding. I was going to sleeve each conductor separately then braid the sleeved cable, are you saying this is impossible at this length? Also the y connectors Im looking at wont work for this configuration? Thanks for the info.


Braiding should be fine AFAIK at that length, but I think the other poster advised that you should look for cable with shielding if you are going to make a cable that long (nearing the recommended max length for unbalanced cable runs: http://www.aviom.com/blog/balanced-vs-unbalanced/).  I'm not too familiar with splitters because I'm cheap and use heatshrink instead since it has less chance of getting caught on some edge.

*Just my opinion


----------



## Ironcobra80 (Dec 3, 2019)

sennfan83261 said:


> Braiding should be fine AFAIK at that length, but I think the other poster advised that you should look for cable with shielding if you are going to make a cable that long (nearing the recommended max length for unbalanced cable runs: http://www.aviom.com/blog/balanced-vs-unbalanced/).  I'm not too familiar with splitters because I'm cheap and use heatshrink instead since it has less chance of getting caught on some edge.
> 
> *Just my opinion


Is there a shielded cable thats recommended?
https://www.redco.com/Canare-Quad-Microphone-Cable/
http://www.cardas.com/chassis_wire.php

Im guessing with shielded wire it wont be braided until after the y connector if I go the shielded route.


----------



## noverbeck

gimmeheadroom said:


> Surgical tubing is cheap and comes in a lot of diameters. It's not the most flexible tubing in the world but at small diameters it might be ok. Probably worth checking some medical supply houses online. For the price you won't lose much.


Now that's an interesting idea. Would you buy wire w/ color jacket, strip off the jacket, and resheath with the surgical tubing. Sounds very challenging. Have you done it? Wonder how the flexibility is.


----------



## sennfan83261

gimmeheadroom said:


> Surgical tubing is cheap and comes in a lot of diameters. It's not the most flexible tubing in the world but at small diameters it might be ok. Probably worth checking some medical supply houses online. For the price you won't lose much.


Do you work for Hifiman?


----------



## gimmeheadroom

noverbeck said:


> Now that's an interesting idea. Would you buy wire w/ color jacket, strip off the jacket, and resheath with the surgical tubing. Sounds very challenging. Have you done it? Wonder how the flexibility is.



I have no idea. I started thinking about making my own cables and found this thread. I'm having difficulty understanding how people are  paying huge money per foot or per meter for bulk cable. Shirley there has to be a way to buy rolls inexpensively? For me the most obvious solution is paracord covering because it's easy to pull cables through. I guess the people making clear covered cables are buying the wire already covered and just braiding it. I haven't seen that many examples but that looks how the ones I saw were made.



sennfan83261 said:


> Do you work for Hifiman?



Not sure what that means because I don't have any Hifiman headphones. Are you saying the cover their cables in surgical tubing?


----------



## mattiav

Ironcobra80 said:


> Is there a shielded cable thats recommended?
> https://www.redco.com/Canare-Quad-Microphone-Cable/
> http://www.cardas.com/chassis_wire.php
> 
> Im guessing with shielded wire it wont be braided until after the y connector if I go the shielded route.



All star quad mic cables are shielded if you don’t strip it off. Braiding a long length is possible but a pain to get that much wire through paracord. Better to either leave the entire quad cable alone and add a paracord sheath for the looks, or just strip the rubber bit (leaving the foil shield). Thing is that most sources don’t have anywhere to ground the shield to - so not a whole lot of benefit. Then twist (either before or after paracord) the two pairs past the y split.


----------



## Snow Blind

I've bounced through a little of the 600+ pages here and 1000+ in the gallery and i cannot (sorry! lol) for the life of me figure out what cables to choose for a new headphone cable and amp/dac interconnects.

Cans are some HE4XXs.  Not looking to braid or balance just want to make a few simple sets (different lengths) and sleeve with some paracord.  Clean, simple and durable (flexible too).

The RCA interconnects are going to be ~6" to connect my amp/dac stack.  These i'd like to be as flexible as possible so i can keep them super short and not have any kinking or pressure on the connectors in the boxes.

I was thinking of using:


Headphones: Mogami W2799 or W2893.  Seem popular.  I know the W2799 with casing fits 550 sleeves. Would then size down on the L and R lengths to 325 or even 275?  Not sure will have to research.  Are these what i should be looking at?  Anything better that would fit my application and requirements?


RCAs: Mogami W2534.  Should i be looking at a traditional coaxial wire instead?  I've heard people use quad and i figured it would be more flexible.  What do you think?

Any good (updated) guides i should check out?  Most i find are for crazy braided 37 core, pure silver + Adamantium, builds.  Wish there was a modern wiki with wire suggestions, diameters and sleeving options, connector pairings etc. (if there is one and i cant find it lmk! lol)


----------



## gimmeheadroom

brunk said:


> Tin your wire beforehand, use a low melting point solder, and only keep the iron on the connector for a few seconds. Be sure not to squeeze the plastic when you're done as it will be soft, allow it to cool down before handling.



The other thing if somebody hasn't said it on one of the 628 pages of this thread  is use heatsinks on the pins between the joint and the plastic case. They look like tiny pliers. You clamp them to the metal and they act as radiators to dissipate heat. I bought some decades ago from Radio Shack. There must be other sources.


----------



## bryceu

I'm certain there's plenty of suggestions throughout this topic but I feel too l lazy to read through everything so hoping some can share their recommendations for cable reliefs (Y-splitter) hardware for over-ear headphone cables. I'm looking for something big enough to fit Mogami quad mic cable single wires, wrapped in paracord, and quad braided. I've tried some of the speaker cable reliefs and they are too bulky, and I have some of the common ali-express carbon fiber ones, which are good for unwrapped wire but too small for paracord-wrapped wire. 
Any suggestions? Not sure why my Google searches can't seem to find a good solution. Thanks!


----------



## killaHz

bryceu said:


> I'm certain there's plenty of suggestions throughout this topic but I feel too l lazy to read through everything so hoping some can share their recommendations for cable reliefs (Y-splitter) hardware for over-ear headphone cables. I'm looking for something big enough to fit Mogami quad mic cable single wires, wrapped in paracord, and quad braided. I've tried some of the speaker cable reliefs and they are too bulky, and I have some of the common ali-express carbon fiber ones, which are good for unwrapped wire but too small for paracord-wrapped wire.
> Any suggestions? Not sure why my Google searches can't seem to find a good solution. Thanks!



I feel your pain. I went through this search a few months ago, and I don’t think there are any really good splitters for braided paracord-sleeved cables that one can buy for DIY purposes. One of these days, I plan to design something I can 3d print.


----------



## jmpsmash

My issue with finding those is that there are no consistent naming so searching is hard. going to ebay/aliexpress they go with different names with different vendors.

as for 3D printing, I have tried it. since we are talking about something rather small, with normal hobbyist FDM printer they don't look very good even with 0.15mm layer height. You will have to design it in such a way that the flaws don't show up. I didn't have a good enough design. It will take a bit more thoughts.

Someone with a resin printer might get a better result.


----------



## bryceu

Matthew420 said:


> I feel your pain. I went through this search a few months ago, and I don’t think there are any really good splitters for braided paracord-sleeved cables that one can buy for DIY purposes. One of these days, I plan to design something I can 3d print.


That'd be awesome. I've thought of making some out of wood, wouldn't be too hard and would be a cool look.


----------



## teknorob23

Morning all, I've made a digital coax/spdif cable with RCA connector one end and the 3.5mm jack to fit Hugo2's coax port. Theres a very limited selection of mono 3.5mm connectors to choose from, so i had opted to use oyaide rhodium plated 3.5mm stereo connector, and then bridge the earth and return solder points. I have done this successfully with headphone connectors and i can see Atlas cables use a stereo 3.5mm on there coax cables, but i am getting an intermittent connection in the Hugo2. I have tried other stereo connectors which create the same issue, whereas a 3.5mono works fine. Have i missed something? 

this is the offending cable:


----------



## jmpsmash

Beautiful looking cable as always Teknorob!

Firstly, how long is the cable?

Second. Each stereo 3.5mm actually contain 2 SPDIF inputs to the Hugo2. I don't remember the names (or the "color"), but each of the 2 mono connections (ground+left, ground+right) correspond to a different input. If you merge them together it might confuse the Hugo2.


----------



## jmpsmash

I asked about the length because, even though SPDIF should be ok with 10m, I have seen signal getting degraded way before that, around 1m or so, probably due to out of spec, non 75Ohm cabling.


----------



## jmpsmash

looked up the Hugo 2 manual.

Coax 1 (yellow ball) : Tip and sleeve
Coax 2 (red ball) : Ring and sleeve

hope that helps


----------



## teknorob23

jmpsmash said:


> looked up the Hugo 2 manual.
> 
> Coax 1 (yellow ball) : Tip and sleeve
> Coax 2 (red ball) : Ring and sleeve
> ...



Thanks and sadly that version is all looks and no function, or at least intermittent function .

The wire i've used is 1m of https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/neotech-digital-balanced-cable-nevd-2001.html , with WTB RCA connector which is supposedly rated at 75ohm (which i'm not sure is possible in a connector)

I've just had a look at the manual too, which i next time i'll do before starting, but i'm still not completely clear what they're referring to as their only appears to be one Coax port and do they mean "signal" is attached to the following: "
_
Coax1 configuration = Tip and sleeve, Coax 2 configuration = Ring and sleeve_

These are the 2 configurations i have tried with the mono version.working fine, whereas the stereo version creates the intermittent connection if you twist the plug in the socket.

Sorry i'm probably just being thick!


----------



## imas69

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/y-cable-splitters-1

Splitters, I realise this is in the UK but may give you some idea of sizes


----------



## Snow Blind (Dec 17, 2019)

Not to be "that guy" but i'm still struggling picking out wire for a headphone cable build and RCA connects.

4XX L/R build: (1) 1/4" (2) 1/8" - keep the wire intact pre Y-split and sleeve with para - some sort of Y-splitter (or heat shrink) - L/R leads both +/- same para sleeve. What i'm thinking:


Headphones: Mogami W2799, W2893 or W2534... all seem popular. I know the W2799 with casing fits 550 sleeves. W2534 can _probably _be sleeved with 1/4" paracord. Anyone try this? Would then size down on the L and R lengths to 325? Not sure if that will fit both wires in each lead.  Are these what i should be looking at? Anything better that would fit my application and requirements?

RCAs: Mogami W2534. Any reason to go for anything else for short 6" or less Amp to Dac connects?

Connectors: Neutrik PX or C series 1/4" stereo. No idea what i should get for the 1/8" into each L/R cup of the HE4XX... the narrow recess has me worried.  Anyone know what fits in the Hifimans with 1/8" inputs?  RCA plugs, again not sure what to get.  Inexpensive or the plugs alone would be more than buying a set of PYST cables from Schiit.


----------



## jmpsmash

teknorob23 said:


> Thanks and sadly that version is all looks and no function, or at least intermittent function .
> 
> The wire i've used is 1m of https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/neotech-digital-balanced-cable-nevd-2001.html , with WTB RCA connector which is supposedly rated at 75ohm (which i'm not sure is possible in a connector)
> 
> ...



the coax port is a 3.5mm stereo plug port. 3.5mm stereo as in your photo, has 3 connections. the sleeve, ring and tip. tip is "signal" in your photo. ring is one next to it, and sleeve is closest to the cable.

if you connect a RCA to sleeve (ground) + tip, you are sending signal to the Coax1 (or yellow light) input.
if you connect a RCA to sleeve + ring, you are sending a signal to the Coax2 (red light) input.

not sure exactly why grounding the ring will cause intermittent connection. is the 3.5mm plug up to spec? would be surprised if not given the brand, however, I have had used 3.5mm that is actualy 3.3mm and it doesn't make a good contact.

are you using coax1/yellow or coax2/red ?


----------



## BowWazoo

Can someone tell me if this is the right plug for the Mr Speaker Aeon?

Can someone tell me if this is the right plug for the Mr Speaker Aeon?

https://www.conrad.de/de/p/hirose-e...ecker-gerade-gesamtpolzahl-4-1-st-749358.html


----------



## teknorob23

jmpsmash said:


> the coax port is a 3.5mm stereo plug port. 3.5mm stereo as in your photo, has 3 connections. the sleeve, ring and tip. tip is "signal" in your photo. ring is one next to it, and sleeve is closest to the cable.
> 
> if you connect a RCA to sleeve (ground) + tip, you are sending signal to the Coax1 (or yellow light) input.
> if you connect a RCA to sleeve + ring, you are sending a signal to the Coax2 (red light) input.
> ...



thanks this is really helpful. I’m going to sound dumb, but I didn’t realise the stereo 3.5mm doubled up as a coax ‘2/ red’.

At the moment I’m using the ‘yellow’ coax 1 input which is the port marked coax. I’ve reverted to mono plug with the rca signal going to the tip and the ground going to the sleeve. I had been using the stereo jack in the coax 1 port too, which I’m guessing explains the problem?? I had this plug wires with the signal>tip and ground >sleeve&ring (which i bridged with a piece of solid silver wire). So if I’m reading you right this should work if it were plugged into the stereo jack /coax2 red socket?? Thanks again


----------



## -Hodor-

BowWazoo said:


> Can someone tell me if this is the right plug for the Mr Speaker Aeon?
> 
> Can someone tell me if this is the right plug for the Mr Speaker Aeon?
> 
> https://www.conrad.de/de/p/hirose-e...ecker-gerade-gesamtpolzahl-4-1-st-749358.html



yes sir


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## Christoph (Dec 19, 2019)

i have two newbie questions regarding the fit of the sleeve and the Y-splitter.

*Fit of the sleeve:*
To build a balanced cable with 22AWG (e.g. 22 AWG 6N high purity Silver plated copper overall diameter of 1.3mm  https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/silver-cotton)
the total diameter of the braided cable will be 1.3mm x4 = 5.2mm
The Paracord sleeve ( https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/4-mm-paracord )  is declared as 4mm, but this is flexible and would fit (to get all four wires in), correct?

*Fit of a Y-splitter:*
2 cables have 1.3mm x2 = 2.6mm diameter, therefore a medium size splitter like this https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/medium-carbon-fibre-black
would fit, is that right?
Or do i have to go for a large splitter like this https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/large-silver-aluminiuim when i use the Paracord sleeve?


----------



## chrisdrop

Christoph said:


> i have two newbie questions regarding the fit of the sleeve and the Y-splitter.
> 
> *Fit of the sleeve:*
> To build a balanced cable with 22AWG (e.g. 22 AWG 6N high purity Silver plated copper overall diameter of 1.3mm  https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/silver-cotton)
> ...



I have 2 cables, 1 silver, 1 copper, with parts mostly from Cosmic. Both 4 core. 

Y splitters: 1 is using the large Viablue, 1 with the same large silver one. It all fits fine. Not sure about smaller. 

On Paracord, a more experienced builder than I recommended this size and it is what I used. I wouldn't really want to go smaller: https://www.paracord.eu/paracord/6mm-paracord-type-v 

On the cable itself, I'd recommend the Neotech cable, Silver if your budget allows, else the copper is probably preferable to the other cable (silver plated) https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/6n-up-occ-neotech


----------



## Christoph

chrisdrop said:


> I have 2 cables, 1 silver, 1 copper, with parts mostly from Cosmic. Both 4 core.
> 
> Y splitters: 1 is using the large Viablue, 1 with the same large silver one. It all fits fine. Not sure about smaller.
> 
> ...



Thanks for your recommendations.

The difference between silver and copper cable is quite huge.
When i want to build a 6 foot cable, i have to order 7 foot because of the braiding srinkage.

For a balanced cable i need 7 foot x 4 = 28 foot which results in ~277 GBP (332 EUR) for the Neotech pure silver, silver STDST-2222
but only ~39 GBP (47 EUR.) for the 6N UP OCC Neotech, STDCT-22 which you mentioned.

As i have no experience with braiding, i think i will go for the cheaper chopper cable and when this all went well, then i would aim to braid a second silver cable afterwards.
Or is it save to braid an expensive silver cable as a starter?


----------



## chrisdrop

Start copper
I did too


----------



## imas69

Christoph said:


> i have two newbie questions regarding the fit of the sleeve and the Y-splitter.
> 
> *Fit of the sleeve:*
> To build a balanced cable with 22AWG (e.g. 22 AWG 6N high purity Silver plated copper overall diameter of 1.3mm  https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/silver-cotton)
> ...


The Silver cotton wire can just be braided in it's natural state and if you use it like that then the medium y splitter would be fine, paracord is not at all flexible unlike the
mdpc-x sleeve https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/mdpc-x-sleeving, if you look at their mercury cables you can see what that wire looks like braided without sleeving.


----------



## Christoph (Dec 19, 2019)

imas69 said:


> The Silver cotton wire can just be braided in it's natural state and if you use it like that then the medium y splitter would be fine, paracord is not at all flexible unlike the
> mdpc-x sleeve https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/mdpc-x-sleeving, if you look at their mercury cables you can see what that wire looks like braided without sleeving.



So would you recommend to build it without sleeve?
The Mercury cable looks nice. 
I just wanted that the braided wire stays as it is... but when this also the case without a sleeve, then i would probably build it without.


----------



## imas69

Christoph said:


> So would you recommend to build it without sleeve?


I probably would as it's a nice looking wire, if you buy from cosmic cables then you should talk to him, he is very helpful and he would
probably even send you the wire braided if you want but if this is the case you should probably go for 8 wires rather than 4, which 
headphones are you making the wire for.


----------



## imas69

The Neotech wire is very good but not as soft and flexible and you would probably be better off using some sleeve for that, but for any of the other
wire I would use au naturel


----------



## Christoph

imas69 said:


> ... if this is the case you should probably go for 8 wires rather than 4, which
> headphones are you making the wire for.



The cable is for the Fostex TH900 MK2 headphones, not sure if they are worth a silver cable.
From the pics of the cosmic cables Planet collection i see that all pre-build cables are made of 8 wires. I guess thats better to braid, right?

In general 8 wires double the price compared to 4 wires, for copper i'm okay, but for silver it would end up >600 GBP which is pretty much... (in my opinion).


----------



## imas69

It depends what you are after, the Silver cotton that you are looking at is still copper but it is 6N occ which has been silver plated so it's not that expensive as opposed to the Neotech 
silver which is very expensive even compared to other pure Silver wires, for an 8 core cable with the Silver cotton you would be looking at less than £110 for a 6ft cable, you should 
probably go for 7ft per length, 7x8 = 56 x £1.90 =£106.40, not bad really as they are very nice headphones.


----------



## Goldvein (Dec 20, 2019)

So I'm looking to make a cheap cable for my lz a4 since the previous cable is tapping out, and I'm interested in learning how to solder and make cables. I'm not looking to make a better than decent cable, and I don't want to waste money, since I'm probably going to screw it up.
Cheap connectors seem to be easy to find but not cheap cables.
I've been looking a lot in this thread but all your suggestions to others are very high end cables.
Anyone knows a cheap acceptable easily soldable cable that would be good for an iem?
Any help is appreciated


----------



## imas69

Strip down a length of quad core cable like mogami 2893, it'll look rubbish but will keep you going until you go for something better.


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## Polarctic (Dec 22, 2019)

I bought three pairs of this cheap 3.5mm braided cable to use with my porta pros. The cable is very soft and nice even in cold weather. It is stiff torsion wise so does not like to get spun around more than one or two revolutions before staring to twirl on itself.

Now to the case:
The first two cables broke in the plug. I thought nothing of it since I had backups. This third cable started to crackle yesterday and today the connection is so bad it's unusable and now I have no more back up.
Living in a remote area, no stores that sell plugs means that I am facing the holidays with only a pair of freebie scandinavian airlines earbuds. Unless there is a way to repair this little thing. I can't seem to figure out how to open it. Might be glued? Afraid I'm going to totally destroy it trying.
 If you recognize this type of plug and have a procedure to salvage it, please let me know how you do it.

Happy holidays to you all. May santa bring you next level fidelity!


----------



## imas69

It's just a 3.5mm stereo trs jack, if it's glued you not open it without doing more damage chop it off and buy a new one from cosmic cables, they have some cheap ones, let me know
if you do and I'll let you know how to solder it.


----------



## Christoph

The plug looks like if it could be unscrewed, probably with some force.


----------



## Polarctic

imas69 said:


> It's just a 3.5mm stereo trs jack, if it's glued you not open it without doing more damage chop it off and buy a new one from cosmic cables, they have some cheap ones, let me know
> if you do and I'll let you know how to solder it.


''''''''''
Those look good! I will have to wait a good while before they drop in the mailbox but I'm placing an order right now. Any suggestion on a good cable? That is soft an pliable?


----------



## Paladin79

Christoph said:


> The plug looks like if it could be unscrewed, probably with some force.


It is not uncommon to use hot glue, you can try heating the plug to see if that causes it to come loose. Additional heat can cause the glue to drip away to allow resoldering.


----------



## Polarctic

Christoph said:


> The plug looks like if it could be unscrewed, probably with some force.


Yeah, I'll ive it a go and let you know how it went. Nothing to loose right.


----------



## imas69

Polarctic said:


> ''''''''''
> Those look good! I will have to wait a good while before they drop in the mailbox but I'm placing an order right now. Any suggestion on a good cable? That is soft an pliable?


Do mean their cables or their wire, I think all of their stuff is soft and pliable and good quality, I have used some of their wire and even bought a cable from the planet collection
and it is very good in all departments.


----------



## Polarctic

imas69 said:


> Do mean their cables or their wire, I think all of their stuff is soft and pliable and good quality, I have used some of their wire and even bought a cable from the planet collection
> and it is very good in all departments.


Sorry if I was unclear. I'm not sure that my nomenclature is right. My understanding is that a "wire" is just that: One wire. 
And by saying "Cable", one is referring to an array of wires, commonly used in a sleeve of some sort. Is that right?


----------



## Paladin79

Polarctic said:


> Sorry if I was unclear. I'm not sure that my nomenclature is right. My understanding is that a "wire" is just that: One wire.
> And by saying "Cable", one is referring to an array of wires, commonly used in a sleeve of some sort. Is that right?



A cable is generally two or more wires with jacket, a single wire can have insulation or not and can be solid or stranded. Solid wire breaks more easily with repeated bending.


----------



## Polarctic

Paladin79 said:


> A cable is generally two or more wires with jacket, a single wire can have insulation or not and can be solid or stranded. Solid wire breaks more easily with repeated bending.


Thanks, that was exactly what I was thinking. So I am looking for a cable with three wires that is somewhat pliable, even when cold.

Managed to get the plug disassembled by heating it up with a lighter and using two pliers. Needed to use a bit of force for it to come loose. I used some paper to protect the plug but unfortunately got some nicks there. Doesn't matter much since I doubt I can resolder anything in this glue blob


----------



## Paladin79

Polarctic said:


> Thanks, that was exactly what I was thinking. So I am looking for a cable with three wires that is somewhat pliable, even when cold.
> 
> Managed to get the plug disassembled by heating it up with a lighter and using two pliers. Needed to use a bit of force for it to come loose. I used some paper to protect the plug but unfortunately got some nicks there. Doesn't matter much since I doubt I can resolder anything in this glue blob



yeah that appears to be some kind of potting material, it may not melt easily. PVC jackets are a little less pliable. I would look for a miniature, high flex microphone cable myself.


----------



## Polarctic

Paladin79 said:


> yeah that appears to be some kind of potting material, it may not melt easily. PVC jackets are a little less pliable. I would look for a miniature, high flex microphone cable myself.



Looking for that I am. It's a bit of a needle in a haystack. I'll read on the forum. I'm sure someone has some links to specific cables that are good for this.


----------



## Paladin79

Polarctic said:


> Looking for that I am. It's a bit of a needle in a haystack. I'll read on the forum. I'm sure someone has some links to specific cables that are good for this.


Are you in the US? Markertek has such cable depending on size you are seeking.

https://www.markertek.com/product/2...ible-miniature-microphone-cable-gray-per-foot


----------



## imas69

Why don't you just cut the cable where the glue is and buy a new 3.5mm jack


----------



## Polarctic

imas69 said:


> Why don't you just cut the cable where the glue is and buy a new 3.5mm jack


That is exactly what I will do but as I wrote in my first post this will mean that I have no headphones until sometime in january. This is because I live up in the arctic and it takes quite a while to receive anything through the mail, especially now with the hollidays and all. That's why I made the effort to try a repair instead of just ordering a new cable.


----------



## imas69

Wow, you'll definitely have snow for Christmas then, good luck and happy Christmas.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Unless it is too cold to snow


----------



## imas69

Ha, I thought we only said that in the UK


----------



## gimmeheadroom

I'm in Prague and we haven't had a decent snow in a few years. Still hoping!


----------



## Christoph

imas69 said:


> I probably would as it's a nice looking wire, if you buy from cosmic cables then you should talk to him, he is very helpful and he would
> probably even send you the wire braided if you want but if this is the case you should probably go for 8 wires rather than 4, which
> headphones are you making the wire for.



When i would go for 8 wires, this would mean 4 wires for each side of the headphones.

How do 4 wires (22AWG) fit into a headphone connector plug? Most of them are really tiny.

In my case i have to use this plugs:
https://furutechwebshop.nl/winkel/furutech-ft-2ps-f-rhodium/

The opening hole doesn't look very big...


----------



## -Hodor-

Christoph said:


> When i would go for 8 wires, this would mean 4 wires for each side of the headphones.
> 
> How do 4 wires (22AWG) fit into a headphone connector plug? Most of them are really tiny.
> 
> ...



That plug is only suitable for up to 3.5mm Cable Diameter, so fitting 4 22AWG wires in there will be though


----------



## killaHz

-Hodor- said:


> That plug is only suitable for up to 3.5mm Cable Diameter, so fitting 4 22AWG wires in there will be though



Depending on your comfort level, you could ream out the aperture with a Dremel or a drill. But yeah, 4 22 AWG wires with the added bulk imposed by braiding them seem unlikely to go through those holes unmodified.


----------



## Christoph

-Hodor- said:


> That plug is only suitable for up to 3.5mm Cable Diameter, so fitting 4 22AWG wires in there will be though





Matthew420 said:


> Depending on your comfort level, you could ream out the aperture with a Dremel or a drill. But yeah, 4 22 AWG wires with the added bulk imposed by braiding them seem unlikely to go through those holes unmodified.



Thanks. 
Would you personally recommend to use only 2 wires per side (4 in total, instead of 8) or modify the plug somehow?


----------



## imas69

Why does it have to be the Furutech connector, there are others with much bigger entry hole


----------



## killaHz

Christoph said:


> Thanks.
> Would you personally recommend to use only 2 wires per side (4 in total, instead of 8) or modify the plug somehow?



Personally, I’m the kind of guy who will modify just about anything—I’ve got a pair of 64 Audio A18ts, and I modified those. And I like 8 wire braids better than 4. But my shopping has led me to believe that Furutech connectors are pretty expensive, and most people get by just fine with 4x22 AWG cables or thinner. It’s really about your own tolerance for risk to your raw materials.


----------



## Christoph

imas69 said:


> Why does it have to be the Furutech connector, there are others with much bigger entry hole



The connectors must fit to the Fostex TH900 MK2 headphones and the connector is a bit unique. They are similar to Sennheiser connectors but not the same, so you can't use Sennheiser plugs. 
I know that these Furutech connectors fit, because they are made especially for the Fostex headphones. And i'm not aware of another connector that definitive fits and has a decent quality.
Or do you have an alternative suggestion for me?


----------



## imas69

I'm pretty sure that for Fostex the connectors have to be soldered in reverse to the Senns but unfortunately I don't know of any others that you can use.


----------



## Christoph

imas69 said:


> I'm pretty sure that for Fostex the connectors have to be soldered in reverse to the Senns but unfortunately I don't know of any others that you can use.



Yes, i know the polarity is reversed compared to Sennheiser, but also the connector pins are slightly longer.
Some people modify also the plastic housing of Sennheiser connectors to make them work with Fostex headphones, but this doesn't seem to be an ideal way.
I would prefer a proper and tight fit of the connectors, therefore i would prefer connectors that are especially made for Fostex.
Yes the Furutech are expensive, i've found other no-name China connectors for roughly half the price (still ~25 USD +shipping) , but then you don’t know how the quality is...


----------



## Polarctic (Dec 24, 2019)

Hey guys, and gals and a Merry Christmas to you all!

Regarding the snow: I don't know if it's to cold to snow exactly, never heard that expression. It's around - 3 c at the moment. When it gets below - 20 c we usually say that it is guaranteed no mosquitoes outside. If it gets below -30 c, that is regarded as cold. Below - 40 c (yes, that happens) is known as "Flintstones" because some cheap car tires freeze and get flat spots at those low temperatures. So when you drive away it's like having log slices for tires just like the Flintstones.  But we have no snow at sea level at the moment. If one is inclined to go skiing then just sling the skis on the shoulder and go behind the house and start up the mountain. Over 200 meters there is a lot of fresh powder snow. You better start early to catch the short window of daylight/twilight. The sun doesn't come above the horizon again util January. Today being Christmas eve means that we are at the turning point and the days are getting longer and longer. Tomorrow the day will be 3 seconds longer than today, they said on the news. I can't wait..
But enough of that.

I have been trying to read up on some cables, what is needed, what is best, different design and so forth. I have a small tip solder iron, I can borrow a multimeter if needed and I know the basics of soldering.
The cable making craft is enticing and also daunting and there is a lot of questions that present themselves from the get go;

Do I want silver wires?
Do I need silver wires?
What gauge?
Braided or paracord covered?
What size paracord?
What the heck is LITZ?
Do I need that?
What is a soldering pot? I don't think I want that.
Which connector suits the choosen setup?
Which splitter fits the setup?
Mmmmm, meh..

Have you been here? If so then you probably know the answer to many of these questions by now. You probably have a designated work space for this kind of job even. With shelves stacked full of dusty HI-FI skeletons and wire barrels, sine wave generator, power supplies. Luxo enlarger desktop lamp, table and carpet peppered with solder burns. Tray cabinets with connectors, splitters, heat shrinks, knobs, spares, fishing hook (hey what's that doing here?), soldering wire, flux, tape, crocodile clamps... And probably, close by, there is a long row of immaculate headphones, stock and modded.

Would you make me a good cable and send it to me?
I'm not after something very high end. This is for the porta pros after all. Good as they are, they are a modestly priced headphone so I'm thinking that the cable should reflect that. Good, at a resonable price.


----------



## Paladin79

Polarctic said:


> Hey guys, and gals and a Merry Christmas to you all!
> 
> Regarding the snow: I don't know if it's to cold to snow exactly, never heard that expression. It's around - 3 c at the moment. When it gets below - 20 c we usually say that it is guaranteed no mosquitoes outside. If it gets below -30 c, that is regarded as cold. Below - 40 c (yes, that happens) is known as "Flintstones" because some cheap care tires freeze and get flat spots at those low temperatures. So when you drive away it's like having log slices for tires just like the Flintstones.  But we have no snow at sea level at the moment. If one is inclined to go skiing then just sling the skis on the shoulder and go behind the house and start up the mountain. Over 200 meters there is a lot of fresh powder snow. You better start early to catch the short window of daylight/twilight. The sun doesn't come above the horizon again util January. Today being Christmas eve means that we are at the turning point and the days are getting longer and longer. Tomorrow the day will be 3 seconds longer than today, they said on the news. I can't wait..
> But enough of that.
> ...



It takes time to learn all of the ins and outs of cable building so I will just answer the first question. Personally I do not like silver wire but others may prefer it. I ran a series of blind tests with most wire types made and silver could be consistently picked out because it sounded different, but different does not always mean better. I tend to use 24 awg high strand count oxygen free copper wire or better. In my testing I found few people who could hear much difference between ofc or .99999 pure copper etc. so that is a pretty decent start IMHO.


----------



## imas69

Ha, when I were a lad it was so cold that we had to sit in the fridge to keep warm.

Silver is fine but to have a bass impact you are looking at 22 awg or lower
No you don't need Silver although it tends to have more detail but takes a while to burn in
I would never use anything less than 24 awg
Braided au naturel for 8 strands or paracord sleeve for 4 strands(unless IEM)
3 or 4mm paracord
Litz is enamel coated and wrapped in cotton and no you don't need it, it is mainly to stop oxidisation of the copper (please correct me if I'm wrong)
A solder pot is to melt the enamel from the tips of the litz wire for tinning and soldering
Connectors and splitter need to be chosen after you have established how thick your cable will be.
Do the porta pros actually have a detachable cable?
Happy Christmas old chap and may Santa bring you some HD800s


----------



## Christoph (Dec 25, 2019)

imas69 said:


> Silver is fine but to have a bass impact you are looking at 22 awg or lower



Do you mean with silver wire you have less bass overall (compared to the same diameter as copper) or do you mean less  dynamics (less punch) with >AWG22 silver wire?


----------



## Snow Blind

Merry X-mas all!  Sorry to keep bringing this up but i still could use some guidance.


Ended up buying some pre-made RCA connects using Gotham wire.  Sound nice!

I'm still struggling picking out wire for a headphone cable build.

Hifiman HE4XX cable build: (1) 1/4" (2) 1/8" - keep the wire intact pre Y-split and sleeve with para - some sort of Y-splitter (or heat shrink) - L/R leads both +/- same para sleeve. What i'm thinking:


Headphones: Mogami W2799, W2893 or W2534... all seem popular. I know the W2799 with casing fits 550 sleeves. W2534 can _probably _be sleeved with 1/4" paracord. Anyone try this? Would then size down on the L and R lengths to 325? Not sure if that will fit both wires in each lead. Are these what i should be looking at? Anything better that would fit my application and requirements.

Connectors: Neutrik PX or C series 1/4" stereo. No idea what i should get for the 1/8" into each L/R cup of the HE4XX... the narrow recess has me worried. Anyone know what fits in the Hifimans with 1/8" inputs? 
TIA and have a happy and safe new year!


----------



## imas69 (Dec 26, 2019)

Christoph said:


> Do you mean with silver wire you have less bass overall (compared to the same diameter as copper) or do you mean less  dynamics (less punch) with >AWG22 silver wire?


Silver wire less than 22awg will be less bassy but more defined, the picture is of 4 x 22awg Neotech Silver wires braided and fitting easily into the Furutech connector without even opening it, I would say when open you could even get
 a piece of heatshrink in too for a bit more strain relief


----------



## imas69 (Dec 26, 2019)

Image not uploading


----------



## imas69

4 x 22 awg neotech silver into Furutech FT-2PS


----------



## Christoph (Dec 29, 2019)

imas69 said:


> Silver wire less than 22awg will be less bassy but more defined, the picture is of 4 x 22awg Neotech Silver wires braided and fitting easily into the Furutech connector without even opening it, I would say when open you could even get
> a piece of heatshrink in too for a bit more strain relief





imas69 said:


> Image not uploading



Did you want to post a photo? This would be helpful for me.



imas69 said:


> 4 x 22 awg neotech silver into Furutech FT-2PS



Thanks for your suggestions and informations. The kind of bass response and amount is something that i pay attention to (the bass is a key feature of the Fostex TH900 that i have).
Therefore i'm still thinking about the amount and size of the wires.


----------



## imas69

I have uploaded the photo numerous times but it doesn't seem to go o

 nto the page


----------



## imas69

Please excuse the carpet, the kids were making a mess and I needed to vacuum


----------



## Christoph

imas69 said:


> I have uploaded the photo numerous times but it doesn't seem to go o nto the page





imas69 said:


> Please excuse the carpet, the kids were making a mess and I needed to vacuum



No worries and thanks for the photo!


----------



## imas69

You're welcome, personally if you can stretch your wallet then I would always go for the 8 strands, I used 8 strands of the Neotech silver for my HD800 and the 
difference is phenomenal, especially in the bass department and toning down the treble.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Where are you getting the wire? Is there a European source? Great looking cable, I didn't even notice the carpet


----------



## imas69

Ha, I tend to get all of my parts here cosmic-cables.co.uk as it 's in the UK, the cable is Neotech Silver, expensive but high quality, https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Thanks, I saw that site. Probably more than I want to spend


----------



## 524419

Does anyone know where I can find a 1960s cable for DIY purposes? or even what else is considered the best OCC Copper wire out there. 
Thank you very much.


----------



## teknorob23

I had a 1960s and it was a great cable. PW audio have wire specially made for them or treated in the US with the basic wire having been made in China. I doubt they’ll sell it to you direct, but the good news is neotech make the best occ copper and silver available in bulk. I have made 4 and 8 core versions which have similar but not identical characteristics to the 1960s. It’s relatively inexpensive and a built 4 core with connectors will cost from £50 for 1.5 metre 4 core, £75 for an 8 core depending on your choice of connectors. OCC silver is more expensive but a complete cable will still cost way less than 1960s and for my money it out performs it too. 

Companies like Effect audio and to a lesser extent pw have developed they’re on proprietors methods of production. And AE make their own alloys combining other precious metals such as palladium and gold with occ copper and silver all of which deliver different performing cables which are hard to replicate via DIY and they don’t sell their wire in bulk. Hope that helps


----------



## 524419 (Dec 30, 2019)

teknorob23 said:


> I had a 1960s and it was a great cable. PW audio have wire specially made for them or treated in the US with the basic wire having been made in China. I doubt they’ll sell it to you direct, but the good news is neotech make the best occ copper and silver available in bulk. I have made 4 and 8 core versions which have similar but not identical characteristics to the 1960s. It’s relatively inexpensive and a built 4 core with connectors will cost from £50 for 1.5 metre 4 core, £75 for an 8 core depending on your choice of connectors. OCC silver is more expensive but a complete cable will still cost way less than 1960s and for my money it out performs it too.
> 
> Companies like Effect audio and to a lesser extent pw have developed they’re on proprietors methods of production. And AE make their own alloys combining other precious metals such as palladium and gold with occ copper and silver all of which deliver different performing cables which are hard to replicate via DIY and they don’t sell their wire in bulk. Hope that helps


would you please link me a place selling the Neotech cable?  I see plenty of places selling the solid core cables, but Litz I am having trouble finding. Also are there Rhodium plated MMCX Connectors out there?
add: What would you recommend as far as MMCX connectors? The best quality etc.


----------



## teknorob23

Diet Kokaine said:


> would you please link me a place selling the Neotech cable?  I see plenty of places selling the solid core cables, but Litz I am having trouble finding. Also are there Rhodium plated MMCX Connectors out there?
> add: What would you recommend as far as MMCX connectors? The best quality etc.



neotech do make a preprepared litz copper upocc hope cable, but it’s very thin gauge and best performance comes from their multi strand “hook-up” wire. It’s pretty much as flexible as litz and imo sounds better. 

22awg gauge is a bit of a sweet sport for ergonomics and sound but depends where you are in the world as to who your best supplier is, but in UK: 
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wires/neoteh-stdct-multistrand-copper-wires.html

or https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/6n-up-occ-neotech

I Pretty much only make cables for fullsized
HPs but I’m someone else can jump in here and advise you on the best connectors.


----------



## imas69

They're in hooo knooos and apparently it's the cheapest place to get Neotech wire


----------



## Paladin79

Diet Kokaine said:


> Does anyone know where I can find a 1960s cable for DIY purposes? or even what else is considered the best OCC Copper wire out there.
> Thank you very much.



You might want to look at the history of OCC wire and Professor Ohno's invention, in Japan. I doubt seriously if some of the wire we currently buy from China is made with the same process. I believe there were authorized companies around the world but it has been a while since I read about it.  As far as wire that might still be around from the 60's, companies like Belden have been producing specific wire for many decades and their quality standards are exceptional. Something you folks may want to try if you ever get the chance is cable cooking. I know it sounds goofy and I was highly skeptical until I borrowed a cooker, hooked headphone cables to it, and was amazed by the difference it made. I have no connection whatsoever with those products but I am just saying, try it if you ever get the opportunity.   I heard more difference with that device than most any wire type I have ever tried, and I have access to most things made.


----------



## Sebastiaan156

On the topic of to lazy to read thread, can some one advise on how to solder if you have 2 different types of wire in a weave?

4 copper wires and 4 silver plated wires for a trs to 2 pin cable


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Twist and shout, knock yourself out 

Just twist them together and tin with solder?


----------



## Cantrell

Diet Kokaine said:


> would you please link me a place selling the Neotech cable?  I see plenty of places selling the solid core cables, but Litz I am having trouble finding. Also are there Rhodium plated MMCX Connectors out there?
> add: What would you recommend as far as MMCX connectors? The best quality etc.





Diet Kokaine said:


> would you please link me a place selling the Neotech cable?  I see plenty of places selling the solid core cables, but Litz I am having trouble finding. Also are there Rhodium plated MMCX Connectors out there?
> add: What would you recommend as far as MMCX connectors? The best quality etc.




Eidolic kinda seems like it's the go to brand for MMCX connectors. Older version is gold plated, the newer version I think is supposed to be Rhodium plated... but I haven't seen anywhere that actually carries the Rhodium plated version... biggest downside is finding a place that actually has Eidolic MMCX in stock and mails them to you (ordered pair from Double Helix a year ago... still haven't received them). A similar quality option, maybe better or maybe not, I don't know as I've never personally tried them... is from company called Plus Sound. Tney havs their own brand of MMCX (among several other connector types). The actual MMCX is nearly last item listed under DIY connectors (there's a couple that look very similar to MMCX that aren't) 

https://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/connectors.html 

Hope this helps


----------



## imas69

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/black-chrome-rhodium-plated-beryllium-copper-mmcx

These are the nicest mmcx that I've used, even nicer than the Eidolic I think although the Eidolic mmcx do seem to be a bit rare


----------



## gimmeheadroom

That's a lot of money. When did ChiFi get so expensive! 

It's to the point it's almost as cheap to buy premade cables than make your own.


----------



## imas69

Yes but where's the fun in that


----------



## gimmeheadroom (Dec 30, 2019)

I don't know. I love the smell of solder and burning bakelite. But I start to get nauseous when shops mark up stuff we know costs a penny ten million times and sell it like a premium item. I'm not accusing anybody in particular, I just mean come on. There are limits...

I can buy 10,000 plastic iPhone cases shipped for 1 euro from aliexpress yet stuff people really want but which there is no competition for gets sold at offensive prices. I'd be ok paying 2 bucks a piece for those, not more. The connectors I mean. I don't have an iPhone so I don't need a case


----------



## imas69

Fair enough but I was happy to pay as I couldn't find anything as good quality for much less and I needed a cable for my IEMs so I
don't have to listen to 40 twats on their mobiles during rush hour. A small price to pay, please link me to where I can get quality
for cheaper.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Sorry man, I didn't mean to suggest you shouldn't have bought them. I meant to say we should be able to buy stuff at a reasonable price based on what it costs to make.


----------



## imas69

Not at all, I didn't think you did but I just wanted to know where to buy good connectors for cheaper, I think they are very good quality as they are easy to solder and robust but obviously I would like to pay less
if possible


----------



## 524419

imas69 said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/black-chrome-rhodium-plated-beryllium-copper-mmcx
> 
> These are the nicest mmcx that I've used, even nicer than the Eidolic I think although the Eidolic mmcx do seem to be a bit rare


. This is exactly what I am looking for.  Thank you.



Paladin79 said:


> You might want to look at the history of OCC wire and Professor Ohno's invention, in Japan. I doubt seriously if some of the wire we currently buy from China is made with the same process. I believe there were authorized companies around the world but it has been a while since I read about it.  As far as wire that might still be around from the 60's, companies like Belden have been producing specific wire for many decades and their quality standards are exceptional. Something you folks may want to try if you ever get the chance is cable cooking. I know it sounds goofy and I was highly skeptical until I borrowed a cooker, hooked headphone cables to it, and was amazed by the difference it made. I have no connection whatsoever with those products but I am just saying, try it if you ever get the opportunity.   I heard more difference with that device than most any wire type I have ever tried, and I have access to most things made.


I am a believer, I've heard massive differences after burn in, and I don't quite understand how, but higher electrical current changes sound of the metals being used. I just recently made some DIY USB cables, all solid core, and the differences in sound are night and day. You come back on to places like head fi and people will scream for days about what is possible and what is not, there is only one way to find out. DIY


----------



## imas69

You're welcome


----------



## Paladin79 (Dec 30, 2019)

Diet Kokaine said:


> . This is exactly what I am looking for.  Thank you.
> 
> 
> I am a believer, I've heard massive differences after burn in, and I don't quite understand how, but higher electrical current changes sound of the metals being used. I just recently made some DIY USB cables, all solid core, and the differences in sound are night and day. You come back on to places like head fi and people will scream for days about what is possible and what is not, there is only one way to find out. DIY



My background is engineering and science but, I try to keep an open mind. The guy who lent me the cable cooker is amazing with audio tubes and knows sound. If anyone else had told me to try it I would have just laughed at them. I will not pay $1,000 for one but it was cool to try out, and own an amp or two to test the cables on as well as plenty of headphones.

I can give some advice on connectors and cable but I have to be careful what I say, it has to be pretty generic.


----------



## imas69

Do you know the make of it or was it something your friend made


----------



## Cantrell

imas69 said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/black-chrome-rhodium-plated-beryllium-copper-mmcx
> 
> These are the nicest mmcx that I've used, even nicer than the Eidolic I think although the Eidolic mmcx do seem to be a bit rare




Holy Smokes is that pricey with shipping to USA. 

$75 USD for MMCX w shipping from England 

$42 USD for MMCX 

$33 USD shipping 

I can get 3 pairs of Eidolic MMCX for that price, which is pretty unfortunate for me as those rhodium plated Ber Cu MMCX piqued my interest. 

Anyone know a place in N America that sells those MMCX or can ship to USA for much less?


----------



## imas69

Cantrell said:


> Holy Smokes is that pricey with shipping to USA.
> 
> $75 USD for MMCX w shipping from England
> 
> ...


I think if you contact them they will give you a shipping price, I have relatives in Florida and they have sent to them for much cheaper than that.


----------



## teknorob23 (Dec 31, 2019)

Diet Kokaine said:


> . This is exactly what I am looking for.  Thank you.
> 
> 
> I am a believer, I've heard massive differences after burn in, and I don't quite understand how, but higher electrical current changes sound of the metals being used. I just recently made some DIY USB cables, all solid core, and the differences in sound are night and day. You come back on to places like head fi and people will scream for days about what is possible and what is not, there is only one way to find out. DIY



interested to hear what wire you used for the usb build. I’ve been experimenting a bit with Beldeb quad shielded and the results are good, about on par with supra usb but no where near the ridiculously expensive tellurium q black diamond cable. This the last shop bought cable in my set up as I’ve managed to build rca, hp, digital coax and Ethernet cables which outperform my expensive branded ones. it’s just the usb which is alluding me, so any secrets you can share would be gratefully received. I’ve been drinking the cable cool aid for years so your pushing against an open door here 

had anyone ever seen a tear down on a top usb cable, I can’t bring myself to cut into this £600 sausage, but TQ give absolutely zero away about their construction. The one thing I can say is the difference it makes is worth the price to me it’s that good


----------



## 524419 (Dec 31, 2019)

teknorob23 said:


> interested to hear what wire you used for the usb build. I’ve been experimenting a bit with Beldeb quad shielded and the results are good, about on par with supra usb but no where near the ridiculously expensive tellurium q black diamond cable. This the last shop bought cable in my set up as I’ve managed to build rca, hp, digital coax and Ethernet cables which outperform my expensive branded ones. it’s just the usb which is alluding me, so any secrets you can share would be gratefully received. I’ve been drinking the cable cool aid for years so your pushing against an open door here
> 
> had anyone ever seen a tear down on a top usb cable, I can’t bring myself to cut into this £600 sausage, but TQ give absolutely zero away about their construction. The one thing I can say is the difference it makes is worth the price to me it’s that good


I used Neotech Solid OCC COpper and Silver cables. Experimented with 24 gauge, 26 gauge, even 22 gauge.  I found 28 gauge (2 wires per conductor, data + and data- , 4 wires total) to be the best, by far. No shielding at all, outside the stock teflon. For the plugs themselves I tried 4, maybe 5 different sets and, these were by far the cleanest and best sounding. Timbre is perfect.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1Set-Coppe...118078?hash=item4645e1843e:g:dQAAAOSwp5JWZ83c
I tried all kinds of shielding, but got a more open sound without it.
OCC Copper sounded more natural vs OCC Silver to my ears.
USB Cables make a fattttttt!!!! difference, and anyone telling you otherwise has in all likelihood never tried good quality ones. Solid core to my ears is always the superior cable.
Stranded is only good when you need pliability, like for earphones.
Used cardas solder for everything.
On my cable I don't have any power or grounding wires. They sit empty.
Depending on the DAC you are using, you may or may not need a grounding conductor.


----------



## teknorob23

Diet Kokaine said:


> I used Neotech Solid OCC COpper and Silver cables. Experimented with 24 gauge, 26 gauge, even 22 gauge.  I found 28 gauge (2 wires per conductor, data + and data- ) to be the best, by far. No shielding at all, outside the stock teflon. For the plugs themselves I tried 4, maybe 5 different sets and, these were by far the cleanest and best sounding. Timbre is perfect.
> https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=usb+b+diy+copper&_sacat=0
> I tried all kinds of shielding, but got a more open sound without it.
> OCC Copper sounded more natural vs OCC Silver to my ears.
> ...



This is great thank you and as upocc dominates every other connection in my hifi accept network cable it would be shame not to do the same with the usb. It will be very interesting to hear how good these sound without shielding. The eBay link for connectors opens up on a few different ones, is there anything specific you recommend? Cheers


----------



## 524419

teknorob23 said:


> This is great thank you and as upocc dominates every other connection in my hifi accept network cable it would be shame not to do the same with the usb. It will be very interesting to hear how good these sound without shielding. The eBay link for connectors opens up on a few different ones, is there anything specific you recommend? Cheers


Sorry, I fixed the link in the last post.
here it is again
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1Set-Coppe...118078?hash=item4645e1843e:g:dQAAAOSwp5JWZ83c


----------



## eversound

Hello, I am planning to make a custom cable for my Focal Elex Headphones (2 x 3.5mm mono plugs) to connect to the 2.5mm balanced TRRS input of my A&K Kann Cube.  I am very new to these types of projects and I am hoping someone can verify the following:

On the 2.5mm connector that goes int the A&K Kann Cube the connections are R- (tip) R+ L+ L- (sleeve)
On  the 3.5mm (right) connector (Focal HP) the R+ (tip) R- (Sleeve)
On  the 3.5mm (left) connector (Focal HP) the L+ (tip) L- (sleeve)

Is the above correct?

Thanks!


----------



## imas69

All looks fine


----------



## eversound

Thank you for the heads up


----------



## teknorob23

First off happy new year to everyone.

My first project for 2020 is to try to build one of these MCRU mains blocks:
https://www.mcru.co.uk/product/mcru-no-1-mains-power-extension-hub/

I know its not strictly a cable so if the consensus is you'd like me to take this elsewhere, then of course i will, but i tried one of these blocks and it made a huge amount of difference to the performance of my system but i'm sure or hope i could make something with similar performance for a lot less.

I just wanted to sense check the project see what people think.

I plan to use:

Brennenstuhl Premium-Alu-Line, 6-way which is what MCRU use
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HW0AQAK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have already dismantled it (see pics) below, i then intend fo get the internal contact plates silver or rhodium plated. to which ends i've made some initial enquiries with companies who specialise in jewellery.

I will then use a lengh of Neotech UPOCC (https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/neotech-mains-cable-nep-3001-mk3.html) bulk power cable which i'll also fillet section of, to make the hook ups between plates (see pics).

I will bypass the switch and solder the cables directly to the plates instead of using spade connectors 

I'm not going to be spending £150+ on a fuse straight off the bat, so i'll probably start with a gold AMR one, with MS Power Silver plated UK plug.

As i say i just wanted to sense check my plan, not so much as to whether it will or wont benefit sound quality, but more from a technical point of view. I have made quite a few power cables and have been very happy with the results, but i appreciate this is a bit more involved, so i am going to make a prototype using less expensive bits first. Thanks in advance for any suggestions


----------



## SilverEars

Anybody know where you can get UP-OCC Pure Silver Neotech Wires on this listing?  It states UP-OCC Silver 7N LT-6

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Arctic-Cab...13:m:m1f07zrTRiOma4PqIX_1JXA&var=442154653483


----------



## imas69

It's unlikely that is Neotech wire but where are you and perhaps I can point you in the right direction, do you want Neotech wire or just pure silver wire 
that looks like that


----------



## SilverEars

imas69 said:


> It's unlikely that is Neotech wire but where are you and perhaps I can point you in the right direction, do you want Neotech wire or just pure silver wire
> that looks like that


The listing states it's Neotech.  You mean that's a false listing, and not really Neotech wireles?  I'm looking for identical wiring, which is Neotech branded.  It's very flexibly made so likely litz.

I'm in the USA


----------



## imas69

Neotech don't actually make that sort of wire, there is listings on AliExpress but I've enquired to Neotech in Taiwan and they say it's nothing to do with them, ask Trevor at Norne audio in the US, I don't
think he has it listed on site but may sell you some that looks like that.


----------



## SilverEars

imas69 said:


> Neotech don't actually make that sort of wire, there is listings on AliExpress but I've enquired to Neotech in Taiwan and they say it's nothing to do with them, ask Trevor at Norne audio in the US, I don't
> think he has it listed on site but may sell you some that looks like that.


Which listing on AliExpress have you found such a wire?  I wonder why the listing was advertised as Neotech then?  Were you interested in the same wire as well?


----------



## imas69

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver

This is what Neotech pure silver looks like


----------



## imas69

I'm always interested in wire, I have a minor obsession, perhaps you should contact Neotech and ask but I'm pretty sure they don't sell it, the Neotech on AE is definitely not
pure silver


----------



## 524419

teknorob23 said:


> First off happy new year to everyone.
> 
> My first project for 2020 is to try to build one of these MCRU mains blocks:
> https://www.mcru.co.uk/product/mcru-no-1-mains-power-extension-hub/
> ...


I made my power cables with cheap home depot Thermostat cable. 20 gauge solid copper, 6 wires per conductor, terminated into a pure copper plug. plugged directly into a GTX Furutech wall socket.
These cables sound absolutely fantastic. I had to make 10 foot long amp cables, for shorter cables, 20 gauge neotech Solid OCC Copper would be perfect.
ADD: Power strips degrade sound, you should try going directly into the wall socket. Solid Copper sounds better than stranded copper.


----------



## SilverEars (Jan 4, 2020)

imas69 said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/neotech-pure-silver
> 
> This is what Neotech pure silver looks like


From that company's roll, but that doesn't mean there's not other rolls out there with different colored(or no color) sheath around the conductor.

Here's one, and I take it that it's a custom order from this company? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33046978735.html?spm=a2g0o.store_home.productList_48890756.pic_10

Or is this company's rolls not legit Neotech wires?

Here's another that is speaker hook-up wires uses clear teflon sheath. https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wires/neotech-LEST-rectangular-silver-wire.html


----------



## chrisdrop

teknorob23 said:


> interested to hear what wire you used for the usb build. I’ve been experimenting a bit with Beldeb quad shielded and the results are good, about on par with supra usb but no where near the ridiculously expensive tellurium q black diamond cable. This the last shop bought cable in my set up as I’ve managed to build rca, hp, digital coax and Ethernet cables which outperform my expensive branded ones. it’s just the usb which is alluding me, so any secrets you can share would be gratefully received. I’ve been drinking the cable cool aid for years so your pushing against an open door here
> 
> had anyone ever seen a tear down on a top usb cable, I can’t bring myself to cut into this £600 sausage, but TQ give absolutely zero away about their construction. The one thing I can say is the difference it makes is worth the price to me it’s that good



Perhaps you might find some inspiration here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/monsterzeros-rca-usb-power-cable-shootout.921568/ 

Several USB cable vendors sent cables for consideration. Perhaps some of them have more info on construction available.

I thought from an RCA perspective (and even power) the cable construction was interesting: https://www.lessloss.com/cmarc-rca-interconnect-cable-p-221.html 

One of the cables he liked on the interconnects used the KLE Innovations connectors. I wish KLE had a wider opening to shove some of the (happily) fat Neotech interconnect cable in there without too much hacking.


----------



## Sunstealer

Greetings everyone. 

I have been lurking on this thread for a while and yes, I have read at least 50% of the preceding pages! I have zero experience with soldering and cabling but love cable rolling. I have watched a fair few videos on Youtube and have assembled a list of basic gear with some practice PCB boards to get started. My eventual goal is to make balanced 8 wire cables for the various 2 pin IEMs that I have. 

There is a lot to take in and whilst I do not know much about electronics this seems to be a good space in which to learn and satisfy my curiosity. Thanks for all of the contributions so far that have catalysed this journey.


----------



## imas69

Welcome, Sunstealer, wow 50% of this thread is a lot of reading and a lot of conflicting views no doubt


----------



## gurus

Cantrell said:


> Holy Smokes is that pricey with shipping to USA.
> 
> $75 USD for MMCX w shipping from England
> 
> ...



EBAY  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Earphone-P...hash=item3d96e38aee:m:mU799bJsun75ESv1IevBDqA


----------



## teknorob23

Diet Kokaine said:


> I made my power cables with cheap home depot Thermostat cable. 20 gauge solid copper, 6 wires per conductor, terminated into a pure copper plug. plugged directly into a GTX Furutech wall socket.
> These cables sound absolutely fantastic. I had to make 10 foot long amp cables, for shorter cables, 20 gauge neotech Solid OCC Copper would be perfect.
> ADD: Power strips degrade sound, you should try going directly into the wall socket. Solid Copper sounds better than stranded copper.



thanks for the suggestion, sadly i'm stuffed for space and a dedicated listening room at the moment, until we extend the house then all bets are off and i will be wiring my own dedicated spur in. For now i need a couple of gang blocks, one which i'm using for AV and the other for my headfi set up. Solid core definitely sounds the way to go, but i built the prototype last night and even that instantly sounds better than what i had there and its not even barely run in... so it's possible it may get worse too 

The next version will hopefully have sliver plating, neotech solid core instead the very good VFM elecaudio OCC wire and snazzy synergistic fuse to finish it off.




 



chrisdrop said:


> Perhaps you might find some inspiration here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/monsterzeros-rca-usb-power-cable-shootout.921568/
> 
> Several USB cable vendors sent cables for consideration. Perhaps some of them have more info on construction available.
> 
> ...



thanks  i had watched the Monsters shootout but i didnt pick up on much in the way of construction. I'll go back and watch again. I'm a big fan of the KLE plugs too, especially the pure silver versions, which are probably the best piug i've heard, but as you say they just need to make the ole bigger!


----------



## koudairanger

Any cheaper alternative to go for 11.2mm XLR interconnects?
Bought a pair of NEI2001 from Sonic craft, but it was too big for a neutrik connector, I have to cut the tail off to fit them but It's unstable, are their any cheaper alternative than cardas XLR to handle it?


----------



## teknorob23

koudairanger said:


> Any cheaper alternative to go for 11.2mm XLR interconnects?
> Bought a pair of NEI2001 from Sonic craft, but it was too big for a neutrik connector, I have to cut the tail off to fit them but It's unstable, are their any cheaper alternative than cardas XLR to handle it?



Good news is this is an awesome cable. I dumped my tellurium q black ultra 2 after hearing this stuff and they cost over £500 a pair. Eti research kryo xlr. They are £200 for a set of 4 but they are one the best connectors I’ve heard and can accomadats neotech wire (up to 12mm). In my experience the connectors are almost as important as the cable and can have a big impact on SQ. IMO these outperform my previously favourite KLE bullet plugs.


https://www.hificollective.co.uk/connectors/xlr/eti-research-kryo-male-plug.html


----------



## koudairanger

teknorob23 said:


> Good news is this is an awesome cable. I dumped my tellurium q black ultra 2 after hearing this stuff and they cost over £500 a pair. Eti research kryo xlr. They are £200 for a set of 4 but they are one the best connectors I’ve heard and can accomadats neotech wire (up to 12mm). In my experience the connectors are almost as important as the cable and can have a big impact on SQ. IMO these outperform my previously favourite KLE bullet plugs.
> 
> 
> https://www.hificollective.co.uk/connectors/xlr/eti-research-kryo-male-plug.html


Thanks, I'll think about it to take a bite...(even though this is even more expensive than the cardas plug I mentioned)
BTW I haven't connected the shield on the sleevings yet, My friend told me the most important shield was the internal metal mylar shield but not sleevings, what do you think?


----------



## teknorob23

koudairanger said:


> Thanks, I'll think about it to take a bite...(even though this is even more expensive than the cardas plug I mentioned)
> BTW I haven't connected the shield on the sleevings yet, My friend told me the most important shield was the internal metal mylar shield but not sleevings, what do you think?



they are expensive but you have great cable here so good plugs will allow extract the best from it. This cable has a drain wire which I’d connect to the earth just at the pre-amp or source end I wouldn’t worry about connecting the mya foil. If there isn’t a drain wire on a cable then it’s good practice to connect the braided metal mesh in the same way. Hifi collectives product page advises on best way to connect:
https://hfc-fs.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/neotech-nei-2001-800.jpg


----------



## koudairanger

teknorob23 said:


> Good news is this is an awesome cable. I dumped my tellurium q black ultra 2 after hearing this stuff and they cost over £500 a pair. Eti research kryo xlr. They are £200 for a set of 4 but they are one the best connectors I’ve heard and can accomadats neotech wire (up to 12mm). In my experience the connectors are almost as important as the cable and can have a big impact on SQ. IMO these outperform my previously favourite KLE bullet plugs.
> 
> 
> https://www.hificollective.co.uk/connectors/xlr/eti-research-kryo-male-plug.html


it do have drain wire, but some reading suggest that it's outer sleevings also contribute to shield... So I was confused.
BTW how about fututech's own XLR? http://www.soniccraft.com/product_info.php/neotech-nex-occ-gd-xlr-p-4370


----------



## teknorob23

koudairanger said:


> it do have drain wire, but some reading suggest that it's outer sleevings also contribute to shield... So I was confused.
> BTW how about fututech's own XLR? http://www.soniccraft.com/product_info.php/neotech-nex-occ-gd-xlr-p-4370



Do you mean Neotech? if so there plugs are okay but not as good as the Eti, also ironically they're plugs arent always wide enough diameter for their own cables. I think this is down to the fact they have updated the cable range but not the plugs. If there is a drain wire then just use that, if there isnt then use the outer metal braid. That said i have made cables using high quality cable like this without connecting the shield and it Zero difference in my system. Its more of precaution than anything


----------



## koudairanger

teknorob23 said:


> Do you mean Neotech? if so there plugs are okay but not as good as the Eti, also ironically they're plugs arent always wide enough diameter for their own cables. I think this is down to the fact they have updated the cable range but not the plugs. If there is a drain wire then just use that, if there isnt then use the outer metal braid. That said i have made cables using high quality cable like this without connecting the shield and it Zero difference in my system. Its more of precaution than anything


Hanks, maybe I should looking for some companies that ship eti international... I found US seller price them 175$ a pair... Too much premium to pay.


----------



## teknorob23

koudairanger said:


> Hanks, maybe I should looking for some companies that ship eti international... I found US seller price them 175$ a pair... Too much premium to pay.



Wow yes thats too much i'm pretty sure they have a US distributor. Might be worth dropping them a note. Another option if not are AECO plugs which are really good value too with wide diameter up to 12.5mm but annoyingly in the UK theyre sold as pairs or male and female


----------



## koudairanger

teknorob23 said:


> Wow yes thats too much i'm pretty sure they have a US distributor. Might be worth dropping them a note. Another option if not are AECO plugs which are really good value too with wide diameter up to 12.5mm but annoyingly in the UK theyre sold as pairs or male and female


Are you referring to aeco 1060G or other models? This looks much more budget friendly.


----------



## teknorob23

Yes sorry i should have suggested these before. I have used the RCA connectors and they're quite a revelation for the price. I did some experimenting over the Xmas break trying to make cable for £50ish that could compete with £200 shop cable. Someone recomended these as being very close to KLE plugs with conductors made from the same Tellurium Copper coated with gold, silver of rhodium. I found the silver versions to sound really good with Neotech NEI 3002 mk3 copper hybrid UPOCC cable which is about 10.6mm, the combination is fantastic for the cash. 

Re the AECO XLRs i think the model number only varies according the plating used, otherwise they're all the same. You can buy them on amazon in the UK.

Let me know how you get on


----------



## koudairanger

teknorob23 said:


> Yes sorry i should have suggested these before. I have used the RCA connectors and they're quite a revelation for the price. I did some experimenting over the Xmas break trying to make cable for £50ish that could compete with £200 shop cable. Someone recomended these as being very close to KLE plugs with conductors made from the same Tellurium Copper coated with gold, silver of rhodium. I found the silver versions to sound really good with Neotech NEI 3002 mk3 copper hybrid UPOCC cable which is about 10.6mm, the combination is fantastic for the cash.
> 
> Re the AECO XLRs i think the model number only varies according the plating used, otherwise they're all the same. You can buy them on amazon in the UK.
> 
> Let me know how you get on


Thanks again for sharing
I'll definitely take bite in, I know It's merely plating, but does that make a difference? seems like they were the same price.


----------



## chrisdrop

DIY cable compare time...

Thanks to @teknorob23's adventures, help and advice I made RCA interconnects for my office; Neotech NEI 3004 copper interconnect cable + Aeco silver-plated connectors. The office setup was moving from cheapo-£5-amazon-special RCAs, so I will say immediately, they were absolutely noticeably much better. They were so enjoyable at work, I felt the need to bring them home and compare vs my main interconnects; ETI Research Plugs mentioned above with NEI-1002 UP-OCC Silver Cable.   

I am both sad and happy to say that after 90 minutes of A/B listening - the more expensive setup is the overall winner for me. A few summary comments from my listening notes are below. There are pretty straight themes for all songs in my comparison playlist. Given that 1 is a £300+ DIY cable and one is a £60 DIY cable, I am both happy and sad about the results, but not too surprised. Just the fact that I even thought they were worth comparing says something about how well I like the Aeco cable. Awesome value for money IMO. 

These are some of the more negative comments on the Aeco/ Copper cable. There were a load of positive comments too but eliminating for post-length-sake. They are nice cables that I will use daily at my office. 

Subbass there, not crushing, but there
Mid-bass very slight coarse in the decay of thump?
Mid enjoyment/ engagement, a bit ’shout coarse' at times
Slight harshness when louder many instruments playing at once?

Thinner upper range small sounds
Slight coarseness to vocal upper mids? 
Narrower stage on this song?
These are the more positive comments for the ETI / Silver cable. There weren't too many negative ones. 

Most repated comment: stronger enjoyment/ engagement.
Revealed lower mids section I hadn’t yet heard

Good bass presence relative to the rest of the sounds
Louder/ busier guitar solo well managed and_ coherent_, with only very slight shout once or twice
Pretty coherent when more busy/ sounds. Well-presented whole
No harshness when the bass gets dominant
All sounds ‘authentic' even when 'thinner' or smaller sounds, natural presentation

Good imaging in busier sections, clear separation in action

Engaging bass lead section (forced head-bobbing)
_(I've not used this language before, but I think when people say PRaT, they may mean what I was experiencing as 'engagement' with the ETI/ silver cables?)_

From a DIY perspective, I found the Aeco connectors _much_ more pleasant to solder than the ETIs. Perhaps I just suck less at this point. 

I'd love to make pure silver Aeco + a proper Silver Neotech cable, but the fat silver neotech cable doesn't fit  It could be hacked, but perhaps wouldn't be aesthetically lovely. 

Finally, my ETI cables don't have the screen connected to the ground from the source. Does anything think they are worth desoldering / trimming/ adding that to the earth? I can't tell if it is a psychoacoustic ghost, but I felt the Aeco cables were every so slightly quieter and I could only attribute it to that. Very likely "in the noise of measurement" but thought I'd mention anyhow. 

Best
Chris

For completeness sake, here is an odd track I have been listening to while typing this post. Not my usual cup of tea, but enjoying despite that fact, quality production in the 2nd half. 

https://tidal.com/browse/track/103633273 


N.B. Now that I have completed this exercise I think there is an important caveat; that the new cables have 15-20h on them, whereas the other cables have a few hundred hours probably... Hmm.


----------



## imas69

Thanks Chris, really interesting and informative read and I like the song too.


----------



## imas69

teknorob23 said:


> Yes sorry i should have suggested these before. I have used the RCA connectors and they're quite a revelation for the price. I did some experimenting over the Xmas break trying to make cable for £50ish that could compete with £200 shop cable. Someone recomended these as being very close to KLE plugs with conductors made from the same Tellurium Copper coated with gold, silver of rhodium. I found the silver versions to sound really good with Neotech NEI 3002 mk3 copper hybrid UPOCC cable which is about 10.6mm, the combination is fantastic for the cash.
> 
> Re the AECO XLRs i think the model number only varies according the plating used, otherwise they're all the same. You can buy them on amazon in the UK.
> 
> Let me know how you get on


Hi teknorob23, could you please tell which wire you used for the build pictured, thank you


----------



## imas69

teknorob23 said:


> Yes sorry i should have suggested these before. I have used the RCA connectors and they're quite a revelation for the price. I did some experimenting over the Xmas break trying to make cable for £50ish that could compete with £200 shop cable. Someone recomended these as being very close to KLE plugs with conductors made from the same Tellurium Copper coated with gold, silver of rhodium. I found the silver versions to sound really good with Neotech NEI 3002 mk3 copper hybrid UPOCC cable which is about 10.6mm, the combination is fantastic for the cash.
> 
> Re the AECO XLRs i think the model number only varies according the plating used, otherwise they're all the same. You can buy them on amazon in the UK.
> 
> Let me know how you get on


Ignore that, sorry, only saw the pic not the text


----------



## chrisdrop

Regarding this:



chrisdrop said:


> my ETI cables don't have the screen connected to the ground from the source. Does anything think they are worth desoldering / trimming/ adding that to the earth? I can't tell if it is a psychoacoustic ghost, but I felt the Aeco cables were every so slightly quieter and I could only attribute it to that. Very likely "in the noise of measurement" but thought I'd mention anyhow.



This quote - I found this interesting (emphasis mine):



> I think the shield connected at one end is best, it takes the shield out of the signal path and the shield doesn't do triple duty as signal return, ground connection + shield. The main idea is the shield is connected on the sending end so any noise picked up by the shield doesn't make it to the next component.
> 
> In some circumstances you may have better results with the shield connected at both ends, especially if the ground wire is small. Reducing resistance reduces noise voltage as a result of potential differences between component grounds, Ohm's law is V=IR, reduce R, V is reduced as well. Hopefully I is small to begin with, if it is then reducing R may not make much of a difference. But in any case, *it's best to reduce R. I do this by making the ground leg much larger than the signal leg and then add shielding if necessary. 99.9% of the time shielding isn't needed with short cables in home systems, it just adds capacitance and dulls the sound.*



2 possibly interesting things; 1) it is best to reduce resistance by making the ground fatter than signal, and 2) shielding isn't needed with short cables in home systems. 

This guy says something else interesting:



> sonically, a single-ended cable with no shield is best. Shielding adds a capacitive element to the cable, a property we generally want to minimize (possible) if not eliminate



Not sure what to do with that, but food for thought.


----------



## teknorob23

chrisdrop said:


> DIY cable compare time...
> 
> Thanks to @teknorob23's adventures, help and advice I made RCA interconnects for my office; Neotech NEI 3004 copper interconnect cable + Aeco silver-plated connectors. The office setup was moving from cheapo-£5-amazon-special RCAs, so I will say immediately, they were absolutely noticeably much better. They were so enjoyable at work, I felt the need to bring them home and compare vs my main interconnects; ETI Research Plugs mentioned above with NEI-1002 UP-OCC Silver Cable.
> 
> ...




great write up and I definitely wouldn’t re-solder the eti/silver. It won’t make any difference on short runs of highly shielded cable like (IMO.. of course)


----------



## subharmonic

Sorry for the intrusion folks.

My VERY LONG journey of discovery regarding DIY headphone cables for my Sony SA5000 is at a crunch point.
TechnoRob advised I get some Neotech STDCT cable - I did, and ended up getting some AWG 22 - 10m feet of the stuff.
He reckoned a 4 conductor cable would be perfectly adequate, as did Ian at Cosmic Cable who supplied me with wire.

I've already acquired a Switchcraft TRS plug.
But what to do next isn't easy to figure out.

1) Should I sleeve each individual wire? (will this add a lot to the weight?)
2) Braiding - this has been a real bugbear - I fortunately/unfortunately came across a post somewhere where someone said that braiding is a bit of a waste of time as the lengths used for headphones tends to be so short that the braiding is unimportant (longer cables it can be important though).
If I didn't braid, will the cable look weird? Ie all 4 wires up to the Y sleeved with no braid - after the wire - again no braiding, but sleeved with a thinner gauge paracord?
What I mean is - the paracord inner filler will need to be removed - that space should be filled by the conductors - but the conductors won't fill this space as uniformly as they would if the conductors were braided before sleeving.
Or is braiding before sleeving just going to complicate things?
3) Should I use a Y-splitter (been thinking about using the small Viablue to keep the weight down).
4) Which paracord should I get (esp gauge).
5) Heatshrink? Again - what works best?
6) Solder - should I be concerned about what solder to use? The wire for the new cable is quite pricey - would be daft to screw it up with crap solder - is the solder important?

One of the reasons it's taken me so long to get these cables done is that 4 conductor cables seem to be a bit thin on the ground - it would be AWESOME for new DIYers like me, if the cables in the gallery were categorised by type.
No way we could start something like this on here?


----------



## imas69

Why don't you start off by buying a 2 metre length of Mogami 2893 and stripping the 4 wires from it, buy some cheap connectors, buy some 4mm paracord (8metres) and take the innards out, don't worry too much about solder 
at this stage, this should cost less than £20 and you will have all the materials needed to do a practice run and still end up with a functional cable, probably best to sleeve the Neotech wire when you get to it as
this will just look much better. Splitter is not essential but always seems to look better.


----------



## subharmonic

I've actually already got some spare plugs anyway - the current headphone cable is soldered directly to the drivers anyway - so no exotic connectors required at the driver end.
I hadn't really thought about making a demo run cable - I was fairly confident I'd be able to do what was required - but now you've got me thinking lol.
I could do without an additional spend - but it's maybe an interesting idea.


----------



## -Hodor-

subharmonic said:


> 1) Should I sleeve each individual wire? (will this add a lot to the weight?)
> 2) Braiding - this has been a real bugbear - I fortunately/unfortunately came across a post somewhere where someone said that braiding is a bit of a waste of time as the lengths used for headphones tends to be so short that the braiding is unimportant (longer cables it can be important though).
> If I didn't braid, will the cable look weird? Ie all 4 wires up to the Y sleeved with no braid - after the wire - again no braiding, but sleeved with a thinner gauge paracord?
> What I mean is - the paracord inner filler will need to be removed - that space should be filled by the conductors - but the conductors won't fill this space as uniformly as they would if the conductors were braided before sleeving.
> ...



1) Up to you, keep in mind that depending on which connector you are using, you might not fit individually sleeved wires with their sleeve into the connector, meaning youll need to hide the ugly transition under Heatshrink
2) I would braid the cable. Sure this is not really necessary but it looks alot nicer and helps the cable keep its form. If you sleeve before braiding (individually) or braid first and sleeve them all together after braiding is down to the look you want for your cable
3) Y-Splitters are a purely cosmetic choice - a piece of heatshrink or a braided Split works just as good (like you said they do however add some weight and can get caught on the corner of a desk etc)





4) https://www.paracord.eu/ is the best source for Paracord in the EU. They even have support via WhatsApp. If you send them a message that you want to sleeve wire with a 1.45mmØ theyll let you know what size you need. (Im not exactly sure if 425 will still work for you)
5) Get some 4/1 or 3/1 Heatshrink from a decent supplier with a low wall thickness - dont get the cheapest stuff available (also dont go overboard and buy 40€/m hellermanntyton) - personally I use stuff thats ~3-6€/m
6) Personally I use VIABLUE 4% Silver unleaded solder - I'm from the EU and sell my cables so I have to use ROHS Compliant stuff. Soldering with leaded solder is easier and doesnt require as much heat - if your starting out that might be worth a try. In my opinion its better to have a proper solder connection than having fancier solder


----------



## v3kt0r (Feb 2, 2020)

Guys, could please someone recommend a decent 8 or 4 conductors 28-30AWG wire? Something from USA is preferably since had few times delivery issues from China. Will be doing JH-4pin cable without bass attenuator. It requires 3 conductors per side since highs and mids inputs could be really shorted but I prefer use 4. I tried Mogami W2697 per side but it's kinda bulky for iems. I wold also consider 1 conductor and braid it by myself but it should be something as 28-30AWG, not more or less. Thank you in advance.


----------



## imas69

Hi all, I'm looking to make a type a to type b usb cable for my dac, I would like reasonable quality connectors and cable, could anyone please
let me know or link me to some nice connectors and decent quality cable and if possible let me know the wiring process, all help is really 
appreciated. Thank you


----------



## Airutra

Hey all, I'm planning to attempt to build my first headphone cable. I have no experience in anything related so I have a couple questions after reading through several guides and a bit of this thread.


1. I'm planning to use the wires from the Mogami w2893 cable. Other than the color of the insulation material, the four wires are all the same right?

2. wire <- if I use something like this, I would need 4 x 3ft to make a ~3ft quad braided cable right? And this is also just wire covered with an insulation material so I would be able to use it in the same way as the wires in the Mogami cable?

3. iem cable <- are iem cables that look like these just braided insulated wire with no additional sleeving?

4. What would the diameter of a four strand round braid cable be: if each strand were 2mm diameter, they would have a 4.82mm diameter if it was just in a star shape, would it have a smaller, same, or larger diameter after doing a round braid?

5. I have an earbud terminated to 2.5mm TRRS balanced plug. I want to reterminate it to a 3.5mm TRS plug since I don't have a balanced amp anymore. if I just cut the wire right before the plug and soldered the wires to a 3.5mm TRS plug is that all that needs to be done?


Thanks in advance.


----------



## imas69

Yes the wires are the same other than colour however the wires are very thin, do you plan to sleeve them before you braid.
Wire, you would need to order slightly more, perhaps a foot or two because it will shorten after braiding.
iem, yes
The wire is not 2mm but 1.3mm and four of them braided is about 3.2mm
yes, you would just join the two ground- wires and solder them to ground on the 3.5mm.
The Norne wire is nice and if you are in Europe cosmic cables have similar high end wire https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/wire-and-cable

Good luck and happy building


----------



## Airutra

Thanks for the help!

So a few of the 1/4 and 1/8 inch plugs I ordered just arrived and one of them has this extra flap that the others don't. What is this for?


----------



## imas69

To cover the grounds wires over the solder


----------



## BowWazoo

Can someone give me the pinout, of the Mr. Speakers Aeon connector?


----------



## teknorob23

Hey All, quick question re wiring a BNC plug on to digital audio coax. I'm converting my existing coax cable to RCA - BNC and i cant find a wiring diagram for an audio cable. i'm guessing its the same as the any other coax but i'm hoping someone can sense check this for me.

The connector is a Furutech FP3-117 and heres pic of it dismantled. I can see the signal wire attached to the central contact pin but do i connect the shield and if so where? Thanks in advance for any suggestions


----------



## furyossa

I am interesting to make two balanced custom cables for my Samson QH4 amp which use balanced 1/4” (6.35mm) TRS left and right inputs
The first cable (2.5mm balanced TRRS to dual 6.35mm TRS) would be to connect iBasso DC01 (2.5mm TRRS output) with Samson QH4 (dual 6.35mm TRS inputs)
Second cable  (4.4mm pentaconn TRRRS to dual 6.35mm TRS) is for iFi Zen DAC (4.4mm TRRRS output) and Samson QH4 (dual 6.35mm TRS inputs)
I put together this little booklet in attachment with some information for these devices and schemes for these two cables (version #1 not use ground and version #2 with ground included). My question is: if this is the correct way to wire these cables, and if so, which of these cables should use ground and which not?
I would really appreciate any advice


----------



## imas69

I think you should be using 8 strands of wire as per your diagram but with 4 strand going to each 6.35mm from the 2.5mm trrs and the 4.4mm


----------



## imas69

Both cables should have R- and L- going to ground at the 6.35mm


----------



## imas69

Looking for a good quality 3 pin xlr (male) I have tried cosmic cables but they don't seem to stock them, does anyone have any other suggestions in the UK
please.


----------



## furyossa

imas69 said:


> I think you should be using 8 strands of wire as per your diagram but with 4 strand going to each 6.35mm from the 2.5mm trrs and the 4.4mm


Yup. For 2.5mm to dual 6.35mm, I need a minimum of 6 strand ie 4 strands for signal (R+, R-, L+, L-) and 2 for: (L- to left ground and R- to right ground.)
Same as for 4.4mm but last 2 strands go: pentaconn ground to left ground of 6.35mm plug and one for right side


imas69 said:


> Both cables should have R- and L- going to ground at the 6.35mm


So you suggest version #2 from the booklet? Did I choose the correct wire direction?


----------



## vanerik23 (Feb 25, 2020)

Hi guys! I'm very new to this forum. In fact, this is my first post!

Have any of you guys worked with this type of cable?
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




I'm just wondering how to properly strip these cables. I've worked with other types of cables before but all you need is a wire stripper for that. This one does not seem to like those though. Any ideas? Thanks!


----------



## imas69

Try burning it for a second with a lighter and then pulling it off with your fingers but you didn't hear that from me.


----------



## vanerik23

imas69 said:


> Try burning it for a second with a lighter and then pulling it off with your fingers but you didn't hear that from me.


I've tried that but I usually end up with soot on the wires and that makes it hard to tin. Any tips on how to avoid that?


----------



## Saturnian

Are you sure it's not litz wire and that you need a solder pot, see if you can get a signal from end to end with a multimeter, if not then you probably need
to remove the enamel


----------



## chrisdrop

Hey all. What is different between a SPDIF coax and an RCA cable from a DIY perspective? I have made a few pairs of interconnects, just wondering what is needed/ different. 

A different gauge of cable? Different RCA connectors? Any parts/ cable recommendations?


----------



## vanerik23

Saturnian said:


> Are you sure it's not litz wire and that you need a solder pot, see if you can get a signal from end to end with a multimeter, if not then you probably need
> to remove the enamel


I don't think there's enamel on the conductors. I think each conductor is sealed with some silicone and cotton. Of course I could manually separate the fibers but that's going to take forever. here's a link to the item on aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

It's actually silver foil wrapped around something and serves as 1 strand. There are 7 strands per share.I think there's cotton fibers in-between each strand. This seems pretty complicated that's why I need a little help. I'm able to make custom cables for my headphones with this but it takes so much time to get the ends ready to be tinned and soldered on to connectors. There must be an easier way.


----------



## Airutra

Is there any place to purchase MMCX male connectors that will ship to the US within a week or so? The only one I've found was https://www.amazon.com/Earphone-Component-Balanced-Connector-Replacement/dp/B07T1CBXJT but it's a whole set of connectors.


----------



## imas69

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/mmcx-and-0-78mm-2-pin



Airutra said:


> Is there any place to purchase MMCX male connectors that will ship to the US within a week or so? The only one I've found was https://www.amazon.com/Earphone-Component-Balanced-Connector-Replacement/dp/B07T1CBXJT but it's a whole set of connectors.



Try here at cosmic cables but contact Ian for delivery as he will reduce it for you before you pay


----------



## imas69

Try here at cosmic cables but contact Ian for delivery as he will reduce it for you before you pay

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/mmcx-and-0-78mm-2-pin


----------



## Darksoul

Recently I've gotten the itch to try different cables, for "science." I want to listen my self. Perusing, my experiment would cost me upwards of 500 USD, that's just nuts. However, I saw that if I buy the cables and connectors my self, everything could go for 150 USD, if I buy all the types of cables I want to try. Much more reasonable.

Maybe this was already answered here, you'll forgive for not being more diligent with the use of the search function. But I would like to know these things:

1. Why do I need a solder pot to solder Litz UP-OCC cables?
2. What sort of solder I need to solder silver plated cables?
3. What sort of solder I need to solder 100% silver cables?
4. Do I need to buy special connectors to use 100% silver cables?

Thank you in advance.


----------



## Saturnian

Solder pot is needed to remove the enamel from the strands, use silver solder for all and you don't need special connectors but not much
use in using rubbish if you are using high quality wire, good luck


----------



## Lex11180

Does anyone know of an inline Bluetooth adaptor that I can make my own custom bluetooth headphone cable with? I was considering recabling my KZ APTX-HD cable but the housings don't seem easy to get into and don't want to end up with damage


----------



## imas69

You could probably buy the ready made cable, it would be a lot less of a headache


----------



## imas69

https://www.amazon.co.uk/APTX-HD-Bluetooth-module-upgrade-cable/dp/B07X4124VJ


----------



## chrisdrop

I think it would have to have a DAC chip in it too, not just Bluetooth - no?


----------



## imas69

Unlikely as the dac would be at the source


----------



## chrisdrop

Not clear to me, but likely I am being dense:

_Source files (bits) > DAC (analogue output) > ...??.. (bits) bluetooth (bits) ...??..  (needs analogue input?) headphones_


----------



## imas69

Files will be converted by the dac which will be inside of the phone, amp, dap etc.


----------



## chrisdrop (Mar 8, 2020)

imas69 said:


> Files will be converted by the dac which will be inside of the phone, amp, dap etc.


Respectfully, I don't think it will work like that; Bluetooth is a _digital_ transmit/ receive. How will the DAC in a phone, DAP, etc_ analogue output_ get sent via Bluetooth without being converted back to digital? Once received it will have to be converted back to analogue to send to the headphones. I believe that the only way is for a Bluetooth HP (or wire) to have a DAC in it. Bluetooth doesn't understand analogue.


----------



## imas69

I'm talking about the cable, Bluetooth doesn't require a dac


----------



## imas69 (Mar 8, 2020)

Now I see, I hadn't looked at the cable properly, I just presumed it was also a wired connection but surely the digital file will just go straight to the
bluetooth module anyway and yes you're are right it does have a dac chip in


----------



## imas69

Does anyone have the correct wire configuration for the Focal Utopia please


----------



## Lex11180 (Mar 8, 2020)

imas69 said:


> https://www.amazon.co.uk/APTX-HD-Bluetooth-module-upgrade-cable/dp/B07X4124VJ


Yeah this is the cable I currently have I was thinking of rewiring. So you think best bet is to just rewire this as there is no seller on aliexpress or anywhere that sells those sorts of modules seperately?

For the record I want to rewire it because firstly it looks cool and secondly the cable is a bit too long once you remove the hook surround, as I use it with earbuds not IEMs. I want to make it a more desired length to suit me.


----------



## imas69

Is there any way to dismantle the current cable and to use that bluetooth module


----------



## Lex11180

imas69 said:


> Is there any way to dismantle the current cable and to use that bluetooth module


There's no visible way into them so I'm a little wary about trying to pry them open, especially the control unit that has a one piece plastic shell and then the rubber control buttons on top. Also the holes coming out of them are small but I think I'd have to drill them bigger for bigger cable


----------



## Saturnian

This one looks like you could take it apart and at 12 quid it's probably worth the risk https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/3334312611...49OP3S52ZE3z5RqaoxmQm4sHTidW9DABoCJ0AQAvD_BwE


----------



## koudairanger

someone has idea to choose between neotech 2001 and 1002 for XLR interconnects? They were same price at HiFi collective so I was really not able to decide.
If I chose 1002 I have to use the shield as return, resulting no shield, if I chose 2001, I got worse connector since 1002 use upocc silver

Any suggestions?


----------



## Fat Larry

I am sure this has been asked but i didn't find a solution so here goes. I have two multi wire (8 i believe) cables that i would like to replace the 3.5mm jack on due to them wearing out. One has a mic and one doesn't. Neither have any sort of colour coding on the wires or under the outer layer of rubber/plastic. 

This is a giant pain in the arse as it means that the only way to repair them is to trace the wires to their mmcx terminators and connect accordingly to the new jack. Unless i am missing something, which is entirely possible as i haven't done this before. So is there any other way to know what wires to attach where? I have a multi meter so i guess i could try tracing them with that but i wouldn't know how right now. 

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Darksoul

Fat Larry said:


> I am sure this has been asked but i didn't find a solution so here goes. I have two multi wire (8 i believe) cables that i would like to replace the 3.5mm jack on due to them wearing out. One has a mic and one doesn't. Neither have any sort of colour coding on the wires or under the outer layer of rubber/plastic.
> 
> This is a giant pain in the arse as it means that the only way to repair them is to trace the wires to their mmcx terminators and connect accordingly to the new jack. Unless i am missing something, which is entirely possible as i haven't done this before. So is there any other way to know what wires to attach where? I have a multi meter so i guess i could try tracing them with that but i wouldn't know how right now.
> 
> Thanks in advance.



Your multimeter should have a continuity test setting (beeping mode) combine it with the connector wiring diagram and you should be able to figure it out.


----------



## edwardsean

I'm looking to replace the 2-pin IEM connectors on my Effect Audio Horus. I think they are brass conductors and I would rather have TeCu. This should yield a small improvement in sound right? 

Can someone recommend the best sounding copper 2 pin connector. I'm looking at the PW Audio ones carried by Music Sanctuary. https://music-sanctuary.com/collections/diy-parts/products/pwaudio-diy-parts-and-adapters

Thanks!


----------



## Saturnian

Darksoul said:


> Your multimeter should have a continuity test setting (beeping mode) combine it with the connector wiring diagram and you should be able to figure it out.


Try using the continuity test on the multi meter, you'll have to mark the wires yourself as you go


----------



## imas69

edwardsean said:


> I'm looking to replace the 2-pin IEM connectors on my Effect Audio Horus. I think they are brass conductors and I would rather have TeCu. This should yield a small improvement in sound right?
> 
> Can someone recommend the best sounding copper 2 pin connector. I'm looking at the PW Audio ones carried by Music Sanctuary. https://music-sanctuary.com/collections/diy-parts/products/pwaudio-diy-parts-and-adapters
> 
> Thanks!


https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/eidolic-0-78mm-2-pin-connector

Very good quality


----------



## musicinmymind

I need cable for DIY short 3.5 mm from Mojo to portable Amp, please recommend cable and 3.5 jack for total cost upto $50


----------



## enregistree

musicinmymind said:


> I need cable for DIY short 3.5 mm from Mojo to portable Amp, please recommend cable and 3.5 jack for total cost upto $50


Jacks from Neutrik (right angle; Neutrik – not Rean sub brand). Wire/cable does not matter much as it will be probably < 10 cm. Any stranded copper or silvered copper with 3 wires, flexible even at low temperatures.


----------



## Flugschwein

I am looking to rewire a broken Beyerdynamic MX300 (1. Gen) in the sooner future once I got to pick it up. I'd like to have it end in a 4-Pole 3.5mm jack. Does anyone know where I can find reliable jacks and plugs (for splitting the 4-pole into 2 jacks for PC usage) for that case? I haven't found anything but super cheap looking plugs on Aliexpress.
Thanks in advance - reading this thread has been a great help already


----------



## imas69

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/3-5mm-4-pole-trrs-jacks


Flugschwein said:


> I am looking to rewire a broken Beyerdynamic MX300 (1. Gen) in the sooner future once I got to pick it up. I'd like to have it end in a 4-Pole 3.5mm jack. Does anyone know where I can find reliable jacks and plugs (for splitting the 4-pole into 2 jacks for PC usage) for that case? I haven't found anything but super cheap looking plugs on Aliexpress.
> Thanks in advance - reading this thread has been a great help already


https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/3-5mm-4-pole-trrs-jacks, good luck, they also have some good quality wire that you might want to check out.


----------



## Variant

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know where I can buy connectors from the manufacturer Aec Connectors Co., Ltd. from Taiwan?
I contacted them, but they only sell large batches of at least 1000 pieces...



Spoiler: Photo for example


----------



## Saturnian (Mar 26, 2020)

o


----------



## -Hodor-




----------



## Fat Larry

^ Sexy looking cable. 

Can anyone point me towards some cable making and soldering guides specially for headphones or that relate to headphones? Having some issues doing repairs that i think are related to tiny wires and small contact areas etc.

Thanks


----------



## doctorjuggles

Fat Larry said:


> ^ Sexy looking cable.
> 
> Can anyone point me towards some cable making and soldering guides specially for headphones or that relate to headphones? Having some issues doing repairs that i think are related to tiny wires and small contact areas etc.
> 
> Thanks



I’d like to see this too. Most guides and videos I’ve seen gloss over the really difficult soldering of the tiny wires and connectors (especially IEM 2-pin) and concentrate loads braiding and polarity (the polarity you can look up) but then speed up or completely miss things like fine soldering and how to get your cable looking professional, y-splitter selection, heatshrinking tips to avoid damaging the cable casing itself...stuff like that


----------



## Fat Larry

I did find this.  

It's still not IEM/headphone specific but it's pretty comprehensive. The part where he is doing very small surface mount soldering is particularly relevant i thought.


----------



## doctorjuggles

Cheers Larry.

Does anyone know how much of a different the soldering iron itself makes? I have real problems with my cheapo model when it comes to tinning thin/small wires and that's the most frustrating part of any build I do. Does a decent soldering iron make a difference? And how important are the tips, beyond being good enough to hold their shape at high temperatures?


----------



## Fat Larry

Are there any resources for suppliers or guides to wire specifications (i know its a can of worms) around?


----------



## imas69

Fat Larry said:


> Are there any resources for suppliers or guides to wire specifications (i know its a can of worms) around?


Talk to Ian at cosmic cables, he is very helpful and has plenty of wire, @doctorjuggles, the tip is more important than the 
iron itself, expensive soldering irons are really for people that solder all of the time.


----------



## 524419 (Apr 6, 2020)

doctorjuggles said:


> I’d like to see this too. Most guides and videos I’ve seen gloss over the really difficult soldering of the tiny wires and connectors (especially IEM 2-pin) and concentrate loads braiding and polarity (the polarity you can look up) but then speed up or completely miss things like fine soldering and how to get your cable looking professional, y-splitter selection, heatshrinking tips to avoid damaging the cable casing itself...stuff like that


Use Flux to solder the thin ends. That is a must to form a solid connection that is not a cold joint. Pre-tin both surfaces.
It's easy once you figure it out. Practice....practice...practice.

Heat Shrink is self explanatory, The plastic will mould itself to whatever shape you hold it to when you heat it. 
You can throw some heat activated glue on the soldered joints, and cover over with heat shrink to protect the joints and provide some strain relief.


----------



## Fat Larry

Do you use a fine tip on the iron for finer joints? I did a TRRS connection and a mmcx today with a tip that is like a 3mm wide shovel shape. The mmcx came out pretty good but the TRRS while functionally fine, isn't pretty. Would a needle point be better for those tiny vertical stacked trrs 3.5mm jacks? Also do i just use one wire in an 8 wire config for each positive and ground the rest? I read that is good practice to prevent cross talk on reddit today.


----------



## 524419 (Apr 6, 2020)

Fat Larry said:


> Do you use a fine tip on the iron for finer joints? I did a TRRS connection and a mmcx today with a tip that is like a 3mm wide shovel shape. The mmcx came out pretty good but the TRRS while functionally fine, isn't pretty. Would a needle point be better for those tiny vertical stacked trrs 3.5mm jacks? Also do i just use one wire in an 8 wire config for each positive and ground the rest? I read that is good practice to prevent cross talk on reddit today.


You want to use a big enough tip that heats the joint fast and brings the solder  to the it's melting point quickly. Fast enough to do the job properly and not heat the joint  long enough to melt the plastic dividers. I would invest in some cheap practice jacks and get your technique right, and figure it out. Do a few dry runs.

If you position the wires so they wrap around the base of the jack, come in sideways, instead of straight on, you will get a better solid connection, and also prevent shorts. *USE FLUX.  AND PRE-TIN BOTH SURFACES. *
The shovel shape tip should be fine. The really tiny ones are for boards and more sensitive parts.

I think 8 wires will be 2 per channel, and 4 ground. There might be someone else that can correct me if I am wrong about that.  But that is what I remember being the case for 3.5 mm unbalanced cables.


----------



## Fat Larry

8 wire is as you say two per channel with 4 ground and that what i did with the TRRS jack yesterday. I have another 8 wire cable with a mic that's done the other way. One wire per channel, four grounded and one is actually not connected to anything at the jack end. Not sure how it's wired the at the mmcx/mic ends.


----------



## 524419

I've never wired a cable with a mic, so can't be of any help there. Sorry


----------



## Fat Larry

Diet Kokaine said:


> I've never wired a cable with a mic, so can't be of any help there. Sorry



No worries. 

I have to replace the jack on that mic'd cable so i'll probably just copy it's layout. I actually broke the 3.5mm male part by trying to get it to contact properly in my phone.. thinking it was the cable. Turns out the phone's female port is faulty... took me going through three cables to realise as i've never had a female port crap out but had plenty of jacks go. Planning to replace it and learn some pcb soldering as well. Should be fun. 

Thanks for your help.


----------



## 524419

Fat Larry said:


> No worries.
> 
> I have to replace the jack on that mic'd cable so i'll probably just copy it's layout. I actually broke the 3.5mm male part by trying to get it to contact properly in my phone.. thinking it was the cable. Turns out the phone's female port is faulty... took me going through three cables to realise as i've never had a female port crap out but had plenty of jacks go. Planning to replace it and learn some pcb soldering as well. Should be fun.
> 
> Thanks for your help.


I dropped my galaxy phone on top of the 3.5 mm port with a cable attached to it. It broke the port on my phone and destroyed the 3.5mm end, never got around to fixing it because I just use my DAP.  Happy soldering, remember go slow, take your time, practice on an old board if you can.


----------



## SonnyMarrow

Is Eidolic going out of business or something? Their website is pretty bare bones, and their Facebook hasn't been updated in a long time. I've found a few places that sell Eidolic stuff, but the selection is really limited. I can't find the black mini XLR connectors to save my life.


----------



## Whitigir

They are more like from distributor only.  Try looking for a vendor who carry them.  Fe, NorneAudio, or DoubleHelix


----------



## SonnyMarrow

Whitigir said:


> They are more like from distributor only.  Try looking for a vendor who carry them.  Fe, NorneAudio, or DoubleHelix



I've looked at both of those vendors and the selection is somewhat limited.


----------



## imas69

SonnyMarrow said:


> I've looked at both of those vendors and the selection is somewhat limited.


I think the black ones are old stock, which country are you in.


----------



## SonnyMarrow

imas69 said:


> I think the black ones are old stock, which country are you in.



I'm in the US. My hope was to get one of the black mini XLR for the left side and use the silver for everything else.


----------



## artpiggo

#Aliexpress US $134.68  9%OFF | 10m 7*0.1mm Pure Silver + Gold + Palladium Alloy Earphone DIY Custom Cable (Not Telf) Diameter OD:1.2mm LN006223
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dVZIdKa

Anyone try this?


----------



## Whitigir

Nope, but I wouldn’t use such “materials” from China .  Considering, I had experienced them, and it didn’t fly with me


----------



## imas69

SonnyMarrow said:


> I'm in the US. My hope was to get one of the black mini XLR for the left side and use the silver for everything else.


Your best hope will be either Trevor at Norne audio or Peter at double helix but as I said I think they discontinue old stock


----------



## artpiggo

Whitigir said:


> Nope, but I wouldn’t use such “materials” from China .  Considering, I had experienced them, and it didn’t fly with me


Thanks!


----------



## SonnyMarrow

What is the best heat shrink tubing to use? I need clear and I'm worrying about it turning yellow. I think I read somewhere that 3:1 is good for strain relief?


----------



## 3ggerhappy

Hi guys just would like to ask for someone who knows the pin lay out for Hifiman balanced cable. 4Pin XLR(amp end) to two(Left and Right) 2.5mm TRS connector(Headphone end). 

For the 4Pin xlr amp end I already know:
PIN 1 L+
PIN 2 L-
PIN 3 R+
PIN 4 R-

What I am unsure of is the Left and Right TRS connections
I assume its:

Tip +
Ring None
Sleeve -

for each channel

Is this correct? Please advise

TIA


----------



## buke9

3ggerhappy said:


> Hi guys just would like to ask for someone who knows the pin lay out for Hifiman balanced cable. 4Pin XLR(amp end) to two(Left and Right) 2.5mm TRS connector(Headphone end).
> 
> For the 4Pin xlr amp end I already know:
> PIN 1 L+
> ...


Yes the tip is positive.


----------



## 3ggerhappy

buke9 said:


> Yes the tip is positive.



Thanks You!!!


----------



## Fat Larry

Hi again. 

I just did my third cable with a trrs jack for android, following the standard pin wiring pattern. 

Could anyone tell me why a mic would work but the inline remote buttons won't? 

Tried two phones. Both detect the headset as just earphones with no headset but the mic works fine when tested with a recording app and in the phone diagnostics. I am at a loss and didn't find any useful info online. If it was a short then surely the mic wouldn't work at all?


----------



## shrimants

this has probably been asked a bunch of times, but is there a list of suppliers for 2-pin 0.78mm connectors? Looks like the smartphone market is switching to no headphone jack, and id really like a 1-1.5 foot cable thats 2-pin for use with my radsone ES100. I've found a couple but they want like 20 bucks just for the connector, before even factoring in the cost of the rest of the cable (wire, termination).

Similarly, id really like to make a short cable for usage with my hifiman edition XX. I'm thinking i can make it sort of modular, terminate with a 2.5 and then use an extender thing to go from 2.5 TRRS to 3.5 for usage with desktop setup or for if i have something in my pocket.


----------



## imas69

shrimants said:


> this has probably been asked a bunch of times, but is there a list of suppliers for 2-pin 0.78mm connectors? Looks like the smartphone market is switching to no headphone jack, and id really like a 1-1.5 foot cable thats 2-pin for use with my radsone ES100. I've found a couple but they want like 20 bucks just for the connector, before even factoring in the cost of the rest of the cable (wire, termination).
> 
> Similarly, id really like to make a short cable for usage with my hifiman edition XX. I'm thinking i can make it sort of modular, terminate with a 2.5 and then use an extender thing to go from 2.5 TRRS to 3.5 for usage with desktop setup or for if i have something in my pocket.


USA  Norne audio
USA  double Helix
USA Plussound audio (I think that's what it's called)
UK   Cosmic cables


----------



## shrimants

norne is OOS and double helix and plussound want 20 bucks for a pair...theres no way those things are THAT expensive...


----------



## Fat Larry

While we're on the subject what do people do for a quality neutral USB C to 3.5mm cable?


----------



## shrimants

get a usb c dac/cable thingy. the apple one is objectively great/fine and cheap af usually.


----------



## Fat Larry

shrimants said:


> get a usb c dac/cable thingy. the apple one is objectively great/fine and cheap af usually.



Whats a usb c dac/cable thingy ?


----------



## imas69

shrimants said:


> norne is OOS and double helix and plussound want 20 bucks for a pair...theres no way those things are THAT expensive...


To be honest, you get what you pay for, Eidolic is excellent quality


----------



## shrimants

imas69 said:


> To be honest, you get what you pay for, Eidolic is excellent quality


well, dude, you were the straw that broke the camel's back.

just placed a 150 dollar order. honestly though 80 bucks for a high quality hand made cable isnt bad at all (i'm making 2 separate ones). and thats with markup.


----------



## doctorjuggles

Question for fellow cable-builders.
If you were building a balanced headphone cable and you wanted 2 paracord sleeves twisted together and then one sleeve going up the left and another going up the right side  - so similar to the PW Audio 1950 cable in this image:




Would you twist the two cables on each side before threading it into the paracord? Or would you put them in untwisted and then twist the paracord before the splitter, meaning that anything from the splitter up to the headphone termination would be untwisted?
Hope my question makes sense


----------



## 524419 (Apr 16, 2020)

doctorjuggles said:


> Question for fellow cable-builders.
> If you were building a balanced headphone cable and you wanted 2 paracord sleeves twisted together and then one sleeve going up the left and another going up the right side  - so similar to the PW Audio 1950 cable in this image:
> 
> 
> ...


This wire has an inner core with straight up and down wires, and then an outer core of wires wrapped around the inner core, then an outer rubber coating, and then the outer sleeving. . So 2 conductors per side. It's going to be very hard to replicate.
One way to do it, is to take 1 conductor worth of cables on each side out of it's sheathing and just use the outer nylon as a Shield. It's doable, but will take some patience.

what I am saying is.....1 inner core, then just the wires (minus the teflon coating or PVC whatever it is sleeved in), an then outer Nylon paracord.


----------



## -Hodor-

Anybody know the Pinout / how to wire up the LEMO connectors for the AKG K812/K872?


----------



## imas69

Can't seem to find the info, do you have the stock cable


----------



## Fat Larry

imas69 said:


> To be honest, you get what you pay for, Eidolic is excellent quality



I think audio is the last place where you get what you pay for. Sure there's some companies and products that offer no nonsense quality at reasonable prices but there's also crap loads of snake oil (crystal silver 12n ofc/monster cables) or overpriced junk (skull candy, beats,half the parts suppliers on ali). Its a mine field imo. Especially when starting out with building.


----------



## imas69

-Hodor- said:


> Anybody know the Pinout / how to wire up the LEMO connectors for the AKG K812/K872?


Hodor, did you find this and if so could you possibly share please, I like to know these things


----------



## SonnyMarrow

shrimants said:


> well, dude, you were the straw that broke the camel's back.
> 
> just placed a 150 dollar order. honestly though 80 bucks for a high quality hand made cable isnt bad at all (i'm making 2 separate ones). and thats with markup.



I just ordered a bunch of Eidolic stuff too. Did you use Norne or DHC? I got my wire from Norne and the Eidolic stuff from DHC, but might have to file a PayPal dispute against DHC lol


----------



## -Hodor-

imas69 said:


> Hodor, did you find this and if so could you possibly share please, I like to know these things


----------



## imas69

thank you


----------



## dotashope

Hi guys new here, you guys have any recommendations for budget starter wires? Also I read that litz wire needs to be dipped in a solder pot before soldering, are there alternative methods to solder pot?


----------



## doctorjuggles

dotashope said:


> Also I read that litz wire needs to be dipped in a solder pot before soldering, are there alternative methods to solder pot?



You can use a match/lighter to burn away some of the coating. I’ve also found that a bit of flux and a few extra seconds with a soldering iron works just fine.

I’ve also seen someone use a spare soldering iron in a ceramic egg-cup holder full of solder as a makeshift solder pot, but I would say that’s a fairly unsafe alternative.


----------



## dotashope

doctorjuggles said:


> You can use a match/lighter to burn away some of the coating. I’ve also found that a bit of flux and a few extra seconds with a soldering iron works just fine.
> 
> I’ve also seen someone use a spare soldering iron in a ceramic egg-cup holder full of solder as a makeshift solder pot, but I would say that’s a fairly unsafe alternative.


Yes I remember seeing someone thoroughly flux the strands and then put on some solders.


----------



## doctorjuggles

dotashope said:


> Yes I remember seeing someone thoroughly flux the strands and then put on some solders.



I found the video - I've started it at the right place here - you can see the egg-cup trick....


----------



## dotashope

doctorjuggles said:


> I found the video - I've started it at the right place here - you can see the egg-cup trick....



Lol it doesn't look that bad. I can do it with a small ceramic bowl or some container that has a higher melting point


----------



## ScornDefeat

Good Evening All,

After years of various other DIY projects, I'm taking the plunge into soldering. I think my project of choice will be making some headphone cables.

After hours of researching and 250 or so dollars spent, I'm nearly ready. I had two questions. One is oft discussed here, the other I didn't see.

I'm still confused on the solder itself. I've seen a lot of varying opinions; with flux,  without flux, with rosin, without rosin, etc. For a beginner, what exactly would you recommend? Do I get separate rosin to aid in the tinning, and then a rosin/flux-free solder, or is there a better approach?

Additionally, for a cheap soldering pot, would there be any harm in just getting a 1 oz. porcelain dipping cup or ramekin on Amazon and using that?

Thanks in advance


----------



## Fat Larry (Apr 24, 2020)

Get a 60/40 lead solder with 2% rosin (102%, how that works i have no idea) and yes apply flux before applying solder, you'll get better results easier. 63/37 solder is supposed to skip the small moment where solder isn't fully hardened after you take the iron off the joint but i haven't tried it and found 60/40 to work well.

I posted a good youtube how to solder link a page or so back. Can't help you with a solder pot, haven't used one.

Check out SGAudioHive for some hi-fi/iem specific building tutorials, they repaired and modded my GR07s and do good work. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXPVFL086wpy2jmASW0GYAg


----------



## dotashope

ScornDefeat said:


> Good Evening All,
> 
> After years of various other DIY projects, I'm taking the plunge into soldering. I think my project of choice will be making some headphone cables.
> 
> ...


Rosin core is just solder with flux, it saves some trouble to apply the flux separately. You do need flux to burn off the coating on wires so you can either apply flux before soldering or go straight on with a rosin core. If you are sensitive to fume and such I'd suggest get flux separately cuz rosin creates lots of smoke and is a potential risk for your health(there are organic flux that makes very little smoke, but I think they tend to be more corrosive so you have to choose carefully).


----------



## ScornDefeat

dotashope said:


> Rosin core is just solder with flux, it saves some trouble to apply the flux separately. You do need flux to burn off the coating on wires so you can either apply flux before soldering or go straight on with a rosin core. If you are sensitive to fume and such I'd suggest get flux separately cuz rosin creates lots of smoke and is a potential risk for your health(there are organic flux that makes very little smoke, but I think they tend to be more corrosive so you have to choose carefully).



Very helpful info, thank you for clearing that up. Sounds like flux and solder separate is the route to go. I am also getting a fume extractor just in-case.

Thanks!


----------



## ScornDefeat

Fat Larry said:


> Get a 60/40 lead solder with 2% rosin (102%, how that works i have no idea) and yes apply flux before applying solder, you'll get better results easier. 63/37 solder is supposed to skip the small moment where solder isn't fully hardened after you take the iron off the joint but i haven't tried it and found 60/40 to work well.
> 
> I posted a good youtube how to solder link a page or so back. Can't help you with a solder pot, haven't used one.
> 
> Check out SGAudioHive for some hi-fi/iem specific building tutorials, they repaird and modded my GR07s and do good work. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXPVFL086wpy2jmASW0GYAg



Great info; sounds like 60/40 is a reasonable starting point, with separate flux. 

The beginning video is definitely helpful, thanks! Particularly the spreadsheet, some things I didn't think of and a lot cheaper options than I had.


----------



## dotashope

ScornDefeat said:


> Very helpful info, thank you for clearing that up. Sounds like flux and solder separate is the route to go. I am also getting a fume extractor just in-case.
> 
> Thanks!


The one with carbon filter is better imo, it filters the fume before blowing it into the work space. And safety glass is a must if you plan to use a homemade solder pot(soldering too). You can also thoroughly flux the strands and apply solder to the wire if you plan to work with litz, a way to avoid solder pot. But a pot is easiest and most reliable way to tin your litz wires.


----------



## ScornDefeat

dotashope said:


> The one with carbon filter is better imo, it filters the fume before blowing it into the work space. And safety glass is a must if you plan to use a homemade solder pot(soldering too). You can also thoroughly flux the strands and apply solder to the wire if you plan to work with litz, a way to avoid solder pot. But a pot is easiest and most reliable way to tin your litz wires.



Thanks again for the helpful info.

Is the paste-style rosin flux typically considered the easiest to work with?


----------



## dotashope

ScornDefeat said:


> Thanks again for the helpful info.
> 
> Is the paste-style rosin flux typically considered the easiest to work with?


It really depends on your preferred working method. You can use a brush for pasty flux or a tube syringe for liquidy flux. Both can be dipped.


----------



## koudairanger

can someone recommend a more reliable solder station under 100 with a better temp control and smaller tips? I bought this low end Weller and its tip just broke up after I fix 3-4 of my cables( plus it successfully ruined 2 of my eidolic and plussound connectors today, I'm gonna rage quit this piece of crap...)


----------



## doctorjuggles

Not sure how much it is over there but the Hakko FX-888D is very good, as are their tips. But Weller is good. Are you keeping your tip cleaned all the time and “wet” (ie when you aren’t using it are you making sure it has some solder in the end to stop it drying out and becoming brittle?)


----------



## Fat Larry

Has anyone tried one of the 80w aliexpress models with the temperature setting on the handle? Was considering one as they seem like a good option for someone that doesn't want to invest to much https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000198981592.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.59f83c00qptN33&mp=1


----------



## koudairanger

doctorjuggles said:


> Not sure how much it is over there but the Hakko FX-888D is very good, as are their tips. But Weller is good. Are you keeping your tip cleaned all the time and “wet” (ie when you aren’t using it are you making sure it has some solder in the end to stop it drying out and becoming brittle?)


Well I forgot to keep it wet all times, but I do clean it often during my soldering. This was wlc100, I've already ordered replacement tips, hope it would work for me. I really miss old days when I have higher end Weller in my school lab... These Weller are kinda around 300 and they are simply magical.


----------



## willyboyaudio (Apr 26, 2020)

Friends, can you share wiring diagram if I want to make a male to male, 3.5mm interconnect using 4-conductor cable?
Specifically, I want to use Mogami 2893. Do I simply connect 1 to R, 1 to L, and 2 conductors to ground? Or do I need to 'float' one ground on one end, for example?
Or is it better to use a standard balanced cable, where there are 2 conductors and the sleeve is ground? 
Thank you


----------



## 3ggerhappy (Apr 26, 2020)

Hi Guys, can you please suggest sort of like a generic or semi universal connector(headphone side) w/c could be easily "adapted" using an adapter. In a way creating a single headphone cable that could be used to other headphones using an adapter. E.g I have a susvara(2.5mm), utopia(lemo), hd800(g2). Please advise, I know its impossible to handle all but what would you suggest would provide highest/easiest compatibility? If ever such a thing exist. This is for a balanced cable BTW. TIA


----------



## imas69

willyboyaudio said:


> Friends, can you share wiring diagram if I want to make a male to male, 3.5mm interconnect using 4-conductor cable?
> Specifically, I want to use Mogami 2893. Do I simply connect 1 to R, 1 to L, and 2 conductors to ground? Or do I need to 'float' one ground on one end, for example?
> Or is it better to use a standard balanced cable, where there are 2 conductors and the sleeve is ground?
> Thank you


----------



## imas69

Yes just do it as your first suggestion 1, 1 and 2


----------



## imas69

3ggerhappy said:


> Hi Guys, can you please suggest sort of like a generic or semi universal connector(headphone side) w/c could be easily "adapted" using an adapter. In a way creating a single headphone cable that could be used to other headphones using an adapter. E.g I have a susvara(2.5mm), utopia(lemo), hd800(g2). Please advise, I know its impossible to handle all but what would you suggest would provide highest/easiest compatibility? If ever such a thing exist. This is for a balanced cable BTW. TIA


Either way you would still need all three types of connector and the female versions


----------



## Whitigir

doctorjuggles said:


> Not sure how much it is over there but the *Hakko FX-888D is very good*, as are their tips. But Weller is good. Are you keeping your tip cleaned all the time and “wet” (ie when you aren’t using it are you making sure it has some solder in the end to stop it drying out and becoming brittle?)


Definite the best for the money and the job done, please buy authentic, station and tips !


----------



## willyboyaudio

imas69 said:


> Yes just do it as your first suggestion 1, 1 and 2


Thank you very much!


----------



## DenverW

Hi!  I was wondering if anyone has used the hd800 'dream connector' that you can get on ebay before.  They seem like fairly decent cheap connectors, but the issue that i'm having is that I'm not sure which solder point is positive and which is negative.  I can't see any marking on the connector (and they're quite small) and both connectors seem to be of equal length.  The little beige piece below is inside the piece, so its not easily visible.  I've reached out to the vendor twice and received no response, so I thought I'd see if anyone had any insight before I return them...


----------



## imas69

DenverW said:


> Hi!  I was wondering if anyone has used the hd800 'dream connector' that you can get on ebay before.  They seem like fairly decent cheap connectors, but the issue that i'm having is that I'm not sure which solder point is positive and which is negative.  I can't see any marking on the connector (and they're quite small) and both connectors seem to be of equal length.  The little beige piece below is inside the piece, so its not easily visible.  I've reached out to the vendor twice and received no response, so I thought I'd see if anyone had any insight before I return them...


There should be a small notch on the housing and the pin below it is +


----------



## imas69

Sorry for the crude drawing, not sure why you have two pieces though


----------



## DenverW

Thanks for responding!  I pulled the pic from the website.  What I actually have is this picture.  There seems to be no easy way to get inside the piece on the left, hence I am stumped .


----------



## imas69

Is that a notch, if it is then the pin parallel to it is the positive


----------



## GravityEyelids

Where do you guys get your MMCX jackand connectors from? 

AliExpress is probably the cheapest I've come across but $6/pair for these tiny things ...seems like I should be able to get a pair for half that. This is the style I want but I'll take anything if it's cheap enough: https://a.aliexpress.com/_dXdCrL3

Would like to order a couple dozen but would like to avoid spending like $40+. There's got to be a site that has em for like $1/pop. Also looking for the MMCX male plugs to use on headphones but will conceed that those are probably pricier for decent ones.


----------



## DenverW

Ok finished!  Oh man soldering the HD800 connectors was not easy, they’re sooo small.  So, doing checks.

let’s say hypothetically I connected something wrong, is there any danger to my amp or headphones when plugged in?  Or will it just not work?  It’s a balanced 4 pin xlr.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

DenverW said:


> Hi!  I was wondering if anyone has used the hd800 'dream connector' that you can get on ebay before.  They seem like fairly decent cheap connectors, but the issue that i'm having is that I'm not sure which solder point is positive and which is negative.  I can't see any marking on the connector (and they're quite small) and both connectors seem to be of equal length.  The little beige piece below is inside the piece, so its not easily visible.  I've reached out to the vendor twice and received no response, so I thought I'd see if anyone had any insight before I return them...



I don't know but it seems certain the long outside lug is ground and the small center pin is positive


----------



## shrimants

How long does it normally take double helix cables to ship? I ordered April 15th, a shipping label was created the next day, but the order still hasnt shipped. They responded to 1 email I sent after a week and said "it will ship soon" but ignored my second email a week later when the items still hadnt shipped.


----------



## imas69 (May 1, 2020)

shrimants said:


> How long does it normally take double helix cables to ship? I ordered April 15th, a shipping label was created the next day, but the order still hasnt shipped. They responded to 1 email I sent after a week and said "it will ship soon" but ignored my second email a week later when the items still hadnt shipped.


Go to the contact part of the website and ask where your order is again, he is like that so just keep on at him, I've had good and bad experiences with him.


----------



## ct303

Does anyone have a good recommendation for 2.5mm TRRS female connectors?


----------



## shrimants

Finally got my parts in. Unfortunately the cable I ordered is WAYYYYY too thick for portable usage (meaning, the insulation makes it way too stiff). I'll have to find some other cable to use for my little 1 footers. The rest of the parts seem good to go, so I'll try to figure out how to get everything properly working.

Anyone have tips on making ear hooks for IEMs? Or is it better to go without and just use something like this silicon ear-hook?

https://smile.amazon.com/Cosmos-Rem...keywords=ear+hook+cable&qid=1588784134&sr=8-1


----------



## Fat Larry (May 6, 2020)

Depends on your wire, but generally ear hooks from formed heat shrink work nice. Get a cardboard roll, two toilet rolls, one inside the other work well, put a hole in it to anchor the connector, then heat and form the heat shrink around the roll to the appropriate length and shape for the hook.


----------



## ScornDefeat

I have a quick question regarding shielding and power cables. 

I am making a power cable out of Sonarquest IEC and 15a outlet connectors, Mil Spec 14AWG wire (x3, 1 for live, 1 for neutral, 1 for ground), Vanguard spades (to easily connect to the IEC and outlet connectors) and Viablue medium sleeving. I was thinking of adding Belden 8663 7/32" Braided Copper Shield over all 3 of the 14AWG wires because I've read that power cables should be shielded. Here's my two questions:

1) l would have to add another Teflon sleeve over the braided shield before placing in the Viablue sleeve (which is mostly just for aesthetics), right? 
2) Can I attach the braided shield to the ground wire on the outlet end? I am unsure of how else to drain the sleeve.

Just want confirmation I have to proceed with the above. Thanks!


----------



## Airutra (May 9, 2020)

edit: nevermind


----------



## shrimants

is there a particular cable (preferably from amazon) that you guys recommend for IEM/portable application? the cable i got from double helix is WAY thick and i dont want that hanging off my ears. It'll work fine for my non-portable pair but i dont want to use that for my IEM-to-es100 shirt clip thing.


----------



## Speedskater

ScornDefeat said:


> I have a quick question regarding shielding and power cables.
> I am making a power cable out of Sonarquest IEC and 15a outlet connectors, Mil Spec 14AWG wire (x3, 1 for live, 1 for neutral, 1 for ground), Vanguard spades (to easily connect to the IEC and outlet connectors) and Viablue medium sleeving. I was thinking of adding Belden 8663 7/32" Braided Copper Shield over all 3 of the 14AWG wires because I've read that power cables should be shielded. Here's my two questions:
> 1) l would have to add another Teflon sleeve over the braided shield before placing in the Viablue sleeve (which is mostly just for aesthetics), right?
> 2) Can I attach the braided shield to the ground wire on the outlet end? I am unsure of how else to drain the sleeve.
> Just want confirmation I have to proceed with the above. Thanks!


a] I would twist the Hot & Neutral conductors together. (maybe 3 or 4 twists per foot)
b] I would connect the braided shield at only the IEC end, if space permits.
c] the sleeve is Teflon, there is nothing to drain.


----------



## ScornDefeat

Speedskater said:


> a] I would twist the Hot & Neutral conductors together. (maybe 3 or 4 twists per foot)
> b] I would connect the braided shield at only the IEC end, if space permits.
> c] the sleeve is Teflon, there is nothing to drain.



Thanks for the confirmations above, very helpful!

On the last point, I meant shield, not sleeve, my apologies! But point b above in your response clarifies that, as well. Thanks!


----------



## legopart

What is the smallest unplugged connection for Diy IEM headphones?


----------



## shrimants

so this is probably a real dumb question. I did look through all the gallery images to see if I could make this out from someone's pic but no luck. The eidolic connectors I have (2.5mm TRRS and 3.5mm TRS) seem to just be hollow barrels on the "wire" side. What do you guys do to plug that hole up? They came with some rubber plug looking things but they dont really fit all that great.

Do you just melt hot glue into there? or some form of epoxy? Or is there some specific way to use heat shrink tubing?

Same question goes for the cable splitter, its a hollow tube with one end wide open and the other end having a 2-hole sort of design, which I assume is for splitting the wire off between left/right sides.

how do you guys provide strain relief? or is the glue/heat shink enough to strain relief?


----------



## magicscreen

Morgan Jones - Building valve amplifiers
"_Beam valves_ and mains transformers. _Beam valves_ deliberately focus their current into thin sheets that pass largely unintercepted between the horizontal wires... "

What does that "beam valves"  mean?


----------



## 3ggerhappy (May 18, 2020)

Hi Guys, this where i will solder right for 2.5mm 2 pole? Just want to make sure.

Edit: Pic Removed so as not to confuse/misled others. 

Thanks @doctorjuggles


----------



## doctorjuggles

Other way around - exactly in reverse to your pic


----------



## 3ggerhappy

doctorjuggles said:


> Other way around - exactly in reverse to your pic



Dang, Thanks for the confirmation, first time doing this and I got it wrong the first time.


----------



## dontfeedphils

3ggerhappy said:


> Dang, Thanks for the confirmation, first time doing this and I got it wrong the first time.



FYI, a decent DMM can be had for quite cheap and makes it easy to verify these sort of things.


----------



## 3ggerhappy

dontfeedphils said:


> FYI, a decent DMM can be had for quite cheap and makes it easy to verify these sort of things.



Yeah, ordered one actually but its taking its time to arrive due to the covid situation. Also do not know how to properly use it still(except maybe basic continuity feature) I'll go experiment when it arrives.


----------



## doctorjuggles

3ggerhappy said:


> Yeah, ordered one actually but its taking its time to arrive due to the covid situation. Also do not know how to properly use it still(except maybe basic continuity feature) I'll go experiment when it arrives.



Until it arrives, it's worth sharing that every standard connector I've used so far (2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm) has always worked back to front - so the tip of the connector is usually the smallest part of the soldering end (and the furthest away from the tip) and works its way back. Make sense? If not I'll try and draw a rough diagram for what I mean


----------



## 3ggerhappy

doctorjuggles said:


> Until it arrives, it's worth sharing that every standard connector I've used so far (2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm) has always worked back to front - so the tip of the connector is usually the smallest part of the soldering end (and the furthest away from the tip) and works its way back. Make sense? If not I'll try and draw a rough diagram for what I mean



Makes sense


----------



## doctorjuggles

The multimeter makes building things much easier though. I used to fret about which wires were which and drew on them or wrapped coloured thread - now I just solder and braid and then worry about which one is which at the end (or at least once it’s time to do the split)


----------



## shrimants

shrimants said:


> so this is probably a real dumb question. I did look through all the gallery images to see if I could make this out from someone's pic but no luck. The eidolic connectors I have (2.5mm TRRS and 3.5mm TRS) seem to just be hollow barrels on the "wire" side. What do you guys do to plug that hole up? They came with some rubber plug looking things but they dont really fit all that great.
> 
> Do you just melt hot glue into there? or some form of epoxy? Or is there some specific way to use heat shrink tubing?
> 
> ...



Still hoping someone in this thread has used the eidolic connectors.


----------



## dontfeedphils

shrimants said:


> Still hoping someone in this thread has used the eidolic connectors.



I use Eidolic connectors and just used some heatshrink over the connections inside the connector and left it long enough that it protrudes from inside the connector a bit for strain relief.


----------



## shrimants

dontfeedphils said:


> I use Eidolic connectors and just used some heatshrink over the connections inside the connector and left it long enough that it protrudes from inside the connector a bit for strain relief.


no glue/epoxy inside the connector?


----------



## dontfeedphils

shrimants said:


> no glue/epoxy inside the connector?



Naw, I don't really see much of a reason.  I suppose it may depend on the wire you're using though.  If it's flimsy and a small gauge then maybe, otherwise a solid solder joint and heat shrink should be just fine.


----------



## qsk78 (May 20, 2020)

Hello. I plan to make XLR interconnect cables based on Viablue NF-S1 which has two shields.
While the XLR connector has just one pin for the shield. Should I twist both shields of the cable together and solder them to 1 pin? Should I use only the outer shield of the cable?
Thank you.


----------



## Speedskater

If both shields are braids, you could:
a] use one
b] use both
c] connect the inner at both ends, and the outer at the send end (if the unit is powered), for a mic do the opposite.

If one shield is braid and the other is foil or spiral:
a] use the braid

If both shields are spiral
a] use both shields


----------



## qsk78

Thank you. This is how actually it looks like

*Four shields "Quattro Silver“*

•2 silvered spiral shields
•2 ALU-PET foil shields


----------



## Speedskater

Lets get creative!
So if the foils have drain wires:
Both spirals at both ends
one foil at one  end
the other foil at the other end

But at the end of the day, in the residential real world, it won't make any difference which way you connect them in an XLR balanced interconnect.
(balanced XLR interconnects are much more robust [noise & interference wise] than unbalanced RCA interconnects)


----------



## Sunstealer (May 22, 2020)

Well it's taken a while and lots of mistakes and practice cables but have finally made one I like:





Thanks to @Saturnian, Cosmic Cables for the wire: 6N copper and 6N SPC. 4.4mm from CEMA. I don't mind the red heat shrink but will probably use clear in future. I tried those 6mm rubber jack plugs but it was a tight fit. Any other suggestions?

I use threaded connectors so I can change from 2 pin to MMCX when I'm testing new IEMs.

I have some 4N silver cable from CEMA so will get started on that soon. Also made a 4W 7N copper cable that looks great.


----------



## Christoph

I'm looking for a good braiding tutorial for 8 strands. Does anybody have a link to such a tutorial?


----------



## Sunstealer

Christoph said:


> I'm looking for a good braiding tutorial for 8 strands. Does anybody have a link to such a tutorial?


Here you go!


----------



## 3ggerhappy

Christoph said:


> I'm looking for a good braiding tutorial for 8 strands. Does anybody have a link to such a tutorial?





I also want to try kumihimo braiding with litz cables


----------



## imas69

Sunstealer said:


> Here you go!


----------



## Christoph (May 23, 2020)

Thank you all for your support, looks promising! Now i have to learn and practice...


----------



## Sunstealer

And finally....a 4W 4N pure silver cable made this morning - definitely getting quicker and making fewer mistakes.


----------



## arksez

Just got a pair of sundaras and is in the process of making a 2.5mm balanced cable so I can use it on the Fiio K3. Does it matter which wire is negative/positive?

https://imgur.com/a/QS2uKZh

Does this look correct, or does the Right Positive (blue line) go to the tip as well (i.e. both rings are redundant?)


----------



## imas69

Your image is correct


----------



## arksez

imas69 said:


> Your image is correct


I've just done a multimeter test. The standard 3.5mm jacks both have continuity on the tip and sleeve, but none on the rings. Is this the supposed configuration for an unbalanced set-up? Or It's a tip and sleeve only connection for unbalanced/balanced modes?


----------



## imas69

Are you talking about 3.5 stereo or trrs


----------



## arksez

imas69 said:


> Are you talking about 3.5 stereo or trrs


talking about the TRS 3.5mm cable that comes with it, the two 3.5mm headphone jacks that go into the L and R headphones seem to have redundant rings (no continuity).


----------



## dontfeedphils

arksez said:


> talking about the TRS 3.5mm cable that comes with it, the two 3.5mm headphone jacks that go into the L and R headphones seem to have redundant rings (no continuity).



If it's going into the earcups then that makes sense.  You only need one positive and one ground per side.


----------



## arksez

dontfeedphils said:


> If it's going into the earcups then that makes sense.  You only need one positive and one ground per side.


Ok, thanks! I'll give it a go soldering and will report back here


----------



## dontfeedphils

arksez said:


> Ok, thanks! I'll give it a go soldering and will report back here



Just be sure you've got the correct pin-out for whatever headphones you're working on.


----------



## arksez

dontfeedphils said:


> Just be sure you've got the correct pin-out for whatever headphones you're working on.


Yep, just found this diagram which confirms it (I'm sure it's same for the 3.5mm)




and for the Fiio TRRS connector





Wish me luck!


----------



## dontfeedphils (May 25, 2020)

arksez said:


> Yep, just found this diagram which confirms it (I'm sure it's same for the 3.5mm)
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sounds like you're set. Godspeed, good sir.


----------



## arksez

dontfeedphils said:


> Sounds like you're set. Godspeed, good sir.


Just a quick update. All soldered and working. Basically converted a 2 pin to a TRS for the headset pin out as the 2-pin was readily available online. So basically dismantled that and did a bit of resoldering. A little tricky given I've never done a 16 core before  







Can definitely say that somehow I think it sounds even cleaner on the Sundara! Thanks for the advice everyone. PS. Red ribbon is to remind me which one is the Right Channel (need to think of a more fashionable solution)  And yes that's a DIY microphone mount.


----------



## Degree

Hey everyone! I'm wanting to make a balanced cable for my LCD but I'm stuck on deciding on what wire to go for. 

Canare L-4E5C or Mogami W2893?

Also are there any mini-XLRs and Y-Splitters that yall would recommend? The current braided stock cable has Amphenol. How is it compared to Neutrik/Rean?


----------



## imas69

Try here, everything you need in one place
https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/


----------



## Degree (May 27, 2020)

imas69 said:


> Try here, everything you need in one place
> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/



Thanks! Is there one that's US based? Was thinking about sourcing from redco and mouser, but if there are any other suggestions I would love to know

I've already thought about going with:

* Viablue for my y-split
* Amphenol or Neutrik for mini-XLR
* 1/4 Paramax and 550 Paracord for sleeving

Just not sure which wires to go for.. Canare L-4E5C or Mogami W2893

Also thinking about making interconnects, I have some Lemo connectors that I need to use.


----------



## Speedskater

For great wire and cable providers in the US my first choices are:

Markertek
https://www.markertek.com/

Redco
https://www.redco.com/

Have Inc
http://store.haveinc.com/default.aspx

Lemo connectors are great, but real pricey.


----------



## assassin10000 (Jun 1, 2020)

GravityEyelids said:


> Where do you guys get your MMCX jackand connectors from?
> 
> AliExpress is probably the cheapest I've come across but $6/pair for these tiny things ...seems like I should be able to get a pair for half that. This is the style I want but I'll take anything if it's cheap enough: https://a.aliexpress.com/_dXdCrL3
> 
> Would like to order a couple dozen but would like to avoid spending like $40+. There's got to be a site that has em for like $1/pop. Also looking for the MMCX male plugs to use on headphones but will conceed that those are probably pricier for decent ones.



I messaged the store, this listing is 10x mmcx & 10x nut. (Not 5 of each as some stores do when it says 10 pcs.)
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32797640235.html

These used to be free shipping, but even so the quantity shipping discount makes them still some of the cheapest. I've ordered the A & B sets several times.
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/33035633031.html


Not sure if this will help now as it's been a month since you posted, but it may come in handy for someone else looking for MMCX connectors.


----------



## Ragnorok64 (Jun 3, 2020)

So I've been looking around various resources and I have a cart on eBay and AliExpress ready to go, but I'm still a bit unsure on the most basic thing and that's what wire to use. I've got some 550 Paracord picked out, but I don't know if 550 is big enough to accommodate a quad braid.  I'm just trying to make a regular headphone cable and/or aux cable.

I'm looking at this QYFang page https://www.aliexpress.com/store/gr...785.html?spm=2114.12010612.0.0.1fd57940kWbejx and I'm not sure if I  can sleeve it in 550 size paracord. I've also seen some other more complete cable that can be sleeved, mogami cable I believed, but it seemed expensive per unit.

I've got connectors, y splitters, Jack's, and Paracord picked out (I intend to Paracord the whole cable as opposed to individual braided wires being paracorded and weaved together), it's just thisseemingly basic step I'm stuck on for some reason. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Edit: Edited for clarity.


----------



## arksez

I'm going to make my first balanced headphone cables from scratch, is there a general rule of thumb what length and AWG cable I should go for? Was thinking of making a 1.6m cable with 20AWG copper ( 19 strands x 0.18mm diameter) with the individual cable total OD of 1.4mm.


----------



## imas69

That should be fine, what headphones are you making for, just make sure that the wires will fit into the connectors, the 4 pin xlr end will be fine.


----------



## Sunstealer

Ordered 16ft of Viper 24awg OCC Cryo Silver Plated 7n Copper wire from Toxic cables and made this specimen:







It is beautiful. The wire was really easy to work. I'll probably make another one with MMCX connections as well. Many thanks to Toxic Cables.


----------



## imas69

Nice work, the wire looks a bit rigid, is it?


----------



## Sunstealer

It is a bit but have literally just made it so I'm sure it will settle after a period of wearing.


----------



## imas69

Thanks, looks nice


----------



## BowWazoo

i tried to build a usb-c audio cable for my px7. but unfortunately it does not work.

does anyone have any idea where the fault is?


----------



## Stan2112

Hello all, first time poster.  I've been browsing the DIY cable gallery for a bit and I'll be using the ideas there to do a detachable cable mod for my Sony V6.

I'm also trying to repair my son's HyperX Cloud I headset, left channel died completely.  We're going to do a rewire of everything (except the internal left -> right audio wires).  The factory cable is actually two sets of individually-insulated wires, one is 2 conductors (for mic) and the other is 3 (for audio) but both sets are then wrapped in the same insulator, much like 2 channel snake cable (Mogami 2930). At the PC end, they split into separate audio and mic connections.  We need to keep that split since he uses the PC sound card for mic and a USB DAC for audio (with an A/B splitter to share signal with his Edifier dekstop speakers).

My initial thought was to use two pieces of Mogami 2893 each in 550 paracord (for looks), wrapping both in Techflex for most of the length.  Two issues with that - what size Techflex would we need for two 550 paracord lines, and that seems a bit bulky to feed into the headset.  Is there a better way to do that?  Maybe wrap both Mogamis in a single piece of larger paracord up to the split, and then 550 to the PC end?  Do we just not bother with Techflex at all?

I've seen vids of just doing a detachable cable mod for the headset using a TRRS connector, but I think that would lead to shared ground issues at the PC end of things.  Any thoughts?


----------



## ScornDefeat

Would it be reasonable to use hook-up wire for a headphone cable?

http://www.soniccraft.com/product_info.php/jupiter-solid-silver-cotton-28-awg-p-1614

Thinking about using this for a simple 4-wire braid for a balanced 4-pin XLR cable, with no paracord. 

Thoughts?


----------



## dontfeedphils

ScornDefeat said:


> Would it be reasonable to use hook-up wire for a headphone cable?
> 
> http://www.soniccraft.com/product_info.php/jupiter-solid-silver-cotton-28-awg-p-1614
> 
> ...



I like a really pliable/flexible cable and all the hook up wire I've tried is way too rigid for my liking.


----------



## ScornDefeat

dontfeedphils said:


> I like a really pliable/flexible cable and all the hook up wire I've tried is way too rigid for my liking.



You're absolutely right, didn't take that into account as much but hook-up wire certainly isn't all that pliable. 

I saw silver wire, with cotton dialectric, and a good price and got ahead of myself lol


----------



## Stan2112

I'm thinking I'll just twist 3 Mogami wires together and then another pair and run both sets through the same paracord, splitting into smaller paracord at the Y as necessary.  What size paracord is good for 2 or 3 pairs - is 550 too big?


----------



## Degree

I'm planning on making some RCA interconnects with quad cables (Canare l-4E5C since I have a lot of it). Is it alright to leave the other two conductors unused? Is there any good practices I should follow? Someone mentioned having one end with the shield free-floating and the other end soldered, is there any benefits to that? I thought it was good practice to solder both. 




Also is there any downside to getting rid of the cable sheathing and just using the bare strands in a parcord for headphone cables? I figured that'd make the cables more lightweight, but not sure if that'd make it more prone to issues


----------



## ScornDefeat

Degree said:


> I'm planning on making some RCA interconnects with quad cables (Canare l-4E5C since I have a lot of it). Is it alright to leave the other two conductors unused? Is there any good practices I should follow? Someone mentioned having one end with the shield free-floating and the other end soldered, is there any benefits to that? I thought it was good practice to solder both.
> 
> Also is there any downside to getting rid of the cable sheathing and just using the bare strands in a parcord for headphone cables? I figured that'd make the cables more lightweight, but not sure if that'd make it more prone to issues



1) I would advise not leaving unconnected conductors. Connect two conductors to ground (sleeve), and two to hot (tip).

2) Floating shield is fine; I also use this approach. The idea is that any EMI/RFI picked up by the shield won't be transferred to the output if its only attached at source. Detractors say that it's a bad idea because it essentially leaves the shield as an antenna and that the shield is useless if its not grounded on both ends. I have no issues with my floating shield cables, I like the idea.

3) Definitely do not leave bare strands of copper onductors in paracord. Paracord is not an insulator. You need to keep the insulting jacket on the conductors except for where they are being soldered.


----------



## Degree

ScornDefeat said:


> 1) I would advise not leaving unconnected conductors. Connect two conductors to ground (sleeve), and two to hot (tip).
> 
> 2) Floating shield is fine; I also use this approach. The idea is that any EMI/RFI picked up by the shield won't be transferred to the output if its only attached at source. Detractors say that it's a bad idea because it essentially leaves the shield as an antenna and that the shield is useless if its not grounded on both ends. I have no issues with my floating shield cables, I like the idea.
> 
> 3) Definitely do not leave bare strands of copper onductors in paracord. Paracord is not an insulator. You need to keep the insulting jacket on the conductors except for where they are being soldered.



Thank you so much. 

Sorry I should have clarified I meant removing the main insulator, not the individual insulators of the four conductors themselves.

Also, when doing the RCA connectors - One side I solder the two conductors + shield for ground and two to hot. Other side it's two conductors (no shield) to ground/two to hot right? Just to make sure I'm doing the floating method right. The floating side I should trim off the shield?


----------



## doctorjuggles

Degree said:


> Sorry I should have clarified I meant removing the main insulator, not the individual insulators of the four conductors themselves.



Yeah it’s absolutely fine to do this


----------



## ScornDefeat

Degree said:


> Thank you so much.
> 
> Sorry I should have clarified I meant removing the main insulator, not the individual insulators of the four conductors themselves.
> 
> Also, when doing the RCA connectors - One side I solder the two conductors + shield for ground and two to hot. Other side it's two conductors (no shield) to ground/two to hot right? Just to make sure I'm doing the floating method right. The floating side I should trim off the shield?



Ahh, ok , when you said bare strands I thought you meant the raw copper haha. Yes, what you're proposing is absolutely fine.

Yep, you're right on all accounts, that's the way to do it. Trim excess shield on the floated side.


----------



## dotashope

Stan2112 said:


> Hello all, first time poster.  I've been browsing the DIY cable gallery for a bit and I'll be using the ideas there to do a detachable cable mod for my Sony V6.


Hi idk if you already did the mod but I'd strongly advice you to replace the 3 wires from the cable with a Mogami or something else. I think the wires are litz. It is incredibly hard to get a clean tin on them. I'd just desolder them and replace with other easier to work wires. I struggled a lot to tin them.


----------



## shrimants

alright i'm at my wits end. I am using the double helix 4 strand cable and trying to solder it to a 2.5mm jack. The sleeving on it is WAY too delicate, and it melts away/together with other strands as I try to solder it. It got all screwy so I tried removing it and the jack itself melted apart. the tip came right out. So that part is trash. I got one more to try on but now I have no idea how i'm supposed to solder this thing together.

any tips/advice would be much appreciated.


----------



## ScornDefeat

shrimants said:


> alright i'm at my wits end. I am using the double helix 4 strand cable and trying to solder it to a 2.5mm jack. The sleeving on it is WAY too delicate, and it melts away/together with other strands as I try to solder it. It got all screwy so I tried removing it and the jack itself melted apart. the tip came right out. So that part is trash. I got one more to try on but now I have no idea how i'm supposed to solder this thing together.
> 
> any tips/advice would be much appreciated.



Do you have any photos of the work that you did? What temp do you have your iron set to?

Any typical materials, that a jack is made of, have a wayyyy higher melting point than what your iron would be at, so I'm interested to see what work was done that resulted in that level of damage.


----------



## shrimants

i tried soldering one jack at 350c and another at 400c. at 350 it took too long to get the wire/jack heated up and the solder kept just balling up on the iron. on the 400c attempt it melted fine and all but i couldnt get it to stick on because the wire's sleeving kept melting and getting shorted.

just to clarify, its not that the jack itself melted. The plastic (eidolic connector, 2.5mm) between the tip/rings is the part that melted. the metal itself is obviously just fine.


----------



## dontfeedphils

shrimants said:


> i tried soldering one jack at 350c and another at 400c. at 350 it took too long to get the wire/jack heated up and the solder kept just balling up on the iron. on the 400c attempt it melted fine and all but i couldnt get it to stick on because the wire's sleeving kept melting and getting shorted.
> 
> just to clarify, its not that the jack itself melted. The plastic (eidolic connector, 2.5mm) between the tip/rings is the part that melted. the metal itself is obviously just fine.



Really shouldn't have to go above 350c to solder, especially if you've got the right size solder tip.


----------



## ScornDefeat

shrimants said:


> i tried soldering one jack at 350c and another at 400c. at 350 it took too long to get the wire/jack heated up and the solder kept just balling up on the iron. on the 400c attempt it melted fine and all but i couldnt get it to stick on because the wire's sleeving kept melting and getting shorted.
> 
> just to clarify, its not that the jack itself melted. The plastic (eidolic connector, 2.5mm) between the tip/rings is the part that melted. the metal itself is obviously just fine.



400c is way higher than what should be necessary for this application and is approaching the point where damage can be done.

What solder are you using?

A decent, leaded eutetic solder is the easiest to work with (by quite a bit) and melts below 200c usually.


----------



## doctorjuggles

Just wanted to post a warning to all the DIYers in this thread.

I recently purchased a rather expensive modular connector (similar to the Dunu interlocking ones) for a cable build
This is the item in question:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000818042246.html






It's a Hakugei and it's from Chitty's Store

My issues started when I contacted them to say that the contact pins were attached to a loose plastic sheath that needed to be static and the whole mechanism was poorly designed and wouldn't work. Their reply was to say they'd contacted the manufacture and I should just glue it.
That's right. Glue to correct the design flaw of a £92 termination.

Anyway, after glueing the product and when the cable I needed for the build finally arrived (from a different store) I was outside of the return window, but I thought it would be fine as I still wanted the product.

Having wired and soldered everything in place, I was trying to get the polarities right using my multimeter and it turns out the pins inside the connector don't even make contact with the jack itself properly! Only half of the contacts were live.

Having contacted the store, they insisted I'd soldered it incorrectly.

I supplied them with this video to show that the soldering was fine and that their product was the problem, not my soldering:
Here's the video - you can see all four wires flowing properly (streamable video link)

I've sent them this information, they've since ignored me.

Make sure you don't give this company your business as they're extremely rude and ESPECIALLY avoid this expensive waste-of-time product too.

Happy to answer any questions on this. Thanks for reading  
Hopefully I save a few of you out there from this mistake.


----------



## Stan2112

dotashope said:


> Hi idk if you already did the mod but I'd strongly advice you to replace the 3 wires from the cable with a Mogami or something else. I think the wires are litz. It is incredibly hard to get a clean tin on them. I'd just desolder them and replace with other easier to work wires. I struggled a lot to tin them.


Hi, thanks, yes, I'll be replacing all that I can with the 2893.


----------



## shrimants

ok, took your guys' advice and set my soldering iron as low as it would go. 200C. it wont even melt rosin core leaded solder at that point. increased to 225, same sort of thing but it did start to melt the solder. 250 seems to be the lowest i can go without having to sit there holding perfectly still for 20-30 seconds waiting for parts to heat up.

I bought some 2.5mm female to male TRRS adaptery things on amazon because i wasnt about to place yet another order at DHC just to have them ship it after 2 weeks of twiddling their thumbs. the parts are horrifically bad and WAY too temp sensitive.

Also, while I was able to tin the wires on the amazon chinesium adapters, the DHC cable's sleeve immediately melted right off of the copper wire before the solder could even melt.

So i'm not counting this as my own failure, I think this cable is just really terrible quality with its sleeving. It would probably do a heck of a lot better with some crimp action or something. And the eidolic connectors are similarly horrifically bad. the plastic part that separates the tip/ring/sleeve is what melts away.

Also, weirdly enough, the solder refuses to stick on the DHC cable. its just balling up and falling off no matter how long i hold the soldering iron on it, and by the time the copper gets hot enough to start wicking, the sleeve itself melts.


----------



## dotashope

Also, weirdly enough, the solder refuses to stick on the DHC cable. its just balling up and falling off no matter how long i hold the soldering iron on it, and by the time the copper gets hot enough to start wicking, the sleeve itself melts.
[/QUOTE]
Are you using their 4 core litz wire? It's litz so theres enamel coating(if I remember correctly) on each strand. You'll need a solder pot in order to work with litz wires. Flux then dip for couple seconds and you'll get a perfectly tinned wire. And also I'd suggest to go higher temperature to get a fast joint. Prolonged heat will damage the parts. You should be able to finish within seconds.


----------



## imas69

shrimants said:


> ok, took your guys' advice and set my soldering iron as low as it would go. 200C. it wont even melt rosin core leaded solder at that point. increased to 225, same sort of thing but it did start to melt the solder. 250 seems to be the lowest i can go without having to sit there holding perfectly still for 20-30 seconds waiting for parts to heat up.
> 
> I bought some 2.5mm female to male TRRS adaptery things on amazon because i wasnt about to place yet another order at DHC just to have them ship it after 2 weeks of twiddling their thumbs. the parts are horrifically bad and WAY too temp sensitive.
> 
> ...


It must be litz wire and the Eidolic connectors are probably the easiest to work with than any others.


----------



## nobi_one

Hi all, just starting out my diy cable endeavours.
Aiming to work with silver plated copper litz wires, or even trying out silver litz down the road
But was wondering if I needed to be using a silver solder? Or would the standard 60/40 tin/lead solder be recommended?
Would there be any sonic audible differences between the two?
Sounds silly I know but it's a question bugging me and if I'm already doing this, might as well do it well 😁👍

Thanks in advance!!


----------



## dontfeedphils

nobi_one said:


> Hi all, just starting out my diy cable endeavours.
> Aiming to work with silver plated copper litz wires, or even trying out silver litz down the road
> But was wondering if I needed to be using a silver solder? Or would the standard 60/40 tin/lead solder be recommended?
> Would there be any sonic audible differences between the two?
> ...



No difference. Just go with a 63/37 tin-lead alloy and a no clean flux.


----------



## Mozbach

arksez said:


> Just got a pair of sundaras and is in the process of making a 2.5mm balanced cable so I can use it on the Fiio K3. Does it matter which wire is negative/positive?
> 
> https://imgur.com/a/QS2uKZh
> 
> Does this look correct, or does the Right Positive (blue line) go to the tip as well (i.e. both rings are redundant?)


 Hi @arkez
whats really got me confused is how the wires run between a single 2.5mm TRRS male jack to 2 separate 3.5MM TRS plugs (i.e. the headphone males), which is common for a 2.5mm jack 3.5mm plug balanced cables? So does the L+ (Tip) and R+ (Ring1) on the 2.5mm connect to Tips of the 3.5mm headphone plugs respectively and the L- (Ring2) and R- (Sleeve) connect to the 'Sleeves' of the 3.5mm headphone plugs respectively?  If thats the case, there is no ground wires connecting the 2.5mm to the two 3.5mm jacks? 

Sorry but i'm a newbie, just trying to fig stuff out!  Thanks for the patience


----------



## Mozbach

arksez said:


> Just a quick update. All soldered and working. Basically converted a 2 pin to a TRS for the headset pin out as the 2-pin was readily available online. So basically dismantled that and did a bit of resoldering. A little tricky given I've never done a 16 core before
> 
> 
> 
> Can definitely say that somehow I think it sounds even cleaner on the Sundara! Thanks for the advice everyone. PS. Red ribbon is to remind me which one is the Right Channel (need to think of a more fashionable solution)  And yes that's a DIY microphone mount.


 Hi,

Can you please explain the wiring connections between the 2.5mm plug (goes into amp) and the 2 3.5mm headphone jacks. Bit confused about the TRRS (L,+L-, R+,R-) to TRS (??) part


----------



## doctorjuggles

arksez said:


> Red ribbon is to remind me which one is the Right Channel (need to think of a more fashionable solution)



I know it's a while ago and I only noticed because this has just been quoted but this might be of some use to you.....
https://www.firemountaingems.com/shop/oh_ring-jumprings


----------



## dotashope

Hi all, I'm looking for some tips here. Does anyone know a good 18 awg clear jacket wire that is soft and flexible? I got the Vanguard Acoustic (https://www.ebay.com/itm/10m-Vangua...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649) ones and they are stiff like a plate, the thick individual wires twisted into a strand makes it feel more like a solid core. 
Also, does anyone know a good connector for Beyer T1? I looked around and found non that is either slim enough for designed for recessed sockets. Thanks!


----------



## imas69

dotashope said:


> Hi all, I'm looking for some tips here. Does anyone know a good 18 awg clear jacket wire that is soft and flexible? I got the Vanguard Acoustic (https://www.ebay.com/itm/10m-Vanguard-Acoustics-0-75mm-square-6N-OCC-copper-wire-DIY-Hi-Fi-Audio-cable/132774971817?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649) ones and they are stiff like a plate, the thick individual wires twisted into a strand makes it feel more like a solid core.
> Also, does anyone know a good connector for Beyer T1? I looked around and found non that is either slim enough for designed for recessed sockets. Thanks!


https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/wire-and-cable
https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/eidolic-3-5mm-extended

Hope this helps.


----------



## dotashope

imas69 said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/wire-and-cable
> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/eidolic-3-5mm-extended
> 
> Hope this helps.


Thanks! The specs there is a little confusing so I'll email them for specifics. Btw, do you know any that is located in the US as well? Thanks again.


----------



## dontfeedphils

dotashope said:


> Thanks! The specs there is a little confusing so I'll email them for specifics. Btw, do you know any that is located in the US as well? Thanks again.



https://doublehelixcables.com/eidolic-connectors-accessories/


----------



## Progisus

dontfeedphils said:


> https://doublehelixcables.com/eidolic-connectors-accessories/


For some reason they cancelled my order and refunded for eidolic 3.5mm and 2 pin connectors. No explanation given.


----------



## imas69

Progisus said:


> For some reason they cancelled my order and refunded for eidolic 3.5mm and 2 pin connectors. No explanation given.


Yep, I've always found them incredibly slow with no communication


----------



## dontfeedphils

Norne is an option in the US too.  I've never had an issue with DHC.

http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/...etal-barrel-plug-connector?manufacturer_id=13


----------



## Progisus

dontfeedphils said:


> Norne is an option in the US too.  I've never had an issue with DHC.
> 
> http://www.norneaudio.com/litzheim/...etal-barrel-plug-connector?manufacturer_id=13


Thanks for the link. I’ll give them a try. I did get a last set from Amazon US and delivery was quick and easy to Canada. Just got my EA Ares II repaired today. I needed a 2 pin connector.


----------



## Joe Garfield

Hi guys,
About to make my 1st cable for K712. I noticed people recommend quad mic cable even for cans with unbalanced, single entry. My question is, why doesn’t this create a ground loop? 

K702/k712 use mini 3 pin xlr. A shielded 3-conductor cable would have a single ground for 2 channels, plus shield grounded at one end. Using a 4th conductor grounded at either end is just a parallel ground, so nothing but a loop it seems.

I’m thinking I might just leave one conductor disconnected, but then cable is thicker than necessary, although maybe still nice for memory properties?

I ultimately decided on mini star quad since that’s what Mogami uses in their trs headphone extensions, so “it must be right” lol. Even though I bought Canare cable 

Thanks for any comments or thoughts.


----------



## Joe Garfield

I found Canare’s Star quad wiring diagram:
http://www.canare.com/UploadedDocuments/Cat11_p35.pdf

Interestingly, it looks like they use the shield as “ground”.


----------



## Joe Garfield (Jul 24, 2020)

...it's because they're meant for balanced connections. Each twisted pair (2 cores) is designed to collect an equal amount of noise as the opposing 2 cores, to allow the 'balance' to equally filter out the noise. So the star quad is for single channel (+ -) with shield.

Mogami's 'headphone extension cable' is for balanced mono extension.

This is so screwed up - I just looked at Hosa's 'pro' headphone extension. Their cut sheet shows a 2-conductor OFC cable with a 90% OFC shield. So both channels use the lesser quality OFC braided shield as a common ground. Doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of using quality conductors? If we're going to be so picky about conductor, why on earth would we send the signal through a braided shield with different resistance properties? Audio signal is AC!


----------



## Enkb

Hi all,

Do you remember the wonderful adjustable jacks on the Sennheiser Momentum?
Anyone have an aliexpress link to those? or something on the same principle, adjustable rotation jack. I managed to find only 8 pieces in a package.

Link to the lot:
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32833056352.html

Also can someone please link some cheap modular jack adapters? The ones where you can screw in different connectors, 2.5 3.5 etc..?


----------



## BowWazoo

BowWazoo said:


> i tried to build a usb-c audio cable for my px7. but unfortunately it does not work.
> 
> does anyone have any idea where the fault is?



Next try:






I can't get it to run.


----------



## DecentLevi

Resurrecting a few semi-old posts since I have a DIY pair of Neotech Nei 2001 RCA cables incoming with top RCA connectors.


teknorob23 said:


> Yes sorry i should have suggested these before. I have used the RCA connectors and they're quite a revelation for the price. I did some experimenting over the Xmas break trying to make cable for £50ish that could compete with £200 shop cable. Someone recomended these as being very close to KLE plugs with conductors made from the same Tellurium Copper coated with gold, silver of rhodium. I found the silver versions to sound really good with Neotech NEI 3002 mk3 copper hybrid UPOCC cable which is about 10.6mm, the combination is fantastic for the cash.
> 
> Re the AECO XLRs i think the model number only varies according the plating used, otherwise they're all the same. You can buy them on amazon in the UK.
> 
> Let me know how you get on


So is this a Neotech NEI 3002 mk3 copper hybrid UPOCC cable right, and with which Aeco RCA connectors? And is this your current favorite?


chrisdrop said:


> DIY cable compare time...
> 
> Thanks to @teknorob23's adventures, help and advice I made RCA interconnects for my office; Neotech NEI 3004 copper interconnect cable + Aeco silver-plated connectors. The office setup was moving from cheapo-£5-amazon-special RCAs, so I will say immediately, they were absolutely noticeably much better. They were so enjoyable at work, I felt the need to bring them home and compare vs my main interconnects; ETI Research Plugs mentioned above with NEI-1002 UP-OCC Silver Cable.
> 
> ...



Hi again Chris, so it would seem you preferred the ETI Research Plugs with NEI-1002 UP-OCC Silver Cable, right? Have you tried the silver Neotech NEI 2001 cable?


----------



## chrisdrop

_>>Resurrecting a few semi-old posts since I have a DIY pair of Neotech Nei 2001 RCA cables incoming with top RCA connectors.<<_

They should be great. I haven't used Neotech NEI 2001. I forget why I didn't pick it at some point. I like the ETI Research plugs, but 1) they are expensive, 2) they are tiny/fiddly and I was a worse solderer then compared to now. I just thought the Aeco plugs were good value for performance. I also thought the NEI-3002 was good value for money. I don't think copper/silver plated is generally good TBH also, so - anomaly? 

My "favourite" is still silver cables + ETI, but the cable was a lot more expensive. I made short cables, and when my setup moved around, I needed longer ones. I didn't feel like spending a boatload on more silver + ETI cables. 

This is my list of Neotech 'stuff'. I just checked my hificollective orders. I think there is more for my headphone cables... I got that cable from a different vendor I think. 

*Neotech NEP-3160 UP-OCC Copper Mains Cable w/ MS HD Power  connectors*
*Neotech NEI-1002 UP-OCC Silver Interconnect Cable (0.25m) / ETI Research Kryo RCA Plugs (pk of 4)*
*Neotech NEI-3004: Copper Interconnect Cable *
*Neotech NEI-3002 MKIII, UP-OCC Copper Interconnect Cable*


----------



## teknorob23

DecentLevi said:


> Resurrecting a few semi-old posts since I have a DIY pair of Neotech Nei 2001 RCA cables incoming with top RCA connectors.
> 
> So is this a Neotech NEI 3002 mk3 copper hybrid UPOCC cable right, and with which Aeco RCA connectors? And is this your current favorite?
> 
> Hi again Chris, so it would seem you preferred the ETI Research Plugs with NEI-1002 UP-OCC Silver Cable, right? Have you tried the silver Neotech NEI 2001 cable?



Just to Chuck my 2 penneth in, IMO also
The silver upocc is a significant step up over the copper silver hybrid. The aeco connectors are a good value alternative to kle but not quite as good and the ETI kryos are better than both. They’re also one of the few connectors out there which will accommodate the Nei 1002’s ridiculously wide girth.


----------



## Benny-x

I'm hoping someone might be able to tell me the name of a custom headphone mod company/website they've had good experience with. 

There was a site I found in the past 6 months, I think in Eastern Europe, that do all kinds of crazy mods, fully custom ear pads and headbands, etc. but I can't remember the name for the life of me. 

What I want to do is replace all the detachable cable connectors on 4 pairs of headphones with Abyss style mini 3-pin XLR jacks. The best I like are Amphenol AG3MCC. 
1. HiFiMAN - HE-6 (original, 4-screw)
2. McIntosh - MHP1000
3. Pioneer - SE Master-1
4. JVC - DX1000

Thanks for the help.


----------



## barbz127

I'm wanting to wire up a 1/4" TRS male to a 4 ping XLR.

I have 2 and 4 core wire on hand; should I:

1. Use dual core, one for tip, one for ring and use the cable shield for ground - in the xlr connector join the two ground pins together and leave the xlr shield disconnected

2. Use quad core, one for tip, one for ring and two for ground - both ground cores connect to the shield of the 1/4". XLR shield connects to the cable sheild which is disconnected at the 1/4" end.

3. Something completely different.

Thankyou


----------



## Benny-x

Benny-x said:


> I'm hoping someone might be able to tell me the name of a custom headphone mod company/website they've had good experience with.
> 
> There was a site I found in the past 6 months, I think in Eastern Europe, that do all kinds of crazy mods, fully custom ear pads and headbands, etc. but I can't remember the name for the life of me.
> 
> ...



Crazy, custom earpads. Not too many companies that do those, which is how I found those posts I was thinking of before. 

https://vesperaudio.com/ is the company I was trying to remember. Seems they're Russian, so, not really Eastern Europe, but I had the right direction going. 

Still would appreciate any other recommendations from anyone about other companies I could send my headphones to.


----------



## koike

Hi guys, just hoping that you guys can help here.
I have been out of the game for awhile and recently got back.
Wanted to make a cable with a certain aesthetic but forgot how to recreate this braid.
Can someone tell me either the name or help me with a tutorial for this?
This is the particular look, I've searched for flat braid or ribbon braid but it is not it.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

I seem to recall an old thread about Jena Labs and their braiding/weaving technique, might be worth a search.


----------



## koike

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> I seem to recall an old thread about Jena Labs and their braiding/weaving technique, might be worth a search.
> [/QU



thank you! I’ll try searching for it!


----------



## dotashope

koike said:


> thank you! I’ll try searching for it!


Take the right most wire, up, down, up, down through the wires. Rinse and repeat.


----------



## wormsdriver

Hi guys, I'm hoping I can get some help here. Can you guys recommend me a place to buy heat shrink like this?
I'm talking about the one going above the y-split.





Now that I think about, I could also use a nice thick piece like they use for the y-split also in these two examples.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Wirecare.com or ebay. I recommend dual-wall with adhesive for the Y-split, and single-wall non-adhesive for the cable above the Y-split.


----------



## wormsdriver

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> Wirecare.com or ebay. I recommend dual-wall with adhesive for the Y-split, and single-wall non-adhesive for the cable above the Y-split.


Thanks man! I'll check out wirecare.com later today when I wake up, so far looks like the right place! Again, thanks!


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Sure! I've spent thousands with them over the years, very good company with a huge selection of sleeving and heatshrink. You can get stuff cheaper from eBay but the quality is generally not as good. Sometimes they have freebies with certain purchase levels if you subscribe to their email, FWIW.


----------



## BowWazoo (Aug 29, 2020)

Please delete


----------



## niotio910 (Aug 30, 2020)

Hi folks, I have some spare coper wires, and I'm planning to do my own IEM cable (with 4.4 mm balanced + .78 2pin connectors) by myself for the first time. I just want to ask if there's any chance that I break my IEM if I will do any stupid mistake like wrong placing +/-/ground wire ?


----------



## imas69

Very unlikely


----------



## niotio910

imas69 said:


> Very unlikely


Cool thanks!


----------



## kwatch

I'm trying to build 3 pin XLR cables for my DAC/AMP.
I decided to use Neutrik NC3MXX-B 3 Pin Male and Neutrik NC3FXX-B 3 Pin Female. Please recommend me a good cables.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

DHLabs makes a good balanced interconnect cable: https://silversonic.com/products/bulk-wire-and-cable/


----------



## ScornDefeat

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> DHLabs makes a good balanced interconnect cable: https://silversonic.com/products/bulk-wire-and-cable/



I use the same ones from DH Labs and can definitely recommend.


----------



## kwatch

ScornDefeat said:


> I use the same ones from DH Labs and can definitely recommend.


Which model?


----------



## ScornDefeat

kwatch said:


> Which model?



I use the BL-1, which is the most versatile for analogue interconnects IMO


----------



## kwatch

ScornDefeat said:


> I use the BL-1, which is the most versatile for analogue interconnects IMO


How flexible is it? DAC and headphone AMP will be stacked together, so the cable length will be less than a foot.


----------



## wormsdriver

Hi guys,
Does anyone know what pinout Moon Audio uses on their mini 4 pin xlr adapter system?
I bought a used headphone that was hardwired by Moon Audio with a dragon cable and it's terminated with a mini 4pin xlr. I want to make an adapter but I need to know the pinout. 
T.I.A.


----------



## Saturnian

Use a continuity test on a multimeter and you will find the correct pin out


----------



## Benno1988

Recommendations on a decent quad cable? Even something silver plated?

Basically a step up from the standard Mogami / Canare quad cable in sound and softness?


----------



## Benno1988

In additon to the above question.

When companies like Moon do the slit to cup in what looks like just heat shrinked wire, is there a spec of heat shrink that is softer/more flexible for this purpose? Or just aim for a single wall, non-adhesive lined one?


----------



## dropadred (Sep 30, 2020)

Deleted


----------



## viivo (Oct 1, 2020)

Posted in the intro forum but no replies, so trying here:

The left 3.5mm jack on my Beyer Amirons separated from the two wires with no indication of which went where. Would both L and R 3.5mm jacks be wired the same -- black to -, white to + as the right one is, or should one be wired differently? Would like to be certain before soldering.

edit: remembered I have a multimeter. Surely that can help in determining polarity? Or does that only matter at the driver end?

Thanks.


----------



## Benno1988

Just use the continuity feature.


----------



## Saturnian

Use a continuity test and the tip of the amp plug will be L+ and the sleeve will be L-


----------



## viivo (Oct 1, 2020)

I tried in continuity mode but the MM only beeps and flashes a red light with no reading.

I should have laid out the question more simply. Hopefully the picture helps.



Should both of the jacks here be wired the same way (white to + and black to -)?


----------



## Benno1988

The continuity test usually just beeps yeah? Doesn't take a reading, just beeps to say "yes, that's the same wire" or stays silent when it's not. No?


----------



## viivo

Benno1988 said:


> The continuity test usually just beeps yeah? Doesn't take a reading, just beeps to say "yes, that's the same wire" or stays silent when it's not. No?



Looked at the MM's manual, says  in continuity, when the resistance is <30 the indicator turns green, and <60 it turns red. Don't know what that means for + and -


----------



## Fat Larry (Oct 1, 2020)

Reading the last few posts got me wondering. I have a set of piston 3's that the cat has chewed the cable on and i'd like to re-terminate the wires onto a new jack. Is there a mode on a multi meter that will help me work out what wire is for what?

There's four wires in the main cable, super thin and some of them look like they have the earth wire wrapped around the outside of them.


----------



## Benno1988

viivo said:


> Looked at the MM's manual, says  in continuity, when the resistance is <30 the indicator turns green, and <60 it turns red. Don't know what that means for + and -



When the two ends your putting the multimeter on, in continuity mode, are not connected, there is infinite resistance and it won't beep. If they are connected, there is little resistance, and it beeps.



Fat Larry said:


> Reading the last few posts got me wondering. I have a set of piston 3's that the cat has chewed the cable on and i'd like to re-terminate the wires onto a new jack. Is there a mode on a multi meter that will help me work out what wire is for what?
> 
> There's four wires in the main cable, super thin and some of them look like they have the earth wire wrapped around the outside of them.



As above. Continuity mode. If it beeps they are connected.


----------



## Fat Larry

Benno1988 said:


> When the two ends your putting the multimeter on, in continuity mode, are not connected, there is infinite resistance and it won't beep. If they are connected, there is little resistance, and it beeps.
> 
> 
> 
> As above. Continuity mode. If it beeps they are connected.



That would help me find the circuits sure but is there a way to say, make a speaker make noise so i'd know which is which?

I the way to test is to solder them up to a jack and see if that thing works.


----------



## viivo

Fat Larry said:


> That would help me find the circuits sure but is there a way to say, make a speaker make noise so i'd know which is which?



After it's connected to a source? Try https://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php


----------



## 3ggerhappy

So the cable parts have all arrived with my first venture into diy hp cables, decided to try some random cables on this project namely as follows:





1.) Van Den Hul Flexicon B4 - 1st attempt pretty good sounding lows and mids, but the problem is in the highs it lacks some sparkle and treble extension compared to the stock cable. The lack of extension is clearly noticeable. So got a question, I think I have soldered it decently enough(I think ), so im asking if the solder(how i soldered it) or perhaps the quality of the solder itself(just used some local brands not some fancy cardas stuff) has something to do on how the sound turned out?




2.) Van Den Hul D502 - 2nd attempt, these cable is one i think a step up from the stock cable and is one I am happy with. Balanced sound and pretty airy stage. I am actually quite surprised as this is the one cable I have least expectations because it has the most capacitance out of the 3(and the cable is to be used for Turn Tables interconnects or wirings according to the manufacturer).



3.) Viablue ePC-2 Silver - sounds meh IMO, needs some more listening. For now I am enjoying the 2nd one.


----------



## Benno1988

Awesome dude!

How do you find the Viablue splitter?


----------



## Fat Larry

I finally found some android mics. Looking at the internals i can see why people don't want them on high end cables, this one really is inline. I still will try to build a cable using separate wires for the mic and right bud. The cable layout might get a bit weird.


----------



## imas69

3ggerhappy said:


> So the cable parts have all arrived with my first venture into diy hp cables, decided to try some random cables on this project namely as follows:
> 
> 
> 1.) Van Den Hul Flexicon B4 - 1st attempt pretty good sounding lows and mids, but the problem is in the highs it lacks some sparkle and treble extension compared to the stock cable. The lack of extension is clearly noticeable. So got a question, I think I have soldered it decently enough(I think ), so im asking if the solder(how i soldered it) or perhaps the quality of the solder itself(just used some local brands not some fancy cardas stuff) has something to do on how the sound turned out?
> ...


It's probably more to do with the wire quality than the solder/ing, nice work though, please tell me where you got the small gold splitter, thanks in advance


----------



## 3ggerhappy

Benno1988 said:


> Awesome dude!
> 
> How do you find the Viablue splitter?



It was nice aesthetically and pretty light too. The output hole was bit big though have to stack a couple of heat shrink as filling along with the sleeving to accomodate the locking screws.


----------



## 3ggerhappy

imas69 said:


> It's probably more to do with the wire quality than the solder/ing, nice work though, please tell me where you got the small gold splitter, thanks in advance



Thanks, the gold splitter is from plussoundaudio. Now I will be trying braided wires, I already have 8 wires of Van Den Hul SCS 28. We'll see how it sound.


----------



## Craftsman1511

3ggerhappy said:


> Thanks, the gold splitter is from plussoundaudio. Now I will be trying braided wires, I already have 8 wires of Van Den Hul SCS 28. We'll see how it sound.



Looking forward to seeing how it turns out!


----------



## Chaz1952

*RE: : 4.4mm balanced "Pentaconn" to MMCX wiring*

Hi.  Searched this thread for information on wiring the above: but no luck. The plug is TRRRS, the MMCX has a middle core, which I assume is (+) and an outer ring (-)?  Trying to figure out wire(s) would be positive, what would be negative and what goes to the ground. 

Thanks!


----------



## doctorjuggles

Yeah the core is +ve and the outer ring is - ve

Then on the 4.4mm you have R+ / R- / L+ / L- for the TRRR and the sleeve is ground if required


----------



## Chaz1952 (Oct 15, 2020)

doctorjuggles said:


> Yeah the core is +ve and the outer ring is - ve
> 
> Then on the 4.4mm you have R+ / R- / L+ / L- for the TRRR and the sleeve is ground if required



Thanks.  I was able to trace continuity with a multi-meter and got these results: 



The TRRR on my cable seems to be the same as I've found on several online Pentaconn diagrams.  What I'm confused about is why only the R(-) is grounded to Sleeve on the 4.4mm connector.


----------



## VonBoedfeld

Anyone knows a good source for pure silver litz ?


----------



## chezzer

Try Ian at cosmic cables, they seem to have everything


----------



## VonBoedfeld

chezzer said:


> Try Ian at cosmic cables, they seem to have everything


Thanks!
Already found this: https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/pure-silver-24awg
Think price is OK.


----------



## chezzer

VonBoedfeld said:


> Thanks!
> Already found this: https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/pure-silver-24awg
> Think price is OK.


You're welcome


----------



## VonBoedfeld

Is there an extra thread regarding connectors?


----------



## chezzer

VonBoedfeld said:


> Is there an extra thread regarding connectors?


What do you need to know


----------



## VonBoedfeld

chezzer said:


> What do you need to know


I need some good 2.5mm and 3.5mm connectors, but dont want to pay the price of the furutechs.
There are many at aliexpress, but dont know if these are worth.
Thought there is a thread about connectors where i can get some informations.


----------



## chezzer

try aeco or eidolic, not sure of the thread


----------



## VonBoedfeld

Does someone knows these plugs from CEMA Audio:
https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1000007901246.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.15522e0ecrG9k9


----------



## Karister

Hi,

I would like to make my first cable and I have a few newbie questions.  I own 6.3mm TRS Viablue plug:





and two 3.5mm TRS plugs:





How do I solder it properly? AFAIK in 6.3mm plug Tip is for L channel, Ring is for R channel and Sleeve is for return signals. I am confused about mini jacks as they are 3-pole too. How do I connect them to big jack? Do I ignore one pole? Will such cable work with all headphones that accept 3.5mm jacks? I saw TS and TRS mini jacks in various headphones. Not sure what point of three poles in headphone plug is.


----------



## Benno1988

Those who have made balanced cables using a sheilded quad cable. Assuming you remove the shield from the split up to the cups. Do you retain the shield from the split to the plug, and if so, so you solder it to the Ground lug on the XLR, or just cut it short and heatshrink it?


----------



## DenverW

Does anyone have any experience using damping material in a power cord?  Such as using fine steel shot  like was used in the old audio dynamics power 3 cord?  Just curious if there was a cheap source somewhere.


----------



## Benno1988

Anyone got a link for decent quality OCC strands, like 22-24awg ? That isn't as expensive as like the Forza / DHC type gear?


----------



## chezzer

You could try here or ask, I bought some hybrid wire that was not on the website
https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/wire-and-cable


----------



## pardonpardon (Oct 30, 2020)

I have perhaps a very stupid question. I'm in the midst of building my very first IEM cable. Sourced 5 meters of UP-OCC 7N Copper from Aliexpress. I'm really liking these Eidolic 3.5 jacks, but I can only get balanced ones. Can I use balanced jacks as unbalanced? Will it change anything? I cannot seem to find a direct answer to this.

Edit: solved, was actually able to source a single ended black Eidolic 3.5 for 8euros.

I'm now looking for MMCX pins that would fit the design of the Eidolic plug, I found these which I really like, very simple, straight and geometric, but I'm a bit skeptic about the beryllium claim. Any pointers?
https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/4000809011764.html

Any MMCX pins with the same design I could get elsewhere?


----------



## BowWazoo

Here my pimped version of the Cardas Clear


----------



## BowWazoo

Here my favourite





Made from a B&W Signature Cable


----------



## Sunstealer

VonBoedfeld said:


> Does someone knows these plugs from CEMA Audio:
> https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1000007901246.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.15522e0ecrG9k9


I have used CEMA jacks, connectors and splitters and they are great. The landing zones for soldering are nice and wide, especially the 4.4mm. You could ask the vendor to take  a picture of the inside of the 2.5mm plug for reference. One thing though - they do not have a cinch inside to hold the cable. You will need to use heat shrink.


----------



## VonBoedfeld

Sunstealer said:


> I have used CEMA jacks, connectors and splitters and they are great. The landing zones for soldering are nice and wide, especially the 4.4mm. You could ask the vendor to take  a picture of the inside of the 2.5mm plug for reference. One thing though - they do not have a cinch inside to hold the cable. You will need to use heat shrink.


Thanks for the info. That sounds good!
Do you know where to get a 6.35mm plug marching regarding design and quality?


----------



## Sunstealer

I don't I'm afraid. Ask the guy @CEMA, he might have one?


----------



## chezzer

Just bought some litz occ copper wire from cosmic cables for 0.90p a metre, bargain, wasn't on the site but I asked and he said he had this that was going in the clearance section, I'll let you know what it's like when it arrives, in case anyone is interested.


----------



## Benno1988

What gauge?


----------



## pardonpardon

I contacted Ian right after I read your post, and he told everything was sold out unfortunately. Would have loved to get my hands on 10 meters of those. Did you buy it all? What gauge where these?


----------



## chezzer

24 AWG, no, I bought 16 metres


----------



## pardonpardon

Does anyone know where to source good/premium quality jacks and MMCX/2PINS internals without the housing? Pic related.
Of course there is a bunch of these on AliExpress. But perhaps there are some with a better quality out there?


----------



## Nolbert0

I've had a feeble attempt at searching this 657 page thread but I'm having no luck. Can somebody explain to me Sony's 3.5mm trrs connectors they have on full sized cans like 1AM2? There seems to be both single-ended and balanced cables for those headphones that seems to plug into the same 3.5mm socket and got a bit curious. Is it 'backwards compatible' with single-ended trs to trs cable (as in a regular aux cable)? If it is, I'm toying with the idea of modding my K712 to fit the 3.5mm trrs plug as it appears to be the most convenient and versatile solution for a detachable cable. Any thoughts?

Besides, that, what are people here's preferred balanced connectors for attaching cables to headphones?

Thanks in advance,
Nol


----------



## Nolbert0

edit: double post


----------



## chezzer

Do a continuity test on your stock cable and then make your cable the same way


----------



## Nolbert0

I don't own the 1AM2, just the K712, unfortunately so not possible. Hence asking here.


----------



## MichielS (Nov 15, 2020)

Nolbert0 said:


> I don't own the 1AM2, just the K712, unfortunately so not possible. Hence asking here.


Just measured it, I will modify my Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro the same way. I only need one cable.
Sony MDR-1A and 1AM2 cable pinout from input 3.5mm to output 4.4mm and output 3.5mm;
T   R   R  S    ///   T   R  R  R   S   ///   T  R   S
L+ R+ R- L-   ///   L+ L- R+ R- E   ///    L+ R+ (L-R-)


----------



## Nolbert0

Ah. So if you plug a regular TRS into Sony's TRRS, both L- and R- from TRRS should be in contact with the Stem of the TRS? If so, Sony's 3.5mm TRRS seems 'backwads compatible' with the regular single ended stereo jack. Correct?


----------



## MichielS

Nolbert0 said:


> Ah. So if you plug a regular TRS into Sony's TRRS, both L- and R- from TRRS should be in contact with the Stem of the TRS? If so, Sony's 3.5mm TRRS seems 'backwads compatible' with the regular single ended stereo jack. Correct?



Yes, even if you take a cable with single ended connections on both sides it stil works.


----------



## Nolbert0

Awesome. That settles it. My cans are getting hacked. Thanks so much for your help.


----------



## MichielS

No problem. Have fun with it!


----------



## VonBoedfeld

Does anyone have experience with the following summer cables:

Sommer Cable SC-Albedo MKII: https://www.thomann.de/gb/sommer_cable_scalbedo_mkii.htm
Sommer Cable SC-Silver Stage: https://shop.sommercable.com/Kabel/Meterware-Audio/Mikrofonkabel-SC-Silver-Stage-200-0011.html


----------



## Nolbert0

ok... I've just been looking for a nice 4 pole 3.5mm female connector for said mod but I can't seem to find any that aren't cheap eBay janky-ness. All the nice ones like Neutrik and Switchcraft I found are all 3 pole. Anybody had any luck with finding a 4 pole counterpart?


----------



## chezzer

https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/eidolic-3-5mm-trrs-1


----------



## Nolbert0

chezzer said:


> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/eidolic-3-5mm-trrs-1


I know the male 4 pole 3.5mm are around but I need the female as it is for the headphone itself, not the cable. Thanks for the quick reply, tho


----------



## VonBoedfeld

10% BF off at Cosmic Cables: https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/


----------



## MichielS

On AliExpress are a couple 4 pole ones.
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005001463811799.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.7cee3c00MKPVjH&mp=1


----------



## pardonpardon

I'd like to build myself a Lightning to Micro USB decoding cable for hooking my iPhone to my Sonata HD Pro. Here's one made by Penon Audio to hook up a Mojo to and iPhone. I can't seem to find any pointers on how to build one. Any directions would be more than welcome!


----------



## jaaibananzu

Hello everyone 

I soldered some simple speaker cables some time ago, now I want some headphone cable.
A few quetions:

I'm unsure between taking the neotech stdct 24 awg or the NECE-/NECH-3001.
All of them only use teflon- or pvc-insulation.

Is that a problem in 99 % of the use cases? Electrical interference as wifi etc. or near power sources/cables.  
I'm looking at all the headphone/iem-cables and all of them have a simple pvc insulation without heavy shielding.

Alternative would be a neotech NEI-3004, but I'm unsure if this will fit into a mini-xlr rean connector Ø 8.5mm
Probably would have to chop off some of the connector :=)
Is that actually a cable for headphones or only for interconnects?

Are there good alternatives, quality- and price-wise, to the neotech OCC cables?

Thanks!


----------



## KamijoIsMyHero

I am thinking of creating some super short XLR interconnects. Can I use regular headphone wires (I have some laying around) or do I need a specific wire for shielding?


----------



## Kento6395

Yesterday I ordered late interconnect xlr nordost heimdall , I intend to use it to make a headphone cable, When I finished the experiment I found it to be great, maybe because the copper cross-section is bigger than a normal headphone cable.

I use it with the LCD 3


----------



## tototoru

Hello, first timer here. I want to make a braided cable with 8 wires for Sundaras, I found this listing and want to use all 4 colors to achieve something like this cable, but I'm not sure if it's legit, did any one ordered from this store before? also how much wire does braiding takes from the length? is there a formula?


----------



## dotashope

Hi guys, does anyone know a source for some quality y splitters? I looked on ebay but they are way over priced. Need the LR opening a tiny bit larger than 5mm. Thanks!


----------



## chezzer

dotashope said:


> Hi guys, does anyone know a source for some quality y splitters? I looked on ebay but they are way over priced. Need the LR opening a tiny bit larger than 5mm. Thanks!


Y cable splitters | cosmic-cables.co.uk United Kingdom custom made hea (cosmic-cables.co.uk)


----------



## dotashope

chezzer said:


> Y cable splitters | cosmic-cables.co.uk United Kingdom custom made hea (cosmic-cables.co.uk)


Thanks! I'm aware that they carry the splitters, but I'm in the US, do you happen to know any company based in the US?


----------



## tototoru

dotashope said:


> Thanks! I'm aware that they carry the splitters, but I'm in the US, do you happen to know any company based in the US?


If you want Viablue: https://www.avoutlet.com/av-cables-connectors/custom-cable-splitters/viablue-sc2-splitter/


----------



## chezzer

dotashope said:


> Thanks! I'm aware that they carry the splitters, but I'm in the US, do you happen to know any company based in the US?


PLUSSOUND Aluminum Y-Splitters (plussoundaudio.com)


----------



## dotashope

Yep thanks a lot for the help! I got the Viablue at the end cuz the Plussound is a bit small. Thanks!


----------



## pardonpardon

I got myself a E1DA 9038S Gen 3 balanced DAC/AMP. I have all the materials at hand to make my own cable, could someone provide me with the correct wiring to make my own 2.5mm to MMCX balanced cable? Afraid to screw this one up.


----------



## chezzer

mmcx r-  to 2.5mm tip
mmcx r+ to 2.5mm ring 1
mmcx l+ to 2.5mm ring 2
mmcx l- to 2.5mm ground


----------



## chezzer

Easier to have this as a reference


----------



## pardonpardon

Thanks, I'll get cracking!

MMCX R+ in the pin, R- is where the ground would go on a non-balanced cable, right?


----------



## Lohb

Anyone in UK that can reterminate my SportaPros (ToTL cans) to a balanced cable that I have...?


----------



## SilverEars

Hi Guys, I'm looking to make a speaker taps cable for my HE-6.  So, I will be getting some wires, 4-pin XLR connector, and banana plugs for the speaker taps. 

I was wondering if I'm looking to hook up this cable to speaker taps, what's the awg of the wire would work best? 

Thanks

I'm looking to make something like below that connects to speaker amp taps with banana plugs.


----------



## WOPR

I gave the thread a search and I didn't see where someone could buy 28AWG 7N UPOCC copper wire.
Is there a place out there and will they let you choose the insulation color?


----------



## jimbop54

Sub’d


----------



## jjflemin

I have been wanting to make a modular cable system and was wondering if anyone has experience using something besides male and female mini-xlr. They are a bit bulky when together and I would prefer something a bit more sleek. Any idea how something like a yc8 connector would work? 

Example: YC8


----------



## pardonpardon

jjflemin said:


> I have been wanting to make a modular cable system and was wondering if anyone has experience using something besides male and female mini-xlr. They are a bit bulky when together and I would prefer something a bit more sleek. Any idea how something like a yc8 connector would work?
> 
> Example: YC8



Dunu ripped off the design of a Lemo connector for their modular cable system. (Specifically the Lemo model 0b.304)
You'll find tons of chinese copies of this design on AE. Some of them are quite sleek and small.

EDIT: Yes, the YC8 would work. But you can find better and smaller.


----------



## tototoru

jjflemin said:


> I have been wanting to make a modular cable system and was wondering if anyone has experience using something besides male and female mini-xlr. They are a bit bulky when together and I would prefer something a bit more sleek. Any idea how something like a yc8 connector would work?
> 
> Example: YC8


There is also GX16 a bit more bulky but very cheap. You also can find 2.5mm TRRS male/female I don't think anything is smaller than that.


----------



## jjflemin

pardonpardon said:


> Dunu ripped off the design of a Lemo connector for their modular cable system. (Specifically the Lemo model 0b.304)
> You'll find tons of chinese copies of this design on AE. Some of them are quite sleek and small.
> 
> EDIT: Yes, the YC8 would work. But you can find better and smaller.



Awesome thank! I'll give those a look. 



tototoru said:


> There is also GX16 a bit more bulky but very cheap. You also can find 2.5mm TRRS male/female I don't think anything is smaller than that.



Definitely a bit bulky for my uses, but good to know what is out there. I've been considering 2.5mm, but think it may be a bit fragile. 4.4 is a good solution, but then the size is close to locking connectors. Major points to each of those though because then you end up with a shorter more portable wire if needed with zero adaptor necessary. I saw Currawong mention in one of his videos that he now uses most cables with 4.4 balanced and uses an adaptor for 1/4 in or xlr depending on the amp.


----------



## ohcrapgorillas

I'm making an eight-core balanced headphone cable for my ZMF Atticus and Blackwood... could someone confirm for me that all four pins in the mini-XLR receptacles are wired to the drivers, or just pins 1 and 3? I know I can get away with just using pins 1 and 3 but if I can use all four, I might as well. Just want to make 100% sure I'm not wiring things up to a dead end. I know Audeze does this, just not sure if this is how ZMFs are wired as well. Thanks!


----------



## tototoru

jjflemin said:


> Awesome thank! I'll give those a look.
> 
> 
> 
> Definitely a bit bulky for my uses, but good to know what is out there. I've been considering 2.5mm, but think it may be a bit fragile. 4.4 is a good solution, but then the size is close to locking connectors. Major points to each of those though because then you end up with a shorter more portable wire if needed with zero adaptor necessary. I saw Currawong mention in one of his videos that he now uses most cables with 4.4 balanced and uses an adaptor for 1/4 in or xlr depending on the amp.



4.4 is the future, nonetheless 2.5 as interconnect hanging in the middle of the cable it should be fine if you need the SFF.


----------



## jjflemin

ohcrapgorillas said:


> I'm making an eight-core balanced headphone cable for my ZMF Atticus and Blackwood... could someone confirm for me that all four pins in the mini-XLR receptacles are wired to the drivers, or just pins 1 and 3? I know I can get away with just using pins 1 and 3 but if I can use all four, I might as well. Just want to make 100% sure I'm not wiring things up to a dead end. I know Audeze does this, just not sure if this is how ZMFs are wired as well. Thanks!



From what I understand they just use pins 1 and 3. I have seen that some people bridge pins 2 and 4, but also heard that it doesn't do anything.


----------



## jjflemin

tototoru said:


> 4.4 is the future, nonetheless 2.5 as interconnect hanging in the middle of the cable it should be fine if you need the SFF.



Less need and more want for the aesthetic, but I am definitely leaning towards 4.4 for utility.


----------



## tototoru

jjflemin said:


> Less need and more want for the aesthetic, but I am definitely leaning towards 4.4 for utility.


Gotcha, there is another option that I remembered but took me a while to find:
https://doublehelixcables.com/product/eidolic-4-pin-sirens-series-jh-connectors-for-layla-and-more/
http://www.eachdiy.com/goods-4500.html
The female side is good, but you need to find a better male connector or DIY something.


----------



## VonBoedfeld

There is also a adapter set with plugs to exchange available:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_BSOzOG


----------



## tototoru

VonBoedfeld said:


> There is also a adapter set with plugs to exchange available:
> https://a.aliexpress.com/_BSOzOG


This is amazing, the prices are bit high though.


----------



## Benno1988 (Jan 7, 2021)

If I use 3.5mm TRS plugs for a Focal Clear, do I just bridge the R and S inside for the negative? More likely to work than just not connecting the Ring? Surely be weird for the socket to contact the sleeve of a TS plug right up near the tip and for it not to work (I E. If you just left the Ring disconnected, surely still contacts the sleeve down near the base)


----------



## alpha421

I don't make cables anymore, but when I built cables for Focal Clear, yes, I bridged the RS when using 3.5mm TRS connectors.  It covers the basis of headphone brands configured as TR or TS, so that one cable with dual 3.5mm TRS connectors will work for Focal, HifiMAN, Denon, Beyerdynamic....etc.  High quality 3.5mm mono (TS) connectors are very hard to find, but TRS is plentiful and with a lot more high quality choices from Plussounds, Eidolic, VIABLUE, and Furutech to name a few.


----------



## Benno1988

Awesome. Makes sense, didn't realise some just use the TR.

Thank you!


----------



## Benno1988

Any good hot glue or silicone products for filling up connectors when needed?


----------



## TrollDragon

Has anyone found decent ultra slim TS or TRS 3.5mm plugs that fit the Meze 99 cups?   Great headphones except for the proprietary cup connectors and that horrible, rubbery stock cable...


----------



## chezzer

TrollDragon said:


> Has anyone found decent ultra slim TS or TRS 3.5mm plugs that fit the Meze 99 cups?   Great headphones except for the proprietary cup connectors and that horrible, rubbery stock cable...


Eidolic 3.5mm extended jacks will work


----------



## chezzer

Hi, could someone please provide me with the pinout for the focal utopia lemo connectors, I presume they use the 4 pin male version.

Thank you


----------



## Benno1988

It's a 2 pin connector

I can check it later for you if no one else replies. Got a Utopia sitting here with me.


----------



## dontfeedphils

chezzer said:


> Hi, could someone please provide me with the pinout for the focal utopia lemo connectors, I presume they use the 4 pin male version.
> 
> Thank you



The red dot/notch on the Lemo connector is positive for each side.


----------



## TrollDragon

chezzer said:


> Eidolic 3.5mm extended jacks will work


These ones here from Double Helix?  They require their mod for them to fit.
https://doublehelixcables.com/product/eidolic-3-5mm-universal-extended-tip-plug-fits-beyer-final/


----------



## ambchang

Hi all, hope I can get some help here.  I looked through a few pages and searched but I couldn't find it, so please point me the post if it was posted already.

I am looking to make a 2.5mm TRRS to dual 3-pin XLR cable, but I am not sure which pin goes where.  The 2.5mm is for a Fiio player, so it should be the same as A&K players.  My understanding is that, from tip to sleeve, it would be R-, R+, L-, L+.  Then for the 3pin XLR, 
- T (R-) would go to pin 3 of the right connector
- first ring (R+) would go to pin 2 of the right connector
- second rig (L-) would go to pin 3 of the left connector; and
- S (L+) would go to pin 2 of the left connector

Pins 1 for both XLR connectors will not be connected to anything.

Please let me know if I got this right.

Thanks.


----------



## Killroy

Hey everyone, so it's my first time doing a MMCX mod. I was just wondering if these earphone cables work with the MMCX female sockets that I have. I tried connecting them but they don't seem to lock in and I don't want to force  them together too hard in worry of damaging any of the parts. I was just wondering if they were compatible or maybe I'm doing something  wrong? Thanks

MMCX female socket

and

Earphone cables


----------



## dbalvo

Wondering if anyone has found an aftermarket jack that fits they Abyss Diana? They use a 2.5mm mono plug, but the casing is oddly shaped such that many don’t fit. Thanks!


----------



## daid1 (Jan 28, 2021)

If the AWG of two Litz wires are the same and the copper used is the same,  it is better the one with more but thinner wires or the one with thicker but lesser wires inside? Same question for a non Litz cable?

Then, is better Type1 Litz or Type2 Litz?


----------



## Benno1988

Looking for some 20awg wire to make a 4 braid cable. Ideally not litz.

Any recommendations?


----------



## W1ll1eTheP1mp

Hey! Where can i find parts on cables online?


----------



## chezzer

W1ll1eTheP1mp said:


> Hey! Where can i find parts on cables online?


cosmic-cables United Kingdom handmade headphone cables and accessories (cosmic-cables.co.uk)


----------



## Andrew LB

I completely forgot about this thread and made my own topic. Here is what i needed to know.

I've always used Mogami or Canare cable, but this headphone cable is using Viablue EPC-4 which has 4 conductors wrapped in silvered foil, and around that is a braided silvered copper mesh shield, and then the jacket.  I'm guessing that i should solder both the shield and foil to the sleeve along with the two ground conductors? And as per usual leave the mesh shield and foil floating at the splitter where i plan on just using the twisted wire wrapped in Viablue cable sleeve up to the headphone plugs? IIRC all the other cables ive made had either one or the other, not both shield and foil.


----------



## Benno1988

I just remove the foil there, but solder the shield and both returns to the ground yeah. I don't see a benefit from trying to solder the foil in too?


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Andrew LB said:


> I completely forgot about this thread and made my own topic. Here is what i needed to know.
> 
> I've always used Mogami or Canare cable, but this headphone cable is using Viablue EPC-4 which has 4 conductors wrapped in silvered foil, and around that is a braided silvered copper mesh shield, and then the jacket.  I'm guessing that i should solder both the shield and foil to the sleeve along with the two ground conductors? And as per usual leave the mesh shield and foil floating at the splitter where i plan on just using the twisted wire wrapped in Viablue cable sleeve up to the headphone plugs? IIRC all the other cables ive made had either one or the other, not both shield and foil.


I read an interesting article on the Benchmark site about AES cables and whether to tie the shield to the ground or not. I think they concluded (surprisingly) that for analog cables they don't but for AES/EBU cables they do. And they said it was about noise suppression for cases where people plugged multiple cables together in one cable run.

What plug is that? I've been irritated by Neutrik that they often do not (never?) drill the shield lug and expect us to anchor the ground lead in a pool of solder on the lug.


----------



## Benno1988

It's a Viablue one. Pricey but nice.

Moon confirmed to me they tie the braided sheild to the ground at the amp end.

Then you get a bunch of connects that have the "directional" arrow, as they only ground the shield at the source end.


----------



## Benno1988

From what I've read, it seems it is half half. No one method seems to dominate people's thoughts on it. Though I did read to avoid the flaoting shield thing for RCA cables used on phono applications. Few seemed to agree it was noisy.


----------



## BowWazoo

I love the Sommer Cable Aqua blue 🥰


----------



## Andrew LB

Benno1988 said:


> It's a Viablue one. Pricey but nice.
> 
> Moon confirmed to me they tie the braided sheild to the ground at the amp end.
> 
> Then you get a bunch of connects that have the "directional" arrow, as they only ground the shield at the source end.



The directional arrow points to the end of the cable where its grounded according to Viablue. 

The plug is a Viablue T6s 6.3mm (1/4") TRS and cost $11.49. I've always used Amphenol and Neutrik but wanted something less bulky with better build quality and the Viablue definitely was exactly that. avoutlet also has the 3.5mm plug in two sizes for around the same price. Both my amps use 1/4" so i went with the large.

Check out how tiny the small 3.5mm is. 





One thing i should note, when buying Viablue components, make sure to ONLY buy them from the dealers listed on their website. Apparently there are lots of counterfeit stuff out there, particularly on ebay, amazon, and aliexpress.


----------



## Andrew LB

Here's the finished cable. A bit shorter than im used to but my last cable which was 2m was always catching on my chair and yanking the headphones off my desk.


----------



## dontfeedphils

I just finished up a new build utilizing some ViaBlue stuff as well and they're the best built components I've used so far.  I used to be all about Eidolic, but I think ViaBlue beats them.


----------



## Progisus

dontfeedphils said:


> I just finished up a new build utilizing some ViaBlue stuff as well and they're the best built components I've used so far.  I used to be all about Eidolic, but I think ViaBlue beats them.


That setup looks awesome. May I ask where you purchased Viablue. Hopefully they could ship to Canada.


----------



## dontfeedphils

Progisus said:


> That setup looks awesome. May I ask where you purchased Viablue. Hopefully they could ship to Canada.



Thanks!  I got them from Triton Audio Cables and they were awesome.  The first 1/4" connector they sent was a bit damaged and they shipped me out a new one the same day I emailed about the damage.


----------



## mfadio

Does anyone have a source for male 4 pin mini xlr that isn’t switchcraft?


----------



## Benno1988

mfadio said:


> Does anyone have a source for male 4 pin mini xlr that isn’t switchcraft?


Other popular options are the Rean ones (cheap) and the Furutech ones (expensive).

The Furutech are nice. The little brown plastic piece inside melts easily, so if you're heatshrinking near it and using a hot air gun, wrap it in something to insulate first.


----------



## mfadio

Benno1988 said:


> Other popular options are the Rean ones (cheap) and the Furutech ones (expensive).
> 
> The Furutech are nice. The little brown plastic piece inside melts easily, so if you're heatshrinking near it and using a hot air gun, wrap it in something to insulate first.


I can only find the female furutech 4 pins.  Would gladly buy pay the price.  Any idea where I could get them?


----------



## jjflemin

mfadio said:


> Does anyone have a source for male 4 pin mini xlr that isn’t switchcraft?



Amphenol makes them as well. I have been searching and haven't found many other options. I believe the poster above was referring to female connectors as I haven't seen any male from furutech.


----------



## Benno1988

Sorry, male. Rean and Amphenol then. Also haven't seen Furutech ones.

Rean seem fine. Balance of quality and price.


----------



## warrior05

Anyone have any tips/tricks on soldering up a pentaconn type plug? I recently got back into building cables, inspired by these types of connectors. I never liked 4 pin XLRs because of their inherent weight but they are a piece of cake to solder up. With these 4.4s, I've been able to wire up a couple cables but, man, it was a pain! I destroyed one of them trying to recover bridging two of the signal rings with solder. The two successes work fine but inside they sure aren't pretty! 

If anyone's come up with an easy way to work with these plugs, would love to hear about it! I want to build a couple more cables but dreading having to deal with soldering up the 4.4s.


----------



## Benno1988

warrior05 said:


> Anyone have any tips/tricks on soldering up a pentaconn type plug? I recently got back into building cables, inspired by these types of connectors. I never liked 4 pin XLRs because of their inherent weight but they are a piece of cake to solder up. With these 4.4s, I've been able to wire up a couple cables but, man, it was a pain! I destroyed one of them trying to recover bridging two of the signal rings with solder. The two successes work fine but inside they sure aren't pretty!
> 
> If anyone's come up with an easy way to work with these plugs, would love to hear about it! I want to build a couple more cables but dreading having to deal with soldering up the 4.4s.


I smother in flux paste. Bit of solder on top to tin. And alternative sides of the pin for the conductors to keep them as far away from their neighbours as possible. So only tin the edge/side a small amount. If that makes sense.

4.4mm isn't too bad. 2.5mm trrs can go die in a fire.


----------



## Ryukote

Hi, where can I get balanced cable with 4 wires? I want to make DIY balanced cable for HD600. Tnx


----------



## Benno1988

Ryukote said:


> Hi, where can I get balanced cable with 4 wires? I want to make DIY balanced cable for HD600. Tnx


Just find a "quad microphone cable". Like Mogami 2534. Or a Quad Mini mic cable. They will have 4 wires in then, stick with between 24-26awg per.


----------



## Ryukote

Tnx, you saved my day


----------



## Fr3d Astaire

I'm recabling my Beyerdynamic DT150's and have some questions. I'd like to set it up to have two cables for use at work with my Qudelix 5K bluetooth DAC/AMP which has a 2.5mm balanced output:
(1) 6" cable with 2.5mm TRRS connection (DIY portable/bluetooth headset)​(1) 4'-0" cable with 2.5mm TRRS connection (desktop use)​
Ideally I'd like to hardwire a 6" cable to the 6-pin connection with 2.5mm male termination (portable) and have a second 3'-6" long 2.5mm male to female extension cord (desktop use). If I do this, should I be concerned with the long term durability of the 2.5mm male to female connector?

This headphone has a clunky proprietary 6-pin connection with a screw to secure it to the headphone: https://www.studiospares.com/beyerdynamic-dt-6-pin-plug-for-dt100--dt150_410071.htm

I looked at a number of other different cabling options (hardwiring separate cables to two 6-pin connectors, 4 pin mini xlr interconnect, hard wiring a 2.5mm TRRS female jack into the 6-pin connector and using different 2.5mm male to male cables) but I think the above configuration would be simplest. Any insight or other cabling options I should consider?


----------



## alpha421 (Feb 17, 2021)

Those are great sounding cans.  Your approach is fine.  Don't worry about the 2.5mm female connector.  The 2.5mm male connector is the weakest link, but as long as the cable(s) aren't too thick and/or heavy, you should be fine.  Most 2.5mm male connectors that develops issues is when there's lateral pressure that misaligns the 4 sections of the TRRS connector and often effects the left channel as the rings that corresponds to it bares the greatest pressure with the connector is fully inserted a source such as a DAP or amp and is accidentally dropped.

Also, if your project budget allows, invest in good quality 2.5mm connectors such as Plussounds or Eidolic.


----------



## ilikebananafudge

chezzer said:


> Eidolic 3.5mm extended jacks will work


I assume you mean these?

I'm confused, though. The description on the website says that it will fit the Meze 99 Classics when used with their mod. Are you sure that they'll fit without doing the mod?


----------



## amaridev

Hi, I have a cable question, hope I am right here. 

I did headphone cables in the past where I used a microphone cable with 2 conductors (L+R) and shield as ground. Is it electrically speaking ok, to do it like that or is it better to use 3-wire cables and don't use the shield as ground for L+R signal? 

I have to do new cables and wondering if I'll do it the same or differently this time. Also, what AWG do you prefer for short headphone cables? Has the capacity of the cable any effect? Most good manufactures specify resistance and capacity between wires and shield.


----------



## Benno1988

You can use shield as ground. I reterminated the stock cable that came with a Kennerton and it did that. I don't personally, but you can.

And 24-26 awg tends to work well.


----------



## Carm86 (Feb 22, 2021)

Anyone have a good source for getting Eidolic connectors, splitters, etc... within Canada? DHC seems to stock some but their shipping cost for just a few connectors seems a bit silly :/ And would assume I'd have to do duties and all that on top too.

Ditto any good occ copper and/or silver plated copper sources? Litz? Neotech seems highly recommended? Though I think my ideal would be some nice 8 and 16-core pre-braided litz cabling that's nice and soft to the touch, not very microphonic, etc... 

(Just moved to Canada, so getting the lay of the land here as it were...)


----------



## chezzer

Carm86 said:


> Anyone have a good source for getting Eidolic connectors, splitters, etc... within Canada? DHC seems to stock some but their shipping cost for just a few connectors seems a bit silly :/ And would assume I'd have to do duties and all that on top too.
> 
> Ditto any good occ copper and/or silver plated copper sources? Litz? Neotech seems highly recommended? Though I think my ideal would be some nice 8 and 16-core pre-braided litz cabling that's nice and soft to the touch, not very microphonic, etc...
> 
> (Just moved to Canada, so getting the lay of the land here as it were...)


Have a chat with Ian about shipping etc from UK, https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/eidolic-connectors


----------



## Lohb

Anyone in UK can terminate an Audeze cable from 3.5' TRS to 2.5" TRRS ? Or if you know any company I could contact..thanks.


----------



## Ryukote

I got Neglex 2534 cable from Mogami today and I am wondering when I solder cable to mini XLR (4 pins), how should anyone know which pin represent which wire on the other side of the cable? Colors are blue/transparent and blue/transparent.


----------



## dontfeedphils

Ryukote said:


> I got Neglex 2534 cable from Mogami today and I am wondering when I solder cable to mini XLR (4 pins), how should anyone know which pin represent which wire on the other side of the cable? Colors are blue/transparent and blue/transparent.



Check continuity with a mulitmeter.


----------



## Ryukote

dontfeedphils said:


> Check continuity with a mulitmeter.


Nice idea. Tnx.


----------



## gimmeheadroom (Feb 24, 2021)

Ryukote said:


> Nice idea. Tnx.


If you're gonna make cables, get an audio cable tester. The good ones have continuity tests and can also check finished cables. They are much faster to use than a meter.

These are good https://www.behringer.com/catalog.html?catalog=Category&category=C-BEHRINGER-AUDIOTOOLS-CABLETESTERS and cheap. The CT200 is better and costs less than 35 euros. Slam dunk for the price.


----------



## Benno1988

How do you test a ZMF cable, for example?


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Benno1988 said:


> How do you test a ZMF cable, for example?


With a good meter


----------



## alpha421 (Feb 24, 2021)

I echo the same advises.  A cheap $10-20 meter will do the job and many models have a continuity setting .  Many Mogami, Canare and the likes cables have different colored sheathing for each group of wires.  If you're going to be working with a specific make and model cable, develop a color code mapping such as red = right channel, blue = left channel, black = L/R ground, clear = L/R ground....etc.  For each phase pair of wires at the source termination i.e. 3.5mm/2.5mm/4pin XLR, I would twist the set of wires to help keep track of which set is L and R channel.

Any visual check should always be tested by a meter or cable test box (used CT100) and finally the ears before attaching the connector barrel(s) and applying heat shrink.


----------



## Carm86

gimmeheadroom said:


> If you're gonna make cables, get an audio cable tester. The good ones have continuity tests and can also check finished cables. They are much faster to use than a meter.
> 
> These are good https://www.behringer.com/catalog.html?catalog=Category&category=C-BEHRINGER-AUDIOTOOLS-CABLETESTERS and cheap. The CT200 is better and costs less than 35 euros. Slam dunk for the price.



I'd love to find something like that that also does 4-pin XLR, but I've never been able to


----------



## Ryukote

gimmeheadroom said:


> If you're gonna make cables, get an audio cable tester. The good ones have continuity tests and can also check finished cables. They are much faster to use than a meter.
> 
> These are good https://www.behringer.com/catalog.html?catalog=Category&category=C-BEHRINGER-AUDIOTOOLS-CABLETESTERS and cheap. The CT200 is better and costs less than 35 euros. Slam dunk for the price.


Maybe a long shot question, but is there some model that can test a cable for HD600?


----------



## alpha421 (Feb 24, 2021)

Not that I'm aware of.  Just need to remember that that the thicker pins for each channel on all HD6xx/5xx connectors are the grounds.  Start and get familiar with a meter.  It is  a must tool.  A cable box won't always identify all possible issues with the wiring and soldering.  Everything may appear to be fine until you wiggle the cable at the connectors and sadly discover shorts, cross-talk, cut-outs, reverse phase, or bad/cold solder joints.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

A good audio cable tester is exactly for the purpose of checking intermittents, shorts, cross wiring. Look at the diagnostic features of the CT200 I linked above. And it has a continuity tester for cables with non-standard connectors and signal generator.

When you make up an XLR cable and other multi terminal cables it is much faster and conclusive to use a cable tester. 

You still wiggle and pull the cable and connectors, that has nothing to do with cable tester vs. meter.


----------



## chezzer

Benno1988 said:


> How do you test a ZMF cable, for example?


What do you have at the amplifier end and I'll tell you the easiest way


----------



## chezzer

gimmeheadroom said:


> A good audio cable tester is exactly for the purpose of checking intermittents, shorts, cross wiring. Look at the diagnostic features of the CT200 I linked above. And it has a continuity tester for cables with non-standard connectors and signal generator.
> 
> When you make up an XLR cable and other multi terminal cables it is much faster and conclusive to use a cable tester.
> 
> You still wiggle and pull the cable and connectors, that has nothing to do with cable tester vs. meter.


Is there a cable tester that has every headphone port as well as every amplifier connector then, multimeter is the only way


----------



## gimmeheadroom

chezzer said:


> Is there a cable tester that has every headphone port as well as every amplifier connector then, multimeter is the only way


You don't need a multimeter, you need a continuity tester. Good cable testers have that, they're designed for testing audio cables. They're better for that purpose than a multimeter. I can test cables much faster and more accurately with a good cable tester than a meter.

Sure a multimeter is a must have if you're into electronics. But it is not the best tool for people who make cables.


----------



## 3ggerhappy

Does anyone know if other such thing exist(other brand, manufacturer or the like for diy) of the cable coupler like in the pic?


----------



## Fr3d Astaire

alpha421 said:


> Those are great sounding cans.  Your approach is fine.  Don't worry about the 2.5mm female connector.  The 2.5mm male connector is the weakest link, but as long as the cable(s) aren't too thick and/or heavy, you should be fine.  Most 2.5mm male connectors that develops issues is when there's lateral pressure that misaligns the 4 sections of the TRRS connector and often effects the left channel as the rings that corresponds to it bares the greatest pressure with the connector is fully inserted a source such as a DAP or amp and is accidentally dropped.
> 
> Also, if your project budget allows, invest in good quality 2.5mm connectors such as Plussounds or Eidolic.



Great, thanks! This is my first DIY attempt so I appreciate the feedback.

Initially I thought I'd need to just recable the 6-pin connector to change these from unbalanced to balanced. However, it appears that the cable between each set of cups has a shielded ground instead of separate wires.

Can I use the existing shield as a wire in a balanced cable (i.e. use the shield for L- & R-) or would I need to recable this as well?
Similiar question for the cups themselves, do I need to open up each side to check to make sure there are dedicated wires (instead of a ground wire) for L- & R-? 
Here are some images, an existing (unbalanced) wiring diagram from Beyer, and a sketch of the new 6-pin balanced connection for reference.


----------



## Carm86

3ggerhappy said:


> Does anyone know if other such thing exist(other brand, manufacturer or the like for diy) of the cable coupler like in the pic?


Would love something like that myself too. I've been using circular 4-pin connectors similar to those used on keyboard cables typically for now. It works fine, and it's definitely satisfying, but they're a bit heavy. That looks maybe a bit nicer 

Where is that original pic/version from?


----------



## Ryukote

Carm86 said:


> Would love something like that myself too. I've been using *circular 4-pin connectors* similar to those used on keyboard cables typically for now. It works fine, and it's definitely satisfying, but they're a bit heavy. That looks maybe a bit nicer
> 
> Where is that original pic/version from?


You mean aviator connector or YC-8?


----------



## Carm86

Ryukote said:


> You mean aviator connector or YC-8?


yc-8


----------



## Ryukote

I hate YC-8. I am cable maker for keyboards and I pray that no one will ask for YC-8 connector. And YC-8 have too small hole for balanced 4 wired cable.
I would need to find something similar to YC-8 (maybe LEMO) that has big enough hole.


----------



## 3ggerhappy (Feb 26, 2021)

Carm86 said:


> Would love something like that myself too. I've been using circular 4-pin connectors similar to those used on keyboard cables typically for now. It works fine, and it's definitely satisfying, but they're a bit heavy. That looks maybe a bit nicer
> 
> Where is that original pic/version from?


Thanks man for the circular 4 pin connectors suggestion these would work well for me too. Very nice alternative instead of using a set of mini 4 pin xlr set of male and female with the push button. The cable btw is from https://www.transparentcable.com/collections/analog-audio-headphone-cables


----------



## Ryukote

3ggerhappy said:


> Thanks man for the circular 4 pin connectors suggestion these would work well for me too. Very nice alternative instead of using a set of mini 4 pin xlr set of male and female w/c looks ugly. The cable btw is from https://www.transparentcable.com/collections/analog-audio-headphone-cables


$1800


----------



## 3ggerhappy

Ryukote said:


> $1800


I know haha, the coupler is a novel idea though. Thats why im asking for alternatives.


----------



## Ryukote

Something like this should be ok but there should be 4 pins, not 3. It does look decent (for my taste better than YC-8) and it doesn't seem heavy.


----------



## doctorjuggles

I think maybe finding a version of the Kobiconn connectors that Ray Samuels used but straight instead of right-angled might work. Not sure if anything like that is available, but here's a starting point that might help
http://www.diyaudioblog.com/2011/12/kobiconn-connector-for-balanced.html


----------



## 3ggerhappy (Feb 26, 2021)

Thanks for the suggestions guys, these could work for me: https://www.amazon.com/Junction-Underground-Waterproof-Electrical-Connector/dp/B07PQDT4B8. 4 pin and accepts up to 12mm wire, though plastic its lightweight and still looks good.

Edit- sorry it should be like this one, one posted above is not like a snap on connector(the wires are screwed in a singular terminal). https://www.aliexpress.com/i/33035240376.html


----------



## Ryukote

It looks like a metal to me. Even tho, I don't think it is heavy. And you can cerakote it too look nicer.


----------



## TrollDragon

Fr3d Astaire said:


> Great, thanks! This is my first DIY attempt so I appreciate the feedback.
> 
> Initially I thought I'd need to just recable the 6-pin connector to change these from unbalanced to balanced. However, it appears that the cable between each set of cups has a shielded ground instead of separate wires.
> 
> ...


You would have to see if they have the shield wires tied together in the cup with the 6 pin socket, which I assume that they do.  It's just a matter of moving that (headband wire) shield wire to it's own pin on the 6 pin socket. Then wire up your 6 pin plug for balanced accordingly.

So many option with that 6 pin plug, you could pick up a second cable and wire it for SE so you wouldn't have to use a Balanced to SE adapter per se.

My T50RP are wired with dual 4 pin tinyXLRs, I use them on all my headphones.  The left socket is wired so I can plug in a single sided cable for portable use if I don't want to run the long dual sided cable with an adapter.


----------



## TrollDragon

3ggerhappy said:


> Thanks for the suggestions guys, these could work for me: https://www.amazon.com/Junction-Underground-Waterproof-Electrical-Connector/dp/B07PQDT4B8. 4 pin and accepts up to 12mm wire, though plastic its lightweight and still looks good.
> 
> Edit- sorry it should be like this one, one posted above is not like a snap on connector(the wires are screwed in a singular terminal). https://www.aliexpress.com/i/33035240376.html


Those are nasty looking and made for AC mains coupling. 

I'd look into the LEMO Redel line, they come in 4 to 22 connections and would be a better choice IMHO.
https://www.lemo.com/en/products/plastic-connector/redel-sp


----------



## Ryukote

Not bad, but I have never ever figured out how to buy on their site


----------



## TrollDragon

Ryukote said:


> Not bad, but I have never ever figured out how to buy on their site


I don't think they sell to end users, you would have to get them from Mouser, Digikey, Alpine etc.


----------



## Ryukote

I think I will go with a next combo for a balanced cable for HD600. I have Mogami Neglex 2534 cable that I will connect to XLR mini on one side and LEMO on the other side. Diameters should be just fine. On the other side of LEMO, I intend to use 2 Mogami 2901-00 Lavalier cable (it doesn't says it is balanced cable, I would like someone to confirm that) which will go to HD600 connectors.


----------



## 3ggerhappy

TrollDragon said:


> Those are nasty looking and made for AC mains coupling.
> 
> I'd look into the LEMO Redel line, they come in 4 to 22 connections and would be a better choice IMHO.
> https://www.lemo.com/en/products/plastic-connector/redel-sp


Yeah this is well and good also except for the cable diameter maxed at 7.5mm for all variants  I need at least 8mm(I will be using a pair(4mm each) of van den hul d501 silver hybrid). Maybe I could squeeze it out but  could not find one selling the 4 pin 7.5mm variant.


----------



## TrollDragon

3ggerhappy said:


> Yeah this is well and good also except for the cable diameter maxed at 7.5mm for all variants  I need at least 8mm(I will be using a pair(4mm each) of van den hul d501 silver hybrid). Maybe I could squeeze it out but  could not find one selling the 4 pin 7.5mm variant.


Was just a thought. The manufacturers sites are full of great products, but impossible to find someone who actually sells them. Good luck on your search though.


----------



## Carm86

Ryukote said:


> I hate YC-8. I am cable maker for keyboards and I pray that no one will ask for YC-8 connector. And YC-8 have too small hole for balanced 4 wired cable.
> I would need to find something similar to YC-8 (maybe LEMO) that has big enough hole.


What makes you hate it? Was fine for me, and I'm using it in a balance configuration too as you can see above. 

I have some other connectors on the way that I'm going to try out that has a larger opening, but the YC8 seems fine to me so far.


----------



## Carm86

TrollDragon said:


> Was just a thought. The manufacturers sites are full of great products, but impossible to find someone who actually sells them. Good luck on your search though.


Oof found some of those lemo connectors except with a 18 week lead time...lol


----------



## Ryukote

Carm86 said:


> What makes you hate it? Was fine for me, and I'm using it in a balance configuration too as you can see above.
> 
> I have some other connectors on the way that I'm going to try out that has a larger opening, but the YC8 seems fine to me so far.


The reason I hate it is its size (it is a pain in the a** for soldering) and it can quickly become scratchy from inside when you are unpluging it and pluging it back, especially when you cerakote it.


----------



## Ryukote

Ok I have decided to go with this LEMO which diameter would be fine for braided cable. I am thinking about hot gluing the cable from the inside of LEMO just for a better quality. Also, I have went with "Mogami 3031-00 Microphone Cable, miniatur" (which are balanced) for splitted part that will go to HD600 connectors. Now I just need to wait for all the materials to come and see if I will do my first custom cable like a boss (I hope since that LEMO is expensive AF).


----------



## Carm86 (Feb 27, 2021)

Ryukote said:


> Ok I have decided to go with this LEMO which diameter would be fine for braided cable. I am thinking about hot gluing the cable from the inside of LEMO just for a better quality. Also, I have went with "Mogami 3031-00 Microphone Cable, miniatur" (which are balanced) for splitted part that will go to HD600 connectors. Now I just need to wait for all the materials to come and see if I will do my first custom cable like a boss (I hope since that LEMO is expensive AF).


that lemo has 10 pins... might wanna see if they have one with less? unless you really want 10 pins for some reason?

ex https://hr.mouser.com/ProductDetail/LEMO/FGG2B304CLAD92Z/?qs=MSOc8y6NhWd8isgpfwBkUg== this one is larger, and only 4 pin


----------



## Ryukote

I don't care if it have 10 pins or not. I will be using 4 of them and nothing will happen if I don't use 6 other pins. Those are just pins. They are numerated so I will know where to solder what on both sides. It will still be for my own usage so that is the reason why I don't care if it have more than 4 pins which I actually need. Most important thing is that it doesn't have less than 4 pins.


----------



## chezzer

Can anyone please tell me why Furutech jacks are so diabolically hard to solder, I've tried every type of solder including their own Silver solder and nothing sticks properley, I bought them from cosmic cables so I know that they are genuine but they are so expensive and the solder just seems to pick off, I would rather use cheap gold plated jacks knowing that they will last instead of paying for expensive stuff that is not fit for purpose.


----------



## dontfeedphils

chezzer said:


> Can anyone please tell me why Furutech jacks are so diabolically hard to solder, I've tried every type of solder including their own Silver solder and nothing sticks properley, I bought them from cosmic cables so I know that they are genuine but they are so expensive and the solder just seems to pick off, I would rather use cheap gold plated jacks knowing that they will last instead of paying for expensive stuff that is not fit for purpose.



I just finished up two different cables using Furutech connectors.  You're doing something wrong friend.


----------



## Ryukote

chezzer said:


> Can anyone please tell me why Furutech jacks are so diabolically hard to solder, I've tried every type of solder including their own Silver solder and nothing sticks properley, I bought them from cosmic cables so I know that they are genuine but they are so expensive and the solder just seems to pick off, I would rather use cheap gold plated jacks knowing that they will last instead of paying for expensive stuff that is not fit for purpose.


Are you sure you  have heated solder point enough with soldering iron?


----------



## gimmeheadroom

If they're that bad, then try some no-clean flux. If that doesn't work, rough them up with a file in the spot you want to solder. Should not be necessary though. Like @Ryukote said check your soldering temps.


----------



## Ryukote

Most of solders will melt on 200 celsius degree but the biggest thing to do is to heath solder point, so solder can stick to it properly. I usually turn soldering iron to 350 celsius degree so I can heath solder point fast and properly.


----------



## dontfeedphils

Ryukote said:


> Most of solders will melt on 200 celsius degree but the biggest thing to do is to heath solder point, so solder can stick to it properly. I usually turn soldering iron to 350 celsius degree so I can heath solder point fast and properly.



^^^

350c/650f should be all you'll need for a good solder joint, unless you're using pb-free, in which case you may have to bump your temps up a bit.  Be sure to use an appropriately sized solder tip, keep the tip tinned, and tin both the wire and the connector before soldering them together.  You shouldn't need additional flux unless the solder wire you're using isn't flux cored.

Soldering isn't hard, but it takes practice.


----------



## chezzer

Thank you but have you tried soldering Furutech jacks, I'm an accomplished solderer (if there is such a thing) but this things just give me the hump


----------



## dontfeedphils

chezzer said:


> Thank you but have you tried soldering Furutech jacks, I'm an accomplished solderer (if there is such a thing) but this things just give me the hump



I just finished two different cables yesterday using both 3.5mm and 6.3mm Furutech connectors and they soldered just like every other connector I've soldered before.


----------



## chezzer

dontfeedphils said:


> I just finished two different cables yesterday using both 3.5mm and 6.3mm Furutech connectors and they soldered just like every other connector I've soldered before.


Thanks, could you please tell me what solder you use


----------



## dontfeedphils

Just a typical no-clean 63/37 flux cored wire solder.  Nothing special or fancy.


----------



## chezzer

Okay, thank you.


----------



## dontfeedphils

chezzer said:


> Okay, thank you.



No problem.  99% of the time I see people fail at soldering it comes down to not getting the appropriate amount of heat into the joint before trying to solder them.  I'd start there.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

The guy said he has enough experience soldering. I guess he is either working with some fake gold plating on counterfit connectors or is using unleaded solder for the first time, etc. So far what I am reading does not add up.


----------



## jjflemin

gimmeheadroom said:


> The guy said he has enough experience soldering. I guess he is either working with some fake gold plating on counterfit connectors or is using unleaded solder for the first time, etc. So far what I am reading does not add up.


They are furutech connectors so most likely rhodium which can be a bit finnicky from my understanding.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

jjflemin said:


> They are furutech connectors so most likely rhodium which can be a bit finnicky from my understanding.


Ah this could be it I think the OP said they were gold plated.


----------



## dontfeedphils

The surface finish really shouldn't be a big deal, as long as there's not some major contamination it should solder just fine.  I've dealt with rhodium on Eidolic connectors many times and it wasn't an issue.


----------



## jjflemin

gimmeheadroom said:


> Ah this could be it I think the OP said they were gold plated.


Said he would rather use cheap gold plated I believe. Either way, likely not hot enough or needs to rough it up a bit for best results.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

jjflemin said:


> Said he would rather use cheap gold plated I believe. Either way, likely not hot enough or needs to *rough it up* a bit for best results.


Let's get ready to ruuuumble


----------



## jjflemin

gimmeheadroom said:


> Let's get ready to ruuuumble


We all do things we aren't proud of, lol After the heat shrink goes on no one can tell.


----------



## chezzer

dontfeedphils said:


> The surface finish really shouldn't be a big deal, as long as there's not some major contamination it should solder just fine.  I've dealt with rhodium on Eidolic connectors many times and it wasn't an issue.


Thanks for your help and for actually reading my post before answering.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

chezzer said:


> Thanks for your help and for actually reading my post before answering.


Now, now. Free advice is worth price paid


----------



## doctorjuggles

@chezzer - they're more difficult than usual to solder

The Furutech website specifically mentions that a light sanding of the plating might be necessary (but don't go overboard because you could possibly file away into the copper alloy)

Source: http://www.furutech.com/2017/09/19/15555/ (it's mentioned under "Specifications")


----------



## chezzer

Thanks, that's a great help, the main culprit is the R+, the solder just seems to sit on the top and the layout of the connector is just ridiculous, every
other 6.35mm that I've soldered has wings, which is a perfect method, not sure why they had to approach it differently.
Anyway, much obliged.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

chezzer said:


> Thanks, that's a great help, the main culprit is the R+, the solder just seems to sit on the top and the layout of the connector is just ridiculous, every
> other 6.35mm that I've soldered has wings, which is a perfect method, not sure why they had to approach it differently.
> Anyway, much obliged.


Sadly this is more and more common. I had the same issue with Neutrik 6,35mm plugs and RCA connectors recently. No ground lug.

The old days _really were better._


----------



## chezzer

gimmeheadroom said:


> Sadly this is more and more common. I had the same issue with Neutrik 6,35mm plugs and RCA connectors recently. No ground lug.
> 
> The old days _really were better._


We should start a company and while we are making perfect 6.35mm we could also stretch 4.4mm and 2.5mm trrs by 5mm to actually give us 
a fighting chance


----------



## dontfeedphils

Do enough SMT component rework and these connectors will feel like a walk in the park.


----------



## gimmeheadroom

chezzer said:


> We should start a company and while we are making perfect 6.35mm we could also stretch 4.4mm and 2.5mm trrs by 5mm to actually give us
> a fighting chance



Ground lugs foreva


----------



## guildenstern (Mar 3, 2021)

*Experienced cables makers, I need your help!*

I need a custom cable made to meet a very specific need—not audiophile but practical—and I don’t have the tools or know-how to make my own. _If anyone is willing to make it for me (for pay), or if you can refer me to someone, please PM_; otherwise I might try Redco, though their custom-cable interface has me completely confused.

*What I need:* 8-feet mini-XLR to ¼ TRS cable for AKG K7XX headphones—but I want the cable to provide signal through the RIGHT CHANNEL ONLY of the headphones. I want no sound coming from the left earpiece.

*What’s up with that? *It has to do with only having hearing in one ear (yay for mono!). For various reasons having to do with other associated gear, I don’t want to simply unplug the left channel input into the amp. Nor do I want to do surgery on the headphones. And I have tried a Y-splitter (3.5 mm stereo female to ¼ mono left and ¼ mono right), which worked OK with one amp (Schiit) but tripped the protection circuit on a THX amp in balanced mode. In short, I’ve tried various workarounds, and I’ve come to the point of wanting to try a cable for the AKG that only feeds the right earpiece.

*But there’s a twist:* Research on this helpful forum reveals that the mini-XLR on the AKG cable does not follow standard practice.

NORMAL MINI-XLR
Pin 1 - Ground
Pin 2 - Tip/Left
Pin 3 - Ring/Right

AKG MINI-XLR
Pin 1: Ground
Pin 2: Ring-Right
Pin 3: Tip-Left

So, given the goal of getting signal through the RIGHT CHANNEL ONLY on the AKG headphones, I think this is what I need—_do you agree?_

*AKG CUSTOM RIGHT CHANNEL ONLY*
Pin 1: Ground
Pin 2: Ring-Right
Pin 3: leave disconnected

*One more question:* Since I only need right channel only, what kind of wire should be used?

*And I repeat:* If anyone is willing to make this cable for me (for pay), or if you can refer me to someone, please PM. Thank you!


----------



## guildenstern

withdrawn, wrong forum


----------



## TrollDragon

guildenstern said:


> I might try Redco, though their custom-cable interface has me completely confused.


Redco will sell you the cable for a lot cheaper than anyone would make it for IMHO.

Here is a link I created for the custom cable that you require.
10 feet of Mogami W2983 wire
Neutrik 1/4 male TRS plug
Redco Mini XLR female

TRS Ring wired to Pin 2 of the Mini XLR
TRS Sleeve wired to Pin 1 of the Mini XLR
https://www.redco.com/Custom-Cable.html?cableid=BEZ6RD


----------



## guildenstern

TrollDragon said:


> Redco will sell you the cable for a lot cheaper than anyone would make it for IMHO.
> 
> Here is a link I created for the custom cable that you require.
> 10 feet of Mogami W2983 wire
> ...


Thank you very much!


----------



## Fr3d Astaire

TrollDragon said:


> You would have to see if they have the shield wires tied together in the cup with the 6 pin socket, which I assume that they do.  It's just a matter of moving that (headband wire) shield wire to it's own pin on the 6 pin socket. Then wire up your 6 pin plug for balanced accordingly.
> 
> So many option with that 6 pin plug, you could pick up a second cable and wire it for SE so you wouldn't have to use a Balanced to SE adapter per se.
> 
> My T50RP are wired with dual 4 pin tinyXLRs, I use them on all my headphones.  The left socket is wired so I can plug in a single sided cable for portable use if I don't want to run the long dual sided cable with an adapter.



That's awesome how you've wired the T50RP! For the DT150, the ground wires are not tied together in the cup, they are run to separate pins and the ground of the external 3.5mm cable is soldered to these two pins within the 6-pin connector. So when I recable, I'd just need to solder a separate wire to each of these within the 6-pin connector.

But the headband and cup cabeling is currently 1 wire (white) + shield/ground (bare). Can I use the existing shield/ground in the headphone band and cups as a wire in a balanced cable (i.e. use the white wire for L+ & R+ and the wire shield/ground for L- & R-) or would I need to recable these as well? For my first go, I'm trying to minimize how much I touch the cans themselves because I'm afraid of making an error!


----------



## TrollDragon

Fr3d Astaire said:


> That's awesome how you've wired the T50RP! For the DT150, the ground wires are not tied together in the cup, they are run to separate pins and the ground of the external 3.5mm cable is soldered to these two pins within the 6-pin connector. So when I recable, I'd just need to solder a separate wire to each of these within the 6-pin connector.
> 
> But the headband and cup cabeling is currently 1 wire (white) + shield/ground (bare). Can I use the existing shield/ground in the headphone band and cups as a wire in a balanced cable (i.e. use the white wire for L+ & R+ and the wire shield/ground for L- & R-) or would I need to recable these as well? For my first go, I'm trying to minimize how much I touch the cans themselves because I'm afraid of making an error!


As long as the bare shield wires can't touch each other you will be fine. You could even wrap a little electrical tape around one of the shield wires at the socket just so they can't, but that's not necessary if there is decent clearance. I'd shrink wrap and resolder the wires if they were mine, but that's just my OCD kicking in.  

Yes the white & bare wire can be hooked up to + & - respectively and it's awesome that beyer wired everything separately in those headphones, it makes switching them over to balanced that much easier.

Have fun, I always wanted a pair of DT150 (250 ohm) but chose the German Maestro 8.300 D Pro instead.


----------



## Fr3d Astaire

TrollDragon said:


> As long as the bare shield wires can't touch each other you will be fine. You could even wrap a little electrical tape around one of the shield wires at the socket just so they can't, but that's not necessary if there is decent clearance. I'd shrink wrap and resolder the wires if they were mine, but that's just my OCD kicking in.
> 
> Yes the white & bare wire can be hooked up to + & - respectively and it's awesome that beyer wired everything separately in those headphones, it makes switching them over to balanced that much easier.
> 
> Have fun, I always wanted a pair of DT150 (250 ohm) but chose the German Maestro 8.300 D Pro instead.



Great, thanks for your help! I'm sure I'll rewire everything at some point, these headphones are very easy to work with.


----------



## Benno1988

Is there a good seller on AliExpress that sells quality wire? Looking for decent gauge, copper, silver plated or silver. Litz.


----------



## etlouis

Benno1988 said:


> Is there a good seller on AliExpress that sells quality wire? Looking for decent gauge, copper, silver plated or silver. Litz.



CEMA is alright.

NiceHCK is okay for cheap offerings.


----------



## Benno1988

CEMA only seem to sell 26awg and thinner by looks of it?


----------



## DuncanDirkDick (Mar 9, 2021)

What jacks work best for hifiman? Rean NYS231 are a too big and loose. HE6se especially.


----------



## Benno1988

Oyaide


----------



## dentaku81 (Mar 15, 2021)

Hey All, I had some questions about making some custom cable modifications for my headphones. I have a pair of Mr. Speakers Alpha Dogs with a single ended cable, and I want to upgrade it to balanced in order to use them with a speaker tap adapter from my Marantz amp (pm5005).

Looking at the included cable, it looks to have 4 elements in the wire already (Two blues and Two whites). Im assuming that I can cut off the 1/4" and reterminate it with a 4 pin male xlr? and then take a 4 pin female xlr and solder speaker wire to it to make the speaker tap adapter? Where would I find the pin outs to follow for these? Would regular 16 ga speaker wire work for the speaker tap adapter, or should I use something like canare star quad?

Lastly to keep compatability with my single ended devices, can I take the 1/4" plug I chopped off and wire an andition female 4 pin XLR to it to use as an adapter?


So TL;DR:
Have:
a 4 element single ended cable.
Want:
Headphone to Balanced 4pin xlr male cable
Speaker tap to 4pin female xlr cable
4pin female xlr to 1/4" single ended

Thanks in advance!


----------



## W1ll1eTheP1mp

Hi. Someone know where i can buy modular connector? Like on the Dunu duw02?


----------



## chezzer

W1ll1eTheP1mp said:


> Hi. Someone know where i can buy modular connector? Like on the Dunu duw02?


I've used the Dunu set and this set from comic cables and I found the cosmic set to be better quality and easier to use.
https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/4-in-1-connectors


----------



## W1ll1eTheP1mp

chezzer said:


> I've used the Dunu set and this set from comic cables and I found the cosmic set to be better quality and easier to use.
> https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/4-in-1-connectors


Thanks! Hope i could find Dunu one or similiar. A little expensive and there prob to big! 😃


----------



## W1ll1eTheP1mp

Anyone know? Or atleast the connector Dunu uses on their set? then i just could buy the connector +3.5mm and 4.4mm adapter


----------



## bored ranger

Not sure, but the cosmic cables link from the previous post looks to be the same as the aliexpress ones. I see several vendors selling them and they apparently have a set of 8 different connectors. Cheapest I can find is this store: Aliexpress - Rainbow Store 8, so its 83 bucks for just the 3 types of connectors and it's still not cheap. From the various stores, it looks to tbe the "Titan Series 8 in 1 Set", but not sure how accurate that is. Not sure if there's a cheaper version out there.


----------



## Ryukote

My first balanced cable. Lower part of cable is stiff so it looks like it is deformed, but it is not


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Can't zoom on the pic but looks quite nice


----------



## Ryukote

Picture was massive and I had to resize it. I guess I overdid it


----------



## noddy43

W1ll1eTheP1mp said:


> Hi. Someone know where i can buy modular connector? Like on the Dunu duw02?


These guy also have modular plugs. I have not used them but have purchased some 2 pins from them for my IEMs. 

https://www.oeaudio.net/product-page/multi-plug-exchangeable-plug-for-audio-oeaudio

Has anyone tried these plugs yet?


----------



## BowWazoo

Wireworld Nano Silver Eclipse


----------



## TrollDragon

BowWazoo said:


> Wireworld Nano Silver Eclipse


Where did you buy this wire to make this cable, or is this a commercial cable?


----------



## BowWazoo

By Phonar Akustik


----------



## Turkeysaurus

BowWazoo said:


> Wireworld Nano Silver Eclipse


Where can I find black Lemo connectors like these?  Thanks.


----------



## dontfeedphils

Turkeysaurus said:


> Where can I find black Lemo connectors like these?  Thanks.



Steal them from an OEM Focal cable or talk with LEMO and make a bulk purchase.


----------



## daid1

I was thinking to make a modular cable too, but now I don't know which connector or method (1. two cables connected using for example the LEMO connector, or 2. one cable using the OEAudio multi plug similar to the Dunu plug, Dita awesome plug etc.). What should be the more durable and flexible way to do? If the first option, which connector could be the sturdiest, secondly smallest and lightest? I saw the LEMO plugs, the Hirose HR10, the YC 8 that previously someone said to avoid, others suggestions?


----------



## BowWazoo

Turkeysaurus said:


> Where can I find black Lemo connectors like these?  Thanks.


By Lemo.

I can sell you a pair too


----------



## noddy43

Anyone know of good retailers for eidolic connectors apart from DHC?


----------



## dontfeedphils

noddy43 said:


> Anyone know of good retailers for eidolic connectors apart from DHC?



I think Norne carries some stock.


----------



## chezzer

noddy43 said:


> Anyone know of good retailers for eidolic connectors apart from DHC?


Where in the World are you Noddy43


----------



## noddy43

chezzer said:


> Where in the World are you Noddy43


Australia


----------



## Benno1988

noddy43 said:


> Australia


Same.

DHC or Cosmic Cables UK stock. Cosmic took 5 weeks to get to em though.


----------



## noddy43

Benno1988 said:


> Same.
> 
> DHC or Cosmic Cables UK stock. Cosmic took 5 weeks to get to em though.


That's what I found with DHC. Takes long enough to ship here let alone the wait before they actually ship it.


----------



## Benno1988

noddy43 said:


> That's what I found with DHC. Takes long enough to ship here let alone the wait before they actually ship it.


Which connectors specifically you want?

I have a few sitting there, in Brisbane.


----------



## Saturnian

noddy43 said:


> That's what I found with DHC. Takes long enough to ship here let alone the wait before they actually ship it.


Hello noddy43, actually the order for which Benno1988 was referring was posted on the 12th of February and the order was placed on the 11th of February, the items were posted via Royal mail international tracked and signed which states between 7 and 10 days, I wasn't even aware of any delay with this parcel, (sorry Benno1988) but Royal mail have a ready made excuse with covid and boy do they use it.


----------



## Benno1988

Saturnian said:


> Hello noddy43, actually the order for which Benno1988 was referring was posted on the 12th of February and the order was placed on the 11th of February, the items were posted via Royal mail international tracked and signed which states between 7 and 10 days, I wasn't even aware of any delay with this parcel, (sorry Benno1988) but Royal mail have a ready made excuse with covid and boy do they use it.


Not your fault, Royal Mail just sucks. Same as USPS. FedEx seems decent as far as times go


----------



## Saturnian

Benno1988 said:


> Not your fault, Royal Mail just sucks. Same as USPS. FedEx seems decent as far as times go


Thanks but I would never use Fedex due to the fact that they charge a deferment fee to clear customs and then have the cheek to charge VAT on that deferment fee, they are
crooks, I would rather walk the parcel there myself and judging by the time yours took I would probably still arrive before Royal mail.


----------



## Benno1988

Saturnian said:


> Thanks but I would never use Fedex due to the fact that they charge a deferment fee to clear customs and then have the cheek to charge VAT on that deferment fee, they are
> crooks, I would rather walk the parcel there myself and judging by the time yours took I would probably still arrive before Royal mail.


Haha. Moon audio uses FedEx. Whatever they do, it comes USA to Australia in a week, no customs etc on top. Might be different in UK.

Then USPS I'd be lucky if it ever arrives. And Royal Mail just takes its Royal time. And its updates go silent for weeks and it suddenly arrives!


----------



## noddy43

Saturnian said:


> Hello noddy43, actually the order for which Benno1988 was referring was posted on the 12th of February and the order was placed on the 11th of February, the items were posted via Royal mail international tracked and signed which states between 7 and 10 days, I wasn't even aware of any delay with this parcel, (sorry Benno1988) but Royal mail have a ready made excuse with covid and boy do they use it.


No offence to cosmic cable intended. I have not used as yet but no doubt will in future!


----------



## tototoru (Apr 3, 2021)

Did anyone try taking the 4pin XLR thingy from Neutrik and put it in Viablue T6S XLR to make a Viablue 4pin XLR?
It's held with a screw so it can be replaced, in theory inner diameter is the same and total depth is too. Any ideas?


----------



## Benno1988

Chasing some reasonable quality 4.4mm Plugs and Sockets, both cable mount.

Moon sell them and they are good, $30 USD a pop though.

Anyone found decent ones on Aliexpress or somewhere else, maybe $10 USD each or so?


----------



## 528068

Since a balanced cable has three wires than does it mean that if I want a TRRS (L+L- and R+R-) then wouldnt changing the jack connector to a 2.5mm TRRS make the cable work on amp/dacs that require a 2.5mm TRRS input? Also how do i tell if the headphone cable is balanced other than looking at the jack itself?


----------



## Benno1988

TheRealestLad said:


> Since a balanced cable has three wires than does it mean that if I want a TRRS (L+L- and R+R-) then wouldnt changing the jack connector to a 2.5mm TRRS make the cable work on amp/dacs that require a 2.5mm TRRS input? Also how do i tell if the headphone cable is balanced other than looking at the jack itself?


Balancedd cables has four (4) wires. Not 3.

Balanced cable, ignoring the amp end plug, will have 4 separate conductors, two to each cup. The negatives need to combine together down at the amp end plug and not weirdly further up in the Y split for you to be able to reterminate it to be balanced.

So four distinct and separate conductors / wires, from the cups to the amp end plug.


----------



## 528068

So w


Benno1988 said:


> Balancedd cables has four (4) wires. Not 3.
> 
> Balanced cable, ignoring the amp end plug, will have 4 separate conductors, two to each cup. The negatives need to combine together down at the amp end plug and not weirdly further up in the Y split for you to be able to reterminate it to be balanced.
> 
> So four distinct and separate conductors / wires, from the cups to the amp end plug.


So if I am going to make my own balanced 2.5mm cable I just need a four wire conductor cable like this one >https://www.rubbermonkey.co.nz/Mogami-W2893-Miniature-Quad-Microphone-Cable-Per-Metre< and the TRRS 2.5 jacks?


----------



## 528068

Also I got a 2.5  cable with all three being TRS and the cables for each jack connecting to the cup has two distinct wires or atleast they look distinict, that then combine into a 4 wire downwards.


----------



## 528068

Benno1988 said:


> Balancedd cables has four (4) wires. Not 3.
> 
> Balanced cable, ignoring the amp end plug, will have 4 separate conductors, two to each cup. The negatives need to combine together down at the amp end plug and not weirdly further up in the Y split for you to be able to reterminate it to be balanced.
> 
> So four distinct and separate conductors / wires, from the cups to the amp end plug.


My cable is the OKCSC M2 cable


----------



## Benno1988

Yes, that Mogami makes a nice budget cable.

And yes, if it has 4 wires all separated right down until the amp end jack, then that is likely where the negatives are combining on the "S" part of the TRS.

If you want to reterm it to balanced, you just need to identify which is the L+ and L-, and the R+ and R-. The "+" ones are easy, as they will be on the T and R already. The two combined on the "S" will need you to use a multimeter to determine which is which.


----------



## 528068 (Apr 9, 2021)

Benno1988 said:


> Yes, that Mogami makes a nice budget cable.
> 
> And yes, if it has 4 wires all separated right down until the amp end jack, then that is likely where the negatives are combining on the "S" part of the TRS.
> 
> If you want to reterm it to balanced, you just need to identify which is the L+ and L-, and the R+ and R-. The "+" ones are easy, as they will be on the T and R already. The two combined on the "S" will need you to use a multimeter to determine which is which.


"if it has 4 wires all separated right down until the amp end jack, then that is likely where the negatives are combining on the "S" part of the TRS." So basically if the cable's four wires are seperated into two wires each into two different cable sleeves down until the amp jack where they join back into a single cable then it should be balanced? Also what do you mean by "then that is likely where the negatives are combining on the "S" part of the TRS." But I can change the M2 cable to have a TRRS balanced jack because of the cable having four wires with it being seperated into two for the cup connections and have it work as a actual balanced cable?


----------



## Benno1988

TheRealestLad said:


> "if it has 4 wires all separated right down until the amp end jack, then that is likely where the negatives are combining on the "S" part of the TRS." So basically if the cable's four wires are seperated into two wires each into two different cable sleeves down until the amp jack where they join back into a single cable then it should be balanced? Also what do you mean by "then that is likely where the negatives are combining on the "S" part of the TRS." But I can change the M2 cable to have a TRRS balanced jack because of the cable having four wires with it being seperated into two for the cup connections and have it work as a actual balanced cable?


Tip (T), Ring (R) and Sleeve (S). The sleeve on a stereo plug is where the negative wire from BOTH cups goes.

Tip gets the postive for the Left. Ring gets the postive for the Right. Please do check your specific plug pin diagram prior to soldering though.

So. If you have 4 wires, coming down to a TRS. It usually means the two negative wires are twisted together and soldered to the "S". You job then is to desolder it, keep the solder liquid and pull the wires apart, identify which one is the Left negative and which is the Right negative, then solder them to the correct spot on your new connector. Or snip it off and identify each wire, strip, tin and solder to new connector.

If the existing connector is full of hot glue, heat it up enough to unscrew it, then smash it with pure isopropyl, wait 30 seconds, and start scratching it away. Should come away easy.


----------



## 528068 (Apr 9, 2021)

Benno1988 said:


> Tip (T), Ring (R) and Sleeve (S). The sleeve on a stereo plug is where the negative wire from BOTH cups goes.
> 
> Tip gets the postive for the Left. Ring gets the postive for the Right. Please do check your specific plug pin diagram prior to soldering though.
> 
> ...


I already found few TRRS balanced jacks near by me so I might buy them tomorrow. Also is it okay if I can create a PM conversation between us about the wires and stuff? Also you got a tutorial on this topic too that is good for beginners like me? And for the jack sockets will a 3 pin work with a 4 wire balanced connection cable?


----------



## Benno1988

Sure, PM fine.

No, no guides sorry.

What do you have that uses a 2.5mm TRS end? Seems uncommon.

Not sure what you mean on last question, if its "Can I plug a balanaced TRRS 2.5mm into a stereo socket" it's most likely a no, but might be a yes depending. These balanced 2.5/3.5/4.4mm plugs have weird pin layouts, the Oppo ones have reversed pins to the Astell and Kern ones for example.


----------



## 528068 (Apr 9, 2021)

Benno1988 said:


> Sure, PM fine.
> 
> No, no guides sorry.
> 
> ...





Benno1988 said:


> Sure, PM fine.
> 
> No, no guides sorry.
> 
> ...


the OKCSC M2 is TRS 2.5mm. And your interpretation is correct too. Also do you have an example of a 3.5/2.5mm chassis socket for four wire cables? The one I got is a 3 pin but its cheap as hell so I do not mind the fact that I wasted on spending like very little on it


----------



## leeperry (Apr 9, 2021)

Hi guys, debating whether I should install solder or solderless RCA sockets huh?

Solder comes with poor conductivity(<7% IACS FWIR) but I'll use Sn90Ag10 solder to supposedly improve it, It also allows tinning on all exposed wire to avoid copper oxidation and provides excellent contact surface.

Screw-on solderless doesn't offer any protection from oxidation, contact surface is poor but no low-conductivity middle-man 



Eichmann/KLE keep winning all RCA plugs shootouts and they require solder: https://6moons.com/audioreviews/connectors/connectors.html

I'd use rhodium-plated pure copper RCA sockets with teflon UPOCC copper wire on all ends, thanks for any insight


----------



## Benno1988

Splitting hairs. You won't notice a diffence sonically, but if choosing, I would use a soldered connection. I've used those KLE plugs, I have some sitting here to be used too. They are nice enough.


----------



## leeperry (Apr 10, 2021)

Fair enough but I've encountered issues with that Sn90Ag10 solder coz it didn't make nice joints like cardas quad, possibly coz it's not eutectic but soldering on rhodium plating is such a major annoyance even at max temp(480°C or so). I even scratched to remove plating and have solder reach copper but that didn't help much and joint was brittle to say the least and refused to stick no matter what.


----------



## Benno1988

leeperry said:


> Fair enough but I've encountered issues with that Sn90Ag10 solder coz it didn't make nice joints like cardas quad, possibly coz it's not eutectic but soldering on rhodium plating is such a major annoyance even at max temp(480°C or so). I even scratched to remove plating and have solder reach copper but that didn't help much and joint was brittle to say the least and refused to stick no matter what.


I use Cardas on everything now, no issues whatsoever soldering to the rhodium plated Furutech. Can get the Cardas flux paste too, flux that baby right up.


----------



## fjlabs

Quick question, I'm making an cable replacement for the Focal Celestee (3.5mm mono — same as Stellia, Clear, etc...). However, I only have 3.5mm _stereo_ TRS jacks rather than the TS jacks that Focal ships with their cables.

I figured the _tip_ would be hot and the _sleeve_ would be negative/ground? Or is it sleeve and ring? Or just ring? 😮


----------



## noddy43

fjlabs said:


> Quick question, I'm making an cable replacement for the Focal Celestee (3.5mm mono — same as Stellia, Clear, etc...). However, I only have 3.5mm _stereo_ TRS jacks rather than the TS jacks that Focal ships with their cables.
> 
> I figured the _tip_ would be hot and the _sleeve_ would be negative/ground? Or is it sleeve and ring? Or just ring? 😮


For the headphone ends you can use TRS plugs as good quality monos are hard to find.  The tip as hot and the sleeve as common neg/ground. I did this for my focal clear professionals just recently. Check out this pic.


----------



## Benno1988

Just strip the ground/negative back further, solder to the S then take it over and solder to the R too. Basically easy way to bridge the R and S together, ensires it'll work with all 3.5mm headphones, some random models use the R as the ground....


----------



## leeperry

Benno1988 said:


> I use Cardas on everything now, no issues whatsoever soldering to the rhodium plated Furutech. Can get the Cardas flux paste too, flux that baby right up.



Quad Cardas is eutectic so it'll stick on anything with flux and heat but they refuse to document the % of silver and it comes with a low melting point so IACS conductivity is most likely very very poor.


----------



## Benno1988

leeperry said:


> Quad Cardas is eutectic so it'll stick on anything with flux and heat but they refuse to document the % of silver and it comes with a low melting point so IACS conductivity is most likely very very poor.


Very very poor hey. Strong words.


----------



## dontfeedphils

leeperry said:


> Quad Cardas is eutectic so it'll stick on anything with flux and heat but they refuse to document the % of silver and it comes with a low melting point so IACS conductivity is most likely very very poor.



I think you're worrying about a bunch of nothing. The electronics you're using upstream are all soldered together, more than likely with lead-free SAC305, is that somehow not conductive enough for you?


----------



## leeperry (Apr 11, 2021)

Benno1988 said:


> Very very poor hey. Strong words.



Cardas refuse to document the exact mix of their quad solder, silver % is most likely very low considering the low melting point so yes, expect 5-10% IACS or so: https://doc.xdevs.com/docs/_Materials/Chemistry/solder_alloy_directory_brochure_97720_r2.pdf

Copper is 100% IACS for that matter: https://www.bluesea.com/resources/108/Electrical_Conductivity_of_Materials/

I'll go screw-in for the RCA sockets, that'll also save from pesky soldering on rhodium plating 



dontfeedphils said:


> I think you're worrying about a bunch of nothing. The electronics you're using upstream are all soldered together, more than likely with lead-free SAC305, is that somehow not conductive enough for you?



14% IACS isn't too bad: https://www.telametal.com/en/cproduct/sac305-fil-soudure/


----------



## fjlabs

noddy43 said:


> The tip as hot and the sleeve as common neg/ground.





Benno1988 said:


> Just strip the ground/negative back further, solder to the S then take it over and solder to the R too. Basically easy way to bridge the R and S together, ensires it'll work with all 3.5mm headphones, some random models use the R as the ground....


Thank you both!


----------



## Benno1988

leeperry said:


> Cardas refuse to document the exact mix of their quad solder, silver % is most likely very low considering the low melting point so yes, expect 5-10% IACS or so: https://doc.xdevs.com/docs/_Materials/Chemistry/solder_alloy_directory_brochure_97720_r2.pdf
> 
> Copper is 100% IACS for that matter: https://www.bluesea.com/resources/108/Electrical_Conductivity_of_Materials/
> 
> ...


Guess the cheap arse poor Cardas or 60/40 solder hooking up all the internal wiring is very very poor too. Real strange to use it. In all high end electronics and all high end cables. Real odd.


----------



## cgb3

Benno1988 said:


> Haha. Moon audio uses FedEx. Whatever they do, it comes USA to Australia in a week, no customs etc on top. Might be different in UK.
> 
> Then USPS I'd be lucky if it ever arrives. And Royal Mail just takes its Royal time. And its updates go silent for weeks and it suddenly arrives!


I ordered some Senn HD 800 connectors from Moon. I'm ~60 miles from them in NC, and it took 5 days.

Personally for me, anyone but FedEx.


----------



## Benno1988

cgb3 said:


> I ordered some Senn HD 800 connectors from Moon. I'm ~60 miles from them in NC, and it took 5 days.
> 
> Personally for me, anyone but FedEx.


FedEx for Australia!


----------



## ochildrift

I have never done this for headphone cabling; however, I feel like it shouldn't be any different.


----------



## W1ll1eTheP1mp

Hello! I need som guidance here I received a OEAudio's Multi-Plug yesterday that im planning to use it on one of my cables. All my cables is either 4 or 8 core. How do i find out which cable that is R+, R-, L+, L-? The multiplug looks like this:




Do i need to buy myself a multimeter?


----------



## Benno1988

W1ll1eTheP1mp said:


> Hello! I need som guidance here I received a OEAudio's Multi-Plug yesterday that im planning to use it on one of my cables. All my cables is either 4 or 8 core. How do i find out which cable that is R+, R-, L+, L-? The multiplug looks like this:
> 
> 
> Do i need to buy myself a multimeter?


Yes, one with continuity functionaltiy...

Or...haha...

Track the cable from the connector alllll the way to the amp end plug haha.


----------



## bored ranger

Any good cable boots/splitters?
 I’ve seen the via blue ones, but they are kind of expensive at 17 bucks a pop.


----------



## gimmeheadroom (Apr 18, 2021)

W1ll1eTheP1mp said:


> Hello! I need som guidance here I received a OEAudio's Multi-Plug yesterday that im planning to use it on one of my cables. All my cables is either 4 or 8 core. How do i find out which cable that is R+, R-, L+, L-? The multiplug looks like this:
> 
> 
> Do i need to buy myself a multimeter?


Not necessarily. Some cable testers have continuity function and are good for people who just want to work with cables. Cheap ones can be dangerous when you try using them in situations you should not and anyway multimeters can be overwhelming for people.

If you're gonna get into electronics, wait until you know more about what you want.

The Thomann cable tester has a continuity tester, comes with probes, and can help with many standard kinds of cables. Not headphone cables though except for 3,5mm and 1/4 inch.

https://www.thomann.de/intl/millenium_mct20.htm


----------



## tototoru

tototoru said:


> Did anyone try taking the 4pin XLR thingy from Neutrik and put it in Viablue T6S XLR to make a Viablue 4pin XLR?
> It's held with a screw so it can be replaced, in theory inner diameter is the same and total depth is too. Any ideas?


up


----------



## Benno1988

tototoru said:


> up


Highly doubt anyone has attempted this. Why don't you and report back? I'm sure you could make it work, maybe have a fine file on hand.


----------



## tototoru

Benno1988 said:


> Highly doubt anyone has attempted this. Why don't you and report back? I'm sure you could make it work, maybe have a fine file on hand.


Shipping internationally is expensive nowadays, I'm reluctant to buy the Viablue not knowing if it will work, I'm worried about internal dimensions and tolerances but in theory it should work with a hole for the Neutrik to screw in, it would be nice to match the Viablue XLR to the Viablue 3.5 jacks so if no one knows I may try it myself.


----------



## Benno1988

Or go a different 3.5mm plug haha.


----------



## TrollDragon

W1ll1eTheP1mp said:


> Hello! I need som guidance here I received a OEAudio's Multi-Plug yesterday that im planning to use it on one of my cables. All my cables is either 4 or 8 core. How do i find out which cable that is R+, R-, L+, L-? The multiplug looks like this:
> 
> 
> Do i need to buy myself a multimeter?


Yes you will need a multimeter to trace out those connections, any will do and you don't need something fancy or expensive.

If you don't know how to use a multimeter to check cables give this video a watch.


----------



## Benno1988

Anyone found a Pentaconn that has a more roomy setup for soldering? These tiny internal pins with cheap plastic between are annoying me.


----------



## noddy43

Hey Benno1988

I recently used these connectors for a cable build and am really impressed with the build quality. Although likely a little larger than the Pentaconn barrel wise the price point is about the same and they have quality components.

The shoulder points for the wires seem more naturally laid out from my perspective.

https://www.aeco.tw/


----------



## Benno1988

noddy43 said:


> Hey Benno1988
> 
> I recently used these connectors for a cable build and am really impressed with the build quality. Although likely a little larger than the Pentaconn barrel wise the price point is about the same and they have quality components.
> 
> ...


Can't see they make a Pentaconn?


----------



## noddy43

No they don't,  just giving an alternative. I have not seen Pentaconns without the stepped linear arrangements for the solder points. That's the compromise with a small barrel size I figure.


----------



## Turkeysaurus

I think Furutech's 4.4mm connectors might be what you're looking for. Either the FT-7445(R) or CF-7445(R).


----------



## silent-circuit

I recently broke my TCA x AAW Project 4+2 stick cable at the primary connector (not saying it wasn't my fault but that was some weak solder...)

Planning to re-terminate myself unless someone would rather get practice for cost of shipping to you and back (and I guess depending on the plug, cost of materials). If I can't get this done for ~$50 I'll just do it myself.


----------



## LeMat

Hi there
Quick question as I'm about to build another headphone cable. The design I have in mind is using both UPOCC silver wire and UPOCC copper. Would it make any difference if I combine silver and copper only for the signal line and stick with copper for the ground? Just trying to avoid unnecessary expenses 
thanks!


----------



## Benno1988

Has anyone done the shaped heatshrink for the earhook on IEM cables before?

Do you just heatshrink it and then bend it around a shaped block and let it cool down? I'll do some testing, but keen to have any tips if someone has already done the painful testing part.


----------



## DuncanDirkDick

I use a solid wire inside to hold the shape. Either way I apply the heatshrink, let it cool off a bit and then reheat and bend. In my experience it prevents the heatshrinks from getting ugly marks. Another way would be wrapping your shape in a silicone mat.


----------



## Benno1988

DuncanDirkDick said:


> I use a solid wire inside to hold the shape. Either way I apply the heatshrink, let it cool off a bit and then reheat and bend. In my experience it prevents the heatshrinks from getting ugly marks. Another way would be wrapping your shape in a silicone mat.


Have you tried a wore free version?


----------



## DuncanDirkDick

Yes but usually with adhesive heatshrinks


----------



## tototoru

Anyone tried to make a headphone cable with SOMMERCABLE CAPTAIN FLEXIBLE? they claim it's very flexible https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/bala...shielded-ofc-copper-2x022mm-o65mm-p-9929.html


----------



## chezzer

Seems to be like my mate Mal, a bit thick


----------



## tototoru

I plan to braid it, so I will remove the shield and sleeve, the wires are 24AWG they shouldn't be too stiff?


----------



## tototoru (May 30, 2021)

Any experience with these connectors? https://aliexpress.com/item/1005001701092840.html or https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/xlr-...-way-male-xlr-connector-o8mm-unit-p-3679.html


----------



## Ryukote

What exactly do you want to know about those XLR connectors?


----------



## tototoru

Ryukote said:


> What exactly do you want to know about those XLR connectors?


Are they good? they're very cheap compared to Neutrik.


----------



## Jose Hidalgo

Hi all  I asked this on another topic but didn't get a lot of replies. Maybe here, who knows !
I'm looking for custom headphone cable makers based in *Europe* and at *affordable* prices. I have a 5-cable project with very precise specs.  

I was about to do business with Alan Lovell (UK) 6 months ago, but he suddenly went AWOL.
I know many cable makers in the US (Hart Audio, Halby, etc.), but shipping + taxes make it difficult for me to buy from them.
So, any european alternatives ?


----------



## chezzer

Jose Hidalgo said:


> Hi all  I asked this on another topic but didn't get a lot of replies. Maybe here, who knows !
> I'm looking for custom headphone cable makers based in *Europe* and at *affordable* prices. I have a 5-cable project with very precise specs.
> 
> I was about to do business with Alan Lovell (UK) 6 months ago, but he suddenly went AWOL.
> ...


Best one I have dealings with is Ian at cosmic cables here in the UK
https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cosmic-cables-impressions-and-discussion-thread.919770/


----------



## Jose Hidalgo

Thanks chezzer. Nice looking cables. Way too expensive for me unfortunately.
£100 or more for a single cable, and I need 5 of them ? (7 actually - 5 x 25cm HP cables + 2 x 1m50 interconnects). Impossible.


----------



## dontfeedphils

Jose Hidalgo said:


> Thanks chezzer. Nice looking cables. Way too expensive for me unfortunately.
> £100 or more for a single cable, and I need 5 of them ? (7 actually - 5 x 25cm HP cables + 2 x 1m50 interconnects). Impossible.



You're going to be hard pressed to find much cheaper than that, if at all. Cables aren't fast or super easy to make.


----------



## Jose Hidalgo

I already found much cheaper.  Unfortunately we can't order at the moment.


----------



## dontfeedphils

Jose Hidalgo said:


> I already found much cheaper.  Unfortunately we can't order at the moment.



Good luck with that.


----------



## Jose Hidalgo

What do you mean dontfeedphils ?


----------



## dontfeedphils

Jose Hidalgo said:


> What do you mean dontfeedphils ?



You said it yourself, dude went awol. If that's the outfit I'm thinking of he had a lot of open orders that either didn't or still haven't been fulfilled.


----------



## Jose Hidalgo

Yes. Sadly it was _force majeure_ for health issues. We can hardly blame him for that.
My point is that if that guy could provide extreme customization at such affordable prices and still be happy and earn money honestly, others can too.
My point is that we are paying too much for cables, no matter how pretty they are. Cables aren't jewels.
Yes, they take some time and precision to make. But not to the point to make them cost 100$/€/£ or more (per cable !). That's where it becomes audiophoolery IMHO.


----------



## dontfeedphils

Jose Hidalgo said:


> Yes. Sadly it was _force majeure_ for health issues. We can hardly blame him for that.
> My point is that if that guy could provide extreme customization at such affordable prices and still be happy and earn money honestly, others can too.
> My point is that we are paying too much for cables, no matter how pretty they are. Cables aren't jewels.
> Yes, they take some time and precision to make. But not to the point to make them cost 100$/€/£ or more (per cable !). That's where it becomes audiophoolery IMHO.



Go through a BOM on a nice cable and add up materials, then add in labor, then add in the tools required, then add in the skills it takes. $100 is cheap for nice, customized cables and if you don't think so then maybe it's time for you to enter the cable making game and make a killing.


----------



## Jose Hidalgo (Jun 5, 2021)

My point remains : if that guy could do it and didn't lose money, others can too. 
Other cable manufacturers are cheap too (e.g. Hart Audio : about $40 per cable, excl. shipping and taxes), even if they don't provide the same level of customization (braided stuff, etc.). So it's definitely possible.


----------



## TrollDragon

There are cables for all budgets, if someone has the disposable income and wants to spend big money on nice cables then that is their prerogative.

I make my own.


----------



## TrollDragon

Now if I could just find ultra slim 3.5mm plugs for the 99 Classics I'd be happy.


----------



## DuerumBen

TrollDragon said:


> Now if I could just find ultra slim 3.5mm plugs for the 99 Classics I'd be happy.


best one i did find for narrow Plugs  -> long 3.5mm Plug


----------



## DuerumBen

tototoru said:


> Anyone tried to make a headphone cable with SOMMERCABLE CAPTAIN FLEXIBLE? they claim it's very flexible https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/bala...shielded-ofc-copper-2x022mm-o65mm-p-9929.html


would recommend those Sommercables for Headphones, im using those 6,5mm cables for my interconnects


----------



## Jose Hidalgo

TrollDragon said:


> There are cables for all budgets, if someone has the disposable income and wants to spend big money on nice cables then that is their prerogative.


It certainly is, and I never said otherwise. Anybody is free to spend 100% of his income on whatever he sees fit. That's not my point.



TrollDragon said:


> I make my own.


So did Alan. He was a regular Head-Fi member, you know.

And then one day he started making custom cables *to help others*.
Because that's how "communities" work, and that's something that we tend to forget nowadays.

And then, seeing his success, he decided to make a small business out of it, which is totally legit.
But he always did it because he *loved* making cables, not to earn big money out of it. That's something that we tend to forget too.


----------



## Jose Hidalgo (Jun 5, 2021)

DuerumBen said:


> best one i did find for narrow Plugs  -> long 3.5mm Plug


Nice connector  Would the plastic body fit partly *into* the 99's holes (like the 99's original plugs), or does it stay entirely "outside" of the holes ?
I'd be interested in plugs for the 99's (3.5mm) and also for the Nighthawks (2.5mm). Both have recessed connectors.


----------



## Prog Rock Man

A cable I made back in the day, just to see how it was done. Turned out to be a useful, basic skill, as my next custom self made cable will be for an electric patio heater! It is all a matter of getting the appropriate cable and ends and making sure everything is securely attached.


----------



## TrollDragon

DuerumBen said:


> best one i did find for narrow Plugs  -> long 3.5mm Plug


Nice! I see they have them in Black and Gold as well, I'll have to order some.
Thanks!


----------



## DuerumBen

Jose Hidalgo said:


> Nice connector  Would the plastic body fit partly *into* the 99's holes (like the 99's original plugs), or does it stay entirely "outside" of the holes ?
> I'd be interested in plugs for the 99's (3.5mm) and also for the Nighthawks (2.5mm). Both have recessed connectors.


could be small enough to fit in the hole, but because of the "elongated shaft" XD it will be partially outside the meze connectors


----------



## Sebbai

Hello everybody, new DIY’er here. Have made 5 cables so far, and recable’d my Fostex TR20P.  Just finished my first Litz cable (struggle to solder, but finally I got it right)
Have a issue with the resistance in the cable, it’s about 5 meters long (≈15ft). The resistance is 12 ohms, and made my HE6SE(50ohm)  sound honky compared to my Canare cable.
Is it because litz wire? Braiding technique? Or bad soldering? After some quickly reading I read that litz is preferred on longer wires. The resistance shouldn’t be an issue if I reconnected to fit my HD6XX, but on low impedance headphones it’s to much with 12 ohm right?


----------



## dontfeedphils

Sebbai said:


> Hello everybody, new DIY’er here. Have made 5 cables so far, and recable’d my Fostex TR20P.  Just finished my first Litz cable (struggle to solder, but finally I got it right)
> Have a issue with the resistance in the cable, it’s about 5 meters long (≈15ft). The resistance is 12 ohms, and made my HE6SE(50ohm)  sound honky compared to my Canare cable.
> Is it because litz wire? Braiding technique? Or bad soldering? After some quickly reading I read that litz is preferred on longer wires. The resistance shouldn’t be an issue if I reconnected to fit my HD6XX, but on low impedance headphones it’s to much with 12 ohm right?



How did you tin the ends or the Litz wire before soldering? Maybe you weren't able to completely remove the enamel from all the strands leaving some partials opens.


----------



## Sebbai

dontfeedphils said:


> How did you tin the ends or the Litz wire before soldering? Maybe you weren't able to completely remove the enamel from all the strands leaving some partials opens.


- I burned the cotton with fast lighter burns
- Melted Flux and covered the wire
- Dipped the wire in solderpot many times over short sessions to not melt any isolation (the solder didn’t stick) 
- Used the solder pen with a chunk of solder on it and held it close to the wire until I got it completely covered in solder


----------



## DuerumBen (Jun 6, 2021)

Sebbai said:


> Hello everybody, new DIY’er here. Have made 5 cables so far, and recable’d my Fostex TR20P.  Just finished my first Litz cable (struggle to solder, but finally I got it right)
> Have a issue with the resistance in the cable, it’s about 5 meters long (≈15ft). The resistance is 12 ohms, and made my HE6SE(50ohm)  sound honky compared to my Canare cable.
> Is it because litz wire? Braiding technique? Or bad soldering? After some quickly reading I read that litz is preferred on longer wires. The resistance shouldn’t be an issue if I reconnected to fit my HD6XX, but on low impedance headphones it’s to much with 12 ohm right?


everything over 0.1Ohm with those lenghts is too much

my guess is a bad solder joint or like phils said the enamel wasnt complety removed, if your wire is enameled i would scratch it up with a knife and than use a lot solder on your iron to burn the rest off and also use a good gel flux so the isolation will be washed away 

Edit: just read that its 5meter not ft XD then everything under 1Ohm should be fine


----------



## cappuchino (Jun 10, 2021)

Hey guys!

So I wanna try my hand on making an IEM cable for the Sennheiser IE400 Pro.

Here are the parts I'm looking at (haven't bought 'em yet):





*(jack, splitter, slider, and connectors)*





(cable)

I could get the parts + cable for around 11 USD from 14 using vouchers + coins (Shopee).


Planning to do a 4-core cable to keep things simple for my first try. I already have some hot glue, a soldering iron and lead, and heat shrink tubes.
I have done basic recabling with my buds but nothing at this cable-making/braiding level yet. Are there other tools I need?

Oh, by the way, does anyone know if IE400 Pro connectors are similar to MMCX in where I solder L/R and ground? Already asked the seller for a pic of the connector without the housing but haven't received one yet.


Thanks a lot!


----------



## DuerumBen

would always recommend a good


cappuchino said:


> Hey guys!
> 
> So I wanna try my hand on making an IEM cable for the Sennheiser IE400 Pro.
> 
> ...



would always recommend a good flux paste -> makes the joints so much easier and some needle nose pliers

mmcx pinout normally is ground is the outer ring and signal is the pin in the middle but i dont have a sennheiser iem here to check it if Senn is special with the wireing again


----------



## cappuchino

DuerumBen said:


> would always recommend a good
> 
> 
> would always recommend a good flux paste -> makes the joints so much easier and some needle nose pliers
> ...


Thanks a lot!

Do I also need some epoxy putty or hot glue will do in setting the housing of the jack and splitter?


----------



## DuerumBen

cappuchino said:


> Do I also need some epoxy putty or hot glue will do in setting the housing of the jack and splitter?


depends on the jack and splitter but i just jam some tack-on in the splitter if it still moves around and for the jacks i only use  heat shrink


----------



## cappuchino

DuerumBen said:


> depends on the jack and splitter but i just jam some tack-on in the splitter if it still moves around and for the jacks i only use  heat shrink


Thanks a lot for the advice! Will do that.


----------



## DivineCurrent

Jose Hidalgo said:


> Hi all  I asked this on another topic but didn't get a lot of replies. Maybe here, who knows !
> I'm looking for custom headphone cable makers based in *Europe* and at *affordable* prices. I have a 5-cable project with very precise specs.
> 
> I was about to do business with Alan Lovell (UK) 6 months ago, but he suddenly went AWOL.
> ...


I’ve ordered from this guy who is actually in the UK, Sky Audio Cables: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174687306587
He makes some really nice paracord cables for only around £50.


----------



## DuerumBen

Jose Hidalgo said:


> Hi all  I asked this on another topic but didn't get a lot of replies. Maybe here, who knows !
> I'm looking for custom headphone cable makers based in *Europe* and at *affordable* prices. I have a 5-cable project with very precise specs.
> 
> I was about to do business with Alan Lovell (UK) 6 months ago, but he suddenly went AWOL.
> ...


For mainland EU Audioverse makes cables in germany


----------



## tototoru

Hi, any experience with this type of wire for headphones https://www.ebay.com/itm/324097142616, I see it used for IEMs but not so much on headphones. Should I go for 26AWG?


----------



## chezzer

tototoru said:


> Hi, any experience with this type of wire for headphones https://www.ebay.com/itm/324097142616, I see it used for IEMs but not so much on headphones. Should I go for 26AWG?


I wouldn't bother, it is inflexible


----------



## tototoru

chezzer said:


> I wouldn't bother, it is inflexible


Thanks, I see this type of wire on IEMs and it seems flowy, any tips on how to identify flexibility? I only look at the number of strands the lower the better, also looked up FEP insulation, according to this https://www.galaxywire.com/custom-wire-cable/jacket-insulation/fep-fluorinated-ethylene-propylene/ it's fairly flexible.


----------



## chezzer

It can be but it also depends on the wire itself, especially for iems you want it to hang as nicely as possible


----------



## chezzer

If you look at the 4th picture along and send how the wire is wound you can usually tell that it it a bit hard and inflexible, where as if you see it on a fairly small 
bobbin it is always more flexible like this. https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/silver-cotton


----------



## tototoru

chezzer said:


> If you look at the 4th picture along and send how the wire is wound you can usually tell that it it a bit hard and inflexible, where as if you see it on a fairly small
> bobbin it is always more flexible like this. https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/silver-cotton


Nice tip thanks, the bobbin indeed shows how easily it can make turns with minimal radius, though the images show different AWG sizes which affects flexibility so not a fair comparison, any idea where to get reasonably priced wire? preferably China else in Europe, I was waiting for MOGAMI NEGLEX W2893 from Audiophonics but it's out of stock, they have the only reasonable price+shipping I could find to my country.


----------



## chezzer

But the original wire that you wanted from ebay at 1.2mm is $8.32 as opposed to about $5.50 for a far superior wire, I'm guessing you need more than 1 metre, so assuming you need 6m price with delivery would be the same but you'd get a product that you happy with, the wire from ebay is not worth $8 per metre. Try it


----------



## tototoru

I don't want to bore you with the math, the ebay wire (single wire) has free shipping and comes for $6.5 *per 5 meters* for 24AWG, I can get 15m for $19.5 to make balanced headphones cable and balanced interconnects etc. Audiophonics.fr have w2534 (4 wires) in stock comes at €2.75 per meter plus fixed €15 shipping. The Cosmic Cables option is too expensive as I need a big quantity.


----------



## chezzer

I see, I thought the ebay one was per metre


----------



## tototoru (Jun 26, 2021)

For international buyers, Redco seems to have the best deal, I just bought 16 feet of W2893 for $28.37 shipped with USPS first class, I couldn't find any better deal.
NB: 16 feet is the most you can get at $15 shipping, 1 foot more and you have to pay $25 shipping, better max that IMO.


----------



## DivineCurrent (Jun 26, 2021)

If you need more than 20 meters for multiple cables, I highly recommend the silver plated copper from QYFANG on Aliexpress:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNyXDgN
It’s only about a dollar per meter and the most flexible wire I’ve used so far.
Here’s the bulk link: https://a.aliexpress.com/_msWVnat


----------



## tototoru

DivineCurrent said:


> If you need more than 20 meters for multiple cables, I highly recommend the silver plated copper from QYFANG on Aliexpress:
> https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNyXDgN
> It’s only about a dollar per meter and the most flexible wire I’ve used so far.
> Here’s the bulk link: https://a.aliexpress.com/_msWVnat


I stumbled upon that, but only ships with EMS for $74, totally unreasonable for the cost of the good itself, I can't understand Aliexpress sellers, some offer free/cheap shipping and some have insane options.
Post-covid, I only buy from sellers who offer Cainiao shipping, it takes less than 3 weeks and you pay like $2.


----------



## DivineCurrent

tototoru said:


> I stumbled upon that, but only ships with EMS for $74, totally unreasonable for the cost of the good itself, I can't understand Aliexpress sellers, some offer free/cheap shipping and some have insane options.
> Post-covid, I only buy from sellers who offer Cainiao shipping, it takes less than 3 weeks and you pay like $2.


Wait that doesn’t sound right, I got the very cheap Aliexpress standard shipping from them. Check out the shipping options on the other link for 20 meters. What country are you in?


----------



## tototoru

DivineCurrent said:


> Wait that doesn’t sound right, I got the very cheap Aliexpress standard shipping from them. Check out the shipping options on the other link for 20 meters. What country are you in?


Yeah, it depends on country, I'm in Morocco, usually the US and Europe have more reasonable rates. QYFANG have a few items with cheap shipping but for most items it's EMS or FedEx, many sellers are doing this since COVID started when shipping got expensive but didn't go back when prices settled, seems greedy to me.


----------



## r1sh

Hello everyone. I'm going to replace an original cable on my old ath-ad700 because of the cat  

but i don't know which one to use instead?

Can  you please suggest some brands or some points how to choose it?


----------



## Little Bear

What are the best places to buy wire from?  I'm looking for 20-22 awg OCC copper, but it seems like all I can find are Chinese sources on Aliexpress and ebay.  Is there any place to buy this stuff without having to wait a month or more to get it?


----------



## SRKRAM

Sorry if this has already been covered - I really like the standard Audeze braided cables, and would like to make something similar, so I wondered what type of cable they're using?


----------



## Oluvs Buddy

What equipment, parts and info do I need to make my own IEM and headphone cables? (UK)

I find virtually all the cables on my headphones too long as I often use portable DACs on my shirt lapels, top pockets and at my desk.

I now have to make cables which whose maximum length is around my sternum, and I need them for MMCX, 0.78mm, 2.5mm, 3.5mm and what nots.

Proprietary cables also need to be shortened and as I am not ready to open the housings, I have to cut them short, and attach 3.5 socket or whatever connector type is appropriate to them.

So, where do I start?

What tools and parts do I need and what stores and suppliers in the UK have them?


----------



## DuerumBen

Oluvs Buddy said:


> What equipment, parts and info do I need to make my own IEM and headphone cables? (UK)
> 
> I find virtually all the cables on my headphones too long as I often use portable DACs on my shirt lapels, top pockets and at my desk.
> 
> ...


hm a solder station is a must, a cheap one for around 25€ will do but if you want to do more soldering work i recommend a t12 chinesium one for around 60€
on the solder wire front i think a 60/40 cut with rosin core is beginner friendly, if you cant find that in the uk a sn99/cu1 is also good
otherwise a pair of tweesers and a helping hand is good to have 
for cables i recommend some ofc 1mm coppercable (24-26awg)


----------



## DuerumBen

DuerumBen said:


> hm a solder station is a must, a cheap one for around 25€ will do but if you want to do more soldering work i recommend a t12 chinesium one for around 60€
> on the solder wire front i think a 60/40 cut with rosin core is beginner friendly, if you cant find that in the uk a sn99/cu1 is also good
> otherwise a pair of tweesers and a helping hand is good to have
> for cables i recommend some ofc 1mm coppercable (24-26awg)


for connectors you can get some from ebay or aliexpress
otherwise youll need the pinout diagramm for your cable terminations (3,5mm;2,5mm;XLR)
and as always a bit of time and some praxis


----------



## imas69

Oluvs Buddy said:


> What equipment, parts and info do I need to make my own IEM and headphone cables? (UK)
> 
> I find virtually all the cables on my headphones too long as I often use portable DACs on my shirt lapels, top pockets and at my desk.
> 
> ...


https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/diy-wire-accessories-and-sleeving
Everything under one virtual roof


----------



## Oluvs Buddy

Are there any videos showing how connectors are soldered to the cables, and wiring diagrams?

I suspect that soldering cables to MMCX, 0.78mm and all the other connector types is  a quite fiddly process, delicate error prone process.


----------



## DuerumBen

Oluvs Buddy said:


> Are there any videos showing how connectors are soldered to the cables, and wiring diagrams?
> 
> I suspect that soldering cables to MMCX, 0.78mm and all the other connector types is  a quite fiddly process, delicate error prone process.


for wiring simply google your desired connection plus pinout and the same for the plug


----------



## tototoru




----------



## drjimwillie

I am relatively new to headphones. I have one pair which are the Focal Clear. 
I have two questions, please:
1.  I am about to get a Holo Serene preamp, which uses the two XLR-3 outputs for the headphones.  I am having an adapter made for me and want to make sure I do it correctly.  The two XLR-3 are combined into one XLR-4. With the XLR-3, The 1 pin is groundand the 2 pin is hot/+, the 3 pin is cold/- .  When these are used only the 1 pin and the 2 pin are used, and the 3 pin is not, correct? What seems odd is that the ground is common for both 1 pins, is that correct. 
2.  Is Mogami 2549 good for this cable?  From the XLR-4 to the 3.5mm at the ear of the Focal Clear is 10’. 
thank you


----------



## dstarr3

I'm interested in making my own short RCA cables for between my DAC/amp stack. It looks like all of the commercially available options are either VERY expensive for just six inches of cable, or they're incredibly stiff and put a lot of strain on the inputs, or are much longer than necessary with a lot of coiled up excess behind the stack. Or in a lot of cases, all of these are true, and a DIY solution with none of these problems becomes very tempting.

I have some 16-gauge pure copper speaker wire. Considering the length will be 4 to 6 inches tops, would I be able to use speaker wire between RCA connectors?


----------



## quisxx

Hi guys, ordered some 2 pin connectors from plussound and have no idea idea which side is positive or negative. I’ve only wired full sized headphones up until now, and this has me a bit confused. A little assistance would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## imas69 (Aug 5, 2021)

+ is to the right of the groove on the right connector and left of the groove on the left connector.


----------



## Aye75

Benno1988 said:


> Has anyone done the shaped heatshrink for the earhook on IEM cables before?
> 
> Do you just heatshrink it and then bend it around a shaped block and let it cool down? I'll do some testing, but keen to have any tips if someone has already done the painful testing part.


I recently did this .. was trying to figure out how to actually do it but wasn't able to find anything proper .. just read some used a small flexible wire as a guide but I just heated the heat shrink while holding it in shape..
I use the middle part of toilet paper cut a slice and put the pins in between, wrap the wire on the outside and heat it using a heat gun..





here's the outcome .. there some slight wrinkle at the edge near the pins case. It's because I was trying to force fit the 2 pins case and sliding it on top of the heat shrink .. could have been better if I used a smaller sized heat shrink .. but I could fix those later once I get a proper sized heat shrink.


----------



## Aye75 (Aug 16, 2021)

quisxx said:


> Hi guys, ordered some 2 pin connectors from plussound and have no idea idea which side is positive or negative. I’ve only wired full sized headphones up until now, and this has me a bit confused. A little assistance would be greatly appreciated.


Edit: On top of response by @imas69 above which is correct.  Check out this video link below on youtube could also give a better view.

It helped me while I was figuring out mine.


----------



## PROblemdetected

Hi folks.

Im trying to build a cable for my audioquest nighhawk.
I want a 4.4 connector to the dac, which ends on 2.5 mono connectors to the headphone.
But Im a little bit confused about wiring, trying to find a guide to get some info, but no luck. Need to figure out how to pinout.

Anyone can help me with that?
And if a want to make a cable for hifiman he4xx 3.5 is the same wiring scheme?

Thanks.


----------



## Benno1988

4.4mm pinout

L+, L-, R+, R-, G (tip, ring, ring ring, sleeve)

Tip of the 2.5mm is +. Sleeve is -. Ground on 4.4 gets unused.


----------



## PROblemdetected (Aug 20, 2021)

Benno1988 said:


> 4.4mm pinout
> 
> L+, L-, R+, R-, G (tip, ring, ring ring, sleeve)
> 
> Tip of the 2.5mm is +. Sleeve is -. Ground on 4.4 gets unused.



First of all, thank for ur fast answer.

If im going for stereo 2.5 like the attached file, what should be the pinout then?

And why all custom cable that ive seen usually make cablres with mono over stereo?

Thanks again! 🤙

PD. If u got any webpage with info about this kind of question, Ill like to read it 😉


----------



## -Hodor- (Aug 20, 2021)

sakt1moko said:


> If im going for stereo 2.5 like the attached file, what should be the pinout then?


Tip = +, Ring = -, Sleeve = - (basically short ring and sleeve)

Most headphones will only use tip and sleeve for their signal, but not every manufacturer keeps to this "standard" (as is unfortunately common in the world of headphones). So its always a good idea to short out ring and sleeve. There are a couple of Headphones that need a yet again different wiring though (like the Audio Technica R70x)



sakt1moko said:


> And why all custom cable that ive seen usually make cablres with mono over stereo?


When using mono jacks you dont need to short ring and sleeve, which is one step less


----------



## TrollDragon

-Hodor- said:


> its always a good idea to short out tip and ring.


Don't you mean Ring and Sleeve? I'd never short Tip and Ring on a cable.


----------



## -Hodor-

TrollDragon said:


> Don't you mean Ring and Sleeve? I'd never short Tip and Ring on a cable.


yeah I meant Ring and Sleeve, as above, sorry. gonna edit the comment above now


----------



## Benno1988

Haha. Don't short tip!


----------



## tjdub (Aug 21, 2021)

Can anyone recommend a good quality silver wire to make a headphone cable that doesn't cost an arm and a leg pleaswe?


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Unfortunately because of current metal prices it's going to be very difficult to find low cost high purity silver wire. You'd want stranded wire for flexibility. I'd personally use this myself: https://www.partsconnexion.com/NEOTECH-79528.html

...maybe wait for a 25% off sale.


----------



## Aye75 (Aug 22, 2021)

tjdub said:


> Can anyone recommend a good quality silver wire to make a headphone cable that doesn't cost an arm and a leg pleaswe?


probably you could try - https://www.partsconnexion.com/DUELUND-81389.html

it's currently at 50%. Only drawback imho is it's a solid core which may make the final product a bit stiff. But I used this before for IEM cable and still acceptable depending on your design. To keep the cost low, I mixed it with copper.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Solid core wire can eventually break over time if it's bent in the same place (think of a copper hanger, just very thin). It's perfectly suitable for hook up wire and interconnects/speaker wire that isn't being moved frequently, but I wouldn't personally use it for headphone cables. Stranded silver is usually 7 strands, so if one broke it's not going to cause intermittent continuance. Obviously you are welcome to do whatever you like, I'm just trying to prevent an expensive loss.


----------



## Aye75

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> Solid core wire can eventually break over time if it's bent in the same place (think of a copper hanger, just very thin). It's perfectly suitable for hook up wire and interconnects/speaker wire that isn't being moved frequently, but I wouldn't personally use it for headphone cables. Stranded silver is usually 7 strands, so if one broke it's not going to cause intermittent continuance. Obviously you are welcome to do whatever you like, I'm just trying to prevent an expensive loss.


Great advice. I haven't been using the cables mentioned for too long hence not to sure of the durability. thanks for your input.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Aye75, If you add some extra heatshrink over the full cable length it will make it a little more stiff but should help it to last longer


----------



## screwdriver

can nayone point me to a person who can re terminate a headphone cable from 1/4 amp end termination to a XLR 4 pin termination? is this even do able?


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

screwdriver said:


> can nayone point me to a person who can re terminate a headphone cable from 1/4 amp end termination to a XLR 4 pin termination? is this even do able?


It depends. If there are four wires in the cable (a positive and negative going to each each earcup) then no problem. If there are three, you need to replace the cable for balanced. If the cable is aftermarket like one of mine, it will come with 4 wires. If it's stock, there is a good chance it has three wires as that is cheaper to make.

Which headphone/cable is it?


----------



## screwdriver

silver dragon moon audio


----------



## gruedude

I'm interested in making a female 4 pin xlr to banana plugs cable but I'm a total noob at this. Do I just connect the left + pin from the xlr to the wire running to the left + banana plug, the left - pin to the left - banana, and so on and so forth?


----------



## TrollDragon

gruedude said:


> I'm interested in making a female 4 pin xlr to banana plugs cable but I'm a total noob at this. Do I just connect the left + pin from the xlr to the wire running to the left + banana plug, the left - pin to the left - banana, and so on and so forth?


Yes. I assume you are hooking this to a speaker amplifier so you want to make sure you keep all the +/- separate (a pair of wires going to each cup). Most power amplifiers do not share a common ground on the speaker posts, so I would check that with an ohm meter before you try plugging any single ended headphones to your cable.

With the power off and amp unplugged measure the resistance between the left and right speaker - posts, if it's close to 0 ohms then you are good to use single ended connections (L+, R+ and a common -) with your amp. If it measure much higher then never bridge the posts.


----------



## elira

Is there a good right angle 4.4mm connector? I tried the ones from QYFANG and they were kind of bad with poor fitting.


----------



## doctorjuggles

elira said:


> Is there a good right angle 4.4mm connector? I tried the ones from QYFANG and they were kind of bad with poor fitting.


Sorry, ignore me. Read this incorrectly


----------



## mauiatheart

Planning on putting together my first set of headphone cables.  Kind of nervous.  Trying to get the biggest list of things to avoid so I don't screw anything up.  Looking through this topic is a little daunting with 679 pages.  Is there anyone who can summarize the things to try to avoid doing?


----------



## Chuck Dee

Make sure you PLAN the build process.

i.e make sure you have placed connector housings, pieces of heatshrink etc on the cables to be terminated before you start soldering.
There's nothing worse than realising you made a nice neat termination of a 4 pole miniXLR and realsing you forget to place the rear part of the shell on the cable before doing so. Ask me how I know this. I'll never get that time back. 

Also, when it comes to cable -measure twice, cut once.

Always be testing for continuity when progressing through connectors with multiple terminations, XLR's, DIN plugs etc.

Don't be afraid to canvas advice from the forum if you get stuck!

Good luck.


----------



## Chimmy9278

Hello! I am new to the cable making and just need some parts sourcing.

Right now I am using redco for my connectors and cables, most likely neutrik and mogami.

I am missing some place to buy mmcx for westone/shure IEMs from, can someone here recommend a store to buy mmxc connectors?

Then it would be the 4.4mm pentacon connector. I prefer the level of what alo audio offers. Any idea where I can get good 4.4mm connectors?

Lastly, I am planning to do a braided cable instead of sleeved, also prefer the thin but durable cables that alo audio uses. Any recommendations for something similar?

US based. Thank you!


----------



## elira

Chimmy9278 said:


> Any idea where I can get good 4.4mm connectors?


If you are in the US, Moon audio and plus sound have good ones. Furutech makes the best in my opinion.


----------



## Chuck Dee

Chimmy9278 said:


> Hello! I am new to the cable making and just need some parts sourcing.
> 
> Right now I am using redco for my connectors and cables, most likely neutrik and mogami.
> 
> ...



Aliexpress ftw. Quality can sometimes be hit and miss but you pays your money, you takes your chances.
Most western retailers/brands get their connectors manufactured by Chinese companies in any case.
All the components I use, apart from Neutrik connectors are sourced from China, even the wire which is tip top quality all the time.


----------



## Chimmy9278 (Oct 18, 2021)

@Chuck Dee 
Would you mind to let me in on some of the parts you like specifically?

Like y splitter or other parts I was wondering about. I am just too new to shop in the vast market of Ali.


----------



## Chimmy9278

elira said:


> If you are in the US, Moon audio and plus sound have good ones. Furutech makes the best in my opinion.


Furutech does have some nice 4.4, but the problems is I really do prefer gold contacts. In that case do you have other ones in mind?


----------



## Chimmy9278 (Oct 18, 2021)

And another thing, I have been looking at neutrik XLR connectors, and there are two main lines of products I see around. One is the XX and another the Neutrik NC3MXX-B ones.

Are there other ones that is comparable or you prefer more? Other brands is fine too.


----------



## elira

Chimmy9278 said:


> Furutech does have some nice 4.4, but the problems is I really do prefer gold contacts. In that case do you have other ones in mind?



These https://www.moon-audio.com/moon-audio-4-4mm-trrrs-balanced-connector.html or these http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/c...SOUND-Gold-Plated-4-4mm-TRRRS-Plug-p250625281

As per AliExpress stuff, I’ve had good luck with https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtY0JlY but as mentioned before right angle 4.4mm are kind of poor quality everywhere (in my opinion).


----------



## Chimmy9278

elira said:


> These https://www.moon-audio.com/moon-audio-4-4mm-trrrs-balanced-connector.html or these http://www.plussoundaudio.com/diy/c...SOUND-Gold-Plated-4-4mm-TRRRS-Plug-p250625281
> 
> As per AliExpress stuff, I’ve had good luck with https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtY0JlY but as mentioned before right angle 4.4mm are kind of poor quality everywhere (in my opinion).


Ouch, $40 for moon, expensive stuff.
The plussoundaudio site is broken for me for some reason. 

Thank you for the recommendations!


----------



## elira

Chimmy9278 said:


> The plussoundaudio site is broken for me for some reason.


It’s kind of very slow, refresh a couple times and wait for it to respond.


----------



## Chuck Dee

Chimmy9278 said:


> @Chuck Dee
> Would you mind to let me in on some of the parts you like specifically?
> 
> Like y splitter or other parts I was wondering about. I am just too new to shop in the vast market of Ali.


I also was 'too new' before I just started looking/shopping around.
Take a look at:
R Connector
QFANG


----------



## Chimmy9278

So if I want to braid litz cables, where can I get the cables with the clear tubing and really thin gauge? 

Likewise something close to what alo uses would be great!

So if you have a link to a store which sells it don't mind to reply and give me a ping!


----------



## Bonddam

Trying to find out the polarity of TH900. I'd use a battery to see which way the cone moves but not sure if the tiny voice coil will put up with technique for figuring out car speakers polarity. Took apart massdrop th-x00 and th900 mk1 that was recabled but not sure if the drivers on 900 have different position of + and -.


----------



## Parnracing

How to make a cable for hifiman Arya 3.5mm


----------



## mauiatheart

Parnracing said:


> How to make a cable for hifiman Arya 3.5mm


I hope the tip is the "+" and the ring is the "-", because that is how I wired mine.


----------



## Bonddam

mauiatheart said:


> I hope the tip is the "+" and the ring is the "-", because that is how I wired mine.


Tip and ring come from old telephone days and I believe headphones are using tip as positive and sleeve as negative on mono plugs. On TRS the sleeves used for common ground and tip and ring are right and left +.


----------



## Parnracing

Sorry but I mean 3.5mm in the left and right channels. on headphone.


----------



## supadupaninja

Hello guys,

I want mod my DT1990 to balanced. 

Is there any common standard for the Mini XLR or can I use the one from the normal XLR like described here?

http://www.diyaudioblog.com/2016/02/headphone-connectors-pins-pinouts-for.html?m=1

Pin 1 - L+
Pin 2 - L-
Pin 3- R+
Pin 4 - R-


----------



## TrollDragon

supadupaninja said:


> Hello guys,
> 
> I want mod my DT1990 to balanced.
> 
> ...


I don't think there is a configuration standard for single sided audio 4 pin mini XLR. When it comes to dual mini 4 pin most people use the Audeze configuration.  

The configuration you have chosen would work fine since you are making your own cable. You will also have to modify the DT1990s internal wiring to support balanced and match that connector.


----------



## -Hodor-

yeah, it would be best to mirror the pinout of 4-Pin XLR, as this is also the way headphones like the Drop DT177X GO are wired


----------



## chezzer

Hi all, could anyone please let me know the correct pinout for 2 x 3.5mm to 2 x 3pin xlr would this require a 6 wire cable or is one of the pins on the 3 pin xlr not used, thank you


----------



## TrollDragon

chezzer said:


> Hi all, could anyone please let me know the correct pinout for 2 x 3.5mm to 2 x 3pin xlr would this require a 6 wire cable or is one of the pins on the 3 pin xlr not used, thank you


It helps when we know what the source and destination devices are.

I assume you are coming from an amp and going to headphones, so it depends on whether you need a 3.5mm in TRS or just TS. You should be able to get away with 4 wires as pin 1 on the XLR is a Shield/Ground connection and will not have to be used.

Pin 2 is the Signal + and Pin 3 is the Signal -, you would only need to connect Pin 2 to the Tip of the 3.5 and Pin 3 to the Sleeve.




This should work for 98% of the dual entry 3.5mm headphones out there. Some are wired differently such as the Audeze LCD 1, it negates the L/R headphone end connections via internal wiring in the headphone, so you always have proper orientation no matter how you plug the ends in.   This is why we ask what the source and destination are.


----------



## chezzer

Bless you my friend, thank you very much


----------



## chezzer

Also the headphones are Focal clear and the amp/ dac is Pioneer U05-s


----------



## TrollDragon

chezzer said:


> Also the headphones are Focal clear and the amp/ dac is Pioneer U05-s


Nice, you could also use the 4 Pin XLR jack instead having a single 4 wire braided cable that splits off to the dual 3.5mm.


----------



## chezzer

Thanks, yes, I've done that but was just interested in making a new cable, you know how it is with audio, never satisfied.


----------



## TrollDragon

chezzer said:


> Thanks, yes, I've done that but was just interested in making a new cable, you know how it is with audio, never satisfied.


Indeed I do, enjoy and post some pics when it's finished.


----------



## chezzer

TrollDragon said:


> Indeed I do, enjoy and post some pics when it's finished.


Will do, thanks for your help


----------



## kwatch

I'm looking for a 3 pin XLR cable.  I will be using it to connect DAC to headphone amp.  Please recommend me a cable,

I have some Canare L-4E6S left over.  Can I use it?  Thank you.


----------



## DivineCurrent

Has anyone here used Hakugei wire? I found a really nice blue one I want to try 8-wire braiding. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003461304028.html
I know it's somewhat expensive for only 6 meters, but I want to make a pretty to look at cable jewelry, haha.


----------



## buke9

DivineCurrent said:


> Has anyone here used Hakugei wire? I found a really nice blue one I want to try 8-wire braiding. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003461304028.html
> I know it's somewhat expensive for only 6 meters, but I want to make a pretty to look at cable jewelry, haha.


Haven’t used it but 26 awg and only 16 cores it is not going to be real flexible.


----------



## dstarr3

My Beyer DT150 has a proprietary connector, and I'm hoping to build an adapter that I would potentially also make available to others so that the use of different cables would be much easier. Photos of the connector can be seen in this post: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/beyerdynamic-dt-150-bloody-brilliant.265251/page-162#post-15568667

I was hoping the pins would follow some sort of industrial standard, but they don't seem to. Each pin is 1.5mm and they're not evenly spaced. So I feel like 3D printing my own connector is pretty much the only way forward. I just don't know what metal to use for the pins.

My first idea is this:
https://smile.amazon.com/uxcell-Lathe-Round-Solid-Length/dp/B07KY8XJQL

I would cut them down to 10mm lengths or so, insert them into a printed connector, solder to them, be good to go. But I have no idea if stainless steel is a good conductor for audio connections. Any thoughts?


----------



## DivineCurrent

buke9 said:


> Haven’t used it but 26 awg and only 16 cores it is not going to be real flexible.


Even with an 8 wire braid? I've used 22-24 awg 19 core PVC insulated before and it's pretty flexible.


----------



## Somatic

Can anyone direct me to few headfiers that make their own cables? Thanks


----------



## chezzer

Somatic said:


> Can anyone direct me to few headfiers that make their own cables? Thanks


I think everyone does as it's the diy thread, what do you need to know


----------



## bflat

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right forum, but I hope one of the DIY'ers here is interested with a repair job I need. I currently have a custom cable that is in need of repair and I don't have the equipment or skills to do on my own. Unfortunately the original cable maker is no longer in business and other cable makers I've contacted will only repair their own cable.

The complexity of my cable is that it uses the PW 1960s wire which I was told is a Cardas sourced wire. Being Cardas, the wire strands are coated in enamel and the wiring schematic is also unique with how the shield and core are used. Fortunately, I have all the wiring information and replacement hardware for repair, I just need someone who can perform the repair.

Please PM me if you are interested in this repair job. Thanks!


----------



## chezzer

bflat said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Not sure if this is the right forum, but I hope one of the DIY'ers here is interested with a repair job I need. I currently have a custom cable that is in need of repair and I don't have the equipment or skills to do on my own. Unfortunately the original cable maker is no longer in business and other cable makers I've contacted will only repair their own cable.
> 
> ...


Only person I know is Ian at cosmic cables but they're based in the UK but I suppose you can only ask


----------



## bflat

chezzer said:


> Only person I know is Ian at cosmic cables but they're based in the UK but I suppose you can only ask


Thanks! I hadn't considered outside the US, but that's a viable option since postage isn't too bad for a cable.


----------



## dontfeedphils

bflat said:


> Thanks! I hadn't considered outside the US, but that's a viable option since postage isn't too bad for a cable.



I can probably help out. I'm not an established business, but I know my way around a soldering iron. If you're interested send some pics of the cable and parts and we can talk.


----------



## bflat

dontfeedphils said:


> I can probably help out. I'm not an established business, but I know my way around a soldering iron. If you're interested send some pics of the cable and parts and we can talk.


PM sent!


----------



## bflat

Thank you all for reaching out! I've connected with a Headfi member and will work with them on the repair.


----------



## devilboy

Hello everyone. First time posting on this thread so bear with me if this was asked already.
I have a Hifiman Susvara and I may drive it through a loudspeaker amplifier instead of my headphone amplifier.
As I see it, I have two options:
 Either keep my current headphone cable and get a female XLR to banana adapter. Or one continuous headphone cable made that has 3.5 mm on the headphone end and banana on the amplifier end.

First, Will adding an adapter between my existing headphone cable and The binding posts of the amplifier degrade the sound too much? My audiophile nervosa is driving me crazy thinking of that. Or am I overreacting?

Second, can anybody make a headphone cable that is 3.5 mm on one end and bananas on the other? I tried to contacting a headphone cable manufacturer and he said it would be too difficult putting all those wires to terminate into a 3.5 mm end.

Thanks.


----------



## chezzer

devilboy said:


> Hello everyone. First time posting on this thread so bear with me if this was asked already.
> I have a Hifiman Susvara and I may drive it through a loudspeaker amplifier instead of my headphone amplifier.
> As I see it, I have two options:
> Either keep my current headphone cable and get a female XLR to banana adapter. Or one continuous headphone cable made that has 3.5 mm on the headphone end and banana on the amplifier end.
> ...


Any decent cable maker would be able to advise you, I'm not sure what your guy means by being too difficult in getting the wires in, surely the Susvara requires 2 x 3.5mm jacks, try cosmic cables in the UK or Norne audio in the US, I'm sure they'll help you.


----------



## TrollDragon

devilboy said:


> Hello everyone. First time posting on this thread so bear with me if this was asked already.
> I have a Hifiman Susvara and I may drive it through a loudspeaker amplifier instead of my headphone amplifier.
> As I see it, I have two options:
> Either keep my current headphone cable and get a female XLR to banana adapter. Or one continuous headphone cable made that has 3.5 mm on the headphone end and banana on the amplifier end.
> ...


LQi sells a premade XLR to Bananna for $149
https://lqicables.com/collections/x...-pin-female-to-speaker-taps-banana-plugs-pins

If you know anyone who is handy with a soldering iron, they could easily make this cable for you, easily less than $30. It's not as "pretty" as the LQi version though, but it would be sonically the same... 

This was a quick pick through Redco,  but you could search out boutique connectors and wire if that is important.


----------



## devilboy

TrollDragon said:


> LQi sells a premade XLR to Bananna for $149
> https://lqicables.com/collections/x...-pin-female-to-speaker-taps-banana-plugs-pins
> 
> If you know anyone who is handy with a soldering iron, they could easily make this cable for you, easily less than $30. It's not as "pretty" as the LQi version though, but it would be sonically the same...
> ...


Yes, I ordered an adapter from lqi yesterday but I wanted to see what the community thought.
I bought the "extra thick" version.
Thank you, though.


----------



## dstarr3

Planning to make a nice, lightweight, flexible balanced cable for my T50 Argon. I'm looking for wire recommendations. I see lots of recs for AliExpress sellers, but I'm hoping to find someone in the US that ships quicker than AE does. Any recs? Thanks!


----------



## tjdub

dstarr3 said:


> Planning to make a nice, lightweight, flexible balanced cable for my T50 Argon. I'm looking for wire recommendations. I see lots of recs for AliExpress sellers, but I'm hoping to find someone in the US that ships quicker than AE does. Any recs? Thanks!


Can't go wrong with mogami,  it's very easy to find and it's reasonably priced


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Check out Redco for *Mogami W2893* ... or if you want an Audiophile brand Cardas makes the 4x24. I personally don't like to buy wire from AliExpress as you can't really be sure of what you are getting in terms of metal purity.


----------



## dstarr3

What would be the easiest way to harvest just the 4 conductors out of a length of, say, 10ft of Mogami W2893?


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

If you just want the wires why not just purchase some mil-spec silver clad copper in PTFE on eBay? ...or maybe some NeoTech PC-OCC? 

Otherwise I would lightly run a razor down the jacket of the Mogami, remove it, then shift and slide the mesh shielding off.


----------



## tjdub

dstarr3 said:


> What would be the easiest way to harvest just the 4 conductors out of a length of, say, 10ft of Mogami W2893?


Carefully!


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

tjdub said:


> Carefully!


I'll take Dad Jokes for $100 Alex


----------



## dstarr3

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> If you just want the wires why not just purchase some mil-spec silver clad copper in PTFE on eBay? ...or maybe some NeoTech PC-OCC?
> 
> Otherwise I would lightly run a razor down the jacket of the Mogami, remove it, then shift and slide the mesh shielding off.


Not finding any US sellers. There's plenty from China, but it'd take a month to get here and I would like something faster. Picking up some Mogami W2893 from Redco would be great, but it doesn't look much more flexible or lighter than the Periapt cable I already have, which isn't flexible or light at all. So if I bought Mogami, I'd have to gut it and braid it.

I already have spools of this stuff laying around from my other hobbies:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TJZ9XRR

It doesn't advertise itself as being intended for audio, nor did I originally buy it for that. But it's 26awg stranded (30 strands) oxygen-free copper and very flexible. Any reason not to just use this?


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Look up "26awg silver" on ebay and there are 179 results. You can use what you have as well.


----------



## tjdub

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> I'll take Dad Jokes for $100 Alex


Lol, couldn't help myself


----------



## frank2908

I have troubles on all of my rean/ neutrik connector with rubber strain relief. The rubber strain relief cannot be twisted all the way in and leave out some thread. I have been using them for years as is so there is no funcional problems. Its just annoying. Anyone has the same problem?
I jave neutrik angle 3.5 connector and rean mini xlr


----------



## imas69

frank2908 said:


> I have troubles on all of my rean/ neutrik connector with rubber strain relief. The rubber strain relief cannot be twisted all the way in and leave out some thread. I have been using them for years as is so there is no funcional problems. Its just annoying. Anyone has the same problem?
> I jave neutrik angle 3.5 connector and rean mini xlr


Cut the two metal strain relief prongs off


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

frank2908 said:


> I have troubles on all of my rean/ neutrik connector with rubber strain relief. The rubber strain relief cannot be twisted all the way in and leave out some thread. I have been using them for years as is so there is no funcional problems. Its just annoying. Anyone has the same problem?
> I jave neutrik angle 3.5 connector and rean mini xlr


Sometimes I put on a pair of gardening gloves with the latex on them to give that final twist if it is giving me trouble. The latex gives you some extra grip.


----------



## onebaduce

Just a little tip.  I worked in electronic distribution for years.   all manufactures have sample programs.  You can call Alpha wire for example (call and say your a small startup  small talk the project potential qty the project will require once production starts, up etc and your are an engineer.) request sample of fit221 or TFT250 etc any tubing you need. they always send.  works for any electronic mfg.  connectors (ie amp) switches like microswitch arrow hart gray hill etc, Panduit. ymmv gl


----------



## frank2908

imas69 said:


> Cut the two metal strain relief prongs of





imas69 said:


> Cut the two metal strain relief prongs off


Which prongs do you mean?


----------



## tjdub

frank2908 said:


> I have troubles on all of my rean/ neutrik connector with rubber strain relief. The rubber strain relief cannot be twisted all the way in and leave out some thread. I have been using them for years as is so there is no funcional problems. Its just annoying. Anyone has the same problem?
> I jave neutrik angle 3.5 connector and rean mini xlr


It's probably because the plastic piece that goes inside the strain relief that pinches the cables is to tight


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

tjdub said:


> It's probably because the plastic piece that goes inside the strain relief that pinches the cables is to tight


You can swap the default black strain relief for the blue one that allows larger cable. How thick is the cable you are trying to use?


----------



## imas69

frank2908 said:


> Which prongs do you mean?


----------



## imas69

The picture is of a 6.35mm but I assume that the 3.5 is the same, get rid if it and use some epoxy glue and you can also cut a small piece off of the mini xlr strain relief too, I always think that there is more chance that they will dig into the wire and cause a short over time anyway


----------



## frank2908

I tried twisting the rean mini xlr rubber strain relief with rubber glove, it moves inward about 1 mm but the rubber start to tear and separate from the threaded part.
On the angled 3.5 neutrik, I cannot even twist it all the way in without the cable.


----------



## TrollDragon

I used to use the barrel when I first started making interconnects but the connector was way too long. Much better to remove the barrel, hot glue the shell together and cut down the boot if needed.


----------



## Chuck Dee

dstarr3 said:


> Planning to make a nice, lightweight, flexible balanced cable for my T50 Argon. I'm looking for wire recommendations. I see lots of recs for AliExpress sellers, but I'm hoping to find someone in the US that ships quicker than AE does. Any recs? Thanks!



I suspect most cable retailers in the U.S. probably source their cable stock from China and put a 3000% mark up on it.
I have a LOT of happy clients who ordered my Coffee Cranium cable with cable sourced from AE:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001604140527.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.21ef1802zcde6Z
Never taken more than 10 days to arrive and always great service. Probably bought 500m of this stuff and it's been great quality every time.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Those came out nicely. I think a lot of the big boys: Cardas, Analysis Plus, Shunyata (minus Venom series), Tara Labs, Nordost, Kimber Kable, etc. are all made in the U.S.A. of U.S. materials. I assume there might not be a financial advantage once shipping is accounted for given the metals are likely similar in cost, but I could be wrong.


----------



## Riversalt

Personal.
Sorry if this has already been posted here, but I couldn't find it in the search.

Which paracord 750 or 1100 is better on mogami neglex  6mm?


----------



## chezzer

Hi all, I would like to make myself a snazzy pure silver cable for my jhaudio which uses their 7 pin connector, I have managed to source the connectors but I'm struggling to find the pinout, does anyone happen to know please, thank you


----------



## imas69

Does anyone know how to do this braid please, like the cable pictured, it looks to be 8 wire twisted into pairs and then all 4 pairs twisted together but I don't see
how the wires stay together so well, thanks in advance for any input


----------



## doctorjuggles

imas69 said:


> Does anyone know how to do this braid please, like the cable pictured, it looks to be 8 wire twisted into pairs and then all 4 pairs twisted together but I don't see
> how the wires stay together so well, thanks in advance for any input


It's a Kimber/ALO braid. Incredibly difficult to do by hand (not impossible, but most of them are done by machine.)
Be careful - if you do manage to find a tutorial and make them by hand remember to use waaaay more wire than you do with other braids. I think I've seen it mentioned that you need 2.5 times the length of the final cable you need


----------



## Riversalt

imas69 said:


> Does anyone know how to do this braid please, like the cable pictured, it looks to be 8 wire twisted into pairs and then all 4 pairs twisted together but I don't see
> how the wires stay together so well, thanks in advance for any input


----------



## imas69

Thank you


----------



## frank2908

tjdub said:


> It's probably because the plastic piece that goes inside the strain relief that pinches the cables is to tight


I just bought another rean mini xlr. The black plastic piece holding the cable inside the strain relief fits. But for the blue piece to be used with larger cable, the strain relief couldnt be tightened all the way. It seems to me illogical to send 2 pieces of plastic and only 1 fully fit.
Or it can be my techniques is wrong


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Usually they have two strain reliefs to cover different cable diameters. Not sure if it's true of the minis though, I never used them.


----------



## frank2908

Hi guys, thanks for your reply, after testing with new Rean mini xlr male and female with proper sized cable ( smaller than 4.5 mm ) and with the blue plastic vise, they do fit propperly. I was my mistake trying with 24 awg 4 strand braided cable that doesn't fit.
On another note, anyone tried this on their cable?
Flexo thin sleeve
Looks like an interesting sleeve with some pros, lightweigh enough that you dont neet to strip out the rubber layer and thin. Although it will not protects the cable from scratch or cuts, at least it will works on lightweight cable to prevent memory curling effect. Not sure about microphonics though.


----------



## Kento6395

Today on vacation so I'm looking for my favorite hobby is assembling headphone cables, so I decided to try to search the old cables in the drawer and found that I found Oyide cables, so I didn't hesitate to find the rest of the equipment, 1 hour after assembling the cable Finished as shown in the picture, now I don't have time to test the sound, tonight I will try to see if the sound is good or not.


----------



## Kento6395

Practice until proficient


----------



## DecentLevi

Would anyone on this thread mind to make a short 3-pin 3.5mm to dual female RCA cable for me (Y-splitter)? Needing something transparent sounding to pair with my premium Neotech pure silver RCA cable - will be with Mojo 2 as an output. Or any cable maker recommendations would be helpful.


----------



## Litlgi74

Does any one have a source for a quality 4.4mm right angle connector like those on Fiio cables?



Has any one managed to take one of these apart?


----------



## Chuck Dee

I stopped using them on my builds due to them causing stress/breakage and coming back to me for repair.
My soldering is strong and I also place heatshrink over the terminations to add strength but I find that users accidentally pull on them and they're more susceptible to failure that way. Risk of damage to the socket is also greater than when a straight plug and pulling out force is applied to the cable.
Just a thought.


----------



## dstarr3 (Mar 29, 2022)

I'm building my first custom cable, I picked up some Paracord from Paracord Planet. It has these white strands running through the middle. Do people usually remove these strands when making headphone cables? I assume they're there for strength that a headphone cable doesn't need. My instinct is to tie the strands to the cable I'm going to run through the paracord and use it to pull the cable through. But if I should keep these strands inside for some reason that's not obvious to me, let me know.

Here's a photo of my paracord and the white strands in question


----------



## imas69

dstarr3 said:


> I'm building my first custom cable, I picked up some Paracord from Paracord Planet. It has these white strands running through the middle. Do people usually remove these strands when making headphone cables? I assume they're there for strength that a headphone cable doesn't need. My instinct is to tie the strands to the cable I'm going to run through the paracord and use it to pull the cable through. But if I should keep these strands inside for some reason that's not obvious to me, let me know.
> 
> Here's a photo of my paracord and the white strands in question


Yep, pull them out


----------



## khbaur330162 (Mar 29, 2022)

I bought some litz wire, 8 cores, 4 cores are Silver plated OCC Copper, the other 4 cores are 24k Gold plated OCC Copper. How would you wire this onto your drivers? I was thinking split the Gold my left and right signal channels, and then run the Silver to Ground. Am I getting the full benefit of the Gold plating this way? Should I just forget the Silver plated Copper and run one Gold core to each signal and ground?


----------



## Dynamo5561

Is it possible to use two different stranded wires for a balanced cable? E.g. 0,25mm for signal and 0,5mm for ground? Does it have any negative effects?


----------



## dstarr3

God, I hate working with enameled wire.

That is all.


----------



## Chuck Dee

dstarr3 said:


> God, I hate working with enameled wire.
> 
> That is all.


It's all in your technique.
I use a 'knife' soldering tip (T12) and heat to 380deg C.
Load the tip with just enough solder and then 'bathe' the stripped and twisted end of your wire in the molten solder until the enamel starts to bubble and burn off, just enough to leave you with a tinned end. Scrape off the hardened enamel with your fingernail or give it a quick rub with a piece of fine sandpaper.
Timing is everything as you don't want to burn the wire and also use something to hold the wire that isn't your fingers.


----------



## dontfeedphils

dstarr3 said:


> God, I hate working with enameled wire.
> 
> That is all.



Cheap solder pot is your friend.


----------



## Chuck Dee

Dynamo5561 said:


> Is it possible to use two different stranded wires for a balanced cable? E.g. 0,25mm for signal and 0,5mm for ground? Does it have any negative effects?


Not really although I would use the heavier gauge wire for the hot and cold conductor, not the ground.


----------



## Chuck Dee

dstarr3 said:


> I'm building my first custom cable, I picked up some Paracord from Paracord Planet. It has these white strands running through the middle. Do people usually remove these strands when making headphone cables? I assume they're there for strength that a headphone cable doesn't need. My instinct is to tie the strands to the cable I'm going to run through the paracord and use it to pull the cable through. But if I should keep these strands inside for some reason that's not obvious to me, let me know.
> 
> Here's a photo of my paracord and the white strands in question


Yes, use 2 of those white strands to tie to your cable and pull through the paracord as you state. It's bar far the easiest method for threading wire through paracord.
Make sure you use a reef knot for strength and try to keep the knot as small as possible. I usually feed slightly shorter lengths of wire through paracord runs as you will lose more length in the paracord than wire when braiding - saves on chopping off ends of protruding wire after braiding.
You'll find out what I mean....


----------



## MiLKMAN

I have some Mogami laying around and I want to make some USB-A to microUSB cable for DAC. What good quality interconnect can You recomend?


----------



## dstarr3

What are these two metal parts at the split in a headphone cable called? Can these be bought as easily as bare connectors?


----------



## doctorjuggles

dstarr3 said:


> What are these two metal parts at the split in a headphone cable called? Can these be bought as easily as bare connectors?


They're splitters and sliders and yes, they're pretty common if you search those terms


----------



## JackTorrence

Hey. I'm quite new in DIY hobby. I got some questions

1) Y spit





How to terminate something like this? There no bolt, no inner thread. How this should hold? Do I need to use something like this?





even if I use it, the splitter, it won't be still

2) Color is irrelevant ;]







How to terminate this connector? Do I need to use a silicon tail or some kind of shrinking tube?


3) How to form this kind of earhooks?




I know - shrinking tube - but how? What to use to make it bend like this or similar?

4) What is your experience with this kind of "multi-plugs"? Is it any good?





I couldn't find it on the internet so I started to think about my solution. I came up with a cable with a 4-pin female socket to which I could connect other cables, but this type of solution seems too clunky to me.


cheers!


----------



## Chuck Dee

Eureka moment!
Made a hand-braided 4-core SPUPOCC cable yesterday and o...m...g! Had no idea SPC could sound this good...and especially with my old cranky WM-D6 too!


----------



## damascato

Hey people, is someone able to give me some help to build my for cable for Susvaras:

4.4mm balanced plug (L+,L-,R+,R-)

What about the 3.5mm connectors? I tried  + to tip and - to sleeve (ground) on both left and right and somehow the cable makes the amp clip (iDSD pro) ... original XLR cable works like a marvel.

Any tips?


----------



## imas69

damascato said:


> Hey people, is someone able to give me some help to build my for cable for Susvaras:
> 
> 4.4mm balanced plug (L+,L-,R+,R-)
> 
> ...


Are you using a 3.5mm trs or trrs if you are using a trrs then tie the ring and sleeve together


----------



## damascato

Oh ok! but how do I do that???


----------



## imas69

You can just solder the sleeve bit to the ring or use a small bit of wire to solder between the two


----------



## Silver Wolf (May 22, 2022)

Thought there might be a DIY section... Just found my way here. Howdy y'all, I'm Wolf.

Been making a few cables again this last month and was showing them off, (uber-fat 16awg litz lol) copper 4 way round braid... And they say that's very nice, could you make it more tricky somehow????
Scratches head then smoke...no there's no fire, it's an idea lol my brain almost always burns out on simple thoughts giggle, how about an 8 way 22awg litz square/box weave into 4 way round braid?
















edit: terminated!


----------



## heliosphann

I'm looking to make a short 4-pin XLR extension cable. I've got everything I need except the actual cable. Only need about 1.5-2ft. Does anyone have any extra quality cable they'd be willing to sell me?


----------



## jjflemin

Silver Wolf said:


> Thought there might be a DIY section... Just found my way here. Howdy y'all, I'm Wolf.
> 
> Been making a few cables again this last month and was showing them off, (uber-fat 16awg litz lol) copper 4 way round braid... And they say that's very nice, could you make it more tricky somehow????
> Scratches head then smoke...no there's no fire, it's an idea lol my brain almost always burns out on simple thoughts giggle, how about an 8 way 22awg litz square/box weave into 4 way round braid?


May I ask where you source your wire? Always looking for new sources!


----------



## Silver Wolf

jjflemin said:


> May I ask where you source your wire? Always looking for new sources!


Depends on the wire I guess, some were from a couple places in the UK I think, I forget sorry. some I don't remember as I've had them for a while (I'm old retired with memory issues, and I'm a lil crazy giggle)... Last couple times I got off different vendors on AliExpress, there's all sorts there from cheap through to expensive.


----------



## littlebitofkindness (May 22, 2022)

Good Day Everyone! I am a newbie to the audiophile scene. Just bought a Topping A90 Headphone Amp and Topping D90SE DAC and I am looking to modify my K7xx to use 4pin Mini XLR.

I am attempting to make my own interconnect cables and also a 4 Pin XLR to 4 Pin Mini XLR. Buying from redco costs a fortune to ship to singapore, fortunately I have rs-online over here.

Can someone kindly help me check if the specs are ok?

The list of XLR I chose from
Female XLR - https://sg.rs-online.com/web/c/conn...9,4294878616,4294790921,4294885218,4294877783
Male XLR - https://sg.rs-online.com/web/c/conn...9,4294885241,4294878616,4294790921,4294885218
*Interconnect Cable 4 Pin XLR-4 Pin XLR (Male-Female)*
Connector
https://sg.rs-online.com/web/p/xlr-connectors/8786862
https://sg.rs-online.com/web/p/xlr-connectors/0405764
Cable
Sommer SC-Carbokab 225 Interconnect

*Cable from Headphone AMP to headphone [4 Pin Mini XLR-4 Pin Mini XLR (Male-Female)]*
Connector
https://sg.rs-online.com/web/p/xlr-connectors/6285617
https://sg.rs-online.com/web/p/xlr-connectors/6285673
Cable
Viablue EPC-4 -  https://viablue.de/cn/cables_epc_headphone.php

Is this going to be ok?


----------



## Chuck Dee

They will be ok, but you can do much cheaper via aliexpress with the same quality 
Consider a braided 4/8 core UPOCC cable to be a true balanced 4-pin XLR to 4-pole miniXLR cable.


----------



## damascato

Hey DIT people, I have been asked to make a cable for Pioneer SE-Master 1, a pair of cans I'm not very familiar with... How are they terminated? From this picture it seems like they use mmcx connections...


----------



## damascato

Chuck Dee said:


> They will be ok, but you can do much cheaper via aliexpress with the same quality
> Consider a braided 4/8 core UPOCC cable to be a true balanced 4-pin XLR to 4-pole miniXLR cable.


That is true, but Aliexpress takes a lot of experimentation to find the right type of wire and connectors. There's a lot of good stuff there, but also a lot of rubbish and it's hard to evaluate before trying them.


----------



## TrollDragon

damascato said:


> Hey DIT people, I have been asked to make a cable for Pioneer SE-Master 1, a pair of cans I'm not very familiar with... How are they terminated? From this picture it seems like they use mmcx connections...


yes they use mmcx connectors.


----------



## damascato

TrollDragon said:


> yes they use mmcx connectors.


Aren’t they twist and lock? Any mmcx connector would work with them?


----------



## Chuck Dee

damascato said:


> That is true, but Aliexpress takes a lot of experimentation to find the right type of wire and connectors. There's a lot of good stuff there, but also a lot of rubbish and it's hard to evaluate before trying them.


Not in my experience. Everything I have purchased from aliexpress has been conformant to the description given by the seller and of good quality. I source all of my headphone wire and RCA and headphone connectors there and use 7 different stores regularly. Never had a problem with quality. The only caveat is the time it takes for shipping, which can sometimes take months and that can become an issue when aliexpress decides to consolidate multiple orders from different stores into a single shipping package, which has a net result of compromising my supply continuity.
I now have to buy components in bulk from regular suppliers to cover all the options for the 3 headphone cable models I supply. No biggy.


----------



## damascato

Chuck Dee said:


> Not in my experience. Everything I have purchased from aliexpress has been conformant to the description given by the seller and of good quality. I source all of my headphone wire and RCA and headphone connectors there and use 7 different stores regularly. Never had a problem with quality. The only caveat is the time it takes for shipping, which can sometimes take months and that can become an issue when aliexpress decides to consolidate multiple orders from different stores into a single shipping package, which has a net result of compromising my supply continuity.
> I now have to buy components in bulk from regular suppliers to cover all the options for the 3 headphone cable models I supply. No biggy.


Would you give us a list of your favourite stores for supplies there, mate? Cheers!


----------



## Chuck Dee

damascato said:


> Would you give us a list of your favourite stores for supplies there, mate? Cheers!


https://richtech.aliexpress.com/store/402126?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_6298233.0
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1194172?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_36135928.0
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/2916004?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_13811629.0
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/625558?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_6042571.0
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/900235423?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_1379677337.0
https://audioconnector.aliexpress.com/store/526194?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_11370524.0
https://zhtcrj.aliexpress.com/store/807566?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_1661968.0


----------



## damascato

Chuck Dee said:


> https://richtech.aliexpress.com/store/402126?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_6298233.0
> https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1194172?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_36135928.0
> https://www.aliexpress.com/store/2916004?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_13811629.0
> https://www.aliexpress.com/store/625558?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_6042571.0
> ...


Thanks mate


----------



## TrollDragon

damascato said:


> Aren’t they twist and lock? Any mmcx connector would work with them?


All the replacement cables I see available for the Pinoeer use regular mmcx, I don't have any personal experience with that headphone.


----------



## damascato

Hey guys, I am building XLR cables for myself atm.

Expensive build, using Neotech connectors and Furutech cable (won't go into too much detail )

The hole in the connector is big enough for the 11mm diameter of the cable, but the 3 bores inside are very tinly: even twisting the two conductor wires very tight, they can't fit in the little bores (+, -, ground). 

What should i do? Solder just the tip of the wire without inserting it, or solder to the side of the tube bore?

Thanks for the help!


----------



## Chuck Dee (May 26, 2022)

Just solder either way.
And next time use Neutrik connectors ftw.


----------



## TrollDragon

damascato said:


> Hey guys, I am building XLR cables for myself atm.
> 
> Expensive build, using Neotech connectors and Furutech cable (won't go into too much detail )
> 
> ...


I assume these are the connectors.



I take it that the Furutech cable is stranded, what I would do is clip off a strand at a time until the wire fits in the hole.
I never use $400 XLR connectors so I don't have that problem.


----------



## damascato

Hey does anyone have a pin out for mmcx connectors (for iems?) what’s + and - (or ground for unbalanced connection)?

Can’t seem to find much online.


----------



## TrollDragon (May 27, 2022)

damascato said:


> Hey does anyone have a pin out for mmcx connectors (for iems?) what’s + and - (or ground for unbalanced connection)?
> 
> Can’t seem to find much online.


These are designed as RF connectors so the center post is the signal and the shell is the ground. For audio, the general rule of thumb is center + shell -.


----------



## cpu235

Made another new cable with new tools, the Cardas solder is great! And using paracord made the cable look so much better.


----------



## BrokenHill

Hi guys.  I am new to this thread.  A question that has come up trying to repair a balanced IEM cable with 4.4mm termination.  When all the cores of the cables are the same, there is no problem, but... What happens when they are mixed cables.  2 copper cores, and two silver cores for example.  Are the silver ones going to the positive ones, and the copper ones to the negative ones?  The same question arises with shielded 2-core cables.  For example, pure silver shielded with copper mesh.  Does the main core go to the positives, and the mesh to the negatives?  Thank you very much


----------



## damascato

BrokenHill said:


> Hi guys.  I am new to this thread.  A question that has come up trying to repair a balanced IEM cable with 4.4mm termination.  When all the cores of the cables are the same, there is no problem, but... What happens when they are mixed cables.  2 copper cores, and two silver cores for example.  Are the silver ones going to the positive ones, and the copper ones to the negative ones?  The same question arises with shielded 2-core cables.  For example, pure silver shielded with copper mesh.  Does the main core go to the positives, and the mesh to the negatives?  Thank you very much


You should just use a multimeter


----------



## damascato

Hey guys, I’m coming up with an issue I’ve always had with Furutech connectors: solder struggles to stick! 

I have never had any issue with any connector, solder and soldering iron work perfectly, I have no issues with temperature or oxidation…. But when using Furutech connectors (3.5 or 4.4mm) the solder really struggles to stick to the point that the plastic rings start melting before being able to solder wire.

Do you guys have any advice or suggestion for me?


----------



## dontfeedphils

damascato said:


> Hey guys, I’m coming up with an issue I’ve always had with Furutech connectors: solder struggles to stick!
> 
> I have never had any issue with any connector, solder and soldering iron work perfectly, I have no issues with temperature or oxidation…. But when using Furutech connectors (3.5 or 4.4mm) the solder really struggles to stick to the point that the plastic rings start melting before being able to solder wire.
> 
> Do you guys have any advice or suggestion for me?



Have you tried pre-tinning the connector and cables?


----------



## damascato

dontfeedphils said:


> Have you tried pre-tinning the connector and cables?


I always pre tin. I find that that is a necessary pre requisite with any soldering job.


----------



## dontfeedphils

damascato said:


> I always pre tin. I find that that is a necessary pre requisite with any soldering job.



Worst case you could try to rough up the metal a bit with some real fine grit sandpaper.  Metal might have some sort of contamination or something that the flux isn't able to chew through effectively.


----------



## damascato

dontfeedphils said:


> Worst case you could try to rough up the metal a bit with some real fine grit sandpaper.  Metal might have some sort of contamination or something that the flux isn't able to chew through effectively.


Inalo tried to spread some extra flux on the contacts with no luck


----------



## TrollDragon

Take a fine emery board to the connectors before you tin them.


----------



## BrokenHill

damascato said:


> You should just use a multimeter


Thanks.  The cable that I was repairing is an 8 core SPC.  But repairing it, that doubt has arisen with other cables that I have, with two cores with a central part of silver and copper mesh.  I did not want to open them and remove the thermal cover, to see how they are connected, due to the risk of being damaged, and I simply asked out of curiosity if you knew.


----------



## Heretic Architect

micropixel said:


> Can anyone kindly share wiring diagram or instruction for Ether SN8-4 connector please. Appreciate if you can also share picture of the soldering points for me to have an idea how difficult it potentially is. I have fair experience building LCD cable using mini XLR, so now I'm considering building Ether cable too. Thanks!


Hi, would you be so kind to tell me where did you buy it? I can't find it anywhere, Thanks.


----------



## damascato

Heretic Architect said:


> Hi, would you be so kind to tell me where did you buy it? I can't find it anywhere, Thanks.


https://danclarkaudio.com/catalog/p...ha-dog-and-mad-dog-custom-cables/category/91/


----------



## damascato

Hey guys, is anyone familiar with the 2 pin connector for Ultrasone headphones. To me it seems just a 2-pin connector like the one used for IEMs... Any idea?


----------



## -Hodor-

you can use any standard 2-Pin connector (as long as it has that slight extension with the notch in the middle)


----------



## brokemember

Looking for advice on making some connectors. Moving away from my Hart Audio cables as I have noticed a definite impact on sound quality (specially the the ZMF VC). So the plan is to get some better cable and then make the headphone piece, roughly 16 inches long and then another cable of around 3.5 feet going into the amps. One cable will be ending in 4.4mm and the other in 1/4 jack. 

Now here is where I would appreciate some guidance. Should I use mini-xlr to connect the headphone end to the cable end (just like Hart Audio) or go for regular XLR. Bulk is not the main concern, sound quality taker priority.

Thanks


----------



## damascato

brokemember said:


> Looking for advice on making some connectors. Moving away from my Hart Audio cables as I have noticed a definite impact on sound quality (specially the the ZMF VC). So the plan is to get some better cable and then make the headphone piece, roughly 16 inches long and then another cable of around 3.5 feet going into the amps. One cable will be ending in 4.4mm and the other in 1/4 jack.
> 
> Now here is where I would appreciate some guidance. Should I use mini-xlr to connect the headphone end to the cable end (just like Hart Audio) or go for regular XLR. Bulk is not the main concern, sound quality taker priority.
> 
> Thanks


Same mate. Use good quality mini xlr, that’s all.


----------



## SRKRAM

I just got some 4.4mm eidolic connectors from aliexpress. Is it normal that they don't have a ground/strain relief?


----------



## damascato

SRKRAM said:


> I just got some 4.4mm eidolic connectors from aliexpress. Is it normal that they don't have a ground/strain relief?


If you got eidolic connectors from AliExpress very likely they’re not Eidolic…


----------



## brokemember

damascato said:


> Same mate. Use good quality mini xlr, that’s all.


Have some neutrik mini-xlr sitting around...

Wouldn't mind getting the ones used by Meze and ZMF. They have very smooth little buttons to disconnect the mini-xlr... you wouldn't happen to know which company makes them?


----------



## djbrisko

*Suggestions needed!*

I want to build some DIY cables for my HD 6XX + Qudelix 5K and want to make sure I've selected the right parts. I want to have interconnects using mini-XLR so I can switch from 2.5mm balanced to 3.5mm single when switching between devices (and in the future maybe full size XLR if I get a desktop amp). I'd like the cable to be fairly flexible not not cheap / weak. I've looked at several of the recommended places for parts but they're either way more expensive than AliExpress (due to base cost or shipping or both) or don't have all the right parts, etc. Here's what I've planned out from AliExpress.

Sennheiser connectors
Wire (Not sure on the thickness / flexibility)
mini-XLR connectors (male + female)
2.5mm connector
3.5mm connector
Do these parts seem correct / reasonable for what I'm trying to achieve?


----------



## dstarr3

Can anyone give me some tips on how to solder connectors like this? I can't get the hang of it for the life of me.


----------



## djbrisko

dstarr3 said:


> Can anyone give me some tips on how to solder connectors like this? I can't get the hang of it for the life of me.


Interested in the answer. I just ordered similar ones as it’s all I could find at a reasonable price.


----------



## TrollDragon

dstarr3 said:


> Can anyone give me some tips on how to solder connectors like this? I can't get the hang of it for the life of me.


Fine soldering iron tip, flux, pre tin the connectors and wire.  Don't dawdle when soldering the wires on.  If your not good with soldering, then practice on something else first.


----------



## SRKRAM

TrollDragon said:


> Fine soldering iron tip, flux, pre tin the connectors and wire.  Don't dawdle when soldering the wires on.  If your not good with soldering, then practice on something else first.



How to secure the cable when there's no ground/strain relief on the connector? Would you just heatshrink the barrel & cable? 
@dstarr3 does the connector have any kind of strain relief?


----------



## dstarr3

If there's no strain relief, I usually test that the connector is working properly and then pack the connector full of Sugru before putting it together for the last time.


----------



## TrollDragon

SRKRAM said:


> How to secure the cable when there's no ground/strain relief on the connector? Would you just heatshrink the barrel & cable?
> @dstarr3 does the connector have any kind of strain relief?


These connectors are designed to have an injection moulded strain relief put on during assembly, they are not really for end user builds.  I'd do like the previous commenter suggests and pack it full of Sugru after its been tested. Personally I detest exposed heat shrink of any kind, I'd rather fill the connector full of epoxy or hotglue.


----------



## Yardstick

Has anyone ever come across a product to repair or replace the outer insulating jacket on a thin IEM cable?  I have some VSonic GR07 Bass Edition IEMs from 2013 that don't have a ton of time on them but the outer cable insulation is disintegrating.  If it's not possible to repair/replace that insulation I may have to find a way to replace the cable.


----------



## damascato

Yardstick said:


> Has anyone ever come across a product to repair or replace the outer insulating jacket on a thin IEM cable?  I have some VSonic GR07 Bass Edition IEMs from 2013 that don't have a ton of time on them but the outer cable insulation is disintegrating.  If it's not possible to repair/replace that insulation I may have to find a way to replace the cable.


You might just need to shrink wrap the spot... not the best looking solution, but effective!


----------



## damascato

Hey people, can someone explain to me the pinout of a 3-pin mini xlr to be used in Abyss 1266 pls?

Thanks!!!


----------



## TrollDragon

damascato said:


> Hey people, can someone explain to me the pinout of a 3-pin mini xlr to be used in Abyss 1266 pls?
> 
> Thanks!!!


From what I read pin 1 is - and pin 3 is +.

A quick check with ohm meter on a stock cable would confirm this.


----------



## Dynamo5561

damascato said:


> Hey people, can someone explain to me the pinout of a 3-pin mini xlr to be used in Abyss 1266 pls?
> 
> Thanks!!!


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...ressions-thread.666765/page-444#post-14255742


----------



## damascato

Thanks all!


----------



## damascato

Hey guys,

One more question: what about the Abyss Diana plugs? They look like 2.5 or 3.5mm to me…


----------



## Mrvoye

Hey everyone, 

Maybe not the best thread to post the question in, but I guess it is cable related and better than making another one. 

I've had a bit of a "snap" with my ESS 422h (which I love dearly), snap being the headphone band which is stainless steel (but insides held in place with cheap film plastic). 
I don't think anyone could repair this to original state and to be fair I really don't see the point of doing so as they are the most uncomfortable thing in existence. 

As I'll be making a DIY project out of them, in terms of preparation as I have 0 experience, need to understand a few things:
These are single line headphones with deattachable cable, with second line going through the destroyed headband. 
If i remove that one (and plug the hole), can I just add a 3.5mm/2.5mm plug to the other cup and disconnect the cables leading out from the first one? 
Will it affect the headphone performance in any way? (probably silly, but I was thinking about potential stored energy in what ever is sending the signal to the other one)
Or, will the other cup (converted to a full line), have more power than the one with the splitter? 

I'd appreciate any suggestions as to how to go about it. 


Thanks!


----------



## TrollDragon

Mrvoye said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> Maybe not the best thread to post the question in, but I guess it is cable related and better than making another one.
> 
> ...


I really don't understand what you are trying to achieve?


----------



## Mrvoye

TrollDragon said:


> I really don't understand what you are trying to achieve?



I tend to be the worst explainer in the room. 

I want to:

1) Change the entire headband and cup holders 
2) Convert them to dual line de-attachable cables from their current state which is single line


----------



## TrollDragon

Mrvoye said:


> I tend to be the worst explainer in the room.
> 
> I want to:
> 
> ...


I don't know anything about changing the headband or yokes, but you can easily convert them over to dual entry.  I use 4 pin tiny XLR sockets on my conversions if there is room in the cup for them as most of my cables are tiny XLR. Otherwise I use 3.5mm TRS sockets if space is an issue.

If using tiny XLR wire the cups up to the Audeze standard, if using 3.5mm TRS wire them so the Tip is + and the Sleeve is -.  You can bridge the Ring and Sleeve terminals together in case your cable uses Ring instead of Sleeve for the - connection.


----------



## damascato

damascato said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> One more question: what about the Abyss Diana plugs? They look like 2.5 or 3.5mm to me…


Anyone?


----------



## chezzer

damascato said:


> Anyone?


The stock cable uses 2.5mm locking connectors but any 2.5mm will be fine, don't use the overly fat ones to be on the safe side


----------



## Chuck Dee (Aug 29, 2022)

Duplicated post. Sorry


----------



## Chuck Dee

cpu235 said:


> Made another new cable with new tools, the Cardas solder is great! And using paracord made the cable look so much better.



Love that red vine colour.


Have you thought about trading that Hakko in for a KSGER T12? Has been a gamechanger for me...


----------



## DecentLevi

Hey I'm wondering if anyone here knows about premium resistors and which ones may reduce the volume somewhat on a headphone cable? I've got an amp that's emitting a low-freq. hum and largely ruining my experience. I've already tried everything in the book and even a few new tricks, but to no avail. for grounding, clean power, shielding, etc.

I'm looking for about a 10-20% volume reduction as to allow on the music to pass through, using a louder volume on the amp. The concept that embedded resistors would yield a more pure signal than an actual potentiometer in the path, and I would experiment with a few to see which works best. But I'm not sure which resistance value would be needed, which brand is the most premium reference sound, and about the schematics (which pins or if I need 2 or 4). It's for a Neutrik 4-pin balanced connection.

Probably I would need audiophile quality solder also?


----------



## TrollDragon

Fixing the volume output with resistors won't get rid of hum... You need to source out the cause of the hum and correct that problem.

AudioFool grade solder is just a way for you to part with more money for solder...


----------



## damascato

Chuck Dee said:


> Love that red vine colour.
> 
> 
> Have you thought about trading that Hakko in for a KSGER T12? Has been a gamechanger for me...


From what POV mate?


----------



## -Hodor-

Chuck Dee said:


> Have you thought about trading that Hakko in for a KSGER T12? Has been a gamechanger for me...


Ersa all the way


----------



## Darksoul

Has anyone here tried making a custom cable for the E-MU Teak? I heard the wiring on the 2.5mm end is diferent.


----------



## TrollDragon

Darksoul said:


> Has anyone here tried making a custom cable for the E-MU Teak? I heard the wiring on the 2.5mm end is diferent.


From what I've read they use Tip for + and Ring for -, nothing on the Sleeve. If you used a TS 2.5mm instead of TRS it should work fine.


----------



## Darksoul

DecentLevi said:


> Hey I'm wondering if anyone here knows about premium resistors and which ones may reduce the volume somewhat on a headphone cable? I've got an amp that's emitting a low-freq. hum and largely ruining my experience. I've already tried everything in the book and even a few new tricks, but to no avail. for grounding, clean power, shielding, etc.
> 
> I'm looking for about a 10-20% volume reduction as to allow on the music to pass through, using a louder volume on the amp. The concept that embedded resistors would yield a more pure signal than an actual potentiometer in the path, and I would experiment with a few to see which works best. But I'm not sure which resistance value would be needed, which brand is the most premium reference sound, and about the schematics (which pins or if I need 2 or 4). It's for a Neutrik 4-pin balanced connection.
> 
> Probably I would need audiophile quality solder also?


I don't know much about fixing the hum, but when it comes to electronics nothing gets more premium than aerospace grade electronics, nothing of this audiofool stuff, pure performance. Also, prepare your wallet.


----------



## Saturnian (Sep 5, 2022)

Darksoul said:


> I don't know much about fixing the hum, but when it comes to electronics nothing gets more premium than aerospace grade electronics, nothing of this audiofool stuff, pure performance. Also, prepare your wallet.


So instead of an audiofool you can become an electronicfool


----------



## Darksoul

Saturnian said:


> So instead of an audiofool you can become an electronicfool


Haha, not really. It's silly how regulated the aerospace industry is. Am I glad a bunch of fools design the electronics on the airplanes I seldom board.


----------



## Chuck Dee

Darksoul said:


> Haha, not really. It's silly how regulated the aerospace industry is. Am I glad a bunch of fools design the electronics on the airplanes I seldom board.


As an ex BAe Systems engineer I would suggest that those 'fool-designed' aerospace electronics would be doing quite a good job of keeping you alive on your next flight.


----------



## Saturnian

Think we can safely assume that putting a resistor or capacitor designed for an aeroplane into an amplifier is not going to be life threatening and I would go as far to say that a lot fewer people have died tinkering with their amplifier than have died due to air travel.


----------



## Darksoul

I know this gets asked every 10 post or so, but I've been kind of intimidated by the options to buy pure silver cable in the US. So I'll just ask, which pure silver cables are you guys using?

I want to make an 8 wire pure silver cable; not because of sound properties, but bling. I am looking to make it my self as a fun side project and to save a bit of cash. I found this 10 wire silver cable from Lavricables:

https://www.lavricables.com/cables/10-core-braided-silver-litz-cable/

The 1.5 meter option it's in the ballpark of what I'm looking to spend on the raw cable...but the braid has 10 wires, 2 more than what I'm planning and I really have no idea what to do with those extra wires...do I just solder 3 for the ground on each headphone terminal? Untangle the braid, take out the extra wires and braid again? 

I've also found this cable:

https://www.vhaudio.com/unicrystal-occ-silver-wire.html

To make the 1.5 meter cable I want out of the vhaudio cable, I'd have to spend 50 dollars more. Overall, I see the lavricables as the better deal but the 10 wires leave me flummoxed.

TL;DR. 

1.5 meter, 10 Wire Lavricables
or 
12 meter, single wire from vhaudio.
or
Something else.

Thank you in advance.


----------



## damascato

Hey guys, where can I find Lemo connectors??


----------



## TrollDragon

damascato said:


> Hey guys, where can I find Lemo connectors??


Directly from Lemo, or try Mouser, Digikey etc.


----------



## damascato

Darksoul said:


> Has anyone here tried making a custom cable for the E-MU Teak? I heard the wiring on the 2.5mm end is diferent.


No idea mate.


----------



## damascato

Hey people, what's the pinout of lemo connectors for Utopia?


----------



## chezzer

damascato said:


> Hey people, what's the pinout of lemo connectors for Utopia?


Do you not have the stock cable to check with a multimeter


----------



## damascato

chezzer said:


> Do you not have the stock cable to check with a multimeter


Unfortunately not...


----------



## unuselessness

Where can I buy replacement headphone cable splits? My cat knawed up a blue dragon cable where the y-split/pants thing is and they haven’t responded as to supply another. I’m in the US and placed an order from doublehelix for some parts but they are still processing after days.


----------



## cpu235

Just made a 25-awg occ copper cable for my Z1R(It is double shielded as well), I put two wires inside a paracord and it sounds pretty nice, especially the bass has increased a lot. The vocal is a bit further than the original cable though, and it does not sound as clear as a silver cable. Next time I am going to use a silver-plated copper cable instead. The Eiodic connector looks nice though. 

Also, does anyone has tips for cutting the paracord? After I cut it it always become fluffy and hard to put inside the connectors.


----------



## damascato

cpu235 said:


> Just made a 25-awg occ copper cable for my Z1R(It is double shielded as well), I put two wires inside a paracord and it sounds pretty nice, especially the bass has increased a lot. The vocal is a bit further than the original cable though, and it does not sound as clear as a silver cable. Next time I am going to use a silver-plated copper cable instead. The Eiodic connector looks nice though.
> 
> Also, does anyone has tips for cutting the paracord? After I cut it it always become fluffy and hard to put inside the connectors.


Cut and use a lighter on the edges after sleeving.


----------



## cpu235

damascato said:


> Cut and use a lighter on the edges after sleeving.


Thanks! WIll try that next time.


----------



## silentraindrop

I want to dab into diy cables.  Can someone confirm my pinout research on XLR to dual 3.5mm Hifiman?

XLR 1 L+ / 2 L- / 3 R+ / 4 R-
3.5mm use TS on both sides

Do I have this right?  I wasn't sure about the 3.5mm side.


----------



## elira

silentraindrop said:


> I want to dab into diy cables.  Can someone confirm my pinout research on XLR to dual 3.5mm Hifiman?
> 
> XLR 1 L+ / 2 L- / 3 R+ / 4 R-
> 3.5mm use TS on both sides
> ...


For the 3.5mm tip is signal (+) and sleeve is ground (-).


----------



## silentraindrop

^^^ Thank you.  Time to go parts shopping.


----------



## unuselessness

silentraindrop said:


> ^^^ Thank you.  Time to go parts shopping.


Where are you ordering your parts from? I placed an order from Double Helix and it’s been weeks with no progress past processing.


----------



## silentraindrop

unuselessness said:


> Where are you ordering your parts from? I placed an order from Double Helix and it’s been weeks with no progress past processing.


I am looking to start with diy cables.  Not a high roller Double Helix custom cables.    I know custom cables take a while to make, so give them a call/email for status.


----------



## unuselessness

silentraindrop said:


> I am looking to start with diy cables.  Not a high roller Double Helix custom cables.    I know custom cables take a while to make, so give them a call/email for status.


Yeah, I just ordered connectors and terminations to redo an arctic cable I have and one other expensive one to fit the cans I have.

I’m not having them make a cable for me.


----------



## silentraindrop

unuselessness said:


> Yeah, I just ordered connectors and terminations to redo an arctic cable I have and one other expensive one to fit the cans I have.
> 
> I’m not having them make a cable for me.


I am just starting out with this hobby, so not looking for anything expensive.  I am looking at Amphenol and Neutrik/Rean, easy to source parts.


----------



## unuselessness

Where are you ordering them from?


----------



## silentraindrop

redco is my choice.  markertek and mouser also seems recommended.


----------



## damascato

Hey guys,

I'm building a 4.4 (male) to 2x XLR (male) adaptor (to go from a dap to an amp).

There seems to be a sort of ground loop: when i touch the portable device feeding into the amp.
I just connected L+ to L+ etc but nothing to ground on the XLR connectors.

Any ideas?


----------



## AgentXXL

damascato said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I'm building a 4.4 (male) to 2x XLR (male) adaptor (to go from a dap to an amp).
> 
> ...



Is your cable 4 wire, 4 wire with shield, 5 wire? On any 4.4mm to x cables I've built, I only attach the shield or 5th wire at the 4.4mm end. Essentially similar to what you've done, but not sure if you are attaching the shield/5th wire to only one end. I was going to build the same cable as my desktop DAC died and while out for repair, I'm using my Fiio Q5s TC as a DAC. I've been using it with a 3.5mm to dual RCA to connect to my amp, but have noticed that the standard connection doesn't sound as lively as when I was using balanced XLR to XLR cabling with the desktop DAC. It only has 4.4mm out for balanced, so similar to your DAP.

I've decided to hold off on building said cable as I found a used desktop DAC that I've purchased. It should be here within a week so the 4.4mm to XLR cables would have limited use.


----------



## elira

damascato said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I'm building a 4.4 (male) to 2x XLR (male) adaptor (to go from a dap to an amp).
> 
> ...


You should be able to get ground from the 4.4mm sleeve, unless it's not connected. In some cases you need to get ground from a 3.5mm socket.


----------



## Chuck Dee

First time hooking up some LEMO connectors for a client's Focal Utopia.
Usually used in the medical industry they're probably about as tricky as Sennheiser HD800 to terminate and make secure.
Came out good but I feel like the older I get the shakier my hands get, lol.
Happy client.


----------



## damascato

Heat shrink them from the outside. It’s the only way to secure them properly.


----------



## damascato

elira said:


> You should be able to get ground from the 4.4mm sleeve, unless it's not connected. In some cases you need to get ground from a 3.5mm socket.


Need them to connect ground to both files then? 

Problem with 4.4mm is that often the don’t have sleeve internally…


----------



## Chuck Dee

damascato said:


> Heat shrink them from the outside. It’s the only way to secure them properly.


Not really. The end screw cap gives adequate secure tight fit if enough internal heatshrink is used.
The clear heatshrink on the outside is'nt absolutely necessary and is there only to prevent the wire chafing against the connector.


----------



## AgentXXL

Chuck Dee said:


> First time hooking up some LEMO connectors for a client's Focal Utopia.
> Usually used in the medical industry they're probably about as tricky as Sennheiser HD800 to terminate and make secure.
> Came out good but I feel like the older I get the shakier my hands get, lol.
> Happy client.


Very nice! I worked in medical equipment repair for 33 years and replacing Lemo connectors was a very laborious task. Great connectors, but agreed, as difficult as the HD800 ones to get a clean, stable connection.

And I also fully agree with the shaky hands... I have to get my roommate to do some of my soldering because of it. Maybe time to see if 'bionic' hands have progressed to a usable state! 🤣


----------



## elira

damascato said:


> Need them to connect ground to both files then?
> 
> Problem with 4.4mm is that often the don’t have sleeve internally…


I would try using the 4.4mm sleeve. Ideally you want ground to be connected on both ends and on both channels. If the device you are using doesn't have the 4.4mm sleeve connected to ground (some DAPs are like that), you need to get ground from somewhere else, usually people get ground from a 3.5mm socket given that it should be grounded.


----------



## silentraindrop

Is there US supplier that sells 2.5/4.4/Senn connectors at reasonable prices?  I really don't want to go through Ali unless I have to.


----------



## Raketen (Nov 3, 2022)

Has anyone figured out what type of connectors IPX/T2 from estron/linum are? By which I mean industry standard name, (like MMCX) - or are they sui generis estron/linum product?   Lunashops and Plussound have connectors but would be useful to know generic part type (if it has one).

Searching for IPX and T2 hasn't gotten me very far-  perusing digikey/mouser etc... not much luck- closest I have seen is SSMB I think, but those don't have an o-ring and the detent ring looks a bit lower.

Did find this handy website in the process though  https://connectorbook.com/identification.html?m=NNK&n=classes


----------



## gr4474 (Nov 9, 2022)

Hello,
I'm looking for a quality 3.5 trs connector for a hifiman. It needs to be slim like the pic.
I found a couple on ebay but they look cheap. Thank you!




edit: I found these, but not sure they will fit?: https://www.redco.com/Redco-Male-3.5MM-Mini-TRS-Solder-Connector-Low-Profile.html
https://www.parts-express.com/connectors-adapters/audio-connectors/35-mm-mini-connectors/gender/Male


----------



## gr4474

Did everyone unsubscribe?


----------



## damascato

gr4474 said:


> Hello,
> I'm looking for a quality 3.5 trs connector for a hifiman. It needs to be slim like the pic.
> I found a couple on ebay but they look cheap. Thank you!
> 
> ...


why does it need to be thin? HifiMan doesn't have recessed plugs...


----------



## gr4474

damascato said:


> why does it need to be thin? HifiMan doesn't have recessed plugs...


oh really?  I don't have them yet, and read that some cables don't fit. I think some have a recessed, manufacture issue. Prob ok...Thank you


----------



## damascato

gr4474 said:


> oh really?  I don't have them yet, and read that some cables don't fit. I think some have a recessed, manufacture issue. Prob ok...Thank you


No worries


----------



## silentraindrop (Nov 10, 2022)

Some of the older style round HFM is recessed.  Anything less than 8mm will clear it.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Edit:  Looking at your connectors on your link, both should work.  As long as there is extra extension after the sleeve, it shouldn't matter what the shell size is.


----------



## gr4474

Thank you. Getting frustrated because I ordered cables at a place and wasn't happy with the shipping. I just bought it and tried to forget it. Now I'm back there looking at connectors with $10 shipping. I was trying to save money, but as usual I am losing. THEN later I read about hart cables after digging digging digging for a reasonable custom cable. Now I can't avoid hearing about them or being recommended. Sorry, frustrated. I might just order the stupid thing after all and have the parts for an extra.


----------



## silentraindrop

gr4474 said:


> Thank you. Getting frustrated because I ordered cables at a place and wasn't happy with the shipping. I just bought it and tried to forget it. Now I'm back there looking at connectors with $10 shipping. I was trying to save money, but as usual I am losing. THEN later I read about hart cables after digging digging digging for a reasonable custom cable. Now I can't avoid hearing about them or being recommended. Sorry, frustrated. I might just order the stupid thing after all and have the parts for an extra.


Hart cables are pretty popular(for a good reason too).  I keep missing them on 2nd hand market at great prices.  I ordered some connectors from Ali and decided to "mimic" hart cables.  If you can bare the wait, Ali has pretty good selection and prices.  Plus you will have your own diy custom cables perhaps cheaper.


----------



## gr4474

I ended up with these 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077D79743/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A1ZWNP05VR80QB&psc=1


----------



## Raketen

gr4474 said:


> I ended up with these
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077D79743/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A1ZWNP05VR80QB&psc=1



IDK if either of these work, too late anyway I guess but FWIW: 

Lunashops this one that mentions Hifiman specificallly, as well as some other "slim" options: https://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=7687

If you are looking for fancy bits, Oyaide make some for recessed sockets like this: https://www.moon-audio.com/oyaide-3-5mm-ultrasone-gold-plated-mini-plug-p-3-5-ghp.html


----------



## gr4474

Raketen said:


> IDK if either of these work, too late anyway I guess but FWIW:
> 
> Lunashops this one that mentions Hifiman specificallly, as well as some other "slim" options: https://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=7687
> 
> If you are looking for fancy bits, Oyaide make some for recessed sockets like this: https://www.moon-audio.com/oyaide-3-5mm-ultrasone-gold-plated-mini-plug-p-3-5-ghp.html


No it's not to late. Thank you


----------



## cgb3 (Nov 10, 2022)

gr4474 said:


> Hello,
> I'm looking for a quality 3.5 trs connector for a hifiman. It needs to be slim like the pic.
> I found a couple on ebay but they look cheap. Thank you!
> 
> ...


I'm auditioning products for the same cause. I'm not as committed to a slim package, as I am a good plug.

I just completed a balanced cable using Belden 8424 for my Hifiman Arya gen2.  Although these tested (for continuity), if one rotates the plugs in the phones, sound cuts out in places. I'm going to try replacing with Rean (a subsidiary of Neutrik). I use Neutrik XLR connectors exclusively.


----------



## silentraindrop

cgb3 said:


> I'm auditioning products for the same cause. I'm not as committed to a slim package, as I am a good plug.
> 
> I just completed a balanced cable using Belden 8424 for my Hifiman Arya gen2.  Although these tested (for continuity), if one rotates the plugs in the phones, sound cuts out in places. I'm going to try replacing with Rean (a subsidiary of Neutrik). I use Neutrik XLR plugs and sockets exclusively.


Arya doesn't have recess at the 3.5mm so using the best quality connector makes sense.  For cans like He6se/400se, there is a recess, so being thin or having extension is important(see my previous post).  Rean 3.5mm will not clear recessed HFM cans.


----------



## gr4474

cgb3 said:


> I'm auditioning products for the same cause. I'm not as committed to a slim package, as I am a good plug.
> 
> I just completed a balanced cable using Belden 8424 for my Hifiman Arya gen2.  Although these tested (for continuity), if one rotates the plugs in the phones, sound cuts out in places. I'm going to try replacing with Rean (a subsidiary of Neutrik). I use Neutrik XLR connectors exclusively.


Rean has 2 items that pop up under the same number. You want the one that protrudes out, fitting into the headphones recess. Make sure you confirm that you are getting this one: https://www.markertek.com/product/n...3-5mm-mono-with-black-metal-handle-black-gold


----------



## gr4474

guesssssssss what arived today?


----------



## gr4474

Wait for it.......


----------



## cgb3

gr4474 said:


> Rean has 2 items that pop up under the same number. You want the one that protrudes out, fitting into the headphones recess. Make sure you confirm that you are getting this one: https://www.markertek.com/product/n...3-5mm-mono-with-black-metal-handle-black-gold


The Arya doesn't require inboard plugs.


----------



## gr4474 (Nov 10, 2022)

sorry I thought HE6se thread

Edit: ok I went with 1 silver 1 black Rean 3.5, and https://www.performanceaudio.com/switchcraft-297-1-4-trs-stereo-phone-connector.html

Thank you for making me think quality first. This comment about 1/4" Neutrik NP3X vs Switchcraft 297 sold me on Switchcraft. Sure enough, look at the internals and he's right:
"I think 297's will wire up about $100 quicker - T & R with one pull of the iron, then with your jacket even with the top of the crimp fork, hitch the untinned shield around the back, then in and down alongside the opposite fork in an "L" or "7" - solder across the back"
"The 297's are bullet proof. All metal housing and only two pieces. Very solid connector that will last forever. Also, they have a one piece tip rod which will never break off into your gear. If you've ever pulled a 1/4" plug out of a piece of equipment and the tip was missing, you know what I am talking about."







Plus the Switchcraft looks fancy.


----------



## Philimon

gr4474 said:


> Rean has 2 items that pop up under the same number. You want the one that protrudes out, fitting into the headphones recess. Make sure you confirm that you are getting this one: https://www.markertek.com/product/n...3-5mm-mono-with-black-metal-handle-black-gold


Newb question: does dual mono to XLR still work the same as a dual TRS to XLR? Specifically, HE6se to Jot2. It would still be “balanced” and Id get amp’s full capability? 

What about dual mono to XLR with my T50RP - Open Alpha. I wired the female connectors to use tip and ring (on both channels). Would the same dual mono to XLR cable work with both HE6se and T50RP? I tried my stock HE6se XLR cable with Open Alpha but it didnt work…


----------



## gr4474

Yes mono plug works. TRS is not soldered on one pin, so it also works.


----------



## Philimon

gr4474 said:


> Yes mono plug works. TRS is not soldered on one pin, so it also works.


TRS would work if I had soldered it appropriately for HFM 4-pin XLR. I originally wired Open Alpha to use with dual 3.5mm TRS to 3.5mm TRS. 

So to be clear, If I buy a dual 3.5mm mono to 4-pin XLR it should work with both my Open Alpha and HE6se? Like this:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1307333651/cablearchitecture-customizable-gotham?ref=cart


----------



## VanHai

Philimon said:


> TRS would work if I had soldered it appropriately for HFM 4-pin XLR. I originally wired Open Alpha to use with dual 3.5mm TRS to 3.5mm TRS.
> 
> So to be clear, If I buy a dual 3.5mm mono to 4-pin XLR it should work with both my Open Alpha and HE6se? Like this:
> https://www.etsy.com/listing/1307333651/cablearchitecture-customizable-gotham?ref=cart


Hi Phil, it should work for you. Here are some more information how to build cables, hope it helps. https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...ke_a_Four_Wire_Balanced_Line_Headphone_Cable_


----------



## Philimon (Dec 18, 2022)

^ Great article! Thanks

I ordered the cable linked on etsy. Hopefully it works. I really like my Open Alpha, so thanks again @VanHai . I plan to write a comparison review later. Overall probably my favorite headphone amongst the ones I own and can trade blows with any of them.


----------



## VanHai

Philimon said:


> ^ Great article! Thanks
> 
> I ordered the cable linked on etsy. Hopefully it works. I really like my Open Alpha, so thanks again @VanHai . I plan to write a comparison review later. Overall probably my favorite headphone amongst the ones I own and can trade blows with any of them.


I build all my cables by using this type of cable Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad. It coast .50c to $1.00 per foot, highly recommended. Here is the link https://www.performanceaudio.com/ . You also can buy all New-trek connectors from them.
​


----------



## Bonddam (Dec 19, 2022)

Changed the wire on my T60RP I filled the original hole then drilled to size and gorilla glue. I'm going for a damaged rust look and you only see it in person. It's only 95% complete. Need old thin copper strip to fill in the cavity. Last compound wax but no glass shine unless I can fill the dimples with clear and wet sand smooth.


----------



## tcode

VanHai said:


> I build all my cables by using this type of cable Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad. It coast .50c to $1.00 per foot, highly recommended. Here is the link https://www.performanceaudio.com/ . You also can buy all New-trek connectors from them.
> ​


I used to. While wires such as Canare or Mogami aren't problematic and gives you very good value for the money, once going with high end components, you should really look into investing in better conductors, such as palladium, gold, silver and very pure copper. Yes, it will be costly, but worth if having high end components.


----------



## unuselessness

tcode said:


> I used to. While wires such as Canare or Mogami aren't problematic and gives you very good value for the money, once going with high end components, you should really look into investing in better conductors, such as palladium, gold, silver and very pure copper. Yes, it will be costly, but worth if having high end components.


Which and where do you get yours from? What about the connectors/termination parts?


----------



## virq (Dec 23, 2022)

Edit: Nevermind.


----------



## kwatch

Is this a good method for making a cable for DAC to Headphone AMP?


----------



## AgentXXL

kwatch said:


> Is this a good method for making a cable for DAC to Headphone AMP?


I've used a variation of this technique (no capacitor) for both interconnects between DAC and amp and for a 4.4mm extension cable I made. I've tried with the shield connected at both ends as well, and personally I can't hear the difference. If you're willing to build your own cables, it never hurts to try methods like this.


----------

