DIY Cables

[joetama]

I have been thinking about little improvements I can do with my system. I have a few fancy pants cables in my system but don't really want to spend the big bucks on ones that get used less that others.

SO, I have been looking into DIYing my own Interconnect, Speaker, and Power Cables.

I have done a little googling to see what I could find and it seems like there is a lot of 'A is better than B' in one place and 'B is better than A' in another. So I am a bit confuzzled on what I should try/use in building my own.

Anyway, do you guys have any recommendations or ideas on what is the good the bad and ugly when it comes to this topic...

Thanks,
Joe

[Andrew M Ward]

Just buy CAT Cables... 8)

[engr_dave]

CAT cables is a good choice, but since this IS the DIY forum...

I make my own interconnect cables using Canare L5-CFB and Canare connectors. This cable is a bit thick and stiff, but I've been able to snake it through some tight spaces. Performance is on par with Belden 1694 and better than virtually anything else. Quick and easy crimp connectors are available in RCA, F, BNC, etc. Initial investment in the Canare tools was a little high IIRC (~$200) but after that, cables are cheap.

I use 12ga Sound King speaker wire from PE. In big rolls, it's less than 50 cents/foot. For my mains (DIY of course), I have the crossovers right behind the power amp and run three separate cables to each speaker.

Power cables? Don't bother. The one meter between the wall outlet and your gear pales in comparison to dozens of meters of ordinary 14/2NM in your walls, junction boxes, cheap outlets, and lossy circuit breakers. For clean, stiff power, I ran a dedicated 30A circuit straight from the 600A main breaker panel to the theater with 10ga conductors in conduit terminated with hospital-grade outlets. No surge supressors or power conditioners.

[moniker]

Dave,

Would you reconsider the use of surge supressors if you lived near Tampa FL? :roll:

There are big time thunder storms, lightning and resultant surges and spikes in these here parts. 8O

During one of those storms I lost a Nelson Pass designed Class A amp. There were no burnt or rolled up traces on the circuit boards but all the semiconductors were fried. It was almost like a nuclear pulse got me. :M

[Dennis H]

It's a bit of a taboo subject, guys. This forum is hosted by the owner of CAT Cables so common courtesy, don't bite the hand that feeds you, blah, blah.....

[joetama]

Was not aware of that.... Woops...

Just a question....

[Hdale85]

Yeah this subject comes up every once and a while. And to be honest trying to source out the parts your self its hard to beat the CAT prices anyways.

[ThomasW]

CAT cables is a good choice, but since this IS the DIY forum...

We prefer not to have threads about I/C's or speakerwire. Sales of those products fund the operation of the forum....