2. cables
  3. 1333719084

Another speaker cable question?

I have recently started a DIY speaker cable project, while discussing my project with a friend I explained that I intended to shield the cables. He in turn suggested that the shield is most likely not necessary and it will add to the inductance of the cable. as a result of this conversation, I started to research about shields, inductance, capacitance and resistance of various cable designs and geometries as well as their impact on the speaker amplifier system.

My research has led me to ask the question, can I predictably design my speaker cables to be optimal for my speakers and amp or am I wasting my time and I should stick to a trial and error approach?

My design variables are, wire gauge, braided or not, shielding or not, and length. Others that I am not considering but could be are, material copper vs. silver, and insulation materials.

My speakers are Monitor Audio RS6 that according to stereofile range between 4.5 (@ 165hz) to 18 ohms. My amps are quick silver mid mono driven by kt-88 tubes and speakers are connected to the 4ohm taps.

My feeling is should design two cables each at the extremes of the inductance spectrum. What do you think?
nick_sr

Showing 1 response by bombaywalla

bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
Listening results are that 12awg presents a vailed sound with more pronounced but slightly muddier bass. The 18 awg is much more enjoyable.
Nick, what you are doing w/ your DIY speaker cable project is commendable 'cuz there's nothing like doing & learning in the process.
However, your DIY cable project has many variables some of which you have already stated in your OP. One other variable (which I bet you did not think of) is that thicker gauge cables vibrate when music passes thru them & when they are suspended connected between amp & speaker. I know this 'cuz Virtual Dynamics in Canada used to use OCC solid core very thick gauge wire for his speaker cables - the lower end cables used 14AWG & the higher end cables used 12AWG, 10AWG & his top-of-line (I think Genesis?) used 6AWG wire. Very stiff cables & very hard to work with - had to pre-bend them before installation. These Virtual Dynamics cables were very heavily dressed in vibration damping material (micro steel balls for his lower end designs & micro brass balls for his upper end designs) to basically damp the vibrating cable. Otherwise, by Virtual Dynamics' own admission, these heavier guage cables sounded dull & flat, which is what you are hearing, I believe.
Yet another manuf believes in wire damping - Music Note/Sonoran by StarSoundTech
http://www.starsoundtechnologies.com/sonoran2.html & he even sells micro bearing steel fill http://www.starsoundtechnologies.com/micro.html

So, you might have made a hasty conclusion with the 12AWG cable as, I believe, it is not properly prepared to be an audiophile quality speaker cable just yet. You have some work to do before you beat the negative mechanical effects of the thicker gauage & level the playing field vs. the 18AWG cable.

This might be why several other manuf, like Cardas, use independently insulated stranded wire (Litz) for their speaker cable.

I'm afraid there's a lot to making an effective DIY speaker cable.
You might also want to search the web for the following in quote "Jon Risch speaker cable receipe". Many of Jon's designs are proven by a huge cadre of DIYers across the globe over a long period of time. His designs might save you a lot of time......
Good luck!
More to discover