Are DIY, CAT5 cables really that good?


I sold a nice pair of SignalCable loudspeaker cables after I made a pair of CAT5 loudspeaker cables at home. I thought, why should I spend so much when for cheap I can have a great set of cables. Now I am starting to re-think my decision and maybe I didn't give the comparison enough time to sink in.

What is the story with CAT5 cables in good, high-enda audio?
matchstikman

Showing 1 response by 1happyman

For what it's worth, I found this on the Stager Silver Solids website (Silversolids.com) in their "Blog" section.

Speaker Cables
Jung and Marsh stated that their tests showed that the use of multiple thin gauge solid core wires in parallel was the best way to go. This offered low capacitance with no phase or skin effect problems in or directly above the audible range. When asked, "What is the real thing about using silver in audio chain?" Mark Levinson replied, "Silver is the best conductor of electricity. Laws of physics. But copper is more practical for speaker cables."
For a speaker cable, using just one pair of 23 ga. conductors results in a noticeably lean tonal balance but grouping multiple light-gauge wire gives you an even tonal balance without diminishing the desirable high-frequency performance advantages of thin gauge wires. The most cost effective way of achieving this is using plenum type CAT6 Ethernet cable with eight pure copper 23 gauge solid wires and Teflon dielectric in multiple pairs. Uncompromising high-end caliber performance at a bargain price.
The illustration below shows one side:

Stager Silver Solids Blog