My First DIY Power Cable

BTW their is a direction on the cable, you have to look at it under a 100-1000x. You'll see how it was pushed through the extrusion dies. That is the single best thing you can do to build your cable. Get the direction right, don't touch the exposed wire with your hands/fingers and use contact enhancers before you tighten the securement screws. 

@helmholtzsoul how does the direction matter when the RCAs are carrying an AC signal?
Does it only help one side of the signal (like the +V side)?

… and use contact enhancers before you tighten the securement screws. 

Are screws better than soldering?
(Most of the high end cables are soldered or welded, which would seem to provide the most contact.)

Getting back into high(ish) end after a 15 year hiatus. At 63 my tinnitus prevents me from jumping in too deeply. Enjoying my Sansui AU-717 and my Castle Richmonds, REL Storm ll, MMF-7 ‘table with Goldring Eroica cart. All old stuff but pleasing to my aging ears.

Ok, I have to ask. My entire house is wired with hundreds of feet of $2/foot Romex. Right up to the outlet. Is it logical to spend upwards of $3k to bring it the last 6 feet? Why not just make a cord out of the same Romex?

An honest question.

Not too likley @chocaholic 

If it sounds good, it is harder “to fix it” from there, than if it was bad with a real problem. 

@chocaholic 

Why not just make a cord out of the same Romex?

Your comment reminded me of reading posts about Romex and power cords that were written years ago by Steve Nugent, the owner/designer at Empirical Audio, who said:

Good power cords, (primaily for power amps), are low inductance. The idea is to have a cord that is at least as low inducance as the ROMEX in the walls and yet flexible and durable. The reason I believe that low-inductance power cords can make a positive difference, particualrly in power amplifiers is that they eliminate inductance in the path from the power grid to the amplifier power supply. This inductance, I believe, can cause the voltage to sag at the output power transistors druing high-current transients in the music when the capacitor bank discharges and power line must recharge it quickly (during the time that the recitifier diodes are conducting), in order that a sage in voltage does not occur at the power transistor DC supply.

A typical 14 gauge rubber power cord has an inductance of .4 uH/foot, whereas the 14/2 ROMEX in the walls has an inductance of around .26 uH/foot. Lower inductance is always better, even lower than the ROMEX, with improvements depending on the length of your in-wall ROMEX run.

If you search Audio Asylum for the word Romex and posts authored by audioengr, which is Steve's moniker at AA, you will find some interesting power distribution topics covered such as:

• how to improve in-wall wiring, i.e., large gauge, solid core, twisted pair with a counter-spiraled ground wire (that must be shielded in a conduit),
• why shielding is not necessary in power cords,
• the importance of inductance and why stranded power cords can have higher inductance per foot than Romex,
• potential effect of a high impedance power "system" consisting of the power supply, power cord and Romex to the panel
• what might cause a voltage drop in equipment power supplies

Thanks. Appreciate the AA suggestion. Another thought comes to mind. Power conditioning. I can see the logic in running quality line from the conditioner. In fact, I still use an old, heavy Power Wedge. But, I doubt my tin ears could hear the difference between cords. Heck…the SQ in my truck sounds pretty good to me!