Jedinite24 - I have no idea what type of cable I'm useing because it came from the scrap bin at work. It's Cat5 with foil shielding so it should be a decent product. A week ago Monday I attempted to do an A/B comparison between my Cat5 based cables and the old Monster Original cables, but gave up before having success. After listening to about six songs with the Cat5 based cables and taking notes on specific songs and receiver volumes I attempted to switch cables and had the crimp on banana plugs start pulling off. The back of my receiver is difficult to access so after a few tries to salvage the connectors I gave up for the day and will try again when the better quality connectors that I have on order arrive.
All I can tell you is that more than once I've found myself listening to a level of detail that I had not previously noticed. This has happened during both critical listening and also when I'm listening while reading of playing on the internet. They certainly didn't hurt the sound in any way. |
Hi Mceljo
As you have spent more time with your DIY Cat5e speaker wire what do you think? Anything to add in addition to what you mention above? Also what Cat5e cable did you use?
I'm going to try Belden 1701A cable.
Thanks |
Here's my fisrt impressions of my new DIY speaker cables after a few hours of listening.
I am convinced that my system has never sounded better, but that's very different that saying that sounds better than it ever has.
If I were forced to describe a few specifics of things that think I can hear that is different I would say the following:
(1) On several songs I've heard some additional details that I don't remember hearing in the past. An example was a flute deep in the background of a song.
(2) The higher frequencies seem a little more crisp on certain songs.
(3) The lower frequencies seem a bit more defined.
(4) Some of my CDs that have a harsh tone in the highs seem to be less harsh even though I can still hear the harshness. Maybe a better way to describe it is that I can hear the harshness but it's not as distracting or objectionable now.
(5) It seems that I'm listening to things will a little more volume now which indicates that the overall sound results is less listening fatigue. |
Agreed, I considered going without a connector at the speaker, but in an attempt to do some A/B comparisons I wanted it to be as quick and simple as possible. Also, the back of my receiver is nearly impossible to get at so the banana plugs are a life saver. |
Mceljo,
When I mentioned "nude" I was only referring to the termination. I prefer silver tinning the end of the cable and connecting directly to the speaker and amp. The best connector is no connector at all don't you think? Adding another interface and possibly mixing different metals with competing physics can only harm the signal, This affects timing, bass response, smearing of notes/clarity etc. IMO. (speaker connectors... all of them are for convienience. If it was practical they would all be hard wired from the amp to the speaker. No connector at all). |
Trust me when I say that I wouldn't purchase anything that I didn't like, but as an example I was very torn between the 816v and 836v Focal speakers. There was about a $1,000 price difference and I wanted another opinion on the difference in sound vs. the value. Having a 2nd set of ears gives me the opportunity to have him tell me what he hears and what he likes or dislikes about them. We've been friends, college neighbors and roommates for more than 10 years so we have a pretty good idea of what the other one is looking for in a purchase so he can give me good advice the majority of the time.
As for a placebo check, it's just nice to have someone else confirm an improvement and my wife doesn't care enough to give most changes an honest listen before getting bored. She heard a huge difference with the speaker upgrade, but claimed no difference with the receiver swap that was a significant improvement for me.
I don't just trust anyone to give me their opinion, but he's the exception. Between his EE knowledge and appreciation for all music, both live concerts and home audio, he is a great sounding board for my thinking. |
I always try to get his opinion before making big purchases. So,you buy equipment based on your friends hearing? Why don't you make decisions based on what you hear? After all,you will be the one listening and spending the money. His second set of ears helps separate the real from the placebo. Can you explain this further,I don't understand what you're saying.Be assured,I'm not trying to question your process.I just find folks take on these subjects interesting.Thanks for sharing. |
I have a friend that has a much better ear than I do and is also an EE so it's always interesting to see what he thinks. I always try to get his opinion before making big purchases. He visited the hi fi store with my wife and I to help me choose between two speakers. At this point the biggest difficulty is that his listening time with my system is very limited so it's difficult for him to hear subtle differences. When I did a Sort Kone demo he thought he heard an audible difference but wished it was easier to do an A/B comparison because the difference isn't immediately obvious. His second set of ears helps separate the real from the placebo.
I certainly have not heard anything negative from them so I have no real reason to change back. |
My plan is to leave the new cables in for a while and then have my second set of ears come over for a comparison. Why do you feel a need for a "second set of ears"? Are you going to discard them if they don't approve? Just curious. |
My initial impression is postive, but my setup is really difficult to swap cables easily so I know part of what I'm hearing is simply coming home to my system after several days at the in-laws over Christmas. There are a few aspects to some of the songs I've listened to so far that I can imagine that I'm hearing something different, maybe better, than with the Monster cables.
One things for sure, I learned a few things making these cables that would allow me to make another set look cosmetically a bit better, but the four inches of each that I can see woudldn't really change at all. I'll post some pictures later today with my system.
My plan is to leave the new cables in for a while and then have my second set of ears come over for a comparison. |
It would be difficult to get 70 feet of starting Cat5 for less than free. A co-worker of mine has a stash of several hundred feet of scrap under his desk. By nude are you suggesting that I should have used the twisted pairs alone or that I should use bare wire? |
The second of the cables is complete other than some additional heat shrink that I'll put on tomorrow after I purchase a heat gun. I thought my wife's hair dryer would do the trick, but it doesn't seem to generate enough heat. I'm actually surprised at how nice they are turning out. |
I think you will be pleasantly suprised and proud of your work. I would have tinned the wire with the best Silver solder you could find and use them in the nude form. Short of that the best copper spade on -neg and silver spade on+ that you could find. Report back with your findings. The nude recommendation is the best and least expensive IMO/E. |
