handy how-to…
The nice folks over at MAKE magazine and DIY-Central put up a nice tutorial on how to make your own audio (XLR, TRS, etc) cables worth bookmarking:
http://diy-central.com/HowToCr…es.aspx
Hi TimOBrien:
That’s a great link, Tim…
You know, and in the end… Cables and connecting your hardware is gonna make up about 50% of your investment in getting your studio/setup running the way it should…
It seems that it’s the Rule-of-Thumb…
Poor wiring and cable runs, between equipment can be a source of headaches…
Bill…
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| You know, and in the end… Cables and connecting your hardware is gonna make up about 50% of your investment in getting your studio/setup running the way it should… It seems that it’s the Rule-of-Thumb… Poor wiring and cable runs, between equipment can be a source of headaches… |
Which is why I stopped making my own cables years ago. The quality and properties of the raw cable was just so variable. And in the end it would save me only pennies per cable (since I couldn’t buy connecters in bulk lots). In the US, premium brands lke Monster and Mogami are guaranteed for life. Not only is it top quality wire, but when it breaks - and it will break - you just take it back to where you bought it and they’ll replace it.
The sonic diference in wire quality can be amazing, especially for long cable lengths like guitar cables. I was really surprised the first time I plugged in a Mogami guitar cable after years of using some who-knows-where-it-came-from and who-knows-how-old-it-is thing. It was like playing on brand new strings, like the instrument had waken up and had a cup of coffee.
It would’ve been nice if they showed how to solder.
The comment “solder the wire to the pin” is OK if you know how to do that, but a warning to those who don’t: If you don’t know how to do it, then learn. Otherwise you’ll end up with dry joints, weak joints, melted insulation, and big blobs of solder stuck to your socks. (And you can’t take those molten socks off nearly quick enough. 
)
| Quote (Gizmo @ Dec. 21 2006,21:06) |
| It would’ve been nice if they showed how to solder. The comment “solder the wire to the pin” is OK if you know how to do that, but a warning to those who don’t: If you don’t know how to do it, then learn. Otherwise you’ll end up with dry joints, weak joints, melted insulation, and big blobs of solder stuck to your socks. (And you can’t take those molten socks off nearly quick enough. ) |
Dry joints, weak joints, blobs on your socks - geez, sounds like you are describing the process of aging.
Anyway, that’s a cool looking website.
Hi Again:
It’s (soldering) like practicing on your instrument… The more you practice the better your “chopps” become.
Something to be aware of when soldering…
Lead and tin are the alloy metals… The flux is “Hemp” base’d…
The combination of that receipt can be pretty abusive on the mental/nervous system. I’ve spent most of my days in-and-around the repair/manufacture of some sort of electronic equipment. After all these years I could suggest that if I had the opportunity to do it again I’d position a fan behind and over my shoulder to blow the vapors away from any chance of breathing them…
That’s something they don’t discuss on the DIY electronic pages… either… 
Ask Beefy Steve about his ideas on that subject…
Bill…
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The sonic diference in wire quality can be amazing, |
I hear this said occasionally, but I have never heard a convincing explanation of the a physical principal that would explain it. From what I have been able to learn from reading, at audio frequencies, capacitance, inductance, and rectification effects from cabling (anywhere in the signal path) are way too small to be audible. Resistance only appears to be an issue in connecting power amplifiers to speakers if the wire is severely undersized. The the differences between capacitance and induction characteristics of cables only become important at frequencies far above the audio spectrum (and above the frequency response capabilities of audio amplifiers).
So how is it that wire quality effects sound quality?
By the way, the main problem that I have had in making shielded cables for myself is to find a way to protect the center wire from breaking at the point of connection to the center pin of the jack. Too much twisting and movement at this point will eventually cause the wire to fatigue and break, and for years it seemed like I was constantly fixing these breaks (especially on guitar cables). I think that I have finally solved that problem. After the jacks on the cable-ends have been assembled, I use heat shrink tubing to cover the jack cowling and two or three inches of cable, being very careful to make sure that the heat shrink tubing is very tight on the cable. Cables that I have finished using the heat shrink tubing seem to be just as rugged as best commercially built cables that I own.
T
Soldering is an art that takes a LOT of practice.
–Use flux.
–Use the right amount of heat - enough but not too much. This is where the practice comes in. There’s not a good way to explain heat since it’s part temperature, part speed, part flux, and part heatsink.
–Use heatsinks.
–Use clean parts.
–Tin the leads.
–Use a soldering iron best suited for the job. Don’t use a gun when doing little stuff – you can melt everything in a split second.
There’s all kinds of things that can go wrong.
Some sonic differences happen in cables because the frequency response (small amounts of capacitance amd reactance and wiggle noises when the cables are physically moved) is not the same across the full audio spectrum. While there is little testable differences but it can add up to a perception of coloration.
I don’t how much is caused by the cable but I know some cables sound different. My feeling is that the differences may be more because of solder joints and contacts with the pins more than the cable itself, assuming the cables aren’t crimped too much or otherwise damaged.
Proper strain relief is the only way to get around those little breaks. Unfortunately, many (most) plugs aren’t designed with good relief in mind. Heatshrink is helpful.
I’ve made most of the cables that I use with the exception of a few patch cables. Another important thing is: use good components, i.e., good cable & good adapters. They are not made equal. I’ve had good luck with Switchcraft plugs and Belkin cables. Don’t use Radio Shack parts. Use the correct adapter for the job, e.g., if you need an angled plug, use a angled plug. If you need a heavy duty 1/4" plug for your power cable, use a heavy duty one, not a regular guitar plug.
Hmm… I’ve always bought the capacitance claims about cables, because I can indeed hear differences - in speaker as well as guitar and mic cables. So…mathematically the effects are above the audible range, and (more importantly) above the range of the equipment?
Hi tspringer and Cap:
I like your reply to Cap’s post, tspringer… I am of the “Camp” that uses good quality wire-and-connectors to manufacture the cable runs that interconnect the hardware I’d use in the studio… I can tell you from experience that good quality/heavy gauge speaker wire is something that shouldn’t be cheated on. I’ve seen too many power amps fail as a result of light-gauge speaker wire… If you have 400-500 watt peaks into a 4-8 ohm load over a 20-40 ft. run, 12 gauge wire is about the upper limit/lightest of gauge for a run like that. And the wire should have Many Strands, as opposed to wire with only a few strands. There is something (an issue) about the “Surface Effect” of wire with only a few strands or one strand using wire at speaker impedance and audio frequency… Line level wire runs need again… good quality wire and again… good quality wire makers have good quality screening and insulation… and then “Common Sense” as to how to position and separate AC/Line Level/and Speaker runs. etc…
RADAR Wayne and I had many nights of Hi-Level arguments over hi-quality/pre-manufactuered cables versus hi-quality 1000 ft. rolls and quality cable ends. to wire his studio…
Hi-Grade custom pre-made cables was gonna run him some 20 G’s. Quality wire-and-ends isn’t cheap either… But in the end he opted for Home Made custom made-to-length cables that he manufactured… As well, it’s better to have a wire that’s 5 ft. too long then to have a wire that’s 2 inches too short… Well…
A good/clean cable harness is a sight to behold. The saying is… the better it looks, the better it sounds. There are other sayings as well… but the “Old School British” wiring is by far the most acceptable wiring convention in the world today… And… when you see a good audio wiring job it’s gonna work right, as well…
Bill…
I thought this was quite a good article about soldering and worth reading for anyone who hasn’t done much of it:
soldering
especially this piece:
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| Be sure not to move the joint while it is cooling. Doing so will result in a fractured joint. Do not blow air onto the joint while it is cooling; Instead, let it cool naturally, which will occur fairly rapidly. A good solder joint is smooth and shiny. The lead outline should be clearly visible. Clean the soldering iron tip before you begin on a new joint. It is absolutely important that the iron tip be free of residual flux. Excess solder should be removed from the tip. This solder on the tip is known as keeping the tip tinned. It aids in heat transfer to the joint. |
A while back a friend brought his Mogami cable system over, and we tried comparing a 10 foot guitar cable I had (good quality - I paid about $18(US) for it) against a ten foot stretch of Mogami. The test was my Danelectro U2 through a direct box and straight into a small PA system. There was an audible difference between the cables; the Mogami was a little cleaner, and seemed lacking in the low end, while the regular cable was warmer/fuzzier, and had a little more bottom coming through the speakers. I honestly could not say one was better than the other, but I think I would rather have the regular cable for stage work with an ensemble, and the Mogami for studio work, especially if I was planning to double or triple track my guitar work.
But still, the difference, while noticable, was extremely small; the Dano sounded great through both of them!
'til next time;
tony w
Very interesting website, Tim. But that article of soldering the XLR ends onto a wire leaves out one very important step - slide the outer case onto the wire BEFORE soldering the wire to the end. Also, it is sooooo much easier to use the Neutrix style XLR ends than the Cannon or Switchcraft style.
I would suggest to anyone that it is well worth learning how to make up your own cables, so that they can be made exactly the way you need them, rather than relying on adaptors, etc.
Regarding the question as to whether to rely on moulded (purchased) cables or custom made cables, I have spent more time fixing moulded cables than I have fixing my own custom cables.
Just my 2 cents (Canadian - 1 cent US).
Paul