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-- my first custom set of cables! yippy!
my first custom set of cables! yippy!
i finally got all the stuff in i needed to make new cables. i for one got tired of getting raped buying high quality studio grade cables. i am also sick of paying of paying a lot (in my opinion) for crappy cables for my studio. after seeing that the difference in sound wasn't really worth the difference in price in my opinion. (reliablity is a different story) i finally gathered the courage required to assemble my own cables.
here are are some pics of some rca cables i made by using Canare Lv-77s cables, and their F10 RCA plug. and comparing them to the crappy no name rca plugs that came w/my denon cd player.
as you can see, the no name plugs are wimpy. the Canare cable is A LOT beefier. the plugs are seriously heavy duty. these cables will definately last me a long time. plus, i can service the cables if they go bad, or throw away the cable, and re-use the plugs.
here are some pics of one of the canare cables by it self.
difference in sound? yes. a big difference? no.
the vocals and high hats come thru a little bit better on the canare cables. the bass sounds pretty much the same. i'm also getting more gain out the the canare cable. it's hard to really hear the difference because i haven't been able to audition them on the monitors. i was only able to check them out on my headphones only, since i haven't had the chance to really listen music before 1-2am lately. maybe dj equipment (maybe just mine) is not good enough to really appreciate the difference. who knows. once i get the chance to do some serious recording on my other mixer, i'll know for sure.
so far, the project has been fun in an arts n' crafts kinda a way.
is it worth it? if you just want to work on your dj set up and are starting from scratch... i would say no. for me it is worth it. i have to fab cables for my dj set up, my studio set up, AND a mobile set up we use for our outdoor parties. i/we really need to have high quality, reliable, and durable cables. canare fit the bill perfectly. also, the F10 RCA plugs, have a tighter fit than the crap rca cables. but they are no where near monster cables famous "grip of death". this is a very big deal for me, because i hate monster for ruining the I/O sections of several pieces of gear.
is it worth using mogami, or some esoteric brand instead of Canare? for a dj set up? HELL NO. it's NOT worth the difference in price for the bulk cable. maybe you will notice the difference between mogami and hosa in a blind test. you're NOT going to hear the difference between canare vs mogami or know which is which in a blind test.
i'm still learning, and i'm still developing a method/style that works for me. i definately need more practice soldering. my shitty soldering skills (ahem, inexperience) really shows on the XLR cables i made to connect the pmc55 to O2r.
one thing, tools make all the difference in the world. if you decide to assemble your own cable, don't skimp on your tools. i strongly advise you to invest in a good cables stripper. it will make the job of preparing the cables for termination quick and easy. avoid using an extrema ratio mpc, and an exacto knife. you will be sorry.
in the end, i will be saving money because i can now make top notch cables for about the same money as the equivalent HOSA cable. cant' beat that with a bat.
yeah i make my own, but not as good as yours!
People tend to forget about interconnects and use what ever shit comes with their equipment 
Its partly down to the manufacturers I feel as when you buy a BMW they dont fit the cheapest of the cheap tyres so why should Denon/etc include cheap cables?
You'll find more of a difference when you compare cheap cables on a turntable than on a line level device as with a lower voltage being transmitted from the styli it will degrade quicker (resistance) and also be more susceptable to interference. Also thicker, better cables will be more resistant to external interference (eg: if near power supplies or other voltage cables).
R.
i chose to go the non-soldering route and used the canare crimp on rca's. http://www.markertek.com/SearchProd...off=1&sort=prod
also, where did you get those sleeves to put over the bottom of the connector?
these cables are very resistant to outside interference. they have a double copper braided shield. peel off the outer shell, you hit the first braided copper sleeve. un-braided it, and you'll find a second braided sleeve.
when i get better @ soldering, i will go for a cardas tonearm cable upgrade for the m5g's, and change the interconnects. technics says the interconnect on the m5g, is a hi-fi cable. it's thicker, than the interconnect on the standard 1200. who knows. i'll report when i get around to it.
merlin, i soldered the center wire to make sure i always had contact. initially i was able to assemble the cable, and use it w/out soldering the center wire. i thought about going the crimp route, until i saw how much the all the extra tools/supplies were gonna cost. plus, i'm also assembling 1/4", and xlr cables... can't crimp those, so i decided not to spend the extra money on the crimp kit. atleast i get more practice soldering.
soldering rca cables, is actually pretty easy. it's pretty hard to mess it up, and render the cable useless. -you have to want to do it purpose to make that happen.
i purchased the heat shrink from michael percy audio.
http://www.percyaudio.com/Catalog.pdf
the heat shrink is at the bottom of page 2. i bought clear, and black polyolefin @ 2.50 for a 4" length of 1/2" tubing.
i also bought the TRT Wonder solder 21g from him also to make the 25.00 minimum order.
note: the F10 RCA plug DOES come w/a strain relief spring. but the cable is too thick to pass through the spring. you will have to assemble and terminate w/out the spring.
Canare 
Nice job.
nice job there!
i've got custom mogami/neutrik cabling myself. works great!
those are bad ass! they kinda look like monster cables but twice as fat. nice job mate
| quote: |
| Originally posted by sr126 these cables are very resistant to outside interference. they have a double copper braided shield. peel off the outer shell, you hit the first braided copper sleeve. un-braided it, and you'll find a second braided sleeve. when i get better @ soldering, i will go for a cardas tonearm cable upgrade for the m5g's, and change the interconnects. technics says the interconnect on the m5g, is a hi-fi cable. it's thicker, than the interconnect on the standard 1200. who knows. i'll report when i get around to it. merlin, i soldered the center wire to make sure i always had contact. initially i was able to assemble the cable, and use it w/out soldering the center wire. i thought about going the crimp route, until i saw how much the all the extra tools/supplies were gonna cost. plus, i'm also assembling 1/4", and xlr cables... can't crimp those, so i decided not to spend the extra money on the crimp kit. atleast i get more practice soldering. soldering rca cables, is actually pretty easy. it's pretty hard to mess it up, and render the cable useless. -you have to want to do it purpose to make that happen. i purchased the heat shrink from michael percy audio. http://www.percyaudio.com/Catalog.pdf the heat shrink is at the bottom of page 2. i bought clear, and black polyolefin @ 2.50 for a 4" length of 1/2" tubing. i also bought the TRT Wonder solder 21g from him also to make the 25.00 minimum order. note: the F10 RCA plug DOES come w/a strain relief spring. but the cable is too thick to pass through the spring. you will have to assemble and terminate w/out the spring. |
what you did makes perfect sense to me now. that's the main reason i went w/canare in the first place. the tools they have available. the pricing for the strippers *snicker* was a little hard to swallow at first, but they are definately worth it.
ivan, tegu, and jdat thank you much, i'm glad you guys like the cables.
ivan, if ever need rca interconnects, look at acoustic research, or just about anything except monster. especially if you move your stuff around, and disconnect and reconnect things a regular basis. the monster cables will ruin your jacks. if you hook it up once, and leave it alone forever, that's ok... if not, beware. you have been warned.
here's how they look hooked up to the mixer. and a good look at my horrible heatshrinking skills... hey, i'm learning...
but now there's no room back there...
on the right in the second pic are the XLR cables i made.
yea the canare tools are expensive. i opted for the paladin crimp tool but i put down for the canare stripper.
paladin tool: http://store.yahoo.com/technicalcon...c/80secrfr.html
the key to monster ones it to twist them off don't go for the full pull on and off. I get monster and audio quest at dealer cost so i tend to stick with that.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Rikki Also thicker, better cables will be more resistant to external interference (eg: if near power supplies or other voltage cables). . |
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