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Homemade Audio Cables

unlasciviousunlascivious 220 Posts
edited July 2005 in Strut Central
i have a decent system set up but my cables are shit. everything is either 10 feet too long or spliced with 3 different gender changers to make the connection.who has made their own cables?what advice can you recommend?what conductor?what gauge?what insulation?what termination?what manufacturers have the best material?as you can tell, i have plenty of questions and i want to do this the right way.guides online vary so much you really have no idea what works best. some look so foolproof, they must be total crap, and some look so expensive, you might as well shell out at a store. thanks in advance.

  Comments

  • meshmesh 925 Posts
    i have a decent system set up but my cables are shit. everything is either 10 feet too long or spliced with 3 different gender changers to make the connection.

    who has made their own cables?
    what advice can you recommend?
    what conductor?
    what gauge?
    what insulation?
    what termination?
    what manufacturers have the best material?

    as you can tell, i have plenty of questions and i want to do this the right way.
    guides online vary so much you really have no idea what works best. some look so foolproof, they must be total crap, and some look so expensive, you might as well shell out at a store. thanks in advance.

    what up,

    i make my own cables sometimes, and when i do i use whatever i can get my hands on. i solder everything. i usually use sheilded 22 gauge audio cable, i like belden as far as brand goes. neutrik brand connectors only, most others blow. stay away from switchcraft if you can.

    as far as advice, i would try and find some used connectors to practice soldering on, unless you already know how to solder. if so, then go for it. its easy as hell.

    good luck.
    peace.
  • BsidesBsides 4,244 Posts
    jesus guys, go buy some damn cables! they are cheap as hell! get some hosa shit and get the hell back to work.

    Actually I reccomend putting out for some quality cables at some point. Monster cables are real nice.

    I mean, I suppose its not to much work just to soder the shit. But man, I hate noisy connections!
  • meshmesh 925 Posts
    jesus guys, go buy some damn cables! they are cheap as hell! get some hosa shit and get the hell back to work.

    Actually I reccomend putting out for some quality cables at some point. Monster cables are real nice.

    I mean, I suppose its not to much work just to soder the shit. But man, I hate noisy connections!

    man, i feel you. but for real, making cables is part of my career(i'm an install tech half the time) so i can make em pretty fast and cheap. especially when it comes to snakes. i can make 24 connectors in 2 hours, so that saves me about 100 bucks. im all about that.

    but yeah, i fyou're buying, get them monster joints.
  • ryanryan 334 Posts
    audioasylum.com is the forum for all your tweak needs.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    jesus guys, go buy some damn cables! they are cheap as hell! get some hosa shit and get the hell back to work.

    Actually I reccomend putting out for some quality cables at some point. Monster cables are real nice.

    I mean, I suppose its not to much work just to soder the shit. But man, I hate noisy connections!

    dude if you EVER recommend Hosa to anyone ever again I'll drive to your house and punch you...hahaha...ok not really but dude, those things SUCK!
  • unkarufusunkarufus 104 Posts
    Folls on the high end audio/video boards have been using 14 and 6 gauge outdoor extension cords from Home Depot for speaker wires. They claim to put the monster cable zr-1 shit to shame. Some of the enthusiast magazines have also done comparison tests and they're pretty much better than most cables unless you're into that high end exotic only sold at boutique a/v showroom or through intallers stuff. Google it.
  • unlasciviousunlascivious 220 Posts
    monster cables are not that nice. they carry a nice price tag, and they're usually the only cables sold in major department electronics stores, but compared to other hi-fi cables, they're generally not worth the inflated price tag.

    if i wanted to replace all my existing cheap cables (from hardware + turntables > mixer > sound card > monitors & everything inbetween) to a professional grade it would cost something in the ballpark of $4-500. why anybody would choose voluntarily to spend that much money on cables over another piece of equipment is beyond my control. next time you're buying another $30-$60 monster cable, reconsider.

    building your own cables is extremely simple. like mesh said, all you need to know is how to solder. these aren't microchips so it's not like you need the precision of an experienced electrician. just get some cable and some audio connectors and all that's left is about 2 min of soldering. it's also a good opportunity for me to switch everything i have into balanced XLR connections which are usually ridiculously expensive.
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