Cable Building

Discussion in 'DIY' started by Skyline, Sep 30, 2015.

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  1. fastfwd

    fastfwd Friend

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    Good, because that cable is counterfeit. Here's the real thing, from a reputable seller in the USA, for $69/m: https://www.thecableco.com/fa-alpha-s22.html
     
  2. bobboxbody

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  3. Biodegraded

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  4. Poleepkwa

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    Dunno if you can find these Stateside, but the Sommer Cable Albedo has better resolution and sounds more neutral than the Canare l-4e6s cables I have.
     
  5. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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  6. Inoculator

    Inoculator Friend

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    The person there that described the Furutech S22 as warm and syrupy is being a bit hyperbolic, but they do have a rather lush/full sort of character. The key though is it is not at the expense of space and detail. Bass texture is pretty insane compared to cheaper cables and DIY canare stuff I had tried before.

    I have a few extra sets not in use right now if you want to try a loaner! Love how these come out with the KLE connectors for SE builds.

    [​IMG]
     
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  7. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I'd love to! They came out really nice!! pm sent...

    :piratemug:
     
  8. Soups

    Soups Sadomasochistic cat

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    DIY noob question: I've read that solder can "expire". If that's true, what are some ways to tell? Curious as I recently found some Cardas solder that I bought a few years ago, which I'm hoping I can still use for a few adapter cables.
     
  9. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    I guess I'm still a noob too as I hadn't heard that. I have been working my way through a spool of Cardas quad over the last, jeez, 10 years and haven't noticed anything different. Oh well. Just cracked a fresh one so am in the clear. I'd imagine if it has only been a few years you should be fine. Maybe a more knowledgeable DIYer can chime in.
     
  10. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    It's fine. The same as your car dealership trying to sell you "upgraded" pure nitrogen and putting green valve caps on your valvestems. Hi! air is already 78% nitrogen! Don't need that last 22% to be right by jesus.
     
  11. fastfwd

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    No, but you might want to keep water vapor out of your tires so the pressure-vs-temperature curve will be predictable, and nitrogen is drier than the air that comes out of nearly everyone's compressor.

    The flux in flux-core solder will dry out and stop working after a couple years. Depending on what you're doing, this can be a problem: Old solder will work fine for sticking big spade lugs onto the ends of speaker wires, especially if you have some new flux to brush all over the joint, but soldering little IC pins with it won't be as pleasant as with brand-new solder.

    If you want your life to be easy, only use air compressors with well-maintained dryers, and only buy a couple years' worth of solder at a time.
     
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  12. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Hmm. I tend to pre-treat with flux, so maybe that is why I hadn't noticed anything adverse.
     
  13. Soups

    Soups Sadomasochistic cat

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    Thanks for the feedback all. I was planning on giving the old-ish solder a try regardless, but since I'm such a noob, I'm glad I asked just in case I miss something obvious. Even better to hear that this might be less of a concern in this use case (XLR cables).
     
  14. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Can anybody recommend a DIY male 4.4mm pentaconn that isn't more painful than a colonoscopy to solder?
     
  15. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I don't know exactly where to buy it but this 90º Pentaconn seems easier to solder

    [​IMG]
     
  16. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Dude, you triggered my PTSD :eek:

    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...nation-to-sbaf-aec-4-4mm-pentaconn-plug.9878/
     
  17. Armaegis

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    Lube Flux is your friend. Scratch the surfaces a little with a knife if needed, then apply flux and pre-tin the pads ahead of time. You want just the tiniest blob of solder on it, roughly the thickness of your wire. If you don't have pads and it's just a round barrel like the plug end, do not tin the entire round barrel and just flux/tin alternating sides if possible to reduce the chances of solder bridging

    For the wire, you will want to run the wire up the back of the connector, then make right angle bends and wrap (alternating sides) to reach the pads that you've tinned. Trying to do it all from the front centerline is a crowded mistake waiting to happen. Measure and cut as precise as you can, strip only the barest amount that you need. Flux/tin the wire but only tin the barest amount if really needed (because it will become stiff and harder to move into place).

    If it's all set up right, you should be able to just "tap" the wire onto the blob and be done.
     
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    Last edited: Dec 5, 2022
  18. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    If only someone had given me this advice before my botch job. All this seems really obvious now.

    At least the cable is still working :D
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2022
  19. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    This isn't relevant to a particular cable build, but I thought any cable building folks might appreciate this post. I was very fortunate to spend the last couple weeks in Japan and part of my trip was to the Oyaide shop in Akihabara. Oyaide is a pretty cool brand known for top notch connectors and good cables. Before my first visit, I envisioned a shop more akin to a high end store at least, if not something more inline with a higher end Bestbuy or maybe an actual small factory that made products. But man, it wasn't even Radioshack! It warmed my soul to no end knowing that this super cool brand, with really well regarded stuff looked like, well this:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    This goes beyond no-nonsense. Not a single person spoke English. No one smiled (but were flawlessly polite and patient). They STILL (I first visited almost 10 years ago) only take cash and do all transactions on a carbon paper pad and $2 calculator. I love it. I wish I had any amount of Japanese language skills, because I would have loved to get to know their relationship with cables. Honestly, high end audio stuff is just part of their inventory as they had tons of everyday stuff related to telecom and power. Super fun. Wish I had more time to poke around, but tight tourist schedule and all.

    My haul was tiny compared to the past:
    [​IMG]
    Wish I could have bought more to take advantage of the USD to Yen strength right now, but I honestly didn't need/want much, and I travel light enough that coils of cables would have meant leaving my shoes behind or something like that.

    Anyways, if you find yourself in Akihabara and like cable stuff, definitely stop by.
     
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  20. bobboxbody

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    About 5 years ago I spent most of a day in Akihabara just going to hifi shops, such a good time and so much crazy equipment. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Thanks for bringing back fond memories.
     

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