DIY Cables, Interconnects

[Old Onkyo]

Here are some cables I made a month or so ago. Just monoprice cl2 14 ga with some tech flex sleeves and cable pants finished off with sewell banana plugs and some heat shrink tubing with adhesive inside. I think I only spent 25.00 or so since I already had the cable and banana plugs.

The purple wires are some ancient leftover rockford fosgate car audio cables that were oxidizing pretty badly inside and were hooked up to my front 3 speakers.

Needless to say my speakers now sound less oxidized!!

Where do you buy the tech flex sleeve

 

[highfigh]

Nope, US is still not the way to go for me. It would never be a good buy. It is impossible to get it here and do better than I would do locally. Especially after all we've learned about cables not really matter all that much. I bought 25 meters (75feet) of 1,5mm copper speaker cable (equivalent to Monoprice), gauge 15? D I know, I know... In Europe speaker cables are not rated by the US gauge system but in millimeters crosscut).

You usually have: 0,5; 0,75; 1,5; then 2,5 for some reason skipping right over 2mm, and then 4mm crosscut surface. So, 0,75mm would be almost exactly between 18 and 20 AWG. I gave 20$ for 75feet. I could do better, but I was just too lazy to drive to the other part of the city to do 2-3 bucks better. The last time I got 30feet (10 meters) of AWG 13 ( ), 2,5mm for 8$.

Anyway, back to the topic; using bare wire on the 802 Matrix, and even 18AWG would be very hard to cram inside. If you opt for 20AWG, you'll have 4 ohm at 3m and your speakers sometime dip below 4. Maybe I still don't have a firm grasp of this, but it seems to me that 20AWG could present a bottle neck between your amp and your speakers.

.75mm/18AWG is small, if the length is more than about 5 meters (I don't mind seeing different units, but thought it would be best if we stick to one or the other). I use 4 conductor 1.5mm/16AWG for most distributed audio unless the runs are more than 15 meters and then, I go to 2.5mm/14AWG. If I need, I'll double the conductors if the power needs are higher.

802 speakers can't take 18AWG without a fight? I don't remember seeing binding posts that don't take 10AWG but I haven't seen the terminals on B&W speakers very often.

 

[j_garcia]

Exactly, that's what I started with. I don't really need neat cables, but spending some of my free time making them and later using them is really relaxing.

A lot of these bananas are over-the-top. Just too elaborate, clunky over-sized... If we're talking about the looks (and I know we shouldn't ) I really like the simplicity and neatness of these:
View attachment 29706
Much more than the heftiness of these:
View attachment 29707


I'm sorry to say, I don't understand this; "to place the wires" where?

The locking plugs use set screws too, but have two separate issues - they're very long and I've had them actually break from the locking mechanism which spreads the end as you tighten. I do use these on the amp side because I don't wan them coming out. On the speaker side, I want the plug to pull out before knocking the speaker over.

I shrinkwrap my plugs before putting the collars on too, just for some added flex protection.

 

[Sealman]

These look very good. Is this a pic before you've finished them or you need bare wire at one end?

I used plugs at both ends. Not sure why I did not wait to finish them before taking the pic.

LOL facepalm, don't know what to do now when I listen to my huge collection of acid jazz

 

[Sealman]

Where do you buy the tech flex sleeve

Parts Express and amazon have a good selection. Just make sure to double check prices at amazon before hitting the purchase button as there were some that were very overpriced mixed in the decent priced stuff.

 

[CB22]

Honestly, I make them rather for the same reason someone makes model airplanes. It's relaxing. Yesterday my Lady thought me how to braid them

Hey not a bad reason at all. I get it. If I had just a 2 channel system I would probably do the same and make sure the cables had a least several inches of shielding for the sole reason of showing off

 

[Old Onkyo]

Where do you buy the tech flex sleeve

Anyone use this company?
https://www.wirecare.com/category/wires-cables/home-theater-cables/stereo-cables

 

[killdozzer]

Hahahahahhahahahahhahahahaaaa
This must be THE silliest product. This is more silly than much more expensive connectors. Sillier than all the shun mook and the rest!!

Meet a "bare wire banana connector"

It's for when your binding post takes bare wire only, but you yearn for a banana conector. Then you take these little babes and they transform your bare wire cable into a "bare wire terminated"(??) cable.

It's an unterimated terminated cable.

 

[slipperybidness]

Hahahahahhahahahahhahahahaaaa
This must be THE silliest product. This is more silly than much more expensive connectors. Sillier than all the shun mook and the rest!!

Meet a "bare wire banana connector"
View attachment 29736
It's for when your binding post takes bare wire only, but you yearn for a banana conector. Then you take these little babes and they transform your bare wire cable into a "bare wire terminated"(??) cable.

It's an unterimated terminated cable.

I think my head just exploded a little!

 

[lovinthehd]

Hahahahahhahahahahhahahahaaaa
This must be THE silliest product. This is more silly than much more expensive connectors. Sillier than all the shun mook and the rest!!

Meet a "bare wire banana connector"
View attachment 29736
It's for when your binding post takes bare wire only, but you yearn for a banana conector. Then you take these little babes and they transform your bare wire cable into a "bare wire terminated"(??) cable.

It's an unterimated terminated cable.

Not sure whether to be baffled with bullshit or just plain old baffled for this one....

 

[lovinthehd]

The product page is no help https://www.oehlbach.com/en/home-hifi/loudspeaker/accessories/solution-banana-flex

 

[ryanosaur]

How would it help, just short of telling us how worthless and shameful the product actually is?!
What gets me is the 4out of 5* "quality" rating? Is that them just trying to be... umm... humble?

 

[lovinthehd]

How would it help, just short of telling us how worthless and shameful the product actually is?!
What gets me is the 4out of 5* "quality" rating? Is that them just trying to be... umm... humble?

I'm more curious how it works at all I did notice the 4 of 5 stars of their own quality rating, weird.

 

[killdozzer]

I think my head just exploded a little!

Not sure whether to be baffled with bullshit or just plain old baffled for this one....

How would it help, just short of telling us how worthless and shameful the product actually is?!
What gets me is the 4out of 5* "quality" rating? Is that them just trying to be... umm... humble?

The manual should state; If you don't need or want bananas, boy do we have a banana for you!! Just slap this thing of beauty and it'll feel like no banana at all.

Also, check our other range of products:

Wooden pads. You know... for people who perhaps don't want to decouple their equipment. Put them beneath your speakers on your shelves and no difference will be noticed guarantee.

Led phono cartridge. For a rare kind of true audiophiles who enjoy having their records significantly deteriorate with every listening.

SACD reduction. If you have noticed some sonic improvement, don't let it ruin your day.

You have no wish to bi-amp your speakers? You've came to the right place.

 

[Sealman]

Hmm, I seem to remember Monster selling something very similar to these back in the mid/ late 90's early 2k's.

 

[Sealman]

Just finished this cable for my (work in progress) Diysg 1299 center channel speaker.
Consists of Monoprice 2c 14ga, Sewell bananas, Neutrik Speakon and Techflex sleeving.

I probably have about 9-12 dollars invested in it with the Speakons accounting for about 7-8 dollars of the total amount.

 

[lovinthehd]

Just finished this cable for my (work in progress) Diysg 1299 center channel speaker.
Consists of Monoprice 2c 14ga, Sewell bananas, Neutrik Speakon and Techflex sleeving.

I probably have about 9-12 dollars invested in it with the Speakons accounting for about 7-8 dollars of the total amount.

Just curious why didn't you go with a speakon for the speaker as well? Or am I thinking backwards cuz I use amps with speakons for my diy subs?

 

[Sealman]

Just curious why didn't you go with a speakon for the speaker as well? Or am I thinking backwards cuz I use amps with speakons for my diy subs?

Actually the Speakon is on the speaker side and the bananas on the amp side since my amp does not have any option besides binding posts/banana.

 

[lovinthehd]

Actually the Speakon is on the speaker side and the bananas on the amp side since my amp does not have any option besides binding posts/banana.

Gotcha!