DIY XLR Interconnects?

[70sMac]

We've recently invested in some equipment that will allow us to move from the two-channel stereo we've been listening to for years to a simple 5.1 surround system. In the process, we upgraded our analog pre-pro to an AVP that can, among other things, handle said 5.1 setup. The new AVP has (2) sets of XLR audio inputs, as well as enough XLR pre outputs to handle all of the amplification we'll be employing.

The two-channel stereo system I mentioned in the opening sentence is interconnected via flat-ribbon silver cables that are nothing more than churched-up unbalanced RCA interconnects, so, in short, we'll be needing some XLR cabling in the near future. As we've learned our lesson with the flat-ribbon cables I just referred to, we will be fabricating our own XLR cables using Neutrik terminations. The question then becomes which raw cable we should use for this purpose? I've read some good things about Belden 8402 (two-conductor) and Mogami W2534 (quad-conductor), but I'd like to ask the DIY board for comments on their use and, furthermore, if anyone has any other suggestions? Thank you for your time.

 

[lovinthehd]

I bought a small reel of Belden 8451 for making such.....I wouldn't overthink it....

 

[70sMac]

I bought a small reel of Belden 8451 for making such.....I wouldn't overthink it....

I'm not really a Belden expert, so please elaborate a bit on this particular cable. Did you make XLR cables with it?

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm not really a Belden expert, so please elaborate a bit on this particular cable. Did you make XLR cables with it?

I've made a variety of cables, xlr and rca and combos....its not rocket science.

 

[70sMac]

Oh, it's not. Well, that's good to know.
Thanks for your productive comments.

 

[lovinthehd]

What are your questions about it? What would one "elaborate" on? Just look at the spec on Belden's site if you want to know details....

 

[Speedskater]

For XLR balanced interconnects, there are many good Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables available. The ones with a braided shield are preferable over the ones with a foil shield.
Star-Quad cables are designed for pro use in harsh electrical situations. Like near theatrical lighting systems or smoke machines.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

eBay is full of very cheap balanced cables. why bother doing DIY? this is what I did connecting my USB audio interface and my JBL monitors XLR-XLR (M->F) 6ft - I got the pair for $7
It's raised to $9.5 since - https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pack-Lot-3-Pin-XLR-Extension-Microphone-Mic-Cable-Male-Female-M-F-6-6ft/311421635910?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[highfigh]

I'm not really a Belden expert, so please elaborate a bit on this particular cable. Did you make XLR cables with it?

Go to the Belden website and search for info on their cables.

 

[txbonds]

These are excellent quality using good canare quad cable and neutrik gold connectors. They are made to order and come in custom lengths. I'm using them between my 3080 receiver and ud7007 player for analog connection.

Canare Quad Cable L-4E6S | Neutrik Gold XLR-F XLR-M | Blue 6 Feet | 6 Ft. 6' | eBay

Canare Quad L-4E6S. • Connector A: Neutrik Black & Gold NC3FXX-B | XLR Female Connector. • Connector B: Neutrik Black & Gold NC3MXX-B | XLR Male Connector. Mogami 2534 Quad. CABLE SEARCH Cable Type.

www.ebay.com

Canare Quad L-4E6S Balanced Cable with Neutrik Gold | Straight XLR-Female to Straight XLR-Male | Pro Audio LA

Save up to 50% off Custom Canare Quad XLR cables at Pro Audio LA. Choose any length in 10 different colors! | Canare Quad L-4E6S Balanced Cable with Neutrik Gold | Straight XLR-Female to XLR-Male

www.proaudiola.com

 

[70sMac]

Go to the Belden website and search for info on their cables.

Man, cheers for letting me know that this major cable manufacturer has a website. Thanks for letting me in on how you went about making your DIY interconnects.

 

[70sMac]

For XLR balanced interconnects, there are many good Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables available. The ones with a braided shield are preferable over the ones with a foil shield.
Star-Quad cables are designed for pro use in harsh electrical situations. Like near theatrical lighting systems or smoke machines.

Thanks for getting into some details about how to best go about fabricating this type of cabling. I see that you clearly understood the original post. Have a good one.

 

[mazersteven]

You should be able to buy everything here to make your own

Blue Jeans Cable -- Quality Cables at Reasonable Prices

 

[70sMac]

These are excellent quality using good canare quad cable and neutrik gold connectors. They are made to order and come in custom lengths. I'm using them between my 3080 receiver and ud7007 player for analog connection.

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned "custom lengths." In our new listening room, we plan on having as much of the audio "spaghetti" out of sight as we possibly can. Needless to say, having enough of the "right" raw cable will drive our ability to fabricate just the right lengths for this purpose. This is something that both my wife and I will be enjoying, so certain compromises must be made and, like it or not, appearance is one of things I promised to pay attention to in this endeavor.

Having an electrical background, I'm not entirely convinced that so-called "audiophile" cabling has a dramatic impact on sound versus so-called "lower-end" cables, but I do know that certain types of conductors are more susceptible to corrosion than others, so I'm keeping that fact in mind as I choose raw/unterminated audio cabling.

As for the connectors we'll be using, I've built many power cables over the years using the Neutrik brand name, so I have every reason to believe that their XLR terminations are going to be just as good.

At this point, it's all about the raw cable type, so please keep the posts coming.

 

[Mark E. Long]

You can’t go wrong with the Neutrik and canare combination I’ve used this exact set up on some of my home builds with great results even made some combination rca to xlr’s for use between a couple older amps and a newer eq turned out really nice .

 

[70sMac]

You can’t go wrong with the Neutrik and canare combination I’ve used this exact set up on some of my home builds with great results even made some combination rca to xlr’s for use between a couple older amps and a newer eq turned out really nice .

Was the Canare brand raw cable you used to fabricate your interconnects with the (2) conductor type or the (4) conductor type, Mark? The only two brands/types I've done any reading on (so far) are the Belden 8402 (2-conductor) and the Mogami W2534 (4-conductor). I'm just now starting to see the Canare brand mentioned, so I'd appreciate a bit more information. Thanks for the thoughtful post.

 

[Mark E. Long]

Was the Canare brand raw cable you used to fabricate your interconnects with the (2) conductor type or the (4) conductor type, Mark? The only two brands/types I've done any reading on (so far) are the Belden 8402 (2-conductor) and the Mogami W2534 (4-conductor). I'm just now starting to see the Canare brand mentioned, so I'd appreciate a bit more information. Thanks for the thoughtful post.

I used the

Was the Canare brand raw cable you used to fabricate your interconnects with the (2) conductor type or the (4) conductor type, Mark? The only two brands/types I've done any reading on (so far) are the Belden 8402 (2-conductor) and the Mogami W2534 (4-conductor). I'm just now starting to see the Canare brand mentioned, so I'd appreciate a bit more information. Thanks for the thoughtful post.

I used the canare Quad l-4E6S bulk cable it’s Ben awhile but Iam pretty sure it was 4-conductors that I twisted together that was for rca ends I’d have to take one apart to see what I did on the xlr ends . The two you’ve read up on are fine cable also but I at the time like you sir was experimenting I did a whole system with outboard amps and eq’s - 3 amps and 3 eq’s it was a lot for a home build cable job but with trial and oh yes error they turned out great . I also just redid all my speaker cable to canare star quad 4s11 cable. I like canare cable there’s lots of good cable out there do the research pick what ya like and hey have fun with it and enjoy what you have built .

 

[lovinthehd]

Man, cheers for letting me know that this major cable manufacturer has a website. Thanks for letting me in on how you went about making your DIY interconnects.

I did suggest that earlier.

 

[txbonds]

I'd use this 4-conductor L-4E6S Canare cable if I were making my own:

http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=53

http://www.canare.com/UploadedDocuments/Cat11_p35.pdf

And these ends:

NC3FXX-B

3 pole female cable connector with black metal housing and gold contacts.The next generation of the worldwide accepted standard of XLR cable connectors. The successor of the X series offers several new features which make it more reliable, easier to assemble and improves contact integrity as...

www.neutrik.com

NC3MXX-B

3 pole male cable connector with black metal housing and gold contactsThe next generation of the worldwide accepted standard of XLR cable connectors. The successor of the X series offers several new features which make it more reliable, easier to assemble and improves contact integrity as well...

www.neutrik.com

 

[70sMac]

I'd use this 4-conductor L-4E6S Canare cable if I were making my own:

http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=53

http://www.canare.com/UploadedDocuments/Cat11_p35.pdf

And these ends:

NC3FXX-B

3 pole female cable connector with black metal housing and gold contacts.The next generation of the worldwide accepted standard of XLR cable connectors. The successor of the X series offers several new features which make it more reliable, easier to assemble and improves contact integrity as...

www.neutrik.com

NC3MXX-B

3 pole male cable connector with black metal housing and gold contactsThe next generation of the worldwide accepted standard of XLR cable connectors. The successor of the X series offers several new features which make it more reliable, easier to assemble and improves contact integrity as well...

www.neutrik.com

I did some reading up on the Canare brand cable and, hands down, this is the most prolific cable brand used by audio studio techs and engineers. In short, I will be ordering this brand to go with my Neutrik XLR connectors for our interconnect cabling. By the way, the Canare 2-conductor cable that also comes highly recommended is model number L-2T2S. The Canare "quad type" (4-conductor) -- which was already mentioned by poster TXBonds -- is model number L-4E6S. The 2-conductor Canare presently goes for about $3.49/meter, while the 4-conductor Canare presently goes for roughly $4.59/meter.

Despite some early turbulence, this thread was very helpful...so I hope that it helps others in the future.