Cable newbie

[toca]

I have done some lurking on various forums on cables and connectors and realize you can spend a small fortune on this stuff. As I'm not prepared to spend that small fortune, I just have a couple of questions on more common, everday speaker wire and how to secure the ends:

- RCA high performance 14 AWG wire. Says on the package it is 100% oxygen free. Is this stuff OK? I picked it up from Home Depot and was told it was better than thet bulk 14 AWG stuff. It came out to about $.35 per foot. If you think this wire is unacceptable, any other suggestions?

- soldering the connectors to the wire. I have a 45 watt soldering iron. What type of solder should I use? Is 60% tin/40% lead OK? I'm assuming this is the best way to secure the receiver end connector to the wire. An easier method?

I apologize in advance if these questions are silly, but I just don't know the best way to approach this (and I thought choosing the speakers and receiver was difficult....

Thanks.

 

[BMXTRIX]

What type of connectors are you soldering on the ends? The wire you purchased should be fine for connections between your amplifier (or A/V receiver) and the speakers. You should not need to solder anything.

 

[BuddTX]

Because of Rob Babcock's recommendation, I just (like today!) bought 4 sets of cables from:
Pacific Cable

Time will tell, but I trust Rob, so I am anxiously waiting for the cables to arrive!

I will post more when I get them.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I have done some lurking on various forums on cables and connectors and realize you can spend a small fortune on this stuff. As I'm not prepared to spend that small fortune, I just have a couple of questions on more common, everday speaker wire and how to secure the ends:

- RCA high performance 14 AWG wire. Says on the package it is 100% oxygen free. Is this stuff OK? I picked it up from Home Depot and was told it was better than thet bulk 14 AWG stuff. It came out to about $.35 per foot. If you think this wire is unacceptable, any other suggestions?

- soldering the connectors to the wire. I have a 45 watt soldering iron. What type of solder should I use? Is 60% tin/40% lead OK? I'm assuming this is the best way to secure the receiver end connector to the wire. An easier method?

I apologize in advance if these questions are silly, but I just don't know the best way to approach this (and I thought choosing the speakers and receiver was difficult....

Thanks.

Just a small piece of advice I am pretty sure there is no 100% oxygen free wire available. Most are 99.95% or a bit better but they all work just fine.
I think lead has been removed from solder. You should look for electronic solder with rosin core and no lead- bad for you to sniff lead.

 

[toca]

bmxtrix,
thanks for your reply. I haven't bought any connectors just yet. Just the wire. For the A/V Receiver end (Marantz SR5500), what type of plug is required? And how do I secure this plug to the speaker wire? Do I just use banana type plugs on both ends? I saw a picture of the back of the receiver and it looks like it takes a plug of some type.

BuddTX, which cables did you buy from Pacific?

Thanks guys!

 

[toca]

Just a small piece of advice I am pretty sure there is no 100% oxygen free wire available. Most are 99.95% or a bit better but they all work just fine.
I think lead has been removed from solder. You should look for electronic solder with rosin core and no lead- bad for you to sniff lead.

You're probably right, but it looks like they just rounded up to 100% - at least that's what it says on the package.

I will be soldering the wire ends for two speakers since I'm wall mounting them. Monitor Audio recommends tinning the ends since the wall mount bracket the speakers come with have a low profile and making it difficult to use a banana plug or other type of connector. Picked up Alpha Fry AM 51406 Flo Temp Lead Free Rosin Core Solder that is 40% Tin and 60% lead.

 

[Leprkon]

I will be soldering the wire ends for two speakers since I'm wall mounting them. Monitor Audio recommends tinning the ends since the wall mount bracket the speakers come with have a low profile and making it difficult to use a banana plug or other type of connector. Picked up Alpha Fry AM 51406 Flo Temp Lead Free Rosin Core Solder that is 40% Tin and 60% lead.

why would you go to all the trouble of getting 99.99something per cent copper then pour tin and lead all over the one spot that matters the most ?

bare wire connection should do you just fine, as long as you can get it into the binding post....

 

[warnerwh]

You have things under control it sounds like to me. There is no reason to spend alot of money on wire. The main thing is to make sure it is of a large enough gauge to do it's job. If you're running over about 25 feet I'd stick with 12 or 10 gauge. Tinning the ends is a very good idea as it also helps prevent a short which can sometimes destroy an amplifier.

 

[Leprkon]

Tinning the ends is a very good idea as it also helps prevent a short which can sometimes destroy an amplifier.

a workmanlike job of trimming your ends and doublechecking your connections is more efficient, takes less work, and produces a cleaner sound.

 

[toca]

why would you go to all the trouble of getting 99.99something per cent copper then pour tin and lead all over the one spot that matters the most ?

bare wire connection should do you just fine, as long as you can get it into the binding post....

You know, I was thinking the same thing. However, this was the recomendation by the speaker manufacturer. I have done a few Googles on "tinning" and unfortunately there are supporters and detractors. One site http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/solder-t.htm lists the authors favorite wire termination and connectors.

Be curious what others think about tinning and its affect on speaker performance.

Thanks all for your comments.

 

[mustang_steve]

Keep in mind, even on your expensive speaker wires, that the connectors are more often than not soldered on...that means the same lead/tin mix is being used as a bridge to the connector as it was to tin the lead.

There are silver solders, but they are IMO overpriced for what you get, and many are acid core, which is very bad for electronic use.

 

[toca]

There are silver solders, but they are IMO overpriced for what you get, and many are acid core, which is very bad for electronic use.

Yes. WBT makes a 1/2 lb that contains 4% silver for $59.

So, it looks like my three options are:
- bare wire to speaker and A/V receiver (periodic maintenance required)
- crimping connectors
- Soldering connectors

Which method is best or recommended. Or better yet, what did you do with your speaker wires?

 

[Willow]

How about just using banana plugs . It works for me. I use the compression type.

 

[toca]

How about just using banana plugs . It works for me. I use the compression type.

Thanks Willow. Where did you get them and what brand?

Parts Express has these:
Dayton Audio Connectors - The screw type compression banana plugs accept up to 8 AWG wire. These precision-machined connectors are made to last and 24k gold plating ensures the highest possible signal transfer and resists harsh environmental corrosion - $5.35 for a package of 4

or

GOLD BANANA PLUG PAIR COMPRESSION STYLE - Very high quality gold banana plug set. Knurled barrel and compression nut with floating "slug". The floating "slug" allows tight wire compression without the twisting effect on the wire strands that other compression connectors have. These are $3.45 a pair.

They also have the $.65 cheapo's....

Thanks.

 

[jaxvon]

If you really wanna get some nice ones, you might also try these from Cobalt Cable.

 

[mustang_steve]

Yes. WBT makes a 1/2 lb that contains 4% silver for $59.

So, it looks like my three options are:
- bare wire to speaker and A/V receiver (periodic maintenance required)
- crimping connectors
- Soldering connectors

Which method is best or recommended. Or better yet, what did you do with your speaker wires?

This is pretty much where it goes to everyone's own opinion. Crimping can work fine, but can also corrode inside the crimp area over time.

Bare will corrode, and can be a pain in the #*% sometimes.

I prefer soldered since although it may not the most conductive material, the soldered section will not corrode in the same manner. Silver solder is more ideal, but very costly. However, even in loudspeaker design, solder is used on the crossover board, that goes to show that it IS used, so at least to me, it doesn't make too much sense to fret about having that small amount in your cable terminations either.

i just use some Kester "44" rosin core and call it done.

 

[toca]

This is pretty much where it goes to everyone's own opinion. Crimping can work fine, but can also corrode inside the crimp area over time.

Bare will corrode, and can be a pain in the #*% sometimes.

I prefer soldered since although it may not the most conductive material, the soldered section will not corrode in the same manner. Silver solder is more ideal, but very costly. However, even in loudspeaker design, solder is used on the crossover board, that goes to show that it IS used, so at least to me, it doesn't make too much sense to fret about having that small amount in your cable terminations either.

i just use some Kester "44" rosin core and call it done.

thank you for an excellent response. The person from Monitor Audio also said the small amount of solder used should not impact speaker performance. Its if you use lots of solder where you'll run into problems!