home made speaker cable vs. the big boys

Ah, the wonderful "cable" subject again. Yes, you can certainly make your own speaker cables and interconnects, and as many others have noted here (and on the previous posts on this general topic), the key is getting quality wire and terminations. The other option, if you want to say a bit of time, is buy some Kimber Kable 4TC or 8TC speaker cable. It's great wire, isn't outrageously expensive, and in runs of 10 feet or less is hard to beat. If you want to go the DIY route, then contact Home Grown Audio at their web site: www.homegrownaudio.com

In my previous post, I should also have said that the 3rd element in getting good cables or interconnects is the quality of the termination. Some people will say you get the best connections by crimping, but I am a believer in both crimping and soldering. Hence, the quality of the solder joint is crucial. Make sure you have a tight mechanical connection before soldering (a tight crimp will provide this), and be sure to use solder that has a lower lead content, preferably with silver in the mix. You can buy this type of solder from Home Grown Audio, or from audio suppliers such as Audio Advisor.

Sdcampbell, how are you? You've now had the HomeGrown Audio silver interconnects for about a month now? What are your impressions? Are you using tube gear? I have found the cable to be stellar with tube equipment. Extended, clear, open, yet liquid. But the solid core silver prevents it from being bright(at the expense of flexibility). For those of you who don't know about this product, it is a teflon insulated, 22 ga. solid silver interconnect. It is a copy of Kimber KCAG, using solid silver conductors(instead of Kimber stranded). And, it is sold for $70 for a 1 m terminated cable! You can also braid & and solder it yourself for $40. Hopefully, we will one day see a wire revolution. But, it cannot happen without our realization of the scam the wire companies have committed on our hobby.

Trelja,you are so darn right about the scam the wire companies have committed to our hobby.TARA LABS can write all the white papers they want.They lead with one of the major scams of all time.The isolated shield matrix.What a load of crap.This is a statement from one of their adds.HIT "PAUSE" AND TURN THE VOLUME UP... HEAR IT? THATS THE NOISE FLOOR,CAUSED BY RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE IN YOUR AUDIO SIGNAL. IF YOU HAD TARA LABS ISM CABLES WITH THE ISOLATED FLOATING SHIELD ALL YOU'D HEAR IS ... NOTHING. WELL I DONT HAVE TARA LABS AND GUESS WHAT WHEN I HIT PAUSE I HEAR NOTHING.I HAVE A BELDEN 89259 CONNECTED WITH WBT LOOK ALIKE RCA AND NOTHIN I HEAR NOTHING.COST OF BUILDING THIS CABLE ABOUT 50.00.NO NOISE NOTHING.I USE THESE MOSTLY IN MY HT SYSTEM.IN MY 2 CHANNEL SET UP I USE COINCIDENT SPEAKER TECH 1 M RCA.299 US LIST.THEY ARE THE BEST I HAVE EVER HEARD.AND GUESS WHAT THEY DONT MAKE ANY NOISE EITHER.I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST ANYONE MAKING MONEY.BUT WHEN YOU RUN A SCAM THAT IS MORE PROFITABLE THAN TRAFICKING IN ILEGAL DRUGS I HAVE A PROBLEM.AND THE AUDIO PRESS IS AS MUCH TO BLAME.ITS GREAT TO SEE THE HOMEGROWN AUDIO,COINCIDENT,AND SO MANY OF THE OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE SAYING.i CAN SELL YOU A CABLE FOR 300.00 AND MAKE A VERY NICE LIVING.THERE IS NO NEED TO RIP PEOPLE OFF AND CHARGE 3000.00 FOR A CABLE THAT IS NO BETTER THAN THE 299.00 OR 499.00 OR 75.00 DIY.THE ONLY REASON IS GREED.THIS HOBBY DOES BRING OUT THE GREED AND THE AUDIO MAGS WOULD DIE ON THE VINE IF THEY LOST THE ADD MONEY FROM THE CABLE COMPANIES.BRING YOUR 100.00 CABLE WITH YOU TRY IT OUT AGAINT THE 2000.00 IF THE DEALER WILL LET YOU.

Trelja/SDCampbell - I also purchased a pair of the Homegrown Audio Silver interconnects. I only got them this weekend, and haven't had much chance to listen to my system. How long would you say these cables took to "burn in"? Right out of the box, I thought the top end was a bit bright compared to the AQ Emeralds I was using. Then again, it could be the AQ's were defficient in this area. These being the only tow cbales I've used in my system, I do not have an "absolute reference". BTW, I am using these with a BAT VK5SE and Aronov monoblocks driving Sf Guarneri speakers.