Help me build speaker cables please!


Howdy!
I’m looking for input on some home brewed speaker cables. I’m currently using cables I made from braiding 8 lengths of CAT 5 plenum cable together. They’re terminated in silver plated BFA bananas and set up as a biwire configuration at the speaker end. I love their sound, but think I’m ready to try something made from higher grade metal. I’ve been doing a lot with silver in my system and have loved the change in sound almost every time I’ve gone from Cu to Ag. The only place I like Cu better is in the PCs for my amps. That said, I’m leaning heavily towards making a set of solid silver speaker cables, using .999 silver wire from Rio grande. I’ll insulated them with teflon spaghetti tubing and possibly terminate them with silver plated BFAs.

Where I’d love some input is here: do I do one run of 10awg, or biwire 12awg to the woofers, 14awg to the tweeters and mids? I’m using a dared tube preamp and monoblock Ghent audio class D amps (500w into 4 ohm) which drive floor standing RBH 1266 SE/R speakers. They are 4 ohm and have side firing 12" speakers. They like a lot of juice and sound their best when given what they want, hence my desire for large diameter cables.

Cost wise, it’s only $50 more expensive to biwire. I liked the change in sound when I first biwired, but I also went from blue jeans twisted pair 12 awg to my braided CAT 5, which has a combined 9 awg. So I’m not sure if it was the biwiring or all the other differences that improved the sound.

Also, any other ideas for superb sounding DIY SCs are welcome.

Danke!
128x128toddverrone
Thanks gentlemen. @williewonka I’m sceptical of using such a small signal conductor.. but I was thinking about a helix type design to save the cost of a silver return conductor.
@czarivey was there any particular solid conductor wire you found better than any other? Or are you not that bothered with endless messing about and just want to listen to the damned music already? :-)

Well, when there was time I was really willing to experiment, but definitely not now when I prefer just to listen to the damned or divine music depending on the mood or desire.

By that time I didn't have much choices or brands, but can assure that I used uninsulated bare copper wire shaped so they don't 'kiss' each other literally clamping that bare wire onto each terminal speaker and amp.


Todd - conventional wisdom says use larger gauge wire.

I was using 10 gauge silver plated wire from Van Den hul.

Then I received a pair of KLE Innovations gZero2 speaker cables - I wondered how could these skinny little cables better my 10 gauge?

Well - they trounced the Van den Hul.

They use a smaller gauge signal and a heavier gauge neutral.

Many power cvables are using 18 gauge wire and this application is for speakers, which carry a lot less power at normal listening levels.

I would try it first with some cat6 first a single strand and then a double strand to see what the differences are. Then you could move up to silver once you’ve found the correct gauge formula.

You could try the conductor from  Vanden Hul IC cable - its great copper and silver plated. Or to start with try the conductors from DH Labs BL-1 IC cable - it's a lot cheaper

Hope that helps
Todd - here's an 18 gauge Van den Hul speaker cable made specifically for speakers. High quality silver plated copper you could use for the signal - cheaper than solid silver and very effective

http://www.vandenhul.com/products/cables/speaker-cables/single-lead/scs-18-halogen-free

I used VDH cables for many years and they always provide excellent sound quality.

Another option would be a 16 gauge silver plated Mil Spec wire from Take Five Audio
https://www.takefiveaudio.com/products/334-mil-spec-16-awg-silver-plated-copper-wire-green-cryo-trea...

If you go with a helix design you can ease up on the number of "winds" per in inch.

I would start with one wind every inch and then try 3-4 winds per inch.

The problem will be keeping the neutral evenly wound. This might help
https://www.takefiveaudio.com/categories/118-convoluted-teflon-tubing-flexes-without-kinking

I've also found keeping the two conductors completely separate by an air gap wider than 1/2" worked very well - so give that a try as well

Keep me/us posted on your findings - Thanks :-)
I have previously stated my own speaker wire solution.  I take a one foot pair of the top of the line MG Audio Design speaker wires and attach them to my speakers.  Presently the are a pair of Martin/Logan SL-3's.  The MG Audio Design wires are the very same ones that Arnie Nudell and Paul McGowan personally in their own personal audio systems.  A one foot pair of their top of the line speaker wires go for $900.  OK, between the MG Audio Design speaker wires and my amplifier I am using 18 gage Jenna Lab's hook up wires.  They cost $6 a foot.  I am using 3 individual Jenna Lab's hook up wires to each of the individual MG Audio Design wires-that is 12 of them total.  As I have my audio equipment right next to my chair-to the right.  Thus I require long stretches of speaker wires in total.  Thus the lengths of the Jenna Lab's hook up wires are of unequal lengths.  I am using 6, 17 foot lengths of them to my left speaker, and 6, 10 foot lengths on the right speaker.  It averages out to a 14.5 length in total.  Total cost cmes to $1879, with $7 postage added for the Jenna Labs's wires.  OK< the result is a truly top end sound.  That is for sure.  I discovered such a combination of wires by mostly chanch. but generally got the idea well over 30. ears ago when I used to deal with Ken Mavrick, an audio dealer at the time in West Hollywood, California.  Ken used to be a dealer for Bud Fried and learned much about speaker construction from Bud himself.  Then Ken began experimenting with rewiring speakers with Randall Research hookup wires at the time.  Anyway, long ago Ken went thru Randall Research, next Cardas, then Kimber, and finally Purist Audio Design hook up wires.  About 10 years ago I got back in contact with Ken and learned about Jenna Lab's wires.  About 10 years ago I was able to get a one foot pair of Shunyata's own top of the line speaker wires for free.  I then began experimented using them and Jenna Lab hook up wires in different combinations and eventually came up with my present solution.  It really works.  If there is any loss by adding the Jenna Lab's 18 gage hook up wires it is very little.  For myself it is the choice between mediocre audio audio reproduction and audio to die for.  It is as simple as that.  Cost verses performance.  Arnie Nudell, Paul McGowan and many members of the Colorado Audio Society prefer MG Audio Design speaker wires to the latest Nordhost top of the line wires.  The top of the line MG Audio Design interconnects go for $1600 for a one meter pair.  Nordhost cost $16,999 for a .6 meter pair.  I am presently using half meter pairs of MG Audio Design wires-they go for $900.  By the way, Paul McGowan is planning to offer a version of the MG Audio Design interconnect wires himself.  He stated thus last month in his own daily internet post.  Check it out.  Living myself within walking distance of PS Audio in Denver I will have to visit them one of these days.  By the way, my speaker wire combination only took minutes to create.  It is so simple.  And it works.  Something like this can only be tried out to see if it works.  It either works, or it does not.  My wire combination works.  I am retired and home almost always.  If one is in Boulder Colorado, give me a call at (720) 550-6908 and check it out.