DIY cables Vs Mass market cables.

Mattybumpkin... a good design? You've lost me guy. Silver is silver and copper is copper...did I miss something here? Adding a colorful jacket/sheilding will not change the composition of the metal. I didn't know Merlin the Magician was still alive. :-)

People can buy what ever they want. It doesn't make a difference too me one way or the other. I've been down the road of cable swapping. I've never been happier with any of them as I am with my own DIY silver cables. For me the speaker cable journey is over..I can concentrate on other components of more importance now.

I'll let others worry about getting more bass from a cable or more midrange from a cable or more presence from a cable....you get my drift?

Gmood1,

Dialectric, twisted or not, spacing, vibration control, shielding, etc. You do know that these considerations make a difference, don't you? And no, it is not magic.

But hey, if you are happy with your own DIY, that is all that is important.

Regards,

Out of the responses so far, hardly anyone has provided Aldres with answers to his question, "how DIY cables compare to audio brand speaker cables." I suspect we can be of more help to him. I do agree with Tgrisham that a forum search would yield many results. I suggest trying Audio Asylum's Cable and Tweeker's forums. The DIY possibilities range from simply terminating Canare 4S11 or HD power cords, both of which have their fans, to silver wires in teflon tubes as has been suggested, to more time consuming constructions such as JR CC89259, Cat5, and the newer VH Audio wire where you have to strip a bunch of fine wires and terminate. Personally, I have built a bunch of the CC89259 cables including the quad version, and found they worked pretty well, and compared well with low to moderate priced commercial brands such as DH Labs and low to mid priced AQ cables, but were beaten by my current Luminous cables. You can check Element Cables website for a professional review of the CC89259. If you don't want to spend the time, there are several companies including Element and Blue Jean Cable, which basically make cables from DIY receipes, put them in jackets and sell them to people not inclined to DIY.

Mattybumpkin,
Yes my friend these do make a difference. The best dielectric/ shielding is air itself. You knew this didn't you? Certain cable shieldings do more harm than good. Twisted cable ..well the verdicts still out on whether it makes a real difference or not. Some hardcore audiophiles actually use cotton tubing as the only covering. Also some DIYers may use a different Awg size/metal composition for the positive side of the terminal compared to the negative side of the terminal. There's a lot more to it than using cool cable coverings.

I could call several brands that I have used but still prefer my own DIY. Why bother..it will only piss someone off.

Cheers,

As you can see DIY is not as easy as it seems. The manufacturers have the advantage of testing different combinations and honing in on the best one. DIYers have the disadvantage of everyone having a different opinion and trying to find a formula that works without having start your own R&D department. So, unless you want to spend a lot of money and time trying different configurations, you won't be able to hone in on as good a design as most cable companies. That being said, DIY can save lots of money if you can find the right design online or from a friend that works.

Good Luck!