blakey72 Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 I did promise @andyr this quite a while ago now and since I've had Covid, been in hospital and had a million other things that have prevented me from relaxing for a decent listen to Andy's cables (and my whole system). My ears have been on a musical Keto diet which has been painful and unsustainable... So these are DIY cables meticulously made by Andy and kindly sent to myself to try out and maybe compare to some other brands I have about the house. Some expensive ones such as Tara Labs and Audioquest, some mid-range but good brands, VDH and QED and some cheaper brands such as Bunnings offerings. I think I will use the most neutral, resolving gear I have, maybe the Plinius 9200, CD101 and the PMC Tb2S+ speakers. I also plan to pair his cables up with a number of different amps and speakers to see how they react. It will be purely a subjective point of view. Yes I do have a 4 year science research degree but no it's not in this field so no measurements will be taken. Will be done purely from a few years of experience and enthusiasm in this hobby I'm hoping to soon find the time but have had a bit of listen using my ME24 pre, Exposure Classic XXVIII Power amp, HIFi Rose RS250 streamer and Harbeth SHL5P XD's. Initial impressions More to follow.... blakey72 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 Thank you, Blake. I look forward to reading about your thoughts on these solid-core spkr cables. ME24, Exposure amp and Harbeths should be an excellent system to listen to them with. I hope your spell in hospital solved whatever issue it was that sent you there! Andy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misternavi Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 On 15/05/2022 at 9:41 PM, andyr said: Thank you, Blake. I look forward to reading about your thoughts on these solid-core spkr cables. ME24, Exposure amp and Harbeths should be an excellent system to listen to them with. I hope your spell in hospital solved whatever issue it was that sent you there! Andy What's the speaker cable that you've made? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 1 hour ago, Misternavi said: What's the speaker cable that you've made? Simple construction ... but a lot of labour. Belden 1585A, teflon-coated, solid core 24g wires - as many strands as are needed for the current draw of the spkr & the length. Typically 8 wires to the +ve terminal and 8 wires to the -ve terminal, for a 3m length - one wire from each twisted pair for +ve and the other for -ve.. (So 32 strands to be stripped for each spkr!) Then a braided shield over the top, for WAF reasons. Andy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misternavi Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 23 minutes ago, andyr said: Simple construction ... but a lot of labour. Doesn't sound simple. that's a lot of cable to strip. 24 minutes ago, andyr said: Then a braided shield over the top, Is it a metal shield or just woven insulation? What did you use before this cable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 This thread is useless without photos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddyev Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 I have @andyr speaker cables in my system - sanders magtech & b&w 805d3. They are very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted May 19, 2022 Author Share Posted May 19, 2022 30 minutes ago, metal beat said: This thread is useless without photos Yep too right. They are coming 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klm Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 2 hours ago, andyr said: Simple construction ... but a lot of labour. Belden 1585A, teflon-coated, solid core 24g wires - as many strands as are needed for the current draw of the spkr & the length. Typically 8 wires to the +ve terminal and 8 wires to the -ve terminal, for a 3m length - one wire from each twisted pair for +ve and the other for -ve.. (So 32 strands to be stripped for each spkr!) Then a braided shield over the top, for WAF reasons. Andy So do you still keep it in the cat5e jacket or do you strip it out and do you leave it bare or terminate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 8 hours ago, klm said: So do you still keep it in the cat5e jacket or do you strip it out and do you leave it bare or terminate? No - I remove the jacket; Yes, I normally install banano plugs or spades at each end, depending on customer requirements. 9 hours ago, Misternavi said: Doesn't sound simple. that's a lot of cable to strip. Haha - yes it is! 9 hours ago, Misternavi said: Is it a metal shield or just woven insulation? Sorry, I should've said "sheath" - not shield. (Ie. its not metal.) 9 hours ago, Misternavi said: What did you use before this cable? I've been using it for over 20 years. I think I had Naim cable before - to go with my Naim amps then. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muon* Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 (edited) So the classic cat5 cable without the braiding of the wires? I used a simple version (none braided) at one point using the alternate wires in the twisted pairs for negative and positive, it was OK. I tried the braided style too, wasn't a fan of that. This was normal solid core type but not the Belden teflon type. Edited May 20, 2022 by muon* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pops110 Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 On 20/5/2022 at 5:45 AM, andyr said: No - I remove the jacket; Yes, I normally install banano plugs or spades at each end, depending on customer requirements. Are they Spanish banana plugs? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 22 minutes ago, Pops110 said: Are they Spanish banana plugs? Que? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pops110 Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 Banano plugs. Sorry Andy, I found it funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 9 hours ago, Pops110 said: Banano plugs. Sorry Andy, I found it funny. Aah, yes absolutely! (I couldn't see the typo till you pointed it out.) Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyW Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 Interesting.... I look forward to reading about your impressions of these. Every piece of gear I've bought from @andyr in the past has been rather brilliant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted May 25, 2022 Author Share Posted May 25, 2022 4 hours ago, MattyW said: Interesting.... I look forward to reading about your impressions of these. Every piece of gear I've bought from @andyr in the past has been rather brilliant. They are very good indeed. Just have a trip to Melbourne today/tomorrow then will start the review Friday 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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