15.8 Can I make very good interconnects myself?
Description
This article is from the rec.audio.* FAQ, by with numerous contributions by Bob Neidorff others.
15.8 Can I make very good interconnects myself?
Yes. You will need to be the judge of whether or not they
are as good as $100 interconnects, but it is easy to make
interconnects that are better than the $2.00 set which comes
with new equipment.
There are two necessary ingredients: two-conductor shielded
cable and RCA connectors. There is a lot of debate over what
is the best cable, but in general, the lower the capacitance
per foot, the better. Choice of insulation is harder. There
may be an advantage to polypropylene or teflon over polyester
or rubber, but even that is debatable. If you are buying wire
from an electronics distributor, some have successfully used
Belden 1192A microphone cable. It is rubber insulated, so very
flexible. Another recommended cable is Belden 8451. This is
a polypropylene cable with foil shield. Finally, consider
Belden 89182. This is foamed teflon insulated, so very low
capacitance, and foil shielded. If you plan to make a long
cable, this low capacitance cable may be the best choice.
There is also a variety of RCA connectors available. A
good connector would be gold plated and machined to tight
tolerances. A poorer connector will not fit as well, will
make poorer contact as the connecting surface oxides, and
will lose its springiness with use.
When wiring the cable to the connector, use one wire for
signal, (the tip of the RCA connector) and one wire for
ground (the shell or outer conductor of the RCA connector).
Some cables use a foil shield which is difficult to solder.
These cables typically have a drain wire parallel to the foil
which can be used for soldering. Others use a braided shield.
Regardless of which type of wire you have, connect the shield
or the shield drain wire to ground on only ONE SIDE. This will
stop noise picked up by the shield from causing ground noise.
It can be a touchy job soldering RCA connectors. Before
you use your new cables, check with an ohmmeter or
a continuity tester to make sure that you have not
accidentally sorted the signal and ground leads together,
either with a stray drop of solder or a loose wire strand.
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