Advice on wire for DIY audio cable.

[sim_tcr]

Hello,

For my DIY amplifier I want to make a 3.5mm stereo (male) to RCA (left and right male), which I will use to take audio out (3.5mm jack) from my laptop and provide audio input (RCA female) to amp.

I have these RCA Male Plug from amazon and old headphone's 3.5mm stereo connector.
What is the best wire to make this cable? Normal 24 gauge silicon wire? Or any other special wire?

In the past, I have used wires stripped from old LAN cables for speaker wire extension and they worked without problem. Is that a good choice here?

Some internet articles advising to use shielded wire for all audio based projects. I am not able to find these online (may be I am not understanding what it is)

Any advice?

 

[mbhangui]

It is easy to get shielded wires. e.g.

https://www.amazon.in/Sharvi-Electronics-Core-Shielded-Cable/dp/B08TBLQ1KB/ref=sr_1_14?crid=2CRX8EFX58NA1&keywords=shielded+wire&qid=1666262950&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjc1IiwicXNhIjoiMi42NSIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=shielded+wire%2Caps%2C426&sr=8-14

You can also look at hifimart. They have shielded cables if you go the DIY route. They also have readymade cables.

 

[manek]

Hello,

For my DIY amplifier I want to make a 3.5mm stereo (male) to RCA (left and right male), which I will use to take audio out (3.5mm jack) from my laptop and provide audio input (RCA female) to amp.

I have these RCA Male Plug from amazon and old headphone's 3.5mm stereo connector.
What is the best wire to make this cable? Normal 24 gauge silicon wire? Or any other special wire?

In the past, I have used wires stripped from old LAN cables for speaker wire extension and they worked without problem. Is that a good choice here?

Some internet articles advising to use shielded wire for all audio based projects. I am not able to find these online (may be I am not understanding what it is)

Any advice?

I sometimes use solid core cat5/6 cables that are twisted as hookup cables internally and bind them with cable tie so they dont move and they stay ok. For an external cable where you will push and pull wire often pls use stranded wire.

 

[sim_tcr]

It is easy to get shielded wires. e.g.

https://www.amazon.in/Sharvi-Electronics-Core-Shielded-Cable/dp/B08TBLQ1KB/ref=sr_1_14?crid=2CRX8EFX58NA1&keywords=shielded+wire&qid=1666262950&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjc1IiwicXNhIjoiMi42NSIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=shielded+wire%2Caps%2C426&sr=8-14

You can also look at hifimart. They have shielded cables if you go the DIY route. They also have readymade cables.

Hifimart cable seems to be bit expensive for my purpose.
A 2 core wire means, I can solder left, right and ground (on the shield itself) right ?

 

[mbhangui]

Hifimart cable seems to be bit expensive for my purpose.
A 2 core wire means, I can solder left, right and ground (on the shield itself) right ?

black color - left
red colour - right
shield is ground

On the headphone jack
tip - left
middle ring - right
stem - ground

 

[mbhangui]

I have tried all of these (expensive, mogami, klotz, van del hul, and what not, etc). Nothing gives low capacitance cables if you use the twisted pair from ethernet cables.
The twisted pairs are weak and will easily break at the soldered points when your twist, move the cables, equipment. So what I do is to pour molten glue using a glue gun inside the RCA plugs after soldering. I will post photos in few minutes

 

[sim_tcr]

I have tried all of these (expensive, mogami, klotz, van del hul, and what not, etc). Nothing gives low capacitance cables if you use the twisted pair from ethernet cables.
The twisted pairs are weak and will easily break at the soldered points when your twist, move the cables, equipment. So what I do is to pour molten glue using a glue gun inside the RCA plugs after soldering. I will post photos in few minutes

Please help me understand your statement.

Are you saying, twisted wire from ethernet cable (3 wires taken out and twisted) is good for my purpose than expensive readymade cables?
But they are weak (due to single strand copper inside each wire) and you strengthen the solder joint by hot glue?

 

[mbhangui]

Please help me understand your statement.

Are you saying, twisted wire from ethernet cable (3 wires taken out and twisted) is good for my purpose than expensive readymade cables?
But they are weak (due to single strand copper inside each wire) and you strengthen the solder joint by hot glue?

two wires from each RCA plug will come to the headphone jack. One wire from each RCA plug will be the ground and will be connected together at the headphone jack end. So total 4 wires will leave the headphone jack

Anotehr thing. The glue is not to strengthen the soldered joint. The soldered joint will be strong, but the wires at the solder joint will break after few back and forth movement. The glue prevents back and forth movement.

 

[sim_tcr]

two wires from each RCA plug will come to the headphone jack. One wire from each RCA plug will be the ground and will be connected together at the headphone jack end.

Anotehr thing. The glue is not to strengthen the soldered joint. The soldered joint will be strong, but the wires at the solder joint will break after few back and forth movement. The glue prevents back and forth movement.

Got it. That explains it.

However, I am looking at the 2 Core Shielded Cable you linked, that should have the advantage of shield (which ethernet wire wont have) to save electrical interference?

 

[mbhangui]

Got it. That explains it.

However, I am looking at the 2 Core Shielded Cable you linked, that should have the advantage of shield (which ethernet wire wont have) to save electrical interference?

Shield increases capacitance
twisting two wires achieves the same thing. That's why in network transmission where capacitance will cause a huge signal noise shield is avoided

Twisted Pairs: Why are Wires Twisted? – Audio University

audiouniversityonline.com

 

[availlyrics]

Please help me understand your statement.

Are you saying, twisted wire from ethernet cable (3 wires taken out and twisted) is good for my purpose than expensive readymade cables?
But they are weak (due to single strand copper inside each wire) and you strengthen the solder joint by hot glue?

I have seen rare multicore stranded LAN cables. Buy MX audio cables. Many cheap Chinese brands nowadays use ferrous alloys in audio cables. For DIY , you can cut and use any RCA cables that comes with a DVD player or set top box

 

[manek]

I have seen rare multicore stranded LAN cables. Buy MX audio cables. Many cheap Chinese brands nowadays use ferrous alloys in audio cables. For DIY , you can cut and use any RCA cables that comes with a DVD player or set top box

Many cat5 patch chords(cheap ones that you get with broadband routers) are stranded to keep them flexible/supple. The cat5/6 cables that are to be laid in walls/floors and crimped on information outlets are solid core as they dont move and are supposed to have a shelf life within walls or floors for 10 years if laid right.