Canare wiring for HT? (1 Viewer)

[Shannon S]

Currently refinishing basement in order to set up HT. Just bought Yamaha rx-v3200, Klipsch KLF-10(front),KLF-C7(center), SS-1 for rears and rear center and Mitsubishi WS-65411. Would like to make and run own cables. Looking at Canare V3-5CFB(cable) with RCAP-C5F(ends) for component connections, LV-77S(cable) with RCAP-C77(ends) for inter connects, and 4S11(wire) with VampireWire banana clips for terminations. The most pricey cost involved is buying Canares hand tools for the stripping and crimping of ends. The price of the cable is relatively cheap per foot so it seems worth the investment. The reviews I've read on the three cables I've listed have been very good. most agree that these cables blow away Monsters top of the line. The main reason I would like to build my own is that I can customize my lengths and make new ones if I decide to change the placement of the HT. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Ken Custodio]

the cables are fairly cheap, but what is going to be expensive is the connectors (Especially if you make a mistake). Unless you are going to keep making cables and work out a deal with your supplier to get discounts on bulk cables and connectors, it would be cheaper to just buy it from a company that makes cables out of canare or belden cables and connectors. My $0.02.

 

[Chris Hovanic]

Im in the same boat. 30' run to my RPTV from the Gear Closet. I would like to read everyones thoughts too

 

[Bob McElfresh]

For just your own use, you can get away WITHOUT the expensive stripper and save the $120. Get the Canare catalog. It has a drawing showing how far back to make the 3 strips - yes, that's 3 strips per end. Use a sharp knife and take your time.

STRONG SUGGESTION: Cut a foot or two of extra cable off and practice stripping the ends. Unless you are an experienced tech - you WILL mess up one or two. Cut the ends off and repeat. By the time you strip the 12th coax, you should have a good feel for how to strip.

Lay out the coax in a STRAIGHT line before you cut. You want all 3 conductors to be close to identical length and having the cable bent/coiled will shift the lengths.

Make sure to cut and strip all 6 ends BEFORE attaching any plugs. If you mess up on one of the wires, cut it back so you can re-strip and cut back ALL the coax on that end to the same length.

It's important to try and get all 3 coax cables in the bundle as close to identical length as possible.

Once you have all 6 ends of your coax stripped, then attach the plugs.

You must have the matching Canare die for the plugs and you are stuck with the ~$80 cost plus the $24 for the crimp frame. So thats about $105 in tools + materials.

Chris White has a great web site that takes you through the steps.

Other advice:

- While you do custom-cut your cable, DO NOT plan to route the cable to the side, down the rack, against the wall, up to the TV like a piece of limp string. It will fight you. This is by design. It's actually bad to have tight, 90 degree bends in your video cables (or any coaxial cable for that matter). The stiff, black sheath is designed to resist tight bends and give pull-strength to the bundle.

Some people have been disapointed by their Canare cables because they were ugly and not glove-soft like the retail cables they are used to. But you are buying professional-grade coax for how it PERFORMS not how it looks or feels. So manage your expectations. Yes, you can always cut the black sheath off to give you 3 individual runs of coax - but you are taking away some protection. Adding TechFlex or Shrink Wrap to the cable to make it "pretty" is a better way to go IMHO.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ken Custodio]

You could also try Vince Maskeepers web site

http://cables.musicianassist.com

Vince is a former HTF Admin makes cables and also has information about cable making.

I got a batch of cables from him last year and they were well made cables, sounded great and looked fantastic. Plus they were the cheapest prices of all the canare/belden makers.

 

[JimPeitersen]

Clay ([email protected]) is another great resource for custom cables at great prices (he made mine, and they work perfectly.)
JP

 

[Ted Drain]

You can also check out my site:

http://home.earthlink.net/~teddrain/diy_cables/

I made Belden/Canare cables w/o buying the Canare stripping tools or the crimping dies.

Total tool cost was less than $100.

 

[Lee Bailey]

You can also try this site BDCABLE , you can buy all the stuff you need to make your own Canare cables. Of course, you also order ready mades too. Another good place is BlueJeansCable , where you can get good, custom made Canare cables at good prices.