Custom Cables.....Why cant we do this.... (1 Viewer)

[Chris Bates]

Hi guys, I have a question. I have been looking into constructing some custom cables for a while, but I have some questions. As I understand it, the Canare setup is pretty tough to beat, however there is a good bit of investment needed to be able to produce these cables. Why is it that I never hear anybody suggest cable tv rg6, and some compression fit rca's? Im not suggesting that this is a direct replacement for the Canare setup, but I think for the low cost, it should definately outperform what you buy in the stores, and definately beat the cables that come with dvd players. Id love to hear some opinions on this one....

Chris

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

You should get several replies, so I'll just cover one item. Cable RG6 is solid core and very stiff. Definitely a pain in the tight quarters of a stack of gear.

(If you guys thought I was going to wade into the quicksand of the "sound" of different interconnects, )

 

[TimForman]

Nice one Hank. Way to pass the buck.
Actually it's smart, as usual, but anyway....
Hank's right, solid core conductor is less flexible but if you're willing to put up with it some RG6 rated for HiDef will perform slightly better than stranded core and it doesn't have to be all Canare. I've used Gepco VSD2001 and the Parts Express cutter, crimper and compression connectors with good results.

 

[Chris Bates]

Ok, surely someone else has something to say about this one.....

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Chris, see my last sentence.
No one, from DIY-er to manufacturer, uses TV RG6 for quality interconnects. It's a cable designed to be manufactured at lowest cost. I make cables and use Canare and Belden. Both brands make cable that the professional broadcast industry engineers use almost exclusively. Those folks are very concerned about signal quality. If you're making your own interconnects, and spend, say, $1/ft for quality cable, as opposed to 20 cents/ft, I say that's penny wise and pound foolish. But that's all just my neophyte opinion.
BTW, I like your sig.

 

[TimForman]

I'm not an electrical engineer but isn't higher velocity of propogation and lower attenuation important?

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Yes, they are, but HT interconnects are considered very short lengths. Here, VOP differences don't show, so using a stranded core cable with lower VOP versus solid core won't get you a noticeably better image on your TV. Man, we're getting dangerously close to drawing in comments/opinions about cable construction, dialectrics, thickness, lay, and the dreaded Golden Ears comments on their botique cables. I'm outta this thread!
See ya at C.E.S.

 

[TimForman]

I'm with you. I don't want to get into that voodoo stuff either but I thank you for the explanation.

 

[Shawn Solar]

I bought a 250' roll of flexible rg59. Its stamped acoustic research and has a solid copper conductor foam dielectrics with a aluminuim shield. And a 90% copper braid not bad for 10 bucks. But I also use rg6 when I wire inwall surround sound with great results too. I have used crimp on, screw on, and snap or compression as well as solder. Solder takes the longest but offers the best connection. Don't like crimp on and I find compression to be a great alternative to solder if time and skill are an issue. The only draw back I find to compression is the cost of the tool and ends. The leviton compression rca's are about 10bucks a piece and the tool is $250 for what we use.