[floobydust]

 Okay, the proverbial can of worms.... cables and connectors. I'll just throw some thoughts out there and see how they fly.

 Sorry, background first... many years ago I assembled a very nice home studio setup... the audio parts started with RME digital audio card, Apogee and Mytek 24-bit convertors, Coleman Audio leveling, Genelec monitoring, etc. Now you get down to cables and connectors.... and it's all balanced XLR, and all Neutrik XLR connectors at that. Neumann and A-T condensor mics... also balanced XLR. You start snooping around and you start to realize that many pro studios use a lot of Mogami cable... for the mic and line level balanced cables, it's usually 2534 (cable). So, I bought a roll (100m) years ago... and still have some left. So I've started to use it for interconnects and it's great cable... after all, lots of commercially available recordings were probably recorded, mixed and mastered with Mogami cable somewhere in the recording and playback chain. So, I think it's safe to consider the 2534 a good basis for all interconnects at this point... they are dead silent, easy to wire up and it's a known performer with real endorsement, mainly the folks that make many of the recordings we listen to.

 Next on the list is speaker cable.... as most of us hanging around this place are in the "low-power/high-sensitivity club", I don't really think I need a 2" thick hose that can jump-start Cleveland running out the back of the speaker to an amplifier which is going to deliver a whopping 2-4 watts. So I started to look at other Mogami cables and have found, what IMHO is a good fit, their 2921 4-conductor speaker cable. Not exactly cheap at $3.16 a foot but is constructed of 4 oxygen free copper 2.5mm conductors in a twisted quad arrangement. You can terminate it for 2-conductors with minimal pf/ft value and it will certainly handle the power of any SET amp. My plan is to order some and make up some 1- and 2-meter cables to test with.

 Now for the fun part, connectors. I've used the Edison-Price Music Post for many years, but lately the machining quality had slipped badly and the angles on the solder post end no longer line up to the top assembly as they did before. I've also recently learned that they are no longer being made... not a surprise as the last few sets I bought had poor machining on the top side where the bananas fit it. I've also looked at Cardas and WBT... and prices go from high (Cardas) to staggering (WBT silver)... and they're not pure silver... brass base which is plated, hence you're paying for pretty looks and the overall product quality (which is excellent)... more like buying expensive jewelry. The same can be said for the RCA phono connectors we use. I've been using the Vampire CM2F at $24 a pair, also not cheap.... but they are very nice. There's almost too much choice in this area and picking something can be short term if it's more of a boutique vendor.... Odyssey comes to mind... still have a NOS set of those.

 I start to look at the Neutrik XLRs again.... pins are brass and can be had in either silver or gold plate. Reasonably priced and again, most of the pro industry uses them. They make RCA Phono plugs and jacks as well... but their jack is a RCA jack mounted in a shell which is identical to size and mounting dimensions of their XLR connector.... it's ugly. They also make the Speakon connectors... in 2-, 4- and 8-contact versions, rated at 30 amps and versions to 40 amps. They are standard fare on pro gear for touring bands, studios, etc. and are available in silver-plated versions. This is one connector I'm starting to consider, especially for my own personal gear... after all, I make all of the of the equipment and cables, so the only industry standard I need to have is the RCA phono jacks for source input. The 4-conductor Speakon connector is an ideal match for the Mogami 2921 4-conductor speaker cable. You can pick how you terminate the pairs at the equipment connector and have common cables made at very reasonable prices.

 I have decided to use Neutrik silver-pin XLRs on the new preamp for the main output, and as the new preamp will be transformer output, a balanced XLR makes sense. The RCA side... not sure yet but I do like silver... pure silver for the audio path. So, let the flame war begin?

 Regards, KM

[jrebman]

Kevin,

Very timely.  I've been considering this same thing for a while and feeling like I want to do something a bit heretical with the next SE amp -- the RH84.  However, my version of heretical goes in an entirely different direction than yours...

I plan to use a 2 or 3 position Molex terminal block that uses a number 6 screw and the mini spade/fork connectors for 18-22 gauge wires (or larger if you wish).  I have a small box full of the 2 position Molex terminal strips -- they are very well made, are brass (not steel like the el cheapo, ancient phenolic strips that used to be seen in a lot of vintage gear), and are super simple to mount.  Several places sell "boutique" #6 screw spades -- DH Labs, and Eichmann for a couple, but they tend to be for more like the 10-12 gauge wires.

Most of the cheapie spades from Mouser and the like are copper with tin plating, which works for me.  bare copper, or copper with direct gold plating (no nickel intermediate plating) are also availanble (the Eichmann's for example.)

For cabling, going minimalist there too -- not quite to the extent of a single run of 30, 26, or 24 awg wire as some people do and like, but more like multiple (4, 6, 30 awg wires.

If magnet wire is your thing, there are companmies who will make you almost any kind you want, and with your choice of insulating materials -- from enamel to teflon, etc.  I've got a stash of silk and cotton tubing, and between that, a little heat-actived glue heatshrink, and some minimalist connectors, I think I'm going to get some very nice results.  Preliminary tests are very positive.

That said though, I know what you say about the EP music posts -- I have a pair left here -- they're decent as I've had them for a while, but as you say, they aren't being produced anymore.  Eichmann Cable Pods and Cardas Patented, pure copper, as well as some of the all-copper offerings from Vampire and DH labs shouldn't be overlooked either.  Some are reasonable -- some are really expensive, but at $35 a set, the all-copper Cardas Patented is most likely going to be the ones I use on my SimpleSE -- and in general I'm no big fan of things Cardas.

RCAs too -- some nice, minimalist copper., or direct gold over copper offerings from DH Labs and Vampire.  RCA males?  Well, I just bought a big bag of the Switchcraft ones seeing that they are about $21.40 each and seem to get a lot of respect from a lot of corners.

I would like to try some of the mogami star-quad, light gauge interconnect wire, especially for internal amp wiring, but using good copper or silver with a cotton or silk jacket, one can make extremely good star-quad TP, or triple braid ICs and internal signal wiring, and tht's probably be the route I take as I have a spool of 28 awg cotton insulated silver wire that's just sitting in the wire box begging to be used.

Good topic!

-- Jim