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Re: Most important elements for a quality Interconnect?

In my experience, everything matters: geometry, materials, dielectric, shielding, crimp X solder and connectors.
Too much of a good thing can actually hurt, for example complex braiding, heavy connectors, minimalist connectors (Bullet) and shields in general.
If you must shield, separate the shield from the hot wire with a neutral and thick dielectric e.g teflon. Otherwise the cable will sound colored, specially in the midrange.
I have purchased most brands of generally available connectors and hookup wire looking for the holy grail.
I have made good sounding ICs with WBT crimp RCAs and Vampire solder RCAs, they sound pretty close, but the solder joints must be small and shiny. Also, make sure that there is firm contact between the parts being soldered, do not use solder as glue.
Use ONLY eutectic solder. Non-eutetic solder like Radio Shack stays in a semi-solid state for several seconds after one removes the soldering iron tip, a sure recipe for cold solder joints and brittle sound.
IMHO, the shorter the IC the better, the simpler the better.
Silver or copper is a matter of taste and system tonal balance.
Try to buy from jewelry supply stores, they carry the pure stuff, 99,99% (4 nines) is a good starting point.
If you must save $, use magnet wire for the return lead and borrow the shield from a thick coax cable.
Do not try to save pennies on the hot wire, connectors or the dielectric. Those plus the soldering technique can make or break an IC, IMHO.
I hope this helps
Carlos


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  • Re: Most important elements for a quality Interconnect? - Carlos 06/10/0320:47:00 06/10/03 (0)


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