AudioNervosa

Electro Stimulation Ward => Signals and Noise => Topic started by: richidoo on October 03, 2014, 12:56:44 PM

Title: CCA
Post by: richidoo on October 03, 2014, 12:56:44 PM

Just found out that my prejudice against zip wire SCs is based on using copper clad aluminum wire. I had used 12ga RCA brand from Home Depot, which is CCA. I used it happily in my mid fi days, and again in 2010 when I needed more SCs for bi amping for active crossover. In the hifi setting it was truly awful.

Over the weekend I found some 99.99% pure, 14 guage, plenum rated SC in the garage. I found some 99.99% 12 guage zip wire on Amazon for 40 cents a foot!

My current speaker project is 3 way active crossover, amps will be on the floor, close to the speakers, so I'll need short lengths of SC. I'm considering using this kind of high quality muggle wire instead of buying six audiophile brand SCs.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with this inexpensive wire and resetting my prejudice against inexpensive wire now that I know about CCA. I have some RCA (cca) left, and the HTD pure copper to compare to my JPS 5ga Alumaloy.

I'm hoping that the combination of direct amplification to the drivers, short cable lengths and high quality copper conductor should be good enough.

Does anybody have zip wire experiences and wisdom to share, especially switching from audiophile brand SCs?

What are the inherent problems with .40/foot wire? Braid, shielding, insulation materials, etc.   

Title: Re: CCA
Post by: rollo on October 18, 2014, 08:30:41 AM

 Yes. Radio Shack 24ga used as a single run of two conductors. Use both wires and tie them together. Or you could increase ga. size by a Litz wind of four individual wires.
   For very short runs very affective. Have fun trying.


charles

Title: Re: CCA
Post by: richidoo on October 24, 2014, 08:59:03 AM

I have since noticed that the RCA wires that sound so bad are not CCA. They are orange copper all the way through.  

I also noticed the other day that my JPS hookup wires are CCA, and they sound awesome. I have seen other JPS cables that are copper plated aluminum, and some that are all copper alloy and these are my favorite best sounding SCs. So there is much more to the story than copper purity or CCA. I know nothing.


Edit: If I were going to buy some inexpensive quality speaker wire I would probably go for this Belden 10ga 5T00UP:

By the foot or spool from Parts express:
http://www.parts-express.com/belden-5t00up-10-awg-2c-cable-hi-flex-in-wall-speaker-wire-cl3-per-ft-usa--102-1190

Or terminated by BlueJeansCable:
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/