How To Build a Better Speaker Cable

[@Toki1908]

Man this video came out 2010 and its better than most other cable diy videos you can find in 2020

[@dmc3489]

I thought the same thing! I've been making cables for a little under a year now and this video helped me recognize some bad habits that I need to break. I like the idea of using a vice and a heat sink clamp, bc "third hands" just aren't cutting it

[@masonlamb7007]

These are great cables. Very well constructed and snazzy to look at, too! As someone who works with Pro Audio, guitar, and audiophile gear for a living, I want to address some of the misinformed comments I've read. Electrically, there are only two factors that really matter in speaker cables: the ability to handle high current/low voltage signal, and a connection-to-connection DC resistance that is sufficiently low enough to not cause excessive damping on the speaker. Aesthetically, a cable ought to be flexible, sturdy, and if it looks cool, so much the better. Using dual 22 gauge leads as demonstrated here effectively creates a 14 gauge connector, which is quite robust for medium power amps, and the short distance means resistance is negligible. AC induction is also negligible and twisting the cables will not "filter" the low frequencies as suggested by some. Exotic metals and dielectrics used in the construction of some uber-boutique speaker cables is laughably ineffective and succeeds only in parting the rich and gullible from their money. And lastly, there is no such thing as a "cable burn-in period", so if the cable is well made and well suited for the application, it is ready to use right from the get go.

[@less5406]

+Mason Lamb I know this was posted long ago but, 2 22 gauge wires are the equivalent of 1 19 gauge wire, not 14 as you mentioned. Every doubling of a single wire drops 3 gauge sizes thus you would need to have 6 22 gauge runs to get a single 14 gauge run.

[@fernarias]

Amplifiers output high voltage and low amperage because of ohms law. Doesn't matter whether is solid state or tubes.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

Don't lie. You are not an Audiophile.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@@fernarias Not necessarily. Some amps can output a peak of 100 amps current.

[@fernarias]

@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt They are measured in watts not amps. Amps is short for ampere not for amplifier. I'm sure you don't know what ampere means and you certainly don't understand ohms laws and why amps output high voltage at low amperage. You probably don't understand how a 160 watt amp, like the pioneer sx-1250, has output transistors rated at 200 volts but only 10 amps(11 amps would cook these, 100 amps would destroy these and your house). You also probably don't know that your power outlets in your home are rated at 120 volts and only 15 amps since higher amps would burn down your house.

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: I have been making speaker cables from lamp cord for decades. Standard 18 gauge will easily support 200 watts, it is polarized for keeping polarity straight, it is cheap and lasts for years. Any hardware store has long rolls that you just buy the length you want. It even comes in 3 or 4 colors if you color code your equipment.

[@chipsterb4946]

I think I’ve typically used 16 gauge but yes, this is unnecessary work. Looks cool though.

[@carmenandthedevil2804]

lol. No dynamics huh. Maybe a 200 watts Sony A/V Receiver.

[@diverhose]

Excellent tutorial !!!! Camera angles 100% Narration 100% Camera closeups 100% Keeping it interesting 100% Finger nails close-ups - Needs trimming ;) Great Job!!!!

[@brickwal92tt]

I remember the first time I saw the drill/wire trick. It blew my mind how simple it was to make it look so professionally done!

[@DaedalEVE]

Just ordered a bunch of stuff from these guys. Great Experience. They convinced me to make my own cables for studio use, which will save me a LOT of money in the long run.

[@welderfixer]

A video from this long ago at this quality - I can't wait to watch the other ones on this channel! Thank you!

[@monmixer]

lol..gotta love the guys who watch and then tell you how they would do it instead of making a youtube video. thanks for sharing..good job.

[@ustoopia]

Watching this works therapeutically for me.

[@didierleclerc66]

This cable looks absolutely gorgeous.

[@hawaiidispenser]

Video was shot beautifully and the instruction was crystal clear. Can't really ask for more.

[@torlack]

Just read Richard's comments. Funny thing is that I'm currently in Montreal to do an educational talk. One of the big aspects of the talk is right techniques for the right situation. Good videos. I haven't made cables in 20 years. That tech-flex was new to me.

[@DJWRailroad]

I do admire talent, especially where someone can make such a tedious and somewhat difficult task (not as easy and smooth as Rob makes it look here if you haven't done this before) look so effortless. Anyhow, it really is great to see this type of talent and a TRUE professional at work! Thanks for the great video but you also helped me to decide to stick with some Monster 16 GA and banana plugs!

[@hyperspaced77]

Very nice presentation. Can you use a normal 2000W hairdryer instead of the thermal pistol ?

[@steebendeeben8268]

OMG....THIS IS FANTASTIC!!! THANK U SO MUCH. Can't wait to make my first few pairs of hi-end speaker wires when my parts arrive. Learned some neat new tricks from this video that I surely appreciate.

[@davesworld66]

Wonderful video. I was looking for something completely different, but am very happy that I watched the whole video. You made those cables beautifully and so professionally soldered. Well done...

[@ScottGrammer]

Great video! Glad to see you recommending the Switchcraft connectors. There are none better.

[@stonewall78]

I have been building cables with techflex type materials for years that have been used in everything from aircraft to mining. My trick to keep the sheathing in place is too use a dual wall heatshrink (adhesive lined heatshrink). If you make sure the heatshrink overlaps the sheathing onto the wire it will hold everything in place. I would also always out a piece of heatshrink over any center conductors. It is easy to do and can prevent any future mishaps.

[@circuitbenda]

I think its brilliant that safety eyeshields were shown being worn.- as well as the solder / flux splash sticking to the eye and burning it, - the burn sensation goes on and on, and on etc. a good pair of eyesshields are cheap, and if looked after, are easy to get used to.

[@mystillas]

You should insulate soldering points inside the jack (you could use smaller shrink tube). If you do it without insulation, bended cable can make a short and blow up your amp...

[@lestergranger1685]

+1.... ALWAYs heatshrink the bits in jack. the double twisting thing?... sounds like some one has been sold some snake oil! still nice and well presented.

[@thm4855]

The twisting is mainly for digital signals, and the soldering? - the signal travels free from the input to the end, but if you solder - then is has to pass another metal and it destroys the signalstrenght - or pollute it.

[@lestergranger1685]

thm4855 look up the "skin effect" on electricity as it passes through a conductor. also the "double twist" does NOTHING! the 1st twist is almost like trying to make a home made shielded cable yourself. so it will help a little with interference but the rest is "hi-fi" bullshit that makes pretty much no difference what so ever! but it does make the cable look pretty! soldering is a must as with every join the is a tiny amount if attenuation but not a lot. it won't ever "pollute" the signal.. that more hi-fi bullshit. if it's a good solder joint your fine... if you do a piss poor job then expect the cable to do a piss poor job of getting the signal from one end to the other.

[@mychannelgoaway2833]

Skin effect only applicable at RF frequencies. This is a speaker cable for a low impedance circuit, any interference would have to be immense to have any effect.

[@lestergranger1685]

Not so... The effect happens more and more up the frequency spectrum you go but it does happen at very low frequencies too! And it's for a line level circuit not a speaker cable. Still, most of what this guy is doing is pointless.. looks pretty, but pointless.

[@jedrzejtepper3400]

Came to ridicule and cringe, stayed because of neat craftsmanship, watched until the end due to great cinematography and logical justification of every step. Great tutorial!

[@ejlister]

I must say - that is very creative and looks like a fun and simple project. I'll give it a go! Thanks!

[@CyddGuilbeaux]

I did everything you told me to do now my house is gone! Amp went up in flames house burnt down!! I'm Kidding!! lol... this helped me out a lot great video!

[@JRJ1979]

With construction like this, I'd be tempted to twist one black and one white together, and then twist those together. The common mode rejection should be just that tiny bit better because you're effectively doing a double set of tightly twisted pairs then, rather than two fairly large wires in a looser twist. At audio frequencies and speaker voltages (never mind the kind of environment that uses 1/4" TS as speaker cables), it almost certainly makes jack all difference, of course.

[@DrMarv]

This is one of the best DIY cable videos on KZbin but I just can't get past how close each of the terminals inside the plug are, with no insulation. With rough handling at a gig you risk shorting your connector - I've seen it happen too many times. This is just my 2 cents, but a bit of heat shrink over the white wire, or solder the black wire further back.

[@thingsdemystified]

Thank you for posting that. It was a very interesting read. Anyone thinking about spending more than $3 on speaker wire should read that first.

[@davesworld66]

Thank you for the advice. I thought the same thing and I did try switching the speakers around and it did sound the same so I think what I will do now, seeing that I have more knowledge than 6 years ago, I should pull the speakers out of the box and assess all joins and neaten them up. Thanks again for the advice...

[@eDdc321]

i dont know what i love more the video or the way tube depot handles negative comments

[@roshawnsims5395]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking about 14awg myself but wasn't sure about that. 12awg wire is not small so your totally right about connectors. By the way great video and hell with the haters.

[@schlitze1]

Thanks man, good tutorial. I like the idea of a yellow speaker cable! No more mix ups with my instrument cables!

[@lorindamikaela]

Well I'll be ... that was awesome. Time to make my own speaker cables I think. Thanks so much for taking the time to make this tutorial. Now I don't have to spend BIG money on speaker cables & I get the satisfaction of doing it myself.

[@doyengicp]

@TubeDepotTV it is so big ! the cable looks nuclear proof ! no need to tell i had a hard time twisting those beasts (by hand) and fitting the G&H plugs. The heat shrink tubing was also a tight fit. its an impressive cable :)

[@4130aykut]

nice dude, very well explained and very sympathic too. thanks!

[@cypher3874]

Great video. Actually learnt something. I don't understand why there's any dislikes to this?

[@MrHezGen]

Great video. I would only suggest that you heatshrink under the sleeving as well, it will give a better hold and the sleeve won't slip out.

[@wb5rue]

Nothing beats the subtle glow and great sound of tube amps

[@roshawnsims5395]

Like someone said they want to point out how things might be wrong but don't have their on vids on how they are right. I'm just glad you didntjus talk about it but did vid about it.

[@sidroni0]

wow, nice cable you got there and the best soldering tut ive ever seen

[@bradleymasson1777]

This cable geometry really does work. Very noticeable in the mid to high frequencies. Hearing is believing. As far as melting the tek-flex, a person could wrap the bottom edge with some type of fabric to keep it insulated from the heat of the gun.

[@LeeTanczos]

Put the barrel there :-)

[@kevanfarmer2502]

I realise that this video is now rather old.... However, I would just like to say thank you for a very informative piece to start with. I have never believed the bull that seems to float around about 'expensive' cables. Here in the UK we have a number of way overpriced cables that are 'pushed' onto unwitting customers at the point of sale in both dedicated hifi shops (few and far between) and general electrical retailers (the worst offenders). I have always laughed when they try peddling the things onto me. They certainly look nice but hey, this is music that we are hearing not looking at. Another thing I have to chuckle at is the number of people who comment negatively about these DIY cables. Once again I say it's music we are listening to. It is purely a personal thing. Music is to be enjoyed and if that means tweaking the settings on the hifi then that is how I personally will listen to it. Lastly a suggestion if I may. Get yourself a decent sized cup hook. Screw into the wall or maybe a bench (somewhere safe of course) Hook your looped cable onto that and you can go much longer than the arms length you do in the video and it also means you can control the drill better and also the rate of twist in the cable. Thank you again for a great video.

[@ericmootz7254]

A lot of the time one single wire will break when moving it around, twisting a pair is great for assuring that you always have a connection even if one breaks, plus it improves impedance.

[@jjlwis]

good stuff bobby! man each time i watch this, im always impressed! and yes i understand how long it would take to produce a cable like this too. perfection takes time!

[@doyengicp]

I just built one with 18 AWG for my 100W Engl head, thats one HUGE cable ! I couldnt une my neutrik jacks as the cable was too big, had to use G&H plugs that looks like your Switchcraft.

[@mikaelangelosgarage]

@TubeDepotTV it often happens to everyone, the best thing is to write down what to do. i love your channel by the way, it stimulates me to build my own amp, i just twisted two cables together with a electric drill :) and i like your humor :D

[@ssgeek4515]

Apreciate this is an old video but the week link is not the speaker lead it's the jack socket where it connects to the hack plug itself.Contact area is tinny.I used to wrap elastic bands round the socket to tighten the pressure on the terminals when plug is inserted. Worked better

[@RabidGerry]

These videos are always excellent. Keep up the good work!!! What gauge of wire would I use for handling say 300watts? Also, it would be excellent to see a video on how to make a "Y" cable if you haven't already made one. Thanks for these great tips.

[@katox2358]

That goggle time moment was epic!

[@Swanny383]

Just a suggestion you might want to put heat shrink on your center tab, if your solder welds fail, you could short out your conection

[@iceman45ification1]

Great video guys! I only have one question..... Why not use OFC wire instead of aluminum wire?

[@tc3sean]

If you attach an open eye hook somewhere you are working, you can hook one end of the cable to the hook and have both hands free to hold the electric drill. Not limited to your arm span.

[@TheDustyGuitarShow]

@TubeDepotTV when making a speaker cable for a 100watt amp, you mention to use 18 gauge wire, would you double it up in the same way you do in this example ( so you'd have 4 lengths of wire in total). cheers for great and educational vids! :)

[@cipslim]

I get your point, my impression was that you were promoting a cheaper variant to purchasing ready made cables. I failed to see that this is more of an educational video. Happy to see that people still take pride in using the fruits of their labor.

[@bonelessx]

you have changed my life...

[@svtcontour]

@SMERGHEED Thats exactly what I said here. Twisting DOES NOT work for rejecting the noise that would interfere with audio frequencies. You need a full braid or foil for it to be effective. Even then, its only needed for RCA connections because we're dealing with very low signal levels vs speaker level which is high level.

[@thehandseesall]

Thanks for the reply, I am actually constantly swapping speakers for different tonal properties and this way I don't need 7 speaker cabs so spade connectors are my best option but thanks all the same.

[@6d696368]

It's goggle time! I love it! Thanks for the great videos, they're informative and fun to watch. You have a new subscriber!

[@CookieManCookies]

Links no worky :( Also, why no twisted speaker cable? And your technique is interesting. I would use a funnel on the heat gun, and use one with temp control to adjust temp a bit higher than the melt temp needed for the heat shrink. I hope you used gel adhesive heat shrink..

[@lorcro2000]

I was wondering how people get great braids going, this looks great. Using two thinner wires joined together does make for a flexier cable that can still handle current. Most likely the braid also rejects interference. Nice one.

[@abdullahalshairee7529]

thank you for this beautiful video that we can learn from it, I have only one notification and it's about your soldering when you soldered the two wires you made them with out any isolation from each other that could make a short cut through them and damage the power amplifier (in case the jack was accidentally bended) I think you should use some thing like electrical tape to isolate them. thank you again

[@LKLKS]

What a perfect DIY. I love this workshop so much.

[@kris-english]

I am going to have a go at this. You make it look so easy!

[@carforumwanker]

Very clean work.

[@duroxkilo]

that's a nice looking cable.. lots of people try to fit the grounding wire right under the connector's central tab, like @4:20. there's really no need for that, plenty of room... there's also less of a chance for the wires to short out electrically..

[@Sansui350A]

Rob, great cable assembly, looks great and works even better.. :D I did want to mention that a bit of heatshrink tubing on the hot lead's solder joint might be a good idea, considering most of these will see tons of abuse... and at a "gig" better safe than sorry can be the huge difference from epic show, and not so epic fire, if there was a nasty short.. amp resiliency aside.. :) Either way, it's good to see great tutorial videos like this one.

[@健铭邹]

Very good video, benefiting for life. Thank you! ! ! awesome! ! !

[@tjrulez100]

Rob the builder!! yes we can

[@dell177]

If you need to make a longer cable just screw a hook into something (a post in a cellar or garage works well) and stretch the cable between that hook and the drill, we did this all the time at work for wires up to 25-35 feet.

[@MarkVIII05]

I love the pause afterwards. As if to say; let the wisdom saturate your mind.

[@damyukiddz2198]

Nice attention to detail

[@hotlion81]

@igehring twisting the white and the black together like that will provide additional protection against any noise bleeding into or interfering with your signal. That is also the reason why the strands in a network cable are twisted in pairs like that.

[@LateNightYinzer]

There is no need to twist anymore than a 2 conductor pair. What is shown is called a star quad (reverse twisted, twisted pairs), and yes, it is effective in reducing unwanted noise in the purpose it was intended for - balanced lines. It offers little benefit in unbalanced lines such as high power speaker connections, though.

[@marklierly9381]

If I were going to make some Loudspeaker cables, I would buy 2 conductor, 12 or 14 AWG stranded cable with a flexible jacket in lengths under 25 feet for in Home use. Secondly, I would only use a Professional Pro Audio style connector, such as the Neutrik Speakon or Dual Banana plugs. Or you can also visit your local Hardware Store and buy a roll of 14 gauge Zip cord, (aka Lamp Cord) Some come in Clear, White or Brown colored jackets. The only tools you need to make these are a pair of wire cutters / strippers. No Soldering or Shrink wrap required! :-)

[@xenod1066]

@ Ron Bernard "Speaker cable with a headphone jack ?" It's for a guitar amp speaker output; they use this connector. - It was originally called a "phone" plug. They have been used for many things, including, years ago, for patching signal at telephone switchboards! - The headphone plug you're thinking of is similar, but with three conductors, (tip, ring, sleeve. (TRS)) for stereo. - Apparently you did not watch the video..

[@ROOKTABULA]

The "It's goggle tune!" shot was just enough beats too long to be odd enough to make me chuckle." >:D

[@ViaticalTree]

Is the Goggle Tune available on Spotify? I can’t find it.

[@kopboy55]

I used a Sotering gun some needle nose pliers And some Baby blue Rope light Merged it with the speaker wire i used 22 Gauge and the lights popped on with every bass Movement wave its very Futuristic looking very cool i love tinkering with Sound and lights

[@michaelmaragh3919]

I ALWAYS wrap PVC tape or smaller heat-shrink around the center wire inside the plug. This prevents short circuits that can damage expensive equipment.

[@leepierce1329]

I have been using the twist technique for years one thing I do is use a vise for one end so I can make the cables as long as I need.

[@audunjemtland8287]

Any idea where to get pure silver wire, and silver rca plugs? You're website is amazing! And this video is absolutely through and well explained. I'm so going to use this.

[@noreaction1]

I might be confused now, but I am speaking of speaker cables that are going from line out of a d/a converter into speakers that have their own power supply (Yamaha hs-50m's). I think you are referring to speaker cables as cables that go from a separate power supply to the speaker (like ns-10's or something).

[@noreaction1]

thanks for clearing that up. I thought that was the case. I bought 16 gauge 4 conductor wire bulk and make all my cables from it (line, microphone, etc.) and figured getting one thick gauge wire instead of different wires for different applications would be less confusing/dangerous than confusing my mic cable for my speaker cable for example.

[@richwahneEXPERTSmadeEasy]

What size of Techflex did you use?

[@PatricioContrerasCea]

Very professional method. The only thing lasting is proof test for impedance.

[@Edycabas]

Sir can you give the information about the cables an accessories I need to build a cable like the one you made in this video, what kind of cable is it n names of parts. Thank you I really appreciated

[@RBBlackstone]

Nice idea. I liked to use shrink where the strain relief clamps to the wire. though. Shielded cable is not a good idea for speakers, even if you could get the right gauge. Four feet is no big deal for almost any cable, but get some length happening and many amplifiers don't like the extra capacitance that you add to the load.

[@ZvoolabAcoustics]

Very Useful, Thanks!

[@50sJetMan]

People need to realize that the 'speaker' is the amplifier's 'load' and is therefore an integral part of the amplifiers final circuit. This includes the wire! The cable must be appropriate in amp handling and impedance so as not to damage the output transformer of a tube or the output stage of solid state amps. The cable build here is great in amp handling and the twists cancel out any 'hum' or extraneous noise which may be induced. I have always liked and used the 'drill trick' in my builds.

[@cowboyup-wrangler-3108]

Could you do a video on making a better AUX cable i want to use a bit heavier gauge wire than regularly used. i want to make one heavy duty. What type of wire do you use. where can i buy them? thankyou video was very good

[@JRJ1979]

For wires as thin as these, a robust version of a 1/4" TS jack will do even as a speaker wire. BTW, the jack can be made more robust, for instance by having several springs contacting the tip... But if either of the contacts is going to have problems, it'll usually be the shield, not the tip. There's in most jacks the same sort of spring, only it's contacting cylindrical surface, whereas with the tip it's a curved spring contacting a curved connector, and actually a much bigger contact area.

[@JaEuerMeister]

Twisting wires will add flexibility, but it will also raise inductance, which is not a good thing for a speaker cable. Better choose good-quality, pure copper speaker cable zip cord. No drilling necessary. Also, I would advise to use heat-shrink on the solder joints to avoid shortening of the contacts under certain circumstances, which could blow up the output transfomer of a tube amp. And, while You're at it, put some heat-shrink over the finished plugs, as some sort of bend-protection.

[@roshawnsims5395]

Mind you I'm doing runs of more than 8 ft plus I'm also going to be making xlr cables for a pre amp to amp set up. So I would say its better to make them because I don't want clear speaker cables to look at for my stuff that's not in wall.

[@GuiltyOfBeingMinor]

Rob, youre my hero and I wish you were my neighbor. Question: is it ok that I use PVC hookup wire? In the video you just say "white wire" and "black wire". What wires are ok and not ok? Is THHN/THWN ok or not ok?

[@tomanderson798]

Great vid. Thank you!

[@THORDOX]

Is there a reason to why you are not tinning the wires or using flux before soldering them to the jack, as like you did with the instrument cable? or does it really matter if you tin either one? great video BTW

[@MaxmadmaxRockatansky]

Hi. Very good video. Also work with RCA composite video or component video? Thank you.

[@kc0dxf]

Good video. Will this work for home audio with different connectors?

[@roshawnsims5395]

Thanks for all the help your site is great and your help has been wonderful. I'll be ording soon.

[@igehring]

please, what s the idea behind twisting the wires ? Only flexibility and appearance ? Thanks

[@thehandseesall]

@TubeDepotTV Good instructional video, just one question though...why did you use two separate wires (4 in total) for the lead, does this make it better, if so why?

[@yakingcat]

Awesome video!

[@cschwab]

LOVE these videos, You saved me from making a mess of things. Thanks for making them! "It's goggle time"