The best DIY interconnect

Want to build a great sounding interconnect for your high-performance audio system? Paul shows us how and why. Have a question you want to ask Paul? www.psaudio.com/ask-paul/
I am getting close to publishing my memoir! It's called 99% True and it is chock full of adventures, debauchery, struggles, heartwarming stories, triumphs and failures, great belly laughs, and a peek inside the high-end audio industry you've never known before.
I plan a few surprises for early adopters, so go to www.paulmcgowan.com and add your name to the list of interested readers. There's an entire gallery of never before seen photos too.

[@mariocassar3117]

After all these years I’m enjoying exceptional dynamic range, expansive soundstage and am listening to my system more than ever, after making my own speaker and interconnect cables. Waisted a lot of money on Audience, Audioquest, and Red Dawn cables, without any enjoyment. I thought that because These expensive cables guaranteed good sound. On the contrary , the sound was flat and unexciting. But I was impressed by the able reviews of the magazine reviewers. What a waiste of time!

[@thomshere]

Paul, you are absolutely one of the good guys of audio! You have taken years of debate and easily cleared it up (at least) for me so thank you, thank you, thank you! Not only that, you have just saved a ton of money for people willing, wanting to build their own cable. I really do appreciate all you great videos and advice!

[@ChicagoRob2]

I’ve been making my own ICs for 35 years. I’ve finally settled on what I feel is the best sounding solution. I start with Mogami 2549 microphone cable, which is very high quality. One conductor goes to hot, one conductor goes to return. The shield is tied to ground at the source end and “floated” at the other end. Numerous listening sessions determined that connecting the shield at both ends reduced transparency and dulled the sound. I have found this interconnect to be extremely neutral and true to the source. A typical 3’ set can be constructed for less than $15.

[@Justas-M]

Made a 70cm length silver wire pair on masking tape, that is the best cable I have ever heard in my system. Thanks!

[@peacetrain3320]

Try watching Paul at 2x speed. It’s great! You get all the best advice in half the time! Love your work, Paul!

[@jesuscostantino2925]

Had never seen nor thought of that easy “ribbon” method. Super handy!

[@nicholascremato]

Great question. All of my cables are DIY. I have a few engineering books on cables and it's lots of fun to make that journey.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

I have used DIY ribbon cables for years. I like solid silver the best, but even 24 gauge copper magnet wire is very good. I use packing tape, but I can imagine masking tape might sound better because paper has a very low dielectric value. Then also use very low mass RCA plugs like the Eichmann and you will have an amazing sounding cable. Keep em as short as required.

[@tnarch]

Most of your videos have useful simplified scientific knowledge, necessary for understanding the basics, and not only. Thanks for sharing!

[@Zoomerland]

Paul, I love your enthusiasm

[@philipw7058]

kimber select is all I ever use absolutely some of the best cable I have used in my 40 + years in this hobby

[@upsty6499]

Excellent presentation 4 certain, thank you for explaining so well.

[@ericm.6837]

Wow, don't think I've ever seen so many responses to one of Paul's videos. No wonder you're always cautious of talking interconnects!

[@audioupgrades]

I agree that shielding compresses the sound. However, for phono interconnects, you usually need shielding to avoid hum and noise. In those cases, it turns out that coax is a pretty good option. Although RG59 isn't the greatest, you can find other coax cables with low capacitance and inductance. The cables made for HDTV are usually more than enough, for analogue audio too. You can diy a phono rca cable with shielding but it's a lot of work and you won't have the precision to keep a constant space between the conductor and shield, which is necessary for low capacitance and inductance. So, buying coax is a viable option.

[@steveaustin7306]

I use magnet wire(22 gauge) on two inch packing tape. Terminated with Eichmann bullets. Sound better than any premium ic I've used.

[@MrMarantzman]

Another outstanding video Paul well done... BTW I have been using Kimber Kable for my Thiel Audio CS.5s for over 15 yrs now... And the Cables still are sounding awesome....

[@TheEchelon]

Why would they stop sounding awesome..

[@Ricky-cl5bu]

Great question brilliant answer Paul

[@azzinny]

According to a Belden technician's book, the best method to shield against noise above 10 MHz is foil shield. If one is on the camp believing that RF interference is the main cause that makes audio gear sound different, she/he should by a cable with foil shield: for example an Audioquest is better for her/him than an unshielded Kimber. I tested a Canare coaxial with both foil shield and braid shield. I bended the cable just a couple of times to simulate normal usage and opened the outer PVC. I could see cracking on the foil.

[@reidtallmadge6228]

Thanks for vindicating me Professor Paul. I braided my by-wire cables a couple years ago. 6' Martin Logans on 400 watt Emotiva mono blocks. Sounds pretty good (hi-rez from a Note9 into a dbx go>Rack or my BBE rack mount eq). 3 pairs braided and a set of 4 individuals braided into bananas.Braided jumpers at first. Not my $10,000 dream system. Working on it.Tekton, Kinki,Schiit and maybe your GainCell DAC. I'm XLR and PANAMAX conditionar. Maybe a couple of your PowerPort Classics. Braid me some power cord! Braided XLRs? Why not.? Toss in 99% True and some Ocatav Records and we got a deal. Love what your doing!

[@juliaset751]

I agree with your assessment about Kimber cables. I was skeptical that unshielded cables would work, but the braiding seems to do the trick; no noise that I can hear. I still prefer balanced for the sound quality.

[@azzinny]

Paul. Could you double check with your engineers? If the pair of wires are closer, series inductance decreases (loop area decreases). You said the opposite in the video. Parallel capacitance rolls off high, too, when combined with the series resistance (or inductance) of the output stage of the source gear.

[@thomashoffmann9646]

By testing I made my ic same way you explain.. I did not use tape. I made some plastic spacers on my laser. Capacity is world record 9.2 pf/meter. :-)

[@andershammer9307]

I once sold Kimber Kable and while it is good there are others I prefer. The cable I use is shielded litz wire. It is overall a great cable but compared to some super pricey cable it smears the highs a little but I can live with that. I use to recommend Cardas 300B as it sounded good and wasn't so expensive and I still have a pair I use on my tuner.

[@duroxkilo]

I just finished a little experiment involving a 10mH inductor. The only way I was able to alter the inductance readings was by introducing a strong magnetic field in the close proximity of the inductor (the more neodymium magnets I used, the lower the inductance and resistance for that matter. I observed the inductance readings between 9.38mH and 0.75mH depending on the nr of magnets and their proximity to the inductor coil; the resistances read between 1.2ohm and 0.7ohm). I used 1in, 1ft and 2 ft leads and finally two 12ft 18awg speaker wires. I've tried all kinds of 'geometries' with the wires to no avail... Parallel lines, twisted lines, made 'coils' out of the speaker wires and put them in all kinds of positions in regard to eachother. Static or fluctuating magnetic fields in the proximity of the wires (any geometry) made no difference in the readings. I suspect that the shielding and the resistance of the wires are of greater importance when it comes to audio signals... We could try some little experiments involving capacitance too :} ====================== Self-inductance is a electro-magnetic phenomenon taking place in a circuit, conductor or coil. The current flow generating the magnetic field influences the voltage in that circuit as some electric energy is converted to magnetic energy and back each time the magnetic field is generated and then when it collapses. Mutual-inductance is an inductive effect where a change in current in one circuit causes a change in voltage across a second circuit. This is possible when a magnetic field links both circuits (as in a transformer). Concerning speaker wires, only self-inductance would apply since there is just one circuit, in essence a wire loop including the filter and motor coils. For interconnects, both types of inductance apply as we have separate circuits as in left and right channels. Fun question: why does a driver behave like a resistor when facing up and as a inductor in series with a resistor when facing down? :}

[@finscreenname]

I guess that's why you (Paul) use braided power cables. As for interconnects, why not use 2 shielded cables? Why would high end audio even use a RCA plug and not separate the 2 wires with their own connections in the equipment? Would it be better to use optical connections? What happens if the ribbon connections have other ribbon connectors on top, around, beside them? I wonder what they use for the lights on my offshore compasses? Any magnetic field could make them off even by a tiny bit and that could be a big deal and it's not like they can compensate being the lights are only on now and then and not constant.

[@TexasScout]

What about using the flat ribbon speaker cable designed to go under carpets?

[@oscarmarfori613]

Wow! Now I can make my own interconnects out of ordinary cables which will save me a lot of money

[@rezganger]

does it matter if the paralell one in the beginning has the wires come closer at any point? do they have to stay apart all the way to termination? thanks!

[@seanathair432]

Would the Ribbon trick make a big difference to my La Scalla iis. They are only about 6" runs and kept moderately spaced from power cords. The highs just seem very subdued compared to what people say about Klipsch Heritage speakers. Thx for all you do Paul❣

[@RobWhittlestone]

As a hobby audiophile having spent a lot of my professional life in engineering of various kinds (I'm a physicist), *I feel so at home with your workbench chats!* Delightful. And all good info. I'm also a fan of Ray Kimber's cables. All the best, Rob

[@maxheadrom3088]

Paul, a few questions: 1) Can I use ribbon cables like the ones in old IDE HDD connections and leave the wires in the middle disconnected? 2) I bought a KMP cable for power radio applications - it's a 4 wire (AWG 18) + shield - and intend to use it for the loudspeaker. Is it a good idea? Do you know how I should connect them? Is it worth connecting the shield of power connections to the ground? Could I use the Phono input ground for that and not damage the turntable audio? 3) What would be the effect of RF coax cables on the sound? I really like how the compression RCA connectors fit on those cables. Thanks!

[@Stew666able]

Paul love your videos, i am an Engineer Canadian, your insight into the industry and knowledge is fantastic

[@HareDeLune]

@LD Blake Why?

[@HareDeLune]

@LD Blake O.K., I thought you had something against the tape. : ) I have some old Audioquest interconnects that aren't shielded. Pretty much what's shown here: Two really skinny wires running through some fancy filler to separate 'em, surrounded by a thick plastic hose, and soldered to RCA connectors at both ends. I suspect if you don't live in the middle of a city; it's not as much of a problem.

[@sMASHsound]

does twisting the wires do any thing to the signal? i know in the networking feild they use twisted pairs of wires to help prevent cross talk

[@HareDeLune]

@LD Blake From what I've read, Monster Cable was the first audiophile cable on the market. They're the ones who started the whole cable thing. That's kind-of ironic since I would hope most audiophiles by now know that they make bad cables! XD I have also heard from another source I trust that Audioquest aren't very good, either. All I can say is that the Audioquest cables were a vast improvement over the cheap-o stock cables. I've been happy with them thus far, but maybe it's time for a change...

[@HareDeLune]

@LD Blake I do plan to watch that Null Tester video, just out of curiosity, but regards the rest of your comment; I realize you are trying to give helpful advice and I thank you for that, but I must respectfully disagree. I do not trust such devices as the "Null Tester", and the reason is that mathematics (which I'm sure is what it's all based upon) can be manipulated to produce any desirable outcome. If you strip away all the technical terms and fancy readouts, what it amounts to is a parlour trick designed to make you believe what he wants you to believe. I'm sure it is all scientifically sound and repeatably demonstrable, but that doesn't mean he isn't manipulating the result for you to see what he wants you to see. Now, since I haven't seen it yet, maybe I'm way off in left field. Fair enough. He stated that it's a test to prove that all wires are identical, correct? Well, we already know that all wires are NOT necessarily identical. They can be made of different materials, or have coatings, or different metallurgy. Even the crystalline structure of the metal can be manipulated. Don't take my word for it, though, try asking a metalsmith. Then, you have to take into account the effects of the insulator on the cable, and the effects of the different dielectrics on the electron propagation. Then there's the effects of the electromagnetic fields produced by the cable. Does his Null Test even mention that? I doubt it, but we'll see. However, after all that's said and done, you can measure and measure to your heart's content, but at the end of the day you haven't heard a single damn thing. Listening to well reproduced musical performances is the name of the game here, not impressing someone with your collection of yardsticks and slide rules. If I don't hear an obvious improvement in the sound of my system at home, then what good are all the measurements, meters, and tests in the World all put together? Squat, that's what. I do my testing with my own ears; same as my listening. If I like what I hear, then I'm satisfied. Does that mean I'm going to go out and drop 50K on some cables that you don't like and haven't heard? Hardly, as I'll never have that kind of money to begin with. But if I spend sixty bucks for some cables, hook 'em up, and it sounds like I just bought a new amp and new speakers, and I can feel bass through the floor that I previously could not, and I can hear details that I previously could not; then I am most certainly not going to think, Oh! It's all in my imagination because some guy measured it and it didn't measure up! XD

[@Thode-R]

Old 300 ohm tv ribbon cable is super for this...

[@flashhog01]

Interesting to see those two sets of speakers on the shelf placed upside down. I assume to make the tweeter closer to ear-level. I'm happy to see the technician chose Audioengine for his workstation, I love mine.

[@tn9274]

what will be the best shielding, tin foil, braided wire or other material?

[@friedmule5403]

Paul, I know that you talk about to use tape, but would schrink tubing also work? I think that it would make a stronger cable while keeping the distance.

[@BWWGL9]

Yes, it'll work...... the Tape, etc., material is only there to keep the "Wires Spaced Apart & Separated". been using that concept for years... on 4' runs and shorter! Works great.

[@Roosville1]

Just for context. I’ll run the numbers, worst case delta low Z load of 10K, 1.5cm spaced vs twisted pair, 1M length, in phase terms (magnitude gets meaningless here) you can consider the difference between the two solutions as moving your tweeter 1/3 of 1 thousandth of an inch relative to where it sits on the baffle. Other info is that the resonant frequency is ~22MHz using this arrangement, (pure resistive load, no parasitic)with a 10’s dB passive gain (it’s resonant), so ensure that you have adequate RF filtering in place. I’ll leave that to your imagination as to what that cold be. Not disagreeing, just adding context. Best DIY interconnect, it’s the shortest one between where your source is, and where the signal needs to go. Keeep capacitance low. Inductance comes with the wire. Good Luck.

[@elishaeisen4321]

Why do you only tie one end of the shielding to ground?

[@motorradmike]

Excellent, Paul. I’ve been using homebrew interconnects made from shielded two conductor microphone cable for many years with wonderful results. The shield is only connected on one end like you described. Belden makes a thin version that is pretty inexpensive. Years ago I’ve also made braided interconnects using three 22ga. Solid core wires. The third wire was connected to ground on only one end. Zero RF noise and decent sound but not as good as the Belden shielded two conductor cable.

[@juliaset751]

I am a big fan of Belden, Coax to HDMI to Ethernet, you can't go wrong.

[@motorradmike]

LD Blake, I’ve been using this method for my DIY cables for about 15 years without any hum or grounding issues. Lucky I guess 🤗. Thanks for your interest.

[@mat.b.]

7:32 not both? only one end of the shielding goes to ground?

[@djd8058]

So would using 1", 450 ohm, ladder line, like what the Ham guys used for feed line, be simpler and give the same result as making the "Masking Tape" version? It's solid wire, probably 12 or 14 ga., not exactly sure.

[@scorpven]

To discount RG59 the way Paul did is very unprofessional for a man of his caliber. It is not a big piece of plastic, it is called air injected dielectric foam designed to reduce capacitance, a solid core copper RG59 cable makes an excellent audio interconnect. There are millions of miles of RG59 used around the world in the communication industry and it exceeds the specifications of an unbalanced audio interconnect. I watch a lot of Paul's videos and I happen to think he appears to be a very gracious and humble man but he is not always right.

[@rianredfield5252]

Not only is he not often correct, he loves to hear himself talk and in that, actually starts to believe himself which can happen if done frequently enough. Nice guy, but loosing faith in the content of his videos lately. In his defense, he's getting elderly and in this state the brain doesn't always work as it used to. God bless you Paul, you believe what you wanna believe.

[@ChasingTone666]

@@rianredfield5252he always goes off topic about people and situations we don’t know or care about. I find myself skipping ahead until he gets to the point or at least his version of the point.

[@musicstevecom]

I think Paul found his way of during it. I Like how he explained the spacing of the wires. But I make my own DIY and Use Belden 1505A *All Copper* 75 Ohm SDI Coax, RG-59, 20 AWG Solid BC, Foil + 95% TC Braid. This cable has a smaller diameter and more flexible than RG6 but still stuff and way better than Normal, Good RCA cables And Ii make a Huge improvent.

[@musicstevecom]

Why not to use Coaxial Cables. kzbin.info/www/bejne/moenhaqweLB8eZY

[@rammisframmis8588]

One extremely important thing you didn't mention is that of the source and termination impedance of the associated equipment and how profoundly that effects how much any interconnect will influence things like frequency response etc. The vast majority of solid state gear made today (and you obviously know this) has a low source impedance. The bottom line of this means that any capacitance and/or inductance in an interconnect will have very little influence with gear with a low source impedance. You could get away with using a couple of coat hangers for interconnects in this instance. With vacuum tube gear, things are quite different. Depending on the configuration of the output stages, the source impedance could be quite high, and in this case inductance and capacitance can and will have profound effects on frequency response.

[@jjohns288]

Paul why do you say that one end but not both ends of the shielding is connected to ground?

[@xedasxedas]

Connecting to both would make it a 3 wire cable. You get your home oulet ground from the earth near you...a copper coated stick burried on the ground....literally. You dont get from the grid. Also....more related to the high frequencies ....look up Faraday's Cage on google.

[@DavidslvPT]

9:15 That's what Van Den Hul does with their Clearwater speaker cable (both cables are separated)

[@sjowners]

I tried this parallel pair interconnect and it induced the mother of all hums into my system. Grabbing the interconnect changed the tone of the hum significantly. Switched back to my shielded ic's.

[@editorjuno]

This is technically inaccurate codswallop to the point of ignorance. The frequency-dependent attenuation phenomenon involved in audio "interconnects" -- if there is any at all, which I doubt -- is almost entirely shunt capacitance, not "inductance," which is insignificant considering the distances, impedances, and frequencies involved. Moreover, unbalanced-line, relatively low-level signals require shielding in all but the most stringently controlled EMI-RFI environments, as LD Blake's recommended "walkie-talkie" test demonstrates.

[@mat.b.]

I'm confused, at first you say that short cables like this have virtually no inductance and it doesnt matter, and IMMEDIATELY after say ribbon cables on short runs sound much better because they have lower inductance. WHICH IS IT?

[@pblnlpalu]

Hi Paul, thanks for this great story. Am I correct that companys like NordOst keep the run of the cables wide apart, their cables ard like foil!

[@dell177]

300 ohm twinlead antenna wire might work, it will have a heavier dialectric but for moderate lengths it might work.

[@bradleybunk6463]

It does work and wonderfully. Open airy top end and smooth frequency response. Only problem is the pe dielectric is tough and stiff and hard to terminate into rca plugs.

[@Larstig81]

I have a braided powercord made by someone from my country, every other cables I use are twisted.

[@flamencoprof]

How about 2 single core solid dielectric coaxes in a twisted pair config? I have no idea. Most of my life I have used braided shield twisted multi-strand pairs with no probs, some headphones and earplugs with two braided shield multi-strand conductors. What I hate soldering is the tiny braided copper around multi-strand plastic. Burnt plastic & flux competition!

[@shaun9107]

7 videos in one day ,

[@williamevans9426]

You're the first American I've heard referring to 'tinfoil' - a common term here in the UK (at least among my generation [aged 50])!!

[@cooperberrysmith7701]

HUUUH!? What do you normally hear people call it?

[@williamevans9426]

@@cooperberrysmith7701 Usually aluminum foil!

[@FerventDissent]

@@williamevans9426 tinfoil is the common name where I lived in America

[@porkchopspapi5757]

Tin foil is the old wording for it.

[@christianvolker5694]

#askpaul 4 string braiding or seperating them, link you suggrsted? I got plenty of ofc wire here, with a big questionmark in my eyes....

[@avsystem3142]

Line level analog audio connections should always be shielded. RCA phono connections/cables are commercially made with the signal wire connected to the pin and the ground shell connected to a braided shield in the cable. Making DIY RCA interconnects typically requires soldering. There is normally no good reason to make your own.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

The best cable differs from each HI-Fi setup ! Dont let them tell you all different .! I use audioquest golden gates theor cheap and durable and they go on very tightly to your in/out- puts. They hold on so tight you have to twist them while you pull off to remove them

[@djzx]

Nordost?

[@imranahmad2733]

Isn't that the same as 300ohm ladder line feeder cable?

[@editorjuno]

@LD Blake -- Right, and the reason for both ladder line and the cheaper, more common 300 ohm "twin lead" for antennas up in the 50 mHz+ range was to limit shunt capacitance, which is a major issue at those frequencies. In the audio range at the typically low impedance encountered in a typical modern hi-fi "interconnect?" Not so much. Shunt capacitance can be an issue for electric guitar, where both the pickup(s) and the amp input have considerably higher impedance -- that why Jimi Hendrix preferred Radio Shack "coily cords": the shunt capacitance introduced by those cheap cables bled some of the high-frequency "edginess" of his Stratocaster's pickups to ground before the signal reached his amp and he preferred that tone because it sounded better when he "dimed" his Marshall stack, something neither Leo Fender nor Jim Marshall anticipated when they designed their products.

[@editorjuno]

@LD Blake -- Fair enough, thanks for the knowledge. So, why is "ladder line" considered superior to twinlead?

[@RennieAsh]

Sooo, braid 4 wires, stick it inside electrical conduit tube, and cover the tube with foil ;p

[@vikassm]

And place our speaker setup in a Faraday cage and wear a tinfoil hat while we're at it.😎

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

Interesting chat I might give your ribbons a go as it's very cheap and easy.

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

@LD Blake hahahaha yeah I may make the ribbon then wrap it in aluminium foil it will be a fun thing to play with on a rainy day

[@dublininnis9695]

Yep, and if you can figure out how to do it well..... Paul has all ready mentioned in the past that the set of ribbons he uses is like 50k per side ..... I'm thinking its a little more than copper and tape. You never know it might just be the next big thing. I do think that if I set up runners and guides; with amazon cables down the hallway, my room mate will have me committed.

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

@@dublininnis9695 yeah he's probably using single crystal pure silver cables or some similar witchcraft

[@HareDeLune]

@chris vinicombe I think I might do the same, and I'll judge how they sound in my own system. If I don't like 'em, it's easy enough to switch back. The best part will be that NONE OF THE AGONIZING ANNIE THOUGHT POLICE ON HERE CAN STOP ME!!! BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!!! XD

[@HareDeLune]

@LD Blake Well, that's the very last thing I expected you to say. The entire attitude here has been the polar opposite of that, which is what aroused my ire. You have my apologies, and I thank you very much for being quite civil. Edit: However, I haven't forgotten your other comments that quickly. Why the sudden change of heart?

[@TorgeirFredriksen]

Pls explain how you make the 4-wire version

[@lumntoob999]

If your referring to a 4 wire rca interconnect, they just braid it all together and then use two wires tied together for each of the two contacts. You can use 8 or 16 wires if you wanted to, you just use half of all the wires for each of the two contacts.

[@bfhammer]

So if I follow how you constructed your "ribbon" cables, the easy way to build one is just to use 300-ohm twinlead antenna cable. Forget applying the masking tape.

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

Yes, we actually started out with twin lead antenna cabling but found the tiny wiring inside didn't sound as good as the masking tape wonders.

[@Joshualbm]

With respect to interconnects, Isn't it important to understand whether your input terminations are single ended or differential? Both handle grounding and noise differently and are not interchangeable even though they will technically work. Balanced connections aren't always simple to create with certain components.

[@lahattec]

Ribbon cable..... Olde timey antenna wire?

[@mohammadwasilliterate8037]

03:40 "Current passing down the wire" Wait we are talking about high input impedance in/outputs here so the current flow is negligible.

[@yyzz9135]

there are still current, and it matters.

[@davidtomsett]

Braiding can be done with a normal diy drill but on a low speed; just place and clamp both cables in the drill bit end, tie the wires and then run the drill. Plenty of videos available to show you how.

[@annreid1965]

That’s not braided, it’s only twisted😳

[@hafizullahsufi]

There's a notion floating-about the Internet that speaker cables can be made from braiding three strands of Ethernet cable... What do you think?

[@getahanddown]

Just use the twisted pairs in there. Less work, sound good.

[@kirjuschaks]

"trust me, (I am engineer)" hahaha paul every engineer wants to say that

[@adamericsson6903]

Rg74 coaxial cable and bnc connectors should be the audiophile standard if you want perfection. Standard rca cables are probably fine, but small coaxial cable and bnc is good for up to 100s of MHz.

[@djdacdb]

Just send the different cables to Ethan then I can do a null-test, then you know the difference!

[@poserwanabe]

"a significant difference in sound quality" WOW, I'm really struggling with this type of stuff....I'm subbed, I'm staying with you because I like it here....but I never do anything without shielding..... I hear snakes hissing in the background, they're getting close..."the braiding puts the conductors close to 90deg acting as a shield" I'm going to go waaaay out on a limb here and in the voice of the late great Sam Kinison (RIP) say WHY NOT JUST USE SHIELDED CABLE !!!!!

[@Turboy65]

Twisted pairs for audio and data signal transmission are an industry standard method and have been since the invention of the telephone. Even today, what's inside your cat 6a unshielded cable is four pairs of tightly twisted conductors which are good for a data transmission rate of 1 gigabit per second. The usage of twisted pairs reduces the need for shielding since any interference that is picked up by the cable is common mode interference and automatically rejected by the receiving circuit if it's properly designed.

[@poserwanabe]

I'm totally aware of cat cable and it's intended uses, I use it all the time. However, after over 40yrs in the audio industry, I've NEVER seen twisted pairs used for line level analog audio signals, never. And that includes private homes, studios, clubs, theaters and stadium systems.....and churches :-) Regarding cat6, most manufacturers of 4k HDMI baluns will NOT guarantee performance without using SHIELDED cat6.

[@MarkasTZM]

custom poured silver

[@BC-fy1wn]

vERY INFORMATIVE,AS ALWAYS.hOW CLOSE ARE YOU IN REPLACING THE oPPO DRIVES WITH ANOTHER AS GOOD OR BETTER OPTION? bRET

[@topkho]

Klotz MC5000. Simple.

[@dublininnis9695]

I stopped at 1:09.... wow is right Paul......... I think the best question is; How much do like working on Your own gear. I have more money in gear than I do main amps; and speakers. according to Mr. Paul's logic I am set for about $10k in purchases.

[@BriansModelTrains]

Science is Science. If expensive cables really made a difference do you not think the industry would be throwing test results in your face if there really was a difference and they could prove it. With their logic they would state the Loch Ness monster is real because no one can prove it does not exist. I like Paul and you can learn a lot from him BUT he is a salesman; and salesmen sell; that is what they do.

[@jhcoverdrive9287]

the point of the first part of the video is: Here's an incredibly inexpensive (around $10 if you don't already have the stuff tucked away) DIY cable you can make at home that will show you how much cables can affect the sound of your system. He's not advocating that anyone buy expensive cables...he's advocating you build your own and see for yourself with an open mind like an actual skeptic (An open mind, not gullibility or naivete). And if you've seen any of his other videos you'd know that he's already said that just because 2 things measure the same (be it a cable or an amplifier) doesn't mean they sound the same. They can sound fairly different and whether that difference is good or bad is an individual thing. You're right about one thing, science is in fact science...that's why its called science

[@ThinkingBetter]

Such unshielded line level audio cables will capture too much hum and other noise.

[@bradleybunk6463]

Try it. My experience was otherwise.

[@getahanddown]

No one mentions that you mean capacitance not inductance.

[@MrsZambezi]

I have a question. Why bother when you can buy a perfectly good one for a couple of dollars?

[@fisherdole196]

Not true at all!

[@fisherdole196]

@@MrsZambezi theese are far from good and verry verry far from "perfectly". The good once start from few hundred $, and the really good once like Siltech solid core series will cost you from $1500 and up. 😁👍😁

[@MrsZambezi]

@@fisherdole196 What's wrong with them? If they don't work you can send them back at no cost. How about these? www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-2-Male-RCA-Audio-Cable/dp/B07QGG73WK/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=amazon+basics+rca+lead&qid=1606738803&sr=8-2

[@RennieAsh]

I prefer using aluminium foil rather than tin foil XD

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

TOSLINK optical all the way

[@JustinLoving]

Help me understand how only separating the ends helps when the rest of the cable is literally sealed together

[@JustinLoving]

@LD Blake Thanks...I wasn't clear as to exactly what was happening but it didn't seem to make sense. No disrespect to Paul, I just didn't understand.

[@poserwanabe]

"BREAKER ONE NINE BREAKER ONE NINE, CAN I GET A SMOKEY CHECK" wtf was that on my system ??

[@poserwanabe]

@LD Blake Oh I know it does, my brother is about 1/2 mile from a local TV station and his system picks it up !!! Faintly, but certain times of night you can hear it 🙉

[@HareDeLune]

@LD Blake Hmm, Wonder what effect all that RF has on the human nervous system?

[@HareDeLune]

@LD Blake Thanks!

[@UmVtCg]

UTP cables are braided, twisted and shielded.

[@porkchopspapi5757]

UTP means unshielded twisted pair.

[@TheRockerxx69]

Rg59 is very good and cheap

[@TheRockerxx69]

@J Fz l bought years ago an....audiophile (!) Rg59 lt had copper solid core, silver coated, double screening. A bit stiff but very good. Blue pvc...l think it was made by Audiosuest

[@SJMessinwithBoats]

Therockerxx69, I've heard about this for which you speak and considered it my self. Are you talking the quad shield that I've heard about by one of the regulars here? BTW Your...Too Hipp!

[@SJMessinwithBoats]

That's the Hot Shit the Rock Shit! Whooya The mighty KMET

[@TheRockerxx69]

@@SJMessinwithBoats Belden rg59. If you want a mind blowing, cheap, DIY, cable, solder yerself. Try Via blue quattro made in Germany. 10 bucks per meter. Absolutely mind blowing. You have another system!!!

[@SJMessinwithBoats]

Rockin Brother from the old country! Thanks! Remember those Crazy KMET contest's? My first wife had me enter one, how silly looking back.

[@Quetzalcoatl0]

Mhm then why even the most expensive cables, the plus and minus touching each other and capitulated ?

[@cbcdesign001]

No offence Paul but I would be amazed if you can hear top end roll off at your age. I am in my early 50;s and I top out at around 14kHz. In my 70's I expect that top end to be several Khz lower still. There comes a time when we really dont need to worry about what is happening to very high frequency audio, we just cannot hear it.

[@HareDeLune]

What?

[@eedesign878]

He has not hear for a long time, neither has anyone of the 70+ years old Stereophile guys, they are just playing along like it would not had happen a long time a go...

[@HareDeLune]

@cbcdesign001 After the other punter's comment, I became curious and brought up some test tones on my phone. Oddly enough, I had to turn up the volume a bit. I really wonder if some of those tones are recorded at low gain as some kind of joke? On the other hand, that high up can get kinda painful! Which brings me to the point. My results were similar, and I'm a few years older, but I have to question how much relevance the ability to hear pure test tones has to the ability to do critical listening to music on stereo systems. If there were a lot of that reproduced on them in the first place, we'd all have splitting headaches every time we put on some music for awhile. Secondly I'm guessing the only musical information that goes into areas we have trouble hearing at is spacial que information, or things like timbre that contribute to certain sound signatures. Once again, only guessing. However, if true, then we should still be able to do critical listening accurately even as octagenarians, as long as we don't have permanent hearing damage. We're talking about an organic process, here. Not machinery. It's different.

[@23x31]

Or you can just buy Amazon Basics cables. BOOM!

[@scottyo64]

Using them right now. Works just fine for my cheap system.

[@cp070476]

If it works then it's good enough.. You don't need 1 inch thick £10,000 cables utter waste of cash..

[@spacemissing]

Sounds like serpent grease. I'll stick to ordinary audio cables.

[@Geerladenlad]

Just do it yourself.

[@Frank55]

First of all: there is no "plus or minus". It is AC! The quality of the cable can be ignored; all audio devices are low impedance out, high impedance in (>10 K.ohm). Resistance nor capacity of the cable is playing any role! You can't _measure_ any difference, let alone that you can _hear_ any difference. And then inductance, hahaha! The inductance of a short cable should only be taken into account if you want to transfer Megaherz frequencies! The only difference you hear with an expensive cable, is the money that is no longer in your pocket... I think Paul could have been a good writer of fairy tales!

[@TexasScout]

Frank55 As a Ham radio operator since 2003 and a CB operator since 1978 before that. I totally agree!

[@SJMessinwithBoats]

There is no gods either, you missed that point, Spam mama's.

[@Blobonou]

You have to accept that cables make difference. BUT you must understand that a 20€ can sound better ten a 2000€ cable.

[@KeithSkronek]

Have you ever tried different cables? I'm willing to bet you have not because you are so convinced there is no difference. I once had non audiophile roommates studying in the room where I was trying different cables and without asking him for his opinion or even informing him what was going on, he volunteered that cable B was far superior to cable A. Cable B was actually hundreds of dollars cheaper but he didn't know that. It's really not difficult to hear differences between many cables. I don't spend a ton of money on cables, but they clearly make a difference. Maybe you should actually try it before you shoot it down so definitely.

[@mfr58]

@@KeithSkronek The nay sayers have such fixed ideas based on what they've been taught or measured under certain conditions using certain equipment. Fact is, no one knows exactly what the phenomenon of electricity actually is. We have various models and math that are useful for utilitarian purposes, but nothing definitive. So anyone with curiosity about life needs to remain open to the possibility that people can experience things that can't, or aren't, presently measured. There's nothing sadder than a dyed in the wool engineer who knows it all.

[@iVironment]

Sorry but most of what you said was complete and utter nonsense. If you use a twisted pair for anything other than a differential input, you introduce noise. For these really short runs, it might be negligible but still, no need to spread misinformation. For single ended, coaxial is THE cable to use period.

[@RennieAsh]

Sooo, braid 4 wires, stick it inside electrical conduit tube, and cover the tube with foil ;p

[@joshgross8741]

Yea, this is a garbage video where he dosent build anything or have any of the ingredients. then says just tape it and it sounds good? SO all the info comes in the last 10 seconds of the video. This is utter dog shit

[@RennieAsh]

I prefer using aluminium foil rather than tin foil XD

[@joshgross8741]

this dude dosent even have any foil in the video and dosent make anything. this is a garbage video!