# Headphone Cables/Builds w/ Pictures - DIY **URL:** \ **Category:** DIY Audio & Modifications\ **Tags:** diy, mods, cables\ **Created:** [May 28, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586 "2018-05-28T20:51:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Audio\_Prom](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/audio_prom/32/9819_2.png) [@Audio\_Prom](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Audio_Prom)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/122 "2020-05-01T23:29:22Z")
šŸ˜µ What am I looking at here? Is this for real?! šŸ¤£ ---
**Author:** ![BuffaloWing](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/buffalowing/32/34683_2.png) [@BuffaloWing](https://forum.headphones.com/u/BuffaloWing)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/123 "2020-05-01T23:39:55Z")
$100,000.USD power cable haha. Looks like they injected plaster into a furutech end. ---
**Author:** ![ValentineLuke](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/valentineluke/32/9729_2.png) [@ValentineLuke](https://forum.headphones.com/u/ValentineLuke)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/124 "2020-05-01T23:40:21Z")
Sadly, I think it is. ---
**Author:** ![frkasper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/frkasper/32/9408_2.png) [@frkasper](https://forum.headphones.com/u/frkasper)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/125 "2020-05-01T23:44:38Z")
Too many _ā€œclichĆ©sā€_ in the same page. Canā€™t be real. šŸ˜‚ Similar to this item, currently in sale: > **[Mediocre Headphones on Wall](https://www.headphones.com/collections/headphones/products/mediocre-headphones-on-wall)** > > Exclusive to Headphones.com Note: These are final sale and the wall is not included ---
**Author:** ![ProfFalkin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/proffalkin/32/1399_2.png) [@ProfFalkin](https://forum.headphones.com/u/ProfFalkin)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/126 "2020-05-02T03:09:28Z")
Okay, that one is real. I am most definitely certain that they would have sold that headphone and the wall that it was on for $110,000. I know I would have. ---
**Author:** ![pennstac](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/pennstac/32/381_2.png) [@pennstac](https://forum.headphones.com/u/pennstac)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/127 "2020-05-02T18:32:37Z")
Itā€™s a shame, but they donā€™t have anything for a plain old Feldspar guy like me. That is a very funny website, VL. Not perhaps quite as funny as the Acme Klein Bottle website. [https://www.kleinbottle.com](https://www.kleinbottle.com) I need to get a sent of Tantalus coffee mugs. ---
**Author:** ![ValentineLuke](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/valentineluke/32/9729_2.png) [@ValentineLuke](https://forum.headphones.com/u/ValentineLuke)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/128 "2020-05-02T18:45:41Z")
Haha! Thatā€™s ridiculous. šŸ˜† ---
**Author:** ![newernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@newernow](https://forum.headphones.com/u/newernow)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 10:24am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/129 "2020-05-03T10:24:17Z")
@Torq can I ask you something else? What about that cryo treatment of some cables? Is it esoteric, too or does it have any purpose? Is there an audible (or measurable) difference when cryo treated? As always: thanks šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![pennstac](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/pennstac/32/381_2.png) [@pennstac](https://forum.headphones.com/u/pennstac)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/130 "2020-05-03T15:10:51Z")
I was sure that there was a discussion of this before; I know itā€™s been touched on. I looked hereā€¦ > [@Whar Whars or why change headphone wires?](https://forum.headphones.com/t/whar-whars-or-why-change-headphone-wires/1690): > > Robert Hartley, in [The Complete Guide to High End Audio](https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-High-End-Audio-ebook/dp/B00U58R0Q4?tag=headphoneforum-20) talks about Specialty Headphone Cables. He goes over the usual discussion of conductors, dialectric, terminations, and geometry. He asserts that you canā€™t get the best sound from good headphones with stock (or at least cheap stock) cables. I have some different criteria than the esteemed Mr. Hartley. I want cables that donā€™t break I prefer cables that donā€™t transmit physical noise, like rubbing when I move to the headphone Iā€™m not fond ā€¦ and I looked hereā€¦ > [@Is it a GIMMICK?](https://forum.headphones.com/t/is-it-a-gimmick/1399): > > [GIMMICK](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/gimmick) The history of mankind has also been a history of gimmickry. Thanks to the Internet, we have access to the incredible spectrum of gimmicks from [Orgone Box Therapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgone) through [Halogenated Coffee](http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Halogenated_20coffee#1526321098). Audiophilia (that sounds dirty) is hardly exempt. Coming from a generation that thinks of ā€œcables and interconnectsā€ as ā€œwiresā€ or ā€œpatch cordsā€, I can get the materials science aspect, but my hard-boiled egghead brain balks at cryogenic treatments and bias currents supplied by batteries connected ā€¦ And HEREā€¦ > [@Headphone Cables/Builds w/ Pictures - DIY](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586): > > I thought it might be interesting to share a few headphone cable builds Iā€™ve done, and see what other people have come up with - both in terms of components/wire used as well as the aesthetics. Descriptions and pictures of the end-result very much of interest! Iā€™ll start with a couple of very basic ones, and one more interesting build, and then add a few here and there if/when the thread gets going. This first two are simple builds for the various HD6XX variations (I liked the purple/titaniumā€¦ Found this @Torq quote > These cables still feature: > > - Proprietary dual-interleaved, quad-helix, geometry. > - Ultra-low resistance\*\* and capacitance. > - High purity, oxygen-free, pure-copper wiring. > - High-density, plated copper-matrix shielding. > - Electron-beam irradiation (EBI) - for improved flexibility and reduced microphonics. > - Cryogenic treatment - because ā€¦ ā€œWhy not?ā€ > - Reflective and Glow-in-the-Dark cable sheathing. > > And, of course, theyā€™re _reassuringly expensive_ . But no direct answer. Letā€™s see what everyone thinks. Hereā€™s a MULTIPLE RESPONSE Poll. _Poll ([view on site](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/130))_ And I should note that Iā€™ve heard responsible materials scientists say that there is no directionality in piece of wire. But I donā€™t think Iā€™ve heard a clear discussion of cryogenic treatment. Anyone who can reply with serious pointers please do. Iā€™m personally of the Iā€™ll believe it if itā€™s superconductive school. ---
**Author:** ![Torq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/torq/32/16384_2.png) [@Torq](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Torq)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/131 "2020-05-03T17:23:14Z")
> [@newernow](#): > > @Torq can I ask you something else? What about that cryo treatment of some cables? Is it esoteric, too or does it have any purpose? Is there an audible (or measurable) difference when cryo treated? As always: thanks šŸ™‚ There are **visible** changes before/after cryogenically treating some materials when viewing the grain/boundary structures under an electron microscope. Proper cryogenic processing can, as with annealing processes, ā€œrelaxā€ the structure and reduce the number/size of such boundaries (see prior discussion about these as related to OFC/OCC conductors), resulting in improved thermal and electrical conductivity and reducing internal reflection. And certainly there are reasons for annealing or cryo-treating materials in engineering ā€¦ usually to do with improved strength/resilience/consistency in extreme applications. In terms of measurable _electrical_ changes? Not really at audio frequencies, lengths and applications. Audible changes? I would say not. Most people cannot **reliably** hear distortion in musical material even as high as -60 dB. Thatā€™s about 0.1% distortion (and Iā€™ve seen supposedly ā€œtrainedā€ listeners blow that same test at -33 dB, which is 2.2% distortion). Put that in perspective, the changes resulting in cryo-treating are going to be down around the same levels as Johnson noise, which for a human voice centered frequency, in a typical room temperature commercial conductor, is somewhere around -140 dB (or 0.00001% distortion ā€¦). When we care about such things, we actually OPERATE the conductor in cryogenic state rather than just treat it and then use it at room temperature. And ALL of that assumes proper cryogenic processing ā€¦ not the quick, relatively high-temperature, processes that bulk-processing of non-critical materials often entails. As to why I did it on my own cables ā€¦ itā€™s relatively inexpensive (smaller commercial processors charge by size/weight), people ask for it and it doesnā€™t do any harm. But then I also didnā€™t sell such cables with any claims of audible benefits. ---
**Author:** ![MazeFrame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@MazeFrame](https://forum.headphones.com/u/MazeFrame)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/132 "2020-05-03T18:19:11Z")
With most materials, resistance goes up with temperature. For copper, the temperature coefficent looks like this (nano Ohm per meter): **Note** This is in **Kelvin** , room temperature is at 290 to 300 K ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/headphones/original/2X/2/29c116f43868650559fb4f666433098aa46fa327.png) What makes a difference to resistance of metals is if it is in a hardened state or in an [annealed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annealing_(metallurgy)) state. The later not only makes it less brittle, but allowes better currentt flow (in the order of nano Ohms per meter, in case of copper). **TL;DR** Unless you submerge your cables in liquid nitrogen (gets you down to 120-ish Kelvin), anything cryo related does not matter. For more info on cryogenic treatments: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hAxi5YXTjEk/hqdefault.jpg "Cryogenic treatment of drill bits: tested 2X lifetime and microstructure...") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAxi5YXTjEk) ---
**Author:** ![newernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@newernow](https://forum.headphones.com/u/newernow)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/133 "2020-05-04T17:40:20Z")
@Torq I have got one more newbie question, I am SORRY šŸ˜‰ What braid (letā€™s say for an 8 braid cable) is the ā€œbestā€? square, round, flat, etc.? What braid do you make? Are the differences just cosmetic nature and I choose this or that because of the looks? ---
**Author:** ![TylersEclectic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/tylerseclectic/32/8751_2.png) [@TylersEclectic](https://forum.headphones.com/u/TylersEclectic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/134 "2020-05-04T17:53:59Z")
Not @Torq but here is a post of his where he discusses his cable buildsā€¦ [Headphone Cables/Builds w/ Pictures - DIY](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/47) ---
**Author:** ![Torq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/torq/32/16384_2.png) [@Torq](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Torq)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/135 "2020-05-04T17:58:56Z")
Thereā€™s no simple answer, as what geometry is best depends on what electrical properties/effects youā€™re **specifically** trying to achieve. Most of the 4/8 flat/round/square braids I see donā€™t use the necessary spacers and binders to fully maintain their geometry as the cable bends to offer any significant EM/RF rejection, for example. In general, itā€™s very hard to beat the rejection of a simple star-quad configuration for each driver (thatā€™s four wires per side, in a very specific winding, and using specific legs of each side as pairs for the + and - signals). Many of the fancy, exotic-wire, 8-way braids you see donā€™t even approach the consistency or rejection of something as simple as one run of $0.50/foot Canare L-4E6S per channel. So, for the most part, unless the characteristics of the ā€œbraidā€ are actually published (both electrical and physical ā€¦ twist ratio, how spacing is maintained, and so on) I would personally regard it as a primarily cosmetic concern. ---
**Author:** ![newernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@newernow](https://forum.headphones.com/u/newernow)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 9:02am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/136 "2020-05-06T09:02:41Z")
Does anyone know: Is a 16 braid cable (if possible to solder onto the needed plug and financially within reach and when portability is not needed) always better then an 8 braid cable? Or in other words: What is to be expected when going from a 4-braid cable, to an 8-braid and 16-braid? ---
**Author:** ![Torq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/torq/32/16384_2.png) [@Torq](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Torq)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/137 "2020-05-06T16:10:50Z")
You can read [this](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/85) post, which addresses the same issues (just in the context of 4 to 8, rather than 8 to 16, conductors). But in short: > [@newernow](#): > > Is a 16 braid cable (if possible to solder onto the needed plug and financially within reach and when portability is not needed) always better then an 8 braid cable? No. > [@newernow](#): > > What is to be expected when going from a 4-braid cable, to an 8-braid and 16-braid? The number of ā€œbraidsā€ isnā€™t really the issue, unless the conductor properties and count is invariant per braided element. But assuming they are ā€¦ each doubling would halve the resistance of the cable and double the capacitance. EM/RF rejection may get **worse** or better, depending on how the braid consistency is, how spacing and twist changes with cable flexure, and on what respective braiding patterns are used for each configuration. And, of course, there may be no meaningful rejection at all. ---
**Author:** ![newernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@newernow](https://forum.headphones.com/u/newernow)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/138 "2020-05-06T17:17:06Z")
Thanks @Torq, and halving the resistance and doubling the capacitance is a good thing I guess? šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Torq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/torq/32/16384_2.png) [@Torq](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Torq)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/139 "2020-05-06T17:21:41Z")
It depends on the application and components, as well as the actual values involved. Ideally BOTH values want to be as **low as possible**. At a practical level, the capacitance of a cable (from the conductor/geometry) for a conventional dynamic or planar headphone is largely immaterial. For but an electrostatic headphone it is a critical factor and cables are often linear/ribbon style (rather than braided), non-litz, in order to keep the capacitance absolutely as low as possible. And for normal headphones, outside doing something ridiculous, the cable impedance is going to be tiny anyway, though it can become a factor when dealing with very low impedance, high-sensitivity IEMs. ---
**Author:** ![newernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@newernow](https://forum.headphones.com/u/newernow)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/140 "2020-05-06T17:34:10Z")
Ah, I see. So if Iā€˜d need a short cable for my Stellia, it wonā€™t matter if I have a 4 or 8 braid? ---
**Author:** ![Torq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/torq/32/16384_2.png) [@Torq](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Torq)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586/141 "2020-05-06T21:36:58Z")
Nope, since the braiding is either only interesting cosmetically, or if done suitable would add EM/RF rejection characteristics that donā€™t really matter unless youā€™re using a long cable in an interference prone environment. [Previous page](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586.md?page=6) [Next page](https://forum.headphones.com/t/headphone-cables-builds-w-pictures-diy/1586.md?page=8)