Soldering Cables

[scottn5388]

After looking at the prices of some of these top brand audio cables, I decided I would solder my own. I bought 100' of Mogami audio cabling and a bunch of Switchcraft 1/4" TS cable ends.

I just wanna know how I should solder these cables correctly. I assume I should coat both the surface and the cable with solder, then let them cool. Then hold them together how i want them and reheat it to connect the two.

Is this the right approach? I havn't really done much soldering, and I have never soldered audio cables before. Also, what solder would you recommend I use to keep the maximum audio quality possible?

Thanks,
Scott

[Stealthtech]

A silver based solder would be best.
I've never done audio cables, but the method is to heat the metal that your going to solder to until its hot enough to melt the solder. You will get a better solder joint. Be careful not to allow the two joints to bridge.

[pratt]

Originally posted by scottn5388
After looking at the prices of some of these top brand audio cables, I decided I would solder my own. I bought 100' of Mogami audio cabling and a bunch of Switchcraft 1/4" TS cable ends.

I just wanna know how I should solder these cables correctly. I assume I should coat both the surface and the cable with solder, then let them cool. Then hold them together how i want them and reheat it to connect the two.

Is this the right approach? I havn't really done much soldering, and I have never soldered audio cables before. Also, what solder would you recommend I use to keep the maximum audio quality possible?

Thanks,
Scott

here's my soldering method (which has worked will for me...)= place the wire onto the cable end surface (where the wire connects), touch the solder iron tip to the surface to heat up both pieces, when it heats up slowly feed the solder until you have nice coverage between end of wire and connection - you don't want any joints (you want a nice 'ball' of solder covering the connection)..

[Michael Jones]

Yes. Coat both surfaces with solder, that IS the proper way to do it.
Let the metal melt the solder, not the soldering iron.
A nice, small, shiny ball on the joint is a good solder job.
Its difficult to do properly, but practice, as they say, makes perfect.

[mixsit]

Having some tools to support your work helps. Clamping pliers like Visegrips, or a small vise, and the small medical locking needle nose (Hemostats?) are good for keeping the wire in place while you work. Also, once up to tempreture, use a lightly damp sponge to wipe the soldering iron tip clean, then re-wet the tip with fresh solder. Both the tip and the finised joint should be bright and shiny.
Wayne

[mcmd]

When soldering stranded wire - you want to twist the strands in order to achieve a more rigid form and then 'thin' the wire. 'Thining' is the process of flowing solder over the twisted stranded wire prior to soldering to the connector or jack. As has been stated, try not to flow the solder by direct contact with the solder iron tip. Heat the wire (work piece) with the soldering iron, and apply the solder to the wire, - when the wire reaches the solder melt temperature, the solder flows and you are done.

If you flow the solder by direct contact with the iron, the wire may not have reached solder melt temp and you get a 'cold" joint. You don't want a blob of solder, -you should see each wire strand coated with solder, and it should be shiney.

Apply the same technique when soldering the thinned wire to the connector. Contact the wire to the connector, heat the connector until you can flow the solder.

Make sure to apply any cable clamp or strain relief mechanism, as the solder is not the primary mechanical support!

Don't over heat the work pieces, don't apply heat for too long (you will start to melt insulation) and practice.

Good luck,

Dara

[Supapowa22]

mcmd is perfectly right....just to add a little... if you want to get a good evenly distrubuted amount of solder while " thining " then use something called "FLUX" it helps distribute the solder better.

[eyeslikefire]

Guys,...

It's called tinning.

[scottn5388]

Thanks Everyone for all your help!

-Scott

[VesuviusJay]

Allways tin your cables past the stress point where you stripped it. If you don't you risk weak cable connection at the solder point, which will be more prone to breakage.

[mixsit]

Originally posted by VesuviusJay
Allways tin your cables past the stress point where you stripped it. If you don't you risk weak cable connection at the solder point, which will be more prone to breakage.

That's an interesting point. Does that mean trying to get the solder a bit up under the insulation upstream of the strip point?
Part of a careful stripping means trying not to knick the wire, but...
Wayne

[VesuviusJay]

Well even without nicking the wire the joint will still be weak. It is general practice in electronics to tin the cable melting the jacket back a mm or two to expose good strand.

[VesuviusJay]

Also keep your eye out for cold solder joints. If the solder connection"ball" that is connecting the wire to the terminal is cloudy the joint is bad or (cold). Believe it or not this will effect impedance. A good solder joint is nice and shiney you can see your reflection in it!

Instrument cable science is an extremely interesting study for those of you who have exceptional ears. It is very interesting to note the relationship of cable impedance as it relates to the authenticity of the signal at the amp side. Especially with passive pickups as the only preamp is created by string vibration. Again not such a problem with active pickups as the impedance is overpowered by active pickup preamp. I've conducted fun exeriments with making cables at x length by y bulk cable manufacturer and A B tested them with a monster cable as control(reference) cable. The results at same volume, etc. are astounding. I ran a wholesale cable manufacturing business for a short time so this was in my interest. One thing I can admit now, that I wouldnt admit then is... You can't fuck with monster. Plain and simple.

\m/metalheads\m/

[c7sus]

In your opinion is it the cable itself, or the way it is assembled and QC that makes Monster a better cable?

And after your research, do you think Monster is a value?

[VesuviusJay]

Well I believe its a combination of all of the above. In fact at one point we constructed a device that we could plug in one end of the cable and get a digital in readout in uF(Micro Farhads or whatever) of the capacitance(main impedance factor) of that length of cable. Monster studio cable was of course the least impeded so to speak. Followed by the performance monster series, followed way behind by all other brands. You could actualy hear the string nuance difference in the amplified signal from each sample, monster being by far the heavyweight champ.

Value is another thread all together but I'll touch on my oppinion. First and formost of importance for me is endurance. I hate replacing cable all the time because I beat the hell out of it. Monster is first extremely enduring. I have a set of instrument and speaker cable that has been through hell and still projects a beautiful, clean, strong, noise free signal. Second is of course lifetime warranty. Take your screwed up monster cable into guitar center and they will give you a new one. Lastly is cost. Sure they are 20 bucks a cable for the cheapest line, and sure they are one of only 2 manufacturers in guitar center that cant be dickered down in price. But in my oppinion, for good reason. Each and every monster cable is worth every penny of what you will pay for it, and will pay for itself many many many times over in sound quality and longevity!

\m/Jay\m/

[c7sus]

Thank you for responding. I feel that the Performer stuff seems priced reasonably. I haven't tried any of the Studio Reference line yet.

I've done well buying Monster used, as well.

[bubinski]

Yea....it's called tinning........twist up the wires and flow 60/40 rosin core solder.......then tin the plug contacts and then flow them both together till you have a shiney lump of solder....if it's dull and funky lookin, it's a cold solder joint.

[bubinski]

P.S.......don't try to use a wood burning tool like some morons I know.......get a soldering iron.

[Badger]

Another point, tin the tip of the soldering iron first. THe iron should have a good shinney coat of solder covering it. You can wipe it off with a wet sponge afterwards, but I get a big glob of molten solder on it and sling the solder off onto the table...dont try this at home.

[Badger]

Oh, and if you havent bought a iron yet, the butane ones are best

[Clive Hugh]

Get yourself some plumbers soldering flux. It looks like a dark grease. Use it even with rosin core. Dip the tip of your iron in it, it will clean it. Then use a matchstick to coat the joint, pick up a small blob of solder and touch the joint, it will flow and get a good take every time.

[roman]

If you can't solder, you're not supposed to!

Believe me, you won't get cheaper by making your own cables.. I mean, soldering a cable takes a bit of proffesion. Oh, forget about soldering SILVER. that's a whole different subject.

- Buying cable and connectors will not save that much money v.s. a pre-feb cable (a buck or 2, ofcourse depends on materials..duh)
- Making crappy cables (read: bad soldering and/or wire stripping) results in bad quality audio and will not stand the test of time.

So, unless you *really* know your stuff; I'd advise not to go through that trouble at all. Buy good cables, don't get cheap. you'll regret it!

But if you are persistand; Get good cable and good connectors. Fastline has excelent cables relative cheap. Good connectors are Neutrik.

What cables r u planning to make? I read you use TS jacks, that means unbalanced cabling? Are you aware of the term 'balanced' / 'symetrical' signals??
If you plan to make mic.cables, use TRS instead!!

ps. I make custom cables myself, have done this over 20 years orso. I also make them on demand for 3th parties. It takes more than an iron to do this job!