Endeavour-Xi Interconnects
Suggested to me by Thorsten Loesch. Thanks Thorsten!
These interconnects are more transparent and have a clearer top end than the equivalent length of single-ended Mogami 2534. There are three disadvantages, however, which you should be aware of :
- The Endeavour-Xi is unshielded. Compared to the Mogami, it will not have anywhere near the same immunity to capacitively coupled (electrostatic) noise pickup.
- The Mogami cable is extremely flexible, which makes installation a joy. The Cat 5 cable, especially the Halar jacket variety, is stiff as hell.
- The design works only for single-ended construction.
When I switched from the Mogami to Endeavour-Xi interconnects they were not audibly noisier, and I managed to bend them into place without too much fuss.
| Cable: |
Catagory 5 data cable. Eight 24 AWG solid copper conductors arranged as four unshielded twisted pairs. Use the plenum version which is FEP insulated. |
| Connectors: |
Single Ended - Gold plated RCA. The connectors are branded 'Osonic', and are high quality screw type, 24k gold plated, non-magnetic, but not locking. Balanced - This design is inherantly single ended. See below. |
| Instructions: |
The cable has four twisted pairs. One side of each pair is connected positive, the other side of each pair connected negative. This produces a run of four parallel twisted pairs, loosely twisted around each other. |
Why these cables sound better is largely a matter of conjecture, but since I like to think about these things, here are some possibilities :
- Lower Capacitance. 1 m of Endeavour-Xi has a estimated capacitance of 180 pF/m. The Mogami is a still respectible 250 pF/m.
- Solid Core vs. Stranded : My guess is that this is where most of the improvement lies.
- FEP vs. Polyethylene : The dielectric constants are very similar, but FEP is slightly better.
- No Shield : A shield will change the position and density of the electric field, concentrating it within the insulation.
Plenum-rated cat 5 data cable is a DIY audio cable enthusiasts dream come true. Inside the jacket of this cheap cable are eight 24 AWG solid copper FEP insulated wires. That's impeccable insulation, an ideal gauge, and solid core! Most brands also have a ripcord, so stripping off the jacket is easy. Uses for the insulated wire include :
- Internal signal wiring in pre-amp stages.
- A single twisted pair can be used as a interconnenct. It looks dinky, but the capacitance is an ultra-low 46 pF/m! Watch for noise pickup...
- If you are good at braiding, then the sky's the limit. Try braiding three wires together, either to make a balanced interconnect or a clone of the well-regarded Kimber PJB.
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