Audio Cable, Wire, Solder – DIY
and Ready to Use Cable
The first time you hear music produced
from audio equipment you have built or modified yourself,
is a satisfying experience. At the beginning of home audio,
kits were very popular worldwide. There is a rebirth of
interest in kits.
The best way to get started in DIY construction is to buy
and build a kit. Kits usually include an instruction manual
and all the parts necessary to build the unit. Some kits
just provide the instructions, transformers and chassis.
You purchase the parts you feel "sound" the best
to use in kit construction.
Selecting parts that compliment each other is one of the
most fascinating and challenging aspects of audio construction
or modification. Audio enthusiasts usually experiment with
vintage or "audiophile grade" parts to find the
right combination that honors the music.
Top
Secret Ear Tool
It is so hard to listen to an
amplifier, or a different tube, or parts change and make
the right decision. Our ears are wonderful test devices,
but our brain seems to just latch on to the positive things
it hears. Live Music consists of a wide range of elements
that contribute to its “Sound”. I think, long term
listening enjoyment is achieved by products that reproduce
the sound of all the elements of Music, well. In fact, I
think an amplifier that provides good performance in all
the elements of Music reproduction, sounds better than an
amp that has great dynamics and presence but poor voicing
or resolution.
I have been building my own audio amps for years. I was always
frustrated by having to listen to a circuit or modification
for a really long time before I could decide whether it got
me closer to the Music. I chanced on an old audio evaluation
tool that was used by an English Hi Fi Magazine in the 1950s.
I experimented with it and developed a method that works
for me. I think it will work for you too.
When I am developing an amp, listening to a tube or a part.
I listen in Mono and compare the change against a baseline.
I use a mono test box that blends both channels of the music
source. That way I can switch from channel to the other to
quickly compare the change. If it sounds better in Mono it
will always sound better in Stereo. I use the “Top Secret
Ear Tool’ to make sure I evaluate all the elements of
Music.
How accurately or well this audio
product reproduces music in the following categories? Choose
a recording that will help you evaluate the following elements
of Live Music
DYNAMICS -- The dynamic range, impact and weight of the musical
event
DYNAMIC RANGE -- the required range of audible frequencies
with the same loudness or output: Perhaps a symphonic selection
with wide dynamic and frequency range
WEIGHT -- The authority and feel of a solid and correct bass
foundation to the music:
Perhaps an Upright Bass, Kettle Drums, or Organ selection
IMPACT -- The strong concussive forces of live music, mainly
in the bass region:
Definitely a Percussion Selection, more drums the better
PRESENCE -- The quality of the realism and vitality of the
music
ATTACK -- The initiation and buildup of sound when an instrument
is bowed, struck or plucked: Violin, Piano, Plucked Guitar,
Xylophone, Solo Clarinet
PACE -- The apparent tempo of the music, tempo is the rate
of speed of a musical passage: Select “Tight” bands
and Music with varying Tempo, Jazz, Classic Rock
RHYTHM -- The synchronization of the ensemble playing the
music
Go Latin, Cuban or Brazilian, Demo Disc Time
COHERENCE -- The imaging, layering, height and ambiance of
the musical event
HEIGHT -- A stable and properly sized location of the instruments
up and down the sound stage: Classical or Choral, Don’t
forget Gospel
IMAGING -- A stable and properly sized location of instruments
across the width of the sound stage: Ideally a selection
that was recorded with a single microphone
LAYERING -- A stable and properly sized location of the instruments
through the sound stage's depth: A good recording with a
vocalist centered in front of a symphonic orchestra
AMBIANCE -- The spatial and reverberent cues of the “hall” where
the musical event was recorded: Symphonic, String Quartet,
Jazz “Live”
RESOLUTION -- The low level detail resolution of instrumental
sounds and reverberation decay.
AIR -- The treble sounds delicate, open and unrestricted
without any grain or edge
Strings, Triangle, Bells, Flute
FOCUS -- The musical instruments are clearly defined and
you can hear the silence between the musical impulses: Accappella,
Scat, String Quartets, Jazz
ARTICULATION -- How well an audio component resolves the
inner harmonic structure of an instrument:Solo Violin, Piano,
Female Voice, Eva Cassidy
VOICING -- The accuracy of the sound and range of the instruments
in your perception
TIMBRE -- The full complex harmonic structure of an instrument's
voice:
Violin, Woodwind, Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Brass
TONAL BALANCE -- proper loudness of the instruments upper
and lower frequencies:
Solo Piano, Organ
ACCURACY -- The reproduction of the music without adding
any coloration or distortion:
Acoustic Instruments
Methods – One of the most effective ways to evaluate
your audio system is to determine how well it reproduces
all aspects of music. This evaluation form was developed
to help you do that. In order for a product to be a “long
term” asset to your enjoyment of music, it needs to
reproduce all aspects of music well. It is more important
for the evaluation graph to show close to the same point
scores for all aspects then to score very high in some and
poorly in others. A “well rounded” product provides
much better long term enjoyment.
