Bottlehead Forum
Bottlehead Kits => Legacy Kit Products => Bottlenect RCA Interconnect Kit => Topic started by: Doc B. on September 18, 2012, 02:25:22 PM
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Here's our new interconnect kit, developed after a lot of building and listening, building and listening, building and listening...eureka!
http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php?crn=221&rn=459&action=show_detail (http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php?crn=221&rn=459&action=show_detail)
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fsc_images%2Fproducts%2F459_image.jpg&hash=badc1b5f25a74b6f5f084985bcfea09c61118a8e)
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Ok, tiime to start saving. I will have several pairs of those.
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Nice. I'll save for some pairs too!
How many outputs will the 300B amp have? Relevant to this thread since that would dictate how many pairs of these I should get (eventually).
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Very nice, are those Switchcraft right angle plugs? They are great plugs and easy to solder, with good strain relief. Is the coax cable flexible? I really like the full bi-color design vs. a small amount of red or black on the plugs or shrinktube.
Cheers,
Shawn
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Definitely count me in for a pair to start, and probably more to come.
I'd also like to know if the rcas are the switchcrafts -- I have a piece of gear (squeezebox Touch) that may not take too well to right angle plugs, and I have plenty of switchcraft straight RCAs, so I could substitute without changing the design.
Only problem with these that I foresee is that I may need a 5 meter pair to go from the preamp to the SR-45s.
Hey, if you're rewiring your big system with these, they must be quite good.
-- Jim
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Yes, the RCA plugs are by Switchcraft. They are fairly slim, quite rugged and I think they look very nice.
The cable itself is something that is pretty expensive. We also tried some other cable that was very similar and less money, thinking I might be able to sell a really cheap cable. But after 50 hours of break in it wasn't even close. So we decided to offer this kit with what we felt gave the best sound we could get. I will share one spec that won't give away too much as any coax cable of this type has about the same capacitance, that being about 17-18 pF/ft. Thus it and any coax in general should work pretty well in critical places like phono cables and tape head cables as long as the impedance of the cartridge or head is not unreasonably high. That is not likely unless you are using something obscure like early high impedance Ampex playback heads
Also, I want to remind everyone that this is a DIY kit. The very nature of kits implies a reasonable volume of sales to make any money. To do that kind of volume kits must be consistent in their componentry. If every kit order is for a custom length we get bogged down calculating pricing, managing inventory and triple checking each custom packed box. I made the decision to offer three lengths. If someone needs something in between those lengths, hey it's DIY man, buy the next longer kit and cut it to the length you want. As for your situation Jim, I might be inclined to try shielded twisted pair cables on a run that long. Not saying that these cables wouldn't work at 5 meters, just that I have not tried it and can't say if they would be as quiet as STP in a run that long.
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Dan,
Thanks, and I understand completely.
-- Jim
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Quick query: are the length measurements the cable only, with the connects themselves making it a bit longer, or is it from tip of opne connect to the other?
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Since you build them, you determine that yourself. The cable supplied will be cut to the length advertised.
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Is there a straight RCA equivilate that I could purchase from one of the many parts suppliers? I would only need ight angle RCA at one end.
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Parts Express is good for that kind of stuff. I wouldnt go crazy on ultra expensive bling. Parts Express even has their own branding that is a good value.
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Hey Dan, I was just thinking, you or someone at Bottlehead should contact TNT-Audio and ship them a pair of interconnects for review. Its a new product, and it could generate some buzz. TNT, as you probably know, is non-advertised and is known for fair reviewing. I also feel that Bottlehead should be listed as a 'Real Stereo' website. Just my opinion. While your at it, I'm sure they would shit themselves to get their hands on one of the first 300B preamps. Not sure what your take is on outsider reviews. I'm a review JUNKIE myself. I probably read on average 4-5 new reviews a day. EVERYDAY.
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Brad,
You can get the switchcraft straight rca plugs at markertek.com -- they're about $3 each or something like that.
How's the dac working out?
-- Jim
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Brad,
I was thinking the same thing (need straight for my PC sound card) so I visited the Switchcraft website. I believe I found the matching straight RCA. It is Switchcraft P/N 3502ABAU. Digikey has them for $4.32 ea with price breaks for higher quantities. Not cheap but not boutique expensive either. I'm sure the other large distributors would also stock them. RA version appears to be 3502RABAU.
Dave
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I'm going to have to sell something to make this purchase. And I ought to.
The straight RCA is good for other equipment that isn't Bottlehead. So in my system that is into and out of my Creek remote volume control. Everything else is Bottlehead. I'm using a 1/2M pair of Natural Reference Cardas cables from Eros to FP 2. The arc up and into the FP 2 works well with straight RCA plugs. So there are a lot of guys who will want that option.
My search at markertek.com came up with 5 RCA plug options. Thanks to Dave, above, I got this link:
Switchcraft Straight RCA Plugs #3502ABAU (http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/RCA-Connectors/Switchcraft-Corporation/3502.xhtml?SW3502ABAU)
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Grainger,
Markertek appears to have great prices. Too bad they don't use correct product pics. Here's a link to the Switchcraft site for full data:
http://www.switchcraft.com/Category.aspx?Parent=20 (http://www.switchcraft.com/Category.aspx?Parent=20)
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Here's a link to markertek's switchcraft 3502 page:
http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/RCA-Connectors/Switchcraft-Corporation/3502.xhtml
You'll see that there are cheaper options other than the black/gold (I don't know if these are what BH is using or not), but the short barrel, plain nickel finish, straight plug is only $1.49 each.
HTH,
Jim