UHPLC (Ultra-high purity, long crystal) copper voice coil wire

[aragorn723]

Hi,

What is Ultra-high purity, long crystal copper voice coil wire?  This wire is used in Grado headphones, would this be good for hookup wire?  It sounds really good to my ear, is there a solid-core version?  (assuming solid-core is the way to go for hookup wire??)  Thanks,

Dave

[Doc B.]

Look for Neotech wire. Take Five in Canada and VH Audio in the states both carry it.

[Jim R.]

Or you can also can get the OCC (or sometimes called UPOCC) wire with AirLok insulation from VH Audio. Not cheap, but really good, the insulation won't melt when soldering and you can strip it with your fingernails. Comes in 24, 21, and 18 gauge, pllus 18 gauge with solid teflon, and at least two color choices per gauge. This is the stuff you now find on the v-caps -- which Ijust installed in my sr45s and was a real pleasure towork with.

No affiliation except as a very satisfied customer. Plus VH audio offers discounts for quantity purchases.

-- Jim

[aragorn723]

The UniCrystal OCC Copper Hookup Wire isn't bad, would 21 gauge be the right one for a preamp?  Looks like its about $3 a foot.

Dave

[Jim R.]

21 is fine but some like me tend to go slightly thinner, and others go thicker. I've known guys to wire their amps with 40 gauge and others to use 16 gauge. And of course it depends on what you're wiring -- filaments and heaters  I'd use between 21 and 18, but signal wire I'd probably use 24. Some say the idea size for signal wiring is 23 gauge.

No real hard and fast rules I know of except that the size should handle the expected current with a good safety margin.

-- Jim

[aragorn723]

i'm running the Quickie (battery powered) so maybe 23 is ok?  It is wired with the stock wiring right now, but I want to squeeze a little more clarity out of it, and need some wire for russian capacitors (gonna use them for output caps-they don't come with leads).  Think the OCC wire will make a noticable difference?

Dave

[Grainger49]

Look at the wires coming from your power transformer. They are tiny!

The signal draws almost no current, the power supply feeds milli-amps.  So thin wire is electrically appropriate.  Then only warning is that too thin is delicate and hard to work with.

[Jim R.]

Sure, if you can find it -- the VH wire only comes in 24 and then 21 is the next larger size. I can hear a difference when the entire amp is wired with it, and it's somewhat subtle, but harmonic textures seem to be rendered somewhat more naturally and dynamics a bit better. Just overall cleaner sound.

I much prefer the AirLok insulation over PVC, which is what the neotec uses. I've used the neotec wire before and I can clearly hear a difference between it andd the VH wire.

Whether you or anybody else will hear what I do is not guranteed.

HTH,
Jim

[aragorn723]

of course, no guarantees..  I can definitely hear a difference with interconnects, for instance, between a target cheapo interconnect and cardas cable (enough to change the wire between the preamp and amp to cardas!).  Its not huge, but enough to improve the sound a bit and enjoy the music a little more.  I'm hoping that by replacing the wire, potentiometer, and output caps it will get the preamp to the next level of clarity.  These are all relatively inexpensive things, is there anything else that could be changed that will help?

Dave

[Jim R.]

Dave,
I can't say as I'm just getting ready to build mine this weekend. I have somegrunge buster gaskets for the tube sockets, and I may install a goldpoint selector switch, and because I'm using recharechargeable batteries I am planning on using independent B+ supplies -- the capacity of these batteries is half that of an alkaline, so to match the capacity of the D cells, I had to have two separate supplies -- one for each side.

Already have a nice red dyed and finished stock base that should look wonderful with the black top panel, which also matches my ACA amps. This gear and a pair of caramelized orcas will be the basis for our living room system.

-- Jim