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Post by brucew268 on Sept 27, 2024 12:08:00 GMT
For ages I've been using the cheapie screw terminal plugs used for CCTV setup thinking I should wait until DC cable needs were set and stable... as if that ever really happens. So it seemed time to change over to high quality soldered plugs. The Viborg looked good for the application being soldered, gold plated, PTFE insulation, and having a larger body to accommodate star-quad wires (Canare 4S6).
Only, the CCTV screw terminal plugs sound better. I thought it was likely due to the PTFE insulation acting as a poor dielectric until it is burned in, but after 400 hours it still sounds like a step down in resolution (texture, detail, clarity). Since I have cables made up both ways for the file server-player it was fairly easy to switch between. So, I may just stick with the cheapies.
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Post by bencat on Sept 27, 2024 12:30:30 GMT
Everything points to the screw type plug being a poorer option but things are not always as we think they will be . Nice that you have two sets to switch .
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Post by firebottle on Sept 27, 2024 13:17:46 GMT
Have you soldered the negative wire in the Viborg plug? Can't see from the photo.
The notch in the first hoop on the body is to enable soldering so that all the heat isn't conducted away into the bulk of the body.
I think the base material of those plugs is brass, haven't a clue on the cheapie.
I would say PTFE isn't a poor dielectric btw.
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Post by misterc on Sept 27, 2024 13:32:05 GMT
Bruce,
I would also scrape aways the layers of plating as well and use a quality liquid flux, makes a big difference imho |
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Post by brucew268 on Sept 27, 2024 13:35:52 GMT
Have you soldered the negative wire in the Viborg plug? Can't see from the photo. The notch in the first hoop on the body is to enable soldering so that all the heat isn't conducted away into the bulk of the body. I think the base material of those plugs is brass, haven't a clue on the cheapie. I would say PTFE isn't a poor dielectric btw. I suppose soldering the negative into the notch would have been a good idea. Instead I soldered it onto the body/barrel below. Since I had a 5mm solder tip and both side pre-tinned and fluxed, that wasn't difficult. I don't imagine the electrical/SQ would be different, would they?
Yes, the Viborg base is brass. The cheapies say the contact material is copper, though I assume everything is brass except for the thin contact tab that the screw cage depresses.
I wasn't saying the PTFE is poor dielectric in general. I was referring to the reputation of excessive burn in time for PTFE to sound good.
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Post by brucew268 on Sept 29, 2024 14:31:32 GMT
Bruce,
I would also scrape aways the layers of plating as well and use a quality liquid flux, makes a big difference imho Nice trick, Tony... with the results one might have guessed. I resoldered to use the small notch for the negative lead and scraped off the gold plating at the solder points beforehand. The resolution and texture increased nicely as I was hoping. However, at times the sound now feels a bit cool without that gold, even with a touch of occasional hardness. The first day this was marked and difficult to listen to, but the second day it was more subtle. I may adjust to it over days but I may get a couple more Viborg plugs to experiment with, removing the plating on only the negative termination or removing the plating on the plug at only one end of cable. I may try a couple other things too where I won't have to wait 3 weeks for a parcel from China. |
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Post by misterc on Sept 29, 2024 14:40:43 GMT
Hi Bruce,
I would scrape the plating off both conductor areas that need soldering.
Also I would look at other DC plugs as well, I have maybe a dozen or so, of the 'audiophile' standard versions. I would suggest that a lot of the DC plugs which are barrel types both 2.1 & 2.5mm are the 'least' in the usual audiohile plug selections.
If you can change the barrel type for a better connection type. Especially the circuit board mounted sockets, nasty things!
This is one of the reasons we have own design manufcatured as we have total control of the whole process.
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Post by brucew268 on Sept 29, 2024 18:20:29 GMT
Also I would look at other DC plugs as well, I have maybe a dozen or so, of the 'audiophile' standard versions. I would suggest that a lot of the DC plugs which are barrel types both 2.1 & 2.5mm are the 'least' in the usual audiohile plug selections. If you can change the barrel type for a better connection type. Especially the circuit board mounted sockets, nasty things! This is one of the reasons we have own design manufcatured as we have total control of the whole process. I see from the datasheets that compared to a good 5.5mm barrel socket, industrial circular connectors have much better contact resistance (15x lower) and insulation resistance (10x-20x higher). Numerically, that's a big difference. Do you see the resulting performance/sound gap to be easily noticeable or only when most are changed (additive)?
I can change out the connectors on the power supplies for this sort, but it's not really a practical DIY on the DAC and server-player end of things. I note that threaded couplings are about half the price of the fancy push-pull couplings.
Thanks for the ideas. I think I need to listen to the music a bit longer before a decision.
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Post by brucew268 on Oct 4, 2024 14:06:07 GMT
Bruce,
I would also scrape aways the layers of plating as well and use a quality liquid flux, makes a big difference imho Nice trick, Tony... with the results one might have guessed. I resoldered to use the small notch for the negative lead and scraped off the gold plating at the solder points beforehand. The resolution and texture increased nicely as I was hoping. However, at times the sound now feels a bit cool without that gold, even with a touch of occasional hardness. The first day this was marked and difficult to listen to, but the second day it was more subtle. I may adjust to it over days but I may get a couple more Viborg plugs to experiment with, removing the plating on only the negative termination or removing the plating on the plug at only one end of cable. I may try a couple other things too where I won't have to wait 3 weeks for a parcel from China. After removing the gold plating at the solder point and resoldering, the resolution through the Viborgs improved and after a day or two, the hardness seemed to be tamed. Yet, when I switch back to the cheapy plugs with screw cage terminals and crimped ferrules, they sound just so much better. Better transparency, nuance, bass, etc. |
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