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In Reply to: Mr Risch et al- What characterizes a pro interconnect termination? posted by Coffeecupman on May 18, 2007 at 03:33:29:
Sorry for the delay, I have been ill recently, and then catching up at work.
First, I am not familiar with the Nordost factory termination particulars, and would only be guessing as to what might justify a $500 termination fee, although the idea that it is such a stiff charge to discourage casual cable chopping is not at all far fetched.
I am also not aware of any particular aspect of the Nordost cables, Quattro Fil included, that would _require_ unusual tools, techniques or materials. On the other hand, some specialized tools would undoubtedly make it much easier to terminate the cables properly.
That is not to say that they do not exist, or that the factory does not have some special technique that assures that the performance of the cable is maintained to the utmost, etc., just that with a reasonable level of care and experience, someone should be able to properly terminate the cables.
Can some one competent terminate the cable adequately, without loosing any actual sonic performance? Probably, in my opinion, with the biggest difference probably being that the factory termination would likely have a lot less need for break-in or burn-in (the techniques used and/or a pre-burn-in), and that a cable that was not factory terminated might take some additonal time to settle in to it's full potential.
Would a crimp, set-screw or solder joint be best? For line level cables, my personal favorite is a good solder joint, using high grade solder and a good iron. Can a competent tech who really knows how to solder correctly terminate the Nordost QF's to full sonic performance?
They should be able to, but let me suggest something here, that would be entirely reasonable and helpful in a case like this.
Even the best tech who know's how to solder is limited by their personal experience with soldering a specific item, and any given person may not have ever teminated Nordost cables before, using high quality plugs, and a particular brand/grades of solder, etc.
If you want to get a general tech who is proficient at soldering to terminate the cables, allow them a practice run of at least two connectors, let them solder up two XLRs JUST for practice, and then, if they OR you feel the least bit like questioning the elegance of the solder joints, cut the XLR off, and re-terminate again with a new XLR, using the benefit of the 'practice' terminations done earlier. This might involve a little extra solder (Kester 63/37 w/44 rosin, Ersin 63/37, Wonder Solder, Cardas Quad Eutectic, etc.,) and an extra set of XLR plugs, but with cables this expensive, a couple of extra plugs and a little extra solder are peanuts compared to being sure you got it right.
My first concern, if I were the one terminating such a cable, would be to get the conductor free of the insulation without damage to the conductor, and based on what I have seen of the Nordost cables, this is not a trivial thing to do. The teflon insulation is very tough, and very hard to get off of the conductor, and the forces necesary to do so are easily in the realm of fracturing/damaging the conductor structure due to stress. The best way seems to be slicing the insulation off in layers, until the metal is just exposed, of course, the trick is to do this and not cut away a significant portion of the metal, unduly stress it, or otherwise compromise the conductor or insulation intergrity of what is left behind.
My biggest concern during soldering would be work hardening the conductor metal, and secondarily, damaging the dielectric due to excess heating, so I would apply the minimum amount of heat, rapidly, and if done properly, the soldering would be over very quickly, and leave a very shiny, even, yet small solder joint with a minimum of discoloration of the conductor and nearby insulation.
Finally, some attention would ned to be paid to the strain relief aspect, and here, it might be possible to "copy" the factory termination method, in terms of
Are there some super "cable terminators" out there? I am sure there are, but I can not direct you to anyone in particular, due to potential personal interest conflicts and the fact that I am not myself in the bussiness of selling my own cable making skills to anyone. Perhaps someone else will be able to recommend a seasoned solderer/cable terminator.
I did stumble across this URL and price sheet:
http://www.audiophilesystems.com/nordost/RetailRetermination2006.pdf
which seems to indicate that they do it for $100 a termination.
Perhaps this amount is not so outrageous that you will consider having it done, instead of agonizing over a non-factory termination.
I am sure that an "official" factory termination would provide for a greater re-sale value in the market.
Ultimately, it is your call. Good luck!
Jon Risch
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- Mr Risch replies - Jon Risch 21:04:12 05/24/07 (0)
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