Paratrooper,

Thanks for the info. I'm just putting the finishing touches on a cherry cabinet I built for my HT equipment and I want the cables organized and commercial cables all seem the wrong length. I'll end up with a mess if I don't look out. I'm intrigued with DIY cables so I can make my install neat and clean.

Besides analog audio are you using PermaSeal RCA connectors and RG59 for digital audio, composite video, and component video?

After looking at some cable sites it looks like it is a big deal to have the connector and the cable at the same impedance (e.g 75 ohms). Is that correct?

That is correct - insuring 75 ohm is important for coaxial digital audio, composite video, and component video.

Thanks, Gonk. It looks like RG59 is 75 ohm and I'll have to check with each manufacturer to see if their connector is at 75 ohms as well. PermaSeal and Impact Acoustics (available from Cables To Go) don't list the impedance of their connectors. Canare's connectors are 75 ohm but I'm not sure I'll make enough custom length cable to save an initial investment in Canare tools.

Bestbang: Thanks for the thoughts. I'm pretty handy so I don't think it would be a long learning curve on how to make the cables. It is partly about aesthetics too. I spent too many hours on the new cabinet to have a bunch of sloppy cables between components detract from the overall look.

I'll post my results when I've finished my research. Thanks to all for your input and help.

AvFan, Cablesforless.com has PermaSeal connectors and specs them as "True 75ohm impedance matching". They also have the Steren compression tool for as low a price as I have seen. Not the best selection of cable though. I'm still curious if anyone has used PermaSeal connectors.

If you're looking for a compression connector solution, I've used Digicon's permaseal connectors and they work well. Avoid Monster Cable's Quicklock connectors; You have to shell out $75 for a compression tool big enough to accept the connector, and the barrels are wider than the ring, making installation a pain.

Brad225.

I use PermaSeal connectors on all of my interconnects,analog and digital,never had a problem. The Steren tool works great. A good stripper is also needed.

When I ran wire for new subs I used RG-6 I had form running satellite cables. This is standard solid copper center with aluminum braid purchased in a spool from Home Depot. Should I have used a cable with copper braid? I have seen conflicting information on this subject. Is standard coax for higher frequency signal than audio?

Brad225,

Thanks for the info on CablesForLess. So far they are the least expensive I have found for the PermaSeal connectors and Steren tool. They also have the connectors in six different colors. I can't answer your question above directly, however as I have researched DIY cables the higher end cables (e.g. Canare) use RG59 with a bare copper center conductor and bare copper braid. I'm curious too if the aluminum braid coax makes a difference for analog audio, digital audio, and both component and composite video.

Try www.totalsignal.com

They have HDMI DVI HDMI-DVI cables or adapters, coax , RCAs. Good prices. Good products.

Yup, there's also monoprice.com. Audio/video cabling is an industry rife with astronomical markups with little scientific data (if any) but lots of marketing speak to back up claims of "better audio" or "better video".

Having been to and having helped build a number of recording studios, I find it laughable that people on the last leg of the journey to the ear are spending 10-1000 TIMES the cost of the patch cabling in even the best recording studios.

This isn't a judgement for or against Outlaw cabling. You can see from my .sig that I'm using some of their cabling. It's of good quality.

Best regards,