DIY Cat5 Speaker Cable

Why spend $1000+ on speaker cables and interconnects!! I've read about this article on diy speaker cable construction years ago and finally made one last yr. So what is Cat5 wires?. Category 5 cable is a twisted pair high signal integrity cable type or to put it simply, its a lan wire that we use for our computer connection (Ethernet). Cat5 wires are made up of 4 twisted pairs of solid core copper wires in a single cable jacket, twisting helps reduce crosstalk between the individual pairs of wire and that is the main reason for using this wire.The construction- Cut 14 pieces of the Cat 5 to a length of 6 ft. (I needed about 5- 5 1/2 feet, and allowed for some "shrinkage" of length, due to braiding). Remove the blue PVC jacket (you may have to do it a foot at a time), and remove the twisted pairs. A good trick to remove the jacket is to use the fiber "rip-cord", which you will find within the PVC jacket along with the wires. Simply secure the cable at one end and pull the rip-cord through the PVC, and you should be in business. LEAVE THE PAIRS TWISTED. You should now have 56 pairs (112 wires) of wire. You will NOT need 2 of the 56 twisted pairs (this project only needs 54 pairs). Next comes the fun, and time consuming part.Take three twisted pairs and secure with a bench vise or any other method to provide tension on one end of the cable. Next, braid the 3 twisted pairs starting with the left pair placed between the center and right pair, and then the right pair placed between the left and center pair, Continue back and forth until you have completed the entire length. Try to braid them as tight as reasonably possible in order to yield the lowest possible inductance. A good idea would be to practice on a short length first to get your technique "down". Be CONSISTENT with your braids, and DON'T braid too TIGHTLY!Start the next batch of three twisted pairs and continue until all the wire has been braided. You should now have 18 braids containing 3 twisted pairs each (6 wires). Now take three lengths of your braided wires, braid THEM together reasonably tightly . Now you should have 6 braided lengths containing 9 twisted pairs (18 wires). You now should be an expert at braiding, and will welcome the fact that you have only 2 more braids to do. Next, (you guessed it) take 3 of the 6 lengths and braid those together. Now braid the last three together. You should now have 2 lengths of 27 twisted pairs of wire (54 wires). One length is for your right speaker channel, and the other it for your left speaker channel.Your next step will also be time consuming, but trust me, it will be well worth it:Each twisted pair within each braid will have one solid color-coded wire, and one "striped" or clear color-coded wire. Separate and group together all of the solid wires and then do the same for the striped wires. With the data-twist cable that has bonded pairs, a utility knife or razor blade will be needed to start the separation of the pairs. You may have differences in the lengths of these wires- just go ahead and cut them so their are all about the same length (the ends of the wires all match up). Now strip about 1" of insulation from the ends of all the solid wires and then twist them all together tightly. Do the same for the striped wires, and then continue with the other ends of your cables.At this point all you need to do is check to make sure you REALLY have all the solids with solids and striped with striped by checking with a multi-meter or continuity tester. This is mandatory! If you don't check it with a multi-meter you may ruin your equipment if one of your pairs is mixed up, causing a short. BE CAREFUL!Lastly, you can terminate them with a spade or banana connectors..

Unearth-The March

The Band

Trevor Phipps- Vocals
Buz McGrath- Guitar
Ken Susi- Guitar
John Maggard- BassDerek
Kerswill- Drums

The Track Listing

1. My Will Be Done-3:37
2. Hail The Shrine-3:57
3. Crow Killer-3:17
4. Grave Of Opportunity-3:53
5. We Are Not Anonymous-3:03
6. The March-3:29
7. Cutman-3:13
8. The Chosen-3:54
9. Letting Go-4:44
10. Truth Or Consequence-11:12

The March is one of the band’s aggressive albums, the guitar work of Susi and McGrath has a more technical and solo-friendly direction for the band.
“My Will Be Done” opens the album with a prime example of the slight evolution in the sound of Unearth. Trevor Phipps’ vocals are the same as before, so if you liked them before, you won’t mind them on The March. If you couldn’t stand them before, this album won’t change your mind in the slightest. The trade-off solo halfway through “My Will Be Done” is an instant highlight that shows the tight chemistry the guitarists have seemingly formed.
The rest of the album follows suit, crafting a slab of metal that pushes the band closer and closer away from the dreaded “metalcore” shadow. There are elements of thrash metal present, as there was in the previous album. “Hail The Shrine” has a fast melody in the verse, but slows down in the chorus and leads to a head-banging breakdown that closes the track on a high note. “Cutman” earns bonus points for the extended finger-tapping solo that would even impress Eddie Van Halen. The bonus track, which follows after the disappointingly bland closer “Truth Or Consequence,” starts off with an epic drum intro before the band builds to a breakdown that is Slayer-worship at its finest, complete with solos that abuse the whammy bar.
There are lighter moments sprinkled on The March, including brief acoustic guitars in the bridge of “Grave Of Opportunity” and the lumbering “Letting Go,” which is one of the slowest songs in melody the band has ever performed. The majority of the album is a freight train of metal, but it shows maturity for the band to take a step back from time to time to show the listener their songwriting capabilities.

Vinyl/Record Grading

How to grade records,

Look at everything about a record. It's playing surface, it's label, it's edges...under a strong light. Then based on your overall impression give it a grade based on the following criteria:

Mint (M) Absolutely perfect in every way. Certainly never been played, possibly even still sealed.(More on still sealed under "Other Considerations"). Should be used sparingly as a grade, If at all.

Near Mint (NM or M-) A nearly perfect record. Many dealers won't give a grade higher than this implying (perhaps correctly)that no record is ever truly perfect. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling. An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits or other noticeable similar defects. No cut-out holes, either. And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves and the like. Basically, an LP in near mint condition looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink wrap. Near Mint is the highest price listed in all Goldmine price guides. Anything that exceeds this grade, in the opinion of both buyer and seller, is worth significantly more than the highest Goldmine book value.

Very Good Plus (VG+) Generally worth 50 percent of the Near Mint value. A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount. In general, if not for a couple things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. All but the most mint-crazy collectors will find a Very Good Plus record highly acceptable.

Very Good (VG) Generally worth 25 percent of Near Mint value. Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, only two or three of them. Goldmine price guides with more than one price will list Very Good as the lowest price. This, not the Near Mint price, should be your guide when determining how much a record is worth, as that is the price a dealer will normally pay you for a Near Mint record.
Good (G), Good Plus (G+) Generally worth 10-15 percent of the Near Mint value. Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear (on a styrene record, the groove will be starting to turn white). A cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the object. It is a common item, you'll probably find another copy in better shape eventually. Pass it up. But, if it's something you have been seeking for years, and the price is right, get it...but keep looking to upgrade.

Poor (P), Fair (F) Generally worth 0-5 percent of the Near Mint price. The record is cracked, badly warped, and won't play through without skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve is water damaged, split on all three seams and heavily marred by wear and writing. The LP cover barely keeps the LP inside it. Inner sleeves are fully seam split, crinkled, and written upon. Except for impossibly rare records otherwise unattainable, records in this condition should be bought or sold for no more than a few cents each.

Evile - Infected Nations

Produced by Russ RussellArtwork by Michael Whelan

Evile's second album marks a genuine milestone in thrash as the band effortlessly ups the ante, propelling the UK thrash outfit into the big leagues.On 'Infected Nations', Evile take thrash metal's '80s blueprints - ripping riffs and shredding solos - but refines them into a wholly more ferocious and modern beast. Having undertaken touring stints with MEGADETH, EXODUS and big shows with MACHINE HEAD, the band emerged from the studio with a new-found sense of dynamics, maturity and bag-fulls of catchy-but-pounding songs. Still proud to call themselves thrash metal, Evile just raised the bar for their fellow new-schoolers to strive for.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Infected Nation

02. Now Demolition

03. Nosophoros

04. Genocide

05. Plague To End All Plagues

06. Devoid Of Thought

07. Time No More

08. Metamorphosis

09. Hundred Wrathful Deities

**** RELEASE DATE: September 21st, 2009 ****