Soldering 101 for Audiophiles


I am replacing the tweeters in my Tympanis with new ribbons which I have just received from Magnepan.

Unscrewing all of the screws, it seems they are connected at the top and the bottom with a soldered connection?

I have a cheapo pencil shaped soldering iron from Radio Shack around the garage but otherwise havent soldered anything since I tried to put together a Hafler amplifier in 1979 and ended up paying someone else to do it.

Can anyone please explain:

* basic soldering technique
* what materials do I need for the best audiophile connnecton? Silver?

Thank you,
cwlondon

Showing 2 responses by eldartford

In general one should not rely on solder for mechanical strength. Crimp the wire to the terminal, and then add solder.

Plumbing soldering is a bit different, and probably as much a skill as electronic soldering. Of course you don't heat the solder, but you don't heat the pipe either. Only apply heat to the fitting, and the solder will be drawn into the connection when the pipe gets hot enough for solder applied at the joint to melt.