Help me build speaker cables please!

Todd - here's an 18 gauge Van den Hul speaker cable made specifically for speakers. High quality silver plated copper you could use for the signal - cheaper than solid silver and very effective

http://www.vandenhul.com/products/cables/speaker-cables/single-lead/scs-18-halogen-free

I used VDH cables for many years and they always provide excellent sound quality.

Another option would be a 16 gauge silver plated Mil Spec wire from Take Five Audio
https://www.takefiveaudio.com/products/334-mil-spec-16-awg-silver-plated-copper-wire-green-cryo-trea...

If you go with a helix design you can ease up on the number of "winds" per in inch.

I would start with one wind every inch and then try 3-4 winds per inch.

The problem will be keeping the neutral evenly wound. This might help
https://www.takefiveaudio.com/categories/118-convoluted-teflon-tubing-flexes-without-kinking

I've also found keeping the two conductors completely separate by an air gap wider than 1/2" worked very well - so give that a try as well

Keep me/us posted on your findings - Thanks :-)

I have previously stated my own speaker wire solution.  I take a one foot pair of the top of the line MG Audio Design speaker wires and attach them to my speakers.  Presently the are a pair of Martin/Logan SL-3's.  The MG Audio Design wires are the very same ones that Arnie Nudell and Paul McGowan personally in their own personal audio systems.  A one foot pair of their top of the line speaker wires go for $900.  OK, between the MG Audio Design speaker wires and my amplifier I am using 18 gage Jenna Lab's hook up wires.  They cost $6 a foot.  I am using 3 individual Jenna Lab's hook up wires to each of the individual MG Audio Design wires-that is 12 of them total.  As I have my audio equipment right next to my chair-to the right.  Thus I require long stretches of speaker wires in total.  Thus the lengths of the Jenna Lab's hook up wires are of unequal lengths.  I am using 6, 17 foot lengths of them to my left speaker, and 6, 10 foot lengths on the right speaker.  It averages out to a 14.5 length in total.  Total cost cmes to $1879, with $7 postage added for the Jenna Labs's wires.  OK< the result is a truly top end sound.  That is for sure.  I discovered such a combination of wires by mostly chanch. but generally got the idea well over 30. ears ago when I used to deal with Ken Mavrick, an audio dealer at the time in West Hollywood, California.  Ken used to be a dealer for Bud Fried and learned much about speaker construction from Bud himself.  Then Ken began experimenting with rewiring speakers with Randall Research hookup wires at the time.  Anyway, long ago Ken went thru Randall Research, next Cardas, then Kimber, and finally Purist Audio Design hook up wires.  About 10 years ago I got back in contact with Ken and learned about Jenna Lab's wires.  About 10 years ago I was able to get a one foot pair of Shunyata's own top of the line speaker wires for free.  I then began experimented using them and Jenna Lab hook up wires in different combinations and eventually came up with my present solution.  It really works.  If there is any loss by adding the Jenna Lab's 18 gage hook up wires it is very little.  For myself it is the choice between mediocre audio audio reproduction and audio to die for.  It is as simple as that.  Cost verses performance.  Arnie Nudell, Paul McGowan and many members of the Colorado Audio Society prefer MG Audio Design speaker wires to the latest Nordhost top of the line wires.  The top of the line MG Audio Design interconnects go for $1600 for a one meter pair.  Nordhost cost $16,999 for a .6 meter pair.  I am presently using half meter pairs of MG Audio Design wires-they go for $900.  By the way, Paul McGowan is planning to offer a version of the MG Audio Design interconnect wires himself.  He stated thus last month in his own daily internet post.  Check it out.  Living myself within walking distance of PS Audio in Denver I will have to visit them one of these days.  By the way, my speaker wire combination only took minutes to create.  It is so simple.  And it works.  Something like this can only be tried out to see if it works.  It either works, or it does not.  My wire combination works.  I am retired and home almost always.  If one is in Boulder Colorado, give me a call at (720) 550-6908 and check it out.

Wow, some great ideas in here! Willie, damn you! I was all set to buy some silver, make some cables and call it done for a few years. Now you've got me thinking and wondering about all kinds of possible ideas. Though, to be fair, in a cable discussion months ago we talked about helix speaker cables.. I just never got around to it.

Alan - I would love to hear that set up. I will call when I'm back in Boulder. Your wiring solution sounds very non typical and interesting, but is 6 times my budget, so that's not an option. Maybe one day, after I hear it, I'll sell my children for funds.

toddverrone                                                                                                         give me a call when you get back.  The prices that I quoted are for a long run, necessary as to my audio setup.  A regular speaker wire pair would most likely be between say 6 to a 8 foot pair in total.  Obviously the shoter length of speaker wires, the greater the cost.  When I eventually made my present wire system I had by chanch all the wires that I am presently using so there was no added cost at the time.  As this is a very simple process to actually put it all together, one can figure out beforehand what exactly to order.  The only actuall work is cutting and stripping the 12 Jenna Lab 18 gage hook up wires.  Is very simple and just takes minutes to do.By th way, if using the same mono Baskim King amplifiers as Arnie Nudell and Paul McGowan, possibly the same $900, one foot pair of MG Audio Design speaker wires that I myself am using in my own speaker wire configueration.  That is something to think about.

Alan - I meant when my travels take me to Boulder. That was bad phrasing on my part. I wish I lived in Boulder! I’m in Arkansas. Alas

Williewonka - to aid in my decision process, what is the power output of your amp? Again, my amps are 500 w and my speakers like power...