Solid or Stranded? Teflon - PVC - Cloth

[Karl]

What type of wire are you guys using in your amps?

I am starting my second build and I want to know what kind of wire is best in your opinion.

In my first amp I used 20awg solid cloth covered copper wire. I found it difficult using this kind of wire and also looked messy inside my amp.

[billyz]

Stranded Teflon. After my son the Nuclear Physicist explained to me why stranded was better than solid core wire for the transmission of electrons.
Don't ask me to repeat it.

Actually the best wire I have found is Kimber. very nice to work with, strips easily and solders great, stays where you put it. Many think it sounds better as well. oh , and cost 3x as much. but then I like Cardas quad eutectic solder even when Radio Shack stuff works.

But for restoration work I would use Cloth if that's what the amp had originally. I have rebuilt a lot of old fenders. Old Vox amps with the solid core wire that breaks when you look at makes me swear.

[Structo]

I like the stranded teflon.

I used solid core in one build and due to excessive moving around because of mistakes made, one of the B+ wires broke, only it wasn't apparent to me because the pvc jacket hid the break.
Spent quite a few hours looking for that!
On the heaters I think it works fine but for any wires that are going to get moved around, stranded will take a lot more abuse.
IMHO, YMMV

[fishy]

My first TW style build ( its ugly) used teflon wire and was extremely microphonic. That might have been down to my workmanship but I do know after replacing the teflon wire with 600v PVC, it quitened down a significant amount. Still looks like crap though

[Structo]

But the red PVC sounds better!

Or so Ken claimed.

[dBe]

+1 on the Kimber.

Don't use the brown/black or grey/black wire, only the blue/black (TC). Blue/black is teflon, the others are PVC and polypropylene respectively and aren't good over 300V.

Dave

[dBe]

+1 on the Kimber.

Don't use the brown/black or grey/black wire, only the blue/black (TC). Blue/black is teflon, the others are PVC and polypropylene respectively and aren't good over 300V.

Dave

[Karl]

Thanks for the response guys.

Where can I buy this Kimber wire?

[billyz]

I usually get Kimber wire from " Parts Connexion".

http://www.partsconnexion.com/partscomponents.php

You can buy it by the foot, and multiple colors. Steve at Angela instruments swears by it as well.

I have not found Kimber to be Microphonic at all.

[billyz]

These Double posts are weird .

[Structo]

There has been some talk about the teflon style wire having more skin effect with voltage.
Anybody know anything about that?
I think I read something from the Wreck pages about it and is why Ken preferred PVC wire.

[dBe]

I have no idea about the skin effect, but there is less dialectric absorption (DA) with the teflon. Maybe Ken preferred the PVC BECAUSE it had more DA, who knows.

I have used Kimber wire for years and like the way it works: easy to strip, twists well, doesn't shrink or melt, etc.

I bought a bunch of Kimber 8TC speaker wire (same as the hookup wire) from a store that was going out og business years ago. I think it is a lifetime supply

Besides, Ray Kimber is one of the coolest people that I've ever met. I like doing business with good people.

Dave

[rawnster]

I just used Kimber wire on a recent build: https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.php?t=13363

stuff is very easy to use, cover doesn't melt, and really does sound fantastic....somewhat dark and warm. All copper, albeit stranded copper, but each strand is a different diameter/thickness. Pretty cool stuff.

[xtian]

I bought some teflon covered stranded wire, and found the jacket to be really difficult to strip. Had to use an exacto to circumcise each piece!

Is the Kimber stuff different? Can you use a wire stripper on it?

[rawnster]

I bought some teflon covered stranded wire, and found the jacket to be really difficult to strip. Had to use an exacto to circumcise each piece!

Is the Kimber stuff different? Can you use a wire stripper on it?

Yes, plan Ole wire stripper. I didn't have much problem stripping it at all. A touch more difficult than PVC, but not nearly as difficult as what you described.