Planet Waves DIY Cable Kit Packaging and Installation

Introduction

Planet Waves (a division of D’Addario) has entered the custom install market with the release of their new DIY solder-less self terminating cables.  I grew up knowing the D’Addario name quite well with a family of passionate jazz and blues guitarist that regarded them as the industry leader in guitar strings.  I never took to guitar in terms of playing, but I certainly appreciated the quality of products they offered and how well they are still to this day revered by their ordinary customers and professional musicians.

Recently the Planet Waves division of D’Addario was launched introducing cable kits that not only provide you with the cable and the connectors, but with a solder-less “screw on” solution!  Basically all you need to do is cut the cable, twist on the connector, and fasten the set screw. If this seems too complicated, they even offer an online video on their website to show you how to accomplish this feat.  It all sounds good on paper, but how do these cables perform and are they snake oil free?  Keep reading to find out….

The Packages

Coaxial cable is easily the most commonly used cable in the AV world. It is used for RCA connections, composite video, component video, coaxial digital audio, and subwoofer cables. Each of the Planet Waves kits come with cables (all 75 ohm and shielded) and black chrome finished connectors with gold-plated contacts and color coding rings so that you can label them as you wish. In addition, with each of the new Planet Waves kits you’ll be provided with a cable cutter / tester so that you’ll know before you ever plug anything in that the cable works as well as a flat head screw driver to terminate your cables.

The priciest of the kits (the “Home Theater Installation Kit” at $399.99) includes a 25 foot run of a single cable (for your coaxial and subwoofer runs), dual cable (for your red/white RCA audio runs), and triple cable (for your component video runs). Of course you also get 38 RCA connectors, 4 F connectors, and 20 elastic ties (for cable management). The other two sets cost $249.99 and come with either simply a 25 foot run of triple cable or a 25 foot run of single and a 25 foot run of double cable (works out to be the same amount of cable) and 20 connectors.

The thing to remember is that these cables can be mixed and matched. If you need a short run of analogue cables for your SACD player (or HD-DVD player), you can either cut a bunch of single cables or some combination of single, dual, and triple cables. It doesn’t matter. It is also important to note that the connectors are completely reusable. So if you make a bunch of cables and connect everything up and then decide to move that piece of gear, you can back off the fastening screw, twist off the connector, trim the cable, and reattach the connector. This gives you a level of flexibility that should put a smile on your face. It did on ours.

I tabulated the packages below for convenience: 

Accessory items:

• Cable cutter & tester $40
• Screwdriver (regular) & Triple Cutter: $26

Personally I feel these packages are a bit overpriced simply because the provided cable lengths are too short.  If you go with PWCK01 and cut up the cables into 5 equal lengths of 5 feet each, you still have 10 RCA connectors left over and essentially each cable length just cost you $50.  I would really like to see Planet Waves offer double the cable lengths in these packages and also offer the option to purchase the cable and terminations in quantity as needed by the installer or consumer.

Termination Instructions & Installation

cableThe component cable build quality is very good. It is very flexible and the color coded insulator made the cable easy to identify for termination. Foot markers were easy to read. The interchangeable color bands for identification were also a nice touch. Terminating the cable was relatively easy however the Installer must utilize the tester/cutter to ensure a good termination was made prior to connecting to your equipment.

Following the 6 Step Procedure listed below will ensure a high degree of positive terminations each time:

1. Cut the cable to length using the Planet Waves Cable Cutter/Tester.
2. Trim clean and loose or overhanging strands of shielding (if any)
3. Back out the screw of the connector until the cable channel is clear
4. Push the cable into the termination while twisting down on it
5. Tighten the screw completely until it will not turn any more
6. Test the continuity of tip and ground connections with the Planet Waves Cable Cutter/Tester.  Green LED’s indicate a good termination, Red indicated a short and you must redo this procedure
   

Additional Termination Notes for Consideration

The cable must be cut square to minimize bad terminations. Caution must also be used when pushing the RCA on the cable. Applying too much pressure may result in collapsing the jacket and causing a bad termination. The setscrew must be all the way out of the RCA ground shell when pushing on the RCA connector. If this is not done a miss termination will likely occur.

The small size and flexibility of the cable allow the installer to drill smaller holes in framing plates and blocking.

I found that a ½ inch paddle bit hole was the smallest hole I could effectively pull the cable through. The Custom Installer, because of their speed often uses paddle bits or spear bits but they occasionally create wood splinters around the perimeter of the hole.  I was able to replicate this. When I pulled the cable through the hole, I split the outer casing exposing the shield braiding.

Drilling a ¾ inch hole reduced this occurrence, but I did find that the jacket was relatively easy to compromise when pulling. This test was performed to simulate an installer in an attic or crawl space in a retro installation.  My advice here is to do your best to clean out any wood splinters and be careful when pulling the cable through to avoid snagging it and potentially compromising the protective jacket.

Termination Experience

Self termination is simple for the two and three conductor cable packages.  I did find it a bit more challenging to terminate the single cable package since the cable was so flexible. If great care wasn’t applied, the cable would flex during insertion into the connector.  As a result, I had a few poor terminations which were easily discovered by using the Planet Waves Cable Tester.  To minimize flexing, hold the cable near its end while installing the connector.   

The Cable Cutter was easy to use and as previously mentioned the Cable Tester was invaluable for determining proper contact, shorts, etc.  I found the screw on connector takes a bit of care as you must really provide good twisting force for the center conductor to make contact.  The Cable Cutter tool worked great for the most part.

The screw on terminations didn’t fluctuate even when pulled hard.  I found them to make firm contacts with the equipment I used them on (Yamaha/Denon receivers, Denon DVD players, Sony RPTV).  The 6 leaf RCA connectors are sturdy and lock onto an input post with little effort.  They won’t rip off the connector when disconnecting from your equipment like the various turbine Monster connectors.

Editorial Note about Connecting Cables to Components

Installers and consumers should be advised to twist clockwise when installing the cables onto their components and twist counterclockwise when taking them off to avoid excessive wear or damage to the components and/or the cable terminations.  Using a counter clockwise twisting motion when removing is a necessity, and often forgotten by consumers leading to equipment damage.