Have your say & ask the experts

Having had a nightmare stripping the Silver Micro, I started on the XT, I removed the outer and sleeve then I was expecting the silver strands, but there got loose silvery braid that just fell away, does this need to stay on when I connect to my KEF 3005, or do I strip right to the core ? 

The metal inside the outer sheath is the conductor in this cable. and the inner core is just a former around which the conductor is wrapped.

So you have to cut through the outer sheath without cutting the inner braid: if you go too far you just get those little silver-plated filaments you have encountered. The inner forming core is designed to be crushable when you insert the stripped wire into the speaker terminal.

looks like I will have to more careful when I try again, good job I ordered a longer length !

Andrew, this is the end that will be going into my KEF3005, is it still the same strip the outer bit and then push the rest into the KEFs, does it matter if some of the filaments come off ?

Yes, and filaments coming off is not desirable...

Thanks Andrew

Stripping either of those wires with pliers is virtually impossible in my opinion. Pick yourself up a pair of the proper wire strippers with the different size holes in. Split the cable in two with a stanley blade and then find the right size hole and it will take the cable casing off perfectly without damaging the insides. I got a pair of these cable strippers for about a fiver online