Headphone Cables

Has anyone compared the Forza Claire HPC mk2, Norne Drausk and ZMF 12k Copper?

they seem like the best cables on the market that aren’t laughably expensive. Double Helix is off their rocker charging 2k for a headphone cable. $400 is already approaching ridiculous.

 

As long as you aren't depending on the wire actually being OCC copper. Or

Lol, yeah DHC definitely hits the crazy levels (I think he went over $10K on a particular build for some baller over in Hong Kong), but I think he does still have his original line which should be comparable to what you are looking at: https://doublehelixcables.com/product/dhc-molecule-se-headphone-cable-premium-occ-copper-litz/

 

Hart Audio Cables

I hate to say this because I don’t feel good writing negative impressions about a small company run by a good person.

I think Hart Audio cables sound honestly very bad. They smear and veil the midrange and the bass is loose and sloppy. I have checked this with multiple headphones to make sure and it’s always there. Unfortunately I bought a bunch of them because I assumed they would sound fine.

For reference, the stock T60rp cable sounds much better. No midrange smearing. The cheap 10$ flimsy Vmoda cable frequently used for the T50rp sounds better. That is a disgrace I’m sorry.

The owner is a good guy, I like the modular system and the cables feel nice. But they sound very bad.

I suspect some of you may not have noticed this because electrodynamics are so peaky this smearing could actually be a good thing. But not with my orthos which are flat.

I have 2 suggestions for much better sounding budget cables.

Audiophile Ninja cables sound great. None of these problems. Just neutral and good tone. They are a bit stiff but not too bad. Nothing compared to the cables on the market a decade ago.

There is a specific cable on AliExpress that sounds and looks and feels really good. There is one “OCC copper” cable that is used by lots of vendors on AliExpress. This is not the same though it looks similar in the pictures. I think it is likely actually OCC copper because the company that makes it has a website www.lunashops.com that sells bulk OCC wire. I guess that could be a scam but it seems unlikely. The cable is beautiful, the color is a gorgeous copper color, it has a nice not too tight weave so it’s very flexible. The price is good too and the seller will customize it for any headphone or connectors. Here is a link

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mKRz8EB

 

Lunashop is legit but they ship from China via the cheapest shipping options so takes quite a while.

 

I've been thinking of making my own cable with mogami neglex quad 2534 cable. One can keep the pairs uncovered after the split or cover with techflex or some other sheath. Any thoughts on this? Maybe I can make it for HD6x0 and pass it around if there is interest.

 

their shipping time for a custom cable on AliExpress wasn’t too bad. 2 weeks I think.

 

Here’s a picture of the Lunashops cable. It’s quite beautiful.

 

The 2534 Mogami is a classic and was the go to for a starter upgrade cable back in the day along with the similar Canare starquad. I always like the served shield of the Mogami better since it was more flexible.

 

All of my headphone cables are Norne. The Draug 3 is Norne's base cable, around $300 Its an all copper cable and sounds great on HD 650, then there is the specially tuned Draug 3 for HD 800. Very special, but about the same price. Trevor also makes IEM cables that are good too. His best IEM and headphone cables are all silver or a mix of silver and copper strands. I think Trevor is Norne cable. He has never referred to anyone else when communicating with him. Wait time is usually about two months.
After buying a bunch of Chifi cables from Penon and Ali Express, I am finishing up with PW Audio cables from Hong Kong. Check MusicTeck and Accessory Plus for deals. $179 and $300 for his 5 year and 10 year business anniversary 4 cable and 8 cable IEM cables. Then there are the High End ones for $1000 plus.

 

I pray my hearing is never acute enough that I can tell the difference between an $80 well made headphone cable and a $300-$1000 headphone cable.

 

$80!?, how about $30?

 

Well, you are going to have to be in your 80s since I am almost 73. Mine is not that good above 8K and the volume in my right ear is less than my left. Still can tell if the cable is good .

 

I think someone mentioned that no one is using Cardas copper in headphone cables yet but Arctic Cables is. They have the most interesting line up of all the cable companies i want to try them all!

 

Audiophile Ninja cables don’t have the weird sonic problems that Hart Audio cables have they sound normal. A little more treble than the OCC stuff from Forza or Norne and not as open sounding or resolving but good tonality. And just about as cheap as Hart Audio cables.

 

I don't know if I just have bad luck with Cardas, but anytime I've ordered their components to work with the quality has been horrendous and I have to send it back for a refund.

 

interesting. I’m interested in a Cardas headphone cable because of how good Pangea cables sound. But there’s obviously more to a cable than that. All the fairy dust fillers and stuff

 

ah shit, I just ordered one of these for a not-so-secret super-secret headphone, needed something on short notice but I wish I read this first. they have a return policy at least, I'll report back if the cable is indeed sonically scuffed

 

If it’s an electrodynamic it might not be as bad because electrodynamics have so many sharp peaks some smearing might actually sound good.

 

I don’t hear any issues with the Hart cables. It’s possible that I don’t have a trained enough ear to hear it, which honestly suits me fine. Leave me to my blissful ignorance!

 

Or your headphones work well with it like I mentioned. Also I’m being what should be considered nit picky. I mean it was a big deal and obvious to me but my head is really inside the sound of the headphones I’m modding. Every little aspect. Not comparable to headphones you buy and listen to.

I would say future buyers consider audiophile Ninja or something better but current owners don’t worry if they sound fine.