Headphone Cables

Ive been liking my Plussound x8 a lot. I didnt go for any of their fancy metals, just the baseline copper. From stock i got better texture, seperation, and room resonances. I tried a hybrid DHC but it was too glossy, like someone running their wet finger on the top of a wine glass.

Im not sure how their stress relief grommets work but they look very pretty. I have a 6.3mm adapter from them and its OK. It cost more as they only have viablue 6.3mm. but the DHC adapters were better.

 

Enjoying this Forza cable for my HD 800. Very light weight and supple. Impressed with the build quality.

 

I got Forza cable for my ZMF and haven’t looked back ever since. Best price to performance ratio

 

Just wanted to follow up on the Neotech bulk 4 conductor braided headphone cable. I've had this cable built out for both my HD600 and HD800S in my desktop setup for about 2 months now and can safely say this bulk cable is now my go-to for any kind of daily driver, no muss no fuss DIY, with excellent sonics. For roughly $25/m it really should be the second and perhaps final stop as DIY-inclined folks progress from Canare/Mogami recabling projects to something with a good bit more finesse, and fewer sins of commission.

If anyone is scared off by the slightly tedious chore of dealing with enameled litz wire, the methods discussed above all work well, but PM me if you're still put off and I'd be happy to solder up something for anyone to try.

 

What are the sound differences vs the Mogami 2534, and what is the gauge?

 

I believe the Neotech is 4x24ga enameled litz. I'm going on memory in comparing Canare L-46ES or similar Mogami 2534, but overall there's less gauzy haze in the treble and midrange in the Neotech. Comparing directly between the Neotech, some Lavri Cables pure silver 4x24, and some DIY Cardas Parsec stuff I had from another project, I sensed the Neotech as the most even tonally, with the same or very similar coherence and ease in the treble between the Lavri silver and the Neotech, at least through HD600s. On HD800S I only compared Neotech to some 8-core Forza copper. There, the Neotech has a touch more forward mids, and is less smoothed-over sounding and flat (i.e., flat dynamically) in the bass, which works well with HD800S + SW51.

 

Have you also heard the Van Damme SPC for the HD600?

 

I have not. I'm assuming SPC = silver plated copper? If that's the case, I can't say I've ever heard an SPC headphone or IEM cable that wasn't all boooom-tizzzzz with gaping mid-suckout; generally not a fan.

 

Never liked SPC either, the stock HD800 cable did them no favors imo. Still loving the Neotech cable as well, great ergonomics and has been problem free since i resoldered and reinforced it.

 

I bought a couple cables from Viking Weave Cables. Sebastian and Justin are great to deal with, and have a ton of customization options. The cables are reasonably priced, and are really well made. They are light, supple, and the splitter is small but still interesting to look at. I bought the Berkano which is the lowest cable in their range (because I’m cheap) and really like it. The connectors are decent and they have multiple options. The only somewhat odd thing is their website doesn’t have any direct ordering, you have to email them and they correspond with you to figure out what you want, and then make it to order.

Sound-wise, I don’t hear much, if any, difference with the stock or OFC ZMF cables. Maybe a tiny bit more bass but that could be placebo.

They’re a great option if you’re looking for reasonably priced, good quality cables.

https://vikingweavecables.com/

 

Has anyone had a Corpse Cable in hand (their Mogami one) possibly? Just curious if their wire is very stiff and has a lot of cable memory? I like how minimal they are and they look like a decent cable to use with a DAP.

 

so, the long awaited Audiophile Ninja cables are in my possession. build quality is solid, but coming from OIDIO (which, admittedly, is more expensive) I am slightly disappointed by how stiff and heavy the Audiophile Ninja cables are. in terms of sound quality improvement was noticeable compared to stock HD650 cable (which someone called 'a piece of lamp cord') - though I connected the new cable at the same time with installing the ZMF pads, so the picture is not clear. for TR-X00 the difference was not huge, which probably tells something about the quality of the stock cable. just like the stock Fostex cable, the Audiophile Ninja one is pretty microphonic - which makes me suspect that this is something having to do with either the headphone or the connectors used (might be wrong).

 

all right, after more time with the HD650 cable and the initial hype gone I have to admit that it too is microphonic, sadly, so it's not just an issue with TR-X00 connectors. alas.

 

The stock OCC Audeze cable is actually pretty good, too bad it only comes in single-ended for the creator's package... I bought this not-inexpensive SPC cable from Amazon bc it delivered overnight and I didn't want to wait a week or two for a Forza or similar maker's OCC cable to run my LCD-X balanced. But that was a mistake, I actually prefer the stock cable single-ended... silver-plated copper is dirt cheap and it shows in the sound quality. Where'd my mids go??

Edit: ah! The Audeze TRS connector comes apart easily! Think I can solder on an extra Neutrik XLR connector I have lying around on and re-solder the TRS back on in case I need to return the phones. Dope.

 

Are OCC cables generally recommended for HD600? Thinking Forza and Neotech.

 

Depends on your audiophile religion, but in general, OCC copper is supposed to be the most pure/best. From my past as a cable peddler, true OCC isn't easy to come by so ymmv. Neotech was the OG of OCC so anything from them should be good, and Forza has a strong rep so prob can't go wrong.

 

But does make an appreciable diff over stock 650 cable?

 

I have doo doo ears, so I don't honestly know. I think I have heard differences, but could be placebo. I made hundreds of cables for myself and others in the past and some people said night and day and some couldn't tell a difference but appreciated ergonomics and aesthetics enough that it was OK. I certainly have never heard a verifiable OCC cable sound worse than stock. Whatever feedback I have gotten is that OCC copper is basically neutral and gets out of the way.

At some point hopefully in the near future, I will be clearing out most of my supplies and cables so anyone curious with some DIY skills will be able to have a field day with comparisons.

 

Has anybody heard Forza hybrid cables and can compare them to the OCC Forzas?

I recently bought a used hp that came with a Forza cable that fits on my Clear Mg, too, and boy, does it sound great! Less grain, more microdetail, more even presentation overall compared to the stock cable. Could use a bit more treble energy, though, for my taste, but not much. The cable is much too short at 1.5m, though, I need at least 2.5m, and will order such a cable from Forza sooner or later.

The question is, though: Pure OCC or hybrid?

 

Forza has two models that are hybrid, right? The Noir and the Claire Hybrid, both up-occ copper & up-occ silver hybrids? I never hear of ppl getting those, only usually their best up-occ copper cable, the Claire mkII, don’t know which is better, never heard one, but I will say I don’t even know of anyone that has a Forza hybrid cable or likes mixed conductors in general.

if you’re looking for more treble energy, I will say when I used a cheap SPC cable for my LCDs, the treble went waaay up, and not in a good, smooth way… idk what up-occ silver sounds like, but if it were me, with the Clear Mg, I would go good copper.