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Cable for Senn 650 - I'm confused! - Page 2

post #16 of 27
9/23/09 at 9:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Popspin7 View Post
I like what I hear so far but want to give the cable more time before reaching any conclusions on sound.
THx
Popspin7
How are they sounding a couple weeks later? More importantly, how do they compare to the stock cable?
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post #17 of 27
9/23/09 at 5:43pm
Thanks for the review, hope you like it.
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post #18 of 27
9/23/09 at 11:32pm
Peter definitely makes some very nice looking cables. I'm going to have him make me one soon.
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post #19 of 27
9/24/09 at 3:16pm
I got mine, should have made it a bit longer (3ft).
Looks real nice from outside, and I will have to listen to it a bit more.
Sounds refined, smooth, extended on top. Downsides are a bit too much (in my system) bass and midhighs being much more subtle and recessed compared to Alex's cable. This leads to a soothing, but a bit too boring listen - kinda like the old canare starquads I had earlier.

I havn't tried the stock cables for some time, maybe I will try that for a short blurb
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post #20 of 27
9/24/09 at 4:00pm
Yeah, pure copper can be a bit more on the neutral side compared to silver plated copper. Pretty much only silver plated copper will make HD650s sound bright. ALO SXC wire can brighten up the really dark HD650s at the expense of neutrality. I like pure copper for HD800 the best.
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post #21 of 27
9/28/09 at 11:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by McPanse View Post
How are they sounding a couple weeks later? More importantly, how do they compare to the stock cable?
Hi McPanse:
I am finally done with my initial testing of the Double Helix vs. stock 650 cables. I tested them on my iPhone 3G, lossless > ALO Cryo SXC > p-51 > Double Helix 650 cable. I also tested the cables on a more powerful home amp, an Arcam. Results using the Arcam were more pronounced than with the P-51. Tests were run after over 100 hours clocked on each cable.
The stock cable was better after 100 hours than when new, as was the Double Helix.
The results showed, to my ears, that the Double Helix cable was the winner. The reasons are simple:
1) Stock cable sounded constricted compared to the Double Helix. It was harder to distinguish separate sounds, instruments and voices on the stock cable vs. the Double Helix cable.
2) In addition to the ability to hear sounds, instruments and voices more clearly, the entire soundstage was much larger and more alive with the Double Helix.
3) Voices with the stock cable seemed flat, almost recessed into the back of my head. With the Double Helix cable the voices moved forward and had way more space (air) around them.
4) Bass with the stock cable was pretty ample but lacked definition and clarity displayed when the same cuts were played using the Double Helix cable.
5) High end was also clearer but not harsh.
6) Overall I found the sound of the Double Helix cable to be smoother, clearer and more musical sounding than the stock cable.

I am sorry that I haven't had the pleasure of comparing the Double Helix cable to the other fine options out there. The Double Helix is a very worthwhile upgrade compared with the stock cable.
Peter at Double Helix does some solid job building his cables and takes the time to let you design all aspects. He is helpful and communicates well throughout the process.
The bottom line for me is that the stock cable is packed up and in a drawer while the Double Helix cable is connected to the 650's.

If anybody has any questions or comments I am "all ears"...
Popspin7
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post #22 of 27
9/29/09 at 1:16am
Neato, glad it worked out.
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post #23 of 27
9/29/09 at 10:25pm
How long do I need to burn the double helix cable?
The bass is boomy and not tight at all..
I've already burnt it for 20-30 hours
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post #24 of 27
9/29/09 at 11:16pm
By far and away, the best re-cable I've heard with the HD650 is the RAL Paradise cryo-silver. Since then, though, I have had very good success with (solid core) UP-OCC, but with the K501 (Zach built it for me quite reasonably).

If I had to re-cable the HD650 anew, I'd probably give solid core UP-OCC silver a try. : ) Can't speak for the Nucleotide, but I've tended toward solid core wire, and away from stranded, with just about every re-cable I've ever tried.
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post #25 of 27
9/29/09 at 11:34pm
From what I've heard, the Enigma Audio Oracle is one of the very best headphone cables available for the HD650. I haven't used the Oracle myself, but I use a UPOCC copper cable made by Zach on my HD600, and it is absolutely fantastic. I don't you'll be disappointed. It's a relatively inexpensive option too, especially for what you get.
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post #26 of 27
9/30/09 at 10:48pm
The OCC copper cable is neutral. If your gear is on the warm side, it's not going to make it less warm. The HD650 are also quite warm headphones with lots of bass. Giving it 100 hours wouldn't hurt. Really though, people with headphone cables that cost as much as their headphone amps are approaching the construction of their system wrong...I don't know what gear you are using with the cable. I'm using the same cable but balanced on a Phoenix and all the frequencies are in the right place on HD650 and HD800 from where I'm sitting. Not every cable is going to work well for every system though, but systems change rapidly as you upgrade.

I use stranded wire because it does not break easily. Going into business selling only solidcore wired headphone cables is asking for trouble.

Edit: I see you're using a portable amp - its inability to fully power HD650/600/580 is only going to be shown more clearly by a headphone cable upgrade. The HD's are voltage hungry and you'd benefit from a tube amp or an audio-gd Compass. I've seen this phenomenon before, like when Leeperry recabled his DT770s (600 ohm being powered off a soundcard, lol, 600 ohm Beyers require step 40 out of 70 on my Phoenix to be loud enough, vs. 22 for balanced HD800s) with TWCu OCC copper wire (some of the best wire ever produced) and didn't like the finished product. His system wasn't right for 600 ohm headphones, and the stock cable was masking the flaws. He reinstalled the stock cable, and was happy. I was sad for him, on a Phoenix copper recabled DT770s balanced sound incredible.
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post #27 of 27
9/30/09 at 11:00pm
Silver does sound awesome with HD650/HD800 (although for HD800, you need really good cryo-silver like SCSCag from Cryoparts - I've tried that with HD800s and liked the sound, although breakin was required as it was harsh at first). However, there is no OCC stranded silver option out there and working with the $11/foot SCSCag gives me the willies unless it's heavily buried in teflon tubes and cotton, and even then...
In the future, Cryoparts may offer a silver version of its TWCu OCC copper stranded wire. Stranded wire may not sound nearly as good as solidcore sometimes, but it does offer more flexibility and peace of mind. I'm fine with building solidcore stuff for myself, but selling stuff with solidcore wire makes me nervous.
The extra brightness from pure silver simply isn't necessary in the right setups though, with what I have now (HD800 and all audiogd) copper and silver are equally enjoyable.
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