It's a difficult choice, but between all my headphones, I think the HE-5s are going to have to go. I re-terminated the stock cable with 2x 3-pin XLR plugs to run balanced out of my Phoenix. I also built a 7ft cable using CryoParts OCCC wire which is presently terminated with a 4-pin XLR plug.
I'm looking to see if anyone is interested in any of the following:
1. The HE-5s as they are with stock cable re-terminated to 2x 3-pin XLR. (See bottom picture)
2. #1 and my DIY Cryoparts copper cable (2nd-to-bottom picture), either as it is or re-terminated with a regular 1/4"/6.5mm plug.
3. The HE-5s with a replacement cable from HeadDirect/Hifiman, if they will sell just the cable as a replacement, with or without my DIY cable terminated as desired.
4. Something else, such as me re-braiding the stock cable and putting a 4-pin XLR or the original plug back on.
I'd be asking the cost of materials for the DIY copper cable, which I just worked out to be $170.
I didn't find any significant difference in sound quality with the stock cable vs. my custom one (which is a good thing!).
The headphones are 9/10 (as new) and I haven't found any flaws in the wood or any other part, but note about the cables:
While my soldering skills I believe are adequate, my heatshrink skills leave something to be desired, and I'd be re-doing the heat-shrinking on the stock cable before selling, as it looks a bit lousy (see below).
My DIY OCCC cable has a mistake in the braiding. I could just cover the whole thing in techflex or nylon or similar, as the mistake is only cosmetic.
Note that I'm in Japan, and EMS shipping would be something like $50 or a bit more.
DIY cable: The braiding mistake is south of the XLR plug, on the inner-most coil. I had to modify the HE-5 plugs to accommodate the wire.
Original cable: Yes, my heat-shrinking efforts are rather lame, if not a problem functionally. I will re-do this before sending out the headphones.
Click on the pictures for full-sized versions.
I'm looking to see if anyone is interested in any of the following:
1. The HE-5s as they are with stock cable re-terminated to 2x 3-pin XLR. (See bottom picture)
2. #1 and my DIY Cryoparts copper cable (2nd-to-bottom picture), either as it is or re-terminated with a regular 1/4"/6.5mm plug.
3. The HE-5s with a replacement cable from HeadDirect/Hifiman, if they will sell just the cable as a replacement, with or without my DIY cable terminated as desired.
4. Something else, such as me re-braiding the stock cable and putting a 4-pin XLR or the original plug back on.
I'd be asking the cost of materials for the DIY copper cable, which I just worked out to be $170.
I didn't find any significant difference in sound quality with the stock cable vs. my custom one (which is a good thing!).
The headphones are 9/10 (as new) and I haven't found any flaws in the wood or any other part, but note about the cables:
While my soldering skills I believe are adequate, my heatshrink skills leave something to be desired, and I'd be re-doing the heat-shrinking on the stock cable before selling, as it looks a bit lousy (see below).
My DIY OCCC cable has a mistake in the braiding. I could just cover the whole thing in techflex or nylon or similar, as the mistake is only cosmetic.
Note that I'm in Japan, and EMS shipping would be something like $50 or a bit more.
DIY cable: The braiding mistake is south of the XLR plug, on the inner-most coil. I had to modify the HE-5 plugs to accommodate the wire.
Original cable: Yes, my heat-shrinking efforts are rather lame, if not a problem functionally. I will re-do this before sending out the headphones.
Click on the pictures for full-sized versions.
