LCD-2 and LCD-3 Owners - which aftermarket cable do you use? - Page 2  

To those of you who were in favor of silver, I can highly recommend AN-Vx cable.  This is an interconnect cable and has to be terminated properly.  You can buy the cable from Audio Note dealers in the US, like Amherst Audio (MA), Audio Federation (CO) and Deja Vu (DC), among others.  It's the best interconnect I have found so far (except for higher priced AN cable) for any of my equipment connections or headphones (the second best being Audio Note Lexus, a copper cable). They are pricey, though. 

I see the OP has already ordered a cable, and the comments I have seen on Tigzstudio's cable have all been very complimentary.

I just thought I would post, for the benefit of future LCD-2 owners considering aftermarket cables and looking at this thread, that I have been very pleased with a balanced Whiplash TWag cable.  Mechanically, it's great--light, flexible, nonmicrophonic.  Sonically, it seemed to me that the treble response and soundstage improved somewhat, although not to the point of making it sound like the HD 800.  Several factors may have been responsible--the cable material, the cable construction, or going from SE to balanced. 

ALO Audio cable ftw.

I'm a Moon Audio fan (I own the 2 Black Dragon cables and a Blue Dragon as well).  I bought the Silver Dragon for my LCD2 and burned it in for more than 300 hrs.  It was not my cup of tea so I returned it and ordered the ALO Chain Mail cable which I like a lot better.  The Silver Dragon brightened up the sound too much and I felt the bass wasn't as good (compared to the stock cable).  The ALO cable IMO is better in every way compared to the SD.  The bass is much much better and dynamics are a lot better as well.   I agree that the weight of the ALO is greater but it doesn't bother me at all and to me the sound quality of the SD isn't even close to the ALO.    Drew at Moon Audio is a great guy and when I returned the Silver Dragon it was no hassle at all so there is no risk if you want to trial it.

I went back to Peter at Double Helix Cables for a cable.. will post my impressions on the forum when I get it. I'll be interested to see the difference with the stock cable. 

I replaced the stock cable with an AproditeCU Zeus OCC quad 22 cable.  Nice upgrade. 

I thought the following links might help everyone with the different headphone cables that are being discussed in this thread:

Whiplash Audio, Norse Audio, Cardas Audio, ALO Audio, Audionote, Moon Audio, Double Helix, Zeus.

I'm very wary of silver cables as many (most?) are known to induce sonic aberrations into the audio chain. For example, emphasising the higher frequencies giving an illusion of more detail. Furthermore, bass performance is sometimes compromised.

The LCD-2 measures and performs 'reasonably' flat across the audio spectrum. By adding cables that colour (ie distort) that sonic presentation, you are messing with one of the very things that has made the LCD-2 famous in a very short time - its neutrality.

On a different note, has anyone had good/bad/indifferent experiences with Cardas headphone cables?

Quote:

Originally Posted by gogogasgas 

I'm very wary of silver cables as many (most?) are known to induce sonic aberrations into the audio chain. For example, emphasising the higher frequencies giving an illusion of more detail. Furthermore, bass performance is sometimes compromised.

 

The LCD-2 measures and performs 'reasonably' flat across the audio spectrum. By adding cables that colour (ie distort) that sonic presentation, you are messing with one of the very things that has made the LCD-2s famous in a very short time - its neutrality.

 

On a different note, has anyone had good/bad/indifferent experiences with Cardas headphone cables?

That is simply not true IMO. Cheap silver and cheap copper can sound bad. But properly built silver cables will not introduce "sonic aberrations". Silver is a better conductor of electricity and what you are hearing (assuming a good pure silver cable with proper dielectric and connectors) is a better representation of what's on the recording. My experiences with very well made silver cables (Kimber Silver Streak RCA and Moon Audio Silver Dragon) is that there is no affect to the bass whatsoever. The mids are more liquid and the treble better defined. I found the with the stock cable, the LCD-2's mids/treble/sound stage improved while there was no deleterious effects to to the bass.

The issue is the price of silver (much more than copper) so finding a cable manufacturer that uses 99.9999% silver is harder than one that uses 99.9999% copper.
 

OK, we agree to disagree. Some interesting info here. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by gogogasgas 

OK, we agree to disagree. Some interesting info here. 

Sorry but that site is hardly one that I would take seriously (a rather obscure cable manufacturer). Can I ask you what your personal experiences are with good silver interconnects/cables?

Can you please explain why Kimber Kable and Nordost  (very highly reputable and respectable cable manufacturers) select silver for some of their very best cables? There is no question that silver is the better conductor of the two.

If you listen to music seated near your amp, and you feel that your cable is too heavy, it is probably too short.  I bought a 10 foot Norse Audio cable for my LCD2s, which is long enough for it to rest on the floor between my chair and my equipment rack.  No weight issues at all.  The cable also sounds and looks great, and the workmanship is top notch.

I'm hoping Trevor will soon be making similar cables terminated for the HD800s; he said he eventually will make them for all of the current top phones, but next up are cables for the HE6.

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero 

Sorry but that site is hardly one that I would take seriously (a rather obscure cable manufacturer). Can I ask you what your personal experiences are with good silver interconnects/cables?

 

Can you please explain why Kimber Kable and Nordost  (very highly reputable and respectable cable manufacturers) select silver for some of their very best cables? There is no question that silver is the better conductor of the two.

Cables seem to get everyone fired-up. I thought that the webpage behind the link I posted contained some good no-nonsense info.

Obviously, many things in audio are subjective and I was just putting the alternate view out there about the 'sound' of silver cables. As for my experience, aside from trying different cables in showrooms and at home, I had a tonearm rewired from headshell to RCAs with expensive silver wire. It sounded better with its stock OFC copper than it did with the silver. (I outlined what I believe is the sonic signature of silver cable in my other post) Sold the arm not long after that.

As for cable manufacturers who sell copper cables in their top offerings, Cardas and Tara Labs come to mind.

Anyway, back to the reports on suitable after-market cables for the LCD-2s. Lots of good stuff posted so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gogogasgas 

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero 

Sorry but that site is hardly one that I would take seriously (a rather obscure cable manufacturer). Can I ask you what your personal experiences are with good silver interconnects/cables?

 

Can you please explain why Kimber Kable and Nordost  (very highly reputable and respectable cable manufacturers) select silver for some of their very best cables? There is no question that silver is the better conductor of the two.

Cables seem to get everyone fired-up. I thought that the webpage behind the link I posted contained some good no-nonsense info.

 

Obviously, many things in audio are subjective and I was just putting the alternate view out there about the 'sound' of silver cables. As for my experience, aside from trying different cables in showrooms and at home, I had a tonearm rewired from headshell to RCAs with expensive silver wire. It sounded better with its stock OFC copper than it did with the silver. (I outlined what I believe is the sonic signature of silver cable in my other post) Sold the arm not long after that.

 

As for cable manufacturers who sell copper cables in their top offerings, Cardas and Tara Labs come to mind.

 

Anyway, back to the reports on suitable after-market cables for the LCD-2s. Lots of good stuff posted so far.

Not really fired up. But a single experience with a silver cable should not limit one to completely forsake the metal. It is a better conductor no doubt, but as well, terminations, dielectric used, braiding sequence can also affect the sound. Can I ask you who made the "expensive silver wire". So the generalizations that you made in your first post are a little too presumptuous IMO.

The biggest reason why copper is used is price. It is cheaper than silver. Copper is the second best conductor out there (next to silver), but can be had for substantially lower prices. There is also the issue of system matching/optimization. Would I pair silver interconnects with my Concerto and HD800s....likely not. But definitely with my LCD-2s and one of my tube amps. That point I think is too often glossed over. YMMV of course...

Aside from Hero's silver options, any more reports on cable combos for the LCD-2? I want a cable that is really neutral. I've been doing some looking on ye olde internet and Cardas' other cables (as in the company's interconnects) seem to get reviews that mention colourations of one kind or another. Which of the other headphone cables mentioned thus far in this thread would fit the 'neutral' description?

I just found the following on the 6-Moons site. It's an interview with Ken Ball from ALO Audio:

"Thus far some of the more favorable vendors are Grado, Ultrasone, SoundMAGIC (fantastic in-ear monitors), Audio Technica, Sennheiser, Westone, Maximo (fantastic affordable in-ear headphones), AKG, Monster and Audeze. These latter guys are good friends and their LCD2 planar headphones are amazing. I am going to carry their LCD2 as a dealer in solid numbers. I am also working to supply them with a headphone cable specifically built as an upgrade path for their LCD2"

Those ALO Audio cables look terrific. And, at the risk of opening the flood-gates, dare I say the silver-coated copper cables look very tasty. Best of both worlds or master of neither? Anyone tried the ALO silver/copper combo cables? OK, and since I may be willing to break my 'never again' vow in relation to pure silver cables, has anyone tried pure silver cables (other than Dragon) with the LCD-2s?