Sennheiser HD600 cable suggestions

BlackbeardBen.......I have absolutely know clue where this comment came from," Well Jim, I hear they call you Hot and Nasty".  I have no idea who "they" are, or what the reference means.  Also, my name is not Jim.  People who know me call me Dan.  You are welcome to call me what pleases you, just don't call me late for dinner.

lol...  It's a reference to the Southern rock band Black Oak Arkansas.  Their lead singer goes by the stage name "Jim Dandy" - I made an (incorrect) guess as to what "jdandy" meant!  Their most famous song is Hot and Nasty, which Jim Dandy thusly claims that "they" call him that.  It's a great song, although their other work is less spectacular.  Beware of the live versions on Youtube though - they're even worse than usual.  The studio cut is pretty well recorded as far as less popular classic rock acts go, however.

I appreciate your response, and understand your point of view.  There are two staunch camps with opposite opinions when it comes to audio cables and their influence on audio signals.  I have been on both sides of the fence, and now reside with the group that believes there are audible differences in audio cables and speaker wires.  My scientific approach is to use and trust my own ears and brain.  I clearly experience differences among cables, including power cables.

I took the time to read the thread you provided the link to, My Cable Test Enterprise, and was impressed with the testing performed by Nick.  The bickering got old pretty quick, and by page five I had all I could stand, and quit.  Nick's numbers reflecting the decibel variations of four cables was interesting, although that was the limit to his presentation.  I respect his enthusiasm.  I am not an educator, an engineer, or a scientist, and I am not trying to influence yours or anyone else's opinions.  I am merely articulating my point of view from my perspective and experiences.  There are many  factors associated with the transmission of audio signals through wire, including the purity of the metal, the type of metal, the resistance, capacitance, shielding against RFI and EMI, insulation types, and construction techniques of a given cable.  My ears have been able to identify any number of audible differences between cable types.  Does this mean my opinion has greater weight than yours?  No it does not, and vice versa.  We all hear differently.  Sound is highly subjective.  Individual interpretations of what is being heard are as different and skewed as the number of ears listening.  One man's audio nirvana is another man's audio hell.  I accept this, and am comfortable with the notion that there are no two people who hear exactly alike.  Furthermore, attempting to describe how something sounds is an exercises in futility because your words only conjure up in my mind thoughts of my personal experiences.  Those thoughts will never be the same as yours no matter which words you choose to paint the picture.  You cannot clearly describe to me how something sounds and have me be in perfect harmony, anymore than I can do the same with you.  Such is life.

What I do know from my experiences with different audio cables and speaker cables is some please my ear, and some irritate my ear.  I have used interconnects that I could not listen for more than an hour before serious listener fatigue set it.  My ears tired of the sound, and I did not want to listen anymore.  This type of physical and mental response is something I pay attention to.  My ears and my brain are my test instruments.  On the other hand, I have listened to other interconnect cables and/or speaker cables and found myself very pleased with what I was hearing, and could continue to listen without listener fatigue for six to ten hours or more.  I don't drive myself insane continuously chasing my tail, looking for some minuscule improvement.  Once I have settled on cables I enjoy, I stay with what makes my ears happy.

I have friends who are in the opposing camp, and have strong opinions that say wire is wire, it all sounds exactly the same, and it is a futile waste on money chasing some non-existent audible improvement by changing cables.  I feel no need to try to influence their opinions, because the only ears I care about are my ears.  These same individuals spend an enormous amount of time trying to convince others that their point of view is the valid truth.  My philosophy centers on making myself happy first.  To each their own.

I will agree that the cost of audio interconnects and speaker cables is off the proverbial deep end.  There seems to be no correlation between the materials used, or construction and assembly techniques that can logically rationalize the prices of many so called high-end cables.  In fact, the ridiculous prices of so many audio cables is a major deterrent that inhibits more people from having the opportunity to experiment with different cables, and perhaps discovering something new.  Still, if a company can find customers willing to pay $3000 for a one meter pair of audio interconnects or $8000 for a six foot pair of speaker cables, I say more power to them for creating the illusion that their product delivers on the promise of some special price to performance ratio.  Those that can afford to pay the premium prices obviously believe they receive superior performance, and at the very least have bragging rights among their audio pals.  Ego plays into a lot of high-end purchases, as well, and not just in the audio arena.

This brings me back to my original intent with this thread, and that was to ask for headphone user's opinions on cable upgrades for my Sennheiser HD600 headphone.  I believe there are audible differences to be obtained with different cables.  Some may deliver improved sound, some may not, but my experience with other cables has clearly demonstrated to my ears that differences really do exist, and are worthy of investigation.  Again, I appreciate your response to my question, and respect your opinions, even if I don't agree.

That's great - I really respect your post and I wish such discussions could always go like this...

Anyway, my recommendation to start with the HD 650 cable stands.  After that, your options become quite a bit more expensive... I do still stand by my original statement that after that you'll probably get better bang-for-the buck with upgrading (believing in cables or not) the headphones themselves first.  On the other hand, you can always flip a cable if you don't like it or think it's worth it.

Actually, there's another benefit to be had with cables.  You could run them balanced, with a balanced amp and cable.  That's a bit different though, and would require a dedicated amp.

Very well-articulated post jdandy. I agree on all accounts.

I'm upset about the fact that your post was deleted, as well as mine (even though it contained my cable recommendations to you). So much off-topic nonsense in so many threads and the Moderators decide to delete our posts? Jeez...

Anyways, my recommendation (again) is to try the HD650 cable first. Definitely the best value cable upgrade for the 600s in terms of SQ and build quality.

It's a shame, I agree.  Whoever did it didn't even give the dignity of a PM either - that upsets me more than anything else...  It's the equivalent of being put on probation but not being told what crime it was for...