It IS pure copper (the second link is just a failed attempt at relinking the image in the first link). It just has a clear plastic sleeve on it that makes it a bit whiteish but it is definitely just pure copper.

 

I have both the later "pure white silver cable" that came with my HE300, and these old copper HE500 cables. They are very different. the silver cables are rigid, loud (in terms of microphonics), and sound cold almost thin, while the copper cables are flexible, quiet, and sound nice and lush. No idea why Hifiman decided to revert to those silver cables sometime this year.

 

On the other hand, the canare cable which I got with my HE400s, sounds like something in between, but is too bulky for me to like them a lot.

 

Fairly sure it's OCC, since the OCC copper XLR cable that Hifiman offers seems to be exactly the same cable / cup connectors, the only difference being the terminal connector being XLR instead of 3.5mm.

Edited by jerg - 12/22/12 at 5:01pm

 

 

 That looks exactly like the BTG copper cable I have. Does it have any markings?

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Lolz..ur fast..i was editing mypost after seeing u edited urs..lolz..i agree with u that the silver one sounds thin..i dont understand why mr. Fang does that..a good coppercable is much cheaper to include..maybe its because everyone nowadays is jumpin on the silvercables wagon? A hype?
Yeah the canare cable was heavy and not really flexible..but the person who bought my he300 with that cable tried the same phone with the silver cable..i told him he could choose between the two and take the one he loved the most for free..(and he was a grado owner!) but he choose the canare cable..he said: it gave him a more natural full sound then the silver..
I saw toxic cables has come up with a solution for the drawbacks of the silvercables..injecting gold into the cable..i saw norse audio is doing same thing also..but still..i am a copperlover..especially with my 337 and my he500. In two weeks i hope to get my new cable 22awg non/clear sleeved copper..sexy!
Edited by hifimanrookie - 12/22/12 at 5:16pm

Nah, it's just a plain occ copper cable with the terminations that are identical to the present Canare terminations. I'm 100% it is (or rather, once was) stock.

 

edit: it's basically this, but with 3.5mm termination.

Edited by jerg - 12/22/12 at 6:03pm

This is in addition to the silver-coated copper I see for Hifiman on the Head-Direct site?  My HE-500 is about a month old and has (presumably) silver cables, though from appearance, I wouldn't know if it were silver-coated copper.  It sounds fantastic out of my Lyr to me, though I have no comparison.  I do find the sound fuller with velour rather than pleather.  These are without a doubt the best sounding (and most expensive) phones in my collection.  Is there any reason for me to consider the silver-coated copper cable on the Head-Direct site?  If I wanted to try pure copper, what options do I have?  I have great difficulty seeing myself pay much more than $100 or so for a cable.

 

Yeah it's hard to know if the "new" Hifiman cables, the silver ones, are pure silver or silver-coated copper. Though the fact that they are very rigid compared to the OCC copper, braided the same way and of similar gauge, seems to point it towards being the former. My guess is Hifiman was spending too much on the OCC copper material so at one point they switched to pure silver instead.

 

It came with the HE-5 and very early batches of HE-6.

It looks much better than the current silver cable Hifiman uses and has a nice sleeving

 

Photo here (sorry for the quality)

 

:

So if I currently have the new style all silver cable, and want to experiment (from say, Toxic Cables) should I try

Cryo OCC Stranded Silver/Copper Cable Unsleeved

 

or

 

Pure OCC Stranded Pure Copper Cable Unsleeved

Has anyone had the chance to compare the schiit lyr with the musical fidelity m1 hpa for the hifiman he-500?

Leatherman Juice S2.

Highly highly recommend norse audio cable for he-500,if you want a fuller and lush sound, norn2 8 conductor cable is a very very good choice, and Trevor customer service is just fantastic, the best i have ever experienced.

I have an "end game" special made skuld series incoming, which according to Trevor, that will give me the best experience of mid range vocal that i always dying for.

Yes i agree..norse audio makes very nifty and excellent cables..but if u wanna compare..try the new company toxic cables..a new series of silver cables (silver widow) and especially for us he500 owners new copper cables, the black widow 22awg and even 18awg cables are out now..and guys..i fell ouf of my chair when i saw theprices..dont know how they do it!

one copper black widow 22awg is on its way to me..cant wait to compare him to my dhc cable
Edited by hifimanrookie - 12/23/12 at 2:31pm

 

 

Could it just be that Toxic Cables are charging in line with actual costs and others are charging way out of line? That's my theory anyway.

oh yea, i love how it looks a lot!