DHC Impressions and Reviews

The neutral DHC OCC Copper Symbiote cables effectively provide an uncolored musical experience. You might say, John, how the hell can you emphatically say such a thing? Let me explain....

I didn't want these cables to sound good. Actually, I didn't want them to sound bad either. I was hoping they would sound exactly the same as my stock Westone ES5 cables. But I wanted to give it the 'Ol college try, and give them the listen they deserved. I've read all the threads regarding cables, power cables, etc. There is no science corroborating or refuting claims that this cable is better than that cable. So, the best thing I can do is follow the scientific method as closely as possible, to limit corrupt data input, and thus, corrupted output. So I start with the question: Do these cables sound different than other cables?

To test the first question, i use the same recordings, the same source gear, the same amps, etc. For this test, I used the iPhone 4 (airplane Mode)-->CLAS-->Pico Slim-->ES5's and 3 cables. Westone stock cables, silver stranded cables and Peter's DHC OCC Symbiote cables for JH/UE/Westone IEM's.



Results? Easy, every time I went back to the DHC cables, the bass was deeper and tighter, transients quicker and highs crisper. No matter the listening lever, no matter the contending cable.....the results were always the same. DHC cables sounded closer to neutral (which is better to me).

A little about the DHC cables, since this is a DHC thread. They are overmolded by the same company who overmolds JH cables. Look closely, they are the same. Peter has his own branded 1/8 connector, and it is solid and looks fantastic. Peter was quick to email me back and walk me through using a hairdryer to heat-form the wires to go around my ears so I wouldn't have to use memory wire. Every single inch of Peter's cables can be changed by the user. He can make them balanced, 3 or 4 pin XLR, whatever. All you have to do is ask, and it's done for you. There is even a limited edition black transparent sheathing that looks crazy. If you have smoke colored IEM's, do consider the black transparent!

I won't bore all of you with the long, and just get to the short. I am a firm believer that Double Helix Cables has a winner with it's Symbiote cables. Instead if trying to rationalize how the DHC cables could increase the speed of the transients, deepen and tighten the bass as well as clarify the highs, I submit to you that the cables, themselves, are inherantly neutral. Rather, the other cables I have mask the crisp, hide the deeper and smooth the tighter. Peter is marketing these cables as Neutral, and I believe him. I love neutral, but not because I am bland. I have no problems EQing my music if I feel it's needed. But I don't want my amp, source, DAC or whatever to color the music. Let me make that decision on the fly. I think Peter's cables help me do just that, by simply getting out of the way of the music.

If you are in the market for a new set of cables, and you want neutral cables that just get out of the way, these should get a serious look from you.

I have recently had the pleasure of dealing with Peter at Double Helix Cables....He built a set of cables for my Shure  SE535  IEMs.The moment I put these on for the first time I knew they were something special.Sound quality was vastly improved...highs are brilliant...lows wonderfull...mid range great.The improvement over the stock cables was night and day.I have had them for about a month now and the hilite of my day is getting off of work so i can  slap these on for the train ride home.Looking at the quality of construction ,I am amazed at the amount of thought that went into  these    wires  well built top to bottom..  got mine with the memory wire and felt it helps the placement in my ear .I had purchased aftermarket wires from Peter  for my Akg-q701 and the improvement in sound was amazing...Peter takes the time to deal with each customer on an individual bases and customer service is second to none. If I need wires(and I will)  double helix is the place.to go

I have a pair of the first full sized DHC SE Complement cable for the HD800s and though being a bit heavy, sound absolutely great.  I have tried to go back to the stock silver cable and those sound shrill and thin.  What a help to the HD800 sound these are.  Peter is great to work with too, a big plus to have him in our headphone community.

Edited by dallan - 7/19/11 at 4:43pm

wow just the dhc symbiote iem cable for my Um3x, sounds exactly like what JSLAPPA says, very neutral and uncoloured. Exactly what I am looking for, a neutral, quality build cable. 

Thanks guys!

Subscribed!

Peter provides unbelievable service! A++++++ Can't wait to get mine and hear how they sound on the JH16 + CLAS rig .... 

Thanks! I need to get me a CLAS, but I have so many toys and portable sources already...grr

I concur! DHC's customer service is outstanding. I'm left with no doubt in my mind that Peter's cables he helped me choose are the best ones for my rig.

Okay, just received my OCC Nucleotide IEM cable and connectors from Peter (pictured below). Placed my order on a Wednesday, he made the cable on Thursday and shipped Friday morning - really impressed by that. It almost made me wonder if the product could match the level of service - my expectations were high ...

 

So, I get the cable, and immediately do some back and forth testing between the stock and new cable. (I won't say A/B - not that scientific!) Anyway, it's impressive. I immediately felt "closer" to the music, like a veil had been lifted. And remember, this was with no burn in. 

 

Next, I decided to burn it in at least 10 hours with pink noise. Surprisingly, that produced a dramatic difference ... and what's amazing is that 100 hours is supposed to be the sweet spot. (I'm super excited about that!)

 

Anyway, my rig is probably fairly common here at Head-Fi:

 

iPod Touch --> CLAS --> Rx/Mk2 --> OCC/Nuc IEM Cable --> JH16's (with OCC mini-to-mini and OCC USB-Dock, both from DHC) 

 

Listened to the following songs through the FLAC player as comparison: 

 

Dog Days Are Over (Florence and the Machine) - Vocals sound unreal. Especially the highs. The whole song just seemed more lively. Wow!

American Pie (Don Maclean) - The piano stood out especially to me here, never heard quite heard all the subtleties of it's sound. 

A Love Supreme - Acknowledgment (John Coltrane) - The sax sounded smoother, almost liquid and so immersive. One of my favorites just got a lot better.

Lovesong (The Cure) - What amazed me most was the instrument separation, I could hear each instrument soooooooooo perfectly, it was almost hypnotic. 

The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie) - Really noticed how different his voice sounds, also could hear the guitar reverberate in ways that never heard before. Very cool sound. 

 

Overall, I won't pretend to give in-depth analysis of the lows/mids/highs and use other audiophile jargon - I don't think I'm advanced enough for that yet! Lol. Though I'll concur with others that the cables don't seem to "color" the music in the slightest, just help bring it more to life ... if that makes sense.

 

I guess another way to express that is that I've just never felt closer to the music, I had some extreme moments of just total immersion and bliss, where I got completely lost in all the nuances of the music. 

 

Felt like I was "there" and so close to the artist and instruments, just surreal, and now helps me fully understand what the audiophile "quest" for better sound is all about. I'm sure this is just the beginning, very exciting :) 

 

Now, in all fairness, I should note that this is not all due to Peter and DHC cables. I'm using very good recordings/hi-res files, CLAS, the ALO amp, JH16's -- all undeniably awesome gear. 

 

Still, what I will say is that despite all that, something still felt "missing" from the music ... which is exactly what caused me to pursue a better cable. 

And now, after trying these cables with minimal burn-in, I feel pretty content that I found the missing link that -- at least with this particular rig -- helps maximize every last drop of sound quality out of it. 

 

Though I'm sure much more awaits on my audiophile journey ..... will def be using DHC cables when I get finally some LCD-2's and maybe the JH-3A, if it's ever released. 

 

Oh ... one more thing: The photos really don't do this cable justice at all -- it's absolutely gorgeous (almost dark gold in color) and the build quality feels excellent. They are a pleasure to look at, wear and handle. 

 

Very, very big thanks to Cifani (the OP of this thread) for recommending Peter, it was a fantastic experience from beginning to end and can't wait until these cables have 100 hours on them ;) 

 

Edited by Tonyflo - 10/3/11 at 10:08pm

Thanks tonyflo!  That's quite a sick setup.