Meier/Oehlbach HD600cable - Page 4

Wondering how in your opinion the stock of the 650's would compare with all these cables, including the stock of the 600.

Pabbi1,

WTF is ceteris paribus!?

All right all right, I reckon the Oehlbach must be worth the money...

Silver interconnects!? Not in a million years! But then, "never say never". Ooooh, my dearly beloved wallet...


Allright you win! I've just sent Jan Meier an e-mail... My wallet!

Cheers,
Alex

Anyone hear them with the HD650? They look very similar to the stock cable and I'd be interested into what improvements they provide.

I went Blue because I was scared of all silver. It seems the HD650 crowd spends all their time woofing at each other about Zu Mobius vs Moon Silver Dragon. That said, when I go HD650, I'll probably keep the Blue only due to the possibility of also picking up a tube amp at some point. See Tuberoller's excellent cable shootout thread, and most of the reason I went Blue lie in that review.

The Oehlbachs are twice the cable, physically, of the stock cable.

In my opinion, and not having HD650s, the Moon delivers far more detail, bass, timbre, separation and clarity than does the stock cable, and somewhat more of the above than the Oehlbachs. As I've said, I think the Oehlbach should be the minimum standard cable shipped with the upper end Sennheiser phones. There is another thread currently of the Silver Dragon bunch weighing in with their observations, especially on the HD650, as the recommended silver burn in time is longer than that of copper.

As for the Blue Dragon .5m ICs, Cardas connectors and silver wire, $108.35 shipped. I am delighted with everything I have bought from Moon, and will be a repeat customer.

YMMV (Your mileage may vary)

I just got my Oehlbach cable a few minutes ago and the first thing that I noticed that it is built a lot better than the stock cable. The sound is noticably better than the stock cable. It's not a huge difference, which I didn't expect, but the bass definately is deeper and fuller and a little more detailed. I'll post some more impressions later when I get some more listening time and time to swap the cables back and forth. So far I am impressed, and this cable is worth it just for build quality alone.

Edit: Maybe the difference isn't so subtle. The bass is dramatically improved and the bass hump has been smoothed. The bass kick in Absurd Minds "The Question" doesn't have any kick and isn't very audible with the stock cable, but it back with full force with the Oehlbach cable. Every song I have tried so far where the bass was lacking before now has much more presense and impact. This a very clear difference compared to the stock cable.

Donovan,

It's great to know this Oehlbach cable has got such great build quality, but I've bought it for the sonic improvements more than anything else. I hope I won't be disappointed. It should arrive in about five days, but it sure feels like eternity...

Cheers,
Alex

Despite my congested sinuses this morning and lack of time to get a detailed listen and to be able to compare directly to the stock cable I noticed a nice sonic improvement. I doubt you'll be at all dissapointed in the improvement these make. They don't change the fundamental character of the HD600s but improve what is already there. The most easily noticable thing this morning was the dramatic improvement in the bass. The sound also seemed slightly less laid-back and a little more exciting, but I'll be sure of that when I get some more time with them when I get home in a couple hours. What I knew for sure is that I was even more pleased with my HD600s after I put on that cable

i received my oehlbach today great service from meier, got here (maryland) exactly one week after jan mailed them off.

sounds great so far. my initial impressions are similar to donovan's: not a massive imrovement, but a significant upgrade. most apparently, the 600's slightly muddy bass has been cleaned up quite nicely. fuller sound, especially sub 60hz or so, greater detail, yet more controlled than before. highs are sweeter than with the stock also, though a couple of snare and cymbal hits here and there are a bit sharp. hopefully burn in will make these freqs just a shade darker. separation between sounds is increased. that may be due to the new treble response. i wouldn't expect any veils to be lifted however; the cable remains faithful to the trademark senn sound in my setup. btw i am using my 600s with the foam removed.

the build quality is definitely a step up from the stock. the 600s feel noticably heavier on my head, but not annoyingly so. the connectors are a tighter fit also. overall this is a worthwhile upgrade, easily worth price imo, especially considering a stock replacement cable is $25 anyway...

Hmmm. Fuller bass and sweeter highs...
Less laid back and more exciting...
Sounds like the Oehlbachs make listening at lower volumes more enjoyable. Can you guys hear more detail at low volumes than with the stock cable?

Cheers,
Alex

umm, i haven't done any specifically low-volume comparisons, but i don't see any reason why sonic improvements would be limited by the volume level. bass is still clearly improved at low volume. i don't think i listen at high volumes... people almost always ask me to bump it up a bit if they listen after me. i'm no audio expert however, and i suppose it is possible that some details will be inaudible at very low volume, no matter what components you use.

Oehlbach first impressions! :D

My Oehlbachs have just arrived this evening. Jan Meier is sure a great vendor to get stuff from. Very professional. The cable took a bit longer to arrive because of the Mardi Gras holiday which slows down Brazilian postal services. Luckily, it came straight through customs. I paid no import duties!!!

Wow. This cable is thick! Really twice the cable as the stock cable. It looks beautiful plugged into the 580s. Exact same color as the 580s headcup rings, like they were made for each other (but they were ).

Guys, as soon as I listened to my HD 580s with the Oehlbach I could tell a difference immediately! It was the bass. The low pitched organ in the beginning of Also Spracht Zarathustra was detailed like I've never heard it with the stock cable. THe bass is deeper, more accurate, more detailed, and goes down lower than with the stock cable. This is readily noticeable. Upper frequency differences are not as readily noticeable, but they are surely there. If you pay attention, you'll notice more detailed highs and smoother mids. Sweeter yes, but I don't think this cable makes the HD 580s any less laid back. If anything, it sounds smoother than before. I think Norah Jones' voice sounds harsher with the stock cable, sweeter with the Oehlbach. Surely my setup sounds warmer now, especially vocals. I've noticed no such thing as sharp cymbal hits as did Rhizome, but my ICs are also on the warm, darker, rolled off side of things so that could be the reason. More difficult to discern are soundstage differences. They seem to be there but I'm not sure whether they are purely psychological or not.

Verdict: this cable provides a readily noticeable improvement, therefore it's well worth the money. I'm glad I got it.

Cheers,
Alex


Edit: of course I'm still burning them in. Will post more later!

pabbi1
did you do and/or post some mor of your ongoing comparisons with Blue Moon Dragon? Did they unfold more, smooth out, open up etc.?
improve (or not) compared to Oehlbach?
thanks
Dalida

With all the improvement in bass and overall solidity with the Oehlbach, don't forget to notice that some of the air and soundstage depth is missing... I noticed a loss of space around the instruments as well, a more compressed sound for sure. Maybe some aren't as interested in the spacious quality of the Senns tho, preferring a more Grado-like sound.

Yeah, after 8 long hours of burn in.

Cables don't 'burn in', unless maybe you throw 'em on the fire...

Edit ...but don't let me challenge anyone's beliefs, how about just letting this thread move on and not making an issue out of it? Cheers, and may everyone enjoy their Senn cable of choice.