The HiFiMan series cable from Q-Audio may be one of the nicest and coolest looking cables I have ever seen for a headphone. Wrapped in filament silk, Q-Audio really has a marvel on their hands in terms of design, aesthetics, and durability. When compared to the likes of ALO Audio cables, the Q-Audio cable seems like a bargain at such a cheap starting price of only $200 for 3 feet. With that being said, how does the Q-Audio cable actually perform? Let’s take a deeper look and find out.
Steve Eddy of Q-Audio is really one of the most joyous people to chat with. I first heard of Steve from a fellow Head-Fi member who absolutely adored his cables. Taking his comments and all the other positive remarks into consideration I decided to take a look at Steve’s cables. Boy, were they a sight to see. Beautifully woven cotton jacketing and quite a thin design, to say the least. Curious to find out more, I decided to hit up Steve with a quick email, and a week later, I was able to test out the Q-Audio cable for myself.
What we have here is a cable for the HiFiMan series of planar magnetic headphones. While I would have done a review on the Audez’e series (which I would have preferred to do), there was more buzz for the HE cable, and so I decided to review it as such. Your probably wondering why there are two parts to this review. Well, I only have an HE-300 on me at the time of this review and I’m planning on picking up a HE-500 after Christmas weekend or at the beginning of next year. So, without any further ado, let’s get rolling with part 1 of the Q-Audio cable review, because I sure do have a lot to discuss.
The Design
Probably the most unique thing about Q-Audio cables, the design is very simple yet breathtaking at the same time. The type 2 litz wire is sheathed in an extremely soft cotton jacketing and comes off as being very lightweight, with the only mass coming from the termination connector. The cotton comes in three different colors, brown, golden yellow, or natural unbleached cotton. Steve is also offering the cable in purple, which looks very beautiful. Just ask MorbidToaster on Head-Fi what he thinks of it when paired up with his custom LCD-2’s.
I’m really loving the look and vibe that the Q cables are giving off. They’re simple (as if I haven’t said that enough) yet dazzling at the same time. While I personally am a fan of beefier cables (Double Helix Cables, ALO Cyro, etc), people who want a more streamlined and clean look should definitely look at Q-Audio more than anything else. Also take into consideration that the cable comes terminated in a few different connectors, which you can look through on the website since there is entirely too many to talk about.
Durability
When it comes to durability, there isn’t a whole lot to discuss. The cable’s cotton fabrication can take quite a beating and I have yet to experience any tears or rips of any kind. Then again, I do take the utmost care of my headphone gear, so you may have to ask someone else that’s a lot more carefree than I am.
Sonic Impressions
Finally, now I’m able to talk about my favorite part of these cables, the sound quality. Let’s first begin with a little history lesson. There is something on Head-Fi that people like to refer to as the “placebo effect”. Some people think that cables simply don’t make a difference, because there is no scientific proof to prove the theory that cables make a sonic difference. For me, it begins with this cable, and the fact that I can hear a difference indicates to me that you don’t need science to back something up. If it’s clearly audible, then it can’t be placebo. Now that we have that covered, let’s begin.
To start things off, let’s talk about how much of an audible difference the Q-Audio cable makes. Is it going to be a cable that completely changes the sound signature? No. The Q cable simple adds improvements throughout the overall frequency band. It’s not hugely significant, but the improvements do make a difference. The Q cable adds much more overall refinement than I’m hearing on the stock cable. Things seem to be clearing up and appear a lot more resolved everywhere.
Instrumental separation is a lot more apparent and the soundstage seems to be getting much wider and deeper, probably the biggest difference I’m hearing. The HE-300’s already had a pretty congested soundstage, and they seem to open up quite bit with the Q cable. Everything is sped up and is more dynamically impressive. Mids and highs are more clean and not as dark as they used to be. Overall, everything is speedier and brighter. Not to the point of being shrill, but enough refinement that the HE-300’s are becoming more enjoyable and less dark than they used to be.
Final Thoughts
I never used to believe in the whole cable propaganda, but now that I am actually hearing a difference in the sound signature of my headphones, I’m starting to not care about the whole proof part of it. The Q-Audio cables brings out a whole new level of refinement and cleanliness to the frequency band, and I do really enjoy listening to the cable with darker sounding headphone like the HE-300. If you like the HE-300’s sound signature, but want a little more sparkle and brightness, Q-Audio is the way to go.
