Review: Estron Linum BaX --- New IEM Cable for a New Age

doublea71 said:

Thanks for the info - I'm going to go for the 2 pin, but not sure about the vocal, music or bax...

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BaX seems to be the model of choice so far for people.

Hello. I have a new 2 pin BaX used for 20 min available if anyone interested just pm me. Thanks

Here's a quick review from my experience with the atom-like weight cable that is the Estron Linum MMCX BaX Cable.
 
I used the Estron Linum MMCX BaX Cable with my Shure SE846 for about a week, and wound up returning them for a refund.
 
These are my pros and cons regarding the cable:
 
Pros: Very light, and is the most portable option regarding a cable, connectors included.
 
Cons: Too short (only a few inches longer than the shorter 46 in Shure SE846 stock cable)
 
Connections are not as “tight” as the stock cable and signal is intermittent when you barely move (i.e. move your head, walk)
 
Felt very fragile, but got used to the soft cable and “invisible” feeling within a couple of days of having them on.
 
Tangles a lot easier than the stock cable and takes longer to untangle as a result.
 
 
I am now an unfortunate believer that different types of cable DO change the properties of the sound being listened through respective (C)IEMs.  With this said, the Linum cable’s sound is muffled, mostly in the highs, and lows are not as pronounced as the stock cable as well.  It could be because of the diameter of the cables, and/or what they are made out of, that creates a mismatch regarding coherency with the SE846.
 
I actually found more “psychological assurance” when I used the stock cable because I always felt that when I hung my earphones over my shoulders, the earphones would disconnect easier because the Linum’s connection was not very strong, and the lighter cable would cause the earphones (heavier because of my Sensaphonics custom sleeves attached) to move easier as well.  The earphones never got disconnected whilst hanging from my shoulders with the Linum cables attached to them, but I always thought in the back of my mind it was only a matter of time before an earphone disconnected suddenly.
 
When I contacted The USA supplier (Warner Tech-care Products Inc.) that I purchased the Linum from for returning directions, they said: “Estron is creating a 62” cable in the future, but it’s not out of production yet.”  At least they will have a longer cable, so that is definitely a positive. 
 
The ultimate reason why I returned the cable is that the cons, in my opinion, far outweighed the pros.  I purchased the Shure SE846 and the Sensaphonics Custom Sleeves to try to obtain auditory bliss, and knowing the Linum cable actually hinders overall musicality was the deciding factor to bid adieu.
 
I wound up using a razor blade to carefully cut out and remove the stock memory wire and plastic lining from the stock Shure SE846, and I feel comfort increases, ten-fold, as a result.   I actually appreciate the stock cable so much more now because the Linum cable demonstrated all of the factors of the stock cable that I took for granted, like connector fit, superior construction, (assembly line of the stock > “handmade-esque” quality of the Linum) and overall musicality.
 
Here are the pictures of the Estron Linum BaX cable with my Sensaphonics Custom “Regular” Sleeves in Crystal Blue and Shure SE846 (don't mind my cauliflower wrestler's ear).
 

 

Someone else mentioned a loose fit on their Sure's.
That would indeed put me off too.
 
The 2-pin version I have needed (very) slight 'squashing' of the pins on one side to fit snug, but it's fine now (my monitors were originally built to a very slightly different pin size).
 
I'm looking forward to trying Linum's own connector on my next CIEM's, it sounds like it might be a big improvement over current connectors.
 
Sonically, my impressions differed, boosted bass, slightly more 'V' shaped overall.
I think I'll try the music model next time as I don't think I'll be going balanced any time soon.
Sorry to hear it didn't suit your purposes.
 
Would I be right to assume that your sleeves are silicone?
Do they alter the sound of the 846 at all?
(just curious, sorry for brief OT)

I've just taken delivery of a 2 Pin Linum cable from Cosmic Ears, today.
 
First impressions:
 
1. The pictures and descriptions really do not adequately express just how thin this cable is.
2. It is extremely comfortable. The minute you put it round your ears, you forget it is there.
3. Removes the need for memory wire or ear-guides.
4. Fit was perfect in both CIEM's I tried it in (Cosmic Ears HY3 and Cosmic Ears reshelled TF10) and not loose in any way - I do not have any universal fit IEM's with a 2 pin socket to try it with.
5. Absolutely no cable microphonics. The outer sleeve of the cable is both soft and flexible.
6. Sound seems to be unaltered from other cables I have (with the exception of the Dark Lord cable I have for my TF10, which continues to have a sound all of its own)
 
This cable has essentially made all my other CIEM cables redundant.
 
Next up, is to see if I can obtain an MMCX connector variant of this cable, as I would dearly love to replace the cable on my UE900 with one of these Linum cables.

q mass said:

  Someone else mentioned a loose fit on their Sure's.
That would indeed put me off too.
 
The 2-pin version I have needed (very) slight 'squashing' of the pins on one side to fit snug, but it's fine now (my monitors were originally built to a very slightly different pin size).
 
I'm looking forward to trying Linum's own connector on my next CIEM's, it sounds like it might be a big improvement over current connectors.
 
Sonically, my impressions differed, boosted bass, slightly more 'V' shaped overall.
I think I'll try the music model next time as I don't think I'll be going balanced any time soon.
Sorry to hear it didn't suit your purposes.
 
Would I be right to assume that your sleeves are silicone?
Do they alter the sound of the 846 at all?
(just curious, sorry for brief OT)

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Sorry to go off-topic as well, but here is my review of the Sensaphonics Custom Sleeves in Crystal Blue for the Shure SE846.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/723306/review-sensaphonics-custom-sleeves-in-crystal-blue-for-the-shure-se846
 
I hope you enjoy the read as much as the enjoyment I had in writing it.  

HA! now THAT'S what I call an answer!
Cheers moedawg, I'm pretty envious of your setup

q mass said:

  HA! now THAT'S what I call an answer!
Cheers moedawg, I'm pretty envious of your setup

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Thanks Q Mass!  The thing that's great is that you can have the setup as well if you have the resources, and/or cut some corners (buy a used Shure SE846, eat Ramen [packaged] for a couple of weeks instead of going out).  

I'm not going to speak about sound quality differences.  However, I contacted Warner Tech-care about how my right earpiece was continually disconnecting with their cable.  This has been a common problem with every third party cable I've used and the MMCX connector.  They wrote back within half an hour and said they would send me a new cable along with a mailing tag for the old cable.  That's exceptional service!
 
I've returned to the stock cable and I've immediately noticed how much the Estron Linum made me forget I had IEMs in my ear.  Regardless of whether their is a trade-off in sound quality, the ergonomic difference is massive.

Out of curiosity, how are people using these that they think the cable isn't long enough? Are you talking when set up with an AMP on the desk or portable? Because I've kept mine both in my pants pockets as well in my inside breast pocket on a few jackets, I've never had a problem with length. I'm also not exactly a short gentleman so it can't be that you're all seven foot giants...

I could see it being a bit of an issue while in a seated position if your AMP is exceptionally far away, but I'd just say get an extension cable or something. On the go the last thing I want is a huge mess of cable (that will only get more tangled).

dougoftheabaci said:

Out of curiosity, how are people using these that they think the cable isn't long enough? Are you talking when set up with an AMP on the desk or portable? Because I've kept mine both in my pants pockets as well in my inside breast pocket on a few jackets, I've never had a problem with length. I'm also not exactly a short gentleman so it can't be that you're all seven foot giants...

I could see it being a bit of an issue while in a seated position if your AMP is exceptionally far away, but I'd just say get an extension cable or something. On the go the last thing I want is a huge mess of cable (that will only get more tangled).

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I am only speaking for myself, but I do not use an amp, just an iPhone 5.  However, I have it attached to my phone holster, and the short cable gets caught by the holster, meaning I only have around a foot of room to move up the iPhone 5.  Obviously that is much too short for me.  The stock Shure 46" cable is too short in my opinion, and I am not the only one who has posted on threads that the length is too short in their opinions as well.  The current Linum cable is only a few inches longer than the stock Shure 46" cable.  When I was hiking, I had to place the iPhone 5 in my Camelbak Marathoner Vest's left pocket, which wasn't the optimal place since I'm right handed, but the cable kept catching on the holster on my right side, so I did not have a choice.  I would rather have a cable that is too long, than is too short, any day.  With the longer Shure 64" cable, I use the included shirt clip, and that helps keep everything in place, but still able to bring my iPhone 5 up to actually use it without having to hunch forward.
 
Regarding the extension cable, I tried using a Shure extension cable with the Linum cable, but it made the already slightly muffled sound even worse.  Not to mention using the thicker Shure or any other extension cable defeats the purpose of why most people purchased the Linum cable in the first place: for its super thin properties.  I was thinking if they made a Linum extension cable, that would be nice, but I know that there is no cable of the sort that can be purchased thus far.  Hence, I think the 62" in Linum cable that will be available for purchase in the future (was not told the exact date of availability) is a much better length.

Cosmic Ears don't supply the Linum cable with the MMCX connector, but they very kindly put me in touch with the UK distributor who is happy to deal directly with end customers as well as retailers/resellers.
 
Their pricing for the MMCX variant from the distributor is as follows:
 
MMCX – Music                  £40.72
MMCX  - BaX Dual Twist   £44.53
 
Next day postage within the UK with UPS £14.00
Royal mail signed for within the UK 1-2 days £8.50
Royal mail no tracking within the UK 1-1 days £5.00
 
All the above prices do not include VAT
 
The distributor can be contacted at http://www.colsanmicro.com and I emailed them using the sales address on that website and got a response within 2 hours. They take payment via bank transfer, debit card or credit card. There is a small surcharge for debit/credit card transactions.
 
To be clear, I have no connection with this company at all, other than as an end customer. I am supplying this information in the interests of helping others.

dougoftheabaci said:

Out of curiosity, how are people using these that they think the cable isn't long enough? Are you talking when set up with an AMP on the desk or portable? Because I've kept mine both in my pants pockets as well in my inside breast pocket on a few jackets, I've never had a problem with length. I'm also not exactly a short gentleman so it can't be that you're all seven foot giants...

I could see it being a bit of an issue while in a seated position if your AMP is exceptionally far away, but I'd just say get an extension cable or something. On the go the last thing I want is a huge mess of cable (that will only get more tangled).

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Gotta say, cable length is plenty for me too, jeans pocket, or even under a gilet and back up to outside pocket.
 
Can't hurt for them to offer a longer version for basketball players though.

bjoern said:

  I have used this cable for about a week now, together with an ibasso DX90 and SE846 iem.
...
Soundwise it is a bit dampened or darker than the stock cable. The highs are not as sparkling and voices are somewhat drawn back. At first I wasn't too happy abot it, but now I'm not so sure...

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I tried changing to the white SE846 filter once more to see if it would balance out the somewhat muffled impression from the Linum cable. I didn't like the white filter with the Shure stock cable, but with the Linum BaX it made all the difference.

I have a very dumb question. I just received this cable in the 2 pins. Each side is labelled with a blue and red dot to denote left and right. Does it matter which way the pins go in? Should the dots be facing upwards (towards me)?
 
Usually with other cables, it's easy to tell, because you can follow the correct direction of the memory wire/ear guard. But since this cable has no memory wire, it's harder to tell.
 
Thanks!