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The Complete Sennheiser Cable Review - Page 3

post #31 of 37
12/12/04 at 8:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bosk
I own a pair of 580's with the Oehlbach cable and am planning to upgrade them in the new year - I do feel the 580's are somewhat "veiled" and this leads them to sound too relaxed and uninvolving for my tastes.
I never had considered the 580's to be veiled until I tried the Oehlbach. It definitely did something strange and everything sounds muffled. Try the stock. It sounds better at least in my setup. No veil. Though the bass on Oehlbach is better.
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post #32 of 37
12/13/04 at 1:18am
Cheers for all the great responses to my "veil" question.

IMO with either the Oehlbach or stock the 580's are definately on the "dark" side, it's obvious when I listen to any kind of Rock with them that vocals are noticably quieter, less distinct & muffled compared to my other phones.

The 580's seem to emphasise the instruments in the band (particularly drums) over vocals which works brilliantly for Jazz or Classical but isn't ideal for Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop, Techno or Blues IMO.

It almost seems like Sennheiser has engineered them with a built in "Classical" EQ preset, which I find disappointing because they're fabulous phones in terms of comfort, soundstage, detail and bass for everything else besides.


Back on Topic:
One question that's concerns me with the Senn cables is length: is it better to buy the shortest length you can (eg. 1 metre) to ensure maximum sound quality, in other words does the SQ fall off with longer cables?
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post #33 of 37
12/13/04 at 1:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
IMO with either the Oehlbach or stock the 580's are definately on the "dark" side, it's obvious when I listen to any kind of Rock with them that vocals are noticably quieter, less distinct & muffled compared to my other phones.
Maybe you should try the Zu and take advantage of the 60 day return policy. The Zu cable definitely brightens the sound and may give you what you are looking for in the Sennheisers.

Quote:
One question that's concerns me with the Senn cables is length: is it better to buy the shortest length you can (eg. 1 metre) to ensure maximum sound quality, in other words does the SQ fall off with longer cables?
Unless you are running extremely long cables - eg over 10 metres - the sound quality will be identical. Although I can clearly hear differences between cables, I generally cannot distinguish differences between different lengths of the same cable. The fact that I bought a 5m version of the Blue Dragon did not stop it from sounding better (to me) than the other cables, which were all 3m. Buy the most convenient length of cable, an extra metre or two will make absolutely no difference.
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post #34 of 37
12/13/04 at 5:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bosk
Is it better to buy the shortest length you can (eg. 1 metre) to ensure maximum sound quality, in other words does the SQ fall off with longer cables?
My experience is a little different. I've halved the stock cable, and this made a considerable difference: increased smoothness and clarity and slightly more treble. So I would recommend this tweak as a cheap alternative to an aftermarket cable. I've ordered the Silver Dragon as 4-feet cable with 6-feet extension cable; with the whole 10 feet it sounds a bit darker and rougher, although the difference is smaller than in the case of the stock cable. (And the additional connectors could have an impact as well.) I could compare my 1-m Zu Mobius with a 2.5 m version; the sonic difference is not very pronounced, but the sound is a little less smooth with the longer cable, especially in the midrange.

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post #35 of 37
12/13/04 at 8:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ross
Maybe you should try the Zu and take advantage of the 60 day return policy. The Zu cable definitely brightens the sound and may give you what you are looking for in the Sennheisers.
That's not a bad idea Ross, I must admit the Zu has been tempting me with all the great reviews it's been getting here.
Must admit though, I was quite surprised at your thoughts on the Blue Dragon (particularly the hyper-long burn in), and you seem to be a bloke who can articulate the naunces of these cables as well as anyone.

As for me, I should probably try to audition a few more brands of headphones before I invest more money in my 580's.

I need to get a listen to some electrostats in the new year, as I find them conceptually pretty fascinating. "Fatigue-free-listening" is a very tempting hook.
I'm also keen to hear how Sony's new range of "Mini-Qualias" sound, though I never really cared for Sony's brand of sound in the past. (but never owned any of their really high-end stuff to be fair)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ross
Unless you are running extremely long cables - eg over 10 metres - the sound quality will be identical. Although I can clearly hear differences between cables, I generally cannot distinguish differences between different lengths of the same cable. The fact that I bought a 5m version of the Blue Dragon did not stop it from sounding better (to me) than the other cables, which were all 3m. Buy the most convenient length of cable, an extra metre or two will make absolutely no difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JaZZ
My experience is a little different. I've halved the stock cable, and this made a considerable difference: increased smoothness and clarity and slightly more treble. So I would recommend this tweak as a cheap alternative to an aftermarket cable. I've ordered the Silver Dragon as 4-feet cable with 6-feet extension cable; with the whole 10 feet it sounds a bit darker and rougher, although the difference is smaller than in the case of the stock cable. (And the additional connectors could have an impact as well.) I could compare my 1-m Zu Mobius with a 2.5 m version; the sonic difference is not very pronounced, but the sound is a little less smooth with the longer cable, especially in the midrange.
It's funny, but I somehow imagined that shorter cables would always sound best because the signal would have less distance to travel, thereby improving the "attack" of the music.. is this as crazy as it sounds?
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post #36 of 37
12/26/04 at 1:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bosk
It's funny, but I somehow imagined that shorter cables would always sound best because the signal would have less distance to travel, thereby improving the "attack" of the music.. is this as crazy as it sounds?
Sounds kind of funny to expect the shorter cable to get your music there a nanosecond quicker and thus improve attack, but shorter cables often sound better (other factors being equal) because they will usually have lower capacitance. Capacitance lowers the Fc of the low-pass circuit that is created between your amp and your headphones, which reduces HF extension and leaves more "glare" than "air".
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post #37 of 37
8/28/11 at 3:38am

What cable can make my IE8 sound even better? Sweeter mids and brighter treble.

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