[Dinerenblanc]

  As an update, I am really loving the Westone Star tips, these seal the deal with the JVC (copper?) cable attached. The cable definetly adds more warmth and smoothness as opposed to the stock cable, creating a similar sound signature as the FX 850s. The tips maintain the intrinsic clarity of the iems.
 
I am thinking of upgrading my Jvc cable to a higher quality copper cable. I see there are 93 spec and double helix ones. Any advice on which brand is better? I am very new to the cable world so advice would be awesome.
 
I take back all of the negative things I said a few posts ago about these headphones. They are blissful. I literally teared up the other night listing to my music...

haha I admit it, I once almost teared up while listening to my 846s too. As for cables, there's an assortment of makers to choose from. I got mine from Headphone Lounge, but I had some issues with the sound cutting out in the beginning. I ended up having to pry the o-rings on the connectors to loosen them to achieve a good connection. With that said, the cable is well built. If having to fiddle around with the connector doesn't sound appealing to you, you should consider ALO audio. They're quite expensive, but members have reported that no issues with their connectors. PlusSound is another maker with good feedback as well, and they're relatively cheap. Finally, there's Whiplash, and they're by far the most expensive. warrior1975 owns their $500 reference cable and he loves it. I'll post links to the four brands I mentioned below. Glad you're finally enjoying your 846s by the way. 

 
http://www.aloaudio.com/cables/iem-cables
 
http://plussoundaudio.com/customcables/inearmonitor.html
 
http://headphonelounge.com/in-ear-monitor-cables/
 
http://www.whiplashaudio.com/cables/headphone-cables.html

 

[moedawg140]

I have Warrior's Whiplash Reference Modular TWau Gold plated Silver cable with me.  The cable is worth about $600 (because this one is 60 inches).  Actually, it may be more like $1,000, because as I look at the cable, it does not have the OM (over molding), which is a +$400 option on Whiplash Audio's website.  Whew!

 I'll say, that price be darned, Warrior's Whiplash cable is lush and gorgeous.  Goes with my skin color very well.

  I'll be creating a review after I take my huge test next week. 

 

[Scorpion667]

  As an update, I am really loving the Westone Star tips, these seal the deal with the JVC (copper?) cable attached. The cable definetly adds more warmth and smoothness as opposed to the stock cable, creating a similar sound signature as the FX 850s. The tips maintain the intrinsic clarity of the iems.
 
I am thinking of upgrading my Jvc cable to a higher quality copper cable. I see there are 93 spec and double helix ones. Any advice on which brand is better? I am very new to the cable world so advice would be awesome.
 
I take back all of the negative things I said a few posts ago about these headphones. They are blissful. I literally teared up the other night listing to my music...

The stock 93 spec cable has very loose connectors - take it from me as I tried 3 of them, all brand new cables. Two of them cut out when I moved my neck. This is because, as per multiple sources including Ted Allen from Headphonelounge, the SE846 MMCX is slightly wider than others. I can almost guarantee those cables wouldn't cut out on SE535, for example.
 
MY 93 spec cable is perfect, with tight connectors, but that's because I'm using the locking rings from the ADL iHP-35m cable which my friend's cat destroyed. 
 
Sonically it sounds amazing however because of the loose connectors I wouldn't recommend it. The cable with the tightest, most proper MMCX connectors on the market right now is the ADL iHP-35m however it's silver plated OCC copper. Still an amazing cable which has it's sonic benefits but if you're into pure silver for the added detailing up top, do some HEAVY research to make sure you don't pay $300 for a cable that you will hate due to connectors cutting out. Resell value on custom/silver cables is garbage (50% of your cost)

 

[moedawg140]

  As an update, I am really loving the Westone Star tips, these seal the deal with the JVC (copper?) cable attached. The cable definetly adds more warmth and smoothness as opposed to the stock cable, creating a similar sound signature as the FX 850s. The tips maintain the intrinsic clarity of the iems.
 
I am thinking of upgrading my Jvc cable to a higher quality copper cable. I see there are 93 spec and double helix ones. Any advice on which brand is better? I am very new to the cable world so advice would be awesome.
 
I take back all of the negative things I said a few posts ago about these headphones. They are blissful. I literally teared up the other night listing to my music...

 
Still loving my Silver Litz from Ted Allen.  He is currently having hip replacement surgery, but should be back by New Year's Day.  He makes a Copper Litz (as well as SPC) cable as well.  I've tried a multitude of cables, and the Silver Litz holds its own (and is technically/analytically more coherent) than most, and then some, of its competitors, in my opinion.  I have personally had no issues with the MMCX Tri-Metal connectors he uses either.  They are around 2-3 times stronger than the stock connection.  My review of the Silver Litz is below, if you want to read up on it (and the thread) a little more.  You can do your research and pick whichever company's cable that seems the most appealing to you.  Dinerenblanc's links are a good place to start.  I will say this, and anyone take it for what it's worth (if anything): there is a reason why Astell & Kern chose Ted's cables for their demo models. 

 
 
Good luck in your quest to find the cable of your wants and needs!

 

[jelt2359]

I'm back to the blues. I never thought I'd say this, but the whites were too energetic- too clear- too detailed- and I couldn't concentrate on my work while listening to them.

Lol! Maybe on a weekend..

 

[Dinerenblanc]

I'm back to the blues. I never thought I'd say this, but the whites were too energetic- too clear- too detailed- and I couldn't concentrate on my work while listening to them.

Lol! Maybe on a weekend..

That's exactly what I thought when I used them. Haha It brought out wind and string instruments like crazy, but it was distracting.

 

[blogz101]

Hey guys,
 
I was wondering if there is a test that can help me check for driver imbalance? I feel that my right earbud has very little bass compared to the left one. Also, the right one is lower in volume compared to the left at higher volume level. I went to the audiocheck.net using the line sweep. But the problem is more pronounced when listening to music. Is there anyway to check?
 
Thanks!

 

[Dinerenblanc]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if there is a test that can help me check for driver imbalance? I feel that my right earbud has very little bass compared to the left one. Also, the right one is lower in volume compared to the left at higher volume level. I went to the audiocheck.net using the line sweep. But the problem is more pronounced when listening to music. Is there anyway to check?

Thanks!

A lot of tracks I have tend to have more bass coming from the left earpiece. I believe they're just recorded that way. I've tested this with multiple earphones and its the same across. Of course it varies depending on the song your listening to. Try Massive Attack's Angel and see if you're getting the same perceived imbalance. It's most likely just in your head.

 

[moedawg140]

  Hey guys,
 
I was wondering if there is a test that can help me check for driver imbalance? I feel that my right earbud has very little bass compared to the left one. Also, the right one is lower in volume compared to the left at higher volume level. I went to the audiocheck.net using the line sweep. But the problem is more pronounced when listening to music. Is there anyway to check?
 
Thanks!

 
Hi, blogz101,
 
Follow the instructions here, and this will help you check for FR imbalance:
 
http://www.sensaphonics.com/test
 
Good luck!

 

[Dinerenblanc]

   
Hi, blogz101,
 
Follow the instructions here, and this will help you check for FR imbalance:
 
http://www.sensaphonics.com/test
 
Good luck!

. . . or maybe my ears are jacked up. haha

 

[blogz101]

   
Hi, blogz101,
 
Follow the instructions here, and this will help you check for FR imbalance:
 
http://www.sensaphonics.com/test
 
Good luck!

Thank you, will try this aswell.

A lot of tracks I have tend to have more bass coming from the left earpiece. I believe they're just recorded that way. I've tested this with multiple earphones and its the same across. Of course it varies depending on the song your listening to. Try Massive Attack's Angel and see if you're getting the same perceived imbalance. It's most likely just in your head.

I see. It is my first high end afterall with good DAP. I just did not know what to expect maybe. But, Thanks!

 

[moedawg140]

  Thank you, will try this aswell.
I see. It is my first high end afterall with good DAP. I just did not know what to expect maybe. But, Thanks!

 
No worries at all.  Hope you get your issue(s) resolved, one way or another.

 

[Duncan]

Resell value on custom/silver cables is garbage (50% of your cost)

Good to see (for me at least!!) - will keep an eye on the FS forum

As an aside, if anyone has a spare pair of medium Westone star-tips they could mail me, that'd be awesome - I don't want to pay US$30 on a punt into the unknown, not until I've had a chance to demo a pair at least!

PM me if you can help

Thanks.

 

[moedawg140]

Good to see (for me at least!!) - will keep an eye on the FS forum

As an aside, if anyone has a spare pair of medium Westone star-tips they could mail me, that'd be awesome - I don't want to pay US$30 on a punt into the unknown, not until I've had a chance to demo a pair at least!

PM me if you can help

Thanks.

 
You can try the Westone TRUE FIT + STAR FIT Kit (click here) that has 5 different sizes of each material (foam and silicone), so your punt into the unknown will have a higher percentage chance of scoring in between the goal posts.  It is only $14.99 with free shipping (for orders over $35) in the U.S.  Not sure how much it is to send to the U.K. though.  
 
Of course, if that doesn't work, and can't find any sizes-fit-all tips that don't fit you 'perfectly', then you can look into the SCS for the silicone CIEM equivalent for the SE846.

 

[Dinerenblanc]

Good to see (for me at least!!) - will keep an eye on the FS forum

As an aside, if anyone has a spare pair of medium Westone star-tips they could mail me, that'd be awesome - I don't want to pay US$30 on a punt into the unknown, not until I've had a chance to demo a pair at least!

PM me if you can help

Thanks.

If you're using the medium Shure olives, a size large Star tip might still work for you. The large Shure olives are 14.5mm in diameter, while the Star tips in large is 13.5mm. I have a few extras in the large if you'd like a pair. However, purchasing the kit that has all the sizes like moedawg140 suggested might be the best option. A word of warning though, I had an issue with the Truefits(foam) where they actually became stuck on the nozzle. I wouldn't recommend using those if you do decide to get the kit that includes everything.