[Ace Bee]

I got the OD100 from Oriveti for a review, was delivered last week. Finally got the chance to open them today, and voila! This is amazing!

Beautifully dynamic sound, clear and etched midrange and treble, fun midbass slam - very very nice! This will be a pleasure to review.

 

[SynaestheticA]

Who wants to suppress low frequencies tho?

 

[Antihippy]

Who wants to suppress low frequencies tho?

There are people out there who somehow think the blessing 2 (og, not dusk) has too much bass lol.

 

[Zerstorer_GOhren]

Heavys, a headphone specifically tailor for metalheads, punks and rockers. This is indeed aiming the usual tuning curve that metalheads prefer, a warm, bassy sound with enough sparkle to give that aggressive and engaging sound we want. This was tuned by Axel Grell, a former engineer of Sennheiser and the creator of one of my favourite cans of all time, HD600.

 

[freelancr]

For my Fellow Audiophiles Who love exploring new Things, This was an experience for me. Cable Rolling for my USB and XLR Cables, and my experience with the same.

I have been a person who uses both portable as well as desktop audio chains. While my most usage and most investments are in portable scene only as my longest listening sessions are usually on the go. But I always keep a decent enough mid-fi level desktop setup for gaming, watching movies, or simply enjoying short sessions while working on my PC. I have explored the realm of cable rolling with decent enough cables in the Portable scene, but I never thought to invest much into cables for my desktop chains. Although my friend Mr Sajid Amit gifted me his Audioquest Carbon USB cable a few months back that widened my views and pushed me to use a premium quality USB cable for best performance. During his last visit, he gave me two cables to try now. One is a USB Cable and the other is an XLR Connector cable for DAC and AMP. These cables are very well-built and are from Arctand, a premium cable manufacturing brand from Singapore. Today I am going to share my impressions on both these cables. Let’s get to know Arctand first.

Introduction to Arctand:-

Arctand is a boutique custom cable brand based in Singapore. The brand makes custom cables on order as well and there are some pre-built cables available that you can purchase from their website. The two cables that I have belong to two different series, one is KYAN Series XLR connector cables, and the other is their Obsidian series USB cable. As an introduction to the brand Arctand, the founder(Mr. Darren Chan) says that, "I started freelancing audio production for emerging artists at the age of 15; having found myself being obsessed with sound quality, and started playing around with acoustics and even cables. I was a huge sceptic for the audiophile cable ‘snake oil’ but being involved in making my own cables and hearing first-hand any perceived differences changed the way I mixed and mastered music. The audiophile market was sharing similar obsessions, so I decided to start my own business selling audio cables." You can go and check out more info about Arctand on their website from the link below(It’s a non-affiliated link).

https://arctand.com/

His craft is impeccable, and both these cables are very well-built. They feel super premium imo. I have bought some other cables from other vendors in my country, and honestly, they don’t stand a chance in front of these amazing cables by Arctand. Let me share more information about the two cables and my experience with them.

Arctand KYAN XLR Cable:

Superb and outstanding would be an understatement to explain the build quality of the KYAN XLR cable. The cable has high-quality Neutrik connectors and a Vivid blue-coloured outer sheathing. From the Arctand website, I got to know that the KYAN cable is made up of high-performance OCC copper wire cores. These are about 0.5m in length which is neither too long nor too short. In fact, this is the perfect length of the cable for me as I mostly put my DAC and AMP together one on top of the other. I put these replacing my custom-made XLR cables that I got made by a friend in India. He also used Copper material as the core for these cables, but the KYAN XLR definitely brought noticeable improvements in the sound department for me.

So far I have used these XLR cables on two to three different setups including Topping E70 Velvet, SMSL D300 as DACs and Gustard H16, Aune S7 Pro as amplifiers. The upgrade in sound performance is highly noticeable, basic thing that came to my mind is how the Background is cleaner with these cables in my setup. With a cleaner background, I notice the details are finer and they have a well-roundedness to them.

While in the beginning, I was very sceptical about spending money on XLR cables, I found Arctand KYAN cables to change that for me. I notice finer details being better pronounced. TBH at first I thought of this to be a placebo or a new honeymoon kinda thing, but I am noticing these things even after 1-2 months of usage now. So I am pretty sure that I am going to put high-quality cables on my setup only now lol. Oh, and I forgot to mention these cables are like 120$ for the set.

Arctand Obsidian USB Cable:

Now on to the second cable, before this cable, I had the Audioquest Carbon which was a gift for me by Mr. Sajid Amit. That cable brought me to tears because previously I was using a generic USB cable and honestly, I would have never spent money on getting a higher quality USB cable for myself if I had never heard the Carbon. Carbon was like a very well-built cable with a very short length (like 0.75m which is pretty small for a USB cable imo). Obviously, we can buy longer lengths but all that is super costly and While I find the Carbon to be quite an improvement I also find it costly. Why did I discuss so much about the Carbon here? you guys will find out shortly.

So coming to the Arctand Obsidian, this cable is very, like very very nicely built. We have a 1m length, poly material outer sheathing(which feels and looks superior to that of Carbon’s cloth sleeve). This cable starts at 90$, according to Mr. Darren Chan, It is crafted to bring noticeable improvements in the overall performance of your chain. Obviously, with better grounding, a USB cable improves the source signal transmission that imo instantly improves the output quality. This cable is a premier high-end series cable made using high-quality Copper OCC materials.

Talking about sound improvements, I find the Arctand Obsidian better than the Carbon in terms of performance. It’s not only noticeably longer, but also provides cleaner signal transmission. I find the Obsidian to sound slightly cleaner, and slightly more refined, the details are just a tad bit better on the same chain. Again, this is not a placebo which I noticed in 20-30 minutes of listening. I have been using the Carbon for like 6-7 months and the Obsidian for like 2 months now. Obsidian definitely has a cleaner sound, the background is noticeably cleaner.

Now coming back to the point where I discussed so much about the Audioquest Carbon, while that cable impressed me in its sound part, I found it to be too pricey. Carbon goes for over 200$ in my country for the basic 0.75m length, but this Arctand Carbon offers better performance for less than half the cost available in 1m length starting at just 90$, a pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Some Final Words For my Fellow Audiophiles:

After spending a lot of time with these cables, I just want to say that everyone should try different cables. I know this is a very controversial topic, like whether or not cables bring any noticeable difference or not. But in all my experience so far, having used these cables for so many months now, I can say that the difference is instantly noticeable, especially for the Obsidian USB cable. It instantly brought a cleaner background, like I was stunned to see when I switched between generic cable that came with my E70 Velvet. XLR cables will take a bit of time to show their true colors, but yeah, there will be a noticeable difference. Primarily I noticed a cleaner background reproducing better-pronounced details on the same setup when compared to generic cables that come in the box(for USB), and from regular aftermarket cables in the case of XLR ones. Well, that’s all about today’s banter, I hope you guys liked reading this one, if you have any further questions, feel free to ask me below.

Imagine a USB cable as a pipeline that carries water from a reservoir to your home. The water's quality is determined by the reservoir and the purification system, not by the pipeline. In this analogy, the data being transferred is the water, and the USB cable is the pipeline.

Audiophile USB cables claim to provide better sound quality, but in digital data transmission like USB, data is sent in a series of 1s and 0s—essentially a code that your audio device decodes into sound. As long as the cable is functioning correctly, it will deliver these 1s and 0s accurately. If the cable is poorly made and cannot carry the signal correctly, you'll experience dropouts or no sound at all, rather than a degradation in sound quality.

So, why can't an expensive audiophile USB cable increase sound quality? It's because the sound quality is determined by the file's digital information, the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter), and the audio system's quality. As long as the USB cable can transmit data without errors—which standard cables are perfectly capable of—it has done its job. Adding a gold plating or a fancier insulation doesn't change the 1s and 0s that are being transmitted. They either arrive correctly or they don't, much like how a more expensive hose doesn't affect the water's quality; it merely delivers it.

 

[gadgetgod]

Imagine a USB cable as a pipeline that carries water from a reservoir to your home. The water's quality is determined by the reservoir and the purification system, not by the pipeline. In this analogy, the data being transferred is the water, and the USB cable is the pipeline.

Audiophile USB cables claim to provide better sound quality, but in digital data transmission like USB, data is sent in a series of 1s and 0s—essentially a code that your audio device decodes into sound. As long as the cable is functioning correctly, it will deliver these 1s and 0s accurately. If the cable is poorly made and cannot carry the signal correctly, you'll experience dropouts or no sound at all, rather than a degradation in sound quality.

So, why can't an expensive audiophile USB cable increase sound quality? It's because the sound quality is determined by the file's digital information, the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter), and the audio system's quality. As long as the USB cable can transmit data without errors—which standard cables are perfectly capable of—it has done its job. Adding a gold plating or a fancier insulation doesn't change the 1s and 0s that are being transmitted. They either arrive correctly or they don't, much like how a more expensive hose doesn't affect the water's quality; it merely delivers it.

I completely agree with you, my friend. Honestly, I myself don't know how there is a noticeable sound difference over a generic cable, but I also love to explore more possibilities with different cables in IEMs as well. Maybe the cables that DAC manufacturers bundle with their DACs are of very cheap quality(but then Topping and SMSL won't bundle similar performing cable). To my ears, the difference is highly noticeable between a Generic cable and these cables.

 

[bithalver]

Imagine a USB cable as a pipeline that carries water from a reservoir to your home. The water's quality is determined by the reservoir and the purification system, not by the pipeline. In this analogy, the data being transferred is the water, and the USB cable is the pipeline.

Audiophile USB cables claim to provide better sound quality, but in digital data transmission like USB, data is sent in a series of 1s and 0s—essentially a code that your audio device decodes into sound. As long as the cable is functioning correctly, it will deliver these 1s and 0s accurately. If the cable is poorly made and cannot carry the signal correctly, you'll experience dropouts or no sound at all, rather than a degradation in sound quality.

So, why can't an expensive audiophile USB cable increase sound quality? It's because the sound quality is determined by the file's digital information, the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter), and the audio system's quality. As long as the USB cable can transmit data without errors—which standard cables are perfectly capable of—it has done its job. Adding a gold plating or a fancier insulation doesn't change the 1s and 0s that are being transmitted. They either arrive correctly or they don't, much like how a more expensive hose doesn't affect the water's quality; it merely delivers it.

As an IT engineer with decades of experience I sign this.
As long as you transfer your DIGITAL data even you transfer it correctly or do not transfer at all (later case is when you experience dropouts or no signal for any reason). There is no in-between AT ALL.

For the analog part (which the quoted post is NOT about), (meaning after the DAC/DAP), we can have a debate if cable modifies the sound.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

..

 

[freelancr]

I completely agree with you, my friend. Honestly, I myself don't know how there is a noticeable sound difference over a generic cable, but I also love to explore more possibilities with different cables in IEMs as well. Maybe the cables that DAC manufacturers bundle with their DACs are of very cheap quality(but then Topping and SMSL won't bundle similar performing cable). To my ears, the difference is highly noticeable between a Generic cable and these cables.

Expectancy theory plays a significant role here. It's the idea that we often assume more expensive or aesthetically pleasing products will perform better.

I think we've all been influenced by this in the realm of consumer goods at one point or another. However, when it comes to the transmission of digital signals, I find myself resistant to this particular fallacy.

 

[4ceratops]

I completely agree with you, my friend. Honestly, I myself don't know how there is a noticeable sound difference over a generic cable, but I also love to explore more possibilities with different cables in IEMs as well. Maybe the cables that DAC manufacturers bundle with their DACs are of very cheap quality(but then Topping and SMSL won't bundle similar performing cable). To my ears, the difference is highly noticeable between a Generic cable and these cables.

Your impressions of the effect of the USB cable on sound quality are remarkable, but for the reasons Freelancer describes, I have always been a proponent of the rational position he presents. I would recommend you try a blind test with the help of another person, randomly changing (and occasionally not changing) USB cables 10-20 times, trying to identify which one is currently plugged in. Of course identify by hearing and not by sight . I'd be curious to know what your success rate of distinguishing between a regular and a "premium" USB cable would be under such conditions. In my experience, psychoacoustics is a very powerful wizard .

 

[thaslaya]

There are people out there who somehow think the blessing 2 (og, not dusk) has too much bass lol.

If those people exist I don't want to meet them

 

[ldo77]

I got the OD100 from Oriveti for a review, was delivered last week. Finally got the chance to open them today, and voila! This is amazing!



Beautifully dynamic sound, clear and etched midrange and treble, fun midbass slam - very very nice! This will be a pleasure to review.

Is it the Hiby R3 gen2 ?

 

[jghjkhfd]

CCA Rhapsody 2 DD + 4BA

They definitely have something in common with the CCA HM20 ))

 

[Leonarfd]

AüR Audio Ascension

1 10mm DD N54
5 BA
2 EST

 

[theintention]

AüR Audio Ascension

1 10mm DD N54
5 BA
2 EST

Oh my goodness, love the look and config of this