Lavricables Grand Review
Since 2019, when I bought my first pure silver headphone cable, I've been amazed at how a piece of wire changes the sound simply because it's made of a different metal. No wonder I wanted to try how this effect would be combined with my favourite Abyss AB1266 PHI TC. However, first things first…





Build quality
This cable is made in two versions, I have a thicker (8 cores) type. It’s my third Lavricables and the build quality is top notch as always. The cable is very soft and pleasant to touch. And looks are even better. Grand is perfectly braided and it’s probably the prettiest headphone cable I've ever gotten my hands on. Silver in transparent isolation looks more like a piece of jewelry than an audiophile cable. And here I mean "jewelry" in the good sense of the word. Not something shiny and conspicuous, but refined, stylish and expensive looking.

It is worth noting the use of transparent heat shrink instead of a typical splitter. Classic metal splitters for headphone cables are only good in photos. I like the heat shrink solution much more - it weighs less and does not pull the cable down, plus it does not look as pretentious as big logo splitters.





Unfortunately, my photo skills leave a lot to be desired, and my camera is just an old iPhone, so when looking at the photo, keep in mind - it looks much, much better in person.

Sound
After several weeks with Lavricables and I can say that it’s definitely an improvement over stock. I normally try not to judge any new stuff from the beginning. Brain needs some time to adapt, so I spent two full weeks listening to Lavricables Grand and only then began to compare it with stock cable. This is not my first silver cable, so there were certain expectations, which were confirmed after listening, although there were some surprises.

What is typical of silver is beautiful high frequencies. Any silver or silver-plated cable emphasizes the high frequencies slightly. However, unlike silver-plated, pure silver cable makes treble smoother and less harsh at the same time. With this cable, the effect is fully present. And then the surprises begin…





Usually silver cables have a lot of benefits, but have a significant drawback in the form of a more "lightweight" sound. And the new Grand does not have this drawback at all. High frequencies seem to even acquire additional “weight”. Treble becomes more tangible. Cymbals, plates, triangles - everything that rings sounds noticeably more realistic.

The midrange is also changing for the better. The voices do not sound "fat", as is the case with thick copper cables, but rather sound “confident". Just a touch warmer and less distant than with a stock cable. The “texture” of the human voice is rendered with a lot of fine detail and therefore sounds more realistic overall. Together with beautiful highs, the operatic soprano is simply breathtaking.

Bass sounds more controlled. At first glance, it seemed to me that there was less bass, but after changing the cables several times, I was convinced that I liked the new sound better. It just beats faster and more precisely, the stock cable seems slightly smeared in contrast. Low-frequency sounds are better localized in the soundstage.

The soundstage with Lavricables Grand has become slightly deeper and more three-dimensional. Various reverbs and a sense of space are more distinct. Imaging is more holographic. In general, this cable complements the sound (which was already excellent) with a variety of small touches here and there. The changes may seem rather small, but taken together, these small touches create a strong overall impression of "better sound”. I also liked the overall tonal balance. The sound does not seem "warm", but rather "not cold”. Such tuning does not lose transparency, but it is still pleasant to listen to.

Old Grand vs. New Grand
I enjoyed using the old version of the cable which was made with multiple solid conductors and I have to admit that I like new version better in every way. It sounds better, feels better and looks better. Does it make sense to change the old one to the new one? If you want the best, yes. The old version was a great cable, but the new one is truly something.





Abyss with Lavricables Grand
I really, really liked the sound of headphones with a stock cable and mostly out of curiosity decided to try another cable. However, after a few weeks with Lavricables Grand, going back is not an option. The sound with silver cable is more realistic and more beautiful at the same time. This is especially evident with a live music with minimal compression.

In terms of comfort there is nothing really to speak about. The Abyss stock cable is stiff, springy and extremely uncomfortable. Any braided cable will feel better, and the Grand is no exception.

Considering that with Abyss you can increase and decrease the amount of bass by changing the position of the cups, I personally don’t see any shortcomings at all. Yes, it's pricey, but the sound is worth it. Given the absolutely insane prices for some other TOTL cables, Lavricables offer feels absolutely reasonable. You can buy a more expensive cable, but I highly doubt you can buy a better cable.

A bit about headphone cables in general...
Audiophile cables are a topic around which the Internet battles are very common. I can write a lot on this subject. But I won't. Just try it yourself, in the audiophile world, your own experience is the most valuable.

Does a headfier really need to upgrade the headphone cable? I would say that it all depends on the headphones and the cable that comes with them initially. I had an experience when the stock cable did not fit the headphones at all (Meze Empyrean) and did not allow them to fully reveal their class (T+A Solitaire P). With LCD5 the case is different. The stock cable is fine, and the headphones are neutral enough to want to change something. However, what can you do, if you've already picked out the best components, love your headphones, and don't want to change anything but wouldn't mind improving the sound just a little bit more? That's right, a new headphone cable.


My experiments with LCD5: new Lavricables Master, DIY copper cable with thicker conductors, Arctic Cables Magnus and stock Audeze cable

I experimented a lot with cables and this is what I understood for myself for sure:

1. The quality (purity?) of the metal is more important than the cross section of the conductor. I don't know exactly how it works, but it works. My DIY cable (black fabric braid) with thicker conductors almost did not differ from stock. And Arctic Cables Magnus was very distinct, although all three were made of copper.

2. The silver cable seems to add high frequencies, but at the same time they are perceived as less harsh. Sounds counter-intuitive, but I've had the same experience with other headphones. If you haven't tried silver cables - give it a try, it's a more interesting experience than it seems.



...and about Lavricables Master V3 in particular.
Master cable came in a simple box. Some wrapping paper, a storage pouch and a sticker. The cable itself is in a transparent blue braid. Very light and flexible. Aeco 4-pin XLR and Rean mini-XLRs at headphone side. Conductors in a transparent isolation have that special silver shine. Looks great in person.

I bought my first cable from Lavricables in 2019. Since then, I have contacted them several times for different orders and each time I have been completely happy with both the process and the result. So I can only say good things about the customer service.



Listening...
I try not to make too quick judgments about new components, so in the beginning I just listened to music with a new cable for a week, getting used to the sound, and only then made a critical comparison.

Of my four LCD5 cables, Arctic Cable Magnus and Lavricables Master were noticeably better. The stock cable and my DIY sounded ok on their own, but weaker in comparison. The choice between Magnus and the Master was more difficult for me. Both cables were a clear improvement over stock, but sounded quite different. Copper gave more weight, but was inferior in quality and elaboration of high frequencies. Not immediately, but I leaned in favor of the Lavricables Master.

To be honest, I originally expected that thick copper would be the best solution for LСD5, but in practice it turned out differently. Lavricabels Master perfectly emphasized the fast and energetic nature of these headphones. Everything that I liked in Audeze's top was turned up to eleven. Speed, punch, energetic vocals - everything.


Conclusions
Is it worth spending the extra money on a piece of wire, even if it's silver? This may sound strange, but yes. Getting to the top headphones, we run into a natural barrier. You can't buy LСD6 - they just don't exist (yet). But you can buy a better cable for LСD5. Better vocals, a little bit of speed, some soundstage improvements, and here comes another dose of audiophile satisfaction from the fact that everything now sounds even better.


TL;DR
Yes, it is audible. Yes, it's worth it.

Finding a custom cable for Solitaire P

There are many opinions on headphone cables. Some people think a good custom cable is a necessary upgrade, some think that they are useless. I would say it depends on the headphones and quality of stock cable.

T+A Solitaire P are one of the best headphones on the market. And I was very surprised that T+A chose a shielded cable with very thin, silver-plated conductors for their headphones. The manufacturer writes on his page that this was all done on purpose, but I never liked silver-plated wires for an analog signal. In my opinion you need to use either pure copper or pure silver conductors. Anyway, it doesn't matter which of us is right, the main thing is that everybody can simply try a different cable and decide for himself.

These headphones appeared not so long ago, and given the proprietary connector and the extremely deep location of the connector in the cup, none of the cable companies offered replacement cables specifically for the Solitaire P. I measured dimensions of stock cable plugs, checked polarity with a multimeter and wrote three emails to three different manufacturers of custom headphone cables.

Arctic Cables responded first, we quickly found out everything and I made an order. One company did not answer at all. Another manufacturer honestly tried to help, but he was answering my emails so slowly that by the time it came to ordering, Arctic Cables already managed to build my cable and send it to me. All in all, I can say that the customer service at Arctic Cables is just perfect.



Build

I decided to try a pure copper cable because I didn't want to boost high frequencies, which is often the case with pure silver cables. Magnus consists of four conductors (18AWG each), which are made from “cutting-edge, state-of-the-art single-crystal cryogenically-treated copper in its purest form, reaching 7n purity”.

I have no idea how better 7n is than regular copper and what exactly cryo-treatment does to metals. I just picked the best copper cable from the company's range

Magnus with transparent insulation, through which you can see that magic copper, looks much more beautiful than stock. Сonnection to headphones looks better with the stock cable, since it has a very specific shape. The cable connector is hidden too deep inside, so you have to hold onto the cable to disconnect and connect the cable. Both the rubber seal on the stock cable and the heat shrink on the Magnus do the job well. It's also worth noting that the stock cable tends to get tangled, while Magnus does not.



All in all, I like the way Magnus looks and feels better, but now I would probably order a transparent heat shrink on the connectors.

Sound

Finally, what does the new cable sound like? In a word - excellent. From what was quite expected - bass gained a little weight, vocals sound more confident, and high frequencies are perceived less harshly. What I didn't expect was Magnus creating a noticeably larger soundstage. And not just wider, but proportional, three-dimensional and with a good sense of depth.

Another surprise was that the new cable seemed to increase the resolution. I cannot say that I have heard something new in my music, Solitaire P gives you very detailed sound even with stock cable. However, all that tiny details that I have heard before, now become more defined and tangible. It sounds like a small thing, but in fact it really changes the perception of music and makes the recording sound more real.

The increased amount of bass might be considered as a sidestep, but otherwise Magnus is a clear step up from the stock cable. And not a small one. Everything that I described was easily noticeable when connecting the headphones both directly to the Chord Dave and to the very powerful Wells Headtrip amplifier.



Is it worth the money?

It's hard to justify $400 when it comes to a 2m piece of copper wire. And it’s very easy when this "piece of wire" is noticeably improving the already great sound of TOTL headphones. Considering that this money would not be enough to upgrade any component of my system, I believe the price is fully justified. I can only guess how Arctic Cables Magnus will perform with other headphones, but I highly recommend it for Solitaire P.