final Silver OFC Headphone Cables

General Information

OFC silver coated cable (2.5 mm) - $529
Cable length: 1.5 m
Input: 2.5 mm, 4-Pole
Output: 3.5 mm, 2-Pole with locking function
Compatible models: D8000, SONOROUS VIII/VI/IV/III/II

OFC silver coated cable (3.5 mm) - $499
Cable length: 1.5 m
Input: 3.5 mm, 3-Pole
Output: 3.5 mm, 2-Pole with locking function
Compatible models: D8000, SONOROUS VIII/VI/IV/III/II

OFC silver coated cable (4.4 mm) - $529
Cable length: 1.5 m
Input: 4.4 mm, 5-Pole
Output: 3.5 mm, 2-Pole with locking function
Compatible models: D8000, SONOROUS VIII/VI/IV/III/II

OFC silver coated cable (6.3 mm) - $499 / $649
Cable length: 1.5 m / 3 m
Input: 6.3 mm, 3-Pole
Output: 3.5 mm, 2-Pole with locking function
Compatible models: D8000, SONOROUS VIII/VI/IV/III/II

OFC silver coated cable (XLR) - $499 / $649
Cable length: 1.5 m / 3 m
Input: XLR 4-Pole
Output: 3.5 mm, 2-Pole with locking function
Compatible models: D8000, SONOROUS VIII/VI/IV/III/II

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Latest reviews

jwbrent

Headphoneus Supremus

4.50 star(s)
Apr 11, 2019

Pros: Liquid sounding trebles, taut bass performance, enhanced spatial reproduction, absolutely beautiful aesthetics

Cons: Less flexibility than the stock cable

Introduction

I've often read from professional reviewers that evaluating cables is a torturous task, and not one easily embraced. Not only are we dealing with subtleties between different cables, but the music chosen can have a large effect on whether any appreciable difference can be heard. It's not just the conductor material, e.g., copper or silver, but also the dielectric, the insulating material used to contain the conductor that is vitally important in designing a high performance cable. And then there's the geometry of the overall length of cable which also imparts its own influence on the sound.

Your intrepid reviewer has taken on this arduous journey to share his thoughts on the new silver clad oxygen free copper (OFC) cable released by final with the introduction of its top-of-the-line Planar Magnetic headphone, the D8000, of which I wrote a review on last month. The D8000 comes supplied with supple OFC cables, but this headphone is such a noteworthy design employing proprietary technology resulting in world class performance, I had to audition this silver cable in order to see if any greater performance from the D8000 could be wrought.

Background

In evaluating the best approach to maximize the amplifier/headphone interface, final decided to go outside of its design team and commission the Japanese firm, JUNFLON, for this task. The parent company for JUNFLON specializes in high speed transmission cables for super computers, and "boast the world's fastest transmission speed at 95% the speed of light." One detail oddly left out in the description of the conductors is the purity and grain structure of the copper/silver, e.g., 6 nines (99.9999% purity) and Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC). Generally, this is a highlighted feature of other cable makers, but perhaps due to the highly technical and competitive industry the parent company finds itself in, a degree of secrecy is needed.

Impressions

I'd like to begin my impressions first by thanking Michael Brown, the US distributor for final, in providing me a loaner sample of the cable in review ($499). I received the cable two weeks ago and put it through a burn-in process before I did any critical listening. I estimate there is 150 hours on the cable, and as I approached this mark, I found the overall sound had fully stabilized.

As I did with my D8000 review, my source component was the Astell&Kern AK240SS ($3,000) connected to an iFi xDSD Dac/Amp ($399). I did experiment with the xBass and 3D features on the iFi unit in order to fully discern the differences between the stock cable made from OFC copper and the silver cable.

Kate Bush / Aerial / Sunrise (16/44.1)

Let's begin with my favorite album from my favorite female artist. Kate Bush's music is often ethereal and atmospheric, especially with her later albums, and this makes for good demo material. The melismatic opening of Kate's singing sounds slightly veiled with the stock cable, the thickness of the mid bass influencing the clarity of her voice. In comparison, the silver cable reveals subtle vocal expressions such as her intake of breath, and one can more easily hear the hammer strikes on the piano strings with greater realism. Around the four minute mark into the song, the tempo speeds up with the full band accompanying Kate's piano playing. Again, with the stock cable we hear the same thickness in the bass that obscures the other musicians where there is a congealing of their instruments. This passage with the silver cable separates the instruments, and most notably, an acoustic guitar played softly before with the stock cable comes forward revealing the delicacy of its play, heightening the beauty of the song.

New Order / Complete Music / Singularity (Extended Mix) (24/96)

One of my favorite bands from the 80's, I was enthusiastic with the release of this album in 2015 which included remixes of all the songs from the regular album, Music Complete. Using the stock cable, the most apparent quality is a sense of edginess in Bernard Sumner's voice. The before mentioned bass performance of the stock cable actually helps offset the edginess a bit, but the silver cable reproduces the vocals with a warmer characteristic which to my ears is way more pleasing. The bass is cleaner and better balanced with the upper frequencies. As with Kate Bush's song, the silver cable portrays better separation between the band members, widening the soundstage appreciably.

Matthew Ryan / Concussion / Autopilot (16/44.1)

Since I began this evaluation with my favorite female artist, I thought I should include my favorite male artist. I love Matthew Ryan's music, and own all his albums. His songs and the manner in which he sings them with his gravely voice touch me on an emotional level. This song continues what now is a repeatable pattern: the stock cable adds a thicker bass presentation that borders on being boomy while adding a bit of grain to the trebles. On some songs, this actually works quite well, but for those who prefer articulation and liquidity, especially in the upper ranges, the silver cable with its mildly warmer tone and greater resolving power elevates the D8000 to further heights. An example of this is midway through the song, a softly played tambourine which sounds recessed and obscure with the stock cable comes to the fore and is now distinguishable when using the silver cable. There is a sparkly, shimmering nature to the tambourine that just isn't there with the copper cable.

The Smashing Pumpkins / Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness / 1979 (24/96)

Love this song, love this band. Tighter bass with less overhang. Broad soundstage. Billy Corgan's highly unique voice portrayed with ease without blunting detail. Articulated instrument separation in this very dense song. All with the silver cable. Enough said.

Summary

In my view, D8000 owners who would like to push the outside of the envelope on this distinguished headphone should consider purchasing the silver cable. As long as your sensibilities resemble my own in regards to what I have written, I believe you will be pleased with the improvement. As to the cost of entry—$499 for a 1.5m, $649 for a 3m—this is in line with other after market cables of commensurate quality. I should add that besides the single-ended 3.5mm and 6.3mm terminations, balanced versions with either a four pin XLR, 4.4mm, or 2.5mm connector are available as well. The build quality of this cable is top notch with unique connectors on both ends that appear to be custom made. Lastly, this is the most beautiful cable I've ever seen, the silver having a radiant quality to it that other silver cables I own fail to match. Pride of ownership abounds!

Just for kicks, I tried the copper and silver cables with my final Sonorous VI headphone. This hybrid design which uses a dynamic and BA driver—the first ever—has a sound that is highly detailed without being sibilant. The copper cable is a nice improvement over the stock one, but just like my experience with the D8000, the silver cable was better. The smoothness of the silver cable matched up nicely with the emphasized trebles, creating a more involving sound with greater dynamic impact.

Reactions: lafeuill and syn959

jwbrent

For some reason, when viewed as a guest, certain words such as "cable" and "headphone" have embedded hyperlinks that go to other websites like Walmart. Don't know what's going on with this, it could be malware on my Mac.

Update: turns out this is normal behavior according to Head-Fi in order to encourage sign-ups.

jwbrent

I wanted to add one of my favorite retail shops is Audio46 in New York City, and they are a final dealer for the entire line. Good people to do business with. https://audio46.com/collections/final

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final Silver OFC Headphone Cables

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Headphoneus Supremus

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