Dekoni Audio Cablez for Sennheiser HD600 series.
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We have asked for a review sample and Dekoni Audio kindly provided one free of charge.
This is a honest and subjective evaluation of it.
Introduction
The US based Dekoni Audio is a widely known manufacturer of aftermarket pads and ear tips for various headphones that offer improved durability plus sound fine tuning.
We have recently reviewed the Elite Hybrid ear pad for the HD660S.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/de...r-sennheiser-hd600-series.24739/review/24625/
For this review we have something completely different in our hands.
It is their first and brand new aftermarket cable for the Sennheiser HD600/650/6XX/660S/58X series of headphones.
With the Sony Pentacon 4.4mm plug becoming more and more widespread and adopted among dac/amp/dap manufactures it is of no surprise that the demand for compatible cables is steadily rising.
While the HD660S is sold with an extra 4.4mm balanced cable inside the box that is not the case with the rest models of the series.
Furthermore the included HD660S cable that additionally can be bought as an extra Sennheiser part is very long , heavy and cumbersome while the asking price of $239.95 is not a match for its overall build quality.
As it is to be expected various companies specializing at building headphone cables make their own variants in various sizes and materials from cheap to very expensive ones.
In that crowded market the Dekoni Audio bravely took the risk and released their own take on the product.
Build quality and handling
Meet the Cablez a balanced 4.4m Pentacon cable for the aforementioned Sennheiser headphones with a length of 1.2m especially suitable for desktop and on the go use.
Cable and plug options are fixed and there aren't any other options available.
Price is $119.99 and you can buy it directly from Dekoni Audio or the authorised dealers.
https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dek...nnheiser-hd600-series-headphones-1-2m-length/
The material used is 5N silver plated copper and the cable is a braided design with 4 strands per channel a total of 8 eighth strands each one individually insulated for better noise and interference rejection.
The cable is sleek , lightweight and very soft to the touch while it stays tangle free even if you deliberately try to mess it up.
Microphonic noise is completely absent.
The Pentacon gold plated plug is a sleek but sturdy design made of aluminum while the headphone connectors are a little bit longer and rounded than the original Sennheiser.
It is a high quality connector that consists of two parts.
The half end that plugs into the headphone is made of good plastic while the remaining barrel is of lightweight aluminium in a mate black color.
The left channel connector is black while the other one is red and both have a small rounded bump indicating which side should face outside.
The cable entries into the headphone connectors are reinforced with heat shrink material.
A nice aluminium splitter is used to separate the two branches of the cable.
Handling of the cable is good and it looks like it can withstand the test of time as long as we treat it with some care and not abuse it.
Some extra reinforcement around the headphone connectors should be welcomed.
Sound
We are not going to provide an in depth sound analysis because as you already know this is a much debated and very subjective topic.
But we are going to clarify and assure our readers that the sound with the Dekoni Audio Cablez is crystal clear , detailed , full and effortless passing out all the available information without holding performance back in anyway.
And to our book a cable with such a performance is considered a very good one.
Brief comparisons
If we compare the Cablez with the original Sennheiser cable we definitely have a preference for the former because it is of higher build quality , noise free and overall handling is much better.
The only drawback is that users who might need a longer length cannot order one because as we have mentioned the Cablez is only available at 1.20m length.
Maybe in the near future Dekoni will add one more popular length like 2m and offer the cable with additional plug options like 2.5mm or 3.5mm.
Unfortunately we don't own less expensive cables from China in order to do a comparison but we do own a little more expensive cable from the Polish Forza AudioWorks.
This one is made of 7N UPOCC hybrid copper and silver combined wire and not just silver plated copper.
It is braided with 4 total strands but it is of higher total gauge.
Build quality is very good and the headphone connectors are more like the original ones.
The cable is a little heavier but it is quite soft despite the increased diameter and tangle free without microphonic noise.
It looks a little more premium but for a total length of 1.25m with a Pentacon plug it will cost €129.
That translates roughly at $155 without the import taxes.
So at least for the US market the Dekoni Cablez is lot better deal with the added benefit that it is readily available while the FAW is built to order with a lengthy waiting time.
At the end
We liked the Dekoni Audio Cablez and we do believe that it can absolutely justify the asking price - at least for the US market - because of its great build quality , the good handling , the low weight and the absence of microphonic noise.
It sure is a crowded market with a lot of options for various prices and qualities and the end user should carefully judge and choose.
Among the various options the Dekoni Audio Cablez is a very solid choice and it is highly recommended.
Copyright - Laskis Petros 2021.
This is a honest and subjective evaluation of it.
Introduction
The US based Dekoni Audio is a widely known manufacturer of aftermarket pads and ear tips for various headphones that offer improved durability plus sound fine tuning.
We have recently reviewed the Elite Hybrid ear pad for the HD660S.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/de...r-sennheiser-hd600-series.24739/review/24625/
For this review we have something completely different in our hands.
It is their first and brand new aftermarket cable for the Sennheiser HD600/650/6XX/660S/58X series of headphones.
With the Sony Pentacon 4.4mm plug becoming more and more widespread and adopted among dac/amp/dap manufactures it is of no surprise that the demand for compatible cables is steadily rising.
While the HD660S is sold with an extra 4.4mm balanced cable inside the box that is not the case with the rest models of the series.
Furthermore the included HD660S cable that additionally can be bought as an extra Sennheiser part is very long , heavy and cumbersome while the asking price of $239.95 is not a match for its overall build quality.
As it is to be expected various companies specializing at building headphone cables make their own variants in various sizes and materials from cheap to very expensive ones.
In that crowded market the Dekoni Audio bravely took the risk and released their own take on the product.
Build quality and handling
Meet the Cablez a balanced 4.4m Pentacon cable for the aforementioned Sennheiser headphones with a length of 1.2m especially suitable for desktop and on the go use.
Cable and plug options are fixed and there aren't any other options available.
Price is $119.99 and you can buy it directly from Dekoni Audio or the authorised dealers.
https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dek...nnheiser-hd600-series-headphones-1-2m-length/
The material used is 5N silver plated copper and the cable is a braided design with 4 strands per channel a total of 8 eighth strands each one individually insulated for better noise and interference rejection.
The cable is sleek , lightweight and very soft to the touch while it stays tangle free even if you deliberately try to mess it up.
Microphonic noise is completely absent.
The Pentacon gold plated plug is a sleek but sturdy design made of aluminum while the headphone connectors are a little bit longer and rounded than the original Sennheiser.
It is a high quality connector that consists of two parts.
The half end that plugs into the headphone is made of good plastic while the remaining barrel is of lightweight aluminium in a mate black color.
The left channel connector is black while the other one is red and both have a small rounded bump indicating which side should face outside.
The cable entries into the headphone connectors are reinforced with heat shrink material.
A nice aluminium splitter is used to separate the two branches of the cable.
Handling of the cable is good and it looks like it can withstand the test of time as long as we treat it with some care and not abuse it.
Some extra reinforcement around the headphone connectors should be welcomed.
Sound
We are not going to provide an in depth sound analysis because as you already know this is a much debated and very subjective topic.
But we are going to clarify and assure our readers that the sound with the Dekoni Audio Cablez is crystal clear , detailed , full and effortless passing out all the available information without holding performance back in anyway.
And to our book a cable with such a performance is considered a very good one.
Brief comparisons
If we compare the Cablez with the original Sennheiser cable we definitely have a preference for the former because it is of higher build quality , noise free and overall handling is much better.
The only drawback is that users who might need a longer length cannot order one because as we have mentioned the Cablez is only available at 1.20m length.
Maybe in the near future Dekoni will add one more popular length like 2m and offer the cable with additional plug options like 2.5mm or 3.5mm.
Unfortunately we don't own less expensive cables from China in order to do a comparison but we do own a little more expensive cable from the Polish Forza AudioWorks.
This one is made of 7N UPOCC hybrid copper and silver combined wire and not just silver plated copper.
It is braided with 4 total strands but it is of higher total gauge.
Build quality is very good and the headphone connectors are more like the original ones.
The cable is a little heavier but it is quite soft despite the increased diameter and tangle free without microphonic noise.
It looks a little more premium but for a total length of 1.25m with a Pentacon plug it will cost €129.
That translates roughly at $155 without the import taxes.
So at least for the US market the Dekoni Cablez is lot better deal with the added benefit that it is readily available while the FAW is built to order with a lengthy waiting time.
At the end
We liked the Dekoni Audio Cablez and we do believe that it can absolutely justify the asking price - at least for the US market - because of its great build quality , the good handling , the low weight and the absence of microphonic noise.
It sure is a crowded market with a lot of options for various prices and qualities and the end user should carefully judge and choose.
Among the various options the Dekoni Audio Cablez is a very solid choice and it is highly recommended.
Copyright - Laskis Petros 2021.
I tend to avoid cable reviews since I find the sound quality side of cable reviews to be super subjective to a point. Plus that’s not usually why I opt for aftermarket cables. Luckily for me, Dekoni’s new Cablez doesn’t claim to be a special cable that improves sound. I was interested in their new offering since this seems to be new territory for them. Plus I like the way it looks. The Cablez comes in at a length of 1.2M and comes in 4.4mm Pentaconn. It is a fairly standard 5N copper cable.
Shoutout to Dylan from Dekoni for sending the Cablez in for review. While I always appreciate the chance to test and review products sent in from manufacturers, it never affects the rating of my review.
The Cablez can be picked up here https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dek...nnheiser-hd600-series-headphones-1-2m-length/
Gear used
IPhone 12 Pro, SMSL SU-9/SP400, iFi NEO, custom tube amp.
Looks and feel
When I got the Cablez in I was quite surprised since these had a material pretty close to my stock audeze cables. It’s hard to explain the feel of the cable material but it has a silicon/grippy feel. This material made for zero micro phonics when it was plugged into my 6xx. The cable is lightweight and didn’t tangle easy when I used it so I was pretty happy about that. It does require some effort to get them plugged into the headphones but I didn’t feel like I was breaking anything. They will wear down with time if for some reason you cable swap a lot. The cable is on the shorter side which was perfect for me. I tend to either be at my desk or relaxing on the bed/couch. This will of course be an issue if you have a setup where the amp is far from you. The other issue is that Dekoni(as of this writing) doesn’t offer any longer lengths. I hope that if the Cablez sells well, that some cable length options are added. The Cablez is also only offered in the 58X/6 everything series connectors. No options as of yet for other headphones.
Sound thoughts
Dekoni claims the cablez won’t do any magical sound changes and they’re correct. In my testing I noticed no difference from the stock cable and the Cablez(ran through a single ended adapter). The few balanced cables I tried for the 6xx all gave a slightly wider soundstage and the same thing happened with the Cablez as well.
Cost
I can hear a lot of people screaming “WHY WOULD I PAY $120 FOR A CABLE FOR MY $170 58X?!”. Well it depends on a few things IMO. Of course you can pick up some cheaper cables of unknown build quality off Ali or amazon but here you get a really nicely made cable with no micro phonics that’s lightweight for a “middle of the cable road” price. It also depends on what headphones you plan to pair the Cablez with. If you attach it to a 58X the price is a little harder to swallow. If you throw the cable on a normal HD650 or 660s then the price of the Cablez doesn’t seem that bad. Dekoni is already running a deal on the Cablez as part of its launch so I recommend grabbing one now vs later if there is an interest in trying their new Cablez.
Overall thoughts
Like I stated in the beginning, I try not to do cable reviews as I like to avoid the subjective side of what a cable does to the sound quality. I usually buy an aftermarket cable because I have a need for a balanced cable. Looks and feel are important to me and I really like the new Dekoni Cablez. For those with the original HD600/650 and the 660S, I would recommend the Cablez! It was a blast to use and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Those with the 58X and 6XX will wanna determine if the price is worth it for the features of the cable. Thanks for reading.
*Side note* I had planned to finish this review by grabbing my pair of 6XX from work and taking pics with the final production version of the Cablez. I've had the cable in for quite some time waiting for a release. I usually leave my 6XX in my cube at work since I'm the only one from my team going in currently. Someone was nice enough to take my headphones out of my cube while I was out of the office but left the custom tube amp that was worth way more behind. So unfortunately there won’t be any pics of it attached to my now missing 6XX.
chekrdnickrs
Great review! Seriously contemplating getting one myself, but the only 4.4m out I have is on my FiiO M11. Do you think my DAP can power 6XXs well enough?
corgifall
Out of the balanced output, yes. The m11 pushes a decent amount of power via balanced.
