NiceHCK Blocc IEM Cable
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This review was originally published at www.audioreviews.org
INTRODUCTION
Third-party “upgrade” cables with prices up to the sky have always played a role in the premium earphone segment. But in the last few years, with the uprise of budget/mid tier Chi-Fi, such cables have become standard staples even at the very low end. In fact, fixed cables are a deal breaker for many potential buyers even of $20 earphones. Some Chi-Fi earphone brands have their own line of cables that range from a few $ to the price of a mid-tier earphone.
NiceHCK are such a company. They have impressed us with more or less good sounding but always well-built earphones, and I have purchased quite a few of their $10-15 pure copper or silver- plated copper cables, which have been always to my satisfaction. Now I am in the situation where I hold a $110 cable in my hands for the first time. Is it any better than the cheap fare – and if so – is the “NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable” worth the “upgrade”?
SPECIFICATIONS
Product Name: NiceHCK 5N UPOCC copper cable
Model name: NiceHCK Blocc
Material: 5N UPOCC copper (purity 99.999%)
Internal core structure: Litz
Outer material: black nylon
Length:
Plug Types: straight 3.5 /2.5 /4.4mm
Connector: MMCX/0.78mm 2Pin/QDC 2Pin
Number of Cores: 982 {(980.06mm)*2}
Conductor Core: 26AWG
Outer diameter of internal single core: 0.06 mm
Single Outer Skin Diameter: 2.7 mm
Tested at: $110
Purchase Link: NiceHCK Audio Store
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
TECHNOLOGY
The important technologies used in the NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable areUPOCC (material) and Litz (internal cable structure). You may have come across these terms before, but, like me, do not remember the details. OCC stands for “Ohno Continuous Casting”. It refers to a method of copper refining developed and patented by Professor Ohno of the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan. UP stands for “Ultra Pure”. The process results in essentially oxygen free pure copper, which has ultra-low impedance that results in rapid signal transmission. And the lack of impurities makes the material corrosion resistant.
The “N” number in 5N refers to degree of copper purity. 5 refers to five nines as in 99.999% pure copper (4N would mean 99.99% and so on).
Litz is a special type of multistrand cable designed to reduce skin and proximity effect losses in conducturs below 1 MHz. It consists of many thin wire strands, individually insulated and twisted or woven together, following one of several carefully prescribed patterns frequently involving several levels (groups of twisted wires are twisted together, etc.). The result of these winding patterns is to equalize the proportion of the overall length over which each strand is at the outside of the conductor. This has the effect of distributing the current equally among the wire strands, reducing the resistance.
HAPTIC & BUILD
With four words: this cable feels very substantial. I have never had a more substantial cable in my hands. The coating is of thick nylon and the metal pieces at the ends and the splitter are made of shiny, sturdy metal alloy. All metal parts are plain cylindrical in shape – the design is minimalistic and pragmatic and would fit the German Bauhaus school of design “Die Form folgt der Funktion” (the shape should reflect the functionality). The actual nylon coating feels pleasant, sturdy/robust yet very pliable, and water repellent. It is certainly not a dust and dirt attractor. Despite being thick, the cable is very light and does not drag you down. The ear hooks are mantled with some sturdy however reasonably flexible pvc. This cable is way more substantial than any of the $10-15 plastic cables I own and could easily be used to strangle someone – please don’t try this at home. I underline my description with photos below.
More photos: https://www.audioreviews.org/photographed-nicehck-blocc-5n-litz-upocc-occ-copper-earphone-cable/
The MMCX connectors are very sturdy. I swapped the cable around more than 10 times between different earphones – and the connectors clicked in with precision. Unplugging also has never been a problem.
COMFORT
The stiffness of the memory wire is ok, and their thickness distribute the weight evenly so that this cable is very comfortable around the ears. In fact, I don’t feel it at all – in contrast to the silicone tips inside my ear canals. The cable is – as said- light, and does not pull my ears or head down. In any case is the cable comfortable against the skins.
NOISE TRANSMISSION
The two cables strands between the ear hooks and the splitter are audible when rubbing against my designer beard near the jaws. While there is some microphonics, I am not sure whether this is also the case for the shaven individual.
COMPATIBILITY
The Blocc cable comes with a variety of connectors to fit any conventional earphone shells: MMCX/0.78mm 2Pin/QDC 2Pin. You can also choose the straight plug: 3.5 /2.5 /4.4mm.
JEWELRY EFFECT/LOOKS
Because of its universal design and black colour with shiny silvery metal parts, the NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable looks great on most earphones. It looks particularly good on the KBEAR TRI I3 (see photo) as the connectors fit seamlessly to the brushed metal shells. The simple cylindrical shapes of the metal parts generate this appeal of plain beauty, something I have always liked. Call it a designer cable.
SOUND: REFINING SNAKE OIL
I did a listening comparison using the $250 Kinboofi MK4 earphone [reviewed HERE] (the only MMCX-connected earphone I can offer to be worthy for a $100 cable). I did compare it to the $10 silver-plated copper stock cable and also to the $10 **** 8-core pure copper cable. If my perception was correct, the pure copper had less life than the other two (in combination with the MK4 earphone only) – and I retired it prematurely. When A/B-ing the stock and the BLOCC, I could not find any noticeable difference considering the error of slightly different insertion depth, my lack of auditory memory, and variation in impedance…the latter would have resulted in a slight volume difference which most reviewers would interpret as sound change. Different eartips would very likely result in a much bigger sonic difference than swapping between these two cables. If people go for the sound of an upgrade cable, there should be a HUGE sonic improvement over the stock cable at 10 times the price. But for the $100 extra you would probably get a much better sounding earphone – even with its stock cable. So, the reason for purchasing this or any other expensive cable cannot be sound.
And that’s where the snake oil dries out. Yes, cables can make and do make a sonic difference, but in my experience, this does not at all rely on price and the effect is different between earphones – and therefore not universal. The sonic differences – where they exist – are mainly in the wire materials (and to some extent in the structure) used. From experience, a silver-plated copper or an occ copper cable CAN add brightness, and therefore some sheen and sparkle to a dark sounding earphone, and a pure-copper cable helps taming boosted, piercing upper midrange peaks. This is just a rule of thumb, a hypothesis that needs to be re-tested for every earphone. But these sonic difference are already evident in $10-15 cables. A good example is the very sensitive KBEAR Diamond earphone, which sounds awful with an occ cable but great with cheap pure copper. KopyOkaya and I recorded the cable-material issue of the KBEAR Diamond earphone ad nauseam.
And what does the physics say? Cables may differ in their impedance and this difference affects most multi-driver earphone. Depending on the earphone’s impedance profile, different-impedance cables can change their frequency response [albeit these differences are small in most cases – they are more important when comparing iems with amplifiers]. This most often does not apply to single DDs, which typically have a flat impedance profile. The frequency response can be calculated and co-blogger Biodegraded offers a spreadsheet for this HERE. Again, impedance does not rely on price. In fact, expensive cable that don’t match well, impedance wise, will compromise sound quality, and constitute a downgrade rather than an upgrade.
Some reviewers describe cable tonality at great length, typically relative to the stock cable (and the upgrade cable is always better – audio engineers alway appear to fork out great premium earphones but then always fail with the cable? C’mon!). While any such cable-sound review cannot be universally valid – it only works for that particular comparison AND that particular earphone (minus the fantasies applied) – the differences in sonic quality perception may simply be generated by impedance differences and therefore by sonic quantity. If somebody wants to claim that a certain cable is a universally valid upgrade for any earphone, this has to be established by comparing the upgrade cable vs. stock for many earphones. Another alarm bell should ring when the BETTER LOOKING upgrade cable (nicer outer materials and fancier connectors) ALWAYS sounds better.
It also needs to be established that it is the pricier materials that make the difference. Good luck. Most cable reviews that touch sound should therefore be digested with caution.
So, why bother with this NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable? Well, a good cable is like a nice watch: the latter also just tells you the time – and probably not more accurately than your Timex, but a Rolex on your wrist looks and feels nicer – and it is a status symbol. So, the you spend $$$$ on a sports car, pardon earphone, you may want some nice tires and hubs, pardon cable with it. Get it? A nice cable is mainly jewelry, it is the looks and feel, and it may have some improved functionality (microphonic, weight etc.), but this is probably filed under “diminishing returns”.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
I was new to fancy cables and this one is impressive, but for the wrong reasons! It is simply a well working and optically/haptically appealing accessory that upgrades your setup in terms of looks and feel. It feels substantial and sturdy, the thick ear hooks are comfortable, and it has some microphonics. The NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable is simply a nice piece of jewelry.
Let’s put it like that. Someone’s wife could do with a cheap handbag, it doesn’t work any better than a Louis Vuitton. However, every time she picks up her Louis Vuitton, she gets this wow feeling – and one of gratefulness for her husband’s generous Valentine’s day gift. And if you are the wife, you know what I am talking about. So, gentlemen, why not getting your own hand bag in the shape of a nice cable. Just for pleasure.
Until next time…keep on listening!
DISCLAIMER
NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable was provided unsolicited by NiceHCK store – and I thank them for that.
Get it from NiceHCK Audio Store
Our generic standard disclaimer.
About my measurements.
NiceHCK Blocc
New from the creators of all things earphones comes a new cable on the heels of one of their most successful cables the UPOCC Oalloy cables I did a review for here. Comes a new version of the 5N UPOCC cable now called the Blocc. The new look copper cable from NiceHCK now looks similar to the finish of their C4-1 cables incorporating a nylon covering in all black. The difference in core structure goes from 4 cores in the Oalloy to only 2 in the Blocc. However, each cores of the Blocc has more interweaved cable threads 98 per core vs 44 per core for the Oalloy. Each core is thick and is twisted to form the bulk of the cable. If you’re looking for a strong cable to use, the Bloccs are well made and will withstand the years of use. They can be purchased with all the most popular terminations and connectors on the sales page. Here.
I would like to thank Jim and NiceHCK for the review sample of the Bloccs. These are my thoughts about their newest cables for your earphones.
UPOCC stands for Ultra Purity Ohno Continuous Casting. Just know that this particular copper design was done to make a more pure copper cable to use for your favorite earphones. It is the stuff that people will charge more for. Claims aside it really comes down to the sonic ability of such a cable and so what does the Blocc offer for sonic scalability?
The Bloccs come in a standard no frills NiceHCK zip up pouch that comes with a lot of their in ears. Upon open inspection while the cable design is a twisted dual core design. Each core has some substance. The overall thickness of the cables is similar to the thickness of a lot of 4 cores or even 8 cored equivalents. I am sure the nylon covering adds a bit of bulk here but for the most part the cable looks to be sturdy and well built. The review sample I got has a straight 2.5mm plug and standard 2 pin connectors and Y slitter with chin slider all in chrome accents. Which matches well with the black nylon. The cable is soft but the ear guides are stiff. At one point I will have to perform a minor surgery to take off the ear guides.
The issue with nylon coverings is that it does emit some cable noise even worn over the ears. The Blocc also incorporates a thicker stiff ear guide. Due to the thickness the cable sits firmly over the ear with no give or discomfort. I will admit that I am more of a fan of not using ear guides as these types of cables actually sit around the ears more snug and with added comfort vs having ear guides.
Some don’t believe in sonic enhancements using cables attached to your in ears but I also know that some folks don’t have the hearing sensitivity to really hear any differences so I don’t blame them. Just don’t tell me cables don’t make a difference for my own earphones. For me anyways it absolutely does. I listen to music and my earphones every single day and when a new parameter like a cable change is introduced it is easy for me to hear the differences but that particular ability to pick off differences may vary depending on how you hear and perceive sound.
A cable like the Blocc is not like the cheaper grade of cables sold on even NiceHCKs own website. These cables give the enthusiast a good taste of what higher end cables do but at a much more affordable price. I say affordable because such cables from a boutique shop and you will be spending 2X more. As with all of NiceHCK cables. The Blocc will have solid connectors and terminations. I do not perceive any weak spots on the cable itself.
Higher quality of copper makes your sound more pristine. The Blocc cable is a copper based cable adding fullness and warmth to otherwise dry and flat sonic production of your earphones. Copper based cables do well for mid band and bass production and the Blocc cable is exceptional in these two fronts. Treble is not affected as much as the silver varieties but that can be a good thing. I don’t perceive a lessening of treble detail and sparkle but the Bloccs won’t enhance that part of the treble either. Your earphones will sound more musical, more spacious with an outstanding deep reaching bass ability UPOCC copper cables can reproduce.
Brothers from the same mother. Oalloy next to the Blocc
In general UPOCC copper cables gives a better sense of space and deepness to your music. Bass is the best I have ever heard from any cable and I can tell the material here is of similar quality to the Bloccs brother the Oalloy. These share similarities in how they project sound so it will come down how you want to have your cables look on your earphones. All black nylon covered cable or the traditional clear copper look of the Oalloy.
Having reviewed my share of sub $200 cables I now have a greater appreciation of what these type of cables offer. They are most definitely a step above your average budget aftermarket cable and my best advice for such a cable. If the sound characteristics seems to be what your looking for than catch one on sale. Aliexpress and NiceHCK hold a lot of sales events so not just regarding this particular cable but any cable you see on the sites. Wait for a sale and grab em when you can. The cables are worth the money for certain but even better when you get a better deal on them.
Party on your Blocc w/NF audio NM2.
Blocc cables do well for analytical tuned detailed earphones that need some meat injected to the sonics. It is all about getting the right mix of smoothing fullness and bass connected to that detailed highly resolving earphone. BAs do particularly well with the Blocc cable since it seems to have a direct effect on the tone of the BAs. Good copper cables like the Bloccs takes a bit of the edge off and reduces treble glare on highly technical type sound signatures. If its bright use copper is my motto. Fan of bass? Bloccs will give the best deep reaching bass to the ability of your earphone.
This segment will be different pairings with the Blocc
First up is the NF audio’s NA1. A highly resolving single dynamic earphone has great detail and clarity. Blocc injection makes them much more musical. More fuller body in note and has the best bass production possible for the NA1. This match was a perfect one as the Bloccs smoothed out the upper treble a touch and gives a more even tone to the sonics of the NA1. Fantastic pairing for analytical tuned monitors and it shows here with the NA1. Bass ability is the best I have heard on the NA1 using the Bloccs. Mids have better presence here vs the stock cable.
Next up is the Tansio Miral TSMR-4 pro. This all BA earphone from Tansio Mirai also exhibits a well balanced detailed tuning and the match up here is fantastic. Very dimensional the sound gets to be using this cable. The treble has a slight smoothening effect using the Bloccs and this makes the TSMR-4 pro sound even more refined than it already is. Bass again here gets a nice uplift in quality due to the cable. Mids gets more spacious sounding. Stage gets a natural sound expansion using the Bloccs. This was an excellent pairing with the TSMR-4 pros. I can’t say which pairing I like better here between the TSMR-4 pro or the NA1 shown previously.
Last pairing shown is NiceHCKs own NX7 Pro. As expected this pairing was substantial. Fuller more dimensional stage. One of the minor complaints I had about the NX7 pro was that it has a limited stage perception due to all them drivers crammed inside that smaller shell. It still retains that piezo treble but now the mids and bass has come up a level on the NX7 pro giving it a more balanced sound. The Blocc is most definitely an upgrade from the excellent pack in C-16 copper cable. A better dimensional wider deeper and fuller stage as a result. Musicality is at an all time high on the NX7 pros. Very great pairing here. Pairings on highly detailed earphones match up extremely well with the Bloccs smooth fullness and that ability to portray the best bass possible for any earphone. Never heard a better version of the NX7.
In conclusion. NiceHCK has done it once again with the introduction of an excellent sound enhancing cable in the Bloccs. Next time you see these on sale. Go for it. It will match up with just about any earphone that needs a bit of musicality thrown in the mix. For the asking price these are definitely worth getting a set for your favorite earphones. They are versatile and has outstanding higher copper properties that will add some thickness, fullness, stage enhancing dimensional mids, one of the best at bass enhancement, treble smoothing ability to just about any earphone. As always thanks for reading.
New from the creators of all things earphones comes a new cable on the heels of one of their most successful cables the UPOCC Oalloy cables I did a review for here. Comes a new version of the 5N UPOCC cable now called the Blocc. The new look copper cable from NiceHCK now looks similar to the finish of their C4-1 cables incorporating a nylon covering in all black. The difference in core structure goes from 4 cores in the Oalloy to only 2 in the Blocc. However, each cores of the Blocc has more interweaved cable threads 98 per core vs 44 per core for the Oalloy. Each core is thick and is twisted to form the bulk of the cable. If you’re looking for a strong cable to use, the Bloccs are well made and will withstand the years of use. They can be purchased with all the most popular terminations and connectors on the sales page. Here.
I would like to thank Jim and NiceHCK for the review sample of the Bloccs. These are my thoughts about their newest cables for your earphones.
UPOCC stands for Ultra Purity Ohno Continuous Casting. Just know that this particular copper design was done to make a more pure copper cable to use for your favorite earphones. It is the stuff that people will charge more for. Claims aside it really comes down to the sonic ability of such a cable and so what does the Blocc offer for sonic scalability?
The Bloccs come in a standard no frills NiceHCK zip up pouch that comes with a lot of their in ears. Upon open inspection while the cable design is a twisted dual core design. Each core has some substance. The overall thickness of the cables is similar to the thickness of a lot of 4 cores or even 8 cored equivalents. I am sure the nylon covering adds a bit of bulk here but for the most part the cable looks to be sturdy and well built. The review sample I got has a straight 2.5mm plug and standard 2 pin connectors and Y slitter with chin slider all in chrome accents. Which matches well with the black nylon. The cable is soft but the ear guides are stiff. At one point I will have to perform a minor surgery to take off the ear guides.
The issue with nylon coverings is that it does emit some cable noise even worn over the ears. The Blocc also incorporates a thicker stiff ear guide. Due to the thickness the cable sits firmly over the ear with no give or discomfort. I will admit that I am more of a fan of not using ear guides as these types of cables actually sit around the ears more snug and with added comfort vs having ear guides.
Some don’t believe in sonic enhancements using cables attached to your in ears but I also know that some folks don’t have the hearing sensitivity to really hear any differences so I don’t blame them. Just don’t tell me cables don’t make a difference for my own earphones. For me anyways it absolutely does. I listen to music and my earphones every single day and when a new parameter like a cable change is introduced it is easy for me to hear the differences but that particular ability to pick off differences may vary depending on how you hear and perceive sound.
A cable like the Blocc is not like the cheaper grade of cables sold on even NiceHCKs own website. These cables give the enthusiast a good taste of what higher end cables do but at a much more affordable price. I say affordable because such cables from a boutique shop and you will be spending 2X more. As with all of NiceHCK cables. The Blocc will have solid connectors and terminations. I do not perceive any weak spots on the cable itself.
Higher quality of copper makes your sound more pristine. The Blocc cable is a copper based cable adding fullness and warmth to otherwise dry and flat sonic production of your earphones. Copper based cables do well for mid band and bass production and the Blocc cable is exceptional in these two fronts. Treble is not affected as much as the silver varieties but that can be a good thing. I don’t perceive a lessening of treble detail and sparkle but the Bloccs won’t enhance that part of the treble either. Your earphones will sound more musical, more spacious with an outstanding deep reaching bass ability UPOCC copper cables can reproduce.
Brothers from the same mother. Oalloy next to the Blocc
In general UPOCC copper cables gives a better sense of space and deepness to your music. Bass is the best I have ever heard from any cable and I can tell the material here is of similar quality to the Bloccs brother the Oalloy. These share similarities in how they project sound so it will come down how you want to have your cables look on your earphones. All black nylon covered cable or the traditional clear copper look of the Oalloy.
Having reviewed my share of sub $200 cables I now have a greater appreciation of what these type of cables offer. They are most definitely a step above your average budget aftermarket cable and my best advice for such a cable. If the sound characteristics seems to be what your looking for than catch one on sale. Aliexpress and NiceHCK hold a lot of sales events so not just regarding this particular cable but any cable you see on the sites. Wait for a sale and grab em when you can. The cables are worth the money for certain but even better when you get a better deal on them.
Party on your Blocc w/NF audio NM2.
Blocc cables do well for analytical tuned detailed earphones that need some meat injected to the sonics. It is all about getting the right mix of smoothing fullness and bass connected to that detailed highly resolving earphone. BAs do particularly well with the Blocc cable since it seems to have a direct effect on the tone of the BAs. Good copper cables like the Bloccs takes a bit of the edge off and reduces treble glare on highly technical type sound signatures. If its bright use copper is my motto. Fan of bass? Bloccs will give the best deep reaching bass to the ability of your earphone.
This segment will be different pairings with the Blocc
First up is the NF audio’s NA1. A highly resolving single dynamic earphone has great detail and clarity. Blocc injection makes them much more musical. More fuller body in note and has the best bass production possible for the NA1. This match was a perfect one as the Bloccs smoothed out the upper treble a touch and gives a more even tone to the sonics of the NA1. Fantastic pairing for analytical tuned monitors and it shows here with the NA1. Bass ability is the best I have heard on the NA1 using the Bloccs. Mids have better presence here vs the stock cable.
Next up is the Tansio Miral TSMR-4 pro. This all BA earphone from Tansio Mirai also exhibits a well balanced detailed tuning and the match up here is fantastic. Very dimensional the sound gets to be using this cable. The treble has a slight smoothening effect using the Bloccs and this makes the TSMR-4 pro sound even more refined than it already is. Bass again here gets a nice uplift in quality due to the cable. Mids gets more spacious sounding. Stage gets a natural sound expansion using the Bloccs. This was an excellent pairing with the TSMR-4 pros. I can’t say which pairing I like better here between the TSMR-4 pro or the NA1 shown previously.
Last pairing shown is NiceHCKs own NX7 Pro. As expected this pairing was substantial. Fuller more dimensional stage. One of the minor complaints I had about the NX7 pro was that it has a limited stage perception due to all them drivers crammed inside that smaller shell. It still retains that piezo treble but now the mids and bass has come up a level on the NX7 pro giving it a more balanced sound. The Blocc is most definitely an upgrade from the excellent pack in C-16 copper cable. A better dimensional wider deeper and fuller stage as a result. Musicality is at an all time high on the NX7 pros. Very great pairing here. Pairings on highly detailed earphones match up extremely well with the Bloccs smooth fullness and that ability to portray the best bass possible for any earphone. Never heard a better version of the NX7.
In conclusion. NiceHCK has done it once again with the introduction of an excellent sound enhancing cable in the Bloccs. Next time you see these on sale. Go for it. It will match up with just about any earphone that needs a bit of musicality thrown in the mix. For the asking price these are definitely worth getting a set for your favorite earphones. They are versatile and has outstanding higher copper properties that will add some thickness, fullness, stage enhancing dimensional mids, one of the best at bass enhancement, treble smoothing ability to just about any earphone. As always thanks for reading.
