Cables are a highly debated, contested and down right causes friction among enthusiasts. Does cables have any effect on audio? If your a non believer in what cables do for your earphones then you can pretty much stop reading this review and carry on with yourselves.
As a disclaimer I would like to state that I am not a numbers and graph type of guy but more based on how I hear things and to answer the previous question. In my mind unequivocally I would say yes. I was provided the cables for my thoughts on them from NiceHCK. You can purchase these cables from NiceHCK on their web site on Aliexpress.com. Through my own audio journey I have had positives and negative effects of cables and today I will be going over a budget offering from NiceHCK called the C-16. Numbered 1-3.
It is not a secret that NiceHCK has been offering cables on their web site since they first came on the aliexpress scene for audio since 2015. I will be going over some of their newest cables in the C-16 series of cables. The C-16 series of cables are all 16 core 23AWG copper core with either silver plating or a mix of SPC and pure copper. I do notice while the core count is 16 each core is tight and wound up in a litz structure giving the cables a solid feel while being very pliable and soft. These all seem to be factory made but all are very consistent in their build and quality. These cables can be bought with any terminations and connectors to fit any earphone minus the proprietary types from AT and JH audio. So I would say would fit 97% of all earphones out in the wild.
They all come in a plastic bag and a nice velcro cable tie which come in handy when putting your earphones away. They all have no ear guilds which is the best design for aftermarket cables imo. Stiff ear guilds I have no idea why they exist.
Onto the cables. The C-16-1 is an SPC silver coated copper which is claimed to have 99.997% purity. Don’t know if that means the silver used is pure or the copper I would imagine it might be more the copper used vs the silver. They look extremely well made consisting of 14 strands per core X 16 cores. Not only to look at but in function. Solid 2 pin construction and mmcx for the C16-2 I chose for the review have solid connection to my earphones.
Sonic character of the C-16-1 are as follows. Connected to the NX7 and DB3 with higher end Zeus thrown in the mix to see how this cable stacks up to a higher resolution of sound. C-16-1 adds some body and extension of extremities be it low bass to treble. Vocals come in with added texture and instruments have a slight definition edge against using the stock cables. To my surprise the C-16-1 actually sounds good connected to my zeus which is my most pickiest of earphones when it comes to cables and sources. It didn’t detract from the cable I was using on it which costs triple of the C-16-1 so this shows the cable has a good clean signal to it.
Earphones with much bass, warmer, thicker sounding phones benefit from SPC cables and the C-16-1 is a great addition to the phones like the DB3. In fact is has been pretty much permanently been on the DB3. So cables will not show in measurements or will they give a drastic change on the sound design on the phones they are attached to but they do add or take away a small layer of sound that some can perceive and some can’t. With the advancement of DAPs and newer portable amps that have balanced out. I think the best use of these types of cables is so you can use your favorite earphones in balanced. Which also adds some enhancement sonically to your earphones.
The C-16-2 I went for an MMCX connector to try it out on my higher end earphones the Solaris and IT04. I am very familiar with the sonic qualities of these 2 highly resolving earphones so I felt it was a good test to see how the hybrid SPC and copper C-16-2 did on them. C-16-2 has more that is influenced by the copper core more so than the silver aspect of sound. Giving the Solaris some additional warmth and smoothness. Not the most resolving but certainly does not loose it’s sonic attributes. On the It04 it adds a slightly thicker presentation with the bass being as well defined as it ever been. Treble seems to be roughly the same.
I don’t feel the cables loses out on even the stock Litz SPC cables that came with the Solaris so in that regard it is a win. Cheaper hybrid cables are in my opinion are not really what they seem to be. There is little if at all any real sonic differences between hybrid and the pure copper variety of cables. Unless we are talking about much higher end cables with some exotic metals thrown in the mix. The idea of a hybrid is so the cable maintains the detail and treble extension of silver while adding a thicker fuller presentation of copper. Ideally. But in reality it is more copper than silver.
Finally the C-16-3 pure copper. This is my favorite of the 3 cables easily. Does wonders for analytical tunings such as the NX7. Slightly decreases the treble spike on the NiceHCK F3 as well. It has permanently been on the NX7. Sounds absolutely superb on the phones like it was made for it. Smooth articulation thicker bolder more defined bass and keeping that treble in check is the order of the day for the C-16-3. Pure copper adds a touch of warmth to the sonic qualities of phones like the NX7. Mids have fuller body with more authority in the bass region. Treble maintains it’s clarity and detail but since the mids and bass is boosted a touch gives better balancing to the sound.
Cables are like your favorite condiment. Hot sauce for your burrito, sriracha for your bowl of Pho. The C-16 series of cables has shown me quality does not have to be expensive in the cable realm. These cables are exciting since they add that last bit of enhancement to your favorite earphones while looking and feeling absolutely superb. If your in the need to get an upgrade in the way of a cable for your earphones. The C-16 cables make a compelling argument for bang for buck in cable land. Thanks for reading and as always happy listening.
As a disclaimer I would like to state that I am not a numbers and graph type of guy but more based on how I hear things and to answer the previous question. In my mind unequivocally I would say yes. I was provided the cables for my thoughts on them from NiceHCK. You can purchase these cables from NiceHCK on their web site on Aliexpress.com. Through my own audio journey I have had positives and negative effects of cables and today I will be going over a budget offering from NiceHCK called the C-16. Numbered 1-3.
It is not a secret that NiceHCK has been offering cables on their web site since they first came on the aliexpress scene for audio since 2015. I will be going over some of their newest cables in the C-16 series of cables. The C-16 series of cables are all 16 core 23AWG copper core with either silver plating or a mix of SPC and pure copper. I do notice while the core count is 16 each core is tight and wound up in a litz structure giving the cables a solid feel while being very pliable and soft. These all seem to be factory made but all are very consistent in their build and quality. These cables can be bought with any terminations and connectors to fit any earphone minus the proprietary types from AT and JH audio. So I would say would fit 97% of all earphones out in the wild.
They all come in a plastic bag and a nice velcro cable tie which come in handy when putting your earphones away. They all have no ear guilds which is the best design for aftermarket cables imo. Stiff ear guilds I have no idea why they exist.
Onto the cables. The C-16-1 is an SPC silver coated copper which is claimed to have 99.997% purity. Don’t know if that means the silver used is pure or the copper I would imagine it might be more the copper used vs the silver. They look extremely well made consisting of 14 strands per core X 16 cores. Not only to look at but in function. Solid 2 pin construction and mmcx for the C16-2 I chose for the review have solid connection to my earphones.
Sonic character of the C-16-1 are as follows. Connected to the NX7 and DB3 with higher end Zeus thrown in the mix to see how this cable stacks up to a higher resolution of sound. C-16-1 adds some body and extension of extremities be it low bass to treble. Vocals come in with added texture and instruments have a slight definition edge against using the stock cables. To my surprise the C-16-1 actually sounds good connected to my zeus which is my most pickiest of earphones when it comes to cables and sources. It didn’t detract from the cable I was using on it which costs triple of the C-16-1 so this shows the cable has a good clean signal to it.
Earphones with much bass, warmer, thicker sounding phones benefit from SPC cables and the C-16-1 is a great addition to the phones like the DB3. In fact is has been pretty much permanently been on the DB3. So cables will not show in measurements or will they give a drastic change on the sound design on the phones they are attached to but they do add or take away a small layer of sound that some can perceive and some can’t. With the advancement of DAPs and newer portable amps that have balanced out. I think the best use of these types of cables is so you can use your favorite earphones in balanced. Which also adds some enhancement sonically to your earphones.
The C-16-2 I went for an MMCX connector to try it out on my higher end earphones the Solaris and IT04. I am very familiar with the sonic qualities of these 2 highly resolving earphones so I felt it was a good test to see how the hybrid SPC and copper C-16-2 did on them. C-16-2 has more that is influenced by the copper core more so than the silver aspect of sound. Giving the Solaris some additional warmth and smoothness. Not the most resolving but certainly does not loose it’s sonic attributes. On the It04 it adds a slightly thicker presentation with the bass being as well defined as it ever been. Treble seems to be roughly the same.
I don’t feel the cables loses out on even the stock Litz SPC cables that came with the Solaris so in that regard it is a win. Cheaper hybrid cables are in my opinion are not really what they seem to be. There is little if at all any real sonic differences between hybrid and the pure copper variety of cables. Unless we are talking about much higher end cables with some exotic metals thrown in the mix. The idea of a hybrid is so the cable maintains the detail and treble extension of silver while adding a thicker fuller presentation of copper. Ideally. But in reality it is more copper than silver.
Finally the C-16-3 pure copper. This is my favorite of the 3 cables easily. Does wonders for analytical tunings such as the NX7. Slightly decreases the treble spike on the NiceHCK F3 as well. It has permanently been on the NX7. Sounds absolutely superb on the phones like it was made for it. Smooth articulation thicker bolder more defined bass and keeping that treble in check is the order of the day for the C-16-3. Pure copper adds a touch of warmth to the sonic qualities of phones like the NX7. Mids have fuller body with more authority in the bass region. Treble maintains it’s clarity and detail but since the mids and bass is boosted a touch gives better balancing to the sound.
Cables are like your favorite condiment. Hot sauce for your burrito, sriracha for your bowl of Pho. The C-16 series of cables has shown me quality does not have to be expensive in the cable realm. These cables are exciting since they add that last bit of enhancement to your favorite earphones while looking and feeling absolutely superb. If your in the need to get an upgrade in the way of a cable for your earphones. The C-16 cables make a compelling argument for bang for buck in cable land. Thanks for reading and as always happy listening.
