[blindcat]

Hi everyone,

The left channel of my HD600 wire just packed up so instead of buying another stock cable I was considering just building one for probably not a great deal more money.
I have been tempted to buy a custom cable for around £70 from a guy on eBay : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250689161649 but of course he has to make money out of it so I'm guessing the components will be a bit cheaper.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250689161649
My question is: What's the best cable to use to fatten up the sound (wider soundstage, more defined bass & treble etc) while keeping it neutral as possible? (I'm going to be using the headphones as references for mixing.) Also what other parts would you use? Like which headphone jack? Or doesn't it matter so much? Also I've found 2 Cardas Sennheiser plugs for £15 so I'll be using those. 
 
Is this even worth the bother? Shall I just let this guy do it for an extra few quid?
 
Please share your thoughts below!
 
Thanks..

Nick

 

[bik2101]

you absolutely should not pay $105 for that cable.. that is a rip-off if i've ever seen one.
5 feet of mogami = about $7
Neutrik plug  = $8
cardas plugs = $16
heatsrhink and some techflex = $3~$4

 

[earthpeople]

You can definitely make one for much cheaper, and it's much more fun and rewarding to do it yourself. Regarding what cable, plugs, etc will give what sound, I can't help much there.
If you use some basic, yet quality, parts like Neutrik plugs, Cardas Sennheiser plugs, and some mogami or Canare starquad cable, you'll have something that does what it needs to very well.

 

[jyc327]

what's the best place to order such cables and plugs? too bad i'm in Canada tho. haven't been able to find a local or Canadian store that cable these plugs and cables

 

[scootermafia]

Considering that the guy has to pay income taxes, shipping, paypal, and ebay fees as well as spend time, solder, and various little odds and ends to make the cable happen, it's not a bad deal.  If you are not comfortable building the cable yourself, then considering buying a cable.  They're not that hard to make, my first Sennheiser cable turned out not too bad.  You do need quite a few tools and materials though...I would only invest if you think you're going to DIY all of your cables in the future.  If you need any specific help, let me know.  

 

[bik2101]

you could always have someone here in the US buy parts and ship them to you and then reimburse a bit for that. in the end i still think you would end up saving a agreat deal of money rather than buying that cable on line.
 
Quote:

what's the best place to order such cables and plugs? too bad i'm in Canada tho. haven't been able to find a local or Canadian store that cable these plugs and cables

 

[scootermafia]

International shipping isn't high as long as you don't buy from a place that rips you off. Partsconexxion ships me stuff for $6 to the US. Or get more stuff at a time.

 

[blindcat]

Sorry for the delayed reply, my router packed up therefore haven't had the internet for a few days. I'm definitely going to try and make my own cable but still have to research into what the best one to use is.
Does anyone know of any good 3.5mm plugs that come with 6.8mm adaptors included? I prefer it that way so I can plug it straight into a laptop etc.

 

[bik2101]

i don't think there are any 3.5mm plugs coming with 1/4" adapters... but i'm sure you could easily find 1/8" to 1/4" adapters anywhere on ebay for real cheap. 

 

[scootermafia]

Not too hard to get a 1/8" to 1/4" solid metal adapter that snaps on, from radio shack or anywhere.  You won't find DIY miniplugs that just come with one.  

 

[blindcat]

I've spent all day looking on forums and researching parts and come up up with the following:
 
I found Cardas cable on eBay (because things seem to be pretty difficult to get over here in the UK) for a whopping £5.64 for 20cm!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CARDAS-LITZ-SHIELDED-CABLE-ARMS-INTERCONNECTS-PHONES-/120619321716?pt=Turntable_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c1578c974
 
Research suggests mixed opinions among audiophiles therefore I'm probably not prepared to pay around £50 for a piece of cable which is going to do roughly the same thing as a £5 one... Has anyone got experience with this stuff?
 
I researched the suggestions made from 'earthpeople' above and have found a UK source with decent prices... I'm currently torn between:
http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/30-920_MOGAMI-2893-CABLE
or
http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/30-620_CANARE-L-4E6S-CABLE-Black
 
Also, I was thinking about making my own extension cable... So instead of having approximately 10 feet dangling around my ankles, I was thinking of possibly cutting it in half and putting a female connector on one side. Is this a bad idea? Why if so?
And last question (apologies for the bombardment) if it is a good idea then what is the connector I'm looking for called? Most female jacks are double ended or have a male on the otherside.
Is this any good to me?
http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/2000785/43-298_LOCKING-MINIATURE-JACK-SOCKET-In-line-35mm-3-pole-black
 
Many thanks...

 

[blindcat]

Ok so I guess you lot have lost interest by now but I'm going for Cardas plugs, two lengths of Mogami, a female 3.5mm plug connecting to the extension cable and Rean connectors. Thanks for all your input, I'll let you know how it sounds if you're interested.

 

[Black Stuart]

Blindcat,
I really like the Senn sound but the original Senn mini-plugs and the Cardas replacement ones are a disgrace, I'm glad to see that Senn has moved away from these awful little plugs with the 800.
 
Be very careful with your soldering iron, the plastic used is really crap. Many have posted about broken connections to these Senn plugs, not surprising really. Instead of using open solder channels, as in a typical RCA plug or solid pins aka XLRs they use a tube, which is  impossible to tin inside. I have repaired a well known commercial after/market cable that had been sent back for repair to the makers which was a joke. I realised the only secure way was to solder the single solid core wire to the outside of the hollow pin.
 
I must stress that it is vital that you use the proper diameter heatshrink over these mini plugs and it should be a type that has an internal glue. I have used a 6-1 ratio heatshrink, it is a real sod to get to shrink but it does grip the plug and cable absolutely. Pretty it is'nt but I can guarantee that the conductor will not break away because of the iron grip of the heatshrink. The 6-1 heatshrink will shrink solid but nothing to worry about there as the cable is hanging virtically or near so.
 
Why do so most h/phone companies use stranded wire, not for it's audio quality but because stranded is perceived to be better able to withstand breaking. You may well find it better to cut away the pathetic strain relief and indeed the bottom of the mini plug, this way you will have more room to work. The irony is that using small gauge solid core wire is not the problem, the problem is that very often the wire is carrying the weight of the cable because the heatshrink is incorrect and is not taking the strain.
 

 

[scootermafia]

It isn't hard to solder a HD600 plug.  Go buy some "Safe Art Systems Liquid Safety Flux" (google it, a few art stores sell it), not expensive.  Swab it onto the wire and contacts, and the solder will literally jump on with minimal heat or effort.  If you have a really cheesy soldering iron it can be harder as it will apply too much heat.  Serious DIYers need a Metcal SP200 or better.  You don't solder the wire onto the top of the tube, just stick the wire into the tube and start flowing solder onto the tube and it will flow right inside.  
 
For heatshrink I use the 4:1 ratio high flow clear glueshrink from Cableorganizer, have to search for it on their site, I think.  It's tough as nails.  For filling the plug with glue, Gorilla epoxy works nicely.  
 
The HD800 plugs may look nicer, but they're tricker to solder...still, they don't melt easily, at least.  

 

[p a t r i c k]

Hi
 
You don't say how much a stock cable replacement will cost.
 
If that is inexpensive then I would certainly get that.
 
Alternatively of course you can create your own cable.
 
You ask "What's the best cable to use to fatten up the sound (wider soundstage, more defined bass & treble etc) while keeping it neutral as possible?"
 
but cables aren't  going to have that kind of influence on the sound. Unfortunately there are plenty of people creating this impression, and I think that is causing the problem in your decision making. It's not your fault 

 
Either build a sensible cable (which will sound like the original), or just buy a replacement of the stock cable.
 
If you want to have a significant impact on the sound of the reproduction then you will need to look at source components and amplification.