[Sonic Defender]

   
No problem, glad I can be helpful! Two curved, proprietary, 3.5 mm jacks go into the headphones themselves and the termination is a standard 3.5 mm jack (a 1/4 inch adapter comes with it). I haven't seen this design before as far as the entry into the cups. So it might be a while before aftermarket cables hit the scene.

It is in my mind unfortunate that Audeze go with proprietary terminations at the cup. Is it designed that a normal 3.5mm jack couldn't fit into the opening, or is it that it would fit, but look bad?

 

[F1REStarter]

  @DangerToast
 
I am very happy to read your early impressions - looks like I finally found headphones I could use for years.
 
Can you please elaborate a bit on a cable ? I see standard 3,5 mm on the other end, but what (or how ?) is it connected to headphones ?
Are there 2,5 mm jacks ? Do you think some custom cable could be later considered ?
 
Thank you for your answers,
Bobi

3 places I know of where you can get aftermarket cables for the Sine would be Doublehelixcables.com, Norneaudio.com, or Plussoundaudio.com. Christian from PlusSound said this to me in an email:
 
"The stock connectors are 3.5mm mono plugs. After discussing with Audeze directly, they will also work with 3.5mm TRS plugs with proper pinouts. The ones we are currently developing on are extended straight plugs (they will look just like our 3.5mm straight plugs except with a far longer jack) that work with headphones that have 3.5mm recessed sockets including Sine."

 

[Headphone4Life]

I've really been thinking of selling my HE-400i for a closed back planar like the Sine or PM3.  Has anyone listen to both the Sine and 400i, and if so does the Sine sound as good, better or worse?  Since I have a window AC unit in my room and that's where I do most of my listening at home closed headphones work much better for me.

 

[DangerToast]

3 places I know of where you can get aftermarket cables for the Sine would be Doublehelixcables.com, Norneaudio.com, or Plussoundaudio.com. Christian from PlusSound said this to me in an email:

"The stock connectors are 3.5mm mono plugs. After discussing with Audeze directly, they will also work with 3.5mm TRS plugs with proper pinouts. The ones we are currently developing on are extended straight plugs (they will look just like our 3.5mm straight plugs except with a far longer jack) that work with headphones that have 3.5mm recessed sockets including Sine."

Thanks for the info! Does this mean that they have cables now or that they are developing them and they are coming soon?

 

[DivergeUnify]

I've really been thinking of selling my HE-400i for a closed back planar like the Sine or PM3.  Has anyone listen to both the Sine and 400i, and if so does the Sine sound as good, better or worse?  Since I have a window AC unit in my room and that's where I do most of my listening at home closed headphones work much better for me.

sounds like the Ether-C is the only route for you

 

[Sonic Defender]

sounds like the Ether-C is the only route for you

Why couldn't the PM3, or any other number of closed headphones satisfy his needs? Why would he need to jump up from $400-500 range to what is the Ether C, $1500? Seems like a drastic jump.

 

[F1REStarter]

Thanks for the info! Does this mean that they have cables now or that they are developing them and they are coming soon?

I can confirm that PlusSound and Norne cables are available now.

Trevor (Norne Audio) says:
"Sine require a very small 3.5mm specialty connector, we have not updated our site options yet for it.  We do make them however. 

So you just have to include in checkout notes right now that you want "Sine" for your headphone type.  Then wait to make sure we

confirm it for you in email.  If you do not receive a confirming email then please email us again after ordering."

I believe DHC cables are available now for Sine as well, as evidenced in this picture:

 

[F1REStarter]

From Christian (PlusSound):

"For Sine, be sure to select '3.5mm dual' under (headphone) connector option. For plug, you can select any (4-pin XLR, 3.5mm, 2.5 TRRS, etc) depending on your setup."

 

[mscott58]

Would love any impressions anyone has on such aftermarket cables. Not to start the typical cable-war here, but I have had luck with such cables on my LCD-3's and K-10's. However, spending almost as much on a cable as the HP's (in the case of the SINE) might be a bit for me to swallow in this case (depending on the price-points of course). Cheers 

 

[Fifinder]

Preliminary impressions. 
 
Got mine yesterday, a Sine with a regular cable, no Cipher. Listened immediately through Tidal / SMSL M8 DAC / Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies tube amp, and liked what I heard. Very enjoyable overall, serious bass definition, a little harsh in the upper register though — but decided it was too early for critical listening, and that the Sine would probably benefit from some burn-in. Been pumping pink noise through it at mid-to-high levels for the better part of 24 hours. Will continue with burn-in for another day or two, I think.
 
That said, I've been playing with them for the past hour, and doing some more quick listening with more "typical" sources: my 2011 iMac with a Schiit Fulla mini-DAC, and my iPone 6 Plus.
 
The sound from the phone's headphone jack, no external DAC, is much better, more cohesive, than the sound out of the Mac's USB port with the Schiit Fulla. I'm pretty surprised by that.
 
On the iPhone, I briefly compared the sound via Apple's Music app to the sound from Accudio Pro (an EQ app with a built-in database of headphone curves). Not a night-and-day difference, but preferred the Accudio route, using the Audeze LCD-X curve, which I customized with +1db in the sub-bass, +1db in the bass, and -2db sibilance. (I mostly listened to Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris, a gorgeous but overly sibilant recording.) I will probably tweak further depending on music played and how the sonic character of the Sine develops.
 
One area of concern: I was taken aback by the lack of groove I heard in the iconic opening bars of the Pointer Sisters' Yes We Can. It's such a stimulating little bass riff / beat that even an old transistor radio should be able to get your foot tapping. The Sine did nothing for me in that regard. Left me cold. Weird. 
 
Caveat: I've been feeling sick today, so very possibly it's me and I'm simply not in a toe-tapping mood. 
 
Caveat 2: The Sine is up against some very heavy (unfair) competition, because I do all my usual listening via the HifiMan HE-1000 and the Audeze LCD-3 / LCD-4, and that's what my ears are tuned to. All three are outstanding in the groove department (and almost every other department!).
 
Am interested in the Sine because I love the LCD-series 'phones but want something portable in that vein that I can travel with — something better than my Bose QC25.
 
Will report back after continued burn-in and more ear time with the Sine.

 

[DivergeUnify]

Why couldn't the PM3, or any other number of closed headphones satisfy his needs? Why would he need to jump up from $400-500 range to what is the Ether C, $1500? Seems like a drastic jump.

I was joking

 

[Headphone4Life]

When I hear things like harsh in the upper register to describe the treble I know this isn't the one for me.  My favorite headphone at the moment is the Sony Z7 which is very warm with smooth highs so the PM3 looks like a better option for me at this point.

 

[Fifinder]

  When I hear things like harsh in the upper register to describe the treble I know this isn't the one for me. 

That was fresh out of the box, no break-in. And, as I said, preliminary. Stay tuned for more.

 

[ohotonge]

Just compared Sine with my pm-3
how sine sounds compared with pm-3?
in a word : dark
two words : less lively
in a word(again) : boring. that's shocking because I have always thought pm-3 is boring.
this is from 40minutes comparing, so I may change my mind.

 

[soundify]

Does anyone know how the Sine compares to Sony mdr z7?
Is it more or less the same?