Do you guys prefer the Sine with or without the Cipher cable when not using any external amps? For kicks I plugged the 3.5mm cable for my EL-8 Titanium into Apple’s 3.5mm Lightning adapter (which actually measures very well) and I think I preferred the sound. The bass boost from the Cipher on that headphone at least makes the mids sound less clean and detailed. It’s easy to equalize but it would probably be smart for Audeze to include an option to disable the bass boost; personally, I try to maintain stock tuning rather than just equalizing the entire bass range down a few decibels.
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Audeze SINE Series
- Thread starter mammal
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I love the idea of the Cipher cable, but people don’t realize that the Lightning adapter Apple provides measures astonishingly well, even better than most phones that have a 3.5mm jack:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm
Happytalk
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This could be annoying for me to say, but the sine’s are really good headphones. None are perfect. The fact that they sound this good and look this good is pretty cool. Kind of amazing, actually. As far as eq. I think it’s ok to do at the digital source. Especially for portable use. I don’t notice much, or any degradation with most good quality headphones. Planars especially. I just listened to a few records with my tube preamp going into a solid state portable headphone amp and felt great the whole time. Completely engaged. As far as the cipher cable. It’s still coiled in its original wrapper. Plugged it in once. It would be annoying to keeping having to swap. Sines sound good to me from the phone. I use a dap with good power for most music. Sometimes I watch a concert on the phone with YouTube. Sine’s work for me in both scenarios with the stock cable. If I only used an iPhone the cipher might be my choice, but man, for my money, these are fantastic either way.
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TidalWave
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I love the idea of the Cipher cable, but people don’t realize that the Lightning adapter Apple provides measures astonishingly well, even better than most phones that have a 3.5mm jack:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm
Not to stir a big pot of drama, but Ken Rockwell's "reviews" are always majorly biased and are frequently misleading. They are more like quirky opinion pieces, and he makes good money from the traffic generated on his site, as he "reviews" popular products to get a lot of hits. I've long known about his "reviews" of photography gear and only just recently found he also does audio gear "reviews". I go to his site for a laugh, not for reliable, unbiased reviews.
I vastly prefer the Cipher sound to no-Cipher sound via 3.5mm port, but currently looking for a dedicated external amp to use instead of Cipher, as I find the Cipher signature a bit too bright and fatiguing.
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Happytalk
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Love these with a good portable amp. Hard to beat.
TidalWave
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I’ve been comparing the sound from my V-Moda M-100 headphones (no amp yet) with my Audeze Sine (via Cipher DAC/amp cable), and finally tested both on the same source player tonight (iPad Pro 12.9”). There’s really no huge immediate difference between the two in terms of apparent quality, interestingly enough. The most immediately obvious difference is the soundstage: going from M-100 to Sine + Cipher feels like getting into a sound-dampened basement from a large chamber. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but really noticeable. The Sine has a very “immediate” feel to music, everything is more compressed and 2-D compared to the M-100’s noticeably more spaced out presentation. Another difference would be the mids being more forward with the Sine, so vocals are more up-front. Sine is more “shimmery”, M-100 is more relaxed and subdued. I’m starting to realize that I like the sound from my M-100 more than from the Sine, especially when I consider that I’m playing the latter through a DAC/amp and have yet to try an amp with M-100. The difference in soundstage is important to me.
I’m not keeping both in the long run, hence why I’ve been listening to both and making up my mind. I got the Sine after already having M-100, thinking it was going to be an upgrade replacement, but now I’m not so sure. If I had a good amp to use with both, it’d be a helpful test.
I’m not keeping both in the long run, hence why I’ve been listening to both and making up my mind. I got the Sine after already having M-100, thinking it was going to be an upgrade replacement, but now I’m not so sure. If I had a good amp to use with both, it’d be a helpful test.
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I’ve been comparing the sound from my V-Moda M-100 headphones (no amp yet) with my Audeze Sine (via Cipher DAC/amp cable), and finally tested both on the same source player tonight (iPad Pro 12.9”). There’s really no huge immediate difference between the two in terms of apparent quality, interestingly enough. The most immediately obvious difference is the soundstage: going from M-100 to Sine + Cipher feels like getting into a sound-dampened basement from a large chamber. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but really noticeable. The Sine has a very “immediate” feel to music, everything is more compressed and 2-D compared to the M-100’s noticeably more spaced out presentation. Another difference would be the mids being more forward with the Sine, so vocals are more up-front. Sine is more “shimmery”, M-100 is more relaxed and subdued. I’m starting to realize that I like the sound from my M-100 more than from the Sine, especially when I consider that I’m playing the latter through a DAC/amp and have yet to try an amp with M-100. The difference in soundstage is important to me.
I’m not keeping both in the long run, hence why I’ve been listening to both and making up my mind. I got the Sine after already having M-100, thinking it was going to be an upgrade replacement, but now I’m not so sure. If I had a good amp to use with both, it’d be a helpful test.
I find the Sine to be among the best headphones I’ve ever listened to. The M-100 is also one of the most enjoyable, but I think the Sine is on another level. You’re comparing upper mid-fidelity to what I’d consider true high-fidelity sound. Imaging and mid-range particularly is way better on the Sine.
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In fact, I’m very close to buying the Sine again. I still think I decided too quickly and may actually prefer the Sine to the EL-8. There was something super special about its sound in an on-ear form factor. On-ear also works better for me when I’m wearing glasses (many feel the opposite but I can easily wear on-ears without my glasses causing pressure or affecting the seal). I think I’ll sell my Sennheiser HD1 Wireless or even Solo3 and effectively trade it in for the the Sine. The Sine is basically a lively Solo3-type sound with a similarly well-extended bass boost of 5dB vs 7dB — with way more clarity in an audiophile-friendly package that lets you hear every micro detail in a song.
Only real problem is that the sound is noticeably better with Tidal, and I don’t find their buggy service to be worth $19.99/month especially in addition to Apple Music which is a must for me since Tidal isn’t the most robust service.
Only real problem is that the sound is noticeably better with Tidal, and I don’t find their buggy service to be worth $19.99/month especially in addition to Apple Music which is a must for me since Tidal isn’t the most robust service.
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TidalWave
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Any thoughts on these ear pads?
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ath-m50x-velour-earpads#description
(the vendor page for them is: https://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/AT-135409020-VELVET )
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ath-m50x-velour-earpads#description
(the vendor page for them is: https://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/AT-135409020-VELVET )
TidalWave
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Sorry, another accessory question: I’m looking for an alternative, more flexible audio cable for the Sine. I don’t like the stiff stock cable. Are there any nice braided flexible cables anyone could recommend?
gzll
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Denon D600/7100 cables should work, and i remember reading somewhere here that the Meze 99 cable should work too. though not having the angled thing might be a slight hassle having to maneuver the cables forwardSorry, another accessory question: I’m looking for an alternative, more flexible audio cable for the Sine. I don’t like the stiff stock cable. Are there any nice braided flexible cables anyone could recommend?
Gangler
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Cables for Beyer T1 / T5P would work aswell.
You can buy the meze cable here
https://www.mezeaudio.com/collections/accessories
I have not tried this one not 100% sure it will fit into the sine
I have this amazon buyer T1 cable
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=...c&sprefix=newfantasia+beye&crid=2L0EJK5DMM336
I have not tried it with sine I can give it a shot when I’m back in town next week and report back
You can buy the meze cable here
https://www.mezeaudio.com/collections/accessories
I have not tried this one not 100% sure it will fit into the sine
I have this amazon buyer T1 cable
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=...c&sprefix=newfantasia+beye&crid=2L0EJK5DMM336
I have not tried it with sine I can give it a shot when I’m back in town next week and report back
gzll
New Head-Fier
T1 cables end in 2x stereo instead of mono like the sine, would that make a difference?Cables for Beyer T1 / T5P would work aswell.
You can buy the meze cable here
https://www.mezeaudio.com/collections/accessories
I have not tried this one not 100% sure it will fit into the sine
I have this amazon buyer T1 cable
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=...c&sprefix=newfantasia+beye&crid=2L0EJK5DMM336
I have not tried it with sine I can give it a shot when I’m back in town next week and report back
TidalWave
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Thanks for the cable suggestions!
Anyone here had a chance to try out Monoprice Monolith M560 or M565C and compare them with Sine? Not looking at the big 1060C, since they are just far too big for me to be practical.
Anyone here had a chance to try out Monoprice Monolith M560 or M565C and compare them with Sine? Not looking at the big 1060C, since they are just far too big for me to be practical.
Looks like Audeze is preparing to release the successor to the Sine... and it’s looking like it will be wireless!
https://www.audeze.com/products/mobius-series/mobius-headphone
https://www.audeze.com/products/mobius-series/mobius-headphone
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