Best budget cable upgrade HD650
Jun 13, 2005 at 1:05 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17

chrisfromalbany

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What are peoples thoughts on best cheap upgrade for the 650s. I had read about "Zu Mobius" cable and is sounding just as good.

I know "Cardas" cable is the standard, is there anything else that is a good upgrade and not as expense? I am sure some of the cables are like flavors so depends on the type of music and the amp then you go with that type. Anyways what is a middle of the road upgrade cable.
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 1:38 AM Post #4 of 17
I know this will upset a lot of people here, so let me put my flamesuit on.


Aftermarket cables are snake oil.

My friend has a 650, with stock, cardas, and zu mobius cables. He can't tell the difference between any of them, and neither can I.
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 1:45 AM Post #5 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by Supsup
I know this will upset a lot of people here, so let me put my flamesuit on.


Aftermarket cables are snake oil.

My friend has a 650, with stock, cardas, and zu mobius cables. He can't tell the difference between any of them, and neither can I.



Was the cable balanced though???

How can you say that.. You know nothing.. You are a newbie all the way..

J/k...

The is kind of my thoughts too.. but what the hell do I know. I knew the 580 and 600 cable wasn't as good as 650s and upgrade with them did make a difference. With the 650s the difference I am thinking is small.
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 1:53 AM Post #6 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisfromalbany
Was the cable balanced though???

How can you say that.. You know nothing.. You are a newbie all the way..

J/k...

The is kind of my thoughts too.. but what the hell do I know. I knew the 580 and 600 cable wasn't as good as 650s and upgrade with them did make a difference. With the 650s the difference I am thinking is small.



Maybe his source wasn't too fantastic? I wasn't really checking it out. The sound was excellent regardless of the cable though. Very nice.
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 2:07 AM Post #8 of 17
nothing wrong with stock.

source and amp first, then invest in cables. if you dont have the gear to justify the cables, why bother buying it? just my $0.02
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 2:09 AM Post #9 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by Supsup
I know this will upset a lot of people here, so let me put my flamesuit on.


Aftermarket cables are snake oil.

My friend has a 650, with stock, cardas, and zu mobius cables. He can't tell the difference between any of them, and neither can I.




recables do sound different, I can swap out my Grado cables backand forth in seconds and the differences are not snake oil or imaginary, but very real.
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 2:13 AM Post #10 of 17
I bought some cheap, teflon insulated silver plated copper a while ago for when I get around to recabling my HD600 (after I build an amp). Not really sure if it'll make a difference, especially since I have an HD650 cable as well. I won't expect much, and I'll try it out before cutting up any Senn cables (just tinning the wire and sticking it in the hole for testing)...I think interconnects for speakers make some difference, but I really doubt my DIY cable will make a difference on the HD600. Especially the teflon. How the crap is a dielectric going to sound different? That's bullocks. People just like saying they have teflon for their wires. You're making a headphone cable, not a power conduit for a jet fighter. I also doubt the silver sounds "brighter"...MAYBE solid silver conducts more than copper enough to let higher voltages through easier, but I seriously doubt it. I'm also not sure I buy the skin effect argument, since most household wiring where you have 240 volts with 20 or 30 amps is solid...
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 2:16 AM Post #11 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180
recables do sound different, I can swap out my Grado cables backand forth in seconds and the differences are not snake oil or imaginary, but very real.


So you say. You may be right, I haven't done any cable A/Bing yet, but if you're actually expecting the fancy cable to sound better, it will. I'm going into my DIY HD600 cable thinking it'll be snake oil, and I truely believe that it won't make much of a difference...helps level the playing field in your mind a bit.

The best way to test is with an oscilliscope. See if the analog signal changes after it passes down the wire. If it does, use an A/B switch and do a blind test to see if it's different enough to notice. Infact, I think I have an old oscilliscope around somewhere, I may just break it out and try it.
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 11:19 AM Post #12 of 17
True budget cable upgrade.

Get some wire wrap from Lowes or Walmart. Wrap the stock cable, and not you have more insulation. Keeps the electrons from leaving the cable.

Total cost less that $5.
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 11:36 AM Post #13 of 17
I hear a definite difference between the stock, the oehlbach and the headphile cables. Or at least I think I do
580smile.gif
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 12:24 PM Post #14 of 17
I think that stock HD650 cable is not "that bad" to think about a budget upgrade, because the stock is not a totally standard and budget cable, is yet a good cable.

I had the HD650 with the Cardas and the difference between the Cardas and the stock was clearly audible (the Cardas was the best
tongue.gif
), giving the HD650 a refinment that but this headphone very high in the contest for the best dynamic headphones around. But it costs 150$, not really a budget cable.

bye
Andrea
 
Jun 13, 2005 at 12:51 PM Post #15 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by amartignano
I think that stock HD650 cable is not "that bad" to think about a budget upgrade, because the stock is not a totally standard and budget cable, is yet a good cable.

I had the HD650 with the Cardas and the difference between the Cardas and the stock was clearly audible (the Cardas was the best
tongue.gif
), giving the HD650 a refinment that but this headphone very high in the contest for the best dynamic headphones around. But it costs 150$, not really a budget cable.

bye
Andrea



I concur. The Cardas definitely changed the nature of the 650. Not exactly in a flabbergasting manner, but subtle, yet clearly noticeable. The result was better but not decidedly so. The presentation got more life and the dark character of the 650 was lifted to a large extend, but not totally, which I regard as a success. I am not sure the imaging got better. I also have to re-listen all my favourite tube combinations with the MPX3 since the synergy in the whole equipment chain has changed: favourites will fall and new will arise
biggrin.gif
 

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