[RPT1778]

Although I can't say that I have tried anything other than stock and Lil' Knight's Jena cable, I will wholeheartedly give my vote of approval for LK's work...

For background, I've just joined the head-fi community and my setup is:

ALAC > iPod 5 > LK's Pure Copper/Gold LOD > RSA Predator > Stock HD650 3.5mm to 6.3mm size convertor > LK's Jena Recable > Senn HD650

After just a quick sample of some classic Wagner Opera sections and pink floyd, I felt like the music was more clear, better articulated and over all much tighter in presentation than the stock cables, but didn't go head to head, just listened to the new cable alone and based on what i remembered hearing last night and before...

Then I went for the Pink Floyd "Pigs (Three Different Ways)" head to head comparison, which is what really prompted this endorsement for the following reason...

Listened to the first few minutes of the song then switched over to the Jena's and after only one go around, confirmed all of the above feelings, as well as finally understanding the Senn Veil that people talk about... The first vocals at around the 1:15 mark were the dead give away that there is something "wrong" with the stock cables, and something so right with LK's Jenas! A quick swap back to the stock cable's indeed confirmed that something was amiss and threw out all those comments for aurally challeneged head-fiers that claim cables are a myth...

Now while I'm writing the review, I've moved on to Nessum Dorma and O Sole Mio and in both songs, it feels like I'm right in the auditorium with a packed house around me... Makes the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention like few things can do!

Although the amp and headphones had already brought me to new levels of listening enjoyment, I only now realize that everything in the chain must be of the best possible quality to truly extract the fullest potential from your music, and LK's cables have brought that to light!

Price is great and after sending him payment, received everything about 8 days later!

Now I need to find a suitable 6.3 to 3.5 adapter without a cable in between as i definitely think that if anything is the bottleneck now it would be the stock adapter from the 650s... Or I can just get a desktop amp with 6.3mm adapter instead

Sorry for such a long post, but I couldn't help but share what even a newb like myself heard as clearly as the music itself on just 1 "critical" listen...

RPT

 

[Audio-Omega]

The sound character of Oracle is much like the stock cable but enhanced, with better bass, treble and more midrange.

Zu Mobius is very different from the stock cable. It has tighter bass, brighter treble, more midrange and warmer female vocal. And it also has clarity and better detail.

However the overall sound also depends on your other components. Zu Mobius mk2 sounded a bit bright with silver based interconnects (Neotech) until I switched to copper ones.

 

[Seamaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif The sound character of Oracle is much like the stock cable but enhanced, with better bass, treble and more midrange. Zu Mobius is very different from the stock cable. It has tighter bass, brighter treble, more midrange and warmer female vocal. And it also has clarity and better detail. However the overall sound also depends on your other components. Zu Mobius mk2 sounded a bit bright with silver based interconnects (Neotech) until I switched to copper ones.

What else are different between Zu Mobius V1 and V2? Did you burn in enough? Thanks.

 

[olblueyez]

If you want a cable that compliments the 650 then the Equinox is it, if you want to change it then try another brand.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Zu Mobius v1 and v2 are pretty similar in sound quality. V2 has tighter bass, warmer female vocal and brighter treble. But the differences are small. You might hear big differences with better components ?

Physically, v2 is half the size of v1 in diameter, it's more flexible and its clips fit better into HD650. With regard to sound quality, I'm happy with either one.

 

[fhuang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif What are some of the short commings of the 650 that everyone would like to see the new cable address?

can a cable make a smooth headphone(hd650) even smoother?

 

[Jerrycan]

I've both the Cardas and the Equinox and prefer the Equinox.

 

[Vandal]

Quick query -
To introduce some sparkle in the top end, tighter bass and a full mid-range which of the 2?
Zu Mobius or Stefan art Equinox?

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fhuang /img/forum/go_quote.gif can a cable make a smooth headphone(hd650) even smoother?

Yes -- all of my homegrown magnet-wire cables do that. Actually not bad, but I prefer Zu Mobius and Silver Dragon to them.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Vandal /img/forum/go_quote.gif To introduce some sparkle in the top end, tighter bass and a full mid-range which of the 2? Zu Mobius or Stefan art Equinox?

Sparkle = Zu Mobius and Silver Dragon; tight bass = Zu Mobius and Equinox. The Silver Dragon has well controlled, accurate bass, just a bit leaner than the stock cable. Not sure about the «fuller midrange»... the HD 650's midrange is already a bit too full IME.
.

 

[KevinR70]

I've tried the Cardas, APS, and Equinox. Currently using the Equinox on my home rig. I use the APS on my portable rig since it is terminated with mini plug.

 

[Valens7]

I have a UPOCC copper cable made for me by Enigma Audio. It is excellent on my HD650.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Reason I asked this question is because I have tried 2 cables with the 650. First I tried the V3 and it is a decent cable however it brought the entire midrange forward to the point of walking all over the bass and treble. I also had problems with intermittent dropouts with the connectors used on that cable. The Equinox is 309 dollars at 9 feet the "Voice" is for the HD800 people, learn to read. With the Equinox, the two gripes you listed are addressed in spades. The bass weight is lowered slightly and lots of bass impact is added. The veil everyone refers too is removed as the equinox brings the part of the mid section forward that contains vocals. It does all this without altering other parts of the sound. I strongly urge the OP to try the Equinox first as it seems to have been designed to address the issues people seem to have with the 650 as apposed to just making a nice thick cable and charging a lot of money. The connectors on the Equinox are different than the V3 and fit better and eliminated the dropout problem I was having with the V3. Stefan AudioArt Home

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you want a cable that compliments the 650 then the Equinox is it, if you want to change it then try another brand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fhuang /img/forum/go_quote.gif can a cable make a smooth headphone(hd650) even smoother?

I think all of that was addressed in a prior post.

 

[Seamaster]

Thanks for help.

 

[Audio-Omega]

A good headphone cable can reveal more. Zu Mobius reveals the harshness of my old cd player and interconnects, and the smoothness of the newer ones.

 

[proglife]

Has anyone ever asked anybody at Sennheiser this question?

Unfortunately, I'm too skeptical to cough up the money to give an aftermarket cable a shot, but I've always been curious. They sure do look purdy.