In the grand scheme of a listening experience what is the ranking of gear from most important to least important? Headphones/IEMs, a good source, then cables, etc? I am genuinely curious as to why some cables are more expensive than some flagship IEMs and headphones.
In the grand scheme of a listening experience what is the ranking of gear from most important to least important? Headphones/IEMs, a good source, then cables, etc? I am genuinely curious as to why some cables are more expensive than some flagship IEMs and headphones.
In the grand scheme of a listening experience what is the ranking of gear from most important to least important? Headphones/IEMs, a good source, then cables, etc? I am genuinely curious as to why some cables are more expensive than some flagship IEMs and headphones.
Hi there, the common (and probably most applicable) answer is that: IEMs > source > cable. The IEM is of course always going to be the most important in determining the overall sound. When it comes to sources and cables it becomes more tricky, and definitely more personal. I've read countless cases where people don't hear differences with either sources or cables, or both.
When I first started in this hobby, I owned a $30 Sennheiser CX-300, $300 Monster Turbine Copper, and $400 EarSonics SM64. I could barely tell the differences between them, and would have probably failed in a blind test. Then I bought a second-hand silver cable (a friend told me to get one since you should always have a spare), and the difference was easily perceptible: it was so much brighter (this was an old-school silver). So I started playing around with cables until I found one that perfectly matched my IEM, and lifted it to a higher level.
However, many people do not experience any differences. So whether cables are a factor to be considered really depends on what you yourself hear. If you're curious, try a quality entry-level silver cable for instance and see if you hear anything (perhaps lend one from a friend). If it does something for you, it can be a finishing step for your setup to fine-tune even more towards your preference.
As to why some cables are so expensive; it becomes easier to justify to buy an expensive cable once you have a couple of top IEMs to play around with Before then, probably focus on finding your favourite IEM.
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