[Sugano-san]

Click on this:

http://www.russandrews.com/

Then search for "Sennheiser" with the search function in the upper left hand corner.

 

[spritzer]

Yeah I just saw this in the Russ Andrews newsletter. This cable has the potential to be very good considering it uses Kimber cables.

Here is the exact address:

http://www.russandrews.com/product.a...EKGVLQMGZUQDNZ

 

[Born2bwire]

This always happens whenever I buy something, a flurry of substitutable products come out. I just got my Cardas and now I hear that Zu and Jan Meier are making cables and now this. Still, 160 Pounds is a lot of money.

 

[london luke]

So.......................... whos going to be first!!

I think the market here in the UK for these cables will be very small. By the time you pay $270.00 to include postage etc. They are starting to get expensive!!!

I like the sound of their return policy...so could be good to try them and make a quick review.

I have a project Chiarra amp been made with some very cool modifications all housed ina cool case with a sexy knoB!!!


If the price was around the £120.00($180.00) I would be more interested. And a 2 meter at that cost is still mad

 

[guzzler]

woft! £160??! I paid about £40 less for the damn headphones, shipped from Greece!!

g

 

[london luke]

I still believe I can make better for less!!! (Always thought like this!!) I just need to find the best cable to use and the molded ends.

£160.00 is stupid.

Must cost less than £8.00 to make.

 

[13DoW]

Luke,
I made my own so it's possible but not for the faint-of-heart or shakey-of-hand. To get around the custom connector I used a fine engraving tip in a dremel tool to mill out an opening in the plastic senheiser connector. Then snipout the old cable and very carefully (and quickly) solder new cable straight to the pins. Then cover the hole with epoxy and you're set. I slit the molded cable relief and passed the new cable in through the hole and then covered with some semi-rigid meltable inner wall heatshrink.

You could use any cable you wanted. I used Belden foam-teflon coax cores as twisted pairs for the cable (with some adaptation to make a reasonably flexible Y). I paid $0.7 per linear foot which works out as $3.40 per stereo foot. Having done it, I wouldn't necessarily recommend that cable for practical reasons - though the sonics are very fine. I was hoping to do a direct A-B comparison against the Cardas balanced cable at the recent soCal meet but it didn't work out. The DIY is miles ahead of the stock.

If anyone is serious about having a go I can send photos (I've no website to host them) and some tips that I learned the hardway.

Regards
13th Duke of Wymbourne

 

[goon-heaven]

Hi Duke,

I emailed RA re selling connectors separately but they refused.

I want to DIY the cable, but like others the sticking point is that damn headphone connector.
I had thought of fabricating the connectors out of teflon block and copper or hardwiring direct to the headphone.
Your idea of Dremel surgery is very interesting, and better than leaving tails - no point in half doing the job.
Please email pickkies / hints etc (5Mb max per email) to me.

Thanks
Steve

 

[jimbobuk]

agreed its expensive but its not THAT expensive compared to the other HD600 cables out there is it!??!

the clau blues etc.. not sure on the names.. but all of those are fairly expensive too... are they longer!? how long is the stock HD600 lead... its length is about perfect... i fear it maybe 3-4m or something which makes it more expensive ...

I've brought from Russ Andrews before, great service... their returns policy is great... I am fearful of all of these replacement cables being too bulky and heavy making the HD600s less comfortable..

I'm also skeptical on the sound improvements.. I used to be really into upgrading hifi like crazy... after spending a few years assessing lossy audio codec quality on computers (using HD600s for one) I've noticed how bad i am at detecting audible differences blindly... its very difficult to perform blind tests on audio equipment... cables for headphones especially .. i am not keen on dulling the connection quality of the cans by forever swopping different leads.. without swopping tho you have no way of comparing... our brains are terrible at remembering audio details too, which is why proper tests focus on short segments of music and allow instant changing between sources... double blind tests help you get a probability that you are guessing and finally leave you secure in the knowledge that you DO hear differences/improvements...

anyways, the return policy and the fact that they are in the UK make me interested in testing these leads... are they really THAT bad pricewise compared to the others out there? not DIY, the other off the shelf solutions..

 

[davidcotton]

Everyones been commenting on the price of the replacement cord but not the headphones. I couldn't believe it when they were offering the hd600s for £249 when a while ago you could have picked them up in your local richers for around £100!!!!!!!!

 

[jimbobuk]

yeah i guess its how they can get the supply of it tho.. the RRP is at that value... agreed though it is savage... i believe at £100 that would be the 580s wouldn't it?!

i've only ever seen them as cheap as £150.. i paid about £160-170, two to three years ago for mine, same place still sell them at around that price..

Jim

 

[Chops]

I have e-mailed everyone I know that makes aftermarket cables for the HD580/600's, Cardas, Clou, etc..... Even Sennheiser! None of them are willing to give up a few of these connectors, saying that the connectors are molded directly to the cables and pins, or that they have some kind of "contract agreement" with Sennheiser to not sell these to any "third parties".

I was thinking if I could get my hands on some of those pin connectors, I could have James Hess, of (Magwires), make some cables for the Sennheisers.

In fact, he has a pair of HD580's that needs the stock cable replaced. When I mentioned this to him, he was very interested and is willing to make the cables, only if we can find some way of getting those stinking connectors.

You know, I read else-where in this forum about Zu Cables making their own cable for the Senns, and that they had so many problems working with the stock connectors that they were in the process of making their own connectors.

Maybe if we all get together and ask the guys at Zu Cables, they will be willing to sell their connectors to us DIY'ers.

It couldn't hurt, right?!

 

[london luke]

Please feal free to "shoot me down"..

So how many of us agree that the problem with the stens are the Plugs????

And If they where simple to source then we would all be making our own cables.

I am sure it would be easy to get a small company to run up a couple of Hundred...Some little backstreet place.
Then sell them for SENSIBLE money and still make a few $$££



Or what about junking the whole connector thing and Modding the 600's to accept a different type of connector.


This could be the secret. A easy to fit, simple plug trpe connector.


I am sure someone must have tried this....

And lets be fair.............. we all want to mod things and save ££$$$ doing it!!!!!


Please lets have a go

 

[davidcotton]

Went in to get a normal replacement cable for my knackered one. Dealer thought it'd be a fiver, turns out it was closer to £25.00!!!!!!! So it looks like its those sodding connectors that really bump the price up

 

[goon-heaven]

The advantage of hardwiring or replacing the connector is we should end up with a better connection.

I recall a post on the subject on Headwize by Jan Meier some time ago.

The downside is we lose the ability to compare with those 30day free trial yardsticks. And also may lose resale value.

This is maybe where one ends up after deciding the best DIY cable to use, and no longer in the experimental stage.

Has any DIYer ever managed to fabricate this connector?

I like Dukes idea of Dremel surgery but again it probably isnt the solution at the experimental stage of comparing cables - I dunno how many times the connector would survive replacing cables. Perhaps leave tails to connect to whilst playing and then use Dremel for the final solution.

Quote:

Maybe if we all get together and ask the guys at Zu Cables, they will be willing to sell their connectors to us DIY'ers.

Great idea, Chops. Save me a whole load of hassle. Put me down for 4.